C49 The More the Better!

The sun blazed overhead.

Dressed in a verdant outfit, Su Yan strolled with unhurried grace around the Yu family's estate at the city's northern edge. Round and round she went, seemingly without a hint of weariness.

After half an hour had passed, an elderly woman named Feng Lanyun couldn't contain her curiosity. "Miss, what's so captivating about the Yu family that you linger outside? If you're so inclined to observe, why not venture inside?"

"You wouldn't understand," Su Yan replied with a serene detachment.

Feng Lanyun shifted the subject, "Your uncle, on behalf of the Su family, has ceased purchasing herbs from the Yu family. Once word gets out, every clan and power with even the slightest tie to our Su family will take note and begin to align against the Yus."

She paused, then added softly, "Was it you who instructed your uncle to act?"

She recalled how Yu Yuan had troubled her at the Spirit Treasure Building days prior, suspecting that was when Su Yan had influenced Su Yin's decision.

"I'm not so petty," Su Yan dismissed with a shake of her head. "My uncle must have his own grievances with the Yu family. But now that he's made his stance public, the Yus are likely in for some difficult times."

"It's not just difficult times; I doubt the Yu family can withstand this at all," Feng Lanyun scoffed. "A minor family like theirs can't afford to cross us. Without the Su family's business and facing the onslaught from various powers, the Yu family's meticulously cultivated herbs will be worthless!"

"I'm curious to see what the Yu family's next move will be," mused Su Yan.

"What can they do?" Feng Lanyun snorted. "Mark my words, within days Yu Cann will be groveling before your uncle. His delay in leaving is surely to await Yu Cann's plea for mercy."

"Is that so?" Su Yan's eyes narrowed as she gazed at the Yu family's walls, her thoughts adrift to the peculiar events of that night. She pondered, "Could the Yu family have something extraordinary up their sleeve?"

"Just watch. I'd wager it won't take more than a week!" Feng Lanyun declared with conviction.

...

Within mere days, the tale of the Su family's campaign against the Yu family had rippled through Darkmoon City.

The Yuan and Zhao families were all taken aback by the news.

Yu Cann, the elder, had intended to keep it under wraps, but soon realized it was impossible to conceal.

Every member of the Yu family, including the sinecures and Medicine Slaves, was deeply unsettled upon hearing the news.

After all, they were dealing with the Empire's Su family!

Without the Su family's purchase, what value would their cultivated Spiritual Grass and Flowers hold?

Without converting the herbs into Spirit Stones, how would they continue their cultivation? How would they acquire the necessary pills, tools, and Spiritual Spells for survival?

Cultivators are not mere mortals; sustenance is not their only need.

"Old man, what's our move?"

"Patriarch, our latest batch of medicinal herbs will soon be ripe. Without buyers, they'll go to waste, and the Spiritual Qi will vanish."

"Old man, shouldn't you speak with Su Yin?"

"Su Yin's staying put in Darkmoon City, likely waiting for you to relent."

"Patriarch, we must consider the overall situation!"

Many Yu family members, especially the seniors and guest elders, were in a frenzy, rushing to Yu Cann to act as mediators.

They implored him to accept Su Yin's terms at any cost to prevent the Yu family from becoming too vulnerable.

Yu Cann felt the weight of their expectations bearing down on him.

...

At the Yu family's ancestral home.

"Hu!"

Yu Yuan exhaled deeply, his body thrumming with Spiritual Qi like a mighty river.

Rising to his feet, his face broke into a radiant smile, "Pulse Opening Stage, the Twelfth Heaven!"

Thanks to the Channel Opening Pill and the miraculous effects of the Glorious Heavenly Wheel, all twelve of his primary meridians were wide open.

Just one more breakthrough, one more moment of insight, and he might advance to the Spirit Accumulating Stage.

Entering the Spirit Accumulating Stage would allow him to practice the body-refining Spiritual Spell he had already chosen, significantly boosting his combat prowess.

During the Pulse Opening Stage, he focused solely on the Glorious Heavenly Wheel, avoiding any distractions.

This stage was relatively low and fraught with limitations.

The Spirit Accumulating Stage, however, was a different realm altogether. The Spiritual Qi flowing through the twelve meridians could nourish the organs and refine the muscles and bones.

This phase was all about forging a stronger physical form.

The Glorious Heavenly Wheel, a high-rank spiritual spell, primarily facilitated the circulation and absorption of spiritual Qi for bodily refinement. However, it offered limited benefits in the way of physical conditioning.

His aspiration to advance to the Spirit Accumulating Stage was driven by different motives.

"Let's pause the intake and release of the spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth for now and experiment with something else."

He retrieved the white paper fan, and as his eyes began to glow, a thread of thought seemed to detach from his mind, drawn into the inscription "High Perfection of Wisdom will cause injury."

He immersed himself in understanding the pervasive sorrow.

Concerned that the Yu family's deeply buried secret might be unearthed by prying eyes, he had been practicing in the family's ancestral home these past days.

Without the amplification of the peculiar formation, the fan's sorrowful aura wouldn't be so overwhelmingly intense.

Using the fan to purify his soul hadn't been as effective as it had been on that particular night.

Nonetheless, he was determined to continue any technique that could even slightly clarify his soul and brighten his spiritual intellect.

The techniques for enhancing the three souls—of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—were exceedingly rare and treasured. Fortunate to have discovered one, he intended to value and preserve it.

"Young Master Yu..."

Time had passed unnoticed when Ning Ji's gentle voice broke the silence.

Yu Yuan came to his senses and inquired, "Elder Ning, haven't you been with my grandfather recently?"

"Yes," Ning Ji confirmed with a nod. "He's run into a bit of trouble and sent me to consult with you."

"What kind of trouble?"

Ning Ji laid out the situation: Su Yin's targeted oppression, the Yu family's growing anxiety, and the old master's earnest advice.

"I see," Yu Yuan said with an easy smile. "I anticipated this. The Su family's pressure or not, I had no intention of continuing to supply them with medicinal herbs. Hmph! The Su family's prices are insultingly low! They don't realize our cultivation costs are substantial, yet they keep driving the prices down!"

Ning Ji, unfamiliar with these matters, could only listen without offering an opinion.

"Could you ask my aunt to join me? I'd like to visit our family's herb garden and check on the maturity of the medicinal herbs," Yu Yuan requested.

"Alright."

...

Three more days slipped by.

On this particular day, Zhao Dongsheng approached his father, arranging the gleaming yellow pellets on a green jade tabletop. "Elemental Pills, Common Grade Seventh Grade, designed specifically for those in the Spirit Accumulating Stage," he announced.

"No need to spell out the pill's effects to me," Zhao Zhenghao interrupted with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'm only interested in how potent they are."

"The medicinal potency is flawless, and what's more, it's even richer than that of the standard Elemental Pills," Zhao Dongsheng assured him.

"Did these come from the Yu family?" Zhao Xi inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"Indeed, Yu Lili herself delivered them," Zhao Dongsheng confirmed with a nod. "Her asking price is fifty Spirit Stones per pill."

"Fifty!" Zhao Xi gasped, "If I'm not mistaken, doesn't the Su family sell their Elemental Pills for around eighty Spirit Stones each?"

"Exactly," Zhao Dongsheng said with a sly grin. "And the Su family's pills don't even match the quality of these."

"So what's the holdup?" Zhao Xi asked, baffled. "We should take as many as we can get. If we have excess, we can easily sell them at a profit!"

"There's just one issue," Zhao Dongsheng said, furrowing his brow as he turned to his father. "This could potentially upset the Su family."

"Let them be upset," Zhao Zhenghao declared, inhaling deeply. "We've been working on securing that connection, and with Yafu's successful dragon assimilation, we're starting to see progress. If we can secure a large supply of Elemental Pills, we might just earn their protection!"

"With their backing, Hidden Dragon Lake won't pose a threat, and the Su family? They'll be powerless against us."

Zhao Zhenghao's words carried a boldness that lived up to his name.

"Alright!"

...

That very night.

The Yuan family presented five Elemental Pills to Yuan Lianyao, informing her that the pills were a gift from the Yu family, personally delivered by Yu Lili.

The price was consistent with what the Zhao family had been offered: fifty Spirit Stones each.

Yuan Lianyao, donning silver gloves, meticulously inspected each pill with grace and precision.

Afterward, she instructed her kin, "Inform Yu Lili that we'll take as many Elemental Pills as she can supply! The more, the merrier!"