Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 506

When the old man said that he could barely be considered a member of the Dragon King's family, Tan Wenbin didn't show it on his face, but he was actually a little wary in his heart.

After all, Qin Liu had accumulated deep grudges with top forces in the martial arts world over the years, so it's possible that the old man's family also appeared in Aunt Liu's account book.

However, grudges aside, even if we and others follow Brother Yuan to storm the other party's ancestral home to settle scores in the future, it won't affect our willingness to lend a hand when the other party is suppressing evil spirits.

Moreover, Tan Wenbin was also puzzled. If this was the Dragon King's family... the quality and ability of this group of people were really too low.

Even the outer gate of the legitimate Dragon King's family must be of the same level as Mu Family Village. Moreover, even when the Mu family had a close relationship with Dragon King Liu, they dared not claim to be from the Dragon King's family when they went out.

All doubts were dispelled after the old man mentioned "the previous generation of Dragon King".

Because the previous generation of the Dragon King of the Jianghu came from humble origins.

More importantly, the previous Dragon King died young.

Every dragon king who rose from humble beginnings could not avoid the issue of establishing his own lineage.

This is not for the sake of sect prosperity, family continuation, or enjoying wealth and honor for generations, but based on objective realities.

Putting everything else aside, the evil spirits you defeat but can't completely eliminate in a short time will need someone to help you guard them.

The "taboos" on yourself and your followers also need to be cleaned up by someone.

In the dilapidated temple in Qiongya, the unconscious Xiao Yuange leads everyone into a dream with a red thread, which is actually a rehearsal for what will happen a hundred years later.

Because of his own brother, Xiao Yuan, although he is affiliated with two Dragon King families, the path he takes is more like that of a commoner.

If there were a healthy Qin or Liu family, Xiao Yuan wouldn't need to worry about such things at all. A legitimate Dragon King family would have experience and a solid foundation, capable of both inheriting the glory of the Dragon King during his lifetime and bearing the worries after his death.

Zhao Wuyang, who also came from humble beginnings, established the Zhao Clan of Jiujiang. Regardless of whether the Zhao Clan changed its nature later, at least when Zhao Wuyang was about to die, he was still able to fight the real evil dragon, and he had a legacy behind him that could help him suppress the resurgence of the evil dragon.

The previous Dragon King, however, did not have this opportunity; he passed away far too early, before he could make any arrangements.

In a normal year, the Dragon King would compete fiercely in his youth, suppress and rule the world in his middle age, and make final preparations for his farewell in his old age according to his lifespan.

However, the Dragon King is not a deity and does not pursue immortality. Given the turbulent changes in the world, it is not uncommon for the Dragon King to perish early.

Going back further, to Wei Zhengdao's time, a Dragon King appeared in the martial arts world, but the entire martial arts world didn't know who the Dragon King was.

There's also someone like Liu Qingcheng, who, after becoming the Dragon King, openly sought revenge on the shore with her sword, and it's widely rumored in the martial arts world that her early death was closely related to this.

In recent years, the Jianghu (martial arts world) has fallen into disarray. In addition to the decline of Qin Liu, who once symbolized the rules of the Jianghu, this is also closely related to the unexpected deaths of two generations of Dragon Kings.

The previous generation of Dragon King was Lord Qin, who sacrificed himself for the world with the wealth and resources of the Qin and Liu families. The previous generation of Dragon King was only known in the martial arts world as Qi Xinghan. He was a late bloomer during his time traveling the river. After becoming Dragon King, he died suddenly before he could spread his Dragon King's might throughout the martial arts world.

In the past, situations like the Yu family's, or even the recent turmoil like the Chen family's, would have been resolved if the Dragon King were alive today; everyone could have worked together to devise a plan.

In the past, when important events occurred, the Dragon King would sit alone on the second floor of Wangjiang Tower, accompanied by a few senior figures in the martial arts world who knew the situation and provided commentary, while the rest would wait quietly on the first floor for the Dragon King's orders.

Currently, the top forces on the second floor are sitting around a round table, seemingly discussing matters in the name of righteousness, but in reality, they are calculating and scheming for their own interests. Too long a period of leaderlessness will inevitably exacerbate this kind of petty scheming.

Tan Wenbin had Lin Shuyou carry the old man on his back, while he himself walked up to the two men in straw hats and sent a little bit of resentment to each of them, like stuffing a ball of snow into a cotton-padded coat in the dead of winter, which made the two men jump up immediately.

The two were quite straightforward. Even though they knew they had been easily manipulated, the first thing they did after regaining their senses was to look for knives and swords and continue to fight Tan Wenbin to the death.

The old man said, "Gentle breeze, bright moon, don't be rude. They helped you out of a sense of chivalry, so why don't you apologize?"

The two were taken aback upon hearing this, and both looked at the old man, seemingly wondering if he had also been bewitched.

Lin Shuyou chuckled twice. The words "gentle breeze and bright moon" sounded familiar, reminiscent of the TV series "Journey to the West".

Seeing that the two ignored him, the old man angrily scolded:

"Are you two deaf, you idiots?"

The two men breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou.

Tan Wenbin pointed to the van over there: "Please trouble you two to tidy up."

The woman in the straw hat suffered a concussion and fell into a coma. The others who were suppressed also needed to be taken back, especially the driver who only had half a body left. This low-level formation probably wouldn't last long, and once the fog dissipated, it would easily frighten passing drivers.

Old man: "Please, gentlemen."

Lin Shuyou carried the old man toward the mental hospital, and Tan Wenbin followed and asked:

"May I ask your honorable surname, senior?"

"My surname is Wu, Wu Feng. May I ask your presence...?"

"Tan Wenbin, Lin Shuyou, we are worshipping Li Zhuiyuan."

Wu Feng lay on Lin Shuyou's back, deep in thought, as if trying to figure out which powerful family was surnamed Li.

Tan Wenbin realized that the other party must have been completely isolated from the world and had no contact with the underworld.

"Li Zhuiyuan is the head of the Dragon King Qin and Dragon King Liu families."

Wu Feng's eyes widened and his mouth gaped open; he was still unable to recover even after being admitted to the mental hospital.

This mental hospital is not large; it is more like a shelter than a hospital, with a relatively small number of patients and medical staff.

The group entered the dean's office, which was the core of the formation.

Tan Wenbin stood to the side, looked carefully, and confirmed once again that the old man's skill in forming formations was indeed very average, because he could not only understand it, but also had the confidence to operate it.

Standing by the bed, seeing that the on-site handling was nearing its end, Tan Wenbin took action and stopped the overburdened formation, and the fog outside gradually dissipated.

Wu Feng was settled into a chair by Lin Shuyou. Coming to his senses, he witnessed this scene and let out a sigh:
"As expected of the legitimate Dragon King family, such ingenious array formation techniques."

Tan Wenbin touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly. Having followed Brother Xiaoyuan for so long, this was the first time he had been praised for his array formation skills, and he was really not used to it.

"Senior Wu, let's have a chat."

After Lin Shuyou brewed two cups of tea and placed them on the coffee table, he walked out of his office and stood in the corridor outside. He saw "Qingfeng Mingyue" carrying the woman in the straw hat to a ward for her to settle in. In the ward diagonally opposite, a female mental patient was holding onto the railing with both hands and laughing at Lin Shuyou.

Lin Shuyou returned her smile, and the female patient shyly shrank back.

Inside the office, as the conversation deepened, Tan Wenbin finally figured out the matter.

The previous Dragon King, Qi Xinghan, was not born into a traditional orphan family, but he was even worse off than those born into traditional orphan families.

After his mother passed away, his father remarried, bringing with him a son and a daughter. At his stepmother's urging, his father "sold" his own son to a blind fortune teller to be his apprentice, and devoted himself to raising his stepson and stepdaughter.

The old blind man was quite skilled. He had originally planned to take on an apprentice to care for him in his old age and see him off in his final days. However, he discovered that this apprentice was extraordinary. Not only had the apprentice learned all of his skills early on, but the apprentice could also read the broken scrolls that he couldn't understand with great interest.

The old blind man realized he had struck gold and immediately mobilized his network of connections, including the old cripple, the old paralyzed, the old deaf...

It's like how Grandpa Li has Blind Liu and Grandpa Shan by his side; they all make a living from this, and they tacitly introduce business to each other on a regular basis.

In short, it was these old people from the very bottom of the Xuanmen (mystical sect)... who weren't even considered Xuanmen at all, who pieced together all their most treasured possessions to offer to the child for Xuanmen enlightenment.

Upon hearing this, Tan Wenbin unconsciously lit another cigarette.

Indeed, no Dragon King is simple.

Even my own son, Xiao Yuan, had the support of the books in Grandpa Li's basement when he started out.

Qi Xinghan, on the other hand, obtained his admission ticket purely by relying on the charity of others, and after lighting the lamp, he went to compete with the outstanding talents of the Jiangnan region.

Although the competition for the Dragon King in the previous generation was fierce, many top forces in the martial arts world joined forces to suppress Uncle Qin, and Uncle Qin fought them to the death, resulting in mutual destruction, which to some extent reduced the intensity of the competition in the previous generation.

But the one who ultimately became the Dragon King was by no means an ordinary person.

Uncle Qin conceded defeat by lighting the lamp a second time, dragging a large group of people into the water, but many people remained on the river.

Could it be that those top powers felt guilty for suppressing Qin Liu's revival and were willing to show magnanimity by relinquishing the position of Dragon King?

How could those heroes from humble backgrounds not have their ambitions further swell after seeing a group of powerful competitors withdraw? How could they not feel that the Dragon King's throne was too hot to handle?

A win is a win. Qi Xinghan's ability to emerge victorious from such a difficult start means there's no question of him getting lucky.

His downfall was that he died too early after becoming the Dragon King. When the "dirty waters of doubt" were poured on him, the posthumous Dragon King could no longer vindicate himself, nor could he leave behind a solid successor and descendants to "speak" for him.

In fact, although Qi Xinghan passed away early, in those few short years he was comparable to the most hardworking Dragon King of all time, personally traveling to various places to suppress all kinds of evil spirits and signs of unrest.

Moreover, it seemed that he had long foreseen that his "lifespan was not long," because in those years, he would take the evil spirits he defeated to other forces in the martial arts world and ask them to help him suppress them. For some turbulent places that he had quelled, he would ask the major sects in the vicinity to arrange and protect them. This was equivalent to the Dragon King personally delivering merits to his door.

There weren't many evil spirits that Qi Xinghan actually suppressed into his own dojo. The most powerful one was the Eye of Origin that Qi Xinghan retrieved after slaying a demon.

The suppression method personally arranged by Qi Xinghan should, in theory, not cause any accidents. However, accidents are bound to happen, and it is not unusual for such "forces" with low quality in all aspects to produce some.

The evil thoughts emanated from the demonic eye, first bewitching a guard, then spreading through him layer by layer, ultimately leading to his escape.

Wu Feng led his men to arrest Xie Nian.

The overflowing part has been almost completely removed, with only the last bit remaining outside, and its location has been determined.

This also shows how meticulous Qi Xinghan's arrangements were. He had fully considered the level of the subsequent suppressors, so that even if evil spirits leaked out, they could still easily come out to remedy the situation.

Tan Wenbin couldn't help but suspect that the demonic eye was actually a gift from King Qi to the old people who had raised and nurtured him, as well as their disciples and grandchildren.

As long as they can maintain the suppression, the merit of suppressing evil spirits will flow continuously, much like an act of repaying a debt of gratitude.

Yes, that's right. Qi Longwang's dojo is full of old remnants from the past.

They had worked together to raise a Dragon King, and after the Dragon King passed away, they upheld his glory and continued to live together.

Some say that King Qi walked the river alone, some say that all of King Qi's followers died on the river, and some say that all of King Qi's followers perished with him.

In short, King Qi did not leave much for his dojo, lacking any enviable foundation. These inheritors also lacked the potential to rise again and threaten the dojo's ecological niche. Furthermore, after King Qi's fall, the spirit of the Dragon King returned to the dojo, so this pure land was tacitly preserved by all parties.

Wu Feng lived through Qi Xinghan's brief era. His master was Qi Xinghan's mentor, so he could be considered Qi Xinghan's junior brother.

He said that the reason why they all wore straw hats was because after Qi Xinghan lit the lamp, he always wore this outfit when he returned and went out. Over time, everyone started to imitate this style of clothing.

He also said that Qi Xinghan has completed the missing parts of each family's books and improved the inheritance, making it easier for everyone to learn and providing more room for improvement.

He generously stated that if Tan Wenbin or the Li family head behind Tan Wenbin were interested, he could go back and give away the Dragon King's legacy as a gift.

Tan Wenbin lit a cigarette for the old man, thanked him with a smile, and said that people from different clans should naturally share resources and make progress together.

The old man was so touched by those words that he exhaled smoke from his nostrils and let out a soft, contented groan.

Tan Wenbin knew that the legacy left to them by Qi Longwang would definitely be very down-to-earth. If he had left behind some extraordinary martial arts manual, it would be a case of possessing a treasure and thus incurring a crime.

However, since they are willing to share their most precious things, this friendship is priceless.

The old man himself probably didn't know much about the story of Qi Longwang's journey across the river and his experiences after becoming the Dragon King. Perhaps he preferred to talk about the Dragon King's everyday life. In the end, he told Tan Wenbin that Qi Longwang had returned to the Taoist temple before his death.

The temple is very close to Qi Longwang's original "home," located in the cave dwelling where the old blind man lived before his death.

After raising his stepson and stepsister to adulthood and getting married, Qi Longwang's biological father had his stepson take away his long-suffering mother and kicked away this opportunistic stepfather.

The elderly, drained of their value, live in dilapidated cave dwellings, lacking food and clothing, suffering from illness, and waiting to die.

Qi Xinghan took over the care of his biological father. When the father was at the dojo, he would personally take care of him, and when he was not there, he would arrange for someone to take care of him.

That winter was the last time Qi Xinghan returned to the dojo.

He didn't visit his biological father, and he also stopped others from taking care of him. The sick old man, who was unable to take care of himself, soon died in the cold winter.

Qi Xinghan held a funeral for him, and after the burial, he left, and his spirit returned.

A quick calculation reveals that the time Qi Xinghan spent raising his biological father coincided with the time his biological father raised him; his biological father brought him into the world, and he returned his biological father to the earth.

Tan Wenbin: "It's particular."

In fact, with the potential of a dragon king, even if he didn't enter the Xuanmen (Taoist sect), such a person would inevitably become an outstanding individual, even if he lived an ordinary life.

If the biological father and stepmother hadn't gone too far back then, and had simply provided for the family with basic food and clothing, then eventually a golden phoenix would have emerged from the family, capable of supporting the whole family.

Wu Feng licked his lips, picked up the now-cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

Then he choked and coughed violently.

Tan Wenbin patted his back.

Wu Feng: "I'm sorry to have made you laugh. It's been a long time since I've talked this much. We don't usually come out like this."

Even if they manage to get out, they rarely encounter anyone who can tell the story of the Dragon King.

Tan Wenbin: "Where exactly did Qi Longwang perish?"

Wu Feng shook his head: "I don't know."

After a pause, Wu Feng looked at Tan Wenbin very seriously: "I didn't lie to you!"

Tan Wenbin: "I believe it, I believe it."

Wu Feng: "This time, thanks to you all, otherwise things might have gone wrong."

Tan Wenbin: "It was just a minor incident. Even if we hadn't run into them, you seniors would have handled it with ease."

The white-coat-wearing man and the half-severed driver who ran away were not difficult to deal with; the two men in straw hats, one each, could be subdued and suppressed quickly.

Outside, two men in straw hats arrived and reported the situation: all those who needed treatment had been admitted.

Wu Feng left his seat, walked to his desk, opened a drawer, took out a wooden box with a seal on it, and handed it to them.

This box must be used to collect evil thoughts.

Wu Feng: "That demonic eye is spreading here, trying to escape our pursuit. Fortunately, it can only bewitch and spread among the medical staff and cannot affect the patients here, which makes things simpler and easier to handle."

Upon hearing this, Tan Wenbin stubbed out his cigarette and asked Wu Feng:

"Could it be that you couldn't spot it when it was hidden among these patients?"

……

Benben, holding Xiaohei's hand and carrying a stick, walked in the snow in front of their house, poking here and there.

He wasn't playing around; he was using the snow to replicate the battle formation.

Snow is fun, but it gets boring when the snow turns into a homework notebook.

He wasn't in high spirits and seemed somewhat negative.

However, it's like a child prodigy who doesn't love studying, but when they're taking a break from studying, their efficiency in doing so is much higher than that of an average person who works hard and diligently.

Master Sun stood on the dam, stroking his beard with satisfaction and admiration in his eyes. He was very pleased with his grandson-in-law's progress in the art of magic.

Chen Xiyuan hummed a tune as she arrived at the bearded man's house. After returning to Nantong this time, she felt relieved and free of all her psychological burdens.

She went inside first and visited Chen Jing and the others who had just finished their tutoring session with their younger brother.

Even when Tan Wenbin and his classmates were getting tutoring, they were under immense academic pressure. When Li Zhuiyuan was tutoring others, he would never show any affection.

Chen Xiyuan first pushed open the door to the Liang sisters' room. One sister was lying on the ground, and the other was hanging from the ceiling. The older sister called out to the younger sister, "Sister, sister," and the younger sister called out to the older sister, "Sister, sister."

Li Zhuiyuan forcefully broke down the rift between the twin sisters, which will significantly improve their cooperation in the future. At the same time, Li Zhuiyuan also gifted them some suitable spells and formations to use, taking care of their after-sales service.

Xu Ming's room was filled with flowers and plants. He sat on the bed in a daze, occasionally pulling a twig out of his mouth or a small vine out of his nose.

Chen Jing is the most normal one, at least he seems to be. He is the only one who can sit at the table and eat the food that Lao Tiantou cooks.

But when Chen Xiyuan came, she would see Chen Jing eat a few bites of food, and then unconsciously twitch her lips and reveal her tiger teeth as she looked towards the direction where Xiao Hei was outside.

Meanwhile, the little black dog outside, "accompanying the foolish prince in his studies," would tremble slightly.

After confirming that nothing serious had happened, Chen Xiyuan prepared to leave. Although she had just finished lunch, she was already craving the snacks that Aunt Liu was going to make that afternoon.

A peach blossom fell in front of her.

The falling flowers seem to have feelings, but people only have snacks on their minds.

Miss Chen skipped and hopped back, stepping on the peach blossoms, until a large swath of peach blossoms fell on her forehead.

"Oh, yes, my flute."

Miss Chen touched her waist and then remembered that she had left her flute in the peach grove.

By the pool, Qing'an gently stroked the jade flute placed in front of her.

That flute, along with that girl, has really had the worst luck.

What should have been a delicate and elegant object was used by her as a stick to hit people, a fire poker to burn the stove, and she even gave it away as a gift. Even if it was broken, she would forget about it immediately.

"Huh, it's fixed?"

Qing An glanced helplessly at Chen Xiyuan, flicked her finger, and sent the jade flute flying toward Chen Xiyuan.

"It's a good thing, you should cherish it a little."

Chen Xiyuan: "No matter how good things are, they are just things to be used. I think the only thing that really needs to be cherished is people."

Hearing this, Qing'an was touched and lowered her head.

Chen Xiyuan asked curiously, "So, wasn't my response insightful? Don't you think I'm very smart?"

Qing An: "Just like your ancestor, he usually looks silly and simple-minded, but he can always say something he doesn't know where he copied from."

Chen Xiyuan retorted, "You can say our ancestors were stupid, but I'm not stupid at all."

Qing An: "Yes, yes, you're just a little less smart than that guy."

Chen Xiyuan: "Hehe, actually it's more than that."

Qing'an: "You're being modest now?"

Chen Xiyuan: "That Zhao Yi, although he has a bad character, is smarter than me."

Qing An nodded.

He knew Zhao Yi well, after all, he had personally smoked it.

Others may have the bearing of a tyrant, but that guy is practically a tyrant himself.

Qing An: "You really can't beat him. Even if you can beat him ten or a hundred times, he only needs one time to kill you."

Chen Xiyuan: "If it weren't for my little brother saving me in Luoyang, I would have died at his hands."

It was only after Li Zhuiyuan entered the ancient tomb museum that Zhao Yi started to go easy on him; otherwise, Zhao Yi would never have given up this opportunity to eliminate a powerful competitor.

The Qing Anfu zither begins to play.

Chen Xiyuan examined the broken part of the jade flute and found that it had been glued back together, and there was no trace of repair whatsoever.

"What was used to repair this?"

Qing An looked at Su Luo, who was pouring wine for herself, and replied, "It's not finished yet."

Chen Xiyuan: "Even in this state, you still say it's not properly treated? You know, my family doesn't know how to treat it either."

Qing'an: "Those are your family members; they don't see many good things."

Perhaps only Qing'an could say "never seen the world" to a Dragon King's mansion.

Because when he followed Wei Zhengdao, he had countless rare and precious materials, so he had nothing to worry about.

Most importantly, those deeply rooted and established forces always like to steal Wei Zhengdao's things.

At first, this group of people still had some sense of shame and felt that Wei Zhengdao's behavior of returning the stolen goods to their rightful owner and forgiving the thief was really not respectable.

Later, everyone gradually became numb and used to joining.

In the later part of their era, several quasi-Dragon Kings stood side by side. What they lacked or needed was no longer their problem, but the responsibility of the entire martial arts world.

Chen Xiyuan: "What will this flute look like after it's fully repaired?"

Qing'an: "Once it is fully repaired, this flute will be able to play beautiful sounds on its own."

Chen Xiyuan: "Really? I can't wait!"

Qing An nodded: "I'm looking forward to it too."

As the zither music began to flow, Chen Xiyuan raised her flute, and the flute music joined in.

When Chen Xiyuan was about to leave last time, Qing An refused her farewell duet.

Qing An thoroughly enjoyed this collaboration between the two.

The song ends.

Chen Xiyuan: "Are you satisfied?"

Qing'an: "Very satisfied."

Chen Xiyuan patted her chest: "I thought you wanted that kind of sadness, but I really can't fake it. Although my grandfather can only use a wheelchair now, I'm still quite happy."

Qing An: "Because he has really grown human skin. In his opinion, it's a good deal to use the last breath of your crippled, stupid grandfather to make you happy here."

Chen Xiyuan: "I didn't think that far ahead. I thought it was because of my ancestor Chen Yunhai and my grandmother..."

Qing An: "They have no connection with him. To put it bluntly, in his eyes, they are nothing."

Chen Xiyuan: "You used foul language, that's indecent."

Qing An: "Because I was once this gentle breeze."

In everything, I am afraid of comparison.

As someone who experienced it firsthand, Qing'an could distinguish between the two. Wei Zhengdao felt appreciation and pleasure towards him and his group.

But in reality, at least at that time, Wei Zhengdao did not regard them as true partners in the real sense; he may not even have considered them as "the same kind."

It wasn't that they didn't know, but Wei Zhengdao was simply too dazzling, making them willing to deceive themselves into following and worshipping him.

But Li Zhuiyuan is a guy who really cares about the feelings of the people around him, and he worries about their future and whereabouts.

Upon realizing this, Qing'an suddenly paused.

He realized something: if that kid really caught up with or even surpassed Wei Zhengdao, who was from the same era, had he discovered the path that Wei Zhengdao had once walked?

Chen Xiyuan: What's wrong with you?

Qing An: "Don't pretend to be sad. Enjoy life. There's no need to wallow in the pain and suffering. Instead, you should look ahead through the storm and see the rainbow under the sun, even if it never appears."

Chen Xiyuan: "Did you copy that too?"

Qing'an remained silent.

Chen Xiyuan: "If there are some things you're not comfortable telling me, you can just say them directly. I don't mind, really."

Qing'an: "I'm sorry."

Chen Xiyuan: "Hahaha."

Qing'an: "Help me call him over here."

Chen Xiyuan: "It'll be a little later. Today is the day the kiln opens for business. My little brother is accompanying Grandpa Li to burn incense."

Qing An waved his hand.

Chen Xiyuan walked out of the peach grove.

I had just stretched when I saw Luo Xiaoyu pulling a cart back.

Luo Xiaoyu walked with a limp, and Sister Hua on the cart was wrapped in a quilt and was on the verge of death.

He just got back from a wave of activity.

Chen Xiyuan: "Why didn't you call a car?"

Luo Xiaoyu: "I had originally called a car, but Sister Hua's injury worsened and she couldn't withstand the bumpy ride, so I found a flatbed cart to transport her back for treatment. The place where she got off the cart wasn't far from here."

Chen Xiyuan: "No, what I mean is, why didn't you tell me to bring a car to pick you up?"

As she spoke, Chen Xiyuan raised her hand, her domain expanded, and Sister Hua was steadily moved out of the cart.

Chen Xiyuan lifted her up from a distance and carried her into the bearded man's hospital room.

Upon seeing this, Old Tian first bowed to Luo Xiaoyu: "The Zhao family of Jiujiang."

Luo Xiaoyu returned the greeting.

In fact, the two had already met and become acquainted.

Old Tian took out medicine and silver needles to treat Sister Hua's injuries.

Luo Xiaoyu realized that the old man had specifically asked him to remember someone's favor.

Chen Xiyuan clapped her hands: "You asked me to help pick you up, I can come back even by tractor."

Luo Xiaoyu: "I'm sorry."

Chen Xiyuan: "Why are you being so polite?"

Luo Xiaoyu: "I..."

Chen Xiyuan: "Alright, remember to let me know next time if you need anything. We're just neighbors staying at your little brother's house, no need to be so formal."

Miss Chen waved goodbye and left the bearded man's house, while Aunt Liu's freshly baked pastries were calling to her.

Luo Xiaoyu stared blankly at Chen Xiyuan's departing figure, lost in thought. Accustomed to feeling inferior, his first reaction upon seeing such a warm and outstanding girl was one of amazement, followed by a profound sense of unworthiness.

Turning around and looking outside, Luo Xiaoyu saw Benben drawing a diagram in the snow.

His face immediately turned red with anger, and he cursed:
"Nonsense! They're still teaching like this!"

……

The Li family in Siyuan Village were originally peasants for ten generations; before Li Sanjiang, no one in the family had ever received government stipends.

Li Sanjiang had eaten, but his meals were irregular, with large amounts of sand and gravel mixed in, which made his teeth ache.

It was only later that the ancestral graves of the Li family began to emit green smoke intermittently. First, it emitted smoke for Li Lan, then for Xiao Yuanhou, and last year it emitted smoke for Yingzi.

But this is the first time Li Sanjiang has seriously started a factory and business. What he did at home before could only be considered a small family workshop business.

I'm so proud of this, I have to brag about it to my ancestors.

Li Sanjiang then took Li Zhuiyuan to the ancestral graves of the Li family to burn incense.

After the firing was finished, Li Sanjiang checked his watch, then hurriedly packed up his things and took his great-grandson to the kiln site that had been approved.

The mules at home haven't all returned yet, but Li Sanjiang has calculated that today is the auspicious day to start work.

No matter what, we have to start work today. It's not like we can't stop work once we start.

After rearranging the incense table, Li Sanjiang brandished a peach wood sword in front of it, chanting incantations.

In the past, when performing rituals for others, Li Sanjiang paid great attention to the emotional value of the rituals. This time, when it was his turn to perform one, he was even more determined not to fudge the effort.

Li Zhuiyuan was responsible for burning paper money on the side and occasionally handing talismans and serving black pig's blood to the old man.

A peach wood sword pierced through the talisman paper, lit it with a candle, and was used to appease the little ghosts; black pig blood was splashed on the ground to drive away evil spirits.

Finally, indulging in a rare luxury, Li Sanjiang even personally killed a chicken to offer to the God of Wealth.

However, this chicken, which has been offered to the God of Wealth, must be put away quickly, as it needs to be taken back later for Tinghou to cook with arrowhead for dinner.

After the ceremony was completed and the auspicious time had arrived, Li Sanjiang called to Li Zhuiyuan. The grandfather and grandson each took a shovel and began "working" in the open space in front.

Li Zhuiyuan thought he would just dig a few times to make a token effort and then be done with it, but he didn't expect his great-grandfather to be so energetic and keep digging.

Li Sanjiang: "Young Master Yuan, let's dig a little more. Although it's just to grab an auspicious time as a token gesture, it's still our own business. Let's do a little more. It's not like the leaders are planting trees."

Li Zhuiyuan responded and joined in the digging.

As Li Sanjiang dug, his shovel poked something. He exclaimed "Huh!" and continued to poke it with force. Then, there was a cracking sound, and white silver coins scattered everywhere.

This is a jar of silver coins that someone once buried here, a whole jar of Yuan Shikai silver dollars.

Li Sanjiang laughed loudly: "Starting work and making money, Xiao Yuanhou, our kiln is sure to make money!"

The kiln site was in the middle of nowhere in the village. Even if it were a good location, the town wouldn't approve it, and the nearby villagers wouldn't let you build it there.

But this perfectly suited the intentions of those who hid silver dollars here back then; they would definitely bury them in a remote place so that they would not be easily discovered.

What was supposed to be a simple start to the project became more complicated. Li Sanjiang began digging around in the soil and clearing out the silver dollars.

"Young Marquis Yuan, when you're doing construction projects outside, do you often dig up treasures?"

"Yes, urban areas are easy to plan. When selecting a site for a project, you have to look at the geological structure and choose a place that is not prone to flooding. But such good places are often already occupied by our predecessors."

Li Sanjiang was exhausted after sorting out all the silver dollars.

"Young Marquis Yuan, how much is this big bag worth?"

"It depends on the current market price. We'll ask Binbin when he gets back."

"Yes, when Zhuangzhuang comes back, let him sell all of these and turn the money into money to add railings to the cement bridge in the village, and also pave some of the paths with cement."

Li Sanjiang always had his own set of rules regarding this windfall: if it came from the local area, he would use it there. He could also take advantage of the situation, as the roads and bridges would be easier to cross.

Li Sanjiang carried the offering table and other utensils, while Li Zhuiyuan carried a large bag of silver dollars. The grandfather and grandson walked home as dusk fell.

After arriving home, Chen Xiyuan, her mouth stuffed full, came out, took the silver coin bag from Li Zhuiyuan, opened it, and asked:

"Little tummy, did you and Uncle Lu go stealing the millstone?"

"I was lucky, I dug it up."

Following my great-grandfather, we're used to these kinds of things. He could even find black gold hidden in the cracks of the wall when he bought a house.

Chen Xiyuan swallowed the pastry in her mouth: "The one in the peach grove is looking for you."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, washed his hands, and headed towards the bearded man's house.

Chen Xiyuan entered the kitchen, continuing to stuff pastries into her mouth while asking Aunt Liu:

"Sister, when is dinner?"

Aunt Liu: "Your appetite has increased a lot since you came back this time."

Chen Xiyuan: "Yeah, they're still posting on the domain."

Not long after Li Zhuiyuan left home, the mobile phone on his desk on the second floor rang. A-Li answered the phone without saying a word.

The call was quickly hung up.

As Li Zhuiyuan stepped onto the village road, he saw Aunt Zhang come out of the small shop ahead and wave to him, calling out:
"Young Master Yuan, answer the phone~"

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and picked up the microphone.

"Hey, it's me."

"Brother Xiaoyuan."

On the phone, Tan Wenbin recounted what had happened to him that day.

Li Zhuiyuan: "If the other party is willing to visit us on behalf of the successor of Qilongwang, we are willing to entertain them."

Tan Wenbin: "They both want to integrate into the underworld and are very afraid of the real underworld."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You can arrange it as you see fit, based on their wishes."

Also, as you said, you and Ayou should stay at that mental hospital for another night to make sure the patients there are okay.

They're here to suppress evil spirits; we should help them if we can.

After the demonic eye successfully bewitched people, not a trace of evil aura leaked out. Fortunately, the small portion that escaped was of very low strength, otherwise it would have definitely caused a troublesome problem.

“Okay, Brother Xiaoyuan, if things go smoothly, Ayou and I will return tomorrow morning. Runsheng’s flight also arrives tomorrow morning. Ayou and I will go to Xingdong Airport to pick him up first, and then we will come back together.”

"Okay, stay safe."

"Don't worry, Brother Yuan, the worst mistake our team can make is capsizing in a ditch."

This is the key content of Chapter 1 of Volume 1 of "Code of Conduct for Traveling Along the River".

After hanging up the phone, Li Zhuiyuan was about to buy something when he saw Shi Tou and Hu Zi.

Instead of taking the village road, the two walked along the field ridges like thieves, consciously using haystacks and firewood piles for cover as they went.

The two of them were having a great time in the arcade when their grandfathers and fathers suddenly appeared out of nowhere. This must mean someone tipped them off; there are bad guys among the crowd!
No matter how badly they were beaten, they couldn't suppress their longing for the arcade. Even without money to buy tokens, watching others play was still incredibly fun.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't call out their "invisibility." He grabbed a handful of candy, showed it to Aunt Zhang, and then put it in his pocket.

"Your auntie is treating you to a meal."

"Then I can't take it next time."

"Alright, alright, I'll settle the accounts for you, haha."

As Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the convenience store, he looked up at the sky. Shi Tou and Hu Zi must have just come back from school. They probably told Li Weihan that they were going home for dinner, or told their parents that they were going to their grandfather's house for dinner, thus gaining a time difference. But there is a time limit for children to play outside at night. Excluding their travel time, the actual time they can spend in the arcade is less than half an hour, but they still enjoy it.

As for the successor of the previous Dragon King, Li Zhuiyuan could either see him or not. He himself had no interest in making a special trip to the other's dojo to pay homage. It wasn't because the Qi Dragon King hadn't left any legacy and there was no meat to eat, but because the young man had also discovered that he seemed to be somewhat incompatible with the spirit of the Dragon King.

Recently, it seems that wherever I go, the spirit of the Dragon King is destroyed.

The Zhao family, the Yu family, the Ming family, the Chen family...

He had no grudge against that Qilong King, and the people in his temple seemed harmless, so there was no need for him to go to his house to extinguish the lamp.

Li Zhuiyuan arrived at Big Beard's house.

Luo Xiaoyu and Master Sun were arguing in the snow because of their differing educational philosophies. The two stood still, drawing upon the surrounding feng shui to form a battle formation.

Benben lay on Xiao Hei, legs crossed, looking very relaxed.

Upon seeing Li Zhuiyuan arrive, Benben immediately sat up straight, sighing as if his studies had been delayed.

When Li Zhuiyuan passed by Benben, he took out the candy and put it in the child's hand.

Benben held the candy, grinning happily. He quickly peeled one for himself and put it in his mouth, then peeled one for Xiao Hei.

In the peach grove, Qing'an, who was sipping wine alone, shook his head gently: "What a loser."

Humans are sometimes just perverse; the more someone who has no feelings for you treats you well, the easier it is to be moved.

Li Zhuiyuan stepped into the midst of the fierce battle between Master Sun and Luo Xiaoyu. The young man's battle aura emanated, and the two of them took a half step back.

The boy said nothing and continued walking into the peach grove.

Master Sun coughed a few times, and Luo Xiaoyu also turned his head away, both realizing that their behavior just now was childish.

Then, both of them turned their gaze to Benben without prior arrangement.

"Let him judge for us who is better and who is worse."

"can!"

Suddenly, Benben felt that the candy in his mouth tasted bitter.

Deep in the peach grove, Li Zhuiyuan met Qing'an.

Qing'an cut to the chase: "Don't take that road, you'll regret it."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I don't want to take that path either, but sometimes, I have no other choice."

Qing'an: "Take it slow, you still have a chance. Don't step on it unless absolutely necessary."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I understand."

Qing An: "It would be best to force it to give in."

Li Zhuiyuan remained noncommittal.

Qing'an swirled his wine glass:

"Remember, you are not in a dead end until I get up and leave this peach grove."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Okay, I will give you this opportunity to help me."

Qing An glanced at Li Zhuiyuan, not angry, but instead laughed: "Hey, you rascal."

Li Zhuiyuan knew that Qing'an wasn't trying to help him; he wanted to help the second Wei Zhengdao avoid regret.

Saying "thank you" to him would be presumptuous; it's better to raise your tone and make him feel more involved.

"You repaired Chen Xiyuan's flute?"

"It's only half-finished."

“I also have a lot of things that need to be repaired.”

"You want me to compete with that little girl for work?"

"No, what if I encounter something in the future that I don't know how to handle..."

"It's no use coming to me. I've lived a good life before, but I'm all talk and no action. You, on the other hand, are rich to the point of being broke."

"When I become truly wealthy, I won't need to repair anything."

With the wealth of the two families' ancestral homes, one could not only replace one with a broken one, but even replace one with one one that one was tired of.

"I'm telling you, when you went to the Qin family's ancestral home to remove the evil spirits, did you not even dare to properly explore the ancestral home?"

Li Zhuiyuan responded frankly: "Yes."

"The treasure trove isn't just in our ancestral home. As long as it's ultimately used to suppress evil spirits in the martial world, then it's taken from the martial world and used for the martial world."

"I will continue to do my best."

After speaking, Li Zhuiyuan prepared to leave. He had only taken a few steps when the young man stopped and asked:
"If such evil thoughts exist and spread through bewitching, can your forest sense them?"

"Thoughts can change in countless ways, but I can only deter evil in reality. The evil in people's hearts is sometimes countless times more filthy than evil in reality."

Li Zhuiyuan understood.

Qing An: "Evil spirits with this kind of ability are rare. What did you encounter?"

Li Zhuiyuan gave a brief description.

Qing'an: "Magic Eye?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I think that title is inaccurate. The original form of that suppressed evil spirit is quite extraordinary."

Qing An: "Water has form, yet water also has no form; the soul is like water, capable of being both tangible and intangible. Just a tiny leak can create its own source, bewitch and possess, hehe."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You mean, the evil spirit that was suppressed might be... a drought demon?"

The drought demon has eyes on the top of its head. Legend has it that wherever its gaze falls, water evaporates and the land turns barren for miles.

Qing'an's use of "water" as an analogy is a subtle hint.

Most people don't know that the drought demon can not only evaporate water, but also treat the human soul as water in another sense.

Of course, it's normal not to know, since the land is barren and desolate... Most people who have seen the drought demon are probably dead and cannot be informed.

However, if the demonic eye that Wu Feng mentioned really came from the drought demon, it means that the Dragon King Qi back then personally killed her.

Qing'an:

"During different eras, the strength of the Dragon Kings varied."

For example, right now, because of your existence, this generation of Jiang is destined to face greater competition. They will also be swept along by the current of the river, and if they don't become stronger, they will be swallowed by the waves, thus creating an even more brutal era of great strife.

However, only those seasoned veterans who have weathered storms can sense the changes. Even those currently on the river are often blinded by their own circumstances. As for future generations looking at your generation, even if you eventually become the Dragon King, they won't think you're particularly special or powerful because there's no comparison to be made.

However, I have a way to make a slight assessment, which is what Wei Zhengdao told us back then.

He said that to judge which of the dragon kings of an era was strong and which was weak, one must do the opposite.

Those who are renowned and leave behind an infamous legacy are not necessarily the strongest.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but think of the three Dragon Kings in the history of the Chen family of Qiongya.

The Dragon King of the Chen family is absolutely powerful in terms of combat strength, but the power of a Dragon King is sometimes not just about who is stronger... for example, Sister Chen.

Qing An: "On the contrary, those who suddenly perished after becoming dragon kings and were doubted or even looked down upon by later generations are often the truly powerful dragon kings."

Because after becoming the Dragon King, one upholds the will of Heaven and can foresee and sense crises in advance. It is actually quite difficult for one to step into an absolutely dangerous situation or to suddenly perish.

Admittedly, there must be a powerful Dragon King with a strong sense of responsibility who, in his lifetime, steadily and peacefully suppresses the martial world.

But those who died suddenly and prematurely, those who knowingly did the impossible... how much confidence must they have had in themselves?
They might even dare to challenge a special existence that even the Heavenly Dao must temporarily restrain.

Such special beings, who win the challenge and successfully kill, are often little known. After all, there are many myths in the world, and who knows which ones are real and which ones are fabricated?
How many things that actually existed were turned into fiction after being killed by the Dragon King?

Ah,
As for losing the challenge or perishing together, the martial world will only witness the return of the Dragon King's spirit.

According to Qing'an's set of evaluation criteria, Qi Longwang is actually a powerful and confident dragon king.

Furthermore, considering that he fulfilled his duty to his biological father, with whom he had long since lost all affection, before leaving the dojo for the last time, it really seemed as if he had cleared away the last entanglements in this world, so that he could move forward with peace of mind without any more worries.

Similarly, going back further, Lord Qin also knew his fate all along, yet he still went without hesitation.

Liu Qingcheng's sudden early death was probably not due to any so-called revenge or excessive killing. Given her temperament, she may have genuinely been unwilling to uphold the righteous path of the martial arts world, or in her view, upholding the righteous path meant killing all the evil ones.

But... Qing An's judgment ultimately comes down to their generation.

If the more sudden and early a dragon king dies, and the less traces he leaves behind, the more powerful he is, then wouldn't Wei Zhengdao, who doesn't even know who the dragon king is, be the strongest dragon king in history?
Qing'an seemed to know what Li Zhuiyuan was thinking and said:

"I have never boasted."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded calmly: "No need to explain, I believe you."

Qing An reached out and pointed at the boy.

He really disliked the boy's attitude and longed to see the boy's jaw drop in shock when he was fully revived and burning again.

Qing'an reminded him, "Remember, in the end, you have to act well and pay attention to the details."

Li Zhuiyuan: "In the end, there was no need to act; it was a genuine expression of emotion."

Qing'an drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

He knows he's being coaxed, and he doesn't resist it because he likes being coaxed.

But in this world, very few people have the wisdom to coax him.

Even Zhao Yi from Jiujiang, though he managed to coax her, ended up with himself covered in cuts and bruises.

Li Zhuiyuan: "So, what Qi Longwang sealed in the temple really was the Eye of the Drought Demon."

Qing'an: "He's an interesting little guy, but unfortunately, I was asleep during the years he was active."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Don't dragon kings address each other as equals?"

Qing An: "I'm not the Dragon King, at least not a proper one."

Li Zhuiyuan: "If it is the Eye of the Drought Demon, why would it go to such lengths to leak out only this little bit of its demonic power? What is its purpose?"

By placing oneself in the shoes of evil spirits, and knowing full well that the people protecting one are of mediocre quality, and that the next generation and the generation after that will likely be even more mediocre, one finds an opening. This is not to alert the enemy, but to continue accumulating strength, waiting for the opportunity to break through completely.

Unless, of course, there's simply not enough time left, and we're about to be worn down completely, leaving no choice but to give it our all.

But Qi Longwang was the previous generation of Dragon King, so the time frame shouldn't be this fast.

Qing An: "That's your concern. What does it have to do with the evil spirits in my peach grove?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "The most dangerous place may be the safest. The hospital where the Demon Eye broke out is very close to Nantong. I'm afraid it might try something underhanded."

Qing'an: "Isn't that the kind of work you, Li from Nantong, should be doing?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, that's why I wanted to ask you."

Qing An: "Unfortunately, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Unless it bewitches and possesses an evil spirit, I can't detect it. But there's no evil spirit in Nantong that it can possess."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm not disappointed. You're very knowledgeable. Without you, I wouldn't have known the other party's possible identity."

As for the secrets about the Dragon King, there's no need to know them before becoming the Dragon King; you'll naturally know them after you become the Dragon King.

But it also cleared up Li Zhuiyuan's doubts, explaining why many Dragon Kings ultimately perished, a fact that even the Dragon King clan itself couldn't explain.

Perhaps, before taking action, the Dragon King was worried about the consequences, so he didn't make a fuss about it. Moreover, the Dragon King has always disdained empty fame in the martial arts world and his own interests.

As for those special beings who survived the Dragon King Challenge, it will not make a fuss about it, because even if the fallen Dragon King did not come from the Dragon King's family and could not be passed down to future generations... but if you really dare to openly declare that a certain Dragon King fell at your hands, then future Dragon Kings, regardless of their origins or family background, will be eager to kill you one after another.

Given the pride of the Dragon King, they would much rather have this opportunity to fight like Guan Yu against Qin Qiong.

Li Zhuiyuan bid farewell again and turned to leave.

But this time, Qing'an stopped him.

"you……"

Li Zhuiyuan stopped in his tracks.

Qing An: "You'd better find it and nip it in the bud, since it's just an overreaction right now."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Thank you."

Qing An waved his hand:

"Ha, I was just being presumptuous and talking too much."

The reason I thanked you earlier was because Qing'an's words were not directed at Wei Zhengdao, but rather a reminder to Li Zhuiyuan.

Anyone who has walked across the river with Wei Zhengdao must have read other versions of the "Code of Conduct for Walking Across the River".

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the peach grove. It was winter, and darkness fell very quickly. The boy looked up at the stars overhead.

If this undetectable entity were to actually arrive in Nantong and hide, who knows what kind of situation it would trigger in the future?

The power of possession is not scary, and even the demonic eye sealed in King Qilong's dojo is not scary...

What's frightening is that this sliver of consciousness, once leaked out, is actually seeking a response.
Qi Longwang brought back the Eye of the Drought Demon to suppress it. Where did the Dragon King seal the Drought Demon's body?
On his way home, Li Zhuiyuan saw his grandfather, Li Weihan, hurrying out of the village on his bicycle.

"grandfather."

"Hey, Xiao Yuanhou, I'm going to the arcade first, in case your two younger brothers get beaten to death by their dad."

Li Weihan didn't stop and continued pedaling forward.

It's normal for kids to get beaten up if they sneak into arcades, because often they steal money from home in order to buy game tokens.

But because the child wasn't raised by his parents most of the time, his four uncles were incredibly ruthless and lacked any sense of restraint when they hit him.

It seems that there have been bad people among the crowd again.

As soon as Li Zhuiyuan returned home and stepped onto the dam, Aunt Liu called out:

"Dinner's ready!"

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan and A Li sat on the terrace and played chess under the starry sky.

Li Sanjiang brought over a metal basin filled with coal briquettes. The bottom coal briquette had already been lit in the stove, and the whole basin would soon be burning brightly.

The old man placed the iron basin in front of Li Zhuiyuan and A Li, and said with a smile:
"Haha, with this in front of me, I won't be afraid of the cold."

Most parents, seeing their child playing outside on a cold winter night instead of going inside, would probably kick them and yell, "Get inside right now!"

Only a very few gentle people would squat down and softly advise: "Be careful not to catch a cold, why don't you go back inside?"

Only the great-grandfather would see the two children having fun. Not only would he not spoil their fun, but he would also bring over a brazier filled with honeycomb briquettes.

Nowadays, honeycomb briquettes are "quantitatively" produced. In the eyes of adults, a few honeycomb briquettes correspond to how many kettles of water can be boiled and how many thermos flasks can be filled. Even well-off families would not waste them for their children's play.

Li Sanjiang yawned: "Young Marquis Yuan, I'm going back to my room to sleep. You guys continue the play."

After the old man returned to the house, Li Zhuiyuan and A Li put their hands closer to the brazier, feeling the warmth that was rising in the cold night.

Just then, a figure skipped and hopped along the path.

"Brother Yuanhou, Sister Ali!"

Cui Cui went upstairs with the prizes from the city's painting competition in her hand. She picked out the best ones and gave them to A Li.

This painting competition was organized by the Municipal Children's Palace and was limited to a certain age group. If nothing unexpected happened, there would definitely be some behind-the-scenes manipulation. Some prizes had already been decided in advance. However, the winning works had to be exhibited. Cui Cui's traditional Chinese ink painting stood out too much among the children's immature watercolor works. You would be embarrassed to exhibit it if you didn't give her first prize.

Unfortunately, in small cities, even if parents of children this age have the resources to send their children to study under a master of traditional Chinese painting, they can't expect the master to personally teach their children. Cui Cui learned to paint from A Li.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Why did you come alone?"

In the past, Cui Cui would come with either Li Juxiang or Liu Jinxia, ​​and it was still nighttime.

Cui Cui: "Grandma and Mom were called to Grandpa Weihan's house, so no one was home and I came alone."

Upon hearing this explanation, Li Zhuiyuan's gaze narrowed slightly.

The probability of something good happening is extremely low if we invite Grandma Liu and Aunt Juxiang to our house late at night.

This inevitably reminded Li Zhuiyuan of his experience of being bewitched by the little oriole.

At that time, Grandpa Li Weihan first invited Grandma Liu and Aunt Juxiang. The mother and daughter used a folk method they had figured out themselves, which was that they were tough and could withstand evil spirits, and used a string as a medium to transfer the evil spirits on their bodies to Aunt Juxiang. Aunt Juxiang was in so much pain that she rolled on the ground.

It was effective, but it only treated the symptoms, not the root cause, and the little oriole remained near home.

Finally, Grandpa Li Weihan invited Great-Grandpa Li Sanjiang.

The old man gave himself an incense burner and a string of bells, using this as a way to shift the blame and allow the little oriole to go to the bearded man's house so that the wronged party could be appeased.

Because of his prolonged close contact with the dead little oriole, he learned to walk the spirit world. In order to reverse this, his grandfather took him home, which allowed him to formally enter the world of metaphysics and see another side of this world.

The crisp sound of a loose bicycle bell grew louder as it approached. A familiar elderly figure rode a bicycle onto the dam. Because he got off the bike in such a hurry, his foot almost got caught in the wheel. But the old man didn't care. He just pulled his leg out forcefully and freed his trouser leg from the wheel.

Everything seemed to be a replay of what had happened before. Back then, Grandpa Li Weihan had come looking for his great-grandfather in such a anxious manner.

At this moment, Li Weihan, equally anxious, with reddened eyes and glistening tears on his face, shouted towards the second floor:

"Uncle Sanjiang, please save the child! Please save the child!"

(End of this chapter)