Chapter 283

The activation failed; Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You did not manage to transform into the Bai He Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Zhenjun.

What was even more dire was that the hospitable husband and wife who owned the house saw the two young men standing at the doorway and, thinking something was the matter, took the initiative to walk out and ask.

But those two were genuine, malicious ghosts.

They were capable of possessing living people to control their movements, and with thick ghost mist swirling behind them, they belonged to the quite fierce variety among ghost-kind.

They didn't need to sneak around at night to cause trouble; they could kill you right in front of your Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

Such things usually don't exist for very long, as being too conspicuous makes them prone to being struck down, but there are always innocent people who end up as the price for their early-stage evildoing.

In his anxiety, Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You couldn't care about anything else and jumped straight down from the second-floor terrace.

The bad news was that the Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Tongzi was still in a deep sleep; the worse news was that Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You had only just woken up, and the injuries on his body had not yet recovered.

Previously, he had been panting heavily just from doing laundry; now, upon landing from a height, his body—especially the ribs on his chest—felt as if they were grinding against each other internally.

The pain was bearable, but the resulting chest tightness and shortness of breath made Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You stagger, nearly failing to stand steady.

After all, waking up from a serious injury and recovering from a major illness are not the same concept; the latter just leaves one a bit weak, while the former likely leaves one still crippled.

But seeing the hostess already opening the door to ask if the other party wanted to come in to escape the rain, Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You immediately rushed over, pulling the Soul-Breaking Talisman Needle from his pocket.

Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying and Wu Lan swept their gazes toward the host couple, and the couple's eyes immediately fell into a daze.

Before they could make any further moves, Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You rushed out, flicking two talisman needles that stuck onto the young man and woman.

With a series of "crackle-pop" sounds, Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying and Wu Lan's figures retreated continuously, and two screams that did not belong to them rang out.

Unfortunately, as the mist behind them rolled continuously, it neutralized a large amount of the talisman paper's damage, and the talisman paper burned to ashes.

While the two were in a sorry state, their ferocity was also stirred up; their reddened eyes collectively turned toward Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, and their resentment erupted.

In the past, this resentment could never have encroached upon Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, but now it could strike him directly, and A You's figure was sent flying backward.

Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying and Wu Lan each raised their hands, hair disheveled, feet motionless, sliding across the ground on their tiptoes as they lunged over.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You instinctively wanted to slap his palms against the ground and leap up, but with this slap, not only did he fail to rise, but the pain made the corners of his mouth twitch, and he nearly rolled his eyes back.

His experience and consciousness were there, but his physical state simply couldn't match up, dragging him down severely.

At this moment, Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You experienced the greatest frustration of Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge.

There was no help for it; watching the malicious ghosts lunge at him, A You could only use his hands, feet, and buttocks to scoot backward, but Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying and Wu Lan had already closed in.

The dignified Bai He Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Zhenjun truly felt the humiliation of a tiger trapped on the plains at this moment.

In his prime, he could absolutely solve these two malicious ghosts with ease; even without using the power of a Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Zhenjun, just relying on A You's skills combined with tools and talisman paper, he could have played them in circles.

But at present, they were truly capable of claiming his life.

Wu Lan leaned forward, pressing down straight like a compass; Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You spun his buttocks like a spinning top, barely dodging.

"Pfft..."

Wu Lan's ten fingers plunged into the ground; if those had plunged into his body, there would have been ten more holes.

But the opponent had two people after all; Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You had just avoided one when Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying slid over and sat right on Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You's abdomen.

Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying's legs were "bent like a bow," her center of gravity on her body, but her lower half was pressing firmly against Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, pinning him down completely.

To an uninformed outsider, it might look somewhat alluring, but in reality, once a person is entangled by a ghost, they become a different kind of existence.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You only felt a large, heavy slab of ice pressing down on his abdomen, and wisps of rotting scent forcibly rushed into his nose.

The person had actually only just met with an accident, so they wouldn't rot that quickly, but it was precisely this fresh rot that smelled the most pungent; the lingering scent of the living intertwined with ghost energy, equivalent to dipping fish mint in fermented bean juice.

Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying's arms first raised forward, then, just like Wu Lan before, stabbed toward Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You's chest.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You raised his hands to block; although he successfully braced the opponent's wrists, his body was weak, and he really didn't have the strength to hold out for too long, and by now Wu Lan had also come over, lunging at him.

A You felt despair.

It wasn't despair that he would die, but that he would actually die at the hands of such low-class things.

Originally, he lived here with Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and Bin Ge.

There was no help for it; Zhao Yi was accompanying Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng to sweep Yin Meng's grave.

Bin Ge had borrowed the host's tricycle to go to a nearby county town for supplementary supplies.

Well, even if Bin Ge were here, it would be of no use; the four spirit beasts in his body hadn't awakened yet, and with Bin Ge's skills, besides adding one more burial object on the spot, he couldn't help much.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, on the other hand, even though his chest was heavily bandaged and his injuries were no lighter than his own, had eyes that truly flashed with baleful energy when he just woke up and asked about Yin Meng's whereabouts.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You had intended to joke with Three Eyes at first, but upon seeing that look, he immediately started speaking properly.

As for his own body, having been adjusted back and forth by the Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Tongzi, its injury resistance was still a far cry from Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's; one could only say the Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Tongzi was too incompetent.

Wu Lan's claws were already before his eyes, and Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You could even smell the ghost energy spraying from its mouth; although he still struggled to hold off Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying's arms, A You had already closed his eyes.

At the moment of death, he didn't regret jumping out to save people while in such a poor state; not to mention that the host couple was very hospitable to him, even if he encountered strangers or ordinary people facing such things, Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You would still go up to save them without hesitation.

"Ah!!!"

A scream rang out, and Wu Lan straightened up, arms flailing wildly.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You immediately opened his eyes, turned his head to the side, and saw the figure of the young man standing at the doorway... Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge.

Only then did Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You suddenly realize: Oh right, Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge was in his vicinity!

Logically speaking, he shouldn't have overlooked it, but he just hadn't thought of that point earlier.

A You felt that he had injured his brain, but the reality was that when encountering such sudden situations, it is indeed easy to overlook things; a strategist sitting in a wheelchair with a feather fan and silk scarf can also pick up a blade to go hack people.

Behind Wu Lan was stuck a Soul-Breaking Talisman; the talisman paper turned red, like a branding iron, roasting Wu Lan while also making the surrounding mist roll and boil incessantly.

This effect was many times stronger than when Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You used the talisman just now.

The reason was that Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You had stuck it on Wu Lan and Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying, while the young man had stuck it on the malicious ghost possessing them from behind.

Wu Lan was thoroughly enraged, abandoning Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You and roaring as it charged toward the young man.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan did not dodge, but continued walking toward this side, just as he had when he pushed open the courtyard gate to enter earlier.

When Wu Lan charged before the young man, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan raised his right hand and pointed forward.

With a "thump," Wu Lan knelt directly before Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan.

The young man waved his right hand casually, and Wu Lan's entire body was dragged as if by an invisible giant hand, thrown out like trash.

This was not some ability to control objects from a distance, but rather that what was controlling Wu Lan's body was the malicious ghost behind it; Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was grabbing the ghost itself.

Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying, who was sitting on Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, stopped her movements; compared to the young man casually throwing her companion away, she was more terrified of the aura that had just emanated from the young man.

Ghosts adjacent to Fengdou are simply more worldly than those outside; that aura just now was enough to make the ghosts around Fengdou tremble at the sight of it.

She immediately stood up from Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, not running toward the young man, but toward the courtyard wall in the opposite direction.

But this body, for some reason, actually refused to obey her; with a turn on the spot, it headed straight toward the young man.

The young man took out his small Luo Pan, holding it in his hand and placing it before him.

After Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying ran close, she performed a sliding kneel, as if voluntarily pressing her own forehead against the Luo Pan.

The Luo Pan spun.

"Ah!!!"

A shrill scream rang out, as if suffering from torture.

This Luo Pan was inlaid with that eerie copper coin; it was usually used for calculations, but in reality, as long as the young man was willing to open its seal, most malicious spirits in this world really wouldn't dare to get close to it, because this copper coin was even more sinister.

Before long, a wisp of black mist rose from behind Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying, and the malicious ghost vanished into thin air.

Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying's entire body leaned forward, Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face down, and collapsed to the ground; the body that had looked normal just a moment ago now showed large areas of lividity.

There was no need to check; the person had long since died as dead as could be.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked to Wu Lan's side; after being thrown away by the young man earlier, it was still kneeling on the ground, not because it wanted to kneel, but because it had absolutely no other choice.

The young man initiated the "Walking Yin."

Behind Wu Lan was a middle-aged man with a festering, hideous Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

"I ask, you answer."

"I will tell you everything, please, I beg you to spare me..."

As soon as the words fell, a ball of karmic fire overflowed from the young man's fingertips and leaped onto the malicious ghost, which immediately let out the most piercing wails.

After a while, the karmic fire dissipated, and the young man spoke again:

"I ask, you answer."

"You... please ask."

After the questioning was finished, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan gathered the karmic fire in his palm again, grabbed the malicious ghost's soul, and let it completely disintegrate in the most painful state.

Clapping his hands, the young man stood up and looked at the ghost mist that still existed all around; he was in no hurry to disperse it.

This ghost mist could isolate the perception of ordinary people outside, and it was still useful for the moment.

Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying and Wu Lan were dead, and dying here was hard to explain; whether dealing with the police or Zhai Lao, it was quite troublesome.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan intended to have someone send these two corpses back to the temple on the mountaintop later; there was an old monk in the temple who was the mastermind behind all of this.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You climbed up with difficulty, leaned over, and said with a look of shame: "Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge, I..."

"Are you not hurt?"

"No, just a few scratches, it doesn't matter."

"Did you go ask Zhao Yi for that pill?"

"He gave it to me after I woke up, saying it was very precious and that he only had one left."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You had originally thought Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge would lecture him for not knowing when to stop and playing the hero while in a poor state; he remembered Bin Ge mentioning that when they first started college, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng had been criticized by Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge for making such a mistake.

Who would have thought that Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge didn't seem to have any intention of criticizing him at all.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked to the host couple who were standing blankly on the spot, stood on tiptoe, raised his arm, and tapped their foreheads one by one with his fingertips, then stuck a Heart-Clearing Talisman on each of them to let them have a good sleep, and instructed Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You:

"After the Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Tongzi wakes up, tell Him to extract the residual ghost energy from these two people's bodies and do a bit of tidying up while He's at it."

The Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Tongzi had served as a Guan Old Old Old Jiang Shou before, so He was certainly skilled at this, but performing this ritual in the temple required a fee, and it was very expensive; in many cases, Yin gods were unwilling to take on such jobs.

"Alright, Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge, I'll remember that."

"Room fee?"

"Brother Bin instructed me to leave it when I left."

"Mm."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You first dragged the owner of the house back to the room and placed him on the bed, then also moved the two corpses of Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying and Wu Lan back into the room.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan reached out and dispersed the ghost mist in the surroundings.

He felt that this ghost was not coming for them.

After the battle with the three sticks of incense that night, the Underworld should not be sending anyone else to target him and the others; even if they did, they would at least send a Ghost Commander or Ghost General or something. This kind of evil ghost that had turned into a minion was simply too beneath notice.

Therefore, the high probability was that it was targeting Old Man Zhai and his group.

Not long after, Zhao Yi and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng ran back; it must have been that Zhao Yi sensed the ghost Qi appearing in the town.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng frowned, his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face filled with deep self-reproach.

He felt that it was his departure that had caused Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan to fall into danger.

Zhao Yi patted Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng on the arm and said, "This has nothing to do with you; who knew A You would be so useless now."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You glared at Zhao Yi, then immediately nodded and said, "Exactly, exactly."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Don't delay; send these two corpses back to the temple on the mountain, and then take care of that evil monk in the temple."

Zhao Yi: "Fine, I'll go right now."

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng stood where he was, not moving.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, you go along too. I'm fine; even without A You, I can protect myself."

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng did not want to leave, but he had to listen to Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, so he accompanied Zhao Yi to carry the corpses and secretly went up the mountain.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You said with some worry, "Brother Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, will they have any..."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "If he, Zhao Yi, can run into risks even in that kind of temple, then he should stop traveling along this river as soon as possible."

When he returned to the courtyard where the truck was parked, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan first secretly boarded their bus, and after getting off, he entered the cargo bed of his own truck.

After checking, it was preliminarily estimated that there was still one night left before the Liang sisters would wake up normally.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan covered the sisters' foreheads with both hands and tapped continuously, intending to forcibly make them wake up early.

The sisters slowly turned awake; one immediately dry-heaved, and the other held her head.

After briefly explaining the situation, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan demanded that they leave here now with the supplies and go find the burial site of Yin Meng.

The sisters' biggest problem was that their lifespan had been overdrawn too much, but they retained more of their skills than the current Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, so they quickly avoided the eyes and ears in the courtyard and left.

After getting off the vehicle, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan ran into that researcher with the receding hairline, chatted with him for a while, and then went upstairs to return to his room.

By dusk, seeing that Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying and Wu Lan had not returned, Old Man Zhai and his group could not sit still. Apart from Old Man Zhai himself remaining here, the disciples and the police responsible for security in the courtyard all went out to start searching.

Later, the host family even mobilized the nearby villagers to come and help.

The first things to be searched were the vehicles in the courtyard and nearby, especially Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's truck—not out of suspicion of kidnapping or hiding people, but out of the assumption that perhaps the young couple had found a spacious place to be intimate and had fallen asleep afterward, forgetting the time.

Old Man Zhai held a water cup and sat under the eaves; outside, the heavy rain was pouring down, and he kept rotating the cup lid, revealing the anxiety in his heart.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan took the initiative to walk over and said, "Grandpa Zhai, let me change the hot water for you."

"No, no need." Old Man Zhai reached out, grasped Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's hand, and said, "Keep Grandpa company and sit here for a while."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan nodded and sat down with him.

The old man just wanted to sit in a daze and wait for the result; he didn't intend to look for conversation topics while playing chess.

Time slowly passed, the sky was completely dark, and the rain outside fell even harder. Here, one could only vaguely see the flashlight beams sweeping across the mountaintop from time to time.

At this moment, a disciple ran over in a hurry, covered in mud and water, and even took a fall at the main gate.

Old Man Zhai stood up, his lips trembling as he said:

"Zheng Sun Hua, have you found them?"

The disciple crawled over, his glasses covered in water droplets—some rain, some tears—and answered with a sobbing tone:

"Teacher, we found their corpses!"

Old Man Zhai was as if struck by lightning and sat back down all at once.

Zheng Sun Hua began to recount that the temple on the mountaintop was very small and had been maintained by one old monk living there for years. Everyone first went to the mountaintop to search in the temple; the temple gate was wide open, and there was no one inside.

Everyone could only scatter to the surroundings, including searching the back of the mountain.

After searching for a long time, they met people from the police station who had come over to coordinate with the police on the mountain, only then learning that someone from the duty room of a small hydroelectric station at the foot of the mountain had reported a case, having seen the old monk holding a knife and chasing after a young man and a young woman.

The young man and woman were shouting, "Don't kill me, don't kill me."

The old monk kept roaring, "I want to kill you, I want to kill you!"

The people in the duty room immediately called other employees on duty and searched in that direction together, and then, under the eyes of everyone, all three of them slipped and fell into the ravine.

Everyone immediately ran over and looked down, seeing the three of them lying there at the edge of the ravine, motionless.

Someone tied a rope and lowered themselves down to check, confirming that all three were dead, only then did they panic and report it to the police.

After hearing the description, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan knew that the scene of the chase seen by the people at the hydroelectric station must have been deliberately recreated by Zhao Yi using puppet arts.

The reason this matter took so long was also because it was raining heavily and there was basically no one outside; Zhao Yi had spent a long time looking for suitable witnesses.

Old Man Zhai took a deep breath and said forlornly:

"I should have looked after them; it's my fault. I shouldn't have let them run around blindly. I should have known there was danger; I thought it would be fine if we hadn't entered Fengdou... It was my carelessness, my fault; I caused their deaths."

Seeing that the old man now had signs of losing his composure, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan took the opportunity to ask:

"Grandpa Zhai, this is not your fault; who could have imagined that something would happen?"

Old Man Zhai: "It was bound to happen; of the first batch of the exploration team, only three people returned alive, and they all went crazy."

After saying this, Old Man Zhai closed his eyes.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and that disciple helped him back to his room to rest together.

Next, the case entered a normal rhythm. Although there were still quite a few unreasonable points, such as the old monk's motive for murder and the livor mortis appearing on the corpses, there were too many witnesses and the testimonies were indeed credible, so it was not difficult to handle this case.

When Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was lying on the bed reading, Zhao Yi climbed in through the window and said, "There are two more police cars outside, and there are still police downstairs taking statements."

"Mm."

"Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and the others went back to live in that room; they really trust me, letting me be responsible for your security."

"At least for now, they are at ease."

The key to solving this wave in Fengdou lay with Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan. Not to mention that given the current relationship between the two sides, there was truly no need to guard against sneak attacks and assassinations anymore; even if he, Zhao Yi, suddenly lost his mind and wanted to kill someone, he wouldn't act during this period. If not for his own sake, he had to consider the entire clan.

"That old monk is an idiot. When I checked his things and notes, I found that he had truly cultivated compassion to a certain realm.

The old thing had a little bit of cultivation, but not much. After catching evil spirits, he couldn't bear to disperse or suppress them, and actually wanted to keep them in front of him to convert them with his own Buddhist dharma.

As a result, the more evil spirits he caught, the more there were, and then one day they backlashed, turning him into a ghost monk.

However, on weekdays, he only stole some livestock to supplement his blood food and didn't go on a killing spree. As it turned out, today he encountered that young couple entering the temple to offer incense, and it was as if he had been stimulated.

Not only did he kill, but he also wanted to come to the town.

I don't think this was targeting us; it was targeting this group of researchers."

"Mm."

"There are ghosts preventing us from going to Fengdou, and at the same time, there are ghosts preventing that group of people from going to Fengdou."

"Mm." "What the enemy wants to target is exactly what we are going to protect next."

"Mm."

"Can you give a little more response?"

"The ideas are the same; what other response is needed?"

"Praise me for being smart and wise."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan did not praise him, but took out his mobile phone and dialed a number.

The other side did not answer, so Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan sent a page.

Late at night, after the lights had long been turned off and he had gone to sleep, the mobile phone rang.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan answered the phone, and the voice of Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang came from the other end:

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, I just settled the vehicles by the river today. Don't worry, I've helped you test all these vehicles; I've driven them many times, and there are no problems!"

"Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, thank you."

"It's nothing, ouch..." From the other end of the phone came a cry of pain from Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, followed by a few thumps of him hitting himself, and then a series of wind sounds.

Through the sound, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan could visualize Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's current actions.

Standing by the river, hitting his waist with one hand while doing upper-body circles, attempting to alleviate the soreness and pain.

After the receiver was placed back against his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face on the other end, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan said:

"Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, thank you for your hard work, driving for so long today."

The other end of the phone was speechless for a moment; his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face was probably flushed red.

Once upon a time, whenever Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang had free time, he would come to Nantong, and as soon as he arrived in Nantong, he would jump into the river, and he had even been on Nantong TV for saving someone while jumping into the river.

It had been too long since he had returned; having finally found a legitimate reason that could convince himself to return, he was a bit impatient. Mainly, he missed his unborn child, and of course, he also missed the child's mother.

"Ahem... ahem... Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, is there anything else?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me, I'm listening."

"Let her answer the phone."

"Her, do you mean her?"

"Mm." Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan paused; Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face was indeed big enough, big enough for the youth to add a sentence at this time, "Sister-in-law."

It was only when that Lady Bai was not around that he could call her that; if she were present, even if Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan were willing to call her that, she wouldn't dare to listen.

"Then wait, I'll go call her."

The brick phone was not waterproof, so it was placed on the bank.

Shortly after, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan heard a "splash."

Although Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang had witnessed bizarre events and had been intimately involved with bizarre people, resulting in bizarre crystallization, he was, after all, not a person of the Profound Gate.

He had no way to be like Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin and the others, who could summon the Bai family ladies from the bottom of the river just by tossing a piece of yellow paper; he could only go down and knock on the door in the most primitive way.

It was very fast; not long after, the brick phone was picked up again, and he probably didn't do anything else.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, she has come up; I am giving the brick phone to her."

"No..."

Before Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan could finish speaking, a burst of harsh static came from the other end of the line.

The Bai family ladies were not human; if the phone was placed beside her, the signal would have problems.

Previously, when the Bai family town sent someone to call Lu Yi, that was also done by attaching to a person to make the call.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, she says you can't hear her like this, right?"

"Yes, Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, you come and relay my words."

"Alright, go ahead, hey hey hey, don't..."

"Tell her to get up."

"You get up, Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan wants you to get up. Alright, she is up now."

"Tell her to accompany you to Fengdou to ensure your safety on the journey."

Without Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's order, the Bai family town must not leave the Nantong region without authorization.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, she is pregnant, so it should be inconvenient; can I ask someone else to accompany me?"

"No."

Other Bai family ladies might have sufficient ability, but Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan could not trust them; only she would absolutely not be willing for the child in her womb to lose its father before it was even born.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, she has agreed."

"Mm, the new exploration team is stuck on the road; it will probably take another two or three days to reach Fengdou. Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, you can stay in Nantong a while longer and help me fill the car with gas."

"I'm almost out of gas myself."

"Goodnight."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan hung up the phone.

Zhao Yi, on the bed next door, was lying on his side looking over here, his right hand propping up his head, his left hand holding an apple and gnawing on it.

"Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, is that the Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang?"

"Yes."

"That guy can really act; I remember how he had those two from the Corpse Corpse Corpse Corpse Corpse Corpse Corpse Lice Sect completely fooled back then."

"Didn't he fool you too?"

"Heh, he couldn't fool me; I knew from the start he was just an ordinary person, but he did indeed have an effect, making me think he might be part of an 'empty city stratagem within a stratagem' you had set up."

"Oh."

"You let him buy cars for you? And bought several? And arranged bodyguards for him? No, is the relationship between you two this deliberate and deep?"

"Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang is not afraid of the influence of those small karmas."

Zhao Yi stopped chewing the apple, sat up, and said in astonishment:

"This kid is that kind of person?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you introduce him to me sooner?"

"What's there to introduce? He's just an ordinary person."

"Do you know what it means to be able to truly befriend such a person when he is young?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan did not reply, just picked up the water glass on the nightstand and took a sip.

"We who travel the rivers do so to accumulate merit, but this kind of person is naturally protected by it!"

After finishing, Zhao Yi's emotions calmed down, and he said with great dissatisfaction:

"You surnamed Li, how come you get to meet all the good people and good things?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Do you have few opportunities?"

Zhao Yi: "Sigh, if I hadn't met you, I would really think I was a chosen one."

"Mm."

"Hehe, I find this 'mm' very comfortable to hear."

Zhao Yi really didn't have everything go smoothly; in fact, he encountered many setbacks and crises, some of which were triggered passively or actively by Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, yet he always managed to turn bad luck into good fortune in the end.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was a very cautious person, and that guy who was once viewed as a threat by him had successfully shed that identity and was now sleeping in the same bedroom as him.

"Forget it, I won't harbor that intention; deliberately befriending such a person would instead bring misfortune upon myself, because it carries calculation."

"As you wish."

"Let's sleep. The rain probably won't stop tomorrow; I plan to go for a run in the mountains, find a place with no one around, and test the changes in my body."

"How do you feel yourself?"

"I feel great. Those three sticks of incense were truly equivalent to three opportunities; I have benefited immensely. For this, I must thank you for helping me survive."

"No need to thank me; you were blocking the bullet for everyone."

"I was deliberately pulling chestnuts from the fire; my motives weren't that pure."

"There is something I want to tell you."

"Why wait until now to say it?"

"Because it's just a feeling."

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

"I have some doubts about Elder Zhai's identity."

"Ah?" Zhao Yi's eyes showed confusion, "What's wrong with him? Actually, the first time I met him, I probed him; he is a normal living person, nothing wrong, right?"

"I didn't probe anything wrong either, but intuitively, I just want to put a question mark on his identity."

"Describe this feeling."

"In order to meet up with my teacher and the others later, I have deliberately avoided having too much contact with him these past two days, but it was in these brief contacts that he gave me a different feeling. For example, when speaking, he often gives seemingly correct answers that actually have another layer of interpretation."

A similar scene has occurred many times in the past during exchanges between me and my great-grandfather.

My great-grandfather possesses great fortune, so for some crises, even if I tell him directly, under the influence of that fortune, he will passively play dumb and deliberately avoid it.

My conversations with him would seem to proceed normally, but in reality, we aren't talking about the same thing at all."

Zhao Yi revealed a look of envy and sighed:

"Damn, I really envy you for having so many reference points.

Why are the old men in my family all like bad luck magnets, always acting under the banner and pretense of doing what's best for me, while nearly driving me to my death?

That, tell me more specifically, like which conversations?"

"When I was playing chess with him today, I asked him where he was from, and he answered Nanyang. I remember when I read reports about him, I remembered he was from Xi'an.

Fearing the report was wrong, I went to the bus where they store documents to look, and his ancestral home is indeed Xi'an.

For this, I specifically chatted with his disciple and learned that Elder Zhai was an abandoned orphan, which ruled out the possibility of an ancestral home."

Zhao Yi muttered: "Nanyang..."

Zhao Yi would also do sufficient preparatory work, especially under the premise of knowing who he was going to meet on this trip.

He immediately thought of a related piece of information and said:

"The Yin family, Xinye County, Nanyang Commandery; Yin Lihua came from there."

The Nanyang Yin clan produced more than one empress in the Eastern Han Dynasty; they can be called true imperial relatives.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm, he also said that when he was young, he had an older sister who protected him very much."

Zhao Yi: "But he is an orphan... could it be some sister he met while wandering as a child?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "The main thing is, when he mentioned this sister, the disciples surrounding us watching the chess game had no strange reactions at all.

I even asked one of them, and he said his teacher had never mentioned having an older sister before."

At the time Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was chatting with Elder Zhai, he didn't actually have such a keen perception. It wasn't until he discovered that evil ghosts were heading toward them that the teenager "replayed" all the memories of his contact with Elder Zhai in his mind and discovered this strangeness.

Zhao Yi: "No way, impossible, that's too absurd..."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "This is just a guess about his identity; you should try to pay more attention from now on."

Zhao Yi: "Since you've said so, it's hard for me not to pay attention."

The next day, it was still raining.

Struck by the loss of two young disciples, Elder Zhai developed a fever, quite severe, and his consciousness was somewhat blurred.

His physical state was so poor that they didn't dare let him sit on a tricycle to be taken to the county hospital through the bumpy trails, as the main road was still blocked, leaving them unable to advance or retreat. In the end, they could only call a doctor from the county hospital to come for a consultation.

However, when his disciples persuaded him not to go to Fengdou, saying his health was paramount and he should stay here or return after the road cleared to find a hospital with good conditions for treatment, Elder Zhai's reaction was intense; although his speech was slurred, his attitude was very firm: Fengdou, he must go!

Zhao Yi went out during the day to find a secluded place for a self-check.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng didn't go out today; he sat in the courtyard of that household, and from that angle, he could see the second floor where Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan lived perfectly.

Finally, it was Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan who walked over in the afternoon, holding an umbrella, saying he wanted to go see Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Mengmeng's resting place.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You originally wanted to go along to pay his "remembrances."

But the boy had just woken up, and at that moment, he was busy grooming the body of the house owner and couldn't get away.

A tent was pitched in a blind spot under the cliff; that was where the Liang sisters lived.

When Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng arrived, they heard the sound of laughter from inside.

Zhao Yi, having finished checking his physical changes, returned, but he did not go straight back to his room; instead, he came here to chat with the two sisters.

"So you're this ugly when you're old. When you're that old, you can only light candles, not turn on the lights, otherwise you'd see too clearly. Lighting a candle can still give a sense of haziness, allowing you to deceive yourself."

"So after you get old, this part sags so severely. You haven't even breastfed a child yet, oh my, tsk tsk."

A series of extremely provocative voices came from the tent, drawing constant sarcasm from the sisters.

Liang Yan: "You still need to light candles when you're old; I'm afraid you wouldn't even feel it if you dripped wax on yourself."

Liang Li: "Even if I sag when I'm old, it's still much better than you having a hole and a depression in your chest right now."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan knew that Zhao Yi was actually deliberately pandering; he had always known what they wanted.

Although there was already a verbal and written marriage promise, it was actually too ethereal; this kind of future-oriented offensive banter could instead bring the two Wo Sect a sense of security.

After all, these two sisters were not traditional, gentle people. Enemies who fell into their hands often met very miserable ends, and when their hands got itchy, they would even deliberately engage in entrapment, finding people to abuse.

Zhao Yi walked out of the tent, looked at Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, shrugged his shoulders, and then sighed.

He did not love them.

This sounded very irresponsible, but he didn't even love himself; he often treated his own body and soul as an experimental field, being unimaginably ruthless to himself.

He himself felt that in this life, he probably wouldn't fall in love with anyone else; at least, the kind of romantic love in the eyes of ordinary people didn't exist for him.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan looked at the grave mound of Xiang Xiang Seeing Yin Meng, where a temporary rain shelter had been erected, and the area under the shelter was planted full of lilacs.

Zhao Yi smiled and explained: "They are bored here, and since they have nothing to do, they might as well."

Immediately, Zhao Yi looked at Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng again: "What flowers does Xiang Xiang Seeing Yin Meng like?"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng: "Flowers that cost money."

Zhao Yi: "Then should I go find a small landlord's tomb nearby, get some copper coins and silver from it, and set them out for her?"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng: "That's fine."

After a pause, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng added: "Once found, I will go dig."

Zhao Yi shook his head: "No need, I'll find the place, and they can go do it. The grave tunnel should be opened small, just enough for them to get in and out, and we must ensure the tomb doesn't suffer major damage. When Xiang Xiang Seeing Yin Meng wakes up in the future, these burial objects must be returned exactly as they were, and then we'll call the local Cultural Relics Protection Bureau to notify them.

Right, Li-surname, I know this is your style."

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng: "It's not Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan's, it's Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Zhuangzhuang's."

In terms of dealing with people, Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin had a complete and mature self-logic, and he was especially adept at interacting with things that were not human.

After saying goodbye to the sisters, Zhao Yi and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan returned together.

Master Zhai's disciples were now all looking dejected; both the junior brother and junior sister had met with accidents, and their teacher had fallen ill again. The whole team was truly in a state of panic.

Late at night.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan sat up from the bed, and Zhao Yi also got out of bed, leaving the room a step ahead.

When Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan came out and walked to Master Zhai's room, the door was open. A disciple accompanying him in the room had fallen into a peaceful sleep after receiving a hand-chop.

Zhao Yi's action was definitely fine; if it had been Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan would have had to specifically check that person's breathing.

While closing the door, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan casually set up an isolation barrier.

The two walked to the bedside, looking at Master Zhai, who was still on an IV drip in the hospital bed.

Once a person reached a certain age, even minor illnesses could easily trigger major problems. At this moment, the old man's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face was pale, with little color to be seen.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi checked Master Zhai's body together; the youth was proficient in health preservation and pharmacology, while Zhao Yi was skilled in traditional and unorthodox medical arts.

They wouldn't be at ease without a careful check; they couldn't have them protecting him from outside ghosts only for the old man to have an accident due to illness himself.

Zhao Yi: "The problem is quite serious."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Hmm."

Zhao Yi: "I have to intervene."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Then go ahead."

Zhao Yi took out his silver needles, preparing to perform acupuncture first.

Just as the first silver needle was inserted, Master Zhai suddenly opened his eyes.

He was not looking at Zhao Yi or the youth at the bedside, but staring straight at the ceiling. His hands were gripping the quilt tightly, his upper body was forcibly raised halfway, his whole body was tense, and his veins were bulging.

"Ah... ah... ah..."

A strange sound first came from his throat, and then he spoke:

"I want to flood Fengdou, I want to... flood the Ghost City!"

(End of chapter)