These two Taoist priests never imagined that they had come seeking revenge, only to be subdued by the enemy's son before they could even face their foe.
What was even more humiliating was that both had resorted to underhanded tactics beforehand.
If they couldn't even defeat Yan Shouyi despite using such tricks, they would be too ashamed to show their faces if word got out. They might as well have drowned in the mud.
Facing the Zanpakutō held at his throat, the senior Taoist priest displayed a rare moment of integrity:
"A scholar can be killed but not humiliated. Since I am outmatched and have fallen into your hands, do as you please, whether to kill or torture!"
Saying this, the senior Taoist priest haughtily raised his chin, exposing his rather unsightly neck, waiting for Yan Shouyi to finish him.
Seeing the senior Taoist priest's expression of stoic acceptance of death, Yan Shouyi smiled.
If this fellow truly possessed such resolve, he wouldn't have resorted to sneak attacks and the Dragon-Sleeper Incense in the first place. Instead, he would have boldly stepped forward for a one-on-one duel.
Thus, Yan Shouyi sheathed his blade and said to Long Feicheng:
"Go boil some water. For every pot you boil, pour it over their heads. Scald them until they're willing to talk."
Xue Kai, standing nearby, couldn't help but look at Yan Shouyi with newfound respect. He had initially believed Yan Shouyi to be upright and never one for trickery.
Long Feicheng, being simple-minded, did as Yan Shouyi said without overthinking.
He directly filled a kettle with water and placed it on the stove.
Soon, the water began to boil, gurgling and bubbling.
The senior and junior Taoist priests stared intently at the boiling kettle, involuntarily swallowing.
"Brother Yan, the water's boiled!" Long Feicheng called out.
"Handle them," Yan Shouyi instructed.
"Just a moment!" Long Feicheng replied. "I'll add some tea leaves to the water. When we pour it out, the leaves will stick to their faces. Then, when we rip them off, it'll be no different from tearing off a layer of skin. Guaranteed to give them a real thrill!"
At this, both Yan Shouyi and Xue Kai gave Long Feicheng a thumbs-up.
This guy sure knew how to torment people!
Facing this immense psychological torture, the junior Taoist priest was the first to break. He lamented:
"Don't do anything rash! Ask me whatever you want to know!"
Yan Shouyi's lips curled slightly. He knew that even if one junior Taoist priest broke down, he might only reveal some information.
But Yan Shouyi wanted the senior Taoist priest, the tougher nut to crack, who would undoubtedly know more.
So Yan Shouyi shook his head:
"You two are like brothers. If you speak now, wouldn't that put your senior brother in a disadvantageous position? Never mind, never mind. I'm not interested in the grudges and affairs of your previous generation. After all, once you're dead, no one will be coming to seek revenge on my father."
After speaking, Yan Shouyi beckoned to Long Feicheng, who eagerly picked up the kettle of boiling water.
"Wait!!"
Finally, the senior Taoist priest couldn't hold back any longer.
He sighed heavily and said hatefully, "None of you Yan family are good people! ... I admit I'm outmatched! Ask me whatever you want to know, but please, spare my junior brother and me!"
"If we let you go, what if you come back to seek revenge on my father?" Yan Shouyi said with a smile. "After all, you operate in the shadows, while we are in the open. I don't want to be on edge every time I sleep."
The senior Taoist priest gritted his teeth. "I can swear a blood oath."
"What good are oaths!" Yan Shouyi pointed at Long Feicheng. "If oaths were useful, he would have been struck down by lightning long ago."
Long Feicheng said innocently, "Brother Yan, don't say that. I love every sister sincerely. If I say anything against my conscience, may the heavens strike me down with lightning!"
Silence fell for a moment. Indeed, heaven didn't even fart.
Yan Shouyi shrugged. "So, do you think swearing a blood oath is useful?"
This was, after all, a matter of life and death. To survive, the junior Taoist priest could only say:
"Then what do you suggest? As long as you guarantee our release, we'll agree to anything."
"Let me think."
At this moment, Xue Kai noticed movement in the junior Taoist priest's pocket.
Fearing that the junior Taoist priest was still up to no good and might try to play a trick on Yan Shouyi, he immediately lunged forward and stabbed the junior Taoist priest in the thigh:
"What's in your pocket?!"
The junior Taoist priest cried out in pain and quickly explained, "My phone! It's just a message on my phone!"
Xue Kai kicked the junior Taoist priest again. "What kind of time is this to be chatting with people?"
The senior Taoist priest, already frustrated, was riled up by Xue Kai's goading and said angrily, "Junior brother, are you serious? Can't you distinguish between occasions? It doesn't matter when you play with your phone, why must it be now?"
The junior Taoist priest, feeling guilty, dared not speak, wanting to retrieve his phone but afraid to ask.
"Let me see, let me see!"
Long Feicheng, being the most curious, snatched the phone from Xue Kai and forcibly unlocked it with facial recognition.
He then browsed through the junior Taoist priest's chat history and his expression changed.
"Brother Yan, the situation is not good," he said.
Yan Shouyi frowned. "What happened?"
"See for yourself," Long Feicheng handed the phone to Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi took the phone and saw that it was left open to a chat dialogue, with the contact displayed as "Junior Brother." The chat content was actually photos of ancient texts and star charts!
It appeared that after they were drugged, the two Taoist priests had taken pictures of the ancient texts!
And this junior Taoist priest had sent the photos to someone else.
He read the accompanying text below the photos aloud: "Junior brother, my senior brother and I have encountered a descendant of Lu Ban! It's that Yan Chou, and he's in Rongcheng now!"
"Also, these photos might contain the secret to eternal life. Just in case, I'm sending them to you first. I'll find a way to deal with my senior brother later, and then we brothers will go in search of immortality together!"
"Remember, these photos must not be sent to anyone else!"
The junior brother replied: "Don't worry, second senior brother, my lips are the tightest in the world!"
After reading this, Yan Shouyi's expression turned grim.
He hadn't known that the ancient texts held the secret to eternal life.
However, the junior Taoist priest sending photos of the ancient texts to someone else also angered Yan Shouyi.
Before Yan Shouyi could express his anger, the senior Taoist priest beside him erupted:
"You worthless scoundrel! I've treated you like a father, haven't I? You ungrateful wretch, you want to kill me and then go in search of immortality with our third junior brother? Has a dog eaten your conscience?! I'll kill you!!!"
Despite being bound by the mud, the senior Taoist priest mustered all his strength, "crawling" towards the junior Taoist priest.
With both hands submerged, the senior Taoist priest resorted to his mouth, biting down on the junior Taoist priest's ear and tearing it off, bloody and raw!
The junior Taoist priest, terrified, cried out, "Senior brother, I was wrong! I'll never do it again! Please calm down!"
"Calm down, my ass! I'll bite you to death!!"
It was no wonder the senior Taoist priest was so enraged. He had never intended to hoard the secret for himself, and had even planned to achieve immortality with his junior brother. Yet, his junior brother had betrayed him and was already plotting to kill him.
It seemed Yan Shouyi wouldn't need to intervene; these two Taoist priests were about to kill each other.
At this moment, Lin Zitong also slowly woke up.
However, having been too deeply immersed in her dream, she was still a bit disoriented upon waking, sitting there blankly, looking rather cute.
Long Feicheng said in a deep voice, "Brother Yan, what should we do? Our secret has been leaked."
Xue Kai said, "It's simple. Use this junior Taoist priest's phone to send a message, lure their third junior brother out, and then eliminate all threats."
Whether the ancient texts could grant immortality, Yan Shouyi didn't know, but the texts were intricately linked to Lin Zitong. If too many people knew about them, it would inevitably affect her.
Therefore, Yan Shouyi was also eager to protect this secret.
He said softly, "But who can guarantee that this third junior brother won't send these photos to others?"
The junior Taoist priest quickly interjected, "Don't worry, my junior brother has the tightest lips. He definitely won't tell anyone else!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the phone in Yan Shouyi's hand vibrated again.
He backed out and saw a WeChat group named "Anti-Yan Chou Alliance" in his contacts.
He tapped on it.
Blood Droplet: @Everyone! Big news, brothers! I just heard that our enemy Yan Chou has appeared in Rongcheng! Also, can you understand the text in these pictures? Apparently, this is the accidentally leaked lower volume of the Luban Shu, containing the secret to eternal life!
Seeing this message, Yan Shouyi's heart sank.
The junior Taoist priest, seeing Yan Shouyi's expression, guessed what he had seen and silently lowered his head.
Looking at the message in his hand, Yan Shouyi found it filled with points to criticize.
This third junior brother was utterly unreliable!
The junior Taoist priest had just sent him a message, and this guy had immediately sent it to others.
This "Blood Droplet" had clearly received the information through multiple hands before announcing it publicly in the chat group.
What was even more exasperating was that he had even forwarded the photos of the ancient texts.
This indicated that the third junior brother had also sent the photos of the ancient texts to others.
Unreliable!
Now the secret of the ancient texts was common knowledge, and the news of his father's return to the martial world had also spread.
The biggest point of criticism, however, was the name of this chat group.
How many wicked deeds had his father committed in his day to incur so many enemies!
Even if he had many enemies, they had managed to unite and form a "Revenge Alliance"!
What a deep-seated hatred and resentment!
If Yan Shouyi didn't know that his father was a genuine descendant of Lu Ban, he would now suspect him of being a notorious womanizer!
Yan Shouyi sighed and showed the message on his phone to the two Taoist priests.
After reading it, the senior Taoist priest became furious and cursed at the junior Taoist priest:
"Do you still have any idea about the third junior brother's trustworthiness? His lips are tight? If his lips were tight, sows would be able to climb trees!"
The junior Taoist priest said with a pained expression, "Senior brother, I know I was wrong..."
"Do you think an apology will make me forgive you?" the senior Taoist priest said through gritted teeth.
It seemed the senior Taoist priest would not let go of the junior Taoist priest or the so-called third junior brother.
Since the incident had already occurred, it was better to consider how to resolve it.
Yan Shouyi frowned, pondered for a moment, and then asked the senior Taoist priest, "Where is your phone?"
Xue Kai immediately stepped forward, searched him, and found the senior Taoist priest's phone.
Yan Shouyi then asked Xue Kai and Long Feicheng to change the passwords on both their phones. From then on, these two phones had nothing to do with the two Taoist priests.
He then said to the senior Taoist priest, "I'll let you go, but with one condition."
"What condition?"
"Kill your two junior brothers," Yan Shouyi said nonchalantly.
The senior Taoist priest agreed without a second thought.
Given what had happened today, the senior Taoist priest was eager to kill these two foolish junior brothers immediately.
Yan Shouyi pointed at Xue Kai. "He will accompany you to personally witness you dealing with them and burning their bodies. And from now on, don't even think about seeking revenge on my father... Of course, if you still want revenge, it doesn't matter, because with your skills, you'd be lucky to even get a glimpse of him. Moreover, now that my father's return to the martial world is common knowledge, those seeking revenge will be lining up, and it won't be your turn."
Those words were rather hurtful.
But the senior Taoist priest didn't care about that now.
He nodded repeatedly, eager to climb out of the mud and deal with the junior Taoist priest first.
"Oh, right, before I let you go, I need one more thing from you," Yan Shouyi said. "Give me all the remaining Dragon-Sleeper Incense you have."