Early in the morning, everyone was sitting in the hall of the newly restored Rao Manor. Rao Zhengsheng, having been busy meeting with other household members, was the last to arrive.
He looked around the table and asked, "Where is Horan?"
The maid replied, "Chief Rao, Xue gongzi is not awake yet."
Yongzheng stood up immediately, but Dong Shun quickly pulled him back down. "You have already sat down, what is the point of you standing and go get Xue gongzi?" He looked at the maid. "Go get Xue gongzi."
The maid went to check, and Dong Shun urged everyone to eat. "Eat."
Rao Zhengsheng, however, insisted, "Let's wait for Horan."
Yuan Zixin tried to reassure him, "There are plenty of food, don't worry about there being no food left for him."
Yuan Xiurong was thoughtful, picking up a bowl and setting aside some soup. "Horan, didn't eat too much, so this will be enough for him," she said.
As everyone began to eat, the servant returned with the news: Xue Horan was not in his room.
Yongzheng rushed to the room. It was neatly cleaned. He sat down and saw Xue Horan's sewing basket. He recognized the fabric used for his new money bag inside the basket.
"Yongzheng, I'm leaving in a few days," Xue Horan's voice echoed in his heart. Yongzheng murmured softly, "Horan, you are so mean, leaving without letting me send you. Are you afraid that I will stop you from leaving?"
Yongzheng entered his own room and began packing his bag. He had no reason to stay now; he had fulfilled his promise to Xue Longwei by teaching Rao Zhengsheng the last twenty moves of the Butterfly Swords Manual.
He walked out and headed toward the front door, where he saw Cao Yanmei walking toward him. Yongzheng avoided eye contact and tried to walk past her.
Cao Yanmei grabbed his arm. "Yongzheng, where are you going?"
"Home," he replied simply.
"Home? Your home is here!" she insisted.
Yongzheng shook his head. "This is not my home; this is the home of Rao Zhengsheng and Dong Shun."
"How can you call your brother and your shushu by their name?" She refused to release his arm. "I won't let you leave like this."
Rao Zhengsheng, catching up, pushed past Dong Shun and rushed over. "Yongzheng, where are you going?"
Cao Yanmei answered for him, "He said he was going home."
Rao Zhengsheng stood in front of Yongzheng. "Why?"
Yongzheng looked at him pointedly. "I have no reason to stay here. I have taught you the last twenty moves of Butterfly Swords. I have fulfilled my promise to Xue qianbei and Horan. The only reason I stayed here is because of Horan. Since Horan is no longer here, I have no reason to stay anymore." He yanked his arm out of Cao Yanmei's grasp.
Rao Zhengsheng was taken aback by the news. "Horan is not here?"
Yongzheng turned back and glared at Rao Zhengsheng. "Do you think that someone like Horan will stay here and be looked down upon by you and others? You are so sick that you dare to ask him to dress up as a woman and publicly denounce his gender? Do you care more about saving face in front of other martial artists that you can't proudly say you love him for who he is?" He turned his back to Rao Zhengsheng. "Rao Zhengsheng, when you reach the top and everyone is looking up to you, you will understand that power is nothing but a lonely cold chair, with eyes that deeply hates you."
Rao Zhengsheng felt the sting of the accusation, knowing it was true. "I did this because of our family name," he defended himself weakly.
Yongzheng's final words were firm and absolute. "Rao Zhengsheng, if you can't love him proudly, then let him go. I will love him for who he is, so... don't use your so-called promise to imprison him." He quickly left Rao Manor.
The annual martial arts competition finally arrived at Shaolin, filling the large open space with martial artists, sects, and clans eager to watch the three-day event. This competition served both as a showcase for new talent and an opportunity to settle old grievances.
Monk Ling opened the contest, warning the participants: "Weapon does not have eyes and injury may occur. In order to minimize the risk of injury, please stop immediately after the winner is determined."
The first two days saw many contests, with the disciples of the six major sects proving their superior skill.
On the third day, Rao Zhengsheng was focused solely on his target: Cao Fengge. He intended to publicly expose Cao Fengge as his family's murderer and resolve the conflict permanently. He held his sword tightly, struggling to restrain his rage.
Cao Yanmei stood behind Dong Shun, her emotions conflicted. Although Cao Fengge was a killer, he had loved her, and her brother, Cao Wenyan, had always spoiled her. She could not bring herself to hate them.
She glanced across the arena and spotted Yongzheng standing among the crowd, dressed in a deep navy blue Taoist gown with his hair tied up. He stood beside an elder Taoist.
"Yongzheng…" she murmured.
Dong Shun quickly spotted him. He was furious to see Yongzheng dressed as a Taoist, feeling his effort to integrate him into the family had been completely rejected. He wanted to force some sense into his nephew.
When the last two martial artists left the arena, Rao Zhengsheng flew onto the platform. He stared coldly at Cao Fengge. "I'm Rao Zhengsheng of the Rao Household. I would like to seek a few pointers from Chief Cao."
Cao Fengge smiled bitterly, scoffing. "I am your elder; fighting with you is an insult."
Rao Zhengsheng escalated the challenge. "Fine, then I will stand in front of you as the son of your enemy. Today, only one of us will leave this arena."
Cao Fengge accepted with a mocking smile. "Very well, then let us resolve our conflicts once and for all." He flew to the arena.
Rao Zhengsheng drew his butterfly swords and rushed at Cao Fengge with his full strength, initiating a ferocious attack on his upper body. Cao Fengge turned and dodged. Rao Zhengsheng quickly switched his attack to Cao Fengge's feet. Cao Fengge retaliated, flying around Rao Zhengsheng and releasing a red needle.
Cao Yanmei shouted a warning, "Rao gege, be careful of those needles!"
Rao Zhengsheng managed to block the needle with his sword, only to face another red-threaded needle from the left. He blocked it again, but Cao Fengge immediately followed up by throwing four daggers. Rao Zhengsheng spun backward to avoid the daggers, but in the same instant, Cao Fengge released ten red thread needles, aiming directly at him.
Yongzheng moved with sudden, incredible speed. He flew forward, unsheathing a sword from a nearby martial artist's belt, and went straight for Cao Fengge. With one precise swing, he severed the ten red thread needles and aimed his sword at Cao Fengge.
Yongzheng's abrupt intervention forced Cao Fengge to retreat. Cao Fengge looked at the young Taoist. "Young Taoist, if I remembered correctly, you once told me that you don't care about being famous. What changed your mind?"
Yongzheng glanced at the wounded Rao Zhengsheng. "It just happened that... He is my da ge."
"Very well, then you two can die together today," Cao Fengge sneered.
Cao Fengge correctly assessed that Yongzheng was the greater threat, so he planned to eliminate Rao Zhengsheng first. He sent two red thread needles at Yongzheng as a distraction and flew past him. Condensing his internal strength, he hit Rao Zhengsheng with a full-force blow. Rao Zhengsheng managed to block it, but the tremendous power caused him to slide violently to the edge of the arena. His butterfly swords split and shattered, and Rao Zhengsheng vomited blood.
Yongzheng turned immediately toward his brother. "Rao Zhengsheng…"
Suddenly, Cao Fengge did two backflips to avoid the two needles, startled by something. The martial artists turned to the gate, where a woman, Wen Huifang, walked in smiling.
Yuan Zixin watched her approach, shaking his head in genuine confusion at her sudden appearance. He was deeply puzzled, unable to determine if her intervention was entirely her own impulsive doing, or if it signaled that the new Chief of the Sunset Sect had finally decided to emerge and enter the volatile world of martial arts.
Cao Fengge, his face contorted with fury at the interruption, immediately demanded, "Who are you? Don't you know that intervening between martial artists who are in the middle of a serious duel is a profound breach of martial law?"
Wen Huifang chuckled. "Chief Cao, why don't you kneel in front of me and call me shifu, since you are using my red thread needles fighting skill?" she asked with a sly smile.
Monk Ling intervened. "Amitabha, benefactor, which sect or clan do you belong to?"
Wen Huifang smiled at the monk. "Ling Chundu, why don't you remember me?" She sighed dramatically. "Seventy years have passed. No wonder you don't remember me."
Monk Ling replied, "I'm sorry, I don't remember this benefactor."
Wen Huifang stated her identity. "Wen Huifang, Sunset Sect."