Why did you provoke me?

Jing San touched his nose. "Well, we're disciples of a sect, the kind who don't need to formally become disciples."

Zhang Zhen was surprised. "If I don't become an apprentice, what can I learn?" He was so anxious that he accidentally blurted out what was on his mind.

The room was silent for three seconds before Niannian's voice rang out softly, "You're thinking too much, but have you ever seen a bone-drawing master accept a male disciple? Our sect is already the most tolerant."

Then, becoming somewhat impatient, he asked, "Are you going to learn or not?"

"I will study hard," Zhang Zhen replied quickly.

Jing San chimed in from the side, "Now that we've finished discussing this matter, let's talk about the plan."

Zhang Zhen looked at the two of them again to confirm, "Doing this, Teacher Yu really won't have any objections?"

"No, no, I promise." Nian Nian shook her head. "But there's a condition: we can't get hurt, and we have to be able to beat them."

Zhang Zhen knew things wouldn't be that simple. "Then what guarantees do we have?"

Jing San outlined her plan, and Zhang Zhen pointed to one point: "You want them to fall into our trap, so what will you use as bait?"

Jing San glanced at Niannian, "How about using a bone-drawing artist with unlimited potential?"

Zhang Zhen suddenly looked up. "Who should we use? Niannian? I don't agree. It's too dangerous."

"It's not me, it's a fake. 432 knows formations. As long as we make them believe that we have a highly talented bone painter in our team, they will definitely fall for it," Niannian explained. Although she wanted to fight, she wouldn't put herself in a dangerous place. This was the first lesson Yu Meng taught her when she took her out, and she got a perfect score back then.

Zhang Zhen wasn't dwelling on the question. "How can we know when they'll arrive? We can't just stay in one place, can we?"

Jing San said in a low voice, "The genius bone painter has a very high temper. It's not impossible for her to stay for a day or two."

"But how can you guarantee they'll come in the next two days?" Zhang Zhen asked one question after another.

"We can't guarantee that, but we can guarantee how many days that genius bone painter will throw a tantrum," Nian Nian said with a low laugh.

"Theoretically, it's possible, but what if the enemy finds out there's a genius bone painter here, and their numbers suddenly increase?"

Niannian sighed, "Why do you have so many questions? And they're all things that benefit the enemy?"

"I'm bringing up the worst-case scenario so you're prepared and won't be caught off guard."

That makes so much sense! Neither Jing San nor Ni Nian could disagree.

They stayed there until dinner time.

"Third Brother, I really admire us. If it were an ordinary person, he would probably have backed down long ago. Come on, let's drink to our resilience."

Jing San picked up his teacup. "Come on, let's drink water instead of wine. In front of him, I'm just a newbie."

"Damn it. I'm going to eat half a bowl more rice today. This afternoon has exhausted me." Niannian was also full of complaints. This was no ordinary person; she was even more nagging than when her older sister made her practice her body lines.

Zhang Zhen watched the two men leave, looking utterly dejected, and a slight smile played on his lips. "Serves you right for looking down on me the other day. I'm a man with a temper too."

……

Jingchuan Hall.

Yu Meng stopped worrying about what Nian Nian had been thinking about, and Secretary Wu buried himself in the archives. Yu Meng couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she had no choice but to let him be.

Things went very smoothly for Nangong Tianshou. No one knew what he said, but Zhou Jingyan arrived at the guild hall a few days later.

When he met Yu Meng, Yu Meng gave him all the results of Jing Ancheng's investigation, including the part about the Zhou family.

Zhou Jingyan's tired face was expressionless. He simply said softly, "Thank you!"

Nangong Tianshou sat to the side, still drinking his honey water. His face was calm now, unlike his panicked state when he first heard the news.

Yu Meng spoke softly, "I was also very surprised by this."

Zhou Jingyan looked at the message in his hand and shook his head. "My third uncle told me everything, and I've thought it through. This is a calamity for the Zhou family, and I've done my best. For Xiao Hao's sake, I should live well. As for the Zhou family, it depends on Xiao Hao's future choices."

Yu Meng was stunned, then laughed.

Nangong Tianshou also put down his water glass. "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly, say it again?"

Zhou Jingyan did not back down. "Third Uncle, I've done my best to get to this point. I won't force Xiao Hao, but I'll support him if he has any ideas."

"If you dare to burden Xiao Hao with the mess of the Zhou family, I'll pretend I don't have a nephew like you, and that Xiao Hao doesn't have a father like you." Nangong Tianshou was truly angry.

"Even the two of us adults can't do this, and you're still thinking about Xiaohao? If he's going to have to worry about these things, how long do you think he can live?"

Zhou Jingyan's expression remained unchanged. "I didn't think that way."

"You'd better be like this." Nangong Tianshou picked up his water glass, then put it down again. "I really can't drink anymore. Couldn't Qian Chuan get me some medicine?"

"Your body has been hollowed out by the aliens; you can only recover slowly. Medicine isn't the best option for you." Yu Meng rummaged through her backpack for something.

"I have one last ring here, take it. It's a good thing, but I don't know if your body can absorb it now."

Nangong Tianshou took it and slipped it onto his finger without saying a word.

"You're so quick to agree, don't you even ask what this is?"

"No need to ask, anything you put in your backpack is good stuff," Nangong Tianshou said with certainty.

"This thing is a bit special. If someone recognizes it, you'll be in big trouble, so keep it hidden."

"Oh, you stole it?"

Yu Meng rolled her eyes. "Why would I need to steal? This stuff is from the dense forest. You decide what to do."

Nangong Tianshou paused for a moment, then twirled the ring around his finger. "I'll put on a disguise later."

Having received the good stuff, Yu Meng casually revealed her purpose: "I'm going away for a few days."

Nangong Tianshou lowered his hand. "I knew your things wouldn't be easy to take. So, where are you going? For how many days?"

Yu Meng shook her head. "It's better if you don't know. I'm taking Jing Er and the others with me. I'll leave the house to you."

"Wait, what do you mean by 'I'm leaving the house in your care'? What about Old Wu? Is he leaving too?"

"He's investigating some things. You can go to the archives if you're interested." Yu Meng didn't hide anything; she knew she'd have to tell him sooner or later anyway.

Nangong Tianshou always felt that Yu Meng had schemed against him. "I still need to take care of my health, so I can't do much."

"Just sit here and drink tea. They'll only come to you if they can't handle something. If you want to get involved, just say a few words. If you don't want to get involved, let them handle it themselves," Yu Meng said casually.

"It's that simple?"

"Yes, it's that simple. I can't just tell them to figure it out themselves," Yu Meng said sincerely.