Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 337

Tan Wenbin took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, took out a lighter, lit it, and kept trying to get the flame closer, but he could never get it right. The flame seemed to be moving around in his eyes, sometimes near, sometimes far, and it was unpredictable.

With great difficulty, he focused his gaze and finally lit it. The cigarette caught fire like a stick of firewood; it turned out he had lit the mouthpiece upside down.

He spat it out, stomped it out with the sole of his shoe, pulled out another one, examined it carefully, and took a bite.

"Brother Bin, let me help you."

Lin Shuyou took the lighter, lit it with a "click," and the flame shot up nearly a meter high with a "whoosh."

Thankfully, Tan Wenbin pulled his neck back in time, otherwise his eyebrows and hair would have been completely cleaned up.

"Brother Bin, I..."

"Forget it, I won't smoke anymore."

Tan Wenbin put away the cigarette box and sat on the coffin.

The reopening of the crash course brought back the feeling of unease everyone experienced during the last class, and this time, due to the increased intensity, the unease was even stronger.

Tan Wenbin's senses are no longer just sharp; under the suppression of Xiao Yuan's illusion array, he has begun to instinctively doubt everything around him. Even the simplest things require several rounds of re-evaluation, which has caused some dislocation in his sensory perception.

Lin Shuyou has a habit of forming hand seals. When he first uses a lighter, he can easily make a small seal by scraping it with his thumb.

Li Zhuiyuan's crash courses will be tailored to each individual's situation.

Runsheng needs to improve his combat skills; he should no longer rely on brute force in battle, but strive to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Tan Wenbin aims to combine his sensory reactions with the power of the Blood Ape, no longer just a radar accessory or someone who relies on the short-term burst of the Blood Ape's power for a one-off deal. His goal is to gradually become the Lin Shuyou of the team.

As for Ayou, he could have relied on his advantages as a "Ghost General" and "True Lord" to better integrate his physical and magical abilities. However, he is now used to wielding double maces and focusing on close combat. Li Zhuiyuan hopes to make up for his shortcomings while correcting his past habits so that Ayou can stand on his own.

In short, what Li Zhuiyuan pursued was not simply to improve his partners' specific abilities, but to enhance their team role attributes, thereby elevating the team's overall strength to a higher level.

Today, the three of us were called by Grandpa Li to Rugao to help with a funeral, but the more we helped, the more chaotic things became.

Tan Wenbin, who was writing the blank book, wrote all the words incorrectly; Lin Shuyou, who was setting up the mourning hall, set the offering table on fire; and Runsheng, who was building the tent, caused it to collapse.

Li Sanjiang was so angry that his beard trembled. He sent the three men home before lunch and told them to go to the Shigang Town Health Center for a check-up to see if they had contracted mule plague again.

On his drive back, Tan Wenbin received a message from Baijia Town, informing him of the contents of the Yu family's Dragon King Decree.

When he got home, the letter was placed in a prominent position on his desk, and Tan Wenbin picked it up and checked the information again.

Tan Wenbin: "This Yu family is really... they actually dare to openly target people who travel across the river."

It's not that you can't target them, but you have to find a suitable reason. People who light lanterns and walk along the river are often noticed by the heavens, especially those who make a name for themselves on the river.

The problem is that Yu Miaomiao, the eldest daughter of the Yu family, is also a person who travels by river with lanterns. She handles matters on the river, and using grudges from the river as a reason on the shore clearly shows that she doesn't respect the will of Heaven.

Furthermore, the reason why the martial arts world tacitly accepts that the Dragon King's Clan can also issue Dragon King's Decrees is not only because the Dragon King's Clan has a high probability of producing Dragon Kings and has a strong foundation, but also because, at least on the surface, the Dragon King's Clan cares about its reputation. Unless it involves extremely harmful and difficult-to-control evil spirits or calamities, it will not easily issue Dragon King's Decrees. After all, in essence, every Dragon King's Decree consumes the credibility accumulated by its own Dragon Kings in the past.

Since ancient times, there has never been a Dragon King's Decree issued in the name of personal grudges and revenge killings, especially since it was issued for people who died due to competition on the river.

Even if we take a step back and say that your Yu family's eldest daughter lost the competition on the river and even lost her life, is that something to boast about? Other families would be too busy hiding this news, but your Yu family actually announced it widely.

Lin Shuyou: "Three eyes...why am I so unlucky?"

Tan Wenbin: "That's understandable, because our Brother Yuan takes a low-key approach, so he has taken over many of our achievements, whether by choice or by force."

Lin Shuyou: "So, Three-Eyed is taking the blame for us?"

Tan Wenbin: "He chose it himself, and he's had his fun."

After the incident in Lijiang, Zhao Yi from Jiujiang suddenly became famous. In the early stages, when he was fleeing with the broken jade, Zhao Yi used all sorts of unbelievable actions to kill a large number of his pursuers.

However, by the time they entered Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Zhao Yi had become a "puddle of mud" and needed Lin Shuyou to carry him to walk. Yu Miaomiao's death really had nothing to do with him.

Lin Shuyou: "If we take this as a clue to the wave that the Yu family is experiencing, then wouldn't the Three-Eyed One become the ticket to this wave?"

Tan Wenbin: "Yes, hostage."

Lin Shuyou: "The Yu family really isn't afraid of anything..."

Tan Wenbin: "That's normal. A beast is still a beast."

Li Zhuiyuan came down from upstairs.

"Brother Xiaoyuan."

"Brother Xiaoyuan."

Li Zhuiyuan: "What are your thoughts?"

Runsheng continued smoking his cigar, habitually conducting meetings without thinking.

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Xiaoyuan, I think this is normal. A beast is still a beast."

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, I think there must be something fishy going on."

Lin Shuyou: "..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's a bit too stupid and deliberate, like it's trying to cover something up in this way."

Old Tian came and brought his homemade chili sauce, which Aunt Liu accepted.

Since Li Sanjiang wasn't home, Old Tian didn't eat there. He glanced at Liu Jinxia, ​​who was playing cards on the dam, and then went back with a smile.

This means that Old Tian was unaware of his young master's current situation.

This is not hard to understand. His life here is like washing his hands of the underworld and retiring from it. Even Xiong Shan usually cuts off his contact with the underworld and doesn't get involved in the troubles of the past.

Old Tian's only contact is Zhao Yi. As long as Zhao Yi doesn't tell him about this, he has no other way to know what's going on in the martial arts world.

Lin Shuyou: "It seems that Three-Eyes not only didn't contact us, but also didn't inform Lao Tian."

Tan Wenbin corrected, "It's normal for the other teams not to notify Lao Tian, ​​but it's very abnormal for him not to notify us."

Lin Shuyou: "Could it be that the three-eyed guy... has already had his head cut off?"

Tan Wenbin: "It's not that bad."

Lin Shuyou: "So he deliberately didn't notify us, holding back his anger and wanting to prove himself?"

Tan Wenbin: "That's even less likely."

Lin Shuyou: "Then..."

Although the Yu family is now a joke, this joke only circulates among the top forces in the martial arts world. Moreover, even now, there aren't many people and forces in the entire martial arts world who are qualified to laugh at the Yu family.

Therefore, this absurd Dragon King's Decree must be effective, and a large number of martial arts practitioners have definitely flooded into Jiujiang with the goal of hunting down Zhao Yi.

Li Zhuiyuan: "He is currently in a dangerous but not dangerous phase."

Lin Shuyou: "I see."

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, do you mean that Captain Zhao actually has enough helpers and allies right now, so he doesn't need our help for the time being, and he doesn't want to expose his relationship with us... or our existence?"

Lin Shuyou looked at Tan Wenbin. Had Brother Xiaoyuan said so much just now?
Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

The boy responded and walked towards the east room.

"Young Marquis Yuan, aren't you going out now?"

"Young Marquis, you seem to have grown taller again?"

Li Zhuiyuan responded to the greetings from the elderly women at the mahjong table and went into the east room.

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, do you think Three-Eyed has accomplices now?"

Tan Wenbin: "Yes, there must be a large group of people who will hunt down Zhao Yi because of the Dragon King's Decree and the bounty promised by the Yu family. But if you really see him as a nobody, would you hunt down Zhao Yi? Even if you exclude your relationship with Zhao Yi."

After thinking it over carefully, Lin Shuyou shook his head: "No."

"why?"

"Because I know that the Yu family is no longer the Dragon King's family, I cannot do anything for the Yu family."

"This is because you have a high enough position and comprehensive information. Guess which forces in the martial arts world have the same information as us?"
As you said before, if we consider this as a ripple, would you choose to kill Zhao Yi and cut off his head, or 'capture' Zhao Yi alive?
Killing Zhao Yi and taking his head to the Yu family to claim the reward would offend the will of Heaven.

If we don't kill Zhao Yi, but instead capture him alive and go to the Yu family with him, wouldn't that also qualify us as VIPs of the Yu family?
Those who can recognize this point, and who also have the mindset of "walking the river," must be the elite of this generation of the martial arts world.

Therefore, while many people are hunting down Zhao Yi, there are also some truly powerful individuals who are extending olive branches to him, or even taking the initiative to befriend him.

Among these people, there must be quite a few who, in the past, were not worthy to sit at the same table with them simply because they were young masters of the Zhao family from Jiujiang.

Lin Shuyou frowned, somewhat indignantly saying:
"Is Three-Eyed doing so well now?"

Tan Wenbin: "You were just worried about him."

Lin Shuyou: "But he's living too well."

Tan Wenbin: "I understand."

Li Zhuiyuan came out of the east room, carrying a memorial tablet wrapped in black cloth in his arms.

When he reached Tan Wenbin and the others, the boy stopped and said:

“Brother Binbin, I think this Dragon King's Decree is the next wave for us, and it will be a wave involving many people and teams.”

But since Zhao Yi hasn't contacted us, let's just pretend we don't know.

Next, classes will continue in the evenings. During the day, please try to engage with the outside world as much as possible; there should be other clues and developments.

Tan Wenbin: "Yes, I understand, we're not in a hurry."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and carried the memorial tablet upstairs.

Tan Wenbin stretched.

If waves are also tiered, then the wave represented by Zhao Yi is undoubtedly the largest in the prelude.

In the past, we would have had to risk our lives to fight and snatch things, but this time, there is no need at all.

Because no matter what, Zhao Yi will definitely contact his brother Xiao Yuan before he finishes his integration and goes to the Yu family.

This allows them to enjoy a peaceful and tranquil time during the early stages of such a tense and exciting period.

"That's the advantage of being an off-the-job employee. Let them do the hard and tiring work, and we'll come out after they've done it well."

Old Lady Hua: "Let's play cards a little longer today, and call it a night later."

Wang Lian: "What's wrong? Do you also have an old farmer in your family that you need to avoid?"

Liu Jinxia reached out and pinched Wang Lian's mouth.

Granny Hua: "Oh dear, I'm not like Xia Hou, who's so old but still looks so youthful. No old man would want me."

Liu Jinxia: "Okay, let's stop playing cards. I'll go find a needle and thread and sew your mouths shut!"

Liu Yumei picked up her teacup, a smile playing on her lips, and watched the three old sisters go crazy.

After making a scene, Granny Hua said, "The power went out at home last night. I have to wait for the village electrician to come back from get off work in town so I can go to his house and call him to come and check on my house."

Liu Jinxia: "An electrician? There are plenty of ones available."

Flower Granny: "Where?"

Liu Jinxia: "I saw Youhou climbing the wall to fix the circuit last time."

Granny Hua: "I'm not familiar with this Youhou."

As she spoke, Granny Hua reached out and gently nudged Liu Yumei: "Sister Liu..."

Liu Yumei put down her teacup, turned around, and called out to Lin Shuyou, who was standing there:

“Ah You”.

"coming."

Lin Shuyou jogged over.

“Grandma Hua’s appliances are broken, go and fix them.” Liu Yumei then pointed to Granny Hua, “Give him your house key, he’ll go right away.”

"Okay." Granny Hua handed the key to Lin Shuyou.

Lin Shuyou took the key, went to the hall to pick up the tools, and ran down to the dam.

A short while later, Lin Shuyou ran back.

Granny Hua exclaimed in disbelief, "This is too fast!"

Lin Shuyou: "Where in the village does Grandma Hua live?"

Granny Hua: "Go to the carpenter's house on the west side of the village. Just keep going in there and you'll find out."

"it is good."

Lin Shuyou ran down to the dam again.

Grandma Hua's house is not a two-story building, but a single-story house. However, the cement on the dam is very smooth, and the single-story house has been renovated.

Lin Shuyou took the key and opened the door to the living room. As soon as he entered, he saw a framed portrait on a long cabinet against the wall. The black and white photo in the frame showed a young man.

Ah You stepped forward, lit incense for the person, and greeted the photo:
"I'm here to fix the electricity."

Then, Ayou began to inspect and repair the equipment.

He wasn't a professional electrician, but his skills were better than those of experienced electricians.

After all, he could tell whether there was electricity or not just by touching it.

After I finished setting it up, I pressed the switch and the light came on.

Ayou nodded in satisfaction, locked the door again, walked to the well on the dam, drew some water, and smoothed his hair that was sticking up.

"Hey, I remember you."

The person who spoke was a young woman from next door, holding a baby and breastfeeding while greeting Lin Shuyou.

Lin Shuyou turned around and looked at her, then immediately blushed and quickly turned away.

"Hehehehe."

The young woman laughed. Last time, when the carpenter's family was building a fishpond, Ayou was sent by Li Sanjiang to help. She had noticed this young man then. He took off his shirt, jumped into the pond, and easily pulled up one side of the net, which would normally take four or five people to lift.

When he came out of the fishpond, he was soaking wet, and his well-proportioned and muscular body was quite a sight to behold.

What are you doing at Grandma Hua's house?

"They're the ones who fix the electricity at her house."

"Oh, I see. My radio is broken. Do you know how to fix it?"

"will not."

"Alright, alright, I've finished feeding you. Cover it up with your clothes."

Lin Shuyou didn't turn around, but said, "I'm leaving."

"No, please. You're strong, can you help me carry this bag of rice?"

"No."

"Please help me out, there's no man in my family."

"No!"

Lin Shuyou walked out.

"Oh no, my man is gone!"

Lin Shuyou stopped and looked back at her.

Then, we walked to her house and followed her directions to a room where there was a grain pile woven from bamboo strips. It must have been broken before, and the grain had spilled out, but it had all been put into rice bags.

After patching up the grain pile, Lin Shuyou tested it and found it wasn't sturdy enough, so he found some rattan and wooden planks on the spot to reinforce it, and then emptied all the rice bags back onto the ground.

"Thank you, here you go."

The young woman handed him a cup.

Lin Shuyou took it, took a sip, and was stunned. It was milk.

"Hehehe. This is formula. I don't have much milk, not even enough to feed the baby, let alone you."

Lin Shuyou put down his cup and said, "Okay, I'm leaving."

"Won't you sit for a while longer?"

"I won't sit down anymore."

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?

"Have."

"Oh, that's great. Where are you from?"

"From Fujian."

The two walked out while talking, and Lin Shuyou was already down the dam and about to set off.

The woman said, "My man is from Henan, from Luoyang."

This isn't a serious conversation, it's just idle chatter, a forced chatter.

But the name Luoyang made Ayou stop in his tracks.

"Your man's surname is Yu?"

"Yes, his surname is Yu."

Lin Shuyou's eyes turned serious. He felt that this was a wave coming, and he had to catch it.

……

in the room.

Li Zhuiyuan was planing a wooden flower roll, while A Li was trying to draw a new talisman.

This talisman cannot be used by others; it was designed by Li Zhuiyuan specifically for his own use, which is why it was very difficult to make.

Finally, after many trials and errors, the first complete talisman was drawn.

This is already an incredibly high efficiency. You have to understand how many people spend their entire lives immersed in the art of talismans, and even then, creating a new talisman is as difficult as climbing to the heavens.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the talisman and placed it in his right palm. The spirit of the black dragon appeared and disappeared into the talisman. The talisman floated up on its own and flew around the room as the boy flicked his fingertips.

The boy gently clenched his fingers, the talisman cracked open, and the karmic fire appeared and then disappeared.

The talisman itself is nothing special; its greatest ability is to temporarily store the spells the boy is about to use, and then release them after a certain period of time and distance.

"Ah Li, I'll have to trouble you to draw some more for me."

Ah Li nodded. After the first successful experience, the success rate of subsequent productions increased significantly.

However, a few beads of sweat appeared on the girl's forehead.

"Okay, let's rest."

Li Zhuiyuan stopped it in time.

Ah Li looked up at the boy, indicating that she could continue drawing.

"Before dinner, we play chess, and after dinner, we go for a walk."

Ah Li put down the cinnabar brush.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the thermos and poured some hot water into the basin. He then wet and wrung out his towel before walking up to the girl.

"Close your eyes."

The girl obediently closed her eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan tested the temperature of the towel, then gently wiped the girl's face.

Although A-Li is meticulously dressed up by Liu Yumei every day, she doesn't wear rouge, so she doesn't have to worry about smudging her makeup.

After wiping her face, Li Zhuiyuan unfolded and folded the towel, then wiped the girl's hands.

The girl's eyes remained fixed on the towel.

"It's uncomfortable to always use new towels."

Upon hearing this, Ah Li looked away from the towel.

The evening breeze brings a touch of coolness to the summer day, a coolness that the summer seems reluctant to experience.

Li Zhuiyuan and A Li sat on rattan chairs on the terrace, playing chess against the backdrop of the sunset clouds.

Lin Shuyou's excited figure burst into view at the corner of the chessboard.

"Brother Bin, Brother Bin, the Yu family, Langhua, Langhua!"

Lin Shuyou grabbed Tan Wenbin's arm and handed him a piece of paper with an address written on it.

Tan Wenbin took the note and listened to Lin Shuyou's story.

The young woman's surname was Sun, and her name was Sun Caijuan. She and her boyfriend met and fell in love in another city. She had just become pregnant and was preparing to return to their respective hometowns to meet their parents and hold their wedding when her boyfriend died in an accident.

Sun Caijuan said she valued relationships and couldn't bear to abort the child, so she returned to her parents' home and gave birth to the baby.

She had a wish: to let her husband's parents know about the child and see the bloodline he left behind.

Tan Wenbin: "Ayou."

Lin Shuyou: "Is it a clue, right, Brother Bin?"

Tan Wenbin: "When the old ladies were playing cards the other day, Grandma Hua mentioned her neighbor. Grandma Hua said that Sun Caijuan was a mistress in Shanghai a few years ago. After she got pregnant, she returned home, gave birth to the child, and received money every month to help raise the child."

Lin Shuyou: "Huh? Could it just be gossip circulating in the village?"

Tan Wenbin: "Didn't you see her family?"

Lin Shuyou: "When I went there, she lived alone."

Tan Wenbin: "Not only her parents, but also her older brother and sister-in-law live in her house. Her mother often boasts in the village that her daughter is capable of marrying a rich man, and the money she receives every month is enough for her whole family's expenses."

Lin Shuyou: "But why did she lie to me?"

Tan Wenbin: "Maybe she's taken a liking to you?"

"Brother Bin, don't joke like that."

"You were the one who joked with me first. Didn't you look at this piece of paper carefully? The address is written in such detail that it wouldn't be difficult to find someone even without a number, right?"
And look... it's Yujia Village.

Lin Shuyou took the paper, examined it carefully, and stood there stunned, muttering to himself:
"Then it's not a wave anymore."

Tan Wenbin patted Lin Shuyou's arm: "Alright, it's not so easy to catch a wave accurately. Keep it up."

Aunt Liu: Dinner's ready!

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan and A Li went for a walk along the river.

Every night, the boy not only has to teach his friends, but also has to do his own special training, which leads to severe mental exhaustion and fatigue. Therefore, in addition to ensuring sleep, he also needs to pay attention to relaxation and rejuvenation.

After their walk, Li Zhuiyuan took A Li back to the east room, then woke up the sleeping Xiao Hei and led him to the rice paddies behind the house.

He opened the barrier and went inside, where Tan Wenbin, Runsheng, and Lin Shuyou were already waiting.

No one complained about how tiring these classes were; they were all people who had faced life and death countless times, and they knew better how to cherish such an opportunity.

Runsheng was practicing his punches, Tan Wenbin was walking around in circles with his eyes closed like a blind man, and Lin Shuyou was diligently forming hand seals. Before the teacher arrived, everyone was doing their own pre-class preparation.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to the altar, and the three people below stopped and stood in their respective positions.

Without saying "Hello teacher" or "Hello classmates," the boy raises his right hand, and the ground ripples again, signaling the start of the lesson.

On a summer night, a person completely covered in clothes was pedaling a tricycle with all his might. The tricycle was loaded with pots, pans, and various vegetable baskets.

Perhaps feeling that the speed was not fast enough, he simply stood up and started pedaling.

As he kicked, a long tail swung out from behind him.

Startled, it quickly grabbed its tail back with its paws, wrapped it around its belly, and then continued pedaling.

"If it's made properly and then delivered, the taste won't be as good. This time, I'll make it fresh for you guys!"

Arriving at the village entrance where the delivery had been made yesterday, the white rat stopped, hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to ride in.

The tricycle moved slowly along the village road, not knowing which house it was, and could only keep sniffing the air.

It's not about finding out where the smell is, but about finding the place with the faintest smell and the cleanest environment.

They actually found it. The tricycle slowly slowed down. Ahead was a gravel road extending from the village road, leading to a house with a large open space.

"It seems... to be here?"

Just then, the white rat saw a woman's figure appear on the dam and glance in its direction.

The white rat suddenly felt as if its neck was being grabbed and it would be crushed at any moment, so it quickly kicked the pedal to get away.

Aunt Liu took a thermos and went back to the west room.

Uncle Qin: "What's wrong?"

Aunt Liu: "Sigh, these competitors are getting more and more outrageous these days, they're practically blatantly bullying us."

Uncle Qin: "You didn't kill it, did you?"

Aunt Liu: "You're quite good at pulling your elbow outwards."

Uncle Qin: "I'm afraid you'll get tired if you get up at night to cook a midnight snack."

Aunt Liu: "If it had just come down from the village road, I would have made you a meal of dried rats tomorrow; but Xiao Yuan and the others are really extravagant, exchanging good deeds for a midnight snack."

Uncle Qin: "As long as the children are happy."

Aunt Liu: "Yes, I'm still too naive. I've almost forgotten what it was like when we had a Dragon King in our family. I even find this little bit of merit incredibly precious."

Uncle Qin: "..."

Aunt Liu: "Hey."

Uncle Qin: "What's wrong?"

Aunt Liu: "That sacrificial rat rode off to Big Beard's house."

……

"This is terrifying! This village is so scary!"

The white rat only stopped kicking when it was almost exhausted.

Before they could even catch their breath, they saw a woman walking down from the dam of a house ahead, carrying a baby in her arms.

"Die!"

The white rat was startled again and immediately turned the tricycle around to leave, shouting at the same time:
"If you eat a child, you can't eat a rat. Children taste better than rats. Rats smell bad and don't taste good!"

To its surprise, despite pedaling hard, the tricycle didn't move forward but backward. The white rat looked down and discovered that a peach branch was tangled around its tricycle and was pulling it backward.

The white rat tried to jump out of the car, but the peach branch immediately spread up and locked it tightly.

At last,
The car, along with the rat, was dragged into the peach grove.

After class, Lin Shuyou, just like yesterday, went to the village entrance to wait for his takeout.

After waiting for a long time, we didn't even see a shadow of them.

"Hey, where did that mouse go?"

-

I owed 1,500 yesterday and 3,000 today. I'm currently designing the next wave of the story, so I'm experiencing some writer's block. Let's say I owe 4,500, which is 5,000. I'll make up for it tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)