The black-clad man sheathed his sword but instantly raised his left hand, sending a sickle connected by a chain flying straight toward Su Muyu's face.
"Flying Sickle Sword?" Su Muyu muttered under his breath, grabbing the paper umbrella beside him and counterattacking.
"Good eye." The black-clad man flicked his right wrist sharply, the chain wrapping around the paper umbrella inch by inch until, with a flash of cold light, the sickle slashed toward Su Muyu's neck. Su Muyu extended a finger from each hand, releasing a surge of cold energy that directly blocked the sickle.
"Ha!" A furious roar came from above as the rooftop shattered underfoot. A burly man wielding a meteor hammer charged downward, aiming straight for Su Muyu's head. Su Muyu immediately flung out a Flying Blade, forcing the black-clad man to retract his sickle and retreat. Then, he opened the oil-paper umbrella and raised it overhead. The burly man's hammer struck the umbrella but failed to leave even a scratch. Su Muyu gently lifted the umbrella and took three steps back.
Two long sabers materialized behind him, slashing toward his waist. Su Muyu flipped backward, only to find two swords blocking his path. He sighed softly, twisting the umbrella handle lightly. Seventeen sharp blades shot out simultaneously, repelling the sabers and swords while also cutting off the paths of the burly man and the black-clad man.
Though the room was spacious, the seventeen blades embedded in the walls, connected by Puppet Silk, had turned every corner into his killing ground.
The black-clad man chuckled. "So this is the legendary Eighteen Sword Formation. Finally, I see it. Impressive—cutting off all escape in an instant."
"Heaven Revelation City's Shadow Sect, First Guard Unit: Eagle Eye," Su Muyu said solemnly. "I've heard of you. So it's you who stand behind Dark River."
The black-clad man smiled. "I am Crow, sent by the Sect Leader to meet you."
Su Muyu frowned slightly. "The Shadow Sect Leader, Yi Bu?"
The black-clad man nodded. "The Sect Leader's esteemed name is not to be spoken lightly."
"Ah, the Imperial Father-in-Law, such a lofty figure." The window suddenly swung open, revealing a tall, lean man sitting on the windowsill, leisurely smoking a pipe.
"Uncle Zhe," Su Muyu said, slightly startled.
Crow was equally surprised. "You're Su Zhe?"
"Little brat, where are your manners?" Su Zhe flipped inside, walking straight past Crow.
Crow felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him, making even breathing difficult. He wiped cold sweat from his forehead. "So Dark River didn't come to Heaven Revelation City alone."
"I just arrived. It's been a long journey, and I'm tired." Su Zhe yawned. "Come back tomorrow."
"But the Sect Leader said—" Crow tried to speak.
"Didn't I say to come back tomorrow?" Su Zhe flicked his Buddhist staff lightly, sending a Golden Ring shooting toward Crow's face. Crow snorted coldly and reached out to catch it.
"No!" the meteor hammer-wielding man cried out, but it was too late. The moment Crow grasped the Golden Ring, it spun violently in his hand, slicing off a chunk of flesh. He screamed and immediately let go, and the ring flew back onto Su Zhe's staff.
Su Zhe scoffed. "Overestimating yourself."
"Your Mandarin pronunciation of those four words is impeccable," Su Muyu remarked with a smile."Alright. We'll come back tomorrow." The man wielding the meteor hammer grabbed Crow and retreated through the window, followed silently by the other four shadow guards.
Su Muyu gestured, retracting the Eighteen Sword Formation. Su Zhe shook his head helplessly. "This sword array of yours—every time you fight, you end up picking up scraps. Wouldn’t it be better to switch to a different sword technique?"
Su Muyu smiled faintly. "It's a habit. Uncle Zhe, why are you here? I thought you had already left Dark River. Miracle Healer Bai is still waiting for you in Qiantang City."
"I saw her first before coming to find you," Su Zhe replied leisurely, taking a drag from his pipe.
"What happened?" Su Muyu asked.
Su Zhe found a stool and sat down. "What I’m about to tell you, I’ll say slowly—in the most formal official speech. Back in Spider Nest, He Huai found a book."
Su Muyu nodded. "I remember that."
"At first, He Huai thought it was just a novel, something to pass the time. But then Confucian Sword Immortal Xie Xuan also saw the book. He said it was a historical record, and everything written in it was true." Su Zhe deliberately lowered his voice.
Su Muyu also sat down. "Uncle Zhe, don’t force yourself to whisper. It just sounds awkward."
"Gotta set the mood," Su Zhe chuckled, exhaling smoke. "Three hundred years ago, the Xiao Imperial Family’s ancestor, Xiao Yi, rose from obscurity. Amidst the chaos of war, he led his army and carved a path to the imperial capital, eventually overthrowing the Great Qin Dynasty and establishing the most powerful dynasty in history—the Northern Li we live in today. The seventeen most renowned founding heroes who stood behind Xiao Yi were known as the Five Pillars and Twelve Generals. This is history we all know."
Su Muyu nodded. "The story of Xiao Yi’s rise has been told to death in teahouses."
Su Zhe nodded as well. "But what the storytellers don’t know is that Xiao Yi originally intended to appoint six Pillars. One man willingly stepped down, saying, ‘Having grown accustomed to being a shadow, I no longer wish to walk in the light.’ His name was Yi Shui Han. During Xiao Yi’s campaign, they weren’t always victorious—several times, they faced certain defeat. But then, the enemy’s commanders would suddenly be assassinated. That was the work of Yi Shui Han and his shadow corps."
Su Muyu frowned. "Could it be…?"
"After the founding of Northern Li, Yi Shui Han established the Shadow Sect to guard Heaven Revelation City. But if the capital had shadow guardians, the vast martial world needed one even more. So, the three most elite assassins under Yi Shui Han led their followers into the jianghu. The book’s account ends there, but the rest isn’t hard to guess. Those three men split into three families—the ones we know today as the Su Family, the Xie Family, and the Mu Family. The shadow that guarded the martial world for the Xiao Imperial Family was none other than Dark River." Su Zhe laughed heartily. "Who would’ve thought? We’ve spent our lives killing, believing ourselves irredeemable sinners. But in the end, turns out we’ve been on the imperial payroll all along!"After a long silence, Su Muyu slowly said, "The martial world has always claimed that in Dark River, there's no one we won't kill—whether it's high-ranking officials in the imperial court or leaders of both righteous and unorthodox sects in the martial world. As long as the price is right, even the emperor could be assassinated. But in reality, we turn out to be the shadows clearing obstacles for the emperor across the land. This is somewhat... ironic."
"Some people cannot be killed openly, but they must die in secret," Su Zhe said with a self-deprecating smile. "After learning this, I thought it might be better to just be a hired assassin who kills for money."
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