Chapter 145: Farewells (Part 1)
The next day, just as the sun crept over the horizon and cast a warm glow across the land, Su Tianhao made his way to the Su family's main residence.
The walk was uneventful. Though a faint tension still lingered from the ongoing alchemy crisis, Su Tianhao wasn't concerned. With the insights and techniques he had already provided—combined with Su Qingfeng's decades of experience—resolving the issue was only a matter of time.
His mind had already moved on. Today's focus was the third scroll. Selling it would not only secure the Su family's future, but significantly elevate his own financial standing.
Soon he arrived at Su Huiqing's chambers on the third floor, the halls quiet and unhurried.
Knock. Knock.
Two knocks. A brief silence.
"Come in."
Su Huiqing's voice came almost immediately—as if he had been waiting. Su Tianhao stepped inside.
Su Huiqing sat in his usual place on the sofa, dressed in his signature crimson robes, hair tied into a neat topknot. His appearance was composed and dignified, as always. But beneath that composed exterior, his expression carried the quiet weight of loss and guilt.
On the small table before him rested a golden ring.
"Patriarch," Su Tianhao greeted, voice calm and even.
"Tianhao," Su Huiqing's expression softened. "Come, sit."
Su Tianhao settled onto the opposite sofa.
"So," Su Huiqing began, the faintest hesitation threading through his voice, "you've truly made up your mind about leaving."
"I have," Su Tianhao said, his voice carrying no room for argument. "Nothing you say will change that. So please don't try."
Su Huiqing studied him for a moment, then exhaled slowly. "Who would have thought that the little boy from all those years ago would grow so quickly into someone who could stand entirely on his own."
Su Tianhao's brow tightened. "Patriarch—let's get to business. Are the spirit stones ready?"
"Of course." Su Huiqing gestured toward the golden ring on the table. "All five thousand are inside. Take the ring too—consider it a parting gift."
Su Tianhao picked it up and probed it carefully. The interior space measured roughly fifteen cubic meters—slightly larger than Blood Grin's spatial ring, though still low-grade. At the center of the space, spirit stones were piled into a small mountain.
'Five thousand spirit stones,' he confirmed inwardly, joy flickering through him—but concealed perfectly beneath his composed exterior.
"The spirit stones are complete," he said. "But I can't accept the ring itself."
Su Huiqing frowned. "Why not?"
"I already have one," Su Tianhao said, raising the hand bearing the silver ring. "And it's inconvenient to carry two."
"Inconvenient." Su Huiqing's expression shifted into something more serious, more deliberate. "Tianhao—I know you're trying not to owe me anything. But this isn't a transaction. It's a parting gift." He paused. "From a father to his son. No matter what has happened between us—I am still your foster father."
Those words landed somewhere deeper than Su Tianhao had expected.
"I..." he started. Nothing followed.
His poker face broke.
"You don't need to say anything," Su Huiqing said, his tone warming. "I want you to know that I am proud of you. And I ask only one thing—don't let the past decide our future."
Su Tianhao nodded, silent. But his silence said more than words would have.
Su Huiqing leaned forward and pressed the golden ring into his palm.
Su Tianhao held it for a moment—then slid it onto his finger. Two rings now. Silver and gold.
Without ceremony, he reached into the silver ring and produced the pill recipe scroll, sending it gliding across the air to land softly on the table.
"The recipes!" Su Huiqing's composure slipped entirely. He grabbed the scroll as though afraid it might vanish.
Su Tianhao watched him with quiet, complicated eyes. Whatever had passed between them, this was still the man who had saved his life twice, pulled him out of the streets, and shown him what it's like to have a father—to belong.
He would not forget that.
Without a word, he stood and walked toward the door.
"Tianhao."
He stopped mid-step.
"Wherever you go—I hope you find what you're looking for." Su Huiqing's voice was steady, but carried the quiet ache of someone watching a son leave home. "And know this—you are always welcome here."
Su Tianhao's body stilled. A faint tremor moved through him. He turned to face Su Huiqing, golden eyes gleaming.
"Thank you, Foster Father," he said quietly. "For everything."
---
After leaving Su Huiqing's chambers, Su Tianhao didn't move toward the exit. Instead, he descended to the first floor and pushed open the doors to the private library.
The familiar space greeted him—towering shelves, ordered silence, the faint scent of old paper. At the central reading desk, a white-robed man sat reading with complete unhurried ease.
"Uncle Yuan," Su Tianhao called out.
The man looked up immediately.
"Little Tian!" Su Yuan's eyes brightened. "Come sit down."
"No," Su Tianhao said, a faint bitter smile tugging the edge of his lips. "I won't be staying long."
Su Yuan's brow rose. "Leaving soon, I take it."
"Yes. But before I go—I have something for you."
"Oh?" Su Yuan's eyes flickered with interest.
Su Tianhao's silver ring glowed briefly, and a paper scroll materialized in his palm.
"A cultivation technique," Su Tianhao muttered. "A year ago, you gave me the Basic Qi Tempering Method. Now I'm returning the favor."
Su Yuan laughed softly. "That old thing? It's a foundational method for Martial Apprentices—hardly worth mentioning."
"Alright, then think of it as gratitude," Su Tianhao smiled faintly.
Su Yuan's expression darkened slightly. "What's the meaning of this, Little Tian? Are you trying to cut ties with me too?"
"No," Su Tianhao quickly said, his composure slipping just slightly. "That is not my intention. No matter what—you will always be my Uncle Yuan. And Su Mei will always be my Senior Sister."
"Then what is this?" Su Yuan asked, expression easing.
"A gift." Su Tianhao's voice settled back into its usual calm. "I've always wanted to show my appreciation, and I kept asking myself—what could I actually offer you?"
He paused, his voice taking an icy edge. "Then I remembered Ye Shiming."
At the name, his eyes hardened—a flash of barely restrained fury.
"That man dared to silence you. Called you weak. Said your words didn't matter." His voice was low, deliberate. "I couldn't overlook that."
Su Yuan's gaze went cold at the memory. During the Ye family's confrontation with the Su family, he had spoken up for Su Tianhao's sake—and been dismissed without a second thought, as if his standing didn't matter at all.
"That bastard," Su Yuan muttered, his fists clenched beneath his sleeves.
"Don't worry," Su Tianhao's lips curled into a calculating grin. "This technique is the answer."
He held the scroll out.
Su Yuan received it with careful hands and unrolled it slowly.
---
The Verdant Tranquility Sutra—a rare internal cultivation technique rooted in nature's rhythm and balance. It focused on harmonizing the body and mind through deep breathing, spiritual stillness, and mental clarity. Practitioners gained exceptional emotional control, a steadied spiritual core, and a strengthening of the soul foundation over time. Not aggressive in nature—but enduring and unshakeable. A perfect fit for someone who valued restraint, discipline, and inner strength above brute force.
---
"It's as if it was made for me," Su Yuan murmured, eyes sharpening as he read deeper.
Then—
"High-grade Earth Rank technique?!" His voice rose before he could catch it. "This is actually a high-grade Earth Rank technique?!"
Earth Rank cultivation techniques were exceedingly rare across major clans. The Su family possessed exactly one—low-grade—and it was treated as a clan treasure, accessible only to the family's most important figures. A high-grade Earth Rank technique had never been seen in all of Oakwood City's history.
"How did you come by this?" Su Yuan asked, voice hushed with disbelief.
"My master," Su Tianhao said casually, his eyes betraying nothing. "And now I'm giving it to you. With this technique, your strength will increase steadily—and with enough time, you'll be able to make Ye Shiming regret every word he said."
Su Yuan stared at him for a long moment, then set the scroll down carefully.
"I'm speechless," he admitted. "Thank you, Little Tian."
"No need for thanks," Su Tianhao said, his pleasant tone shifting into something firmer. "But I need one promise from you."
"Name it."
"Don't tell anyone about this technique. Not only would it draw trouble to you—it could create complications for me as well."
Su Yuan snorted. "Who do you think I am? No one will know. Not even the Patriarch."
"Good." The seriousness dissolved from Su Tianhao's face as quickly as it had come, replaced by a warm, genuine smile. "I trust you, Uncle Yuan."
He offered a quiet bow. "I should go. Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Little Tian." Su Yuan smiled—the kind of smile that held something deeper than it showed. "See you soon."
Su Tianhao nodded once, then walked out of the library.
---
Outside, the morning sun had climbed higher, the cool breeze carrying the faint scent of blooming flowers from the estate's gardens. Su Tianhao paused for a moment beneath the open sky, hands clasped behind him.
'Two debts repaid,' he thought. 'Two more to go.'
His golden eyes moved toward the training grounds in the distance. Somewhere among those courtyards, Su Lei would already be training—relentless, as always. And beyond the estate walls, in the merchant district, Master Huan would be at his forge.
'Su Lei... Master Huan,' Su Tianhao thought, lips curving faintly. 'I won't leave without saying goodbye.'
With that, he began walking, azure robes drifting softly in the morning light.
The sun climbed higher, casting long shadows behind him—quiet echoes of everything that had come before.
But Su Tianhao didn't look back.
Not anymore.