67: Chapter 67 Using a borrowed knife to kill, leveraging the momentum to achieve one's goals.

"The Blazing Fire Sect!" In Su Cheng's clear eyes, an undisguised killing intent surged at this moment. "They dared to try to kill my sister; this matter cannot be settled just like that."

"Also, Chen Tai and Deacon Lin of the Tiangang Sect cannot be allowed to remain."

"When cutting grass, one must remove the roots. It might be fine for a short time, but leaving them is equivalent to placing two venomous snakes that could strike at any moment by my sister's side. Our Su Family cannot afford to take such a risk again."

Su Chengyuan fell silent.

Of course he wanted revenge, but the Blazing Fire Sect was a major Sect as famous as the Tiangang Sect. Within the Sect, experts were as numerous as clouds, and there was more than one Grand Elder at the Golden Core Stage.

Using the strength of just father and son to shake a whole Sect was no different from throwing an egg against a rock.

"Chenger, revenge is not something to be rushed," Su Chengyuan advised. "A gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years. Once both you and I..."

"Ten years is too long; I only seize the day." Su Cheng interrupted him.

He walked up to Su Chengyuan and said, "Father, think about it. If we follow the standard path of cultivation..."

"Even with the help of Medicinal Pills, by the time you reach Core Formation, sister reaches Core Formation, and then I reach Core Formation, and finally we go to seek revenge against the Blazing Fire Sect..."

"How long will it take? Ten years? Twenty years? Or fifty years? I cannot wait that long."

"Of course, facing a Sect head-on is something only a fool would do."

Su Chengyuan looked into his son's deep eyes, which flickered with a light he couldn't quite understand. "Then what do you mean?"

"Killing with a borrowed knife, acting by taking advantage of the situation," Su Cheng continued. "We ourselves are but a small knife; our power is limited and easily broken. But what if we could find a sharp, precious blade, hold it in our hands, and use it to deal with our enemies?"

"A precious blade?" Su Chengyuan was somewhat puzzled.

"The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce." Su Cheng named a power that Su Chengyuan was not unfamiliar with.

He remembered the favor promised by the guard commander Zhao Shan when he had saved the merchant caravan on the way to the Prefecture City. "You mean, to use them?"

"Not use, but cooperate," Su Cheng corrected. "But this time, we aren't going to beg for help; we are going to deliver a massive fortune to them."

Su Chengyuan immediately understood his son's intention, but he still pointed out a key difficulty: "The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce has decent strength in the Prefecture City, but in the Provincial City, it's only a small power. If we hand that kind of thing over to them, what if they develop ill intentions..."

"It's precisely because they have a background in the Provincial City that I chose them. And because their strength isn't great, they are easier to control." Su Cheng's answer gave Su Chengyuan a jolt.

Su Cheng continued, "A massive behemoth is something we cannot shake, let alone influence its decisions."

"But a small chamber of commerce that is seeking development and hungering for growth is much easier to bind deeply to us."

"What we give might be their only chance to rise; they will cherish this cooperation more than we do."

"As for ill intentions," Su Cheng changed his tone, "to eliminate that possibility, this time, I will go with you to their headquarters in the Provincial City."

"You're going too?" Su Chengyuan was greatly surprised.

"Yes." Su Cheng nodded. "You are a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, our martial guarantee. And I will be the Alchemist behind you on the surface."

"A young, mysterious Alchemist capable of refining supreme-grade pills. This is far more persuasive than you going to talk empty-handed."

"But you are so young, and your Alchemy skills are so shocking; wouldn't that attract even more greed?" Su Chengyuan worried.

"Therefore, I also need a Revered Master," Su Cheng smiled. "A non-existent Revered Master who travels the four seas, has a strange temperament, and possesses unfathomable cultivation."

"My Alchemy skills were all taught by that old gentleman. Anyone who wants to move against me will first have to weigh whether they dare to offend the Revered Master of unknown depth behind me."

Su Chengyuan was left speechless by his son's interlocking strategies.

On the surface, there was a young Alchemist with a boundless future; in the shadows, there was the deterrence of a non-existent peerless expert; and with himself, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, providing protection, the stage was perfectly set.

In this way, ordinary powers truly wouldn't dare to provoke them.

The prestige brought by an unfathomable powerhouse who could enable a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator to refine supreme-grade pills was absolutely immense.

Without a definitive investigation into the background, it was likely no one would dare to easily offend them.

What a brilliant move of 'the fox borrowing the tiger's might'.

As for potential crises—in the world of cultivation, how could one achieve anything without taking risks!

"Our short-term goal is to cooperate with the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce and have them disrupt the Medicinal Pill market in Qinghe Prefecture, becoming the prefecture's largest supplier of pills."

Ambition flickered in Su Cheng's eyes. "And our long-term goal is to make the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce become the Su Family's Four Seas Chamber of Commerce!"

At this point, Su Chengyuan understood that his son's ambitions had perhaps long surpassed the scope of mere revenge.

He could only see one step ahead, but his son had already seen the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth steps.

He was planning a path to the heavens for the future of the entire Family!

"In addition," Su Cheng added, "Father, didn't you meet a junior from the Lin Family of the Provincial City last time, named Lin Feng?"

Su Chengyuan nodded. "That's right, he even gave me a piece of Heart-Calming Jade."

"On our trip to the Provincial City, besides the cooperation with the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, the second thing we need to do is investigate this Lin Family." Su Cheng's thinking was incredibly clear. "Find out how strong they are, their status in the Provincial City, which powers they are friendly with, and which they are at odds with. It's always good to have another friend."

Looking at the depth and planning in his son's eyes that didn't match his age, Su Chengyuan was momentarily dazed.

Once upon a time, that child who still needed protection under his wings had now grown into a strategist capable of holding up the sky for the entire Family from behind the scenes.

What he saw was no longer just the small plot of land in Qingyang Town, but the entire Qinghe Prefecture, and even the broader Tianlan Province.

"This matter needs careful consideration." Su Chengyuan finally suppressed the agitation in his heart, regaining the composure a Foundation Establishment Cultivator should have. "First, how should we explain this long journey to the Family?"

"Both father and son leaving home at the same time to go to the Provincial City—the journey is far and will take a long time. We need a plausible excuse."

"I've already prepared for that," Su Cheng replied confidently. "But first, we must inform Mother."

The next day, in Liu Yue's small courtyard, the atmosphere was somewhat unusual.

In recent years, her husband and son had become different from before; every day was spent either in seclusion or cultivation, and they spent more time apart than together.

Her daughter was even further away at the Tiangang Sect, not seen for several years.

Although Liu Yue felt proud of them, the emptiness in her heart as a wife and mother grew with each passing day.

Today, it was rare for both father and son to be present, not in seclusion, and they even spent time chatting with her about domestic trivialities.

Liu Yue was delighted and personally went to the kitchen to prepare a table full of Su Cheng's favorite dishes.

At the dinner table, Su Chengyuan looked at the few strands of silver hair that had quietly appeared at his wife's temples, feeling a slight ache in his heart.

He placed a piece of food into Liu Yue's bowl and spoke as if casually, "Yue'er, Chenger's cultivation has reached a Bottleneck. Staying at home and working behind closed doors isn't the way. I'm thinking of taking him out for some experience to see the world; it might be good for his future cultivation."

Liu Yue's hand holding the chopsticks paused, and the smile on her face faded slightly.

She looked up at her husband, then at her son who was buried in his food, and said nothing.

Seeing this, Su Cheng quickly put down his chopsticks, leaned over to Liu Yue, and said with a cheeky grin, "Mom, don't listen to Dad. What 'experience'? He just wants to go out for a stroll himself and insists on dragging me along as a companion. Don't worry, we'll go and come back quickly, and I promise to bring you some beautiful jewelry and clothes!"

As he spoke, he massaged his mother's shoulders, acting like a spoiled child.

How could Liu Yue not know her son was coaxing her? She sighed, reached out to pat the back of Su Cheng's hand, and said gloomily, "You Cultivators—one seclusion lasts months, one trip lasts years. I'm just a Mortal; how many 'years' do I have left to spend with you?"

Hearing this, both Su Chengyuan and Su Cheng felt a tightness in their chests.

Indeed, the divide between immortal and Mortal was most cruel.

They pursued longevity, while their closest kin grew old in the passing years.