Chapter 03 Be Beside You

Ah Chen, Kuo Changchang, and the two female juniors got to the tavern just before the sunset. They walked inside the tavern and the waiter was still cleaning the blood on the floor.

One of the other waiters led them to a different table. The waiter asked, "What can I give you?"

Kuo Changchang, "Waiter, what happened here?"

Waiter, "The blood belong to a disciple of Tianshan."

Kuo Changchang, "Are they dead?"

Waiter, "One dead and five injured. At first, I thought for sure that the single man will lose, but it turned out that the single man defeated the five Tianshan disciples easily with only a few moves."

Ah Chen, "What color of clothe did the man wore?"

The waiter thinks for a bit then said, "Oh...I think is light green and white. He calls Leader Suo..." The waiter whispered. "He calls Leader Suo a dog."

Ah Chen said softly, "He is already here." He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

Kuo Changchang, "Ah Chen, what is going on?"

Ah Chen, "Waiter we would like four rooms."

Waiter, "Sorry, there is only two room left."

Kuo Changchang, "We will take the two room then."

Inside the dark bedroom, Ah Chen set a broken comb tied with a red string, a jade hairpin, and a jade flute on the table. When Ah Chen looked at the three items, he recalled his five years spending inside the cave.

The first years inside the cave he spent learning flute notes and at the same time training building his inner energy. Every time when his shushu practice his string skills, Ah Chen will have to play the same flute melody. His shushu stated listening to that particular sound keep his mind calm. He remembered the first years on his birthday and his shushu took him to a section of the cave. His shushu opened the door to a room. The entire room was a cave full of golds, slivers, pearls, and jade.

Stood before the entrance, Ah Chen was speechless. He has never seen so many golds, slivers, pearls, and jades. He asked softy, "Xiao shushu, there is so much here. Where did all these come from?"

Mu Dishi, "Jingguo, do you want to be owner of these treasures?"

Ma Jingguo picked up a golden wine cup examined it then tossed the cup away towards a pile of gold coins. He shrugged both of his shoulders, "Nay...Everything here belong to xiao shushu and they don't belong to me. I am already happy enough that xiao shushu still allow me to pick an item from here." He walked and looked around. He spotted white jade flute. He picked it up. "Xiao shushu, I want this one. I am tired of using the bamboo flute."

Mu Dishi, "Good, you don't want to be owner of these treasures. If you do, your corpse will be added to the treasure corpse collection. Your parents were the many examples of the treasure corpse collection."

Ma Jingguo gave Mu Dishi a big smiled, "Xiao shushu, I don't want any of these. What I want is to be beside you. I am most happy when I play my flute and looking at you while you practice your Killer Strings."

Every year after that Mu Dishi allowed Ma Jingguo to pick one item from the treasure cave.

On Ma Jingguo's fifteenth birthday he picked a jade hairpin that was set by itself away from other treasures. When Mu Dishi woke up that morning Ma Jingguo combed his hair using the jade comb, he picked years earlier. Mu Dishi noticed that Ma Jingguo's recent behavior was strange. Mu Dishi looked up at the reflection in the mirror and saw Ma Jingguo's gaze.

Ma Jingguo smiled, "Xiao shushu, do you know you have the most beautiful hair?" He smiled looking at Mu Dishi's reflection in the mirror.

Mu Dishi said coldly, "Hair are all alike."

Ma Jingguo, "Not true. Xiao shushu's hair smell and feel different."

Mu Dishi, "Did you pick your birthday's gift."

Ma Jingguo tied Mu Dishi's hair up using a greenish ribbon. He placed Mu Dishi favorite hair ornament on Mu Dishi's hair. He said, "I did." He took out the jade hairpin and pinned it on Mu Dishi tied hair. "There." He smiled. "Very beautiful."

Mu Dishi, "Jingguo, you always say you want to go to Jiangnan, right?"

Ma Jingguo quickly moved from behind Mu Dishi and kneeling at his right side. He smiled and said, "Xiao shushu, can we really go?"

Mu Dishi, "Go pack up your clothes. I'll wait for you at the front entrance."

Ma Jingguo grabbed Mu Dishi's right hand, "Xiao shushu thank you so much. I know you going to love Jiangnan."

Ma Jingguo was excited and happy at the same time. He thought of all the things he and Mu Dishi could do in Jiangnan. He always wants to travel around the Yangtze River, but his parents were always on the run. He was packing his clothes then suddenly he had an image of him and Mu Dishi sitting on a boat cruising down the Yangtze River. Mu Dishi and him sit at the table. Mu Dishi play his guzheng while Ma Jingguo plays his flute. The two men enjoying their sweet melodies of the two instruments cruising carefree down the Yangtze River.

Ma Jingguo ran to the front entrance, and he saw Mu Dishi standing handsomely still waiting for him. Just by looking at Mu Dishi's back is enough to satisfy Ma Jingguo u. In Ma Jingguo's life there are three people that was most important to him. They are his deceased parents and Mu Dishi. He slowly walked to Mu Dishi.

Mu Dishi opened the front entrance trap door and the ten thousand pounds door slide up. Ma Jing felt the fresh air rushing through inside the cave, in excitement he rushed out of the cave embracing the fresh air.

Ma Jingguo, "Xiao shushu, what do you want to eat when we are in Tong village?" He heard no answer, so he turned around. He saw Mu Dishi who was still standing at the front entrance. "Xiao shushu, do you forget something?" Then he realized that Mu Dishi did not carry his bag.

Mu Dishi threw a big white pouch toward Ma Jingguo's feet. He said coldly, "Those money is enough for you to travel for the rest of your life."

Ma Jingguo, "Xiao shushu are we going together?"

Mu Dishi, "The only person leaving is you." He looked coldly at Ma Jingguo and said, "Never return here."

Ma Jingguo walked toward the front entrance, but Mu Dishi sent a single golden needle at him. Ma Jingguo said sadly, "Xiao shushu, then I don't want to go anymore. Let me stay with you...From now on I will never mention about leaving."

Mu Dishi, "You go. I don't need you anymore."

Ma Jingguo, "What do you mean? I already promised my mother I will be beside you always."

Mu Dishi, "I've completed level ten of the Killer String Manual. I don't need your flute to calm my mind anymore. I took you in for this purpose only. Whatever you promised that dog is none of my concern."

Ma Jingguo felt both of his eyes wetted. He doesn't believe that Mu Dishi will be so heartless. The past five years they spent together he senses that Mu Dishi do care a lot for him, but now he was told that Mu Dishi was only using him. Even so, he was not mad at Mu Dishi because he really wants to be beside Mu Dishi. Ma Jingguo took two steps forward and he saw that Mu Dishi held the jade hairpin on his right hand.

Mu Dishi said coldly, "If you take another step this hairpin will be on your chest."

Ma Jingguo tears fell down and he bit his lips. He said, "I don't believe xiao shushu will hurt me with the very own present I have given to xiao shushu." He took one more step toward the front entrance then he felt sharp pain on his right shoulder. He looked down and the jade hairpin pierced through his skin with blood dripping down smearing his robe. The pain on his shoulder was incomparable to the pain inside his heart. Then the ten thousand stone door dropped down. He waited outside in the cold for three days and three nights, but that stone door never open again. He finally gave up and walked to Jiangnan by himself.

Five years later, when he saw Mu Dishi inside that temple, he was so shocked. Mu Dishi still looked as handsome as the last time he saw Mu Dishi's face. His dark brows with his cold phoenix eyes and black silky long hair with his favorite hair ornament. Everything about him is still exactly as the last time they part on that front entrance. He knew that Mu Dishi was highly skilled that was why he threw the army seal to Mu Dishi.

Ma Jingguo sighed deeply. He heard knocks on his door, so he stood up and opened the door. It was Kuo Changchang.

Kuo Changchang, "Ah Chen, are you sleeping yet?"

Ma Jingguo, "Shijie, I have not sleep yet."

Kuo Changchang, "I can't sleep." She glanced at the table, and she saw a hairpin, a flute, and a comb. She asked, "Do you know the man in green and white?"

Ma Jingguo, "Why do Shijie think I know the person?"

Kuo Changchang, "When we are in the dining room you say something like 'he is here', so I thought you might know him."

Ma Jingguo, "I don't know him. If we knew each other he will recognize me."

Kou Changchang, "That is true. Do you think he is the same person who we met inside that temple?"

Ma Jingguo, "I don't know."

That was a lie, Ma Jingguo knew that the injured and dead Tianshan disciples was done by Mu Dishi. The many years he spent with Mu Dishi whoever he hates or has wronged him, he calls them dogs. Even his deceased parents Mu Dishi called them dogs. He never asked Mu Dishi what his parents had done him wrong. He was afraid that if he brings that up Mu Dishi will kick him out, but at the end, Mu Dishi kicked him out anyway with no apparently reason other than a simple phrase 'I don't need you anymore'.

Kuo Changchang looked at the three items on the table, "These are?"

Ma Jingguo, "They were given to me by a very special person."

Kuo Changchang smiled, "I better not bother you anymore."

Ma Jingguo closed the door behind him and he sat back down on the table. He grabbed the jade comb and murmured softly, "Xiao shushu, where are you?"