HomeTales of Dark RiverAn He Zhuan: Act Nine - Chapter 4

An He Zhuan: Act Nine – Chapter 4

“Kill me?” Su Muyu gently turned the handle of her paper umbrella.

“Hah!” A swordsman in the corner could no longer contain himself. He drew his blade and swung it down at Su Muyu.

Su Muyu spun around swiftly, her paper umbrella twirling lightly to deflect the long blade. She then thrust forward, the umbrella tip pressing against the swordsman’s throat.

The sound of swords being drawn filled the room as the others prepared to rush forward.

“Stop!” Su Xiemo shouted. “Master Su, you and your brother are now leaders of Anhe. Do you want to destroy this sanctuary with your own hands?”

“Anhe acts on orders, merely serving as a blade,” Su Muyu retracted her paper umbrella, shaking her head slightly. “If I seek revenge, I should find the one wielding the blade. This much I understand. Moreover, once one enters the sanctuary, a lifetime of sins and glory shall be cleansed—this will never change.”

Su Xiemo let out a light sigh. “Then I thank Master Su for your understanding. Many of us haven’t wielded blades for years. These days, we’re more skilled with hoes than swords.”

“Then I’ll take my leave.” Su Muyu gave Su Xiemo a slight bow before turning to exit.

“Boss, why fear him? With so many of us here, how could we not kill a mere youth?” A middle-aged man nearby snarled.

“I fear we truly couldn’t kill him. The Eighteen Sword Formation is no child’s play, and…” Su Xiemo gazed outside, lost in thought.

The others followed his gaze. In the courtyard under the moonlight stood a man in black, hands clasped behind his back, standing perfectly straight.

“When did he arrive?” someone asked.

“He’s been here for a while. When Ahe made that sword strike earlier, this man outside had already leaked killing intent. If you had truly attacked, he would have rushed in,” said a man sitting in the darkness, his voice distant.

“He is Anhe’s current patriarch, Su Changhe,” Su Xiemo said gravely.

“Interesting. Looking at his aura…” The man in the darkness stood up.

“He has mastered the Yanmo Palm,” Su Xiemo reached for his wine pot only to find it empty.

“That’s a cursed martial art. No patriarch who has practiced it has ever met a peaceful end,” the man said with a cold laugh.

Su Xiemo shook his head. “I don’t believe in such sayings. It’s just that people like us rarely meet peaceful ends, which makes it seem as though every patriarch who practiced the Yanmo Palm died tragically.”

Su Changhe tilted his head back, his gaze piercing past Su Muyu into the room. He raised his hand slightly and grinned.

Su Xiemo immediately stood up, the wine pot beside him instantly shattering.

But Su Changhe’s raised hand only brought a gust of wind that closed the door of the house.

Su Xiemo wiped the sweat from his forehead. “This fellow truly resembles the old master.”

Outside, Su Muyu looked at Su Changhe. “Why did you come? Didn’t I tell you not to?”

Su Changhe shrugged. “I was drunk. Didn’t hear it.”

“Didn’t I have Chaoyan tell you?” Su Muyu walked past Su Changhe.

“Why should I listen to a little girl?” Su Changhe shrugged again. “How did it go? Why didn’t you make your move?”

Su Muyu tilted her head back, remained silent for a few seconds, then suddenly raised her paper umbrella. With a gentle press of her finger, the umbrella opened.

Heavy rain suddenly fell, instantly soaking Su Changhe’s clothes. He wiped the rainwater from his face, staring blankly at Su Muyu.

“Dragonflies fly low before rain falls,” Su Muyu lowered her head slightly, watching a dragonfly flutter past.

“We leave for Nan’an tomorrow!” Su Changhe said angrily.

“Why Nan’an?” Su Muyu asked, puzzled.

“Just received news that your sweetheart opened a medicine shop there, and invited us to visit,” Su Changhe shook his sleeve.

“I don’t believe you. I want to hear the original words,” Su Muyu replied.

Su Changhe pulled a letter from his sleeve: “Brother Su, I hope this letter finds you well. I have opened a new medicine shop in Nan’an City, named Heyu. While we currently have good physicians treating patients, we lack an apprentice to pound medicines and receive customers. Would Brother Muyu have time to fill in for a few days? Your friend, Bai Hehuai. Oh, and there’s one more line: If Brother Muyu cannot come, it’s fine, but please make sure not to bring Brother Changhe.”

“As expected.” Su Muyu smiled faintly. “The invitation was only for me, not us.”

“One word: are you going or not?” Su Changhe asked.

Su Muyu nodded. “I have nothing else to do, so I’ll go. And you’ll naturally come with me. Though the Divine Physician said that, they should know it’s unavoidable.”

Su Changhe glanced back at the house once more. “Did you not get any useful new information from them?”

“What do you think?” Su Muyu asked in return.

The village was small, and as they conversed, they had already walked back to Xiao Chaoyan’s small house. Su Changhe leaped onto the eaves, shaking off the rain. “Miss Xiao, could you please start a fire? I need to dry off…”

“Brother Muyu!” Xiao Chaoyan completely ignored him and rushed out into the rain.

Su Muyu quickly stepped forward to shield her from the rain with his umbrella. “Don’t worry, all is well.”

“What about Uncle Xiemo and the others?” Chaoyan regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. The word “uncle” seemed too intimate, especially now that she knew these people should be considered their enemies.

“We didn’t fight. We just asked them some questions,” Su Muyu responded directly, understanding her emotions.

Xiao Chaoyan thought for a moment before nodding. “Once one enters the sanctuary, all past glory and sins are wiped clean—that’s what the person who brought me here said.”

“This time, come leave with me,” Su Muyu said slowly after some thought.

Xiao Chaoyan froze, and Su Changhe quietly raised his head from the eaves.

“Now that you know about those past events, you can’t pretend nothing happened and continue living with them,” Su Muyu patted Xiao Chaoyan’s shoulder. “Why don’t you come with me?”

“Alright.” Xiao Chaoyan agreed without hesitation. “But where are we going?”

Su Muyu smiled slightly. “We’re going to Nan’an. There’s a Divine Physician there who needs an apprentice to pound medicine. I probably can’t do that job for long, but I think you’d be good at it.”

Xiao Chaoyan didn’t quite understand but scratched her head. “That sounds nice…”

“Don’t worry. With that Divine Physician, there’ll be plenty of osmanthus cakes, preserved fruits with money patterns, and sugar candies,” Su Muyu smiled warmly.

Su Changhe tilted his head back and sighed. “I fear the Divine Physician didn’t expect that in seeking one helper, they’d end up with a whole family.”

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