Would it be alright to bring Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong back to Chenjia Village together?
Yan Chou lowered his head and pondered for a moment.
"This matter depends on Zitong's own thoughts," he said.
Lin Zitong blinked her eyes and linked her arm through Yan Shouyi's.
"Of course, wherever Big Fool goes, I'll follow! Besides, Chenjia Village is where he grew up. I also want to see it and offer a stick of incense to Grandpa, letting him see his granddaughter-in-law!"
Such a considerate, gentle, and sensible Lin Zitong completely captivated all the men present.
Even the dog-headed Taoist wished he could immediately have a son and force him to find a wife like Lin Zitong.
The more Yan Chou looked at Lin Zitong, the more he liked her. At the same time, he was grateful that the Li family had looked down on Yan Shouyi back then.
In fact, according to Yan Chou's calculations, Yan Shouyi would have three romantic entanglements in his life.
Two of these were Lin Zitong and Li Qing'er, but Yan Shouyi had severed his connection with Li Qing'er with his own hands.
Even if the two met again in the future, they would never be together.
As for the last romantic entanglement, Yan Chou knew it clearly in his heart but did not wish to remind him. Everything still depended on what Yan Shouyi himself decided to do.
"Alright, since Zitong agrees, then we as father and son have no more worries!" Yan Chou said. "For the next few days, everyone can handle their affairs in Rongcheng. Once everything is settled, we will all set off together and return to Chenjia Village to see."
Yan Chou paused and then said, "By the way, you brat, when we return to Chenjia Village this time, remember to bring out the true form of your Soul Slayer Sword."
Yan Shouyi couldn't help but be stunned.
"Why?"
Up until now, the Soul Slayer Sword Yan Shouyi had been using was merely a borrowed false form through 'Burning Talismans to Retrieve Objects.'
Despite being a false form, the Soul Slayer Sword's power was still formidable.
The true Soul Slayer Sword was hidden in a corner of Chenjia Village.
Because the Soul Slayer Sword carried too much malevolent energy, his grandfather had suppressed it in Chenjia Village many years ago and had warned Yan Shouyi not to try and retrieve it unless he was strong enough, lest he be corroded by its malevolent energy.
Yan Shouyi had always kept his grandfather's teachings in mind and had never considered touching the Soul Slayer Sword over the years.
Yan Chou said in a deep voice,
"You and Zitong both carry secrets. I believe you yourselves know one or two about them."
Mentioning their respective secrets, both of their expressions turned serious.
Yan Shouyi knew that within him lay the consciousness of a general from his previous life. The general's malevolent energy was very heavy, and with the slightest carelessness, it would erupt, and he would be taken over by the general's consciousness.
After killing Tong Jingcheng yesterday, Yan Shouyi had almost lost control. In the end, it was thanks to the strange entity within Lin Zitong that he managed to regain control.
Speaking of this, Lin Zitong couldn't help but ask,
"I haven't had a chance to ask, but after I died yesterday... what exactly happened?"
Yan Shouyi explained, "Yesterday... after the 'Refining Evil and Rebirth Grand Formation' was activated, I killed Tong Jingcheng, and then I rode San Yuan to find your body. As it turned out, another person's voice came from your body. It said it could revive you by devouring malevolent energy... then, you were revived."
Thinking about it now, Yan Shouyi still found it incredible.
But then again, he had another consciousness within him, so it wasn't strange for Lin Zitong to have someone else living inside her.
The dog-headed Taoist gave them a thumbs-up, "You two are truly a perfect match."
Yan Chou asked, "Zitong, how much do you know about the other consciousness within you?"
Lin Zitong silently extended her left hand and pointed to the mark on her palm, saying,
"The night before last, this mark suddenly appeared, and then it transformed into a ghostly shadow. Not only did it talk to me, but it also directly devoured Bai Yusheng. But after that, it returned to the mark, and no matter how I called it, it wouldn't respond."
Yan Shouyi examined the mark on Lin Zitong's palm. He suddenly felt that the mark was somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
But for the time being, he couldn't recall it.
Yan Chou and the dog-headed Taoist had no clues about this mark. They could only say,
"Currently, the consciousness within you does not seem to have any ill intentions towards you. Otherwise, it would have directly taken over yesterday. So, you don't need to worry too much about this matter."
Lin Zitong could only nod, although she still had many doubts in her heart.
Yan Chou added, "Speaking of which, Shouyi, my grandfather didn't want you to touch the Soul Slayer Sword before because he was worried that its malevolent energy was too strong and would cause you to lose control. But now, I believe you have sufficient willpower to resist the sword's malevolent energy. Once you obtain its true form, your strength will advance to a higher level. Even if you encounter someone like Bai Muyu again, you'll be able to handle them alone, and I, as your father, won't have to worry."
Hearing how helpful the Soul Slayer Sword would be, Yan Shouyi was moved.
Last time, it was because he wasn't strong enough that he almost lost Lin Zitong.
Therefore, Yan Shouyi now had an unprecedented craving for power.
Only by possessing sufficient strength could he protect Lin Zitong.
"Also, there's something very important."
Yan Chou suddenly became serious and lowered his voice, saying, "Before we leave Rongcheng, you need to go see someone."
"Who?" Lin Zitong asked curiously.
Yan Shouyi hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "Is it Li Qing'er?"
On the second day of their wedding, mentioning his "ex-wife" was somewhat inappropriate, which made Yan Shouyi very awkward.
However, Yan Shouyi had to see Li Qing'er because it concerned his own life.
At that time, Yan Chou had asked Chen Dawei to divine for Yan Shouyi, and the result pointed to Li Qing'er of the Li family. That was why Yan Shouyi's grandfather had taken him to the Li family to propose.
Later, after several twists and turns, Yan Shouyi and Li Qing'er had not sparked any romance, and things had become very strained. It was only when they were downstairs from Lin Zitong's company last time that they resolved their misunderstandings. Yan Shouyi finally realized that Li Qing'er was indeed the person who could help him avert his impending doom.
Therefore, before leaving Rongcheng, he had to see Li Qing'er once.
Yan Shouyi asked Lin Zitong, "If I go to see her, will you be jealous or angry?"
Unexpectedly, Lin Zitong smiled and said, "Big Fool, we're already husband and wife. Does she still pose a threat to me? Besides, if you dare to fall for someone else, you won't need me to act. Dad will deal with you!"
Yan Chou said upon hearing this, patting his chest, "That's right, Zitong, don't worry. If this brat dares to cheat, I'll break his legs!"
"But Yan Shouyi is a Heavenly Corpse Puppet!"
"Then wait until he grows back, break his legs, then he'll grow back, and when he grows back, I'll break them again!"
"Thank you, Father!"
"You're welcome!"
Seeing his father and wife ganging up to threaten him, Yan Shouyi felt utterly dejected.
From then on, his status in the family dropped considerably.
Just as everyone was joking and the atmosphere was becoming more relaxed, an uninvited guest entered the hall.
This person was Huang Hai of the Lushan Sect.
Huang Hai entered, his face somewhat pale. He first greeted Yan Chou and the others, then walked directly to Lin Zitong and said with grief,
"Junior Sister Zitong, I apologize for disturbing you today, but I have some bad news that I must convey to you..."
Seeing Huang Hai's expression, Lin Zitong also sensed the seriousness of the matter and quickly asked, "What is it?"
"Second Elder Tong Jiahua was assassinated last night in the sect's ancestral hall and died there. Senior Uncle Tong Jingcheng's spirit tablet and soul have also been stolen."
"What?!"
Yan Shouyi and Lin Zitong were so shocked that they couldn't help but stand up.
As for Tong Jiahua, Yan Shouyi had only met him once before, when he first saw Lu Jingsheng at Xihu Yaju.
Although they had only met once, Tong Jiahua's refined demeanor had left a deep impression on Yan Shouyi.
But this living person, dead within a single night, was something Yan Shouyi naturally couldn't accept.
Lin Zitong found it even harder to accept. Although she was Lu Jingsheng's disciple, she had also received guidance from Tong Jiahua several times and had some affection for him.
A glint flashed in Yan Chou's eyes. He knew what was going on but still feigned surprise,
"Who did it? What exactly happened?"
Huang Hai sighed, "We still haven't found any leads. The assailant was very careful and left no evidence. We can only deduce that there were about three people involved; we know nothing else."
"Their target was Tong Jingcheng's soul..." Lin Zitong frowned and said, "Does Tong Jingcheng have other forces behind him?"
Yan Shouyi asked, "What did Sect Leader Lu say?"
Huang Hai shook his head, "After the Sect Leader visited the Second Elder's body this morning, he seemed to have lost his mind. He immediately handed over the position of Sect Leader to the First Elder and then left the sect, disappearing to who knows where. Our disciples have been searching for him until now, but they haven't found any trace of him."
Yan Shouyi: "This..."
This incident happened too suddenly, and Lu Jingsheng's reaction was also perplexing.
Yan Shouyi couldn't figure out what was going on at all.
Only Yan Chou frowned.
He knew what had happened to Tong Jiahua, but Lu Jingsheng's reaction was beyond his expectations.
This old man was not simple, and Yan Chou kept a wary eye on him.
Huang Hai said, "I apologize for bringing bad news on your second day of marriage."
Lin Zitong quickly shook her head, "Senior Brother, there's no need to blame yourself. I am a member of the Lushan Sect. How can I stand by when the sect is in trouble?"
"I have delivered the news. The sect is relatively stable for now, so Junior Sister needn't worry..." Huang Hai said with a苦笑. "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
Yan Shouyi stood up and said, "Zitong and I will escort you out."
Yan Chou nodded, "Go ahead."
The two of them escorted the sorrowful Huang Hai out of the main hall together.
Yan Chou watched their retreating figures and began to ponder.
Beside him, the dog-headed Taoist sighed and then said, "Our plans... many innocent people will die in the future. Are you sure you want to continue?"
Yan Chou said gravely, "The plan has begun, and there's no turning back. I will take responsibility for Tong Jiahua's death, but before that, we must complete all our plans, otherwise, it will only lead to worse outcomes."