Chapter 17: Su Xuefeng

In the courtyard, only Sikong Jing and Su Yuexi remained.

A cold wind blew gently. Although their wedding tonight had been simple and warm, it had ended in such a chaotic manner.

Sikong Jing felt a sense of self-reproach in his heart. It wasn't because he had crippled Su Yang—even if he were to do it all over again, he would do the same. His guilt stemmed solely from the fact that he had caused Su Yuexi distress.

"Yuexi, the fact that I was granted this marriage by the Lord of Yunzhou proves that I am no ordinary person. Believe me, I will win in ten days," Sikong Jing said, not knowing how else to comfort her.

In truth, he wanted to tell her that he was the legendary invincible divine general of the Great Shang Empire. But the words died on his lips.

Knowing his true identity would benefit no one.

The enemies he had slain piled up like mountains, the bandits he had wiped out were countless, and the imperial nobles he had offended were numerous. If his identity were leaked, there was no telling how many enemies would swarm him like ravenous beasts.

At this moment, he also understood why Yan Tianmo had not publicly stated that the marriage was bestowed by the Emperor. It was because a marriage granted by the Lord of Yunzhou would not arouse suspicion regarding his identity. Of course, this wasn't to protect him; it was because the Ninth Princess, Yan Ruyu, wanted to see him marry an ugly wife and live a life of misery.

Su Yuexi reached out and took Sikong Jing's hand, saying softly, "I am already your legitimate wife. No matter what happens, I will always stay by your side."

She had been merely existing before, her only reason for living being her parents. Now that she was a married woman, her husband naturally took precedence.

Sikong Jing's eyes grew hot. He gently pulled Su Yuexi into his arms, speechless.

"Do you... truly not find me ugly?" Su Yuexi murmured in his broad embrace.

She thought of how Sikong Jing had pulled off her veil and used a handkerchief to wipe away the blood. His gaze at that moment had shown no flicker of disgust or disdain—a sight she had never seen before.

Sikong Jing smiled. "Don't talk such nonsense. Besides, in ten days, I might just be able to give you a surprise."

In ten days, he should be able to reach the ninth level of the Bright Realm.

That night, following the words of his mother-in-law, Mei Xiaofang, the two slept in separate rooms, and Sikong Jing immediately entered a state of cultivation.

***

At the same time, Su Zhengtao was in a room playing chess with an old man.

The old man was Su Xuefeng, the father of Su Zhengtao and Su Zhenglong.

Ever since Su Zhenglong had been severely injured, Su Xuefeng, as the head of the Su family, had shifted his focus to his second son, Su Zhengtao, doting on his family excessively for the past ten years.

Suddenly, Su Zhengtao asked, "Father, why only cripple that criminal? Why not just kill him?"

Hearing this, Su Xuefeng replied with a dark expression, "The Lord of Yunzhou bestowed this marriage; I do not know his true intentions. It is better if that criminal doesn't die too quickly. I will wait until I can gauge the situation."

"However, that criminal must have committed a great crime or offended someone terrifying; otherwise, they wouldn't use that ugly creature to humiliate him." Su Xuefeng also used "ugly creature" as a substitute for his granddaughter, Su Yuexi.

Then, Su Xuefeng gritted his teeth. "What bad luck. How did I, Su Xuefeng, end up with the ugliest granddaughter in all of Yunzhou?"

He panted with frustration; Su Yuexi was the greatest disgrace to the Su family. It was precisely because she was the ugliest that she had been granted this marriage.

"Father, calm down. Su Yang crippling that criminal was an early birthday gift to you," Su Zhengtao advised.

Thinking about how he would soon see the criminal with broken limbs, Su Xuefeng's mood improved slightly, but he still said resentfully, "I truly want to see that criminal's miserable state with my own eyes."

"Second Master... something terrible has happened!"

Suddenly, the shrill voice of a servant rang out from outside the courtyard. The "Second Master" he referred to was, of course, Su Zhengtao.

The servant rushed in, his face pale. "Second Young Master Su Yang, he... he..."

*Slap!*

Su Zhengtao slapped the servant across the face. "What are you rushing for? Speak properly! Can't you see the Old Master is here?"

Hearing this, Su Xuefeng also said coldly, "What happened to Xiao Yang? Did he accidentally kill that criminal? Or did he kill that ugly creature? It doesn't matter; if they're dead, they're dead."

"No, it's not... the Second Young Master's limbs are all broken!" the servant said, dazed.

*Boom!*

As soon as these words were spoken, Su Xuefeng and Su Zhengtao felt as if they had been struck by divine lightning, their blood surging wildly!

"What did you say?"

The father and son roared almost simultaneously and rushed out of the door.

They saw Su Yang lying on a stretcher, his hands and feet completely ruined, even the bones in his joints shattered. Su Yun was kneeling by the stretcher, weeping uncontrollably.

Su Xuefeng's black-and-white hair and beard fluttered wildly as he glared at Su Yun. "Who did this? Was it that dog Su Zhenglong?"

His old eyes were bloodshot and his fists were clenched tight. Aside from Su Zhenglong, no one would dare to cripple Su Yang.

"It was that damned criminal! He launched a sneak attack on Second Brother..."

Su Yun gritted her teeth as she recounted the events, but she framed Sikong Jing's victory over Su Yang as a sneak attack. Otherwise, her brother Su Yang certainly would not have lost.

"The criminal? I'll go kill him!" Su Zhengtao's true qi surged as he prepared to charge out.

"Stop!" Su Xuefeng barked a command and growled, "Even if it was a sneak attack, in this nominal dispute between juniors, Xiao Yang lost. Su Zhenglong now has an excuse to fight to the death."

Su Zhengtao's footsteps froze. He was very afraid of Su Zhenglong fighting desperately. One had to know that even his father could not gain an advantage against a desperate Su Zhenglong.

But staring at Su Yang's miserable state, Su Zhengtao roared with bloodshot eyes, "Father, are we just going to swallow this insult?"

Su Xuefeng's gaze was icy. "Of course not. In ten days, Xiao Shan will return to celebrate my birthday. At that time, I will let Xiao Shan kill him."

*Wait another ten days?* Su Zhengtao was extremely displeased.

Suddenly, Su Xuefeng shouted, "Pass my command! From this moment on, cut off all financial support to Su Zhenglong's family. Not a single copper coin shall be taken from the Su Estate!"

After issuing the order, he hurried out to find a doctor for Su Yang.

Su Zhengtao's chest heaved. He said in a sinister, terrifying voice, "In ten days, I won't just make that criminal die; I will make Su Zhenglong die of rage. Father's birthday banquet will be his funeral."

***

Dawn broke. Sikong Jing had cultivated through the night without sleep, reaching the fifth level of the Bright Realm.

"What are you doing? Don't grab it! Don't grab it!"

Suddenly, the screams of his mother-in-law, Mei Xiaofang, drifted from outside the room.

At that moment, his door was flung open with a bang. Su Yuexi, panting heavily, said, "Sikong Jing, the servants in the house are robbing Mother of her things!"

Sikong Jing froze, then quickly pulled Su Yuexi to the center of the courtyard.

There, six or seven people dressed as servants were surrounding Mei Xiaofang. A middle-aged man and woman were even tugging at a bolt of silk in her hands.

Mei Xiaofang said in a fit of rage, "Have you gone mad? Let go of me!"

"Hmph, you haven't paid us our wages for half a month. Are you trying to let us starve to death?" the middle-aged servant tugging at the silk said viciously.