Dark River, capable of assassinating royalty and nobility in court and wiping out powerful sects in the wild, is the most feared organization of assassins in the martial world. However, its leader, the Patriarch, is aging and gradually losing control. During a mission to kill Tang Clan’s Second Master, the Patriarch is severely injured. Several faction leaders within Dark River send out assassins to kill him, while he seeks physicians to prolong his life. This race against time, concerning life, death, and the future of the assassin organization, begins. Fate brings two young men, who crawled out of piles of corpses and share a deep bond, to stand on opposite sides… This is also a prequel novel but is set after Shao Nian Bai Ma, approximately 8 years before the start of Shao Nian Ge Xing.. Official title: Tales of Dark River Associated Names: An He Zhuan, 暗河传 Status: ongoing Published by 不可能的世界 Author: Zhou Mu Nan Chapter 0 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Tales of Dark River — MyDramaNovel.com Tales of Dark River - Novelib
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became a little strange. Bai Hehuai turned around, gently fanning to disperse the smoke from the incense stick. The Patriarch stroked the Sleeping Dragon Sword beside him, lost in thought. The two seemed to have reached a silent understanding, neither speaking. After a moment of silence, Bai Hehuai finally said, "Patriarch, I've thought of a method to completely remove the poison from your body, but it's somewhat dangerous." The Patriarch's face twitched slightly. "Oh? Do tell." In the courtyard, Mu Yumo put on her rabbit-head mask again and continued gazing at the bright moon in the sky. Suddenly, a white paper butterfly floated down leisurely. Mu Yumo raised her finger, and the butterfly landed on her fingertip, fluttering gently before suddenly bursting into flames. Mu Yumo waved her hand abruptly and shouted, "You guys take the Patriarch and leave first!" Hearing the commotion, Bai Hehuai inside the room exchanged a glance with Patriarch. She quickly extinguished the incense stick and picked up her medicine chest. "We barely had a moment's respite, and now we must flee again." The Patriarch put on his clothes and picked up the Sleeping Dragon Sword. "Once you cure me, no one will dare to come after us!" Just then, with a loud boom, a hole was blasted through the back wall of the house, and the carriage was already waiting outside. "As expected of the Spider Shadows, every action is so swift," Bai Hehuai sighed, then shouldered her medicine chest and walked out. Soon, Mu Yumo was the only…
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…
Su Muyu stopped and swept his long sword fiercely around him in a circle. A surge of sword energy severed the lanterns held by the children, sending them flying. Su Muyu then swung his sword forward, cleaving the dense fog before him. The long-haired man, seated on his palanquin, glared fiercely at Su Muyu and drew a bizarrely long sword. Su Muyu leapt forward, landing in front of the palanquin. He swung his thin sword, clashing with the long-haired man's blade. Su Muyu yelled in a low voice, "Run!" The long-haired man flicked his sword, sending Su Muyu flying back. He sneered, "Run? You think you can kill me?" Su Muyu flipped in mid-air, landing gracefully. He twirled his thin sword lightly, not even glancing at the long-haired man as he turned his back. The long-haired man frowned slightly, about to give chase. But his palanquin suddenly fell apart beneath him. He leaped back ten feet, then looked down to find a tiny red dot on his chest, slowly spreading outward. "When did you..." The long-haired man's voice trembled slightly as he spoke. Su Muyu slowly walked forward, sheathing his thin sword back into the paper umbrella. He raised the umbrella, tilting his head slightly as a raindrop hit his face. Once again, he murmured softly, "Run." This time, the long-haired man didn't hesitate. He immediately turned and fled with all his might, disappearing from sight in mere moments. Su Muyu gripped the umbrella handle tightly, forcibly suppressing the killing intent in his heart. But though the long-haired man was…
In a short time, the chessboard was filled with pieces, and the pace of the game between the two players gradually slowed down. The middle-aged man sighed softly, "Your answers are always unexpected, yet when they come from you, they seem so natural, as if it were the most logical thing in the world for you." "I've been with the Su family for nearly two decades. The old master pulled me out of the river, and Changhe and I are brothers from the same Refining Furnace. To be precise, we're family," Su Muyu said calmly. The middle-aged man shook his head, "Someone like Changhe would never consider the old master or me as family. He only sees you as family." "But now, as Kui, I must protect the Patriarch's life," Su Muyu said in a deep voice. TN: in previous chapters, I used "Puppet Master," but I'll be using the original term "Kui" from now on. "Is that all?" The middle-aged man frowned slightly. "I always thought there might be some other reason." "Teacher, you taught me that commitment is the most important thing in our lives. Without commitment, an assassin who has been paid would turn around and kill their client for more money. In the end, order would be disrupted, assassins would have no reason to exist, and the Dark River would have no reason to exist either," Su Muyu replied. The middle-aged man gave a wry smile. "You're very smart, but sometimes too stubborn." "Having become a tool for killing, if there isn't a bit of stubbornness…
The spring thunder rumbles. "Whoa!" Su Muyu abruptly pulled on the reins, calming the black steed beneath him that had suddenly grown skittish. This black horse was a fine steed he had carefully selected, and it wouldn't normally be spooked by a mere clap of thunder. Once the horse had calmed down a bit, Su Muyu raised his head and looked at the three figures who had suddenly appeared before him. The leader of the group carried a massive sword on his back. He was a burly man with a gentle smile on his face. Beside him stood two women with alluring figures. One was dressed in bewitching purple, while the other wore flowing red robes that resembled dancing flames. The burly man smiled, "Brother Yu, you truly live up to your name. Wherever you go, rain follows." Su Muyu frowned slightly. “Su Changli, Su Ziyi, Su Hongxi. Did Changhe send you?” The burly man, named Su Changli, nodded and said, "Big Brother sent me. He said to stop you, and if that’s not possible…” Su Hongxi, the woman in red, giggled, covering her mouth. “Then we’ll have to put you to sleep.” Su Muyu's pupils narrowed slightly, and he immediately dismounted. A small, crimson flower, strangely alluring, shot towards him, thrown by Su Hongxi with a flick of her wrist. As Su Muyu landed, the flower whizzed past his head, its six petals suddenly bursting open, instantly piercing through the body of the black horse. Su Muyu hurriedly opened his umbrella and retreated, shielding himself from the splattering blood.…
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…
"Leave the Su family, go where you want to go, and do what you want to do. For hundreds of years, this is something that no one has been allowed to do. The old master of our Su family is willing to make an exception for you." Su Changhe shook his head repeatedly, "Such generous terms... Sometimes I really envy you. Even though we came from the same crucible, the old master's favoritism towards you is truly excessive." "What if I refuse?" Su Muyu asked. "The old master fished you out of the river and raised you for so many years. How many years have you followed the patriarch? Can your bond with the patriarch be deeper than your bond with the Su family?" Su Changhe asked rhetorically. "My bond with the Su family is indeed deeper than my bond with the patriarch. But I am now the Kui, and I can only be responsible to the patriarch." Su Muyu shook his head gently, "I'm sorry." "Exactly, exactly, That's exactly what I told the old master, knowing you'd say something along those lines." Su Changhe shrugged, gently flipped his wrist, and he was already holding the dagger, "Then the old master said, 'If that's the case, then kill him.'" Su Muyu gripped the oil-paper umbrella tightly. "Is the old master planning to seize the position of patriarch through treason?" "It's not just the old master, the Xie family wants it, the Mu family wants it too. So the position can only belong to whoever is strong enough to take it!…
Pure Yang Temple of Eternal Life. In the blink of an eye, the Spider Shadow assassins had all withdrawn, leaving only Su Muyu standing alone in the courtyard. He gently adjusted his mask and said softly, "Come out." The door of the Taoist temple was gently pushed open, and Xie Changze and Xie Jinke walked in from outside. "As expected of the renowned Umbrella Ghost, we were confident that we hadn't made a single sound, yet you still sensed our arrival." Xie Changze said with a smile. "The wind has shifted," Su Muyu said calmly. Xie Changze was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Truly extraordinary." Su Muyu tilted his head slightly. "The Xie family's Ghost in Purple Boots and Blade Demon shouldn't be here." Xie Changze took a step forward. "Our family head heard that the Patriarch was seriously injured and is anxious to bring him back to the main hall for treatment." Su Muyu extended a finger and drew a faint line in front of Xie Changze. "Do not cross this line. The Patriarch is fine, everything is well. Please return and report to the Xie family head that his concern is appreciated. The Patriarch is guarded by the Spider Shadows, so there's eveno need for him to worry." Xie Changze looked behind Su Muyu. Ever since he entered, he had been trying to sense the presence of anyone else in the temple, but aside from Su Muyu, he could detect nothing. Frowning, he said, "Is the Patriarch all right? Please allow me to see…
The man in the demon mask led Bai Hehuai out of the side room. Inside, the old man had fallen into a deep sleep after taking the pill Bai had given him. The two made their way towards the main hall of the Taoist temple. "My master met me when he was ninety and I was only five. He saw my extraordinary talent, recognizing the potential in me to become a future Medicine King. To prevent my senior brother from snatching me away, he took me in as his last disciple. Sadly, he passed away just two years later, and my medical skills were mostly taught by my senior brother. But in terms of seniority, I am indeed the junior martial aunt of the current Medicine King, Xin Baicao." Bai Hehuai pulled out a piece of osmanthus cake from her pocket and started to eat it as she walked. "I see," the man in the demon mask said. "But if that's the case, why aren't you in the Medicine King Valley? Why have you come all the way to Jiangnan?" Bai Hehuai tossed the osmanthus cake in her hand. "It's clear you've never been to the Medicine King Valley, There are only three thatched huts, two pigs, one horse, seven sheep, and a large vegetable field. Is there any place in the world more boring than that?" The man in the demon mask asked in confusion, "Is it really that desolate? I thought the Medicine King Valley would be quite prosperous." "My master left behind an ancestral instruction: when practicing…
