Chapter 14

After Du Mingze had smashed Ye Wei's dormitory and a group of people had urinated on Ye Wei's bedding, they left.

A few hours later, Ye Wei walked to the main gate of the Ye family estate under the faint starlight.

The Ye family was not a major force in the entire Qingyue City, but in the southwestern corner, they were considered a prominent household. The estate covered a hundred acres, with an open terrain, a vermilion gate, bright copper rings, and a pair of green stone lions standing guard at the entrance, exuding a majestic and fierce aura. Four guards, dressed in fine clothes and with sharp eyes, stood at the gate.

To anyone, the Ye family estate was impressive enough, but as Ye Wei approached the main gate, he frowned slightly, looking puzzled.

"Hmm? Why are there only four guards at the gate?"

Prominent households placed great emphasis on appearances, and the number and strength of the guards were a symbol of their status. Normally, there were eight Seventh Rank Apprentice guards at the main gate of the Ye family, but today, there were only four for some unknown reason.

"Master Ye Wei!"

"Master Ye Wei!"

The guards bowed slightly when they saw Ye Wei. Ye Wei nodded and, with a puzzled heart, entered the estate, heading towards his family's small courtyard deep within.

Just as he reached the courtyard, a somewhat noisy sound came over the wall and reached Ye Wei's ears.

"Fushun, this month's allowance is only fifty silver coins? My little Wei is still studying at the Southern Star Academy; how is this amount enough? It used to be one hundred and fifty silver coins. Why has it suddenly decreased so much?"

"Lady, to be honest, our Ye family... our Ye family has no money left! The family head's green-maned unicorn carriage has been sold, and many guards have been dismissed..."

"What?! Has it come to this...?" The intermittent, somewhat muffled voices over the wall made Ye Wei frown again, his expression becoming even more confused.

The Ye family, being a prominent household, how could they suddenly become so impoverished? Even the family head's carriage has been sold?

Although Ye Wei had a very low presence in the family, the monthly allowance from the family had never been reduced. The family members were all very kind to each other, and the family head worked hard every day for the family's livelihood.

Creak—

With a somewhat heavy heart, Ye Wei pushed open the wooden gate of the small courtyard.

"Father, Mother, I'm back!" Ye Wei walked towards the main house.

"Little Wei!"

The main door quickly opened, and a woman came out with a look of surprise. She looked to be in her thirties, dressed simply but with a touch of makeup, her face beautiful, giving off a gentle and elegant aura.

She was Ye Wei's mother, Qiao Wan!

"Master Ye Wei is back." Beside his mother, the steward Fushun stood respectfully. Seeing Ye Wei, he forced a somewhat stiff smile on his tired face.

Although Ye Wei's talent in the Sea of Consciousness was only at the Red level, no one in the Ye family mocked or bullied him. Because his talent was too weak, he was destined not to become a warrior and was often overlooked. The family's focus naturally fell on the few descendants with better talents.

The Ye family was well-off, but now, with internal and external troubles, everyone had to help the family through the difficulties.

"Uncle Fushun!" Ye Wei greeted with a smile.

"Lady, I'll take my leave first!"

The steward Fushun put down the gray money bag, bowed slightly to Ye Wei's mother, and respectfully left.

"Little Wei, look at you, all sweaty. Did you walk back again? Come, sit down and rest for a while. I've told you many times, the Southern Star Academy is so far from our home, why don't you rent a carriage? We Ye family don't lack a few silver coins!" Qiao Wan scolded Ye Wei with a hint of annoyance, but her hands didn't stop. She took out a handkerchief to wipe Ye Wei's sweat and poured him a cup of tea.

"Where's Father?" Ye Wei asked, glancing at the flat money bag left by Uncle Fushun, his worries deepening.

"Your father has been busy with the family business for the past few days. He hasn't been home for three to five days. I don't know why he's so busy. Don't worry about him. Are you hungry? I'll go make you something to eat." Qiao Wan said with a smile.

The current head of the Ye family was Ye Wei's grandfather, Ye Zhengqing, who was seventy-two years old and at the Third Rank Condensation stage.

Ye Zhengqing had four sons and three daughters. Ye Wei's father, Ye Yi, was the third son and was in charge of the family's fabric business. The eldest and second eldest brothers were in charge of the family's most important businesses, Dao Vessels and Divine Scrolls, respectively. The youngest uncle ran a tavern, and the three aunts, except for the youngest, were already married.

"Mother, I'm not hungry. Don't worry about it. Has something happened to the family?" Ye Wei couldn't help but stand up, looking straight at his mother, and asked solemnly.

Before entering the Ye family estate, Ye Wei had felt something was off. After hearing the conversation between his mother and the steward Fushun, he was even more certain that something had happened to the Ye family!

And it was definitely not a small matter; otherwise, his father wouldn't have been away for three to five days, the number of guards at the gate wouldn't have been reduced to four, and his grandfather's green-maned unicorn carriage wouldn't have been sold!

"You child, why are you worrying about these things? Just focus on your cultivation at the Southern Star Academy!" Qiao Wan said with a hint of blame in her voice, but her eyes were slightly panicked.

"Mother, I've grown up. I'm also a member of the Ye family. The family's affairs are my affairs too!" Ye Wei's voice was low, and he looked into his mother's eyes, speaking with a heavy tone.

"Ah, my Wei has grown up!" Mother walked up to Ye Wei, touched his head, sighed, and murmured softly, hesitating whether to tell Ye Wei about the situation.

"Do you know the Du family?" Mother sighed.

"One of the three major families in Qingyue City, the Du family? Has our family's business been suppressed by them again?" Ye Wei frowned.

"Uh-huh!" Mother nodded.

"Divine Scrolls, Dao Vessels, taverns, fabric shops, horse stables, all our businesses have been suppressed, especially the Divine Scroll business. Seventy percent of our family's income comes from the Divine Scroll business. The Du family has hired the chief disciple of a Divine Pattern Master. The Divine Scrolls they sell are all written by that person personally, while our Ye family's Divine Scrolls are written by an ordinary disciple of a Divine Pattern Master from the Divine Pattern Master Alliance. Moreover, the price of their Divine Scrolls is thirty percent lower than ours, making it almost impossible for us to sell our Divine Scrolls..." Mother said with a worried look.

"Unable to sell, we can only lower our prices. The Du family is one of the three major families in Qingyue City, with deep roots and the ability to sustain losses, but our Ye family can't!"

"Struggling for two months, our Ye family is almost at the end of our resources. Your grandfather's green-maned unicorn carriage has been sold... The family is in a huge crisis!"

"Little Wei, the family's affairs are supported by your grandfather, uncles, and father. You should focus on your cultivation at the Southern Star Academy. Only by becoming as strong as your cousin Ye Zhong can you help the family!"

"Don't think about anything now. You don't need to worry about tuition and living expenses. Even in the worst-case scenario, if our Ye family collapses, your mother has a lot of dowry, enough to support you until graduation!"

Mother patted Ye Wei's shoulder, comforting him. She had clearly made the worst-case scenario preparations.

"Why did the Du family suddenly suppress our Ye family? Our Ye family doesn't have the qualifications to offend the Du family, right?"

Ye Wei didn't care about his tuition and living expenses. He had already shown his talent as a Divine Pattern Master to Miss Lin Ziyuan. Once the vice-principal returned, the Southern Star Academy would certainly cultivate him vigorously, so he didn't need to worry about such trivial matters.

The main concern was the family. If the family really collapsed, what would happen to Grandfather, Uncle, Father, and the more than three hundred people in the Ye family?

Ye Wei felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. As a descendant of the Ye family, he had to shoulder this burden!

Even though his cultivation was only at the Second Rank Apprentice stage, and he was far from matching his cousin Ye Zhong, with the Divine Pattern knowledge in his mind and his keen soul perception, he could still do many things!

Even helping the Ye family through the crisis was not impossible. What puzzled Ye Wei was why the Du family, one of the three major families in Qingyue City, would suddenly suppress the Ye family. Although the Ye family was also a prominent household, they were not on the same level as the Du family. Logically, the Ye family had no chance or qualifications to offend the Du family!

"Our Ye family, of course, doesn't have the qualifications to offend the Du family. The Du family has their eyes on our ancestral land in Beishan Bay. They want to buy our ancestral land. Little Wei, you should know that the land in Beishan Bay has been accumulated by our ancestors. How could your grandfather be willing to sell it?"

"Because your grandfather was unwilling to sell that land, the Du family started to suppress us. At first, it was just the tavern and horse stables, which didn't matter much. But two months ago, they suddenly started to suppress the Divine Scroll business, which is the lifeline of our Ye family!" Mother said with a look of indignation.

"What kind of logic is this!"

Ye Wei was also angry. If you want to buy, I must sell? That's too bullying! If it were something else, it might be fine, but the land in Beishan Bay is the Ye family's ancestral land, where the ancestors' graves are. Not only would Grandfather be unwilling to sell, but none of the more than three hundred people in the Ye family would be willing to sell.

"Don't think too much about these things. Our Ye family has some good news. Your youngest aunt, Ye Qingqing, has broken through to the Seventh Rank Warrior stage. There's a family banquet tonight to celebrate!"

Mother's face showed a smile.

"Your youngest aunt is so powerful!"

Ye Wei's face also showed an excited smile. Just like the Apprentice stage, for Warrior stage experts, the Fifth Rank and Seventh Rank are significant milestones. Breaking through these ranks significantly enhances one's strength.

For example, at the Apprentice stage, breaking through to the Seventh Rank allows one to use divine techniques. For the Warrior stage, breaking through to the Seventh Rank allows the formation of a light feather of primordial energy on the surface of the body, enhancing both defense and strength. It also allows for brief flight in the air, increasing speed several times over!

Therefore, even five Sixth Rank Warriors would not be a match for a single Seventh Rank Warrior.

Ye Wei's youngest aunt, Ye Qingqing, is twenty-five years old and is the most talented person in the Ye family, even surpassing his cousin Ye Zhong. At twenty-five, she has already reached the Seventh Rank Warrior stage and has a good chance of advancing to the Condensation stage!

Condensation stage experts are the foundation of a family. Currently, the Ye family has only two Condensation stage experts: Grandfather Ye Zhengqing, a Third Rank Condensation stage expert, and Uncle Ye Hai, a First Rank Condensation stage expert.

In the Ye family, besides his parents, the ones who cared for Ye Wei the most were his youngest aunt, Ye Qingqing, and his cousin, Ye Zhong. With his youngest aunt breaking through, Ye Wei was naturally very happy.

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