In the courtyard, Tang Lingyue let out a light sigh and flicked his long sleeve, sweeping away the spider corpses before him. He looked up at the sky, where a bright moon still hung, but the longer he gazed, the more peculiar it seemed. Frowning, he soon left the courtyard. When he looked up again, the moon had already vanished, replaced by the faint glow of dawn at the horizon. It was already morning.
"What a cunning woman," Tang Lingyue murmured under his breath.
Meanwhile, Su Muyu had carried Mu Yumo to a nearby small town. Mu Yumo said faintly, "That fellow must have realized he's been fooled by now, right? The moment I entered that courtyard, I began setting up my White Steed Formation. Once inside the formation, one's perception of time becomes distorted. He still underestimates us of the Mu Family."
"I'll go find a horse," Su Muyu said, glancing around.
"Did you walk all the way here? Why didn't you buy a horse?" Mu Yumo asked.
Su Muyu sighed softly. "Chang He sent many people to intercept me along the way. They killed my horse."
"That Chang He..." Mu Yumo muttered.
"We must hurry to The Head's side. Chang He knows our movements all too well and even sent word to Tang Lingyue. This means there's a spy among the Spider Shadows," Su Muyu said as he landed with Mu Yumo in front of an inn.
There, a lavishly decorated carriage stood parked, and a servant was brushing the horse. Startled by the sudden appearance of the man and woman before him, he exclaimed, "What do you want?"
With a flick of his sleeve, Su Muyu tossed a gold ingot at the servant's feet. "I'm buying this carriage."
The servant hesitated. "I can't sell it to you. My master must decide."
"No time," Su Muyu said, stepping onto the carriage and placing Mu Yumo inside. He then drew the paper umbrella from his back and pointed it at the servant. "Tell your master that if you don't give me the carriage, I'll kill you."
The servant's legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees. He tried to cry for help, but no sound escaped his lips.
"It's just a carriage. If the young master wants it, take it," a voice laced with amusement called from an open window on the inn's second floor. "Donglai, give the carriage to this young master."
"Thank you," Su Muyu said, picking up the reins and flicking the whip lightly before driving the carriage away.
"Brother Yu, you've stolen quite the impressive carriage," Mu Yumo remarked from inside, admiring the exquisite decorations. But then she noticed two characters embroidered on the curtain: "Baili?"
"Baili?" Su Muyu frowned slightly. "Could the man on the second floor have been Baili Chengfeng, the heir of Marquis Zhenxi's household?"
"No wonder he was willing to give you the carriage. You did help his son once," Mu Yumo said, suddenly understanding.
"Running into Marquis Zhenxi's heir here is no good omen," Su Muyu shook his head. "No time to dwell on this. We must catch up to The Head before Su Changhe does.""Brother Yu, you and Chang He are both from the Su Family. I’ve seen you grow up together since childhood, and your bond is different from the other Dark River disciples. Must you draw swords against each other this time?" Mu Yumo suddenly asked.
"We joined Spider Shadow on the same day, and on that day, we swore an oath—unless we die, we will protect The Head with our lives," Su Muyu said solemnly.
"I remember. Joining Spider Shadow is the greatest honor for a Dark River disciple," Mu Yumo murmured softly.
"Chang He is now under orders from the Su Family head to hunt down The Head. But once The Head recovers from his illness and reunites the three families, the Su Family head will naturally withdraw the order, and Chang He can return safely. Then the two of us won’t have to draw swords against each other," Su Muyu said slowly.
Mu Yumo was stunned for a moment before giving a bitter smile. "Brother Yu, your swordsmanship is terrifyingly strong, but sometimes your thoughts are..."
"Too naive, right?" Su Muyu chuckled. "But if it weren’t for my naivety back then, neither Su Changhe nor I would have made it out of there..."
Twelve years ago.
Dark River, the Weeping Forest.
Su Changhe stood at the bottom of a pit nearly ten feet deep. He looked up silently, neither crying nor shouting. He was stubborn and proud—perhaps too proud, which had earned him the hostility of the other Nameless Ones of his generation. A dozen of them had conspired to set this trap, luring him in until he fell. Now, at just ten years old and injured from the fall, there was no way he could climb out on his own.
Was this how he would die? Alone, in this unfamiliar place, without a sound?
Su Changhe clenched his fists, gathering his strength for one last attempt. Just then, a rope dropped down from above, landing right in front of him.
"Who’s there?" Su Changhe shouted.
"It’s me," came a calm reply.
Su Changhe froze. He recognized that voice—it belonged to the quietest of the Nameless Ones in their generation, the one who always stood alone in secluded corners, rarely interacting with others. But once, during training, their instructor had paired them for a spar. Su Changhe, who had never lost before, was knocked to the ground by him. The boy had extended a hand and said softly, "Your sword is strong." His voice was calm and clear, unlike any other Su Changhe had heard here, making it unforgettable.
"What are you doing here?" Su Changhe asked.
"I saw you leave the training grounds at noon, but you weren’t at dinner. I thought something might have happened, so I came looking for you," the boy replied.
"Looking for me? What does it matter to you where I am?" Su Changhe still held a trace of hostility.
"It doesn’t, really. But after our spar that day, I felt a connection with you," the boy said. "Come up. I won’t harm you."
After a moment’s hesitation, Su Changhe grabbed the rope and climbed out of the pit.
A young boy in green robes stood there, his expression serene. When Su Changhe emerged, he simply smiled faintly before turning away. "Let’s go back."Su Changhe followed, unsure of what to say. After a long pause, he finally managed, "Don't worry, I never owe favors. I'll repay this kindness someday!"
The youth shook his head. "There's no need to dwell on it."
"I still don't understand—why did you come to save me?" Su Changhe frowned.
The boy suddenly stopped and turned around. "Tell me, do you think... a killer can have friends?"
Su Changhe froze, at a loss for words.
This marked the first true meeting between Su Muyu and Su Changhe, though at the time, they were still merely Nameless Ones—not yet "Su Muyu" or "Su Changhe."
It would be three more years until the Surname Conferral Ceremony arrived.
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