Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 339

Wang Lian arrived, bringing several pairs of cloth shoes she had made herself, as well as a large bag of eggplants freshly picked from her own vegetable garden.

"Come here, Sister Liu, try it on and see if it fits."

As she spoke, Wang Lian squatted down in front of Liu Yumei, holding a green embroidered shoe, and prepared to take off her shoe.

Liu Yumei put down her teacup, bent down, and grabbed Wang Lian's wrist:
"Go to the kitchen and get me a thermos. My water isn't too hot anymore."

"it is good."

When Wang Lian returned with the thermos, Liu Yumei had already changed her shoes.

These shoes aren't exactly exquisite, but the stitching is solid, and while the embroidery isn't particularly lively, it's clear that a lot of thought and effort went into them.

"Great, they fit perfectly and are very comfortable."

Wang Lian: "That's good. I made a pair for Tinghou and Lihou as well. I didn't make any for the kids. Young people these days don't like wearing cloth shoes."

Liu Yumei shook her head: "It's only now that I feel ashamed of wearing cloth shoes. When I get older, no one will be able to make them for me anymore."

Wang Lian chatted with her for a few more minutes, then picked up a broom and started sweeping the floor. When Aunt Liu came over to set up the mahjong table, she offered to help move the table and chairs.

Liu Jinxia and Granny Hua arrived, and their mouths were already chattering away on the path.

Once they reached the dam and sat down at the card table, the two of them, like a comedian, told Liu Yumei what they had just heard.

After listening, Liu Yumei asked, "Where was Pan Zilei poisoned?"

Flower Granny: "Henan?"

Liu Jinxia: "Luoyang".

Liu Yumei nodded.

At this moment, Lin Shuyou returned and immediately began packing everyone's hiking backpacks.

First, pack all the necessities, then stuff the remaining backpack space with Jianlibao (a type of Chinese herbal tea).

After doing all this, Lin Shuyou sat on the coffin and took out the piece of paper with the address written on it.

Sun Caijuan jumped into the fishpond in a fit of rage, and after choking on a lot of water, she was pulled ashore by Lin Shuyou, who had regained his senses.

Soaked to the bone, she cried and tried to hug Lin Shuyou, but Lin Shuyou reacted quickly and stepped back in time. Sun Caijuan missed her hug and rolled several times on the dirt road, looking quite disheveled.

Following the guidelines of the "Walking the River Code of Conduct," Lin Shuyou asked Sun Caijuan if there was anything he could do to help her.
Sun Caijuan said fiercely, hoping he could help her find that heartless and irresponsible guy!
Lin Shuyou said "okay" and then ran off.

In fact, Sun Caijuan never really intended for Lin Shuyou to go to Luoyang to help her find that person. She also didn't think she had such great charm that she could make this young man travel so far for her with just a few words.

But all Lin Shuyou wanted was this "commission".

The latest version of the "Code of Conduct for Walking the River" also records that in the previous wave, Brother Xiao Yuan took advantage of Liu Jinxia's sleep to hypnotize her and obtained the "commission" through sleep talking in her sleep.

In the room on the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan was also packing his hiking backpack.

Li Zhuiyuan was putting things inside, while A Li stood beside him holding up the bag.

After tidying up, the boy fastened the zipper and buttons.

"Ah Li, I'm going out."

Ah Li nodded, walked to her drawing table, and reached out to touch the frame of her sketchbook, as if anticipating a new wave of paintings.

The boy and girl already had a tacit understanding. In their daily lives, they would do many meaningless things that seemed like childish things, but when it came to "walking the river," they would both be very concise.

Every time Li Zhuiyuan left, A Li never cried or clung to his sleeves, and their partings were always very simple.

One said "I'm leaving," and the other nodded.

One is thinking about returning home as soon as possible after this journey; the other will stay at home, waiting for him to come back.

Li Zhuiyuan, carrying a hiking backpack in his right hand and holding A Li's hand in his left, went downstairs.

"Brother Xiaoyuan."

Lin Shuyou handed over the address and recounted what had just happened.

"Currently, we can include it in the list of candidates for 'Waves.' After we arrive in Luoyang, we'll see if we can make contact with Sun Caijuan's man."

"Ah."

The biggest waves were in Zhao Yi's hands, but Li Zhuiyuan was neither flustered nor anxious. In his eyes, these minor waves were more like a urging.

The people on the river had already been busy with the "Yu Family Dragon King Order".

They're either in Jiujiang or Luoyang, somewhere unknown, their brains scattered all over the place.

But I, on the other hand, have been staying at home the whole time.

However, I am not seeking comfort. During this period, I have basically digested all the past experiences, and both I and the team have made significant progress.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that he was very self-aware. As a knife, he not only had subjective initiative, but also sharpened the knife himself.

Li Zhuiyuan handed the bag to Lin Shuyou and walked onto the dam.

The old ladies were playing cards when the boy walked up to Liu Yumei.

Liu Yumei showed the cards in her hand to the boy and asked, "What do you think we should play?"

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at the cards on the table and pointed:
"Sell this one."

"Okay, let's play this one, two of coins."

Wang Lian: "It's done!"

Flower Granny: "Haha, it seems our little champion isn't good at cards either."

Liu Jinxia: "Look at what you're saying. Do you think a person's brain is only for playing cards?"

Liu Yumei taught, "When playing cards, you can't just look at what's on the table. In fact, the worse the hand looks, the more likely you are to go for the big hand."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Understood."

Clearly, the old lady was reminding herself that even a broken ship has three thousand nails.

In this world, perhaps few people understand better than Liu Yumei the true essence of a Dragon King's clan, and the terrifying storms it can unleash when it is determined to fight to the death.

Tan Wenbin returned with Li Sanjiang.

Tan Wenbin was given the task of visiting Pan Zi and his group in Luoyang.

Whether in the city or the countryside, ordinary people, when faced with this kind of situation, will instinctively seek advice from experienced people around them.

After all, the worst-case scenario is that if someone gets into trouble or dies, you'll have to negotiate compensation with the factory. You can't be intimidated or deceived.

Once Tan Wenbin revealed his identity as his biological father, Tan Yunlong, no one could compete with him for the job.

From Li Weihan to Pan Zi and Lei Zi's parents, they are all extremely grateful that he was willing to make this trip and help them get involved in this mess.

Li Sanjiang gave Tan Wenbin some instructions.

Li Zhuiyuan stepped forward and said to Li Sanjiang, "Grandpa, I want to go too."

Li Sanjiang: "Young Marquis Yuan, are you going too?"

Tan Wenbin: "Our teacher has a lot of influence. Last time he came to our house, you saw the grand entrance he made, Uncle Li."

Li Sanjiang: "That makes sense."

Tan Wenbin: "Runsheng will also be going."

Li Sanjiang: "Yes, Runsheng definitely has to go. We need someone with a good physique who can keep things under control."

Lin Shuyou: "Uncle Li, I want to go too."

Li Sanjiang: "Youhou, what are you going to do?"

Lin Shuyou scratched his head, unable to come up with anything he could do there.

Instead, Li Sanjiang waved his hand and said, "They've all gone, so you should go too. You've always gone out together, so you're used to it and it'll be good to have someone to look after you."

Lin Shuyou: "Yes, yes!"

Without further ado, Aunt Liu prepared lunch early, called Runsheng back from the canal to eat together, and then everyone got into the pickup truck, ready to go to Luoyang.

Many of Li's relatives came to see him off. Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look out the window and saw A-Li standing on the second-floor terrace of his great-grandfather's house, and Liu Yumei next to A-Li.

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Xiaoyuan, aren't you bringing Xiao Hei?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "No, I won't bring it."

Lin Shuyou said "Oh". A while ago, Brother Xiaoyuan would specially move Xiaohei into the dojo every night. He thought Brother Xiaoyuan was preparing to bring Xiaohei into the next wave, but it turned out not to be.

What was Xiao Yuan's reason for doing that before?
So naive, he just wants Xiao Hei to watch over them during class, like a dean of students?

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiao Yuan, are we still not going to contact other teams?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Wait for him to contact us."

Along the way, Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou would take turns driving, stopping and starting constantly. Everyone was already used to this way of traveling, and apart from the driver, everyone else would eat and sleep normally to maintain their condition.

It was late at night when they arrived in Luoyang. The car went directly to the hospital where Pan Zi and the others were. Lin Shuyou parked the car, while Tan Wenbin went to find a ward first.

When Li Zhuiyuan and the others came up, Tan Wenbin was already chatting with the nurses on the night shift at the nurses' station, and they seemed to be getting along quite well.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, they're here."

Tan Wenbin led the way into a ward. On a bench outside the ward, two people were sleeping, leaning against each other. They were probably people sent by the local factory.

Pan Zi, Lei Zi, and Liang Jun are lying in the same hospital room, and are currently still in a coma.

They weren't the only ones poisoned; there were other patients in the two wards next door as well.

When the factory in Xingren Town called the village earlier, they themselves were not clear about the specific situation, so the information they received was incomplete.

There were quite a few factories participating in this cooperation meeting, from all over the country. Basically, each factory sent a team led by its leaders, organized by middle-level managers, and selected some young employees to form a group.

Once you arrive here, aside from necessary visits and exchanges, you can arrange your own time.

Panzi and his team quickly found a group of friends who were also attending the conference. The leaders had their own projects, so the young employees naturally got together to hang out.

It would be too costly for so many people to eat out, so they decided to split the bill among themselves.

The factory canteen provides rice, flour, and cooking oil, and everyone can cook their own hometown specialties for fun and excitement, until... a young worker from Yunnan brings out a bag of mushrooms.

This is something that people in many places can't get to eat. Once it's cooked, everyone rushes to try it, and after eating it, they all give it a thumbs up and say it's really delicious.

Then, they all lay down comfortably.

Fortunately, they were rescued in time and have passed the critical period.

To minimize the aftereffects, Li Zhuiyuan administered acupuncture to Pan Zi, Lei Zi, and Liang Jun, and then placed a calming talisman under their blankets.

Those who see it get a share. Li Zhuiyuan then went to the other two wards and gave them acupuncture and left talismans. While giving acupuncture to a dark-skinned young man, who was still unconscious and talking incoherently:

"It's not fully cooked...it will be fine if you cook it a little longer."

After doing all this, Tan Wenbin woke up the two people on the bench outside and negotiated with them as family members, thus handing over the clues about the Waves at this stage.

After finishing all that, it was nearly four in the morning when I left the hospital.

It was still dark, but several shops across from the hospital had already opened for business; they were all soup restaurants.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's go eat."

If you have the means to eat something good, nobody wants to eat compressed biscuits.

I chose one of the restaurants and went inside; there were already customers sitting there.

Luoyang is famous for its soups, which come in a wide variety and each has its own unique characteristics. Putting aside its rich historical and cultural heritage, when it comes to contemporary cuisine, this soup is definitely one that cannot be ignored.

Soup shops generally open quite early. Some people come after finishing their night shift, some have to work the early shift, and some get up early specifically to drink the first soup.

A large pot can't be used to cook just one batch of ingredients, but the first batch is always the most flavorful.

Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou went to order food, and soon the two brought over four bowls of meat soup, four servings of shredded pancakes, four servings of meatballs, and four bottles of Haibi (a type of seafood).

Li Zhuiyuan stirred the soup in the bowl with his chopsticks. There was a lot of meat in the bowl, and it was covered with a layer of scallions and cilantro, which looked very appetizing.

One sip and the soup is fragrant and delicious, with a rich flavor.

Although it also has chili peppers on top, it doesn't pursue the numbing spiciness of Sichuan cuisine. It's more elaborate than the hot pot of northern China, less fancy than the eastern coastal areas, and has a stronger flavor than the south.

Even if you're not a local, you might find your favorite flavors here that you've never discovered before.

If you absolutely had to use a whole word to describe this flavor, it would be just one word:

in!
“Delicious!”

Runsheng had already finished his bowl of soup. When traveling, Runsheng is always very frugal, so it's really not easy for him to praise the food in restaurants.

Tan Wenbin smiled and got up, picked up Runsheng's bowl, refilled it with soup, and soaked the meatballs and shredded pancakes for him.

Runsheng: "Can it be renewed for free?"

Tan Wenbin: "Yes, but I reckon we'll only get one more bowl. No meat is allowed. Once you finish your second bowl, we'll pay for another one. Eat as much as you want. Well, the three of us will eat as much as we want."

After finishing a bowl of soup and soaking some shredded pancakes, Li Zhuiyuan put down his chopsticks.

Next up was the moment for the three partners to "stock up".

Based on past experience, once you follow the waves, new clues will emerge to continue the story. If you haven't seen any yet, then you'll have to wait. Since you're idle anyway, let them feast their appetites.

At this time, there were some customers, but not many. So when so many bowls were ordered, not only did several local aunties who were clearing away the dishes stand by and watch, but even the owner came out to see what was going on. He even started counting the bowls for them and cheered them on.

Li Zhuiyuan got off the table, walked to the shop entrance, and sat down on a plastic stool.

Ahead lies the city's final tranquility before it awakens, while behind lies the vibrant atmosphere of everyday life.

The boy had a feeling that this would most likely be the most comfortable meal they would have in the coming period.

The top forces in the martial arts world are about to join forces to take action against the Yu family, which will inevitably cause great turmoil. Based on Li Zhuiyuan's understanding of the question setter, he should find a suitable entry point to let the lamplighter enter.

The Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world) was responsible for blasting open the gates of the Yu family, and the Jiang River was used to wash in and sever the Yu family's roots.

A woman's figure appeared from ahead.

She was dressed in a white casual outfit and had her hair in a ponytail, giving her a fresh and pretty look.

But looking at her gait and posture as she walked towards him, Li Zhuiyuan felt a sense of unease.

When Ah Li wore the clothes her great-grandfather bought, Li Zhuiyuan had a similar feeling.

This means that the woman in front of you rarely wears such modern clothes on a daily basis, and her walking posture is still in accordance with her usual habits.

The woman's face had been obscured until now, now hidden by a dim streetlamp.

But as she drew closer, the misty feeling dissipated, revealing her true form.

A very young woman, you could even call her "older sister".

Moreover, Li Zhuiyuan had seen this older sister in his "dream".

Chen Xiyuan.

The Chen family of the Dragon King.

When I accompanied Grandma Liu to the "Wangjiang Tower" for a meeting, she was the only one in the square outside. That's when she discovered my identity.

Looking back, it was probably not a coincidence, but rather the blessing of the Dragon King's family that allowed her to "just happen to see through" her disguise.

However, Grandma Liu lifted the curtain and interrupted the process, so she probably doesn't remember herself.

Indeed, Chen Xiyuan did not remember the boy in front of her.

But this did not stop her from becoming interested in the boy sitting at the entrance of the soup shop again.

After all, she had thought that this child from an "ordinary family in real life" was really pretty and delicate, which was why she went up to chat with him for a few minutes.

"Little brother, is the soup at this restaurant good?"

"Delicious."

"Okay, I'll try some too."

Chen Xiyuan walked up the steps, but before entering the door, she stopped and looked down at the boy sitting in front of her.

She didn't understand why she felt a strange sense of familiarity with the boy. Was it just because he was good-looking?
Chen Xiyuan shook her head and walked into the store.

When ordering, the owner apologized and said, "You'll have to wait a little longer, it'll be ready soon, it'll be ready soon."

Chen Xiyuan sat down and looked at the next table, where three young people were leaning back in their chairs, eating with great satisfaction, and on their table were three stacks of bowls piled high.

A smile appeared on the woman's face. When someone next to her eats a lot, she is often infected and her appetite improves as well.

Tan Wenbin, Runsheng, and Lin Shuyou, who were digesting their meal, were suddenly connected by Brother Xiaoyuan's red thread, and Brother Xiaoyuan's voice resounded from the depths of their hearts:
"Close your eyes and don't move in a bit, this has nothing to do with us."

The owner came over with a tray, and his wife glared at him from behind. In the shop, customers usually serve their own soup, but when she saw a pretty girl come in, she actually took the initiative to serve her.

"Your soup is here, and this is some shredded pancake for you..."

Before the boss could finish speaking, a cloud of gray mist suddenly rushed into the store.

Everyone in the shop stopped what they were doing, sitting or standing, completely still.

Li Zhuiyuan, standing at the entrance, was the first to be shrouded in the gray fog. He cooperated by dimming the light in his eyes to make himself look more dazed.

A tall, thin man emerged from the gray fog ahead; the gray fog was released from his mouth.

The man grinned maliciously:
"You vile woman, you killed so many members of my Yu family, and you still have the leisure to sit down and drink soup?"

Chen Xiyuan walked to the shop entrance, then took two more steps forward, placing the boy sitting at the entrance behind her.

"They're about to break out of the nest, you beasts, why are you still trying to crawl out?"

"You bitch, you're just asking for death!"

Chen Xiyuan pulled a flute from her sleeve and nodded, saying:
"Well, you'd better die soon, or my soup will get cold."

(End of this chapter)