Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 341

Between the shops along the street, there is an alley leading inwards, where many small hotels are located.

Once inside, you can see the hotel signs on both sides of the walls, crowding and straddling each other.

Every so often, there is a narrow staircase leading to the second floor, where the check-in area is located. On the ground floor, there are small massage rooms decorated with pink paper and colorful lights.

It's still early, before dawn, and the massage room isn't open yet. The roller shutters are down, blocking the transparent glass door inside.

However, one shop in particular caught Li Zhuiyuan's attention.

A shop window, only half a meter wide, shows a few pieces of clothing hanging inside, each with a label bearing four characters: one pair reads "Yaoji" and the other "Tailor".

This should be considered a storefront, but it doesn't have a door; there's only a small window that's locked from the inside.

Moreover, it must have been a small section partitioned off from the already tiny shop next door, "Sister Hong's Massage".

Adult men cannot walk straight in the store; they must move sideways.

What attracted Li Zhuiyuan were the few pieces of clothing hanging inside.

Seeing Ah Li wear different clothes every day has made the boy somewhat of a connoisseur in this field. He noticed that the clothes in this collection are very similar in workmanship and material to the ones Ah Li usually wears.

Grandma Liu designed all the clothes for A-Li herself and then had them made by old shops outside. Each piece was quite expensive.

But if this is also an old shop, then it's a bit too much of a hidden gem in the city.

Next to the tailor shop, there was a small staircase leading up. Li Zhuiyuan pointed to it:

"Let's stay here."

The hotel sign reads "Yao Family Hotel".

Upon reaching the second floor, behind the dilapidated counter, a man who appeared to be about fifty years old, wearing only underwear and shirtless, was sleeping.

His bed was made of several square stools pushed together, with a small window above his head. He snored quite loudly, and you could hear him when you went upstairs.

"Boss, boss."

Tan Wenbin woke up the boss.

The boss rubbed his eyes, yawned, and then immediately got into character, forcing a smile: "Rooms."

Tan Wenbin: "What else can you do if you don't live in a house?"

Boss: "Want to do it? I can arrange it."

Tan Wenbin: "Apartment space, do you have standard rooms?"

The owner said, "A room can accommodate a maximum of two people. The price varies depending on whether there is a toilet or not, or whether there is a window or not."

Tan Wenbin: "Are there two rooms, one with a window and one toilet, that need to be next to each other?"

Boss: "Yes, but it's too early. You'd better check in now..."

Tan Wenbin: "Count it as two days."

Boss: "Okay."

After a quick registration, the owner led the four of them to their room.

Midway through, I saw an old woman with a cane in the aisle.

"Mom, you're up?"

"Yes, I'm up."

"Wait a minute, I'll take the guest to his room first, then I'll go buy you breakfast."

"You go ahead and get busy."

The old woman was dressed simply and was very clean. A wooden hairpin was inserted into her tied-up white hair.

Ah Li once wore this hairpin.

Li Zhuiyuan is now certain that the old woman is the owner of Yao's Tailor Shop downstairs, and that she has a connection with the Liu family.

Ah Li not only has many clothes and accessories, but she also changes them regularly, so this hairpin must have been given away by Grandma Liu.

This hairpin was used by her own granddaughter. The fact that Grandma Liu was willing to give it away proves the close relationship between the old woman and Grandma Liu.

The old woman seemed to sense something, stopped, turned around, and looked at the boy.

Her gaze was like a ruler.

Li Zhuiyuan felt as if he was being measured.

The old woman looked puzzled.

Li Zhuiyuan understood her confusion. It was highly likely that among the clothes Grandma Liu gave her, there were some handmade by this old woman. She recognized a familiarity in her figure.

But teenagers are in their developmental stage and their clothes change a lot. They only change their clothes seasonally, not as frequently as Ah Li. The old woman probably just felt that the clothes were familiar, but couldn't be sure.

The old woman shook her head, stopped looking, turned around, and continued walking forward.

Boss: "These are the two rooms, are they alright?"

The room wasn't big, the walls were a bit dark, and the floor tiles were somewhat broken, but it was very clean.

Tan Wenbin: "Okay, let's book for five days first. No one needs to come in to clean during the period."

Boss: "Okay, I've got it."

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the window, which was located on the outer street corner with a wide view.

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, what do we do next?"

Pan Zi and his group's waves connected with Chen Xiyuan, thus continuing the connection.

There's still no clue about Sun Caijuan's affair with Lin Shuyou, and it's unclear whether it's true or false.

The main source of contact, Zhao Yi, did not send any messages to him.

Li Zhuiyuan: "We've just finished eating, let everyone rest for a bit. Even if we don't go looking for trouble, trouble will probably come looking for us soon."

Tan Wenbin: "Okay, I'll go and inform them right away."

After giving the notification, Tan Wenbin lay down on the spring bed and stretched comfortably.

In previous waves, everyone, led by Brother Yuan, raced against time to seize the initiative. This time, however, they were really relaxed.

As the sun rose, the area downstairs gradually became lively.

Massage parlors usually open in the afternoon, with the prime time being from after dinner until late at night, although most people are already up by then.

Although he couldn't see, Li Zhuiyuan could hear the sounds from Yao's Tailor Shop downstairs.

Many women took their clothes to the old woman for mending.

The old woman was very skillful; she sewed quickly and steadily, mending clothes and trousers in no time. She would also chat with these women of varying ages in a kind voice, occasionally letting out a hearty laugh.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan raised his head and looked towards the northeast, where a strange dark cloud was in the sky, disrupting the feng shui and weather.

Li Zhuiyuan:
"Get up."

……

The location was in the suburbs of Luoyang. Tan Wenbin drove everyone there, and when they were almost at their destination, the car stopped and everyone got out.

Such a commotion would certainly not only attract our group, so there's no need to rush forward blindly.

Walking forward and slowly approaching, I saw a large billboard at the corner of the road. Below it was an advertisement for alcohol, and above it read, "Welcome to Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum."

Lin Shuyou: "Is this museum really what it means literally?"

Tan Wenbin: "I once saw a brochure that introduced it. It seemed to involve transporting the materials from the excavated tomb to the museum and reconstructing it one-to-one."

Lin Shuyou: "So there's more than one tomb?"

Tan Wenbin: "There are many tombs inside. You can even go in and out of the tomb chambers during your visit."

Lin Shuyou: "That sounds really interesting. I envy the elementary school students here for having such a great place for a spring outing."

There is a downhill road in front of the museum, with commercial streets on both sides, but the commercial atmosphere is not very strong. There are not many shops to begin with, and even fewer are open, selling only local snacks.

Clearly, this museum is not very popular, and the number of visitors is extremely low.

Runsheng's gaze fell on a small stall next to him, which sold souvenirs such as copper coins. Runsheng took a fancy to a set of shovels, about the size of a palm, placed in a plastic bag, like a small toy.

After some haggling, Tan Wenbin bought it, handed it to Runsheng, and said:
"Since we're already here, let's take it back as a souvenir."

Runsheng touched it and said, "I thought it was plastic."

Tan Wenbin: "The plastic doesn't feel good to the touch."

Runsheng: "But plastic burns better."

Tan Wenbin: "You burned a set of Luoyang shovels for Mengmeng, are you hoping she'll dig herself out of the underworld?"

Runsheng: "I just wanted to tell her where we went again."

Tan Wenbin was about to say something more when his expression suddenly hardened, and he said:
"Brother Xiaoyuan, she's here too."

The unique weather here doesn't discriminate against people at all, so it's normal for Chen Xiyuan to be attracted here.

The two sides are now quite a distance apart. Li Zhuiyuan and the others are still on the street below, while Chen Xiyuan is already at the ticket gate above.

Tan Wenbin: "Why do I feel like she's just like us, waiting for someone to come to her?"

Lin Shuyou: "It should be because they are strong and have confidence."

Tan Wenbin patted Lin Shuyou on the shoulder: "Ayou, you've improved."

Lin Shuyou: "Huh?"

Tan Wenbin: "It's nothing."

He couldn't stare at her from a distance for too long, so Tan Wenbin looked away and turned back to look at her after a few breaths.

"Huh, she's gone?" After going through the ticket gate, there's still a long flight of stairs to climb. Unless Chen Xiyuan uses her movement technique, as long as she moves in a normal way, she can't possibly escape our sight.

Li Zhuiyuan: "There was a formation set up in the museum."

Tan Wenbin: "Then what about us?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's go in later. There should be other people going in. Let them go in first and give me some time to break this formation."

The boy pointed to a noodle shop ahead and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

Lin Shuyou: "I'm full."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Then let's have another bowl of fermented noodle soup to aid digestion."

The noodle shop was very simple, just a tin shed, but it was close to the museum entrance.

After sitting down, Tan Wenbin ordered three bowls of noodles with fermented soybean paste.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up a clove of garlic from the small table and began peeling it.

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Xiaoyuan, let me peel it."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't respond, but the peeled garlic skins began to swirl on the small table, and the boy's gaze remained fixed on the museum ahead.

It turns out that Brother Xiaoyuan was breaking the formation.

Lin Shuyou got up, took another clove of garlic from the next table, and peeled it with his hands under the table, afraid that the garlic skin he peeled would disturb Xiao Yuan.

"The fermented noodle soup is here!"

The owner brought the noodles over.

Runsheng lit an incense stick, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating noodles. Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou followed suit. Eating this in the middle of summer was truly appetizing.

Lin Shuyou shared the garlic he had peeled with everyone, and a series of slurping sounds immediately came from the table.

After finishing the first bowl, Tan Wenbin asked the owner to make three more.

While eating noodles, everyone's eyes were drawn to Xiao Yuan's hands, where garlic peels were piling up, arranged in various ways, sometimes resembling yin and yang, sometimes reciting the eight trigrams.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Someone inside sensed that I was deducing the formation, and he is changing the formation."

Lin Shuyou: "That person's formation skills are very strong?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Yes, that's excellent, you've made great progress."

The boy's fingertips moved even faster, and the garlic skins, which were like drifting catkins, were almost given the texture of flowing water.

Li Zhuiyuan pressed down gently with his palm, and with a "snap," the garlic skin shattered and dissipated into powder.

The boy peeled garlic and put it into his friends' noodle bowls in batches, without wasting any.

"Alright, I've grasped the basic operating logic of his formation. Let him continue making changes."

Lin Shuyou looked up at the sky, his vertical pupils slightly widened.

The dark clouds overhead were still churning, indicating that the opponent was still changing tactics, but my little brother Yuan was no longer playing with them.

After finishing his second bowl of noodles, Tan Wenbin indicated that he couldn't eat anymore, as he had eaten too much that morning. However, when he asked Runsheng and Lin Shuyou, neither of them answered.

Tan Wenbin then ordered the owner to make four more bowls.

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, did I eat a little too much?"

Tan Wenbin: "It's alright, you and Runsheng can eat as much as you want. The more you eat, the better you can pretend. After all, you can't fake your appetite."

Lin Shuyou finally couldn't eat anymore, and Runsheng, after eating one more bowl than Lin Shuyou, also put down his chopsticks.

Tan Wenbin said to Li Zhuiyuan, "Brother Xiaoyuan, I just heard footsteps. There were five groups of martial arts practitioners. If we count those who might have noticed the footsteps, I estimate that eight groups of people went in just now."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, it's time for us to go in."

Tan Wenbin went to pay the bill, and then the four of them, like tourists, walked towards the museum.

Tan Wenbin, who had just returned after buying the tickets, looked puzzled. As he distributed the tickets to the group, he whispered to the boy:
"Brother Xiaoyuan, I think the ticket seller is acting a bit strange."

Li Zhuiyuan: "They are puppets. Not only are they at the ticket counters, but the staff at the ticket gates are too."

Tan Wenbin: "So, this is a trap?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Do you know what kind of puppetry this is?"

Lin Shuyou: "Which one?"

Tan Wenbin: "Nuoxi puppetry?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, besides the book on formations, have you also been reading about puppetry lately?"

Tan Wenbin: "Because apart from Nuo opera puppetry, we don't know anything else, and Brother Xiaoyuan won't ask any more questions."

“Wait a minute, Nuo opera puppetry…” Lin Shuyou slapped his forehead, “Three eyes.”

Lin Shuyou took a step back and looked at the museum in front of him.

So, the one who set up this formation and was previously competing with Xiao Yuan's formation was Zhao Yi?
Tan Wenbin: "Since the other teams still haven't notified us, does that mean that even if we meet them, we have to pretend we don't know them?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Okay, let's go in."

Although everyone knew that the staff at the ticket gate were puppets and not real people, the details of their laziness—hiding in the shade and tearing up their tickets—were vividly portrayed.

As you walk up the steps and enter the building, a faint earthy smell fills the air, and the temperature drops immediately.

This is not the effect of a formation, but rather the natural function of a tomb to calm the mind and cool down.

Of course, they had already entered the formation's range the moment they stepped onto the stairs.

Once inside, the first thing you see is a map. Following the directions, you'll see a series of stone tablets.

Further in, past a side hall, you arrive at the burial area.

Along the way, we didn't see anyone else besides ourselves.

Although there aren't many tourists here, quite a few groups had gone in before, and since the entrance and exit are both at the main gate, they haven't come out yet.

In the burial area, many dimly lit lamps were hung—some blue, some green, some red…

Some of the lights are clearly not making proper contact and are flickering continuously.

This is probably not due to negligence on the part of the management, but rather a deliberate act. These days, cultural institutions like this aren't doing very well, and they have to find ways to generate revenue. Deliberately creating a gloomy effect is one such tactic.

Two rows of tombs appeared before the crowd, each with an iron plaque at its entrance, recording information about the tomb and its occupant.

There are single graves, joint graves for husband and wife, and even graves for husband and wife with concubines.

It feels like coming to a road in a small village, with houses on both sides, each with a different number of people.

Tan Wenbin: "Living off the land and water, isn't that a kind of blessing from our ancestors?"

There are so many tombs underground that they could be dug up and turned into a museum, a theme park for children to play in.

There are no barriers at the entrance to the tomb, so people can crawl in at will. There are railings when you reach the specific burial chamber, but no one is watching over them. People who don't follow the rules can even lie down inside.

However, the danger level here is very high. Everyone just looks around and no one actually goes inside. The space inside is too small, and if something unexpected happens, it's easy to get hurt.

But Li Zhuiyuan still stopped in front of a tomb gate, where a sign read that this was a joint tomb for the male owner, his legal wife, and his concubine.

The tomb owner's surname was Lin, his wife's surname was Chen, and his concubine's surname was Bai.

Tan Wenbin's lips twitched involuntarily when he saw the sign.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's go in and take a look."

Runsheng went in first, having to bend over, as did Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin who followed behind. Li Zhuiyuan, who was in the middle, did not have to.

Once inside the tomb chamber, the space becomes spacious enough for an adult to stand upright.

There are three coffins inside. Logically, the tomb owner and his wife should be placed side by side, with the concubine on one side, or the tomb owner's coffin should be placed on the main side, the wife's on the side, and the concubine on the outside.

But here, there are three coffins, all crammed together in the tomb's main chamber, filling it completely and fitting in perfectly.

It's like she won't let go until death, and she'll continue to fight for this man even in the afterlife.

Li Zhuiyuan placed his hand on the coffin in the middle.

This tomb chamber is the central point of the entire museum's layout, and this coffin is the core of that layout.

The boy tapped his knuckles on the surface of the coffin.

"Squeak!"

"Squeak!"

"Squeak!"

A series of creaking sounds came from inside, indicating that the being inside was trying to open the coffin lid, but because the wives and concubines on both sides were too tightly packed, he was unable to open it successfully after several attempts.

Finally, with a loud "bang," the coffin lid shattered from the middle.

Amidst the dust and smoke, Zhao Yi sat up, his eyes cold and his lips curled into a mocking smile.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Who are you?"

Zhao Yi: "I am the Zhao Yi from Jiujiang that you are looking for."

As he spoke, Zhao Yi raised his head and shouted upwards:

“You all have your own things to do, and I’m also bored. I’ll deal with this group myself.”

Then,

Zhao Yi lowered his head and looked at the boy standing in front of him:
"It's hilarious! Whose kid, who hasn't even grown all his feathers yet, is trying to run around like a wanderer?"

(End of this chapter)