Moving Against the Su Family Merchant Guild

Hearing Lin Xiao say that each took what they needed, with no mention of saving her life, Su Wan'er felt a momentary flicker of disappointment.

Could it be that I hold no place at all in Lord Lin's heart?

Lin Xiao walked straight past Su Wan'er and took a seat in the seat of honor.

That seat had originally belonged to Su Cheng, yet after Lin Xiao sat there, Su Cheng did not dare show the slightest dissatisfaction.

Although Lin Xiao was currently only a Jinyiwei Banner Officer, in the past, officials of such a rank would have found it exceedingly difficult even to meet Su Cheng once. Yet when it came to Lin Xiao, Su Cheng found it perfectly natural.

So this world truly was one where fists did the talking.

With strength, Lin Xiao did not need to care about what others thought. He only needed to do what he wanted.

After everyone had taken their seats, Su Wan'er stepped over to Lin Xiao's side and respectfully poured him a cup of wine. Her expression and movements made her look like a gentle wife caring for her husband.

Seeing this, Su Cheng smiled inwardly. It seemed his daughter had truly grown up; she even knew how to conduct herself before a man.

Su Cheng cherished this daughter more than anyone, but if she could join with Lin Xiao, he would absolutely not refuse.

After all, Lin Xiao was not only young, but also possessed Grandmaster-realm strength.

The Su Family Merchant Guild had paid an unknown price to find a Grandmaster to guard them.

Even so, the share of profits that Grandmaster took from the Su Family Merchant Guild every year was an astronomical figure.

If he could take Lin Xiao as his son-in-law, then he would no longer have to watch that Grandmaster's face in the future.

Nor would the Su family have to hand over enormous profits to that Grandmaster expert every year.

Lin Xiao alone could fully support the martial strength of the Su Family Merchant Guild.

After all, what merchants feared most was insufficient martial strength. Wealth stirred people's hearts, and if a merchant did not have powerful force behind him, who knew how many people would set their sights on him?

A calamity that would wipe them out might descend at any moment, with others forcibly seizing their family fortune.

Thus, after the Su family earned enough money, they paid an enormous price to find a Grandmaster expert to escort and protect them.

But the human heart was hard to fathom. The profit distribution agreed upon at the beginning was altered again and again. After that Grandmaster expert entered the merchant guild, he became increasingly greedy, even showing signs of wanting to swallow all of the Su family's assets.

Chang Le and Xue Shan stood behind Lin Xiao. Seeing the once high-and-mighty Su family attending their lord so carefully, they could not help but feel honored as well.

Just as Su Cheng was entertaining Lin Xiao—

Outside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, a luxurious carriage came to a stop, and a young master dressed in embroidered finery stepped down from it.

After alighting from the carriage, the young master looked up at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion signboard, then walked inside with a faint smile.

"Welcome, young master. Please come in."

Upon seeing the waiter, the young master said indifferently, "Which floor is Master Su on?"

"Master Su is on the fifth floor. Are you also an honored guest invited by Master Su, young master?"

The young master gave a slight nod. "Yes. Take me there."

"Yes, young master. Please follow me."

Though the waiter was somewhat puzzled—if this young master was an honored guest invited by Master Su, why was no Su family servant here to receive him?—he did not dare ask further.

After all, he was merely a tavern waiter. What he feared most was speaking too much; disaster could come from one's mouth.

When they reached the door of Su Cheng's private room on the fifth floor, the young master dismissed the waiter, pushed open the door, and strode in with a laugh.

"Haha, Uncle Su. This son-in-law of yours has just returned to Stability Prefecture. Hearing that Uncle was here, I hurried over at once to pay my respects."

With the door suddenly pushed open, everyone in the private room was somewhat displeased.

But after seeing who had come, Su Cheng and the Su family's core members all wore rather ugly expressions.

This young master was none other than the son of the Grandmaster expert stationed at the Su Family Merchant Guild.

His name was Zhang Hua. He had always run rampant in the Su family, and relying on his father's strength, he left everyone in the Su Family Merchant Guild angry yet afraid to speak.

It was said that news had recently emerged from who knew where that Zhang Hua intended to marry Su Wan'er.

Upon hearing this news, Su Cheng had been enraged beyond measure.

This father and son pair—one was greedy and insatiable, seizing things by force and taking away a great deal of the Su family's profits every year; the other knew only how to squander the Su family's money and even had the audacity to seek marriage with the precious daughter of the Su family. Were they planning to swallow the entire Su family whole?

Zhang Hua paid no heed to the dissatisfaction of the Su family members. Instead, his gaze went straight to Su Wan'er beside Lin Xiao, and a flash of delight passed through his eyes.

"Sister Wan'er, your Brother Zhang is back. Aren't you happy?"

As he spoke, Zhang Hua took an embroidered box from his robes.

"Sister Wan'er, do you know how much thought I put into preparing this gift for you?"

As he spoke, he opened the embroidered box, revealing a crystal-clear jade hairpin inside.

"This is a jade hairpin fashioned from rare, superior jade. It cost more than seven hundred taels of gold—I won it at an auction house of the Tian Tong Merchant Guild."

"Come, Sister Wan'er. Big Brother will put it on for you and see whether it looks good."

As he spoke, Zhang Hua started toward Su Wan'er.

Beneath the table, Su Wan'er's jade-like hand clenched nervously, while from the corner of her eye, she secretly glanced at Lin Xiao.

She was afraid Lin Xiao would misunderstand and think she was a woman who did not know how to behave.

But before Su Cheng could rise to his feet and rebuke him, Chang Le had already spoken.

"Bold of you. Who are you to dare barge into my lord's private room? Leave at once, or do not blame me for showing no mercy."

"Hm?"

Only then did Zhang Hua finally notice Lin Xiao, Chang Le, and Xue Shan.

When he saw the Jinyiwei uniforms on the three of them, he was initially somewhat shocked. But upon realizing they were merely insignificant low-ranking officials, he could not help but sneer.

"Oh, I thought they were some great figures. So it is only a Banner Officer and two common Jinyiwei guards."

"Uncle Su, I thought you were entertaining some great personage. These three insignificant nobodies are worth making such a grand display over?"

"For a banquet like this, surely only great figures such as a Jinyiwei Thousand-Household Officer or a Pacification Envoy would suffice?"

"You have some nerve. It seems you no longer wish to live."

Killing intent abruptly erupted from Xue Shan. With a clang, the long blade at his waist left its sheath, cold light flashing as he leaped over the dining table and slashed straight at Zhang Hua.

"Heh, merely at the peak of the Acquired Realm. This young master does not even put you in his eyes."

Zhang Hua's feet moved in an eerie pattern, and in an instant he flashed to Xue Shan's side. His palm shot out like lightning toward the ribs beneath Xue Shan's armpit.

This move was exceptionally vicious. The ribs beneath the armpit were a vital weak point of the human body; if struck, one would suffer grievous injury at best and death at worst.

Xue Shan had still underestimated Zhang Hua. He had never expected Zhang Hua to possess strength at the peak of the Acquired Realm as well.

Just as Xue Shan was about to be struck, a sudden whistle tore through the air. A bamboo chopstick, as swift as an arrow, pierced directly through Zhang Hua's palm. The tremendous force nailed Zhang Hua's entire body to the door of the private room.

No matter how hard Zhang Hua struggled, he could not pull out that bamboo chopstick.

"Ah..."

Waves of pain surged through him, making Zhang Hua unable to restrain a miserable scream.

After subduing Zhang Hua, Lin Xiao said blandly, "Xue Shan, take him back to the Jinyiwei Imperial Prison. Serve him well for me."

"Yes, my lord."

As Xue Shan looked at Zhang Hua, cold killing intent filled his eyes.

This man had nearly taken his life. Once they returned to the Imperial Prison, he definitely would not let this man have an easy time.

There were over a hundred tortures in the Imperial Prison. No one could endure them all.

"You dare? Do you know who I am? My father is Zhang Zhantian! If you dare touch me, then wait to face my father's fury!"

"Zhang Zhantian?"

Lin Xiao murmured the name.

Zhang Hua hurriedly said, "Now you know fear? Then release me at once and kneel before this young master to admit your mistake."

Lin Xiao shook his head. "My apologies, but this official does not know any Zhang Zhantian or Zhang Zhandi. This official only knows that if he dares to come, this official will have his head separated from his body."

"Moreover, this official now has reason to suspect that you are a spy sent by Northern Qi. Your father may also be implicated, so he must come back with us to cooperate with the investigation as well."

"Haha, you brat, do you dare?"

Seeing that Lin Xiao actually wanted to arrest his father as well, Zhang Hua's eyes shifted as he began resorting to provocation.

Lin Xiao gave him an indifferent glance, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

"Where is your father now? Once this official finds him, you will know whether this official dares or not."

"Fine. My father is currently at home in Dingzhou City. If you have the nerve, go find him."