Zhang Shantong was on night patrol nearby and happened to hear movement in the study, so he hurried over to investigate.
He had initially thought that Li Genmiao's spies had infiltrated Longhu Mountain again, but upon looking, he found an unexpected bonus.
Although Zhang Shantong treated Yan Shouyi as a grandson, there were some things he still had to remind him of. He coughed and said,
"Shouyi, you're about to become a father. What are you doing here so late at night instead of staying at your residence? And Yiren, since you've joined my Longhu Mountain, you should focus on cultivation and seeking the Tao. While our Longhu Mountain doesn't prohibit Taoists from marrying and having children, nor does it forbid emotions, you should at least choose a more appropriate place. This is the Heavenly Master's study. If others discover this, it would be scandalous!"
From Zhang Shantong's words, it was clear he had misunderstood Yan Shouyi and Liu Yiren's relationship.
The two quickly waved their hands. Yan Shouyi explained, "Grandpa, you've misunderstood. The reason we are here is because we suspect Yu Luming..."
"Stop right there!" Zhang Shantong said sternly. "If I discovered you, what's the big deal? A man should stand by his actions. Why are you using the Heavenly Master as an excuse?"
"It's not an excuse, it's true!"
Liu Yiren pointed to the revealed secret passage and said, "If you don't believe us, look! This is the secret passage we just found!"
Only then did Zhang Shantong notice the narrow secret passage, not very conspicuous among the ancient books.
He frowned and stroked his beard. "What is going on here?"
Since Zhang Shantong was a senior that Yan Shouyi trusted and admired, he had nothing to hide now that they had been discovered. He truthfully recounted the events.
Most importantly, Yan Shouyi was worried that Zhang Shantong would misunderstand his relationship with Liu Yiren. With Lin Zitong due to give birth soon, any complications now would be disastrous.
After listening to Yan Shouyi's narration, Zhang Shantong's brows were almost tied into a knot.
Having lived so many years, Zhang Shantong knew the situation clearly. Even if Yu Luming had no connection with the Grand Tutor, he was definitely hiding some unspeakable secret today.
It wasn't that the Heavenly Master couldn't have secrets, but as the head of the Taoist lineage, his stance must be firm. If he harbored secrets that betrayed humanity, then he would be unworthy of being the Heavenly Master.
After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Shantong directly chose to join Yan Shouyi's team.
"Let's go, we'll explore it together!"
With Zhang Shantong's participation, Yan Shouyi and Liu Yiren had even fewer reservations.
Yan Shouyi left Sanyuan in the study and led the way down the secret passage, holding a flashlight.
Liu Yiren and Zhang Shantong followed closely behind.
The secret passage had been recently dug, and the earth was still new. Its entrance was concealed by Yu Luming using an array, not mechanical devices.
The three walked through the narrow passage and, after a rough estimate, felt that it did not lead underground but to another building near the study.
After walking tens of meters underground, Yan Shouyi realized they had reached the end. Ahead was a stone door.
He pushed the stone door open with little effort.
Behind the stone door was a dry well. The bottom of the well was still several meters below the stone door, but this drop was no obstacle for Yan Shouyi and the others.
They jumped into the dry well, and at the bottom, there was another stone door. A faint light emanated from the gap in the door.
Yan Shouyi could sense that there were people behind the stone door. This was likely the end of their investigation.
The truth lay behind this door.
Yu Luming's deepest secret was also here.
When Liu Yiren and Zhang Shantong caught up, Yan Shouyi took a deep breath and pushed open the stone door.
It was a small secret chamber. A yellowed light bulb hung from the ceiling. Below it was a simple wooden bed with bedding. Beneath the bedding lay a person.
On the table were some leftover food, and on a nearby clothes rack hung several white Taoist robes.
Who was lying on the bed? Could it be the Grand Tutor?
Yan Shouyi was extremely vigilant, ready to attack the person on the bed at any moment or to call Long Feicheng over.
At this moment, Liu Yiren noticed a pair of shoes placed by the bed.
She tugged at Yan Shouyi's sleeve and then pointed to the side of the bed. Yan Shouyi was stunned when he saw the small shoes.
These shoes were at most a size 36, a woman's size, not a man's.
If the person lying on the bed was the Grand Tutor, he certainly wouldn't wear such small shoes.
This meant that the person on the bed was not the Grand Tutor, but a woman.
The woman on the bed heard the commotion and slowly turned over, calling out towards Yan Shouyi and the others, "Son, is that you?"
Son?!
Yan Shouyi and the others were all frozen in place.
The only person who could come here was Yu Luming, so the "son" the woman called out must be Yu Luming!
Was this Yu Luming's mother?!
The woman on the bed was middle-aged, ordinary-looking, with sallow skin and a disheveled figure, resembling a typical rural woman.
Notably, her eyes were cloudy, suggesting she was blind.
Otherwise, she would have recognized that the people who arrived were not Yu Luming.
For a moment, Yan Shouyi was at a loss and dared not speak, fearing he might startle the woman before him.
Hearing no response, the woman clearly sensed that someone had entered the secret chamber. Her face showed fear, and she tried her best to suppress it:
"Who are you? Where is my son? What have you done to him?"
Just as the three were unsure of what to do, a voice came from behind them:
"Mom, I'm fine. These are my friends, I brought them to visit you."
The three immediately turned around and saw Yu Luming, dressed in simple clothes, descending lightly from the well opening.
Yan Shouyi looked at Yu Luming, his mouth opening but finding no words.
Yu Luming sighed, patted Yan Shouyi's shoulder, and said, "I didn't want to keep it from you, but I didn't know how to handle it. I also truly didn't expect you to discover it so quickly."
From Yu Luming's tone, did he feel he owed me?
Yan Shouyi couldn't understand. I was the one suspecting him, so why was he feeling guilty instead?
But then Yan Shouyi thought of many questions.
Yu Luming was an orphan, adopted by the old Heavenly Master from a young age and raised on Longhu Mountain.
If everything was fine, how could he suddenly have a mother?
Even if he found his long-lost mother, why would he hide her here?
He had thought the truth lay beyond the stone door, but after pushing it open, more questions than answers swirled in Yan Shouyi's mind.
Yu Luming walked through the three of them and came to the middle-aged woman, giving her a cup of water.
"Mom, please rest here for a moment. I'll entertain my friends. I'll be back soon."
"Okay, my son, don't work too hard. Mom will wait for you here," the middle-aged woman replied kindly.
Yu Luming patted his mother's back and then gestured for Yan Shouyi and the others to leave the dry well.
They all climbed out of the dry well one after another, but they could only stare at each other, unsure of what to say.