Chương 13: It Will Only Make Me Stronger!

Standing in the doorway wasn't an assassin, but Xinyue. The young maid was tightly gripping a heavy wooden bucket of water.

"First Miss ordered me to wake you up early today so you aren't late for the morning meal," Xinyue declared, her face twisted in dissatisfaction as she stared at the neatly dressed Xiao Xuan. Xiao Xuan let out a long, exhausted breath, his tense shoulders dropping.

"I am up already. I'll be heading there now; you can leave," Xiao Xuan dismissed her with a flippant, casual wave of his hand, making sure to stick his tongue out at her as she turned.

"You—!" Xinyue flushed crimson, her chest heaving. But realizing she had no grounds to act out, she bit her lip, stomped her foot, and stormed off down the corridor, the water in her bucket sloshing angrily over the wooden floorboards. Xiao Xuan chuckled softly, smoothing down the crisp fabric of his deep blue silk robes. Shaking his head, he made his way toward the grand dining hall. …

Su Luoyang was already seated at the polished rosewood table, her pristine white and silver robes a stark contrast to the morning gloom outside. Su Zhongtian, the imposing Patriarch, and his fiercely protective wife, Liang Shufen, had just arrived and were taking their seats.

"Good morning, Father. Good morning, Mother. Good morning, dear wife," Xiao Xuan greeted, offering a polite bow. Su Zhongtian nodded warmly, gesturing for him to sit. Just as they settled, a flurry of footsteps echoed down the hall. Su Luoyao rushed into the room, panting lightly, her hair slightly messy before she hurriedly took the seat beside her older sister. A line of meticulously trained servants approached, laying out the breakfast spread.

The rich, savory aroma of steaming pork buns, spiced congee, and fragrant jasmine tea quickly filled the room.

"You were amazing yesterday! I heard you stared down a frenzied beast without even blinking! I—" Su Luoyao cheered, leaning over the table and looking at Xiao Xuan with sparkling adoration. Liang Shufen instantly shot her youngest daughter a look so sharp it could cut steel. Su Luoyao halted mid-sentence with an audible click of her teeth, her vibrant energy instantly shrinking as she ducked her head to stare intensely at her congee.

Xiao Xuan offered an awkward, apologetic cough and a quiet word of thanks, picking up his chopsticks. Su Zhongtian sighed, though his expression remained surprisingly gentle as he looked at Xiao Xuan.

"What you accomplished yesterday in the market is genuinely worth celebrating, Xiao Xuan. The entire Xianghai district is singing your praises this morning, and I am happy about that." The Patriarch paused, taking a slow sip of his tea before his deep voice dropped into a stern, authoritative tone.

"But do not let the flattery of the common crowd cloud your judgment. You are only a mortal. You must not provoke anyone again. Keep your head down, stay inside the estate, and stick strictly to your academic studies with Wei Tu." He set his porcelain tea cup down with a dull, heavy thud that commanded the attention of everyone at the table.

"I must inform you of something important. The annual Clan Screening is next week. All children and youths of the estate will be strictly screened for their cultivation progress. The talented will be rewarded with the inner clan's prime resources, while those who lag behind will lose their stipends and face demotion to the outer properties." Xiao Xuan listened intently, immediately grasping the political landmine this presented. As a member of the main family, he would have to participate.

"Your situation is unique, and the results won't have any formal consequences for your standing here," Su Zhongtian continued, his face turning grim and shadowed.

"However, you will undoubtedly be tested by the Branch Family. The First Elder and Su Jiang will not spare you. They intend to use the screening to publicly shame you, and by extension, strike at my authority." Su Zhongtian leaned forward, his gaze locking onto Xiao Xuan.

"You have already made a brilliant point that your physical weakness doesn't limit your courage. So, endure it. Keep up with your administrative studies, prove you can help manage the clan's commerce, and eventually, their political attacks will lose momentum."

"Don't worry, Father," Xiao Xuan replied calmly, placing his chopsticks across his bowl.

"I understand the stakes. I will not react to their cheap provocations. And as far as my cultivation is concerned… I can cultivate a little now. I will proceed at my own pace." The dining hall fell dead silent. The only sound remaining was the faint hiss of steam rising from the hot food. Snap.

"Did the clan physicians not make it clear to you?!" Liang Shufen snapped, slamming the tea cup in her hand onto the table.

"Your meridians are far too weak! Forcing ambient Qi through them will shatter your internal veins! It will kill you instantly, you foolish boy!"

"I know the risks, Mother," Xiao Xuan said, his voice unwavering, holding the matriarch's furious gaze. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"But remaining a powerless mortal will also get me killed. I need to do this. And if it doesn't outright kill me, it will only make me stronger!" He continued, "It may be more difficult for me to cultivate than the others, and it may take a lot more time, but I have already started, and I will not stop!" The family was stunned. Su Zhongtian and Liang Shufen exchanged helpless, worried glances.

Su Luoyao, however, looked as though she might explode with excitement; her brother-in-law was speaking with the defiant, unyielding spirit of a true martial artist. Deep down, beneath his mountain of stress, Su Zhongtian felt a reluctant, unexpected swell of pride in the boy's courage. Su Luoyang simply stared at him. Her sharp crystalline eyes betrayed a heavy worry that threatened to drown her. She looked as if she wanted to scream at him, but she kept her pale lips tightly sealed.

Finally, Su Zhongtian sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Just… do not neglect your academic learning with Wei Tu." … Later that morning, the warm sunlight filtered through the paper windows of the quiet study. Wei Tu and Xiao Xuan sat across from each other, scrolls piled high between them. Wei Tu unrolled a fresh scroll, launching into the Su Clan's trade relationships with the river merchants. By the third sentence, Xiao Xuan had interrupted to ask why they didn't simply undercut the northern suppliers during the dry season when river transport slowed.

Wei Tu opened his mouth, closed it, and stared at the wall for a long moment.

"Young Master… that would collapse three other clans' livelihoods."

"Only the inefficient ones," Xiao Xuan said pleasantly, already reaching for the next scroll. During a brief pause, as Wei Tu was sipping his tea to recover his mental faculties, Xiao Xuan leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"Wei Tu, what are the different ways I can make a lot of money in a very short time?" Wei Tu blinked.

"Well… standard paths include joining a mercenary company for beast hunting, appraising antique artifacts, or managing large-scale commerce. But the most highly profitable, prestigious profession is, without a single doubt, pill making. Alchemists hold immense wealth. Even a low-tier pill can sell for a small fortune to desperate cultivators." Xiao Xuan's eyes lit up.

"Excellent. I want to learn alchemy. Please arrange the necessary raw materials, a basic set of instruments, a cheap cauldron, and a beginner's theoretical manual." Wei Tu sputtered, coughing on his tea and nearly knocking over his expensive inkstone.

"Y-Young Master Xiao! Pill forging requires precise elemental Qi control! Only a seasoned, highly talented cultivator can even attempt to condense medicinal essence into pills! You are… Well, you don't have the Qi for it!"

"I am aware of the requirements," Xiao Xuan waved him off casually.

"Just make arrangements for the items for me, but keep it strictly discreet. I will have the funds ready for you by tomorrow." Reluctantly, outmatched by Xiao Xuan's confidence, Wei Tu swallowed hard and nodded.

"As you command, Young Master." After Wei Tu departed, Xiao Xuan stood up, smoothed his robes, marched straight to Su Luoyang's chambers, and knocked firmly on the heavy, intricately carved doors. …

"Come in," her cold, melodic voice echoed from within. Inside, the room smelled faintly of frost and lotus flowers. Su Luoyang was seated gracefully at her vanity, reading a thick, leather-bound ledger. Xinyue stood dutifully by the door.

"What is it?" Xinyue asked sharply, her morning irritation instantly flaring up again upon seeing him.

"First Miss is busy." Xiao Xuan ignored the maid, stepping into the room. His eyes were fixed on his wife. Xinyue took a half-step forward, ready to scold him.

"I need to speak with you privately, Su Luoyang," he said, his voice dropping its usual playful lilt.

"Xinyue is my personal maid. You can speak freely," Su Luoyang replied without looking up from her ledger, causing a smug, tremendously triumphant smile to spread across Xinyue's face. Xiao Xuan stopped. He let his shoulders slump dramatically, letting out a loud, pathetic sigh.

"I really can't, Su Luoyang. If that's the case, I guess I'll just leave…" He turned toward the door, dragging his feet slightly. Su Luoyang paused. She let out a soft, weary sigh.

"Xinyue, leave the room." The maid's smugness vanished as if she had been slapped. It was replaced by a boiling indignation. But she didn't dare disobey her mistress. She bowed stiffly, her face a mask of fury, and marched out, glaring daggers at Xiao Xuan as the heavy wooden doors clicked shut behind her.

"What is it?" Su Luoyang asked, finally closing the ledger and looking up at him. Her beautiful face was an unreadable mask of ice. Xiao Xuan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well… when I went to the market the other day, I was hungry, and Wei Tu generously paid for my lunch…"

"He shall be reimbursed," she interrupted, her tone tinged with annoyance.

"Why did you need privacy for something so trivial?"

"Because I need some money for myself, too. And… a storage ring." Su Luoyang's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Do you have any idea how expensive those things are? Why would you possibly need them?"

"As I mentioned at breakfast, I've started cultivating," Xiao Xuan explained, pacing slightly.

"And I want to try pill making."

"You cannot even cultivate properly!" she snapped, her regal composure finally cracking. She stood up.

"What has gotten into you?! Pill making? Cultivating? Are you trying to die?!"

"Please, Luoyang. Just hear me out," Xiao Xuan urged. He closed the distance between them, dropping all his usual snark.

"I know what I am doing. It sounds crazy. It probably is crazy. But I need to do this. Ever since you chose to marry me, I have been repeatedly targeted in and outside the clan. And I know you feel burdened to protect me." He looked directly into her eyes, refusing to let her look away.

"So, I need you to support me. So I can learn to protect myself, so you don't have to constantly worry about me. Please. I know I can do it." Su Luoyang gripped the edge of her desk.

"You don't have to worry about all that. Just do exactly as Father says and focus on your administrative studies. Once you can help in the clan's affairs, the elders will eventually shut up. That is all the help I expect from you. You are the son-in-law of the Clan Leader, a Qi Huang (Qi Emperor); no one will dare to harm you outside either. Don't torture yourself further, trying to do something that will permanently cripple or kill you."

"That may help the clan's ledgers, Su Luoyang, but that won't help you," Xiao Xuan countered.

"Today they stopped at just a political attack during a carriage dispute. Tomorrow there will be more!"

"You misunderstand the intentions of the branch family," Su Luoyang dismissed him.

"That was just the First Elder trying to get more leverage over the clan members. Even if Father were to protect you, they would at most use it against him during council arguments. They don't intend to take over the clan. They are not going to do anything severe to you." Xiao Xuan stared at her in genuine shock. Isn't that what always happens?