C259 Little Sister Yu Zhu

Yuan Lianyao offered a wry smile as she explained the situation. As the mayor of Asvetaesi, she was acutely aware of the predicament facing the Yu family. Yet, her hands were tied.

The Lin and Van families, both among the top five noble houses of the Silvermoon Empire, coupled with Yu Yuan's reckless behavior in the Moonfall Sanctuary, had turned several powerful cultivators against the Yu family. Their collective actions had led to a silent agreement among all the noble families within the empire to ostracize the Yu family, refusing to purchase their herbs.

How could Yuan Lianyao possibly intervene in such matters? Previously, Su Yan had leveraged her influence within the Su family to covertly buy a significant amount of herbs from the Yu family, which she then exchanged for soulstones with the Su family's resources. Su Xiangtian had tacitly consented to her actions.

But with Su Yan taken away by Su Xiangtian, departing Aetherius Continent, she was no longer able to manage the Yu family's concerns. Moreover, due to longstanding grievances, many within the Su family harbored resentment towards the Yu family. With Su Xiangtian's departure, the Su family elders turned a blind eye to the Yu family's struggles.

This led to a clandestine boycott by all sects and powers dealing in herbs within the Silvermoon Empire, rendering the Yu family's meticulously cultivated herbs unwanted. The very foundation of the Yu family's existence in Asvetaesi and their survival in the Silvermoon Empire hinged on these herbs.

Unable to secure buyers for their herbs, the Yu family's own consumption, including that of their counselors and retainers, depleted their soulstone reserves, pushing them to the brink of financial ruin. Furthermore, the spiritual mines allocated to the Yu family after the fall of the Huang family yielded scant ore.

Yuan Lianyao understood the root of the issue all too well, yet she was powerless to assist. All she could do within her jurisdiction was to ensure that adversaries like Winter's Bite, the Lin family, and the Van family wouldn't brazenly target the Yu family.

As the mayor, she had no authority to intervene further.

"I don't blame the mayor. She has done all she could for the Yu family."

Ning Ji heaved a sigh and slowly got to his feet. After speaking up for Yuan Lianyao, he assessed his physical state and remarked, "Hmm, I seem to be... slightly better."

In the midst of severe pain, he had little time to process anything except the sensation of Yu Yuan's palm pressing down, turning the icy Golden Sanctum at his elixir field scorching hot.

In a flash, a stream of cold flowed out from his elixir field, and everything reverted to normal.

The icy presence in his elixir field had significantly weakened.

The abrupt onset of the cold flow had been momentarily alleviated, but he was uncertain when it might flare up again.

"You!" He abruptly noticed blood oozing from Yu Yuan's Golden Sanctum acupoint.

Ning Ji's expression darkened as he realized something must have happened during the Ice Venom's assault, or the young master of the Yu family wouldn't be in this condition.

He had missed the little girl's abrupt arrival and her ingestion of the Ice Venom.

"It's alright, no need to worry, Ning Ji."

Yu Yuan offered a reassuring smile and peered once more into his elixir field, aware that the most malicious technique from Winter's Bite had been quietly neutralized. However, the cold flow that had seeped into Ning Ji's acupoint needed further clearing to prevent ongoing damage.

"This girl?" Yuan Lianyao's eyes shimmered as she noticed the gaunt little girl.

Her lips curled into a smile, yet the sparkle in her eyes subtly vanished.

She sensed that the unattractive, thin girl radiated a dangerous aura that instinctively made her want to keep her distance.

She intuitively knew that this girl, who had appeared in Thylethlume alongside Yu Yuan, was no ordinary child.

"She's a little sister I recognize," Yu Yuan said, his brow furrowed, sticking to his prepared explanation. "Her name is Yu Zhu. I encountered her when I was returning to Asvetaesi from the Moonfall Sanctuary. It seems she's undergone a great ordeal and has forgotten many things, even struggling to speak completely."

The slender girl appeared quite anxious as Yu Yuan introduced himself. However, once he finished, her eyes lit up into crescents, and a sweet smile graced her lips, radiating sheer joy as if to say, "At last, I have a name."

"Yu Zhu?" Yuan Lianyao exclaimed in surprise. "Why the surname Yu?"

"I just picked it randomly," Yu Yuan responded with a shrug.

"And why 'Zhu'? As in spider?" she pressed on.

"Yes."

Yuan Lianyao's curiosity was piqued. She sensed there was more to the story, but with Yu Yuan reluctant to elaborate and Ning Ji present, she refrained from probing further. Instead, she shifted the conversation. "You've already reached the Golden Sanctum?"

"Golden Sanctum!" Ning Ji was astounded. "That quickly?"

"Fortune has been on my side," Yu Yuan replied, smiling.

"I'm not the least bit surprised," Yuan Lianyao said, playfully rolling her eyes at him. "Su Yan and others like Zhan Tianxiang have all advanced to the Veil Breaking Realm thanks to the trials in the Moonfall Sanctuary. Considering the time you spent there and the fact that you've emerged alive, it's only natural you've ascended to the Golden Sanctum."

In the mayor's eyes, the enigmatic Yu Yuan stood out as the most exceptional and powerful among the trial-takers, surpassing the likes of Lee Yu, Zhan Tianxiang, and Su Yan.

It was this belief and acknowledgment that led her and Ning Ji to remain confident that Yu Yuan would not only survive the Moonfall Sanctuary but emerge triumphantly. That's why, before her retreat, she had instructed Le Feng to immediately relay any news of Yu Yuan to her. Her intuition had been correct.

"It's a great honor to be held in such high esteem by you, sister," Yu Yuan said with a casual smile.

"Between us, is there any need for such formality?" Yuan Lianyao laughed, unabashedly taking his arm in front of Ning Ji. With a warmth that spoke of deep familiarity, she suggested, "Come, let's return to Asvetaesi!"

Yu Yuan was momentarily lost for words, acutely aware of her closeness. "For now, I have no plans to head back to the city," he said, evading a direct answer.

"Why?" Yuan Lianyao was puzzled as she turned to face him. "Your grandfather and your aunt are very worried about you, and the Zhao family, both the elders and the youngsters, are also deeply concerned. Now that you're back, shouldn't you head to Asvetaesi? Or do you plan to stay in Thylethlume?"

"I intend to stay in Thylethlume for the time being," Yu Yuan declared.

"Thylethlume isn't Asvetaesi. It's hard for me to look after you there, and I fear it may not be safe," Yuan Lianyao said with a frown, pausing before adding, "Thylethlume is safer without you being seen. No one would dare cause trouble. But once you show up, it's a different story. I'm worried that some might act recklessly out of desperation."

"I get your point, but it should be alright," Yu Yuan reassured her, gesturing towards the desolate medicinal garden. "These are vital for the Yu family's livelihood. Only by revitalizing them can we truly turn the family's fortunes around. I'm staying to breathe new life into this place."

"But what difference can they make?" Yuan Lianyao asked, confused. "Even if the herbs grow well and the harvest is bountiful, what's the point if there are no buyers?"

"It will be different," Yu Yuan assured her with confidence.

...

"What? Yu Yuan has returned?"

Upon hearing the news, Yu Cen, the Yu family patriarch, was initially overjoyed but then grew irritated. "If he's back, why isn't he coming home? What's he doing staying in the town?"

"He's replanting the medicinal herbs," Yu Lili said with an odd expression on her face.

"That's just a temporary fix, not a solution!" Yu Cen huffed. "The Yu family's problems aren't due to poor herb cultivation; we have other issues to contend with!"

Before he could finish, he barked orders, "Prepare the carriage! We're heading to Thylethlume!"

Members of the Yu family, like Yu Feifei, swept away their gloom and cheered with renewed vigor.

Yu Yuan's return seemed to spark a glimmer of hope for the family's resurgence.

Yu Wei, representing the second generation of the Yu family, along with many of the family's elders, felt a peculiar stirring in their hearts.

At some point, the once aimless youth who had wandered in confusion for over a decade had transformed into the linchpin of the family, holding the power to determine its prosperity or decline!

...

"Yu Yuan has returned."

At the Zhao family residence, Zhao Dongsheng approached the elderly man who spent his days leisurely drinking tea and basking in the sun. "Yafu was right; Yu Yuan was bound to come back one day."

The diminutive Zhao Zhenghao, with a gleam in his narrowed eyes, said hastily, "Come with me, we must go to the Yu family at once!"

"Yu Yuan is in Thylethlume, not at the Yu family's city residence," Zhao Dongsheng clarified.

"Then we'll head to Thylethlume!"

...

In the grand and imposing Keep of Sillserine, the 'Zhan' family's banners snapped crisply in the breeze.

Within a secluded training room of the mansion, a golden behemoth, as imposing as a mountain, materialized above Zhan Tianxiang's head, unleashing a raw and brutal surge of demon energy.

The soulstones crumbled to dust in an instant as the colossal demon energy and spiritual energy converged, surging into Zhan Tianxiang's body to aid in his body tempering.

A piercing jingle emanated from a bell hanging beneath his neck.

Zhan Tianxiang, fresh from his training session, heard the bell's chime and burst into elated laughter. "I knew it! The kid's alright!" he exclaimed.

With that, he burst through the heavy stone door, his upper body bare, and bellowed, "Get the spirit carving ready; I'm off to Asvetaesi!"

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