Su Family

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Su Family (苏家)
Type	Martial lineage and local martial force
Affiliation	Su Family Estate, Su Family Shop, and Pill Pavilion
Occupation / Role	Operates a martial household, commercial shop, weapons trade, and pill-refining operation
Status	Active 53
First Appearance	Mentioned as a wealthy martial lineage 13; operates through the Su Family Shop 14

Background

The Su Family is one of the three principal martial forces in the local town, alongside the Black Tiger Gang and White Ram Gang. Although imperial authorities retain nominal control, they largely tolerate these factions because of their martial strength, outside connections, and military value. 18

When first described, the family was known to possess a Bone Tempering Realm expert and several Muscle Refinement Realm members. Its patriarch, Su Yuanshan, is later identified as a Late Bone Tempering Realm expert and the family’s original sole Bone Tempering Realm cultivator. 13 38

The family combines martial influence with commerce. Its shop regularly buys game, medicinal herbs, and Ferocious Beast materials from mountain hunters, while the estate maintains guards, servants, alchemists, guest elders, and dedicated cultivation facilities. 14 32 35

Estate and Holdings

Holding	Details
Su Family Estate	A large, orderly compound of independent courtyards, roads, guards, and residential areas. The main gate is guarded by Mid Skin Tempering Realm martial artists. 32 34
Su Family Shop	A multi-story pavilion beside the estate that purchases mountain goods, medicinal herbs, and prey. Its rear entrance connects directly to the estate for security. 18 32
Pill Pavilion	The family’s alchemy center. Its first floor distributes pills and handles medicinal ingredients; the second stores completed pills; the third contains alchemical texts, inherited formulas, and private refining rooms. 35
Guest Elder Residences	The estate provides furnished courtyards to valued guest elders, including Residence No. 9527 for Lin Fan. 32 34
Sunset Glow Courtyard	A renovated compound with numerous rooms and an alchemy room, prepared as Lin Fan and Su Qingwei’s marital residence. 45 47

Commerce and Resources

• The Su Family Shop buys medicinal herbs at eighty percent of market value, a rate more favorable than the sixty-to-seventy-percent typically offered elsewhere. 14
• Regular suppliers may receive a Su Family VIP card, which grants a ten-percent discount at Su Family shops. 15
• The family sells martial weapons forged from specialized mineral crystal. Weapon quality is measured by forging level, reflecting the material’s increasing density and toughness. 18
• The Pill Pavilion safeguards inherited pill formulas; access to its resources requires an oath not to disclose the family’s secrets. 31
• The family supplies medicinal ingredients, pill furnaces, alchemical texts, and completed pills to trusted retainers and alchemists. 31 43 49

Members and Retainers

Individual	Position and role
Su Yuanshan	Family Head and Late Bone Tempering Realm martial artist. He oversees major disputes, provides resources to trusted allies, and directs the family’s strategic decisions. 38 43 53
Su Qingwei	Su Yuanshan’s daughter. She manages the Su Family Shop before her marriage, recruits Lin Fan into the family, and later becomes his wife. 31 44 47
Madam Su	Su Yuanshan’s wife and manager of the inner household. She helps arrange Su Qingwei’s dowry, betrothal rites, and wedding preparations. 45
Wang Delu	Steward of the Pill Pavilion. Though not a martial artist, he manages the pavilion and guides Lin Fan through its facilities. 35
Lin Fan	Golden guest elder, alchemist, guard, and later Su Qingwei’s husband. His arrival gives the family a second Bone Tempering Realm expert and an exceptional pill refiner. 31 33 44
Senior alchemists	Five veteran Pill Pavilion alchemists who compete against Lin Fan in a public alchemy contest and concede after his decisive victory. 39 43

Guest Elder System

The Su Family recognizes guest elders through identity tokens that grant estate access, protection, and status.

• A standard guest elder token permits free entry to the Su Family Estate and Pill Pavilion, with Su Qingwei offering personal intervention if other family cultivators or pharmacists cause trouble. 32
• Lin Fan later receives a Golden Guest Token, the highest rank among Su Family guest retainers. The White Ram Gang considers its holder’s standing nearly equivalent to that of a family leader. 33
• Guards immediately defer to Golden Guest Token holders and personally escort them through the estate. 34
• After winning the alchemy contest, Lin Fan’s remuneration is raised to 2,000 taels of silver per month, exceeding the salary of other golden-token guest elders. 43

History

Trade with Small Mountain Village

The Su Family Shop becomes the principal buyer for goods brought from Small Mountain Village. Su Qingwei personally purchases Lin Fan’s medicinal herbs, offers favorable rates, and provides him with a VIP card. 14 15

As Lin Fan’s hunting strength grows, the shop also purchases his live wild boars, Ferocious Beasts, and other mountain products. The family forges weapons for him, including a Forging Grade 25 spear commissioned through Su Qingwei. 18 24

Recruitment of Lin Fan

When Lin Fan reveals his alchemical ability, Su Qingwei invites him to join the family as an alchemist and guard. He accepts a reduced salary of 1,000 taels per month in exchange for preserving time for cultivation, while gaining access to the Pill Pavilion’s books, ingredients, and furnaces. 31

The family provides Lin Fan with a guest elder token, estate accommodation, and protection. After he sells a Wild Boar Ferocious Beast for 3,000 taels, Lin Fan moves his sister Lin Ruoruo and Mao Mao into the estate. 32 34

Protection from the White Ram Gang

The White Ram Gang initially prepares an ambush against Lin Fan with several Bone Tempering Realm allies. It cancels the plan after learning that Su Qingwei granted him a Golden Guest Token, fearing retaliation from the Su Family and its Late Bone Tempering Realm patriarch. 33

Lin Fan’s formal engagement to Su Qingwei further discourages the gang from confronting the Su Family directly, as the marriage makes him a full ally rather than an outside retainer. 44 46

Alchemy Contest

Several senior Pill Pavilion alchemists challenge Lin Fan’s credibility and arrange a public contest overseen by Su Yuanshan. The contest requires refining fifteen batches of pills judged by speed and quality. 39 40

Lin Fan produces fifteen high-grade batches, including simultaneous refinements, while the five veteran alchemists complete only three batches. Su Yuanshan confirms Lin Fan’s victory, raises his salary to 2,000 taels per month, and recognizes his value to the family. 43

Marriage Alliance

Su Yuanshan proposes a marriage between Lin Fan and Su Qingwei, offering family protection and access to resources while seeking a capable husband for his daughter and a powerful ally for the family. Lin Fan accepts based on his affection and respect for Qingwei rather than material gain. 44

The marriage gives the Su Family two Bone Tempering Realm experts—Su Yuanshan and Lin Fan—allowing it to better resist the Black Tiger Gang and White Ram Gang. 44

The family holds an elaborate wedding and prepares Sunset Glow Courtyard as the couple’s residence. Su Qingwei leaves shop management, while Lin Fan continues cultivating and refining pills for the Pill Pavilion. 45 47

Flower Thief Crisis

After learning of the Flower Thief’s crimes, Su Yuanshan increases the estate’s guards, patrols, and nighttime security because of the many women living within the residence. 49 50

Lin Fan supports the family’s defenses by refining high-grade combat pills for strength, endurance, recovery, and explosive power, providing some to Su Yuanshan. 50

When the Flower Thief is suspected of nearing the Bright Force Realm, Su Yuanshan lends Lin Fan the Su Family’s Inner Qi Circulation Method and gifts him a Forging Grade 33 Hundred-Forged Cold-Iron Spear. 53

Relationships

• Lin Fan — Golden guest elder, alchemist, guard, and eventual son-in-law; his talent, cultivation, and marriage substantially strengthen the family. 31 43 44 47
• Su Qingwei — Daughter of Su Yuanshan, former shop manager, Lin Fan’s recruiter, and later his wife. 31 44 47
• White Ram Gang — Rival martial force that abandons an assassination attempt against Lin Fan because attacking a Golden Guest Token holder could provoke the Su Family. 33
• Black Tiger Gang — One of the town’s other major martial forces; its two Early Bone Tempering Realm experts are regarded as a potential threat to be balanced by the strengthened Su Family. 18 44
• Small Mountain Village — Commercial partner through its hunting party, which regularly sells game, herbs, and prey to the Su Family Shop. 14 15

Story Role

• Provides Lin Fan with his first reliable town-based buyer, allowing him to convert mountain resources into silver for cultivation. 14 15
• Gives Lin Fan weapons, alchemical materials, residence, status, and political protection as he transitions from village hunter to recognized martial artist. 18 31 32
• Becomes Lin Fan’s new household after he relocates Lin Ruoruo and Mao Mao from Small Mountain Village. 33 34
• Serves as the setting for Lin Fan’s rise as an alchemist, his public defeat of the Pill Pavilion veterans, and his marriage to Su Qingwei. 39 43 47
• Acts as the principal defensive force opposing threats from the White Ram Gang and the Flower Thief. 46 49 53