Chapter 151

A drafty attic, a rotten bed; warped floorboards, peeling walls.

Yin Meng sat on a wobbly stool, examining her VIP room.

She knew very well that if she were to "walk the Yin" (spirit travel) now, she would see golden splendor.

But she was very afraid of walking the Yin now; every brief spirit travel gave her a painful feeling like a nail hammer chiseling her brain.

Outside the attic stood two maids.

They weren't hard to deal with; flipping down from the other side would avoid them, but although this place was in the corner of the palace, it was also covered by mechanisms.

Most importantly, even if she left here now, she didn't know where to look for her companions.

Helpless, she could only take out some powder with weak toxicity but strong reaction from her backpack, break off a piece of wood in the room, and sprinkle the powder on it to rub.

"Crackle, crackle..."

Red and blue smoke rose up just like that.

She placed the wood on the windowsill.

Rather than running around blindly, it was better to wait peacefully after sending a signal.

She didn't wait long. From afar, she saw Tan Wenbin and a strange middle-aged man following a eunuch's phantom walking toward here.

The eunuch sent away the two maid phantoms downstairs.

Xiong Shan stayed below, and Tan Wenbin ran up.

"Yo, come and appreciate our Mengmeng's detached villa."

Yin Meng rolled her eyes at him, put her mountaineering bag on her back, and asked: "Can we go?"

"Wait a bit more. First give me all the incense you brought for Runsheng in your bag; I'm going to do something."

Yin Meng took the two boxes out of her bag and handed them to him.

"What are you going to do?"

"Prepare some thick gifts, entrust a relationship, and go through the back door."

"Who is that person downstairs?"

"Eunuch Wang, he's a good person, and he's a fellow townsman of yours. He's from Shu. When he was a child, his family committed a crime, and after his home was raided, he was sent to the palace and castrated to become a eunuch."

"You know I wasn't asking about him."

"His name is Xiong Shan, not one of our own."

"I understand."

Tan Wenbin packed his things and waved his hand: "Alright, wait a while longer, I'll be back soon."

After going downstairs, Eunuch Wang left with Tan Wenbin.

Xiong Shan continued to stand downstairs and didn't go upstairs.

Not long after, Tan Wenbin returned. Besides Eunuch Wang, there was also a high-ranking eunuch wearing red eunuch robes.

This high-ranking eunuch was older, but his skin was whiter, and he exuded an air of grace.

The original Eunuch Wang was also cautious and flattering beside the high-ranking eunuch.

Xiong Shan truly felt that this Tan-surnamed youth in the youth's team was very different.

He seemed to be low-key and a bit unreliable, but every time he could produce extraordinary effects.

He was also a team leader himself. From the perspective of team building, even if the second and third brothers hadn't had an accident, his team indeed lacked such a person.

Sometimes, not every matter must be solved by force.

Xiong Shan laughed at himself again. What's the use of thinking about this now?

The deaths of the second and third brothers had caused his already riddled defense line to collapse completely. Now he just wanted to get through this wave safely, so that he could normally "light the lamp" a second time and exit the rivers and lakes.

Tan Wenbin led the high-ranking eunuch over. The high-ranking eunuch said while walking:

"Little Binzi, I trust you, which is why I'm willing to help you with this. I'm also a pitiful person. Not only did I lose my root, but I also lost my life early. Whether you fulfill those promises afterward depends entirely on your conscience, Little Binzi."

Tan Wenbin: "Don't worry, Godfather!"

Xiong Shan: "..."

Yin Meng was called down, and the high-ranking eunuch went with them to the damaged palace.

After he arrived, he directly dismissed all the maids and small eunuchs nearby, making the surroundings extremely cold and quiet instantly.

Tan Wenbin lit a stick of thin incense and inserted it into the ground: "Brother Wang, you smoke first."

Immediately after, Tan Wenbin lit a stick of thick incense and held it out to the high-ranking eunuch: "Godfather, you smoke this."

"Insert it into the ground, lest you get tired."

"Hey, anyway, there's nothing to do now, so I'll just show some filial piety to you."

"Stinky brat, have you ever served your biological father so diligently?"

"I have. You didn't see it. When I was a child, every time I made a mistake and the private school teacher called my father to talk, I was very diligent at home, washing clothes and mopping floors. When my father came back, I wished I could kneel at the door and change his wooden clogs for him."

"Hehehe." The high-ranking eunuch laughed.

Little Eunuch Wang, who was squatting on the ground eating incense, also laughed.

"Put it down, let's sit and eat slowly. Being fed by others is never as refreshing as eating by yourself."

"Okay."

Tan Wenbin inserted the thick incense into the ground, then took out alcohol for wound disinfection from his bag, poured it into plastic cups, and placed one in front of each person.

Little Eunuch Wang hurriedly took a breath from the air, and his originally semi-transparent face actually flushed with a red glow, feeling like he was floating like an immortal.

Seeing this, the high-ranking eunuch spat at him: "Useless thing."

Immediately, the high-ranking eunuch ate a bite of incense and took a sip of alcohol:

"Hiss, Little Binzi, this wine of yours is really strong."

Little Eunuch Wang immediately echoed and nodded.

"Don't worry, Godfather, every festival in the future, I won't be short of this sip of wine for you."

Saying this, Tan Wenbin secretly gave Little Eunuch Wang a wink, meaning you have some too.

Little Eunuch Wang secretly returned a "understand" smile.

"Sigh, when I was alive before, I always felt that this blood food was so important. After I lost my root and entered the palace, I still had to support my brothers' families well, just hoping that those nephews would remember me a little bit, and when they offered sacrifices to their own biological parents in the future, they would at least leave me this sip.

Now that I'm dead, actually, it's just like that. Although it's not 'death is like a lamp going out,' death is death, there's nothing to worry about."

"Godfather, you're wrong to say that. Receiving someone's kindness, one should naturally repay it. Although I haven't married yet, I have a sweetheart. When I have children in the future, and the children have children,

when telling ghost stories to the children while cooling off in the summer night, naturally I won't leave out your experience, Godfather."

"Hahahaha." The high-ranking eunuch was amused again. "Alright, since I've been called Godfather by you, it's rare to meet a godson who still has his 'thing,' so when you get married in the future, Godfather will also give a gift."

Tan Wenbin immediately rubbed his hands and leaned forward: "Yo, you still have a trick up your sleeve?"

"Of course." The high-ranking eunuch glanced at Tan Wenbin. "When they were buried with the dead, they were all buried in one pit, and some maids were even circled there and starved to death. I'm different. When I was buried, I had a coffin. When you dig up my remains in the future, remember to smash a layer in the coffin. There is some gold and silver jewelry inside."

"A gift from an elder should not be declined. After I dig out those treasures, I'll first build a grave for you, and I'll donate ninety percent of the rest to the village to build bridges and pave roads. That one percent will be the gift money from you.

After your spirit tablet is made, I'll bring my fiancée to pay respects to you first."

The high-ranking eunuch doubted: "Only keeping one percent, is that too little? Godfather, although I have hidden some, I haven't hidden too much. The burial came suddenly, and those farms and shops weren't sold in time.

Although your father is a yamen runner, he's only in Moling. I'm afraid the family fortune is just like that. How is your father as a person?"

"Upright and incorruptible."

"Then it's over, just a poor ghost."

"Not necessarily."

"What business will you do in the future?"

"Water conservancy."

"What, still have to do corvee labor on the river embankment?"

"Uh..." Tan Wenbin scratched his head. "A matter that benefits the country and the people."

"You have some ambition, a good child."

"You praise me too much, Godfather."

Most of the maids and eunuchs here, including those Yuan soldiers and knights who had appeared, actually didn't know they were dead. They still thought they were alive and doing their work before death.

A level like the high-ranking eunuch knew he was dead and was already the "top" among this batch of buried people.

But he was actually just like those who cannot be looked upon directly, possessing basic thinking but still limited. If you tell him how many years have passed outside and what kind of era it is today, they cannot understand.

They are "chang" (ghosts of those killed by tigers) after all, with their own limitations.

This is also why Xie Shun'an could fool the ancestors of the three families into condensing such rich and majestic curse power.

Their self-consciousness clearly knew that their descendants had made a mistake, and they were willing to take the initiative to use curse arts to punish their descendants.

But their thinking limitations could not perceive and understand what kind of terrible disaster such huge curse power would bring to the current human world; it was no longer just punishing the three families or exterminating the three families.

Xiong Shan stood by, watching Tan Wenbin chatting so warmly with the two ghost eunuchs, and felt it was incredibly magical.

Yin Meng stood on the side and didn't feel strange at all.

Everyone in the team, including Brother Xiaoyuan, recognized Zhuangzhuang's ability.

Sometimes she would also worry that her role in the team wasn't that profound.

It seems that her main value now is still reflected in her "Yin" surname. After all, Brother Xiaoyuan will definitely go to the Fengdou Ghost City again in the future.

Sigh.

After experiencing being treated as an "honored guest" this time, Yin Meng couldn't help but feel a bit helpless:

Even in her generation, the Yin family is still eating the ancestors' old capital.

At this time, a fluctuation seemed to come.

The high-ranking eunuch slowly raised his head: "Yo, a message has come."

Not long after, a group of maids and eunuchs walked toward here.

Little Eunuch Wang got up and drove them away.

After a while, more maids and eunuchs came, and Little Eunuch Wang couldn't stop them.

The high-ranking eunuch glared at them and let out a heavy cough: "Get out."

The maids and eunuchs scattered like birds and beasts again.

After being quiet for a while, several eunuchs wearing high-ranking eunuch robes walked over.

The high-ranking eunuch stood up and walked forward: "Why, in this General's Mansion, does my word no longer count?"

Several high-ranking eunuchs retreated immediately.

Xiong Shan stared in the side. He knew that originally he would have had to start difficult work by now.

As a result, the difficult work was just mixed through like this?

The blocking battle that the youth strictly ordered to guard to the death, just need to stand by and watch?

It was quiet for a while again. This time the ground trembled. What came was a group of knights.

The high-ranking eunuch cursed at the top of his lungs this time: "I want to see, this General's Mansion, who exactly it belongs to, and which family's surname has the final say!"

After looking at each other, the knights turned their horses and left.

Time passed minute by minute in this way.

But what should come will come.

It can block for a while, but it cannot block forever.

Tan Wenbin licked his lips and cursed in his heart: Damn, it seems that as Brother Xiaoyuan said, Xie Shun'an indeed has partial control here.

This time, more maids and eunuchs came, almost a human tide.

The order stuck here will only gather more and more people here, thereby forming a combined force to push the order forward.

They are "chang," and their essence is actually being influenced and manipulated.

The high-ranking eunuch's expression also became ugly, not because he lost face, but because even he himself felt the pressure drive.

Not only could he not stop the group of people in front of him, but even he himself could no longer control himself.

Little Eunuch Wang had already stood on the opposite side. The respectful look on his face was gone, and like the others, his face became gloomy, and they began to apply pressure collectively.

"Little Binzi, I'm useless. In a while, I'll have to stand on the opposite side too."

"Look at what you're saying, Godfather is already very heroic. How about this, you let go, I have my own methods."

"Really let go?"

"Let go. You keep a point of clarity, and you can still protect us from being squeezed out."

Actually, it's because the high-ranking eunuch is by their side that they don't have to carry straw poles and top scarecrows to pretend to be part of the group.

"Alright then." The high-ranking eunuch breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand.

Tan Wenbin looked at Xiong Shan and said: "It's your turn. The time should be almost up. You just need to hold on for a while longer."

Xiong Shan patted his chest: "Rest assured, holding on for how long is no problem."

Tan Wenbin shrugged helplessly. He still preferred his own Brother Yuan's precise way of speaking and arranging. As the boss of someone like Xiong Shan, he would be very uncomfortable.

"No need, my boss likes to be swift and decisive. You hold on a bit longer."

Xiong Shan began to perform the Chenzhou Talisman. He saw him squatting on the ground, his hands sticking to the ground.

Straw extended from his body again. Around him, eight straw piles appeared, one of which was woven into two corpse-driving scarecrows. The two scarecrows carried straw poles and entered the palace first.

Under Xiong Shan's control, they walked as slowly as possible. At the steps of the palace gate, the squatting action was even more like slow motion.

After the first person who cannot be looked upon directly got on the straw pole, the two scarecrows stood up slowly, then carried the person and walked slowly in circles in the spacious front courtyard of the palace gate.

Then, the second pile of scarecrows was woven, went to pick up people in the same way, and then walked in circles.

Next was the third, the fourth...

The Chenzhou Talismans that Xiong Shan excels at have excellent camouflage effects here. Under the effect of the talisman, these straw corpse-drivers are "locals" in the eyes of the local people.

Because these "fake locals" kept appearing, going in, and walking in circles, the real local corpse-drivers outside could only keep lining up outside.

This can be considered as drilling a loophole and blocking the position.

After the original eight piles of straw all became "corpse-drivers," Xiong Shan summoned eight more piles.

At this time, he already felt a bit strenuous.

However, Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng beside him were a bit impressed by Xiong Shan because of this.

This is controlling eight puppets at the same time, and he is only a bit strenuous.

Thinking of Brother Xiaoyuan comparing Lihua with himself earlier, Tan Wenbin indeed had to admit that the overall quality and strength of Xiong Shan's team were indeed a big cut above his own team.

However, our own team is quite comprehensive; for instance, Xiong Shan's team doesn't have a single person who can sit at the General's VIP table to cadge a meal, but we do.

But it was mainly thanks to Brother Xiaoyuan's wisdom.

It was Brother Xiaoyuan's brain and his deeper understanding of walking the river that lifted his own team to another height.

At this time, those who cannot be looked upon directly suddenly stopped coming out. They began to form seals and cast spells.

Wisps of black mist rose from bottom to top, gathering in the air to form a black vortex.

Xiong Shan was stunned for a moment, his face looking gray: "Is it over?"

Tan Wenbin breathed a sigh of relief and said: "It's done."

Soon, the black vortex began to decompose, turning back into wisps of black gas, returning to the body of each person who cannot be looked upon directly.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The straw poles all broke, and the scarecrows also collapsed. Those who cannot be looked upon directly on the straw poles all fell to the ground.

After finishing the seals, they all returned to the palace, and everything returned to quiet.

Tan Wenbin clapped his hands: "Alright, this is the signal Brother Xiaoyuan sent us."

At this time, Xiong Shan wiped the cold sweat on his face and said coldly:

"You guys walking the rivers and lakes are much simpler than us."

Tan Wenbin looked at Xiong Shan and said: "The matter is only half done, don't be in a hurry to raise your tail."

Xiong Shan's expression stagnated, with no anger, only shame.

Tan Wenbin himself was more grassroots than grassroots. He wasn't a member of the Xuanmen at all originally, just used as a "temporary plaque."

But he really looked down on some of Xiong Shan's behavioral habits, always testing and testing, and asking for favors with his mouth open.

This actually has nothing to do with background. A person's life is actually constantly breaking their own limitations. Once you are tired and stop, it will turn into a cage and trap you.

This river, you are indeed not suitable for walking.

Tan Wenbin waved his hand: "Let's go, go gather."

Li Zhuiyuan walked to Xie Shun'an. Xie Shun'an sat on the ground, looking dejected:

"Kill me."

Li Zhuiyuan ignored him, and he also knew that Xie Shun'an was not afraid of death.

After the youth walked over, he passed by Xie Shun'an's side very naturally.

Walking to the edge of the giant pit, the youth looked at the black coffin below, raised his hand, and pointed.

The corpse-driving Daoist, who was still staying at the steps maintaining the posture of stopping its figure earlier, turned around and walked slowly toward the youth.

It also passed by Xie Shun'an's side.

Xie Shun'an asked: "How did you do it?"

He mainly relied on the traditional method of corpse-drivers, using bamboo poles to control the corpse.

Even the kind of self-mutilation of his own eyes to forcibly make the corpse-driving Daoist launch an attack autonomously could only be maintained for that instant.

But the youth could perform almost perfect control.

Without relying on external force, directly making the corpse obey him.

In Xie Shun'an's view, this ability was simply unimaginable.

This special technique of Li Zhuiyuan originated from a Wei-surnamed patient friend.

And it was only suitable for sharing among patient friends.

Outsiders not only found it hard to learn, but even if there were occasionally talented people who forcibly learned it, the outcome would be destined to be miserable, being worse than death while also being unable to die.

The one under the peach tree in his hometown was the best example.

However, whether he could learn it or not was secondary. Li Zhuiyuan was too lazy to continue communicating with this Xie Shun'an.

If Xie Shun'an had really been willing to sit down and talk properly from the beginning and hand over that command flag, he would probably have sat down with him to discuss the revenge plan.

The youth actually liked to ponder this quite a bit.

Sometimes, he would also think of that black cat from the past.

It trusted him, and it was also truly obedient, listening and performing well, able to report progress and final results, having a beginning and an end.

Unfortunately, it was liberated.

The difference between the two was that although the cat-faced old lady had suffered a setback fighting zombies in her hometown, when he met her in the village at night, that black cat actually still had the ability to handle him.

Although he had tricked Qin Shu into the village, Qin Shu at that time was still at the stage of not being able to hold a bottle. Everyone wasn't that close.

So that cat was willing to follow his suggestions on the basis of having a strength advantage.

Xie Shun'an was not. He was completely defeated by him.

"Have you already disdained to talk to me?"

The ferocity on Xie Shun'an's face slowly surfaced again.

However, just as he prepared to stand up again, he was pressed back down by Runsheng with a shovel on his back.

Runsheng really wanted to open his head directly, but Xiaoyuan hadn't spoken yet.

Under Li Zhuiyuan's control, the corpse-driving Daoist walked down into the giant pit and lay back in the coffin.

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes, ending his control over it.

Then, blood flowed out from the corners of his eyes.

This is the price of controlling this level of existence. Even if the other party is still cooperating with you in their bones, it is still an extremely terrifying burden.

Li Zhuiyuan had a set of standards for measuring his degree of overdraft. Headache is the first step, nosebleed is the second step, and bleeding from the eyes is the third step.

Reaching this step, it is very dangerous. If you continue to overdraft, you will likely go blind.

"Brother Runsheng, offering table."

"Alright."

Runsheng immediately went to set up the offering table.

Xie Shun'an was preparing to stand up again, but this time, his shoulder was stepped on by the White Crane Master Master Tongzi, who was still holding the child.

He let out a painful muffled groan and was stepped on the ground, forbidden to struggle.

The offering table was set up. Li Zhuiyuan began to offer sacrifices to the Xie family ancestors. This was a kind of etiquette.

The youth set up three burning incense sticks.

Because the other party was half Xie family ancestor and half General, the incense etiquette had to be pinched off by half.

Even if the General was indifferent now, and even if he sympathized with those who had suppressed him, with the youth's identity, he couldn't offer sacrifices to him.

He pulled out one incense stick and prepared to pinch off half of the second one, thinking of the glass of wine the General had toasted him at the banquet hall.

Thinking about it, forget it. This half incense stick would be considered returning that glass of wine.

The sacrifice was completed.

Turning around, Lin Shu You hurriedly stepped forward, holding paper towels and water, to help Brother Xiaoyuan wipe the blood stains on his face.

The Master Master Tongzi had already left silently. Now, the one holding the child and stepping on Xie Shun'an was Lihua.

When Li Zhuiyuan walked over, Lihua showed a shy smile.

It seemed as if she had completely forgotten that not long ago, she had taken the initiative to bare her chest and breastfeed for the youth to see.

Her son's future was right in front of her, but as a mother, she didn't know how to speak at this moment.

Finally, she looked down at her son in the swaddling clothes and forced out a sentence:

"Suddenly remembered, my son is still missing a godfather."

She knew that with the youth's age, being a godfather seemed a bit inappropriate.

But she couldn't let her son recognize the youth as a god-brother, wouldn't she then become the youth's godmother?

On the side, Runsheng, who was turning his back to here and recycling the offering table, said silently:

"You are not worthy of knowing my husband."

Lihua: "Hahahahahaha!"

Only very, very loud laughter could cover up her embarrassment at this moment.

But because of this, it could be considered to have eased the slightly oppressive and cramped atmosphere at this moment.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the child.

Earlier, he used the child's crying to disturb Xie Shun'an's perception of the "whispers," and the effect was very good. This child also knew how to cooperate.

"The child can walk the Yin world already. Contacting these things too early is not good."

"Hmm?" Lihua heard this, first happy, then puzzled: "Not good?"

My son can walk the Yin world while in swaddling clothes, isn't he a genius? How is this not good?

Li Zhuiyuan stretched out his foot and gently touched Xie Shun'an, who was lying on the ground: "He is also barely a genius."

His experience is worthy of pity, but his behavior is not worthy of empathy.

It is unnecessary to be too empathetic to him, because you are very likely to be the one who normally goes to work and eats with your family, only to be confusedly slaughtered by evil spirits overnight because of him. Lihua seemed to understand something and asked immediately: "Then... what should we do?"

"Let your husband use a talisman to seal his spiritual perception, so that he can at least have a normal childhood."

"Okay... I will." Lihua nodded hard.

Both the ability shown by the youth and his background made Lihua feel convinced.

Li Zhuiyuan thought of A Li, but A Li was much more pitiful than this child.

If A Li could only walk the Yin world at a young age and occasionally see some lonely ghosts that ordinary people couldn't see, then A Li's childhood would probably be very innocent and romantic.

Two or three little ghosts, how could they compare to the intimidation and humiliation of those big evil spirits and "sidao" (dead ghosts) forcing their way into the palace? It's not on the same level at all.

But even so, A Li only closed herself off, showing resistance and rejection to the outside world, and she never thought about taking indiscriminate revenge.

Lihua gathered her courage again and said: "The child only has a nickname now, and still hasn't been given a formal name."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I am not suitable."

His karma is too heavy now. Most importantly, he really doesn't like children, especially smart and sensible children.

(Content omitted)

At this time, Xie Shun'an said: "So what if you took me down? I'm very grateful that you didn't kill me now, because I can hear the sound of disaster being unleashed, hehehe."

No response was received.

Xie Shun'an: "Are you looking at me with disdainful eyes? Heh, I don't believe you have a way to solve it. It's impossible to solve it, you're dreaming."

Runsheng, who had finished packing, happened to return and said to him with his head lowered:

"Xiaoyuan didn't even look at you."

Xie Shun'an clenched his hands immediately and beat the ground desperately.

Lin Shu You helped Li Zhuiyuan clean up his face, then with a "clack," opened a can of Jianlibao and handed it over:

"Brother Xiaoyuan, do you want to take a rest?"

Li Zhuiyuan took the drink, finished it in one breath, and shook his head: "No time to rest."

The corpse-driving Daoist became weaker after Xie Shun'an's driving and his own control, and could no longer support this place for too long.

The issue of the curse power here could explode at any moment.

Furthermore, if nothing unexpected happens outside, the people from those three families are likely almost at Peach Blossom Village.

There are too many variables; all I can do right now is seize the time and resolve this problem sooner.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down on the ground, took a notebook and pen from his schoolbag, and began to draw a diagram.

The only way he could think of to break the deadlock was the "Dragon Eye Door-Locking Formation" at the entrance of the water burial site.

Use the fire of the Ghost Eye to incinerate and dissolve the curse power.

The prerequisite is that it cannot all be dissolved in one breath, otherwise, it would blow up the formation and this place together, causing a venting.

Therefore, the curse power vortex must be broken down and dispersed onto each of the "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At."

Then, have them carried into the pond one by one, to be annihilated and dissolved one by one.

There is a problem here: there are too many of "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At." How should they be sent in? The corpse-driver's method is feasible, but Li Zhuiyuan suspects that the corpse-driver teams here are severely insufficient; otherwise, when Tan Wenbin and Runsheng infiltrated the corpse-driver teams earlier, they wouldn't have needed to cycle back and forth, and the number of corpse-driver teams sent out each time wouldn't be limited to only eight.

Moreover, he intends to completely repair the "Dragon Eye Door-Locking Formation," using the corpses as lamp oil to change it back into borrowing the tidal power of the lake above, making it endless.

Otherwise... it really isn't enough for the Ghost Eye to burn a few times, and he couldn't possibly go and find fresh, newly dead corpses to fill it; that would require a massive amount.

Once the complete "Dragon Eye Door-Locking Formation" is running, it is difficult to take shortcuts; after the corpse-driver teams carry "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At" inside, they must be destroyed one by one.

And even if they are processed by incineration one by one, the splashing of the flame curse power produced at that time would likely completely cover that environment.

Therefore, the corpse-driver teams must also be used as disposable items.

Fortunately, Xiong Shan should be able to manufacture them with Chenzhou talismans; if that really doesn't work, squeezing him until he vomits blood and collapses, or even squeezing him dry—for the sake of ending this karma and for his son—he would likely be willing.

Li Zhuiyuan quickly drew the blueprints. He didn't let Runsheng open all his Qi gates earlier because Runsheng is the most efficient one when it comes to cooperating with the formation construction; if Runsheng were paralyzed, his construction progress could not be guaranteed.

Even if he were to be temporarily paralyzed, it would be better to open all Qi gates while rushing the deadline.

The construction blueprints in Li Zhuiyuan's hands were drawn rapidly. The raw materials for the formation here are not hard to find; although the palace is ruined, many abandoned mechanism formations remain—simply tearing down the east wall to repair the west wall is enough.

He also thoughtfully made annotations on each blueprint, pointing out where in the palace to use what method to dismantle them.

Tan Wenbin returned with Yin Meng and Xiong Shan.

Xie Shun'an had finished his madness and fallen into silence.

Because the youth was busy drawing, no one present spoke.

Lihua held her child with one hand and ran to her husband.

Seeing that his wife's right hand had become like that, Xiong Shan immediately revealed a look of heartache and wanted to check her injuries to see if there was a chance to restore them slightly to avoid complete disability.

But Lihua directly avoided his hand and kicked her husband with her leg.

The woman looked forcefully at the youth, then looked at her husband.

Xiong Shan did not understand.

The woman looked forcefully at the youth again with anxiety, then looked at her husband again.

Xiong Shan still did not understand what his wife wanted to express; this wasn't like patting one's butt during marital intimacy to immediately understand what position to change to.

Lihua had no choice but to pull Xiong Shan a long distance away. She actually knew that the other party must know what she wanted to say, but she couldn't *not* say it.

"That youth is from the Long Wang's family!"

"What?" Xiong Shan was first startled, then gradually felt relieved.

He was very surprised—so he really was from the Long Wang's family—but he also felt it was normal; he was worthy of being from the Long Wang's family.

Xiong Shan then let out an "Aiya" and sat on the ground.

"What's wrong with you?"

Xiong Shan reached out and patted his forehead, looked at his son, and said:

"You only lost one hand, and I only broke into a sweat. Anyway, we had already planned to light the lamp and retire from the Jianghu. If we had known, we two should have found an opportunity to die appropriately earlier; that way, we could have taken advantage of the situation to send our son on his way and let him ascend to the heavens in one step."

Lihua paused, then nodded and said:

"Damn it, died too late!"

Tan Wenbin walked over, squatted down, and looked at Brother Xiaoyuan's already reddened eyes.

Then, he picked up the thick stack of blueprints that had already been drawn on the ground.

He didn't care if it would break Brother Xiaoyuan's train of thought and said, "Brother Xiaoyuan?"

Li Zhuiyuan didn't even lift his head, continuing to draw while saying, "Speak."

"The workload is a bit large; we could mobilize the ghosts and dead people here."

Li Zhuiyuan lifted his head and looked at Tan Wenbin: "How to mobilize them?"

"I recognized a godfather here; he is considered the highest-ranking great eunuch in this palace, so I can invite him to organize the ghosts to help..." Tan Wenbin took the opportunity to tell Brother Xiaoyuan about his contact process with that great eunuch.

"Fine, go do it; we need to be fast."

"Alright, I'll go tell Godfather right now."

Tan Wenbin went to find that great eunuch; he now called "Godfather" very naturally.

At a critical moment, he can help you, leave you gold and silver jewelry, and is nearly two thousand years older than you—what's wrong with calling him "Godfather"? It's really not a loss.

Li Zhuiyuan's blueprints were finished; next, it entered the stage of all-ghost construction.

Ghosts without physical bodies cannot touch reality, but they can lead the way, point out directions, and help you hold down mechanisms to make it easier for you to dismantle them.

Those eight corpse-driver teams can be used as porters; they are dead people and have physical bodies.

In short, the construction efficiency is very high.

It's just that Li Zhuiyuan, who finished drawing the blueprints, still cannot rest; the delicate parts of the formation still have to be arranged by him personally.

Fortunately, the original formation was only damaged and modified; the overall basic framework is still there. If one patches it up without aiming for long-term use, the construction period can be further shortened.

Lihua threw her child into the fist-pit on the stone gate steps; left with only one hand, she still did the work nimbly and crazily.

In this regard, she was exactly like those strong mothers in the secular world who have to leave their children in their hometowns and go out to work to earn tuition and living expenses for their children.

Xiong Shan also wanted to join in, but he was ordered by Li Zhuiyuan to rest.

The place where he is needed is later on.

There is no way; if it were any other cultivation technique, as long as Xiong Shan took that remnant scroll and showed it to the youth, at most flipping through it twice, Li Zhuiyuan would have learned it, which would have helped him share the pressure of weaving straw corpse-drivers.

But as it happens, Li Zhuiyuan is innately inept at talismans.

If others in the team wanted to learn Chenzhou talismans, it would likely take years, and even then... that would be considered rapid progress in understanding.

When Li Zhuiyuan inserted the formation flags, which were temporarily acting as formation eyes, into their positions, the "Dragon Eye Door-Locking Formation" was finally completed.

This formation will directly interface with the tidal power of the lake, and it is no longer a single eye, but two eyes—not like a ghost, but like a dragon's gaze.

Li Zhuiyuan even has to be grateful that the people from those three families transported a large amount of secret corpse oil inside through "Number Two and Number Three," draining the storage here.

Otherwise, just paralyzing the old formation would have taken a very long time.

It's just that this kind of gratitude is not suitable to be spoken aloud, as it would cause unhappiness for Xiong Shan and his wife, although they certainly wouldn't show it right now.

After completion, Li Zhuiyuan's vision was already completely red.

He was already on the verge of his overdraft limit; if he didn't want to be a blind man for a while longer, he could only try his best not to use his brain right now.

Next, it was to transport those "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At" out of the stone gate one by one and place them into the formation.

The group arrived in front of that palace, and Runsheng carried Li Zhuiyuan on his back.

The eight local corpse-driver teams were already waiting on the side.

However, Li Zhuiyuan intended to let the "outsiders" go first; a small number of locals could act as a relay in the middle, allowing Xiong Shan to gain a chance to catch his breath.

"Xiong Shan."

"Yes!"

In Xiong Shan's tone, there was already more respect.

Dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth; after coming down the river, one's spirit is no longer important. When facing that mountain of reality, one must eventually bow one's head.

Xiong Shan knelt on the ground and condensed eight piles of grass; immediately, the first straw corpse-driver team appeared and walked inside.

Beside them, Xie Shun'an was tied up and brought over.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't kill him, and he wasn't afraid of death either.

Because Li Zhuiyuan had promised the Xie family ancestors that he would arrange an ending for him.

And that Xie family ancestor also told the youth that the Qin family Long Wang of that year was Qin Kan.

However, although Xie Shun'an couldn't see, he could perceive the orderly movements of the entire underground palace earlier.

This meant that this youth really had a way to resolve the accumulated curse power problem.

On his face was panic that was not fake at all, and in his mouth, from earlier until now, he had been shouting:

"Great-grandfather, I beg you, hurry up and die! You old thing, why are you still alive? Die for me, die! You old beast, why haven't you died yet!"

His throat had long been shouted dry and hoarse by himself, and gradually he couldn't make a sound.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at Lin Shu You, who was standing beside Runsheng, and Lin Shu You looked back at Brother Xiaoyuan.

Tan Wenbin, who was standing further away, saw this, took out a bottle of water, walked to Xie Shun'an, fed him a few mouthfuls, and said:

"Come, moisten your throat; you continue shouting, the soundtrack continues."

Xie Shun'an, as if possessed by madness, shouted toward the direction where Li Zhuiyuan was:

"Since your Qin family wanted to come, why didn't you come back then!

Since I was a child, I listened to Grandma tell the story of the Qin family Long Wang joining hands with my four Laotian Sect families to suppress evil spirits. Do you know how much I revered Long Wang Qin since I was a child?

I once dreamed that after I grew up, I could join the Qin family, even if it was just to be a slave under their gate!

Before my Xie family ancestral home was burned down, in the family ancestral hall, the spirit tablet of the Qin family Long Wang was enshrined in the first position for generations!

Before my Grandma burned herself to protect me as I escaped, I only took the spirit tablet of the Qin family Long Wang from the house.

Those years, while hiding and dodging the search and pursuit of those three families, I never forgot to set up offerings and cry before the spirit tablet every day, begging the Qin family to manifest, to remember the price my Xie family paid to help the Long Wang seal the evil spirits back then, to protect my Xie family, and to seek justice for my Xie family!

When I was about to starve to death, I would save the offerings!

How many nights did I cry myself to sleep in front of the Long Wang tablet!

What kind of compassion are you pretending to have here now, what kind of benevolence for all living things are you pretending to have? Bah, disgusting!

Since your Qin family wanted to come, why didn't you come before I gave up hope? Or, just don't come at all!

Could it be that back then,

your Long Wang Qin family all died out!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Slap his mouth."

Tan Wenbin placed the water bottle on the ground, rolled up his sleeves, and slapped Xie Shun'an's face fiercely.

"Smack!"

"Smack!"

"Smack!"

Tan Wenbin didn't hold back, swinging his arm in a full circle each time.

Xie Shun'an's face was beaten swollen, his lips broken and teeth fallen out.

But he still kept his mouth open, ignoring the blood filling his mouth, and grinned hideously:

"Hahahaha, was I right about your pain? What Qin family, what Long Wang, fake benevolence and righteousness, deceiving the world for fame, bah!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Tan Wenbin, help him walk the Yin path; even if he has no eyes, I want him to witness with his own eyes how his plan is broken."

"Understood!"

Tan Wenbin placed his hand on Xie Shun'an's head; the vengeful infant on his arm slowly slid down, touching Xie Shun'an's body to help him forcibly open the Yin path.

Just at this moment, the straw corpse-driver received the first "One Who Cannot Be Looked At."

Two straw corpse-drivers squatted down to lower the grass pole, the "One Who Cannot Be Looked At" got on, stood up, and lifted it.

"Crack!"

The grass pole broke, the straw man collapsed, the "One Who Cannot Be Looked At" fell, and then walked back to the palace by himself.

This sudden change left everyone present stunned.

Yin Meng stepped forward and asked: "Did you hold back?"

Xiong Shan's expression became incomparably ugly.

He immediately wove a new team of straw corpse-drivers again and walked to the palace entrance; a "One Who Cannot Be Looked At" walked out and got on the pole.

"Crack!"

This time it was still the same; the grass pole broke, the straw man collapsed, and the "One Who Cannot Be Looked At" walked back.

Xiong Shan began to panic and immediately wove a third team, but what he got in return was the same result.

"I... I... I..."

Xiong Shan opened his mouth, unable to believe it; everything was ready, but he had dropped the chain at this most critical link.

This wasn't just this one wave failing; if this place wasn't handled well and a disaster was brewed, he would bear the monstrous karmic backlash for it.

Tan Wenbin said: "It seems this situation appeared earlier; last time after they finished the seals and cast the spells, and then dispersed the curse power back onto themselves, the grass pole cracked. I thought Xiong Shan saw that the matter had ended and interrupted the technique himself."

Xiong Shan: "I... I thought I was tired at the time."

In fact, when the first team was woven and sent out, he had already concentrated all his attention, not daring to hold back at all, wanting to get off to a good start.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Change a team."

The local corpse-driver team entered the palace.

At the entrance, they squatted down, side-poled, and a "One Who Cannot Be Looked At" came out and got on.

Stood up.

"Smack!" "Bang!"

The bamboo pole snapped, and the two corpses carrying the pole exploded directly.

In fact, looking at the short-term effect alone, the straw corpse-drivers woven by Xiong Shan were of better quality than the local ones, and their load-bearing capacity was stronger.

"Hahahaha!!!"

Xie Shun'an let out a laugh.

"Do you know why it doesn't work? Because the last time, the last time the seal was cast, it reached the critical point; they, they can't carry it at all anymore!

I won, in the end, I won!

It was the last time I waved the command flag that broke through the critical point; you worked in vain, completely in vain, hahaha!"

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes.

Lihua immediately stood out and said: "My husband and I will carry them ourselves!"

The youth did not speak.

Tan Wenbin said: "The pole doesn't have enough load-bearing capacity."

Lihua: "We can use our arms to hold them!"

Xiong Shan pulled his wife back, signaling her not to speak anymore.

Lihua shook off her husband's hand and said: "Why, I'm not afraid of death!"

The woman's voice was already sharp; she had completely lost her composure due to anxiety. Once the matter here wasn't handled well, her son would also be implicated and finished!

Tan Wenbin: "They are already 'Those Who Cannot Be Looked At,' and you still want to touch them with your own hands."

Lihua: "..."

Xiong Shan immediately pressed his wife back and said helplessly: "Even if we can hold them, we can hold them into the formation to be burned, but how many times can you be burned to death?"

Hearing this, Lihua knelt on the ground, lost and soul-less.

Xie Shun'an continued to shout: "What's wrong, why don't you speak? Speak, aren't you very powerful? Why are you silent now?

This natural disaster is destined to erupt after all; those who should be buried with me will not be missing a single one—they must all die, they must all die!"

Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes.

At this moment, his eyes were already a deep red, and his vision was entirely red; he could only vaguely see some blurred shadows.

He had just recalled all his contacts with "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At," focusing on some details in the banquet hall and the palace.

When Tan Wenbin and Runsheng were transporting "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At," because they couldn't open their eyes to enter the banquet hall, they simply unloaded the cargo at the door like unloading cement every time, and those "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At" would crawl or roll toward their seats according to the guidance of the maids and eunuchs.

At the palace entrance, every time they were picked up or dropped off, those "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At" were actually walking in line by themselves.

This meant that they were actually capable of moving on their own.

Just as Tan Wenbin said to himself, most of the eunuchs and maids here didn't know they were already dead; only those great eunuchs and old nannies knew they were dead people.

But even so, even Tan Wenbin's godfather couldn't specifically think about things like "what year is it today."

Therefore, the reason why that group of "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At" still needed corpse-drivers to pick them up and drop them off, keeping their feet off the ground, wasn't because they couldn't really touch the ground, but because their existence as *Chang* (servile ghosts) had limitations.

Since there was no way to transport them to the formation now, then they could only be...

Li Zhuiyuan: "Brother Runsheng, put me down."

"Alright." Runsheng bent down, and the youth slid off his body.

"Brother Runsheng, you go to the banquet hall and move that statue here; be fast."

"Understood!"

"Understood!"

Except for Yin Meng, everyone went, including Xiong Shan and Lihua; although the couple didn't know the reason for doing this, at least they had something to do now.

Yin Meng took out a tissue to help Li Zhuiyuan wipe the blood continuing to flow from the corners of his eyes.

The statue wasn't actually heavy; Runsheng could embrace it by himself, and with so many people going together, the speed was even faster.

Soon, Qin Kan's statue was transported here.

Xie Shun'an mocked: "What, are you starting to learn from me, starting to set up spirit tablets for the dead? Haha, I tell you, save it, it's useless, give up this heart of yours!"

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and pointed forward: "Move it to the palace entrance."

"We'll do it, let us do it!"

Xiong Shan and Lihua closed their eyes and moved the statue to the palace entrance.

"You all come out." Li Zhuiyuan said while walking inside himself.

Xiong Shan and Lihua went out with their eyes closed.

The closer one got to the palace, the more cracks there were; when reaching the palace entrance, one could actually see the "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At" standing neatly inside, except they were all facing sideways toward the direction of the gate—that is, facing sideways toward himself.

Li Zhuiyuan walked here; his eyes were now blood-red, infinitely close to blind, so he didn't need to worry about whether he could see or not.

The youth stood in front of the statue, facing the palace entrance.

He opened his mouth several times but pursed his lips to stop.

Cold sweat kept flowing down from his forehead, and his breathing became more and more rapid.

He was very uncomfortable.

Just like A Li, who saw crowds like ghosts when leaving home, if the youth was performing, there was no problem at all, but when facing anyone other than a few specific people, and using real emotions toward the outside world without performing, he would be incomparably painful and tormented.

Especially since this time he had to face so many people at once; even if they were all dead people, they still retained part of their self-consciousness, and in a strict sense, they could be considered "alive."

Li Zhuiyuan's body trembled as he slowly squatted down, his hands supporting the ground.

Sweat beads mixed with the fresh blood flowing from his eyes, constantly dripping onto the ground.

The people outside looked at him, but no one dared to step forward; except for Xie Shun'an, who was still barking madly, no one even dared to make a sound.

Xiong Shan and Lihua were praying for a miracle to happen, may the river protect them.

Tan Wenbin and Runsheng didn't believe in miracles, but they knew clearly that when Brother Xiaoyuan stood there, the matter would definitely be resolved; they were worried about whether Brother Xiaoyuan's body could hold up.

"Hiss... hiss... er..."

In Li Zhuiyuan's mind, many images flashed—some from his initiation ceremony, some of him and A Li holding hands, some of him receiving pocket money from his great-grandfather, and some of him in A Li's dream, looking at the rows of densely packed, cracked spirit tablets on the offering table.

Finally, it froze on the sentence once said to him under the peach tree:

"Be careful that the Heavenly Dao peels off this human skin on you with its own hands."

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and touched his own face.

It's not someone else's turn to peel off my human skin.

Some things are simply his own responsibility; no matter the circumstances, he cannot escape them.

The youth struggled to stand up again, standing once more in front of this statue, facing the inside of the palace.

Li Zhuiyuan puffed out his chest—although it was very slow and jerky—and still, incomparably seriously, performed the Qin family gate ritual toward all the "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At" inside the palace, toward all the ancestors of the four Laotian Sect families who died in battle to suppress the General back then!

Even at his own initiation ceremony, Li Zhuiyuan had never expected that this set of gate rituals would one day become so heavy.

However, the further the youth performed this set of gate rituals, the more fluent his movements became, and his entire aura gradually lifted and burst forth.

Along with the statue behind him, it seemed to sway gently at this moment, stained with a layer of faint red light.

Inside the palace, the "Those Who Cannot Be Looked At," who were all facing sideways toward the youth, slowly turned around and collectively faced the youth.

In the giant pit at the center of the palace, the coffin lid burst open.

The corpse-driver Daoist stood up again without anyone controlling him.

At this moment, green light flickered in his eyes; although the souls of two people were in the same body, they simultaneously recalled the same old friend from the past.

The ritual was completed.

Li Zhuiyuan lifted his head, and in his eyes that could no longer see, solemnity was revealed.

The youth's voice sounded, falling in front of the palace gate, echoing throughout the entire palace.

"The only contemporary successor of the Qin family Long Wang, Li Zhuiyuan.

Shamelessly and boldly,

I ask you all,

for the sake of the righteous path, for the sake of all living things,

on this day,

to die once more!"

(End of chapter)