"It's the Dark River," Su Muyu took out the stack of papers from his pocket. "The Dark River was ordered to dispatch ninety-three assassins, collaborating with a few direct disciples of Zhuo Yuluo, to instigate the Swordless City rebellion. All sixty-seven members of Zhuo Yuluo's family were killed, except for the young heir who survived. He escaped along the river but was captured by the Dark River. The heir of Swordless City was born with a natural sword physique. The head of the Su Family coveted his talent and specifically arranged for him to enter The Crucible, to be trained as one of the Nameless Ones, so he could later become a weapon for the Su Family."
"The Dark River?" Xiao Chaoyan was shocked.
The snoring on the rooftop continued like thunder as Su Changhe turned over and smacked his lips.
"Yes. The culprit I've been searching for all along turns out to be the very place I've been living in," Su Muyu flipped to the last page of the stack. "Out of the ninety-three assassins who carried out the attack, eighteen survived. I've looked through the names—none of them are familiar to me. Because all of them were later killed during missions. You can take a look."
"Let me see," Xiao Chaoyan took the paper and trembled as soon as she saw the first name. "Su... Su Xie Mo!"
"Keep reading. I have a suspicion," Su Muyu said gravely.
"Su Xiaoyan, Xie Shuitao, Mu Tianze..." Xiao Chaoyan's hands shook slightly with nervousness. "These people, these people..."
"You're familiar with them, aren't you?" Su Muyu asked.
"These people... they're all in Homeland!" Xiao Chaoyan looked at Su Muyu, her expression full of panic.
"I see," Su Muyu stood up and waved his hand lightly. The oil-paper umbrella leaning against the wall flew into his grasp.
Xiao Chaoyan urgently asked, "Brother Yu, what are you going to do?"
"Don't worry. I just need to ask some questions. Wait here for me," Su Muyu patted Xiao Chaoyan's shoulder. "If the guy up there wakes up, tell him to stay put."
"Brother Yu..." Xiao Chaoyan sounded anxious.
"Don't worry," Su Muyu smiled. "I can't very well call this place Homeland yesterday and slaughter the village today. Where does Su Xie Mo live?"
"The third house at the village entrance," Xiao Chaoyan tugged at Su Muyu's sleeve. "Be careful."
"Alright," Su Muyu walked out slowly.
The snoring on the rooftop abruptly stopped as Su Changhe flipped over and fell straight down, landing right in front of Xiao Chaoyan.
Xiao Chaoyan was stunned. "You're awake?"
"Just wandering through dreamscapes before falling back to the mortal world," Su Changhe stood up and dusted himself off. "Su Muyu's gone."
Xiao Chaoyan suddenly understood. "Ah, so you were pretending to be drunk all along."
"Not at all, not at all. I didn't hear a single word of what you two were saying about the Swordless City culprits," Su Changhe quickly shook his head.
Xiao Chaoyan smirked. "Sure, I believe you."
"If he didn't want me to hear, of course I wouldn't," Su Changhe stretched lazily. "Like that last sentence—it was meant for me. He told me not to meddle."
Su Muyu arrived at the doorstep of the third house at the village entrance and gently knocked.
"Come in," Su Xie Mo's voice came from inside.
Su Muyu pushed the door open and entered. The room was dimly lit by a single candle. Su Xie Mo sat alone at a wooden table, a plate of peanuts and a jug of wine placed before him."Senior has refined tastes," Su Muyu said softly.
"An old habit of many years," Su Xie Mo replied, picking up a peanut and tossing it into his mouth. "A pot of wine and a dish of peanuts before sleep—the only relaxing and joyful time of my day."
Su Muyu nodded. "I understand."
"The moment I saw you today, I guessed your identity," Su Xie Mo said, tilting his head back. The candlelight illuminated his face, making the scar particularly prominent. "And you bear a striking resemblance to your father in his youth."
Su Muyu glanced at the oil-paper umbrella in his hand. "My swordsmanship is no less than my father's was in his prime."
"That umbrella—is it your sword?" Su Xie Mo asked.
"Hidden within are eighteen swords. There are eighteen people in this room. Just one sword for each of your lives," Su Muyu said gravely.
Su Xie Mo took a sip from the wine cup on the table. "The Su Family's long-lost Eighteen Sword Formation?"
Su Muyu slightly raised his head. In this small room, a person stood at every optimal killing position—some deliberately concealed their presence, while others had already drawn their blades, making no effort to hide their murderous intent.
"You all should have died long ago," Su Muyu said, running his fingers along the umbrella's handle. "Why have you all appeared in Homeland?"
"Back then, the Soul Extraction Hall issued this mission. The Head initially refused, believing that destroying Swordless City would have too great an impact, shaking the very foundation of Dark River," Su Xie Mo explained slowly. "But the Soul Extraction Hall was adamant. Dark River paid a heavy price—ninety-three of our top assassins, only eighteen survived. And those eighteen were later hunted down during subsequent missions."
"No one could have known the mission details of Dark River's assassins in advance, except..." Su Muyu frowned slightly. "The Soul Extraction Hall."
"Exactly. The Head suspected the Soul Extraction Hall and the employer conspired to silence us," Su Xie Mo said darkly.
Su Muyu lowered his head in thought. "Dark River has never had incidents of silencing its own, because you never knew the employer's identity."
"True. But that time was different. The employer wanted the treasured sword manuals hidden in Swordless City. So on the night we stormed the city, many others were also there to seize those manuals. For a brief moment, our forces clashed with theirs by mistake. During that clash, I tested their sword technique." Su Xie Mo raised a finger. "'Riding Clouds to the Ninth Heaven!'"
"The Ninth Heaven Sword Technique?" Su Muyu's grip on the umbrella tightened slightly, a surge of killing intent erupting. "Peerless City!"
The other assassins in the room, affected by Su Muyu's aura, tensed instantly, ready to strike.
"Hold!" Su Xie Mo slammed the table, forcibly suppressing the others' killing intent.
"When this sword appears, the world is without swords. Yet the very city that claims to be peerless in the martial world built its fame on swordsmanship," Su Muyu murmured. "So that's how it is.""I've already told you everything I know, Young Master Su. There's one thing you must understand. We have no affection for you, nor any guilt. Dark River takes orders to kill, and you've been doing the same all these years." Su Xie Mo finished his last cup of wine. "If you seek revenge, we will surely kill you!"
OpenNovel