Midnight, and Zui Hua Li, having just recovered its Feng Shui, was much warmer than before.
However, as it was already mid-November, the mountains were still a bit chilly.
Liu Zong, the son of Liu Mingzhi, was currently waiting with a group of Liu family members at the entrance of Zui Hua Li.
They were still hiding the news of Liu Yiren's disappearance from Liu Mingzhi, but they couldn't keep it a secret forever.
Therefore, they could only wait for Yan Shouyi to return, bringing Liu Yiren with him.
Otherwise, Liu Zong truly didn't know how he would inform the elder Mr. Liu about Liu Yiren's disappearance.
Elder Mr. Liu doted on Liu Yiren the most, treating her as his own darling.
He feared she would melt if kept in his mouth and break if held in his palm.
This might have been related to the early death of Liu Jiaren.
It was precisely because his elder sister had left too soon that Elder Mr. Liu gave his younger sister even more love and care.
It was hard to imagine how disheartened Elder Mr. Liu would be if he lost Liu Yiren as well.
The most important thing for an elder was his mental state; a poor mindset would significantly shorten his lifespan.
"It's already past midnight, why hasn't my second brother returned yet!"
Liu Zong, with his hands behind his back, paced restlessly beneath the golden bull statue at the entrance of Zui Hua Li.
The other members of the Liu family wanted to comfort him, but they didn't know how to start.
Everyone's mood was as anxious as Liu Zong's.
Just then, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew.
Everyone couldn't help but shiver.
Liu Zong, being the most sensitive, looked in the direction of the cold wind almost instantly.
His eyes were filled with vigilance: "Everyone be careful!"
Could it be that Yan Shouyi had left, and Zhu Shanzhao had returned?
Now that Zui Hua Li had no capable people, they might not be able to stop Zhu Shanzhao, and then everyone would be finished!
The crowd looked towards the woods where the cold wind was blowing, and they instinctively huddled together.
They saw many figures slowly emerging from the woods, which even the moonlight could not penetrate...
The height of these figures was several sizes smaller than normal people.
Their walking movements were so light and airy that they didn't seem like living people at all!
"It's over... we're haunted..."
Liu Zong's face turned pale, his heart almost leaping into his throat.
They had never seen such a scene!
The other members of the Liu family were also trembling with fear, unable to stand steady.
Suddenly, a sharp-eyed member of the Liu family noticed a familiar figure in the woods.
"Everyone, look quickly, that... that seems to be Mr. Yan!"
The crowd looked in unison and saw Yan Shouyi emerging from the woods, the light illuminating his face.
It was indeed Yan Shouyi!
Liu Zong was overjoyed and was about to greet him when he was stopped.
"Patriarch, you must be careful, is this really Mr. Yan, or is it Mr. Yan's ghost?"
Being asked this by another person, Liu Zong's body instantly stiffened.
His previously excited heart seemed to have been doused with a basin of cold water!
Yes, didn't they see a group of ghosts and monsters following behind Yan Shouyi?
What if Yan Shouyi also met with misfortune, what would they do then!
While Liu Zong hesitated, Yan Shouyi had already walked up to him from the small path and greeted him:
"Brother, you don't look very well, haven't you rested enough?"
Liu Zong's complexion was naturally not good, but it wasn't due to discomfort, but from being scared.
He blinked his eyes and hesitated, "Second brother, are you still alive?"
"Pfft... Isn't that obvious!" Yan Shouyi was exasperated and amused. So they thought he was dead?
But it was understandable; what living person would emerge from the woods in the middle of the night.
Liu Zong was overjoyed. He took Yan Shouyi's hand and found that he did have body temperature, then asked:
"Where is my daughter?"
"She's behind!"
He quickly looked behind Yan Shouyi.
Then he saw Liu Yiren walking towards them with a group of pale paper figures.
*Hic!*
Liu Zong, who was no longer young, let out a "hiccup" and collapsed straight to the ground.
"Patriarch! What's wrong, Patriarch!"
The Liu family members wanted to rush forward to take care of Liu Zong, but Liu Yiren had already arrived with a group of paper figures, scaring them away from approaching.
Seeing her father faint from fright, Liu Yiren, feeling a bit annoyed, held her head:
"Alas, if I had known he was so timid, we should have been more low-key."
That group of paper figures were, of course, the ancestors of the Liu family who had migrated collectively.
They surrounded Liu Zong and began discussing animatedly.
"Is this the current Patriarch of our Liu family?"
"How can he be so timid? Can he accomplish anything great?"
"He seems to be Jiajia and Yiyi's father!"
"Oh! Then we must take good care of him!"
Yan Shouyi pinched Liu Zong's philtrum, and Liu Zong slowly woke up.
A group of paper figures surrounded Liu Zong, their faces showing concerned yet eerie smiles, "Little Liu Zong, are you alright?"
*Hic!*
Liu Zong rolled his eyes.
This time, he not only fainted but was probably also in some danger of his life.
Yan Shouyi quickly performed CPR on Liu Zong, and at the same time shouted at the paper figures: "You all step back first, don't scare the man to death!"
The ancestors of the Liu family, who had not seen the outside world for many years, retreated to the side with some embarrassment.
It was truly difficult for their good intentions.
With Yan Shouyi's efforts, Liu Zong woke up again.
This time, Liu Yiren was prepared and quickly hugged his arm, helping him to catch his breath:
"Dad, don't be afraid, these paper figures are all the ancestors of the Liu family, even sister is among them!"
"Your sister?"
Liu Zong's expression was one of immense shock.
Liu Mingzhi had not even told Liu Zong about Liu Jiaren.
Their lineage was not the direct line, so only Liu Mingzhi knew about the ancestral home of the Liu family!
As much as Liu Zong had grieved when he lost Liu Jiaren back then, he was now equally astonished.
A paper figure, who looked very much like Liu Jiaren, stepped forward, and tears actually flowed from the eyes painted on the paper: "Dad!"
"This is actually real..." Liu Zong was utterly shocked.
The other members of the Liu family were speechless, even though they had already witnessed many strange things.
"Time for reunions."
Yan Shouyi took a few steps back, retreating to the side of Agong and Zhu Shanzhao, and said,
"Let them have their time to chat."
Agong asked, "Where are you planning to settle them?"
"I have a friend who is a descendant of ancient medicine, and he has a pastoral cottage on the outskirts of the city. The Yin energy there is quite strong. Although the environment is a bit rudimentary, it is enough to accommodate them," Yan Shouyi said. "In a couple of days, Zhu Shanzhao will also go with me to see that friend, and incidentally, to treat your eyes."
Zhu Shanzhao's eyes were blinded by Yan Shouyi. Now that Zhu Shanzhao had become one of them, Yan Shouyi naturally had to treat him a little better.
Zhu Shanzhao was actually a little touched by this.
He had followed the right leader!
Liu Jiaren and Liu Zong's reunion was inevitably emotional. Fortunately, Liu Zong managed to control his emotions in time and urged everyone to hurry back home.
If others at Zui Hua Li saw a large group of paper figures outside, a few more would likely faint from fright.
The group returned to the Liu family, and Liu Zong arranged rooms for everyone.
Since so many people had come back, all the guest rooms were occupied, so Yan Shouyi was "forced" to be arranged in Liu Yiren's small courtyard.
Liu Yiren did not refuse, after all, Yan Shouyi had just saved her life.
Upon returning to the small courtyard, Yan Shouyi's legs suddenly went weak, and he collapsed straight to the ground.
Liu Yiren was stunned and quickly helped Yan Shouyi up: "Hey, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, it's just that I expended too much energy tonight. I just need some rest," Yan Shouyi replied awkwardly.
Although he had the body of a Celestial Corpse Puppet, using too much magic would still make Yan Shouyi feel weak.
Especially since he had used the ultimate technique of a Luban descendant, Mu Kui Fa Tian, tonight.
As for the side effects of Mu Kui Fa Tian, they were quite humane. After use, one would only enter a weakened state four hours later, giving Luban descendants ample time to deal with the aftermath.
Now that Yan Shouyi was depleted of energy, he only wanted to get a good night's sleep.
Despite several attempts, Liu Yiren couldn't drag the big man Yan Shouyi, but fortunately, Sanyuan crawled out of her bag, bit Yan Shouyi's collar, and dragged him to the sofa.
Although Sanyuan was small, its strength was not insignificant.
"Whew... thanks to Sanyuan!" Liu Yiren said dismissively, "Yan Shouyi, you should lose some weight!"
Yan Shouyi said speechlessly, "Why should I, a grown man, lose weight? It's good to be a little fat; it means I have good fortune."
Liu Yiren gave Yan Shouyi a glare, then brought him a cup of warm water.
Seeing Yan Shouyi's weakness, she blushed and lifted his head, feeding him the water.
With such close contact with Yan Shouyi, Liu Yiren's heart couldn't help but race.
Beautiful women have always admired heroes. Liu Yiren already quite liked Yan Shouyi, and now he had risked his life to save her.
In her heart, she was gradually developing some "improper thoughts" about Yan Shouyi.
Therefore, the way Liu Yiren looked at Yan Shouyi at this moment was somewhat ambiguous.
Being taken care of like this by Liu Yiren made Yan Shouyi a bit embarrassed. He said, "I'll sleep on the sofa tonight. You should go rest early too."
"Sleeping on the sofa won't do, and it's on the first floor, which is damp!"
"You don't look like someone who would fuss over such things..."
"Hmph, mind your own business!"
Liu Yiren stood up and said, "You rest here for a while, I'll go upstairs to wash up, and then I'll carry you to a room upstairs."
"Upstairs... there are rooms?" Yan Shouyi asked doubtfully.
He remembered that Liu Yiren's three-story villa had no guest rooms; each room had a specific purpose, such as a study, a gym, or a music room.
Liu Yiren paused, and her face instantly turned red to the roots of her ears: "You sleep in my bed, and I'll sleep on the floor in the study!"
"That wouldn't be proper, you just recovered from a serious illness."
"I am the host, and in my house, you must obey me. Isn't it said that the guest follows the host's wishes?!"
Liu Yiren dared not argue with Yan Shouyi any further and quickly ran upstairs.
Yan Shouyi was full of helplessness. In fact, Liu Yiren's bed had been slept in by Agong's paper figures for many days, and the Yin energy had not yet dispersed.
But since Liu Yiren said that the guest followed the host's wishes, the straightforward Yan Shouyi could only "respect" the host's decision.