The Yun Family

My voice trembled a little. "Th-This... is your home?"

"That's right. This is our Yun Family's 'Yun City.' Every place here belongs to my family. These people came from elsewhere to do business or buy things.

"Of course, the goods here are things most people in Underworld Practices need, or items that cannot see the light of day.

"Since they can't be sold outside, they come to Yun City to find a way out," the girl said proudly.

I swallowed. "This entire city belongs to your family?"

"That's right. Impressive, isn't it?" The girl gave a crafty smile.

I gave her a thumbs-up and said it was impressive. The girl giggled.

Then she told me to get in the car; there was still some distance before we reached her home. Hearing that, I got in.

The girl said in the car, "Looking across all the Yin Yang Families, the Yun Family is the strongest, whether in combat strength or financial power."

I nodded to myself. Mm, with a scale like this, she had every reason to be confident enough to say that.

Before long, we arrived before a magnificent entrance. The two gates had to be four or five meters tall, with carved beams and painted rafters beside them.

Above the gate hung a huge gilded plaque, engraved with the two words: "Yun Mansion."

The characters looked like dragons and serpents racing across the page, vigorous and forceful. At a glance, one could tell they came from the hand of a master.

It was my first time seeing such a sight. For a moment, I was at a loss, staring blankly at this "frighteningly enormous gate."

Just then, I heard several whooshes by my ear. When I came back to my senses and looked—

Several flaming darts flew past me, streaking straight toward Yun Yao.

I was shocked and had just been about to rush over to help when I saw Yun Yao plant her feet firmly.

Her hands formed seals at lightning speed, and a huge fireball shot out, swallowing up those darts.

Then she controlled the fireball wrapped around the darts and hurled it at a young man.

The young man was nimble as well, shifting and weaving with agile footwork. He turned sideways and dodged the fireball hurtling at him.

Then he raised his hand, and there came another two whooshes. Two darts flew from his hand, and at the same time, he formed another hand seal.

The darts that had been knocked away by the fireball and fallen to the ground actually wobbled as they rose into the air.

Then dart after dart shot toward Yun Yao at breakneck speed. Their angles were strange and vicious, every dart seeming to possess a will of its own.

Yun Yao fought desperately to block them, her body incredibly agile as well.

Sometimes she jumped or bent backward; sometimes she lowered her head or ducked down. Not one of those darts managed to hurt her.

While evading the darts, she was still forming seals. In an instant, three huge fireballs flew toward the young man one after another.

The young man's pupils contracted sharply, and his face went slightly pale.

Then he quickly formed a hand seal as well. The darts attacking Yun Yao instantly returned to his side, constantly wheeling up and down as they surrounded him tightly.

Boom! Boom! Boom...

Three consecutive explosions rang out, and the darts around the young man fell all over the ground.

His body was sent flying backward into a nearby statue. Then he dropped to the ground, motionless.

"Jiang Yujie, you bastard! You actually dared to ambush me! Are we still fighting or not?" Yun Yao said angrily.

The young man called Jiang Yujie slowly climbed up from the ground, spewing a great mouthful of smoke from his mouth and nostrils before shaking his head fiercely.

Then he said, "Big-Foot Yao, you really hit hard. I just hadn't seen you in so long, so I wanted to test how much your strength had improved."

"You bastard, you dare call me that awful name? Today I'm going to roast you into a suckling pig!" As she spoke, she prepared to form seals again.

"Stop..."

An old man emerged at an unhurried pace from the slowly opening gates.

"Yujie is here as a guest. Little Yao Yao, don't be rude," the old man said to Yun Yao.

Though his words were stern, his tone and the way he looked at Yun Yao were filled with affection.

I saw that the old man wore a plain set of ancient-style clothes and cloth shoes.

He stood there with a Dragon Head Cane carved from some unknown kind of wood in his hand, his beard and hair both white.

His back was ramrod straight. Although his attire was nothing remarkable,

he carried an imposing air of authority without anger. Put simply, he had the bearing of someone in power.

Yun Yao skipped over and hugged the old man's right arm, then said coquettishly, "Grandpa, that bad guy called me that awful name."

The old man laughed heartily. "It's nothing. You grew up together. What's the harm in calling each other by a name?"

Yun Yao stomped her foot, then made a face at the young man.

The young man walked over and bowed to the old man. The old man stroked his beard and nodded slightly.

"This young friend must be Li Daorong's son, correct?" the old man asked me with a gentle expression.

Since I did not know the old man's name, I stepped forward, bowed slightly, and saluted him. "Yes. May I ask this elder's honored name?"

The old man laughed, looking exceedingly carefree. "No need for such courtesy. This old man is called Yun Potian.

"My son and your father are sworn brothers, while this old man and your grandfather Li Xuande shared a friendship forged in life and death."

"It's just that Brother Xuande left too early, and we each went our separate ways, so we gradually lost contact.

"Time passes so quickly," the old man said with a sigh.

"Grandpa Yun, is this the grandson of the Golden Rainbow Ghost Sword? Then he must be very strong.

"I want to find an opportunity to spar with him," the young man called Jiang Yujie said as he looked at me.

The old man said to Jiang Yujie, "Ah... Yujie, don't be rude. He is also a descendant of your Jiang Family's benefactor."

"Ah... a benefactor? What benefactor? Why can't I understand what you're saying, Grandpa Yun?" Jiang Yujie said, scratching the back of his head.

Yun Yao glared fiercely at the young man. "You bastard, all you know is how to bully the weak. If you have the guts, come fight me."

The young man shrank his neck and did not dare reply. He had probably been scared by that beating just now.

Then the young man clasped his fists toward me. "Hello, my name is Jiang Yujie. I'm from the Jiang Family of the Imperial Artifact Family."

I clasped my fists back at him. "Hello, my name is Li Yutong."

Jiang Yujie froze. "That's it? Aren't you the inheritor of a Yin Yang Family?"

I said no, that I was merely an ordinary cultivator.

Hearing my words, Jiang Yujie looked somewhat surprised and simply stared at me.

I examined him as well. During his fight with Yun Yao just now, I had not clearly seen what he looked like. Only now did I get a close look at him.

"Little brother, this old man is very powerful. Don't act rashly," Nangong Yiyi said from within the Yin gathering token.

I was startled and asked back, "How does he compare to you, Sis?"

"I can't beat him. If your martial uncle joins in, we can definitely win," Nangong Yiyi said.

"Damn, he's that strong?" I replied in disbelief.

"Mm. It seems I underestimated the cultivators of the outside world. I'll have to be even more careful in the future.

"I'll do my best to conceal my aura from now on. Your martial uncle was right—if I rashly come out now, I'll only bring you trouble."