Two Hundred Strands of Blood Qi!

"By the way, the bandits of Feitian Ridge rarely come down the mountain to pillage. Although He Xiongfei looks rugged, he is actually very cautious; he has never hijacked an escort before."

"Yet this time, He Xiongfei had a clear objective, heading straight for the Su Family cargo..."

Li He left after saying this.

He did not say a word more.

In many matters, a hint is enough.

He believed that the people of the Su Family would naturally understand what he meant.

Inside the meeting hall, everyone's expressions were grave.

"Investigate in secret and see who is pulling the strings behind the scenes?"

Su Zhenzhen said coldly.

If this matter is not cleared up, such incidents will continue to happen in the future.

If the Zhenyuan Escort Agency had failed to protect the goods this time, the consequences for the Su Family would have been unimaginable.

Over the next few days, the Su Family mobilized all their resources to investigate.

Zhang Chen, who had originally agreed to go pay respects to his parents, also postponed the trip for a few days.

Zhang Su was not in a hurry.

He took his Blood Replenishing Pills and practiced normally every day.

Four days passed in a row.

Zhang Su had already consumed a total of sixteen Blood Replenishing Pills.

However, the results were excellent.

"Boom."

A roar echoed within Zhang Su's body.

His blood energy was almost bursting out of his skin.

"Swish."

Zhang Su opened his eyes.

He sensed the amount of blood energy within his body.

"Two hundred strands of blood energy..."

Zhang Su muttered in a low voice.

Finally, two hundred strands of blood energy.

For most martial artists who do not practice top-tier techniques, the limit of blood energy they can cultivate is one hundred strands!

And now, Zhang Su's blood energy was exactly double that.

Moreover, two hundred strands of blood energy was basically the standard threshold for the top ten disciples of the Guiyuan Sect Outer Sect.

To become one of the top ten disciples of the Outer Sect, the most basic requirement was to cultivate at least two hundred strands of blood energy.

Now, Zhang Su had finally reached it.

However, two hundred strands of blood energy was not his limit.

He was practicing a peerless technique.

His upper limit was over five hundred strands!

Zhang Su looked at the Blood Replenishing Pills.

Of the forty pills he had brought down from the mountain, only sixteen remained.

They could last him at most four more days.

Therefore, he could not stay at the Su Family for too long.

With that, Zhang Su got up and left the room.

He intended to find his elder brother to explain the situation and strive to return to the mountain as soon as possible after paying respects to their parents.

"Second brother, you've come at the right time. There is a lead on the investigation, come and listen in as well."

As soon as Zhang Su found his elder brother, he was pulled into the living room of the First Branch before he could even speak.

His sister-in-law handed Hutou over to a maid.

Only Zhang Su, Su Zhenzhen, and his elder brother were in the living room.

Zhang Chen and Su Zhenzhen exchanged a glance.

Then, Zhang Chen spoke: "Second brother, the investigation has yielded results. The one targeting our Su Family from the shadows is the Wei Family of Qingquan Prefecture!"

"The Wei Family?"

Zhang Su searched his memory carefully.

He had very few memories regarding the Wei Family.

The Wei Family seems to be nothing more than an unremarkable martial arts clan.

They are far inferior to the Jiang Family.

So why would the Wei Family dare to target the Su Family?

Seeming to notice Zhang Su's confusion, Zhang Chen explained, "The Wei Family was originally just an ordinary martial arts clan, and they couldn't compare to the Jiang Family. But the Wei Family produced a genius named Wei Yunzhou."

"This Wei Yunzhou cultivated Internal Force three years ago and became an Inner Sect disciple of the Guiyuan Sect. From then on, the Wei Family began to expand their influence aggressively. They even got involved in the businesses of various chambers of commerce, attempting to amass vast wealth to support Wei Yunzhou's cultivation."

"It is precisely because the Wei Family is so overbearing that the Jiang Family chose to marry into the Su Family. They wanted to use the Su Family's financial resources to help Jiang Cheng develop Internal Force and become an Internal Force martial artist, so they could stand toe-to-toe with the Wei Family."

"As for why the Wei Family has their eyes on our Su Family... the reason is actually quite simple: silver! Our Su Family is known as 'Su Bancheng' and is the premier wealthy family in Qingquan Prefecture. If the Wei Family could swallow up all of the Su Family's assets, they would be better able to support Wei Yunzhou's cultivation."

Zhang Su understood.

He couldn't help but ask, "An Inner Sect disciple of the Guiyuan Sect carries immense weight! If the Wei Family decides to use force..."

Su Zhenzhen replied with a smile, "The Wei Family doesn't dare to use force, at least not for the time being. That is because our Su Family also sponsors an Inner Sect disciple of the Guiyuan Sect. Until Wei Yunzhou can suppress that disciple, the Wei Family can only resort to underhanded methods; they wouldn't dare to make a move in the open."

Zhang Su understood.

Indeed, there was also the matter of sponsorship.

If even Gu Ying dared to sponsor him, how could the Su Family not be doing the same?

Given the scale of the Su Family, sponsoring an Inner Sect disciple of the Guiyuan Sect was not a problem at all.

"However, the Wei Family is being aggressive, so we must prepare early."

"We originally thought about seeing if we could sponsor an even stronger Inner Sect disciple from the Guiyuan Sect, but it doesn't seem worth it now. To sponsor a stronger disciple, we would have to pay a massive amount of silver, and with the Su Family currently being targeted in secret by the Wei Family, that would be difficult."

"Besides, the Inner Sect disciple we sponsor only treats our family's affairs as official business. Therefore, my husband and I have decided to sponsor our second brother. We will provide you with the standard of a first-tier sponsorship: five thousand taels of silver every month."

"As long as our second brother can cultivate Internal Force and become an Inner Sect disciple of the Guiyuan Sect, the threat from the Wei Family will naturally be resolved."

Su Zhenzhen's words took Zhang Su by surprise.

Five thousand taels of silver every month?

Could the Su Family really agree to that?

One must know that when Gu Ying provided a first-tier sponsorship, there was an element of "gambling" involved.

Moreover, Zhang Su had demonstrated a peerless cultivation technique at that time.

But Su Zhenzhen had no idea that he was practicing a peerless technique.

Furthermore, Su Zhenzhen's tone was sincere.

That was trust in Zhang Su from the bottom of her heart!

"Big Brother, a first-tier sponsorship is no small matter, you..."

Before Zhang Su could finish his sentence, his big brother interrupted him.

Zhang Chen said with a grave tone, "Second Brother, Zhenzhen offered this first-tier sponsorship to you of her own volition. Just don't let your sister-in-law down in the future, and don't let the Su Family down."

"The Wei Family is powerful right now, and you have disrupted their plans. Once you return to the Guiyuan Sect, you must be even more careful of Wei Yunzhou. You must be cautious in everything you do."

"From now on, you have only one focus: to cultivate Internal Force as quickly as possible and become an Inner Sect disciple of the Guiyuan Sect! Only then can you stand against Wei Yunzhou, and only then can our Su Family stand against the Wei Family!"

Zhang Su understood.

Zhang Chen and his sister-in-law were betting everything on him.

They were no longer looking for a stronger Inner Sect disciple from the Guiyuan Sect.

After all, no matter how strong an Inner Sect disciple might be, they were still an outsider.

But he was "one of their own."

This was the bond of family, and at the same time, it was trust!

"Big Brother, Sister-in-law, I understand."

Zhang Su nodded.

"Good, here are five thousand taels in silver notes. If it's not enough, you can have Uncle Guan bring a letter back in the future, and we can add more!"

Su Zhenzhen said generously.

Zhang Su smiled as well.

This sister-in-law of his truly had spirit.

And she carried herself with such grace and magnanimity.

Looking at it now, his big brother marrying into the family didn't seem like such a bad thing after all.

In the afternoon, Zhang Su returned to his old home with his big brother and little sister to pay respects to their parents.

Their parents were buried in Zhang Family Village.

After their parents died, the clansmen of Zhang Family Village had carved up the Zhang Family's assets, and even the house had been reclaimed by the clan.

They claimed it was to "raise" the three Zhang siblings.

But in reality?

The three siblings remembered very clearly just how arduous their lives had been back in Zhang Family Village.

Because of this, once the three of them grew up, they resolutely left Zhang Family Village.

Zhang Chen relied on his ability to read and write to make a living in the prefectural city, and later, he even married into the Su Family as a live-in son-in-law.

However, whether it was Zhang Chen or Zhang Su.

Neither of them had any further contact with the people from Zhang Family Village.

After the three siblings paid their respects to their parents, they quickly returned to the Su Family.

As soon as they arrived at the Su Family, Su Zhenzhen greeted them with a grave expression.

"Husband, Second Brother, we have a guest."

"A guest?"

Judging by Su Zhenzhen's expression, she seemed quite "surprised" by this visitor.

Following that, the two of them went to the parlor and saw the guest who had come to call.

"Jiang Cheng?"

Zhang Su was indeed very surprised.

Why had Jiang Cheng come?

Jiang Cheng was connected to the Su Family through marriage.

However, Jiang Cheng's marriage partner was Su Mulan, who belonged to the Third Branch, which had nothing to do with the First Branch.

If Jiang Cheng came to the Su Family, he should have gone to the Third Branch.

Why had he come to the First Branch?