Chapter 336: Departure

Su Yan paused her steps in front of the car door, subconsciously glancing around the road as if searching for something.

Ma Chulong looked in the direction she was facing, then feigned ignorance.

"Su Yan, it's about time."

Su Yan withdrew her gaze and sat in the car without saying another word.

A moment later, the Ma family vehicle headed toward the Zhou residence.

"Gu Yang, why must you do this to yourself?"

At the corner of the hotel, the pale and haggard Gu Yang stood there. He only stepped out after the vehicle Su Yan was riding in had completely disappeared from sight.

Lu Feng followed beside him, keeping a close eye on his every move.

He truly didn't understand—since they had already come all this way, wouldn't it have been better to go and see Su Yan off with dignity?

Instead, he was hiding in this corner like a thief.

The lines of Gu Yang's face were tense to the extreme; he was clearly worried about Su Yan.

"I've already said everything that needs to be said. What difference does it make whether I show my face or not?"

Lu Feng frowned deeply. Although he didn't know exactly what had happened between them, he truly did not want to see his best friend in such a state of decadence.

He was even starting to suspect: had Su Yan dumped Gu Yang?

"Alright, the car is long gone. Let's hurry back to the hospital."

In order to come out, they had given the doctor their solemn word.

Gu Yang shook his head. "Do me a favor. Handle my discharge procedures for me."

Lu Feng's eyes immediately widened. "Are you crazy? In your current condition, you cannot be discharged!"

"I know my own body. Just go." Gu Yang truly had no strength left to explain to him.

Lu Feng was utterly helpless, knowing he couldn't persuade Gu Yang.

Now that Su Yan had left, besides following Gu Yang's lead, he had no other choice.

"Then I'll take you back to the dormitory first, and then I'll go handle your discharge."

This was non-negotiable.

Fortunately, Gu Yang did not refuse, getting into the car with Lu Feng's support.

Su Yan hadn't said how long this trip would take, but Kong Nian had mentioned it would be ten days at the earliest and half a month at the latest. Thus, Gu Yang could only hope that in half a month, he would be able to see Su Yan again.

The entrance to the Zhou estate was filled with parked vehicles.

When Ma Chulong and Su Yan arrived, not only did Zhou Li personally welcome them, but even Zhou Xiongfeng had made a special effort to come out.

The fact that Zhou Xiongfeng went to such lengths was enough to demonstrate how much the Zhou family valued Su Yan.

Burning gazes from all directions fell upon Su Yan.

Seeing that her eyes were covered by a black cloth yet she still moved with ease, everyone's expressions became complicated, confirming that the rumors of these past few days were true.

Su Yan was not Ma Chulan's maid, but a highly powerful Exorcist; even Liu Kang, the captain of the Special Operations Team, looked upon her with respect.

Furthermore, it was obvious that the Zhou family had placed their bets on Su Yan for this trip, even going so far as to delay their departure to the ancestral lands to wait for her.

"Niece Ma, Su Yan, please, come inside." Zhou Xiongfeng was all smiles, his attitude toward Su Yan being like a completely different person compared to before.

Su Yan seemed to have anticipated this scene; she walked in unhurriedly and calmly under Zhou Xiongfeng's guidance.

Many people were already waiting in the main hall.

Su Yan immediately spotted Kong Nian sitting in the front seats.

Kong Nian naturally saw her being personally welcomed by Zhou Xiongfeng, and a trace of disdainful snorting rose in her heart.

*Let her have her moment of glory for a few days. Once we enter the Zhou family's ancestral lands, it will be this girl's end!*

Standing behind Kong Nian, Kong Xiang's eyes never left Su Yan, his gaze growing deeper the more he observed her.

Kong Yueqing's attitude toward Su Yan was even more intense than Kong Nian's.

While Kong Nian could hide her hatred and jealousy for Su Yan without showing it, Kong Yueqing expressed it directly on her face. Staring at the highly celebrated Su Yan, even her gaze held a hint of distortion.

Su Yan casually swept her eyes over the Kong family, taking in every one of their reactions.

Zhou Xiongfeng sat back down in the seat of honor. Looking at the elites of various families in the hall, as well as other individual Exorcists who had been invited, he revealed a smile of absolute determination.

"Everyone is here. For the sake of convenience during our operations, I have specially arranged unified transportation. Please bear with the temporary inconvenience as we depart for the ancestral lands."

"This trip to the ancestral lands will be hard work for everyone!"

After a brief speech, Zhou Xiongfeng announced the departure.

Su Yan remained within the group of the Ma siblings, appearing to have no distinguishing features.

Two large buses slowly drove up to the entrance, and Su Yan and the Ma family members boarded the first bus directly.

Kong Nian's gaze followed Su Yan's figure, and she immediately headed toward the first bus as well.

Seeing this, Zhou Xiongfeng gave Zhou Li a look. Understanding the signal, Zhou Li led the Zhou family members to also board the first bus.

Su Yan chose a window seat, with Ma Chulan sitting beside her.

Ma Chulong chose a seat two rows ahead of them.

Once everyone was settled, the vehicle started smoothly.

Kong Yueqing, who could only sit in the back row, looked at Su Yan, who was sitting in the center three rows ahead, feeling nothing but dissatisfaction.

"Yueling, do you remember when we encountered an evil spirit on our way to the capital? The train was forced to stop for an entire night, and in the end, it was Senior Brother Gan and Senior Brother Ruan who resolved it?"

No one in the carriage had initiated conversation, so everyone could hear Kong Yueqing's sudden outburst clearly.

Kong Yueling looked at her with a face full of confusion, not understanding why she would bring up something that had happened so long ago.

"I remember."

Kong Yueqing was satisfied with her cooperation and continued to raise her voice: "It was quite a coincidence. That time, we were on the same train as Senior Brother Ma and the others, and even our beds were adjacent."

Sitting in front as the host, Zhou Li naturally had to exchange a few words of pleasantry upon hearing Kong Yueqing say this.

"Is it really that coincidental?"

"That's why I say it was fate. Senior Brother Ma, you remember it too, right?" Kong Yueqing seemed to be in high spirits for conversation, even taking the initiative to strike up a chat with Ma Chulong.

If possible, Ma Chulong truly did not want to acknowledge her, knowing she was surely trying to cause trouble again. However, since the entire bus was listening, he could not be impolite for the sake of the Ma family's dignity.

"A mere coincidence."

Kong Yueqing chuckled. "Even now, thinking back to that scene, I still find it laughable."

Zhou Li did not understand. "Laughable in what way?"

"At the time, we treated them with sincerity, yet Senior Brother Ma and his group didn't even give their full names and even pretended to be ordinary people." Kong Yueqing's words carried a hint of sarcasm, and she even deliberately increased her volume.

The atmosphere in the carriage instantly became awkward because of her words.

After all, besides the members of the three great families, there were also several guest Exorcists sitting in the bus.

All of these people had their curiosity piqued.

(End of Chapter)