Chapter 230: The Island of No Heart

"It's fortunate the wind and waves stopped after dawn; otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to set sail at this hour. You lot, you're truly lucky."

"That's true, that's true."

Lin Shu You imitated Brother Bin's past mannerisms, walked up to the old boatman, took out a cigarette case, and offered a cigarette to the old boatman who was currently steering the boat.

When taking out his lighter, Lin Shu You wanted to perform a cool trick; he tossed the lighter into the air, and just as he was preparing to catch it with his other hand, a wave slapped against the boat. The boat swayed, and the lighter hit the gunwale before falling into the sea.

The old boatman was amused and couldn't help but grin. He took out his own matches to light his cigarette and, while he was at it, lit one for Lin Shu You as well.

"Tell me, what are you lot going to that island for at this time? It's not even the right season, is it?"

"Sightseeing, sketching."

"Oh, nothing better to do, eh?"

Lin Shu You: "It's life, and it's also work."

With Brother Bin absent, this kind of social task naturally fell upon his shoulders.

Actually, Yin Meng could have done it too, but Yin Meng was a woman after all, and now that she had become fairer and prettier, it was inevitable that when dealing with all sorts of people, she would encounter those with lecherous glints in their eyes and loose tongues.

Old boatman: "When will you be back?"

Lin Shu You: "Yo, that's hard to say."

Old boatman: "There aren't many boats that go to that island on weekdays. When you want to come back, just make a call to my village from the island, and I'll sail over to pick you up."

Lin Shu You: "That's good, thank you for your trouble."

Old boatman: "Then let's double the price for this trip; it has to be paid in advance, doesn't it?"

Lin Shu You: "I can only give you half more as a deposit."

The old boatman nodded: "Deal."

Lin Shu You felt he had negotiated quite securely, but the old boatman only smiled inwardly. He was planning to go fishing on the sly next; how could he have the time to wait at home to pick them up? He'd catch what he could while he could.

At this moment, the old boatman noticed that the smoke rings Lin Shu You puffed out while smoking were quite thick, and he immediately smacked his lips and said:

"Tsk, do you just puff the smoke out as soon as you take it into your mouth? Let me tell you, if you don't know how to smoke, don't force it. You're just wasting good stuff."

Saying this, the old boatman took the initiative to reach out and ask Lin Shu You for a cigarette, even taking the pack Lin Shu You had just opened from his pocket, saying he'd smoke it on the return trip.

Lin Shu You responded with some embarrassment, his peripheral vision secretly scanning his companions. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he let out a sigh of relief.

In the past, every time they went out, Brother Bin could arrange everything properly, and every passerby who lent a hand was quite sensible. How come this time, when it was his turn to arrange things, it felt a bit strange?

Old boatman: "See that? We're right in front, almost there."

Ahead, the shadow of an island appeared.

Li Zhuiyuan, standing at the bow, lowered his head and glanced at the wordless book in his hand. The direction the monkey in the second painting was facing was also pointed directly at this island.

But this island was only the location where Tan Wenbin was; it was not the Island of No Heart where the Qiu Manor was located.

Does this mean that his current location, the island in front of him, and the Island of No Heart are all in a straight line?

Or perhaps, the "target" the monkey is facing is not on the Island of No Heart at this moment, but on this island in front of them?

The boat docked at the pier, where a larger fishing boat was already moored. The boat owner was squatting at the bow, holding a bowl and chopsticks, eating his meal.

The old boatman took the initiative to wave and greet him, but the other man glanced at him, ignored him, and lowered his head to continue eating.

Lin Shu You: "You know him?"

Old boatman: "Seen him, not close. He always runs this route, and the supplies for this island are also delivered by him."

After everyone disembarked, the old boatman turned the boat around and headed back.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the wordless book in his hand again. The monkey was lowering its head, hugging its knees, curling itself into a ball, and no longer provided a clear directional guide for its sitting posture.

Lin Shu You kept his current responsibility firmly in mind and took the initiative to step forward to chat with the owner of the boat opposite.

The other man first asked about their boat fare, and Lin Shu You told him.

Boat boss: "Looks like you've been fleeced."

Lin Shu You hadn't heard this colloquialism, but he could understand it—he had been ripped off.

Upon hearing that they had even prepaid half of the return boat fare, the boat boss laughed, wiped his mouth with his palm, and rinsed the bowl and chopsticks he had finished eating with in the water:

"If you come back on my boat, I can even waive your boat fare."

After saying this, he stood up and wanted to walk into the cabin. Lin Shu You hurriedly asked again about Tan Wenbin.

The boat boss stopped his steps and replied: "You're asking about that young man? Is he a friend of yours? That young man is a decent person and chatted quite well with me. He should still be on the island; you can go into the village and look for him yourselves."

While Lin Shu You was chatting with the boat boss, Li Zhuiyuan was observing him.

There was no special Qi on the other man, and every move he made revealed the habits of a boatman.

But Tan Wenbin's safety check-in had been interrupted, which meant something must have happened on this island.

Lin Shu You ran back: "Brother Xiaoyuan, shall we go into the village and meet up with Brother Bin?"

"Mm." Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

The group followed the road and walked toward the village.

The boat boss walked out of the cabin, first glanced at the four people who were leaving, then turned around, faced the sea, his eyes revealing depth and melancholy.

Li Zhuiyuan, who had been moving forward, stopped his steps and looked back at that boat and the person on it.

At this moment, based solely on this scene, Li Zhuiyuan was certain that this person had a problem.

On an island where it was certain that something had already happened, any style that did not match the original scene could not be taken lightly.

On the way to the village, they passed a lighthouse.

Under the lighthouse, an old man was sitting there fishing.

From the perspective of artistic sketching, this was indeed a very good framing picture, interpreting tranquility and remoteness.

Beside the old man was a bottle of wine. He picked up the wine bottle, took a sip, then took off his straw hat and looked at the four people opposite.

He didn't wave or speak, just watched quietly for a while, then turned his head back and continued to tend to his fishing rod.

Li Zhuiyuan raised his head slightly, looked at the sky, and then looked at the sea surface. Using the Dao of Feng Shui and meteorology, he began to analyze the location of the fish schools in this area.

The position where the old man was sitting was at the oblique back corner of the lighthouse. The reef beach here was raised, and the water level was relatively shallow. Normally, one should sit directly in front of the lighthouse, where the water was deeper and it was easier to catch fish.

It was normal for ordinary fishing enthusiasts not to know, but for an old man who had guarded the tower for years, it was a bit strange that he didn't know where it was more suitable to cast a hook.

The biggest convenience of his choosing this position was that he faced the direction of the pier and could watch the people disembarking and coming onto the island.

At first glance, the village didn't seem small, but if one excluded the houses that were obviously abandoned and hadn't even had new Spring Festival couplets posted, the number of people still living on this island was indeed very few.

After entering the village, there wasn't even a person on the road, and it was very difficult to find someone to ask about Tan Wenbin.

Fortunately, that supply and marketing cooperative still had its door open, and inside sat an old woman who was knitting a sweater.

Lin Shu You walked up the steps, came to the counter, and wanted to chat with the old woman.

It was just that Lin Shu You called out softly several times, but the old woman seemed hard of hearing and didn't hear him at all, remaining focused on knitting the sweater in her hands.

Lin Shu You had no choice but to raise his volume, but the old woman remained unmoved.

At this moment, Lin Shu You noticed the already rusted ashtray placed in front of the old woman, which still had a few cigarette butts in it.

He touched the outer pocket of his hiking backpack and took out another pack of cigarettes from inside.

He had a period of time when he liked to have a cigarette in his mouth for no reason, but later, every time Brother Bin saw him, he would slap it away, so he didn't get addicted. This time, when he went out, he knew he had to temporarily take over Brother Bin's role, so he hadn't prepared any less of these cigarettes.

He opened the cigarette case and pulled out two cigarettes: "Grandma, lend me a light."

The voice wasn't loud, but the old woman immediately stopped her movements, turned her head, stood up, walked over, took out a matchbox from her pocket, took the cigarette, and lit it—all in one go.

"Grandma, let me ask you something. Do you know where Tan Wenbin lives? We are his friends."

"Probably on the mountain over there. He likes to go there to set up a tent, saying it's better to get closer to nature."

"Oh, okay, thank you, Grandma."

Lin Shu You waved his hand and walked down the steps: "Brother Xiaoyuan, Brother Bin might be there. Shall we go find him?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "You go make a phone call. Call Auntie Zhang's small shop and report that we are safe to Great-Grandpa."

"Oh, okay."

Lin Shu You turned back again: "Grandma, let me make a phone call."

The old woman bent down, opened the wooden box under the cabinet, took out the telephone, and placed it on the counter.

"Call."

Lin Shu You picked up the receiver and dialed the number. Very quickly, Auntie Zhang on the other side answered the phone.

"Hello, who is this? Who are you looking for?"

Lin Shu You used the Nantong dialect he had learned and deliberately changed his tone to respond: "Looking for Li Sanjiang's house."

Auntie Zhang: "Yo, a Fujian lad."

Lin Shu You was stunned for a moment. So his accent was that heavy? Could people tell he was from Fujian even when he spoke Nantong dialect?

Auntie Zhang: "Shall I go call your Grandpa Sanjiang to answer the phone?"

"No need, Auntie Zhang. Please help me tell Grandpa Sanjiang that we are doing quite well outside."

"Okay, I'll go tell him in a while."

"Sorry to trouble you, Auntie Zhang."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Shu You paid the phone bill and walked down the steps: "Brother Xiaoyuan, it's done."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and glanced at this supply and marketing cooperative again, as well as the old woman inside who had sat back down and started knitting the sweater again.

The call could be made, but Tan Wenbin still hadn't contacted him.

Either Tan Wenbin had already met with an accident, or Tan Wenbin didn't dare to come to this supply and marketing cooperative to make a call anymore.

The group left the village and headed toward the mountain.

When looking from the sea earlier, this island didn't seem very big, but only after truly being on the island did they realize how much area was hidden in the gullies and ravines on this island.

They searched for a long time but didn't find Tan Wenbin.

According to the situation Tan Wenbin reported on the phone earlier, there should have been many people coming to the island to deliver goods, but they didn't see any traces of them either.

During this period, they did discover a few marks left by Tan Wenbin, but following the marks to search, they still gained nothing.

The marks should be real. Not finding the person should be because Tan Wenbin was constantly changing his hiding location—in other words, he was hiding and dodging.

Li Zhuiyuan sat on the ground, took out a few small formation flags from his bag, set up a guiding formation, and then lit a stick of incense inside.

Immediately after, Li Zhuiyuan placed the Luo Pan in his palm and began to perceive.

Sometimes, finding a ghost is much simpler than finding a person.

Tan Wenbin was the one who personally sealed the two vengeful infants on his shoulders, so the young man was naturally extra sensitive to the Qi of those two vengeful infants.

The incense smoke began to drift against the wind.

Li Zhuiyuan placed the Luo Pan above, pointed his fingertip at the smoke, guided it onto the Luo Pan, and immediately, the needle on the Luo Pan began to show a specific orientation.

This method had strong limitations regarding distance and direction, but they were lucky, and it succeeded the first time, so they didn't need to change positions and set up the formation again.

"Let's go."

Since those two vengeful infants were still there, Tan Wenbin must still be alive.

Li Zhuiyuan believed in their father-son bond; those two vengeful infants wouldn't watch Tan Wenbin die while they survived alone.

They went down the slope and came to the shady side of this island. The gullies here were deeper, and normally, very few people would come here.

Following the guidance of the Luo Pan, the four of them came to the shore and saw a cave entrance hidden among the reefs.

The inside of the cave entrance was flooded by seawater, leaving only the upper part.

They waded into it, and not long after they entered, a duster swept over.

Runsheng, who was walking in the front, was very familiar with this duster; he had once fiercely pinned the owner of this duster under him.

This time, the force of the duster was even worse than last time. Runsheng didn't even need to take out his Yellow River Shovel; he just grabbed it with his bare hands, and then, without giving the other party time to react, pulled it toward his back.

A figure was pulled out—it was Xin Jiyue.

Runsheng leaned his shoulder against her, pinning Xin Jiyue against the wet rock wall, and grabbed the woman's neck with his other hand.

He only needed to use a little force now to end the woman's life.

Xin Jiyue, who had been subdued, widened her eyes and looked at Runsheng.

She was unwilling in her heart, thinking that if she hadn't been injured and in a weak state, she would never have been subdued by the other party so easily. But after seeing clearly that the person who came was Runsheng, her unwillingness dissipated, because she knew clearly that even in her prime state, she would never be his opponent.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Where is Tan Wenbin?"

Runsheng slightly relaxed his hand that was grabbing the woman's neck.

Xin Jiyue: "You actually know Brother Bin?"

In this "Brother Bin," there was an unusual emotion.

Lin Shu You hadn't seen Xin Jiyue before; when that funeral was held in Xigou Village, he was still in Fujian and hadn't returned. But this didn't prevent him from also feeling that the woman's call of "Brother Bin" was very strange.

It seems there's something going on between Brother Bin and her!

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and glanced at the Luo Pan in his hand. The needle pointed to the deeper part of the cave, and he said:

"Tan Wenbin is our person; we are here to save him."

Xin Jiyue: "Why should I believe what you say?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Do we need your belief?"

Xin Jiyue was stunned for a moment and suddenly felt that this explanation made a lot of sense.

"Brother Bin is inside, but he..."

Just at this moment, special ripples appeared on the water surface in the cave.

This was the Qi of a formation, and it had formed a perfect fit with the internal space of the cave.

A standing wave surged out from inside the cave, rushing toward the group here.

Runsheng let go of Xin Jiyue's neck, letting her fall into the water, while he pulled out his Yellow River Shovel, opened his Qi gate, and fiercely struck down at the wave in front!

Lin Shu You raised his Luo Pan Umbrella, blocking in front of Brother Xiaoyuan.

As long as the force is strong enough, it can suppress all fancy tricks.

Only hearing a "bang," that wave was shattered into fine pieces, turning into a splashing torrent.

Just at this moment, something dived into the water, scooped up Xin Jiyue, and retreated backward.

This was both attacking and saving; the thinking was quite meticulous.

Runsheng pressed both hands into the water surface, operated his Qi gate, and the water level in front of him dropped rapidly.

Yin Meng took the opportunity to whip out her Exorcism Whip. Only hearing a crisp sound, an arm of a middle-aged man with a goatee was circled by the Exorcism Whip.

He subconsciously wanted to pull the whip.

Yin Meng rolled it with one hand, and barbs stood up on the Exorcism Whip, warning: "If you don't want to die, don't touch it."

Wu Qinhai immediately stopped his movements.

Xin Jiyue spoke up: "They are Brother Bin's people."

Wu Qinhai asked suspiciously: "What?"

Although he didn't understand, Wu Qinhai still gave up resistance.

Yin Meng retracted the Exorcism Whip, poked Lin Shu You lightly with her elbow, and whispered: "Listen, we are Brother Bin's people."

Wu Qinhai: "Brother Bin is inside. His current condition is very bad. I hope you have a way to treat him."

After saying this, he and Xin Jiyue led the way in front.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Were you being hunted down?"

Xin Jiyue: "Yes, Brother Bin paid a great price to take us to hide on this island and survive."

In the deepest part of the cave, there was a dry area that the seawater couldn't reach. On a stone platform above it, there was a pile of grass, and Tan Wenbin was lying on it.

His face was pale, his breath was as thin as a thread, and he was incomparably weak.

This was clearly a state of extreme overdraft after using Ghost Control Arts. But if that were the case, those two vengeful infants should also have fallen into a deep sleep, and it would be impossible for him to locate their position.

Therefore, Tan Wenbin hadn't used Ghost Control Arts. Unless it was a last resort, he wouldn't allow himself to fall into a coma and paralysis here, and... he was still hiding with two people.

"Tan Wenbin?"

Li Zhuiyuan gently pushed Runsheng aside and walked forward.

Runsheng very naturally turned sideways to block in front of Wu Qinhai. Seeing this, Yin Meng also followed up immediately, blocking Xin Jiyue to ensure there were no outsiders near Brother Xiaoyuan and Tan Wenbin.

Lin Shu You stood on tiptoe, anxiously wanting to check if Brother Bin's injuries were severe.

Immediately after, as if thinking of something, he took out a jar of tiger penis wine he had specially brought back for Brother Bin from his hometown.

Tan Wenbin weakly opened his eyes and looked at Li Zhuiyuan:

"Brother Xiaoyuan..."

Li Zhuiyuan placed a hand on Tan Wenbin's wrist; the pulse was weak.

The young man's other hand appeared to be tidying the grass pile under Tan Wenbin's head, but in fact, he took the opportunity to pat his shoulders on both sides.

Those two vengeful infants were most afraid of him. Upon this contact, the vengeful infants were immediately so scared that they trembled violently.

The two vengeful infants were in good condition, so Tan Wenbin shouldn't be this weak. Therefore, this was deliberately disguised.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, I finally waited for you. I thought I would never see you again in this life..."

Tan Wenbin's voice revealed the joy of surviving a disaster, and he struggled to grab Li Zhuiyuan's hand with both hands.

Li Zhuiyuan sensed Tan Wenbin clenching his index finger and ring finger together separately, and squeezed hard.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, there are three people on this island, very dangerous..."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and said: "Don't worry, I understand."

He knew the meaning Tan Wenbin wanted to convey:

Among these two people, Xin Jiyue and Wu Qinhai, one is a traitor.

(End of chapter)