The commotion in front of the Liu Manor gates was like a clap of thunder, piercing the heavy and oppressive air within the residence.
The first to emerge was a middle-aged woman in a purple dress with a gentle expression; she was Liu Ruyan's mother, Lady Zhou.
When her gaze met the red figure at the entrance, she froze instantly.
Immediately, tears rolled down her cheeks like broken strings of pearls.
"Yaner! My Yaner! You're finally back!"
Lady Zhou almost stumbled forward, pulling Liu Ruyan into a tight embrace, her voice choked with a mix of joy and lingering fear after losing and regaining her daughter.
"Do you have any idea how worried I was!"
"You child, how... how could you dare go to such a place all by yourself!"
Following closely behind Lady Zhou was a young girl about fifteen or sixteen years old, whose features were sixty to seventy percent similar to Liu Ruyan's, but looked more immature and pure.
Her large eyes were also red now; she was Liu Ruyan's younger sister, Liu Ruxue.
"Sister!"
Liu Ruxue also rushed forward, tightly clutching Liu Ruyan's arm.
"You scared us to death! Mother and I couldn't eat or sleep every day, and Father and Second Uncle also..."
The excitement of her mother and sister caused Liu Ruyan's eyes to well up instantly.
She could feel the trembling of her mother's embrace and the coldness of her sister's fingertips, which were signs of deep concern and attachment.
Through three cycles of Reincarnation, this Bloodline connection had always been the softest place in her heart.
"Mother, Xue'er, I'm sorry for making you worry."
Liu Ruyan hugged her mother back tightly and patted her sister's back, her voice also somewhat choked.
"I'm fine, haven't I returned safe and sound?"
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached.
Liu Beichuan, along with several Clan Elders, also rushed to the front courtyard.
Seeing Liu Ruyan unharmed and surrounded by Lady Zhou and Liu Ruxue.
A look of relief finally appeared on Liu Beichuan's tense face, but it was quickly replaced by a hint of doubt and scrutiny.
He stepped forward quickly, first nodding to Lady Zhou to reassure her, then looking at Liu Ruyan with a complex gaze.
"Ruyan, you... where have you been all this time? Why was there no news from you?"
His gaze involuntarily drifted toward the white-clothed woman standing quietly behind Liu Ruyan, who possessed an elegant and ethereal aura.
With his Late Golden Core Stage cultivation, he actually couldn't see through the depth of this person at all.
He couldn't even sense any obvious Spiritual Qi fluctuations from her, which made alarm bells ring in his mind.
Sensing her second uncle's gaze, Liu Ruyan gently comforted her mother and sister, then turned and bowed respectfully to Liu Beichuan.
"Second Uncle, Uncles, Ruyan has been unfilial and caused you all to worry."
"It's a long story, shall we... go inside and talk? Also, this is..."
She turned her head to look at Yun Yun.
Yun Yun nodded slightly, her voice warm and peaceful.
"My surname is Yun, I am Ruyan's... Sect elder."
She didn't explicitly state her identity, but the words "Sect elder" were enough to indicate her status.
Liu Beichuan's heart jolted, and he quickly cupped his hands.
"So it is Senior Yun, please excuse my lack of manners! Please, come inside!"
The group moved to the main hall of the Liu Manor.
Lady Zhou held Liu Ruyan's hand, unwilling to let go, while Liu Ruxue sat close to her sister, curiously stealing glances at Yun Yun.
Liu Beichuan ordered Spiritual Tea to be served, but the atmosphere in the hall still carried a lingering excitement and confusion.
Liu Beichuan took a sip of tea, composed himself, and looked at Liu Ruyan again with a gentle but probing tone.
"Ruyan, can you tell us now? What exactly happened? You... seem a bit different from before."
He keenly sensed that his niece's aura was much more stable and refined, and the previously hidden anxiety and hesitation in her brow had vanished.
In its place was a settled confidence and composure, and she even... gave him a faint feeling of being inscrutable.
One must know, he was at the Late Golden Core Stage!
While Liu Ruyan was only at the Peak Qi Refining Stage before she left home!
Liu Ruyan took a soft breath; she knew some things had to be explained clearly.
However, regarding the specifics of the Yaochi Immortal Palace, especially its true foundation, she couldn't reveal too much without her Master's permission.
She organized her thoughts and spoke.
"Second Uncle, Mother, Xue'er, during my trip out this time, I encountered a life-and-death danger and nearly lost my life."
Hearing this, Lady Zhou and Liu Ruxue's faces turned pale again.
"But it was a blessing in disguise,"
Liu Ruyan continued, her eyes showing sincere gratitude.
"At the critical moment, I was fortunately saved by my Master—the Palace Master of the Yaochi Immortal Palace. Seeing that my Aptitude was decent and my Heart-Nature was resilient, she made an exception and took me as her Disciple."
"Yaochi Immortal Palace?"
Liu Beichuan and the several Clan Elders looked at each other; they had never heard of this name.
They had heard of the famous Sect Holy Lands in the Southern Region, but there was definitely no such name as "Yaochi Immortal Palace."
Was it a hidden Sect?
Or... "Yaner, you've joined a Sect?"
Lady Zhou was both surprised and delighted. For a mother, it was a great blessing that her daughter returned safely, and joining a Sect was an added bonus.
Although she hadn't heard of it, she was still very happy.
"Then... is your Master good to you? Where is the Yaochi Immortal Palace? Is it far?"
"Mother, Master treats me very well. The Immortal Palace is... some distance from here, but the environment is excellent and the Spiritual Qi is abundant."
Liu Ruyan avoided the main points and then looked at Liu Beichuan, her expression becoming solemn.
"Second Uncle, I've come back this time first to let the Family know I'm safe. Secondly, I am also here on my Master's orders."
"On your Master's orders?"
Liu Beichuan sat up straight.
"Yes."
Liu Ruyan nodded, took out the Storage Pouch Gu Han had given her from her own Storage Pouch, and handed it to Liu Beichuan with both hands.
"Master knows I come from a Family, so she specially bestowed some resources and instructed me to bring them back to repay the Family for raising me."
Liu Beichuan took the Storage Pouch and instinctively probed inside with his Divine Sense.
The next moment, he suddenly stood up from his seat.
The composure and scrutiny on his face were instantly replaced by extreme shock; his pupils contracted violently, and his hand holding the Storage Pouch even trembled slightly!
"Family Head?"
"Beichuan?"
The several Clan Elders and Lady Zhou were all startled by his sudden and intense reaction.
Liu Beichuan seemed not to hear their calls; his entire mind was firmly captured by the sight inside the Storage Pouch!
Spirit Stones!
A Storage Pouch full of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!
That pure and surging Spiritual Qi fluctuation could be faintly felt even through the Storage Pouch!
With a rough scan, the quantity definitely exceeded ten thousand!
Ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were equivalent to one million Low-Grade Spirit Stones!
What kind of concept was this?
Their Liu Family mainly dealt in the Medicinal Pill business, and their total annual income was only around three hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones when converted!
These ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were almost equal to the total income of the Liu Family for more than three years without any expenses!
But this wasn't even what shocked him the most.
Beside the Spirit Stones, there were also three Magical Artifacts floating quietly, glowing with light and containing restrained Dao charms.
One was a pale green Feather Robe, thin as a cicada's wing, with faint Wind Spirit Patterns flowing on it—a top grade Profound Rank Magic Robe!
One was a fiery red longsword, its blade crystal clear as if magma was slowly flowing within it, emitting hot and stable fluctuations—a top grade Profound Rank Magical Artifact!
The last item was a palm-sized bronze mirror with a hazy surface that seemed to reflect a thousand scenes, and the back of the mirror was engraved with profound cloud patterns.
A heavy, ancient, obscure yet majestic aura faintly emanated from it—a Medium Grade Earth Rank Magical Artifact!
"Two top grade Profound Rank... one Medium Grade Earth Rank..."
Liu Beichuan's voice was incredibly dry, almost squeezed out of his throat.
Profound Rank Magical Artifacts were commonly used by Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation Stage Cultivators!
Their Liu Family only had a single Medium Grade Profound Rank Magical Artifact, let alone a top grade one!
And Earth Rank Magical Artifacts... were legends to them!
They were treasures that only Body Integration Stage or even Mahayana Stage Cultivators could possess!
They only existed in the treasuries of top-tier Sects and ancient families that dominated their regions!
Their value simply could not be measured in Spirit Stones!
Seeing Liu Beichuan so out of character and hearing his murmured words, everyone in the Liu Family was stunned.
Immediately, boundless shock swept through the entire hall!
"Earth Rank... Magical Artifact?"
A white-haired Clan Elder's voice trembled, and he almost failed to catch his breath.
Lady Zhou and Liu Ruxue's eyes widened even further, completely unable to believe what was before them.
Liu Beichuan forced down his heart, which was nearly jumping out of his chest, and took several deep breaths before asking in a trembling voice:
"Ruyan... these... were all bestowed by your Master?"
He couldn't imagine what kind of existence his niece's "Master" was to be able to casually bestow such terrifying resources!
Ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones could perhaps be explained as "doting on a Disciple."
But an Earth Rank Magical Artifact... this had already exceeded the scope of a "reward" and was more like a... subversive realization!
Liu Ruyan took in everyone's reactions, her gratitude and awe for her Master deepening.
She nodded calmly:
"Yes, these were all bestowed by Master."
"Master also said that to her, these aren't considered precious at all; they're just a few trinkets."
Not considered precious?
Just a few trinkets?
Liu Beichuan and the several Clan Elders felt a wave of dizziness; their worldview had suffered a massive blow.
A Medium Grade Earth Rank Magical Artifact was just a trinket?
Then what rank would be the things this "Palace Master" usually used or those stored in the Immortal Palace's treasury?
top grade Earth Rank? Or... the legendary Heaven Rank?
And how could they know that these were actually just "failed products" Gu Han had tossed into the corner of the System warehouse after trying his hand at Artifact Refining in his spare time.
As for the successful top grade Earth Rank or even Heaven Rank Magic Treasures, they were still lying quietly in the warehouse.
If they were to find out about this, they would probably faint on the spot.
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