"Wow!"
As soon as Ling Xiaoxiao walked into the hotel restaurant, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Yan Nanfei quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Junior Sister Ling, try to be more dignified. Don't let Daoist Wunian and the others laugh at us!"
As they hadn't made prior arrangements, Lin Zitong could only bring them to the hotel's buffet restaurant. However, the buffet was of high caliber. The cost per person was one thousand yuan per meal.
All sorts of delicacies were displayed on the tables, with neatly dressed and well-trained chefs standing behind. Whatever the guests wanted, they would serve it with enthusiasm, offering the freshest and most delicious food.
Ling Xiaoxiao had been cultivating on Mount Emei and this was her first time venturing down the mountain. As soon as she left the mountain gate, she partnered with Yan Nanfei. All along, Yan Nanfei had been managing her, so she hadn't experienced the fun of this vibrant world at all.
Now, she was gaining insight.
Ling Xiaoxiao broke free from Yan Nanfei's grasp and pointed in a direction, saying, "Look at Senior Brother Changshan."
Yan Nanfei followed Ling Xiaoxiao's gaze and saw Changshan take out a wooden alms bowl and perform a Buddhist salute to a chef responsible for vegetarian dishes.
"Amitabha, benevolent female benefactor, could you bestow some food and drink..."
Yan Nanfei covered his face in shame.
This was utterly embarrassing.
He was from the Yan family of Mount Kunlun and had lived a life of luxury since childhood. He had seen everything that Ling Xiaoxiao and Changshan had never encountered. This time, he had stopped Ling Xiaoxiao but had overlooked Changshan.
Yan Shouyi certainly did not mock them. Instead, he smiled and stepped forward to explain the concept of a buffet to Changshan.
Upon hearing this, Changshan exclaimed in surprise, "So much food, and we can take it freely?"
"Yes, we have already paid for it all at once per person."
Changshan immediately felt a crisis of faith. "I cultivate diligently in the mountains and have to go down the mountain to the surrounding villages to beg for food. Getting even leftovers is quite good. I never imagined that people in the city would have so much to eat..."
"Ahem, the country is now prosperous, the people are well-off, and the times have changed."
Yan Shouyi thought to himself, Lingyin Temple is located in Hangzhou, a prosperous region. Even the rural areas there wouldn't be that impoverished. Changshan's previous hardship was likely due to his unscrupulous master testing him.
He wondered if this experience would subvert Changshan's worldview.
After everyone got their food, they chose a large table and sat down. Yan Nanfei said awkwardly, "Daoist Wunian, I am truly sorry. Xiaoxiao and Changshan have been cultivating in the mountains all along, and this is their first time venturing down the mountain."
Yan Shouyi waved his hand, "It's nothing. Everyone just doesn't understand yet. They'll adapt quickly."
Ling Xiaoxiao brought over a large plate of cakes and desserts, with ice cream in her mouth, and said vaguely, "Yes, yes, if we can eat like this every day from now on, I'm sure I'll adapt very quickly!"
Yan Nanfei became even more embarrassed, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.
Yan Shouyi realized that these three were more interesting than he had imagined.
His first encounter with Yan Chou's enemies had been the three martial brothers from Shengxian Monastery. They themselves had wicked intentions and were filled with malicious thoughts.
In contrast, the three before him appeared to be righteous individuals, with no issues in their words or actions.
Especially Monk Changshan, who completely adhered to the rules of the temple, abstaining from meat and alcohol. Compared to him, Monk Miaoji seemed more like a villain...
As for Yan Nanfei, if he weren't here to kill him, Yan Shouyi would have genuinely wanted to befriend him.
As for Ling Xiaoxiao, she was a complete naive sweetheart.
He wondered if all the girls from Mount Emei were so naive and sweet. Perhaps his grandmother was like this too, and was then tricked and whisked away by his grandfather.
Lin Zitong poured Ling Xiaoxiao a glass of cola, "Don't worry, as long as you're willing, we can eat like this every day, and I can take you to eat all over Rongcheng!"
"Thank you, Senior Sister Chi Qing!" Ling Xiaoxiao called out sweetly, then took a sip of cola, trembling all over. "This, what kind of divine beverage is this? It's so delicious!!!!"
Long Feicheng chuckled, "You've never had cola before, have you?"
Ling Xiaoxiao shook her head. "In the past, on the mountain, I drank at most honey water every day."
"Tsk tsk tsk, how pitiful!" Long Feicheng said. "This is called cola, also known as 'fat otaku happy water.' How is it, do you feel happy after drinking it?"
Ling Xiaoxiao nodded heavily. "I'm happy! I want to be happy every day from now on!!"
Just as Ling Xiaoxiao was rejoicing about her future happy life, Yan Nanfei suddenly poured cold water on her.
"No! We are not here to indulge!"
The topic abruptly shifted. Yan Shouyi and the others silently closed their mouths and exchanged glances.
While it was nice to chat happily, they dared not forget the purpose of these three coming to Rongcheng.
Changshan then said, "That's right... we should not be greedy for pleasure. We are here to capture Yan Shouyi."
Yan Shouyi sighed. It would be great if these three had no enmity with him. Perhaps they could even become friends.
He asked,
"The three of you, may I ask what grudges your elders have with Yan Chou, and why must you take revenge on the Yan family?"
Yan Nanfei slammed the table and cursed,
"Does that need asking? The Yan family are cunning and treacherous, they have done all sorts of evil, trampled on human lives, and lost all conscience! And that Yan Shouyi, it is said that he is also a philanderer, committing murder and arson every day, and defiling countless innocent girls!"
Yan Shouyi: "..."
Long Feicheng and Lin Zitong stared at Yan Shouyi playfully, their gazes seeming to say: Wow! So you've done so many bad things!
Yan Shouyi also wanted to say: So I've done so many bad things...
"Who told you all this?" Lin Zitong asked.
Yan Nanfei replied, "Naturally, my father."
Elders of the Yan family?
Long Feicheng pressed further, "What did Yan Chou do to your father back then?"
Mentioning this, Yan Nanfei gritted his teeth in hatred. "Yan Chou cheated my aunt's affections back then and stole our Yan family's ancestral Yanxing Compass!"
"That's truly detestable!"
Yan Shouyi chimed in, and subtly reached into his satchel to hide the compass even deeper...
He had been wondering why the back of the compass in his hand was engraved with the characters "Yan Xing." It turned out his father had tricked it from the Yan family of Mount Kunlun back then.
Yan Nanfei sighed. "It's one thing for Yan Chou to cheat for money, but more importantly, he deceived my aunt's affections. Years have passed, and my aunt still remains alone, her heart still yearning for Yan Chou, as if her soul has been ensnared. Every time my father sees my aunt's dejected and sad appearance, he wishes he could tear Yan Chou to pieces! Of course, if we can catch that bastard Yan Chou, we will deal with him in the same manner!"
Yan Shouyi took a deep breath.
Good heavens, he absolutely cannot let Yan Nanfei know his identity!
"That is truly an irreconcilable hatred," Long Feicheng nodded and asked Ling Xiaoxiao, "Junior Sister Ling, what's the story with your Emei Sect?"
Ling Xiaoxiao's mouth was full of cake, and she choked for a moment. She quickly gulped down some cola before she could recover.
"We, well, it's not because of Yan Chou, but because of Yan Chou's father, what's his name... Yan Baixiang, I think. Yan Baixiang lured away our former sect leader!"
Yan Nanfei angrily exclaimed, "The Yan family are indeed a bunch of lechers!"
Yan Shouyi coughed a few times.
"As far as I know, Yan Baixiang and your Emei Sect's former sect leader Wen Yuxian were mutually in love. How can you say he lured her away?" Yan Shouyi felt it was necessary to defend his grandfather and grandmother's relationship.
However, Ling Xiaoxiao said, "Our Emei Sect has a rule that sect leaders throughout the generations cannot have romantic relationships. The former sect leader had just been nominated, and that night Yan Baixiang snuck into our mountain. The next morning, he announced to the former sect leader that they had a child together while holding the former sect leader. The old sect leader was so angry that he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on the spot, and his hundred years of cultivation were ruined!"
Yan Shouyi: "..."
What a mess!
Yan Shouyi felt his own life was already exciting enough, but he never expected his father and grandfather to have lived even more spectacular lives in their youth.
He hadn't expected his grandfather to be such a ruthless character back then.
"So that's why you targeted members of the Yan family?" Yan Shouyi asked.
Ling Xiaoxiao nodded. "The current sect leader... my master, has ordered that anyone from the Yan family captured will be castrated to prevent them from doing evil in the future."
Yan Shouyi swallowed. "That's only right, only right."
Lin Zitong and Long Feicheng, seeing Yan Shouyi's wronged expression, almost burst out laughing.
Finally, Yan Shouyi looked at Changshan.
This guy is a monk. Monks have compassion. He shouldn't be too ruthless, right?
When asked about the reason, Changshan put down his chopsticks, clasped his hands together, and said, "Amitabha."
Then:
"That scoundrel Yan Chou broke the precept of chastity for Miaoji, whom I raised with my own urine and feces, and from then on, he became irrepressible. I forcibly brought Miaoji back to the mountain, and Yan Chou brought a bunch of ruffians to cause trouble on the mountain. Not only did he snatch Miaoji away, but he also urinated on the head of the Bodhisattva! Changshan, if you see anyone from the Yan family, don't say anything, just use a 'Rulai Shenzhang' on them and send them to see Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva!"
After speaking, Changshan returned to his normal demeanor. "This is what Master said."
Yan Shouyi and the others were stunned.
So this is how Uncle Miaoji got lured away!
No wonder he, a monk, was always clamoring to go to hostess clubs with that "dog Taoist."
No, the "dog Taoist" is also a monk!
Yan Shouyi had previously guessed that Miaoji was a monk from Lingyin Temple, and now he had confirmation from Changshan.
After hearing about the grievances and enmities carried by the three of them, Yan Shouyi couldn't help but feel immense pressure.
Undeniably, Yan Nanfei and the other two were not bad people.
It was all the fault of his father and grandfather for being too reckless in their youth, causing a lot of trouble and accumulating a lot of debt.
Now, the grandson Yan Shouyi had to repay these debts. It was truly detestable!
[Author's Note]
I've been traveling these past two days, and it's not convenient to code, so the updates haven't been great. There won't be an update tonight at midnight, but normal updates will resume tomorrow night.