The fifteenth day after the Battle of Daqing Mountain.
At the Civil Religion stronghold in Rongcheng West Lake.
Yan Shouyi was alone in his study, handling affairs.
After the Battle of Daqing Mountain, various matters flooded in like a deluge, turning Yan Shouyi, a descendant of Lu Ban, into a white-collar office worker who even learned to manage spreadsheets on a computer.
Now, he was not only the representative of the Xuanmen but also the bridge connecting the Xuanmen world and the ordinary human world.
To appease the populace, the government had, through a series of operations, built Yan Shouyi into a savior, making him a true top star, surpassing all young idol actors.
Correspondingly, this also added a considerable burden to Yan Shouyi, and Wang Jizhui was so busy that he was losing a lot of hair.
As Yan Shouyi was busy, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. Without looking up, Yan Shouyi already knew that Tao Hua Ying was outside.
He was puzzled. With Lin Zitong about to give birth, why was Tao Hua Ying not by her side, but running to him?
"Come in."
Tao Hua Ying pushed the door open and saw Yan Shouyi still busy. She couldn't help but say, "You're busy until midnight every day. Miss's due date is approaching, and you don't spend more time with her..."
Yan Shouyi said helplessly, "Of course I want to, but as long as Jiang Wuya is not eliminated, I cannot rest easy. Tell me quickly why you're here."
Tao Hua Ying walked to the desk, took out a letter that had already been opened, and placed it in front of Yan Shouyi.
"What is this?" Yan Shouyi asked with surprise.
"Miss asked me to bring it. She received this letter an hour ago, and after reading it, she asked me to hand it over to you, young master," Tao Hua Ying replied.
Yan Shouyi picked up the envelope and took a look, and immediately his spirit lifted.
The letter was from Sect Leader Lu. No wonder it was sent to that brat first, and then transferred to me.
The letter must surely explain where he has been for the past year, right?
Yan Shouyi hurriedly opened the letter and read it carefully.
Tao Hua Ying didn't leave in a hurry but began to play with her fingernails beside him.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yan Shouyi sighed in relief and put down the letter.
"So, Sect Leader Lu had foreseen everything. He knew that once I sealed myself and Jiang Wuya together with the Six Paths of Rebirth, Jiang Wuya would devour me within the seal... After all, Jiang Wuya's soul is far more powerful than mine. That's why during the year Sect Leader Lu disappeared, he was capturing wandering souls and devouring them to strengthen his own soul, all for the purpose of taking my place in the seal this time."
Lu Jingsheng devoured souls to strengthen himself, thus he had the power to contend with Jiang Wuya. Without his help, Yan Shouyi would have fallen into his own trap.
Learning the truth, Yan Shouyi broke out in a cold sweat.
The reason Lu Jingsheng had been playing hide-and-seek, not telling anyone the truth, and not even contacting Lin Zitong, was because he was worried that if he spoke, things might change.
Lu Jingsheng confessed that he had initially only wanted to find Tong Jingcheng's whereabouts. He had not expected to foresee the scene of Tong Jingcheng fighting Yan Shouyi again in Daqing Mountain, which is why he extended his vision and learned about Jiang Wuya.
At the end of the letter, Lu Jingsheng still expressed his concern, as he had not foreseen the final step and did not know if the righteous side had ultimately won.
After reading the letter, Yan Shouyi's doubts were all resolved.
Tao Hua Ying seized the opportunity to say, "Young master, put aside your work and go talk to Miss!"
Yan Shouyi put away the letter, glanced sideways at Tao Hua Ying, and asked, "Don't tell me that brat sent you to find me?"
"How could that be?" Tao Hua Ying blinked rapidly.
Yan Shouyi chuckled wryly. The proud and strong woman couldn't bring herself to ask for a hug, so she sent Tao Hua Ying to pester him to come home.
He checked the time; it was already two in the morning. There was no point in staying up any longer.
So, he packed his things and followed Tao Hua Ying back.
The Civil Religion stronghold now seemed a bit desolate, as most of the members had been dispatched to Xichuan.
Because in the past few days, the death qi had not only been spreading, but many monsters had also emerged from it, causing harm to the populace, which Yan Shouyi had to send people to deal with.
Halfway back, Yan Shouyi suddenly saw a familiar group of figures in the distance. His eyes lit up, and he quickened his pace.
"A Gong!!"
Yan Shouyi, filled with surprise and joy, approached the group and exclaimed, "Why are you back at this hour? You didn't even give me a heads-up?"
The people who had returned were A Gong, followed by the Zhuge siblings, Tian Jue'er, and Ye Tianyuan.
The group looked travel-worn, and both Ye Tianyuan and Zhuge Ji had injuries on them.
A Gong was also very happy to see Yan Shouyi. He explained, "We knew you were busy, so we didn't want to bother you. We planned to return quietly and find you tomorrow."
"Your trip to the Kingdom of Siam must have been arduous!" Yan Shouyi asked, "Xiao Ji, Tianyuan, what happened to your injuries?"
Ye Tianyuan replied, "We fought with the monks from the Kingdom of Siam."
"You're quite badly injured," Yan Shouyi frowned.
Zhuge Ji chuckled, "We beat them even worse."
"Then it's worth it."
The Kingdom of Siam was merely a small territory. Even with its numerous believers, its strength was ultimately no match for the vast land of China. A Gong and his companions went to the Kingdom of Siam, not to say they were invincible, but at least they were at a top-tier level of strength.
A Gong handed Yan Shouyi a vajra pestle, about the length of an arm, plated with gold, saying, "This is the vajra pestle you wanted."
"Good heavens!"
Yan Shouyi took the vajra pestle and, holding it up, felt its immense power.
He felt a slight sense of relief. With the vajra pestle, the one beneath the Maha Pagoda would be no problem.
The day before yesterday, Hanshan Temple had contacted Yan Shouyi, hoping he would resolve the matter of the one beneath the Maha Pagoda soon. Ever since the Maha Pagoda went out of control last time, some monks from Hanshan Temple still dared not return to the mountain.
He put away the vajra pestle, arranged for A Gong and the others to go back and rest, and then continued with Tao Hua Ying to find Lin Zitong.
When they arrived home, Lin Zitong was lying on the soft sofa, already drowsily asleep.
Tao Hua Ying, seeing this, couldn't help but feel a bit dejected. She had finally managed to bring the young master back, only for Miss to fall asleep herself!
Yan Shouyi waved his hand, signaling Tao Hua Ying to return to the Bone Chain Soul Summoning Bell first.
Due to carrying twins, Lin Zitong, who was about to give birth, had a frighteningly large belly. The two little ones would occasionally kick her belly mischievously, making Lin Zitong easily tired and often sleepy.
Yan Shouyi couldn't bear to disturb Lin Zitong's sleep, so he brought a blanket and draped it over her, then sat by the sofa to keep watch.
Unintentionally, he glimpsed some books on the coffee table.
There were bookmarks inserted in the books, clearly indicating that Lin Zitong had been reading them before falling asleep. He picked one up and saw that they were very ancient books.
Shouldn't that brat be reading books about motherhood now? Why was she studying ancient texts?
Yan Shouyi was surprised. When he saw the content of the book, he understood—Lin Zitong was helping him search for the origin of the divine tree.