Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 400

While Li Zhuiyuan was admiring the painting, Li Lan turned her gaze to the floor-to-ceiling window.

She had no intention of catching anything in the boy's face; she knew her son wouldn't make such a basic mistake.

However, upon noticing Li Zhuiyuan's movement to get up from his seat, Li Lan spoke up:

“They need me to go home and see them.”

Li Zhuiyuan didn't stop moving; he stood up again and said:

"I will arrange for someone to pick you up."

Li Lan has lost the "necessity" of returning home; when she says "they need" it, she is referring to Li Weihan and Cui Guiying.

Perhaps, for Li Lan, this was just a bonus that came along casually after she sent out two apology gifts.

If Li Zhuiyuan needs her, she can go back and make the boy's grandparents happy.

Of course, she could go by herself.

However, the consequence of her unauthorized entry into Siyuan Village was that she was casually beaten to death by someone unknown.

She wasn't afraid of death; at least, for the body she was in right now, whether it lived or died was irrelevant.

"I'll arrange for someone to pick me up; you're not coming with me."

"You mean, I should play along with your act?"

"That would make your grandparents even happier."

"Although I don't live with my grandparents, I often visit them with gifts and chat with them for a while. I believe I have fulfilled my obligations."

Before this incident, I might have cooperated with you in putting on a show to make them happier and more satisfied, but after this incident, I'm unwilling to do so anymore.

"Why? Acting is the simplest thing for you."

"Because it makes me unhappy."

"Not happy?"

"I need to take care of my own feelings."

"Your...feelings?"

Li Lan seemed to have heard a huge joke, and she did laugh, but not out loud. She wiped the just-right moisture from the corner of her eye with her fingertip:
Should I congratulate you, son?

"Li Lan, I don't care whether you succeed or fail in the end; neither outcome is meaningful to me."

The reason you're still sitting here is because I need you to fight it, thus giving me more time.

You should understand that any choice made without absolute rationality will instinctively cause us pain.

But as I continued to suffer, I found that I had gotten used to it.

Sometimes, I even miss this feeling; it reminds me that I am still a human being.

I'm more likely to have this impulse when I'm around you.

You say you are my mother, and you think you can use me and step on me; but I am also your son, and children are more likely to act recklessly when facing their mothers.

Therefore,
If you suddenly appear before me again in this way, then I will…

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look at Uncle Qin, who was standing at the door with his five senses shut off.

"I will abandon all rationality and go out to sea to find you, not hoping to solve that giant turtle, but only to destroy you."

Li Lan picked up her coffee and took a sip.

She could tell that this wasn't a threat, but a statement.

People like them dislike madmen the most because madmen act illogically and cannot be reasoned with.

Now, her son is a madman.

He really would do that, abandoning everything to perish together with her.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the telephone in the room, picked up the receiver, and dialed a number.

Soon, Zhao Yi's voice came from the other end:

"The one surnamed Li?"

When an unfamiliar number from Nantong calls you, it's easy to guess who it is.

"Come to the Nantong Grand Hotel, room 909, and help me pick someone up to go back to the village."

"Hey Li, what do you take me for, your driver or your housekeeper?"

"Outer team."

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a few coughs.

"Alright, since your people are still lying in bed, I'll lend you a hand. But who the hell is it that deserves your personal assignment, Mr. Li, to receive them?"

"my mother."

Zhao Yi: "..."

This time, the silence lasted even longer.

Once he came to his senses, Zhao Yi put the microphone to his mouth and began to furiously curse and roar.

After giving him a good scolding, he realized that the guy surnamed Li had already hung up the phone.

In the hotel room.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to Uncle Qin's side, patted the back of Uncle Qin's hand, and Uncle Qin regained his five senses, turned around and left with the boy.

I walked out of the hotel and got on Uncle Qin's motorcycle.

"Xiao Yuan, are we going home?"

"Uncle, let's go to the department store."

"Ah."

After arriving at the department store, Li Zhuiyuan selected some maternity and baby products.

Actually, these things are basically useless at the bottom of the river. The Bai family goddesses must have had their own unique ways of giving birth. But just like many local specialties that no one would like to eat once they leave the local area, they should still be given away. It's not appropriate to give them away empty-handed.

After buying his things, Li Zhuiyuan asked Uncle Qin to drive him to the riverbank.

The boy knew that Uncle Qin had a great regret about Baijia Town below.

Therefore, Li Zhuiyuan gave a heads-up in advance this time:

"Uncle, she is pregnant."

Uncle Qin smiled wryly and nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan pulled out a piece of yellow paper, flicked it, and a faint flame ignited. The boy then threw it into the river.

My body, still weak from just recovering, struggled to even complete the simplest of tasks.

Soon, a curtain of water appeared on the river, and as it gradually receded, the figure of Lady Bai was revealed.

She was dressed in red, her belly slightly protruding. Compared to her usual gentle beauty, she appeared more solemn and dignified today, with an air of authority.

She bowed to Li Zhuiyuan.

The bitterness on Uncle Qin's face disappeared, leaving only a smile.

"Goodbye..."

A sharp glint appeared in Li Zhuiyuan's eyes.

Before the other person could finish speaking, the boy interrupted:

"Take it."

Uncle Qin stretched out his hand and pointed to the riverbank.

Halfway through the ceremony, Lady Bai suddenly felt her body being restrained, and then she was lifted up by a terrifying force and slammed hard towards the riverbank.

"boom!"

She smashed a hole in the pebbly ground by the river.

A wisp of disordered energy emanated from her body. As she struggled to get up, Uncle Qin gently lifted his left foot and lowered it a short distance.

"Om."

The Bai family lady's body lay completely flat on the ground, her disguise disappeared, her appearance changed, and her belly shrank.

She stared in horror at Uncle Qin's foot, which was not yet fully on the ground. She knew that when that foot touched the ground, she herself, both her body and her soul, would be annihilated.

She couldn't understand how this man could become so terrifying in just two years, something she had experienced firsthand two years ago.
Li Zhuiyuan: "Where is she?"

Madam Bai: "The head of the family is not in a stable position, so she is resting quietly in town. It is not advisable for her to..."

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head away.

Uncle Qin placed his foot down.

"Snapped!"

The body of the Bai family lady exploded directly, but the affected area was not large. She was compressed into this pit, and her soul also began to burn. Small flames of black and white rose up in the pit, which were immediately dissipated by the river breeze.

Actually, Uncle Qin is not stupid.

If he were stupid, he wouldn't have been caught in such a trap and besieged when he crossed the river, and he wouldn't have been able to fight his way out alive.

It was only when his family members were around him that Uncle Qin seemed like a block of wood.

Even if Ah You were here, he would hesitate before putting his foot down, even with such unspoken understanding.

Something happened in Baijia Town.

To be realistic, even if Liangliang's partner really has health problems, he would still force himself to come out and meet her if he came in person.

Even if, hypothetically, the situation were so severe that she couldn't move, she could have stated it directly and would never have sent a subordinate to impersonate her to deal with it.

Li Zhuiyuan saw through Bai's disguise at a glance, even faking a pregnant belly.

There is only one reason for this situation: the power structure in Baijia Town has changed.

Unsurprisingly, the trigger for this change was itself.

In Baijia Town's eyes, the oppressive atmosphere that has been looming over Nantong for the past two years was created by the Dragon King's faction behind him.

That day, Qing'an fell to the ground, the oppressive aura disappeared, and a typhoon struck. Even those on their side thought it was a great calamity. When he told his companions to leave, even they thought he was sacrificing himself to protect them.

Not to mention the perspective of the lower-level forces. In Baijia Town's eyes, wasn't this a "change of dynasty"?
Liangliang's family has always relied on its own influence to suppress Baijia Town while simultaneously rebelling against tradition.

When the tiger skin was "torn off" and the mountain's backing "collapsed," the internal conflicts in the town could no longer be suppressed and erupted.

In addition, there should also be the reason that they were afraid of being nominally subordinate to them and were afraid of being purged, so they made a clean break early.

The typhoon had just passed, and the rats below Baijia Town dared not venture ashore to check the situation. Perhaps, in their eyes, they had already lost, given how terrifying the battle had been that day. And when they saw him appear on the riverbank, the rats below must have been completely panicked.

They never expected that they would be the ones to win in the end.

If time permits, the factions within the town should be able to complete a new integration, the person in charge of the purge and division will be purged, and then everyone will push Liangliang's family back up to continue to take care of the overall situation.

I blame myself; it happened too fast.

Li Zhuiyuan planned to call Liangliang after giving the gift to inquire about the teacher's situation and express his gratitude to Liangliang.

The reason I was able to wake up was not only due to the tattered straw mat and my great-grandfather's good fortune, but also because of Liangliang's great help.

The boy had long noticed Liangliang's extraordinary qualities, after all, for a time, Liangliang was someone who could help him fetch water from the river, just like his own great-grandfather; although the boy did not seek anything from him when they first started dating.

Fortunately, when Liangliang traveled between Nanjing and Nantong this time, he was preoccupied with matters and responsibilities, and like Yu the Great, he passed by his home without entering.

If he comes to the riverbank and jumps in like before, he most likely won't be able to float.

Beneath the river water, black aquatic plants float.

Below, several other Bai family ladies were observing the situation.

Uncle Qin's swift and decisive killing must have deeply shocked them, causing them to momentarily forget to dive down and leave.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his chin slightly.

As is the boy's habit, in formal situations, especially when he needs to give instructions, he will try to keep the instructions as concise as possible and will not use the title "brother" or "uncle".

A head of the family should act like one.

Uncle Qin opened his arms, palms facing upwards, and slowly raised them.

Two evil dragons emerged from Qin Shu's arms.

The river in front of the boy was calm and still.

But beneath the surface of the river, swift currents had already formed, immediately sealing off the area and then strangling it.

Before long, a series of retro clothes of different styles appeared on the river in front of Li Zhuiyuan.

Uncle Qin was trying his best to make up for the regrets; he was showing off his skills.

Not only must people be killed, but they must be killed skillfully and cleanly, like eating a shrimp, where the shrimp meat goes into your mouth, but the shrimp shell must remain intact.

To Li Zhuiyuan's surprise, when the evil dragon appeared on Uncle Qin's body, the black dragon spirit within his own body showed a kind of fear, but within this fear, a hint of greed and desire was also revealed.

Uncle Qin took a different approach to the "Qin Family Observation of Dragons Method" and created a unique method for transforming dragons into their own forms.
The one on his body, however, was a true remnant of the Black Dragon.

The two are not actually the same species, yet they have a natural attraction to each other.

The spirit of the black dragon desires nourishment.

If Uncle Qin is my enemy, and I have defeated and captured him alive, then I can indeed use Uncle Qin's flesh and blood and status to nurture the dragon spirit in my possession.

The dragon spirit was trying its best to conceal its impulse, fearing that it would anger the boy.

Li Zhuiyuan wasn't angry; there was nothing to be angry about. This was the instinct of the dragon spirit.

The boy walked into the river.

Uncle Qin followed.

"Xiao Yuan, your body isn't ready for swimming right now. I'll go in alone. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing this time."

Li Zhuiyuan stopped and looked at Uncle Qin, replying:

"But this time, I don't want to be measured."

Because Liangliang invested too early, Baijia Town was able to be preserved. However, because that woman became pregnant, it inevitably became a historical problem in Li Zhuiyuan's eyes.

I wanted to get rid of it but couldn't bring myself to do it. This time, it turned its belly up on its own.

If we don't take this opportunity to thoroughly clean up this group of guinea pigs with a reasonable excuse, are we really going to wait for them to complete their internal reorganization and then have that pregnant woman, Sister Liang, kneel down in front of us and beg for mercy for the entire Baijia Town?

Uncle Qin: "Okay, let's go down together."

Before coming here, Uncle Qin never expected that the soy sauce bottle that he couldn't hold up back then would have another chance.

Li Zhuiyuan continued walking forward.

Uncle Qin followed beside him, and although the river water still flowed around the boy, it no longer made any real contact with him.

Even when the water was over my head, I didn't feel suffocated at all, and my breathing was very smooth.

The same cheeks that Li Zhuiyuan had seen on Uncle Qin's body two years ago reappeared.

At the time, Li Zhuiyuan lacked knowledge and thought that the changes in his body were to better adapt to underwater conditions.

In reality, this is a manifestation of the Qin Family's Observation of Dragons Technique reaching an extremely high level. Even Run Sheng in his current state cannot open the Qi Gate to such a close fit, or even adapt to changes in the environment.

That night, Uncle Qin was indeed operating at a high capacity but with low performance.

One large and one small, walking along the river.

Last time, the boy could only watch the motorcycles and clothes from the riverbank; this time, the young man is walking at the very front.

As they walked, the underwater scenery around them began to recede rapidly; it was Uncle Qin speeding up.

Soon, the archway of Baijia Town came into Li Zhuiyuan's view. The two strings of lanterns of different colors were still hanging there, bringing a sense of oppression and eeriness to the town.

Beneath the archway stood three Bai family ladies of varying ages.

The status of the Bai family ladies cannot be distinguished by age, but they can be ranked by the extravagance of their clothing.

These three individuals hold a very high position in Baijia Town.

They stood there motionless, but the irregular ripples on the water around them revealed their anxiety and unease.

Neither the people who went up to disguise themselves nor the people sent out to observe returned with any messages, which inevitably made them feel uneasy.

Soon, their hearts quieted down, becoming deathly still, as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

The boy's arrival, and the terrifying figure following behind him who had almost single-handedly destroyed Baijia Town, filled them with an overwhelming sense of dread.

Before Li Zhuiyuan could even reach them, the three Bai family ladies immediately knelt down to greet him.

They're all seasoned veterans, and they've already started racking their brains to come up with their plans.

On their stiff faces, beads of condensed water appeared.

The boy considerately didn't make things difficult for them any further; he didn't stop and continued walking forward.

Once you arrive at the archway, the area within Baijia Town's boundary will prevent you from feeling uncomfortable underwater.

Uncle Qin's figure disappeared behind the boy.

The next moment, he appeared in the spot where a Bai family lady had been kneeling.

As for the Lady Bai herself, she was smashed to pieces on the ground.

Runsheng's style is indeed like his master's.

In addition, the stereotype of the Qin family as "uncouth and violent" that Grandma Liu always mentioned was not unfounded.

The complete peeling of shrimp on the shore was just an occasional charade of refinement.

The Qin family is, after all, the Qin family.

Those ingrained habits are hard to break.

The Bai family empress beside him was gone in this way, so much so that the makeup on the Bai family empress kneeling in the middle was so frightened that it peeled off like a cracked cement slab.

When Uncle Qin looked at her, she instinctively raised her hands, and black mist rose around her. It didn't seem like an attack, a defense, or a resistance. Perhaps she herself didn't know what she was doing.

She was like a frightened cat, unconsciously baring her teeth and claws.

Uncle Qin stretched out one hand, and the evil dragon raised its head slightly on his arm, revealing a hint of ferocity.

The black mist dissipated in front of the hand, and the attack from the soul level was completely ignored by Uncle Qin.

Uncle Qin's hand reached up to the top of the Bai family lady's head almost without any resistance.

His fingers bent downwards, a gesture that seemed like touching her head but actually showed no interest in it.

As the hand descended, the head of the Bai family lady began to deform and twist, followed by her neck, then her chest and arms, all the way down.

This scene really looks like they're twisting a rope.

Round after round, one after another.

It could be due to Uncle Qin's masterful control of power, or it could be due to the unique nature of Lady Bai's inhuman body. Just when you think you've reached the limit, she can still keep twisting.

Compared to the grand scenes that Uncle Qin had experienced, this is really nothing.

You should know that he had just fought with that giant tortoise.

Finally, the real limit has arrived.

"boom!"

The corpse, having been dead for so long, had long since lost its fresh blood. So what exploded was not a blood mist, but a cloud of dust, carrying a pungent, nauseating stench of decay.

The third Lady Bai ran away.

Uncle Qin looked up and gazed over.

An invisible wave emanated from its body. From the perspective of the Yin realm, one could see a ferocious dragon roaring fiercely, engulfing the third Bai family lady and pulling her back.

She fell to the ground, utterly desperate and broken, and began to scream:
"I am guilty, the patriarch is here..."

Uncle Qin stepped on her face.

"boom!"

The street shook.

Everything about this Lady Bai turned into a paste, seeping into the cracks of the bluestone slabs paving the town's streets.

When Li Zhuiyuan walked over, there was no one kneeling to block his way anymore.

The boy continued on his journey.

The worst-case scenario he had feared was that Liangliang's family member was already dead.

But the boy felt that the possibility was extremely slim. It wasn't that these rats really had any long-term vision, but if they had even a little bit, they wouldn't have rushed to take sides in such a muddled way.

They see ordinary people as ants, but in the eyes of beings like giant tortoises, aren't they the same?
If I want to destroy you, it's only a matter of convenience; I don't bother to delve into the trivial details of your positions and the consequences.

Besides, even if the giant tortoise succeeds this time...

The giant tortoise's only target is itself. They are so eager to rebel that even if it is gone, Baijia Town will not have a good ending.

If you put yourself in their mindset, they wouldn't rush to execute their previous head of the family, nor would they touch the child. They would naively present the "scapegoat" representing the past, as if preparing to offer a treasure, in a proper and complete manner.

Therefore, Liangliang's partner should be under control.

On both sides of the town street, there are rows of old-fashioned houses.

In the past, if the door was open, a Lady Bai would be sitting in the main room inside; if the door was closed, it meant that the room was empty.

This time, as the boy walked over, a series of doors slammed shut.

They probably thought that since it didn't concern them, they could remain indifferent and that no matter who ultimately ruled Baijia Town, they would still be members of the Bai family.

But Li Zhuiyuan's original purpose was to wipe out Baijia Town. Under the guise of rescuing that person, he had no intention of putting him back in power.

The boy didn't come to set things right; he came to solve the problem once and for all.

Uncle Qin entered the houses one by one, suppressing the noise of breaking down the doors. Once inside, he easily dealt with the Bai family lady.

There was no sound at all; the only sound in the entire town was the footsteps of the boy walking alone.

But the killing had already begun.

The Bai family ladies all buried their heads in the ground like ostriches, and with Uncle Qin's figure constantly flashing, it looked like a highly ironic silent comedy.

This saved Uncle Qin trouble. He wasn't worried that the Bai family ladies would gang up on him. He wasn't afraid back then, let alone now. He was more worried that they would scatter and run away, causing him more trouble.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the Bai Family Ancestral Hall in the center of the town, and the boy stopped.

We didn't rush in, giving Uncle Qin more time to cook.

It didn't take long before Uncle Qin's figure reappeared behind the boy.

This means that everything has been resolved.

Apart from this ancestral hall, there are no more people with the surname Bai in the entire Baijia Town.

Li Zhuiyuan stepped onto the steps of the ancestral hall, and Uncle Qin reached out from behind, breaking open the ancestral hall door, which was sealed with a restriction.

Although it was just a brief experience, and nowadays it's not even difficult, Uncle Qin found that he really enjoyed the feeling.

If the Qin family were still the same Qin family as before, his mission would be just like this: to follow the family head or the future core members of the family, to pave the way and overcome all obstacles for them.

The heavy burdens of the past were really like being forced into something he wasn't meant to do; at least, that's how he saw it.

Moreover, although he had been taught by his mistress since childhood and was sent to light lamps and walk along the river and do various errands after adulthood, he had never had the experience of following his mistress and acting freely as he was now.

Xiao Yuan is really suited for this position.

One leaf falling heralds autumn. Uncle Qin believed that Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, and Ayou must have felt a sense of joy when they accompanied Xiaoyuan across the river.

There are still many remaining prohibitions inside the ancestral hall.

When Li Zhuiyuan was healthy, none of this would have mattered. Now that he has Uncle Qin's protection, he doesn't need to worry at all.

Thinking back to when Liangliang was an ordinary person, he actually managed to stumble and fall all the way to Baijia Town, then stumble and fall into the ancestral hall, and finally climb into the coffin where she lay.

In this world, there are no princes who have truly wandered in by mistake; there are only princesses who pretend to be asleep.

Inside the ancestral hall, several figures tried to fly out.

They were smart enough that even though they were inside, they knew something was wrong outside and that the young man had ill intentions.

However, because Uncle Qin broke the restriction with brute force, he only broke the restriction that would stop the two of them, and did not completely destroy the place. Therefore, the restriction above the ancestral hall was still there. These Bai family ladies were unable to leave the ancestral hall from above. They were all blocked by their own restriction and fell down.

It was already a simple matter of swatting flies, but now that the flies have fallen onto the table themselves, it's even simpler.

Uncle Qin's figure flashed continuously, appearing in various locations and completing various tasks.

Considering that the pregnant woman should be inside, and to avoid disturbing the fetus, he acted more decisively and silently this time.

Finally, before Li Zhuiyuan stepped into the main room of the ancestral hall, Uncle Qin appeared inside first.

Inside, there was a large red coffin, and on the coffin, a Bai family lady was chained in mid-air.

It's clear that she's not in very good condition, but it's not a serious problem.

The areas around her neck and limbs bound by chains showed clear dark blue marks, indicating that she was using her main strength to protect her stomach.

Besides Liangliang's wife, there were also four other Bai family ladies tied to the pillars next to her. They were probably her last loyal followers, who were unwilling to betray her even though they knew they had been overthrown.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the iron chain.

Uncle Qin glanced at Xiao Yuan, and seeing that Xiao Yuan didn't give any indication, he didn't rush to break the iron chain and let him go free.

"I am guilty...I am incompetent..."

When she saw the boy walk in, she knew that things had calmed down.

Her failure to maintain stability in Baijia Town ultimately led to her downfall, and that was her responsibility.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and replied:
"Yes, you're incompetent."

Her long-term pregnancy severely weakened her, depriving her of the means to suppress the conflict. In addition, the typhoon did indeed exacerbate the conflict, but her biggest mistake was that she failed to conduct a timely internal purge when she had the opportunity to use the enemy's name to intimidate others.

Because she wasn't ruthless enough, she wanted to preserve the traditions of Baijia Town while also wanting the baby boy in her womb to be born healthy, which was tantamount to doing something against the traditions of Baijia Town.

She lowered her head, her face full of guilt and apology, but she still added softly and timidly:
"It's all my fault... I failed to discipline them properly..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's alright, I'm here."

"Thank goodness for you..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "All those who betrayed you are no longer in this world."

Upon hearing this, her expression grew increasingly grave, and her eyes revealed fear and unease.

She understood the unspoken meaning behind the boy's words.

If we were to deliberately broaden the scope of all those who betrayed her, wouldn't all the Bai family members outside the ancestral hall be her betrayers at this moment?
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Uncle Qin, who was standing behind the boy.

She had sensed his presence before, and he was already incredibly terrifying then; now, he made her not even dare to entertain the thought of spying on him.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Next, you can reorganize and rebuild Baijia Town properly."

A sorrowful smile appeared on her face as she shook her head and said:
"This servant... lacks the ability... and the ambition... Please forgive me... I have failed to help you manage Baijia Town... Baijia Town will no longer be your support."

Li Zhuiyuan took half a step back.

Uncle Qin first habitually raised his hand, then decided to step forward and break the chains one by one, finally putting her down.

Li Zhuiyuan: "And what about them?"

The "young man" refers to the four Bai family goddesses who were tied to four pillars.

"For the sake of me, the disgraced clan leader, they are willing to remain enemies with those outside. In fact, this can be considered a betrayal of Baijia Town."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's such a pity that such a good town has been abandoned like this."

"Clouds roll and unroll, tides rise and fall; this is nature, and even destiny." The woman reached out and stroked her belly. "I can't be too greedy. Now I only hope to see him born healthy and strong."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Brother Liangliang is a good person."

“I know I didn’t do things well, but I don’t think I made the wrong choice.”

"Ah."

Uncle Qin raised his hand and, with four fingers held in the air, broke the bonds binding the four Bai family ladies one by one.

They were all badly injured and lay on the ground, but they still struggled to crawl toward the woman.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze lingered on the four women, scanning them all over. Then, he looked at the woman.

"I am leaving."

The boy turned around, ready to leave.

The woman, with one hand supporting her belly and the other hand on her lower back, followed him out, insisting on seeing him off.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at Uncle Qin behind him. Uncle Qin stopped and stopped the four wounded Bai family ladies as well.

After walking for a while, the woman spoke up: "Please forgive me, it really wasn't me this time..."

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand, interrupting her.

"I know."

"My slave..."

"Some things don't need to be said, and some things don't count until they're done."

"Your kindness is immense..."

"Liangliang and I are good friends. I haven't done you any great favors."

"I will remember this."

“I won’t tell Liangliang about what happened here. You’ll have to explain it to him yourself. As for what specific arrangements you two should make next, that’s something you two should discuss.”

"Yes."

"Alright, you can tidy up this place, or stay a little longer. This part of the river is too close to Nantong, and I'm a light sleeper; I can't stand the chattering."

The woman covered her mouth and laughed.

She is a very smart woman, otherwise she wouldn't have chosen Xue Liangliang.

Perhaps, at first, she wasn't interested in Xue Liangliang himself, but gradually, like Xue Liangliang, she unknowingly and uncontrollably fell for him.

Li Zhuiyuan had previously observed that the four Bai family ladies who would never betray her were wearing clothes from the same era, which meant that these four had a more special and closer relationship with her.

Their unwavering loyalty, even unto death, was largely due to a pre-planned rehearsal.

Liangliang's family member had actually been planning to leave Baijia Town for a long time.

She had already chosen the "sisters" she would take with her.

But she wanted to pursue love, yet she didn't want to bear the stigma of betraying her heritage, nor did she want to suffer the condemnation of her own conscience.

Therefore, she had already begun rehearsing and planning for events like today.

She may not be incapable, but rather deliberately chooses not to address the issues, intentionally planting seeds of conflict in order to cultivate and control the opportunity for internal conflicts to erupt.

It's just that the plan can't keep up with the changes.

She hadn't expected the typhoon to suddenly arrive, causing her power structure to collapse instantly; nor had she expected the boy to be so decisive, finding a plausible excuse to quickly clean up Baijia Town, leaving no room for maneuver.

She achieved her goal, but the process was something she hadn't anticipated.

After realizing that Li Zhuiyuan had seen through her, she immediately came out and took the initiative to confess, wanting to reveal her true feelings.

Li Zhuiyuan continued walking forward, and she stopped, no longer following him.

Uncle Qin followed, accompanying the boy out of the archway and leading him back to the shore.

"Uncle, there's a small shop up ahead, I'll go make a phone call."

"Ah."

The motorcycle stopped in front of the convenience store. Before picking up the microphone, Li Zhuiyuan asked the owner for a can of Jianlibao and a bottle of purified water.

The boy tossed the Jianlibao bottle to Uncle Qin, who was standing next to the motorcycle.

He couldn't drink anymore. He had eaten brown sugar poached eggs made by Ah Li this morning, and even now, his throat still felt cloyingly sweet.

I picked up the phone and dialed Liangliang's number, but he didn't answer.

Put the phone back and wait by the counter.

This bottle of purified water is twice as expensive as the regular kind because it has a red and white groove design at the opening. You need to press it down to draw out the water, and you can pull it back down when you're done drinking.

Nowadays, this is considered a relatively high-end packaging, and many children like to beg their parents to buy it for them.

While drinking water, the phone rang, and Li Zhuiyuan answered it.

It was Brother Liangliang calling back.

Liangliang first inquired about Li Zhuiyuan's health, and then Li Zhuiyuan inquired about Engineer Luo's condition in detail.

The former is temporarily unable to set off, because Li Zhuiyuan's current frail appearance is considered to be the best in the team.

Saving the teacher is the right thing to do, but one must consider whether their own circumstances allow it; otherwise, it will only be a pointless sacrifice.

If Li Zhuiyuan were to set off for Ji'an with his heavily wounded troops now, given the nature of the river, he might very well be met with a seamless wave of trouble.

If the latter is missing for so long, then nothing is wrong; if something was wrong, then something would have happened long ago.

Now that things have come to this, there's no need to be too anxious.

That's how Li Zhuiyuan comforted Xue Liangliang.

Xue Liangliang, on the other end of the phone, was both annoyed and amused after hearing this.

"Xiao Yuan, I understand what you mean. I hope the teachers are still safe and sound, but what I'm doing now is to keep the team stable here."

Even in the worst-case scenario, the teacher hoped that the investigation that had been buried deep in his heart for so long could be reopened, and that the secrets within could be successfully uncovered.

"If there's any news from the teacher, please let me know immediately."

"I will, Xiaoyuan. You also need to take good care of your health. Even if you want to come back and participate, I won't allow it until you're fully recovered."

Xue Liangliang, relying on his extensive experience in jumping into rivers, once personally went into the water and carried Li Zhuiyuan's entire team out of the old woman's lair.

Although he never knew exactly what Xiao Yuan and the others were doing, he knew that they were facing great danger.

"Brother Liangliang, take care of yourself."

"This is what I should tell you."

Li Zhuiyuan hung up the phone. He didn't suggest that Xue Liangliang come back soon. He needed to have some free time and focus on things when things were going well with his teacher, and she also needed time to sort things out.

"Uncle, we're home."

"Ah."

On the way back, Uncle Qin drove very slowly.

Li Zhuiyuan took off his helmet.

Let the wind blow on your face.

Uncle Qin looked at the boy behind him through the motorcycle's rearview mirror.

Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to sigh and put his helmet back on.

Uncle Qin didn't actually mean to force Feng Xiao to be careful not to catch a cold, but the boy's actions really softened his heart.

Once inside the village road, Uncle Qin asked, "Should we go south or north?"

To the south is Big Beard's house, and to the north is Great-Grandpa's house.

"North."

Just as Uncle Qin drove his motorcycle onto the dam, Li Sanjiang walked over with a cigarette in his mouth:
"Young Master Yuan, your mother is back!"

"Ah."

“Your grandpa just came over to call you and asked me to come to his house to sit down and talk to your mom.”

"Why didn't you go, Grandpa?"

“Why would I go alone? I watched your mother grow up. I’ve disliked her ever since she could speak.”

"Then I won't go."

“Hey, you want to go? Come on, I’ll take you. Your mom’s back, you have to go and visit her. I’ll go with you. You don’t know how many relatives in the village have gone to your house to see your mom.”

"Grandpa, I'm not going."

“Go on, kid. Even if your mom is divorced…” Li Sanjiang lowered his voice, “she’s not doing a bad job in Beijing. Whether there’s a chance or not, we can still try. She’s her own mother. If she’s not irresponsible, she’s not going to eat you alive.”

"Grandpa, I'm not going."

Li Sanjiang exhaled a smoke ring, nodded, and said, "Alright, if we don't want to go, we don't want to go. Don't worry, your great-grandfather has plenty of money and doesn't care about her!"

Li Zhuiyuan smiled.

He made an excuse to go to the toilet behind the house and left the dam area, but actually went into the rice paddies and entered the temple.

Stepping onto the altar, I gently turned the platform above it. The steps on the left and right sides caved in, and two artifacts rose up.

These two items were gifts that Sister Chen gave herself when she was at the Yu family's ancestral home. They were "generous gifts" from two senior members of the Dragon King's family.

One is the Jiuhua Seal, and the other is the Julei Whip.

These two artifacts are indeed very valuable, but to use them, one needs a corresponding secret technique.

Li Zhuiyuan could try to deduce the corresponding secret techniques, but the problem was that driving these two artifacts would put a huge burden on him.

This has created an awkward situation where those who can learn it "can't lift it," while those who can "lift it" can't learn it, resulting in a huge waste of team resources.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to the Thunder-Gathering Whip, reached out, and touched it.

Immediately, a jolt of electricity shot through his body. He might have been able to withstand it before, but now he had no choice but to quickly withdraw his hand.

The boy looked at his fingertips, then looked down again, staring at the whip.

……

On the dam, Li Sanjiang, who had failed to persuade Li Zhuiyuan, stood there smoking silently.

Just then, Liu Yumei came out of the east room and sat down at her usual coffee table.

Seeing this, Li Sanjiang came over, first looked in the direction of the back of the house, and then said, "I said, Xiao Yuanhou's mother is here, aren't you going to go and see her?"

Liu Yumei shook her head and took a sip of tea.

What should I do by myself?
Should I slap her to death?

Li Sanjiang: "His mother is rich and well-off. If you have any resources, you can mention them to her."

Liu Yumei shook her head again.

Li Sanjiang: "Don't worry, the kid's family is doing well. You'll have a good life ahead of you."

Liu Yumei deliberately said, "No matter how well-off his family is, I haven't seen anyone want him, have I?"

Li Sanjiang: "You don't understand. If you were an ordinary family, an ordinary kid, and your parents got divorced, to put it bluntly, they would just let him go."

"How could we possibly not want someone like our young Marquis Yuan? Tell me, if it were given to your family, would you want this grandson?"

Liu Yumei nodded.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan came out from behind the house, pretending that he had just washed his hands by the toilet water tank, and shook his hands.

Li Sanjiang coughed twice and left. When he went down to the dam, he made a point of explaining that he was not going to Li Weihan's house to visit the people from the capital, but to visit his own family's ancestral graves.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down next to Liu Yumei.

Liu Yumei picked up the teapot.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up: "I'll do it."

Liu Yumei glanced at Li Zhuiyuan and said in a deliberately authoritative tone, "Sit down."

Li Zhuiyuan calmly said, "I'll do it."

Liu Yumei smiled, put down the teapot, and waved her hand: "You can do it then."

After pouring the tea, Li Zhuiyuan sat down again.

The boy went straight to the point:

"You are not unaware of it."

This morning, while I was chatting with Grandma Liu, she made a special analogy, saying that Grandpa and Grandma Chen had such a sweet and loving relationship that they would surely live as long as tortoises.

In addition, Grandma Liu also hinted at her allies and her decision to send Uncle Qin ahead to scout ahead, but then abandoned the idea.

Liu Yumei: "Grandma, I'm not a demon or evil spirit with multiple eyes and hearts, nor am I a god or Buddha with multiple faces. At the time, things happened so suddenly that I didn't have time to think about anything else. Some clues weren't noticed at the time, but afterward, I was able to see more things than others."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and lowered his head to drink his tea.

After a while, seeing that the young man was just drinking tea, Liu Yumei spoke up:

Don't you want to ask your grandma what to do next?

Li Zhuiyuan: "If I asked, you would definitely say that I am in charge now, so it is up to me to decide."

Liu Yumei: "Absolutely."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Then I'll take care of it."

Liu Yumei:
"Grandma, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you'll do."

The boy finished his tea, stood up, and walked down the dam.

This time, he didn't let Ah Li accompany him and walked towards the bearded man's house alone.

On the way, Li Zhuiyuan saw Li Juxiang riding her bicycle quickly past ahead.

Li Juxiang kept wiping away tears as she rode her bike. She was probably going to Li Weihan's house to see Li Lan.

Standing at the corner of the village road, Li Zhuiyuan gazed at the location of his grandfather's house.

"Brother Yuanzi, Brother Yuanzi!"

Stone and Tiger skipped over. They had just come from Aunt Zhang's convenience store, each carrying a bag filled with snacks they wouldn't normally buy.

Upon seeing Li Zhuiyuan, Shi Tou nudged Hu Zi and pointed to the bag in his hand: "I'll share this with you, half for each of us!"

Tiger stared at his bag with some reluctance, licked his lips, and shook his head: "I picked the best one. I'll share it with you, half for each of us."

Stone: "Okay!"

After saying that, Shi Tou handed the bag of snacks in his hand to Li Zhuiyuan.

"Brother Yuanzi, this is for you."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "I don't want to. My great-grandfather has long forbade me to eat snacks."

Shi Tou: "Brother Yuanzi, you can eat it secretly, we all do. This was bought with money given to us by our aunt, and it's your mother's money. You want to eat it."

Li Zhuiyuan: "What she gives you is yours; you can spend it as you see fit."

Stone: "That's so embarrassing."

Tiger: "Yeah, when Brother Pan and Brother Lei find out after they get off work, they're going to beat us up."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Just don't tell them you've seen me before."

Stone and Tiger exchanged a glance, each revealing a sly smile, and nodded.

"By the way, Brother Yuanzi, let's go to Grandpa's house. They're having a feast today. Grandma killed chickens and ducks, and they're even having people slaughter a pig!"

"You all go ahead, I need to deliver something to Grandpa."

"Let Tiger deliver it to you; he's fast!"

"Yep!"

"No need, Grandfather insisted that I deliver it myself."

"Then we'll wait for you at Grandpa's house, Brother Yuanzi!"

"Brother Yuanzi, come quickly! Auntie bought a cake and a lot of other foods we've never seen before. Grandma won't let us touch them, saying she wants to wait for you to come over so we can eat together."

Li Zhuiyuan waved to them, which was both a greeting and a way of refusing.

It's true that he didn't go today, but he just didn't want to go, and he was even intentionally cultivating this rebellious mentality.

It's quite fun, like cricket fighting, the more you fight, the more interesting it becomes.

But as Li Zhuiyuan walked along the village road beside the irrigation ditch, he suddenly stopped.

He reached out and touched his face.

It has warmth and texture, and he could clearly feel a sense of ease from the bottom of his heart, even the willfulness and carefree nature that a normal young man should have.

However, when the boy turned his head to look at his reflection in the ditch, he saw a face that was both strange and familiar.

Li Zhuiyuan forced himself to smile, and his reflection in the ditch also smiled, but as the water rippled, the smile was simply concealed by the ripples.

It was a good start, yet it felt like a harbinger of an impending end.

Li Zhuiyuan squatted down, reached out and scooped up water from the ditch, his gaze still fixed on himself so close to him.

The original body is dead.

I promised to help the original body recover.

Li Zhuiyuan has no intention of going back on his word.

But now, he has another reason to bring his original body back up.

That is, having lost the constraints and distinctions of the original self, that sense of illness from the past is gradually returning.

This means that the original body essentially helped to share most of the burden of the illness, although this was done voluntarily by the original body, which itself was born from the illness.

However, the death of the physical body does not mean the end of the illness; on the contrary, it removes a barrier.

Logically and emotionally, I should revive my original self as soon as possible.

Li Zhuiyuan's current condition is much better than before, and the young man does not want this to be just a fleeting moment of glory.

I need to get some rest and recover quickly, otherwise I won't be able to get many things done.

"Jingle Bell……"

The sound of a tricycle bell came from behind; it was Xiao Yingying riding it.

Xiao Yingying stopped the tricycle next to Li Zhuiyuan. The two did not exchange words, and Li Zhuiyuan naturally got into the tricycle.

Immediately, Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Xiao Yingying had turned into the side road that Aunt Juxiang had ridden into earlier.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's go to your house."

Xiao Yingying: "Your mother is back. I ran into your grandfather when I was buying wine."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I know."

Xiao Yingying: "Mm."

Xiao Yingying turned around and returned to the original road.

The news of Li Lan's return spread throughout the entire village; even the villagers knew about it.

When they arrived at the bearded man's house, they found that Zhao Yi was not there.

Zhao Yi knew who Li Lan was, but he still went to pick her up.

After picking her up, you can't just leave her at her parents' house; that would be unfair to the Li family.

Who knows, someone might suddenly pull out a vine whip from the peach grove and, before whipping Li Lan, at least whip themselves to buy some time.

Zhao Yi stayed with Li Lan at Li Weihan's house.

Seeing their boss accompanying such a dangerous person, the Liang sisters also went, and Old Tian even went to help with the cooking.

A-Jing was still in her wheelchair, so she stopped sharing the snacks and was now idly spinning around in her wheelchair on the dam.

"Brother Yuanzi!"

"Ah."

Li Zhuiyuan entered the room, intending to go directly to Chen Xiyuan's room, but stopped when he passed Tan Wenbin's room.

Peeking inside, I saw Tan Wenbin sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the tiles on the floor.

Tan Wenbin has not yet fully regained his senses, but the four tiles on the ground in front of him reflect the images of a python, a monkey, a cow, and a centipede.

Li Zhuiyuan walked in, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, gathered the little energy he had left, raised his finger, and pointed to Tan Wenbin's forehead.

Next, a cloud of black mist appeared in Li Zhuiyuan's field of vision.

Within the black mist, pairs of monstrous figures alternated, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

In front of each of the demonic beast spirits sat a Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin's earliest method of combining with demonic beasts was modeled after the spirit control technique he used when his two adopted sons were still attached to him. Later, he discovered that these four demonic beasts were not as pure as his two adopted sons. After a while, they began to have other ideas. Li Zhuiyuan then suppressed them with force and handed the other end of the chain to Tan Wenbin.

In that "world," Tan Wenbin freed all the monsters from their restraints in order to unleash his full potential.

What is being presented now is not a side effect of the event, but rather Tan Wenbin is pioneering a new model that is more suitable for him.

It's like actively projecting the spirit of a demon beast into one's own body. If successful, then Tan Wenbin can skip the "borrowing" step when he wants their power in the future.

It not only improved the efficiency of power usage, but also eliminated the drawbacks of being influenced by the nature of demonic beasts. For example, when using the power of the Blood Ape, one would not be able to help but imitate the movements of a monkey.

This was Tan Wenbin's own creation, based on the various platforms he had previously provided for him and the many books he had read, which led to a new opportunity and idea.

People in the martial arts world believe in seeking breakthroughs through battles, and the stronger the opponent, the more they can squeeze out your potential, and of course, the easier it is for them to crush you.

Facing an existence of the giant tortoise's caliber, even the slightest aura emanating from it would be enough to shatter the mental state of an ordinary member of the Xuanmen sect. Tan Wenbin was able to withstand it and survive... that is a new breakthrough achieved by risking his life and courage.

Li Zhuiyuan withdrew his finger and did not disturb him. However, the boy took Tan Wenbin's mobile phone.

Next, as Li Zhuiyuan passed by Lin Shuyou's room, he saw Ayou sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating.

The image of a child is superimposed on his body.

The two, one human and one god, were on the same wavelength. While the boy was repairing his soul, Lin Shuyou was also repairing his physical injuries. Although they were doing different things, they were able to intersect and accelerate each other's progress.

It's a pity if one thing breaks, but if two things break, they can be woven together even better.

Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou have both found their direction for further breakthroughs at this stage.

Li Zhuiyuan continued forward. The boy did not go to Runsheng's room to check on the situation because Runsheng was sleeping soundly and snoring.

Finally, Li Zhuiyuan entered Chen Xiyuan's room.

Chen Xiyuan was no different from what she had seen early in the morning. She still had persimmon cakes in her left hand and walnut pastries in her right. The only difference was that the two sacks of regular food under the bed were almost empty.

This stuff is indeed delicious, but to say that it's so delicious that you could never get tired of it wouldn't be accurate.

Chen Xiyuan's injuries haven't healed yet, so she needs to rest as much as possible. Since she's idle anyway, she might as well keep talking.

Seeing the boy enter, Chen Xiyuan turned her head in confusion.

Her lips had turned a frosty white from eating too many persimmon cakes.

"Little brother, if you visit me twice a day, it will make me think the wrong thing. Tell me the truth, do I have some terminal illness, or is there some internal injury or curse that I can't get rid of, and I'm not going to live much longer?"

“You are very healthy.”

"Really?"

"Ah."

Chen Xiyuan nodded in relief. After finishing what she was eating, she picked up a large bag of Xiting crispy biscuits from the ground, tore it open, and continued to put them in her mouth.

This mouth is like a little squirrel gnawing on a nut. A long, crispy biscuit just needs to be slowly pushed into the mouth, and it will disappear at a steady pace.

After eating several in a row, Chen Xiyuan said:

"Your local specialties are really delicious!"

"Thank you."

"Little brother, how is your older sister's health? I miss her wontons and plain noodles."

"It'll be ready soon. In two more days, I can make it for you."

"Hehe, that's great."

Li Zhuiyuan sat down on the chair next to the bed.

When was the last time you contacted your grandfather?

"Last time."

After answering, Chen Xiyuan ate half a crispy biscuit before realizing she had made a fool of herself, and immediately said:
"yesterday."

"Will you write a letter?"

"Well, what happened?"

"Can you make a phone call from your home?"

"Yes, but it's a bit far. You know, the magnetic field is problematic in many places, and many modern devices will malfunction or even be unusable."

So I basically don't call my grandparents. If they want to answer the phone, they have to come out of the ancestral home, cross a river, and climb two hills.

"Make a phone call."

"Me?"

"Ah."

"So what should I say on the phone?"

"Just a casual greeting."

"it is good."

Li Zhuiyuan handed her the mobile phone.

Chen Xiyuan dialed the number and answered twice on the other end:

"Yes, it's me, that's right."

The phone hangs up.

Chen Xiyuan shrugged: "Next, my grandpa will have to carry my grandma over mountains and valleys."

Li Zhuiyuan: "That day, besides the giant tortoise, there was another person who came. He almost killed Xiao Hei, and Xiao Hei was a key I left outside. Therefore, I almost died and could not wake up."

Chen Xiyuan was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Who did it!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "That person is very capable. Not only are his methods superb, but his grasp of the situation and understanding of the rules above him are also unimaginably precise."

Chen Xiyuan swallowed the food in her mouth: "Does that mean I can't beat him?"

Li Zhuiyuan smiled.

Chen Xiyuan said frankly, "Okay, I probably can't beat someone like that, well, not at the moment. But little brother, don't be afraid, give me some more time, I'll spend some more merit points. My grandfather said that if I go down the river, it won't be long before I surpass him as the head of the family, hehe."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Actually, what I want to know more is why he wanted to kill me."

Chen Xiyuan: "Hmm, little brother, why are you so kind? Why do you even try to see things from that person's perspective?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I don't understand."

Chen Xiyuan: "As long as you smash his skull with a flute, everything will be solved."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I still want to know the reason. In my opinion, he has many reasons to do this, but I want to know which one he is specifically after."

Just then, her mobile phone rang, and Chen Xiyuan answered it.

"Hey Grandpa, hehe, what's wrong with letting you carry my grandma around for a bit? Really!"

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and touched Chen Xiyuan's arm.

Chen Xiyuan looked at Li Zhuiyuan with confusion.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Please ask your grandfather for me."

Chen Xiyuan nodded and said to the person on the other end of the phone:
"Grandpa, a friend of mine from the martial arts world asked me to give you his regards. No, he's not trying to flatter me or you. He's just a roughneck from the martial arts world. We're friends from the martial arts world, and we don't need to know each other's backgrounds to be acquainted!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Ask your grandfather, was he the one who wanted to kill me?"

"Grandpa, was it you who wanted to kill him...?"

Chen Xiyuan was stunned, staring at Li Zhuiyuan in disbelief.

She never imagined that her previous series of conversations would lead to her grandfather.

After a long silence, a deeper look of horror and despair suddenly appeared in Chen Xiyuan's eyes. Her lips moved slightly, turning as if to speak.
Slowly said:
“My grandfather said…yes.”

(End of this chapter)