"Kill me?" Su Muyu gently twisted the umbrella handle.
"Ha!" A blade-wielder in the corner could no longer restrain himself, drawing his sword and slashing directly at Su Muyu.
Su Muyu spun sharply, his paper umbrella twirling lightly to deflect the long blade before thrusting forward, its tip pressing against the swordsman's throat.
The sounds of drawn blades echoed one after another as the others in the room prepared to swarm him.
"Stop!" Su Xie Mo bellowed. "Head of the Su Family, you and your brother now lead the Dark River. Must you personally destroy this Homeland?"
"The Dark River follows orders—we are but a blade," Su Muyu closed his umbrella and shook his head lightly. "If I seek vengeance, it should be against the hand that wields the blade. I understand that. Moreover, once one enters the Homeland, all sins and glories are washed clean. That will never change."
Su Xie Mo exhaled softly. "Then I thank the Head of the Su Family. Many of us haven't wielded blades in years. We're far more skilled with hoes than swords now."
"Then I take my leave." Su Muyu bowed slightly to Su Xie Mo before turning to push the door open and walk out.
"Boss, why fear him? With so many of us, can't we kill one brat?" a middle-aged man beside him growled.
"I fear we truly can't. The Eighteen Sword Formation is no joke, and besides..." Su Xie Mo gazed outside, lost in thought.
The others followed his gaze. In the moonlit courtyard outside stood a black-clad man, hands clasped behind his back, standing rigidly straight.
"When did he arrive?" someone asked.
"Long ago. The moment Ah He struck with his blade, this man outside revealed his killing intent. Had any of you truly attacked, he would have charged in," a voice murmured from the darkness where a man had been sitting.
"He is the current Head of the Dark River—Su Changhe," Su Xie Mo said gravely.
"Interesting. That aura around him..." The man in the shadows stood up.
"He's mastered the Yama Palm," Su Xie Mo reached for his wine jug but found it empty.
"A cursed martial art. Every Head who practiced it met a bitter end," the man sneered.
Su Xie Mo shook his head. "I don't believe that. It's just that people like us rarely meet peaceful ends, so it seems every Head who mastered the Yama Palm died badly."
Su Changhe tilted his head, his gaze passing through Su Muyu to peer inside the house. Then he raised his hand slightly and grinned.
Su Xie Mo sprang to his feet as the wine jug beside him shattered instantly.
But Su Changhe's gesture merely summoned a gust of wind that shut the door firmly.
Wiping sweat from his brow, Su Xie Mo muttered, "That guy... he's just like the old man."
Outside, Su Muyu looked at Su Changhe. "Why are you here? I told you not to come."
Su Changhe shrugged. "I was drunk. Didn't hear you."
"Didn't I ask Zhaoyan to tell you?" Su Muyu walked past him.
"Why should I listen to some little girl?" Su Changhe shrugged again. "So? Why didn't you act?"Su Muyu raised his head and, after a few seconds of silence, suddenly lifted the oil-paper umbrella in his hand. With a light press of his fingers, the canopy instantly unfurled.
A downpour suddenly fell, immediately soaking Su Changhe's clothes. He wiped the rainwater from his face and stared blankly at Su Muyu.
"Dragonflies flying low mean rain is coming," Su Muyu said softly, lowering his gaze to watch a dragonfly fluttering its wings as it flew past.
"We leave tomorrow, for Nan'an!" Su Changhe snapped angrily.
"Why Nan'an?" Su Muyu asked, puzzled.
"Just got word—your sweetheart has opened a Medicine Manor there and invited us to visit," Su Changhe said, shaking his sleeves.
"I don't believe it. I want to hear the exact words," Su Muyu replied.
Su Changhe pulled a letter from his sleeve: "Brother Su, I hope this letter finds you well. I have newly opened a Medicine Manor in Nan'an City, named Crane Rain. Though we already have skilled physicians treating patients, we lack an assistant to prepare herbs and welcome guests. Might Brother Muyu have the leisure to come and assist for a few days? Your friend, Bai Hehuai. Oh, and one more thing. If Brother Muyu is unable to come, that’s perfectly fine—but please, whatever you do, don’t bring Brother Chang He along."
"As expected," Su Muyu said with a faint smile. "The invitation was only for me. There was no 'us.'"
"One question—are we going or not?" Su Changhe demanded.
Su Muyu nodded. "I have nothing pressing to do, so we can go. And naturally, you’ll come with me. The Miracle Healer may have said that, but she must know it’s unavoidable."
Su Changhe glanced back at the house behind them. "Didn’t you get any new, useful information from them?"
"What do you think?" Su Muyu countered.
The village was small, and as they spoke, they had already returned to Xiao Chaoyan’s cottage. Su Changhe leaped lightly onto the eaves, shaking the rainwater from his clothes. "Miss Xiao, would you mind lighting a fire? I need to dry off—"
"Brother Muyu!" Xiao Chaoyan completely ignored him, rushing out into the rain instead.
Su Muyu hurried forward to shield her with his umbrella. "Don’t worry, everything’s fine."
"What about Uncle Xie Mo and the others?" Xiao Chaoyan asked, then immediately regretted it—the term "uncle" felt too familiar, given that she had only just learned those people were, in a way, their enemies.
"We didn’t fight. We just asked them some questions," Su Muyu replied directly, understanding her emotions.
Xiao Chaoyan lowered her head in thought, then nodded. "Once you enter the Homeland, all past glories and sins are erased. That’s what the person who brought me in told me."
"This time, come with me when I leave," Su Muyu said after a pause, speaking slowly.
Xiao Chaoyan froze, and even Su Changhe, sheltering under the eaves, looked up slightly.
"Now that you know what happened back then, you can’t pretend nothing’s wrong and keep living with them," Su Muyu said, patting her shoulder. "It’s better to leave with me."
"Alright," Xiao Chaoyan replied without hesitation. "But where would we go?"
Su Muyu smiled faintly. "We’ll go to Nan'an. There’s a Miracle Healer there who needs an assistant to prepare herbs. I doubt I can keep up with the work for long, but you might be perfect for it."
Xiao Chaoyan didn’t quite understand but scratched her head. "That... doesn’t sound too bad...""Don't worry, following that Miracle Healer, if nothing else, you'll have all the Osmanthus Cake, Coin Candied Fruit, and Brown Sugar Fruit you could want," Su Muyu said with a gentle smile.
Su Changhe sighed lightly and looked up. "I'm afraid the Miracle Healer didn't expect that when they asked for help, they'd end up with an entire family."
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