Nine Nights Owl Song

The dragon and phoenix candles burned for half the night.

Su Jiuge and Xiao Yan changed their clothes—Su Jiuge put on the lotus-colored cotton robe, and the straight sword was hung at her waist again; Xiao Yan wore a moon-white casual outfit, and his hair was casually tied up with a hairpin.

The two sat facing each other in the bridal chamber, separated by a table on which was a osmanthus cake made by Shen.

Su Jiuge ate a piece.

Aren't you going to eat?

Xiao Yan looked at her.

"You eat. Who knows how many tough battles we'll face tonight."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a slight noise came from the courtyard—not the sound of wind, but the sound of tiles being crushed underfoot.

Su Jiuge put down the osmanthus cake and placed her hand on the knife handle.

Xiao Yan did not move, but picked up his teacup and slowly sipped it.

"Here it comes," he said.

Seven people stood in the courtyard under the moonlight.

The leader was dressed in a black outfit, his face was not covered by a black cloth, but a mask covered half of his face, revealing a clearly defined jawline, and a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

His weapon was a pair of short blades, held in reverse in his hand, the blades gleaming with a cold, eerie light under the moonlight.

Behind him were six people, all dressed in black, their faces covered with black cloth, holding different weapons. Judging from their positions, they were all seasoned assassins.

All seven men were highly skilled.

There were three at the peak of the Transformation Realm and three at the late stage of the Transformation Realm.

The leader, a "shadow," possessed an aura as deep and unfathomable as an abyss—a true Core Formation Realm cultivator.

Su Jiuge pushed open the door and walked out, standing under the eaves.

"The Second Prince's men?"

"Two million taels for your head."

The shadow's voice was languid, its tone like that of someone chatting in a teahouse.

"I accepted. But I changed my mind. I heard Night Owl is a woman, and I want to see what kind of woman is worth two million taels."

Shen Qing drew his longsword and stood in front of Su Jiuge.

Zhao Xiaohe had followed them out at some point, peeking out from behind a pillar with half her head out, holding a short knife in her hand, the tip of which was trembling slightly.

The shadow laughed.

When he smiled, the mask covered the upper half of his face, revealing only the corners of his mouth. But there was a hint of nonchalance, a hint of cynicism, and a hint of something indescribable in that smile.

"Be careful."

Before the words were even finished, all seven people moved at the same time.

Six people rushed towards Su Jiuge, but his shadow remained motionless in place—he was waiting.

Wait until Su Jiuge reveals a flaw.

Shen Qing stopped one of them.

The ghostly hand emerged from the shadows and blocked the second one.

The guards of the Prince's Palace swarmed forward and surrounded the remaining four people.

An empty space appeared in front of Su Jiuge, and her gaze swept over the chaotic crowd, landing on the face of the shadow.

The shadow tilted its head to look at her.

"Night Owl, late stage of Transformation Realm. I could crush you with a single finger."

"Then give it a try."

Su Jiuge drew her sword.

The blade flashed, drawing a silvery-white arc in the moonlight.

The shadow didn't dodge. He reversed his grip on the short blade and lightly parried, the tip of the blade grazing the edge, sending sparks flying.

His strength was astonishing; Su Jiuge's hand was numb from the impact, and she almost dropped the straight knife.

The overwhelming power of the Core Formation Realm over the Transformation Realm was fully demonstrated in terms of strength—she took three steps back.

The shadow's eyes curved into a smile.

"Again."

Su Jiuge gritted her teeth and went for it again.

The blades flashed and the short swords flew as the two fought for more than a dozen rounds under the moonlight.

Su Jiuge's swordsmanship was fast and ruthless, each strike aimed straight for vital points; Shadow's movements were unpredictable, always managing to dodge the blade just before it reached her body, like an elusive snake.

He was playing with her, like a cat playing with a mouse—not that he couldn't kill her, but that he hadn't had enough fun yet.

The shadow's short blade pierced towards Su Jiuge's throat.

That strike was too fast, so fast that Su Jiuge had no time to dodge; it was a complete and utter display of overwhelming power.

She instinctively turned to the side, the blade grazing her neck and shaving off a strand of hair.

The short blade did not stop.

With a flick of his wrist, the short blade changed direction in mid-air and stabbed at the back of her neck once more.

She couldn't dodge that blow; she knew she couldn't.

A hand reached out from behind her and firmly grasped the blade.

Blood dripped from between her fingers and onto Su Jiuge's shoulder.

Xiao Yan stood behind her, his right hand gripping the shadow's short blade, the edge embedded in his palm, blood dripping down.

His face showed no pain, no anger, no murderous intent; it was as calm as a stagnant pool. But beneath that stagnant pool lay the inner strength of someone at the Core Formation Realm.

A profound, powerful, and unfathomable inner strength.

The shadow's pupils suddenly contracted.

Xiao Yan loosened the blade; the wound on his palm was so deep that bone was visible, and blood flowed incessantly.

He didn't look at his wound, but at his shadow, his voice languid:

You hurt her.

The shadow took two steps back and looked at the person in front of it again.

The sixth prince, Xiao Yan, was a notorious wastrel in the court—a mere cultivator at the Core Formation Realm.

His hand gripping the short blade trembled slightly, not from fear, but from excitement.

"interesting."

The shadow's voice changed; it was no longer that nonchalant languor, but a passionate intensity that had been ignited.

"This is very interesting. The Sixth Prince, Xiao Yan, has reached the Core Formation Realm."

He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply to Xiao Yan.

"I am Shadow, and I welcome your challenge."

Xiao Yan looked at him.

Shadow straightened up, his mouth stretching to his ears.

"I've changed my mind. I don't want the two million taels anymore, and I'm not taking the Second Prince's orders. From today onwards, I'll follow you. We'll fight once every six months."

Xiao Yan frowned slightly.

"No, it's once every six months."

The shadow was so excited that it became incoherent.

"You are the strongest opponent I have ever faced, and I must defeat you. If I can't beat you, I'll keep fighting until I do. If you agree, I'll join the Dark Pavilion. You'll be in charge, and I'll be under your command."

Xiao Yan turned to look at Su Jiuge.

Su Jiuge also looked at Xiao Yan, exchanging a silent glance—

You caused this mess, why are you looking at me like that?

If they are your opponent, deal with them yourself.

He looked into Su Jiuge's eyes and understood what she meant.

She didn't want to take this person in, but he thought this person was useful.

Shadow, the Realm of Embracing Elixir.

There are no more than twenty experts at the Core Formation Realm in the entire Great Liang Dynasty, and not a single one in the Dark Pavilion.

If he can join the Dark Pavilion, the Dark Pavilion's strength will increase significantly.

Xiao Yan said, "You will join the Dark Pavilion and listen to her."

The shadow glanced at Su Jiuge, then at Xiao Yan.

"She can't beat me."

"When she can beat you, listen to her. When she can't, listen to me."

Xiao Yan's tone was as calm as still water.

The shadow thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"make a deal."

He reached out and took off his mask.

Beneath the mask was a young face with sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose, and a naturally upturned mouth, giving off a cynical and roguish smile.

He looks like a spoiled young master who ran away from home, not an assassin.

Zhao Xiaohe peeked out from behind him, paused for a moment when she saw his face, and muttered something under her breath.

"She's actually quite good-looking."

The shadow turned around and grinned at her, and Zhao Xiaohe blushed and shrank back.

This late-night farce has finally come to an end.

The six people brought by the shadow stood in a row, heads bowed like children who had done something wrong.

The shadow walked up to Su Jiuge, clasped its hands together, and knelt on one knee.

"Zhao Ying greets Pavilion Master."

Su Jiuge looked down at him.

"Your real name is Zhao Ying?"

He looked up and smiled, revealing a set of white teeth.

"At home, she takes her father's surname; when she goes out, she uses her stage name. The 'shadow' in 'shadow'."

Su Jiuge looked at his carefree, smiling face, and then at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan nodded.

Su Jiuge said, "The rules of the Dark Pavilion are: do not kill the innocent, do not harm the loyal and virtuous, and do not commit unjust acts. If you violate any of these rules, I will kill you with my own hands."

Zhao Ying clasped his hands in a fist salute. "Your subordinate obeys."

Su Jiuge turned around and walked back to the bridal chamber. Xiao Yan followed behind her.

Zhao Ying knelt on the ground, watching Su Jiuge and Xiao Yan's backs, the smile on her lips slowly fading away.

There was a light in his eyes—not murderous intent, not ambition, but the burning desire to finally find a worthy opponent after a long search.

He stood up and waved to his subordinates:

"Let's go find a place to drink." The six men followed him.

Shen Qing stood under the eaves, a wound on his left arm inflicted by the assassin's knife. The wound wasn't deep, but blood had already soaked through his sleeve.

Zhao Xiaohe ran up to him, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, and hurriedly wrapped it around his wound, muttering, "You've bled a lot, does it hurt?"

Shen Qing looked down at the top of Zhao Xiaohe's head without flinching.

Zhao Xiaohe finished wrapping the handkerchief and looked up; their eyes met.

Shen Qing moved away first, and said two words stiffly:

"It doesn't hurt." Zhao Xiaohe smiled with relief.

Shen Qing turned her face away and looked in the direction where Zhao Ying disappeared into the night.

A person with disabilities is not worthy of such a clean-looking girl.

He tucked his left arm behind his back—the empty sleeve swayed gently in the night breeze.

Unaware, Zhao Xiaohe ran back behind the pillar to pick up the fallen dagger, then ran back to stand next to him.

Ghost Hand emerged from the shadows, looked at the mess in the yard, picked up a piece of broken tile, and threw it into the flower bushes.

"These people are making a huge scene during the wedding night."

The dragon and phoenix candles are still burning.

Su Jiuge and Xiao Yan sat facing each other, with a table between them.

The plate of osmanthus cake on the table was still there, but it had gone cold. The two remained silent for a long time.

Xiao Yan's hand had just been bandaged by the doctor, wrapped in thick white cloth, and lay motionless on the table, occasionally bending his fingers slightly.

Su Jiuge looked at that hand.

Why did you take that blow?

"You can't escape." Xiao Yan's voice was very soft.

"Even if you don't block me, I can still dodge."

Xiao Yan looked at her.

She knew she couldn't dodge that blow; she knew he had blocked it.

I'm going to sleep.

Su Jiuge placed the straight knife under her pillow and lay down.

After a long while, Su Jiuge finally spoke.

"Xiao Yan".

"Um."

"You did this on purpose today."

Xiao Yan did not answer.

"You deliberately exposed your strength. You knew that if Shadow saw your strength, he would pester you. You deliberately let him join the Dark Pavilion. The Dark Pavilion is short of experts at the Core Formation Realm, and so is the Thousand Machine Pavilion."

Su Jiuge paused for a moment,

"You used yourself as bait."

Xiao Yan's voice was very soft.

"You're safe now, and the Dark Pavilion has gained another expert. My injuries are worth it."

Su Jiuge remained silent.

She closed her eyes and listened to Xiao Yan's breathing.

He was injured; the wound was deep, and the doctor said it almost broke the bone. It must have hurt a lot, but he didn't say anything.

Su Jiuge stared at the top of the tent with her eyes open, unsure of what she was feeling.

It wasn't being moved, nor was it feeling sorry for her; it was something indescribable—like someone had stood in front of her and taken a knife for her, and she didn't know how to repay them.

"Xiao Yan".

"Um."

"Don't take the blame for me anymore."

Xiao Yan remained silent for a long time.

I will try my best.

Su Jiuge didn't ask any more questions.

The candlelight flickered on the dragon and phoenix bridal candles, signaling the end of the wedding night. Four assassins had died, two had been captured, and one had joined their ranks.

Su Jiuge touched the straight knife under the pillow.

She was very tired.

The moon slowly sank in the west outside the window.

One by one, the lanterns in Prince Zhao's mansion were extinguished.

On the tenth day of the third month of the eighteenth year of Yong'an, at the third quarter of the hour of Chou.

Su Jiuge finally closed her eyes.