Chapter Three: Father

  "Yexia sister, didn't expect you to come to the martial arts arena too."

  Just as Ye Feng and Ye Chen were talking, a young man about their age walked over.

  Ye Kongyan is considered one of the young talents of Yejia Fortress. Among the younger generation of Yejia Fortress, three people have reached the peak of the fifth rank and are only a line away from entering the sixth rank: Ye Xuan, daughter of Third Uncle Ye Zhanxiong, Ye Huan, and Ye Kongyan. Although Ye Kongyan is not comparable to Ye Chen in his early days, he also has great talent. He is handsome and elegant in appearance, and in terms of family background, he is the son of the Great Elder of Yejia Fortress, who ranks second only to the Clan Leader among a few people.

  "Hmm." Ye Qian responded casually, and when someone approached, her expression returned to its usual coldness.

  Ye Qian's attitude made Ye Kongyan's face look a bit unsightly. Ye Kongyan glanced at Ye Chen, and his eyes flashed with disdain. He didn't understand what was so good about this kid Ye Chen. In the past, Ye Chen was indeed a genius, but now he was just a waste of space. What did Ye Qian see in him?

  "Brother Ye Chen, you're doing well, I presume? Has your health improved recently?" Ye Kongyan looked at Ye Chen, but a hint of disdain flashed across the corner of his mouth.

  Before Ye Chen's Xuan Qi was abolished, Ye Kong Yan almost listened to Ye Chen's words and followed his plans. Ye Chen is two or three months older than Ye Kong Yan, and Ye Kong Yan always called him "Ge" (older brother) with great affection. At that time, Ye Chen also taught Ye Kong Yan many things. However, after Ye Chen's meridians were abolished, Ye Kong Yan didn't even come to see him once, making Ye Chen truly understand the phrase "human relationships are as thin as paper". Ye Chen was born with a proud bone and wouldn't take the initiative to approach others if they didn't come to him, lest he be ridiculed.

  It is only when you are down and out that you can recognize who your real friends are.

  "It's not bad, can eat and sleep." Ye Chen replied calmly, although the situation was worrying, he was still carefree.

  "It seems that someone is still living a comfortable life, but the clan leaders are really suffering. They've been searching for the Gathering Spirit Dan and have even gone gray-haired, only to be deceived by a white-eyed wolf." Ye Kongyan's eyes narrowed as he glanced at Ye Chen and said, "I heard that the Duke of Donglin obtained a Discontinued Dan, and when the clan leader found out, he rushed to the Duke's mansion two days ago to beg for medicine. He even knelt down in front of the Duke, but was thrown out. It's no wonder that such a precious treasure wouldn't be given away easily. Unfortunately, the clan leader, who was once a hero and a man of iron, actually knelt down to beg for medicine, and now it's become a laughingstock throughout the entire Donglin Prefecture."

  "What did you say?" Ye Chen's heart sank, he knew nothing about this matter, and his father and elder brother had never mentioned it to him.

  "Yè Kōngyàn, don't say another word!" Yè Jiǎo's expression was anxious and she coldly scolded him. This matter had been specifically entrusted to the uncles of the Yè family, and they were not supposed to let Yè Chén know about it. Unexpectedly, Yè Kōngyàn had pretended to obey while secretly disobeying, revealing everything.

  Ye Chen's heart was racing, he turned his head to look at Ye Ai, and asked in a low, hoarse voice: "Ai'er, is this thing true?" From Ye Ai's reaction, it seemed that the matter was probably true. Ye Chen couldn't help but feel a pang of pain in his heart, thinking that his father had actually knelt down to beg for medicine and was still rejected. As the patriarch of their clan, one could imagine how humiliating it must have been for him.

  "Why won't you let me speak? The clan leaders have secretly done so many things for him, just to help him gather the Qi-gathering Dan and nourish his meridians. The Ye family's fortress has almost exhausted its decades of savings because of him. It's he who has dragged the Ye family's fortress down to this state! If I were a useless person like him, I would have smashed my head to death long ago!" Ye Kongyan coldly snorted, "And yet you people are still so good to him, it's just unbearable for me to watch!"

  Ye Chen thought he was suffering in his heart, but actually, his father's heart was more bitter than his. The little grievance he had suffered was nothing compared to everything his father had done for him. Ye Chen's eyes welled up with tears, and he forced himself to hold back the tears that were about to flow out. "Father, I'm unfilial, letting you suffer like this," he said, his voice trembling. "I swear, if I can recover my spiritual energy in this lifetime, I will surely flatten the entire East Lin County Wang Fu and wash away the humiliation you've suffered!"

  "Brother Ye Chen, don't listen to his nonsense, it's not true at all!" Ye Wan anxiously looked at Ye Chen, everyone was worried that after Ye Chen knew about this matter, he would think irrationally.

  "Don't worry, I won't take my own life. If I were to give up because of this little setback, that would be the real cowardice!" Ye Chen clenched his fist, his fingernails digging deep into his flesh. For someone whose meridians were all severed, living on was the greatest courage.

  Ye Fan's eyes sparkled with tears, Ye Chen brother, I've never had parents since childhood, you're my only relative, you absolutely can't have anything happen to you!

  "Some people really have thick skin." Ye Kongyan said with a cold smile.

  Ye Chen raised his head, his eyes fixed intently on Ye Kongyan, saying: "I know that the great elders and others can't wait for me to die early, but I'm telling you, I absolutely won't seek death so easily. Even if my meridians are all severed now, how can it be known that this life of mine is a waste?"

  "I don't believe you'll ever turn your life around, let the clan leaders go to the East Lin County Prince's mansion to beg for medicine again? Do you think the East Lin County Prince will give you a precious treasure like the Discontinued Elixir? Don't daydream! You'll always be a burden to the family! Take care of yourself." Ye Kongyan sneered and turned to leave, spitting on the ground as he went.

  "Yechen brother, don't listen to his nonsense." Seeing Yekongyan leave, Yeai anxiously said, although Yechen said he wouldn't seek trouble, she was still very worried.

  "I'll go back first." Ye Chen shook his head and turned around to walk out of the martial arts arena.

  Looking at Ye Chen's lonely and desolate back, Ye Xuan felt a pang in her heart.

  Ye Family Manor, outside the main residence of the Ye family.

  The mansion's carved railings and painted buildings are quite grand, but in recent years they have not been renovated. The outer walls have been eroded by wind and rain, giving off a somewhat dilapidated flavor. The trees in the courtyard have also not been pruned for a long time, growing wildly.

  Yejia Fortress was at its peak, ranking second among the eighteen fortresses of Lianyun. The main house had twenty or thirty gardeners, but they were all laid off later. The family's industries outside also declined by half.

  At the entrance of the main house, Ye Chen knelt down on the bluestone steps with a thud, and kowtowed several times in the direction of Ye Zhan Tian's residence, with a trickle of blood flowing from his forehead, still completely unaware.

  "Father, I'm unfilial and have caused you distress!" Ye Chen's voice was hoarse, his heart filled with waves of sorrow.

  Ye Chen secretly vowed that if he had a chance in his lifetime, he would regain his strength and revive the Ye family, not disappointing his father and several uncles!

  The main hall of the mansion.

  A middle-aged man wearing a gray robe let out a long sigh, his demeanor calm and composed, standing there casually, like a deep and serene mountain, only with a somewhat aged face, with more white hair between his temples, this person was none other than Ye Jia's family head, Ye Zhan Tian.

  "Big brother, aren't you going to take a look?" said someone next to him. He was slightly younger than Ye Zhan Tian and was one of his many younger brothers, named Ye Zhan Long.

  Ye Zhan Tian has three biological brothers and two sworn brothers. The six of them, in order of age, are: Ye Zhan Tian as the eldest, Ye Zhan Long as the second, who is the master of Ren Zheng Tang, Ye Zhan Xiong as the third, and the other three are outside, responsible for external family affairs.

  Ye Chen had just arrived outside the Ye Manor when Ye Zhan Tian and Ye Zhan Long already sensed his presence.

  "I have the face to see Chen Er, these years, I've wronged this child. When Xiao Yu passed away, she entrusted me to take good care of Chen Er, but I haven't fulfilled my responsibilities as a father at all. Since he was young, this child has been very headstrong, and wouldn't even call me 'father'. I know he's resentful towards me. Now, what I'm doing is just hoping to make up for it somehow." Ye Zhan Tian hadn't gone out, but had been paying attention to Ye Chen. When he heard Ye Chen call out "father", Ye Zhan Tian couldn't help but be overcome with emotion. Chen Er finally called me 'father'!

  "Big brother, Chen Er is very sensible and strong, I don't believe that heaven will always tease him like this. Even if we exhaust all our efforts, we must help him find a Duan Xun Dan!" Ye Zhan Long said resolutely, his eyes flashing with a cold glint. "The humiliation the Duke of Donglin inflicted on our Ye family, one day they will have to pay us back double!"

  "The matter with the Duke of Donglin will stop here. The Duke of Donglin is a titled duke, and he has as many as 17 ninth-grade masters under his command, with an army of 100,000, and also has a backstage in the imperial court. Our Ye family can't be their opponent at all, we can only swallow our teeth and stomach. Now I just want to cure Ye Chen, even if I suffer again, I am willing to do so, and cannot provoke any more trouble." Ye Zhan Tian shook his head, "Even if the old man comes back, the strength of the Ye family is still far inferior to that of the Duke of Donglin's mansion. After years of investigation, I have already found out who harmed Chen Er, even if I exhaust all my efforts, I will avenge Chen Er!" A resolute glint flashed in Ye Zhan Tian's eyes.

  The wind howled, Ye Chen knelt for a while, he didn't want to be a burden on the Ye family's fortress, if there was any chance to restore his severed meridians, he would pay any price!

  With a humming sound, the flying knife in Ye Chen's mind suddenly trembled, and the flying knife had a reaction again. Ye Chen was shocked, as the flying knife had been trembling from time to time recently, but this time's reaction seemed even more intense than before.