108: Chapter 108 Three Years

As the cold came and the summer went, flowers bloomed and withered several times.

In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.

Great Qi and Great Wei were locked in endless warfare, fighting until the heavens and earth darkened, the borders of the two nations obscured by smoke, and the mountains and rivers stained with blood.

However, the clamor of the external war could not disturb the peace of the pure land that was Qingyuan Market.

A merchant caravan composed of Cultivators arrived dust-covered in the territory of Qingyuan Market. They passed through the bustling streets and only breathed a collective sigh of relief the moment they stepped onto the Su Family's grounds.

Song Baiqing, as the leader of the Su Clan Chamber of Commerce's caravan, had just returned from Yunmeng Ruins. While the caravan members happily unloaded their burdens, he was completely distracted.

Because his cultivation had reached Qi Refining Perfection, he needed a foundation establishment pill!

Having joined the Su Family for so many years, he already knew that the Su Clan Chamber of Commerce's foundation establishment pill was refined by the Head of the Su Family himself, not obtained through exchange with other chambers of commerce.

Therefore, the foundation establishment pill could be purchased from the Head of the Su Family.

The problem was that Song Baiqing had no money and could only exchange for it with Family Contributions.

But because the Su Family had lived comfortably these past few years with no major events occurring, he had failed to make any significant contributions.

Song Baiqing was suddenly in a dilemma.

He had no way to obtain a foundation establishment pill, yet he did not want to remain stuck in the Qi Refining Perfection Realm for too long. Right now, his blood and Qi were abundant, and his magical power was at its Peak; he was fully confident of achieving Foundation Establishment successfully!

Everything was ready; only one foundation establishment pill was missing.

On the way back, Song Baiqing pondered for a long time and decided to be shameless just once: to ask the Head of the Su Family for a foundation establishment pill.

This action was a major taboo for any Family. Which Family would allow a subordinate to achieve Foundation Establishment before the master?

What if, after achieving Foundation Establishment, he directly abandoned the Family, or even turned around to swallow the Family's assets? How would that be handled?

Usually, when faced with such a request, the Family would label the person as rebellious, refuse them, and simultaneously drive them away.

This was the reason for Song Baiqing's entanglement and hesitation.

He had never considered betrayal. He genuinely liked the atmosphere of the Su Family. Every time he saw the harmonious interactions among the Su Family members, it reminded him of the Song Family from his childhood.

However, his inner thoughts could not be known by outsiders, and he could not guarantee that the Head of the Su Family would still allow him to stay in the Su Family after hearing his request.

"Forget it. If the Head of the Su Family asks me to leave, I will only be able to seek another Opportunity."

Song Baiqing sighed inwardly, preparing for the worst.

With apprehension and resolve filling his heart, he walked into the Su Family residence.

He found An Ziyao in the outer courtyard, stated his intention to see the Head of the Family, and after waiting a moment, An Ziyao led him toward the inner courtyard.

Passing through the corridor, the view suddenly opened up. Pavilions and waterside terraces came into view. The Head of the Family and the Madam were sitting in the lakeside waterside terrace, smiling and gesturing to him.

Melodious zither music flowed from the pavilion over the lake. Qin Jiangmei sat upright in the waterside terrace, her slender fingers lightly brushing the strings. The ethereal sound spread like ripples, seeping into the inner courtyard, strand by strand.

"Song Baiqing pays his respects to the Head of the Family and the Madam," Song Baiqing bowed with cupped hands toward the two.

Su Yang smiled, poured him a cup of Spirit Tea, and motioned for him to sit down and talk slowly.

Following custom, there was a round of pleasantries first.

Song Baiqing was clearly not skilled at this kind of warm-up small talk. He only wanted to quickly state his purpose, causing the conversation to last only a short while before Song Baiqing lost control of the flow and didn't know how to proceed.

"Baiqing, you came this time because you have a request, right?"

Seeing that he remained silent, Su Yang proactively inquired.

Song Baiqing opened his mouth, suddenly stood up, clasped his hands toward the two, and said: "Head of the Family! Madam! I have a favor to ask..."

"Is it about the foundation establishment pill?" Su Yang asked calmly.

The emotion he had been brewing in his heart, ready to pour out all at once, was instantly choked as if by an invisible hand when he heard Su Yang's words.

All the words rushing to his lips were forcibly swallowed back.

Song Baiqing's face cycled between pale and red. After holding it in for a long time, he completely lost his composure and didn't know how to reply.

It turned out the Head of the Family knew everything!

Perhaps even his current thoughts were perfectly clear to him.

A Family Head who could develop the Family step-by-step to its current state was indeed not simple.

He appeared to never concern himself with Family affairs, but in reality, he understood every single action of everyone in the residence in minute detail.

Song Baiqing was silent for a long time, finally condensing all his strength into a single word: "Yes!"

The melodious zither music in the pavilion continued to flow. To Song Baiqing's ears at this moment, it sounded like booming drumbeats, making his heart race in panic.

Su Yang let out a wry smile. First, he refilled Song Baiqing's teacup, and then he refilled his own cup.

He lifted his teacup and took a light sip, his deep gaze falling on Song Baiqing, and said lightly: "The Su Family indeed has the foundation establishment pill you desire, but you should know what our Su Family needs to bear if we give you the foundation establishment pill."

"Song Baiqing is willing to swear upon his Dao Heart never to betray the Su Family!"

Song Baiqing hurriedly swore allegiance.

Although his cultivation was the highest in the Su Family, at this moment he dared not look directly into Su Yang's eyes, only feeling an invisible pressure enveloping him, making it difficult to breathe.

Verbal promises seemed pale, but he searched his mind thoroughly and could not think of a more moving oath to win the Su Family's trust.

Just as his thoughts were in disarray, he suddenly noticed a bottle of pills appear next to his teacup out of the corner of his eye.

Song Baiqing's heart jolted. Could it be?

"Take it."

Su Yang's voice followed: "Consider this the Su Family's bet on you. I hope Xuan Heng and Wei Yan did not misjudge your character."

"Head of the Family!" Song Baiqing's voice trembled with excitement. He bowed deeply to the ground: "This subordinate will never forget the great kindness of the Head of the Family! I will exert all my effort and never fail the trust and expectations of the Head of the Family!"

He was not skilled with words. He had expected that his clumsy expression would hardly win trust, and obtaining a foundation establishment pill was even more of a pipe dream.

Who would have thought that the foundation establishment pill, which was priceless in the outside world, would be handed to him so casually by the Head of the Family!

He had anticipated that the Head of the Family might offer empty promises, might ask him to wait a while longer, or might require him to save up money to purchase it.

But he never expected that he would be given the foundation establishment pill directly!

Looking at the emotionally agitated Song Baiqing, Su Yang smiled and waved his hand: "Go on. I hope you keep your word."

Song Baiqing took a deep breath, stabilized his emotions, picked up the tea on the table and drank it all, then put away the foundation establishment pill on the table.

He bowed respectfully to the two once more before respectfully leaving the inner courtyard.

Su Yang retracted his gaze and turned to his wife beside him, saying self-deprecatingly: "If Song Baiqing knew the truth, would he still be grateful to me?"

The melodious zither music abruptly stopped.

Qin Jiangmei placed both hands on the zither strings, her smile as radiant as a flower: "If Baiqing's character is truly as Xuan Heng and Yan'er described, he will still thank husband even if he learns the truth."

"After all, as long as he doesn't betray the Su Family, husband's Forbidden Spell Sound Array is actually a form of protection that can perfectly defend against Soul Searching techniques."

Facts proved that when not burdened by Family affairs, Su Yang truly had an abundance of time. Every day was spent either Cultivating or deducing the Dao Law. Focusing exclusively on these two things allowed the effect of Heaven Rewards the Diligent to be utilized to the extreme.

After three years of arduous Cultivation and deducing the Dao Law, Su Yang not only broke through to the ninth level of Qi Refining but also successfully deduced the Forbidden Spell Sound Array.

The zither music Qin Jiangmei had just played had already quietly laid down the Forbidden Spell Sound Array on Song Baiqing.