An He Zhuan: Act Seven – Chapter 1
Death would come in ten days of Xiaoman(It typically occurs around May 21st or 22nd)…
As night fell, Su Muyu changed into a black cloak, concealing his paper umbrella within its folds as he prepared to leave the inn.
“I’m exhausted!” Just as he was about to step out, Su Zhe leaped in through the window and walked straight to the wooden table. Too tired to even pour properly, he lifted the teapot directly to his mouth.
“Uncle Zhe,” Su Muyu startled, “you’ve returned so quickly.”
“This nearly killed me,” Su Zhe exhaled deeply. “But it’s urgent—I had to rush back to tell you.”
Su Muyu nodded. “What crucial information did Sikong Changfeng provide?”
“The Shadow Sect’s enemy has been confirmed—it’s Wang Xiao Ruofeng of Langya!” Su Zhe declared gravely.
Su Muyu was shocked. “It’s him.”
“Originally, the Shadow Sect controlled Tianqi while the Dark River managed the jianghu, never interfering with each other. But now, the Shadow Sect is nearly destroyed in Tianqi City by the Wang of Langya, which is why they summoned us,” Su Zhe explained, grabbing a pastry from the table and devouring it, seemingly famished from his journey. “The Shadow Sect and the Four Guardians of Tianqi—they’re fighting for power!”
“The Four Guardians of Tianqi, Tang Lianyue, Second Master Tang…” Su Muyu suddenly understood. From the beginning, the Shadow Sect had ordered the Three Officials to have their leader personally deal with Second Master Tang to target the Dark Tortoise Envoy Tang Lianyue. Second Master Tang was Tang Lianyue’s strongest supporter within the Tang Clan. Killing him would draw Tang Lianyue away from Tianqi City, then they could eliminate her using the Dark River’s forces, removing a powerful opponent. However, the expected major conflict between Tang Lianyue and the Dark River never materialized, yet Tang Lianyue hadn’t returned to Tianqi—suggesting other changes within the Tang Clan.
“What are you thinking about?” Su Zhe asked.
Su Muyu snapped back to attention, sighing softly. “The troubled waters of Tianqi City have become quite complicated.”
“Were you heading out?” Su Zhe finally noticed Su Muyu’s attire.
“Yes. Yi Bu arranged to meet me. After half a month of my wandering around Tianqi City, he’s finally grown impatient,” Su Muyu replied.
Su Zhe frowned slightly. “Should I accompany you?”
“No need. Now that we know their objective, many things will be easier to handle,” Su Muyu shook his head.
“Alright then. If anything happens, send up a signal arrow, and I’ll come to rescue you,” Su Zhe tapped the Buddhist staff beside him.
“Uncle Zhe, you’re no longer part of the Dark River,” Su Muyu smiled.
Su Zhe shook his head. “But I still hope… that someday you’ll call me father-in-law.”
“…” Su Muyu shook his head helplessly and pushed open the door to leave.
Outside the inn, spies had been stationed since the day Su Muyu arrived. As soon as he stepped out, he could feel countless eyes watching him. Dressed in black, he melted into the darkness, and his observers immediately sprang into action, pursuing him. But Su Muyu’s movement techniques were nearly unmatched even within the Dark River—unless a master like Li Xinyue personally came, no one could fully track his movements. Additionally, Shadow Sect members were hidden among the pursuers, helping Su Muyu confuse the chase, causing the other factions to quickly lose his trail.
Butcher Er, one of the pursuers, cursed under his breath: “Damn it, Big Brother Butcher is going to lecture me again.”
When Li Xinyue’s scout lost sight of Su Muyu, he quickly grabbed a companion: “Go to the General’s Manor, tell the Azure Dragon Envoy that Su Muyu has vanished.”
At the Minister’s Manor.
Behind the screen, a man in a black cloak reclined on a long chair, an incense stick burning on the wooden table beside him as he rested with closed eyes.
“Leaving from there daily with your identity—aren’t you concerned about being discovered by the Wang of Langya and his people?” Yi Bu stood beside him, expression grave.
“What do you mean ‘daily’? I came specifically because you arranged to meet someone today,” the black-robed man laughed, touching the jade ring on his finger. “As for the Wang of Langya, what could he do even if he knew? Would he dare provoke me?”
Yi Bu frowned. “If you truly hold him in such contempt, why seek an alliance with me?”
“Sect Leader, he has arrived,” Crow announced solemnly from beyond the screen.
“Will you join us?” Yi Bu asked the black-robed man.
The man smiled. “No need. I’ll observe him from here.”
Yi Bu gave a cold laugh and turned to leave. Su Muyu had just entered from outside, and their eyes met. Su Muyu nodded slightly: “Sect Leader Yi.”
Yi Bu paused: “You’re very different from what I imagined.”
“Oh?” Su Muyu asked calmly. “How so?”
“Your code name is Ghost with Umbrella, one of the top assassins of this generation’s Dark River, yet you carry no killing intent,” Yi Bu said thoughtfully. “You’re more like a swordsman.”
Su Muyu smiled faintly. “A swordsman?”
“Swordsmen carry their sword energy—like the Frost Sword Immortal Li Hanyi, who brings a chill wherever she goes, or the Dao Sword Immortal Zhao Yuzhen, whose sword strikes carry the scent of peach blossoms. The Scholar Sword Immortal Xie Xuan’s sword moves like calligraphy, and my former disciple Luo Qingyang’s sword energy fills an entire city with desolation. But you—you carry the energy of rain,” Yi Bu glanced at the paper umbrella on Su Muyu’s back. “Cool and detached, your sword energy is like rain. It’s a waste that you became an assassin.”
“Did Mister Yi summon me to persuade me to leave the Dark River?” Su Muyu asked.
“Just sharing my observations.” Yi Bu waved his sleeve. “Please sit. Not knowing your preferences, I ordered the Daily Feast from Zhaidian Tower—all Tianqi City specialties.”
“Thank you.” Su Muyu followed Yi Bu to the wooden table, his eyes briefly glancing toward the screen.
Behind the screen, the black-robed man smiled slightly.
Yi Bu sat down and poured Su Muyu a cup of wine. “Master Su, please.”
“Thank you, Sect Leader Yi.” Su Muyu lifted the cup and drank it in one gulp.
Crow and the others stood attending nearby, all watching Su Muyu with sharp, killing intent in their eyes.
“Master Su may have been wondering why the Shadow Sect and Dark River, which seemed to have no connection, suddenly appear to be intricately linked,” Yi Bu set down his wine cup, getting straight to the point.
Su Muyu nodded. “Dark River’s missions all come from the Soul-Taking Palace. We always thought they were high-priced assassination contracts from jianghu figures, never imagining they were tasks assigned by the Shadow Sect.”
“This story goes back to the founding of Bei Li,” Yi Bu drank a cup of wine, then thoroughly explained the history between Dark River and the Shadow Sect to Su Muyu. It matched almost exactly with what Su Zhe had told him earlier. After finishing, Yi Bu watched Su Muyu, waiting for his reaction.
But Su Muyu said only one thing.
“However, Su Changhe who now leads the Dark River, and I—we have no connection to the Shadow Guard from hundreds of years ago.”