Setting the Stage

"Su Heng! Qing Lin is still so young. Why are you dragging her into this?"

Just as Su Heng and Qing Lin were making their plans, Su Yan, who had been standing outside the door for quite some time, finally could not hold back and rushed in.

Ever since Su Heng had introduced Qing Lin to the two elders, Su Yan and Xue Yu had adored this future daughter-in-law beyond measure. Over the past few days, they had doted on her as if she were their own daughter.

They had not even cared that Qing Lin was of mixed snake-people and human blood.

Qing Lin had lost her parents at a young age and suffered countless cold stares and bullying. Now that elders cared for her so deeply, she was naturally immensely grateful. She was extremely filial toward the two of them, already carrying herself like a daughter-in-law of the Su Clan.

Just moments ago, Su Yan had come to visit his son after his seclusion. As he passed the door, he happened to overhear the two of them talking.

The moment he heard that Qing Lin was going out to subdue a Fourth-Order Magical Beast, Su Yan could no longer restrain himself and immediately rushed into the room.

"Father... why are you here?"

Su Heng looked at his father in confusion, silently wondering, When did Father's cultivation become so high? How did I not sense his aura at all?

"Hello, Uncle!"

Compared to Su Heng, Qing Lin was far more relaxed around Su Yan. She smiled and greeted him without the slightest restraint.

"Little Su, I know you've been preparing a plan against the Mo Family lately, but do you truly know how powerful the Mo Family is?"

"The Mo Family's Great Elder, Mo Cheng, is already a Five-Star Dou Ling. I know you're angry, but the gap in strength is simply too great. We need to think this through carefully. Acting rashly will harm you, and it will harm Qing Lin too."

"You mustn't do anything reckless. Here in Stone Desert City, we can start over and slowly build ourselves up again."

Clearly, Su Yan had not understood Su Heng's intentions. From his perspective, his son was forcing Qing Lin to raise her strength so they could seek revenge against the Mo Family. That was not revenge—it was a rash, suicidal attempt to perish together with the enemy.

"Father, you're underestimating me a little too much. Your son advanced from a One-Star Dou Zhe to a Four-Star Dou Master in just one year, and from an Alchemist Apprentice to a Third-grade Alchemist. Do you think I achieved all that through mere brute courage?"

Su Heng looked at his worried father, raised his head confidently, and slowly explained.

"The Mo Family will soon learn that I've returned. Once Mo Cheng's birthday banquet is over, they'll come to Stone Desert City to wipe us out completely. Do you think we can slowly develop here and make a comeback? I'm afraid that's impossible!"

"Our only chance now is to strike first—kill Mo Cheng and deal the Mo Family a devastating blow!"

"I may not be certain that I can destroy the Mo Family, but killing Mo Cheng won't be difficult."

Su Yan's expression changed drastically upon hearing Su Heng's words. He was not afraid of death, but he feared that his son, blinded by hatred, would do something foolish.

"Don't talk nonsense! He's a Five-Star Dou Ling, not a Five-Star Great Dou Master. The gap between them is beyond anything you can imagine!"

Su Yan sternly rebuked his son, growing highly agitated as he tightly gripped Su Heng, trying to make him "come to his senses."

Seeing his father so flustered, Su Heng understood that if he did not produce something convincing, his father would not only refuse to support him but might even hold him back.

Many things needed to be made clear.

"Little Gold, come out!"

Su Heng winked at Qing Lin. A faint gleam flashed through Qing Lin's eyes, and the golden Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake lazily stretched before crawling out of her shoulder bag and swiftly darting before Su Heng.

"Little Gold, let my father see what you can do."

The Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake glared at Su Heng and twisted its body irritably. It was Qing Lin's servant, not Su Heng's.

Yet Su Heng ordered it around as though it were some household servant, which left the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake deeply dissatisfied. But Qing Lin was far too close to her Brother Su Heng, so all of Little Gold's protests were useless.

Little Gold flicked its body and shot into the air, lashing its tail toward Su Yan's chest. Su Yan felt a fierce wind strike his face and immediately raised his arm to block.

Bang!

A violent impact rang out. Even with his defensive earth-attributed Dou Qi, Su Yan's blood and Qi churned from that simple blow, and both his arms throbbed with pain.

This unremarkable little snake was far stronger than he was. It might even have nearly reached the Dou Ling level.

"This is Qing Lin's pet, a third-tier Magical Beast, the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake. It should not have advanced to the fourth order yet. Though it hasn't reached the Dou Ling level, it still possesses the strength of an Eight- or Nine-Star Great Dou Master."

"Father, if I'm not mistaken, you should be above the Five-Star Great Dou Master level now, right?"

Just moments ago, Su Heng had repeatedly examined Su Yan's cultivation with his soul force. He felt that his father was now stronger than both Xiao Li and Qing Lin, at the very least a Four- or Five-Star Great Dou Master.

"Your father is now a Six-Star Great Dou Master. If your Uncle Wen and Uncle Li were still alive, our Su Clan would have had three Great Dou Masters..."

Thinking of his two cousins, Su Yan could not help feeling a pang of sorrow. After receiving the Profound Tier cultivation technique Su Heng had sent back to the clan, he, Su Wen, and Su Li had quickly broken through to the Great Dou Master realm.

Just when Su Yan believed that, with strength to back them, the Su Clan could gain a foothold in Salt City, disaster had suddenly struck, taking everything from the Su Clan.

"Father, everything has cause and effect. We cannot avoid this calamity. Now that I've returned, I will not let the tragedy repeat itself."

The Su Clan and the Mo Family had long reached a point where only one could survive. Any compromise was meaningless, and the time for reckoning had nearly come.

Looking at the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake as it slipped back into Qing Lin's shoulder bag, Su Heng could not help feeling that fate truly toyed with people.

That vicious Magical Beast had once hunted him down, yet it had now become one of his most important companions—and he had personally fed it to the verge of advancement.

Ever since Su Heng became a Second-grade Alchemist, he had fed the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake plenty of pills. He had let Little Gold dispose of large quantities of failed pills or low- and mid-grade pills.

Over nearly a year, the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake had consumed hundreds of pills of all kinds, and its cultivation had been steadily approaching that of a Fourth-Order Magical Beast.

"Besides it, I'm planning to capture another Magical Beast."

The moment Su Heng finished speaking, a ghostly gleam flashed in Qing Lin's emerald eyes. When Su Yan met her gaze, he instantly felt dizzy and nearly collapsed to the floor.

"Qing Lin possesses the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, which can suppress all snake-type Magical Beasts. As long as they are below the Dou Emperor level, Qing Lin can subdue them and use them as pets."

"I once investigated the area around Stone Desert City. There is a Fourth-Order Magical Beast there, a Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake. Its strength is comparable to that of a human Dou Ling."

"Qing Lin has already sensed its location. I originally intended to have her subdue it after she raised her cultivation."

After hearing Su Heng's words and witnessing Qing Lin's frightening power, most of Su Yan's fear finally dissipated. He had never imagined that his son possessed such formidable hidden cards.

"I'll accompany Qing Lin when she goes to subdue the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake. I won't feel at ease leaving her in someone else's care."

Su Yan saw no problem with his son's arrangements. If they could gain another Magical Beast with Dou Ling-level combat power, then killing Mo Cheng would no longer be an impossible dream. But he would never agree to let Qing Lin take such a risk alone.

"Dad, don't worry. Qing Lin is very strong, and I've arranged for Second Brother Xiao Li to accompany her. There shouldn't be any problem."

It was not that Su Heng thought his father was too weak. Rather, Su Yan had more important matters to handle and could not leave Stone Desert City for the time being.

"The Su Clan still needs you to hold down the fort. You should also make more appearances around Stone Desert City, putting on the act of buying land and property to make a comeback, so we can numb the Mo Family's spies."

Su Heng understood his father's concern. Any parents would absolutely adore the daughter-in-law their son brought home, fearing she might suffer even the slightest bump or scrape. Qing Lin was so adorable that no one could bear to see her harmed in the least.

"Mm..."

Su Yan pondered for a long time before finally nodding.

"As for me, I need to leave the city for a while to meet an important figure. As long as I can obtain his help, Mo Cheng is as good as dead!"

That night, Su Heng changed into a set of black night clothes, slipped out of the city under cover of darkness, swallowed a Windstride Pill, and sped toward Salt City.

Several days later, outside the residence of Bo'er, the Lord of Salt City, an uninvited guest arrived at the gates of the City Lord's Manor in the dead of night.

"Third-grade Alchemist Su Heng requests an audience with Lord Bo'er. Please inform him for me, brother. Also, don't make a commotion. Many thanks!"

Looking at the bleary-eyed gatekeeper, Su Heng placed several pills in his hand while lowering his voice as much as possible so that only the man before him could hear.

"You! You're Su Heng? Come in quickly! The City Lord said that if you came, we were to bring you to see him immediately."

Upon hearing Su Heng's name, the gatekeeper, who had still been half-asleep, instantly snapped awake. He looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then quickly ushered Su Heng inside.

In truth, before entering, Su Heng had already used his soul force to scan a radius of three miles. There were no Mo Family spies nearby.

It was clear that after gaining Yun Leng's backing, the Mo Family no longer regarded Bo'er, the City Lord, as worthy of notice.

Following the gatekeeper, Su Heng moved swiftly through the darkness and soon arrived at City Lord Bo'er's study. Bo'er seemed to have sensed something long ago and had been waiting there for quite some time.

"Nephew Su Heng, I knew you would come. I just didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

Bo'er motioned for the gatekeeper to withdraw, then waved his right hand. A powerful Dou Qi barrier completely sealed off the study.

Now, no one outside could hear their conversation. Even if the two broke into a fierce battle inside the room, the outside world would remain perfectly calm.

"Uncle Bo'er, since you knew I would come, are you willing to help me deal with the Mo Family? Or are you planning to draw a line between us and settle all debts once and for all?"

Su Heng naturally sat opposite Bo'er, his expression solemn as he looked at the somewhat stern-looking fat man.

"Young friend Su Heng, I did uphold our agreement and protect your Su Clan. But while I could barely manage to suppress the Mo Family, asking me to stand against the Misty Cloud Sect is absolutely impossible!"

When Bo'er had agreed to Su Heng's request in the past, it had essentially been to curb the Mo Family's arrogance and prevent their rapid expansion. He had also seen Mo Cheng's ambition and sensed the threat he posed.

But after Yun Leng, the Great Elder of the Misty Cloud Sect, personally arrived in Salt City, Bo'er realized that he had still underestimated Mo Cheng's influence within the Misty Cloud Sect.

At that moment, he understood that the Mo Family's rise was unstoppable. Even his position as City Lord would sooner or later become Mo Cheng's. He no longer wished to have any conflict with the Mo Family, and if necessary, he would even submit to them.

If he joined the Mo Family, Bo'er and his family could still get a share of the benefits. But if he fought the Mo Family to the bitter end, the Su Clan's fate today would become his family's fate tomorrow.

"Lord Bo'er, I will naturally remember the kindness you showed in protecting the Su Clan. I came today first to thank you for your care, and second to ask you for a small favor."

Hearing that Bo'er's form of address had changed, Su Heng understood that the other party had made his position clear. He immediately took out two purple jade bottles from his Storage Ring and placed them before Bo'er.

"These are four Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills. Taking two of them can help a Great Dou Master raise their cultivation by two stars in succession. Lord Bo'er, consider them my gift of thanks for your past assistance to the Su Clan, which spared us from the Mo Family's clutches."

Bo'er looked at the pills Su Heng offered but did not dare accept them, because these four pills represented far more than gratitude.

"As for the second matter, I would like to ask you to bring me into the Mo Family on the day of Mo Cheng's birthday banquet. You may visit him under the pretense of offering birthday wishes, while another friend and I pose as your servants and carry your gifts."

Su Heng did not lower the pills in his hand. Instead, he continued with his second request.

"Impossible! You're forcing me to become enemies with the Mo Family. I will never offend the Mo Family, much less the entire Misty Cloud Sect, for your sake!"

Upon hearing this, Bo'er knew that Su Heng was preparing to strike against the Mo Family and had come to drag him into it. He immediately flew into a rage and sternly refused.

"Since that is the case, I won't force you. However, please accept these four Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills. I also have ten Third-grade Qi-Replenishing Pills here. Just pretend I never came today, and from this moment on, we owe each other nothing. How does that sound?"

Su Heng turned back and gave Bo'er a cold look. If Bo'er agreed to help, then Su Heng would be completely certain of killing Mo Cheng. But if he refused, then using four Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills and ten Qi-Replenishing Pills to buy his neutrality was still acceptable.

"Fine. We owe each other nothing. I won't interfere with whatever you do to the Mo Family, and you are not to come looking for me again over whatever the Mo Family does to your Su Clan."

Bo'er's fat cheeks twitched a few times before he gritted his teeth and spoke.

"Lord Bo'er, the Mo Family will soon disappear from Salt City completely. I hope you will not regret your decision today. If you join me in eradicating the Mo Family, perhaps half of the Mo Family's assets will become yours."

Su Heng still wanted to make one final effort to win him over, but Bo'er seemed to have made up his mind. He merely turned his head away and did not say another word.

"Since that is so, I shall take my leave. If Lord Bo'er is interested, you may come to this place on the day of the birthday banquet and watch a good show."

"Perhaps you may change your mind then. Farewell!"

Su Heng gently placed a note on Bo'er's desk. This was his final attempt to persuade Bo'er, and also the last chance he offered him.

Looking at the Dou Wang who had once helped his family but had ultimately chosen to remain an onlooker, Su Heng sighed inwardly, pushed open the door, and vanished into the night.