Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 369

Xu Fengzhi tilted his head back, raised the bottle in his hand, opened his mouth, and the sweet potato liquor, illuminated by the moonlight, flowed down his throat like a stream of light. He then wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

There's still plenty of wine left, but not many peanuts left in the bag in front of me.

Previously, he would grab handfuls and chew them in big mouthfuls, but now, in order to finish the remaining wine, he has to squeeze them one by one.

Suddenly I realized that one peanut was actually enough. It was not only no worse than the handful I threw into my mouth at the beginning, but it also tasted better.

It's like my own lifespan; I only have a few pills left.

Pick one up, examine it for a moment, then pop it into your mouth. Cherishing it is for the sake of enjoying it better, not because you are reluctant to eat it.

Looking back at the boy in front of him, the boy was still standing there, staring at the sky, silent.

Xu Fengzhi couldn't help but sigh inwardly: This child is truly handsome; even I, in my youth, would pale in comparison.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head, still holding the glass of wine in his hand.

The boy handed the wine back to the old man.

Xu Fengzhi: "What, you won't even have a drink with this old man?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I have already drunk the wine that Senior Xu gave me."

Xu Fengzhi: "You just had an epiphany? What a pity, it was too short. I shouldn't have been drinking and making noise."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "It's not an epiphany, it's just that I've figured out some things I already understood a long time ago, and now I understand them even more clearly."

Xu Fengzhi: "You are different from my Mofan. I can tell that your physical development is indeed small. This age is definitely not faked. But when I talk to you, it is hard to really treat you as a child."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I heard someone retell what Senior Xu said when he was guarding the goal. After hearing it, I also find it hard to regard you, Senior Xu, as an old man."

"Hahahaha!"

After laughing, Xu Fengzhi asked, "Kid, do you know why I dared to be so disrespectful to those two old geezers?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Is it because Senior Xu has the confidence to do so?"

Xu Fengzhi: "What confidence do you have? Although my Xu family of the Gun Gate has some reputation in the martial arts world, in terms of true foundation, we can't compare with the orthodox Dragon King family at all."

But even so, what does it matter?
No matter how powerful or influential their Dragon King's clan is, I don't rely on them for food, I owe them nothing, and I have no intention of asking them for charity or favors. Why should I need to give them face?

Li Zhuiyuan: "Senior Xu, aren't you afraid of retaliation? Retaliation against the Xu family?"

Xu Fengzhi: "Was it wrong of me to scold them?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "The criticism is absolutely right."

Xu Fengzhi: "That settles it. Those two old geezers are indeed a bit shameless, but Dragon King Tao and Dragon King Ling still have some sense of shame."

After a pause,
Xu Fengzhi raised an eyebrow and smiled:

"If they really become completely shameless, cough cough, even I, an old man, dare not curse them, haha."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, then looked up again at the sky.

Xu Fengzhi: "Xiao Yuan, what about my new clothes?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It should be finished by tomorrow morning. Grandma Yao is working late into the night to finish it."

Xu Fengzhi: "That's good. Thank you for your hard work."

The last peanut was perfectly paired with the last sip of wine.

Xu Fengzhi squeezed his eyes shut and grinned, as if this last bite of sweet potato liquor was unbearably spicy.

A moment later, the old man opened his eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan saw a hint of despair in the old man's eyes.

This means that the elderly person's lifespan has officially entered its countdown.

"Xiao Yuan, guess how much longer I have to live?"

"Two days."

"Hehe, you're very accurate."

Xu Fengzhi stood up, stretched, and then yawned.

"I'm sleepy, really sleepy, but I still have to persevere and try to get through another day."

"Shouldn't it be two days?"

"On the last day, I plan to sleep like a log. What do you think?"

"Enviable."

When do you plan to leave Luoyang?

"tomorrow."

"Then goodbye. You're all young. You should live long enough like me before you come down to earth."

"We will postpone it by one day."

Xu Fengzhi pointed to his face: "For me?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, my great-grandfather said that when adding soil to a grave, it's more lively with more people around, so that you won't be bullied when you get down there."

Xu Fengzhi: "In this life, there are plenty of people who hate me to the core, but I have never been bullied by anyone. However, I am grateful for your kindness."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I am indebted to Senior Xu for your kindness."

Xu Fengzhi reached out and patted the boy's shoulder: "Child, I feel that you and I are destined to meet."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It is my honor."

"It's a pity we met too late. Otherwise, once you come of age, I would have been willing to take you as my disciple and teach you the Xu family's spear technique."

"Senior Xu, you're too kind."

"You look down on the Xu family's spear technique?"

"No."

"Listen to that, they just look down on it!"

"Not really."

"That's true, it's normal to look down on it, after all, you can practice the 'Qin Family Dragon Observation Method' after you come of age."

After saying this, Xu Fengzhi looked at the boy with a smile, anticipating his reaction.

To everyone's surprise, the boy's expression remained unchanged, and he answered in the same calm tone as before:
"Well, when I come of age, I can first practice the Qin Family Dragon-Watching Technique, and then the Xu Family Spear Technique."

Now, it was Xu Fengzhi who was unsettled.

The old man first pointed at Li Zhuiyuan, then immediately withdrew his finger and clenched his fist, and then closed his fist again.

Finally, he simply squatted down, then stood up again, grabbing his hair tightly:
"Haha, hahaha!"

An old man on his deathbed was so excited at this moment that he was like a child who didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.

Li Zhuiyuan performed the Qin family ceremony to Xu Fengzhi.

Xu Fengzhi straightened his body and returned the salute, his right and left hands moving in front of him in a vague gesture. He had no gun in his hands, but he performed a fancy spear move. Finally, he flicked his right hand in the air and switched to his left hand to catch the object, which was not actually there. He then pushed it downwards.

"boom!"

A small circle of white spots appeared on the concrete ground of the rooftop.

"The Qin family has finally produced someone from them who has ventured out to the river again. Good, very good!"

"Ah."

“Child…Zhuiyuan, do you know how I figured it out?”

"Because I decided to delay my return trip."

"Actually, you are the one among your group who speaks the truth."

"Ah."

"That guy named Runsheng, I was the first to charge in the fight against the evil spirits, so I saw the technique he used. He's from the Qin family."

I've always been puzzled by this: in my opinion, no matter how down on their luck or how miserable the Qin family may be, they must have still retained their former pride and arrogance.

How could the Qin family possibly bow down to someone else who walks the river?

Before you came up to this rooftop, I had been thinking about this.

There's no way around it; besides peanuts, this wine needs to be paired with something else to really enhance its flavor.

At that time, I thought of a possibility: that Runsheng might be a servant born into a family, and that he was worshipping the successor of the Qin family.

So, your name is Qin Zhuiyuan, right?

"My surname is Li, and my name is Li Zhuiyuan."

Xu Fengzhi was taken aback: "Surname Li?"

"Ah."

Xu Fengzhi: "Doesn't the Qin family still have an old lady in charge? How could they let you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Fengzhi feigned a kick to his side with his left foot, pressed down and then clenched his left hand, before pushing forward.

An invisible spear intent pierced towards the boy in front of him.

The next moment, a gentle breeze appeared in front of the boy.

The wind blew by, carrying away the intent to fire.

It wasn't a real fight, just a clash of wills, so it meant nothing to the boy.

"Hidden talent... Hmm?"

Xu Fengzhi's gaze narrowed slightly, and he once again aimed the invisible gun in his hand at the boy.

The wind reappeared, once again blowing away the intent to fire.

Xu Fengzhi opened his mouth in astonishment and exclaimed, "The Liu Family's Qi Observation Technique!"

"Ah."

Xu Fengzhi: "How could the old lady allow you to walk across the river with a lantern before you were even an adult?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Time waits for no one."

Xu Fengzhi staggered slightly, took a few steps back, and grabbed the railing to steady himself.

In his current state, even two simple spear techniques are a huge burden for him.

“I shouldn’t have asked, really, but I just couldn’t help it.” Xu Fengzhi looked at Li Zhuiyuan. “You were right not to tell anyone, and you shouldn’t have revealed it to me.”

"There are some things that we shouldn't refrain from doing just because we're afraid of being punished."

“Um…” Xu Fengzhi looked embarrassed, “The drunken ramblings I just said are not worth taking to heart.”

"Senior Xu's drunken words are all so thought-provoking."

Xu Fengzhi: "I trust that old lady's judgment, and I finally understand why I didn't see you at the main gate of the Yu family from beginning to end."

"You've surpassed them all. In the last wave, they all became mere foils to your achievements."

Li Zhuiyuan stepped forward, intending to help the old man up.

Xu Fengzhi shook his head in refusal, and forced himself to sit back in his previous seat.

"I won't ask about anything else. That's enough. It's enough for me to savor and ponder. Could you please give me some more peanuts and some more wine, Zhuiyuan?"

I want to drink about this for a whole day and night!

"Please wait a moment, Senior Xu."

Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs, found Grandma Yao who was still making clothes, and told her what he needed.

There was alcohol at home, and freshly fried peanuts for dinner.

"Grandma Yao, write these down in my room number."

"Yes." Grandma Yao nodded with a smile.

Li Zhuiyuan returned to the rooftop with two bottles of wine and a full ceramic jar of peanuts.

Xu Mofan has arrived.

Xu Fengzhi sat by the railing, while Xu Mofan squatted down below.

"You little rascal, I asked you to get something, why are you dawdling like this?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's already very fast."

The young man placed the wine and peanuts in front of the old man. The old man waved his hand impatiently and said, "Alright, you can go now. Tell that Tan fellow of yours that I am old and indeed near death, but I am not so senile that anyone who tries to get close to me can get something out of me. Tell that Tan fellow to stop having such crooked ideas!"

"Ah."

Li Zhuiyuan turned and left.

Xu Fengzhi lowered his head and said to Xu Mofan, "Mofan, when you travel the world in the future, remember to be more careful, especially when facing people from humble backgrounds. Some people may come from humble backgrounds but have a heroic spirit, while others are entangled in all sorts of underhanded schemes."

Xu Mofan nodded: "Uncle, I understand."

The young man reached out, wanting to grab some peanuts.

"Snapped!"

The outstretched hand was slapped away by the old man.

"What are you going to eat if you want to have my snacks with your drinks?"

"Uncle, just one bite."

"One bite? Not even one grain. This is my precious treasure now."

Xu Fengzhi picked up a peanut, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly. After the aroma was fully released, he took a small sip of wine.

"Hi~ha~"

The enjoyment, the taste, made Xu Mofan unconsciously lick his lips.

It was just a simple snack to go with drinks, but his uncle treated it like a delicacy.

As they ate, Xu Fengzhi suddenly smiled, looked at the moon in the sky, and said:

"Mo Fan, I'm quite envious of you."

"Is Uncle envious of my youth?"

"I envy your world of adventure; it's destined to be more exciting than mine!"

……

"Brother Bin, are you asleep?"

"Fell asleep."

"I can not sleep."

Missing Linlin?

"How could I possibly do that?"

"Impossible, I was just thinking about it."

"It just feels unfair, so unfair! Why is Heaven treating us like this?"

"Heaven was only unfair to Brother Xiaoyuan; it still gave oil stains a chance to win over us."

"I just feel it's unfair to Xiao Yuan!"

“When my dad was transferred from the city bureau to the Shigang Town police station, my mom would often say at the dinner table that it was unfair. Guess what my dad would say every time?”

"what?"

"Serve the people."

"I don't have Uncle Tan's high level of understanding, which allows me to remain calm and composed."

"During that period, he would ride his motorcycle on the provincial highway that was under construction and not yet open to traffic at night, burning too much gas, which made it impossible for him to even afford cigarettes."

No one can be indifferent, Xiao Yuan definitely cares too, but you can't dwell on that feeling forever. You need to keep working and living your life.

"I still can't figure it out. I'm going to take a cold shower."

"See, I still miss Linlin."

Lin Shuyou glanced at Bin Ge in the next bed, feeling both annoyed and amused.

I got out of bed, put on my slippers, went to the bathroom, took off my clothes, turned on the faucet, picked up the rubber hose, and started flushing.

"call……"

After rinsing, Lin Shuyou breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the mirror on the wall in front of him.

The face of the White Crane Boy was revealed in the mirror.

The boy said, "Why are you so anxious? If the sky falls, there's always someone shorter who can hold it up."

Lin Shuyou: "Tongzi, you're the most useless one."

Boy: "You..."

Lin Shuyou: "You were so happy about just a tiny bit of oil stain back then."

The boy said, "When the three of you caught the flute of the Chen family girl, you all played the third level. Your combined merits will not be less than those of the Chen family girl!"
Even if I can't get merit from that person, I can get it from you. At the time, I didn't feel it was too little, I felt it was too much.

You have no idea how much the Bodhisattva had to take from me when I was a high-ranking official.

Lin Shuyou: "That's because under Brother Xiaoyuan's leadership, we completed each wave to the extreme and perfectly, otherwise there wouldn't have been a little bit of overflow."

Tongzi: "This is also my first time walking along the river with someone."

Lin Shuyou: "Then you can think about it from the other side. If Brother Xiaoyuan hadn't had his merits deducted, how much merit would we have actually gained after we finished crossing the river?"
Even a tiny bit of it would be enough for you to use your own soul as lamp oil in the temple of the official general.

In the mirror, the White Crane Boy was probably really trying to imagine the scene of using the spirit to light a lamp, as well as the puzzled and shocked looks from his colleagues.

Gradually, the boy's face began to turn red, and his vertical pupils became sharp, almost shattering the mirror.

Boy:

"It doesn't make sense! It doesn't make sense!"

The boy's excitement caused Lin Shuyou's eyes to twitch, and he almost became a spirit medium.

Lin Shuyou: "Alright, alright, calm down, don't be so agitated."

The boy exclaimed, "Why? It's unfair! Heaven is unjust!"

Lin Shuyou reached out and slapped his forehead hard. The Ghost General's mark appeared, suppressing the boy deep in his heart and letting him roar freely within.

After wiping myself down and getting dressed, I walked back and lay down on the bed.

Perhaps because he shared his anger with the boy, Lin Shuyou now feels much more at peace.

"Brother Bin, it turns out we can actually earn so much merit."

"Ah."

"If it hadn't been forcibly deducted, one wave would have been enough for your two godson to be reincarnated successfully, right? But in the name of accumulating merit, you suffered for so long."

"I don't regret this at all; in fact, I'm a little glad that it allowed me to spend more time with them."

"That's true."

Lin Shuyou adjusted his sleeping position and quickly fell asleep.

Hearing the snoring coming from the next bed, Tan Wenbin got a little annoyed. This Ah You had upset both him and Tongzi, but he was sleeping soundly.

Tan Wenbin sat up, took his cigarettes and lighter, and walked out of the room.

Just then, Li Zhuiyuan came down the stairs after delivering the wine and peanuts.

"Brother Xiaoyuan."

"Too angry to sleep?"

"No, I just miss my son."

"We'll postpone our return by one day and attend Senior Xu's funeral before we leave."

"Yes, that's right."

"Brother Binbin, after the river crossing, you'll marry the class monitor, right?"

"Yes, my family plans to have our wedding after we graduate from university."

"When the time comes, you and the class monitor will have two children, and you won't need to think about it anymore."

"Brother Xiaoyuan, the feeling of being a father for the first time and the second time is different."

"Okay, then you can think about it first. I'm going back to my room."

"I'll have two cigarettes and then go back. You should get some rest, Xiao Yuan."

Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room.

His room was the best type in the Yaoji Hotel, and it even had a small desk.

The boy took two books out of his backpack and sat down at the desk.

One is a wordless book, and the other is "Code of Conduct for Walking Along the River".

Li Zhuiyuan always revised the "Code of Conduct for Walking Along the River" after returning home. This time, he plans to do so ahead of schedule.

Instead of finishing writing about the previous wave of experiences first, the young man started by writing a concluding reflection:
"You are the Way of Heaven, but the truth is, there are also things in this world that you dislike but cannot resolve. You are high above, but you are not without scruples."

I can understand why you treat me differently because of Wei Zhengdao.

But I believe that everything has two sides.

You made me light the lamps early, so I couldn't practice martial arts. So I could only train my companions. It was because of them that my condition was contained and improved.

You forbade me from turning the lamp on again without permission to admit defeat. It was precisely because of your prohibition that I was able to successfully extinguish that lamp at Zhao Zu's residence in Jiujiang.

From the very beginning, you raised the difficulty of each of my waves to be much higher than others, but this actually allowed me to improve faster through my own efforts.

The more you do, the more loopholes you actually create.

Every restriction you impose on my actions, as long as you don't kill me outright, is something I can exploit.

The Bodhisattva wanted to establish hell to gain great merit and prove the Great Way; the Emperor of Fengdu gained merit by suppressing himself.

You clearly dislike them, yet you still assume that they can continue to exist through acts of merit.

Why don't you stop their merits as you did for me?

Is it because they fear that if they can't be appeased, they'll overturn the table and become desperate?
Or is it that if you completely stop distributing merits at their level, it will be more detrimental to you?

You stopped my merits and gave Runsheng and the others a little bit of overflowing oil stains, is it really just to numb me and keep me in the dark?
The light caught fire before it was even lit, and you didn't try to cover it up; every wave you faced was far more difficult than anyone else's, and you didn't try to cover it up either.

Why did you cover up the fact that you stopped distributing merits?
You shouldn't be afraid of what I know.

What you're afraid of is what I'll do if I find out.

So what should I do?

Don't worry, no matter what I have to do, I will go through every wave properly and perfectly fulfill the role of the knife in your hand.

I was being narrow-minded.

I used to think this was me trying to please you and protect myself.

But isn't this also a limitation for you?
Besides, I may have been narrow-minded in this matter as well.

Is it possible that my merits haven't actually been stopped, but I just can't control them?
At first, I thought you were a heartless boss who employed child laborers and withheld their wages.

But if you can't truly stop making meritorious donations, wouldn't you just be like a parent who takes away a child's New Year's money and claims to be keeping it for them?

Li Zhuiyuan put down his pen and leaned back in his chair.

When children's New Year's money is taken away by their parents, they have no money left to spend recklessly.

But if a child runs out of money or gets into trouble and needs to pay compensation... can the money that is nominally mine be deducted from my account?

This kind of approach cannot be applied to surfing; in surfing, one must strive for the most perfect performance.

So, what about outside the waves?
Wei Zhengdao's "The Righteous Path to Subdue Demons" records so many taboos of evil arts. Some of these evil arts can be learned, and it depends on how people use them at crucial moments to achieve positive results.

However, some evil arts and taboos are so forbidden that you can't even touch them, and even just experimenting with them can bring karmic retribution.

So why did Wei Zhengdao describe them in such detail?
Could it be that the book series "The Righteous Path to Subdue Demons" was made to appease this culinary whim?
Li Zhuiyuan reached out and opened the wordless book.

On the first page, in a cage, a woman is simmering a pot of meat soup. Several books are laid out on the bed, the spoils of her torture.

The woman fawned over Li Zhuiyuan, who was off-screen, holding a spoon in one hand and pointing to the book on the bed with the other, gesturing for the boy to look at it.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't go to read the book.
Instead, he licked his lips at the pot of meat soup.

-

This chapter is 4 words short. Don't worry, I'll add it tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)