Ignoring the deadly traps and the rush of the other martial artists who were following Fu Yuanjun toward the cliff, Cao Wenyan rushed down a set of broken stairwells. He walked past the pile of scattered bones and saw the left door panel of a small room still ajar.
Inside, the horror intensified. Next to the cave wall, he found a skeleton nailed to the wall with a sword. Cao Wenyan instantly recognized the clothes: it was Wang Zedong. Then, his eyes fell upon another figure—the body of Wang Changming, which was well preserved, looking much the same as he did decades ago.
But in the corner of his eyes, Cao Wenyan saw the one he sought: another skeleton wearing the white and green outfit. It was the exact clothing Mu Dishi had worn the day he rescued him and pushed him out of the door.
Cao Wenyan approached Mu Dishi's skeleton, tears blurring his vision. He sat down on the cold stone bed, gently holding the skeleton's hand. He closed his eyes, and silent tears continued to fall.
Cao Wenyan's sobs were wrenching, a raw expression of grief and buried emotion. "Mu gongzi, you saved me. I lived for almost two years. I slept on a warm bed with a thick quilt, but you were lying on this cold, icy bed."
He held Mu Dishi's skeletal hand, clinging to the only remnants of the man who had saved him. "Last time I held you, your body was warm, and that feeling filled my heart with warmth. This time I held you, your body is cold, and this feeling fills my heart with pain."
His confession poured out between sobs. "Do you know that you have changed me forever? You turned me from a cruel person to a person who can show compassion to others. For this, I will never forget you." He held the cold bones tight and continued to cry.
Because the tunnels and corridors were dark, and this was Yongzheng's first time in the Mu Treasure Cave, he was completely unfamiliar with the environment. He held Xue Horan's hand and walked cautiously down the dark corridor, not knowing which path Cao Wenyan had taken. They eventually came to a two-way corridor.
"Which way?" Xue Horan asked.
"I don't know," Yongzheng admitted.
Suddenly, Xue Horan stopped dead. Yongzheng turned around and asked, "Horan, what's the matter?"
Xue Horan simply said, "Yongzheng, you go ahead."
Yongzheng rushed back, sweeping the beam of the torch downward. He saw that Xue Horan had stepped into a trap. Yongzheng panicked. "Don't move!" he urged. He looked around wildly. "I will figure out something!"
Xue Horan smiled up at him, calm in the face of danger. "I believe you will."
While Yongzheng searched desperately, a frantic martial artist suddenly rushed over from behind Xue Horan and knocked him down to the ground in the left corridor. Xue Horan's feet lifted from the pressure plate, but the damage was done. Two stone walls slid out from the inside of the corridor walls, moving to crush the space. Yongzheng sprinted forward, exhausted his internal strength, and hurled himself against the sliding walls to stop them from pressing onto them.
Yongzheng groaned, his veins bulging. "Horan, get up and run away!"
Xue Horan stood up and looked at Yongzheng, who was supporting the walls with his bare hands. Yongzheng pushed with all his might, but the thick, strong walls slowly and inexorably pressed toward him. His internal strength was no match for the thousand-pound stone walls.
Yongzheng grunted, blood dripping from his forearms, the pressure overwhelming him. "Horan, leave… I can't hold it anymore!"
"Yongzheng…" Xue Horan whispered.
Yongzheng ground his teeth, forcing a final, pained smile. "Horan, leave now. I don't want you to see me crushed to death by these walls." He reassured him. "This is not your fault."
Xue Horan began to walk away, obeying the desperate command. But as he heard a final, loud grunt from Yongzheng—the sound of him using his last ounces of internal strength—Xue Horan threw the torch onto the ground and rushed back. He wrapped his arms tightly around Yongzheng's waist, hugging him against the inevitable.
"Yongzheng, to die with you, it is not as terrible as knowing that I have lost my soulmate," Xue Horan declared, his voice full of peace.
Yongzheng smiled, a tear finally slipping from his left eye. "Horan…"
Xue Horan looked up and smiled at Yongzheng. He stood on his tiptoes and kissed the right side of Yongzheng's cheek, then hugged him tighter. "I choose to be here with you with no regret."
Yongzheng chuckled, a ragged, blood-tinged sound. "Horan, this is your last chance to leave."
Xue Horan refused, clinging tighter. He buried his face into Yongzheng's chest, oblivious to the immense pressure. He smiled and said, "I feel happy."
Just as the burning torch gradually began to dim, casting the final moments in flickering shadows, a black figure stood in the corner of the corridor, staring intently at the two people who were so resolutely choosing to die for each other. The black figure silently turned and pressed a hidden stone on the wall.
The stone walls immediately and quickly slid back into the corridor.
Relief flooded Yongzheng's body. He embraced Xue Horan, holding him tightly. He saw the dark figure disappearing into the right corridor, and the only distinguishing feature they caught sight of was the tip of the individual's white hair.
Yongzheng shouted down the dark passage, his voice filled with gratitude, "Thank you qianbei for saving us!"
With the torch now retrieved, Yongzheng grabbed Xue Horan's left hand and quickly moved them along the right corridor. After traveling for a while, they encountered an intermittent staircase littered with bones. They heard a faint whimpering sound echoing nearby.
"That must be Cao gongzi," Yongzheng confirmed.
They cautiously descended the stairs. As they reached the doorway, they paused, taking in the scene: a young man lay on a bed as if asleep, a skeleton lay beside him, and Cao Wenyan was weeping while clutching the skeleton's hand.
Cao Wenyan's sobs were raw. "Mu gongzi, there is not a single moment in a day that I don't think of you." His lips trembled and his tears continued to fall.
Xue Horan stared at Cao Wenyan, a wave of realization washing over him. He never expected Cao Wenyan's feelings for Mu Dishi to be so intense—even the sight of a skeleton could ignite such passionate devotion. He recognized that the night Cao Wenyan had assaulted him, Cao Wenyan must have truly believed he was with Mu Dishi. Xue Horan also recalled that during his time in the Beixing Sect, Cao Wenyan's attitude toward him, though manipulative, had not been entirely cruel.
Xue Horan clutched Yongzheng's left sleeve tightly. "Yongzheng, Cao Wenyan must really like Mu Dishi."
Yongzheng and Xue Horan stepped into the small room. "Cao gongzi, your sister wants me to come get you," Yongzheng announced gently.
Cao Wenyan instantly wiped his tears, stood up, and carefully picked up Mu Dishi's skeleton. He then began walking out of the room, cradling the remains.
Yongzheng and Xue Horan then turned their attention to the figure on the bed, Wang Changming, who looked perfectly peaceful, as if he were only sleeping. Yongzheng checked the man's pulse, then sadly shook his head. "This man is dead."
Yongzheng held Xue Horan's hand, and they followed Cao Wenyan out of the hidden room. After walking for a few minutes, they emerged into the main middle tunnel. Just as Yong Taihua and his disciples were preparing to leave to retrieve containers for the bones, the trio approached.
"Yong-xiong, you don't have to go back for your shizun," Yongzheng called out.
Yong Taihua spun around and saw Cao Wenyan holding a skeleton in his arms. The skeleton wore the exact white and green outfit Mu Dishi wore when he had last said goodbye in Mu Village. Overcome with emotion and confirmation, Yong Taihua rushed to Cao Wenyan and snatched the skeleton from his embrace. He gently placed the remains in the coffin he had prepared, then knelt down.
Yong Taihua whispered through tears, "Shizun…"
Many martial artists who had remained outside or were waiting nearby stepped forward, curiosity and morbid fascination drawing them toward the skeleton.
Yong Taihua, rising to his feet, declared, "Shizun, let's go home."
The two disciples quickly picked up the lid and sealed the coffin tightly. They lifted the coffin onto their shoulders. Yong Taihua walked in front, solemnly throwing joss paper into the air, and thus, they walked out of the Mu Treasure Cave, leading the revered, tragic figure home.
News of Mu Dishi's death spread throughout the martial arts world like lightning in the night sky. Those who were his enemies breathed a collective sigh of relief; they could finally sleep with their eyes closed and dream happily.
While most martial artists were celebrating, Cao Wenyan and Yong Taihua were mourning. The two men knelt in front of Mu Dishi's freshly dug grave.
Standing behind them were Cao Yanmei, Chen Dandan, and Yong Caixia.
Cao Yanmei knelt beside her brother, offering comfort. "Ge, at least now you know where Mu Dishi is. You don't have to wonder where he is. If Mu Dishi knows you are mourning for him, he will be very happy. Think about all the good times you shared with Mu Dishi. You did a lot for him."
Even Chen Dandan, who disliked the Cao clan, agreed with the sentiment. She knelt down as well. "Taihua, if Mu ge knows, he will be very happy. At least he has a disciple who understands him and accompanied him until his last breath." She turned to looked at the tombstone. "Mu ge, you have suffered throughout your life, and now you can rest here with your family."
Cao Wenyan spoke, his voice heavy with finality. "Death leaves an incurable heartache, and love leaves a memory that cannot be stolen. Mu Gongzi, your absence makes my whole world seem empty. There is no word to explain the sadness in my soul. Because as long as the sun rises from the east to the west, I will miss you from sunrise to sunset." He then stood up, leaving the grave behind, and walked down the small hill toward the main road with Cao Yanmei.