Everyone, please note that the author is not satisfied with yesterday's plot and has been working overtime to revise and rewrite it. Starting from the last sentence of chapter 68, everything has been overturned and rewritten. Please flip back and continue reading~
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The wild boar demon Zhu Shanzao, who had barged in midway, was thus subdued by Yan Shouyi.
If the people in Zuihua previously only respected Yan Shouyi, then now they were deeply convinced by him.
With Zhu Shanzao dealt with, the banquet continued. Without Sun Zhipeng's clamor, the entire feast was incredibly harmonious.
The guests all came to toast Yan Shouyi, and they were also very tactful, not mentioning the matter of seeking help, acting as if they were just making friends.
Everyone understood that it would not be easy to get someone like Yan Shouyi to act, so they preferred to hold back their words and leave a good impression on Yan Shouyi.
Perhaps there would be an opportunity in the future?
To show goodwill towards Yan Shouyi, the guests spared no effort, including many beautiful women who secretly flirted with him.
Despite his innocent appearance, Yan Shouyi knew exactly how to handle himself. Whether dealing with humans or ghosts, he always spoke with poise and tact. After each conversation, the other party felt as though Yan Shouyi had said everything, yet revealed nothing.
This was the skill he had learned from traveling with his grandfather over the years: speak appropriately to whomever you meet, and occasionally be enigmatic.
The banquet ended late into the night. The guests were reluctant to leave but dared not disturb Yan Shouyi's rest, so they departed slowly.
Elder Master Liu, having seen Yan Shouyi today and resolved the trouble of Zhu Shanzao, and most importantly, having discovered the "affair" between Yan Shouyi and Liu Yiren, was in an unprecedentedly good mood.
After the guests left, he solicitously asked, "Shouyi, it's late now, and it's not very safe to go down the mountain. Why don't you stay here for the night? I'll have Yiyi see you off tomorrow morning?"
Liu Yiren shot her grandfather a glare, inwardly scolding him for his impropriety, feeling as though he were trying to marry off his granddaughter.
Yan Shouyi let out a burp from the wine and said apologetically, "I hope I'm not bothering you."
"Not at all, not at all. You helped us solve Zhu Shanzao's problem, we in the Liu family are grateful to you!"
Elder Master Liu immediately called for Uncle Zhong and instructed him to arrange a guest room for Yan Shouyi, requesting the one closest to Liu Yiren's courtyard.
On this matter, Liu Zong had clearly lost his authority.
Just as Uncle Zhong was about to lead Yan Shouyi to the guest room, Yan Shouyi suddenly said, "Elder Master, may I speak with you alone?"
Elder Master Liu was taken aback, then immediately nodded. He signaled to everyone, and the Liu family members withdrew.
Although Liu Zong and Liu Yiren were curious, they didn't feel right about staying since Yan Shouyi had asked to speak alone.
Soon, only Yan Shouyi and Elder Master Liu remained in the grand banquet hall.
Yan Shouyi got straight to the point, "Elder Master, before I came, I never expected you to be from the Gu Ling Liu family."
Elder Master Liu lit his pipe, "The Gu Ling Liu family is nothing compared to your Lu Ban Sect. It's not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning!"
Facing Elder Master Liu's effusive praise, Yan Shouyi did not act modest. He changed the subject and asked,
"Since the Liu family is one of the three great Ghost King families of Rongcheng, why do I feel as though you... haven't really involved yourself in that circle?"
If the Liu family were a Ghost King family, Elder Master Liu should have many capable individuals around him. At the very least, dealing with a minor character like Zhu Shanzao should not have been difficult. Yet, Yan Shouyi had not seen any trace of those people today.
Elder Master Liu heard this and sighed softly, saying,
"It's a bit complicated. Your grandfather guided me to Rongcheng years ago. After I arrived, I started a business. As my business prospered, I began to interact with Rongcheng's upper-class society and discovered the matter of Rongcheng's three great families. I also accidentally found out that the ancestor of the Gu Ling Liu family, one of the three great families, was also my ancestor. At that time, the Liu family needed an agent in the mortal world to handle their various affairs, so they chose me. Strictly speaking, we are not the Gu Ling Liu family you speak of. The true Gu Ling Liu family does not live in Zuihua, but deeper in Gu Ling, and ordinary people are unaware of their existence."
"Although I manage the Liu family's industries and they have grown stronger, this wealth means nothing to the ancestors of the Liu family. They don't care about money at all, so our branch is not well-regarded within the Liu family. The ancestors don't like to meddle in our affairs, which forces us to find capable individuals ourselves. Zhu Shanzao was one of them, but I didn't expect him to be so presumptuous!"
"Alas, it's all superficial glory!"
After hearing Elder Master Liu's explanation, Yan Shouyi's doubts were gradually resolved.
He had felt something was amiss before. If Elder Master Liu had the backing of a Ghost King family, he wouldn't have been in such dire straits back then, nor would he have needed his grandfather's guidance.
It now seemed that what he had met was merely the manager of the Liu family's affairs in the mortal world, and he had not yet encountered the true members of the Liu family.
Thus, the idea of using the Liu family's influence to deal with the Bai family was temporarily dashed.
Elder Master Liu noticed Yan Shouyi's slightly disappointed expression and felt a pang of unease. "Shouyi, why are you asking this? Do you want to meet the ancestors of the Liu family?"
"That's not what I meant," Yan Shouyi shook his head. "It's just that if I could be introduced, it would be beneficial, especially since I'll be staying in Rongcheng until at least December."
"I see," Elder Master Liu said. "How about this: you rest well tonight, and tomorrow morning, I will lead you to the Liu family ancestral mansion to meet them. With your status as a Lu Ban successor, I believe the ancestors will surely welcome you."
Yan Shouyi pondered for a moment and agreed, "That would be good."
What's the saying?
Since he was here anyway.
Since there was an opportunity to get acquainted with one of Rongcheng's three great families, why not? His grandfather often taught Yan Shouyi to build good relationships. The current status of Lu Ban successors was greatly attributed to the networks established with many other Lu Ban successors.
To maintain these connections, Lu Ban successors had even developed things like Lu Ban Sacred Wood.
After settling the matter, Elder Master Liu personally escorted Yan Shouyi to his guest room to rest.
The guest room was very close to Liu Yiren's courtyard. Through the window by the bed, he could see the second-floor terrace of Liu Yiren's villa.
When Yan Shouyi inadvertently looked towards the terrace, he could see the few small cats Liu Yiren kept lazily licking their paws in the night.
After a cold shower, Yan Shouyi, wrapped in a towel and bare-chested, meditated on the bed.
A lot had happened today. To stabilize his state of mind, Yan Shouyi decided to meditate and recite the Heart Calming Incantation a few times before sleeping.
When he opened his eyes, he happened to see Liu Yiren, wearing a camisole nightgown, sitting on a hanging basket on the opposite terrace, petting a cat. Her graceful figure in the moonlight instantly rendered all his previous Heart Calming Incantations useless.
Yan Shouyi immediately dove into his covers and lay down, truly embodying the gentleman's principle of not looking at what is improper.
All these scenes were witnessed by Liu Yiren on the opposite side. She propped her straight legs on the chair and fiercely ruffled a Ragdoll cat in her arms.
"Second Uncle... That guy actually became sworn brothers with my dad just to bully me... Hateful! He actually got away with it! I must get back at him tomorrow!"
...
The next morning, Yan Shouyi woke up and stretched his body vigorously under the morning sun.
He instinctively glanced out the window. Not seeing Liu Yiren's figure, he breathed a sigh of relief and began to divine his own fortune.
After a series of operations, Yan Shouyi obtained a "Kun" (困) hexagram.
This made Yan Shouyi frown.
Today's fortune was solely represented by the word "Kun," indicating that a difficult predicament, not easy to deal with, awaited Yan Shouyi.
If such a predicament could not be broken, it would inevitably bring Yan Shouyi some negative consequences. However, if it could be broken, there would be unexpected joy.
Yan Shouyi had not encountered such a hexagram for a long time, which made him feel a vague sense of worry.
He planned to meet the ancestors of the Liu family today. They were true Ghost Kings, so he surmised that this predicament likely stemmed from the true Liu family.
How could he break this predicament?
After all, with his current strength, he had almost no chance of winning against a Ghost King.
Should he choose to give up?
As long as he did not meet the ancestors of the Liu family, there would be no predicament.
After careful consideration, Yan Shouyi decided to go and meet the ancestors of the Liu family.
Fear of death was not the character of a Lu Ban successor. If one feared danger ahead, where would the courage to roam the four directions come from?
"Let's do it!"
After encouraging himself, Yan Shouyi put on his clothes, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked out of the guest room.
Uncle Zhong was already waiting outside.
Upon seeing Yan Shouyi emerge, Uncle Zhong said respectfully, "Mr. Yan, our master had an urgent matter and went down the mountain. Before he left, he instructed me that if you intended to visit the Liu family ancestral mansion, the second young lady would personally take you there."
Yan Shouyi's mouth twitched.
Letting Liu Yiren escort him to meet the ancestors of the Liu family?
Elder Master Liu, aren't you intentionally trying to set me up?