Chapter 524: I Know Your Secret (2)
"The young are getting better and better."
Marquis Xia lamented to himself. It didn't seem like he had gained much advantage from their first exchange. This fellow was too shameless. He didn't even mind being called a grandson. What could he do? As a genius, shouldn't this kid be at least a little aloof? Shouldn't he be somewhat prideful? Su Yu had none of that!
This was a tricky opponent.
While thinking about all that, Marquis Xia looked at the people in the room. The girl from Wu Family was looking at him and Su Yu with an odd expression. Clearly, the recording wouldn't even be necessary anymore. This girl could very well be the one to spread the news that he was very close to Su Yu.
Hu Qiusheng and the others looked somewhat reserved. When they saw the marquis, they all greeted him politely, "Greetings, Marquis."
"No need for formalities." With a genial smile, Marquis Xia said, "We're basically family. I consider everyone from Great Xia as family. Youngsters, all of you are excellent. I am happy to see so many talented youths here."
Then, he looked at Wu Lan and said, "Is this the girl from the Wu Family? Send my greetings to your great grandma. It has been so many years since I last saw her. Tell her to take a break sometimes. She's already a Sunmoon. She can take a rest." Wu Lan hurriedly nodded.
Marquis Xia said, "You're a good child as well. I heard you're the leader of the Breakthrough Team. Well done. The women of the Wu Family were indeed exceptional. I am very optimistic about your future, child."
"Thank you, Grandpa Xia."
Wu Lan was so happy that she couldn't even hide the smile on her face. She had been praised by Marquis Xia! Sure, her great grandma once told him that this Marquis Xia was not a good person, but it didn't matter. This Marquis Xia was still a big shot. And he was definitely a good man or he wouldn't have praised her.
Marquis Xia was suddenly feeling very tired. He was a Sunmoon! Why was that girl thinking all that in his presence? Her family was the one filled with bad person! That great grandma of hers, in particular, was definitely not a good person!
Next, Marquis Xia's gaze landed on Wu Jia. With a smile, he said, "You must be Wu Jia. I saw you once when you were young. You're an excellent student as well."
Marquis Xia sighed and said, "You have a family of martyrs. Your parents have perished while fighting the Myriad Race Cult. You are the descendent of heroes. I heard that you have contributed greatly to this research as well. I believe your parents deserve a spot in Great Xia's Shrine of Heroes."
The moment those words were said, tears streamed down Wu Jia's cheeks. She started sobbing.
Su Yu frowned slightly before softly saying, "Don't cry, Senior Sister. This is something good! With your parents in the Shrine of Heroes, you will be considered a daughter of the Xia Family from now on. During the founding of Great Xia, they made a promise. All descendents of those in the Shrine of Heroes will be cared for as the children of Xia Family. Come here, greet your grandpa."
"Grandpa..."
Wu Jia called out while choking with emotions.
Shrine of Heroes.
Only those who had contributed greatly to Great Xia would be honored there. Prior to this, Wu Jia's parents did not have the qualifications to be honored there.
Sure, they had perished while fighting the cult, but they hadn't perished while carrying out their official duty. Of course, if one wanted to be argumentative, one could say that Chen Yong was a researcher. As soldiers of the Great Xia Army, protecting Chen Yong could be considered a part of their duty. Thus, one could argue that they had indeed perished in the line of duty.
But the Shrine of Heroes had strict requirements for admission. It honestly wasn't surprising that they couldn't get a spot there.
Su Yu was about to curse at Marquis Xia's shamelessness when he hurriedly erased that thought. He couldn't do so. This was a Sunmoon.
But this Marquis Xia sure was crafty. His attack was too effective.
At this point, both Wu Jia and Wu Lan had probably fallen completely. Fortunately, Su Yu had not expected much from these two. Marquis Xia could probably fool them into doing the stupidest thing possible if he wanted.
Marquis Xia had a genial smile on his face. When he saw Su Yu placating the girl, he said, "Stop crying, child. I am only carrying out the duty of the Xia Family. I hope you can forgive me for being this late. After all, we have our own difficulties."
The issue here was the fact that Wu Jia's parents had perished protecting Chen Yong, but Chen Yong wasn't traveling on official duty during the incident. That left the status of their sacrifice vague as one couldn't absolutely say that they had perished in the line of duty.
After all, the status as a descendant of people honored in the Shrine of Heroes was a form of protection. With this protection, Zhou Pingsheng would no longer dare to do what he did against her. Great Xia King himself had promised that the Xia Family would care after the descendants of those in the Shrine of Heroes.
Laying hands on such a person could result in death. Generation after generation of heroes had fought for the glory of Great Xia. And the only reason they had fought so hard was to create a safe home for their loved ones. And these perished soldiers were accorded the greatest of care and compensation by Great Xia. In fact, this was one of the largest reasons why the treasury was now empty.
Su Yu didn't know what to say. He could only sigh inwardly. This was probably a good thing. With her parents in the Shrine of Heroes, the schemes against Wu Jia would probably reduce in number. More importantly, her safety was now guaranteed. Killing the previous Wu Jia and killing the child of someone in the Shrine of Heroes were very different from each other.
If this escalated, Great Xia would be forced to punish the perpetrators to placate the military and the common people. And a lot of heads would fall because of that. Marquis Xia glanced at Su Yu and flashed him a smile. He seemed to be talking through his eyes.
"Is this enough face for you? Your senior sister's parents were originally unqualified to enter the Shrine of Heroes."
Su Yu said nothing. He merely cupped his hands at Marquis Xia to show his gratitude.
"Grandson, let's have a private chat."
"..."
Su Yu smiled helplessly and nodded, "This way, Marquis."
He stopped calling the marquis grandpa. That felt too uncomfortable. If it wasn't for the fact that he had to control his thoughts, he would be cursing in his mind already.
...
First floor. Tea room.
Both Xia Huyou and Marquis Xia were there. Su Yu was pouring them tea with a humble and genial face.
After pouring them tea, he sat down.
Marquis Xia smiled, "We're family. In that case, we should not be talking about money as that will only strain our relationship. I can erase your grandteacher's debt of 300,000 merit points. But all three versions will go to the Xia Family. What do you think?"
Su Yu flashed an honest smile and said, "Marquis...about that...maybe you should just take Wentan Research Center."
There was no way he would agree to that. That wasn't his debt in the first place.
Marquis Xia laughed and said, "Fine, let's stop talking about money. I can send some people to ensure the safety of your father and two teachers. Additionally, I'll wipe the debt. Is this enough?"
"..."
Was that enough?
Su Yu sighed as he said, "Yes. That is enough."
Marquis Xia said, "Don't think that I'm threatening you. Protecting your father is what we should do anyway. A soldier of Great Xia should naturally receive the protection of the Xia Family. But protecting criminals is not part of our duty. The Vanguard Regiment is also known as the Suicide Regiment and the Crime Regiment. You understand what I mean, right?"
"Yeah." Marquis Xia said, "Like I said, we are family so we should be honest with each other. It's not that the Xia Family is greedy. We are merely hiding it for you. Do you think that we're not aware of what you have obtained in Nanyuan?
"We know about that, but we have our bottom line. We will not take what is not ours. Otherwise, would you be able to stop us from taking it from you?"
Su Yu was alarmed. But he didn't dare to let his mind run wild.
At that, Marquis Xia's eyes flickered. He smiled. Scared now? This kid was definitely terrified of having his hidden ruin taken.
"That thing is why you were able to come out with all these cultivation methods, right?" Marquis Xia smiled and said, "The Xia Family advocates for fair trade. We do not enjoy employing dishonest practices. Why? Because we are the family of an Invincible. We are the pillars of humanity. We are responsible for the protection of humanity. This was why we had founded Great Xia back then."
Su Yu nodded.
Marquis Xia said, "Also, the Xia Family will be able to make better use of some things. How many people can you impart this cultivation method to? And what can you even get from imparting this method to them? You might gain some trouble instead. Or you might only receive something as pointless as a thank you."
Su Yu nodded and sighed, "You're right. I know how troublesome this cultivation method will be. Thus, I've decided to stop creating cultivation methods. That will only bring me trouble. I might as well stop."
"..."
Marquis Xia laughed. The kid was counterattacking.
Fine.
"There is no need for something so drastic. The Xia Family will still provide you with what you deserve." Marquis Xia said, "How about this? I'll give you a promise on behalf of the Xia Family. But the premise of this is for the Xia Family to have priority over your future creations."
"You mean..."
Marquis Xia took a sip of the tea in an unhurried manner before saying, "Simply put, Great Xia KIng, also my old man, is quite strong. You should know who he is. Your faction is in so much trouble because some people are targeting you guys. If that person makes another move and we manage to find proof of who that person is, I can promise that my old man will personally make a move. Even if that person does nothing but your faction manages to find proof, my old man will still act on it. What do you think?"
Su Yu frowned, "But if we really have proof—"
Marquis Xia cut in, "Even if you have proof, do you think that the other Invincibles would be willing to help? Would they be willing to kill that Invincible for you? Are you dreaming? The fifth principal is dead. The value of the dead fifth principal is much lower than the value of an Invincible who is still alive. As long as that person has not betrayed humanity as a whole, plenty of people would be willing to forgive them."
Marquis Xia's voice turned cold, "This is the fact. I'll be blunt. Take you as an example. One day, you kill someone weaker than you in the wilderness. When the truth is unveiled in the future, would we get you to pay for the crime with your life?"
With an unfeeling tone, Marquis Xia said, "We won't. Even with solid proof of your crime, even if the victim was a little genius. you would most likely end up being sent to the Vanguard Regiment. Do you think this is fair?"
"No." Su Yu had an overcast tone.
"Exactly. That's not fair. We need to kill you to make it fair. But from the point of view of those Invicibles and the masses, taking your life for the sake of a less talented individual who is already dead is not worth it. They are better off giving you a second chance."