Chapter 34: These Days, People Even Fight to Eat Pig Shit!

The Xu family members were completely shocked!

If earlier, when Su Tan demanded forty percent of the Xu family's annual income, many in the family had felt disgusted and dissatisfied, they were fully convinced now. Indeed, the Xu family previously felt like they were being butchered. This included Patriarch Xu, Xu Hao, and the others.

However, when they saw Su Tan effortlessly eliminate all the assassins lurking in the shadows aiming for Grandmaster Xu, they suddenly realized that it might actually be the Xu family's good fortune to be favored by him! Otherwise, with his level of strength, he could easily create a faction of his own that would be absolutely no weaker than the Xu family.

"This Yang Yuan'Er has been Grandmaster Xu's lifelong rival. Since their youth, his cultivation has been on par with Grandmaster's. Even if one momentarily pulled ahead, the other would quickly catch up. If Grandmaster hadn't suddenly broken through recently, their cultivation levels would still be neck and neck... yet Su Tan disposed of him without batting an eye?" Xu Hao exclaimed, his mouth agape in astonishment.

How terrifying!

"This is too terrifying... Just who exactly is Su Tan?"

"How does he possess such immense power?!"

"I asked around earlier. He has lived in Chen Family Village for over a decade, but as for where he came from before that... it remains a mystery!"

"According to Village Chief Chen, he seemed to appear out of thin air and has lived there ever since. He never really stood out in the past. He just occasionally read fortunes to subsidize his living expenses, but other than that, he ignored everything else."

His inexplicable origins added a layer of mystery in everyone's eyes. This man must be a master! A transcendent expert who had emerged from nowhere. That was the only truth!

"Where... where did he come from? And what kind of abilities does he possess?" The current Patriarch of the Xu family, Xu An, was completely baffled.

Grandmaster Xu remained silent, quietly gazing in the direction of Su Tan.

"We do not need to know where he came from, and we absolutely must not investigate it!" Grandmaster Xu said solemnly.

"A Giant Dragon does not like ants prying into its privacy," Xu Xiuwu continued his warning. "This is a massive taboo. You must never, ever make this mistake. When he wants to tell us, he naturally will. Otherwise... we will only be seeking our own doom!"

Grandmaster Xu deeply felt Su Tan's terrifying nature. No wonder he had been so calm when facing him for the first time. He was clearly just a mortal with an ordinary body and no fluctuations of Spiritual Power... That was exactly why Xu Xiuwu had misjudged him.

Yet this seemingly ordinary mortal could effortlessly, in an extremely short amount of time, eliminate Yang Yuan'Er—whose cultivation was only a hair's breadth away from his own—as well as numerous assassins. What did this mean? If he could easily dispose of Yang Yuan'Er, he could undoubtedly do the same to him.

Although Xu Xiuwu was a realm higher in strength than Yang Yuan'Er, if he were to swap places with his rival, he had no confidence in escaping Su Tan's grasp! To think such a divine being had resided in the Xu family's territory for over a decade! They didn't know whether to rejoice or break out in a cold sweat.

They rejoiced at the possibility of clinging to such a powerful figure's coattails. Their lingering fear, however, stemmed from the fact that if the Xu family had neglected this terrifying entity or inadvertently offended him over the years, the consequences would have been catastrophic. Fortunately, the Xu family had never wronged this heavyweight. Otherwise... they would have been wiped off the face of the earth long ago.

Grandmaster Xu suddenly felt incredibly fortunate. When he became the true ruler of the Xu family, he had issued a strict order: all family members must treat servants, tenants, and even random old strangers on the street with courtesy and respect. This upbringing ensured the Xu family rarely offended anyone. He felt his past decision was unfathomably brilliant.

"Actually... is his background the only mysterious thing about him?" Xu Xiuwu thought. "His prescription is also incredibly bizarre. It clearly just requires ordinary herbs, and the supplier is none other than Village Chief Chen. Yet if one tries to recreate that ordinary prescription elsewhere, it's completely useless. It only works when it comes directly from Su Tan's hands!"

This matter could not be hidden from the Xu family.

"Perhaps... he's using this simple prescription to conceal his true Divine secret formula," Xu Xiuwu continued to muse.

Aside from this, nothing else made sense. However, Xu Xiuwu didn't feel there was anything inappropriate about this approach. In this world, medical prescriptions and Pill Formulas were just as precious as a Cultivator's Cultivation Method Manual and Martial Techniques. No one would easily show them to others.

Regardless, Su Tan's move was highly successful—unexpectedly so. Not only did it give the Xu family tangible benefits, but it also served as a sufficient deterrent. It made them even more convinced that Su Tan was a hidden heavyweight. Clinging tightly to him would be the key to the Xu family's rise.

After receiving the gift, Xu Xiuwu personally visited to express his gratitude. Su Tan could sense the deep reverence in the old man's words and demeanor. He was very satisfied with this outcome. With the Xu family by his side, handling his future affairs would be much easier.

"By the way, I do not want anyone to know about my transaction with the Xu family. As for my existence... it's best if other factions remain completely unaware of it," Su Tan said.

He didn't want to step into the limelight so soon. Being a mastermind behind the scenes was safe and didn't attract unnecessary hatred; he could just let the Xu family deal with those grievances. If the Xu family encountered an enemy they couldn't handle, Su Tan naturally wouldn't sit idly by, but he would resolve the issue in the name of the Xu family rather than his own.

"Understood!" Xu Xiuwu knew exactly what Su Tan meant. This esteemed figure certainly didn't like to show off. Otherwise, he wouldn't have holed up in Chen Family Village for the past decade to hide his abilities. Since he disliked operating in the open, treating him as a secret weapon would suffice—and perhaps it would yield unexpected results.

Xu Xiuwu was also prone to daydreaming. He was already fantasizing about the shockwaves the Xu family would cause by suddenly "unleashing Su Tan" during future conflicts of interest. Of course, this was merely his own wishful thinking. Would such a scenario actually occur? Heaven only knew.

The next day.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

"Master Su, Su... Oh no, oh no... Something terrible has happened! Please open the door, I have an urgent matter to ask of you!"

Su Tan had just gotten up not long ago and was brushing his teeth when a voice started yelling and shouting outside. It sounded as miserable as if the sky had fallen.

"Chen Feiyang?" Su Tan recognized the newcomer's voice.

The voice was not pleasant. Hmm. Objectively speaking, it was actually quite grating on the ears—like a broken gong being smashed wildly.

Measuring the floorboards with his steps, Su Tan walked over at an unhurried pace. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that his movements no longer required cautious probing; as long as he walked slowly, he could navigate the courtyard without looking. This, of course, was provided that nothing in the yard had been moved out of place.

"What's wrong? What happened? Judging by your screams, did the sky fall down?" Su Tan asked leisurely, his mouth full of foam. It was a type of teeth-cleaning agent unique to this world.

"Su, it's a disaster! My pig manure was eaten clean by someone! Even the pigs... they were snatched away too!" Chen Feiyang stomped his feet in sheer panic.

"PFFT!" Hearing this, Su Tan sprayed out a mouthful of spit.

He was shocked to the core.

Inconceivable!

"What? What the hell? Are people actually fighting over pig manure to eat nowadays?"