Chapter 20: No Choice but to Go
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Back in the bridal chamber, Chen Fei stopped Miao Yue, who was about to leave.
“What’s the situation with the Su family? As Miss Su’s personal maid, why wouldn’t the guards listen to you?” Chen Fei asked.
“Master, it’s best if you don’t get involved in this matter,” Miao Yue sighed, still carrying some lingering frustration.
“You call me ‘Master,’ and as part of the Su family now, even if I can’t help Miss Su, I should at least know what’s going on to avoid causing her trouble,” Chen Fei frowned.
Before, he was powerless, but things were different now. With the awakening of the Void Heaven Cauldron, his cultivation was progressing rapidly, and he had even become a Spiritual Art Master.
With such strength, how could he stand by and watch his wife be bullied? His conscience wouldn’t allow it.
“That’s true. Although Master might not be able to help Miss, knowing the situation at least ensures you won’t make things worse for her,” Miao Yue nodded.
Hearing this, Chen Fei chuckled bitterly but didn’t bother to explain.
Miao Yue then proceeded to explain the general situation within the Su family.
As one of the three great families, the Su family had a deep foundation and controlled four major mines. Among them, the most famous was the Yellow Spirit Mine, which not only produced a large amount of spirit stones but also occasionally yielded rare treasures.
The place Su Ran frequented daily was this Yellow Spirit Mine.
Although Su Ran was the eldest daughter of the Su family, she had grown up away from the family and had only recently returned. Because of this, she wasn’t highly valued by most of the family.
However, the real reason she wasn’t given importance was that her presence threatened the interests of the strongest faction within the Su family.
The Su family’s patriarch had four sons. By tradition, the eldest son was supposed to inherit the position of patriarch.
Unfortunately, the eldest son had limited talent. Despite the patriarch’s dedicated efforts to cultivate him, he never surpassed his younger brothers in strength.
In contrast, the second son was extraordinarily gifted, becoming the strongest member of the Su family after the patriarch himself. Moreover, he gained the favor of the elders and his two younger brothers.
As the patriarch aged and neared the end of his life, the matter of succession became uncertain.
Support for the second son becoming the next patriarch grew within the Su family. Just at this time, the patriarch brought Su Ran back.
Although the eldest son’s talent was lacking, if his daughter became the strongest cultivator in the family, then the tradition of the eldest son inheriting leadership could still hold. The elders might still choose him as the next patriarch.
Su Ran’s return became the last hope for the eldest son’s faction but also an obstacle to the second son’s ascension.
This led to subtle internal conflicts. Some wanted to suppress Su Ran, some wanted to marry her off, but very few truly supported her.
“What about the old patriarch?” Chen Fei frowned.
“The patriarch certainly favors my lady, but unfortunately, he is aging, and his power is weakening. His influence within the family is also declining,” Miao Yue sighed helplessly.
“If the patriarch takes action, it will be the final moment of the power struggle in the Su family.”
She then warned, “Master, as long as nothing urgent happens, stay inside Miss’s courtyard. Don’t give anyone an excuse to cause trouble for you.”
Chen Fei nodded. “What’s the second master’s cultivation level?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but years ago, he had already reached the ninth level of the Spirit Transformation Realm,” Miao Yue said.
“And the other masters?” Chen Fei continued.
“They’ve all advanced to the ninth level of the Spirit Transformation Realm in recent years,” she explained.
Chen Fei nodded slightly. The ninth level of the Spirit Transformation Realm—equivalent to a Ninth-Rank Grand Spiritual Master—was indeed at the pinnacle of power in Huangwu City.
Thinking back, when Su Ran mentioned that Chen Yang was only at the fifth level of the Spirit Transformation Realm and wouldn’t be able to help her, it seemed she had a valid point.
“It looks like my strength is still lacking. I can’t even deal with the Su family yet.”
“The young city lord won’t give up on Su Ran. He even resorted to using the Heart-Linked Venom. In the future, I might have to face the entire city lord’s mansion.”
“Even though Su Ran is only my wife in name, she saved my life. It’s because of her that I could unlock my spiritual sea and become a Spiritual Art Master.”
“I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”
After sending Miao Yue away, Chen Fei felt a deep bitterness in his heart and focused on cultivating.
By evening, Su Ran returned. When she saw Chen Fei wearing sunglasses, she was momentarily stunned.
“What’s with this…?” Su Ran was surprised to find that Chen Fei, with sunglasses, looked exceptionally handsome—so much so that she almost didn’t recognize him.
“Sunglasses!” Chen Fei used his Spirit Eye Snake ability to observe her expression. Her beautiful face was filled with rare astonishment.
“Miao Yue said that with sunglasses on, I finally look worthy of your beauty,” Chen Fei smiled.
“You actually look quite good!” Su Ran nodded approvingly. “Tomorrow, accompany me to the City Lord’s Mansion for the Capital Founding Celebration. I’m sure you’ll impress many people.”
“Do we have to go?” Chen Fei asked tentatively. He knew that the young city lord, Ye Bufan, planned to secretly poison Su Ran’s cloak with Heart-Linked Venom during the celebration.
This venom was terrifying. Once infected, the victim would become utterly obedient to the poisoner.
“No way to decline—we must go.” Su Ran sighed helplessly, making it clear she wasn’t thrilled about it either but had no choice.
“The young city lord is obsessed with you. If we go, it’ll be like sheep walking into a tiger’s den,” Chen Fei said. He didn’t mention the assassination attempt or what he had learned about Ye Bufan’s scheme.
“With so many people present, even if he’s the young city lord, he wouldn’t dare act recklessly,” Su Ran reassured him.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
Su Ran assumed he was worried about his own safety, afraid that the young city lord would use this chance to target him.
“Well, since Miss Su insists, I guess I’ll risk my life and go,” Chen Fei said nonchalantly.
“By the way, since it’s such an important event, your elder brother, Chen Yang, should be invited as well.”
“With him there, the City Lord’s Mansion will have even less reason to target you.”
Su Ran added this as reassurance.
“We’ll see…” Chen Fei muttered.
The so-called elder brother Chen Yang was merely a fabricated identity he had created to mislead others. Since he was attending the celebration himself, there was no way Chen Yang could show up.
