C51 Let's Go!

Time flies.

"Uncle, it's about time we headed back," Su Yan said, standing at the doorway with the elderly Feng Lanyun behind her, both gazing at the black carriage parked out front.

With a grim expression, Su Yin remarked, "The Yu family has actually managed to hold their ground!"

He had been waiting a long time, hoping Yu Cen would come to him, bowing and scraping, offering apologies and promises in the hope of changing his mind. Yet, Yu Cen had not shown up as he had hoped.

The Imperial Gathering was fast approaching, and it was time for him to return and start his preparations. Indeed, there could be no further delay.

"I think the Yu family isn't just stubbornly resisting," Su Yan said, her eyebrows twitching slightly. "Perhaps they no longer need us. The Su family may have lost their alliance with them."

Unlike her uncle Su Yin, who postured and meditated in anticipation, she often roamed around the Yu family's vicinity. She had clearly observed the recent shifts among the Yu family members, counselors, and patrons.

Initially, the Yu family was in disarray, with clan members, counselors, and patrons alike shrouded in gloom and sighs. Non-Yu family patrons and counselors were even preparing their exit strategies, voicing their desire to break away.

Then, suddenly, the Yu family's faces were free of their previous troubles and worries. Subsequently, Yu Cen forcefully expelled the most troublesome of the Yu family's patrons and counselors, severing ties with them.

Those who stayed were the ones who had borne the Su family's oppression without complaint. These individuals soon regained their composure, just like the Yu family members themselves, no longer fretting over the sale of medicinal herbs.

"What are you saying?" Su Yin asked, taken aback. "You don't seriously think that some other power within the empire has taken in their medicinal herbs, do you? After we've made our stance clear, who would dare?"

He was confident in their position. The Su family had dominated the medicinal herb trade within the Silvermoon Empire for nearly a century!

As the Su family's representative, Su Yin's stance was clear. No other medicinal herb families or powers within the Silvermoon Empire would dare go against the Su family's wishes and secretly engage in trade with the Yu family.

"In any case, I believe the Yu family has found a solution," Su Yan stated calmly. "It's a pity this is Asvetaesi, not the territory of our Su family. Otherwise, I'd be able to thoroughly investigate everything that has transpired with the Yu family these past few days."

Su Yin's brow furrowed as doubt crept into his thoughts.

"Whether it's Yuan Lianyao or the Zhao family, they're both deliberately concealing something." Su Yan reflected on the peculiar incident that had occurred at the Yu family's residence in the northern part of the city that night. She suddenly realized that the seemingly insignificant Asvetaesi might indeed be concealing many secrets. "We should leave now. I can't afford to delay any longer. We'll eventually uncover what's going on with the Yu family."

With a sense of resignation, Su Yin nodded.

The Lin family and the Su family, both prominent families of the Silvermoon Empire, had faced setbacks twice in Asvetaesi at the hands of the Yu family.

...

In Thylethlume, Yu Yuan lay exhausted in the makeshift alchemy room, gazing at the ashes of the Fire Crystal and feeling the relentless heat, his temples pulsating.

"Mr. Yu?" Ning Ji's voice came softly from outside.

"Come in," Yu Yuan responded offhandedly.

Upon entering, Ning Ji discovered the alchemy room in disarray, with herbs, liquids, and charred fuel scattered all around.

"You've worked hard," Ning Ji commended with genuine admiration.

Lately, Yu Yuan had been fervently crafting the Seed of Life using the Yu family's herbs and flowers, nearly forgoing sleep and sustenance.

Ning Ji had witnessed the Seeds of Life being carefully taken by Yu Lili and traded for soulstones with the Yuan and Zhao families.

He held great respect for the young master of the Yu family before him.

"Your grandfather has spoken. He says that the soulstones and Seeds of Life in the Yu family's storehouse are now sufficient for the family to live comfortably for some time," Ning Ji said, his voice tinged with concern. "You can take a break now; there's no need to keep going."

"Also, the Imperial Gathering is about to commence. Your grandfather wants you to return to the city to prepare."

"I understand," Yu Yuan replied, lying back and acknowledging the message with a languid tone.

In recent days, he had been tirelessly refining the Seed of Life. This was partly due to the Yu family's dire financial straits, necessitating a substantial amount of soulstones to weather their hardships. Additionally, his alchemical skills had grown rusty from his reincarnation. He needed to reacquaint himself with the craft through simpler concoctions like the Channel Opening Pill and the Seed of Life. His new hands had to relearn the nuances of touch, detail, and pattern recognition. The repeated process of crafting the Seed of Life allowed him to recapture some of the intuition he had as an apprentice, working with various spiritual herbs.

For a herbalist, the intuitive feel of the process is crucial. If something feels off, it's better not to begin at all to avoid squandering precious herbs and failing to create the elixir.

"The envoys from the Su family have departed from Asvetaesi," Ning Ji reported. "They've uncovered nothing. Both the Yuan and Zhao families have kept their lips sealed."

"It's only a matter of time before the truth comes out," Yu Yuan said slowly as he sat up. "The Yuan and Zhao families can't possibly account for all the Seed of Life. The Su family will grow suspicious and conduct covert investigations. Eventually, they'll discover that the Seed of Life originated from our Yu family."

Ning Ji's face fell. "Pill crafting is the cornerstone of the Su family."

"I understand your concerns," Yu Yuan acknowledged with a nod. "We need to delay the Su family's discovery of the truth for as long as possible. Meanwhile, I'll hasten my search for an alternative solution."

"The Su family will not tolerate any threats to their dominance in alchemy," Ning Ji stated with conviction.

The Su family has had a stranglehold on the alchemical lifeline within the Silvermoon Empire for a century. Anyone who has dared to challenge them has met with a grim fate. Should the Su family learn that we can independently produce the Seed of Life and sell it at a lower cost, it would surely provoke a response from even their patriarch.

The Yu family would be in grave danger, as the Su family would stop at nothing to eradicate them. The hidden herbalist within the Su family faced a stark choice: death or assimilation into the Su family.

Two days later, at Mayor Yuan Lianyao's residence, Yu Yuan, Zhao Yafu, Yu Feifei, and the young members of the Yu, Zhao, and Yuan families were brought together by Yu Lili and Zhao Xi.

They were gearing up to attend the grand meeting of the Silvermoon Empire's younger generation, led personally by Yuan Lianyao.

"Brother Yuan," Yu Feifei, who was slightly chubby, clung to Yu Yuan the whole journey, babbling incessantly.

She had overheard her father and Aunt Yu Lili's late-night conversation and learned that Yu Yuan had resolved the Yu family's recent troubles.

Previously, she had not been allowed to join the tri-realm competition because she had just entered the Soul Awakening Realm.

Though she had heard of Yu Yuan's exploits, she had rarely seen him. Now that she knew the soulstones and the Seed of Life her aunt had given her were crafted by Yu Yuan, she was filled with admiration and wanted to bond with him.

Aunt Yu Lili was pleased with this. She felt that since waking up, Yu Yuan seemed out of place among the family's younger generation. His usual company included Ning Ji, Yu Wei, the elder Yu Cen, Yuan Lianyao, Zhao Zhenghao, and the like. The only person he had spoken to at length, Huang Bin, had been killed by him on the spot.

Yu Lili often thought Yu Yuan acted too mature for his age, lacking youthful exuberance. With the upcoming event, she naturally hoped he would engage more with his sister.

"Don't be so morose all the time, focusing only on cultivation and scheming. You come off like an old man," Yu Lili reprimanded him upon seeing his half-hearted conversation with Yu Feifei. "Feifei is your sister; remember to keep her safe and out of harm's way."

"Oh," Yu Yuan responded, somewhat blankly.

"Brother Yu Yuan, you promised my father and grandfather that you'd also look after me," Zhao Yafu chimed in, giving him a hopeful smile as she awaited his assurance.

Yu Yuan gave her a sidelong glance and remarked, "You've already entered the Golden Sanctum realm."

Following the success of the Dragon Devour technique, Zhao Yafu's suppressed cultivation level began to advance by leaps and bounds. Shortly after her swift entry into the early stages of the Golden Sanctum, she sensed that she could even traverse the middle stages without encountering any bottlenecks, and that too in a remarkably short time.

"It's all thanks to you, Brother Yu Yuan," Zhao Yafu said, her smile growing even sweeter. "Anyway, I'll be right by your side at the Imperial Gathering."

Many from the Yuan family, as well as members of the Zhao family, were left at a loss for words. They couldn't fathom why this paragon of Asvetaesi's third generation, undoubtedly the strongest, placed such unwavering trust in Yu Yuan.

"Alright."

Having spoken at length, Yuan Lianyao paused before continuing, "Young ones, follow me. It's time to bid farewell to Asvetaesi."

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