On Mount Wuwang.
In a nameless thatched cottage.
A middle-aged man sat bare-chested, sharpening a sword. It was an exceptionally long blade, yet also remarkably heavy—its weight appeared to be more than twice that of an ordinary long sword. However, when the middle-aged man finished sharpening it and casually swung it through the air, he wielded it as if it were nothing more than a feather-light blade.
“Master,” a young man in cotton clothes entered the courtyard and bowed respectfully.
“Didn’t I say not to disturb me unless necessary?” the middle-aged man said in a deep voice.
“This time, disciple comes with three matters,” the young man replied solemnly.
“Three matters, all arriving at once?” the middle-aged man asked, puzzled.
“Just now, Bu Xie has returned,” the young man hesitated before speaking.
“Oh? He’s back? Did he complete his mission? Why hasn’t he come to see me?” The middle-aged man put down the long sword and looked at the cotton-clothed youth.
The young man shook his head: “He didn’t speak of the mission, he only left this.” The youth pulled out a stone from his robes.
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly. “Throw it here.”
The young man nodded, flicked his wrist, and tossed the stone toward the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man raised his head, noticed the sword mark on the stone, and suddenly stood up. He grabbed the long sword beside him and swung it skyward, cleaving the stone in two.
“Did he fight with Su Muyu? Is this the Eighth Sword he found?” the middle-aged man asked gravely.
The young man shook his head: “Bu Xie said this isn’t yet the true Eighth Sword. He said to give him a few years to travel and experience the jianghu. Once he finds the answer, he’ll return.”
The middle-aged man’s brows furrowed: “A member of the Dark River, entering the jianghu to travel? Has he lost his mind? If he doesn’t return within ten days, the Soul-Summoning Palace will issue their death warrant without hesitation.”
“That brings us to the second matter.” The young man pulled out a letter from his robes, stepped forward, and handed it to the middle-aged man. “The Family Head has sent a letter.”
“What does it say? I don’t want to read their nonsense, just tell me directly.” Upon hearing the letter from the Xie family head, the middle-aged man’s tone grew impatient.
“The Family Head says that Xie Bu Xie’s disregard for his mission and unauthorized departure from Dark River is a capital offense. However, if you, Master, are willing to leave the mountain and aid the Xie family in Nine Heavens City, they will request a warrant from the Soul-Summoning Palace to pardon Xie Bu Xie’s death sentence.” The young man spoke slowly.
“Hmph, that Xie Ba fellow is quite the schemer. Loses a small fish but wants to hook a bigger one.” The middle-aged man sneered.
The young man paused: “Then… Master won’t go?”
The middle-aged man waved his hand: “Wasn’t there a third matter? Continue.”
“The third matter is that someone delivered an item.” The young man pulled out another envelope, slightly bulging in the middle. “The person left immediately after delivering it.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes suddenly brightened upon seeing the envelope. With a wave of his hand, the envelope flew into his grasp. With another gentle flick, the envelope shattered into fragments that scattered in the wind, leaving only its contents resting in the middle-aged man’s palm.
The cotton-clothed youth, also curious, couldn’t help but step forward to see what the item was.
It was a ring with a blue gemstone setting.
The gemstone gleamed with an otherworldly, captivating light under the sun.
Within the Dark River, wealth was abundant. While such a blue sapphire ring might be considered valuable in the outside world, before someone like Xie Qidao, such a ring shouldn’t hold much appeal.
Yet Xie Qidao’s expression was grave. He carefully held up the ring, aimed it toward the sunlight, and saw two characters carved within the gemstone.
“Bi’an,” the middle-aged man read slowly.
In Nine Heavens City, at the Su family compound.
Su Changhe lay on the rooftop, a horsehair grass stem between his teeth, lazily basking in the sunlight.
“Ah, if I’d known earlier, I should have gotten injured sooner. Not having to fight and kill, just sunbathing and sleeping—it feels quite nice,” Su Changhe said with a grin.
“Your leisure has become my burden.” Su Muqiu appeared behind Su Changhe without warning.
“Uncle Muqiu is steady in character, comes from the sect’s main family, has first-rate martial arts, and commands great respect—far more suitable to be the commander than me! I’ll be relying on you for what comes next.” Su Changhe yawned, “Once my wounds heal, I’ll risk life and limb for Uncle Qiu.”
Su Muqiu opened a folding fan and waved it leisurely: “Rest assured, I’ll certainly wait for your recovery. Because my current strategy is simply—to wait.”
“My strategy was also to wait, yet why did the old master come with his team to threaten me?” Su Changhe complained.
“Because at that time, the Xie family and Mu family had both made their moves, while you just watched without acting. But now it’s different. The Xie and Mu families have both suffered heavy losses and harbor great hostility toward our Su family. If we act rashly, we might face their combined opposition.” Su Muqiu spoke softly.
Su Changhe raised his eyebrows slightly: “No need to worry, the old master said that from now on, the entire Dark River will bear the surname Su.”
“In this battle to surround the Family Head and Spider Shadow, the Mu family lost a young master, the Xie family lost Xie Fanhua and lost Xie Bu Xie, while our Su family appears to have suffered no casualties. At first glance, we seem to be the biggest winner. But thinking carefully, our position is now the most disadvantageous.” Su Muqiu looked up at the clouds in the sky, “It’s as if there’s a hand invisibly controlling everything, and its purpose is to ensure that in this chaos, Dark River has no winner!”
“Oh?” A flash of killing intent appeared in Su Changhe’s eyes. “Who has such ability? Snow Moon City? Wushuang City? Or perhaps that peerless prince from Tianqi City?”
“Is Dark River so important? Important enough for that prince to take action? You think too highly of us.” Su Muqiu smiled.
“Besides them, who else has such capability?” Su Changhe asked in return. “I have some connection with the leaders in Snow Moon City, shall I go ask them?”
“Conversing with you is quite interesting. Of your hundred statements, ninety-nine are false, but that one truth could change many things.” Su Muqiu stepped forward, “If anyone can see through this fog of mystery, I hope it will be you.”
“Me? I’m just a nobody? Uncle Qiu thinks so highly of me?” Su Changhe half-closed his eyes, speaking with an ambiguous smile.
Su Muqiu smiled: “A nobleman’s grace declines after three generations and ends after five. If Dark River’s legacy has continued until today, it’s because of nameless ones like you. I’m not like those short-sighted people. Rest well, and when you draw your sword, let me see your blade’s light.”