Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 452

"Grandpa."

"Young Marquis Yuan, you're awake."

When Li Zhuiyuan came out to wash up, he saw Li Sanjiang loitering on the second-floor terrace, kicking the drain and patting the exterior wall of the room.

"Grandpa, you're up very early today."

"Yeah, I had a dream last night that our house collapsed."

"Grandpa, dreams are the opposite of reality."

"Haha, of course, how could our house collapse? I personally supervised the construction of this house, and we used only the best materials."

Li Sanjiang rested his right hand on his hip, held a cigarette between his left and exhaled two wisps of white smoke from his nostrils.

That's what they say, but the dream was so realistic, like a major earthquake had happened. The main house and the two adjacent bungalows on the east and west sides all collapsed like tofu.

When I woke up, it felt like I hadn't quite come out of the dream. I felt uneasy and couldn't fall back asleep, so I simply got up and went outside for a walk.

After brushing his teeth, Li Zhuiyuan began washing his face.

Li Sanjiang: "Young Marquis Yuan, you're leaving today, right? When are you leaving?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "My flight was in the afternoon. After lunch, I left home for Xingdong."

“Our little Marquis Yuan has also worked hard.” Li Sanjiang walked over and patted his great-grandson’s shoulder. “That’s good. Hard work and success are on the same page.”

Li Zhuiyuan poured out the water from the basin and smiled, "I'll earn more money in the future and build another big house for Grandpa."

"Hahaha!" Li Sanjiang laughed heartily, the gloom caused by last night's dream dispelled. "What's there to build? We'll all be buying houses in the city eventually, how can we live in the countryside forever? Besides, do you need to worry about making money? Your great-grandfather is rich, with plenty of money."

In fact, after buying the haunted house in the city and helping Grandpa Shan build a house, Li Sanjiang's wallet was empty, and he temporarily put aside the tractor he had been planning to buy.

Li Zhuiyuan has money, which he keeps with Tan Wenbin. However, he has tried before to only talk about making money in front of his grandfather. If he tries to "show off" his wealth now, his grandfather will be unhappy.

Chen Xiyuan arrived early to freeload breakfast. Before entering the kitchen, following Tan Wenbin's advice from the previous night, she slipped the letter she had received under the door of the east room.

Aunt Liu placed three steaming baskets of buns on the table, along with ten bowls of wontons, and said to Chen Xiyuan as she entered the kitchen:

"I'll continue, you can have this for now."

"hey-hey."

This meal before leaving home is both a treat and a way to store up good memories.

Looking at the girl sitting there eating earnestly, Aunt Liu seemed to see Uncle Qin from back then.

Before Uncle Qin went out to walk along the river, she would always get up early to prepare a sumptuous breakfast, just like she does now.

After eating and drinking her fill, Chen Xiyuan leaned back, gently patted her belly, and looked completely satisfied.

Aunt Liu came over to wipe the table: "She's supposed to be a lady from a respectable family, yet she doesn't even pay attention to her manners."

Chen Xiyuan: "At home, there's no need to pay attention to these things."

After speaking, Chen Xiyuan smiled awkwardly and pursed her lips.

Aunt Liu: "If he's not even behaving properly at home, how can he be any better outside?"

Chen Xiyuan took a deep breath and blinked hard.

When Aunt Liu finished wiping the table in front of her, Miss Chen leaned forward and kissed Aunt Liu on the cheek.

"Sister, you are so kind."

Aunt Liu wiped her face with the back of her hand in disgust: "Your lips are covered in oil."

Chen Xiyuan: "Sister, I'm leaving!"

Aunt Liu: "Go and tell them too."

Chen Xiyuan: "Okay."

After leaving the kitchen, Chen Xiyuan went to the first floor of the main house, where Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, and Lin Shuyou were still sleeping in their coffins.

Chen Xiyuan went upstairs and arrived at her younger brother's room.

The little brother sits at the desk writing, while the little sister sits at the drawing table carving a white crane.

When Zhao Yi stayed at Big Beard's house before, he joked to himself that the way Li and Miss Qin got along was like watching an old grandfather and grandmother who had been supporting each other through thick and thin for a lifetime.

But Chen Xiyuan was envious of such a scene.

She lowered her voice and said, "Little brothers and sisters, I'm going for a walk on the river!"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, not looking in their direction, and continued writing his own things.

Ah Li got up, picked up a bag next to her, walked over, pushed open the door, and handed the bag to Chen Xiyuan.

Chen Xiyuan took the bag, which contained talismans, pills, and standard consumables for her little brother's team.

This was something I had prepared for myself long ago.

"Thank you."

Carrying the bag, Chen Xiyuan went downstairs.

Downstairs, in the three coffins, Tan Wenbin, Runsheng, and Lin Shuyou all sat up with their eyes closed.

Chen Xiyuan waved to them.

After Miss Chen left, the three of them lay back down in their coffins and went back to sleep.

After walking down the dam, Chen Xiyuan picked up the black hiking backpack she had left there, unzipped it, put her things inside, and then casually slung the backpack over her shoulder.

A silver sedan was parked on the village road ahead, and inside sat a middle-aged woman who was well-maintained and exuded charm.

She frowned slightly, smoking incessantly, her father's illness causing her great distress.

Ahead, the figure of a young woman appeared.

Instantly, her brows relaxed; this girl seemed to possess a magical, innate charisma.

Exquisite and delicate features, an ethereal and pure temperament, and long, shapely legs.

She felt that if she were a man, she would never be able to resist; well, even as a woman, she couldn't help but be tempted.

Chen Xiyuan opened the car door and got in.

"Sister Ding, have you been waiting long?"

Ding Rou: No, I just arrived too. Have you had breakfast yet?

"Ate."

"Shall we head straight to the airport?"

"it is good."

Ding Rou started the car and drove for a while before relaying to Chen Xiyuan the doctor's latest description of her father's condition that she had heard from him on the phone the previous night.

Chen Xiyuan: "Sister Ding, it's okay. Even if we do nothing, your father will still live for three more days."

Ding Rou bit her lip; her words were both strangely cold and strangely heartwarming.

"Xi Yuan, after you help my father recover from his illness and come back, will you become my partner in the training program?"

"I need to go out every now and then."

"That's perfect, no one will be watching your attendance if you're a partner."

"alright."

"By the way, do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?"

"No."

"Would you like your older sister to introduce you to someone?"

"Sister Rou, you've been having a lot of romantic troubles lately. Stay away from the men around you."

"Hehe, I'm just playing around. I've been divorced for so many years and have never thought about remarrying, so don't worry."

"A peach blossom calamity is a calamity; it could mean kidnapping, extortion, robbery, or something that might be done to your daughter."

Ding Rou's body began to tremble.

Logically speaking, if anyone dared to speak to her like that, she would have either slapped them or started cursing them out long ago. But when she turned her head and glanced at the girl sitting in the passenger seat with her eyes closed, she felt that what the other person said might actually happen.

She took out her mobile phone and dialed the home landline. The nanny answered the phone, and Ding Rou asked the nanny to take her daughter to stay at the nanny's house for the time being, and to pick her up when she returned from her business trip.

After hanging up the phone, Ding Rou breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Xi Yuan, how did you know?"

“There’s a large poster with your picture on the exterior wall of the building where your training center is located.”

"Yes, it's newly replaced, and the photos were just taken."

"I came in for an interview as soon as I saw this poster."

Ding Rou tidied her hair: "Is this what you call getting along well?"

"Because you're going to have a lot of bad luck lately, lots of troubles and difficulties, and you're likely to make a scene."

Ding Rou didn't say anything more until they got to the airport.

The two of them took their boarding passes and boarded the plane bound for Harbin.

……

Li Zhuiyuan and A Li went downstairs. The girl went to the rice paddy behind the house, while the boy went into the east room. A Li entered the temple and placed the newly carved sculptures of the Two Generals of Increase and Decrease and the White Crane Boy on the offering table.

After the girl left, the White Crane Boy sculpture turned around, facing the two generals, and began to sway from side to side:
"A shiny gem, see it? You two good-for-nothings, speak up, speak up!"

The carvings of the two generals, Zeng and Sun, began to move forward, preparing for their direct display.

"I'm not fighting you guys anymore, I want to keep my precious gems!"

……

After lunch, everyone began the final preparations.

In the east room, Liu Yumei watched her granddaughter packing her hiking backpack.

The last time Ali went out, Liu Yumei wasn't home. This was the first time she had seen her granddaughter in hiking gear. She looked less graceful and dignified than before, but more carefree and beautiful.

After packing everything else, Ah Li finally picked up the blood porcelain bottle and put it into her bag.

Then, the girl put the hat on her head, turned around, and faced her grandmother.

Liu Yumei's heart melted.

Ah Li slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped over the threshold.

Liu Yumei stood by the door, leaning against the door frame, watching her granddaughter meet up with them who were waiting on the dam, and then she and Xiao Yuan took hands.

After the children left, Liu Yumei walked to the offering table.

On the offering table is the letter sent by Chen Xiyuan's grandmother.

Liu Yumei poured two cups of yellow wine, spilling one onto the offering table. The "sizzling" sound rose and fell, turning into a mist that stained every memorial tablet above.

I held the second cup in my hand and took a small sip.

Recalling what Xiao Yuan had said to her that morning, a raging fire seemed to ignite in Liu Yumei's eyes:
“They can’t wait any longer, which is fine too, we don’t want to wait any longer either.”

……

It was already dark when I got off the plane at Kunming Airport.

Tan Wenbin had already arranged for someone to pick them up at the airport. He led everyone out of the airport and onto a brand-new tour bus.

The driver stood respectfully beside the driver's seat, welcoming everyone to board the bus.

As Li Zhuiyuan got into the car, he looked at the smartly dressed driver and said to him:

"Thanks."

The driver trembled slightly, suppressing his excitement.

Tan Wenbin reached out and patted him, saying, "Hey, buddy, calm down. You still have to drive later, and it'll be on a mountain road."

The driver nodded vigorously, sat back in his seat, and focused on driving.

After Tan Wenbin sat back down, Lin Shuyou next to him asked, "Do we know this driver?"

As he spoke, Ayou poked his head out, ready to give the driver a sharp look.

Tan Wenbin quickly reached out and covered Ayou's eyes.

"It's Prince Mu."

“Lord Mu… Oh, it’s him!” Lin Shuyou said somewhat embarrassedly, “He doesn’t smell like a weasel at all anymore, I didn’t recognize him at all.”

The two didn't lower their voices, and the driver heard them. When they approached a bend in the mountain road ahead, he honked the horn twice in advance, expressing his excitement and joy.

Fat Brother Jin's travel agency is becoming increasingly successful, and Prince Mu has been working for him. When Tan Wenbin made a phone call, Prince Mu specially asked Fat Brother Jin for leave, drove his car from Lijiang to Kunming to pick up the group, and was responsible for taking them to Yuxi.

Brother Xiao Yuan bestowed upon him a title, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was given a second chance at life.

Under the cover of night, even the most beautiful scenery is enveloped in a layer of tranquility.

As they approached the city of Yuxi, Lord Mu stopped the minibus, and Tan Wenbin got off with him.

After getting off the vehicle, Lord Mu put his hands to his mouth and began to silently call out to the forest in front of him.

Soon, wisps of smoke of various colors rose from the forest and surged towards the Wood King.

Tan Wenbin received a string of wooden plaques of various styles. Some plaques were elaborate, with surnames carved on them, while others simply had a paw print on them.

Lord Mu himself was not only the starting point of a network of relationships, but also a prime example of spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones.

With him acting as a middleman, Tan Wenbin was able to gain enough informants and an intelligence advantage from the very beginning.

Lin Shuyou leaned his head against the car window, watching Brother Bin "chatting and laughing" there, his eyes filled with admiration.

Yes, this admiration has been going on for a while, and my eyes are getting sore. We haven't finished talking to Brother Bin yet.

Finally, the various colors of smoke dissipated, and Tan Wenbin and Prince Mu returned to the car.

Prince Mu continued driving, and Tan Wenbin walked to Li Zhuiyuan's side:

"Brother Xiaoyuan, something's not right."

Even Tan Wenbin did not expect that the intelligence network, originally intended to facilitate the next operation, would play a huge role from the very beginning.

According to feedback, strange things have been happening frequently in Yuxi recently, initially concentrated in the direction of the Ailao Mountains. A week ago, unusual fluctuations in the forests and villages surrounding the Ailao Mountains were repeatedly stirred up.

In the past week, this unusual aura has clearly shifted towards urban areas, affecting both suburbs and city centers.

As the saying goes, when gods fight, mortals suffer. This also applies to the local mountain spirits and wild creatures. When they sense this fluctuation in energy, their first reaction is definitely not to approach to satisfy their curiosity, but to run away immediately.

Although Tan Wenbin had just made it clear that whoever could bring more valuable intelligence would be richly rewarded, the initial information chaos still made it impossible to solve the problem.

They could only guess what had happened in Yuxi recently based on these external appearances.

Li Zhuiyuan: "We might be too late for this wave."

According to intelligence reports, the initial fluctuations in energy frequently occurred around the Ailao Mountains, which can be interpreted as a force taking action against the Ailao Mountains.

As a result, this force failed.

In a normal clash between martial arts factions, the losing side should not linger in the fight; they should retreat as soon as possible, for as long as they are alive, they can always fight again.

However, the fluctuations in energy over the past week have occurred in urban areas, indicating that the forces that failed in their attack did not choose to retreat but returned to the city, resulting in a counterattack from the Ailao Mountains.

This kind of behavior logic doesn't make sense in the struggles of the martial arts world; it can only be rationalized among those who light lamps on the river.

Li Zhuiyuan: "It should be similar to the multi-team river walk we had in Lijiang last time. This time in Yuxi, they formed an alliance, intending to work together to solve this wave, but the alliance failed after entering the Ailao Mountains and was forced to withdraw."

They can't just turn around and leave unless they light the lamps again to admit defeat.

However, sometimes, if the situation is out of control, or if one's actions have already punctured the abscess and are about to cause terrible consequences, lighting the lamp again is not an option, as it will result in a great karmic backlash.

Of course, under normal circumstances, they would first retreat to the urban area, use local social resources to recuperate, and then observe the situation before making another attempt.

But they soon faced a counterattack from the Valley of the Living, turning from the attackers into the hunted, trapped ones.

Tan Wenbin: "When attacking in the Ailao Mountain area, they were scattered, and when retreating to urban areas and being chased, they were even more scattered, which is indeed very much in line with the style of the Lighthouse team."

Even if an alliance is formed, there will be mutual suspicion. When faced with setbacks and forced to retreat, they won't band together for mutual support, but will instead view their 'allies' as more dangerous enemies.

Lin Shuyou: "We always arrive early, but this time we're actually late. Is that a good thing or a bad thing for us?"

Tan Wenbin: "It depends on how you utilize the objective conditions, Brother Xiaoyuan. I think they've muddied the waters, which makes it easier for us to fish in troubled waters later."

Li Zhuiyuan: "We must not lose our rhythm. We should continue to advance each line according to the original plan, while also taking care of information gathering and clearing away the fog."

We now have the confidence to sit at the card table, take control, and play our cards slowly.

The Wood King drove to the entrance of a guesthouse, a two-story wooden building converted from a private house, surrounded by a courtyard wall. Because it was the off-season, the owner himself was not in the area and had asked a fellow traveler to help watch the rental.

Although the service is lacking, it is quiet. I have made a reservation in advance for the Mu Wangye Hotel, so there will be no situation where other guests check in during the stay.

Tan Wenbin: "This place is great, a very good choice."

The praised Prince Mu smiled and pointed to the other side, telling Tan Wenbin that it was the town center, where it was very convenient to eat and buy things.

As Tan Wenbin listened, he suddenly sniffed and his gaze darkened.

For some reason, the Wood King became somewhat fearful.

Tan Wenbin: "Give me the key."

Lord Mu took the key from under the flowerbed next to him and handed it to Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin pointed to the wooden door in front of him and looked at Li Zhuiyuan:
"Brother Xiaoyuan, the guesthouse we booked has already been checked in."

Lord Mu immediately waved his hand and shook his head, afraid that he would be misunderstood.

Tan Wenbin gestured for him to stand back: "It's alright, it's none of your business."

Runsheng stood in front of Xiaoyuan and Ali, while Lin Shuyou stood behind them.

Even though everyone's strength has greatly improved recently, their discipline has not only not slackened in the slightest, but has become even more cautious.

Tan Wenbin used the key to open the door of the guesthouse and pushed it forward.

In the center of the cobblestone courtyard, three people—two men and one woman—knelt with their heads turned upside down, facing backwards, blood flowing from their seven orifices, and eerie smiles on their faces.

Before the three corpses stood a stone tablet, on which was written in blood:

"Die and fall into hell!"

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Don't panic, there will be another chapter this morning to make up for the word count of this chapter.

(End of this chapter)