The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

"Senior!"

Yun Yanshui crouched in a dim alleyway in Tongshan County, deep in thought about how to lure Wang Qinglin away from Wang Liyuan.

Without separating the two, he couldn't make his move.

As he struggled with his plan, several figures appeared at the entrance of the alley and bowed respectfully toward him.

Looking up, Yun Yanshui saw that they were members of the Qishan Wen family. Leading them was Wen Ruoli, whom he recognized from the Hundred Clans Assembly.

"What? You're here to rob me?" Yun Yanshui asked, his expression blank.

"Senior, you misunderstand. I've come to pay my respects and hope to establish a connection with you," Wen Ruoli said politely.

Earlier, in the Xia family marketplace, Wen Ruoli had witnessed Yun Yanshui's overwhelming power. He knew that this man was not only a Qi Refinement cultivator but one who was far stronger than most at the same stage.

Although Yun Yanshui was dressed in the attire of a Wang family rogue cultivator, Wen Ruoli had observed him targeting Wang Liyuan with his arrow.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

With this logic, Wen Ruoli hoped to ally with Yun Yanshui and possibly bring him into the Qishan Wen family's fold.

"An alliance? Not interested. I don't care about your Qishan Wen family," Yun Yanshui said flatly, standing up and brushing off his clothes as he prepared to leave.

"Senior, you were targeting Wang Liyuan earlier, weren't you?" Wen Ruoli asked quickly as Yun Yanshui turned to go.

"What, are you planning to snitch on me?" Yun Yanshui asked, his tone icy.

"Not at all. What I mean is, we could work together," Wen Ruoli said with a sly smile.

"Work together?"

"Precisely. If you need, we can find a way to distract Wang Qinglin. That way, you'll have the opportunity to…" Wen Ruoli left the suggestion hanging, his intent clear.

After the Hundred Clans Assembly, the deaths of the patriarchs from the Three Families and Seven Clans had left them greatly weakened, and the Qishan Wen family was no exception.

With the Tongshan Xia family on the brink of destruction, Wen Ruoli feared that his family might be next.

But if Wang Liyuan—the most promising talent of the Yulin Wang family—were eliminated, the Wang family's younger generation would face a long drought of talent.

Without a successor of Wang Liyuan's caliber, the Yulin Wang family would naturally become the next target for the other clans.

"And what's in it for you? Your eagerness to help makes me suspicious," Yun Yanshui said, narrowing his eyes.

One couldn't be too careful when dealing with the Three Families and Six Clans, who were notoriously cunning and treacherous.

"Senior, I assure you, we have no ulterior motives. We simply share a common goal: eliminating Wang Liyuan."

"Fine. I'll stay in the shadows and act when the opportunity arises. But if your people fail or try to pull any tricks, don't blame me for taking action against you," Yun Yanshui said, nodding at last.

Before leaving, he issued a cold warning to Wen Ruoli and his group.

"Master Ruoli, distracting Wang Qinglin won't be easy. We may…"

After Yun Yanshui disappeared, one of Wen Ruoli's rogue cultivators stepped forward, his expression grim.

"It's impossible for us to do it alone. But if we enlist the help of the Upper Three Families?"

"The Upper Three Families have always seen Wang Liyuan as a thorn in their side.

"Especially now, with Wang Liyuan nearing a breakthrough into the Qi Refinement stage. Once he succeeds, his talent and luck will make him nearly impossible to kill.

"The Upper Three Families won't let this opportunity slip by," Wen Ruoli said with a cold smile, his eyes flashing with ruthless determination.

With that, he led his men to approach the Upper Three Families for cooperation.

"Seems like they aren't planning to double-cross me," Yun Yanshui muttered, reappearing in the alley after Wen Ruoli and his group left.

He had listened closely to their conversation from the shadows, ready to strike if he detected any ill intent toward him.

But now, it was clear that Wen Ruoli and his people were genuinely focused on eliminating Wang Liyuan.

"This works in my favor. If the Qishan Wen family and the Upper Three Families join forces, they should be able to distract Wang Qinglin.

"As long as Wang Qinglin is preoccupied, I'll have my chance to strike at Wang Liyuan," Yun Yanshui thought, a faint smile playing on his lips.

A Teahouse

In a quiet teahouse, Ye Xiaolin, Ye Xiaomo, and Lu Shanglin sat across from Wen Ruoli, their expressions mildly surprised.

"An alliance?"

"Yes," Wen Ruoli said with a sly grin. "We'll handle distracting Wang Qinglin. As for killing Wang Liyuan, we already have someone lined up to do the job.

"The question is, are you interested in helping?"

Wen Ruoli leaned back, looking at the spiritual root talents of the Upper Three Families, a faint smirk curling his lips.

"Wen Ruoli, what exactly are you plotting?"

Lu Shanglin glared coldly at Wen Ruoli.

The relationship between the Upper Three Families and the Seven Clans had never been harmonious. He couldn't believe that Wen Ruoli's visit was purely to propose an alliance.

"What could I be plotting? Don't you Upper Three Families want to get rid of Wang Liyuan? Well, it just so happens that my Wen family wants the same thing!"

"And you expect us to believe that?" Lu Shanglin retorted icily.

"If you want an alliance, fine," Ye Xiaolin suddenly said, lifting his teacup and taking a sip with a faint smile.

"Brother Xiaolin!" Lu Shanglin exclaimed in shock, unable to understand why Ye Xiaolin would agree to such a partnership.

Ye Xiaolin raised his hand, signaling Lu Shanglin to stay silent. Left with no choice, Lu Shanglin reluctantly fell quiet, though his face was full of frustration.

"Since Brother Xiaolin has agreed, let's work well together. We'll deal with Wang Liyuan and rid ourselves of a mutual threat," Wen Ruoli said with a smile, standing up and leaving with his group of Wen family rogue cultivators.

"Brother Xiaolin, why did you agree to work with them? The Seven Clans and the Upper Three Families have always been at odds.

"It's possible that Wen Ruoli has ulterior motives and is scheming against us!" Lu Shanglin asked as soon as Wen Ruoli was out of earshot, his tone filled with confusion.

"I believe the Wen family truly wants to eliminate Wang Liyuan," Ye Xiaolin said with a faint smile.

"What makes you so sure, Brother Xiaolin?"

"Among the Seven Clans, which one is at the bottom?"

"The Tongshan Xia family, of course."

"And now that the Tongshan Xia family is on the verge of extinction, who will be next?"

"The Qishan Wen family!"

With this reminder, Lu Shanglin's eyes lit up with understanding.

"Exactly. Once the Xia family is wiped out, the Qishan Wen family will be the next weakest link.

"If their patriarch were still alive, they might not have anything to fear. But with their patriarch gone, and no particularly talented individuals among their younger generation, the Wen family is an easy target for the other clans.

"This is why Wen Ruoli is targeting Wang Liyuan. If Wang Liyuan is eliminated, the Wang family's situation will worsen dramatically. The attention of the other clans will naturally shift to the Wang family instead," Ye Xiaomo added thoughtfully.

"Exactly!" Ye Xiaolin nodded.

"But why would the Wen family choose the Wang family as their target instead of another clan?" Lu Shanglin asked, still puzzled.

"Who knows?" Ye Xiaolin shrugged.

"However, since the Wen family wants to deal with Wang Liyuan, they can serve as an ally to the Upper Three Families in this matter.

"Wang Qinglin is no ordinary man. Although he was gravely injured by a master from the Gu God Cult and had his cultivation level reduced, his strength remains among the best of the older generation in all the clans.

"Distracting him won't be easy. If the Upper Three Families take action, we will likely suffer heavy casualties."

"Our family's patriarch is already dead. We cannot afford further losses that would deplete the family's foundation," Ye Xiaomo said solemnly.

"I've considered this issue," Ye Xiaolin said.

"My plan is to secretly hire rogue cultivators with some spiritual stones to act on our behalf. There are plenty of rogue cultivators gathered in Tongshan County right now."

"Understood! I'll handle it right away," Ye Xiaomo said, his eyes lighting up as he stood and left quickly.

The spiritual root talents from the Lin family and Lu Shanglin also departed to gather rogue cultivators from the city. Their goal was to distract Wang Qinglin and draw him away from Wang Liyuan.

Ascending Moon Pavilion

"Have your men uncovered anything?" Wang Qinglin asked calmly.

"Nothing, Patriarch," Wang Liyuan replied respectfully.

He had secretly sent people to investigate the Wang family's rogue cultivators but found no evidence linking them to the Upper Three Families.

"Then who could be impersonating one of our rogue cultivators and infiltrating the Wang family's ranks?" Wang Qinglin muttered, his tone filled with suspicion.