Chapter 23: If Benefactor Does Not Disdain Me, Yan Is Willing to Acknowledge You as Adoptive Father

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: If Benefactor Does Not Disdain Me, Yan Is Willing to Acknowledge You as Adoptive Father

The night was as cool as water. Not long after Su Chen entered Lin Family Castle, he sensed someone tailing him. He quickened his pace, turning toward a secluded alleyway, but his pursuer followed at a leisurely, unhurried pace.

Soon, Su Chen came to a halt. He looked back to find that the person tailing him was none other than Zhu Yan.

"Benefactor?" Zhu Yan called out uncertainly upon seeing him.

Although Su Chen was still dressed in his one-armed disguise, his proficiency in masking his appearance had improved drastically. If Zhu Yan hadn’t seen him in this exact getup before, he truly wouldn’t have recognized him.

Su Chen nodded. "You must have received the news by now, right?"

At those words, Zhu Yan’s expression turned solemn. He immediately dropped to his knees, kowtowing in gratitude. "Thank you for avenging me, Benefactor! I have no way to repay you in this lifetime. If you do not find me unworthy, I am willing to take you as my adoptive father and serve you by your side for the rest of my life."

Su Chen was speechless.

The already quiet atmosphere plunged into total silence. Su Chen had absolutely never expected Zhu Yan to spout such nonsense upon their reunion. He felt a wave of awkwardness wash over him, leaving him entirely lost for words.

He thought, "I’m only around twenty years old. Am I really about to have a son this big?"

Even if it was just an adoptive son, the whole idea felt incredibly bizarre. Clearing his throat, Su Chen rejected Zhu Yan without a second thought. "That won’t be necessary. We both got what we needed. There’s no need for such grand gestures."

"Benefactor, you killed my enemy and avenged the Zhu Family! Such a favor is higher than the heavens! To me, you are like a second parent. This mere etiquette doesn’t even express half of my gratitude—"

"Shut up and get up!" Su Chen interrupted with a cold expression, sick of Zhu Yan’s flowery speech.

A trace of astonishment flashed across Zhu Yan’s face, but he helplessly complied.

"Yes, Benefactor." Seeing Su Chen’s demeanor, he didn’t dare say another word, standing up obediently like a reprimanded child.

"Where is the secret medical manual?" Su Chen asked.

"Right here." Zhu Yan hastily produced a thick, heavy book and handed it over.

Su Chen accepted it, flipped through a few pages, and tucked it into his robes. Just as he was about to leave, Zhu Yan spoke up again. "Please wait, Benefactor."

"What is it now?"

"Benefactor, please accept this money!" Zhu Yan took out a thick stack of silver notes from his robes and offered it with both hands.

"Hm?" Su Chen stared at him blankly. Hadn’t this guy claimed he was completely broke?

As if knowing what Su Chen was thinking, Zhu Yan let out a soft chuckle. "I only got this money thanks to you, Benefactor."

"What do you mean?"

"After you killed Zhao Kuo, I caught wind of the news. Knowing that you were strapped for cash, I took advantage of the chaos at Zhao Kuo’s house, slipped inside, and grabbed some silver taels..." At this point, Zhu Yan scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. This paltry amount of money was far from enough to express his true gratitude.

Su Chen paused, giving Zhu Yan a deep look before nodding. "Alright, I’ll accept the money." He waited for a moment before asking, "Now that you’ve had your revenge, what are your plans for the future?"

"Me? I suppose I’ll leave White Stone City," Zhu Yan said thoughtfully.

His original plan had been to take Su Chen as his adoptive father and serve him for life, but he had just been rejected. For now, he hadn’t entirely figured out his next step. Leaving the city was just the backup plan he had formulated long ago for when his vengeance was finally fulfilled.

"Oh, right! Benefactor, you don’t need to visit Mist Rain Tower anymore. Lin Family Castle has already closed it down," Zhu Yan suddenly blurted out, slapping his forehead.

"Mist Rain Tower is closed?" Su Chen asked, perplexed.

Zhu Yan nodded. "It’s closed. I only found out today myself, though I’m not sure of the exact reason." Seeing Su Chen fall silent, he continued, "Benefactor, White Stone City has been getting increasingly chaotic lately. I’ve heard there are bandit problems brewing outside the city. If you continue to stay here, you must be extremely careful."

"I understand. You be careful too," Su Chen nodded, his mind still lingering on the closure of Mist Rain Tower. A moment later, he said his goodbyes and turned to leave. "Alright, I’ll be off now."

"Benefactor, I’ll be heading to Dafeng City after I leave White Stone City!" Zhu Yan hurriedly called out to Su Chen’s retreating back, as if suddenly remembering something.

Then, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed three times. Only after a long while did he finally get up and depart.

After parting ways with Zhu Yan, Su Chen passed by Mist Rain Tower. Sure enough, its main doors were tightly locked.

As the sky grew dark, Su Chen found an inn in Lin Family Castle and settled in for the night.

Inside his room, he looked at the nine silver notes Zhu Yan had given him and felt a hint of helplessness. Nine silver notes at ten taels each came out to exactly ninety taels. Even if he added his current savings, the total still fell short of one hundred taels.

"It looks like I’ll have to figure out a way to earn more money if I want to upgrade the Iron Wire Fist!" he muttered. Tucking the silver notes safely away, Su Chen lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

The night passed uneventfully.

When the eastern sky turned white, a new day dawned. Su Chen washed up, ate a hearty breakfast, and set off on his journey back to the city.

On his way, he passed through a forest. Looking at the sturdy trees lining the path, an idea suddenly struck him. He threw a palm strike, and a tree as thick as a bowl immediately shook violently. When he pulled his hand back, a five-centimeter-deep palm print was left cleanly embedded in the trunk.

He wondered, "I don’t know what level my strength is at right now. I could probably take on ten Zhao Kuos!"

Su Chen stared at his handiwork with immense satisfaction, silently assessing his own combat prowess. However, on second thought, Zhao Kuo’s mastery of the Turtle Shell Skill seemed slightly deeper than his own. At his current level of the Turtle Shell Skill, he probably wouldn’t be able to completely crush the man in a head-on clash of defense.

With that sobering thought, the smile vanished from his face. He brushed off his sleeves and walked away without looking back.

Half an hour later, Su Chen arrived back at White Stone City, paid the entrance toll, and headed inside. As usual, he found a secluded corner to change his clothes before returning home.

Not long after he arrived, Su Chen heard a KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK on the door.

CREAAAK.

"Who are you?" Su Chen asked.

He stared at the two men standing at his doorstep. They clearly looked like gang members, but he didn’t recognize them.

"We’re from the Changhe Gang. Starting today, every household must pay a head tax of twenty copper coins."

"Didn’t the Blood Robe Gang already collect it?" Su Chen asked, furrowing his brow. He had never heard of this Changhe Gang.

"Cut the crap. The Blood Robe Gang was wiped out by our Changhe Gang a long time ago. Naturally, their territory belongs to us now! Hurry up, don’t waste our time!" the man snapped impatiently, glaring fiercely at Su Chen.

"What are you doing?"

Just as Su Chen was about to teach the two thugs a lesson, a sharp shout rang out. Li Mo was marching straight toward them.

"The Hong Family Martial Arts Hall!" The expressions of the two gang members shifted slightly upon recognizing Li Mo’s uniform.

"You’ve got some serious nerve! Trying to collect a head tax from a disciple of the Hong Family Martial Arts Hall? You must be tired of living!" Li Mo berated them as he marched right up to their faces.

Instead of getting angry, the two men offered an apologetic, sycophantic smile. "Please quell your anger, big brother! We were too reckless."

"Get lost!" Li Mo scoffed coldly.

"Yes, right away!" The pair immediately scrambled off, terrified that Li Mo might change his mind.

Once the two had fled, Li Mo turned to Su Chen. The stern expression on his face instantly melted away, replaced by a resentful pout.

"Uh, Senior Brother Li Mo," Su Chen greeted him awkwardly, rubbing his cheek. He had just remembered that he had stood Li Mo up last time.

"Junior Brother Su, if you run into this kind of situation in the future, just show them your identity as a martial arts disciple. They wouldn’t dare collect protection fees from the Hong Family Martial Arts Hall," Li Mo reminded him with a wave of his hand. His tone then turned serious. "I came looking for you today to tell you something. Master wants to see you."