The elders of the Yu clan had initially speculated that the curse might be reaching its limit after the long passage of time.
Perhaps this was the reason why the curse within the bloodline of their clansmen was ignited and triggered.
However, as they delved deeper into their research, the people of the Yu clan discovered that this was not the case at all. The curse in their bloodline remained stable, with no possibility of spontaneous ignition.
This left only one possibility: it was man-made.
Shortly after this incident, news leaked out and spread with incredible speed throughout Lingyang Prefecture, further solidifying this conjecture. It was clear that someone was plotting in the shadows.
Now, various forces had gathered at Juexian Valley. There were allied friends here to lend support, as well as individuals with ill intentions, seeking to take advantage of the chaos and reap substantial benefits.
In addition, there were helpers invited by the Yu clan, mostly cultivators who practiced the Divine Path or other paths besides the Immortal Path.
"With your clan's strength, you can't even prevent those people from entering the valley?"
Jiang Yunzhou frowned, already sensing that the situation was becoming tricky.
But it was only then that he realized things were far more troublesome than he had imagined.
"If it were just those factions, it would be manageable. Unless their ancestors, disregarding the depletion of their lifespans, forcefully emerged from seclusion and personally arrived at Juexian Valley."
Elder Fu Sheng shook his head. "However, among these people, there are also individuals from the imperial court in the prefecture."
Although the Yu clan had a good relationship with the Great Yu Dynasty, they could not be certain of the intentions of those who came from the prefecture. Were they simply offering assistance, or did they harbor the same desires as the others?
However, any non-naive person would likely guess that the latter possibility was considerably greater.
"Many clansmen now feel the curse in their bloodline becoming restless. I fear that the one plotting in the shadows will make some major move soon."
Elder Fu Sheng sighed deeply and then said no more.
He rose and led the two away from the place. He found a secluded spot within the village and sectioned off a courtyard containing two or three small houses.
Ji Yuan and Jiang Yunzhou surveyed the area without any signs of disdain. Although the place was rather humble, even less luxurious than an ordinary inn in a mortal city, it was still better than sleeping under the open sky.
They had experienced sleeping with the sky as their blanket and the earth as their mattress before, so they had no complaints.
After Elder Fu Sheng departed, they immediately dropped their smiles, exchanged glances, and a flicker of worry appeared in their eyes.
"It seems the Yu clan is indeed in great trouble, otherwise this Elder Fu Sheng wouldn't have told us so much."
Ji Yuan sat in a rattan chair, his expression becoming somewhat somber.
He was an elder of a clan, yet he had poured out his heart about matters of great importance to his clan, as if fearing they didn't understand enough.
"Perhaps they want to test if we harbor ill intentions by doing so."
Jiang Yunzhou sat opposite Ji Yuan, looking quite helpless.
In fact, he had sensed it from the moment Elder Fu Sheng began speaking, but he had not exposed it.
After all, revealing it now would bring them no benefit and might instead trigger some unpleasantness.
"Regardless, we've obtained the Tianyun Water Essence. We'll take things one step at a time from here."
Ji Yuan shrugged, feeling no great burden.
For him, this trip had merely two objectives: firstly, the Tianyun Water Essence, and secondly, Tang Muhuan.
With one objective already accomplished, all that remained was to find an opportunity to locate Elder Tang, who was confined within the valley. After all, Elder Fu Sheng had not forbidden them from moving around.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yunzhou seemed to recall something and produced a piece of ice crystal, handing it to Ji Yuan.
"My master instructed me to go to this place and specifically told me to give you a drop if I managed to obtain the Tianyun Water Essence."
Seeing the confusion in his eyes, he immediately explained.
Ji Yuan naturally did not refuse. It saved him the trouble of figuring out how to exchange for it from the Nine Xuan Sect.
After putting away the Tianyun Water Essence, he turned his gaze to the table in front of him. "By the way, why did you follow us here?"
On the table made of rattan, Lu Yin was perched by the rim of a teacup, drinking the spiritual tea by himself.
Sensing the gaze upon him, it pretended not to notice and coughed twice before speaking with a serious expression, "This entire village, and the entire mountain range, is my home. Why can't I follow?"
The main reason was that it didn't understand why it felt such a strong sense of closeness to the human youth before it. It felt as if when it was near him, its mind functioned more smoothly.
Unlike the past few hundred years. Although it had gained sentience and was born in this mountain range, it always felt somewhat muddled, with many blockages in its mental functions.
"Aren't you afraid I'll tell Elder Fu Sheng what you just said?"
Lu Yin pondered for a moment and decided to remind them.
However, the two humans before it seemed to find it incredibly amusing and burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at?"
It couldn't understand and, for some reason, became a little anxious, seemingly worried about the human youth.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan extended a finger and applied a little force, tapping the straw hat on Lu Yin's head.
"If you wish to, or because of some rule, then just say so directly."
He narrowed his eyes and smiled.
In any case, Elder Fu Sheng had probably already guessed what they had said earlier, or with the help of the formations here and other means, he could have easily overheard it.
To be honest, they had not intended to hide anything from him during their previous conversation.
After hearing the explanation, Lu Yin nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite. It still didn't grasp the subtleties.
After all, it was only a child born two to three hundred years ago. In the long lifespan of spirits, it might be equivalent to a human child of seven or eight.
"By the way, since you say this is your home, do you happen to know a human cultivator named Tang Muhuan?"
Ji Yuan suddenly seemed to recall something and immediately asked the little figure before him.
If he wanted to better understand what had happened here, finding Tang Muhuan to ask might yield some unexpected insights.
Not to mention that his purpose for this trip was to find Elder Tang and confirm that he was safe and encountered no danger.
However, just a name was a bit too difficult for Lu Yin. Fortunately, Ji Yuan quickly realized this and described Tang Muhuan's appearance in detail.
"You're talking about that old scholar who exudes immense righteousness!"
Lu Yin narrowed its eyes and said proudly, "I know him! He lives nearby!"