After getting the answer from Yan Shouyi, Tian Jue'er breathed a long sigh of relief.
She managed a rare smile, nodded at Yan Shouyi, and as she turned to leave with Luo Ning, Tian Jue'er's vision suddenly blurred, and she fainted.
Everyone was a little tense, but only Zhuge Lian said helplessly, "She fainted from hunger. She'll wake up in a few minutes. I bought her bread earlier because I saw she was about to faint from hunger."
Everyone relaxed, feeling that Miss Tian Jue'er was quite pitiful.
However, fainting twice from hunger made it hard not to laugh...
Wang Jiwang stifled his laughter, fearing that a single chuckle might negate ten years of good deeds.
Luo Ning had the Vajra Corpse carry Tian Jue'er and head straight for the mess hall.
A Gong also led Zhuge Lian and Zhuge Ji to their lodgings.
Zhuge Lian followed behind A Gong, observing the interior of the Research Association along the way. She was quite satisfied with it.
As a Divination Master, Zhuge Lian also had some research in Feng Shui. From the outside, she had already noticed that the Research Association occupied the spiritual脉 of the entire West Lake, boasting excellent Feng Shui and being a rare treasure.
Upon entering, Zhuge Lian was even more astonished because the buildings of the Research Association were not arranged randomly, but according to the five elements, eight trigrams, and celestial auspicious脉. Many of the principles behind it were even beyond Zhuge Lian's understanding.
Zhuge Lian was born into the Zhuge family's lineage of Divination Masters. Her family was quite influential, dominating their third-tier county town. However, the prestige of their Zhuge family was considerably less than that of the Research Association.
"Truly worthy of being a descendant of Lu Ban," Zhuge Lian said with a hint of envy.
Zhuge Ji caught up to his sister and whispered, "Sister, are we part of the Research Association now?"
Zhuge Lian shook her head, "We still need to observe."
"Observe? Didn't Yan Shouyi already clearly state he wouldn't hand over Tian Jue'er?"
"He's just talking right now. Anything can be said. If Wu Tianfeng pressures Yan Shouyi later, the outcome is still uncertain."
"That's true," Zhuge Ji mused, "The Scarlet Flower Society has enormous influence in Yuzhou. Even the actor Li Genmiao dares not easily infiltrate or interfere. While Yan Shouyi has some background, he might not be able to withstand the pressure from the Scarlet Flower Society."
"However, the people in the Research Association are quite interesting," Zhuge Lian said with a smile, showing her keen interest in the Research Association.
Zhuge Ji sighed, "I hope Yan Shouyi can withstand the pressure. Then Mom and Dad won't have anything to say, and they won't ask us to go back... Also, I don't want to keep running around anymore. I don't even have time to watch the anime I've been following!"
Hearing this, Zhuge Lian became angry and delivered a forceful shove to Zhuge Ji:
"You shut-in! All you think about are paper girlfriends. How will you carry on the family line like this!"
Zhuge Ji: "..."
...
Research Association, Tearoom.
Yan Shouyi and Wang Jiwang sat opposite each other, with Long Feicheng, who was picking his toes, beside them.
Long Feicheng picked his toes, then cautiously glanced at Yan Shouyi and the others. Seeing they were thinking with their heads turned away, he swiftly brought his hand to his nose to sniff, and the next second, he exclaimed "Ugh!" and went to wash his hands in disgust.
Wang Jiwang picked up his teacup and took a sip. Without putting the cup down, he began to speak:
"Old Jin just told me that the descendants of folk sects who were crippled these past few days have gradually woken up. The one who came today has no connection with the Scarlet Flower Society; he's an innocent caught in the conflict between us and them."
"As for the coffin bearer who defected from the Scarlet Flower Society to our Research Association earliest, he claims the Scarlet Flower Society's headquarters are in Yuzhou, established two hundred years ago. The current Scarlet Flower Society, relying on its vast power, colludes with officials and dignitaries in Yuzhou, dispatching descendants of folk sects to do many shady deeds."
"The coffin bearer, unable to tolerate the shameless and overbearing actions of the Scarlet Flower Society, chose to defect to our Folk Custom Research Association. However, the Scarlet Flower Society didn't want to let him go, so they crippled him as a warning and dumped him at our Research Association's doorstep to show off."
Listening to Wang Jiwang's report, Yan Shouyi's brows furrowed.
The Scarlet Flower Society, with its two hundred years of history and deep roots in Yuzhou, was a behemoth.
The Research Association, as a new generation force, would indeed struggle to contend with the Scarlet Flower Society.
But fortunately, the Scarlet Flower Society was far away in Yuzhou. No matter how powerful they were, they couldn't do much to the Research Association located in Rongcheng.
If it were merely Wu Tianfeng, Yan Shouyi was confident he could handle him.
"Tian Jue'er is Wu Tianfeng's forbidden property. We've taken his person, so he'll likely come to demand her back soon," Wang Jiwang said.
"Tian Jue'er will definitely not be returned to Wu Tianfeng. She cannot be allowed to suffer any more torment," Yan Shouyi stated his core viewpoint first, then continued, "Regarding the Scarlet Flower Society and Wu Tianfeng, what are your thoughts, Old Wang?"
This question was asking for Wang Jiwang's stance.
Was it an all-out war or a peace negotiation?
Wang Jiwang was silent for a moment, "Our main target is the New Xuan Mountain Sect."
This implied that Wang Jiwang did not want the Research Association to escalate the conflict with the Scarlet Flower Society too much, as it would deplete their own strength, potentially allowing the New Xuan Mountain Sect to exploit the situation.
Yan Shouyi was not surprised by this viewpoint. It was known that Wang Jiwang's father, Zou Xiazi, had been forced to his death by people from the New Xuan Mountain Sect, and Wang Jiwang himself had been pursued by the New Xuan Mountain Sect for a time.
With old and new grievances, he was even more targeted towards the New Xuan Mountain Sect.
Yan Shouyi nodded slightly and said, "My view is different from yours. I want to kill Wu Tianfeng."
A flicker of surprise crossed Wang Jiwang's eyes.
In his mind, he thought Yan Shouyi would at most break ties with the Scarlet Flower Society.
But he hadn't expected Yan Shouyi's attitude this time to be so resolute, intending to go all the way and kill Wu Tianfeng!
Yan Shouyi slowly explained, "The Scarlet Flower Society harms the common people and is no different from a cult. We have to eradicate them sooner or later. And according to Tian Jue'er, Wu Tianfeng is a complete madman, which can be seen from his actions these past few days. So even if we wanted peace, he might not agree."
"Most importantly, Grandma, Zhitong, and even you, everyone keeps reminding me that our handling of the threat from the Scarlet Flower Society this time is very important. If it's not handled well, morale will collapse, the Research Association won't be established, and it will be impossible to contend with the New Xuan Mountain Sect."
Yan Shouyi spoke slowly and deliberately, clearly having made this decision after careful consideration.
He said solemnly,
"Therefore, whether for justice or for the benefit of the Research Association, I must make this difficult decision! Killing Wu Tianfeng and defeating the Scarlet Flower Society will, on one hand, remove a scourge for the people, and on the other hand, it will also enhance the visibility of our Research Association."
Wang Jiwang stared at Yan Shouyi for a moment, then slowly nodded, "I support your decision."