Chapter 84

After the留守小组 (留守 group) left, "Qing Yuan" returned to the state it was in before Wang Xiaojun's wedding. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner, and things were basically calm again.

To make the April 18th穿越纪念日 (穿越 memorial day) grand and enthusiastic, the expanded committee meeting made a resolution to conduct the memorial activities according to the ancestral worship customs of this era. Zhang Weixin was responsible for the specific preparations, with assistance from the trade group, property management group, and finance group.

After receiving the task, Zhang Weixin, based on his understanding of such events, consulted with Fuyaozi and the steward Deng An, and then drafted a list of items needed for the ancestral worship. He handed the list to the three functional groups, who arranged for people to handle the procurement.

The procurement went smoothly, and by the 16th of the fourth lunar month, two days before the memorial day, all the sacrificial items were prepared. They were just waiting for the 18th.

As the direct person in charge of this event, Zhang Weixin dared not make any mistakes. Although everything was ready, he was still a bit uneasy. In the afternoon, he estimated that his Grandmaster Fuyaozi had already woken up from his nap—since arriving in Youzhou, the old immortal basically followed a normal human schedule, not sleeping for days on end—Zhang Weixin went to his Grandmaster's residence to go over the details of the ancestral worship again, to prevent any mishaps.

After Fuyaozi arrived at "Qing Yuan," he stayed in the two main rooms of the rear courtyard where Wang Xiaojun used to live. Zhang Weixin originally lived in the west wing of the rear courtyard, but after the west wing became Wang Xiaojun's new room, Zhang Weixin moved to the west wing of the middle courtyard. Therefore, after leaving his own residence, he went through the west corridor and entered the rear courtyard.

Just as Zhang Weixin was walking through the corridor, the steward Deng An was leading two female Taoist priests in Taoist robes through the east corridor, also heading to Fuyaozi's residence. Their speeds were about the same, with Zhang Weixin slightly faster.

When Zhang Weixin came out of the corridor and entered the rear courtyard, he subconsciously stopped and looked at Fuyaozi's room. He saw Qingchen standing outside the door, seemingly waiting for someone. Zhang Weixin judged that his Grandmaster must have woken up, and going over now would not disturb the old immortal. As for who Qingchen was waiting for, he did not pay much attention.

Just as Zhang Weixin was about to continue walking, Deng An also led the two female Taoist priests out of the other side of the corridor and extended his hand, saying, "Two female Taoist priests, this way, please."

Deng An's voice caught Zhang Weixin's attention, and he turned to look in Deng An's direction. As a result, Zhang Weixin froze in place, his face full of disbelief, and his right foot, which was about to step forward, stopped. He rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he might have seen things, but the familiar figure was still there. Afraid of mistaking someone, Zhang Weixin did not immediately approach but kept a certain distance from the three people in front, following them discreetly.

It seemed that the two female Taoist priests had been announced before Deng An led them in. Qingchen, who was waiting outside the door, greeted them as soon as he saw them, saying, "Qingchen greets Senior Sister Jingyue and Senior Sister Jingxin. The Ancestor invites the senior sisters to come inside and talk."

"Thank you, Junior Brother," the two female Taoist priests said in unison and then entered the room with him.

At this moment, Zhang Weixin, who was not far behind, confirmed his judgment through the voices of the female Taoist priests. He abandoned his plan to find his Grandmaster and, after the two female Taoist priests entered the room, grabbed Deng An, who was about to leave, and asked, "Deng An, where did those two female Taoist priests come from, and what do they want with my Grandmaster?"

Deng An, seeing his master asking, naturally did not hide anything and respectfully answered, "Seventh Master, these two female Taoist priests are named Jingyue and Jingxin, and they come from the Yuxing Temple on Damao Mountain. They said they were sent by their master to pay respects to the old immortal Fuyaozi."

"Did these two Taoist priests say anything about the relationship between the Yuxing Temple on Damao Mountain and my Grandmaster, and why they came all the way to pay respects?" Zhang Weixin asked further.

Deng An shook his head and replied, "I don't know, Seventh Master. The female Taoist priest named Jingyue only told me this much at the door, saying that as soon as the name Yuxing Temple is mentioned, the old immortal Fuyaozi would know."

"Is that so? There's nothing else here, you can go," Zhang Weixin dismissed Deng An and then went directly to the west wing of the rear courtyard, where Wang Xiaojun lived.

When Zhang Weixin knocked on Wang Xiaojun's door, Wang Xiaojun was playing checkers with Han Qingwen inside. Seeing this, Zhang Weixin repeatedly apologized for disturbing the couple. Wang Xiaojun, however, was more than happy to see Zhang Weixin, as he had already lost five or six games to his wife and was looking for an excuse to get out. Han Qingwen, though she was winning, understood that they had something to discuss and left the living room to go to the inner room.

Han Qingwen's action suited Zhang Weixin's intentions. If she had not left on her own, he would have found a way to send her away or taken Wang Xiaojun outside to talk. Seeing Han Qingwen enter the inner room, Zhang Weixin stopped Wang Xiaojun, who was about to thank him, and said loudly, "Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother just came to me, saying he wanted to discuss the property management group with the committee members. Big Brother asked me to come and invite you to the small meeting room."

Wang Xiaojun, seeing Zhang Weixin's expression and tone, knew he was lying, but since Zhang Weixin was acting, he decided to play along. He also said loudly, "Is that so? Then let's go." After greeting Han Qingwen in the inner room, he followed Zhang Weixin out of the room.

The two left the west wing, and Zhang Weixin took Wang Xiaojun to the small meeting room, where no one else was waiting. Zhang Weixin first had Wang Xiaojun sit down, then closed the door. Seeing his secretive behavior, Wang Xiaojun could not help but ask, "Seventh Brother, what are you doing? Why do you look like you're up to something? What's going on?"

Zhang Weixin ignored Wang Xiaojun's teasing, closed the door, and sat down, saying in a low voice, "You still have the heart to joke around. I'm doing this for you. I tell you, you're in big trouble. If I hadn't discovered it early, you might not even know how you died."

Seeing Zhang Weixin's serious expression, Wang Xiaojun began to take it seriously and asked, "What's the big deal? Don't beat around the bush, just tell me what happened."

Zhang Weixin paused for a moment and said, "It's easy to tell you, but before I do, you must promise me that no matter what I tell you, you will remain calm and not get agitated or impulsive. Can you do that?"

Zhang Weixin's words made Wang Xiaojun even more puzzled and a bit uneasy. He nodded and said, "Alright, I promise. I will stay calm and not be impulsive. Tell me."

Zhang Weixin chose his words carefully and tried to sound relaxed, saying, "It's like this. I was planning to go see Grandmaster to consult him about the ancestral worship. But outside Grandmaster's room, I saw someone we both know very well, someone you think about day and night, someone you thought you would never see again, someone..."

Before Zhang Weixin could finish, Wang Xiaojun stopped him. From Zhang Weixin's description, he already knew who it was. This unexpected news made his blood rush to his head, his brain buzz, his breathing heavy, and his heart almost jump out of his throat.

Wang Xiaojun struggled to calm himself down a bit and, staring at Zhang Weixin, asked in a trembling voice, "Seventh Brother, you're not joking, right? This is no time to joke. You know, there are many people who look alike. Are you sure it's her? Could you have mistaken her in a moment of confusion? How confident are you in your judgment?"

Zhang Weixin was confident in his judgment and replied, "Given how well I know her, do you think I would mistake her? Besides, even if someone looks similar, their voice wouldn't be the same. I heard her clearly talking to Qingchen outside Grandmaster's room. I'm sure it's her."

With Zhang Weixin's confirmation, Wang Xiaojun became extremely agitated. He stood up suddenly and was about to go out to verify Zhang Weixin's words.

Seeing Wang Xiaojun's sudden change in mood, Zhang Weixin feared he would act rashly and immediately got up to stop him. But before he could move, Wang Xiaojun stopped on his own, slowly sat back down, and frowned, seemingly unsure whether to go see her.

Zhang Weixin took the opportunity to advise, "Fifth Brother, you must stay calm. This is not the time to be impulsive. You're not alone now. Before you go see her, you must think about how to explain Han Qingwen's identity to her and how to explain to Han Qingwen why someone who should have died at sea is now in 'Qing Yuan.' Otherwise, if there's a misunderstanding, how will you face Lord Han in Youzhou, how will you face Mr. Zhong, and how will you face everyone else in this era who knows you? With our current strength, we can't afford to offend some people."

Hearing Zhang Weixin's words, Wang Xiaojun nodded and sat there, thinking for a moment before saying, "I still have to see her. No matter what, I can't just let her be so close and not go see her. Moreover, she is now a Taoist, which suggests her experience might be similar to ours. Since she came to pay respects to Grandmaster, it means her lineage might have some connection with Grandmaster. In the future, we might have more interactions with her. As the saying goes, 'You can't hide a fire under a piece of paper.' It's better to reveal it now than to have it discovered later.

I've thought about it. In principle, we haven't done anything wrong. Before I married Qingwen, I told the Han family about my previous marriage, and neither Lord Han nor Qingwen had any complaints. We told the Han family that we were separated at sea and that it was unlikely we would meet again, but we never said she was definitely dead. So, I don't think Qingwen or her family will blame us for her sudden appearance.

However, this involves the interests of the entire team, and I can't decide on my own. Go get Big Brother and Eighth Brother, and we'll discuss it together."

Seeing that Wang Xiaojun had calmed down, Zhang Weixin's heart was at ease, and he agreed to go. Soon, he brought Li Junwu and Xu Shaowan to the meeting room to discuss the unexpected event and find a proper solution.

While the four committee members were discussing, in the adjacent room, Fuyaozi was chatting with the two female Taoist priests while secretly observing the one named Jingxin.

These two female Taoist priests were disciples of the head of the Yuxing Temple on Damao Mountain, Yuxing Niangniang, who, like Yuxu Zi, was a nominal disciple of Fuyaozi. After Fuyaozi publicly appeared at Wang Xiaojun's wedding, the news of the old immortal Chen Tuan coming to Youzhou spread quickly, and Yuxing Niangniang soon heard about it. As a nominal disciple of the old immortal, and with Damao Mountain not far from Youzhou, Yuxing Niangniang wanted to come and pay respects to her Grandmaster and ask some questions about the teachings and martial arts.

Unfortunately, just before she set out, Yuxing Niangniang caught a cold and fell ill. However, she did not give up. Although she could not come herself, she sent her two disciples to pay respects to Fuyaozi, showing her filial piety.

Fuyaozi was naturally pleased with Yuxing's filial piety. However, from the moment the two disciples entered, the one named Jingxin caught his attention. It was not her appearance that attracted him—though she was of medium beauty and behaved gracefully, she was not stunning. What caught Fuyaozi's attention was her face.

Fuyaozi noticed that her face was very similar to those of the people he had brought back from overseas, who also had two completely different destinies, one ordinary and one noble. Moreover, her noble appearance could be compared to Wang Xiaojun's, which made the old immortal carefully observe and ponder, trying to find a connection.

After talking with the two female Taoist priests for a while, Fuyaozi decided to verify his thoughts. He called Qingchen and instructed, "Qingchen, go find your managing uncles and tell them I want to introduce some guests to them."

"Yes," Qingchen respectfully replied and went to find Wang Xiaojun and the others.