Unrestricted Dao Lord

"By the way, the bandits of Feitian Ridge rarely come down the mountain to plunder. He Xiongfei might look rough, but he’s extremely cautious. He’s never robbed an escort before."

"But this time, He Xiongfei’s objective was clear. He was coming straight for the Su Family’s cargo..."

With that, Li He left.

He said nothing more.

For many things, a hint was all that was needed.

He was confident the Su Family would understand what he meant.

Inside the meeting hall, everyone’s expression was grim.

"Investigate this in secret. Find out who’s pulling the strings," Su Zhenzhen said coldly.

If they didn’t get to the bottom of this, it would happen again.

If the Zhenyuan Escort Agency hadn’t been able to protect the cargo this time, the consequences for the Su Family would have been unimaginable.

Over the next few days, the Su Family mobilized all its forces to investigate.

The plan to go and pay respects to their parents was also postponed for a few days.

Zhang Su wasn’t in a hurry.

He continued his daily routine of Cultivation with Blood Replenishing Pills.

Four days passed.

Zhang Su had consumed a total of sixteen Blood Replenishing Pills.

But the effects were excellent.

BOOM.

A roar resounded within Zhang Su’s body.

His Qi Blood felt like it was about to burst forth from his body.

WHOOSH.

Zhang Su’s eyes snapped open.

He assessed the amount of Qi Blood within him.

’Two hundred threads of Qi Blood...’

Zhang Su murmured to himself.

He’d finally reached two hundred threads of Qi Blood.

Most Martial Artists who didn’t practice top-tier Cultivation Techniques had a limit of one hundred threads of Qi Blood!

But now, Zhang Su had double that amount.

Furthermore, two hundred threads of Qi Blood was essentially the baseline for the Guiyuan Sect’s Ten Great Outer Disciples.

The most basic requirement for becoming one of the Ten Great Outer Disciples was cultivating at least two hundred threads of Qi Blood.

Now, Zhang Su had finally met that standard.

However, two hundred threads was not his limit.

He was practicing an Unparalleled Cultivation Technique.

His potential was over five hundred threads!

Zhang Su glanced at his Blood Replenishing Pills.

Of the forty Blood Replenishing Pills he had brought down from the mountain, only sixteen remained.

At most, they would only last him another four days.

Therefore, he couldn’t stay with the Su Family for too much longer.

So, Zhang Su got up and left his room.

He planned to find his older brother, explain the situation, and arrange to return to the mountain as soon as possible after they paid respects to their parents.

"Second Brother, your timing is perfect. We have a lead in the investigation. You should come and hear this."

Zhang Su had just found his older brother and was pulled into the main branch’s living room before he could even speak.

His sister-in-law handed Hutou to a maid.

Only Zhang Su, Su Zhenzhen, and his older brother were in the living room.

Zhang Chen and Su Zhenzhen exchanged a glance.

Then Zhang Chen spoke. "Second Brother, the investigation yielded results. The ones targeting our Su Family from the shadows are the Wei Family of Qingquan Prefecture!"

"The Wei Family?"

Zhang Su searched his memories.

He had very few memories of the Wei Family.

The Wei Family seemed to be just an insignificant Martial Arts Family.

They were nothing compared to the Jiang Family.

’Why would the Wei Family dare to target the Su Family?’

As if sensing Zhang Su’s confusion, Zhang Chen explained, "The Wei Family was originally just an ordinary Martial Arts Family, not on the same level as the Jiang Family. But they produced a genius named Wei Yunzhou."

"Three years ago, this Wei Yunzhou developed Inner Strength and became an Inner Sect Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect. Since then, the Wei Family began to aggressively expand its influence. They’ve even meddled in the business of various merchant associations, trying to amass a great fortune to support Wei Yunzhou’s Cultivation."

"It’s precisely because the Wei Family is so aggressive that the Jiang Family chose to form a marriage alliance with the Su Family. They hope to use the Su Family’s wealth to help Jiang Cheng develop Inner Strength and become an Inner Strength Martial Artist, which would allow them to compete with the Wei Family."

"As for why the Wei Family is targeting our Su Family... the reason is simple: silver! Our Su Family is known as ’Su Half-City,’ the wealthiest family in all of Qingquan Prefecture. If the Wei Family could swallow all our assets, they could better support Wei Yunzhou’s Cultivation."

Zhang Su understood.

He couldn’t help but ask, "An Inner Sect Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect carries immense weight! What if the Wei Family decides to use force..."

But Su Zhenzhen smiled and replied, "The Wei Family doesn’t dare use force. At least, not for now. That’s because our Su Family also sponsors an Inner Sect Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect. Until Wei Yunzhou can overpower that disciple, the Wei Family can only resort to shady tactics and won’t dare to make a move in the open."

Zhang Su understood.

’That’s right, sponsorship.’

’If Gu Ying was willing to sponsor him, why wouldn’t the Su Family sponsor someone too?’

’With the Su Family’s resources, sponsoring an Inner Sect Disciple from the Guiyuan Sect would be no problem at all.’

"But the Wei Family is getting more aggressive, so we need to prepare," Su Zhenzhen continued. "We originally considered sponsoring a stronger Inner Sect Disciple from the Guiyuan Sect, but that doesn’t seem cost-effective now. Sponsoring a more powerful disciple would require a huge amount of silver, which is difficult for the Su Family at the moment, with the Wei Family targeting us from the shadows."

"Besides, a sponsored disciple would only ever treat our family’s business as a transaction. So, my husband and I have decided to sponsor you, Second Brother. We’ll give you first-tier sponsorship: five thousand taels of silver per month."

"As long as you can develop Inner Strength and become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect, the threat from the Wei Family will resolve itself."

Su Zhenzhen’s words startled Zhang Su.

’Five thousand taels of silver a month?’

’Would the Su Family really agree to that?’

’After all, Gu Ying’s first-tier sponsorship had been a gamble.’

’And he had even shown her his Unparalleled Cultivation Technique back then.’

’But Su Zhenzhen had no idea he was practicing an Unparalleled Cultivation Technique.’

’And her tone was so sincere.’

’It was a trust in him that came from the bottom of her heart!’

"Older Brother, first-tier sponsorship is no small matter. You..."

Before Zhang Su could finish, his older brother interrupted him.

Zhang Chen’s tone was serious. "Second Brother, it was Zhenzhen’s idea to offer you this first-tier sponsorship. Just make sure you don’t disappoint your sister-in-law or the Su Family in the future."

"The Wei Family is powerful right now, and you’ve foiled their plans. When you return to the Guiyuan Sect, you must be extra careful of Wei Yunzhou. Be cautious in everything you do."

"From now on, you have only one priority: develop Inner Strength and become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect as quickly as possible! Only then can you stand up to Wei Yunzhou, and only then can our Su Family stand up to the Wei Family!"

Zhang Su understood.

’Zhang Chen and his sister-in-law were betting everything on him.’

’They were no longer looking for a stronger Inner Sect Disciple from the Guiyuan Sect.’

’After all, no matter how strong an Inner Sect Disciple was, they would still be an outsider.’

’But he was family.’

’This was the bond of kinship. This was trust!’

"Older Brother, Sister-in-law, I understand."

Zhang Su nodded.

"Good. Here are five thousand taels in silver notes," Su Zhenzhen said generously. "If it’s not enough, you can have Elder Guan bring a message back later. We can always add more!"

Zhang Su smiled.

’This sister-in-law of his was truly a force to be reckoned with.’

’Decisive and magnanimous in her actions.’

’Looking at it now, his older brother marrying into her family didn’t seem like such a bad thing after all.’

That afternoon, Zhang Su went with his older brother and younger sister back to their old hometown to pay respects to their parents.

Their parents were buried in Zhang Family Village.

After their parents died, the clansmen of Zhang Family Village had carved up the Zhang Family’s property, even confiscating their house for the clan.

They claimed it was to "raise" the three siblings.

But in reality?

The three siblings remembered all too clearly how difficult their lives had been in Zhang Family Village.

Because of that, once they were old enough, they resolutely left Zhang Family Village.

Zhang Chen, being literate, managed to make a living in the Prefecture City and later married into the Su Family.

But neither Zhang Chen nor Zhang Su ever had anything to do with the people of Zhang Family Village again.

After paying respects to their parents, the three siblings quickly returned to the Su Family estate.

They had just arrived back at the Su Family estate when Su Zhenzhen greeted them, her expression grave.

"Husband, Second Brother, we have a visitor."

"A visitor?"

Judging from Su Zhenzhen’s expression, this visitor was quite "unexpected."

The two brothers then went to the living room and saw who had come to call on them.

"Jiang Cheng?"

Zhang Su was genuinely surprised.

’Why is Jiang Cheng here?’

’Jiang Cheng was connected to the Su Family by marriage alliance.’

’But his fiancée was Su Mulan from the Third Branch; he had no connection to the main branch.’

’If Jiang Cheng were to visit the Su Family, he should have gone to the Third Branch.’

’Why had he come to the main branch?’