The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

Dragging his two sons along, Yun Yun Feng hurried to the outskirts of the village.

From afar, he spotted the large willow tree, where a crowd of villagers had gathered beneath its shade.

"Move aside! Make way! All of you, get out of the way!"

Eager to have the blind Daoist examine his sons' aptitude for cultivation, Yun Yun Feng impatiently pushed through the crowd, his face full of aggression as he forced a path forward.

Those he shoved aside glared at him, some even preparing to rebuke him, but the moment they recognized him as the village's infamous rogue, they shrank back in fear, their anger swallowed in silence.

Ignoring the disgruntled faces around him, Yun Yun Feng approached the blind Daoist, his expression quickly shifting to one of flattery.

"Daoist, I am Yun Yun Feng. I've brought fine wine and delicious food to pay my respects to you," he said with a sycophantic grin.

"Third Uncle!"

Yun Yan Shuang, standing nearby, greeted him politely with a sweet smile.

"Oh, Shuang'er, you're so lucky! To be able to learn cultivation from such a great immortal—your Third Uncle is truly envious!" Yun Yun Feng exclaimed, though his words were laced with jealousy.

"Third Uncle, have you brought Yan Song and Yan Bai here to ask my master for guidance in cultivation?" Yun Yan Shuang asked with a knowing smile.

"Exactly! Shuang'er, do you think you could persuade your master?

You know how much your cousins have always looked out for you. Back when other kids bullied you, wasn't it always Yan Song and Yan Bai who stood up for you?"

Yun Yun Feng nodded eagerly, hoping to leverage his relationship with his niece to gain the Daoist's favor.

"Third Uncle, it's not that I don't want to help. But to follow my master and learn cultivation, one needs talent. Without spiritual roots, one cannot cultivate.

If you want my cousins to learn from my master, you should first ask him to check whether they possess spiritual roots," Yun Yan Shuang explained gently.

She knew her Third Uncle's reputation well—he was the village's notorious rogue, often engaging in petty thievery and other shady activities, which made him widely disliked.

However, despite his flaws, Yun Yun Feng was loyal to his family. While he often bullied others, he never acted out against her family.

Her two cousins, though mischievous and domineering, had also never bullied her or her brother. Instead, they had often stood up for them when other children caused trouble.

Because of this, Yun Yan Shuang didn't completely reject her Third Uncle and maintained a decent relationship with him.

"Spiritual roots?" Yun Yun Feng muttered, confused by the term.

He decided not to dwell on it and instead turned to the Daoist. Placing the jar of jade-yellow wine and the half-pound of beef before him, he said, "Daoist, could you please examine my two sons?"

"Let them step forward," the Daoist replied calmly, having overheard the conversation and understood their familial ties.

"Yan Song, Yan Bai, hurry up and step forward!" Yun Yun Feng exclaimed, overjoyed as he quickly urged his sons forward.

"Greetings, Daoist," the two brothers said in unison, bowing respectfully.

The Daoist said nothing. He simply stretched out his hands and placed them on the boys' heads, channeling his spiritual energy into their bodies.

Yun Yun Feng watched intently, his heart filled with hope and anticipation.

After a moment, the Daoist withdrew his hands and shook his head with a sigh. "Please return. Neither of your sons has spiritual roots and thus cannot cultivate."

"No spiritual roots? That's impossible! Daoist, please check again. Perhaps you made a mistake?"

Yun Yun Feng panicked at the verdict, unable to accept it.

"I am not mistaken. Please return," the Daoist said firmly.

Hearing this, Yun Yun Feng's face turned ashen, as though he had just swallowed something bitter.

After standing frozen for a long moment, he suddenly snatched back his jar of wine and beef. Storming off with his sons, he muttered angrily, "What nonsense about mountain immortals? How could my sons not have spiritual roots? This Daoist must be a fraud, here to swindle us for food and drink! I'm not falling for it!"

"Master, I apologize. My Third Uncle is..."

Watching Yun Yun Feng leave in a fit of anger, Yun Yan Shuang felt embarrassed and apologized on his behalf.

"It's not your fault. Why are you apologizing?" the Daoist said with a faint smile.

"Daoist, I am Yun Yun Yue. I humbly request that you examine my son," a towering, muscular man clad in a short-sleeved tunic stepped forward, accompanied by a handsome young man with sharp features and bright eyes, also dressed in a similar tunic.

"Second Uncle!"

Recognizing the newcomer, Yun Yan Shuang's face lit up with joy.

Yun Yun Yue was her Second Uncle. He and her father had once served in the military together, fighting side by side on the battlefield.

There were multiple times during the war when Yun Yun Shan had narrowly escaped death, all thanks to his second brother, Yun Yun Yue, who had risked his own life to pull him out of piles of corpses.

Among the four brothers, Yun Yun Yue and Yun Yun Shan shared the closest bond.

After retiring from the battlefield, Yun Yun Yue used his savings from years of military service to establish a martial arts school in town, which reportedly did quite well.

As for the sharp-featured young man with sword-like brows, he was Yun Yan Tian, now 14 years old.

Having grown up alongside Yun Yan Shuang and her brother, he had moved to town with his father after Yun Yun Yue returned from the frontlines.

"Shuang'er, it's been a while!" Yun Yun Yue greeted warmly, his face lighting up with affection for his niece, whom he had always doted on.

Upon hearing from his eldest brother, Yun Yun Yang, that Yun Yan Shuang was now learning cultivation from a mountain immortal, Yun Yun Yue had been genuinely happy for her.

Hoping to seize a rare opportunity, he had even sold his martial arts school in town, intending to bring his son back to the ancestral home in Yun Family Village. He hoped the blind Daoist would accept Yun Yan Tian as a disciple.

"Hehe! Yan Tian-ge!" Yun Yan Shuang greeted her cousin with a sweet smile.

"It's been years. You've grown up!" Yun Yan Tian replied, his warm smile as refreshing as a spring breeze.

"I brought you some of your favorite pastries from town," he said, handing her a small bundle.

"There's no need. The pastries you sent last time are still sitting at home—I haven't finished them yet!"

"Well, I've already brought these, and it'd be a shame to waste them," Yun Yan Tian said with a playful smile.

"Alright, thank you, Yan Tian-ge!"

"No need for thanks between family. By the way, where's Yan Shui? I haven't seen him around."

"Probably sleeping in at home," Yun Yan Shuang replied with a laugh.

"Skipping school again?"

"Father doesn't let him go to the village school anymore. He's keeping him at home to stop him from causing trouble all the time."

"Yan Shui is such a handful for Fourth Uncle. I suppose he wasn't found to have spiritual roots?"

"No, he wasn't," Yun Yan Shuang said with a tinge of regret.

"What a pity," Yun Yan Tian sighed.

"Second Uncle, you're here to test Yan Tian-ge's spiritual roots, aren't you?"

"Yes. We came to see if there's a chance for him to learn cultivation," Yun Yun Yue replied.

"Yan Tian-ge has been practicing martial arts with you at the school. His physique is far better than most of his peers—I'm sure he has spiritual roots," Yun Yan Shuang said with optimism.

"I hope so," Yun Yun Yue replied, though his tone was cautious.

He didn't have high expectations. If his son did have spiritual roots, it would indeed be a cause for celebration. But if not, it wasn't the end of the world.

After all, his eldest brother was already planning to secure a talented son-in-law for Yun Yan Ling, hoping her descendants would possess spiritual roots.

Similarly, Yun Yun Yue could arrange for Yun Yan Tian to marry a suitable wife and perhaps even take a few concubines, increasing the odds of producing descendants with spiritual roots.

"Yan Tian, greet the Daoist," Yun Yun Yue said.

Yun Yan Tian stepped forward gracefully, bowing respectfully to the blind Daoist. "Greetings, Daoist."

The young man's demeanor was composed and dignified, exuding a youthful confidence.

The Daoist said nothing, merely placing his hand on Yun Yan Tian's head and channeling spiritual energy into his body.

After a moment, a faint smile appeared on the Daoist's lips. "Congratulations, Brother Yun Yue. Your son has spiritual roots. He can cultivate, and like Shuang'er, he possesses third-grade spiritual roots."

"Really?!"

Yun Yun Yue, a man seasoned by years of military service, couldn't hide his excitement at hearing the news.

"I do not lie," the Daoist affirmed.

"Thank you, Daoist. I humbly ask that you accept my son as your disciple and teach him the ways of cultivation," Yun Yun Yue said earnestly.

"Very well," the Daoist replied with a slight smile.

"Yan Tian, quickly bow to your master!"

"Disciple Yun Yan Tian greets Master!" the young man said, kneeling to bow deeply.

Under the willow tree, the villagers who had gathered to seek the Daoist's guidance looked on with envy as Yun Yun Yue's son was accepted as a disciple.

Their eyes reflected both admiration and longing, as they hoped their own children might one day be similarly blessed.