The Yuan Family, Shortgrass Hall.
Yuan Wutong sat upright before his desk, flipping through an ancient tome titled “Ancient Tales of Gold and Stone.”
He wore loose white clothes, and he cut a lean figure. He had a bookish air, like a scholar who’d never participated in worldly conflict.
Everyone in the family knew their leader was an avid reader. Whenever he had a spare moment, he was sure to have his nose in a book.?He’d long since lost track of how much money he’d spent amassing books over the years.
Other people had “studies”, but Yuan Wutong had his own private library!
When he heard footsteps from afar, he didn’t even look up. “That you, Little Xi?”
“How did you know?” Yuan Luoxi was stunned.
Yuan Wutong set down his book and smiled, looking a bit exasperated. “Throughout the entire family, only you would dare barge in here while I was reading.”
“Oh…” Yuan Luoxi suddenly looked sheepish.
“Well, what is it?” Yuan Wutong rose with a smile and personally fetched a chair for his beloved youngest daughter. He then grabbed a teapot and poured them each a cup.
Yuan Luoxi shook her head. “Father, I’ll sit after I’ve said everything.”
Yuan Wutong seemed thoughtful. “It looks like you have something weighing on you. Did you run into a thorny problem?”
“Mm!” Yuan Luoxi took a deep breath. “Father, first, there’s something I need to get out in the open.”
But Yuan Wutong smiled and waved. “Don’t say it! How about I try guessing first?”
Yuan Luoxi pursed her lips and snapped, “You’re still joking around at a time like this?”
Yuan Wutong burst into laughter. “No matter how urgent it is, it’s not like the sky is falling down on our heads. Besides, if I’m not mistaken, you want to discuss something to do with that boy Su Yi, right?”
His gaze was like a vast, tranquil sea. Looking into his eyes, Yuan Luoxi felt as if she had no secrets before him, as if he’d seen through her completely.
Despite herself, she was flabbergasted. She couldn’t help but exclaim, “How did you know?”
“Girl, your father is the head of the Yuan Family. If I want to find out what you’re up to, it’s as easy as turning over my hand, isn’t it?” Yuan Wutong returned to his seat, sipping tea between sentences. “Besides, not long ago, you ran off on your own. Did you really think I wasn’t worried about you? When I heard you went all the way to Guangling City, I practically went looking for you myself.”
He shook his head, but his gaze was doting.
Yuan Luoxi stammered, “You… Just how much do you know?”
“Not a lot, but not a little either.” Yuan Wutong’s bearing was relaxed as he said offhandedly, “I know that you went to Mother Ghost Ridge, and that there was once a bit of friction between you and Su Yi. I know that when you returned to the prefectural capital, you traveled with him and Huang Qianjun. Hmmm…. I also know that, just two days after your return, you snuck off to Bottlegourd Alley to see him, and that your second brother caught wind of it….”
Even he couldn’t help but laugh.
But Yuan Luoxi was dumbstruck, and her expression changed erratically. Finally, she gnashed her teeth and said, “Father, you sure know how to put on an act! It’s been days, but you’ve let nothing slip at all! And here I thought I’d kept you in the dark this entire time!”
Yuan Wutong sighed. “I just wanted to know what was going on with my darling daughter. In the past, when you came home, you loved nothing more than spending time with me, but ever since your trip to Guangling City, it’s like someone else has stolen your soul away.”
Yuan Luoxi’s face reddened. “What are you talking about?”
Then, she suddenly recalled the purpose of her visit and said, “Father, then do you know why I came looking for you tonight?”
“I can guess.” Yuan Wutong’s smile faded, and he furrowed his brow. “I roughly?understand this Su?Yi’s abilities, and it’s clear he’s got quite a few secrets about him. Otherwise, he couldn’t possibly have obtained the power to slay six of the prefectural governor’s Qi Accumulation elites in just one year.”
He paused, then continued, “Also, I just received word that tonight, he slew several people in the House of Prosperity, all of them his former sectmates. This is quite the disaster he’s created; Blueriver Sword Manor is certain to come looking for revenge.”
As he said this, he fixed his gaze on Yuan Luoxi. “So, if I’m not mistaken, you’re here to request that I lend Su Yi a hand. Am I right?”
Waves of emotion coursed through Yuan Luoxi’s heart. She would never have guessed her father already had so much information at his disposal!
After a while, she looked up, her gaze expectant. “Father, are you willing to help? Or rather, I’m dead-set on asking for your help. Will you agree?”
Yuan Wutong was suddenly a bit jealous, and his expression was strange. “Tch, someone really has run off with my daughter’s soul.”
“Don’t change the subject!” she said, a little bit annoyed. “Get to the point!”
Yuan Wutong laughed. “Don’t panic. Let’s wait until Cheng Wuyong gets here. I have a few things to ask him. Then, I’ll give you your answer.”
Almost immediately after he said this, they heard footsteps approaching from a distance.
Cheng Wuyong and Yuan Luoyu had come together.
Yuan Wutong couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “Hah, Cheng Wuyong, that’s awfully dishonest of you. You even brought my son to help sway me?”
“Family Head, please don’t be angry,” Cheng Wuyong said hurriedly. He smiled sheepishly, then explained, “I just thought that?having Second?Young Master here would help prove some things.”
Yuan Wutong said irritably, “Speak. I’ll be curious to see just how you plan to help Little Xi persuade me.”
Cheng Wuyong thought about it, then said solemnly, “Family Head, I have just three things to tell you.”
Then, he told Yuan Wutong about their operation in Mother Ghost Ridge, about what they experienced on the tower ship, and about how Su Yi “gave him pointers.”
After hearing the entire tale, Yuan Wutong couldn’t help but sink into silence.
A mere youth had once slain a?Six-Severings?Yin?Corpse during a downpour, under the cover of night. He’d bested a Grandmaster aboard a tower ship, and he casually and understatedly gave Cheng Wuyong, a peak Qi Accumulation expert, guidance.
It was like listening to a fairytale!
Had anyone else told him such a story, Yuan Wutong would have long since turned up his nose and called them a madman.
But since these words came from Cheng Wuyong’s mouth, he couldn’t help but take them seriously.
After a while, Yuan Wutong’s gaze returned to Yuan Luoxi. “Little Xi, do you have anything else to say?”
Yuan Luoxi’s little face was utterly serious. “Father, in my heart, Master Su is as capable as a fallen immortal. I’m certain that he has no need for our Yuan Family’s assistance. Even so, how can I remain uninvolved when I know he’s encountered trouble?”
Yuan Wutong nodded, then looked at Yuan Luoyu. “What about you? Do you have anything else to add?”
Yuan Luoyu looked a bit sheepish. “Father, you probably don’t know this part, but Young Lord Su and I once fought. The result…. Well, let’s just say that no other member of the Cloudriver Prefectural Capital’s younger generation has ever convinced me of his strength, but I can’t?not?be convinced?of Young Lord Su’s abilities!”
This time, Yuan Wutong smiled. “Interesting. Fascinating! The cast-off disciple of Blueriver Sword Manor, in just one year, managed to acquire methods on par with a fallen immortal. It really takes my breath away! I’d love to pay him a visit myself.”
“Father, does that mean you’ve agreed to help?” Yuan Luoxi lit up with delight.
Yuan Wutong sighed with exasperation. “If I refused, wouldn’t it seem that despite being head of the family, my judgment and breadth of vision is inferior to?you lot?”
But then, he seemed gratified. “Little Xi, you really have grown up. You understand what it means to?repay a kindness, and you don’t just have your own ideas; you’re willing to act on them, too. You’re far more impressive than your second brother, who just knows how to fight and kill.”
Yuan Luoxi lit up and whooped for joy.
Yuan Luoyu, meanwhile, looked blue.?If you want to praise my little sister, just do it. Why insult me in the process? Father doesn’t even try to hide his favoritism for Little Xi.
Cheng Wuyong hesitated, but in the end, he said it anyway. “Family Head, if the Yuan Family gets involved, it’s highly likely to put us at odds with both Blueriver Sword Manor and the prefectural governor. If so, it’ll affect everyone at all levels of the Yuan Family. You have to make sure to think this through.”
Yuan Wutong said flatly, “Then have you considered that the Yuan Family might very well be able to seize this chance to rise to a whole new level?”
Cheng Wuyong’s heart shook. He realized that the family head had long since weighed the pros and cons.
Suddenly, Yuan Wutong said curiously, “Elder Cheng, where is that line of calligraphy Su Yi gave you? Take it out so I can see it.”
“Uh….” Cheng Wuyong removed the scroll from his sleeves with extreme reluctance, then passed it to Yuan Wutong. “Family Head, you can look, but you can’t take it for yourself. I still need it to help me become a Grandmaster.”
“Look at you! How short-sighted you are! How could I possibly take advantage of you like that?” Yuan Wutong snorted coldly. As he spoke, he unfurled the scroll. 𝒃𝙚𝙙𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝒍．𝒆𝒕
Then, his eyes lit up, and his back straightened. His eyes widened as surprise gradually spread across his face. He seemed transfixed.
He was an avid reader, but he also liked collecting copybooks of calligraphy, both modern and ancient. He naturally sensed these characters’ charm!
When he saw Yuan Wutong staring intently at the calligraphy for quite some time, Cheng Wuyong couldn’t help but remind him, “Family Head, don’t you think it’s time to return it to me?”
Yuan Wutong reacted as if awakening from a dream. He rolled the scroll back up, then exhaled, sighing with emotion. “Just eight characters, yet his absolute confidence is on full display! This is a man brave enough to look down on the entire world! The most miraculous part is, every word contains a spiritual imprint. The charm and rhythm of his Martial Dao are on full display. Examining it in detail, I felt its beauty, but I also gained enormously. Someone like this really is worthy of the title of ‘fallen immortal!’”
Yuan Luoxi and Yuan Luoyu looked at each other. They couldn’t help but find it funny.?It seems what really moved Father was Master Su’s masterful calligraphy!
“Family Head, give it back to me.” Cheng Wuyong couldn’t help but remind him.
Yuan Wutong laughed. “What are you in such a rush for? For now, leave the scroll with me for safekeeping. You can come back whenever you want to see it.”
Cheng Wuyong was instantly frantic. “Family Head, you just said you wouldn’t take advantage of me! Surely you can’t just go back on your word?”
“Hm? Did I say that?” Yuan Wutong feigned confusion. “Besides, it’s not like I’m not going to return it to you. I’m just… helping you look after it. What are you so frantic about?”
When he saw that Cheng Wuyong was about to object, Yuan Wutong got up and left, taking the scroll with him. “It’s getting late. I’d better return to my chambers and get some rest. You should go back too.”
Cheng Wuyong was at a loss. “…..”
Yuan Luoyu and Yuan Luoxi were unwittingly stunned.
They could never have anticipated this. How lofty was their father? Yet here he was, playing dirty tricks over a line of calligraphy. This was really a rare sight!
What was this?
Going back on his word?
“Argh! I knew I should never have taken it out!” Cheng Wuyong sighed, then tried to comfort himself. “But at least the family head agreed to help Master Su in the end. It’s just a line of calligraphy. It’s still…. It’s worth it! In any event, he said I can come back to look at it whenever I want…”
Although he said this, his heart ached.