After a thrilling night in the ghost market, even Yan Shouyi needed some rest.
Everyone slept straight through from morning until sunset.
Waking up, Yan Shouyi looked at the city's night view outside the window and couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
Despite not having a job or needing to go to work, he rarely saw the sun.
However, demons and ghosts were more likely to appear at night, and during the day, with too many people around, Yan Shouyi felt restricted.
Lin Zhitong was still fast asleep, so Yan Shouyi tiptoed out of the hotel room without waking her.
"The brat seems to be very sleepy lately," Yan Shouyi muttered to himself.
On the private jet to Chang'an, Lin Zhitong had also fallen asleep the moment she sat down, and couldn't be woken up when the plane landed.
But Yan Shouyi didn't think much of it, feeling sympathetic towards Lin Zhitong, attributing it to her fatigue from handling the affairs of the Lu Mountain Sect in Rongcheng.
As soon as he stepped out of the hotel room, Yan Shouyi ran into three figures.
It was the brothers Ji Zhan and Ji Xiong, along with their pure-faced junior sister.
"You guys..."
Yan Shouyi sized up the three. Ji Zhan and Ji Xiong seemed fine, but the junior sister was leaning against the wall, her legs appearing weak.
He asked, "Have you been waiting here long?"
Ji Zhan lowered his head and said softly, "We didn't know when you would wake up, so we've been waiting outside the door, afraid to disturb you."
These three young people were polite. If it had been Long Feicheng, he probably would have banged on the door directly.
Yan Shouyi nodded, without offering any comment, and simply asked, "Is there something you need?"
"We already know our master's true face. Thank you, Brother Yan, for saving us from suffering, but..." Ji Zhan said, "We were raised by our master since we were young, and we don't know any skills other than stealing. Now, we don't know where to go."
"I said it last time. If you don't mind, you can go to Rongcheng and seek refuge with the Lu Mountain Sect," Yan Shouyi said after some thought. "Or go to Qiantang and seek refuge with the Crematorium; they are all descendants of folk sects."
The three naturally preferred to go to Yan Shouyi's "hometown," but they were still a bit unsure of themselves.
The junior sister said dejectedly, "We are just thieves. Will they reject us if we go to Rongcheng?"
"What are you thinking?" Yan Shouyi smiled. "Being a thief is just your occupation, not your skill. The abilities you possess have more uses than just stealing."
He comforted them, "How you use your abilities is the standard for determining whether a person is good or bad. Besides, everyone in Rongcheng is my family; they won't reject you."
With Yan Shouyi's assurance, the three lost young people finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Yan Shouyi genuinely wanted to help these three young people. They had been deceived by Ji Fuxiu and wasted many years of their youth.
Once they arrived in Rongcheng and joined the Lu Mountain Sect, they would surely achieve something.
After the three made up their minds, Yan Shouyi called Ye Chengfu. Ye Chengfu immediately arranged a private jet to send the three of them to Rongcheng and notified Zhou Yuquan of the Lu Mountain Sect to pick them up.
Having done all this, Yan Shouyi prepared to go downstairs for some fresh air. Ji Zhan and the others also returned to their rooms happily to rest.
Before Yan Shouyi could enter the elevator, a hand landed on his shoulder.
Yan Shouyi turned around in surprise and found Wang Jiwang standing behind him.
"Old Wang?"
"Old Yan, I just heard what you said to Ji Zhan and the others." Wang Jiwang, being slightly older than Yan Shouyi, called him "Old Yan."
Yan Shouyi asked, "Do you think my arrangement is not proper?"
Wang Jiwang shook his head. "It's not that it's improper. I just have an idea... Why don't you establish your own folk sect force, like Qiantang did?"
Hearing this, Yan Shouyi frowned slightly, appearing to be very seriously considering the question.
Wang Jiwang continued, "The number of people in folk sects is decreasing, and Li Genmiao is constantly recruiting new members for the New Xuan Mountain. If we don't act, we can only watch Li Genmiao's power grow stronger, while those who don't obey him will lose their right to choose."
"We've established a foothold in Rongcheng, we have financial support from the Lin family, and we occupy West Lake in terms of feng shui. What's more valuable is that along the way, the descendants of folk sects have all obeyed you. Now we have the advantage of time, location, and human relationships. As long as you're willing, you can establish a force in Rongcheng at any time to counter Li Genmiao."
"Your father, my father, and Uncle Gou and Uncle Miaoji have all done things like this. Why shouldn't we try? Think about it carefully..."
Wang Jiwang's words and tone were not meant to instruct Yan Shouyi; he was merely offering a suggestion.
Yan Shouyi's personality was rather easy-going, so he wouldn't have the idea of forming factions. However, Wang Jiwang knew that Yan Shouyi had to take this step, so he stepped forward to enlighten him.
He believed that Yan Shouyi could make the right judgment.
Ding—
The elevator arrived, but Yan Shouyi showed no intention of entering.
After a while, Yan Shouyi stopped the elevator door and said, "Old Wang, there's a coffee shop on the first floor of the hotel. Shall we chat over coffee?"
Wang Jiwang was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face.
He knew that Yan Shouyi had decided to establish a force!
...
The idea of establishing a new force was thus planted in Yan Shouyi's mind.
He and Wang Jiwang chatted in the coffee shop for over an hour.
They discovered that with their current connections, they could directly form a new force.
Moreover, Yan Shouyi had good relations with the orthodox sects, so he probably wouldn't face much obstruction and might even receive support from forces like the Lu Mountain Sect, Longhu Mountain, and Maoshan Sect!
As for personnel, in addition to the current people, Luo Ning, A Gong, Zhao Yiyao, and others were helping these scattered descendants in various cities according to Weng Qianxiang's roster of folk sect descendants.
The descendants of folk sects who had been helped would naturally be willing to join Yan Shouyi's larger family.
Later, Yan Shouyi suddenly recalled something.
When his father Yan Chou was planning the architecture of West Lake in Rongcheng, it seemed he already had the intention of establishing a new force.
"So, Dad already had this plan..." Yan Shouyi showed a conflicted expression. "If that's the case, wouldn't it be redundant for me to establish a new force?"
If Yan Chou intended to re-establish the Old Xuan Mountain Sect, Yan Shouyi certainly wouldn't interfere.
Wang Jiwang also looked troubled and said, covering his forehead, "How about you call Uncle Yan and ask for his thoughts?"
"I... I'll ask."
Yan Shouyi took out his phone, hesitated for a moment, and then dialed Yan Chou's number.
After leaving Longhu Mountain, Yan Chou led his men to clear out Li Genmiao's remnants, while Yan Shouyi and his group went to find the descendants of various folk sects. Both sides were very busy, so they rarely contacted each other.