The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"Whimper... whimper..."

Parting a dense patch of underbrush, Yun Yanshui discovered a small nest made of dried grass and twigs. Inside, nestled snugly, was a tiny, furless creature no larger than a child's palm.

Its soft, pink skin glistened under the dappled light, resembling a newborn puppy. At the center of its forehead was a scale that shimmered like black crystal, with fine, velvety hairs around its edges.

"What is this little guy? And where are its parents?"

Yun Yanshui muttered to himself, staring at the tiny creature whimpering weakly in its nest. Clearly starving, it cried pitifully, its sound barely audible amidst the mountain breeze.

"Forget it. Looks like you've been abandoned," Yanshui said, scratching his head. "If I leave you here, some wolf or tiger will sniff you out, and you're done for."

Though he initially planned to move on, he found himself unable to abandon the helpless creature. With a sigh, he tore a strip of cloth from his sleeve, placed some dry grass and leaves on it, and carefully wrapped the pup in a makeshift bundle.

"Mother, Brother, I'm home!"

Yun Yanshuang bounded cheerfully into the courtyard after a long day of training.

The scent of stir-fried wild boar with green peppers and pickled vegetables wafted from the kitchen, where her mother was busily preparing dinner.

"Mother, where's Brother?" Yanshuang asked, setting down her belongings.

"He's inside. Went hunting in the mountains and brought back a little puppy. Right now, he's trying to feed it goat milk," Yun Qinshi replied with a smile, not pausing in her work.

"A puppy?"

Yanshuang's eyes lit up with curiosity as she hurried into the house. Sure enough, she found her brother crouched in the corner, holding a bowl of goat milk in one hand and the tiny pink creature in the other.

He was awkwardly pinching the pup's tiny mouth with his fingers, trying to force-feed it milk from the bowl.

"Brother, what are you doing?!"

Yanshuang exclaimed, rushing forward to snatch the fragile creature from her brother's grip. She cradled it in her hands, gently stroking its tiny body.

"What does it look like? This pup's hungry, so I'm trying to feed it!" Yanshui said, blinking in confusion.

"Feed it? The poor thing is so tiny! If you keep forcing milk down its throat, you'll choke it!" Yanshuang scolded, glaring at him.

"Well, what else am I supposed to do? It won't drink on its own!" Yanshui grumbled, setting the bowl of milk on the table and plopping down on a stool with an exasperated sigh.

"You're so clumsy! Let me do it," Yanshuang declared confidently.

"You? Think you can manage?"

"Of course, I can!"

Puffing her cheeks in determination, Yanshuang carried the pup outside to the courtyard. She fetched a small spoon from the kitchen, planning to feed the milk to the pup one tiny sip at a time.

But no matter how carefully she tried, the little creature refused to drink. It lay on the stone table, whimpering softly and turning its head away.

"See? This little guy's just stubborn!" Yanshui called out, leaning against a nearby chair with a smug grin.

"Maybe it doesn't want goat milk," Yanshuang said thoughtfully.

"What, do I need to milk a cow now?"

"Go ahead, get some fresh milk from Uncle Yun's cows."

"You've got to be kidding me! This pup is so picky! Fine, but if it still doesn't drink, I'm tossing it in the frying pan!" Yanshui grumbled as he stood and grabbed the bowl, muttering darkly.

The pup whimpered louder at his words, almost as if it understood the threat.

"Brother, look at you scaring it! Hurry and go get the milk!" Yanshuang scolded.

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" Yanshui replied, shaking his head as he stomped off toward the village.

Left alone with the tiny creature, Yanshuang sat by the stone table, gently poking the pup's little head with her finger while it continued its quiet cries.

She absently placed the black wooden box, which her uncle had given her earlier, on the table beside her.

"Shuang'er, come help me set the table. Dinner's almost ready," Yun Qinshi called out from the kitchen.

"Coming, Mother!"

Yun Yanshuang replied cheerfully, bounding off toward the kitchen.

Meanwhile, the tiny pup, which had been lying quietly on the stone table, began to stir. Slowly, with surprising determination, it wriggled its little body toward the black wooden box nearby.

Somehow, the small creature mustered the strength to push the heavy lid open with its head. With its pink paws clinging to the edge of the box, it gave a weak kick and tumbled inside.

"Shuang'er, the milk's here!"

Yun Yanshui announced as he entered the courtyard, carrying a freshly filled bowl of cow's milk.

"Got it! I'm washing dishes and setting the table!" Yanshuang shouted back from the kitchen.

"Just leave it on the stone table—I'll feed it later!"

"Alright," Yanshui replied, placing the bowl on the table before plopping down on a nearby stool.

"Shuang'er, where's the pup?"

"It's right there on the table, isn't it?"

"No, it's not!"

"How is that possible?"

Hearing this, Yanshuang hurried into the courtyard, carrying dishes. Sure enough, the little creature was nowhere to be found.

As she scanned the area, her eyes fell on the open black wooden box. Approaching it, she gasped in surprise. The tiny pup lay inside, sound asleep and no longer whimpering. From its tiny frame came the faint sound of hiccups.

"What did this pup eat? Its belly is so bloated!"

Yanshui had followed her gaze and now stared at the pup in disbelief. Its round, pink belly looked as though it might burst, swollen like a balloon.

"Brother… my obsidian..."

Yanshuang's face fell as she realized the black wooden box, which had once held the second-tier Yellow Grade spiritual ore her uncle had gifted her, now contained only the snoozing pup. The obsidian was gone.

"What?! You mean there was a second-tier spiritual ore in this box?"

"Yes, Uncle gave it to me today. But now..." Yanshuang trailed off, her voice trembling, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Could someone have stolen it?"

"Impossible. Who in the clan would steal obsidian?" Yanshui shook his head, his gaze falling on the pup. "I think the ore was eaten by this little guy!"

"Eaten?"

Yanshuang's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the sleeping pup, her mind racing.

"This pup… it's no ordinary beast," Yanshui said firmly.

"Brother, are you saying it's a spirit beast?"

"Exactly. What else could eat spiritual ore like it's a snack? Especially when it's just a newborn, without even teeth. This proves it's extraordinary," Yanshui explained.

"Shuang'er, tomorrow you should take this pup to Master Daoist. He will recognize what kind of spirit beast it is.@@novelbin@@

If it's dangerous, you'll have to kill it. If it's harmless, you can decide whether to keep it."

"But," he added grimly, "if it truly feeds on spiritual ores, there's no way our family can afford to raise it. In that case, we'll have to abandon it and let it fend for itself."

"Brother, that's so cruel! It's just a baby!"

"And you want to keep it? Do you know how expensive it would be to feed?"

Yanshui sighed, spreading his hands helplessly. If he'd known the trouble this pup would bring, he wouldn't have brought it back from the mountains.

"This is on me," he muttered.

"I'll figure something out," Yanshuang said softly. "If we just throw it away, it would be too pitiful."

Gently closing the wooden box, she carried it into the house and set it aside, leaving the pup to sleep soundly.

Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire

The next morning, Yanshuang cradled the black wooden box as she walked to the shaded grove outside the estate. Beneath the familiar willow tree, she found the blind Daoist.

"Master," she said, bowing deeply, "my brother found this pup while hunting in the mountains yesterday. Could you take a look and tell me what it is? It… it ate the obsidian my uncle gave me."