The days following the wedding gradually saw the hustle and bustle subside.
The Bai family cautiously returned, lurking around the manor, wanting to go home but not daring to provoke Yan Chou and the others inside.
In truth, Yan Shouyi found it difficult to adjust to life in the Bai family manor. As the saying goes, there's no place like home, even if it's a humble abode. Despite Lin Zitong's presence, he preferred his security guard dorm at Shanghang Art School.
He even felt a bit out of sorts from not hearing Long Feicheng brag in his ear these past few nights.
However, staying at the Bai family manor was also a necessity. After all, the wedding guests needed a place to stay.
So, it wasn't that Yan Shouyi and his group wanted to linger there; it was because Yan Chou still had matters to attend to and guests to host.
Once all the guests were seen off, Yan Shouyi could no longer stay put.
He bid farewell to Yan Chou and, with Lin Zitong, descended the mountain and returned to the city.
Lin Zitong had suddenly disappeared from her company for days, skipped classes, and even had a shotgun wedding. Many who were unaware of the situation were frantic.
Therefore, after dropping Yan Shouyi at the entrance of Shanghang Art School, Lin Zitong drove off to attend to her own matters.
After several days of doting, Yan Shouyi, back at Shanghang Art School, felt an unfamiliar sense of emptiness around him.
"Alas, people are just inherently stubborn!" Yan Shouyi mused.
He entered Shanghang Art School. Everything seemed the same as before, as if unaffected by the Fiend Refining and Rebirth Formation. The students had no idea they had nearly become sacrifices for the formation.
The follow-up work by the Lu Mountain Sect was commendable. Now, the entire Shanghang Art School barely registered any lingering malevolent energy. It was likely that the ghosts that had once occupied the place were mostly dealt with. Even if any survived, they wouldn't dare linger here, instead seeking new dens.
This battle had brought about a major reshuffle of powers in Rongcheng.
All three Ghost King families had met their end.
Lost in thought, Yan Shouyi had just entered the school when he was stopped by a scrawny security guard.
"Hold it right there. You're not a student here. Where's your pass? Show it!"
Yan Shouyi looked up, and the security guard blocking him was none other than Da Fei.
He pointed to his face and asked, "Don't you recognize me?"
Da Fei scrutinized Yan Shouyi with suspicion, then exclaimed, "Brother?!"
Upon hearing that their "Brother" had returned, the other security guards beside Da Fei quickly gathered around:
"Brother, where have you been these past few days? You just vanished without a word!"
"Exactly! The other day Xiao Long came back, but he didn't say where you were. It was all so mysterious!"
"Brother, you're not wearing the security uniform, so I almost didn't recognize you. Where did you buy those clothes? They look really expensive!"
Yan Shouyi was wearing brand-name clothes gifted by Zheng Zhaodi, which were on a completely different level from the shabby security uniform he usually wore. That's why Da Fei hadn't recognized him at first, assuming he was a rich kid from another nearby university coming to pick up girls at Shanghang Art School.
Yan Shouyi smiled and explained, "I took some time off to get married. I've landed myself a rich woman, and I might be here to resign this time."
Everyone was stunned.
Took time off?
Married?
And landed a rich woman???
What in the world was going on!
Da Fei couldn't believe it. "Brother, with your status, do you need to chase after a rich woman? Which rich woman is it?"
His subordinates chimed in, "Yeah, how did Brother meet this rich woman? Are there any tips? I have a friend who said he doesn't want to work hard anymore!"
Faced with everyone's curiosity, Yan Shouyi smiled enigmatically and offered no explanation.
Although they had worked together for a while, it was unlikely they would have any further interactions.
Therefore, he saw no need to explain unnecessary things.
Seeing that Yan Shouyi didn't intend to elaborate, Da Fei changed the subject. "Brother, something happened at the school yesterday. You probably don't know about it yet, right?"
"What happened?" Yan Shouyi's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that more ghosts were causing trouble at the school?
The Fiend Refining and Rebirth Formation had disrupted the school's warding formation, so it was inevitable that some ghosts would escape and wreak havoc. The Lu Mountain Sect disciples couldn't possibly catch them all.
Therefore, if Yan Shouyi encountered any, he wouldn't stand idly by.
However, Da Fei was talking about something else entirely. "Our school's principal, who was recently appointed, has suddenly gone missing."
"Missing?"
"Yes, and the latest notice was only issued yesterday. The principal was last seen three days ago. I heard from a rumor that the police found many human skin masks in Principal Zhong's home. One of the human skin masks looked exactly like Principal Zhong! Some say Principal Zhong is a skin-changing ghost who came to our school to select beautiful skins to take away!"
Da Fei recounted the story with vivid detail, his expression and tone making it a shame he wasn't telling ghost stories.
Despite his words, he didn't quite believe these rumors. He chuckled after finishing his tale.
"But I guess Principal Zhong couldn't handle the pressure you put on him, Brother, and just ran away in secret! Hahahaha!"
Yan Shouyi, however, couldn't laugh.
It was already strange enough that Principal Zhong shared the same name and looked alike as Luo Ning's master.
But since Luo Ning hadn't uncovered anything, Yan Shouyi had to disregard him for the time being.
Now, with Principal Zhong's inexplicable disappearance and the discovery of multiple human skin masks in his home, coinciding with the timeline of Tong Jingcheng's abduction and Tong Jiuhua's murder…
Could it be that Principal Zhong was behind it all?
Although there was no concrete evidence, Yan Shouyi believed this possibility couldn't be ruled out. After all, Shanghang Art School was one of the three eye points of the Fiend Refining and Rebirth Formation. It was plausible that Tong Jingcheng had sent a confidant to impersonate the principal, effectively guarding the formation point.
Yan Shouyi filed this matter away in his mind, planning to discuss it with Lin Zitong later.
"Do you know where Xiao Long is?" Yan Shouyi asked.
Da Fei chuckled, "He's either sleeping in the security dorm or trying to pick up girls below the girls' dormitory building!"
Yan Shouyi found that reasonable. Long Feicheng only had these two hobbies in life.
So, he first went to the security dorm. Seeing no one there, he headed to Lu Caiwei's dormitory building.
As expected, he found Long Feicheng sitting on a bench below the building, idly scrolling through his phone.
Yan Shouyi walked up and patted Long Feicheng's shoulder. "What are you doing?"
Long Feicheng looked up in surprise. "Brother Yan, why are you back?"
"If I didn't come back, should I stay on Feifeng Mountain and have babies?" Yan Shouyi said. "We plan to go back to our hometown in a few days, so I came today to handle some matters, like resigning."
Long Feicheng's face fell upon hearing this.
"You and Sister-in-law have settled down. My situation with Caiwei is still up in the air, making me feel embarrassed to bother you. Besides, my master said that following you would surely lead to wealth and prosperity, but I haven't gained anything. If you go back to your hometown, I'll be left alone in Rongcheng."
Seeing Long Feicheng's dejected expression, Yan Shouyi felt a pang of sympathy.
While he had taught Long Feicheng some minor spells recently, he hadn't taught him anything from the Book of Lu Ban.
It wasn't out of stinginess, but rather a desire to protect Long Feicheng from the curse of Lu Ban.
"Zitong also said that Caiwei's status is too high, and her 'fish pond' is vast. You're just one fish in it. We shouldn't get ahead of ourselves. There are many good girls out there, and you'll eventually meet someone more suited for you."
Yan Shouyi paused, then continued,
"Moreover, Caiwei is just an ordinary person, while you've already stepped halfway into the realm of the mystic arts. It's unlikely the two of you will end up together. Why not come with me to Chen Family Village this time? Perhaps you can meet some new friends and find your destined one!"
Hearing Yan Shouyi's words, Long Feicheng's eyes lit up again.
He said, "My requirements aren't high. As long as the other person isn't uglier than Lu Caiwei!"
Yan Shouyi sighed inwardly. Your requirements are quite high then…
Lu Caiwei, after all, was the little campus belle of Shanghang Art School, a goddess in the hearts of many otaku.
But seeing Long Feicheng regain his carefree demeanor, Yan Shouyi felt no guilt.
As for wealth and prosperity—that was calculated by Chen Dawei, not him, so Yan Shouyi didn't need to take responsibility for it.
In the future, perhaps he could indeed provide Long Feicheng with a life of luxury.
But that was a story for another day.
Thus, the two decided to act immediately. They first went to the school's personnel department to resign, then returned to their dorm to pack their belongings, and finally rolled up their mats and walked out of the school gate.
Looking back at the artistic school gate of Shanghang Art School, the two felt a sense of wistfulness.
Thinking back to three months ago when they first arrived at Shanghang Art School, they were both greenhorns.
So much had happened in just three months.
"Brother Yan, I've suddenly realized a problem," Long Feicheng asked.
Yan Shouyi replied, "What problem?"
"We've resigned and cleared out our dorms. Where are we going to sleep for the next few days?"
Yan Shouyi: "..."
After a brief silence, Yan Shouyi replied, "We'll take it one step at a time. If worst comes to worst, we'll ask your sister-in-law to book us a hotel room."
Unexpectedly, three months later, Yan Shouyi and Long Feicheng found themselves once again without a fixed abode.
Long Feicheng asked again, "So, where are we going now?"
"What time is it?" Yan Shouyi asked.
"Eleven-thirty," Long Feicheng realized. "I get it! We're going for lunch, right!"
"Something like that."
Yan Shouyi smiled and led Long Feicheng onto a bus, heading for Lin Zitong's company… specifically, the bun shop at its entrance.
Yan Shouyi was going to meet someone, someone who held the key to his life and death.