Chapter 391: Sand and Dust Blinding the Eyes

Su Yan was welcomed to the seat of honor by Zhou Xiongfeng.

Such an arrangement was well-deserved.

As Su Yan sat in the position beside Zhou Xiongfeng, she was met with waves of admiring and fanatical gazes from all directions.

She even noticed that there were many dishes from her hometown on the dining table, clearly prepared with care according to her preferences.

"Master Su, this trip to the Ancestral Land truly owes much to you; otherwise, my son and those other incompetent disciples would not have returned. Please allow me to offer a toast to express my gratitude."

Zhou Xiongfeng's attitude toward Su Yan was extremely friendly and respectful; the strength Su Yan had displayed was sufficient to command the respect of all the families.

Regardless of what her motives were for choosing to join the Zhou family's operation, it indicated that she wished to build a good relationship with them, and Zhou Xiongfeng certainly would not miss such an opportunity.

"Let us skip the wine; I shall substitute it with tea instead." Su Yan was not entirely ignorant of social etiquette; her polite response neither offended Zhou Xiongfeng nor prevented her from gracefully declining.

Zhou Xiongfeng showed no displeasure and readily agreed.

With a good opening, the atmosphere became somewhat more relaxed.

The returning exorcists all tacitly remained silent regarding the Zhou family's deceptive actions.

After all, the matter was already done; discussing it now would be of no use whatsoever.

After several rounds of wine and several courses of food, Zhou Xiongfeng spoke again in his capacity as the host: "I am truly grateful to the exorcists who risked their lives to help the Zhou family. I have no way to repay you, but I am willing to devote the full strength of the Zhou family to take good care of your parents, wives, and children, to console your spirits in heaven."

The casualties of this operation exceeded eighty percent. Those who could appear here alive were not only lucky but also possessed formidable strength.

By making such a decision, Zhou Xiongfeng wanted to make it clear to everyone that the Zhou family was by no means ungrateful.

Su Yan remained noncommittal. Compared to their exorcism strength, the Zhou family's financial power was actually the foremost among the four great families.

Never mind just taking care of the families of a hundred or so exorcists; even supporting the populace of an entire city should not be a problem.

However, one truly could not condemn the Zhou family on moral grounds. After all, the Zhou family's starting point was to protect the peace of the local people, not to mention that they had even sacrificed their own biological son.

Thus, the meal finally concluded amidst a sense of gratitude and joy.

"Master Su, I have already instructed them to arrange a room for your rest. If you do not mind, you may stay here for these few days; it will make your coming and going more convenient."

After the welcoming banquet ended, Zhou Xiongfeng specifically kept Su Yan behind.

He knew that since arriving in the capital, Su Yan had been staying in a hotel with the Ma siblings. Now that the Ma siblings had departed, it naturally provided the Zhou family an opportunity to get closer to her.

Su Yan was just about to refuse, but her thought was dispelled by Zhou Xiongfeng's next sentence.

"Previously, I promised that anyone who could help the Zhou family through this crisis could enter the Zhou family treasury and freely choose one treasure as a reward. Master Su, please rest well tonight, and tomorrow morning, I will personally take you to the treasury."

Although Su Yan was not someone obsessed with money, she was indeed very interested in seeing the Zhou family's treasury.

"Very well, then I shall trouble Clan Leader Zhou tonight."

With a beaming smile, Zhou Xiongfeng personally escorted Su Yan to her room.

By the time Su Yan truly found herself in quiet solitude, it was already the middle of the night.

After taking a hot bath and changing into a set of comfortable clothes, she dialed the number for Gu Yang's dormitory.

Even though it was very late, she still intended to tell Gu Yang that she had returned so that he could rest easy.

The phone rang for a long time without anyone answering, causing her to frown slightly.

If Gu Yang were in the dormitory, he would surely be woken up even if he were asleep; had he not returned even this late?

After about another half hour, she tried calling again, but the result was the same.

Listening to the busy signal from the receiver, she could only temporarily give up. Once the Zhou family matters were handled tomorrow, she would go directly to the publishing house to find him.

***

"Master, the Young Master has woken up."

Zhou Xiongfeng, who had already lain down, immediately rose and went to Zhou Li's room upon hearing that Zhou Li had awakened.

Zhou Li had survived a brush with death; he was already the greatest blessing to the Zhou family ancestors.

Zhou Li had indeed woken up. Although he was too weak to get up, his mind was completely lucid.

Zhou Chong, who had been guarding his side, had already given a rough account of how they were rescued, so by the time Zhou Xiongfeng arrived, Zhou Li had already regained his composure.

"Father, your son has returned."

Zhou Xiongfeng's eyes reddened slightly. Zhou Li was his only son; how could he truly not care about his life or death?

"You did well. You have truly suffered this time."

He spoke while grasping his son's hand.

Zhou Chong and the others tactfully withdrew, leaving only the father and son in the room.

"Son, do you harbor any resentment toward your father? Knowing it would cost you your life, I still sent you?" As Zhou Xiongfeng spoke, the guilt of a father toward his son finally surfaced on his face.

Zhou Li shook his head firmly. "Your son has never thought that way. Being able to sacrifice myself for the Zhou family is a responsibility I should bear."

Zhou Xiongfeng was very satisfied with his answer and finally spoke the words hidden in his heart.

"I knew that the secret of the Ancestral Land would be impossible to keep forever. If I hadn't sacrificed you, how could I have silenced the public outcry?"

It was precisely because he had even discarded his only son that the returning exorcists had no reason to pursue further; this was also for the sake of the Zhou family's continued prominence.

"Father, I understand everything."

Zhou Xiongfeng looked at Zhou Li with immense relief.

To have such a son was naturally the blessing of the Zhou family.

"Although your body is still very weak, you are out of danger. Father wishes to entrust you with a very important matter."

In truth, Zhou Li still needed a period of time to recover, but Zhou Xiongfeng knew that time waited for no one and that Zhou Li had to act as soon as possible.

"Father, please speak. As long as it is within my power."

Zhou Li's expression turned serious. Ignoring his physical weakness, he stared at Zhou Xiongfeng with a determined gaze, awaiting his father's command.

Even though only the two of them were in the room, Zhou Xiongfeng still lowered his voice before uttering the words that would leave Zhou Li utterly shocked.

"I want you to stay by Su Yan's side and do everything in your power to make Su Yan the daughter-in-law of our Zhou family!"

The Ma siblings were on good terms with Su Yan, and the Kong family also had intricate connections with her; only the Zhou family currently had no relationship with her. Yet, Su Yan happened to possess a power that made everyone wary and covetous. Therefore, for the Zhou family, the best solution was to make Su Yan a member of the Zhou family so that her power could be fully utilized by them.

(End of Chapter)