Book 1 - Chapter 5: Lie

Chapter 5: Lie

News that Su Chen’s vision was recovering spread through the Su Clan’s Main Courtyard like a hurricane.

Everyone spread the news, and the entire Su Clan flared to life in excitement.

There were those who were happy and those who were frustrated.

Originally, after he was blinded, his Dustsift Courtyard was seldom visited; now, it was bustling with activity. Even the Venerable Su Clan Head, Su Changche had come to personally see his grandson. He grasped Su Chen’s hand and said some rare words of affection. Then the Su Clan elders came by to see him one by one. At the end, his cousins did as well.

Su Keji personally visited Su Chen, bringing gifts. He said many words of pleasantry and cheered Su Chen, saying, “When I found out Chen’er’s vision had somewhat recovered, I was greatly pleased. Tonight I will drink many cups of wine in your name.”

When Su Chen heard this, he helplessly said, “Second Uncle, if you have something to say, then please say it. What are you doing, waving your hand in front of my face like that?”

Su Keji looked to the sky and laughed. He patted Su Chen’s shoulder and said, “Honorable Nephew should properly recover,” before he took his leave. .

Later that night, Su Chen heard that his Second Uncle had beaten a young servant to death. As the rumour went, the servant wasn’t careful and shattered a bowl, sending Su Keji into a great rage.

As to the matter of changing the system, it was naturally discarded as Su Cheng’an hadn’t agreed. No matter how Su Keji repeatedly struggled, it was of no use.

Besides, there was no longer any value in struggling.

After two months, the great end of year comparison had started.

To Su Chen’s surprise, he once more placed first, and was personally granted a bottle of “Verdant Wood Essence” from his venerable grandfather.

To the north of Northface City, there is a mountain called Eight Peak Mountain. At the peak of that strange mountain, there is a wondrous tree called Azure Flower Tree. Every year this tree would bloom once and the flowers would possess a miraculous effect. If smeared on one’s body, these flowers improve blood circulation, strengthen the body, fortify one’s core, and nourish the soul. This was the Verdant Wood Essence.

However, its flowering season only lasted half a month and the flowers were sparse. Every year only three bottles were produced.

Eight Peak Mountain was a property of the Su Clan. As a result, the Su Clan monopolized the Verdant Wood Essence. It could be said the Su Clan’s sudden rise in power was deeply related to the Verdant Wood Essence. Every year the Su Clan would put two bottles on the market and keep one for the use of their own remarkable children.

In recent years, because Su Chen had always been the leader among the clan’s third generation children, the bottles of Verdant Wood Essence had always gone to him. That Su Chen was still able to make progress in his cultivation despite his disability was greatly due to the Verdant Wood Essence. This Verdant Wood Essence was what Su Keji coveted the most.

Before Su Chen went blind, Su Keji was only envious, but could do nothing. Now that Su Chen was blind, however, he felt that it was a huge waste to give the Verdant Wood Essence to him. He hated that he couldn’t take back the years of benefits used on Su Chen and give them to his own son.

But there was nothing he could do. In any case, a loss was a loss. When he saw Su Chen once again grasping the bottle, he knew he had lost this opportunity. There were no longer many opportunities remaining.

Time flew quickly and in the blink of an eye, several months had passed.

Today, Su Chen was practicing the Flaming Tiger fist in his yard. This Flaming Tiger Fist was a martial technique that was passed down by the Su Clan Ancestors. It was fierce and full of might. In order to further progress and display more of the fist technique’s might, the Venerable Su Clan Head, Su Changche, had paid an enormous price for a bottle of Blazing Flame Tiger blood spirit medicine, causing him to possess the bloodline of the Blazing Flame Tiger. It was with this that he ascended to the Open Yang Stage and became the pillar of the Su Clan.

Su Chen continually struck the wood covered iron pillar in front of him. From time to time, the iron pillar would release sounds of a dull boom. Because he had lost his sight, Su Chen had to pay careful attention every one of his movements. He put his full effort into each motion, as if each step was measured a ruler. That is why although he weaved back and forth, he never lost his direction.

After a moment of striking the iron pillar like a tiger descending from a mountain, he heard a boom. The tough wooden layer covering the iron pillar had split and only a pillar of iron remained. Su Chen’s attack had actually left a slight impression of a fist mark on the iron stake.

“Good punch!” A voice came from behind him.

Su Chen wore a slight smile on his face, “Third Uncle.”

A person with a grand appearance walked into the yard. Although he was middle aged, he had a graceful and elegant bearing. He was exceptionally eye catching, with a small slanted mustache hanging from the corners of his mouth that matched his brilliant eyes.

He was the Su Clan’s Third Elder, Su Feihu.

Of all the people in the Su Clan, Su Feihu could be considered to have the best relationship with Su Chen. When Su Chen was blinded, he had personally kidnapped over ten renowned doctors from around Northface City to treat him, causing him to be the target of complaint in Northface City for some time. But when the Su Clan Third Elder behaved this domineeringly, what could others possibly do?

At this moment, Su Feihu walked in with great strides to Su Chen’s side. He looked at him and said, “It seems it won’t be long before you enter the eight layer. You progress very quickly.”

“Quickly?” Su Chen smiled bitterly, , “If anything, I feel like I am too slow. If it weren’t for my eyes, I would’ve already entered the ninth layer of Body Tempering. If not, I would at least be close to it.”

Only he himself understood how great an impact blindness had on him.

Don’t look at strength with which he had struck the iron pillar. . That might was something that was gradually accumulated from two years of intense practice.

But in order be capable of even casual movement, he had already paid far too much.

Su Feihu understood his mood. He put his hand on Su Chen’s shoulder and sighed, “To have achieved this much is already very good. The Su Clan should be honored to have an heir such as yourself.”

“However, it’s not like they’re going to be generous about it, right?” Su Chen replied.

Su Feihu was stunned, “You already know?”

In a soft and unhurried tone, Su Chen said, “Rumors have already spread. My ears are still quite good… Unfortunately, a blind person like me won’t do. In the end, they can’t wait.”

That’s right. The Su Clan cannot wait.

In this past half a year, The Su Clan had continuously been waiting for Su Chen’s eyesight to completely recover but their wait only resulted in disappointment.

There were those who became unsatisfied. If he couldn’t recover, then he was nothing more than a genius who met a premature end.

Su Feihu next words held anger, “Si Keji has been spreading slander. He said that you were lying to everyone and had deceived the clan from the very start; that in fact, your eyesight had never recovered at all. A group of old fools in the clan were convinced and have actually agreed to his proposal. They want subject you to a sealed hearing test.”

A sealed hearing test meant that they wanted undergo a formal inspection of Su Chen’s eyesight. During that test, Su Chen’s hearing would be sealed, guaranteeing the test’s validity.

In fact, Su Keji had put forward this suggestion several months ago. However, the Venerable Su Clan Lord, Su Changche, had personally rejected him.

Performing the test itself was not difficult. The problem was that doing so would show that the clan had no trust in its younger generation. Su Chen wasn’t a degenerate child in the least. In fact, it was because he was so outstanding that the clan leader himself refused initially.

However, after half a year without any news, that previously suppressed voice had appeared once more. This time, Su Changche was unwilling to block it.

“From what you have said, it seems the clan has already decided to perform this test on me?” Su Chen asked.

“Yes, they sent me to notify you.”

Pa!

Su Chen crushed a piece of a tough wood fragment in his hand. His hands trembled.

After a long breath, he calmed the great waves in his heart and used an incomparably tranquil voice to say, “Then I must trouble Third Uncle to return to them and say there is no need for a test.”

“What?” Su Feihu didn’t understand what he meant.

Su Chen replied, “I really was lying… My eyesight had never recovered.”