When Yan Shouyi and the others arrived at the main entrance, they found a crowd already gathered.
Besides elders like Agong and Luo Ning, there were also a few new faces, members who had recently joined the Folklore Research Association.
Since the injured person's condition was severe, no one dared to move him directly for fear of causing further harm, so they could only wait for Old Jin to arrive.
Upon seeing Yan Shouyi, the new members called out "President."
Yan Shouyi himself was rather averse to the title "President," but not everyone was younger than him, and it wasn't appropriate for everyone to call him "Brother Yan." Thus, at Wang Jiwang's request, he accepted the title.
He strode quickly to the injured man's side, inquiring about the situation while simultaneously taking out the Thirteen Needles of the Ghost Gate to stop the bleeding.
The injured man was a pallbearer. After a preliminary examination, Yan Shouyi discovered that his bones were almost shattered, and his internal organs had also suffered some damage. If he had been any later, it would have been too late to save him.
Yan Shouyi had previously encountered pallbearers on Dragon Tiger Mountain and knew that these individuals possessed formidable physiques.
At that time, Guan Laosan could even fight Yan Shouyi, the Heavenly Fiend Corpse Puppet, to a draw.
Therefore, to have injured the pallbearer before him to such an extent, the assailant's background must be extraordinary, and their strength undoubtedly considerable.
After stopping the bleeding, Old Jin also arrived in a hurry. Yan Shouyi quickly made way. Old Jin took one look and couldn't help but shake his head:
"The assailant's attack was too heavy. Even if he is cured, his future life will likely be ruined."
Everyone listened and couldn't help but frown.
Yan Shouyi also had a clear understanding of the pallbearer's injuries. Even with Old Jin's superb medical skills, he could only save the man's life.
Once he survived, at least half of his body would be disabled, making it absolutely impossible for him to continue his profession as a pallbearer.
Yan Shouyi instructed Old Jin, "Old Jin, you must do everything you can to save him, regardless of the cost. Even if he becomes disabled, our Folklore Research Association will support him for life!"
Old Jin nodded solemnly and then gestured for a few people to carry the injured man into the research association.
"Quite loyal and righteous," chuckled Zhuge Lian from not far away. "That person is of no further value to the association. Both medical expenses and subsequent living expenses are not a small sum. The key point is that taking him in will inevitably bring trouble to the association, yet Yan Shouyi still decided to take him in... Alas, it's good to have money!"
Zhuge Ji nodded slightly, "In that case, the research association seems quite reliable."
"No, it's just that they have money," Zhuge Lian shook her head. "If you had money, you would be ten times kinder than them. After all, the money spent on saving one person is merely a drop in the bucket for you. Why not do it?"
"Then, Sister, you mean Yan Shouyi and the others are just putting on an act?"
"That's not necessarily the case. What I mean is, let's observe further."
After Old Jin took the injured man away, Yan Shouyi looked at the pool of blood on the ground, his expression slightly grim.
The others did not leave immediately. They stood at the main entrance of the research association and began to discuss the day's events.
Luo Ning said, "Our research association has just gotten on track and recruited a few new members. Now, this incident has occurred today. If it is not handled properly, the impact could be significant."
"Mm, but the association never restricts them. Whether they stay or leave is up to them."
Yan Shouyi was quite confident. The association genuinely treated every new member. If they still had any dissatisfaction with the association, Yan Shouyi would not regret it even if they left. It would simply mean their paths diverged.
What truly concerned Yan Shouyi was the condition of the injured man today.
"Do you know who injured him?" Yan Shouyi asked Wang Jiwang.
Wang Jiwang said with a deep voice, "This pallbearer is from Chongqing. He was originally a member of a folk sect called the Scarlet Flower Society in Chongqing, but the Scarlet Flower Society disagreed with his beliefs. Upon hearing about our Folklore Research Association, he decided to come here. Initially, everything went smoothly when I communicated with him. It wasn't until yesterday that he suddenly told me that the Scarlet Flower Society would not let him go, so he planned to come quietly."
At this point, everyone had a primary suspect in mind.
The crowd initially suspected the New Profound Mountain Sect had made a move, but they felt that given the temperament of the "actor," if they were to act, they would directly annihilate the entire sect, not resort to such tricks.
Therefore, the one who injured the pallbearer to this extent was most likely his original organization, the Scarlet Flower Society.
"Born from the same root, why must you contend with each other!" Wen Yuxian couldn't help but murmur to herself.
"Every successor of a folk sect is a powerful force. When their interests clash, conflict erupts," Yan Shouyi sighed. "This matter was due to my negligence."
Previously, he and Wang Jiwang were enthusiastically preparing the Folklore Research Association, thinking that this would "shelter all the impoverished scholars and bring joy to the world."
However, the events of the past few days made them realize that things were not that simple.
But conflict always had room for negotiation. The Scarlet Flower Society attacking and injuring someone without a word, their methods were no different from those of a cult.
They had no intention of negotiating; they simply wanted to crush the nascent Folklore Research Association.
"They clearly had the ability to kill the pallbearer, yet they left him with a breath of life and dumped him at our research association's doorstep," Luo Ning said in a low voice. "This is a provocation to us."
Lin Zitong finally spoke, gently reminding Yan Shouyi:
"If we mishandle this matter, the outside world will only see our research association as weak and incompetent. Those folk sect successors who were observing would then no longer flock to us."
"I understand," Yan Shouyi nodded, contemplating how to handle the situation.
Agong said, "I'll try to contact the Scarlet Flower Society."
"No, absolutely not," disagreed the tomboyish Zhao Yiyao. "That would make our research association appear inferior and give them the initiative!"
"Yiyao is right. Everyone, don't forget, Rongcheng is our territory," Yan Shouyi said.
"Then what should we do?" Agong asked, confused.
Yan Shouyi nodded slightly, walked a few steps outside the main door of the research association, and then said:
"The research association is not a pushover to be kneaded at will. The Scarlet Flower Society has traveled thousands of miles to Rongcheng to provoke us, and we must display the capabilities that the research association should possess!"
"Agong, Yiyao, find a way to locate their hiding place without being detected by the Scarlet Flower Society. Knowing their situation in advance is equivalent to gaining the initiative. When they make their next move, we can think of countermeasures in advance!"
"The Scarlet Flower Society wants to humiliate our research association, so we will make them flee back to Chongqing with their tails between their legs, so they can't hold their heads up. We will let all the folk sect successors in the world know that our research association is not to be trifled with!"