This vast West Lake was no longer owned by the Li family.
It also meant that the wealth the Li family had accumulated for hundreds of years had come to an end here.
Perhaps after the Li family patriarch died, they could still live a life of comfort and security, but they would no longer be at the level of those three great Ghost King families of Rongcheng.
All of this was simply because the Li family disdained Yan Shouyi and refused his marriage to Li Qing'er.
However, even though Li Peizong handed over West Lake under pressure, the Li family harbored no resentment towards him or Yan Chou.
After all, Yan Chou exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure. Even they, the local power brokers of Rongcheng and a former Ghost King family, could not help but bow their heads before Yan Chou.
There was no room for negotiation…
Li Peizong sighed and quietly led the Li family members away.
The previously crowded hall quickly became empty, leaving only Yan Chou, the Dog Taoist, Yan Shouyi, and Lin Zitong.
The Dog Taoist chuckled and said, "West Lake is the most valuable piece of land in Rongcheng. It is the convergence of Rongcheng's fortune. The Li family monopolized it for so long, and now it's finally time for them to move their bottoms."
Whether it was Guling belonging to the Liu family or Feifeng Mountain belonging to the Bai family, they were all located in the suburbs of Rongcheng.
West Lake, however, was situated in the city center of Rongcheng, its value being beyond description.
To Rongcheng, West Lake was like the Forbidden City in Yanjing, the City God Temple in Modu, or the Datang Buye City in Chang'an!
"My son came to their doorstep, and the Li family still refused him. They themselves failed to seize the opportunity," Yan Chou smiled, then looked at Lin Zitong. "However, it was all destined, allowing our Yan family to marry such a wonderful daughter-in-law."
Faced with Yan Chou's praise, Lin Zitong felt rather shy. She linked her arm through Yan Shouyi's and asked Yan Chou,
"Dad, what do you need West Lake for?"
Yan Chou's actions, while appearing decisive on the surface, were actually meticulously planned. Every choice was the result of careful consideration.
Therefore, Lin Zitong did not believe that Yan Chou asking for West Lake from the Li family today was merely to punish them.
Yan Chou looked at her with admiration and said,
"Throughout the entire Jianzhou Province, apart from the Wuyi Mountains, Rongcheng's West Lake is the best. As your father-in-law, I didn't have anything substantial to offer yesterday. So today, I summoned the Li family and took West Lake, presenting it to you two as a wedding gift."
Upon hearing this, Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong were dumbfounded.
That was Rongcheng's West Lake!
You went through all this trouble, not to achieve something earth-shattering, but just to give us a wedding gift??
Yan Shouyi had to admit that when it came to showing off, his father was far more impressive than him.
The Dog Taoist also exclaimed, "Big Brother, this is like a bull's mother giving birth to a bull – incredibly impressive!"
Yan Chou waved his hand dismissively.
"It's just that I spent the last decade in prison. If I hadn't gone to prison back then, what I might have given would not have been Rongcheng's West Lake, but the Wuyi Mountains."
Although Rongcheng's West Lake was formidable, it was still just a lake. The Wuyi Mountains, on the other hand, were an entire mountain range!
The Wuyi Mountains were located in the northwestern part of Jianzhou Province, serving as the natural boundary between Jianzhou Province and Jiangxi Province. It was a land of outstanding people, producing talents throughout history, with excellent feng shui.
And everyone had no doubt that Yan Chou could have acquired the Wuyi Mountains.
Yan Shouyi said, "Dad, aren't we being a bit too high-profile with this?"
"High-profile?" Yan Chou shook his head. "Ordinary people would never know that Rongcheng's West Lake once belonged to the Li family… no, ordinary people wouldn't even know about the Li family's existence. Therefore, our possession of West Lake has no impact on the common folk, and it's not considered high-profile. If we talk about high-profile, the Tianshi Mansion owning Longhu Mountain and the Gu Sect owning the entire Xiang River – that's what you call high-profile! They can own a mountain, a river, so why can't we own a lake?"
Hearing Yan Chou's words, Yan Shouyi accepted it in his heart.
That's right, their world, though intersecting with the ordinary world, also had a huge gap.
Ordinary people might never know in their lifetime that ghosts actually existed in this world.
But for people like Yan Shouyi, ghosts were just the most ordinary and insignificant part of their lives.
Yan Chou continued,
"This West Lake is not just a gift for you two, but also for your in-laws. Therefore, in the future, West Lake will be nominally managed by your Lin family. However, I have already discussed it with your in-laws last night. We will specially build a house for you on West Lake. No matter where you go in the future, you will always have a home."
As a father, after arranging a partner, he immediately arranged a house without delay.
The next step, perhaps, would be arranging for grandchildren?
Yan Shouyi couldn't help but glance at Lin Zitong's belly.
Lin Zitong had been too proactive last night, and Yan Shouyi truly couldn't resist. He wasn't sure if he had managed to conceive a child.
If it really happened, he would become a father in a year…
Lin Zitong seemed to have guessed what Yan Shouyi was thinking and playfully punched him.
Yan Shouyi coughed dryly and quickly stopped his wandering thoughts.
The Dog Taoist smacked his lips and patted Yan Shouyi's shoulder, saying,
"Exchanging the Li family for West Lake… Nephew, are there any other people who bullied you? Now that your dad is backing you up, quickly tell us if there are any, and you might even gain quite a bit!"
Yan Shouyi said with a wry smile, "There's no one else. If there were, I would have dealt with them on the spot."
The Dog Taoist said with some regret, "Think carefully. Once this opportunity passes, there won't be another one!"
Hearing this, Yan Shouyi frowned slightly.
From Yan Chou's series of actions and the Dog Taoist's words, he seemed to sense something was amiss.
He quickly asked Yan Chou, "Dad, are you planning to leave Rongcheng?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Chou slightly put away his smile, took another sip of tea from his teacup, and then said,
"For the past decade, I have been in prison, failing you and Grandpa, and missing out on many sights. Now that I'm finally out, and seeing you get married, I have no lingering attachment to Rongcheng. So, in a few days, I plan to leave Rongcheng and travel around with the Dog Taoist and the others."
Yan Shouyi naturally supported his father's idea, but he still asked with concern, "Then where are you planning to go?"
"Naturally, I will first return to Chenjia Village to pay respects at Grandpa's grave. After that… wherever the road takes me. Anyway, we all have mobile phones to stay in touch now, unlike before."
"How about… Zi Tong and I accompany you back? It's also a good opportunity for Grandpa to meet Zi Tong," Yan Shouyi said, holding Lin Zitong's hand.