Chương 25: I Completely Forgot About Him!

The heavy, dark hardwood doors of the Clan Council Hall groaned as the guards pushed them open. Xiao Xuan stepped over the elevated threshold. The air was thick with the scent of burning sandalwood, but it did nothing to mask the hostility radiating from the gathered elders. Wei Tu silently followed behind, maintaining a respectful distance. Sitting upon the raised central throne was Patriarch Su Zhongtian, his expression carved from stone.

Beside him sat Matriarch Liang Shufen, her brow furrowed in deep, uncharacteristic worry. To their right stood Su Luoyang, wrapped in pristine white and silver robes, her posture as flawless and unyielding as a drawn sword. Lining the lower seats on either side were the core authority figures of the Su Clan, neatly divided. On the left sat First Elder Su Zhongyong, his eyes half-closed in quiet calculation, accompanied by Second Elder Su Jiang and the rest of the branch family faction.

Xiao Xuan walked to the center of the hall, his soft leather boots making no sound against the polished floorboards. He stopped and offered a respectful bow toward the throne.

"You summoned me, Father?" Xiao Xuan asked. Su Zhongtian did not offer his usual welcoming nod. His eyes darkened, his gaze heavy and piercing.

"Xiao Xuan," the Patriarch began, his voice echoing like distant thunder.

"Is what I am hearing true?" Su Zhongtian slowly turned his head, casting a sharp look toward his brother, the First Elder. Su Zhongyong did not speak. He simply opened his eyes, offering a single, slow nod, and gestured toward the man beside him. Second Elder Su Jiang slammed his palm onto his armrest and stood up, his Qi Wang (Qi King) aura flaring.

"Do not play coy with us, boy!" Su Jiang roared, his voice bouncing off the high ceiling.

"We have received highly credible intel that you publicly claimed to be the disciple of a hidden master! A master you have kept hidden from the Su Clan!" Xiao Xuan blinked. Xiao Xuan's gaze naturally drifted toward his wife. Su Luoyang's face was an icy mask. He turned back toward the Clan Leader. Standing a half-step behind her mistress, Xinyue kept her gaze respectfully lowered toward the floorboards.

However, hidden beneath the shadows of the hall, a faint, deeply satisfied smile tugged at the corners of the maid's lips.

"Well?" Su Jiang demanded, taking a step forward.

"Did you or did you not make this claim?" Xiao Xuan kept his posture perfectly straight.

"Yes. I did." A chaotic murmur instantly erupted across the left side of the hall. The branch family elders began whispering fiercely to one another, shooting dark, accusatory glares at Xiao Xuan. On the throne, Liang Shufen gripped the arms of her chair, her knuckles turning white, while Su Zhongtian's expression turned utterly grim.

"Why did you not disclose the existence of this master before?" Su Zhongtian asked, his stern tone cutting through the murmurs and forcing silence back into the hall.

"What are your intentions behind hiding such a monumental detail from your own family?"

"A hidden master means hidden loyalties!" a younger branch elder sneered from the back.

"Who knows what this so-called master is plotting by placing his disciple in our main house?" Xiao Xuan swallowed silently. His mind raced at a million miles an hour, flipping through every possible excuse.

"Actually… I completely forgot about him!" Xiao Xuan blurted, letting out a nervous, childish chuckle. His shoulders slumped. He rubbed the back of his neck. A shy smile spread across his face. The hall froze. The murmurs died instantly. Second Elder Su Jiang's jaw dropped. Su Zhongtian stared at his son-in-law, his majestic aura stuttering. Su Luoyang was the only person in the room whose expression did not shatter. She took a step forward, her white robes flowing elegantly.

Her crystalline eyes locked onto Xiao Xuan.

"Xuan," she said, her voice echoing with a chilling, graceful authority.

"This matter is exceptionally serious. Your association with a hidden grandmaster poses a severe security risk to our foundation. Please, answer father honestly." Xiao Xuan met her gaze.

"Allow me to explain," Xiao Xuan turned to the Patriarch and requested, dropping his hands to his sides.

"Explain?!" Su Jiang exploded, his face flushing crimson with indignation.

"What is there to explain?! You lie to the Clan Leader, you harbor a hidden agenda, and now you dare to make a mockery of this sacred council by claiming you simply forgot?!"

"Silence." Su Zhongtian's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a crushing weight that forced Su Jiang back into his seat. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. The Patriarch turned his heavy gaze back to the center of the room.

"Explain, Xuan."

"Thank you, Father," Xiao Xuan said, adopting a tone of solemn reminiscence.

"I met this senior when I was very young. I was an orphan on the streets, on the verge of starvation. He found me in an alleyway and gave me a roasted meat bun. He saved my life." Xiao Xuan paused.

"In exchange for the meal, he simply asked me to be his student. Naturally, I complied, expecting my miserable life to turn around. But… he simply patted my head, said he would find me again when the time was right, and vanished into thin air. I never saw him again." Xiao Xuan offered a helpless shrug.

"Years passed. I grew up in the dirt. My meridians remained broken. Honestly, as I got older, I convinced myself I had hallucinated the encounter due to starvation. Then, I met Luoyang. The Su Clan took me in. I had a roof over my head and a family. There was never any reason to mention a fever dream from my childhood." The hall was dead silent. Even the branch elders were listening intently.

"So what changed?" Su Zhongtian asked, his eyes narrowing.

"The lightning strike," Xiao Xuan replied.

"After I recuperated from the lightning strike, he visited me. After making sure I was well, he left a few instructions regarding basic cultivation and medicinal herbs in my mind, and vanished again." Xiao Xuan looked directly at Su Jiang.

"I have no way of contacting him, Second Elder. He comes and goes like the wind. That is the whole truth."

"Preposterous!" Su Jiang sneered, refusing to give up the high ground. He turned to the throne.

"Patriarch, listen to this fabricated nonsense! A wandering master who vanishes for a decade and only returns to whisper alchemy secrets into the ear of a cripple? He is taking us for fools! This boy is a spy who has infiltrated our clan under a false identity!"

"A spy?" Su Luoyang's voice sliced through the hall like a blade of ice. She turned slowly toward the Second Elder.

"Second Elder, your deduction severely lacks logic." Su Jiang bristled.

"Luoyang, you are young, you do not understand the depths of—""I understand that I am the one who selected him," Su Luoyang interrupted, her tone flat, yet carrying an inevitable dominance that forced the elder to shut his mouth.

"When the crisis regarding my marriage arose, I went to the mortal slums myself. I picked Xiao Xuan at random out of a crowd of dozens. He did not approach me. He did not court me. He did not engineer our meeting." She looked around the room, her gaze sweeping over the branch family faction.

"If he is a spy sent by this hidden master to infiltrate the Su Clan, then this master must possess the ability to predict the future, manipulate my personal thoughts, and orchestrate my exact movements on that specific day. If such a god-like being exists, Second Elder, they would not need a spy to destroy the Su Clan. They could wipe us out with a single breath." The branch elders choked on their own words.

"My daughter speaks the truth," Liang Shufen added, her voice sharp and protective as she glared at the left side of the hall.

"Xiao Xuan has done nothing but bring honor and profit to this clan since he awoke. He secured the Tang House alliance and defended our dignity. To accuse him of treason based on a rumor is shameful." Su Zhongtian nodded, pride visible in his eyes as he looked at his daughter.

"The matter is settled. Xiao Xuan is no spy. If he has the backing of a wandering grandmaster, it is a blessing upon his own destiny, and by extension, our family." Xiao Xuan felt a wave of relief wash over him. He looked at Su Luoyang with gratitude.

"Indeed. A blessing." The raspy voice belonged to First Elder Su Zhongyong. The old man slowly stood up, resting his hands inside his wide sleeves. He offered a warm, grandfatherly smile toward Xiao Xuan, though his eyes remained devoid of light.

"Niece Luoyang's logic is, as always, impeccable," Su Zhongyong praised.

"We have clearly let paranoia cloud our judgment. Xiao Xuan is a loyal son of the Su Clan. And as the Patriarch said, having a disciple of a supreme expert in our ranks is an asset." With the First Elder yielding, the oppressive tension in the room finally evaporated. Su Zhongtian officially dismissed the gathering, and the elders began to file out of the grand hall. Xiao Xuan offered one last respectful bow before turning around.

The heavy doors clicked shut behind him as he stepped back out into the cool evening air of the courtyard, Wei Tu following closely at his heels. He kept his expression calm, but his mind was spinning. Where did the branch family learn about the master? Why were they targeting him? … Deep within the heavily warded private chambers of the Branch Family, the air was thick with the scent of bitter tea and lingering frustration. Second Elder Su Jiang paced the length of the dark hardwood floor, his face flushed.

He stopped at the low table, grabbing a porcelain teapot and pouring a steaming cup.

"We had the perfect trap," Su Jiang hissed, sliding the cup across the table.

"The intel regarding his secret master was a flawless blade to pressure the Clan Leader for his carelessness. If you hadn't yielded so quickly, First Elder, we could have pressed the issue. We could have turned the tide!" First Elder Su Zhongyong sat calmly on his silk cushion. He didn't look at the Second Elder. He simply picked up the teacup, blew softly on the surface, and took a slow, measured sip.

"Press the issue?" Su Zhongyong repeated softly, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"With what leverage? Luoyang backed us into a corner." Su Zhongyong set the cup down, his eyes narrowing in the dim candlelight.

"The boy has proven himself a benefactor." Su Jiang clenched his fists, his jaw tight.

"So we just let him grow?"

"We wait," Su Zhongyong corrected, a cold, calculating light flickering in his eyes.

"A grandmaster's disciple or not, he is but a mere carp dreaming of the Dragon Gate. He is prone to make mistakes." … Back in the quiet solitude of his chambers, Xiao Xuan exhaled a long, shaky breath. The adrenaline of the council hall was finally fading, leaving behind a deep, gnawing exhaustion in his bones. He didn't head for the bed. Sitting in the lotus position on the hardwood floor, he closed his eyes. The headstand was no longer needed.

He started breathing in ambient Qi, drawing it slowly and gathering it at the center of his mind. A wave of cooling clarity washed over his tired brain. Then he reached out again, isolating a thin strand of ambient Qi, and pulled it into his dantian. Using his heightened focus, he carefully threaded the volatile energy through the blocked pathways of his meridians. The energy flowed smoothly, sliding deeper and deeper toward his second dantian star. A small, satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Just as the Qi reached the star, the flow slowed. Xiao Xuan took a deep breath and pushed. Snap. A white-hot spike of agony shot directly behind his eyes. His psychic focus shattered. The Qi strand derailed instantly, slamming into his fragile meridians. Xiao Xuan's breath caught in his throat. He pitched forward, his hands clawing at the wooden floorboards. Cough! A heavy splatter of dark crimson stained the polished wood. The metallic taste of blood flooded his mouth.

A deafening, high-pitched ringing echoed in his ears, drowning out the ambient sounds of the estate. His vision rapidly dissolved into a spinning blur of dark shadows.

"Luo… yang…" As his consciousness slipped away, the image of his wife standing fearlessly against the elders flashed in his fading mind. Thud. Xiao Xuan collapsed sideways.