The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"That… damned bastard!"

Thrown onto the street by Sun Fenglin, Su Yue's entire body throbbed with pain. Worse than her physical injuries, however, was the humiliation she felt as the surrounding rogue cultivators cast her looks of astonishment and amusement. Her face flushed with anger and shame, her humiliation turning quickly into fury.

"I'll kill him!"

The thought of losing face because of Sun Fenglin filled her with rage. Gritting her teeth, Su Yue pushed herself up, ready to leave and vent her wrath on him.

"You're not going anywhere."

Yun Yanshui stepped forward, blocking her path with a swift movement. His tone was cold as he stared at her. "You've ruined the spiritual herbs on my stall, and you think you can just leave? Not happening."

"I didn't do it on purpose!"

Glancing at the mess she'd made of his stall, Su Yue snapped back irritably.

"I don't care whether it was intentional or not. You destroyed my goods—valuable spiritual herbs I was preparing to sell. You're not leaving until you compensate me," Yun Yanshui replied, his voice sharp and uncompromising.

"How much?"

Knowing the marketplace was filled with potentially powerful rogue cultivators, Su Yue chose to swallow her pride. She resolved to pay and be done with it so she could focus on dealing with Sun Fenglin.

"Not much. Five thousand six hundred and eighty-seven low-grade spirit stones," Yun Yanshui said with a mocking smile, counting the amount on his fingers.

"What kind of herbs cost that much? You might as well be robbing me!"

Su Yue's expression twisted in disbelief as she heard the outrageous number.

"They were all Grade 3 to Grade 5 Yellow-tier spiritual herbs, over thirty in total. The amount I'm asking is already quite reasonable," Yun Yanshui said, his tone calm but firm.

"I don't have that many spirit stones!"

"Then you'd better find a way to come up with them. Otherwise, you're not leaving here," Yun Yanshui retorted.

"You dare threaten me? Do you even know who I am?"

Su Yue's brows furrowed, her frustration mounting.

"I don't know, and I don't care. Pay up, or you're not taking another step."

"I'd like to see how a rogue cultivator like you plans to stop me!"

Her patience snapped, and her face darkened further. Su Yue turned to leave, but before she could take a step, an oppressive aura descended upon her, pinning her to the ground. She found herself completely immobilized, her limbs trembling under the immense pressure.

"A Qi Refinement cultivator…"

The rogue cultivators watching from the sidelines were stunned, their expressions shifting to awe and fear.

Su Yue's face turned pale as terror gripped her. She had assumed Yun Yanshui was just a slightly stronger Embryo Breath rogue cultivator. To her shock, he was a true Qi Refinement stage cultivator—far beyond her expectations and even more powerful than her master.

"Miss!"

The Su family guards rushed through the crowd, their alarm evident as they saw Su Yue subdued by Yun Yanshui's spiritual pressure.

Clang!

More than ten guards drew their weapons simultaneously, charging toward Yun Yanshui.

"Stop! You're no match for him!" Su Yue shouted desperately, trying to call them off.

But it was too late.

With a wave of his sleeve, Yun Yanshui unleashed a blade of spiritual energy that pierced through the heads of every guard in an instant.

"Elder… elder, I am Su Yue of the Blue Scale Su family. Please forgive my earlier insolence—I failed to recognize your greatness.

If you let me go, I swear that my family will compensate you for all your losses once I return," Su Yue stammered, her face pale as she knelt before Yun Yanshui.

"The Blue Scale Su family?" Yun Yanshui murmured softly, his gaze narrowing slightly.

He had heard of the Su family before. They were backed by the Yulin Wang Clan, with two rogue cultivators stationed in their ranks—individuals rumored to have been planted there by the Wang Clan itself.

"Yes, yes! Elder, you've heard of my family?" Su Yue said, a glimmer of hope flickering in her eyes.

"And if I have? Do you expect me to let you go?"

"No, elder. As I said, if you release me, I will personally ensure my family compensates you for everything."

"And what if I release you and you don't return?" Yun Yanshui asked, his lips curling into a cold smile.

"Then… then perhaps you could come with me to my family and collect the compensation in person?"

"Very well," Yun Yanshui said, his grin widening.

He was fully aware that his family had been secretly supporting the Sun brothers, intending to weaken the Su family and restore the former glory of the Blue Scale Sun Clan. This was an excellent opportunity to investigate the Su family further—especially to assess whether the rogue cultivators stationed within their ranks were indeed under the Wang Clan's influence.

As Yun Yanshui withdrew his spiritual pressure, Su Yue let out a breath of relief. Trembling slightly, she climbed to her feet, her gaze toward him now filled with reverence and fear.

"Elder… please… follow me," she stammered.

Without another word, she turned and began leading the way, Yun Yanshui following closely behind.

Just as Su Yue emerged from the crowd, she spotted Sun Fenglin and his companions exiting the pavilion ahead. A surge of hatred flashed across her eyes, impossible to conceal.

"Elder… I… I wonder if I could trouble you with something?"

She turned toward Yun Yanshui, recalling his overwhelming Qi Refinement strength. Surely, someone as powerful as him could deal with Sun Fenglin and the others with ease.

"You're quite demanding, aren't you?" Yun Yanshui's gaze narrowed, his tone cold.

"Please don't be angry, elder! I wouldn't expect your help for nothing—I'm willing to offer a generous reward of cultivation resources in return," Su Yue pleaded hurriedly.

"Oh? Go on, then. Let's hear it," Yun Yanshui replied with a faint smile.

"Elder, those three ahead of us have a grudge against me. When I fell and ruined your stall earlier, it was because of Sun Fenglin. I hope you can eliminate them for me. If you do, I will make sure you are handsomely rewarded!"

"That's going to be difficult," Yun Yanshui replied curtly.

"Elder, I'm serious. I promise I'll compensate you generously!"

"I said it's difficult, so it's difficult," Yun Yanshui repeated, his tone firm.

"Then, elder, what do you—"

"Enough nonsense. Just hurry up and lead me to your family so I can get paid and leave!" Yun Yanshui snapped, his irritation evident.

Seeing his stern demeanor, Su Yue dared not press further. Frustrated, she cast a resentful glance at Sun Fenglin and his companions disappearing around a corner, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

Blue Scale County, Su Family Estate.

"Miss!"

The guards at the gate bowed respectfully as Su Yue returned with Yun Yanshui in tow.

"Where is my grandfather?" Su Yue asked.

"The family head is in the council hall, discussing matters with the elders," one of the guards replied.

"I need to see him."

"This way, miss."

The guard gestured politely to invite her in, but when Yun Yanshui stepped forward to follow, another guard immediately blocked his path.

"Where do you think you're going, you filthy beggar? Dressed like that, you dare try to barge into the Su family estate?"

Hearing the insult, Su Yue froze. Turning around, her face went pale as she realized the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, she stepped forward, drew the guard's blade from his waist, and brought it down in one swift motion.

Thud!

The guard's head hit the ground, blood pooling around his lifeless body.

"Elder, please forgive him. He was ignorant and didn't know his place," Su Yue said, bowing deeply to Yun Yanshui.

"No harm done," Yun Yanshui replied indifferently, stepping over the corpse as he followed Su Yue inside.

The unfortunate guard never understood why his life had ended so abruptly, while his fellow guards stood frozen in shock. Their faces turned ashen as they stared at their fallen comrade, then shifted their gaze to the mysterious figure who commanded such respect from their young mistress.

In their hearts, a mix of fear and curiosity brewed. Who exactly was this man, and what kind of power did he wield?

Inside the Su Family Council Hall.

"I've said it before—outsiders cannot be trusted.

Yet, you insisted on bringing that Sun clan remnant into our direct line, even making him your sworn son. And now look at the result!"

The elders in the hall glared at Su Yinglong with unconcealed displeasure.

"I've heard that Su Shengyun has been getting closer to the Sun brothers. It's only a matter of time before he betrays our family!"

The criticism came in waves, but Su Yinglong sat in silence, his expression dark. Finally, after a long pause, he spoke.

"If Shengyun truly has thoughts of betrayal, then when he returns, I will ask the cultivator to eliminate him. We cannot afford to let him become a threat to the Su family."

"You should have done this long ago," one elder said sharply.

"Exactly! Killing Su Shengyun would solve a potential threat and save the family a considerable amount of cultivation resources.

Those resources could be better allocated to Yue'er and the other two, helping them improve their strength.

After all, only Yue'er and her kin carry the true bloodline of the Su family. They are the ones who genuinely have our family's interests at heart!"

The elders nodded in agreement, their voices echoing their support for the decision. Su Yinglong remained silent, his gaze heavy as he weighed the burdens of his position.