Chapter 130: (End of this volume)

Why is it the Jiujiang Zhao family again?

He had only just parted ways with Zhao Yi not long ago; could he be so impatient to drink Biluochun tea?

Connecting this to the "eating the last of the line" that Liu Yumei had mentioned earlier, Li Zhuiyuan could roughly guess what it meant, but he still felt that a guy like Zhao Yi shouldn't be that stupid.

Furthermore, from a logical perspective, since Zhao Yi had already cut out the "Life-Death Gate" seam from his brow and resolved to light his lamp and walk the river, he shouldn't be getting so deeply entangled with his family anymore.

Just like himself now while walking the river, he only maintained basic interactions with Grandma Liu, and even when recounting certain aspects of walking the river, he had to use vague terms, all so that his own karma wouldn't backfire on them.

How was this Zhao Yi doing the exact opposite?

Liu Yumei naturally sensed that Li Zhuiyuan had arrived. The old lady seemed hesitant, the visiting card in her hand swaying slightly, but in the end, she did not toss it to the boy to read.

"Little Yuan, you young people have your own careers to attend to; leave the social obligations of this household to us old folks."

Saying this, Liu Yumei put the visiting card away.

"Alright, Grandma."

Even though he knew in his heart that there must be some misunderstanding, Li Zhuiyuan really wasn't in a position to speak up and explain right now.

Firstly, the old lady was in the heat of anger, and it wasn't appropriate for him to play the mediator at this moment.

Secondly, this visiting card was indeed issued by the Jiujiang Zhao family; the old lady was angry at the Jiujiang Zhao family as a whole, not just one individual.

Thirdly, and most importantly, since it involved "eating the last of the line," and he himself was shouldering the inheritance of both the Qin and Liu families, wasn't he the very one eating from the bowl?

The old lady's rage also stemmed from her protecting her own "food bowl."

Grandma Liu was like an old hen, shielding him behind her back, protecting his food bowl; he truly had no reason to help outsiders smooth things over.

However, fearing that the old lady might harm her health from excessive anger, Li Zhuiyuan still said before going downstairs:

"Grandma, Zhuangzhuang has started dating recently."

"Oh?"

Sure enough, hearing this, Liu Yumei was indeed intrigued.

Elderly people love to treat the romantic affairs and marriages of their juniors as daily gossip.

Yet, for over a year, she had only been able to watch helplessly as her own carefully cultivated "cabbage" was being nudged around by that little golden pig.

Fortunately, that little Zhuang pig had also learned to nudge cabbage.

"Zhuangzhuang hasn't been over to see me for a few days."

"He should be coming over in a little while."

"Hmm."

Liu Yumei picked up her teacup.

Li Zhuiyuan turned and walked downstairs.

The teacup was only halfway up when Liu Yumei set it back down, saying, "The tea really has gone cold."

Liu Yi comforted her, "The heat is already up; I reckon it'll be boiling soon."

"Our Little Yuan is quite interesting. He's been walking the river for some time now, yet he remains obscure, making others think our household is still just me, a lonely widow, holding up the facade."

Liu Yi said, "That is true; when Ah Li walked the river back then, the waves and ripples were indeed much larger than they are now."

"That's why Ah Li failed his river walk."

"Then it must be that Little Yuan's style is much more low-key than Ah Li's."

Liu Yumei shook her head. "Little Yuan is actually much more high-profile than Ah Li."

"Old Madam, I truly don't know how to respond to you anymore. Would you be so kind as to enlighten me?"

"Little Yuan always arrives early and returns early. Before the waves can even gather momentum, he's already smoothed them out. This river walk of his is more like going to work on a business trip. Oh my, people with good brains really do things differently from ordinary folks."

"There's another point. Remember that banquet in the mountain city? I never taught him, yet he knew the gate etiquette of both the Qin and Liu families. I imagine he must have used them quite often in the past."

"He's used them so many times, yet there are still no rumors in the Jianghu, and Ah Li hasn't heard any news while running about outside recently."

"It only proves one thing:"

"Others use their family lineage as a status symbol while walking the Jianghu to gain convenience and resources."

"This kid, I'm afraid, uses 'the river-walking successor of the Qin and Liu families' as his self-introduction when the Black and White Impermanence come to claim souls."

Liu Yi didn't understand at first, but after savoring the meaning, she finally grasped it.

It meant: Little Yuan didn't hide his identity, but every time he announced his lineage, he would cleanly dispose of the people or evil spirits who learned of it.

If you never leave any survivors, who is there to spread the word for you? And where would your legends come from in the Jianghu?

Actually, there were two survivors—those two Guan Jiang Shou who had marched past the gate aggressively last time.

But firstly, they were truly terrified, and secondly, because their own child was staying here waiting for an opportunity, they kept their mouths shut about the incident after returning to their home temple, not daring to breathe a word of it to anyone.

Liu Yumei murmured, "This way... is also quite good. Making a fortune in silence."

Liu Yi couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time; Old Madam, you are biased to the bone, even willing to apply a description like "making a fortune in silence" to your own family.

Throughout history, which Long Wang family has ever had a style like this?

Liu Yi said, "Then we can look forward to the day when paper can no longer wrap the fire."

Liu Yumei nodded. "When paper truly can no longer wrap the fire, the entire river will be startled by it."

"Then this visiting card from the Jiujiang Zhao family..."

"One thing at a time. Call Ah Li up here."

"Yes."

Liu Yi went down to call him, and Qin Shu soon came up, walking to the old lady's side.

Liu Yumei said, "Take a look yourself."

Qin Shu picked up the visiting card, opened it, and read it through.

Although the wording was humble and the posture subservient, anyone who wasn't a fool could understand the meaning beneath the surface.

Even in the past, the old lady would never have agreed to such a thing, let alone now, when the family had produced another river-walker.

Qin Shu closed the visiting card and waited for instructions.

"Ah Li, have the wounds on your body healed?"

"Mistress, it's nothing of concern."

"I don't intend to let Little Yuan get involved in these matters."

"That goes without saying."

"Have Ah Ting write a reply. Ah Li, you go to the banquet on my behalf."

"Yes."

"Sigh, even if our family is left with only orphans and widows, we must still observe etiquette; we cannot let others make a joke of us. Since you are going alone, it is inevitable that people will think we are being arrogant."

"Let's do this: regardless of how many people show up at their banquet this time, you just leave them an equivalent presence."

"Understood."

Li Zhuiyuan had just walked downstairs when he saw Tan Wenbin push open the courtyard gate and enter.

"Brother Binbin, did it go smoothly?"

Tan Wenbin was stunned for a moment, then realized this was Little Yuan, who was with Ah Li, so he didn't find it strange.

"Smoothly, very smoothly. Zhou Yunyun has been taken to my mother's house to be cared for, and my mother even called me Chen Shimei."

"Chen Shimei?"

"My mother misunderstood, thinking that Zhou Yunyun and I had been together since high school, and that I had intentionally hidden it from the family, and that we both chose Jin Ling for university."

"As a result, when she saw that the girl had been poisoned, she thought I had abandoned her at the hospital."

"Sigh."

"Princess Consort~"

"Look closely at the details, it is written that Zhou Yunyun is nineteen years old~"

"Save your voice; go up and sing it to the old lady. The old lady is in a bad mood right now."

"Alright, it just so happens I can use my own affairs as gossip for the old lady."

"Hmm, I'll wait for you to finish chatting with the old lady, then we'll go back together and I'll teach you some more things... Where is Ah You?"

"He wouldn't dare come here for his life."

"Oh."

Qin Shu came down, and Tan Wenbin went up.

Before he even reached the second floor, his voice preceded him:

"Oh my, Old Madam, you really have to give me some advice on this matter; I'm at my wit's end!"

Li Zhuiyuan and Ah Li sat before the floor-to-ceiling window, facing the meticulously tended vegetable garden.

The boy held a ripe persimmon, carefully peeling it, then handed it to the girl, who lowered her head and took a bite.

Li Zhuiyuan took a handkerchief, wiped the corner of the girl's mouth, and continued peeling.

The girl ate half the persimmon, and since the remaining half was difficult to bite into, Li Zhuiyuan tore it off and ate it himself.

Then, under the girl's gaze, he picked up the handkerchief and went to the faucet to wash it.

The girl pouted.

When Li Zhuiyuan turned around and saw this, he felt that the longer the two of them were together, despite growing older, they were increasingly displaying the temperament of small children.

The afternoon breeze was soft and cool; the two continued to sit together, neither speaking nor communicating, not playing chess, just quietly letting their minds wander.

On the second floor, however, the old lady's laughter rang out from time to time, startling the birds in the treetops.

Beautiful time kept slipping away, yet it wasn't worth fearing or lingering over, because they were certain there would be a tomorrow.

Finally, Tan Wenbin came down.

After bidding farewell to Ah Li, Li Zhuiyuan returned to the dormitory with Binbin.

In the dormitory, Lin Shu You had his eyes closed, muttering to himself while spinning in circles, his arms waving.

Even though someone had entered, he didn't notice it in the slightest.

Tan Wenbin teased, "Yo, are you taking a different path, integrating spirit-dancing into the Guan Jiang Shou?"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "He's gone into a demonic trance."

Tan Wenbin immediately turned serious. "What should we do?"

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the water bucket placed to the side of the wall.

Tan Wenbin understood, picked up the bucket, and splashed it onto Lin Shu You's face.

"Splash!"

"Huff..."

Lin Shu You was stunned, and at the same time, he sobered up.

Once sober, he immediately bent down to pick up all the papers that had been soaked by the water; these things were extremely precious to him—they were the admission tickets to the head seat at the New Year's family banquet.

Tan Wenbin picked up a mop and started mopping the floor nearby, complaining, "You were fine, how could you go into a demonic trance just by looking at a formation diagram?"

Lin Shu You carefully pasted the diagrams onto the desk, then picked up a rag to help wipe the water off the floor, looking very embarrassed. "I don't know why either; I just got lost in it as I was looking."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "You only need to memorize it by rote; you don't need to truly understand it."

"Ah." Lin Shu You hesitated upon hearing this.

Tan Wenbin said impatiently, "Brother Little Yuan doesn't have the time to speak in riddles to you; just take it at face value."

"Oh, right, I know, Brother Little Yuan."

Li Zhuiyuan was indeed not speaking in riddles. Lin Shu You did not have a complete foundational understanding of formation structures, nor did he have a strong grasp of formation mastery, and since the ones he was holding were the ones he himself had modified, once he immersed his consciousness into the formation's sensation, he would get led astray and easily fall into a demonic trance.

In this case, rote memorization of the formulas—knowing the "what" without knowing the "why"—was actually the optimal solution.

After the two cleaned up the dormitory, Lin Shu You knew what was coming next, so he ran back to his own dormitory at top speed to change into clean clothes, then ran back again.

Tan Wenbin took off his shirt and sat in the chair.

Li Zhuiyuan pasted the two "Two-World Talismans" onto his left and right shoulders respectively, then pressed down with his thumbs to consecrate the talisman paper.

"Hum!"

Tan Wenbin suddenly puffed out his chest, a long groan emitting from his throat.

Previously, there hadn't been any special sensation, just habit, but now, he instantly felt much more spirited, and even the negative distracting thoughts in his mind had been cleared away.

"Brother Little Yuan, it really works. These two little ones are sleeping more comfortably too, but why are they sleeping all the time?"

Lin Shu You answered preemptively, "Because they are absorbing your Yang energy."

Tan Wenbin glared at Lin Shu You. "You're the only one with a mouth; you'd better continue your fire-walking and demonic-trance-going."

Lin Shu You shrank his neck.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "The two of them are curses and grievances by nature, not ordinary resentful spirits. Their mother entrusted them to you before she died, and now they treat you as their 'mother'."

"Before this talisman was pasted on, your negative emotions would have been amplified several times over because of their presence. Now, you no longer affect each other. You can sense their existence, and they can sense yours; you can perceive each other's vague states, but you can no longer communicate directly as you did before."

Tan Wenbin agreed deeply. "It's better not to communicate. Let's accumulate merit together while walking the river; once you've accumulated enough, go be reincarnated early. Don't let us really develop feelings; we won't be able to bear parting with each other."

"However, as the host, you can borrow some power through them, although this power was originally yours."

In essence, Binbin was the provider.

Li Zhuiyuan began to demonstrate some simple techniques he used in his daily life.

Tan Wenbin watched very seriously.

Lin Shu You also sat there, openly stealing the lesson and even taking notes.

After demonstrating once, Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Did you learn it?"

Lin Shu You blushed, looking very uneasy. "I tried my best, but..."

Tan Wenbin said very frankly, "No!"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "I'll write down the refined process later; you just follow it to recite the incantations and practice the hand seals. Just practice more."

Tan Wenbin asked curiously, "If I practice more, I'll learn it?"

Primarily, Tan Wenbin had a good idea of his own talent in this area; he had practiced the most basic "walking in the underworld" for so long before he barely mastered it.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "If you practice more, even if you don't learn it, the two of them should."

Upon hearing this, Tan Wenbin looked pleasantly surprised. He turned to look left and then right, saying, "Children, keep it up; learn well for me."

Lin Shu You wanted to say something but stopped.

Li Zhuiyuan sat at the desk and began writing the "idiot-proof" technique tutorial.

With the experience of helping Binbin review for the college entrance exam in the past, Li Zhuiyuan was quite adept at writing these now, and could even relatively easily step into Tan Wenbin's way of thinking.

Lin Shu You continued to perform his "wanting to say something but stopping" act.

Like a child watching others eat at the table, hoping to attract attention and be called over to join them.

After Tan Wenbin finished teasing his two adopted children,

he found it somewhat amusing and gave Lin Shu You a light kick, helping him ask, "Brother Little Yuan, can Ah You learn these?"

"He doesn't need to learn; the Guan Jiang Shou were Ghost Kings in their previous lives, and they have their own technical means."

Lin Shu You said, "But..."

Tan Wenbin said, "But those Guan Jiang Shou only look like they know how to kill."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "That's because they are holding back their strength; they don't want to consume their own power."

Tan Wenbin asked, "Then what should we do?"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Communicate slowly with the Bai He Master Master Tongzi. In the future, whenever you perform spirit-dancing, bring along things like evil-breaking talisman needles. If he won't help you use techniques, you just prick yourself."

Lin Shu You asked, "Can we... communicate with the Lords like that?"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "The Yin God Lords are actually quite easy to talk to."

Lin Shu You asked, "Really..."

Tan Wenbin recalled the scene at the Zhao house, where Brother Little Yuan walked down from the eaves and the Bai He Master Master Tongzi reached out to support him.

"Right, they aren't that cold and detached. You should communicate more with the Master Master Tongzi using needles."

Lin Shu You asked, "Then can I practice these techniques too?"

Li Zhuiyuan did not answer.

Lin Shu You said, "I..."

Tan Wenbin patted Lin Shu You on the back of the head, signaling him to shut up. Who cares if you're peeking or not? You don't have to ask.

After finishing writing the material, Li Zhuiyuan handed it to Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin took the technique manual and led Lin Shu You to the discount store.

Because Li Zhuiyuan needed to take out the "Evil Book" to deduce the remaining formations of Yu Xuzi.

At this time, the restrictions in the dormitory had to be opened, and there couldn't be anyone nearby, otherwise, it would be easy to be bewitched by this "Evil Book."

Li Zhuiyuan picked up a brush and wrote down Yu Xuzi's remaining formations; very soon, the completed content of the remaining formations would emerge.

They were completed, but not perfectly.

Li Zhuiyuan wrote down his own thoughts and insights, and after the handwriting disappeared, the newly emerged content would be improved accordingly.

Either the "Evil Book" itself had its limitations, or it was intentionally giving him a chance to participate.

It didn't matter, though; having it around was indeed equivalent to having a real-time reference book.

One by one, the remaining formations were written in by Li Zhuiyuan, and man and book began to continue the deduction.

Yu Xuzi's formation mastery lay not in its height but in its depth, and this depth was exactly what Li Zhuiyuan needed, because it required the accumulation of time.

In the simple formations, the ingenious use of various details was something even Li Zhuiyuan found very interesting.

If it weren't for someone who had nothing to do for several hundred years, they really wouldn't be bored enough to deduce and experiment in that direction.

It was already dark.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't feel tired yet, and had forgotten to eat, but this book couldn't take it anymore.

The characters emerging on the "Evil Book" were becoming increasingly faint, as if it had run out of ink.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that this book was setting conditions for him.

The free trial period had ended; if he wanted to continue using it, he had to pay.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't write anything to ask what it needed; he simply closed it, packed it up with a seal, and tossed it into the corner.

In any case, most of Yu Xuzi's formation fragments had already been deduced. He didn't know when he would need it next, so he would just let it gather dust for now.

Perhaps if he really left it alone for a while, it would know fear, and when he opened it next time, it would have ink again.

Wei Zhengdao had said: The more desire you have, the easier it is to be influenced by these evil things; the best way to treat it is not to indulge it.

Li Zhuiyuan left the dormitory and went to the store. It was too late, and the cafeteria had already passed its serving hours, so he planned to get something to eat there.

On the television in front of the counter, a Hong Kong zombie movie was playing, and a group of students was huddled around the counter watching.

Behind the television, Tan Wenbin and Lin Shu You were practicing techniques there, stroke by stroke, very seriously.

They were clearly practicing the real thing, but in the eyes of outsiders, it was just that they had watched too many zombie movies and were learning to imitate the gestures.

It would be fine if children did this, but as university students, it seemed a bit childish, and many people were laughing at them.

Runsheng specially stir-fried a bowl of egg fried rice for Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan tasted a mouthful and nodded. "Delicious."

Runsheng's culinary skills were indeed improving day by day; there was no helping it, primarily because the other one couldn't be relied upon at all, and he dared not rely on him even more.

"Where's Mengmeng?"

"She said this afternoon she went to learn driving with Zheng Jiayi, and tonight she should be out shopping. She won't be back for dinner."

"Hmm."

"It's good for her to go out and play; after all, she hasn't really played much since she was little."

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the last piece of sausage and put it in his bowl. "Brother Runsheng, I don't mind."

"Hehe." Runsheng rubbed his fingers. "Every time she comes back from playing, she's quite happy."

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Is there any more sausage?"

"No, the ones we brought are long gone, and later Officer Tan sent some over, but those were finished today too."

"Then we'll go home and get some at the end of the month; there's plenty at home."

"Hmm, alright." Runsheng smiled very happily; he also missed his grandfather.

Actually, the sausages they ate at Great-Grandfather's house in the past were also stuffed by Liu Yi.

Even if they wanted to keep eating them, they could just ask Liu Yi to help stuff some more.

But sausages need to be air-dried, and the wind in this foreign land just couldn't blow out the flavor of their hometown.

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look at the telephone on the counter; since arriving in Jin Ling, he hadn't made a single phone call home.

He had tried many times, but even when his hand was gripping the receiver, the moment he thought about the call going to Auntie Zhang's store and then having Auntie Zhang go call Great-Grandfather to answer, he would feel panicked, sweaty, and uncomfortable.

What kept appearing in his mind was that night, the scene of him answering Li Lan's call under the gaze of his relatives.

This wasn't just influenced by his own condition; there was also the psychological shadow Li Lan had left on him.

Because although he hadn't made the call, he wrote letters frequently. When writing letters, Li Zhuiyuan felt uncomfortable, but he could overcome it, especially when writing in Ah Li's study; he could feel that sensation of being both painful and warm, as if Great-Grandfather were standing right in front of him.

When writing letters, he had to be careful with his wording, had to ask after their well-being, and had to write many, many words that were actually meaningless but were just used to express emotion. Every time, Li Zhuiyuan would write until his palms were sweaty, dampening the letter paper.

Then, in Great-Grandfather's reply, he would think he was homesick and would repeatedly comfort him in the text; Great-Grandfather thought he was crying while writing the letters.

This was a beautiful misunderstanding, and Li Zhuiyuan didn't explain it. To him, in a non-performance state, being able to let his subjective willpower overcome his physical and mental repulsion and resistance was a huge step forward.

However, he didn't know who Great-Grandfather had asked in the village to write the replies; the handwriting was quite elegant and beautiful.

Runsheng said, "Little Yuan, then I'll urge them to get their driver's licenses quickly, and before we go home, we'll buy a pickup truck?"

"Hmm, alright."

At present, the driver's license test wasn't strict, and it wasn't difficult to spend money and use connections to get one, but it was based on family members driving and family members riding, so there was no need to take that shortcut.

At this moment, an upperclassman walked into the store, picked up a few bags of snacks, walked up to Runsheng, and handed over the money.

Runsheng took it.

Usually, only familiar regular customers had this treatment, of course, also because there were too many people at the counter right now, and it was slow to squeeze in to pay.

In a glance/p>

"Brother Runsheng, you're only eating now?"

"I ate long ago. Have you eaten, Brother Hua?"

The reason they could get familiar was that this upperclassman was also from Nantong.

He didn't speak the dialect on ordinary days, but when he came to the store, he had to shout a few sentences.

Sometimes, it might just be to satisfy that craving for the dialect that he specifically came to the store to buy something.

Li Zhuiyuan had finished eating by now, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and walked toward the basement to see Xiao Hei.

The upperclassman asked, "Who is this little kid? Your nephew?"

Runsheng said, "No, my brother."

"Also from our Nantong?"

"Hmm."

"What's his name?"

"Li Zhuiyuan."

"Zhuiyuan, Little Yuan..." The upperclassman raised his hand toward Li Zhuiyuan, who was walking down the stairs, and called out with a smile, "Brother Little Yuan!"

This was a restaurant located by the Qinhuai River, and the entire restaurant was shaped like a flower boat.

However, there was no greeter at the door, and no parking.

Qin Shu pushed open the door and walked in. There was no one on the first floor, so he placed the visiting card on the counter at the entrance and walked along the ship's side up to the second floor.

There were three tables on the second floor, one in the center and two as accompaniments.

Exquisite delicacies had already been set out, and the wine had been opened.

Yet, there was only a young man with a bandaged forehead standing there, with no one else.

Qin Shu asked, "Where are the people?"

Zhao Yi said, "Just me."

"What is the meaning of this?"

"This banquet was originally prepared by the family for me. I only found out about this matter after returning home. The elders in the family were muddled and did something stupid. This is the list of apologies."

Zhao Yi respectfully handed over the apology list.

Qin Shu took it, didn't look at it, and tossed it to the ground.

Zhao Yi didn't find it surprising.

After returning home, he first hid from the family under the guise of seclusion, and instead spent a day secretly holding a river-walking ceremony for himself, lighting his own lamp.

A river-walking ceremony didn't need to be too grand; when Liu Yumei held the ceremony for Li Zhuiyuan back then, she only chose a cramped little room.

This kind of thing emphasizes sincerity; it's similar to making a great vow to the Heavenly Dao. There's no need for a dragon lamp; even if you just light a candle or hold a torch, it works.

After doing all this, Zhao Yi had a showdown with his family.

When the elders in the family learned that he had not only started the river walk himself but also cut out the "Life-Death Gate" seam, one of them fainted from anger on the spot, and the others cursed him to his face.

Unfilial descendant, worse than a beast, evil obstacle, scoundrel...

Zhao Yi originally just let it go in one ear and out the other; do as you please.

In any case, he had already lit his lamp and started the river walk, and next he would have to distance himself from the family. Listening to more of their curses would leave him with deeper memories, which would be convenient for missing them later.

But when he heard one of his uncles say that the visiting card had already been sent to that old lady, and that the old lady had also given a timely reply, Zhao Yi went completely numb.

After starting the river walk, even without the "Life-Death Gate" seam, his perception of karma had become much clearer.

Plus, he had read the notes of his own Long Wang ancestor, so he already had some basic understanding of walking the river.

The first wave of everyone else's river walk was just some resentful spirits, starting from the simple and easy ones.

Why is it that when it comes to me...

Most importantly, what virtue or ability do I have that my first wave has to face the inheritance of two Long Wang families!

The Jianghu has the rules of the Jianghu, and the Heavenly Dao has its own eyes. Even if there are schemes and killings, one must emphasize a decent layout, and all aspects must be able to fool the public.

For example, when he faced that boy, he immediately turned his guns and shouted the slogan of "cleaning up the sect." That boy would have to weigh whether it was worth the price to kill him.

Now, however, those old things in his family who had lived their lives in vain had directly handed the legitimate reason over to the other party. Since you were the one who first insulted their family lineage, they could rightfully send someone to hunt you down.

And what was extremely awkward was that the family members couldn't easily step in to help with the karma involved in the river walk.

Zhao Yi took out a dagger and said to Qin Shu, "I have severed ties with the Jiujiang Zhao family, and my name has been removed from the genealogy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yi raised the dagger and stabbed it into his own thigh, piercing it straight through.

Then, gritting his teeth, he pulled out the dagger and knelt on one knee.

Qin Shu stood where he was, motionless.

Zhao Yi said, "I have lit my lamp and started the river walk; either I transform into a dragon, or I am buried in the river!"

After speaking, Zhao Yi gripped the dagger and stabbed it into his other thigh, piercing it straight through again.

Pulling out the dagger, he knelt prostrate on the ground, blood flowing.

Zhao Yi said, "The Jiujiang Zhao family did not know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth, and desecrated the Long Wang; their crime deserves punishment. But as a former member of the Jiujiang Zhao family, having received the grace of their upbringing and inheritance, this cannot be erased by mere removal from the genealogy."

"I, Zhao Yi, hereby swear to the Heavenly Dao!"

"The merit from my future river walk will be shared with the Qin and Liu families."

"In the future, if I am fortunate enough to succeed in the river walk and be called a Long Wang, I will personally come to apologize and guard the gate for the Dragon Kings of Qin and Liu for three years!"

After speaking, Zhao Yi gripped the dagger and stabbed it toward his own shoulder, piercing another hole through it.

When pulling out the blade, he failed to pull it out the first time, and had to pull twice more with force before it was extracted.

Three stabs, six holes—three stabs and six holes!

"Hiss... hiss..."

Zhao Yi's face was pressed against the carpet, his body trembling.

He knew martial arts, and he knew even better that the person in front of him was not easy to fool, so every stab he made was straightforward, without choosing the least damaging positions.

Qin Shu did not speak, turned around, went downstairs, and left.

For a long time,

Old Man Tian ran upstairs in a panic, saw his young master in a pool of blood, and immediately threw himself over, crying and shouting, "Young Master, Young Master, why are you doing this to yourself? Why?"

"Grandpa Tian, stop crying..."

"Young Master, what can I even say? Why did you have to go this far? Why?"

"Grandpa Tian, if you don't stop the bleeding for me, I'm really going to die."

Old Man Tian immediately woke up and helped him stop the bleeding and apply medicine.

"Young Master, is this the so-called first wave of the river walk? Why is it so terrifying? I was guarding outside earlier and didn't even notice how that person got in."

"Is it difficult? I actually think it's quite simple. If every wave in the future only requires stabbing myself three times to pass, then your young master here might really become a Long Wang. Hahaha... hiss... it hurts!"

"Young Master, what should we do next?"

"What should we do? First, find a place to heal, and we must heal the wounds before the second wave."

Zhao Yi's gaze then condensed, and he said in a deep voice:

"Zhao Mengyao was in university in Jin Ling, and the location in that old lady's reply was also Jin Ling. I now suspect that the person we met at Shizhuo Village last time was worshipping... no, he is very likely the inheritance of the Qin and Liu families."

"That boy is from the Qin and Liu Long Wang family?"

"It should be."

"Then how can there be such a coincidence in this world?"

"No, this is not a coincidence. Originally, it was just something the old men discussed verbally and hadn't been approved or recognized by me. Why did they suddenly get hot-headed and send the visiting card out?"

"They said the Great Master had a dream at night, dreaming of two true dragons flying over Jiujiang."

"The Great Master thought it was an auspicious sign, and the next day, he overrode all objections and forcibly ordered people to send the visiting card out."

"Heh, Grandpa Tian, in this world, how can there be such a coincidence? The Great Master is a grown man; when was it his turn to have a prenatal dream?"

Zhao Yi sighed helplessly:

"Sigh, competing for the Long Wang, a hundred boats racing.

I feel like I'm just purely unlucky, brushing shoulders with that boy and getting grazed by the waves he stirred up!"

The night was dark, and the shadows of the trees outside the window swayed slowly with the evening breeze.

The teacup swayed gently in her hand.

After listening to Qin Shu's report, Liu Yumei lowered her head and took a sip of tea.

Qin Shu said, "Only one person came from their family."

Liu Yumei put down the teacup, picked up a preserved plum with her fingers, and slowly held it in her mouth.

Qin Shu asked, "Mistress, should I make a trip to Jiujiang?"

Liu Yumei sighed and shook her head. "Since you have already returned, this matter can be considered settled."

"Please punish me, Mistress."

"You were not wrong; you did very well. I said to leave an equivalent presence, and that Zhao kid really came alone. This proves that he has fortune."

"Besides, I know you also appreciate him."

Qin Shu continued to stand where he was.

Liu Yumei closed her eyes, crossed her hands, and rested them on her body, the rattan chair rocking slowly back and forth.

"I should have let Ah Ting go."

"Yo, Old Madam, why are you suddenly bringing me up again?" Liu Yi came in with a bowl of medicinal soup. "It's time for you to take your medicine."

"I mean, you're mischievous and don't listen to me as much."

"Oh my, Old Madam, you can't wrong me like that. When have I ever dared not to listen to you? Your words are like the Empress Dowager's edict to me."

"Then would you kill him?"

Liu Yi put down the medicinal soup, lifted the lid, used a wooden spoon to scoop the soup into a wooden bowl, blew on it carefully, and handed it to the old lady.

Only after the old lady reached out to take it did she say:

"Of course I would kill him."

The dividends from passing the second wave ahead of schedule were still in effect, and everyone had gained a relatively peaceful period of rest.

According to Li Zhuiyuan's calculations, even if they wanted to prepare to contact the third wave in advance, it should be after they returned to school from the holiday.

Because in the peach forest of Siyuan Village back home, there was still a big one being suppressed.

With it there, normal waves really couldn't wash over.

Of course, if one kept holding onto this idea and hid at home without coming out, that wouldn't be realistic, because the next wave would keep gathering momentum there until it destroyed your "dam" and submerged that peach forest.

During this period, Tan Wenbin and Lin Shu You went to class every day.

Firstly, the quality of sleep was good during class;

Secondly, reading the technique manual during class was twice as effective with half the effort, and it was easier to read into it, having the atmosphere of sneaking a look at a novel during class in junior or senior high school.

It was just a pity that university professors generally didn't care if you slept, as long as you didn't disrupt the class, so there wouldn't be a situation where they confiscated your novel.

This couldn't help but make Tan Wenbin feel that he was missing that part of the tension and excitement worth reminiscing about, which indirectly lowered the learning efficiency that should have been higher.

Li Zhuiyuan hadn't stayed in the dormitory these days either. Every morning, he would go find Ah Li and walk with her hand-in-hand on the school playground.

After having breakfast at Liu Yi's place, he would also go to class.

However, his professional courses and even his graduation project had been completed during the summer vacation before school started, so after Wu Pangzi helped him get a stack of course schedules for almost the entire school, Li Zhuiyuan could choose his own schedule across the entire school.

In any case, if you sat in the corner of the classroom before class, no one would chase you away.

While listening to the lectures, he would also take out the basic books he brought to go over them again; there were simply too many of them, which Liu Yumei had prepared for him last time.

Reading books while listening to lectures, doing two things at once, was not a difficult task for him.

Because of this, he also discovered some very good teachers and professors.

Several old professors had strong professional theories and lectured very seriously. Their teaching wasn't a mandatory task for them, but a request of their own application.

It was just that the Mandarin with local dialects combined with overly professional classrooms made it very difficult for most students to learn.

Li Zhuiyuan listened with great interest and also learned a bit of non-standard Shaanxi, Henan, and Suzhou accents.

Besides professional courses, there was also an old professor of ideological and political courses surnamed Zhu who left a deep impression on Li Zhuiyuan.

At present, encountering some relatively awkward things in this course was inevitable.

Some students who liked to show off their individuality would intentionally sing the opposite tune, raising some questions they thought were insightful and clever, intentionally trying to make the teacher unable to step down.

Professor Zhu had a very good temper; sometimes even when offended, he didn't get angry, but instead patiently provided answers according to his own theories.

However, no matter how good his lectures were, he couldn't change the overall sluggish trend of thought in society at the moment.

Once, a student asked that the gap was too large, and it was really impossible to see the possibility of catching up.

Professor Zhu wiped his glasses and answered very elegantly yet firmly:

We are currently making clothes, toys, and shoes for them, and even making their national flags, but one day, we will create things they can't even imagine.

This reminded Li Zhuiyuan of Xue Liangliang.

It was a pity that Liangliang hadn't finished the things on his hands, and he hadn't been able to see the fool after going back to celebrate his father's "birthday."

This also showed from the side how fast and how early he had pushed the previous wave.

A bit awkwardly, after Professor Zhu's class today, because he hadn't finished the book in his hand, Li Zhuiyuan didn't rush to leave. After the other students left, Professor Zhu walked to the back row and sat down beside him.

Li Zhuiyuan closed the book, but it was borrowed by Professor Zhu. After flipping through it, he didn't get angry because he was reading these books in his class, but instead smiled and said that he had some such books at home too, but they were all about morality and health preservation, not as professional as this one.

He also said that his wife was in Chinese language and literature, and invited Li Zhuiyuan to visit his home when he had the chance.

Li Zhuiyuan agreed to this invitation, which didn't have a specific time set.

Carrying his schoolbag, Li Zhuiyuan left the classroom.

Staying in the dormitory for too long would indeed get boring; only during these days did he really have the feeling that he was here to go to school.

If he didn't go to class, he would really be sorry for the living expenses Great-Grandfather sent him every month, and he would feel guilty.

Moreover, Great-Grandfather would send money twice a month, once for living expenses and once for "keeping up with the Joneses."

Sometimes, there would also be two banknotes tucked into Great-Grandfather's letters.

They must have been taken out of his pocket and stuffed in before Great-Grandfather sealed the envelope.

Looking at these crumpled banknotes, he could almost see Great-Grandfather's crumpled face, proudly saying: Little Yuan, your Great-Grandfather has plenty of money!

Walking out of the teaching building and heading toward the living area, at the entrance of the discount store, Li Zhuiyuan saw the newly bought pickup truck.

The yellow little pickup truck was very spirited.

Grandma Liu's family was very rich; if she really plucked a hair from her body, it would be thicker than the waist of an ordinary family.

But things bought with money earned by oneself would have a different feeling; at least, one would cherish them more.

For example, Runsheng and Tan Wenbin were already impatiently washing the new car, and then they had to install a canopy on the car so that the people sitting in the back wouldn't be easily blown by the wind.

They said the holiday was the day after tomorrow, but today, some students were already pushing suitcases or carrying bags and starting to leave school to go home.

Only those students who had important classes tomorrow or whose teachers were taking attendance could only bitterly continue to wait.

Early the next morning, everyone on Li Zhuiyuan's side also gathered, ready to go home. Li Zhuiyuan had already said goodbye to Ah Li last night; he would only be back for three days, so the time wasn't long.

Tan Wenbin's parents, including Zhou Yunyun, were in Jin Ling, but he still had to go home.

Zhuangzhuang had lived at Grandpa Li's house for nearly a year and truly had feelings for it.

When Yin Meng and Runsheng went back, Lu Yi would watch the store. He hadn't gone back to his hometown during the summer vacation, and he naturally wouldn't go back during such a short holiday; he still had to feed Xiao Hei every day.

The four of them had all changed into new clothes, which were outfits designed by Ah Li. They were very form-fitting and breathable, and at the same time very practical, having the feeling of professional outdoor camping equipment, and everyone was wearing leather boots on their feet.

There was one person, carrying a bag, standing in the distance, lowering his head, repeatedly trampling on the small stones on the ground with the tip of his shoe.

Given Lin Shu You's family conditions, he could completely afford to take a plane back to see.

But he knew very well that if he went home for no reason to see, he might be kicked out of the temple gate by his grandfather and master with two kicks.

Besides, during this period, apart from the relatively utilitarian goals for the development of the Guan Jiang Shou career, he was very attached to Tan Wenbin.

He also wanted to be attached to Li Zhuiyuan, but he was afraid of Li Zhuiyuan and could only be attached from a distance.

After the four of them got into the car, the little pickup truck drove away.

Lin Shu You bit his lip, carried his schoolbag, and planned to go into the store to help Lu Yi take inventory.

The little pickup truck reversed back.

Tan Wenbin, who was in the driver's seat, reached his hand out of the car window, waved it, and asked, "What are you dazed for? Get in the car!"

"Alright!"

Lin Shu You immediately jumped into the back of the truck happily. With his agile body, this time he actually hit his head, making a "bang" sound.

He sat down while rubbing his head.

Runsheng, who was sitting opposite him, asked, "Are you crying?"

"No!"

"You are crying."

"No... not crying."

"Look, you are crying."

"No... no... I'm not crying... I just hit it and it hurts."

Tan Wenbin honked the horn, shifted gears, stepped on the gas, and drove the car out.

As the provincial capital, Jin Ling once again showed its remoteness to the cities within the province.

After a car ride of nearly four hours, close to noon, the car finally drove to Nantong.

After arriving at Shinan, they continued to drive inward. After passing Shigang Bridge, Tan Wenbin, who was driving, counted the intersections and turned into the village road at the second one.

Because they had called Li Sanjiang in advance to notify him, they didn't stop in the town to buy vegetables.

As for gifts, they had brought some.

They were all Jin Ling specialties; he imagined they probably wouldn't suit Li Sanjiang's taste.

From the village road northward, they had to take a small path to get to Li Sanjiang's house, and the car couldn't get in.

In order not to block the road, Tan Wenbin could only drive the car into the field, crushing some of Li Sanjiang's crops.

When parking, Li Zhuiyuan got out of the car first and walked toward the house.

Li Sanjiang, who had heard the movement, was already walking toward here with a cigarette in his mouth.

Li Zhuiyuan called out, "Great-Grandfather!"

Li Sanjiang spat out the cigarette in his mouth and started jogging:

"Hahahaha, I've missed you to death, Great-Grandson!"

Li Sanjiang picked Li Zhuiyuan up. This time, he had prepared in advance, and after picking him up, he specially weighed him:

"Heavier, really heavier. Our Little Yuan has grown up, his height is shooting up so fast, Great-Grandfather can't hold you anymore."

"Grandpa Li, we're here too!"

"Grandpa Li, we're back too!"

Tan Wenbin, Runsheng, and the others, who had finished parking, also walked toward here carrying gifts.

Li Sanjiang continued to hold Li Zhuiyuan with one hand, pulled out the other hand, waved at them, and called out with a smile:

"Ha, the mules are back too!"

(End of this volume)

Asking for monthly tickets; it's the last two days of the month, and it's still double monthly ticket time. If you have tickets, please vote for the Dragon!

(End of this chapter)