Shadow Prison.
Su Muyu sat in the corner of his cell. Whether it was the Water Official’s deliberate arrangement or his own luck, his was the only cell in the entire Shadow Prison with a palm-sized window overhead. A faint light seeped through that opening, and occasionally, a passing sparrow would perch there for a moment, peering curiously at the prisoner below. Su Muyu spent his days staring up at that tiny window, lost in thought.
Even in such a place, he found some meaning.
This undisturbed prison life allowed him to reflect deeply on many things.
But today, someone finally came to disturb him.
A tall, slender man in a black cloak stood outside the cell, tapping lightly on the iron bars. Only then did Su Muyu snap out of his reverie and turn to look at the man.
“You’re one of the top assassins in Beili, yet I’ve been standing here for a while, and you didn’t even notice,” the man said, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Hard to believe.”
“Because I’m in an absolutely safe place. I don’t have to worry about anyone coming to kill me,” Su Muyu replied calmly. “In such an environment, I won’t waste energy being an assassin.”
“You’re interesting.” The man inclined his head slightly.
Su Muyu frowned. “I’ve seen you before. You were the one behind the screen that day.”
“Hahaha, strictly speaking, we didn’t truly meet that day. But recognizing me just by my aura—impressive.” The man chuckled.
Su Muyu smiled faintly. “Because you’re special.”
“How special?” the man asked.
“Even though there’s a prison cell between us, even though you don’t seem hostile right now, I feel that if you wanted to, you could still kill me,” Su Muyu said solemnly.
The man extended a slender, pale finger and rested it lightly on the iron bars. “If you’re willing, I can get you out right now.”
“Everything comes with a price. Yi Bu had his conditions, and you must have yours,” Su Muyu shook his head.
“True. But with someone like Yi Bu, bargaining isn’t necessary. He’s too weak. Killing him and taking his place is clearly the better choice,” the man murmured.
Su Muyu’s brow furrowed slightly, and a wisp of Sword Qi gathered at his fingertips.
“Hahaha.” The man seemed to notice this small movement and laughed heartily. “Seems I hit the mark.”
“Yi Bu is weak, but you are strong,” Su Muyu said slowly.
“Yes. I am strong.” The man sighed softly. “In fact, I once believed I was the strongest in the world. Yet now, I still have to act like a fugitive, seeking cooperation from the deepest shadows.”
“You are—” Su Muyu suddenly thought of a name.
“Shh…” The man stopped him. “Unless you’ve decided to work with me, don’t say that name. Because I really will kill you. And that would be a shame.”
Su Muyu took a step back. “But if I refuse you now, wouldn’t you still choose to kill me?”
“No. I still want to watch your fight with the Shadow Sect,” the man said with a smile.Su Muyu pondered for a moment before continuing, "Now that I'm trapped here, The Head might choose to cooperate with the Shadow Sect. The confrontation you envisioned may not happen."
"Nonsense," the man snorted coldly. "In the past, when the Shadow Guard Corps followed the founding emperor in conquering the realm, whenever the battle reached a stalemate, enemy generals and leaders would often have their heads taken by the Shadow Guard Corps. The Shadow Sect has taken pride in this for years. But the Langya King is different. He is surrounded by some of the rarest peerless masters in the world, and he himself is one of Teacher Li's most accomplished disciples from the academy. He wants to replicate the glory of the Shadow Guard Corps, but he fails to see the disparity in strength between himself and his opponents. If it were truly that simple, why didn't the enemy generals just send someone to assassinate the founding emperor back then?"
Su Muyu was taken aback and this time chose to remain silent.
"You're clever, but court politics are far from simple," the man turned away. "I hope you won't disappoint me." With that, he strode out of the Shadow Prison without looking back.
After he left, Su Muyu finally exhaled in relief and leaned against the wall, muttering, "What a hassle."
At the residence of the State Elder.
Yi Bu clenched his fists and growled, "He went in?"
"Yes," Crow stood below, his gaze flickering uneasily. "This disciple was incompetent and dared not stop him."
"Useless... utterly useless!" Yi Bu couldn't help but curse.
"If he had tried to stop me, I would have killed him. Losing a disciple for no reason isn't worth it," a man in a black cloak walked in from outside.
"You..." Yi Bu pointed a trembling finger at the man, his face contorted with anger. "This is the State Elder's residence! You can't just come and go as you please! And the Shadow Prison—you can't just enter it!"
"If you hadn't treated your daughter and disciple the way you did back then, perhaps this residence truly wouldn't be a place I could come and go freely. A pity," the man replied with a mocking smile. "The past cannot be revisited."
Yi Bu sneered, "You say I chose wrong, but didn't you make the wrong choice too back then?"
"Too talkative," the man raised his hand slightly, and Yi Bu was sent stumbling back three steps. The vast difference in their strength was evident—no wonder he dared to scorn the Shadow Sect so openly.
"What did you discuss with Su Muyu?" Yi Bu demanded.
"Rest assured, I naturally tried to recruit him, but he refused," the man chuckled. "Yi Bu, I have a word of advice for you."
"What is it?" Yi Bu asked darkly.
"Don't attempt to control things stronger than yourself." With those final words, the man vanished.
Yi Bu brooded for a long time before finally sighing deeply. "Do you think I don't know that? But this is the Shadow Sect's last chance."
"Master, today I met with Su Changhe. They orchestrated an assassination attempt on the Langya King and nearly succeeded," Crow suddenly spoke up.
Yi Bu frowned deeply. "Nearly succeeding means they failed."
"Yes, the mission failed. Su Changhe was severely injured, but he has also forged a deadly enmity with the Langya King. He demands that all elite forces of the Dark River be summoned to Heaven Revelation City," Crow reported.
"All elite forces of the Dark River?" Yi Bu took a deep breath. "One misstep, and Heaven Revelation City will descend into terrible chaos.""Was that to stop Su Changhe?" Crow hesitated as he asked.
"No, grant him permission!" Yi Bu clenched his fist. "As long as Su Muyu is in my hands, I bet he won't dare act recklessly!"
OpenNovel