A Surprise for Liu Laizi

At dinner.

Mother, who usually loved chatting with him about household matters, was unusually silent today. Su Xinghe had been consumed by martial arts techniques these past few days and hadn't noticed.

It wasn't until they finished clearing the dishes that Chen Guilan suddenly said:

"Someone came to propose marriage today."

"I don't want to!"

The words slipped out of Su Xinghe's mouth before he could think.

Only after saying them did he realize he seemed to have missed something.

Fortunately, Chen Guilan didn't leave him to dwell on it and began explaining.

"Oh, you child."

"It's your younger brother, Haitao..."

"The other party is also a girl from an old farming family outside the city. The two of them... have already pledged themselves to each other in secret."

The heart Su Xinghe had raised in alarm settled back down.

"That's a good thing..."

Seeing that his mother seemed to have something difficult to say, he continued asking:

"What? Is there something improper about it?"

Chen Guilan sighed.

"That child Tao didn't know any better and never discussed it with his father. Now the girl is pregnant, and her family is making a fuss."

Hearing that, Su Xinghe silently cursed his little brother.

That was far too irresponsible.

They weren't even married, yet he had dared not take any precautions.

But he immediately grasped the crux of the matter.

The two had probably been together for a long time. But half a year ago, he had spent all the family's silver on the "Ascending Dragon Stance," which was why the marriage had been delayed.

Thinking back to their neighbor Zhao Jing, if not for that incident with the Peaceful Heaven Sect, the original owner probably would have started a family long ago as well.

But that was fine. Right now, he was free and unfettered alone.

"Mother, tomorrow I'll have someone make a trip to the farm and call Father back. I'll handle the betrothal gifts, but we still need to ask Father and Haitao about the particulars of the wedding."

Since there was already a child, the marriage could not be delayed.

As for whether he himself would marry and have children in this life, he still wasn't sure. The task of carrying on the Su Family line would be left to his younger brother.

"Ah..."

Chen Guilan let out a faint sigh.

Betrothal gifts were no small sum, yet her son said he could settle them.

She thought of the recent changes in the household.

The money he gave for household expenses had steadily increased, and now he brought home large amounts of meat every day.

How were they supposed to live like this in the future?

Sometimes, she truly suspected that her eldest son had gone down the wrong path.

"Xiao He, the betrothal gifts aren't urgent."

"Your father and I will think of a way. If worse comes to worst, we can discuss it with the in-laws and pay part of it first, then let Haitao and his wife slowly repay the rest later."

"But we must never touch those people who lend money at interest."

She tried to put it as tactfully as possible, afraid of hurting the young man's pride.

"Mother, don't worry."

"I've already signed a contract with a Brokerage Guild in the south of the city. As long as I make another breakthrough in martial arts, I can become a steward at the Brokerage Guild."

Su Xinghe knew he would soon break through to Inner Tempering and meet the old gang leader's second condition. He said it a few days early to put his mother's mind at ease.

But Chen Guilan had heard such words so often over the past half year that her ears had grown calluses. She only thought her eldest son still hadn't given up on martial arts and was still striving to join a Martial Arts School to learn kung fu.

But becoming a Martial Warrior was not so easy, especially when their family was so poor.

"Alright, Xiaohe. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

"By the way, why haven't we seen Auntie Wang's Jing'er lately? Did you two have a falling-out?"

"That girl has been obedient since she was little, and she's pretty too..."

How could Su Xinghe fail to understand what his mother meant?

Now that his younger brother's lifelong matter seemed to be settled, he was naturally the only "older leftover bachelor" left in the family.

But leaving aside Zhao Jing's current attitude toward him.

He himself was already very clear: outside, there was a powerful enemy like the Peaceful Heaven Sect at his side; within, there was the summit of martial arts for him to climb.

Even if he were to start a family, he first had to make something of himself.

For example, becoming a Martial Arts Grandmaster or something.

After tidying up the kitchen.

Su Xinghe returned to his room and fed Little White Bat early.

Perhaps because his vitality and blood had surged recently and his blood was rich in nutrients, the little fellow seemed to have grown plumper by a whole circle. His entire body was chubby, and even the two fleshy wings on his back were pink and tender.

After telling his mother he was going to find a friend to deliver a message, he hurried away.

Little Beggar lived in Tongzi Ward, only a few alleys away from the Su Family home.

As he passed the neighboring alley, he deliberately glanced over and saw a group of children playing beneath a tree.

Making his way through the darkness to the alley where Little Beggar lived, he found that shabby little temple whose door could not even be shut.

It was pitch-black inside. The other party seemed to have already gone to sleep.

He tried pushing the door.

With a crack, the door opened at once.

His strength had increased so much recently that he had snapped the wooden stick bracing the door shut.

"Who is it!"

A crisp girl's voice came from the side hall.

Su Xinghe froze, then hurriedly looked around.

That was right. This was the place.

Could that guy have a girlfriend?

If it were anything else, he would not have bothered coming to the door in the middle of the night. He could simply make the trip himself. But this involved delivering a message to the Lu Family Farm outside the city, where there was also a Peaceful Heaven Sect organization he could not deal with for the time being.

The fact that he could return from death was too fantastical, and it would be hard to explain how he was still alive and kicking after having the Red Lotus Treasure Vase Qi broken.

If he went back and ran into those people, he would most likely be treated as a lab rat.

"Is Little Beggar here?"

Upon hearing his voice, a sudden clatter erupted from the side hall.

Su Xinghe was in no hurry.

After all, anyone whose good thing had been interrupted would panic and fumble about for a while.

After waiting for roughly ten breaths, the door creaked open.

"Boss, you were looking for me?"

Perhaps Little Beggar had just bathed. His hair hung loose, and he wore a black cloak over his body.

"Who was that girl just now?"

Although he did not want to meddle in the other party's private affairs, this concerned the secrecy of their cooperation, so he asked anyway.

"What girl?"

"Oh... she's my little sister..."

Little Beggar seemed somewhat embarrassed and found it difficult to speak. He immediately changed the subject.

"Boss, did you need something?"

"Mm."

Su Xinghe made a long story short, asking him to make a trip to the Lu Family Farm outside the city tomorrow and call his father, Su Cheng, and his younger brother home.

Little Beggar agreed, promising to set out at daybreak.

After leaving, Su Xinghe did not return home. Instead, he avoided the crowds and slipped out of Tongzi Ward under cover of darkness.

On the way, he also took a look at a certain small courtyard.

Like the many gambling houses in the west of the city, Lucky Fortune Card House operated through the night. But because it was located in the west of the city and close to Tongzi Ward, those coming and going were all poor people in coarse cloth, with barely a few copper coins in their pockets.

So-called all-night gambling was impossible. At most, they would play two rounds before getting off the table and rolling out.

Su Xinghe waited at the alley entrance for over ten minutes before seeing one of Liu Laizi's fellow thugs come out to relieve himself.

About half an hour later, a bald figure covered in bumps appeared by the wall. After he and his companion cursed and swore while relieving themselves, he immediately returned to the card house full of energy.

It seemed he still had a bit of capital in his pocket.

After confirming the target, Su Xinghe immediately began heading back to Tongzi Ward.

By then, the night was deep, and the people cooling off in the alleys had already dispersed.

He felt his way through the darkness to beneath a phoenix tree. The little brats who had been playing there earlier were long gone. Following a branch carved with a mark, he climbed up and indeed found a tree hollow as wide as a bowl.

Reaching in, he felt a soft little cloth bundle. It weighed roughly five or six jin and gave off a pungent smell of black powder.

This stuff was controlled even more strictly than blades and swords within the city. Once discovered by the Public Security Office, the result would be losing one's head.

That was why Su Xinghe had been rather careful.

He had only sent Little Beggar outside the city to obtain some sulfur used to repel insects, while he himself secretly mixed several packets of medicinal powder from an apprentice at the pharmacy.

The rest could be found in his own kitchen.

Once he had the items, he did not dare delay. He quickly made his way to an abandoned courtyard nearby and found the other package he had prepared.