22: Chapter 22 Night Raid by Monsters, Sect Mobilization, Thoughts of Leaving Gradually Arise

The days of peacefully farming resources were finally shattered by a sudden alarm bell.

That night, Ye Qing was in his space, observing the status of the newly planted iron wire vine and night firefly grass seeds.

The iron wire vine seeds remained hard, but their internal vitality, under the continuous nourishment of the space's energy, was like a chick about to break its shell, eager to emerge. The night firefly grass seeds looked even more "nourished," their shriveled outer shells slightly softened.

Suddenly, a rapid, sharp, and highly penetrating bell chime came from the direction of the main peak of the Qingyun Sect, instantly resounding throughout the entire mountain gate!

The bell rang nine times, each chime more urgent than the last!

It was the highest-level warning! It signified that the mountain gate was under attack or facing a major crisis!

Ye Qing instantly exited the space and flipped up to a sitting position.

The other servants in the room were also awakened, all of them bleary-eyed, their faces filled with terror.

"What's going on? The alarm bell! It's the alarm bell!"

"Have the Yao Beasts broken in?!"

"Quick! Get up! Assemble in the courtyard!"

The Servant Quarters instantly erupted into chaos, panic spreading like a plague.

Steward Wang's hoarse roar echoed in the courtyard, overpowering the confusion: "Everyone! Assemble in the courtyard immediately! No shouting! Violators will be expelled from the Sect!"

Ye Qing quickly put on his clothes, blended into the crowd, and arrived at the courtyard.

In the night sky, the light screen of the Mountain Protection Array lit up with unprecedented brightness, shrouding the entire Qingyun Sect in a pale blue halo. Outside the light screen, firelight could be vaguely seen flickering in the distant mountains and forests, mixed with the angry roars of Yao Beasts and the booming sounds of bursting Spells.

"Silence!" Steward Wang's face was livid, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling, "We have just received the decree that a group of Yao Beasts has launched a surprise raid on the Mountain Protection Array under the cover of night! They have already been repelled by the Junior Martial Uncles! However, there are still scattered Yao Beasts roaming in the outer perimeter areas!"

"From today onwards, all servants are strictly forbidden from stepping out of their respective quarters without permission! Meals will be delivered uniformly! All labor is suspended!"

"Patrolling Disciples will strengthen patrols in each courtyard! Anyone found leaving without authorization, snooping, or spreading rumors will be treated as colluding with the enemy!"

The cold order was like a frigid wind, scraping across the heart of every servant.

Panic was forcibly suppressed, replaced by a deeper sense of despair and numbness.

Ye Qing stood in the crowd with his head bowed, ripples of thought stirring in his heart, but on the surface, he was indistinguishable from the other servants, showing only confusion and fear.

A Yao Beast night raid, and one that could reach the Mountain Protection Array, meant that the front-line defense was likely already in jeopardy or had been breached.

The Qingyun Sect was no longer safe.

Back at the dormitory, no one could fall asleep again.

Everyone crowded into the small room, listening to the vaguely heard, seemingly denser footsteps of patrols outside, as well as the intermittent booming from the distance, waiting in silence for dawn.

Ye Qing closed his eyes and feigned sleep, but his consciousness was exceptionally clear.

He was quickly analyzing and judging the situation.

The fact that the Yao Beasts could raid the mountain gate showed that the Sect's external control had been significantly weakened, and it was even possible that some outer areas had been lost.

The Sect had reacted quickly and repelled the enemy, but it had activated the highest level of alert, even confining the servants. This indicated that the situation was severe, the Sect had entered a state of full defense, and there might be signs of instability within.

"Confinement... I can't go to the Library Pavilion or the Herb Garden anymore."

This meant that his stable sources of Spirit Stones, knowledge, and "trash" were all cut off.

The cultivation experiments for the moonlight flower, iron wire vine, and night firefly grass would also temporarily be unable to be monitored.

"I must speed up my preparations for leaving. Now that the Sect's attention is focused on external defense and internal stability, perhaps some things that are usually difficult to access will become loose instead?"

Ye Qing pondered.

In the following days, the Qingyun Sect was like a taut bowstring.

The Mountain Protection Array was activated all day, consuming a huge amount of energy. Injured Disciples flew back on artifacts from time to time, landing in the direction of the main peak. The burnt smell of Spirit Medicine and the scent of blood occasionally drifted to the Servant Quarters with the wind.

Meals were indeed delivered uniformly; coarse Bigu pills were barely enough to fill one's stomach and had no taste.

The servants were confined to their respective courtyards, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive. Every day, only Steward Wang would come to lecture them, the content being nothing more than "strictly follow the rules" and "wait quietly for Sect instructions."

Ye Qing used this rare "confinement" time to do two things with all his might.

First, consolidate his Level 5 Qi Refining cultivation, repeatedly practicing and optimizing the "Pseudo-Fireball Technique" and "Triangular Spirit Shield."

He naturally couldn't cast them in the small room, but he could combine his Comprehension Ability in the space to perform countless simulations and deductions, optimizing the details of Qi circulation and deducing various possible variants of the rune structure.

Second, carefully sort and memorize all the useful knowledge obtained from the Library Pavilion, especially regarding the geography of the Cangyun Mountain Range, Yao Beast distribution, Southern Wilderness forces, survival as a Loose Cultivator, disguise and camouflage, field survival, identification and processing of basic Medicinal Pills, and so on.

This knowledge would be an important reliance for his future life as a "Loose Cultivator."

At the same time, he also silently pieced together the external situation through Steward Wang's daily lectures, the occasional overheard words, and by observing the frequency and direction of the escaping lights in the sky.

It seemed that after that night raid, the Yao Beasts did not launch a large-scale assault but instead switched to harassment and containment. The Sect was fully defending several key passes and frequently sent elite squads to clear out the roaming Yao Beasts nearby; battles occurred from time to time, with casualties on both sides.

Within the Sect, the rewards for tasks at the Contribution Hall had increased significantly again, especially the exchange ratios for items related to healing, recovery, and defense. At the same time, a "Mandatory Conscription Order" appeared, summoning some Outer Sect Disciples with special skills to join the combat sequence.

The atmosphere grew tenser with each passing day, and resources became more expensive day by day.

That afternoon, Steward Wang hurried over and announced a new order.

"Sect decree! Starting tomorrow, all servants will resume part of their labor! The main task is to assist in cleaning and repairing areas affected by the fighting within the mountain gate, transporting supplies, taking care of injured Spirit Beasts, etc.!"

"During labor, talking is strictly prohibited, snooping is strictly prohibited, and approaching any combat zone or important facility is strictly prohibited! Violators will be executed immediately!"

"Upon completion of labor, you can receive double the Spirit Stone quota!"

The order was cold, but it finally brought a trace of ripples to the stagnant Servant Quarters.

Being able to go out, work, and get Spirit Stones was better than being locked up here waiting to die.

Ye Qing's heart, however, stirred.

Resuming labor meant having a certain range of movement. Clearing the edge of the battlefield, transporting supplies... in these places, there might be an opportunity to come into contact with some "leftovers" of the spoils of war? Or, perhaps hear more cutting-edge news?

"The opportunity has come. Before leaving, I will collect one last wave of information and see if I can pick up some 'trash' along the way."

He planned silently.

Develop steadily, but also know how to seize the opportunity.

Being trapped in a besieged city was by no means the best strategy; active contact and cautious observation were the only ways to make the most accurate judgments.

Night fell once again.

Ye Qing "looked" at the space within his body.

In the ten-zhang heaven and earth, the moonlight flower seedlings had grown a bit taller, and the first batch had already unfolded their third pair of true leaves. The iron wire vine seeds had not yet broken through the soil, but their vitality was growing stronger. The night firefly grass seeds had already quietly cracked open, and a hint of extremely pale tender green was peeking out.

Everything was growing, gestating.

The outside world was dark and stormy, while the inside was full of vitality.

It was time to find a broader stage for the future of this little world.

He closed his eyes, his breathing steady.

The intention to leave, like the tide under the moonlight, quietly rose.