The dormitory was a mess, and the two had no time to tidy it up, nor did they feel it was appropriate to invite Huang Hai and Zhou Yuquan in as guests.
So, Yan Shouyi simply dragged them to the Shanghang Art School cafeteria. It was just time for lunch, so they decided to chat while eating.
It was mealtime, and there were still quite a few students in the cafeteria. Yan Shouyi and the others were not wearing security uniforms, so no one paid much attention to them.
Through Yan Shouyi's subtle questioning, he learned that Huang Hai and Zhou Yuquan still had no idea about Zhou Mingyuan's situation.
When Zhou Mingyuan was mentioned, both of them had low opinions of him, saying that from the moment he joined, Zhou Mingyuan had favored unorthodox methods. Later, due to some mistakes, he was expelled from the Lüshan Sect, and after that, there was no more news of him.
However, another detail they mentioned surprised Yan Shouyi even more.
Zhou Mingyuan's master was none other than the current Grand Elder of the Lüshan Sect, Lü Jing!
This meant that it was this Grand Elder of the Lüshan Sect who personally trained Zhou Mingyuan back then, and ultimately, to save face as an elder, quietly expelled Zhou Mingyuan from the Lüshan Sect.
The truth of the past became clear once again, and Yan Shouyi couldn't help but sigh.
"Right, you two came to find me today for what?" Yan Shouyi asked, puzzled.
Huang Hai and the others suddenly remembered the main reason for their visit and quickly said, "It's like this, our Lüshan Sect Master returned to Rongcheng yesterday. Upon hearing of someone like you, he especially wants to meet you, so he sent us two to invite you to the Lüshan Sect for a chat."
The Lüshan Sect Master?
It seemed that Huang Hai and Zhou Yuquan couldn't hold back and had already told the Lüshan Sect Master about him, the descendant of Lu Ban.
As for the invitation from the Lüshan Sect Master, Yan Shouyi couldn't say whether it was a trap, but if he refused, it would undoubtedly be a sign of weakness, leading only to more aggressive harassment from the Lüshan Sect.
So, Yan Shouyi had no room to retreat; he had to accept.
He frowned and said, "Going there is fine, but before that, I need to go to Licheng."
"To Licheng? What are you going to Licheng for?" Huang Hai asked.
"To find an old friend." Yan Shouyi's mind flashed with the image of Lin Zitong.
But in the next second, he was stunned, because from afar, he seemed to see Lin Zitong at the cafeteria entrance.
This wasn't an illusion. Lin Zitong had really appeared. After disappearing for a few days, she had returned from Licheng, and was even eating at the cafeteria with Lu Caiwei?
Yan Shouyi rubbed his eyes, confirming he wasn't mistaken, and quickly said to Huang Hai:
"I'll accept your sect master's invitation. You decide the time, just call me when you've set it. I have something urgent now, so I'll be going."
The two stared blankly at Yan Shouyi, unable to understand why he was suddenly so impatient.
Yan Shouyi grabbed Long Feicheng, who was still gnawing on a chicken leg, and left. Long Feicheng didn't even have time to put down his chopsticks, running after Yan Shouyi with the chicken leg still in his grasp.
"Yan, Brother Yan, what's so urgent?" Long Feicheng asked helplessly.
"I saw that brat."
Yan Shouyi answered succinctly, unsure of what he was feeling.
Lu Caiwei had said Lin Zitong had gone home for a blind date. Although Yan Shouyi didn't believe Lin Zitong would actually go on a blind date after Long Feicheng's persuasion, his heart couldn't be at peace.
If he hadn't been forcibly locked up for a night by Liu Jingkang before, he would have already gone to the Lin family in Licheng to find Lin Zitong.
Upon hearing that Lin Zitong was back, Long Feicheng quickly grabbed Yan Shouyi: "Brother Yan, don't you remember what I said before? This is them playing hard to get! If you show up now, you'll fall right into their trap!"
Yan Shouyi didn't stop, dragging Long Feicheng straight towards where Lin Zitong had disappeared: "I don't care anymore."
Yes, he didn't care anymore. All he wanted now was to know what Lin Zitong had been doing.
They went to a Western restaurant on the second floor of the cafeteria, and Yan Shouyi finally saw Lin Zitong and Lu Caiwei. Lu Caiwei also saw Yan Shouyi and quietly alerted Lin Zitong.
Lin Zitong knew Yan Shouyi had arrived but deliberately didn't turn around, pretending not to know.
Yan Shouyi hesitated for a moment, then walked over to Lin Zitong, sat beside her, and gave Lu Caiwei a look.
Lu Caiwei said helplessly, "In this vast world, is there no place for a single person like me?"
Long Feicheng sat in an adjacent seat, calling out Lu Caiwei's name, and holding a chicken leg, said, "Caiwei, you must be hungry. I specially brought you a chicken leg. Come over quickly!"
Lu Caiwei rolled her eyes and moved to Long Feicheng's seat, leaving only Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong alone.
Lin Zitong was holding a notebook filled with dense English text. Yan Shouyi couldn't help but glance at it.
*Snap!*
Lin Zitong closed the notebook and turned to ask, "Do you understand it?"
Yan Shouyi didn't answer and retorted, "What have you been doing these past few days?"
"Why should I tell you? You don't care anyway," Lin Zitong pouted and straightforwardly acted spoiled.
Yan Shouyi was speechless. After a long pause, he could only take out the Tianyuan Gathering Soul Pill he had obtained from Old Jin earlier and said to Lin Zitong:
"Judging by your complexion, your soul's injuries should have recovered quite a bit, but you should still take these pills."
Lin Zitong glanced at them, knowing the preciousness of the Tianyuan Gathering Soul Pill, but still shook her head and pushed the medicine box away: "I don't need them anymore."
Facing an angry Lin Zitong, Yan Shouyi realized that none of the skills he had learned from wandering the martial world for years could be used.
"I wanted to come to Licheng to find you, but I encountered some things that delayed me," he explained.
Lin Zitong turned her head and said with her head lowered, "What's the use of saying that now? You didn't come in the end."
"You, you didn't actually go on a blind date, did you?" Yan Shouyi finally showed a hint of urgency.
Sensing the change in Yan Shouyi's tone, a barely perceptible smile appeared on Lin Zitong's lips.
But she still deliberately said, "Yes, since someone doesn't fancy me, I have to marry down. If a three-legged pig is hard to find, aren't there men with two legs?"
"You..."
Yan Shouyi opened his mouth, and after a long time, he managed to blurt out, "You should open your eyes wider and not be deceived by men."
Hearing Yan Shouyi's incredibly blunt response, Lin Zitong almost exploded.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Yan Shouyi, you deserve to be single forever!"
Yan Shouyi's expression turned somber.
As a descendant of Lu Ban, how many could have a good ending?
He had been avoiding it, wasn't it out of fear? Fear of harming Lin Zitong?
Seeing Yan Shouyi's dejected state, Lin Zitong felt a pang of sympathy.
It was just one step away.
Why couldn't he take that step?
Lin Zitong sighed, reached out, and took Yan Shouyi's medicine box: "My dad knew I was injured, so he told me to go home and recuperate for a few days. I couldn't stay at home, so I came back. As for the blind date, that was all Caiwei's nonsense to deliberately provoke you. Nothing like that happened."
Yan Shouyi looked up in surprise: "Really?"
"Fake."
"Fake?"
"Real."
Long Feicheng and Lu Caiwei, who were eavesdropping nearby, were utterly confused by their conversation.
Even Lu Caiwei couldn't figure out if she was telling the truth or lying.
At this moment, a waiter brought two plates of steak.
Just as Lu Caiwei was about to return to her seat, Lin Zitong suddenly pushed Lu Caiwei's steak towards Yan Shouyi and then said to Lu Caiwei, "You and Xiao Long can order another one."
Lu Caiwei: "...Sister, you can't abandon your best friend for a man like this! Aren't you afraid of losing your best friend?"
Lin Zitong smiled faintly: "A three-legged pig is hard to find, but are two-legged best friends hard to find?"
Lu Caiwei clutched her chest, looking deeply wounded: "That's too much!"
Long Feicheng quickly comforted her, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. I'm used to it. As the saying goes, brothers are like limbs, and women are like clothes. In Brother Yan's eyes, brothers are like centipede limbs, and women are like winter clothes! Hey, why are you still angry? Let me soothe you..."
Lu Caiwei glared at Long Feicheng: "If you dare to touch my chest, I'll have my dad arrest you!"
Long Feicheng immediately retracted his eager hands.