Chapter 31: Collaboration

"It's me." Yaoguang nodded his head slightly.

"Grandmaster?" Su Chiming, who stood beside him, froze for a moment.

Only now, from the brief contact between the two and the sudden shift that followed, had he realized what happened.

They exchanged moves, and the result was clear: Leng Jun had lost.

Leng Jun, a martial master who stood at the peak and was already capable of attempting the level 7 grandmaster certification exam, had been defeated the instant their hands touched. With Leng Jun’s Martial Dao accomplishments, to be overwhelmed in a simple forearm link could only mean one thing.

"A grandmaster?!" Su Chiming repeated as he shot to his feet, stunned. "Impossible. I have your complete file. You’ve trained for barely over a year. Even if you practiced secretly before your tendons and bones matured, you’re only nineteen. A grandmaster... at nineteen years old?!"

"The world is vast, and powerful figures appear every generation. Tiannan is only one province of Dayu, and Dayu is only a small part of the Central Continent. Above the Central Continent, there are the Snowdragon Empire and the Crimson Star Empire, two global overlords. Becoming a grandmaster at nineteen is not particularly unimaginable." Yaoguang’s tone stayed calm and unpretentious.

Su Chiming quickly turned toward Leng Jun, his eyes demanding confirmation.

Leng Jun recalled the exchange. The force he felt was definitely the jin that came from the resonance of the organs. And looking at Yaoguang now, his complexion was steady, his breathing even. He had not relied on any secret technique.

With no hesitation left, Leng Jun nodded. "He's a grandmaster."

"Grandmaster!" Su Chiming repeated under his breath, then added, "A grandmaster, and part of my Su family!"

Suddenly realizing what that meant, he looked at Yaoguang with burning excitement. "A nineteen-year-old grandmaster!"

"It seems like my status has been affirmed," Yaoguang said. "So, shall we discuss a collaboration?"

"Collaboration?" The word instantly cooled the excitement building in Su Chiming’s chest and pulled his thoughts back from imagining the Su family’s bright future.

Though Yaoguang carried the Su family's blood, his ties with the Su family were practically nonexistent. In nineteen years, this patriarch had never once seen him. They were strangers meeting for the first time. Under such circumstances, the fact Yaoguang was a grandmaster did not automatically translate into a blessing for the Su family.

For the first time, regret pricked Su Chiming’s heart. His son might have been a wastrel, a hedonist, a useless good-for-nothing, but he was still his son. Visiting him occasionally, showing some care during holidays, putting in a little effort to maintain the bond, and even minimal attention would have prevented today’s awkwardness, where Yaoguang returned feeling like an outsider entering an unfamiliar household.

However, he quickly forced those thoughts down. No matter what happened in the past, Yaoguang was still a member of the Su family. Blood ties alone made them natural allies. That was why Yaoguang had approached them for cooperation first.

All they needed to do now was show sincerity, earn his trust, and rebuild his sense of belonging. With his talent of reaching the grandmaster tier at nineteen, he might one day become a martial paragon. And if he did, the Su family would rise to become a true aristocratic family!

"Good, good, good!" Unable to contain himself, Su Chiming repeated the word three times.

"How do you want to collaborate?" he asked, then quickly corrected himself, sensing the coldness of that phrasing. "We’re family. There’s no need to be so distant. As long as you don’t lead the Su family into rebellion, the entire Su family will be yours in the future. What need is there to discuss collaboration?"

Leng Jun felt no disagreement at all. A nineteen-year-old grandmaster carried enough weight to overshadow the entire Su family. If Yaoguang remained stuck at the grandmaster tier, that would already be remarkable. But if he took a single step beyond, he alone could contend with an aristocratic family.

Under such possibilities, the old master placing all hopes on him was nothing but logical.

"One matter is separate from another," Yaoguang replied. "I am speaking to the Su family as a grandmaster, not as a member of the bloodline."

"All the same," Su Chiming said warmly as he stepped forward. "Come, sit. This is your home. There’s no need to be reserved."

Yet Yaoguang did not move.

He simply looked at Su Chiming and asked quietly, "I haven’t stepped into the Su family for more than ten years. Yet today I suddenly appeared. Do you know why?"

Su Chiming paused at the question, quickly sinking into thought.

The reason? Isn't it because he has reached the grandmaster tier and gained confidence? Has he obtained support from the Zhang family or joined some powerful organization?

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, only to be dismissed one by one.

If Yaoguang had the backing of a major force or that of the Zhang family, he would not have arrived at Buzhou Group alone today.

If it was not external, then the reason must lie within...

Su Chiming continued thinking of reasons.

Is it because Su Huaifeng is dying? Or perhaps...

"Su Xiangyang?" Leng Jun suddenly spoke. "You came because of Su Xiangyang?"

That reminder aligned perfectly with the direction Su Chiming’s mind had been circling, and he instantly understood.

If he remembered correctly, not long ago, Su Xiangyang had hired a group of people to kill Yaoguang. Yet that entire group vanished without a trace afterward.

The outside world assumed the Su family had intervened, but as the patriarch, he knew for certain that their disappearance had nothing to do with the Su family.

Now, with Yaoguang displaying genuine grandmaster-tier strength, their fate was already clear. This meant Yaoguang’s purpose here was...

"Do you disagree with the Family Laws Hall’s decision?" Su Chiming asked.

"What do you think?" Yaoguang countered.

Su Chiming drew a deep breath. He recalled the trouble Su Xiangyang had caused to the Buzhou Group, then weighed that against the presence of a nineteen-year-old grandmaster standing before him. It took him only a moment to make a decision.

"I understand." His tone dropped low. "His actions have indeed crossed the line. Your anger is understandable. I’ll leave this matter entirely in your hands. Whatever the outcome is, I will not interfere."

The meaning was unmistakable: Su Xiangyang’s life and death were now determined by Yaoguang’s will.

"Oh?" Yaoguang looked a little surprised.

Old Master Su was unexpectedly decisive, swift when needed, and ruthless when necessary.

And in that brief moment, Yaoguang understood. Without such decisiveness, without such clarity, without even this measure of cruelty, the Su family could never have risen under his leadership, transforming from a small family into one of Tiannan’s recognized powers after the chaotic era.

"Even though whatever you choose to do is something he brought upon himself," Su Chiming added carefully, "he is still your younger brother. I only hope you will think carefully and avoid a decision you may someday regret."

"You worry too much," Yaoguang replied. "I won’t do anything to him. Those who kill will be killed. The law will judge his crimes."

The law?

A strange expression flickered across Su Chiming’s face, but he immediately understood what Yaoguang meant.

If the Su family didn’t intervene, then by law alone, Su Xiangyang would not escape a death sentence. In fact, if the Su family gave him up and presented it as upholding justice over kinship, it might even help improve Buzhou Group’s public image.

He nodded. "I understand."

"Then let’s move on to the collaboration," Yaoguang said. "Or rather, to be precise, a deal. A business deal."

Although the word "deal" left a slightly bitter taste in Su Chiming’s heart, he knew that the bond between him and Yaoguang was far too thin for anything else. Their relationship would have to be rebuilt one step at a time.

Gesturing for Yaoguang to take a seat, he asked, "How do you wish to collaborate?"

"The Su family will invest resources and funds to support my attempt to become a martial paragon. After I become a martial paragon, I will protect the Su family," said Yaoguang.

"Agreed." Su Chiming replied without a shred of hesitation. "Even if you didn’t say it, we would still put all our effort into helping you advance in the Martial Dao."

Then he looked at Yaoguang and added, "And don’t feel pressured. As the patriarch, I am willingly providing support to a younger member of the Su family. Even if you never become a martial paragon, just as a hypothetical, that investment will never demand repayment."

Yaoguang glanced at him. Regardless of the patriarch’s true intentions, those words still carried a sincerity that satisfied him.

"Good." He nodded. "Then tell me, without harming the Su family or the Buzhou Group’s operations, how much can you allocate for the first round of investment?"

"Is it urgent?" Su Chiming asked. "If you need it immediately, I can transfer 600 million in cash right now. If not, give me three months. In three months, your total assets will not be less than five billion."

"600 million won’t affect the Su family?"

"It will have some effect, but nothing significant," he replied. "If the amount were 300 million instead, then there would be no impact at all."

"Then let’s start with three hundred million."

"Very well. Give me your account. 300 million will reach you within twenty-four hours." Su Chiming agreed without hesitation.

Yaoguang nodded, stood up, extended his hand, and said, "Pleasure working together."