Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 495

Li Zhuiyuan stepped out of the tent, his gaze shifting downwards to check the sincerity.

It's not surprising that Zhao Yi is here.

It's like the Heavenly Dao giving itself the knife it's most comfortable to use, and also providing it with another knife it's most comfortable to use.

As for Wang Lin...

Li Zhuiyuan had thoroughly investigated Wang Lin's background and frankly stated that the young man was very interested in Wang Lin, and if given a choice, he hoped that Wang Lin would have the opportunity to stand on the opposite side of him.

But this chubby boy is very cunning. Although he likes to hide his talents and test others, he always manages to keep a good balance.

If he hadn't courted death, Li Zhuiyuan really wouldn't have been able to kill him.

Even though it's common for allies to stab each other in the back, Li Zhuiyuan can't do what others do now.

It's not that the boy is particularly law-abiding or morally upright, but rather that he currently has quite a few external teams under his command.

Building a fragile sense of trust is extremely difficult. Nobody is a fool. If you dare to betray one person, it will inevitably cause others to become disloyal, which is a huge loss.

While people on the hilltop looked down, people on both sides below were also looking up.

Zhao Yi: "I thought I heard someone calling me just now."

Chen Jing: "Brother Yi, I'm sure no one called you just now."

Zhao Yi reached out and touched Chen Jing's wolf ears, saying:
"That means calling me in your heart."

The view from the hilltop became distorted, as if a curtain had been removed, revealing a small campsite.

Zhao Yi first looked at Lin Shuyou, then shifted his gaze to the young man, opened his arms, and shouted:
"Haha, no wonder I heard someone calling my name in my heart just now, it turns out it was a call from my ancestors!"

When Wang Lin saw Li Zhuiyuan, a smile appeared on his face, but a hint of unease was revealed deep in his eyes.

Without the protection of the pack, it would be incredibly easy for the wolf king to secretly disembowel a lone wolf.

Furthermore, Zhao Yi, who had been speaking obsequiously, not only did not go up the mountain voluntarily, but instead moved to stand behind him, clearly cutting off his own escape route in advance.

As far as Zhao Yi was concerned, he had worked so hard to create an image of being irreconcilably opposed to the Li family in the martial arts world, and he couldn't let it be leaked to any third party.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Come on up."

Wang Lin: "Okay, Brother Yuan. Have you had breakfast yet? I just happened to bring the kitchen utensils with me, I'll make you some right away!"

The chubby boy ran uphill with a bouncy gait.

This is because they are afraid that the person behind will make the first move, and then the person above will go along with it and acquiesce.

Zhao Yi put his hands on his hips:

"Damn it, just how many outside teams did that guy surnamed Li recruit in the last wave?"

Chen Jing rushed forward excitedly, even faster than Wang Lin, and stopped right in front of the boy.

"Brother Yuan!"

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and patted Chen Jing on the shoulder.

I wanted to pat his head, but his demon bloodline made A-Jing grow up quickly and taller early, so I had to stand on tiptoe to pat his head.

As soon as he patted her on the shoulder, A-Jing bent her knees and squatted down.

"Brother Yuan!"

Li Zhuiyuan could only pat his head again.

Wang Lin quickly started cooking breakfast. He even had flour in his bag, so he could make traditional pastries for everyone.

When Zhao Yi came up, Tan Wenbin offered him a cigarette, but Zhao Yi pushed it away and pulled one out himself, handing it to Tan Wenbin instead.

"Tan Daban, I don't like the Coconut King, but this Sansha one is good. You should try it."

"The more outside teams you recruit, the more your value will be highlighted, rather than diluted."

"That sounds nice, otherwise you must be nine thousand nine hundred years old."

"How are you?"

"It was so pleasant and comfortable. Although Zhao of Jiujiang is gone, I have gained many more top-notch patrons in the martial arts world."

"Can local support be sent to the central government?"

"We've come all the way to Qiongya, how can we be poor? This is the Dragon King's palace! Even if they just fished in troubled waters and squeezed out a little bit of money, it would be thicker than our waists, right?"

"This situation is a bit special."

“I know that in Journey to the West, monsters with powerful backers can’t be killed by the monkey with a single blow.”

"Well, that's about it."

Why can't I get through to you by phone?

"If we can get through, we won't have to wait for you from the other teams."

"Oh...heh, so Li's got some nerve now, huh? He's getting cocky."

"Hehe, you know what? I heard that at the Ming family funeral, your matriarch had a brief meeting with the Chen family head. I immediately guessed that the man surnamed Li had come to Hainan to settle scores, so I brought people from Jiujiang to Hainan right away."

After sharing a cigarette with Tan Wenbin, Zhao Yi went into Li Zhuiyuan's tent.

Wang Lin continued to cook outside.

"Hey Li, Jiang Shui pushed things a bit too fast this time. It's rare to see him do such a rough job. But you never know, maybe it's just rough around the edges here, while in another aspect, it's done very smoothly and flawlessly."

"I've been investigating something, and now I'm basically certain: Old Master Chen's lightning strike back then wasn't meant to suppress Qin Liu, nor was it to pave the way for Chen Xiyuan. He was truly..."

Zhao Yi: "To eliminate traitors for the sake of Heaven?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "But this was done too quickly. At least for now, the higher-ups don't seem to intend to discard me after I've served my purpose."

Zhao Yi: "That's right, at least we'll have to wait until the drama of master and disciple turning against each other plays out."

Li Zhuiyuan: "So..."

Zhao Yi looked at the knife in his arms, which was wrapped and sealed in layers of clothing and was still cutting into his skin.

"The old story of the Goguryeo tomb owner was fabricated and a false imperial edict was passed down."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It has wanted to kill me for a long time."

Zhao Yi: "It's really hard to guess who it is. There are quite a few people who want to kill you."

However, to be fair, since the river is pushing so fast this time, and it's heading towards the legitimate Dragon King's court, not a crumbling family like the Yu family, we really have to be careful.

The guy who can falsely claim divine will from someone of Old Master Chen's level and use Old Master Chen to attack you is definitely not an ordinary person.

I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, we'll all be blown to bits.

Li Zhuiyuan: "There's no need to worry about that."

Zhao Yi: "Hmm?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "This time, the worst outcome could be mutual destruction."

Zhao Yi's gaze swept around inside the tent, then he got up, lifted the tent flap, and looked outside.

Wang Lin said cheerfully, "Don't rush, it needs to steam for a little longer."

Zhao Yi smiled at Wang Lin, withdrew the curtain, and returned to his seat.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Not here."

Zhao Yi: "Brother, what exactly did you bring this time?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Before coming to Qiongya, I went to Taibai Mountain in the Qinling Mountains."

Zhao Yi raised an eyebrow: "Isn't it true that your things are unusable... Wait a minute! You brought all those things out of your house? No, how many did you bring out?"

Li Zhuiyuan gestured with his hand, indicating the size of the black box: "A box like this, sealed with evil spirits..."

Zhao Yi: "Brother, how many did you bring?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "A truck convoy."

Zhao Yi: "Holy shit, my ancestor!"

Wang Lin: "Time for breakfast!"

Li Zhuiyuan sat down next to A Li.

Zhao Yi held a steamed bun in his hand, turning it around as if he were captivated by it.

It's no wonder Zhao Yi reacted so strongly; once this thing is taken out and used, it's a matter of fighting to the death.

Sacrificing it would not only destroy the Dragon King's family's reputation, but would also make him an unforgivable villain in the martial world and in the eyes of Heaven. Since he was on the side of the Li family, he would inevitably suffer the consequences of karma.

In the past, when crossing the river, we were always worried about evil spirits on the other side. This time, the situation has reversed, and we have become the leaders of the evil spirits.

Chen Jing turned his head to the side, took a bite of the bun in Zhao Yi's hand, and snatched it away.

Then, Chen Jing took a freshly steamed hot bun and put it back in Yi Ge's hand.

When everyone had almost finished eating, Wang Lin got up to clean up, but Runsheng pushed him aside, saying, "I'll clean up the food you made."

Wang Lin rubbed his chubby hands awkwardly as he sat down and asked in a low voice:
"Brother Xiaoyuan, what do you need me to do next?"

"Go visit someone."

Previously, Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi had not discussed the specific details of the operation in the tent.

Because Chen Xiyuan, who also received the river water and is a member of our side, is currently staying in the Chen family as the eldest daughter of the Chen family.

Both Chen Xiyuan and Old Master Chen tried their best to confine the past conflict to the level of personal grudges.

It's likely that almost no one in the Chen family of Qiongya knows about this.

Therefore, at present, it is highly unlikely that the Chen family, a powerful clan, will become their opponent.

All the groping, spying, infiltration, and sowing are meaningless, because you can simply reveal your identity and be welcomed into the Chen family as a distinguished guest.

Things became very simple, but the more straightforward it was, the more it showed how dangerous that final tremor must have been.

Tan Wenbin repaired the mobile phone and dialed the number Chen Xiyuan had left behind.

After dialing, call He Shen again.

Upon receiving the call, He Shen immediately woke up his drivers and gave each of them a map with the unloading points he had drawn according to Tan Wenbin's instructions over the phone.

"Remember, you don't need to unload the cargo. Just park the truck there. Everyone, come back here and assemble!"

The drivers were baffled by their boss's order.

These days, the security situation is not good anywhere. Even if the driver is in the truck, there is no guarantee that the goods or oil will not be stolen. If the driver is not in the truck and it is dumped in a ravine, when you go back, even the wheels will be gone.

But since the car belongs to the boss and he's not worried, they'll just do as he says.

Soon, trucks started leaving, heading towards their respective destinations.

He Shen called Tan Wenbin back.

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, the goods have been shipped over there. We will notify you again once they have all been delivered to their designated locations."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Did you hypnotize him over the phone?"

Tan Wenbin: "No."

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Shen is so decisive?"

Tan Wenbin: "When we were crossing the strait by ferry, he picked up a newspaper on the second floor and saw an interview and photos of my dad in it. My dad looks a lot like me."

……

Old Master Chen has disappeared.

However, this incident did not cause any ripples in the Chen family. Although the old man was the head of the family, he had long since stopped caring about worldly affairs and often indulged in nature and wine. It was normal for him to not show his face for long periods of time.

Of the entire family, only about one and a half people realized that something terrible had happened.

One is the old lady of the Chen family, Jiang Xiuzhi. When the birthday banquet and funeral were approaching, the old man suddenly disappeared and did not return home all night. Something must have happened, or something was happening.

That half is Chen Xiyuan.

Miss Chen had no idea that she was already indulging in debauchery.

There was nothing she could do; the waves she encountered on the river in the past were always very straightforward, as straightforward as a line segment. Who could have predicted that this time they would be so straightforward?

But even if the old man disappears, the rest of the people still have to go on with their lives.

Jiang Xiuzhi followed the old man's arrangements before his disappearance, keeping the birthday banquet simple;

She instructed the elders and stewards of the Chen family to temporarily relocate everyone in the ancestral home except for the direct descendants of the main family.

Although this move inevitably caused unease among the people below, the matriarch of the Chen family held a very high position in the household, and no one dared to delay or question it. The rules and authority of the Dragon King's family were still in place.

The execution was thorough and highly efficient. This morning, apart from the five branches of the Chen family—three sons and two daughters—there was no one else in the entire Chen family ancestral home. Even the kitchen was empty, which meant that each branch had to prepare breakfast themselves this morning.

Jiang Xiuzhi was busy and doing a great job, making a lot of delicious food. Her children wanted to come and take some back to the hospital, but Jiang Xiuzhi spat them out.

This is what she made for Xi Yuan. These few pots might not be enough for Xi Yuan.

While calling Chen Xiyuan to have breakfast, Jiang Xiuzhi went to instruct the other households to organize themselves to prepare for the old man's birthday banquet.

When she returned and saw that the pot was empty, Jiang Xiuzhi asked Chen Xiyuan:
"Hasn't Grandma done enough?"

"That's enough, I managed to hold on until the very end."

"That's good. Now that we're home, we should eat our fill."

"Yes, Grandma is the best."

"Sigh, I just don't know where that old geezer of your grandfather has gone."

Grandma had already prepared his funeral clothes and had mentally prepared herself for it, but he still managed to come up with a new idea at the last minute.

"So be it, he's already this old, it's just a matter of sooner or later. Just don't let him die somewhere unknown, otherwise, when Grandma wants to be buried with him, we won't even be able to find a place."

Chen Xiyuan was also confused about the current situation. She wished her younger brother would contact her now so she could ask him to analyze the situation.

Wait, how is the little brother supposed to contact me?
"Grandma, has everyone in the family been sent away?"

"Yes, as your grandfather instructed, they've all been sent out. That's good. Even though they won't make it to the birthday banquet, at least they can avoid the funeral."

Only the five branches of the family, including your father, remained. They all called the old man "Dad," "Grandpa," and "Great-Grandpa."

"We'll leave our own family here. If that person comes and isn't satisfied with the situation, they can still choose from these five households."

Jiang Xiuzhi had no intention of resisting at all. Even though she knew that her family still had a strong foundation and plenty of trump cards to play, she stubbornly left no elders, collateral relatives, outer disciples, guards, or servants.

The old man's actions back then already made her feel extremely guilty towards Sister Liu, so it was only natural for her to come and settle accounts.

"Grandma, that's not what I meant. Is anyone still guarding that phone booth at home?"

“I’ve arranged everything far away; I haven’t left any land nearby. I’ve moved it all to the villas on the north side of the island.”

"Oops!"

Chen Xiyuan picked up her flute and ran out.

The mail carrier is not here, there is no signal in the ancestral home, and no one guards the phone booth outside the mountain. How can my little brother contact me? Will he appear in my dream?

As soon as she stepped out of the courtyard, Chen Xiyuan bumped into her aunt Chen Yueying, who was carrying a tall stack of steamers.

Chen Yueying spread out her domain, protecting the bun in her hand while gently and smoothly opening Chen Xiyuan's arms.

This ability to control the domain is so masterful that it far surpasses Chen Xiyuan's reliance on brute force to overcome skill.

Chen Yueying was the lamplighter of the previous generation of the Chen family in Qiongya. Apart from the daily life circle, the Dragon King family did not distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate children.

This means that Chen Yueying was not the shortest of Chen Pingdao's five children; she was the most talented among all her peers in the previous generation of the Chen family.

However, she gave up halfway through her journey by lighting the lamp a second time.

This is the norm for the lamplighters of the Chen family in Qiongya. If they don't possess that amazing talent and don't demonstrate the strength to overwhelm an era, the Chen family members will often choose to withdraw on the river in time, trying to save their lives and have more children.

The Chen family's domain can now only be opened by those of the Chen family bloodline. The continuation of offspring is very important. Having more children is like winning the lottery more times. And those who light lamps have the blessing of merit on the river, so their children are often more talented.

Chen Yueying's children were all quite talented. Under normal circumstances, the next generation of the Chen family's heir should have come from one of her children. Unfortunately, her mediocre third brother had a child, Chen Xiyuan, with his sister-in-law.

Chen Xiyuan showed extraordinary talent from birth. She opened her domain as soon as she could walk. She could open her domain to listen to stories in different courtyards. At that time, many couples in the Chen family dared not gossip when they were in bed, for fear that the little girl was squatting in the corner of the bed.

The old man and woman doted on their granddaughter, raising her themselves. With the birth of Chen Xiyuan, the competition among this generation of Chen family members ended long ago.

"Auntie, I'm sorry."

"Xi Yuan, what's wrong? Why are you so anxious as soon as you get home?"

"I have to go out for something."

"Well, be careful."

"Okay, Auntie."

Chen Yueying carried the steamer back to her courtyard. Her children, who were about the same age as Chen Xiyuan, were distributing porridge and chopsticks. Chen Yueying was the youngest of the five siblings. In addition, the journey across the river by lamplight had delayed her, so she got married and had children late. Her other siblings had long since become grandparents, but her children were still unmarried.

"Mother, it's been so long since I've had steamed buns made by you."

My family members have all been sent away to work elsewhere, which has disrupted our usual routine, but it has also brought us warmth. In the past, everyone was busy with their spiritual practice, and it had been a long time since we had gathered together for a meal like this.

The husband, Chu Qiufeng, walked over with a cane and said with a smile, "Let me tell you, the steamed buns your mother made when she was young were truly delicious."

"Father, really?"

"I've always heard you talk about it, Father. Is there any difference between what you're doing now and what you're talking about now?"

Chen Yueying glared at her husband.

He was saying that he once made steamed buns for him, but the dough was cooked while the filling was raw. He happily ate them all, and then suffered from stomach problems for seven days in a row.

Chen Yueying bent down to examine her husband's body, her brows furrowing slightly.

Chu Qiufeng: "Yueying, I'm fine."

The two met on the river. Her husband was poisoned by an evil spirit's blood while trying to save her and was about to die. After they lit the lamps for the second time, Chen Yueying took Chu Qiufeng home and asked the family doctor to treat him. The blood poison was indeed suppressed, allowing him to live for so long. However, as he got older, the side effects of the blood poison became more and more obvious.

She felt guilty towards her husband. He had saved her, but she had made him a live-in son-in-law, and their children would all have to take the surname Chen. Her husband, however, didn't seem to care. He said that he was originally a roughneck in the martial world, and marrying the daughter of the Dragon King not only saved his life, but also provided him with an endless supply of high-quality materials and array diagrams to continue studying arrays.

Just as the family was about to sit down for dinner, a noise came from inside the house.

Chen Yueying stood up, glanced at her children, and they all put down their chopsticks and followed their mother into the inner room.

Chu Qiufeng sat there alone, picked up a steamed bun, and silently took a bite.

Chen Yueying led her children into the inner room, and with a wave of her hand, the partition was removed, revealing the secret room inside.

Inside the secret room was an altar, and on the wall hung a painting depicting a goddess ascending to heaven.

In the darkness, a melody seemed to be transmitted.

This time, however, it wasn't a peculiar method to suppress her husband's blood poison, nor a secret to teaching her children to improve their comprehension, nor a hint about her control over her domain, but a straightforward order:
"A distinguished guest is about to arrive; do not let him leave."

After giving the instructions, he also promised that once the matter was accomplished, he would give you the method to completely resolve the blood poison, the secret technique to improve your children's aptitude, and so on.

Chen Yueying smiled, nodded, waved to restore the partition, and said to her children:

"Do you all understand? Your mother is doing this for your own good, and for your father's good."

After leaving the inner room with her children, Chen Yueying did not go to the pavilion for a meal, but instead prepared to go straight out of the courtyard.

Chu Qiufeng: "Yueying..."

Chen Yueying: "You eat your food, I know what I'm doing."

The deepest part of the Chen family's prison.

The faceless man looked at the pale-faced old man before him and said:
Do you know who I was just talking to?

Chen Ping said, "Yueying..."

Faceless Man: "Everyone has desires, and desires are what we call wants. I am very good at this. Back then, I stirred up the desires in the hearts of countless people."

Even your most gifted daughter is no exception.

Chen Ping said, "Yueying is not capable of bringing you here."

Faceless Man: "I deliberately approached her after I came in. Anyway, I had nothing better to do. She has good potential, and her children have even better potential."

Of course, she can't compare to your most favored granddaughter.

As Chen Pingdao weakened from blood loss, the evil spirits suppressed within the four domains began to become violent once again.

The faceless man waved his hand, relieving Chen Pingdao's pressure, and then spoke to the evil spirits:

"Don't rush, the main dishes haven't been served yet. When they are served, you can enjoy yourselves to your heart's content."

Chen Ping said, "It has been far too long since your Chen family last produced a Dragon King."

"Perfect timing! This will also allow your Chen family to witness firsthand the true power of the evil spirit personally suppressed by the Dragon King."

……

After opening the domain and traversing mountains and valleys, Chen Xiyuan arrived at a rocky beach.

There is a shop there that faces the sea.

Actually, the original shop was actually closer, located on the mountain, but now that there are more tourists, some of whom are quite capable of climbing, they actually manage to get to the top of the mountain and ask the shop if they have grilled sausages.

Later, they simply moved the shop down below, where there are cliffs on both sides. Except for those who deliberately jump off the cliff to commit suicide, ordinary people cannot come here to buy things.

Chen Xiyuan leaped into the air, tapping her flute against the cliff face several times to dissipate the force before landing steadily.

Turning around, I saw that, sure enough, the people on duty and those who were reporting were gone.

"I'll wait here for my little brother's call."

"Whose call are we waiting for?" Lin Shuyou poked his head out from the shop roof.

"Ayou, what are you doing here?"

"Because you didn't call back for a long time, Brother Xiaoyuan told me to follow the telephone pole to this place to wait for you."

"Where are the little brothers?"

"They're up there, waiting for you to lead the way."

It wasn't that Li Zhuiyuan didn't know the way to the Chen family's ancestral home; if he hadn't, the young man wouldn't have been able to arrange for the truck to surround the Chen family's ancestral home in advance.

The young man was only being cautious; he wouldn't rashly visit the Chen family without seeing Chen Xiyuan come out to greet him personally and without confirming the current situation of the Chen family.

Upon meeting Li Zhuiyuan, Chen Xiyuan recounted the current situation of the Chen family's ancestral home in detail, like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.

When Li Zhuiyuan learned that Madam Chen had arranged for most of the people in the ancestral home to be relocated, he was not too surprised. He knew that the reason why Old Master Chen made this arrangement was not because he wanted to simplify the birthday banquet, but because he was afraid of being implicated when Li Zhuiyuan came to settle accounts.

After Chen Xiyuan finished speaking, she first looked at the chubby boy Wang Lin.

Wang Lin greeted her warmly, saying, "Greetings, Miss Chen. We're neighbors, hehe."

Although both are in Qiongya and the dilapidated temple is not far from here, Wang Lin has never had any contact with the Chen family of Qiongya because he cannot explain his lineage and might be captured by the Dragon King's sect and dissected for research.

On that sheet of memory, a sentence is written in bold strokes:

The Dragon King is the Dragon King, and his household is the Dragon King's household.

Chen Xiyuan nodded to Wang Lin, then turned her gaze to Zhao Yi, her expression momentarily complicated.

Zhao Yi pointed to his face and asked, "Do you feel unlucky to see me right now?"

Chen Xiyuan: "A little."

Just when he was worried that his family would be implicated in a huge upheaval, a person with experience in wiping out his entire family appeared.

This is certainly not a good sign.

Chen Xiyuan took a deep breath and asked Li Zhuiyuan, "Little brother, the most important problem now is that I don't know where my grandfather went."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Since you've been at home the whole time, and we've all been to your house, your grandfather is probably at home right now."

"Oh, so Grandpa's home."

Although she didn't know the connection between the cause and effect, Chen Xiyuan still felt that her little brother was right.

Led by Chen Xiyuan, the group soon arrived at a newly planted peach orchard.

Chen Xiyuan explained, "I wrote to my grandfather before that I really liked the peach grove in front of Madam Liu's house. My grandfather thought I really liked peach blossoms, so he planted them all over the area outside the ancestral home's protective barrier."

Tan Wenbin: "There are people ahead."

At the end of the peach grove, at the entrance to the barrier, stood a middle-aged woman.

Chen Xiyuan: "Auntie."

Chen Yueying raised her hand and said, "Xi Yuan, something has happened at home. Don't go in. I've already asked Xi Tang and Xi Yun to inform your grandmother and the other family members to be on alert."

We are the Chen family, and we must uphold our traditions and live and die with the spirits of our ancestors in our ancestral home. Xi Yuan, you are the hope of our Chen family; you cannot be harmed.”

As she spoke, Chen Yueying pointed to Li Zhuiyuan and the others standing behind Chen Xiyuan. Upon seeing the ages of Li Zhuiyuan and A Li, she looked puzzled and thoughtful, and asked:
"Is this the guest you invited, Xi Yuan?"

"They are my friends, and also honored guests invited by Grandpa. Aunt, what exactly happened at home?"

Chen Yueying shook her head:

"I don't know. A while ago I found a painting outside. I thought it was a lucky find and wanted to ask your uncle for some folk remedies to suppress the blood poison, so I played with it."

Who would have thought that it would dare to order me to keep the guests inside and close the door today? It's completely out of its mind.

Who does it think it is?!

(End of this chapter)