Underworld Pawnshop.
Su Muyu and Su Changhe had examined everything in the room. Su Changhe placed the key back into the hilt of the Sleeping Dragon Sword. "No wonder a single sword could stir up such a storm."
"But this is a pawnshop, not a bank," Su Muyu said solemnly.
"Clever," the short, stout man clapped his hands. "Most people would be dazzled by a room full of treasures and overlook such details. The Su Family head is truly remarkable."
"If this is a pawnshop, then there must be a price to pay for these things. What is our price?" Su Muyu asked.
The stout man chuckled. "There is no price—at least, not for the Underworld Pawnshop today."
Su Muyu gripped the handle of his umbrella. "I don’t believe you."
"You don’t have to. The price for these things has already been paid—by the lives you’ve taken and the deeds you’ve done over the years. That is the cost of possessing them," the man said, tilting his head back. "Every assassination contract you’ve ever carried out came from us!"
"Watch out!" Su Muyu snapped his oil-paper umbrella open. A sharp clang rang out as an arrow struck the canopy and ricocheted away. He released the umbrella and looked ahead.
The stout man tucked his hands into his sleeves, lazily watching Su Muyu with a smirk. "We never resort to violence within the Underworld Pawnshop."
Su Changhe stepped forward. "No need to hide anymore, Three Officials."
"When I saw you two in the Soul Extraction Hall back then, I said we should have killed you both," a man clad in dark official robes landed beside the stout man.
"Earth Official," Su Muyu said grimly.
"But I also said that precisely because they were dangerous, they were worth keeping alive," another man, dressed in purple robes with white hair, strode in from outside—the Water Official Su Muyu had once seen in Nine Heavens City.
"And judging by the outcome, perhaps killing them back then would have been the wiser choice," the last man, clad in white robes, entered with an air of restrained authority. His presence marked him as the leader of the Three Officials—the Heaven Official.
"We’ve been waiting for you. Today, we’ve seen the treasures of the Dark River and now you. This trip was not in vain," Su Changhe said before darting forward, twin daggers flashing as he thrust toward the Earth Official.
Earth Official retreated, flicking his wrist to draw a Judge’s Brush from his waist. He swung it forward to parry Su Changhe’s strike. But Su Changhe feinted, clashing briefly before withdrawing and thrusting both palms toward Earth Official’s chest.
"Yama Palm!" Heaven Official barked. "Fall back!"
Earth Official obeyed instantly, leaping backward, but the residual force still struck him, forcing him to stagger several steps.
"Such skill isn’t honed overnight. You’ve been secretly training in this for a long time," Heaven Official said darkly.
Su Changhe dipped his head slightly. "For that answer, you’ll have to ask The Head in the afterlife."
Heaven Official frowned, glancing sideways to see Su Muyu blocking the courtyard gate, cutting off their escape. Water Official chuckled. "Relax. We didn’t come here to fight."The stout man coughed lightly, "The Underworld Pawnshop is naturally not a place for you to fight."
"Manager Wang, there are some words you probably haven't finished telling these two yet," the Water Official said with a smile, looking at the stout man.
The stout man waved his fan, "Didn't you arrive just as I was halfway through? Head, what I hadn't finished saying is that the key in your hands can only open this courtyard. But to take what's inside, you'll need one more thing."
"What thing?" Su Changhe asked.
"This." The Heaven Official took out a golden waist token from his robe, inscribed with the characters "Nether Springs."
The stout man nodded, "Exactly this. The key opens the courtyard, and this token allows you to take what's inside. Both are indispensable."
"Oh? No wonder the three officials of the Soul Extraction Hall have always stood above the three families," Su Changhe sneered.
"I know what you're thinking. You want to kill us before the Underworld Pawnshop can react, then take this token. Or perhaps kill both us and Manager Wang. You underestimate us, and you underestimate the Underworld Pawnshop too much," the Heaven Official snorted coldly, tossing the token directly toward him.
Su Changhe caught it with a meaningful smile, "Oh? So the three officials acknowledge Su Muyu and me to lead the Dark River?"
"What do you think?" the Water Official raised an eyebrow.
"You've overlooked one thing," Su Muyu suddenly spoke up.
The Water Official and Heaven Official exchanged glances, "Overlooked what?"
Su Muyu's hand rested on his umbrella handle, ready to deploy the Eighteen Sword Formation at any moment, "We do not recognize the Soul Extraction Hall, nor will we acknowledge the existence of the three officials. In our new Dark River, there will be no place for you."
"It seems we were being presumptuous," the Water Official said without anger or even much surprise. "But you're making things too simple."
"This is an invitation," the Heaven Official said, pulling out a Gold Invitation from his robe and flicking it toward Su Changhe.
Su Changhe caught it and laughed, "Is one of the three officials getting married, inviting us to the feast?"
"If you want answers, if you want to establish a new Dark River, then there's someone you need to meet," the Heaven Official said gravely.
"Where do we meet them?" Su Changhe asked.
"Heaven Revelation City," the Heaven Official declared.
"Heaven Revelation City?" Both Su Changhe and Su Muyu were startled. Among the four great cities of the world—Northern Heaven Revelation, Southern Snow Moon, Western Mu Liang, and Eastern Wushuang—Heaven Revelation City represented imperial fortune. It was the seat of the Xiao Imperial Family, filled with Sky Realm Experts. Ordinary martial artists wouldn't dare set foot there lightly.
"And who is this person we're to meet?" Su Muyu asked.
The Water Official said faintly, "The ancestor of the person you'll meet founded the Dark River a hundred years ago. As for the rest, you'll find your answers once you reach Heaven Revelation City."
"Put away your Yama Palm. Only a madman like you would think of killing someone in the Underworld Pawnshop," the Heaven Official said, turning to leave with the Water Official and Earth Official. Su Muyu also put away his oil-paper umbrella and stepped aside, making no real attempt to stop them. After the three had left, Su Muyu looked at Su Changhe.
"Heaven Revelation City," Su Changhe chuckled. "Sounds somewhat interesting."Su Muyu sighed softly, "If you had ever been to Heaven Revelation City, you wouldn't find anything interesting about that place."
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