Chapter 153: The Fourth Wave

Li Zhuiyuan fell into a deep sleep.

In terms of seniority and strength, Runsheng was undoubtedly the undisputed second-in-command of the team, but Runsheng did not like managing affairs, and he also knew he was not good at it.

Therefore, the temporary command of the team naturally fell upon Tan Wenbin.

The General had already gone up.

Tan Wenbin was the "Eight-Thousand-Year-Old" of this place.

So, at this moment, Binbin was the true primary decision-maker in the entire underground environment.

Tan Wenbin had Runsheng continue to carry Brother Xiaoyuan and stay where they were, while he himself took Lin Shu You and Yin Meng, led by the Godfather and the little Eunuch Wang, to wander around the palace.

He called it: gathering more background information for the "Zhuiyuan Secret Scroll."

The real purpose was to deliberately stall for time.

The words Brother Xiaoyuan spoke before falling unconscious were equivalent to a deliberate disclaimer.

Driving wolves to devour tigers was a taboo act; the scene up there was likely extremely bloody right now, and there was no need to rush up and get blood on the soles of their shoes.

However, there was really nothing worth seeing in this palace.

Its existence was meant to suppress the General, and even the great eunuch had been buried in such a rush that it was impossible for any detailed or complete grave goods to remain; even if there had been a little, it would have long since been destroyed in the various disturbances.

Tan Wenbin took his camera out of his bag and snapped a few random photos.

Anyway, they were already here.

Tan Wenbin simply signaled for Lin Shu You and Yin Meng to each find a good background so he could take photos of them as souvenirs.

Lin Shu You only knew how to foolishly make a V-sign, with a standard toothy grin.

Yin Meng, on the other hand, knew how to pose; honestly, she was quite photogenic.

Coming out this time, although her role was irreplaceable—after all, without her, there wouldn't have been that banquet—in reality, she hadn't suffered much at all throughout the process.

Her good condition, combined with her naturally fair skin, set against the dim and dilapidated background, looked very much like she was filming "Ancient Tomb Beauty."

He handed the camera to A-You and had him take a few photos of him as well.

In one of them, Tan Wenbin deliberately invited the Godfather to the center, with himself and the little Eunuch Wang standing on either side of the Godfather.

The great eunuch and the little Eunuch Wang imitated the earlier Lin Shu You and made V-signs.

Lin Shu You raised the camera, then lowered it, raised it again, and lowered it again.

Through the camera lens, the great eunuch and the little Eunuch Wang were completely invisible.

Tan Wenbin urged, "Hurry up and take it, we're all waiting."

"But, Brother Bin..."

"I told you to take it, so take it." Tan Wenbin smiled at the great eunuch beside him, "Sigh, this little brother of mine has had no eye for things since he was small."

The great eunuch nodded and said, "Indeed, he is not suited to enter the palace to be a eunuch; you, Little Bin, are the suitable one."

Lin Shu You understood something, raised the camera again, and began to direct:

"Move over a bit more, right, right, right, Brother Bin, your hand a bit higher, tilt a bit more, right, right, right, just like that, hold it, one, two, three!"

"Click!"

After this photo was developed, it was destined to contain only one Tan Wenbin.

But the meaning of a photo was precisely here; it froze a moment, yet in one's mind, the dynamic scene from that time could emerge.

Later, when he saw this photo, the two people beside him would also emerge along with it.

However, if he put this photo at home and his mother saw it, she would probably think he had taken the time to go to the capital and snuck into the Old Summer Palace after dark without a ticket.

After taking the photos, this temporary excursion activity came to an end.

As he put the camera away, Tan Wenbin couldn't help but understand the significance of learning to paint; a brush could depict things beyond reality.

It was a pity he didn't have Brother Xiaoyuan's painting skills, otherwise, he could have done one himself; at the very least, he could have produced funeral portraits for the Godfather and the little Eunuch Wang.

Returning to the edge of the giant pit, Runsheng was sitting there, with Brother Xiaoyuan still on his back; he was too worried and too reluctant to put him down.

Tan Wenbin stopped, took the camera out again, and took a photo of them.

After taking it, Binbin waved his hand and shouted softly, "Let's go, it's time to go up."

The exit was behind the banquet hall; the group went up the slope again, passed through the banquet hall, and arrived in front of the waterfall at the back.

Xiong Shan and his wife Lihua were actually waiting here the whole time.

Perhaps they also felt there was no point in going up early; once you go up, are you going to help those three enemies fight the General, or help the General fight the enemies?

Tan Wenbin licked his lips; ever since Brother Xiaoyuan said he would send that child to an orphanage, this couple, having lost their opportunity to die, seemed to have had most of their spirit drained, looking like people who had lost their goal in life.

"What do you plan to do next?"

Xiong Shan: "First, light the lamps a second time, then withdraw from the Jianghu."

As for what to do afterward, although Xiong Shan didn't say, Tan Wenbin understood.

The main members of the three families should have all come this time, but there must be survivors in the three families; the couple still had to go door-to-door to avenge the second and third brothers.

As for whether they would do it to the bitter end, Tan Wenbin couldn't be bothered to ask.

Jianghu slaughter has been a rhythm like this for thousands of years; you killed my people, so I must kill back.

Lihua asked cautiously: "The address of the Li family who salvage corpses in Nantong?"

Tan Wenbin looked at her.

Lihua smiled and said in a low voice: "That person promised."

"I'll give you my pager number; after you finish handling your affairs, you can contact me first. Remember, don't go sneaking off to Nantong to find the corpse-salvaging Li by yourselves."

Lihua reached out, took the note with the pager number, and tucked it into the swaddling clothes in her arms.

Xiong Shan: "That goes without saying; how could we be so lacking in manners?"

This wasn't a question of manners; Tan Wenbin felt that even if the couple went to Nantong, they probably wouldn't be able to find Old Man Li's house.

Hmm, if they really did find it, they would be the ones in big trouble.

Xiong Shan asked again: "Now, can we go?"

Tan Wenbin: "We are ready to go."

Up there, it should be almost over.

"Alright then, let's go, Lihua."

"Mm."

Xiong Shan and his wife, carrying the child, jumped directly off the waterfall and fell into the pool below.

Just as Tan Wenbin was preparing to jump, the great eunuch reached out and turned a stone nearby; to a certain extent, he could control objects.

Along with the turning of the stone, the smooth cliff wall beside them recessed, revealing a stone staircase leading downward.

The great eunuch: "Just follow it and you'll be out; don't jump into the water, getting all wet is easy to catch a cold."

"Thank you, Godfather, we're leaving."

"Little Bin, take care."

"Brother Tan, take care."

Runsheng, Yin Meng, and Lin Shu You walked in front, Tan Wenbin walked at the end, turned around, and waved to the great eunuch and the little Eunuch Wang standing at the cave entrance.

As they waved, the two of them began to weather away, and then, like smoke and dust, they completely dissipated.

Up there, it was completely over.

Tan Wenbin sighed, no longer lingering, and hurried to catch up with his companions in front.

Xiong Shan and Lihua emerged from the lake water; as soon as they reached the shore, they saw Tan Wenbin and the others, who had just arrived at the shore, completely dry.

Tan Wenbin: "You jumped too early; actually, there was a shortcut."

Xiong Shan and Lihua looked at each other and smiled bitterly.

After the group reunited, they continued to move forward along the shore.

Soon, they saw a large number of corpses with twisted postures and terrified expressions.

Before they died, they must have endured torture more terrifying than death.

In the middle of a circle of corpses stood the Corpse-Driving Daoist.

The Corpse-Driving Daoist had already weathered away, leaving only that yellow Daoist robe standing there.

Xie Shun'an was kneeling there, with a small pile of dirt built in front of him, on which a stone was placed upright; on the smooth side of the stone, a "Qin" was written in fresh blood.

His hands were each gripping a bamboo pole, and the other end of the bamboo poles had pierced through his chest.

This meant that his neck hadn't been twisted; he had committed suicide.

The Corpse-Driving Daoist behind him must have dissipated only after watching him commit suicide and completely lose his life force.

Xie Shun'an was not afraid of death.

Moreover, he probably didn't think he had done anything wrong even until his death; he didn't think there was anything wrong with his approach of making a large number of innocent people be buried with him.

Once his plan went bankrupt, he was actually already "dead."

He was grateful that Li Zhuiyuan had finally granted him a chance to take revenge with his own hands; of course, he was even more grateful that Li Zhuiyuan had "told" him that the image of the Qin family in his heart had not collapsed.

A smile was frozen on his face.

Before he died, he had reshaped the "Qin Family Dragon King Tablet."

At the very moment of death, it was as if he had returned to his childhood, returned to the childhood of listening to Grandma tell stories about the Qin family.

In a sense, this was also a form of liberation for him.

In the sky, the dark clouds gradually became thicker, as if a larger rain was about to arrive.

The lake surface would continue to rise and would soon flood this place, submerging all traces of it.

Tan Wenbin waved his hand and said: "Let's go, it's not easy to drive on a rainy day."

They found that van again; there was enough gasoline inside, and there was Meiling Town along the way where they could get supplies.

Tan Wenbin drove the car and took everyone to Meiling Town.

Xiong Shan and his wife left with the child; they would find a new vehicle to return to the city.

They wanted to take advantage of the fact that the news of Taohua Village hadn't had time to reach the three families yet to start their revenge in time.

After parting ways with them, Tan Wenbin didn't rush on his way, but found a residential house in the town, let everyone have a good hot bath, and ate a farm-style meal.

During this time, Tan Wenbin held a basin of hot water, took a towel, helped Brother Xiaoyuan, who was lying on the bed, wipe his body, and changed him into a set of clothes.

Brother Xiaoyuan didn't open his eyes the whole time.

After Tan Wenbin finished everything and got up to leave, he deliberately reached out to check Brother Xiaoyuan's breathing.

Fortunately, it was steady.

When he pushed open the room door, he happened to see Yin Meng also holding a basin of hot water and a towel, standing at the door.

Yin Meng said somewhat helplessly: "You could at least leave something for me to do."

"Next time for sure." Tan Wenbin smiled, "You stay and look after Brother Xiaoyuan; I'll take Runsheng and A-You to the town clinic to have their wounds treated again. I saw it when I was bathing just now; there are still quite a few things embedded in their bodies."

Runsheng and Lin Shu You had both fought with that Corpse-Driving Daoist and had relatively heavy wounds on their bodies; although they had been treated simply, the dirty things inside the wounds still needed to be picked out to be more conducive to recovery, at least... to look a bit better.

"Alright, you guys go."

Tan Wenbin called Runsheng and Lin Shu You and took them to the clinic.

In the clinic, there was a very old barefoot doctor with white hair and beard.

He took Runsheng and Lin Shu You to the inner room, turned on the light, let them take off their clothes, and after checking the wounds, he was startled, but he was able to stay calm.

He silently took out tools from the tray and began to help them clean and disinfect the wounds, his movements skilled and without any hesitation.

This couldn't help but make Tan Wenbin, who was standing by and watching, feel admiration; just this psychological quality was far higher than that of the Divine Physician Fan in Jin Ling.

The old doctor finished treating Lin Shu You's first; his injuries were lighter. Lin Shu You said: "Thank you."

"No need to thank me; it should be us thanking you."

"Eh?"

Tan Wenbin took over the conversation: "What do you mean by that, sir?"

The old doctor said in a heavy tone: "When I was a child, every time I encountered this kind of strange weather, my grandfather would tell me that something was going to happen in the mountains.

I asked my grandfather, then why don't we hurry up and escape?

My grandfather said: What are you afraid of? There's no need to escape; there will be capable people who will go and settle the matters in the mountains."

The old doctor pointed to the terrifying wound on Runsheng's back and shook his head: "I don't believe this was caused by a slip of the foot."

Some people, although not members of the Xuan Sect, could also know some things about the Jianghu.

In many people's childhoods, there were many twists and turns of strange stories told to them by their grandparents; who could say clearly what was true and what was false in these?

Tan Wenbin took out a cigarette case and pulled out a cigarette for the old doctor.

The old doctor: "I don't smoke."

Tan Wenbin put the cigarette into his own mouth.

The old doctor: "You should smoke less too; you're still young, don't ruin your body."

Tan Wenbin: "I think I can live a long life."

"If you ruin your body, get sick, or lie in bed, the longer you live, the more painful it is."

"Ouch, your words really scared me."

"Since you're scared, then what should you do?"

"I have to hurry up and light one to calm my nerves."

"You brat, go outside to smoke."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Tan Wenbin walked out with a smile, arrived outside the clinic, and lit the cigarette.

Just as he was exhaling a smoke ring, he was bumped into by a little girl.

The little girl was only four or five years old; she looked up, glanced at Tan Wenbin, and ran into the clinic.

The place where Tan Wenbin was standing happened to be outside the window of the side room of the clinic; standing in place, he could see the little girl running into it, where there were beds and chairs, a place specifically for people to get IV drips.

The little girl arrived in front of a hospital bed, on which lay a woman who was getting an IV drip; sitting next to the woman was a man, who should be her husband, and another boy of the same age as the little girl who looked very much like her; this pair of boy and girl should be fraternal twins.

The woman on the hospital bed glanced at Tan Wenbin outside and said a few words to the man.

The man got up, took the little girl's hand, and walked out of the clinic.

"Come, Huahua, how did Mom and Dad teach you? If you bump into someone and cause them trouble, you must apologize to them first. Hurry, apologize to the uncle."

"Hehe, no need, no need."

"Uncle, I'm sorry, I bumped into you just now by accident."

"Alright, Uncle accepts your apology; Uncle is fine, it doesn't hurt, you're really a good girl."

"Hee hee."

The little girl ran back into the clinic with a smile, went to her mother's hospital bed, and went to play with her brother.

The man remained in place, thinking that it was too stuffy inside, so he came out to get some air; he pulled out a cigarette and handed it to Tan Wenbin.

The cigarette in Tan Wenbin's hand wasn't finished yet, so he tucked the one he received behind his ear, took out a lighter, and helped the other party light his cigarette.

"Oh, thank you."

The man shielded the lighter with both hands, lowered his head, and lit the cigarette.

"Brother, judging by your accent, you're not a local either, right?"

"Mm, no. My hometown is Nantong."

"Nantong? In Shandong?"

"In Jiangsu, next to Yangzhou."

"Oh, I know that, hehe, sorry."

"It's fine."

Tan Wenbin was already used to it; it was mainly because Nantong was too unknown, of course, it was also because other cities in the province were too famous and recognizable.

"Brother, are you from the north?"

"Then take a guess, where am I from."

"From Jin Sect?"

"Is my accent that obvious? I am indeed from Jin Sect."

"Here for tourism?"

"No, I'm accompanying my wife to find her relatives."

"Did you find them?"

The man exhaled a smoke ring and shook his head: "No, in this day and age, finding someone is not that easy."

"Is it near this place?"

"Heh, I only know it's in Zhangjiajie."

"Then how did you manage to find your way here? This place is remote enough."

"It's like this, ever since my wife got pregnant, she's had heart palpitations and headaches, quite severe, and she was pregnant with twins. At the time, seeing this situation, I didn't plan to risk having the children, but my wife insisted on giving birth to them herself. Fortunately, the pregnancy was safe.

But this ailment has been getting worse over the years, flaring up from time to time, which is very exhausting.

This time, our family of four had just arrived in Zhangjiajie when her ailment flared up again. We went to the city hospital to see it, and a doctor there said there was an old doctor in Meiling Town who was very good at treating this, so I rented a car and brought her and the children over.

Don't even mention it, after drinking the folk remedy herbal medicine in the morning and getting an IV drip, her condition improved immediately at noon; would you believe it?

We've seen this ailment not only in Jin Sect but also in big hospitals in the capital, and none of them could figure out a way.

Coming here, it was an immediate miraculous recovery."

"Congratulations, that's a good thing."

"Yeah, so, anyway, since we're looking, we might as well look; after my wife rests a bit more, I plan to take her to look around in a few villages near Meiling Town."

"Since good luck has come, then seize the opportunity and keep trying."

"Right, that's what I mean; you really shouldn't say that, people, sometimes you really have to be a bit superstitious to have the energy to do things."

"Was your wife abducted when she was a child?"

"No." The man shook his head, "It was my dad, years ago, when he was on a business trip and passed through Zhangjiajie by train, there was a boy on the platform who pushed my wife, who was still a little girl at the time, through the window and shoved her into my dad's arms."

"Oh?" Tan Wenbin's expression changed slightly.

"You know, train windows are up high; a little boy, lifting a little girl and shoving her inside, whoa~ my dad still talks about that event when he recalls it now, saying that little boy, don't look at his small size, he was skinny, but he was really strong, hey.

That little boy stood on the platform and bowed to my dad, just like this."

The man performed an action.

Although the man's action was very non-standard, Tan Wenbin could still see that this wasn't a bow, it should be a kowtow.

"This is really quite wonderful."

"Hey, take a guess, there's even more wonderful stuff.

That little boy said he had run the whole length of the train with his sister, and he saw that my dad was the most blessed person, and that his sister would definitely be able to live well following my dad." Tan Wenbin smiled: "Then he really didn't misjudge."

The man was dressed in bright and decent clothes, and the two children were also dressed very exquisitely; one could tell at a glance that they were a family with very good conditions.

And the fact that he was willing to bring the children along to help his wife find her relatives was enough to show the family atmosphere.

The man said modestly: "Eh, just making a living."

Tan Wenbin teased: "So, in the end, your dad adopted her?"

The man's face turned red, and he shook the ash off his cigarette very embarrassedly:

"That, she was indeed adopted by my parents; my mom loved her very much and even specially went to invite a famous fortune teller in Jin Sect to help my wife choose a name; in the end, the fortune teller chose—'May the rest of your life be smooth, a family of purity.'

After all, although she was sent voluntarily, she was still an abandoned baby, and her life was still quite bitter. My parents also hoped to treat her as their own family, let her have a pure background, and not be prejudiced by others.

My wife followed my family's surname and was named Zhang, Zhang Shunqing.

That, actually, my wife and I knew from a very young age that we had no blood relationship; we didn't call each other 'brother and sister' since we were small, we just called each other by our names directly.

Then when I was in college, we secretly started dating; we originally wanted to hide it from the family, but... she got pregnant.

You don't know, I was almost beaten to death by my dad with a belt, scolded to death by my mom; we were both kicked out of the house, saying they wanted to sever ties with us."

No errors in the content, take a look!

Tan Wenbin took the cigarette tucked behind his ear, lit it, and while showing a thoughtful look, echoed: "I can understand."

If it were the kind of child bride raised in the countryside in the past, that would be one thing.

But the parents really raised her as their own daughter, and as a result, she got together with their own son; it was indeed a big scandal for the family.

"However, less than a month after being kicked out, my parents softened their hearts; after all, my wife was still pregnant, so they let us move back in, and gradually, they defaulted to it.

However, they still changed my wife's name; she couldn't have the same surname as my family anymore.

It just so happened that when my dad carried my wife from the train back then, my wife had a longevity lock on her body, on which her surname was engraved, so they changed it back to her original surname.

And, what's even more exaggerated is that after knowing it was twins, in order to further wash away the stain on me, my dad specially agreed in advance that the second child would follow my wife's surname.

Hey, as a result, my son was the younger brother.

My dad really accepted it, but I think he must often be woken up in anger when he sleeps at night.

Hahaha!"

Tan Wenbin asked seriously and solemnly:

"Then your wife, what is she called now?"

"Xie Shunqing."

In the soft sleeper carriage, Runsheng placed Xiaoyuan, who was still in a deep sleep, on the upper berth.

Tan Wenbin sat down on the lower berth, turned his head, and looked at the platform outside the train window.

The train hadn't departed yet, and there were many people on the platform.

Tan Wenbin saw outside, a little boy holding a younger little girl, walking toward his side; the little girl jumped up and began to pull at the edge of the train window.

This scene gave Tan Wenbin a fright, and he stood up directly.

The little girl smiled at Tan Wenbin and shouted in a crisp voice: "Cherries, do you want cherries? We picked them ourselves, they're so sweet and delicious!"

Tan Wenbin breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with lingering fear.

"Hehe." Seeing Tan Wenbin wanted them, the little girl smiled very happily, turned her head to look at her brother behind her, "Brother, hurry, give them to me, hurry, give them to me, this person wants our cherries!"

Immediately after, the little girl turned her head back: "Uncle, how many do you want?"

Tan Wenbin: "I want them all."

"Haha!" The little girl smiled even more happily and urged, "Brother, hurry up, this person wants them all!"

Tan Wenbin took out several large bills from his wallet and handed them to the little girl.

The little girl's eyes widened, and her mouth formed an "o".

She immediately reached out to grab the money, and then helped her brother pass bags of cherries wrapped in folded newspapers inside.

Tan Wenbin received them bag by bag.

At this time, the station staff blew their whistles, and the train gradually started.

The transaction between the two sides had been completed; Tan Wenbin sat down and saw that at the original position in front, the girl was taking out the money he had given her to show her brother; the girl was dancing with joy, like a happy butterfly.

Yin Meng came over from the next carriage, saw the full table of newspaper bags, reached out to push them aside to take a look, and said in surprise:

"You like eating cherries that much?"

"A-You likes eating them."

At this time, Lin Shu You, carrying two large bags of boxed lunches from the dining car, walked in.

Yin Meng pointed to the cherries on the table: "A-You, your Brother Bin bought these for you to eat; don't waste them, eat them all."

Lin Shu You was stunned; if he ate all these cherries, he was afraid his urine would turn red!

The speed of the train had gradually picked up, and it was about to pull out of the station.

Just at this moment, a figure ran over quickly; it was the little boy.

He kept his lips tightly closed, gathered all his strength, ran on the platform, caught up with the window, jumped up, and threw the money in his hand through the window opening.

Among the money thrown in, there were large bills, and there were also small change.

The little boy stopped, bent down, supported his knees, raised his head, and while breathing with difficulty, waved goodbye to Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin packed up the money and put it back in his wallet.

That little boy was not Xie Shun'an, and that little girl was not Xie Shunqing.

But perhaps, the story of the brother and sister could have had another development, just like just now.

No, it wouldn't.

As long as those three families continued to covet the General's power, believed that the Xie family had always obtained benefits from the General's tomb, and as long as those three families continued to want to wipe out the family.

Then there was no other development for the story of that brother and sister.

Brother Xiaoyuan once said that people's empathy is very strange and requires many conditions to be met.

In the bottom of his heart, Tan Wenbin actually hoped that Xiong Shan and his wife could carry out their revenge more thoroughly.

The train pulled out of the station.

Yin Meng took a cherry and put it into her mouth: "It's quite sweet."

Beside her, Lin Shu You had already started stuffing them into his mouth.

Yin Meng said: "So, if Xie Shun'an had really detonated that curse power, his sister, her husband, and their two children would definitely have died too."

Tan Wenbin nodded: "They were too close; even now, we might not have driven out of the range of the natural disaster."

"He shouldn't have known his sister came to find her relatives, right?"

"He shouldn't have known; if he had known, he would have sent his sister's family away in advance, sent them as far as possible, just like what he did back then."

Lin Shu You: "I really can't eat any more!"

The train arrived in Jin Ling, and the group returned to school.

Brother Xiaoyuan hadn't woken up yet and was still in a deep sleep.

Tan Wenbin didn't take Brother Xiaoyuan back to the dormitory, but carried him directly to Grandma Liu's house.

At the same time he pushed open the courtyard gate, the floor-to-ceiling window on the first floor was also pulled open simultaneously.

A-Li stood by the window, looking at the boy on Tan Wenbin's back.

Tan Wenbin didn't stand on ceremony; after taking off his shoes by the window, he entered A-Li's room, and without even needing A-Li to pat her bed, he placed Brother Xiaoyuan on A-Li's bed.

He believed that Brother Xiaoyuan's sleep and rest quality here would definitely be better than in the dormitory.

After leaving A-Li's room, Tan Wenbin looked around on the first floor, couldn't find Qin Shu and Liu Yi, so he went up to the second floor.

The old lady was sitting on a rattan chair in the open space on the second floor, her hands crossed over her chest, not even drinking tea, and asked directly:

"Is Xiaoyuan hurt badly?"

"Not badly, Brother Xiaoyuan is overdrawn; that, where is Liu Yi?"

Tan Wenbin remembered that after such a situation occurred at Old Man Li's house last time, Liu Yi had decocted medicine for Brother Xiaoyuan for a long time.

"Is he blind?"

"Not yet, but he can't see things clearly."

"Then the problem isn't big; no need to take medicine, just sleep for a while longer and it will be fine."

"With your words, I can rest easy."

Tan Wenbin leaned over, sat down on the stool beside him, and poured tea for himself.

Liu Yumei said: "The two of them went to pick up something and will be back in a while."

"What kind of thing requires both of them to go and pick it up?"

"Some are delicate and can't be bumped or knocked; a few musical instruments."

"Yo, it seems you've been in a good mood lately."

"It's not me; it's for A-Li to play with."

"A-Li can do this too?"

"My own granddaughter, whom I raised with my own hands, aren't zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting all basic?"

"Fine, in the future, when I have children, can I also bring them to ask you to take a look?"

"Are you a monkey? If I give you a stick, you'll climb up?"

"Whether there are dates or not, I'll hit the tree three times; either way, I won't lose."

"Then when do you plan to let the tree bear dates?"

"That won't do; wait for the future. Now, I've already made a mistake, and I can't keep making mistakes."

Liu Yumei knew what Tan Wenbin meant.

This brat originally didn't plan to date, fearing that he would die one day while walking the river and delay others.

By chance, he is dating now, but he doesn't dare to do anything more.

Liu Yumei: "Sometimes, when being a person, you can be a bit selfish."

Tan Wenbin scratched his head: "I think I'm already quite selfish thinking this way."

"Not bad, your tongue is even smoother; what's wrong, did you go to the palace for advanced studies?"

"You really hit the nail on the head."

"Tell me."

"Alright, wait for me, let me organize it." Tan Wenbin had to prepare aliases and hints first; after preparing almost enough, he began to narrate.

Liu Yumei pressed her temples while listening.

Actually, Zhuangzhuang told it quite well, really quite well, but Zhuangzhuang suffered from a lack of culture.

Even if he was a proper college student, his foundation in classical literature and history was far worse than Xiaoyuan's.

When Xiaoyuan narrated, he could quote classics, and it was comfortable to listen to; when Zhuangzhuang narrated, it was like deciphering a code.

Finally, she finished listening.

Liu Yumei felt a sense of relief; she even felt that rather than listening to Zhuangzhuang's version, it would be better to sneakily listen to Xiaoyuan's narration to A-Li next time.

It was just spitting a few more mouthfuls of blood, which was better than experiencing such torture.

Tan Wenbin also knew what level his narration was, smiled sheepishly, and began to drink tea.

He felt that he had made great progress in this aspect, but unfortunately, the background of every wave of walking the river was becoming more and more complex.

"Alright, you just came back, you must have things on your hands, go and get busy with your things first."

"Alright, you rest some more, take it easy."

Tan Wenbin stood up; he still had to get a blueprint to turn a super hard thing for the "Godfather."

However, before leaving, he still had to coax the old lady's mood back to being good.

"Hey, I said old lady, you haven't given me a definite answer yet; if I have children in the future, will you help me take a look?"

Liu Yumei spat at Tan Wenbin and said unhappily:

"I'll be busy then; where would I have the leisure to help you look after children."

"Fine, fine, fine, I asked too much, you're busy, you're busy."

Tan Wenbin left "dejectedly."

Liu Yumei's face gradually turned from cloudy to sunny, and she picked up a sour berry and put it into her mouth:

"Heh, wouldn't I be busy."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't know exactly how long he had slept, but it must have been a long time.

He wanted to wake up, but couldn't open his eyes.

He opened them with effort.

His eyes were open, and he was out; he was walking in the Yin.

Looking around, he knew where this was.

However, what was somewhat unexpected was that after he walked in the Yin, A-Li actually didn't follow him to walk in the Yin.

Could it be that she wasn't in the bedroom at this time?

She should be in the bedroom.

And his Yin-walking state, in A-Li's eyes, was like a ghost; she could see him without walking in the Yin.

The reason the girl didn't follow him to walk in the Yin was because she didn't want to play with him in the Yin-walking state and aggravate his fatigue, right?

It's just that Li Zhuiyuan felt that even if he interrupted his Yin-walking state now, his fatigued body would probably be unable to wake up for the time being.

He now somewhat understood the feeling of Yin Meng's grandfather back then.

Lying in a coffin all day, he could only take advantage of the night to walk in the Yin and come out to get some air.

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the bedroom and went up the stairs.

It was dark; it was still at night.

He had no intention of going to other people's rooms, but went straight to the third floor and walked into the room where the memorial tablets were placed.

The boy stood in front of the offering table, his gaze constantly sweeping over the memorial tablets of the ancestors of the Qin and Liu families above.

These memorial tablets were of different ages.

Actually, there was nothing to look at.

But when you swept your gaze over those names one by one, you could seem to taste a sense of heaviness in your mouth.

Behind every name was a period of history, surging with wind and clouds.

He had already encountered two waves related to Qin Kan in succession, and Qin Kan was just one of many names in there.

Xiong Shan would misunderstand the intention of the waves, but it was very difficult for him to make such a mistake, because he could use A-Li's dreams to reverse-verify.

And the reason he could do this was not because he was how excellent, but because he carried the inheritance of the Qin and Liu family gates.

The inheritance of a top-tier Dragon King might not be enough; only when the two families merged together could they give him this detailed test bank.

The spirits of the ancestors of the Qin and Liu families were no longer there.

But the protection of the Qin and Liu families was still given to him.

"Why did you suddenly think of coming here to take a look?"

The old lady's voice sounded from behind.

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and saw Liu Yumei.

The real old lady should be lying on the bed resting at this time; the one in front of him was also walking in the Yin.

"Disturbed your rest."

"Heh, people have less sleep when they get old.

Besides, you were already quiet enough; you walked in the Yin and went up the stairs, who would have the nerve to say you made a commotion?"

Liu Yumei walked to the offering table, reached out and waved, and all the candles on the offering table were lit, making the room bright and solemn.

"Xiaoyuan, why did you think of coming here?"

"No other reason, just wanted to come and take a look."

"Feel the burden is heavy?"

"No, it's the pole that lifted me too high."

"Oh, feel that your virtue doesn't match your position?"

"Mm."

"Why think about these blindly? Although you are surnamed Li, you are now also a child of my Qin and Liu family; when the ancestors created those glories, they were already thinking of shining on their descendants."

"I thought you would say shine upon."

"Originally, they could shine upon, but they don't have this ability now. Besides, descendants who need to be shone upon, doesn't that make the descendants look too useless?"

"You are right."

"Remember Grandma's words, treat yourself as a child of the family, don't be distant, and don't be polite."

"Thank you, Grandma."

"You go back to your body and rest early; you can't be tired anymore now."

"I know, I'll stay for a while longer."

"Mm, also..." Liu Yumei said very seriously, "If you're tired one day, Grandma will help you carry the lamp; our family has a big business, we don't need that kind of empty name, and we can still live a rich and peaceful life for a lifetime."

"Alright, thank you for your concern, Grandma."

Liu Yumei disappeared.

In the room, only the boy was left again.

Light the lamps a second time, admit defeat and end; this is a rule that the entire Jianghu knows.

Don't know if Xiong Shan has finished his revenge, has he lit the lamps a second time.

Qin Shu failed to walk the river, and after lighting the lamps a second time, he is still living well now.

But in reality, in Li Zhuiyuan's heart, there has actually always been a guess.

That is, he has never personally lit the lamps; it was the river water that forcibly rolled him down.

Can a procedurally unjust beginning lead to a procedurally just end?

This river,

He must either walk it successfully and turn into a dragon, or sink his corpse to the bottom of the river.

There is no third path.

Because,

He very likely,

Does not have the qualification to surrender and admit defeat!

(End of chapter)