Chapter 138: Severing Ties: Price of Freedom
A hearty laughter resounded through the ancestral hall—powerful, triumphant, unmistakably Su Qingfeng's.
He turned to face Su Tianhao, a broad smile spreading across his weathered face. "You're truly fortunate, boy. With these two scrolls, the Su family won't just overcome this crisis—we can firmly establish ourselves as an alchemy clan one day."
"Really?!"
The elders gasped in collective shock. Conquering the current crisis was one thing—but becoming an alchemy clan was another matter entirely.
To earn that title, a clan needed an Alchemy Master among its members—the equivalent of a grade six alchemist. Su Qingfeng was basically claiming that a family currently at grade two could eventually produce someone at the grade six status. The implications were staggering.
Su Huiqing's fingers slowly unlaced as he leaned forward, composed mask firmly back in place. Inwardly his mind churned with possibilities—outwardly, he remained the unshakeable Patriarch.
"First Elder," he said, voice cutting through the lingering excitement. "I need you to be absolutely certain. Can these scrolls truly allow us to reach the level of an alchemy clan one day? Our family's future depends on your answer."
Su Qingfeng nodded—then his expression shifted, something rueful creeping in.
"While it's certainly possible... it's a pity I won't be the one to achieve it."
"What do you mean, First Elder?" Su Yuan asked, voice threaded with concern.
Su Qingfeng smiled sadly, eyes carrying the weight of years. "I've wasted most of my potential. There's only so much I can comprehend from the alchemy insight, and only so much I can accomplish with the technique..."
He exhaled slowly—a sound carrying decades of stagnation, frustration, and unfulfilled potential.
Su Tianhao watched from the side, golden eyes gleaming, thoughts unreadable.
"My era will soon come to an end," Su Qingfeng continued, his voice steadying. "But just because I cannot achieve it doesn't mean the younger generation won't."
"So you're placing the family's future in the hands of some youngster?" Su Liang asked, voice dripping with disapproval.
"It's useless to worry about the future," Su Yuan said, calm and measured. "It is ever-changing, elusive—beyond the grasp of mortal prediction."
"The Fifth Elder is right," Su Minghe added, his tone carrying quiet weight. "We should focus our efforts on the problem at hand. The First Elder should concentrate on becoming a Peak-level grade two alchemist first."
Su Huiqing nodded. "Any objections?"
Silence.
The elders shook their heads.
Then Su Yuntian's gaze drifted to the third scroll still in Su Tianhao's hand, eyes gleaming with quiet interest. "Are you going to tell us what that last scroll contains or are you going to leave us guessing?"
The elders turned—and the realization rippled through the room almost simultaneously. Su Tianhao hadn't entered with two scrolls. He'd entered with three. They had been so captivated by the first two that the third had gone entirely unnoticed.
"Care to explain?" Su Yuntian asked, her gaze probing.
'Now it's time to seal the deal,' Su Tianhao thought inwardly.
He stepped forward, his entire bearing radiating quiet confidence. "The last scroll contains pill recipes. But these aren't ordinary recipes—they're special."
"How so?" Su Qingfeng asked immediately, anticipation sharpening his voice.
Su Tianhao raised five fingers. "Five recipes—Healing Pills, Qi Recovery Pills, Body Tempering Pills, Essence Refinement Pills, and Stamina Recovery Pills."
Su Liang frowned. "Those are recipes the Su family already possesses. What makes them special?"
"For an elder, you really should work on your patience," Su Tianhao said coolly.
"You—!" Su Liang's face flushed. A trembling finger rose in Su Tianhao's direction before he caught himself, jaw tightening.
"These recipes are special," Su Tianhao continued, turning back to the rest of the elders without missing a beat, "...because they allow an alchemist to produce those pills using half the required resources—while achieving identical results."
The chamber went still.
Then the weight of those words landed—fully, completely.
"Impossible!" Su Liang snapped. "No such recipe exists!"
Su Tianhao didn't bother looking at him. "As I've said before—nothing is impossible."
As the saying goes—those who dwell in shadows will always doubt the light.
Seeing himself so thoroughly ignored, Su Liang's veins rose visibly at his temples. The elders murmured among themselves, voices low with disbelief. Pill recipes that halved resource costs while preserving full results weren't just rare. They were unheard of.
"Can I see the recipes, junior brother?" Su Qingfeng asked, smile warm and hopeful.
"No," Su Tianhao said calmly, withdrawing the scroll.
The atmosphere shifted. Su Qingfeng's brows furrowed slightly.
"Why?"
"Because," Su Tianhao said, voice clear, "I promised the Patriarch I would help resolve the Su family crisis—and I have done that. And more. I never mentioned helping secure a better future for the Su family."
The elders stilled. Expressions shifted as the implication settled in.
"What do you mean by that?" Su Qingfeng asked slowly.
"Isn't it obvious?" Su Tianhao said. "It's no longer my obligation to help the Su family."
"What are you talking about, Little Tian?" Su Yuan exclaimed, the words landing on him like a heavy stone.
"Hmph!" Su Liang sneered, a pleased smile finally finding its way onto his lips. Something to strike back with at last.
"Ungrateful brat," he said, tone mocking. "The Patriarch saved your life—brought you in off the streets. The Su family cared for you for seven years. And you dare say you have no obligation toward us?"
Su Tianhao glanced at him briefly. "I am grateful for everything the Su family has done for me. But a year ago, when everyone turned their backs on me—I stopped being a member of this family."
"Trying to rebel, are we?" Su Liang said coldly, eyes glinting.
"Rebel?" Su Tianhao scoffed. He turned to face the council directly. "Those two scrolls are more than enough to cover every debt I owe. As far as I'm concerned, I no longer owe the Su family anything."
Then he turned to Su Qingfeng.
"Isn't that right, First Elder?"
The pressure in the room shifted instantly—redirected from Su Tianhao to Su Qingfeng entirely.
Su Qingfeng drew a slow breath.
"Very clever, boy," he said, a small smile crossing his lips. "With these scrolls, Su Tianhao hasn't merely cleared his debt—in truth, we now owe him more than we could easily repay."
Su Liang's face twisted. "What do you mean, First Elder?"
Su Qingfeng stroked his beard, unhurried. "The Su family faces a financial crisis severe enough to shake our very foundation. Su Tianhao has not only resolved that—he has given us a path toward becoming an alchemy clan. The scales don't merely balance. They tip in his favor."
"Indeed," Su Yuan said quietly, something warm and proud in his eyes. "Su Tianhao no longer owes this family any obligation."
Su Huiqing's mind churned—caught between the logic of a leader and the weight of a father's heart.
"Was this your plan all along?" he asked, voice low. "Severing ties with the Su family?"
Su Tianhao held his gaze and nodded.
"This isn't just about the Su family," he said, determination burning steady in his golden eyes. "I'm going to sever all ties with my past."
---
The room fell silent, the weight of Su Tianhao's words sinking into every mind present. It was a declaration difficult for any young cultivator to make—yet somehow, none of the elders doubted his ability to follow through.
Su Tianhao stood firm, his figure calm and unwavering—like an immovable mountain. He radiated an unfathomable presence, one that unconsciously instilled belief even in the most skeptical hearts.
In truth, he wasn't severing his past ties out of fear—far from it. He was cutting them because each one represented a debt, a burden he felt bound to repay. With the Qingyun Sect examination fast approaching, it was time to step into a broader world. And to ascend without hindrance, he needed to leave behind anything that might one day drag him back.
He wasn't trying to destroy what he was leaving. He was ensuring he left nothing unpaid—no lingering attachments that could one day become unexpected obstacles.
The Su family—the clan that had once abandoned him in his darkest days, yet also the same clan that had once given him everything—was undoubtedly the right place to start.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Su Huiqing sat deep in thought, caught in his own internal dilemma. Su Yuan's face carried a mixture of emotions—helplessness, a trace of loss, and yet undeniable pride at the man Su Tianhao was becoming. Su Minghe remained calm and unreadable, though beneath that stoic mask lay quiet respect for Su Tianhao's resolve.
To Su Qingfeng, there was only disappointment and regret. In his eyes, Su Tianhao was the rare talent who could have lifted the Su family to new heights.
Su Yuntian sat quietly, expression serene—but her eyes flickered with genuine approval and understanding.
And Su Liang—his face had gone deathly pale. Jaw clenched. Veins pulsing at his temples. Fury barely contained. Once again, Su Tianhao had seized control of the situation and bent it entirely to his will.
Finally, it was Su Yuntian who broke the silence.
"Tianhao," she said, her calm voice carrying across the chamber, "clearly you didn't introduce the third scroll just to raise our hopes before shutting us down."
"That is not my intention," Su Tianhao confirmed. "While I am severing ties with the Su family, I have no desire to become its enemy."
"Oh?" Su Yuntian leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her hand. "So you intend to sell it?"
"Exactly," Su Tianhao said calmly—unsurprised that she had seen through him so quickly. He was a young man preparing to leave home. The first thing anyone would think of was securing resources, and money covered nearly all of that.
"Name a price," Su Qingfeng said.
His expression had shifted—no longer that of a kind elder, but of a seasoned man handling business. Even Su Tianhao was mildly taken aback by how composed the response was. To Su Qingfeng, now that Su Tianhao had made his intentions clear, sentiment had no place here. Business was business.
Su Tianhao smiled faintly. "There's no need for me to set the price. I'm sure you're already aware of its worth."
He paused, smile fading, expression matching Su Qingfeng's seriousness. "Just know—I don't want gold. Only spirit stones."
Su Liang snapped. "Who do you think you are?"
He glared across the table. "You're nothing but an orphan we pulled up from the streets!"
"Orphan, huh?"
Su Tianhao glanced at him—voice dropping to something cold and eerily calm, as though the words rose from somewhere very deep... and dark.
There was no anger. Only stillness.
That word was a trigger. The same one Ye Wenjie had used—the word that had cost him his cultivation. Su Liang had just pressed the same nerve, and the air in the room changed immediately.
"Su Liang," Su Tianhao said quietly, voice barely above a whisper. "I'll remember you."
A silent promise. Heavy, foreboding, and dangerous.
Su Yuntian's eyes narrowed slightly. Something shifted in her expression as she looked at him.
'He's dangerous,' she thought.
"How about one thousand spirit stones," Su Qingfeng said, voice steady and firm, cutting through the tension before it could deepen further.
All eyes turned to Su Tianhao.
One thousand spirit stones—equivalent to one hundred thousand gold coins. A considerable sum by any standard. But Su Tianhao wasn't moved. His mindset had long since outgrown the thinking of an ordinary youth. He was already in need of significant resources, and one thousand spirit stones, while enough to cover immediate needs, would barely scratch the surface of what lay ahead.
"First Elder," Su Tianhao said calmly, "we both know these recipes far surpass what you're offering."
He let the words settle before continuing. "What I'm giving you is a lifetime of fortune across five categories of fundamental pills—the kind every cultivator needs, at the foundation stage. By acquiring these recipes, the Su family isn't just solving today's problem. It's securing a prosperous future."
A pause. His golden eyes swept the room.
"Now tell me, First Elder—is the Su family's prosperity worth only one thousand spirit stones?"
The words fell like a blade drawn in the middle of a court session—sudden, sharp, demanding active response.
"Tsk. Greedy bastard," Su Liang muttered, clicking his tongue. But even he couldn't find a foothold to argue.
Su Yuan's lips curved slightly, chest swelling with quiet pride.
Su Huiqing looked at Su Tianhao—held the resolute gaze—and understood. The decision was made. Nothing was going to change it. The least he could do now was support it.
His eyes steadied with quiet resolve.
"Five thousand spirit stones."
"Five thousand?!"
Su Liang's eyes went wide. The rest of the elders were equally startled. For a family of the Su family's standing, five thousand spirit stones was a significant outlay. They had expected negotiation—careful, measured back-and-forth. Not this. Not directed at a sixteen-year-old.
But Su Tianhao's response left them completely speechless.
"Not enough."
Two words. Absolute silence followed.
"Bastard! You dare demand more?!" Su Liang rose sharply from his seat, aura flaring. "You devourer!"
"Calm down, Second Elder!" Su Yuan's own aura rose in answer, positioning himself without hesitation.
Warmth moved quietly through Su Tianhao's chest. He became even more certain of what he owed Su Yuan.
"Boy," Su Minghe said, brows tightening, his tone carrying mild but genuine irritation. "Is five thousand spirit stones truly not enough?"
Su Qingfeng cut straight through. "What exactly do you want?"
Su Tianhao smiled faintly. "I'll take the five thousand spirit stones. But I also request that an old friend of mine be freed from her obligations to the Su family."
"And who would that be?" Su Qingfeng asked.
"My former personal assistant, Xie Ling. She currently serves under Su Jian." Su Tianhao's voice remained steady. "Apparently he has been threatening to cripple her cultivation and has stripped her of her own free will. That I cannot allow—not while I still have the means to stop it."
"What?!"
Shock rippled through the room. Su Huiqing's expression changed the fastest—and that shock hardened quickly into anger. Su Jian was his biological son and future heir. For him to treat his own people this way...
"Your request is granted," Su Huiqing said, his voice carrying the edge of someone restraining something much larger. "I will discipline Su Jian personally."
"Thank you, Patriarch," Su Tianhao said, cupping his fists in a quiet bow.
Su Yuntian's expression didn't change—but the faint, almost imperceptible nod of her head said what her pride would not allow.
Su Yuan exhaled slowly, shoulders easing as he settled back into his chair.
Both Su Qingfeng and Su Minghe allowed faint smiles. They had braced for further financial demands. Securing a servant disciple's freedom was, to them, a small matter—a replaceable piece moved off the board.
Su Liang's fists clenched beneath the table, trembling.
'That ungrateful girl,' he thought, eyes darkening. 'After everything Jian'er has done for her.'
Su Huiqing composed himself and turned to Su Tianhao, his voice settling back into the measured authority of a patriarch.
"Tianhao—come to my chambers tomorrow morning. The spirit stones will be prepared. The servant disciple Xie Ling is hereby relieved of all obligations to the Su family, effective immediately. She may leave whenever she chooses."