The Yan family's approach to child-rearing was highly traditional, believing that strict discipline produced filial children. Although Yan Chou and Yan Baixiang never physically disciplined Yan Shouyi, their strictness was undeniable.
From childhood, anything Yan Shouyi could do for himself, they never indulged him.
If he could walk, they wouldn't carry him; if he could feed himself, he shouldn't expect others. As long as it didn't lead to death, anything else was acceptable.
Therefore, even though Yan Shouyi was in a perilous situation earlier, Yan Chou had no intention of intervening. Even if Yan Shouyi had only two breaths left, he would wait for Yan Shouyi to expel one more breath before rescuing him.
It was under this educational philosophy that Yan Shouyi's independent personality was cultivated.
Yan Chou patted Yan Shouyi on the shoulder and said, "You should recover quickly."
Yan Shouyi nodded and sat cross-legged amidst the ruins, relaxing his body through meditation and accelerating his recovery.
At this moment, Lin Zitong in the sky and Yan Shouyi on the ground seemed to be responding to each other.
Sanyuan flapped its wings and landed on Yan Chou's shoulder, nuzzling him affectionately.
Yan Chou happily stroked Sanyuan's head, "Sanyuan, it's been a while."
Sanyuan chirped incessantly, as if it had much to say to Yan Chou, who listened silently.
Slowly, the purple flowers in the sky bloomed completely.
Lin Zitong was at the center of the purple flowers, supported by giant petals that acted like a warm bed, healing her injuries.
Her previously pale complexion gradually regained its color.
The shocking wound on her neck healed rapidly, leaving no scar.
Then, supported by the purple flowers, Lin Zitong slowly descended to the ground.
Upon landing, the purple flowers withered.
The swirling thunderclouds in the sky also dissipated.
Lin Zitong did not die, and the Spirit Refinement and Rebirth Great Array could not be completed. The three array eyes collapsed instantly!
Lü Jingsheng's expression changed, "Not good! The Spirit Refinement and Rebirth Great Array is deactivated. The spirit-suppressing arrays at Shanghang Art School and Ping'an Building will also become ineffective. At that time, ghosts will swarm out and surely affect the citizens of Rongcheng!"
Lü Jing immediately said, "I will notify the disciples to go and hunt down the ghosts."
Most of the people from the Lu Shan Sect had already left.
Even Lü Jing had followed, leaving only Lü Jingsheng. As Lin Zitong's master, he was unwilling to leave until he saw Lin Zitong safe.
Finally, the light around Lin Zitong dissipated. Her dirt-smeared face twitched as her long eyelashes fluttered.
"Am I... dead?"
Lin Zitong opened her eyes, looking around blankly.
Lü Jingsheng quickly stepped forward, "Disciple, how do you feel?"
"Master?"
Lin Zitong, being very intelligent, quickly realized she was not dead.
She immediately asked, "Master, what happened? What about the Spirit Refinement and Rebirth Great Array?"
"It's fine now, everything is fine."
Seeing Lin Zitong safe, Lü Jingsheng felt relieved. He then pointed towards Yan Shouyi.
Lin Zitong's gaze bypassed everyone, including Yan Chou. Seeing Yan Shouyi meditating in the ruins, she ran towards him without hesitation.
Yan Chou, seeing this, subtly kicked Yan Shouyi from behind.
Yan Shouyi opened his eyes in fright and was immediately pounced on by Lin Zitong.
The two hugged each other tightly, rolling several times in the ruins, their clothes covered in dust.
When they stopped, they looked into each other's eyes, conveying their emotions without a word.
Then, they both smiled.
Yan Shouyi held Lin Zitong tightly, burying his face in her hair, and inhaled her scent deeply.
"You stinky girl..."
Lin Zitong pressed her face against Yan Shouyi's, an expression of boundless happiness on her face:
"I'm still alive."
"You almost died."
"I don't know why I'm still alive."
"None of that matters anymore."
"Yes... that's right. But if all this hadn't happened, I don't know when I would have heard you say you love me, or when I would have seen you cry for me."
Lin Zitong's playful words conveyed her slight dissatisfaction with Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi said indignantly, "You didn't see how desperately I fought Tong Jingcheng for you."
"Yes, I didn't see it, so it doesn't count!" Lin Zitong laughed. "I still want to hear it from you directly."
Yan Shouyi had intended to explain all his efforts for Lin Zitong and describe his desperate struggle.
But then, as if enlightened, he held back his words. He simply held Lin Zitong and said softly,
"I love you."
These three words were more profound than a thousand.
Lin Zitong seemed to have received the answer she wanted. She gently closed her eyes, tilted her head slightly, and kissed Yan Shouyi on the cheek.
Unexpectedly, this kiss led to something else. Yan Shouyi was more proactive than ever, pulling Lin Zitong into an intense embrace and kissing her passionately.
This startled Long Feicheng, who was watching.
"Good heavens, this is the first time I've seen Brother Yan so forward!"
Long Feicheng gave Yan Shouyi a thumbs-up, "Looks like I'll be an uncle soon."
Yan Chou was stunned: Before he, the grandfather-to-be, had even spoken, you, the uncle-to-be, were already making pronouncements?
Facing Yan Shouyi's intense affection, it was Lin Zitong who finally yielded.
She gently pushed Yan Shouyi away, lowering her head and blushing, "There are still people watching."
"Ah... I got too excited."
Yan Shouyi came to his senses and felt embarrassed as well.
Yan Chou chuckled, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Everyone here has been through it before. Who hasn't had their youthful passion and fiery moments! We have plenty of time today, you can continue, just ignore us!"
Not far away, Zou Xiazi nudged Gou Daoshi, "Dog Taoist, did Big Brother just call me?"
"No!" Gou Daoshi replied with a cheeky grin.
"Then what are they doing? I feel like it's a bit inappropriate."
"You mentioning that reminds me," Gou Daoshi looked at Miaoji Wuseng, "Baldy, aren't you a monk? Why are you watching so intently!"
Miaoji Wuseng clasped his hands together, "Amitabha, what the hell is it to you."
Gou Daoshi: "Baldy, you're so good at swearing, does your Buddha know about it?"
"What the hell is it to him!"
"..."
On the other side, Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong helped each other up.
Yan Shouyi said, "Tong Jingcheng is dead. His plans have all failed. I'll tell you about what happened slowly later... Uh, let me introduce you, this is my dad. He was just released from prison today."
Lin Zitong hadn't expected to meet a senior relative in such circumstances. She quickly tidied her hair and bowed to Yan Chou:
"Hello, Uncle Yan. I'm Lin Zitong, Yan Shouyi's... girlfriend."
"Hello, hello!"
Yan Chou beamed with joy, unable to hide his admiration and fondness.
After raising a pig for so many years, he had finally found a cabbage.
Yan Chou fumbled around on his body, then frowned and said,
"I came in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare any gifts... Hey, you three, Dog Taoist, you have plenty of treasures, each of you take something to give to my future daughter-in-law!"
The three were taken aback: "You're the father-in-law meeting his daughter-in-law, why are you making us give gifts??"
Yan Chou angrily said, "What did we swear when we became sworn brothers? What's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours!"
"But you have nothing now!"
"That's precisely why I need you to give gifts! Any problem?"
The three: "..."
"Besides, you are also elders to Shouyi. Is it not right to give a gift when meeting? It's perfectly reasonable!" Yan Chou said with a smile.
The three exchanged glances, sighed, and knew they couldn't escape this.
They only regretted not being married and having children themselves, otherwise, they would have extorted Yan Chou severely in return.
The three stepped forward and first greeted Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi was still somewhat unfamiliar with the three, but in his memory, their figures seemed to be present.
Especially the old yellow dog led by Gou Daoshi.
The old yellow dog saw Yan Shouyi and was very excited, as if greeting an old friend after many years. It sniffed all over Yan Shouyi, its tail wagging like a propeller.
"Nephew, do you remember us?" Gou Daoshi spoke first. "My surname is Gou, and you used to call me Uncle Gou when you were little. Back in Chenjia Village, I carved you a peach wood sword. You took that sword and cleared all the weeds around the village. It was as if nothing could grow there!"
With Gou Daoshi's reminder, Yan Shouyi instantly remembered.
That peach wood sword was still kept in his satchel!
"I remember you, Uncle Gou, and Uncle Miaoji, and Uncle Zou!" Yan Shouyi called out everyone's titles in one breath.
The three were immediately delighted.
Yan Chou reminded them, "Hurry up, give the gifts!"
"Got it, got it! We're getting them out!" The three laughed.
After careful consideration, they each took out their treasures.
The first to present a treasure was Miaoji Wuseng. He was generous and directly took off the string of Buddhist beads he wore around his neck. After casting a spell, the beads transformed into a small string of prayer beads that perfectly wrapped around Lin Zitong's wrist three times.
"These are the eighteen realms six dust beads that I refined myself. Each bead hides a powerful Buddha seal. If you encounter danger, throw out a bead, and it will keep you safe."
Lin Zitong said shyly, "How can I accept a gift from a senior..."
Yan Chou smiled, "Just take it. This is from me, your father-in-law, to my daughter-in-law!"
Yan Shouyi also persuaded, "Take it, it's also a gesture of goodwill from the uncles."
Lin Zitong accepted the gift and bowed to Miaoji again, thanking him repeatedly.
Zou Xiazi stepped forward and, from his tattered clothes, produced a golden hairpin:
"A golden hairpin for a beauty. I originally intended to give this hairpin to my future wife, but hearing your voice, I know you are a kind and beautiful girl, so this golden hairpin belongs to you!"
"This hairpin is called the Little Phoenix Golden Hairpin, a token of love given by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to Yang Guifei. Wearing this hairpin will keep mosquitoes away, prevent evil spirits from approaching, and guard against all poisons. In short, it has many benefits that you will discover gradually!"
Since she had already accepted Miaoji's gift, Lin Zitong did not need to be polite with the others.
She graciously accepted the gift and bowed to Zou Xiazi, "Thank you, Uncle Zou. I really like this golden hairpin."
"It's my turn, it's my turn!"
Gou Daoshi excitedly walked over, clutching a small item, and mysteriously approached Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong.
Seeing his mysterious demeanor, even Yan Chou was curious about what gift he would give.
To everyone's surprise, when Gou Daoshi opened his palm, Lin Zitong's pretty face instantly turned crimson.
Yan Shouyi quickly snatched the item from Gou Daoshi's hand and stuffed it into his pocket.
"What's wrong, you don't like it?" Gou Daoshi asked in confusion. "By rights, you're at that age, aren't you?"
"That's none of your business, Uncle Gou..." Yan Shouyi coughed dryly. "We have an agreement. We absolutely will not... you know, before we get married."
Gou Daoshi said earnestly, "If you don't plan to have children, you must be very careful before doing that. The things they gave are all flashy and impractical. My gift is the most practical!"
Zou Xiazi asked from the side, "Baldy, what did Dog Taoist give?"
Miaoji replied, "Just bubblegum."