Chapter Seven: The Exceptional Female Slave

This situation had the entire Ye family on edge, as anxious as ants on a hot pan. Especially for Ye Chengtian and his wife, who had not slept a wink for three days. Little Lan Yu, too, had lost all appetite. Among the four siblings, she was closest to the thirteenth young master—they were inseparable, perhaps because he was the only one younger than her, allowing her to enjoy her role as an elder sister.

The incident also drew the attention of the Emperor of the Empire, who closely followed its developments and dispatched many to help search for the missing boy.

"Keep looking! Search carefully! How can so many of you search for three days and still fail to find a five-year-old child?" the family head, Ye Yi, thundered in anger.

"It's been three days. Could it be that Ye Lang has left the city?" Mistress Ruan Lian’er frowned. In the current situation, it was hard not to consider the possibility.

"How could a child his age leave the city unless someone took him out deliberately?" Ye Yi’s brows were knit together. In truth, he had already sent people to search the nearby areas, but he was unwilling to entertain such a thought. If someone had indeed taken little Ye Lang out of the city, it could only mean ill intent, which made the prospect all the more distressing.

"If anyone dares harm my son, I’ll see their entire family buried with him!" Ye Chengtian muttered coldly, his voice soft—perhaps speaking to himself—but the resolve in his tone was unmistakable.

"Chengtian..." Long Anqi gripped Ye Chengtian’s hand, her voice laden with complexity, as if she had come to accept something inevitable.

Just then, something happened that none of them had anticipated—a turn of events that would astonish everyone.

"Master, the thirteenth young master—he… he…" a servant burst in, breathless with panic and disbelief.

"What is it? Have you news?" Ye Yi asked calmly, though the servant’s expression filled him with unease.

"The thirteenth young master, he… he…" The servant still hadn’t caught his breath.

"What about him? Speak quickly!" Long Anqi urged, unable to contain her anxiety.

"The thirteenth young master has returned," the servant finally managed to say.

"What?! What did you say? Where is he now?" After a stunned silence, the room erupted, everyone grabbing the servant’s clothes and questioning him at once, leaving him overwhelmed by the attention.

"He’s back, and he’s brought a little girl with him—they’ve already entered the house," the servant replied, clearly having rushed ahead to deliver the news, hoping to earn some credit.

No one paid him any further heed; they immediately left him behind and hurried out, not even noticing his mention of the little girl.

When Ye Yi and the others reached the forecourt, they saw the thirteenth young master walking in the center, followed closely by a little girl about his own age. The girl was different from ordinary humans, but no one had time to dwell on that—they only wanted to embrace the thirteenth young master and check for any injuries.

The first to reach him was the seemingly frailest among them, Long Anqi, who, in that moment, moved with more than twice her usual speed—no, even more—and scooped him into her arms.

"My precious, where have you been? Are you hurt? Were you hungry these past days?" Long Anqi fussed over him, checking for injuries while gently pushing aside anyone else who tried to get close.

The thirteenth young master shook his head and replied slowly, "No, I had plenty to eat and drink, and it was lots of fun."

"Plenty to eat and drink? Fun?" Once she was sure he was unharmed, Long Anqi continued her questioning. "Where did you go, who took you, and who is this little girl? Wait—this little girl..."

It was only then that Long Anqi noticed the girl standing beside them was not human—indeed, she was not of the human race at all. The girl’s eyes were large, and when she smiled, her little fangs showed; atop her head were a pair of feline ears, and a small tail trailed behind her. It was clear to all that she was a beastkin.

The question was whether she belonged to the cat clan or the tiger clan, as their features were similar at that age.

The thirteenth young master soon provided the answer. "I bought her. They said she’s a rare tiger clan slave girl."

Silence fell. For a moment, no one spoke—they simply stared at him, their gazes tinged with a strange expression.

"You bought her? Where have you been these three days? And how did you get out? Tell Mother everything, slowly," Long Anqi asked eagerly, her curiosity burning to know what her son had experienced over those three days.

The others were just as curious, all eyes on the thirteenth young master, awaiting his explanation.

But before he could speak, Long Anqi said, "Let’s go inside first—the wind is strong here." She had no intention of letting her son stand outside in the breeze and immediately carried him indoors.

That was just as well; everyone could sit down, have some tea, and talk at leisure.

Once they were settled, the thirteenth young master began to recount his adventure. Naturally, many details were vague and required the others to fill in the gaps, given his limited ability to express himself.

Fortunately, none of those present were ordinary people, and they were able to understand his account. From start to finish, their jaws dropped in astonishment at what they heard.

To begin with, the thirteenth young master explained how he had left the Ye residence—a revelation that left everyone present shocked. It wasn’t that his method was complex; rather, it was shockingly simple.

"I just walked out. No one stopped me. They didn’t even pay me any attention," he said.

Indeed, not a single person in the entire Ye household had noticed him leave; he simply hopped out the main gate, right under everyone’s noses.

There were several reasons for this. First, the Ye household was enormous and filled with children his age—few people had ever seen the thirteenth young master in person, save for a select few. Second, while the Ye family was strict about screening those who entered, making it as difficult to infiltrate as the Imperial Palace, they were lax about those exiting. And finally, who would be on guard against a five-year-old child?

Of course, a series of coincidences had to align for the thirteenth young master to slip out unnoticed. But the fact remained—he had simply walked out the main gate, leaving everyone utterly incredulous.