Blood River

"Uncle Zhe, he is my father," Bai Hehuai said with a smile.

Su Muyu paused slightly, then turned his head and continued walking forward. "You jest, Miracle Healer. That's impossible."

"Why is it a jest?" Bai Hehuai pressed.

Su Muyu noticed the flame in his hand dimming slightly and gently blew on it. "Dark River People never marry outside the clan. There have been those who broke this rule in the past, marrying outsiders and having children, but in the end, they and their entire families were erased. Uncle Zhe was once a Puppet and now holds a high position in the Su Family. It's impossible for him to have a daughter outside."

Bai Hehuai pouted. "I see. I was indeed making it up—just curious, really. Because all this killing back and forth is essentially about The Head refusing to step down, isn’t it? Since Uncle Zhe was once a successor candidate, and he stepped aside, doesn’t that mean you’re next? Why doesn’t The Head just pass the position to you?"

Su Muyu shook his head. "I’m not of the main lineage. I was born a Nameless One. For centuries, Dark River has never had a Nameless One become The Head."

"Is there a rule in Dark River that Nameless Ones cannot succeed as The Head?" Bai Hehuai asked.

Su Muyu hesitated. "Well... no, there isn’t such a rule."

"Exactly! So what’s stopping you? Just take the position," Bai Hehuai said, scratching her cheek. "The Head is strange—he made you a Puppet but won’t pass the title to you."

"If he truly gave me the position, this internal strife wouldn’t be simmering beneath the surface—it would erupt into open conflict. Even after the Surname Conferral Ceremony, Nameless Ones are nominally accepted into the three families but never truly regarded as kin. Back then, it was only due to exceptional circumstances that The Head allowed me to become the Puppet. All these years, I’ve wanted to relinquish the role, but The Head refuses." Su Muyu suddenly stopped walking.

"What’s wrong?" Bai Hehuai asked.

Su Muyu turned and sat down, breathing lightly. "Apologies. Please wait a moment, Miracle Healer." He then pressed three acupoints on his shoulder and began meditating to circulate his qi. Bai Hehuai stepped closer and realized Su Muyu’s shoulder had been bleeding the entire time.

"You’re injured?" Bai Hehuai frowned.

"That young swordsman from the Xie Family was stronger than I anticipated," Su Muyu said solemnly.

"Sometimes I really don’t understand you. You have someone whose medical skills rank among the best in the world by your side, yet you endure injuries all this way without a word? Couldn’t you have just told me?" Bai Hehuai crouched down and touched the blood on Su Muyu’s shoulder. "Luckily, the blade wasn’t poisoned. This is a minor wound—too simple. Stop circulating your qi for now."

"Alright," Su Muyu nodded.

"No matter how strong a person is, some burdens can’t be shouldered alone." Bai Hehuai took out a medicine bottle from her sleeve and sprinkled some powder onto Su Muyu’s shoulder. "Take three deep breaths, then resume your qi circulation."

Su Muyu sighed softly. "I had to try."

"Try what? If you die, there’s nothing left." Bai Hehuai shot him a glare. "Do you want to die?"

"Truthfully, there are many times when I think death wouldn’t be so bad," Su Muyu said quietly."Idiot," Bai Hehuai muttered under her breath. "We healers despise people like you who don't value their own lives."

Su Muyu waved his hand and circulated his True Qi. After it flowed through his body once, the bleeding from his shoulder stopped. He stood up and continued walking forward. "In the Dark River, life is something very elusive to us. Because at any moment, we might take someone else's life, and our own lives might be taken by others at any time."

Bai Hehuai watched Su Muyu's back. This man, who appeared utterly cold yet often revealed a gentleness uncommon among Dark River People, had just begun to feel somewhat familiar to her, but now he seemed as distant as ever.

"Whatever. Once this job is done, we probably won't meet again," Bai Hehuai thought as she followed him.

Nine Heavens City.

In a secluded courtyard.

A middle-aged man dressed in black sat on a long chair, his head slightly lowered. The chair swayed gently as he dozed off peacefully—until a crow flew overhead. The man suddenly opened his eyes and flicked his wrist, sending a small knife flying from his hand, slicing the crow in half.

"Bad omen," the man muttered under his breath.

"Family Head!" A black-clad assassin standing guard beside him immediately bowed in apology. The man was none other than Su Jinhui, the current head of the Su Family, known for his calm and lenient demeanor—but when angered, the consequences were severe.

"What are you afraid of? It's just a crow. I merely cursed at it," Su Jinhui patted the man's shoulder. "Men of the Su Family shouldn't be so timid."

The man quickly straightened up and fell silent.

At that moment, a burly, bald man entered from outside. "Family Head."

Su Jinhui raised an eyebrow slightly. "Well?"

"The Xie and Mu Families have joined forces to raid the Spider Nest. It seems they didn't manage to seize the Sleeping Dragon Sword, but they did breach the Spider Nest's defenses," the bald man reported.

"Xie Ba and Mu Zi Zhe, those two old foxes, actually teamed up," Su Jinhui pulled out a string of prayer beads and leisurely rolled a bodhi seed between his fingers. "What about Su Changhe? Was the message to act immediately delivered to him?"

"He only replied with two words: 'Not appropriate,'" the bald man sneered.

"Not appropriate?" A flash of fury crossed Su Jinhui's eyes. "What's not appropriate?"

"Old Master, those words can be interpreted in two ways," a middle-aged man in gray robes beside Su Jinhui said with a smile. "First, with the Xie and Mu Families allied and currently clashing with The Head, it's not appropriate for our Su Family to interfere now. Second, you've already entrusted this operation entirely to Su Changhe, so issuing orders to him now is not appropriate."

"Old Master, that brat Su Changhe just doesn't want to fight Su Muyu," the bald man said irritably. "If you ask me, hand the command to me, and I'll lead the men in right now to seize the Sleeping Dragon Sword for you."

The middle-aged man shook his head with a smile. "Only Su Changhe can handle Su Muyu. And if our Su Family obtains the Sleeping Dragon Sword while retaining both Su Changhe and Su Muyu, then the Mu and Xie Families won't be able to stir up much trouble."

"You mean..." Su Jinhui frowned."Master, Su Changhe has set off," another person entered from outside the house. "He and Uncle Zhe have left the Nine Heavens Inn."

"Dawn is approaching," the middle-aged man raised his head and touched the sapphire ring on his hand. "We originally said we'd wait a little longer, but now it seems that won't be necessary anymore."