I died young at the start, but I'm reincarnated with unlimited skill points!

When I came out of the Imperial Household Department, it was almost dusk.

As dusk settles over the streets of the market, the stone lanterns hanging from the shops on both sides emit a soft glow, illuminating the bluestone pavement.

Su Yu walked steadily through the crowd, his hands behind his back.

This audience with the young clan leader has added yet another mark to his resume, which already boasts of being unambitious, greedy, and lustful.

The suspicion of those in positions of authority often stems from the uncontrollability of their subordinates.

The safest person is one who openly displays all their desires and vulnerabilities.

Back at the steward's residence, as soon as I pushed open the vermilion courtyard gate, a burst of children's cheerful laughter rang out.

In the spacious courtyard.

The eight-year-old eldest son, Su Cheng, was shirtless, meticulously practicing his horse stance next to the stone lock.

Sweat streamed down his dark, youthful face. Although he was a mortal without spiritual roots, his blood and qi were well-developed.

Not far away, Su Yuan, the second son, dressed in a brocade robe, was idly poking at the spirit ants on the ground with a twig.

In addition, there were two toddlers who were still in the toddler stage, playing under the corridor under the care of maids and wet nurses.

Five years have passed.

In this mansion, Su Yu fulfilled his duty of procreation to the fullest extent.

He had one wife and three concubines, who bore him four sons and three daughters, and he firmly established himself in Aoki Ward.

"My husband is back."

The curtain to the main room was lifted, and Song Qingwan came out to greet them.

After several years of pampered care, she shed her youthful naiveté and reserve, gaining an air of dignity and composure befitting a matriarch.

Su Yu nodded slightly, took off his outer robe and handed it to her, his gaze falling on his second son, Su Yuan.

"Yuan'er, tomorrow will be your sixth birthday."

Hearing his father call him, Su Yuan threw down the tree branch, ran quickly to Su Yu, and bowed respectfully.

"Father, tomorrow is the seventh day of the month, which is my birthday."

"Come to my study after dinner."

Su Yu left a message and walked straight into the main hall.

As night fell, the study was brightly lit by candlelight.

Su Yuan stood in front of the desk. Although he was only six years old, his physique with a seventh-grade spiritual root made him half a head taller than ordinary children, and his eyes and brows revealed a precocious intelligence.

In recent years, because he possessed spiritual roots, he was greatly pampered by his mother at home, and the servants treated him like a young master.

Subtly, a hint of arrogance developed within him.

Su Yu sat in the armchair, quietly watching his son.

"You will turn six tomorrow, and the Internal Affairs Hall will send someone to take you to the main clan school."

Su Yu's tone was calm, revealing no emotion.

"Do you know what going to the clan school means?"

Su Yuan puffed out his chest, a hint of longing flashing in his eyes, and replied, "My mother said that if I go to the clan school, I can learn immortal techniques and become a manager in the market like my father, or even a high-ranking cultivator in the family."

Su Yu didn't find the child's innocent words funny.

"Looking at the sky from the bottom of a well."

Su Yu poured himself a cup of tea and uttered four words calmly.

Su Yuan was taken aback, his pride faltered slightly, and he seemed somewhat at a loss.

"You think having a seventh-grade spiritual root is something special? In this steward's mansion, you're the only young master like that."

Su Yu put down his teacup, his gaze becoming deep and cold.

"But in the main lineage academy, there are at least eight or ten collateral lineage disciples like you with spiritual roots. Not to mention those main lineage direct descendants who are born with abundant resources."

"In their eyes, you are not a genius, but just a henchman who was recruited and trained by the family because of your decent spiritual roots."

These words are somewhat cruel, and seem too heavy for a six-year-old child.

But Su Yu knew very well that if he let this kid go to the main branch with his pride, he would be devoured sooner or later, leaving not even bones behind.

To live a long life, one must first learn to conceal one's shortcomings.

"Go to the clan school and put away all the arrogance you've developed at home."

Su Yu looked into Su Yuan's eyes and gave him instructions, word by word.

"If others are showing off, you should stay behind and watch. If someone tries to steal the pills and spirit stones you distribute, fight them if you can, otherwise give them to them. Remember not to act rashly and make a deadly enemy."

"Practice the techniques taught in the clan school step by step. Don't appear too slow, but never too fast either."

Although Su Yuan was young, he was not stupid. He vaguely understood the seriousness in his father's words and nodded obediently.

"I've remembered it."

Seeing that the time was almost right, Su Yu got up and walked over to him.

"Your elder brother has no spiritual roots, so I only taught him mortal martial arts. Since you are going to embark on the path of immortality, I will pass on another set of incantations to you."

Su Yu extended two fingers and gently touched Su Yuan's brow.

What he taught was an extremely sophisticated breathing technique derived from the pinnacle of martial arts in his previous life.

This method does not involve absorbing spiritual energy from the cultivation world; it is only used to strengthen the foundation, cultivate vitality, and regulate qi and blood.

"At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) every day, face east and silently recite this mantra three times."

"Remember, you must not even tell your mother about this, and you must not reveal it to anyone in the clan school."

Although this breathing technique is basic, years of practice are enough to make Su Yuan's blood and qi far surpass those of other cultivators of the same level.

After giving his instructions, Su Yu waved his hand, signaling Su Yuan to go back to his room and rest.

The next morning.

A carriage bearing the emblem of the main branch of the Su family came to a steady stop outside the steward's residence.

Accompanying the carriage was a steward from the Department of Internal Affairs.

Song Qingwan's eyes were red and swollen. She held Su Yuan's hand and gave him a thousand instructions. She tidied his newly made long robe, her eyes full of reluctance.

Since ancient times, doting mothers have spoiled their children. If it weren't for the strict family rules, she would never have let her six-year-old son leave her side.

"Alright, don't be late."

Su Yu stepped forward, patted Song Qingwan on the shoulder, and then looked at Su Yuan.

"Go."

Su Yuan's eyes reddened, but under his father's calm gaze, he forced back his tears.

He knelt down and kowtowed three times to Su Yu and Song Qingwan.

"Father, Mother, your child is leaving."

After saying that, Su Yuan stood up and got into the carriage without looking back.

The carriage moved slowly, its wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs with a monotonous rumbling sound, gradually fading into the distance.

Su Yu stood on the steps, watching the carriage disappear around the street corner.

To outsiders, it seems like a stroke of good fortune for a member of a collateral branch to enter the clan school.

But in Su Yu's eyes, this was nothing more than the family's higher-ups reaching into his Achilles' heel.

With Su Yuan, a second son with decent talent, serving as a hostage in the main branch.

No matter how much Su Yu greedily acquires at the Spirit Herb Pavilion, or how beautiful his concubines are, the main branch will still completely trust him.

Because in the eyes of those in power, he was not only a useless person without ambition, but also a pawn with attachments and whose weaknesses were being exploited.