On the first day they were selected and brought into The Crucible, their instructors taught them a principle: assassins do not need friends. In the end, Su Changhe gave Su Muyu the same answer. Yet, without a doubt, after that incident, the two grew much closer.
Both were anomalies among this batch of Nameless Ones. Su Muyu was taciturn, treating everyone with gentle courtesy while maintaining his distance. Su Changhe was flamboyant and arrogant, like a hedgehog covered in spines, looking down on everyone. However, after that incident, Su Changhe tempered his temper. Not only did he refrain from seeking revenge, but he also stopped being aggressive in daily life. Meanwhile, the perpetually solitary Su Muyu found someone to share meals and practice swordsmanship with.
All of this was observed by the instructors of Dark River. There was no question that Su Muyu and Su Changhe were the most talented among this group of Nameless Ones, especially in swordsmanship. Thus, the Su Family’s overseers, who specialized in sword arts, had already preemptively added them to their family roster. They even privately instructed the Su Family instructors overseeing their training to take them to the Su Family’s Sword Pavilion, allowing them to select precious sword manuals. Su Changhe chose Inch Finger Sword , Dark River’s most elite dagger-sword technique—extremely perilous, both to the opponent and the wielder, which perfectly suited Su Changhe’s temperament. Su Muyu, on the other hand, selected a fragmented manual titled Eighteen Swords , created by the Su Family’s master swordsman Su Shiba a century ago, long thought lost.
But it wasn’t just the Su Family who watched them closely. The chief instructor of this batch of Nameless Ones, the Mu Family elder Mu Zi Zhe, also observed their every move. Naturally, he saw through the Su Family’s intentions. He understood their talent better than anyone and didn’t want both to be recruited under the Su Family’s banner. So, three years later, during the trial, Mu Zi Zhe assigned Su Changhe and Su Muyu to the same group.
“This is the true purpose of the Ghost Cry Abyss. Two swordsmen with kindness in their hearts are inferior to one top-tier assassin devoid of love or mercy,” Mu Zi Zhe said with a smile to the furious Su Family overseers.
Dark River’s trial for Nameless Ones occurred once every three years. Twenty individuals would be grouped together and thrown into the Ghost Cry Abyss, left to slaughter one another. The sole survivor would be accepted by Dark River as a new “family member.” The list of twenty was always decided by the chief instructor of that batch, who typically arranged the groups fairly, avoiding pairing the strongest together. Thus, Su Muyu and Su Changhe were unprepared for this, but they had no time to resist before being cast into the Ghost Cry Abyss.
“Stay with me. Don’t get separated,” Su Muyu said to Su Changhe the moment they entered the Ghost Cry Abyss.
Su Changhe could only smile bitterly. “Seems I have no choice but to stick with you.”
Inside the Ghost Cry Abyss, the remaining eighteen members of their group immediately formed an alliance to target Su Muyu and Su Changhe.
“Everyone knows you two are unmatched in swordsmanship. Better to kill you first—then the rest of us can fight among ourselves with some chance of survival!”The final outcome was that even if all eighteen of them attacked simultaneously, they were no match for Su Muyu and Su Changhe. The two of them had already surpassed many orthodox disciples of Dark River in strength at this point. After killing all eighteen, both turned to look at each other. At that moment, Su Changhe raised his dagger...
And plunged it straight into his own chest.
Fortunately, Su Muyu grabbed the hilt in time, or else Su Changhe's entire chest would have been torn apart.
"I told you, I'll repay the debt I owe you!" Su Changhe said stubbornly.
Su Muyu simply shook his head: "And I told you, there's no need to repay it."
"Dark River's century-old rule—only one out of twenty can walk out of Ghost Cry Abyss alive! If you refuse my debt, then both of us will die!" Su Changhe roared in anger.
Su Muyu continued shaking his head: "There must be another way! I'll talk to them! They want assassins, and we're the most promising candidates they've seen in years. They won't want to lose us like this!"
"You're too naive!" Su Changhe tried to wrest the dagger back. "Let go!"
"Strength grants the right to be naive!" Su Muyu flung the dagger from Su Changhe's hand, then hoisted the blood-drained and unsteady Su Changhe onto his shoulders. "I'll carry you out. We're leaving together."
"Fool." Su Changhe gave up struggling, only offering a bitter smile.
Su Muyu then carried Su Changhe out of Ghost Cry Abyss, causing an uproar among the spectators.
The presiding elders of the Su Family watched with darkened expressions—this was the outcome they least desired. They had already accepted that one of the two would emerge, whether it was Su Muyu or Su Changhe, and would have welcomed either. But two survivors defied their ancestors' rules, and both must be erased.
Mu Zi Zhe, however, laughed. "Good. It's been a long time since anyone dared challenge Dark River's authority."
"As you can see, two of us walked out," Su Muyu said calmly, meeting Mu Zi Zhe's gaze.
"Kill the man on your back, and you may undergo the Surname Conferral Ceremony, officially joining Dark River. Otherwise, both of you will be erased," Mu Zi Zhe murmured ominously.
"I won't kill him. Both of us will live," Su Muyu replied, shaking his head.
Mu Zi Zhe paused, seemingly surprised by the answer, then burst into laughter. "Good, very good. Refusing to abandon another in dire straits—so you're friends? Pity. Assassins have no need for friends." Rising from his seat, Mu Zi Zhe gathered chilling energy in his palm, ready to strike.
The Su Family elders grew even grimmer, their eyes flicking toward their silent patriarch, who merely watched without a word.
"You're wrong—we're not friends!" Su Muyu suddenly shouted.
He had always been a man of few words, speaking softly and courteously. This was the first time anyone had heard him raise his voice so fiercely.
"Assassins shouldn't have friends! But if we both join Dark River, then we become family. And family doesn't abandon family!" Su Muyu glared at Mu Zi Zhe, his words gritted between clenched teeth.
Mu Zi Zhe frowned slightly, advancing step by step. "Do you understand what you're saying?"Su Changhe's speech had become labored: "Kill me... don't be foolish. You're no match for him."
Su Muyu lowered Su Changhe to the ground and drew his bloodstained sword from his waist, pointing it at Mu Zi Zhe: "Take one more step forward, and I'll kill you."
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