Chapter 129

Do you dare to come down?

Old Man Tian thought to himself: Pfft, so what if you're up there? What does that have to do with my young master coming down?

But the next moment, Old Man Tian's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

On the river,

Walking the river?

The old man stumbled, retreating continuously, but remembering that the group of youths was right behind him, he hurriedly tapped his toes on the ground and performed a smooth, stationary spin.

Only after facing the other party did he feel relieved enough to continue stumbling backward.

With a "thud," his lower leg hit the steps, and he landed on his backside.

The old man's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape, his expression trembling, and blood even began to seep unconsciously from the wrists he had just bandaged.

Aside from a loyal heart, Old Man Tian was a bit slow in other respects, but no matter how slow he was, he understood the meaning and weight of the term "walking the river" in the world of the jianghu.

In ordinary sects and families, once disciples reach a certain age, they leave home and the sect; some call it traveling the mortal world, some call it undergoing trials in the secular world, some call it watching the clouds and listening to the waves, and others simply refer to it as training, wandering, or walking.

In many historical records, such as the Yin family genealogy, the stories of every generation of Yin family members traveling away from home are recorded, but never once have the words "walking the river" appeared.

Strictly speaking, only a descendant of the Long Wang family can call it "walking the river" after lighting the lamp.

Because their predecessors have walked this river many times, and there is a high probability that many "old friends" and "familiar faces" from those years remain along the way, so it is not called adventuring or pioneering, but simply re-walking the path of their ancestors, achieving self-actualization while declaring to the rivers, lakes, and seas that their lineage still exists, and that the rules should continue to be followed.

The Zhao family of Jiujiang produced a Long Wang during the Qing Dynasty, but they never truly broke through that level of status, and the jianghu does not recognize them as the Long Wang Zhao; their own family members call it "walking the river" internally, but if one were to be pedantic... it is indeed a case of gilding their own lily.

After all, your ancestors only produced one Long Wang, and it was so many years ago; what "friends and acquaintances" are there for you to visit?

The loyal old servant was shallow-sighted; his young master had been probing for a whole day, yet only now did he recognize the potential identity behind the group of youths before him.

"Long... Long Wang family?"

It was fortunate that no fight broke out when roasting sweet potatoes by the river; if they had truly torn off the mask, the family wouldn't have been able to protect them in the end.

On the eaves, Zhao Yi, having received a definitive answer, became calm instead.

The Yellow River shovel was proof of identity, and the Official General Head was a variable that could be accepted, but to put it bluntly, these were secondary; the most important thing was that Zhao Yi had discovered step by step that the youth before him was not only younger than himself but also more terrifying.

As the family's designated candidate for walking the river, seeing such a person, one could only think of him in the highest regard and ranking.

"Your Excellency, to be walking the river at such a young age, you truly couldn't wait."

Seeing the other party evade his previous question, Li Zhuiyuan lost interest in him and did not answer.

His second lamp was self-ignited.

Before he officially decided to walk this river, the river water had already submerged his ankles.

Seeing that the other party ignored him, Zhao Yi did not feel disappointed; he lowered his head and shouted downward: "Grandpa Tian, please throw a dagger up here."

Old Man Tian's mind was a bit dazed at this moment, but since it was his young master's request, he threw the dagger up without a second thought.

After throwing it, he realized what had happened and hurriedly asked: "Young Master, what are you doing?"

Zhao Yi grabbed the dagger with his right hand and tore off the cloth strip on his forehead with his left.

It was the other party he had repeatedly probed; now that the other party had given a clear answer and a counter-question, it was as if he had forced himself into a corner.

I am on the river, do you dare to come down?

This was not a simple inquiry; if he avoided it, talked around it, or even answered without enough volume or confidence, then he would have already lost before even walking the river.

Without that spirit and that confidence, what's the point of walking the river or becoming a Long Wang?

Zhao Yi smiled, and while maintaining the smile, he stabbed the dagger into the center of his forehead and began to dig!

Fresh blood flowed continuously, following the bridge of his nose down to the corners of his lips, to his chin, and finally dripped down, landing on Old Man Tian below.

Old Man Tian looked up in disbelief and shouted: "Young Master, no! Young Master, you mustn't!"

Li Zhuiyuan raised his head again and looked at Zhao Yi once more.

Zhao Yi's face was covered in blood, weighing a piece of flesh in his hand, with a large, pitch-black, deep wound in the center of his forehead that was still bleeding.

He stood up straight and very casually discarded that piece of flesh, which symbolized the special and extraordinary "seam of the gate of life and death."

With it, he was a genius.

He had to heal it to walk the river; otherwise, he couldn't even walk steadily.

But without it, he could walk, and he could also take a look at this river.

Zhao Yi leaped forward, his body bending in mid-air, springing again before landing, his form relaxed, unloading the force easily, and landing steadily.

He spread his arms and let out a soft moan:

"Ouch, that feels good."

Without that damn thing, his body's perception had also recovered.

"Young Master, oh Young Master, Young Master, you are foolish, so foolish."

Old Man Tian crawled to Zhao Yi's feet, hugged his young master's legs, and wept bitterly.

The two were master and servant in name, but more like family; seeing his young master destroy his own destiny and future, Old Man Tian was truly heartbroken.

Zhao Yi patted Old Man Tian's shoulder: "Alright, alright, Grandpa Tian, now neither of us is smart, it's quite good, a perfect match."

After simply comforting Old Man Tian, Zhao Yi looked at Li Zhuiyuan, tilted his head slightly, and smiled:

"You just asked me if I dared to come down?

Actually, this river wasn't something I had to walk, but since you are already on the river, I really have to come up and join in the fun.

No other meaning, just afraid you'd feel lonely and bored.

In other words, if you weren't on this river, I wouldn't even care to make this trip!"

The weak shrink back when frustrated, while the strong grow stronger when meeting the strong.

Zhao Yi knew that he would definitely collide with the youth before him in the future; they would certainly meet again, possibly cooperate, possibly unite, possibly guard against each other, but in the end, they would inevitably decide a winner, perhaps even... life and death.

In ordinary families and sects, if they can't walk any further, they turn back and admit defeat.

But for those dedicated to the Long Wang lineage, losing is harder to accept than death.

Those old-school Long Wang families can recognize many blood feuds from each other's ancestral tablets.

Walking the river is a bloody arena; either submit or die, only one king can stand and walk out.

Li Zhuiyuan did not speak.

Zhao Yi said with dissatisfaction: "Hey, Your Excellency, give me some face. I finally got the atmosphere heated up and got myself all fired up; you could at least play along."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and said: "After you light the lamp and officially walk the river, if we meet again and the conditions are right, I will seriously consider how to kill you."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Tian's eyes widened; was this a direct death threat?

Zhao Yi, however, was full of emotion.

Sometimes, "seriously considering how to kill you," coming from a competitor one acknowledges, is the greatest recognition and praise.

Zhao Yi spread his arms, wanting to hug Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan took half a step back, refusing this slightly intimate gesture.

Zhao Yi withdrew his hands, only leaning his face toward Li Zhuiyuan, his lips trembling slightly; even at such close range, he used lip-reading and a mosquito-like voice, inaudible.

No one around could hear, but Zhao Yi knew the youth before him had excellent hearing.

Zhao Yi said: "Since you have already walked the river, it shows you are indeed a person, but I can tell, you have a monster hidden inside you; you are sick, aren't you?"

Li Zhuiyuan remained silent.

Zhao Yi continued: "I will go back and study a method to see how to completely trigger your illness. I don't need to pursue killing you; I just need to help you tear off the human skin you're wearing.

That way, even if you win in the end, you will be the one who lost most thoroughly."

In the eyes with which Li Zhuiyuan looked at Zhao Yi, brilliance finally emerged.

This young master of the Zhao family truly made him feel interested.

Zhao Yi withdrew his neck with satisfaction and waved his hand:

"The river is vast, with a hundred boats racing; no matter how many times we meet in the future, the last time will be either at your grave or mine. Don't offer wine; I don't like that, offer a cup of tea; I love drinking Biluochun."

Tan Wenbin immediately took out a pen and notebook from his clothes, writing while reciting: "Noted, Young Master Zhao of Jiujiang loves Biluochun; prepare it before visiting his grave in the future."

Seeing this, Zhao Yi immediately turned his head to look at Old Man Tian, who was still hugging his thigh and shedding tears.

Old Man Tian wiped his tears and snot, looking blank.

Zhao Yi sighed helplessly; it seemed that before he lit the lamp to walk the river, he had to carefully select attendants for his Long Wang path. As for Grandpa Tian, should he bring him along?

But he couldn't lose his composure; if his subordinates weren't up to the task, he had to ask himself: "Your Excellency, what about you? What should I offer when I sweep your grave in the future?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Jianlibao."

Zhao Yi was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Good, you know your stuff."

After saying this, Zhao Yi pulled Old Man Tian up, ready to leave.

Li Zhuiyuan said: "Wait."

"Huh?" Zhao Yi turned back, "Don't tell me you want to do it now? We came here under the banner of acting on behalf of Heaven; I'm not afraid of death, but I'm worried that if you kill me now, it won't be good for your river-walking."

Li Zhuiyuan: "The Shi Zhuozhao is gone, but there are still lonely elderly people and orphans in the front yard."

Zhao Yi countered: "So what? Did this family adopt them to provide for their old age and raise them to adulthood?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "A person can die in obscurity, but a matter cannot end without a conclusion."

Mainly, if this matter isn't settled clearly and this karma isn't dealt with, who knows what trouble might spread later.

Zhao Yi hadn't walked the river, so his perception of this wasn't deep enough.

Of course, Li Zhuiyuan felt that even if Zhao Yi had walked the river, it would be hard for him to reach his level of depth.

Zhao Yi: "Your Excellency means."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Your family should fund a nursing home and an orphanage here, and donate some money to take over this matter."

"Why should I?"

"The Shi Zhuozhao is also surnamed Zhao."

"We split up long ago; there are many people with the same surname in the world, must we all be held responsible?"

"Didn't you just go visiting relatives?"

Zhao Yi: "..."

"Will you take it or not?"

"Fine, the mess here, my Jiujiang Zhao will take over. Anything else?"

"Nothing else, you can go." Li Zhuiyuan then looked at Runsheng: "Array flags."

Runsheng took the array flags out of the hiking bag.

Seeing these array flags made of metal rods, Zhao Yi said with great dissatisfaction: "When I was carving with firewood this afternoon, why didn't you tell me you had ready-made array flags in your bag?"

During the time before dark, Zhao Yi had ordered Old Man Tian to buy several bundles of firewood from nearby farmers; Old Man Tian chopped wood from far away, while he, Zhao Yi, sat in front of Li Zhuiyuan carving.

The dragon-head piles still burning outside were carved by him one knife at a time, and the dozen or so wooden sticks inserted into the ground to surround them were also whittled by him alone.

After finally finishing the rush job, his hands were so tired they were almost cramping.

But now he was told that he didn't need to make them on-site at all, as they carried such equipment, and the quality was even better.

Li Zhuiyuan: "I saw you were quite pleased with your carving, so I didn't have the heart to spoil your fun."

Zhao Yi: "Heh... hehe."

Li Zhuiyuan inserted the small array flags into the cracks in the ground, from the northwest corner to the southeast, and the last one in his hand was inserted in the very center.

Old Man Tian looked around suspiciously; it didn't seem like anything had changed.

Zhao Yi's fingers began to pinch; he confirmed that this was a very simple yet very special formation, and its special feature was that it was excessively simple.

Tan Wenbin reopened the cigarette case, pulled out a cigarette, bit it in his mouth.

He had seen this formation; it was hard on Brother Yuanzi, always having to convert profound things into simple graffiti so he could memorize them.

Taking out a lighter, he lit the cigarette, Binbin took a deep breath, then held the cigarette in his hand, and flicked his thumb from bottom to top:

"Snap!"

The burning cigarette flew forward, and upon landing, it splashed faint sparks.

In an instant, the entire backyard appeared with various sparks, searching for everything nearby that could be ignited; the fire suddenly surged up.

The Shi Zhuozhao, and all traces including the Shi Zhuozhao, should be wiped away.

Zhao Yi's mouth opened, and he blurted out: "The fire will burn to..."

Halfway through the sentence, he stopped.

Because the fire did not spread outward, it was confined to the backyard.

Zhao Yi immediately realized and looked at Li Zhuiyuan: "You secretly modified the formation I modified?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "It was you who made changes based on the formation I had already modified."

This conversation seemed a bit convoluted, but it actually hid a contest.

Li Zhuiyuan would not rashly enter a formation controlled by others; he first modified the formation here, gaining the lead, but he left room for Zhao Yi, predicting his modification path, and letting him finish the job.

Zhao Yi, knowing he had been outdone again, gritted his teeth and pointed at Li Zhuiyuan: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Regret it?"

Zhao Yi shrugged: "This young master is even more excited, hehe."

The fire rose, and everyone left the backyard.

Once outside the wall, the firelight inside could no longer be seen, only occasionally could a few sparks be seen drifting out, quickly blackened by the deep night.

With the burning here, the coughing of the elderly and children in the front yard also eased significantly; the mentally disabled child's eyes gained a bit of liveliness, and the lonely elderly person's face added a touch of ruddiness.

By tomorrow morning, when the villagers woke up, they would see the backyard of the Old Zhao family burned to ashes, while the front yard remained completely undamaged.

Zhao Yi and Old Man Tian left.

Li Zhuiyuan and the others stayed in place for a while longer.

This was Lin Shu You's first time participating in a full-team mission, and the ending wasn't him being carried to the infirmary for emergency treatment.

Therefore, he had the heart to make a remark: "Knowing that doing these things will not be tolerated by the Heavenly Dao, why do it?"

Tan Wenbin reached out and patted A-You's head: "The law is right there; if everyone could know and follow the law, what would we need police for?"

Lin Shu You turned to look at Tan Wenbin: "Brother Bin, what you just said... feels very high-level."

Tan Wenbin had read the books and notes written by Brother Yuanzi, and combined with his own family background, he felt inspired:

"The Heavenly Dao is ethereal, but the law is something that can be written in books, set in stone, and seen and touched. Yet even so, it still can't stop people from being ignorant and fearless in breaking the law, knowing the law and breaking it, acting as umbrellas, and repeatedly testing the edges of the law; under the sun... under the Heavenly Dao, there is nothing new."

Li Zhuiyuan turned around, glanced at a slope in the distance, and then said: "Let's go, back to school."

On the distant slope, Zhao Yi was bandaging the wound on his forehead himself.

Old Man Tian could only hang his hands and sigh incessantly, like a sad kangaroo.

"I say, Grandpa Tian, even if you want to see the old bury the young, you don't have to rehearse so anxiously, right?"

"Pfft, pfft, pfft! Young Master, you have great fortune, don't say such unlucky things."

"Fortune won't help; you don't know how terrifying that person is."

"Then you still..."

"But being able to compete with such a person for the position of Long Wang is truly satisfying.

He has a better chance of winning, but it's not guaranteed.

In the notes of that Long Wang ancestor of my Zhao family, there were also records of admiration and praise for many outstanding people, but in that era, it was ultimately he who succeeded in walking the river.

There are many undercurrents beneath the river; no matter how many geniuses there are, they can't plug all those gaps."

"Young Master, you seem to have forgotten to ask which Long Wang family they belong to."

"It's not that I forgot to ask, it's that they deliberately didn't say. Which team calls each other 'little brother' and 'big brother' like that?"

"So that's how it is."

Zhao Yi touched the bandaged wound and clenched his fists:

"Let's go,

Go home and light the lamp!"

The first ray of morning sunlight spilled through the window into the dormitory, and Li Zhuiyuan woke up from his bed.

What surprised him a little was that Tan Wenbin was also awake.

Binbin had slept, but he probably hadn't slept soundly, it was intermittent.

At this moment, he was lying with his hands behind his head, a cigarette unlit in his mouth, looking at the dormitory ceiling.

"If you want to smoke, go ahead, I don't mind."

"Ah, Brother Xiaoyuan, you're awake?" Tan Wenbin took the cigarette out of his mouth, "Smoke what? I've quit."

"It's fine, just remember to ventilate after you're done."

Tan Wenbin was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Thanks, Brother Xiaoyuan."

Li Zhuiyuan got up to wash, then packed his schoolbag and put it on.

"I'm going to Grandma Liu's house."

"Alright, Brother Xiaoyuan."

"Zhou Yunyun is being discharged today, right?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Grandma Liu's place is also empty."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't rush to leave, but stood in place, looking at Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin felt a bit uncomfortable being watched and stood up silently: "Brother Xiaoyuan, I can adjust myself; with our relationship, you really don't need to make things difficult for yourself."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

However, he didn't say anything else and left the dormitory.

"Phew..."

Tan Wenbin let out a long sigh; it was rare for Brother Xiaoyuan to say so much to him early in the morning. He picked up a mirror to look at his face and muttered to himself:

"Are my feelings written all over my face? Tsk, still too young, face too tender."

Tan Wenbin leaned back on the bed, picked up the cigarette again, and lit it with a lighter.

Last night he had several dreams in a row, all of which were scenes of him killing Zhao Mengyao.

He didn't regret it; the Shi Zhuozhao family were simply beasts, and being torn to pieces wouldn't be enough; even dying once was too cheap for them.

But things that can be quickly reasoned through rationally have some lag emotionally.

Tan Wenbin suspected that Zhao Mengyao was just too stupid before she died, stupid enough to be impressive, indirectly affecting his mood; it really was stupid enough to get himself hurt.

"Creak..."

The dormitory door was opened, and Lin Shu You walked in.

"Brother Bin, why are you smoking in the dormitory?"

"Brother Xiaoyuan allowed it."

"Then I'll have one too." Lin Shu You walked over, pulled one out of the cigarette case, bit it in his mouth, lit it, took a puff, and then...

"Ugh... cough, cough, cough, cough!"

Tan Wenbin rolled his eyes helplessly, got up, took the cigarette from A-You's hand, and extinguished it along with the one in his own hand.

"Cigarettes aren't good things; if you don't know how to smoke, don't force yourself to learn."

"I just thought that night when you were holding a cigarette and said 'Sorry, I disturbed everyone,' it was really cool."

"If you pick this up just to look cool, you'll think your brain was flooded later."

"Brother Bin, how come you know so much?"

"My dad often says that about himself."

"Oh."

"But speaking of cool, I think if I had been holding a can of Jianlibao at that time, took a sip, and then burped, the scene would have been quite good too."

Lin Shu You thought about it carefully and nodded: "Indeed."

"Then you should drink drinks, it can also supplement sugar. No, why did you come so early?"

"I get up very early every day; when I saw Brother Xiaoyuan go out, I came in to read."

"Then you read, I'll lie down for a while longer."

"Brother Bin, you look very listless."

"I'm fine, just need to adjust."

"Is it because of those two on your shoulders..."

"They are very well-behaved, they've been sleeping the whole time, not noisy at all."

However, this also reminded Tan Wenbin.

Perhaps it really was because the two lamps on his shoulders were occupied by two ghost infants; even if they weren't noisy, they still caused his aura to weaken.

People with weak auras are often prone to low moods, getting stuck in a rut, internal friction, and not being interested in doing anything.

It seems he really should find something to do to cheer himself up and recover.

It used to be one person being happy, now it's dragging a whole family along; heh, he hadn't even properly touched his girlfriend's hand, and he was already bringing up two kids.

Lin Shu You: "Brother Bin, I'm quite curious, what kind of feeling is this exactly?"

Tan Wenbin: "General Zeng has two, right? Why don't you invite Him down and have Him lean on you, one on the left and one on the right, and you'll experience it?"

"I can't invite General Zeng yet."

"You've tried?"

"Tried. Before, when I went into a trance, I could still have a little response to General Zeng; I felt like it wouldn't take two years to succeed.

But now, when I go into a trance again, there's not a bit of response.

Perhaps it's because I'm not pious enough, and my heart for eliminating demons and defending the Dao has slackened."

"I actually think it's because They don't want to jump into this pit of fire you've made."

"Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' anymore, go read your book." Tan Wenbin took the basin out to wash, then went to the cafeteria to buy breakfast and came back to eat with Lin Shu You.

After breakfast, Tan Wenbin lay back on the bed, wanting to read a book, but found he couldn't get into it, feeling irritable.

Lin Shu You packed up his books and said: "Brother Bin, it's almost time, the first class this morning is Advanced Mathematics."

"You're going to class?"

"Last time we went out, I didn't get a leave slip and was called out; if I don't go again, I won't need to wait for the make-up exam next semester."

"Fine, I'll go to class with you. Hey, where did I put my Advanced Mathematics book?"

When Tan Wenbin walked into the classroom, many classmates took the initiative to greet him:

"Good morning, Monitor."

"Monitor, rare guest, rare guest."

"Monitor, you old man have come to class too?"

The last row was already occupied, but seeing Tan Wenbin come, everyone tacitly moved in, clearing a lucky spot for the monitor.

Lin Shu You sat in the second to last row, in front of Tan Wenbin.

The Advanced Mathematics teacher was an elderly male teacher whose voice sounded like a broadcaster with the playback speed slowed down three times.

As soon as he started lecturing, Tan Wenbin suddenly felt his eyelids starting to fight.

Hiss, here it comes, this is the feeling.

Tan Wenbin rested his head on his arm and fell asleep directly.

Several classmates in the back row saw this and called it a miracle; the monitor is worthy of being the monitor, truly not wasting a single minute of class time.

Lin Shu You only sat bolt upright, helping Tan Wenbin block the teacher's line of sight.

After the two Advanced Mathematics classes ended, they had to change classrooms for the third and fourth classes in the morning; Lin Shu You pushed Tan Wenbin, but couldn't push him, and seeing him sleeping so soundly, he had to stay and accompany him.

The classmates all left, and soon, the students for the next class came in, and they were from the Economics and Management Department.

Their class only had a few girls, and this class only had a few boys, so when a group of girls came in and saw two boys in the class, they all felt it was very strange.

Everyone kept peeking over here during class, making Lin Shu You blush.

After all, having practiced martial arts since childhood, his physique and temperament were excellent among ordinary people, and plus he was naturally shy before he opened his face.

Therefore, Lin Shu You was actually very popular with the opposite sex.

If things had developed normally, he might have already found a girlfriend.

But the problem is, who told him that since the start of military training, he had spent most of his time lying in a hospital bed recovering from injuries.

After class, several girls even walked over specifically, wanting to chat and get to know him.

"Ah~"

Tan Wenbin, who had slept all morning, felt refreshed, stretched his arms, and gave a big stretch.

Don't say, there really is an atmosphere for sleeping in the classroom; you really can't sleep this soundly anywhere else.

"Brother Bin, you're awake."

"It's fine, you continue."

Tan Wenbin combed his hair with his hand, got up and left; it was noon, he had to go to the hospital to handle Zhou Yunyun's discharge procedures.

Lin Shu You hurriedly followed him out.

"What are you coming out for? I'm going to the hospital."

"Brother Bin, I'll go with you."

"Aren't those few female classmates quite nice? But they look a bit unfamiliar; did they learn to dress up?"

"Brother, they aren't from our class."

"Oh, no wonder, I said why don't they look familiar. But that doesn't matter, none of them your type?"

"No."

"Then which type are you interested in?"

Lin Shu You recalled the one he had just been interested in, which had died in the womb, and immediately shivered.

"Brother Bin, I think I'm still young, it's too early to consider this."

"Fine, whatever you say."

Tan Wenbin took Lin Shu You to the hospital; he first sent Lin Shu You to ask when the discharge procedures could be handled, then went into the ward alone.

When he came in, Tan Wenbin spread his arms and said exaggeratedly: "Aha, guess who's here to see you!"

Then, Tan Wenbin saw Zhou Yunyun sitting on the hospital bed, and Zheng Fang was also sitting by the bed.

Tan Wenbin: "Aha, so it's my dear Mommy!"

Binbin stepped forward and gave his mother, Zheng Fang, an affectionate hug.

Zhou Yunyun lowered her head, her cheeks flushed.

"Mom, why are you here?"

"Good, you father and son both deliberately hid it from me; it wasn't until I specifically went to Yunyun's school to find her that I knew Yunyun had an accident and was hospitalized."

"Wasn't that just to avoid worrying you?"

"You brat, where have you been running these past few days, not coming to the hospital to take care of Yunyun?"

"Tutor's task."

He couldn't say that he had taken time off these past few days to go and shovel the murderer who harmed Yunyun to death.

Lin Shu You walked in at this time: "Brother Bin, I asked, the discharge procedures can be handled now, shall we? Huh, Auntie, are you... Zhou Yunyun's mother?"

Zheng Fang nodded, smiling without a word.

Tan Wenbin corrected: "It's my mom."

Lin Shu You's mind didn't turn around for a moment, and he said: "Huh, progress so fast, already recognizing a mom?"

Zheng Fang laughed out loud and said: "Alright, go handle the discharge procedures for Yunyun, and call a car; Yunyun will go to my place to recuperate for a few days before returning to school, I've already discussed it with Yunyun."

Zhou Yunyun looked at Tan Wenbin and explained: "Auntie is too enthusiastic, I..."

Tan Wenbin: "Mom, you'll be overworked like this, I think it's better..."

"Yunyun's parents are in Nantong, and I'm here, what's wrong with helping to take care of her? Besides, I'm willing to be overworked." As she said this, Zheng Fang looked at Zhou Yunyun, "Girl, remember that I'm taking care of you today; in the future, when I'm old and sick, you have to serve me, don't find me troublesome."

Zhou Yunyun blushed again and lowered her head.

Tan Wenbin: "Mom, what are you saying? Don't you have me, your son?"

Zheng Fang: "I don't believe you."

After handling the discharge procedures, Zhou Yunyun was taken to Zheng Fang's home.

Zheng Fang cooked, and Tan Wenbin and Lin Shu You also stayed to eat.

After the meal, Zheng Fang called Tan Wenbin out alone: "Mom asked the doctor, Yunyun's body has no problems, she was poisoned, but fortunately, no sequelae were left."

"Yeah, I know."

"Don't have any knots in your heart, don't dislike her."

"Huh?"

"She was hospitalized, and you just had to go run some tutor project; this set of excuses might fool Yunyun, but it can't fool your mom. Binbin, we can't be that Chen Shimei."

It took Tan Wenbin quite a long time to finally straighten out his mother's train of thought; presumably, his mother assumed that he and Zhou Yunyun had been together since high school, but deliberately hid it from the family, and both chose Jin Ling for university.

As a result, when he saw her poisoned, he left her in the hospital and ignored her.

"Alright, Mom, we still have class this afternoon, so we'll head back to school first. A-You!"

"Coming, Brother Bin."

Tan Wenbin wrapped his arm around Lin Shu You's neck and carried him down the stairs.

"Brother Bin, let go, it hurts, hurts, hurts!"

"I told you to eavesdrop, I told you to eavesdrop!"

The two of them made a scene until they were outside the residential area before separating and hailing a taxi back to school.

In the car, Lin Shu You asked curiously: "Brother Bin, there's no class this afternoon."

"According to the plan, Brother Xiaoyuan will help me settle these two children this afternoon."

Lin Shu You: "Really looking forward to it."

Tan Wenbin nodded and turned to look at the street scene outside the car window: "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it too."

In the morning, when Li Zhuiyuan arrived at Grandma Liu's door, he stopped and stood outside for a while.

He was thawing himself out.

Every time he went out and returned here, he seemed to hear the crisp sound of himself melting in his ears.

Before, this feeling existed, but it was nowhere near as stark a contrast as it was now.

Looking on the bright side, being able to freeze more also meant he could melt better; with cold and heat, there are distinct seasons.

Earlier in the dormitory, Tan Wenbin told him that he didn't need his comfort, because Binbin knew it would cause him pain.

But sometimes, being able to restrain painful and disgusting emotions and express those words and concerns was also a victory for himself.

Li Zhuiyuan pushed open the courtyard gate, walked into the courtyard, came to the floor-to-ceiling window on the first floor, and pulled the window open.

A-Li was performing sleeping.

Since he said he wanted to experience the feeling of waiting for her to wake up, she had been cooperating like this.

This wasn't blind obedience, nor was it pampering, but the cautiousness between two very young "patients."

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the bedside and called out softly: "A-Li."

The girl opened her eyes.

"The weather is great today, shall we go for a walk on the school playground?"

The girl nodded.

Getting out of bed, putting on shoes, in a white silk pajama, with jet-black hair, she was ready to go out just like that.

Liu Yumei was proud of having cultivated a young lady of a noble family; in fact, A-Li didn't care about these things. The reason she didn't reject them was probably because this way, she could just sit there and make her grandmother happy.

"Come, sit here."

The girl sat down in front of the dressing table.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the drawer, picked up the comb, and began to help her comb her hair.

Once before when he came early, Liu Yumei was combing A-Li's hair, and he sat by and watched, so he learned it.

The girl's hair was very soft, like brocade, and felt very comfortable in his hand.

As he combed, Li Zhuiyuan felt his heart gradually quiet down, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curling up slightly, from the heart, without any performance, purely blending into the tranquility before him.

Finally, he saw the hairpin that had been made; it was the last trace of that big fish after it was burned to ashes.

The two of them didn't care about what was auspicious or unlucky; they preferred to see it as a trophy.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the hairpin and used it to fix A-Li's hair for the last time.

Both people in the mirror smiled.

"Let me see, are there clothes in the wardrobe?"

Li Zhuiyuan opened the wardrobe, and many clothes were hanging inside, all in Hanfu style.

The youth took out a set, put it on the bed, then walked out, pulled the curtains, closed the floor-to-ceiling window, and sat on the steps in the courtyard with his back to the room.

Not long after, the door behind him was pushed open, and A-Li, who had already changed her clothes, stood there.

White top, black skirt, simple yet fresh and elegant.

The two walked out of the courtyard holding hands.

After they left, Qin Shu walked out from the corner carrying a bucket of water and began to water the vegetables in the courtyard.

On the second-floor balcony, Liu Yumei stood there, watching the two small figures walking further and further away hand in hand.

Liu Yi poked her head out from behind: "Well, looks like there's no need to set out a vinegar dish this morning."

Liu Yumei didn't speak, her left hand gently patting the railing.

Seeing that the old lady was truly emotional, Liu Yi hurriedly changed her tone to comfort her: "Isn't this what you've always wanted to see?"

"Yes, it is what I wanted to see."

What she had always worried about was what would happen to A-Li if she were left alone in this world after she was gone.

Would A-Li feel lost, would she feel uncomfortable? That was the treasure she had held in the palm of her hand her whole life, and she couldn't tolerate the slightest grievance.

But when the scene she felt at ease with appeared, she couldn't help but feel a sense of loss because her own sense of presence was diminished.

"Everything will be theirs in the future, just take it easy."

Liu Yumei closed her eyes and nodded.

"What would you like to eat this morning?"

"Can't eat, go brew me a pot of tea."

"How can you drink tea on an empty stomach early in the morning?"

"I have heartburn, need to lower the fire."

There would be more people on the playground in the evening, but very few in the early morning, especially at this time, as students generally hadn't reached their wake-up time.

On the empty playground, there were only a few scattered figures; Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li walked while talking, mainly him speaking and her listening.

Although this wasn't a wave, it could be considered a story.

Unlike Tan Wenbin who needed to hide things from Zhou Yunyun, Li Zhuiyuan could recount everything exactly as it was, because she wouldn't be scared, nor would she feel bloody or uncomfortable.

For A-Li, these were just simple drizzles.

However, upon hearing that Zhao Yi dug out his own seam of the gate of life and death and chose to walk the river, A-Li gripped the boy's hand with a little force.

Those evil spirits, no matter how intelligent they are, have their limitations, but people are different.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that Qin Shu failed to walk the river because of people.

Sensing the girl's worry, Li Zhuiyuan comforted her: "No need to be afraid of this; they should be the ones afraid of me, because I am less like a person than they are."

The girl stopped and looked at the youth.

Li Zhuiyuan also turned to look at her.

The two lightly touched their foreheads together, and the girl smiled.

In this world, only she could understand his cold joke.

As they continued to walk, when the girl swung her arms, she applied some force, and Li Zhuiyuan followed suit; the hands they held together swung back and forth more exaggeratedly than before, as if to express a kind of "childlike innocence."

When it was almost time for students to wake up for breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan prepared to take A-Li back.

At the playground exit, he saw Liu Tao and Lu Anan; the two had clearly seen him long ago and had been waiting here for a while.

They were the president and vice-president of the Physiognomy Society; last time they were recruiting on the playground, Li Zhuiyuan had sat at their booth.

Liu Tao read his physiognomy and calculated until he had a nosebleed; that Lu Anan was taught the finger-trembling resonance three times by him, but it seemed she hadn't learned it.

The two were carrying soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns; when Li Zhuiyuan walked over, smiles appeared on their faces together.

It was just that calling him "junior" obviously wasn't appropriate, and calling him "senior" was too old-fashioned; the two didn't seem to have discussed the address beforehand, so they both got stuck here, just opening their mouths and laughing, looking a bit silly.

"Hello, Senior, Senior Sister."

Li Zhuiyuan held A-Li with his right hand and raised his left hand to greet them.

Lu Anan: "Hey, hello, Junior Senior."

Liu Tao was stunned for a moment, then immediately followed: "Hello, Junior Senior."

Li Zhuiyuan: "If there's nothing else, I'll..."

Lu Anan said: "It's like this, Junior Senior, we have a multi-school joint club activity next week, and quite a few physiognomy experts will come to participate. We would like to invite you to participate together, what do you think?"

"No." Li Zhuiyuan refused very decisively, "But I can recommend someone; he is the monitor of Class 1, Water Conservancy Engineering, freshman year, named Tan Wenbin. His physiognomy and numerology are better than mine."

Liu Tao: "Really?"

Lu Anan: "Really?"

"Yeah, he is enthusiastic and willing to help classmates."

After Li Zhuiyuan finished speaking, he left holding A-Li's hand.

Liu Tao looked at Lu Anan: "That, shall we go find that student Tan?"

Lu Anan picked up the breakfast: "Forgot to give the breakfast I specifically bought to him!"

After Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li returned from their walk, they sat at the dining table, and Liu Yi brought the breakfast up.

"Is Grandma Liu not coming for breakfast?"

Liu Yi: "The old lady ate in advance, she's a bit full now."

"Oh, I see."

Liu Yi continued to tease: "Xiaoyuan, don't you want to know what the old lady secretly ate by herself this morning?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I know, I was abrupt."

Liu Yi suddenly felt that chatting with a child who was too smart was very boring.

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan spent the morning drawing blueprints in the study.

A-Li was painting; by the time Li Zhuiyuan finished drawing the blueprint at hand, A-Li's painting also began to take shape.

The painting was of an old courtyard, with a raging fire rising; details and characters hadn't been drawn yet.

"Does this painting also need to be put into the picture frame book?"

A-Li shook her head.

"Then let's treat it as leisure entertainment."

A-Li nodded.

"A-Li, please work hard and help me carve this rune."

A-Li put down the brush, walked to the other end of the long table, sat down, picked up the carving knife, first picked up an ancestral tablet from the table, and shaved off two layers of skin the size of a palm.

The movements were smooth, the wood skin was neat, and one could tell at a glance that practice makes perfect.

Immediately after, A-Li began to carve the patterns.

A type of talisman recorded in Wei Zhengdao's book is called the Two Worlds Talisman.

The function of this talisman is to open the Yin world on a person and the Yang world on an evil spirit; its traditional function is to help people and ghosts communicate.

In the business of blind god-mothers in many places, there is this item, helping guests call up deceased relatives to chat.

However, this Two Worlds Talisman was modified by Li Zhuiyuan, who removed the communication function and strengthened the boundary between Yin and Yang.

Tan Wenbin only needed to stick these two pieces of wood skin on his shoulders to achieve the isolation between humans and ghosts on his body; although the price of shortening one's life by raising ghosts would not change, it could at least minimize the counter-effect between humans and ghosts.

A-Li carved the patterns very quickly, and they were full of rhyme.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but gesture in the air a few times himself, just to satisfy his craving.

No way, he could understand the talisman and even modify it, but he really couldn't draw it.

There were also four sets of clothing styles on the desk, four different colors and styles, corresponding to himself, Yin Meng, Runsheng, and Tan Wenbin.

And it was obvious that there were drafts and refinements, and the refinements should have been done by Liu Yumei.

These clothes looked really good, not exactly the same but with a similar style, and wearing them out wouldn't make people feel strange; some positions were also specifically marked with linings and special designs, which were very practical.

For example, the stamp pad he liked to keep in his pocket could be built into the wrist button of the sleeve in this garment, so that he wouldn't have to reach into his pants pocket when pressing red, making it faster and more secretive.

Besides that, A-Li also made some key small parts he needed; with these, he could let Runsheng find a small factory nearby to supplement the large parts according to the blueprints, and it would be done.

The two Two Worlds Talismans were carved by A-Li; Li Zhuiyuan put them away, and after going back, he would prepare some glue and stick them on Tan Wenbin's shoulders.

This wood skin material was excellent and could blend in with the skin color, not affecting life at all.

In fact, even the ghost-controlling technique was figured out by Li Zhuiyuan, but this technique was just created, and there were still many problems.

Although the Official General Head didn't have a long history, they were an orthodox, famous sect; no matter how stingy those Yin gods were, they only drained the body of the spirit medium, but Tan Wenbin's method of controlling ghosts was entirely fighting with his Yang lifespan.

If the degree between this side effect and merit wasn't grasped well, then Tan Wenbin would... use his Yang lifespan to become younger.

However, with Runsheng there, and even now with Lin Shu You as a temporary worker who could be dispatched to the team at any time as needed, Tan Wenbin wouldn't have to bear the main responsibility for frontal combat.

Then he could design some simple techniques for Tan Wenbin to learn and use, so that the consumption would be low, and the merit of walking the river would be more than enough to cover it.

But moves that consume a lot of Yang lifespan could also be taught; at critical moments, if even life was gone, then how much Yang lifespan remained wouldn't matter.

"Bang!"

Upstairs, the sound of a cup being smashed came.

Don't know which kiln was smashed again, or how many sets of houses were vented on.

Li Zhuiyuan was a bit surprised; could it be that Grandma Liu was still angry about the morning?

Walking out of the study, not seeing Liu Yi, Li Zhuiyuan could only walk upstairs.

Second-floor open space,

Li Zhuiyuan saw Liu Yi standing beside Liu Yumei, her face calm.

Liu Yi, who was always sweet and kind, showing such an expression already explained the problem.

Liu Yumei sat on a rattan chair, clutching a name card with an emerald luster, the veins on the back of her hand exposed.

"Hahaha...

Good for you, Zhao of Jiujiang, this abacus bead has hit my face; you actually want to eat my family's extinction!"

———

It's the end of the month sprint, those who have monthly tickets, please vote for the dragon,

This month. We have hope of taking first place, asking for monthly tickets!

(End of chapter)