Once her seven fellow disciples had left, Yun Xiuyan walked over to the neighboring courtyard.
A tall, elegant middle-aged man stood on a stone bridge, scattering pinches of spirit rice into the pond. Several spirit fish jostled for the grains, churning the surface.
Hearing the footsteps, the middle-aged man did not turn around, focusing intently on feeding the spirit fish.
Only when Yun Xiuyan reached behind him did the middle-aged man turn his palm sideways, wipe it with his other hand, and brush off all the spirit rice. Only then did he turn around.
Yun Xiuyan looked at the middle-aged man, and much of the frost on her face seemed to soften. She said softly, “Third Uncle, have you made a decision?”
He was her third uncle, who had given her the Jade Spirit Fruit trees and the spirit spring. He had always doted on her.
At the same time, he was also the only Foundation Establishment True Cultivator of the Yun family-Yun Feilan.
Yun Feilan nodded slightly and said indifferently, “That Gu An and Huang Xuan are not bad, worth investing in.”
Yun Xiuyan looked puzzled, so he explained. “Gu An has reached the fifth layer of Qi Condensation at his age. He ranks among the most talented cultivators with three Spirit Roots. That speaks for itself.”
“Huang Xuan is tactful in his dealings, steady in his actions, and thoughtful in his considerations. He’s also quite good.”
Quick-witted as she was, Yun Xiuyan understood at once. “I see. I’ll have someone look into their backgrounds.”
As for Tan Chengfeng, neither of them mentioned him. The ninth layer of Qi Condensation might fool others, but with their level of insight, how could they fail to see that Tan Chengfeng’s spiritual power was extremely hollow, his pill poison had seeped into his marrow, and his path forward was already cut off.
Pursing her lips, Yun Xiuyan seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
Seeing her indecision, Yun Feilan knew what she was thinking. He waved his hand and said, “No need to worry. I can still hold on for another ten years or so. By then, you will have reached Foundation Establishment, and our Yun family can rest easy. This is merely preparing for a rainy day.”
“But you are a Qingyuan Sect disciple, Xiuyan. We still need a Foundation Establishment cultivator here in Cloud City to look after the family.”
“Also, pay more attention to the spiritual herbs for the Foundation Establishment Pill. I will also be constantly…”
As he spoke, Yun Feilan suddenly covered his mouth with a silk handkerchief and coughed repeatedly. A trace of blood actually seeped through the handkerchief.
“Can nothing be done? I’ll ask Master for help.” Yun Xiuyan watched him anxiously, her jaw clenched.
“Absolutely not. I used a forbidden technique, greatly reducing my lifespan. The difficulty isn’t the injury; it’s the lifespan!” Yun Feilan sternly interrupted, his voice grave and firm. “Xiuyan, remember, True Person Qingxiao is your master, but he is not obligated to help you every time. Last time, when you insisted on sending Wanxi into the sect, you already used up some of that goodwill. Why bother with this futile effort now?”
Her eyes reddened, but her usual reserve held. She said nothing more.
Seeing her low spirits, Yun Feilan was also helpless. He had to change the subject. “By the way, about the Green-Winged Bird I just promised you, give it to Wanxi when you return to the sect.”
“I still have two years of tasks left to complete. Have someone else deliver it.” Yun Xiuyan frowned slightly, refusing. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
“Hey! Why are you so stubborn?” Although it was a scolding, Yun Feilan’s tone carried a hint of doting fondness.
But his tone shifted, becoming firm. “However, this time you really must go back.”
Yun Xiuyan asked, even more puzzled, “Third Uncle, why? Is something wrong?”
Yun Feilan sighed. “Wang Yang of the Qingyuan Sect investigated the robbers in Yellow Wind Commandery a few days ago. He followed them into Beastmaster Sect territory, openly killed some of their disciples, and walked away.”
“The Beastmaster Sect will not swallow this insult. There will be retaliation. This is also why I didn’t let you buy that White Jade Fox.”
“In the coming years, Yun Kingdom and You Kingdom are bound to become chaotic.”
Hearing this, Yun Xiuyan also reacted. “A war between the two sects?”
Yun Feilan shook his head, his eyes fixed on the spirit fish fighting for food below. He sighed, “It’s not that serious yet, but how the situation develops is hard to say.”
“The Qingyuan Sect and the Beastmaster Sect are too close!”
The world bustles, all for profit; the world hustles, all for gain.
True Person Qingxiao had formed his Golden Core sixty years earlier, while the sect’s older True Person was still in his prime. With two such cultivators at its head, Qingyuan’s strength had soared. Its resources, however, no longer sufficed.
Although both sides were deliberately restraining themselves, how could they keep yielding when the path of cultivation was at stake?
The Beastmaster Sect was nearby and comparatively weak. Attacking it would turn the sect’s internal tensions toward an outside enemy. An appealing solution.
Furthermore, the disciples under the Qingyuan Sect had been deeply troubled by the lack of resources in recent years, yearning to plunder resources in the chaos to achieve Foundation Establishment, or even form a Golden Core.
With such unity from top to bottom, all vying to serve, this war might soon arrive.
As for the matter of the Robber Cultivators, it was merely an excuse.
Yun Feilan could almost see the two True Persons stirring up trouble behind the scenes, steering the great ship of the Qingyuan Sect towards war.
Chaos brought opportunities, but the Yun family’s only Foundation Establishment cultivator was badly wounded and running out of time. Their territory lay on the prospective front line, and their younger generation was not yet ready to take over.
Why now, of all times?
Yun Feilan’s heart was filled with bitterness. He only felt that the Yun family’s path ahead was shrouded in mist. He couldn’t see clearly. He truly couldn’t see clearly! Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Despite her uncle’s distress, Yun Xiuyan stayed calm. Rather than insist on a reckless show of courage, she began planning her next move. “I’ll request a transfer at once. The order should arrive around the time of the Yun Kingdom trade gathering.”
“Mm. While there’s still time, let me see how your cultivation of the Tide-Hearing Jade-Severing Sword Art is progressing.” Yun Feilan said with a look of relief.
Yun Xiuyan managed a faint smile. “With the Flying Cloud Sword himself teaching me, I’m sure to improve, Third Uncle.”
Saying this, Yun Xiuyan took out a blue-gold longsword, calmed her breath and focused her mind, and began to practice.
“Golden Scales Pierce the Waves.”
“Returning Edge Severs the Tide.”
“Cut Clouds and Shear Wind.”
…
The azure blade rang out through the courtyard with a sound like distant thunder. Sword light flashed up and down like swallows darting through a forest or a flood dragon churning the sea, its edge keen and its spiritual pressure formidable.
“Swish.”
The longsword broke through the wind, flying a full circle along the wall of Tianyun Garden, always maintaining a height of one chi from the wall, revealing exquisitely fine control.
A moment later, the longsword flew back through the air, and with a “clang” sound, it sheathed itself, its cold light subsiding.
Putting the sword into her Storage Bag, Yun Xiuyan looked up at Yun Feilan.
“To send a sword flying away from you at Qi Condensation, yet control it so precisely… This Tide-Hearing Jade-Severing Sword Art is remarkable. I certainly couldn’t have done that at your stage.”
“But I can still see the idea of transforming spiritual power into threads to control the sword body. So why not control a few more spiritual power threads? Wouldn’t that make it even more like an extension of your arm?”
“Those threads put a tremendous strain on the body, Third Uncle. I’m only at the middle stage of Body Refinement. A second thread would probably burst my arm apart.”
“Oh, oh, I see. You girl, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“I have a bottle of Spirit Marrow Dew. No use to me. You take it.”
“Now, I have a bit of a headache. Take it and go. I need to rest my eyes.”
“…”