The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace-Chapter 168 : No Words Required

"The way that Yun Yantian and the Seventh Princess were exchanging glances—it’s simply revolting!"

On one side, Wang Lilong, having witnessed the earlier scene, spoke with evident indignation.

The Tongshan Xia Clan had originally planned to betroth the Seventh Princess to Wang Liyuan, his elder brother. Unexpectedly, the Emperor had secretly arranged for the Seventh Princess to be promised to Yun Yantian of the Yuncang Yun Clan.

What frustrated Wang Lilong even more was that he had assumed their ancestor would order him and Wang Liyuan to join forces during the Hundred Clans Assembly to deal with Yun Yantian.

But instead, their ancestor had commanded them not to interfere and to leave the matter entirely to the Tongshan Xia Clan.

Unable to comprehend the reasoning behind this, Wang Lilong had fumed for days.

And now, seeing Yun Yantian and Baili Moxue exchanging intimate glances only made his sense of injustice on behalf of his elder brother grow stronger.

"Don’t speak recklessly. Be careful who hears you," Wang Liyuan cautioned sternly, a faint frown marring his brow.

"I... I understand, Brother Yuan."

Frightened, Wang Lilong quickly silenced himself, lest he bring unnecessary trouble upon the Wang Clan.

"Please, everyone, no need for formalities. Take your seats," Baili Xi, seated at the head of the hall, smiled warmly as he addressed the gathered scions and elders of various clans.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the crowd responded in unison before taking their places.

"This is our imperial court’s decennial Hundred Clans Assembly, a grand event for which you all have traveled far to attend.

As is tradition, the imperial family will open the barrier to Wanlong Mountain, where the scions of each clan may enter and seek their fortunes.

You have three days.

After three days, once the scions return with their fortunes, we will hold a tournament on the arena stage.

The champion will receive a reward from the imperial family equal to their achievement."

Seated on the imperial throne, Baili Xi explained the event’s proceedings concisely to the gathered clan scions and elders.

Just as he was about to raise his cup in a toast, his gaze fell on Xia Changqing’s empty table.

"Changqing, have my attendants neglected you?"

"Your Majesty, Changqing has already gifted the spirit wine and fruits from my table to the Yuncang Yun Clan," Xia Changqing replied, rising and bowing respectfully.

Baili Xi hesitated momentarily before glancing at the awkward expressions of Yun Yunyang and the carefree eating of the Yun siblings, Yun Yanshui and Yun Yantian. The situation dawned on him, and he couldn’t help but chuckle internally.

"Servants! Bring Xia Changqing more spirit wine and fruits as a gesture of hospitality!"

"Yes, Your Majesty," a eunuch responded promptly, hurrying away.

Moments later, palace maids brought another serving of spirit wine and fruits to Xia Changqing’s table.

"Brother Changqing, look... aren’t you tired of the same food? Perhaps you could..."

Yun Yanshui’s eyes lit up as he noticed the new offerings on Xia Changqing’s table.

Xia Changqing’s expression twitched, and without a word, he took a sip of wine, resolutely ignoring Yun Yanshui.

"Enough. Don’t cause a scene in front of His Majesty," Yun Yantian admonished softly, tugging at his brother’s sleeve.

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"Fine, fine!" Yun Yanshui muttered, clearly disheartened, before burying his face back into his meal.

"Come, everyone, a toast to thank you for journeying so far to participate in the Hundred Clans Assembly," Baili Xi raised his cup with a wide smile, clearly fond of the uninhibited demeanor of the Yun siblings—a refreshing contrast to the constraints of court life.

The clan scions, elders, as well as Baili Xi’s concubines, princes, and princesses all stood, raising their cups before downing the spirit wine in unison.

"Don’t hold back, everyone. Eat and drink to your heart’s content. Once the feast concludes, I will have the barrier opened, and the scions can enter Wanlong Mountain," Baili Xi announced with a magnanimous gesture.

With the Emperor’s permission, the attendees shed their reservations and indulged in the array of spirit wines, fruits, and delicacies before them.

"Brother Yuan, what about our ancestor? Didn’t he say he would attend?"

Wang Lilong, after taking a sip of wine, looked at Wang Liyuan with a puzzled expression.

"The ancestor was invited by that figure and has gone to meet with the other three families and six clans’ ancestors at the rear of Wanlong Mountain," Wang Liyuan replied.

"I’ve heard that figure’s lifespan is nearing its end. This meeting might be..."

"Don’t worry. Our ancestor and the others are no fools. They’ll undoubtedly be on guard," Wang Liyuan assured him.

"You’re absolutely right, Brother Yuan," Wang Lilong nodded earnestly.

"Our task is to enter the mountain, seek as many fortunes as possible, and outshine the other clans during the tournament, bringing glory to the Wang Clan."

"Brother Yuan, we understand," came the unified response from Wang Lilong and the others.

"Mind if I join you for a drink?"

Baili Moxue approached Yun Yantian directly, her lips curving into a light smile.

"Sit anywhere you like, Sister Baili," Yun Yanshui quickly scooted aside, gnawing on a spirit fruit while hastily pouring a cup of spirit wine for Baili Moxue.

"I’m sure you’re all aware of the situation. The Tongshan Xia Clan plans to act during the mountain excursion, so you’ll need to be cautious," Baili Moxue said softly, sipping her wine with quiet elegance.

"Thank you for the warning, Miss Baili. I’ll remain vigilant at all times," Yun Yantian replied with a solemn nod.

"To be safe, I’ll accompany you and Sister Shuang into the mountain. It’s always good to look out for one another."

"Heehee! That’s wonderful! Sister Baili, I’ll stick close to you!" Yun Yanshuang chirped happily, wrapping her arm around Baili Moxue with a bright smile.

Baili Moxue glanced affectionately at Yun Yanshuang, her hand gently patting the younger girl’s head, her expression tender, as though she were looking at her own little sister.

"Um... uh... that... uh..."

Nearby, Yun Yantian hesitated, his nervousness apparent as he thought about their marriage agreement.

He wasn’t entirely sure about Baili Moxue’s feelings. After all, their engagement had come about in a rather bewildering and abrupt manner.

Attending the Hundred Clans Assembly wasn’t something he cared much about—the competition, the chance to enter the mountain for fortune-seeking—all of it paled in comparison to his concern over whether Baili Moxue might harbor any resentment toward the engagement.

But as he tried to find the words, his nerves got the better of him, and his speech faltered.

"What is it?" Baili Moxue asked, a faint smile playing on her otherwise cool and composed face as she watched Yun Yantian grow increasingly flustered.

She knew exactly what he wanted to ask but pretended ignorance, waiting for him to voice it himself.

"Well... it’s just... uh..."

Yun Yantian became even more flustered, a sense of panic overtaking him.

Normally calm and unshaken, even in the face of danger or strong adversaries, he found himself utterly helpless when it came to matters of the heart.

"Sister Baili, my brother just wants to know if you like him! He’s worried you’re unhappy about your engagement since it was arranged so suddenly," Yun Yanshui interjected bluntly, unable to bear his elder brother’s awkwardness any longer.

For the sake of their family, it seemed he had to take matters into his own hands—again!

Baili Moxue’s cheeks flushed at the straightforward question, and she remained silent, her expression betraying her embarrassment.

"Hey! Sister Baili, why are you blushing and not saying anything?"

"Brother Yantian, this is your chance! I can’t help you any further!"

"If you don’t say something soon, Sister Baili might run off with someone else!"

"Ow! Shuang’er, why did you pinch me?"

"Eat your food! Brother Yantian and Sister Baili’s matters are none of your concern!"

Yun Yanshuang scolded her older brother, glaring at him with feigned annoyance before returning her attention to the table.

Reluctantly, Yun Yanshui fell silent, leaving the situation to unfold as it would.

"You’re right, Yanshui. Let’s eat first," Yun Yantian said, trying to deflect, though his nervous demeanor betrayed him. He decided it might be better to find a quieter moment to discuss things privately.

In the meantime, he carefully placed some spirit fruits on a plate and personally sliced them into small, neat pieces before presenting them to Baili Moxue.

Though he said nothing, his actions spoke volumes, clearly conveying his feelings.

Baili Moxue picked up one of the neatly cut pieces of fruit and took a small bite.

It was sweet—sweeter than any spirit fruit she’d ever tasted before.

"This fruit is quite good," she said with a gentle smile, her eyes softening as she glanced at Yun Yantian.

Yun Yantian’s face lit up with joy, her subtle reaction giving him a glimmer of hope.

Eager to please, he began slicing even more fruit for her, placing the pieces carefully on the plate in front of her, entirely forgetting his own food and drink.

"You shouldn’t just focus on me. Don’t forget to eat and drink yourself. These spirit fruits and wines, sourced from Wanlong Mountain, are beneficial for cultivation if consumed in abundance," Baili Moxue said kindly.

"I understand. I’ll eat too," Yun Yantian replied, nodding fervently, though he continued to prioritize serving her.

Yun Yanshui and Yun Yanshuang exchanged a knowing smile, finally feeling assured that their elder brother didn’t need their meddling anymore.