In the courtyard, Tang Lianyue let out a soft sigh and swept his long sleeve, clearing away the spider corpses before him. He looked up at the sky where a bright moon still hung, but the longer he looked, the stranger it seemed. Frowning, he walked out of the courtyard. When he raised his head again, the moon had vanished, replaced by the first pale light of dawn on the horizon. Somehow, morning had already arrived.

“What a crafty woman,” Tang Lianyue muttered.

By now, Su Muyu had carried Mu Yumo to a nearby town. Mu Yumo spoke softly, “That fellow must have realized he was tricked by now. As soon as I entered that courtyard, I began setting up my White Steed Formation. Once inside, one’s perception of time becomes distorted. He underestimated us members of the Mu family.”

“I’ll find a horse,” Su Muyu said, looking around.

“Did you walk all the way here? Why didn’t you buy a horse?” Mu Yumo asked.

Su Muyu sighed lightly. “Chang River posted many people along the way to intercept me. They killed my horse.”

“That Chang River…” Mu Yumo murmured.

“We must hurry to the Patriarch’s side. Chang River knows our movements as if reading from a map and even sent word to Tang Lianyue. This means Spider Shadow has his spy,” Su Muyu said, landing before an inn with Mu Yumo in his arms.

A luxuriously decorated carriage stood there, with a servant grooming the horse. Startled by the sudden appearance of the man and woman before him, he jumped. “What do you want?”

Su Muyu flicked his sleeve, dropping a gold ingot before the servant. “I’m buying this carriage.”

The servant hesitated. “I dare not sell it to you without my master’s permission.”

“No time.” Su Muyu stepped onto the carriage, placing Mu Yumo inside, then drew the paper umbrella from his back and pointed it at the servant. “Tell your master that if you don’t give me the carriage, I’ll kill you.”

The servant’s legs gave way, and he fell to his knees. He tried to cry for help but couldn’t make a sound.

“It’s just a carriage. If the young man wants it, let him have it.” A voice tinged with amusement came from a second-floor window of the inn. “Donglai, give the carriage to this young man.”

“Thank you.” Su Muyu picked up the reins, gave them a light snap, and drove away.

“Rain Brother, you’ve stolen quite an impressive carriage,” Mu Yumo remarked, admiring the luxurious decorations inside. Then she noticed two characters written on the curtain. “Baili?”

“Baili?” Su Muyu frowned slightly. “Could that person on the second floor have been Baili Chengfeng, the heir to the Marquis of Western Garrison?”

“No wonder he was willing to give you the carriage. You did help his son, after all,” Mu Yumo realized.

“Meeting the Marquis’s heir here is no good omen.” Su Muyu shook his head. “No time to think about that now. We must catch up to the Patriarch before Su Changhe.”

“Rain Brother, you and Changhe are both from the Su family. I’ve watched you grow up together since childhood, and your bond is different from other Dark River disciples. Must you draw swords against each other this time?” Mu Yumo suddenly asked.

“We joined Spider Shadow on the same day, swearing that unless we died, we would protect the Patriarch with our lives,” Su Muyu said gravely.

“I remember. Joining Spider Shadow is the greatest honor for Dark River disciples,” Mu Yumo said softly.

“Changhe now acts under orders from the Su family head to hunt down the Patriarch. Once the Patriarch recovers and regains control of the three families, the Su family head will naturally withdraw the order, and Changhe can return safely. Then we won’t need to draw swords against each other,” Su Muyu said slowly.

Mu Yumo paused, then smiled bitterly. “Rain Brother, your swordsmanship is terrifying, but sometimes your thinking is…”

“Naive, isn’t it?” Su Muyu smiled. “But if I hadn’t been naive back then, neither Changhe nor I would have made it out of there…”

Twelve years ago.

Dark River, Weeping Elder Forest.

Su Changhe stood in a pit three zhang deep, looking up at the sky. He didn’t cry, make a fuss, or even shout. He was a stubborn and proud person—perhaps too proud, which had earned him the enmity of others in this generation of Nameless Ones. Over a dozen people had conspired to create this trap and lure him into it. At just ten years old and injured from the fall, Su Changhe had no way to climb out.

Was this how he would die? Alone and unnoticed in this strange place?

Su Changhe clenched his fists, ready to make one final attempt. Just then, a rope dropped down before him.

“Who’s there!” Su Changhe shouted.

“It’s me,” came a calm voice in reply.

Su Changhe started. He recognized that voice—it belonged to the quietest member of their generation of Nameless Ones, who always stood alone in corners, rarely interacting with others. Once during training, when the master had paired them for sword practice, this person had defeated the previously unbeaten Su Changhe. Afterward, he extended his hand and said quietly, “Your sword is strong.” That voice, clear and calm, different from any other Su Changhe had heard here, had stayed with him.

“Why are you here?” Su Changhe asked.

The person replied, “I saw you leave the sword grounds at noon, but you weren’t at dinner. I thought something might have happened, so I came looking.”

“Looking for me? What business is it of yours where I am?” Su Changhe’s voice still held hostility.

“It’s not my business, truly. But that day we crossed swords, I felt we had something in common.” The person replied, “Come up. I won’t harm you.”

After a moment’s thought, Su Changhe grabbed the rope and climbed out of the pit.

A youth in cyan robes stood there, expression serene. Seeing Su Changhe emerge, he merely smiled faintly and turned away. “Let’s head back.”

Su Changhe followed, struggling to find words. Finally, he managed, “Don’t worry, I never leave debts unpaid. I’ll repay this favor!”

The youth shook his head. “No need to dwell on it.”

“I still don’t understand why you came to save me,” Su Changhe frowned.

The youth suddenly stopped and turned to ask, “Do you think an assassin can have friends?”

Su Changhe was stunned, unsure how to answer.

This was Su Muyu and Su Changhe’s first true meeting, though at the time, they were still Nameless Ones, not yet known as “Su Muyu” and “Su Changhe.”

That would come three years later, at the Ceremony of Names.