Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo stood opposed, rain beginning to scatter as lightning flashed overhead. Mu Dishi realized he was trapped; he needed Wang Biming to prove Ma Jingguo's innocence. He tried to appeal to him. "Jingguo, what grudge between you and Wang Biming could not be postponed? He holds the key to prove your innocence. He promised me that he will take me to get the proof you need."
Ma Jingguo, heartbroken but defiant, maintained a smile. "Xiao shushu, why do you have so much confidence in him and not in me? Do you think I can't prove that Fu Yuanjun killed Dandan and Lui jiefu? Or is it because I am really just his replacement, that when he appeared, you would leave with him?"
"It's not like that," Mu Dishi insisted.
Ma Jingguo's voice broke with emotion. "I saw you standing next to him not once, but several times... On all these occasions, you left me and went with him." Tears mixed with the rain on his face. "Mu Dishi, you have burned my last hope for you. You want to end our relationship? Let us end it once and for all." He tore the braided hair from his wrist—a symbol of their bond—and threw it on the wet ground. "Kill them!"
Si Meifeng questioned him, "Chief, do you really mean it?"
Ma Jingguo repeated firmly, "Kill them."
Mu Dishi watched the braided hair hit the mud, a profound sense of loss washing over him as he recalled their sacred vow.
The twenty members and four guards of the Sunset Sect rushed them. Mu Dishi pushed Wang Biming back, put on his black metal gloves, and used his Golden Bell to channel qi to the guzheng string. He unleashed a powerful light, instantly killing the first ten charging men.
The force of the Killer Strings threw the four leading guards, including Tong Kueng, Yao Hou, Yao Hu, and Si Meifeng, back toward Ma Jingguo, where they fell and vomited blood.
"Killer String..." Tong Kueng murmured in shock.
Mu Dishi looked at the injured men, then back to Wang Biming. "Let's go."
Wang Biming asked, relieved, "Dishi, your strength has been restored?"
Mu Dishi ignored the question and walked toward the open door. Ma Jingguo lunged forward. Mu Dishi pushed Wang Biming back again. "You step back." He grabbed his golden bell and flew to meet Ma Jingguo.
Ma Jingguo's devil fist aimed for Mu Dishi's chest, but Mu Dishi blocked it with his right hand. They exchanged blows and blocks rapidly. Mu Dishi tipped Ma Jingguo, but Ma Jingguo landed on his feet and attacked from Mu Dishi's right side.
Ma Jingguo lunged with another punch, and Mu Dishi waved Honglei. Ma Jingguo kicked Mu Dishi's hand, sending Honglei flying. Ma Jingguo punched at Mu Dishi's left ribcage, but Mu Dishi blocked him and then fiercely struck Ma Jingguo on his left chest. Ma Jingguo stumbled back toward his injured subordinates. Honglei slowly fell back into Mu Dishi's hand. Mu Dishi took Wang Biming's hand and flew toward the injured group, using them as cover to reach the door.
As Mu Dishi and Wang Biming neared the exit, a red thread suddenly wrapped around Wang Biming's left hand, yanking him back. Mu Dishi flew back, cut the thread with Honglei, and just as Ma Jingguo pounced onto Wang Biming's back, Mu Dishi shot four golden needles directly at him. Ma Jingguo clutched his chest, fell, and hit the ground.
Mu Dishi rushed over, worry overriding his need to escape. "Jingguo!"
Another red thread flew over from the opposite side and was tightly wrapped around Wang Biming's waist. Fu Yuanjun, dressed in black, flew forward, grabbed Wang Biming, and the two quickly escaped.
Mu Dishi knelt on the ground, deeply worried that his golden needles had seriously hurt Ma Jingguo. Unexpectedly, Ma Jingguo raised his head and smirked at Mu Dishi.
Suddenly, Mu Dishi felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked at Ma Jingguo coldly, a realization dawning on him. "You…"
Ma Jingguo swiftly turned, took out two nails, and cruelly drove them into Mu Dishi's shoulder blades. Mu Dishi collapsed to the ground. He bent down and flipped Mu Dishi's body over. He stared down at him and said, his voice laced with cold triumph, "Xiao shushu, this time, no matter how good Zhanjin's medical skill is, he can't get rid of these nails in your body for you." He smiled, utterly satisfied. "Ah... it's a fun night." He then picked up Mu Dishi's limp body and commanded, "Close the gate."
Outside the cold, imposing wall of the Sunset Sect, Fu Yuanjun urgently pulled Wang Biming down the narrow dirt path. Suddenly, Wang Biming violently yanked his hand away from Fu Yuanjun's grasp, stopping dead in his tracks. He shouted, his voice choked with despair and determination, "Let go of me! I want to go back for Dishi!"
Fu Yuanjun held firm. "Biming, Ma Jingguo won't do anything to him, it's you who he will harm." He pushed Wang Biming forcefully to the ground and roared at him. "You think he cares about how you feel about him? Wake up already! No matter how hard you try, he won't return to you. Don't fantasize about your past anymore. He has left, and you are no longer part of his current life. You are his past, a person who has been completely forgotten by time." The scattered rain intensified, and thunder echoed across the morning sky. Fu Yuanjun knelt beside Wang Biming and pulled him into his arms. "You once told me that even if everyone abandoned me... You will never abandon me." Fu Yuanjun hugged Wang Biming tighter. "Remember when we took the oath in front of Guan Yu?"
Wang Biming nodded, reciting the vow. "We share our happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy together. We may not be born on the same day and the same year, but we are willing to die for each other on the same day and same year."
Fu Yuanjun pleaded, "Please forget Mu Dishi, focus on the future we imagined. That future is just around the corner."
Inside the private room within the Sunset Sect, the air was thick with cold tension. Ma Jingguo roughly threw Mu Dishi onto the bed, the force jolting the frame. Without a word, he immediately began to strip off Mu Dishi's clothes with savage, tearing urgency. Within minutes, Mu Dishi lay completely naked on the sheets. His pale skin was already marred by dark, spreading stains of blood seeping from the two cruel nail holes driven into his upper back, a constant, vivid mark of his capture.
Ma Jingguo watched him, his eyes never leaving the smaller man. With a cold, possessive intensity, he then began to undress himself. Once bare, he climbed onto the bed. His movements were calculated and terrifyingly clear, leaving no doubt of the violence and violation he intended.
Mu Dishi, horrified, asked, "What are you doing?"
Ma Jingguo's voice dropped to a low, possessive growl. "I want to remind you that you are mine. In life or in death, you are mine and mine only." He then moved his body, pressing himself closer to the helpless Mu Dishi, eliminating the last sliver of space between them.
"Jingguo, this is not like you."
With brutal force, Ma Jingguo pushed Mu Dishi onto his stomach, immediately seizing his waist in a rough, unyielding grip and dragging his body close. Without warning or mercy, Ma Jingguo then violently shoved his member into Mu Dishi's backdoor. The sudden, invasive penetration was met with a sharp cry of pain. Ignoring the protest, Ma Jingguo immediately began to thrust brutally, his movements powered by rage and possession, not love.
Mu Dishi cried out in pain. "Jingguo, don't do this! Just kill me!" He felt a sharp pain in his lower body, followed by Ma Jingguo's hand grabbing his member and stroking it hard. "Jingguo, just kill me..."
Ma Jingguo continued to thrust. "What's wrong, Mu Dishi? Just now, did you use your body to seduce me into your trap to save your old lover?"
Ma Jingguo ignored the agonized groans echoing in the confines of the bedroom, his own loud moans drowning out the sounds as he penetrated Mu Dishi without mercy. After a while, a chilling silence fell; he realized the painful sounds had stopped. A sudden dread seizing him, he grabbed Mu Dishi's hair and roughly pulled his head back, only to find that Mu Dishi had passed out.
Ma Jingguo quickly withdrew, seeing the shocking sight of blood dripping from Mu Dishi's back entrance onto the silk sheets. His violence instantly evaporated into panic. He gently turned Mu Dishi over and desperately cradled his head in his arms. Worried and utterly distraught, he cried out, his voice thick with remorse, "Xiao shushu... xiao shushu... I'm sorry... xiao shushu, please wake up!"
Tears flowed from Mu Dishi's eyes, and he mumbled weakly, "Jingguo, it hurt... just kill me."
Ma Jingguo pulled Mu Dishi into his arms and hugged him tightly. He kissed Mu Dishi's forehead and whispered softly, full of remorse, "I'm sorry, I love you too much, and I don't want anyone else to take you away from me." He rubbed his face on Mu Dishi's temple. "Why does loving you hurt so much?"