Sitting inside the main conference hall, Ma Jingguo closed his eyes, listening to the strained discussion among his top leaders. The more he listened to the back-and-forth arguments, the more annoyed he became, as none of their cautious advice reached his ears. After two hours, he had heard enough. He opened his eyes and stared coldly at his subordinates.
"I want to annihilate Beixing Sect today," Ma Jingguo said angrily.
Yuan Chaomei immediately stepped in. "Chief, please think twice before taking action."
Ma Jingguo gnashed his teeth. "Why should I? I want to tell them that if they don't take me seriously, they will face destruction."
Tong Keung interjected, offering a reasoned argument. "Chief, Leader Yuan is correct. We have taken over the Mangsha Sect; they dare not attack us because they know Mangsha Sect previously attacked one of our divisions. But if you march into Beixing Sect and begin killing everyone, our actions will be viewed as unjustifiable aggression."
Yao Hu added his support. "This would also create a solid reason for the six Sects to join forces with the other clans. Our sect has just been rebuilt. If they combine their forces, we will not be able to defend ourselves from their combined power."
"They snatched my xiao shushu right under my watch!" Ma Jingguo shouted in a burst of furious frustration. "Everyone wants me to do nothing, is that right?"
Yao Huo attempted to reassure him. "Mu gongzi is not their enemy; even if they rescued him, they won't hurt him."
Ma Jingguo's expression changed suddenly, growing terrifyingly cold. "What if something happens to him?" He looked at Yao Huo sharply. "Do you want to be held accountable?"
Everyone in the room noticed the abrupt shift in Ma Jingguo's demeanor. They exchanged nervous glances.
Yuan Chaomei shook her head slightly at the other leaders, signaling them to stop. "Enough," she commanded. She looked at the other leaders. "He needs time to calm himself down. Everyone can go and rest. Let's finish this discussion another day."
The four leaders knew there was nothing left to say to make Ma Jingguo change his mind or calm down, and they quickly filed out of the conference hall.
Yuan Chaomei walked over to Ma Jingguo, took out a pill, and handed it to him. "Just take this to calm yourself down. You know that the side effects of the Devil Fist will not disappear until the other acupuncture points are unblocked."
Ma Jingguo took the pill and swallowed it. He closed his eyes. "Yuan jiejie, with xiao shushu's attitude, he will run away from me whenever he has the opportunity. In my life, there have been too many times he has escaped from me."
Yuan Chaomei asked, "Should I summon Mu meimei or Li didi to accompany you?"
Ma Jingguo sighed, massaging his left temple with the back of his left knuckle. "No. Yuan jiejie, send them home."
"Are you sure?" Yuan Chaomei questioned.
Ma Jingguo smiled faintly. "Last night, xiao shushu was angry with me; biting my lower lip was the punishment for kissing Howin. Perhaps, if xiao shushu sees that I'm sincere, he might come back to accompany me." He sighed heavily. "I don't want them to stay, because after my mission here is complete, I will leave the Sunset Sect."
"When do you want me to send them home?" Yuan Chaomei asked.
"The sooner the better. For Howin, take him back to the mansion in Li Village. For Mu meimei, send her back to her family."
"Don't worry," Yuan Chaomei assured him. "I will take care of it."
Outside of the main conference hall, the four leaders stood looking down at the stairs, continuing their worried discussion.
Yao Hu, still perplexed, said, "I don't understand, why does such a small matter make the Chief suddenly so angry?"
Si Meifeng frowned. "I don't know. I know the Chief has those episodes from time to time, but it seems that after the arrival of Mu gongzi, the frequency of the episodes is less, but the intensity of the episodes is greater."
Tong Keung nodded thoughtfully. "I heard Yuan guniang say that this is a side effect from the Devil Fist. I also understand that people who practice the Devil Fist Manual will eventually become forgetful. I think this is part of the reason why he wants to name his successor as soon as possible." He looked at Yao Hu. "Even if the Chief has a bad temper from time to time, the Sunset Sect would never have been unified without him."
"I agree," Yao Huo conceded.
Tong Keung turned to him. "Yao-xiong, send someone to monitor Cao Wenyan. If Mu gongzi does show up, we must bring him back to the Chief immediately."
Yao Huo's concerns remained. "I have nothing against the Chief, but if this continues, I'm afraid that he will lose his mind and cause sect members to defect."
"What do you want to do?" Si Meifeng asked, scrutinizing him.
"Should we ask him to be in seclusion to calm down his murderous rage?" Yao Huo suggested.
"You sound like you're going to defect yourself," Si Meifeng countered sharply.
"I'm worried for him," Yao Huo insisted. "I don't want anyone to say bad things about him; after all, he saved us brothers from being imprisoned in that dungeon."
Yao Hu sighed. "Then I guess we have to locate Mu gongzi fast."
Si Meifeng looked down the stairs and smirked as she saw a familiar figure ascending slowly toward them. "Speaking of the devil. Look..." She gestured with her eyes for the other leaders to look down the stairwell.
Yao Hu looked down and exclaimed in surprise, "Mu gongzi..." He immediately began to walk down the stairs to meet Mu Dishi.
Si Meifeng smiled. "Well, now that Mu gongzi is here, I will report the good news to the Chief, and hopefully, his anger may miraculously dissipate."
As Yao Hu reached Mu Dishi, he noticed that Mu Dishi seemed on the verge of fainting from sheer exhaustion. Yao Hu walked to Mu Dishi's right side and supported his right arm so that he would not collapse.
"Mu gongzi, are you alright?" Yao Hu asked worriedly.
Mu Dishi nodded weakly. He wanted to shake off Yao Hu's hand, knowing that if Ma Jingguo saw Yao Hu holding him, Ma Jingguo would be furious. He tried to stand up on his own, but the effects of the poison Ma Jingguo had given him made him too weak. He had to reluctantly accept Yao Hu's help.
Just as they reached the top of the stairs, Ma Jingguo rushed down, having been alerted by Si Meifeng. Ma Jingguo took Mu Dishi's hands out of Yao Hu's grip and quickly picked up Mu Dishi. Ma Jingguo then turned and carried Mu Dishi back toward his private quarters in the main sector, his precious "Xiao Shushu" finally safe in his arms again.
Inside Ma Jingguo's room, he gently put Mu Dishi on the bed to rest, then sat down on the edge beside him. He looked at Mu Dishi, his relief palpable. "Xiao shushu, I honestly thought you wouldn't come back." He picked up Mu Dishi's right hand and kissed it gently, then pressed the back of Mu Dishi's hand against his left cheek. "I thought this time I would have to kill everyone in Beixing Sect to get you back."
Mu Dishi rolled his eyes at the theatrics. He stretched out his left hand—the weaker one—and gently rubbed the back of Ma Jingguo's head. He said softly, "I told you already, I won't leave you until you tell me otherwise."
Ma Jingguo looked up, his eyes meeting Mu Dishi's loving gaze. He stood up, then lay down beside Mu Dishi and immediately pulled him into his arms. He kissed the side of Mu Dishi's head. "Xiao shushu, I am so happy. I want us to be like before, living in Tianshan. Those were the best years of my life since the day I can remember."
Mu Dishi replied softly, "Well, then after you finish your business with the Sunset Sect, should we go back to Tianshan?"
Ma Jingguo chuckled lightly. "Alright."
"Is Taihua the other person who came to save me?" Mu Dishi asked.
Ma Jingguo sighed. "Yes."
"How are you going to deal with him?" Mu Dishi pressed.
Ma Jingguo turned the question back. "Xiao shushu, do you think I'm going to kill him?"
Mu Dishi did not answer.
Ma Jingguo hugged Mu Dishi tightly. "Don't worry. I promised Dandan to spare him and Zhanjin."
"Jingguo... are you still practicing the Devil Fist?" Mu Dishi asked, concern etched in his voice.
Ma Jingguo knew Mu Dishi was worried about him, but he avoided the subject, as it always led to disagreement.
Ma Jingguo kissed Mu Dishi's right cheek and said simply, "Goodnight."
In an abandoned house, the Chief Leader of the Seventy-Two Islands was passing his internal energy to heal Wang Biming. After a while, Miao Mingzhu walked into the room carrying firewood.
The Chief Leader of the Seventy-Two Islands stopped the treatment. "Wang gongzi, I told you not to act recklessly. I hope you've learned your lesson."
Wang Biming wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Thank you for saving me."
The Chief Leader of the Seventy-Two Islands stood up. "If it hadn't been for Miao guniang, I wouldn't have known about your stupidity. I have to go now. Miao guniang, take him to Leader Wu and rest at her home until he is healed. I have something to do, and then I will go south." The Chief Leader walked out of the room and left the abandoned house, his identity still concealed.
Miao Mingzhu turned to Wang Biming. "Da Shixiong, you've met with the Chief Leader of the Seventy-Two Islands many times, but who is he anyway? Every time I see him, his identity is always so mysterious. I've never seen his face once."
"Everyone has their own secrets," Wang Biming replied, standing up carefully. "If they don't want to tell us, then we don't ask. Shimei, the less you know, the better. Trust me."
"I don't have any secrets," Miao Mingzhu said. "If I didn't believe you, I would have gone home a long time ago."
"You are the third person I know who has no secret," Wang Biming stated.
"Who are the other two?" Miao Mingzhu asked.
"The first one is my da ge, Wang Changming, and the other is Dishi," Wang Biming revealed. "Did you know that a person without a secret is a person who can't tell lies?" He looked at her. "That's why I trust you."
"How about the Chief Leader of the Seventy-Two Islands," Miao Mingzhu asked, "do you trust him?"
Wang Biming smiled. "I trust him."
"How much do you trust him?"
"I entrust my life to him."
"What about him," Miao Mingzhu continued, "how much trust does he have in you?"
Wang Biming's smile widened. "Without me, there would be no him, and without him, there would be no me."