"Yan Shouyi, I hope we haven't misjudged you, and I hope you won't lie to us again in the future."
After Yan Nanfei finished speaking, he also walked towards Yan Shouyi and joined his team.
He finally followed his heart, judged people with his own eyes, and accepted Yan Shouyi as a friend.
Yan Shouyi smiled and shook hands with Yan Nanfei, and the two were considered true friends.
Finally, everyone turned their attention to the mysterious赊刀人 (She Dao Ren).
Long Feicheng said with a wry smile, "You guys should try to persuade this guy. I'm a hostage right now..."
At Long Feicheng's reminder, Yan Shouyi finally noticed that the She Dao Ren's cleaver was still at Long Feicheng's neck.
It was likely that the She Dao Ren met Yan Nanfei and the others earlier, exposed Yan Shouyi's identity, and planned to join forces with Yan Nanfei and Chang Shan to find trouble with Yan Shouyi.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they met, Ling Xiaoxiao took the lead in defecting, and finally recruited Yan Nanfei and Chang Shan.
The final scene was still the She Dao Ren standing on everyone's opposite side.
"Don't worry, you're safe," Yan Shouyi said. "I don't think this She Dao Ren is a bad person."
The She Dao Ren's movements stiffened, as if he was a little angry. He gestured with the cleaver at Long Feicheng's neck and said threateningly:
"You think you know me well? Even a cornered rabbit will bite. I'm desperate and can do anything!!"
Long Feicheng shouted, "Brother, calm down. We'll bring you along for barbecue later!"
"Shut up!"
The She Dao Ren was somewhat agitated. Yan Shouyi quickly put away his Zanpakuto and signaled the others to step back a few paces.
He said, "Don't you just want West Lake? I'll give it to you! But you must release Little Long, and only then can we talk."
The She Dao Ren snorted, "Neither of us is a fool. If I let him go, will you let me go?"
"We are not enemies. The one who cannot keep promises is Lin Fan, not me," Yan Shouyi said calmly. "Besides, the She Dao Ren and us Lu Ban successors both originate from the common people. We should unite; there's no need to be on opposite sides."
Upon mentioning the She Dao Ren lineage and the Lu Ban successors, the She Dao Ren seemed to let down his guard slightly.
He observed Yan Shouyi, muttering to himself, as if calculating something.
Suddenly, the She Dao Ren put down the cleaver and kicked Long Feicheng towards Yan Shouyi.
"Ouch!"
Long Feicheng rolled in embarrassment to Yan Shouyi, who quickly untied him.
"You scoundrel, if you're releasing me, why the extra kick? My backside!" Long Feicheng yelled in annoyance.
"This kick is for my brother, since you electrocuted him with the palm lightning talisman!" the She Dao Ren cursed.
Long Feicheng was now back in safety and no longer seemed as timid. As soon as he was untied, he jumped up and shouted, "Don't think I'm afraid of you. Let's have a one-on-one if you dare!"
The She Dao Ren didn't bother arguing with Long Feicheng, merely snorted, and squatted on the ground.
His squatting posture was relaxed, not like he was on guard, which was also a way of showing he was harmless.
"Alright, Little Long, you go to them first. I'll go talk to the She Dao Ren."
Yan Shouyi patted Long Feicheng's shoulder, then walked to the She Dao Ren's side and simply squatted down as well.
"Why do you suddenly trust me again?" he asked.
The She Dao Ren said faintly, "You have a faint aura of malevolence about you. I thought you were a smiling tiger, but after calculating just now, I learned you haven't done anything heinous. The malevolence stems from your past life."
Yan Shouyi's eyes widened in surprise:
"Just in that moment? You even calculated my past life?"
The She Dao Ren sneered disdainfully, "The She Dao Ren who predicts with absolute certainty, do you think our reputation is just for show? When it comes to fortune-telling, skills like Mei Hua Yi Shu or Xiao Liu Ren Shen Shu are mere child's play to the She Dao Ren."
This was Yan Shouyi's first encounter with a She Dao Ren. Although he had heard before that She Dao Ren could know the future from the past, he hadn't expected them to be so formidable.
"Anyway, after all this commotion today, I've appeared before you, and it's not so easy to leave... Since I know you're not a bad person, perhaps we can sit down and talk," the She Dao Ren explained. "I originally didn't know West Lake didn't belong to Lin Fan. Since Lin Fan broke his promise, I could only cause trouble at the construction site. You should be able to see that my actions were all harmless. As for the vortex caused by the shattered Black Tortoise statue, it was a coincidence, not something I did intentionally."
"I believe you," Yan Shouyi said.
The reason was simple: the She Dao Ren hadn't delivered a fatal blow, just as he hadn't to Yan Nanfei and the others.
"Then let's chat," the She Dao Ren asked.
"Let's chat," Yan Shouyi shook hands with the She Dao Ren.
He then looked at the young boy beside the She Dao Ren.
The boy had just been pulled out of the water, his clothes were soaked, and his hair was matted, but even in the dead of winter, he didn't seem to feel the cold.
While the She Dao Ren was talking with Yan Shouyi, the boy paid no attention, looking up at the sky curiously, completely unaffected by the two of them.
"Who is he?" Yan Shouyi asked.
"My junior brother, and my brother," the She Dao Ren replied.
Yan Shouyi nodded, not pressing further.
He then asked, "Why do you insist on obtaining West Lake?"
"West Lake has good feng shui. Settling there will surely bring blessings. Moreover, this was a deal made between Lin Fan and my master. I'm just taking back what belongs to me."
"But West Lake doesn't belong to Lin Fan; it belongs to me."
The She Dao Ren paused, then said helplessly, "So, Master miscalculated."
"The She Dao Ren's fortune-telling skills are so formidable, yet they can also miscalculate?"
"We are accurate when calculating for others, but not for ourselves. You are also a successor of a folk sect; you should understand this principle."
Yan Shouyi inwardly smiled bitterly. He had thought that with the She Dao Ren's great abilities, he could break through this limitation.
As they talked, Yan Shouyi suddenly realized something crucial.
If the She Dao Ren who made the deal with Lin Fan back then was the master of the current She Dao Ren, then this She Dao Ren...
Yan Shouyi's breathing became heavy. He stared at the She Dao Ren and asked with a slightly urgent tone, "Can you take off your hat?"
"Why?"
"I want to see what you look like..."
"Don't you already have a wife?"
"..."
Under the She Dao Ren's wary tone, he slowly removed his hat, revealing a young face.
He looked to be around Yan Shouyi's age, but his skin was much darker, and there were some small scars on his face, likely marks left from years of traveling.
Upon seeing the She Dao Ren's true face, Yan Shouyi couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"It's you... Hahaha! My efforts have paid off. I never expected to find you!!" Yan Shouyi burst into laughter.
This strange reaction caused the She Dao Ren to instinctively take a few steps back, "Are you crazy?"