Chapter 16: Red Dust Kin, the Su Family

Su Feng ushered Su Chen into the house, and the whole family gathered around in a circle.

Li Shi held Su Chen’s hand, unable to look her fill, muttering incessantly: “You’ve grown thin, thin—you must have suffered greatly out there.”

Su Chen smiled bitterly inside; his body, refined to the level of Liánxū Hé Dào, was immune to cold and heat, unafraid of water and fire—how could he have grown thin?

But he said nothing, letting his mother stroke his cheeks, savoring this long-missed familial warmth.

Su Yuanshan, however, cared more about practical matters; he studied Su Chen’s Daoist robe and asked, “Chen’er, where have you been these thirteen years? Did you join an immortal sect and learn true arts?”

Su Chen nodded. “I trained in the mountains with a master, learning a few minor Daoist techniques.”

“Good, good, good!” Su Yuanshan slapped his thigh, his face beaming with pride. “I always knew my son wasn’t meant to stay in a pond! Now that you’re back, our Su family finally has a pillar again!”

Su Feng chimed in: “Yes, second brother, you don’t know—since you left, our business has declined day by day.”

"Those wolves in the capital, without your intimidation, all came to attack. Father lost heart and sold our ancestral home there, moving the entire family to Mianshui County, hoping for a peaceful life."

Here, a shadow crossed Su Feng’s face: “But we didn’t expect this small town to be no haven either.”

Su Chen’s heart stirred. “Big brother, have you run into trouble?”

Su Feng sighed, about to speak, but Li Shi cut him off: “Enough, enough! Chen’er just got back—why bring up such troubling matters? Come, eat! Your sister-in-law made your favorite braised pork!”

The family ate together in cheer, and during the meal, Su Chen learned his nephew’s name was Su Wen and his niece’s was Su Yue.

The two children, curious about this suddenly appeared second uncle, peppered him with questions.

“Second uncle, what do you do up in the mountains?”

“Second uncle, do immortals all know how to fly?”

Su Chen patiently answered each question, occasionally using Wind Control to gently swirl a fallen leaf around his fingertip, making the children giggle.

The meal ended happily; as night fell, Su Yuanshan and his wife, old and tired, retired first. Su Feng then pulled Su Chen into the study.

“Second brother, there are things I couldn’t say in front of Father and Mother,” Su Feng closed the door, his smile vanishing, replaced by solemnity.

“Big brother, speak freely.”

Su Feng sighed, pulled a ledger from the desk drawer, and pushed it toward Su Chen: “Take a look.”

Su Chen opened the ledger, his brow slowly furrowing.

The ledger recorded in dense detail Su family’s business dealings in Mianshui County, with one major transaction: a silk shop in town.

But for the past six months, the silk shop’s accounts showed constant losses, expenditures exceeding income.

“When we came to Mianshui County, we used our ancestral capital to take over this silk shop, hoping to make a living,” Su Feng’s voice carried suppressed anger. “Business was decent at first, but six months ago, the Wang family suddenly opened their own silk shop and started opposing us at every turn.”

“The Wang family?”

“Yes—the Wang family of Wang Tong, the Department Magistrate,” Su Feng explained. “They use Wang Tong’s protection to bully the county. They steal our suppliers, slash prices maliciously, and even send thugs to harass our shop daily, scaring away customers.”

“Does the government do nothing?”

“Do nothing?” Su Feng sneered. “The Department Magistrate and County Magistrate are cut from the same cloth. When we reported them, they dodged and deferred—officials protect officials. What can we do? The Wang family has made it clear: either sell us your shop at half price, or prepare to shut down.”

“These past six months, our savings have nearly been drained by this shop. Father’s hair has turned white from worry—I’m at my wits’ end.” Su Feng’s voice carried deep helplessness.

Su Chen closed the ledger, a flash of cold light in his eyes.

He had been away thirteen years, and he bore guilt toward his family.

Now that he had returned, only to learn others were bullying his Su family—how could he tolerate it?

“Big brother, don’t worry,” Su Chen patted Su Feng’s shoulder. “We won’t sell the silk shop. What the Wang family owes us, I’ll make them repay tenfold.”

His voice was quiet, yet carried an undeniable force, calming Su Feng’s anxious heart.

Su Chen’s return caused no ripple in Mianshui County.

To others, the Su family had merely gained a second son who had long wandered abroad.

In the following days, Su Chen did not rush to deal with the Wang family; instead, he stayed by his parents’ side.

He played chess with his father Su Yuanshan, listening to his complaints about business; he sat with his mother Li Shi in the courtyard, basking in the sun as she recounted the trivialities of the past thirteen years.

His return brought laughter back to a home once shadowed by gloom.

Su Wen and Su Yue became his constant little shadows, worshipping their all-powerful second uncle.

“Second uncle, second uncle, my kite won’t fly!” Su Wen held up a broken kite, dejected.

Su Chen smiled, took the kite, picked up a dry blade of grass from the ground, murmured softly, and blew gently on it.

The blade of grass visibly transformed into a strong, slender thread.

He tied it on and handed the kite back to Su Wen: “Go on—this time, it’ll fly straight into the clouds.”

Su Wen ran off skeptically; soon, his delighted shout echoed from outside: “It’s flying! It’s flying! Higher than before!”

Su Yue held up a picture book, pointing to a painted fairy: “Second uncle, are all fairies this pretty? Do they live in palaces in the sky?”

Su Chen looked at the crude brushwork and garish colors, and chuckled.

He remembered the immortal cave of Xieyue Sansan, the profound scenes of his ancestral master teaching the Dao—those were true celestial splendor.

He did not answer directly, but formed a small spell, conjuring a crystal-clear ice flower from his fingertip.

The ice flower refracted seven-colored light in the sun, slowly spinning, breathtakingly beautiful.

“Wow!” Su Yue stared, eyes wide, cautiously reaching out to touch it.

The ice flower landed in her palm, unmelted, radiating a cool, refreshing chill.

“What is this?”

“A little trinket,” Su Chen smiled.

To Su Chen, these minor spells meant nothing—but to the children, they were miracles.

Even Su Feng and his wife, witnessing these impossible sights, grew even more convinced of Su Chen’s immortal destiny, and their dread of the Wang family slowly faded.

Su Chen had no intention of resolving this with shocking, world-shaking methods—that would only bring unnecessary trouble upon the Su family.

He would make the Wang family spit out what they had swallowed—and make them never dare to think of the Su family again.