27: Chapter 27 Turbulent Times

Ye Tian was burning with anxiety, pushing his speed to the absolute limit.

He dared not imagine how he would cope if his mother suffered even the slightest harm because of him!

Ye Hua and his son must pay the price for this!

He no longer cared about exposing his tracks. With his full-speed travel, a journey that would normally take most of the day allowed him to see the Ye Family encampment in the distance by dusk.

He did not enter through the main gate, but instead circled around to the secluded wall on the west side, scaling it once more in silence.

After landing, he immediately crouched low and crept toward his small courtyard.

The closer he got, the more his heart hung in his throat.

The courtyard gate was tightly shut, and the interior was silent, completely different from the usual scene of his mother bustling about.

"Mother!" Ye Tian's heart skipped a beat, and he shoved the courtyard gate open!

The courtyard was empty!

"Mother!"

Ye Tian rushed into the house, but it was still empty!

The stove was cold, the tables and chairs were neat, but his mother's figure was nowhere to be seen!

A cold fear instantly gripped Ye Tian's heart!

Could it be... was he one step too late?!

He forced himself to calm down, his gaze sweeping across every corner of the room.

There were no signs of a struggle; items were placed neatly, not looking like she had been taken away by force.

He rushed out of the house, his gaze landing on the doorway of a neighbor next door.

He walked over quickly and knocked on the door.

The person who opened the door was an old woman from the neighbor's house. Seeing Ye Tian, she was stunned for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief: "Ye Tian? You've finally returned! Your mother, she..."

"What happened to my mother?" Ye Tian asked urgently.

"In the afternoon, the Second Elder sent people to pick up your mother," the old woman said. "They said the Family had some matters to ask her about, and that you shouldn't worry."

Second Elder?

Ye Tian was stunned, his hanging heart dropping slightly, but his confusion deepened.

Why would the Second Elder suddenly take his mother away?

He thanked the old woman, immediately turned around, and headed quickly toward the Second Elder's courtyard.

Regardless, he had to see his mother immediately and confirm her safety!

Arriving outside the Second Elder's courtyard, the two guards recognized Ye Tian and did not stop him, merely announcing his arrival.

Ye Tian entered the courtyard to find the Second Elder, Ye Wenshan, sitting by a stone table in the courtyard sipping tea, while his mother sat to the side. Although her face was a bit pale, her expression was relatively calm.

"Tian'er!" Seeing Ye Tian, his mother immediately stood up, her eyes slightly red.

"Mother! Are you alright?" Ye Tian stepped forward quickly, carefully examining his mother.

"I'm fine. The Second Elder sent people to pick me up, saying it was... saying he was afraid someone might harm me," his mother said in a low voice, her eyes filled with lingering fear.

Ye Tian understood in his heart. He turned to the Second Elder and bowed deeply: "Thank you, Second Elder, for protecting my mother!"

The Second Elder put down his teacup and looked at Ye Tian with deep eyes: "You have returned. It seems Ye Hua's schemes have fallen through..."

Ye Tian nodded and recounted his encounter with the two Loose Cultivators in the Scattered Stone Forest, as well as the intelligence he had forced out of them, including the news that Ye Hua might want to harm his mother and that Ye Hao was suspected to have gone to the Black Cloud Stronghold.

The Second Elder listened, his expression grave, his fingers tapping gently on the stone table: "Ye Hua has truly become desperate. To dare to collude with outsiders to murder fellow Family Disciples, and even intend to hold Family members hostage! Such conduct has violated the bottom line of the Family rules!"

A cold light flashed in his eyes: "Rest assured, your mother is absolutely safe with me. As for Ye Hua, I have my own plans."

Ye Tian felt grateful but still had doubts: "Second Elder, Ye Hua has operated in the Family for many years, and his influence is deeply rooted. Without concrete evidence, it will be difficult to take him down. Those two assassins are already dead, and there is no proof."

The Second Elder snorted coldly: "Evidence? Sometimes, you don't need ironclad proof. As long as the Clan Chief and the majority of the Elders believe he has the motive and capability, that is enough. For years, Ye Hua has relied on his wife's Family power to be arrogant and domineering, forming cliques for personal gain, which has long caused dissatisfaction among many Elders. This time he targeted you, seemingly out of personal grudges, but in reality, it was also to suppress my faction. Now that he acts so unscrupulously, it gives us the perfect excuse to clean up the house!"

Ye Tian was shocked, only then realizing that the conflict between himself and Ye Hua's father and son had already been drawn into a higher level of power struggle within the Family.

"As for Ye Hao..." the Second Elder mused, "His going near the Black Cloud Stronghold is quite suspicious. The Black Cloud Stronghold and our Ye Family have always minded our own business, but it is by no means a good place. Is Ye Hao's action his own decision, or is there some hidden agenda? We must investigate this clearly."

Just then, a trusted aide of the Second Elder walked quickly into the courtyard and reported in a low voice: "Elder, we just received news that Steward Ye Hua secretly left the encampment this afternoon, and his direction seemed to be toward the Black Cloud Stronghold."

The Second Elder and Ye Tian exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and suspicion in each other's eyes.

Ye Hua also went to the Black Cloud Stronghold?

Was he going to find Ye Hao?

Or did he have some collusion with the Black Cloud Stronghold?

Things seemed to have become even more complicated.

"It seems this water is deeper than we thought."

The Second Elder said in a deep voice: "Ye Tian, you should stay in my courtyard for now and keep your mother company. I will handle the matter of Ye Hua and his son. Before the Family Sacrifice, do not act rashly again."

Ye Tian knew that it was not appropriate for him to come forward at this moment, otherwise he might alert the enemy.

He nodded in agreement: "Yes, this Disciple understands."

Night fell.

Ye Tian settled down with his mother in the side room arranged by the Second Elder.

Although his mother was worried, under the protection of the Second Elder, she was finally a little more at ease.

Ye Tian stood by the window, gazing at the heavy night outside, his thoughts churning.

The threat from Ye Hua and his son had been temporarily taken over by the Second Elder, but the shadow of the Black Cloud Stronghold had quietly loomed over them.

He vaguely felt that a larger storm was brewing deep within the Black Cloud Mountains, and this storm was likely to drag the entire Ye Family into it.

But no matter what dangers lay ahead, he had to become stronger as quickly as possible!

Only by possessing sufficient strength could he protect his mother and survive in this whirlpool!

He sat cross-legged and once again immersed himself in Cultivate.

Days passed quietly.

Under the protection of the Second Elder, Ye Tian and his mother temporarily stayed in the side wing of his courtyard, and no one dared to disturb them.

Every day, apart from taking a little time to accompany his mother, Ye Tian devoted himself heart and soul to Cultivate.

The Second Elder indeed kept his promise, secretly providing many high-quality Medicinal Pill and Spirit Stone. Although they were not enough to support him in making another rapid Breakthrough, they were of great benefit for consolidating his Qi Gathering Fifth Level Middle Stage cultivation base, and tempering his Overlapping Wave Fist and Body Refining Cultivation Technique.

He vaguely felt that the Bottleneck of the third layer of force for the Overlapping Wave Fist had loosened.

However, news about Ye Hua and his son was like a stone sinking into the sea.

The Second Elder sent people to inquire from many sources, only knowing that Ye Hua had indeed hurriedly left the encampment that day, suspected of heading toward the Black Cloud Mountains, but no one knew his specific destination or purpose.

Ye Hao had even more completely vanished, as if he had evaporated from the world.

This calmness, instead, made Ye Tian even more vigilant.

He knew deep down that Ye Hua and his son would never give up; the less movement they made, the more violent the storm would be.