Chapter 225 You're the son-in-law Jiang Yun?

After listening to the report from his two trusted inner guards,

Su Mingxuan let out a disdainful sneer from his nose.

"He's back?"

He was not old.

He was born with a handsome face, but the arrogance and impetuousness in his eyes ruined his good looks.

"He certainly knows how to pick his timing."

Su Mingxuan curled his lips.

He casually tossed a jade pendant onto the low table nearby,

producing a crisp clink.

"It's too late today. This Young Master wants to rest and has no time to deal with some country bumpkin."

He stretched lazily.

His sleeping robe slipped down, revealing his smooth, toned arms.

He sat up straight.

A flash of unmasked malice and amusement flickered in his eyes.

"Wait until tomorrow. First thing tomorrow morning, you two will follow me to block him outside Yunqi Courtyard! Keep a close eye on him tonight; don't let that kid slip away again!"

Su Mingxuan's tone carried a playful teasing, like a cat playing with a mouse.

He stood up.

He paced a few steps across the thick velvet carpet of the room, his fingers unconsciously stroking his chin.

"I want to see for myself exactly what kind of 'three-headed and six-armed' character this branch Family matrilocal son-in-law is—the one the Su Family servants have been talking about so miraculously and incessantly!"

His voice rose,

dripping with indignation and doubt.

"What's this about a sixteen years old Gold Rank Beast Tamer? And even... being exceptionally recorded into the Su Family's core disciple nameplate sequence by Third Uncle?"

By the end,

Su Mingxuan's voice was full of a sense of absurdity.

He turned abruptly,

looking at the two inner guards standing with their hands down.

His face was written all over with an expression that said 'you must be kidding me.'

"I, This Young Master, a dignified direct descendant of the Su Family main branch, have lacked no resources since childhood and have had guidance from famous teachers, yet I am only at Silver Rank Five!"

He pointed at himself, his tone agitated.

"He's just a kid from a remote border city like C City where Spiritual Qi is thin. Some kid who doesn't know what kind of dog-shit luck he stumbled into—could he be more of a Prodigy than This Young Master? More of a Genius than me?"

He seemed to find the notion extremely laughable,

shaking his head repeatedly.

"If this were true, that he reached Gold Rank at sixteen years old, would his talent be even higher than my Elder brother's? That's the most ridiculous thing in the world! My Elder brother, Su Mingyuan, is the true leader of our Su Family's younger generation—a Gold Rank Middle Stage Beast Tamer in his twenties, a Su Family talent about to challenge the Heaven Rank! How can a matrilocal son-in-law from a branch Family compare to me and my brother? And he even got onto the Family nameplates? Bah!"

Su Mingxuan grew angrier as he spoke,

as if these rumors not only insulted his intelligence but also challenged his and his branch's status and face within the Family.

"I absolutely don't believe it!"

He declared categorically,

as if trying to convince himself,

and as if declaring war on the air.

"It must be those ignorant servants, or those bumpkins from the C City branch blowing smoke to make themselves look good! Or perhaps that kid used some shady methods to deceive the Su Family Elders, or even... deceived Third Uncle!"

He took a deep breath,

a burning light of 'exposing the truth' igniting in his eyes.

"Tomorrow! Tomorrow, This Young Master will personally go to uncover the true face of this so-called Genius matrilocal son-in-law! I'll make him summon his spirit beast right in front of me! I want to see what kind of Rare mutated spirit beast this guy has that makes him so arrogant! To reach the Gold Rank at sixteen years old... I'll make him understand that the Provincial Capital's Su Family isn't like their small town; you can't just fake things and swindle people here!"

Su Mingxuan was clearly quite agitated by this point.

He looked at the two inner guards and commanded:

"You two, go back outside Yunqi Courtyard and watch him right now! For twenty-four hours, you aren't allowed to blink! If they notice and run away early, I will hold you solely responsible!"

"Yes! Fourth Young Master!"

The two inner guards felt a chill in their hearts.

They hurriedly bowed and accepted the order,

not daring to be the slightest bit negligent.

This Su Family Fourth Young Master was famously arrogant and hot-tempered; if they performed poorly, they would surely suffer for it.

The two quickly exited the room,

their figures melting into the night

as they lurked toward the direction of Yunqi Courtyard once more.

Inside the study,

Su Mingxuan walked to the bronze mirror, looking at his young, handsome face that was now tinged with malice, his lips slowly curling into a wicked smile.

"Branch matrilocal son-in-law, huh... Jiang Yun, is it..."

He muttered in a low voice, his gaze cold.

"A wild brat who popped out of nowhere dares to steal the spotlight in my Su Family main branch? He's worthy of living in a fine place like Yunqi Courtyard? Worthy of... entering my Su Family Ancestral Hall's nameplate list? Even my brother doesn't have that treatment!"

He, Su Mingxuan, was supposed to be the most high-profile Genius youth of the Su Family reporting to Sky Dome Academy this time. How could his thunder be stolen by a matrilocal son-in-law who appeared out of nowhere with an unknown background?

"Just you wait."

Su Mingxuan spoke to himself in the mirror,

and to the Jiang Yun in his imagination.

"Tomorrow, This Young Master will give you a piece of my mind. I'll let you know that there is a world of difference between the main Family and a branch. I'll make it so you can never hold your head up in this Su Family mansion!"

...A night passed.

While some waited anxiously and others slept soundly, time quietly slipped away.

Inside Yunqi Courtyard,

Jiang Yun slept exceptionally well and deeply.

The mental fatigue brought by days of traveling, scheming, and switching identities was greatly relieved after returning to this temporarily safe resting place and tallying the harvest that was enough to drive people mad.

More importantly,

the temporary resolution of his resource issues

had lifted the heaviest stone from his heart.

The sun was high in the sky

when Jiang Yun finally woke up naturally.

The ample sleep left him refreshed,

his eyes bright.

He sat cross-legged on the bed,

not getting up immediately,

but first sinking his mind into his Beast Taming Space.

The space was still full of vitality, with Spiritual Qi swirling like mist.

His gaze immediately turned toward the central area.

He saw Little Fire's massive body lying prone on the grass, motionless, the red-gold scales all over its body glowing with a restrained luster, as if covered in a faint layer of dawn light.

Its eyes were tightly closed, its breathing long and steady, its belly rising and falling slightly with each breath, each movement faintly pulling in the dense fire attribute Spiritual Qi around it.

The mountain of Fire Attribute Spirit Crystals in front of it had visibly shrunk by a small portion, though it had consumed less than one-fifteenth of the total amount.

Clearly,

after devouring a large number of spirit crystals, it had once again fallen into a state of deep absorption and evolutionary slumber, its aura becoming even more concentrated and heavy than yesterday.

On the other side,

Little Skylark was also curled up in a soft grass nest next to its own wind-lightning spirit crystal mountain, its blue-gold feathers tucked in as it buried its small head under its wing, sleeping soundly.

Extremely subtle green wind vortices and silver lightning sparks spiraled around it, flickering on and off like breathing.

The spirit crystal mountain next to it had been consumed even less.

Both little guys were working hard to digest the massive energy they had suddenly acquired, accumulating for a new round of growth.

Seeing this scene,

Jiang Yun felt at ease.

Resources were sufficient,

and his spirit beasts were growing smoothly—this was his Foundation.

He withdrew from the Beast Taming Space,

got out of bed, and pushed open the door.

The sunlight in the courtyard was just right, feeling warm on his body.

The air was fresh, carrying the fragrance of plants and trees.

He stretched his body, his bones letting out a series of light pops, the abundant energy of a Gold Rank Beast Tamer flowing through his entire body.

His gaze swept toward the master bedroom.

The door was tightly closed, but with his sharp perception, he could detect a strange and obscure energy fluctuation coming from the room—sometimes gentle like the Five Elements rotating, sometimes sharp like a restrained blade.

Clearly,

that was the Nine-Tailed Fox Su Qingxue in seclusion, meditating on or attempting the Fusion of the five-colored origin divine seed.

The contract connection let him know her state was stable,

so he did not disturb her.

"I'll take a trip to the Liufeng District today."

Jiang Yun calculated in his heart.

"Liufeng District's intelligence capabilities are the best in the provincial capital. I'll go there first to inquire about news of the thunder soul crystal and the heart of molten fire, and while I'm at it, ask for clues regarding a Great Master of Formations. Perhaps... I can try going as Dong Xuan."

Jiang Yun thought about going in the identity of Dong Xuan.

That would certainly make things much more convenient; at the very least, any intelligence organization would show the highest level of respect to a newly promoted Grand Tutor Level Appraiser and Grand Elder of the Appraisers Guild.

"However, I should check the situation first. Maybe using the identity of Jiang Yun to inquire secretly will allow me to hear different things instead. If I have no leads, then I'll use the authority of the Dong Xuan identity."

Jiang Yun quickly made a decision.

He prepared to scout the way in his original appearance first.

However,

plans never keep up with changes.

Just as he finished washing up,

changed into a set of clean clothes,

and was ready to head out,

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of violent bangs on the door suddenly rang out.

The force was so great

that the bronze rings on the courtyard gate buzzed, shattering the tranquility of the small courtyard.

Immediately following,

an extremely rude, provocative, and gruff male voice smashed in along with the banging.

"You inside! matrilocal son-in-law Jiang Yun! Did you hear me? Get the hell out here!"

The voice was loud,

not hiding its malice at all,

and it carried far in the morning air.

Jiang Yun's foot, which was about to step out, paused.

His brow furrowed slightly.

A flash of doubt crossed his eyes, but he quickly understood.

The corners of his mouth curled into an extremely faint, cold arc.

"Heh... they've already come knocking?"

He muttered to himself, his voice calm and steady.

"It seems the people watching me from behind have even less patience than I thought. Knowing I'm back, they couldn't hold back on this second morning and wanted to give me a show of strength?"

Fine.

He had also wanted to see

exactly who was spying on him in secret and for what purpose.

Now that the other party had jumped out of their own accord,

it saved him some effort.

Jiang Yun turned around.

He walked toward the courtyard gate with steady steps.

The coldness on his face quickly vanished, replaced by his usual indifferent expression, though in the depths of those clear eyes, there was a bit more sharp scrutiny.

He wanted to see

who exactly this 'sacred being' was who was blocking his door and shouting so early in the morning, and why they had such great hostility toward him, a newly arrived branch matrilocal son-in-law.

Walking to the courtyard gate,

Jiang Yun did not hesitate; he reached out to pull the latch and then slowly opened the two wooden doors inward.

The scene outside the door instantly came into view.

First, he saw five or six burly men wearing the Su Family's uniform guard outfits, blocking the door in a semi-circle.

These people were all sturdily built with sharp eyes, and their bodies emitted a strong aura; they were clearly skilled fighters.

They were expressionless, but their gazes were as sharp as knives, firmly locked onto Jiang Yun as he opened the door, faintly forming a surrounding, oppressive stance.

At the same moment he noticed these people,

Jiang Yun's mind stirred slightly.

His talent ability quietly activated.

His gaze quickly swept over these people,

and their information data entries manifested one after another.

Ranging from Gold First Tier to Gold Rank Five.

Auras released outward.

With clear intentions of intimidation and provocation.

Unfriendly gazes.

Five Gold Rank guards.

The strongest among them had reached Gold Rank Five.

This lineup

would be enough to sweep through any Family in C City except for the Qian Family, but in the Provincial Capital's Su Family, it seemed to be just the standard entourage for some Young Master going out to do business.

Jiang Yun's gaze moved past the shoulders of these guards and landed on the person they were faintly protecting in the rear.

It was a young man in fine clothing who looked to be about twenty years old.

He wore a water-blue cloud-patterned brocade robe with silver trim at the collar and cuffs, a jade belt around his waist, and a sachet and jade pendant hanging from it; his entire outfit was worth a fortune.

He was born with red lips and white teeth, a handsome face, but at this moment, those beautiful peach-blossom eyes held no warmth, only full of arrogance, scrutiny, and an unmasked contempt and loathing.

He stood there with his arms crossed, waiting at his leisure, his chin tilted slightly upward as he sized up Jiang Yun with a condescending gaze, as if looking at a piece of goods to be appraised, or... a piece of eyesore trash.

And his Beast Tamer Realm

was crystal clear in Jiang Yun's sight.

Silver Rank Five.

Silver Rank Five?

A flash of surprise crossed Jiang Yun's heart,

but he quickly understood.

A Silver Rank Five youth who could command five Gold Rank guards—and seeing the faint respect these guards showed him—this person's status in the Su Family was clearly not low.

Jiang Yun quickly searched his memory and confirmed he had never seen this person, let alone had any interactions or offended him.

So,

where did this blatant, door-blocking, early-morning hostility come from?

Simply because of his status as a branch matrilocal son-in-law?

Or... had he heard some false rumors about him and felt jealous or dissatisfied?

While Jiang Yun calmly sized up the other party and quickly analyzed the situation, the five guards saw the courtyard gate open and the target appear, exchanging a glance.

Immediately,

as if well-trained, they simultaneously took a step back to the left and right in unison, perfectly clearing a path and fully exposing the fine-clothed youth to Jiang Yun's sight, while also ushering the youth to the very front.

The fine-clothed youth

was none other than

Su Mingxuan.

Su Mingxuan seemed very satisfied with the guards' actions.

He then lowered his crossed arms, placed his hands behind his back, tilted his chin even higher, and took a step forward.

He walked very slowly, his gait carrying a deliberately crafted laziness and composure, as if he were not outside a courtyard gate in the early morning but strolling through his own back garden.

Only the slight sway of his shoulders and his deliberately straightened back exposed the impetuousness in his heart, eager to flaunt his status and suppress his opponent.

He came to a stop just three steps away from Jiang Yun, a distance that both clearly displayed his posture and carried an invisible sense of pressure.

After all,

he had five Golden Guards standing behind him.

After stopping,

Su Mingxuan did not speak immediately.

He first used those peach-blossom eyes to once again size Jiang Yun up from head to toe, left to right, carefully and unhurriedly.

That gaze was sharp and picky,

like the most demanding tailor inspecting a piece of coarse fabric.

From Jiang Yun's ordinary clothes to the half-worn boots on his feet, to that clean but seemingly unremarkable face, and finally back to the eyes that were calmly looking at him.

His gaze lingered on Jiang Yun's eyes for a moment, appearing slightly surprised and displeased that the panic, fear, or fawning he expected did not appear in those eyes.

Immediately,

that touch of displeasure turned into even deeper disdain.

Finally, the inspection was complete.

The corner of Su Mingxuan's mouth slowly pulled to one side, forming an arc full of mockery, contempt, and a sense of superiority.

He tilted his head slightly and spoke slowly, one word at a time, in a tone as if he had just discovered something eyesore in a dirty corner.

His voice was not loud,

yet it clearly spread inside and outside the quiet courtyard gate,

carrying a full sense of provocation and humiliation.

"You? You're the one who's been talked about so much in my Su Family lately, the one from that impoverished backwater branch in C City... that whatever matrilocal son-in-law, Jiang Yun?"