The Su Family Courtyard.
Su Changhe continued to lie idly on the bamboo couch, lost in thought. He claimed to have been injured by Mu Ci Ling's Yama Palm and needed proper rest, making him the only one besides Su Muqiu allowed to remain in the inner hall. The rest of the Su Family disciples all stood guard in the main hall, none daring to return to their rooms to rest.
Because this day was not yet over.
No one knew what else might happen before it ended.
As dusk fell, three Su Family disciples who had gone out to gather information returned—only two made it back. Their clothes were stained with blood, clearly indicating they had been through a brutal fight.
"What's the situation outside?" Su Muqiu asked.
One of the returning disciples gulped down a large mouthful of water before panting, "The Xie and Mu Families have completely torn off all pretenses. The Sleeping Dragon Sword was likely seized by the Mu Family, and then the Xie Family surrounded them, preventing them from leaving their courtyard. The two sides are now in a standoff—the Mu Family won't come out, and the Xie Family won't go in. It's been several hours already. But it won't last much longer. There will definitely be a fierce battle tonight."
"Why didn't Su Rui return with you?" Su Muqiu asked.
"Our movements were discovered by the Xie Family. They showed no mercy—Su Rui was killed..." the disciple sighed.
Su Muqiu tapped lightly on the wooden table beside him. "They only besiege the Mu Family without attacking, yet they kill our Su Family disciple?"
"Xie Ba said the Su Family's days are numbered, not worth fearing. Besides, they haven't forgotten the grudge over Xie Fanhua's death," the disciple replied.
"I see. You may leave." Su Muqiu waved his hand wearily before walking back into the inner hall.
Su Changhe was leisurely twirling a dagger in his hand, seemingly indifferent to these events. "In Xie Ba's eyes, our Su Family's days are numbered, huh."
"Do you even consider the Su Family as 'ours' in your heart?" Su Muqiu asked.
"Ah, Uncle Qiu blames me for not giving my all." Su Changhe sat up from the bamboo couch and turned toward the inner room. Su Jinhui had locked himself inside after his defeat earlier in the day, refusing to let anyone disturb him. By now, three or four hours had passed.
"The family head forbids anyone from entering," Su Muqiu said gravely.
"You can't stop me, Uncle Qiu." Su Changhe stretched lazily, the dagger spinning at his fingertips as he walked past Su Muqiu.
Su Muqiu lowered his head slightly, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"You're a smart man, Uncle Qiu." Su Changhe pushed open the door to the room, stepped inside, and gently closed it behind him.
The room was pitch black. Su Jinhui sat with his back to Su Changhe, not turning around but already aware of his arrival. "You've come."
Su Changhe chuckled. "Did the old man know I'd come in?"
Su Jinhui's voice sounded weary. "You're a lot like me when I was young."
Su Changhe smirked. "Was the old man already this much of a scoundrel in his youth?"
Su Jinhui paused, then shook his head lightly. "You seem reluctant to show your true self because you're hiding many things—afraid others might see through you. Before, you didn't dare act out under my pressure. But today, with my edge dulled, do you feel your opportunity has arrived?"Su Changhe leaned against the door, spinning a dagger deftly between his fingers. "Old man, you're quite fond of calculating people's hearts, aren't you? Then tell me, what do you think I came here to do?"
"You want the position of the Su Family head?" Su Jinhui said slowly. "But you're one of the Nameless Ones. Just as Su Muyu, being a Nameless One, has no right to inherit the title of The Head, neither do you have the right to inherit the Su Family leadership."
"Looked down upon, am I?" Su Changhe said lazily. "In your eyes, old man, I'm still just a petty man scrambling for power and profit."
"You are strong, which is why I initially entrusted this mission to you. Had you killed Su Muyu, I would have given you the Su Family leadership once I inherited The Head's position. But unfortunately, you failed. A Nameless One who still clings to emotions cannot shoulder the responsibility of leading the Su Family." Su Jinhui's pupils contracted slightly.
"That measly Su Family leadership means nothing to me, Su Changhe. What I aim to do is something no one in Dark River has achieved in centuries. The grand ambition I seek to realize is beyond anything any of you dare imagine. I will change Dark River! Do you know why I named myself Changhe? 'Chang' means prosperity, brightness—like twin suns shining!" Suddenly, Su Changhe straightened up, all traces of lethargy vanishing, replaced by an overwhelming, suffocating aura of killing intent.
"Your Inch Finger Sword is formidable, but defeating me won't be easy. Even if my sword is broken, I am still Su Jinhui!" Su Jinhui pressed his hand lightly against the long table before him, and a chilling frost instantly spread through the room. The door behind Su Changhe quickly froze solid.
"A clawless tiger, a sightless dragon—hardly worth mentioning!" Su Changhe lunged forward, his dagger aimed at Su Jinhui's back. Su Jinhui pushed his palm forward, using the momentum to retreat and evade the strike. Then, with a slight crouch, he drew a short blade hidden in his right leg and slashed forward.
With a sharp clang, both men staggered back a step.
"I, too, know a thing or two about short blades," Su Jinhui sneered.
"The path ahead is blocked, yet you refuse to stop?" Su Changhe clasped his hands together and then flung them open, sending four daggers flying toward Su Jinhui at once.
Su Jinhui swung his short blade rapidly and growled, "For an assassin, there is no victory or defeat—only life and death. As long as I live, the path remains open!"
In the inner hall, Su Muqiu heard the clashing of weapons from the back room and hesitated over whether to intervene. But then, the sounds of clashing steel and agonized screams erupted in the main hall as well. Startled, he quickly drew his sword and rushed out.
Yet the tip of a blade was already pressed against his forehead.
The wielder was someone Su Muqiu recognized—one of the rare few who had managed to keep their swords from being seized by Mu Ci Ling earlier that day. But clearly, the skill with which he now blocked Su Muqiu far surpassed the swordplay he had displayed before.
"Su Luandan, you all..." Su Muqiu's gaze swept across the hall. More than half of the Su Family disciples lay dead, and the remaining few were, without exception, the elite of the younger generation. They wiped the blood from their blades with their sleeves and smirked coldly at Su Muqiu.Inside the inner room, fragments of the short blade were scattered across the floor. Su Jinhui clutched his chest as he slowly collapsed, his voice heavy as he said, "You actually..."
The crimson True Qi in Su Changhe's hand gradually dissipated as he chuckled, "You're surprised that I, too, know the Yama Palm?"
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