Lin Yan found an inn in a town and settled in.
Meng San Zhang Lao's storage ring contained many good things, enough for her to spend many years in the Central Continent.
She rented a private courtyard in this inn, set up a protective formation with a formation disk, and then laid out a spirit gathering array. Lin Yan placed a "Qing Xin Pu Tuan" (a meditation cushion) at the center of the formation and sat down cross-legged.
She took out a Bigu Dan from her storage bag, swallowed it, and began to recover from her injuries using the spiritual energy of the surroundings.
This town was quite prosperous, as it was near a mountain range that stretched for tens of thousands of miles, teeming with many demonic beasts, each ruling its own territory.
Because of these demonic beasts, the accompanying medicinal herbs were abundant, attracting many cultivators to train here. The small town at the foot of the mountain thus had many customers.
Lin Yan began to enter seclusion to recover, while the Meng family was thrown into complete chaos.
The death of Meng San Zhang Lao caused a period of panic in the Meng family, but then the Meng Clan Leader realized that this news had to be kept secret. However, it was already too late, as many people had already learned of the incident.
The first to leave were Meng San Zhang Lao's concubines. Without Meng San Zhang Lao's suppression, they could choose their own paths in life, and the Meng family was powerless to stop them.
One or two might have been manageable, but Meng San Zhang Lao had truly collected a vast number of female cultivators, each with considerable strength. United, they formed a powerful force.
Of course, some female cultivators had grown accustomed to being kept by Meng San Zhang Lao and were unwilling to leave the Meng family. The number of these cultivators was small, which further indicated that Meng San Zhang Lao was truly unpopular.
The departure of these female cultivators was just the first step. Afterward, people whom Meng San Zhang Lao had offended came to cause trouble for the Meng family.
Gradually, the Meng family's influence waned. Within ten years, the Meng family had completely declined, though this was a story for another time.
Wan Si Rui was now openly a couple with Senior Sister Cheng Ying, and Senior Sister Cheng had provided him with much convenience.
He had taken Cheng Ying's father as his master. Cheng Ying was his father's youngest and only daughter, whom he cherished greatly.
Therefore, upon learning that Cheng Ying had fallen for this newly arrived rogue cultivator, he took Wan Si Rui under his wing after an assessment.
Elder Cheng also felt that his daughter had good judgment. Such a rogue cultivator, with no background but excellent talent, might be the most suitable person for his daughter.
After becoming Elder Cheng's disciple, Wan Si Rui's progress accelerated. However, besides cultivation, he also had to appease Senior Sister Cheng.
This made Wan Si Rui, a proud and self-reliant prodigy, feel extremely stifled. He always felt that Elder Cheng and Senior Sister Cheng looked at him with disdain.
He desperately wanted to be independent of them, but he was utterly incapable of it at the moment. Thus, he could only endure their father and daughter's attitudes.
"Senior Brother Wan Si, you seem to have practiced your swordplay for less time than usual today," a female cultivator in green approached Wan Si Rui, offering him a plain handkerchief.
"Thank you, Junior Sister!" Wan Si Rui said gratefully, but did not take the handkerchief. His relationship with Cheng Ying was already established, and although he enjoyed his junior sister's concern, he truly could not accept her kindness.
Not only would this anger Cheng Ying, but it would also harm the junior sister before him. Therefore, he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his own sleeve.
Seeing his action, the green-clad female cultivator put her handkerchief away. She understood why Senior Brother Wan Si did not accept her handkerchief and thus became even more infatuated with him.
She deeply envied Senior Sister Cheng Ying, not only for her excellent family background, which meant no one dared to look down on her even if she remained stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage, but also for having someone who devoted himself to her so wholeheartedly.
"Is Senior Brother Wan Si returning?" she asked solicitously.
"Yes, I promised Senior Sister that I would return to have dinner with her." Wan Si Rui packed his belongings and put them into his storage bag.
"Dinner?" Did those at the Foundation Establishment stage still need to eat? Having always used Bigu Dan as a substitute, she couldn't understand Cheng Ying's intention for having meals.
"I should be going now." He did not continue the conversation and turned to leave.
The Zhou Tian Immortal Sect had many geniuses, and Wan Si Rui was not among the very best. Therefore, he had to work even harder.
At this moment, he thought of Lin Yan again. She had reached the Core Formation stage before the age of twenty, and he was almost twenty now but still hadn't touched the threshold of Core Formation.