Chapter 28: Gathering, The Su Mother and Daughter

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Lin Fan followed Su Xingyue into the Su family’s treasury. The treasury was not as magnificent and dazzling as he had imagined; instead, it appeared somewhat plain, even shabby. The walls were built from bluestone, neat and clean, without excessive decoration. Rows of wooden shelves were neatly arranged, holding various cultivation resources. However, the quantities were limited, easily seen at a glance. Most were low-grade spiritual herbs emitting faint spiritual energy fluctuations. Lin Fan casually scanned them and recognized several common herbs used by Qi Refinement stage cultivators, such as Clear Heart Grass, Blood-Congealing Vine, and Yellow Essence Mushroom. These were basic materials for crafting low-grade pills, somewhat useful for cultivators at the Qi Refinement stage. Besides the herbs, there were some dark-colored black iron ores quietly resting on the shelves. Lin Fan stepped forward and picked one up to weigh it. The weight was decent, but the quality was only average, barely enough for forging some low-grade magical tools. On the other side of the shelves, a few porcelain jars stood, containing some Qi Condensing Pills, though the quantities were not many. Lin Fan felt a bit disappointed. He had hoped the Su family treasury would bring some surprises, but it was nothing like he expected. “Husband, please forgive us,” Su Xingyue said softly. “The Su family is just a small clan, incomparable to the great sects. Our cultivation resources are not abundant.” Lin Fan sighed inwardly. He had planned to gather some cultivation resources or spirit stones from the Su family treasury for future use. Now, it seemed that plan was nearly doomed. “What do you want, husband?” Su Xingyue asked, noticing the disappointment on Lin Fan’s face. “Spirit stones, of course!” Lin Fan spread his hands. Su Xingyue led Lin Fan to a wooden box at the front of the treasury. “Actually, up until a year ago, there were still plenty of spirit stones and cultivation resources here,” she explained. “But the Su family lost much of its land to the hostile Liu family, causing income to sharply decline. My mother’s breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage also consumed a large amount of resources.” “And then there’s me. I’ve been training hard lately, using up quite a bit of resources.” “Otherwise, I would have traded with my master, helping her advance in cultivation with your ability in exchange for resources.” She opened the wooden box in front of her. Lin Fan’s eyes brightened as he saw the box half-filled with spirit stones of various colors. “There are fewer than two thousand spirit stones left here, meant for the future cultivation of Su family disciples. If you really need them, husband, just take them!” Su Xingyue said hesitantly.

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Lin Fan understood the unspoken meaning behind Su Xingyue’s words: the Su family was currently poor, and if he took these spirit stones, the disciples might have none left for their cultivation. But Lin Fan pretended not to understand. With a wave of his hand, a flash of spiritual light appeared, and the spirit stones rapidly shrank, flowing like a stream into the storage pouch at his waist. He held no feelings of attachment to the Su family, and this was compensation for Su Xingyue imprisoning him. So he felt no psychological burden in taking them. “These Qi Condensing Pills…” “I happen to need these too!” Without waiting for Su Xingyue’s reply, Lin Fan collected all the remaining jars of Qi Condensing Pills from the shelf. Lin Fan had promised to take Bai Xiyue away when he left the Su family. Bai Xiyue’s aptitude was poor, and she desperately needed pills. These Qi Condensing Pills were just right for her. Lin Fan schemed silently while maintaining an expressionless face. Su Xingyue felt a pang of heartache but said nothing. Lin Fan looked around the treasury again. The Su family was truly impoverished; he had taken almost everything he could. Just as he was about to leave, a flash of spiritual light suddenly flew in. Encased within was a delicate paper crane emitting a faint spiritual energy fluctuation. Su Xingyue reached out and caught the paper crane lightly in her palm. It shimmered faintly as Su Mei’s voice came from it: “Come to me quickly, there is an urgent matter to discuss!” Her tone was anxious. Lin Fan waved his hand dismissively. “You go ahead, don’t worry about me.” Su Xingyue bit her red lips, her eyes complex as she looked at Lin Fan. “You are now the absolute core of the Su family. Come with me!” She was clearly trying to win Lin Fan over, binding him firmly to the Su family’s cause. “Ahem… better not,” Lin Fan replied. The thought of being the core member of the Su family, which meant being with the three women of the family, gave him a headache. “Some things have passed; just stay with me!” Su Xingyue grabbed Lin Fan’s hand and led him toward Su Mei’s cultivation chamber. Lin Fan had no choice but to follow. Su Mei’s chamber was just as before, unchanged since Lin Fan last visited. Seeing Su Mei again, he noticed that having stepped into the Foundation Establishment stage, she now carried an ethereal aura. She looked both enchanting and immortal, like a fairy untouched by worldly dust. Su Mei’s gaze flicked between Su Xingyue and Lin Fan, eyes full of questioning. Su Xingyue opened her mouth but hesitated, unsure how to explain. Lin Fan concentrated, and spiritual energy surged fiercely around him.

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Moments later, his aura transformed into that of an early Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, much stronger than Su Mei, who had just broken through. Su Mei’s pupils shrank sharply, her face a mask of disbelief. Her cherry lips parted, trembling slightly. Her once alluring eyes widened in shock and confusion. Moreover, judging by the spiritual energy fluctuations, Lin Fan was considerably stronger than her! How could this be? She had spent a large amount of family resources just to barely break through! “This…” Su Mei was speechless for a long time. She knew that Su Xingyue had placed a Spirit Lock Curse on Lin Fan. Now that Lin Fan’s Foundation Establishment cultivation had manifested, the curse must have been lifted. She was not confident she could keep Lin Fan. “Mother, my husband and I have already agreed that I won’t restrict his freedom anymore. Whatever he needs, I will fully support him, and he will remain in the Su family,” Su Xingyue explained. Hearing this, Su Mei exhaled deeply, finally relaxing. Her greatest fear was that Lin Fan would leave the Su family. Lin Fan was the key to their future immortal path. If he left, their hopes would be shattered. Now that Lin Fan was willing to stay, their future would shine brightly, the path to immortality within reach! “What happened before was the Su family’s fault. I hope… my wise son-in-law won’t take it to heart,” Su Mei said with a charming smile. “Mother, you called me here in such a hurry. What happened?” Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside. Su Xingyu appeared at the door. Upon entering, she saw Lin Fan standing beside Su Xingyue. Su Xingyu’s delicate face flushed instantly. She remembered the last time she impersonated Su Xingyue to visit Lin Fan’s residence. That time, she had suffered a great loss and been taken advantage of by Lin Fan. Seeing Lin Fan again, her heart raced wildly, as if a little deer was pounding inside her chest. Her exquisite face burned with embarrassment.