Chapter Ninety-Four: The True Master of the Yun Family

Luo Changning had never studied the I Ching, the Eight Trigrams, Qimen Dunjia, or the art of mechanisms, so naturally, he found them all incredibly mysterious.

What he did not yet know was that his worldview would be repeatedly transformed in the days to come, and his horizons would broaden immeasurably.

After entering the spiritual mountain through the formation’s gateway, his eyes were met with a vast expanse of undulating verdant peaks.

Beforehand, all they had seen was merely a flat plain planted with cherry blossom trees.

Surrounded by green mountains and flowing waters, the gentle sound of birdsong filled the air.

Luo Changning tried to activate his ear and eye apertures to see further and hear deeper, but to his frustration, it seemed as though his seven apertures had not been opened at all.

Beside him, Yun Ruoyi spoke coldly, “There is a restriction set here. With your current strength, you cannot break through it.”

Upon hearing Yun Ruoyi’s words, Luo Changning’s face flushed red immediately.

Had he just been looked down upon? By the young boy he rather liked? Couldn’t the youth have spoken more tactfully? Such bluntness wounded his pride!

Seeing Luo Changning’s lips droop in an instant, Yun Ruoyi inexplicably found him utterly endearing. A faint curve lifted the corner of his mouth, but apart from Yun Ting, no one noticed.

Logically, as the head of the Yun family, Yun Ting’s opening of such a significant seal would have drawn attention within the clan; it would be impossible for no one to come greet him. Yet, oddly, no one appeared.

Luo Changning raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to himself: This is just as well.

Surely, the Yun family must be a truly profound and venerable clan—a hidden lineage that has preserved the simple customs of ancient times for millennia, not pandering to anyone.

Indeed, true seclusion does not mean merely retreating to a mountain forest but achieving inner peace and tranquility without arrogance or impatience.

Yun Ting looked to be in good spirits, showing no displeasure at being unwelcomed as the clan head.

Luo Changning felt increasingly confident that his decision had been correct, sneaking a glance at the slender young boy beside him. Though coming to this secluded place of the Yun family carried the risk of being “corrupted,” being able to see this boy often was a pleasure, wasn’t it?

Only upon fully entering the spiritual mountain did Luo Changning realize the hidden mysteries within.

It turned out that inside the formation lay yet another formation, and only after Yun Ting dismantled the final layer could they glimpse the true face of the mountain.

The green mountains and flowing waters remained the same, but now magnificent and solemn palaces rose out of thin air.

Yun Ting raised a hand, pointing to one of the palaces, and said to Luo Changning and the others, “From now on, you may rest assured and live in this palace. If you need anything, just inform the steward.”

Each palace was assigned a steward, who was not a member of the Yun family but rather a beast spirit capable of assuming human form, creatures said to exist only in legend.

“Since this is your first day here, rest well. Tomorrow, I will introduce you to the Yun clan members to welcome you properly.”

With these words, Yun Ting’s body gradually faded, becoming fully transparent until he vanished before them.

Though none had witnessed such mystical martial arts before, Luo Changning and Su Meng remained calm, with only Qing Gu exclaiming in surprise.

Yun Ruoyi bowed to Luo Changning and the others and then departed.

Soon after, a half-beast spirit with an adorably bunny-like head appeared before them.

It greeted the four masters and servants coldly before stepping away.

Luo Changning curled his lips: Not cute at all, such a waste of a fluffy rabbit face; not nearly as endearing as the big clumsy bear!

Thinking of the big bear made him recall Ma Xue’e. He wondered if the girl was still sniffling.

And Chen Gouzi—he wondered how the tasks entrusted to him were progressing.

The palace was enormous, rivaling even the Su family estate in grandeur.

Luo Changning chose to settle in the front hall, retrieving his luggage from the spatial Jade Toad and began arranging his quarters.

The main hall’s beams and pillars were crafted from thousand-year-old decay-resistant golden nanmu wood, painted gilded and vividly decorated.

The inner chamber was grand yet exquisite, adorned with pale pink and white gauze drapes softly hanging around the bed, the scene within faintly visible.

Following his gaze to the left, Luo Changning noticed a dressing table made of rosewood in the corner. The window frame was also rosewood, on which sat a white porcelain vase holding two or three red peonies adorned with dewdrops.

Even the dullest would see this room was prepared for a woman. Luo Changning twitched his mouth but had no intention of changing his residence.

After all, this palace only had three livable rooms.

Naturally, the innermost quarters were reserved for Su Meng, leaving this one as his only choice. Now he finally understood why Yun Ting had worn that inexplicable smile just moments ago—he had been waiting here for him.

Perhaps it was also a small revenge for Luo Changning’s earlier refusal to become his disciple.

Luo Changning had always thought He Guanzhong was a mischievous child, but here was someone even more unruly.

Back in his own palace, Yun Ting suddenly sneezed.

“Achoo, achoo!”

Rubbing his nose, Yun Ting realized that his little prank on Luo Changning had come to fruition.

At the mere thought of the boy’s speechless expression, Yun Ting felt great delight. But soon, he stifled the joyful look, turning serious.

Muttering a string of incantations softly, a secret door materialized before him out of thin air.

With a swift step, Yun Ting entered, walking resolutely and solemnly toward the inner chamber beyond.

Opening that door, a brilliant sight greeted him: a large blue pearl illuminated the grand hall’s center.

Here stood the ancestral tablets of the Yun family’s successive heads, solemn and dignified.

Yun Ting knelt slowly, bowing thrice deeply before the ancestral tablets.

This mischievous boy, usually smiling, now had eyes brimming with tears as he choked back emotion and spoke:

“I, Yun Ting, the one hundred and ninth head of the Yun family, pay my respects to all ancestors present.”

“Yun Ting shall not fail the heavy trust bestowed upon me. Having found the destined one, I vow before our ancestors to wholeheartedly assist Lord Changning, to make the Yun family his blade — to cut through all thorns, the blade pointing to the heavens!”

No one else knew the solemn vow Yun Ting made before the ancestral tablets today.

Nor did anyone else understand that the Yun family’s millennia-long existence was solely to await that destined person.

And that destined person was none other than Luo Changning.

The one without a blade was to become the master of the Yun family!