Blood River

In the courtyard of the Su Family estate.

Su Jinhui puffed on his pipe, gazing meaningfully at the ragged figure of Su Changhe lying before him. "Changhe, you truly don’t act unless it’s going to shake the very foundations of Dark River, do you?"

Su Changhe, sprawled on a wooden couch, waved a heavily bandaged hand dismissively. "Old man, don’t mock me. Look how badly Mu Zi Zhe beat me up—hardly the fearsome figure you’re making me out to be."

"Xie Fanhua is dead," Su Jinhui exhaled a slow stream of smoke, his voice low. "You couldn’t possibly be unaware of that, could you?"

Su Changhe waved impatiently. "Tch! I killed him. That Xie Fanhua was already half-dead anyway. The Xie Family elders were just waiting for him to die—without him gone, the younger ones couldn’t step up."

"True. If he’d been healthy, Xie Fanhua would’ve been the next head of the Xie Family. But he was a walking corpse," Su Jinhui nodded. "Killing him counts as a merit for you. But Mu Bai—you shouldn’t have killed him."

Su Changhe jolted in shock. "What? Mu Bai is dead too? Who did it?"

Su Jinhui smirked faintly. "You don’t know? Wasn’t Su Zhe sent by you?"

Su Changhe clutched his forehead. "Damn it all! Uncle Zhe is usually the laziest bastard around—why’d he go all out this time? If Mu Bai’s dead, Mu Zi Zhe will skin me alive the next time we meet!"

"Everyone knows Mu Zi Zhe, head of the Mu Family, is a madman," Su Jinhui set down his pipe. "Killing his son won’t just mean skinning you—it’ll mean skinning our entire Su Family. For centuries, Dark River has seen infighting, but the balance between the three families has never shifted. This time, though, things will be different."

Su Changhe covered his eyes with a hand. "Old man, this isn’t my fault! Uncle Zhe acted on his own. I told him to kill the Medicine King Valley Divine Physician, not Mu Bai!"

"Enough. What’s done is done," Su Jinhui sighed softly. "Once the sword is drawn, it cannot be sheathed. This time, let’s just ensure that the entire Dark River..."

"...bears the name Su."

Everyone in the courtyard stiffened in shock, including Su Changhe.

Only the middle-aged, scholarly man standing beside Su Jinhui smiled faintly, while the bald man viciously rubbed his own scalp.

Silence engulfed the courtyard.

It was Su Changhe who finally broke it, clasping his fists. "The Head’s vision is peerless! I, Su Changhe, pledge my life to follow you!"

"You pledge your life, but what of Su Zhe?" Su Jinhui tilted his head slightly, that same faint smirk playing on his lips.

Su Changhe’s back prickled with cold sweat. For a fleeting moment, an overwhelming killing intent had radiated from Su Jinhui. Yet, he forced a grin. "What about Uncle Zhe?"

"The Head, fearing Mu Zi Zhe’s retaliation, immediately dispatched reinforcements to assist Su Zhe," the bald man sneered. "But some returned early with a report. After killing Mu Bai, Su Zhe didn’t fight Su Muyu. Instead, he chose to travel back to Spider Nest alongside Su Muyu and the Medicine King Valley Divine Physician. They’re on their way now."Su Changhe was also taken aback. Some of these events had been his deliberate arrangements, while others were completely unexpected. In his plan, Xie Fanhua was supposed to die without a doubt, and Su Zhe, due to his past friendship with Su Muyu, would help repel Mu Bai. However, given Su Muyu's current condition, he wouldn't be able to stop Su Zhe from killing the Medicine King Valley Divine Physician. But now, Mu Bai was dead, and Su Zhe and Su Muyu were on the same side. Where had things gone wrong...

"Rest and recover for a few days. Su Muqiu will take charge of the Su Family's activities from now on," Su Jinhui said slowly.

The refined man nodded slightly and glanced at Su Changhe. "Muqiu obeys the order."

Inside the Spider Nest.

Only eight members of the Twelve Zodiac Shadows remained, weapons in hand, guarding the entrance to The Head's room.

Inside, The Head lay unconscious on the bed, with a hunchbacked old man standing vigil beside him, lighting a stick of incense.

The Dark River Soul-Guarding Incense could prolong a person's life for twelve hours, no matter how severe their injuries or how deadly the poison, as long as they still drew breath. If the Deadly Poison within The Head could be neutralized within that time, all would be well. If not, not even the gods could save him.

The Spider Shadows all wore grave expressions. Without Su Muyu and now with The Head incapacitated, their resolve wavered. Outside the Spider Nest were their own clansmen, yet those who once shared their blood now raised blades against them. Inside the Nest lay a dying Head—one they could kill at any moment if they wished. But even then, their families would never take them back.

They were fated to exist as discarded pawns.

The hunchbacked old man placed an iron rod before him, standing between The Head and the Spider Shadows.

The atmosphere was tense and delicate.

Until a familiar figure landed before them.

"Boss!" Chen Long exclaimed in surprise.

Su Muyu looked at them and nodded, finally speaking in a deep voice, "You've all worked hard."

Chen Long stepped forward eagerly, but after just one step, he noticed two more figures landing—one was the Medicine King Valley's Miracle Healer, Bai Hehuai, and the other... Chen Long immediately gripped his sword hilt. "Su Zhe!"

The rest of the Spider Shadows also drew their weapons in an instant.

Chen Long turned to Su Muyu, his expression one of disbelief. "Boss... have you betrayed us?"

Su Muyu frowned slightly. Seeing Chen Long's trembling shoulders, he stepped forward and patted his shoulder reassuringly. "If I ever truly betray you, I will still shield you with my life."

Chen Long froze, then gritted his teeth, though tears still streamed down his face. "Boss... Joining the Spider Shadows was once such an honor. So why are we now hunted like criminals by our own kin?"

"The fault isn't yours—it's theirs," Su Muyu said, sheathing Chen Long's half-drawn sword. "Uncle Zhe is here to help us. As a former Puppet, he has chosen to stand with us."

Su Zhe chuckled. "Aye. Quelling the Dark River's internal strife is our duty!" After speaking, he cursed Su Muyu inwardly: Stop pinning labels on me!

Bai Hehuai quietly rolled her eyes.

Su Muyu raised his head, looking first at the hunchbacked old man, then at The Head behind him. "And Miracle Healer Bai has already found a way to cure The Head."Bai Hehuai was also taken aback for a moment before smiling and saying, "Everything will get better."

The mist in the air gradually dispersed, and sunlight streamed down.

It truly seemed as Bai Hehuai had said—everything would indeed get better.

The hunchbacked old man and Su Muyu stared at each other for a long time before finally standing up and picking up the iron rod before him. "Then let us ask the Miracle Healer to make one final attempt."