When Ye Feifei saw the troubled look on Ye Tian's face, she couldn't help but wonder, 'Am I making things difficult for him? Maybe I should let him go alone, but then I'd just worry about him.'
"Feifei, pack your clothes. We'll leave in a bit. We'll use the cover of darkness so no one sees us," Ye Tian said after a moment of thought.
Ye Feifei's face lit up. "I'll get ready right away, wait for me!" With that, her figure flashed, and she was in front of her wardrobe, quickly picking out a few outfits to pack.
Ye Tian walked up behind her. "No need to pack them. I'll carry them for you. But you should probably tell your father about this, so he doesn't worry."
With a thought, Ye Tian instantly placed Ye Feifei's clothes into his Storage Ring. She stared, dumbfounded, unable to process for a long moment how he had made the clothes vanish into thin air.
Ye Tian didn't want to hide the fact that he had a Storage Ring from Ye Feifei. If she found out later that he had been keeping secrets, it might leave a shadow on her heart.
But Ye Feifei wasn't completely ignorant. She quickly came to her senses. "Brother Tian, do you have a Storage Belt? That's a Heaven-defying item!"
"It's not a belt, it's a Storage Ring. I came upon it by a stroke of luck. No one knows about this but you, so you must keep it a secret for me. You understand the saying, 'a treasure invites calamity.' It could bring about a fatal disaster," Ye Tian said gravely.
"Don't worry, Brother Tian! Your secret is my secret. How could I possibly tell anyone? I'll write a letter and leave it here now. When my handmaid comes tomorrow, she'll find it and give it to my father. As long as he knows I'm with you, he won't worry!" Ye Feifei said with a smile.
Ye Tian felt utterly helpless. 'Being with me is the real danger! I just took your virginity, and you're saying it's not dangerous? Sigh...' But he didn't dare to refute her, for fear of making her unhappy.
Ye Feifei found a pen and paper and quickly wrote a letter while Ye Tian watched quietly from the side.
Ye Feifei's calligraphy was elegant and neat, written with a powerful hand. Ye Tian knew his own handwriting couldn't compare. He was sure her skills in the four arts—zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting—were all excellent. After all, she was a true lady, not the she-dragon Ye Hu claimed she was.
"All done! Should we leave now?" Ye Feifei asked, looking at Ye Tian. To her, even enduring hardship with the man she loved would be sweeter than honey.
"Let's go. I hope we can both gain something from this trip," Ye Tian said, and then he and Ye Feifei left the estate.
The two of them were extremely cautious on their way, careful not to attract any attention. Only after reaching the back mountain did they pick up their pace, their figures becoming a blur as they sped along the mountain path under the moonlight.
Not long after Ye Tian and Ye Feifei had left, a middle-aged man entered the Grand Elder's room. "Grand Elder, you were right. That kid Ye Tian really did go out with Ye Feifei. They were heading toward the back mountain."
"Are you sure they didn't spot you?" the Grand Elder asked, his expression grave. At this moment, he was more interested in Ye Tian than in anyone else.
"This subordinate saw it clearly. Ye Tian and Ye Feifei were indeed headed for the back mountain. I returned to report to you, Grand Elder, for fear of being discovered by them!" the middle-aged man repeated.
The Grand Elder frowned slightly. After a long pause, he spoke. "What are those two doing, going to the back mountain in the dead of night? Could they be having a tryst? That doesn't seem right. How long was Ye Tian in Ye Feifei's room?"
"For the better part of the day. He went in this afternoon and only came out just now," the middle-aged man said.
"They were inside for that long... If something was going to happen, it would have happened already. There's no need to go to the back mountain for that. So why are they going there now? There's definitely something strange about this," the Grand Elder said, his face full of doubt.
"Grand Elder, should we go and take a look? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" the middle-aged man said.
"We can't be hasty with this. I believe they won't be back anytime soon. According to our spies, that kid Ye Tian bought a lot of dry rations at the market today. They might be planning to stay on the back mountain for a while.
"To be honest, the back mountain is a much better place for Cultivation than the family estate. The environment there is quiet, with no one to disturb them. I'm certain the two of them have gone to the back mountain to cultivate, with the goal of preparing for entry into Linyuan Academy," the Grand Elder said.
The middle-aged man was one of the Grand Elder's trusted confidants, holding the position of Protector within the family. Hearing the Grand Elder's analysis, he said no more and quietly left the room.
Only after the middle-aged man left did Ye Hu speak. "Father, why are you passing up such a good opportunity? Wouldn't it be a shame if they came back tomorrow?"
"Ye Hu, you're just too impatient! Do you think Ye Weitian is unaware that Ye Tian and Ye Feifei have left the estate? He has people watching our every move. Ye Tian is his hope right now; you think he'd let him go out without anyone secretly following to protect him?
"Taking a step back, what if this is a test from Ye Weitian? That's why you shouldn't be so anxious about some things. There's still plenty of time, and this won't be our only chance. Let's wait a couple of days and see. If there's no reaction, then I'll personally take you to settle the score with Ye Tian and ask about the Dragon Pearl while we're at it," said the Grand Elder.
Ye Hu broke into a cold sweat. 'It's true what they say: the older, the wiser. His foresight is so much better than mine. I really need to learn from him.'
By now, Ye Tian and Ye Feifei had already sped to the mountain's peak. Ye Tian wasn't the least bit tired, but his heart ached for Ye Feifei, so he slowed down and waited for her up ahead.
Ye Feifei was also very fast, catching up to Ye Tian within a few breaths. "Brother Tian, why did you stop?" she asked.
"Feifei, are you tired? Should we rest for a bit?" Ye Tian asked.
"I'm not tired. I never feel tired when I'm with you!" Ye Feifei said with a charming laugh. But the sweat on her forehead betrayed her, and with his enhanced vision, Ye Tian could see it clearly in the moonlight.
Ye Tian didn't point it out. "Let's rest here for a bit before we continue. It feels pretty good to sprint like this, something we can't do back at the estate!"
Ye Feifei glanced at Ye Tian and asked, "Brother Tian, why did we come to the back mountain? I'm still really confused. Don't tell me you want to kill Demon Beasts again?"
"To get stronger. You can only unleash your true potential in the midst of danger. Only by becoming stronger can I give you a happy life," Ye Tian said softly…