Chapter 74 - 71: Young Master Yun!

Chapter 74: Chapter 71: Young Master Yun!

The environment took on a completely new look.

It was incredibly comfortable.

Considering that Su Tan was blind, Xu Xiuwu had put a lot of effort into the structure of the house, as well as the design and arrangement of the furniture. The square tables were replaced with round ones, and any sharp corners on chairs, pillars, and other fixtures had been smoothed out. Xu Xiuwu was afraid Su Tan would bump into them and get hurt.

Su Tan smiled. Although with his physical strength, these wooden fixtures couldn’t cause him the slightest harm, he still appreciated Xu Xiuwu’s thoughtfulness.

Su Tan slowly explored the new house with his hands. Everything was new, and the texture was excellent. The wood used was definitely not ordinary either. He had accidentally heard Village Chief Chen mention that the timber used to build the house was very precious. It was probably on par with the golden-thread nanmu or sandalwood from his previous life in terms of price.

In a short amount of time, he had a rough idea of his surroundings.

The wood emitted a faint fragrance that, when smelled over time, could calm the mind and focus the spirit. The walls were as smooth as warm jade. Unlike his previous house, which had rough surfaces that easily collected dust, the new house was easy to clean and practically dust-proof.

It was very clean.

After spending a few days settling in, Su Tan no longer felt alienated by this somewhat unfamiliar place. Once everything was in order, he resumed organizing his plans for the future.

He had previously made a list of goals.

Learning the written language. He had already accomplished this. He had practically mastered the written language of the Celestial Fragrance Empire, though he was still in the process of learning the customs and culture of this world.

Living independently and trying to cook for himself. He had thought about this before, but since he was afraid of setting the house on fire, he hadn’t cooked anything himself yet. The new house was specially designed so he wouldn’t have to worry about burning it down. He could definitely give cooking a try when the opportunity arose.

"Most of my previous plans have been realized, and the ones that haven’t aren’t too important!" Su Tan thought.

He felt it was time to plan his life going forward. "Cultivation! Alchemy! Helping Qi embark on the path of cultivation! Obtaining a Qi Condensation cultivation technique and then reaching Qi Condensation!"

As for cultivation, in just over a month, Su Tan’s cultivation base had improved significantly once again. He had reached the 132nd level of Body Refinement. His strength had advanced by leaps and bounds; he could easily shatter monuments and split rocks.

As for Alchemy...

One’s cultivation had to at least reach the Qi Condensation realm to control flames with Spiritual Qi and refine elixirs. Su Tan currently didn’t have that level of cultivation. However, he could brew some medicinal soups. While not as effective as elixirs, they were still quite good.

For the past month, Su Tan had been brewing medicinal soup and taking it with Qi every day. The results were excellent. With the help of the spirit medicine, the hidden injuries in Su Tan’s body were sharply reduced, gradually returning him to a flawless state. Qi’s body had also been strengthened, reaching the required conditions to cultivate the Dominator Body.

It was a pity, however.

The Dominator Body was a physique tailored for demon beasts. Qi was different from Su Tan. Su Tan’s body was unique. He had tried multiple times, but as a result, Qi was unable to cultivate it.

Su Tan originally wanted to find a cultivation technique suitable for humans for Qi. After searching the warehouse for a long time, he did find a very good top-tier cultivation technique. However, at the very moment he was about to pass it on, Su Tan stopped.

He suddenly wondered if he could fuse techniques to obtain the Dominator Body cultivation technique, could he also fuse techniques to obtain a Sacred Body cultivation technique?

Once this thought emerged, it lingered in his mind. Su Tan decided to have Qi continue drinking the medicinal soup to strengthen his physique first. He would wait a while to see if there was a chance to fuse a cultivation technique for the Sacred Body.

"As for Qi Condensation..."

Su Tan could break through at any time. The Xu Family had already given him their ancestral cultivation technique, and he had previously obtained other Qi Condensation cultivation techniques. By fusing them all, the Qi Condensation section of his Ten Thousand Dao Furnace was already showing initial results.

Speaking of which.

Su Tan had previously received martial techniques like the Mountain Lean Strike, along with other cultivation techniques, from the Xu Family. After enhancing them, he passed the upgraded versions back to the Xu Family.

The Xu Family received the Essence of Mountain Lean Strike, the Basic Water Qi Technique which had evolved into the advanced technique, the Water Spirit Technique, and the Anomalous Fire Qi Condensation Technique which had transformed into the Divine Fire Qi Condensation Technique.

Su Tan returned all three to the Xu Family. When Old Master Xu saw them, he was overjoyed and overwhelmed with gratitude.

However, these were just trivial matters. Su Tan didn’t take them to heart, and as time passed, he somewhat forgot about it.

What the Xu Family received were not the martial and cultivation techniques resulting from his infinite fusions, but merely improved versions based on the original blueprints. There was still a significant gap between them and what Su Tan had mastered. But even so, it was enough for the Xu Family to treat them as priceless treasures.

Why did he give the cultivation and martial techniques back to the Xu Family? In a way, the Xu Family was now a faction under his control. Strengthening them wouldn’t bring any harm to Su Tan. Moreover, occasionally handing out some benefits would make the Xu Family value him even more.

Just because you were powerful and intimidating didn’t mean others would truly submit. Even if you could coerce them into working for you, it was hard to guarantee they wouldn’t feign compliance while secretly plotting against you. However, if you were not only powerful enough to inspire awe but could also provide immense benefits, people would willingly risk their lives to work for you even without coercion.

After briefly sorting through his thoughts, Su Tan knew exactly what he needed to do next. It all boiled down to one thing.

Becoming stronger!

Everything he did was for the sake of getting stronger!

The advantage of laying out his thoughts like this was that he wouldn’t run around like a headless fly or muddle through his days, not knowing what to do tomorrow. By making a general plan, Su Tan could take control of his own life.

***

"Mr. Su, are you satisfied with the new house?"

A few days after Su Tan moved in, Xu Xiuwu came over to ask about his experience. "If there’s anything you find unsuitable, we’ll change it immediately!"

"Everything is fine," Su Tan said. He was very satisfied.

"That’s good, that’s good!" Xu Xiuwu laughed.

He chatted with Su Tan for a long time, but it felt like there was something he wanted to say. He hesitated, stopping himself multiple times... too embarrassed to bring it up.

Su Tan picked up on it. "Is there something the matter?"

"I do have one matter... but I’m not sure if I should speak of it," Xu Xiuwu finally said after hesitating for a moment.

Not sure if he should speak of it?

If Su Tan replied that the man shouldn’t speak of it, would that just be the end of the story? If Xu Xiuwu wanted to say something, he should just say it. Was there really a need for this kind of setup?

Su Tan remained silent for a moment. Xu Xiuwu waited for Su Tan’s instruction.

After a few seconds, Su Tan said, "Decide for yourself. If it should be said, say it. If it shouldn’t... then don’t."

Xu Xiuwu hadn’t expected such an indifferent response. He wondered if Su Tan didn’t even want to know what he had to say. Was the young man not curious at all? He had originally expected Su Tan to say something like, "It doesn’t matter... just say it..."

Xu Xiuwu hesitated for a long time before finally speaking. "It’s about Young Master Yun from the Capital City. He has been ill for a long time. Having heard of your unparalleled medical skills, they wish to invite you over for a diagnosis and save Young Master Yun’s life."

Su Tan never stepped out of Chen Family Village. Xu Xiuwu knew this. However, the Yun Family and the Xu Family had inextricable ties.

It was said that hundreds of years ago, the Xu Family’s ancestor was a Guest Minister for the Yun Family, having risen to that position from a mere servant. The Yun Family had been kind to the Xu Family’s ancestor. Eventually, when the ancestor grew old, he came to White Cloud City to spend his twilight years, and the Xu Family took root there. Yet, they always maintained contact with the Yun Family, following their lead. The Yun Family, in turn, had protected the Xu Family for centuries. Naming the city White Cloud City in the first place was also a mark of respect for the Yun Family.

The Yun Family had always been the Xu Family’s backer. In this day and age, if one went out into the world without a backer, wouldn’t they just get beaten into the ground in a matter of minutes?

Young Master Yun had been ill for a long time, and the family had ordered all their subordinate factions to seek out renowned doctors to cure his illness. Having witnessed Su Tan’s abilities, Xu Xiuwu reported the matter to the Yun Family. The Yun Family then asked him to act as a persuader to invite Su Tan on a trip to the Capital City, because Young Master Yun truly couldn’t leave.

Xu Xiuwu knew Su Tan’s rules, but Young Master Yun was genuinely unable to travel... Caught in a dilemma, he ultimately had no choice but to bite the bullet and approach Su Tan.

The outcome was obvious. Just as Xu Xiuwu had expected, Su Tan had no desire to leave, let alone travel all the way to the Capital City.

It was thousands of miles away!

"You know my rules!" Su Tan said.

He couldn’t just run around everywhere treating patients. Not only would it be a waste of energy, but he would have absolutely no time for his own affairs. White Cloud City was by no means close to the Capital City; a round trip would probably take two to three months. If it were closer—perhaps just within White Cloud City—given his relationship with the Xu Family, Su Tan might have made an exception. But the Capital City... that was just too far!

"Mr. Su... is it possible..." Xu Xiuwu tried to persuade him.

After a moment, he studied Su Tan’s expression.

It was definitely impossible.

"Alright then, I understand."

He was in a difficult position as well. What could he do? He would just have to see how the Yun Family arranged things on their end.