Three days later, after seeing Wang Jiwang off, Yan Shouyi and the others were about to see off another group of companions.
Outside Rongcheng Airport, Yan Shouyi shook hands with Yan Nanfei and the others, his tone full of reluctance.
"You came and left in such a hurry; I didn't even have time to entertain you."
Ling Xiaoxiao said with a sad face, "If it weren't for my master telling me to return to the mountain sect, I would have loved to stay here and not leave! Following Brother Yan and Sister Ziyun, I could eat meat and fish every day, and drink Coca-Cola... Ahh! I'm so reluctant to go!"
Lin Ziyun gave Ling Xiaoxiao a hug. "Xiaoxiao, as long as you have time, you can always come to Rongcheng to find us. We'll definitely have plenty of food and drinks for you!"
"Mhmm!" Ling Xiaoxiao hadn't even left Rongcheng yet, but she was already looking forward to her next visit.
Yan Shouyi called out Yan Nanfei's name, then took out an ancient-looking compass from his satchel and said, "Senior Brother Yan, this Yanxing Compass..."
He was about to return the Yan family's treasure to Yan Nanfei, but Yan Nanfei deliberately turned his head away. "What are you holding? I didn't see anything! I advise you to put it away quickly. If I see it later, I'll snatch it away!"
Yan Shouyi was taken aback. "Senior Brother Yan, this is your Yan family's treasure."
"Although the Yanxing Compass is a treasure, what truly angers our Yan family is that your father played with my aunt's feelings," Yan Nanfei sighed and said, "I've made friends with you, but the hatred between the Yan family and your family will likely not be easily resolved. The Yan family values face, and anything taken will be retrieved by our own hands... So, keep this compass for now. Someone from the Yan family will come to claim it from you in the future."
"This..."
"Just listen to me!"
Unable to overcome Yan Nanfei's stubbornness, Yan Shouyi could only temporarily put away the Yanxing Compass.
Yan Nanfei added, "Yi Hehuan and Fukada Ichiro will probably not let this go. After we leave, you must be careful. If you need help, contact us anytime."
"Thank you." Yan Shouyi shook hands tightly with Yan Nanfei again and patted his shoulder.
He then said to Changshan, "Changshan, Senior Brother Yan and Junior Sister Ling have to return to the mountain due to their master's orders. You don't have any missions, so why not stay a little longer?"
"With Senior Brother Yan and Junior Sister Ling gone, I'll be quite bored here alone. Actually..." Changshan said, "I plan to walk all the way back to Lingyin Temple, to see the true appearance of this world again."
Everyone sighed with emotion. Changshan was about to begin his ascetic practices.
The legendary ascetic monks, making pilgrimages, bowing every three steps and kowtowing every nine steps, seeking their true selves amidst hardship and finding immeasurable Buddha Dharma.
No one knew what had stimulated Changshan this time, making him decide to try walking back to Lingyin Temple.
However, no one stopped him.
They said their goodbyes one by one. Just as they were about to part, Ling Xiaoxiao suddenly received a phone call.
After saying a few words, Ling Xiaoxiao turned around in surprise and said to Yan Shouyi, "Brother Yan, your father and grandmother have arrived at our Emei Mountain! The sect leader and them have already resolved their past grievances and told me not to hunt you down anymore. They also want to give you this!"
As she spoke, Ling Xiaoxiao handed Yan Shouyi a token.
Upon learning that Yan Chou and the others had arrived at Emei Mountain, Yan Shouyi was also quite happy. He took the token and saw the characters "Tai E" engraved on it.
Ling Xiaoxiao explained, "Emei Mountain is vast, and ordinary tourists can't find our sect's location. Only with this Tai E token can you find Tai E Mountain within Emei Mountain. With the token, you can enter and exit our mountain gate freely! My master regards you as family and hopes you will visit us at Emei Mountain when you have time!"
"Really?"
Yan Shouyi was overjoyed. After all, Emei Mountain was his grandmother's hometown, and there were surely many relatives there.
He carefully put away the Tai E token and smiled at Ling Xiaoxiao. "I'll definitely visit you at Emei Mountain when I have the chance!"
"Remember to bring Coke!" Ling Xiaoxiao shouted.
"Hahaha! Okay!"
The boarding time was getting closer, so Yan Nanfei had to pull Ling Xiaoxiao inside. Everyone waved goodbye, looking forward to their reunion.
In fact, everyone would meet again very soon.
Because in the past few days, Yan Shouyi learned that after the Qingming Festival, Longhu Mountain would host the Luotian Grand Ceremony, where outstanding disciples from various sects like Yan Nanfei, Changshan, and Ling Xiaoxiao would all attend.
It was said that the Luotian Grand Ceremony would select the most talented disciples from the Xuanmen to inherit the position of Celestial Master.
At that time, when Yan Nanfei mentioned the position of Celestial Master, Yan Shouyi's expression changed subtly because he remembered obtaining the Longhu Secret Script.
If the Celestial Master were to pass on the position to someone else, by rights, it could only be passed to one of the three people who possessed the Longhu Secret Script.
Therefore, Yan Shouyi raised this question, and Yan Nanfei's answer was:
The Old Celestial Master believed that the position of Celestial Master should go to the most capable. Even if one possessed the Longhu Secret Script, if their strength was too weak, they could not command the respect of the masses. Therefore, at the Luotian Grand Ceremony, outstanding young people from all sects would participate, competing with the three hidden heirs.
If the first-place winner happened to possess the Longhu Secret Script, they could directly inherit the position of Celestial Master. If not, they could still receive generous rewards from Longhu Mountain and the respect of the entire Xuanmen.
So, even if they didn't possess the Longhu Secret Script and weren't qualified to be Celestial Master, they would still enthusiastically participate. One reason was to join the fun, and another was to gain fame. Fame was something highly valued in the Xuanmen. Some old masters, though not strong, were highly respected due to their virtuous reputation.
Therefore, the Luotian Grand Ceremony, held every three years, had become a stage for various sects to showcase the young talents they had cultivated, becoming the grandest event in the Xuanmen. Young people yearned to shine and bring glory to their respective sects, so they would put in extra effort.
With such a grand event, Yan Nanfei and the others naturally wouldn't miss it.
When the three of them learned that Yan Shouyi would also participate in the Luotian Grand Ceremony, they were all very curious. This was because participants in the Luotian Grand Ceremony had always been from famous sects; it was rare for successors of folk sects to participate.
However, they didn't ask too many questions. Instead, they encouraged and supported Yan Shouyi, promising to meet and drink together then.
The three also lamented that the Luotian Grand Ceremony had been held for over a decade without anyone possessing the Longhu Secret Script. But this year was different. The Celestial Master's Mansion was said to have a young person who had obtained the Longhu Secret Script. If he won the championship at this year's Luotian Grand Ceremony, the position of Celestial Master might truly change hands.
Hearing this, Yan Shouyi couldn't help but feel a bit of pressure.
...
After seeing off Yan Nanfei and the others, Yan Shouyi lived a quiet week.
With Wang Jiwang no longer obstructing him, the West Lake project progressed rapidly under Yan Shouyi's supervision.
Besides handling some company matters every day, Lin Ziyun's greatest pleasure was taking Wang Zhirai and Yan Shouyi out shopping.
Every time passersby saw this handsome couple with a cute little boy, they couldn't help but cast envious glances. Lin Ziyun not only didn't mind but was even quite happy.
This made Yan Shouyi a little confused. Didn't girls dislike being called old?
Seeing Lin Ziyun like this, it seemed she wasn't treating Wang Zhirai as a younger brother but as a son.
The more Yan Shouyi thought about it, the stranger it felt. Finally, unable to hold back, he went to ask Long Feicheng.
That day, Long Feicheng was teasing the big shots in the group chat. Just as he was about to tell Yan Shouyi that a few more avengers in the group were missing, he heard Yan Shouyi, after a long absence, consulting him about relationship problems again. He immediately put his own affairs aside and shouted excitedly, "My youth is back!"
Yan Shouyi was confused. "What does that mean?"
Long Feicheng chuckled. "Brother Yan, ever since you got together with sister-in-law, you haven't consulted me about relationship problems! At this moment, hearing your question again, do you know how I feel? It's as if I've returned to the days when we lived in the security dorm of Shanghang Art School. You were young then, and I was still naive. We two..."
"Stop, stop with the nonsense. Answer my question first, and then you can reminisce to your heart's content!" Yan Shouyi interrupted.
Long Feicheng chuckled and then analyzed with a serious expression. "Sister-in-law is already married to you, and now she treats Wang Zhirai as her son, and she likes taking you out shopping, enjoying the admiration of others... All these clues combined... Brother Yan, isn't the answer obvious? Can't you figure it out?!"
Yan Shouyi frowned and said, "Actually, I feel like I have some inkling, but I'm not sure..."
"Hey, you're still too inexperienced. Let me just say it directly!" Long Feicheng said earnestly, "Sister-in-law wants to play role-playing with you!"
"What?" Yan Shouyi looked completely baffled.
Although he didn't understand, Long Feicheng's answer was very different from what he had in mind.
Long Feicheng chuckled lewdly. "When old couples are together, they lack passion, so they usually play a role-playing game. For example, she plays the mother, and you play the son..."
"You mean she wants to be my mother?" Yan Shouyi was shocked. "Do I seem to lack maternal love?"
Long Feicheng was speechless. He directly put his arm around Yan Shouyi's shoulder and said, "I can't teach you this kind of thing through words. How about this? I have a few adult films here. Take them back and study them, and you'll naturally understand!"
Yan Shouyi didn't understand these things. He took the films and thanked Long Feicheng profusely.
Back in his room, Yan Shouyi, with a face full of curiosity, opened the so-called educational films.
In less than three minutes, Yan Shouyi's curiosity turned into bewilderment. He quickly turned off the film with a blushing face, saying self-reproachfully, "This... this is indecent! It's indecent!!"
He didn't understand, but he was greatly shocked.