After dinner, in the fading sunlight, Mu and Cai, dressed in coarse clothes, sat at the doorstep cooling off like ordinary villagers. One waved a smoldering bundle of dried mugwort to repel mosquitoes, while the other fanned themselves with a rattling, tattered leaf fan. With a teapot or some melon seeds, they’d have looked just like an old rural couple.
Mu Qingyan suggested they organize their thoughts and review what they’d learned from Shi Tieqiao over the past day and night. Cai Zhao agreed.
“Let’s use the Purple Jade Golden Mallow as our starting point,” Mu said, using a tree branch to push a palm-sized stone into view, representing the flower.
Cai nodded, “We first heard about the Purple Jade Golden Mallow when Shi Er was afflicted by the Youming cold energy. My aunt somehow learned it could treat this injury and stole it from the demonic sect’s treasure vault.” She moved the stone next to a blue flagstone, representing Shi Er.
“The key questions are,” she continued, “who told my aunt that the Purple Jade Golden Mallow could treat the Youming cold energy? And who could find this supposedly useless item in the vast treasure vault?”
“There’s another crucial point,” Mu added. “Your aunt could steal and return the Purple Jade Golden Mallow undetected, which means Nie Hengcheng hadn’t noticed it yet.”
He moved the stone down a few inches and drew the character for ‘vault’ in the dirt. “At this time, the Purple Jade Golden Mallow was still in our sect’s vault, about a year and a half before Lu Chengnan fled.”
Cai thought for a moment, “I believe Nie Hengcheng had already started practicing his demonic skills by then. Elder Lei told me that shortly after Shi Er consulted him about the Youming cold energy, Yin Dai was forced to retreat by Nie Hengcheng within a hundred moves.”
Mu raised an eyebrow, “Was Yin Dai injured?”
“Barely, just his clothes were torn,” Cai replied.
“The fact that Yin Dai escaped unharmed suggests Nie Hengcheng was still in the early stages of practicing his demonic skills,” Mu said, drawing the characters for ‘Nie,’ ‘early,’ and ‘skill’ next to the stone and ‘vault’ in the dirt.
Cai agreed, “Elder Lei said Yin Dai repeatedly asked him if there were any miraculous medicines that could quickly increase one’s power. Elder Lei said there were, but the drawbacks outweighed the benefits. So Yin Dai suspected Nie Hengcheng had learned a powerful technique.”
“He wasn’t the only one suspicious. Old Man Zhou and Old Master Song also had their doubts and made their moves,” Mu continued. “Yin Dai planned to work with his senior brother Cheng Hao and junior brother Wang Dingchuan to set a trap and capture Nie Hengcheng’s confidant, Elder Kaiyang, for interrogation.”
“But by this time, Nie Hengcheng had already started hunting down martial arts masters, so he hadn’t noticed the Purple Jade Golden Mallow yet,” he added. “After that, Wu Yuanying was captured at Dinglu Mountain, Canghuanzi and Elder Yaoguang died together, Elder Kaiyang died trying to escape, Cangqiongzi lost both legs…”
Cai picked up the thread, “Then Yin Dai, unable to save face, ordered the elite forces of the six sects to attack Youming Huangdao. Little did he know he’d lose his senior disciple Feng Yuantu and his junior disciple Guo Zigui. Now it seems it might not have been about saving face, but rather an attempt to investigate that demonic skill—my aunt was fighting desperately at the front, but Yin Dai was nowhere to be seen. Who knows where he might have been snooping around.”
“Wherever he went, he came back empty-handed,” Mu scoffed. “Let’s get back to the Purple Jade Golden Mallow. When did Nie Hengcheng start noticing it? …Six months ago.”
“Six months ago!” they exclaimed simultaneously, then smiled at each other.
“According to what Lu Chengnan told my aunt and the others,” Cai recalled, “he must have noticed his master’s sudden increase in power earlier, but only realized something was wrong six months ago—because that’s when Nie Hengcheng started absorbing the essence of martial arts masters.”
“By this time, the Purple Jade Golden Mallow had fallen into Nie Hengcheng’s hands,” Mu said, moving the stone down another two inches and writing ‘Nie’ and ‘absorb’ next to it.
He continued, “After that, Nie Hengcheng began extensively hunting and killing martial arts masters, growing more brutal by the day. Everyone cursed him for his cruelty, but in reality, he was doing it to practice his demonic skills.”
“What kind of technique is this? It’s so evil!” Cai frowned in disgust.
“I think I’ve figured it out,” Mu said, poking at the character for ‘Nie’ with his branch. “Zhaozao, do you remember Duan Jiuxiu and Chen Fuguang? What were they going to the Snowy Ridge for?”
Cai’s eyes lit up, “The Purple Micro Heart Sutra? Wait, isn’t that the technique passed down by your Mu family ancestors? Your father said it couldn’t be practiced because it would cause great harm!”
Mu replied calmly, “I guess Nie Hengcheng found a way to practice the Purple Micro Heart Sutra.”
“What kind of method could that be? Absorbing others’ essence and energy only to end up half-mad?” Cai asked incredulously.
Mu pressed his lips together, “At least in the beginning, he didn’t need to absorb others’ essence and energy. The practice might have even gone smoothly at first. All he needed was a small amount of the Snow Kirin Dragon beast’s saliva as a catalyst to greatly increase his power in a short time.”
Cai had a sudden realization, “So that’s why he gave the initial heart method and a small vial of saliva to Chen Shu, to make up for his Five Poisons Palm being countered. Who knew Chen Shu would start practicing it out of love for his brother, only to be killed by the Zhou family disciples.”
This small episode indirectly led to the massacre of Qian Xueshen’s family and sparked a bloody revenge years later.
“Before Nie Hengcheng went mad, he was always a talented and ambitious leader who cared for his disciples and knew how to use people effectively,” Mu said, his expression unchanged. “Lu Chengnan endured for six months before he couldn’t take it anymore. He finally stole the Purple Jade Golden Mallow and fled in the night.”
“Without the Purple Jade Golden Mallow and Lu Chengnan’s support, Nie Hengcheng’s actions became increasingly erratic,” Cai said. “My aunt said the reason she was able to intercept Nie Hengcheng alone at Tushan was because he had become paranoid, trusting no one, and even suspecting his closest disciples—it seems Lu Chengnan’s escape had a significant impact on him.”
“Lu Chengnan was indeed a great hero,” Mu said, rarely praising anyone.
A group of village children ran by, chasing each other and tickling one another with foxtail grass, their laughter ringing out clearly.
Cai furrowed her brow, “There are still many unclear points—who told my aunt about the Purple Jade Golden Mallow?”
Mu pondered, “There must be someone who not only knows the various uses of the Purple Jade Golden Mallow but also understands its origins and history. Many of these intricate details are unknown even to our sect members. Who could this person be?” There was always someone shrouded in mystery, just out of their reach.
“Also, who attacked your father? Who was behind the massacre of the Chang family? Most importantly, who was my aunt’s true love?” Cai added.
Mu laughed, “You’re still hung up on that? Didn’t your master say that person had already been ‘dealt with’ by your aunt? He’s most likely not in this world anymore.”
“But we still need to know who it was,” Cai said, frustrated. Suddenly remembering something, she asked, “Hey, I have a question for you.”
“I’m not ‘hey,'” Mu said sternly.
“Skin-changing demon?”
Mu made it as if to stand up.
Cai quickly pulled him back, smiling sweetly as she leaned in close, “Brother.”
Mu sighed, “Let’s stop pretending to be siblings. Whether it’s Snowy Ridge or Suchuan, no one believes it anyway. What did you want to ask?”
Cai Zhao hesitated, “Has your father ever truly loved anyone?”
Mu Qingyan had anticipated this question. “…Maybe. But I was ill at the time and didn’t see her.”
He hesitated, “It was soon after Father brought me from Huanglao Peak to Busizhai. I had my head shaved, bathed, ate, and sunbathed… Then I fell ill with a persistent high fever.”
Cai Zhao sighed softly. A child accustomed to darkness might struggle when suddenly exposed to light.
“One night, I heard voices outside – Father and an unfamiliar woman. When I hazily woke up, she was gone, but Father was still sitting outside. His expression…” Mu Qingyan furrowed his brow, lost in thought.
Dawn was breaking outside, casting a clear glow across the quiet room. Mu Zhengming sat alone behind a table, facing an empty seat still warm. His expression was wistful, melancholic, both joyful and worried, uneasy.
Mu Qingyan had only recently begun to understand such subtle emotions.
Cai Zhao, half-understanding, asked, “What happened next?”
“Nothing. That woman never came again,” Mu Qingyan said glumly. “Father said it was their first and last meeting. I felt he always wanted to find her, but couldn’t because of me.”
Cai Zhao exclaimed, “Don’t blame everything on yourself! Your father couldn’t leave when you were born either. Besides, his staying had benefits – how else could my aunt have rescued Master Guo?”
Mu Qingyan smiled, “You think it was because of my father’s help that Lady Cai rescued Guo Zigui?”
“If not your father, then Lu Chengnan. Your father seems more likely,” Cai Zhao’s expression suddenly darkened. “Sigh, you were right about one thing – if Taichu Temple had set aside their prejudices and asked my aunt for help, Wu Yuanying might have been saved too.”
Shi Tieqiao and Chang Haosheng were close to Cai Pingsu, but Taichu Temple had always been at odds with her. When rumors spread that Wu Yuanying was dead, Shi and Chang lamented briefly but didn’t ask Lu Chengnan or Mu Zhengming to inquire about Wu’s remains.
Mu Qingyan frowned, feeling something flicker in his mind, but unable to grasp it.
“The Hanhai mountain range is so vast, with its stone pillar maze and tiger-leopard statues everywhere. Who could find anyone there without inside help?” Cai Zhao sighed.
“Those statues aren’t tigers and leopards, they’re eight-clawed bixie,” Mu Qingyan smiled, then suddenly jolted, his expression changing dramatically. “Towering stone pillars, a maze, eight-clawed bixie… That’s… that place!”
Just then, the children across from them became noisy. Two kids held down a chubby boy while a third tickled his belly with foxtail grass. The chubby boy, panicking, broke free and charged at them.
Two girls watching nearby clapped and laughed, one even falling into her sister’s arms.
Mu Qingyan stood up abruptly, scattering sparks from the half-burned mugwort.
Startled, Cai Zhao asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Zhaozao!” Mu Qingyan pulled her up, his eyes bright with excitement. “I know how the Chang family stronghold’s location was leaked. Let’s go!”
The golden-winged roc soared through the twilight sky, its powerful wings carrying them over winding rivers and dense mountains. From above, houses and villages below looked like toys in the cool summer breeze.
An hour later, Mu and Cai arrived in Wu’an City, where locals informed them that the memorial service had ended and the Northern Chen disciples had moved to Taichu Temple.
They mounted the roc again, reaching Taichu Temple upstream of Suchuan in less than half an hour.
The sprawling temple was brightly lit, with figures moving about.
Near a small, dark path outside the western side door, Cai Zhao spotted Fan Xingjia returning with a fragrant oil paper package. She pulled him behind a tree.
“Zhaozao, you’re finally here!” Fan Xingjia’s eyes nearly popped out. “You just left, do you know how chaotic things got afterward?”
Then he noticed Mu Qingyan and almost screamed, “Y-you dare to come here? Don’t you know all six Northern Chen sects are gathered now?”
Mu Qingyan smiled. Cai Zhao asked curiously, “All six sects? Wasn’t it just my father, master, and Uncle Zhou coming to mourn the Chang family? And why are you buying roast chicken so late?”
“After half a month of vegetarian food for the Chang family memorial, then moving into this temple with its bland meals three times a day, can’t I buy some roast chicken to satisfy my cravings?” Fan Xingjia complained, nearly in tears.
“Originally it was just our three families, but Master Song suddenly arrived. Since five sects were present, he invited Master Yang too, saying it wouldn’t be right to leave out just one.”
Mu Qingyan smirked, “Song Yuzhi must have written to his father to come.”
Cai Zhao shifted uneasily, “Did anything major happen after I left?”
“You tell me!” Fan Xingjia almost shouted.
“After your broken engagement became known, Valley Master Cai first questioned Manor Lord Zhou, with Sect Leader Song smiling nearby.”
“Then Manor Lord Zhou questioned Sect Leader Song about his intentions, and Song admitted he had plans.”
“Next, Master confronted Sect Leader Song about the engagement, asking why Junior Sister Lingbo had to suffer.”
“Master Yang immediately brought up his daughter Yang Xiaolan, but Sect Leader Song said he’d recently had their horoscopes read, and the fortune-teller said his first daughter-in-law should be surnamed Cai, the second could wait, and the first son’s wife could be surnamed Yang.”
“Master Yang’s face darkened then, asking Sect Leader Song what he meant. Manor Lord Zhou also yelled, ‘Song Shijun, you said you had plans!'”
“Everyone argued, and Sect Leader Wang had to come from Taichu Temple to mediate.”
Mu Qingyan smiled at Cai Zhao, “The six Northern Chen sects are truly as close as family.”
“A little squabble is nothing serious,” Cai Zhao said calmly. “Senior Brother Fan, do you know where Sect Leader Wang Yuanjing is staying?”
“Yes, in the Sanqing Chamber on the far west side of Taichu Temple,” Fan Xingjia replied. “I’ve run errands there for Master several times.”
“Could you show us the way? We need to…”
Before Cai Zhao could finish, Mu Qingyan interrupted, “Let’s not bother. He can come with us as a witness.”
Cai Zhao hesitated, “Should we call Third Senior Brother too? More witnesses might be better.”
“Why not invite all six Northern Chen sects for a grand tribunal?” Mu Qingyan retorted sarcastically.
“Never mind, Senior Brother Fan is enough,” Cai Zhao conceded. “He’s eloquent and has a good memory. Seems suitable.”
“What are you planning? What are you dragging me into?” Fan Xingjia looked at them anxiously. “I still want to eat my chicken before it gets cold!”