Su Mo was the Su family’s eighth son, born of a concubine in the main branch, and the younger brother of Fifth Lady. People said he got along best with the eldest son, Su Lang. Unfortunately, fate had not been kind to him. Ever since he reached the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, his progress had come to a grinding halt. No one knew how many resources the Su family had poured into him, but three years had gone by without the slightest sign of a breakthrough.

From that palm strike just now, Liu Xiaolou had a faint suspicion. This eighth young master of the Su family, supposedly at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, seemed a bit… inflated. It wasn’t that his true qi lacked volume. It was plentiful enough. The problem was purity. His true qi was laced with too many impurities. And if your true qi isn’t pure, no technique or artifact will ever show its full power. At best it might reach eighty percent. More likely seventy, or even sixty.

Even in this direct clash of raw true qi, Liu Xiaolou hadn’t suffered a scratch.

In that moment, he fully understood Su Zhi’s decision. No wonder the moment Su Fifth Lady reached Foundation Establishment, the Su family had rushed to secure her with a marriage arrangement, grooming her as the heir of their line.

Truth be told, Liu Xiaolou felt sorry for Su Lang. He had no idea how the man had adjusted his mindset over the past year. But the fact that Su Mo, the brother closest to him, had stepped forward now showed that the eldest son of the Su family still hadn’t come to terms with it.

“Liu Xiaolou, you’re just a bandit who stumbled into the Su family by luck. Yet you dare act so arrogant and defiant. Whose power are you leaning on? What do you think you are? Nothing more than a dog my Su family keeps fed!”

Liu Xiaolou cupped his fists. “I rely on no one’s power, nor do I have any to lean on. The only thing I can depend on is the resolve to fight to the death. Since Eighth Young Master has accepted Chief Wang’s challenge, then please, make your move.”

Su Mo sneered. “And what do you think you are? Barely at the early stage of Qi Refinement, third layer, maybe fourth, and you dare challenge me?”

Liu Xiaolou stepped forward. “Please, Eighth Young Master, make your move.”

Su Mo snapped, “Are you truly not afraid of death?”

Liu Xiaolou took another step. “Please, Eighth Young Master, make your move.”

Su Mo’s face flushed crimson, his voice shaking with fury. “Good. Very good. You really aren’t afraid to die! Do you think just because Fifth Lady backs you, I wouldn’t dare touch you? Today… today I will—”

Liu Xiaolou stepped in again. “If Eighth Young Master won’t make a move, then I will.”

With that, he pushed off the ground and lunged forward.

He had left in a rush and hadn't carried his Three-Mystery Sword with him, and his Groundbinding Spirit-Scattering Cord was useless against Su Mo. So he went in barehanded. With only a single layer’s difference between them, and Su Mo’s true qi cultivated with impurities, Liu Xiaolou wasn’t afraid of a brawl. He was a man from Wulong Mountain. If it came down to a fight for his life, even if he got hurt, he’d make sure to leave his mark on the enemy.

Su Mo’s fury turned to shock. As he retreated in panic, he shouted, “Liu Xiaolou, how dare you strike first?”

He really didn’t dare fight back? Liu Xiaolou was a little surprised, but his pursuit didn’t slow in the slightest.

Su Mo, forced into a desperate scramble, dodged frantically left and right. Just then, someone stepped to the edge of the courtyard and cleared his throat. “Ahem… Eighth Young Master, Young Master-in-law, that’s enough. The master asks you both to come.”

His wide sleeve flicked outward, sending both Liu Xiaolou and Su Mo flying apart. The blow from that single sleeve left Liu Xiaolou’s breath in chaos; for a moment he couldn’t even draw air. His heart tightened. This Butler Song’s cultivation was that strong?

“Uncle Song!” Su Mo shouted. “Restrain this man, he’s completely out of control!”

It was indeed Butler Song. His face remained unreadable as he gave a slight bow and calmly repeated his words. “Eighth Young Master. Young Master-in-law. The master asks you to come.”

“I’ll speak to Father myself!” Su Mo snapped.

Liu Xiaolou cupped his fists toward Butler Song. “Thank you, Uncle Song.”

From behind, Susu called out, “Young Master…” then hurried after him.

Xiaohuan, on the other hand, spun around and bolted toward the back mountain to find Fifth Lady.

Fifth Lady was cultivating on the Elephant Trunk Cliff at the back mountain. A short blade flew from her hand, blooming in the air like bursts of fire before rolling outward. When she saw Xiaohuan hurrying up with a face full of worry, she recalled the blade. “What’s happened?”

Xiaohuan quickly explained the situation. “Madam, should you also go to the master? Otherwise, if the master punishes Young Master-in-law, it will reflect poorly on your standing.”

Fifth Lady shook her head. “And what does someone else’s face have to do with me? Besides, don’t worry. Since Uncle Song didn’t seize him on the spot, no serious harm will come to him.”

Xiaohuan thought for a moment and nodded. “Madam is right. It’s just… when I saw them bullying Young Master-in-law, it felt like they were really targeting you, so I panicked. But you know, when he fought, he was actually amazing. Both he and Chief Wang are at the fourth layer, but he injured her in a single exchange. And Eighth Young Master, with his fifth-layer cultivation, didn’t even dare fight back.”

Fifth Lady gave a faint smile. “That’s only because they’re afraid of dying.”

“Then why isn’t Young Master-in-law afraid of dying?” Xiaohuan asked. “Every other word out of his mouth was life or death. Madam, you should’ve seen the way he spoke. So cold!”

Fifth Lady said, “Either he has nothing to lose, and so nothing to fear… or he’s simply bluffing.”

In the main hall, Zhongyu Hall, Su Zhi sat in his seat, with Butler Song standing behind him. Su Mo and Liu Xiaolou stood on either side, hands at their sides, standing straight and solemn.

Su Zhi frowned. “Xiaolou, you are the esteemed Young Master-in-law, a son-in-law of the Su family. What is this about a life-or-death duel, behaving like some rogue cultivator? What kind of decorum is this…”

Liu Xiaolou looked confused. “Respected Patriarch, if I may ask, how did my status suddenly become ‘esteemed Young Master-in-law’? Just now Chief Wang and Eighth Young Master both said that I’m nothing, that I’m just a dog fed by the Su family. They even said that no one in the Su household takes me seriously. So how could I possibly be accused of lacking decorum?”

Su Zhi turned to Su Mo and snapped, “What nonsense are you spouting? Isn’t your brother-in-law a master, not a servant? If he is nothing, then what are you?”

Su Mo kept nodding obediently, but his face clearly showed he was still unconvinced.

Su Zhi ignored his reluctance and addressed Liu Xiaolou again. “Let me put it another way: a Young Master-in-law is still a Young Master-in-law. Even if you married in, you are still a master, not a servant. And as a master, to arrange a duel with a family servant; that’s pure nonsense! It’s utterly beneath your station.”

Liu Xiaolou shook his head. “No, no, no. Respected Patriarch, I cannot agree with what you just said. In my view, a Young Master-in-law who married in; he isn’t truly a Young Master. He’s just an in-married son. Not a servant, but you can’t call him a master either. So if I arranged a duel with Chief Wang, that’s perfectly proper.”

Su Zhi waved his hand impatiently. “Enough, enough. There are some blind spots in this household. People may gossip about you, but you need to recognize your own position and not stoop to the level of a servant.”

Liu Xiaolou hesitated. “So that means… these past three years…”

“Ahem!”

“In this family, I, an in-married son, can actually be considered a master?”

“Of course!”

“Since Father Tai says so, I will trust you this once. So the life-or-death duel with Chief Wang… we call it off?”

“That’s right.”

“Very well. I withdraw the duel. No life-or-death contest with her… But Respected Patriarch, since I am the master, and Chief Wang, as a servant, tried to bully her master, according to the Su family rules, shouldn’t she get a good spanking?”