61: Chapter 61 A Plan to Turn the Tide

The next day, as the hour of the Ox approached.

The Red Maple Forest, fifteen li west of the city.

Ye Tian had already quietly hidden behind a thicket of bushes, restraining his aura to the absolute limit.

His eyes were fixed on the agreed-upon clearing in the forest, his heart filled with unease.

Time passed minute by minute, until two figures arrived from different directions almost simultaneously.

Seeing those familiar figures, Ye Tian's pupils constricted sharply!

One of them, tall with a stern face, was none other than the Ye Family Grand Elder, Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan!

The other, burly with sinister eyes, was Yan Sha, the Third Chief of the Black Cloud Stronghold!

"It really is them!"

Seeing this, Ye Tian became even more curious about the person who had sent the letter.

Since the Grand Elder possessed Half-step Condensation Realm strength, Ye Tian did not dare to get too close.

Yan Sha wore a cold, sinister smile: "I assume the Grand Elder has already succeeded?"

Grand Elder Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan's body stiffened slightly. He remained silent for a moment before replying in a low voice.

"No, the place where Ye Tian lives is heavily guarded; I simply haven't had the chance to strike!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Sha's face darkened instantly, and his voice rose several decibels, laced with anger!

"You are the dignified Grand Elder of the Ye Family. Entering a junior's residence should be easy. I think you simply aren't cooperating in good faith!"

Although Ye Tian couldn't hear the specific details, that aggressive posture caused the Grand Elder's expression to turn extremely ugly in an instant.

The Grand Elder's face was grim: "Since I promised you, I will certainly do it. Give me a few more days!"

Yan Sha snorted coldly, interrupting Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan: "Hmph, I'll give you three more days. If you can't deliver Ye Tian's head by then, your daughter's illness will..."

Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan's body jolted at those words. He said anxiously, "Don't make things difficult for Ruer. Within three days, I will definitely bring you Ye Tian's head!"

Ye Tian's hearing was blurry, but even from a distance, he could clearly see the pain and struggle in the Grand Elder's eyes!

Seeing this, a satisfied, cruel grin appeared on Yan Sha's face. He dropped one last sentence before his figure flickered, quickly vanishing into the depths of the dense forest.

In the clearing, only Grand Elder Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan remained alone.

He did not leave immediately but stood rigidly in place.

He looked up at the night sky, his shoulders trembling slightly, appearing as if he had aged many years.

After a long time, he let out a long sigh and vanished desolately in the other direction.

From beginning to end, Ye Tian held his breath, taking everything in.

Though he couldn't hear the exact conversation, judging by their movements and expressions, Ye Tian guessed they had reached some sort of agreement!

"The Grand Elder... he really has betrayed the Family!" Ye Tian's heart sank to the bottom.

The last shred of hope was completely shattered.

"What kind of agreement did they reach? Is Yan Sha using something to blackmail the Grand Elder?"

Ye Tian's brow furrowed as he tried to recall every detail he had just seen.

That final gesture Yan Sha made, pointing—wasn't that toward the courtyard where the Grand Elder lived?

Just now, Yan Sha mentioned some illness... and Ruer...

Ye Tian suddenly remembered that the Grand Elder had an only daughter who had been frail and sickly since childhood, living in seclusion and rarely appearing in public.

Could it be that Yan Sha was using his daughter's safety to coerce the Grand Elder into submission?

This speculation made Ye Tian's feelings even more complicated.

If this were true, then while the Grand Elder's betrayal was hateful, there seemed to be a hidden, unavoidable hardship behind it.

But this could never be a reason to betray the Family and harm his own kin!

Especially when their target was him!

"The agreed time is three days!"

"Within three days, the Grand Elder wants my life!"

A strong sense of crisis instantly enveloped Ye Tian!

Being targeted by a Half-step Condensation Realm expert who was hidden within the Family was far more dangerous than facing Lin Batian or Yan Sha's open blades!

He slowly stood up from the bushes, looking in the direction where the Grand Elder had disappeared. His eyes were cold, and he had already made a decision.

This matter must not be hidden!

He had to report it to the Clan Chief and the Second Elder immediately!

Ye Tian sneaked back to the Ye Family compound at his fastest speed.

Without alerting anyone, he went directly to the residence of Second Elder Ye Wenshan.

It was already late at night, but Ye Wenshan had not yet slept; a lamp was still lit in his study.

When Ye Tian quietly appeared outside the window, Ye Wenshan noticed immediately and asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"

"Second Elder, it's me, Ye Tian," Ye Tian whispered.

The door was opened immediately. With a grave expression, Ye Wenshan let Ye Tian into the room and quickly closed the door.

Seeing Ye Tian's slightly labored breathing and hurried manner, he knew there must be something important and quickly asked, "What happened? For you to come here so late at night..."

"Second Elder, something terrible has happened!"

Ye Tian didn't waste words and quickly recounted everything he had seen and heard in the Red Maple Forest.

When he heard that Grand Elder Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan had indeed met secretly with Yan Sha of the Black Cloud Stronghold and seemed to be coerced into taking Ye Tian's life within three days, Ye Wenshan's face changed drastically. He stood up abruptly from his chair, his eyes filled with grief!

"Big Brother, he really..."

Ye Wenshan's voice trembled. He had worked with Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan for decades, and their bond was deep.

Although he had seen Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan meeting secretly with a man in black before, he hadn't been certain and had held onto a shred of hope. But now that Ye Tian had seen it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears, it was an iron-clad fact. How could he accept it!

"Second Elder, now is not the time for grief!"

Ye Tian's tone was urgent. "The Grand Elder's betrayal is a fact!"

"The priority is to respond!"

"He will definitely make a move against me within three days!"

Ye Wenshan took several deep breaths, forcing down his turbulent emotions. "You're right!"

"This must be reported to the Clan Chief immediately!"

"We need to discuss a countermeasure overnight!"

"No, Second Elder!" Ye Tian raised a hand to stop him. "For now, it's not suitable to alert the Clan Chief, and we certainly mustn't alert the enemy!"

"Oh? Why?" Ye Wenshan was startled.

Ye Tian said gravely, "First, although I saw it with my own eyes, we have no direct evidence. The Grand Elder could flatly deny it."

Second, the Grand Elder has operated in the Family for many years, and his influence is deeply rooted. If we expose him rashly, it could easily trigger internal strife, giving external enemies an opportunity!"

Third, and most importantly..."

Ye Tian looked at Ye Wenshan: "We can turn their own plan against them!"

"Turn their plan against them?" A sharp light flashed in Ye Wenshan's eyes.

"Exactly!" Ye Tian lowered his voice and slowly explained his plan. "Doesn't the Grand Elder want to kill me?"

"We'll create a perfect opportunity for him!"

"Let him think he can succeed, thereby drawing out the Black Cloud Stronghold behind him, and perhaps even implicating the Lin Family!"

"We'll use this chance to wipe them all out at once, or at least obtain iron-clad evidence so the Grand Elder cannot deny it!"

As Ye Wenshan listened to Ye Tian's plan, his expression shifted constantly, sometimes nodding, sometimes frowning.

This plan was extremely bold and high-risk, but if it succeeded, it could not only clear the internal threat but also deal a heavy blow to external enemies!

"But... this plan is too dangerous! You will be the bait. If something goes wrong..."

Ye Wenshan looked at Ye Tian with concern.

Ye Tian smiled calmly and said confidently, "Don't worry, Second Elder!"

"I have already broken through to the Qi Gathering Ninth Stage. As long as a Ningyuan Realm expert doesn't personally intervene, I am confident I can handle it."

"Besides, with you supporting me from the shadows, I won't be fighting alone!"

Seeing the confidence in Ye Tian's eyes, Ye Wenshan pondered for a long time before finally slamming his hand on the table. "Fine!"

"We'll go with your plan!"

"Better to strike first than to wait to be hit!"

"I will go now to secretly assemble absolutely reliable confidants and make arrangements in the shadows!"

"Thank you, Second Elder!" Ye Tian cupped his hands. "As for the specific details, we still need to deliberate carefully..."

That night, the lamp in Ye Wenshan's study burned bright as the Elder and the youth formulated their plan.

The next day, everything in the Ye Family proceeded as usual; nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But in the shadows, a great net had already been quietly spread.

Under the guise of strengthening Family defenses and responding to the Lin Family's commercial pressure, Ye Wenshan secretly mobilized a group of hidden guards, deploying them according to the plan while strictly sealing off any news.

As for Ye Tian, he continued to live in seclusion, spending most of his time cultivating in his courtyard and occasionally visiting the market, appearing no different from usual.

However, his every move fell into the eyes of those with ulterior motives.

On the evening of the second day, Ye Tian "accidentally" learned a piece of news from the Second Elder: in a hidden medicinal garden thirty li outside the eastern suburbs, several stalks of Red Blood Lingzhi were about to mature. This item had miraculous effects for healing and replenishing blood and Qi. The Family planned to send Ye Tian to harvest them early tomorrow morning to prevent any complications.

And the deacon responsible for guarding this harvesting mission happened to be someone Ye Tian was familiar with.

This news reached certain ears in an instant.

Late at night, in Grand Elder Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan's secret room. A trusted manager stood before him, reporting in a low voice: "Grand Elder, the news is confirmed."

"Ye Tian will accompany the team to the eastern suburb garden tomorrow morning to guard the Red Blood Lingzhi."

"The route and timing have both been scouted."

Great Elder Ye Zhengyuan stood with his back to the manager, silent for a long time. It was so long that the manager began to feel uneasy before he finally spoke in a raspy voice, "Understood... you may go."

"Act according to the plan."

"Yes!" The manager bowed and withdrew.