The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"Brother!"

Yun Yanshuang called out as she entered the family courtyard, spotting her elder brother reclining leisurely under the shade of a willow tree.

Beside him lay the golden-eyed beast, resting peacefully.

"You're back so late?" Yun Yanshui said with a faint smile.

"Hmph! You didn't even wait for me," she pouted.

"I told you we couldn't travel together," he replied, sitting up and pouring himself a cup of tea.

"So, what did you find in the ruins?"

Sitting obediently beside her brother, Yun Yanshuang stroked the golden-eyed beast's head while gazing at him with a smile.

"Take a look."

Yun Yanshui tossed a storage pouch onto the table. "I gathered some spirit stones, pills, herbs, low-grade spiritual weapons, talismans, and a few techniques and Daoist arts."

"Wow! So much?"

Opening the storage pouch, Yun Yanshuang exclaimed in amazement. Her brother's haul rivaled what she and Yun Yantian had collected together.

"Nothing particularly valuable, though some of the spirit ores are high quality. I plan to incorporate them into my Wuqing War Bow," Yun Yanshui said casually.

"You're amazing, Brother," Yun Yanshuang said with a sweet smile.

The better items could be added to the family's treasure vault for future use by their heirs, while the lower-quality ones could be handed over to Ling'er and her team to sell, earning the family more spirit stones.

"There's one thing I need to give you personally. Let's go inside," Yun Yanshui said, standing up and leading his sister into the house.

"What is it, Brother?" Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire

"Take a look."

From within his robes, Yun Yanshui produced the Myriad Pill Furnace, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"What kind of alchemy furnace is this? Its quality far surpasses anything I've ever used!"

Her eyes widened as she examined the furnace in her brother's hands, her expression filled with astonishment.

"Of course it's better—it's the Myriad Pill Furnace, taken directly from Wang Liyuan," Yun Yanshui said with a smirk.

"The Myriad Pill Furnace?!"

Yun Yanshuang's jaw dropped as she gasped in shock.

"Keep your voice down," Yun Yanshui said sternly. "We can't let anyone outside the family know about this. Otherwise, it'll bring us nothing but disaster."

"Oh! I understand," Yun Yanshuang quickly nodded, covering her mouth as she stared at the furnace, her delight growing with each passing moment.

She had dreamed of having the Myriad Pill Furnace in her possession. With it, she could refine superior-quality pills for the family's store, generating a steady stream of spirit stones.

And now, her brother had already made it happen.

"Brother, you took the furnace from Wang Liyuan. Are you sure he won't recognize you?"

"Tch! That boy doesn't know a thing!" Yun Yanshui chuckled. He handed the furnace to his sister.

"I've erased the blood-bound imprint Wang Liyuan left on it. This furnace is ours now, but you must keep it a secret. Not even Father and Mother can know. The fewer people aware of this, the better."

"Yes, Brother!"

Yun Yanshuang nodded earnestly, quickly tucking the Myriad Pill Furnace into her storage pouch.

She knew all too well the weight of the furnace's karma.

Wang Liyuan had nearly lost his life to the combined pursuit of the Three Great Families and the Six Clans, all because he possessed the furnace.

If word got out that she now owned it, the Yun family would undoubtedly face the same fate—or worse.

"Hmm… I'm getting hungry. I'll go ask Mother to make some pig's foot noodles," Yun Yanshui said, standing and stretching.

"Me too! I want a bowl!" Yun Yanshuang giggled as she followed him.

Meanwhile, at the Yulin Wang Clan:

With the help of Xia Changqing, Wen Ruli, and the other heirs of the Six Clans, Wang Liyuan and his siblings had returned safely to their family's territory.

"Brother Liyuan, we've fulfilled our end of the bargain and escorted you to your clan's land. Now, where's the furnace?"

Xia Changqing came to an abrupt stop, turning to face Wang Liyuan, his tone calm but firm.

"Here it is," Wang Liyuan said with a faint smile, pulling out the storage pouch containing the so-called Myriad Pill Furnace.

The moment the pouch appeared, Xia Changqing, Wen Ruli, and the other heirs fixed their gazes on it, their eyes burning with desire.

"As for who will receive the furnace… I'm afraid that's a tough decision," Wang Liyuan said, his voice tinged with mock hesitation.

"Brother Liyuan, just hand it over. Whatever happens afterward is a matter for us Six Clans to resolve. It has nothing to do with you," Xia Changqing said bluntly, trying to cut off any further games.

"Nothing to do with me?" Wang Liyuan murmured under his breath.

Before anyone could react, he channeled his spiritual energy into the storage pouch.

Boom!

The pouch exploded into pieces, its contents scattering across the ground in front of the stunned heirs of the Six Clans.

"Wang Liyuan, are you insane?!" Wen Ruli shouted, his voice trembling with fury.

"Calm down, everyone. I did this for your sake," Wang Liyuan said evenly, unfazed by their murderous glares.

"We fulfilled our agreement, escorting the three of you back to your clan's territory. Yet you destroyed the Myriad Pill Furnace right before our eyes and still have the audacity to claim it was for our benefit?"

Xia Changqing's face darkened with fury, his hands clenched as if ready to strike down Wang Liyuan on the spot. Yet, being so close to the Wang clan's territory, he knew that any action taken here would undoubtedly alert the Wang clan's patriarch.

"Brother Changqing, you all saw it for yourselves in the Dan Ding Sect ruins. The furnace brought nothing but relentless pursuit and danger upon me.

The Myriad Pill Furnace is unique—there's only one. If it were to fall into the hands of any one of you, that person would become the next target.

When that happens, the Seven Clans will undoubtedly turn on each other, and the only ones who would benefit would be the Three Great Families," Wang Liyuan said evenly, his tone calculated.

He paused, letting his words sink in, before continuing.

"Moreover, don't forget that the Three Great Families aren't the only ones coveting the furnace. Cultivators from Wu Nation are equally eager to claim it.

No matter which clan among you ends up with the furnace, do you truly have the strength to protect it?"

Wang Liyuan's voice carried a calm authority that silenced the group.

Wen Ruli and the other heirs exchanged uneasy glances, their brows furrowed in thought. Though they loathed to admit it, there was a ring of truth to Wang Liyuan's words.

"I told you to hand over the furnace, and the Six Clans would decide its fate. Destroying it without consulting us was an affront to our dignity!

Wang Liyuan, do you take us for fools?" Xia Changqing snarled, his voice brimming with anger.

To him, the Myriad Pill Furnace represented an opportunity for the Tongshan Xia family to rise above the rest. With the furnace, they could dominate the Seven Clans and perhaps even challenge the Three Great Families.

But Wang Liyuan's actions had shattered those ambitions, and Xia Changqing's fury was barely contained.

"Think what you will. I've said my piece.

The furnace is gone. If you still want it, you're chasing a dream," Wang Liyuan replied coldly, his expression impassive.

Without sparing them another glance, he turned and walked away, leading Wang Lizhu and Wang Lilong toward the safety of their family's estate.

"Wang Liyuan!!!"

Xia Changqing's roar echoed through the air as his spiritual energy surged, his rage threatening to boil over.

He prepared to charge after Wang Liyuan, but a tiger-eyed, bearded rogue cultivator grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Master Changqing, you mustn't act rashly. If you attack here, the Wang clan's patriarch will surely retaliate."

The rogue cultivator's words snapped Xia Changqing out of his fury, and he reluctantly suppressed his rage.

"Fine! We'll report this to the patriarch," he growled, his face still clouded with anger.

With that, Xia Changqing led the heirs and rogue cultivators of the Tongshan Xia family away.

The other heirs followed suit, each returning to their respective clans to report the incident to their elders.

Wang Liyuan knelt before the patriarch, Wang Qingshan, recounting the events of their journey to the Dan Ding Sect ruins in detail.

"Disciple deliberately concealed the existence of the Myriad Pill Furnace and failed to report it. I humbly ask for the patriarch's punishment," Wang Liyuan said, his tone filled with remorse.

"Enough. What's done is done, and dwelling on it serves no purpose," Wang Qingshan said, his voice calm yet firm.

"Your decision to destroy the furnace was, in hindsight, a wise one. It spares our family from becoming the target of countless factions and rogue cultivators."

Wang Qingshan's words carried a note of approval, though his expression remained stoic.

"Though you claimed to have destroyed the furnace before the Six Clans, I doubt they will take your word at face value. They will likely use this as an excuse to visit us and investigate further," Wang Liyuan said, his tone cautious.

"Let them come. I would welcome the chance to have them search. After all, the Myriad Pill Furnace truly isn't in our possession.

Their efforts will only make the truth known to other factions, sparing our family from further suspicion," Wang Qingshan said with a cold laugh.

"As for the Tongshan Xia family…"

"When the time comes, I will deal with them myself," Wang Qingshan said, his eyes glinting with resolve.

"Meanwhile, you must secretly investigate the rogue cultivator who took the furnace. If he's still within Wu Nation, we'll find him," he added.

"Your grandson will see to it," Wang Liyuan said, bowing deeply.