Chapter 52

"Father, Mother, I have some good news to tell you. I have now become an outer disciple of the Qiyun Sect." After helping his parents into the house, Ye Zhen immediately shared this good news with them.

To Ye Zhen's surprise, his parents did not show the slightest hint of surprise upon hearing the news; their expressions were as calm as could be.

After all, just a few months ago, Ye Zhen was still struggling to pass the annual examination for the miscellaneous disciples. Now, he had become an outer disciple. Who wouldn't be surprised upon hearing this?

"Zhen'er, we knew about this news a few days ago. I knew my son is the best," Mi Jiangxue said hurriedly, seeing her son's good news being coldly received.

Father Ye Tiancheng, who had recovered his composure, sighed deeply, "Bad luck, but it's better to come back. At home, you can live a peaceful life no matter what, which is better than dying in the Jianghu."

The more Ye Zhen listened, the more absurd it sounded, and the more he felt puzzled. Today, he had returned to bring glory to the family, but how did it turn into bad luck and dying in the Jianghu?

Considering the clan's decision to reclaim the ancestral property today, Ye Zhen felt that something must have happened that he didn't know about.

"Father, what exactly happened? I remember the clan leader was fair in his actions. Why would he suddenly decide to reclaim our ancestral property?" Ye Zhen asked.

Father Ye Tiancheng sighed lightly, unwilling to say more, but Mother Mi Jiangxue quickly spoke up.

"It's still Ye Sheng and Ye Chao, those two scoundrels. A month ago, those two scoundrels returned from the Qiyun Sect in disgrace. Not long after they returned, the news of you becoming an outer disciple spread."

"Upon hearing that you became an outer disciple, your father and I were both surprised and delighted. We even discussed asking the clan leader to open the ancestral hall to worship our ancestors."

"Who would have thought that before we could even celebrate, Ye Sheng and Ye Chao said that although you became an outer disciple, you had deeply offended a man named Hong Bao. This Hong Bao is not only the second on the Earth Rank among the outer disciples but also has a deep background in the Qiyun Sect."

"They also said that because Hong Bao hated you so much, he vowed to kill you and even took out his anger on other Ye family members in the Qiyun Sect. Ye Sheng and Ye Chao couldn't bear Hong Bao's constant trouble, so they quietly returned home."

"Then... then our days in the clan became increasingly difficult..."

"I knew it, those two cowards!" Ye Zhen stood up abruptly, his face full of anger.

Before returning home, he had specifically gone to see Ye Sheng and Ye Chao. They had told him that the two had returned home to visit their relatives a month ago. At that time, Ye Zhen had a vague feeling that something was amiss. He never expected that these two cowards would harm his parents upon returning home.

"Zhen'er, did that Hong Bao do anything to you?" Mother Mi Jiangxue asked with concern.

"Mother, do I look like I've been hurt?"

After carefully examining Ye Zhen, Mother pinched his muscular arm a few times and then rolled her eyes at Father Ye Tiancheng, "See, I was right. My son offended Hong Bao, but why was it not my son who was sent back, but those two scoundrels, Ye Sheng and Ye Chao?"

"Clearly, Ye Sheng and Ye Chao are two cowards!" Mother Mi Jiangxue spat.

After chatting for a while, Ye Zhen fully understood the situation. It turned out that Ye Sheng and Ye Chao were the culprits, spreading rumors that Ye Zhen would bring disaster to the clan, which led to the clan's actions.

"Ye Sheng and Ye Chao, those two scoundrels, I won't let them off!" Ye Zhen's face was full of killing intent. He was glad he returned in time; otherwise, his parents might have suffered even more.

Father Ye Tiancheng, however, showed a hint of hesitation, "Actually, it's not entirely because of Ye Sheng and Ye Chao. There's also the Great Clan Elder."

"The Great Clan Elder?"

"Yes, our branch and the Great Clan Elder's branch have had some old grudges. Your grandfather almost took the position of the Great Clan Elder, but unfortunately, he died unexpectedly, allowing the Great Clan Elder Ye Haiping to take the position."

After a pause, Ye Tiancheng continued, "And Ye Sheng is the grandson of Ye Haiping. You beat him, affecting his future, so he naturally wants to take revenge on us. I've also heard that at the clan meeting, it was all driven by the Great Clan Elder Ye Haiping."

"Zhen'er, the Great Clan Elder Ye Haiping has great influence in the clan. Now that you have crippled his third son, why don't you return to the Qiyun Sect? The rules of the Qiyun Sect are clear; as long as you don't cause trouble, no one can touch you..."

"Father, don't say any more. The child is no longer the same as before. Leave this matter to me..."

Before Ye Zhen could finish speaking, a man suddenly walked into the courtyard and called out, "Is Brother Tiancheng here?"

"It's Wu the Escort Captain from the escort agency. Go out and see him quickly."

When Ye Zhen's family went out to greet him, a short and stocky man stood in the courtyard, looking quite awkward.

"Wu the Escort Captain, come in, come in. Why don't you come in and sit down when you're here?" Ye Tiancheng warmly invited him.

Wu the Escort Captain's expression became even more awkward. He rubbed his hands several times before saying, "Brother Tiancheng, I won't come in to sit. I'm here to inform you of something from the escort agency."

"What is it?"

"Starting from tomorrow, you don't need to come to the escort agency to work anymore." Wu the Escort Captain said.

Ye Tiancheng's face changed, and he couldn't help but ask, "Why? I haven't made any mistakes in my work..."

"Brother Ye, you know the reason. I'll be going now!" After saying this, Wu the Escort Captain quickly left, leaving Ye Tiancheng and Mi Jiangxue with very grim expressions.

The family's income came from the hundred acres of land and Ye Tiancheng's work at the escort agency. Originally, even if the land was taken away, Ye Tiancheng could still support the family with his job at the escort agency.

But now, he had mysteriously lost his job at the escort agency as well.

"Ye Haiping, you are truly too much!"

This time, even the usually mild-mannered Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but lose his temper. His fiery-tempered mother, Mi Jiangxue, was even more furious and wanted to go out to confront the Great Clan Elder Ye Haiping, demanding a living, but Ye Zhen held her back firmly.

After being pulled back, Mother Mi Jiangxue sat down, her face full of worry, as she and Father Ye Tiancheng worried about their future livelihood.

"Father, Mother, look at this." To alleviate his parents' worries, Ye Zhen couldn't help but show them a box of gold he had obtained from Guoshanfeng, which immediately stunned Ye Tiancheng and his wife.

"Son, this... so much gold, where did it come from?"

"So much gold, what did you do?" Ye Tiancheng slammed the table and roared.

Ye Zhen smiled bitterly and hurriedly explained the origin of the gold, using all his words to convince his father that it was obtained from eliminating bandits.

"Father, Mother, you can spend this 3,000 taels of gold. Buy hundreds or thousands of acres of land, and some shops. Live comfortably as a wealthy landowner."

"Mother, tomorrow, hire a few maids and servants from the market. It's too much for you to manage this large courtyard alone."

"Ah!"

Mother Mi Jiangxue happily responded and nudged Father Ye Tiancheng with her elbow, "Look, my son is capable. He can make me live comfortably so quickly."

Ye Tiancheng smiled bitterly, "As Zhen'er said, we should buy some land, but we can't spend all the gold. We need to save some for Zhen'er's cultivation. The higher the cultivation, the more expensive the elixirs."

"Oh, right, now that we have the money and Zhen'er is back, we should start planning that thing." Mother Mi Jiangxue glanced at Ye Zhen mysteriously.

...

Inside the Ye family residence, Ye Zhi'an's several wives were crying in front of the clan leader Ye Tianqi, their cries making Ye Tianqi frown deeply.

"Clan Leader, you must seek justice for my Zhi'an. He was beaten like this while working for the clan. How can we live from now on?"

"Clan Leader, look, the hand is completely shattered. The doctor said that even if it heals, the hand will be useless."

After the wives had cried enough, the Great Clan Elder Ye Haiping, who was standing beside Ye Zhi'an with a pained expression, suddenly stood up and said, "Clan Leader, don't hesitate. Ye Zhen has committed a grave offense by beating an elder without cause. Open the ancestral hall!"

"Ye Zhen did go too far, but there was a reason, and they are of the same clan..."

"Clan Leader, at this point, you are still considering the ties of the clan. If Ye Zhen can beat Zhi'an today, he can beat me, the Great Clan Elder, tomorrow, and even you, the Clan Leader, the day after. Moreover, Ye Zhen has offended Hong Bao, who has a deep background in the Qiyun Sect. It's better to cut ties with him early to avoid bringing disaster to the clan." The Great Clan Elder Ye Haiping said with deep concern.

"This is not right. Clan members are connected by blood. We can't abandon them just because of a little trouble..."

"But we can't let the entire clan suffer because of Ye Zhen, destroying the future of other young members. Clan Leader, let's settle this. In six days, it will be the annual clan meeting. At that time, we will completely expel Ye Tiancheng's branch from the clan."

After saying this, the Great Clan Elder Ye Haiping stomped his foot heavily and walked out with a dragon-like gait, leaving the Clan Leader Ye Tianqi with a gloomy face.

The Great Clan Elder himself has considerable cultivation, and with his increasingly outstanding grandson Ye Hao, he has become increasingly arrogant.

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