Facing Huang Hai’s clumsy flattery, Yan Shouyi merely smiled.
Not long after hanging up the phone, a BMW SUV stopped by the roadside, and Huang Hai, along with his junior brother Zhou Yuquan, stepped out of the car.
Zhou Yuquan was somewhat excited, looking around for Yan Shouyi, this "dragon among men." He imagined Yan Shouyi to be imposing and exuding scholarly elegance.
However, sitting on the third park bench at this moment was a young man with a buzz cut, carrying a satchel, and looking rather rustic. His clothes, once yellow, had faded to white. If not for his relative cleanliness, Zhou Yuquan might have mistaken him for a young beggar.
Zhou Yuquan was still suspecting he had the wrong person, while Huang Hai had already walked over to greet him warmly:
"Little Brother Yan!"
Yan Shouyi stood up, lightly patted his clothes, and revealed a set of clean white teeth, "Master Huang Hai."
The term "Master" here was merely a courtesy. Yan Shouyi knew his own strength surpassed Huang Hai’s, so he couldn't possibly address him as senior or elder.
Even the title of "Master" made Huang Hai feel somewhat undeserving, so he proactively lowered his posture and bowed slightly as he shook Yan Shouyi's hand.
Noticing an unfamiliar face next to Huang Hai, Yan Shouyi showed surprise, "And this gentleman is?"
"This is my junior brother from our sect, Zhou Yuquan. You can call him Old Zhou," Huang Hai said with a smile. "And you don't need to call me Master anymore. Just call me Old Huang!"
Zhou Yuquan also cupped his hands in greeting towards Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi returned the gesture with a smile, displaying no air of superiority.
He suddenly recalled that the soul-summoning bell Lin Zhitong used yesterday was a magical artifact of the Lushan Sect. It was likely that Lin Zhitong was now learning sorcery at the Lushan Sect, but he wondered which renowned master she was studying under.
Despite his curiosity, Yan Shouyi did not voice the question. He felt his relationship with Huang Hai was not yet close enough to readily expose his connections to the other party.
Zhou Yuquan observed Yan Shouyi. While his initial impression of Yan Shouyi was somewhat disappointing, he later found that although Yan Shouyi was not as imposing as he had imagined, he possessed a unique affinity. By his side, Zhou Yuquan felt no pressure, only a feeling akin to basking in a spring breeze.
This sensation was something Zhou Yuquan had only ever experienced from one person: their eldest martial uncle, the current sect leader of the Lushan Sect.
To possess such an aura, aside from a cultivated temperament over a long period, the only other possibility was… looking pleasant to the eye.
As the saying goes, one's appearance reflects their inner self. Yan Shouyi’s ability to give off this relaxed feeling indicated that he was not an unapproachable person. Zhou Yuquan thus regarded Yan Shouyi with greater esteem.
"Old Huang, you mentioned you inquired about the person I'm looking for. Where is he now?" Yan Shouyi asked with concern.
Huang Hai did not answer immediately. Instead, he sighed, "Little Brother Yan, is the person you're looking for very important to you?"
"Very important. There are some matters only he knows," Yan Shouyi replied seriously.
Huang Hai said, "Based on the clues you provided, we found the person named Chen Dawei. However, he is currently in the hospital's intensive care unit. It's uncertain whether he will pull through…"
Upon hearing this, Yan Shouyi knitted his brows deeply.
Speaking of Chen Dawei, in this world, he could arguably be considered Yan Shouyi's "kin."
Before his father was imprisoned, his grandfather, father, and he lived together in a small mountain village called Chen Village. Most people in the village shared the surname Chen, and Chen Dawei was one of them.
Back then, Chen Dawei was only in his thirties and worked as a tailor. As he was not much older than Yan Shouyi's father, they became friends. All the clothes Yan Shouyi wore as a child were made by Chen Dawei himself.
Because Chen Dawei and Yan Shouyi's father were close, Chen Dawei, through subtle influence, learned some of the secret arts from the *Lu Ban Shu*. However, only learning a superficial bit of it led Chen Dawei to suffer the five losses and three deficiencies.
Chen Dawei's son, who had just been admitted to university, died in a car accident. Overwhelmed by grief, Chen Dawei accidentally broke his leg.
Subsequently, disheartened, he left Chen Village and never returned.
Because of this incident, Yan Shouyi's grandfather severely reprimanded Yan Shouyi's father, nearly breaking his son's leg as well. That night, the grandfather and father argued for a long time about this matter. Yan Shouyi, hiding in his bedroom, faintly overheard phrases like "You shouldn't have used Dawei," and "Dawei was harmed by you." He even discovered that he himself was somehow involved in the incident.
Not long after Chen Dawei left, Yan Shouyi's father was imprisoned. Yan Shouyi gradually put the incident behind him. He only occasionally remembered an uncle with a large mole on the right side of his nose, who had doted on him dearly in his childhood.
It wasn't until recently, before his grandfather's death, that he told Yan Shouyi to go to Rongcheng to find Uncle Chen Dawei. There were certain life-or-death matters that could only be understood by finding this uncle.
This, then, was the primary reason for Yan Shouyi's arrival in Rongcheng.
Now, with Chen Dawei gravely ill and his life hanging in the balance, it was bound to worry Yan Shouyi.
"Which hospital is he in? Take me to see him now."
Huang Hai wasted no words. He immediately had Yan Shouyi get into the car, and they drove towards the hospital.
Huang Hai drove in the front, while Yan Shouyi and Zhou Yuquan sat in the back. Zhou Yuquan’s gaze occasionally darted towards Yan Shouyi's satchel, and he even touched it curiously.
"Little Brother Yan, what do you have in your bag? Can you satisfy my curiosity?"
Yan Shouyi glanced at Zhou Yuquan warily, coughed twice, and shifted the satchel to face a different direction, saying, "Just some tools for making a living. Nothing special."
Hearing this, Zhou Yuquan gave a dry laugh and didn't press the matter, shifting his gaze elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Yan Shouyi's mind began to form some thoughts.
Although Zhou Yuquan and Huang Hai were from the same sect, it was clear that Zhou Yuquan harbored more ulterior motives. His direct touch on his satchel just now indicated that he was not a man of integrity.
His grandfather was right. The world of martial arts was treacherous. He indeed needed to remain low-key. Otherwise, attracting more scoundrels like Zhou Yuquan would surely bring him trouble.
On the way, Zhou Yuquan couldn't hold back his curiosity and began asking Yan Shouyi questions about the Lu Ban Sect.
However, Yan Shouyi had learned to be shrewd. He would either claim ignorance, play dumb, or beat around the bush with Zhou Yuquan. After much effort, Zhou Yuquan failed to extract any useful information from Yan Shouyi, which left him somewhat frustrated.
As they neared the hospital, Yan Shouyi's phone rang again. To his surprise, the call was from Zhang Guodong.
Yan Shouyi answered, and Zhang Guodong excitedly said, "Little Master Yan, we've found the person you're looking for!"
Yan Shouyi was taken aback, "Weren't you with Huang Hai?"
Zhang Guodong was also surprised and then understood. It seemed Huang Hai had also used his connections to help Yan Shouyi find the person, and had done so before him.
Upon asking, Zhang Guodong learned that Yan Shouyi had already arrived at the hospital.
Zhang Guodong gritted his teeth and said, "I have connections within the hospital. I'll rush over there now; perhaps I can be of some help!"
Without waiting for Yan Shouyi's reply, Zhang Guodong hung up the phone.
It seemed Zhang Guodong was unaware of what had transpired between him and Zhang Yingying last night…
That was understandable. After such a major incident yesterday, Zhang Yingying would likely not dare to tell Zhang Guodong.
Yan Shouyi did not dwell on the matter but informed Huang Hai. Upon learning that Zhang Guodong was also coming, Huang Hai said nothing.
The three arrived at the hospital, parked the car, and headed straight for the intensive care unit…