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

Su Yuntao turned around and saw a girl of about ten years old peeking out from under an old locust tree by the roadside, carrying a small wicker basket with several freshly picked herbs in it.

A buzzing sound went through Su Yuntao's mind as memories flooded back.

This is his younger sister, Su Yunli.

Before Su Yuntao could speak, the little girl had already run up to him in a few quick steps, placed the wicker basket on the stone steps by the roadside, tilted her head up, and carefully looked him over, her voice filled with barely suppressed surprise:

"Second Brother! Why are you back! Last time you wrote that you had a lot of tasks this year and wouldn't be back for a while. I thought I wouldn't see you until autumn..."

As she spoke, her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes reddened a little, but she quickly pursed her lips and suppressed her emotions.

As a young lady from a noble family, even if she was overjoyed inside, she would not lose her composure on the surface.

Looking at that slender yet dignified face, Su Yuntao felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

He crouched down, his tone softening slightly:

"I finished my mission and came back to see you all. What, you're not welcoming me back?"

"How could we not welcome you!"

Su Yunli finally couldn't suppress the smile on her lips and bent down to pick up the wicker basket:

"Mom was talking about you the other day. She said that over the past few years, you've helped the children in several nearby villages awaken their martial spirits. The awakening time is almost here again this year, so you'll definitely be busy again."

Su Yuntao stood up and looked his sister up and down.

Although the dress was clean, the stitches on the cuffs were clearly sewn by herself, and the plain silver hairpin in her hair was an old family item, its style long outdated.

A slight pang of sadness gripped his heart. He took out the jade hairpin from his robes and offered it to her.

"I brought you something, take it."

Su Yunli looked down and saw that it was a jade hairpin that was entirely green, with a small orchid carved on the head. The jade was warm and translucent, and it shone with a soft luster in the afternoon light.

Her eyes lit up for a moment, but she didn't immediately reach out to take it. Instead, she took a small step back, a hint of hesitation on her face.

"Second brother, this... is too expensive. You save up money yourself, why did you buy this for me?"

Su Yuntao lied without changing his expression:

"My colleague's family sells this. I asked him to bring it to me. It was very cheap and didn't cost much."

Su Yunli hesitated for a moment before taking the jade hairpin with both hands. She carefully held it in her palms and examined it for a while, then looked up at Su Yuntao and said softly:

"Thank you, Second Brother."

Her tone was calm and restrained, but the light in her eyes was impossible to hide.

She carefully tucked the jade hairpin into a hidden pocket in her sleeve, then naturally took Su Yuntao's arm:

"Let's go home. Mother should have brewed the tea by now. You've come back just in time. A few days ago, the neighbors gave us half a pound of new tea, and Mother said she wanted to save it for you to drink when you come back."

The two continued walking along the official road.

Su Yunli walked lightly, chatting casually about trivial matters at home, her tone light and cheerful, as if she was trying to show him the most ordinary and peaceful side of her family.

But the more Su Yuntao listened, the more he felt something was wrong.

She talked a lot about other people's affairs, but she didn't mention a single word about why so many tenant farmers in the village had disappeared, nor why so many crops in the fields had been abandoned.

He considered it for a moment, trying to make his tone as casual as possible:

"By the way, where's my older brother? Is he home?"

Su Yunli's hand, which was holding his arm, paused slightly, and her steps slowed a beat. After a few moments, she spoke, but her voice was a few decibels lower than before:

"Big brother... he was injured last month."

Su Yuntao frowned:

"Injured? What happened?"

Su Yunli remained silent for a while before slowly speaking:

"At the beginning of last month, several soul beasts suddenly appeared in the mountains and forests north of the territory. They were all a hundred years old. Normally, soul beasts in the Soul Hunting Forest would rarely run to human settlements, but for some reason, five of them came at once that day and even broke into the tenants' fields and trampled a lot of crops."

She paused, then lowered her voice further:

"The territory's guards rushed to drive them away, and as a result... three died on the spot, and four were injured. My elder brother led men to provide support, and although they eventually drove the beasts away, he himself was gored by a tusked wild boar."

Su Yuntao stopped in his tracks.

Su Yunli sensed his pause and stopped as well, looking up at him:

"Second brother, don't worry. The doctor said that eldest brother's injury has been healing for more than half a month. He can now sit up and drink porridge, but he still can't get out of bed and walk."

The guard suffered three deaths and four injuries, including his elder brother who was also seriously injured.

Su Yuntao clenched his fist, then slowly relaxed it.

The Su family's barony was not large, and its guard consisted of only a dozen or so men, all of whom were the sons of tenant farmers whom the Su family had supported for many years.

These people had been working the land under the Su family for generations. The sudden loss of three and the injury of four, all of whom were young and strong, had a huge impact on the territory. No wonder he felt that the entire territory was much more desolate as he walked along.

However, the fact that five soul beasts simultaneously entered the territory, and all of them were over a hundred years old, is itself suspicious.

Su Yuntao had worked in the Spirit Hall for more than ten years. Although he was of low rank, he had learned a lot of common knowledge through his daily life.

The outer perimeter of the Soul Hunter Forest is guarded by Imperial Soul Masters year-round, making it difficult for Soul Beasts inside to escape easily, let alone intrude into human settlements.

There are generally only two possibilities when this happens: either a huge incident has occurred deep in the forest, with a large number of soul beasts attacking the soul master's defense line, or someone has deliberately opened a breach.

However, he needed to investigate further to determine the exact circumstances. He suppressed his doubts and softened his tone:

"Let's go back and see our older brother first."

The old mansion of the baron is a three-courtyard house made of blue bricks. It is not large in scale, but the layout is well-organized.

There are two old locust trees in front of the door, and a pair of stone benches under the trees, which look quite old.

The plaster on the courtyard wall was somewhat mottled and peeling, and a few clumps of moss grew on the tiles, but the brass rings on the gate were polished to a shine, and the threshold was swept clean.

Su Yuntao followed Su Yunli through the front yard and into the east wing of the second courtyard. As soon as they pushed open the door, a faint smell of medicine wafted out.

The room was not brightly lit, and the window was half-open for ventilation. A man in his thirties was lying on the bed against the wall. He was broad-shouldered and his face resembled Su Yuntao's by about five or six points, but his face was pale. He was half-lying against a worn pillow.

Su Yunfeng, the eldest son of the Su family, is 31 years old, a level 29 Soul Master, and his Martial Soul is also the Lone Wolf.

Hearing the door open, Su Yunfeng turned around and saw Su Yuntao standing in the doorway. He was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he struggled to sit up.

"Second brother? What's wrong with you...?"

Su Yuntao quickly stepped forward, grabbed his shoulder, and pressed him back down:

"You can just lie there, I'll come back to check on you."

Su Yuntao pulled up a stool and sat down on the edge of the bed, saying softly:

"Where are you hurt? Let me see."