C48 The Secret Buried Deep Underground

The world is vast and filled with wonders beyond imagination.

There are countless artifacts and rune circles that can amplify one's strength, emotions, and spiritual energy.

From Yu Yuan's knowledge, every sect in both the Euwrea and the Land of Quiescence had a powerful rune circle to protect their domain.

These rune circles could concentrate spiritual energy, soothe the mind, and fortify the physique.

Yet, it was exceedingly rare to find one that could enhance feelings of sorrow.

"Could the Yu family possess such an item or rune circle?" He pondered deeply but realized he hadn't detected anything unusual during his cultivation.

There was no discernible difference between cultivating within the Yu family's grounds and elsewhere.

"Your grandfather is awake."

While he was deep in thought, Mayor Yuan Lianyao had an intuition and informed him in a hushed tone.

Yu Yuan was taken aback and replied, "Sister Mayor, I'm unable to resolve your concerns at the moment. Could you give me some time to ponder it?"

Yuan Lianyao considered for a moment, then nodded, "Curiosity aside, I'm genuinely concerned about all of you."

She was aware of Yu Yuan's exceptional nature and the many secrets he harbored, as her father had mentioned.

There would be many times in the future when they would need to depend on Yu Yuan.

Now that Yu Cen was awake and Yu Yuan had committed to investigating the Yu family's anomalies, she refrained from further questions.

She left quietly.

Without hesitation, Yu Yuan went straight to Yu Cen.

In the dimly lit chamber, a groggy Yu Cen looked at his grandson who had come to visit him at such a late hour and asked, "Why are you here now, my boy? The sky is almost brightening. What's so urgent that it couldn't wait until morning?"

"Grandfather, it's just the two of us awake in the vast Yu family at this moment," Yu Yuan began, laying all his cards on the table. He placed the White Paper Fan before him and continued, "I acquired this fan from the Zhao family's Vault of Wonders..."

He infused his heaven soul into it, immersing himself in the Mysterious Realm of Sorrow, causing the entire Yu family to fall into a deep slumber. Yuan Lianyao and Su Yan had stealthily come to witness the peculiar tremors that shook the Yu family.

There was no detail overlooked.

"Grandfather, do you understand the mystery behind this?"

At last, he gazed intently into Yu Cen's eyes and asked in a hushed tone.

The elder remained silent for what seemed like an eternity.

Yu Yuan was taken aback. "Could it be that our Yu family is indeed harboring some secret?"

"I have another sister," Yu Cen revealed abruptly, his voice cool. "Her name is Yu Ying, our youngest. As a child, she was chosen by someone and taken away to become a cultivator."

Yu Yuan nodded. "Aunt mentioned that Ms. Ying never returned, right?"

By family hierarchy, he should indeed refer to Yu Ying as Grandma.

"My sister did return in secret," Yu Cen said, his expression somber as he reflected on the past. "The Yu family wasn't always as it is now. Under her direction, the Yu family was once rebuilt."

Yu Yuan was astounded. "The new Yu family was her doing?"

"Yes," confirmed Yu Cen. "I couldn't fathom her level of cultivation at that time. She must have attracted the attention of some formidable enemy and didn't dare involve the Yu family, so she acted covertly. She may have left something behind for the Yu family, or perhaps for herself."

"What could it be?" Yu Yuan's curiosity was piqued.

"I don't know," Yu Cen admitted with a wry smile, gesturing towards the ground. "Whatever it is, it's concealed deep beneath us, shrouded by a rune circle. Before she departed, as if she knew her end was near, she informed me that if anyone in our family, including myself, could advance to the Subtlety Realm, their spiritual sense could resonate with the formation, allowing them to delve into the earth's depths."

"But she cautioned that it would be best to reach the Lunar Spirit Realm, to descend directly with one's Lunar Spirit."

"My guess is that the sorrow emanating from your White Paper Fan somehow resonated with the rune circle she secretly imprinted, leading to a slight anomaly within the Yu family that even Yuan Lianyao sensed as unusual."

Yu Cen provided this explanation.

Yu Yuan was stunned.

The modest Yu family, to which his grandmother in name belonged, had secretly returned to reconstruct the family's legacy and entombed something deep beneath the earth!

This object was certainly of great significance!

Only those within the Yu family could perceive the Subtlety Realm with their spiritual sense.

It was through the descent of the Lunar Spirit that one could catch a glimpse of that thing.

This suggests that Yu Ying's level of cultivation was even higher, and the items she concealed were far from ordinary!

Regrettably, many years have passed since Ms. Ying's departure, and no one from the Yu family has since reached the Subtlety Realm.

Yu Cen had only advanced to the Veil Breaking Realm, and his progress was further hindered when the Huang family broke his legs, causing him to regress to the Golden Sanctum.

"Does Lin Jingfei from the Lin family know about this secret?" Yu Yuan inquired, his expression shifting suddenly. "Does my betrothal to Lin Zhuyun have anything to do with this?"

"Ahem, well..."

Yu Cen's face turned red as he spoke awkwardly, "In my youth, I was smitten with Lin Jingfei from the Lin family and pursued her relentlessly. Alas, I was unsuccessful and failed to win her affection."

"There was a time, in my despair, I got terribly drunk and declared that once I achieved the Subtlety Realm, she would regret rejecting me for the rest of her life."

"It was then that I let slip this secret."

"When I sobered up, I was filled with regret. Yet, even though she knew the truth, she never spoke of it to anyone."

"The marriage between you and Lin Zhuyun happened partly because I saved her life when we were younger. Additionally, she sought me out after achieving fame, around the time you were born."

"She must have truly understood the mystery and realized I wasn't just boasting. That's why she overcame all opposition to have her granddaughter marry you."

"She was betting that our Yu family could soar to great heights because of the secret buried deep beneath the earth, and become another powerful clan within the Silvermoon Empire."

"Alas, I have let everyone down by never managing to reach the Subtlety Realm."

"Your father was very likely to enter the Subtlety Realm in the future. But due to your circumstances, he and your mother desperately sought a cure in the outside world and vanished into the Frozen Hellscape, never to return."

"..."

The secret that had been deeply buried in his heart poured forth, unceasingly, as the old man opened up.

Yu Yuan finally realized why Lin Jingfei of the Lin family was willing to agree to a marriage alliance between their two families, despite the vast disparity in their strengths. It turned out that something hidden deep within the Yu family's territory might have the potential to alter the family's destiny!

The architect of this entire scheme was none other than Yu Ying, the old man's younger sister, whom everyone believed had vanished without a trace.

"Grandfather, you must diligently pursue your cultivation and aim to reach the Subtlety realm as soon as possible to bring prosperity to our entire family."

Yu Yuan flashed a bright smile and added, "There's another thing—I suspect that Ann Ziqing has been covertly residing within the Yu family for many years, likely because she has detected something extraordinary."

"After learning that she was a devotee of Colddeath, my suspicions about her grew," Yu Cen expressed with concern. "I've only shared this secret with Lin Jingfei. Not even Yu Wei and the others have been informed! How did Ann manage to notice something so peculiar and remain hidden?"

"We may only get answers from her," Yu Yuan said with a furrowed brow. "But we must remain vigilant around Ann Ziqing. If she has indeed uncovered our secret, she won't easily let it go."

Yu Cen rubbed his temples, "If she returns, she'll be sure of herself."

"That's why you need to focus on your cultivation, Grandfather," Yu Yuan encouraged.

"Reaching the Subtlety realm is easier said than done," Yu Cen lamented.

"I'll be heading to the Yu family's ancestral home to cultivate and won't stay here for the time being," Yu Yuan said as he picked up the White Paper Fan. "Otherwise, causing a commotion might reveal everything prematurely, and that would be a real problem."

"I'll have Mr. Ning accompany you."

"That sounds good."

...

Two days later.

Su Yin formally notified Yu Cen that, effective immediately, the Su family would no longer purchase any spiritual herbs cultivated by the Yu family.

The news sent shockwaves of panic through the entire Yu family.

Yu Wei and several Yu family elders reached out to other clans and powers in need of medicinal herbs.

However, the responses they received were all the same.

The Su family's stance was now the consensus.

Suddenly, every smaller family and power with a need for medicinal herbs turned their backs on the Yu family.

This sent a clear message: the Yu family, as a major player in the medicinal herb market, had crossed the Su family of the Empire and was now deliberately targeted by them. They had been effectively ousted from the game.

With the Su family calling the shots in the herb trade, the Yu family's prospects were grim. The spiritual herbs and flowers they had meticulously cultivated were suddenly worthless overnight.

Unable to trade these spiritual herbs and flowers for soulstones, the elders and devout cultivators were left in a bind.

The patriarch was beside himself with worry, and the rest of the Yu family were equally helpless.

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