At the Three Li Pavilion outside the city, after the Mu Family members had departed, Su Muyu glanced at Su Zhe, then at Bai Hehuai, saying awkwardly, “Since this is a father-daughter reunion, should I step away for a moment?”
“No need, no need.” Bai Hehuai waved her hand. “Just stay where you are, or it’ll be even more awkward.”
Su Zhe scratched his head: “Trapped in dire straits, a father-daughter reunion—this kind of touching scene, even your Uncle Zhe isn’t very used to it.”
“Then let’s talk while we walk. Time is short, we need to get back to the Spider’s Lair quickly,” Su Muyu said.
“Alright.” Father and daughter nodded in unison, and so Su Muyu moved quickly ahead while they followed behind him.
Bai Hehuai glanced at Su Zhe and said quietly, “Mother… she’s already dead.”
Su Zhe remained calm, nodding: “I know.”
“You know?” Bai Hehuai was startled.
“She contracted a strange illness. Even Medicine Valley’s divine physician was helpless. I even questioned Mu Zizhi—nearly beat his head crooked with my Buddhist staff—but he too said the illness was incurable,” Su Zhe said with a bitter smile.
Bai Hehuai frowned slightly: “You knew all along?”
Su Zhe gently twirled his Buddhist staff: “A friend told me about your mother’s illness, so I secretly visited the Wen family, trying to find renowned doctors to help her. I even encountered your grandfather during this time—he nearly killed me with poison out of misdirected anger. After your mother’s death, I secretly visited the Wen family several times. You had disappeared, and I thought your grandfather had hidden you away. I never imagined you’d gone to Medicine Valley to study. Those people have always been at odds with the Wen family—how did they accept you as a disciple?”
Bai Hehuai smiled: “It was simply because of my extraordinary talent. The old master insisted on taking me as a disciple. My little martial nephew wasn’t too happy about it—after all, this meant he became two generations junior to your brother-in-law Wen Hujiu. But wait—if you could find us so easily, why did you never come to see Mother?”
Su Zhe sighed: “The Great Elder stood behind me. He said if I went to see you again, he’d send the Twelve Zodiac Shadows to kill all three of us. And then there was your grandfather Wen Lin, who threatened to poison me with something called ‘Blood Thicker Than Water.’ That poison could dissolve my bones. You know his temperament—he wasn’t bluffing.”
Bai Hehuai frowned: “Why didn’t you tell Mother all this?”
“I did tell her. She said that as long as our family was together, even death would be fine. Your mother was a foolish romantic. But I didn’t want her to die, didn’t want you to die, so I stayed far away from you both.” Su Zhe said helplessly. “However, I did see her on the night before she passed.”
“What?” Bai Hehuai was shocked.
“That day, your grandfather finally stopped opposing me. While everyone was asleep, he brought me to her bedside. We talked for a long time, and she died in my arms. You were still small then, sleeping in the little bed nearby, and never woke up all night.” Su Zhe’s voice carried a hint of tenderness.
Bai Hehuai asked in confusion: “But Grandfather told me you were a heartless man who had deceived Mother’s feelings…”
Su Zhe cursed angrily: “That old codger!”
“But Mother said you weren’t like that, so I wanted to find you and ask you myself.” Bai Hehuai remembered how her mother’s eyes would shine like stars, full of longing and nostalgia, whenever she spoke of Su Zhe.
Su Zhe scratched his head: “Ah Jin was always the kind one. When we were young, I thought love could overcome everything, and that with my abilities, I could defy the Dark River’s rules. But in the end, I couldn’t. I had almost convinced them, but then they learned the girl was from the Wen family, and even the Great Elder refused to help me…”
Su Muyu turned back, saying: “Uncle Zhe, you were already exceptional. You married outside the Dark River yet remained unharmed, even protecting your wife and daughter.”
“Haha! Who told you to eavesdrop!” Su Zhe swung his arm, sending a golden ring flying at Su Muyu.
Su Muyu didn’t dodge. The ring struck his head, and he rolled, landing on a tree branch before leaping forward again: “Uncle Zhe, why does your formal speech improve when you’re being serious?”
Su Zhe laughed: “When I was young, I was sent on a mission to Xiaoxiang territory. Stayed there for five or six years and picked up the local dialect. Couldn’t shake it off afterward. Speaking proper formal language requires too much concentration—too tiring.”
“But coming with us now… isn’t that breaking family rules again?” Bai Hehuai suddenly realized.
Su Zhe paused, then nodded: “Come to think of it, you’re right. Just walking off with you like this—the Su family folks will surely come after me. But circumstances are special now. With the Great Elder injured, all the Dark River’s rules have shattered. I think the Dark River itself might be falling apart. If nobody follows the rules anymore, then it’s every person for themselves.”
Bai Hehuai frowned: “Master always told me the Dark River was a very strict organization. Why does it seem so loose now?”
“That’s complicated. The Dark River has been passed down for hundreds of years and was already quite weak. Add to that the decline in talent over recent generations and the creation of the Nameless One system, which caused hidden conflicts between native and outside members. Originally, the Great Elder was strong, considered the mightiest in the Dark River’s recent century, barely maintaining a delicate balance. Now that he’s fallen, all those previously invisible problems have surfaced.”
Su Muyu’s brow furrowed slightly, his hand moving to his sword hilt: “Uncle Zhe.”
“I’ll listen to my daughter,” Su Zhe smiled. “Whatever my daughter says goes. If she says we should turn tail and run right now, ignoring everything here, I have no objection. Don’t be so tense, Muyu—my bottom line is that I won’t kill you.”
“But if the divine physician tries to leave, I will stop her,” Su Muyu said quietly.
Bai Hehuai smiled and continued walking: “Let’s go to the Spider’s Lair. If we’re leaving, it’ll be after we’ve healed the Great Elder. With such a debt of gratitude, surely the Dark River can’t prevent our family from reuniting this time.”
Su Zhe shrugged: “Ah, they say Muyu is the Dark River’s greatest beauty in a hundred years—seems that’s true. Daughter, have you taken a fancy to him? Falling for a Dark River man isn’t a good thing, you know.”
Bai Hehuai shook her head helplessly: “No, and you silly father, aren’t you insulting yourself there?”
Su Muyu breathed a sigh of relief: “The divine physician is Medicine Valley’s successor. Their principles don’t allow abandoning patients halfway.”
Bai Hehuai shook her head again: “Not at all. Those are Xin Baicao and the others’ principles—what do they have to do with me, Bai Hehuai?”
Su Zhe was startled: “Then what’s the reason?”
Bai Hehuai held up two fingers and rubbed them together: “They paid me!”
Su Zhe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “You’re just like your mother…”