Chương 29: That Still Makes Me Happy!

A sharp, bitter taste coated the back of Xiao Xuan's throat. It was the distinct, earthy flavor of a medicinal paste. His eyelids felt heavy. He kept them shut, focusing instead on the subtle sounds echoing in the quiet space.

"Luoyang, I am done giving him the medicine. The physician has said he should wake up in a day or two." Xinyue? Xiao Xuan could recognize the nosy maid's voice anywhere.

"Okay. You may leave first. I'll be back soon." The response was smooth and laced with a familiar, chilling authority. Creak. As the heavy wooden door clicked shut, sealing Xinyue out in the corridor, Xiao Xuan finally managed to pry his eyes open. The familiar, intricately carved wooden ceiling of his own chamber swam into focus, bathed in the soft, warm glow of a rune lamp. A wave of relief washed over his exhausted muscles. He slowly tilted his head against the silk pillow.

Sitting a few feet away at a small rosewood desk was Su Luoyang. She was dressed in her pristine white and silver robes, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders as she meticulously scanned through a thick, leather-bound ledger. The flickering lamplight cast dancing shadows across her icy features. Xiao Xuan didn't move. He simply watched the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, the slight furrow of her brow as she focused on the clan's numbers. Unconsciously, a faint smile crept onto his pale face.

A full minute passed, filled only by the crisp rustle of parchment turning. Then, without lifting her gaze from the ink, Su Luoyang spoke. Her voice was flat.

"Why are you staring?" Xiao Xuan blinked, pulled back to reality by the sudden frost in the room.

"Looking at you… brings a sense of calm to my heart." Across the room, the thick parchment page stopped mid-turn. Su Luoyang's slender fingers froze against the paper. The pause lingered for a fraction of a second longer than necessary before she smoothed the page down, her face remaining an unreadable mask.

"Could you tell me how I got here?" Xiao Xuan asked, pushing himself up slightly against the headboard. Su Luoyang closed the ledger with a soft thud. She turned her chair slightly to face him, her crystalline eyes locking onto his.

"Xinyue came to your room to call you for breakfast," Su Luoyang explained, her tone flat.

"The morning after you appeared at the Council Hall. She found you lying unconscious on the floor. There was blood on your mouth and the floor." Xiao Xuan swallowed hard.

"The physician examined your meridians," Su Luoyang continued, her gaze narrowing marginally.

"He said it was the aftereffect of physical and spiritual exhaustion. Either from forcing your cultivation, or… over-exerting yourself in pill concoction."

"I figured…" Xiao Xuan murmured, rubbing his temples as the memories slotted back into place.

"You have been out for two days," she added. Xiao Xuan paused, his hand dropping from his face. He looked at the ledgers stacked on her desk, then at the oil lamp, and finally back at her. Xiao Xuan's face bloomed with a vibrant spark of life.

"Were you worried about me? Did you stay by my side all this time?!"

"No," Su Luoyang's eyes widened.

"Do not be absurd. I was only here to oversee Xinyue while she administered your medication."

"That still makes me happy," Xiao Xuan said effortlessly, his grin plummeting for a second before bouncing right back up. Su Luoyang stared at him.

"You said you would take care of yourself," she abruptly dropped the words, the ambient temperature in the room plummeting.

"Uhh…?" Xiao Xuan's smile faltered.

"You shouldn't continue your cultivation or practice alchemy anymore. I had warned you," Su Luoyang continued.

"Your body simply cannot handle it."

"Wait, Luoyang. This was just a minor accident—" Xiao Xuan explained hurriedly, leaning forward.

"Do you even know what you have gotten yourself into, Xuan?!" She stood up abruptly, the legs of her chair scraping loudly against the floor. Her robes flared around her.

"You are lucky your cultivation didn't deviate and instantly kill you! Do not force this. You possess no foundation! Even Father and Mother—""But I want to do it!" Xiao Xuan protested, his own voice rising to meet hers.

"I was careless once. I promise you, it won't happen again."

"Why are you so stubborn?!" she berated, closing the distance to the edge of his bed.

"There is no need for you to risk your life! As the son-in-law of the Su Clan, you will be well taken care of. If you stick to learning commerce and trade, you can help this clan without putting yourself in danger. You don't have to worry about the Branch Family targeting you—" Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

"Like I told you before, I am not doing this just for the clan," Xiao Xuan interrupted.

"I am doing this for myself. And I am also doing this for you, Su Luoyang. I know you carry the weight of this entire family on your shoulders. I have already started this path and I am not backing off. I have achieved so much already. How could you tell me to stop now?"

"I am not denying your achievements," she said, her voice dropping into a dangerous, icy whisper.

"But your methods only raise unnecessary suspicion and put your life in danger. I supported your decision to cultivate and pursue alchemy and I even defended you at the Council Hall when you hid the information about your master!"

"You could have at least told me about him when you first came to me seeking resources." She paused.

"Do you realise your own mistake? You constantly go around doing dangerous things on your own without telling anyone. If something fatal were to happen… If I had not sent Xinyue to remind you for breakfast, you would be lying unconscious on the floor, or worse, dead!" The intensity of her words hung in the air. The temperature in the room felt freezing. Xiao Xuan subconsciously pulled the silk sheets closer to his chest, inching slightly toward the opposite edge of the bed. Su Luoyang closed her eyes.

She took a slow, controlled breath, forcefully reeling her leaking martial aura back into her core. She turned around, walking back to the desk. She gathered her ledgers, storing them in her ring. She walked to the door, pausing with her hand on the brass handle.

"Rest well," she said coldly, not looking back. The door clicked shut. Xiao Xuan sat in the silence, staring at the empty doorway for a long time. The faint scent of sandalwood and medicinal paste lingered in the air. He leaned back against the headboard, letting out a heavy sigh. His mind drifted back to the vivid dreams he had experienced while unconscious. He had never experienced lucid dreams before. And he just had three of them back-to-back.

Thinking about the cold, unyielding Su Luoyang he had just argued with, a strange dissonance settled in his chest. He had dreamt of her all three times. A crushing pressure weighed heavily on his heart. Worry clung stubbornly to his breath. Fear lingered beneath it, refusing to disappear. Anger burned fiercely within his chest, directed somewhere he couldn't tell. Then, amid the turmoil, a quiet warmth surfaced with the rhythm of his heartbeat. It wasn't joy, nor comfort.

It was the relief of not losing something one cared about. They weren't his feelings. Am I still dreaming? Xiao Xuan stared at the closed door for a long moment. Are these Su Luoyang's feelings? He sat up straight, ignoring the dull ache in his chest. It's not a dream! It wasn't mind-reading. He couldn't hear her specific thoughts. When he first started his psychic cultivation, he could only perceive his own internal self. Now, he could sense the emotions of the other, flooding through him, as if they were his own!

He took a deep breath. He had to test this thoroughly tomorrow. He closed his eyes, ignoring his physical pain, and carefully checked his cultivation pathways. He hoped the accident didn't cause any further damage to his already weak meridians. Whoa! … The next morning, Xiao Xuan woke up feeling remarkably lighter. He climbed out of bed, washed off the residual sweat and medicinal smell in a hot bath, and dressed in a crisp, fresh set of deep blue main-family robes.

Smoothing down his sleeves, he made his way down the long stone corridors toward the grand dining hall. As he stepped into the room, the rich aroma of roasted spirit-boar and sweet congee hit his nose. Su Zhongtian and Liang Shufen sat majestically at the head of the polished rosewood table. Su Luoyao was happily munching on a steamed bun next to her mother. But the seat to his left was empty. Su Luoyang was missing. Entering the room, Xiao Xuan offered a polite, measured bow.

"Good morning, Father. Good morning, Mother. Luoyao." He took his usual seat, his eyes lingering on the empty chair.

"Is Luoyang not coming?" he asked, a hint of concern bleeding into his voice.

"Big sister went out on some clan work last night," Su Luoyao answered, her usually bright face looking a bit dull as she picked her congee.

"She'll be back in two days." Before Xiao Xuan could fully process the disappointment, Luoyao's face instantly brightened again.

"But don't worry! I'll give you company, brother-in-law!" she chimed in enthusiastically. Xiao Xuan smiled warmly at the petite girl.

"Okay. I would greatly appreciate that." The servants silently approached, filling his bowls. The family began eating, the only sounds the soft clinking of porcelain and the faint rustling of the morning wind through the courtyard windows. After a short while, Su Zhongtian set his chopsticks down and cleared his throat. The deep, rumbling sound instantly commanded the attention of the room.

"Xuan, regarding your master," the Patriarch stated, his gaze locking onto his son-in-law. Xiao Xuan paused, carefully setting his chopsticks down and listening intently.

"You shouldn't have hidden that information. Anyway, we are beyond that now. Su Luoyang trusts you, that's all that matters." Su Zhongtian continued, his tone authoritative but carrying an underlying note of satisfaction.

"Also, I've talked to Wei Tu, he claims you have done extremely well in your lessons. He also states you have rapidly surpassed the limits of his economic and administrative teachings. Therefore, I have decided that you do not have to continue your lessons with him anymore." Xiao Xuan blinked in surprise.

"Instead," Su Zhongtian declared, leaning slightly forward, "I have decided that starting today, you will handle all the business activities and supply lines between the Su Clan and Tang Auction House. Think of it as a managerial position. Wei Tu will continue to act as your personal butler and assist you." Xiao Xuan's eyes widened. Across the table, Liang Shufen continued to sip her jade tea silently. Beside her, Su Luoyao was staring at Xiao Xuan with sparkling eyes.

"This matter has already been discussed and approved by the Clan Elders at the council," Su Zhongtian explained, waving his hand dismissively to drop any worries.

"You do not have to worry about the logistics. The Su Clan's staff will handle the manual labor and ledgers. You simply have to instruct them and facilitate the actual business interactions with the Tang House members." The Clan Leader offered a rare, slight nod of approval.

"This will also lessen the burden on you. So that you can focus on your cultivation and your alchemy pursuits safely." Xiao Xuan nodded. He stood up, stepping back from his chair, and clasped his hands together in a crisp, traditional martial bow.

"Thank you very much, Father. I will not let you down."

"Haha, boy," Su Zhongtian chuckled, a deep, resonant sound.

"You do not have to thank me. This is the fruit of your own achievements. You made contact with the Tang Auction House and established a strong, highly profitable relationship with them. The Su Clan is relying on you now to maintain it."

"Wow! That is amazing, brother-in-law!" Su Luoyao whispered loudly, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Thank you," Xiao Xuan replied, sitting back down. He picked up his chopsticks, and continued eating.