The next day, Ma Jingguo gathered the bones of Mu Dishi and carried them into the secret tunnel that Fu Yuanjun had dug. The dark passage led him to the foot of the mountain, near where the martial artists had camped months prior.
He returned to Mu Village and buried Mu Dishi next to the large rock by the stream, the spot where they used to fish and bathe together. The following day, he was ready to leave but visited the tomb one last time.
He sat by the grave, his voice soft with promise. "Xiao shushu… you sleep here, listening to the river flowing. When I complete the task assigned to me by shifu, I will return to you, and we can go home."
Fifteen days later, Ma Jingguo entered Hu Village. He commissioned a kite-maker to create a black kite with a red-painted sun in the middle—the designated signal. He flew the kite near a roadside teahouse, waiting. He waited until dawn, growing disheartened, believing Zan Huangming's theory: that the Sunset Sect must have been completely destroyed since no one answered the signal.
Ma Jingguo tied a piece of silver to the rope, cut it loose, and watched the kite drift away. He placed money on the table to pay for his tea, but a voice startled him.
Wen Huifang stood beside him, smiling. "Xiao gege, do you mind if you pay for my meal too?"
Ma Jingguo, regaining his composure, replied graciously. "No problem, jiejie."
Wen Huifang's smile widened. "You are really going to call me jiejie?"
"You are older than me, so it's appropriate to call you jiejie," Ma Jingguo said simply.
"How about Wen qianbei."
Ma Jingguo scoffed. "Qianbei? What are you kidding? I think my hair is more qualified to be qianbei than you."
Wen Huifang then asked the critical question. "Where is right-hand guard Zan?"
Ma Jingguo was cautious. "Who?"
"Zan Huangming… he is the one who told you to fly the kite at noon, right?"
Ma Jingguo finally broke his silence. "Are you a member of the Sunset Sect?"
"One of the lead members. I am Wen Huifang."
Ma Jingguo was genuinely taken aback; he had assumed she was elderly. "How... I thought Wen Huifang was as old as my shifu?"
Wen Huifang's eyes brightened. "Shifu? Right-hand guard accepted you as his disciple?"
"Yes. He asked me to promise to rebuild Sunset Sect and take down the four households and six sects of Central Plains."
Wen Huifang challenged him directly. "What qualifications do you have to lead Sunset Sect?"
Ma Jingguo reached into his robe and placed two items on the table: Mu Dishi's bell and a black jade.
Wen Huifang stared at the jade. "I thought I would never see this jade again." She examined it, then slammed it down and instantly fired three red-threaded needles at Ma Jingguo.
Ma Jingguo bent backward, narrowly avoiding the needles, which bent and pointed back toward him. He swiftly put on a black glove, grabbed the needles, whirled the threads into his hand, and pulled Wen Huifang across the table. Simultaneously, his left foot hooked her right ankle, and his right foot pinned her left foot. Wen Huifang pulled the red threads back, and Ma Jingguo flew backward, launching a powerful kick at her left side.
Wen Huifang blocked the kick but was forced to slam a heavy punch onto the table to slide away from his position. Ma Jingguo vaulted the table and struck with his left knee at her chest. Wen Huifang blocked with her right palm, but the force of his knee sent her—still sitting on the wooden stool—sliding forty yards across the floor. Ma Jingguo then released a single, almost invisible guzheng string that wrapped tightly around her neck.
Wen Huifang touched the shiny string and smiled, impressed. "After so many years, I never thought I would see this again." Ma Jingguo loosened the string. Wen Huifang stood up, then dropped to one knee, her voice ringing with respect. "Wen Huifang of the North Branch salutes the chief of Sunset Sect."
Ma Jingguo spoke, his voice carrying surprising authority. "Wen qianbei, please get up."
Wen Huifang rose, her expression relieved. "Chief, now that you are here, our sect can finally be reunited and rebuilt. From now on, everyone can stop arguing about who will be our chief."
"How come?" Ma Jingguo asked, genuinely curious.
Wen Huifang explained the chaos. "Since right-guard Zan's disappearance, everyone has been fighting to be the leader. They turned against each other and did not unite our sect. Instead, they searched for that piece of jade."
Ma Jingguo nodded, confirming the strategy. "Shifu told me where he hid the jade. When I escaped from the Gu prison cell, I went to get it."
Wen Huifang pressed him on his ultimate goal. "Did right-guard Zan hand over the leader seat of Sunset Sect to you?"
"It's only temporary, until we save shifu. I will return the leadership seat to him because I promised someone else that I will take him home," Ma Jingguo stated firmly, referring to Mu Dishi.
"Chief, what is your name?"
"Ma Jingguo, but I don't want anyone to know," he admitted.
Wen Huifang immediately offered a new identity. "How about Xin Taiyang?"
Ma Jingguo's eyes held a spark of ambition. "I like it."
Wen Huifang led Ma Jingguo up a hill along a dirt road. "This mountain is the only original site of Sunset Sector. Other branches have been destroyed. Every year, the remaining members gather here to exchange news, or to fight for... the leader's seat," she explained with a knowing smile. "But this year, they don't have to fight anymore."
"Wen qianbei, what if someone refuses to accept me?" Ma Jingguo asked.
Wen Huifang smiled, her conviction absolute. "You convince them to accept you, just like you convinced me to accept you. Chief Xin, don't worry about anything. I will be on your side."
Ma Jingguo and Wen Huifang entered the general assembly area. They were seated side-by-side. Moments later, Yuan Zixin walked in with Yuan Chaomei.
Muttering immediately broke out among the gathered members. "Why is she here?" "Is that Gu Yingjie's wife?"
Tong Keung spoke first, challenging Yuan Zixin. "Leader Yuan, what are you doing with your daughter here today? Everyone knows that she is Gu Yingjie's wife. What exactly do you want to achieve?"
Yuan Zixin defended her. "It is true that my daughter was Gu Yingjie's wife, but she is also a very good spy inside the Gu Household. Leader Tong, do you want to deny it?"
Si Meifeng, a woman herself, sneered. "A woman, once she loses her virginity to her husband, she will always follow her husband. I don't trust her."
Yuan Chaomei's voice was sharp. "Senior Si, my virginity has nothing to do with my loyalty to Sunset Sect."
Yue Li Jun seized on the argument with sickening suggestion. "Hu Yisheng is here. Do you want Hu Yisheng to confirm whether she still has her virginity or not?" He looked at Yuan Zixin, citing a past scandal. "Like many years ago, before Ma Shufen agreed to marry Wang Daiyu, Wen Zedong asked Hu Yisheng to confirm his daughter's virginity."
The members' voices rose in agreement: "Master Yuan, it is necessary." "This proves that your daughter is still pure."
Hu Mingli, the Yisheng, stood up. "If everyone has the same voice, I will look at Yuan Xiaojie."
Another voice muttered dismissively. "Master Yuan, she is an illegitimate child, don't think too much."
Yuan Zixin looked at his daughter, his expression hardening. "Chaomei, let him check you."
Yuan Chaomei's heart sank. She looked at her father, murmuring a single, broken word. "Godfather…"
Yuan Zixin turned his back on her pain. "It will be over before you know it."
Yuan Chaomei led the doctor away. "Hu yisheng, this way."
Hu Mingli smirked. "Why inside there? If we go inside... what if you cry rape? Just do it right here in front of all these people."
Yue Li Jun made his own repulsive proposition. "Yuan Xiaojie, if you are still a virgin, I will marry you!"
Yuan Chaomei stood firm, her voice shaking with outrage. "It's either we check inside the room, or I will refuse!"
Yuan Zixin made the final, unforgivable command. "Hold her down!"
Yue Li Jun volunteered gleefully. "Master Yuan, if you don't mind, I can hold her hands!"
Tong Keung, appalled, erupted. "I don't agree with this absurd theory! If any of you dare to force Yuan guniang down in the open, I will be the first to stop you!"
Si Meifeng mocked him. "Leader Tong, don't think too much."
Tong Keung glared at her. "Leader Si, you are a woman! How can you agree? It's really shameful!" He pleaded with the abandoning father. "Master Yuan, is that leader's seat more important to you than your daughter's dignity?" Yuan Zixin walked away. "Master Yuan!"
Si Meifeng sneered. "Leader Tong, don't stick your nose in other people's problems."
Two men loyal to Yuan Zixin jumped behind Yuan Chaomei, grabbed her, and slammed her to the ground. Tong Keung roared, flying forward and kicking both men away, initiating a fight.
Immediately, four more men rushed in and grabbed Yuan Chaomei's hands and feet, pinning her down. Hu Mingli walked slowly toward her. Yuan Chaomei begged loudly, her voice echoing the betrayal. "Godfather, please tell them to stop!"
Hu Mingli knelt, his smile utterly sickening. "Yuan xiaojie, if you don't struggle, this will be fast and quick." He reached out to untie her belt.
A blur of motion—Ma Jingguo rushed forward, seized Hu Mingli's right hand, and violently bent his wrist backward, shattering the bones. Before the doctor could scream, he slammed his fist into Hu Mingli's neck, breaking his neck instantly. He lashed out with the guzheng string, blinding the two men holding Yuan Chaomei's hands. He flipped over, kicked the two blinded men away, then grabbed the remaining two by their necks and slammed them to the ground, breaking their necks just as swiftly.
Ma Jingguo stood over the shaken Yuan Chaomei, his eyes burning with lethal protection. "From today onward, she belongs to me. Whoever dares to touch her, must answer to me."
Si Meifeng, stunned but defiant, asked indifferently, "Who the hell are you? Why should we listen to you?"
Wen Huifang laughed, stepping to Ma Jingguo's side, her voice ringing with triumphant confirmation. "Si Meifeng, he is the new Chief of Sunset Sect, Xin Taiyang!"