Chapter 44: Weight

"Investigate the World-Saving Society." Inside the car, Yaoguang gave the order calmly.

"Bai Ya is already looking into it," Lei Yun replied while driving. "The first batch of medicinal herbs has arrived. Do you want to check them?"

"Of course," Yaoguang replied.

The car turned off and left Tiannan University. Watching Yaoguang and Lei Yun leave like that, Zhang Rufeng and Zhang Hong both felt a sense of puzzlement.

"Big Brother, are you just letting him leave?" Zhang Hong asked.

"You don't understand," Zhang Tianji said, shaking his head.

He watched the vehicle carrying Yaoguang for a long moment before speaking again. "Su Chiming... is determined."

He seemed to recall something else and sighed. "If it were me, I would do the same. He simply acted before us."

"Is it because Yaoguang's martial talent is extremely high?" Zhang Hong couldn't help but ask.

"Some people are born with sharp perception and unusually sharp minds. Once they begin training, they advance at terrifying speed, improving visibly every day. I've only heard about people like that in books and records. Yaoguang is very likely one of them. If confirmed, even the royal family would be shaken. They would send a commissioner to investigate and extend the highest courtesy!"

He drew a deep breath. "This concerns national security."

National security?!

The words struck Zhang Hong hard.

How has this become a national security issue?

Then he recalled the influence and deterrence of a martial paragon.

"Yaoguang... Can he really become a martial paragon?" Even so, he still struggled to believe it.

Zhang Tianji did not explain further about national security, but followed his train of thought. "If he truly has that much talent, as long as he trains diligently and has a bit of comprehension, then with the resources of World-Saving Society, it may not be guaranteed, but the odds are extremely high. And even relying only on the Su family, his chances of becoming a martial paragon are still above fifty percent."

A martial paragon was an existence that could establish an aristocratic family based on sheer strength! Every surviving aristocratic family had produced at least one martial paragon.

Zhang Hong had thought people of that level were worlds apart. Now it felt as if one stood right before him.

"The Su family is about to rise," Zhang Tianji said, slowly exhaling. "If I were Old Master Zhang, I would hurry to fix the relationship with them while their current troubles are unresolved. Cooperation is the only way for both sides to win. Once Yaoguang becomes a martial paragon, the Su and Zhang families will dominate Tiannan together."

Zhang Hong looked at him and saw no hint of unseriousness. "I'll send word to the family head immediately."

Zhang Tianji nodded. He also needed to use his own channels to report that a naturally gifted prodigy might have emerged. If confirmed, recommending such a person would earn him substantial merit.

***

When Yaoguang arrived at the villa in Yuyuan Estate, he discovered that not only was Leng Jun present, but Su Chiming had also returned from the Buzhou Group's headquarters. Several other Su family members were there as well.

The moment Yaoguang stepped out of the car, everyone's attention shifted to him.

"You're here," Su Chiming greeted with a smile, walking forward.

As soon as Yaoguang stepped down, Su Chiming introduced a few people. "These are Su Huaigu and Su Chixin."

Yaoguang simply nodded at them, his casual attitude causing brief displeasure among the newcomers.

Before they could say anything, Su Chiming asked first, "Did Zhang Tianji visit you?"

"Mhmm," Yaoguang answered. "Let Lei Yun explain it to you. I'll check the herbs first."

"Alright. Leng Jun." Hearing Su Chiming give the order, Leng Jun immediately led Yaoguang toward several large crates. As they walked, he explained, "This is the first batch. Use these for now..."

Meanwhile, the other Su family members were stunned. "Isn't that the Zhang family's grandmaster?"

"Yes." Lei Yun nodded.

Facing everyone's curious gazes, she concisely recounted what had happened at Tiannan University. Within moments, Su Chiming and the others all changed expression.

One of them even stammered, "Did he really say that if Yaoguang is willing to join the Zhang family, he can even hand the entire Zhang family over to him?!"

"Yes." Lei Yun nodded. "I have a recording."

The two men looked at each other in disbelief. The Zhang family had risen quickly in recent years. Most of their success came from their grandmaster, and their influence was still slightly below the Su family's. But none of that mattered anymore.

The Zhang family's grandmaster clearly stood on Yaoguang's side! If Yaoguang truly chose to join them, he could effectively rule the entire Zhang family. And that was without them even knowing that Yaoguang had already reached the grandmaster tier.

If they knew, would they not treat him as their guiding pillar from this day onward?

"Yesterday I already told him that if he wanted the Su family, I could hand it over to him as well," Su Chiming said cheerfully. "But he felt that family affairs would distract him from martial training, so he didn't want to bother with it."

Hearing this, whatever dissatisfaction the other Su family members had felt earlier vanished completely.

Yaoguang was a nineteen-year-old grandmaster with the potential to become a martial paragon! It was never him begging the Su family for cooperation. It was the Su family that needed to find every possible way to tie themselves to his battleship. If the Su family were unwilling, there were plenty of other families eager to serve at Yaoguang's side. The Zhang family was already the clearest example.

More importantly, compared to Su Huaifeng, whom Yaoguang had never even met, Zhang Ya, despite being harsh at times, had still been the one who raised him. In other words, the Zhang family, by having Zhang Ya, held a greater competitive advantage than the Su family.

In an instant, Su Chixin and Su Huaigu, who had just been displeased with Yaoguang's attitude, both felt a deep crisis rising in their hearts. "The Zhang family is putting in this much effort. We can't allow the Su family to be looked down upon. We must secure that level 5A combat suit as soon as possible and present it to him as a gift. Do we have enough funds? If not, I still have some available."

"Dad, let me personally push forward the matter regarding Su Xiangyang. First, it will prove that our Su family will uphold justice over blood ties and firmly support the rule of law, no matter the situation, helping repair the negative reputation surrounding the Buzhou Group. Second... his actions were unforgivable. To target his own family? We must give Yaoguang a satisfactory explanation!"

Both Su Chixin and Su Huaigu voiced their commitment at the same time. Seeing this, Su Chiming nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Go home and speak to your children properly. There is no need to fight over petty benefits now. You must all understand that the Su family must be restructured around Yaoguang as its core. Only by pooling every resource toward him can our family catch the overwhelming prosperity that will arrive once he becomes a martial paragon."

"Understood."

"Dad, rest assured, I have enough foresight for that," they answered.

"Good. I look forward to the day the Su family, with your cooperation and Yaoguang's strength, rises to be an aristocratic family." Su Chiming chuckled.

Su Hua, who had replaced Leng Jun as Su Chiming's close-range bodyguard, approached and said quietly, "The Ye family has sent an invitation. They are inviting the Su family to attend a banquet one month from now."

"The Ye family? Inviting us?" Su Chiming was genuinely surprised.

The relationship between the Su and Ye families had grown colder over the years. The failed marriage between Su Yaoxue and Ye Xingchen had only been a convenient excuse. The real issue was that the Buzhou Group, belonging to the Su family, had been targeted by various wealthy heirs looking to "start businesses," causing the corporation to decline.

The Ye family feared getting dragged into trouble and had been distancing themselves rapidly.

"They suddenly are in the mood to invite us?" He let out a cold laugh.

Then something occurred to him. "What banquet is it?"

"It is Ye Xingchen's discipleship banquet. He has formally become the disciple of the Saber Absolute, Xie Yusheng."

***

Inside the villa, Yaoguang examined each medicinal ingredient individually. He had to admit that the Su family's efficiency was impressive. Had he bought these himself, not only would it have cost more money, but it would have taken a lot of his time, and he'd have risked getting inferior quality ingredients. With the Su family's help, everything was settled in a day, and the quality of every herb was outstanding.

"This will do." Then Yaoguang called toward the villa, "Ai Li, follow the formula I gave you and begin the preparation."

"Alright," Ai Li replied with a smile, stepping out wearing an apron. After selecting what she needed, she left the villa.

Soon after, Su Chiming and the others entered. "How is it?"

"The quality is excellent," Yaoguang replied.

"That's good. We have worked with the White Jade Pavilion for over ten years. They wouldn't dare cut corners," Su Chiming said with a nod. "Shall we have lunch together later and introduce you to a few more members of the family?"

"There's no rush," Yaoguang said.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Alright, you decide," Su Chiming said.

After chatting briefly, Su Chiming departed with Su Chixin and Su Huaigu. His main purpose today was to ensure they met properly. Compared to the others, those two were the Su family's remaining core pillars. Their attitude toward Yaoguang had to be fully aligned.

Not long after, Ai Li finished preparing the medicinal mixture. Yaoguang took it orally and applied it externally, then began practicing martial arts in the villa courtyard.

Compared to the high-rise apartment at the Chihe Residence in Yunmeng City, training in the grounded space of a villa courtyard felt vastly different.

His accumulated experience was so rich that he no longer relied strictly on a specific art when tempering his organs. As long as he avoided harming himself, or rather, as long as he ensured he could recover quickly, he would always choose the most efficient approach.

The path of Martial Dao was never achieved in one stroke. Even a reborn expert needed a gradual process of rebuilding.

Thanks to the mystical "search engine," his understanding and realm in the Martial Dao had already reached the fifth-tier. Yet his physical strength remained at the level of a grandmaster, making it somewhat similar to the rebirth scenario. Though in his case, the growth of his strength depended on the continuous development of his Martial Dao branch, not an instant restoration of past strength like that of a true reborn powerhouse.

***

The next day, after healing his injuries, Yaoguang's physical strength had improved slightly.

But instead of receiving news from Zhao Sheng, the suspected daemon leader serving as vice-governor, he received a message from Xia Wuyuan.

The Yue family had acted. In just two days, the clues surrounding the daemons had been unraveled. Or rather, the Yue family had known something all along, merely feigning ignorance until Xia Wuyuan cornered them and forced them to reveal the daemons they had concealed.