The morning was barely breaking, the sky just a faint, pale grey, yet Yong Taihua was already consumed by panic. Driven by the primal urge to flee his crime, he ran blindly down the small path, his lungs burning with every ragged breath. The dew on the tall grass soaked his clothes, leaving him chilled and miserable as he forcefully pushed the wet blades aside with his arms.
He ran until his legs gave out, finally collapsing onto the cold, damp ground, panting heavily. His right hand flew up to cover his eyes, a futile attempt to block the memory of the night. Tears finally breached the barrier of his fingers, streaming from the corners of his eyes.
Overwhelmed by a profound sadness and guilt, he sobbed, his whispered apology barely audibles in the quiet morning air. "Dandan, I'm sorry…" He mourned the betrayal of his late wife, Chen Dandan, even as the face of his victim, Cao Yanmei, haunted his mind, leaving him shattered and unable to move.
Then he heard Chen Dandan's voice in his mind, soft and comforting: "Yong gege, don't be sad anymore."
He suddenly got up, meeting the full morning sunlight. The red sky brought a specific memory flooding back: the day he was sitting next to Chen Dandan by Yong Ho's grave, feeling deep dissatisfaction with the martial artists who had been badmouthing Mu Dishi. He remembered holding Chen Dandan in his arms and her earnest words, "I will love you like Ma ge love Mu ge."
Overwhelmed by the memory and his current shame, he buried his face on his knees. The earlier words of apology were wrung from him again, this time an agonizing confession to the woman he had failed. "Dandan, I'm sorry..."
Driven by the need to find their missing companions, Kuo Lok and Bazar Batu searched the perimeter of the area where Yong Taihua and Cao Yanmei had fled per Xue Horan. They moved carefully, their eyes scanning the tall grasses and the edges of the small bush paths.
From a distance, across a small, dewy clearing, they finally caught sight of a figure. It was Yong Taihua, sitting alone and motionless on the ground. His posture spoke volumes: he was hunched over, his head buried deep between his knees, an image of utter defeat and profound sorrow against the backdrop of the quiet morning.
Bazar Batu nudged Kuo Lok. "Lok gege, that looks like Taihua."
"It does," Kuo Lok confirmed.
Bazar Batu shouted, "Yong ge!"
Yong Taihua quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, stood up, and walked toward Bazar Batu and Kuo Lok. "How do you guys get here?"
Bazar Batu stepped forward, offering an explanation of their arrival. "We met the others on our way to the temple and volunteered ourselves to come looking for you and Cao guniang." He then noticed the distinct redness around Yong Taihua's eyes. He leaned in, his tone shifting to concern. "What happened? Did you cry?"
Yong Taihua's voice trembled. "I did a terrible thing."
Kuo Lok asked, his voice low with a sense of dread forming, "How terrible is it?"
Yong Taihua confessed, his shame palpable. "I betrayed Dandan... I assault someone, but I didn't mean it. My heart told me no, but my body couldn't control itself."
Bazar Batu stared at him, baffled. "What the hell did you do? Do you think...?" He shook his head. "I don't believe you did this out of your free will."
Kuo Lok kept it simple and direct. "Who?"
Yong Taihua looked down at the ground, swallowing hard. "Cao Yanmei."
Bazar Batu asked the brutal question. "Did you kill her after raping her?"
"I don't know if she's dead or alive. I was ashamed of my action and ran away after waking up," Yong Taihua admitted, his voice barely a whisper.
Bazar Batu offered a possible psychological motivation. "You did this deliberately, maybe because you miss Dandan too much?"
"I would never think of doing this to anyone, especially to someone I know," Yong Taihua insisted, his face etched with turmoil.
Kuo Lok stepped in, his tone serious and firm. "As a man, you must be responsible for your actions. I know you love Dandan, but since she's gone and you did something wrong to Cao guniang, you must take responsibility."
Bazar Batu tried to offer comfort through the lens of Yong Taihua's deceased lover. "Dandan won't blame you. She loves you because you're a man of your words. Moreover, if your shizun knows about this, he's likely to make you take responsibility."
Kuo Lok reinforced the severity of the act by noting her lineage. "Cao guniang is not a bad woman; after all, she is Chief Cao's daughter and the cousin-sister of Chief Rao."
Bazar Batu tried to lighten the heavy mood with a tease. "You're not handsome, how come you always get strong support from women?"
Kuo Lok ignored the joke and asked the essential question. "Where did you leave Cao guniang?"
Yong Taihua took a deep breath, his decision made. "I will take you."
Meanwhile on another part of the grassland, Yongzheng had decided there was no reason to stay and entangle himself or Xue Horan with the martial world's troubles. He firmly grabbed Xue Horan's hand. "Let's go home."
Just as they started to walk away, Rao Zhengsheng grabbed Yongzheng's left shoulder. Yongzheng looked at him, his voice level and confident. "Rao Zhengsheng, you know you can't beat me."
Rao Zhengsheng stood his ground. "Yongzheng, as a man, if you wronged her, you must take responsibility."
Yongzheng pulled Rao Zhengsheng's hand away with a decisive shove. "I didn't do anything to her. She is not my responsibility."
Rao Zhengsheng then addressed Xue Horan directly. "You can leave, but Horan, stay."
Yongzheng warned him coldly. "Rao Zhengsheng, I don't interfere with your affairs, so don't interfere with mine."
Rao Zhengsheng ignored him and looked at Xue Horan. "Hao'er, you stay."
Xue Horan looked at his Da shixiong, his hand tightly clasped on Yongzheng's right sleeve. "Da shixiong, I go wherever Yongzheng goes."
Rao Zhengsheng stared at Xue Horan, his heart aching. He had once been the person Xue Horan relied on, and now Yongzheng had taken his place. Furthermore, Cao Yanmei was their cousin, fueling Rao Zhengsheng's anger at Yongzheng's perceived callousness. Rao Zhengsheng stretched out his hand to grab Xue Horan's, but Yongzheng kicked him away.
Yongzheng looked at him coldly. "Rao Zhengsheng, do you really want to be my enemy?"
Rao Zhengsheng met his gaze. "Then don't treat me as your enemy."
The two stood locked in a tense stare. Rao Zhengsheng slowly reached for his butterfly sword.
Yan Zhanjin quickly stepped out from behind the two men. "You two don't have to fight. Brothers should help each other instead of choking each other. Your actions are too shameful." He walked toward them. "If Yongzheng is really innocent, I can prove his innocence."
He took out a small pill. "I saw the powder on Cao guniang's clothes. This type of powder stimulates sexual desire, but I found nothing on Yongzheng's clothes. If he is really poisoned by the same thing, then this medicine will cause a reaction, and he would be aroused immediately." He looked at Yongzheng. "If he is not poisoned, then his sexual desire is still controllable."
Yongzheng stretched out his hand to take the pill, but Xue Horan stopped him. Xue Horan said, "Yongzheng, I trust you, and that's what matters the most. You don't have to do anything."
Yongzheng gently pulled his hand free. "This is not for you, but for their peace of mind."
Before Yongzheng could take the pill, a shout rang out from the left. "You don't need to take that pill!" Everyone looked over to see Yong Taihua, Kuo Lok, and Bazar Batu approaching.
Yong Caixia asked, puzzled, "Da ge, what are you talking about?"
Yong Taihua looked at Yan Zhanjin, his face strained. "Take your pill away. He doesn't need to take that pill."
Yan Zhanjin protested, "He is proving his innocence."
Bazar Batu offered quiet support. "Taihua, no one will blame you." He gently tapped on Yong Taihua's back.
Yong Taihua looked at the confused Cao Yanmei, then turned to look at Rao Zhengsheng. He swallowed hard. "Chief Rao, I will take responsibility for what happened to Cao guniang."
Rao Zhengsheng was clearly shocked. "You?"
Yong Taihua nodded, then addressed Cao Yanmei directly. "Cao guniang, last night was me. I will take full responsibility."
Cao Yanmei was startled, shaking her head. "How could it be you? Last night, I clearly saw Yongzheng standing in front of me!"
Yong Taihua explained, a look of profound guilt on his face. "It must be the powder that Miao Mingzhu threw at us." He looked at Yan Zhanjin. "I'm sorry."
Yan Zhanjin asked, gently, "For what?"
Yong Taihua confessed his feeling of infidelity. "I feel like I have betrayed Dandan now."
Yan Zhanjin offered reassurance. "Even if Dandan is still alive, she has to accept this incident without holding anything against you."
Yong Taihua looked at Rao Zhengsheng, confirming his commitment. "Chief Rao, when I return to Sword Village, I will discuss with my father and prepare for the wedding."
Rao Zhengsheng nodded gravely. "Yong gongzi, I will report to Dong shushu." He then addressed everyone. "Let's go back to the temple."
When the group arrived back at the old temple, more disciples from the six sects and many different clans and sects had appeared. Kuo Lok spotted Kuo Changchang sitting alone in a corner. He and Bazar Batu made their way over to her.
Kuo Lok greeted her softly. "Jie..."
Kuo Changchang looked up and smiled gently. "Benefactor Kuo, how many times have I told you to call me Nun Ziyou?"
Kuo Lok smiled back. "You are still my jiejie."
Kuo Lok and Bazar Batu sat beside her. Bazar Batu leaned in, speaking quietly. "Jiejie... I'm sorry, Ziyou nun... Can I ask you something very personal?"
Kuo Changchang nodded. "Go ahead, I have nothing to hide."
Bazar Batu asked, embarrassed, "Back then, you and Ma Jingguo were locked up in the dungeon, and you inhaled the poison..."
Kuo Changchang finished his thought. "You want to know if Ah Chen and I did it?"
Bazar Batu stammered. "Yes..."
Kuo Changchang replied clearly. "No, we didn't."
Bazar Batu muttered to himself, bewildered. "How is it possible? Taihua can't control himself. How did Ma Jingguo control himself at that time?"
Kuo Changchang smiled. "If you have a strong heart, anything can be overcome. Besides, inside Benefactor Ma's heart, the only person he loves is Benefactor Mu. If you love someone so much, even if someone else undressed in front of you, you will feel nothing. In that small room, he would constantly move himself away from me and self-inflict pain on himself until we were rescued."
Bazar Batu realized the profound devotion and strength. "That is really smart of him! By doing this, he will focus on the pain, rather than the sexual urgency?"
Kuo Changchang confirmed. "Benefactor Bazar, you got that right."
Yan Zhanjin sat beside Zhu Mingyang and asked, gently, "How do you feel?"
Zhu Mingyang replied, "It's much better."
Yong Taihua walked up to Xue Horan. "Xue gongzi, how did you escape?"
Xue Horan explained, "I was saved by Xin Taiyang."
Yong Taihua's eyes widened with surprise. "Demon Ma... By the way, have you seen my shizun with Demon Ma?"
Xue Horan asked back, "Who is your shizun?"
Yong Taihua said, "Mu Dishi."
Xue Horan's face grew serious. "I have seen him, but he doesn't look good."
Yong Taihua pressed him, worry evident in his voice. "What do you mean?"
Xue Horan described the scene. "He is pale, and his hands are still chained. Everyone says that Ma Jingguo loves Mu Dishi, but I don't think so. The condition Mu Dishi is in is very pitiful. I can see that he is actually in a lot of pain."
Yong Taihua suddenly stood up, shaking with anger. "Demon Ma!"
"Yong Taihua!"
As Yong Taihua whipped around, he was met by a blindingly fast, powerful punch to his right chest. The blow, driven by pure rage, slammed Yong Taihua directly against the wall. He slid to the ground, immediately vomiting a stream of blood. He raised his head, eyes wide with pain and confusion, only to see a furious Cao Wenyan staring down at him, his face a mask of deadly hatred.
Cao Wenyan's voice was low, hateful, and absolute. "I'm going to kill you."