Yi Shan City...

Secret Forest County...

All those affected by the Mysterious Pearl Talisman Seed raised their heads in unison, staring thoughtfully into the distance, as the image of a face enveloped in Immortal Qi, along with a crystal-clear, lustrous jade token, slowly emerged before their eyes.

————

Li Yuanjiao suddenly looked up, the Mysterious Pearl Talisman Seed in his Sea of Qi Acupoint vibrating incessantly. A speck of white light rose in the depths of his eyes, a strong pull beckoning him, his gaze fixated on the white clothes of Yu Muxian.

"Yu Muxian... jade token..." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Watching as Yu Muxian seemed to sense something and raised his head, Li Yuanjiao slowly lowered his own. He had once read in the records of the Interior History that when Li Tongya was still mortal, he had breached the reed marshes at night, miraculously finding that jade stone, which felt unbelievable at the time.

How vast were the reed marshes, and for a jade stone to fall within them was like finding a needle in the ocean; how could a mere mortal locate it? It was attributed to Li Tongya being favored by destiny, not an ordinary mortal.

Now, truly facing the legendary object that could make the Dharma Mirror submit, he understood the wonder within it, for even without looking at Yu Muxian, he could feel the jade token in his own grasp.

Yu Muxian at the head of the table felt an inexplicable panic, a sudden throb in his heart that disappeared without a trace as soon as he became aware of it, as if it had never existed.

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had formed an Immortal Foundation possessed a slice of the marvelous; a whimsy could be a serious matter. He checked carefully but found nothing amiss, so he could only sweep his gaze suspiciously over the people at the lower table.

"Secret Forest Yu Family!"

The servant from Immortal Sect behind him began calling out names. Yu Muxian put aside his stray thoughts, quietly watching his elder brother bow and step back before straightening up.

His gaze lingered on Yu Mugao’s gaunt cheeks and haggard frame, aware that strife and calculation were nearly crushing this man. The fact that a Fifth Layer of Qi Training cultivator had been tormented to this extent showed the ferocity of the strife within the Yu Family.

With Yu Xiaogui seriously injured and in seclusion, and dissatisfaction with Yu Mugao’s suppression of the clan already simmering, the various branches of the Yu Family were in an uproar, ruling as they wished. If not for the absence of news of Yu Xiaogui’s death, and Yu Mugao’s harsh methods, chaos would have erupted long ago.

"Sixteen stalks of Autumn Moon Grass, two thousand catties of Purple Spirit Rice, ninety Qingyuan Stones, seven Long Sea Pearls..."

Boxes of Spiritual Objects after another were brought to the surface. Yu Muxian caressed the jade token in his hand, sentimentally reflecting:

"If I hadn’t stumbled upon this treasure in my youth, realized the way, and severed worldly ties, I too might have been a casualty of the Wangyue Lake rivalry, entangled in clan strife... leading to a miserable end."

"Lijing Li Family!"

Yu Muxian was lost in thought when the servant behind him called out a name, and a young man in black stepped forward, with broad shoulders and slightly high brows, exuding an ambitious air that did not bode well at first glance.

"Li Family’s Li Yuanjiao, greeting the emissary!"

Li Yuanjiao replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, his gaze never leaving the emissary’s robe. Yu Muxian nodded slightly, saying warmly:

"I have long admired the Sword Immortal’s great name."

After saying so, he lightly bowed and smiled:

"The Green Ruler Sword that the Sword Immortal wears was personally forged by my master. Yuanwu Peak has always been friendly with Qing Sui Peak, you are too polite, Taoist Fellow."

With these words, not only did Li Yuanjiao’s heart stir, but also all the people from the Lake Families looked over thoughtfully, Yu Mugao even closed his eyes slowly, saying nothing.

"So there is such a connection."

Yu Muxian turned his head kindly, causing Li Yuanjiao to be uncertain of his intentions. He responded vaguely, and Yu Muxian did not speak further, simply standing with his hands behind his back.

As box after box of Spiritual Objects were brought up and reported by several families, the servant finished counting and a Green-robed Cultivator stepped forward, saying respectfully beside Yu Muxian:

"Senior Brother, the tribute from the three Noble Families and forty-one lesser households of Wangyue Lake has all been accounted for, please review it."

Yu Muxian took the ledger from his hand, softly reciting a few of the marked families on the list, whether they were short or their Spiritual Objects were inadequate, and immediately several Green-robed Disciples stepped forward, unceremoniously seizing them.

"Thud."

Several family members trembled and fell to their knees. Yu Muxian laughed softly and asked:

"Junior Brother, how should they be dealt with according to the rules?"

The reporting Green-robed Disciple looked disdainfully at the families below, replying:

"Depending on the amount missing, mete out punishments accordingly, behead the Clan Elders, erase the family name, and exile them to Yi Shan."

The people below were immediately terrified, pleading for mercy. Yu Muxian glanced over and noticed several families were under the jurisdiction of Taoist He of the West Bank, likely unable to afford the double taxation. He said softly:

"Just confiscate several Storage Bags to make up for it. If these families are removed, we would have to trouble Taoist Elder He to select anew, possibly disrupting his affairs."

"Yes!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than several Green-robed Cultivators had already taken the Storage Bags from those few, disregarding their cries for mercy, and handed them up. Yu Muxian gracefully put them into his sleeve and then said:

"The remaining Noble Families, please stay; the rest may leave."

As if pardoned, the small families left with a few words of gratitude, dispersing like the wind. The vast mountain top was quickly left with only the Green Pond Cultivators and the Fei, Li, and Yu families.

Although Fei Wangbai had been defeated, the Fei Clan was still recognized as a Noble Family by the Green Pond Sect, and had not yet left. The representative was Fei Tongyu, in the early stages of Qi Cultivation, his energy fluctuating, apparently medicated.

Yu Muxian swept his sleeve and stepped forward first to Fei Tongyu, bowing slightly, his comely immortal-like presence conveying sympathy:

"You must be the Young Master of the Fei Family. I have heard about the incident with Elder Wangbai; after all, the Elder was a Cultivator under our Sect’s governance. The news caused a stir when it reached the Sect, and we have sent people to investigate."