The moon set and the sun rose, and as morning arrived, a spring rain quietly began to fall.
Though Nine Heavens City was a northern city, it couldn’t escape the dampness and frequent rains of the rainy season. Bai Hehuai sat by the railing, eating the Red Rice Cake—a local specialty of Nine Heavens City—that the hunchbacked old man had brought her that morning. She thought of what Su Muyu had said the day before and chuckled to herself. "You promised to keep me safe no matter what. If I called out right now, could you appear? Su Muyu!"
"How does Nine Heavens City’s Red Rice Cake taste?" Su Muyu’s cool voice suddenly came from her left. She whipped her head around and saw him standing there, holding an umbrella.
"You—you scared me! When did you get there?" Bai Hehuai asked.
"I said I would keep you safe. Naturally, I wouldn’t lie to you," Su Muyu replied with a faint smile.
Bai Hehuai was momentarily stunned—it was rare to see Su Muyu smile. She quickly turned away. "This Red Rice Cake is far worse than the Osmanthus Cake from Jiangnan, but I suppose it’s edible. By the way, Su Muyu, I’ve thought of a way to cure The Head, but..."
"Speak freely," Su Muyu responded directly.
"I want more money!" Bai Hehuai extended two fingers and rubbed them together lightly.
Su Muyu shook his head helplessly. "They say Miracle Healers save lives out of compassion. How did I end up with one obsessed with money?"
"Only by earning money can I live without worries and focus on medical research. If I can’t even feed myself, how can I expect to develop medicine for immortality?" Bai Hehuai retorted.
Su Muyu sighed softly. "The Medicine King, Xin Baicao, is peerless in medical skill, yet I’ve never heard of him being greedy for wealth."
"Is this the Medicine King Valley?" Bai Hehuai asked.
Su Muyu shook his head. "No."
"Am I Xin Baicao?" Bai Hehuai pressed.
Su Muyu shook his head again. "Of course not."
Bai Hehuai spread her right hand. "More money!"
Su Muyu closed his paper umbrella and stepped closer to her. "How much more does the Miracle Healer want?"
"I want this courtyard," Bai Hehuai rapped her knuckles against the wooden railing beneath her. "After the job is done, give me this Spider Nest!"
Su Muyu frowned slightly. "What do you want it for?"
"With all these traps and mechanisms, I’d feel safe here. My long-hidden identity has been exposed—I’ll need a secure place to set up my Medicine Mansion in the future. Otherwise, I’ll be hunted down by assassins like you every day." She took a bite of the Red Rice Cake. "Just say yes or no."
"Nine Heavens City is a northern city, and the Red Rice Cake isn’t even good. I’m afraid you won’t be comfortable living here. If I survive after this is done, I’ll convert your White Crane Medicine Mansion in Jiangnan into a Spider Nest. How does that sound, Miracle Healer?" Su Muyu said slowly.
Bai Hehuai’s eyes lit up. "Now that’s a deal! Done!"
Su Muyu nodded. "Then it’s settled."
"By the way, where’s Chou Niu?" Bai Hehuai asked, puzzled. "I haven’t seen him all morning."
"Chou Niu is away on a mission," Su Muyu replied calmly. "You won’t be seeing him for a while."
"Oh." Bai Hehuai nodded and didn’t press further.
Meanwhile, in a secluded, deserted street of Nine Heavens City, Chou Niu was pinned to the ground by a blade.
The blade was narrow yet heavy, with a crescent-like curve. A long dragon coiled along its spine.
It was a replica modeled after one of the three ancient cursed blades—the Dragon Tooth Blade."Well, well, well, if it isn't Chou Niu? The mighty Chou Niu of the Twelve Earthly Branches, with his mask shattered, sneaking around the city all day trying to escape?" A robed man lazily leaned against the doorframe of an abandoned shop, his hands tucked in his sleeves, looking down at Chou Niu with a mocking tone.
"You're from the Xie Family," Chou Niu growled.
"Indeed. Though you've never seen us, I've seen you—on the day you became one of the Twelve Earthly Branches. I attended the ceremony when you donned that mask and swore lifelong loyalty to The Head. Now your mask is broken, and you've fled the Spider Nest. So, have you betrayed The Head?" The robed man spoke softly, his voice carrying a chilling edge.
"None of your business!" Chou Niu struggled, but the Dragon Tooth Blade pressed down another inch.
"Don't move," the swordsman warned coldly.
"He's telling you not to move for your own good. My brother here might look simple-minded, but his blade work is sharper than anyone's. You've already had a taste of it." The robed man shrugged. "Draw us the layout of the Spider Nest's traps, and we'll spare your life."
"In your dreams." Chou Niu slammed his palm against the ground, propelling himself upward onto a nearby rooftop.
"Knock him down," the robed man said impatiently, flicking his sleeve.
"Got it." The swordsman swung his blade upward, shattering half the roof tiles. Chou Niu leaped back three paces, ready to flee, but as he turned, the Dragon Tooth Blade was already waiting for him, slamming him back to the ground.
Among the Twelve Earthly Branches, Chou Niu was often entrusted with coordinating missions due to his steady temperament. In terms of martial skill, he was one of the weaker members, but having once been selected for the Spider Shadow, he must have been a standout among the families. Being cornered like this by a single Dragon Tooth Blade was something he hadn't anticipated.
"Who are you? I've never heard of the Xie Family having such a skilled Dragon Tooth Blade wielder," Chou Niu hissed between sword strokes.
"Of course you haven't. To counter your Spider Shadow, each family has secretly trained their own elite. None of them are inferior to your so-called Su Muyu," the robed man chuckled.
"Su Muyu... I want to duel him," the swordsman said, effortlessly knocking Chou Niu's sword from his grip. "How does your swordplay compare to his?"
"The boss's skills are a hundred times greater than mine," Chou Niu spat angrily.
"Hope you're not lying." The swordsman swept past Chou Niu, sheathing his blade.
The robed man frowned urgently. "Why did you kill him?"
"He wouldn't talk. I could tell." The swordsman turned away.
Chou Niu watched blood gush from his chest. With great effort, he turned to face the swordsman and rasped, "What's your name?"
"No Thanks," the swordsman replied.
Chou Niu furrowed his brow, not understanding the meaning of "No Thanks," but he had no time left to ask. He toppled backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
"I mean, my name is Bu Xie," the swordsman continued. "Xie Family—Xie Bu Xie."The robed man walked up to Chou Niu's corpse and impatiently kicked it, confirming Chou Niu had no breath left. Then he kicked Xie Bu Xie as well: "Such a rare opportunity, and you just killed him like that?"
"He wouldn't have talked," the knife-wielder repeated, then turned and walked away on his own.
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