Chapter 2543 Stalling for Time

The cave where Yelu Changfeng resides is at the highest point. As the clan leader, his cave, apart from being located higher, is no different from others in terms of furnishings.

When Ye Qing and Yelu Ying came in, the tall and short elders were also present, sitting there. Seeing Ye Qing and Yelu Ying arrive, the two of them immediately stood up to welcome them.

There were also ten people inside the cave, including Yelu Changfeng. As for the other six, they had already eaten and gone out on patrol.

Breakfast was rather greasy with lamb and sheep milk. Ye Qing was fine with it, but Yelu Ying was clearly a bit unaccustomed to these and didn't eat much.

Yelu Ying nibbled a few bites, put down her bowl, and suddenly asked, "Grandpa Changfeng, why do you eat such greasy food so early in the morning?"

"Greasy?" Yelu Changfeng looked at the lamb on the table strangely, "Isn't this how meals are supposed to be? What else could we eat?"

Yelu Ying said, "In the morning, you could make some light porridge or something, which is good for the stomach."

"Ying'er, you might not know, in this desert, getting porridge isn't an easy task." The tall elder waved his hand and said, "Here, near the Meng District, the lifestyle is somewhat similar, mainly meat-based. We raise many livestock ourselves, which is our main food. As for porridge or rice flour, these things don't grow here in the desert. We have to bring them in from outside if we want to eat these, and it's inconvenient. So, here, rice flour is rarely eaten, only on holidays. Meat, that is the staple food."

"I see!" Yelu Ying realized, looked at the meat in her bowl, and couldn't help sighing, "You've had a hard time these years!"

The members of the Yelu Family looked at each other in dismay, Yelu Changfeng waved his hand, and said, "We're used to this, there's no talk of hardship. Actually, if you made us use rice and flour as staples now, we wouldn't be able to accept it."

Ye Qing sat by the side, not joining the conversation, quietly observing everyone's expressions. He was still trying to find who might have betrayed the Yelu Family. However, throughout the process, he discovered nothing.

After breakfast, the tall and short elders took a few people out on patrol, while Yelu Changfeng took Ye Qing and Yelu Ying on a tour around the oasis, introducing the environment around it.

This oasis covers a considerable area, surrounding Alagu Mountain, like a small city. If it weren't for the harsh living conditions here, and the tales of demons on Alagu Mountain, many people would likely have settled here by now.

Currently, only the tomb guardians of the Yelu Family reside on this oasis, which is convenient for their duty of guarding the tomb. If more people lived here, guarding the tomb wouldn't be as easy, as unexpected situations could arise.

Yelu Changfeng took Ye Qing and Yelu Ying around the habitats of the Tomb Guardian clan, finally arriving at the training ground for martial arts.

The so-called training ground was actually just an open space. Many stone blocks surrounded the area, enclosing the open space. When Ye Qing and Yelu Ying arrived, there were six people practicing martial arts on the training ground. They were practicing the Yelu Family's ancestral martial arts, but it was apparent that these six people were relatively ordinary in skill, only slightly stronger than Yelu Ying.

Honestly, judging from the Yelu Family's cultivation technique, the fact that Yelu Changfeng became a peak master was puzzling to Ye Qing. The Yelu Family's martial arts are quite ordinary; even Shen Tianjun had studied them and concluded that producing a peak master from the Yelu Family's cultivation techniques was virtually impossible. Yet Yelu Changfeng became a peak master, which naturally raises questions. How did Yelu Changfeng achieve this mastery?

From start to finish, Ye Qing maintained a hint of vigilance towards Yelu Changfeng. It was hard to believe such an acme master could endure living in the desert for so long. Therefore, Ye Qing suspected whether Yelu Changfeng had betrayed the Yelu Family and obtained other cultivation techniques, thus becoming a peak master.

Although Ye Qing held suspicions about Yelu Changfeng, he didn't show a hint of it, only keeping his guard up within. Despite having cultivated the second level of Innate Skill last night, allowing his meridians to gradually recover somewhat and his strength to regain slightly, Ye Qing's current situation was still far from that of a Peak Master. If he were to anger the traitor at this moment, it would undoubtedly be a foolish move.

After circling the training ground with Yelu Ying, Yelu Changfeng again took Yelu Ying to see the surrounding scenery. This situation only increased Ye Qing's suspicions about Yelu Changfeng. They've been here for quite a long time, yet Yelu Changfeng hasn't shown any intention of taking them to the Yelu Family Ancestral Tomb. What exactly is he planning? Does he not know that Yelu Ying came here this time with the desire to open the Yelu Family Ancestral Tomb?

The morning was spent appreciating the scenery, and then Ye Qing and Yelu Ying were taken back for lunch. At lunch, Ye Qing didn't see the tall and short elders, seemingly indicating they had gone to patrol.

During lunch, Ye Qing quietly made a gesture to Yelu Ying. Understanding Ye Qing's intention, Yelu Ying directly asked Yelu Changfeng after lunch, "Grandpa Changfeng, we've already toured this place; when can you take us to the ancestral tomb to pay homage to our ancestors? Tonight is the night of the full moon, and I want to try and see if I can open the ancestral tomb. Can you arrange that for us?"

Upon hearing this, a strange expression flashed in Yelu Changfeng's eyes, noticed by Ye Qing. Ye Qing remained unfazed, acting as if he saw nothing, but grew even more wary of Yelu Changfeng.

Everyone in the room was also watching Yelu Changfeng; upon hearing Yelu Ying's words, the Tomb Guardian clan members seemed somewhat silent, unsure of what was happening. This situation made Ye Qing even more worried; not just Yelu Changfeng's odd expression, but everyone else's too—what does this mean? Could it be, these Tomb Guardian clan members have all betrayed the Yelu Family? If that's truly the case, things would get troublesome!

After a moment of silence, the atmosphere in the room reached an extreme level of tension. Ye Qing quietly grabbed the chair behind him, ready to act; if these people made any excessive moves, he'd immediately throw the chair out as a first line of defense.

"Hahaha…" Suddenly, Yelu Changfeng laughed heartily, breaking the deathly silence. Turning to Yelu Ying, he said, "I'm so glad you came over this time, I almost forgot about this matter. Had you not reminded me, I might delay the important affairs. You're right, you seldom come here, so naturally, you should visit the ancestral tomb first. Lao Qi, take some people to the ancestral tomb area and prepare for the ancestor worship rituals!"

Lao Qi hesitated for a moment, opened his mouth as if to speak, but ultimately remained silent and left with a few people.

Yelu Changfeng walked to Yelu Ying's side and said, "Ying'er, worshiping our ancestors is exceptionally complex; as per family rules, we have to follow some rituals. You know, we are of imperial lineage, so typically, this ritual takes at least three days. However, given the urgency now, we'll simplify everything, though some necessary rituals can't be skipped."

"I understand," Yelu Ying quickly nodded. As the eldest daughter of the Yelu Family, she's familiar with many of its rules. Formerly of imperial descent, the Yelu Family indeed has many complex rituals regarding ancestor worship, a fact she didn't doubt.

However, Ye Qing's thoughts differed from Yelu Ying's. Though Yelu Changfeng promised that Yelu Ying would be allowed to worship the ancestors, he first sent Lao Qi and the others out. Despite saying they were preparing for the ancestor worship ceremony, their expressions had already betrayed them. Their hesitance suggested to Ye Qing that something fishy was definitely going on here. Ye Qing couldn't help but suspect that Yelu Changfeng had intentionally dispatched these people—what tricks could he be up to?

As Ye Qing was pondering, Yelu Changfeng had already taken Yelu Ying and others out to start those crucial rituals. Ye Qing, not being a Yelu Family member, naturally didn't involve himself in these ceremonies. But he couldn't stray far; there were too few people here, and if he left, the Yelu Family members would surely notice. Before reinforcements arrived, Ye Qing dared not expose the situation; otherwise, they'd be in deep trouble. Ye Qing himself was invulnerable and fearless, but Yelu Ying's safety was another matter.

The ceremony took place over at the training ground, with Ye Qing standing by, watching the Yelu Family members executing the complex ritual while discreetly observing the surrounding circumstances.

After about half an hour, Lao Qi and the others returned, still sporting worried expressions; no one knew what had occurred.

Yelu Ying knelt in the middle of the training ground, conducting the family ceremony. Yelu Changfeng had quietly moved over to Lao Qi, speaking to him and the others.

Ye Qing was positioned too far away to hear them, seeing only them conversing, not grasping their conversation. Ye Qing didn't dare to approach, as it would be too obvious. He took a deep breath, channeling his limited strength along the freshly formed meridians from the previous night, gradually gathering it near the dantian, while also silently employing the Innate Skill, guiding True Qi to circulate according to its path. At the same time, Ye Qing held his breath and concentrated, attentively listening in their direction.

The Innate Skill renders one's Six Senses particularly acute; even amidst the clamor of gongs and drums at the training ground, Ye Qing, calming himself and eliminating all distractions, could accurately capture the dialogue between Yelu Changfeng and the others.