"Take... the true form of the Zanpakuto?"
Hearing Yan Chou utter these words, Yan Shouyi was stunned for several seconds.
The Zanpakuto was the weapon used by his grandfather's good brother, Zhang Santong, back then. Later, his grandfather sealed it in a certain place in Chenjia Village and passed down the art of "Ran Fu Qu Wu" to Yan Shouyi.
Yan Shouyi had always known that the Zanpakuto would stir up his malevolent energy, making the "General" within his body bloodthirsty and violent.
Therefore, for such a long time, Yan Shouyi had only borrowed the form of the Zanpakuto, never truly using its true form!
He took a moment to compose himself and said with uncertainty,
"Dad, if I take the Zanpakuto now, won't I be influenced by it?"
Yan Chou narrowed his eyes and asked, "Are you scared?"
The Dog Daoist chuckled, "Fear is only natural. After all, that blade is not something an ordinary person can wield. The malevolent energy it carries is no less than yours from your past life!"
"If you fear the Zanpakuto, I won't force you. Your Uncle Dog here enjoys collecting; he can lend you a few magical artifacts, and that should be enough to deal with Jiang Wusheng."
The Dog Daoist quickly covered his pockets, "Why are you eyeing my pockets as we talk?"
Seeing his father and the Dog Daoist using a goading tactic in unison, Yan Shouyi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"Dad, Uncle Dog, are you two worried that I won't dare to touch the Zanpakuto?" Yan Shouyi asked.
Monk Miaoji said sternly from the side, "The Zanpakuto is not something ordinary individuals can control. Our concerns are valid."
Yan Shouyi laughed heartily, "But I am a descendant of Lu Ban, and my surname is Yan. How can I be ordinary! Moreover, I have witnessed the power of the Zanpakuto and have communicated with the General from my past life. Why should I still fear the Zanpakuto?!"
Youthful arrogance, if not for youthful arrogance, would it still be youth?
Although Yan Shouyi appeared amiable and honest on the surface, lacking any arrogance, it did not mean he lacked backbone!
Yan Shouyi had always possessed a backbone, but he was accustomed to hiding it deep within. When someone, layer by layer, peeled back his exterior to finally see his backbone—without exception, they were invariably shaken to an unimaginable degree!
It was just like when Yan Shouyi, in his impatience, presented a hoard of rare treasures to Lin Zitong's father to ask for her hand in marriage.
Yan Chou and the other two scrutinized Yan Shouyi, as if assessing whether this young man had already earned the right to wield the true form of the Zanpakuto.
After hearing Yan Shouyi's words, the seriousness on the faces of the three vanished instantly, replaced by relief.
Yan Chou said, "It seems you are prepared. In that case, you should rest for a while. At noon, I will take you to retrieve the Zanpakuto."
Yan Shouyi, now prepared, did not waste any words. After leaving his grandmother's Yinwood, he returned to his room to rest.
Naturally, he was filled with anticipation for the Zanpakuto.
After Yan Shouyi left, Yan Chou picked up the Yinwood, his emotions surging.
Taking his cigarette case and lighter, he stood up and said, "I'm going out for a bit."
The Dog Daoist chuckled, "Go on, go on. We won't follow to watch you cry."
"Scram!"
Yan Chou shot the Dog Daoist a glare and quietly walked out of the courtyard.
At this moment, he didn't resemble a powerful figure, but rather a prodigal son returning home, his silhouette appearing somewhat lonely.
The Dog Daoist and Monk Miaoji both knew that Yan Chou was taking Yan Shouyi's grandmother's soul to visit his grandfather's grave.
More than ten years ago, Yan Chou had left this home and had never returned.
When he left, his grandfather was still quite hale, with only a few strands of white hair on his head.
When he returned, his grandfather had become ashes beneath the yellow earth, forever silent.
The time that followed belonged to Yan Chou; no one else would disturb him.
...
In the blink of an eye, it was noon.
When Yan Shouyi awoke, Lin Zitong was sitting by the bedside.
"Did Jiang Ting leave?" Yan Shouyi asked.
"Mmm, she just went back to accompany her second uncle," Lin Zitong replied.
Yan Shouyi climbed out of bed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to clear his head.
He was a Tian Sha Shi Kui, and should not have felt fatigue or drowsiness. However, after descending into Jian Wang's tomb last night, the consecutive battles had drained too much of his energy.
"Aren't you going to sleep a bit?" Yan Shouyi asked again.
Lin Zitong shook her head and said softly, "I don't dare to sleep. I want to look at you more."
"Why are you saying such disheartening things?" Yan Shouyi immediately became upset. "You won't die."
"I know you won't let anything happen to me. It's just that this incident gave me some inspiration. I want to cherish our time together more," Lin Zitong said, hugging her knees, her formidable businesswoman demeanor gone, replaced by the vulnerability of a young woman.
Yan Shouyi felt heartache for Lin Zitong in this state and quickly pulled her into his embrace.
At times, Yan Shouyi felt a pang of guilt, for he knew that Lin Zitong loved him too much.
She had given everything to Yan Shouyi. Even when her own life was in danger, her thoughts weren't of death, but of how their time together would be reduced.
"Silly girl."
Yan Shouyi caressed Lin Zitong's long hair and said softly, "Our fates are fraught with difficulties. What we are facing now is merely an insignificant hurdle in our lives. We have many more troubles awaiting us. If we are so pessimistic now, what will happen when we encounter greater difficulties?"
"I think we should think about the good things, like... when we finally settle down, where do you want to go, what do you want to do?"
A flicker of light appeared in Lin Zitong's eyes. She thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I really like the West Lake in our Rongcheng. I want to go back to West Lake with you. Father and the others have already started building a house for us by West Lake, haven't they? I just want to live by West Lake, and the two of us... have a pair of twins, watching them grow up healthy and happy."
"You want children?" Yan Shouyi asked, surprised.
Lin Zitong's face flushed. "For both of us, our childhoods were always missing a piece of family affection. Perhaps because I've experienced the rain, I particularly want to shelter others from it. I hope we have children, and they have loving parents. When they are young and weak, they grow under our wings, and when they grow up, we let them fly freely... This is what I want."
After hearing this, Yan Shouyi pondered for a long time.
Seeing this, Lin Zitong frowned and asked, "Are my thoughts very different from yours?"
She feared that the beautiful future she envisioned was not the life Yan Shouyi desired. If their expectations for the future were different, no matter how much they loved each other, it might be difficult to last.
Who would have thought that Yan Shouyi would say in a difficult tone:
"I don't think I can satisfy you right now..."
"What?"
"At least not until I defeat Jiang Wusheng..." Yan Shouyi whispered. "Otherwise, I have no mood."
Lin Zitong's eyes widened as she gazed at Yan Shouyi. After a long while, she came to her senses and couldn't help but raise her small fists and hit Yan Shouyi's chest a few times. "I'm not asking for it right now!!!"
Her small face was flushed, so embarrassed that she felt like smoke was rising from her head.
Yan Shouyi coughed repeatedly as he was hit. He got out of bed, placed his hands on Lin Zitong's shoulders, and said earnestly,
"What you want is what I want."
"Why didn't you just say so earlier!" Lin Zitong chided.
Yan Shouyi smiled. "You should get some good rest. After what happened yesterday, even I was a bit exhausted, let alone you. When I have my decisive battle with Jiang Wusheng, you'll surely want to be by my side cheering me on, right? Then just lie down obediently, sleep soundly, and save your energy to cheer for me."
This approach was very effective. Lin Zitong's heart was put at ease, and she immediately felt sleepy, her eyelids feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.
Lin Zitong lay down on the bed. Yan Shouyi covered her with the quilt and finally kissed her forehead lightly.
"Sleep well and wait for me. I'm going with Dad to get the Zanpakuto, and I'll definitely be back before you wake up."
"Mmm... Be very careful."
"Got it."
Yan Shouyi changed his clothes. When he looked back, Lin Zitong had already fallen asleep, even letting out a faint snore.
It seemed she was truly exhausted.
A happy smile involuntarily appeared on Yan Shouyi's face. He took a deep look at Lin Zitong, wanting to imprint this moment in his mind forever.
Then, he pushed open the door and walked out.
"Zanpakuto, here I come!"