C206 Serpent Spine Mountains

"Yu Jue, is that your father?!"

Bai Shenshen gasped, her hand covering her mouth, her face a picture of disbelief.

Yu Yuan nodded slowly.

After his reincarnation, the return of his heaven soul and earthly soul was delayed, leaving him in a foggy state with his spiritual wisdom unawakened.

As a result, he never truly felt a sense of belonging. He never regarded the Yu family as his own.

It was only after regaining his clarity and interacting with Yu Cen that he began to feel a connection to the Yu family.

Regarding his nominal parents, he had no memories and little emotional attachment.

He had only gleaned bits and pieces about his parents from his grandfather and aunt.

His father, as described by them, was exceptionally affectionate towards him, going to great lengths to find a cure for his unawakened spiritual wisdom.

Ultimately, his parents vanished into the Frozen Hellscape, their fate unknown.

The woman from the Sacred Hands, upon learning of his lineage from the Yu family, inquired about his father's name. Could there be some connection?

"You knew my father?" Yu Yuan inquired, intrigued.

"An old acquaintance," Bai Shenshen replied, her expression complex. "Your father visited the Serpent Spine Mountains several times and had numerous dealings with our Sacred Hands."

This revelation took Yu Yuan aback. "What brought him to the Serpent Spine Mountains?"

"What is the Yu family known for?" Bai Shenshen shot him a pointed look.

Yu Yuan stroked his chin, a realization dawning on him. "Could it be that some of the Yu family's herbs come from the Serpent Spine Mountains, from your Sacred Hands?"

The Yu family of Asvetaesi, lacking a herbalist, had always cultivated a variety of spiritual herbs.

Many of these herbs were exceedingly rare, some even unparalleled within the Silvermoon Empire.

This was precisely why the Su family had extended an olive branch to the Yu family, entering into a long-term contract to purchase vast quantities of spiritual herbs.

However, after relations soured between the Su family and the Yu family, the Su family had to source the herbs they needed from the Sacred Hands and other nations.

In fact, the costs had indeed risen.

Shortly after the heaven soul and earthly soul were restored, Yu Yuan visited the medicinal garden in Thylethlume to craft the Seed of Life. He noticed that some herbs had been transplanted from elsewhere.

Yet, he hadn't considered the Sacred Hands in his plans.

Seeing Bai Shenshen's demeanor now, it was clear she recognized his father, Yu Jue, which led him to the sudden realization that his father's multiple trips to the Sacred Hands and the Serpent Spine Mountains were likely in pursuit of these medicinal herbs.

"Did your grandfather never mention anything about your mother?" Bai Shenshen shifted the conversation.

Yu Yuan, taken aback, shook his head and replied, "No."

"Your father managed to acquire herbs from the Serpent Spine Mountains and cultivate them at your Yu family's home, thanks to your mother's influence," Bai Shenshen said with a cold huff. "Otherwise, why would the Sacred Hands allow him to take those herbs, based solely on the status of the Yu family in Asvetaesi?"

"My mother had ties to the Sacred Hands?" Yu Yuan squinted thoughtfully.

In that moment, he was flooded with an array of unusual emotions.

In his past life, as the leader of the Order of Healing, he was well aware of the profound connection between the Sacred Hands of Aetherius and the Order of Healing.

The heavenly pills sold by the Sacred Hands were almost exclusively produced by the Order of Healing.

Each generation's Sect Master would covertly visit the Order of Healing to master the art of alchemy and heed the Order's teachings.

To say that the Sacred Hands was a lower sect and vassal to the Order of Healing was no exaggeration.

The intimate bond between the two was an open secret among the powerful sects of both the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea.

The Crimson Sun Empire and the Sunlit Order, which stood behind it, were also in the know.

The Sacred Hands had remained unassailable in Aetherius, untouched by the ravages of war, largely due to their tight-knit relationship with the Order of Healing.

He had never imagined that in this life, reborn, his maternal lineage would be connected to the Sacred Hands.

Being linked to the Sacred Hands also implied a hidden connection to the Order of Healing in the Land of Quiescence.

"The world is so unpredictable, with fate often feeling like it's been decided in the shadows."

He reflected inwardly, feeling that although the Everlands were vast and boundless, they could sometimes feel frighteningly small.

His contingency plan, laid down long ago in the Serpent Spine Mountains within the territory of the Sacred Hands, was there for a reason.

And now, Chou Wan from the Binders of Shadows had shown up. Could it be that the seeds he had planted three centuries ago were beginning to sprout, drawing the immediate attention of the Binders of Shadows?

His mother had deep ties with the Sacred Hands, and his father had come here in search of medicinal herbs...

"Your mother indeed has a profound connection with our Sacred Hands," Bai Shenshen said with a face full of reverence. "I still wonder how Yu Jue persuaded her, convinced her to bear a child despite her frailty. Pregnancy and childbirth would only make her condition more challenging."

"Ah..."

Bai Shenshen let out a soft sigh, filled with a sense of melancholy.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

At that moment, an eerie buzzing emanated from the miasma hovering over the swamp.

Yu Yuan, even from a distance, could see countless poisonous insects flapping their wings amidst the foul-smelling fog.

"It's been well over three hundred years."

He whispered to himself, his eyes fixed on the miasma, a glint of excitement and anticipation shining within them.

"Since you're Yu Yuan, their descendant, you should leave the Serpent Spine Mountains at once!"

Bai Shenshen's expression darkened as she said, "It's truly bizarre. In the last couple of months, all sorts of peculiar individuals have been spotted in our Sacred Hands' domain. There was one with black and white stripes, unclear if flesh or spirit, and a burly man with the head of a dragon. And now, members of the Binders of Shadows are causing chaos."

"I have this foreboding feeling that something ominous is brewing in the Serpent Spine Mountains."

Bai Shenshen clutched at Yu Yuan's sleeve and pointed in a direction, advising, "You could take that path, or better yet, return to the Silvermoon Empire, to Asvetaesi, as soon as possible."

Yu Yuan remained steadfast.

Bai Shenshen grew more anxious, "Why so stubborn, child? With your Soul Awakening level of cultivation, roaming the Serpent Spine Mountains under the watchful eye of the Sacred Hands was one thing. But now, something's not right. Many cultivators from beyond, including those from the Binders of Shadows in the Land of Quiescence, have been stealthily infiltrating."

"Additionally, the families from the major empires who specialize in alchemy and cultivating spiritual herbs have recently gathered in the Serpent Spine Mountains."

"There have been a series of odd occurrences lately. Take my advice—don't linger here too long."

Her intentions were genuinely good.

Regrettably, Yu Yuan, who had not returned to the Silvermoon Empire immediately after leaving the Moonfall Sanctuary, had come to the Serpent Spine Mountains for a specific purpose.

He was after a contingency plan he had quietly put in place years ago.

Yet, he had not anticipated that his reincarnation would be delayed by three hundred years, causing his carefully laid plans to remain dormant for just as long.

"Bai Shenshen!"

"Are you here for the same reason?"

"I'm so glad to see you!"

Suddenly, from a different direction, came the sound of excited cheers.

Yu Yuan looked over to see a group of young men and women dressed in herbalist robes, approaching with smiles and laughter.

Some of them were dressed just like Bai Shenshen, likely members of the Sacred Hands.

Others wore robes of various colors and styles, clearly indicating they were from different empires and families.

"Wait, is the herbalist examination in Aetherius taking place at the Sacred Hands soon?" Yu Yuan had a moment of realization. "Why now, of all times?"

"They all dream of one day joining the Order of Healing to pursue the art of leechcraft. They must first overcome this hurdle," Bai Shenshen explained.

Yu Yuan looked concerned, "This could spell trouble."

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