"Have you prepared everything?"
Yun Yunyang asked as he glanced at Yun Yunlin.
"Yes, fifty pounds of obsidian, thirty pounds of spiritual rice, five Embryo Breathing Pills, three first-grade Yellow-tier spiritual artifacts, and a hundred spirit stones," Yunlin replied.
"To celebrate the Wang clan ancestor’s breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, this is all the Yun family can manage to offer," Yunyang said with a faint smile.
In truth, the family possessed many other spiritual treasures, most of which Yun Yanshui had obtained over the years by exploring Yunzhang Mountain with the Golden-Eyed Beast. However, those resources were crucial for the Yun family’s Spirit Root cultivators and could not be casually given away.
Thus, sending symbolic gifts such as spiritual rice and obsidian sufficed to express their goodwill toward the Wang clan.
"Yanshuang, Yantian, get in the carriage!"
Calling out to his niece and nephew, Yunyang boarded the carriage with them. Yun Yunlin led a group of clan soldiers as their escort toward the Yulin Wang family estate. Stay updated via freewebnovel
Roar!
Deep within Yunzhang Mountain, a thunderous roar echoed as the massive Golden-Eyed Beast sank its fangs into the neck of a striped tiger, snapping it in a single bite.
The enormous tiger stood no chance against the beast. Simply sensing the predatory aura emanating from the Golden-Eyed Beast had shattered its will to fight, leaving it defenseless as it awaited its fate.
"I can’t believe how powerful the Golden-Eyed Beast has become!" Yun Yansong exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the felled tiger.
He had always known that Yun Yanshui had been raising the Golden-Eyed Beast for the family.
Over the past five years, Yanshui frequently ventured into the mountains with the beast, feeding it various spiritual materials. The once tiny cub, no larger than a baby’s fist, had grown into a fearsome predator capable of taking down a tiger with a single bite.
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"Yanshuang said the Golden-Eyed Beast’s power now rivals that of a cultivator at the peak of the third layer of the Embryo Breathing Realm. It’s close to reaching the fourth layer," Yanshui said with a smile as he called the beast back.
From his pouch, he retrieved some scattered spirit stones, spiritual rice, and bits of obsidian, tossing them into the air.
With a powerful leap, the Golden-Eyed Beast opened its massive jaws and swallowed the offerings whole. Landing with a thud, it stirred up a gust of wind, its large body looming over the ground. As it chewed, it affectionately rubbed its head against Yanshui, seeking his attention.
"It’s only been five years, but its growth is astonishing," Yansong said with a chuckle, stepping forward to pet the beast’s massive head. He pulled a bamboo flask from his waist, pouring water onto a cloth to clean the tiger’s blood from the beast’s mouth.
"By the way, where’s Brother Yanbai?" Yanshui asked.
"Your Brother Yanbai is in the county, spending time with his future bride," Yansong replied with a smile.
"Who is she?"
"Who else? Qin Zhan’s third sister."
"Qin Yue?" Yanshui blinked in surprise.
Qin Yue was the younger sister of Qin Zhan, the daughter of Yunzhang County’s wealthiest man, Qin Yang.
"I think I met her once. How is she now?" Yanshui asked.
"She’s well-read, gentle, and beautiful. Your Brother Yanbai is quite taken with her. Lately, he spends every day in the county, glued to her side," Yansong said with a laugh.
"That’s wonderful," Yanshui said sincerely, his tone tinged with admiration.
"Yanshui, you’re almost fifteen. Isn’t it time for Fourth Uncle to find you a good match so you can continue your branch of the family? Yan Dong is a year younger than you, yet he’s already courting the magistrate’s daughter. He might even marry her by the end of the year!"
Yanshui’s face flushed as he muttered under his breath, "Can you not stress me out for just one day?"
"Haha! I’m too carefree for such responsibilities. I’d rather spend my days with my parents, my sister, and the clan. I’ll occasionally help out with family affairs, watch the younger generation grow up, and live a peaceful, carefree life," Yanshui said with a bright smile.
"Besides, with you, Brother Yanbai, and that rascal Yan Dong, the family line is in no danger of ending. I’ll happily stay home, help you raise your kids, and have them take care of me in my old age."
His cheerful tone masked a deeper truth. The karmic ties of the bronze mirror weighed heavily on Yanshui. As the only one connected to it, he feared that marrying and starting a family might expose its secrets, bringing untold calamities.
"Kid, I don’t even know what to say to you," Yansong said, shaking his head with an exasperated laugh.
"By the way, isn’t Sister-in-law due soon?"
"It’s soon—probably in just a few days. Once the Golden-Eyed Beast finds a new mineral vein for the family in the mountains, we’ll return to report, and by then, my child should be born," Yun Yansong said with a smile.
"Time truly flies. In the blink of an eye, it’s been five years, and you’re about to become a father," Yun Yanshui said with a grin.
"Which is why you should start making an effort yourself," Yansong teased, laughing.
Howl!
As the two brothers sat resting and chatting with a group of clan members, the Golden-Eyed Beast, which had been lounging nearby, suddenly sprang to its feet. It let out an excited howl and bolted deeper into Yunzhang Mountain.
"It seems like the Golden-Eyed Beast has found something," Yansong said, his expression growing serious as he observed the beast’s reaction.
"Let’s follow it," Yanshui said, quickly standing and leading the group in pursuit of the beast.
The group pushed through a patch of thickets and eventually arrived at a dense bamboo forest. The bamboo stretched endlessly in all directions, with a thick carpet of dried yellow leaves covering the ground. A gentle mountain breeze rustled through the forest, filling the air with a faint, pleasant aroma of bamboo.
At the center of the forest, the Golden-Eyed Beast crouched low, fixated on a single dark-purple bamboo stalk that towered into the sky like a spear. Its dense canopy was adorned with clusters of tiny, fragrant bamboo grains.
Howl!
With a leap, the Golden-Eyed Beast snapped up a bunch of reddish-purple bamboo grains in its jaws, chewing them with relish.
"You clever rascal!" Yanshui laughed as he rubbed the Golden-Eyed Beast’s head affectionately. His eyes glimmered as he examined the purple bamboo, which was as thick as a bowl. He could clearly sense that it was a spiritual plant, and the grains it produced were imbued with rich spiritual energy.
The spiritual energy within the grains rivaled, or perhaps even surpassed, the family’s cultivated spiritual rice. If this bamboo could be transplanted to the family’s spiritual fields and cultivated under Yantian’s care, it might yield an entire grove of purple bamboo. The resulting grains could greatly enhance the physiques of every clan member who consumed them.
"This purple bamboo…" Yansong said, his gaze filled with awe as he looked at the towering stalk.
"I don’t know much about it either, but it’s clearly valuable. Let’s dig it up and transplant it to our spiritual fields. Uncle Yunxun can examine it and determine its origins," Yanshui said excitedly, grabbing a hoe and preparing to dig.
"Yanshui, wait," Yansong cautioned, holding him back. "I’ve heard Uncle Yunxun say that spiritual plants like this grow in places where spiritual energy converges underground. If we uproot it recklessly and disrupt the energy flow, the bamboo will wither and die."
"Then what should we do? Just leave it here? It’d be a waste," Yanshui said, frowning.
"For now, let’s harvest the bamboo grains and take them back for Uncle Yunxun to examine. Once he understands their properties, he might figure out a way to safely transplant the bamboo without harming the energy flow."
"Fine, we’ll do it your way," Yanshui agreed, setting down the hoe and instructing the Golden-Eyed Beast to harvest the grains.
The beast let out a sharp bark and leaped into action, using its powerful claws to sever the branches bearing the grains. Each swipe of its claws produced a metallic ringing, like the clash of steel.
"What…?" Yanshui froze in astonishment, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Yansong and the other clan members rushed to examine the fallen branches, their expressions equally stunned. "These branches are harder than wrought iron!"
"This is incredible! What kind of spiritual energy must be gathered underground to produce such a bamboo?"
The group exchanged awed glances, their imaginations running wild as they pondered the mysteries hidden beneath the forest floor.