253: Chapter 253 Your dad is a ruthless man

The secrets on Su Cheng's person belonged to him; asking too much would only damage their relationship.

In any case, since the kid dared to make such a bold claim, he must have something to rely on.

What if... a thought flashed through Sun Boyong's mind. What if this kid could actually fulfill that promise in the future? For him, that would be much more significant than just having another Alchemist around.

Although Sun Boyong was an Artifact Refiner, who didn't harbor the desire to break through to the Nascent Soul stage?

He had been stuck at the Late Golden Core Stage for nearly a century. Whether he could touch that threshold in his lifetime depended thirty percent on himself and seventy percent on external factors. (To borrow a phrase: seventy percent is destined by heaven, thirty percent by hard work.)

And within that seventy percent, Medicinal Pills held a significant weight.

Even though young Su had made such a heavy promise, whatever happened to his father must be no small matter.

But since it had come to this, he might as well take another gamble.

Sun Boyong picked up the wine flask at his waist, took a swig, and set it down on the table.

"Fine, stop keeping me in suspense. Tell me, what is it?"

Su Cheng sat down at the table and explained the whole sequence of events.

He recounted his father's original intention for going to the Ten Thousand Snakes Valley in Xuanhuo Ridge, how they encountered Xuanyin Sect Foundation Establishment Disciples at the bottom of the valley, how they silenced them and destroyed the evidence, how they took the items from underground, and then took a detour back.

He also mentioned Duanmu Bei, whom they encountered at the city gate on the day they entered; he was the one hunting his father down.

Sun Boyong fell silent after listening, and then he said one thing.

"Your father is a ruthless man."

It wasn't a derogatory remark, but a sincere evaluation.

With an Early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, leading a group of Loose Cultivators, he dared to snatch the fruits of someone else's fifty-year plan and still manage to escape unscathed.

"Senior Sun," Su Cheng cupped his hands, "the current situation is that Duanmu Bei is still investigating outside, heading towards Tianlan Prefecture City. Since my father's group arrived in Tongbao City today, I would like to ask Senior to help escort them back to Tianlan Prefecture City."

Escorting a dozen Foundation Establishment Cultivators over fifty to sixty thousand miles, with a Late Golden Core Stage pursuer hanging over their heads—this was not a favor one could ask for lightly. It was no wonder Su Cheng had made a heavy promise beforehand.

Sun Boyong looked at Su Cheng and didn't rush to reply.

After Su Cheng finished speaking, he sat there quietly waiting.

He didn't add any further pressure or pleas; everything that needed to be said had been said. Asking Senior Sun to escort them was simply to add another layer of insurance for his father and the others.

If it were someone else's business, he might have deliberated, but this was his father.

What did owing a favor matter? Having connections and not using them would just be making things hard for himself.

Besides, repaying the favor was a matter for the future. With the qiankun creation furnace, was he afraid he couldn't repay a favor?

After some consideration, Sun Boyong finally spoke.

"The matter of the escort—I agree."

Su Cheng stood up to bow, but Sun Boyong held him down with a hand.

"Sit down first, I haven't finished speaking."

Su Cheng sat back down.

"Escorting is fine, but the favor from helping you refine that Treasure Artifact still counts. That makes two favors you owe me. In the future, if this old man has a use for you, I will speak up myself."

"However, your father's methods were indeed clean enough, and he left enough backup plans. Even if I looked at it, I couldn't find any major faults. But your Foundation is too thin."

"The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce is, in the end, an organization at the Foundation Establishment level. Although your prospects in the Danding Sect aren't bad, your cultivation is only at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage. Golden Core Cultivators are creatures of another world; you should understand this better than your father."

Su Cheng did not speak.

"The fact that Duanmu Bei didn't find you this time doesn't mean he won't find you later. The Xuanyin Sect is a Nascent Soul Sect with deep pockets and just as many methods. Now they've not only lost a Strange Fire but also fifteen Foundation Establishment Disciples; they likely won't swallow this insult easily."

"They can't find clues now, but what about in a while? What about in a few years? It's true your father used an Appearance and Qi Altering Talisman, but nothing in this world is truly flawless."

Su Cheng said, "Senior is right."

"Whether I'm right or not is for you to weigh," Sun Boyong continued. "Escorting them back to Tianlan Prefecture City is no problem. This old man has his own tricks; even if Duanmu Bei ran into us, he wouldn't dare make a move. But once you return, you must hurry and raise your own cultivation."

"You have enough cards in your hand now, with the Danding Sect as your backer and the resources of the Chamber of Commerce. The only thing you lack is the hard strength you've forged yourself. An Early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation cannot support a platform as large as yours."

Sun Boyong still had some understanding of Su Cheng, which Su Cheng had told him himself; there was no need to hide these external matters from him.

Su Cheng did not argue. He had thought about these words countless times; hearing them from someone else was just additional confirmation.

"Senior, there is one more thing," Su Cheng said. "The Strange Fire my father collected from the valley floor is said to be very malevolent. When my father arrives, I would like to ask Senior to help take a look and see what the situation is."

Sun Boyong's brow furrowed slightly.

"You plan to show it to me?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you afraid I'll covet it and use your favor? A third-rank strange fire would be useful even in my hands."

Su Cheng looked up at him: "If Senior needs it, then take it."

Sun Boyong stared at him for a few breaths, then suddenly laughed.

"Haha, you kid really are... This thing is something your father risked his life for. If I took it, what kind of person would that make me?"

"As for looking at it, we'll wait until your father arrives."

Su Cheng smiled slightly and bowed in farewell.

After obtaining Sun Boyong's promise, his heart truly settled.

An hour later, Su Chengyuan and the others arrived at the outskirts of Tongbao City one after another.

According to Su Cheng's arrangement, the seventeen people were divided into five teams, entering the city through three different gates with half-day intervals. They were each to report and stay at the Yongchang Inn on South Street.

Su Chengyuan himself and Li Shi were in the last batch, taking the quietest route from the north.

Su Cheng didn't wait in the city; instead, he left through the North Gate early and went out more than three li along a small path beside the main road to meet them.

When he saw the two figures of Su Chengyuan and Li Shi rounding the hill in the distance, Su Cheng's pace quickened, and a surge of warmth rose in his heart.

Su Chengyuan saw him too and strode forward, clapping a hand on his son's shoulder with considerable force.

"You've gotten thinner."

Su Cheng said with a smile, "Father, your strength has certainly grown quite a bit since you left."

A trace of a smile appeared on Su Chengyuan's face, which he quickly suppressed: "Good lad. By the way, where is that Senior Sun you mentioned?"

"Father, let's enter the city first."

Su Cheng led his father and Li Shi into the city through the North Gate and turned into a small, detached courtyard he had rented in advance.

After entering the yard, Su Cheng first set up three layers of isolation arrays and masked the fluctuations of spiritual energy.

Father and son sat opposite each other at a low table in the main hall, while Zhao Shan stood guard outside.

Without any nonsense, Su Chengyuan directly took a Spiritual White Jade bottle out of his Storage Pouch and placed it on the table.

"Inside this is that Strange Fire."

Su Cheng looked at the jade bottle but didn't rush to open it. Instead, he put it into the qiankun creation furnace space.

Of course, in Su Chengyuan's perception, the jade bottle had been put into his son's Storage Pouch.

"No rush to look. Let's talk business first. Father, tell me in detail again what happened in the Ten Thousand Snakes Valley."

Su Chengyuan recounted the entire experience in the Ten Thousand Snakes Valley from beginning to end.

Telling it via communication talisman was one thing, but telling it face-to-face was another. Many details that had been omitted during the transmission were now filled in one by one.

(I'll see how it goes tomorrow, everyone. I might need to take a day off, but not necessarily. I'll do my best.)