As they descended the back mountain and returned to the inner sect of Emei, it was already past midnight.
Knowing that Zhou Ruoxi was still waiting for news, Wan Yunting headed directly to her residence. As expected, the lights were on in Zhou Ruoxi's room, while Jiang Tingxia's room next door was already dark, indicating she had retired for the night.
"You're back."
Zhou Ruoxi opened the door. Wan Yunting nodded and entered. Zhou Ruoxi quickly closed the door and followed him, asking, "How did it go?"
"Mm, quite smoothly."
Wan Yunting sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. Upon hearing this, Zhou Ruoxi felt a pang of something, but she still nodded and said, "That's good..."
Wan Yunting turned to look at her and chuckled, "And you said you didn't mind?"
Zhou Ruoxi shot him a glare with her autumn eyes and turned towards the bed, saying coldly, "Alright, you can go back now."
Wan Yunting stood up and followed her in, then playfully pounced on her with a mischievous grin, "You can bear to let me go?"
"You scamp, don't mess around, giggling, it tickles..."
The next morning at six o'clock, Wan Yunting and Zhou Ruoxi were up early. The two of them went together to the summit of a mountain behind the sect, a place where Zhou Ruoxi usually practiced her martial arts and meditated. They meditated together until eight-thirty, only stopping their practice after the sun had risen.
Seeing that the man had already reached the late stage of Martial Dao Dan Jin, Zhou Ruoxi found herself puzzled, "When did you break through to the late stage of Dan Jin?"
As Wan Yunting walked back with her, he smiled and said, "Before the New Year, when I was at the Wudang Sect, I observed the Sword Cliff and comprehended the Great Dao Swordplay inheritance left by the Wudang Sect's Sword Dao Ancestor, which is how I broke through."
Zhou Ruoxi had not been aware of this. Hearing him speak of it now, she looked astonished and said in disbelief, "You had an epiphany of the Wudang Sect's Sword Dao Ancestor's inheritance?"
Wan Yunting nodded and said with a proud smile, "Am I amazing?"
"Mm..."
Zhou Ruoxi nodded. She truly admired the man's talent in this regard. "I visited Wudang Sect back then and observed the Sword Cliff as well, but I never had any enlightenment. Yunting, you are truly remarkable."
"Naturally."
Seeing that no one was around, Wan Yunting boldly embraced her and said with a smile, "I'll teach you the Great Dao Swordplay later."
Zhou Ruoxi's pretty face stiffened, and she said, "That wouldn't be proper, would it? It's a sword technique of the Wudang Sect. If you teach it to me, I wouldn't dare to use it."
Wan Yunting realized she had a point. After all, the major martial arts sects also had rules that disciples of other sects were not allowed to secretly learn or use the techniques of other sects.
Of course, unless the other sect agreed.
"How about this, let's find a time to go to the valley beneath Kunlun Mountain for closed-door cultivation, so you can improve your martial arts. I'm also close to breaking through to Martial Dao Gang Jin and will need a quiet place to do so," Wan Yunting said.
Zhou Ruoxi nodded and smiled, "Okay, then I'll settle the Emei Sect first. Once everything is calm, we'll find time to go."
Earlier, when the two had fallen into the valley, the profound ice bed left by Senior Kang Guangling of the Xiaoyao Sect in the cave could greatly enhance their cultivation.
Now, Wan Yunting had reached the late stage of Martial Dao Dan Jin and showed signs of breaking through to Gang Jin.
Therefore, he wanted to find a quiet place for cultivation and prepare for the breakthrough.
After all, the transition from Dan Jin to Gang Jin was a huge chasm for a martial artist.
This chasm had stopped many martial artists, so Wan Yunting had to be fully prepared and absolutely must not make any mistakes...
For the next day, Wan Yunting assisted Zhou Ruoxi in stabilizing the current chaotic situation within the Emei Sect.
Of course, resolving this issue quickly was not something that could be accomplished in a day or two. Wan Yunting had to return to the capital the next day because there were many matters waiting for him at the Chinese Medicine Association.
Wan Yunting had already been delayed for many days since traveling from Huadu City to the Hengshan Sect and then to the Emei Sect, so he had to rush back to the capital the next morning...
Reluctantly, Zhou Ruoxi spent the night passionately with him, seemingly pouring all her fervor into him, as she did not know when she would see him again...
At nine o'clock the next morning, Wan Yunting packed his belongings and, accompanied by Zhang Xian'er and the master-disciple pair Zi Qing, as well as Lu Xiaodie and Zheng Rong, prepared to descend the mountain. As the Sect Leader, Zhou Ruoxi, with her junior sister Jiang Tingxia, personally came to see them off, her heart filled with reluctance, which she could not show.
"Sect Leader Zhou, Junior Sister Jiang, you may stop here."
Having walked to the main gate of the Emei Sect's inner sect, Wan Yunting turned and smiled at Zhou Ruoxi and Jiang Tingxia. In front of outsiders, it was appropriate to address her as Sect Leader Zhou.
"Alright, Abbot Wan, please travel safely. You are welcome to visit Emei Sect anytime."
Zhou Ruoxi smiled. In front of outsiders, she had to maintain her demeanor as Sect Leader and politely said.
Wan Yunting nodded and smiled, "If anything happens, give me a call. I'm leaving."
"Okay." Zhou Ruoxi nodded, and only after watching the man turn to leave did a look of reluctance appear in her autumn eyes...
Wan Yunting didn't think too much about it, as he would be returning to Emei Sect in a month to treat Senior Nun Jinyu.
He descended the mountain with Zhang Xian'er and the master-disciple pair Zi Qing, along with Lu Xiaodie and Zheng Rong. Two cars were already waiting at the foot of the mountain. These were the bodyguards sent by Ouyang Zhixin to escort Zhang Xian'er, so they had been waiting at the foot of the mountain.
After everyone got into the cars, they headed directly towards Chengdu. Upon arriving at the airport, Wan Yunting said to Lu Xiaodie, "Sister Lu, Senior Sister Zheng, are you really not coming to the capital to visit with me?"
Lu Xiaodie gave him a sideways glance and smiled, "If I go to the capital, will you have time to accompany us?"
Wan Yunting broke out in a sweat, chuckling wryly, "I truly won't have time."
"Then that settles it,"
Lu Xiaodie waved her hand and said, "We'll go back to Zhejiang first. We'll visit you in the capital when we have time."
Wan Yunting nodded and said to the two sisters with a smile, "Then I'll be going back. I'll call you later."
"Mm-hmm, go on in quickly."
Lu Xiaodie smiled and nodded, watching Wan Yunting lead Zhang Xian'er, Zi Qing, and Lan Xin towards the ticketing entrance. Knowing that he had a private jet to take him back to the capital, Lu Xiaodie and Zheng Rong declined Wan Yunting's offer of a private jet and took a commercial flight back to Shaoxing, Zhejiang...
Three hours later, a private jet belonging to the Ouyang family slowly landed at Beijing International Airport. Wan Yunting, carrying a bag, emerged from the airport with Zhang Xian'er and the master-disciple pair Zi Qing. After getting into a car, he instructed the bodyguards to drive him directly home.
However, it wasn't his own home, but the ancestral residence of the Ouyang family.
Meanwhile, in a reception hall of the ancestral residence, Ouyang Shenhe had gathered all the family members. He asked Ouyang Zhixin, who was sitting beside him, "Has Little Wan returned?"
Ouyang Zhixin replied, "Mm, I just received a call. He's on his way home from the airport and will be here soon."
Ouyang Shenhe nodded, then looked at Ouyang Xing Teng, who was sitting beside him, and the other family members, and said with a smile, "I presume everyone knows the reason why I've called this family meeting, right?"
Ouyang Xing Teng nodded and smiled, "Big Brother, we all know you intend to retire."
Ouyang Shenhe smiled and said, "It's been over forty years since I took over as the family head. The family has weathered various storms, experienced ups and downs, and also soared to great heights. We have consistently maintained our position as the second-ranked family among all the major families. I, Ouyang Shenhe, believe I have lived up to the trust placed in me by the previous generation's patriarch."
"That is only natural..."
Ouyang Xing Teng and several other elders of the same generation nodded in agreement.
After all, the Ouyang family's status in the capital was second only to the Kong family!
And as for the existence of the Kong family, there was no need to elaborate further.
In short, it was already extremely difficult for the Ouyang family to maintain its position as the second-ranked family among the major families in the capital.
"Yun Ting is back!"
At this moment, a clan member outside shouted upon seeing Wan Yunting return with Zhang Xian'er, Zi Qing, and Lan Xin.
"Brother, you're back..."
His sister, Ouyang Fanmeng, who was standing by the reception hall, rushed up to him upon seeing him and hugged his arm, complaining, "Why did you take so long to come back? I missed you so much."
Wan Yunting saw that all the family members were present and smiled, nodding to everyone. Then, he whispered to his sister, "I missed you too, but now is not the time for pleasantries. Let go for now..."
Ouyang Fanmeng pouted coquettishly, "I won't..."
"Haha, your sibling bond is deep."
Ouyang Shenhe said teasingly.
"Heehee."
Since recovering from her illness, his sister Ouyang Fanmeng had become much more cheerful and lively.
"Alright, Little Wan, come and sit here."
Ouyang Shenhe beckoned Wan Yunting, indicating for him to sit in the empty chair next to Ouyang Zhixin. Wan Yunting nodded and walked over to sit down, causing envy among the younger generation of the family, as none of the juniors present were qualified to sit, with Wan Yunting being the sole exception.
However, Ouyang Xinyuan and the others harbored no jealousy, as Wan Yunting was more than just a clan member to the entire Ouyang family.
"Little Wan is also back, so I'll announce it directly."
Ouyang Shenhe glanced at Wan Yunting before surveying all the clan members present and standing, and declared loudly, "I announce that Ouyang Zhixin will succeed as the fifth-generation patriarch of our Ouyang family!"
"Well done..."
Immediately, all the clan members present applauded and smiled, "It's what everyone wished for, Zhixin, congratulations..."
This outcome was something all the clan members had been able to guess since the incident involving Ouyang Liqun began, so there was no hint of surprise on anyone's faces, only congratulations. Ouyang Zhixin also stood up, first bowing to his father to express his gratitude, and then bowing slightly to Ouyang Xing Teng and the other elder family members, as well as all the clan members present. He then said, "Please rest assured, although I, Ouyang Zhixin, am not very capable, I will absolutely not do anything that harms the family's interests. I also ask the elders to guide me and prevent me from making any mistakes."
These words earned the approval and nods of Ouyang Xing Teng and the other elder family members. Ouyang Zhixin also stated dominantly, "Please also rest assured, I, Ouyang Zhixin, will definitely lead our Ouyang family towards an even more glorious era!"
"Excellent..."
This statement inspired everyone, and they applauded and cheered...
Wan Yunting and his sister Ouyang Fanmeng, sitting on the side, excitedly applauded, congratulating their father on becoming the patriarch...
After the meeting concluded, Wan Yunting, along with his father Ouyang Zhixin, accompanied the elder Ouyang Shenhe towards the pavilion in the small lake within the residence...
The weather in Beijing was still very cold, and the ice in the lake had not yet melted. The remaining withered lotus leaves were barren and lonely, awaiting the renewal of spring.
The three generations sat together on the stone benches in the pavilion, chatting casually. Wan Yunting also briefly recounted the recent events outside to his grandfather and father...