"My friend, what is wrong with you?" Tong Jiuhua asked, puzzled.
Even though his mind was in chaos, Yan Shouyi quickly regained control, suppressed all expression, and replied, "My apologies, junior. I fumbled just now and dropped my wine glass."
"It's nothing. We aren't people who fuss over such things!" Lü Jingsheng refilled Yan Shouyi's cup. "We're hitting it off well. Come, let's continue drinking!"
"Drink... drink!"
In that instant, Yan Shouyi understood why the ancients were so fond of drowning their sorrows with wine.
A certain impulse burned within him, an impulse that could only be numbed by alcohol.
Thus, he drank with Lü Jingsheng, cup after cup, and did not refuse Tong Jiuhua's toasts. Lü Jingsheng and Tong Jiuhua, unaware of the turmoil in Yan Shouyi's heart, felt that their junior was being very respectful and looked upon him even more highly.
As a result, Yan Shouyi managed to drink Lü Jingsheng under the table, and even Tong Jiuhua’s eyes grew glazed, his stance unsteady.
"Come on, drink up! You two still have so much left in your cups, are you raising goldfish?" Yan Shouyi asked, lifting his own cup.
Tong Jiuhua pointed at Yan Shouyi, and after a long moment, managed to utter, "You kid... you're so real... In all these years, no one has dared to speak to me like this!"
"Stop with the nonsense, are you drinking or not? I don't care, I'm toasting. Help yourself!"
After another cup went down, Yan Shouyi suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded, and collapsed straight onto the floor.
Looking at the ceiling, the image of Lin Zitong couldn't help but appear in his mind.
He had finally made up his mind, so why did she already have an engagement?
Should this relationship continue?
Just as Yan Shouyi was lost in his confusion, a figure walked into the private room.
The person wore a sullen expression. A glance swept across the room, and then he said coldly, "The kid lying on the ground, are you the inheritor of Lu Ban?"
Annoyed and flustered, Yan Shouyi couldn't even be bothered with Lü Jingsheng anymore, let alone this person who barged in rudely.
So he simply closed his eyes, not responding to the question.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Tong Jiuhua frowned and said, "Senior Brother, where have you been these past few days? The Sect Master couldn't find you anywhere."
The other person snorted, "I have my own places to be. The Sect Master cannot control me."
"This is Yan Shouyi, the inheritor of Lu Ban. You've arrived just in time. Have a couple more drinks with him. I'll introduce you. My friend, this is Lü Jing, the Grand Elder of our Lüshan Sect."
Yan Shouyi, with his eyes closed, heard the name Lü Jing and couldn't help but open them.
This was Zhou Mingyuan's master?
The Grand Elder of the Lüshan Sect who, to protect his own reputation, merely quietly expelled his disciple even when he had made a mistake, and didn't even bother with the aftermath?
Now, Yan Shouyi found him extremely displeasing.
Lü Jing sneered and said to Tong Jiuhua, "He's just a brat. Why be polite to him? Just arrest him and force him to reveal the secrets of the Lu Ban Scroll!"
Tong Jiuhua frowned, "Our Lüshan Sect is a righteous sect. We cannot act like this!"
"If you don't dare to do it, then I will!"
As Lü Jing spoke, he stepped forward, grabbed Yan Shouyi by the collar, and pulled him up from the ground. "You brat, hand over the Lu Ban Scroll!"
Yan Shouyi was still fuming. Being grabbed by the collar, he didn't even think before spitting directly onto Lü Jing's face.
With your status as the Grand Elder of the Lüshan Sect, what right do you have to speak to me like this?
Lü Jing's eyes widened, staring at Yan Shouyi in disbelief.
He flung Yan Shouyi away, grabbed a towel from the table, and wiped his face. "You scoundrel, are you looking for death?"
Yan Shouyi got up with a laugh, speaking drunkenly,
"If my grandfather were here, even the Sect Master of the Lüshan Sect wouldn't dare speak to me like this. You, a mere Grand Elder, truly think you're someone important? Want the Lu Ban Scroll? Fine, call me 'Daddy'!"
Lü Jing was furious. "Presumptuous!"
"You are presumptuous!" Yan Shouyi pointed at Lü Jing and shouted, "Don't think I don't know about the dirty deeds you do behind closed doors. Heaven's justice is a cycle; heaven spares no one. Your retribution is coming soon!"
Hearing Yan Shouyi's words, Lü Jing actually felt a touch of guilt.
But he also thought that Yan Shouyi was too young, what could he possibly know? It was merely blustering.
So Lü Jing mocked, "Yan Shouyi, young people shouldn't speak so arrogantly. What ability do you have to dare speak to me like this? Aren't you afraid I'll just eliminate you right here?!"
Seeing the conflict escalating, Tong Jiuhua felt overwhelmed. He was, after all, only the Second Elder, and his strength was inferior to Lü Jing's, making it impossible for him to stop him.
The only one who could keep Lü Jing in check, Lü Jingsheng, was now dead drunk and unconscious, utterly incapable of intervening.
"Heh heh!"
Yan Shouyi staggered in a circle, speaking dismissively, "You look down on me, don't you? You look down on the inheritor of Lu Ban, don't you? Today, I will show you what it means to be an inheritor of Lu Ban!"
As Yan Shouyi spoke, a golden light flashed in his eyes. He then stamped his foot on the ground. Both Tong Jiuhua and Lü Jing felt their vision blur.
When they opened their eyes again, the surrounding scenery had completely vanished. The three of them were now within a massive Bagua formation!
Tong Jiuhua exclaimed in shock, "This is the art of Qimen Dunjia from the Wuhou Sect!"
The art of Qimen Dunjia was created by Chancellor Feng Hou during the Yellow Emperor's campaign against Chi You. It is based on the Luo Shu and the Post-Heaven Bagua, combined with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. Moving one gate commands eight trigrams, allowing control over everything in the surroundings. Once an outsider enters the Bagua formation, they become like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others!
Lü Jing was also startled by Yan Shouyi's display, but his eyes revealed even greater greed.
The art of Qimen Dunjia was impossible for outsiders to learn, except for those from the Wuhou Sect. However, the Lu Ban Scroll contained its records, and Yan Shouyi had learned it.
If they could seize the Lu Ban Scroll, the Lüshan Sect's prosperity would be within reach!
Yan Shouyi stood in the center of the formation and softly chanted, "The principles of Yin and Yang, cyclic and reversed, are profound and difficult to fathom. The two solstices return to the one Nine Palaces. If one can understand the principles of Yin and Yang, heaven and earth are within a single palm!"
"Gate of Injury! Kan Palace! Xuanwu cuts off water, yielding no resistance!"
Yan Shouyi stamped his foot again. The Bagua formation instantly disappeared, and Lü Jing and Tong Jiuhua were instantly back in reality.
They immediately checked their bodies and found they were unharmed. Looking around, there were no changes either.
Lü Jing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his face showing disdain. "What was that all about? It was all sound and fury, signifying nothing, kid. You haven't learned the art of Qimen Dunjia properly yet!"
Yan Shouyi centered his mind and exhaled a breath of turbid air.
He ignored Lü Jing's taunts and quietly walked to the window, rolling up the blinds.
The scene outside the West Lake Elegant Residence immediately stunned Lü Jing and Tong Jiuhua into silence.
"Impossible... impossible... this isn't real..." Lü Jing's face turned pale, his lips repeating the words incessantly.
"The art of Qimen Dunjia possesses such power..." Tong Jiuhua was astonished by Yan Shouyi's strength and the terror of Qimen Dunjia.
Yan Shouyi smiled without speaking, leaning by the window, enjoying the relief after his audacious act.
...
Outside the window, the murmurs of the crowd gradually grew louder.
"My heavens, what's happening? In the blink of an eye, how did the West Lake dry up?!"
"I was just taking pictures right here..."
"Such a vast West Lake, drying up just like that. Where did all that water go?!"
"A divine miracle! A divine miracle!"
"Why do I feel like this is the work of demons?"
"This is clearly an omen of great misfortune. Calamity is likely to befall us soon!"