Chapter 17: The Elders’ Meeting and the Ye Family’s Attitude
The clamor of the family competition gradually faded, but the aftermath was far from over. Ye Li's name was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, the ripples it stirred continued to spread, changing the established structure of the Ye family.
After the award ceremony, Ye Li returned to the secluded place under the stone wall in the back mountain with the mysterious ore and ancient notes. Soon after, a family butler dressed in black and with an expressionless face came to find him.
"Miss Yeli," the butler said in a flat voice, with a formal indifference, "The head of the family invites you to have a chat in the study."
What is coming will eventually come.
Ye Li wasn't surprised by this. With her rise to power in such a disruptive way, it would be strange if the family's top brass didn't react. This was both a test and a potential showdown.
She nodded calmly, "Lead the way."
Following the deacon through layers of guards, they entered the core area of the Ye family and finally arrived at a quiet and heavily guarded independent courtyard. This was where the study of the head of the family, Ye Tian, was located.
The butler stopped outside the door and bowed, saying, "The master is waiting inside. Miss, you can go in on your own."
Ye Li pushed open the heavy wooden door and walked in.
The study was furnished in a simple yet elegant style. The rosewood bookshelves were filled with various volumes and tomes. The air was filled with the faint scent of ink and a subtle sense of pressure. The head of the family, Ye Tian, did not sit in the main seat. Instead, he stood by the window, his hands behind his back, his back to her, gazing out at an ancient pine tree in the courtyard.
He didn't turn around immediately when he heard the footsteps.
Ye Li did not say anything, but just stood there quietly, his eyes quickly and subtly scanning the furnishings in the study, his mind remaining highly alert.
Silence spread in the air, carrying an invisible pressure that was enough to make any awe-inspiring member of the family feel uneasy.
However, Ye Li remained calm and breathed steadily, as if she was just standing in her own yard.
After a long moment, Ye Tiancai slowly turned around. His face remained calm, but his deep eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, fixed firmly on Ye Li, as if he wanted to penetrate her body and see through all her secrets.
"You're very good." Ye Tian said, his voice unable to tell whether he was happy or angry. "This competition was beyond everyone's expectations."
"Master, you are too kind. It was just luck." Ye Li bowed slightly, his tone calm, without any trace of pride.
"Luck?" Ye Tian's lips curled up slightly. He slowly walked to the desk and sat down, tapping his fingers lightly on the surface. "He won consecutive victories against powerful enemies, even forcing Ye Feng to resort to such underhanded tactics. In the end, he was able to triumph and reach the top and win the championship. If this was luck, then wouldn't the years of hard training of my Ye family disciples be a joke?"
His words seemed plain, but they carried an unquestionable oppressive force that went straight to the core - what is the secret of your sudden strength?
Ye Li raised his eyes and looked at Ye Tian calmly, without flinching or avoiding, "I was previously dull, but by chance I ate a strange red fruit in the back mountains. After that, I felt my body become transparent, and my cultivation speed increased greatly, which is why I have achieved today's modest achievements. As for combat skills, perhaps I gained some insights from the experience of life and death."
She had already thought of an excuse. The strange encounter with the Red Fruit was the most common and unfalsifiable excuse in the world of cultivation. As for her combat awareness, she could attribute it to her understanding of life and death, which was even more impeccable. Whether or not she believed it was up to the other party.
"Strange red fruit? Enlightenment on life and death?" Ye Tian repeated, his eyes unfathomable. "It's a good opportunity. It seems that the way of heaven always favors those who work hard. Even if you have wasted time before, you will eventually soar."
He changed the subject, his tone slightly more emphatic. "However, remember that even a tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. While achieving success at a young age is a good thing, one must also learn to be humble and modest. The family can bring you glory, but it can also...take it all back. Don't let a moment of power make you forget your status, become arrogant, and make mistakes."
This was a warning. A warning not to challenge the family authority just because her strength had increased, and not to have any inappropriate thoughts.
Ye Li sneered in his heart, but remained respectful on the surface: "I will remember the Patriarch's teachings. I will always be a member of the Ye family, and everything I have is due to the family's training." His words were beautiful, but he lightly passed over the "family training", implying that his rise was mainly due to "adventures" and had little to do with the family.
Ye Tian naturally understood what she meant. A gleam flashed in his eyes, but he didn't get angry. Instead, his tone softened a bit. "I'm glad you understand. You've performed so well now, so the family will naturally not treat you unfairly. If you have any questions about your cultivation in the future, you can come to me or the elders. We will also give you more resources. I hope you will practice diligently and bring honor to the family as soon as possible. Don't let this opportunity go to waste."
This is a form of co-optation. Give someone a good response after a good blow.
"Thank you, Patriarch!" Ye Li showed a hint of "excitement" at the right moment, but then seemed to remember something, frowning slightly, his tone carrying just the right amount of confusion and sadness. "Patriarch, I am deeply grateful for your kindness. It's just...it's just that I've been feeling uneasy while practicing lately, as if...as if I'm connected to my deceased parents. I wonder if Patriarch knows what kind of powerful bandits my parents encountered when they went to Blackwater City on a mission? Why...even their bodies haven't been recovered? I'm still feeling uneasy. If I could know a little bit, perhaps it would help resolve this knot in my heart and benefit my practice."
She finally found an opportunity and turned the conversation to the mystery of the original owner's parents' disappearance. She was extremely humble, using the excuse that her inner conflict was affecting her cultivation as a way to test him.
Sure enough, upon hearing the words "Blackwater City," "parents," and "mission," Ye Tian's expression instantly underwent a subtle change! It was an extremely rapid change, a mixture of complex, obscure, and even a hint of barely perceptible avoidance!
Although he immediately covered it up by picking up the teacup, how could he hide it from Ye Li's insightful eyes?
"Alas," Ye Tian put down his teacup and let out a heavy sigh, a look of just the right amount of regret on his face. "What happened back then was indeed a great loss to our family. Your parents were both exceptionally talented, but unfortunately, God is jealous of their talents. Our family has also conducted extensive investigations into that bandit gang, but their whereabouts were cryptic and their methods were ruthless. Afterward, they seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, leaving no trace. It is also a great regret for our family that we were unable to avenge your parents."
His words were flawless, and he blamed everything on the mysteriously disappeared "bandits". His tone was sad and his emotions were sincere, as if it were really the case.
But Ye Li keenly caught his abnormality at that moment, as well as the formulaic and perfunctory attitude behind his words without any specific information.
"I see...it's my fault for being so presumptuous." Ye Li lowered his head, hiding the cold light in his eyes, and his voice carried a hint of "disappointment".
"The dead are gone, and the living remain." Ye Tian waved his hand, his tone regaining the dignity of the head of the family. "The most important thing for you now is to concentrate on your cultivation and improve your strength, so as not to let down the spirits of your parents in heaven. There is no need to dwell too much on the past. Go down."
"Yes, disciple, I'll take my leave." Ye Li bowed and slowly left the study.
Only after the study door closed did the sadness and regret on Ye Tian's face slowly disappear, replaced by a deep solemnity. He looked out the window sharply, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.
"Vermilion Fruit? Enlightenment? Blackwater City..." He muttered to himself, his eyes shifting. "Ye Feng... your daughter seems to be even more complicated than you were back then... Is this a blessing or a curse?"
On the other side, Ye Li walked out of the master's courtyard, her face calm, but her heart was filled with frost.
Ye Tian's reaction almost confirmed her suspicions! His parents' disappearance was no accident! The family's upper echelons, at least the head of the family, were definitely aware of it and might even have been involved! His evasive attitude suggested a huge secret hidden within, one he didn't want her to know.
"Blackwater City... bandits... disappeared..." She sneered in her heart, "What a death without evidence."
The family is wary of her, has ulterior motives towards her, and tries to control her, but they also have ulterior motives.
This meeting, seemingly calm, was in reality a silent confrontation. She managed it, neither revealing the secret of the Samsara Mirror nor raising any alarm about her parents' affairs. However, she also felt the pressure from the higher-ups and the undercurrent hidden beneath the calm.
The estrangement and suspicion between her and this family deepened.
Back at the stone wall, she looked at the strange mineral and the ancient notes, her desire to become stronger had never been so urgent.
Only with absolute strength can you tear off all disguises, explore the truth, and control your own destiny!
Xuanyun Sect, must enter!
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