Chapter 285

The rain, finally, stopped.

Following it came another piece of good news: Zhai Lao's fever had broken.

"Teacher, it's cold outside; please put on another layer."

"Zheng Sun Hua, thank you all for your hard work."

Zhai Lao felt guilty in his heart; he was the one who had brought these people out, and since an accident had occurred, he was the one who had to bear the responsibility, yet he had fallen ill at the most critical moment.

Fortunately, he had recovered very quickly this time.

Standing on the second-floor balcony, the early morning mountain air, having been washed by the heavy rain for days, felt cool and crisp as it was drawn into his lungs, and his mind cleared a little as a result.

"Teacher, no matter what, you cannot collapse; we... we are all counting on you."

"I am old, and you are no longer children. It is I, your teacher, who has delayed you; I cannot compare to that Luo Gong."

Luo Luo Tingrui was much younger than Zhai Lao and could be considered a rising star, but nowadays, the development on his side was actually better, especially since he had brought up more students who could stand on their own.

"It's grueling over there; they practically don't treat people like people. Teacher, you are just feeling sorry for us."

"Jade cannot be carved into a vessel without being worked; in the end, I didn't do well enough, and I didn't give you enough opportunities for training."

"It still has to be jade to begin with; it's only you, Teacher, who doesn't mind me, this block of stupid stone."

The traditional master-disciple relationship was far superior to that of father and son; at this moment, with only the two of them talking, there was no need to say anything hollow—it was all genuine sentiment.

Supported by Zheng Sun Hua, Zhai Lao came downstairs.

The two bodies had been sent back; long benches were joined together to form a bed, covered with straw mats and white cloth.

Zhai Lao reached out and grasped the host's hand, saying apologetically:

"I am sorry, I am truly sorry, we have caused you trouble."

"What are you saying? No one wants this kind of thing to happen. Besides, one lends a hand for the dead, not the living; this little convenience is something we should provide."

"Thank you, thank you."

Zhai Lao walked to the straw mat, reached out to lift the white cloth, looked at the faces of his two disciples, then placed the cloth back, closed his eyes, and crystal-clear tears welled up at the corners of his eyes.

"Teacher, Minister Minister Minister Qian Ying and Wu Lan..."

"Can they stay in town?"

"In town..."

Zhao Yi walked out at this moment and took the initiative to answer: "The town is too small; there is only one clinic. Only the hospital in the county has a morgue."

Zhai Lao nodded at Zhao Yi with a smile, then said to Zheng Sun Hua: "Then let's settle them at the county hospital first. In a while, we will invite their parents to come and take one last look... I will have to be there by their side at that time to apologize to their parents in person."

In the middle of summer, long-distance transport of bodies was very inconvenient, and currently, they lacked the objective conditions for it. Furthermore, it was indeed inappropriate for public units to transport bodies back to their hometowns; basically, it was all done by cremating them and bringing the ashes home for burial.

"Alright, Teacher. As soon as the road over there is clear, I will arrange a vehicle immediately."

Zhao Yi spoke up again: "I just came back from the provincial road and saw that the vehicles up there are already moving. I estimate that traffic will resume by noon, so there's no need to look for another vehicle. Isn't my truck ready? I'll send them to the county hospital at noon."

Zhai Lao: "That is truly troubling you."

Zhao Yi: "It's only right, it's only right."

Zhai Lao: "Zheng Sun Hua, you go along with them and get everything arranged."

Zheng Sun Hua: "Don't worry, Teacher."

Zhai Lao sat down nearby, holding a teacup, with the bodies of his two departed disciples right beside him.

Zhao Yi leaned over once more and said: "Old sir, I woke up early yesterday morning and brewed some medicine using a secret recipe from my hometown; you should have a bowl too."

"Medicine?"

"It's just something ordinary to nourish Qi and blood. My unlucky younger brother has been prone to illness since he was small and was hard to raise, so I would brew some medicine for him to drink from time to time, and it's actually quite effective."

"No need, this is too much..."

"I brewed plenty anyway, and he can't finish it. If you trust me, have a bowl. Don't worry, the medicinal properties are mild; it's nothing overly potent. Besides, we can't afford expensive medicinal herbs anyway."

"Little Zhao, you are being too modest."

In this day and age, a truck driver's income was not low, and Zhai Lao could see that Zhao Yi didn't look like someone who was strapped for cash at all.

"Hehe, the truck was bought with borrowed money. I pay back the loan while I drive. The debts from when my parents passed away from illness haven't been cleared yet either. Besides, my brother is still in school, and I don't know where he will work after he graduates. Settling down and getting married will be a significant expense, so I have to save up in advance."

"And what about you?"

"Right, right, right, there's also myself. I'm not young anymore, so I should start a family too. I have to save money; who knows, I might even marry more than one in the future."

"Hahahaha."

Zhai Lao and Zheng Sun Hua beside him both laughed, which temporarily diluted the sorrow.

Zhao Yi brought out two bowls of medicine from the host's kitchen, one for Zhai Lao and one for Zheng Sun Hua.

He wasn't lying; he had truly brewed it in advance.

Zhai Lao leaned close to the medicinal soup, sniffed it, and then brought it to his lips and began to drink.

Zheng Sun Hua wanted to dissuade him, but seeing his teacher like this, he didn't hesitate anymore and drank a bowl himself.

It wasn't bitter at all; it had a lingering sweetness upon entering the mouth, and after drinking it, it felt refreshing to the heart and soul.

"Thank you so much, Little Zhao."

"What are you saying? It's really nothing. When you're out making a living, you rely on lending a hand and supporting each other. Besides, I don't know why, but the moment I saw you, I felt a sense of closeness to you. Perhaps this is fate."

At first, when he heard the one surnamed Li mention the special feeling regarding Zhai Lao, Zhao Yi had only been guessing.

That night when he performed acupuncture to save the old man and heard the old man's sleep-talking, Zhao Yi only felt his head buzzing.

Although it was incredible and even more mind-boggling, since things had reached this point, no matter what the specific situation was, sucking up in advance was never wrong—it was better to be safe than sorry.

Zhai Lao: "Yes, fate, it is fate."

Seeing that the timing was about right, Zhao Yi deliberately said: "You see, my brother and I lost our parents early, and we've had no one to rely on in this life. Sometimes at night, when I think of my departed parents, I feel like their faces have become blurred..."

Zhai Lao: "Then how about this, I will become the godfather to your brother."

Zhao Yi: "..."

Damn it, I'm the one who wants to recognize you; what does that have to do with the one surnamed Li?

He couldn't drive a truck to transport bodies, nor did he get up at dawn to brew medicine. These past few days, your body was treated and regulated by me sneaking over every night; that guy surnamed Li only came once on the first night, and the rest of the time he was sleeping soundly in his room!

Seeing Zhao Yi remain silent, Zhai Lao said: "I am old, and in a few years, I will retire. But your brother is truly a talent for study. It is truly grueling for him to drive a truck with you; he must be cultivated properly, otherwise, it would be a pity."

Aside from parents and elders who have filters for their own children, outsiders—especially those who have been teachers—actually have extremely keen observations regarding a child's intelligence.

Especially since Zhai Lao had personally played chess with that youth and had personally felt the child's mental calculation ability.

Zhao Yi: "You are right. Let's do as you say. When it comes down to it, it is we who are climbing high to be associated with you."

Sigh, why do all the good things fall to that guy surnamed Li?

What was most infuriating was that Zhao Yi knew that the one surnamed Li really couldn't be bothered to become the old man's godson or become the old man's student in the future.

In fact, the one surnamed Li was already that person's actual successor.

The one who truly urgently needed this special relationship was him, Zhao Yi; he had to rely on this newly established friendship to counteract that pair of bastards.

Throughout the morning, Zhao Yi stayed by his side, wanting to chat more. His ability to perceive the human heart far exceeded that of Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin; the drawback was that he saw things too accurately, and thus lost the kind of empathy that Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin had.

Unfortunately, Zhai Lao didn't have much heart for talking anymore, just sitting there, lost in a daze.

Near noon, Zhao Yi, Zheng Sun Hua, and the others moved the bodies onto the truck, then drove back the way they came to the nearby county.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan came downstairs at this time. He had deliberately made room for Zhao Yi, and besides, he had no intention of having too much interaction with Zhai Lao; if the man really asked about his elementary school grades, there would be no way to make it up.

However, the special care and favoritism were genuine.

Even if the youth tried his best to avoid the old man, he couldn't stop the old man from actively seeking him out.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, come, come here to Grandpa."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked over, sat down, and was held by the hand by the old man.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's surname was Li, and Zhao Yi's surname was Zhao; this introduction of names hadn't been hidden from the start when they shared a table for their first meal.

The brothers had different surnames, and Zhao Yi had given an explanation, saying that his father had married into the family, so the first child took the mother's surname and the second took the father's.

Anyway, Zhao Yi had always been under no pressure when it came to making up stories about his parents; Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin had even once caught Zhao Yi drawing crosses over his parents' names.

Generally, at this time, a thoughtful and sensible child should speak up to comfort them; children's words are not only innocent but can also be more heartwarming.

But Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan just sat there, not taking the initiative to speak.

Zhai Lao let out a sigh: "The older I get, the more I feel the preciousness of youth. To leave at such a young age is truly a pity; there is still so much scenery on the road of life that they haven't had the chance to see."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Zhai Lao: "When I was young, I was also very afraid of death. After I got older and older, I discovered..."

Speaking of this, Zhai Lao paused, turned his head to look at the youth sitting beside him, and signaled for him to continue.

It was a rare clear day, and the house owners had all gone out to busy themselves with farm work, while Zhai Lao's other students had all gone with the truck to see off their junior fellow disciples.

In the hall on the first floor of the house, there was only Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and the old man at this moment.

And this way of asking made Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan realize that that special feeling had come again.

Next, the one conversing with him was this old man, yet it was not truly him.

The youth replied: "You are even more afraid of death."

"Hahahaha." Zhai Lao smiled and nodded, "Yes, the fear of death when young is just simple fear; in fact, one doesn't understand what death is, feeling that it is very far away from oneself.

It's like reading an interesting story; when you just start, you notice there is still this much thickness underneath, and you feel very secure in your heart.

But the further you read, the top becomes thicker and thicker, and the bottom becomes thinner and thinner. There are interruptions in the middle, and when you finish your work and pick up the book again to find the place you last read, you don't even need to flip through it from the front; it's easier to find it by flipping backward from the end.

The more you reach this point, the more reluctance and regret you will have."

"Grandpa Zhai, do you mean that the longer one lives, the more regrets one has?"

"Hmm."

"Then if one continues to live, wouldn't life be piled full of regrets?"

Zhai Lao was stunned.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan continued, "My teacher once taught us that if one stays long in a fish market, one no longer notices the smell. If one is surrounded by regrets, then regret is no longer regret, nor is it worth regretting."

Old Zhai was silent, as if constantly savoring these words.

In Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's eyes, Old Zhai's earlier lament was an expression of his own aging, that he could no longer continue to devote himself to the cause of construction, and might even be unable to see the scene he hoped for in his dreams come to pass.

At the same time, there was another layer of meaning; how could this... not be a reason he found for his own longevity?

After a long while, Old Zhai reached out to stroke the boy's head and said slowly, "The youth knows not the taste of sorrow."

After speaking, Old Zhai closed his eyes, as if to end this "special conversation."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, seizing the moment before this feeling completely dissipated, hurriedly spoke:

"For things that can be achieved through effort, one should not think of dragging them out to the next generation; but human strength has its limits, and it is inevitable to fall short. Trusting in the wisdom of those who come after is sometimes not about shirking responsibility, but a sense of relief for oneself and a wish for the future."

What Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang liked to say most in the past was that every generation has its own mission. He also said that the greatest courage in this world is knowing you are not the generation that will see the results, yet still burying your head and continuing to work hard so that the next generation can see them.

This was a comfort to Old Zhai.

Likewise, it was also a comfort to that person; here, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was being clever.

Zhao Yi was scared to death of that person and had to seek a way to survive for himself and his entire clan; Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan also had to strive for a better situation for his own wave.

Yin Meng collapsed due to the sudden eruption of issues with her bloodline.

Then, next, he would have to focus on utilizing his identity as a successor that "does not live up to its name."

After all, once he truly entered Fengdou, the restrictions on those existences would be much fewer; wanting to borrow strength to strike back and achieve results like that night would be basically impossible.

Furthermore, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had never thought he could rely purely on force to conquer Fengdou, or rely on the fists of his team to suppress the Great Emperor.

At least, the current him could not.

Old Zhai's eyes, which had already closed, opened once more, and he murmured:

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, do you say I can trust a young person like you?"

"Otherwise?"

"Hehe, yes, otherwise... I am old, and I have lived long enough; it is time to..."

At this moment, a deep look appeared in Old Zhai's eyes. He lowered his head and carefully watched the boy's eyes.

"Grandpa Zhai..."

"Grandpa has a colleague who heard he took in a closed-door disciple. The disciple is very young and seems quite promising; he is often taken out to be shown off. At this moment, he is already running around doing internships everywhere, and the things he goes to solve are all those relatively thorny engineering problems."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan knew Old Zhai was talking about Luo Gong, who was his own teacher.

But at this moment, Old Zhai's gaze and tone brought immense pressure to the boy.

Because, under another layer of meaning, Luo Gong was actually referring to...

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, I have agreed with your brother; you must study hard. When Grandpa's work here is handled and I am free, I can teach you personally."

Old Zhai's hand gently stroked the boy's cheek.

"You are the smartest child Grandpa has ever seen. If you can become Grandpa's student in the future, when Grandpa meets that colleague again, I will have something to talk about."

Without waiting for Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan to respond, Old Zhai took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The lingering gloom in his gaze faded, replaced by a weary look.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, help Grandpa up to lie down for a while; Grandpa is tired."

"Alright, Grandpa."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan helped Old Zhai upstairs and into the room. After the old man lay down, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan turned to walk out. Just as he reached the doorway, Old Zhai's voice came from behind:

"Child, do you really know what the future I want to see looks like?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and found that the old man lying on the bed had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep.

Walking out of the room, closing the door, and returning to his own room, the boy sat down by the bed.

In his mind, he continued to review every word and sentence from before. After finishing, the boy walked to the nightstand, picked up an apple—the only one left of the ones Zhao Yi had picked and eaten last night—and took a bite.

The boy frowned... so sour.

It must be a problem with the fruit variety and the planting; it wasn't that he just happened to get a sour one, but that Zhao Yi had found it sour when he took the first bite last night, yet that guy had stubbornly eaten several more all night just to trick him into taking a sour bite.

Looking at the sour apple in his hand, it was just like his relationship with Old Zhai—not only was there no sense of mastery, but it was full of a sense of being out of control.

"You are right; I truly still cannot see clearly what exactly you want."

"Why not take a plane, but switched to a train?"

"The plane is too fast; taking the train is a bit slower, but it just happens to let you have a good rest."

Hearing Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's explanation, Luo Luo Tingrui nodded: "Alright then, that's true."

In terms of work habits, Luo Luo Tingrui and Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang were of the same lineage; both were the type who had no boundaries once they got busy. Even if they wanted to rest, they had to find a legitimate reason for themselves.

The two walked into the train station, found a seat, and then habitually took out documents to read.

After reading for a while, Luo Luo Tingrui handed all the documents in his hand to Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, tilted his head back, and rubbed his neck.

The matter in Fengdou was very important, and because of this, he had to take time out of his cumbersome work. Since he had taken time out, he could catch his breath.

Feeling his pockets, Luo Luo Tingrui stood up, preparing to go to the side of the restroom to smoke a cigarette.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang stood up, preparing to accompany him.

"You sit; I'll be back in a moment."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang sat back down, then turned his head to look.

With his back against the wall, the cigarette lit, he took a puff. As he exhaled the smoke ring, his gaze looked toward the crowded train station crowd ahead.

Immediately after, Luo Luo Tingrui looked at the gentle woman standing not far from him, wearing a white-leaning cheongsam style and leaving her long, beautiful hair down.

The woman's lower abdomen was slightly bulging; she should be pregnant.

Luo Luo Tingrui immediately extinguished the cigarette he had only taken one puff of. On the way back, he bought two bottles of drinks, and after sitting down, handed one to Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang.

Twisting off the bottle cap and taking a sip, he scanned the position where he had previously stood, but could no longer see that woman.

They boarded the train.

The teacher and student were in a sleeper carriage, and both were in lower berths.

Putting down their luggage and taking off their coats, Luo Luo Tingrui was already yawning, saying: "Finally, I can have a good long sleep."

"Teacher, you indeed need a rest. Your wife said that the last time you were forced to have a physical examination, there were many problems with your body; they were all caused by exhaustion."

"It's not like being at school now," Luo Luo Tingrui hung up his coat. "Also, you have the nerve to talk about me; what about yourself? How long has it been since I've seen you rest?"

"I'm still young; I can handle it."

"Youth is not a reason to ruin your body."

"You can't set an example; this kind of education is useless to me."

"You brat, I'm married and have children; what about you? You're not young anymore; have you really not considered it?"

"Not in a hurry."

"You don't even go to the blind dates arranged for you."

"Work is busy; as soon as I think of the unfinished things on hand, I'm too lazy to get to know new people."

"I heard from Xiao Feng a while ago that a girl took the initiative to ask you to dinner and even secretly went to where you live to help you tidy up?"

"It wasn't one girl."

"Heh, you're quite popular; why didn't I notice that before?"

At this time, the gentle woman wearing a cheongsam walked in, holding a train ticket in her hand.

Seeing this, Luo Luo Tingrui pointed directly at his lower berth: "Comrade, take this lower berth; where is your berth?"

The woman reached out and pointed at the berth above Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang.

"Good."

Luo Luo Tingrui prepared to climb up.

"Teacher, I'll go up; you sleep below."

"Once I sleep, I won't come down; I want some peace and quiet. Don't argue."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang didn't argue.

Soon, Luo Gong's snoring came out, and it was quite loud.

The train started. This soft sleeper carriage had four berths. The other ticket should not have been sold. At present, soft sleeper tickets were still a bit too luxurious for most people.

It was just that Luo Gong had accumulated too much fatigue and knew that no one would come to find him during the train journey. Even if they found him, he couldn't carry out work at this moment, so he slept exceptionally sweetly.

Therefore, he did not know that beneath his own berth, his student and that "never-met" pregnant woman were sleeping together.

Her body was very soft and cool, and only the slightly bulging belly still carried a hint of warmth.

Fortunately, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang had long since adapted to the temperature on her body, and later missed it extremely much.

The two had previously met at the bottom of the river; this was the first time they had traveled together on land.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang discovered that strong anticipation and surprise were surging in the bottom of his heart, and a longing to live with her like normal people in the future emerged in his heart.

The two did not speak, just hugged gently. The woman's hand gently stroked the man's hair. After watching the man gradually enter dreamland, a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She lowered her head to look at her belly, and the smile became even richer.

Luo Luo Tingrui really slept the whole time and never came down.

After Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang slept well, he got up and gently flipped through the documents. The woman snuggled up to his side, accompanying him quietly without disturbing him.

Until... the train suddenly stopped without a platform.

The attendant came to report the situation, saying that a tunnel collapse had occurred ahead and repairs were underway. The train had to stop here for a long time. Passengers in a hurry could return their tickets here and find other means of transportation nearby.

"Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, how long have I slept?"

"Almost a day and a night."

"Slept for so long."

Luo Luo Tingrui climbed down from the upper berth, in a hurry to go to the restroom.

Opening the restroom door, when he came out, he found Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang waiting for him at the door.

"How long until the repairs ahead are finished?"

"It's estimated to take quite a while."

"We can't delay our itinerary; let's get off the train."

"It's my oversight; I should have known to take a flight."

"Heh, if you let me choose, I'd still hope to get this good sleep. My whole body feels like it's come back to life, and even though our carriage didn't have the windows open, it wasn't stuffy inside at all. It was chilly, and once I wrapped myself in the quilt, it was truly comfortable."

The two of them packed their luggage and got off the train.

Although the train hadn't stopped at a platform, it hadn't stopped in an unpopulated area either; right next to the railway was a county town.

At this moment, quite a few passengers were also leaving the train and heading down; the crowd was a vast sea of people.

Luo Luo Tingrui stopped, pulled out a cigarette, and just as he lit it in his mouth, he turned around and saw that gentle pregnant woman had appeared behind him again.

Luo Luo Tingrui held the smoke in his mouth, moved several steps away, and exhaled toward the sky.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang walked up and pretended to be talking to the woman.

When Luo Luo Tingrui walked back and saw the woman hadn't left yet, he asked, "Comrade, where are you headed?"

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang helped answer, "She's also going to Fengdou. It's on our way; we were all planning to go to the mountain city first and then transfer."

Luo Luo Tingrui nodded and said to the woman, "Don't worry, we aren't bad people. If you trust us, let's find a car together."

The woman nodded and said, "Okay, thank you."

"Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, I'll have to trouble you to find a car."

"Teacher, I think we should eat first."

"Are you hungry?"

"It's you who is hungry."

"Oh, right, I really did go past the point of hunger."

They found a restaurant, the three of them ate together, and after the meal, they walked out; the sky had already turned dark.

Luo Luo Tingrui: "Now it won't be easy to find a car."

Just then, a vehicle that looked like a taxi but lacked a taxi sign stopped in front of the three of them. The driver rolled down the window, revealing a woman's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face with makeup on, and asked:

"Where are you going?"

Luo Luo Tingrui: "We need to go long-distance."

The female driver smiled and said, "Then let's go. Just give me an estimate for the price."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang went up to negotiate the price, then waved to signal them to get in.

"Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, you sit in the back, I'll sit in the front."

"Alright, Teacher."

After the three of them got in, the car started and drove off.

It was hard to tell if it was the car or the female driver's skill, but in any case, the car drove very smoothly, and there was no smell of gasoline.

Reaching out to touch the air vent in front, there was even cold air blowing out.

It was a pity; he had slept for too long on the train, so he definitely wouldn't be able to sleep now.

Who would have thought, not long after he felt that pity, Luo Luo Tingrui fell asleep.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang pointed to the front seat and looked at the woman.

The woman shook her head, signaling that it wasn't her who made him fall asleep; he was sleeping naturally.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang smiled; the pressure his teacher had accumulated was truly too great, and this trip out was really equivalent to a relaxing retreat.

Taking fruit out of his bag, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang peeled it while feeding it to her.

The teacher sleeping the whole way really did provide great convenience for the young couple to be alone.

Occasionally other vehicles passed by, and they were all normal encounters.

Until a transport van came by, loaded in the back with box after box of amulets, prayer beads, and a series of temple artifacts.

The ones driving were a husband and wife; the wife said to her husband, "I think those prayer beads look quite nice. Can we buy one from the owner when we deliver the goods?"

The husband laughed, "Just sneak one for yourself; the owner won't care anyway."

Wife: "Can you really embezzle this stuff?"

The husband said as if it were only natural, "Why not? They're all factory goods, very cheap. But once they're shipped to a temple and they say they've been consecrated, the price flips who knows how many times."

Wife: "But we didn't pick up the goods from a factory; we picked them up from one temple to deliver to another."

Husband: "What's the difference? I reckon both temples have the same boss moving the stock around. Nowadays, many Daoist temples and Buddhist monasteries in scenic areas are privately contracted behind the scenes."

Wife: "You've made it all sound so meaningless."

Husband: "It was meaningless to begin with; I don't believe in this stuff."

Wife: "You should still observe some taboos."

Husband: "If you want me to believe, sure, heh heh. The day I'm driving at night and hit a ghost, I'll believe immediately."

At this moment, the car coming from the opposite direction made the husband feel a bit strange; his headlights hit the other car, and the way it reflected was somewhat unusual.

Husband: "What kind of car paint is this?"

When they passed each other, the husband turned his head to look, and the wife habitually looked over too.

Immediately, the couple's eyes widened and their mouths fell open.

The car in the next lane, while driving, kept changing and trembling in shape. This was nothing like a metal car; it looked more like it was made of paper.

"Clatter!"

This series of crisp sounds was like paper being constantly rubbed and slapped.

The female driver of that car opposite seemed to sense something and also turned her head to look at them as they passed.

The female driver... no, this was no living driver; it was clearly a paper effigy's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face, smeared with eerie, thick pigments.

"Hum!"

The passing ended.

The husband immediately pulled the van over to the side of the road, gripped the steering wheel with both hands, and kept gasping for air.

The wife was also in a daze; after a long while, she said, "My eyes were playing tricks on me just now, they must have been, right?"

The husband swallowed his saliva and immediately said firmly:

"Beads, strings, whatever, buy them, buy a set, buy a set!"

Late at night, Luo Luo Tingrui woke up and stretched comfortably.

"Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, I didn't expect myself to be able to sleep so much."

"That's good, Teacher. It's just enough to get your energy back to handle the work ahead."

"Yeah, after arriving in Fengdou, I'll be able to see Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan. I really do miss that child."

He habitually reached for his pocket, but once he remembered it was the female driver's car, the interior was so clean, and there was a pregnant woman sitting in the back, Luo Luo Tingrui, that old smoker, could only stuff the cigarette case back in.

The female driver seemed to notice Luo Luo Tingrui's movement and reminded him:

"Smoking is prohibited inside the car."

Luo Luo Tingrui: "Mm, I won't smoke." Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang asked, "Teacher, are you hungry?"

Luo Luo Tingrui: "Do you have anything to eat in your bag? Get me some."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang: "Let's see if there's a food stall by the road. It's better to eat something hot; it'll make you feel more comfortable."

Luo Luo Tingrui pointed outside the window and said, "On this pitch-black road, you still want to find a steaming hot roadside stall?"

The car slowed down; exactly in the direction Luo Luo Tingrui was pointing, there was a small wooden pushcart parked by the side of the road, hanging a lantern that read "Noodles, Wonton."

Luo Luo Tingrui: "There really is one?"

The three of them got out of the car, and Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang ordered three bowls of wonton.

Luo Luo Tingrui frowned, carefully observing this wonton stall. It looked extremely normal; in the city at night, there were actually quite a few of these mobile stalls.

But the problem was, there was no village ahead and no shop behind here; who would come out here to sell wonton?

The boss was wearing a white apron, wasn't very tall, and was very nimble. After the wonton were cooked and scooped into the bowls, he started blanching minced meat, poured yellow wine into it, and after blanching it until cooked, added it to the three bowls of wonton, finally sprinkling small dried shrimp on top and adding sesame oil.

"It smells so good."

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang took the wonton and started eating immediately.

"Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang..."

Luo Luo Tingrui wanted to remind Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang not to be in such a hurry to eat and to take another look, but seeing that Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang and the woman were both eating very normally, he gradually let down his guard.

The boss poked the charcoal fire in the stove while saying, "I was just heading back to my hometown from the city and thought I'd try selling some on the road. I didn't expect business to be quite good; many people stop their cars specifically to eat wonton."

Luo Luo Tingrui lowered his head and ate a wonton, finding the taste extremely fresh and delicious. He couldn't care about anything else anymore and started eating too.

Halfway through eating, Luo Luo Tingrui looked back at the female driver who was still sitting in the car:

"Driver, why don't you come down and eat a bowl too?"

"I won't eat, I'm not hungry."

Luo Luo Tingrui continued eating. Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang finished first and ordered two more bowls, one extra for himself and one for his teacher.

After the three of them finished eating, they got in the car and continued driving.

Luo Luo Tingrui leaned lazily against the seat, his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face full of satisfaction.

Although they had encountered quite a few accidents on this trip out, they were all resolved quickly and weren't troublesome at all.

Just as he was full, sleepiness struck again.

Luo Luo Tingrui yawned and said:

"Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, I feel like I'm going to become a pig; eat until full, sleep until full."

"Teacher, this is a life that even the immortals would envy."

The wonton stall owner continued to push his small cart along the road.

Under the moonlight, his short stature was turning increasingly white; beneath his apron, a long tail swayed, and fine white fur slowly grew over his body—he no longer looked much like a human, clearly resembling a white rat as large as a person.

Yet, this rat was not dirty at all; in fact, it appeared exceptionally clean.

In the countryside, there are such special "food-bearers"—neither quite demon nor quite ghost—that haunt peaceful and stable villages, collecting clean offerings from various households to make into food, which they then hawk for sale.

They toil hard, harming no one, solely to earn the small difference in merit; sometimes, they even act as night watchmen, guarding and providing warnings.

Many elderly people in rural areas generally have similar experiences from their childhood; back then, when oil and fat were scarce and life was not affluent, encountering a food-bearer and eating a portion of his hot food was enough for them to remember for a very long time.

It is just that now, people's living conditions have generally improved, and the population is constantly gathering in cities, so such food-bearers in the countryside have gradually become fewer and increasingly difficult to encounter.

The white rat pushed the small cart to a solitary little temple located in the fields, first selecting the offerings on top; it only took the food that was still clean, and for those that had already spoiled, it picked them up, took a bite, and put them back, just to leave rat tooth marks as a sign that the worshiper should replace the offerings.

After finishing this, the white rat sat on the threshold, pulled out a cattail fan, and fanned itself.

Its two eerie green eyeballs flickered, and it puffed out breath from its nose, looking very angry and dissatisfied.

"Just because you're a Lady, you think you're so great? Who forces people to set up a stall like this? Hmph!"

……

Ahead, a minibus with a mountain city license plate was parked on the side of the road, undergoing repairs, with quite a few passengers still sitting inside.

The female driver pulled the car over.

Luo Luo Tingrui looked through the car window and asked, "Do you need any help?"

The master mechanic who was repairing the vehicle said, "No need, it'll be fixed soon."

The woman sitting in the back seat reached out to nudge Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, then looked outside the car.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang understood and said to Luo Luo Tingrui, "Teacher, let's switch to this car. I had already discussed it with them earlier; we only planned to travel this far anyway."

Luo Luo Tingrui was stunned for a moment, then nodded; it is indeed unsafe for a female driver to drive long distances.

The three of them took their luggage and got out of the car.

The master mechanic had just finished fixing the car and was putting his tools away; seeing Luo Luo Tingrui walk over, he smiled, pulled out a cigarette to hand to the other man, and said:

"It's all done, no need for help, thank you."

Luo Luo Tingrui pushed the man's cigarette down, pulled out his own to hand to him, and said:

"It is we who need help now."

For passenger vehicles, there is no difference between picking up passengers at the starting station or midway; if he picks up private passengers himself, the profit is actually higher.

The master mechanic accepted the fare, and the three of them quickly boarded the bus; there were empty seats in the last two rows, so Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang and the pregnant woman sat in the very back, while Luo Luo Tingrui sat in the row in front.

Seeing that the woman was somewhat exhausted, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang reached out to help her wipe the sweat from her forehead.

This sweat was also ice-cold.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang thought the woman was tired and held her hand with some heartache.

The woman returned a gentle smile; while her fingertips rubbed against his, her other hand lightly stroked her lower abdomen.

She knew that the vision of the future she longed for was very unrealistic; even though she was the Lady with the highest status in White Dog Town, the rules passed down in the town could still suppress her firmly.

But there are exceptions to everything; she had already broken many rules, and the others in the town dared not act rashly—at least, they dared not openly oppose her.

The man who once jumped into the river and almost tore through the entire White Dog Town now, by status and rank, could only be considered a "subordinate" of that young man.

And her own man had a very good relationship with that young man.

He was not only willing to save his parents for him, but would also call her "Sister-in-law."

That night when Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang jumped into the river again and called her up to answer the phone, he said, "Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan has something to say to Sister-in-law."

This form of address almost scared her silly, thinking that someone under White Dog Town had committed some offense and that the young man intended to take action to deal with them.

Facts proved that as long as one's fist is big enough, the young man's rules are the rules of White Dog Town.

In the future, she really might have a chance to live under the sun with the man before her and their child, just like a normal family of three.

At this thought, the woman rested her head on Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's chest.

At this moment, Luo Luo Tingrui suddenly turned around to look back, and the woman immediately lifted her head and sat up straight.

"Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, check if your brick phone has a signal; if it does, make a call for me."

"Alright, there is a signal, Teacher, here you go."

"Hmm."

Taking the brick phone, Luo Luo Tingrui frowned deeply while dialing the number.

He had seen that scene just now.

He had been young once, and he could understand the sudden spark of passion between young people.

But the problem was, the woman was already someone's wife and was pregnant.

It is one thing to take care of her on the road, but one really shouldn't be so intimate.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, oh Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang...

It was certainly not convenient to lecture or remind him at this moment; Luo Luo Tingrui planned to wait until they reached Fengdou, after the woman went home and separated from Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, to properly give this kid a talking-to.

The woman sitting in the back looked at Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang with worry in her eyes; she couldn't do anything to Luo Luo Tingrui, so Luo Luo Tingrui must have seen her intimate actions with Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang just now.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang smiled and shook his head, signaling that it was fine.

Due to various considerations, his affairs were not convenient for outsiders to know, but that did not mean he was afraid of being found out, even if that person was the teacher he respected the most.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang: "The little wontons just now were truly delicious; I haven't eaten anything so fresh in my memory, but it's a pity that I'm afraid it will be very difficult to eat them again in the future."

The woman nodded, a hint of regret appearing on her Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

If she had known, she would have grabbed that rat and brought it back to Nantong.

That way, whenever he came to Nantong to find her in the future, before jumping into the river or after coming out, he could have a bowl of wontons to replenish his energy.

The car they had ridden in earlier did not turn back; it simply turned off its headlights and followed silently behind the minibus.

When they reached a fork in the road, the minibus took one path, and the car took the other.

This road became narrower the further they drove, eventually becoming a dead end, with a pond right in front.

The car "stalled" and stopped by the pond to wait.

They waited until the sky was just beginning to brighten, when several drunks came staggering over; their arms were covered in tattoos, yet they couldn't hide the dense, tiny needle marks on them.

Seeing the car parked alone there, and the "beauty" sitting in the driver's seat as if asleep, lewd and evil expressions appeared on their faces.

Of course, it was not their own intention that drove them to walk here; each of their foreheads was pitch black, as if dotted with ink.

They opened the car door, sat inside, slammed the door shut, and all reached out to touch the female driver, spouting filthy language.

The car started inexplicably and began to move forward.

Someone seemed to sober up and began to feel terrified, wanting to open the car door, only to find that the door seemed to have been welded shut and could not be opened at all; they tried to roll down the window, but the window remained motionless.

"Splash!"

The car fell into the pond.

Inside the car, everyone was sober; they were sinking, and water kept pouring in.

And that beautiful female driver was instantly washed away by the water, turning into pieces of floating paper pulp.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

The pond was not deep, but at this moment, it felt as if it were bottomless.

Under the banyan tree by the pond stood a person wearing a mask with a green Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face and fangs, but if one looked closely from the side, this mask was actually fused with the flesh and blood of his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

In his hand was a string of black thread, the other end of which extended to the bottom of the pond and was constantly being pulled and lengthened.

He loosened his fingers, wanting to discard this already useless thread, yet the next moment, the thread seemed to become completely beyond his control, actively wrapping around his body.

"Bang!"

He was bound like a zongzi and forcibly dragged toward the pond; no matter how he struggled, it was to no avail, and in the end, he could only be dragged into the water.

The surface of the ordinary pond water seemed to boil after he fell in; his body constantly melted, turning into a pool of black oil that kept expanding.

His true form kept sinking, like an egg stripped of its shell, revealing a short, dwarfish ghost shadow; his previous image was simply a case of specifically compensating for whatever he lacked most.

The corpses of the drunks lay motionless in the deep silt of the pond, each with their faces frozen in horror and ferocity; they had certainly sobered up.

The dwarfish ghost shadow was also dragged to their side, bound by invisible chains, and a small red coffin floated out, suppressing the dwarf.

On the coffin, a "White" character was carved.

Under normal circumstances, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and the others naturally wouldn't care about such troublesome little ghosts, but after all, they had walked the river too much and truly lacked experience in dealing with such minor spirits.

And the Lady of the White family was well-versed in this, even able to trick the ghosts away and suppress them silently, without affecting the mood of this couple's first honeymoon at all.

……

"Let's go, A You, get in the car, it's time for us to hit the road."

Zhao Yi waved his hand, signaling Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You to hurry up and get in the car.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You: "Why say such unlucky things?"

Zhao Yi: "How fresh, do you think we are going to some lucky place?"

The bus that Zhai Lao and the others were riding in was in front, so Zhao Yi deliberately drove the truck behind them.

Due to days of heavy rain, although the road had been reopened, the damage caused had not been completely cleared, and there were many places that still required alternating one-way traffic.

The speed of the car could not be fast.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan sat in the passenger seat, holding an atlas that Zhai Lao had given him.

While driving, Zhao Yi glanced at it: "What secret manual is that?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan waved it slightly.

Zhao Yi: "I mean, perhaps there are some hinted clues inside."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "My mentor gave me this same atlas before I started university; it's a children's book, meant to spark professional interest."

Zhao Yi: "Seriously, with your brain, isn't it boring to go to school?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Not boring, every class is very interesting."

Zhao Yi asked in disbelief: "University standards are that high now?"

"Mm."

What Zhao Yi didn't know was that Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had a copy of the entire school's course schedule and picked classes he was interested in to attend every day, so naturally, it would be interesting.

Anyway, he didn't have to worry about failing, or even taking final exams.

At night, the bus entered a service area; after a brief rest without staying too long, it got back on the road.

Zhao Yi returned to the car, restarted the engine, and followed behind.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan distributed the steamed buns Zhao Yi had bought to his companions in the back of the car, along with several large bags of pickled mustard greens, which had an advertising slogan printed on them: The Hometown of Chinese Pickled Mustard Greens — Fuling.

Zhao Yi: "I saw the car in front bought some too, so I bought some along with them. Why don't you try it and see how it is?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "It's delicious."

The young man ate his steamed bun with the pickled mustard greens while taking out his Luo Pan, the needle pointing diagonally forward, shaking slightly.

"Directly ahead, there might be a problem." After calculating, the young man reported the distance.

Zhao Yi: "That's likely the next service area."

Logically, having just stopped at one service area, there was no need to stop again so soon, but the bus in front still drove in and stopped.

As soon as the bus door opened, Zheng Sun Hua and several junior brothers grabbed toilet paper and ran toward the service area restrooms.

Zhai Lao did not get off the bus.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Either someone who went to the restroom encountered a problem and then infiltrated the team, or it's a diversion, and something will take advantage of this moment to attack Zhai Lao inside the bus."

Zhao Yi: "I think so too, so we need to split up. I'll be responsible for protecting Zhai Lao; Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge, you take some people to the restroom."

"You're in the best state right now, you go to the restroom."

"Hehehe."

Zhao Yi didn't argue; he also grabbed a roll of paper, got out of the car, and ran toward the restroom.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan got out of the car and walked up to the bus in front.

Zhai Lao was sitting in his seat alone, holding a flashlight, examining a blueprint on his lap.

It wasn't until Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked up to him that Zhai Lao reacted.

"Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, why don't you just sit in the bus with us? We're all going to Fengdou anyway."

"No thanks, I'd better sit in the truck; I'm afraid my brother will drive while fatigued if he has no one to talk to."

"Alright, you're very thoughtful."

"They..."

"At the last service area, Zheng Sun Hua bought some nice-looking fruit, saying it was a local specialty. They all ate it, but I didn't try it. They must have gotten an upset stomach from eating that. Look, that's it."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan looked over; there were still several left in a small bamboo basket. At first glance, they looked like peaches, their colors incredibly vibrant and full.

"Grandpa Zhai, this is a 'Ha'er fruit'; it's not edible."

"'Ha'er'?" Zhai Lao pondered slightly, then understood the dialect term: "Fitting. Those who spend money to buy this are all 'Ha'er' (fools)."

"There are many people selling this on the streets of the mountain city; locals don't buy it, only tourists do."

"You've been to the mountain city too?"

"I have. Following my brother's truck, I've been to many places."

"Traveling ten thousand miles is necessary, but you still need a stable learning environment right now. Only after gaining enough knowledge to understand the world can you travel ten thousand miles and see more than just scenery."

"For example, this blueprint Grandpa has here, can you understand it? It is also part of the scenery; most people can't appreciate it."

The old man just wanted to give an example and incidentally plant a seed in the child's heart so that he would have a bias when choosing a career later.

They were almost at Fengdou and would soon meet up with Luo Gong, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang Ge, and the others, so Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan didn't need to keep hiding anymore. He pointed to a spot on the blueprint:

"Grandpa Zhai, the marking here is wrong."

Zhai Lao looked down and frowned: "This Zhu Qiang, he's actually careless to this extent."

Then, as if realizing something, Zhai Lao raised his head and looked at the young man in front of him with a puzzled gaze.

"Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, you can understand this blueprint?"

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, can you understand these blueprints?"

"How did you..."

Before he could finish his question, a "Boom!" came from outside.

Immediately after, someone shouted:

"The restroom collapsed! The restroom collapsed!"

Thanks to the imperfect and non-standard construction of service area restrooms at this stage, the restrooms were built with cut corners, so there was no need to worry about the bricks and tiles above killing anyone, but the problem was... it collapsed underneath too.

Therefore, although the rescue wasn't difficult, it was truly disgusting.

The service area staff and kind-hearted car owners vomited while rescuing, dragging the unlucky ones who were almost marinated in the stench up one by one.

After dragging everyone up, several people used long poles to stir inside to confirm there were no omissions.

Zheng Sun Hua, Zhu Qiang, and their group were all among them.

Seeing that they were all conscious and had no life-threatening injuries, Zhai Lao was both angry and amused.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, who was mingling in the crowd late at night, was quite excited, counting the number of people and hoping to see the figure of the Three-Eyed One.

Unfortunately, Zhao Yi was not among them.

The Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Master Tongzi's voice rang out: "He's on the west side. You go down; there's ghost energy there."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You walked over, bent down, and slid down the slope, where there was a mountain stream.

A You had thought the Three-Eyed One was secretly cleaning himself here, but Zhao Yi was squatting by the stream, washing a long, pitch-black thing that looked like seaweed cut into thin strips.

"You came just in time. Help me wash this thoroughly; this thing stinks to death."

"I don't want to."

"This isn't your sister-in-law, what don't you want?"

"Three-Eyed One, you..."

"Wash it quickly, I'm going to smoke a cigarette; it really stank me to death just now."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You had no choice but to squat down and start washing. The thing felt greasy and sticky in his hands, and ghost energy was permeating it.

Zhao Yi had gone to protect the people in the restroom. As soon as he went in, he sensed movement below.

It was that thing's bad luck; as soon as it poked its head out, it was grabbed by Zhao Yi.

Afraid of feeling disgusted, Zhao Yi had even padded his hand with toilet paper beforehand, then pulled it out while covering his nose.

This pull was significant; who knew that other parts of this thing's body were actually attached to the inside of the restroom structure? When Zhao Yi pulled it out, the restroom collapsed along with it.

The filth wouldn't drown anyone, but if this ghost-energy-filled thing kept spreading, it would truly cost ordinary people their lives, so he hurriedly sealed it and ran to the stream to wash it.

Filth cannot drown a person, but if this thing covered in ghost Qi were to continuously spread, it would truly cost ordinary people their lives, so he hurriedly sealed this thing up and ran to the stream to wash it off.

Zhao Yi walked over with a cigarette in his mouth, bent down, and started peeling and searching through the thing.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You: "What is this thing?"

Zhao Yi: "You don't know?"

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You: "The Guan Old Old Old Jiang Shou don't go to restrooms to catch ghosts."

Zhao Yi: "This is a type of evil filth born in filthy places, a dirty ghost. Sometimes when you're in the restroom, if you feel like your butt was touched, it's this thing doing it."

"The more powerful ones can take advantage of you being in the restroom to drill directly into your body from below and control you."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You: "That evil?"

Zhao Yi: "Usually this thing can't do that; at most, it relies on filth to nourish itself, eating a few mice or snakes when it's bored. It rarely targets humans, and entering the body to control people is even rarer."

Zhao Yi: "Usually, this thing cannot do that; at most, it relies on filth to nourish itself, eating a few mice or snakes for a change of pace when it has nothing to do. It rarely targets people, and entering a body to control someone is even rarer."

Zhao Yi fished out a thumb ring from inside. The ring was pitifully small, likely only wearable by an infant's finger, and had been embedded and wrapped inside previously.

"Come, A You, touch it and see."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You reached out and touched the ring. The moment he touched it, A You's vertical pupils opened. A faint ghostly light emerged from the ring, and then a single eye filled with hatred appeared.

After meeting the gaze of Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You's vertical pupils, A You's figure trembled slightly, and the single eye disintegrated directly, the ring also turning into powder.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You: "I didn't mean to..."

He saw that Zhao Yi had been washing it so carefully earlier and thought the ring was very important, yet he had destroyed it.

Zhao Yi patted A You's shoulder: "Don't worry, I won't tell your Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge about this."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You: "No, that's not what I meant..."

Zhao Yi: "What are you worried about? Don't you trust me when it comes to keeping secrets? Look at them, who knows about that matter of yours now?"

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You: "I mean, you should still tell Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Ge. This kind of thing shouldn't be hidden."

Zhao Yi: "I'm just teasing you. It's fine that the ring was found; it was useless anyway. If you hadn't destroyed it, I would have crushed it."

Zhao Yi: "I was just teasing you. It's fine as long as this ring is found; keeping it is useless. If you don't destroy it, I will crush it."

Zhao Yi stood up, shook off the cigarette ash, and said:

"The one surnamed Li had long suspected that those who would attack Zhai Lao and the other researchers were not the same group as the Yin officials who attacked us. Now it's basically confirmed."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You: "How was it confirmed?"

Zhao Yi: "It was too deliberate, completely unmasked, using ghost evil to hurt people, and the trigger was also very standard. In this point, it's very similar to the ghost monk in the mountain temple."

"Before you do something bad, would you stick your business card on your forehead?"

Before you go do something bad, do you stick your business card on your forehead?

After returning to the truck, Zhao Yi propped his legs up on the car window, yawned, and asked:

"How long until we can leave?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "They're queuing up for water to bathe; it'll probably take a good while."

"You guessed right; someone is borrowing the name of Emperor Emperor Fengdu to frame others."

"I didn't realize it at first because when we had just left Nantong, we encountered an accident caused by a roadside ghost. But that accident was just a lure to guide us into the ghost miasma and wipe us out in one go."

The Underworld sent out a fake Judge in the first round, along with four commanders and eight generals; the lineup was quite luxurious.

The next round was the Three Sticks of Incense; that you didn't die was largely due to a stroke of luck. In terms of danger and the lineup, it was countless times more exaggerated than the last time."

Zhao Yi: "Hmm, the Underworld's habit is usually not to act unless necessary, but once they do, they aim to achieve their goal, especially after failing once. To think they'd still continue using such small ghosts to lead the charge."

"Looking at it this way, the issue with the first exploration team you mentioned might not have been the Underworld's doing either."

"Oh, right, there's another detail we overlooked: the attacks targeting Old Zhai and his group—why wait until after we met them?"

"If they really wanted to target them, how could they have arrived there completely unscathed before the incident happened? Couldn't they have done it earlier? Did they have to wait until they were not far from Emperor Emperor Fengdu to make a move?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan looked toward the bus in front: "Is Old Zhai's true identity really what we think it is?"

"I hope it's fake, because I've been fawning over him so diligently for so long, only to end up helping you gain a godfather."

"But precisely because I failed to fawn successfully, I instead believe that Old Zhai's background might really be fine. In all likelihood, it's that person. Do you trust my gut?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was noncommittal.

Zhao Yi stopped talking and squinted to take a nap.

The cleaning lasted for a long time. In the middle of the night, those people got back on the bus, and the bus started moving again. Zhao Yi also started the truck and followed.

It wasn't a very long road, but due to road conditions and bathroom breaks, it was delayed for a long time. It wasn't until the sky was dim and bright again that they officially drove into the Emperor Emperor Fengdu region.

Old Zhai and his group had to report to the relevant authorities, and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had to go too, so they followed along.

At the entrance of the unit, watching Old Zhai and his group being warmly welcomed in by the relevant staff, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan put down his mobile phone. He had just received a call from Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang; they were expected to arrive at Emperor Emperor Fengdu County in the morning.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan planned to wait until his teacher and Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang arrived before formally meeting with Old Zhai again.

The security guard at the entrance of the unit came over to shoo them away: "Trucks aren't allowed to park here; park outside."

At this moment, another security guard came over and said: "You can't park outside either; you have to park on the mountain behind."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin, and Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You get out of the car first, telling them to keep an eye on the surroundings here for protection.

Afterward, Zhao Yi started the truck again. After reversing the car, he followed the security guard's directions and drove toward the back mountain.

The distance wasn't far. After a simple winding drive up, they saw a large open-air parking lot. At the other end of the parking lot, they could see quite a few towering palace buildings.

Zhao Yi looked at the sign and asked: "This seems to be a scenic spot, right?"

After parking the car, the two got out. Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan looked at a building not far away and walked over.

Zhao Yi followed and asked: "Hey Li, you've been here before, right?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Yeah, I've visited here before, but last time we strolled all the way up from the Ghost Street and then turned back; we didn't reach this back door."

There was no ticket inspector at the back door, so they could enter directly. After entering, they circled from the side to the front door of this hall. Zhao Yi read the characters on the plaque:

"Ksitigarbha Hall?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan didn't walk inside; he just stood at the entrance of the hall. Inside, there were quite a few tourists and pilgrims sightseeing and worshipping.

Zhao Yi: "People in the world of the living really don't need to pay too much attention to the entanglements of the Underworld. After all, the living only seek simplicity and convenience. Since we're already here, let's just finish worshipping together."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Do you remember what you said to me on the truck last night?"

Zhao Yi: "The detail I said we overlooked?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "The sentence before that. The thing we truly overlooked seems to be even bigger."

"The first exploration team's incident might not have been the Underworld's doing?"

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?"

"But the reason I came to Emperor Emperor Fengdu is because I thought I received a wave. I was told I had to come to Emperor Emperor Fengdu to resolve the incident with the exploration team."

As soon as the name Emperor Emperor Fengdu was mentioned, I thought of the Great Emperor. Plus, at that time, people from the Underworld were trying to enter the Nantong region to target me."

"A series of various factors superimposed, making me subconsciously believe that this wave was led and pushed by the Great Emperor, pushing you and me toward Emperor Emperor Fengdu."

"But if the accident of the first exploration team wasn't caused by people from the Underworld, that means..."

Zhao Yi: "That means this wave actually wasn't pushed by the Great Emperor to make us come here. Then who could it be?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan didn't answer; he just raised his head and looked at the plaque on this hall again:

Ksitigarbha Hall.

(End of chapter)