Nine Nights Owl Song

The 20th day of the 12th month of the 17th year of Yong'an.

Five days have passed since Su Jiuge returned from Cangwu Mountain.

The two black lotus tokens were placed side by side in a hidden compartment by her bedside, squeezed together with the jade pendant, gold medal, and iron medal.

She would open the hidden compartment every night before bed to check, not to confirm that the items were still there, but out of habit.

He was used to being the head of the Dark Pavilion.

It is a true secret chamber.

A dark pavilion that is now just a plaque and ruins, a dark pavilion that she needs to rebuild from scratch.

The old drunkard has hardly left his room in the past five days.

He sits by the window every day, looking at the jujube tree in the yard, and stays there all day long.

He rarely ate the osmanthus cake, which he kept by his side, letting it cool from hot to cold and then harden.

The wine in the gourd is going down very quickly; I used to drink one pot a day, but now I drink three.

Su Jiuge saw it all but said nothing.

She didn't know how to persuade an old man who had waited for thirty years—waiting for an outcome, for a resolution, for someone to tell him, "You can let it go now."

She is not qualified.

Hades exists, but Hades is dying.

The old drunkard wasn't waiting for her; he was waiting for that young junior brother from the other side of time, and for his master's dying wish.

The 21st day of the twelfth lunar month.

Early in the morning, Su Jiuge knocked on the old drunkard's door.

The old drunkard sat by the window, holding a gourd of wine in his hand, staring blankly at the jujube tree outside.

He turned around when he heard the door open, his cloudy eyes bloodshot.

Su Jiuge walked in and sat down opposite him, taking the two black lotus tokens out of her bosom and placing them side by side on the table.

The old drunkard stared at the two tokens, at the identical black lotus patterns and sealing runes on them, his cloudy eyes fixed on them.

He reached out and picked up one piece, turned it over to look at the pattern on the back, and then picked up another piece.

The two tokens gleamed with the same cold, eerie light in the morning light, like a pair of long-lost twin brothers.

"It's real, it's all real. The materials, the craftsmanship, the runes, they're all real."

His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

"That old man wasn't lying to you."

The old drunkard placed the two tokens back on the table, neatly arranging them side by side, and remained silent for a long time with his head down.

"What did he tell you?" the old drunkard asked.

Su Jiuge repeated Hades' words verbatim.

The old drunkard remained silent for an even longer time after hearing this.

"Pluto has used you for thirty years."

Su Jiuge looked into his eyes; there was a glimmer of light in the old drunkard's cloudy eyes.

It wasn't tears, it was the thorn that had been stuck in my skin for thirty years finally being pulled out.

"They used me for thirty years, and they also protected me for thirty years."

The old drunkard closed his eyes.

"What he said is true. If he really wanted to kill me, I would have died thirty years ago. When I escaped from the Dark Pavilion, I was seriously injured, most of my dantian was destroyed, and I lost one-tenth of my martial arts skills."

I could handle every single one of the silver-ranked assassins he sent out; just enough to keep me alive and allow me to keep running.

He didn't want to kill me; he wanted me to live, to live and watch him become the leader of the Dark Pavilion, to live and regret not having given him the position back then.

The old drunkard opened his eyes, and a glimmer of light, one that Su Jiuge had never seen before, appeared in his cloudy eyes.

"He hates me, and I hate him too. But I don't want him to die, and neither do he."

Su Jiuge pushed the two tokens in front of him.

"He let you decide."

The old drunkard looked down at the two tokens and remained silent for a long time. Then he smiled—a smile as if he had waited thirty years for a single word.

"Keep it. You are the sect leader, this is yours."

He pushed the token back in front of Su Jiuge.

"He is a sinner of the Dark Pavilion, and so am I. You will walk the path of the Dark Pavilion for us from now on."

Su Jiuge did not refuse.

She put the two tokens into her bosom.

The old drunkard picked up the osmanthus cake on the table and took a bite.

It was cold and hard, but he ate it with relish.

"Girl, go and clean up the Dark Pavilion. It's such a mess, it makes me angry just looking at it."

Su Jiuge stood up, walked to the door, stopped, and didn't turn around.

"Old drunkard, you don't owe the Dark Pavilion anything anymore."

She didn't say anything more. The old drunkard watched her figure disappear through the door. He looked down at the half-eaten osmanthus cake in his hand, his eyes reddening, but he smiled.

As I laughed, tears began to fall.

Thirty years have passed, and he can finally put down the burden he's carried for these past thirty years. The old drunkard leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and the sunlight streamed in through the window, warming his wrinkled face.

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, Su Jiuge went to Cangwu Mountain again.

She didn't come alone this time.

Ghost Hand followed behind her, dressed in a brand-new black outfit, with the short sword he never parted with hanging at his waist. His face was still gaunt, but the light in his eyes had changed.

It used to be a dry well, now it's a deep pool—bottomless, but at least there's water.

Su Jiuge took him back to Cangwu Mountain to be the deputy pavilion master. He had been in the Dark Pavilion for thirty-one years and knew everything about it better than anyone else, making him the best choice.

Su Jiuge walked into the main hall of the Dark Pavilion headquarters. Hades was still in the same spot, still wearing that gray Taoist robe, his hair so sparse that it could hardly cover his scalp, and the age spots on his face were still clearly visible.

His body was aging rapidly, like an oil lamp that was about to burn out.

Upon seeing the ghostly hand behind Su Jiuge, Hades' lips twitched slightly.

"You've chosen the deputy head of the pavilion."

Su Jiuge walked to the long table and stood there, taking out the two black lotus tokens from her bosom and placing them on the table.

"The Dark Pavilion needs reorganization and requires manpower." Hades looked at the two tokens and then at the ghost hand, and after a while, he nodded.

"well."

Su Jiuge spent three days turning the Dark Pavilion headquarters upside down.

On the first day, she took a headcount of all the people who remained on Cangwu Mountain.

After the Dark Pavilion split, half of its men defected with Chen Beixuan, leaving only about forty people remaining on Cangwu Mountain.

Among them were three gold-medal assassins, eleven silver-medal assassins, and more than twenty guides and servants.

They were either die-hard followers of Hades or had nowhere else to go.

Su Jiuge gathered them in the open space in front of the main hall and took out both Black Lotus Tokens in front of everyone.

"The Dark Pavilion has a new leader. Those who don't want to stay, leave now, and I'll give you travel expenses. Those who want to stay, start abiding by my rules from today onwards."

Three people left. One of the top assassins left, and two of the silver assassins left. The rest stayed, not because they trusted Su Jiuge, but because they had nowhere else to go; Cangwu Mountain was their only home.

The next day, Su Jiuge announced the new rules.

She stood in the open space in front of more than thirty people.

The biting wind made her robes flutter loudly, and although her voice wasn't loud, everyone could hear it clearly.

"First, do not kill the innocent. Second, do not harm the loyal and virtuous. Third, do not do unjust things. These are the earliest rules of the Dark Pavilion. Hades abolished these three rules, and now I will put them back." A commotion arose in the crowd, and a silver-ranked assassin stepped forward. He was in his thirties and had a face full of scars.

"Master, if we don't kill the innocent, what will we eat?"

Su Jiuge looked into his eyes.

"The Dark Pavilion doesn't live by killing innocent people. There are plenty of corrupt officials, unscrupulous merchants, tyrants, warlords, and powerful ministers in the world who deserve to die. Aren't they enough for you to kill?"

The man opened his mouth as if to refute, but looking into Su Jiuge's eyes, he swallowed his words.

Ghost Hand stood behind Su Jiuge and said:

"Those who have objections can leave. The rules have already been explained."

No one spoke anymore.

On the third day, Su Jiuge reassigned tasks.

Ghost Hand served as the deputy head of the pavilion, in charge of daily affairs.

The two top assassins were responsible for training, intelligence, and operations, respectively. The silver-ranked assassins were reassigned to three departments, while the guides continued to recruit new members.

The rules have changed, but the structure of the secretariat remains the same.

Ghost Hand is a very capable deputy pavilion master, and he is adept at managing money, people, and resources, so Su Jiuge doesn't need to worry about him.

All she needs to do is set the direction and then delegate authority to her subordinates.

It was the evening of the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Su Jiuge stood on the roof of the main altar of Cangwu Mountain, looking at the sea of ​​clouds in the distance.

Ghost Hand climbed up the ladder beside her and stood next to her, following her gaze into the distance. There was nothing there, only clouds.

Su Jiuge said, "I'm going back to Luoyang for the New Year tomorrow."

Ghost Hand paused for a moment before asking, "Who's in charge of the Dark Pavilion's affairs?"

Su Jiuge said, "Mind your own business."

Ghost Hand opened his mouth as if to say something, but Su Jiuge said again, "You are the deputy pavilion master, if you don't take care of it, who will?" She said this so matter-of-factly and confidently that Ghost Hand couldn't refute it.

Su Jiuge jumped off the roof of the palace.

Ghost Hand stood alone on the roof of the palace, looking at the sea of ​​clouds in the distance and the black stone buildings at his feet.

He had been in the Dark Pavilion for thirty-one years and had never been to the top of this palace before. He never expected that his first time up here would be when he was ordered to do so.

He stood in the evening breeze, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly—something more complex than a smile.

He's committed to this person for life.

On the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, Su Jiuge returned to the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence.

The mansion was already decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, couplets and the character "福" (fortune) were pasted up, and big red lanterns hung all over the eaves.

The servants, dressed in their new clothes, ran around, each with a joyful expression. The New Year was just three days away; it would be Su Jiuge's first New Year since her return, and the Shen family planned a grand celebration.

Su Jiuge entered the old drunkard's room.

The old drunkard sat by the window, holding a gourd of wine in his hand, looking out the window. A small "福" (fortune) character had been pasted on the branch of the jujube tree, written in black on red paper by Su Chengxun, and pasted upside down.

"Good fortune has arrived," Su Chengxun explained, blushing.

The old drunkard didn't understand these things, but he thought they looked nice, so he didn't let anyone pick them.

Su Jiuge sat down opposite him and took out the two black lotus tokens from her bosom, placing them on the table.

"The Dark Pavilion is all set up." The old drunkard looked down at the two tokens and reached out to touch them.

The token was cold to the touch, feeling no different from an ordinary iron plaque. He said the Dark Pavilion was all set up.

He added, "Girl, you've worked hard."

Su Jiuge shook her head. It wasn't hard work, just a little tiring. Managing people was much more tiring than killing. Killing someone was a one-hit wonder, but managing people required constant monitoring, worry, and constant annoyance.

Su Jiuge picked up a piece of osmanthus cake from the table and took a bite for the old drunkard.

The old drunkard watched her; the way she ate was exactly the same as when she was three years old. She wouldn't stop eating once she started, but once she began, she couldn't stop, her cheeks bulging like a squirrel hoarding food. The old drunkard laughed.

The sound of firecrackers could be heard outside the window.

The children couldn't wait and set them off on the street ahead of time. The crackling sounds were particularly crisp in the winter air, like shattered ice on the ground.

Su Jiuge swallowed the osmanthus cake, picked up the wine gourd on the table and took a swig, choking and coughing.

The old drunkard patted her on the back. "Drink slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

The thirtieth day of the twelfth lunar month, Lunar New Year's Eve.

The mansion of the Marquis of Dingyuan was brightly lit.

Three large tables were set up in the main hall, where Su Zhentian, Shen Shi, Su Jiuge, Old Drunkard, Ghost Hand, Su Chengzhi, Su Chengen, Su Chengxun, and Su Wan'er were seated.

The whole family is finally together.

Su Jiuge sat next to Shen Shi.

Today she wore that lotus-root-colored cotton robe again, her hair was tied up with the jade owl hairpin that Xiao Yan had given her, and a straight sword hung at her waist.

Shen knew that this knife was like clothing to Su Jiuge; she couldn't go out without it, and she couldn't celebrate the New Year without it.

The old drunkard sat opposite Su Jiuge.

He wore a new maroon cotton robe today, bought by Su Jiuge; the material was even better than the last one. He still carried his wine gourd with him at all times.

Ghost Hand sat next to the old drunkard, dressed in a gray cloth robe, sitting upright and even more nervous than when he was in the Dark Pavilion, unsure which hand to use to hold the chopsticks.

Su Jiuge glanced at him and pushed a plate of osmanthus cake in front of him.

"Eat." Ghost Hand hesitated for a moment, picked up a piece, and took a bite. It was too sweet, so sweet that he frowned.

The New Year's Eve dinner lasted until midnight, when the sound of firecrackers echoed throughout Luoyang.

Su Jiuge stood under the corridor, looking up at the fireworks filling the sky.

Red, green, and gold flowers bloomed one by one against the sky, like flowers she had never seen before.

She wasn't unfamiliar with fireworks; she had seen them while on a mission on the rooftop of Luojing City—distant, cold, and completely unrelated to her.

Today is different; today these fireworks belong to her.

It was placed in the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence. Madam Shen specially had it bought, saying that "Jiuge likes to watch it."

Su Jiuge didn't know whether she liked watching fireworks or the feeling of someone setting off fireworks for her.

Footsteps sounded behind her. Su Jiuge didn't turn around.

The sixth prince, Xiao Yan, stood behind her, dressed in a moon-white python robe, with a gold ribbon around his waist and his hair tied up with a jade crown. The moonlight and the light from fireworks shone on his face at the same time.

"Why are you here?" Su Jiuge asked.

Xiao Yan walked to her side and looked up at the sky.

"It's too stuffy in the palace, I came out for some fresh air."

The palace is crowded and has many rules on New Year's Eve, unlike the freedom of the corridors of this marquis's mansion, where you can stand or walk as you please, and watch the fireworks whenever you want.

Su Jiuge didn't expose him. It takes more than half an hour to walk from the imperial palace in the east of Luojing to the Dingyuan Marquis's residence in the west of the city. He took a big detour just to get some fresh air.

Xiao Yan took out a small brocade box from his sleeve and handed it to her.

Su Jiuge opened it and found a piece of candy inside, a round, small rock candy, exactly the same as the one she had given to Su Wan'er.

"The food made in the imperial kitchen tastes better than what you get outside." Xiao Yan's tone didn't change much, but his words revealed a hint—the food outside was a gift from her.

Su Jiuge put the rock candy in her mouth; it was very sweet.

She didn't know what to say for a moment, and then thanked him after a while.

Xiao Yan looked down at her profile, the fireworks casting flickering light on her face.

On Su Jiuge's head, the jade owl hairpin gleamed warmly in the moonlight.

Xiao Yan smiled slightly and looked away.

Happy New Year, Night Owl.

Su Jiuge looked at the fireworks in the sky and replied softly:

Happy Chinese New Year.

The New Year's bells rang out from the direction of the imperial city.

The new year has arrived.

Su Jiuge stood under the corridor, with her first complete home in sixteen years behind her.

She is seventeen years old.

Fireworks burst in the sky, and rock candy slowly melts in your mouth.