In mere moments, all the Spider Shadow assassins had withdrawn from Pure Yang Changshou Palace, leaving only Su Muyu standing alone in the courtyard. He gently adjusted his mask and said softly, “Come out.”
The temple doors opened quietly as Xie Changze and Xie Jinke entered from outside.
“As expected of the renowned Umbrella Ghost. We were confident we made no sound, yet you still detected our presence,” Xie Changze said with a smile.
“The wind changed,” Su Muyu replied flatly.
Xie Changze paused, then nodded. “Truly extraordinary.”
Su Muyu tilted his head slightly. “The Purple Boot Ghost and Blade Yama of the Xie family shouldn’t be here.”
Xie Changze stepped forward. “Our Family Head heard that the Grand Family Head was gravely injured. Anxious, he wishes to bring the Grand Family Head back to headquarters for treatment.”
Su Muyu drew a shallow line in front of Xie Changze with his finger. “Don’t cross this line. The Grand Family Head is fine, all is well. Please report this to the Xie Family Head—thank him for his concern. Spider Shadow is protecting the Grand Family Head; there’s no need for his worry.”
Xie Changze looked behind Su Muyu. Since entering, he had been probing the temple’s atmosphere but couldn’t detect any presence besides Su Muyu’s. He frowned. “To confirm whether the Grand Family Head is truly well, please allow me to see him in person. Otherwise, I can’t properly complete my mission.”
Su Muyu replied indifferently, “Your inability to complete your mission—what is that to me?”
Xie Changze’s pupils contracted slightly as he said coldly, “Could it be that the Grand Family Head is truly injured, but you, as Kui, are deliberately concealing this with ulterior motives, preventing us from treating him in time?”
“That’s a good excuse, but for it to hold, there’s only one possibility.” Su Muyu’s tone carried a hint of killing intent.
Xie Changze stepped forward, directly crossing the line Su Muyu had drawn. “Kill you!”
“Indeed.” Su Muyu spread his sleeves, his killing aura surging.
“They say you’ve recreated the Eighteen Sword Formation created by the Su family’s first patriarch, Su Eighteen. I’ve long wanted to see it!” Xie Changze drew his flexible blade and thrust it at Su Muyu’s chest.
“My sword formation—not everyone is qualified to see it!” Su Muyu caught Xie Changze’s flexible blade between two fingers. With a slight flick, the entire blade began to vibrate violently. Xie Changze felt intense pain in his tiger’s mouth acupoint, nearly losing grip of his weapon. He hurriedly withdrew his blade and retreated, but it was too late—Su Muyu had already grabbed his throat with one hand.
Before becoming Kui, Su Muyu was already considered the strongest of his generation among the Su family disciples. While Xie Changze prided himself on one of the elite in his generation the Xie family, though he didn’t expect to defeat Su Muyu single-handedly, he hadn’t anticipated losing in just one move. Fortunately, he hadn’t come alone.
Blade Yama Xie Jinke had already positioned himself behind Su Muyu, his golden-ringed blade raised high, swinging down at Su Muyu’s head. Su Muyu pressed Xie Changze to the ground with one hand, then bent his body down. With a crisp sound, Xie Jinke’s blade struck the paper umbrella but could advance no further.
“There’s something wrong with that umbrella!” Xie Jinke shouted.
Xie Changze drew a dagger from his waist and stabbed at Su Muyu’s chest. Su Muyu lightly tapped his toe on the ground, retreating three steps away. He said leisurely, “Even the two of you together aren’t qualified to see my sword formation.”
Xie Changze rose and retreated to Xie Jinke’s side. “That umbrella—it’s his sword!”
“Let me!” Xie Jinke roared, his golden blade dancing wildly. The blade’s energy was so fierce that the entire temple trembled, and the statue of Patriarch Lu in the main hall seemed ready to topple at any moment.
“The Wind Dance Wheel Blade of the Xie family.” Su Muyu took the paper umbrella from his back, clashing with Xie Jinke’s long blade. Both men stepped back simultaneously.
“You should regret not using the Eighteen Sword Formation from the start.” Xie Changze had somehow appeared behind Su Muyu. His flexible blade whipped forward, entangling Su Muyu’s paper umbrella. When Su Muyu tried to break free, he found Xie Changze’s blade several times stronger than before, making it momentarily impossible to escape.
“You…” Su Muyu said in a deep voice.
“When facing the Umbrella Ghost, one must keep some tricks in reserve.” Xie Changze sneered.
Xie Jinke steadied himself and charged toward Su Muyu with his golden blade.
“Take a message to Old Master Xie.” Su Muyu suddenly flung his hand, causing the paper umbrella to snap open. Xie Changze’s flexible blade shattered into more than ten pieces, which Su Muyu sent flying toward Xie Jinke with a casual wave. Xie Jinke hurriedly shifted from attack to defense, swinging his blade to deflect the fragments. Su Muyu spun around, pointing the umbrella’s tip at Xie Changze’s throat.
“What message?” Xie Changze asked quietly.
“If you withdraw in time, the Grand Family Head might pretend nothing happened during this period.” Su Muyu withdrew his umbrella. “You may leave now. Deliver the message.”
Xie Changze let out a light breath. “You’re not going to kill us?”
“Dark River’s members are all family,” Su Muyu said flatly.
Xie Changze smiled disdainfully and exchanged a glance with Xie Jinke, and they immediately leaped away, retreating from the temple.
Su Muyu turned around, put away his paper umbrella, and adjusted his slightly crooked demon mask, waiting for the next batch of visitors.
“It seems those two from the Xie family are useless, failing even to force you to use your Eighteen Sword Formation.” A mocking voice suddenly sounded from outside the courtyard.
Su Muyu sighed, a genuinely helpless sigh because the person before him was the last one he wanted to see right now.
Su Changhe of Dark River’s Su family.
“Brother, it’s been a while,” Su Changhe said as he walked into the courtyard.
Su Muyu shook his head. “At this moment, you’re the last person I want to meet.”
“The old master asked me to tell you something.” Su Changhe said lazily. “You’re the leader of Spider Shadow, but more importantly, you’re a disciple of our Su family.”
“Kui—a ghost among men. I belong to Dark River, but not to any single family,” Su Muyu said calmly.
Su Changhe pursed his lips. “You’re always so serious, no fun at all. As a nameless one, you practiced swords diligently from dawn to dusk. As an assassin, you completed every mission perfectly without a single flaw. Now as Kui, you’re still so conscientious. Your Grand Family Head is nearly dead, yet you still insist on dying with him?”
“The Grand Family Head is fine. Such rumors shouldn’t be spread carelessly,” Su Muyu said gravely.
“Don’t give me that.” Su Changhe impatiently cut off Su Muyu’s words. “The Grand Family Head was struck by Old Master Tang’s Snow-Fallen Plum Branch—he’s half dead already. Otherwise, why would he seek out Xin Baicao’s junior uncle? Kill him, bring us the Sleeping Dragon Sword, and our old master will take the position of Grand Family Head. You can choose to continue being Kui, return to the Su family, or even get what you want most—freedom.”
“Freedom?” Su Muyu murmured.