Friends are meaningless if they aren't meant to be exploited!
Especially after witnessing the relationships between his own father and the dog-man Taoist, and his grandfather and Zhang Shantong.
If you don't exploit your friends, how can you show the closeness of your bond?
Therefore, as Yan Shouyi held the Eastern King Gourd with a genuinely sincere expression, Old Jin silently lit the furnace and refined over a dozen batches of pills specifically for Yan Shouyi.
The warm pills were directly stuffed into the Eastern King Gourd. The small gourd miraculously fit a hundred pills, each about half the size of a quail's egg.
After "plundering" everyone, Yan Shouyi prepared to leave.
He would go back, pack his belongings, and set off for Chenjia Village the very next morning.
Just as he was about to depart, a red motorcycle roared to a halt in front of the Huichun Tang.
The girl on the motorcycle wore a helmet, and though her face was hidden, Yan Shouyi knew who she was.
For a moment, he felt a pang of guilt, glancing around as if trying to find an excuse to hide.
Old Jin said from the side, "That's Liu Yiren, the second young lady of the Liu family. After the Bai family was annihilated, the Lius moved back to Zuifeng Garden in Gushan. Liu Yiren often comes to visit Liu Jiarren, who is staying with Agong... By the way, you seem quite familiar with Liu Yiren?"
"Yes, yes, we're a bit familiar," Yan Shouyi stammered in response.
He had never expected to meet Liu Yiren here, at this particular time.
To be honest, apart from Lin Zitong, Liu Yiren was the girl closest to him.
Especially that morning, after he woke up, he had found Liu Yiren lying beside him.
This made Yan Shouyi unsure how to face Liu Yiren now.
Liu Yiren parked her motorcycle, gracefully swung her long legs off the seat, then removed her helmet and gently tidied her hair.
She looked at Yan Shouyi and was momentarily stunned. After a brief silence, Liu Yiren walked confidently to Yan Shouyi and said with a smile:
"I heard you got married, congratulations! Uncle Two!"
"Ah?... Mm... Thank you," Yan Shouyi replied, his expression unnatural.
In the past, when he teased Liu Yiren, he always made her call him "Uncle Two," but she adamantly refused.
But now that she called him so readily, it was probably intentional, a way to distance herself from him.
He noticed the bracelet on Liu Yiren's wrist was still there.
Liu Yiren, sensing Yan Shouyi's gaze, subtly removed the bracelet.
She didn't want Yan Shouyi to feel like she was still holding onto him, nor did she want him to feel guilty.
They stood there awkwardly for a moment. Old Jin broke the silence, saying:
"You're here to see your sister, right? They're in the cabin on the back mountain. You can go on your own."
"Oh! Mm! That's right... I'll go now."
Liu Yiren let out a sigh of relief, offered Yan Shouyi an apologetic smile, and walked towards the cabin.
Yan Shouyi turned, watching Liu Yiren's retreating back, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Old Jin, sensing the strange atmosphere between them, chuckled:
"The flower yearns for the willow, but the willow flows elsewhere..."
"The tree wishes for stillness, but the wind will not cease..."
"I offer my heart to the bright moon, but the bright moon shines upon a ditch..."
Yan Shouyi covered Old Jin's mouth: "Master Jin, stop talking! Zi Tong and I are already married!"
Old Jin pushed Yan Shouyi's hand away and said, "I was just reciting some poems, why are you so agitated!"
"It's just that your poems are too suggestive."
Old Jin sighed: "I can see that this girl from the Liu family truly likes you, but she also knows you have no feelings for her and doesn't want to be the woman who ruins your relationship. Since she's come to terms with it, you shouldn't feel burdened. In this regard, you should learn from Xiao Long, who moves through a garden of flowers without a single petal clinging to him..."
"Alright, I get it, I get it!"
Yan Shouyi waved his hand impatiently.
Yet, he couldn't help but glance back at Liu Yiren's slightly forlorn figure.
"Sigh..."
A long sigh drifted into Yan Shouyi's ears.
He looked at Old Jin in surprise, "Why are you sighing?"
"Me? I wasn't!" Old Jin replied innocently.
"You weren't?"
"No!"
Yan Shouyi's face was full of doubt.
He distinctly heard someone sigh just now.
If it wasn't Old Jin, could it have been himself?
This time, Yan Shouyi truly sighed. He then decided not to overthink things and left Old Jin's Huichun Tang with the items he had "plundered" from his friends.
Little did he know, the one sighing was neither Old Jin nor himself, but a presence from the depths of his soul.
The man sitting under the ginkgo tree, playing a flute.
...
The day of departure had finally arrived.
Early in the morning, Bai Ao Guang, the patriarch of the Bai family, who had received the news, waited outside the Bai family manor.
Ever since their ancestor was annihilated that day, the Bai family had become like stray dogs, unable to return to their homes.
In reality, Yan Chou hadn't paid much attention to these people; he simply needed a place to stay, and the Bai family manor happened to be quite suitable.
Bai Ao Guang was so relieved that the Yan Chou group was leaving that he almost cried tears of joy.
He believed that all the wicked deeds were committed by Tong Jingcheng. Therefore, after Tong Jingcheng's death, Bai Ao Guang divorced his wife, Fang Qiong.
He thought that this would sever his ties with the Fiend Refining Rebirth Array.
Bai Ao Guang, along with other members of the Bai family, waited outside the Bai family manor. After waiting until late morning, someone finally emerged.
From the manor came Yan Chou, Yan Shouyi, Lin Zitong, Long Feicheng, the dog-man Taoist, and the monk Miaoji.
Xue Kai was also nearby, but as a "shadow," he would not appear unless absolutely necessary.
Upon seeing Yan Chou and the others, Bai Ao Guang was overjoyed. However, he dared not make a sound, only daring to watch from afar.
"Girl," Yan Chou suddenly said, "call the patriarch of the Bai family over."
"Okay, okay!"
Lin Zitong was wearing a white tracksuit and a small backpack today, looking incredibly radiant. Youth truly had its own charm.
Lin Zitong knew Bai Ao Guang. She called out to him, and he obediently approached, bowing respectfully to Yan Chou and Yan Shouyi.
Yan Chou said in a calm tone:
"We are leaving now. We are returning the Bai family manor to you."
"Thank you, Mr. Yan!" Bai Ao Guang replied immediately.
"But don't think that you have no connection to the Fiend Refining Rebirth Array," Yan Chou continued. "Ultimately, the Bai family is still an accomplice. Even if the ancestor committed the wicked deeds, as descendants of the Bai family, having enjoyed the benefits brought by your ancestors, you should also bear some of the consequences for them."
Bai Ao Guang's face changed: "W-what do you mean?"
"Before I leave, I have altered your Bai family's feng shui. From now on, your Bai family will be plagued by misfortune, with everything going awry. As for your wealth... it will naturally dissipate completely. From this day forward, the Bai family shall simply be an ordinary family."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ao Guang's legs went weak, and he slumped to the ground.
Was this the consequence of provoking a descendant of Lu Ban?
Although he was alive, he had lost everything he was once proud of!
Moreover, this curse would extend to the next generation, and even the generation after that!
This was... the son paying for the father's debts.
Looking at Bai Ao Guang's ashen face, the dog-man Taoist showed no sympathy.
He even began to recite poetry: "Good and evil eventually meet their reward; even flying high and running far cannot escape! Bai Ao Guang, you should obediently accept the punishment we have given you. I advise you not to seek help from any masters, for the curse of a Lu Ban descendant is not easily broken!"