Chapter 33: Profit or Loss!

"Haha... Grandmaster Xu is straightforward as expected," Su Tan said. "I told you before that you couldn't make the call on my requested compensation. Only Grandmaster Xu could. Do you believe me now?"

Jiu and the others fell silent.

This exorbitant price... they indeed couldn't make the call. Nor could they bear to surrender so many resources, tossing them all to Su Tan. Even though Su Tan had genuinely saved the Xu family, they still felt a deep ache in their hearts over the cost. Anyone would feel the pinch.

The branch family member who had just spoken out in protest felt his heart pounding with apprehension. Su Tan was too domineering! He had originally only asked for a thirty percent share, but the moment this branch member opened his mouth to argue... thirty percent became forty. What a forceful display!

"Do you find this unacceptable?" Su Tan shook his head. "Do you think it's an unfair trade for me to casually treat an illness and take forty percent of the Xu family's annual income in return? If you feel it's a bad deal, we don't have to cooperate. I can simply stop treating Grandmaster Xu, you keep your wealth, and we part ways. It's as simple as that!"

The members of the Xu family remained silent.

"No, no, no... How could it be a bad deal? The Xu family is profiting massively from this," Xu Xiuwu immediately interjected.

"Oh?" Su Tan replied, his tone laden with meaning.

"If I couldn't be saved, the Xu family would be finished. At that point, it wouldn't just be a loss of forty percent; we wouldn't be able to keep the other sixty percent either. The Xu family would be destroyed. The other factions wouldn't let go of such a juicy prize. Therefore... we've profited!"

Xu Xiuwu's injuries were not yet fully healed. Despite the fact that he was awake, if they truly went their separate ways, his condition would likely worsen before long, leading to his demise. The Xu family absolutely could not afford a falling out with Su Tan right now. Otherwise, Xu Xiuwu would surely die, and the Xu family would inevitably fall.

Su Tan smiled. He knew there was at least one person who understood the situation.

He then said, "Did you think treating Grandmaster Xu was the only thing I contributed? You aren't seeing this clearly enough. On the surface, I merely saved Grandmaster Xu, but in the shadows, I've completely offended the Xu family's mortal enemies. This means I've made enemies of four or five factions that are equal to—or perhaps even stronger than—the Xu family for no reason of my own. For such a price, is taking forty percent really too much?

"Besides, if the Xu family agrees to give me forty percent of the profits, I will treat it as my own property. And since it's my own property, I certainly won't let others lay their hands on it."

Saving Xu Xiuwu meant offending the enemies lurking behind the Xu family. With the White Wolf on his side, Su Tan wasn't afraid, but he was never the type to suffer a loss or swallow a grievance quietly. Effort demanded a reward. It was only natural.

Hearing Su Tan's explanation, the Xu family exchanged looks of realization. Put that way... it seemed forty percent really wasn't excessive. Even taking fifty percent wouldn't be out of line.

Xu Xiuwu's eyes lit up. He could sense that Su Tan was different. Perhaps Su Tan wasn't a terrifying entity bleeding the Xu family dry; in the future, he could very well become their ultimate backer. Looking at Su Tan's expression, he didn't seem afraid of making enemies out of the factions opposing the Xu family. Su Tan's face was utterly tranquil, devoid of any wariness.

What did this imply? It meant he probably didn't take those enemies seriously at all.

Perhaps the Xu family could leverage Su Tan's power to expand their territory. Once they overthrew their competitors, what the Xu family gained would far exceed what they had lost. Thinking of it this way, Xu Xiuwu felt there was massive potential here.

What was the most important thing in this world? Strength! Possessing strength meant being a sovereign. If one's own strength was lacking, the next best thing was to find a powerful backer. But truly powerful figures rarely paid attention to ordinary people; they were hard to find. If one could successfully attach themselves to a powerhouse, they would be set for life.

"If Mr. Su is willing to serve as the Guardian God of the Xu family, then a forty percent contribution is indeed trivial," Xu Xiuwu said. "In fact, the Xu family should be thanking you for not scorning us and actually seeing value in our family!"

"I wouldn't dare claim the title of Guardian God. We are merely in a cooperative relationship," Su Tan said, offering a half-promise. "Of course... if there's an issue you cannot resolve but I can, I certainly won't stand idly by. After all, your Xu family holds my shares now, doesn't it?"

Shares? What were shares? It probably just meant his stake in their profits. Since the Xu family involved Su Tan's interests, he wouldn't stand by and watch them fall.

"Then it's a deal!"

Handing over forty percent of their income was no trivial matter, yet Xu Xiuwu yielded without much hesitation. He had no choice. Moreover, he had a distinct feeling that the Xu family wasn't losing out on this transaction.

"Then... I look forward to our cooperation!" Su Tan smiled.

For some inexplicable reason, Xu Xiuwu, who had been filled with apprehension, suddenly felt at ease after being ruthlessly fleeced by Su Tan. It was true peace of mind. He was no longer worried that Su Tan would stop treating him, nor was he anxious about Su Tan aiding other factions.

After seeing off the Xu family, Su Tan rubbed his chin, letting out a sigh of relief.

He had genuinely feared that the Xu family would be too stubborn, the type of people who would rather break than bend. Clearly, the Xu family wasn't. Or rather, they hadn't yet reached a point where they felt the need to die in glory rather than live in dishonor.

Su Tan wasn't being greedy for the Xu family's meager wealth. If he really wanted to, he could obtain much more by utilizing the White Wolf. The reason he chose to tie his interests so heavily to the Xu family was for a specific purpose. The Xu family was the leading clan in the vicinity of White Cloud City, managing areas like the Chen Family Village. By subduing the Xu family, he had effectively gained control over the region surrounding White Cloud City.

This way, Su Tan could live a much more comfortable life. He could even use the Xu family to gather various resources and kickstart his own cultivation journey. Having an entire faction help him collect resources was undoubtedly superior to working alone. Furthermore, with the Xu family acting as a shield, Su Tan would have a buffer period no matter what crisis arose. The Xu family was his buffer zone! This was excellent.

"My goal... is pretty much achieved," Su Tan said. "Let's give the Xu family a little extra benefit. Didn't you say there were some capable assassins lurking near the woods, coming to check on Xu Xiuwu's condition? Let's send the Xu family some gifts to ensure their unwavering submission and willingness to work for us!"

The five great experts had failed in their assassination attempt, but would the factions behind them just let the matter drop? Impossible. They would definitely send more people to scout the situation and, if necessary, continue the assassination. If they found out about Xu Xiuwu's current vulnerable state, would they ever pass up such an opportunity?

"Piece of cake!" the White Wolf yawned, sounding thoroughly absentminded.

During this period, it had already grown accustomed to being held in Su Tan's embrace. And what if it wasn't accustomed to it? It couldn't resist him anyway!

That night.

While patrolling, the Xu family guards discovered multiple corpses dumped not far from their encampment. These were individuals they could recognize by name—some were even figures the Xu family deeply feared—all inexplicably slaughtered!

"Th-th-this... I remember him! The Black Mountain Elder! His cultivation wasn't much weaker than Grandmaster Xu's before his breakthrough. How did he die here?!"

"This guy has always been at odds with the Grandmaster. He even attempted to assassinate him several times. Although he never succeeded, he always managed to retreat unscathed... yet he died here! Who did this?" Patriarch Xu stood frozen in shock, staring at the corpses in sheer disbelief.

Hearing the commotion, Grandmaster Xu also came out to inspect the scene. His expression turned peculiar as he looked down at this group of old enemies. As he pondered, a thought suddenly struck him. He slowly turned to look toward Su Tan's courtyard.

"These people had been loitering nearby for quite some time, and they didn't seem friendly toward the Xu family. As your cooperative partner, I took the liberty of dealing with them on your behalf. I hope Grandmaster Xu doesn't mind..." Su Tan's faint, tranquil voice drifted over.

Grandmaster Xu felt a wave of realization. They wondered, "It really was him!"

Su Tan was truly a monumental powerhouse to rely on. Looking at it this way... by managing to forge a connection with Su Tan, the Xu family had indeed profited!