The sun was setting.
Birds chirped in the mountains.
As everyone rejoiced in their escape, a voice echoed from the foot of the mountain:
"Yan Shouyi!!!"
This voice instantly pulled Yan Shouyi back to reality.
He frowned, searching his memory for the owner of the voice.
It sounded like Luo Ning.
Following the sound, he saw Luo Ning, A Gong, Zhuge Lian, and Xiao Que'er, the sister of the storyteller Huang Ying, rapidly approaching them from the mountain path.
"Sister!!!"
Seeing his outgoing sister, the socially awkward boy Zhuge Ji almost broke down and cried.
Recalling everything he had experienced on this trip, the word "miserable" could hardly describe it, and such bad luck should not have fallen upon him, Zhuge Ji!
After all, the person Yan Shouyi and the others had initially chosen was Zhuge Lian. Zhuge Ji should have been at home, watching anime and drinking soda! Da Feng Novel Network.
Zhuge Lian ran to her brother and examined him. Seeing that he hadn't lost any limbs, she breathed a sigh of relief and said dismissively,
"How's it going?"
Zhuge Ji, who was about to pour out his troubles, suddenly stopped and asked in confusion, "How's what going?"
Zhuge Lian extended one hand, pointing at Zhuge Ji, then pointed at Tian Jue'er, and then tangled her two hands together, moving them back and forth.
Finally, she asked, "What stage have you reached?"
Zhuge Ji understood. He lowered his head, blushing, and said softly, "There's... there's no progress."
Zhuge Lian covered her forehead, wearing an expression of "I knew it would be like this": "Sigh, forget it. I didn't have much hope for you anyway."
"However!"
Zhuge Ji suddenly straightened his back, pulled over the brown-haired monkey Lele, and introduced it to Zhuge Lian:
"This monkey is Lele. It's a very spiritual monkey, and we're very close. Come, Lele, say hello to your sister!"
Lele blinked in confusion and let out a sound towards Zhuge Lian: Jiji!
Zhuge Lian stared at the brown-haired monkey before her, silent for several seconds.
Then, she suddenly exploded, grabbing Zhuge Ji and Lele by their ears and roaring:
"I risked half my life to get you this opportunity, and you, kid, instead of chasing girls, you're here trying to court a monkey???"
"Never mind courting a monkey, you're courting a balding monkey!"
"I can tolerate your social awkwardness. If you like men, I can accept that. Even if you like monkeys, I can accept that. But can you have any basic aesthetic sense at all!"
"There are so many monkeys on Mount Emei. Whichever one you like is fine, but you had to pick this ugly one. Are you deliberately trying to anger your sister?!"
"How am I supposed to face the ancestors of the Zhuge family like this!!"
Faced with Zhuge Lian's barrage, Zhuge Ji had no chance to retort or explain. He and Lele were like two duckweeds swaying in the waves, allowing Zhuge Lian to vent her frustration.
"Ahem!"
Yan Shouyi, not wanting them to continue embarrassing themselves on Mount Emei, quickly intervened to stop the farce.
Fortunately, Zhuge Lian still respected him as the club president and realized her loss of composure, quickly releasing them.
Zhuge Ji and Lele looked at Yan Shouyi with immense gratitude.
"Let's talk business first! How did you guys end up here?" Yan Shouyi asked in surprise.
Xiao Que'er said with a distressed face, "President, you were out of contact for so long. I was so scared. Uncle Qiu hasn't been able to eat properly from worrying!"
Yan Shouyi then remembered that he had asked Xiao Que'er to wait at the foot of the mountain when he went up. He hadn't expected her to wait for more than half a month...
He felt bad for the girl.
Yan Shouyi patted Xiao Que'er on the shoulder as a gesture of comfort.
A Gong was not good with words, so Luo Ning replied:
"A lot has happened outside. We couldn't reach you, so we had to come to Mount Emei ourselves to find you."
Master Guan Yun frowned, "There's a formation protecting the mountain. Without the Tai E Token, how could you find the way?"
Luo Ning pointed at Zhuge Lian, "We have a Heavenly Observer."
Zhuge Lian smiled confidently.
Master Guan Yun suddenly understood.
The illusion array of Mount Emei was not something ordinary formation masters could handle. It was calculated based on celestial phenomena and stellar arrangements. Zhuge Lian, being a Heavenly Observer, found the formation to be precisely what she was skilled in, allowing her to break it.
Although there was an element of luck, Zhuge Lian's ability was undeniable.
Speaking of the matter, Luo Ning felt fortunate to have followed Lin Zhitong's advice and brought Zhuge Lian along, otherwise, they might have wandered for a long time without even finding the entrance to the Emei Sect.
Xiao Que'er noticed the bandages on Yan Shouyi's face and couldn't help but ask, "President, your eyes..."
Luo Ning and A Gong cast concerned glances.
Long Feicheng shook his head and sighed, "He's blind."
Yan Shouyi nodded, admitting to it.
Luo Ning and the others were shocked. Yan Shouyi was a Heavenly Corpse Puppet. Who could have blinded him?
Although they didn't know what had happened on Mount Emei, they could already imagine the dangers Yan Shouyi and the others had faced during this time.
Luo Ning asked doubtfully, "After we reached the Emei Sect's mountain gate, we were blocked by an invisible force for many days. It wasn't until just now when Zhuge Lian sensed that force disappear that we rushed up... What exactly happened on Mount Emei?"
A Gong also couldn't help but ask, "The videos on the forum say you were chasing disciples of the Dian Yi Sect. Is that true?"
Hearing A Gong mention words like "videos" and "chasing," Yan Shouyi knew his speculation was correct.
Li Genmiao had indeed used this incident to stir up trouble outside.
The whole thing was his setup!
"Partly true, partly false," Yan Shouyi sighed. "The Emei Sect was annihilated by the Twelve Yuan Chen, and the Dian Yi Sect disciples were controlled by the shadow puppeteers of the Twelve Yuan Chen. I was chasing the shadow puppeteer puppets at the time."
What happened on Mount Emei couldn't be explained in just a few words, and Yan Shouyi wasn't in the mood to explain anyway.
He frowned and asked, "What's the situation outside now? Quickly tell me what you know."
It had been half a month since they were trapped on Mount Emei. This was enough time for Li Genmiao to do many things.
When it came to outside matters, Luo Ning and A Gong's faces showed unconcealed worry.
"A lot has happened outside... Initially, the matter of you chasing Dian Yi Sect disciples fermented on the forums. The posts claimed you annihilated the Emei Sect and were chasing Dian Yi Sect and Qingcheng Sect disciples who went to investigate Mount Emei. The sect leaders of both sects also died by your hands. Afterward, many righteous sects suddenly appeared on the forums. They claimed you were a great demon and wanted to settle accounts with you."
"Because you never appeared, even though Old Wang tried his best to control public opinion, it still erupted. Disciples from major sects began to escalate the conflict and shift it to folk sects. Major sects everywhere united and harassed the inheritors of folk sects. This morning, I even heard Old Wang say that attacks have occurred in various places, and many folk sect inheritors have died unexpectedly."
Hearing that the situation had escalated to the point of loss of life, Yan Shouyi's expression turned grim.
This was the outcome he least wanted to see, but subconsciously, he knew Li Genmiao would push things to this extent.