Imperial Music Academy.
Uncle Zhe sat leisurely on the edge of the bed, smoking his pipe as he surveyed the shattered fragments of weapons and the women sprawled unconscious on the floor. He sighed softly, "I, Su Zhe, am not the kind of man to lose my wits over beauty."
"Oh? Is that so?" A gentle woman's voice sounded from outside the room.
Su Zhe's hand trembled in shock, nearly dropping his pipe. "Why are you here?"
"Why am I here? I came to see what fun my dear old dog of a father is up to." Bai Hehuai glanced at the unconscious women in the room. "One, two, three, four... Weren't you gravely injured and in poor health, Father?"
"It's all a misunderstanding!" Su Zhe protested urgently.
"Oh. So your injury was a misunderstanding too?" Bai Hehuai said softly.
"No, no! Not that kind of misunderstanding!" Su Zhe was sweating profusely.
"Who would have thought Uncle Zhe would have such troubles too." Su Changhe stepped into the room as well.
Su Zhe set down his pipe and looked at Su Changhe. "So it's you, you little troublemaker. No wonder someone tried to kill me the moment I stepped into the Imperial Music Academy today."
Su Changhe shrugged. "If I hadn't come, something far worse would have happened today."
"Where's Su Muyu? I was just about to look for him. He's probably in trouble too," Su Zhe said, eager to leave the room.
"No need." Su Changhe smiled. "Right now, Su Muyu is under the influence of the Drunken Dream Gu, sleeping like a dead dog, and being dragged off for a bounty."
Prime Minister's Residence.
Yi Bu raised an eyebrow slightly as Crow from the Eagle Eye Group hurried in and nodded at him.
"Good." Unable to suppress his delight, Yi Bu smirked and strode out of the hall. There stood the Heaven Official and the Water Official, with Su Muyu slumped on the ground, his collar gripped by the Water Official. His eyes were tightly shut, his consciousness clearly gone.
"Was he poisoned?" Yi Bu asked.
"We gave him the Drunken Dream Gu. Even if he were an immortal, he wouldn't be able to use a shred of his martial arts now," the Water Official replied.
Yi Bu bent down and lightly pressed his fingers against Su Muyu's pulse. He found that the True Qi within Su Muyu's body had become as gentle and sluggish as if trapped in an eternal, inescapable drunken dream. He nodded. "Well done. But why have only the two of you returned? Where is the Earth Official?"
"He's dead." The Water Official's tone was indifferent. "After all, capturing Su Muyu alive wasn't an easy task."
"A pity." Yi Bu didn't bother feigning grief, dismissing the matter with a casual remark before turning away. "Lock Su Muyu in the Shadow Prison."
"As you command," the Water Official replied.
"Heaven Official, why have you remained silent?" Yi Bu tilted his head slightly, his voice low and probing.
The Heaven Official's expression was cold. "A brother has died. The Sect Master merely calls it 'a pity,' but to me, it is far more than that. I have nothing to say—why must you ask?"
"I see. My apologies for overstepping," Yi Bu said solemnly.
The Water Official smiled meaningfully before adding, "By the way, Sect Master Yi, there's another piece of good news."
"What news?" Yi Bu asked.
"The Head of the Su Family, Su Changhe, has entered Heaven Revelation City," the Water Official said slowly.
"So soon?" Yi Bu murmured, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.The Water Official lifted Su Muyu from the ground: "Yes, what a coincidence. Had he arrived just a step earlier, our plan would have failed."
"No need to seek him out just yet. Let’s see how he reacts when he can’t find Su Muyu," Yi Bu said with a laugh.
"Elder Yi’s foresight is impeccable as always," the Water Official remarked, hoisting Su Muyu onto his shoulder and heading toward the Shadow Prison. The Heaven Official turned expressionlessly and followed. This Heaven Official was, of course, Mu Ying in disguise. Only after they were out of Yi Bu’s sight did Mu Ying speak: "That Yi Bu was suspicious of me earlier."
"Yi Bu is naturally distrustful, but you handled it well," the Water Official replied.
"You’re quite skilled with idioms, brother," Mu Ying teased with a smile.
The Water Official glanced at her and curled his lip. "Your face is identical to the Heaven Official’s, but your voice is so... delicate. It’s honestly a bit unsettling."
Mu Ying covered her mouth with a giggle, deliberately striking a coquettish pose and narrowing her eyes at the Water Official.
"Disgusting," the Water Official muttered in resignation.
The two of them carried Su Muyu to the deepest part of the Chancellor’s estate. The Water Official explained, "This was originally the Shadow Sect’s headquarters, disguised as the mansion of a wealthy merchant in Heaven Revelation City. After Yi Bu became the Chancellor, he simply converted it into his official residence. The deepest part is the Shadow Prison, where important prisoners are held."
Outside the Shadow Prison stood two burly swordsmen. The Water Official flashed a token, and the guards pulled open the heavy doors. Leading Mu Ying and Su Muyu inside, they entered a dim, damp space filled with torture racks, yet the cells stood eerily empty.
"You made it sound so formidable, yet there’s no one here?" Mu Ying asked. "I haven’t left the Underworld Pawnshop in years. Has law and order in Northern Li improved so much that there are no criminals left?"
"The Shadow Sect was once the unseen guardian of Heaven Revelation City. But when light shines so brightly that even the night is illuminated, shadows become unnecessary. Now that the Langya King holds the authority to protect Heaven Revelation and Northern Li, the Shadow Sect has little reason to detain prisoners. Some are even transferred to the Langya King shortly after arriving here," the Water Official replied.
"No wonder Yi Bu is so eager to kill the Langya King," Su Muyu suddenly spoke, his voice weak and strained.
"You can still talk under the effects of the Drunken Dream Gu?" The Water Official tossed Su Muyu into a nearby iron cell.
Su Muyu sat cross-legged on the ground. "The Drunken Dream Gu isn’t like ordinary poisons. I’ve spent the last few hours trying to circulate my True Qi to break through its restraints, but all I’ve managed is to barely speak."
"Naturally," the Water Official chuckled. "It’s one of my proudest creations."
"I never got the chance to ask Chang He—why did you choose to cooperate with us?" Su Muyu asked.
The Water Official thought for a moment. "Must there always be a reason of profit? What if I said I admire you and Su Changhe? Would that suffice? Ah, but Su Changhe would surely say I have no right to admire him."
Su Muyu fell silent for a while before finally responding, "I understand.""Ha ha ha ha. To be honest, I don't understand it myself," Water Official turned around and said pensively. "It's just that I feel sometimes, major changes can be quite interesting things."
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