For the next two months, Zan Huangming refused to fight Ma Jingguo. He told Gu Xiaowen that Ma Jingguo was not qualified to fight him. Zan Huangming will find excuses to say that Ma Jingguo is too badly injured or that Ma Jingguo is too weak, but at the same time he has been teaching Ma Jingguo the Devil Fist Manual.
In the evening, a tray of food slid out of the bottom opening of the bolted iron door. Ma Jingguo got up and picked up the tray of food. He handed a bowl to Zan Huangming. He looked at the food, it was mustard green with pork belly.
Looking at the food in his bowl, it reminded Ma Jingguo of the first time Mu Dishi cooked for him.
Zan Huangming asked, "What's wrong?"
Ma Jingguo said, "The first dish my xiao shushu made for me was mustard green with pork." He smiled with tears wetted his eyes. "But it's too burnt, and too salty."
Zan Huangming, "Where is this xiao shushu?"
Ma Jingguo, "I don't know. I left his body on the cliff on the side of the mountain. When I get out of here. I am climbing that cliff and bring him down."
Zan Huangming frowned sadly, "At least you know where his body is. For me, I don't know where to find him."
Ma Jingguo said, "You mean Ji qianbei?"
Zan Huangming, "Do you know where his body is buried?"
Ma Jingguo, "Yes, Ji qianbei's body was buried in the back cliff of Jinfeng Sector. Back then, I used to drink with him when I went to watch the sunset. Before my shimu handed me the fake Devil Fist Manual, she told me the story about you and Ji qianbei. She said you two died in a cave together." Ma Jingguo sneered. "Obviously, that was wrong because you are still alive."
Zan Huangming, "She might have told you about the first half, not the second half. Indeed, I deliberately taught Chujiu the Devil Fist Manual to kill all the fake martial artists."
Ma Jingguo smiled and said, "Do you know what Xiao Shushu called them?" He looked at Huangming. "My xiao shushu call them dogs."
Zan Huangming laughed, "The word dog seems to be the correct term." He put down his bowl. "When Chujiu cut my tendons, I accepted the fact that I could no longer walk. I was not angry because Chujiu promised to take care of me for the rest of my life. We left the martial arts life and became two reclusive wanderers. It was short, but for me it was the most unforgettable memory in my youth."
Along the small dirt road, Zan Huangming sat on a bamboo chair, carrying a basket of vegetables. He looked at the wild flowers blooming along the path. He said, "Chujiu, if you didn't cut off my tendons, I wouldn't need you to be my horse."
Ji Chujiu, "If don't cut your tendons, you will continue to kill people, and that is not what I want."
Zan Huangming, "That cannot be helped. They strive my peace first."
Ji Chujiu said, "Huangming, it's been a few years, please let it go. Don't hold on to the past."
Zan Huangming, "I am not holding onto the past. I promise that as long as they ignore us, I won't cause them trouble." He handed the leather water bag to Ji Chujiu. "Have some water."
Ji Chujiu said, "We are almost home, I'll drink when we get home." Ji Chujiu stopped and looked at the ground, there were many footprints. He deviated from the track and walked towards the wooded area. He let Zan Huangming down. "Huangming, you stay here and wait for me."
Zan Huangming, "What's wrong?"
Ji Chujiu, "Nothing...I'll be back soon."
Zan Huangming shouted, "Chujiu, come back…"
As soon as Ji Chujiu left, Zan Huangming saw many martial artists rushing toward their small home. Zan Huangming removed the two straps shoulder ropes from his shoulders and began to crawls to the small dirt road. He didn't know how long he had crawled, his hands and knees were bleeding, but he didn't care and continued to crawl to his home.
From afar, Li Chun saw Zan Huangming crawling. Li Chun hurried to help Zan Huangming. Li Chun said, "Ah Da, why are you crawling here. Where's Ah Ho."
Chen Kang, "Where is he? You can't walk, Ah Hao should know better than this."
Zan Huangming, "Please bring me home."
Li Chun, "Alright…Alright…Ah Kang, return the bow to my wife, and I will take Ah Da back."
Zan Huangming, "Thank you, Lao Li."
Li Chun, "Don't mention it." Li Chun bent down and Zan Huangming climbed onto his back.
Just near their home, there were dead people everywhere. Zan Huangming knows that these dead people must belong to the six sectors, four clans, and the four houses.
Li Chun stopped, "Ah…Ah…Ah Da…, we should go back."
Zan Huangming suddenly said, "Lao Li stop, I can crawl from here."
Li Chun trembling badly. He managed to let Zan Huangming down onto the ground. Zan Huangming reached into his inner robe. He handed Li Chun the gloves, two golden bells and two manuals. "Lao Li take these. I don't think I need this anymore."
Li Chun asked, "Ah Da, what is this?"
Zan Huangming, "This is the Devil Fist and Killer String Manuals that Ah Ho and I created."
Li Chun, "I'm a wood cutter, not a martial artist."
Zan Huangming said, "If you don't want it, just give it to the right person. Sell it if the bid is high, but you must never sell it to people from the six sectors, four clans, and the three house. If you do, I will cruse you and your ancestors all the way from hell."
Li Chun, "Ah Da…I will remember it."
Zan Huangming, "Lao Li, I'm sorry, but they hurt me. I hate them."
Li Chun, "Ah Da although I'm a wood cutter, but I have my own pride and dignity."
Zan Huangming, "Thank you. It's dangerous here. You'd better leave now. If those people know you have these things, they will kill you." He began to crawl to his home.
Zan Huangming crawled over from the flesh corpses on the ground. Finally at the door, he saw Ji Chujiu lying in front of the house. Zan Huangming quickly crawled to Ji Chujiu and he held Chujiu in his arms.
Zan Huangming said, "Chujiu, I am here now."
With blood spurted from Ji Chujiu's mouth. He slowly gurgled for a few moment before he finally said, "Run…"
Zan Huangming smiled and said, "I won't run. I am here." He used his left sleeve and wipe the blood from Ji Chujiu's mouth.
Ji Chujiu stretched out his blood-stained left hand and touched Zan Huangming's right face. He struggled and said, "I don't regret it." He smiled at Zan Huangming.
Zan Huangming smiled at Ji Chujiu and said, "I'm going to try to speak the word that my heart wants you to know. I want to see your face reaction when the music began to roll. Nobody else understand my thoughts and touch my soul like you can. No one can melt my heart like you do simply by plucking those sliver strings." Zan Huangming tears fallen onto Ji Chujiu's face. However, Zan Huangming smiled and continued. "I spent my day wandering and waiting for you, as we travel down the path to the unknown, I toast to you. Let us stop often on this unknown path, and plucking ours strings to accompany lonely souls who travel without their soulmate."
Ji Chujiu chuckled and panted. He reluctantly said, "Alright…I will…wait… for you."
Ji Chujiu's left hand slid down Zan Huangming's face, but Zan Huangming took Ji Chujiu's hand and held it back on his right cheek. He closed his eyes with tears steaming down his bloody cheek.
Gu Kexin, Cao Zihan, Wang Yichen, and Rao Zimo approached Zan Huangming.
Gu Kexin walked in with a silver leaf in her left hand and two sliver leaves in her left hand. She said, "Zan Huangming, if the sun was shot down, it should stay down."
Zan Huangming looked at the four of them, "We don't want to have anything to do with the martial arts world anymore, why can't you leave us along."
Cao Zihan, "You should know better than us." She smiled. "Your first mistake was to declare us an enemy. You killed the leaders of the six sectors."
Rao Zimo, "Once you hurt the leader of the six sectors, you declare to the martial arts world that the four household are your enemies."
Wang Yichen, "How can you not understand such a simple fact?"
Gu Kexin, "Hand it over."
Zan Huangming smiled and said, "So, the four of you came here not to avenge the leaders of the Six sector, but to ask for mine manuals."
Wang Yichen, "If you handed it over. We will spare your corpse."
Zan Huangming laughed, "I never knew that the four household that was suppose to keep peace in Central Plain turned out to be fakes." He used his internal force to pull the guzheng on the table in front of him. He sat crossed-legged on the ground, and a powerful ray of light hit the four leaders.
The four leaders flew back. Cao Zhihan directly sent the two red thread needles at Za Huangming. Two red ropes were wrapped around Weng Huangming's wrist. Gu Kexin sent a silver leaf into Zha Huangming's right chest. Wang Yichen flew over and hit Zan Huangming directly on the back.
Zan Huangming vomited a mouthful of blood. He still smiled and said, "Kill me."
Rao Zimo, "Where are the manuals?"
Zan Huangming laughed and tapped on his right temple, "It's all in here."
Cao Zihan, "What shall we do?"
Gu Kexin said, "Zan Huangming, the Gu's underground prison cell is very large and our torture techniques are especially designed for people like you." She sighed. "If you refuse to tell us today, or tomorrow, but one day... you will eventually tell us. A blow of rice and a plate of cabbage a day will not make me poor."
Wang Yichen, "Why do you think we would allow Zan Huangming to be kept in Gu's cell?"
Gu Kexin, "We promised that whoever get Zan Huangming to talk about the Devil Fist and Killer String manuals will have to share it with the rest."
Cao Zihan, "If anyone of you keeps secrets than the other two households will join forces to get rid of the traitor."
Cao Zihan, "I agree."
Wang Yichen, "Agree."
Rao Zimo, "Agree."
Gu Kexin, "You three has permission to visit the prisoner anytime, but if you get anything from him, you must share it with us."
Zan Huangming said, "They kept me here ever since."
Ma Jingguo, "Shifu, you have been locked up all these time?"
Zan Huangming, "Yes, they tortured me every day, they broke my bones, healed me, and when it was almost healed, they broke it again. Until one day, I decided to write a fake Devil Fist Manual. My goal is to make them crazy, and I succeeded. It is not just them that are affected by it, but also their stupid younger generation."
The door swung opened.
Zan Huangming pulled Ma Jingguo closer and said, "Your chance is here. Remember what you promised me."
Ma Jingguo said, "Shifu, I promised you. You will walked out of here. You wait for me."
Zan Huangming wrapped a chain around Ma Jingguo's neck, and two guards rushed in to stop Zan Huangming.
One guards shouted, "Young masters, young masters the old man went crazy again."
Gu Xiaowen rushed in with twenty guards. Gu Gouliang pulled Ma Jingguo out of the room and into the corridor. Gu Xiaowen poured the medicine into Zan Huangming's mouth. Zan Huangming screamed and struggled jerking on the floor. After sometime, the medicine took over and Zan Huangming slowly stop jerking and fall into a comma.
Gu Gouliang, "Ge, what shall we do with him?"
Gu Xiaowen, "Drag him to another cell and call the doctor."
The two guards dragged the unconscious Ma Jingguo's body out of the bolted prison dungeon. They followed Gu Xiaowen and Gu Gouliang.