"I also feel like I've been talking more," Su Muyu smiled. "Starting to resemble you a bit."
"That’s not the same. I love to spout nonsense, but you’ve been dropping profound truths." Su Changhe watched as Su Muyu leaped up with his sword, slashing at the empty air between the rooftops before turning to Xu An with a grin. "I don’t know why Su Muyu took a liking to you, but receiving his guidance is a rare privilege."
Xu An ignored him, his eyes fixed intently on Su Muyu, unwilling to miss a single detail of his swordplay.
Su Changhe felt a bit deflated. "Not listening to me at all, huh..."
That ambiguous voice spoke again, now tinged with shock. "Who exactly are you?!"
Su Muyu landed gracefully, sword in hand, as a figure dropped before him. Two more shadows descended slowly after. Su Muyu chuckled. "Who am I? Didn’t my companion already tell you?"
"We are the Dark River."
In the city of Sihuai.
A carriage came to a slow halt by the roadside.
Two figures stepped out—a woman in red robes and a man holding a Buddhist staff. They were none other than the Miracle Healer Bai Hehuai and her father, Su Zhe.
"We still have a stretch to the inn. Why stop now?" the coachman asked, puzzled.
Bai Hehuai sniffed the air lightly, her frown deepening until she walked to a corner and pulled out an incense stick from her sleeve. "Dad, lend me a light."
"Sure thing." Su Zhe extended his smoking pipe.
Bai Hehuai touched the incense to the ember, then planted it firmly in the corner.
"Burning incense for a departed friend?" the coachman asked, confused.
Su Zhe, observing Bai Hehuai’s grave expression, grew curious. "Rare to see you so serious. Is there something wrong in Sihuai?"
"If there is, it’s something very wrong." Bai Hehuai’s face darkened as the white smoke from the incense gradually turned blood-red.
"Ah, the things people do in Sihuai are always hard to understand." Though baffled, the coachman didn’t mind waiting a little longer—these two passengers were generous and kind. He reached for the water flask at his waist, about to take a drink.
"Don’t!" Bai Hehuai flicked a Silver Needle, striking the coachman’s wrist.
The coachman yelped in pain, dropping the flask. He looked up angrily. "What was that for?"
"Take this pill." Bai Hehuai tossed a black pellet into his hand. "Then drive the carriage away from here immediately. We’ve traveled together—call it fate. I can’t bear to see you perish here. If you can’t leave the city, find a hidden place to stay. Remember, don’t drink the water or eat the food in this city!"
"This..." The coachman was stunned.
"Believe us," Su Zhe said solemnly. "Believe, and you’ll live."
"Alright... alright..." The coachman, familiar with the ways of the martial world from his frequent trips to Sihuai, sensed the urgency in their words. He hastily agreed, tugging the reins to turn the carriage around. "But... aren’t you coming?"
"We can’t leave now," Bai Hehuai sighed softly.
"Fine." The coachman whipped the horses into a frantic retreat.Su Zhe lowered his head to look at the red smoke and asked, "What exactly went wrong?"
Bai Hehuai said solemnly, "This city has been poisoned."
"Poisoned? An entire city?" Su Zhe raised an eyebrow slightly. "What kind of poison has such power?"
"It's Fallen Bloom Powder. The toxicity isn't severe—ordinary people with strong constitutions can endure it. But for martial artists, it temporarily nullifies their inner strength, reducing them to ordinary people." Bai Hehuai shook her head. "Although Fallen Bloom Powder spreads easily, poisoning an entire city would require years of preparation. When we entered the city earlier, I didn't detect any trace of it. Now, halfway through, the scent is everywhere. It seems years of preparation were leading to this day. Sihuai City is about to face a storm."
"Wrong," Su Zhe took a drag from his pipe. "It's Peerless City that's about to face a storm."
"Father, is there any way to quickly find Su Muyu?" Bai Hehuai's voice carried a hint of worry.
"Don't worry." Su Zhe took out a small red arrow from his pocket, lit it with a spark, and shot it into the sky, where it exploded into a dazzling firework.
On the other side of Sihuai City, Su Changhe and Su Muyu both saw it. Su Changhe frowned slightly. "There are still people from Dark River in this city? Could it be..."
Su Muyu turned his head. "Didn't you say you were the only one who came?"
"I said I was the only one from Dark River, but I don't know about Nan'an City," Su Changhe replied.
"Watch out!" Xu An shouted.
Two shadowy figures darted toward Su Muyu at lightning speed, their slender, needle-like iron swords glinting coldly in their hands.
"The Three Ghosts of Hexi rely only on the elusive movements of the Ghost Shadow Skill," Su Changhe sneered. "Once that's broken, their meager skills aren't even worth showing off."
Su Muyu merely shook his head, not even bothering to raise his sword. The two shadows passed through him and dissipated into nothingness. It turned out to be a mere illusion left behind—they had already seized the moment to escape. Clearly, Su Muyu had seen through it but couldn't be bothered to chase them.
"Pity. The opponents were too weak to warrant a full sword technique," Su Muyu said as he stepped back, tossing the sword back to the person who had lent it to him.
Su Changhe smirked. "A few days apart feels like years. Such arrogant words coming from you now."
"I've been Zhuo Yuean for a few days," Su Muyu replied flatly.
"What do you think?" Su Changhe gestured toward the direction of the firework with his chin.
Su Muyu turned to Ge Xiu. "How much longer to the Longevity Sect from here?"
Ge Xiu hurriedly replied, "Just three more streets, and we'll be there."
"Good. Let's retreat to the Longevity Sect first, then send a tracking flare to summon them," Su Muyu said to Su Changhe.
Su Changhe shrugged. "Don't worry. Uncle Zhe is definitely following."
Meanwhile, Su Zhe took the pill Bai Hehuai handed him and swallowed it. "Will this keep me safe?"
"It'll only buy us a little time. The scent of Fallen Bloom Powder is getting stronger. We need to find a place where I can set up a No-Land Formation to isolate the poison," Bai Hehuai replied.At that moment, an identical firework lit up in the distance.
Su Zhe swung his Buddhist staff and shouted, "Let's go!"
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