Chapter 2

While recuperating from his injuries, Su Han quickly learned the reason behind the worry on his father Su Zhengtian's face. The person who had knocked him off his horse that day was Yun Tianhai, the son of Yun Yi, the Marquis of Yongsheng of the Great Yan Dynasty!

Yun Yi was the supreme commander of the Great Yan Dynasty's northwest army, commanding a force of ten thousand soldiers. His wife, Huang Pujinxiang, was a princess of the Great Yan Dynasty. The Marquis of Yongsheng's family was immensely wealthy and powerful, with few families in the Great Yan Dynasty able to match their might, except for the royal family.

Yun Tianhai, as Yun Yi's son, was a monstrous genius in martial arts. He reached the Body Tempering stage at ten, Bone Strengthening at eleven, Qi Condensation at twelve, Qi Enhancement at thirteen, True Qi at fourteen, and Spirit Qi at sixteen. He broke through to the Qi Transformation stage at eighteen. He almost broke through a realm every year, making him the most monstrous genius among the young generation of the Great Yan Dynasty. Even the three great innate experts of the Great Yan Dynasty did not have such a dazzling cultivation speed in their youth.

Everyone in the Great Yan Dynasty believed that if given time to grow, Yun Tianhai would definitely break through to the innate realm and even enter the more profound and mysterious realms of martial arts.

For such a person, crushing a small figure like Su Han was nothing.

Even more so, after Su Han was casually killed by Yun Tianhai, under the indulgence of the mayor of Xiyuan Town, various forces in the town began to unite to suppress the Su family, making their business extremely difficult.

Cultivating martial arts requires a large amount of money. Without money to buy a large number of tonics to nourish one's essence and repair the body, a slight mistake during martial arts practice could cause hidden injuries. Many martial artists are trapped in the Qi Condensation stage of the fourth level of the Postnatal Realm for their entire lives because they are too poor to buy the necessary tonics, leading to too many hidden injuries and preventing them from breaking through.

"Yun Tianhai!!" Su Han silently repeated this name in his heart, his eyes filled with uncontrollable anger and humiliation, and a surging killing intent boiled within him.

Just because he stood in front of this man, he was crushed like an ant. After narrowly escaping death, his family was suppressed by this man, filling Su Han's heart with anger and hatred.

"Power!! I must have power, otherwise, the next time I face him, I will still be crushed by him without a second glance!"

Having narrowly survived a brush with death, Su Han's pursuit of power far exceeded his past, a fierce anger burning in his heart.

Pushing open the door, Su Han took a deep breath of the fresh air outside and walked out, heading to the Su family's martial arts training ground.

At the Su family's training ground, a dozen young men were diligently practicing their martial techniques. A tall, muscular middle-aged man named Su Hong, with a cold gaze, stood with his hands behind his back, watching the young men train.

Su Hong was a great expert at the True Qi stage of the sixth level of the Postnatal Realm, second only to the Su family's patriarch, Su Yan, and was the second strongest in the Su family. He held a high status and had astonishing combat power. He was also the coach of the Su family's younger generation, responsible for teaching them martial techniques.

As soon as Su Han arrived, he heard Su Hong's deep voice: "That's enough for today, free practice!"

After saying this, the towering Su Hong, like a lion, strode over.

Su Han said, "Uncle Hong!"

Su Hong glanced at Su Han coldly and continued walking without stopping.

Su Han felt a chill in his heart. Although Su Hong was somewhat arrogant in the past, he would still nod in acknowledgment when greeted. Clearly, something he was unaware of was quietly happening.

At this moment, several young men from the Su family walked over.

A young man named Su Wen sneered, "Isn't this Su Han? You still have the nerve to come here?"

Su Han frowned and said, "This is the Su family's training ground. As a member of the Su family, why can't I come here?"

Another young man, Su Hai, sneered, "A member of the Su family? You are a curse to the Su family! You, as a direct descendant, enjoy all the resources of the Su family, yet you not only fail to contribute to the Su family but also cause a great disaster. Do you know that because of you, the Su family is now almost unable to move in Xiyuan Town, and our business has shrunk by more than forty percent? The family meeting has already decided to strip your direct lineage status. You are no longer a direct descendant of the Su family. What right do you have to come to this training ground?"

Su Han's face changed drastically, his fists clenched tightly, and he was deeply shaken. "What?"

In the Su family, the distinction between direct and collateral lineages was clear. The cultivation resources available to direct descendants were far more abundant than those of collateral descendants. A direct descendant like Su Han received five taels of silver as a monthly allowance, while a collateral descendant received only five mace of silver, a tenfold difference.

Once Su Han's direct lineage status was stripped, his family's income would decrease by more than ten times, and their status within the family would plummet.

The Su family had a large population, and many people envied the wealth and treatment of Su Han's lineage. In the past, they could not act because of Su Han's direct lineage status. Now, seeing Su Han's lineage in trouble, they would not miss this opportunity to kick him while he was down.

Thinking of his parents who had tried to maintain a normal appearance in front of him these days, Su Han felt a surge of pain and endless anger.

Su Hai's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he shouted, "All because of you, this little bastard, everyone's monthly allowance has been cut in half. Su Han, you are truly a curse! Everyone, let's teach this curse and waste a lesson. His dantian is already broken; he is now a cripple, a perfect human punching bag."

The young men of the Su family, already dissatisfied with the reduction in their monthly allowances, were incited by Su Hai and rushed forward excitedly.

Only a few young men of the Su family frowned and stood aside, coldly observing. Although they did not join in, they clearly had no good feelings towards Su Han, who had caused the Su family to be in a difficult position in Xiyuan Town. Even if they knew it was not Su Han's fault, it was because of Su Han that their treatment had been significantly reduced, so they naturally had no good feelings towards him.

"What's going on? Is my dantian really broken?"

When Su Han tried to gather his qi to resist, he found that he could not extract a single thread of internal energy from his dantian. He felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his heart turning cold.

"Stop!!"

Accompanied by a lion-like roar, a tall, muscular young man with every inch of his body solid and full of power, burst into the crowd, unleashing the Su family's Three Yang Palm, which carried a scorching and fierce wind, towards the other young men.

Bang! Bang!

One by one, the young men were struck by the Three Yang Palm, flying several meters and rolling on the ground.

The leader, Su Hai, his face slightly changing, turned and also used the Three Yang Palm, striking the palm of the young man.

Bang! A scorching wind echoed, and Su Hai was pushed back six or seven steps, his face red as he glared at the young man who had suddenly appeared and said fiercely, "Qi Condensation stage!! Su Hao, you have actually reached the Qi Condensation stage. Your cultivation talent is indeed impressive. However, no matter how talented you are, you are still just one person. I want to see how you protect your waste of a brother. Let's go!"

"You want to bully my brother and then walk away? Leave some consequences behind!"

A cold light flashed in Su Hao's eyes, and a domineering aura rose from him. He leaped forward like a fierce tiger, his right hand gathering a scorching aura, as if burning with flames, and struck Su Hai with the Three Yang Palm.

Su Hai's eyes turned red, his palms flying, and he used the family's inherited Wind Return Step to barely hold on, shouting desperately, "Su Hao, don't go too far!!"

Su Hao was a Qi Condensation stage expert, while Su Hai was only at the initial Bone Strengthening stage. Using the same martial technique and steps, Su Hai was no match for Su Hao. After a few moves, he was completely overpowered.

Su Hao's palm broke through Su Hai's defense, his right hand like a hook, grabbing Su Hai's left arm and twisting it, then throwing Su Hai away, roaring, "Hmph! Get out!!"

Su Hai was thrown like a rag doll, rolling on the ground, clutching his left arm and crying in pain, "My arm! My arm is broken!! It hurts!! It hurts!!"

A young man of the Su family who had been observing frowned and stepped forward, saying sternly, "Su Hao! We are all of the Su family. Didn't you go too far?"

Su Hao's tiger-like eyes glared around the training ground, his voice domineering, "Su Zhi, since we are all of the Su family, why did Su Hai bully my brother? If he can act, why can't I? What kind of logic is this? I, Su Hao, will say this: whoever dares to bully my brother will not be spared."

"Big Brother!!"

Su Han looked at Su Hao, who stood like a giant pillar in front of him, feeling a warm current in his heart, his nose slightly tingling, and tears welling up in his eyes. From a young age, it was Su Hao and his father who had protected him. Even after causing such a great disaster and almost becoming a cripple, they did not abandon him, warming his once icy heart.

Under Su Hao's intimidating gaze, the other young men of the Su family remained silent. Su Hao had reached the fourth level of the Postnatal Realm, the Qi Condensation stage, and was already the first among the Su family's younger generation. They were unwilling to stand up for Su Hai.

"Su Hao, you have injured a fellow clansman without cause. The clan rules will deal with you. Let's go!"

Su Zhi glanced coldly at Su Hao and turned to walk away.

The young men of the Su family followed Su Zhi out, leaving only Su Han and Su Hao in the training ground.

Su Hao then turned, smiled slightly at Su Han, patted his shoulder, and said solemnly, "Little Brother, I know what happened. Don't blame Father. The Marquis of Yongsheng is not someone we can provoke now. We must endure this for now. If we don't, not only our family but even the entire Su family will face destruction."

In this world where martial arts are highly esteemed, Su Han had almost been killed, his dantian broken, and he was almost a cripple. Such a fate would make anyone resentful. And because the Marquis of Yongsheng had immense power in the Great Yan Dynasty, the Su family could not even file a complaint.

Although Su Hao wanted to stand up for Su Han, he was powerless because the enemy was too strong. He was worried that Su Han, filled with resentment, might do something rash, which would not only endanger Su Han but also destroy the entire Su family.

Su Han clenched his fists, his face pale and bitter, and gritted his teeth, "Big Brother! I understand!"

Su Han was not a person who did not know the gravity of the situation. He also knew that the Su family was no match for the Marquis of Yongsheng. The Su family had a significant position in Xiyuan Town, but the Marquis of Yongsheng could destroy them with just a word. However, being killed for no reason, his dantian broken, and almost becoming a cripple, such a grudge was not easy to let go of. But even if he could not let it go, he had to, otherwise, he would die and drag his family down with him.

Su Hao looked straight at Su Han, as if making a vow, and said word by word, "Little Brother, your dantian is broken, and you cannot cultivate in this life. But even if you cannot practice martial arts, with Big Brother and Father, we will ensure your safety. Whoever dares to bully you, Big Brother will make them pay with these fists!"

Su Han felt a warm current in his heart and managed a smile, "Yes! Big Brother, don't worry. I'm fine. Even if I can't practice martial arts, I can study literature. In the future, I will pass the imperial exams and become a top scholar. We two brothers will one day be both literary and martial, and we will both be ennobled."

"Good! Ambitious, worthy of being my brother! Let's go see Father and Mother." Su Hao laughed heartily, put his arm around Su Han, and walked towards the inner courtyard.

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End of the chapter.