Clan Cultivation: The Ye Clan

"dong dong dong"

There was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Ye Zhenzhen jogged to the door and opened it. (Note: Ye Zhenzhen's father married into the family, and her mother's siblings are all addressed as uncles, aunts, or cousins.)

Ye Zhenzhen peeked out and looked at the person at the door. The man, dressed in blue with striking features and a commanding presence, frowned in confusion but remained silent.

The person opposite reached out and hugged the little one.

"What's wrong? You went out for a while, and now you don't recognize your uncle anymore?" Ye Anbo asked, feigning anger.

"No, no," Ye Zhenzhen quickly hugged her uncle's neck tightly with her lotus root-like arms and said soothingly, "Zhen'er missed Uncle. Zhen'er loves Uncle the most, hee hee."

Ye Anbo tapped Ye Zhenzhen's little nose and laughed, "You're so sweet-talking. Let's go, Grandpa has something to ask you. Let's go to the council hall."

Ye Zhenzhen thought wistfully, "So this is what a sweet-talking girl I used to be. How did she change like this?"

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Ye Anbo led Ye Zhenzhen to the council hall by flying on his sword.

Upon entering, one sees Ye Shibai, the patriarch of the Ye clan, sitting in the main seat. To his left are his second grandfather, Ye Shiqing, and his fifth grandfather, Ye Shilan. To his right is Ye Anxin.

When Ye Shibai saw Ye Zhenzhen come in, he immediately picked her up and put her on his lap. He then reached into his storage bag, took out the spirit-testing disc, and placed it on the table.

He looked at Ye Zhenzhen and said to her, "Zhen'er, put your hand on it and test it again."

Ye Zhenzhen's expression turned serious. She suddenly remembered that there was still the matter of retesting the spirit. She panicked. What should she do? She should be able to fool them by using the same method as the spirit testing conference, right?

All these thoughts took only a single breath.

Having made up her mind, Ye Zhenzhen raised her little face and looked at her grandfather with a solemn expression, saying, "Grandpa, before the spirit test, can I make a request?"

Grandpa looked at his granddaughter in his arms, then glanced blankly at the others.

"What is your request?"

"Grandpa, if one day you find out I've lied, please believe that I have unspeakable reasons, and please believe that I will not do anything detrimental to the family, okay?"

After Ye Zhenzhen finished speaking, her grandfather, second grandfather, fifth grandfather, and eldest uncle all looked at her.

While everyone was wondering what he meant, Grandpa looked at Ye Zhenzhen firmly and said, "Okay."

Grandpa's support deeply moved Ye Zhenzhen, but also made her feel guilty. That's what family is all about; they'll give you their utmost trust, no matter the reason.

"Thank you, Grandpa! I'm sorry, Grandpa!"

As she said this, Ye Zhenzhen didn't stop with her right hand. After quickly making a hand seal, she placed her left hand on the spirit testing plate, and the spirit test unsurprisingly lit up with five-colored light.

Grandpa looked at Ye Zhenzhen with a meaningful gaze, then, without saying anything, let Ye Zhenzhen leave the council hall.

After Ye Zhenzhen left, Grandpa Ye Shibai looked at Ye Anxin and asked, "Zhen'er, are you a little different from before since you came back this time?"

Ye Anxin said with a loving expression, "She seems to have become a little more sensible."

Ye Shibai then looked at Ye Anbo, "What do you think?"

Ye Amber: "It seems a little different from before. If you're worried, you can have my second son keep an eye on things?"

“Alright, then tell Rong’er to keep an eye on his sister. That kid is smart; he’ll definitely notice if there’s any problem,” Ye Shibai said.

Ye Zhenrong, 12 years old, is the second son of Ye Anbo. He is the second oldest in his family and the fifth oldest among his generation in the clan (later, everyone was referred to by their clan ranking). He has dual earth and metal spiritual roots and is at the fourth level of Qi Refining. At his age, his cultivation speed in the Ye family is very fast.

Ye Shibai then discussed the identity of the person who was following them, and the meeting ended.

At this moment, Ye Zhenzhen was walking helplessly on the cobblestone path.

Thinking to myself, why were they letting me go? I wanted to hear more. Who was following me? What impact would my not going to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect have on my family? Now that I've been kicked out, where can I find out?

Let's go home first and see if my brother Ye Zhenwen knows.

With that thought in mind, Ye Zhenzhen skipped home. When she opened the door, her brother wasn't there. "Why isn't my brother back yet?" Ye Zhenzhen grumbled unhappily.

An hour later, Ye Anxin returned home and saw Ye Zhenzhen looking at her expectantly.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Mother, did you discuss who was following us during your meeting?"

"Why are you worrying so much, you little kid? We adults will handle these things, so just relax and stay put."

"Also, starting tomorrow, you will be attending classes at the family academy to learn relevant knowledge."

"Okay, where did my brother go? Why hasn't he come back yet?"

"Your brother hasn't finished class yet; he'll be back soon."

After Ye Anxin finished speaking, she told Ye Zhenzhen to play in the yard by herself while she went to cook.

Ye Zhenzhen sat on the swing, looking at the sky, thinking to herself, "Who can I ask to find out about these things? The adults probably won't tell me. I still have to wait for my brother. Brother, why aren't you back yet? Your sweet and lovely little sister is waiting for you!"

At that moment, Ye Zhenwen, who was in class, suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose, didn't pay attention, and continued to listen to the lesson attentively.

"Ring ring ring ring".

The bell rang, and Ye Zhenwen packed up his books, left the classroom, and walked home along the path.

Half an hour later.

With a creak, the small gate to the courtyard opened from the outside, and Ye Zhenwen walked in dressed in a blue robe.

Ye Zhenzhen jumped off the swing and looked at the person in front of her. Although he was only 10 years old, he already looked like a gentle and refined young gentleman.

Thinking to myself, "As expected of my brother, so handsome." But then I recalled my past life. To help me find the Cold-Water Grass to repair my dantian, my brother ventured alone into the Demon Beast Forest, risking everything to gather it. He gave it to Shen Leling, begging her to save Ye Zhenzhen, but he himself was poisoned and died from exhaustion. However, Shen Leling gave the herb to Puxian Zhenzun, who then gave it to an alchemist. The resulting Xuan Yuan Pill was used to stabilize Shen Leling's golden core, the one stolen from Ye Zhenzhen's body. How I hate it! In my past life, I let them die too easily…

"Stop, I almost succumbed to my inner demons." Ye Zhenzhen patted her chest and muttered softly. After taking a deep breath and adjusting her mindset, she looked at her brother again, thinking, "Brother, thank you for your kindness in the past life! In this life, I will protect you!"