Chapter 116: Spiritual Origin Ginseng, Ye Family's Ultimatum
The dust had yet to fully settle around Ye Shiming's broken figure. Stillness hung in the air like a blade suspended by a thread—not a word spoken, not a breath dared.
The scent of scorched earth mingled with the metallic tang of blood as faint embers drifted lazily through the air, remnants of Su Huiqing's fire attributed strike. The crater beneath Ye Shiming smoldered in silence.
Behind the Ye family's ranks, elite guards shuffled uneasily. The Cloudwind Stallions stamped and snorted, catching the unrest of their riders. A few of the younger guards swallowed hard, eyes flickering between Su Huiqing, Su Qingfeng, and the calm, unflinching Su Tianhao.
A gust of wind moved across the field, but it did nothing to ease the weight pressing down on the Ye family's shoulders.
The silence stretched.
Then Su Huiqing's voice rang out—calm but firm. "Patriarch Ye, please state your price for compensation. The Su family has always kept to its word."
Ye Zhenwu nodded solemnly, fists clenched.
"Does anyone have further objections to my decision?" His voice carried across the silence.
No verbal response came. One by one, the Ye family elders shook their heads—retreat and agreement made plain without a word. Could they oppose? Absolutely not. Su Huiqing was already a fearsome force. Su Qingfeng was a greater threat still. And the power standing behind Su Tianhao was a calamity altogether. To push further now was no different from seeking doom.
As the saying goes: a wise man does not bare his fangs before a den of lions.
Seeing the Ye family forfeit, Su Tianhao shook his head with quiet disappointment.
"I was really expecting a fight," he muttered.
In truth, the only reason he had come at all—after being informed by one of the gate guards—was to watch the elders at the very top of Oakwood City clash properly. He had never been worried about the Su family's safety. With Su Huiqing and Su Qingfeng present, the Ye family stood no real chance.
If the Ye family somehow knew his thoughts, they would have coughed blood from sheer indignation. What was a matter of life and death to them was merely entertainment to him.
Su Lei smiled bitterly at his side. "Only you would want something like that. Isn't it better the conflict was resolved this way?"
Su Tianhao smiled but said nothing further, his eyes settling on the two families facing each other. The atmosphere had shifted—from the edge of battle to the cold logic of negotiation.
---
"Ahem." Ye Zhenwu cleared his throat deliberately, commanding attention. "For compensation, we request the Spiritual Origin Ginseng."
"Spiritual Origin Ginseng?!"
The reaction was instant. Shock rippled through the Su family elders. Even the Ye family elders exchanged stunned glances.
"Isn't the Patriarch going too far?" Ye Xunhai and Ye Sheng exchanged uncertain looks.
Ye Baokang and Ye Chongtai were equally baffled. A flicker of hope reignited in Ye Shiming's weathered eyes. 'Could it be the Patriarch isn't truely interested in resolving this peacefully?'
Su Tianhao's lips twitched as he stared at Ye Zhenwu.
From his inherited memories, he knew exactly what the Spiritual Origin Ginseng was—an extraordinarily rare herb capable of cleansing and revitalizing the meridians, strengthening the foundation, enhancing innate talent, and dispelling bodily impurities. One of the very few treasures capable of helping a cultivator break through natural limits entirely.
'This Patriarch Ye is truly shameless,' he thought. 'Who in the world has such a thick face?'
Su Lei glanced at Ye Zhenwu with an expression that plainly said: is this opportunist really the Patriarch of the Ye family?
Even the Ye family elite guards exchanged wry smiles. Asking for Spiritual Origin Ginseng as compensation? Who does that?
"Ahem." Ye Zhenwu cleared his throat again, expression composed. "Patriarch Su, I heard you obtained two miraculous herbs recently—and the Spiritual Origin Ginseng happens to be one of them."
"What?!"
The crowd stirred even harder.
"The Su family Patriarch obtained a Spiritual Origin Ginseng? What kind of fortune is that?"
Greed flickered through the Ye family elders' eyes, their morale quietly rising. Though the herb was personally useless to cultivators of their level, its value to those below the Martial Core Realm was immense. With such a treasure, nurturing a disciple no less capable than Ye Wenjie was entirely within reach.
"That's right—Patriarch Ye's request is justified," Ye Baokang's voice rang out with practiced righteousness. "Since Su Tianhao crippled our young master, the Su family must offer compensation of equal value."
"Though the Spiritual Origin Ginseng won't restore Ye Wenjie's cultivation," Ye Chongtai added, "with it, nurturing someone as talented as him isn't impossible."
"Shameless old fool! Want to take the Spiritual Origin Ginseng? You must be dreaming!"
All eyes turned.
It was Su Liang—his voice dripping with scorn.
"Mind your manners, Second Elder," Su Qingfeng said sharply, white brows furrowing. No matter what, Ye Chongtai was an elder of his generation. Such open disrespect was unacceptable.
"First Elder—but that treasure was reserved for Jian'er's cultivation!" Su Liang protested.
"That doesn't justify your behavior," Su Qingfeng said coldly.
---
"The Su family actually has a treasure reserved for Su Jian?" Su Lei clicked his tongue with mild envy.
"It's just a Spiritual Origin Ginseng," Su Tianhao shrugged. To him, it held little practical value—his talents had long surpassed mortal limits, and he was already close to achieving the Untainted Body. What impurities could it dispel that his own technique couldn't already handle?
Su Lei smiled bitterly but didn't press the point. He assumed Su Tianhao was simply trying to comfort himself—what young genius wouldn't be tempted by such a treasure?
Su Tianhao was entirely oblivious to this interpretation. Only one question genuinely weighed on his mind.
"How did Ye Zhenwu know about the Spiritual Origin Ginseng?"
"Spies," Su Lei replied simply.
Su Tianhao frowned. "How can you be so calm about that?"
"It's common. Every great clan monitors its rivals. The Su family has their own people inside the Ye family too," Su Lei said.
"I see," Su Tianhao murmured quietly.
Meanwhile, Su Huiqing's voice cut through the surrounding murmurs with measured firmness. "Patriarch Ye, as you heard—the Spiritual Origin Ginseng is a treasure I have reserved for my son. Beyond that, you and I both know its value far exceeds any reasonable compensation for this matter. I cannot give it to you."
Su Liang exhaled quietly in relief.
'With the potency of that herb, Jian'er will undoubtedly undergo a transformation and rapidly grow stronger... when that happens, Jian'er will be able to defeat Su Tianhao and restore his dignity!' he thought with deep satisfaction, blissfully unaware of how far Su Tianhao had truly advanced.
But while Su Liang's heart swelled with quiet pleasure, Ye Zhenwu's face darkened.
"I have stated my terms—the Spiritual Origin Ginseng, or Su Tianhao," he declared, his voice carrying fierce resolve.
"Hmph! Do you really think you're in a position to bargain?" Su Qingfeng's aura flared.
A heavy pressure blanketed the field like a suffocating fog rolling in without warning.
Ye Zhenwu felt shivers run down his spine, instincts screaming. In that moment, he seemed to recall something important—the Su family wasn't being lenient because they had to be. They were upholding their own honor. As the saying goes: honor above all. That was the Su family way.
"Fine," he muttered through gritted teeth. "If you won't give me the Spiritual Origin Ginseng, then the other miraculous herb you found shouldn't be a problem."
Su Huiqing frowned. "Patriarch Ye, don't you think you're going too far?"
"What? You cannot give me the Purple Vein Lotus either?"
The Purple Vein Lotus—another rare treasure capable of strengthening one's foundation and cleansing the meridians. Not as extraordinary as the Spiritual Origin Ginseng, but still exceptionally valuable and nearly impossible to obtain outside of sheer fortune or high-tier auction.
"The Su family Patriarch found a Purple Vein Lotus as well?" The Ye family guards visibly stirred.
"What a cunning man," Su Yuan muttered, just loud enough. "He's using Ye Wenjie's misfortune to create benefits for his own faction."
"Look—I have reserved the Purple Vein Lotus for my second son, Su Tianhao," Su Huiqing said, his voice sharpening. "You need to be more reasonable."
Ye Zhenwu's jaw tightened. "I have made my final offer. Nothing is changing that."
"Is that so?" Su Huiqing's voice dropped to something quietly dangerous. His aura flared—robes stirring, the surrounding temperature rising as if a dormant volcano had begun to stir beneath the earth.
Just as he was about to move—
"Let him have it."
Su Tianhao's voice cut through the rising tension like lightning splitting a storm—abrupt, quiet, and impossible to ignore.
Su Huiqing turned, his frown dissolving into something warmer. "Are you sure? We can still—"
"No need," Su Tianhao said sharply. Absolute. Final.
"I caused this trouble. I should take responsibility. If the Ye family wants the treasure that was intended for me, let them have it."
Su Qingfeng nodded in quiet approval.
Su Huiqing held his son's gaze for a moment, then turned to face Ye Zhenwu. "I will have someone bring it to you by morning tomorrow."
Ye Zhenwu nodded—his expression composed, but the faint smile playing at the corner of his lips betrayed everything.
"Let's go."
His voice carried across the field like an imperial decree. He turned toward the carriage without waiting for a response—entirely unconcerned that the Su family might break their word. He knew them well enough. Honor above all. They would deliver.
Seeing the Patriarch move, the Ye family elders exchanged quiet glances and fell in line.
Ye Shiming shared this understanding—but it changed nothing about what burned in his chest.
"You heard the Patriarch," Ye Xunhai called out to the guards. "We are leaving. The matter of Su Tianhao crippling Ye Wenjie is officially closed."
The guards were stunned—but none voiced it. They had personally witnessed the Su family's strength. If anything, relief was the dominant feeling among them.
"Strength is everything," Su Lei said quietly, watching the Ye family withdraw. "Without it, today might have ended very differently."
Su Tianhao nodded. "Without the Su family's strength, there would have been bloodshed."
---
As the last of the Cloudwind Stallions disappeared into the distance and their hooves faded to silence, a fragile calm returned to the Su family estate. The scorched ground and lingering dust bore quiet witness to the storm that had almost broken.
What began as a march for blood and vengeance ended in quiet submission.
But beneath that quiet, grudges had carved themselves deeper—and the Ye family's retreat was not the end of anything.
It was only the beginning.