Chapter 264: The Weight of the Past

Li Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes and sat up from the bed.

Previously, deep in his consciousness within the main body's home, he knew clearly that he could not open that iron door in the basement.

The main body had gone out to release fish fry into the pond, but in that place, the word "going out" was itself merely an abstract concept.

He could go out with his front foot and return with his back foot, or even have his left foot go out while his right foot remained inside.

Yet, Li Li Zhuiyuan still made an attempt to pick the lock with a mismatched key; his purpose was not to obtain the truth, but to issue a reciprocal warning to the main body.

It meant: out of trust in myself, I believe you are definitely plotting other schemes.

But you should also, out of trust in yourself, not naively believe that your schemes can easily succeed.

Li Li Zhuiyuan rubbed the space between his brows.

At special moments, he and the main body could cooperate back-to-back, with neither being foolish enough to give outsiders an opportunity to exploit.

But outside of special moments, they were each other's most terrifying enemies; neither could afford to relax or show weakness.

After sitting on the bed for a long time, he felt a bit thirsty.

A cup of water was handed over at just the right moment.

"Thanks."

Li Li Zhuiyuan took the cup and drank several mouthfuls.

Zhao Yi: "So burdened with worries?"

When the youth woke up, Zhao Yi had been in the room the whole time, never making a sound to disturb him.

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

Zhao Yi: "Then it must be a big problem."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "An old problem."

Zhao Yi: "I've never seen you like this before."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "The old problem has entered a new stage of development."

Zhao Yi: "Interested in hearing about my new problem? Since you just woke up, it might give you a laugh."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Sure, go ahead."

Zhao Yi recounted what had happened after Li Li Zhuiyuan fell unconscious.

After listening, Li Li Zhuiyuan asked: "You tell me, why would the Yu family send people over?"

Zhao Yi: "Hey, hey, hey, shouldn't the focus be on my 'Clan-wide Marquis Conferment'?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "You said it yourself, it's a Marquis Conferment."

Zhao Yi tapped the tabletop, continuing to emphasize: "Clan-wide, that's the entire clan!"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "It's nothing."

Seeing Li Li Zhuiyuan like this, Zhao Yi let out a breath and chuckled: "I knew it, no matter what the difficulty, in front of my Brother Xiaoyuan, it's never a problem."

Li Li Zhuiyuan drank some water.

Zhao Yi: "Look, we're both in the Chuan-Yu region, and this place isn't far from Fengdou. Why don't you go to the trouble, on your way back to Nantong, to stop by Fengdou and help me explain things to the great and merciful Emperor of Fengdou?

Just say my disrespect was a misunderstanding, and whatever the consequences, could the Emperor please, for the sake of you and Yin Meng, not hold it against a small fry like me?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

Zhao Yi: "What do you mean by shaking your head?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I won't be going to Fengdou anytime soon."

Zhao Yi: "Why?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm afraid of dying."

Zhao Yi: "..."

The room fell into a long silence.

Zhao Yi pulled out a cigarette, bit it, lit it, and then sat down by Li Li Zhuiyuan's bed:

"What exactly are you thinking, and how exactly do you dare to do this?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Everyone has their own stance; some can be chosen by oneself, while others cannot be chosen for the time being and must rely on heaven's will."

Zhao Yi: "In my eyes, kicking the Yu family while they're down was already very stimulating. After all, the Yu family is no longer the true Yu family of the past, but the Emperor is still that same Emperor who attained the Dao and became an immortal during the Eastern Han Dynasty."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Have you contacted your family?"

Zhao Yi: "I notified Old Tian and asked him to specifically go back to our hometown to check. It's fine, my family members are all still alive and haven't gone down to the underworld to serve as officials yet."

Old Tian had even gone through the motions of doing various tests, fearing that everyone in the old residence was already dead and that this was some kind of illusion or barrier.

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "If the Emperor really wanted to act, the Jiujiang Zhao family would definitely have already met with disaster. Last time, it was very fast; I hadn't even arrived home before the old lady at home knew earlier than I did that that family had been wiped out by the Emperor."

Zhao Yi gave a "hehe" laugh and said: "That's really good news."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "So, rest assured, your affairs involve me, and in the end, the Emperor will definitely settle the score with me."

Zhao Yi: "Then, does that mean I won't have to go?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm, when I have everything prepared and go to Fengdou, I will help you explain to the Emperor."

Zhao Yi: "You won't forget?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I won't forget. How about this, I'll have Lin Lin Shu You write a memo, and on that day, he'll be responsible for reminding me."

Zhao Yi patted the youth's hand firmly and said solemnly:

"Such a dangerous thing, how could I let you go alone? Don't worry, I will definitely go with you!"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Good."

Zhao Yi exhaled a smoke ring and sighed: "Li, have you noticed that ever since I met you, I've either been suffering or on the road to finding suffering."

"I feel like our fates clash; whenever I run into you, nothing good ever happens."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "That's normal. A Dragon King, by nature, needs to suppress all competitors of the same era."

"Tsk."

"As an opponent, you are at least still alive, and the clan still exists."

"I thank you~"

After Zhao Yi finished speaking, he laughed himself, pressing the back of his hand against his forehead:

"Hehehe, it seems I'm still quite strong. Others have been wiped out, while I'm just 'pending'."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Where are the others?"

Zhao Yi: "Tan Tan Wenbin is pretending to sleep next door, while Yin Meng and Lu Runsheng were pestered by Lin Lin Shu You into going to Rongcheng to play. They've been playing for several days, and A-You still hasn't had enough."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Oh."

Zhao Yi: "A-You is still a young man, it's normal. Besides, although you were unconscious and didn't know when you'd wake up, you weren't going to die anyway, so there was no need to worry. Might as well have some fun."

Li Li Zhuiyuan got up, took clean clothes from his backpack, and went to take a shower.

After returning from the shower, he saw Zhao Yi still sitting by his bed.

"Anything else?"

"Mm, Tan Tan Wenbin was supposed to tell you, but since you're awake now, I'll say it first. I taught one of my secret techniques to Tan Tan Wenbin, and in exchange, Tan Tan Wenbin promised me he would persuade you to teach me that battlefield command secret technique."

"Brother Brother Binbin wouldn't agree to that; he definitely promised something else."

"We need more mutual trust, don't you think, Brother Xiaoyuan?"

"What he originally promised you, was it that sacrificial secret technique of Yin Meng's?"

"What? Speak up, my ears have been clogged lately."

"This secret technique of mine, I didn't name it. Its manifestation is the red rope I release that connects other partners. It was inspired by that tower on Mount Yulongxue, and I spent a long time and energy deducing it."

"The Jiujiang Zhao family's techniques are yours to read."

"I'm not playing hard to get; it's just that you can't use this secret technique because the practitioner must be completely trusted from the heart by the recipient, without any resistance. If not, the practitioner will surely suffer a strong backlash.

Tell me, do you dare to use it?"

"I don't."

Zhao Yi got up quite decisively and lay back down on his bed.

Unconditional trust without any resistance—how could that be possible?

He knew his own people; the group under him had too many ulterior motives. In the past, he was happy to see this because it made it easier for him to manipulate and control them.

Now, even if he learned this secret technique, he would have no use for it unless he replaced the entire team. But even then, there was no guarantee that the new team members would trust you completely.

Zhao Yi: "Your ability to pick people is truly amazing."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "It's my good luck that I was able to meet them."

Zhao Yi changed the subject and asked: "What about Chen Jing? That kid, how do you plan to arrange him?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Weren't you planning to take him into your own team?"

Zhao Yi: "But I can feel that he actually wants to follow you more."

Zhao Yi liked that youth; firstly because of his pure character, and secondly because the youth was very smart—smart enough to know which thigh was thicker and worth hugging.

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "In my team, there's no place for him."

Zhao Yi: "Although he's the same age as you, he has demon clan bloodline. He can improve his strength by constantly stimulating his bloodline; he doesn't have to wait until he's an adult and his body is fully developed to formally practice martial arts like you."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I know, but I have no need to take him in."

Zhao Yi: "What about the Yu family?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "If I only took him in to gain more benefits in the future Yu family wave, I'd rather not have those benefits."

Li Li Zhuiyuan was very satisfied with his current team configuration. Everyone in the team was walking higher step by step under his arrangement and design. At this time, bringing in a newcomer who needed to be retrained would firstly slow down the team's rhythm, and secondly, Li Li Zhuiyuan himself was too lazy to retrain someone.

Zhao Yi: "Then help me reject him."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Won't you hold a grudge?"

Zhao Yi: "A grudge? If they could jump ship, do you believe that the four people under me would all be willing to jump to your ship? How could I possibly hold a grudge?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan pointed to his ear: "Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives."

Chen Jing had come upstairs.

Zhao Yi waved his hand, signaling Li Li Zhuiyuan to go through the motions.

The moment Li Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the room and the door was closed, Zhao Yi's whole body rose into the air, his feet not touching the ground. Silently, he propped himself between the walls, his ear pressed tightly against the room door.

"Creak..."

Outside, the door was about to be pushed open again.

Zhao Yi reached out and held the doorknob.

Li Li Zhuiyuan's voice came from outside the door: "Help me get two cans of Jianlibao; they're in my bag."

Zhao Yi did a side spin, his body rotating like a top in mid-air. After getting the drinks, he did a backflip and returned behind the door.

Opening the door a crack, the two cans of Jianlibao were handed out.

Li Li Zhuiyuan, holding the two cans of Jianlibao, arrived at the hostel hallway.

Chen Jing had just walked up the stairs. Looking up and seeing him, he immediately shouted with surprise: "Brother Xiaoyuan, you're awake?"

"Mm."

Li Li Zhuiyuan "pushed" open a can of Jianlibao. When he brought it to his lips, he frowned slightly, but drank it anyway.

Some incorrect memories still needed to be corrected; it was mainly because he was used to it and too lazy to switch to a new type of drink.

Chen Jing walked over and asked with concern: "Brother Xiaoyuan, are you okay now?"

"I'm fine." Li Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the second can of Jianlibao, "Want a drink?"

"Sure, I'm just thirsty." Chen Jing took the Jianlibao.

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Pay up."

"Oh, right." Chen Jing felt his pockets, took out some money, and handed it to Li Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Li Zhuiyuan took the money and then looked out toward the balcony at the distant mountain scenery.

Chen Jing: "Brother Xiaoyuan, there's something I'd like to trouble you with."

"Speak."

"My grandmother has been hospitalized for the past few days, and her condition has stabilized, so about my grandfather's funeral..."

"Let's hold it tomorrow. I'll have them go help you manage it."

"Thank you, Brother Xiaoyuan."

Chen Jing held the Jianlibao and bowed to Li Li Zhuiyuan.

Then, he took a big gulp of the drink, making a "Ha~" sound.

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Rarely drank this kind of drink before?"

Chen Jing nodded: "Grandpa and Grandma's house basically never bought this, but I had a lot of good things to eat when I was little, hehe."

"You go ahead." Li Li Zhuiyuan waved his hand and walked toward Tan Tan Wenbin's room.

Chen Jing walked toward the room where Zhao Yi was. Pushing the door open, he saw Zhao Yi lying on the bed with his legs crossed, looking as if he had been asleep for a long time.

Hearing the door open, Zhao Yi yawned and woke up, saying: "You're here."

"Mm, I'm here, Brother Yi. I just ran into Brother Xiaoyuan, and he agreed to help me manage my grandfather's funeral."

"Then we'll go to your house tomorrow morning."

"Brother Yi, I want to make my grandfather's funeral look decent. Seeing my grandfather go off in a lively way might make my grandmother feel more at ease."

"So?"

"Brother Yi, could you lend me some more money?"

After Shen Huaiyang died, his Daoist temple was also burned down according to the rules.

"Sure, don't worry about the money. To be honest, in terms of material conditions alone, your Brother Yi is much better off than that Li guy."

"Thank you, Brother Yi. I'll definitely work hard to pay you back when I work for you in the future."

Zhao Yi laughed, crossed his legs, and took out paper and pen:

"Then let's sign an IOU and calculate the compound interest."

"Brother Xiaoyuan."

When Li Li Zhuiyuan entered, Tan Tan Wenbin was sitting with his back against the bed, playing cards—it was a three-person game of Fight the Landlord.

Tan Tan Wenbin held cards in his hand, while the other two sets of cards were floating.

When Li Li Zhuiyuan entered, the floating cards fell back onto the bed.

When the youth was present, the two children would become timid out of fear.

"Zhao Yi has already told me about what happened afterward."

"Brother Xiaoyuan, it was my own decision..."

"Well done," Li Li Zhuiyuan affirmed. "When we go to Fengdou, the more people the better. The Emperor has lived alone for too long; he should like the liveliness."

"Actually, I didn't hold much hope at the time. Young Master Zhao saw through my intentions, but he..."

"It was he himself who underestimated our madness."

"I think this also counts as opening up Young Master Zhao's perspective."

"He taught you a secret technique?"

"Yes, this secret technique can 'see' a person's inner thoughts—not the specific content, but a manifestation."

"Can you replicate it now?"

Tan Tan Wenbin shook his head: "I've tried, but I can't yet. I have to use the spirits on my own body to simulate the substitute effect of the Life and Death Gate crack."

"Then record this secret technique in writing as much as possible, and I'll help you take a look."

Tan Tan Wenbin: "Then I should be able to learn it very quickly. These two children learn things very fast."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "It's not them learning. Deng Chen has better talent in this regard; after all, his snake eyes are more special."

Tan Tan Wenbin fell silent.

The two children sitting on Tan Tan Wenbin's shoulders also lowered their heads at this moment, rubbing their little fingers.

If anyone else dared to say such things, they would angrily bare their teeth or even tease the other person.

But facing Li Li Zhuiyuan, the two children didn't dare.

Tan Tan Wenbin took a deep breath and nodded: "Right, Brother Xiaoyuan, you're right. I've also been coveting Deng Chen's eyes for a long time."

Tan Tan Wenbin wouldn't go back on what he had already promised. Besides, he had already begged Li Li Zhuiyuan once for this, which was how he got this opportunity to sit in a wheelchair and walk this wave.

The difficulty of this wave was lowered, but the next wave would inevitably increase. He had to ensure he recovered to his best state and couldn't remain so sickly.

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "The two children's merits are already more than enough; it's enough for them to be reincarnated into a good family in their next life."

Tan Tan Wenbin: "Did you hear that? After you're reincarnated, not only must you study hard, but you must also be good people."

"I'm hungry, I'll go to the hotpot restaurant downstairs to order food first." After saying this, Li Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the room.

The two children's bodies relaxed, and then they subconsciously reached out to hug Tan Tan Wenbin's neck tightly, pressing their heads against Tan Tan Wenbin's side face.

Tan Tan Wenbin sighed, raised both hands, and gently stroked them through the air, even though he couldn't actually touch them.

His mother, Zheng Fang, had told him that when she first gave birth to him, she didn't have a shred of maternal love in her heart. Instead, looking at his wrinkled appearance, she felt annoyed, wondering how she could have given birth to such an ugly thing.

After a period of care and companionship, the so-called maternal love gradually emerged and filled her.

It was the same for Tan Tan Wenbin here; because he had spent so much time day and night with the two children, the affection, especially that kind of father-son love, had become very deep.

"Be good. My life must go on, and you, too, should go and welcome your own new lives. Perhaps in the future, we can meet again in the vast sea of people."

The two children began to cry, and the ghost tears dripped onto the bedsheet, causing that area to freeze.

This made Tan Tan Wenbin very painful and tormented, but now, he was already missing this feeling in advance.

"Beep beep."

The small pickup truck returned to the hostel.

Except for Lu Runsheng, who looked calm, Yin Meng and Lin Lin Shu You seemed very happy, with a sense of wanting more.

Especially Yin Meng, who parked the car, got out, and closed the door.

Yin Meng: "If only we could play in Rongcheng for a few more days. Brother Xiaoyuan is tired too; it would be nice for him to rest for two more days."

Lin Lin Shu You: "Yeah..."

Just as he started, Lin Lin Shu You's eyes bulged, and he immediately changed his words: "Things have priorities. I still hope Brother Xiaoyuan can wake up sooner."

The child continued to mutter in his heart: "Brother Xiaoyuan isn't here, I can't eat well or sleep well, I've been worried in my heart."

Lin Lin Shu You: "This..."

Master Tongzi: "Read, hurry up and read!"

Lin Lin Shu You: "Too cheesy."

Master Tongzi: "That's why I'm telling you to read it."

Lin Lin Shu You: "Brother Xiaoyuan can tell I'm reading a script."

Yin Meng asked suspiciously: "What, you don't want..."

Lu Runsheng reached out and pressed on Yin Meng's shoulder, saying: "What are we eating for dinner? You haven't been eating well these past few days because you were worried about Xiaoyuan."

Yin Meng: "Ah?"

Immediately, Yin Meng, who had come to her senses, began to look around. She realized, Brother Xiaoyuan is awake?

Finally, she found him—the figure of the youth sitting inside the hotpot restaurant next door.

Although the distance was far, she knew that Brother Xiaoyuan's hearing could clearly hear what they were saying.

Li Li Zhuiyuan had heard, but he never liked these things; however, his partners liked to amuse themselves in this regard.

The youth handed the checked menu to the boss and then turned to look at them:

"Come eat hotpot."

Zhao Yi also came down to eat hotpot, asking with some confusion: "Where are those two? Didn't they come back together?"

Yin Meng: "They went to the nightclub; they'll be back later."

Zhao Yi sighed and picked up a piece of tripe for himself: "Sigh, they really are worrying."

Lin Lin Shu You asked suspiciously: "You still need to worry about their safety?"

Zhao Yi: "I'm worried about other people's safety."

After the meal, at Yin Meng's suggestion, a mahjong table was set up.

Sitting at the table were Li Li Zhuiyuan, Zhao Yi, Yin Meng, and Sun Yan.

As they played, the two women looked at each other, both seeing the meaning of not being able to continue from the other's eyes. There was no way around it; with these two present, they really had no gaming experience at all.

Li Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi left the table at the right time. Yin Meng called Lin Lin Shu You and Lu Runsheng down to take their shifts, but both waved their hands to indicate refusal.

Finally, it was only when the hotpot restaurant next door finished its evening business and was preparing to close that the boss brought a waitress over to join, which finally filled the seats.

Li Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room first, while Zhao Yi followed him into Lin Lin Shu You's room.

Lin Lin Shu You looked at him with vigilance and asked: "What are you doing?"

Zhao Yi: "Do me a favor. Tonight, make a trip to Chen Jing's house first to deal with his mother's remains in the bedroom wall, and then seal the wall up well."

Lin Lin Shu You: "Why don't you go?"

Zhao Yi: "Because I know you'll go. Who told you to be so kind?"

Lin Lin Shu You was a bit dissatisfied, but he went anyway.

That youth needed a fresh start; at this time, it was best not to leave anything that could stimulate him.

After arranging things for A-You, Zhao Yi returned to the room and saw Li Li Zhuiyuan lying on the bed preparing to sleep. He said in surprise:

"No way, you've slept for three days, and you still want to sleep?"

"You eat every day, and you still want to eat?"

"Fine, go to sleep then." Zhao Yi sat at the desk, took out a pen and notebook, and began to write rapidly.

The two secret techniques he had his eye on—one was sacrifice and the other was red rope—he couldn't use either. But this labor fee couldn't just be forgotten; he had to get something out of it.

He wrote until late at night, using up more than half a bottle of ink.

There was some movement outside, so Zhao Yi put down his pen and walked out of the room.

The Liang sisters were just about to enter the room when they saw Zhao Yi standing in the hallway.

Zhao Yi: "Nothing happened, right?"

Liang Yan: "Small matter."

Liang Li: "Not worth mentioning."

Zhao Yi: "Speak."

Liang Yan: "We ran into three hooligans who wanted to rob and assault us on the way out, but we didn't kill anyone."

Liang Li: "We broke all their tendons and kicked their balls to pieces."

Zhao Yi: "How many did you point out?"

Liang Yan: "Just those three hooligans."

Zhao Yi's gaze darkened.

Liang Li: "We pointed out ten."

Liang Yan: "Just for fun, we didn't cross the line."

Zhao Yi: "You need to be aware of your identities, and besides, you need to consider my feelings."

Liang Yan: "You can take concubines."

Liang Li: "You can take ten."

Zhao Yi: "Heh."

Liang Yan: "So angry? We really didn't do anything out of line."

Liang Li: "Is it because we mentioned the balls?"

Zhao Yi: "Do you like that kind of atmosphere? Go back to your room and sleep now. Tomorrow, you two are going to cry for the dead for me!"

After lecturing the two sisters, Zhao Yi returned to the room and continued writing, writing until dawn.

Li Li Zhuiyuan's schedule was very stable. He woke up on time. Just as he sat up, he saw Zhao Yi sitting at the desk, his face pale, and he happened to spit out a mouthful of blood, catching it with a handkerchief.

At the same time, the white shirt he had specially changed into last night was also stained with crimson on the chest.

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Too deliberate."

Zhao Yi: "Writing these things is very mentally exhausting."

Cultivation methods, techniques, formations, etc. —these weren't simple transcriptions. Wanting to reproduce them in writing as much as possible was indeed not easy and consumed a great deal.

Zhao Yi put the stack of notebooks in front of him onto Li Li Zhuiyuan's bed: "Come, help me look and revise. After the river-walking ends, my Jiujiang Zhao family can offer you a guest elder tablet."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "The last sentence can be removed; it's taking too much advantage."

Zhao Yi: "Fine, then help me revise these?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "You can ask Tan Tan Wenbin to help you revise; I never promised you this."

Zhao Yi: "Hey! I'm an external captain, after all. In this wave, I've also done my best, busy from beginning to end, contributing both people and blood. What, now you're not going to acknowledge it?

In this world, there's no such logic. In the past, when we were busy with farming in the countryside and did odd jobs for other families, people knew not to be stingy with a meal or a wage!"

"You, farming, doing odd jobs?"

"Li, you can tease me, a young master, but can't I mock myself?"

"One-third."

"Three-fifths!"

"One-fourth."

"One-third, deal!"

Zhao Yi prepared to extract one-third from it and take the rest away.

Li Li Zhuiyuan said as he got out of bed: "Leave them all."

Zhao Yi: "Wow, Li, how do you manage to be so shameless?"

You're only revising one-third for me, but you want to see it all!

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "You can take them all away."

Zhao Yi: "Read them then, read them. I wrote them for you to read. Let me tell you, the essence of my Jiujiang Zhao family is all here. You must promise me that reading and learning is fine, but don't go spreading it around, otherwise my Zhao family will be in danger."

Li Li Zhuiyuan said while squeezing toothpaste: "The clan has already been conferred as Marquis; what danger are you still afraid of?"

Zhao Yi's mouth twitched, and then, as if thinking of something, he immediately said:

"Teach me the Twelve Decrees of Fengdou!"

"Sure."

"Really?"

"Mm."

"You agreed so readily? That, will there be any price for learning this?"

"No price, just that the karmic relationship is a bit heavy."

"How so?"

"The clan-wide Marquis Conferment will turn into a clan-wide immediate promotion and nobility, with chickens and dogs entering the underworld."

Li Li Zhuiyuan wasn't being stingy, nor was he trying to scare Zhao Yi; it was just that no one knew better than him the karmic entanglement between this technique and the Emperor.

Zhao Yi: "Li, why do you always come up with things that are hard to learn? Are you doing it on purpose?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Things that are hard to learn are often more worth learning."

When going to the hospital to pick up Chen Jing's grandmother and grandfather's remains, Li Li Zhuiyuan asked Lin Lin Shu You to go to Wu Xin's place to handle the internship completion procedures, because once the funeral here was over, they could return.

The funeral lasted for two days. The two old people were well-liked in the village, and almost everyone in the village came to attend.

Although the two old people had only one grandson left and no other direct relatives, with the Liang sisters—who had been forced by Zhao Yi to cry for the dead—it was quite lively.

Chen Jing's grandmother held the two sisters' hands with tears in her eyes, constantly expressing her gratitude.

Tan Tan Wenbin was responsible for sitting in the mourning hall chanting scriptures and hitting the wooden fish. It was hot, and since they hadn't rented a suitable freezer, they were counting on him to provide refrigeration.

Lu Runsheng and Lin Lin Shu You often followed Li Sanjiang to sit for the fast. Although customs varied from place to place, the ways of handling white affairs were ultimately similar. The two had a clear division of labor and organized things very well.

Fearing that Chen Jing's grandfather wouldn't be able to bear it, Li Li Zhuiyuan didn't participate specifically. He found a corner and started reading the things Zhao Yi had written for him.

The Jiujiang Zhao system was very mixed and had absorbed many things from other family sects. This kind of secondary absorption was prone to defects. Li Li Zhuiyuan didn't try to perfect them, just filled in the defects to make them appear more complete.

From Li Li Zhuiyuan's perspective, this was a bit of passive slacking, but Zhao Yi was very satisfied with it. After all, if you really made it too high-end, it would be hard to find an audience. This family learning—if most of the family couldn't learn it, it would lose its original meaning.

In two days, Yin Meng built a coffin with extremely high efficiency.

Zhao Yi personally chose a lucky spot on the mountain to bury Chen Jing's grandfather.

Earth burial wasn't as strictly regulated here as it was in Nantong, and since it was on the mountain, it was very free.

Zhao Yi even specially opened an extra spot at the lucky site, saying it was reserved for Chen Jing's grandmother after a hundred years.

Upon hearing this, the grandmother broke into tears and laughter, very happy.

After these things were done, Li Li Zhuiyuan and the others left first.

Zhao Yi and his group had to stay behind to settle the grandmother into a nursing home in Rongcheng before they would leave with Chen Jing.

From this, one could see how much Zhao Yi valued Chen Jing.

When they parted, Li Li Zhuiyuan said he would have someone deliver the revised things to the Jiujiang Zhao family.

Zhao Yi waved his hand and refused, saying that would make his Jiujiang Zhao family look like they were putting on airs. He planned to go back to his hometown to see Old Tian first, replenish his medicine supplies, and then go to Nantong to pick them up in person.

Li Li Zhuiyuan agreed.

Everyone returned to Nantong in the same small pickup truck, only this time they took a longer detour than when they came, just to put more distance between them and Fengdou, fearing that the Emperor might misunderstand and start the banquet early.

As the car drove on the road, Lin Lin Shu You stood in the back, holding the railing with both hands, admiring the scenery along the way.

Seeing that they were about to leave the mountainous area and enter the plains, he still felt some reluctance.

Tan Tan Wenbin sat leaning there, lowering his head and yawning. Every time he came out, he was very excited to see the mountains, but after seeing them for a long time, he got a bit tired of them and missed the plains.

Lin Lin Shu You reached out from the box Tan Tan Wenbin was sitting on and took out a drink. It was hot, but the drink was frozen solid.

A-You wasn't in a hurry to drink it; he just rolled the drink can on his arm and face to cool down.

"Brother Bin, the cold air on your body is getting more and more intense."

Tan Tan Wenbin nodded and didn't say anything. The hot sun made him shiver constantly.

Yin Meng, who was driving, said: "If it gets any colder, I'm worried the engine will stall."

This problem could only be solved after they returned. The best case was to send the two children to be reincarnated while letting Deng Chen and the others come in, a seamless transition.

Originally in Li Li Zhuiyuan's plan, Tan Tan Wenbin could only choose one, at most two, from the four spirits. But during this period, the pressure from the two children allowed Tan Tan Wenbin to achieve a breakthrough. He could now handle all four spirits without any problem.

Moreover, unlike those two children, where humans and ghosts were ultimately different, those four spirits were themselves incarnations of the "Five Senses Map." Li Li Zhuiyuan could use Tan Tan Wenbin's body as a carrier to represent the "Five Senses Map" in another way.

Tan Tan Wenbin could just happen to fill the position of the pig head.

He had already contacted him by phone before. Since Deng Chen came to Nantong from Jin Ling that time, he had gone back once in the middle and had cashed out the photo studio.

Then, he rented the second floor of a storefront on the street in Shigang Town, and pasted red stickers for taking photos on the window.

However, he didn't spend most of his time in this simple little shop, but took his camera to the surrounding villages, specifically to take photos for the elderly in the countryside.

He took funeral portraits, free of charge.

The elderly were very happy about this. He basically had his three meals at different elderly people's homes, and sometimes they would even have a drink together.

The money from cashing out the Jin Ling photo studio was enough for him to do this kind of public welfare for a long time. The costs were all clean money, and only in this way could it be considered doing good deeds in the true sense.

In the child's words: Deng Chen knew how to progress.

As someone who wanted to join later, you often had to pay more than your predecessors and be better at showing yourself.

When contacting home as usual to notify them of their specific return date, he received feedback from Li Sanjiang, saying that he happened to be taking Li Weihan and Cui Guiying to Langshan to burn incense and fulfill a vow that day, so they might as well meet there and go back together.

Considering Tan Tan Wenbin's special situation, after entering the Nantong region, Li Li Zhuiyuan let Yin Meng continue to drive the others back to the village first, while he got off the car alone in front of the Langshan scenic area.

It wasn't a holiday or festival, so there weren't many people or tourists burning incense at Langshan. Li Li Zhuiyuan saw the three old people sitting on the flower bed edge from afar.

Burning incense today was to fulfill the vow Li Weihan had made when he had his surgery.

Cui Guiying: "Uncle Sanjiang, when do you think Marquis Xiaoyuan will arrive?"

Li Sanjiang: "Who knows about things on the road? If there's a car accident or a traffic jam, it's normal."

Cui Guiying's face turned pale with fright: "What, a car accident?"

Li Weihan hurriedly glared at Cui Guiying: "What nonsense are you spouting? Uncle Sanjiang is talking about other cars on the road having an accident, and Marquis Xiaoyuan and the others getting stuck on the road."

Cui Guiying hurriedly patted her chest and said: "Phew, so that's it, so that's it."

Li Sanjiang scratched his chin, rubbed his stomach, and said: "Marquis Han, Marquis Guiying, let's find a place to eat first."

Cui Guiying hurriedly took out a small package and opened it; inside were dried steamed buns and pickled vegetables.

"Uncle Sanjiang, you eat. I'll go ask the ticket seller for some hot water."

Li Sanjiang looked at the dried steamed buns, his old face wrinkling.

At home, he had wine and oil in every meal. It didn't matter if he chewed on a dried steamed bun when his mouth was bored, but he couldn't stand it when he was really hungry and had to treat this stuff as a main meal.

Cui Guiying lowered her head and went to ask for hot water.

Li Weihan scratched his head in embarrassment. Logically speaking, since Uncle Sanjiang accompanied them out, he should be the one treating them to a meal, and it should be a decent one.

But outside wasn't like home. Eating at restaurants outside was expensive, and the restaurants in front of the scenic area were even more expensive.

It wasn't just about being reluctant to spend; the old couple really didn't have much spare money in their pockets.

When he was seeing a doctor and having surgery earlier, all four sons' families had contributed money.

Yesterday, the old couple had just gathered some of their income and paid back the first batch to their four sons.

Right now, they were really strapped for cash.

Li Sanjiang sighed helplessly. He had scolded these two stubborn people many times, and now he didn't have the energy to scold them anymore.

The sons gave money for their father's medical treatment, and they wanted to pay it back; the money their daughter sent was all saved there, and they didn't dare to touch a cent.

In Li Sanjiang's view, this was a mental illness. People who wouldn't enjoy blessings were born with a cheap life.

"Marquis Han, let's go, Uncle will treat."

"No, no, Uncle Sanjiang, how can I be so embarrassed? Wait, when we get home, you come to my house, and I'll have Guiying kill a chicken for you..."

Li Sanjiang rolled his eyes: "Is there still a chicken in your chicken coop?"

Cui Guiying came back with the hot water.

Li Sanjiang waved his hand: "Go, go, go, let's go to a restaurant. Uncle's stomach isn't good, I can't eat dry stuff."

Just as they were pulling at each other, Li Li Zhuiyuan's voice rang out:

"Great-grandfather, Grandfather, Grandmother!"

"Marquis Xiaoyuan!"

"My Marquis Xiaoyuan!"

After the enthusiastic hugging and pinching process ended, Li Sanjiang held Li Li Zhuiyuan's hand and said:

"Let's go, let's go to a restaurant. My great-grandson is back, I can't let him eat this stuff. The kid is growing."

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Great-grandfather, Grandfather, Grandmother, I have money in my pocket. I just got my internship pay, I'll treat."

Involving the child, Li Weihan and his wife didn't push back anymore, although they still felt a bit embarrassed. They followed him to a restaurant in front of the scenic area with very nice decor.

The ingredients were displayed on plates. You looked at the plates to order, and if something wasn't there, you could ask the boss separately if they could make it.

Li Li Zhuiyuan chose two dishes in a row, and Cui Guiying followed up to ask about the price. After hearing the price, Cui Guiying kept muttering: "My God, it's so expensive. I could make this myself at home."

Li Weihan: "Marquis Xiaoyuan, just order for you and your great-grandfather. Your grandmother and I will just have two bowls of noodles."

Then, Li Weihan asked about the price of the noodles and was also shocked.

Cui Guiying: "How can we afford this? It's too scary. How much would it cost to buy dried noodles or roll them ourselves?"

Tossing back and forth like this, Li Li Zhuiyuan had been in the shop for a long time and hadn't successfully ordered a single dish.

Li Sanjiang gathered his energy and scolded the two old people: "Shut up! The kid earned money and is treating us to a meal. Whatever he orders, you just eat it. Stop spouting nonsense, don't let the kid spend his money and still not be in a good mood!"

Li Weihan and Cui Guiying were scolded into silence.

Li Sanjiang pointed to the table next to them: "Go, sit there obediently and wait!"

The old couple obediently went to sit there.

Li Sanjiang turned to smile at Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Marquis Xiaoyuan, order. Great-grandfather is really hungry, I could eat a cow!"

Li Li Zhuiyuan ordered potato-braised meat, braised hairtail, and scrambled eggs with chives in sequence.

"Great-grandfather, do you want to eat iron-plate clams?"

"Yes!"

"Shall we have a head dish as soup?"

"Good!"

"Great-grandfather, that Langshan chicken, I haven't eaten it before, shall we order one to try?"

"Order!"

"Great-grandfather, shall we have a bottle of white liquor to drink?"

"Drink!"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Boss, that's all."

The boss looked at the dishes on the list and reminded him: "There are quite a lot of dishes. Are you sure you want to order so many?"

Li Li Zhuiyuan: "It's fine, we can pack what we can't finish, it won't be wasted."

The boss looked at Li Sanjiang, obviously waiting for the adult's confirmation.

Li Sanjiang put his hands on Li Li Zhuiyuan's shoulders and shouted:

"What are you staring for? Just serve what my great-grandson ordered. My great-grandson earned money and is treating us to a feast, haha!"

(End of chapter)