The group of young men made their way along the path towards Shen Family Manor, not daring to move too quickly for fear of catching up with Ye Qing and being discovered by him.

However, when they reached a small grove less than five kilometers from Shen Family Manor, they still hadn't seen any trace of Ye Qing. Inside the grove was another group of people, led by a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothing. This man, appearing to be in his fifties, had his hair neatly combed and his nails meticulously trimmed, clearly a very particular person.

Upon seeing the man, the young man immediately approached, bowed, and said, "Father!"

The man glanced at the young man and said in a deep voice, "It seems we've miscalculated. That Ye didn't take this path."

"Impossible!" the young man exclaimed, "I saw him choose this path!"

"Then why hasn't he arrived here?" the man said solemnly. "As soon as I got your message, I came here immediately but didn't see him along the way. Explain to me what's going on."

The young man opened and closed his mouth but didn't know what to say. He hadn't seen Ye Qing along the way, and since his father hadn't encountered Ye Qing here, Ye Qing clearly hadn't taken this route.

"I told you long ago, the surname Ye isn't so easily dealt with. He made it from Shenchuan City to this point all by himself, even defeating Wang Tian'an without losing a single soldier, driving him back to Western Province. This person cannot be underestimated," the man said, looking at the young man sternly. "Yet here you are, still arrogant and foolishly thinking that your little tricks could deceive Ye Qing?"

"Could it be he realized I was deceiving him and took the main road?" the young man muttered. "Then... then he must have been captured by Northern Martial Zen, Father. Shouldn't we go to Northern Martial Zen to get him back?"

The man said harshly, "He didn't take Northern Martial Zen's route either!"

"What?" the young man said in surprise. "How do you know?"

"Before coming here, I already had people set up at Northern Martial Zen, ready to report any news from there. If they had captured Ye Qing, I would have received word immediately. Since there's no news yet, Ye Qing hasn't taken that route either," the man said, looking at the young man sternly. "You're getting older, you can't keep being so thoughtless."

The young man's face looked rather unpleasant, but he had no choice but to lower his head and say softly, "Yes, Father!"

Seeing the young man's demeanor, the man seemed to soften a bit. He patted the young man's shoulder and said, "Minger, you know our family's status, and you know the heavy responsibility on you. For our family to have come this far, we must support it. You must not become like people like Bei Shisan. You have way too many things to consider. Don't blame your father for being too harsh; everything is for your own good. When the day comes that you are king over the land, you'll understand your father's good intentions."

"Father, I understand!" the young man said, full of emotion. "I will work hard, and I will never let you down!"

"As long as you understand," the man nodded slowly. "Let's go, we must retrieve our family's things, no matter what!"

"Father, where are we going to chase Ye Qing now?" the young man asked curiously, thinking that Ye Qing had already disappeared, how could they chase him?

"There are only two routes to Shen Family Manor. He didn't take the main road or this path, which means there's only one possibility," the man said, looking at the surrounding mountains, "He must have abandoned the vehicle and decided to hike over the mountains to Shen Family Manor!"

Hearing this, the young man's expression changed, and he said anxiously, "You're right! Why didn't I think of that? Ye is really cunning, coming up with such a way to enter Shen Family Manor. Fortunately, you are here, Father, or I would have definitely been fooled!"

The man sneered coldly, "Indeed, that Ye is exceptionally cunning, but no matter how cunning a fox is, it's afraid of encountering an old huntsman. No matter how tricky he is, in front of me, he's still green!"

The man led the group directly into the mountain forest beside them, beginning to search for Ye Qing. These surrounding mountains weren't large, and the roads within were few. They turned within for less than ten minutes before they found Ye Qing and Li Bing'en; indeed, the two were taking the mountain path.

Just as the man had guessed, Ye Qing was filled with caution after being persuaded by the young man for a couple of sentences. He definitely couldn't walk into a trap by heading to Northern Martial Zen. But he also didn't trust the young man, sensing him to also be an enemy. So, he avoided both the main road and the path, abandoning the car for a mountain route to evade both groups.

Ye Qing's method was indeed unexpected, even the young man hadn't guessed it. He and Li Bing'en over the mountain, reaching Shen Family Manor soon enough. Yet, at the inopportune moment, they were caught by this group.

"Ye brother, your methods are indeed unpredictable!" The young man caught up, laughing heartily. "I saw you taking that little path, but hadn't expected you to pull a fake move with an open front and a sneaky back, coming up the mountain path instead. Lucky for us we aren't stupid; otherwise, you'd have already entered Shen Family Manor!"

Seeing these people catching up, Ye Qing frowned immediately. At this point, there's no need to say more, the paper-thin masks were basically torn apart.

"Who exactly are you?" Ye Qing asked in a deep voice, "You seem to know me, so you must not be nobodies!"

"Listen up…" the young man said loudly, "This young master's surname is not Zhang, my compound surname is Wan Yan, and my single given name is Ming!"

"Wan Yan Ming!" Ye Qing's face changed, and he said in a deep voice, "You are the heir of Prince Wan Yan of Northern Desert Iron Cavalry?"

"So, you know my father's title as well." Wan Yan Ming turned to look at the man by his side and laughed, "Father, he knows you too!"

Hearing this, Ye Qing's face changed again. He looked at the man in shock and said in a deep voice, "You… you are Prince Wan Yan!?"

The man looked calmly at Ye Qing, "Since you know my title, you should know the reason I came to find you. Where is my thing now?"

What Prince Wan Yan wants is precisely that Gold Silk Armor. As for that Gold Silk Armor, it's currently in the suitcase Ye Qing is carrying. However, this Gold Silk Armor is related to great secrets concerning Heaven Earth Man Three Gates. Ye Qing originally intended to store it at Shen Family Manor, so he certainly can't hand it over to Prince Wan Yan.

"Senior Wan Yan, your item is not with me!" Ye Qing said, "Handsome Fatty Wang was tricking me all along; he's not trustworthy, you can't let yourself be deceived by him!"

"He may or may not have deceived me, I have my own judgment." Prince Wan Yan said, "I also know who exactly holds what I want. Ye Qing, today you will either hand over my possession, or I'll take your life, your choice!"

Though Prince Wan Yan spoke in a calm voice and appeared to be very particular, he exuded a heavy killing intent. In just two sentences, he began to threaten Ye Qing with death, showing his assertiveness.

Ye Qing frowned. Prince Wan Yan's power is about on par with Northern Martial Zen, which means it's similar to Ao Wuchang and the others. This means that even though Ye Qing currently has that miraculous stepping technique, it doesn't measure up in front of Prince Wan Yan. Even with Li Bing'en, the two of them wouldn't be enough.

But, does this mean just handing over the Gold Silk Armor to Prince Wan Yan? Ye Qing was very reluctant. After all, the Gold Silk Armor relates to great secrets of Heaven Earth Man Three Gates, potentially involving the opening of Heaven's Gate, which was Ye Qing's principal concern.

Just as Ye Qing hesitated, a loud laughter came from the distant woods: "Wan Yan brother, you left in such a hurry, that I thought you had gone out to take care of something urgent. Little did I expect you to be here bullying two youngsters. Haha, with your stature and prowess, Wan Yan brother, why do that?"

At these words, Prince Wan Yan's face turned sharply, and he looked towards the voice from the distant wood. Out walked a man with a big stride.

This man stood about 185 centimeters tall, quite an imposing figure. He was built robustly and had a dignified presence, with a three-strand beard giving him the appearance of a formidable leader, though his true identity remained elusive.

Prince Wan Yan frowned, looking at the figure approaching, "What a day for us to meet."

"Northern Martial Zen!?" Ye Qing's face changed. This person was actually Northern Martial Zen? This meant that handing over the Gold Silk Armor was no longer the issue. Even if he gave it, Northern Martial Zen wouldn't spare him!

"What is there to be surprised about?" Northern Martial Zen laughed heartily, "My son is a fool, your son is a fool, but that doesn't mean us two old men are the same. Just because my son is a fool, doesn't mean I am. Your father is not the only one with any brains."

Just as Northern Martial Zen finished speaking, another group of people emerged from the grove behind, led by none other than Bei Shisan's group.

"Ye Qing, you really know how to hide, don't you? But even if you ran to the ends of the earth, what's the point? In front of my father, those little tricks mean nothing!" Bei Shisan said, his face changing immediately when he saw them.

At this scene, Ye Qing's face changed again, looking shocked at Northern Martial Zen and Prince Wan Yan. Having these two grandmasters stand before him, it was clear that getting out on his own was now impossible.

But seeing the expressions on Prince Wan Yan and Northern Martial Zen's faces, it was evident both came aiming to take his life. Even if Prince Wan Yan took the Gold Silk Armor, he definitely wouldn't let Ye Qing go either.

"""