At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

At that moment, a black figure slowly emerged from behind the corner of the wall.

The man wore a wide-brimmed conical hat, pulled low over his head, obscuring most of his face.

She was dressed in a tight black outfit that hugged her body. She was slender and tall, with a long sword hanging at her waist. The scabbard was black, and her face was covered by a black veil, revealing only her eyes.

Those eyes were fixed on Su Mu, his brows slightly furrowed, his gaze scrutinizing and filled with barely concealed shock.

Su Mu did not move.

The two stared at each other for a long time.

The man in black spoke first: "As expected of the God of War in the hearts of the people of Qingzhou, you were able to detect my presence so easily."

His words carried a hint of resentment, but also a hint of admiration.

He considered himself to have superb lightness skills and that his tracking technique was from a prestigious school, so he never made a mistake.

But today, in front of this white-haired, hunched-over centenarian, he was discovered before he could even finish following him down one alley.

"I've heard so much about you along the way," the man in black continued, his gaze sweeping over Su Mu. "You killed Yeluqi, slew the barbarian butcher, defeated an army of fifty thousand, and recaptured two states..."

"That's incredible!"

Su Mu remained perfectly calm and asked:

"You've followed me for so long, surely it's not just to say these things."

"Speak frankly, I am all ears."

The man in black raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Aren't you curious about who I am? Aren't you afraid I'm here to kill you?"

Su Mu smiled.

"If you came to kill me, you wouldn't be standing so openly in front of me."

"Besides, with your strength, you can't kill this old man."

"General Su, since you're so straightforward, I won't waste any more words." The man in black took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. "I've come here today to tell you something."

Su Mu didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

"The Northern Di King has sent the Left Wise King Tuoba Lie to replace Tuoba Han and become the new Grand Marshal of the Northern Expedition. This man is extremely shrewd and his martial arts skills are unfathomable. He has many talented people around him. General Su, please do not be careless."

"In the Northern Di royal court, this man was known as a martial arts fanatic. He was obsessed with martial arts, abstinent from women, and not greedy for wealth. His only hobbies were practicing martial arts and finding masters to spar with."

"No one knows how high his martial arts skills are, because those who have fought him are either dead or refuse to talk about it."

"Anything else?" Su Mu asked.

The man in black paused, his tone becoming even more serious.

"Tuoba Han has secretly ordered the summoning of the Thirteen Black Cloud Envoys, an assassin organization he has cultivated, specializing in assassination, infiltration, and sabotage."

"The thirteen men are all highly skilled in martial arts, ruthless, and never fail. General Su, they are very likely after you."

Su Mu thought to himself.

The Thirteen Envoys of Black Cloud? Assassination by assassins?

Tuoba Han is desperate and resorting to any means necessary.

He lost Yuzhou and Qingzhou, and his 50,000-strong army was defeated.

The Northern Di king wanted to dismiss him from his post, and Tuoba Lie was going to replace him. He was unwilling to accept this; he wanted to turn the tables, and the fastest way to do so was not to win the war, but to kill Su Mu.

If he dies, the morale of the Daqian army will be thrown into chaos, and Tuoba Han will have a chance to counterattack.

"Why are you telling this to me, sir?"

"We're complete strangers, not related by blood or marriage. What are you risking your life to tip us off? What's in it for you?"

The man in black remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke: "For the sake of all the people."

Su Mu's brows relaxed, and a complex expression flashed in his eyes.

The man in black cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and said no more.

He lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his whole body floated up like a falling leaf.

With superb lightness skills and graceful movements, he leaped onto the high wall in just a few bounds.

"General Su, until we meet again."

Before the words were even finished, the figure had already disappeared over the wall.

Su Mu stood in the alley, gazing in the direction where the man in black had disappeared, lost in thought.

"What superb lightness skill!" he muttered to himself.

"This person's martial arts skills are extraordinary, and his lightness skill is even more superb. He is definitely not an ordinary swordsman."

He stood there for a moment before turning around and slowly walking out of the alley toward the Qingzhou government office.

"Tuoba Lie... Thirteen Envoys of the Black Clouds..." He muttered these two names as he walked.

……

The main hall of the Qingzhou Prefectural Government.

Qin Hao was reviewing military reports at his desk, which was covered with a thick stack of documents, including conscription lists, accounts of provisions, and city defense maps.

He rubbed his sore eyes, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and relaxed his furrowed brows.

"General Qin."

Su Mu walked in from the doorway.

Qin Hao quickly put down his teacup, stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Old Su, you're back? Why are you back so early today? Did you enjoy your stroll around the streets?"

"General Qin, I have something to tell you."

Seeing Su Mu's serious expression, Qin Hao knew it was no small matter, so he quickly sat down and leaned forward slightly.

"Old Su, what happened?"

Su Mu recounted in detail his encounter with the man in black in the alley.

After Qin Hao finished listening...

Qin Hao's expression changed instantly.

"The Thirteen Envoys of the Black Cloud?"

"Tuoba Han actually mobilized the Thirteen Envoys of the Black Cloud?"

Su Mu raised his eyelids and looked at him: "What, General Qin, do you know about this organization?"

Qin Hao took a deep breath.

"Elder Su, I have heard some secrets."

"The Thirteen Envoys of Black Clouds is an assassin organization secretly raised by Tuoba Han, dedicated to doing his shady things."

"Thirteen people, each with superb martial arts skills, appearing and disappearing without a trace. It is said that they have never failed. They only obey Tuoba Han's orders and are his last trump card."

He stopped and turned to look at Su Mu, his eyes filled with worry.

"Mr. Su, if these people are after you, then we're in trouble. They're in the shadows, and you're in the open; it's impossible to defend against them."

Su Mu smiled, unmoved.

"Bring it on! This old man's bones have nothing to fear from them!"

"However, I am more interested in something else."

"What is it?"

"That man in black."

"The fact that he was able to find out about Tuoba Lie and the Thirteen Envoys of the Black Cloud before our spies showed that his intelligence network was much stronger than ours."

"General Qin, do you know of any organization within the Great Qian territory that possesses such capabilities?"

Qin Hao frowned and fell into deep thought.

"I do recall two," he said thoughtfully. "One is the Shadow Investigation Bureau, the intelligence agency of the Great Qian Dynasty, which is specifically responsible for gathering intelligence on the enemy and monitoring officials."

"During the reign of the late emperor, the Shadow Investigation Bureau was at its peak, with spies planted in various countries. Its intelligence was unparalleled in its accuracy."

"However, as the power of the Great Qian Dynasty declined, the Shadow Investigation Division also gradually fell into disrepair and is now merely a shell of its former self."

"And the other one?" Su Mu asked.

"The other one is the Listening Wind Pavilion, the largest intelligence organization in the martial arts world. It is not under the jurisdiction of the imperial court and is not subject to the constraints of the government. It has been operating in the martial arts world for many years and its informants are all over the world. It is said that there are even spies of theirs in the Northern Di royal court."

"Even during the Great Qian Dynasty, many court officials had intricate connections with them. Some spent money to buy information, some spent money to destroy information, and some even got promoted and made a fortune through them."

Su Mu smiled and said, "So, that man in black might be from the Listening Wind Pavilion?"

Qin Hao nodded.

"This humble general is only guessing, but I can't think of anyone other than the Listening Wind Pavilion who could find out about Tuoba Lie's movements from outside the Northern Border in advance."

"As for the Shadow Investigation Division, with their current strength, I'm afraid they can't do it."

"The man in black said he did this for the sake of the people."

"Regardless of his background, at least for now, he doesn't seem to be trying to harm me."

Qin Hao nodded, but the worry on his face did not disappear.

"Elder Su, whether the matter of the Thirteen Envoys of the Black Cloud is true or false, we must be prepared. I will go and strengthen the guards of the government office and send more sentries around your room."

Su Mu waved his hand.

"No need. No matter how many men you send, you can't stop the real assassins. Instead, you'll only alert them and make them afraid to make any rash moves. I'd like to see just how capable those Thirteen Black Cloud Envoys really are."

"Moreover, it's time to give our special forces a unique live-fire exercise."

"Moreover, the most important thing right now is to reorganize the troops and prepare to recapture Cangzhou."

"Recapturing the northern border is of paramount importance."

Qin Hao clasped his hands and said, "This subordinate will follow Elder Su's advice, but I will still secretly deploy manpower just in case."

Su Mu nodded and did not refuse again.

"Alright, you go ahead and get busy. I'm going back to my room to rest for a while."

……

That night.

Su Mu lay on the bed to rest.

Outside the window, insects chirped, and the night wind rustled through the leaves.

In the distance, the footsteps of night patrol soldiers could be heard, approaching and then receding.

Everything is normal.

Suddenly, an extremely faint sound, mixed in with the sound of the wind, was heard, almost imperceptible.

"Whoosh!"

A dart shot through a crack in the window and landed on the bedpost with a soft "thud".

Su Mu's eyes snapped open.

He slowly sat up and reached out to pull the dart that was nailed to the bedpost.

The dart was small, completely black, and had no markings.

A tiny folded note was tied to it.

Su Mu unfolded the note and leaned close to the window to read it by the moonlight.

The note contained only one line of text, written in hasty handwriting, as if it had been written in a hurry.

"The Thirteen Envoys of Black Cloud have been dispatched. Be careful."

Su Mu's lips curled up as he said, "Come on, let's deal with them so I can send troops to Cangzhou."