C10 He Made a Fortune.

"Xue, it's over for you, and it's over for the entire Yin family!" Soong Ziyang bellowed. "You've crossed the Cloud Deriving Sect. The Yin family might as well clean their necks and wait for the executioner!"

Soong Wanli, whose birthday banquet had been ruined, was seething with anger. He barked at Old Master Yin, "Yin Yusheng! Take your precious son-in-law and get out of our Soong household! This disaster has nothing to do with us—it's all because of your son-in-law's doing!"

"Show some respect when you talk to my father-in-law!" Xue Chen snapped open his fan and glared at the Soong father and son. "Provoke me further, and I'll set your kennel ablaze!"

Hearing their master insulted, the Five Tigers immediately stepped up, lining up behind Xue Chen, each radiating a fierce aura.

Intimidated by Xue Chen and the Five Tigers, Soong Wanli and his son fell silent.

The Soong family was known for their martial prowess, with Soong Wanli himself being the unrivaled martial artist of Yunzhou City. Even the household staff were formidable, but they were no match for the Five Tigers, who had just handily defeated a Cultivator. The entire household wouldn't stand a chance against them.

"Now that we've dealt with the Cloud Deriving Sect, it's time to settle our own debts," Xue Chen said, pointing at Soong Ziyang and unfolding a promissory note. "Young Master Soong lost a bet earlier and owes me five million taels of silver. Time to pay up."

Soong Ziyang's knees buckled. "I... I don't have that kind of money!"

"Thinking of reneging on the debt?" Xue Chen shook the note. "It's all here in black and white. If you're short, maybe your father can cover for you."

Fuming, Soong Wanli grabbed his son by the collar and slapped him across the face. "This is what your gambling has brought us! You'll be the ruin of the Soong family!"

"Let's put the parenting aside for now and settle the debt," Xue Chen interjected.

Soong Wanli, with a face red with rage and humiliation, pushed his son aside. "To cover such an enormous sum, I'd have to sell off the entire Soong estate! The accountant might scrape together seventy to eighty thousand taels at most. Take it all!"

After a moment's thought, Xue Chen proposed to Soong Wanli, "The debt is quite substantial, but I'm not unreasonable. Let's do this: hand over all the cash from the accounts and the gifts from your birthday banquet, let's call it two hundred thousand taels. The remaining four million eight hundred thousand taels will be paid in monthly installments. I'll have someone collect at the end of each month. Does that sound fair? Am I giving enough respect to Master Soong?"

With bloodshot eyes and no room to maneuver, Soong Wanli had no choice but to grimly accept. He summoned the steward to tally the cash.

"Well, the feast is off the table today. Let's head back before we starve," Xue Chen said, stowing the note and signaling the Five Tigers to prepare for their departure.

When the Yin family came to celebrate the birthday, they arrived with five large carriages. On the return journey, in addition to the original carriages, they also took with them all the gifts and silver from the Soong family. They added at least ten more carriages to their convoy. It was a grand procession that made its way through the streets, a truly magnificent sight to behold!

Xue Chen and Yin Qionger were still sharing a carriage, with Yin Qionger tucked into a corner, her gaze on Xue Chen now tinged with curiosity.

"Hey, just who are you?" Yin Qionger couldn't help but break the silence.

Xue Chen shrugged: "Who am I? I'm your husband, Xue Chen. Your father thoroughly investigated my background before I married into your family. Surely you're aware of that?"

Yin Qionger shook her head: "No, you're not just some ordinary poor scholar! What poor scholar has the skills that you possess? Have you been biding your time all this while just to bring calamity upon the Yin family today?"

Xue Chen replied with surprise in his voice, "Why would you say that? You asked me not to disgrace the Yin family at the Soong family's birthday banquet. Not only did I maintain our dignity, but I also brought great honor to the Yin family, not to mention a fortune of several million taels of silver. How is that wrong?"

"You still dare to speak!" Yin Qionger retorted angrily, "Did you use me as a bargaining chip in your wager with Soong Ziyang? What do you take me for? Some pawn to be gambled away? You scoundrel!"

Despite her delicate appearance, Yin Qionger's pride was fierce. The more she spoke, the angrier she got, and she reached out to slap Xue Chen.

Xue Chen quickly blocked her wrist and leaned in close, looking her straight in the eye. "Feeling aggrieved already? Perhaps you should be asking yourself what the Yin family has considered me to be since the day I joined your household."

Yin Qionger was taken aback, speechless, and her arm fell limply to her side.

Upon returning to the mansion that day, Old Master Yin was utterly spent from the day's events and retreated to his room with a splitting headache.

Xue Chen delegated the task of tallying the carriage's contents to Yin Qionger, while he and the Five Tigers headed to Yunzhou's largest restaurant, the Satisfied Residence. There, the master and his servants feasted on over a hundred dishes and drank from more than ten jars of wine, from midday until dusk.

After leaving the restaurant, the inebriated Five Tigers could barely make it to the Yin Mansion's entrance before collapsing on the stone steps, falling into a deep slumber.

Xue Chen, with his cultivation, remained sober. Disregarding the Five Tigers, he proceeded into the mansion to rest.

"Please wait, Young Master!"

As he stepped through the entrance, Tieh Yaner emerged: "The Old Master and the Young Miss are in the parlor waiting to speak with you."

With no other option, Xue Chen followed Tieh Yaner to the parlor.

Yin Yusheng and Yin Qionger were indeed there, sipping tea in anticipation. Xue Chen greeted Yin Yusheng with a bow before taking a seat.

"Chen, about today's incident..." Yin Yusheng began, hesitating before finally letting out a sigh, "You should never have tangled with the cultivators from the Cloud Deriving Sect. I fear the Yin family's troubles are now imminent."

Xue Chen took a sip of tea to soothe his throat and responded, "Father-in-law, what's meant to happen will happen. When the time comes, I alone will shoulder all the consequences and ensure that the Yin Mansion remains unscathed."

Yin Yusheng's face was etched with worry as he said, "You make it sound so simple, but I fear the Cloud Deriving Sect won't spare anyone from the Yin Mansion..."

Xue Chen let out a light chuckle. "So, are you suggesting I should go to the Cloud Deriving Sect right away to apologize, to prevent collateral damage?"

"No, no, no, that's not what I'm saying," Yin Yusheng replied, setting down his teacup and gesturing for Yin Qionger to bring a brocade box forward. Opening it, he continued, "These are all the keys and seals of the Yin family. I'm getting old, and from today on, I'm entrusting the Yin family to you and Qionger. It's up to you two to navigate any future challenges. If we truly can't avoid disaster, then we must accept it as destiny..."

Xue Chen was taken aback; he hadn't expected Yin Yusheng to entrust him with the family's legacy at such a moment and was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Please accept the brocade box," Yin Qionger added, "Father has been pondering over this the entire afternoon. From now on, you're the new patriarch of the Yin family."

Yin Yusheng, a seasoned veteran of the business world, was known for his thorough and precise thinking. Xue Chen's actions today had taken him by surprise, and he recognized that Xue Chen was a formidable figure, concealing his strength and biding his time. Should disaster strike, Xue Chen might be the Yin family's only hope for salvation.