Chapter 16

Su Feng welcomed Su Chen into the house, and the whole family sat around in a circle.

Lady Li held Su Chen's hand, unable to look at him enough, and kept muttering, "You've grown thin, you've grown thin. You must have suffered a lot out there."

Su Chen gave a bitter smile to himself; with his body at the Return to Emptiness Realm, he had long been immune to cold and heat, and feared neither water nor fire, so how could he have grown thin?

But he did not explain, simply letting his mother stroke his cheeks, enjoying this long-lost familial affection.

Su Yuanshan was more concerned with practical matters; he looked Su Chen's Daoist robe up and down and asked, "Chen'er, where exactly have you been these thirteen years? Did you join an Immortal Sect and learn some real skills?"

Su Chen nodded: "I cultivated in the mountains with a master and learned some minor Daoist arts."

"Good, good, good!" Su Yuanshan slapped his thigh, his face full of relief, "I knew my son was no ordinary person! Now that you're back, our Su family finally has a backbone again!"

Su Feng also chimed in: "That's right, Second Brother, you don't know, ever since you left, our family's business has gone from bad to worse."

"Those wolves in the capital, without your deterrence, all came up to take a bite. Father was also disheartened, which is why we sold the ancestral home in the capital and moved the whole family to this Mianshui County, hoping to live a peaceful life."

Speaking of this, a trace of gloom flashed across Su Feng's face: "But I didn't expect that this small place wouldn't be a peaceful place either."

Su Chen's heart stirred, and he asked: "Eldest Brother, have you encountered any trouble?"

Su Feng sighed and was about to speak, but Lady Li on the side interrupted him: "Alright, alright, Chen'er just got back, why talk about these annoying things! Come, let's eat, I had your sister-in-law make your favorite red-braised pork!"

The family ate happily together, and during the meal, Su Chen also learned that his nephew was named Su Wen and his niece was named Su Yue.

The two little ones were full of curiosity about this Second Uncle who had suddenly appeared, and kept asking questions.

"Second Uncle, what do you do on the mountain?"

"Second Uncle, can all immortals fly?"

Su Chen patiently answered them one by one, occasionally using a Wind-Controlling Art to quietly stir up a fallen leaf, spinning it at his fingertips, which made the two children giggle.

The meal was enjoyed by both host and guests, and after the night grew deep, Su Yuanshan and his wife, being old, went to rest first. Su Feng pulled Su Chen to the study.

"Second Brother, there are some things I couldn't say in front of Father and Mother during the day." Su Feng closed the door, the smile on his face faded, replaced by a solemn expression.

"Eldest Brother, speak freely."

Su Feng sighed, took an account book from the desk drawer, and pushed it in front of Su Chen: "Take a look."

Su Chen opened the account book, and his brows gradually furrowed.

The account book densely recorded the Su family's business dealings in Mianshui County, among which the biggest business was a silk shop in the city.

But the accounts for this silk shop for the past half year were full of deficits, with expenses exceeding income.

"When our Su family arrived in Mianshui County, relying on the capital left by our ancestors, we bought this silk shop, hoping to make a living from it." Su Feng's voice carried a suppressed anger, "At first, business was not bad, but starting half a year ago, the Wang family in the city suddenly opened a silk shop too, and they opposed us at every turn."

"The Wang family?"

"Yes, the main family of Wang Tong, the County Commandant of Mianshui County." Su Feng explained, "This Wang family relies on the County Commandant's backing to run rampant in the county. They not only snatch our sources of goods, but also maliciously lower prices, and even send hooligans to make trouble at our shop door every day, scaring customers away."

"Does the government not care?"

"Care?" Su Feng sneered, "The County Commandant and the Magistrate are birds of a feather. When we go to report to the officials, they make all sorts of excuses, shielding each other. What can we do? The Wang family has put out the word: either we sell the silk shop to them at half price, or we wait to close down."

"For the past half year, the family's savings have almost been dragged down by this shop. Father is so worried his hair has turned white, and I really have no other way." Su Feng's voice carried a deep sense of powerlessness.

Su Chen closed the account book, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

He had been away from home for thirteen years and felt guilty toward his family.

Now that he had just returned, he learned that someone was bullying his Su family; how could he endure this?

"Eldest Brother, don't worry." Su Chen patted Su Feng's shoulder, "We won't sell this silk shop. What the Wang family owes us, I will make them pay back double."

His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable power, making Su Feng's anxious heart settle down inexplicably.

The news of Su Chen's return did not cause any ripples in Mianshui County.

In the eyes of others, the Su family just had an extra second son who had been traveling abroad for many years.

For the next few days, Su Chen did not rush to solve the Wang family's matter, but instead stayed by his parents' side.

He would accompany his father Su Yuanshan to play chess and listen to him grumble about the frustrations in the business world; he would also accompany his mother Lady Li to bask in the sun in the courtyard and listen to her talk about the trivial matters of the past thirteen years.

His return filled this home, which had been somewhat melancholy, with laughter once again.

The two little ones, Su Wen and Su Yue, became his little followers. They worshipped this omnipotent Second Uncle to the extreme.

"Second Uncle, Second Uncle, my kite won't fly up!" Su Wen held up a kite with a broken string, his face full of frustration.

Su Chen smiled, took the kite, picked up a piece of withered grass from the ground, muttered something, and blew a breath onto the grass.

The withered grass actually turned into a tough, thin string at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He tied the string and handed the kite to Su Wen: "Go on, this time I guarantee it will fly into the clouds."

Su Wen ran off half-believing, and before long, his surprised shouts came from outside the courtyard: "It's flying! It's flying! It's flying much higher than before!"

Su Yue held a picture book, pointed to the fairy drawn on it, and asked curiously: "Second Uncle, do all fairies look like this? Do they live in palaces in the sky?"

Su Chen looked at the rough brushstrokes and gaudy colors in the picture and couldn't help but laugh.

He thought of the Immortal Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars, and the mysterious scene when the Patriarch gave lectures; that was the true atmosphere of an Immortal home.

He did not answer directly, but pinched a small spell, and a crystal-clear ice flower appeared out of thin air at his fingertips.

The ice flower refracted seven-colored light in the sun, slowly rotating, beautiful and magnificent.

"Wow!" Su Yue's eyes went straight, and she carefully reached out her hand, wanting to touch it.

The ice flower landed on her palm, but did not melt, instead emitting a trace of coolness that refreshed the heart.

"What is this?"

"A little toy," Su Chen laughed.

These minor spells, which Su Chen thought were not worth mentioning, were like miracles in the eyes of the children.

Even Su Feng and his wife, seeing these incredible scenes, became more convinced of Su Chen's "Immortal Fate," and the worry in their hearts about the Wang family gradually faded a lot.

Su Chen did not want to use overly shocking means to solve the problem, as that would only bring unnecessary trouble to the Su family.

He wanted to make the Wang family spit out what they had eaten themselves, and make them never dare to have any thoughts about the Su family ever again.