Chapter 147

Xiong Shan's expression froze, and then he revealed a bitter smile: "Congratulations."

Li Zhuiyuan: "My condolences."

When Second and Third were found earlier, Tan Wenbin had reservations and considered whether to notify Xiong Shan in time, but Xiong Shan mastered the experience of leaving here, so if he found people, there was no need to hide it.

And Lin Shu You, Yin Meng, plus Brother Hu and the three of them, a total of five people, in the water pool before it burned, could be considered a not-so-small target. Yet, the two sides couldn't find a single one.

Admittedly, there was indeed a probability of them being left behind and not found, but this probability was actually very low. Combined with the fact that Lin Shu You could open his eyes, turn his head, and make mouth shapes before going into the water, showing clear self-awareness, it was highly likely that they had come here, but left before he and the others came down.

As for where they went?

Li Zhuiyuan turned around and looked at the damaged stone gate.

He was clearly the first echelon, and he had placed them in the rear as the second echelon. Now, it was good; the second echelon had actually run ahead of him.

At this time, Xiong Shan took a deep breath and said:

"Second and Third, they should have been tricked by the Xie family and the Bu family."

"When the Xie family and the Bu family took action, there was no reason not to unite with the Wang family."

"I now suspect that if it weren't for you, Lihua would have followed you and arrived here early, and I fear she might have ended up with the same fate as Second and Third."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It is their own good fortune that protected them; it has little to do with me."

That's what he said, but what the young man was thinking in his heart was:

So, if it weren't for him leading the team to arrive early, you, Xiong Shan, would have become a lone wolf by now?

You, who were struggling to suppress the eruption of corpse poison by the lake, suddenly saw your wife, child, and brothers brought down here by the corpse-driving team, and then you dived down alone to prepare for rescue. As a result, just as you woke your wife up, before you had time to solve the restriction, you witnessed your wife, child, and brothers burning, melting, and exploding in front of you.

You might even have been so mentally dazed that you delayed for too long, and combined with the influence of the corpse poison, you failed to escape the range of the water pool and were directly buried in this ghost eye sea of fire.

So, you were supposed to be wiped out in this wave?

He did arrive at the unfinished examination hall early, but he wasn't waiting for the next exam and a new test paper; rather, everyone in the examination hall had died at their desks, and he sat in, picked up the blood-stained unfinished test paper beside their corpses, and continued?

"Little brother, what is wrong with you?"

"I am thinking..." Li Zhuiyuan reached out and pointed to the position where the ghost eye was earlier, "Those three families are preparing to take action, at the earliest during the day today, at the latest in the first half of the night tonight."

Since those three families had laid out the layout to transport the thunder talismans and corpse oil in, and destroyed all the corpses here, they couldn't possibly give the corpse-drivers here another chance to pick up people and continue the lamp oil.

"I feel the same way, so I have encountered a dead end now. If I continue to move forward to seek the opportunity to seal that General, wouldn't I be making a wedding dress for those three families?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

"There is one thing, I ask you to forgive me, little brother. I will take you all away from here. If I happen to meet your people on the way, I will definitely help if I can, but I will not deliberately rescue them, nor will I try to seal that General again."

"I want to leave here alive and find those three families for revenge. Since they dared to treat my people as sacrifices, I must make them pay the price!"

Actually, Xiong Shan had also revealed the idea of using those three families as cannon fodder earlier.

But this matter is only truly painful when it falls on someone.

Tan Wenbin was plugging his bleeding nostrils with paper balls on the side. Hearing Xiong Shan's words, he could only sigh in his heart:

It's still our Brother Yuanzi who is kind-hearted; either he doesn't take action, or when he does, he goes for the whole family register, resolutely ensuring that grievances are repaid on the spot.

Li Zhuiyuan thought more deeply:

Perhaps, Xiong Shan also wanted to use this method to find a legitimate excuse for his lamp-lighting and admitting defeat, a reason sufficient to soothe his inner self.

He wouldn't walk this river anymore; he wanted to focus on revenge for his brothers.

Li Zhuiyuan: "I understand. However, I must go to save my people. You lead the way first; when the time comes, we will separate."

"Good." Xiong Shan pursed his lips, "Little brother, I have wronged you; I owe you a favor."

Xiong Shan had said this sentence before, but Li Zhuiyuan didn't take it to heart last time, and it was the same this time.

Xiong Shan and Lihua walked in front, and Li Zhuiyuan followed them with Runsheng and Tan Wenbin.

When going up the steps, Li Zhuiyuan deliberately observed the fist pit in the center of the steps. Even after so many years, the fist patterns in the pit were still clearly visible.

Runsheng kept comparing his fist with the fist pit.

Walking into the damaged stone gate, there was no corridor ahead, but a wind blew directly, and there was sand in the wind. The sand was crystal clear and radiated a strange luster.

Li Zhuiyuan: Illusion Sand.

Places where evil Qi and resentment are thick and many people have died in large batches have a probability of forming an Illusion Sand layout; this is a kind of natural miasma.

Xiong Shan: "This is Illusion Sand; it can stimulate the most intense joys and sorrows in a person's memory and amplify them. Stabilize your mind; you must not get lost in it."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Cleansing Heart Talisman."

Tan Wenbin and Runsheng immediately pulled out Cleansing Heart Talismans and stuck them on their foreheads.

Although they could also try to pass through this Illusion Sand by their own perseverance, since they had this condition, there was no need to suffer unnecessarily.

Xiong Shan also took out a few Chenzhou talismans, first stuck one on his wife and child, then turned around, about to say something. After seeing those two Cleansing Heart Talismans, he was first surprised, then relieved:

"No wonder you don't care about my Chenzhou talisman fragments."

"That is because I am inherently incompetent in the way of talismans."

"Little brother, you are always so modest."

Li Zhuiyuan was too lazy to explain again.

"Little brother, are you not sticking one on yourself?"

"I don't need to."

"Then you must pay attention to restraining your emotions."

"I will."

Everyone walked into the Illusion Sand together. Even with the help of the talisman papers to suppress it, the rise of inner emotions was still very obvious.

Lihua began to cry again, Xiong Shan's eyes turned red due to anger, and Runsheng and Tan Wenbin were both suppressing the corners of their mouths, yet they were both overjoyed.

Li Zhuiyuan felt nothing.

The wind and sand area was not large. After walking a distance forward, everyone walked out.

Except for Li Zhuiyuan, everyone began to breathe heavily, adjusting their state of mind.

Maintaining extreme emotions for too long would consume a great deal of spirit.

Xiong Shan turned his head and glanced at the young man beside him who was like nothing had happened, and the evaluation of the young man in his heart added another touch of mystery.

The Illusion Sand was on the outermost periphery. After coming in, what was presented to everyone was a giant pit sunken downward, very much like a deep mine, circle by circle, path by path, until the deepest part.

But this was just the scene seen from the outside; in fact, the spatial dislocation below was very obvious. The so-called below did not necessarily have to be walked down; here, it was completely a world of its own.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up.

The sky in the outside reality was one layer, the lake water was one layer, and here was another layer. Triple Heaven, suppression layout, specially burying giant evils!

It stands to reason that when that General was buried back then, he had already been treated as a giant evil object. Burying him here was the hope that he would never turn over for eternity.

But even so, in history, it still almost let this General turn over.

Xiong Shan: "Here, southeast, northwest, all are dislocated, hiding murderous intent inside, extremely dangerous. I almost lost my life inside before, but fortunately, I later explored a quiet path, which allowed me to find the exit and surface to the lake."

After a brief introduction, Xiong Shan began to lead the way again.

Everyone walked downward along the edge. The road under their feet should have been repaired, but with the falling of nearby rocks, the road was no longer a road. However, in the middle of the road, there were new excavation traces, not a spacious road, but a flat one that could only allow one person to pass.

For example, when a giant rock blocked the road ahead, a concave space appeared in the center of the giant rock. Everything around was blocked, but people could pass through the middle relatively normally.

This was a corpse-driving path newly repaired specially for corpse-drivers.

As they walked, the scene ahead changed. It was no longer a primitive stone pit, but many dilapidated and destroyed pavilions and buildings appeared.

When looking deeper into the pit, the pit was no longer below, but became level with you.

Where was it still a deep pit? It had clearly turned into a palace, but the outer wall of the palace had collapsed in a large area, and the inside was also in ruins.

The General's revival, the suppression in history, here, had once been a battlefield.

The road in front of everyone also became open, although it was still bumpy, it was no longer a mountain road along the cliff. Moreover, faintly, the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer could be heard.

Xiong Shan raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop moving forward.

Then he squatted down and placed his hands on the ground.

Then he squatted down, his hands pressed against the ground.

From his body, stalks of straw extended. These stalks of straw seemed to have grown temporarily, becoming more and more numerous, forming two small piles of straw on both sides of his body.

Xiong Shan's hands began to cross, not like forming a seal, but more like weaving.

The two piles of straw slowly stood up, and the figures of straw people appeared.

Tan Wenbin widened his eyes, leaned over to Li Zhuiyuan's side, and asked: "Brother Xiaoyuan, what kind of method is this?"

"There are traces of witchcraft."

The two piles of straw turned into two straw poles and a straw person sitting on top respectively.

Xiong Shan stuck two black talisman papers onto the two straw people respectively, then used his fingernails to cut his palm to perform a blood sacrifice on them. The temperament of the straw people immediately became different, revealing a solemn and profound aura.

Xiong Shan: "Come, let both sides take one, carry it, and walk along the left side. Do not walk in the center and collide with them."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Do as instructed."

Xiong Shan and Lihua, one in front and one behind, lifted the two straw poles.

The three people on Li Zhuiyuan's side were the same; Runsheng walked at the very front, and Li Zhuiyuan grabbed Runsheng's clothes and followed behind him.

In this way, the straw person originally sitting on top had its lower body hanging down, and its feet did not touch the ground.

This was a kind of imitation created by witchcraft. It had to be said that Xiong Shan's personal methods were indeed powerful.

Of course, Li Zhuiyuan had never doubted the other party's strength.

But when the former grassroots hero began to have thoughts of retiring, the momentum on his body also weakened.

The two small teams continued to move forward along the far left side of the road.

It was still Xiong Shan leading the way. He did not lead everyone into the palace, but walked around the periphery of the palace. He had said he had been inside, and it was very dangerous inside.

No errors in the first release, content is at a glance!

Dense footsteps came, and everyone heard them. In the center of the road, a group of soldiers holding torches were shouting and running forward.

From the details of their armor, it could be distinguished that these were Yuan soldiers.

It is said that they were the ones who first broke the tranquility here and accelerated the general's revival.

Immediately after, maids and eunuchs walked in teams.

They even walked side-by-side with their side for quite a long stretch of road, but at the entrance of the next side door, they turned into the palace.

Xiong Shan even stopped specifically to let them pass first.

Li Zhuiyuan thought for a moment; the attire on them should be from the Han Dynasty.

But if it were a general's tomb, maids would be fine, but why would there be eunuchs?

The lamps on both sides of the road began to stand up. They had long been destroyed, and what was presented now were virtual images, but the lighting effect was still obvious.

"Drive. Drive!"

Another group of knights galloped on horses, passing through the middle.

In short, although this road was "empty," it was also "lively."

Fortunately, as long as they carried the straw poles and played the role of corpse drivers, "no one" cared about them.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up several times at the straw person on his side.

This one whose feet did not touch the ground could be looked at; but the one carried by the genuine corpse-driving team could not be looked at.

The youth still did not know until now who it was that endowed "it" with such power.

At first, he and Xiong Shan both thought it was the general's patrol team, and each "it" in the corpse-driving team represented the general's "line of sight."

But if the general could still have such powerful strength and could achieve such long-distance projection, then why would he continue to be trapped here? Couldn't he just come out?

But if it didn't come from the general's power, then whose could it be?

Under Xiong Shan's leadership, everyone walked around nearly three-quarters of the palace's periphery, until an upward fork appeared ahead, and there was a relatively well-preserved building above the fork.

Compared to the palace, it looked very simple and plain.

Xiong Shan: "I don't know what it was called in ancient times, but the furnishings inside look like a banquet hall. Behind the hall, there is a small waterfall that drops into an underground river. I jumped down from there and returned to the lake surface."

Everyone began to move upward along the fork.

Li Zhuiyuan was not in a hurry to leave; he still had to look for Lin Shu You and Yin Meng, but it was necessary to go there and take a look, at least to watch Xiong Shan and Lihua jump down that waterfall to ensure it was a correct path for leaving.

However, the higher they went, the more the atmosphere gradually changed.

On the ground, a red carpet appeared, and the stone lamps on both sides of the road were no longer virtual image reproductions, but genuine ones, with real lamp oil inside to provide combustion.

Xiong Shan: "Something is wrong. When I explored here yesterday, there were no such furnishings. These are all newly placed. Let's go back first!"

When encountering unusual situations, it is still better to explore and look more on the periphery.

But when everyone wanted to go down, a group of maids and eunuchs appeared on the road they came up from. They were numerous and arranged neatly.

The eunuchs held lanterns in their hands, and the palace maids held lotus lamps in their hands.

They were virtual images, but this time, they were dense and completely blocked the road down.

When Li Zhuiyuan, Xiong Shan, and the others approached them, the straw people above both sides emitted white smoke. These straw poles were not as sturdy as bamboo poles, and "crack crack" sounds came from them, as if they were about to shatter.

The maids and eunuchs moved forward in unison, one step, one step, one step, forcing Li Zhuiyuan and the others to retreat.

"Little brother, I don't know what kind of situation this is, but the more they force us like this, the more we cannot follow their wishes. Get ready to act!"

Li Zhuiyuan agreed with Xiong Shan's judgment.

But behind the maids and eunuchs, eight corpse-driving teams appeared, all with the standard three-person configuration: two carrying poles, and one in the middle whose feet did not touch the ground.

How could they act now?

With those eight placed there, just one glance would cause one's spirit to suffer backlash. How could they fight?

Xiong Shan: "Under the eaves, one has to lower one's head. Let's follow their wishes for now."

The two straw-pole corpse-driving teams began to turn around and continue walking upward.

Perhaps because their two teams had blocked the road by "going against the flow" earlier, when they moved upward again, the maids and eunuchs passed by them.

It was just a pity that the eight corpse-driving teams behind them seemed to truly treat their two teams as "peers," actually taking them as leaders, four on each side.

Now, not only was there no thought of turning around, but even walking a bit slower was not allowed.

The higher they went, the closer they were to the "banquet hall," and the stronger the hazy feeling of brilliance became.

The doors of the banquet hall were wide open. Some of the maids and eunuchs stood outside waiting, while others went inside.

Now a new problem arose: as "leaders," should their side go in or stop outside?

Fortunately, the maids and eunuchs outside provided the answer. They bent down and all made a "please" gesture.

It seemed they were to go in.

After entering, it was indeed as Xiong Shan said, a banquet hall layout, and the banquet form was very ancient.

In the middle, there was a square platform half a person high, which should be the main seating area, with curtains hanging above to block the line of sight.

All around below were rows of tables, some intact, some already damaged.

Currently, it still looked empty, except for four tables in a corner where people were sitting.

Li Zhuiyuan saw acquaintances. First were those three hooligans, Brother Hu, all kneeling and sitting there with their eyes closed, motionless.

Sitting right next to Brother Hu and the three of them was Lin Shu You.

Lin Shu You had been sitting quietly there, but now he seemed to have sensed something again. He opened his eyes and began to look around, saying something, but no sound could be heard. However, the mouth shape was still:

"Brother Xiaoyuan?"

Last time by the lake, Lin Shu You was in the corpse-driving team, his perception was blocked, and Li Zhuiyuan and the others were in the "Yin-Yang Road Inn" barrier, so he sensed people but couldn't see them.

This time, the three of them were carrying fake equipment, and the concealment ability was not that strong. Lin Shu You first sensed something, then determined the general direction, and finally his eyes looked at the position where Li Zhuiyuan was.

At this moment, a gust of yin wind blew, and the curtain on the main platform was blown open, revealing the situation inside.

On the platform, there was a head seat, and on the left and right sides of the head seat, there were two accompanying seats each. The host naturally sat in the head seat, but those who could accompany him to sit on the platform must also be the four most noble people in the entire venue.

On the head seat, there was a set of armor. The armor was covered in scars and revealed a rich sense of the vicissitudes of time, which should represent that general.

Below the right hand of the head seat, there was a sculpture. The sculpture was a man in red clothes. Although the sculpture was mottled and damaged, it still allowed people to feel the style of the person it was modeled after.

Li Zhuiyuan had seen Uncle Qin wear similar clothes during his initiation ceremony.

Li Zhuiyuan himself also had them, specially made for him by the old lady. There were two sets, one mainly red and one mainly green, after all, he was a member of two sects, so he had to have a set of formal wear for each.

This sculpture should represent the Dragon King of the Qin family who once suppressed the general. Although the general was suppressed by him, he still erected his statue and placed it beside his seat, indicating a kind of recognition and respect.

Opposite the red-clothed sculpture, that is, below the left hand of the head seat, sat... Yin Meng.

After Tan Wenbin and Runsheng saw this scene, they both showed astonishment: Why could Yin Meng sit in that position?

Even Xiong Shan cast a surprised and questioning look at the youth: What kind of person is your subordinate? Or rather, between you and him, who is the subordinate?

Only Li Zhuiyuan, who had read the complete version of the Yin family genealogy, knew that this was not strange.

Because,

This is the tradition of the Yin family to go out and travel to crash banquets.

———

This chapter is to make up for yesterday's word count.

There will be today's in the evening.

(End of chapter)