C47 The Empire's Five New Moons

It came as quite a shock when Yuan Lianyao and Su Yan paid a visit to the Yu family in the dead of night.

After a brief moment of surprise, Yu Yuan furrowed his brow and asked, "What brings you two here at this hour?"

All the Yu family members were sound asleep at the time.

He found the situation odd and couldn't make heads or tails of it. Could it be the handiwork of the two women before him?

"Why are you the only one awake in the Yu family?" Su Yan inquired, sizing up Yu Yuan from head to toe. "With such a disturbance at the Yu family, not only should cultivators be roused, but even ordinary people should have been awakened."

"How did you come to know about the commotion at the Yu family?" Yu Yuan asked, his tone unfriendly.

"I just happened to be passing by," Su Yan deflected, continuing, "There was no sign of disturbance in the neighboring estates when the Yu family experienced this 'earthquake.' I'm really curious about what's going on with the Yu family."

"And who are you to inquire?" Yu Yuan challenged, his eyebrows arching, though a smile played at the corners of his mouth. "Do you think you have the right to meddle in the Yu family's affairs just because you're from the Su family?"

Su Yan's words had indeed taken him aback.

Why were there no other disturbances except at the Yu family? What could be the cause?

Despite his shock, Yu Yuan harbored deep-seated grievances against the Su family. Coupled with Su Yan's somewhat haughty and impolite demeanor, he had no intention of being courteous.

"I was merely asking out of curiosity," Su Yan retorted, well aware that the young man from the Yu family before her wasn't about to show her any respect. "Our Su family has had business dealings with your Yu family for many years. It's only natural that I should show some concern."

"The Su family need not concern themselves with our affairs," Yu Yuan replied coolly.

Upon his return earlier that day, Yu Lili had informed him that Su Yin from the Su family had paid them a visit.

Su Yin's manner of speaking had greatly displeased the patriarch, and the Yu family members shared this sentiment.

The Su family expected him to wait on the Su family's sons hand and foot at the upcoming grand event, to be nothing more than a servant, or worse, to be sacrificed as expendable fodder.

The Yu family is expected to surrender the herbalist they've been concealing, the one the Su family believes is hidden away? On what grounds? Is it because of the Su family's years of driving down the Yu family's prices and the so-called "support" they've provided?

"I, too, am curious about what's been happening within the Yu family," I said.

The atmosphere was growing tense, but Yuan Lianyao diffused it with a light-hearted smile. "As the mayor of Asvetaesi, I'm responsible for addressing the many odd occurrences within the city. Moreover, our personal friendship is strong, and when I sensed something amiss, I naturally came to check on you. You know how much I care about you."

She wasn't fond of the Su family, either.

With Yuan Qiufang taken by Faang Yao of the Ruby Hand, and the presence of the Flame Halberd, it was a foregone conclusion that he would become a key member of the Ruby Hand. This connection bolstered her confidence considerably.

Yu Yuan's discord with the Su family was actually a pleasing development to her.

"Your relationship is actually very good..." Su Yan murmured under her breath.

She observed Yuan Lianyao, then cast a peculiar glance at Yu Yuan. She was well aware that the mayor of Asvetaesi, a woman with blood on her hands, was renowned throughout the empire.

Her uncle, Su Yin, made a point of visiting this red lotus every time he passed through Asvetaesi. What was his motive, if not to lust after Yuan Lianyao's beauty and to seek her favor? Like her uncle, there were countless others throughout the empire with designs on this red lotus, hoping to win her over or bring her into their private fold. Yet, she had never heard of anyone who had truly succeeded.

Yuan Lianyao was notoriously dangerous, a beauty with the heart of a serpent. Those who dared to cross her often ended up dead, either slain outright or ensnared in her deadly plots.

This unclaimed red lotus, who had risen to lead the Yuan family and govern Asvetaesi, was no simple character.

"Could it be that Lin Zhuyun's fiancé is involved with her?" The thought sprouted in Su Yan's mind, but she quickly dismissed it as preposterous, shaking her head. "Impossible, that simply cannot be."

"Mayor, I can shed some light on your inquiries," Yu Yuan offered with a smile to Su Yan. "As for her? It's not appropriate to discuss."

Yuan Lianyao nodded in understanding and said to Su Yan, "Susu, you should head back now."

She then confidently strode toward the Yu family's gate.

"If you wish to visit my Yu family again, please do so during the day and announce your arrival beforehand," Yu Yuan said with a soft snort. "Sneaking around in the dead of night is suspicious behavior. Is this the Su family's way of doing things? Oh, it seems to be the case, considering the person who came by earlier today wasn't much better."

Su Yin, leveraging the Su family's influence, pressured his own family, demanding compliance from his grandfather, which left him seething with frustration.

He harbored a deep resentment towards the Su family and Su Yan in particular.

Moreover, with his cultivation of spiritual herbs and magic plants, he knew that selling them as pills would maximize profits.

As a herbalist, the Yu family was already self-sufficient and no longer needed to depend on the Su family.

He had resolved to stop supplying medicinal herbs to the Su family altogether.

He intended to reserve all the herbs for his own use.

Following a series of veiled insults, Yu Yuan joined Yuan Lianyao, greeting the mayor with a beaming smile as he ushered her into the Yu family home before casually shutting the door behind them.

The door closed with a resounding "Clang!" that was jarringly loud.

Su Yan, a figure of high status and adoration within the Su family, stared at the firmly closed door of the Yu family, her delicate face turning an angry shade of pale.

...

"You've got quite the nerve."

Amidst the scattered shards of tile, Yuan Lianyao, with her enchanting poise, twisted toward a stone bench and gracefully took a seat. She smiled at him and inquired, "Do you know who that young lady is?"

"I do not," Yu Yuan replied.

"Su Yan, the treasured daughter of Su Xiangtian." Yuan Lianyao's demeanor turned grave and her voice grew more solemn as she mentioned "Su Xiangtian," "Su Xiangtian is not like Su Yin. In the Silvermoon Empire, Su Xiangtian is a figure of considerable stature. Although he shares the Su surname, he comes from a collateral branch of the Su family."

"Yet it is Su Xiangtian, born from that side branch, who has overtaken the direct line and is now designated as the future head of the Su family!"

"Su Xiangtian has ascended to the rank of a Lunar Spirit within the Empire!"

"Su Yin, of the same age and direct lineage, is merely in the middle period of the Veil Breaking Stage," Yuan Lianyao declared.

"A Lunar Spirit," Yu Yuan remarked with some surprise. "The Su Yin who visited today is at the Veil Breaking Stage, yet Su Xiangtian, of the same age, has already reached the status of a Lunar Spirit, with an entire realm of Subtlety separating them."

"Despite my confidence, I hold great admiration for him," Yuan Lianyao admitted, somewhat disheartened. "This Miss from the Su family is as renowned as your fiancée, Lin Zhuyun. They are both the Empire's new generation's pride. Su Yan and Lin Zhuyun are among the Empire's five 'New Moons.' A rising moon acknowledged by the Empress herself is certainly no small feat."

"Su Xiangtian? A New Moon of the Empire?" Yu Yuan was taken aback.

Since the return of his earthly and heavenly souls, his focus had been on Asvetaesi and some matters in the Land of Quiescence.

He hadn't given much thought to the Silvermoon Empire or the other cities.

To him, with memories of a past life, neither Su Xiangtian nor the so-called five New Moons recognized by the Empire's Empress were particularly earth-shattering.

After all, he had once witnessed the pinnacle of the Everlands' hierarchy.

Having observed the grandeur of those individuals, he wasn't impressed by the Silvermoon Empire's national pillars or the five New Moons. He hadn't even inquired about the other three New Moons of the Empire, besides Lin Zhuyun and Su Yan.

"Su Yan, Lin Zhuyun, and three others will be attending the Empire's grand event," Yuan Lianyao explained. "These five New Moons of the Empire are the center of attention, and the Empress holds great expectations for them."

"Let's not dwell on that," Yu Yuan dismissed. "What have you discerned about the Yu family's situation?"

"When I probed with my spiritual sense, I found the Yu family shrouded in a white fog, permeated with an endless sense of sorrow," Yuan Lianyao said, pausing briefly. "During the process, my consciousness became intertwined with it. Not long ago, I found myself disoriented, lost in memories of the past."

"Furthermore, the earthquake at the Yu family that Su Yan mentioned is indeed real. After she brought it to my attention, I took a look around at other places."

"All the other estates are intact, showing no signs of an earthquake."

"Can you explain to me what exactly is going on with your Yu family?"

Her eyes shone brightly as she gazed at Yu Yuan. "Why were you the only one able to wake from your slumber after the earthquake occurred?"

Yu Yuan furrowed his brow deeply, saying, "It is indeed quite peculiar."

The sorrow conveyed by the four characters on the White Paper Fan didn't seem very intense to him.

Yuan Lianyao had suggested that a wave of sadness was engulfing the entire Yu family?

Such a faint notion of sorrow couldn't possibly have such a vast reach, let alone cause every member of the Yu family to be deeply affected. It was even more improbable for Yuan Lianyao, who had reached the Subtlety level, to be inadvertently caught up in it!

Unless...

Unless there was some force greatly amplifying that sense of sorrow!

"What could it be? Or is there some kind of formation at work within the Yu family?"

Suddenly, he had a clue. Recalling the earthquake at the Yu family, he once again surveyed the buildings, the walls, and the columns.

…