"Who could have guessed that our initial purpose for coming to Shanghang Art School was merely to retrieve my master's soul?"
On the No. 18 bus, Yan Shouyi rolled down the window, allowing the scorching heat from outside to rush in, ruffling his newly grown bangs.
After resolving the matters at Shanghang Art School, Yan Shouyi was eager to go to the outskirts to collect medicine from Old Jin.
This was because he had noticed Lin Zitong's pale complexion that morning, suspecting that the injuries sustained from the attack by the Bai family's young ghost that night had not yet fully healed.
Long Feicheng sat beside him, talking incessantly.
The dramatic events of the morning had led to the capture of Wan Ninghong and Dong Xi, effectively bringing the Huang Song case and the girls' dormitory case to a close.
In Long Feicheng's eyes, he and Yan Shouyi were both great heroes.
It was just that not many people knew about it.
"As the saying goes, there are deities three feet above your head; the heavens have seen all that Dong Xi and his ilk have done," Yan Shouyi said calmly.
Long Feicheng shook his head. "Brother Yan, you're handsome, so whatever you say is right, but I don't entirely agree with what you just said."
"Oh? Why don't you agree?"
Yan Shouyi turned his head, recalling the phrase his father used to say frequently.
Having grown up with his father and grandfather, Yan Shouyi had naturally absorbed their philosophies. At times, he hadn't seriously considered whether everything his father and grandfather said was absolutely correct.
Long Feicheng said,
"The saying also goes that good deeds are rewarded. Huang Song was a good person, wasn't he? And that girl killed by Dong Xi was at least not a bad person. But where are their rewards? Huang Shihui was even misunderstood as a con artist trying to extort money. If it weren't for us, these injustices would never have been cleared... I think *we* are the great heroes. Heaven is a load of rubbish. If Heaven had eyes, it shouldn't have allowed scoundrels like Dong Xi to be born."
Hearing Long Feicheng's words, Yan Shouyi fell into a brief silence.
Seeing Yan Shouyi not speak, Long Feicheng thought he had convinced him and felt a sense of self-importance.
Just then, an old man sitting in front of them suddenly turned his head and said to Long Feicheng with a smile,
"Young friend, what you said is both right and wrong. All things in this world have their own laws of operation. The suffering one endures in this life is all the karma from past misdeeds. Some people are good in this life, but not necessarily in the next; some people are bad in this life, but not necessarily in the past. Though I don't know what you've experienced, I do know a thing or two about the cycle of cause and effect."
"That's specious reasoning, sir. How can we know about past lives!" Long Feicheng retorted stubbornly.
Yan Shouyi looked up and examined the old man in front. The elder was wearing a very ordinary striped t-shirt, appeared lean, with white hair at his temples and some age spots, but he still looked remarkably spirited.
What caught Yan Shouyi's attention even more was the pipe in the elder's hand. The pipe had an ancient design, a deep brown with a reddish hue, adorned with exquisite carvings, crafted from fine purple bamboo. The mouthpiece was carved from jade, making the pipe itself quite valuable.
At the most prominent spot on the pipe, a simple yet lifelike yellow bull was carved.
The elder noticed Yan Shouyi staring at the pipe and asked, "Young man, why are you staring at my pipe? Have you got a craving for tobacco?"
Yan Shouyi snapped back to attention, smiled shyly, and shook his head, "I don't smoke pipe tobacco; it's too strong and bad for the body."
The elder choked on his words due to Yan Shouyi's blunt reply. Long Feicheng quickly patted his back, saying somewhat helplessly,
"Brother Yan, don't speak so directly; you've upset the old gentleman."
"Cough, cough, I'm fine, cough cough cough cough cough cough."
The elder coughed twice, struggling to recover, his face turning somewhat ashen.
Yan Shouyi felt guilty. While the elder wasn't looking, he subtly pressed a few points on the back of the elder's hand. The elder's breathing immediately smoothed out, and his complexion improved significantly.
"Huh, why am I better?" the elder exclaimed in surprise, not realizing it was Yan Shouyi's doing.
Yan Shouyi said, "Sir, to be honest, I recognize that pipe you're holding."
"You recognize it?"
The elder's eyes widened in surprise, then he chuckled and shook his head. "Young man, don't brag. This pipe has been with me for decades, and I always carry it with me. I've never met you; how could you possibly recognize it?"
"Because this pipe was made by my grandfather."
"What?! You... say that again?"
Yan Shouyi patiently pointed to the yellow bull emblem on the pipe. "Anything made by my grandfather will have a yellow bull mark on it. This mark is unique, so I recognized it at first glance."
The elder's expression shifted from disbelief to shock. He gripped Yan Shouyi's hand, unable to believe it. "You... you are Master Yan's grandson?"
Encountering someone from his past in a strange place, Yan Shouyi felt a sense of familiarity. Although he didn't recognize the elder, knowing that this man had a connection with his grandfather, Yan Shouyi felt a sense of kinship with him.
"Forty years ago, when I was still working hard in Chuan Yu, it was your grandfather who guided me, advising me to develop in Jianzhou, which is how I managed to build my current family business! Ah, so many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I never expected to meet his grandson by chance. This is fate! Fate! ... Young man, where is your grandfather now? How is his health? May I visit him?"
The elder held Yan Shouyi's hand and spoke at length. It was evident that the elder held deep affection for Yan Shouyi's grandfather.
Yan Shouyi replied with a smile, "My grandfather passed away peacefully not long ago."
"This..."
The elder's eyes immediately welled up with sorrow, and he felt a sense of loss. He couldn't help but sigh, "Time flies, and the deceased are like flowing water... Alas. Do you know where your grandfather is buried? May I pay my respects?"
"My grandfather traveled the world his entire life. He didn't wish to be confined to one place even in death. He specifically instructed me to scatter his ashes into the rivers, so he has no tombstone, no grave, and remains in the vastness of the four seas."
When mentioning his grandfather, Yan Shouyi was filled with nostalgia. After all, he had followed his grandfather all over the country since he was young.
The emotions involved were beyond words.
It was precisely because of their deep bond that even though his grandfather had passed away, Yan Shouyi would smile whenever he spoke of him.
"Your grandfather was truly a great man," the elder sighed again.
He paused and said, "Young man, what is your name? Are you settling in Rongcheng now? If it's convenient, I'd like to invite you to my humble abode to recount our past, as a token of my gratitude for your grandfather's help back then."
"My name is Yan Shouyi. 'Shouyi' means to be faithful till the end. Sir, you can just call me Xiao Yan," Yan Shouyi replied. "As for repaying kindness, my grandfather lived his life without seeking reward, so there's no need to mention repayment. I would be happy to visit your home and share a meal!"
"Hahaha, that would be wonderful!" The elder immediately took out a slip of paper from his chest pocket and wrote down his address.
"Three days from now, at sunset, I will be waiting for you at home!"
Yan Shouyi took the slip and glanced at it. He didn't recognize the location, only knowing it was within Rongcheng, so he smiled and nodded in agreement.
The elder didn't ask for Yan Shouyi's contact information, likely believing in the fate that bound them. If they were destined to meet again, contact information wouldn't be necessary; if not, it would be useless anyway.
Soon, Yan Shouyi and Long Feicheng arrived at their stop and alighted the bus. The elder remained on the bus and departed.
After getting off the bus, Long Feicheng muttered, "Brother Yan, is this how you educated folks converse? I feel like I couldn't get a word in edgewise!"
Being unable to participate in the conversation left the talkative Long Feicheng feeling quite disheartened...
Yan Shouyi comforted him, "It was just a small interlude. Getting the medicine from Old Jin is more important."
Long Feicheng thought about it and agreed, "That's right. Seeing that elderly gentleman taking the bus, he probably isn't doing too well..."