Chapter 21

The next morning, Zhong Ziqi, the young miss, came running again. She had been called back by her father a few days ago to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, and after only a few days at home, she couldn't resist the urge to come back. Moreover, there was now a contemporary Zhou Lang in the Jade Void Temple who was already making her heart flutter. So, taking advantage of her father's trip to Liangxiang County for business, she dashed up to Baojin Mountain. However, when she excitedly arrived at the Jade Void Temple, she heard an unexpected piece of news—twenty of the people from overseas had become disciples of the old Taoist Fuyaozi, learning martial arts. This made them junior disciples to Fuyaozi, and thus uncles to her, the young miss. Among them was Wang Feng, the one she had always wanted to make her junior disciple so she could enjoy being the senior sister. He was also the one who had exchanged tokens with her a few days ago. Although they hadn't yet openly acknowledged their feelings, Zhong Ziqi had already secretly decided to hold onto this contemporary Zhou Lang tightly. Now, this guy had suddenly become her uncle, creating a generational difference between them. If they were to be together in the future, it would be a significant challenge to the moral standards of this era.

Thus, the young miss, who had been cheerful on her way, became gloomy and preoccupied as soon as she entered the courtyard of the rear hall. She didn't even hear Wang Xiaojun, who was practicing horse stance in the courtyard, greet her. If Wang Xiaojun hadn't been in the middle of his training and couldn't stop, he would have definitely run over to ask what was wrong. Speaking of which, Wang Xiaojun was now the hardest-working among the time travelers. After becoming a disciple, everyone had a schedule: writing materials in the morning and practicing martial arts in the afternoon. Now, the others were still diligently writing materials, while Wang Xiaojun, who had been idle for the past few days, no longer had such easy days. He was discovered by Fuyaozi during his morning stroll and was told to practice martial arts alone every morning to set an example.

Zhong Ziqi walked straight into Fuyaozi's meditation room, plopped down on a cushion, and began to stare blankly. Fuyaozi, who was meditating in the room, was quite surprised and quickly stood up to come to her side. He touched her forehead to check if she had a fever and, after confirming she didn't, asked with concern, "Ziqi, what's wrong? Why do you look so distracted? Is something bothering you?"

After a while, Zhong Ziqi lifted her head, looked at Fuyaozi, and asked slowly, "Master, did Wang Feng become a disciple of Grandmaster Fuyaozi?"

Fuyaozi, relieved that she was speaking, replied, "He and a dozen others have become disciples of the Great Master, but they are now junior disciples to me, making them uncles to you." He then asked, puzzled, "Why do you ask? Is there something wrong with Wang Feng?"

Zhong Ziqi didn't answer but shook her head. Just as Fuyaozi was about to ask again, he suddenly thought of something and nodded in understanding. He patted Zhong Ziqi's shoulder and said with a smile, "It seems my obedient disciple has grown up and has a crush. Do you have a thing for Wang Feng? I heard you gave him a sachet a few days ago."

Zhong Ziqi, having her secret revealed by her master, blushed and smiled awkwardly. But soon, her smile faded, and she said softly, "What's the point of having a crush on him? He's now my uncle. An uncle marrying a niece is against the rules. Even if he weren't my uncle, my father might not agree to me marrying him. Now, he definitely won't agree, and he has even more valid reasons to refuse."

Fuyaozi laughed and comforted her, "Ziqi, don't worry. It's not as bad as you think. Although you and I have a master-disciple relationship in practice, we don't have it in name. I've taught you martial arts for several years, but I've never formally taken you as a disciple, and you've never formally held a ceremony to become my disciple. So, we can't be considered master and disciple. I've taught you, but I haven't taken you as a disciple, so you and Wang Feng don't have a nominal uncle-niece relationship. There's no issue with the generational order or violating the rules. As for your father, have you ever asked him or expressed your feelings?"

Zhong Ziqi, hearing this, felt her worries dissipate. She stood up, grabbed Fuyaozi's sleeve, and shook it, pouting, "I haven't mentioned it to Father yet. I just guessed. Wang Feng is from overseas, and we've only known each other for a short time. Father probably wouldn't be very willing for me to be with him. I didn't dare tell my family about giving him the sachet. Master, you and Father are the best of friends. You have to help me with this."

Fuyaozi, feeling dizzy from her shaking, quickly stopped her, saying, "Stop, stop, don't shake. If you keep shaking, Master will fall. Although Wang Feng's background is a bit mysterious, I've observed him for a few days, and he seems to be a decent person. Although he can be a bit impulsive at times, his intentions are good. Given your father's character, if he didn't trust these people, he wouldn't have sent them to me. So, I think your father won't oppose your relationship with Wang Feng. However, as you said, Wang Feng and his companions have some questionable backgrounds. Marriage is a lifetime commitment, and you shouldn't rush into it. I suggest you consider it carefully and observe him for a longer time before making a decision."

Zhong Ziqi, hearing this, smiled brightly and responded, "Yes, yes, Master is right. I will follow Master's advice." She then put on her young miss demeanor and said, "Hmph, Wang Feng thinks he can win my heart so easily? Not a chance." Seeing her confident expression, Fuyaozi was taken aback by how quickly her mood had changed.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the sixth month of the lunar calendar. When Zhang Weixin first met Zhong Yuanyu, he lied about the specific date, saying that the sixth day of the sixth month was the day when these "returnees" would collectively pay respects to their ancestors. So, on the fifth day of the sixth month, Wang Xiaojun found Fuyaozi and asked for paper horses, incense, and various offerings to prepare for the next day.

On the sixth day of the sixth month, early in the morning, in a clearing in the forest behind the Jade Void Temple, Qingchen and a few young Taoist boys set up the incense table, incense burner, candles, copper plates, paper money, and offerings, then left the scene and returned to the temple. The thirty-one time travelers lined up neatly, with the four committee members standing in the front row. Li Junwu, the oldest of the thirty-one, lit three incense sticks, placed them in the incense burner, and burned a stack of paper money. Then, everyone knelt and bowed three times to the east. After the ceremony, Wang Xiaojun turned around, his expression solemn, and said to everyone, "Comrades, we have been in this era for forty-five days. Today, we are paying respects to our ancestors, but more importantly, we are remembering our loved ones and friends in the other time, whom we will never see again. Although we are separated from them by two lifetimes, I hope everyone will never forget them. I hope that every year on this day, all thirty-one of us can come together to remember them. I suggest the committee consider my proposal and formalize this activity."

He paused for a moment and continued, "I believe we should integrate into this era, but we shouldn't forget the era we once lived in, because a person needs roots. Although we are adrift, we can no longer return to our roots, but the roots that remain in our hearts can unite us. Forty-five days ago, we were all striving for our own livelihoods or ideals, with no connection to each other. Now, we have become a whole, and everything we do is not just for ourselves but for all thirty-one of us. Only by uniting under a common belief can we harness the full potential of each person and create a broad and prosperous living space for all of us. As long as we are together, we can achieve great things."

After a brief silence, Zhang Weixin led the applause, and the others followed with enthusiastic clapping. Wang Xiaojun's words reflected the thoughts of most people present. Although a few might have read too many alternate history novels and dreamed of achieving greatness through personal ability and luck, the majority recognized that the power of thirty-one people was much greater than that of one. As long as everyone united, they could accomplish something significant.

After the brief ceremony, everyone returned to the Jade Void Temple and began their daily work. Wang Xiaojun, who had planned to continue practicing in the courtyard, was called to the room shared by Zhao Dawei, Fan Wucheng, and Song Feiyang to discuss the auction of wine bottles and wine utensils. After the Dragon Boat Festival, the three had visited Liangxiang County several times with Qingchen, comparing and examining various options. They ultimately chose the largest wine shop in Liangxiang County, Tianfu Tower, as the auction venue. First, it had a large area that could accommodate many participants. Second, Zhong Yuanyu was familiar with the owner of the wine shop, which would allow them to arrange the venue according to the time travelers' requirements. Third, the wine shop's reputation would help highlight their status.

After listening to their introduction, Wang Xiaojun nodded and said, "I trust your abilities in this area. I will propose your suggestions at the committee meeting, and I don't think there will be any issues with approval. As for the specific auction time, rules, and venue arrangements, you should discuss them further and communicate more with Zhong Yuanyu to understand the business rules and taboos of this era, avoiding unnecessary trouble. Then, come up with a plan and submit it to the committee for discussion. This is our first public appearance in this era, so you must consider all possible issues and make the plan as detailed and thorough as possible. If this first event is successful, it will be very beneficial for our future development." The three all expressed their commitment to doing their best and not disappointing everyone.

After the three left, Wang Xiaojun returned to his room and told Zhang Weixin about the matter. Zhang Weixin had no objections. After all, among the thirty-one people, Zhao, Fan, and Song had the most experience in business and marketing. Since they were responsible for this, it was natural to trust their abilities.

After discussing the matter, Wang Xiaojun noticed that his cousin was not in the room and asked Zhang Weixin, "Where is Wang Feng? Why isn't he writing materials in his room? Is he off flirting with the Zhong family's young miss again?"

Zhang Weixin smiled and said, "You know your brother well. Since receiving the sachet from the Zhong family's young miss, he has been spending more and more time around her. Now, except during practice, he is often nowhere to be found, probably spending time with the Zhong family's young miss."

Wang Xiaojun, hearing this, shook his head helplessly and said with concern, "This kid, all he thinks about is flirting. He used to spend some time on writing materials, but now he has completely forgotten about it. If the other companions see this, there will be talk. Our foundation is not yet established, and it's not appropriate to indulge in romantic affairs. Besides, he is more than ten years older than the Zhong family's young miss. Do you think Zhong Yuanyu would agree? Moreover, his previous relationships were all short-lived because he never truly committed. If he treats this like a game, or if he loses control and does something that violates the era's rules, we will have offended our only external ally. It will be very difficult to mend the relationship then."

Zhang Weixin, however, was not as concerned and comforted him, "I think this is a good thing. If Wang Feng and the Zhong family's young miss become a couple and eventually marry, it will be a great benefit to our team. The women in our team are very close to her and treat her like a younger sister, so there's no need to worry about how the team will view their relationship. From what I've observed, the Zhong family's young miss is very fond of Wang Feng, as evidenced by the sachet she gave him during the Dragon Boat Festival. As for Zhong Yuanyu, he seems to have a laissez-faire attitude toward the matter. Otherwise, why would he not react to his daughter coming here every day? You are worried because you care, and since he is your cousin, you naturally think more about it. From his recent behavior, it seems he is quite serious and not repeating his past frivolous attitude. Moreover, although Wang Feng can be impulsive, he knows his limits and won't do anything too out of line. Just relax and let it be, like Zhong Yuanyu."

Wang Xiaojun, hearing this, felt somewhat relieved and went to the courtyard to practice. Because he had more free time than others, he naturally practiced more, and with his dedication, his basic skills had improved more than others. Fuyaozi and Yuxuzi, watching him, both marveled that someone like Wang Xiaojun, the leader, didn't need to work so hard to practice martial arts, as the people around him could protect him. His cousin, for example, had a natural talent for martial arts. Yuxuzi had taught him the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique, which he had learned from the Pure Yang Immortal Lü Dongbin, and in less than a month, the young man had already mastered it well. Now, this leader was still diligently practicing, showing that he was a person of great ambition, with a promising future. Especially Fuyaozi, who had recently noticed that Wang Xiaojun's fortune in business was fading while his fortune in wealth and power was becoming clearer. He could only marvel to his grand-disciple, "Wang Xiaojun and his companions are truly extraordinary people. It is a great fortune for us to meet them."

[End of Chapter]