The Su Household, Su Linyin (4,000 Words)

Discovering that he still had a sliver of hope of being rated Excellent sent Jiang Xuan's heart surging like rolling tides.

But where was he supposed to get medicinal pills? That became the greatest obstacle blocking his path.

Before long, however, he had no time to dwell on it.

The hunger in his belly and the depletion of his vitality left Jiang Xuan pale, his vision repeatedly darkening. Seeing this, he could only force himself upright and make his way home.

"Phew... I overdid the cultivation."

His steps unsteady, Jiang Xuan took nearly twice as long as usual to make the journey. Only then did he finally stagger back home.

The moment he entered the courtyard, he saw that his mother, Shen Yuerong, was not alone. A beautiful woman around his mother's age, dressed more exquisitely and properly, was sitting with her on the stone stools, chatting.

"Aunt Liu, you're here." Seeing her, Jiang Xuan hurriedly reined in his aura and stepped forward to greet her.

When Liu Hui saw Jiang Xuan, she smiled kindly as well. "Yes. Tomorrow, the Lady of the House will bring the eldest young lady over to offer condolences. I came to discuss something with your mother..."

Before she could finish, she noticed Jiang Xuan's exhausted expression and pale, weakened appearance. Her brows immediately rose.

Shaking her head, she took an exquisite pastry from the food box beside her and placed it in Jiang Xuan's hand. Unable to hold herself back, she began earnestly advising him.

"Xuan, I watched you grow up. I truly want what is best for you, so stop being so stubborn and accept the Su Household's goodwill."

"In your current state, you have no chance of entering the Dao-Bearing Class. Even if you enter the sect in the future, you will only end up with the title of Outer Disciple."

"But even among the outer sect, there are deep waters beneath the surface. Without a good family to support you, you will ultimately be assigned the bitterest, most exhausting work. Not only will there be no profit in it, it will also delay your cultivation."

"If you still harbor even the slightest thought of forging a Dao Foundation, you cannot keep being so willful."

Having said that, she seemed to recall something and added, "And you cannot blame the Su Household for what happened to your father. It was an accident—something no one wanted to see. Afterward, the Su Household gave plenty of compensation as well."

"Miss Su Linyin will come tomorrow. If you say a few nice things then, you can become the eldest young lady's follower. That is an opportunity countless people could only dream of."

"Cough, cough..." Jiang Xuan said, "Thank you for your concern, Aunt Liu, but I'm fine. Cultivating this way is good enough."

As he answered, Jiang Xuan's thoughts drifted away despite himself, recalling the ties between his family and the Su Household.

Jiang Xuan's father had also been a cultivator, though he had not been born into a sect. To recruit talented people from across the realm, the Divine Firmament Sect sent patrol guards to the great dynasties of the mortal world every year to test children for Spirit Roots. Anyone whose Spirit Root reached Mystic Grade would be brought back to the sect to cultivate.

At the Star Daoist Academy where Jiang Xuan studied, fully two-thirds of the disciples were poor youths selected from the mortal world in this manner.

Jiang Quan's circumstances back then had been even harder than Jiang Xuan's were now. A poor youth with no one to rely on, he had not possessed even a fraction of cultivation resources when he first entered the sect. Never mind medicinal pills—even the most basic spirit rice was unavailable to him. He could only fill his stomach with ordinary mortal food.

Fortunately, his Spirit Root talent had been fairly good: lower Earth Grade.

It was precisely because of that talent, along with several strokes of fortune, that he crossed paths with the Su Household's current Lady of the House and became what others called her "close friend."

Of course, "close friend" was the prettier term. Put less pleasantly, he was a follower—an appendage.

Whether to expand their influence or defend their own interests, cultivation families within a sect had a need to recruit talent.

With his lower Earth-Grade Spirit Root, Jiang Quan became one of the people recruited by the Su Household.

With the support of the Su Household's Lady of the House, Jiang Xuan's father's cultivation went far more smoothly. Not only did he receive cultivation resources, but through the Su Household's influence, he also obtained a lucrative position in the outer sect, and his Dao Foundation was within reach.

To further bind Jiang Quan to them, the current Lady of the House of the Su Household even married her personal maid—Jiang Xuan's mother—to him.

Had things continued smoothly, Jiang Quan's path of cultivation would have taken him, with the Su Household's support, from Aperture Opening through Cyclic Heaven Mystical Communion, until he could attempt to forge his Dao Foundation once his cultivation was complete.

If he successfully forged his Dao Foundation, the Su Household would even secure him a position as an outer sect steward.

Naturally, the Su Household would gain many benefits in the process as well.

As someone raised up by the Su Household, once Jiang Xuan's father became an outer sect steward, that authority could be said to remain firmly under the Su Household's control.

And whenever the Su Household encountered trouble, Jiang Xuan's father would have to lend his strength—benefits from cultivation families had never been so easy to take.

Jiang Quan's death had come precisely because of that "kindness."

During an expedition outside the sect, the Lady of the House's party was attacked by demons.

Having accepted so many benefits from the Su Household, Jiang Xuan's father and the other cultivators who had received the Su Household's favor could only step forward to block the enemy and bring up the rear.

What happened afterward was obvious. Jiang Xuan's father never returned.

The Su Household had not treated Jiang Xuan's fallen father unfairly.

They gave the Jiang Household a fairly substantial death benefit, then sought to make Jiang Xuan a follower of Su Linyin.

To people of this world, it truly was a reward.

Though cultivation families needed to recruit talent, they would never think much of a Mystic-Grade Spirit Root.

Jiang Xuan's father had received so many benefits because he possessed an Earth-Grade Spirit Root.

And one thing was beyond question: if Jiang Xuan were merely an ordinary person, his path of cultivation would indeed have been much smoother under the Su Household's protection.

Just as Aunt Liu had said before, what happened to Jiang Xuan's father had merely been an accident. The experiences of her husband, Zhou Lie, had been identical to Jiang Xuan's father's, except Zhou Lie had been fortunate enough to grow normally.

With the Su Household's help, he married Aunt Liu, forged his Dao Foundation, had children, and even became an outer sect steward.

With such cultivation and such a history, he was already luckier than ninety percent of cultivators in the world.

That was why both Shen Yuerong and Liu Hui wholeheartedly wanted Jiang Xuan to take this path.

But before the memories of his past life awakened, Jiang Xuan had always harbored a bellyful of resentment toward the Su Household, which had indirectly caused his father's death. He had flatly refused to agree.

After his true spirit awakened and he recalled everything from his past life, he became even less willing to live under another's roof, become someone else's appendage, and remain controlled by others for the rest of his life.

That was also why, when Dong Hao had offered to give him a cultivation technique, Jiang Xuan had refused no matter what and insisted on borrowing instead.

Recalling the past took Jiang Xuan some time, but he soon came back to himself and exchanged a few more words with Aunt Liu.

During that conversation, he once again rejected that "goodwill" with ironclad resolve.

After he left, Liu Hui watched his stubborn back and let out a heavy sigh. Turning to Shen Yuerong, she said, "Yuerong, you truly need to persuade him properly. Becoming Miss Linyin's follower is the best way out he will ever have in this life."

"Because of Jiang Quan, the Su Household has a high tolerance for Jiang Xuan. But an Aristocratic Clan's tolerance has always been limited. If he keeps being so stubborn, the Su Household will sooner or later wash their hands of him completely and never care whether he lives or dies again."

"When Miss Linyin comes tomorrow, I fear it will be the last chance for you mother and son."

At that, she sighed again. "If we had not been close back when we were in the Su Household, I would never say such heartfelt things to you."

Shen Yuerong's eyes reddened slightly at those words. She said softly, "I know. I'll try persuading Little Xuan again."

After exchanging a few more intimate words, Liu Hui rose to take her leave. Shen Yuerong saw her off, then turned back into the house and saw that Jiang Xuan had not rested at all. Instead, he was cleaning the hall. He lit incense, refilled the lamp oil, and wiped the altar table, every movement meticulous.

[You cleaned the Daoist temple hall. Daoist Acolyte Experience +1]

[You wiped the Attendant altar table. Daoist Acolyte Experience +1]

[You...]

Naturally, Shen Yuerong could not see those game notifications. She merely thought that he was physically depleted yet still refusing to rest, so she hurried forward to take over. "Leave these tasks to me. You cultivated all day; you must be exhausted. Rest first. Oh, and eat something to fill your stomach."

"These are spirit-food pastries your Aunt Liu brought. Here."

Liu Hui truly did share a sisterly bond with his mother. Every time she visited, she brought plenty of spirit food to nourish vitality and blood. Jiang Xuan's stomach was empty, so he did not stand on ceremony. Taking the pastries, he ate two or three in quick succession.

"Gulp..."

The moment the spirit food entered his mouth, its rich, sweet flavor spread across his tongue. Then a gentle current of spiritual energy slid down his throat into his abdomen, turning into a warm stream that flowed through his limbs and bones, washing away more than half his exhaustion and depleted vitality.

Replenished by spiritual energy and nourishment, Jiang Xuan felt his entire body loosen up. Even some color returned to his pale face.

Watching him eat, Shen Yuerong hesitated for a long while before finally circling back to the matter of becoming a follower.

As expected, Jiang Xuan still refused cleanly and decisively.

"No need, Mother. Cultivating as I am now is good enough."

Shen Yuerong doted greatly on Jiang Xuan. After finding that she could not persuade him no matter what she said, she sighed and ultimately stopped pressing the matter.

However, she did remind him of one thing. Tomorrow, when the Su Household's Lady of the House, Su Wanyi, and Su Linyin came over, Jiang Xuan could not pull a long face or do anything else improper.

Jiang Xuan nodded in agreement.

He was not foolish enough to provoke the Su Household while he was still weak.

Besides, while Jiang Xuan did feel some sorrow and regret over his father's death, there was not much hatred in his heart.

His father had taken the Su Household's resources and had effectively been a bodyguard and guard. He died in an accident, which counted as a workplace casualty. Even Jiang Xuan could not really say much about it.

The pastries eased Jiang Xuan's hunger, but his body still needed time to recuperate, and after a day of labor, his mind also needed to recover.

Thus, Jiang Xuan could not cultivate again for now.

Sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion, Jiang Xuan considered how he could quickly refine magical power.

"Medicinal pills are the most convenient and fastest path, but I have no Spirit Stones. That road is completely closed to me."

"...Even if I go to Dong Hao again, he may not be willing to lend to me."

"More troublesome still, I have no means of earning Spirit Stones to repay him in the short term. If I rely solely on borrowing, I will owe too many favors. At that point, I would effectively become his appendage."

Jiang Xuan did not want to follow Su Linyin, and naturally, he did not want to follow Dong Hao either.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xuan could not help letting out a long sigh.

"What a pity. If not for that serious illness several years ago, there would still be plenty of my father's death benefit left. I would not be having such a difficult start."

Several years ago, Jiang Xuan had fallen unconscious for a long time due to spiritual turbulence. To save him, his mother had spent every last bit of the family's remaining wealth and even borrowed many Spirit Stones, barely pulling him back from the gates of hell.

What left Jiang Xuan most helpless was that this upheaval had most likely been caused by his soul transmigrating and merging with this body. He did not even have anyone to complain to.

"If my guess is right, I had already transmigrated into this body three years ago. For three whole years afterward, I was merging with and adapting to this world and this body. Only a few days ago did my true spirit fully awaken."

Identifying the exact time of his transmigration did nothing to solve Jiang Xuan's problem of insufficient magical power.

After another bout of agonized thought, Jiang Xuan realized that he had no reliable way to break the deadlock.

This was the normal state of the vast majority of cultivators in the world.

Without an exceptional Spirit Root grade or a sufficiently powerful family background, opening thirty-six apertures within seven days was sheer fantasy.

Moreover, if cultivation were truly so easy to resolve, more than ninety percent of cultivators in the world would not remain trapped at the bottom of the Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening realm for their entire lives, unable to advance even an inch.

He had started late and possessed few resources. Being able to halve the time required to open his apertures with the help of the profession system was already the utmost Jiang Xuan could do.

"Should I simply give up, enter the Dao-Bearing Class with a Good rating, and then pin my hopes on the second round of assessment to strive for an Excellent rating?"

It truly was a safe path, but Jiang Xuan was unwilling to accept it.

After another period of focused thought, a glimmer of light finally reignited in Jiang Xuan's eyes.

"It is not the end yet. Today, I tested the effects of the Clearheart Mirror. And after taking the rare-grade profession of Clear-Heart Sword Disciple, besides the Clearheart Mirror, I also have Sincere Heart (Sword)—tomorrow, if I enter stillness while holding the sword and cultivate by wielding the sword with a sincere heart, perhaps I can gain another source of help."

Holding onto that faint but genuine hope, Jiang Xuan carefully finished cleaning the entire Daoist temple. At last, unable to resist his exhaustion any longer, he fell into a deep sleep.

What he did not know was that while he slept soundly, Liu Hui had already returned to her own residence.

"You went to Jiang Quan's home?"

The one who asked was a middle-aged man whose face carried a natural air of authority. He was Liu Hui's husband, Zhou Lie.

Hearing her husband's question, Liu Hui nodded. "Yes. Tomorrow, the Lady of the House and Miss Linyin are coming to offer condolences. I did not want anything to spoil their mood, so I went to remind Yuerong to keep Jiang Xuan properly in check... This may be their family's last chance as well."

"This matter should indeed be arranged beforehand." At the mention of the words "Lady of the House of the Su Household," a trace of complexity flashed through Zhou Lie's expression, only to vanish in an instant. He nodded in approval of Liu Hui's actions.

Green Bamboo Town and the surrounding businesses were now all under his authority. As a steward under the Su Household, if anything went wrong while the main household came to inspect, the first blow of accountability would land on him. Liu Hui's trip had indeed been necessary.

Of course, the words "last chance" also carried some of her genuine concern for her old sister, hoping Shen Yuerong could live a little better. But the sigh in her voice had long made clear that she did not think highly of Jiang Xuan's choice.

Zhou Lie was the same.

"Jiang Xuan truly is rather willful, and he does not quite understand what is good for him." After a moment of silence, he said calmly, "If he still refuses to lower his head tomorrow, then you should have less contact with the Jiang Household in the future."

After saying that, he added in a somewhat helpless tone, "It is not that I am cold and heartless. We have already given him too many chances, but he himself has refused to seize a single one. Yue'er and Little Lin's cultivation still depends on the Su Household's protection. We absolutely cannot let Jiang Xuan's affairs implicate our own family."

Liu Hui silently nodded. "I understand."

The moment she finished speaking, without needing any further instruction from Zhou Lie, Liu Hui turned to look at her daughter, Zhou Lin, who sat nearby, and warned, "Little Lin, after tomorrow, stay farther away from Jiang Xuan too."

Yet after she finished speaking, Zhou Lin continued sitting there in a daze, giving no response whatsoever. Liu Hui was immediately startled, then her heart tightened as she raised her voice. "Little Lin?!"

That call finally brought Zhou Lin back to herself.

Seeing the worry and anxiety covering her mother's face, she instantly understood her mother's misunderstanding. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she hurriedly explained, "Mother, don't let your thoughts run wild. There's nothing between Jiang Xuan and me. Just now... I really was thinking about him, but not because of romantic feelings. It was because Jiang Xuan today was simply far too strange."