Chapter 272

On the second-floor terrace, in the gap between turning pages, A Li looked at the young man lying beside her, and just then, the young man opened his eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan pulled back his back, sat up straight, and gazed at the fields in the distance, which were blurred like ink under the gloomy sky.

In their previous exchanges, he could feel the "perfunctoriness" of the original body; it was performing the kind of stereotypes it had in the past.

Its acting was impeccable, but the difference was that it hadn't made any progress during this time, and this was the biggest problem.

Accompanied by A Li, Li Zhuiyuan walked downstairs and arrived at the entrance of the basement.

In a cool, shaded corner by the door, a large mass of black lay there.

Upon hearing footsteps, Xiao Hei raised its head, but it didn't stand up; it just kept squirming with its belly and claws, clearing the way to the iron door.

Now that the weather was gradually getting hot, it was cool here, so Xiao Hei would choose to take its afternoon nap here.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and looked at it.

Xiao Hei felt a bit uneasy under his gaze and silently prepared to stand up and leave, but just as it got up, the young man shifted his gaze away, opened the iron door, and walked in.

Looking left and right, Xiao Hei lay back down and licked the back of its paw.

The basement had been renovated, but it still kept the old layout; one-third of the area was used to store the Great-Grandfather's various "costumes" and "ritual implements," from all the different funeral troupes.

The remaining area was filled with large trunks, all of which were packed with ancient books.

There was a reason why the original body chose to place its secrets here, because for Li Zhuiyuan, this basement was equivalent to his formal place of enlightenment; it was from here that Li Zhuiyuan entered the Profound Gate and opened up another path in his life.

Did the original body also want to reopen a new path from here?

A Li gripped the young man's hand, applying slight pressure; she not only knew that there was another "person" inside Li Zhuiyuan, but she had also seen "it" come out with her own eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, it won't have the chance."

The young man had no intention of telling A Li that if it ever came out and occupied "himself" in the future, she must not show mercy and must make a quick decision.

Because Li Zhuiyuan felt that rather than handing this burden to A Li, it was better for him to keep carrying it himself, and just snap it off at the critical moment.

In essence, the reason the original body chose another path was probably because even it realized that on the traditional track of "inner demon versus original body," it could never win against itself.

Walking out of the basement and closing the door, Xiao Hei, huddled in the corner, spread its body out again after the young man and the girl left, squinting comfortably.

"Boom! Swish..."

The thunderstorm that had been brewing for a long time finally arrived; the ground first filled with rich water vapor and the smell of damp earth, then was quickly covered by a wanton coolness.

Li Sanjiang and Old Man Tian sat at the entrance of the living room, the heavy rain splashing out their memories; they each took a cigarette and began to talk about the past.

Liu Jinxia, Auntie Hua, and Wang Lian, the three old sisters, trotted over under the heavy curtain of rain; they had first gathered at Wang Lian's house before coming here together, and it started raining halfway there.

Wang Lian held her hands over her head, Liu Jinxia carefully watched the road under her feet, and Auntie Hua seemed even more manic, laughing while gently bumping into the other two.

Liu Jinxia scolded Auntie Hua, while Wang Lian kept begging for mercy, but Auntie Hua bumped into them even more vigorously, her laughter like a duck's quack, carrying a clear, bumpy rhythm.

Under the filter of the rain, they shed their usual old age and composure; after all, this rain had also once drenched them when they were young.

Liu Yumei walked out of the east room, the rainwater in front of her bypassing her the moment it touched her.

But looking at the three old sisters running over on the small path in the rain, Liu Yumei first sighed, revealed a bitter smile, and said:

"What a bunch of crazy old women."

The next moment, the rain hit Liu Yumei.

There was no card game scheduled for today, mainly because Wang Lian's paralyzed son had been really worrying lately, always thinking about committing suicide so as not to drag his family down.

Liu Jinxia had come over alone to eat melon seeds and told Liu Yumei about this; Liu Yumei said, he didn't commit suicide sooner or later, but chose to do it just when the two children were gradually growing up and the parents were getting used to this family situation.

To put it nicely, he didn't want to drag his family down, but in reality, his own will to live and hope had been worn away over this past period, and he was so selfish that even his suicide had to be wrapped in the moral guise of thinking for his family.

Liu Jinxia was used to this way of speaking from the Liu sister; it was very direct and merciless, yet it was also extremely reasonable.

The three old sisters arrived in the rain, Liu Yi brought them towels to wipe off and served ginger soup to ward off the cold, while Uncle Qin set up the card table in the living room.

The card game began; the others chatted while playing, while Liu Yumei chatted while losing money, and she even had to deliberately lose a bit more to Wang Lian.

That worrying son had been sent to the health center for emergency treatment several times after attempting suicide; it really cost a lot of money.

Wang Lian never brought her bitter face here; on the way, Auntie Hua was the craziest and had the most fun playing in the rain, and once they reached the dam, Wang Lian had the most smiles on her face.

While playing, Auntie Hua suggested that in two days, when it cleared up, the four of them should go to Mount Langshan together to burn incense.

Liu Yumei shook her head, indicating she wouldn't go.

If it were really to worship heaven and earth, that wouldn't matter, as heaven and earth could handle it, but with the weight of the responsibilities she currently carried on her shoulders, going to a regular temple to burn incense solemnly would likely set the entire Mount Langshan on fire.

In the end, Liu Jinxia made the decision that in a few days, she would take Auntie Hua and Wang Lian to Mount Langshan, and Liu Jinxia also thoughtfully said she could burn a portion on behalf of the Liu sister.

"Don't, absolutely don't, I'm really not being polite with you, I don't believe in these things, no need to burn incense or kowtow for me."

The rain continued until dinner time, with no sign of stopping.

Liu Yi called everyone for dinner; since it was raining, everyone didn't stand on ceremony and stayed to eat.

After dinner, the rain finally stopped, and everyone went home.

Old Man Tian also pushed his wheelchair toward the Bearded Man's house; after pushing it for a distance and getting onto the village road, he stood up, shouldered the wheelchair, and walked.

Humming a little tune, just as he reached the Bearded Man's dam, he saw the wind blowing in the peach forest, peach blossoms falling, and branches rustling, yet the wind and rain outside had clearly stopped long ago.

Not daring to look more or think more, Old Man Tian began to tidy up the medicinal garden that had been battered by the rain and wind.

What made him blush was that the area he planted needed some adjustments and care, while what the young man planted that day was completely unaffected.

He had once felt what a truly smart person was like through his own young master, but what the young master was good at back then wasn't what he knew; only by being suppressed in his own area of expertise could he feel a true blow.

While tidying up, Old Man Tian didn't dare to look around, only hearing that in the peach forest next door, the wind was blowing intermittently and incessantly.

Late at night, zither music came from deep within the peach forest, carrying a murderous aura amidst the melodious sound.

Before going to sleep, Li Sanjiang habitually went to the compartment on the first floor used for offerings to check.

Inside, an eternal lamp was lit, with "Li the Corpse Fisher" written on it, and below that were the names of himself, Xiao Yuan Hou, and others; his own Xiao Yuan Hou said this was used for praying for blessings, and Li Sanjiang naturally believed whatever his great-grandson said.

Therefore, he would come to wipe and tidy up every morning and evening, and by the way, he would also worship the "Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism" he had previously hung on the wall; anyway, it was cheap and easy.

But just as he pushed the door open to enter today, he only heard a continuous "crack" sound, and all the "gods and Buddhas in the sky" on the wall fell off.

This scared Li Sanjiang so much that he thought an earthquake had occurred.

When he finally finished tidying these up, the sound of a car came from outside.

Li Sanjiang walked out, a smile appearing on his face; the mules were back.

"Zhuangzhuang, have you all eaten?"

"We've eaten, Grandpa Li, you go rest, we're going to wash up and sleep too."

"Hey, good."

Li Sanjiang went upstairs to rest.

Before long, Zhao Yi hunched over and went up to the second floor.

The light was on in Li Zhuiyuan's room; Zhao Yi slowed his pace, and just as he approached, the young man came out.

Seeing him, the heart that Zhao Yi had been holding up was finally half-settled.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at him.

Zhao Yi said, "I can't help but be nervous, my whole family is currently in a public notice period."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I didn't say anything."

Zhao Yi: "I want to comfort myself."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and walked downstairs.

"Brother Xiao Yuan."

"Brother Xiao Yuan."

Among the chorus of greetings, the Liang sisters were also included.

Under pressure, all beings are equal.

Yin Meng sat on a stool against the wall, her back against the wall, her expression somewhat numb.

She was like a child who had been having a great time playing outside, and now had to take a stack of failing test papers home to find her parents to sign them.

After Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi walked down the dam, Yin Meng asked blankly, "Runsheng, what should we do?"

Runsheng: "Isn't it just going home? What's the big deal?"

Yin Meng: "The ancestors will be angry."

Runsheng: "No matter how angry He is, He is still your ancestor; at worst, He'll just kill you directly."

Liang Yan: "Is that how you comfort people?"

Liang Li: "Exactly."

Tan Wenbin: "Once the heart is dead, you'll be at ease."

Yin Meng breathed a sigh of relief, and her complexion did indeed look much better.

The night was deep, and Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi walked on the country path.

Zhao Yi: "Is there any other way?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, but it's not suitable."

Zhao Yi: "So?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Decided to go to Fengdou."

Zhao Yi: "Good."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Was the road smooth?"

Zhao Yi: "The Lu family doesn't have the qualifications to make us not smooth."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm referring to the road back."

Zhao Yi: "Very smooth, what's wrong?"

Li Zhuiyuan was silent.

Zhao Yi asked again: "Give me a hint, how is that person?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It is very happy that you didn't open that book."

Zhao Yi: "Then do I have to keep up the act for a while longer? Continue to show an appearance of being pure-hearted, having few desires, and seeing through things?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "You can."

Zhao Yi: "It should be able to tell."

Li Zhuiyuan: "That doesn't matter."

Zhao Yi: "Indeed, flattery is more comfortable when it's blatant."

The two arrived at the Bearded Man's house; Old Man Tian had spread out a straw mat and was sleeping in the medicinal garden.

Hearing the movement, the old man raised his head, and after seeing that familiar figure, he happily scrambled up and came over, hopping and skipping.

Old Man Tian was trying to show his young master that he had recovered, but in the eyes of Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi, the old man was walking with the kind of gait popular among young girls these days.

"Young Master!"

A smile appeared on Zhao Yi's face; he took the initiative to step forward, bent down, hugged Old Man Tian, and lifted him up.

"It's the other way around, the other way around, Young Master, I should be the one hugging you, I should be the one carrying you on my back."

"Old Tian, I've grown up, and my body is better, no need for you to carry me."

Compared to the action, these words were even more heartless.

Old Man Tian's mood suddenly became low.

Zhao Yi continued to twist the knife: "You're old, you can't handle being tossed around anymore."

Old Man Tian said aggrievedly: "Young Master..."

Most people can accept getting old, but it's very hard to accept becoming useless.

Zhao Yi: "This medicinal garden is well-managed, the Li family has taken advantage."

Old Man Tian: "Young Master Yuan's attainments in this area are no worse than mine."

Zhao Yi: "And you and Grandpa Li are getting along quite well?"

Old Man Tian: "Brother Li is a good person, very interesting."

Zhao Yi: "It's rare to meet an old friend, so you should stay here and live with him for a while longer."

Old Man Tian: "I still want to go out and walk the river with you, Young Master; I am old, but I can still help you carry some things, Young Master; they are younger and more capable than me, but at critical moments, they aren't as daring as I am."

"However, I've promised the Li family to rent you to him for a period of time."

"This..."

"For the sake of completing and improving the Zhao family's cultivation techniques, and also to pave the way for me to take charge of the Zhao family after the river walk ends, Old Tian, you'll have to suffer a bit more."

"Young Master, I'm willing. Besides, living here really isn't tiring, I'm quite happy every day, it's just that the medicinal garden of our Zhao family and the medicine you need, Young Master..."

"Just use the medicine here, let our family's medicinal garden grow a bit more." Zhao Yi lowered his head and looked at the large patch of medicinal seedlings that had already poked their heads out on the ground, "It really is a geomantic treasure land, medicine can grow exceptionally fast."

"That's fine, but Young Master, providing medicine for two teams by myself, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up."

"You only need to do our side, for the other side... give that little girl a hint."

"Miss Qin?"

"Hmm."

"I understand, Young Master. I will learn more from her."

"Old Tian, why are you so lacking in confidence?"

"Young Master, you don't know, I've suffered a relatively big blow recently."

"I know, because your young master, I, was beaten to a pulp long ago."

Zhao Yi turned his head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan, who was standing on the dam and hadn't come down; he wanted to ask about the Li family's attitude, whether he should go into the peach forest now to say hello and apologize.

Who knew the Li family wasn't even looking at him.

Noticing his gaze, Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and pointed to the peach forest ahead.

Zhao Yi turned his head to look; in the previously calm peach forest, the wind had started to blow.

Old Man Tian lowered his voice and said: "Young Master, this wind has been blowing intermittently since after dinner until now."

Zhao Yi's eyes gradually widened; he rushed over in one stride, turned and jumped onto the dam, and arrived by Li Zhuiyuan's side.

Li Zhuiyuan: "The wind is a bit strong, notify your subordinates left behind at home, tell them to pay attention to safety."

Zhao Yi took out his big brother phone and started dialing.

The one who answered the phone was Chen Jing; his tone was full of exhaustion; during this time, he had been soaking in medicinal baths every day, which was equivalent to undergoing marrow cleansing and meridian cutting every day.

"Chen Jing."

"Brother Yi, I'm here."

"Are Sun Yan and Xu Ming by your side?"

"They are in their own rooms."

"Go and notify them, tell them I said, from now on, activate the medicinal garden formation, and without my personal return, no one is allowed to leave the medicinal garden area!"

"Understood!"

Hanging up the phone, the expression on Zhao Yi's face became very solemn, because things had come more swiftly and severely than he had imagined.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Instruction given."

Zhao Yi: "Hmm, all instructed."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Should have instructed a few more times."

Zhao Yi: "I know, my subordinates' quality isn't as high as yours, but they aren't stupid."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's not a question of stupid or not, it's that they aren't in Nantong, so they have no cover."

Zhao Yi picked up the big brother phone again and dialed the number; it couldn't get through.

"It should be that the formation has already been activated, it's fine."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I have fulfilled my duty to warn."

Zhao Yi: "Me too."

The wind in the peach forest stopped again at this moment.

Zhao Yi: "Sure enough, once that level of existence gets involved in the waves, everything becomes different."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Hmm."

Zhao Yi: "If I hadn't forcibly sacrificed that pair of things, would it not have been so outrageous?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head and said: "Your choice under the situation at the time was not wrong, and I have never blamed you for the decision you made; furthermore, it was Yin Meng who set up the ritual, and it was Tan Wenbin who encouraged you to forcibly activate the sacrifice."

Zhao Yi pointed to the offering table placed in the corner of the dam and suggested: "How about we call Yin Meng over to do another sacrifice, and repeat what you just said for me to that person?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's meaningless to make these explanations now, are you still fantasizing about letting the Great Emperor take back the order? The Emperor's word is final."

Zhao Yi: "Then I am truly wronged."

Li Zhuiyuan: "But I didn't tell you to say 'don't be ungrateful' to the Great Emperor, so, think on the bright side, at least you satisfied your mouth."

Zhao Yi: "Can it really not be avoided?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I've deduced it, avoiding it isn't worth it, let's face it directly."

Zhao Yi: "Bet on life and death."

Li Zhuiyuan: "What we're betting on isn't just life and death, we aren't traveling thousands of miles to Fengdou, coming before the Great Emperor, to ask the Great Emperor to open the cup."

Zhao Yi: "First we have to see if we can walk to Fengdou, and after arriving at Fengdou, if we can walk before the Great Emperor. To have a chance at life and death, the prerequisite is to have the qualifications to get onto that gambling table."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Are you sleeping here or sleeping at home?"

Zhao Yi: "I'll go back with you, sleep in the coffin."

"No empty coffins left."

"It's fine, I've already agreed with A You, he'll switch with me tonight, you know, A You is a very good person."

The two began to walk back.

Zhao Yi asked: "Do you regret it, provoking Him?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Time cannot be traced back, I had no choice."

The young man couldn't return to the past, not get to know Yin Meng, not agree to the request of Yin Meng's grandfather, not study how to restore the Yin family's twelve methods. As for that wave of dream ghosts, he had even less choice; others laid out a plan to strangle himself in advance, and he borrowed Yin Meng's bloodline relationship to lure the Great Emperor over, in order to break this killing game.

Zhao Yi: "I'm referring to, do you regret not being more respectful to the Great Emperor?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Just like the Great Emperor doesn't care that His bloodline lives worse than a dog, do you think the Great Emperor really cares whether I respect Him or not?"

Zhao Yi: "That's true."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Of course, except for the 'dog balls', that was indeed excessive."

Zhao Yi: "..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "There is a fundamental contradiction between me and the Great Emperor, even if I had always respectfully served Him, I couldn't change this pattern.

As I become more and more powerful, the causal entanglements on me also become more and more numerous.

Yin Meng follows me, and her status also rises with the tide, Mengmeng's talent really isn't considered good, but she has indeed been brought up."

Zhao Yi: "Indeed."

Lost secret methods are restored and mastered, and constantly used; abandoned bloodlines are reactivated, even if the aptitude is mediocre, it is constantly infused with merit.

If the Great Emperor died, these wouldn't be problems, but the problem is, the Great Emperor is still alive.

As long as He is alive, He must bear the rolling karma that the bloodline and the inheritor constantly bring to Him, and this karma has an obvious trend of rolling larger and larger.

Therefore, this meeting was unavoidable from the start.

It needs to be handled, it needs to have a result, and no matter how many 'dog balls' there are, they are just extras.

When returning to the door of the house, Zhao Yi asked: "When are we setting off?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "The almanac says, the day after tomorrow, suitable for long-distance travel."

Zhao Yi said angrily: "Can you not be so feudal and superstitious?"

The Li family had started looking at the almanac, which meant he also had no certainty about this wave, which made Zhao Yi's already uneasy heart become even more precarious.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Then you can take the Liang sisters and go first tomorrow."

Zhao Yi: "I choose to respect traditional folk culture."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Rest early."

Zhao Yi: "You too."

The young man stopped his steps, turned around again, and looked at Zhao Yi: "It's been a long time since I've had this strong sense of unease, it really is nostalgic."

Zhao Yi: "I thought someone like you would really dislike this sense of being out of control."

"I originally thought so too, but later I discovered that if I were really like that, I wouldn't have gone to the Great-Grandfather's basement to flip through books in the first place."

Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs to rest.

Lin Shu You was squeezed out of the coffin and slept on the round table.

Zhao Yi lay into the coffin and closed his eyes comfortably.

Not long after, he regretted it; the sound of snoring rose one after another, as if a symphony had been played.

This bunch of animals, as if they were competing, as if whoever fell asleep later or whoever snored quieter would suffer a huge loss!

He couldn't sleep, and in his mind, he recalled the last sentence the Li family said to him before going upstairs.

Grandpa Li's basement.

Zhao Yi took a deep breath, his hands constantly crossed, and wisps of clear wind blew from the first-floor living room, forming a barrier to shield perception.

Immediately, his little finger hooked gently, and a paper person in the corner took a step and walked silently toward the basement, arriving before that iron door.

There was a lock on the iron door, but the lock was open, serving a fixed purpose.

The paper person raised its arm, and just as it was about to take the lock away, it stopped its movement.

Zhao Yi, lying in the coffin, frowned slightly.

He thought of Old Tian.

Because of Grandpa Li, Old Tian's leg was cured, and for the next period of time, he didn't dare to take Old Tian away, fearing he would suffer the backlash of good fortune.

It was even known... the Li family wasn't actually a direct blood relative of Grandpa Li, but the Li family had now become Grandpa Li's great-grandson.

Zhao Yi was very afraid, afraid that after he opened this lock and entered the basement to flip through those things, he would also become a grandson in the future.

The paper person immediately walked back to its original position and returned to normal.

Inside the coffin, Zhao Yi realized belatedly, clenched his fists, and cursed angrily in his heart:

"Li family, you motherfucker, you're still thinking about pitting me at a time like this!"

"What, going out again? And tomorrow!"

During breakfast, after Li Sanjiang learned this news from Zhuangzhuang's mouth, he was very shocked.

Tan Wenbin smiled and said: "Grandpa Li, this is how our line of work is, we are considered good, we can come back from time to time, for others, not being able to go home for a year or half a year is the norm."

Li Sanjiang said with a worried face: "You are already like this while still interning, won't you be getting busier and busier in the future?"

Tan Wenbin: "Hmm."

Li Sanjiang looked at A Li, then looked at the old lady, and said: "How is it like Great Yu controlling the floods, what will happen if you get married in the future."

Liu Yumei: "It's a good thing for young people to be busy, they need to exercise more."

Li Sanjiang drank a mouthful of porridge with pickles and thought to himself: Fine, as long as you have no objections.

The weather was very good today, and after breakfast, everyone went to busy themselves with their own affairs.

Yesterday, all the portraits in the compartment fell off, which made Li Sanjiang feel a bit uneasy, and he didn't sleep soundly last night; plus, learning in the morning that the children were going on a long journey again, he quietly packed some incense candles and walked out the door.

At the corner of the village road, there was a small Earth Temple; no one came specifically to burn incense, but whenever it was a festival or when passing by for a funeral, one had to make offerings; this kind of small public temple lived off the offerings of a hundred families.

In the past, every time Li Zhuiyuan and the others went on a long journey, Li Sanjiang would burn incense at this temple; Earth Temple, Earth Temple, it must be in charge of the road; even if one side of the earth manages one side of affairs, everyone is a peer after all, so they can greet each other.

Li Sanjiang bent down, lit incense for this Earth Temple that wasn't even as tall as a child, bowed, and said:

"The children are going on a long journey again, please greet each other and keep them safe."

After bowing, he just straightened his body.

Only hearing a "clatter," the Earth Temple collapsed.

Li Sanjiang had to bend down and rebuild it; it wasn't a big problem, like building a chicken coop, it was rebuilt very quickly, but the clay Earth God statue that was originally standing inside had its body smashed by the bricks that had just fallen.

"Shatter for peace, shatter for peace, you are too polite."

After muttering, Li Sanjiang walked toward the Li family's ancestral grave in Siyuan Village.

At critical moments, he still instinctively felt that his own family was reliable.

The grave Li Sanjiang chose for himself wasn't far from the ancestral grave, right on the road; now that location had already been occupied by two people, the benefactors brought back by Zhuangzhuang.

In reality, they were Tan Wenbin's godfather and sworn brother.

Since he met them halfway, Li Sanjiang simply placed incense for them too; he had heard Zhuangzhuang say that these two had helped him before, so he would help them once more.

After the incense was inserted, Li Sanjiang began to mutter:

"The children are going on a long journey again, please protect them..."

"Crack!"

Before he could finish speaking, these two graves, which had been repaired extremely beautifully, each split open a large gap.

"Biesan Hou's craftsmanship is really poor!"

Biesan Hou was the mason in the village; his craftsmanship wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either, mainly because it was cheap; this grave had been repaired by people Biesan Hou found before, and it had split more than once.

Although he was scolding Biesan Hou in his mouth, Li Sanjiang's body was still very honest and didn't dare to run to the ancestral grave again; he didn't want to make all the ancestors laugh out loud collectively.

On the second-floor terrace, Li Zhuiyuan and A Li were sitting on rattan chairs playing chess.

Zhao Yi was sitting on Li Sanjiang's recliner in the distance, holding a notebook in his hand, constantly writing and drawing.

Liu Yi was leaning against the kitchen door as usual, eating melon seeds while sizing up the two children above.

Today there was a new character, so Liu Yi also took a look at him by the way.

The young lady and the farm boy were sitting together, and beside them was the aristocratic family descendant who almost had an engagement relationship with the young lady.

Liu Yi would also watch the TV at home when she had nothing to do; wasn't everything on it just these kinds of things?

Tan Wenbin was accompanying the old lady to drink tea, talking about going to destroy the Lu family; because it didn't involve walking the river, it was just a personal grudge, so there was no need to speak in innuendos; Tan Wenbin spoke easily, and the old lady listened comfortably.

After speaking, the old lady said: "This Chen family is ultimately not presentable, not even as well-matched as your prospective in-laws."

Tan Wenbin: "This Ye family is well-matched?"

Old Lady: "Well-matched doesn't refer to wealth, it refers to family style and decency."

In the living room, Yin Meng was leaning against the coffin, holding the Yin family genealogy in her hands, reciting it.

Runsheng was sitting opposite her, making paper offerings.

"Yin Anmin had three sons: Yin Ruhai, Yin Ruwang..."

Runsheng asked in confusion: "Why recite these?"

Yin Meng: "We are going to see the ancestors, we have to remember who is who at least."

Before the Yin family completely declined, after Yin family members died, they were all pushed into the Yin family mausoleum by little ghosts; Yin Meng was now temporarily holding the ancestors' feet.

"Ah!"

Yin Meng was angry and slapped the genealogy hard on her head.

"Why were there so many born, why were they so capable of giving birth, why wasn't there family planning back then!"

Runsheng: "Stop reciting, just call them ancestors collectively when you see them."

Yin Meng: "Then what if I meet that person?"

Runsheng: "Call him Old Ancestor."

Yin Meng: "But I just realized, why did our family have so many people in history, how did it become a single line later?

No, according to old logic, I am a woman, I cannot be on the genealogy, so my Yin family should be broken here."

Runsheng: "You can recruit a son-in-law."

Yin Meng: "I don't feel it's necessary, before meeting Brother Xiao Yuan, Grandpa and I didn't get any light from this surname."

Runsheng: "You can't say this to the ancestors."

Yin Meng: "That's true."

Tan Wenbin and the old lady finished their tea and came upstairs, first leaning toward Zhao Yi, seeing the dense names above, some marked with circles, some with crosses.

"What is this?"

Zhao Yi: "Contemporary genealogy."

"Then what are you drawing?"

"I'm thinking if the Great Emperor feels there's a shortage of officials below, my Jiujiang Zhao family can take the initiative to provide some."

"This method is good."

"I think so too, think about it, how troublesome it would be to kill those old guys when I go back to the Zhao family to seize power, it would be simple if there really were a Book of Life and Death."

"Won't there be too many circles?"

"I did subtraction first, now I'm starting to do addition."

"Then what's going on with the two names pointed to by the two slashes above 'Zhao Yi'? Zhao Ling and Zhao Xinshi, why were they also crossed out?"

Zhao Yi closed the "new genealogy" and winked at Tan Wenbin.

"It seems you and your parents don't pee in the same pot."

"If I hadn't gritted my teeth and survived when I was a child, I would have been thrown into the pee pot by them."

"I didn't want to persuade you to think on the bright side, I'm just curious, does your Zhao family lack a bite of food for you? Even if you were sickly when you were a child, why did your parents have to target you, they could just give birth to another one."

"That family by the peach forest, oh, you call it the Bearded Man's house, right?"

"Right."

"There is a crib in that family's courtyard, the child inside is very cute, when I saw him, it was like seeing myself when I was a child, but he is much healthier and much more loved and happy than I was back then."

"Uh, what's the connection between these?"

"You can ask the Li family, can his parents give birth to another one?"

An unremarkable small hill, yet it has a world of its own inside.

Chen Jing sat in a wooden tub, surrounded by pitch-black medicinal juice; his small face was tense, and fresh blood constantly overflowed from his body, continuously staining the medicinal juice red.

This was the first step, first forcing out part of the blood, then completing a cycle in the medicinal juice, and finally absorbing the blood back into the body.

The whole process would be incomparably painful, but this was also the best way to temper the demon bloodline.

Xu Ming walked over, checked the medicinal juice, and nodded.

Before, he was actually a bit bothered by the young master taking this young man into the team, because the child's strength obviously couldn't help much right now, yet after bowing and performing the ceremony, he could share in the team's merit, which was equivalent to bringing along a drag.

But the child's will was far beyond ordinary people, and his talent was also very unusual; it was estimated that it wouldn't be long before he would have the strength to follow everyone to walk the river.

Chen Jing: "Uncle Xu, I can complete a cycle in half a day now, can I change it to soaking twice a day?"

Xu Ming shook his head: "The young master has instructed that haste makes waste; one cycle a day is your limit, this is already an overdrawing method, overdrawing again will completely squeeze out your potential."

Chen Jing: "I just want to be like Brother Xiao Yuan, to be able to help everyone; Brother Xiao Yuan isn't much older than me."

Xu Ming: "He doesn't practice martial arts, he hasn't overdrawn at all."

Chen Jing: "How is that possible, didn't Brother Yi say that walking the river is very dangerous, and every wave must be met with full effort?"

"The young master said, that person is deliberately fighting with the river water."

Xu Ming paused, thinking of the scene where he had been beaten up by Lin Shu You that night, and couldn't help but sigh:

"For this reason, that person specially cultivated a very strong team to make up for this shortcoming of his."

Chen Jing: "He is truly amazing."

Xu Ming: "Oh, right, there's one more thing, one material can't be delivered for the time being because of the formation activation, so your medicinal bath effect will be reduced by 30% next."

Chen Jing first showed anxiety, then calmed down and said: "Brother Yi said, before he returns, the formation cannot be opened, so please ask Uncle Xu to beat me up every day to make up for the effect of the medicinal bath."

Xu Ming nodded: "Good."

In the room, Sun Yan was feeding a group of animals; her room was like a small zoo, but it wasn't noisy, and the smell wasn't unpleasant.

However, her complexion was a bit unsightly.

After Chen Jing received the young master's call last night, he immediately activated the formation, causing her colored python to be unable to be retrieved until now.

That colored python was her strongest pet right now, and it was even regarded by her as the reliance for her continued foothold in this team in the future.

But that colored python had a big temper, and she didn't have the ability to completely subdue it, so it wouldn't stay here obediently like other animals, but would demand to go into the mountains and forests to hunt and play.

Two days ago, that colored python was released; counting the days, it should be time to return to the nest.

It had a restriction on its body; not returning for a period of time to reset the restriction would make it extremely painful, which was also Sun Yan's means of controlling this colored python.

But who knew when the young master would return, when this formation could be closed; that restriction could make the colored python very painful and tormented, but it wouldn't be fatal to it; once the onset time was long, the restriction effect would be greatly reduced, and the colored python could also adapt by constantly molting.

By then, it would truly regain its freedom.

"Hiss... hiss..."

Sun Yan's ears moved slightly; she heard the sound, pushed open the back door, and came to the fence.

The fence was also where the formation was located; a colored python was coiled there, constantly flicking its tongue.

Sun Yan pursed her lips; she was very happy to see it return, but she didn't dare to violate the young master's order to close the formation.

The colored python lowered its snake head and began to drill into the fence; it quickly began to endure the repulsion of the formation, and its snake skin began to crack.

Probably because the restriction on its body and this formation came from the same young master, the repulsion force of the formation on it wasn't as great as imagined, allowing it to drill its snake head in.

It was just that this appearance was already dripping with blood, its snake mouth wide open, extremely painful.

Sun Yan confirmed that this was her colored python, and looking out, there were no other existences outside.

Subconsciously stepping forward, wanting to help drag this colored python in, but just after taking two steps forward, she stopped her steps, her face showing entanglement.

The young master wouldn't ask for the formation to be activated without reason, ordering the three of them not to go out.

Forget it, can't interfere.

Sun Yan ran back to the room and took out medicine; the snake head was still trying hard to drill in; Sun Yan didn't intend to help it, but seeing its injuries were so severe, she intended to help it apply medicine first.

After sprinkling medicinal water from a distance, the colored python's energy became even stronger, and it began to drill in even more desperately; finally, most of its body had entered, although it looked incomparably miserable and terrifying.

Only the last small section of its tail was still outside; soon, it would be home.

Sun Yan felt that this didn't count as violating her young master's order, and she had also achieved the greatest degree of caution.

"Plop..."

The colored python suddenly fell to the ground dejectedly, losing its breath.

Sun Yan panicked; she immediately stepped forward and squatted down, wanting to check the colored python's snake head; it could be seriously injured, but it absolutely couldn't die.

"Hum!"

Suddenly, it got dark outside.

A figure wearing a white robe and a high hat appeared; he tilted his head, his mouth opened, revealing two rows of white teeth, seemingly laughing.

His right hand held a chain, while his left hand grabbed the snake's tail; if one looked closely, one could discover that his left hand had completely submerged into the snake's tail.

Inside the formation, the previously silent colored python suddenly opened its mouth.

A pale and terrifyingly long hand reached out from the python's mouth, holding a white duster in its hand.

"Puff!"

The white duster pierced through Sun Yan's forehead.

The duster was slowly pulled out, and what was pulled out along with it was a semi-transparent, blurry face that looked very much like Sun Yan.

This face was incomparably twisted and struggling, being pulled to the extreme, and finally, the moment the duster detached, it completely collapsed.

"Bang!"

Sun Yan's body tilted forward, her forehead pressed against the ground, motionless.

She was dead.

A melodious and eerie chant sounded from outside:

"Imperial brush hooks the decision, the Underworld collects the life~"

(End of chapter)