Yan Chou's second cigarette had also been finished.
Yan Shouyi glanced at his watch. They had been chatting for almost half an hour.
The two police officers who had promised to return in twenty minutes also hadn't come back.
It seemed his father had been living quite a leisurely life here.
After clarifying the matter about Xue Kai, Yan Shouyi's main purpose for visiting was resolved.
He then proceeded to tell Yan Chou about some of his recent experiences.
From arriving in Rongcheng, helping Zhang Guodong solve the bridge construction problem, to his recent trip back from the Liu family.
He held nothing back from his father, as Yan Chou likely knew more than he did.
Yan Chou, on the other hand, even though he already knew what had been happening around Yan Shouyi, still listened with great concentration.
The same events, told from different perspectives, evoked different feelings.
By the end, Yan Shouyi also expressed his confusion.
"Although all the clues indicate that Lu Jing is telling the truth, I still find it hard to believe that Lü Jingsheng could be a bad person," Yan Shouyi said, frowning.
Yan Chou laughed heartily, ignoring Yan Shouyi's confusion, and instead patted his thigh, sighing.
"It's a shame bigamy is illegal now, otherwise, it would have been great if you could have taken that young lady from the Liu family as well!"
Yan Shouyi was dumbfounded. "Dad, can you be serious for a moment?"
"Dad is being very serious!"
Yan Chou changed the subject. "Regarding the Great Formation of Refined Yin and Rebirth, my opinion doesn't really matter. You are the one who experienced it firsthand. Since you feel something is wrong, it means there must be something fishy. Dad believes your intuition, and you should trust yourself."
Yan Shouyi asked doubtfully, "Then, do you mean Lü Jingsheng is really not a bad person?"
"I met Lü Jingsheng once, back on Longhu Mountain. Lü Jingsheng himself possessed an upright aura, not like a bad person, unless he had cultivated to the point of going mad..."
Indeed, Lü Jingsheng gave off an impression of being too profound and too righteous.
This was why Yan Shouyi persistently refused to believe Lü Jingsheng was a bad person.
But Yan Chou's answer only deepened Yan Shouyi's confusion.
If Lü Jing wasn't a bad person, and Lü Jingsheng wasn't a bad person, then who was the villain?
Within the Lü Shan Sect, who else could help the Bai family?
Could it be the Second Elder, Tong Jiuhua?
Tong Jiuhua had a low presence, which led Yan Shouyi to overlook him previously.
But this fellow was actually not weak; he also held a certain position in Rongcheng. Otherwise, the arrogant big star Dong Xi wouldn't have been so easily intimidated by Tong Jiuhua's name.
Yan Shouyi began to re-examine all the clues.
Regardless, visiting Yan Chou today had provided Yan Shouyi with much inspiration.
At this moment, the two police officers also returned.
Seeing Yan Chou still talking with Yan Shouyi, the two of them wisely asked, "Brother Chou, shall we go for another smoke?"
Yan Chou glanced at Yan Shouyi. "No need. My son and I have talked enough. Anyway, I'll be out soon, and we'll have plenty of time to talk later!"
The two police officers smiled and said, "The tough times are finally coming to an end!"
"But I feel like the good times are coming to an end!" Yan Chou said. "The brothers here speak so nicely, and everyone is a talent..."
Others couldn't help but chuckle. Besides that person named Zhou, only Yan Chou could view his time in prison so optimistically.
Yan Chou turned around and instructed Yan Shouyi.
"In another half a month, your father will see the light of day again. You must come to pick me up. If I don't see you then, hmph."
Yan Shouyi replied with a wry smile, "Don't worry, Dad. I will definitely be there."
"Alright!"
Yan Chou lingered no further, turning and leaving the visiting room with a flourish.
Yan Shouyi, on the other hand, sat in his chair, still feeling a sense of reluctance.
After a moment, he began to process the conversation from the day.
Just as he was about to get up, a hand landed on his shoulder.
Yan Shouyi looked up to see the police officer who had led him in earlier.
"Shouyi, my name is Zhang Yu. I've been working here for six years, and your dad's ward was under my jurisdiction," the officer said with a smile.
Yan Shouyi quickly shook Zhang Yu's hand. "Thank you for taking care of my father all these years."
Zhang Yu shook his head. "Not at all. It was your father who looked after us."
Yan Shouyi's mouth twitched.
Dad, what exactly have you been doing in here!
Zhang Yu smiled and slung an arm around Yan Shouyi's shoulder, acting as if they were close friends. Then, he whispered to Yan Shouyi.
"Shouyi, Uncle isn't here for anything else really. I just want to ask you, your dad can divine fortunes. Can you do it at all?"
Yan Shouyi frowned, his tone cautious. "Why are you asking this?"
"Ahem! I don't mean anything by it. Aren't you curious why your dad has been doing so well here?" Zhang Yu chuckled. "Two years ago, he suddenly started telling fortunes for everyone. First, he did it for us guards, and all of us became prosperous, which earned him some preferential treatment. Then he started doing it for prisoners about to be released, and those prisoners, after getting out, became extremely successful!"
"So, for the past two years, your dad here wasn't really a prisoner, but more like a living immortal! Some people even specifically came here to seek his fortune-telling."
"However, your dad doesn't usually act readily, unless he needs some help, or for very special people, only then would he be willing to tell fortunes."
"He told my fortune a few years ago too. In return, I allowed him an extra half-hour of yard time each day."
"But later, as his reputation grew, he stopped telling fortunes for me, only offering occasional cryptic advice. My comprehension isn't high, so I never seized the opportunity."
"Saying all this, Uncle actually just wants to ask you, can you tell my fortune? My financial luck hasn't been going well lately..."
After a lengthy preamble, Zhang Yu finally revealed his true intention.
However, what he said wasn't entirely useless; at least it let Yan Shouyi know what his father had been up to for the past two years.
Yan Shouyi thought for a moment and said, "In our line of work, we shouldn't reveal heavenly secrets easily, so I'm not sure if I can help you. However... first, tell me your birth date and time, and I'll try to calculate it."
Zhang Yu was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately handed Yan Shouyi a prepared slip of paper.
His birth date and time were written on it.
Yan Shouyi glanced at it and began to count on his fingers.
For this kind of divination, the Xiao Liu Ren divine technique was the simplest. And Zhang Yu was a minor figure, so he didn't even need to use a luopan.
After calculating for two minutes, Yan Shouyi suddenly frowned.
His expression turned quite grim.
Seeing this, Zhang Yu felt a little uneasy and couldn't help but ask, "What's the result?"
Yan Shouyi opened his eyes and smiled. "I'm sorry, Uncle Zhang. Perhaps my skills haven't been fully learned yet, and I can't calculate your financial luck."
"Ah?"
Zhang Yu's face showed clear disappointment, but there was nothing he could do. After all, he hadn't particularly expected much from this young lad Yan Shouyi from the start.
Disappointed, he could only see Yan Shouyi out, and his attitude was noticeably less enthusiastic than before.
As Yan Shouyi walked out of the visiting room and saw Zhang Yu return, he quickly counted on his fingers a few more times.
After the calculation, his face darkened completely.
How could he not be able to calculate Zhang Yu's fate?
It was just that he had calculated it, but dared not speak it.
Zhang Yu's fate was originally one of smooth sailing, enjoying his retirement with many descendants when he reached old age.
However, for some reason, Zhang Yu had prematurely overdrawn his lifespan.
For example.
Zhang Yu was supposed to have a windfall at the age of forty.
But now, at thirty-three, he had already gotten rich and bought a BMW.
Then, when he reached forty, what was supposed to happen didn't, and instead, it could lead to disaster.
At the age of forty, his mother would fall gravely ill and urgently need money for treatment.
The now-rich Zhang Yu would be able to provide the money for treatment then.
But now, Zhang Yu wouldn't be able to.
And the person who caused Zhang Yu's fate to change was undoubtedly Yan Shouyi's father, Yan Chou!
"Altering destiny against heaven's will is a grave taboo. Dad, oh Dad, who knows how many people's fates you've altered these past two years. What are you trying to do!" Yan Shouyi muttered anxiously to himself.