Chapter 299 Jinjiang

Yan Shixun had imagined many times whether he would ever be able to reunite with his master again.

But no matter how he arranged it, searching for possibilities in the vast collection of books, the results of his final deductions, without exception, all led to dead ends, silently mocking his wishful thinking.

However, such hopeful ideas only appeared in Yan Shixun's college years.

In the first few years after Li Chengyun left, Yan Shixun would occasionally hold his face in his hand and stare out the window in a daze in class, trying to sort out the truth about Li Chengyun's death from his messy thoughts.

In order to find out what Li Chengyun was doing before his death, where he went, and what caused Li Chengyun's death, Yan Shixun visited many of Li Chengyun's old friends, hoping to get a few words about Li Chengyun from them.

Li Chengyun had friends all over the world during his lifetime, from high-ranking officials to peddlers and hawkers. He could drink and chat with all kinds of people, and everyone regarded him as a close friend.

Yan Shixun once traveled all over the country with such expectation, hoping to learn the truth about Li Chengyun's death from masters of various schools.

But after hearing his purpose, everyone was silent for a long time, and finally shook their heads heavily and told him: If your master didn't tell you, then we can't tell you either.

Some people were also shocked by Li Chengyun's death and asked Yan Shixun in disbelief, saying that Li Chengyun could not possibly die. How could a person who dared to hold up the sky even if it collapsed leave so easily?

Yan Shixun smiled bitterly in his heart, but what he was thinking was, he also wanted to know, how could it be possible?

Before they parted, Li Chengyun was still smiling and looking relaxed, no different from usual. How come Li Chengyun's body came back before he could go home for the holiday?

Li Chengyun has countless friends, but no one is willing to tell Yan Shixun the truth.

They just shook their heads and sighed, looking at this young man who had to stand on his own before he even became a disciple, and told him to come to them when he had difficulties. Although the old friend was gone, his disciples were their disciples.

Yan Shixun nodded and thanked them, but he never really sought help from these sect founders and pillars.

If someone got Yan Shixun's mobile phone and opened his address book, they would be shocked to find that he had the contact information of all the famous masters, but there was not a single call record.

These masters have either retired to the mountains long ago and no longer cared about worldly affairs, or have lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, making it impossible for outsiders to find any trace of them, or they are the respected ancestors of various schools and sects.

Even the emergency communication methods controlled by special departments are not as comprehensive and profound as Yan Shixun's address book.

All of these people were Li Chengyun’s best friends during his lifetime.

As long as Yan Shixun is willing, he can change the circle of ghost exorcists in the entire land overnight. No matter what he wants to do, as long as it is not against the will of heaven and earth, all the sects that have relations with Li Chengyun are willing to respond to Yan Shixun's call.

But Yan Shixun didn't care at all. He let those numbers, which were precious resources to everyone, lie quietly in the address book of his mobile phone. He even lost his mobile phone several times without any emotion.

No one knows that the cold young man who always wears a crying leg pendant in Binhai University holds top resources that everyone desires but cannot obtain.

But he himself ignored it.

The fact that Yan Shixun used all weekends and holidays to leave school and visit various sects also attracted the attention of the counselor.

She worriedly found Yan Shixun and talked to him, wanting to enlighten this young man who had lost his master who was like a father to him.

Yan Shixun listened indifferently and asked the counselor, "No offense, but if all your family members, elders, mentors and friends died, how would you feel?"

"To me, he is a father, a master, and even more a friend."

Yan Shixun nodded to the counselor, said sorry, and turned to leave.

In the past, when he went home for holidays, although Binhai University and the courtyard were in the same city, Li Chengyun always arranged it with a sense of ceremony and made sure that he would not be delayed by the schedule and be away from home.

Yan Shixun could see him the first moment he entered the house, and could not help but smile, feeling a sense of security as if he were returning home.

But after Li Chengyun left, no one prepared these for Yan Shixun.

When I opened the gate of the courtyard, I saw only a lonely and cold room.

Yan Shixun was increasingly reluctant to go home, and was unwilling to mention Li Chengyun. He refused all activities at Binhai University, and instead went into the streets, exorcising evil spirits and catching ghosts, and quickly became independent.

All the requests for help that came to him were handled without fail, and the families whose peace was disturbed by ghosts thanked Yan Shixun gratefully, and there was no sign at all that he was a rookie who had not even completed his apprenticeship.

Yan Shixun grew and matured at an astonishing speed.

When other exorcists of his age were still following their masters carrying bags, he was already able to walk alone and casually into dangerous haunted houses filled with evil spirits, and walk out calmly at dawn.

Yan Shixun's reputation gradually spread by word of mouth in the streets and alleys.

People in the old city of Binhai City all know that the disciple of Mr. Chengyun is also a very powerful master. Although he has a bad temper, his strength is indeed impeccable.

But what also spread was Yan Shixun’s “quirk”.

He doesn't tell fortunes or change names, nor does he do feng shui. His only business is to exorcise evil spirits and catch ghosts. He often doesn't follow the wishes of the owner to eliminate the ghosts, but instead helps the ghosts accuse the owner of sins.

No matter how much money is placed in front of him, if he is not willing to take it, he will not even look at it.

Sometimes they would even see through the client's intentions and directly take the client to the jurisdiction, tell him/her the crime, and then calmly list the crimes one by one.

The most terrifying thing is that everything that comes from Yan Shixun’s mouth is correct.

The people in the jurisdiction were also stunned and asked Yan Shixun if he had calculated this.

Yan Shixun, however, told the other party with disdain that he should believe in science and not be superstitious.

This approach inadvertently earned Yan Shixun goodwill among the local officials, but also made him hated by many clients. His fellow ghost hunters also had complaints about him, thinking that he had no "service consciousness."

But Yan Shixun still went his own way and scoffed at all these statements.

He knew very well what path he was walking on.

When Li Chengyun took him out for the first time to solve a commission, he told him that most exorcists in the world like to add icing on the cake, but few are willing to help in times of need, and even fewer are willing to cure diseases for the world.

That is, Li Chengyun half squatted down, and said to Yan Shixun, who was still a young boy, with a smile, even if you can't be the one who can save the world, you have to be a person who protects life.

Yan Shixun remembered it.

And always practice it.

However, as Yan Shixun walked through the streets and went deeper into dangerous places more and more often, he saw countless tragedies, evil and cruelty in the world, but he only became more deeply aware of how dangerous what Li Chengyun had done alone back then was.

Faced with life and death, even Yan Shixun had to admit that he might... never see Li Chengyun again.

The glance he saw before Li Chengyun’s body was closed in the coffin that year was the last time he saw Li Chengyun in his life.

But why did his master never appear in his dreams?

After helping a student get rid of the evil spirit that was pressing on his sleep, chiseled open the wall of the student's bedroom, and took out the corpse that had been buried long ago and had turned into dry bones, Yan Shixun listened to the student's intermittent crying beside him and suddenly thought of himself.

Yan Shixun had heard many people say that their deceased relatives would come back to see them in their dreams. When they said this, there was a look of happy remembrance on their faces.

That was a happiness he had never experienced before.

He had never dreamed of Li Chengyun, and had even begun to gradually forget what Li Chengyun looked like.

It was not until Zhang Wubing started his variety show that Yan Shixun keenly saw the layout of the world.

He finally realized why his master died.

The Great Dao was in decline, and disasters were about to occur in heaven and earth. However, his master Li Chengyun, who was trying to gain a glimpse of the Great Dao, sacrificed his life for it.

Or...the soul is gone.

On the morning when he finally figured it out, Yan Shixun crossed his arms in front of his eyes and lay quietly in the gradually brightening morning light for a long time before finally accepting this cruel reality.

But what Yan Shixun never expected was that in the lowest level of hell in old Fengdu, he would actually be able to see his master again.

The general's sword was swung with all his strength, completely shattering the entire hell, allowing all of them to enter the core area of old Fengdu.

Yan Shixun was ready to face the dangerous and difficult battle.

But what he didn't expect was that in addition to the danger, there was also the biggest surprise waiting for him here.

Li Chengyun looked at Yan Shixun with a smile, his gentle eyes full of tolerance and kindness. He slowly swept his eyes over Yan Shixun, from head to toe, as if to confirm his growth and health.

As soon as Yan Shixun was met with such a gaze, he felt his eyes getting hot and tears blurred his vision.

He took long strides towards Li Chengyun. His legs, which were so powerful that they could crush the earth, now landed so lightly.

He was afraid that the Li Chengyun in front of him was just an illusion created by the old Fengdu who saw through his weakness. If he exerted a little force, the illusion would be shattered.

Li Chengyun saw Yan Shixun's reaction, but he also clearly saw that the young man who was too sharp when he left that year has now grown into a mature and steady man, with straight and strong shoulders that can carry all burdens.

Even if the heaven and earth collapse, he, as a disciple, is strong enough to hold up the heaven and earth again.

Li Chengyun smiled with relief.

He slowly opened his arms towards Yan Shixun and called him with a smile: "Xiaoxun."

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about the White Paper Lake incident. It concerns the Great Dao, and I couldn't risk exposing you to the cause and effect."

Li Chengyun's gentle voice was filled with a smile, like the warm sunshine in the early morning: "But I know that you will find me one day. And you will inherit the things I haven't finished and the paths I haven't walked. Because you are here, I can wait here with peace of mind."

“And now, I have waited.”

Yan Shixun looked at Li Chengyun steadily, and finally took a big step, rushed over and hugged Li Chengyun.

Li Chengyun also caught Yan Shixun.

It was like catching the entire falling world.

As he himself fell, he reached out and lifted up a rising sun.

The world remains the same.