The Boss I Picked Up All Fell In Love With Me - Chapter 61

 

Arc 2 Part 25

Note: Hi everyone! I've decided to take over the translation for this book. I'd love to know if people are still people interested in this, so leave a comment if you can. Thanks and happy reading! ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ ) 

Just as he had dropped off Su Zui at the entrance of the residential complex, Xie Yu's cellphone started to ring.

Glancing at the caller ID, Xie Yu seemed troubled.

He didn't answer the call immediately but started explaining to Su Zui, "It's an elder from our clan. He probably wants to ask about the secret realm."

It was bound to happen that the Tao community would find out about his and Su Zui's activities. Having dared to take so many resources from the secret realm, Xie Yu was well-prepared for any potential fallouts.

With his family's protection, Xie Yu wasn't overly worried about any possible consequences. But, it was different for Su Zui.

During the time in the secret realm, Su Zui had briefly mentioned his family affairs.

The Su family was very well-known centuries ago. However, they have long since been excluded from the Tao clans. Despite inheriting the orthodox skills from his ancestors, under the current regulations, Su Zui would still only be considered as an independent practitioner.

Independent practitioners, who are without protection, have the lowest status among Tao cultivators.

Su Zui could submit a request for formal acknowledgement and reinstatement of the Su family within the recognized Tao families. But this process is often complicated and long, it could often last months, making it very time-consuming.

Moreover, there is a high probability that they won't pass the review, particularly if he's the only remaining member of his family.

Time waits for no one. The most convenient and efficient method right now is to associate with an established clan.

While quickly analyzing in his mind, Xie Yu seriously said to Su Zui, "The family verification process is long and risky. Why don't I negotiate with my family to let you stay as a visiting relative for a while? It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. They'd be foolish not to agree."

He could clearly see that Su Zui's strength far surpassed that of many of the elders in his family.

At the very least, his talent in drawing talismans was unmatched in the current world of cultivation.

Even if you ignore his talent, considering the resources he possessed, there would be plenty of clans willing to take Su Zui in if he so desired.

The Xie family might not be the best choice, but as long as Su Zui was part of it, Xie Yu was prepared to do anything to keep him safe.

But Su Zui remained non-committal, revealing only a slight smile. "Let's see how things turn out. I can still take care of myself," he said in a low voice, urging Xie Yu, "You should answer your phone."

Seeing that Su Zui showed no interest, Xie Yu was a bit frustrated.

Telling Su Zui to "wait here and don't go upstairs," he finally answered the call.

As expected, after a short and awkward small talk, the caller was unable to curb his curiosity about what happened in the secret realm and who was with Xie Yu.

Xie Yu honestly recounted his own experiences, including the unexpected journey to and from the secret realm during their mountain climbing. They indeed didn't know why this had happened.

He didn't lie, but he cleverly omitted many details about Su Zui.

The elder seemed not entirely satisfied with Xie Yu's response, but it was not suitable to complain over the phone. He merely urged Xie Yu to return home soon for a detailed discussion.

"Don't forget, do invite the friend you encountered within the secret realm to also be our guest," the elder insisted.

Rather than agreeing outright, Xie Yu responded, "I'll have to ask him, he might not have the time."

Clearly, his family was interested in recruiting Su Zui. While Xie Yu also hoped to have Su Zui as a guest in their home, he knew that he couldn't make the decision on Su Zui's behalf.

After hanging up the call, Xie Yu glanced up at Su Zui, relaying what the elder had said.

He had expected Su Zui to flatly refuse, but surprisingly, without even a hint of hesitation, Su Zui agreed.

Bewildered, Xie Yu asked, "You really want to go?"

"Well, school is not starting for a few days, I've got free time. Why? You aren't welcoming me?" Su Zui retorted.

Xie Yu broke into a silly grin, "Of course, you're welcome! I'll come to fetch you tomorrow morning, okay? My home is just in the city area, it's very close!"

Su Zui smiled, "Sure, I'll prepare a bit first."

He watched Xie Yu leave, a trace of heaviness crossing his face as he sighed in resignation.

He had left one thing unsaid.

The intentions of Xie family calling Xie Yu back were likely not entirely altruistic.

Just looking at the treatment Xie Yu has received over the years while stagnating in the Xie family was enough evidence that they had never genuinely wished to support him.

Even now, when they wanted to exploit the benefits of Xie Yu's relationship with Su Zui, they didn't send someone inviting him back. Instead, they dispatched a casual phone call, as if calling a pet dog back home.

This attitude of peremptory command stemmed from a long-standing habit born out of consistent disregard.

Probably accustomed to it, Xie Yu didn't seem to realize anything was wrong.

Xie Yu wasn't stupid, he was just too kind and had a tendency to always see the good in people.

________________________

Su Zui didn't continue to draw talismans. He had drawn many while in the secret realm, which should suffice for the short term.

He distributed some talisman papers, restocked his store on the forum, and began to polish the magic weapons he found within the secret realm.

Due to his innate spiritual bone, Su Zui was able to command most magical tools. However, higher-grade tools required a specific affinity. Given Su Zui's lack of habit in using such items, after a round of trial and error, he found only two devices that were somewhat suitable for him.

He refined these two magical tools a bit and carried them with him.

The precaution was necessary.

The Xie family, a large local family in the imperial city, although not as powerful as a few top families, was still not to be underestimated. Since Su Zui was going into their territory, he naturally had to be more prepared.

"Click."

As Su Zui was packing his things, an ancient-looking small box suddenly fell out of his storage artifact.

Upon picking up the box, he realized it was the one he used to store the family's spirit jade.

The phoenix-shaped spirit jade was a treasure passed down by the Su family's ancestors. It had protected the original Su Zui for quite some time until it broke not long ago, so he had carefully stored the jade away.

The box's lid was askew. Su Zui lifted it, intending to fix it, and as he was looking at the spirit jade inside, he suddenly paused—

That phoenix spirit jade, which had initially shattered into two halves, had somehow silently healed itself.

There were no signs of damage; it was as smooth as if it had never been damaged at all.

The phoenix stretched its beautiful, long wings, gracefully and nimbly. It seemed like at any moment, it would let out a cry and fly out of Su Zui's hand.

________________________

The next day at 10 am, Xie Yu arrived on time to pick up Su Zui.

Since Su Zui didn't intend to stay overnight at the Xie family's residence, he only carried a small backpack, which didn't have many items inside and looked empty.

With sharp eyes, Xie Yu noticed the red string hanging around Su Zui's neck and asked with interest, "What is that around your neck? The spiritual energy is quite abundant."

Su Zui pulled out the phoenix jade pendant to show him, "Just a small trinket. I found it while cleaning yesterday and decided to wear it."

He found the healing of the spirit jade peculiar and didn't feel comfortable leaving it anywhere, so he simply put it on to prevent any mishaps.

In any case, he hadn't yet turned eighteen, so presumably, the jade pendant could still be of some use.

Xie Yu looked at the "small trinket" around Su Zui's neck, which was full of spirit energy almost blinding him, he paused, and said with difficulty, "It's... nice."

He thought that Su Zui's definition of a small trinket might be quite different from others'. The last time he saw a jade artefact with such intense spirit energy was when the clan leader, Xie Huai’s father, distributed a hereditary magical device at a clan meeting.

________________________

The two took the subway, then two bus rides, and arrived at Xie's house in less than an hour.

The Xie residence was an old mansion, much more luxurious than the run-down house in Su Zui's village. It was not only spacious but also well-maintained, showing obvious signs of frequent renovations.

A layer of faint spirit energy shrouded the mansion — emitted by a protective array. Families from the ancient spiritual traditions usually have a house-protection array, serving the same purpose as a plaque – a symbol to deter and flaunt to the visitors.

It wasn’t until Su Zui saw the Xie mansion's protective array that he remembered the Su residence also had one. He decided to make time to go back to his old home to repair the array in the Su residence.

Although the array at Su's house was not as large as that of the Xie family, it was a live array that could be packed up and carried around.

The difference between a static array that only works in a fixed place and a live one that can be used anywhere is clear and distinguishable at first glance.

The Xie family really got used to marginalizing Xie Yu. Despite Xie Yu having called ahead, there was no one to greet them when they arrived. The two walked for quite a long time before an elder with a kind and gentle face came forward to welcome them.

The elder greeted Xie Yu with a warm, "Xiao Yu, you're back."

Xie Yu was actually not very comfortable.

No matter how thick-skinned he was, he still felt something was wrong when he entered the house and found no one taking notice of him.

However, he was used to it and didn't care much, but today he brought Su Zui to visit, the Xie family, knowing what happened in the small secret realm, should naturally be aware of Su Zui's value.

Xie Yu curled his lips, but in the end, he didn't say anything, just hummed as an acknowledgment.

He really didn't know what to say to the elder in front of him.

People in the Tao often had to deal with five calamities and three deficiencies due to glimpsing the mysteries of heaven.

Xie Yu's parents suffered from the deficiency in life, and they passed away early due to a family mission when Xie Yu was only ten years old.

Therefore, since then, Xie Yu was raised by the elder standing in front of him.

Although he didn't do a great job, he was still considered half a parent to him, and had done his duty in raising him.

Even though Xie Yu was upset, he wouldn't vent his frustration on the elder.

The elder then turned his attention to Su Zui, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "This must be Su Zui, right? I heard you're a friend of Xiao Yu. Welcome to our Xie family."

Su Zui gave a perfunctory smile, idly fiddling with the phoenix spirit jade hanging on his neck, too reluctant to even respond.

His temper was not as good as Xie Yu's. He wasn't the type to respond kindly to such disregard.

Although he had no intention of being a guest of any family.

But objectively speaking, what he held now was akin to a treasure chest. Everywhere he went, he was the target of competition, so why should he take the Xie family's disrespect?

Seeing his cold attitude, the elder felt a bit embarrassed and unhappy, but he didn't say anything considering the rumors about Su Zui.

He continued to enthusiastically invite both, "You two quickly come with me to the front room, the clan leader will appear soon. He was originally in retreat, but in order to entertain you, he has specifically come out early."

He fully believed that such special treatment would astonish Su Zui. However, Su Zui still wore an expression that suggested it was none of his concern, not showing any reaction at all.

The elder's old face twitched, his facial hair trembling from annoyance and he muttered, "..."

Ignorant of respect!

When the two arrived at the main hall of the front building following the elder, the Xie Family clan leader arrived just in time.

Behind him was a familiar figure, Xie Huai.

"Hmph."

Upon seeing them, naturally Xie Huai wasn't in a good mood, but he remembered the thrashing he received in the secret realm, he dared not taunt or mock Xie Yu as he did before. With a cold snort, he clicked his tongue and kept silent.

The Xie Family clan leader had a majestic demeanor, and the spiritual pressure around him was quite heavy. It indicated his powerful ability.

Without hiding it, he released all his pressure. Xie Yu couldn't stand this force and his face turned white in an instant, cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

Xie Huai stood behind the clan leader with a wicked smile on his face, and his arrogance was clearly visible.

Despite their bravado in the secret realm, they still had to respect his father, didn't they?

How could Su Zui stand against them alone, wasn't he seeking shelter at their home now?

He had already told his father how these two had bullied him in the secret realm. Although his father didn't immediately promise anything, he'd always been doted on and was confident his father would back him up.

As the Xie Family clan leader initiated his intimidation, Su Zui remained unaffected. The phoenix spirit jade on his chest heated up, neutralizing the force before it could impact him. Not even a single hair was affected.

So, the spirit jade also had a defensive role...?

Why didn't he remember this?

Su Zui found the spirit jade to be more and more peculiar, and touched it again before casting a cold glance at the Xie Family clan leader.

Expressionless, he patted a talisman on Xie Yu's back, helping him recover from the effects of the pressure.

He vaguely recalled that in the original book, the Xie Family didn't have a happy ending.

Due to Xie Huai's extreme jealousy, he attempted to harm Meng Qingzhi in secret, but later an "accident" occurred. Several influential elders of the Xie Family, as well as Xie Huai and his father perished, leading to the rapid decline of the once-powerful family.

Looking at the current mess of the Xie Family, even without Meng Qingzhi's revenge, it seemed they didn't have a promising future.

The Xie Family clan leader's eyes flickered.

Initially, he was just showing his power to the juniors, but he ended up getting defeated in the process, which made him lose face.

Still, he was the leader of a clan, not some young man, and his ability to change his demeanor was as dramatic as Sichuan opera.

"Xiao Yu, you still need more experience."

His imposing pressure vanished, and he put on that characteristic aloof and falsely gentle smile of the elders. It was as if what he had done was just a harmless joke.

Xie Yu's face looked terrible, but with the clan leader's words sugarcoated so well, he didn't dare question it. He could only offer an apologetic look to Su Zui.

Su Zui didn't say anything either, leisurely removing the protective charm from Xie Yu's back and throwing it in Xie Huai's direction.

"Slap!"

No one knew how it happened, but the charm seemed to have its own eyes and landed right in front of Xie Huai, suddenly exploding.

A gash was suddenly slashed on Xie Huai's arm, and blood flowed out.

"Ah!" Xie Huai hadn't expected to be injured even while hiding behind his father. Although the wound wasn't severe, the fright was. He immediately let out a miserable scream.

The Xie Family clan leader's face became gloomy, and his eyes were filled with anger, as if he was going to erupt any second.

Yet, Su Zui was unhurried. He stared back at the clan leader's threatening gaze and spoke gently, "Compared to when we were in the secret realm, Young Master's strength seems to have not improved at all. Patriarch, you probably should tutor him more often."

Who doesn't know how to show off?

He wasn't one to tolerate, and the Xie Family had nothing to do with his mission. Why would he swallow this insult?

He retaliated right away, of course.

As for Su Zui himself, he didn't care. After all, he didn't really come here to be a guest of the Xie Family. However, it's apparent that the Xie Family had some hidden agenda towards him, so he was confident that the clan leader wouldn't dare to cause a scene with him.

After all, one who is barefoot has no fear of those who wear shoes.

As expected, the clan leader's face turned grim but he didn't lose his temper over this matter.

Being able to injure Xie Huai in his presence, this Su Zui was tougher than he had thought.

He applied a hemostatic charm to Xie Huai's wound, told him to return to his room, and then turned to the two guests. "The banquet specially prepared for you will begin soon. Let's go in and have some tea first."

Despite his calm demeanor, seeing his son get injured right under his nose, there was a trace of gritted teeth in his tone.

________________________

Tea was served.

After all, this was a substantial amount of resources. The venerated elders of the Xie Family, who rarely gathered together, surrounded the two.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, they went straight to the point.

The first matter was to require Xie Yu to hand over some of the resources obtained from the minor realm to the family.

It was a blatant demand. They wanted seventy percent right off the bat.

Naturally, Xie Yu was unwilling to give up so much. He proposed a lower amount. "I can give forty percent."

Before the Xie Family patriarch could speak, the elder who had raised him was the first to voice his disapproval, expressing extreme disappointment. "The Xie Family has raised you and invested countless resources in you, how can you be so ungrateful? You have already gained a lot from the minor realm. Even thirty percent is more than enough for you, the rest would just be wasted. Why are you clinging onto it?"

Xie Yu shook his head.

Yes, he owed the Xie Family a lot. But he wasn't born to be a puppet for the family. He had risked his life for these items. Giving up so much was akin to ripping the flesh off his body.

Even if he didn't use all of it, he could sell the rest for a large sum. Why would that be considered a waste?

The group persuaded Xie Yu until he finally relented, "Seventy percent is acceptable, but you must agree to take Su Zui as a guest of our family."

"Xie Yu," this time it was the Xie Family patriarch who spoke, his stern eyes looking at Xie Yu, "Don't be ridiculous. Your friend is now infamous within the Tao, countless people are after his life. By bringing him into our family, you are pushing us towards a dead-end, don't be selfish."

"We are not philanthropists. Your friend must hand over forty percent of his resources before we can fully protect him."

Xie Yu: ???

He wondered if he heard wrong.

His gains were already substantial, but all he had collected was what Su Zui disregarded.

The forty percent of resources in Su Zui's hand, conservatively estimated, were enough to support a medium-sized family's operations, how could they demand so much?

And yet, the expression on every family member’s face was as if it was a completely normal request.

Xie Yu inevitably felt confused.

"Enough!"

Several seconds of silence passed before Xie Yu stood up, finally losing his patience.

Originally, he had suggested that Su Zui come to the Xie Family as a guest in order to help him out. But what kind of attitude was this displayed by his family members?

Would they treat Su Zui like him, neglecting and grinding him down?

He could endure this kind of treatment, but he could not bear to see his friend suffer such humiliation because of him!

Not to mention, Su Zui was not just a simple friend to him, but someone he admired.

He could not let Su Zui bear this indignity.

For the first time, he spoke to his elders with an almost disrespectful tone, "My parents gave everything for the Xie family, even willingly sacrificing themselves for the formation of the great array. Their contributions to the family far outweigh what I have gained from it over the years."

A trace of guilt slipped through the elder's eyes, but he still maintained his dignity, "How can you say that? Weren't your parents also raised by the Xie family? Contributing to the family is their duty——"

A trace of disgust flashed in Xie Yu's eyes as he coldly interrupted the elder, "My parents don't owe you anything, neither do I, and my friend surely doesn't! Since you are being so unreasonable, I'll just go back to school."

The elder was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared at Xie Yu, "Xie Yu! If you dare walk out of this door today, don't call yourself a member of the Xie family anymore!"

The family head remained silent, but nodded solemnly, clearly implying a threat.

Xie Yu's body stiffened, and he looked incredulously at the elders he once respected.

He had never thought about cutting ties with his family, even if he's incredibly disappointed in them today, he never considered breaking off relations.

For a while, the room was silent, with the patriarch and elder's threatening stares falling heavily on him.

For a moment, Xie Yu felt overwhelmed by these stares.

Seeing Xie Yu's pain, the elder felt much more relieved.

He knew this child well. He was emotional, and when he brought up the threat of cutting ties, the elder was certain that Xie Yu would give in.

Xie Yu stood still in silence for a long time. In his perception, it felt like a century had passed before he reluctantly returned to reality.

He breathed heavily, turned to Su Zui and apologised, "... I'm sorry for making you see this farce. I'll take you home now."

He accepted the elder's words, severing ties with his family.

A person only has one skin; having reached this point, there was no need for him to stay in the Xie's house.

Seeing Xie Yu finally taking a firm stand, there was a bit of relief in Su Zui's eyes, "It's okay."

His reason for attending this feast wasn't anything particularly significant, he just wanted Xie Yu to see the true colors of the Xie family.

After some thought, he figured that developing a family business on his own was still somewhat of a tight squeeze.

It was necessary to find more people to help.

Xie Yu was very pure-hearted, and with him having undergone a complete reform, he was a perfectly good prospect.

"As long as you don't regret it."

Su Zui was in a good mood, adding slightly more force in his strokes on the phoenix jade.

The elder who was plotting how to teach Xie Yu a lesson after his expected surrender, was taken by surprise when Xie Yu actually agreed to the threat of severing ties and turned to leave.

His face was full of astonishment, not knowing how to save face, and could only blurt out in panic, "Stop!"

________________________

"Chirp ..." When Suzaku was lifted again, he had lost all of his initial arrogance, turning into a dispirited little bird.

This black cat was too wicked ...

Although much of it was due to his injury, as a divine beast, he still maintained his foundation. Even if he couldn't win, he shouldn't be so embarrassed, completely trapped and beaten without a chance to fight back.

He was certain that even in his prime, he would be beaten helplessly by this cat.

Even if Qing Luan came, it probably wouldn't go well.

There are levels among divine beasts too.

Though he held the title of a born divine beast, he was a product of man. Thus, he was inherently inferior to Qing Luan, a divine beast born during the initial chaos.

Qing Luan, as a phoenix guard, once inherited a trace of the chaos spirit power from the phoenix. This was an extremely domineering bloodline. Coupled with his status as an ancient deity, his strength was the highest among today's divine beasts, which was why he was in charge of the tribunal.

He had sparred with Qingluan a few times, and lost more times than he had won.

He didn't know how long he had been dragged off for, before he was suddenly released and spat out.

Suzaku no longer had the interest in running away.

After all, no matter how far he ran, this cat would always somehow catch him.

With nothing left to live for, he rolled on the ground twice before slowly, shakily getting back on his feet. Lifting his heavy eyelids, he was startled and widened his beady eyes in surprise!

That cat was acting as if it was having a seizure, raising its head in place and swinging from side to side as if rubbing against something in the air.

Its tail was also erected high, making soft meowing noises, like it was drunk.

Although they were different species, their basic body language was the same ...

Suzaku: ???

What was this cat doing? Was it in heat?!

A horrifying thought crossed his mind and Suzaku's eyes widened in fear, "Chirp chirp chirp!"

He extended his little wings to cover his frail, helpless self.

In broad daylight!

This cat!

Why would it perform such actions in front of him?

________________________

Author's Note:

Suzaku asks: "What should I do if my boss is sexually harassing me? Urgently waiting for a response online!"

The boss replies: "Get out!!!"

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