The Sacred Leaves Family's Wishes for Peace

Suppressing the searing pain coursing through his body, Yun Yunxun staggered to his feet. A guttural roar escaped his lips as he lunged at Zhou Kuang.

Bang!

A muffled thud echoed as Zhou Kuang didn't even bother dodging. With a single, powerful kick to Yun Yunxun's stomach, he sent him sprawling back onto the ground.

"You? A frail doctor, daring to challenge me in a one-on-one fight? Where do you even get the courage?" Zhou Kuang sneered, his disdain palpable. "If it weren't for the name of your Yun clan, I'd kill you right here and now!"

Lying curled on the ground in pain, Yun Yunxun could only glare as Zhou Kuang spat on him with contempt. Zhou Kuang motioned to his companions, preparing to leave with the other Zhou clansmen.

Whizz!

A sharp whistle tore through the air.

From the depths of the forest, an arrow shot out at terrifying speed, heading straight for Zhou Kuang.

The arrow was so swift that even with his martial training, which allowed him to fend off two or three grown men at once, Zhou Kuang had no chance to react.

Thud!

The razor-sharp arrow pierced through Zhou Kuang's shoulder blade with terrifying force, sending him staggering forward before crashing heavily to the ground. Moments later, his agonized screams filled the air.

"What's going on?"

The Zhou clansmen, startled by the sudden attack, turned toward the direction the arrow had come from. Their eyes darted around the forest, but the dense foliage obscured their vision, concealing whoever had fired the arrow.

"Quick! Send someone into the forest. Find the one who shot that arrow!"

A burly, bald Zhou clansman barked orders, his voice trembling with both anger and unease. The other Zhou men charged into the forest, weapons in hand.

Before they could take more than a few steps, more arrows shot out from the trees.

Thud! Thud!

Each arrow struck its mark, piercing the shoulder blades of the Zhou men. Screams of pain echoed as they collapsed one by one, incapacitated in an instant.

The bald man froze in place, his wide eyes filled with fear. His legs trembled, refusing to obey as he considered fleeing.

"Who's there? Show yourself! Hiding in the shadows—what kind of hero are you?"

Summoning his courage, the bald man bellowed at the forest. But his challenge was met with nothing but another arrow.

Thwack!

The arrow pierced his shoulder blade, knocking him to the ground. Writhing in pain, he let out guttural cries of agony.

"What incredible archery!"

The bruised and battered Yun clansmen, who had been left sprawled on the ground, stared in awe as their oppressors were felled by precise, unseen arrows.

"Could it be one of our own?"

"Most likely. Otherwise, why would they target Zhou Kuang and his men?"

"But who among us could possess such extraordinary skill with a bow?"

"It must be Yunshan."

Yun Yunxun, still gasping for air, managed to sit up. Seeing Zhou Kuang and the others writhing on the ground, he felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him.

"Yes, Cousin Yunshan served in the military and is a master of mounted archery. Among our family, only he could have such skill!"

Hearing Yun Yunxun's words, many of the Yun clansmen nodded in agreement.

"Yunshan, show yourself! I know it's you!" Yun Yunxun called out to the forest with a grin.

Moments later, the underbrush began to rustle. From the shadows emerged an eight-year-old boy.

Dressed in coarse linen, a bulging pouch at his waist, a quiver of arrows strapped to his back, and carrying a heavy black war bow in hand, Yun Yanshui stepped forward.

With a bright smile, he said, "Uncle Yunxun, you guessed wrong this time!"

"It's you? Where's your father?"

Yun Yunxun's eyes widened in shock at the sight of Yanshui. The other Yun clansmen were equally stunned.

"My father's at home, busy forging iron!"

"Then… those arrows just now…"

"I shot them," Yanshui admitted with a modest shrug, scratching his nose sheepishly.

"Hahaha! Truly a tiger father begets no dog son! Yunshan was a ferocious tiger on the battlefield, and his son surpasses him!

"Those arrows just now were extraordinary. Even we were left in awe!"

Hearing Yanshui's words, the Yun clansmen began to shower him with praise.

Yun Yunxun, looking at his young nephew, couldn't hide his admiration. At such a tender age, the boy already possessed remarkable skill—he was destined for greatness.

"You learned this archery from your father?"

"Yes! I started learning from him when I was five!"

"No wonder…"

Yun Yunxun nodded in sudden realization, still puzzled as to how an eight-year-old child like Yun Yanshui could wield the black war bow that Yunshan had brought back from the military.

After all, this was no ordinary bow. Even for a grown man, drawing it required significant effort, let alone a child.

However, if the boy had been training in archery since he was very young, it might just be plausible.

What Yun Yunxun didn't know, though, was that Yun Yanshui's ability to handle the heavy war bow with ease stemmed from his cultivation. Having stepped into the first layer of the Fetal Breath realm, he now possessed the strength of over three hundred pounds. Drawing such a bow was mere child's play.

"Uncle Yunxun, are your injuries serious?"

Yanshui looked at his uncle with concern, noting the bruises that covered his body and the blood seeping from his nose and mouth.

"It's nothing, just a few minor wounds. I won't die."

Yun Yunxun smiled faintly and turned toward Zhou Kuang, who was still writhing on the ground. With a cold glare, he reclaimed the spirit herb that Zhou Kuang had stolen.

The Yun clansmen followed suit, recovering their stolen game and herbs. They even seized the game that the Zhou clansmen had hunted on this trip, taking everything for themselves.

"What should we do with Zhou Kuang and his men?" one of the Yun clansmen asked gravely.

The Zhou clan resided to the south of Yunzhang Mountain, separated from the Yun clan by a ridge. The two families had long been at odds, their hunters frequently clashing in the mountains. While bloodshed was common, deaths were rare.

After all, both clans lived under the laws of the Yue Kingdom, and murder, if discovered, could bring ruin to an entire family.

"If Zhou Kuang dies and the Zhou clan reports it to the authorities, it'll come back to us," someone pointed out.

"Let them die!" Yun Yunxun's expression turned icy.

"Uncle Yunxun, if the authorities investigate…"

The worry in the voice of another Yun clansman was evident.

"Our Yun clan is not what it once was. With two spirit-rooted heirs among us, why should we fear the laws of the Yue Kingdom?" Yun Yunxun replied with a quiet laugh. "The laws of this land are written for the weak. Even if the Zhou clan reports us, what can they do? They no longer have the strength to stand against us."

Yun Yunxun crouched down slowly, his gaze meeting the pale, terrified eyes of Zhou Kuang. Without hesitation, he drove a short blade into Zhou Kuang's throat. Blood sprayed across his clothes as Zhou Kuang's body twitched and then went limp.

A healer may save lives, but they can also take them.

Though Yun Yunxun had always been a gentle and honest man, he was not to be trifled with when angered. Zhou Kuang's theft of the spirit herb he had risked his life to gather had crossed the line.

Watching as Yun Yunxun killed Zhou Kuang without so much as a flinch, blood splattering everywhere, many of the Yun clansmen were utterly horrified.

While they had often fought with the Zhou clan in the past, they had never dared to kill. Witnessing someone being slaughtered before their very eyes left their legs trembling and some of them vomiting uncontrollably.

Yun Yanshui, however, remained calm. He watched the scene unfold without the slightest hint of discomfort.

Whether it was due to his cultivation affecting his mental state or something else entirely, he simply stood there, observing as Yun Yunxun moved from one Zhou clansman to the next. Ignoring their pleas and threats, Yun Yunxun dispatched each one with the same ruthless efficiency.

When it was over, Yun Yunxun tossed the bloodied blade aside. Rising to his feet, he turned to the other Yun clansmen, his expression softening into a gentle smile.

"Our Yun clan has changed. You will have to adapt to it eventually."

His gaze then shifted to Yanshui, who remained composed and unshaken. Yun Yunxun's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.

"Yanshui, are you not afraid?"

"Maybe it's because I've gone hunting with my father so often," Yanshui replied with a casual shrug. "I'm used to the blood. It doesn't bother me."

"But your uncles and elders are also seasoned hunters, accustomed to blood. Yet look at them now—they're utterly shaken."

"Uncle Yunxun, stop mocking us!"

"Exactly! We've only ever hunted game. We've never killed a person! How could we not be horrified by such bloodshed?"

"Well, it seems you're still no match for a child like Yanshui," Yun Yunxun remarked with a wry smile.