Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 383

Zhao Yi left the seriously injured Chen Jing and the exhausted Xu Ming behind, stood up, pulled the wrinkled and peeling skin on his body back in, and then skillfully tied a bow at several of the tears.

At first glance, one might think he was tidying up his clothes, but upon closer inspection, one could see the tender, pink flesh writhing beneath those "clothes."

I glanced at the Liang sisters. They were both badly injured, but they helped each other to their feet, indicating that they were still able to move.

The premise for calling each other "outside team" is that both sides have truly developed a tacit understanding.

Even though the word "former" has been added to his title now, Zhao Yi understands the "former" in "senior" as emphasizing a kind of seniority.

For example, if the person surnamed Li can sit on the threshold, then Zhao Yi has to stand up and take over the next task.

"Everyone, disperse and search this mansion thoroughly. Although I don't think there will be any survivors, it's necessary to mentally cleanse this mansion."

When I had tea with Zhou Ruiyao during the day, you should have seen the Zhou family members who were sitting with us at the time; they were the true core of the Zhou family.

You must see the body, even if it's just a mutilated corpse. Observe the clothing and accessories on it, pick up a piece of the corpse and bring it to me for inspection.

As for the Ding family, they were not familiar with the interior of the Zhou residence, nor did they understand mechanical arts, so the possibility of them hiding and surviving was almost nonexistent. Therefore, all that was needed was to find the body of Ding Qinglin, the head of the Ding family.

Now, let's take action!

"clear."

"understand!"

Chen Xiyuan: "Understood!"

Inside the ancestral hall's courtyard, there were many corpses, but also quite a few experts from the Zhou and Ding families, including Zhou Ruiyao and Ding Qinglin. After witnessing a large number of mechanical puppets rush out and begin slaughtering them, they turned and fled.

But they can't escape. The Zhou family had deliberately turned their protective formation inward in order to lure their enemy into a trap. Now that the enemy has taken control of the formation, they have essentially woven their own prison.

In addition, there were a large number of mechanical puppets, which on the surface were dressed in the skin of the Zhou family ancestors, but in reality were the coldest killing machines. At first, there were screams and self-destruction sounds coming from outside from time to time, but now, it was completely quiet.

Even so, the inspection process could not be skipped, as Zhao Yi knew Li's style and habits all too well.

"Pfft!"

Chen Xiyuan opened a can of Jianlibao, then took out a straw from the side of her bag and inserted it. She pursed her red lips and smiled.

They were drinking and looking around, looking like they were on an autumn outing.

Then, a voice appeared behind her.

"Miss Chen seems to be in a good mood~"

It's Zhao Yi.

Chen Xiyuan frowned slightly. Even though she already knew that Zhao Yi's reputation in the underworld was basically due to taking the blame for his younger brother, she still didn't like this guy.

“Didn’t Young Master Zhao say we should search separately? If you and I take the same route, wouldn’t that be a waste of manpower?”

Zhao Yi raised his hand, making a calculation gesture with his fingertips: "Miss Chen, please check yours. I'll do my calculations. We're just going the same way, not on the same route."

Chen Xiyuan glanced at him, shrugged, and continued on her way.

The divination in Zhao Yi's hand was fake; he had simply sensed long ago that this Dragon King Chen family daughter possessed a special kind of fortune.

Instead of blindly searching on your own, following her might actually yield unexpected results.

However, Zhao Yi was certain that Miss Chen would have felt heavy-hearted in the past when faced with such a scene, or at least not beautiful, but look at her now, she is so relaxed and at ease.

The man surnamed Li is genuinely teaching her.

The most difficult thing for people to resolve is the conflict between their spiritual understanding and objective reality, and to achieve a state of harmony that satisfies their desires.

At the Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum, where they first met, Zhao Yi felt that she shouldn't have been on the river in the first place. No matter how strong she was, she would eventually die and lose.

Even though she still has a childish side, she will mature very quickly.

Zhao Yi was genuinely puzzled. Did the man surnamed Li think that going to Jiang was too unchallenging, so he deliberately cultivated a competitor?
Yes, yes, yes, you, surnamed Li, are confident that you can keep this Miss Chen in check.

But I'm still waiting for the day when the Heavenly Dao exerts its power and makes you, Mr. Li, choke to death while drinking Jianlibao.

As a result, after you died

I still have to deal with your silly girl whom you've trained to be on the right track?

Along the way, besides the corpses on the ground, you can also see the motionless mechanical puppets of the Zhou family ancestors.

After completing their instructions and clearing the target, they stopped and did nothing else.

Chen Xiyuan finished her drink, put the empty can back in her backpack, stretched, and looked up at the sky.

At this moment, the last vestiges of darkness in the sky are being swept away by the dawn.

Then, she saw a head hanging on a tree branch, hidden by green leaves; the owner was Ding Qinglin.

That location would be really hard to find if you didn't just happen to see it, since dead people don't show any signs of life.

Chen Xiyuan kicked with her toe, sending a pebble flying, scattering tree branches, and the head fell to the ground. She caught it, turned around, and looked at Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi took it and examined it.

Chen Xiyuan: "Is it genuine?"

Zhao Yi: "Yes, it's Ding Qinglin."

Chen Xiyuan: "Was it during the puppet's self-destruction that its head was blown off?"

Zhao Yi shook his head: "If the body was disintegrated due to the self-destruction of the mechanical puppet, this head could not have been preserved so well. At the very least, the nose would be flat and the eyes would be crooked. Look at the wound marks at the bottom of the head. It is clear that the neck was strangled and blown off in an instant. This is not the way mechanical puppets fight."

Moreover, Ding Qinglin was quite skilled; he could easily have taken two or three people with him before he died, but there were no obvious signs of a battle in the vicinity.

Chen Xiyuan: "I really didn't observe that carefully."

Zhao Yi: "This is related to your usual fighting style."

Chen Xiyuan: "So, he didn't die at the hands of the mechanical puppets, but was ambushed? Ambushed by his own side? Then, what was the purpose of ambushing his teammates while on the run?"

The primary goal is to escape, and all actions are driven by this primary goal. Therefore, it was Ding Qinglin's existence that affected that person's chances of survival.
Or perhaps, the possibility of survival can only be given to one person, and cannot accommodate two people, so Ding Qinglin is the only one who can be saved…

As Chen Xiyuan spoke, her gaze began to re-examine her surroundings.

Zhao Yi: "There should be a hidden door here, which can help us avoid the detection of the mechanical puppets and prevent us from being hunted down. Moreover, this hidden door should have been built later, and is independent of the original Zhou family's protective array system."

The only person who knows about this place in the house, can escape with Ding Qinglin, and has the ability to successfully launch a sneak attack is…

Chen Xiyuan: "Your old lady."

Zhao Yi: "This is how my reputation was ruined."

Chen Xiyuan: "I think you're really enjoying it."

Zhao Yi: "Miss Chen, what you see is only my forbearance and humiliation."

Chen Xiyuan: "Where is she?"

Zhao Yi walked to the tree, patted the trunk, and said, "Miss Chen, could you please lend a hand with this tree? Well, just break it open."

Chen Xiyuan walked over, but instead of smashing the tree with her flute, she bent down, turned to the side, and hugged the roots of the tree with both hands, activating her domain.

"Crack, click, click!"

This big tree was uprooted by Chen Xiyuan.

As the tree roots detached from the ground, the large tree and a small area around it collapsed like dominoes, and the previous landscape changed, revealing a deep, dark entrance leading downwards.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Zhou Ruiyao's sharp voice came from below, and then a black figure rushed out. She was seriously injured, and one of her arms had been replaced by a wooden python.

When this hiding place was discovered, it meant that she had no chance of surviving, because in the entire Zhou residence, only this place could shield her from the perception of the protective array, preventing those mechanical puppets from locking onto her.

Zhao Yi: "Back off!"

There's no need to fight her here; she's already a dead person destined for this.

Chen Xiyuan retreated quickly, and with the domain blocking her way, Zhou Ruiyao's speed was severely slowed down, and her attacks could not reach her.

The moment Chen Xiyuan pulled the tree out, all the mechanical puppets standing motionless in the Zhou residence, whether near or far, were sensed and swarmed towards it.

Despair filled Zhou Ruiyao's eyes. Before she could even think of a way to overcome the strange obstruction in front of her, she was grabbed by three mechanical puppets. Without any pause, the three mechanical puppets self-destructed.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Zhou Ruiyao, her body mangled beyond recognition, fell to the ground. She struggled to lift her head, wanting to express her resentment and anger once more.

But immediately another mechanical puppet rushed in front of her, silencing her final "monologue" before she died.

After she completely lost her life, the mechanical puppets around her stood up again and remained motionless.

Zhao Yi took out his pipe, put it in his mouth, rubbed it with his fingertips, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Although most of the Zhou family members were sent away in advance, Zhou Ruiyao's death meant that the death knell had been tolled for the Zhou family.

Similarly, the fact that Ding Qinglin and the Ding family's experts all died here means that the Ding family will also become prey for the fish in the martial arts world.

This is impossible to keep secret. When the Zhao family ancestral home in Jiujiang was in trouble, the guests who came to celebrate his birthday yesterday turned into hyenas waiting to devour him the very next day. That's the efficiency of the martial arts world.

Moreover, once they leave this door, Zhao Yi will actively help spread the word throughout the martial arts world.

This dirty work is definitely something Zhao Yi should do; little brother Li Zhuiyuan should definitely stay kind.

Chen Xiyuan: "Tell me, if she had personally escorted her son to Old Madam Liu to beg for forgiveness and handed him over to be dealt with at will, and if the entire Zhou family had been at Old Madam Liu's mercy, wouldn't the Zhou family have avoided this fate?"

Zhao Yi: "Isn't this Ayou and me?"

Chen Xiyuan: "Ah, I can understand you and me, but were Ayou's family really this fierce back then?"

Zhao Yi: "That's right. Ayou's grandfather and master were incredibly fierce back then, and they almost directly attacked the Dragon King's family."

Chen Xiyuan: "Wow~"

Zhao Yi: "It's just that they stopped quickly and handed Ayou over to be dealt with as they saw fit. For a while, Ayou had nightmares about how his grandfather and master didn't stop that day and smashed the gate of the old lady's courtyard, and then Uncle Qin or Aunt Liu went to his family's temple."

Chen Xiyuan: "I understand."

Zhao Yi: "But the Zhou family is different. First, Zhou Ruiyao is like that brain-dead elder in my family before, thinking that the Qin and Liu families have declined, so she has become contemptuous; second, when Zhou Ruiyao brought her disabled son to apologize, didn't she offend the group of people who were really scheming against Uncle Qin behind the scenes?"

Old Madam Liu actually knew which families were using underhanded tactics behind the scenes, but she held her tongue and didn't confront them. If Zhou Ruiyao were to expose them, her Zhou family would be doomed.

To put it bluntly, if you don't have the foundation and strength, don't go to a table where you're not qualified. If you do go, it means you're willing to accept the consequences of your family being destroyed.

Let's go down and see what's going on inside.

Creating a separate area outside the protective array is a major taboo. I'm genuinely curious what it is that would make Zhou Ruiyao do this.

Zhao Yi led Chen Xiyuan down the steps.

It wasn't very deep, and it wasn't pitch black inside. At the very bottom center was an open coffin, its walls gleaming with an emerald hue, providing just enough visibility.

Chen Xiyuan looked around the four walls and said, "These are murals."

"Hmm." Zhao Yi nodded, then used his thumb to stub out the pipe in his mouth. His thumb was trembling, not from pain, but from lingering fear. "Damn it, thank goodness that guy surnamed Li came to take revenge quickly!"

Zhao Yi had seen this mural before.

Back then, on the first floor of that pagoda at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, there was a mural depicting the story of the goddess's descent, construction, gathering, prayer, and eventual ascension.

However, the murals here were clearly carved recently, and they are much simpler and rougher than those on the first floor of the pagoda. The characters in them are all blurry black shadows.

In addition, there are two more murals here than on the first floor of the pagoda.

One of the images depicted a snow-capped mountain collapsing, with several dark figures being swept away in the avalanche. Zhao Yi knew that one of those figures was him.

The second painting is set in a cave. Above the cave is a long opening. Inside the cave, several dark figures face an empty stone bed, while at the opening above, a dark figure lies there, peering down.

The ascension at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain was a hoax. The person who built it attracted people who dreamed of ascension for thousands of years to this place, and eventually set off a fire that burned them all, including his own descendants.

He used other people's dreams of ascension to create the opportunity for his own resurgence.

Zhao Yi remembered that after the storm in Lijiang, the man surnamed Li went straight to this guy's grave on his way back, but he was too late and found nothing there.

The man surnamed Li described that guy's body as being so incredibly hard that it could travel through solid mountain rocks.

Clearly, the murals here were carved by that guy, and he even added two new pieces from an observer's perspective.

And this coffin...

Zhao Yi walked to the open coffin. There were no burial objects inside, but the inner walls were pitted with blood.

This means that the guy had been lying here before. His physical condition was probably not fully recovered, and he came to the Zhou family to use their mechanical skills to help him adjust his body.

Zhou Ruiyao and her son are really bold. The son goes to plot against the Dragon King's family, and the mother dares to cooperate with such a terrifying being of unknown origin.

Zhao Yi jumped into the coffin and examined the pits and dents inside, discovering a particularly fresh dent.

This means that just recently, that guy was lying here.

"call……"

Zhao Yi felt a chill run down his spine.

The Zhou family itself is not scary, and you could say they are not difficult to deal with, but if this guy suddenly appears when it's time to make a move, he and the guy surnamed Li will definitely be doomed.

You must know that this is a ruthless person who has been plotting for a thousand years just to be able to open his eyes again.

Fortunately, he has not yet adjusted to his current state, or perhaps it is temporarily inconvenient for him to be noticed by the Heavenly Dao, so he deliberately avoids the gaze of those who walk the river.

Li Zhuiyuan's curse on the Zhou family made this guy sense it, and he left immediately.

If it weren't for this move, and if they had gone directly to his door for revenge, they would have met him head-on.

"Hey Li, you really struck gold by stirring up trouble."

……

When Zhao Yi brought Chen Xiyuan back to the courtyard of the ancestral hall, they happened to see Zhou Tingfeng tremblingly pressing his thumb onto a piece of paper.

Beside it, there was a pen and a box of inkpad.

Li Zhuiyuan carefully folded the paper and put it in his pocket.

Zhou Tingfeng leaned his head against the threshold, a sinister smile on his face. He knew that the Zhou family was finished, and the greatest comfort at the moment would be if more forces could follow in the footsteps of the Zhou family and perish with them.

Li Zhuiyuan took a bottle of water out of his bag, twisted off the cap, and washed his hands carefully.

Zhao Yi walked over and told him about his previous discovery.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, signaling Chen Xiyuan to take him to see, while Zhao Yi stayed behind to identify the body parts that Runsheng and the others would bring back later.

Back in the underground space, Chen Xiyuan brought her face close to Li Zhuiyuan's and asked:

"Little brother, is he scary?"

"Ah."

"If he adjusts his mindset, will he take the initiative to contact you?"

"Ah."

"If you sense that he is coming, let me know in advance and I will come to help you."

"Ah."

Why are you so calm?

"He avoided me, which proves that he won't come looking for me at this stage."

"But that's only at this stage."

“In the future, he won’t be the only one coming to cause me trouble.”

Li Zhuiyuan walked along the wall, examining the mural once again.

The boy agreed with Zhao Yi's judgment. Rather than saying that the other person was avoiding him, it was more accurate to say that he was avoiding the gaze of Heaven upon him.

There are indeed a small number of special beings in this world, whom Heaven both rewards with merit and wishes would disappear completely.

That "heretic" who destroyed a large number of people who dreamed of becoming immortals was essentially trying to create a ladder to immortality for himself, which was also a way of exploiting loopholes in the rules of the Heavenly Dao.

So, was it really just a coincidence that I almost ran into him while trying to do something else?
Previously, when I was on the river, I was playing the game with the examinee from the perspective of an examinee. So when I started "walking the river from the shore", the image of an "examinee" could not be added to the game.
You cannot avoid its existence; it is everywhere.

Li Zhuiyuan decided that after returning this time, he would have to take some time to revise the underlying logic of the "Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll" again. The shore was not absolutely safe, and he could not let his guard down.

When they returned to the courtyard of the ancestral hall, Zhao Yi had just completed the confirmation of the death of a key figure in the Zhou family.

Now, there's only one thing left to do.

Chen Xiyuan exclaimed excitedly, "Treasure vault, treasure vault, treasure vault!"

Zhao Yi: "Why is Miss Chen so excited?"

Chen Xiyuan: "Before I met the little brother, I didn't know that people who 'walk the river' could be so poor."

Zhao Yi: "That's true."

Chen Xiyuan: "So I am very grateful to my little brother for letting me experience the joy of accumulation and harvest."

Zhao Yi couldn't understand it. He thought that if he wanted to deceive a woman, he would at least have to sacrifice some of his looks. How could this guy surnamed Li, who was so young, do it?
This Chen family girl seems to be the kind of person who would readily agree to have someone surnamed Li ask her to light the lamp a second time to admit defeat.

Zhao Yi: "Let's go, let's move the goods!"

Chen Xiyuan: "This is called returning something to its rightful owner."

Zhao Yi: "Yes, yes, yes!" Without Li Zhuiyuan even having to lift a finger, Zhao Yi single-handedly broke the array restrictions in front of the Zhou family's treasure vault.

This aspect impressed Chen Xiyuan.

Zhao Yi: "Miss Chen, don't be surprised. It's only because I'm with that Li that my brilliance is slightly overshadowed."

Chen Xiyuan: "If we ever run into each other on the river, I'll find a chance to beat you to death."

Zhao Yi: "..."

Valuable treasures are often small in size and easy to move, which is also the capital for the Zhou family to make a comeback in the worst-case scenario.

Therefore, the treasure vault was not overflowing with items, and could even be described as somewhat "boring." There were quite a few things left, but they were mostly special materials that were inconvenient to transport or move quickly, such as materials for mechanical arts and building materials.

However, this is exactly what Li Zhuiyuan needs most right now. With these, his dojo can complete a new round of upgrades.

Everyone turned into a hardworking porter at this moment, except for the injured and minors.

In the most primitive way, everyone carried bundles and pieces of materials on their shoulders and transported them out, throwing them into the small cliff under the suspension bridge outside the Zhou residence.

There's a river below that can float the materials to a certain point downstream, where everyone can then go to sort and load them onto the truck.

Chen Xiyuan was the most enthusiastic about moving things, making one trip after another. As soon as the domain opened, she ran back and forth, her hair soaked with sweat, but the satisfied smile on her face grew brighter and brighter.

Even Runsheng, who is usually very frugal, fell far behind her in this moving competition.

Finally, when Li Zhuiyuan said that there were enough people and it was time to stop, Chen Xiyuan, panting heavily while supporting herself on her knees, was still reluctant to leave.

The materials that were moved out were enough for Li Zhuiyuan to upgrade his dojo twice, and the materials for mechanical arts were even more plentiful, enough to keep the boy and A Li busy for several years.

There are still plenty left in the treasure vault, but even building materials from the secular world will have problems if they are left outside for too long without proper maintenance. These special materials require professional personnel to maintain them regularly. Therefore, bringing back more would be a waste if there aren't enough people to take care of them. This is why high-class martial arts forces need so many vassal disciples.

Li Zhuiyuan is currently lacking this. If he no longer needs this, then he won't lack this kind of material.

Zhao Yi led the others to leave first to collect the materials that had been thrown down downstream, while Li Zhuiyuan led Chen Xiyuan back to the ancestral hall courtyard.

Zhou Tingfeng was still lying on the threshold, a sickly, distorted smile on his face.

Li Zhuiyuan stood outside the threshold and waved to those inside.

In the darkness, the figure of the Buddha appeared.

The side effects of the Black Book's secret technique were already clearly manifesting in the Buddha's body; his withered body was now extensively festering and rotting.

He deserves to be free.

Li Zhuiyuan came to say his final goodbye.

Without further words, the two faced each other again and clasped their hands together.

The boy radiated a Buddhist aura, like a novice monk; the Buddha exuded a chilling, malevolent aura, like a demon from the underworld.

However, Li Zhuiyuan did not believe in Buddhism; he used Buddhism purely as a means. And this Buddha, even now, has not caused those mechanical puppets to develop resentment, proving that his Buddhist purification is still playing a positive and stabilizing role.

The Zhou family had excellent judgment in choosing a partner back then.

"Amitabha!"

"Amitabha!"

Li Zhuiyuan turned and left, waving as he went.

Seeing this, Chen Xiyuan followed suit and waved goodbye.

It wasn't until she noticed that the mechanical puppets in the Zhou residence, which had been static, began to move and take their places that she realized she had misunderstood; her little brother was actually giving orders.

The two walked out of the Zhou family's gate and crossed the suspension bridge.

Li Zhuiyuan stopped and snapped his fingers.

The next moment, inside the Zhou residence, all the mechanical puppets collectively self-destructed.

Their positions were carefully chosen to ensure that the destructive power of the self-destruction could be fully unleashed.

Inside the threshold of the ancestral hall, the Buddha bowed his head and looked at Zhou Tingfeng. Then, he exploded, transforming into the largest ball of heat that instantly engulfed and melted Zhou Tingfeng.

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

Chen Xiyuan looked at the Zhou residence in the distance, where dust was flying and flames were soaring into the sky. From this day forward, the Zhou family's ancestral home, which was supposed to be a place of inheritance, would be reduced to ruins.

Zhao Yi led the group to retrieve all the materials from the downstream nodes. By noon, the truck convoy that Zhao Yi had arranged in advance arrived at the site.

This was a big order. The owner of the transportation company personally brought the vehicle over, and the first thing he did upon arriving was to make it clear to Zhao Yi that the previously paid deposit was non-refundable and non-deductible.

Just to be on the safe side, Zhao Yi paid in advance to have the convoy wait in the next town for a week, but only one day has passed.

Zhao Yi patted the boss's arm, indicating that there was no need to return the car. He then told the boss to leave the car behind and take the drivers to the opposite slope for a barbecue, while they would be responsible for loading the goods themselves.

In this desolate wilderness, there was only a dirt road leading here. There were no factories or houses in sight, and the boss was a little worried, fearing that Zhao Yi was engaged in illicit business, so he hesitated.

At that moment, the boss saw Li Zhuiyuan behind him and his eyes lit up.

Li Zhuiyuan recognized him. He remembered that time when he returned from out of town, he caught his great-grandfather taking his grandparents to Langshan to burn incense, and he went to the foot of Langshan to meet them.

The boy treated his great-grandfather and grandparents to a meal at a restaurant near Langshan. The great-grandfather's magnanimity and willingness to keep the fun going impressed a middle-aged man at the next table, who offered the great-grandfather a toast and introduced himself.

The middle-aged man in front of us is the owner of the trucking fleet. His name is He Shen, and his main business is transporting goods from the Yangtze River Delta to the Western Regions.

There's a connection between us being from the same hometown... so even if it involves illegal or disorderly conduct, it seems like there's less resistance.

Having just left the school, with all his documents in his bag, Li Zhuiyuan showed He Shen his own, as well as those of Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou, telling him that he was from the school's exploration team and was going to transport these newly discovered mineral slabs back home.

Even though He Shen had never been to university, he knew that this reason was not very solid, and if they really wanted to transport the goods, they should have transported them to Nanjing, not Nantong.

However, considering Zhao Yi's generosity, he was willing to play dumb. After reminding Zhao Yi to cover the canvas properly, he took his drivers to eat and rest. Once the work was done, he immediately returned with his men, got into the car, and started the engine without saying a word.

Chen Jing, who was injured, and the Liang sisters were arranged to ride in a small pickup truck driven by Lin Shuyou, while the rest of them followed the truck as escorts.

Li Zhuiyuan was sitting in He Shen's car, with Chen Xiyuan beside him.

Sister Chen had been intentionally taking the position of the younger brother's personal bodyguard. Because of the absolute recognition of her personal abilities, even Runsheng would not compete with her for it.

After overcoming his initial caution, He Shen began to take the initiative to start conversations. He had a wealth of personal experiences and observations from his time as a truck apprentice to his current role as a fleet owner.

He took the initiative to chat with Li Zhuiyuan. Most of the time, He Shen did the talking, while Li Zhuiyuan listened and occasionally gave an interactive response.

Soon, Li Zhuiyuan no longer needed to respond politely, because Chen Xiyuan took over the task. Especially when He Shen talked about his elopement story with his wife from the Western Regions, Chen Xiyuan's eyes lit up, and she kept asking about the details. He Shen was also quite proud of his beautiful love that he had maintained to this day and was happy to talk about it.

From then on, the two of them kept talking non-stop.

Li Zhuiyuan fell asleep on the night He Shen and his wife decided to elope. When he woke up, it was noon on the day He Shen's wife confirmed that she was pregnant with their second child.

During each rest stop, Zhao Yi was either on the phone or releasing paper pigeons to relay the latest news about the Zhou and Ding families to the martial arts world.

Fatigue-prone driving and continuous travel meant that the convoy arrived in Nantong at nightfall and entered Siyuan Village.

Li Zhuiyuan directed He Shen to drive the car to Big Beard's house.

The boy let Chen Xiyuan enter the peach grove first, and then played a duet with Qing'an.

Then they asked Runsheng and the others to unload all the materials from the truck and temporarily store them in the peach orchard.

"Ghost!"

One of He Shen's drivers, while urinating in a corner, casually turned around and saw Xiao Yingying walking over with tea and snacks.

The driver was a gambler and womanizer. He had been scammed by a honey trap a while ago and then lost a lot of money gambling. He was in a period of bad luck, and since it was night, he happened to catch a glimpse of the little oriole's "true form".

Startled, he jerked so hard that he didn't even have time to zip up his pants before falling straight backward.

The person was alright, just dizzy. He Shen had already settled the final payment with Zhao Yi, so he didn't dare to delay. He and the other drivers drove off and took the person to the town's health center.

After the goods were properly arranged, Li Zhuiyuan told everyone to rest early and get up early the next morning to "move bricks and build walls".

Zhao Yi was sleeping at Big Beard's house. Standing on the dam, hands on his hips, he watched the figures of the boy and the others disappear into the darkness.

I haven't received the promised internal report yet. I just got back, and it's already dark. There's no rush, but if I go to pick it up tomorrow morning, it means I'll have to work as a bricklayer for that guy surnamed Li for another day.

As they entered the house, Old Tian asked with concern, "Young Master, shall I cook you some late-night snack?"

"Hmm, let's cook some." Zhao Yi saw Benben crawling on the clean tiles in Xiao Yingying's room.

Ignoring Benben's resistance, Zhao Yi picked up the child, pretending to flick his little bird to tease him while humming:

"I'm a painter, and I'm very skilled at painting..."

Tan Wenbin and the other two went back to sleep first, while Li Zhuiyuan went to Cuicui's house.

Grandma Liu will not bring A-Li back to live before Chen Xiyuan officially leaves.

The boy walked up to the courtyard of Cuicui's house and stood downstairs.

A moment later, the door to the second-floor room opened, and Ah Li came out.

The two people looked at each other, one above the other.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan turned and left. He had come specifically to tell A Li that he had returned safely and would come to pick her up the next morning.

Ah Li stood on the balcony, watching the boy's figure disappear into the moonlight.

Once she could no longer see anything, she went into the bedroom, lay back on the bed, closed her eyes, and began to look forward to tomorrow's sun.

After Li Zhuiyuan returned home, he took a bath. When he came out, he saw his grandfather yawning as he walked out of the house. He must have gotten up to use the toilet at night.

"Young Marquis Yuan, when did you get back?"

"Grandpa, I just got back."

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm not hungry, I ate on the way."

"Then you should go to bed early, the child must be exhausted."

"Yes, goodnight, Grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room, turned on the desk lamp, quickly reviewed the blueprints he needed for the next morning, and then took out the "Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll" and opened it.

Just as he was about to pick up his pen to write, he noticed that his great-grandfather had appeared outside the screen door of his room.

"Young Marquis Yuan, aren't you asleep yet?"

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and opened the screen door:

"I still have some things to finish writing. I'll go to sleep after I'm done. Grandpa, have the travel dates been set?"

"Oh, right, it's tentatively scheduled for the day after tomorrow. I was thinking that if you didn't come back by tomorrow, I would call you so that if you couldn't make it, I could talk to them and ask them to postpone it."

"Then let's do it the day after tomorrow, sir."

"Okay, sure. Um..."

"Grandpa, has something happened?"

"Young Master Yuan, it's like this, your mother called looking for you, but you're not home."

Li Sanjiang knew that his great-grandson had no feelings for his mother, and his mood would drop every time his mother was mentioned.

Besides, he had seen Zhuangzhuang and his great-grandson both have those big mobile phones, and their mother didn't even know her son's number and had to call Aunt Zhang.

Li Sanjiang didn't want to tell anyone about this. He thought it would be better if Li Lan never contacted them, since her presence was as good as her absence in his great-grandson's life. But after thinking it over, Li Sanjiang decided to tell them anyway.

"Yes, I understand, Grandpa."

"Then use your old mobile phone to call your mom back."

"Ah."

"Go to bed early."

Li Sanjiang went back inside.

Li Zhuiyuan sat back down at his desk, revised the "Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll" again, rubbed his slightly sore wrists, glanced at the mobile phone standing on the desk, but didn't touch it.

Get up from your seat, go to bed, and go to sleep.

The next morning, after waking up and washing up, Li Zhuiyuan went to Cui Cui's house to pick up A Li.

While everyone was having breakfast together on the dam, Aunt Zhang from the small shop ran to the village road opposite the rice paddies and began to sing a folk song from the plains:

"Little Yuanhou, your mom called you!"

Li Sanjiang silently ate his porridge. Sure enough, Xiao Yuanhou hadn't called his mother back at all last night.

Ah Li looked at the boy.

The boy smiled at her and gently patted the girl's hand. The girl grabbed the boy's fingers in return.

Li Lan's phone call had once dealt a heavy blow to Li Zhuiyuan, and the blow that night ultimately fell on A Li as well.

Li Zhuiyuan continued to smile.

Ah Li slowly released her hand. She realized that her worries were unnecessary; the boy had already moved on.

The girl lowered her head and began to peel salted duck eggs for the boy with focused attention. By the time the boy returned, the porridge had cooled down perfectly and was ready to eat.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up: "Grandpa, I'm going to answer the phone."

"Okay, go ahead."

Li Zhuiyuan walked down the dam.

Li Sanjiang frowned, put down his chopsticks, and silently lit a cigarette.

"Hey, my little ancestor, good morning."

Zhao Yi, wearing a hat made of folded newspaper and carrying a bag of tools, met Li Zhuiyuan on the path.

"Old Tian and the others will be here soon to help with the construction. Little darling, give me the blueprints first, and I'll start figuring things out and getting busy on my own."

Li Zhuiyuan took out the blueprints from his pocket, handed them to Zhao Yi, and said, "Have Tan Wenbin go to my room and get that book for you to copy."

Zhao Yi shook his head and said, "No rush. Let's finish your work first, and then listen to your teachings."

The two passed each other.

Zhao Yi breathed a sigh of relief. He rarely called anyone surnamed Li "ancestor," but on his way here, he overheard Aunt Zhang calling for Li's mother to call him.

Other children would probably be overjoyed and cry tears of joy upon receiving a message from their mother, but he knew that in Li's case, there was only anger.

I'm only one step away from getting the internal report I've been longing for all this time, so it's best to be obedient. It would be too much of a loss if I offended that guy surnamed Li at this point.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the convenience store, and Aunt Zhang smiled and pointed to the microphone on the counter that had not been put back.

The boy picked up the microphone, held it to his ear, and said:

"It's me, Li Zhuiyuan."

The sound of high heels fading into the distance came from the other end of the phone; clearly, it was Li Lan's secretary who had made the call.

A moment later, a woman's voice came from the other end of the microphone:

"It's me, Li Lan."

Aunt Zhang knitted a sweater while leaning on the counter, watching the boy talk to his mother on the phone. This is probably something every elder loves to do; they find this scene heartwarming.

Once, Li Zhuiyuan was drawn into the coldest and most piercing vortex by a circle of such warm and kind gazes and expectations.

But now, Li Zhuiyuan is too lazy to maintain the so-called mother-son warmth in front of outsiders. He even finds it pointless to deliberately expose Li Lan's true colors.

Next, Aunt Zhang's eyes widened more and more as she listened, and she accidentally poked her finger with the knitting needle.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Li Lan, is something the matter?"

Li Lan: "You're my son, can't I think of you and look for you if there's nothing wrong?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Li Lan..."

Li Lan: "What's wrong? Did your mother make you feel disgusted?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "No."

Li Lan: "That's good."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Li Lan, your secretary may not have noticed that you've been sending money to your grandparents through the account. Have her check it when she has time. Since last year, a sum of money has been deposited into that account every month. That's my alimony for you."

Li Lan: "I am so happy that I can be supported by my son at such a young age."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Next time, unless you are critically ill and need a relative to sign for surgery, do not contact me again."

Li Lan: "Okay, Mom got it, but that's next time, not this time, right?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Get to the point."

Li Lan: "Son, come pick me up."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhuiyuan immediately pressed a button on the telephone to display the other party's number. The number's location... was actually Nantong.

Li Lan:

"Mom, we're home."

(End of this chapter)