The tension in the air was thick enough to cut, a suffocating silence that descended upon Shaolin. The younger martial artists stood utterly bewildered, whispering amongst themselves, When was the Sunset Sect founded? In the martial world, no major sect rose without notice. The elders, however, were gripped by a deeper terror, asking themselves why the long-vanished Sunset Sect had suddenly chosen to reappear after seventy years.
Tang Jianyu, the leader of the Kunlun Sect, pushed through the crowd, his ninety years of life suddenly seeming insignificant. His voice cracked with disbelief. "Wen qianbei," he said, adressing her respectfully, "you are still the same as you were seventy years ago. Could it be... could it be that you have successfully completed the Immortal Child Manual?"
Wen Huifang offered a delicate, eerie smile. "There are not many people in this world who know about the Immortal Child Manual, and fewer still who dare call me qianbei. Have we met?"
Tang Jianyu's memory was sharp despite his age. "If Wen qianbei doesn't remember me, perhaps you still remember the young man who decided not to reveal where you were hiding."
A flicker of recognition crossed Wen Huifang's face. "I always remember that young man." Her gaze hardened as she asked, "Which sector are you from?"
"Kunlun Sect."
Her offer was both a reward and a death sentence. "Our chief is here to stay; none of you can stop our chief. Kunlun Sect, to repay your kindness: if you don't stand in our Chief's way, I will ask our chief not to annihilate your sect." Her voice dropped to a chilling whisper. "But if you choose to stay with these people, you will die with these people, because for our chief..." She smirked, her eyes full of contempt. "Everyone here is just dog."
The familiar, insulting term for subordinates ignited a fresh wave of outrage. Yong Taihua stepped forward, demanding, "What is the name of your chief?"
Wen Huifang simply scoffed. "If our chief refuses to tell you, then you don't deserve to know." Her eyes snapped back to Cao Fengge. "Chief Cao, like I said, are you going to kowtow and call me shifu or not?"
A worried voice rose from the crowd. Kuo Wenqian asked his mother, "Mother, how can that lady be so sure she will defeat Chief Cao?"
Kuo Ju spoke the legend, her voice trembling. "Years ago, a grandmaster created a terrifying internal strength manual called the Immortal Child. Those who practice it age slowly, and the younger the individual, the stronger their internal strength. That qianbei has power beyond imagining; she can control the red thread needle at will."
Another martial artist, blinded by pride, rashly challenged her. "You look much younger than Chief Cao, and you claim he imitated your martial arts. What evidence do you have?"
Wen Huifang's reaction was swift and horrific, an undeniable display of power. She instantly pierced two needles into the martial artist's eyes. He screamed, collapsing onto the arena floor.
She looked down at his ruined face, the coldness in her voice absolute. "You have eyes but fail to recognize Mount Tai, so there is no reason for you to have eyes."
The silent audience now knew: they were dealing with a force of nature, a grandmaster who valued loyalty to her mysterious "Chief" above all human life.
Just as the martial artists' patience began to wear thin, a soft guzheng melody drifted from the entrance. Everyone turned to see a large sedan, carried by ten men, approaching the arena. In front walked ten beautiful women, each carrying a basket of magnolia blossoms. Leading the entire procession was Yuan Chaomei, holding a white umbrella.
Gu Tingfang stood up, shock etched on his face. "Chaomei…" He looked at Yuan Zixin. "Chief Yuan, why is your daughter on the side of those people?"
Yuan Zixin looked helpless. "Since the Gu household escorted her back, I have no idea where she goes until now."
Yuan Chaomei ignored the exchange, looking directly at Fu Yuanjun. "Our chief is here. We are here to regain our position in the martial arts world." She walked to Wen Huifang and held the umbrella for the sect elder. "Our leader said: surrender and survive, block our way and die."
A martial artist, connecting the guzheng music to a long-ago legend, asked, "Gu furen, is the person playing the guzheng in the sedan Mu Dishi?"
Yuan Chaomei replied flatly, "Mu gongzi, he is dead. The body is buried in Mu Village."
Another asked, "Who is playing the guzheng?"
Yuan Chaomei walked to the sedan and pulled the curtain aside. A young woman in her early twenties was playing the guzheng.
"She is the chief of Sunset Sect?" a martial artist questioned.
Yuan Chaomei answered, "No, her name is Mu Huidai; she is a very talented guzheng player. Our chief just likes to listen to her music."
The martial artists stared at Mu Huidai, who had tears in her eyes despite playing a playful melody.
At that moment, a male voice, filled with authority, came from inside the sedan. "Why are you crying? I'm right by your side. These weak martial artists can never hurt you."
Mu Huidai wiped her tears, got off the sedan, and faced the stunned crowd. Her lips trembled with fear, and everyone could hear the horror in her voice.
Choking back sobs, she spoke the Chief's demands. "Our chief wants the four households to hand over the things they stole from our sect. Our chief wants the Red Thread Needle Manual, the Silver Leaf Manual, the Butterfly Swords Manual, and the Devil Fist Manual. Our chief wants the Gu household to release our right-guard Zan Huangming back to us." She wiped her tears again. "Meet our chief's demands, otherwise the four households will be reduced to ashes!"
While the ultimatum hung in the air, Yongzheng helped the injured Rao Zhengsheng off the arena. Yongzheng then walked toward Mu Huidai, reaching behind his belt. He pulled out the butterfly swords, the Butterfly Blade Manual he had found in the secret room, and a letter.
Yongzheng said, "Inside the Rao Manor, there is a secret room with many skeletons. This is what we found in that secret room."
Wen Huifang quickly grabbed the butterfly swords. As she drew one, she saw the inscription Wen Jiayi on the blade. Tears fell from her eyes, and her sobbing voice was suddenly the frail sound of an old woman. "Meimei... the last time we bid farewell, I didn't know that it would be our last."
Yongzheng concluded the tragic history. "Rao Zhengsheng held a proper ceremony for the skeletons. They were cremated, and their ashes were respectfully released into the river."
Wen Huifang confirmed the long-lost connection. "Rao Manor is just a branch of Sunset Sect in the past."
The surrounding martial artists buzzed with fearful murmurs: "Are there any skeletons in other households?" and "What is written on that letter?"
Mu Huidai took the letter and the Butterfly Blade Manual and slowly walked back to the sedan. After a moment, the letter was shot from the sedan directly to Monk Ling.
Monk Ling caught the letter but stumbled back into the chair behind him.
After reading the letter, Monk Ling said, his voice awed, "Benefactor, your inner strength is very strong, stronger than anyone this monk has ever seen."
Mu Huidai emerged from the sedan, still crying, and returned to the arena. "Our chief wants answers from the other three families now!" She began to count.
When she reached ten, no one spoke. "Our chief said that after I counted to ten, if no one is willing to comply, that means the three households refused to admit that they had stolen our manuals." She choked back a sob. "Unless Gu Tingfang meets our demands, our chief will destroy the Gu household first. Our chief also said that anyone who helped the Gu will also perish with them!" She sobbed and walked back to the sedan.
Yuan Chaomei looked directly at Fu Yuanjun, a cold statement of fate on her lips. "What you have done wrong, you have to live up to the afterward consequences." She took Wen Huifang's arm, and they walked toward the sedan, the terrifying ultimatum complete.
Gu Tingfang, enraged by the threats, released a leaf—a hidden weapon—directly at Yuan Chaomei's back. Suddenly, a guzheng string shot out from inside the sedan, snapping with blinding speed, and pinned Gu Tingfang's leaf weapon to the ground.
The man inside the sedan spoke, his voice carrying undeniable authority. "Gu Tingfang, you have one month to release right-hand guard Zan and Ma Jingguo. If one of them disappears or dies, I will kill everyone in the Gu Manor." The man laughed, a sound that chilled the crowd, and the sedan began to pull away.
Li Kong Bai rushed to the monk. "Monk Ling, what is written on the letter?"
Monk Ling read the devastating accusation aloud. "The letter said that the salt turned to worms, the six sectors are planting spies inside Sunset Sect. In order to overthrow Sunset Sect, the six sectors lied that they are demon sect. The four households are nothing but thieves."
Gu Tingfang immediately rallied the martial artists. "Sunset Sect is a demon sector! Why should we trust those people instead of our own? Their Sect was wiped out ten years before the establishment of our four households!"
The majority of martial artists, swayed by tradition and the Gu family's long-standing authority, agreed, refusing to believe the accusations made by the people of the Sunset Sector against the Four Households.
Yongzheng helped the injured Rao Zhengsheng back to the side where Dong Shun, Yuan Zixin, Yuan Xiurong, and Cao Yanmei were gathered. Rao Zhengsheng, bleeding and defeated, looked at his brother, the weight of the family's revenge in his eyes. "Yongzheng, kill Cao Fengge."
Yongzheng's response was simple, devoid of the earlier philosophical conflict. "Okay."
He drew Rao Zhengsheng's sword, flew onto the arena, and aimed the blade at Cao Fengge. Yongzheng looked at the man responsible for his family's destruction. "Sorry, you must die today."
Cao Fengge, resigned to his fate but defiant, said angrily, "If you want to kill, then kill. No need to talk too much." He sent a volley of needles directly at Yongzheng, initiating their final clash.