1 Chapter 01 Sheepskin

"For those who are loved, time flies quickly." The soft guzheng melody can be heard throughout the mountain range. "For those in pain, time passes so slowly." The leaves rustled on branches and the birds chirped in the mountain. "Love, who can tell me the meaning of love." A pair of slim hands playing the Guzheng. "I miss you."

Mu Dishi uttered, "You dogs must wait for me."

Fifteen days later, Mu Dishi sat inside an abandon temple. Mu Dishi watched as the burning flame swung back and forth. It has been ten years since he left Central Plains. He was forbidden to return to Central Plains for the period of ten years because he had lost the duel to Kuo shifu after they exchanged three thousand moves.

Kuo shifu is the only martial artists in Central Plains that Mu Dishi still considers as a righteous man. He will try to avoid Kuo shifu as much as possible, but if Kuo shifu stand in his way like before, he will have no choice but to disable the only righteous man in Central Plains.

Mu Dishi wondered, it has been ten years since the last time he saw the three sectors and four clans, do they still remember him? Maybe they might already forget about him, but he will never forget them. Their names were carved deeply inside his heart. Even in his sleep he still murmurs these dogs' names.

Speaking of forgetting, there is also someone it's hard for Mu Dishi to forget as well. It's has been five years since the last time he saw the boy. The boy left when he was just a boy. Mu Dishi closed his eyes trying to remember when he met the boy who have the brighter smile than other people.

Mu Dishi walked into a small roadside teahouse in the outskirt of Tong Village. He sat down and ordered his food. The teahouse owner knew Mu Dishi very well. Every time when he stops by, he will order the same food. It's has been like that for the six months.

A couple and their ten years old son got off their horses and walked to the teahouse. The couple and their son sat down on a table behind Mu Dishi. The woman was coaxing her son.

After listening to the woman's speaking, Mu Dishi knew the woman very well. How could he not know the woman? After all, she had taught him a very good lesson in the past to never trust anyone but himself. The lesson was taught in a very well-planned manner with pain and humiliation. The woman's name is Lin Daiyu.

The man who sat beside her is her husband Ma Shufen. In Mu Dishi's eyes, Ma Shufen is no better than a stray dog. Only stray dog will be willing to let their female dog breed with others stray dogs during heat cycle season, just like Ma Shufen had Lin Daiyu sleep with other martial artists to reveal their Manuel secret.

Suddenly, four daggers flew toward the couple and their son. Ma Shufen grabbed a wooden bench and blocked the four daggers. The rest of the people ran to the teahouse for shelter. Ten Himalayan monks dressed in red robe walked toward the couple and their son.

When Mu Dishi saw Lin Daiyu hid her son behind her, her action was a bit surprise to Mu Dishi. Back then, she went over and beyond, even staged the death of her infant baby to made sure Mu Dishi fallen into her trap by coaxing him with sweet words and offering him promises that was nothing but emptiness.

Lamas Kalama, "Amitabha, please return what you've stolen."

Ma Shufen, "How could we steal it when its original ours?"

Lamas Kalama, "You came into our monastery and stolen it from us. The item was found by us."

Lin Daiyu, "We are the original ownership of that item."

Mu Dishi listened to the people whose stood in two different sides arguing back and forth that the other had stolen from them. Mu Dishi wants to laugh until all of his beautiful youth teeth fallen from his gums or laugh until all of his critical vital points burst like a dormant volcano that's suddenly erupt.

Actually, the item that they've mentioned belong to Mu Dishi. Mu Dishi is the rightful owner of that item. He stops chasing after that item because his mission is not to get some item that will lead him to his death. So far, anyone who had their hands on that item eventually end up dead. It such a bad luck item, so he doesn't understand why everyone wants it and even dying trying to get their hand on it. That is one of the two reasons he decided to leave it for Lin Daiyu since she went above and beyond and took it away from him. Another reason was, he hated this woman, her husband, and the entire Ma household to the bone. He purposely left the item with them for others who want that item to chase and kill them. By the look of the couple right now, they must had been chased since the last time he saw them. He felt somewhat satisfies seeing the couple struggle to survive and being chased like dogs.

Lamas Kalama, "Amitabha...please forgive this monk."

The ten Himalayan monks strike at the couple. Lin Daiyu pushed her son back toward the teahouse and she jumped forward to help her husband. One of the monks break away from them and strike at the young boy. His palm strike hit the young boy right on the shoulder and sent the young boy crashing onto a table in front of Mu Dishi. The young boy vomited a mouthful of blood.

The other eight monks quickly surrounded Ma Shufen and destroyed all his seventy-two vital acupoints on his body. Ma Shufen's acupoints burst and blood gushing out through his entire body. Ma Shufen felt backward dead on the ground.

Lin Daiyu called out in pain, "Jingguo ..." She ran to her injured son. She quickly taps on Ma Jingguo's front acupoints on Ma Jingguo's chest. Then she looked up and saw Mu Dishi. The moment her eyes landed on Mu Dishi; her face turned pale as a ghost. "You..."

Ma Jingguo grunted in pain, "Mother...it hurts." He started whimpering. "Mother...just give it to them. Please give it to them."

Lin Daiyu wiped her son's tears, "Alright, let's give it back to the rightful owner."

Lin Daiyu took out a dry sheepskin from inside her inner robe then Lamas Kalama flew over and took it from her hand. She stood up and started attacking Lamas Kalama. Lin Daiyu's inner strength was no match for the monk.

Lamas Kalama did two back flips then strikes hard flying forward toward Lin Daiyu, "Fire palm strike." Lamas Kalama's fire palm strike sent Lin Daiyu fifty feet away. Lamas Kalama put his hands together. He sighed. "Amitabha."

Ma Jingguo ran to Lin Daiyu crying, "Mother...!" He kneeled down beside his dying mother and held her right hand. "Mother...How are you feeling?"

Lin Daiyu, "I am okay." She raised her left hand up and touched Ma Jingguo's face. "Jingguo, promise me two things. First, you must live with that beautiful smile on your face. Do you know... your smile can take away a person's pain?" Ma Jingguo nodded. "Secondly..." She coughed a mouthful of blood, but she did not want Ma Jingguo to see it, so she decided to swallow it down. Her breathing became shallow. "Look at the person at the table." Ma Jingguo looked at Mu Dishi. "You must stay by Dishi shushu's side. I can't repay him for what I've done to him. Can you do that for me?"

Ma Jingguo nodded, "I'll will do that."

Lin Daiyu said softly with tears in her eyes, "Your shushu is a very pitiful person just like me. We are both someone else's pawns. In this world... we don't have anyone who will be willing to stand beside us...other than ours' shadow..." She reached out her fingers and wiped Ma Jingguo's tears and smiled. Her hand slowly fallen from his face lying motionless on her abdomen.

Ma Jingguo cried softly, "Mother...wake up...mother...mother..." The ten years old cried hugging his dead mother who was lying on the ground.

Lamas Kalama, "Amitabha...may your two's souls ascend to heaven."

Mu Dishi thought it was funny for this monk to pray for the two dead dogs' souls to ascend to heaven. This monk is such a hypocrite. How could the two dogs' souls ascend to heaven when they left their little dog behind? These two dead dogs will never ascend to heaven. The only place their souls will go is straight to the eighteenth level of hell.

As the ten Himalayan monks turned and walked away, Mu Dishi stood up and said coldly, "Wait..."

Lamas Kalama and the nine monks turned around.

Mu Dishi said with a cold eye, "That sheepskin belong to me. Return it back to its rightful owner."

A younger monk, "It's ours."

Mu Dishi, "I didn't know that monks want to be part of the treasure cave corpse collection. How could your soul ascend to heaven...if you are not free of attachment?"

The young monk strike and flew at Mu Dishi. A golden needle dropped in between Mu Dishi's fingers, and he sent the golden needle at the charging monk. His action was fast, the nine monks only saw a tiny sparkle and the charged monk stop on his track screaming in pain covering his left eyes.

Mu Dishi put on his black soft metal glove. The eight monks charged at him, and he sent out one single guzheng string at the eight monks. In a matter of second he blinded the eight monks. The eight monks screamed in pain covering their eyes with their hands.

Lamas Kalama flew over with his fire palm strike at Mu Dishi. Mu Dishi caught Lama Kalma's hand and counterstrike with his left palm sending Lamas Kalama thirty feet away losing the sheepskin along the way. Lama Kalama vomited a mouthful of blood.

Mu Dishi, "If I were you, I will not use my inner energy right now."

Lama Kalama sighed, "You are a young man, but your inner energy exceeds mine. This monk cannot believe I will lose to a young man."

Mu Dishi scoffed indifferently, "You didn't lose to me. You lose to your greed of wanted to enter the treasure cave."

Lama Kalama sighed, "Amitabha."

Mu Dishi picked up the sheepskin. He saw five butterflies on the right side of the sheepskin. It brought back memories.

On the top of a mountain on an open bamboo forest, an older man and a young boy about fourteen was practicing swords. After they sheathed their swords, they walked back to the table, and sat down.

Mu Jiao Long, "Remember your heart and your sword must be as one. Your sword must be fast."

Mu Dishi, "Long da ye, do I have to practice every day and be soak in medicine in the evening?"

Mu Jiao Long, "You have too. You are chosen as the leader after me."

Mu Dishi, "I want to be like my cousins. They are free to hunt and go anywhere they like."

Mu Jiao Long hits Mu Dishi twice on Mu Dishi's head with the back of his knuckles, "Do you think I have a choice when the last leader passed down the leadership to me? You little rascal." He looked at the young boy and smiled. "But your birthday is coming up soon. You could slack a little. This is between you and me. Don't tell your father."

From a distance they heard a little girl calling out, "Da ge...Long da ye...We are here!"

Mu Dishi ran to the little girl, "Ah Mei..."

He picked up the little four years old. He reached over and try to kiss Mu Mei. Instead, Mu Mei pinched his nose with her left little fingers.

Mu Ai, "Put her down."

Mu Mei ran to Mu Ai and grabbed her left pinky finger, "Mother...Da ge trying to kiss me again. I don't like it."

Mu Lan, "Let's go eat."

Mu Dishi smiled at his parents. He looked at his pregnant mother then he grabbed the bamboo baskets from her hands. Mu Dishi said, "Mother, don't work so hard. You better take care of yourself and that little brother of mine."

Mu Mei, "It's a sister."

The brother and sister arguing as they walked back to the table and his mother took out dishes of food from inside the bamboo baskets and sat it on the table.

Mu Ai, "Let's eat."

Mu Jiao Long, "Di mei, you don't need to come up, what if you gave birth on your way up."

Mu Ai smiled and said, "Da ge, you don't have to worry. I got the best doctor accompanying me."

Mu Jiao Long laughed, "You are right. Dishi, go inside and grab two more stools for you and Mei'er."

When they were inside the bamboo hut, Mu Mei went straight to Mu Jiao Long's desk. She saw an old sheepskin with some marking on a mountain. She picked up the brush and she drawn five butterflies on the right side of the sheepskin.

Mu Dishi quickly walked to the desk and saw what his sister had done. He was upset and said harshly, "What did you do? This is a map. Long da ye will be so mad if he finds out."

Mu Mei cried and said, "Da ge...I barely see you. I only draw us on the mountain so da ge don't forget us."

Mu Dishi was touched by Mu Mei's words, "Da ge sorry...No matter what, this da ge of yours, will never forget you. Let's go eat, okay..." He grabbed the sheepskin from Mu Mei's hand and tucked it inside his shirt.

Mu Mei, "Since da ge is so nice to me. I'll let you kiss me this time." She tapped her finger on her left cheek. Mu Dishi smiled and kissed her cheek. She quickly pulled away and wiped her left cheek. "Yuck...Yuck..." She ran out.

Mu Dishi slowly folded the old sheepskin and tucked it away inside his inner robe. He walked to the teahouse owner and gave him a big gold ingot. He then walked away toward Tong village.

Two days later, when Mu Dishi leads a horse pulling a wagon full of food passed by, he saw Ma Jingguo still standing under a tree. Ma Jingguo brightens up with a big smile when he saw Mu Dishi. Ma Jingguo walked clumsily to Mu Dishi.

Ma Jingguo, "Da ge."

Mu Dishi said coldly, "You dog, don't call me that."

Ma Jingguo followed Mu Dishi, "My mother says to call you Dishi shushu, but since our age is not that much different, I would rather call you da ge."

Mu Dishi turned around and said coldly, "A dog like you is not allow to call me by name."

Ma Jingguo swallowed down his saliva, "Alright, Xiao shushu."

Mu Dishi, "Go away. Don't follow me."

Ma Jingguo, "Xiao shushu, my mother wants me to stay with you."

Mu Dishi, "For what? Go away."

Ma Jingguo insisted, "My mother say to stay by your side and repaying the debt that she owes you."

Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo walked up the mountain to a secluded area and in front of them was a big solid rock door.

Mu Dishi, "Once you enter this cave, you can never get out if I don't open the door. This stone door weight ten thousand pounds. I am the only person who can open the door."

Ma Jingguo, "I will listen to you."

Mu Dishi sent out a single golden needle into a small open hole and it turned on the traps inside the cave. The ten thousand pounds door slowly pulled up. Mu Dishi and Ma Jingguo walked inside the dark tunnel into the cave.