The Su Family's Undercurrent

The air in the Special Operations Ninth Division safe house was cold, as if still carrying the sharp scent of gunpowder from when Qin Bing had left.

Lin Xiao sat back in the medical chair, his fingertips unconsciously fiddling as he replayed the fleeting glimpse of faint blue light on Qin Bing's watch in his mind. He also recalled the subtle similarity the Modifier had detected, a trace fluctuation that was incredibly faint but bore a resemblance to the Shadow Alliance's mark.

The stable flicker of [Source Energy Points: +0.12] deep within his consciousness provided a sliver of confidence, but it couldn't dispel the sudden, thickening gloom in his heart.

The Special Operations Ninth Division… Qin Bing… the Shadow Alliance… Was there some unknown connection between these three?

Was the theft of the Body Tempering Fluid just the beginning, or a harbinger of a larger vortex?

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of knocking came again, but the rhythm was completely different from Qin Bing's cold, formulaic rap.

It was brisk, with a hint of cautious probing, and an undeniable impatience.

Lin Xiao's brow twitched slightly. He quickly suppressed all outward emotions, his face returning to the weary look of someone recovering from serious injury, with a hint of imperceptible roguishness. "Come in."

The door was pushed open a crack, and Fatty Wang's shiny, oiled head poked through. His small eyes quickly scanned the room, and only after confirming Lin Xiao was alone did he squeeze in like a slippery loach, closing the door behind him.

"Brother Xiao! Brother Xiao!" Fatty Wang scurried up to Lin Xiao, his jowls bunching up from nervousness and excitement. He lowered his voice, nearly spitting on Lin Xiao's face, "Su… Goddess Su! A note! Some little brat just sneakily handed it to me! Specifically told me to give it to you!"

He carefully pulled out a neatly folded, plain white paper from his pocket, which carried a faint, cold fragrance of plum blossoms.

Lin Xiao took the note, its touch cool and delicate.

Unfolding it, he saw a single line of elegant, yet cold, handwriting – Su Qingxue's. "West City, top floor of the abandoned weather observation water tower. Before sunset. Urgent."

The handwriting seemed to press through the paper, and the word "Urgent" carried an almost undisguised anxiety.

Lin Xiao's eyes narrowed.

Su Qingxue was asking to meet him? And in such a secluded place?

Using such a secretive method?

It seemed she was in quite a bit of trouble.

"Where's the person who delivered the note?" Lin Xiao crumpled the paper, a wisp of True Qi escaping his fingertips, instantly turning the scraps into fine powder that drifted down.

"Ran off! That little brat was slippery, handed it to me and vanished. Looked like a servant from the Su family from her school uniform." Fatty Wang rubbed his hands, his small eyes gleaming. "Brother Xiao, Goddess Su needs your help, doesn't she? Heh heh, what an opportunity!"

Lin Xiao glanced at him, ignoring his gossiping, and asked, "I asked you to keep an eye on the 'Wild Dog Mine'. Any movement?"

Mentioning the important matter, Fatty Wang immediately composed himself and lowered his voice. "Yes! Brother Xiao, your calculations were spot on! The mine has indeed been restless these past two days! Skinny Monkey personally saw people from the Blood Wolf Gang lurking around the area, seemingly scouting! And… there seemed to be another group, their movements even more concealed, and their methods more… peculiar. Skinny Monkey almost got discovered! He felt like those people had… a similar cold aura to the Shadow Alliance!"

The Blood Wolf Gang… the Shadow Alliance…

Lin Xiao's eyes turned cold. They were indeed targeting it!

The share of the mining vein he had just acquired was like a piece of succulent meat emitting a fragrant aroma!

"Understood. Keep watching, tell Skinny Monkey to be careful, don't get too close, and prioritize his safety." Lin Xiao said gravely, "Also, get ready. We're going out later."

"Where to? Brother Xiao, your injuries aren't fully healed yet…"

Fatty Wang sounded a little worried.

"To collect some interest." Lin Xiao stood up, stretching his limbs. The True Qi of the Surging Waves Art flowed smoothly within him, the power of a peak Martial Disciple filling his entire body. The wound on his right shoulder blade felt itchy, but he was fine.

"And, to see what 'urgent matter' the esteemed Miss Su has encountered."

On the edge of the industrial district in the west of the city, an abandoned weather observation water tower stood alone amidst the overgrown weeds.

Its rusted steel frame, illuminated by the blood-red setting sun, resembled the skeletal remains of a giant beast, casting long, distorted shadows.

Lin Xiao, alone, climbed upwards silently and swiftly along the rusty, creaking external iron ladder.

His physical condition as a peak Martial Disciple made his movements light and powerful.

When he pushed open the iron door on the top floor, which had long lost its lock, the last rays of golden sunlight streamed through the massive, dust-covered observation windows, illuminating the empty platform inside the water tower.

Su Qingxue stood with her back to the entrance, before the huge floor-to-ceiling window.

The afterglow of the sunset cast a warm golden edge around her exceptionally cold and beautiful profile, her long black hair gently swaying in the breeze.

She wore a simple white training outfit, her posture as upright as a pine tree in the snow. However, Lin Xiao's keen senses detected that the knuckles of her hands, clenched at her sides, were slightly white from exertion, and the lines of her shoulders revealed a subtle tension.

The air was filled with the smell of rust, dust, and the unique, crisp, cold fragrance of plum blossoms emanating from her.

Hearing the movement behind her, Su Qingxue slowly turned around.

Her face, beautiful enough to outshine a hundred flowers, was now shrouded in a layer of icy frost.

Her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her clear, cold eyes, devoid of their usual aloofness, were instead filled with deep worry, suppressed anger, and a hint of… desperation, as if she had been pushed to the brink.

Her gaze fell upon Lin Xiao. Seeing his significantly improved complexion and steady aura, a fleeting hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, only to be quickly covered by even deeper concern.

"You've come." Su Qingxue's voice was still as cold as ever, but it carried a subtle hoarseness and fatigue that was unusual for her.

"As Student Su has summoned me, I wouldn't dare not come." Lin Xiao walked to the center of the platform, maintaining a few steps of distance from her. He wore his usual, somewhat playful and roguish smile, but his eyes calmly observed her. "Judging by your appearance, Student Su, it seems… you've run into some trouble?"

Su Qingxue didn't answer immediately. She took a deep breath, as if to calm the turmoil within her.

The afterglow of the sunset danced on her long eyelashes, casting small shadows.

"The internal family assessment has been moved up," she finally said, her voice like ice beads falling on a jade plate, but carrying a heavy weight. "It's next week."

Lin Xiao's eyebrows rose slightly.

As an ancient martial arts family, the Su family's internal assessments are crucial for determining the status and resource allocation of their younger generation.

Early? That in itself is unusual.

"Moreover," Su Qingxue's voice grew colder, tinged with suppressed anger, "the assessment format has also changed. It's no longer simple sparring, but... practical combat hunting! The location is the outer area of the 'Cold Mist Valley,' which the family controls!"

Cold Mist Valley? Lin Xiao's heart stirred.

He had heard Fatty Wang mention that place. It was a treacherous valley on the outskirts of the city, perpetually shrouded in a mist containing a faint cold poison. Strange beasts roamed within, and dangers lurked everywhere.

Placing the assessment there drastically increased the risk!

"This was pushed by Su Zhenshan and his son!"

Su Qingxue's tone was filled with undisguised hatred. "They used the excuse of 'the spiritual tide's resurgence, requiring practical combat to hone our skills' to deceive some of the elders! Their motive is obvious—to use the valley's strange beasts and complex environment to eliminate me, or at least severely injure me, preventing me from threatening Su Hao's qualification to inherit the main lineage!"

She paused, her gaze sharp as she looked at Lin Xiao. "They know I've broken through to become a martial artist, that my 'Jade Balance Hidden Meridian' is unblocked, and my potential is immense. So, they can't wait any longer! Su Hao, that good-for-nothing, who only reached the peak of a One-Star Martial Artist through pills, can't withstand practical combat! They're afraid!"

Lin Xiao listened quietly, the roguish smile on his face fading, his eyes deepening.

The infighting within noble families was indeed more insidious and deadly than the killings in the underworld, a bloodshed without a drop of blood.

"So, what do you need me to do?" Lin Xiao asked directly.

Su Qingxue seeking him out so urgently wasn't just to vent her grievances.

Su Qingxue pursed her lips, a complex struggle flashing across her cold face.

Asking for help from this guy she once disdained, who was so roguish and lecherous, was itself a humiliation.

But circumstances forced her hand.

She hesitated for a moment, then took out a scroll from a very hidden pocket inside her training uniform. The scroll was dark in color, cool to the touch, and seemed to be made from some ancient beast hide.

The edges of the scroll were worn, and it emanated a faint, ancient chill.

"This is one of the Su family's core cultivation techniques, the original training diagram for the 'Cold Python Art'," Su Qingxue said, her voice kept very low, with a hint of resolve. "Su Hao's primary cultivation is this technique!"

Lin Xiao's gaze instantly sharpened like a blade!

The original Su family core technique!

This was the foundation that any noble family would guard with their lives and never pass on!

Su Qingxue had actually stolen it?

The risk was immense!

If discovered, she would have no place left in the Su family!

"You want me to modify it?" Lin Xiao's voice also lowered, tinged with solemnity.

Modifying a family's core technique? This was a hundred times more dangerous than modifying Liu Meng's old injury points!

If the Su family detected it, it would be a catastrophic disaster from which there was no return!

"Not modify the technique itself!"

Su Qingxue immediately shook her head, a decisive ruthlessness flashing in her eyes. "Su Hao has cultivated the 'Cold Python Art' for many years and has already mastered it. Forcibly modifying the technique would cause too much commotion, inevitably alerting the elders, and might not yield immediate results."

She took a step forward, holding the beast hide scroll out to Lin Xiao, her cold eyes fixed on him. "What I want you to find are the flaws! The flaws in Su Hao's personal cultivation path, flaws unique to him! Just like... just like what you did to Liu Meng!"

Her voice carried a desperate madness. "The True Qi of the 'Cold Python Art' is Yin and insidious. When circulating, it puts immense pressure on hidden acupoints like 'Quchi' and 'Tian Zong'. Su Hao, eager for success in his early years, had an unstable foundation and once forcibly broke through, causing a hidden injury near the 'Tian Zong acupoint'. Although his father suppressed it with medicine, he experiences hidden pain whenever he fully activates his True Qi or encounters strong cold stimuli! I want you to find that point! Find the 'node' that can make his True Qi go berserk, trigger his hidden injury, and instantly incapacitate him! Then modify it! Turn it into a time bomb planted within him! Detonate it at a critical moment during the Cold Mist Valley assessment!"

Lin Xiao looked at the beast hide scroll emanating an ancient chill, then at Su Qingxue's eyes, which burned with a cold flame.

This woman, usually as cold as ice, became like a peerless, unsheathed weapon when she got serious, her sharpness fully revealed!

The risk was enormous! But the reward... was equally so!

Not only could it solve Su Qingxue's urgent problem and solidify their "ally" relationship, but it could also allow him to deeply understand the mysteries of the Su family's core techniques, and perhaps even analyze higher-quality energy circulation methods from it, converting them into Source Energy Points!

And... Lin Xiao's gaze swept over Su Qingxue's chest, which rose and fell slightly due to her excitement and nervousness.

This trust itself was a bargaining chip.

"What's the reward?" Lin Xiao didn't agree immediately, his voice calm and unwavering. "Modifying a family's core technique, prying into Su Hao's cultivation weak points—this is a job where you put your head on the line. Classmate Su, the 'Jade Marrow Muscle Growth Powder' last time isn't enough for this."

Su Qingxue seemed prepared. She took a deep breath, suppressing the humiliation brought by the "bargaining," and said coldly, "As long as you can do it and ensure no trace is detected by anyone. After the Cold Mist Valley assessment, regardless of the outcome, I guarantee you will receive the stable mining income from the 'Wild Dog Mine' for the next three months! Also..."

She paused, as if making a great decision, her voice dropping even lower. "I will tell you a secret about the Su family's 'Jade Balance Hidden Meridian'. This secret might be related to the spiritual tide, and also to the recovery of your 'special ability'."

Jade Balance Hidden Meridian! Spiritual Tide!

Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat!

He had forcefully unblocked Su Qingxue's Jade Balance Hidden Meridian, enabling her breakthrough to become a martial artist, but the source and nature of that energy had always been a mystery to him!

Su Qingxue actually knew secrets related to it?

And it was related to the spiritual tide and his recovery?

This bargaining chip was weighty enough!

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved into a meaningful arc.

He extended his hand and took the cold, heavy beast hide scroll.

"Deal."

The last sliver of the setting sun's afterglow completely dipped below the horizon, plunging the abandoned water tower into darkness.

Only the scattered lights of the distant city, shining through the dust-caked observation windows, cast faint patches of light.

Lin Xiao sat cross-legged on the ground, slowly unrolling the ancient diagram of the "Cold Python Art" onto his lap.

A richer, colder aura, mingled with the scent of ages, washed over him.

The diagram was drawn with a special dark gold pigment. Its lines were intricate and profound, outlining the complex pathways and crucial nodes for True Qi circulation, accompanied by dense annotations in an ancient script.

[Target Locked: Cultivation Diagram "Cold Python Art" (Su Family Core Inheritance - Yellow Grade, Top Tier)]

[Status: 98% Complete, Contains faint Cold Attribute Martial Dao True Intent...]

[Initiating Deep Analysis... (Requires 0.1 Source Energy Points!) ... Continue?]

0.1 points! That was exactly all he had in surplus.

Lin Xiao didn't hesitate. "Analyze!"

[Command Received! Source Energy Points Deducted: 0.1!]

[Source Energy Points: +0.12 - 0.1 = +0.02!]

[Analyzing... (Azure light flickers and flows, core pulses steadily)... Extracting Diagram Information... Constructing Energy Circulation Model... Deriving Key Nodes...]

A vast, cold, and profound stream of information instantly surged into Lin Xiao's mind!

It was the complete True Qi circulation route of the "Cold Python Art"!

Like a sinister, cunning, and coiled ice python, it slithered through his consciousness!

Every turn, every point of stored power, every potential burst of force, was clearly displayed!

Lin Xiao focused all his attention, his intent like the most precise probe. Combining Su Qingxue's information about Su Hao's "Tian Zong" acupoint injury, he began to frantically search and deduce within this "cold python's" meridian network!

Time ticked by.

The top floor of the water tower was silent, save for Lin Xiao's long, faint breaths and Su Qingxue's slightly tense gaze.

Suddenly!

Lin Xiao's tightly shut eyes snapped open!

Deep within his pupils, an azure light flashed and vanished!

His left index finger shot out like lightning, precisely tapping a seemingly ordinary minor True Qi branch line connecting the "Jian Jing" and "Tian Zong" acupoints on the beast-skin diagram!

A barely perceptible wisp of condensed, cold True Qi from the "Surging Waves Art" coiled around his fingertip!

"Found it!"

Lin Xiao's voice carried a hint of exhaustion, but was filled with certainty. "Su Hao's True Qi circulation, in his haste for rapid progress, forcefully stored power at the 'Jian Jing' acupoint. This caused the force impacting the 'Tian Zong' acupoint to deviate by 3.7 degrees from the normal route! It's this subtle deviation that continuously irritates the blockage in his old injury! It's manageable with medication, but if he were to amplify this deviation by another 5 degrees during the moment he fully unleashes the seventh stance of the 'Cold Python Art', 'Cold Python Spits Tongue'!"

The wisp of True Qi on his fingertip acted like the most precise carving tool. On the thin branch line of the beast-skin diagram, he made an extremely slight, almost imperceptible mark, as if just brushing away dust. It was a trace with a peculiar fluctuation that was nearly invisible to the naked eye!

Hum!

The spot on the beast-skin diagram that Lin Xiao's fingertip had touched flickered faintly before returning to normal.

Not even a trace of ink had changed.

[Parameter Modification Complete! Target: Su Hao's Personal Cultivation Route Node (Jian Jing-Tian Zong Branch Deviation Angle +5 degrees)... Modification Trace: None (Microscopic disturbance at the energy level)... Activation Condition: Target fully executes the seventh stance of "Cold Python Art"... Estimated Effect: Instantaneous detonation of the old injury blockage at the Tian Zong acupoint, True Qi backlash, severe meridian pain, loss of combat effectiveness for 3-5 seconds... Required Source Energy Points: 0.01!]

[Source Energy Points: +0.02 - 0.01 = +0.01!]

"It's done." Lin Xiao retracted his finger, letting out a long sigh, his face slightly pale.

The continuous deep analysis and microscopic modification had taken a significant toll on his mental energy.

He rolled up the beast-skin scroll and handed it back to Su Qingxue.

Su Qingxue took the scroll, its coolness still palpable in her hands.

Her clear eyes fixed intently on Lin Xiao, as if trying to see through him. "Are you sure this won't be discovered?"

"Unless the Su family has the ability to trace microscopic disturbances at the energy level."

Lin Xiao tugged at the corner of his mouth, revealing a tired, roguish smile. "Otherwise, no one will find any trace. It will only detonate his own old injury and the bitter fruit of his eagerness to succeed."

He paused, then added, "Remember, it will only detonate when he fully unleashes 'Cold Python Spits Tongue'. It's harmless otherwise."

Su Qingxue clutched the scroll tightly, her knuckles white from the force.

She looked at Lin Xiao, her expression extremely complex—there was the cold satisfaction of impending revenge, a deep wariness of Lin Xiao's strange abilities, and a trace of... an indescribable tremor, as if she had made a deal with the devil.

"I'll arrange the mine share as soon as possible. As for that secret..."

Su Qingxue's voice regained its coolness. "Let's talk about it after you come out of Cold Mist Valley alive."

She lingered no longer, carefully tucking the scroll away. Turning towards the door, her figure quickly disappeared down the dim iron ladder.

Lin Xiao stood alone on the empty top floor of the water tower, watching the night sky that had completely enveloped the earth outside the window.

The city's light pollution formed a hazy glow in the distance.

The faint, steady flicker of "+0.01 Source Energy Points" pulsed in his mind.

He opened his left palm, as if the cold touch of the ancient beast-skin scroll and the lingering residual intent of the "Cold Python Art's" sinister and cunning True Qi still remained.

"Cold Mist Valley... Su Hao... the secret of the Jade Balance Hidden Meridian..." Lin Xiao murmured to himself, the roguish curve of his lips slowly straightening, his eyes deepening like a cold abyss.

"The interest has been collected; it's time to move the principal too."

His gaze fell upon the depths of the industrial zone west of the city, where his mine lay, and where jackals were stirring restlessly.

His figure flickered, as if blending into the night like a bat. He silently slipped out through the broken window on the other side of the water tower, and with a few leaps, vanished into the thick shadows below.

Not long after he left.

In the dense, waist-high weeds beneath the water tower, a dark shadow, almost merged with its surroundings, slowly straightened up.

The shadow wore a metal mask covering half its face. The mask's patterns were twisted and bizarre, reflecting a cold, faint glow under the moonlight.

It looked up in the direction Lin Xiao had disappeared, then towards the path Su Qingxue had taken. A very faint whisper, like the grinding of metal, came from beneath the mask:

"Target contacted... information exchange confirmed... 'Corrosive Seed' resonance slightly increased... Su family internal node... exploitable... reporting."

The shadow melted away, silently sinking back into the weeds and disappearing.

All that remained was the rustling sound of the night wind blowing through the weeds, and the immense, silent shadow cast by the water tower in the moonlight.