"Though I could defeat you now without using the Yama Palm, I still want you to die with your eyes closed." Su Changhe slightly leaned forward, looking down at Su Jinhui lying on the ground.
Su Jinhui felt his consciousness fading. Gritting his teeth, he said, "I was the one who picked you up from the streets back then. Without me, you would have died long ago!"
"You're wrong. You only took me from one hell to another. Climbing out of hell—that was something we did ourselves!" Su Changhe gently placed his hand on Su Jinhui's head. "Goodbye, head of the Su Family."
The inner door slowly creaked open.
Su Changhe continued to idly twirl the dagger in his hand, as if nothing had happened in the room. "Uncle Qiu, were you hoping it would be the old man who walked out instead?"
Su Muqiu sighed softly. "You've carried out so many Heaven-rank missions, each time striking only when victory was certain. You must have been waiting for this moment for a long time."
"Uncle Qiu knows me so well. How touching." Su Changhe took out a sapphire ring from his pocket and slipped it onto the index finger of his left hand. Beneath the dazzling gemstone, two characters were engraved—The Other Shore.
Every surviving Su Family assassin in the room also retrieved an identical ring from their robes and placed it on their left index fingers.
"Cross the Dark River, and you will reach The Other Shore. But beyond that shore, there shouldn’t just be endless night—there should be light." Su Changhe traced the sapphire on his ring. "Uncle Qiu, I spent six years gathering this organization. It’s called The Other Shore."
Su Muqiu narrowed his eyes slightly. "The Other Shore... You want to change the Dark River?"
Su Changhe met his gaze. "Uncle Qiu, you were born into the main family, raised from childhood to be an assassin, weren’t you? But who would willingly be born as a tool for killing? Why do others bask in sunlight while the three families are condemned to darkness? Don’t you want to change that?"
Su Muqiu smiled bitterly. "When I was forced to learn killing techniques as a child, I did think about these things. But after all these years, my hands are already stained with blood. How could I change anything now?"
"True." Su Changhe stroked his mustache. "That’s why, though I consider you a kindred spirit, I never gave you this ring. You have the awareness, but you’ve lost the courage. But we’re different. We’re still young—by the standards of novels and legends, we’re still youths. And youths should be fearless, unrepentant, and unyielding."
Su Muqiu fell silent for a long moment after hearing this. Then, softly, he said, "Though I cannot walk this path with you, now that I know your goal, I’m willing to help you. There’s something I must tell you—a secret known only to the old man and the heads of the three families."
"Oh?" Su Changhe raised an eyebrow.
"Be careful—it could be a trap." Su Luandan’s sword remained pointed at Su Muqiu, unwavering.
"No matter. I trust Uncle Qiu." Su Changhe stepped forward and pressed down Su Luandan’s blade with a finger.Su Muqiu leaned close to Su Changhe's ear and whispered something. Su Changhe's expression shifted slightly before he smiled and said, "So that's how it is. I was wondering why, after all three families have torn off all pretenses, we're still clinging to those ridiculous rules. Now I understand."
"I thought your goal was to inherit the position of Su Family head, but I never imagined you were aiming for the position of The Head." Su Muqiu took three steps back. "In the history of Dark River, there has never been a Head this young."
Su Changhe chuckled. "Since this is a new Dark River, it should naturally be paired with new history."
Su Muqiu glanced at the room behind Su Changhe and changed the subject: "Did you kill the old man?"
"Uncle Qiu, you're a good man. In this filthy Dark River, you're one of the few from the previous generation worthy of respect. We're leaving this place now. The new Dark River will have no place for Su Jinhui, so you should leave too." Without directly answering the question, Su Changhe led the group outside. "Goodbye, Uncle Qiu."
Su Muqiu stood frozen for a moment before rushing into the inner room.
"Why didn't you kill him?" Su Luandan asked quietly.
"Truthfully, I was hesitating, but what he just said saved his life." Su Changhe stroked his small beard, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Where do we go next? Should we head to the Mu Family and wait for our chance?" Su Luandan continued.
"Where has Su Muyu gone?" Su Changhe asked.
Su Luandan frowned slightly. "He returned to Spider Nest."
A faint smile appeared on Su Changhe's lips. "Then we'll go to Spider Nest."
Su Luandan's frown deepened. "But the Sleeping Dragon Sword was taken by Mu Ci Ling and is now in the Mu Family's hands. What's the point of going to Spider Nest? When we joined The Other Shore, we were preparing for this day. As our leader, you shouldn't let personal feelings interfere. This isn't the time to try saving your brother's life!"
"What did you say?" Su Changhe stopped walking and turned to face him.
Meeting Su Changhe's gaze, Su Luandan felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively gripped the sword at his waist.
"Don't start conflicts when we're on the verge of battle," someone immediately tried to mediate, but it was too late. Su Changhe lunged forward, knocking Su Luandan's sword away before grabbing his throat and slamming him against the wall.
"If you kill me, what becomes of your 'new Dark River'?" Su Luandan struggled to speak.
"Listen carefully," Su Changhe said with a vicious smile. "Given Su Muyu's personality, unless he's dead, he would definitely retrieve the Sleeping Dragon Sword. If he chose not to pursue it and returned to Spider Nest instead, that means the sword Mu Ci Ling took is a fake! Only fools like Xie Ba would fight to the death over it. If you're equally stupid, you can go die with him!"
"If that's the case, just explain clearly, Lord Changhe! Let him go!" The swordsman beside them tried desperately to pry Su Changhe's hand away but couldn't budge it an inch."Also, you were right about one thing," Su Changhe slightly raised his head. "Su Muyu—his life, I will indeed protect." After saying this, Su Changhe released his grip, and Su Luandan collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Under the gaze of the crowd, Su Changhe slowly walked forward. After taking a dozen steps, he paused, as if speaking to himself, yet everyone from The Other Shore heard him clearly.
"Anyone can die, but Su Muyu absolutely cannot."
"Absolutely not."
"Unless I die first!"
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