Li Xinyue snorted coldly, "Even if you've come, it's useless."
Su Zhe tilted his head slightly, glancing at the unconscious Mu Qingyang and the severely injured Su Changhe, scratching his head helplessly. "This is troublesome."
"It's been a long time, Mr. Su Zhe," Xiao Ruofeng said calmly.
Su Zhe smiled faintly. "Your Highness has a good memory to still remember me."
"The Death Bell and the Life-Stealing Ring—hard to forget." Xiao Ruofeng also smiled.
"I'm no longer part of Dark River," Su Zhe said, lifting the Buddhist staff to hoist Mu Qingyang's body before grabbing Su Changhe's collar. "How about letting me go?"
"Back then, Mr. Su Zhe also spared us when you had the upper hand." Xiao Ruofeng waved his hand, signaling Li Xinyue to step aside. "Sister Xinyue, let Mr. Su Zhe leave."
Li Xinyue remained standing with her sword, her Sword Qi blazing. "Letting the tiger return to the mountains will bring endless trouble."
"So it must come to a fight?" Su Zhe said gravely.
"Sister Xinyue, let Mr. Su Zhe leave," Xiao Ruofeng repeated, his tone firmer this time.
Li Xinyue sighed softly, retracting her Sword Qi and silently stepping aside.
"Thank you," Su Zhe said before leaping away with the two men.
Li Xinyue walked to Xiao Ruofeng's side, her voice tinged with reproach. "Why let them go? I've already sent for Bai Hu. They had no chance."
"If he had no intention to kill me, why should I kill them?" Xiao Ruofeng replied.
"No intention to kill you?" Li Xinyue glanced around the wrecked pavilion. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Though he seemed to have gone all out, the Dark River Grand Master's strength shouldn't be just this." Xiao Ruofeng picked up a broken bowl from the ground. "Interesting."
"So you're saying they meticulously set up an assassination plot against you, yet their ultimate goal wasn't to kill you but to put themselves in mortal danger. That's absurd," Li Xinyue said, shaking her head.
"Sometimes, the world is just this absurd," Xiao Ruofeng chuckled.
Facing Dawn Inn.
Su Zhe flung both Su Changhe and Mu Qingyang into the room. Bai Hehuai, who had been lounging on a chair leisurely eating sugar cakes from Shuxin Zhai, startled and sprang up. "What happened to them?"
"Saving them comes first. Explanations later," Su Zhe said, wiping sweat from his brow.
Bai Hehuai looked at Su Changhe, then at Mu Qingyang. "They both look half-dead. Who do I save first?"
"Save the boss first, save the boss!" Mu Qingyang suddenly opened his eyes and scrambled up from the floor. "I'm awake. Wait—I can hold on!"
Su Zhe frowned. "You were faking?"
"Not at all! I really got knocked out by that sword strike," Mu Qingyang hastily waved his hands. "But that strike targeted the heart, not the body, so my injuries aren't severe. Unlike the boss... Boss looks like he's been pierced by ten thousand swords."
"Shut... up," Su Changhe barely managed to rasp.
"Who did you run into with such terrifying sword skills?" Bai Hehuai pulled out a white cloth from her waist, lined with Silver Needles. With a flick of her hand, the needles embedded into Su Changhe's body. "First, stop the bleeding.""Heaven Revelation City's Azure Dragon Envoy, successor of the Heart Sword." Su Zhe pulled out his tobacco pipe. "Damn, that Sword Qi was so strong it even scared me."
Bai Hehuai reached out to check Su Changhe's pulse, frowning slightly before giving him a helpless look. "What a wicked scoundrel you are..."
Su Changhe chuckled, the previous agonized expression vanishing instantly. "Miracle Healer, I'm already in such a miserable state. How can you still insult me?"
Bai Hehuai rummaged through his medicine chest and tossed a bottle to Mu Qingyang. "Apply this all over Su Changhe's body, three times a day. Come back for more when it's used up."
"Just this medicine will do?" Mu Qingyang sounded skeptical.
"Frankly, using this medicine on him is a waste." Bai Hehuai shot Mu Qingyang a glare before turning back to Su Changhe. "Out with it. What evil scheme are you plotting this time? You look pitiful, but there's no internal injury at all—just putting on a show of suffering for me, aren't you?"
"Shh." Su Changhe raised a finger to his lips, and the others immediately fell silent.
At that moment, the Shadow Sect's Crow pushed the door open. Seeing Su Changhe lying on the ground covered in blood, he froze. "I heard your assassination attempt on the Langya King failed?"
"It was successful at first, but then the Azure Dragon Envoy Li Xinyue suddenly arrived. Why didn't you intercept him?" Mu Qingyang fired back before anyone else could speak.
Crow had intended to mock and reprimand them, but the retort left him speechless. He frowned. "I didn't know you were making your move today at the Carved Tower Pavilion."
"Nonsense! Opportunities come in an instant—there was no time to inform you in advance. Your Shadow Sect has eyes all over the city. We clearly sent the signal, yet you were completely unaware and arrived even later than Li Xinyue. If The Head had died, I would have led all of Dark River to fight you to the death!" Mu Qingyang's words were sharp and forceful.
Crow sighed softly. "The Head is severely injured. Will there still be a chance?"
"Crow." Su Changhe struggled to his feet. "Having missed this opportunity, the Langya King will surely increase his guards. Killing him again will be far more difficult."
Crow nodded. "True. Often, there's only one chance."
"No. There's still a chance—but it will come at a great cost." Su Changhe narrowed his eyes, revealing a trace of ruthlessness. "This time, I will ensure the Langya King dies without a grave to bury him in."
"What does The Head propose?" Crow asked.
"I will summon all of Dark River's elite forces to Heaven Revelation City," Su Changhe declared solemnly. "For the sole purpose of killing him."
"All of Dark River's elites entering the imperial capital?" Crow was startled.
"Trust me, no one will notice—until it's too late." Su Changhe patted Crow's shoulder with his bloodstained hand. "Today, I've shown my sincerity. I hope Sect Leader Yi will do the same."
Crow pondered for a long moment before finally turning away. "Very well."
Bai Hehuai and Su Zhe exchanged glances. They now understood Su Changhe's plan. A single Su Changhe or Su Muyu, no matter how formidable, entering the vast Heaven Revelation City would be like a pebble tossed into a pond. But if all those blade-wielding demons of Dark River were to arrive, it would be as if countless pebbles were hurled into the pond.
A monstrous storm was inevitable.Su Changhe smiled slightly, knowing Yi Bu wouldn't refuse. Because he had no reason to refuse.
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