“Running away?” The mustache man standing on the eaves smiled slightly, then with a light push of his feet, he landed in front of Su Muyu, spinning a dagger gently in his hand.
“Chang He, there’s no need for violence,” Su Muyu said softly.
“Oh well.” The newcomer was indeed Su Chang He, the Head of Dark River. He shrugged, turned around, and tucked the dagger into his sleeve. “How boring.”
“You’re Zhuo Yue’an!” Xu An exclaimed from behind.
Ge Xiu, still lying on the ground, looked confused. “Sir, isn’t your surname Su?”
“No time to explain to them.” Su Chang He shook his head. “I thought I was just coming to watch some excitement, but I didn’t expect such a grand show. I didn’t bring anyone with me, so it’s just you and me this time.”
“Are the enemies powerful?” Su Muyu asked.
“On my way here, I encountered at least three ambushes. Each person’s strength matched that of Dark River’s highest-ranked assassins. Though those two Sword Bearers from Wushuang City up there were hardly worth mentioning.” Su Chang He said quietly. “You should have fought Song Yanhui that day.”
“That day, after defeating Jian Shanyue and Liu Yunqi, my sword intent had reached its peak. With him carrying the honor of an entire city into battle with me, his defeat would have been certain. I didn’t want to take advantage of his situation,” Su Muyu replied.
“But some people wanted to use your battle to make their moves. This Sihuai City is now filled with masters, all claiming to be from Wushuang City, making it impossible to distinguish true from false. It seems someone wants to use this chaos to replace the blood of Wushuang City,” Su Chang He said pensively.
“Let’s find a place to take shelter first,” Su Muyu said, looking down. “Ge Xiu, can you still walk? If you can, take us back to your Changsheng Gate.”
Ge Xiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. At first, he thought Lei Bao was slandering him, but now he was on the same side as Zhuo Yue’an. He hurriedly patted his legs: “I can’t move!”
Su Chang He gave a cold laugh, stepped forward, and bent down: “Get up, or I’ll kill you.”
Seeing the man before him and recalling how Su Muyu had called him “Chang He,” a name suddenly flashed through Ge Xiu’s mind, startling him into jumping up immediately. He nodded repeatedly: “To guide Sir, even if my legs were broken, I’d crawl there.”
Su Chang He glanced at Su Muyu: “A few days apart, and you’re already associating with such people?”
“You haven’t seen his brave fighting earlier,” Su Muyu replied.
“Lead the way.” Su Chang He kicked Ge Xiu without mercy.
“Hey!” The Changsheng Gate members glared at Su Chang He.
Ge Xiu hurriedly stopped them: “Don’t mind it, don’t mind it.” Since becoming the Eight Directions Thunder Master, he had never been so humiliated in public, but knowing the other party’s identity, he understood that taking his life wouldn’t even require raising an eyebrow. Besides, having started as a scrap collector, he didn’t care much about losing face.
Su Muyu patted Xu An’s shoulder: “Earlier you asked if I was Zhuo Yue’an. I can answer now – yes. I am Zhuo Yue’an who challenged Wushuang that day.”
Xu An’s expression grew increasingly excited, his hands trembling slightly: “Earlier, you were going to take me as your disciple!”
“You black kid, how materialistic! When Sir offered to teach you earlier, you were indifferent, but now that you know he’s even stronger than the City Lord of Wushuang City, you remember? Bah, you’re not worthy!” Ge Xiu grumbled from the side.
“I said earlier, I’m not taking you as a disciple,” Su Muyu said as he walked forward with Ge Xiu and the others, then looked up. “I just wanted to teach you a sword technique.”
“What sword technique?” Xu An asked excitedly.
“Kid, where did you come from?” Su Chang He gave him a cold glance.
“I’m not from Sihuai City. I came to watch the Wushuang battle,” Xu An replied. “I traveled five hundred li from Mo City. I couldn’t afford a horse or an oil-cloth carriage. Along the way, I ate wild fruits in the mountains and fought in arenas in cities. I finally made it to today, just to see that battle. I never imagined that the person who challenged Wushuang would be right in front of me!”
“Hahaha!” Su Chang He laughed heartily, his laughter full of joy. “I never thought there’d be a day when you’d appear in such a bright story, becoming the faith people chase after.”
“That’s a pity though. If you had seen my sword that day, it would have been more perfect,” Su Muyu stopped walking. “Tonight you saw my sword.”
“Only killing swords,” Su Chang He shrugged.
Three black-clad figures appeared before them, appearing silently like ghosts.
“The Three Ghosts of Hexi,” Su Chang He said slowly. “Monsters from the Assassins’ Ranking. How did you end up in Wushuang City? Could it be you also came to admire the spirit of challenging Wushuang?”
“Who are you to recognize our identities?” Their voice was indistinguishable between male and female.
“The Assassins’ Ranking wasn’t issued by the Hundred Knowledge Hall, it’s just a wild ranking in the jianghu. Back then, Ji Ruofeng wanted to make a genuine assassin’s ranking, but unfortunately, there was one place he never visited, so he didn’t know how many masters were there, or what levels their skills could reach. If they were counted, even the Supreme Ranking would need to be reorganized,” Su Chang He said slowly.
“You mean Dark River,” the voice replied.
“I am Dark River.” Su Chang He leaped forward, his dagger dancing lightly as he met the Three Ghosts of Hexi. The dagger easily sliced through their throats, but only cut through empty air as the three figures wavered and disappeared.
Ge Xiu hurriedly said: “Don’t be hasty to fight. Perhaps they’re not enemies.”
“Well said,” that androgynous voice came from above their heads.
Su Chang He turned slightly: “It’s the Ghost Shadow Technique. Nothing special.”
“But now we are enemies.” Three black shadows appeared simultaneously behind Ge Xiu. “Eight Directions Thunder Master, Scrap King Ge Xiu. Die.”
With a “swoosh,” Su Muyu drew a long sword from someone beside him, swung it lightly, and with a flash of sword light, the three black shadows vanished again.
“Scrap King Ge Xiu, you found help in advance. We underestimated you,” the voice laughed coldly. “But Dark River’s people aren’t ones you could invite. Your bluff won’t save you from certain death!”
“Before I teach you the sword technique, let me teach you one thing first,” Su Muyu suddenly said to Xu An.
Xu An was startled: “What?”
“In a real battle, there are no boundaries. The only way to victory is to completely defeat your opponent.” Su Muyu pushed off the ground and soared upward.
Su Chang He stroked his mustache: “You’ve become quite talkative.”