Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 377

Li, the corpse retriever of Nantong, takes his name from his grandfather's surname and profession.

Before he was officially assigned to the journey across the river, he met with some people from the martial arts world. When they introduced themselves as belonging to a particular dock, Li Zhuiyuan adopted that name so that he could respond appropriately.

When traveling along the river, he would often use this to conceal his identity as a successor of the Dragon King's lineage.

It wasn't until I set up an altar in my great-grandfather's small room that this identity was officially recognized; and once the Taoist temple in the rice paddy behind the house was completed, it meant that things were finally on the right track.

After that, this identity was gradually used separately; when not on the beach, it was called Nantong Corpse Retriever Li.

Before the three groups set off, Li Zhuiyuan gave special instructions, telling Chen Xiyuan and Zhao Yi to go by the name of Li the Corpse Retrieval Team, which was a formal division of labor in terms of purpose.

People walk on the river while those on the bank remain still. However, from another perspective, the river may appear calm while people on the bank are walking briskly.

Similarly, considering that Li Zhuiyuan himself could not gain much merit from the river, while the boy could only passively exert the effect of "merit" on the shore, it can also be argued that Li Zhuiyuan's waves were on the shore.

Others walk on the waves arranged by nature on the river, while I walk on the waves I create myself on the shore.

The latter is clearly simpler and easier than the former, and the initiative is in your own hands.

In the past, walking along the river was work, and living between the waves was life; now, walking along the river is life, and living between the waves is work.

The shadow of the Emperor of Fengdu once bluntly told the boy: Heaven will not allow you to live to adulthood.

Of course, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't just sit idly by and continue living a mundane life, waiting to die.

At present, the constant targeting and oppression of the youth by Heaven has ultimately led him to take a different path.

This river,

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to change his approach.

Moreover, on this river, there is no competition, no other forces, only him—Li, the corpse retriever from Nantong.

From the little girl's perspective, she clearly believed that the boy was deliberately making fun of her. Both Runsheng's casual shovel and Lin Shuyou's direct glare implied that they were people of extraordinary status.

She deliberately chose a nickname simply to derive pleasure from torturing her prey. She used to do this often, including manipulating and arranging things for this family and the Taoist priest, all in the name of savoring that pleasure.

But she was wrong. First, the boy himself did not have this kind of low-level pleasure. Second, in the boy's eyes, she was very serious and solemn, even with a bit of piety towards the first batch of test subjects.

After this "wave" ends, given the boy's consistent habit of meticulously summarizing and analyzing afterward, she will be detailed in his writing and included in textbooks.

However, this is, after all, my "first wave" on the shore, so it would be inappropriate to continue writing it in the "Code of Conduct for Walking on the River". I would definitely have to start a new book.

At this time,

Li Zhuiyuan smiled.

In Wei Zhengdao's works, "The Righteous Path to Subdue Demons" is a collection of tales he specially prepared to introduce the various evil arts he had studied and comprehended.

So, what is the true purpose of "Tales of the Strange and Unusual in the Martial World," which I used as my introductory text and also regarded as an encyclopedia of evil spirits?

Given Wei Zhengdao's personality, would he be willing to write a basic book for future generations? Moreover, would he use such precious and rare Buddhist paper?
The cases recorded in "Tales of Strange Things in the Jianghu" are too numerous to list. They vary in strength, strength, and all sorts of shapes and sizes, which clearly does not conform to the normal pattern of each wave being more difficult and stronger than the last when traversing the river.

Therefore, "Tales of the Strange and Unusual in the Martial World" is essentially a book that Wei Zhengdao used to record his "journeys along the river on the shore".

It seems I must write a book like this myself.

The boy discovered that the more he progressed and improved, the more deeply he was able to understand Wei Zhengdao.

The boy was not discouraged at all, nor did he think that he was simply imitating or copying.

You have to understand that your situation is much more difficult than Wei Zhengdao's was back then. Being able to keep up with Wei Zhengdao under even more difficult conditions is a success in itself.

Without Li Zhuiyuan's order, Runsheng and Lin Shuyou did not continue to make a move.

The little girl was already suffering from unknown pressures, and when she saw the smile on the boy's face, she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

A sharp whistle came from the little girl's mouth, the living room floor tiles cracked, and branches shot out, carrying the girl and rushing towards the door.

Runsheng stepped forward, blocking Xiaoyuan's path, gathered his strength, raised the Yellow River shovel, and slammed it down.

Last time, in the pond at the Yu family's ancestral home, Runsheng absorbed a lot of resentment. Now, whenever he exerts his strength seriously, his skin turns a dark bronze color, giving people a stronger sense of visual oppression.

When your strength reaches a certain level, miracles that seem unbelievable to ordinary people will appear.

Before even touching the surface of the Yellow River shovel, the fierce tree branches were already shredded to pieces by the force of the wind.

When the little girl rushed in front of Runsheng, all his techniques and defenses had been neutralized.

Next, it was tantamount to using one's own skull to catch Runsheng's shovel.

"boom!"

The little girl's skull was indeed very hard; her head didn't explode, but instead developed cracks.

However, the floor tiles beneath her were blown away first, and half of her body was shoveled into the concrete ground.

Lin Shuyou wanted to seize an opportunity to make a move.

After playing too many high-level matches, I sometimes crave something light and refreshing.

Having been partners for so long, they still had this much understanding; Runsheng took half a step back.

Lin Shuyou's double whammy has arrived.

One mace struck the evil spirit's neck, separating its head from its body. The second mace followed, striking the inverted head in mid-air.

"Snapped."

What was destined to explode, eventually did.

A pile of black wood chips scattered everywhere indicates that the person killed by this evil spirit only had a layer of human-like skin left behind, while the inside had long been eaten away by insects.

Runsheng thrust the Yellow River shovel downwards, creating an air barrier that deflected all the wood chips for Xiaoyuan.

Lin Shuyou's vertical pupils flashed with blood-red light. He opened his mouth and spat out a fiery serpent, enveloping the remaining part of the evil spirit.

A series of crackling sounds rang out, accompanied by mournful howls and wails from the darkness.

In the end, the evil spirit turned to ashes, filling the hole she had just created.

"call……"

Lin Shuyou breathed a sigh of relief.

I did make a move, but I didn't feel the satisfaction I had expected; instead, I felt a sense of emptiness.

As the evil spirits were dealt with, the oppressive evil that had enveloped the area vanished instantly. The three people beside the altar quickly shattered, turning into wood chips that piled up under the table.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, shall I go tidy up the house?"

Even though no body was found, the house still needed to be cleaned, especially the Taoist priest's belongings.

Even if the items were perfectly intact, let alone broken, they would still be in such poor condition that I wouldn't bother packing them up and taking them back to carry on the legacy.

Although the Taoist priest's cultivation was not high, he still died while slaying demons and monsters. Out of respect, we should at least build a cenotaph for him.

Lin Shuyou followed Xiao Yuan for a long time and figured out Xiao Yuan's habits.

This time, however, Li Zhuiyuan did not answer. Instead, he turned around and walked towards the edge of the dam.

Runsheng also turned around and quickly walked to Xiaoyuan's diagonal front.

This family's dam area is much smaller than that of the great-grandfather's family, and due to cost considerations, they only paved it with cement but did not build a wall around it.

Li Zhuiyuan stood at the very edge facing south, with vegetable gardens below and a vast expanse of farmland in front of him.

Admittedly, with their current strength, it's normal for them to easily crush those low-class characters from Ah Li's dream world when they try to hook up with them.

But since it was an evil spirit that had been dealt with and suppressed by the Dragon King's faction, and it had not recovered and was far from being as ferocious as before, it should not have died so easily.

At least try to make a few more splashes and create some ripples.

If it were any other righteous person with sufficient strength, they would probably have been fooled in this way.

But Li Zhuiyuan discovered her true hiding place on the way he came from the country path.

She was always one-way transparent to the boy.

In this wave, she was far from fully recovered and her strength was already insufficient. In addition, without the help of the river, all her thoughts and methods seemed like a joke to the young man.

“Ah You”.

"exist."

"Let those three pigs out."

"Yes."

Lin Shuyou walked to the pigpen, lightly tapped it with his golden mace, and the wire on the fence broke, allowing three pigs to escape.

Instead of going anywhere else, it charged straight towards the field in front of Li Zhuiyuan.

"Brother Runsheng."

"Ah."

"Remember the location where these three pigs lingered for a long time."

"it is good."

Three pigs were in the field, constantly rooting in the soil with their snouts. After a while, they would move on to the next spot and continue rooting.

Finally, three mournful squeals rang out, and all three pigs collapsed to the ground, dying a gruesome death.

"Runsheng, give each spot a good scoop."

"clear."

Runsheng glanced at Lin Shuyou and jumped off the dam.

Lin Shuyou then stood in Runsheng's previous position to protect Xiaoyuan.

Next, every shovelful of Runsheng's caused the entire field to tremble. At first, it was mild, but later the vibration became stronger and stronger, and some areas even developed small depressions.

“Ah You”.

"Hmm, Brother Xiaoyuan?"

"If this were a normal wave in the river, how would you arrange it?"

"Arrangement?"

"Make the process more tortuous and the experience more complicated, just like the 'Code of Conduct for Walking the River'."

"If I were to orchestrate this... we wouldn't have been given such accurate clues in the first place."

"more specific."

"For example, this family that was murdered, or this Taoist priest, must have had their interpersonal relationships come into contact with our interpersonal network before they died."

When we arrive, they may not be dead yet, or they may have just died and we will arrive shortly after. We may even experience this evil disturbance with them. At first, we may not know that the little girl has already been possessed by the evil spirit. We will also fight alongside this Taoist priest, discovering and recognizing the crisis step by step.

If we were still very weak back then, like those first few waves, then this Taoist priest should have been able to teach us some techniques and skills.

It serves as an enlightening teacher.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "Anything else?"

"Furthermore, the appearance of this evil spirit has alarmed Baijia Town. In the process of searching for this evil spirit, we may have a conflict with the Bai family goddess."

After the conflict, there will be reconciliation, and after many hardships, we will eventually come before this evil spirit again.

Brother Xiaoyuan, these are all I can think of right now.

"Very good."

Lin Shuyou was somewhat surprised to receive the praise, but also pleasantly surprised.

The boy's excited voice came from the bottom of his heart: "The spirit medium is teaching you, he is teaching you how to do things!"

Lin Shuyou: "I think Xiao Yuan is just using my brain to think about problems, because Xiao Yuan is too smart, he needs to be simplified."

The spirit medium said, "You've disappointed me so much. How could you be so useless?"

Lin Shuyou: "What kind of success did you achieve before?"

Boy: "..."

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan spoke again: "However, friend, there is a problem here. How do we control the scale of the conflict between Baijia Town and us? Before you met us, Brother Liangliang had already become the son-in-law of Baijia Town."

Therefore, you have no idea how fierce these Bai family ladies were back then, and how ruthless their methods of revenge were against those who offended them.

“I think, since we’re going to cross the river, we should be able to control the river…”

"The river can only move forward; it has its own rules and limitations."

"Yes, Brother Xiaoyuan, I've got it."

"Do you think that if the entire Baijia Town mobilizes its forces, they can defeat this evil spirit?"

Lin Shuyou thought for a moment and replied, "If we pay a certain price, given the current state of this evil spirit's recovery, Baijia Town can definitely manage it."

"Therefore, Baijia Town can be involved in this wave, but before that wave, a new wave must be created first, so that another group of stronger river travelers can confront Baijia Town."

Either destroy Baijia Town, or Baijia Town destroys these lamplighters.

In short, Baijia Town must be severely weakened, so much so that even if they discover this evil spirit that has been hiding for who knows how many years, they still dare not and are unwilling to confront it head-on.

That's why the friction between us and Baijia Town occurred in your experience; otherwise, Baijia Town would have become a protective barrier for this evil spirit.

Lin Shuyou nodded thoughtfully.

Li Zhuiyuan: "This is also the reason why forces like Baijia Town are now so obediently submitting to us, and it is also the reason why the spirit beast in Brother Binbin's body is so eager to join the Dragon King's faction."

Those with such tainted backgrounds and questionable nature will have a natural sense of crisis. Unless they are willing to lie low and live silently, they will eventually be exposed and face so-called righteous purges.

Heaven truly has eyes. Those who light lamps bear heavy karmic burdens. Ordinary people who come into contact with the lamp-lighters before and after their journey along the river often respond promptly to the saying "good deeds bring good rewards and evil deeds bring evil consequences," simply because Heaven's attention is focused on the lamp-lighters.

But at other times and in other places, it may not be that they don't have time to see it or can't see it, but rather that they see it but feel it's not the right time to open and use it, so they leave it there.

This might be what they mean by: retribution may be delayed, but it will come eventually.

The boy, who had just fallen silent, cried out again in Ayou's heart, this time with a tone of terror:
"My God, what is he trying to understand? What is he trying to comprehend?!"

Lin Shuyou: "Oh my god."

Boy: "..."

Lin Shuyou: "Tongzi, don't be so startled. Luckily, my heart is healthy."

The boy said, "You know what? What he just said reminded me of the occasional words the Bodhisattva uttered when I listened to him preaching back then."

What he is currently comprehending is something that only a Bodhisattva can touch upon!

Lin Shuyou: "Just a few words?"

The boy said, “Because the Bodhisattva wouldn’t speak so bluntly, nor would he take the initiative to tell us too much, like he did with you, being so open and honest.”

Lin Shuyou: "Oh, I thought it was because you were sitting too far away and couldn't hear the whole thing."

Boy: "..."

Li Zhuiyuan stretched out his hand and pointed forward. As Runsheng continued to forcefully thrust the Yellow River shovel into the target area, this large area of ​​farmland was on the verge of "boiling".

"So, this time, my methods were still a bit crude."

I paid money, bought a ticket, and went into an amusement park, but only went on one ride.

While it was worth the ticket price, I could have made it even better value, and even gotten some free rides.

Lin Shuyou didn't know how to respond, so he could only nod and say, "Yes, Brother Xiaoyuan, you're right."

In Li Zhuiyuan's view, the waves are created by his own merits and compensation, which is equivalent to paying for a ticket.

Being simple, straightforward, and getting straight to the point is indeed an advantage, but if that advantage isn't fully utilized, one still needs to find ways to plan and design a better path, to achieve multiple goals simultaneously, and, within one's own capabilities, to try and achieve maximum benefit, even if there are no immediate opportunities.

Indeed, practice is the source and standard for testing theory, and theory originates from the summary and sublimation of practical experience.

Li Zhuiyuan initially only thought about using his merits that he couldn't spend, and his initial goal was to capture evil spirits to use as raw materials.

Unexpectedly, as I walked down this road, a new door opened up for me.

As long as he survives on the river, he can then harvest wheat between the waves. Not to mention, he now has two great generals, Zhao Yi and Chen Xiyuan, which is equivalent to hiring two skilled harvesters.

One is intelligent and possesses considerable overall strength, while the other is very strong.

In the future, I can even be lazy and have them do all the "river walks" for me, while I just sit at home and take a cut.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and patted his head.

For once, the boy's head got hot.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the farmland ahead finally collapsed completely.

Runsheng also fell and disappeared.

But soon, as a huge old tree swayed up, Runsheng, wrapped in roots, was hoisted up.

"boom!"

With a burst of strength from his arms, Runsheng broke free of his restraints and landed smoothly, as if he had taken a free elevator.

The old tree didn't have many branches, but its roots were very dense. In the center of the tree, there was a woman whose lower body was fused with the roots.

The woman was very old, with severely damaged skin, and her whole body exuded an aura of death.

At this moment, she slowly raised her head, opened her eyes, and in addition to exhaustion and vicissitudes, there was also a trace of resentment in her eyes.

In order to escape successfully, she only managed to "throw" out one sapling.

It took a series of coincidences to take root again, meaning that for a long time, she was no different from an ordinary tree.

With great difficulty, he managed to recover a little bit of his supernatural abilities and was able to try to replenish himself by absorbing human essence and blood, but before he could even begin, he encountered such a powerful and terrifying opponent.

This made her feel that all her past perseverance and waiting had become a joke.

If she had known this would happen, she would have preferred to burn herself to ashes within the sealing array, or, after becoming a tree, erase all her consciousness and simply live out the seasons as a tree.

"what!!!"

Endless sorrow, anger, and injustice transformed into a piercing cry and scream.

Standing on the dam, Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the sky.

If Heaven were to arrange all of this, it would likely grant the woman more time to recover her strength to match the difficulty of the waves. At the very least, the river wouldn't push her in her current state to resolve this simple wave.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief. Today's gains were more than enough; now, it was time to end it.

Looking at the rising sun, he should still be able to make it back in time tonight, and before Ah Li goes to sleep, he and the girl can play two more games of chess under the starry sky on the terrace.

"Buzz!"

A thick root binds and lifts another woman, middle-aged, dressed in antique clothes and adorned with many accessories; this is Lady Bai.

She was sent by Baijia Town to investigate the source of the disturbance, but she was captured by evil spirits.

"You're in cahoots with those white rats! Spare my life, or I'll kill her!"

The evil spirits are using this Lady Bai as a threat.

The Bai family lady's face also showed a pleading expression.

Faced with such a hostage threat,
Li Zhuiyuan raised his left hand and waved it forward:
"kill."

The boy ignored the hostage threat and planned to take care of the hostage as well.

In Li Zhuiyuan's eyes, Baijia Town's existence in Nantong was all thanks to Liangliang's hasty signing of the treaty that ceded its sovereignty.

This is a legacy issue from history, and we can only acquiesce to the fact that they have been allowed to remain.

In the entire Baijia Town, the only one qualified to be taken hostage and negotiate with him was that one woman. According to Liangliang, she was the only "living person" among all the Baijia goddesses because she had warmth.

Run Sheng opened his breathing valve, grabbed a Yellow River shovel, and leaped down toward the location of the old tree roots.

All the roots that tried to block him were violently crushed by him.

Even if these roots quickly changed their strategy and even wove themselves into a formation-like pattern, Runsheng could still navigate and evade them, albeit at a slower pace, but he was still steadily advancing toward the location of the old tree roots.

For Runsheng, the methods used by these roots were simply beneath his notice compared to the experiences Xiaoyuan had given him in the temple.

Seeing that threatening Lady Bai was useless, the evil spirit slammed Lady Bai into the ground, freeing up its roots to focus on dealing with Runsheng.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Ayou, you go too."

"Yes!"

Lin Shuyou jumped off the dam, took a short run-up, and leaped high into the air. Roots lashed out at him, which he smashed while using the momentum to continue jumping.

Runsheng advanced from below, while Ayou chose to launch a surprise attack from above.

The evil spirits were beyond their control, and the woman on the tree root looked on with despair.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down on the dam, opened his palm, and the spirit of the dragon appeared. It circled the boy's palm a few times before disappearing into the dam below, as if it had been allowed to go out and play.

I took a can of Jianlibao out of my backpack, opened it, and took a few sips.

I touched my forehead again, and it still felt very hot.

Li Zhuiyuan decided that next time he goes out with his equipment, he could consider bringing a larger thermos and keep filling it with ice as long as conditions allowed.

Runsheng and Lin Shuyou are both nearing the old tree roots; the end is approaching.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Behind the boy, the cement on the dam first cracked and then exploded.

The Bai family's empress, who had previously been used as a hostage and then, finding it ineffective, was angrily smashed into the ground by tree roots, has now sneaked here and launched a sneak attack.

At the same time, the woman on the old tree root shrank and withered away rapidly.

The Bai family lady's gaze shifted, transforming into the same expression as the evil spirit.

This means that the true form of that evil spirit is currently inside the body of the Bai family goddess.

Ordinary people are not suitable to be her vessel; the special existence of Lady Bai, who is neither dead nor alive, makes it easier for her to exert her power.

She reached out her hand to the boy.

I can't kill him, I have to capture him alive. Killing him will only vent my anger, and those two will still smash me to pieces. Only by controlling this boy can I have a chance to continue living.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't dodge, didn't turn around, and didn't even flinch out of the Jianlibao he was holding.

When an enemy attacked from behind, the boy simply snapped his fingers.

"boom!"

With Li Zhuiyuan at the center, red squares appear around the dam, and the distant roar of a dragon can be faintly heard.

Activate the formation!
When the boy chose to sit down on the dam, he was actually choosing a quicker way to end the conversation.

"Pfft!"

The moment Lady Bai raised her hand, the terrifying power of the array pressed down on her, forcing her to kneel down directly on the boy's back, unable to move.

All other emotions vanished from her eyes, leaving only the purest despair.

Whether in terms of hard power or soft power, she was completely outmatched by the young man in front of her.

She couldn't understand why this young man would lower himself to come all the way here to deal with her in her current wretched state.
Are you really that bored, that leisurely?

Why would you bother bringing people here for me?
After noticing the commotion behind them, Runsheng and Lin Shuyou quickly turned around and saw that the Bai family lady had already knelt down. Instead of turning back to defend themselves, the two of them worked together to dig up the old tree roots.

Li Zhuiyuan calmly took out a black array flag from his backpack. The flag had a hideous face on it, which was the "Three-Phase Beast Vengeance Curse" that Li Zhuiyuan had created with evil magic.

I did three interviews, originally planning to interview Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, and Lin Shuyou one person each.

However, Tan Wenbin has a spirit beast and Lin Shuyou has a child, so they don't really need this kind of magical artifact. It would be better to give Runsheng both sides and take out one side for themselves to try out the effect.

The boy stood up and faced the Bai family's matriarch who was kneeling before him.

With a flick of the array flag in her hand, in an instant, a chilling wind howled, ghosts wailed, and beastly shadows roared out, pouncing on her body and tearing at her body and soul in a terrifying manner.

A dark cloud gathered in the sky, casting a somber shadow over the area even though there was no rain.

Because Lady Bai was suppressed by the formation and could not resist, but judging from the tearing efficiency of the beasts that had taken human form, it was already clear how terrifying they were. Although they were very large, once they were touched, they were like a group of maggots clinging to the bone.

Evil magic, it truly lives up to its name.

In future battles, if you can take advantage of the opponent's serious injury to deliver this blow, the opponent will have almost no chance of escaping successfully, and may even kneel down and beg you to give them a quick death.

Lin Shuyou and Runsheng completely destroyed the old tree roots. When the two returned to the dam, the Bai family's empress had also been devoured into a pile of ashes. In the ashes lay a branch with only a leaf on it. On the leaf, a woman's face was faintly visible.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a sealing talisman and used it to wrap the branch, which was equivalent to temporarily stabilizing the existence of this evil spirit that was about to be completely annihilated.

She's still useful; if she's completely gone, this evil magic material will be useless.

"Brother Runsheng, please accept this."

"Ah."

"When we get back, please plant them under the peach trees for me."

"understood."

Not only should we not let her die, we should also fatten her up a bit more. It would be most suitable to place her in the peach grove. Anyway, the little bit of food that Qing'an spills when she drinks is enough to nourish her.

Moreover, because of Chen Xiyuan, Qing'an has been in a good mood lately, so asking him for a small favor now will save her a can of food.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Clean it up, build a cenotaph for the Taoist priest, and also build a grave for this family."

The cleanup was completed quickly. Although the ashes contained a lot of wood ash, it was mainly a formality.

The Taoist priest's ashes were scattered directly. As a person outside the secular world, he did not care about the physical body. His Taoist robe and broken tools were neatly piled into the pit. After the soil was filled in, Li Zhuiyuan personally wrote a plaque for him.

No items bearing the Taoist priest's name could be found; the sign simply read "An unnamed Taoist priest perished while purging demons on the righteous path," followed by "Li Li, who retrieved corpses in Nantong."

Even the most seemingly minor spiritual attainment still possesses true spiritual power. Although this family has built a two-story house, judging from the decoration and exterior, they are not wealthy. In fact, they may have even gone into debt to build the main structure of the house.

You can't invite a truly accomplished person to come out of seclusion by spending a small amount of money. The fact that the Taoist priest is here must mean that he has a righteous heart.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that although he had fallen into the trap of inner demons and separated himself from his true self, his motivations were still driven by utilitarian motives.

He didn't want to die, didn't want to be preemptively killed by the Heavenly Dao, so he always adhered to the code of conduct of the Dragon King's sect, not out of any moral conscience.

Just as he had relied on his friends to build a fence in the desert of his heart, the boy felt that he could also build an even bigger fence for himself through these people.

This martial arts world would be quite boring without people like them.

"Okay, let's go back."

The three returned to the shore where they had landed, and Runsheng pushed the wooden boat into the river, where everyone boarded.

Just like when he arrived, Runsheng first used a Yellow River shovel to paddle in the water for a while.

Then, the Bai family ladies reappeared beneath the boat and took on the role of boatmen.

The boat moves very fast, without an engine or oars.

Midway, they almost passed a car ferry. A white mist rose from Bai Family Goddess's body, making it impossible for the people on the car ferry to see them.

Xue Liangliang's family's image reappeared, without saying a word, simply standing on the river surface, drifting along, half-bent over.

Li Zhuiyuan: "They're all dead."

The woman nodded and began to bow deeply in gratitude. The evil spirit and the Bai family lady who had fallen into its clutches earlier were both dead.

For Baijia Town, this is definitely a win; if they had handled it themselves, they would have only caused more losses.

Li Zhuiyuan waved his hand.

The woman disappeared into the river.

Tan Wenbin was basically in charge of the personal relationship between Xue Liangliang and Xue Liangliang. When Tan Wenbin came alone, he was friendly and even chatted about everyday things.

Everyone has a different role, so Li Zhuiyuan has to maintain this aloof style in order to help her continue to suppress the others in the town.

The boy could sense that as the pregnancy progressed, the intensity of the woman's aura gradually decreased.

This means that she can no longer win people's hearts through her own abilities, and now she can only rely on her own banner.

The Bai family ladies were indeed professional boatmen; as they disappeared from the bottom of the boat, the wooden boat, with its last bit of strength, managed to reach the shore.

The yellow pickup truck was still parked on the shore. Five meters away, there were two human-shaped clumps of ashes on the ground, and an empty plastic bucket was placed next to them.

Lin Shuyou: "A thief?"

If a thief comes to steal your car or gas at this time, then you've really hit rock bottom.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. That was paper ash. If a living person were burned, it would leave a greasy puddle.

Lin Shuyou got into the car, started the engine, glanced at the dashboard, and said:

"The ladies of the Bai family helped us fill up the oil tank."

Those two ashes of paper figures were probably gasoline that the Bai family empress had bought nearby, which she had previously manipulated.

Sometimes it's really hard to tell whether the people in society are human or demons.

On the way back, not long after we drove off, we saw a woman at a small private gas station on the side of the road, holding a stack of yellow papers and cursing at a man.

Feeling utterly frustrated by the scolding, the man pulled out a cigarette and prepared to light it.

Seeing this, the woman dared not curse anymore.

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Xiaoyuan, shall I go downstairs to return the money?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "No need."

I have given the order that Lady Bai is not allowed to go ashore without a reason, but this gas station is located on the shore, which is a gray area.

Although the Goddess Bai cannot distribute merits, each realm has its own way of doing things. Accepting this yellow paper is equivalent to accepting a protection fee.

If individual business owners were to choose whether to pay protection money to local thugs or to shady characters, most would probably choose the latter.

When we returned to Siyuan Village in Shinan Town, it was already dark, but not too late, as most of the houses in the village still had lights on.

As the car approached the dam, Lin Shuyou exclaimed in surprise:
"Brother Bin is actually back!"

Tan Wenbin was sitting on a small stool, eating a bowl of noodles that Aunt Liu had just cooked for him.

Seeing that Little Pikachu had returned, Tan Wenbin stood up, holding his bowl of noodles, and continued eating as he walked over.

He and Chen Xiyuan went to Yancheng, which is theoretically much farther away than Li Zhuiyuan's place.

But when they arrived at the river where corpses always appeared at night, without him even having to ask any questions, Chen Xiyuan jumped into the river without saying a word.

In less than the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, Chen Xiyuan surfaced, carrying a black mask in her hand.

Job done!
Throughout the entire trip, Tan Wenbin's only role was to shout something just before Chen Xiyuan was about to habitually smash the mask with her jade flute:
"Please spare his life!"

From a single leaf falling, one can foresee the coming of autumn. Tan Wenbin has gained a profound understanding of how Chen Xiyuan navigated the Jiang River in the past.

Moreover, because of the underwater area, Chen Xiyuan's clothes didn't get wet at all.

She urged Tan Wenbin to return home as soon as possible, as she wanted to take advantage of the remaining time to formally thank the old lady.

“Brother Xiaoyuan, I took that mask into the temple and placed it on the offering table of the Fengdu Emperor. After dark, Chen Xiyuan took A Li to Cuicui’s house.”

"Well, I see."

Aunt Liu was still awake. Hearing the noise outside, she opened the door to the west room and asked with a smile:

"You're back? Should I make you some noodles too?"

Lin Shuyou: "I want two fried eggs, sis."

……

The old ladies' card game ended late tonight because Wang Lian's son was about to be sent to the city for a new course of treatment, and Liu Yumei had to lose more money to her.

After Chen Xiyuan brought A Li here, A Li went upstairs by herself and started drawing patterns with a pencil at Cui Cui's desk to make it easier to carve the patterns the next day.

Cui Cui knew that her sister A Li was busy, so she didn't go back to her room to disturb her.

Then, she went to find Sister Chen.

Sister Chen is beautiful and charming, and very kind. Most importantly, Cui Cui noticed that Sister Chen always responded and offered insightful opinions whenever she spoke to her.

Especially when Cui Cui talked about which girl in the class had a crush on which boy, which boys fought over a girl, and which student secretly gave the English teacher a love letter, Sister Chen's eyes seemed to light up.

After discussing things at school and in her class, Cuicui started talking about things in the village.

She learned these things from her grandmother and mother's conversations, and they had already been processed before she told them, making them even more interesting.

Chen Xiyuan listened with great interest and found it very appetizing. Before she knew it, she had almost finished all of Cui Cui's snacks.

Cui Cui wasn't stingy. When she saw that the snacks were gone, she went to ask her mother for money and took Sister Chen's hand to Aunt Zhang's shop to buy new ones.

The village shops are often the main hubs for gossip and disputes within the village.

There happened to be a lot of elderly people sitting in front of the convenience store, so Chen Xiyuan stopped and found a bench with Cui Cui to sit down, eating snacks while listening.

If your mouth feels salty or you're choking, ask Aunt Zhang for a can of Jianlibao to soothe it. This manner is reminiscent of listening to a crosstalk performance in Beijing.

It wasn't until the old ladies finished their card game that Aunt Xianghou called them back for dinner from a distance, and Chen Xiyuan and Cuicui reluctantly paid the bill and headed back.

Chen Xiyuan told Cuicui that she would take the money out of the pocket of her old clothes and return it to her the next day after she got back.

Cui Cui waved her hand generously and said no, she should treat.

Both of them were talkative and never stopped talking. Despite the age difference, they felt like kindred spirits.

At dinner, Chen Xiyuan ate very modestly, with only a small bowl of rice and some vegetables. It wasn't because Aunt Xianghou's cooking skills were much worse than Aunt Liu's, but because she knew that if she ate freely, the old ladies would probably have to go to bed hungry tonight.

After the meal, Liu Yumei sat down on a bench in the corner of the dam and received a formal tea from Chen Xiyuan.

After handing over the teacup, Chen Xiyuan kowtowed to Liu Yumei with the courtesy due to a junior relative among friends and family.

A normal bump doesn't necessarily cause a dent.

Liu Yumei: "I don't have anything suitable to reward you on hand."

Chen Xiyuan pointed to the clothes she was wearing: "Thank you for the gift, Madam."

"Let's talk while we're seated."

"Hey."

They chatted casually about everyday things.

Since the incident involving the Qin and Liu families, Liu Yumei has severed most of her previous relationships.

Now, she was quite curious to hear from this girl how her best friend had been doing all these years.

Then, Chen Xiyuan described a vivid scene to her, making her feel as if she were there.

This girl knows so much, it's like she's been sitting at the foot of the bed listening to her talk.

There were some things that were clearly inappropriate to say in front of him, but this girl still revealed them.

Finally, seeing that it was already late and the girl still hadn't stopped talking, Liu Yumei had no choice but to speak first:

"Alright, alright, let's save some and talk about it again tomorrow."

"Yes, madam."

"I heard you're inviting Xiaoyuan to Hainan?"

"um, yes."

"It's good that there are exchanges. The younger generation should visit each other more often. Please pass on my greetings to your grandparents."

"I don't plan to tell my grandparents about my little brother's identity."

"Ok?"

"We're all on the river, and the karmic entanglements are huge. Even if we wanted to offer a nice gift, it would be very difficult."

"What are you talking about? Why would you need a gift?"

"If my grandparents knew that my little brother is your successor, they would definitely give him a warm welcome."

Liu Yumei picked up her teacup: "Shouldn't this be the case?"

"Then it won't be convenient for the little brother to visit my family's treasure vault."

Liu Yumei paused in her tea-drinking motion.

Chen Xiyuan continued, "If my grandparents knew my little brother's identity and discovered that he had been rummaging through our family's treasure vault, would they do anything about it or not?"

If we deal with it, it will make you lose face and damage the relationship between our two families; if we don't deal with it, we will suffer the consequences.

I have complete faith in my little brother's abilities; there's no need for any special introductions. He'll definitely be able to successfully enter my family's treasure trove!

Liu Yumei really didn't know how to respond to that.

She used to think that her Ah Li was biased towards outsiders, but Ah Li was just moving things from one place to another.

But this girl in front of her wasn't just pulling her arm anymore; if she could, she'd kick open the door to her own treasure vault and help carry everything out.

Liu Yumei: "Please give my regards to your grandparents."

"Yes, I will, madam."

After ending the chat, Chen Xiyuan went back.

Earlier, when they were chatting, Lin Shuyou made a special trip to let them know that he and Ah Li upstairs had returned safely.

At this moment, Chen Xiyuan, in a good mood, was happily walking back, humming a tune while playing her flute.

On the way, she encountered Runsheng coming from the direction of her home, who was holding a small twig in his hand.

Chen Xiyuan: "What is this?"

Runsheng: "Xiaoyuan told me to plant it in the peach grove and let it grow for two days."

Chen Xiyuan: "Then... I'll go."

Runsheng: "Okay."

Taking the branch, Chen Xiyuan turned and headed towards the bearded man's house.

Although she knew Qing'an was terrifying, she trusted her little brother's opinion of him and the recognition of music.

As soon as the branch was stuck into the peach grove, a cold snort came from inside.

A cold wind blew out from inside.

Chen Xiyuan raised her flute, letting the eerie wind enter it, and a mournful melody emanated from it.

It was like opening a show, and at the same time, it set the emotional tone for tonight's ensemble.

From inside came the suppressed sound of a piano, which seemed to contain endless sorrow and regret.

Chen Xiyuan raised her flute, brought it to her lips, and walked into the peach grove while playing along.

In the bedroom of the bearded man's house, Benben, who was sleeping in Xiao Yingying's arms, suddenly burst into tears.

Xiao Yingying didn't know what was wrong with the child, so she immediately started to comfort him.

This child is so well-behaved and sensible. I've never seen him make a fuss or cry since I started taking care of him. But tonight, he started crying and I just couldn't stop.

The creaking sounds that used to last for a long time every night in the upstairs room gradually stopped.

Pear Blossom: "What's wrong with you?"

Xiong Shan: "I don't know, I suddenly feel a bit uneasy."

Pear Blossom: "Tired?"

Xiong Shan: "I don't know, that shouldn't be the case."

Pear Blossom: "It's okay, it's normal to be tired. Don't cry, I don't blame you, really."

Xiong Shan: "I really don't know why I suddenly feel like crying..."

Pear Blossom: "Alright, alright, I understand you. It's normal to be this age. Don't cry, don't blame yourself."

Zhao Yi returned and handed the eyeballs he had brought back from Yangzhou to Chen Jing, asking him to deliver them to the man surnamed Li.

Chen Jing took the eyeball and ran over excitedly.

Since arriving in Nantong, he hasn't seen his beloved Brother Yuan yet.

Looking at the little figure running around so happily that it almost jumped up, Zhao Yi gave a wry smile.

I can keep him physically, but I can't keep his heart.

Actually, he really didn't know that the person surnamed Li had such a situation before. No matter how special or how much he was being targeted, he never expected that Heaven would go to such an extreme.

For a long time, he genuinely believed that the reason why the man surnamed Li and his subordinates had made such rapid progress was because the man surnamed Li was highly capable and because he was willing to invest resources in him.

What truly made him realize something was wrong was his choice of Chen Jing.

Knowing that he would inevitably encounter the Yu family's influence in the future, the man surnamed Li remained unmoved by Chen Jing.

Of course, we can indeed do without the man surnamed Li, since he already has Runsheng. However, the attitude that the man surnamed Li showed was not that he looked down on Chen Jing's future potential, but rather that he felt it would be too troublesome to cultivate Chen Jing from scratch.

Why not just pour out as much merit as possible? Why make things so complicated?

Doubt was born from that time.

Later, Zhao Yi began to observe more consciously and gradually discovered more clues.

He didn't say it at first because he genuinely believed that the person surnamed Li knew.

He felt a little excited when he gradually realized that the man surnamed Li didn't seem to know.

He didn't intend to deliberately hide it from him or trick him; doing so would be too inefficient. He came to Nantong this time to bring his men to find someone surnamed Li to give lessons. He planned to use this to exchange for more class hours, and ideally, he himself could "buy" a private lesson, such as to read the internal reference book that Ah You had mentioned when he misspoke.

But when he arrived, he discovered that the man surnamed Li had found out before he could even speak.

Moreover, it seems that this step is not long.

Now, not only did he fail to sell the secret for a good price and it became a burden, but he also ended up feeling inferior to the man surnamed Li.

Although he knew that the man surnamed Li wouldn't really mind this kind of thing, and that it was normal for each other to keep each other's secrets without telling each other, what he wanted was a favor from the man surnamed Li.

"I just don't know if it's my bad luck or if someone beat me to it?"

The Liang sisters assumed their boss was upset about Chen Jing's attitude toward Li Zhuiyuan, and the two sisters, in perfect unison, each put their arms around Zhao Yi's arm, one on each side.

Liang Yan: "You have me."

Liang Li: "Me too."

Zhao Yi smiled and nodded. It was a misunderstanding, but there was no need to explain.

At the same time, Zhao Yi also realized that the most stable relationship in a team seems to be developing team members into his family.

Xu Ming considered accompanying him on his journey across the river as an indispensable job, and A Jing's heart was completely devoted to the man surnamed Li, so much so that she was unwilling to harm him even when she was possessed by a demon.

Only the two of them truly regarded him as their man and their future support.

As I entered the bearded man's house and stepped onto the dam, I heard this mournful music.

Zhao Yi sniffed, and two lines of clear tears rolled down his cheeks.

The more sensitive one's perception, the clearer one can hear the music and the more one can empathize with it.

The Liang sisters were not sensitive to the music when they were not holding hands.

Seeing Zhao Yi cry, such a genuine expression of emotion.

The two sisters also cried, each resting their heads on one side of Zhao Yi's chest and leaning their bodies against him.

Liang Yan: "Meeting you is the greatest blessing of my life."

Liang Li: "I promise you, we will be together forever, and we will never be apart in this life."

With tears streaming down his face, Zhao Yi placed his hands on the sisters' waists.

Forget it, just keep crying. Explaining would be too much of a mood killer.

Li Zhuiyuan had just come out of the dojo and checked the condition of the mask.

Chen Xiyuan was too ruthless; she almost beat that beast-like creature to a pulp.

Tan Wenbin was right to place the mask on the altar of the Fengdu Emperor. He could use a trace of the Fengdu Emperor's aura to suppress the fragmented consciousness on the mask and allow it to solidify again.

"Brother Yuan! Brother Yuan! Brother Yuan!"

Chen Jing ran excitedly to the dam and handed the eyeball in his hand to Li Zhuiyuan.

Zhao Yi's work was the most meticulous; the eyeballs were peeled off very well, the evil aura inside was very strong, and the sealing technique was also very skillful.

The other two items need to be rested for a few days, but this eyeball can be used immediately upon arrival.

"Thank you for your hard work, A-Jing."

"It's no trouble at all, it's my duty. As long as you need anything, Brother Yuan, I can get it for you."

"have you eaten?"

"Not yet, I'll go back to eat. Grandpa Tian will cook for us."

"I was just about to eat noodles, want to come together?"

"Okay, thank you, Brother Yuan!"

Li Zhuiyuan went into the kitchen. Runsheng and the others had already eaten the noodles. He went into the dojo to check on the masks and didn't eat.

However, everything from the noodles to the base sauce in the bowl had already been prepared by Aunt Liu on the stove, and the fire in the stove hadn't completely gone out yet, so it was very easy to make.

While adding firewood to the stove and waiting for the water in the pot to boil, Li Zhuiyuan began to miss Chen Xiyuan's fire poker.

Boil the water, add the noodles, and scoop out a spoonful of soup to dissolve the base ingredients in the bowl. When the time is up, scoop out the noodles, shake off the excess water, and shape them into a ball before placing them in the soup bowl.

Two bowls of noodles were brought out, one for Li Zhuiyuan and one for Chen Jing.

When eating noodles, Chen Jing ate them almost one strand at a time, savoring each bite.

After finishing the meal, Chen Jing insisted on washing the dishes before going back.

When they arrived at Big Beard's house, Old Tian said to him, "Ah Jing, wait here, I'll heat up your food."

Chen Jing shook his head, his eyes reddening and moist.

Old Tian: "Oh dear, it's just heating up some food for you. You don't need to be so touched. Surely we wouldn't let you go hungry at the young master's place?"

It was close to midnight when Chen Xiyuan finally emerged from the peach grove.

Upstairs, Pear Blossom, who had been comforting her husband while holding his head, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her husband's emotions had finally returned to normal.

She knew how devastating this would be for a man.

She kissed Xiong Shan on the forehead as a final word of comfort: "Don't worry, I'm with you not just for that kind of thing. Try to look on the bright side."

Downstairs in the room, Benben finally stopped crying and fell asleep.

Xiao Yingying sat on the bed with her hair disheveled, and thin streams of water dripped from her body and down the edge of the bed.

The child's crying and fussing left her exhausted and almost caused her to reveal her true colors.

Ms. Chen, one of the instigators of all this, felt that she had a very pleasant day.

Smashing an evil spirit, chatting and listening to gossip for a long time, and even having a great time playing music together before going to sleep—this was simply a life of bliss.

If it weren't for the fact that she still had her own cave dwelling in Wuzhishan, where she had her share of the family property, and that her younger brother was so poor that he needed to visit their family's treasure trove, she would have wanted to stay in Nantong forever.

On her way home, she saw a familiar figure ahead of her; it was Grandpa Li.

Li Sanjiang has been having a lot of drinking parties lately. He drank at the old carpenter's house yesterday, and today he went to drink at the former village chief's house.

The older people are, the more they think about inviting Li Sanjiang when they organize a small party. This can be seen as a last-minute effort, since they are still counting on Li Sanjiang to ensure they can leave this world with dignity.

Even though many of the elderly people inside were younger than Li Sanjiang, or even a generation younger, they all seemed certain that Li Sanjiang would still be in good health when they lay in the ice coffin.

"Uncle Li!"

Li Sanjiang turned around, straining his drunken eyes, and it took him a long time to realize who she was:
"Oh, you're that mercenary old lady's sister!"

Who is this mercenary old lady?

"Hmm...nobody." Li Sanjiang slapped his mouth twice. "Why are you still wandering around outside so late?"

"I was just about to go back to sleep."

"Okay, I'll walk in front of you, and you walk behind. Watch your step and don't twist your ankle."

"Hey, good."

And so, Li Sanjiang continued to walk in a serpentine pattern in front, his body swaying constantly, while Chen Xiyuan kept a close eye on him from behind.

But as time went on, she discovered that no matter how much Grandpa Li swayed, he never fell over, and he was able to skillfully avoid the potholes on the village road.

Actually, after Runsheng handed the branch to Chen Xiyuan, he went to the old village chief's house to prepare to bring Li Sanjiang back.

Li Sanjiang said he would sleep here tonight and go back tomorrow morning, and then sent Runsheng back.

Who knew that the old men at this table tonight couldn't drink as much as the ones at last night. Before half the night was even over, they were all passed out. Li Sanjiang was too lazy to sleep there and decided to go back to his own home for a good night's sleep.

"Little girl."

"My surname is Chen."

“Xi Chentou, ah.”

"Hey."

"The wind is so strong tonight! Look, it's almost blowing me over. Be careful too."

"It's alright, this little bit of wind is nothing. The wind is much stronger where I live, during typhoons, which can blow down trees and lift roofs off."

"Really? That's terrifying! If someone ran outside, wouldn't they be blown away?"

"Yes, during a major typhoon, someone will drive around with a loudspeaker to warn people not to go out."

"Hehe, that's really interesting. No wonder in plays, loyal ministers are often exiled to your hometown."

Back when everyone lived in mud houses and thatched huts, wouldn't they have to rebuild every time a strong wind came?

“When I was a child, I asked my grandfather what Qiongzhou was and why I was always exiled there. When I asked, I found out that it was my home.”

"Hahaha!" Li Sanjiang laughed. "I've seen it on TV. It's very beautiful there, and the sea is gorgeous too."

"Then Uncle Li, why don't you come visit me? My grandpa is a great drinker. He says that no one in the world can beat him when it comes to drinking."

"Don't listen to his bragging!"

"Then why don't you go and have a match, Uncle Li? Little brother... oh no, I mean, Little Yuan the monkey wants to go too."

Chen Xiyuan didn't know why, in the Nantong dialect, people would add "monkey" after a person's name when addressing them.

"what?"

“I said Little Yuan Monkey wants to go too.”

"Oh."

"He's so young. There are a lot of typhoons where we live this time of year. What if Xiao Yuan gets blown into the sea while you're not here?"

"right."

"Then go ahead, you'll definitely get along well with my grandpa."

"Hey, hey, hey."

"Uncle Li, you've agreed? Then I'll book your plane ticket. I don't know if there are any direct flights from Nantong Airport to our island. If not, flying from Shanghai is fine too."

"Booking plane tickets is such a hassle and expensive..."

"Without booking a plane ticket, the bus ride is quite long, and my butt will hurt from sitting so long. Besides, where we're from, we have to wait for a ferry before we can even get to the island."

"I'll go find a place tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow to try my luck at winning a prize."

"A lottery?"

"Well, maybe we'll even get your plane ticket money back."

"Uncle Li, are you really good at winning the lottery?"

"I don't know either. I even suspect that the person who does the lottery might know me. They always cheat me, which makes me feel really embarrassed. I avoid them when I run into them lately."

"Hahaha."

Chen Xiyuan thought that Grandpa Li was joking with her on purpose.

At home, everyone else had gone back to their rooms or were sleeping in the coffins; it was very quiet.

Li Sanjiang walked up the steps of the dam, bent over, and began to pant.

Chen Xiyuan walked to the front first, turned around, held out her flute, and said:

“Come on, Grandpa Li, hold onto your flute, I’ll give you a hand.”

"okay."

Li Sanjiang, holding the flute, was led onto the dam.

"Uncle Li, let me help you upstairs."

"No, no, I've calmed down. I'm not drunk, really not drunk. You go to sleep, I'm going back to sleep too."

After saying that, Li Sanjiang went inside and went up the stairs.

Chen Xiyuan stood on the dam, watching Li Sanjiang appear on the terrace and then go into his own room before preparing to return to her own sleeping room in the east wing.

But as soon as she took a step, she felt the flute in her hand getting hot.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Chen Xiyuan swung the flute, once, twice, three times...

Suddenly, the flute lit up.

Night is as bright as day!

(End of this chapter)