The large conference hall of the Sunset Sect, typically reserved for high-level counsel, was now a makeshift, crowded infirmary. It was an immense, open space with high, vaulted ceilings and walls paneled in dark, smooth wood, but its usual atmosphere of stern authority was replaced by weary stillness.
Scattered across the polished slate floor, lying on hastily laid mats and blankets, were dozens of martial artists. Having finally received the antidote and taken the necessary detox, they were in the arduous process of recovery. Their faces were pale and drawn, their bodies fragile after the poison's siege, and their breathing was shallow as they focused intently on the task ahead: resting for the required ten to fifteen hours to recover eighty percent of their internal energy.
The air was heavy not with tension, but with low, grateful murmurs and quiet conversation. Small groups of clan members huddled together, speaking softly about the day's shocking betrayals. Tang Keung, in a calculated move to affirm the Sunset Sect's new alliance with the Central Plains, had graciously allowed all the recovering martial artists to rest inside the sect's most important hall, granting them safety and shelter as they recovered their strength. The hall, usually a fortress of secrets, was now a sanctuary of recuperation.
One of the martial artists looked at Tang Keung and asked, his voice weak, "Leader Tang, where is Xin Taiyang?"
Si Meifeng, her expression sad and respectful, answered. "He is still mourning. I do apologize, but he asks that no one interrupt him for the time being." She glanced at Tang Keung, a signal passing between them. "I have to go prepare Chief Yuan's body."
Tang Keung nodded, his sorrow evident. "Go ahead. I'll stay behind."
Si Meifeng said goodbye and walked out of the conference hall, only to see Yuan Xiurong rushing desperately toward the entrance.
Yuan Xiurong rushed to Rao Zhengsheng, who was waiting nearby. After Rao Zhengsheng told her the bad news about her father, Yuan Zixin, she broke down, crying hysterically. Rao Zhengsheng gently took Yuan Xiurong and prepared to leave the conference hall.
Rao Zhengsheng paused to greet Si Meifeng. "Leader Si."
Si Meifeng returned the formal address. "Chief Rao..."
Rao Zhengsheng spoke, seeking permission. "I'm taking Xiurong to see Master Yuan. I hope that doesn't step over your sect's rule."
Si Meifeng quickly put him at ease. "It does not, Chief Rao. Yuan guniang has every right to see her father. Besides, we are a part of Central Plain now, therefore, building a good relationship with the Rao Manor is important."
Rao Zhengsheng smiled, appreciative of the gesture. "Thank you, Leader Si, Zhengsheng will not forget this kindness."
Si Meifeng waved her hand, and a guard immediately came over. She instructed him. "Please take Chief Rao and Yuan guniang to the morgue." Si Meifeng watched as the guards escorted Rao Zhengsheng and the weeping Yuan Xiurong toward the back of the Sunset Sect.
The evening air on the back mountain of the Sunset Sect was cool and thick, smelling of damp earth and late-blooming mountain flora. This area was secluded and quiet, far from the sect's main activity.
Ma Jingguo stood rigid and still, his figure silhouetted against the deepening twilight. His gaze was fixed on the newly dug, large tomb before him. It lay ready, positioned tragically close to the existing grave of Wen Huifang, a grim testament to the mounting cost of his feuds. The proximity of the two tombs—one housing a lost love, the other waiting for the body of Yuan Chaomei—spoke of profound, successive loss. In the silence of the remote hillside, Ma Jingguo was left only with the cold reality of death and the crushing weight of his enemies' sacrifices.
"Wen qianbei and Yuan jiejie were very close, so I decided to bury Yuan jiejie here," Ma Jingguo said, his voice measured and final. He sighed. "Although I hate Fu Yuanjun, I know that Yuan jiejie loved him very much, and she wanted to be buried by his side." He looked at Mu Dishi apologetically. "I hope you don't mind."
Mu Dishi simply replied, his expression unreadable, "I don't."
Ma Jingguo smiled faintly at Mu Dishi. When he turned around, he saw Si Meifeng approaching with six men carrying a large coffin. They set the coffin on the ground near the fresh grave.
Si Meifeng wiped her tears, her voice heavy with grief. "Chief Xin, do you want to check before the men seal the coffin?"
Ma Jingguo walked to the coffin and saw Yuan Chaomei lying inside, dressed in a beautiful red wedding gown. He sighed, a profound sadness in his eyes. "Leader Si, your makeup is exquisite." He glanced at Fu Yuanjun, who was also dressed in red, lying beside her. "Close the lid."
Cao Fengge shouted from behind, his voice frantic with desperation. "Wait! Chief Xin, please wait a moment!"
Cao Wenyan wheeled Cao Fengge swiftly to the edge of the coffin. Cao Fengge threw himself forward, reaching over the edge of the coffin to desperately grab Fu Yuanjun's left hand. He sobbed uncontrollably, his heart finally broken.
"Yuan'er… it's all my fault. You are right to hate me. I'm sorry. It was my fault… If it wasn't for my ambition, you wouldn't be like this!" He continued to cry, his head bowed low over the corpse. "If I left you with your adoptive mother, your life would be better." He sobbed out a final plea, his voice thick with regret. "Yuan'er… Yuan'er… father is sorry. Please forgive me."
Mu Dishi watched Cao Fengge with cold, hard disdain throughout the outburst. Finally, he asked, his voice low and sharp, cutting through the weeping. "Did you have any part in the killing of Mu Village?"
Cao Fengge, distracted and overwhelmed by his personal grief, shook his head vehemently. "No… the four households only guard the peace and tranquility of Central Plains!"
Ma Jingguo spoke, his voice final and without mercy. "Seal the lid."
The six men nailed the lid of the coffin shut. They lowered the coffin down into the earth and covered the tomb, interring the lovers together.
Ma Jingguo glanced at Si Meifeng and gave his last instruction, a quiet act of respect. "Leader Si, on the tombstone, have them write 'In Memory of Li Yuanjun and His Wife Yuan Chaomei'."
Si Meifeng nodded, understanding the magnitude of the gesture toward a deceased enemy. "I understand."
Cao Fengge collapsed, his entire body shaking as he cried hysterically in front of the freshly dug tomb. The raw grief tore from his chest in a desperate lament, a recitation that was simultaneously a heartbroken farewell to his son and a painful chronicle of his own ruined life.
In that moment of total emotional collapse, the fleeting, shy image of Li Liqin—the woman he had loved and lost—flashed vividly before his eyes. His lips trembled as he whispered a tragic summation of his life and love:
"Blossoms bloom in Spring and petals fall in Autumn. If life is like the four seasons, then Spring is my favorite season. Life can begin again on that dirt road next to the riverside, when forbidden love begins with bitter goodbye."
He watched through blurred eyes as the six men carefully lowered the large, heavy coffin into the ground, the creak of the ropes a final, mournful sound. He knelt helpless as they slowly began to cover it with dirt, the dull thud of the soil striking the wooden box sealing his grief and his son away forever.
His voice was a broken whisper, choked with sobs and decades of bitter regret. "Yuan'er... maybe it is too late, but father has always been proud of you..."
Tang Keung walked in and stood beside Ma Jingguo, acknowledging the solemnity of the scene before addressing business. "Chief Xin, the six sector leaders are asking for you. They would like to discuss something with you."
Ma Jingguo looked at Tan Keung, stepping out of the conflict and into the new reality of leadership. "I am no longer the chief of Sunset Sect. It was Yuan jiejie. Now that she is gone, the second-in-command is the next person in line." Ma Jingguo smiled, the expression thin but clear. "I believe that is you."
Tang Keung stammered, his surprise evident. "Me?"
Ma Jingguo confirmed. "Yes." He sighed, his thoughts returning to the living. "How is Leader Yao holding up?"
Tang Keung replied, his expression darkening. "He is still very sad. He still wants to know how his brother died, but Chief Yuan didn't tell him before she died."
Ma Jingguo nodded, accepting the new duty. "I'll go see him." He looked at Mu Dishi. "Xiao shushu, are you coming with me?"
Mu Dishi shook his head, preferring solitude. "I will wait for you in your room."
Ma Jingguo smiled. "Alright."
In the noisy conference hall, Tang Keung walked in without Ma Jingguo. He announced to the martial artists that Ma Jingguo was still in mourning and did not want to see anyone for the time being.
Yong Gui stood up and looked at Tang Keung with respect. "Chief Tang, since you are the new chief of Sunset Sect, if possible, I would like to hold Taihua's wedding here."
Tang Keung, embracing his new role, replied easily, "Chief Yong, as long as you don't mind. I have no objection."
Lee Kong Bai immediately supported the idea. "In that case, we should celebrate a wedding before we all leave!"
Nun Chiming was hesitant. "But it's a bit inappropriate, given the recent events."
Yong Gui agreed with the sentiment. "Yes, it's a bit inappropriate."
Tang Keung, quick-witted, offered a solution to bypass the decorum issue. "If Chief Yong doesn't mind, I can be your adoptive son. As an elder brother, holding the wedding of Yong gongzi should not be inappropriate. But..."
Nun Chiming pressed, "What's the matter?"
Tang Keung admitted, "Maybe it won't be as fancy."
Yong Gui laughed heartily. "We martial artists don't think too much of these things! I am willing to accept you as my adoptive son."
The recovering martial artists instantly set aside their ailments and began loudly congratulating Yong Gui and Tang Keung on the new union. The sounds of clapped backs shouted well wishes, and renewed camaraderie quickly drowned out the quiet murmurs of recovery.
Yong Gui, remembering the tragedy, felt sympathy for Yuan Xiurong. "Everyone, since Master Yuan has been killed, if Chief Rao doesn't mind, let us have a double wedding—for Yong Taihua and Rao Zhengsheng's sister."
The loud joy was broken by Tang Keung's decisive voice, laying out a plan that mixed celebration with security. "If that's the case, then how about in fifteen days. In fifteen days, let's hold a double wedding and at the same time, we will make sure that the Seventy-Two Islands will not come back to disturb the nearby villagers."
The proposal—tying the joyful event to a communal show of strength and protection—was met with immediate approval. The martial artists inside the Sunset Sect Hall all nodded in agreement. With the threat temporarily contained and a hopeful date set, the hushed sanctuary of the large hall resumed its previous state, filling once more with the vibrantly restored sound of muttering voices as the recovering fighters discussed the news and their plans.
Inside Yuan Chaomei's medicine room, Yan Zhanjin poured the medicine into two bowls. He grabbed one and handed it to Bazar Batu. "Here, take it. This is for your Lok gege."
Bazar Batu asked, pointing to the other bowl, "That one?"
Yan Zhanjin replied, "This is for Mingyang."
Bazar Batu pointed to a darker bowl. "What about that?"
Yan Zhanjin's expression was grave. "This is for Yan qianbei ."
Bazar Batu asked, hope in his voice, "Will this medicine help him to recover his memory?"
Yan Zhanjin shook his head. "I don't know. He has been poisoned for too long. Right now, he is like a puppet." He looked at Bazar Batu. "Leader Li promised to let Yang qianbei stay here and let me help him."
Bazar Batu smiled teasingly. "Are you going to join Sunset Sect now?"
Yan Zhanjin, true to his nature, replied, "You know me, wherever there is medicine, that is where I will be." He added two drops of medicine to Yang Ru's bowl. "Also, I figured out how Fu Yuanjun controlled Yang qianbei."
Bazar Batu's eyes widened. "Really? You have to continue to eat stinky tofu!"
Yan Zhanjin scoffed, "Bastard... Yang qianbei reacted to a smell, but I still couldn't figure out what it was. I sniffed Fu Yuanjun's clothes until there were no more scents, but I still couldn't figure it out."
Bazar Batu offered a clue. "If I remember correctly, I once asked him what kind of perfume bag he was carrying, and he told me it was just dried flowers and honey water."
Yan Zhanjin's brow furrowed in concentration. "Did he tell you what kind of flower it was?"
Bazar Batu shook his head.
Yan Zhanjin murmured, disappointed. "Awesome..."
Bazar Batu shared his travel plans. "Lok ge ge and I will go up north to replace Heng da ge and let him come home to visit Kuo shifu and Kuo furen."
Yan Zhanjin replied, "Good. If I can cure Yang qianbei I will visit you."
Bazar Batu looked at Yan Zhanjin, his expression serious. "Are you going to tell them?"
Yan Zhanjin asked, tense. "Who?"
Bazar Batu clarified. "Yao Huo and Rao Zhengsheng?"
Yan Zhanjin confirmed his intent. "Yes."
Bazar Batu pressed him. "Why?"
Yan Zhanjin stated his core belief. "Because everyone needs to know the truth."
Bazar Batu sighed, advocating for compassion over disclosure. "Zhanjin, can you just leave it? Let it be a mystery to others. Have you seen Yuan guniang, how sad she is?"
Yan Zhanjin admitted, reluctantly. "I have."
Bazar Batu laid out the cruel consequences of the truth. "After you tell people about this, she will be devastated. The sister she loves and respects was the one who killed her father. The father's image she had always believed was a great, humble man turned out to be a traitor. Do you think she would accept it? If she accepts it, she will break the marriage with Chief Rao." He looked at Yan Zhanjin, pleading. "They are getting married, are you really going to destroy her relationship with Chief Rao?"
Yan Zhanjin frowned, accepting the moral dilemma. "You are right. I will keep my mouth shut."
Bazar Batu smiled, relieved. "Thank you." He picked up the bowl of medicine. "I'm going to see Lok gege now."