That’s exactly what I wanted you to say!

“Want to meet but won’t allow it. Want to leave but won’t permit it.”

Yan Sanhe’s face darkened. “Old Master Tang, under the clear light of day, you cannot be too overbearing.”

Tang Jianxi sneered coldly. “My territory, my rules. If you want to stay alive, speak truthfully.”

“If you want me to speak truthfully…”

Yan Sanhe looked at him coldly. “That depends on my mood!”

Not willing to speak one extra word, not willing to yield an inch of momentum—you’re ruthless, but she’s even more ruthless.

Tang Jianxi, having lived in seclusion for decades, had never encountered such visitors. He could only retreat a step. “What do you want?”

“Simple!”

Yan Sanhe stated, “First, find someone to carry up the injured. Second, find a way to treat their injuries. Third, visitors are guests. Old Master Tang’s hospitality has failed the standards of a scholar—serve tea and apologize.”

Tang Jianxi thought, “…” Difficult woman!

Xue Zhao thought, “…” Audacious!

The others thought, “…” Satisfying!

The difficult woman’s audacity was deliberate.

Tang Jianxi had set trial after trial, avoiding meeting visiting guests, which showed that ordinary common people in his eyes weren’t even worthy of meeting him.

When asking such a person questions—questions about secrets concerning his teacher Tang Qiling—if she didn’t make him somewhat moved, somewhat impressed, he wouldn’t reveal a single word.

Yan Sanhe had to firmly grasp the initiative in her own hands.

Moreover.

Her people had been beaten like this. How could there be no explanation?

Tang Jianxi said nothing, his gaze sweeping past Yan Sanhe to fall on the other five people. After scanning them several times, he was secretly shocked.

Five people—two brocaded young masters, three guards.

The brocaded young masters weren’t very old, around twenty. At first glance they looked bedraggled and wretched, but on closer inspection…

Power and influence most nurtured people. Both had outstanding bearing—definitely from great families of high status.

It seemed those who came were not well-intentioned!

Tang Jianxi had no choice but to retreat another step. “Xue Zhao, go find people to carry them up. Also invite Doctor Zhou.”

“Yes!”

Xue Zhao gave Yan Sanhe a cold look, then disappeared in moments.

Tang Jianxi coughed. “Wait here for now. I’ll go first…”

“Why don’t Old Master Tang accompany me for a walk instead!”

Yan Sanhe suddenly interrupted him. “Or we two can slowly walk up the mountain.”

“Yan Sanhe!”

“Yan Sanhe!”

Third Master and Young Master Pei’s voices rang out almost simultaneously. Just now she’d told them not to speak, but she hadn’t said anything about separating.

Why would she do this?

Yan Sanhe ignored these two, her gaze looking blandly at Tang Jianxi. “Does Old Master Tang dare travel alone with me?”

My territory, my mountain—this little girl actually asks if I dare?

Tang Jianxi’s curiosity, rarely stirred in his placid life, was suddenly piqued.

“Miss Yan, then please!”

“Please!”

One old, one young, they departed gracefully, leaving five people looking at each other, completely bewildered.

Young Master Pei stood frozen for a moment, then flew into a rage. “Xie Fifty, this is all your fault! It’s because you shouted at her that she wants to avoid us.”

“Young Master Pei, you don’t understand.”

Li Buyan’s words were cutting. “When encountering a scumbag, one must avoid him.”

Young Master Pei froze. “Who’s the scumbag? Me?”

Li Buyan smiled without warmth. “You’re not quite scummy enough to be that outrageous.”

Young Master Pei’s expression went blank. He glanced at Xie Zhifei. “Is she talking about you?”

Xie Zhifei felt like his heart was being viciously wrung. He simply broke the jar and smashed it. “Hero Li, which eye saw me being scummy?”

“Need eyes to see it?”

Li Buyan sneered. “Auntie here opens her dharma eye and knows you’re a demon.”

Third Master fell silent.

Everyone else fell silent.

…

Young Master Pei was overthinking it. Yan Sanhe had no intention whatsoever of avoiding Xie Zhifei.

This was the Tang family ancestral home. The mountains and waters that had nurtured Tang Jianxi—shouldn’t she look around carefully, walk about, and investigate while she was at it?

The mountain path wasn’t steep—stone steps one after another ascending. Both sides were dense bamboo groves.

Tang Jianxi climbed quickly, clearly not struggling. This showed that though this person lived comfortably, he wasn’t lazy in his limbs.

Yan Sanhe deliberately made her breathing heavy, slowing her pace, gradually falling behind him.

Tang Jianxi turned his head to glance once, then continued forward, his feet showing no intention of stopping.

Hard-hearted.

Self-centered.

His pace wouldn’t be disrupted by anything.

After making this judgment, Yan Sanhe hurried forward with quick steps, opening conversation as if chatting. “Old Master Tang, does the first trial—that ghost path—have any special meaning?”

Tang Jianxi deliberately didn’t look at her. “No special meaning.”

“Just to frighten people?”

“Mm!”

“Then it seems our luck was quite good.”

“Mm!”

“Actually…”

Yan Sanhe said slowly, “Luck is also a kind of ability.”

Tang Jianxi’s feet paused, his eyelids twitching.

“For convenience, wanting shortcuts, such people choose the main road. Those meticulous in thought and skilled in calculation choose the small road.”

Yan Sanhe smiled faintly. “Those who choose the main road have shallow thoughts and are too utilitarian—these are the people you’re most unwilling to see. That road most likely turns people back, doesn’t it, Old Master Tang?”

Tang Jianxi was extremely unsettled.

“Those who choose the small road understand there’s no such thing as cheap deals in this world. If you seek something, you must give something, must experience hardship.”

Yan Sanhe continued on her own. “People who choose this road, you’d mostly agree to see, but you still want them to suffer a bit, so that road probably takes a longer route.”

Tang Jianxi completely stopped walking, staring fixedly at Yan Sanhe. After a long silence, he asked, “How old are you this year?”

“Seventeen.”

Yan Sanhe smiled slightly. “The same age as your adopted daughter Mingyue.”

Seventeen years old, yet she’d guessed his intention with not even half an error…

Interesting!

Tang Jianxi’s interest was suddenly sparked. “Then why did you choose the ghost path?”

“If one does no wrong in life, one need not fear ghosts knocking at midnight.”

Yan Sanhe replied, “With a clear and open heart, fearless and unafraid—so we chose it.”

“What about the second trial?”

Tang Jianxi raised one eyebrow. “What meaning did I have in setting it?”

“I guess there are two meanings: one is to make people retreat in the face of difficulty. The other is to select those who share your path, Old Master Tang.”

“Those who share my path?”

“Correct!”

Yan Sanhe looked around.

“Anyone who can write beautiful calligraphy with a calm and peaceful heart unaffected by the fighting must have self-control. Any scholar who can guard these green mountains and clear waters, turning a deaf ear to worldly affairs, must have even more self-control.”

Tang Jianxi suddenly laughed heartily.

After finishing his laugh.

He asked again, “You say you’re how old this year?”

“Absolutely, genuinely seventeen.”

“Have young people nowadays become this precocious?”

“It’s that Old Master Tang has lived in seclusion on this mountain too long.”

“Is Miss Yan hinting at something?”

“Yes!”

Yan Sanhe openly admitted, “One day in the mountains equals a century in the mortal world. Does Old Master Tang want to hear what’s been happening in the outside world?”

Having reached this point, Tang Jianxi suddenly realized he’d made a mistake.