It had been three years since Ye Shuang and the others left the city.
During those three years, they’d had the good fortune to witness the might of the Xuan Yue Sect—they’d even laid eyes on a Golden Core elder. Naturally, they’d come to look down on the Ye family, whose strongest members were only at the ninth level of Qi Condensation.
Their tone carried a distinct air of superiority.
But to Ye Shuang and Ye Tian’s surprise, the two guards merely gave them a glance. There was no excitement, no shock on their faces.
“Ye Shuang? Which Ye Shuang?” the guard on the left muttered to himself. Most of the Ye family’s former guards had been summoned to the inner compound for time-accelerated formation training, so the ones currently at the gate were actually new recruits hired just last year.
After Ye Shuang and Ye Tian left, the Ye estate had been completely absorbed in training and spirit treasures, with no one ever mentioning Ye Shuang or Ye Yuan. So these newcomers had never even heard of Ye Shuang—much less recognize him.
Hearing the guard’s brusque reply, Ye Shuang’s face immediately darkened. He narrowed his eyes at the two gatekeepers, finding them utterly unfamiliar. “You don’t know who I am? Fine, I won’t hold it against you. Go get your Grand Elder to come out and receive these two mid-grade magical tools!”
With that, he even jiggled the tools in his hand.
He expected the guards to cave in, but instead, their expressions grew even more peculiar.
“You think you’re the young miss or something? You can see our Grand Elder just because you say so?” The guard now felt even more certain that these two weren’t members of the Ye family. “Get lost now, before you cause trouble. If the enforcement squad comes back, you’ll be in for a world of hurt.”
Even Second Elder had to wait ages just to get a single audience with the Grand Elder.
However, they did know one exception in the Ye family: Ye Shaohua. No matter what kind of seclusion the Grand Elder was in, the moment Ye Shaohua emerged, he would drop everything to see her. It’s just that Ye Shaohua came out even less often than the Grand Elder, spending almost all her time cultivating.
The guards had heard of Ye Shaohua, of course, but the only time they’d actually laid eyes on her was from a distance last year.
So they naturally didn’t believe Ye Shuang’s audacious demand to see the Grand Elder directly.
Ye Shuang hadn’t expected these clueless guards not only to bar their entry but also to treat them with such contempt.
“Fine, you two have guts!” Truth be told, this return trip was meant to be a show of status for Ye Shuang and Ye Tian. Not only had that backfired, but they’d also been humiliated by a pair of ignorant gatekeepers. Ye Shuang glared at them darkly and let out a cold laugh. “Alright, suit yourselves. Don’t come crying later. The magical tools Yuan’er was going to give you—you’ve lost that chance. In a few days, don’t beg me for an apology.”
With that, both Ye Shuang and Ye Tian stormed off in a huff.
Before they left, Ye Shuang turned back to see the two guards still looking utterly unconcerned, and he smirked with sarcasm. They had no idea what they’d just thrown away.
“Father, I can’t believe how far the Ye family has fallen,” Ye Tian shook his head, feeling more certain than ever that leaving the Ye family had been the right call. “Even the gate guards don’t recognize a mid-grade magical tool.”
“Maybe that’s for the best. We’ll take these tools to Yuan’er first—who knows, she might just hand us both of them.” At this thought, Ye Shuang’s eyes lit up.
His resentment toward the two guards faded a little.
After all, their ignorance was actually working in his favor.
Meanwhile, the two gate guards exchanged glances, each seeing bewilderment in the other’s eyes.
“Is this Ye Shuang guy some kind of idiot?” one of them remarked.
The other nodded vigorously.
As they were chatting, Second Elder arrived with the enforcement squad.
“Second Elder!” The two guards immediately straightened up and called out with pride.
“Good, you’re both here. Go in and have someone notify the Grand Elder—Shaohua will be coming out of seclusion tomorrow,” Second Elder said, bustling about with preparations, then suddenly remembered something. “Oh, and those disciples who’ve been challenging the formations will also be returning tomorrow.”
At the mention of Ye Shaohua, the guards’ eyes lit up. “The young miss is coming back?!”
“That’s right.” Second Elder smiled. “You two get ready too—once they’re back, you can go challenge the formations as well.”
Hearing this, both guards’ eyes sparkled with excitement.
Challenging the formations meant a chance to obtain spirit treasures. The odds weren’t great, but what if luck was on their side?
They hurried inside excitedly to find the Grand Elder, thinking the Ye estate was about to get lively.
But before they’d gone far, Second Elder called out, “By the way, what were you two chatting about when I arrived?”
“Oh, just something trivial,” one of the guards paused mid-step and turned back to vent. “Some guy named Ye Shuang came pretending to be part of our family, acting all high and mighty, demanding that the Grand Elder come out to greet him. Who does he think he is? Even the young miss wouldn’t make such a demand!”
“Ye Shuang?” Second Elder repeated the name, pausing.
His eyes darkened a little.
He still remembered the looks on Ye Shuang’s face when they’d left the Ye family back then. Now that those two were back, they were probably with Ye Yuan. Come to think of it, Second Elder recalled that the City Lord Xuan Yuan’s birthday was coming up in a few days.
And… the wedding date between Ye Yuan and Xuan Yuan Che would certainly have to be set soon, too.
At that thought, Second Elder let out a cold laugh.
The other guard, oblivious to the shift in Second Elder’s tone, continued: “And the ridiculous thing is, this Ye Shuang guy was waving around two mid-grade magical tools, saying they were a gift for our Ye family from some big shot. Carrying on about two mid-grade tools like they were priceless treasures—I knew right away he wasn’t one of us! Me and Er Gouzi both have top-grade magical tools. If you’re going to impersonate someone, at least do your homework and find out who you’re dealing with. Did he really think he could fool us?”
They weren’t stupid—all the core Ye family disciples had spirit treasures. Even the Grand Elder had acquired a flying sword with offensive spirit power two years ago, a supreme treasure even by the standards of the three great sects. That Ye Shuang had come waving around some cheap magical tools like a prize idiot—no way they were falling for that.
