A long, dark dream.
In the dream, there was no light, no people, only sounds.
Of desperate screams, soft weeping, eerie laughter… all kinds of sounds converged, making one feel as if they were in hell.
“Evil demons!” The dreamer shouted angrily.
“We may be evil demons, but is your Dark River any righteous sect?”
Voices, simultaneously mixing men, women, children, and the elderly, came from all directions.
They’re just demons. Cut them down with your blade, just like you’ve done time and time again!
The dreamer lowered his head slightly and reached for the longsword at his waist, then froze.
The sword was broken, only the hilt remained.
The voices slowly transformed into skeletons, lunging towards him…
“Haa!” The old man, drenched in sweat, awoke from his dream with a startled cry. He sat up abruptly, his hand instinctively gripping the Sleeping Dragon sword beside him.
Bai Hehuai and the others outside the house heard the startled cry and rushed back inside. They saw their Patriarch sitting on the bed, half-dressed, his muscles taut, his body radiating a chilling killing intent. When he looked up at them, his eyes seemed to burn with fire.
Mu Yumo quickly scanned the room, but found no signs of a struggle. Even the ceiling seemed intact. Puzzled, she asked, “What happened?”
“Get out!” the Patriarch growled.
Bai Hehuai patted Mu Yumo on the shoulder, “Sister Mu, please step out. It seems I may have used the wrong dosage of medicine. I’ll treat the Patriarch.”
Mu Yumo glanced at the Patriarch, nodded, and quickly retreated.
Bai Hehuai waved her hand lightly, and three silver needles leaped into the air. With a flick of her finger, the needles pierced the Patriarch’s chest. The Patriarch let out a long sigh, his energy seemingly drained. The long sword clattered to the floor, and the Patriarch leaned against the wall, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Bai Hehuai walked over to the Patriarch and said with a smile, “So, did the Patriarch have a nightmare?”
The Patriarch’s expression softened. “Hehuai, how many lives have you saved in your lifetime?”
Bai Hehuai frowned slightly. “How could I possibly keep count?”
“I’ve killed eight hundred and thirty-two people in my lifetime. Every time I kill someone, I mark it in my heart. These people often appear in my dreams,” the Patriarch said slowly. “Many of them, I don’t even remember who they are, but a voice in my heart tells me that these are the people I’ve killed.”
Bai Hehuai pondered for a moment. “Do these dreams become more frequent over time?”
The Patriarch’s face darkened slightly. “Are you saying I’m getting old?”
Bai Hehuai waved her hand with a smile. “The Patriarch is overthinking. For us doctors, these are just normal changes.”
The Patriarch picked up a pipe from the side of the bed and lit the tobacco inside. “In fact, I’m not afraid of such dreams. Every time before, I picked up my sword and cut the dream into pieces. If I could kill them once, naturally, I could kill them again! Whether in reality or in dreams, there’s no difference!”
At that moment, the killing intent emanating from the Patriarch made Bai Hehuai see a glimpse of the former God of Killing. But soon, the Patriarch took a puff of his pipe, and the killing intent subsided. He said softly, “But this time, when I drew my sword, it was already broken.”
After a long silence, the Patriarch murmured, “We need Muyu to return sooner.”
Bai Hehuai realized, “The sword in the Patriarch’s hand, you mean the Kui?”
The Patriarch came to his senses and realized he had lost his composure. He took another puff of his pipe and said, “Muyu is indeed the best sword I’ve had in these years. If he were by my side, I would feel more at ease.”
“He does seem like someone worth relying on,” Bai Hehuai nodded. “By the way, I’ve always wanted to ask the Patriarch a question. What’s your surname?”
The Patriarch’s pupils narrowed slightly. “Do you know that asking this question in the Dark River is a taboo?”
“Why?” Bai Hehuai asked.
“The Patriarch oversees three families and must ensure absolute fairness and justice. But before becoming the Patriarch, one must have been from one of the three families, so some bias is inevitable. Therefore, when each successive Patriarch takes up the Sleeping Dragon Sword, their name is forcibly erased. From then on, they no longer belong to any of the three families, but exist solely as the Patriarch.” The Patriarch slowly smoked his pipe, the room gradually filling with smoke. “However, I can tell you my surname.”
“My surname is Mu. Before becoming the Patriarch, I was called Mu Mingce.”
“Mu Mingce…” Bai Hehuai said softly.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that name,” the Patriarch smiled. “It feels like a lifetime ago.”
“So it’s Mu. I thought the Patriarch’s surname was Su,” Bai Hehuai said with a smile.
The Patriarch raised an eyebrow. “Is it because I trust Muyu so much?”
“At first, yes. But today I heard from Sister Yumo that Kui is a Nameless One?” Bai Hehuai took out an incense stick from her medicine box, lit it, and placed it in the incense burner.
The Patriarch’s pupils constricted slightly. “Oh? Hehuai, you also know about the Nameless Ones? Did your master tell you about this? This is one of the Dark River’s most closely guarded secrets.”
“He only briefly mentioned it. If the Patriarch doesn’t wish to discuss this topic, we can leave it at that,” Bai Hehuai said lightly.
“Tell me, what did your master say to you?” the Patriarch asked.
“My master told me that Dark River consists of three families: Mu, Xie, and Su. For centuries, these families have maintained their lineage, forming the world’s number one assassin organization, the Dark River. However, not every descendant possesses the talent for assassination. The dangerous nature of their missions led to constant losses, and over time, the families’ bloodlines thinned. Eventually, there weren’t enough capable descendants to sustain Dark River’s operations. This led to the creation of the ‘Nameless One’ project.”
You dispatch experts from each family to search the world for orphans with exceptional potential. These orphans are brought back to the Dark River headquarters and placed in a training ground called the Refining Furnace to learn the art of killing. Then, every six years, a test is conducted. A group of twenty is sent into the Wailing Abyss, where they engage in a deathmatch. The last survivor can undergo the ‘Surname Bestowal Ceremony’ and receive a surname and given name from one of the three families – Su, Xie, or Mu.” After finishing, Bai Hehuai turned to look at the Patriarch.
The Patriarch looked at her, his eyes calm, but his words were chilling, “Do you know that this information alone is enough for the Dark River to hunt you down to the ends of the earth?”