The wind blew gently across the dilapidated Mu Village. Where Ma Jingguo stood, he could see the green bamboo forest. A sudden calm washed over his heart, thinking of that place. It was in that bamboo shed that he had first confessed his feelings to Mu Dishi. He decided that if he lost this battle, he would save his last breath and die inside that cherished bamboo shed.
Gu Tingfang wasted no time and released his silver leaves at Ma Jingguo. Ma Jingguo quickly blocked the leaves and redirected them toward Wang Biming and Rao Zhengsheng. Wang Biming dodged the attack, but Rao Zhengsheng was forced to block the projectiles with his butterfly swords. Ma Jingguo immediately followed up by shooting multiple guzheng strings at Rao Zhengsheng and Gu Tingfang, forcing both to jump off the roof to avoid the deadly guzheng string.
Kuo Lok and Kuo Jinsong sent twin waves of internal energy at Ma Jingguo. Ma Jingguo swiftly leaped to another rooftop just as the combined strength of the Kuo father and son destroyed the previous rooftop completely.
Rao Zhengsheng and Wang Biming flew back onto the roof, attacking from both sides. Ma Jingguo grabbed both of their hands. As they lifted him into the air, Ma Jingguo slammed his Devil Fist down onto their heads. They blocked the blow, but the force of Ma Jingguo's fists exceeded their combined strength, sending both Wang Biming and Rao Zhengsheng plunging through the roof and into the old house below.
Gu Tingfang and Cao Wenyan hurriedly released needles and silver leaves at Ma Jingguo. Ma Jingguo blocked and, with frightening accuracy, redirected their projectiles at the martial artists standing on the ground, forcing them to scatter. Kuo Lok and Kuo Jinsong rushed forward, now finally within striking distance of Ma Jingguo.
The numerous martial artists on the ground watched the intense four-way fight on the unstable rooftop. They agreed that although Ma Jingguo was young, his martial arts skills surpassed those of any other young master. As they watched, Ma Jingguo showed no signs of tiring or losing ground.
Monk Ling sighed. "It's a pity. With the skill of Benefactor Ma, it is difficult for any martial artist to defeat him."
Wu Jianping seized the opportunity, dragging Yuan Chaomei over to the group. He demanded, "Demon woman, tell us how to defeat him!"
Yuan Chaomei remained calm. "If Mu Dishi agrees to help you, maybe there is still a chance to defeat our Chief."
Fu Yuanjun dismissed the idea. "Your Chief is young and will never be able to defeat Kuo Shifu."
Yuan Chaomei delivered the shocking truth. "Our Chief today is not the same Chief of yesterday. Right-Guard Zan transferred all the internal energy he accumulated in the past ninety years to our Chief." She looked directly at Fu Yuanjun. "In fact, we also have to thank the Gu family for imprisoning our Chief with Right-Hand Guard Zan."
Wu Jianping raised his hand, intending to slap Yuan Chaomei, but Fu Yuanjun stepped in and stopped him. "Chief Wu, a gentleman must not raise his hand on a woman."
Ma Jingguo knew that fighting both Kuo Jinsong and Kuo Lok would be a tremendous challenge. Suddenly, he recalled Zan Huangming's final words: "Jingguo, because your cultivation level is not strong, even if my inner qi is flowing in your body, you must find someone with stronger inner qi and release the eight channels of meridians in your body to get the fullbenefit of my internal energy."
Kuo Jinsong flew past Ma Jingguo and struck his shoulder blades, then quickly flew in front of him, exhausted his internal energy, and delivered a powerful strike to Ma Jingguo's chest.
"Kuo Shifu finally defeated Demon Ma!"
"There is no doubt that he is the best!"
Every martial artist present was happily muttering to themselves, certain of the victory.
But then, Kuo Jinsong realized his internal energy was being rapidly drained. He snapped his head up to see Ma Jingguo's smirking face. He gasped, "You…"
Ma Jingguo pushed Kuo Jinsong's hands away and aimed a punch directly at the older man's abdomen. The devastating Devil Fist blasted Kuo Jinsong off the roof with a single punch, sending him retreating toward the gathered martial artists. A faint trace of blood appeared at the corner of Kuo Jinsong's mouth.
Kuo Ju quickly rushed to him. "Jinsong…" She checked his pulse. "It's not too bad."
Ma Jingguo smiled, the ultimate victor. "Thank you, Kuo Shifu, for opening my acupoints for me."
Kuo Ju demanded, "What happened?"
Kuo Jinsong explained grimly. "He deliberately let me hit him, to open his blocked acupoints and allow the other stronger energy in his body to flow freely." Kuo Jinsong looked up at his son. "Lok'er, come down. You are not his opponent." He then addressed Monk Ling and the others. "Sorry... I fell into his trap."
Ma Jingguo jumped off the roof and stared coldly at Wu Jianping. He stated angrily, "If you don't release her now, your sect will need to appoint a new leader." Wu Jianping immediately released Yuan Chaomei.
Ma Jingguo turned and began to walk away, with Yuan Chaomei quickly following, the martial world paralyzed by his newfound, terrifying power.
Yong Taihua shouted, his voice thick with outrage, "Are we just going to let him walk away like this?!"
Yong Gui kept his voice calm but firm. "Of course not. We need a plan."
Fu Yuanjun offered a calculated warning. "Yong Gongzi, have you ever heard of not chasing a cornered dog? Because if you do, you'll force him to fight mercilessly."
Gu Tingfang agreed. "Leader Yong is right." He looked at Yong Taihua. "If we plan accordingly, you will get revenge."
Rao Zhengsheng tried to soothe the young man's immediate anger. "Yong Gongzi, as a man, taking ten years to seek revenge is never too late." He tapped Yong Taihua's right shoulder three times for emphasis.
Just when they were far enough away from the crowd, Ma Jingguo suddenly stopped, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Yuan Chaomei gasped, holding onto his left arm. "Chief…" Her voice was filled with worry. "Chief…"
Ma Jingguo tried to sound dismissive. "I'm fine. I'll be fine after a few days of rest." He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Kuo Jinsong deserves his reputation." He put his arm around Yuan Chaomei's shoulder, leaning heavily on her. "Chaomei, get out of here quickly. If those people decide to chase us, we will die here."
Yuan Chaomei immediately put her arm around Ma Jingguo's waist, helping him down the mountain path toward the main road.
Sometime later, Ma Jingguo felt the gentle sensation of someone wiping his body with a damp cloth. He opened his eyes slightly and saw Mu Dishi tending to him.
Ma Jingguo stirred, eyes fluttering open. He murmured, "Xiao Shushu… Xiao Shushu… I miss you so much." He instinctively grabbed the nearest hand—Li Howin's—and kissed it, pulling the young man into a tight embrace. "Don't go. Just stay with me like this..." Ma Jingguo's hand slowly stroked Li Howin's hair, but after the tenth stroke, lucidity returned, and he roughly shoved Li Howin away. "Who allowed you to come into this room?"
Li Howin replied warmly, unfazed, "Yuan Jiejie asked me to look after you."
Ma Jingguo's voice was wild. "Scram… No one is allowed to come inside this room! Scram!"
Li Howin calmly picked up the basin and quickly left. Ma Jingguo slowly got up, sitting on the edge of the bed with a pounding headache. He hit his head twice to try to clear the pain, but it only made it worse.
Yuan Chaomei entered, placing a tray on the table. She grabbed the bowl of brewed medicine and walked to the bed, handing it to him.
"I was going to have Li Didi care for you, but he said you told him to scram," Yuan Chaomei said evenly. "Your headache is due to the last two acupoints that haven't been released yet. Try not to use too much energy, or you'll keep having headaches."
Ma Jingguo drank the medicine quickly and handed the empty bowl back. He asked, "How did we get here?"
"As soon as we left Sword Village, you fainted," she explained. "I got us a horse and brought you back here. Also…"
"What else?" Ma Jingguo prompted.
"Now the news of your defeat of Kuo Jinsong and the four households of Central Plains spreads like fire across the martial arts world. The Six Sect, Jinfeng Sect, and Sword Village publicly announced that Sunset Sect is their enemy," Yuan Chaomei reported. "Two days ago, they attacked one of our sector branches, but Wen Qianbei led a team to help. She refused to let Leader Si or Leader Tong go with her. She was afraid if the news of you being unwell spread, they would attack us… and you."
"Me what?" Ma Jingguo asked, intrigued.
"You got yourself a nickname."
Ma Jingguo chuckled. "What is it?"
"The Antagonist Xin."
Ma Jingguo burst out laughing. "The Antagonist Xin?" He wondered what people would call him and Mu Dishi when Mu Dishi returned to his side. The name 'The Antagonist Killer Strings Demons' popped into his head, and he burst into fresh laughter.
Yuan Chaomei asked, puzzled, "What's so funny?"
"I just want to know what Xiao Shushu's expression will be when he hears of that name," Ma Jingguo replied, still grinning.
A disciple rushed to the door and stood outside. "Report!" the disciple shouted in a panic.
Yuan Chaomei helped Ma Jingguo walk to the door. "What?" Ma Jingguo demanded.
The disciple gasped, "Chief Xin, Leader Wen is surrounded by the Six Sect, Jinfeng Sect, and Sword Village!"
Ma Jingguo roared in fury. "What?!" A sharp pain seized his chest, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Yuan Chaomei quickly took out a handkerchief, wiping his mouth. "Don't be mad. It's not good for you right now."
Ma Jingguo ignored her, his eyes blazing. "Gather everyone! We are going to save Wen Qianbei!" He gritted his teeth. "If something happens to Wen Qianbei, I am going to destroy the Six Sect, and I will start with Mangsha Sect!"