Duan Yuyang felt a bit awkward. When all was said and done, that was still his biological father, though his impression of this father of his wasn’t so good right now.
Yuan Tianwen realized Duan Yuyang’s situation and reached out a hand to pull Duan Yuyang into his embrace. He whispered, “You don’t have to recognize that person as your father. After all, he’s nothing good.”
Duan Yuyang smiled bitterly. “Although he wasn’t particularly good to me, he didn’t do anything too excessive to me. As for poisoning me, it should be Su Yulian, that poisonous woman, who did that.”
“Do you really believe that if she didn’t have that little old thing Duan Zhengde’s tacit consent, Su Yulian would dare to so brazenly administer chronic poison to you for so many years under the Duan family’s nose?” Yuan Zheng’s face was disdainful, a fierce light flashing through his eyes. “In any case, he’s still the master of his family. If his eldest heir encountered such a big problem in his cultivation, as the family head, he must anxiously investigate and find the cause. I don’t believe that he won’t be able to find out about the poison in your body if he investigated everything carefully and thoroughly!”
Duan Yuyang’s expression suddenly paled.
Yuan Tianwen complained, “Father, do you have to be so blunt?”
Duan Yuyang shook his head and sighed, “It’s not Uncle Yuan’s fault. In fact, I’ve already secretly suspected such in my heart. It’s just that I didn’t want to accept it.”
Su Mo saw that Duan Yuyang’s expression was unsightly and stopped talking about this topic. “Yuyang, since you’d already treated Wenwen with frank honesty, I naturally will treat you as my own child. I have a shortcoming, which is that I am overprotective of family and friends. My own family’s child has been bullied; I will certainly go look for their trouble. Right now, I want to ask you, what exactly are your thoughts on the Duan family?”
Duan Yuyang paused, stunned, and became silent.
He had never thought about taking revenge on the Duan family. Even though he knew that Su Yulian and Duan Zhengde had wronged him, he had never worried about food or clothes and had lived a much better life than ordinary people.
Duan Yuyang didn’t like to bother with troublesome things and had also been the Duan family’s Young Master for many years, so he held an extraordinary sense of responsibility in regards to the Duan family. Even now, when things had reached this stage, he still didn’t want to let the Duan family go downhill.
As for Su Yulian–
Duan Yuyang looked at Su Mo. “Uncle Mo, to be honest, I don’t actually want to deal with the Duan family.”
Su Mo said lightly, “Of course I’m not saying for you to deal with the Duan family. In the end, it’s still a first-class family and has great value. It’s too much of a pity to have it ruined.”
Duan Yuyang was a little puzzled.
Yuan Zheng explained, “Your Uncle Mo means, why don’t we find a way to obtain the Duan family, throw out Duan Zhengde and Su Yulian, these two unreliable people, and directly give you the Duan family Master’s position to play with?”
Duan Yuyang, “…”
This was a little damn incredible.
Yan Tianhen looked at Yuan Zheng and Su Mo, stupefied. He suddenly felt that it was necessary to have a fierce and powerful father- and mother-in-law, especially Su Mo and Yuan Zheng, this kind of overbearing and domineering pair of family heads who wanted to get rid of a first-class family’s Master if they didn’t like a word he spoke.
Yan Tianhen looked at them, his face full of admiration. The little villain in his heart directly threw himself to the ground, kneeling in worship.
Duan Yuyang almost broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly waved his hand. “Mustn’t do that, mustn’t do that.”
Su Mo asked, “Why not? They’re not benevolent; don’t tell me you can still act loyal and righteous to them?”
Duan Yuyang explained, “No, I just think that it’s too much trouble.”
Yan Tianhen, “…”
None of them were people who were easy to deal with.
Su Mo couldn’t help laughing, “It’s not too much trouble actually. Duan Zhengde still has many business deals hanging on our Yuan family’s side. I’m afraid that when he drove you out of the family, he didn’t know that our Yuan family’s seed was inside your belly. Otherwise…hehe.”
This single chuckle contained everything.
Duan Yuyang touched his nose. “True.”
Back then, Duan Zhengde and Su Yulian had interrogated him on whose seed the child in his belly belonged to. Duan Yuyang knew that the answer his father wanted was Yuan Tianwen, this Young Master of a major distinguished family. As for what Su Yulian was thinking, he wasn’t so sure.
But Duan Yuyang stuck to his words and insisted that it wasn’t Yuan Tianwen’s. Along the way, he even cursed Yuan Tianwen till he was full of dog’s blood to prove his own innocence.
If he let Duan Zhengde know that truth, Duan Yuyang was afraid that not only would Duan Zhengde forbid him from aborting the child, but he would also wish that the child had been born immediately — this was the seed of the Yuan family. Even if the Duan family had no contribution to this matter, it still had hard work. For the child’s sake, the Yuan family would have to give the Duan family many benefits.
Yet what Duan Yuyang didn’t want the most was to be entangled with the Yuan family’s benefits.
But none of that mattered now.
Since he had accepted Yuan Tianwen, he would accept the entire Yuan family.
Yan Tianhen watched this family’s joyous and harmonious relationship and couldn’t help but envy and admire them. A longing smile also appeared in his watery eyes.
Seeing this, Lin Xuanzhi held Yan Tianhen in his arms. While the Yuan family members were all discussing how to obtain the Duan family for Duan Yuyang, Lin Xuanzhi whispered in Yan Tianhen’s ear, “Ah Hen, no need to envy them. Dage will also be your backup and give you a home.”
Yan Tianhen paused, then looked at Lin Xuanzhi with a smile as he held Lin Xuanzhi’s hand. “I believe Dage.”
Lin Xuanzhi’s finger scraped Yan Tianhen’s nose. “Then why does Ah Hen have such a depressed expression?”
Yan Tianhen sighed a little. “If Daddy knew that my relationship with you became like this, I don’t know what he would think about it. Would he be as happy as Uncle Yuan and Uncle Su are right now?”
“Don’t you know how much Daddy loves you?” Lin Xuanzhi asked.
“Of course Daddy likes me, but only if I don’t swindle his biological son.” Yan Tianhen sighed once more.
“For my part, I didn’t know that Ah Hen was still worried about such things.”
“Of course I worry, it’s just that I usually can’t remember it.” Yan Tianhen touched his own stomach. “After all, I can’t have a baby and am your brother in name as well. I’m afraid that Daddy won’t be happy.”
With regard to Yan Tianhen’s worry, Lin Xuanzhi was particularly casual.
“If he is dissatisfied, then let him be angry by his lonesome self, or let him come find me and tell me about it. Anyhow, he won’t go and scare you.”
Yan Tianhen chuckled, “What are you saying? I’m not afraid of Daddy coming to find me either.”
“Hehe……” Lin Xuanzhi also couldn’t help laughing. “I won’t tease you anymore. However, to be honest, my father has always been the kind of person who is accustomed to doing whatever he wants and lives in an unrestrained and carefree way. He most likely wouldn’t care at all whether you can give birth to my child. Moreover, in his eyes, the secular world’s traditions aren’t even worth mentioning; it’s all just a passing sight.”
Hearing that, Yan Tianhen’s heart felt warm and sour. Although Lin Xuanzhi’s words were somewhat exaggerated, they did reassure him.
With the arrival of the Yuan family’s couple, they naturally wouldn’t let Duan Yuyang live in Lin Xuanzhi’s other courtyard any longer. The two of them took their son and son-in-law with them as they settled directly in the Lin family’s pavilion, which was especially used to receive guests.
They stayed there for three days straight. Su Mo and Fifth Elder discussed several more business deals and partnerships and intended for Lin Xuanzhi to act as an intermediary as practice. Lin Xuanzhi naturally agreed with a smile.
Not long after, the time came for Profound Sky Sect’s annual enrollment to attract new disciples. Lin Xuanzhi saw that the journey was just around the corner, so he urgently refined a batch of wine flasks and wine cups and sent them to Boss Feng of the Heaven and Earth Winery.
Boss Feng’s jubilant words poured out in bucketloads, and even the money he gave was double that of before. He claimed that Lin Xuanzhi’s reputation was different from before, so his price naturally doubled. He didn’t dare to take advantage of a low price for fear of karma in offending Lin Xuanzhi.
Lin Xuanzhi didn’t refuse either. First, he was short on money; second, if he still sold it to Feng Lun at the original price, then he would be selling a favor as well, which would put Feng Lun under a lot of pressure.
“There’s a hundred thousand gold in this.” Lin Xuanzhi handed Yan Tianhen a treasure card. “In the future, you can buy anything that catches your attention. I will add more money here later.”
Yan Tianhen’s eyes were bright. He quickly put the card away. “Dage, did you make a fortune recently?”
Lin Xuanzhi smiled. “I didn’t make a fortune yet, just a small profit. The custom magic treasure orders that those gentlemen from the aristocratic families placed with me, I’ve already mailed out many of them in succession. I’ve also regained the greater part of the money spent on buying materials. However, the business will get better and better in the future, so Ah Hen need only buy buy buy. As for making money, leave that to me.”
Yan Tianhen excitedly threw himself onto Lin Xuanzhi, both his legs straddling his waist as he hooked his arms around Lin Xuanzhi’s neck and gave him a kiss. “Dage, you know me so well. I really don’t know a thing about making money.”
Lin Xuanzhi weighed Yan Tianhen’s butt, “Ah Hen, did you gain some weight recently?”
Yan Tianhen felt his face and felt it was plumper, so he nodded, “It seems so, and I seem much taller as well. Say, Dage, do you think that I’ll grow taller than you?”
Lin Xuanzhi smiled, “That, I don’t know.”
“Then I’d better try and grow taller than you so that I look more dependable and can better protect you from the wind and rain.”
“All right, I’ll wait for the day when you are taller than me.”
The sound of light coughing outside the door interrupted Lin Xuanzhi and Yan Tianhen’s affectionate moment.
Yan Tianhen hurriedly jumped down from Lin Xuanzhi and ran to open the door. He saw Su Mo standing outside.
“Oh, Ah Hen’s here.” Su Mo smiled as he reached out a hand on Yan Tianhen’s head and gestured, measuring. “You did grow a lot taller. I remember before that you just reached my thighs, and now you’re already at my chest.”
When Lin Xuanzhi heard this, he knew that Su Mo had heard his and Yan Tianhen’s conversation earlier, but this was nothing much since they didn’t mention any taboos either–
After all, Su Mo and his father were best friends. Yan Tianhen would still feel somewhat apprehensive in front of Su Mo. Lin Xuanzhi’s intuition told him that Yan Tianhen didn’t really want Su Mo to know about their relationship. This shouldn’t be because he thought their relationship couldn’t see the light of day, but was instead due to him being naturally reserved and uneasy in front of his elders.
Yan Tianhen laughed mischievously, “One day, I’ll be as tall as Uncle Mo.”
Su Mo couldn’t help chuckling, “Then you have to work hard. Not many people are as tall as me.”
Lin Xuanzhi walked over and asked respectfully, “How is Yuyang’s health?”
During these few days, Su Mo had begun to nurse Duan Yuyang back to health. The alchemist he brought along refined pills and medicines day and night, and they even commandeered Ji Lanjun, this alchemist with some reputation.
Su Mo replied, “We found the right approach, so from now on, only the treatment is left. The poison within Yuyang’s body was accumulated over many months and years, so it certainly won’t go away at once and has to be done slowly. Besides, he has a baby in his belly, so there’s more worry that if the pill’s affinity is too strong, it’ll accidentally hurt the child, so we can only treat the poison gradually.”
Lin Xuanzhi smiled slightly. “Then congratulations. Yuyang is kind-hearted. In the end, the Dao of Heaven still left him a path to survival.”
“Yeah.” Su Mo sighed, then squinted his eyes and smiled at Lin Xuanzhi. “Hey, you kid can really speak. When your dad was still here, he always complained to me that you didn’t like to talk.”
After chattering about daily family life, Lin Xuanzhi asked, “I’m afraid that Uncle Su wouldn’t come to find me for no reason. Are there any urgent matters?”
“Not that urgent,” Su Mo answered, “just some business matters that I wanted to let you know in advance.”
“It just so happens that I also have some questions regarding this that I wanted to consult Uncle Su’s experience over.”
Yan Tianhen heard that and immediately said, “I’ll go take a look at Yuyang Gege, you guys talk.”
After saying that, he ran away at lightning speed, like a rabbit who was being chased by a hawk. His action was incomparably vigorous and fast.
Su Mo chuckled, “Seems like this kid has no interest at all in business.”
“Yeah,” Lin Xuanzhi said calmly, “in a family, it’s enough if one person can do business.”
