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墨書 Inktalez
In front of them stood a thatched cottage, where, according to Chen Wen, Zhang Bin resided.
"Who taught you martial arts?" Ye Tian asked, displeased. Even if they rushed to Zhang Bin now, he would likely have already vanished without a trace. However, since the monk could run but not the temple, Ye Tian only needed to wait at Zhang Bin's residence.
“Dou Jianyi,” Chen Wen replied, casting a fearful glance at Ye Tian, as if asking, "Are you really going to confront an elder?!"
In the Cloud Sea Sect, beneath the Four Great Sect Masters, there were many elders known as Stewards. Their role was to assist the Lord; each pair of Elder and Steward had distinct responsibilities. The Steward managed the mundane affairs of their group while the Elder was responsible for teaching and guiding martial arts.
Their authority was considerable because most disciples in the Cloud Pavilion were under their supervision, except for one group: the Lord's direct disciples.
The Lord's direct disciples formed a special group within the Cloud Sea Sect. In terms of authority, they were directly subordinate to the Lord, and even Zhang the Old Steward had no power to interfere with them.
The Cloud Sea Sect had thousands of disciples, but there were only a few hundred direct disciples of the Lord. Most of them were exceptionally talented and gifted; however, due to their status and environment, they often exhibited arrogance and disdainful attitudes. Thus, they were both envied and criticized by others.
It was precisely because of this that Chen Wen harbored such peculiar thoughts.
"What kind of expression is that? Do you think I would harm your elder?" Ye Tian couldn't help but smile as he recognized the meaning behind Chen Wen's expression.
"Hehe..." Chen Wen chuckled awkwardly, noncommittal in his response.
"Brother, you really think too highly of me," Ye Tian said with a laugh as he patted Chen Wen on the shoulder. Although this person was quite afraid of him, they were around the same age. Moreover, Ye Tian had no ill feelings toward him, so their conversation felt more natural.
Upon hearing this, Chen Wen glanced at Ye Tian but quickly turned his head away. While Ye Tian might not look down on him, he could not truly believe he could stand on equal footing with Ye Tian.
Seeing that Chen Wen seemed skeptical of his words, Ye Tian explained further: "Don't say I have no such intentions; even if I did, how could I possibly be a match for an elder?"
"Our elder is not impressive..." Chen Wen muttered timidly, clearly unconvinced.
"..." Ye Tian was speechless. After a moment, he laughed and said, "Not impressive? Just how unimpressive is it?"
This question stumped Chen Wen. Since ancient times, people have only asked 'how impressive is it?' but this was the first time he had heard someone ask 'how unimpressive is it?'
"How am I supposed to answer that..." Chen Wen racked his brain but couldn't come up with a reasonable analogy. In his mind, the one who taught them martial arts, Elder Dou, was kind and gentle. He rarely spoke of anything other than the obscure aspects of martial arts. Because of this, the group of disciples privately referred to him as Old Tortoise Dou. Initially, it was just a private joke, but gradually it began to surface. Even so, he did not punish them; he just gave off a vibe that made him seem particularly easy to bully.
To put it bluntly, it felt like he was a coward.
"Forget it, forget it. I really won't go trouble the elder; I'm not that kind of domineering person," Ye Tian said as he quickened his footsteps because Chen Wen's eyes had been fixed on a thatched hut thirty yards ahead on the left side of the road.
"Is that Zhang Bin's place?" Ye Tian asked, pointing at the dilapidated hut.
Chen Wen nodded in surprise and said, "How did you know?"
"I could tell from your expression." At this moment, Ye Tian thought to himself how foolish Chen Wen seemed; when he first saw him, he appeared quite spirited...
In reality, Chen Wen was not a foolish person. However, most people exhibit a common phenomenon: when they are near someone whose aura is stronger than their own, they involuntarily feel a certain fear. This fear slows down their thinking and makes their words and actions clumsy; in short, they appear somewhat silly.
As they spoke, the two had already arrived in front of Zhang Bin's residence. Although the Cloud Rolling Sect's accommodations were all old thatched huts, Zhang Bin's place was particularly unacceptable.
At the very least, others' huts did not leak, but this dilapidated hut was drafty all around; neither the side walls nor the roof had any intact parts.
The door was unlocked, with the lock lying on the ground in front of the wooden door. This indicated that Zhang Bin had left in a hurry; although he habitually wanted to lock the door, in his haste he had dropped the lock and did not bend down to pick it up.
Of course, this can also be explained by his fear.
Ye Tian reached out to push the wooden door, which swayed and moved inward under the pressure. The reason for describing it as swaying is that the door was so old that it barely held together, as if it could no longer withstand being opened a second time.
Upon entering the room, Ye Tian looked around. The space was small, only about five zhang, and aside from a wooden bed, there were only a few small stools; there wasn't even a table.
"How can he live in such poverty?" Ye Tian turned to Chen Wen, hoping for an explanation from him.
But Chen Wen did not know and could only shake his head helplessly, indicating that he was unaware.
Seeing this scene, Ye Tian's anger diminished significantly. A person living in such poverty should not be capable of committing any heinous acts. Moreover, aside from being somewhat vain, Zhang Bin did not seem to have any major flaws. Following him all the way here made Ye Tian feel somewhat narrow-minded.
After feeling guilty for a while, Ye Tian decided not to hold Zhang Bin accountable anymore. However, just as he was about to turn and leave, something suddenly caught his eye.
He was now in the center of the thatched hut. Due to the dilapidated roof, sunlight streamed in through several holes above.
This was nothing unusual; what drew Ye Tian's attention was the faint golden light refracting from the beams above.
Ye Tian observed closely for a moment and suddenly felt enlightened. He smiled and asked Chen Wen, "Does your elder Steward often praise Zhang Bin?"
Chen Wen nodded in surprise and said, "That's right. Zhao Steward always praises Zhang Bin's frugality and hardship. But how did you know?"
"Hehe." Ye Tian smiled mysteriously without answering directly and continued to ask, "What else?"
The reason Ye Tian asked this was that Zhang Bin's actions aligned perfectly with the philosophy of frugality and self-cultivation advocated by Lord Xuanyuan Changfeng. Therefore, logically speaking, he should have had the opportunity to become a direct disciple since there were several direct disciples who lacked both virtue and strength.
Chen Wen fell into deep thought upon hearing this. After a moment, as if suddenly recalling something, he exclaimed, "I remember now! I heard someone say that Zhang Bin was once recommended to the Lord by Zhao Steward, intending to recommend him as a personal disciple. But later, the Lord came by in person, and after leaving, this matter just faded away."
"Hehe, did the Master sit in his humble abode for a while?" Ye Tian asked with a smile.
"Well, I don't know about that. It seems so; anyway, the Lord did come to see him," Chen Wen replied. Being a new disciple, he had only heard bits and pieces of past events from some of the older disciples, but his knowledge was limited.
Ye Tian did not press further because he had already deduced what kind of person Zhang Bin was.
The golden light on the wooden beams above did not require Ye Tian to look closely to know what it was; that yellow-orange metallic luster could only come from one thing—gold.
What does it mean for a humble abode to hide gold?
It indicates that everything he has done is merely to confuse and please others.
Although Chen Wen could not confirm whether the Lord had entered this room, Ye Tian was certain that the Lord had indeed been here and discovered the gold hidden by Zhang Bin in the wooden beams.
When a Master of the Pavilion personally visits, as a disciple, one must invite them into the room and respectfully serve tea.
What kind of person Xuanyuan Changfeng is, Ye Tian could see things that others might miss; how could he hide such matters from his eyes?
Based on Ye Tian's understanding of Xuanyuan Changfeng, not only did he choose not to select Zhang Bin as a personal disciple, but it was also highly likely that he instructed him upon leaving: "Maintain this kind of humble life well."
Of course, this statement was merely Ye Tian's speculation. However, considering that Zhang Bin had never improved his living conditions, it was clear that Xuanyuan Changfeng must have said something similar.
Otherwise, someone who values status and has a bit of love for wealth would never allow themselves to live in such a place.
The only possible explanation for Zhang Bin's behavior is that Xuanyuan Changfeng, whether openly or secretly, had indeed given such an order to punish Zhang Bin.
"Sit down and keep me company for a while," Ye Tian waved to Chen Wen, indicating for him to take a seat on another small wooden stool.
After hesitating for a moment, Chen Wen sat down. His hesitation stemmed from the awkwardness of interacting with Ye Tian.
"What grievances do you have with Zhang Bin?" Ye Tian casually started a conversation.
"It's nothing much. When I first arrived, he spoke to me in a condescending manner, as if he were superior. I couldn't stand it and retorted a few times. Later, he told me that even his personal disciples should give him some respect, and questioned what I was worth. Then we ended up with today's situation..." Chen Wen briefly recounted the origin of the conflict.
Ye Tian couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. If what Chen Wen said was true, then he had guessed about this matter quite accurately.
"By the way, let me give you something as a reward for guiding me," Ye Tian suddenly decided, smiling as he turned around and reached for the wooden beams on the roof. A few Gold Ingots appeared in his palm.
"Here you go," Ye Tian handed the Gold Ingots to the astonished Chen Wen.
"This..." Chen Wen was surprised not by Ye Tian's generosity, but because it was clear that this money did not belong to him...
To the readers:
Yesterday there was a glitch in the book city, and the updated chapters did not display. Thank you for your understanding.
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