Chapter 139: A Promise Keptf
The ancestral hall was quiet with unspoken tension. The air felt solemn, and the heavy expressions on the elders' faces made the atmosphere even more grim.
By this time, Su Tianhao had already left. He hadn't released the third scroll—he'd taken it with him. Even though he trusted the Su family wouldn't go back on their word, as the saying goes—trust is good, but caution preserves fortune. He wasn't placing his fortune on trust alone.
"Patriarch, are we really going to let that brat have his way like this?" Su Liang's voice broke the silence, sharp with anger.
Su Huiqing's frown was slight but unmistakable. "You are not allowed to insult him in my presence."
His voice deepened. "No matter what, Su Tianhao is my foster son. He is part of this family... or at least, he was."
"And he would still be," Su Yuan said, his voice rising with quiet fury, "if we hadn't so recklessly cast him aside after mistaking him for trash."
"Hmph!" Su Liang snorted. "Su Tianhao showed no promising talent at the time. It's only natural he would be cast out. Any other major clan would have done the same."
Su Minghe nodded reluctantly. "As much as I dislike admitting it, the Second Elder isn't wrong. His lack of apparent talent at that time prompted those decisions."
He continued, eyes narrowing. "And it was he who chose to go to Fei Wu Quarter. The family's decision was to place him in the disciples' quarters as an ordinary disciple."
"And that's exactly why he chose Fei Wu Quarter instead," Su Yuan cut in, his voice quiet and sharp as cold steel drawn in a still room.
"Think about it," he continued, barely restraining his anger. "If Su Tianhao had gone to the disciples' quarters, what would his life have looked like? How many disciples there hate and envy him? It would have been like delivering himself into the clutches of tigers."
Su Huiqing's expression darkened. The more he considered it, the more he recognized the truth in those words. If Su Tianhao had followed their decision, his days would have been spent in torment and cruelty.
"I'm afraid if he had followed our decision... he wouldn't have become the young man he is today," Su Huiqing said, his voice heavy with guilt.
"Exactly," Su Yuan agreed. "If he had lived there this past year, even if his talent eventually awakened, his self-esteem would have been worn down by doubt. His very will, tarnished."
"The past is the past."
Su Qingfeng's voice cracked through the hall like thunder breaking after a long silence—loud, decisive, and impossible to ignore.
The room stilled. All eyes turned to him.
He cleared his throat. "What we should be focused on now is our financial crisis—and the fact that we have just watched a potential future powerhouse walk out that door."
"The First Elder is right," Su Yuntian said, her voice carrying the clear, measured quality of a bell at dawn.
"We have those two scrolls. Our focus should be on resolving the crisis and identifying a young talent who can one day lead the Su family to prosperity." She paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "As for Su Tianhao—forget about him. His mind is made up. There is no amount of persuasion that will change it."
The room fell into silence, her words settling over everyone like the quiet after a verdict.
---
Meanwhile, in another part of the Su family estate, a young man moved calmly along the paved path. Dark hair catching the morning light. Skin gleaming like polished jade. Sword-like brows framing a sharp face, golden eyes cutting through the air ahead of him.
Su Tianhao.
After leaving the ancestral hall, he had one task before anything else—find Xie Ling and personally inform her of her freedom before moving on to repairing Blood Grin's spatial ring.
Her matter came first. The council had approved his request, but Su Tianhao wasn't naive enough to consider that settled. He was particularly wary of Su Liang. Who knew what the Second Elder might attempt behind closed doors once everyone's attention moved on?
He checked the library first—nothing. Then around the main residence, then the martial arts arena. She was nowhere.
'Where could she have gone?' he wondered, his mind moving through fragments of memory—moments shared with Xie Ling, hints of where she retreated when she needed quiet.
Then realization struck.
'I know where.'
He turned without hesitation and moved deeper into the estate, each step carrying calm authority. Guards and disciples along the path instinctively made way, lowering their heads as he passed.
Before long, he arrived at an elegant garden filled with vibrant blossoms and thriving greenery—a haven that drew butterflies in constant, lazy circles. At its heart lay a crystal-clear pond where two koi moved in quiet harmony. Seated by the water, back facing him, was a young woman with long hair drifting gently in the breeze.
Xie Ling.
"Xie Ling," Su Tianhao called softly.
"Young Master?!"
Whoosh!
She leapt from the bench like a startled bird, green robes swirling around her like spring leaves caught in a sudden gust.
"I expected to find you here," Su Tianhao said, expression unchanged.
In truth, it had been speculation—this garden, Shuyuan Garden, was Su Yuan's carefully tended retreat. During his early days in the Su family, Su Tianhao had often come here to think. Su Yuan had eventually granted him open access—and because Xie Ling had been his personal assistant at the time, the privilege had extended to her as well. Even after everything that had changed between them, that access had never been revoked.
He hadn't truly expected she would still come here after all this time. But she had.
"How did you sneak up on me?" Xie Ling asked, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "I'm a 4th level Martial Adept. Without another Martial Adept deliberately masking their presence, it's impossible to approach me undetected."
"Didn't I catch you off guard in the library too?" Su Tianhao said, feigning innocence.
"That was different. I was lost in a book. This time my senses were sharp and undistracted." Her eyes narrowed further. "Are you..."
Before she could finish—
BOOM!
Su Tianhao's aura erupted outward, golden energy surging in a radiant wave.
"1st level Martial Adept Realm!"
Xie Ling's voice rang out in shock, eyes wide. "You're really a Martial Adept?!"
She had suspected it—but suspicion and proof were two different things. Seeing the truth laid bare before her, the words left her lips before she could stop them.
Su Tianhao—a Martial Adept.
He was only sixteen years old!
When she had been his age, she was still struggling in the Martial Apprentice Realm. She was twenty-eight now, and her current cultivation had come only through Su Tianhao's unwavering support in the past—and then Su Jian's assistance after.
The thought made her smile bitterly.
'We're all human. Why are the heavens so unfair?'
Su Tianhao caught the look—and the quiet understanding in his eyes told her he didn't need to be told what she was thinking. Not wanting to press her further with the weight of his cultivation, he sealed it away behind the Silent Pulse.
"Why are you here?" Xie Ling asked quietly, the residual weight of that aura still pressing on her heart.
"I'm here to announce your freedom," Su Tianhao said flatly.
Silence.
The word settled into the air and held there—heavy, unmoving, genuine.
Xie Ling's eyes locked onto his, searching for any sign of jest.
She found none.
"What... what do you mean?" she whispered.
"I mean you're free," Su Tianhao said, voice calm and steady. "Your obligations to the Su family are null and void. You can leave. Go wherever you want, do whatever you choose."
Xie Ling's expression went blank—and then her eyes filled with tears. She turned away quickly, trying to hide her face.
Su Tianhao took a quiet step forward. "Hey. Isn't this what you wanted?"
"I... I just..." Her voice cracked. "I never thought you'd actually do it."
"Well, it's real," he said simply. "You can start over. With your cultivation, you can settle down in a small town without worry."
Xie Ling turned back to him, eyes moist. "Thank you, Young Master. Truly."
Su Tianhao nodded, feeling the quiet satisfaction of something properly resolved. But then his thoughts turned to Su Liang—and his expression shifted.
Xie Ling noticed immediately. "What is it?"
"Su Liang," he said. "Su Jian's uncle."
She didn't need him to elaborate. Her own expression darkened at the name.
"The council approved your freedom," Su Tianhao continued, "but I can't be certain Su Liang won't act behind the scenes once attention moves on."
"Then... what do I do?" Xie Ling asked, her earlier brightness dimming like a flame touched by wind.
Su Tianhao's golden eyes gleamed. "Wait for me in Fei Wu Quarter. Tonight, I'll ensure your freedom properly—and repay what I owe you."