The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"My Sun Clan has faced many obstacles in development over the years. While we now have three spirit-root cultivators, another was recently born into the clan," Sun Tianming remarked casually, ignoring Yun Yunyang's polite words.

"Is that so? Congratulations, Brother Tianming!"

"Ah, but the lack of cultivation resources in the clan is a major concern. We have no reliable means of acquiring such resources. As our spirit-root cultivators grow stronger, their cultivation will require significant resources. This is currently my greatest worry."

Yun Yunyang listened in silence, sipping his tea without a word.

He understood Sun Tianming's intentions well enough but chose to feign ignorance, unwilling to be the first to break the silence. If he addressed the matter outright, he would lose the upper hand in the conversation.

"Brother Yunyang, I've heard rumors that your esteemed clan has been blessed with good fortune and discovered an obsidian vein in Mount Yunzhang?"

"I'll get straight to the point. My visit today is to seek a collaboration with your clan," Sun Tianming finally said, unable to hold back any longer.

He couldn't afford to let this opportunity slip away—a chance that might turn his family's fortunes around.

The Sun Clan desperately needed cultivation resources, and he was willing to do whatever it took to secure them. If that meant swallowing his pride and asking for help, so be it.

"How does Brother Tianming propose we collaborate?" Yun Yunyang smiled.

Since Sun Tianming had laid his cards on the table, it would be pointless to continue playing coy. Besides, the two families were bound by a marriage alliance, making them future in-laws. It would be inappropriate to keep too much hidden.

"Your clan likely requires a large workforce for mining and transporting the obsidian, correct?" Sun Tianming tested the waters.

"Indeed. At present, we are somewhat short-handed for the task," Yun Yunyang admitted.

"My Sun Clan is willing to provide manpower for mining and transportation. Your Yun Clan would only need to send supervisors to maintain order at the site.

In return, we would ask for just one-tenth of the mined obsidian as our share. That would be more than enough for us."

Sun Tianming's heart leaped with joy as he presented his proposal.

"Brother Tianming, to be honest, the vein my second brother discovered lies within the ancient battlefield in Mount Yunzhang. You're aware of that, aren't you?"

"Yes, I've heard about it," Sun Tianming replied.

"According to my second brother's findings, a century ago, two tribes fought fiercely over that very vein. Before the conflict, those tribes had already extracted a significant portion of the obsidian in secret.

Currently, the remaining obsidian in the vein is not as abundant as it once was," Yun Yunyang said with a sigh.

Fearing that Yun Yunyang was about to reject the collaboration outright, Sun Tianming quickly interjected, "My Sun Clan would settle for just half a tenth!"

"Brother Tianming, with such a concession, it would be unkind of me to refuse your proposal.

After all, our two families are future in-laws."

"Indeed! Indeed!"

"Let's do this—return home for now. I will discuss this with the clan and give you an answer shortly. How does that sound?"

Yun Yunyang spoke after some deliberation.

"Very well. I look forward to your good news, Brother Yunyang!"

Sun Tianming stood, cupped his hands in respect, and led his group of Sun Clan elders out of the Yun family estate.

"Brother Yunyang, are you seriously considering collaborating with the Sun Clan?" Yun Yunrui asked with a furrowed brow, watching Sun Tianming and his entourage depart.

"Why not?"

"I don't understand. That obsidian vein was clearly discovered by our Yun Clan. Why should we collaborate with the Sun Clan and even offer them a share?"

"Yunrui, it's not the thief you fear—it's the thief's intentions you need to watch out for."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just now, Sun Tianming mentioned that his Sun Clan now has four spirit-root cultivators and will need more cultivation resources in the future.

While it's true that with Shuang'er and Yantian, our Yun Clan doesn't fear their four spirit-root cultivators, we can't guarantee the Sun Clan won't resort to underhanded tactics to disrupt our mining efforts."

Yun Yunyang explained his reasoning slowly.

"Is that all?"

"Of course not. There's more to it."@@novelbin@@

"What ultimately convinced me was Sun Tianming's offer that his clan would take full responsibility for the mining and transportation.

Our Yun Clan only needs to send supervisors to oversee and guard the site!

This way, our clan saves a significant amount of manpower, money, and effort.

And don't forget, the obsidian we mine and sell at the cultivation markets requires us to give 60% of the earnings to the Wang family in Yulin.

Since mining obsidian is a thankless task, why not give the Sun Clan a small share to let them handle the hard work?

Our Yun Clan can simply reap the benefits without lifting a finger," Yun Yunyang concluded with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Yun Yunrui and the other Yun family elders couldn't help but applaud, expressing their admiration for Yun Yunyang's foresight.

"Haha! Brother Yunyang, your wisdom is unparalleled. I'm impressed!" Yun Yunrui said enthusiastically.

"Send someone to the Sun Clan shortly to inform Sun Tianming that we agree to the collaboration," Yun Yunyang instructed.

"Also, notify my second brother to withdraw our clansmen who are currently handling the mining and transportation. Have him lead the clan soldiers to oversee and guard the site instead."

"I'll take care of it right away," Yun Yunrui replied, bowing respectfully before leaving quickly.

The collaboration with the Sun Clan was finalized smoothly.

Upon receiving the message, Yun Yunyue, who was in charge of mining the obsidian vein in Mount Yunzhang, immediately withdrew the Yun Clan members responsible for mining and transporting the obsidian.

Only a portion of Yun Clan soldiers remained to supervise and guard the site.

To ensure the Sun Clan's personnel wouldn't cause trouble, Yun Yunyue decided to station himself near the mine permanently.

As for Yun Yantian, he was sent back to the clan to continue his cultivation under the blind Daoist, preparing for future studies in talisman techniques.

Another scorching summer arrived, with the heat nearly unbearable.

A young man in fine attire pushed open the courtyard gate, followed by a large wolfhound, as he entered the yard.

"Mother, I want a bowl of pork trotter noodles!"

As soon as Yun Yanshui entered, he spotted Yun Qin, his mother, busy in the kitchen and called out with a grin.

"Alright, I'll make it for you in a moment. Where's your sister?"

"Shuang'er is still at the weapons workshop, refining tools. She should be back soon," Yun Yanshui replied.

He then made his way to the shade of the courtyard's willow tree and pulled a few pieces of obsidian from his pocket, tossing them into the wolfhound's mouth.

Crunch, crunch!

The wolfhound, almost as tall as an adult human, quietly lay beside Yun Yanshui, chewing the obsidian and absorbing its unique spiritual energy to enhance its demonic power and cultivation.

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Five years had passed in the blink of an eye.

Once a skinny, dark-skinned boy, Yun Yanshui had grown into a fifteen-year-old youth. Dressed in fine clothes, he carried himself with the grace of a young nobleman.

In these five years, much had changed.

Yun Yanshui's cultivation had reached the eighth level of the Fetal Breath stage, nearing its peak.

His sister, Yun Yanshuang, had advanced to the sixth-level peak of the Fetal Breath stage, while their elder brother, Yun Yantian, had reached the sixth level of the same stage.

Even the younger clan members, Yun Wenxuan, Yun Wenyu, and Yun Wenrun, had begun their cultivation journeys, achieving the first-level peak and first level of the Fetal Breath stage.

Their progress in cultivation reflected directly on Yun Yanshui's own growth, thanks to the interconnected cultivation techniques of the Yun Clan.

The family's golden-eyed beast, now the size of a young ox, had spent the past five years feeding on spirit stones, obsidian, and various spiritual materials. Its strength had also advanced, reaching the peak of the third level of the Fetal Breath stage, further bolstering Yun Yanshui's power.

"Brother, you're back already?"

A gentle voice came from outside the courtyard gate.

A graceful figure stepped into the yard—a young woman in a flowing blue immortal dress. Her features were delicate, with a finely shaped nose, small lips, and snow-like skin.

Years of cultivation had imbued her with a natural, ethereal aura that made her beauty almost otherworldly, drawing the eye and holding it captive.

In five years, the once-little girl, Yun Yanshuang, had blossomed into a radiant young woman. Her every movement was elegant, capable of outshining even the most beautiful flowers.

"There's nothing pressing at the workshop right now, so I came back early," Yun Yanshui replied lazily, lying back on his chair.

He was no longer a child who could spend his days playing.

The clan had already tasked him with learning the management of the weapons workshop from Yun Yunzhang to prepare him to take over its operations in the future.

"You're clearly just slacking off!" Yun Yanshuang teased.