A massive silver-white flying boat resembling a solitary moon suddenly descended above the Zhou family.
Inside the flying boat, Elder Xing, Zhou Yuan, and Zhou Ting stood silently to the left of Elder Xing, while on his right was a middle-aged man with long black beard, appearing extremely suave.
Beside the middle-aged man, a young girl with bright eyes and pearly teeth had her eyes sparkling with vibrant spirit, staring intently at Zhou Yan.
After sweeping his gaze over these people, Zhou Yan's heart skipped a beat when he met the emotional gaze of this spiritual and lovely girl.
He had grown accustomed to the spiritual beauty and celestial-like allure of top-tier genius women, and thus did not lose himself at the sight of a beautiful woman.
This stir in his heart stemmed only from the fact that he had an impression of this girl.
However, the affairs with Xiao Linlin and Xiao Chan'er had impacted him greatly, so even though he recognized her now, he no longer felt impulsively close.
His temperament had gradually settled down, with the once restless heart seemingly fading away.
"Brother Zhou Yan, it's Ying'er, do you remember me?"
Zhou Yan did not take the initiative; yet, once the flying boat stopped, this Ying'er stepped on a Sword Origin, appearing gracefully next to Zhou Yan and spoke with great excitement.
Zhou Yan's previously indifferent eyes seemed unnoticed by her.
...
Zhou Yan's soul sensing suddenly picked up Ying'er's fleeting thoughts and that inexplicable excitement and eagerness, which instantly warmed his heart significantly.
He did not wish to use sensing power on this girl, because soul sensing felt like a special ability, and those lacking a stable mind would mostly have their feelings detected easily by him.
It was akin to peeping!
But if it were someone like Elder Xing, with a deeply profound mind, he would strive with all his might yet might not perceive anything at all.
And now, regarding Zhou Ying, Zhou Yan actually didn't want to peek into a woman's thoughts, but due to matters with Xiao Chan'er and Xiao Linlin, which he did not wish to repeat, he sensed deliberately, diving deep into perception.
He then perceived a heart full of sincere affection.
It was a sort of attachment, fondness, and remembrance-like sentiment, but it seemingly had nothing to do with love, more like... nostalgia for a big brother.
In a flash, Zhou Yan couldn't precisely discern what kind of emotion it was, but this sentiment was weighty and earnest.
Hence, his heart was touched, and the strings of his heart were plucked.
His somewhat cold heart gained a slight warmth.
So, after freezing for a moment, he finally spoke with excitement.
It was akin to encountering Gu Xi and feeling that same pleasant feeling after reconnecting smoothly despite a long estrangement.
"Ying'er? Are you Ying'er from Wanhua City?" Zhou Yan said with some surprise.
"Yes, yes, I'm Ying'er, Brother Zhou Yan, I'm so happy you still remember me!"
Zhou Ying sobbed with joy.
She was unreserved and directly dove into Zhou Yan's embrace.
This scene caused Zhou Ting's eyes to flicker with astonishment, and Zhou Yuan's eyes widened, his expression extremely colorful.
Zhou Yuan's facial muscles twitched a few times as he had exhausted all efforts to please Zhou Ying, but Zhou Ying only looked at him with wary eyes, as if he were a predator. Yet… this Zhou Yan, having just come in contact with Zhou Ying, won over his goddess Zhou Ying, who willingly plunged into Zhou Yan's arms!
In that instant, he was utterly dumbfounded.
"Damn it… you're first in comprehension, first in Qi Column, and damn you, you're even first in wooing women… Does your handsome face really work wonders?"
Zhou Yuan was speechless, feeling awkward.
With his self-esteem, he would usually want to challenge his opponent on status, identity, or strength, but now, he held no advantage in any aspect!
Even by bloodline, though Zhou Yan came from a branch family with seemingly low status, he was nevertheless of the direct lineage. Zhou Wuzhen's father was only banished from the Great Zhou family due to a mistake and took root elsewhere.
But Zhou Wuzhen's father was of the Zhou family, the purest bloodline of the Great Zhou family...
"Sigh, Zhou Yan, I concede! The previous provocations towards you were merely because I derived from the Sword Illusion Realm that you were no more than a three-sectioned Qi Pillar. While impressive, the Great Zhou family never lacks such talents, so I hadn't taken you seriously. The previous incident was my mistake, I apologize!"
After pondering for a long while, Zhou Yuan unexpectedly apologized first.
This person, who always claimed how proud and eager he was to surpass Zhou Yan, actually apologized at this moment.
Even Zhou Ting was somewhat surprised looking at him, her delicate face bearing a few traces of disbelief.
Zhou Yan, basking in the wonderful embrace of Zhou Ying, was taken aback by Zhou Yuan's helpless but sincere apology. But he quickly understood the situation.
With his absolute genius, these people naturally didn't want to trouble him anymore. Thus, seeing his potential, they naturally didn't want to harbor old grudges, hence the preemptive submission.
"Zhou Yan, I was overly excessive before, and I sincerely apologize to you."
Zhou Ting spoke sincerely, her words soft, and as she spoke, she even knelt on one knee… knelt!
Though she only knelt with one beautiful leg.
"Sigh… Stand up, this matter is over, let's just let it go. If you continue to target me or make life difficult for me, I'm not one to let go of grudges. But I truly feel your sincerity...
Being part of the same family, this matter is thus bygone."
Seeing Zhou Ting, such a proud and lofty woman, kneel, Zhou Yan hesitated, considering his abilities and the innate arrogance of being a Grandmaster soul. He decided to drop the matter.
After all, he had the soul of a contemporary Grandmaster, and that Grandmaster was a super figure capable of Shattering Void. By comparison, these people, though influential, were akin to ants next to such a Grandmaster.
Strictly speaking, these people were mostly under twenty, at most just young upstarts…
Like a naughty child who hit another teenager, then the teenager grew stronger. Now, seeing the child kneel and apologize sincerely, should the teenager still hold a grudge and beat up the child?
Zhou Yan engaged in various considerations rather than simply going soft, for he was never one to show mercy for nothing.
Zhou Ting and Zhou Yuan, being able to accompany Elder Xing, still held positions in the Great Zhou family. Both were young, yet their strength had reached the peak of the Third Level of Sword Intent, which was extremely impressive!
Even now, if he laid all his cards on the table, he feared he couldn't kill these two, especially with Elder Xing present, how could he act?
Unable to act, being enemies with these two would lead to endless troubles for the members of the Zhou family.
Though he wasn't afraid for himself, the four clansmen he promoted—who wore their tattered attire—would likely face great struggles.
Now, since the pair proactively approached, smoothly enhancing his strength and reducing trouble was the wise choice.
In the future, if the pair harbored restless thoughts again, it wouldn't be too late to kill them then.
Such were Zhou Yan's thoughts. On the surface, he appeared magnanimous and dismissed past grievances, but in reality, it still depended on their future conduct.
As expected, upon his words, even Elder Xing revealed a smiling face.
"Indeed, you all being harmonious and the family flourishing, this is undoubtedly the best outcome. However, Zhou Yuan, Zhou Ting, since you've apologized, show some sincerity, words without deeds, how does that work?"
Elder Xing laughed.
"Yes, yes, Elder Xing is right."
Zhou Yuan felt a sting of pain but quickly complied, taking out a Qiankun Ring, and from it, drew out a spirit-enhanced longsword, offering it ingratiatingly, "This is a spirit sword obtained from Ancient Ruins. Though damaged, immersing consciousness into it can amplify one's comprehension ability… Previously, being impulsive led to offending Brother Zhou Yan, so, Zhou Yuan presents this spirit sword as a gesture of apology!"
"This is a suit of Spirit Armor, more advanced than the Wind Spirit Dust Armor, with prominent defensive capabilities, and retains some residual Sword Intent, ideal for deepening understanding of Sword Intent and recovering from Sword Intent injuries… I hope Brother Zhou Yan… you can overlook my past reckless mistakes."
Zhou Ting bowed in apology, expressing her heartfelt remorse.
"Mm, past events, since I said I won't hold grudges, they're written off. But as you have such intentions, if I didn't accept, it would mean looking down on you and not accepting your sincerity, so I shall accept."
Zhou Yan said, and directly accepted these items.
They were great items, though not very useful to Zhou Yan, but for Gu Yan and Xiao Zhan, they were perfect, like tailored treasures.
"Of course, certainly."
Zhou Yuan immediately nodded and bowed.
In contact now, he suddenly realized Zhou Yan really was quite decent. In conversation, he didn't showcase that "world's number one, invincible Great Zhou family" aura or arrogance, but appeared genuine, sincere.
It was as though… it was a natural, equal exchange, easy and carefree. Invisibly, it made people feel they were on equal footing with him.
It was a unique charm, inexplicably fostering closeness, Zhou Yuan even though feeling Zhou Yan's excessively handsome even resembled a pretty boy, had to admit, once in dialogue with Zhou Yan, he felt an urge to be wholeheartedly sincere.
So much so, truly nodding and bowing didn't feel embarrassing at all.
Zhou Ting at this moment felt similarly, only she was more enamored with Zhou Yan's indescribable 'grandeur', 'tolerance', it was as if Zhou Yan really… had never taken this seriously from start to finish.
It was, a very strange feeling.
"Brother Zhou Yan, Big Brother Zhou Yuan, and Sister Zhou Ting, it's great that you've reconciled. In the future, in the Great Zhou family, we should help each other and move forward together."
Zhou Ying said with a smile, her crescent-like beautiful eyes gleamed with endless hope.