Su Cheng Wants to Marry His Daughter to Lin Xiao

The reason Lin Xiao had wasted so many words on Zhang Hua was naturally because he had his own purpose.

He wanted to bring the Su Family under his command.

He had now gained a foothold in the imperial court, but that was not enough. He still needed to cultivate his own power. After all, no one knew what changes might come in the future.

If one day a rift arose between him and the imperial court, his own forces would be able to come in handy.

Even if he never fell out with the imperial court, he would still need his own power to handle matters that were inconvenient for him to appear in personally.

If he had come to this world without a system, that would have been one thing. But since he had a system, he naturally would not remain the court's hunting hound forever.

If his strength became sufficient in the future, he even wanted to sit upon the Emperor's throne.

Everyone had ambition. Lin Xiao was no exception.

"Lord Lin, are you truly going to find Zhang Zhantian?"

Su Cheng asked cautiously.

Lin Xiao shot him a glance. "Does the Su Family not wish for me to find him?"

"Or could it be that the Su Family Head also has ties to Northern Qi?"

Lin Xiao's words gave Su Cheng a fright.

He did not dare bear such a charge. The imperial court might turn a blind eye to the martial world of Dingzhou City, but it would never tolerate anyone who ate from the bowl yet smashed the pot.

That was the charge of treason.

Especially in recent years, with tensions between the Wu Kingdom and Northern Qi running high, once one was branded a traitor, the lightest punishment would be the confiscation of one's entire household.

"Lord Lin, please do not misunderstand. I merely wished to remind you that Zhang Zhantian is even stronger than Qiu Li. If you do not have absolute confidence, it would be best to make preparations in advance."

"Heh. Not to mention a mere Zhang Zhantian—even One Sect, Four Gates is beneath my notice. What is he worth?"

Lin Xiao gave a disdainful cold laugh and strode straight out of the private room.

Behind him, Xue Shan and Chang Le escorted Zhang Hua after him.

Watching Lin Xiao leave, Su Cheng knew Dingzhou City would not have a peaceful night.

Still, he hoped Lin Xiao could help him eliminate Zhang Zhantian, that festering tumor. Then the Su Family could once again take control of the entire merchant guild.

But if Lin Xiao eliminated Zhang Zhantian, the Su Family would be left without a powerful expert to hold the fort. That too was a vexing problem.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his daughter, and an idea came to him.

After dismissing the Su Family's key members, Su Cheng turned to Su Wan'er with a solemn expression. "Wan'er, your father has noticed that you seem rather fond of Lord Lin. Have you fallen for him?"

Ah?

Hearing her father's words, Su Wan'er froze for a moment before a flush rose to her face.

"Father, what are you saying? I... how could I possibly have fallen for Lord Lin?"

"Besides, even if your daughter did like Lord Lin, how could Lord Lin possibly take a fancy to a woman like me?"

Su Cheng nodded. "Daughter, your father only wishes to ask you one thing: do you like Lord Lin?"

"You are my daughter. Your father has never thought of using you for some marriage alliance. But if you like Lord Lin, your father is willing to personally visit his door and act as matchmaker, to seek this marriage for you."

"You would be marrying the man you like, and the Su Family would gain a measure of protection. It would kill two birds with one stone."

A touch of shyness appeared on Su Wan'er's face as she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "F-Father, would Lord Lin truly agree?"

"Your daughter fears that if Lord Lin refuses this marriage, I may not even be able to remain ordinary friends with him afterward."

Su Cheng sighed. "No matter what, we must try. Tonight, between Zhang Zhantian and Lin Xiao, only one can remain alive."

"If Lin Xiao wins, I will go propose the marriage tomorrow. If Zhang Zhantian wins, then I can only make preparations early and send you out of Dingzhou first. Otherwise, your father fears you may be ruined by that scum Zhang Hua."

"Father, I won't leave. Ever since I was little, you have given so much for me. If fate truly decrees this, then it can only be your daughter's misfortune. If I can keep Father safe, then your daughter will simply risk everything."

Su Wan'er said with a resolute expression.

"Ah, foolish girl. The world is vast, and there are still so many places you have never seen. Why suffer through this?"

"The family fortune your father has left you is enough for you to live this entire life without a care."

"Aren't you close friends with Ye Xuanqing of the Sword Pavilion? When the time comes, go find Ye Xuanqing. With her status, she can keep you safe."

"Father, I won't go. I won't go. I want to stay by your side forever."

"After Mother died, you were my only remaining family. I do not want to lose you as well. If that happens, then even if I live, there will be no meaning to it."

While the Su father and daughter were still discussing the future course of the Su Family in the private room, Lin Xiao had already escorted Zhang Hua back to the Zhang Family estate.

BOOM!!!

Xue Shan kicked the Zhang Family's main gate apart, shattering it into pieces.

The Zhang Family's courtyard covered an enormous area. After all, Zhang Zhantian was a Grandmaster-level expert, and with the Su Family Merchant Guild backing him, he possessed boundless wealth. It was only natural for him to have an estate of such scale.

"Who goes there?"

"Who dares trespass into the Zhang Family?"

The moment Lin Xiao and the other two entered the courtyard, they saw a group of Zhang Family guards surrounding them with sabers and swords in hand.

Zhang Hua, held in Xue Shan's grasp, immediately began shouting loudly upon seeing that they had reached his family's territory.

"Father, save me!"

As Zhang Hua's cry fell silent, a cold-faced middle-aged man cultivating within a secret chamber suddenly opened his eyes.

Black qi swirled around his entire body. The instant his eyes opened, the black qi streamed back into his body.

"The Dark Ice Divine Art truly lives up to its reputation."

The man slowly rose to his feet, sensing the surging inner force within him as he spoke coldly.

"Heh, of course the Dark Ice Divine Art lives up to its reputation. This was once a cultivation art of the Nine Nether Divine Sect."

"Our sect paid an unknown price to find this cultivation art on that battlefield. Now, in order to bring you into the White Lotus Sect, we have already passed it on to you."

The moment Zhang Zhantian finished his cultivation, an old man stepped out from a shadowy corner of the secret chamber.

This old man was the Flower Plucking Bandit's master, the altar master of the White Lotus Sect's branch altar in Stability Prefecture.

He had not hurried to approach the One Sect, Four Gates. Instead, he had begun secretly recruiting the wandering grandmasters of Stability Prefecture outside the One Sect, Four Gates.

His goal was to ensure that nothing could go wrong.

Once he had recruited every wandering grandmaster in Stability Prefecture, whether the One Sect, Four Gates agreed or not, he could take them down in one stroke.

It could be said that this altar master of the White Lotus Sect's Stability Prefecture branch was quite capable.

"Wait here for a moment. I'll go see what happened outside. I think I heard my son's voice," Zhang Zhantian said gravely.

"Mm, Brother Zhang, attend to your business first. If you need help, feel free to seek this altar master. Now that Brother Zhang is a member of my White Lotus Sect, we serve the White Lotus Sect together. That makes us friends."

"Fine. I'll be back shortly."

Zhang Zhantian answered indifferently, then turned and walked out of the secret chamber.