Chapter 89 Full Truth

Chapter 89: The Whole Truth

"What? What did Zhan Jiayu do for the Yan family?"

Seeing Yan Zhoubai's bewildered expression, Qin Hemeng immediately understood that he was completely in the dark.

Qin Hemeng glanced at Bu Qiran, who was sprawled out and fast asleep on the other side, and a cold smirk played on his lips. "The Yan family is so obsessed with appearances, aren't they? Someone else solves their problems, and they don't utter a single word."

"What's going on, Senior Brother? What does this have to do with Zhan Jiayu?"

Hearing Zhan Jiayu's name, Yan Zhoubai grew a little anxious.

"Your second uncle, who attempted murder, is entangled with an international drug cartel. It was a done deal, but he kept dragging it out, refusing to reveal a single truth to the police, so his trial couldn't conclude. It just kept dragging on. The Yan family pressured the police repeatedly to expedite the resolution, but to no avail. Ultimately, it was Zhan Jiayu who stepped in."

"Having international connections really makes a difference. I heard the Zhan family is quite influential in Country A, practically able to throw their weight around. The international drug organization's main base is in Country A, and Zhan Jiayu cooperated with the police, leveraging his own power. So, the situation is now under control."

Yan Zhoubai was stunned. So, Zhan Jiayu had been busy these past few days because of *his* family's affairs—he was assisting the police in apprehending that international drug cartel, which was why he hadn't had time to visit him.

"It seems the Yan family really didn't tell you anything. What's the point of hiding it? You'd find out eventually. That CEO Zhan doesn't seem like the type to do good deeds anonymously, does he? So, Xiao Chuan'er, what exactly is your relationship with him that he'd go to such lengths to help you?"

As he spoke, Qin Hemeng suddenly leaned closer to Yan Zhoubai, so close that Yan Zhoubai felt their heads were almost touching.

"...He's my big brother. My sworn big brother."

Yan Zhoubai didn't know why, but even though he had called Zhan Jiayu "big brother" very naturally to his face before, explaining it to Qin Hemeng now made him feel a little self-conscious.

"...Big brother?" Qin Hemeng almost thought he'd misheard. "Xiao Chuan'er, you know the Zhan family is involved in... *less-than-legal* businesses in Country A, right? And you're calling him your big brother? Our sect is a clean and respectable one."

"Ah, is that not allowed?"

Yan Zhoubai panicked a little. He had been so focused on clinging to Zhan Jiayu's coattails, thinking of becoming his subordinate. But after Qin Hemeng's words, it did seem rather inappropriate to be a henchman for a crime boss.

Oh no, would he be expelled from the sect just for recognizing a crime boss as his big brother? That would be pretty ridiculous.

Seeing Yan Zhoubai's flustered expression, Qin Hemeng genuinely wanted to tease him, but then he remembered how slow his junior brother's mind sometimes worked, and he didn't want to genuinely upset him.

"Of course it's allowed. Master wouldn't care about something like that."

Qin Hemeng's words were like a reassurance to Yan Zhoubai, and the heart that had been lodged in his throat finally settled back into place.

"It's just quite rare for Zhan Jiayu to go to such lengths for a mere subordinate."

Qin Hemeng stared into Yan Zhoubai's eyes, as if trying to see through to his innermost thoughts.

"Our personal relationship is actually pretty good. But I didn't know about this, and I don't know why he did so much. I'll ask him when I have time."

Yan Zhoubai also had a belly full of questions now. If Zhan Jiayu was busy because of his family's affairs, why didn't he tell him? Why didn't his family tell him either?

Qin Hemeng suddenly sighed. Just moments ago, he had thought Yan Zhoubai had changed a bit after nearly half a year away from the mountain, but he was still the same naive self—blabbing everything and trusting everyone.

"Xiao Chuan'er, Senior Brother still needs to remind you: no matter how you ended up getting involved with Zhan Jiayu, he's ultimately not a good person. Getting too close to him will only lead to trouble for you."

This was not only Qin Hemeng's personal advice to Yan Zhoubai but also a message their master had asked him to convey before he left the mountain. The master hadn't said much, only that Yan Zhoubai shouldn't get too close to Zhan Jiayu.

The master always spoke as if revealing heavenly secrets, so Qin Hemeng wasn't entirely sure whether it was a warning or just a suggestion.

"I understand."

Yan Zhoubai mumbled in response, but he was actually a little unhappy. Why did everyone say he shouldn't get too close to Zhan Jiayu, that he would suffer because of the vast disparity in Zhan Jiayu's abilities and status compared to his own?

But he still held onto his earlier thought: precisely because he was so weak, he felt Zhan Jiayu had nothing to gain from him.

He could make his own judgments, thank you very much.

"How many of the talismans Master gave you have you used?" Qin Hemeng asked.

"Just that one time. I haven't used any since," Yan Zhoubai replied.

Qin Hemeng raised an eyebrow. Just once? Was life going so smoothly that he didn't need them, or was Xiao Chuan'er too kind-hearted to use them?

"Use them when you need to. Those talismans have limited power and won't cause too much harm to others. Master wants you to live happily, so use them when necessary. Don't be stingy."

Qin Hemeng repeated this, fearing that Yan Zhoubai might suffer in silence.

"Okay, I understand." Yan Zhoubai nodded.

Seeing Yan Zhoubai's obedient demeanor, Qin Hemeng couldn't resist gently stroking his cheek again.

"Senior Brother, there's something I'd like to ask you about."

Yan Zhoubai remembered the sinister and unsettling feng shui arrangement he had encountered at the Zhan family's old residence. He had always intended to return to Cangru Temple specifically to ask Master about it, but since Senior Brother was here, he might as well ask him first.

Of course, after Qin Hemeng told him not to get too close to Zhan Jiayu, he didn't mention that it was the Zhan family's old residence.

"Xiao Chuan'er, you're amazing! You're already doing feng shui consultations on your own!"

Qin Hemeng's first reaction upon hearing Yan Zhoubai's question wasn't to focus on the sinister feng shui arrangement, but to celebrate Yan Zhoubai's progress—he was ready to practice independently. Excellent.

"Though it's strange that you'd encounter such a difficult feng shui arrangement right off the bat. What's up with your luck?"

"Senior Brother, was my judgment correct? How do you resolve a feng shui arrangement like this?"

Yan Zhoubai ignored Qin Hemeng's teasing about his bad luck. He just wanted to know how to break that sinister feng shui arrangement. He was very worried it might have a negative impact on Zhan Jiayu.

"If it's as you described, it depends on whether the beneficiary of the arrangement is still alive. If they are, their blood relatives living in that house will be in constant danger. But this kind of feng shui arrangement is a one-time thing. If the beneficiary is already dead, it's basically run its course, and it won't affect anyone else."

"Then how can you tell if the arrangement has already taken effect? Like... who died?"

Yan Zhoubai continued to ask. He actually suspected that the feng shui arrangement set up by the Zhan family patriarch had already taken effect, because the patriarch's rise from poverty to wealth in Country A seemed to have been exceptionally smooth.

And he had always felt that the people sacrificed might have been his former lovers, quite possibly including Zhan Jiayu's mother.

"You can't tell that from feng shui alone. You'd need to ask your client about their family's history." Qin Hemeng shrugged, indicating there was no other way.

"Xiao Chuan'er, you know feng shui is a profound and mysterious thing; there's no way to give you a definitive answer."

"But such a sinister feng shui arrangement probably isn't for an ordinary family, right? Most families wouldn't resort to such ruthless tactics. Xiao Chuan'er, did you land a major client?"

Qin Hemeng's expertise in feng shui was naturally far superior to Yan Zhoubai's. Although he was surprised by Yan Zhoubai's description, he didn't lose his composure, as he had seen similar things before. Unlike Yan Zhoubai, who had never encountered such a thing and had barely heard about it during his studies.

"No, it's not in Jing City. I just happened to meet a wealthy businessman from out of town who bought an unremarkable second-hand house in Jing City and asked me to check the feng shui. I didn't expect to encounter such a powerful arrangement."

Yan Zhoubai lied. He had a hunch that if he told Senior Brother Qin it was the Zhan family's residence, he might not be so accommodating.

"Then I suggest you abandon this job for now. Your current skill level isn't enough to handle such a problem. If you can confirm the beneficiary is already deceased, then you just need to dismantle the arrangement using standard methods. But if the beneficiary is still alive, it will be very difficult to deal with."

"So don't act rashly. You can't solve it on your own, understand? If you really want to solve it, I can help you."

Qin Hemeng specifically emphasized that Yan Zhoubai should not act recklessly, fearing that the child might be too eager to accomplish something on his own and end up getting hurt.

"I understand." Yan Zhoubai nodded obediently.

He understood his senior brother's words: the difficulty in breaking this arrangement lay in confirming whether the beneficiary was still alive. But for him, that was simple—the Zhan family patriarch was already dead. Besides him, Yan Zhoubai didn't believe anyone else could be the beneficiary of the Zhan family's old residence, so the most difficult problem was actually not a problem for him.

After that, Qin Hemeng and Yan Zhoubai chatted briefly, and Qin Hemeng left Yan Zhoubai a protective talisman, saying that Master had specially given it to him for his recovery. Then, he prepared to leave.

He had said he couldn't stay long; there were other matters at the temple that required his attention. He was no longer a man of leisure and had specifically taken time to come down the mountain to visit Yan Zhoubai.

After all, Yan Zhoubai's situation this time had been too dangerous; neither he nor Master would be at ease without seeing him in person.

"Goodbye, Senior Brother."

Yan Zhoubai had intended to get out of bed to see him off, but Qin Hemeng stopped him, knowing that if Qin Hemeng wanted to leave, Yan Zhoubai wouldn't be able to catch up.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Hemeng moved from Yan Zhoubai's bedside to the hospital room door, so Yan Zhoubai could only wave vigorously from his bed.

...

Qin Hemeng left the hospital room, took the elevator down to the first-floor lobby of the inpatient department, and happened to brush past Yan Anxuan, who had just arrived at the hospital.

Yan Anxuan didn't recognize Qin Hemeng, but Qin Hemeng certainly recognized him. Xiao Chuan'er's so-called older brother. There wasn't a single good one in the Yan family.

Back in the hospital room, Yan Zhoubai was observing when Bu Qiran would wake up. Senior Brother had said before leaving that the sleep spell would wear off soon, but two minutes had passed and Bu Qiran still hadn't woken up.

He couldn't resist, reaching out a finger to poke Bu Qiran's cheek.

Just then, his phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed Zhan Jiayu.

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Author's note: Here we go! I've adjusted the schedule—updating at 6 PM. [Celebrating]