Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 451

As he watched, Li Zhuiyuan tilted his head back, leaned against the rattan chair, and rubbed his temples.

The boy was quite well-read; even before he could walk, he would crawl all over the various rubbings in Li Lan's study.

After arriving in Nantong, he experienced everything from miniature manuals and freehand martial arts techniques to incomplete secret arts... even the Yin Family Twelve Methods, which required him to work backwards.

Don't simply view them as a book, but rather as a flow of information presented through regular symbols; then, they will be much easier to accept and understand.

A slightly more challenging task is to understand the recorder's purpose; an even more challenging task is to empathize with the recorder's state of mind at the time.

Despite all the changes, the essence remains the same: the recorders left these records for future generations to see. As long as you can adjust to the same frequency as they were at the time, you can easily digest this information.

But Aunt Liu is an exception.

She kept this ledger with no intention of showing it to anyone else, not even to herself.

Aunt Liu started keeping records as soon as she could write, no, it's very likely even earlier; she started holding grudges as early as she could remember.

As soon as she learned to write, she immediately wrote down all the grudges she had kept in her mind, afraid that her memory would become blurred.

The long span of time, the changes in font style, and the shifts in mood are all vividly presented here.

The most troublesome thing is,

Others express emotion through their writing, but Aunt Liu expresses emotion through her writing.

While looking at this ledger, Li Zhuiyuan felt as if Aunt Liu, in many different ages and moods, was chattering and nagging in his ear.

It was precisely because the boy's reading habits were so deep that he was now feeling dizzy and his inner demons were about to go mad.

Lin Shuyou returned carrying a large bag of seasonings and handed it to Aunt Liu with great embarrassment.

His operational error forced the whole family to delay lunch.

Ayou apologized to Aunt Liu, who smiled and waved her hand, saying it was alright, and even helped Ayou straighten his asymmetrical collar.

Li Zhuiyuan, sitting on the second-floor terrace, witnessed this scene.

In fact, from Aunt Liu's perspective, until her initiation ceremony, her future was dark and hopeless.

Her childhood coincided with the decline of the Qin and Liu families. She witnessed the pressure her mother was under and the pressure she was under. She also experienced Uncle Qin's failed attempt to cross the river with a lamp and then watched Ah Li's serious illness.

You really can't expect someone who thinks there's no hope of revenge to keep a well-organized record of their enemies.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head again, picked up the ledger again, and began to flip through it even faster than before.

One page, two pages, three pages... so fast it felt like the wind was blowing the pages.

Only remember the "pictures," without reading the text.

This kind of reading is more like "imprinting" the contents of the ledger into one's memory, so that when needed, one can recall this memory and examine the contents of this page in detail from that memory.

Even so, after flipping through all the thick ledgers, Li Zhuiyuan was exhausted, and so was the wind.

Shaking his slightly sore wrists, Li Zhuiyuan picked up the account books and went inside.

Ah Li, who was carving a headband, glanced at the exhausted-looking boy. This was the first time in her memory that she had seen the boy reading like this.

Not wanting the girl to worry, Li Zhuiyuan explained:

"Aunt Liu's emotional world is a bit too delicate."

Ah Li blinked, as if she understood what the boy meant.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down at his desk, opened the drawer, and took out the "Wordless Book".

Turning to the first page, in the bedroom, a woman lies languidly on the bed, her figure graceful, holding a bunch of grapes in her hand, which she is putting into her mouth.

Perhaps not expecting the boy to suddenly turn to his own page at this moment.

The scene paused, and the woman immediately knelt upright.

She wasn't so foolish as to think she could influence this boy through such a low-level method of seduction, especially since she didn't even have a physical body and was relying on pornographic books and pictures.

On either side of the mosquito net beside the bed, there are four hooks, each hook depicting a small evil spirit. These are the marks of the four evil spirits that were originally fed to the bed.

There's no need to leave the mark in the cell empty; it's too much trouble for the boy to have to turn to page six every time he needs it.

She thoughtfully cleared out the cells from the second to the fifth page, so now the only page in "The Wordless Book" with images is the first page where she is.

Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the thick ledger and said to the woman in the painting:
"You come and see, you take notes."

Summarize and organize them, and classify them according to your understanding and judgment of their inheritance strength.

"If I happen to be near any enemies in the future, please warn me and plan my route, providing navigation to get there."

The woman nodded.

"I've memorized all of this, and I'll be checking on you."

The woman pressed her forehead to the ground.

Although the evil book has already demonstrated its loyalty through its actions.

Li Zhuiyuan also believes that, at least for now, she is indeed loyal to him.

But the present does not represent the future. Giving her too much power now is nurturing and encouraging her future depravity.

Once she realizes that she can influence your revenge path with a few minor changes and clever misdirection, it's hard not to try to do something wicked.

This is also why Li Zhuiyuan was willing to endure the soreness in his hands to go through the account books one by one.

The boy placed the "Wordless Book" on the ledger.

Next, the book started eating the book.

The ledgers remained untouched, as did the "Wordless Book," but you could almost hear the sound of "chewing" in the darkness.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and walked to A Li's side.

Ah Li pointed to an emerald and looked at the boy.

These are accessories embedded in the girl's green practice clothes. She took them off and planned to sew them onto Lin Shuyou's forehead ribbon.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "This is still a bit too ostentatious. It would be better to carve the character 'electricity' in oracle bone script on it."

The girl nodded.

However, since the emerald has already been removed, there's no need to sew it back onto the clothes. It's highly likely that Grandma Liu has already made Ah Li's new training clothes.

“Ah You broke the offering table for the generals, and the sculptures are also deformed. Ah Li, could you please work hard to carve a new set for the boy and the two generals?”

Let this emerald be set into the boy's body.

Even if Ayou hadn't pressed that down, the sculptures were due for replacement anyway. The main problem was that the Child and the Two Generals of Increase and Loss liked to manipulate the sculptures into fighting each other secretly, leaving damage on each other.

The girl indicated that she understood.

Li Zhuiyuan stood beside her, using a small plane to carve some wood flower rolls, preparing the raw materials for A Li's sculpture.

After the sound of books being chewed at the desk ended, the boy got up and came back.

The bedroom on the first page of "The Book Without Words" is in complete disarray.

There were tear stains, splits, and scratches...

The woman sat slumped on the ground, her hair disheveled and her eyes lifeless.

It wasn't just Li Zhuiyuan who was tormented by this ledger; even the "Evil Book" was no exception.

This is probably the level of a Gu master.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up his teacup and drank some water, giving the woman some time to adjust.

As the boy put down his teacup, the woman tidied herself up.

"Are there any enemies near Ailao Mountain? Ideally, they should be of similar strength to those in Living Valley."

A line of text appeared on the bedroom floor tiles:

【Lujiazhuang】

Next, the woman, combining Aunt Liu's records with her own outdated understanding, introduced this force to Li Zhuiyuan.

Just as Shijiazhuang is not a village, Lujiazhuang is not either.

However, the former is much larger than Zhuang, while the latter is much smaller than Zhuang.

Lujiazhuang has a sparse population, and it can't even be called a village. Its size has always been maintained at a scale of four or five generations living together.

Furthermore, the Lu Family Manor does not send its successors to light lamps and travel the world generation after generation.

Most of the time, its descendants are active on the shore rather than on the river, but whenever there are records of them, it highlights the strength of its descendants.

Legend has it that the ancestors of the Lu family were raised by a divine deer in the mountains and forests when they were infants. After they grew up and were born, they took the surname "Lu". The Lu family believes that they have the blood of the divine deer flowing in their veins, and their family tradition is based on martial arts.

Rumors from the martial arts world are often distorted, as evidenced by Zhao Yi's experience.

Li Zhuiyuan could see the contradictions in the things that the evil book had compiled for him.

The ancestors were raised by the divine deer, and their descendants have the blood of the divine deer flowing in their veins, which makes them skilled in martial arts.

In any case, based on Li Zhuiyuan's habitual analysis, the story could easily turn into the Lu family's ancestor killing the divine deer, eating its flesh and drinking its blood, obtaining a special bloodline, and using this as a basis to develop their own power and inheritance.

The warmth in legends and stories is often used to cover up the real bloodshed and coldness.

The Lu family members were recorded by Aunt Liu because a successor of the previous generation of Lu Family Village lit the lamp, and he also participated in the siege against Uncle Qin.

Uncle Qin didn't remember most of the people who surrounded him. Those guys who could be taken down with one or two punches were completely shattered and unrecognizable before you even saw what they looked like.

When Aunt Liu was treating Uncle Qin, who was on the verge of death, there was a scar on Uncle Qin's back that resembled a deer antler. Even after Uncle Qin returned home, the residual internal fire in the scar continued to burn his body and soul.

Aunt Liu remembers every single injury that fell on Uncle Qin's body.

She had cried and begged Liu Yumei to allow her to take revenge.

Lujiazhuang is among them.

But Liu Yumei refused.

If it were a large sect or family, Aunt Liu could stand in the shadows and watch, using various methods of poisoning and witchcraft, not targeting the powerful members of the sect, but only ordinary people on the periphery. This would be enough to make the other party furious but helpless, living in fear.

Unfortunately, Lujiazhuang has a sparse population, making it unsuitable for Aunt Liu's methods to be fully utilized.

Furthermore, the people of Lujiazhuang gave up the benefit of traveling across the river by lanterns because they could obtain other benefits on the shore. This can also be understood as a glove being jointly supported by some top forces.

Uncle Qin lit a lamp as he walked along the river, and the inheritors of the Lu family village also lit lamps. Perhaps the planning had already begun at that time.

Matters on the river should be left to the river; this has been the tacit understanding and rule of the entire martial arts world for many years.

Unless you're determined to fight to the death, simply going to the Lu family village and taking them down would only be tearing off the mask of civility and making the conflict public. Moreover, you would be the one to break the rules and lose your moral compass.

When you're at the height of your power, morality is just toilet paper. Back when Liu Qingqing was settling scores on the river, he was just as ruthless as he was when it came to killing.

Back then, she was the Dragon King of her time, and Dragon King Liu was from a legitimate Dragon King family. People just felt it was a bit embarrassing, but... that's all there was to it.

Now that the family is declining, there's no way to do that anymore; you even have to rely on this piece of paper to patch up the leaky doors and windows.

For so many years, Grandma Liu has been caught between two lines: giving up and maintaining this meager responsibility of passing on the family tradition. Time and time again, anger would rise in her heart, but she would forcefully suppress it each time, and in the end, she could only curse at the ancestral tablets.

She was the one who stopped Aunt Liu from taking revenge, but she was also the one who wanted revenge the most, much more radical than Aunt Liu.

So after handing over the position of head of the family, Liu Yumei immediately suggested to herself that they bring out the evil spirits in the ancestral home, find a family to destroy, and perish together!

Li Zhuiyuan's fingertips traced the three characters "Lujiazhuang".

Starting from here, officially raising their own banner and beginning to make a name for themselves, is actually quite appropriate.

First, tear off their gloves, as a way of telling them that the Qin and Liu families have returned to the river, and it's time to settle the score from back then.

Li Zhuiyuan took out his "Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll," first writing "Living Valley" and then "Deer Village."

The Valley of Living People is a small hell that the Great Emperor wants to eliminate. Li Zhuiyuan believes that when he leads the waves there, the Great Emperor will definitely be willing to provide more convenience.

This can be used to your advantage; while "running errands" for the emperor, you can also take on some personal tasks.

Next, it's time to dig the irrigation canals.

At this point, there's no need to rush into innovation. There are plenty of tried-and-tested methods available, so just apply them as best you can.

Li Zhuiyuan began drawing lines, simplifying complex problems as much as possible.

The first step is to divert the next wave of river water to the Valley of Living People.

This step needs to be vague; it can't be too precise, and it can't point directly to the Valley of Living People. It's best to go to the Ailao Mountains first, or even just to Yuxi.

This way, you can leave yourself room to make mistakes.

The second step is making a mistake.

Li Zhuiyuan and Chen Xiyuan are two extreme examples of opposites.

The truth is, when navigating the river, failing to discern the river's intentions and circling around for a long time without being able to proceed is actually quite common.

Once we reach Yuxi, we can make a mistake and stop here, diverting the fork in the river towards Lujiazhuang.

After resolving the issue in Lujiazhuang, then offer an apology: "Sorry, I made a mistake."

The third step is to go back and deal with the Valley of Living People.

This is the most ideal and direct route. In actual operation, various changes will inevitably occur, but as long as you firmly grasp this general direction, you can achieve the desired results.

The ideal scenario and change would probably be to shift the blame eastward, letting Lujiazhuang and Huoren Valley clash first, while one can then act as the unseen predator.

However, this can only be done once you arrive at the scene and guide the team based on the actual situation, rather than starting with this kind of preconceived notion.

That's how things are done: first choose the most inefficient method to take the longest route, and then carefully investigate whether any shortcuts encountered along the way are actually feasible.

"Lunch is ready."

……

"Li Hou, why is there an empty plate in this food box?"

Li Sanjiang looked at Uncle Qin with a puzzled expression, holding an empty plate.

Uncle Qin: "Could it be that they're planning to come here and spit out the bones?"

Upon hearing this, Li Sanjiang looked down at the soil beneath his feet.

When you're fasting, you can set up a shed in the field, with dirt under your feet. You can just spit whatever you want on the ground. Why would you need a plate to hold it?

Besides, the meat dishes in the lunchbox were braised cabbage with pork belly and shredded pork with green peppers. There was no fish or chicken, so why would anyone spit out bones?
Li Sanjiang held the empty plate up to his eyes and reached out to pick up a peanut skin from it:

"These are... peanuts?"

Grandpa Shan looked down and searched in the food box, saying, "The peanuts didn't end up here."

Li Sanjiang looked at Uncle Qin.

Uncle Qin looked at Runsheng.

Runsheng: "Hmm?"

Grandpa Shan: "Runshenghou, did you steal and eat the peanuts?"

Runsheng: "Hmm!"

Grandpa Shan smacked his lips a few times and scolded:

"What are you doing? Does your Uncle Li need a plate of peanuts? If you're craving them, you can just grab a handful at home and eat them slowly. These are for me and your Uncle Li to have with our drinks."

Li Sanjiang: "That's right, if there are peanuts, there should be wine. Where's the wine? Where's the wine!"

Runsheng: "I drank it!"

Li Sanjiang: "No wonder, I was wondering why there were two soy sauce bottles, and one was half full."

The number of bowls, plates, and dishes in the house is fixed; whatever you take out, you have to take back. The same goes for wine bottles; after you finish drinking them, you wash them and use them to store other condiments. Anyway, thrifty families will keep them.

Grandpa Shan feigned anger and said, "Well, Runsheng Hou, you've really gotten yourself into trouble now. Not only are you stealing food, but you're also stealing wine, aren't you? I think you really are..."

Li Sanjiang: "Alright, alright, you've eaten and drunk, so what? With you as a role model, a drunkard, isn't it normal for your Runshenghou to learn to drink?"

Grandpa Shan: "Hey, so you think I'm the only one who loves to drink? What kind of example have you set at home?"

Li Sanjiang: "My son, Xiao Yuanhou, doesn't drink alcohol. He says drinking is bad for his brain."

Grandpa Shan: "Then my Runshenghou..."

Li Sanjiang: "Let him drink as much as he wants, it won't hurt him much."

Grandpa Shan: "Ah, that's true."

Li Sanjiang: "It's just that chanting scriptures in the afternoon is so unpleasant."

Sitting in a corner of the mourning hall, with a sutra spread out in front of him, some peanuts hidden in his pocket, and a little wine in a teacup next to him, a sutra and a peanut, half an incense stick and a sip of wine, tsk, that's how carefree he is.

Grandpa Shan said, "I'll read it for you. You go and take the paper money to burn."

Li Sanjiang: "That's so embarrassing."

Grandpa Shan said, "You can't sit still without those two things. I'm afraid you'll doze off and fall asleep there. If the host sees you like that, it won't look good."

Li Sanjiang: "Alright."

"Dong dong qiang, dong dong qiang!"

The funeral procession began warming up the atmosphere; everyone put on costumes, started playing monks and Taoist priests, and began the ceremony.

Grandpa Shan entered the mourning hall and began chanting sutras.

He read aloud and attentively, and he read it correctly.

However, due to his personal image, his sitting there didn't have the same effect as Li Sanjiang's.

There was no ice coffin in the mourning hall, and there was no body present today.

The fasting ceremony is not only for people who have just died. In addition to the familiar first seven days to the forty-ninth day, the anniversary of death, and the birthday of the deceased, sometimes people dream of their deceased relatives and feel that they have been sent to them in a dream, so they can also hold a fasting ceremony.

However, such celebrations are usually not grand. They only invite close relatives and friends to get together for a small gathering. The meal is simple, with no fancy dishes or extravagant feasts. Gifts are not accepted. People usually just bring a bundle of paper money or some paper offerings to burn.

Today, the host dreamed of his mother and is thinking of holding a wedding for her.

It was a very small event to begin with, at most just two tables of family members. They would set up a table, kowtow, and find an open space to burn some paper money.

The host family thought so too, but unexpectedly, a large number of people came to participate, and they all wanted to give gifts.

There was no other way but to set up the tent, and we had to hire a cook, as well as arrange for the funeral procession and the vegetarian meal service.

It's like there's too much vinegar, so I had to roll out extra dumpling wrappers.

As soon as Li Sanjiang arrived, he noticed something was off about this place.

This is an ordinary bungalow, without a second floor, but the surrounding area is very spacious, paved with cement.

They said that the village was going to build cement roads, one in front and one behind, so they just happened to pave the roads in front and behind this house.

There is clearly a large well on the dam, but the water tap pipe has been connected to the house. There is also a telephone in the house, with a sign that reads "Public Telephone Station". It is not placed outside, but inside the house, so you can't use it even if you want to.

The village clinic is just a few steps away to the west of the house; there is a bus stop to the east. The people in this village are very fortunate, as they don't have to wait for the bus on the main road, because the bus will drive into the village and turn around by itself.

Aside from that, the interior was simply furnished. The host was an elderly man, dressed plainly, and very honest. When there were too many guests, he couldn't afford to serve the funeral procession or those who were eating vegetarian food, and he even had to pay them extra. He was a kind and generous person.

"Let's go, let's go to the sacrifice!"

Li Sanjiang was greeting Runsheng and Uncle Qin when suddenly a large group of people ran out, some carrying flags, some carrying banners, and even the paper servants and maids were being fought over.

This meant that Uncle Qin and Runsheng, who were supposed to be doing this work, couldn't find an opportunity to do anything and could only follow behind.

Uncle Qin looked at Runsheng, somewhat embarrassed.

Runsheng, however, didn't take it to heart.

It's only natural to take the blame for your master.

On the way here, Runsheng was completely unaware of his master's probing, but he was deeply impressed by his master drinking and eating peanuts.

Uncle Qin reached out and put his arm around Runsheng's shoulder.

Runsheng turned his head and smiled.

The two followed behind the group.

Upon arriving at the destination, Li Sanjiang instructed the host to light a fire, and then directed everyone to burn paper offerings and paper effigies.

While burning offerings, Li Sanjiang also set up a sacrificial altar at the grave of the master's mother.

The host first knelt down and kowtowed, then said a few words to his mother before standing up, thus concluding the ceremony.

If there are fewer people, we can chat more at our mother's grave, talking about our childhood and how we are now.

There were just too many people there, so many eyes watching, that I felt too embarrassed to show any genuine emotion.

As soon as the host stood up, the others swarmed forward and knelt down in unison.

The crying, shouting, and kowtowing were incredibly moving, a truly heart-wrenching scene.

Those who don't know the story might think this is a grand ancestral sacrifice performed by the patriarch of a large and prosperous family. The patriarch was blessed with many children and grandchildren, and his descendants surpassed him in virtue, resulting in this vast and thriving family of filial sons and virtuous grandsons.

Moreover, these filial sons and grandsons are all doing quite well, which can be clearly seen from their clothing and demeanor; they are definitely not the kind of people who beg for food in the fields.

When they knelt and kowtowed, their coats fluttered, and some of them even had mobile phones tucked into their waistbands or arms.

Li Sanjiang had seen this mobile phone before. All the kids in his family wanted one, but Xue Liangliang borrowed them, saying they were a government benefit for easy communication.

If you really want to buy it, a thing the size of a brick can cost a terrifying amount of money.

After the lively ceremony, they returned to the dam area and continued the previous festivities.

At dinner time, the host family specially had the cook deliver the food to the funeral procession first, and then invited Li Sanjiang and the others to come and eat.

Actually, even more guests come in the evening, and there are still far from enough seats. In addition, since everyone has already received payment at noon, they feel embarrassed to take up seats in the evening.

The old man at the host's house insisted that everyone sit down to eat, saying that everyone had worked hard all day and deserved a good meal. He added that the people outside hadn't been invited, so it was a waste if they didn't get to eat there.

After dinner, Li Sanjiang had to keep vigil, burning paper money and chanting scriptures.

The old man who was the host was very polite. Even though he had paid the money, he told Li Sanjiang that he could pack up and go home late at night and didn't have to stay up all night until dawn.

After saying all this, the old man said he was tired, went back to his room, closed the door, and went to sleep.

As soon as he closed the door, the crowd outside dispersed.

The area in front of the portrait of the deceased old lady on the table in the mourning hall quickly became quiet.

Li Sanjiang has spent his whole life handling funerals and has long understood this principle: the deceased rely on the living, and the elderly rely on their children.

The extravagance of a funeral is to save face for the living; the extravagance of an elderly person's funeral is to save face for their children.

This family is a perfect example.

Around 10 p.m., Li Sanjiang asked Runsheng Hou to come and burn paper money for him while he went to the grave to collect the offerings.

When I arrived at the cemetery, I took out my cigarette case and was about to light a cigarette when I saw the old man from the family lying by the grave, talking quietly.

This is how I sneaked out through the window after closing the door and pretending to be asleep.

Hearing footsteps, the old man of the house sat up, but after seeing that it was Li Sanjiang, he lay back down.

Li Sanjiang offered the other man a cigarette, which the old man accepted.

The old man at the house said, "Brother, I'm so tired today."

Li Sanjiang squatted down with a smile: "You're lucky."

The old man in charge said, "Hehe, I really thought I was very lucky in my younger days, and I was so proud of myself. But in recent years, I've become more and more annoyed."

Li Sanjiang: "So many people are envious of him."

The old man in charge said, "That's why it's not good for your children to be too successful; it makes you feel uneasy too."

Li Sanjiang: "Hahaha."

The old man from the house said, "My child said a long time ago that he wanted to take me away, but I don't want to leave here. My parents are buried here, my wife is buried here, and I was born and raised here. How can I bear to leave?"

Li Sanjiang: "Indeed, after living here all my life, who would be willing to move away in the end?"

The old man who owned the house said, "But now, I have no choice but to leave. If I continue to stay, I might become a burden to my children someday. You don't know those people. Let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart:"

That's absolutely shameless!

The two old people laughed together.

The old man said, "I'm leaving tomorrow. My child will send someone to pick me up. I'm leaving now, and I can't let my child make a mistake because of me."

Li Sanjiang: "It's good that he left. He's going to enjoy a good life with his son."

The old man said, "Brother, when I die, I still need to be buried back home. That's where my wife's grave is. I'll need you to preside over the ceremony. You've done a good job, and I'm very satisfied."

Li Sanjiang: "But you're younger than me."

The old man from the house said, "We look so different. I definitely won't outlive you, brother."

Li Sanjiang: "Alright, alright, just one word: if I follow your lead, I guarantee I'll handle things properly for you."

The old man from the house took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Li Sanjiang. A phone number was written on it.

"Brother, here you go. I won't give it to anyone who begs me for it, and I can't give it to them through my hands."

Li Sanjiang took the paper: "Oh dear, then don't give it to me."

The old man who owned the house said, "Keep it, keep it as a memento. If something really happens, call this number."

"I'm fine." Li Sanjiang also took out a piece of paper from his pocket. It was a cigarette pack with a number written on it, which belonged to Li Zhuiyuan. Li Sanjiang handed the cigarette pack to the old man who was the host.

The old man from the house took the call and asked in confusion, "I also have something to do, why am I making this call?"

Li Sanjiang: "If I die, tell your child to call this number and ask if I'm dead."

The old man from the host family: "Hahahaha!"

Li Sanjiang came to collect the offering table, which contained yellow wine and dried tea.

Since the people in the grave had already enjoyed themselves, the two old men leaned against the grave mound and drank some wine.

As we chatted, the conversation turned to the origins of today's vegetarian feast.

The old man from the host family said, "My mother wasn't from here. Her hometown was in Yunnan. When she was a child, she wandered around and eventually came here. She followed my father, gave birth to me, and settled down here. But before she passed away, she always talked about her hometown and said she wanted to go home to see it."

But back then, those conditions weren't available.

Li Sanjiang: "Yes, Yunnan is huge. My son, Xiao Yuanhou, went to Lijiang in Yunnan last time. I searched for it on the map for a long time."

The old man who owned the house said, "My mother only remembers that she was from Yuxi."

Li Sanjiang: "Yuxi? I ​​know it, it's good to smoke."

The old man from the house said, "My mother appeared to me in a dream and said that my father and she had a fight in the underworld. When she was alive, she tolerated it and didn't argue with my father because of me."

Now that I'm not dead yet, not in the underworld, if I were gone, she wouldn't tolerate my father anymore, so she ran away from home and wanted to go back to her own family home.

My mother had never traveled far from home since she was a child. She said that she ran out of money halfway there, so I thought I should quickly make a sacrifice and burn some money for her.

"Sigh, if only I knew exactly where my mother's hometown was, I could take some soil from her grave and go there to pay my respects."

Li Sanjiang: "Why don't you ask your child to help you look for it?"

The old man from the house said, "For this? Isn't that a mistake? Not to mention I'm embarrassed to bring it up, even if I did, the child wouldn't agree. He's very determined."

This child has had his own ideas since he was little, and he can manage his own affairs.

Those who need to study go on to study, those who need to work go on to work, each taking their own path step by step. My wife and I haven't worried about them at all.

Li Sanjiang: "I feel the same way."

It's late at night, and it's time to go.

The two elderly people tidied up the offering table together and left the cemetery.

When they arrived home, the old man from the family pointed to the empty mourning hall and said:
"Brother, when we meet again, I'll be lying right there."

Li Sanjiang pointed to the table next to him: "Yes, I'll sit there and chant scriptures."

The old man who was the host said, "Don't just sit there. Have some peanuts and a little wine. Smack your lips a bit, so I can smell the aroma too."

Li Sanjiang: "Okay, okay, I'll hide a roast chicken and a plate of pig's head meat, and you'll be so hungry you'll sit up in your coffin and ask me for it."

After parting ways, Li Sanjiang packed his things and went home.

Grandpa Shan didn't go back to Xiting; he'll be sleeping at Li Sanjiang's house tonight.

When I got home, I saw Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin still watching TV on the first floor.

Li Sanjiang: "Still not asleep?"

Tan Wenbin: "Yeah, I'll go to sleep after I finish watching this movie."

Li Sanjiang and Grandpa Shan went upstairs.

Grandpa Shan yawned: "Going to sleep, I'm so sleepy."

Li Sanjiang kicked Grandpa Shan towards the shower room: "Go take a shower first, otherwise you'll smell so bad I won't be able to sleep!"

After forcing Grandpa Shan to take a bath, Li Sanjiang walked into his room and saw Li Zhuiyuan still sitting in the rattan chair outside.

"Young Marquis Yuan, it's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"Grandpa, I took a nap this afternoon, but I can't fall asleep now."

"Oh." Li Sanjiang squatted down beside him, smoking a cigarette as he chatted with his great-grandson about what had happened that day.

I didn't realize it when I was all alone; I just lived my own life. But ever since I had a child, I've been thinking about saving up the things that happen in my daily life so I can talk about them with my child.

At these times, Li Zhuiyuan would listen very attentively, because, apart from this, there wasn't much else he could do to repay his great-grandfather.

After Li Sanjiang finished speaking, he smiled and said:
"Young Marquis Yuan, when you become successful one day and want to take your great-grandfather away, don't worry, your great-grandfather will have no objection!"

"Nothing is more important than our little Marquis Yuan's affairs, haha!"

Just then, Grandpa Shan, who had finished bathing, came over and asked:
"Marquis of Sanjiang, did you give the note that your master gave you to your young Marquis Yuan?"

Li Sanjiang said dismissively, "Give what? Give what?"

Grandpa Shan: "Are you out of your mind? Didn't you see what happened today? That host's son must be an extraordinary person."

Whether it was just a whim or he was leaving home to keep a memento, the fact is he gave you this number. If your little Yuanhou ever encounters any difficulties in the future, he might just be able to solve them with a simple call.

"Didn't you see in the plays that things that seem like a huge deal to us ordinary folks are just something to be casually waved around in the eyes of those in power?"

Li Sanjiang: "My little Marquis Yuan has no need for this."

Grandpa Shan: "No, you really won't give it to me? What if I lose it while holding it? Then I won't even have anywhere to call you."

Li Sanjiang: "My son, Xiao Yuanhou, has plenty of phone calls to make; he just doesn't want to make them."

Grandpa Shan: "Ha, you're just bragging!"

Li Sanjiang: "Who's bragging to you in the middle of the night? Go back to your room and get some sleep."

Grandpa Shan went back to his house.

Li Sanjiang lit another cigarette.

He wasn't bragging.

Li Weihan had never met his in-laws from the north, who were of the same generation, but Li Sanjiang had.

Last time, when Xiao Yuanhou took me to the capital for a trip, I sat with Xiao Yuanhou's grandfather.

Li Sanjiang didn't know exactly how old that "Grandpa Bei" was, but he could estimate it based on his own experience.

After all, back then, he fled south from the Northeast to the Yangtze River; while that old man from the North chased him south from the Northeast to the Yangtze River.

Why would you call a stranger instead of your own grandfather to ask for help?
There's no smoke in the room.

At this moment, Grandpa Shan pushed open the door again, took a cigarette case from Li Sanjiang's pocket, and casually dropped out the piece of paper with the phone number written on it.

Grandpa Shan, quick as a flash, picked up the paper, stuffed it into Li Zhuiyuan's hand, and instructed him:
"Young Marquis Yuan, quickly put it away, quickly put it away, it'll be useful!"

Li Zhuiyuan put the paper into his pocket and smiled, "Uncle Shan, if I could find the hometown of that grandpa and grandma, wouldn't it be even more useful?"

Grandpa Shan pointed at Li Zhuiyuan with his finger holding a cigarette, and said to Li Sanjiang:
"Listen to this! That's what a college student should be like, their brains are so sharp. Unlike you, I don't know what's going on in your head today!"

Li Sanjiang rolled his eyes at Grandpa Shan.

Grandpa Shan went a step further and read out the name and birth date of the host's mother, who was the object of today's vegetarian feast.

Li Sanjiang cursed the old man on the mountain for having an epileptic seizure.

The old man, with his neck stiff, retorted: "People should have dreams!"

After the two elderly people went back to their room to rest, Li Zhuiyuan unfolded the paper in the moonlight, looked at the string of numbers on it, and said:
"I want to flatter and fawn, I want to curry favor with the powerful, I want to seize opportunities to climb the ladder, I want to go to Yuxi."

He finished talking to himself.

Li Zhuiyuan folded the paper neatly and put it away.

In the past, when I was about to go out for a walk along the river, my great-grandfather would bring me lottery tickets.

However, since the last lottery draw resulted in a death and the organizers were arrested, there have been no lottery draws in the area for a long time.

Even if the old man wanted to touch it now, there's nowhere for him to touch it.

But this time, the old man got himself into a big mess.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and pointed his index finger in front of him.

A red dot remained in front of me.

The boy's fingertips circled the red dot, drawing out red lines that formed a complex and intricate Bagua (Eight Trigrams) plane.

Li Zhuiyuan pushed his palm forward.

The flat surface is concave, with layers of misalignment, resembling a red spire, with the tower constantly rotating around its body, solemn and mysterious.

The trip to Ji'an brought about a qualitative change in the boy's mental and spiritual strength; he could now perform many more tricks with the secret techniques he used to have.

However, the boy raised his hand and slapped away the red tower.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed a significant change in the strength of this "prize ticket".

Logically speaking, the next wave shouldn't be too difficult for him, and it also involves his personal mission of avenging the Qin and Liu families. Therefore, in theory, the old master's good fortune shouldn't be inexplicably increasing in this matter.

But some things can be thoroughly investigated, while others lose their meaning if you insist on getting to the bottom of them.

Anyway, Grandpa would never harm himself.

On this basis, to then calculate the specific "money" worth of each act of kindness from one's great-grandfather, and the reasons for the fluctuations in each "money" is truly a pointless and ridiculous act.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up. He, Tan Wenbin, and Lin Shuyou downstairs were still awake, waiting for Runsheng to come back for a meeting.

The presence of Runsheng people here symbolizes unity, which is more important than Runsheng's intellect.

Li Zhuiyuan looked towards the east room.

"Snapped!"

He snapped his fingers.

East room bedroom.

Liu Yumei sat on the bed, embroidering a quilt by the moonlight.

She could design her granddaughter's clothes and then have someone else make them, but she simply didn't have the time.

But she had to embroider these three quilts herself, stitch by stitch.

She recalled the day Li Sanjiang held up three fingers and said that her dowry consisted of "three quilts."

Liu Yumei stopped caring about Li Sanjiang's "petty" attitude, stopped the needle, looked up, and looked at her surroundings.

I brought Ali and Ating here just to try and get a bit of Li Sanjiang's good fortune so I could get my granddaughter's medical treatment.

Who would have thought that living together would lead to them becoming in-laws?

The term "in-laws" was originally used specifically to refer to marriage alliances between imperial relatives and nobles.

One glory and one glory.

Ah Li, who was sleeping next to her, opened her eyes and sat up.

Liu Yumei: "What's up?"

Ah Li nodded.

She was going to a meeting. Liu Yumei found a cloak for A-Li, opened the door for her, and watched her granddaughter walk towards the main house.

The first floor was brightly lit, as if paper was still being burned.

A gentle smile appeared on Liu Yumei's face.

Once upon a time, her greatest hope was that her granddaughter could be somewhat like a normal person, at least possessing a certain degree of self-care ability. Now, her granddaughter is able to officially participate in the river walking activity.

They were just a group of young children, and the place was just an ordinary farmhouse, but the storms that were about to rage in the martial arts world would begin from here.

Liu Yumei walked to the offering table, lit three incense sticks, then sat down and began to repair the restrictions on the offering table.

Normally, this altar is solid, but once the restrictions on it are lifted, the space inside is actually quite large, containing all the letters and visiting cards he has received in recent years.

While I was playing cards in the afternoon, Xiao Yuan said he was coming to get some soy milk and went into the east room.

They stayed there for a very long time.

When he returned to his room after his card game ended, he saw that the altar and its protective seal had been completely destroyed. The letters and invitations inside also showed obvious signs of being read. Many of them, which he wouldn't even bother to open once he saw the signature, had been torn open and read.

She had warned Xiao Yuan that Aunt Liu's bed contained an account book guarded by Gu worms; and that her own altar contained communications protected by a barrier.

These are not things Xiao Yuan should be thinking about; if he tries to peek without permission, he will pay the price.

Now, the child has seen both.

Liu Yumei began to repair the restriction and further enhanced it, making it more difficult to break and increasing its backlash power.

Grandma Liu did all this without any pressure, because she believed that with her level of array formation, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't put any real pressure on the boy.

But she still had to do the things that were out in the public eye; otherwise, she would be devastated.

Living room on the first floor.

Everyone sat in a circle.

A burning brazier was placed in the middle of the group.

It was used not only to keep warm at night when it was cold, but also as part of a sacrificial ceremony.

Ah Li, wearing a cloak, sat down next to the boy.

Beside Runsheng was an offering table with a portrait of the Fengdu Emperor on it.

This is to give the Yinmeng team a sense of participation.

At the same time, it also gives the emperor a chance to listen in.

The emperor's listening was definitely not "stealing".

In fact, every time Runsheng and Yinmeng made contact through a sacrificial ceremony, it was a ritual to the Great Emperor.

This can be understood as the Emperor acting as a relay station or translator between the two.

Li Zhuiyuan began to explain his plan for the next stage.

The young man, without any hesitation, presented his private affairs to the emperor.

There's no need to hide anything. As long as you do your job well and achieve your goal of destroying the Little Hell, the Emperor won't mind if you take the opportunity to gain some extra benefits.

This open and honest approach can reduce suspicion and internal friction, and deepen political trust between the two sides.

As usual, after Li Zhuiyuan finished his explanation, Tan Wenbin focused on the key points and gave a second round of detailed explanations.

Lin Shuyou was responsible for responding and engaging in conversation, pretending to be thinking seriously.

His segment is very important because Runsheng doesn't use his brain, Ali doesn't speak, Mengmeng is underground, and Ayou is actively participating on behalf of more than half of the partners.

After Tan Wenbin finished speaking, Li Zhuiyuan said:

"Did you all understand?"

Ah Li nodded.

The rest of the group: "Understood!"

A wisp of ash flew out of the brazier, landed on the ground, and formed a character.

This character was definitely not written by Yin Meng.

Because the characters in the "yinmeng" style are much uglier than this.

The character is:

【Read】

……

Old Tiantou has been having very poor sleep quality lately.

It wasn't because of the creaking sound of the bed in one of the rooms; in fact, he was already used to it.

But lately, every night after I fall asleep, I suddenly hear a loud clap of thunder.

I opened the window; it wasn't raining outside, and the stars were shining brightly.

After I fell asleep again, the thunder started again.

Yesterday's thunder was much louder than usual, and it even had a rhythm, like drumbeats.

Chen Xiyuan: Good morning!

Old Tian: "Hey, good morning."

Chen Xiyuan: "The desserts you made yesterday were really delicious."

Old Tian: "Hehe, shall I make you another one today?"

Chen Xiyuan: "Okay, you didn't make enough yesterday, we didn't get to eat our fill."

Old Tian: "Alright, alright, I'll go to town to buy ingredients right away."

Chen Xiyuan walked to the dam, stretched, and took a deep breath.

The sea of ​​clouds and thunder are stirring. She has been comprehending this more and more deeply lately. This means that in addition to the various auxiliary functions she used to have, her domain now also has an offensive attribute.

A normal person's thought process is that once someone enters their domain, they don't need to do anything and just watch them get struck by lightning; Chen Xiyuan's imagined scene is that she holds a flute, smashing things while generating lightning effects herself.

Anyway, she felt that if she couldn't roll up her sleeves and get to work herself, it would be like eating a meal without any staple food in front of her.

In the herb garden ahead, Ah Li is picking medicinal herbs.

Chen Xiyuan jumped off the dam and ran over, stopping at the edge of the herb garden.

This special herb requires skill to harvest, and even if she wanted to help, she wouldn't have the ability.

"Little sister, why are you all alone? Where's your little brother?"

Ah Li glanced at her, then looked into the distance before lowering her head to continue picking.

"Did your little brother go out?"

Ah Li nodded.

"So you didn't go with them?"

Ah Li shook her head, then nodded.

"He's going to set up scouts, while you're here collecting herbs, making pills, and replenishing supplies, so we can officially set off together later?"

Ah Li did not respond further.

Nodding and shaking your head all the time is tiring.

Chen Xiyuan: "That's true. Counting the days, my next wave isn't far away. I should start planning ahead and catch the wave."

For Chen Xiyuan, her waves are always very punctual.

However, considering that there was a peach blossom forest in front and the Dragon King's gate behind, this special environment didn't seem suitable for normal waves to enter, so Chen Xiyuan decided to try her luck in the city.

She can teach musical instruments and can find a temporary teaching position at a music training center in the city, without pay. Once she picks up Langhua, she can go directly to the river.

Without hesitation, Chen Xiyuan walked outside, intending to find a car by the roadside at the village entrance.

"Morning!"

Behind me, I heard Lin Shuyou's voice.

Chen Xiyuan turned around and saw Lin Shuyou riding a tricycle with a long cart tied to the back, which was loaded with incense, candles and paper offerings.

"Ah You, where are you going?"

"Go to the city and deliver goods to the Bai family's funeral clothing store."

"Shouldn't this be Xiong Shan's job normally?"

"I'm going today. I'll go see Brother Liang... and ask him a few questions about my studies."

"That's perfect, you can give me a ride."

"No problem, get in the car!"

Chen Xiyuan got into the car, and after a while, she felt that Lin Shuyou was riding very slowly:
"Ah You, can you hurry up? I want to find a job in the morning, get a job in the afternoon, and eat the snacks Lao Tian made for me when I get back in the evening."

Lin Shuyou: "It's inconvenient to ride too fast because it's carrying paper offerings."

Chen Xiyuan: "I used the domain to wrap the paper."

Lin Shuyou: "Okay!"

Chen Xiyuan unfolded the domain and wrapped the goods on the cart.

Lin Shuyou stood up and kicked hard!

The Bai family's funeral clothing store was near South Street, and it was easy to find a musical instrument training class there. Lin Shuyou dropped Chen Xiyuan off near South Street and rode north for a while before arriving at the entrance of the Bai family's funeral clothing store.

"what?"

In the alley next to the shop, Bai Nuo was hiding there smoking.

Upon seeing Lin Shuyou arrive, he took a deep drag of his cigarette, threw the butt into the ditch, and walked over.

The little girl walked along, puffing out white smoke, just like a train locomotive.

Why are you delivering today?

"Grandpa Li's family doesn't keep idle mules."

"Let me help you move it."

Bai Nuo reached out to grab the paper offerings from the cart, and as soon as she touched them, she let out a scream.

"what!"

She stumbled back several steps, a burn mark appearing on the back of her hand.

"How are you? Let me see you."

"Why is there lightning on this paper offering?"

"This..." Lin Shuyou pondered for a moment and then understood. This was probably a remnant of the domain that Chen Xiyuan used as a shield.

"It hurts so much, sister! It hurts so much, brother-in-law! It hurts so much!"

Bai Nuo ran into the shop crying.

Lin Shuyou seemed like a big kid who had done something wrong, somewhat at a loss.

Bai Zhilan patted Bai Nuo's head, and Bai Nuo quickly ran away happily.

Immediately afterwards, Bai Zhilan came out, stood in front of Lin Shuyou, and said:

“She deliberately used this as an excuse, saying she needed to smoke to relieve the pain. I just agreed, and she was very happy. Don’t take it to heart.”

After being taken ashore by Xue Liangliang, Bai Zhilan stopped using respectful titles when speaking to anyone except Li Zhuiyuan.

It wasn't that I was being disrespectful, but rather that I knew the relationship between Xue Liangliang and them, and that if I acted too obviously as if there was a hierarchy between them, it would only make them uncomfortable.

Lin Shuyou breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good."

Xue Liangliang came out, holding a mobile phone in his hand; he had just been on the phone.

"Ah You, you're here."

"Okay, Brother Liang, I'll do it... I'll do it..."

"what's up?"

Lin Shuyou took out the book: "I'm here to ask you a few questions from professional books."

At the counter, Xue Liangliang answered Lin Shuyou's questions.

Bai Zhilan served a fruit platter.

"Ah You, did you understand?"

"I understand, thank you, Brother Liang."

Lin Shuyou put the book away, looked to the right at the store entrance, then to the left... After seeing Bai Zhilan tidying up the shelves, he turned back to the right to continue looking at the store entrance.

Xue Liangliang: "Ayou, you have other things to do, right?"

Lin Shuyou: "I think... I'm fine."

He came to catch the waves.

Xiao Yuan assigned him the simplest task.

If it exists, it exists; if it doesn't, then so be it. Of course, Lin Shuyou can also take some initiative and try to steer the conversation in that direction.

Ah-you still hasn't organized his thoughts, because you can't let Brother Liang realize that you're leading the conversation in that direction.

Xue Liangliang: "Ayou, just say what's on your mind."

Lin Shuyou: "I..."

Xue Liangliang: "If I don't speak up now, I'll miss my chance. I just got a phone call. Next, I'm taking my team to Yunnan for a field trip."

Lin Shuyou: "Yunnan...where?"

Xue Liangliang: "It's not decided yet. The focus is on observation and research. We haven't decided which cities in Yunnan we'll visit."

Lin Shuyou: "Then...then..."

Xue Liangliang habitually reached into his pocket, but couldn't find any cigarettes: "Where are my cigarettes?"

Bai Zhilan turned around and smiled, "When Bai Nuo came crying just now, you were on the phone. Did you give her the cigarettes in your pocket to comfort her?"

Xue Liangliang patted his head: "Yes, yes."

Bai Zhilan: "I'll go buy it for you."

Xue Liangliang: "No need, I'll go myself."

Lin Shuyou: "Don't move, all of you! I'm going!"

After shouting, Lin Shuyou ran out of the funeral shop.

After a while, Lin Shuyou came back carrying a bag containing many packs of cigarettes.

"Brother Liang, I forgot to ask what kind of cigarettes you smoke, so I bought you a few extra. You can choose one yourself."

"That's such a waste."

Xue Liangliang opened the bag and saw that it contained various types of Yuxi cigarettes, some soft, some firm, some short, and some thin...

Lin Shuyou pretended to look around and exclaimed, "The decoration here is really nice, quite festive."

Xue Liangliang took out a packet, opened it, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and said:
"Oh, I just overlooked something. There's one place we've already confirmed we'll definitely visit: Yuxi."

Lin Shuyou left the funeral shop on a three-wheeled longboard cart.

With his left hand gripping the handlebars and his right hand clenched into a fist, Lin Shuyou excitedly celebrated for himself.

"Ah You!"

"Hmm?" Lin Shuyou saw Chen Xiyuan standing across the street. Seeing that there were no cars on either side, he rode over. "You haven't found a music training class yet? Don't worry, I've made some progress on my end. I have some time to help you look again."

Chen Xiyuan sat down in the car and said, "Let's go back. I want to go back to Peach Blossom Grove to play the flute."

Lin Shuyou: "So you're not going to look for me today?"

Chen Xiyuan: "I'm all better now."

Lin Shuyou: "What do you mean?"

Chen Xiyuan: "I found a training center and said I was there to apply for a job. I was taken into the boss's office for an interview. As soon as I went in, I saw the boss answering the phone. Her father had suddenly fallen into a coma due to a strange illness in his hometown."

As soon as I heard it, I knew that these were symptoms of being possessed by something evil, so I told her that my grandfather had suffered from the same illness before, and that I had cured him by personally grinding medicine using a folk remedy.

My boss begged me to go back to her hometown with her to get her father medical treatment. I agreed, and I've already bought the plane tickets. I'm leaving with her first thing tomorrow morning.

Lin Shuyou: "That's... all done?"

Chen Xiyuan: "Yes, when we get there, we'll first exorcise the evil spirit from her father, then find out where it came from. We'll start by knocking down the smaller evil spirits, then the middle ones, and finally the big ones. Once we smash the last big evil spirit, we can go back to Nantong."

Lin Shuyou: "Won't walking along the river like this be a bit boring?"

Chen Xiyuan agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "Before meeting my little brother and you guys, I had no idea that Jiang could walk like that, and that it was so interesting."

Alas, it's a pity I've already lit the lamp. If only I had lit it later or met the little brother earlier, I would have worshipped him as the Dragon King. Hey, how fun it would have been if we had walked the river together!
Ah-you, you're right, aren't you?

Lin Shuyou scratched his head and replied:
"Then we won't exist."

……

"dad!"

Tan Wenbin pushed open the office door and saw Tan Yunlong sitting there, being interviewed by a male and a female newspaper reporter.

The female reporter is asking questions, while the male reporter is finding the right angle to take pictures.

Tan Yunlong, dressed in a police uniform, sat ramrod straight.

Tan, who used to be a middle-aged man who liked to speed on undeveloped roads, is now striving to embody the image of a police officer.

The two reporters immediately turned their attention to Tan Wenbin.

The female reporter asked excitedly, "Excuse me, are you Tan Wenbin, Director Tan's son? Director Tan has mentioned you in many reports and interviews, and many readers have written to us, saying they are very interested in how Director Tan raised such an outstanding son. Could you briefly tell us about your father in your heart..."

Tan Wenbin was in a hurry and didn't want to waste his time on this, so he smiled and replied to the female reporter:

“That Tan Wenbin is taking classes at Haihe University. I am not Tan Wenbin. I am my father’s illegitimate son from his second wife.”

The two reporters looked at each other, then quickly packed their things and left the office.

Tan Wenbin closed the office door.

Tan Yunlong sighed and said, "What nonsense are you spouting now?"

Tan Wenbin: "Something's up."

Tan Yunlong: "Even if it's an urgent matter, you can't act so recklessly."

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan sent me."

Tan Yunlong: "Then what are you wasting your time for? Get to the point."

Tan Wenbin: "Dad, can you help me look for wanted posters, fugitives, or places they might be hiding in, anything with Yuxi in it?"

The familiar rhythm has been repeated many times.

Tan Yunlong picked up the phone on his desk, hesitated for a moment, then put it back down and stood up, saying, "Wait here for a while, I'll go and make the call myself."

Tan Wenbin walked behind his father's desk, opened the bag he had brought, which was full of packs of cigarettes, and stuffed them into the bag when he found a gap.

After finishing all that, he clapped his hands, then thought about making himself a cup of tea. He opened the tea canister on his father's desk, smelled it, and frowned.

Tan Wenbin took out a small jar from his pocket; it contained the tea that Grandma Liu usually drank.

After the tea was brewed and just warmed up, Tan Yunlong returned carrying a thick stack of files. He placed it on his desk, took the cup from Tan Wenbin, and said while drinking:
"They're all here, you can choose for yourself."

Tan Wenbin got up and began searching and selecting.

Tan Yunlong: "Is this your tea?"

Tan Wenbin: "Mm."

Tan Yunlong: "This taste... I don't like it. Is it expired?"

Tan Wenbin: "Dad, it's because you haven't changed yet."

……

Haihe University, the old library.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Hello, senior."

Senior student: "Hello, group leader."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Is Elder Zhai inside?"

Senior student: "Professor Zhai isn't here, but he knew you were coming, so he left this for me to give to you, haha."

Li Zhuiyuan took the document bag and opened it.

There are three documents inside: one is the launch project for a new project near the Ailao Mountains, and the other is the preliminary exploration and research task plan.

Li Zhuiyuan had seen these two documents at Elder Zhai's place when he was in Fengdu.

He will be the deputy leader of this exploration and research task force.

There was an extra file. When you opened it, it was another mission plan, with the same mission. Although the specific location was still within Yuxi, it was still some distance from the location of the Valley of Living People.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. The location in this mission plan, barring any unforeseen circumstances, should be the location of Lujiazhuang, and most likely the most precise coordinates.

This really saved me a lot of effort.

Senior student: "Professor Zhai said that you, the team leader, should prepare first and you can also set off first. He will then bring the rest of the project team to Yuxi to meet up with you, the team leader."

Hearing this surprised Li Zhuiyuan. According to the previous statement, Elder Zhai would only provide a name and he would do the work. How did it suddenly become Elder Zhai going to Yuxi in person?

Of course, Li Zhuiyuan was very happy that Elder Zhai was going there in person. Regardless of whether the Emperor's shadow would actually lend a hand, being closer would make it easier for him to use the Emperor's name.

It's just that I'm not used to it.

From the ashes that formed the "閲" after the meeting that night, to the temporary change in this mission plan.

Perhaps because he was used to the Emperor's previous style, Li Zhuiyuan was a little uncomfortable with the sudden change in the Emperor's attitude, and couldn't help but wonder if the Emperor was hiding some deeper conspiracy.

But that makes no sense at all. A small hell like the Valley of Living People is not worth the Emperor's painstaking efforts.

After leaving the library, Li Zhuiyuan walked back to the living area.

He didn't go back to the dormitory. Every time he came back, he had to clean the dusty dormitory, which was quite troublesome. Besides, if things went smoothly with Tan Wenbin, they would return to Nantong tonight.

As Lu Yi entered the store, it wasn't yet time for school to let out, so there weren't many students. He was making dumplings for himself.

"Ha, Brother Yuan!"

"Brother Lu, please put some in for me too."

"OK!"

Lu Yi rolled out the dough herself, made the dumplings herself, added some sliced ​​red sausage, and served with some dipping vegetables—that's it!

"Brother Xiaoyuan, I'll bring some water and bread to your dorm later. How long are you going to stay at school this time?"

"No need, I should be leaving tonight."

"Oh, I see. That makes sense. You guys are indeed very busy."

"Brother Lu, why are you still at school?"

"Brother Liang advised me to study diligently at school and run a small shop, and then officially venture out into the world after graduation. Brother Liang said that there will be plenty of opportunities in the future, but the best opportunity to learn and temper one's character is only once in a lifetime."

"Then let's listen to Brother Liangliang."

"Yeah, of course."

Tan Wenbin drove his yellow pickup truck back to school from the police station. At the back gate, he saw Fan Shulin standing at the entrance of the community hospital across the street.

Fan Shulin wasn't wearing a white coat, but a brown jacket. He had his hands in his pockets and was staring blankly at the hospital gate.

Tan Wenbin parked his car and rolled down the window:

"Hi, Dr. Fan?"

Fan Shulin turned around, saw Tan Wenbin, opened the car door, and got in.

"Binbin, come with me for a drink."

Tan Wenbin pointed to the file bag on the back seat: "Oh, what bad luck, I have to rush back to deliver the documents."

Fan Shulin: "My application report has been approved. I just finished the formalities today and was saying goodbye to this hospital. Binbin, I'm going to provide medical assistance in the plateau region."

Tan Wenbin: "Looks like meeting on the plateau would be a good idea, haha, congratulations!"

When they last met, Fan Shulin told Tan Wenbin that he would take a vacation to see her on the plateau.

Fan Shulin: "Yes, I went. The day before I set foot on the plateau and was about to arrive at her post, she sacrificed her life while on a mission."

Tan Wenbin suppressed his smile, placed his hands on the steering wheel, and lowered his head.

Tan Wenbin picked up his mobile phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Brother Yuan..."

After hanging up the phone, Tan Wenbin reached out and patted Fan Shulin on the shoulder:

"Let's go have a drink."

……

At dusk, Tan Wenbin put the drunk Fan Shulin into a taxi, gave the driver a tip, and asked him to take him to his dormitory.

Watching the taxi drive away, Tan Wenbin sighed.

Actually, neither of them drank much.

A small restaurant, a small table, a few side dishes, two small wine glasses, sipping slowly, and a small bottle of baijiu was almost half left at the end.

Fan Shulin didn't get into a passionate speech either. He said that he and she had only met and exchanged letters, and even though they had agreed to meet on the plateau, they had never really confirmed any relationship.

He felt that the application he submitted after returning was more like him trying to move himself. He wasn't even sure if his decision to go to the plateau was for the girl he had been there before, or because of what he saw and heard on his first trip to the plateau.

After much deliberation and elimination, Fan Shulin still couldn't figure out why he wanted to go. The only thing he was certain of was that he had to go.

There's a dense forest in front of us, which is said to be a popular dating spot for nearby university students. In the summer, many couples would choose to meet up here to save on hotel room fees.

Another theory is that many aborted babies were buried here, which is why you can often hear babies crying at night.

The latter is a rumor; Tan Wenbin did not see any vengeful ghosts in the forest.

However, the woods weren't exactly clean; some shadows would deliberately linger there. They weren't ghosts, but rather wandering spirits.

For various reasons, lingering a little longer in the mortal realm is harmless; if left unattended, they will gradually dissipate on their own.

However, although they are unconscious, they have instincts.

For example, in places like funeral homes or hospitals, don't stick your chopsticks into your lunchbox while eating, otherwise the food around you will think it's for them and start eating it.

For example, don't do anything too stimulating in a forest with trees that gather yin energy. You may think you are being discreet and that no living person can see you, but little do you know that there is already a circle of ghosts watching and admiring you all around.

In the distance, a taxi drove up and turned on its high beams.

"Shh!"

Tan Wenbin was somewhat surprised to see that when the high beams swept across the woods in front, the evil spirits inside were instantly driven away.

The taxi's license plate number looked familiar. After the car stopped, an equally familiar figure appeared: Liu Changping.

Tan Wenbin: "Your car is really impressive!"

Liu Changping thought Tan Wenbin was joking, so he played along and said, "Of course, the car was just washed and the paint was touched up!"

Tan Wenbin got in and reminded him, "Even if this car reaches the end of its service life, don't sell it. Keep it at home, start it every now and then, and turn on the lights."

Liu Changping: "Of course, this is my old buddy. My life before, and my wife and children in the future, will all depend on this old buddy to support me."

"I don't think you drank that much."

"Don't drink and drive, and don't drive after drinking."

"Okay, that's right."

Liu Changping drove back to the school to pick up Li Zhuiyuan.

Upon arriving at the destination, Tan Wenbin tossed the keys to the yellow pickup truck to Lu Yi, telling him to pick it up the next day and leave it at the shop for now.

On the way back to Nantong, Liu Changping said that on that day in Chongqing, Old Zhai did not take a plane, but rode in his car with him back to Nanjing.

After that, whenever Mr. Zhai needed a car, he would page him, and he was happy to serve the old man. It wasn't about the money; it was just a pleasant and comfortable experience.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Li Zhuiyuan looked at the sign below the windshield.

The two characters "Fengdu" in gold on a black background exude supreme majesty.

In the eyes of ghosts, Liu Changping driving this car out was equivalent to an emperor's imperial procession.

After arriving in Nantong, Liu Changping had to return to Nanjing overnight because his wife's due date was approaching and he didn't want to miss the opportunity to be with her during childbirth.

Li Zhuiyuan got out of the car at the cement bridge and went home first, while Tan Wenbin stayed in the car and signaled Liu Changping to drive the car around the village according to his instructions.

Liu Changping: "Let's make this clear beforehand, no talking about money. Brother Xiaoyuan gave me too much last time, so let's not do that kind of nonsense this time."

Tan Wenbin: "Haha, okay, okay, no way."

The car stopped a little outside Big Beard's house, and they weren't allowed to go any further in. Tan Wenbin told Liu Changping to wait in the car for a while, and then he got out and went inside.

Inside the car, Liu Changping lit a cigarette. He had only smoked half of it when he saw Tan Wenbin and another young girl appear in front of him.

The young girl was waving at him, who was sitting in the car.

Liu Changping, quite bewildered, also reached out and waved.

Tan Wenbin indicated to Liu Changping that he could return to Nanjing, and before leaving, he wished "Mother and child safe and sound."

After the taxi left, Tan Wenbin said to Chen Xiyuan, "The oil stains on us are from Brother Xiaoyuan's place. Brother Xiaoyuan used so many evil spells last time, his merit money must have been drained long ago. Anyway, thanks, Miss Chen."

Chen Xiyuan: "It's nothing, just a little bit of good deeds."

Tan Wenbin: "Then go to sleep early, goodnight, I'm going back too."

Chen Xiyuan: "Oh, right, I almost forgot, my grandma sent me a letter, which I only received this evening."

Tan Wenbin: "Does your grandma miss you?"

Chen Xiyuan: "My grandma still thinks I'm living in the tile-roofed house that Madam Liu gave me to live in. She told me that old houses are prone to leaks and broken tiles can easily fall and hit people. She told me to be careful when I sleep there so that I don't get disfigured. If I get disfigured, it will be difficult for me to find a son-in-law to come back."

Tan Wenbin: "Did your grandmother often talk to you like that before?"

Chen Xiyuan: "A son-in-law who will live with my family? She's been talking to me since we were little, helping me plan what kind of man I should find to live with me in the future."

Tan Wenbin: "It's the dilapidated house in front."

Chen Xiyuan: "I also think it's a bit strange. Even if the house collapses, I won't get hurt inside."

Tan Wenbin: "This letter from your grandmother is not for you."

Chen Xiyuan: "Huh?"

Tan Wenbin:
She was warning us:
Someone couldn't resist any longer and wanted to kick our dilapidated front door!

……

Ming family.

Ming Qinyun was throwing fish feed into the fishpond in front of her.

The servants in the distance dared not approach; even when passing by, they were careful and tried to walk as quietly as possible.

Because all the koi in the fishpond in our ancestral home had died long ago.

Our ancestors have been feeding the empty fishpond these past few days.

The Ming family has been having a very difficult time lately.

Rumors began to circulate in the martial arts world, saying that when the Dragon King Yu was buried at the foot of Mount Beiman, half of the Dragon King Ming was buried with him.

This is a test deliberately released by someone with ulterior motives and influence.

On the surface, it is said that Ming Yuwan, the contemporary lamplighter of the Ming family, died in the Yu family. However, the Dragon King family has produced outstanding people generation after generation. It doesn't matter if one generation loses. It is far from being a serious loss, let alone half of the Dragon King Ming.

In reality, no matter how strictly information is blocked, there are still no secrets in this world.

The immense evil force that originally fell upon the Yu family was deliberately redirected to the Ming family by someone with ulterior motives through Ming Yuwan. As a result, the spirits of the dragon kings enshrined in the Ming family ancestral hall not only failed to help the family block it, but instead received it all.

At the cost of damaging their own family's foundation, they insisted on leaving a glimmer of hope for the Yu family.

Whenever she thought of this, Ming Qinyun couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

What's the use of worshipping ancestors who only care about their own lofty and noble status?

The cultivation techniques practiced by the Ming family are inherently susceptible to inner demons; each time a Ming family member undergoes a Soul Fusion upgrade, a certain amount of luck is required to overcome it.

The backflow of the Yu family's evil influence is tantamount to digging up the roots of the Ming family, both now and in the future.

Mingqin Yun:
"Yes, you are the Dragon Kings who are high above in the long river of history, how could you know the hardships of ordinary people?"
If you can't even protect your own family, how can you talk about protecting the righteous path of the entire world?

According to the unwritten rules of the martial arts world, when a tiger shows weakness, jackals will sniff it out and start to approach, and even the Dragon King's family is no exception.

Overt and covert probes against the Dragon King Ming family were constantly occurring.

This feeling of frustration was almost driving Ming Qinyun crazy.

This reminded her of the person she hated most in her life.

"My business is already declining, and it's already driving me crazy. You took over those two messes back then."

Oh my, I never expected that Brother Qin would have said back then that he was fond of the Liu family's eldest daughter's fiery personality.

Who would have thought that Brother Qin had misjudged her? You, Miss Liu, are actually a tortoise! ​​Hehehehe.

A series of dark figures appeared alternately beside Ming Qinyun.

"Mistress".

"Mistress".

"Mistress".

Ming Qinyun: "Ancestors, we can't rely on them anymore. We can only rely on ourselves. Elders, our Ming family must save itself. We can't just watch our family foundation rot away step by step."

"Madam, those families and factions have generally responded coldly to our hints and suggestions."

"Mistress, in their eyes, both Dragon King Qin and Dragon King Liu are like candles flickering in the wind."

Now that things have come to this point, if we were to break off all relations, it would only make things worse for everyone. There are still quite a few people in this martial arts world who are loyal to Qin Liu.

They preferred to wait patiently, until the last breaths of those two families dissipated on their own.

“Mistress, although that old lady Liu has endured until now, her reputation from back then is still remembered by all the old men in the martial arts world. They are all afraid that whoever takes the lead and completely drives that old lady to the brink of despair, she will really fight with everything she has.”

Ming Qinyun raised one hand:

"Alright, alright, I'm sick of hearing this stuff. Do you think I don't know? If it weren't for these concerns, how could I have let her live peacefully with that silly granddaughter until now!"

But now, others can afford to wait, but the Ming family cannot.

The family's karmic debts had to be diverted somewhere, and the ancestral home of the Qin and Liu families was the perfect place to do so.

We don't have to be the ones to stick our necks out, but even if it costs us a little more, we should push things forward a few more steps. Then they will naturally follow suit.

"A Dragon King Yu is hardly worth much meat. Dragon King Qin and Dragon King Liu represent the true foundation of this martial world over the past thousand years. I don't believe they wouldn't be tempted, haha."

Ming Qinyun stood up, threw all the feed in her hand into the empty fishpond, and clapped her hands.

"Hide your identity, bribe the Lu family village, and get them to send someone to kick down that dilapidated house."

I want the entire martial arts world to see this.

These two centipedes were not only dead, but long since stiffened!

(End of this chapter)