So the expert Huang Linzhi had mentioned was actually a member of the Su family?
Su Youqi finally understood where that vague, inexplicable connection he had sensed in the dark came from.
The biological relatives of the original body were quite literally that exact connection!
Su Youqi was furious. He had long known that the current heads of the Su family, his eldest uncle and his household, were absolute trash, but he never expected other Su family members to have fallen this low as well.
Celestial masters had their own set of rules and code of conduct. Even if they weren’t actively performing good deeds, they certainly had no business assisting in evil.
Especially for illustrious celestial master lineages, clans bearing that prestigious title had accumulated generations of reputation and prestige, requiring them to be even more scrupulous in their words and actions. Beyond safeguarding the family’s honor, it was because they understood the concept of karmic retribution far better than anyone else.
Among those who truly knew the trade, not a single person dared commit evil with unbridled impunity.
It was almost always the half-baked amateurs possessing only a sliver of superficial knowledge or shallow foundations who relied on their half-full cups of water to wreak havoc.
This was ignorance in its truest, most fearless form.
Even though Su Youqi’s eldest uncle and his family desperately wanted him to vanish, they only dared mistreat him in daily life, forcing him into a ghost marriage for some meager profit, and never dared cross the line into genuine harm.
In the original novel, the original body’s demise was engineered by the eldest uncle’s household through elaborate schemes borrowed from outsiders, ensuring no direct ties linked back to them on the surface.
This clearly demonstrated that even the Su family understood the baseline rules.
Logically speaking, someone like this shouldn’t even exist within the Su family.
Yet, here he was.
Su Youqi gave a cold laugh. “Since that is how things stand, it looks like I’ll have to clean house.”
Su Youqi had an enduring intuition that this bottom-line-shattering Su family member was inextricably linked to his black-hearted eldest uncle’s household!
Meanwhile, inside the Huang family’s villa, another individual was holding forth to the Huang couple with smug confidence. “President Huang, Madam Huang, please rest assured. A mere punk who picked up some crooked, unorthodox tricks somewhere cannot possibly compare to the orthodox lineage of the Su family; he is nothing to worry about. Your esteemed son simply grew careless and allowed himself to be hoodwinked by that kid, which is why he suffered a loss.”
The Huang couple were Huang Linzhi’s parents and the current power-holders of the Huang clan.
The man pontificating before them was precisely the target Su Youqi intended to purge from the clan.
This person was in his early forties, wearing traditional long robes, and cultivating a mysterious, otherworldly aura that perfectly matched the stereotype of a celestial master.
Had Su Youqi been present, he likely would have quipped: When your skills aren’t enough, load up on the costume gear!
Yet, as a member of the Su family, he possessed at least some legitimate competence regardless of how much he put on airs.
While ordinary people remained blind to it, an insider like him could instantly discern the lingering traces of spiritual entanglements clinging to the five bodyguards.
Combined with Huang Linzhi’s account, he didn’t even need to guess to know exactly what had transpired.
When the Huang couple first heard their son and nephew recount the events, they half-believed Su Youqi might actually possess formidable powers and harbored lingering apprehensions. But after listening to this Su family master’s rhetoric, all their doubts dissolved into utter contempt.
“Since that is the case, we have nothing left to fear. That kid Su Youqi has Guan Hongyu shielding him, so we should first approach the Guan family for negotiations and leave him alone for now. But as for the ghost that harmed my son, no courtesies are necessary. Please capture him back as soon as possible, Master!” The Huang couple swiftly reached a decision.
Mainly, the Su family’s formidable reputation within elite circles made them implicitly trust whatever a Su family practitioner claimed.
A prick of panic flashed internally within the Su family master, though his exterior remained utterly unflappable as he spoke with absolute certainty. “Naturally. The two of you may simply await my good news.”
Satisfied, the Huang couple departed together to visit the Guan family residence.
The moment they left, the confidence drained entirely from the Su family master’s face.
If he had the ability to yank that ghost right out of Su Youqi’s hands, he would have done so long ago to collect his payout from the Huangs, why on earth would he wait until now?!
However, his recent heavy gambling losses had accumulated astronomical debts, and his creditors had threatened to chop off his hands if he failed to pay up soon.
With no other choice, driven by the exorbitant bounty promised by the Huang couple, the Su family master steeled his heart and decided to make a trip back to the Su family estate!
The night wind carried a refreshing chill. Lost in his thoughts, Su Youqi completely failed to track the time as darkness descended.
“Achoo…”
Su Youqi sneezed, rubbing his slightly chilled arm, thinking: This physical constitution is still lagging behind. Back in my prime, I wouldn’t even sneeze wearing short sleeves in weather much colder than this.
Wrapped in his own musings, Su Youqi failed to notice the dark, piercing gaze Nan Ke cast at his back.
Just as the newly minted multi-millionaire stood in the sharpening autumn wind debating whether to buy a jacket, a luxury golden vehicle pulled up smoothly in front of him.
A bodyguard stepped out from the driver’s side and handed Su Youqi a coat. “Young Master, the evening is chilly. Madam asked us to bring you a jacket and escort you back to the main estate.”
“Thank you.” Su Youqi quickly pulled the coat on, finally feeling a touch of warmth.
A wealthy household truly operated with peak efficiency; the timing was immaculate and the service remarkably attentive.
Su Youqi felt no surprise at their appearance. He had filed a formal report with Qin Shuya before heading out, given that he previously promised to reside at the Nan family’s main estate for the first three months of their marriage. Since the main estate sat quite a distance away, providing him with a designated vehicle was standard procedure.
This really highlighted the sterling moral character of the Nan household, it was practically glowing with upright propriety.
Even though Su Youqi occupied a nominal position as a ghost-marriage spouse, an arrangement everyone knew was a mere title that would naturally dissolve down the line, and even the Su family treated him as an outsider, the staff at the Nan estate treated him with genuine, unfeigned respect. They addressed him as Young Master at every turn, pouring absolute sincerity into their demeanor as if he were their biological heir.
Speaking of which, one only needed to glance at Nan Ke, sitting quietly beside Su Youqi yet entirely invisible to everyone else, to realize the irony.
Your actual legitimate young master is standing right here, you know.
Su Youqi wasn’t someone ungrateful for kindness, and deep down, he resolved to return their genuine heir to them as swiftly as possible.
“You’re back, Yoyo,” Qin Shuya greeted him warmly, waiting by the entrance.
Ever since she accidentally overheard Zhu Wenyu calling Su Youqi “Yoyo” on WeChat, Qin Shuya had fallen in love with the nickname and adopted it herself.
Su Youqi smiled. “Auntie, you really don’t need to come out and wait for me every single day.”
Qin Shuya treated him genuinely well, stepping out to greet him at the front gates of the main estate every evening. The driver typically sent a quick text as they approached the outer gates, prompting Qin Shuya to step outside.
Anyone unaware might assume Qin Shuya was his birth mother.
Qin Shuya waved away the thought casually. “Oh, I have nothing better to do at home anyway, and it gets stuffy inside. Stepping out for some fresh air is wonderful. All those older and younger ones are busy running around with no time to keep me company, I have to find my own amusements.”
Fair enough, whatever keeps you happy.
True to routine, Qin Shuya looped her arm through Su Youqi’s to stroll the gardens, pointing out various historical landmarks across the estate. However, after finishing the usual tour, Qin Shuya lingered a bit longer and broached a heavier topic.
“Yoyo, although your marriage to Keke is, well, somewhat unique, the moment you stepped through my Nan family’s doors, you became a member of our family. Auntie treats you like a son. If anyone ever dares bully you, just tell Auntie. The Nan family will back you up, don’t keep things bottled up inside, understand?”
“Er…” Qin Shuya’s declaration caught Su Youqi entirely off guard. While he and Qin Shuya maintained a pleasant rapport, he had fundamentally viewed their dynamic as a clean, transactional agreement.
He accepted the Nan family’s betrothal gifts to leverage their influence and break free from the Su family; in exchange, he would guide their young heir’s wandering soul back to his physical vessel and restore a living, breathing master to the house.
He had anticipated that the Nan family might afford him a degree of preferential treatment out of basic courtesy or compensation.
Yet he wasn’t genuinely married to Nan Ke, meaning he never expected Qin Shuya to state so explicitly that the entire Nan family would act as his personal backing.
That effectively handed him a blank-check golden ticket courtesy of the Nan family, letting him run wild while they covered all liabilities.
To put it bluntly, even individuals who married genuinely into the elite family might not command such privileged treatment straight out of the gate.
Su Youqi felt a flicker of confusion. He held a favorable impression of Qin Shuya and preferred to avoid convoluted guessing games, so he decided to cut straight to the chase. “Auntie, why are you treating me so well? To be honest, being treated like this makes me feel a bit unsettled…”
“Haha, Auntie just loves your frank and direct personality!” Qin Shuya didn’t take offense at all, answering with equal candor. “I’m treating you well simply because I like you, child. Besides, you live in the Nan family estate, by extension, you are a member of our household while residing here. How could we let an outsider bully you!”
“Of course, there are other reasons too, though it’s not quite the right time to share them yet. But you’ll find out eventually.” Qin Shuya offered a playful tease before reassuring him. “Don’t worry, Yoyo, it’s definitely nothing harmful.”
Su Youqi understood that this marked the absolute limit of what Qin Shuya could disclose for now, so he refrained from pushing further.
He only needed to know one thing: the Nan family harbored no malicious intent toward him.
This realization stemmed from absolute self-confidence rather than arrogance.
Even if the Nan family did intend to harm him, he possessed the means to handle it, after all, Nan Ke’s soul was still resting securely in his hands.
While Su Youqi was securing backing at the Nan estate, the Huang couple, who had traveled to the Guan residence for negotiations, found themselves summarily booted out by Guan Hongyu’s parents.
“Bah! Bullying people right up to the doorstep of Hongyu’s dorm-mate, and they still have the gall to come here demanding we stay out of it? Does my Guan Group care about their petty little crumbs?” Guan Hongyu’s mother possessed an overflowing sense of justice and was thoroughly incensed by the Huang couple’s audacity. “How dare they threaten to sabotage a production backed by my family’s investments! Who do they think they are? Have their annual revenues surpassed the Guan Group, or do they seriously think my corporate empire survives on a couple of streaming dramas? Ridiculous!”
Guan Hongyu hastily patted his mother’s back to soothe her rising temper. “Don’t get worked up, Mom, trash like them isn’t worth ruining your health over.”
Initially, Guan Hongyu’s mother hadn’t planned on getting personally involved, leaving the matter entirely in her son’s hands. But provoked past her tolerance limit by the Huang couple’s arrogance, she slammed her foot down and resolved to monitor the situation directly.