Mao Xiaosan, the current sect leader of Maoshan, representing the Maoshan sect, expressed gratitude to Yan Shouyi for saving Han San's life. In return, the Maoshan sect acknowledged the status of the Min Jiao as a prominent sect and declared they would never be enemies with the Min Jiao!
The news sent shockwaves through all the prominent sects.
With the dissemination of the Min Jiao's Daoist scriptures, everyone understood that the distinction between folk sects and prominent sects had diminished significantly. Yet, no one wished to admit this reality.
If any sect were to lead the reconciliation between the two factions, everyone had expected it to be the Heavenly Master’s Mansion of Longhu Mountain. However, it was the Maoshan sect that spoke up first!
The astute observers, amidst their shock, grasped the subtle brilliance of this move.
The current Heavenly Master, Yu Lumen, was under intense scrutiny from everyone. Any misstep on his part would be exploited by those with ulterior motives, weakening his prestige and further fanning the flames of discord between the two factions.
While Yu Lumen held the most authority to resolve the conflict between the two factions, he was not the most suitable person to initiate it.
By having the Maoshan sect speak first, and Yu Lumen then offering his endorsement, his burden would be significantly lightened!
As expected, after Sect Leader Mao issued the announcement, other sects followed suit on the fourth day.
The Heavenly Master’s Mansion of Longhu Mountain acknowledged the legitimate status of the Min Jiao and declared they would no longer be enemies.
The Hanshan Temple acknowledged the legitimate status of the Min Jiao, expressed a desire for good relations, and requested that Yan Shouyi return their disciple Chang Shan!
The Laoshan Sword Sect acknowledged the legitimate status of the Min Jiao and wished for eternal friendship between the two sects!
The Wudang Sect acknowledged the legitimate status of the Min Jiao, stating that Wudang Mountain would always be a friend to the Min Jiao!
The major top-tier sects released their messages in quick succession, as if they had coordinated beforehand.
Some people then noticed the finer details within these announcements.
All the top prominent sects specifically acknowledged the status of the Min Jiao, but not necessarily the status of folk sects.
This implied that if any folk sect organization refused to join the Min Jiao's jurisdiction, these prominent sects might not be able to guarantee their safety, and they would have no obligation to assist if other prominent sects took action against these folk sects.
This subtly increased the pressure on Zhou Yan and Hou Jingchen.
…
The dramatic shifts of these past few days were, in fact, all part of Yan Shouyi's plan.
If he had more time, he wouldn't have minded visiting each sect individually to persuade them, demonstrate his sincerity through actions, and then convince Zhou Yan and Hou Jingchen.
However, with the threat of the National Preceptor looming so close, Yan Shouyi opted for a more forceful approach.
The annexation of Wushen Mountain and the pressure exerted on Zhou Yan and Hou Jingchen were all integral parts of his strategy.
Next, all he needed to do was wait for the seventh-day memorial service for Long Feicheng to conclude, after which Yan Shouyi would personally meet with Zhou Yan and Hou Jingchen to gauge their attitudes.
The seventh day, the day of the seventh-day memorial.
The Min Jiao hung white banners, and the assembly hall was filled with memorial tablets.
The most prominent were naturally Long Feicheng and Old Huang. Others included Pan Shiyi, Zheng Youqian, Lan Qihuan, and more. Yan Shouyi was not stingy with them; he even erected tablets for the unfortunate departed, such as Ji Bing.
Amidst wisps of incense smoke, Long Feicheng's soul drifted in the air. He sniffed the incense before the memorial tablets desperately, as if smoking.
"So this is what it feels like to be dead... It's so strange. I feel like I exist, and yet I don't. I can ride the wind and fly..."
"Is there a possibility that you're just too weak right now?" Luo Ning said resentfully from the side.
Long Feicheng, in his current state, was a low-level ghost. It was only through the incense and some essence spirits fed to him by Yan Shouyi that he could appear during the day without being burned by sunlight.
Long Feicheng turned to look at Luo Ning and said awkwardly, "About that jade pendant..."
"I know, you scoundrel!" Luo Ning gnashed her teeth in anger.
When she received the heart-shaped jade pendant that Yan Shouyi had helped bring back, she was actually deeply touched. That night, she cried herself to sleep under the covers.
However, the next day, Luo Ning discovered that Yan Shouyi had visited Zhao Yiyao, Lu Caiwei, Zhuge Lian, Tian Jue'er, Xia Zhi... and a group of women whose names Luo Ning didn't even know.
They had all received heart-shaped jade pendants!
It was then that Luo Ning realized that Long Feicheng, the scoundrel, had no idea of her feelings. He also knew that the jade pendants were made of plastic, so he had bought a large batch wholesale from a small commodity supermarket in Yiwu, Jiangnan!
To make it easier to give them away later, he had even written names on the boxes.
Yan Shouyi later discovered these boxes while sorting through Long Feicheng's belongings, which was why he had taken it upon himself to distribute all the gifts.
Scoundrel, scoundrel, scoundrel!
All her tears from last night were wasted!
Luo Ning was so angry she gritted her teeth. If Long Feicheng hadn't been so weak, she would have surely lost her temper and acted.
Long Feicheng felt very wronged: I just wanted to give all the women equal love, to give everyone a home. What was wrong with that?
The seventh-day memorial service lasted the entire day, and Long Feicheng spent the whole time absorbing incense by the memorial tablets.
There were quite a few guests who came to pay their respects, some of whom were there to bid Ji Bing a final farewell.
These were the former members of Wushen Mountain, who had now been "forced" to join the Min Jiao and were living lives free from worry about food and clothing.
Yan Chou, along with Jiang Qingxue, Wei Changqing, the Dog Daoist, Miaoji, and others, bade farewell to Pan Shiyi and his companions.
Former brothers, later enemies; with the latter's soul dispersed, all grievances had come to an end.
During the trip to Changbai Mountain, the Dog Daoist and Miaoji had sustained severe injuries, greatly diminishing their strength. It was unlikely they would ever return to their peak condition.
They were still bandaged and had steel pins when they paid their respects, looking quite miserable.
After all the ceremonies concluded and Yan Shouyi had seen off the guests, he finally had time to sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk with Long Feicheng.
Late at night, Shanjiao slept on Shanpao's back, while Erya sat on the threshold of the assembly hall, eating a lollipop.
Before Yan Shouyi could speak, Long Feicheng raised his hand to stop him:
"Brother Yan, I know what you're going to say. Just wait a bit longer."
"Wait? Wait for what?" Yan Shouyi asked, surprised.
"Just wait a bit longer."
Just then, the sharp-eared Erya suddenly stood up and said to Yan Shouyi, "Little master, it seems we have more guests arriving!"
The seventh-day memorial service had concluded, and all the guests on the list had arrived for the day. Yan Shouyi wondered who would be visiting so late at night.
Soon, a member of the Min Jiao came to report that the arrival was none other than Yuan Jianxin. Yan Shouyi quickly got up to personally greet him.
Upon arriving outside the main gate of the Min Jiao, Yan Shouyi saw Yuan Jianxin accompanied by an elder.
The elder was advanced in age, yet in the midst of the harsh winter, he wore a dirty vest, exposing his muscular arms and dark skin.
An ordinary elderly person at this age would be considered healthy even without a cane, but this elder was not only spry but also covered in well-developed muscles. A single punch from him could probably take down three twenty-five-year-old programmers. He looked exactly like a Turtle Immortal.
Yan Shouyi asked curiously, "Who is this senior..."
Yuan Jianxin cupped his fists and introduced him, "This is our Grand Elder of the Laoshan Sword Sect, and also the undisputed greatest sword smith of this era!"