Chapter 165

In the small town general store, the old man was staring blankly at the abacus resting on the counter.

The abacus had snapped, and the beads had rolled all over the floor; he picked them up one by one and repaired it.

Although the craftsmanship was exquisite and not a trace of the repair could be seen, while he could deceive outsiders, he could not deceive himself; some things were broken inside his heart.

At the old man's feet was a small incense burner, densely packed with incense of various specifications, but without exception, all the incense sticks extinguished completely before even a quarter of them had burned.

This is what is known in the Dao of fate as "broken-head incense."

The failure of the incense to continue implies a blockage in one's life fate; when every single stick is like this, it indicates that all vitality is gone.

The old man's complexion was terrifyingly gloomy.

When he was young, even when he lit incense for death-row prisoners about to be taken to the execution ground, one out of ten sticks would always burn to the end; this did not mean there was still a glimmer of hope, but rather that the Dao of fate is inherently jealous of fullness and seeks deficiency.

But right now, the old man lit incense for himself, for his wife, for his daughter-in-law, and for his two grandsons, and all of them were severed; when he lit incense for his son who had left home, he even vomited blood three times and nearly fainted.

This meant that the vitality of his family's fate had suddenly plummeted to a level far worse than that of death-row prisoners.

Before execution, death-row prisoners could still hope for a shout of "spare his life," but his entire family could not even hope for that much.

The old man muttered, "Who on earth did the main family provoke this time?"

The main family had unsealed their records and summoned members of the branch families, naturally to carry out some major task; he was already old, so he had let his son go in response to the summons.

Now it seemed that not only had the matter failed, but it had also involved a terrifying karmic backlash.

Judging by the incense, the old man didn't even have the heart to run away or hide, because it was meaningless; he couldn't escape, and it was too late anyway.

"What are you staring at? That rolling shutter door is broken; hurry up and fix it."

His wife walked over holding a rag.

The old man nodded numbly, stood up, and went to the second floor to get his tools.

His wife asked at his back again, "How much longer until our son comes back from visiting relatives? I miss him."

The old man replied, "Don't worry, the whole family will be reunited very soon."

Along the street in the town, the first floor was a shop, the second floor was a residence, and the third floor was an illegal addition built by the family; previously, only the old man and his son could enter that space, and it was usually locked with an iron chain.

Recently, the old man had begun bringing his two grandsons inside occasionally to teach them to recognize some talismans and recite some techniques.

Their family appeared to have only modest means from the outside and had nothing to do with great wealth, but there were some things that no amount of money could buy.

For instance, the fate of their own family; before the daughter-in-law entered the family, her fate was calculated—she could bear boys, and their fates would be compatible, ensuring good fortune and peace.

Although the two grandsons had just "started school," they were extremely gifted in this field and would be able to inherit the mantle in the future; however, according to the "main family" tradition, the two grandsons would also have to separate and go their own ways after coming of age, never to see each other again.

For ordinary families, funerals and weddings, or seeking fortune-telling, were just a process to go through for peace of mind; those who truly believed in it were a bit foolish.

But their family was different; it was something that could truly be realized—modest prosperity, accumulating blessings, free from illness and disaster, passed down from generation to generation.

As the old man walked up the stairs, he heard the sound of a ceiling fan rotating in the second-floor living room.

Winter had arrived; who would still be running a fan?

Arriving at the second-floor entrance, he saw his daughter-in-law and two grandsons in the living room, all hanging there.

The rotating electric fan blew the hair of the three of them.

Their faces were iron-blue, their tongues were protruding, and rigor mortis had already set in.

They had clearly just eaten breakfast together; how could it have come to this in such a short time?

The old man wiped his eyes, picked up his tools from the corner of the living room, and walked downstairs.

The rolling shutter door of the first-floor shop was already closed; his wife, who had just been talking to him, was pressed against the rolling shutter, shriveled up as if her flesh and blood had been drained away, turning into paper effigies.

In his wife's eyes, there was terror, as if she had seen something terrifying.

The old man put down his tools and took a deep breath.

He knew that next, it would be his turn; he closed his eyes.

Immediately, ghostly figures appeared beside him; some could be found in local gazetteers, and some were images of statues worshipped in nearby temples.

The old man's body began to twist and gradually fold; the sounds of bones breaking and flesh tearing continued to ring out; he showed pain on his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face, wanting to scream, but unable to make a sound.

Moreover, this process was very slow, as if the local ghosts were deliberately trying to prolong this punishment for as long as possible.

When everything settled, a group of mischievous children ran over from outside; one of them picked up the incense in his hand, lit a small firecracker, and threw it high up on a whim, and it actually landed inside the second-floor window.

"Pop!"

The firecracker went off.

Fearing that the owners would come out to scold them, the children scattered like birds and beasts.

The fire, however, ignited, starting from the second floor and spreading to the first and third floors.

Neighbors and people from surrounding shops saw the fire and immediately came to put it out, but for some reason, the rolling shutter door that the woman of the house had mentioned was broken just a few days ago could not be kicked or smashed open no matter what; everyone could only fetch some water and try to splash it inside from below.

The fire was fierce, and fire snakes spat out from the windows, which was terrifying.

But this fire was also strange; it only burned this one building; the neighbors on both sides had thought they would be hard-pressed to escape, but were astonished to find that the fire did not spread outward at all.

After the fire truck arrived and extinguished the fire, the rolling shutter door collapsed.

But the inside was already burned beyond recognition; two on the first floor and three on the second, only faint human shapes could be discerned.

Even experienced firefighters were shocked by this eerie fire; logically, it wasn't a factory storing special materials, so an ordinary residence catching fire shouldn't have burned like this.

The onlookers were also discussing it fervently; such a story would likely become a ghost tale of a wiped-out family that would circulate among the locals for ten, twenty, or even more years.

Only the elderly, gathered together, muttered:

"What kind of karmic debt did this family incur?"

"Can it really be efficacious?"

"I didn't believe it either, but Old Qiu said he summoned his mother here and even talked to her; you know what kind of person Old Qiu is—he's very shrewd; he wouldn't be easily deceived, so this old woman must really have some ability."

"Then let's try it."

The couple carried gifts and red envelopes in their pockets, walking along the village path to the home of a local shaman.

After entering the courtyard, they found that the doors and windows of the house were all tightly closed, and not a single person could be seen.

"Is anyone home?"

"Hello, excuse me, is anyone home?"

The couple shouted for a long time without receiving a response.

The husband pressed his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face against the living room door, looking inside through the dark glass window in the middle.

At this look, his eyes widened immediately; the living room was filled with the dismembered corpses of this family.

The information received by his eyes was too shocking, causing his brain to fail to react; as his gaze moved upward, he saw a shaman dressed in bright red sitting on the altar table in the living room, digging out her own intestines and stuffing them into her mouth to gnaw on.

"Ah!!!"

"Don't worry about me, run, run!"

The man tearfully abandoned his cousin, who had been pinned at the waist by an iron plate, and began to run toward the outside of the tomb.

Originally, they had come to the deep mountains today just to find a small ancient tomb and look for some materials; calculations before coming had indicated that this trip would be smooth.

But who would have thought that the team would first encounter miasma that appeared suddenly in the mountains, and the compass needle would malfunction; fortunately, they were not ordinary characters, and after overcoming these difficulties, they finally found the tomb.

The tomb was not dangerous; it was just a small tomb of a Qing Dynasty landlord.

With their configuration, such a tomb was truly easy to handle.

But who would have thought that after going down, the passageway first became extremely long, they encountered a "ghost wall," then heard ghost wails, and subsequently, all kinds of unimaginable crises occurred one after another.

They were just here to "borrow" something from a landlord's small tomb, but the situation they encountered was even more dangerous than those large mausoleums!

The group, even though each of them had excellent skills, still died one after another inside; when the last person ran out crying, just as he climbed out of the tomb entrance, he saw densely packed, eerie figures standing all around the entrance.

He fell into despair.

At the door of the old house, the old woman who was sewing shoe soles was sitting on a small chair, dead.

Her eyeballs had been plucked out by herself with a needle and placed in her sewing kit.

Her family members, from old to young, from male to female, all those who approached to call her silently sat down beside her, took the needle from her hand, plucked out their own eyeballs, and put them into the sewing kit.

By nightfall.

In the sewing kit, the eyeballs were overflowing and rolling out.

Beside the old woman, the whole family sat in a circle; under the moonlight, it was a scene of harmony.

The old man who fished with a straight hook saw that all the koi carp raised in the pond had turned their bellies up and died, so he ran back to the old mansion with a gray complexion.

His family was not good at frontal combat, taking deduction and reasoning as the foundation of their family, and coupled with their skill in hiding and avoiding karma, as well as the method of family separation, they were able to avoid disasters and pass down their heritage.

But the converse was also true; if their lair was found by an enemy, the outcome would inevitably be extremely miserable.

In the shadows, they were terrifying, but once placed in the sunlight, they were actually very weak.

Now, the location of the main family had been found by someone, so could those branch families still be spared?

The old mansion was large, but the population was small, and it was cold and desolate inside.

He ran to the ancestral hall and saw a middle-aged man kneeling on a prayer mat.

That was his son; after he grew old, he had passed the position of head of the main family to his son.

His other two sons had all separated and moved to other provinces, changing their surnames to continue the lineage, and were not allowed to return to the family for the rest of their lives.

"What on earth did you do when you unsealed the records and summoned the branch family members last time? What on earth did you do!"

The old man shouted at the top of his lungs, but his son had no reaction at all.

"Clatter... clatter..."

Looking up again, the old man was astonished to find that all the ancestral spirit tablets on the altar table had fallen to the ground.

The old man's son leaned forward, and wisps of black Qi rose from his body.

"Grandpa, it hurts!"

"Grandpa, it's painful!"

Cries of distress drifted from the courtyard.

The old man immediately ran out of the ancestral hall, only to see his grandchildren, who had originally been as exquisite as porcelain dolls, now each with twisted and ferocious expressions, lying on the ground and beginning to curl up in a bizarre manner.

"Who exactly are you? Who are you? What grudge does my family have against you to deserve this? How could you do this, how could you!"

The old man stepped forward, preparing to help his grandchildren drive away the evil, but just as he was about to act, they suddenly lunged up as if possessed by fierce ghosts, biting into his chest and neck.

Looking at his grandchildren, whose forehead centers were deep purple and whose eyes were completely white, the old man knew they were beyond saving; they could not be brought back. This was a case of an extremely terrifying fierce ghost sacrificing its own cultivation to forcibly possess them, only to exchange that for the destruction of a person's soul and consciousness in such a short time.

Two lines of clear tears slid from the corners of the old man's eyes, and he wailed in despair:

"Even if you have the greatest grudge, why must you target the children? How could you target the children!"

……

Fengdou, Ghost Street.

For the most part, this county town remained in a state of peace and tranquility. Although the number of tourists from other places had gradually increased in recent years, the town only truly bustled with popularity during holidays or temple fairs.

On an ordinary day, the weather forecast had predicted sunshine for several days in a row, but in reality, it had been overcast and gloomy for several days.

Fortunately, the locals were long accustomed to this. They didn't criticize the meteorological station for being incompetent, because a saying had always circulated locally:

The weather in Fengdou depends on the mood of the Great Emperor.

Finally, the rain cleared and the rainbow appeared.

The sun finally came out, and people began to appear on Ghost Street, which had been stifling for several days.

Gradually, people discovered that the ghost statues and carvings at the entrances of many shops had developed cracks, and many of the deity statues in the scenic area had also begun to split.

In the center of the county town, there was a sculpture topped with a ghost skull, which served as a landmark.

This ghost skull had unexpectedly fallen from its high position to the ground at some point. It hadn't hit anyone, but it also hadn't made a sound.

When a construction team brought tools and a crane to prepare to reset and secure it, they discovered upon touching it that fresh red blood was gushing out from within the ghost skull. After a large pool flowed out, it drained into the stream beside the street, staining the downstream section red.

The young people merely found it a curiosity, treating it as fodder for idle chatter.

Those with elderly people at home, however, one after another placed fire basins outside their doors, setting up candles and burning paper.

While burning the paper and kowtowing, they scolded the young people nearby who felt disdain for the act:

"You little brats don't know a thing! This is the Great Emperor showing his anger, showing his anger!"

……

A Li was playing the zither.

But today, her zither music was interrupted by noise several times.

These noises did not come from the depths of her heart; in fact, ever since the young man forcibly extracted a form and spirit using the Fengdou Twelve Dharma Decrees, her heart had been terrifyingly quiet for the past two days.

When sleeping at night, even upon entering that dream, there was no movement outside the threshold; even that whispering had vanished. It was so quiet one could hear a pin drop, which actually made her feel somewhat unaccustomed.

The noise came from two places: one was from the second floor, where every little while, a wisp of killing intent would emanate from her grandmother.

The other was from the kitchen, where the kitchen door was sealed with a barrier talisman. Every time Liu Liu Jinxia entered or exited, she would go through the trouble of unsealing it and then resealing it.

Originally, there was another one in the courtyard, but Qin Zhanglao had left home yesterday.

The greatest noise came from the third floor.

The door to the room where the spirit tablets were originally enshrined had been locked.

The first time A Li wanted to go up to take some spirit tablets to use as materials, she did not receive her grandmother's permission.

A Li did not insist and returned downstairs.

Because at that moment, she could sense that many terrifying things had appeared behind that door.

Those were special items that her grandmother had ordered Qin Zhanglao to move out from the old residences of the Qin and Liu families.

She could no longer play the zither; with so much "noise," she couldn't find peace in doing anything.

Her former self would not have been disturbed by these things; on the contrary, she had long been accustomed to them.

Now, having gradually grown used to the quiet, she found it hard to go back.

A Li stood up, left the zither table, and walked out of the study, happening to run into Liu Liu Jinxia, who had just finished sticking the kitchen sealing talisman.

Liu Liu Jinxia gave A Li a faint smile, and A Li looked at her and smiled back.

Liu Liu Jinxia suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

A Li was becoming more and more obedient and normal. If only these days could continue peacefully forever, how wonderful that would be.

Liu Liu Jinxia knew that the old lady was likely regretting it in her heart as well.

Actually, Liu Liu Jinxia had misunderstood.

A Li's smile was not for her, but for their actions.

The girl knew what they were worried about and what they were preparing, but from the girl's perspective, those were all meaningless things.

How could he possibly fail, and how could he possibly lose?

She returned to her bedroom, took her sketchbook from under the bed, placed it in front of her, and turned the page.

There were only four pages in total, but she looked at every page with great interest.

When she turned to the fifth, blank page,

She began to look forward to it.

What should be drawn in this picture?

……

Liu Liu Jinxia came to the second floor.

Winter had arrived, and a blanket had been spread over the old lady's rattan chair.

Liu Liu Jinxia's gaze fell on the slight, long protrusion under the blanket on the right armrest.

She knew that it was a sword.

The old lady had long ago sealed this sword in the old Liu family residence; the last time it was taken out was when Lu Yi failed his river-walking.

Lu Yi had been seriously injured and was in critical condition, lying inside while she provided emergency treatment.

The old lady had held the sword across her knees and sat at the doorway for an entire night.

By early morning, Lu Yi had turned the corner and his life was saved.

The old lady had sealed the sword back in the old residence.

After that night, the former Miss of the Liu family died, and she completely transformed into the matriarch of both families.

A young lady could throw tantrums to her heart's content without any scruples, but a matriarch had to swallow her pride for the sake of the family.

Today, this sword had been taken back again.

Some things actually don't require too much hesitation or doubt; from the very beginning, one can see whether they will happen.

For instance, this time the sword wasn't placed on her knees, but under her right side, in a position where she could draw it and stand up at any moment.

Liu Liu Jinxia walked over to help the old lady brew tea.

The old lady didn't drink it, just sat there, swaying gently along with the rattan chair.

It had been two days, and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan still hadn't returned.

They hadn't gone out of town this time.

Logically speaking, no matter how big the matter was, excluding travel and preparation, two days should have been enough to see results.

The old lady had said personally that since the child hadn't explained it to them clearly, they shouldn't interfere in the child's affairs.

But this didn't mean that if the child really got into trouble, they would once again hold their noses and accept it.

Liu Liu Jinxia said nothing. After brewing the tea and adding some tea snacks, she left, went up to the third floor, and checked the seal in that room.

After confirming it was intact, Liu Liu Jinxia came back down, unsealed the kitchen again, and entered.

The oppressive atmosphere persisted in this house.

It lasted until nightfall.

Liu Liu Jinxia went out, then returned carrying a stack of items, hurrying up to the second floor with eyes full of disbelief and shock.

At this moment, the old lady's killing intent had already condensed into air pressure, masking all other auras. She no longer cared if it would affect her granddaughter's zither playing or painting, because she simply couldn't control herself.

Therefore, it wasn't until Liu Liu Jinxia reached the second floor that she discovered Lu Yi had actually already returned.

There was trouble outside, and Lu Yi had been summoned away.

Lu Yi hadn't wanted to go, but the old lady just lowered her eyelids and said faintly, "You go."

Lu Yi had left very reluctantly. With the old lady already stifled to that extent, as her foster son and the only adult male in the house, he should have been on the front lines.

Liu Liu Jinxia had originally thought that Lu Yi's departure this time would be like usual, at least ten days or half a month. She hadn't expected him to return in less than two days.

The old lady was still lying in the recliner, holding a stack of photos and flipping through them one by one.

Each photo recorded a scene of a tragic death, and without exception, all were aimed at exterminating the entire family.

Massacres were not rare in society, but no matter how common they were, there was always a fixed number—how many cases last year, how many this year, and projecting into next year.

It wasn't a time of war and chaos, so there shouldn't be such a sudden increase; there had to be a special reason.

Furthermore, although some were accidents like fires, drownings, or other causes, there were indeed some non-normal, bizarre elements mixed in that could be spotted at a glance.

And from Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei's perspective, every photo revealed problems, even those so-called accidents.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei asked, "Are you sure it's that family?"

Qin Zhanglao replied, "Some divination and fortune-telling items were found at quite a few of the scenes."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei nodded: "That family is best at scattering to dig holes. When disaster strikes, they hide away, playing dead and acting ignorant. Once the disaster passes, they immediately jump out to reap the rewards.

Heh, well, this time they've eaten until they're fat and bloated, and now they'll have to spit it all back out twofold."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei put down the photograph, gently pinched the bridge of her nose with her hand, and asked, "Do you know who did it?"

Qin Shu: "I do not."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei closed her eyes and said, "It is normal not to know; the government runners in the yamen have never been as well-informed as those in the jianghu."

Qin Shu: "Logically speaking, for such a major event, there should have been some wind of it in the jianghu before it was carried out."

In a normal jianghu, there certainly wouldn't be any wind of it.

But among the top-tier powers of the jianghu, they still need to keep each other informed.

Because although this family was not suited to walk in the sunlight on the river, their ability to stir up wind and rain behind the scenes was something no one dared to ignore.

Although they were not a top-tier power, they were still capable of standing at the table and watching others play cards.

Those who could move against them, and with such thunderous means to carry out an extermination, could definitely not be mere jianghu drifters; they could only be those who sat at the jianghu card table.

Although the Qin and Liu families had declined, and Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei didn't pay much attention to jianghu affairs, they still possessed a special background after all; no matter what, they should have received a notification.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei: "It really doesn't look like something any one family did sneakily; any single family could strangle them, but they couldn't pull them up by the roots, and if several families joined forces, it would be absolutely impossible for no wind to leak out."

Even if several families joined forces, they would never aim solely for murder and extermination; wasn't the most precious thing about that family those people who could calculate and divine? Those were the treasures; why kill them? It would be better to pen them up and use them for oneself.

Therefore, there are only two possibilities.

Either a new power with a ruthless style of conduct has risen in the jianghu, wanting to establish prestige and fame in this way.

For this point, we will know once we see if anyone stands at the river mouth to shout about it later.

Or, this family somehow offended an existence capable of flipping the card table.

Such existences do exist in this world, but they generally wouldn't risk taking action, and acting on such a large scale would also cause great damage to themselves; it isn't worth it.

But thinking it over, only these two points fit the requirements.

If it is the first possibility, when they start shouting for prestige, we could send a visiting card in the name of our two families.

Not asking for anything else, just to pave the way for our family's child.

Although our two families are not what they used to be, fortunately, the facade is still there; helping them build momentum to gain a favor is a costless act of kindness."

Liu Yi suddenly laughed: "Old Lady, you wouldn't have thought about arranging these things in the past."

The old lady sighed: "Times change; for a fallen household like ours to stand up again, the resistance is even harder than the rise of a new power; in essence, we are standing in the same trench.

If we can't give the child anything else, helping him borrow some strength is something we elders should do.

If it is the second possibility, then there is nothing to do; if such an existence really had some reason to come out of the mountains, that is not something we need to consider; it has nothing to do with us."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei turned to the side, used her left hand to pick up a cup of cold tea, and while drinking, watched the leaves fluttering in the wind outside the window.

Liu Yi laughed again: "Perhaps, it really might have something to do with our family."

The tea in the old lady's cup spilled out.

She turned her head to look at Liu Yi; her eyes were first filled with astonishment, then shock, then relief, and finally... with fury!

Liu Yi grew up by the old lady's side; she naturally knew that this girl wouldn't shoot without a target at such a time.

And if it had to do with their own family, it could only be that one person who was not in the house at this moment.

Combined with what that person was experiencing and the anger and worry she had accumulated over these past few days, wouldn't the destruction of this family really have something to do with him?

The old lady had previously not suspected at all that this matter could have anything to do with Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan.

No matter what, how could a teenager who had just started walking the river and had only experienced a few waves be involved in such a massive upheaval of a power's destruction?

She knew the boy's talent was peerless and could be called a monster, but even a monster shouldn't be able to do something so outrageous.

And if it really was him, no matter what means he used, and no matter if such means could be replicated, as long as it started because of him, it meant one extremely terrifying thing.

The new power with a ruthless style of conduct in the jianghu that I just mentioned... is actually my own family?

"Speak."

The old lady used a great deal of effort to keep this word steady; saying one more word would have made her voice tremble.

Liu Yi took out the things she had brought back; the visiting cards and letters inside were not only diverse in form, but the methods of delivery were also extremely bizarre.

However, normally, these things wouldn't be sent here; she would collect them every once in a while and bring them back for the old lady to see; of course, there were occasional exceptions, which was when a lot arrived all at once, which usually meant something major had happened in the jianghu.

For many years, the old lady hadn't been willing to listen to these troublesome matters, so according to custom, Liu Yi would read them herself and only mention the important ones to the old lady.

Most visiting cards and letters didn't need a reply; the Qin and Liu families had that kind of confidence; for the few that did need a reply, Liu Yi would send one in the old lady's name.

"These are letters from various families inquiring about this matter."

"These are the analyses of this matter from various families."

"These are joint suggestions from those who want to invite you to take advantage of that family's misfortune to cast the net again and see what spoils can be taken; several families are already preparing to do so.

No matter how cleanly they handle it, there should still be leftovers; the direct bloodline is dead, but there should still be collateral branches, disciples, and the ancestral land."

This is commonly known as: when you are sick, I will take your life.

Even if your whole family is dead, it doesn't matter; first, we will loot what you have left, and then we will go to your family's ancestral graves to greet your ancestors, letting your ancestors collectively see the light of day and get some air.

The law of the jungle has always been the unchanging essence of the jianghu since ancient times.

Being able to sit together peacefully to reason or even argue is all based on the foundation that your fists are hard enough and you are qualified to sit there.

Otherwise, since ancient times, there wouldn't be so many small families, sects, or jianghu drifters dreaming of bowing to high-ranking families to seek protection, because they understand one truth: they can be safe and carefree until now not because those big powers suddenly turned vegetarian, but because they temporarily have no appetite and are too lazy to use you as a snack.

"This is a letter from the Yu family." Liu Yi pulled out one separately and unfolded it.

In the past, the Yu family was a Long Wang family that could be ranked alongside the Long Wang Liu and Long Wang Qin, with their ancestral land in Luoyang.

Luoyang has been a place of excellent feng shui since ancient times; being able to establish a household and be called a Long Wang there is a form of confidence in itself.

However, the Yu family had an incident seventy years ago that caused them to seal their gates for sixty years; it was only ten years ago that they unsealed them, and news spread of their disciples walking in the jianghu.

The Yu family is skilled in raising beasts and nurturing demons, so at the time, jianghu rumors said that the Yu family must have had a demonic disturbance.

But they sealed their gates early on, and no one knew exactly what happened; with the foundation of a Long Wang family, no one really dared to go to their door to court death and test them, unlike the Qin and Liu families, where the deaths of almost all family members were not a secret among the upper echelons.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei: "Rumor has it that the ancestral residence of that family is also in the Luoyang region."

With branches hiding in all directions, the main family naturally couldn't be high-profile; that family liked to hide themselves generation after generation, but the Long Wang families still knew some general information.

Liu Yi said: "The Yu family specifically sent a letter to inform various families and sects that when they sensed something happened to that family's ancestral residence, they sent clansmen to investigate; their clansmen observed chilling and pure ghost energy, and this ghost energy came from the southwest, Fengdou!"

When the place name Fengdou appeared, both Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei and Qin Shu fell silent.

This is a place name, but it also represents a person's name, and even a piece of mythology.

The reason Liu Yi used this to determine that this matter might have something to do with their own family is... the only descendant of the Yin family worships their own Long Wang.

There is a behind-the-scenes power plotting against their own river-walking person.

There is a big power that likes to hide in the darkness that has been pulled up by the roots.

The existence that triggered this extermination massacre also has a connection to their own river-walking person.

When these three things happen at the same moment, to say it has nothing to do with their family's person would be too stupid.

"Hehe... Hahahaha!"

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei laughed out loud; while laughing, she couldn't help but slap the armrest of her chair with her palm.

The armrest was fine, but the vibrating energy not only shattered all the teapots, bowls, and dishes on the tea table but also caused all the porcelain and jade ornaments placed in the room to crack.

The few trees outside the window, which were still struggling against the cold wind in the winter, were also shaken at this moment, their withered leaves flying everywhere, leaving only bare branches.

The old lady naturally didn't feel heartache for these things, no matter how precious any one of them might be on the market.

The eldest young lady of the Liu family is happy; so what if she smashes some bowls, dishes, and jade?

She had been holding this breath since A Li failed his river-walking; today, it was finally released.

Liu Yi and Qin Shu looked at each other, then continued to silently watch the old lady's happiness.

Although there were still too many questions and confusion, at least the situation had not turned for the worse.

Moreover, they also knew very clearly that if this matter was really caused by Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, then in the future... who would dare to secretly target the river-walkers of the Qin and Liu families again?

Even the facade of the Qin and Liu families would be refreshed because of this; a plaque is something that should be wiped clean with blood in the first place.

The old lady laughed for a long time before finally stopping.

But the old lady was clearly not yet satisfied.

Therefore, the old lady looked at Qin Shu, who was standing by her side, and deliberately said in a lazy tone:

"Look at others, then look at yourself."

Qin Shu knelt down and lowered his head; he realized he was already somewhat used to it.

Moreover, he didn't expect that at his age, he would still have to endure the blow of "look at other people's children" comparisons again and again.

Fortunately, Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan is not someone else's child; he is their own child.

Qin Shu really didn't feel any guilt kneeling this time; he just took it as the old lady liking it, and he would just help her have some fun.

The old lady glanced down at him, then raised her foot and lightly kicked Qin Shu several times, scolding: "When did you also learn from A Ting, becoming so cunning?"

Qin Shu, kneeling on the ground, also laughed out loud.

Then, the old lady's expression turned gloomy, and she said coldly:

"Didn't you say you were going to join forces to loot the leftovers? You two go for me; collateral descendants, anyone with any connection, as long as there are survivors, clean them all up for me.

That family's ancestral residence and ancestral graves, plow them three times for me until they are completely cleared.

Since their family dared to lay a hand on my family's child,

Then I,

Will completely erase their inheritance!"

Qin Shu propped up one leg, and Liu Yi knelt on one knee; the two said in unison:

"We obey your command!"

On the way back, Seeing Yin Meng was driving.

There was no other way; Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin's tailbone was broken, and he couldn't sit down at this moment, so he could only go to the back seat to lie down with Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan knew how to drive, but since he had to pass through crowded downtown areas, he would inevitably encounter traffic police.

While driving, Seeing Yin Meng would occasionally steal a glance at Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

She felt a bit awkward, and had no experience to draw upon for how she should handle a conflict between her ancestor from nearly two thousand years ago and her own boss.

But one thing was certain: she had no real bond with that ancestor, and she was absolutely on her boss's side.

If she couldn't figure that out, she wouldn't have made it to where she was today.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, meanwhile, was pondering where exactly he had offended the Emperor of Emperor Emperor Fengdu.

To think that a dignified Emperor would actually use the excuse of "returning home to pay respects to ancestors" to trick him into going to Emperor Emperor Fengdu?

If he had truly been foolish enough to accompany Seeing Yin Meng to pay respects to her ancestors, the sacrificial offering placed on the table might very well have been himself.

Logically speaking, it shouldn't be this way; not only did he have no grudge against the Emperor of Emperor Emperor Fengdu, but as the successor to the Twelve Decrees of Emperor Emperor Fengdu and given his relationship with Seeing Yin Meng, he counted as half a relative, didn't he?

So, in that lost memory, what on earth had he done to the Emperor of Emperor Emperor Fengdu to make him so angry?

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan could sense that some changes had occurred within him, and they were certainly not limited to just the technique from Wei Wei Wei Wei Wei Wei Wei Zhengdao's black book.

But as for what specific changes had occurred, and whether he could recover some of his lost memories, he would need to slowly explore and experience them when the night was deep and quiet.

When he returned to school, it was already dark, and the dormitories were locked and the lights were out.

Lu Yi hadn't returned to the dormitory for the past few days, sleeping entirely at the shop.

Hearing the familiar sound of the pickup truck, he immediately opened the shop door and came out, helping to move the three patients into the room in the basement.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan said a word to Seeing Yin Meng, telling her to go find a physician to come and take a look, and then he left.

He had to go report that he was safe; this time, it wasn't just A Li waiting for him—the old lady and the others were the ones who must be the most anxious.

Inside the duty office of the school infirmary.

Dr. Fan Shulin, who was highly valued by the leadership, was continuing his night shift.

There weren't many patients and nothing to do at night, so he held a racy magazine in his hands, sitting and savoring it carefully, reviewing human anatomy.

This could be considered a rare moment of comfortable relaxation for a single young man—reading while fantasizing, and occasionally changing his posture while sitting with his legs crossed.

These magazines were gifts Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin had given him.

It was just a pity that he hadn't been sending patients his way recently, so the relationship between the two had cooled somewhat.

The door was suddenly pushed open.

Fan Shulin looked up and saw a young girl with fair skin, a beautiful Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face, and long legs standing under the corridor light at the doorway.

"You are..."

"Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin asked me to come find you; please trouble yourself to come with me."

"Alright, wait for me to wake up my colleague to cover my shift first."

Fan Shulin hid the magazine, woke up his colleague, and then packed some equipment and followed Seeing Yin Meng.

Seeing Yin Meng had a red envelope in her pocket and had prepared plenty of excuses, because she knew this Dr. Fan was not easy to invite, but she hadn't expected him to be so easy to talk to.

Fan Shulin walked in front and even turned his head to urge her:

"Let's walk faster; saving lives is urgent."

"Alright, thank you."

"No need to thank me. As a doctor, saving lives and healing the wounded is my duty; this is what I should do."

"Mm."

"What is your name?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan arrived at Grandma Liu's house.

When he pushed open the courtyard gate, the floor-to-ceiling window on the first floor opened, and A Li, wearing white silk pajamas, stood there barefoot, waiting for him.

She only revealed a faint smile, but there wasn't much worry hanging on her Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

A Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan also revealed a smile on his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face; ever since he began his journey on the river, every time a wave passed and he returned home to see A Li, it was his most relaxed moment.

Only this time, at the window on the second floor, Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei's figure appeared.

"Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan."

"Grandma."

"Come up for a moment first."

"Alright, Grandma."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan first put his backpack into A Li's room, then went to the second floor.

In the open area of the second floor, the small coffee table had been replaced today by a large round table, which was covered with all kinds of snacks and food—so much that it couldn't hold it all, and he even had to push two small square tables next to it to make room. There were several sets of tea sets, and even more tea leaves left out.

This was clearly a setup for a large-scale tea party.

"Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, sit."

"Alright, Grandma. When I just came in, I didn't see Liu Yi and Qin Shu?"

Qin Shu would occasionally go out, but Liu Yi would stay at home most of the time.

"Oh, that piece of land behind the old house has become overgrown with weeds, so I sent them both back to turn it over."

"So that's how it is."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei stood up, preparing to brew tea.

"Grandma, you sit; I'll do it."

"Alright then." Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei didn't insist. She turned to pick up silver chopsticks and placed several pieces of dim sum onto the plate in front of the young man. "Try it. These snacks were specially sought out; there aren't many old masters left who know how to make them now, so they aren't easy to come by."

"Alright, Grandma."

One old and one young sat opposite each other, drinking tea and eating snacks.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei picked up the silk handkerchief beside her and wiped the corners of her mouth.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan also picked up a cup of tea and washed down the remaining food in his mouth.

Actually, tea snacks weren't eaten this way; usually, it was one small piece of snack with a pot of tea, sitting for an entire afternoon. Eating too much continuously would easily become cloying, but he was truly hungry.

On the return trip, it was only by checking the time and date on everyone's pagers that he learned the lost time was actually a full two days.

Fortunately, they had been well-fed before setting out. Two days of unconsciousness plus the incident at the amusement park immediately after waking up meant that, under the tension and excitement, he hadn't really felt hungry. If he had been unconscious for a few more days, he might have truly been too hungry to have the strength to fight.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei had specially arranged so much tea and snacks just to accompany the story; this time's events were of extraordinary significance to her.

Therefore, she didn't want to wait until Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Zhuangzhuang came to hear Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Zhuangzhuang say that the high-quality ingredients had been turned into a hodgepodge by Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Zhuangzhuang's cooking—that would truly be a pity.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan looked at Grandma Liu sitting opposite him and blinked.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei smiled slightly: "Alright, child, you can begin."

As she spoke, Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei rested her elbows on the tabletop and leaned her body slightly to one side, ready to listen attentively and enjoy the story.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips and spoke up, feeling a bit awkward:

"Grandma Liu."

"Mm."

"I don't know."

(End of chapter)