The trip to the Spirit Observation Platform was highly rewarding for Yan Shouyi.
After the platform closed, Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong returned the way they came.
The same mist blocked their path, and they passed by the Elder guarding the formation with his staff once more.
Yan Shouyi felt a great deal of curiosity towards this Elder. He wondered what generation this old man belonged to, as his strength seemed to be not much weaker than the Old Heavenly Master.
After all, although the Old Heavenly Master had not personally intervened that night, the Yin soldiers and generals he summoned had killed countless evil spirits, zombies, and demonic beings. The evil entities that the Old Heavenly Master had dealt with, if lined up for Yan Shouyi to kill, would likely take three days and three nights, leaving him with sore hands and aching shoulders.
The Old Heavenly Master's power needed no further proof. This man, who had lived for over a hundred and thirty years, was practically indistinguishable from an immortal, except for his inability to fly on a sword.
Yan Shouyi did not know if immortals existed in this world, but if they did, they were probably only a tiny bit more powerful than the Old Heavenly Master.
And this Elder with the staff, who felt so formidable, why was he content to remain in this mist?
Seven days ago, when the demonic forces attacked the mountain and the Old Heavenly Master was nearing his end, why did this Elder not intervene?
Curious, truly curious.
So as the two passed the Elder with the staff, Yan Shouyi couldn't help but stare at him. He didn't shy away from his gaze, as he vaguely saw that the Elder had his eyes closed.
But in the next second, the Elder suddenly swung his staff and smacked Yan Shouyi's backside.
"Ouch!"
Yan Shouyi yelped in pain and jumped up. Lin Zhitong was startled as well. "What's wrong?"
"Why did you hit my backside?" Yan Shouyi asked the Elder plaintively.
The Elder snorted, "Encountering an old friend, I couldn't help myself."
"???"
Yan Shouyi was completely bewildered. How had he become an old friend with this Elder?
Before he could ask, the Elder pointed his staff at him again and berated, "The Spirit Observation Platform has closed. Why aren't you leaving quickly?"
"Go, go, we're leaving now!"
Yan Shouyi, covering his backside and afraid of being ambushed again by the Elder, grabbed Lin Zhitong and ran.
Seeing them leave, the Elder chuckled a few times and then became still again, as if turning into a stone statue.
As Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong emerged from the mist and bamboo forest, they looked back, and the Elder with the staff was nowhere to be seen. It was then that Yan Shouyi dared to quip:
"Don't tell me that Elder with the staff was attracted by my good looks and deliberately tried to tease me?"
Lin Zhitong shot him a glance. "Have some self-awareness. Besides me, who else would be interested in you?"
"Hey, are you doubting my charm?" Yan Shouyi retorted indignantly.
Lin Zhitong said triumphantly, "Look at how many girls liked you and how many talented young men liked me during the Grand Ceremony of Luo Tian."
"That's true..."
Yan Shouyi also began to feel proud. His wife being so charming was something to be proud of, wasn't it? It simply proved his excellent taste.
Moreover, it wasn't just men who liked Lin Zhitong; many women did too.
"You've come out."
At that moment, Yan Chou's voice rang out. Yan Shouyi looked closely and saw Yan Chou and Zhang Shanli standing not far away, chatting and laughing.
The pile of cigarette butts on the ground indicated that the two had been waiting for quite some time.
Yan Chou smiled and asked, "How was your harvest from entering the Spirit Observation Platform this time?"
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zhitong exchanged glances, and he replied, "We've resolved many doubts."
"Good. As for the specifics, you'll handle them yourselves. I won't pry further." Yan Chou seemed indifferent to the outcome of the Spirit Observation Platform.
But this was also Yan Chou's way of educating his children. If it was something his children could decide for themselves, he would never interfere.
At the same time, Yan Chou was full of confidence in his son, believing he could handle everything.
Lin Zhitong asked, "Dad, you've been waiting for us here, so you must have something important to discuss, right?"
"Of course."
Yan Chou lit a cigarette and said to them, "I've finished interrogating Guan Lao San and Wei Changqing. Guan Lao San has been taken away by the seniors of the Coffin Carriers lineage. As for Wei Changqing, my uncles and I have not reached a consensus on how to deal with him, so I want to hear your opinion."
"My opinion?"
Yan Shouyi was flattered. Wei Changqing was one of the strongest among the Twenty-Eight Mansions under the Actor, the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions. He was also his father's junior disciple and his own uncle-master.
To have him decide the fate of his uncle-master was not an easy matter.
Yan Chou said softly, "He is, after all, my junior disciple. He went astray due to certain circumstances back then. I believe your grandfather knew Wei Changqing still harbored kindness in his heart, so I wanted to give him another chance. However, your two uncles feel that letting Wei Changqing live poses a great threat to us. Shouyi, what do you think?"
Yan Shouyi fell into thought.
Wei Changqing was very powerful. He had gotten lucky by chance, defeating Wei Changqing when he was severely injured and catching him off guard.
If he recovered his strength and harbored ill intentions, the outcome would undoubtedly be as the Dog Taoist and the Monk Miaoji had said: a future hidden danger.
Zhang Shanli cleared his throat a couple of times and said, "How to deal with Wei Changqing is your business, but I can't help but offer a suggestion."
"Junior Uncle-Master, please speak."
"Being kind to your enemy is being cruel to yourself." Zhang Shanli expressed his opinion concisely and directly.
"That certainly fits your usual demeanor," Yan Chou teased him.
If Zhang Shanli wasn't ruthless enough, how could he have secured his position as the Head of the Disciplinary Hall?
"Junior Uncle-Master speaks wisely," Yan Shouyi said. "However, I would still like to hear why Wei Changqing went astray."
Zhang Shanli was taken aback, then his old face flushed. "You are indeed thoughtful, my boy."
Yan Chou was also very pleased with Yan Shouyi's reaction, so he explained:
"Wei Changqing was adopted by your grandfather when he was a child. Afterward, we learned martial arts together. Although we were not related by blood, we were like brothers. This continued until he met the woman he loved."
"When Wei Changqing was seventeen, he met a young woman. Their relationship developed rapidly, and they soon became a couple. However, I later discovered that the woman didn't love Wei Changqing at all. Her sole intention in being with him was to steal the lower volume of the Luban Scripture. So, I reported this to your grandfather. Upon hearing this, your grandfather was furious and ordered Wei Changqing to break off his relationship with the girl."
"Wei Changqing, unaware of the truth, naturally refused to believe it. And that woman was still persistent. She even tried to attack your grandfather under the cover of night, but your grandfather discovered her and killed her instead. You can probably guess what happened next."
"Wei Changqing did not believe me or your grandfather, and from then on, he harbored resentment towards our father and son. Finally, he betrayed his sect and left, going far away."
Lin Zhitong frowned and asked, "Is there any evidence to prove that the woman was not a good person?"
Yan Chou shook his head. "If there were evidence, the misunderstanding wouldn't have run so deep."
The death of his beloved made Wei Changqing unable to let go, and step by step, he found himself on the opposing side of Yan Chou.
Yan Shouyi now understood why Wei Changqing had been so ruthless towards his father but had shown leniency towards his grandmother, Wen Yuxian.
In the events of that year, only his father and grandfather had acted. His grandmother had been entirely uninvolved, which was why Wei Changqing had shown consideration for their past relationship.
In this light, Wei Changqing was not entirely beyond redemption. He certainly had to be held accountable for the mistakes he had made, but he also had an opportunity to atone for them.
Therefore, Yan Shouyi had found his answer:
"I want to keep Wei Changqing."
[Author's Note]
There will be three more updates tonight!