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

In the courtyard of the Imperial Household Department, the screams and muffled sounds of fists and kicks gradually subsided.

Several young men from the collateral branch who had just been full of passion and vowed to defend the spirit stone to the death were now curled up on the ground, their faces bruised and swollen, groaning in pain.

Su Hao swaggered forward and, without any hesitation, forcibly took four low-grade spirit stones from each of them, leaving only one for them to prolong their lives.

"A spineless coward who won't listen to reason but will suffer the consequences."

Su Hao sneered, threw the spirit stones he had looted into his storage bag, clapped his hands, and looked refreshed.

Suppressing one's own kind is certainly an ugly act.

But this sense of power—the ability to trample on the resources and dignity of others—was incredibly intoxicating to the eighteen-year-old young clan leader.

"Young Clan Leader is mighty! These collateral relatives are just asking for trouble; they have no idea of ​​the Young Clan Leader's good intentions!"

Beside him, two lackeys immediately came forward, offering him a silk handkerchief with fawning expressions.

Su Hao took the handkerchief and wiped his hands. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he noticed a slender figure standing quietly outside the door.

It was Su Yu who had just handed over the spirit stones and left.

"What? You can't bear to part with those three spirit stones, so you want to come back and ask for a beating?"

Su Hao raised an eyebrow, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes.

The two lackeys immediately stepped forward, rubbing their hands together and secretly circulating their spiritual energy.

However, faced with this tense situation, Su Yu did not show the slightest fear. Instead, he straightened his clothes and bowed deeply to Su Hao.

Their manners were so impeccable and their actions so precise that even the most disciplined old eunuchs in the secular imperial palace could not find a single fault with them.

"Young clan leader, you've misunderstood."

Su Yu straightened up, his expression calm, but his tone carried seven parts guilt and three parts just the right amount of respect.

"Su Tian returned not for the spirit stones, but because he suddenly understood a principle and came to apologize to the young clan leader."

"Oh?" Su Hao was taken aback. "What offense are you apologizing for?"

Su Yu sighed, his gaze sweeping over the boys on the ground who were beaten to the point of near death, and said with a pained expression.

"I was just as foolish as they were, thinking you were acting domineeringly, until I finally woke up from my dream halfway through!"

"The situation in Qingmu Market is turbulent and unpredictable. Several powerful families in the surrounding area are eyeing our Su family with covetous intent. If the resources are divided equally among us lowly ninth-rank cultivators, we'll just have a few more low-level cultivators who only know how to grow spirit rice!"

"Only by pooling the resources of the entire clan to support you, a prodigy with a sixth-grade spiritual root, can our clan establish itself in the market!"

At this point, Su Yu looked intently at Su Hao, his eyes filled with 'fervor' and 'understanding'.

"Young Clan Leader, as a sixth-grade spiritual root prodigy, you bear the weight of the entire clan's rise and fall! What you've taken away today isn't spirit stones, but the hope for our Su family to establish itself in this market!"

"It's laughable how short-sighted these people are; they have no idea about the pressure and infamy you're under!"

"Su Tian is of dull talent and only asks to follow you and handle miscellaneous tasks, to help the young clan leader establish his foundation as soon as possible, and to uphold the divine might of our clan!"

After these impassioned words, the entire Imperial Household Department fell into a deathly silence.

The boys lying on the ground didn't even bother to cry out in pain. They stared at Su Yu with their bloodshot eyes wide open, as if he were a monster.

In this world...

How could there be such a shameless and sycophantic person?!

To portray blatant robbery as a noble sacrifice of enduring humiliation and bearing the weight of one's family's fate?!

The two lackeys looked at each other, their cheeks burning.

They thought they were already masters of flattery.

Compared to Su Tianyi today, I'm just a lowly peasant!

Even Su Hao, who was standing at the very front, was completely stunned.

Although he seized resources to satisfy his personal desires and to lord it over the family.

But who wouldn't want to drape themselves in a cloak of greatness and glory?

What young people are most susceptible to is this kind of condescending flattery.

Moreover, he was a genius who had just turned eighteen, pampered by his family, and arrogant.

Su Yu looked at Su Hao's lips, which he tried hard to hide but still couldn't suppress from turning up, and couldn't help but let out a sly chuckle in his heart.

In his previous life, he was the Prince of Zhennan for most of his life, holding all the power in the world. What kind of people hadn't he seen?

People generally criticize the emperor for being incompetent, favoring sycophants and distancing himself from loyal ministers who dare to speak frankly.

But only those who have actually sat in that position and experienced that kind of power will understand.

Those in high positions need no one to teach them how to do things!

While loyal ministers are useful, they are like sandpaper; although they can sharpen a sword, they constantly rub against the self-esteem of those in power, making people feel tired and resistant.

And what about the petty person?

They are lubricants.

They can accurately capture the most secret desires in the hearts of those in power, and then use the most eloquent language to rationalize and elevate these desires.

They don't offer friction, they only offer the highest level of emotional value.

An emperor needs upright officials to govern the country, but he also needs sycophants to soothe his lonely heart that feels isolated at the top.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Su Hao said "good" three times in a row, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Su Yu had changed from contempt to a little appreciation.

He strode forward, even personally patting Su Yu on the shoulder, and laughed loudly:

"I never imagined that among this group of fools, there would be someone as insightful as you! You're right, how can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan! My plans, Su Hao's, are far beyond the comprehension of these short-sighted individuals!"

"Your name is Su Tian, ​​right? From now on, you'll be working for me!"

Su Hao waved his hand, exuding heroic spirit.

Then he looked at the two somewhat bewildered lackeys beside him.

Seeing this, Su Yu immediately added with a smile.

"These two elder brothers beside the young clan leader have been helping you with your troubles and have made great contributions."

"Su Tian is new here and will need to rely on the guidance of his two cousins ​​in the future."

This seemingly casual remark instantly put the two previously wary lackeys at ease, and they began to look at Su Yu with much more positive eyes.

That kid knows how to handle people!

Su Hao spoke quite generously.

"Speak, Su Tian. Now that you've pledged allegiance to me, I, the young master, will naturally be fair in rewarding and punishing you. What kind of job do you want?"

Faced with the promise, Su Yu remained calm, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.

He lowered his eyes and spoke in a calm and gentle tone.

"I've heard that some disciples in the outer spirit fields often slack off, leading to a reduction in spirit rice production."

"If the young clan leader trusts me, Su Tian is willing to take on the position of 'spiritual field inspector' to keep an eye on those people and ensure that resources are not lost."

"Inspecting the sacred fields?"

Su Hao was stunned for a moment.

This job is not only tiring, but also easy to offend people. Apart from gaining a little bit of insignificant jurisdiction, there is no real benefit to be had.

"Are you sure you want this job?" Su Hao asked suspiciously.

"I would go through fire and water for the young clan chief!"

Su Yu was resolute.

At this moment, the elder deacon who had been sitting in the main seat pretending to be deaf and dumb slowly opened his eyes.

He gave Su Yu a deep look, a hint of satisfaction and appreciation flashing in his eyes.

The family's policy of concentrating resources on the main branch is an ironclad rule tacitly accepted by the higher-ups, and it is also the fundamental reason why this elder deacon tacitly allowed Su Hao to come here to establish his authority.

However, blatant robbery is ultimately an ugly act and is very likely to provoke resentment among the lower classes.

Today, with just a few words, Su Tian transformed the young clan leader's cunning and ruthless exploitation into an expression of righteous family loyalty and forbearance.

This not only appeased people's hearts but also gave the main line of business a legitimate and respectable stepping stone.

This young man is extremely sensible and has the potential to be a promising individual who knows when to advance and when to retreat.

"Young clan leader, since Su Tian is so loyal in sharing your burdens, let's grant his request."

The elder deacon nodded slightly, stroked his beard, and set the tone.

"Starting tomorrow, the patrol of the outer spirit fields will be the responsibility of Su Tian."

With an elder speaking up, Su Hao naturally agreed and left satisfied with his lackey.

After the person had gone far away, Su Yu slowly straightened up.

A chore?

Is there no profit to be made from inspecting Lingtian?

wrong!

During the month that Su Yu spent farming under the scorching sun, he had already noticed something that others could not see.

The spirit-gathering array set up by the Qingmu Su family on the outer perimeter was extremely crude, with several extremely hidden array nodes on the edge of the spirit field.

Every midnight, extremely pure, unowned spiritual energy overflows from the node.

With the legitimate identity of patrolling as cover, he could openly appear in the spirit fields at night and silently intercept the spiritual energy.

This is where Su Yu's opportunity lies!