Staring at the young man before him, he thought he had heard it wrong. It had been so many years, that he had almost forgotten the name that Ma Jingguo had given him in the safety of the cave. Mu Dishi's lips trembled, a subtle tremor that belied his cold exterior. He looked at the young man and asked, his voice quiet, filled with a fragile disbelief, "What did you say?"
Ma Jingguo smiled painfully, blood still staining his shoulder and robes, and said, his voice soft but clear, "Xiao shushu." He dropped down onto his knees before Mu Dishi.
Mu Dishi slowly knelt on one knee, reaching out a hand to cup Ma Jingguo's cheek, his voice barely a whisper. "Jingguo..."
Ma Jingguo nodded, tears welling in his eyes – tears of pain, relief, and a deep, aching longing. "Xiao shushu, I really miss you." He reached out his hand and touched Mu Dishi's right shoulder, the contact a tentative bridge across the years and the blood.
Mu Dishi's hand went inside his inner robe, not for a weapon, but to take out two pills. He gently put them inside Ma Jingguo's mouth. He then said, his voice regaining some of its coldness, a shield raising back up, "You're all grown up now." He stood up, then looked down at Ma Jingguo with his phoenix eyes and said, his voice sharp, "Get off the stage."
Ma Jingguo grabbed onto Mu Dishi's hem, his grip surprisingly firm despite his injury, and said, his voice pleading, "I've made a promise to my mother that I will always stay beside you."
"No need," Mu Dishi said coldly, pulling his hem free.
Ma Jingguo slowly got up and stood beside Mu Dishi, his stance unsteadies, and he said softly, his voice filled with earnest sincerity, "Xiao shushu, I've always wanted to be beside you. Back then or now, it has not changed. Please let me stay beside you. Please don't chase me away this time."
"Whatever," Mu Dishi said, the single word a surprising acceptance. He launched at the five people who had been attacking him, and Ma Jingguo, despite his injury, followed closely behind Mu Dishi.
From the sidelines, the others watched, stunned.
"Ah Chen knows him," Kuo Wenqian said, eyes wide.
"Ah Chen had told me before that they didn't know each other," Kuo Changchang replied, her voice laced with confusion.
"This Ah Chen knows Mu Dishi for sure," Kuo Ju said, a thoughtful look on her face.
"I didn't know that Ah Chen was a friend of Mu Dishi," Yong Taihua muttered, surprised.
"We don't know that," Kuo Changchang said, trying to grasp the situation. "Let's wait for Ah Chen to get off the fighting arena."
"By the way they talked to each other," Yong Caixia said, "they knew one another."
On the fighting arena, Mu Dishi struck at Suo Baojing fast as he sent out four guzheng strings at the other four people (Peng Boqin, Zu Minsheng, Fu Susu, and Ma Jingguo's other opponents). Mu Dishi then unsheathed Honglei and began attacking Suo Baojing aggressively, his sword a silver blur. Suo Baojing was having a hard time dodging Mu Dishi's sword's movements. The other four, seeing an opening, headed straight toward Ma Jingguo, intending to overwhelm him. Mu Dishi put all his anger on Suo Baojing as he stabbed one stab after another at Suo Baojing, each blow fueled by a decade of bitter rage.
"Father!" Suo Dongmei screamed from the sidelines, her voice tearing with anguish. The Tianshan disciples held her down as she watched Mu Dishi stabbing her father, the brutal reality unfolding before her eyes. She screamed again, a raw cry of pain, "Father!"
"Shijie, don't go," the Tianshan Disciples urged, holding her back. "If you go, you are going to be killed."
"Let me go!" Suo Dongmei screamed, struggling fiercely. She begged towards the arena, her voice hoarse. "Mu Dishi! Stop! Please stop. I am begging you!"
"Shijie, no..." her disciples pleaded, their grip firm.
As Mu Dishi stabbed Suo Baojing, his voice was low, laced with chilling anger. "She is only four. What crime did a four-year-old commit?" He continued stabbing Suo Baojing profusely, the thrusts relentless and precise, each one a repayment for a life stolen.
Mu Dishi cut off Suo Baojing's ankles and hand ligaments, which made Suo Baojing drop down onto the floor, a broken heap. Mu Dishi stood up and placed his foot right onto Suo Baojing's abdomen, pressing down hard. He flipped Honglei around in his hand and began stabbing Suo Baojing again, the sounds sickeningly wet. In a matter of minutes, Suo Baojing was lying dying in a pool of blood on the fighting arena, the life draining from him with every shallow gasp.
Mu Dishi then focused his attention on Peng Boqin. Mu Dishi jumped, sheathed Honglei back into his leather sheath, and attacked Peng Boqin with bare hands, a powerful strike sending him twenty feet away toward the edge of the fighting arena. Mu Dishi sent out two guzheng strings, piercing the back of Peng Boqin's ankles. When Mu Dishi yanked the guzheng strings away from Peng Boqin's ankles, the ligaments were cut in half, which made Peng Boqin drop down onto his knees, crippled. Mu Dishi walked slowly to him and hit him twice on both shoulders, which broke both of his clavicle bones with sickening cracks. Mu Dishi grabbed Peng Boqin's front collar, his grip iron, and he began punching Peng Boqin in the abdomen, the blows heavy and relentless.
"Jiù jiu!" Suo Dongmei cried from the sidelines, her voice a wail of despair.
Mu Dishi said softly, his voice chillingly calm, "You know, my mother had a very beautiful yellow dress on that day." He kept punching Peng Boqin's abdomen. "After you finished punching her, her beautiful yellow dress somehow turned red." He kept punching Peng Boqin; Peng Boqin was gushing blood out of his mouth, his body convulsing. After seventy-one punches, Mu Dishi let go of Peng Boqin. Peng Boqin dropped dead on the fighting arena, his face a bloody mess. Mu Dishi put on a smile, a grim, satisfied expression.
From the sidelines, the onlookers whispered, their voices filled with terror.
"He stabbed Leader Suo seventy-one times," Yong Caixia, who watched in terror, said, her voice trembling. "He also punched Co-leader Peng seventy-one punches."
"One punch for one life," Yong Gui said, his voice low. "It's a fair trade."
"That Mu Dishi is too strong," Man one said, fear in his voice. "Who will be strong enough to defeat him to get that map?"
"Let's wait and see," Another man replied, eyes wide with a mix of fear and morbid curiosity.
Mu Dishi looked at Fu Susu, who had retreated to the edge of the arena. He struck at Fu Susu, moving with incredible speed. Fu Susu backed away twenty feet, trying to evade, but Mu Dishi, with Honglei in his right hand, charged at Fu Susu, attacking him nonstop, which sent Fu Susu closer toward the edge of the fighting arena. Fu Susu tried to jump over the fighting arena, toward some of the young men standing below, a desperate attempt to escape, but Mu Dishi swung Honglei around and cut the back of his right knee ligament, which sent Fu Susu right down onto the arena floor, disabled. Mu Dishi grabbed Fu Susu's hair, his grip tight, and turned him around, looking at his disciples below.
Fu Susu pleaded, his voice raw with terror, "Please let me go. It was all Suo Baojing's fault."
Mu Dishi said coldly, his voice cutting, "You should have thought about it when you slit my father's throat. Do you even know his name?"
Fu Susu pleaded, shaking his head, "No, I don't know his name."
Mu Dishi smiled, a sad, chilling smile. "His name was Mu Lan." Mu Dishi slit Fu Susu's throat. Fu Susu grabbed onto his bleeding neck and began twitching on the fighting arena; then Mu Dishi began stabbing Fu Susu with Honglei, his thrusts sharp and unforgiving. Long after Fu Susu was already dead, Mu Dishi still stabbed Fu Susu until he counted seventy-one stabs.
Leaders Yang and Tong, who had been fighting Ma Jingguo alongside Zu Minsheng, saw what Mu Dishi could do. They slowly backed away, their faces pale, leaving Zu Minsheng fighting with Ma Jingguo.
"This is not worth it," Leader Yang muttered to Leader Tong, retreating.
"You little brat!" Zu Minsheng shouted at Ma Jingguo, his voice filled with frustrated rage. "How dare you team with Mu Dishi?"
Ma Jingguo dodged Zu Minsheng's attack, blood still dripping from his shoulder wound. "Leader Zu, please stop attacking and beg xiao shushu to forgive you," Ma Jingguo urged, his voice earnest despite his pain. "If you truly repent, I will ask xiao shushu not to take your life."
"I don't believe you are more important to Mu Dishi than his revenge on us," Zu Mingsheng scoffed, pressing his attack.
Ma Jingguo blocked Zu Mingsheng's attack, stumbling slightly. "Leader Zu, take Monk Hao as an example. He lost one arm, but he is still alive."
Mu Dishi sent out a single guzheng string at Zu Minsheng. The guzheng string wrapped itself tightly onto Zu Minsheng's right wrist, a thin line of steel. He looked coldly at Ma Jingguo and said, his voice sharp, ending the discussion, "Enough talk."
Mu Dishi took out the map inside his inner robe and tossed it at Zu Minsheng. Zu Mingsheng, momentarily distracted, grabbed the map with his left hand. Mu Dishi then said, his voice flat, revealing the map's grim secret, "You always wanted to see how the treasure map looked. Take a good look before you die."
"That is the Mu treasure map," Man one said, his voice filled with avarice.
"That is correct," Man two replied, their eyes glued to the sheepskin in Zu Mingsheng's hand. The young and old martial artists inside the fighting arena chattered all around, the air thick with greed and anticipation.
Mu Dishi said, his voice cold, "Did you get a good enough look?"
"So, this is the Mu treasure map that everyone wants," Zu Mingsheng said, a cruel smile on his face, even with his injured hand.
"Yes," Mu Dishi smiled, the expression devoid of warmth.
"Xiao shushu, could you spare his life?" Ma Jingguo asked, his voice soft, a final plea.
"Not a chance," Mu Dishi said coldly, his gaze fixed on Zu Mingsheng. Mu Dishi used his left hand and hit Ma Jingguo hard on the upper chest, sending Ma Jingguo backward, where he landed in the middle of the fighting arena and vomited a mouthful of blood.
"Ah Chen!" Kuo Changchang shouted, her voice a cry of alarm. As she was going to walk onto the fighting arena, she was pulled back by Kuo Wenqian.
"Changchang!" Kuo Wenqian exclaimed, holding her back.
Kuo Changchang helped Ma Jingguo into a sitting position and started passing her internal energy to him, her face etched with worry.
Mu Dishi yanked the zither string that wrapped tightly on Zu Minsheng's right wrist, cutting off Zu Mingsheng's hand with a swift, clean motion. Zu Minsheng's right hand, which was still holding onto his sword, fell onto the fighting arena, the severed fingers still curled around the hilt. Mu Dishi sent out another three guzheng strings at Zu Minsheng, and one of the strings wrapped around Zu Minsheng's neck, tightening its grip. Then Mu Dishi pulled Zu Minsheng closer. Mu Dishi took out his dagger and began stabbing Zu Minsheng. After seventy-one stabs, Zu Mingsheng was still not dead, his body a ruin, but life stubbornly clinging on.
Mu Dishi pulled him closer and whispered into Zu Minsheng's ear, his voice chillingly soft, "Here is my little secret. The Mu treasure map everyone wants it so much and killed seventy-one people for it." He scoffed softly inside the dying Zu Mingsheng's ear, the sound filled with bitter contempt. "It's nothing but an empty cave, and what awaits those who enter is death."
Zu Mingsheng looked at Mu Dishi, his eyes wide with dawning horror and disbelief. He gurgled blood inside his mouth, trying to speak. "It's... it's..."
Mu Dishi smiled, a final, cold smile, and used his dagger to slit Zu Mingsheng's throat, silencing his gurgling final word. Zu Mingsheng fell, joining the other corpses on the arena.
As the crowd processed the brutal efficiency of Mu Dishi's vengeance and the reveal about the map, Li Kong Bai and four of his disciples flew onto the fighting arena, their expressions somber.
"Who are you?" Mu Dishi said, turning to them, his voice still cold. "You want the treasure map?"
"Childe Mu," Li Kong Bai said, stepping forward, his voice steady despite the tension. "I was one of the leaders who participated in the campaign."
"I don't remember seeing you in the meeting hall?" Mu Dishi said, his brow furrowed slightly in recognition.
"I left shortly after I got there," Li Kong Bai replied, his gaze direct.
Mu Dishi pointed his bloody dagger at the five men. "What are your names?"
"Li Kong Bai, leader of Huangshan Sect."
"Su Lie Jie, first disciple of Li shifu."
"Yen Shoi Ming, second disciple of Li shifu."
"Yang Ru, fourth disciple of Li shifu."
"Zhou Guotin, fifth disciple of Li shifu."
"Mu gongzi, before we fight," Li Kong Bai said, his voice filled with a heavy sorrow, "I would like to say a couple of words."
"Go on," Mu Dishi said angrily, his patience thin.
Li Kong Bai began to speak, his voice clear, carrying across the stunned arena, recounting the events of the massacre from his perspective. "When we agreed to go up Mu village, Suo Baojing fooled us into believing that we were there just to kill Mu Jiao Long. Suo Baojing and Peng Boqin said they had evidence to prove that Mu Jiao Long was a spy for the Mongolian army. Suo Baojing asked my Sect to be backup. We waited down the mountain for two hours, but there was no news. I then decided to take five students along with me. I sent my third disciple, Li Yingpei, to scout ahead."
Standing hiding at the foot of Mu Village, Li Kong Bai said, addressing his disciples at the time, "Everyone be careful. Yingpei, your lightness skill is much better, so you scout ahead of us."
Li Kong Bai and his four students carefully scouted after. When they reached the village, they saw dead people everywhere. Those that were dead were villagers.
"This is not right," Su Lie Jie said, his voice troubled. "If these people were Mongolian spies, would they have some fighting skill?"
"Da shixiong is correct," Yang Ru said, his face pale. "No matter how good the three clans may be, in any battle, there will be death on both sides, but look, the dead are only villagers."
"Let's go find Yingpei," Li Kong Bai said, his voice urgent; "he might have some answers."
Li Kong Bai and his four students went further toward the middle of the village.
"Go look around if there is any survivor," Li Kong Bai instructed, his voice grim.
The four men spread out looking for survivors. Yen Shoi Ming saw a small group of people lying on the ground. The white and blue robes made him walk up for a closer look. When he got there, he saw Li Yingpei and ten children lying dead on the ground.
Yen Shoi Ming quickly made his way to Li Yingpei, falling to his knees. "San di!" he cried, his voice choked.
Li Yingpei, who was on the verge of dying, opened his eyes slightly. "Er shixiong..." He vomited a mouthful of blood, the coppery smell filling the air.
Yen Shoi Ming shouted out, his voice raw with grief, "Shifu, I've found Yingpei!"
Li Kong Bai and his three students rushed to Yen Shoi Ming and Li Yingpei.
Li Kong Bai sat beside Li Yingpei, cradling his head. He asked, his voice trembling, "Who did this to you?"
Li Yingpei cried, and he struggled to speak, the words broken by coughs. "Shifu... we are wrong. These people are just common villagers." He vomited more blood. "They... don't... know martial arts..."
Although he was dying, he wanted the truth to be heard. His voice trembled as he continued to tell Li Kong Bai his final testament.
Li Yingpei heard a woman scream, a sound of pure terror. He quickly flew over and saw that two Tianshan disciples held the woman's hands down while the other one was on the woman's abdomen, pulling her belt sash.
Li Yingpei flew over and kicked the man on the woman's abdomen, then kicked the other two, sending them sprawling. As one of the Five Gentlemen of Huangshan, Li Yingpei detested this kind of inhumane action the most.
Li Yingpei gnashed his teeth, his voice sharp with righteous fury. "Your despicable people should not be named righteous! The first rule in the Martial Arts world is to protect the innocent and the weak. How dare your despicable people bully a weak woman?"
"We are on the same side..." a Tianshan disciple stammered.
"The three of you are disgusting!" Li Yingpei said, his voice filled with contempt. He spat on the ground. "Go away from my sight." He turned to the lady, his voice softening. "Miss, don't be afraid."
The door swung open, and ten young children came out, their eyes wide with fear.
A six-year-old boy cried, "Jiejie!" running to the woman.
"Don't cry, they might hear our voice," the Woman said, trying to comfort him. As the woman finished her sentence, the tip of a sword was seen sticking out of her left chest. The woman slowly fell on her right side, her eyes wide with shock, and Peng Boqin stood behind her, his face impassive.
"Peng Boqin, you..." Li Yingpei said, his voice filled with disbelief and horror. The children ran back inside the house. Li Yingpei walked inside the house and stood in front of the children, shielding them.
"My disciples stated you hurt them," Peng Boqin said, stepping forward, his voice cold. "We are on the same side, why do you need to protect these Mu dogs?"
"These are innocent children," Li Yingpei stated, his voice firm.
Peng Boqin laughed, a cruel sound. "Innocent? They are enemies. We are ordered to kill every last one of them." He turned to his ten disciples. "Kill them all." He looked at Li Yingpei, a challenge in his eyes. "As one of the Five Gentlemen of Huangshan, if you don't want to see it, you may leave."
A little boy grabbed Li Yingpei's right sleeve, his small hand gripping tightly. "Da ge, please don't leave us."
Li Yingpei turned to look at the frightened little boy and smiled, a gentle, reassuring smile. "Don't be afraid, da ge will not leave."
The little boy took out his jade pendant and placed it on Li Yingpei's right hand, his voice tiny but determined. "According to our family rules, if we ask for a favor, we must give our most valuable item as a trade."
Li Yingpei smiled at the little boy, his heart aching. Li Yingpei unsheathed his sword and sent out a powerful ray of force at the ten Tianshan disciples, sending them sprawling out the door, landing in front of Peng Boqin.
Li Yingpei and Peng Boqin started fighting as fiercely as two lions fighting for territory. After some traded sword strikes, and Li Yingpei had killed four of Peng Boqin's disciples, Peng Boqin lost his sword, and Li Yingpei sent a high kick that landed on Peng Boqin's left neck. Li Yingpei's kick sent Peng Boqin down immediately onto the ground, stunned. He placed his sword at Peng Boqin's neck.
Li Yingpei looked at the six injured disciples. "Drop your swords," he commanded.
The six Tianshan disciples dropped their swords and knelt in front of Li Yingpei, defeated for the moment.
Peng Boqin sent an eye signal to one of the disciples. The disciple grabbed his sword and headed toward one of the children. In panic, Li Yingpei swung his sword at the disciple, which created an opportunity for Peng Boqin. Peng Boqin reached inside his right foot and drew out a dagger. Peng Boqin stabbed Li Yingpei in the abdomen, a cowardly blow. The rest of the disciples picked up their swords and attacked Li Yingpei.
After twenty-three stab wounds, Li Yingpei, one of the Five Famous Gentlemen of Huangshan, fell to the ground, his lifeblood staining the floor. He watched with dying eyes as the six disciples of Tianshan killed the ten children, their innocent lives extinguished before his eyes.
Li Yingpei gasped for air, squeezing the hands of Zhou Guotin. By this time, Li Yingpei could hardly open his mouth.
"San shixiong, you will be fine," Zhou Guotin said, his voice choked with tears, back in the present of Li Kong Bai's recounting. "We are in Mu village... one of the doctors will be able to save you."
"Shifu... I am... I am so grateful," Li Yingpei said, his voice fading, in Li Kong Bai's memory. "I died protecting what I believed..." He clenched onto the jade pendant tightly as he gasped for his last breath, the small stone a testament to his final act.
Seeing one of his beloved disciples dead before him, he stood up angrily and rushed out to look for Suo Baojing. He found Suo Baojing and others in the middle of Mu Village. The sight before him confirmed that they had been lied to and Suo Baojing had other motives and purposes for entering Mu Village. Everywhere he looked, he only found dead villagers, and no spies. In anger, he rushed over toward Suo Baojing.
"Peng Boqin," Li Kong Bai shouted, his voice raw with grief and accusation, "you killed my third disciple!"
"Boqin already told me," Suo Baojing said, his voice weak, dismissing the accusation. "Your disciple was helping those Mongol spies."
"Spies?" Yang Ru said madly, recalling the defenseless villagers. "I have never seen such defenseless spies! These people are just innocent villagers!"
Yen Shoi Ming added, "Do you have a different motive? Using this as an excuse to kill these people?"
"No more talking..." Zhou Guotin said, his voice tight with anger. He gritted his teeth.
Suo Baojing pointed at three dead men on the ground, his voice attempting authority, "These three men killed Li Yingpei."
Zhou Guotin scoffed, his voice filled with bitter disbelief. "Do you think showing us three dead bodies is enough? Before san ge died, he said it was Peng Boqin who stabbed him first." He pointed at Peng Boqin's dead body.
"Do you have a witness who saw Boqin kill Li Yingpei?" Suo Baojing asked, his voice cold, knowing there was no living witness.
Li Kong Bai knew that Suo Baojing would deny it, his heart heavy with the futility of argument. He angrily shouted, his voice filled with frustrated grief, "Suo Baojing... you..." He turned to his disciples. "We leave now."
Back in the present, on the Shaolin arena, Li Kong Bai finished his heartbreaking account. He looked at the brutalized bodies of Suo Baojing and Peng Boqin. He sighed and said, "When we started to leave, I heard Leader Yong call my name, but I didn't look back because I didn't want to look at the faces of Suo Baojing and Peng Boqin."
He looked at Mu Dishi, his expression one of profound sorrow and resignation. He threw a small jade pendant with the word 'Mu' written on it to Mu Dishi. "When Yingpei died," Li Kong Bai said, his voice thick with emotion, "he clenched tightly onto that pendant. I am done talking. If Childe Mu wants to kill us, We will not fight back." He and his four disciples stood ready, awaiting Mu Dishi's judgment.
Mu Dishi looked at the jade pendant in his hand, the small, cool stone a tangible link to the truth he had just heard. He looked at Li Kong Bai and his disciples, their faces somber and prepared for death. He said coldly, his voice unshaken, "I've already settled the debts from those who owed me."
Li Kong Bai and his four disciples, spared from Mu Dishi's wrath, walked out from the fighting arena unharmed, shedding the weight of their past and the truth they carried—a burden heavier than any treasure—off their shoulders.