Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 314

In the courtyard, Tan Wenbin held a bowl of soup of unknown name, eating with a spoon while turning around to admire his favorite lotus pot.

Lin Shuyou also filled a bowl and was thinking of asking the others if they wanted some. When he looked up, he saw Runsheng sitting motionless in the shadows, while Xiaoyuan was sitting on a bench by the ditch, deep in thought with his eyes closed.

Ah You had no choice but to take the bowl and walk over to Tan Wenbin's side.

“Brother Bin, since you like this jar so much, let’s get one for Grandpa Li’s house too.”

"This requires Grandpa Li's consent to demolish the dam, tear down the houses, dig the foundation ten meters down to set up the formation, and then repair and maintain it every year."

"Is that how it is? That's impossible. Brother Bin, you know so much."

"Yes, you can do what I do and read more books on formations."

Li Zhuiyuan is recalling his memories.

The first point is the incident with the three incense sticks on the way to Fengdu last time. At that time, Zhao Yi was spared from death, but in fact he benefited from the first two incense sticks.

The second point is that Zhao Yi was sent to Su Luo to deal with the Bodhisattva's backup plan. Zhao Yi used the secret technique of the black book that he left in the body of the tomb owner Su Luo, which brought side effects to himself.

But putting aside the side effects, the experience of being able to use the Black Book's secret techniques is extremely valuable. Even if he doesn't learn it, it will definitely greatly improve his puppetry skills.

On Ghost Street, facing a horde of ghosts controlled by the Bodhisattva rushing towards the gate, he secretly changed the lock on the Ghost Gate, prematurely draining Zhao Yi's energy, which prevented Zhao Yi from dying a spectacular death.

The memory is frozen here: Li Zhuiyuan stands on Ghost Street, with Zhao Yi standing in front of him just moments before his death.

Lin Shuyou died first, and his death was very tragic, which was very much in line with Ayou's state of mind. Zhao Yi's death, on the other hand, was rather hasty.

In the memory, the boy gently waved his hand forward, and Zhao Yi died; then he waved it backward, and Zhao Yi came back to life.

After this happened many times, and Zhao Yi went through several near-death experiences, the boy finally let go of the scene.

Next came the gifts from the Emperor.

What was initially a gift turned into "retribution." What was originally just an initial side effect of Su Luo was given even greater activity by the Emperor.

No matter what Zhao Yi was doing, Su Luo could wake up naturally and take over the body, which meant that in terms of strength, Su Luo was actually equal to Zhao Yi.

In the new memory, Li Zhuiyuan stands on the front of a truck, looking at the people in the cab through the windshield.

Besides Zhao Yi, I was also sitting in the passenger seat.

The memory images moved forward, backward, forward again, and backward again. Su Luo appeared naturally each time, controlling Zhao Yi.

Then, it was I, in the passenger seat, who stepped on the brakes in time, preventing the truck from plunging down the slope.

In the next memory scene, Zhao Yi was hung up and whipped in a peach grove until his spirit and body almost fell apart. Then Qing An peeled "Su Luo" onto a peach tree, which was actually transferred to Qing An himself.

Li Zhuiyuan stood under the peach tree, side by side with the version of himself from his memory, both of them witnessing Su Luo "walking out" of the tree.

Immediately, Li Zhuiyuan turned his attention to Qing An.

Given Qing'an's personality, it either doesn't help at all, or if it does, it won't care about the cost, because it's already seeking death and there's nothing it's unwilling to lose.

Therefore, Qing An could not possibly still covet "Su Luo's" power. He must have simply extracted "Su Luo's" personality into himself, while "Su Luo's" power remained entirely within Zhao Yi's body.

Broadly speaking, Zhao Yi's gains from that wave in Fengdu had two main aspects:

First, crossing the threshold between life and death brought about a qualitative change; second, absorbing Su Luo's power was equivalent to absorbing one of his own.

The secondary improvements include puppetry skills and the fact that Su Luo is easily possessed. After all, Zhao Yi once entered Su Luo's body, and Su Luo later entered his body. With such a deep and thorough exchange, if he hadn't gained some insights and left something behind, he wouldn't be Zhao Yi.

In comparison, simple, quantifiable improvements in strength are not the key, such as the absorption of strength and advancements in puppetry.

On the contrary, the effects of the qualitative change after the Gate of Life and Death, and the mastery of Su Luo's characteristics... cannot be specifically estimated.

The last memory was of killing Zhao Yanglin and his gang on a stormy night a while ago.

Zhao Yi clearly held back, after all, his side had the advantage in numbers and overall strength.

As the memories faded, Li Zhuiyuan slowly opened his eyes.

This means that Zhao Yi has been accumulating and gaining experience recently, but has not yet truly demonstrated his current strength.

It wasn't that Zhao Yi was deliberately hiding something from them; rather, for people like them, restraint was an instinct.

Lin Shuyou always longs to fight someone immediately after each promotion, but Zhao Yi doesn't.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up.

This made Lin Shuyou, who was on the other side, feel a little embarrassed. He was scraping the last bit of soup into his bowl with the jar.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, are you eating?"

"you eat."

"Oh, okay." Lin Shuyou said while eating, "Three-Eyed was really impressive at the dinner table during the day."

Tan Wenbin: "You'll be more impressive when you go back to your hometown next time, if you can let go of the constraints of ethics and morality."

"Cough cough cough..."

Lin Shuyou choked on the soup.

Tan Wenbin: "I'm not kidding you, there aren't many spirit mediums in your family's temple who can successfully perform spirit writing these days, are there?"

Lin Shuyou: "I don't know. I called home when I was in Nantong, but neither my master nor my grandfather told me."

Upon hearing this, Tan Wenbin smiled and nodded.

After placing the bowl and chopsticks on the stone table, Tan Wenbin began:

"I only had some guesses beforehand, but when I saw Zhao Yi return to the Zhao family in his own name, I felt that my previous worries were not a big deal. Originally, it was a disadvantage for the enemy to be in the dark and for us to be in the light, but if we know where the enemy in the dark is, then being in the light becomes an advantage."

Lin Shuyou put down his bowl and spoon and said, "They don't dare to reveal their identities in front of Three-Eyes anymore. Now it's their turn to be uneasy and suspicious."

Tan Wenbin: "This is Jiujiang, the Zhao family's territory. Zhao Yi has a natural home advantage here. Tomorrow morning we will set off from the outer residence to the ancestral home in the mountains to pay respects to our ancestors. I think Zhao Yi will make a move against them soon."

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Who are they?"

Tan Wenbin was stunned, then his eyes showed deep thought.

Lin Shuyou: "It's the group of people sitting at the table at today's family dinner."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Aren't you two sitting at the table too?"

Lin Shuyou: "But how could three eyes possibly be right..."

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, do you mean that Zhao Yi might treat us all the same?"

Lin Shuyou: "But it was Three-Eyed who invited us to Jiujiang to help him..."

“I don’t think Zhao Yi would do that, but the Zhao Yi of today has the motive to do so.” Li Zhuiyuan walked to the lotus pot, put his hand into the water, and the white cold air began to recede. The boy continued, “He plans to personally set the Zhao family on fire, burning the Zhao family and also burning these people who infiltrated the Zhao family to death.”

Ice crystals condensed on the surface of the jar. The boy moved his palm upwards, and the ice crystals moved upwards with him, condensing into an ice lotus flower.

Li Zhuiyuan: "We didn't come to Jiujiang simply to help him. All along, Zhao Yi and I have been getting what we need. This time, we came to Jiujiang because I have my eye on the Zhao family's treasure trove."

If, after burning those guys to death, the Zhao family, like a rotten pile of firewood, still had a large amount of combustible material left, even if you were in Zhao Yi's shoes, you wouldn't be able to help but wonder whether you should have burned us all down with it.

In the shadowy corner, a green light flashed in Runsheng's eyes before disappearing.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Lin Shuyou: "On Qingcheng Mountain, you beat up Xu Ming. Your purpose was to warn Zhao Yi in advance so that you could better achieve the next cooperation."

I don't mean to drive a wedge between you. Zhao Yi has been with us for so long, and we know each other so well. It's normal for feelings and trust to develop between us.

But this is on the river, and we are experiencing a wave. Any cooperative relationship must be constantly reconsidered in light of the changing situation.

From this moment on

Let's take this wave seriously and not make the Zhao family's treasure trove our main objective.

Don't think that we are helping Zhao Yi or bestowing favors upon him from above.

Maintain a suitable distance, keep a sense of propriety, treat Zhao Yi as another team in this wave, readjust to each other, seek common ground while reserving differences, and strive for cooperation.

"understand!"

"clear."

Li Zhuiyuan took one last look at Tan Wenbin before going back to his room to rest, with Runsheng following him.

Lin Shuyou bit his lip, sometimes frowning, sometimes looking melancholy.

Tan Wenbin reached out and put his arm around Lin Shuyou's shoulder, patting him gently.

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, will Three-Eyed really set us on fire?"

Tan Wenbin: "You have a superficial understanding of what Brother Xiaoyuan said. Didn't you hear what Brother Xiaoyuan said? Brother Xiaoyuan himself believes that Zhao Yi will not make a move against us."

Lin Shuyou: "Then..."

Tan Wenbin: "At first, Zhao Yi thought that he would reduce the Zhao family's wealth so that he could take control and rise again in the future. Now that things have gotten bigger and the nature of the matter has changed, the entire Zhao family may cease to exist. Zhao Yi has gone from wanting to protect the broken pot to wanting to smash the pot himself."

What Xiao Yuan just talked about is actually a kind of interpersonal relationship. When you were a kid, you used to wear open-crotch pants and play in the mud with your childhood friends. As your status and position change, you can't just throw mud at them when you meet again, right?

At this point, adjusting and changing the way they interact is not about actively distancing themselves, but rather about better maintaining the relationship they initially shared.

Lin Shuyou: "I understand."

Tan Wenbin: "Do you really understand?"

Lin Shuyou said firmly, "If Three-Eyed dares to attack us, my golden mace will smash his eyeballs."

Tan Wenbin: "Sigh, next time you have this kind of problem, you should talk to Runsheng."

After leaving those words, Tan Wenbin went back to his room to sleep.

Lin Shuyou stood still and looked up at the moon above the courtyard.

He originally hated Three-Eyed the most, but when he heard Brother Yuan say that Three-Eyed might also attack them, his feelings became the most complicated.

"Young man, is Old Tian, ​​the three-eyed man, still living in Nantong...?"

"That's why he likes you so much; the more someone lacks something, the more they crave it."

"Crash!"

Lin Shuyou turned his head to look at the lotus pot.

On the surface of the jar, the ice lotus that Brother Xiaoyuan had casually made earlier had crumbled and shattered.

……

Zhao Yi moved back to his own small courtyard.

At this moment, he was standing at the entrance of the courtyard, and outside stood Zhao Heming and Chen Cuier.

Choosing a three-bedroom apartment as an alternative would normally be the simplest option.

The third wife held a superior position; one only knew how to feign refinement, while the other spent her days lamenting the passing of spring and the coming of autumn.

But to everyone's surprise, as the performance went on, "his" son returned.

If they were ordinary third-generation children from other houses, then they could be disposed of at will; killing, burying, or replacing them would be as simple as it gets.

But the one in front of you is someone you dare not act rashly, and you have to be extremely careful even when you try to test the waters.

“I’ve said before that you are not welcome in my yard, please leave.”

Zhao Yi showed no mercy as he saw his guest off.

Zhao Heming and Chen Cuier exchanged a glance, then turned and left. The father let out a long sigh, while the mother kept turning back to look at him.

Zhao Yi ignored them, returned to his room, and lay down on his small bed.

Old Tian's bed was originally a makeshift one; while others were female roommates, he was an old man.

When an adult lies down on it, even the slightest movement will cause a creaking sound.

When I was a child, I slept in this small bed with Lao Tian. The breeze from the palm-leaf fan mixed with the sound of the bed shaking helped me fall asleep.

Zhao Yi's eyelids slowly lowered, his vision first blurred, then a flame appeared.

The fire burned not only the bed and the room, but the entire Zhao residence, and the air was filled with the agonizing screams of the Zhao family.

Zhao Yi remained calm; this level of emotional turmoil had no real impact on him.

If the Zhao family is destined for hell, then it is up to Zhao Yi, the one who should personally open the gates to hell.

Those hands that tried to reach out,
They will all be severed by themselves!
……

The next morning, before dawn, the house was already bustling with activity.

The auspicious time for ancestor worship is very early, which means that the departure time from the outer residence will be even earlier. Moreover, after returning from the ancestor worship, we still have to greet the guests who came today.

The Zhao family members were dressed in a retro style today, with blue as the main color. The procession carrying the sacrificial offerings was ready, waiting for the head of the family and the members of the four branches of the family to arrive.

Zhao Shan'an arrived and stood on the steps.

The other four families also came.

The eldest son and his wife were with their two sons; the third son and his wife were standing there; the fourth son of the fourth wife looked quite young, but the woman next to him had wrinkles on her face, and two very young twins stood beside her.

Zhao Shan'an's gaze lingered a little longer on the second wife's side, who had also brought her mistress along.

It's a bit absurd, since they just brought her home from outside and haven't even had a proper homecoming ceremony yet, but second wives have always been absurd.

Zhao Yi was the focus of the entire event. After he arrived, he nodded to Zhao Shan'an and then walked down one side, passing in front of the four families.

Zhao Yi remained indifferent throughout in front of the four members of the main family.

Zhao Shan'an nodded slightly. It was certain that the eldest son's wife had been replaced, because the contrast in her behavior before and after was too obvious.

Of course, it's understandable. Replacing one person is easy, but replacing one person while simultaneously managing the operation of a family is really too demanding.

When Zhao Yi reached the second wife's house, he stopped.

Zhao Yi: "Second Uncle, you are still vigorous despite your age."

Tan Wenbin: "I'm getting old, I can't compare to you, Brother Yi."

Zhao Yi: "Second Uncle isn't old, and he's still quite the ladies' man. Be careful he doesn't ruin himself."

Tan Wenbin looked embarrassed, his gaze wandering, as if some sordid secret had been exposed. He immediately stepped forward, leaned close to Zhao Yi, and whispered:
“Brother Yi, your second uncle also has his own unspeakable difficulties, really.”

The voice was lowered, but it was still clearly audible to the people here.

Zhao Yi pushed "Second Master Zhao" away with some disgust, and wiped his hand on the clothes in front of Second Master Zhao.

Then, Zhao Yi looked at his... second aunt.

Zhao Yi: "Second Aunt has become younger."

Lin Shuyou was somewhat embarrassed and didn't know how to respond, mainly because Xiao Yuan didn't remind him in his mind, leaving him at a loss.

But this reaction is just right.

Zhao Yi glanced at Zhao Yong.

When Zhao Yi looked down at Li Zhuiyuan, a hint of tenderness appeared in his eyes.

Zhao Yi: "I don't remember you being in the second wife's household."

Zhao Shan'an said, "Your second uncle just brought it back from outside the other day."

"Oh, you just brought it back from outside?"

Zhao Yi bent down, looked at Li Zhuiyuan, and smiled.

This was the first time the eldest son of the Zhao family had shown such an expression since returning home.

He cupped the boy's face in his hands, his gaze revealing a profound meaning.

"Brought it back from outside..."

Zhao Yi rubbed Li Zhuiyuan's face with his hand, and gently pinched it before pulling away.

Zhao Shan'an saw all of this, as did the others in the other rooms.

He ignored the eldest son's family, but made contact with even the most disgusting second son, Master Zhao, and was even more enthusiastic towards the boy he had just brought back from outside.

If Zhao Yi really knows something, then it means that the second wife... was not replaced.

Next, Zhao Yi walked up to his "parents".

"Father, you look haggard."

"You've worked so hard out there."

"Mother, you need to take care of yourself."

"My son, are you going out again this time you're back?"

Zhao Yi didn't answer, left his "parents" and walked directly past the fourth house.

Being overly gentle with your parents only proves that they are not genuine.

It can be said that through Zhao Yi's series of actions, the first, third, and fourth wives all came to know each other's identities, no longer remaining shrouded in mystery.

Zhao Shan'an gently rubbed his fingers behind his back, feeling that this seemed too simple.

Zhao Yi walked to the front of the ancestral worship procession and waved to those behind him: "We can set off now."

Zhao Shan'an: "Let's set off to pay respects to our ancestors."

There were six large sedan chairs. The first one belonged to Zhao Shan'an, the second one to Zhao Yi, and the remaining four were used by the four families.

The sedan chair was lifted, and the house was left.

The procession, with suona horns and drums at the front, middle, and rear, leaps and bounds forward.

Their presence created a unique form of isolation.

Sitting in the sedan chair, Lin Shuyou reached out and lifted the curtain. Although it was still dark outside, cars were passing by from time to time, but none of them felt that there was anything wrong with such a procession on the road at this time.

Looking down at the sedan chair bearers, all you could see were their hands and shoulders supporting the sedan chair poles and their legs walking below; you couldn't see their heads or their bodies.

Lin Shuyou lowered the curtain and asked, "Brother Bin, what kind of magic is this?"

Tan Wenbin: "Qimen Dunjia" (a form of divination and strategy).

When answering, Tan Wenbin glanced at Xiao Yuan sitting opposite him. Xiao Yuan didn't reply, which meant that his answer was correct.

Lin Shuyou: "That's interesting."

Tan Wenbin: "The child doesn't know?"

Lin Shuyou: "They have no spirits, they are neither living beings nor ghosts, and they are not the same kind of people as the Child Spirit Society."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Brother Binbin, listen carefully, are there any other teams following us on the perimeter?"

After listening attentively, Tan Wenbin replied, "Brother Xiaoyuan, I didn't hear it."

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes.

The eerie procession traversed the city, where light and shadow alternated. The forests on both sides grew denser, and the slope became steeper. However, those inside the sedan chairs felt no bumps whatsoever.

As dawn broke, the team entered the mountains. Everything around them was very primitive, but soon, fog rolled in, completely obscuring their vision.

"Get off the sedan!"

All the sedan chairs landed on the ground. The sacrificial offerings also fell to the ground, and the musicians and sedan chair bearers all disappeared.

Everyone stepped out of the sedan chair. The surrounding scenery was clear in the foreground, but in the distance, everything was a vast expanse of white. Considering that this was the Lushan area, it truly lived up to the saying, "One cannot see the true face of Lushan."

A majestic stone tablet stands before us, inscribed with four powerful and vigorous characters:

The Zhao Family of Jiujiang

Inside, it should be within the area of ​​the Zhao family's ancestral home.

As the head of the family, Zhao Shan'an should have stepped forward, placed his hand in the groove of the stone tablet, and made the announcement.

He was indeed ready; his right palm was greasy, as if a blue liquid was flowing through it, kneading out the rhythm of the Zhao family's original technique.

At this moment, Zhao Yi stood in front of him.

Zhao Shan'an clenched his right hand and said, "Yi'er has just returned, so you should go and inform the elders of the ancestral home. They will be very happy to know that you are back."

Zhao Yi shook his head: "Probably not."

Zhao Shan pretended not to understand, but in his mind he was analyzing whether the sentence meant: He had already lit a lamp twice to come down the river.

Zhao Yi stepped forward, placed his hand on the stone tablet, and closed his eyes.

The stone tablet trembled slightly.

The thick fog ahead parted to the sides, revealing a clear road with stone sculptures on both sides.

The stone sculpture, wearing a straw hat and a rope-like garment, stands with a sword in its hand. Although weathered and somewhat blurred, it still exudes an aura of majesty and power.

This carving depicts the guardian spirits of the Zhao family.

Most of the Zhao family's guardians were stationed in their ancestral home in the mountains.

A small portion were in the outer quarters, and the token was in the hands of the clan leader.

On that stormy night, Master Zhao brought out four guards to watch over the spirits because he sensed that someone was setting a trap to kill Zhao Xu, and thus wanted to turn the tables on him.

As for why he had command of four guards... it can only be said that the most irresponsible son in the family was often the best at flattering the old man.

Zhao Shan'an touched the token in his sleeve. Unfortunately, the part of the guardians who could be commanded by this token were all dead.

He felt regretful about this. Although the individual strength of the Guardians was not that great, as long as their numbers reached a certain level, the effect of their coordinated formation could still make people's scalps tingle.

If the old man hadn't been so overconfident from his feigned weakness that day, and hadn't immediately summoned the Guardian Spirits to form an array to cover his retreat, but instead insisted on personally finishing off this daring little fry, it wouldn't have been so easy for him to kill him quietly.

It's a pity that this token can only be controlled by the life essence of living members of the Zhao family. Afterwards, I had to suppress all the guardian spirits. What a waste!

Zhao Yi turned around and said to everyone, "We can go now, everyone get into the sedan chair."

Zhao Shan'an said, "Yi'er, this is not in accordance with the rules. The ancestral home is in front; how can we juniors ride in sedan chairs?"

Zhao Yi: "The elder is considerate of us and gave us this special instruction."

After saying that, Zhao Yi took out talismans and sent them flying out one by one, sticking them on the six sedan chairs. The sedan chair bearers who had disappeared before slowly reappeared.

Zhao Shan'an: "It seems that the elder feels sorry for our Yi'er, so let's all benefit from Yi'er's good fortune."

Everyone returned to their respective sedan chairs.

The first sedan chair rose and moved forward, passing the stone tablet.

Next up is the second peak... the third peak... the fourth peak...

Those in front may not notice, but those behind will feel it clearly.

Li Zhuiyuan, who was in the fourth sedan chair, said, "The distance between the sedan chairs has been increased."

Tan Wenbin: "So fast?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "If even you think it shouldn't be like this, then those who come after you will think even more so."

Tan Wenbin: "This style is a bit unlike Zhao Yi's."

Li Zhuiyuan: "This style is actually very much like Zhao Yi's. No matter how sophisticated the plan, what it seeks is nothing more than surprise. Once you have this premise, everything becomes very simple."

They actually made the same mistake as Zhao Yi before them; while Zhao Yi had already openly revealed his hand and gone home, they were still hiding their true intentions, unwilling to shed their pretense.

The fourth family member sat in the sixth and last sedan chair.

The elderly woman spoke up, saying, "The distance between the sedan chairs has been lengthened."

The young-looking man spoke up: "It's normal that the spell's effect is slowed down because the caster, Zhao Yi, is sitting in the second sedan chair and is separated by the Zhao family's barrier."

The woman nodded and asked, "Did he light the lamp a second time?"

Young man: "I don't know. There are more than just us in the waves. When everyone is gathered together, the causal energy interferes with each other, making it difficult to perceive or deduce."

The woman said, "If he lit the lamp a second time, then I can understand. If not, how dare he come back?"

Young man: "There's no need to guess. Besides the second wife, the other groups are probably also thinking about this. We're not the only ones having this headache."

The last sedan chair rose and passed the stone tablet.

At this point, this sedan chair had already created a considerable distance between itself and the one in front of it.

The environment inside the barrier is complex and unique, and normal spatial perception is no longer applicable.

The fog has closed.

On the stone tablet, where Zhao Yi had previously covered with his hand, streaks of blood continued to seep out, gradually turning into a blood-red palm print.

Sitting in the second sedan chair, Zhao Yi reached out and tore off a layer of skin from the palm of his right hand.

It's very thin and tender, with reddish flesh inside.

Zhao Yi began to cross his hands, and lines of blood oozed out, constantly entwining around them.

The next moment, Zhao Yi interlaced his fingers, joined them together, and arched them upwards—Nuoxi Puppet Technique!

At the entrance, the stone carvings on both sides of the road have all begun to peel off, and streaks of bright red blood are constantly shooting upwards from the bottom of the stone carvings.

If the stone carvings could be moved aside at this moment, you could see that each stone carving had a newly drawn array underneath it.

"Bang!"

The sixth sedan chair was lowered down.

The fourth family member lifted the sedan curtain and stepped out.

Just then, the outer skin of the stone sculptures almost completely peeled off, revealing the shriveled bodies of the guardian spirits inside. As they moved, their bodies seemed to inflate, becoming fuller, and even their pale faces showed unusual blue vein marks.

Two rows of stone sculptures, numerous in number, are divided into four groups, forming a formation that encircles and seals off the people of the four houses.

Woman: "What does this mean?"

Young man: "That means he really dares to do it."

The two twins, a boy and a girl, were the first to tear off their disguises and reveal their true selves.

"Has that Zhao Yi gone mad?"

"But what makes him think that these guards can stop us?"

"Buzz!" "Buzz!" "Buzz!"

All the guards trembled collectively. Then, they all drew their swords and daggers, stabbing them into their own chests before pulling them out.

Blue flames spilled from their wounds, and the intensity of their aura surged accordingly.

This means that all the guardian spirits have less than a quarter of an hour left to exist before they are all reduced to ashes.

The four people from the fourth branch all became serious.

The woman said in a deep voice, "He's not trying to stop us with these things."

The young man said, "He wants to use them to weaken and kill us as much as possible."

The woman gritted her teeth and said, "He really is... willing to do anything."

Young man: "I'm starting to doubt whether he really wants to protect the Zhao family."

The Guardians of the Spirits changed their previous defensive and containment formation, switching all four directions to an offensive formation.

then,

All the guards let out a silent growl and charged forward like madmen!
……

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, what kind of tree is that outside?"

Outside the sedan chair, a peculiar forest appeared, with black tree roots, white trunks, and green branches and leaves.

At first glance, I thought it was painted on specifically to prevent insects.

But it's obviously impossible to put it here; even if you wanted to get rid of insects, you wouldn't paint it.

Tan Wenbin: "It is recorded in the Book of Strange Tales of the Jianghu that this is called a funerary tree."

Lin Shuyou: "Are the people buried there also from the Zhao family?"

Tan Wenbin: "That should be true. The conditions for being qualified to be formally buried in the ancestral grave are very strict. Most of the Zhao family members throughout history can only be buried here to guard the ancestral grave and shelter it from the wind and rain."

Lin Shuyou: "So this place can also be considered part of the Zhao family's ancestral tombs, but only the outer perimeter?"

Tan Wenbin: "Mm."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's not just ancestral graves, but also array formations. Each tree is an independent array eye, and the bones buried beneath them are array patterns. Many people who were not quite dead when they were on their deathbeds were buried in advance, and they could not be reincarnated after death... Their souls became array spirits."

After the boy finished speaking, Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou both fell silent.

After a long while, Lin Shuyou finally spoke: "Are the Zhao family really this ruthless?"

They even exploit the remains of their ancestors, taking advantage of them after they die.

Li Zhuiyuan: "The Zhao family is good at business."

Lin Shuyou hesitated for a moment, then said, "No wonder Three-Eyed is so ruthless to himself; it's hereditary."

Just then, Lin Shuyou's eyes widened as he saw a person standing by the roadside outside the sedan chair—it was Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi stood there with his eyes closed, motionless.

Lin Shuyou pointed at him and said, "Three, three, three eyes!"

Tan Wenbin carefully sensed it and said, "It is indeed him."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It wasn't him."

Even the teenager couldn't see anything wrong with that person; it was as if he really was Zhao Yi.

However, Zhao Yi kept his eyes closed, deliberately avoiding looking at the sedan chair where they were, in order to avoid any misunderstanding.

Li Zhuiyuan: "The crack between life and death."

……

At this moment, Zhao Yi, who was sitting in the second sedan chair, had already lowered his head.

If one were to arrive at his sedan chair at this time, one would find that he was already dead, lifeless, with only his shell remaining; he was utterly dead.

……

Chen Cuier: "The sedan chair of the fourth family can no longer be seen."

Zhao Heming: "We can't see the sedan chair in front anymore. The environment here is special, so it's normal."

Chen Cuier: "The ancestral home of the Zhao family is truly a hidden paradise."

Zhao Heming: "At least it's a family that once produced a Dragon King."

Chen Cuier: "A family that has only produced one Dragon King is already like this. I am very curious about how terrifying the foundation of those legitimate Dragon King families must be."

Zhao Heming: "Instead of looking up to others, let's join hands and build a Dragon King family that belongs to us."

Chen Cuier looked at her husband with a smile on her face, her smile as beautiful as a flower.

Just then, Zhao Yi's voice came from outside the sedan chair:

"Father, Mother, do you still remember this place?"

The sedan chair landed.

Zhao Heming and Chen Cuier stepped out of the sedan chair and came outside, where they found themselves in a strange and eerie forest.

Zhao Yi: "I still remember that year when I came here with you in a sedan chair. You held my hand and led me into this forest to play. That was one of the few warm memories of my childhood."

Zhao Heming: "Yi'er, what do you mean by this?"

Chen Cuier: "My son, are you feeling sentimental because of the scenery?"

Although we have now entered the ancestral land of the Zhao family, we are still some distance from the ancestral home, and the sacrificial ceremony has not yet begun, nor have we seen any of the Zhao family elders.

Zhao Yi opened his mouth and spat out a folded purple talisman from the tip of his tongue.

Upon seeing the talisman, Zhao Heming and Chen Cuier's gazes narrowed slightly.

Zhao Yi threw the talisman forward.

The talisman drifted into the woods.

"boom!"

It seemed as if a bolt of lightning had struck the ground, followed by a massive surge of lightning and fire that rushed toward Zhao Yi.

Chen Cuier and Zhao Heming were puzzled, because they could confirm that the person in front of them was indeed Zhao Yi.

What is he doing now? Is he trying to commit suicide?

Zhao Yi's figure was quickly engulfed by the lightning and fire. As he melted away, Zhao Yi turned around, looked at Zhao Heming and Chen Cuier, and smiled.

Although this area is not the core location of the Zhao family ancestral graves, it is still part of the Zhao family ancestral graves.

Just now, Zhao Yi set fire to his own ancestral grave.

The lightning and fire he personally attracted were only the first step. Next, the effects of various formations and the resentment of the Zhao family's vengeful spirits, which had lost their minds, would become the second and third waves, roaring towards this place.

Zhao Yi essentially detonated a minefield in front of Zhao Heming and Chen Cuier.

They had a chance to escape and get away in time, but in the early stages they were still playing the role of Zhao Yi's parents, and later they did not believe that Zhao Yi was willing to commit suicide, thus wasting time. When they came to their senses, the two of them and the sedan chair they were in were surrounded by lightning and fire.

In the distance, distorted feng shui phenomena are being activated, and resentment is constantly lurking.

A sophisticated strategy sometimes only needs to be presented in the simplest way.

Inside the second sedan chair.

“Hiss! Ah!!!”

Zhao Yi, who had been dead, suddenly raised his head.

Black lines emanating from the seam of the Gate of Life and Death on his chest covered his entire body.

Then, his skin began to crack and curl up as if it had been burned, followed by large areas of peeling off.

Covered in blood, Zhao Yi stood up, then squatted down again. He clenched his fists and forced himself to stand up quickly again.

With a flick of his finger, all the bottles and jars placed in front of him shattered, and the powder instantly filled the entire sedan chair space.

"what!"

This pain is no less than that of an ordinary person having a piece of skin peeled off and then being rubbed with coarse salt repeatedly.

Soon, Zhao Yi was completely covered in the medicinal powder.

Finding a blue robe, Zhao Yi put it on, then took out a talisman and stuck it on the robe. The talisman burned, setting the robe ablaze as well.

After the flames died down, the melted clothes clung tightly to Zhao Yi's skin.

Zhao Yi let out a long sigh and sat back down.

He clapped his hands lightly twice.

Behind them, the third sedan chair carrying the eldest son landed at a fork in the road.

The four members of the main family stepped out of the sedan chair.

Grandpa Zhao: "It seems there's something wrong with the sedan chair."

Madam Zhao: "Is it really that simple?"

Grandpa Zhao: "No matter what, let's first divine which path we should take."

Madam Zhao sat cross-legged, took out a tortoise shell, and began to shake it.

This is the ancestral home of the Zhao family, with a special aura, so divination here requires more time.

First Madam: "The divination results are in; take the left path."

At this moment, the sedan chair behind, which was the one carrying the second wife, was carried over without any problems.

Tan Wenbin lifted the curtain, looked at the large room that was standing there, and asked, "What's wrong?"

The old man said, "The sedan chair is broken."

Tan Wenbin: "The sedan chair broke down, why didn't you walk, instead of waiting here?"

The old man didn't say anything.

Tan Wenbin: "Heh, it's impossible that he doesn't even remember the way to the ancestral home, is it?"

The old man said, "Go on your way and stop talking nonsense."

Tan Wenbin: "What a joke!"

After saying that, Tan Wenbin lowered the curtain.

Lin Shuyou gave Tan Wenbin a thumbs up.

They're all fake, but Brother Bin's acting is so convincing, he really does have that Zhao Erye vibe.

The sedan chair carrying the second wife bypassed the sedan chairs parked in front and headed towards the fork in the road on the left.

Upon seeing this, the four members of the eldest son's family ignored the broken sedan chair and headed towards the left fork in the road.

Li Zhuiyuan tapped the side of the sedan chair behind him with the back of his hand.

The sedan chair, which was moving normally, came to a stop.

Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou looked at Li Zhuiyuan, and Runsheng finally opened his eyes at this moment.

Li Zhuiyuan:
"Let's get out of the sedan chair and help Zhao Yi stop the people from the eldest son's family."

……

Inside the second sedan chair.

Zhao Yi, whose entire body was covered in sores that not a single patch of flesh was intact, and whose appearance upon closer inspection was utterly terrifying and unsettling, moved his throat and emitted a hoarse sound:
"Thanks, Mr. Li."

(End of this chapter)