199: Chapter 199 Marriage Alliance

Within the Su Family estate.

A Spell-cast mirror, rippling like water, floated before Su Yang.

The mirror clearly reflected the assassination operations the Zhou Army was carrying out throughout the market—from flying silver needles to flashing shadows and the disposal of corpses, every scene was crystal clear.

"The Zhou Army... they do have some skill."

Su Yang muttered to himself, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

This cleanup, which appeared to leave no trace, had nowhere to hide from his eyes.

This was the Insight Array from the Illusory Sound Sect's Formation Legacy.

Even Chu Yutang didn't know that Su Yang had integrated an Insight Array when he set up the third-rank grand Formation.

Nothing in the market could escape the capture of the Eye of Insight.

With a casual wave of Su Yang's hand, the Spell-cast mirror before him dispersed like ripples on water.

He strolled to the pavilion in the center of Ting Lake. The air in the pavilion rippled slightly, and the silhouette of a translucent phantom quietly emerged.

Su Yang didn't stop; he stepped straight forward, his figure merging into it like a water droplet into a lake.

In an instant, the world before his eyes spun.

Ting Lake, the snowflakes, and the residence all vanished, replaced by a flat space of about seventy square meters.

A vast star river cascaded from the heavens, starlight hanging like an inverted waterfall, illuminating the entire space like a dream.

The surrounding edges were shrouded in a hazy light screen that looked like water or mist, acting as the walls of this space.

In the center of the space, a small dark pool sat quietly.

The pool's water was deep, seemingly sealing a miniature star river within; countless tiny glimmers flowed silently inside, emitting a cold, star-like luster.

This was the unique space Su Yang had opened using the Star Universe secret technique.

The dark pool was filled with star river glazed water, but other than that, the space was empty.

Su Yang's gaze swept over this world that was still in its early stages, a plan already forming in his mind.

Seventy square meters was far too cramped for planting spirit plants or raising Spirit Beasts, so he hadn't done anything yet; he had only set up a dark pool to store the star river glazed water for the convenience of cultivating the secret technique.

Once the space gradually expanded in the future, he would send people in to build pavilions, transplant spirit trees, introduce running water, and raise Spirit Beasts...

He would turn this place into a Family Secret Realm!

Su Yang sat cross-legged and refined the star river glazed water, integrating it into his Dao arts; the flat ground beneath him expanded outward by a nearly imperceptible margin.

Cultivating this secret technique required a long accumulation of time; if he wanted to speed it up, he would have to consume a large amount of rare Materials.

If not for the star river glazed water—a treasure containing immense star energy—it would have taken Su Yang an unknown number of years to achieve today's scale by relying solely on his own circulation of the secret technique to slowly extract and refine it from the world.

After an unknown amount of time, a graceful silhouette quietly entered the Secret Realm.

Qin Jiangmei walked with light steps, bringing a familiar faint fragrance to Su Yang's side as she sat down elegantly.

"What brings you here, my wife?"

Su Yang stopped the secret technique and asked with a hint of surprise.

Qin Jiangmei smiled gently and said softly, "Didn't we say a few days ago that we should look for marriage partners for Su Xinyao and Su Xinyue? Now, there are finally some leads and candidates, so I've come to let you take a look."

As she spoke, she lifted her fair hand, and several portraits of people floated out.

The portraits were of handsome young men and beautiful young women, with temperaments ranging from gentle to heroic, each unique.

Originally, the marriage of Su Xinyao and Su Xinyue should have been the concern of their parents, Su Xuanheng and Wei Yan. However, the two were obsessed with the Dao of the sword and were truly not good at these domestic matters, so they asked Qin Jiangmei for help.

The siblings, Su Xinyao and Su Xinyue, had long since reached marriageable age.

What gratified the Su family members was that the siblings were not resistant to this and were willing to follow the Family's arrangements.

As the leaders of the Su Clan's second generation, their marriage partners naturally couldn't be chosen carelessly. Thus, the matter had remained undecided and delayed until now.

"There are many families who want to form a marriage alliance with our Su Family, and I have selected a few children with good character from among them."

Qin Jiangmei spoke softly, and with a flick of her fair hand, three portraits of women floated lightly in front of Su Yang.

"These three young ladies are from the Qian Family and Liang Family of the Yunmeng Ruins, as well as our local Cheng Family in Qingyuan."

"The Cheng Family?" Su Yang's brow twitched slightly. "Does Cheng Lan agree?"

Qin Jiangmei nodded and smiled. "More than just agreeing, she was the one who brought it up. This girl is Cheng Lan's niece; she has a Pseudo Spiritual Root Aptitude and a Qi Refining First Layer cultivation. Her personality is gentle and kind."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of understanding. "From the information gathered, Cheng Lan's move is somewhat motivated by the idea of using her as a tool for a marriage alliance."

If Cheng Lan were to marry a Prodigy from her Family into the Su Family, she would certainly be reluctant. But if it were a niece with a Pseudo Spiritual Root, it would be a deal where the benefits outweighed the disadvantages.

This calculation was shrewd; it was equivalent to pushing forward a 'chicken rib'—something of little value to keep but a shame to discard.

To say she was good felt a bit lacking, but to say she was bad, one couldn't find any major faults.

An overbearing Family would likely not accept such an arrangement, but the Su Family's way of doing things was somewhat unique. Therefore, Cheng Lan thought there was no harm in trying; whether it succeeded or not, it wouldn't hurt their friendly relations.

"I have met the girl privately once," Qin Jiangmei said softly. "She has a well-behaved personality and is quite intelligent. She isn't resistant to the Cheng Family's arrangements, but... her sense of belonging to the Cheng Family doesn't seem very deep."

Hearing this, Su Yang's evaluation of the girl rose a few points.

A weak sense of belonging to her maternal Family was actually a good thing; his biggest worry was that a woman who married in would have her heart set on her old Family.

The Su Family had a Forbidden Curse and didn't worry about Family secrets leaking out; they were only concerned that if the other party attempted to leak anything, it would disturb the peaceful lives of their children.

"What about the other two girls?" Su Yang asked.

Qin Jiangmei said slowly, "The one from the Qian Family also has a Pseudo Spiritual Root and a Qi Refining First Layer cultivation. She has a generous personality, understands the ways of business, and is good at dealing with people. Currently, she is helping her Family manage a shop."

"The Liang Family girl has a Mixed Spiritual Root and a Qi Refining Second Layer cultivation. She has a quiet and somewhat introverted personality. She is Patriarch Liang's seventh daughter and usually keeps to herself, focusing on her cultivation, though she occasionally follows her clansmen to the Ten Thousand Mountains for experience."

"However," her tone shifted slightly, "the sense of belonging these two girls have for their respective families is likely much stronger than that of the one from the Cheng Family."

Immortal cultivation families treat descendants with a Spiritual Root differently, after all; daily care and resource allocation are never lacking, so their feelings are naturally deep.

This was the norm in the cultivation world, strange yet realistic.

Descendants without a Spiritual Root were like weeds that could be discarded at will, but once they possessed a Spiritual Root, they became treasures to be nurtured with heart and soul.

After listening, Su Yang's heart actually leaned toward the girl from the Cheng Family, but he did not make a unilateral decision.

"Give all three portraits to Xinyao," he said. "He can decide for himself who to choose in the end."

Qin Jiangmei smiled brilliantly and took out two more portraits of men, suspending them before Su Yang.

"Then what about these two boys, husband? Shall we let Xinyue choose for herself as well?"