Chapter 268 – Will Catch Up Very Soon

Su Ming was quite satisfied with successfully catching a ride with Xu Xiayan.

Now, he no longer had to worry about whether his journey to Tianfeng City would go smoothly.

“Thank you,” Su Ming said sincerely to Xu Qianqian for this matter.

This time, it was truly thanks to Xu Qianqian that he had resolved a major problem.

“No need,” Xu Qianqian shook her head lightly. “It was just a small favor, nothing compared to what you’ve done for me.”

Xu Qianqian’s words piqued the curiosity of Xu Xiayan, who had been scheming to poach Su Ming.

“What has he done for you, my dear niece?” Xu Xiayan asked with a gossipy tone.

“None of your business,” Xu Qianqian naturally wouldn’t explain every detail of what had happened between her and Su Ming, pushing Xu Xiayan’s approaching face away again.

“Come on, tell me about it,” Xu Xiayan persisted relentlessly.

Cornered by Xu Xiayan, Xu Qianqian seemed somewhat helpless and frowned. “Weren’t you completely indifferent about Su Ming before?”

When Xu Qianqian had asked Xu Xiayan to help bring someone to Tianfeng City, Xu Xiayan had indeed been curious for a moment, wondering who could make her cold-natured niece swallow her pride and ask for help.

But after Xu Xiayan investigated Su Ming’s information, she lost interest.

Now, this woman seemed to have regained interest, which was rather shameless.

“I didn’t know back then that your little sweetheart was so capable,” Xu Xiayan chuckled nonchalantly.

“He’s a classmate,” Xu Qianqian emphasized again, secretly glaring at Xu Xiayan as if warning her not to say such strange things.

“Alright, alright, I won’t say anymore, okay?” Xu Xiayan raised her hands in a surrendering gesture.

But after glancing at Xu Qianqian and then at Su Ming, she silently sighed to herself.

She could naturally tell that the relationship between Su Ming and her dear niece seemed somewhat unusual.

Given her niece’s cold personality, she had done so much for a man. Even without being experienced in such matters, Xu Xiayan could more or less see some hints.

To be honest, in her opinion, Su Ming and Xu Qianqian were quite well-matched.

Not only were they a perfect match in looks and talent, but both were promising Geniuses with bright futures. Even if they weren’t perfectly matched in social status, considering Su Ming’s potential, her niece wouldn’t be at a loss even if she married him.

Unfortunately…

“He’s not a Hunter,” Xu Xiayan deeply regretted this.

From the perspective of talent needs, the fact that Su Ming wasn’t a Hunter but a rare Sorcerer was something to be happy about.

A future Seven-Star Sorcerer would be immensely valuable and hold a special status. Anyone with ambition would want to recruit such a super potential talent.

But when considering marriage, that was another matter entirely.

Because no matter how powerful a Seven-Star Sorcerer might be, they couldn’t help refine a Hunter Family’s Bloodline. On the contrary, they might even lower the Bloodline’s quality and reduce the potential of future descendants.

This was an outcome that any Hunter Family would inevitably resist.Therefore, even if Su Ming were to become a Seven-Star Sorcerer in the future, the Xu Family would never agree to marry Xu Qianqian to him.

If it were someone else, the Xu Family would gladly use marriage to secure a Seven-Star Sorcerer, even offering their daughter without hesitation.

But this person happens to be Xu Qianqian, the future leader of the Xu Family’s next generation and the highly anticipated pinnacle of the family’s future.

Until the Xu Family produces a new successor with the potential to reach Six-Star and become the family’s pinnacle, Xu Qianqian remains an indispensable asset.

Otherwise, without a Six-Star pinnacle, the Xu Family would truly decline.

Thus, the Xu Family would essentially never allow Xu Qianqian to marry out.

If Su Ming were a Hunter with a Bloodline comparable to Xu Qianqian’s, it might be considered.

After all, if both were noble-blooded Hunters, their descendants would inevitably possess remarkable Bloodlines. In that case, simply adopting one descendant into the Xu Family would delight them for a long time.

But Su Ming is not a Hunter—he is a Sorcerer. From a marital perspective, this simply doesn’t meet the core needs of a Hunter family.

Under these circumstances, the Xu Family is highly unlikely to agree to marry Xu Qianqian out.

Unless…

“This little suitor is willing to marry into our family and take the Xu surname.”

In that case, the Xu Family would be pleased.

The future Six-Star pinnacle would remain, and they’d gain an even more capable Seven-Star Sorcerer—a win by any measure.

As for the potential dilution of their descendants’ Bloodline, as long as the family securely gains a Seven-Star Sorcerer and a Six-Star Hunter for protection, this loss is acceptable.

At worst, they could arrange marriages for later generations to refine the Bloodline again.

As long as they aren’t losing their highly anticipated future pinnacle by marrying her out and pushing her away from the Xu Family, it remains a negotiable option.

This is how major families approach such matters.

Marrying out versus marrying in—while the outcome may seem the same, the implications are entirely different in their eyes.

But there’s no helping it. One scenario sends the family’s future away, while the other welcomes an external powerhouse. From a family’s perspective, the choice is obvious.

The only question is whether this little suitor of their beloved niece is willing.

“I hope this doesn’t turn into some cliché drama trope.”

Xu Xiayan watched Su Ming and Xu Qianqian conversing, observing how her usually quiet niece had suddenly become exceptionally talkative, and couldn’t help but ponder these thoughts.

Unbeknownst to her, the “little suitor” in her eyes was not merely a Sorcerer with Seven-Star potential but also a Hunter with Nightmare Species Bloodline.

A Dual Professional.

Such existence was far too rare—something Xu Xiayan had never even considered.

It was precisely because of this that, in the near future, Xu Xiayan would find herself filled with immense regret.

…

Thanks to Xu Qianqian, Su Ming no longer needed to worry about traveling to Tianfeng City and could simply stay with the Xu Family while waiting for Xu Xiayan to depart.

Initially, Su Ming assumed Xu Xiayan wouldn’t leave so soon.

Having been away from her hometown for nearly a decade, it seemed only natural she’d want to spend more time with her family now that she had the chance.

Yet, Xu Xiayan declared they could set off for Tianfeng City that very day.

The reason was simple.”I really don’t want to be bothered by that old man again, nor do I want to see the guarded looks and expressions on my eldest and second brother’s faces as if they’re wary of some great enemy.”

Xu Xiayan expressed herself in this manner.

For the current Xu Family, Xu Xiayan’s return brought joy to some and vigilance to others.

Those who were pleased were naturally the family elders led by Xu Wen. They all wanted Xu Xiayan to remain in the Xu Family, become the family’s future pinnacle, guard the clan, and even branch out to bear several descendants with excellent Bloodlines for the family.

But Xu Xiayan stated that these people were daydreaming.

She, Xu Xiayan, had returned this time not to let her family casually arrange her future.

Did they really intend to trade her lifelong happiness to elevate the family further?

Did they still think she was that little girl stuck at the Three-Star limit with no progress?

Naive!

Xu Xiayan declared that not only did she now have the ability to resist the family, but she also had a massive entity backing her—she wasn’t without support.

Thinking she was easy to bully and wanting to casually arrange her future?

She’d smash their heads in!

Those who felt vigilant toward Xu Xiayan were naturally her eldest and second brothers, who were also the fathers of Xu Qianqian and Xu Yanyan.

The two, feeling their positions threatened, had truly shown Xu Xiayan unpleasant expressions lately, making her feel extremely bored and uninterested.

Because of this, Xu Xiayan directly issued a warning in front of them.

“This Young Miss eats well and lives well in Tianfeng City, enjoying a much more comfortable life than you all. I don’t care for that coveted rural Family Head position you see as some great prize.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions on her two brothers’ faces were truly spectacular.

Then, Xu Xiayan smoothly broke off relations with them, directly bidding farewell to whatever little sibling affection remained.

“If it weren’t for my dear niece still being here, I wouldn’t bother returning to this home.”

With this declaration, Xu Xiayan managed to offend the entire Xu Family.

Yet the Xu Family didn’t dare to casually offend Xu Xiayan in return.

The current Xu Xiayan was indeed no longer someone they could push around as they pleased, and the forces supporting her were absolutely not to be provoked by the Xu Family.

Thus, the Xu Family could only reluctantly give up on Xu Xiayan, seething with anger but not daring to speak out.

Undoubtedly, this pained them greatly.

A future pinnacle of the family—just gone like that.

If they had Xu Xiayan, plus the future-grown Xu Qianqian, with two Six-Star pinnacles in hand, why would the Xu Family worry about not solidifying their position as a top-tier family?

And now, with Longyao City being so complex and flooded with various external forces, it was precisely the time when strong guardians were needed. But instead, Xu Xiayan completely defied the family’s arrangements and went independent, leaving them helpless.

This made them both unwilling and furious.

As a result, Xu Xiayan had almost become an unwelcome presence within the Xu Family.

Thanks to this, Xu Xiayan felt no attachment to the Xu Family and had long wanted to leave.

If Su Ming had arrived any later, perhaps Xu Xiayan would have already been gone.

This was also why, after contacting Su Ming, Xu Qianqian didn’t even have time to explain and directly asked him to come over.

Otherwise, by the time she finished explaining, her unpredictable aunt might have already run off without even saying goodbye.

“Well, better to arrive early than at the perfect time.”What else could Su Ming say?

Since he was already prepared anyway, it was time to set off!

……

“Then we’re off, dear niece.”

At the main gate of the Xu Family Estate, Xu Xiayan waved to Xu Qianqian, bidding her final farewell.

By now, Xu Xiayan had changed out of that alluring nightgown and into casual attire.

It was a somewhat classical outfit, resembling palace garments, similar to Hanfu.

Dressed in this manner, Xu Xiayan no longer appeared as a stunningly beautiful woman but rather as a female warrior embodying both valor and grace.

Such an appearance undoubtedly drew considerable attention; countless men turned to look along the way, and even women gazed at Xu Xiayan with envy, highlighting how striking she was at this moment.

Of course, Xu Qianqian was no less impressive.

As the Academy Beauty and goddess of the Demon Hunter Academy, Xu Qianqian’s appearance was nearly perfect in Su Ming’s eyes. Though not as mature and sensual as Xu Xiayan, her delicate, beautiful features and tall, slender figure still shone brightly.

Yet Xu Qianqian ignored the admiring glances from passersby, focusing solely on Su Ming beside Xu Xiayan.

Xu Xiayan: “???”

What about me?

Do you even have your aunt in your eyes?

Prioritizing romance over family ties!

Unaware of her aunt’s internal grumbling, Xu Qianqian simply gave Su Ming a deep look, as if committing his appearance firmly to memory.

“Be careful on the road.”

In the end, these were the words Xu Qianqian spoke.

“Alright.”

Su Ming didn’t indulge in excessive sentimentality either, nodding directly.

He knew that Xu Qianqian was different from An Zijin—she wasn’t the type of woman who needed an overly emotional farewell.

So, for Xu Qianqian, a simple statement like this was enough.

Besides, it wasn’t as if they would never meet again; there was no need for excessive drama.

Xu Xiayan chimed in from the side.

“Work hard, dear niece,” Xu Xiayan said to Xu Qianqian. “When you reach the Three-Star limit, your aunt will come to take you to Tianfeng City.”

That’s right—Xu Xiayan planned to bring Xu Qianqian with her.

“Longyao City is too small, and the Xu Family’s vision has always been confined to this limited space. If you don’t want to become the Family’s Puppet, having your life arbitrarily arranged and ruined, you must leave this place and go to Tianfeng City.”

Xu Xiayan spoke with unusual seriousness.

“Only by going to Tianfeng City and experiencing the vastness of the world and the expanse of the sky will you understand what truly matters to you.”

Upon returning this time, Xu Xiayan had been disappointed by many of her relatives in the Xu Family.

Disappointed in her father.

Disappointed in her elder brother.

Disappointed in her clansmen.

Almost the entire Xu Family had let her down.

This Family remained the same as before—full of scheming and vicious competition, utterly tiresome.

Family interests had far superseded familial bonds, leaving little room for human warmth.

The only comfort for Xu Xiayan was this dear niece of hers—talented, with considerable potential. Though her personality had grown somewhat colder, she hadn’t lost her humanity and familial affection like the rest of the family.

She could tell that Xu Qianqian was also deeply weary of the Family’s vicious struggles and internal scheming, even suffering greatly from them.This strengthened Xu Xiayan’s resolve to take Xu Qianqian away from the Family.

Xu Qianqian offered no opinion on the matter, merely giving a faint nod that made it impossible to discern her thoughts.

Only Su Ming could read the message in Xu Qianqian’s unwavering gaze fixed upon him.

“I’ll catch up soon.”

Su Ming saw this unspoken vow reflected in Xu Qianqian’s eyes.

At this, Su Ming suddenly smiled and said,

“I’ll be waiting for you in Tianfeng City.”

Hearing this, Xu Qianqian’s eyes glimmered as she gave a firm, resolute nod.

(End of Chapter)