"You two are... you're..." The man's hand trembled, and his voice stuttered uncontrollably.
Yun Jin nodded, kindly finishing the sentence for him. "You guessed right. We're the so-called villains who stirred up trouble at the city gates and made the Yu family disciples kneel and beg for mercy."
Who called themselves villains like that?
The man was at a loss for words. But seeing that Yun Jin and Yu Songnian had no intention of attacking him, he slowly began to calm down.
"We just want to ask you a few questions," Yu Songnian said as he slowly placed a few mid-grade spirit stones on the table.
For a mortal—
That was already a fortune.
The man's eyes lit up despite himself.
He didn't reach for the stones immediately, only said cautiously, "I don't know much."
"Just some simple questions," Yu Songnian said in a calm tone. "Everyone here seems to be afraid of the Yu family?"
The man trembled slightly, clearly debating whether to speak.
Perhaps deciding that these two clearly weren't aligned with the Yu family, he finally spoke in a low voice, "Who in Lin City isn't afraid of the Yu family?"
"Why?" Yun Jin asked. "Lin City is a mid-sized city. The Canglan Kingdom should've appointed a city lord to oversee it. The Yu family is just a cultivator clan. How have they ended up with so much unchecked power? Doesn't the city lord intervene?"
This was a cultivation world.
To be appointed as city lord, one's cultivation must be substantial.
It shouldn't be possible for a single family to swell to this degree.
The man gave a bitter laugh. "Back when Yu Feng, the former patriarch, was in charge, the Yu family treated the common folk quite well. They regularly distributed aid and helped guard the city gates. At that time, anyone in Lin City would give the Yu family a thumbs-up."
Yun Jin glanced at Yu Songnian.
Yu Feng was the father of their third senior brother.
Yu Songnian's expression turned complicated. "And then? What changed?"
The man's smile was bitter. "After Yu Feng met with an accident and the young patriarch was driven out, Yu Lin took over as head of the family. For the first few years, things were still calm. But then, a few years back, Yu Lin's son, Yu Liangping, was discovered to have a natural thunder body and was accepted into the super sect Yuehua Sect. I heard Yu Liangping is highly valued by them, and ever since then, the Yu family has grown closer and closer to Yuehua Sect.
That's the only super sect in the entire Canglan Kingdom: Yuehua Sect. With their support, even the king of Canglan has no say. Over time, the so-called city lord became just a figurehead. Now, Lin City is entirely under the Yu family's control."
Yu Songnian frowned. "And no one does anything about it?"
The man gave another bitter chuckle. "Who would? The king won't interfere. No one else has a reason to. Who would risk offending Yuehua Sect over a place like Lin City? You think Qingxiao Sect would bother stepping in?"
In theory, this entire region fell under Qingxiao Sect's jurisdiction.
But as a Holy Land, Qingxiao Sect wouldn't concern itself with something so trivial.
Yun Jin nodded slowly.
She understood now. The Yu family had simply latched onto a super sect and grown drunk on their own power.
"Right," the man said again, taking the initiative. "You two came to Lin City to challenge the Sword Domain, didn't you? You might want to give up that idea."
"Why?" Yun Jin frowned. "I'm a swordsmanship prodigy."
A fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl declaring herself a swordsmanship prodigy with such seriousness—he couldn't help but smile, thinking she was exaggerating. "After the Yu family formed ties with Yuehua Sect, they sent someone to inspect the Sword Domain too. Apparently, they're quite interested in it. This time, Yuehua Sect has already announced that their sword prodigy Ma Yuanwu will personally attempt to break through the Sword Domain and claim the treasure at its center."
"Ma Yuanwu?" Yun Jin blinked. The name meant nothing to her.
The man quickly added, "There are two requirements to enter the Sword Domain. First, the participant must be under one hundred years old. Second, their cultivation must be no higher than Divine Transformation. Ma Yuanwu is just under one hundred, and his cultivation is already at the Divine Transformation stage. Among eligible cultivators, he's about as strong as you can get."
Divine Transformation.
Yun Jin nodded. "But the Sword Domain should primarily test one's talent in the sword, right?"
The man explained, "Ma Yuanwu's talent in the sword is also extraordinary. Not long ago, the top Sword Immortal of Kunlun Sword Sect visited this region. You know why?"
Yun Jin and Yu Songnian exchanged odd glances.
The man lowered his voice mysteriously. "They say it was to find Ma Yuanwu. That Sword Immortal wanted to take him as a disciple."
Yun Jin and Yu Songnian: "…"
They had no idea how that rumor started, but it was definitely outrageous.
"That's probably a rumor," Yun Jin said tactfully.
The man shook his head. "How could it be? I even heard the master of Qingxiao Pavilion personally tried to recruit Ma Yuanwu."
Yun Jin's lips twitched.
The story was getting more and more ridiculous.
"In any case, Ma Yuanwu is terrifyingly gifted. And Yuehua Sect has been studying the Sword Domain in secret for years. This time, they're going all in, so they must be fully prepared. With Ma Yuanwu there, everyone else is just window dressing."
He gave Yun Jin a somewhat sympathetic look, as if she'd just suffered a heavy blow.
Yun Jin's eyes curved into a smile. "It's fine. I'm just going for fun anyway. Big brother, you looked like you had a grudge against the Yu family earlier?"
The man sighed deeply.
He'd already said this much. There was no point hiding the rest. He spoke slowly. "My daughter was a servant in the Yu household. A few years ago, she died under suspicious circumstances. I tried to ask what happened, but the Yu family beat me and threw me out. To this day... I've never even seen Xiao Yu's body."
Grief and helplessness clouded his expression.
He had wanted to seek justice for his daughter. He had wanted answers.
But—
He was just a mortal without a spiritual root.
And the Yu family... had become a towering colossus.
How could he possibly go against them?
All he could do was cry in silence.
Outside these doors, he didn't even dare to complain aloud.
Yu Songnian abruptly stood and strode out without a word.
The man looked at Yun Jin, confused. "He's..."
Yun Jin quickly said, "Don't worry. Take the spirit stones. We were never here today."
She let out a sigh, then vanished from sight.
She could more or less guess what her third senior brother was feeling.
He'd been born in the Yu family, grown up there. Surely, he must have had many good memories once.
But now...
The Yu family had become this.
Yu Songnian's anger needed no explanation.
Yuehua Sect.
Yun Jin repeated the name a few times silently. Her brows furrowed slightly.