23: Chapter 23: Ran Away?

The Clan Chief ordered Ye Tian not to leave the Ye Family residence.

Every day, the range of his activities, apart from his own small courtyard, was limited to the Ancestral Hall.

On the surface, he remained silent and reserved, sweeping the floors and wiping things down on time every day, as if he had accepted his fate.

But only he knew that waiting for death in place was absolutely not his character!

He knew that the Family's so-called "protection" and "observation" were ultimately just for the sake of the Family's reputation.

Once the pressure applied by the Lin Family exceeded a certain limit, or if those within the clan who viewed him as a thorn in their side used their methods again, he could be cast aside as a discarded pawn at any moment.

The only path to survival was strength!

Only when he demonstrated potential strong enough that the Family had to value him would there be a turning point for things!

Qi Gathering Stage 4 Middle Stage, Body Refining level 3, Overlapping Wave Fist level 2.

These improvements were already astonishing for an ordinary disciple, but they were far from enough!

Ye Long was already at the Peak of the Fifth Level and touching the threshold of the sixth, and most of the Core Disciple in the clan were also between the fourth and fifth levels.

He must reach at least the Qi Gathering Fifth Level to truly possess the right to speak!

But what about resources?

The wonder of the chaos bead lay in its ability to convert and refine, but it could not generate vast amounts of energy out of thin air.

Relying solely on the Qi Induction Mantra to absorb the thin Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within the residence was like trying to put out a burning cart of firewood with a cup of water.

Medicinal Pill?

After the incident of being poisoned before the grand competition, he was wary of any resources distributed by the Family and dared not consume them lightly.

Black Cloud Mountains!

Only there could he find the Heaven And Earth Treasure he urgently needed and the opportunity for a Breakthrough brought about by life-and-death combat!

However, the Clan Chief's prohibition was clear: one must not leave the Family residence at will. The patrolling Law Enforcement Team never rested day or night, and wanting to slip out quietly was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Late at night, Ye Tian did not Cultivate as usual, but instead crept silently through the shadows of the residence.

He keenly observed the patrol routes and time intervals of the Law Enforcement Team.

For several days in a row, he had been doing the same thing.

Finally, he discovered a flaw: a section of the perimeter wall on the west side of the residence, near the servant quarters.

The terrain there was remote, the interval between the patrol team's passing was slightly longer, and not far outside the wall was a dense thicket of bushes, convenient for hiding.

The risk was immense!

Once discovered leaving without permission, it would be equivalent to disobeying the Clan Chief's order, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

But if he continued to stay, there was no hope at all!

That night, with the moon hidden and stars sparse, it was the perfect time for action.

Ye Tian changed into dark, old clothes and hid a short blade, rope, water flask, and the last bit of dry rations close to his body.

He took one last look at his mother's room where she was sleeping soundly, a trace of guilt flashing in his eyes, which was immediately replaced by determination.

He slipped out of the small courtyard, using the shadows of the houses and trees to creep silently toward the west wall.

His heart beat like a drum, and every step was on the edge of life and death.

He crouched behind a woodpile, holding his breath and focusing, calculating the time it would take for the patrol team's footsteps to fade away.

Now!

He darted out suddenly, reaching the base of the wall in a few leaps.

His toes tapped repeatedly against the rough wall surface, the powerful force of his Body Refining level 3 erupting. His hands climbed onto the top of the wall, and with a clean flip, he landed silently outside the wall and quickly rolled into the bushes.

The entire process took no more than a few breaths.

Lying on the cold ground, listening to the faint, gradually receding footsteps of the patrol inside the wall, Ye Tian exhaled a long breath of foul air.

The first step was a success!

Without the slightest delay, he identified the direction and sped off toward the Black Cloud Mountains.

This time, his target was no longer the periphery, but deeper inside, an area where even a Martial Artist at the Late Stage of Qi Gathering needed to tread cautiously!

He knew that there lay greater danger, but also greater opportunities.

A few days later, at the Ye Family residence.

"What? Ye Tian is missing?!"

Upon hearing the report from his trusted subordinate, Ye Hua stood up abruptly from his chair. His face first showed shock, then revealed a cold, sinister smile. "Good! Very good! This brat actually dares to disobey the Clan Chief's orders and go out without permission! He is truly seeking his own death!"

He immediately got up and hurried to the Clan Chief's study.

"Clan Chief! Something terrible has happened! That Ye Tian... he has run away!" Ye Hua reported with an "anxious" expression.

Ye Qingtian was reviewing documents. Upon hearing this, his pen paused. He looked up, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Ran away? When did this happen? How did he run away?"

"The specific time is unknown, but the servants guarding his courtyard say they haven't seen a trace of him for two days! He must have fled in fear of punishment!"

Ye Hua added fuel to the fire, "Clan Chief, this brat is unruly and disregards clan rules. Now he has even disobeyed your orders and fled without permission! If he is not severely punished, where will the clan rules stand?"

Ye Qingtian was silent for a moment, his eyes deep.

He waved his hand: "I understand. Send more men to search the residence carefully. For now, do not spread news of this matter."

Ye Hua was stunned; he hadn't expected the Clan Chief's reaction to be so indifferent. He could only bow and say, "Yes..." before withdrawing resentfully.

Inside the study, Ye Qingtian put down his pen, walked to the window, and gazed in the direction of the Black Cloud Mountains, his fingers tapping gently against the window lattice.

"Ye Tian... are you truly afraid, or...?"

A faint, almost imperceptible arc curled at the corner of his mouth.

"I hope you do not disappoint this old man."

Deep in the Black Cloud Mountains.

The air smelled faintly of rotting leaves, and everything around was terrifyingly quiet.

Ye Tian moved through it silently.

He dared not be the slightest bit careless. The atmosphere here was far more dangerous than the periphery; every step could lead him into the territory of a powerful Vicious Beast.

His goal was clear: to find Spiritual Plant and exotic fruits containing pure Spiritual Qi, or to hunt Vicious Beast of comparable strength, take their flesh and blood essence and inner cores, and use the chaos bead to refine them to make a Breakthrough to the Qi Gathering Fifth Level!

For several days in a row, he explored with extreme caution.

He had some gains: a few ordinary Spiritual Plant with decent age, and one beast core from a First-Rank Intermediate Vicious Beast.

But the energy contained in these things was still like a cup of water trying to put out a burning cart of firewood when it came to breaking through the Fifth Level Bottleneck.

"I must go deeper!" Ye Tian gritted his teeth.

He knew that the further in he went, the greater the risk, but the greater the opportunities as well.

That day, by a misty mountain stream, he discovered a small patch of strange moss emitting a pale golden luster, "Golden Scale Moss."

This thing had miraculous effects for stabilizing Meridians and assisting in breaking through minor Realms; it was worth a fortune!

His heart filled with joy, and he was about to step forward to pick it.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried, chaotic footsteps and faint shouting came from upstream of the mountain stream!

"Hurry! Don't let that brat run away!"

"Damn it, daring to steal my things, you're tired of living!"

"Catch him and flay him alive!"

Ye Tian's expression changed, and he immediately flashed behind a huge rock, holding his breath.

Judging by the sounds, there were quite a few of them, and their auras were fierce; they were definitely not good people.

It was very likely to be bandits or a hunting party entrenched in the mountains!

He quietly poked his head out to look.

He saw seven or eight burly men wearing chaotic leather armor and holding weapons, cursing and chasing a thin, gray-clad youth.

The youth seemed to be holding something tightly in his arms, dodging left and right on the rugged mountain stream rocks, in constant danger.

"People from the Black Cloud Stronghold!"

Ye Tian's pupils constricted slightly as he recognized the faint cloud patterns embroidered on the corners of some of their clothes.

This was the mark of the outer minions of the Black Cloud Stronghold.

Warning bells rang out in his heart; the appearance of people from the Black Cloud Stronghold here was definitely not a good thing!

Seeing that he was about to be caught, the gray-clad youth, in his desperation, actually ran for his life toward the direction where Ye Tian was hiding!

"Damn it, where are you running to!" A burly man sneered and threw the flying axe in his hand!

Swoosh!

The flying axe grazed the youth's back, bringing up a spray of blood!

The youth let out a cry of pain, stumbled, and nearly fell, and a small piece of the thing in his arms fell out.

It was a plant that was entirely crimson, shaped like a ganoderma, and emitting a rich, fire-attribute Spiritual Qi!

"crimson flame ganoderma!" Ye Tian's heart shook wildly!

This was a main ingredient for refining high-level fire-attribute Medicinal Pill, which had great benefits for practitioners of fire-attribute Cultivation Technique. The pure fire elemental power it contained, if absorbed and refined, would be of huge help for breaking through a Bottleneck!

It was absolutely a treasure that one could only encounter by luck but never seek out!

The youth hurriedly picked up the crimson flame ganoderma and continued to flee desperately, but his speed had obviously slowed down.

"He's injured! Surround him!" The Black Cloud Stronghold minions were overjoyed at the sight and accelerated to surround him.

Just as the youth was about to be surrounded, his desperate gaze swept across the surroundings, and it just happened to meet Ye Tian's line of sight from behind the rock for an instant!

Those were a pair of clear but panic-filled eyes.

Ye Tian hesitated in his heart.

Save him?

The other side was from the Black Cloud Stronghold, brutal by nature. He was weak and alone; there was no need to provoke them!

Don't save him?

Wouldn't that crimson flame ganoderma fall into the hands of the Black Cloud Stronghold?

For him right now, this was exactly the time he needed this thing very much.