"There was much that happened afterward."
The General poured a pot of tea and placed it before Yan Shouyi. Brownish water, dotted with loose tea leaves, swirled gently, emitting white steam.
"After the Princess and I jumped into the river, we thought we would become food for the fish, sinking to the bottom forever. But fortunately, we were rescued by boatmen downstream."
"The boatmen took us to a nearby ancient physician for treatment. The physician's surname was Gui, and he resided on Qinghou Mountain, known as the Qinghou Ghost Doctor, a successor of the Qi Huang school of ancient medicine."
"The Ghost Doctor's medical skills were exceptionally superb. He was moved by the story of the Princess and me and agreed to treat our wounds. He also helped us build a small hut on Qinghou Mountain and warned the boatmen not to reveal that they had saved us, as it would bring about a deadly calamity. The place we are now is that hut on Qinghou Mountain."
"The Princess and I recuperated on Qinghou Mountain. We lived a peaceful life for over a year, and our injuries gradually healed. The Princess also became pregnant with my child. At the same time, Lian He finally managed to gather information about us and came to Qinghou Mountain to find us. When the Princess and Lian He met, they clasped hands, their eyes full of tears, weeping heartbrokenly. While the reunion of the Princess and Lian He was a joyous occasion, I discovered a very serious problem."
The General paused at this point, looking at Yan Shouyi as if testing his insight.
Yan Shouyi listened intently and with deep engagement. He quickly guessed the subsequent development of the story:
"Since Lian He could find you, the ruler of Qing Jiang Country could too."
"Precisely."
The General nodded, without praising Yan Shouyi, and continued:
"It turned out that the boatmen who had saved us, in a drunken state, boasted to their brothers that they had once saved a general from Qing Jiang Country. The news then spread from the boatmen's brothers. Lian He was already searching for us downstream of the Yalong River, so as soon as she heard the news, she rushed over. This information would eventually reach the ruler's ears, meaning we could no longer stay on Qinghou Mountain."
"The three of us bid farewell to the Qinghou Ghost Doctor who had saved our lives and embarked on the path of escape once more. As I had predicted, the day after we left Qinghou Mountain, the ruler dispatched a large contingent of troops to sweep through the mountain. The Qinghou Ghost Doctor was captured by them. Because he refused to reveal our whereabouts, he met a tragic death under their blades."
"The ruler of Qing Jiang Country knew that ordinary soldiers were no match for me, so he sent my former second-in-command to hunt me down. Not only that, but he also sent another fellow – the Grand Tutor of Qing Jiang Country! A true schemer capable of throwing the world into chaos, a devil who killed even more than I did!"
The General's expression grew somewhat somber. He lowered his head, clenched his fists, and his voice carried a hint of anger: "In the end, the Princess also died at the hands of the Grand Tutor!"
So, the Princess of Yu Shu Country had died after all.
Yan Shouyi sighed softly. As expected, fairy tales were all lies. The story of the General of Qing Jiang Country and the Princess of Yu Shu Country did not have a happy ending.
On the contrary, the Princess of Yu Shu Country met a tragic end at the hands of the Grand Tutor of Qing Jiang Country, separated from the General forever.
Just as the General was about to recount the events of their escape, he seemed to sense something and looked up at the sky.
"What is it?" Yan Shouyi asked.
"You need to leave here." the General said.
"Why?"
"Have you forgotten? Are you still in a dream? The General reminded him, "In reality, you are in danger."
Yan Shouyi was instantly alerted.
Yes, he had just been cycling endlessly between darkness and three doors.
If this was a dream, his real self must be asleep by now, and perhaps Lin Zitong and the others were too.
And those two mischievous strangers, what could they be doing at this very moment!
Yan Shouyi became anxious immediately, "What should we do? How can I wake up?"
The General pointed to the tea before him, "Drink this tea. It will guide you, showing you where to go to return."
Yan Shouyi picked up the teacup, about to drink, but couldn't help asking, "When I wake up, will I have a chance to dream of you again?"
The General shook his head, "I'm afraid it will be difficult."
The General also had many things he wanted to say to Yan Shouyi, but unfortunately, Yan Shouyi was in danger in reality, forcing him to give up this opportunity.
Yan Shouyi gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, I will find you in my dreams again."
He lifted the teacup and drank it down in one gulp.
From the empty teacup, a green stream of light emerged.
The stream of light, like a fish, swam in mid-air and flew directly out of the hut.
The General reminded him, "Go, follow the guidance, and you will wake up."
Yan Shouyi stood up and cupped his fists at the General, "We will definitely have a chance to meet again."
With that, he rushed out of the hut, following the stream of light.
The General watched Yan Shouyi's retreating back, a hint of worry in his eyes.
As soon as Yan Shouyi rushed out of the courtyard fence, he saw the three doors again.
He could feel that these three doors were different from the previous ones. The previous doors led deeper into the dream, while these three were the way back.
As long as he reached the end, it was the exit of the dream.
But he had no memory of how he had arrived, and faced with three doors, and then three more after that... three more after that. Relying on guesswork, he might have to try thousands of times.
At this moment, he noticed the stream of light guiding him without hesitation enter one of the doors.
So it was still guiding him!
Rather than the stream of light guiding him, it was the General guiding him, because in this dream, the General was the master.
Yan Shouyi followed the stream of light into the door without hesitation!
...
In reality, in the Danzi Teahouse of the West Lake Elegant Residence, Long Feicheng, sensing something was wrong, shook Yan Shouyi's body frantically.
"Brother Yan, wake up quickly! If you don't wake up now, we'll be wiped out!"
Long Feicheng did not want to be defeated by two minor villains right after defeating a big boss.
Of course, the Taoist priests from the Ascension Temple were not mere villains; they possessed some genuine skill.
The short Taoist priest had a piece of flesh pecked from his face by San Yuan and was now feeling ruthless.
He grabbed Long Feicheng by the collar of his back, pulled him to the ground, and then, holding a gleaming dagger, said coldly,
"It's good that only a useless coward like you has woken up. I see that the others are not easy to deal with!"
Long Feicheng took offense at this, "Open your dog eyes and see who I am!"
The short Taoist priest paused. Did this kid have some hidden identity?
Judging by his experience in the Jianghu, Long Feicheng was clearly scared to death and shouldn't have any last resorts, right?
While the short Taoist priest was stunned, Long Feicheng directly raised his leg and kicked the short Taoist priest forcefully in the crotch!
"Ouch!!!"
The short Taoist priest cried out in pain, dropped the dagger, and knelt on the ground, clutching his crotch.
Long Feicheng seized the opportunity to roll to the side. The tall Taoist priest thought Long Feicheng was going for the dagger and quickly stepped in front of him, stomping on the dagger.
He sneered, "Heh heh, brat, do you think you can compete with me... Ah!!!!"
Unexpectedly, Long Feicheng had no intention of getting the dagger. His target was the pot of tea on the table, which was scalding hot!
While the tall Taoist priest was stepping on the dagger, Long Feicheng had already picked up the teapot and poured the boiling tea directly onto the tall Taoist priest's head!
The heat was so intense that Long Feicheng grabbed a handful of hair from the tall Taoist priest's head, making him look like a farmer plucking feathers from a chicken or duck.
Long Feicheng held the teapot and laughed, "I see you don't have much hair left. You might as well shave it all off and become a monk. Coincidentally, I know a monk, though he's a bit foul-mouthed..."
"Presumptuous! You scoundrel!!"
The tall and short Taoist priests were so enraged that their mouths twisted. While they were not incredibly powerful figures, they were certainly not people like Long Feicheng that ordinary individuals could bully.
At this moment, they had a murderous intent towards Long Feicheng, wishing they could flay him and pull out his tendons to vent their hatred!
"Junior brother, restrain his limbs!" the tall Taoist priest shouted.
The short Taoist priest took out a horsetail whisk and flicked it. The whisk extended infinitely, like a python, directly wrapping around Long Feicheng's arms and legs.
Long Feicheng was immediately immobilized, and his face stiffened.
"Brother Yan, Sister-in-law, Grandpa, whoever you are, even if just one of you wakes up!" Long Feicheng cried.
San Yuan flapped its wings anxiously nearby. Without Yan Shouyi's magic, it couldn't grow larger and was powerless against the two Taoist priests.
The tall Taoist priest snorted, picked up the dagger, and strode towards Long Feicheng.
"Brat, die!"
Clang!
Just as the dagger was about to stab Long Feicheng, Yan Shouyi, who was in a deep sleep, suddenly opened his eyes.
He instantly summoned his Zhanpo Dao and blocked the dagger for Long Feicheng!
Long Feicheng, who had been terrified with his eyes shut, opened them to see Yan Shouyi awake and beamed with joy, "Brother Yan! My dear brother, you're finally awake!"
Yan Shouyi stared coldly at the two Taoist priests:
"I have no enmity with you. Why are you trying to kill us? Could it be... Tong Jingcheng sent you?"
Yan Shouyi had already suspected that Tong Jingcheng had accomplices, and now that these two Taoist priests were attacking him, he instinctively believed they were Tong Jingcheng's accomplices.
The tall Taoist priest scoffed dismissively, "What 'Tong Jingcheng'? We're here to kill you!"
The short Taoist priest found it incredible, "Senior brother, how did this kid wake up too? Is our Drunken Dream Incense no longer effective?!"
Reminded by the short Taoist priest, the tall Taoist priest also found it strange.
Long Feicheng was timid, so it was understandable that he woke up. But Yan Shouyi didn't seem like that kind of person!
How could they know that Yan Shouyi had received guidance from a master in his dream, easily retraced his steps, and finally broke free from the dream voluntarily.
Yan Shouyi held the Zhanpo Dao and with a slight tremor, sent the dagger flying from the tall Taoist priest's hand.
"Drunken Dream Incense?" he said, "This is a product of the Qilian Mountains region. Are you Taoist priests from Qilian Mountains?"
The tall Taoist priest was slightly surprised by Yan Shouyi's knowledge. Their Kunxu Mountain was near the Qilian Mountains, and he didn't expect Yan Shouyi to pinpoint their origin so quickly.
Yan Shouyi then took a small piece of wood from his bag and tossed it to Long Feicheng, saying,
"This piece of Awakening Dream Incense is specifically for counteracting Drunken Dream Incense. Light it and place it near Zihong and Grandpa Gan's noses, and they will wake up shortly."
Long Feicheng took the Awakening Dream Incense and quickly got to work.
Seeing this, the tall Taoist priest hurriedly told his junior brother to stop Long Feicheng.
But how could Yan Shouyi allow that?
He lunged with a kick, directly sending the short Taoist priest flying out the third-floor window!
The short Taoist priest fell into the West Lake, creating a large ripple. Fortunately, it was late at night, and the West Lake scenic area was closed to the public, so no tourists witnessed this scene.
However, the staff at the West Lake Elegant Residence noticed.
Manager Wu quickly went upstairs to check the situation. Upon learning that someone had fallen from Yan Shouyi's private room, he dared not barge in and instead shouted from outside the door,
"Mr. Yan, are you alright?! Do you need any help?"
Yan Shouyi replied, "Clear out the West Lake Elegant Residence, and have all your staff withdraw!"
Manager Wu understood that the situation was dire and did not dare to ask further questions. He quickly had everyone withdraw from the West Lake Elegant Residence.
The tall Taoist priest said coldly,
"It seems your Yan family is doing quite well in Rongcheng! Thanks to your father, I haven't had an easy time these past few years!"
Yan Shouyi was startled. So these two Taoist priests were his father's enemies?
Upon careful consideration, Yan Shouyi no longer found it strange. His own personality was relatively restrained, but his father was different.
When his father was young, he had never given his grandfather any peace. It was only after marrying his mother that he willingly settled in Chenjia Village.
Before that, his father must have provoked quite a few enemies.
Now, the enemies had come knocking.
The tall Taoist priest glanced at the Zhanpo Dao in Yan Shouyi's hand, a flicker of wariness in his eyes.
Taking advantage of this moment, Yan Shouyi had already launched his attack!
Since it was confirmed that the other party was an enemy, not a friend, there was nothing more to be said.
If there was anything to say, it would be after they had won!
"Spirit of Jiaoji, divine power of Jiaoyi. Raise waves and dance, summon clouds and thunder swiftly. All demons wandering in consciousness, dissolve in thunder. Cut heads a thousandfold, sever forms ten thousandfold. Those who follow me live, those who oppose me fall. Violate my command slightly, and it is like defying the heavens. Swiftly, as the decree commands!"
A palm thunder struck out from Yan Shouyi's hand. Unexpectedly, the tall Taoist priest dodged it easily with a strange footwork.
"Seven Stars Gang Step?" Yan Shouyi blurted out.
He could tell that this tall Taoist priest was likely a descendant of the Quanzhen Sect's Wang Chongyang lineage, specifically a descendant of Wang Chuyi, one of Wang Chongyang's disciples.
Wang Chuyi, whose courtesy name was Yuyangzi, lived in seclusion in Yanxia Cave on Kunyu Mountain for a long time and was known as the "Iron-Footed True Man." This Seven Stars Gang Step was a footwork he had created.
This footwork, though seemingly consisting of only seven steps, contained infinite variations. When cultivated to a high level, it could even dodge bullets!
Therefore, the palm thunder was completely ineffective against the tall Taoist priest.
The tall Taoist priest sneered, "It seems you have some discerning eyes. I have cultivated this Seven Stars Gang Step to the ninth level. Nothing in this world can touch me!"
Long Feicheng on the side mockingly said,
"You're full of it! You were just drenched in my tea just now!"
The tall Taoist priest's eyes widened, wishing he could skin Long Feicheng alive.
But with Long Feicheng's reminder, Yan Shouyi also came to his senses.
This tall Taoist priest's Seven Stars Gang Step was indeed formidable, his speed was fast, and his movement was uncanny, but it couldn't predict the future!
If he blindfolded the tall Taoist priest, preventing him from seeing what was happening, would he still be unable to touch him?