Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 368

Chen Xiyuan held a tray in her left hand, on which were four cups of tea and a pack of cigarettes; in her right hand she carried two bags, one large and one small, the small bag containing candy and the large bag containing steamed buns.

The girl lightly pushed against the door with her toes, but couldn't open it. Although the door wasn't locked from the inside, it was normally closed.

He carefully opened the door and covered the lock.

With a "click," the handle turned on its own, and the door opened.

There were four small straw mats on the floor of the room.

Li Zhuiyuan, Tan Wenbin, Runsheng, and Lin Shuyou each sat around on the ground, one on each.

Chen Xiyuan wasn't sure if her arrival had caused the meeting to be interrupted, or if their silence had simply been going on for a while.

Four cups of tea were placed in front of four people sitting on the ground.

He tossed a pack of cigarettes to Tan Wenbin.

Lin Shuyou also reached out to take a pack of cigarettes, but instead took a pack of candy.

The bag of steamed buns was placed in front of Runsheng.

The heir of the prestigious Dragon King lineage, the beloved darling of the Chen family patriarch, has actually taken on menial tasks like serving tea and water and running errands.

Fortunately, this matter is unlikely to spread, because people will think that the person who spreads it has mental or intellectual problems.

But Chen Xiyuan did it with great pleasure. When running errands to buy things, she would leap from the rooftop to save time. She would drop the money and take the item in the store before the owner could even react. Only later did the owner realize what had happened and break out in a cold sweat, thinking he had encountered a ghost.

There was nothing that could be done; after all, this meeting was initiated because of her, and the topic and the people being discussed were at an extremely high level.

Chen Xiyuan thought that even her own grandfather, if he knew that such a high-level meeting was being held in this simple little hotel, would probably not hesitate to bring his wine gourd and two Wenchang chickens to come and join them.

After distributing the items, Chen Xiyuan slowly backed away, a smile on her face, her gaze sweeping over everyone's faces.

She knew she was not suited to attend this meeting, and even listening in was a major taboo, since it involved her younger brother's deepest secrets.

But she... just couldn't help it.

The girl retreated very slowly, her steps light, as if she had been slowed down.

Tan Wenbin tore open the cigarette pack, took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff.

Because Xiao Yuan was sitting directly opposite him, Tan Wenbin turned his head and blew smoke at Lin Shuyou, who was sitting next to him.

Runsheng started eating his steamed bun, taking a few bites and a small sip of tea at a steady pace. He had to eat something, not because he was hungry, but because he wasn't bringing his brain to the meeting and was prone to drowsiness from sitting for too long.

Runsheng's minimum requirement for himself is that he cannot snore during meetings.

Lin Shuyou peeled off the candy coating, put a piece of candy in his mouth, and then handed the cup in front of him to Chen Xiyuan, who was still backing away from the cat.

"I don't like tea, you drink it."

Those who haven't experienced similar situations can't empathize with Lin Shuyou's actions; they are truly heavenly!
"Ah."

After taking the teacup with both hands, Chen Xiyuan naturally sat down on the bedside behind her and then used her toes to push the door shut.

Fortunately, her legs are long enough.

This makes the whole set of movements seem very natural.

It was as if she was meant to sit in this position from the beginning, and had no intention of leaving, nor should she have left.

After settling down, I counted my heartbeats: one, two, three...

I didn't hear anything like "Please excuse me for a moment," "We need to talk behind closed doors," or "You must be tired today, you should get some rest."

The girl finally felt relieved and was able to adjust her posture.

Incidentally, his gaze met Lin Shuyou's.

Chen Xiyuan's current appearance reminded Lin Shuyou of himself back then.

Outside the discount store on campus, Bin and the others were busily loading their luggage into the car to return to Nantong. He stood in a corner, head down, fiddling with the pebbles on the ground with the tip of his shoe.

The boy said, "This is not something you can decide. You don't understand the rules at all."

Lin Shuyou: "You just don't understand Brother Xiaoyuan."

In Ayou's opinion, if Brother Xiaoyuan didn't want Chen Xiyuan to eavesdrop, he wouldn't care about saving face or being embarrassed. He would definitely tell her to leave directly and set up a formation in the room.

Xiao Yuan didn't say anything, which means he could keep or not keep them, so Ayou doesn't mind helping his former "self" now.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Chen Xiyuan.

Chen Xiyuan's heart, which had just been at ease, suddenly jumped again, and her buttocks even slightly lifted off the bed.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Xu Mofan just finished his comprehension and came out of seclusion. I'm too lazy to set up an array. You can open the domain."

Chen Xiyuan nodded and tried to utter a calm "Mmm".

Then, the domain expanded, encompassing the entire room.

Chen Xiyuan lowered her head, blew on the surface of the cup, took a sip of tea, then sat up slightly and tidied her hair behind her ear.

If Lin Shuyou's previous actions had warmed her heart...

The little brother's words and arrangements made her feel deeply moved, as if she had been recognized and included.

Tan Wenbin's smoke rings were slightly delayed because he almost couldn't suppress them from his mouth.

My own brother Yuan is the best at manipulating people's hearts; the girl under the peach grove has almost been hooked by him and turned into a pretty girl.

Right now, they are deliberately trying to get closer to Ms. Chen. Without the intense and dangerous environment of the waves, they have to find subtlety in the mundane daily life.

Not only is Miss Chen protected by the Dragon King's faction, but she is also favored by the Heavenly Dao. Not only can she participate in the meeting, but she is also placed next to Brother Yuan as a reverse reference point for him.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's hear your opinions. Everyone, please say something."

In the past, there was no such procedure in meetings. After Li Zhuiyuan finished speaking, Tan Wenbin would explain and expand on his points. This time it was different; everyone had to speak.

Legally speaking, his three partners are all his "creditors".

Runsheng swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and said, "Mine is Xiaoyuan's."

No amount of merit, good fortune, divine intervention, or lighting lamps could leave a single wrinkle on Runsheng's deliberately flattened head.

He only heard Xiao Yuan say that in the past, Xiao Yuan would take some kind of invisible "money" from him without asking.

Then take it.

If he has something, Xiao Yuan can take it freely; if he doesn't have it... then he'll go outside and steal it.

After Runsheng finished speaking, his usual concise and to-the-point approach caught Lin Shuyou, who had prepared his speech in advance, off guard. Lin could only stammer as he replied:

“Brother Xiaoyuan, even if Heaven didn’t give you any merit, the merit we have is still earned by you, Brother Xiaoyuan.”

Just like Jianlibao, every time we go out, we carry some in our backpacks for you, Xiao Yuan. When you want to drink it, you can take it out of our backpacks. Isn't that the most natural thing to do?
So, I think the way things are going is for Tiandao to just give Jianlibao to you, Brother Xiaoyuan, or...

Whether Heaven bestows the merit directly upon you, Brother Xiaoyuan, or we leave it here for you to use, it makes no difference.

Lin Shuyou was always well aware that back then, Guan Jiangshou's old temple could overwhelm his master and grandfather, but now he and his group had already incorporated Guan Jiangshou into their ranks.

Without Brother Xiaoyuan, neither I, Brother Bin, nor Runsheng could have gotten this far, let alone held our own against the inheritors of other powerful families on the river.

Tan Wenbin glanced at Lin Shuyou with some surprise. This speech was arguably the best performance Lin Shuyou had given since he started attending the meeting.

Since Ah You had already said what he needed to say, Tan Wenbin decided to liven up the meeting atmosphere:
"No wonder my dad got promoted so quickly these past two years. I thought he was just benefiting from my fame, but it turns out I've been embezzling team funds all along."

Lin Shuyou: "Hahaha."

Chen Xiyuan: "Hehehe."

Tan Wenbin turned his head and looked at Chen Xiyuan sitting on the bed behind him: "Teammate, it's your turn."

Chen Xiyuan's expression shifted rapidly from smiling to serious several times before she finally coughed lightly and said:

“I have a question. If it’s just a matter of how the merit is distributed, then the total amount of merit after each wave should remain the same. But I feel that you don’t seem to be doing it that way.”

Lin Shuyou: "Hmm? But when Bin Ge, Run Sheng, and I caught your flute, it was all lit up to level three. The three level threes combined should be equivalent to your level four brightness, right?"

Chen Xiyuan: "But I have been using my merits. First of all, I like flowers myself, and I give the merits to people in need."
Secondly, although I felt that traveling the river was very simple before, I had many unexpected encounters, both in and out of the waves, which greatly helped improve my strength. Many times I felt like this was forced upon me.

Do you guys feel this way?

Lin Shuyou scratched his head and replied, "There really was, but Xiao Yuan stuffed it in."

Chen Xiyuan: "Then here's the question: if the little brother himself has no merit, where did he get the things from and give them to you?"

Lin Shuyou fell into thought.

Tan Wenbin stubbed out his cigarette. He had to admit that although Captain Chen was sometimes a bit simple-minded, his skill level was consistently very high.

Chen Xiyuan continued, "Everything that goes through the little brother's hands, with the little brother as the main body, to help you heal your injuries and improve your strength, in essence, will not consume merit."

Other river-crossing teams are controlled and allocated by the "Light-Lighter," who can be generous or stingy. Those who follow him on his river-crossing journeys hope to drink a bowl of "merit soup" with the Light-Lighter in order to improve themselves.

I can say with certainty that the overall individual strength and development of your team have long surpassed the average level of the Jiangshang Elite Team.

This should mean you have an extremely generous leader who is willing to help his colleagues grow together, but the problem is that your leader has nothing to distribute at all.

Therefore, most of your improvements since you started following Jiang have actually been…

Tan Wenbin: "It was Brother Xiaoyuan who pushed us up here through his own abilities."

For the three of them, including when Mengmeng was also there, at each stage, Xiaoyuan would deliberately plan and promote new development paths for them.

And it was successful every time, with very obvious results.

It was all too smooth, so smooth that everyone thought it was normal and expected.

This led Zhao Wai to remark: "That guy surnamed Li is really generous to his own people."

Even they themselves, including Brother Xiaoyuan himself, felt that this improvement was due to the merits of Jiang Gongde.

Tan Wenbin raised his hand: "I'm very curious now, how exactly did the other teams improve?"

Chen Xiyuan pointed to herself.

Tan Wenbin: "Foreign teams, don't use your own experience as an example; special cases are not universal."

Chen Xiyuan: "Then let's talk about Zhao Yi? How strong was that Chen Jing under Zhao Yi before?"

Lin Shuyou: "He had some demon blood from the very beginning, and several times, the Three-Eyed Ones protected him, even if it meant they were short-handed themselves, rather than let him participate."

Tan Wenbin: "Before going to the Yu family, I fought with A Jing in the museum. This kid's strength level is just that of an ordinary wolf demon... no, far inferior to a wolf demon. Even the village's Lion King and Leopard King could kill him back then."

Chen Xiyuan: "Then, he underwent a transformation in the Yu family, achieving a leap in absolute strength."

According to your description, Zhao Yi had poured a great deal of merit from each of his previous lives into Chen Jing a long time ago, which led to the current result.

This is also a very common phenomenon among those who travel the river: their strength increases rapidly at any time. Therefore, throughout history, every generation has been fearless of death and determined to fight to the death.

I imagine this situation hasn't happened to you, has it?

Lin Shuyou: "We are taking it one step at a time."

Tan Wenbin: "We have always maintained a steady pace of improvement, and Xiao Yuan has a plan for it."

Chen Xiyuan: "That means that although you have always been on the river, you are living the life of people on the shore."

Lin Shuyou: "But that's not right. If Three-Eyes had given most of the merits from the Jiang River pilgrimage to Chen Jing, his team shouldn't have improved much. But Three-Eyes and his team have made great progress since they met Chen Jing."

Chen Xiyuan: "I'm not familiar with Zhao Yi, and I don't know much about his subordinates either, but could I ask, when did that guy under him who can use wooden vines get his recent improvement?"

Lin Shuyou: "It was Brother Xiaoyuan who gave him a set of techniques that gave his vines the additional effect of healing injuries."

Tan Wenbin: "Before that, Xu Ming had already been marginalized by Zhao Yi and had become a nanny to take care of Chen Jing."

Chen Xiyuan: "What about the twin sisters under Zhao Yi?"

Tan Wenbin: "It seems there hasn't been much improvement recently. The only time was when we were together in Fengdu."

Chen Xiyuan: "What about Zhao Yi?"

Lin Shuyou: "The improvement from having three eyes is huge, for example, his dragon skin..."

Chen Xiyuan: "Who gave him the dragon skin?"

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Xiaoyuan."

Chen Xiyuan: "From the moment Zhao Yi decided to cultivate Chen Jing until this wave, if we remove the influence and interference of the younger brother, how much would he and his subordinates have improved?"

Lin Shuyou: "Then it really isn't that big."

Before each new collaboration, both sides would go through a period of adjustment, and the other side would often send Lin Shuyou to test and suppress them. Therefore, Lin Shuyou has a lot to say on this point.

Chen Xiyuan: "That's it. Moreover, Zhao Yi clearly went too far in cultivating Chen Jing, giving him too much merit, which he can't handle."

If it weren't for the fact that his younger brother happened to have the ability to help Chen Jing get rid of his demonic possession, Zhao Yi's investment in Chen Jing would have been a failure.

Of course, Zhao Yi probably knew this, which is why he dared to keep piling fertilizer on Chen Jing.

Lin Shuyou: "Why does it sound like a third eye has been sucking our blood all along?"

Tan Wenbin: "Where's the blood? Where is our blood?"

Lin Shuyou: "That's right... We have no merit, no blood."

Chen Xiyuan looked at Li Zhuiyuan: "Little brother, when Zhao Yi hurriedly led us to the monster graveyard to find you, he said that when Chen Jing went into a state of demonic possession, he would not recognize his own family and friends. He himself had been attacked by Chen Jing. But when we got there, I found obvious bruises on Chen Jing's neck. Was he pinching himself in front of you?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

If Chen Xiyuan noticed this detail, then Zhao Yi must have noticed it as well.

But Zhao Yi himself certainly wouldn't make a fuss, after all, life had to go on.

Chen Xiyuan: "Chen Jing actually approves of you more. The person he truly wants to follow is you, his little brother?" Li Zhuiyuan: "Perhaps."

Chen Xiyuan: "Why didn't you take the little brother in back then?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Firstly, I felt that we already had enough partners; secondly, Chen Jing was just a blank slate at that time, and everything had to be built from scratch. I felt that helping him improve step by step until he was able to help the team was not cost-effective."

Chen Xiyuan: "Then why is Zhao Yi so confident that he can definitely complete this work?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Chen Xiyuan: "This is because you and Zhao Yi have different ways of thinking; you only think that you have received merit, while Zhao Yi has actually received it!"

Li Zhuiyuan felt that improvement and progress were like farming: you had to sow seeds, water them, weed, and kill pests... and finally, you had to harvest the crops shirtless under the scorching sun.

But others only need to wave to a field.

Even the most intelligent person cannot imagine things they have never encountered before. In fact, it is precisely because they are too intelligent that they limit the scope of their merits.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly realized that in this respect, he was actually another Chen Xiyuan.

Because of being too outstanding and dominant in a certain aspect, I have never had the opportunity to truly come into contact with or understand things that should be very simple.

Tan Wenbin: "So this is how other people have always lived."

Lin Shuyou: "No wonder Three-Eyes has improved so quickly... It turns out he's been profiting from both sides."

Not only does he benefit from his own merits in crossing the river, but he also receives assistance from our Brother Xiao Yuan. Three-Eyed is constantly straddling two rivers.

Chen Xiyuan: "Here, another important issue arises, which is what I said at the beginning. I don't think the situation in your team is just due to a change in the distribution model."

Because your improvement mainly comes from your younger brother.

Aside from the daily expenditure on good deeds, such as taking a ride, sharing an umbrella, or giving back to ordinary people who have helped you in your daily lives, including Tan Wenbin's father's promotion, unless your father is corrupt, derelict in his duties and you still want him to be promoted, these expenditures on good deeds are actually very low.

What I want to try today—to restore the disabilities and illnesses of that elderly couple—is a kind of miraculous transformation that doesn't stray from the realm of ordinary people, and it requires a great deal of merit to achieve.

And you, like this wave, should theoretically be able to only gnaw on bones at best, while we who are blocking the door.

In this wave, the most generous reward should surely go to you, little brother.

I think that every wave you've made in the past has been aimed at achieving the highest level of completion and the greatest reward for your merits.

You've always been making big money and spending small money.

It accumulated wave after wave…

Chen Xiyuan took out her flute and looked at Tan Wenbin, Lin Shuyou, and Runsheng in turn:
"Each of you can easily light up four levels."

Tan Wenbin: "So it's not simply a change in the distribution model, but rather that the amount of merit has also become problematic!"

Lin Shuyou: "How could this be!"

Chen Xiyuan: "I suspect that the reason why the three of you can still light up the third level is because you did so well in the last wave. I don't know exactly how it was calculated or deducted, but what the three of you have now... should be the little bit of oil that has to overflow after deduction."

Runsheng sucked the crumbs of bread from his hand into his mouth and said:

"To send away beggars."

Chen Xiyuan: "The words may be rough, but the principle is sound. I can't imagine what would happen if this wave switched the roles of me and my little brother. I would then have to worry about how to spend all my accumulated merits."

The meeting was a great success.

Li Zhuiyuan barely spoke.

Ms. Chen, who was originally very cautious and afraid that she would not be able to stay and audit the meeting, ended up becoming the meeting host.

This gave Li Zhuiyuan more time to think and organize his thoughts.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's adjourn the meeting. Everyone is tired today, so please get some rest."

Everyone got up and left, but Chen Xiyuan deliberately stayed until the very end.

After everyone else left, she went to Li Zhuiyuan, squatted down, and asked:
"Little brother, is it the one who plotted against you, forcing you to walk the river by lamplight before you were even an adult and started practicing martial arts?"

Chen Xiyuan stretched out a finger and pointed to the top of her head.

Li Zhuiyuan: "What do you think?"

Chen Xiyuan: "Sister, I think this revenge won't be easy to get."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Thank you."

Chen Xiyuan: "Actually, every cloud has a silver lining. Since you already know that you won't get much merit by going down the river, then next time you face those waves, you don't need to pursue perfection too much. That way, it's safer and easier."

My grandfather often said, "Do only what you can do to accumulate merit."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "We still need to take things seriously and try to resolve things as perfectly as possible."

Chen Xiyuan is right.

But Li Zhuiyuan cannot do that.

He is a knife in the hands of Heaven. The reason Heaven still allows him to live is because he is a sharp knife capable of handling things.

At this stage, if Li Zhuiyuan tries to be clever and makes himself dull, he will only hasten his own demise.

Chen Xiyuan: "Why? Aren't you angry?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "No matter what happens, we must regulate and guide our words and deeds according to the family traditions of the Dragon King's family."

Tears welled up in Chen Xiyuan's eyes.

She truly couldn't imagine that someone, after just learning of the severe injustice done to them by the heavens, would still be willing to uphold justice and protect all living beings.

Chen Xiyuan took a deep breath, wiping away the moisture from the corners of her eyes with her fingertips, her expression a mixture of question and sigh:
"Little brother, how can you be so cold-blooded yet so kind?"

Ms. Chen felt that all the contradictions she had encountered in her life combined were not as heavy as the sense of contradiction emanating from the little brother in front of her.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that the girl Chen in front of him was truly emotionally rich.

The answer I just gave her had absolutely nothing to do with whether I was "kind" or not.

The reason why I was treated this way by Heaven was because of Wei Zhengdao.

That guy Wei Zhengdao collected taxes all the way to a thousand years later back then.

Right now, I'm essentially helping Wei Zhengdao pay off his debts.

In the eyes of Heaven, he was an unregistered person who was absolutely not trustworthy.

The Qin and Liu families, these two Dragon King's households without spirits, ironically became their own guarantors.

At this point, even if it's a performance, one must play the role of a legitimate successor of the Dragon King's family, otherwise it's like digging one's own grave.

Right now, what I need most is time.

Chen Xiyuan got up to leave, but as she walked to the door, she turned back and squatted down.
"Little brother, I'm really worried about you. What if you do something rash one day and become possessed by a demon?"

Li Zhuiyuan winked at her and gave her a reassuring smile.

Chen Xiyuan breathed a sigh of relief and subconsciously wanted to reach out and touch Li Zhuiyuan's face, but after spending time together, she could no longer regard him as the cute boy sitting at the entrance of the soup restaurant.

This time, Chen Xiyuan really left the room. She was tired and sleepy and wanted to go to sleep.

What she didn't know was that the little brother she saw had long been a source of inner demons.

After a while, Li Zhuiyuan stood up and walked out of the room.

He slept during the day, so he wasn't sleepy at the moment.

At the end of the corridor, a blurry figure appeared—it was Xu Mofan, holding a gun in his right hand, slowly walking towards the boy.

It has no murderous intent, and it poses no threat.

This is Xu Mofan getting used to his new breakthrough self after finishing his seclusion.

This illusory figure was the spear intent he released, similar to the sword aura.

To be so young yet already possessing insights comparable to a master of spearmanship is truly remarkable.

This is not something that can be quickly accumulated and effective through chance and competition on the river.

This means that Xu Mofan's understanding of marksmanship has long surpassed the rate at which his current strength is improving.

Even now, in team battles, Li Zhuiyuan is not afraid of him at all, and is even confident that he can suppress him with a high probability. However, after re-understanding the role of merit, the young man now really has some fear of people like Xu Mofan.

Merit is like water, and they are the containers. Since the river water can be directed towards itself, it can also be directed towards others.

For example, Xu Mofan in front of us, Tao Zhuming, Ling Wuxing, and even Chen Xiyuan and Zhao Yi.

When Jiang Shui feels it's time to eliminate him, he might just accelerate the cultivation of his competitors to rapidly increase the difficulty for himself, thus creating a situation of strangulation.

Moreover, doing so doesn't count as the river breaking its own rules.

If the next wave is very difficult, then the previous wave will often be easier.

If one considers oneself a demon, then it is perfectly reasonable for Jiang Shui to focus on cultivating these righteous talents to slay demons and eliminate evil. The martial world will only praise "Heaven has eyes"!
Xu Mofan's illusory figure walked past the boy.

Li Zhuiyuan looked away.

The boy couldn't imagine how exaggeratedly fast he and his companions would progress if they had the merit to distribute for perfectly passing each wave.

So it turns out, it really is true that pie can fall from the sky.

But it doesn't matter.

Even without the blessing of merit, and out of fear of provoking the Heavenly Dao, I still managed to progress faster than you all.

From now on, I'll only go faster!
You go downstream, I go upstream. If I can beat you in this way, then this journey on the river will be even more interesting.

At the end of the corridor, at the top of the stairs, hangs a mirror.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at himself in the mirror.

Then, the boy gave a forced smile, a smile for himself, a way to encourage himself.

He then turned around and continued upstairs.

It was a bit stuffy inside, so he wanted to go to the rooftop to get some fresh air.

"Xiao...Xiao Yuan." Grandma Yao appeared. "Would you like a midnight snack?"

"No, Grandma Yao, you should get some rest."

"Ok."

As Li Zhuiyuan walked up the stairs, he recalled the scene of having a late-night snack by the river in Nantong that night.

Kneeling at the grave causes it to crack; burning paper money disturbs the deceased; offering a seal to the weasel makes it weep with gratitude, because it is of high status.

The reason the white rat underwent such a dramatic transformation that night was not because of the amount of merit it had accumulated, but because its three companions were all around it eating together, essentially meaning it was paying the bill with three wallets.

This time, I really have to thank Chen Xiyuan.

Without her, I'm afraid I would still be kept in the dark by the little bit of oil that Heaven gave to Tan Wenbin and the others.

Indeed, the best cover-up is the darkest place under the lamp.

The boy paused slightly as he reached the entrance to the rooftop.

I used to think that by walking along the river, I could share the merit with my great-grandfather who was on the same household register, so that he could be healthy and live a long life.

I always thought I was being filial, but it turns out that my great-grandfather was the one carrying the burden.

In this way, the old man was able to lend himself good fortune.

No wonder that every time good fortune was lent to him, his grandfather would fall ill and be bedridden.

It's not that the great-grandfather didn't have enough good fortune; he simply didn't have any left after lending it to me.

It's not because I'm a bottomless pit, but because I am... a huge pitfall.

It seems that although Grandma Liu was well-versed in feng shui and had moved her whole family here to enjoy the good fortune, she still misjudged her own great-grandfather.

Stepping onto the rooftop, a gentle evening breeze brought a refreshing coolness.

Li Zhuiyuan saw Xu Fengzhi sitting on the railing by the rooftop, with a bag of peanuts and a bottle of sweet potato liquor. The old man seemed quite content as he ate.

"Zhuiyuan, hehe, little Yuan, come, have a drink with this old man?"

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and took the wine glass that Xu Fengzhi handed him.

The boy didn't rush to drink, but instead asked:
"Senior Xu, don't you feel aggrieved?"

"Feeling frustrated? Frustrated about what?"

"You worked diligently to slay demons in the Yu family's ancestral home and guarded the gate to the death when evil spirits rose up, but now you've overdrawn everything."

Not only did he fail to receive any reward, but he also had to consider the consequences of his actions with the river, daring not to attempt any treatment. He could only wait here to die, praying only for it…

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the sky.
"I just hope they'll show leniency and let the debt die to be settled. Do you think this is fair to you?"

Xu Fengzhi:
"Xiao Yuan, what is fair, and what is unfair?"
There are countless unfair things in this world, but there are also many fair things, such as birth, aging, sickness, and death.

As for whether to reward or punish, I have considered these things in my life of wandering the world, but I have never really cared about them.

Some things,

One should not do something for the sake of reward, nor should one refrain from doing it out of fear of punishment.

Xu Fengzhi popped a peanut into his mouth, chewing it while looking up at the night sky:
"People live their lives for themselves, not for the sake of others."

(End of this chapter)