Su Muyu and Su Changhe had finished examining everything in all the rooms. Su Changhe returned the key to the hilt of the Sleeping Dragon Sword. “No wonder a single sword could stir up such a storm.”

“But this is a pawnshop, not a bank,” Su Muyu said gravely.

“Clever!” The short, stout man clapped his hands. “Many people, upon seeing this room full of treasures, would have their minds swimming with possibilities, hardly noticing such details. Master Su is quite remarkable.”

“Since this is a pawnshop, there must be a price to pay for possessing these items. What is our price?” Su Muyu asked.

The stout man smiled. “There is no price, at least not for the Yellow Springs Pawnshop, not today.”

Su Muyu gripped his umbrella handle. “I don’t believe you.”

“There’s no need for disbelief. The price for these items has already been paid by your actions over the years. All the people you’ve killed, all the deeds you’ve done—that’s the price of ownership. All those assassination contracts came from us!”

“Watch out!” Su Muyu suddenly opened his oil-paper umbrella. With a clear ‘ding’, an arrow struck the umbrella’s surface and deflected away. He released his grip and looked ahead.

The stout man tucked his hands into his sleeves, regarding Su Muyu lazily. “Within the Yellow Springs Pawnshop, we never initiate violence.”

Su Changhe stepped forward. “No need to hide anymore, Three Officials.”

“When I first saw you two in the Soul-Collecting Palace, I said we should have killed you both,” said a man in dark official robes as he landed beside the stout man.

“Earth Official,” Su Muyu said grimly.

“But I also said that precisely because they’re dangerous, there’s meaning in keeping them alive,” another man in purple official robes walked in from outside. His hair was white—it was the Water Official whom Su Muyu had encountered in Jiuxiao City.

“Perhaps killing them then would have been the better choice after all,” said the last to enter, wearing white official robes. His brow carried an understated authority—naturally, this was the Heaven Official, leader of the Three Officials.

“We’ve waited long for you. Seeing both the Dark River’s treasure and you today makes this trip worthwhile,” Su Changhe leaped forward, his hands flicking out to grasp two daggers, striking at the Earth Official in front.

The Earth Official stepped back, his hand flicking at his waist to grasp a judge’s brush. He swept it forward at Su Changhe. But Su Changhe’s daggers were merely a feint—after clashing with the brush, he swiftly withdrew and pushed both palms forward toward the Earth Official’s chest.

“The Yama Palm!” the Heaven Official shouted. “Retreat!”

The Earth Official didn’t hesitate, immediately jumping backward, but the palm force still partially struck him, forcing him to stumble back several steps.

“Such skill isn’t developed overnight. You’ve been secretly learning for some time,” the Heaven Official said gravely.

Su Changhe bent slightly at the waist. “For that answer, you can ask the Patriarch down below.”

The Heaven Official’s brow furrowed as he turned his head slightly, noticing Su Muyu had blocked the courtyard entrance, cutting off their escape route. The Water Official smiled. “Don’t worry, we didn’t come here to fight.”

The stout man coughed lightly. “The Yellow Springs Pawnshop isn’t a place for your battles anyway.”

“Manager Wang, perhaps there are still things you haven’t finished telling these two?” The Water Official smiled at the stout man.

Manager Wang waved his fan. “We were in the middle of that when you arrived. Patriarch, what I hadn’t finished saying was that your key only opens this courtyard. To take anything from here, you need another item.”

“What item?” Su Changhe asked.

“This.” The Heaven Official pulled out a golden token from his robes, inscribed with the characters for “Yellow Springs.”

Manager Wang nodded. “Exactly. The key opens the courtyard, while this token allows items to be taken. Neither can work without the other.”

“Ah, so this is how the Three Officials of the Soul-Collecting Palace have always remained above the three families,” Su Changhe said with a cold smile.

“I know what you’re thinking. If you want to kill us before the Yellow Springs Pawnshop can react, then take this token. Or perhaps kill all of us, including Manager Wang. You underestimate both us and the Yellow Springs Pawnshop.” The Heaven Official snorted and tossed the token over.

Su Changhe caught it, smiling meaningfully. “Oh? Are the Three Officials acknowledging our right to lead the Dark River?”

“What do you think?” The Water Official raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve overlooked something,” Su Muyu suddenly spoke.

The Water and Heaven Officials exchanged glances. “What have we overlooked?”

Su Muyu’s hand rested on his umbrella handle, ready to deploy the Eighteen Sword Formation. “We will not acknowledge the Soul-Collecting Palace, nor will we recognize the Three Officials’ authority. In our new Dark River, you have no place.”

“It seems we were presumptuous.” The Water Official showed neither anger nor surprise. “But you’re thinking too simply about this matter.”

“This is an invitation.” The Heaven Official took out a golden card from his robes and tossed it to Su Changhe.

Su Changhe caught the card and laughed. “Could it be that one of the Three Officials is getting married and inviting us to the celebration?”

“You want answers, you want to establish a new Dark River. There’s someone you need to meet,” the Heaven Official said solemnly.

Su Changhe asked, “Where?”

“Tianqi City,” the Heaven Official announced.

“Tianqi City?” Both Su Changhe and Su Muyu were startled. Among the world’s four great cities—Tianqi in the north, Xueyue in the south, Muliang in the west, and Wushuang in the east—Tianqi City represented imperial fortune and was home to the Xiao Imperial Clan. The city was filled with Heaven-realm experts, and ordinary martial artists didn’t dare enter lightly.

“And who are we meeting?” Su Muyu asked.

The Water Official spoke softly. “The ancestor of the person you’ll meet founded the Dark River a hundred years ago. As for the rest, you’ll get your answers when you reach Tianqi City.”

“Put away your Yama Palm. Only a madman like you would think of killing in the Yellow Springs Pawnshop.” The Heaven Official turned, leading the Water and Earth Officials toward the exit. Su Muyu withdrew his oil-paper umbrella and stepped aside, having no real intention of stopping them. After they left, Su Muyu looked at Su Changhe.

“Tianqi City,” Su Changhe smiled. “Sounds rather interesting.”

Su Muyu sighed softly. “If you had ever been to Tianqi City, you wouldn’t find anything interesting about that place.”