"What?!"
Yan Shouyi suddenly stood up.
Lin Zitong and Wen Yuxian exchanged glances, realizing the seriousness of the situation.
Those who could reach Rongcheng as inheritors of folk sects were already considered half members of the Folk Research Association. Yet, this person was severely injured before even stepping through the association's doors?
If this got out, who would dare to seek refuge with the association?
More importantly, who had inflicted such brutal harm, and what was their motive?
Yan Shouyi immediately said, "Let's go out and take a look. Remember to call Old Jin!"
"I've already notified Old Jin."
As Wang Ji said this, he led the way. The group quickly walked out of the villa towards the entrance of the association. Yan Shouyi, impatient, ended up running.
...
Meanwhile, at the bus stop in the West Lake Scenic Area of Rongcheng, two young people carrying suitcases alighted from a bus.
A man and a woman, they bore some resemblance. The woman wore blue hot pants, her round and perky buttocks evoking alluring thoughts. The man wore thick glasses and his presence was noticeably weak, completely overshadowed by the woman.
They were siblings: the elder sister was Zhuge Lian, and the younger brother was Zhuge Ji. They were descendants of the Zhuge family, but from a very minor branch.
Because their family was somewhat reclusive, the siblings did not inherit Zhuge Liang's art of Qimen Dunjia. However, they achieved some success in another area: the art of observing the heavens.
Their family called themselves Heavenly Observers. The siblings didn't know if such a profession existed among folk sects, but they would assume it did for now.
The reason they were here was that the elder sister, Zhuge Lian, was tired of the monotonous family life and wanted to venture out. Coincidentally, she heard about the existence of the Folk Research Association and, despite her brother's objections, forcefully dragged him along.
Handing over all their luggage to her brother, Zhuge Ji, Zhuge Lian stretched languidly, her alluring curves drawing the attention of the elderly men cooling themselves beneath the station.
"Sis!" Zhuge Ji said with a hint of caution, "They're looking at you."
"Let them look. I'm not asking them for money, and they won't lose a piece of flesh by looking," Zhuge Lian said nonchalantly. "With my good figure, wouldn't it be a waste if no one looked?"
Zhuge Ji was speechless. He thought his sister was a bona fide social butterfly, embodying the saying of being lustful but not vulgar.
Zhuge Lian surveyed her surroundings, her gaze finally landing on the unique architectural complex by West Lake. She commented with a smile:
"Hmm, good Feng Shui. Located in a prosperous area, perfect for both cultivation and shopping later on!"
Zhuge Ji, dragging his suitcase and wiping sweat, said, "Sis, if you wanted to venture out, you could have come alone. Why bring me along?"
"You! You only know how to stay home and watch anime every day. What's so good about anime? Is it as good as women?" Zhuge Lian's temper flared as she spoke. "If I don't bring you out, you'll end up having children with your paper-thin waifus! You dead shut-in!"
Zhuge Ji wasn't actually fat, but his otaku demeanor was quite evident. His sister's public reprimand drew the attention of onlookers, making Zhuge Ji very embarrassed. He kept whispering for his sister to lower her voice.
However, the socially adept sister paid no mind to her socially anxious brother's plight and continued her nagging.
Helpless, the socially anxious brother could only change the subject: "Sis, the world is so vast. Why did we travel thousands of miles to Rongcheng to seek refuge with this Folk Research Association?"
"Hmph, you spend all your time looking at paper wives and don't know anything about news from the Jianghu!" Zhuge Lian laughed. "I don't know much about how good this Folk Research Association is, but I've heard of its leader, Yan Shouyi!"
"This Yan Shouyi is no ordinary person. He's a Lu Ban descendant, yet he dared to participate in the Luotian Grand Ceremony of Longhu Tian. Not only that, but he shone brightly at the Luotian Grand Ceremony, thoroughly shaming those from the prestigious sects! Most impressively, he possessed the Dragon Tiger Secret Script and almost became the next Heavenly Master!"
"Don't you think a force founded by such an interesting fellow would be interesting?"
Zhuge Ji began to understand more about the Folk Research Association and Yan Shouyi, but he still had a question:
"Didn't they say they would send a car to pick us up at the airport? Why did you refuse?"
"You don't understand~ This is a surprise inspection. What if Yan Shouyi has his association members put on a show to recruit people? If we're tricked onto their ship, losing money is one thing, but if I were to lose my virtue, who would be responsible?"
Zhuge Ji sighed. He felt that among all the women in the world, his socially adept sister's chastity was the least valuable.
However, his sister did have a point. What you see during a surprise visit is the most authentic reality. To understand what kind of organization the association was, hearing others talk about it was useless; one had to see it with their own eyes.
The siblings walked slowly towards the association, one after the other. Along the way, Zhuge Lian bought a unique oil-paper umbrella from a street vendor and leaned against the lakeside railing, asking her brother to take some photos of her.
When the siblings ambled to the entrance of the Folk Research Association, they were surprised to find a crowd gathered there.
"What's going on?" Zhuge Ji frowned, adjusting his glasses.
Zhuge Lian was slightly taller than Zhuge Ji. She stood on tiptoe to get a better look, her expression suddenly changing: "There's a corpse at the main entrance."
"A corpse?!" Zhuge Ji was also startled.
A few seconds later, his sister Zhuge Lian relaxed: "Oh, it seems they're not completely dead yet. The people from the association are providing first aid... Hmm, it looks like a skilled ancient physician is attending to them."
Zhuge Ji became even more curious and climbed onto a nearby stone stool to watch the commotion.
At that moment, the siblings' vision suddenly blurred. When they looked at the association's entrance again, there wasn't a single person to be seen.
Zhuge Lian's mind went blank; she couldn't recall why she was here.
Just then, Zhuge Ji behind her recited a spell. Then Zhuge Lian's vision cleared, and she saw the crowd at the association's entrance once more.
Zhuge Ji, from behind her, said in a low voice, "It's an illusion array. Ordinary people can't see them."
Zhuge Lian nodded: "They almost tricked me. Luckily, I brought you along."
"They probably don't know we can see them."
Zhuge Ji also shed some of his otaku demeanor at this moment, looking intently in the direction of the association's entrance.
Zhuge Lian said with great interest, "This is interesting. Just as we arrive, we get to see a good show. I just wonder if that injured unfortunate soul is a member of the Folk Research Association, or if, like us, they came to join it."
"Does it make any difference?" Zhuge Ji asked.
"There's a big difference, but there are also similarities – if Yan Shouyi doesn't handle this well, then this so-called Folk Research Association will be stillborn, its recently established reputation instantly collapsing. The inheritors of folk sects in the Jianghu will likely no longer regard them highly, and we siblings might have to find another patron!"