Douluo V: Daily Intelligence - I Want All of Tang San's Opportunities

"We have no way out."

Liu Yingda sat back down in his chair, took a deep breath, and spoke in a slightly calmer tone, but the heavy sense of oppression remained undiminished:

"Let's put off proposing to Su Yunli for now. Taking the initiative now will only alert her. I'll go see City Lord Xiao Huaiyuan tomorrow; he's the only one who can help us now."

Liu Yuanlang was taken aback: "Lord Xiao? He can help us?"

Liu Yingda did not answer, but simply waved his hand:

"You can go out now. Behave yourself these next few days and don't wander around. By the way, Su Yuntao's ability to become a branch hall master of the Spirit Hall is definitely not as simple as we thought. We need to reinvestigate the information about him. During this time, keep your distance from that Sisi and don't cause any unnecessary trouble."

Liu Yuanlang nodded quickly, acknowledged the request, and left the study.

As the door closed, he heard his father sigh softly inside the room.

Meanwhile, when Su Yuntao returned to the Baron's mansion, it was already half dark.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw Liu Shi and Su Yunli standing under the old locust tree in the courtyard. They must have heard his footsteps, because they both turned around at the same time.

Su Yunli spoke first:

"Second brother, why are you so late? Mother has been waiting for you to eat for ages."

Liu didn't speak, but just stood there looking at Su Yuntao, her eyes filled with an indescribable unease.

When Shi Zhenxiang and Sisi came to find Su Yuntao in the afternoon, she was in the courtyard. He didn't hear clearly what they said, but he vaguely heard a few words like "You really are slacking off at home" and "Your Highness, you must go back immediately."

Su Yuntao walked to the center of the courtyard, patted the dust off his trousers, smiled, and said:

"There's something I need to tell you."

Liu's heart jumped again:

"What is it? Good news or bad news?"

"Good news." Su Yuntao's tone was casual, but the curve of his lips betrayed him. "I've been promoted. I'm now the branch hall master of the Notting City Martial Soul Branch Hall."

The air in the courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Su Yunli was the first to react, exclaiming "Ah!" and covering her mouth, her eyes wide with surprise.

Liu was stunned for a while, as if she hadn't reacted yet, or as if she was digesting the weight of those words.

She looked at Su Yuntao, her lips moved slightly, and her voice trembled slightly:

"A... branch hall master? You mean, you're now the branch hall master of the Spirit Hall in Notting City?"

"Yes." Su Yuntao nodded. "Palace Master Qin Yan has been promoted, and I will take over his position."

Liu stood there, her eyes instantly reddening.

She gripped the hand towel in her hand until her knuckles turned white, her lips trembled several times, but in the end she said nothing, only nodded hard, her eyes red-rimmed, and the corners of her mouth forced upwards.

Su Yunfeng's voice came from inside the house:

"Second brother? What are you talking about? Come in and tell me!"

Su Yuntao pushed open the door to the east wing and went inside. Su Yunfeng had already sat up straight on the bed and was looking at him expectantly.

Su Yuntao sat down by the bed and briefly recounted the events of the day, from the genius who awakened twin martial souls in Holy Soul Village, to the clues about a wanted criminal at the Title Douluo level, Chrysanthemum Douluo personally inquiring about it, Qin Yan's transfer, and then to him taking over as the branch hall master.

After listening, Su Yunfeng remained silent for a long while, then let out a long sigh.

His long-tension expression finally relaxed, like a string that had been stretched for too long finally being allowed to unwind. He leaned against the headboard, his voice carrying a weariness and relief that had been suppressed for so long:

"Yuntao, I'm relieved that you've made something of yourself."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly:

"I was always worried that I wouldn't be able to hold onto this baron. When Father passed away, this burden fell on my shoulders. I tried my best to bear it, but this still happened. I got injured and am now lying here unable to do anything. During that time, I couldn't sleep at night. Sometimes I really felt like I couldn't hold on anymore. But now it's all right... With you here, I can entrust the baron to you with peace of mind."

Su Yuntao reached out and patted him on the shoulder:

"Brother, what nonsense are you talking about? The baronate is yours. You should focus on recovering from your injuries. Once you're healed, you'll take over again. What's the point of me, a branch hall master of the Spirit Hall, carrying an imperial title? I'll end up pleasing neither side unless I give up this branch hall master position."

Su Yunfeng was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant and chuckled somewhat sheepishly.

"Yes, I was confused."

Standing at the door, still clutching the cloth in her hand, Liu finally couldn't help but speak, her voice trembling with emotion:

"Yuntao, I was always worried that I wouldn't be able to protect this family for your father."

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, her voice trembling slightly, but she still smiled and continued:

"But now, seeing your achievements and seeing how you brothers can be so loving and respectful to each other, even if I were to pass away now, I could say to your father that I have a clear conscience."

Su Yuntao waved his hand:

"Mother, what discouraging words are you saying? The good days have just begun. You'll still have to watch your eldest brother find you a wife and have grandchildren in the future."

Liu was amused by him and stopped crying while laughing, patting him lightly with a cloth:

"You always push everything onto your brother. Why don't you say you'll help me find a wife so I can have a grandson?"

Su Yuntao smiled, but then his expression turned serious, and his tone became more earnest:

"By the way, Mother, and eldest brother, I've become a branch hall master now. Many things that I couldn't do before, I can do now. I'd like to discuss two things with you."

He extended his first finger:

"First, I think we need to expand the production scale of hidden blades. We should finish the batch that Uncle Liu is making first, but thirty blades are far from enough. I plan to have the territory find more blacksmiths and open more production lines to try to increase production within a month. There's no need to worry about sales. I can handle the Spirit Hall on my own. The deacons of the branch halls need self-defense equipment when they go out on missions. Hidden blades are highly concealed and quick to fire. Once they are widely promoted, the demand will be considerable."

He extended his second finger:

"Secondly, the size of the territory guard team also needs to be expanded. In the past, the guard team recruited only Soul Masters, which had high thresholds and was difficult to find. But with the hidden arrow, ordinary people can also exert the combat power of Soul Masters. As long as we can ensure that everyone has an arrow and that the training is in place, the guard team formed in this way will not be weaker than the Soul Master team."

As Su Yunfeng listened to him recount each point, the light in his eyes gradually brightened:

"If what you say can be achieved, the strength of our barony will definitely be greatly enhanced."

Su Yuntao patted him on the shoulder:

"This team will eventually be handed over to you, big brother, but before that..."

He then turned to Lady Liu:

"Mother, until my eldest brother recovers, you will have to take care of these things for the time being. Please take care of the materials, wages, and manpower allocation."

Madam Liu nodded, her face beaming with smiles:

"Don't worry, I can handle this."