Lulai Town, Chenghua Inn.
A gaunt man sat in the room, leisurely brewing tea.
Xie Changze and Xie Jinke stood before him, their backs drenched in cold sweat, not daring to breathe.
“You fought with Su Muyu?” The man raised his head, revealing heavy dark circles under his eyes. He looked like a skeleton draped in skin.
Xie Changze said in a low voice, “Yes.”
With a “pa” sound, the man placed a teacup on the table.
Xie Changze and Xie Jinke both shuddered.
“We were incompetent and not his match. We let him escape!” Xie Jinke hurriedly said.
“Ridiculous.” The man slowly poured tea into the cup. “That was Su Muyu. What are you two? If you could defeat him, wouldn’t our Dark River’s reputation be a joke? I’m not angry that you lost to him, but that you let that Divine Doctor meet our Patriarch!”
Xie Changze sighed softly, “The Divine Doctor had already left when we arrived at White Crane Apothecary.”
“Idiots, as expected.” The man took a slow sip of tea and sighed. “The young woman you let go was the Divine Doctor.”
“Impossible. That woman looked under twenty. How could she be Xin Baicao’s junior aunt?” Xie Changze frowned. “And Su Zhe of the Su family also verified that the woman wasn’t wearing a human skin mask.”
TN: You might notice that Bai Hehuai is referred to as both “junior uncle” and “junior aunt” throughout this translation. The reason is the gender-neutral nature of the original term in Chinese, and Bai Hehuai’s name also does not have a specific gender association. I initially went with “uncle” since we didn’t know much about the character yet.
“If Su Muyu and the others had already met the Divine Doctor, why would they still be waiting for you at the Taoist temple? Based on your timeline, it’s only possible that the woman found them and told Su Muyu about your whereabouts. That’s why Su Muyu arranged for them to leave first and stayed behind to hold you off.” The man shook his head helplessly. “It’s my fault too. I should have handled such an important task myself.”
Xie Changze and Xie Jinke simultaneously let out a sigh of relief. The man’s tone had softened considerably, indicating that they might escape severe punishment today.
“Now, with the Patriarch gravely ill, the heads of the three families all covet that position. It’s a race against time; whoever gets the Sleeping Dragon Sword first becomes the new Patriarch. At such a crucial moment, I won’t punish you. But the next mission, you cannot fail. Otherwise…”
The man suddenly turned, flinging the teacup in his hand. It shattered the nearby wooden door into pieces.
Su Changhe appeared at the doorway, one hand still cupped around his ear in a posture of eavesdropping. With the wooden door now shattered, he could only awkwardly withdraw his hand and scratch his head. “Oops, got caught.”
“Su Changhe.” The man frowned slightly.
Su Changhe clapped his hands. “Brother Fanhua, your analysis just now was absolutely brilliant. Changhe is deeply impressed! I used to say that you Xie family members are the most brainless, but I take it back. I was wrong!”
The man stood up, his deep-set eyes fixed on Su Changhe, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. “Su Changhe, are you provoking me?”
“Who would dare provoke you, Xie Fanhua, the living ghost?” Su Changhe leaped from the railing, flipping over it and landing in the main hall on the first floor.
Xie Jinke rushed out and looked down, only to see Su Changhe waving at him from below. Furious, he shouted and was about to give chase.
“No need.” Xie Fanhua said in a low voice. “You’re no match for him. Going after him will only lead to humiliation.”
Seeing Su Changhe’s provocative smile, Xie Jinke was furious but knew Xie Fanhua was right. Enraged, he struck the railing with his palm, smashing it to pieces.
“Why do you always provoke the Xie family for no reason?” Su Zhe stood beside Su Changhe and said helplessly.
“The Xie family is the most fun to play with.” Su Changhe stroked his mustache. “Uncle Zhe, let’s go.”
Su Zhe walked out, holding his Buddhist staff and chewing betel nut. “The old man told me to come help you this time, and said to listen to everything you say. What’s your plan?”
“The Patriarch’s journey north is nothing more than stalling for time, hoping that Divine Doctor will cure his illness. Once the Patriarch recovers, with his methods, upon returning to Dark River, while the old masters will be fine, us errand runners will inevitably be eliminated. Therefore, our primary goal this time is that the Patriarch must die!” Su Changhe raised an eyebrow.
Su Zhe nodded. “And then?”
“Who wants to bear the blame for killing the Patriarch? If the Xie family or the Mu family are willing, I’ll gladly hand over this grand opportunity for fame and fortune to them. I won’t do it, even if the knife is handed to me. I’ll just kill that little girl. Once the divine doctor is dead, the patriarch can live for a few more days if he can. Let him live those few days!” Su Changhe stretched lazily, “Once the Patriarch is dead, let those idiots fight over the Sleeping Dragon Sword. When the time comes, with Uncle Zhe, Su Muyu, and me teaming up, who can compete with us?”
“Wait, wait, wait. Since when is Su Muyu teaming up with you? You two almost fought today,” Su Zhe spat out the betel nut residue and lit his pipe.
“For now, let’s go with this plan,” Su Changhe said with a smile. “I’ve sent a team to intercept Su Muyu. They aren’t particularly skilled, but they all share the Su surname and have previously worked with Su Muyu on missions. Su Muyu won’t kill them. And as you know, Uncle Zhe, it’s much harder to force a group to retreat than to kill them. So, Su Muyu won’t catch up with the Patriarch anytime soon. We’ll take this opportunity to kill that divine doctor!”
“The Patriarch and the Divine Doctor are now protected by the twelve Zodiac Animals. Are you that confident?” Su Zhe slowly exhaled a smoke ring.
Su Changhe curled his lip and looked up into the distance. “I sent a message to the imperial city in the north. There’s someone there from the Tang Sect, now in a high position, who was quite renowned in the martial world back in the day. In the Nine Rivers Pipa Pavilion, his three hidden weapons shocked the world. He’s a peerless master, on par with the likes of Baili Dongjun and Sikong Changfeng.”
“Tang Lianyue.” Su Zhe’s hand holding the pipe trembled slightly.
“Second Master Tang doesn’t live in the Tang Sect’s compound in Shu but bought a house in Liaoluo City. It’s because of his eccentric personality, he doesn’t get along with the Tang Sect members. In the entire Tang Sect, besides Old Master Tang, who has some brotherly affection for him, there’s only one person he’s close to. That person is Tang Lianyue. I don’t know why the Patriarch wanted to kill Second Master Tang, but I know that if Second Master Tang dies, the one who wants revenge the most must be Tang Lianyue.” Su Changhe smiled.
Su Zhe frowned deeply. “Changhe, this move of yours is very dangerous.”
“When the imperial court changes hands, they can use the entire world as a bargaining chip. So why can’t we, the Dark River, take some risks when it’s our turn to change our leadership?” A hint of ferocity suddenly flashed in Su Changhe’s eyes, which had previously held a playful glint.