Cao Yun didn't have to completely release his 'Ashen Feather Seal'. After all, it wasn't making him invisible. With it active, it was just difficult to recognize his presence. But after directly addressing Yun Ping, that was taken care of. Then, he simply reduced the effects of his concealing technique so Yun ping could recognize his face.
It still took him some time to realize. Then, a bright smile lit up his face. For an instant, he almost blurted out. Thankfully, he had received Cao Yun's message. Although it had been rather cryptic so no one else could read it but him, Yun Ping had understood the meaning behind it. Cao Yun wanted to be discreet.
Although he trusted Yun Ping, he didn't know his family. Yes, General Yun, Yun Ping's father, seemed to be a trustworthy man. But as long as he wasn't sure of his character, he wouldn't like to meet him in person.
Realizing that he was about to shout his friend's name, Yun Ping controlled himself. Just like his father, he was rather straightforward. But that didn't mean that he was an idiot. Deep down, Cao Yun was thankful that Yun Ping wasn't Ren Chao. But then he stopped his train of thoughts. They weren't very nice to his brother...
Cao Yun was about to use his technique to speak to Yun Ping. By manipulating the air around him, he could send his voice directly to someone without being heard by anyone else. But he could also form some kind of barrier around him in order to cancel any voice, not just his own. As long as Yun Ping came close enough, Cao Yun could do so.
Before he had any time to speak with Yun Ping, Cao Yun sensed a powerful presence. Suddenly, he pushed his 'Ashen Feather Seal' to the limit and hid inside Yun Ping's chambers. As the young man was training in his private courtyard, his doors were open.
Even Yun Ping did not react in time. Before him, a giant who was at least three heads taller than Yun Ping, who was already very tall for a human, had appeared. He was clad in a dark armor. Cao Yun immediately recognized an amalgamation of Bin Iron. This metal was extremely durable but highly difficult to forge due to its resistance to heat. However, this amalgamation was not pure Bin Iron. Because he wasn't a blacksmith, Cao Yun could not identify every single metal used in it. One thing was certain though, this armor was intimidating and could clearly resist many of his own attacks.
But just by sensing the aura of that powerful man, Cao Yun knew he would never be able to land a single strike anyway. Hell, he wouldn't even be able to move if he didn't want him to. This man was at least a 6th-grade Spirit Warrior. But contrary to Xiao Xuefeng, and even Chief Elder Baishen, he was a soldier. He wasn't just a martial artist. All his life, he had fought on the battlefields, killing countless demons. Of course he had also killed humans, demonic cultivators most of the time.
Thanks to his time in the Demon Palace against the blood beasts, Cao Yun was very sensitive to killing intent. In that moment, this man seemed to be full of anger, to the point that even his Drop of Wrath reacted a little.
At the moment, the entire courtyard was completely surrounded by his domineering aura. Cao Yun even stopped breathing so that he didn't detect him. Compared to the blood beasts he had fought or even the Drop of Wrath itself, this aura was nothing much so his mind was clear. But his body was frozen in place. Unless he decided to expose his Drop of Wrath, Cao Yun wouldn't be able to get free of this. Besides, as soon as he did anything somewhat hostile, this man would probably kill him without asking any question. That would be dramatic considering that he had recognized this man.
Yun Ping had also recognized him. This was his father, General Yun Po.
"Father..."
"What happened? I sensed something from your courtyard."
Despite the urgency in his voice and his overall demeanor, General Yun was perfectly calm. His mood had been tempered on battlefields. As such, he was always ready to react to unforeseen events.
In Cao Yun's sea of consciousness, Dian Mo even hid himself, fearing that he might get discovered. Although his spiritual senses were not as good as Xiao Xuefeng's, General Yun had an authority that even she did not have. Mixed in with his spiritual senses, there was pure killing intent, devoid of any sentiment.
Thankfully, Cao Yun had not been discovered. Most likely, Yun Po had only sensed the disturbance in his son's Qi. When Cao Yun had revealed himself, Yun Ping first thought that he was attacked and reacted to it. The fact that General Yun had reacted to it so promptly meant that he had been monitoring his son closely, too closely.
"Father, nothing happened."
"Then, why did I sense killing intent from you?"
No matter what his son could say, Yun Po was still actively using his spiritual senses to search the surroundings. Soon enough, he would find Cao Yun. Indeed, his 'Ashen Feather Seal' was great but Cao Yun wasn't on par with Huang Liyue yet.
Obviously, Yun Ping was aware that his friend wouldn't be able to conceal his presence forever, even if he didn't know his technique. Thus, he had to convince his father that there was nothing wrong. He didn't like lying to his own family, but he trusted Cao Yun enough to follow his lead. Of course, he understood that Cao Yun was lacking trust in his family. As much as it pained him, he knew that his friend had no reason to trust them.
"It's... I was just frustrated..."
Both Yun Ping and Yun Po looked at his missing left arm. All of a sudden, the tyrannical aura of Yun Po dissolved. He walked to his son and put his hand on his right shoulder. Then, he felt his arm.
"That wound is a token of your courage and strength. I would love to be able to rebuild your arm. I tried to petition the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute and even the Imperial City, but only a Spirit medicine could do such a miracle. But son, don't lose hope. Don't think about your family, only think of yourself. Take as much time as you need, everyone understands this."
Hiding, Cao Yun was a bit flustered, Yun Po was clearly speaking from his heart and there he was, hiding and listening in on this intimate conversation. But he simply couldn't leave right now.
Through the robe, Yun Po could feel his son's muscles. His right arm had almost doubled in volume. Although muscles weren't a great sign of strength for cultivators, it showed how much stress Yun Ping had put on his arm and thus on his training. Even now, he was wielding 'Eternal Rampart'. The fact that it was so long wasn't a good thing for someone with only one arm. However, Yun Ping had decided to keep using it as it was a family heirloom.
Yun Po looked at the weapon for some time.
"You should think about taking another spear. There many short spears that would be ideal to you."
"Is this what the family wants? Do they think the 'Eternal Rampart' is wasted on me? Do they want to give it to..."
"Stop this! You're my son! Everyone knows that you suffered in order to protect the people and your friends. If someone even suggests that you're unworthy of your grandfather's weapon, they will not speak another word."
For the first time, Yun Po truly raised his voice. In Cao Yun's eyes, it meant that someone had certainly hinted at the subject. Although they were a family of soldiers who wouldn't abandon someone who had been injured on the battlefield, they were also pragmatic. If Yun Ping couldn't fight anymore, letting him wield such an important weapon for them was a waste. Of course, with Yun Po as his father, the critics would be done in a very roundabout way. But both Cao Yun and Yun Ping were sure that those critics were shared by many within the Yun family.
Cao Yun and Yun Po also knew that Yun Ping was painfully aware of it. This could be seen in his fatigue. Although he was a 1st-grade Mortal Warrior, he showed clear signs of exhaustion because of his training. That showed how much effort he had poured into it. But this wasn't necessarily a good thing. There was desperation in this way of doing things. And it could lead to even more injuries. In Yun Ping, Cao Yun saw the threat of what he had been afraid for himself.
As the two men were talking, Yun Po was still touching his son's arm. But his face was full of anger as he was thinking about what he had heard among his family.
Suddenly a very young girl barged into the room where Cao Yun was hiding. She couldn't have been more than five. That young girl was extremely cute and her fluffy clothes accentuated that even more. Just by looking at her, almost any adult would have wanted to dot on her. And she knew it!
Her face was almost still asleep but she was running. She jumped into the courtyard and dashed toward Yun Po and Yun Ping. As soon as she got close to the armor clad general, she started hurtling her small fists around and struck his leg. Beside her, General Yun looked like a true giant.
"Meanie! Tyrant! Depost! Leave Brother alone!"
She barged into the room and ran toward Yun Ping before hugging him. She screamed with tears of indignation in her eyes. The way she was talking was strange as she was clearly still learning, but that was also very charming.
"Despot?"
The atmosphere around Yun Ping and Yun Po changed immediately. All the tension and sadness disappeared. Yun Ping even tried to correct his little sister's pronunciation.
"Yes, that too!"
The cute little thing was flailing her arms around. She was exaggerating her anger, but Cao Yun could tell that she really cared for Yun Ping. Apparently, she was his little sister. And of course, he immediately remembered his own little sister, Cao Huiying. Today, she would have been almost three times that young girl's age as she had died when she was only twelve. Although the memory was ancient for Cao Yun, the pain was still present and vivid. He would never use his mind cultivation to erase this pain as it would feel like an act of disrespect for his family.
Seeing that little thing angry toward the giant Yun Po was not very impressive. But it was very cute. And it had a real impact on Cao Yun. She reminded him a lot of Mei Ying. At least, she had as much energy. But instead of telling her older sibling off, this young girl was supporting him a lot, just like Cao Huiying had been worshiping her older brothers when she was younger, and alive.
"I am sorry, Hua'er. I didn't raise my voice against your brother, we were just talking about..."
"About those mean baldies? They think we don't hear them, but we do. They're all mean to Brother...!"
Yun Ping squatted down to his sister's level and began to stroke her hair.
"I don't mind them. And they're just worried about our family... I'm happy you get angry on behalf, but I will show them all that I can still be a great warrior."
"Of course you can! You're my son! But just don't exhaust yourself doing so. You should take some time for yourself. Hua'er, if anyone dares to be mean to either of you, they'll know my wrath!"
In Yun Po's voice, there was a laughing tone as he was trying to reassure his children. But Cao Yun could also sense that his emotions were a bit all over the place. He had to think of his entire family as he was the current patriarch. But he couldn't forsake his own children either. Yun Hua was very young and Yun Ping was wounded so badly he might never become a Spirit Warrior. Hell, he might stay stuck as a 1st-grade Mortal Warrior.
After all, by losing his left arm, he had lost one of his Five Prodigious Gates. They were essential for one's cultivation during the Mortal Warrior realm. Of course, the Bai Hui was the most important acupoint, but the others were necessary too.
Then, Yun Po picked the small girl up and put her on his shoulders.
"Your clothes are hard and cold..."
Yun Po ignored her comment and went through Yun Ping's room.
"I'll put you back in your bed. You better sleep tight now."
Cao Yun stayed silent as the giant man walked right in front of him. Thankfully, his alertness was mostly gone now that he was taking car of his daughter. The poor thing was clearly sleepy. After hearing the voice of Yun Po, she had gone to her brother's rescue but she needed to sleep. Given her age, she had probably not even started cultivating. Right now, she was just a normal 5-year-old girl.
In Yun Ping's face, Cao Yun saw that he had a lot on his mind. Since his friend had lost his left arm while protecting Yinmen City and his brothers, Cao Yun felt responsible. Besides, he also recognized the fear of being stuck in his cultivation. After his sojourn in the Demon Palace, he had tasted that same fear.
When he was confident that Yun Po had left, Cao Yun exited the room and walked toward Yun Ping. Then, he controlled his voice and sent him a message.
"This isn't the best place to speak. I have many matters to tell you about and there are some things I'll need your help with as well. Right now, I'm staying in the Major Hall under the name of Guai Mo. This cover is necessary, but I'll tell you everything tomorrow. As soon as you can, find an excuse to go to the Major Hall. Ask for Guai Mo and they will lead you to my room. There, we'll be able to talk more freely."
Since his father was so close, Yun Ping preferred not to talk at all. Instead, he nodded and looked at Cao Yun directly in his eyes. They both understood each other.
Then, Cao Yun simply left the Yun residence. With his concealing technique, no one was able to detect him and he snooped around the area before leaving.