The woman stopped, she didn't dare to go any further.
It is true that the rivers and lakes hide dragons and crouching tigers, but she has never seen such a Tibetan method!
To put it bluntly, the master himself doesn't know what level of his gang of people is, and only he can organize this group of people to work with him.
Xiong Shan stood up.
The son has not yet grown up, and his father still needs to work hard.
Li Chaiyuan: "Drink some more with my grandfather."
Li Sanjiang nodded: "Yes, Shanhou, drink some more, don't delay the afternoon."
Xiong Shan sat down.
Li Chaiyuan: "Brother Runsheng."
Runsheng put down his chopsticks and covered his stomach: "Free your stomach, eat more."
Li Sanjiang laughed and scolded: "Stinky virtue!"
Runsheng left his seat and picked up the Yellow River shovel he had used to set up the platform on the flat ground before.
Uncle Qin looked at Li Chaiyuan and asked:
"Is it so fast?"
Li Chaiyuan: "It's a little different."
Uncle Qin nodded, Xiaoyuan walked the river, it was indeed completely different from what he had at the beginning.
Li Chaiyuan said to Li Sanjiang: "Grandpa, I'm full."
"Hmm." Li Sanjiang raised his wine glass, touched Xiong Shan, and drank it all in one gulp.
After Li Chaiyuan left the table, Yin Meng, who had been frowning, finally found a suitable excuse to leave the table:
"I'll go deliver paper to Runsheng."
……
The woman is running, and Runsheng is chasing.
Between the fields, two figures were chasing rapidly, and they were getting closer and closer.
Runsheng who has just eaten is like a tractor that has just been filled with oil.
The woman couldn't consume it, nor could she run, so in a depression in a small river, she stopped, turned around, and faced Runsheng.
Runsheng also stopped.
The woman asked: "Why are you helping to abuse him?"
Runsheng: "I don't understand."
He could feel that the woman should have misunderstood something.
The woman wiped the blood from the corners of her eyes, and her breath condensed.
Runsheng said: "You wait."
The woman asked: "What are you waiting for?"
Runsheng: "Wait for the people from my side to come."
The woman sneered: "Huh!"
Immediately, the woman spread her left palm out, clenched her right hand into a fist, and kicked one leg on the ground.
This set of actions made Runsheng very familiar, as if he was an old friend who was not there.
At the next moment, the woman's eyes lit up with a different color again, unlike the simple red eyes before, this time they were red and black, commonly known as yin-yang eyes.
As soon as his hands flipped, two pieces of bamboo poles slipped off his cuffs, and then he threw them and pulled out two long dusters, one black and one white.
The woman jumped up high and slammed the door of the face.
Runsheng raised the Yellow River shovel and blocked it.
The woman swept with another dust, and Runsheng lowered the shovel upright and blocked it again.
The woman's figure was like fire, her body was constantly rotating and rolling over, and her two dusters were wielding like swords.
Runsheng retreated while constantly raising his shovel to block it, and the sound of gold and iron burst out, and each blow drew a string of sparks.
The woman kicked her right leg on the ground, pressing her center of gravity down, trying to attack Runsheng's lower plate.
Runsheng kept raising his legs and continued to retreat, not giving the other party a chance to attack him.
When the woman wanted to change her strength, Runsheng immediately pressed up, forcing the other party to force her back but unable to break away.
Finally, the woman couldn't hold back, her eyes were red and black, and she murmured from her mouth, as if someone was smiling, and it was like a scripture chanting.
Runsheng's breathing became rapid, and his skin kept twitching.
He is strong in physical body and melee combat, and in terms of techniques, he has only nine orifices in ten orifices.
The woman launched another offensive.
Runsheng's response was panicked, and the woman found several flaws, causing Runsheng to lose his previous calmness and keep staggering backwards.
Just as the woman was about to take advantage of the situation to find another blow and completely repel him so that she could leave calmly, she saw the strong man in front of her take out a talisman paper and paste it on her head.
In an instant, the other party's eyes returned to clear.
The woman's eyes widened, what kind of talisman paper is this, which can isolate the noise of the underworld?
With the blessing of the Qingxin talisman, Runsheng's response was able to return to order and continue to entangle the woman.
At this time, Li Chaiyuan and Yin Meng arrived.
Yin Meng: "Three-step like?"
Everyone is familiar with the main Lin Shuyou's posture, and the woman's posture when fighting is very similar to Ah You.
Li Zhuyuan shook his head: "It's very similar, but this is a seven-star step."
Yin Meng: "Isn't she the head of the officials?"
Li Chaiyuan: "It should be the eight generals."
In the inheritance system, you often have me and I have you, even if you break away and develop alone, you can still see many similarities.
However, the woman was holding a black and white double duster, and she seemed to have succeeded, but Li Chaiyuan couldn't tell which yin god was on her, like the seventh master or the eighth master, but it was not them.
She tried to withdraw from the technique after a distance, but how could Runsheng, who had suffered a loss, let her get her wish, and immediately increased her pressure.
Li Zhuiyuan shouted: "Runsheng, take her down."
When the woman heard this, her face was suspicious: Has he been staying strong?
Runsheng was indeed staying strong, because Xiaoyuan just asked him to chase after him from the table and did not give further instructions.
At that moment, the valves opened one by one.
The woman didn't know what kind of exercise this was, but she could feel that as the valves continued to increase, the other party's momentum was getting stronger and stronger.
Some opportunities actually take time to digest.
Just as Lin Shuyou digested the residual divine power left in the body of the White Crane Boy, Runsheng also officially began to digest the nutrition of the meal in the pavilion after the valve was fully opened and paralyzed.
At that table, no one dared to move chopsticks except him.
In fact, this kind of breaking and then standing is a new round of reshuffle of one's own body, which is most suitable for new integration.
For example, just now, the woman was on the offensive, but Runsheng could easily intercept her without even opening a valve.
Now, there is no need to suppress yourself.
Runsheng began to take the initiative to attack, and when his absolute strength was inferior to that of modern times, no matter how exquisite his moves were, he would pale in his actions.
A sentence of "attacking the enemy must be saved" can allow you to take control of all initiatives.
Runsheng slapped it with a shovel, and the woman raised the duster to block it, but only heard a "pop", the duster cracked, and the shovel surface slapped the woman's shoulder.
The woman let out a muffled snort and was forced to get down on one knee.
This is already the result of Runsheng's stay, otherwise it would not be the shovel surface that hit the woman, but the sharp shovel edge.
However, the woman who knelt down did not give up resistance, and another duster swept at Runsheng's calf.
Runsheng quickly raised his foot, then fell heavily, and stepped on the duster firmly on the soles of his feet.
The woman tried hard to pump, but she couldn't.
What came was Runsheng's other kick.
"Bang!"
The woman's figure flew out backwards.
When she was about to land, the woman endured the severe pain and adjusted her posture, trying to stabilize her figure, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Runsheng galloping over, right beside her.
Runsheng's hand pinched the woman's neck, and the rough palm was like frosted paper, bringing discomfort and a huge force.
"Bang!"
The woman was choked and smashed to the ground.
She subconsciously wanted to continue to resist, but Runsheng's knees were already against her chest, and the edge of the Yellow River shovel was even closer to her neck.
If you move it again, you will die!
The woman sneered, the state of supporting the girl was over, and she no longer struggled.
Yin Meng: "Runsheng has become more powerful again."
Li Chaiyuan: "Don't you usually feed each other?"
Yin Meng: "It's been a long time since I practiced, I can't train him."
In the early days, Tan Wenbin, Yin Meng and Runsheng, the three of them would feed each other in the fields behind the grandfather's house every night.
The first to quit was Tan Wenbin, his kung fu halfway to becoming a monk, there was no problem in mixing with the underworld, but in front of the real practitioner, it was completely not enough.
Later, Yin Meng also gave up, and under the dual improvement of Runsheng's brute force and skills, she became more and more unable to stand it, so she simply recognized the reality and devoted herself to studying her own poison.
Li Chaiyuan came over and said to Runsheng: "Brother Runsheng, thank you for your hard work."
Runsheng shook his head: "She is weaker than the friend I met at the beginning."
They are all maidservants, and they are all systems that attract yin gods, but the official generals have an indomitable momentum, and this woman does not.
Li Chaiyuan squatted down next to the woman and asked:
"Who did you just invite?"
The woman just continued to stare at Chase Li with a sneer and did not answer.
Li Chaiyuan was not annoyed, he just put his finger on the upper end of the woman's nose, gently pinched the piece of flesh, and lifted it up.
If you go yin at this time, you can see a cloud of black gas lingering on the young man's fingertips, which is the purpose of the Fengdu method.
The yin gods are not ghosts, but the characteristics of some places are very similar, and they can be detained in the same way as ghosts.
The white crane boy kept deflating in front of the young man, also because the young man was a descendant of the emperor who was not recognized by the emperor, and the yin god could not come and go without a trace in front of him.
The woman was shocked, her eyes flowed red and black again, although very light, but this also meant that the previously ended state of support was briefly recalled.
Li Chaiyuan frowned slightly, he failed to analyze the specific object in this residual force.
The woman's rise did not attract the yin god, but was just a very messy ball of power projection.
The young man let go of his fingers and gently patted his palm on the woman's forehead.
"Snap!"
The woman's eyes recovered, but looking at the young man's gaze, there was no coldness, only horror.
She couldn't understand what kind of means this was, and she could inherit the exercises she was most proud of as if they were toys.
Li Chaiyuan: "There should be a misunderstanding between us."
Saying that, Li Chaiyuan looked at Runsheng.
Runsheng: "She is as naïve as the original friend."
The woman asked: "...... What do you want to say?"
Li Chaiyuan: "You made the arrangement on Old Man Park's body."
Woman: "That's right, so kill or kill, whatever!"
The woman once again put on a benevolent look.
Li Zhuiyuan sighed, he really doesn't like to force communication with people who don't know how to communicate, forget it, let's start hypnosis slowly first.
With a flick of his fingertips, it hit the woman's head, and an echo shook in the woman's heart, dispersing the emotions she had just condensed, and fear appeared in her eyes again.
"Why do you do this?"
"That old thing deceived the young girl and caused her to commit suicide, he deserves it!"
Li Chaiyuan: "Why didn't you call the police?"
Woman: "......"
The woman was confused, she really couldn't figure out that a teenager with such a subordinate and had such a terrible method would ask herself the sentence "so normal".
Li Chaiyuan asked again: "Why didn't you call the police?"
Woman: "She has committed suicide, and an old man who participated died of a heart attack in the police station after being arrested by the police, and this matter is over."
Li Chaiyuan: "Evidence."
Woman: "I met the girl's resentful spirit, but her resentful spirit cannot enter the Nantong realm, here, it seems that there is some kind of terrible prohibition, or some kind of ...... It's a terrible existence."
Li Chaiyuan: "So you acted on your own?"
Woman: "Three old men, one died in the police station, I killed two, this old thing surnamed Park is the one who took the lead, I want his descendants to live in peace, am I wrong?"
Li Chaiyuan: "I can understand."
Woman: "Can ...... understand?"
Li Chaiyuan: "What's your name?"
Woman: "Xin Jiyue."
Li Chaiyuan: "I didn't just ask your name."
Woman: "You are interrogating me, why are you ......?"
Li Chaiyuan raised his finger again, gesturing to knock on it.
Xin Jiyue: "Chaoshan people, no door and no faction."
Li Chaiyuan: "Lie."
Xin Jiyue: "I am really a Chaoshan person!"
Li Chaiyuan: "The last sentence."
Xin Jiyue: "I am not a member of the Eight Generals, I was removed from the temple book and cannot continue to be led to Lord Yin Shen."
Li Zhuiyuan: "Continue."
Xin Jiyue: "But I still have a way to continue to borrow some of their power, relying on ......"
Li Chaiyuan: "What?"
Xin Jiyue: "Over there in my bandeau."
Li Zhuyuan stopped and looked at Yin Meng.
Yin Meng squatted down, took out the bandeau, and handed it to the boy.
It's a very traditional style, and it's also a very traditional way.
Li Zhuiyuan stretched out two fingers and clamped his bandeau, as if he was treating something dirty.
Because it contains rich karma.
Those red dots should have been continuously dotted with blood later, and each red dot is a source of karmic emanation.
Li Chaiyuan: "Who taught you to do this?"
Xin Jiyue: "What?"
Li Chaiyuan: "Tell me."
Xin Jiyue: "I am punishing evil and promoting good!"
Li Chaiyuan: "Well, I admit it, but you also have utilitarianism, and the person who taught you is not worthy of your secret for him."
At the beginning, Li Zhuiyuan suspected that Old Man Park had done something bad and encountered retaliation from the other party.
When Xin Jiyue first appeared, it confirmed the boy's conjecture, but after contacting and questioning, Li Zhuiyuan keenly discovered that Xin Jiyue was not the kind of Xuanmen knight who held traditional simple values of justice.
It is not that people in the Xuanmen cannot take action against ordinary people, but they often find a reason to avoid the taboos of the heavenly way.
Xin Jiyue met the resentful soul and then took revenge on the old man Park, which made sense; With the help of Old Man Park's descendants, the method was a little too extreme, resulting in a joint sitting...... It's not incomprehensible.
But on this cloth, there are many red dots, which means that she did not rise spontaneously, she really regarded herself as a judge of the Xuanmen, doing extraordinary things with the rules of non-ordinary people.
It's not like a tendon, but it's like doing this as a career, if you do too much, cause and effect will naturally backfire, and karma will fall on you.
Xin Jiyue: "I only know that after I was expelled from the temple, he took me in and was willing to give me a chance to start over, I can't ......"
Li Chaiyuan: "Since you think he is right, why do you need to keep it secret?"
Xin Jiyue: "I ......"
Li Chaiyuan: "Actually, you know what you are doing in your heart, and you can also feel that there is a problem with the method he taught you.
Xin Jiyue: "That's right."
Li Zhuiyuan: "I said that there was a misunderstanding between me and you, if you had stood there and waited for me to come over, this fight would not have started at all.
I can let you go, and I can ignore Old Man Park's affairs, but I am very curious about that person."
Karma is a thing that others are afraid of avoiding, and there are actually people who take the initiative to collect it.
Xin Jiyue showed hesitation.
Li Chase was in her ear and snapped his fingers gently.
Xin Jiyue's eyes were blank, and she spoke: "I haven't seen his true face, but after this piece of cloth is collected, I will hand it over to Qiuzhuang."
"Qiu Zhuang, where is it?"
"Zhoushan, heartless island."
After answering, Xin Jiyue asked in surprise: "I just ...... What did you say?"
Li Chaiyuan: "You didn't say anything, your mouth is very hard."
The young man waved his hand.
Runsheng loosened the shackles on the woman.
Xin Jiyue covered her chest and got up with some doubts.
Li Chaiyuan threw the bandeau back to her, Xin Jiyue caught it and asked: "Do you want to let me go?"
"If you don't eat, you can stay and eat."
"That dog thing surnamed Park......"
"Let's go yours."
Xin Jiyue didn't dare to say anything more, put away the bandeau and left in a hurry, and it was the kind of one who turned back three times in one step.
Yin Meng asked: "Brother Xiaoyuan, is it a wave?"
If it was a wave, it would be too early, and she had just read the latest "Code of Conduct for Walking the River", Brother Xiaoyuan wrote on it: Jiang Shui should not engage in any surprise attacks in the future.
Li Chaiyuan: "It's hard to say, but it's also possible."
Zhoushan, Wuxin Island, Qiuzhuang.
There is no contradiction between the river no longer engaging in surprise attacks and the river giving you waves in advance.
If it wants to push itself to solve the problem, it is understandable to take the initiative to give itself the clues early and then give yourself enough time to prepare.
But this kind of "preferential treatment" comes at a price, and the more this happens, the more difficult it will be.
"Let's go, let's go back."
The funeral of Lao Pu's family is still ongoing.
After the meal, the members of the original Baishi Band put on their Taoist robes and began to hold the ceremony, while Li Sanjiang walked at the front with a peach wood sword, like an experienced team leader.
The scene was very noisy and lively, Xiong Shanrunsheng and the others were also called by Li Sanjiang to beat gongs and drums, and the soundtrack was also playing on the stereo.
The song is very rich in elements, including crying and mourning, chanting, accompanied by accompaniment, and even the audience from the sidelines, with men talking and children laughing and screaming.
Obviously, there are no condolences here at Lao Pu's house, and the villagers are not very interested in the afternoon ritual after watching the performance in the morning, but they also create a feeling of "like a city".
Li Chaiyuan placed a wooden fish in front of him, tapping according to the rhythm, and the grandfather also placed the "Secret Art in the Room" without a cover in front of him, signaling him to move his mouth and recite it casually.
This is the lightest job arranged by the grandfather.
Li Chaiyuan was thinking about Xin Jiyue while knocking on the wooden fish, and then, he slipped away.
went to the canteen at the entrance of the village, picked up the phone, and called Tan Wenbin.
After a while, Tan Wenbin returned the phone.
"Brother Xiaoyuan, I'll be back tomorrow!"
"You go to Zhoushan, the key clues: Wuxin Island, Qiuzhuang. The 'Qiu' with the surname, the estate of the manor, let's see if we can investigate anything."
"Okay, I'll go tonight."
"Don't worry, let's go tomorrow, and accompany your parents and Zhou Yunyun again."
"Okay, I understand."
After hanging up the phone, Li Chaiyuan returned to the funeral venue and continued to knock on the wooden fish.
He followed the instructions of his grandfather, knocked on and read casually, not serious at all, first, the old man Park was not worthy of giving him liberation, and secondly, the old thing couldn't stand it.
The young man didn't want to end work in time, because he made strange movements because of himself.
As for saying that he sent Tan Wenbin to investigate alone first, it was also carefully considered.
If Qiu Zhuang is really a wave, then giving it to himself so early means that Jiang Shui will give preferential treatment and attention, then the risk factor of Tan Wenbin's trip will not be high.
If Qiu Zhuang is not a wave, but just an ordinary causal contact after walking the river, then Tan Wenbin will not be in any great danger.
In the new stage of Jiangxin, there will naturally be new countermeasures, and before letting go, he will not let his men go to explore the road alone.
At this time, a taxi drove over on the village road.
In the car sat Park Heung-sung, his wife and daughter Park Mina.
They are only coming back now, and they must not go to the town health center, but to the city hospital.
Park Mina's front teeth are leaking, her face is bandaged with gauze, and the most feared thing for children at this age is that their faces are broken, because this is likely to leave scars for a lifetime.
But her wrestling really has nothing to do with Li Chaiyuan, if the young man is really angry and wants to take action, then she and her family will only be countless times worse.
Li Zhuiyuan could read lips, and even through the car window and the distance, he could still discern what they were saying.
Park Mina was crying and cursing herself. Her mother, beside her, joined in the curses, alternating between Mandarin, Nantong dialect, and Shanghainese. Her vocabulary was quite rich.
Even though they had clearly seen the girl fall, her family had already pinned the blame on him.
Park Heung-seong sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed on himself as he sat in the tent, beating a wooden fish.
The taxi stopped, and as he paid the fare, Park Heung-seong turned to his wife and daughter in the back seat and said, "Mina, watch how Daddy will help you deal with him!"
After getting out, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a drag, and checked the glow of the butt.
Then he quickly walked toward the courtyard.
Li Zhuiyuan was sitting at the outermost edge of the courtyard, where everyone else was busy with the funeral procedures.
However, upon noticing Park Heung-sung's return, Runsheng, Xiong Shan, and the others prepared to drop their work and approach.
While they knew ordinary people posed no threat to the teenager, it was their responsibility to ward off any threat.
Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand, signaling them not to approach, and they stopped.
The teenager continued to sit there, casually tapping the wooden fish and chanting.
He knew that Park Heung-sung was protecting the lit cigarette with his hand, and when he passed by, he would deliberately burn him with it—well, probably his face.
Afterwards, he would probably use the excuse of accidentally dropping the cigarette butt, quickly apologize, and offer to pay compensation.
It was a difficult move to understand, yet it fit his personality: cowardly, sinister, mean, and pretentious.
After his last encounter with Yu Miaomiao, Li Zhuiyuan shifted his focus and began analyzing the fool's logic.
Park Heung-sung entered the tent, his pace quickening. He raised his left hand, greeted Li Sanjiang, and enthusiastically exclaimed, "Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Li! You've worked so hard!"
Then, as he passed the boy, he pressed the lit cigarette in his right hand against his face.
But the expected scream didn't come. He had already passed. Raising his hand, he saw the cigarette gone. Had he dropped it?
Just then, Li Sanjiang came over to hand over to Park Heung-sung. The funeral troupe was almost finished, and they were packing up to leave.
Park Mina had been filled with anticipation, but seeing the boy act as if nothing had happened, she burst into tears again.
Her mother, comforting her daughter, was about to help herself, picking up a stone when she saw Lihua, who had already cleared the dishes, walk over and stare at her.
Lihua had one hand, a ferocious, withered, and withered one, a prosthetic hand woven from straw.
Li Zhuiyuan spread his palm, and a stubbed-out cigarette fell to the ground. Just now, he had condensed a piece of ceramic from a blood mist and used it to pick up the cigarette.
He wasn't angry. He had seen many ups and downs, and he couldn't get angry at such people. They weren't worthy of it.
Li Zhuiyuan diligently struck the wooden fish, chanting the Heart Sutra.
Though there was no wind, the candles on the altar in the funeral hall suddenly began to shake violently.
Inside the icy coffin, Old Pu's body twitched continuously.
Old Pu had already been restrained by Xin Jiyue, preventing him from passing away. Li Zhuiyuan's salvation had inflicted even greater suffering on the already suffocated old man. After his burial, the repercussions on his descendants would be even more swift and terrifying.
But this had nothing to do with Li Zhuiyuan. He hadn't imposed the restraint. He hadn't blamed them for wanting to burn him, and instead of blaming them, he had actively struck the wooden fish and chanted the sutra. He was repaying evil with kindness.
Old Pu was buried.
The grave site chosen by the grandfather wasn't exactly auspicious, but it wasn't bad either.
But as soon as the body was buried, black water began to bubble up from below.
Fortunately, Park Heung-sung brought his wife and children with him. Although they were in mourning, they didn't feel particularly close to their father and knelt relatively far away.
Li Sanjiang hurriedly ordered Runsheng and Xiong Shan to fill the grave quickly, muttering to himself: Damn it, how many sins he committed in his lifetime, I'm afraid they'll all be punished by his descendants in the end.
The funeral band finished their work first, but because Li Sanjiang, acting as the middleman, had settled the debt quickly, they didn't rush to leave. Instead, they packed up their belongings and helped dismantle the shed and move things.
Soon, everyone packed up and left together.
Except for the cigarette butt incident, there were always people standing by Li Zhuiyuan. Park Heung-sung cast him resentful glances several times, but he didn't dare to confront him directly. After all, there were more people here, and they were strong and didn't seem like easy targets. He was timid.
On the way back, Li Sanjiang once again placed Xiao Yuanhou in the front of the car.
Grandpa was in a good mood, so he simply paid everyone this month's wages in advance.
The pay wasn't much, because when they applied for the job, they'd all been trying to undercut each other, hoping to get them to work just for a meal.
However, Li Sanjiang would give them red envelopes during festivals to compensate them for the market price.
After receiving the money, Xiong Shan and Lihua spat on their fingertips and carefully counted it.
Of course, they looked down on this small amount, but seeing Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu carefully counting their wages, they followed suit.
At first, they didn't think much of it, simply seeking refuge with the Dragon King for their son's future.
But as the work progressed, the couple noticed something unusual. First, the corpse poison in Xiong Shan's body gradually subsided and never flared up again.
Lihua, who had given birth while traveling along the river, had been left with a hidden illness that would have plagued her for the rest of her life, despite medical help. However, she had miraculously recovered during this period.
The two of them gradually understood why the almighty Dragon King family was staying here, and why two of their family members, one helping with cooking and the other with farming.
Damn, this place is truly blessed!
It was already dusk when they returned home. Aunt Liu had prepared dinner, and they all ate together.
After dinner, Li Sanjiang went for his usual walk. Li Zhuiyuan wanted to join him, but he refused.
However, after Grandpa left, Cuicui arrived with her homework. She said Grandpa Li had gone to her house to talk to her grandmother about a dream.
The family was clearly "full of talented people," yet Grandpa took the initiative to seek outside help.
Li Zhuiyuan asked Ah Li to help Cuicui with her homework. He then returned to his room, opened his wordless book, and worked on the day's deductions.
In the painting inside the wordless book, the "Evil Book" had turned to dry bones, sitting there motionless.
It looked like it was about to die, yet it couldn't quite die.
As he left the room, he happened to see Ah-Li holding a pen, writing down the answers to Cuicui's questions, then putting them down.
Cuicui stared at the answers for a long moment, then smiled and said, "Ah, so that's how it is."
Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Cuicui's homework was a math Olympiad, and the questions were quite difficult, suggesting she was preparing for a competition.
After finishing her homework and getting late, Cuicui prepared to go home.
Li Zhuiyuan took Ah-Li's hand and walked Cuicui home.
Cuicui always enjoyed the feeling of trudging along the country roads with her friends. Like a butterfly, she twirled happily. She said she wanted to study hard like her brother Yuanhou, participate in competitions, strive to skip a grade, and get into a good university.
After sending Cuicui back to her home on the dam, Li Zhuiyuan's ears quivered as he overheard a conversation between Liu Jinxia and his grandfather in the inner room.
The conversation must have been drawing to a close, as both were extremely emotional.
Liu Jinxia: "I told you, I don't understand what the heck you did with your luck-changing formation. But I think if you want to solve this problem, just redraw it and reverse it.
Marquis Sanjiang, you're old and can't handle this kind of trouble. Besides, my son is still young, so it's fine."
Li Sanjiang: "I told you, this method won't work. My son is in college and doing an internship now, and he's doing so well. How can I possibly go back and tinker with this stuff again?"
Liu Jinxia: "Those things you tinkered with back then probably wouldn't be of much use."
Li Sanjiang: "What if they were? I can't take any chances with my son. I could be buried in a coffin at any moment. My life is worthless, and I can't let it affect my son."
Clearly, the grandfather knew his dream was related to the luck-changing ritual he had set up.
Because it was after he set up the formation that he started having those dreams.
The original purpose of setting up this formation was because both Li Sanjiang and Liu Jinxia noticed that after the incident with the little yellow warbler, Little Yuanhou had become more susceptible to seeing and attracting evil spirits. Li Sanjiang wanted to redirect these calamities onto himself, allowing his great-grandson to return to a normal life.
"Well, I can't help you. I've tried all the methods I suggested before, but they haven't worked."
"Forget it, then. You've worked so hard."
Li Sanjiang sighed and stood up to leave. When he saw Li Zhuiyuan on the dam, he smiled again:
"Blind Liu, I'm leaving now. My Little Yuanhou is here to take me home!"
Back home, Li Sanjiang showered. Tired after a busy day, he went to bed early.
Li Zhuiyuan sat on the terrace until late at night.
Finally, the snoring in Grandpa's room subsided, and his breathing became more rapid.
Li Zhuiyuan stood up, opened the door, and walked in.
Lying in bed, the old man's hands were stretched straight up, his legs kicking against the bed, and sweat was pouring down his body.
The old man said, "This dream has been happening every now and then, but it happened last night and it happened tonight too. Either he's lying, or things are getting more serious."
Although he's still strong and can handle it now, if this dream persists, even the strongest person won't be able to withstand it.
If he were to travel the river again and be away for so long like last time, what would he do about the family situation?
Admittedly, the presence of Old Lady Liu and Aunt Liu would be of great help, but Li Zhuiyuan knew he was the one involved in this matter.
There was no time to delay. He had to resolve this matter before his next river trip. At the very least, he had to significantly reduce the frequency of his dreams.
The first thing he had to do was enter the old man's dream.
But forcing his way in would cause him mental damage.
Li Zhuiyuan quickly came up with a new plan. When the old lady with the cat face came to his house, a zombie emerged from his grandfather's dream and engaged in a virtual battle with her.
Since the zombies could emerge then, he could find a way in by simulating the key elements of that situation.
However, the old lady with the cat face was a dead corpse, so he now had to find an evil spirit to trigger it.
If Tan Wenbin were here, his two godsons could be used as child laborers.
Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the house and went to the bearded man's house. He knocked on the window of the west bedroom on the first floor.
Soon, a cold face appeared from behind the window.
Li Zhuiyuan pointed outside.
Soon, the door opened, and Xiao Yingying emerged. She was wearing white pajamas, her black hair cascading over her shoulders.
"Come with me, I'll help you."
Xiao Yingying returned to the house, carried Benben out, and went upstairs. She placed the child at the door of the second-floor bedroom before returning downstairs.
Li Zhuiyuan then realized that Xiong Shan and his wife had even let their son sleep with Xiao Yingying at night. They truly treated the dead as a babysitter.
In the second-floor bedroom.
Lihua gently nudged her husband: "I hear footsteps. It's Brother Xiaoyuan coming. Should we go down and check?"
Xiong Shan shook his head: "Since he didn't call us, we'll just pretend we don't know. Go get our son in. He's at the door."
Lihua: "No, she'll come up when she comes back and take him back to bed. It'll save us the trouble."
Li Zhuiyuan brought Xiao Yingying home.
Li Zhuiyuan woke Runsheng, who was fast asleep in his coffin.
"Xiaoyuan, what's wrong?"
"Brother Runsheng, go to the west room now. No matter what happens next, neither of you should come out."
"Okay."
Runsheng left the coffin and went to the west room without asking why.
He had to warn his companions first; they might actually resort to forceful action out of concern for his safety. The old lady knew the importance of the situation and wouldn't interfere.
Li Zhuiyuan walked over to Xiao Yingying and said, "Begin. Reveal your true form and release your deathly aura."
Xiao Yingying raised her head. Her black hair began to grow damp, dripping with water. Her originally pale skin gradually turned pale, and her aura shifted from cool to chilly.
At that moment, she seemed to have transformed back into the little yellow bird that walked underwater.
However, Li Zhuiyuan also noticed that she had become even more adept at controlling her deathly aura.
It seemed that this year, relying on the power of the one under the peach tree, she had benefited greatly from existing in the world as a "human." "Sing, make it 'lively.'"
The old lady with the cat face had already made things lively that night.
Little Yellow Oriole began to sing. Her voice was melodious and clear. Her singing wasn't standard, but it had a unique flavor all her own.
To further emulate the feeling of that night, Li Zhuiyuan glanced at the numerous paper figurines stored on the first floor.
The young man formed hand seals and performed the puppetry of the Nuo opera.
Paper figurines weren't corpses, making them easier to control, but they also lacked combat power. For now, they were simply there to provide a "human presence."
Soon, all the paper figurines came to life, some moving tables and chairs, some playfully shoving their way forward.
Back then, the old lady with the cat face had hosted a birthday party here; today, Li Zhuiyuan was hosting Little Yellow Oriole's fan club.
East Room.
A-Li was already asleep.
Liu Yumei was old and a light sleeper, so she was used to chatting with the memorial tablets before falling asleep.
The old lady tilted her head, glanced out the window, and muttered to herself, "What is Xiaoyuan doing?"
Then, as if struck by a thought, she turned to look at Ah Li, who was fast asleep in the bed.
"Ah..." the old lady smiled, taking a sip of her tea. "Go have some fun, go have some fun. You young people really know how to have fun."
...
After the scene was almost complete, Li Zhuiyuan manipulated a paper figurine holding a paper flower onto the stage to present it to the little yellow oriole, who then received a hug.
After the hug, the paper figurine's color darkened, imbued with the aura of death.
Li Zhuiyuan began his Yin-walking technique.
Just as the young man was about to manipulate the paper figurine upstairs to the grandfather's room, he turned and saw Ah Li standing at the doorway, also in the Yin-walking technique.
That night, Ah Li was there, and tonight, Ah Li was here too.
Li Zhuiyuan didn't specifically knock on the east room's door to call for help. They had a tacit understanding, and he knew the girl would come out.
The young man walked over and took the girl's hand.
The paper figurine began to ascend the stairs, with Li Zhuiyuan and A'li following behind.
On the second floor, the paper figurine pushed open the door to the old man's room and approached the bed.
As if influenced by the energy in reality, the old man's body began to perspire more, and his dreams became more intense and realistic.
The paper figurine reached out and grasped the old man's wrist.
Instantly, Li Zhuiyuan discovered that his own "dream" had merged with the old man's own, and a gap appeared before him.
Li Zhuiyuan glanced at the girl beside him, who nodded.
The next moment, Li Zhuiyuan and A'li stepped into the gap together.
The surroundings suddenly shifted dramatically, and Li Zhuiyuan successfully and peacefully entered the old man's dream.
Red palace walls, majestic gates, white steps, a wide square.
This was the Forbidden City. He was familiar with it because, as a child, Li Lan worked here for a while, and she would bring him here.
Back then, the Forbidden City's access was lax, and many palaces could be entered for a close-up look. Unlike today, with the increasing number of tourists, most palace entrances are now barricaded with fences.
But when Li Zhuiyuan's gaze shifted downward, he noticed a ginger cat lazily crouching in a corner.
The ginger cat also noticed Li Zhuiyuan. It slowly stood up and walked towards the young man with graceful steps. Once it reached him, it affectionately rubbed its face against his calf.
Clearly, it knew the young man.
Li Zhuiyuan recognized him, too.
Back then, he would sit here many afternoons, holding the cat in his arms, stroking its fur while watching the tourists passing through the palace gates ahead.
Li Zhuiyuan bent down, picked up the orange cat, and stared at it.
"Why are you in my great-grandfather's dream?"
The orange cat yawned and licked its lips.
At that moment, Li Zhuiyuan understood.
"No, it was my great-grandfather, in my dream!"
(End of this chapter)