Chapter 16: Setting an Example

Wen Family, Main Hall.

"Elder brother, news has just arrived that Su Yi, that useless fellow, has been taken to the Ju Xian Building by the people from the Huang family."

Wen Changqing hurriedly entered the hall, wearing a smile on his face. "Unless there's an unexpected turn of events, that kid will be beaten half to death!"

He had a white beard and a sinister gaze, and he was Wen Lingxue's second uncle.

"A few days ago, he was boasting arrogantly, infuriating Young Master Wei Zhengyang. It was about time he received a good lesson."

The clan leader, Wen Changjing, had a calm expression. "Who could have expected that before we even made a move, this kid would provoke Huang Qianjun, that dandy? I've never seen such a reckless person!"

Wen Changqing furrowed his brow suddenly. "There's something I don't understand. Wasn't Su Yi's cultivation already crippled a year ago? Then how was he able to defeat Huang Qianjun and his followers yesterday?"

Wen Changjing shook his head. "We weren't present during the incident at the Ju Xian Building yesterday. We only have Wen Xue's account, which can't prove anything."

Pausing for a moment, he sneered. "Regardless, I don't believe that a useless person can stir up any waves!"

Wen Changqing also laughed and said, "That's what I think too."

Back when Su Yi was in the Qinghe Sword Sect, he had reached the third level of the 'Blood Moving' stage of the Transference Realm. His swordsmanship was unparalleled, and he was revered as the top disciple of the outer sect.

However, due to an accident, his cultivation dissipated, his qi and blood weakened, and his foundation was destroyed. At that time, some influential figures in the Qinghe Sword Sect had tried to help, but to no avail.

Since then, Su Yi had become a useless person, abandoned by the Qinghe Sword Sect.

This matter was known not only to Wen Changjing and Wen Changqing but also to the entire Guangling City.

In such a situation, Wen Changjing didn't believe that Su Yi had any chance of retraining in martial arts.

"Forget about that person. Tomorrow, when the Old Lady's birthday banquet takes place, Huang Qianjun, the patriarch of the Huang family, will also come to offer his wishes. We'll ask him then, and we'll know the truth of what happened at the Ju Xian Building."

Wen Changjing casually remarked.

He considered Su Yi to be insignificant, just a worthless son-in-law, not worth their excessive attention.

"Speaking of tomorrow's banquet, is everything prepared on your side, Wen Qing?"

Wen Changjing asked.

Wen Changqing nodded. "Some influential families and forces that have a good relationship with our Wen family have already expressed their intention to attend the banquet. However..."

He hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Big brother, as you know, in recent years, our Wen family's situation has declined significantly. We are now at the bottom among the three major families in Guangling City. In such circumstances, it's not easy to invite influential and important figures to attend the banquet..."

Wen Changjing immediately frowned and asked, "Where did the problem arise?"

Wen Changqing replied with bitterness, "It's from the City Lord's Manor!"

City Lord's Mansion!

Wen Changjing's heart sank as he realized the seriousness of the problem.

In recent years, the power of the Wen family had declined significantly and was far from its former glory.

On the other hand, the Huang and Li families, who were also among the three major clans in Guangling City, were flourishing and becoming increasingly powerful.

This stark contrast only highlighted the decline of the Wen family.

In recent times, many rumors had circulated in Guangling City, predicting that the Wen family would be removed from the "Three Major Clans of Guangling" within ten years!

This had become a cause for concern for the prominent figures of the Wen family.

Therefore, the eightieth birthday celebration of the Wen family's old matriarch was treated as a top priority by everyone in the Wen family.

The purpose was to use this birthday banquet to showcase their strength to the outside world and to tell everyone in Guangling City that the Wen family's heritage was still intact and not to be underestimated!

The more influential figures who attended the banquet, the more it would prove this point.

In short, it was about inviting influential figures to help the Wen family "hold the fort"!

In the Wen family's plan, if they could invite City Lord "Fu Shan" to attend the banquet tomorrow, it would be equivalent to securing a strong pillar that could easily support the Wen family's position.

Once the news spread, who would dare to say that the Wen family was not as influential as before?

"If Lord Fu doesn't come, those influential figures who come to the banquet will probably think that the Wen family... couldn't even invite Lord Fu, this revered figure..."

Wen Changjing's face gradually darkened.

Then, he took a deep breath, stared at Wen Changqing, and said each word emphatically:

"You go to the City Lord's Mansion later. No matter what, you must ensure that Lord Fu attends the banquet tomorrow!"

Wen Changqing's body stiffened, and he stammered, "Big brother, in the past few days, I have personally visited the City Lord's Mansion three times, but I was rejected at the door each time and didn't even get to see the City Lord..."

Wen Changjing gritted his teeth. "You go there again. If Lord Fu refuses, you stay at the City Lord's Mansion. I don't believe that, given our relationship with the Wen family over the years, he can keep refusing."

Wen Changqing nodded with a heavy heart and sighed, "If this were in the days when the old matriarch was in Yujing City, who in Guangling City would dare to underestimate our Wen family?"

Wen Changjing fell silent, his mind in turmoil.

At that moment, a servant rushed in hurriedly and reported a piece of news:

Su Yi has returned to the Wen family!

"Are you sure he's completely unharmed?"

Wen Changqing couldn't help but ask, his face filled with astonishment.

The servant thought carefully and replied, "From the appearance, he is unscathed."

Wen Changqing was immediately stunned. How could that be possible?

How could the Huang family easily let go of Su Yi after he suffered such humiliation? There must be something fishy going on!

"Big brother, what do you think?" Wen Changqing couldn't help but look at Wen Changjing.

Wen Changjing impatiently replied, "Compared to tomorrow's birthday banquet for the old matriarch, whether Su Yi lives or dies is insignificant!"

Wen Changqing was speechless.

...

In the afternoon, the sunlight streamed through the window, casting patches of light on the floor.

Su Yi's figure was immersed in a wooden tub, his eyes closed, breathing calmly. His serene face exuded tranquility.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll have to switch to a new formula for tempering my body."

After a long time, Su Yi exhaled a long breath, his breath sharp and long, accompanied by a faint sound of wind and thunder.

At this point, his cultivation had reached the early stage of the Blood Shifting Realm's "Flesh Tempering" level, achieving a state of great perfection.

The next stage would be "Flesh Refinement"!

Flesh refinement involved tempering the physical body, excavating and stimulating the body's potential, and further enhancing physical strength.

When cultivated to the extreme, the flesh would be soft as jade when relaxed and tough as refined iron when tense, capable of withstanding ordinary weapon attacks!

"When tempering the skin, the value of medicinal ingredients consumed in the daily bath is worth five hundred taels."

"But if I'm tempering the flesh, it would require consuming about one thousand five hundred taels worth of medicinal ingredients daily. Only then, with the assistance of the Songhe Body Tempering Technique, can I refine the strongest and most powerful flesh power..."

Su Yi got up from the tub, dressed himself, and sat in front of the window, lost in thought.

From the beginning of his re-cultivation until now, it had only been six days, but it had cost him a whopping three thousand taels of silver to reach the perfect stage of flesh tempering!

Currently, he had only seven thousand taels left from the ten thousand taels that Zijin had given him.

According to Su Yi's estimation, if he were to start cultivating the next level of flesh refinement, these seven thousand taels would only be able to support him for four or five days!

For an ordinary person, such a staggering expense would be completely unbearable.

"I should take the time to visit Yun Cangshan. It would be even better if I can find some spiritual herbs," Su Yi contemplated in his mind.

Spiritual herbs were different from ordinary medicinal plants as they absorbed spiritual energy to grow.

In the vast land of Da Huang Jiuzhou, besides those "heavenly treasures," various grades of spiritual herbs could be easily obtained. However, within the territory of Da Zhou, let alone heavenly treasures, even ordinary spiritual herbs were considered rare and precious. Each one was invaluable and hard to come by.

But for Su Yi, it wasn't a big deal. In the Blood Shifting Realm, even without spiritual herbs, he could use ordinary medicinal plants as substitutes. It would just take more time and cost more silver.

After a while, Su Yi got up and went to the courtyard. Just as before, he began practicing the Songhe Body Tempering Technique.

The path of cultivation was inherently arduous and boring. Only those with great perseverance and determination could persist and achieve greatness.

Moreover, if Su Yi wanted to surpass his previous life, he couldn't afford to be the slightest bit complacent.

...

The next morning, before dawn, the entire Wen family was busy.

Today was the matriarch's eightieth birthday, and many important figures were expected to arrive. The news had spread throughout Guangling City, garnering a lot of attention. No one dared to be negligent.

However, all this bustle had nothing to do with Su Yi.

In the Wen family, he was just an insignificant son-in-law.

While everyone else was busy, he had already left the house, strolling leisurely outside as he did in the previous days. He walked along the banks of the Dacang River.

From a distance, Su Yi saw two figures waiting near a grove of mulberry trees.

It was Xiao Tianque and Zi Jin.

"Old man pays his respects to Mr. Su!" When Xiao Tianque saw Su Yi, his spirits lifted, and he approached with a big smile, bowing in greeting.

Compared to their first meeting, Xiao Tianque's complexion had clearly improved a lot.

"Zi Jin pays her respects to Mr. Su!"

Zi Jin stepped forward, her expression respectful as she paid her respects.

She was dressed in a water-green gown, her skin fair as snow, her willow-like eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes giving her a stunning and exceptional beauty.

"I assume both of you are already aware of my identity and have never doubted it?" Su Yi said with interest.

Xiao Tianque solemnly replied, "Ordinary people often judge others by their appearance and social status. Little do they know that individuals like Mr. Su are the true experts!"

Su Yi chuckled and shook his head. "No need for flattery."

Zi Jin hesitated for a moment before apologizing, "Mr. Su, it was I who sent someone to investigate your identity and had people secretly observe your actions. But I swear to the heavens that I had no other intentions. If I have offended you, I beg for your forgiveness."

With that, she lowered her head and bowed in apology.

"Don't let it happen again," Su Yi nodded.

Zi Jin breathed a sigh of relief and straightened her posture.

"Mr. Su, could you take a look at my injuries..." Xiao Tianque couldn't help but speak up.

"Wait a moment. After I finish my cultivation, I will treat your injuries," Su Yi said as he walked straight to an open space in the mulberry grove. He calmed his mind, focused his concentration, and began to practice the Songhe Body Tempering Technique.

He paid no attention to the fact that there were two pairs of eyes still watching from a nearby area.