The latter half of the night, a heavy rain suddenly fell from the sky.
By morning, the sky had cleared up again.
On the bridal bed, Yan Shouyi slowly woke up.
He glanced at the lovely person in his arms and felt a pang of guilt.
Had he hurt her last night?
The warmth within the covers made Yan Shouyi reluctant to get up, but the sunlight outside indicated that it was not too early.
So Yan Shouyi carefully tried to pull his hand out from under Lin Zitong's head.
To his surprise, this action disturbed Lin Zitong.
Lin Zitong's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and a sliver of her eyes opened. Upon seeing Yan Shouyi clearly, she directly hugged his arm and pressed it beneath her:
"Don't go, let me sleep a little longer... I was so tired yesterday."
Yan Shouyi swallowed.
He had drunk a bit too much yesterday, and his head still ached. Consequently, his memories of last night were rather hazy.
Now slightly more awake, feeling the softness pressing against his arm, he involuntarily had a reaction.
This reaction startled Lin Zitong awake.
Lin Zitong, with a flushed face, bit Yan Shouyi's arm:
"You're being naughty again!"
Yan Shouyi also felt a bit embarrassed and quickly said, covering himself with the blanket:
"I'll get up and wash myself first. You should get dressed."
Lin Zitong glared at Yan Shouyi impatiently: "What you're saying sounds exactly like a heartless man."
Yan Shouyi hesitated: "Should I help you put on your clothes?"
"Get lost!"
Yan Shouyi quickly fled to the washroom.
Watching Yan Shouyi's retreating figure, Lin Zitong couldn't help but reveal a smile.
From this day forward, they were husband and wife.
A couple who would share hardships and face death together.
Becoming Yan Shouyi's bride had been Lin Zitong's dream since childhood, and it had finally come true last night.
She wrapped herself in the quilt and fumbled around the bedside for a moment, finding the clean clothes that Lu Caiwei had brought yesterday.
As if sensing Yan Shouyi was about to return, Lin Zitong quickly put on her clothes.
She was a bit more proactive and generous than Yan Shouyi, but she was still a young maiden, and most of the time she was shy.
By the time Yan Shouyi returned, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts, Lin Zitong had already dressed and was about to get out of bed.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Lin Zitong stood up, her legs felt weak and she stumbled. Yan Shouyi quickly reached out to support her.
"What's wrong?" Yan Shouyi asked anxiously, "Is your injury not healed yet?"
Lin Zitong glared at Yan Shouyi: "It's all thanks to your good deeds yesterday!"
Yan Shouyi: "..."
"My legs are just a bit sore, I'll be fine in a moment. You should hurry and get dressed too, we still need to serve tea to your father."
According to traditional custom, the bride needs to serve tea to her in-laws on the second day. Lin Zitong naturally wanted to play her part well, so she was afraid of being late.
Yan Shouyi chuckled: "Don't be too nervous. Don't you know my father's personality? As long as we're happy, whether we serve tea or not doesn't matter."
"How your father acts is his business, but him not caring doesn't mean I can neglect it!" Lin Zitong tapped Yan Shouyi's head. "It's only because I'm likable that I get this treatment; if it were someone else, would they get it?"
Yan Shouyi laughed heartily: "Yes, yes, yes, you're everyone's beloved little rascal!"
"Hmph, hurry up and change!" Lin Zitong pouted slightly, then urged Yan Shouyi to change quickly.
The suit from yesterday had been torn to shreds in the fight. The clothes placed in the room now were new ones that Aunt Zheng Zhaodi had bought for Yan Shouyi.
Compared to yesterday's suit, the new clothes today were more casual. Yan Shouyi glanced at the tag and casually asked Lin Zitong:
"What brand is this? Why is it called Anima, it sounds like an insult."
Lin Zitong glanced at it and explained: "You misread it, it's Armani. It's a luxury brand, after all."
"Oh... the fabric is indeed good, but it doesn't seem worth the price!"
"Aunt Zheng Zhaodi seems very different, her taste wouldn't be wrong. You should put them on quickly."
Yan Shouyi put on the clothes and indeed looked much more spirited and handsome, even more pleasing to the eye than yesterday's suit.
The two had to admire Zheng Zhaodi's taste, and they were also curious about her true identity.
Although Yan Chou had not specifically introduced the origins of people like the Dog Taoist and the Venerable Monk Miaoji, it was at least apparent that they were a Taoist and a monk.
Zheng Zhaodi's attire and demeanor were the most normal among the Thirteen Protectors of Xuan Mountain. It was precisely because of this that Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong could not discern her identity or origin at all.
After changing their clothes, the two prepared tea in the room and carried it out to find Yan Chou.
Yesterday, all the people from the Bai family had been swept out of the estate. Therefore, the vast manor was mostly devoid of people.
Even if there were any, they were disciples from the Lü Mountain Sect left to handle the aftermath.
And more than half of the twenty-odd Protectors of Xuan Mountain had left after the banquet ended last night.
After wandering aimlessly in the manor for a while, Yan Shouyi finally saw a familiar face.
It was Zou Xiazi, sitting under a tree, lost in thought.
Beside Zou Xiazi, the mongrel dog belonging to the Dog Taoist lay bored. Upon seeing Yan Shouyi approach, the mongrel dog happily wagged its tail.
"Uncle Zou!" Yan Shouyi called out.
Zou Xiazi was startled and looked around blankly: "Who called me?"
Yan Shouyi walked up to Zou Xiazi and said, "It's me, Shouyi. Zitong and I are on our way to serve tea to my father."
"Oh, so it's you two!" Zou Xiazi smiled. "You young couple made quite a stir last night. I couldn't sleep all night."
Lin Zitong's face immediately turned crimson. She felt the sound hadn't been that loud...
It must be that Zou Xiazi's hearing was better than ordinary people's!
Yan Shouyi also felt awkward and quickly changed the subject: "Do you know where my father is?"
"He, he's in the main hall ahead. He got up early this morning, saying he had some matters to attend to. The Dog Taoist and the bald monk Miaoji are also there," Zou Xiazi directed.
Yan Shouyi quickly thanked him and then led Lin Zitong towards the main hall.
The Bai family's manor had been significantly damaged during yesterday's battle, with collapsed walls scattered everywhere along the road.
The citizens of Rongcheng had no idea that yesterday they had all been on the brink of death.
As the two arrived outside the main hall, they saw quite a few people standing inside from a distance.
"What's going on?"
Yan Shouyi wondered: "Does my father have so many connections? I just saw off a group of uncles and aunts yesterday, and many more have arrived today?"
However, as Yan Shouyi got closer, he realized that the people in the main hall were all from the Li family of West Lake!
Li Peizong, the current head of the Li family of West Lake, and the father of Li Qing'er, was standing there with a furious expression.
But he wasn't directing his anger at Yan Chou; rather, it was at Li Peihua, who was kneeling on the ground!
The intelligent Lin Zitong instantly understood what was happening:
"Li Peihua betrayed the Li family, colluded with the Bai family, and caused the death of the Li family's ancestor. It can also be said that he was indirectly involved in the formation of the Refining Fiend Reincarnation Array. Dad called him over early this morning to settle the score!"
Yan Shouyi glanced at Lin Zitong: "You call him 'Dad' quite smoothly."
"I've been practicing for many years!" Lin Zitong said proudly.
Yan Shouyi stated: "Last time I killed Bai Shixi and came out of Ping'an Building, I didn't have time to settle the score with Li Peihua. Since he's here today, I'll settle both the old and new grudges!"