Chapter 202: Meeting an Old Friend, Receiving News, Returning to the City

The days that followed were calm and peaceful.

Under the surging undercurrents, the disappearance of that one family and the departure of the village guardian were all arranged through the joint efforts of major powers, causing not a ripple, and the surrounding villagers accepted it calmly.

Many eyes and ears from all sides gathered in this village and the surrounding area.

But as time went on, the old man never appeared again.

As many messages of uncertain truth arrived from afar, the eyes and ears were distracted, pouring more energy outward.

Those who wanted to find the Golden Immortal Dao were destined to be disappointed.

Zhou You did not intend to use this temporary persona again after using it once.

The panel's Trial Project had been completed, and in the short term, no similar Drive Away Charm tasks had been refreshed.

His attention was entirely focused on practicing boxing and techniques to accumulate Experience Points, step by step improving the boxing martial arts realm of the persona Yan Ping.

It was not until one day, when an acquaintance passed by the village, that he realized the severity of the situation.

"Pan Jinshan!"

Pan Jinshan, the guard of Zeng Fu, arrived before Zhou You with a bundle on his back, guided by the villagers.

Seeing his travel-worn appearance and his clothes, which were torn to shreds, it was clear he had not been home to mend them for a long time.

"Pan Shifu, what brings you to the countryside?"

Pan Jinshan picked up a water ladle and drank deeply, "Ceng Fuzi sent me to inquire about someone."

"Oh?"

"A few days ago, there was an old man with a white beard who saved a little girl who was about to be burned to death and cured her madness. Have you heard of him?"

Zhou You smiled and nodded, "I have heard of him."

He had even personally experienced that event, and later heard the circulated versions of the story in conversations between Zhou Laiwei and the Great-Grandfather.

Don't look down on the villagers for their lack of education; their imaginations were unconstrained, directly creating second and third-generation versions of the story in horror, mythological, suspenseful, and romantic genres.

As someone involved, hearing them was always a bit awkward!

Zhou Laiwei was a Qi and Blood martial artist who knew what it meant to expel a possessing phantom, and he respected the mysterious old man like a god.

He had even asked the village guardian for advice on the specific process! Later, when the village guardian and the girl's family disappeared, the village said that a big shot in the city had taken them away to enjoy a good life.

"The water in this matter is too deep; we must not get involved in the slightest. Laiwei, don't mention it again in the future, and don't implicate the Young Master."

The Great-Grandfather issued a gag order after learning about it.

Today, when Pan Jinshan mentioned it again, Zhou You began to realize that the matter was more serious than he had imagined.

"The old man comes from the Golden Immortal Dao, a mysterious and ancient organization. The Fuzi asked me to investigate."

Pan Jinshan finished his water and asked Zhou You, "The incident took place no more than ten miles from here. Have you seen that old man nearby?"

"No, you can ask the villagers everywhere."

Zhou You shook his head decisively to deny it; even if he stood in front of Pan Jinshan, the other party would not recognize him.

Pan Jinshan had expected this; he had gained nothing from this trip and left after staying for an afternoon.

"Brother Zhou, you had better return to the city as soon as possible!"

Before leaving, he warned Zhou You with hidden meaning in his words, but did not spell it out in detail.

Zhou You could tell from his tone that something must have happened in the city, something related to the martial arts school, and it was not very friendly toward him.

It seemed his half-year sick leave had not been a comfortable one! Through diligent practice, Zhou You had raised his Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record to the Qi and Blood 7th Stage, breaking through from the middle stage to the late stage.

His internal Qi and Blood were full, constantly scouring his bones, skin, and flesh, strengthening his limbs and skeleton.

Of course, he used his False Face to confine this change to the persona of Yan Ping, so his true body showed no abnormalities for the time being. Qi and Blood 9th Stage: 1, 2, 3 are the early stage; 4, 5, 6 are the middle stage; 7, 8, 9 are the late stage.

Upon reaching the late stage of Qi and Blood, the Qi and Blood, through folding and compression, had reached the terrifying level where a single drop of blood could crush a millstone.

With such terrifying Qi and Blood scouring and refining, even a single strand of hair could be turned into a sharp Iron Thread.

Zhou You finally personally experienced the wonders of using Qi and Blood to nourish objects; during his daily practice, the overflowing Qi and Blood wrapped around his entire body, and his clothes and accessories were all shrouded in the scouring of his Qi and Blood.

Over time, these things would receive corresponding reinforcement.

For example, the heirloom sword of Head Constable Qu and the Iron Ring of the Amulet refined by Zhang Huaimin were all similar items.

Zhou You selected the gold ring for binding his hair, as well as his belt buckle and others, to scour and refine with his Qi and Blood, keeping them for refining items in the future.

His parents were currently wearing the Amulets provided by Zhang Huaimin, putting their safety first for the time being.

Once he could refine Amulets himself in the future, it would be safe and reliable, and he would not have to entrust the safety of his own family to outsiders.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two months passed; the renovation project of the old house was finally completed.

The spacious and tall roof, the smooth and imposing walls, the bricks and tiles without a single crack or chip, and the floor so straight it looked like it had been measured with a ruler—if one were to scatter a handful of pearls, they wouldn't roll anywhere.

This was the old house that Zhou Laodie had spent his heart and soul rebuilding; it was now entirely a brand-new house.

The villagers looked on with envious eyes, calculating how many lifetimes it would take for their own families to build such a large house.

"You'er, what are you still standing there for? Let's plant the Evergreen together."

In front of the new house, his father held the Evergreen wrapped in red cloth, and together with Zhou You, they planted it in the dirt pit already dug beside the door.

Evergreen, Evergreen, may the family remain evergreen for ten thousand years.

This was their home, their own land and residence, not a rented place to stay.

Zhou You began to understand the obsession of his father; people must have roots!

No matter how large Gongliang City was, it only provided them with a rented room to live in, but this piece of land beneath their feet truly belonged to them.

"May our family always be happy, healthy, and safe!"

After the renovation of the old house was completed, the Zhou family was to leave their hometown and return to Gongliang City.

The Great-Grandfather was very reluctant to part with Zhou You, saying privately more times than he could count that if he weren't old and frail, he would definitely follow the Young Master to the city to serve him; his old bones were truly useless!

Seeing him like this, Zhou Laodie couldn't help but wipe away tears, "The Great-Grandfather is truly sentimental. You'er, you must remember his kindness."

As for the subsequent repairs to the Ancestral Hall and the carving of the stone tablet, Zhou Laiwei promised to handle it well and invited them to return to the village to inspect the work upon completion.

His grandson Tie Niu was also going to follow Zhou You's family back to Gongliang City to serve and protect him personally! In fact, quite a few teenagers in the village were envious and wanted to follow them into the city to make a living.

Their family elders were also somewhat tempted, and more or less hinted at their intentions to Zhou Laodie.

After all, there were rules in the countryside village that one should look after fellow villagers once they became successful; in the eyes of the villagers, since Zhou Laocan was "an official" at the trading firm, he was already in a position to look after his fellow townsmen.

Zhou Laiwei firmly forbade this matter, and even asked the Grand Elder to step in and lecture those families one by one.

"Hold a bowl as big as you can handle and eat only as much rice as you deserve; don't always look toward the heights and fail to recognize your own place. Weigh how much you're worth before you speak!"

"You all want to go to the city to live in glory, but do you have the ability for it?"

"That person is our Young Master; if you expect to reap benefits from their family, you are failing to see yourselves as servants!"

Under the suppression of the Grand Elder's prestige, the disturbance subsided, and no one dared to harass Zhou Laodie again.

They arrived as a family of three, and left as a party of four.

Tie Niu remained silent as he drove the carriage away from the village; under the setting sun, their shadows stretched longer and longer.

(End of chapter)