Rewards

The ritual offering was complete.

Wei Yan presented Su Yuan with his rewards: two small jade bottles and a document stamped on gold foil.

Su Yuan bowed and accepted them.

Wei Yan raised a hand and patted his shoulder.

A mighty force surged into Su Yuan's body, leaving him unable to move in an instant.

"Good lad. So you've already reached the Three-Blood Realm, and you've also practiced another family's martial arts. You've certainly kept your cards close," Wei Yan said with a laugh.

At a time like this, Su Yuan naturally didn't dare use the Cloud-Covering Art to disguise his aura. His opponent was a Vein-Splitting Martial Warrior, after all.

Fortunately, he had Shadow Concealment. He quietly guided the Blood Qi gathered in his head by the Golden Horse-Head Technique down into his legs.

He made no particular effort to conceal the rest.

"Your Lordship sees clearly. I've taken quite a few Blood Origin Pills in the past, and only managed to pile my way up to this realm. I hid my strength only so I could make a stunning showing at this Wolf God Ritual and serve Great Liang," Su Yuan replied respectfully.

"Good. Knowing how to keep your edge hidden is a fine thing. The process doesn't matter; you're this year's Chief. I've never seen someone with an inferior constitution take the top spot before. The times are changing..." Wei Yan said with feeling. "Now go and enjoy the glory you've earned."

The singers took the stage once more.

Exotic dancers with graceful figures filed in, their gauzy robes fluttering as bells jingled at their bare ankles.

The lead dancer smiled, took Su Yuan by the hand, and led him into the dance.

Every gaze in the crowd focused on Su Yuan.

No one had expected an underdog with an inferior constitution to come out of nowhere and claim the top spot in one fell swoop.

But that was precisely the problem: he'd already relied on pills to reach this point, and his potential was nearly exhausted. Was he still worth winning over?

Chai Yuanyuan looked toward Su Yuan and suddenly said, "Brother, Cousin, why not let me marry Su Yuan?"

Chai Feng's expression darkened.

Even though Su Yuan had taken first place, he still couldn't quite accept it. "Little sis, Su Tieniu came second, and he's no worse. Su Yuan just got lucky this time and picked off a few more heads..."

Chai Yuanyuan decided to throw caution to the wind. "Then I'll take both of them. That should settle it, right? They're brothers, anyway."

Chai Feng: "..."

Chai Nian's gaze moved between the Su brothers. He pondered in silence, paying no heed to his younger cousins' argument.

At that moment, the top ten were all onstage, meeting the young masters and ladies of the various families.

The most sought-after was Huang Tong, who had placed fourth.

The only woman among them, she was also dashing and spirited, and drew the attention of several young masters.

But she stayed by the Rong sisters' side, with no desire to mingle.

Others who had won prizes also had people approach them for conversation.

By contrast, the area around Chief Su Yuan was especially quiet.

He was happy enough with that, only glancing now and then toward Gao Mian.

But with what seemed to be an elder of the Shan Family beside her, she didn't call him over.

"Why not invite Su Yuan over to sit with us? He looks rather lonely," Rong Yuzhi suggested.

"Sure. Even if his potential is limited, he's still the Chief. There's no harm in getting to know him," Rong Yulian agreed.

"I think so too. He's quite an interesting person," Huang Tong chimed in.

So Su Yuan was invited to join the three women.

Rong Yulian was merely average in appearance, but her brows and eyes held a heroic air. She was tall, with a straight back and squared shoulders.

Rong Yuzhi, on the other hand, was petite and delicate. Her eyes seemed to ripple as she looked around, and she carried a hint of allure unlike that of ordinary Liang women.

When Su Yuan learned she wasn't a Martial Warrior, then asked her age and found out she was only fourteen and had yet to formally begin martial arts training, he revised his earlier opinion.

Huang Tong had a different sort of beauty. Her hair was neatly braided, her skin was the color of wheat, and her eyes shone like bright stars.

Rong Yuzhi asked curiously, "How exactly did you kill Du Hengfeng? He was already in the Three-Blood Realm, and he'd practiced the Golden Horse-Head Technique."

"Once you enter the mountains, you become prey too. You just have to make good use of the terrain..." Su Yuan spun out the explanation he'd prepared beforehand, describing his pursuit of Du Hengfeng as a thrilling, perilous ordeal.

Rong Yuzhi let out little gasps as she listened, then clapped her hands. "I think I understand now why you were able to become Chief."

Su Yuan's knowledge and eloquence were both impressive, and he chatted happily with the three women.

"Exactly! Su Yuan truly deserves to be Chief. He's a prodigy of my Chai Academy, after all." Chai Yuanyuan had joined them at some point, smiling as she picked up the conversation.

She had delicate features and a graceful figure. As she spoke, she picked up a piece of fruit and tried to feed it to Su Yuan.

Su Yuan quickly refused and took it himself.

Chai Feng watched from the side, grinding his teeth. He couldn't help feeling that his little sister was being wasted on the likes of him.

Several other men couldn't help looking over, either. Four women, each with her own distinct charm, were gathered around Su Yuan.

Even if his constitution was poor, the title of Chief was proving very useful right now.

Su Yuan stole a glance at Gao Mian and saw that her expression remained indifferent.

Beside her, Shan Xiongqing seemed distracted, his head bowed as he drank.

Rong Yuzhi caught that glance, her smile turning coquettish. "Su Yuan, what's your relationship with Sister Gao?"

The question drew everyone's attention.

"She's done me a great kindness. She's also my sworn elder sister, and I owe a lot to her guidance and support throughout my martial arts training..."

"So you're siblings, then." Rong Yuzhi looked disappointed, then pressed on. "Then why does Brother Shan keep picking on you?"

"Perhaps there's been a misunderstanding. I'd wanted to serve the Shan Family too, but I was later sold to the Chai Family," Su Yuan explained.

"Ah, Young Master Shan's eye for talent isn't very good. He sent away a Chief for nothing," Rong Yuzhi teased.

With her leading the way, the others began to poke fun at Shan Xiongqing too.

The Shan Family had suffered heavy losses this time, and everyone was eager to kick them while they were down and grab a share of the spoils.

Not only had the Wolf God Festival ended in failure, and most of the Martial Warriors of the Martial Academy been killed, but the city's horse ranch had also been destroyed. They had even lost a clan elder of the Vein-Splitting Realm in battle.

Shan Xiongqing finally couldn't hold back. He slammed the table and sprang to his feet, heedless of the ceremonial occasion. "Shut up! What use is a Chief who got here by taking pills? He just scraped by on other people's leftovers. It's a disgrace to the Wolf God! With a foundation like yours, if you can break through to Savage Strength, I'll hand you my position as young master!"

"Xiongqing, you've had too much to drink." Gao Mian tried to pull him back into his seat.

"Get lost! You slut, don't pretend to be some virtuous woman! And you, Chai Nian, you hypocrite! Rong Yulian, you gossiping shrew! You've all been plotting against me behind my back..." Shan Xiongqing shook her off and, eyes bulging with rage, began attacking everyone in the room.

The noisy banquet fell utterly silent.

Wei Yan shot Shan Lie a cold look. "Keep your junior's mouth in check."

Shan Lie rose from his seat and walked up to Shan Xiongqing. He slapped him across the face, knocking him unconscious, then bowed to those around him. "The Shan Family has failed to keep our junior in line. Xiongqing spoke out of turn. Please don't take his words to heart."

With that, he swept Su Yuan a cold glance and led the Shan Family away.

Only then did Chai Nian speak in an unhurried voice. "So what if he has an inferior constitution? If he takes Blood Bone Pills for long enough to wash his marrow and remold his meridians, he may well transform into someone with a superior constitution. I've always had faith in the Su brothers. Tieniu is gifted and fiercely determined to advance, while Su Yuan has pushed against the odds despite his poor constitution. That's exactly what I expected!"

"Indeed. The Chai Family would never look down on Su Yuan because of his constitution. We'll devote every effort to cultivating him and provide him with Blood Bone Pills. Given time, they'll improve his constitution, and you'll all witness a miracle!" Chai Hong announced loudly.

Su Yuan: "..."

"So they're using me to test the medicine..."

He couldn't help admiring Chai Nian's shamelessness. Those words, "I've always had faith," had rolled off his tongue so smoothly.

Rong Yuzhi reached out and gently stroked the back of Su Yuan's hand, teasing him. "Su Yuan, if you really become someone with a superior constitution—or a Martial Warrior of Savage Strength—I might consider taking you as my son-in-law."

Su Yuan quickly pulled his hand away.

She was fourteen. He couldn't touch her.

Chai Yuanyuan, meanwhile, wrapped her arm around his. "Su Yuan belongs to the Chai Family!"

These women of Great Liang were so open and direct.

Tie Niu watched from nearby, grinning foolishly.

Brother Yuan had won first place, and he was happier than anyone.

Unexpectedly, Rong Yulian beckoned to him, calling him over.

"Su Yuan is my sworn younger brother. I'll decide his marriage myself, and I'm afraid none of you are suitable." Gao Mian came over to the group and gently led Su Yuan away.

Seeing her fun snatched away, Rong Yuzhi gave a quiet little huff. "Old woman."

Then she turned and teased Tieniu with Yulian.

Su Yuan felt Gao Mian's fingertips stiffen ever so slightly, and a question suddenly came to mind: How old was Sister Mian?

Gao Mian led him back to his seat and took out a jade bottle. "Here. A congratulatory gift for becoming Chief."

Su Yuan accepted it. It was another Break Strength Pill.

It turned out that even if Su Yuan hadn't made it into the top ranks, Gao Mian had already prepared this generous gift for him.

The pill was worth five hundred taels. Even for the wife of the Shan Estate's master, coming up with that much all at once would be no easy matter.

Over the past few months, Su Yuan had only managed to save a few hundred taels of silver after covering his martial arts expenses.

"Sister Mian, thank you." Su Yuan felt a warmth in his heart.

Gao Mian smiled and filled his wine cup. "Come on, have a drink."

She kept refilling Su Yuan's cup, one after another.

Su Yuan simply let loose, draining each cup as it came.

The wine burned his throat at first, but then a rich fragrance spread beneath his tongue. Yet a lingering bitterness hid in its aftertaste.

But why was the liquor so potent? A warmth gradually spread through his limbs, while a drowsiness crept over him.

Fortunately, he had a Trait that steadied his mind. Though the drunkenness was strong, his thoughts remained clear.

The night wore on.

By custom, everyone had to wait until the night of the ritual was over before they could return.

Gao Mian looked at Su Yuan, slumped over the table in a drunken stupor, and the corners of her lips curved upward. Ignoring everyone else, she gathered him into her arms, lifted him in a bridal carry, and walked toward her tent.

Su Yuan's cheek sank into a soft, fragrant warmth. The sensation was tender and smooth, carrying the familiar, faintly cool scent.

Weariness swept over him like a rising tide, and his tense body relaxed despite himself.

He mumbled, "Sister Mian, I'm really tired. I'm going to sleep."

For months, he hadn't let his guard down for a single day, and the days of hunting had drained both his strength and his mind.

For now, he didn't want to think about what came next. He only wanted to sleep well.

It wasn't long before steady snores rang softly.

He had actually fallen asleep.

Gao Mian froze, with nowhere to put all her pent-up energy.

Looking at his sleeping face, still edged with weariness, her heart softened. She stroked him as if soothing a doll. "Good boy. Sleep now."