"Uncle Chang, I'd like to ask you to return to Wuliang Daoist Temple with me to discuss our future with Master and Master Ghost,"
Wan Yunting watched Chang Wude eat a roasted goose leg and drink wine. He nodded as he spoke and asked, "When will we go back?"
"The day after tomorrow. I'll leave after I finish things here. I'll come pick you up then," Wan Yunting said as he poured himself another drink.
Chang Wude turned his old eyes to glance at him. Seeing Wan Yunting's dejected look, he knew what was going on and didn't offer much comfort...
After drinking a bottle of Yubingshao with Chang Wude, Wan Yunting wandered around the university. He had hoped to run into Jiang Peipei and chat, but instead, he met Huang Yuqing. Seeing Wan Yunting aimlessly strolling by the university lake, she called out, "Lao Wan, why are you at school?"
Wan Yunting was gazing at the budding lotus flowers in the university lake and the fish swimming freely underwater. He only noticed Huang Yuqing after she approached. Turning to her, he smiled and said, "I came to chat with Grandpa Chang about something. I was bored, so I decided to wander around."
Huang Yuqing glanced at him with her eyes and teased with a smile, "You came to find Peipei, didn't you?"
Wan Yunting, caught in his thoughts, felt a bit embarrassed and touched his nose. Huang Yuqing chuckled, "You're out of luck. The school's basketball team went to South Korea for an exchange, and Peipei led the team to depart this morning."
"Oh."
Upon hearing that Jiang Peipei was not around, Wan Yunting felt a bit disappointed. After a pause, he reacted and said with a smile, "It seems the school is quite busy lately."
Seeing his awkward expression, Huang Yuqing couldn't help but smile and said, "Why don't you sit down and chat?"
Wan Yunting nodded. Since he wasn't in a hurry to go back, he sat on a casual chair by the university lake with Huang Yuqing. She turned to him and asked, "Lao Wan, how long will you be staying in Huadu City this time?"
"Hmm, I'll be leaving the day after tomorrow..."
After a brief chat with Huang Yuqing, Wan Yunting got to the point and said, "Lao Wan, do you still have feelings for Peipei?"
This question made Wan Yunting's expression falter. He turned his gaze to Huang Yuqing, but he didn't want to hide anything. He smiled and said, "Yuqing, do you think I'm fickle and a scumbag?"
"Otherwise?"
Huang Yuqing looked at him with a smile and said, "However, you're different from other scumbags. Although you're sentimental, you won't let anyone down."
Wan Yunting gave a wry smile and looked back at the university lake, saying, "I might not return to Huadu City very often in the future!"
Huang Yuqing's expression stiffened, and she asked in confusion, "Why?"
Wan Yunting glanced at her and said with a smile, "Because I don't want to implicate my friends and family."
Huang Yuqing frowned. Although she wasn't very familiar with Wan Yunting's affairs, she understood the general situation.
They chatted for a while longer until Huang Yuqing had to go to class. Wan Yunting left the university directly. After calling Fang Yanxi, he headed straight to the home of old Mr. Ma Jian Guo...
"Oh my, Xiao Wan is here..."
Huang Xiue, who opened the door, was overjoyed to see Wan Yunting and quickly welcomed him in. She heard old Mr. Ma's voice from the living room: "Xiao Wan is here?"
Wan Yunting, who was changing his shoes, replied with a smile, "Yes, Mr. Ma, I've come to visit you."
"Xiao Wan, hurry up, I can't hold on much longer..."
It turned out Pang Yuan had also arrived and was playing chess with Ma Jian Guo in the living room. Upon seeing Wan Yunting enter, he immediately got up to give up his seat, pulling Wan Yunting to sit down and play chess with the old man: "Quick, quick, see if I can turn the tide in this game?"
"Haha, I'll move..."
With a decisive move, the old man won the game with a smile, causing Pang Yuan to shake his head and sigh, waving his hand, "Old Mr. Ma, you should play with Xiao Wan. With my chess skills, I'll never be able to beat you."
"Haha, Xiao Wan, let's play..."
Ma Jian Guo was too lazy to bully Pang Yuan any longer. He called Wan Yunting to set up the pieces. Pang Yuan stood by with fruit, eating and watching Wan Yunting. He couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Wan, I heard you even resigned from the chairman of the Chinese Medicine Association?"
Ma Jian Guo also looked up at him. Wan Yunting was arranging the chess pieces and nodded with a smile, "Yes, the news travels fast."
Ma Jian Guo's old face sank, and he couldn't help but snort, "What crooked ways are those? Those ignorant people are spreading rumors. I think they are the ones."
Pang Yuan nodded and then asked, "So, aren't you restricted from practicing medicine now?"
Wan Yunting nodded and began to play chess with Ma Jian Guo. But the old man became displeased, placed his chess piece down heavily, and cursed, "Restricting you from practicing medicine is a huge loss."
Pang Yuan also said, "Old Mr. Ma, you may not know, but Xiao Wan becoming the chairman of the Chinese Medicine Association has likely infringed upon someone's interests, which is why he was used as a scapegoat and forced to step down."
Wan Yunting waved his hand with a smile upon hearing this, "Alright, Old Pang, don't over-explain this matter. It's good that I'm not the chairman of the Chinese Medicine Association. Elder Gu has taken over, and he will do a better job than me."
"Although it's difficult for me to be restricted from practicing medicine, it's also good. I'll take this opportunity to relax. After all, they can't stop me from practicing medicine for my entire life, right?"
"That's true."
Pang Yuan nodded. Ma Jian Guo said, "Then rest well during this time and don't bother with the affairs of the various sects. Hmph, what crooked ways! If you, Xiao Wan, are a bad person, then there are no good people in this world."
Pang Yuan nodded with a smile. Wan Yunting felt warmed by the old man's support...
Soon after, Ma Zhen Dong and his wife returned from shopping. By six o'clock in the evening, Pang Yuan's wife also arrived, followed by Fang Yanxi. They were all gathered at old Mr. Ma's house for a reunion tonight...
Wan Yunting drank quite a bit with the old man, Pang Yuan, and Ma Zhen Dong. It wasn't until ten o'clock in the evening that Wan Yunting and Fang Yanxi returned home. They didn't chat much with his second brother and the others; everyone went upstairs to wash and sleep...
The next day, Wan Yunting got up early to meditate and practice on the mountain. At precisely eight o'clock, he came down again. Wan'er clung to him, wanting to play, so he took the little girl and Fang Yanxi back to her home to visit her grandfather, Fang Shoushan, and her parents, Fang Guowen and Du Xiumei...
"Dad, Mom, Grandpa..."
Wan Yunting immediately called them Dad and Mom, which made Fang Guowen, Du Xiumei, and Fang Shoushan extremely happy. They joyfully welcomed this son-in-law into their home...
After spending the entire day at the Fang family's residence, by the next morning, since Wan Yunting had to set off for Wuliang Daoist Temple, he had to send Fang Yanxi back to the capital. At the same time, he picked up Chang Wude at the Huadu City airport, where two private planes had been waiting for a long time.
Fang Yanxi knew that her man was going to Wuliang Daoist Temple to resolve the future of the temple. After urging him to be extra careful, she went straight into the airport and boarded the plane back to the capital.
"Kid, when are we getting on the plane?"
Chang Wude, dressed in a white shirt, shorts, and a pair of flip-flops, tossed a backpack to Wan Yunting to catch. He smiled and said, "Let's go in now."
So, the two of them passed through security, entered the airport, boarded their Ouyang family's private jet, and flew directly to Golmud City in Qinghai Province...
After traveling for the entire day, by the morning of the next day, Wan Yunting and Chang Wude finally arrived in Buxida County. Li Zihang was already there driving to pick them up and take them directly back to Wuliang Mountain.
At noon, they arrived at Wuliang Mountain. Wan Yunting carried two backpacks, and Chang Wude and Li Zihang accompanied him up the mountain back to their sect. However, they saw disciples carrying luggage down the mountain from time to time. Upon seeing Wan Yunting, they still greeted him affectionately, "Sect Master Wan..."
Li Zihang sighed and said, "Madam has announced that our Wuliang Daoist Temple is to be disbanded, so these disciples are being sent down the mountain."
Wan Yunting's brow furrowed. Looking at the disciples being sent down the mountain, he felt a pang of unease...
The three of them returned to the sect and immediately saw Duan Yingying waiting at the main entrance. She ran over to Wan Yunting upon seeing him and also politely greeted Chang Wude...
Wan Yunting gently patted Duan Yingying's head, then led Chang Wude through the sect's main gate and straight to the main hall. Wuwei Zi and Yang Jingyi were already standing at the entrance of the main hall to welcome them. Xu Lingwei and Qi Wu were also present. They all looked expressionless, their moods extremely heavy.
"Senior Brother Chang..."
Yang Jingyi and Wuwei Zi first politely saluted Chang Wude. He nodded and gestured that there was no need for such formality, then strode into the main hall...
"Uncle Wuwei, Master..."
Wan Yunting also greeted them. Yang Jingyi and Wuwei Zi nodded, then turned and followed them into the main hall. Chang Wude sat down in a chair and directly asked, "Does Sect Uncle know about this matter? What does he say?"
Wuwei Zi nodded and sighed, "Sect Uncle naturally doesn't want our temple to be disbanded."
Wan Yunting raised an eyebrow and asked, "When will the representatives from the various sects arrive?"
Yang Jingyi said, "The day after tomorrow!"
Chang Wude's old eyes flashed with sternness, and he coldly snorted, "No matter what, we must do our best to protect our temple. We absolutely cannot let the temple be destroyed in our hands, otherwise, I will have no face to see my senior brothers and all our ancestors."
Wuwei Zi and Yang Jingyi nodded in agreement, as the representatives of the various sects would arrive the day after tomorrow for negotiations, primarily concerning the future of Wuliang Daoist Temple. Whether the temple would be directly disbanded or whether Wuliang Daoist Temple would seal its gates depended on how Wan Yunting and Yang Jingyi negotiated with the representatives of the various sects.
Wan Yunting, Chang Wude, Yang Jingyi, and Wuwei Zi had a serious discussion about the details of the negotiations for the day after tomorrow. In the afternoon, they went to the ancestral shrine in the back mountain to pay their respects to Master Ghost.
Master Ghost was still in his slovenly state, seated in a chair next to the ancestral tablets. Wan Yunting and Chang Wude paid their respects and prostrated. With great remorse, he said, "Ancestor Sect Elder, it is I who have implicated the temple. I am not qualified to be the Sect Master..."
Master Ghost opened his old eyes, revealing two sharp beams that shot directly at Wan Yunting. He said in a low voice, "Where did you get the martial arts of the Carefree Sect?"
Wan Yunting's heart trembled. He could feel the terrifying aura emanating from Master Ghost. He lowered his head, not daring to conceal anything, and said, "It was in a valley beneath a mountain in Kunlun Mountain. It is the inheritance left by Kang Guangling, the last sect leader of the Carefree Sect."
Master Ghost's old eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth curved up as he chuckled, "It seems the rumors were true. The last sect leader of the Carefree Sect was indeed hidden in Kunlun Mountain."
These words made Wan Yunting, Chang Wude, Yang Jingyi, and Wuwei Zi's expressions falter. Master Ghost said, "These are all rumors passed down by previous generations. Even my master entered Kunlun Mountain to search for it. I didn't expect you to find it."