The sudden, chilling silence was palpable. Every head around the meeting area snapped up, eyes wide with undisguised scrutiny. Standing at the forefront of the open arena—a figure commanding immediate, dangerous attention—was the new, self-proclaimed leader of the Sunset Sector. He was an apparition of contrast: a young man clad entirely in jet-black clothes, his youth belied by a striking mane of long, ghostly white hair. He was the shadow that had come to take the throne.
The gathered Sunset Sector members, a rough assembly of martial artists, didn't immediately move to acknowledge the young man in black. Instead, a wave of palpable skepticism ripped through the arena. Whispers quickly turned to challenging shouts, demanding to know who he was and by what right he dared to stand in the leader's place. They questioned his lineage, his martial prowess, and his authority, making it clear they wouldn't accept an unknown figure simply because he had claimed the empty seat.
The air was thick with mistrust, forcing Ma Jingguo to confront a gauntlet of angry, dubious stares that required more than just courage—it required a demonstration of absolute, lethal control.
Si Meifeng stepped forward, her voice ringing with skepticism. "Senior Wen, so you found yourself a young man who claimed to be the chief. As far as I know, we all agree that whoever has the seal jade is the new chief."
Ma Jingguo's hand went into his robe. He pulled out the black jade and looked coldly at Si Meifeng. "You mean this piece of jade?"
Si Meifeng stepped closer, her expression demanding. "Where did you find it?"
Ma Jingguo's reply was curt. "My shifu gave it to me."
Tong Keung pressed him. "Who is your shifu?"
"Right-hand guard Zan Huangming," Ma Jingguo announced, the name cutting through the assembly.
Yuan Zixin spun around, genuine shock on his face. "Right-hand guard Zan is still alive? Where is he?"
Ma Jingguo looked at Yuan Zixin with piercing, icy coldness. "He is locked away inside the Gu prison cell." He then focused his gaze entirely on the man who had just betrayed his own daughter. "I want her," he said, pointing to Yuan Chaomei. "Do you agree or not to give her to me?"
Yuan Zixin, recognizing his face beneath the white hair, started. "Ma…"
Ma Jingguo cut him off, his voice dangerous and insistent. "Master Yuan, let me repeat myself: I am the new chief of Sunset Sector, and my name is Xin Taiyang!"
Yue Lijun, one of the most vocal challengers, scoffed. "Young man, if you can't walk the walk, then don't talk the talk!"
Ma Jingguo smirked, his eyes gleaming with a predatory confidence. "Come at me if you dare. I can't wait to break all your bones."
Yue Lijun roared with angry humiliation. "I will teach you a lesson you will never forget for the rest of your life!" Yue Lijun rushed forward with his sword.
Ma Jingguo unsheathed Honglei and began to counter. The unique flexibility of Honglei was instantly apparent: when Ma Jingguo attacked Yue Lijun, the blade would often curve backward, striking Yue Lijun's back or sides with unexpected force. After they exchanged a hundred furious moves, a frustrated and bruised Yue Lijun flew back, preparing for his final, desperate blow.
Yue Lijun flashed past Ma Jingguo in a final, desperate lunge. Ma Jingguo's movement was fluid and lethal: he instantly sheathed Honglei at his waist, condensing all his immense inner strength into his right hand. He grabbed Yue Lijun's sword, not to block, but to twist it sharply, forcing Yue Lijun to stagger closer.
Before Yue Lijun could react, Ma Jingguo struck. His Devil Fists slammed into Yue Lijun's left chest, driving straight toward the heart. The devastating blow ruptured Yue Lijun's aorta, causing his heart to stop instantly. The force of the Devil Fists sent Yue Lijun flying backward, crashing violently into the gathered crowd.
Yue Lijun slowly pulled himself up, staggering four steps toward Ma Jingguo, blood spurting from his mouth with every heavy cough. On the fourth step, he froze, then slowly collapsed to the ground, dead.
Ma Jingguo contemptuously threw the twisted sword onto the ground. He looked at the horrified and scattered assembly, his voice cold and absolute. "Either accept me as your chief leader or die. Choose one."
Yuan Zixin, regaining his composure, focused on the weapons Ma Jingguo had used. "A moment ago, did you use the Killer String to blind my two men?"
The crowd buzzed with recognition. "Killer String?" "Killer String is right-hand guard Zan's special skill!"
"I think those are right-hand guard Zan's gloves."
Ma Jingguo ignored the chatter, his voice rising in impatience. "Did you decide to accept or die?"
Wen Huifang immediately walked forward and dropped to one knee. "I, Wen Huifang, leader of the northern branch, accept you as the new chief of Sunset Sect."
Tong Keung, who had shown courage earlier, quickly followed suit, kneeling. "Tong Keung, leader of the Eastern branch, has accepted you as the new chief of Sunset Sect."
The display of absolute power broke the assembly's defiance. People looked around anxiously, then began to kneel one by one before Ma Jingguo. "We accept Chief Xin as the new chief of Sunset Sect!" they chanted, their voices growing into a single, booming, unified chorus that echoed across the mountain.
Yuan Zixin and Si Meifeng, their defiance shattered, had no choice but to kneel before the ruthless new chief.
With everyone subdued, Ma Jingguo took out the black jade—the symbol everyone had been fighting over—and smashed it into pieces. A wave of shocked disbelief rippled through the kneeling crowd.
Ma Jingguo addressed the stunned assembly. "From now on, this jade is destroyed, don't look for it anymore." He issued his first, non-negotiable command. "Our first task is to rescue right-hand guard from the Gu prison cell. Does anyone have any objection?"
In the face of the man who had effortlessly broken bones and stopped a heart, no one dared to speak. The Sunset Sect had a new, terrifying master.
Three months had passed since the last meeting. Ma Jingguo had ordered his men to prepare in secret, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike the Gu Household. He stood behind the mountain, watching the sunset, the sky ablaze in orange and red. He played his flute loudly, the melancholy melody carrying across the peaks. He heard soft footsteps approaching and paused his music as Yuan Chaomei appeared beside him.
Ma Jingguo looked at her, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. "The old fox really asked you to stay behind?" He challenged. "What's the order?"
Yuan Chaomei seemed surprised. "How do you know, Chief?"
Ma Jingguo's smirk deepened. "I can understand people like him easily. He thinks his surname is Yuan, so the position of leader should be given to him, but for so many years, he has not been able to get the black jade passed to shifu by Chief Yuan."
Yuan Chaomei delivered the command, meeting his eyes honestly. "Godfather asked me to stay with you and report to him everything you plan to do or what you are about to do." She paused, her voice softening slightly. "It is also to gain your trust and to win your love."
Ma Jingguo threw his head back and burst out laughing, a harsh, mocking sound. "Very sneaky old fox! Chaomei, I may not be a good person, but I do give others the opportunity to prove to me that they are worthy of being my friend." His expression turned heartbreakingly solemn. "As for love affection… you will never win my affection because my love was buried in Mu Village with Mu Dishi." He sighed, profound sadness in his eyes. "I have no more love left to give to anyone."
Yuan Chaomei chuckled, a small, knowing sound. "Chief, Chaomei is not a good person. She knows who really cares about her and who wants to use her. As for affection, Chaomei has also given to others."
Ma Jingguo chuckled lightly, a spark of camaraderie between them. "Gu Yingjie divorcing a woman like you is his loss."
Yuan Chaomei defended her ex-husband with genuine respect. "I respect him very much. He is the first person to truly respect me."
"Oh… who is the other man?" Ma Jingguo asked, intrigued.
Yuan Chaomei blushed, looking at the powerful man beside her. "Chief Xin..."
Ma Jingguo laughed again. "You remind me of Dandan."
"Who is that?"
"One of my shimei back in Jinfeng Sect." He looked directly at her. "So, you know who I really am?"
Yuan Chaomei's reply was loyal and absolute. "I only know that the person standing in front of me is Xin Taiyang, the current Chief of Sunset Sect."
A small pigeon flew up and landed on the wooden fence. Yuan Chaomei walked over and untied the small bamboo tube on its leg. After reading the message, her face was troubled. "Chief, someone says that Mu gongzi is still alive and lives in Mu Treasure Cave. Moreover, there is also a person who resembles Mu gongzi in Jiangnan."
Ma Jingguo sneered, his voice dripping with scorn. "A whole bunch of idiots! When I went to retrieve xiao shushu's body, I stayed with him for some time to accompany his lonely soul. Someone must have heard my flute melody." He smiled bitterly, a dangerous edge in his voice. "Those dogs surely know how to smell other people's problems. Let those dogs continue to gossip. If they dare to enter the cave again, I will let them die there again."
He then looked at Yuan Chaomei, his voice turning serious. "Do you know why I saved you?"
Yuan Chaomei shook her head, confusion in her eyes. "I don't know."
Ma Jingguo looked away, his expression heavy with old pain. "When I first saw you, you reminded me of my mother... There have been too many times in her life that she was abused because she was an illegitimate child. She suffered so much pain and humiliation in her lifetime. Before she died, she told me that she was someone else's pawn. In this world, no one would stand beside her except her shadow." He sighed, his voice full of genuine sincerity. "I want you to know that you don't have to feel that way because I am willing to stand by your side."
Tears welled in Yuan Chaomei's eyes. "Chief, thank you," she whispered, overwhelmed.
"Chaomei, if that fox Yuan asked you what I was doing, just tell him that I'm still practicing martial arts, preparing myself to duel with Gu Tingfang."
Yuan Chaomei, now fully accepting her new role, asked, "Does Chief have any other plans during this period?"
"I want to stay in Mu Treasure Cave and lead the enemies of xiao shushu back into the cave." His plan was coldly calculated. "Keep your eyes on fox Yuan. Also, you and Wen qianbei help me send a message to Gu Tingfang to release right-hand guard Zan and Ma Jingguo."
"When shall we leave?"
"The day after tomorrow, but before you go, I want you to do something for me."
"What is it, Chief?"
"I want to play a cat-and-mouse game with Wang Biming."
Yuan Chaomei immediately offered a resource. "I will let Suo Dongmei handle it for you."
"Suo Dongmei?"
Yuan Chaomei explained the connection. "The Suo Clan surrendered to Sunset Sect because of Godfather. Suo Dongmei had no money to rebuild her clan, so Godfather gave her money."
Ma Jingguo looked at the beautiful orange sun setting over the mountain, casting long shadows. "It will be the anniversary of xiao shushu's death soon. I'm going back to Tianshan." He sighed, his voice a soft, loving murmur. "The one I love has never really left me. He still walks beside me every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near me, still loved me, still missed me, still kissed me, and holds me silently." He raised his jade flute and began to play, filling the twilight with his eternal sorrow.