Blood River

The Watchtower Inn.

Xiao Ruofeng found a seat in the corner and sat down. Many in Heaven Revelation City knew him—he had returned victorious countless times to the cheers of thousands. Yet when he sat there drinking alone, no one noticed him.

One reason, of course, was that it defied common sense. How could a prince, second only to the emperor in the court, sit alone in the Watchtower Inn at such an hour, drinking without a single guard?

The other reason was naturally that Xiao Ruofeng had employed some deceptive arts.

Born into the academy, he had studied under the once-legendary Li Changsheng. Though Li Changsheng had presided over the world's foremost institution for years, he himself was an unorthodox figure, excelling not only in conventional swordsmanship but also in the Mystic Doors and Hidden Arts and Array Deception Arts. From these, Xiao Ruofeng had learned a technique called "Returning Swan Vanishing Swallow." When he sat there, the patrons coming and going in the tavern would instinctively overlook him. Even if someone occasionally noticed him, his face would blur the moment they tried to look at him.

The innkeeper, however, remained unaffected by this technique. He personally placed a jug of wine and a plate of side dishes on the table before asking, "Your Highness, it's been a long time since you last visited the inn. Have you come today to meet some distinguished guest?"

Xiao Ruofeng shook his head. "No. I just suddenly felt like sitting here."

The innkeeper nodded thoughtfully before withdrawing. "Then I shall not disturb you further."

Xiao Ruofeng picked up his wine cup and tilted his head slightly, gazing at the ceiling of the Watchtower Inn.

Once, a jug of wine had hung there—the inn's most treasured vintage, Autumn Dew White.

But now, the space was empty.

Back then, his youngest junior, Baili Dongjun, had challenged the inn's Autumn Dew White with seven cups of Starry Night Wine, ultimately surpassing the inn's master brewer, Xie Shi, before leaping up to claim the aged liquor from the rafters. Xiao Ruofeng had been one of the judges of that contest. After drinking the seven cups of Starry Night Wine, he had broken through a long-standing bottleneck in his martial arts, shattering years of stagnation in an instant.

But later, his junior left, and his other seniors gradually departed as well. Afterward, he accepted the title of prince, helped his elder brother ascend the throne, defeated Nanjue, saved the realm, and became the great hero in the eyes of the world. Yet his martial progress had ceased. His skills remained frozen at the moment he drank that wine. No matter how hard he trained in the years that followed, he could only manage a few meager steps forward.

"If you enter the jianghu, you may one day inherit my name. But if you remain in the court, you will only ever reach this point. Do you understand?" Li Changsheng had once said to him.

"Master, for someone born into the Xiao clan, reaching this point is already a great fortune." Xiao Ruofeng had replied with a smile.

Master, will you ever appear before me again?

To guide me once more?

"The finest wine turns bitter when drunk with sorrow." A figure suddenly sat down across from Xiao Ruofeng.

He raised his head slightly and looked at the young man before him.The young man sported a pair of neatly trimmed, handsome mustaches. His eyes carried a hint of mockery, and his posture as he sat was casual and arrogant, leaning back without a trace of propriety.

Yet in this very nonchalance, he had broken Xiao Ruofeng's "Returning Swan Vanishing Swallow."

The innkeeper, startled by this sight, immediately moved to intervene, but Xiao Ruofeng raised his hand slightly, signaling him to stay back.

"The new Head of Dark River, Su Changhe?" Xiao Ruofeng said calmly.

Su Changhe habitually stroked his mustache. "We've met once before."

"I remember. Back then, you came to assassinate Marquis Zhenxi but later withdrew," Xiao Ruofeng murmured.

Su Changhe laughed heartily. "Hahaha! If we hadn't withdrawn that day, perhaps the world would have one less hero saving the masses."

"You're very confident," Xiao Ruofeng remarked, picking up an empty wine cup and pouring one for Su Changhe.

Su Changhe took it and downed it in one gulp. "A man's ambition must be grand enough to fuel a lifetime of battles. For us assassins, killing the hardest-to-kill person in the world is the greatest ambition."

"An interesting perspective," Xiao Ruofeng smiled. "That sentiment deserves a toast."

"I just didn't expect the radiant Langya King, praised by the world, to sit alone in a tavern drinking," Su Changhe chuckled. "You're lonely."

"In a way, yes," Xiao Ruofeng nodded.

"Then it's quite amusing. I, whom the world calls a demon, rarely feel lonely—because I've always had a brother I can entrust my life to by my side." Su Changhe poured himself another cup.

"Where is Dark River?" Xiao Ruofeng suddenly asked out of nowhere.

Su Changhe paused, then replied, "In the nameless depths of the mountains, where hidden currents begin and end. You won't find it. Only on the darkest, deepest nights, guided by the moonlight and an envoy, can one find the path to Dark River."

"Mysterious yet fitting for the martial world," Xiao Ruofeng tilted his cup, but no more wine came out. He sighed, "The wine's finished."

Su Changhe glanced around. The tavern was now empty. Mu Qingyang appeared by the door, quietly closing the entrance to the tower lodge. He turned back to Xiao Ruofeng. "Since the wine's gone, then..."

"Back when you ambushed Marquis Zhenxi, you and Umbrella Ghost Su Muyu brought a group of assassins. Yet today, you've come to kill me with only two people," Xiao Ruofeng smiled. "Didn't you say I'm the hardest to kill in the world?"

"The me from then and the me now are entirely different," Su Changhe drew a dagger from his sleeve. "And I've been following you for a long time. Today, you're truly alone—because today, you deliberately made sure no one could find you."

"Oh?" Xiao Ruofeng raised an eyebrow.

"Because you wanted to see—deliberately—what Tianqi, what this world, would be like without the Langya King. Would it remain the same? Were all your choices and sacrifices over the years... ultimately worthless?" Su Changhe grinned."If you weren't an assassin, I'd truly be worth sharing a proper drink with you." Xiao Ruofeng raised his head, carefully studying the assassin before him.

"What a pity. The world cannot be without its Langya King. In the light, people admire you, but in the darkness, we await you!" Su Changhe leaped to his feet.