Three miles outside the city at the pavilion, after the Mu Family members had withdrawn, Su Muyu glanced at Su Zhe, then at Bai Hehuai, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Since you two are reuniting as father and daughter, should I step aside for a while?"
"No need, no need," Bai Hehuai waved her hand. "Just stay where you are. It'd be even more awkward otherwise."
Su Zhe also scratched his head. "Reuniting with my daughter in such dire straits—this touching scene isn’t something your Uncle Zhe is used to either."
"Then let’s talk as we walk. Time is short; we must return to the Spider Nest quickly," Su Muyu said.
"Alright," the father and daughter nodded simultaneously. Su Muyu then strode ahead, and the two followed behind him.
Bai Hehuai looked at Su Zhe and said calmly, "Mother... she’s already passed away."
Su Zhe remained composed and nodded. "I know."
"You knew?" Bai Hehuai was taken aback.
"She fell ill with a strange disease. Even the Miracle Healer from Medicine King Valley couldn’t cure it. I even went to ask Mu Zi Zhe—I nearly knocked his head sideways with my Buddhist staff—but he told me the illness was incurable too," Su Zhe said with a bitter smile.
Bai Hehuai frowned slightly. "You knew all along?"
Su Zhe spun his Buddhist staff lightly. "A friend told me about your mother’s illness, so I secretly went to the Wen Family and tried to find renowned physicians for her. During that time, I even ran into your grandfather and almost got poisoned to death in his rage. After your mother passed, I sneaked into the Wen Family a few more times. When I couldn’t find you, I thought your grandfather had hidden you away. Never imagined you’d gone to Medicine King Valley to study. Those folks have always been at odds with the Wen Family—how did they even agree to take you in as a disciple?"
Bai Hehuai smiled faintly. "Blame my extraordinary talent—my master simply had to take me as his disciple. My little martial nephew wasn’t too happy about it, though, since that made him two whole generations younger than my uncle Wen Hujiu. Wait—if you could find us so easily, why didn’t you ever come to see Mother?"
Su Zhe sighed. "The Head was standing behind me. He said if I ever went to see you two again, he’d send the Twelve Zodiac Shadows to kill all three of us. And then there’s your grandfather, Wen Lin—he threatened to poison me with something called 'Blood Thicker Than Water.' That toxin could dissolve my bones. You know his temper—he wasn’t bluffing."
Bai Hehuai frowned. "Why didn’t you tell Mother any of this?"
"I did. She said as long as our family was together, even death would be fine. Your mother was a fool in love. But I didn’t want her to die, and I didn’t want you to die either, so I stayed far away from you both," Su Zhe said helplessly. "Though I did see her one last time—the night before she passed."
"What?" Bai Hehuai was startled.
"That night, your grandfather finally stopped blocking me. While you were both asleep, he took me to her bedside. We talked for a long time, and she died in my arms. You were still young, sleeping soundly in the little bed beside us, never waking the whole night," Su Zhe’s voice carried a trace of tenderness.
Bai Hehuai looked puzzled. "But Grandfather told me you were a heartless man who deceived Mother’s feelings..."
Su Zhe cursed angrily, "That wretched old man!""But Mother said you weren’t like that, so I wanted to find you and ask you myself." Bai Hehuai recalled the way her mother had spoken of Su Zhe—her eyes sparkling like stars, filled with longing and nostalgia.
Su Zhe scratched his head: "Ah, Jin still has a conscience. Back then, I was young and thought love could conquer all. With my abilities, I believed I could defy the rules of Dark River. But in the end, I couldn’t. I nearly fought them into agreement, but when they learned the girl was the daughter of the Wen family, even The Head refused to back me..."
Su Muyu turned his head and said, "Uncle Zhe, you’re already remarkable. You married someone outside Dark River, yet remained unharmed and even protected your wife and daughter."
"Hahahaha! Who told you to eavesdrop?" Su Zhe flicked his wrist, sending a Golden Ring flying toward Su Muyu.
Su Muyu didn’t dodge. The ring struck his head, making him stumble before he steadied himself on a branch and leaped forward again. "Uncle Zhe, why does your formal speech improve whenever you’re serious?"
Su Zhe laughed: "When I was young, I was sent on a mission to the Xiao-Xiang region and stayed there for five or six years. I picked up the local dialect and never shook it off. Speaking proper formal speech requires too much effort."
"But if you leave with us now... aren’t you breaking the family rules again?" Bai Hehuai suddenly realized.
Su Zhe paused, then nodded. "Now that you mention it, if I just walk away with you, the Su Family will surely come after me. But these are extraordinary times. With The Head injured, the rules of Dark River have all but collapsed. I even feel Dark River itself is on the verge of falling apart. If no one follows the rules, then it’s every man for himself."
Bai Hehuai frowned. "My master always told me Dark River is an extremely disciplined organization. Why does it seem so chaotic now?"
"It’s complicated. Dark River has been passed down for centuries, but it’s already grown weak. With the decline in talent over recent generations, the Nameless Ones system was established, creating hidden conflicts between our own people and outsiders. The Head was strong and hailed as the most powerful in Dark River for a century, barely maintaining a delicate balance. But now that he’s fallen, all the unseen problems have surfaced."
Su Muyu’s brow furrowed slightly as his hand rested on his sword hilt. "Uncle Zhe."
"I’ll listen to my daughter," Su Zhe said with a smile. "Whatever she says goes. If she says we should turn and run, leaving this mess behind, I won’t object. Don’t be so tense, Muyu. My only rule is that I won’t kill you."
"But if the Miracle Healer tries to leave, I’ll stop her," Su Muyu said quietly.
Bai Hehuai chuckled and continued walking. "To Spider Nest. If we leave, it’ll be after The Head is healed. With such a debt, surely Dark River won’t stop our family from reuniting this time."
Su Zhe shrugged. "Ah, they say Muyu is the most handsome man in Dark River for a century. Seems it’s true. Daughter, do you fancy him? Falling for a man from Dark River isn’t a good idea."
Bai Hehuai shook her head helplessly. "No, I mean—dear father, aren’t you insulting yourself?"Su Muyu breathed a sigh of relief: "The Miracle Healer is the successor of Medicine King Valley. The creed of Medicine King Valley is never to abandon those seeking treatment halfway."
Bai Hehuai also shook his head: "Not so, not so. That's Xin Baicao and his lot's creed. What does that have to do with me, Bai Hehuai?"
Su Zhe was taken aback: "Then what's the reason?"
Bai Hehuai extended two fingers and rubbed them lightly together: "They paid!"
Su Zhe didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "You're just like your mother..."
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