The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace-Chapter 138 : Knowing Shame and Being Brave

Defeated?

At the head of the table, Wang Chongtian, who had been leisurely sipping his wine, froze as he saw Wang Lijiao suddenly lose the match.

The other Wang family members were equally stunned, their faces full of disbelief.

Moments earlier, Wang Lijiao had been dominating the match, his aggressive attacks seemingly overwhelming Yun Yanshuang. How could he lose so suddenly?

Even the Yun family members, including Yun Yunshan and Yun Yunyang, were equally astonished.

They had been worried that Yun Yanshuang might be injured, yet to their surprise, she had emerged victorious in such an unexpected manner.

Yun Yanshuang sheathed her sword and turned to return to her seat, leaving Wang Lijiao standing frozen, lost in thought.

"I lost again… I lost again!"

With his head bowed low, Wang Lijiao’s eyes began to redden. His heart swirled with a mix of frustration and resentment.

It was bad enough to have lost to Lin Tiansheng at the family gathering.

But now, during the Yun family’s market opening, he had once again been bested—this time by Yun Yanshuang, a spiritual root bearer of the fledgling Yuncang Yun clan.

For a moment, Wang Lijiao felt his very resolve falter.

Why?

Why did he keep losing?

Why could even a minor spiritual root bearer from the Yun family comprehend sword intent, while he could not?

His wounded pride began to fester, and the resentment in his heart grew stronger by the second.

"I am a spiritual root bearer of the Wang family, one of the most talented among the younger generation. How could I lose to someone from the insignificant Yuncang Yun family?"

Wang Lijiao suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Yun Yanshuang’s retreating figure. A cold, murderous intent flashed deep within them. Read the latest on novelbuddy

With a flick of his wrist, his longsword retracted into his sleeve.

In the blink of an eye, he dashed forward, aiming a lethal strike at Yun Yanshuang’s back using the Yulin Hidden Sword Technique.

At the banquet table, Yun Yanshui noticed the surge of killing intent directed at his sister. His brows furrowed, and he instinctively prepared to intervene.

However, before he could act, Li Qing stepped into the arena, positioning himself between Wang Lijiao and Yun Yanshuang. With a single move, he neutralized Wang Lijiao’s attack.

Li Qing glanced at Wang Lijiao with cold disdain and spoke in an icy tone.

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"A sparring match naturally has its winners and losers.

"If you lack the courage to accept defeat, then perhaps you shouldn’t issue challenges in the first place."

Li Qing’s words struck Wang Lijiao like a thunderclap, snapping him out of his shameful anger. Lowering his head, he felt an overwhelming sense of humiliation.

He was right.

Defeat was defeat.

Attempting to retaliate with an underhanded strike was disgraceful—not only a loss of the match but a loss of dignity, tarnishing the reputation of the Yulin Wang family.

"Miss Yanshuang, thank you for showing mercy earlier.

"I never imagined you’d comprehend sword intent—Lijiao truly admires you," he said, exhaling deeply as he suppressed his bitterness and bowed respectfully to Yun Yanshuang.

"It was merely luck," Yun Yanshuang replied coolly.

Still, she couldn’t help but regard Wang Lijiao with wariness. His actions had revealed his ruthlessness, and had Li Qing not intervened, she might have been gravely injured.

"Brother!"

Returning to her seat beside Yun Yanshui, Yun Yanshuang grinned playfully.

"Impressive!" Yun Yanshui muttered through a mouthful of food, giving her a thumbs-up.

"You’ve refined your sword intent significantly over these past few months."

"I’ve made some progress, but as Second Uncle once said, the path of the sword is endless. I still have a long way to go—this is just the beginning," Yun Yanshuang said with a light smile.

"Have something to eat. After such a spar, you must be tired," Yun Yanshui said, handing her some food.

"Mm-hmm!" Yun Yanshuang nodded obediently and began eating heartily without a care for appearances.

Meanwhile, Yun Yanshui kept an eye on Wang Lijiao’s retreating figure, his eyes flickering with a hint of cold intent.

At the head table, Wang Chongtian turned to Yun Yunyang with a forced smile.

"Brother Yunyang, remarkable, truly remarkable!

"I never imagined your family’s spiritual root bearer would be so talented. To comprehend sword intent at such a young age—how enviable!"

Wang Chongtian offered his congratulations with a formal bow, though a trace of bitterness lingered in his expression.

Despite his displeasure, Wang Chongtian dared not show any signs of it.

"Brother Wang, you’re too kind. It was just luck. If not for Lijiao holding back, my niece wouldn’t have stood a chance," Yun Yunyang said modestly, knowing Wang Chongtian’s outward magnanimity masked a petty and vengeful nature.

By downplaying Yun Yanshuang’s victory, Yun Yunyang provided Wang Lijiao with a dignified exit.

"Haha! Indeed, Lijiao held back. If he had unleashed our family’s secret techniques from the start, your spiritual root bearer might have been in real danger," Wang Chongtian said, seizing the opportunity to salvage some face for Wang Lijiao.

"Of course! Lijiao’s techniques earlier were truly impressive," Yun Yunyang replied casually, humoring him.

"With Miss Yanshuang guarding your market, it’s unlikely any rogue cultivators would dare cause trouble. That gives me peace of mind," Wang Chongtian added.

"In the future, our families should strengthen our ties and cooperate for mutual growth."

"Haha! Agreed. I’ll hold you to that!" Wang Chongtian laughed. "But you must save my Wang family a shop or two in the market."

"Of course. I’ve already reserved two shops for your family, rent-free for five years. The Yun family won’t charge rent or service fees."

"In that case, my Wang family has scored quite the bargain," Wang Chongtian said with a hearty laugh.

With the tension from the earlier duel dissipated, the banquet resumed, with everyone drinking and chatting merrily.

It wasn’t until the feast concluded that Wang Chongtian led his family members, including Wang Lijiao, in bidding farewell.

After they departed, Yun Yanshui excused himself from the table, claiming he needed to relieve himself.

"Uncle, I’ve disgraced the family again," Wang Lijiao said with a face full of remorse.

This outing had been meant to suppress the Yun family, yet he had only succeeded in humiliating himself.

"It’s not your fault. Who could have predicted that Yun Yanshuang, that young girl, would have comprehended sword intent?

"Even if her cultivation level is higher than yours, your techniques and the family’s secret arts should have ensured your victory," Wang Chongtian said, patting his nephew’s shoulder consolingly.

"This time, I underestimated her. If I had sent Yuan’er instead, this wouldn’t have happened."

"At the last gathering, you nearly shattered your resolve after losing to Lin Tiansheng. Fortunately, the family patriarch guided you through it.

"I hope this defeat motivates you to strive for improvement.

"One day, you’ll return this humiliation to Yun Yanshuang in full and restore the prestige of the Yulin Wang family."

"Don’t worry, Uncle. Once I return to the family, I’ll train diligently.

"If Lin Tiansheng and Yun Yanshuang can comprehend sword intent, then so can I," Wang Lijiao declared with determination.

"Good! That’s the spirit of a Wang family scion—resilient and undaunted. Only with such an attitude can you achieve greater things," Wang Chongtian said, smiling in approval.

Just as he finished speaking, a spiritual arrow suddenly pierced through the back window of the carriage.

In a flash, the arrow tore through Wang Lijiao’s right temple and exited through his left, leaving a trail of blood and brain matter.

Wang Lijiao’s eyes widened in shock as blood gushed from his mouth and nose. His body convulsed briefly before collapsing lifelessly.

The blood and brain matter splattered onto Wang Chongtian’s face and the carriage interior.

It took Wang Chongtian a long moment to recover from his shock. When he finally did, he let out a heart-wrenching scream.

"Lijiao! Lijiao!"

"An assassin! Pursue them!"

Outside, the Wang family’s rogue cultivator guards immediately gave chase in the direction the arrow had come from.

The remaining Wang family soldiers and attendants rushed to the carriage to check on the situation.

When they saw Wang Lijiao’s corpse, their faces turned livid with fury.

"Who dares to assassinate a scion of the Wang family?"

"Was it the Yuncang Yun family?"

"No, it couldn’t have been them. All the Yun family’s spiritual root bearers are at the banquet in their market.

"Besides, their two spiritual root bearers specialize in swordsmanship and spear techniques.

"The assassin who killed Lijiao clearly used a distinct ’archery technique,’" one of the Wang family members pointed out, and the others nodded in agreement.

"Master Li, were you able to catch the assassin?"

Inside the carriage, Wang Chongtian cradled Wang Lijiao’s rapidly cooling body, his face twisted with rage as he questioned Li Wuchang, one of the Wang family’s cultivator guards.

"My apologies, Patriarch Wang. The perpetrator’s cultivation level is exceptionally high. We were unable to apprehend them," Li Wuchang admitted with a sigh, his expression filled with guilt.

"Investigate this thoroughly!

"I don’t care who it is—be it someone from the Three Great Clans or anyone else.

"Whoever dared to kill a scion of the Yulin Wang family will pay dearly for it!" Wang Chongtian roared, his voice echoing with fury and grief.