Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 311

The courtyard layout features a square ceiling and a circular canal below. Even though it wasn't raining, the water curtain never stopped, and a lotus-shaped vat in the central area emitted wisps of white smoke.

It is not only beautiful, but also brings a chill, so that you don't feel the summer heat when you are here.

Tan Wenbin reached out and touched the surface of the jar, saying with a sigh, "Brother Xiaoyuan, can Grandpa Li's family also make one of these?"

"Yes, but you have to persuade your grandfather to smash the dam and demolish the house first. You also need to dig three zhang (approximately 10 meters) below the original site to place the array materials. In addition, you need to make minor repairs every year and major repairs every three years."

Tan Wenbin: "The cost is so high? The Zhao family is really extravagant."

“Their old house in the mountains could easily be used to create a landscape, but now that they want to live a secluded life in the city, the price will definitely be much higher.”

"If that's the case, Brother Yuan, did they deliberately move to the city because they sensed something was going to happen and felt guilty?"

"Ding……"

The bell at the door rang, meaning someone had come in.

Tan Wenbin reverted to the demeanor of the second wife's master, raising his chin and looking distant.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't move, continuing to sit on the small stool and watch the leaves drifting away in the ditch in front of him: "It's Zhao Yi."

Tan Wenbin relaxed, picked at his ear with his little finger, and looked a little embarrassed.

Thanks to that white centipede, his hearing was even better than Xiao Yuan's, but "perception" is not enough; one must also have corresponding "knowledge" in one's own mind.

Zhao Yi is now disguised as Zhao Xu, and his walking habits have also changed.

Tan Wenbin's memory database hadn't been updated yet.

Zhao Yi pushed the door open and entered, then turned around and closed it.

"Hey Li, something's happened to you!"

"Team leader, something's happened."

The two said in unison.

Zhao Yi: "You guys also encountered counterfeit goods?"

Tan Wenbin: "Your second aunt is a fake."

Zhao Yi nodded.

Tan Wenbin: "Who did you find to be the imposter?"

Zhao Yi: "Heh, you might not believe it if I told you."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Is it your dad or your mom?"

Zhao Yi: "Hey Li, couldn't you have waited for me to lay the groundwork first?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Hmm, let's lay the groundwork."

When Zhao Yi heard that his second aunt was a fake, he wasn't surprised, which proved that the fakes he found were even more shocking, since there was no one else besides his parents.

Zhao Yi pulled out a stool and sat down facing Li Zhuiyuan across the small ditch:

"My parents are fake."

Tan Wenbin squatted down next to Zhao Yi and asked, "So your real parents were kidnapped and imprisoned in some secret place?"

Zhao Yi glanced at Tan Wenbin and said, "Vice Captain, you don't need to be so tactful."

Tan Wenbin: "Even the best of friends shouldn't be too radical when it comes to this kind of thing."

Zhao Yi: "Think about how we got the human skin on our faces. I think my parents have already been pre-admitted to Fengdu."

Tan Wenbin: "Please accept my condolences."

Zhao Yi felt his pocket, took out a few coins and a piece of red paper, wrapped the coins up, and handed them to Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin accepted the call.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Yi looked at Li Zhuiyuan and asked, "Hey, Li, do you want him?"

Li Zhuiyuan ignored him.

Zhao Yi: "Sigh, I even told my second uncle that I hadn't told anyone else, and that I had secretly let him go to the underworld to choose an official. I bet my second uncle is cursing me down there now."

Tan Wenbin: "Your second uncle can understand, after all, the benefits will definitely go to his own family first."

Zhao Yi: "Hmm, hearing you say that makes me feel much better."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Are you done with the ethical jokes?"

Zhao Yi lit a cigarette and said, "Hey, it's no big deal."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's get down to business now."

Zhao Yi exhaled a smoke ring and said, "Cui Xinyue, Chen Cuier, Zhao Heming... when you find several cockroaches in your house, it means there's actually a whole nest of them."

Tan Wenbin: "Outside team, are you worried that you're the only one in the entire Zhao family who's actually there?"

Zhao Yi tugged at his own face: "No, even I am fake."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Replacement ratio".

Zhao Yi: "I met with the two sons of the first wife. They seemed normal and hadn't changed much. But if my parents hadn't shown any signs of anything amiss, we wouldn't have noticed anything unusual either."

However, no matter what, it's not necessary to replace the entire clan, including the servants, because any power capable of doing that would have no reason to do so.

Therefore, it is preliminarily deduced that the person being replaced should be a core member of my Zhao family, namely the fourth branch of this generation.

As an additional condition, the day after tomorrow is the birthday of the head of the family, my grandfather. He will lead the four branches of the family to the old house in the mountains to pay respects to our ancestors.

My grandfather used to think that having too many children would be noisy, so he set a rule that each family could only take in a maximum of two children, which is my generation.

This rule hasn't changed even after all these years, even though many of my generation have grown up.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Is it difficult to get into the old houses in the mountains?"

Zhao Yi: "Of course it's not difficult for you, but not everyone in this world has the ability to change locks under the Emperor's nose like you."

Tan Wenbin: "So, their purpose in replacing them with core members of the Zhao family was to gain access to the old Zhao family residence in the mountains?"

Zhao Yi: "My Zhao family ancestral graves are also within the coverage area of ​​the old house's formation. Oh, and of course, there's also the treasure vault."

Tan Wenbin: "I remember you said that there are some in the city too?"

Zhao Yi: "Everything in the city is built in the style of old houses, and there is indeed a treasure trove located below the museum, but the real essence is in the mountains."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Their purpose is not to seek wealth."

Zhao Yi: "Indeed, that would be making a mountain out of a molehill."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Identity confirmed."

Zhao Yi: "I think it must be someone from Jiangshang, because this work is done so meticulously, it doesn't seem like a Jianghu enemy or a force that covets the foundation of my Zhao family."

The main thing is that I can easily relate to their approach.

They lack powerful backing, are few in number, but are elite.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

Zhao Yi: "As for Cui Xinyue and my parents, it's impossible that they were replaced by the same team..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Cui Xinyue's acting style is very forceful, and she deliberately tries to slack off at the end. The performers on your parents' side are very dedicated and confidently add their own scenes, as if they are enjoying it."

They are not on one side.

Zhao Yi: "Yes, Mr. Li, you're a professional in this area."

Tan Wenbin: "So, just like last time in Lijiang, this time it's also multiple teams traveling along the river?"

Zhao Yi: "That's right, but there are differences. In Lijiang, everyone was on the same starting line, but this time... it's clear that other teams jumped the gun."

To be precise, it's more like they had been planning this strategy for a long time, and we were just temporarily assigned to join.

This also fits the style of our taking over this wave.

According to the pattern, we've just passed through one wave, and the next one should be a long time away.

Li Zhuiyuan: "They have the advantage of time, but we also have our own advantages."

Our advantage lies in Zhao Yi, a genuine member of the Zhao family.

Zhao Yi: "I feel like my Zhao family is a den of demons. I used to only use this perspective to analyze other forces or secret realms. I never thought that the experience I gained while traveling the river would one day be useful in my own family."

However, rest assured, as the future owner of this place, I will definitely treat you with the utmost hospitality.

Even if it's a piece of rotten flesh, I'll help everyone bite off the biggest slice of profit.

Tan Wenbin: "Gao Yi from the other team."

Zhao Yi: "Giving it to anyone is the same as giving it to someone else, why should we benefit outsiders?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "We need more information to expand this. First, we need to confirm the number of teams involved in this wave. Second, we need to confirm their perspective on the true intentions behind this wave."

Zhao Yi: "I'll go and check on the first and fourth wives again to confirm. As for the second point, I think it's not appropriate to alert them during this period."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's only considered a disturbance at home, but it doesn't apply outside."

Zhao Yi: "Hey Li, you're planning to go fishing?"

Being a core member of the Zhao family is equivalent to receiving an invitation to the ancestral home in the mountains. Some teams have already entered, but there may be other teams that haven't been able to get one yet.

At this point, if you can go outside for a stroll, you might be able to lure out a group of people.

Li Zhuiyuan: "If we can find a team, things will be much simpler."

Zhao Yi: "The team size this time is definitely not as large as the one in Lijiang, but their quality has been shown to be very high."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I know."

Zhao Yi: "You can directly mobilize the Liang sisters; they will listen to you."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Make arrangements for them to go to the old house in the mountains first and make preliminary preparations for the formation. Now that we know where their goal is, it's very important."

Zhao Yi: "Okay, I'll go inform them. Is there anything else?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Please accept my condolences."

Zhao Yi: "The person who raised me should be drinking and playing drinking games with your great-grandfather in Nantong right now."

To some extent, Zhao Yi and Li Zhuiyuan are very similar.

However, Li Zhuiyuan had never known what emotions were since childhood, so he could only act.

Zhao Yi was enlightened too early, just like Benben from the Big Beard family, and he has always remembered his childhood memories very clearly.

In fact, he was a normal child at first, and he had a greater need for emotional support while suffering from illness. However, the pragmatism and coldness of his family and parents made him gradually erode and strip away his own emotions.

Li Zhuiyuan's situation was too extreme. In fact, Liu Jinxia's description of Li Zhuiyuan as precocious and heartless was more suitable for Zhao Yi.

Of the entire Zhao family, there are only two people Zhao Yi truly has feelings for.

One is Old Tiantou;
One is Zhao Wuyang.

Stepping out of the house, Zhao Yi licked his lips, then immediately revealed the same pathetic expression that Zhao Xu had just had after being scolded by his father.

He went to the main courtyard first, but it was unlikely that he could see his uncle directly, so he went under the guise of seeing Zhao Wen and Zhao Li.

After entering, they immediately turned towards their eldest uncle's study, which was where their eldest uncle worked and where the Zhao family's power center was located. In the past, this place would be very lively, with endless meetings.

My eldest uncle had a strong desire for power and started helping my grandfather manage the family at a young age. If I hadn't been born, my eldest uncle would have naturally become the next head of the family.

However, when Zhao Yi arrived at the study area, he found it to be very deserted, with hardly anyone in sight.

I asked a servant who was sweeping the floor and learned that my uncle, Zhao Jiuzhi, was unwell and had not been in charge of affairs for five or six days. Now, all matters, big and small, within the clan had to be reported to the clan head.

With the old man's birthday approaching, there are already many things to do. As long as he doesn't die of illness, everyone has to get up and work.

This illness is... very inappropriate.

Zhao Yi could almost certainly conclude that the eldest son's side had also been replaced.

After leaving the main courtyard, Zhao Yi headed to the fourth courtyard.

The fourth master of the Zhao family was obsessed with spiritual cultivation and disliked worldly affairs. However, he married very early, and his wife was his early spiritual master, who was also a servant of the Zhao family.

When Zhao Hengcheng, also known as Master Zhao, got his master pregnant, he was only fourteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), while his master was already over thirty.

The family was definitely against the marriage. Although it was not uncommon for young masters of large families to have sex with maids at a young age, and it was even normal for them to get pregnant early and be taken as concubines, the age gap and the fact that they were half master and apprentice were really outrageous.

However, Zhao Hengcheng lost interest in marriage after that. After his master gave birth to twins, he didn't consider arranging a marriage for him with a wife arranged by his family. He would often go into seclusion to meditate.

Later, the family just let it go. Although the master's concubine did not have the title of wife, she was tacitly regarded as the mistress of the fourth wife.

When Zhao Yi arrived at the Fourth Branch's courtyard, he learned that the Fourth Branch's patriarch, madam, and his two cousins ​​had all announced their seclusion four days prior, waiting to be awakened on the morning of the day after tomorrow, which was also the patriarch's birthday.

It's highly likely that the fourth wife has also been replaced.

Moreover, the person who replaced them chose a method that was both consistent with their personas and lazy: they went into seclusion and refused to perform.

Zhao Yi sighed, thinking to himself, "Ha, they really have been completely wiped out."

Although the Zhao family's true strength lies in their old house in the mountains, where the Zhao family's elders reside and the old immortal of the Zhao family still lies dormant, the fact that all the core members of the outer residence were replaced without a word is truly absurd and bizarre.

However, if we consider that this is just one wave, and the people pushed by the river are all outstanding figures of our time, then it makes perfect sense.

These people would never have gathered together to do something like this if they hadn't been traveling along the river by lantern.

No wonder, when I read stories of adventures in the martial arts world, I learned that many families and sects would suddenly disappear and decline.

When the specific reason cannot be found, onlookers will attribute it to fate and lament that destiny is cruel.

Isn't everything that's happening to the Zhao family right now a realistic manifestation of fate?
Zhao Yi moved around the house again. He still needed to confirm one thing: the current head of the Zhao family, who was his grandfather by blood.

He was a stranger to this grandfather because the grandfather's perspective on him was similar to that of the elders in the family, and he had never experienced the feeling of grandparents showing affection to their grandchildren.

In comparison, he had eaten at Li Zhuiyuan's grandfather's house before. Although Li Weihan and Cui Guiying had many children and grandchildren, he could feel their love for Li Zhuiyuan.

"Old man, are you going to get replaced too?"

The old man lived alone in a courtyard. After the old lady passed away, he never remarried and remained completely aloof from women.

There are many people here, and people keep coming in to report on various tasks.

Because of his identity as "Zhao Xu," he couldn't be summoned by the family head alone; he could only catch a glimpse of him from a distance.

The old man is handling various matters in an orderly manner, making proper arrangements personally.

He doesn't look like someone who's been replaced. If he were replaced and could still sit there handling clan affairs, then how much of an actor must this guy who replaced the old man be?

But Zhao Yi's intuition told him that when he was on the river, the most impossible situations often turned into possibilities.

Moreover, given the old man's temperament, as his seventieth birthday approached, his eldest son fell ill, his second son was out indulging in pleasure, his third son was playing the role of a Confucian scholar, and his fourth son was in seclusion.

How do you manage to hold back your temper?

Unless you know why they don't come out to do things, and you know why they avoid the spotlight.

Based on previous contact and understanding, Zhao Yi suspected that the four families might not know that each other had been replaced.

Because according to past practices when traveling along the river, these small-scale team collaborations are usually not clearly explained at the beginning, and you have to explore and guess to see if there are other teams.

So, this old man is probably the one sitting in the highest position with the clearest vision in this wave, and his strength is also unmatched by the other members of the fourth branch. Therefore, it is very likely that he not only has the best vision, but is also the strongest.

At this moment, the old man seemed to notice Zhao Yi standing in the distance. He stopped what he was doing and looked over.

The others standing around him also looked over, and when they saw that it was Zhao Xu, their expressions relaxed again.

The second wife's family has always been unreliable, and consequently, their son is not highly regarded by the family.

Old man Zhao Shan'an raised his hand and beckoned to Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi pointed to his face in disbelief, then looked uneasy and moved over in small steps.

Zhao Shan'an: "What is it?"

Zhao Yi: "My mother asked me to come to you, hoping you could uphold justice."

Zhao Shan'an: "Go back and tell your mother that I don't have time to deal with your second wife's messy affairs. Aren't you ashamed enough?"

Zhao Yi quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, Grandpa."

As I turned to leave, I was called back.

"come here."

"grandfather?"

Zhao Shan'an placed his palm on the table, gesturing for Zhao Yi to place his wrist on it.

Zhao Yi timidly placed his wrist on it.

What appeared to be taking a pulse was actually a sudden, intense glare from the old man upon contact, instantly placing pressure on Zhao Yi.

When people encounter such a sudden situation, they will react instinctively, and the Zhao family will activate their own family's special technique at this moment.

Zhao Yi was "frightened" and activated his powers.

This is a very subtle investigation, so subtle that it can hardly be called an investigation. Even someone in disguise would find it difficult to know what the other party is doing in this situation immediately.

Zhao Shan'an released his grip and said irritably, "At such a young age, you have such a severe deficiency of kidney essence. It's shameful. Go back and abstain from sexual activity, and go to the pharmacy to get some tonic pills."

Those around him laughed upon hearing this.

Zhao Yi looked ashamed and said, "Okay, Grandpa, I understand."

"get out."

Zhao Yi bowed again and left dejectedly.

Is the old man testing whether he has been replaced?

Haha, you didn't expect that, did you? My surname really is Zhao.

Hmm, this is something we can make good use of.

While their various teams are suspicious of each other, we, the second wife, must be a pure and genuine second wife.

In this way, as a "native", one can minimize the suspicion and wariness from other teams;
Secondly, once they reach the old house in the mountains, the elders and the sleeping immortal will be the biggest threat to other teams, but they can use their status as members of the Zhao family to their advantage.

If all else fails, I can just run up to them, cry and shout that the Zhao family has been invaded and infiltrated by foreign enemies, and beg the elders to save the Zhao family!

This is a trump card that could flip the table. Zhao Yi couldn't help but smirk; he wanted to laugh.

Perhaps this is one of the biggest advantages of waves crashing into your own territory: the opponents you ultimately need to defeat are related to you, and you can "mobilize" them.

wrong……

Zhao Yi realized there was a gap in his understanding.

The second aunt has been replaced. To ensure the purity of the second wife's family, this second aunt must be dealt with first.

In an instant, Zhao Yi's eyes lit up with realization. He realized that the boy had thought of this long ago.

"So, you're surnamed Li, you're planning to fish at a fixed spot."

……

"Brother Xiaoyuan, shall we leave the house now?"

"No rush, come with me."

Li Zhuiyuan led Tan Wenbin to Cui Xinyue's bedroom.

If the second wife is to be replaced, there's no reason to replace only the wife and not the husband.

Unless, of course, this team consists of only one person, and that person is a woman, so replacing Cui Xinyue would be sufficient.

If not...

That means this team only had time to replace Cui Xinyue; they didn't have time to make a move against the Second Master.

The reason? The second master took his dutiful son out to brothels.

Even the elites on the river probably didn't expect that the father and son from the second wife's family could play such dirty and depraved games.

Their unusual "disappearance" will actually cause great trouble for the team that wants to replace them, which is equivalent to losing sight of them.

Li Zhuiyuan used a red thread to tether Tan Wenbin and began to direct his actions.

Tan Wenbin coughed deliberately first, then made his footsteps louder.

But the performance had just begun when a maid ran out from inside, clearly having been instructed beforehand.

The maid ran to Tan Wenbin and cried:
"Second Master, you must go and see Madam! She has prepared a white silk ribbon and scissors; she intends to commit suicide, Second Master!"

"Nonsense!"

Tan Wenbin seemed very angry, but he didn't go inside because Xiao Yuan was against it in his heart.

When we entered the house earlier, there were many people outside, so it was impossible to make a move.

Once inside the second courtyard, Cui Xinyue didn't make a move in the hall, probably because she was considering Zhao Yanglin's strength and was afraid that she wouldn't be able to suppress him or cause a commotion on her own.

So, the fact that the servants were called "Second Master" to come in at this moment must mean that something had been arranged in the bedroom.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze narrowed slightly as he scanned the interior. The feng shui and weather conditions inside appeared normal, with no apparent problems.

But the feng shui and weather here can't be normal. This is the Zhao family residence. Even if it was built later, it still conforms to the principles of formation. How can your place be normal and unaffected?

This is a case of using the isolation formation in a flawed way, failing to consider the actual situation.

Of course, being able to suppress one's aura completely without letting it slip through is enough to qualify one as a master of formations.

Having apparently heard the noise outside and not seeing Tan Wenbin come in, the bedroom door was suddenly pushed open, and Cui Xinyue stepped out, holding scissors to her neck.

"Zhao Yanglin, I'm not going to live anymore! I'm too ashamed to live! I'll die right here!"

Tan Wenbin: "Are you crazy!"

"Yes, that's right, I'm crazy!"

The scissors were pressed against the neck, and the skin in that area was already dented.

Actually, if you stab a little deeper and draw some blood, the effect will be even better.

But she probably wouldn't dare, for fear of damaging her own appearance.

Tan Wenbin: "You're absolutely unreasonable!"

Cui Xinyue: "I'll die! I'll die to show you! Zhao Yanglin, you're the one who drove me to this dead end!"

After saying that, Cui Xinyue ran back into the house.

Tan Wenbin snorted angrily on the spot: "Shrew, what an outrageous thing to do!"

Inside the house, Cui Xinyue's shouts came again:

"Zhao Yanglin, I want to make sure your father's birthday celebration is celebrated with white paper decorations. I want all the guests to see what a fine son your Zhao family has produced!"

That's the absolute limit.

Normally, even if a couple has lost their feelings for each other, the husband should go in and comfort them at this point, at least to get through the birthday celebration and avoid making a scene.

However, Tan Wenbin remained standing there, stomping his feet, shouting angrily, and waving his hands:
"You're insane, insane, truly insane! Fine, go ahead and die! After you die, I can make you my new wife!"

After saying that, Tan Wenbin left in a huff.

Li Zhuiyuan followed him in a panic, acting out how a concubine's son should be cautious in the main family.

Meanwhile, the two were already communicating in their minds.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, won't this arouse her suspicion?"

"She didn't have enough information. If she did, she would know that Cui Xinyue and Zhao Yanglin were a couple working together in private."

All she knows is the relationship between Cui Xinyue and Zhao Yanglin as perceived by outsiders. Therefore, even if your behavior is a bit out of line, she can't really 'understand' it.

"So what I just said, that she would become my new wife after she dies, was it you, Brother Yuan, deliberately making me 'speak without thinking'?"

"Well, since she's going to make a move against you, it proves she has a team. That team is definitely not incompetent; they'll investigate on their own and probably have some clues about this Master Zhao's peculiar fetishes. Revealing this information will further enhance the credibility of your identity."

"Next, we need to go outside and first notify Runsheng and Ayou to gather and get ready, and then wait for them to appear."

"Yes, and they made the first move."

The second master of the Zhao family, holding his illegitimate son's hand, stormed out.

Similar scenes have occurred many times in the past. It seems that the Second Master deliberately brought the child born to his mistress into the house to anger his wife and the old man at the same time.

Rumors have already spread in the second wife's courtyard that she was so angry that she threatened to commit suicide.

Upon reaching the gate, without waiting for the guards to help activate the exit formation, Tan Wenbin waved his hand, and Li Zhuiyuan simultaneously activated the Zhao Clan's original technique. Waves of light and shadow appeared in front of them, and the two walked straight out.

"call……"

I paused, wanting to take a deep breath, because this kind of role-playing was really too mentally taxing.

But Tan Wenbin immediately swallowed his anger, because he realized that a pair of eyes were staring at him.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, we've been targeted."

"Ah."

"Then what happens next..."

"Light incense."

"clear."

Li Zhuiyuan took out his small compass and looked at Tan Wenbin with reluctance and grievance. Tan Wenbin snatched it away and spat and cursed a few times.

Then, Tan Wenbin took out an incense stick, inserted it into the compass, lit the incense, and, holding the compass in his right hand, walked quickly in one direction.

Li Zhuiyuan followed anxiously behind, fearing that his "father" would discard him after using him.

A normal person walking down the street with a compass and incense would naturally seem strange to many people.

From the perspective of the stalker, however, such behavior by someone from a cult is perfectly normal.

On the rooftop of a building very close to Zhao's mansion, Runsheng lay there with his eyes closed.

Lin Shuyou sat there with a mobile phone and a small black incense burner in front of him, with an unlit incense stick stuck in it.

Suddenly, the incense stick lit up and began to burn, the smoke rising without any wind in its direction.

Runsheng.

Runsheng opened his eyes.

Lin Shuyou: "It's not that the big brother is making a loud noise, it's that the incense for finding the way is burning. Let's keep our distance and follow."

Runsheng gently twisted his neck and said:

"Walk."

……

Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin arrived at an abandoned area that had been demolished but construction had stopped.

This is a good place to fight.

If, when the other party appears, you can conveniently set up a miasma around the perimeter to isolate the commotion and prevent it from disturbing ordinary people, that would be even better.

"Brother Binbin, could you please put in a little more effort and keep looking?"

"Ah."

We can't just stand there and wait; that would be too obvious.

Tan Wenbin took the compass and began to slowly search through the ruins.

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to follow, but Tan Wenbin suddenly turned around and kicked, then kicked the gravel on the ground, which hit the boy. Li Zhuiyuan retreated, found a cement slab, sat down shakily, and hugged his knees.

The boy quietly placed his palm below and began to set up the formation.

After Tan Wenbin had walked a distance away, Li Zhuiyuan stood up and continued to follow.

But once the distance closed, Tan Wenbin turned around and glared at him again, which startled Li Zhuiyuan so much that he squatted down on the ground and continued to set up the formation.

And so it went, over and over again. Li Zhuiyuan would squat for a while, and when he saw his "father" walk away, he would get up and chase after him. But when he got close, he wouldn't dare to go any closer, so he would squat down again.

They pass through each node one by one, yet never connect, so even if someone knows they are being watched, the other party has no way of noticing this kind of deployment.

Originally thinking that this pace could be maintained indefinitely, Li Zhuiyuan didn't mind making more arrangements under the ruins. After all, he was just waiting for someone to come and "kill" him, so he might as well do something else.

But an unexpected little incident still occurred.

Half of the ruins are completely demolished, while the other half are only partially demolished. These places are often inhabited by homeless people.

Tan Wenbin sniffed the air. The smell of corpses wafted from the second floor ahead, which had no roof and was just a red plastic shed.

It had been dead for no more than a day, had not yet begun to decompose, and had not yet started to smell.

Every person has a scent, and the living and the dead are completely different.

Tan Wenbin hesitated. The corpse on it was definitely not part of the plan, nor could it have been left by someone from that team.

Therefore, it could only be an accident.

Tan Wenbin asked himself, "Brother Xiaoyuan, there's a corpse on the second floor over there."

"Go and have a look."

"it is good."

With permission, Tan Wenbin walked to the foot of the building, carefully avoiding the exposed steel bars around him, and went up the broken stairs.

Outside the plastic shed on the second floor, there were pots, pans, and a small gas cylinder, signs that someone had lived there.

Tan Wenbin reached out and pulled open the plastic tent, revealing a female corpse lying inside.

She was dressed quite fashionably, so she was definitely not a homeless person. There was an electrical wire wrapped around her neck, and there were obvious marks on her skin, indicating that she had been strangled.

“Brother Xiaoyuan, the murderer left immediately after killing her, and the scene was not obviously disturbed.”

Li Zhuiyuan sat outside the dilapidated house, silently listening to Officer Tan's on-site investigation and analysis.

The formation had been set up, and even the incense on the compass indicated that Runsheng and Lin Shuyou were hiding nearby, waiting to be summoned.

On the contrary, Cui Xinyue's group had not all arrived yet.

If you have nothing to do, why not listen to Tan Wenbin's criminal investigation radio program?

"There are still a lot of used family planning products here. They had sex here, but apart from the ligature marks on the neck, there are no other signs of abuse or coercion on the body."

“The person who killed her was not a homeless man, nor was it for robbery. She still had the ring on her finger and money in her pocket.”

"There was a newspaper under her, a local newspaper from the day before yesterday, which reported on the gold shop robbery in Nanjing, the case that my dad and his team are investigating."

"Oh, she had a lot of gold necklaces and gold rings hidden in her underwear; she secretly hid them there."

"Brother Xiaoyuan, let me make an irresponsible deduction: the ringleader of the Jinling gold shop robbery is from Jiujiang. Could this woman be his old flame, or maybe his first love or something?"

The leader fled back to his hometown with a lot of gold, hid here, and made contact with this woman.

If the woman finds out what he did, she either plans to report him, wants to steal his gold, or wants to keep it a secret while sharing the spoils...

In short, the ringleader of the robbery killed the woman.

Li Zhuiyuan: "That canal is now connected to the water supply."

Tan Wenbin: "Unfortunately, the wanted criminal escaped."

Li Zhuiyuan: "We will find them, but not now. It will probably be when we finish dealing with this wave that the wanted criminal will pop up and become your... your father's achievement."

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, when you spoke just now, you had the air of a prophet."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Having experienced so many waves, you should have figured out the patterns, especially in this wave, the river won't deliberately make things difficult for us in the small details."

Just then, a strong wind blew in from outside.

The ruins were already dusty and sandy, and all of it was suddenly whipped up, causing the plastic shed to shake violently.

Tan Wenbin instinctively reached out to steady the tent. As the son of a policeman, he naturally understood the importance of protecting the scene.

But the shed was still blown open, revealing what was inside:

Master Zhao and the female corpse beneath him.

The wind was blowing strangely, and Li Zhuiyuan noticed the sudden change in the surrounding feng shui and weather.

This wind was artificially created, probably to wipe away the last bit of dirt before taking action, and to see what Master Zhao was doing in the tent.

Now, the other party has seen it.

Master Zhao found the corpse of his favorite woman, which matched his perverse fetish.

The last bit of doubt disappeared; the other party was about to make their move.

Li Zhuiyuan thought to himself, "First, spread miasma."

"Huh...huh...huh..."

The wind that had just swept through this area split into several streams and blew in all directions. Soon, wind walls rose up on the edge of the wasteland, and even ordinary people outside would find themselves trapped in a maze of wind if they tried to enter.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's extend this further."

The sand on the ground began to tremble, layer upon layer, like a dust storm in the desert, constantly spreading the sand over and over.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded in satisfaction. This added an extra layer of disguise to the formation he had previously set up, increasing the element of surprise when he activated it.

After all, the other side has made this their home ground, so their vigilance will inevitably decrease.

The one who made the move was probably the one impersonating Cui Xinyue.

Li Zhuiyuan highly recognized that person's mastery of formations.

Normally, there is only one formation master in a team, which explains why the other side waited until now to make a move. It's because the actress playing Cui Xinyue needs a stage transition period to go from her crying and sobbing state to leaving the Zhao residence.

However, to ensure the success of a battle, it is best for the formation master to be present, so the opposing side can only wait.

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, there's one inside the outer wind circle, heading this way. There's another one hiding in a half-demolished building diagonally behind us, and there seems to be one above us too. Can that guy fly?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It should be a mechanical puppet."

Above my head, there was a kite, and although I couldn't see the string, it was hovering very steadily.

Tan Wenbin: "The other team has three people."

Li Zhuiyuan: "There are four. There's one more right in front of us. She's wrapped her body in an array, obscuring your senses."

After thinking it over in his mind, Li Zhuiyuan stood up, staring blankly at the wind walls erected on the outside, and walked forward unconsciously.

The direction they walked was the location of the female array master.

Beneath his feet was the formation he had set up in advance, so Li Zhuiyuan was not worried about his safety.

He is now actively testing the other party to see how they feel about him.

On the river, it's common for competitors to deceive and fight each other.

For example, at the beginning, he and Zhao Yi were thinking of eliminating each other to prevent future troubles.

However, there are also those with noble and upright character, and it is possible to cooperate with such people.

Zhao Yanglin certainly deserves to die, and now the entire Zhao family carries a kind of original sin attribute.

However, Li Zhuiyuan's current identity is that of Zhao Yanglin's adopted son. Today is the first time he has been brought into the Zhao residence. He has never lived in the Zhao family before and is not familiar with this "father".

If the other party abandons the child, it means they have a bottom line, and we can talk.

If the other party intends to kill the child as well...

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, the sand in front of him condensed into three sharp blades, sweeping towards Li Zhuiyuan, intending to cut this eyesore of a child into pieces.

"boom!"

An invisible wall appeared in front of the boy, and the blade shattered.

The boy's fear and anxiety vanished completely, replaced by a calm and composed demeanor, with even a slight smile playing on his lips.

Very good, Li Zhuiyuan is very satisfied with this choice.

Now, welcome to:
The law of the jungle applies to navigating the river.

(End of this chapter)