Seeing Su Yu’s reaction, Wang Lingran smiled faintly. She gently tucked a stray strand of black hair behind her ear, her movements exuding the rich charm of a mature woman.
"You have a keen eye, Commander Su." Wang Lingran’s red lips parted slightly. "This is a Profound-grade Top-Grade Treasure Pill: the Life-Generation and Creation Pill!"
"This Pill is refined from a variety of centuries-old Spirit Medicines, supplemented with the heart’s blood of a High-tier Exotic Beast. Taking it... I wouldn’t go so far as to say it can bring the dead back to life, but it can definitely regrow flesh on bones!
Even with fatal injuries like completely severed meridians and shattered bones, as long as you’re still breathing, it can reverse the tide of life in an instant and make you good as new. In these chaotic, war-torn times, this Pill is equivalent to a second life. It’s worth a fortune!"
The Life-Generation and Creation Pill!
A flash of joy appeared in Su Yu’s eyes. ’What an incredible Pill!’
’With this Pill, my brother’s legs can be healed. That would be a huge weight off my mind.’
"Where does this Pill come from? Commander Wang, when you say it’s worth a fortune, do you literally mean ten thousand gold?"
"This Pill is from Medicine King Valley. And as for its value, ten thousand gold is the minimum!"
’Medicine King Valley?’
Su Yu had heard of this faction before. The Public Security Bureau’s intelligence mentioned they were from Jian’an Prefecture and had dispatched people to Black Stone City long ago.
’Looks like I’ll have to learn more about this Medicine King Valley when I get back.’
"Well, Commander Su?"
Seeing Su Yu fall silent in contemplation, Wang Lingran assumed he was stunned by her grand gesture. "My sincerity is second to none in this Outer City. If you join me, when the gates of the Inner City open and my Wang Family takes complete control of the Public Security Bureau, you will naturally rise with the tide and escape this mire."
She picked up her teacup, elegantly toying with the lid.
"As someone from the Outer City, you probably can’t even begin to imagine the terrifying depth of my Wang Family’s resources. Take this Profound-tier Treasure Pill, for example. You might not see more than a few in the Outer City in an entire year. But in my Wang Family, as long as one makes sufficient contributions, even vassals and servants have the chance to be rewarded with one!"
Hearing this, Su Yu breathed a sigh of relief internally.
’It seems there are plenty of these Profound-tier Treasure Pills after all. In that case, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get one later, once my strength has increased.’
"Commander Su, what is your decision?" Wang Lingran asked again, seeking confirmation.
"The Wang Family’s resources are truly breathtaking. However..."
Su Yu’s tone shifted. He slowly rose to his feet and clasped his fist respectfully. "This is all too sudden. And a transfer to the Silver Armor Guard is no small matter. Please allow me to return and consider it before I make a decision."
Wang Lingran’s hand, which was holding the teacup, paused slightly. Her beautiful eyes narrowed as she stared at Su Yu.
But Su Yu’s expression remained calm, completely unfazed by her gaze.
’I know nothing about Wang Lingran’s character. How could I agree so easily?’
’Besides, she revealed a lot. After the Inner and Outer City merge, the Wang Family intends to take control of the Public Security Bureau?’
’The Public Security Bureau’s power is growing by the day; there’s no way it will be so easily controlled by the Wang Family.’
’For one, the Black Stone Army won’t let it go without a fight.’
’What’s more, the Li Family and the Zhao Family, two of the three great families, will definitely get involved.’
’Looking at the current situation, the Mansion Master, Pang Xuan, is from the Black Stone Army. Li Jingxuan is from the Li Family, and Zhao Sen is from the Zhao Family.’
’The Wang Family already has Wang Yungui, and now this Wang Lingran has appeared...’
’The situation is getting more and more complicated. Choosing a side so easily right now would not be a wise move.’
"Since Commander Su is a prudent man, I will not insist." Wang Lingran’s cool smile returned, and she waved her hand dismissively.
"Thank you for your understanding, Commander Wang. I will take my leave." Su Yu turned decisively, pushed the door open, and left.
As the sound of Su Yu’s footsteps faded down the corridor, silence fell upon the luxurious office.
The green-robed attendant’s angry voice then broke the silence. "Mistress! That bumpkin surnamed Su is utterly shameless! You, a noble lady of the Inner City, personally poured his tea and treated him with courtesy, even bestowing upon him a Profound-tier Treasure Pill and the immense grace of joining the Wang Family, and he dared to play hard to get and refuse?"
The more the attendant spoke, the angrier she became, her eyes filled with disdain and jealousy.
"He doesn’t really think he’s some peerless prodigy just because he gets a little praise in the Outer City, does he? He’s just a piece of trash who hasn’t even broken through to the Muscle Forging Realm at twenty! Forget about our Wang Family’s young masters and misses, he can’t even compare to those from the branch families!"
"Hmph! Even I, Xiu’Er, might not be afraid of him in a real fight! The opportunity to join the Wang Family, even as a house servant, is a monumental stroke of luck. And he just gave it up. Heh, what a short-sighted bumpkin."
Listening to her attendant’s complaints, Wang Lingran raised a delicate eyebrow. She hadn’t expected Su Yu’s composure to be so strong, and a hint of intrigue and curiosity flickered in her eyes.
However, she quickly shook her head. "Alright, Xiu’Er, be quiet. He’s just waiting for the highest bidder. After all, with the reputation as the number one genius of the Outer City, he understands the principle of ’paying a thousand gold for horse bones’."
"Besides, with his talent, he has a very good chance of breaking through to the Muscle Forging Realm. Once he reaches the Muscle Forging Realm, he could become a third-class Guest Minister even in the Wang Family. He’s not to be underestimated."
"Then, Mistress, how should we deal with this brat?" Xiu’Er asked, unwilling to let it go.
"Let him stew," Wang Lingran said faintly. "After some time, when news of the changes in the Public Security Bureau spreads and more people start scrambling to latch onto a faction, he’ll naturally start to feel the pressure."
"You are truly brilliant, Mistress. When that Su Yu comes knocking on our door again, he won’t be so arrogant."
...
After leaving the Silver Armor Guard’s post, Su Yu went to visit Li Jingxuan to ask for information.
Li Jingxuan didn’t hide anything, telling him that the merger of the Inner and Outer City was now inevitable. The gates to the Inner City would open in less than three months.
As for the Black Lotus Sect, the ’Merciful Heavenly King’ had appeared, leading an army of one hundred thousand troops stationed at the border of two prefectures.
As they parted, Li Jingxuan clapped Su Yu heavily on the shoulder, his eyes revealing his intention to win him over.
"Younger Brother Su, no matter how the Public Security Bureau gets reshuffled, you don’t need to worry. If you trust your big brother, just stick with me when the time comes! There are few families who can compare to the resources of my Li Family!"
...
「Night fell.」
Having gotten concrete news from Li Jingxuan, a sense of urgency grew in Su Yu’s heart.
’My strength still isn’t enough. I have to break through to the Muscle Forging Realm as soon as possible!’
In the backyard, under the Iron Locust Tree, a bare-chested Su Yu trained, sweat pouring down like rain.
[Demon Ape Mountain-Shaking Fist Skill Level +25]
[Demon Ape Mountain-Shaking Fist Skill Level +25]
[Demon Ape Mountain-Shaking Fist Skill Level +25]
The wind from his fists howled, and his Qi and Blood surged like a dragon. Every punch Su Yu threw was accompanied by a heart-stopping sonic boom.
...
"OM!"
[Vajra Fearless True Sound Skill Level +5]
[Vajra Fearless True Sound Skill Level +5]
The Buddhist chant echoed in the night.
...
「The moon climbed over the willow branches.」
Su Yu had just finished dinner and was about to practice the Spiritual Ape Demon-Slaying Saber in the courtyard for a while longer when an announcement came from the front yard.
"My Lord, Lady Lin Wanzhu is here!"
Hearing the butler’s report, Su Yu’s expression shifted, and he smiled as he looked toward the distant corridor.
Under the watery moonlight, a tall, beautiful figure in a form-fitting, smoky-cyan dress approached, a gentle smile playing on her lips as she walked with unhurried grace.
Her steps seemed leisurely, but with each one, her figure leaped forward by about ten feet!
"Senior Sister, your movement technique is this fast now? It seems the transformation of the Muscle Forging Realm is truly a complete metamorphosis!"
Su Yu smiled and walked forward to greet her.
The moment Lin Wanzhu got close, her usually cool eyes erupted with fiery emotion. In a complete departure from her usual prim and proper demeanor, she threw herself into Su Yu’s broad, sturdy chest like a swallow returning to its nest.
’So soft, so surprisingly bouncy...’
Su Yu’s heart instantly skipped a beat.
After breaking through to the Muscle Forging Realm, his Senior Sister’s body had clearly undergone a baptism and reforging from the inside out. Not only had her slender, graspable waist become even more supple and explosive, but the full mounds tightly wrapped by her cyan dress were astonishingly resilient, like two balls of warm, soft, lively jade pressed firmly against Su Yu’s chest.
Combined with her face, which looked even more like "ice-skin and jade-bone" under the moonlight, she was simply a ripe, succulent peach of a woman!
"Ah Yu..."
Lin Wanzhu pressed her cheek against Su Yu’s firm chest, listening to his strong heartbeat. Her voice was gentle. "For your Senior Sister to have this achievement today, to have crossed this great threshold, it’s all thanks to you."
"Well, Senior Sister did promise before that she would thank me properly after she broke through."
Su Yu gave a wicked smile and reached out to gently pinch her delicate, snow-white chin. The cool moonlight sprinkled on her slightly trembling eyelashes. Her shy appearance, as if waiting to be plucked, caused a fire of desire to shoot up from his gut.
"Ah Yu..." Lin Wanzhu felt the warmth of Su Yu’s palm, her beautiful eyes hazy. Her breath was as fragrant as an orchid. "Your Senior Sister is a true Muscle Forging Realm expert now, you know. I can continue to protect you from now on."
"Mm, then if your Younger Brother kills someone in the future, Senior Sister will have to keep covering for me!"
Although his Senior Sister had broken through, he estimated that she was still no match for him. But since she had such intentions, Su Yu naturally wouldn’t say anything to spoil the mood.
The two embraced even more tightly under the moonlight.
Su Yu’s large hands began to measure the changes in his Senior Sister’s body after her breakthrough.
However, just as the fires of their desire began to rise, the door to the main hall of the Inner Courtyard swung open.
CREAK—
Yang Zhen was walking out with her head down, carrying a steaming copper foot basin, when she looked up.
"Ah! Brother Su, Senior Sister Lin, what are you two doing?"
Su Yu snatched his hands back as if electrocuted. He coughed drily twice, a guilty look flashing across his face. "Cough... um, Zhen’Er, the moonlight is nice tonight. Your Senior Sister and I were just discussing our Martial Arts progress."
Lin Wanzhu, however, had a faint, mocking glint in her eyes. She leisurely straightened the slightly disheveled collar of her cyan dress, then turned her head to stare at Yang Zhen.
’Hmph!’
’You little brat!’
"Oh, so it’s little sister Zhen’Er."
A lazy smile touched the corners of Lin Wanzhu’s lips. She didn’t pull away; instead, she intimately looped her jade-like arm through Su Yu’s. Her full chest brushed, intentionally or not, against his arm as she spoke in a voice that was charming to the bone.
"What are we doing? Can’t you see, little sister Zhen’Er? Your Brother Su has been training so hard these past few days that his Qi and Blood are overactive and his ’inner fire’ is blazing. So I, his Senior Sister, naturally had to rush over late at night to help him... cool off."