After taking the Royal Stone, there wasn't much of value left.
Still, Yu Songnian gathered everything that could be collected.
They were just mundane items. In the cultivation world, they held no worth whatsoever.
But to Yu Songnian, these things were the last fragments of a life that once was.
Yun Jin didn't rush him. She simply stood there, waiting in silence.
Yu Songnian packed the items away, then quietly looked around the room.
Once upon a time...
His father had lived here.
His mother, frail and bedridden, had spent most of her life confined within these four walls.
Now, they were both gone.
He was all alone in the world.
No... not entirely.
Yu Songnian turned and saw Yun Jin smiling gently at him. His parents might no longer be with him, but now he had new family. Everything his parents had done was to ensure he could live on. So how could he ever allow himself to disappoint them?
He would live. Truly live. He would continue to cultivate, reaching Divine Transformation, reaching Unity. He would use the Royal Stone and resolve the danger hidden in his bloodline. He would keep walking forward. And he would watch his junior sister climb to the very peak of the world.
In his youth...
Yu Songnian had once believed himself to be a peerless genius. He had never bowed to anyone. Even when illness delayed his cultivation, he saw it only as misfortune—not as proof that his talent was lacking.
That was, until he met his junior sister.
Only then did he realize...
There were people in this world who could shine with such brilliance.
What others saw as miraculous, she treated as routine.
What others deemed impossible, for her, was always within reach.
Such radiance belonged to his junior sister.
Yu Songnian smiled faintly.
In terms of cultivation, Yun Jin was still at the Golden Core stage. But he never once doubted that she would reach the very summit. Even if it was just to offer her a sliver of help, he had to train harder. With Yun Jin's talent, if his pace lagged even a little, he might never again glimpse her shadow.
"I'm done. Let's go," Yu Songnian said.
Yun Jin responded, "Let's go find Yu Lin."
Yu Songnian blinked. "We're still looking for him? Didn't we give him three days?"
Yun Jin replied with complete seriousness, "He needs to arrange accommodations for us. We've already come all this way. Are we supposed to pay out of pocket and stay outside? Third Senior Brother, we have to be thrifty."
Yu Songnian was speechless.
He couldn't help but laugh.
He suddenly felt a little sorry for Yu Lin.
It seemed his uncle had been targeted by their junior sister.
And everyone had already seen the fate of those who caught Yun Jin's attention.
He could only hope his uncle had the sense to behave himself.
Yun Jin went around grabbing disciples of the Yu clan, interrogating them until she found Yu Lin.
Yu Lin was neck-deep in chaos, rummaging through the Treasury Hall for something when he saw her. He forced a smile onto his face. "Fairy Yun, is there something else? I'm... still quite busy here."
Yun Jin returned his smile with her own. "Patriarch Yu, this is where you've gone wrong. We came from far away, and you haven't even provided us with food and drink, let alone arranged where we'll be staying tonight. Where are the Yuehua Sect members being housed? My status is important, so my accommodations can't be any worse than theirs."
Yu Lin felt his soul leave his body.
Who in the world declared their own status like that?
Did she hear herself?
How could this be appropriate?
But this little mistress in front of him was absolutely not someone he could afford to offend. Yu Lin quickly said, "I'll make the arrangements right away."
"There's something else," Yun Jin added languidly.
Something else?
Yu Lin's entire body went stiff.
Yun Jin continued in a calm voice, "I'm very interested in the mystery surrounding the former clan head's death. I heard he went out in search of a rare treasure and unfortunately perished in the process?"
Yu Lin's expression shifted slightly.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes.
When she had taken her leave of Master Lin Ya, he had mentioned his lingering doubts about the death of Yu Feng, the previous clan head. But back then, he had been gravely injured and lacked the strength to investigate.
Protecting Yu Songnian's life had been the higher priority.
But now...
With the backing of the four Holy Lands, this was the perfect time to get to the bottom of things.
"Does Patriarch Yu have some unspeakable difficulty?" Yun Jin asked evenly.
Yu Lin hurriedly said, "There's no difficulty at all. Anyone in the Yu clan can tell you about the former clan head's death."
"Then I'm all ears," Yun Jin said.
Yu Lin took a moment to organize his thoughts. "At the time, there were dazzling lights flashing across nearby Luohua Mountain. Rumors spread that a rare treasure was emerging there."
Luohua Mountain.
Yun Jin and Yu Songnian exchanged glances.
That name sounded familiar.
Wasn't the errand they had just taken related to Luohua Mountain?
"If it's a rare treasure, of course everyone wants it. So after the treasure appeared, wave after wave of cultivators entered the mountain to search for it. Strangely, none of them ever came out. But every time the treasure revealed itself again, the energy fluctuations grew stronger.
People started to speculate that perhaps the treasure had devoured those cultivators, using them to nourish itself.
But if that were true, the item would have become a demonic artifact. Yet the light it emitted, and the energy it radiated, was bright and pure—without the slightest trace of evil.
So the speculation changed. Some believed the conditions to subdue the treasure must be incredibly demanding, which is why so many cultivators failed.
Your father heard these rumors. One day, the treasure manifested again, and he caught a glimpse of it from afar. Something changed in him. He became determined to claim it.
After returning, he made some preparations, then went alone to Luohua Mountain."
Yu Lin paused.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes. "And then?"
If Third Senior Brother's father truly died while seeking treasure, then there was nothing more to say.
Cultivation was a path of defiance, of struggle against fate.
Magic treasures, wealth, spiritual realms, Luck, opportunity—
Every one of them had to be fought for.
Every one had to be taken.
Countless cultivators had died in pursuit of such things.
It was a personal choice. Nothing wrong with that.
But if... something else had happened...
Then this matter could not be left alone.
Yu Lin's face twisted in discomfort. "Then... Patriarch never made it to Luohua Mountain. He was ambushed and killed along the way. The murderer has yet to be found."
Yu Lin looked deeply pained.
Yun Jin couldn't help but laugh, her anger bubbling to the surface.
Patriarch of the Yu clan had left home alone and was ambushed to death en route.
If someone hadn't leaked the news, who would believe it?
Yu Songnian's face darkened. "I wonder how many of the assassins you sent yourself, Uncle."
Yu Lin froze, then quickly waved his hands. "Please, don't say that! I had only the deepest respect for the previous clan head. I would never do such a thing!"
His expression was sincere, without a single flaw.
Naturally, there was no way he would admit it.
Yu Songnian narrowed his eyes and gave a cold, mirthless smile.
Whatever the truth was, he would find it himself.
If Yu Lin had no part in it, then fine.
But if he did—
Then it was time for the Yu clan to change hands.