Chapter 374

Li Zhuiyuan was not a person who held grudges.

But some grudges were indeed not something that could be avenged with his current strength and the current situation.

If it were someone else with a tough mind, they would probably choose to lower their head first, endure and develop, and wait quietly for the opportunity.

The youth didn't like that.

He was used to biting off as much meat from his enemies as he had an appetite for.

Looking at it from another angle, the youth actually treated his enemies as a kind of resource.

Evil spirits were like this, the people who joined forces to calculate against Qin Shu in the past were like this, and those top Jianghu forces that had once tried to exert pressure and force, vainly attempting to eat the Qin and Liu families' entire households, were also like this.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up again, looking at the dense folding of light and shadow in the air.

This was just the beginning.

Don't think that because you ran away and aren't here, what you did to A-Li back then can be escaped.

The merit on my body is so much that it's almost impossible to spend.

I still have waves to walk next; every time a wave is finished, the merit on my body that I can't actively use will accumulate by a large chunk again.

Just wait,

In the gaps between future waves, I will come to find you.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the purple-gold compass in front of him, wrapped around by the spirit of a flood dragon.

First from near to far; after the ones near Nantong are cleaned up, then choose another specific area to do point-to-point cleaning within the area.

Name them one by one, report to them one place at a time.

The wrap-up that the ancestors of the Qin and Liu families failed to perfect is now, instead, another gift to himself.

Like a treasure map, the youth only needs to follow the map to find the treasure, and he can gain rewards step by step.

Where are these evil spirits; they are clearly treasures waiting to be excavated, just like ginseng.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze carefully swept over the three evil spirits in front of him.

He had created a small wave for the first time, and both the theory and preliminary practice were successful, but the details and context still needed to be combed through.

He didn't know if he would have to rely on himself to calculate their positions with a compass next, or if there would be a small stream like Jiang Shui that would send the water droplets about them to him.

The answer should be revealed soon, in these few days.

After all, the "fine" had already been paid; the money deducted by the Heavenly Dao had to be "delivered" to him.

This was the reputation of the intermediary.

If merit, which is "money," is in your hands, first you don't know where to buy it; this kind of trade is illegal and against regulations, and there is no such shop in regular channels, so you can't spend it even if you want to;

Secondly, even if you found the black market, you would have to worry that black market transactions aren't protected, and you could be black-eaten or end up with nothing.

Now, he had paid the fine first; no matter what, according to procedural justice, the Heavenly Dao had to confirm his "crime."

Li Zhuiyuan's mouth revealed a smile.

The youth knew that the Heavenly Dao had always been targeting him; the Heavenly Dao was wary of him practicing martial arts, and the Heavenly Dao didn't allow him to grow up; he had always been bearing the terrifying pressure of this piece of sky above his head.

Now, he could finally carry out a small counterattack.

Although he was still an ant at the moment, a thousand-mile dike is destroyed by an ant's nest.

Even when facing this "enemy" of the Heavenly Dao that was bullying him, the youth started phased revenge as soon as he had the conditions.

Li Zhuiyuan turned around and walked back to the bungalow.

A-Li, standing inside the threshold, tilted her body slightly, carefully examining the appearance of the three evil spirits behind the youth.

Li Zhuiyuan: "A-Li, I'll draw."

A-Li shook her head, her lips gently pursed.

"Fine, fine, fine, you draw, you draw; who told you that our A-Li is my painting teacher."

Two dimples appeared on the girl's face.

The youth was afraid she would get tired, because after this wave returned, A-Li's work was clearly several times more than before, but the girl enjoyed the feeling of being able to help the boy.

The two sat on the terrace playing chess, only able to remember the starry sky of that moment, but the things she helped the youth make and process could continue to exert effects when the youth went out next time.

The two closed their eyes at the same time, and when they opened them again, they returned to reality.

Li Zhuiyuan first put away the purple-gold compass, then looked down at the green flute in his hand.

This was truly a treasure.

It was a pity; the Qiongya Chen family's family style was too upright, and Chen Xiyuan's personality was too kind and simple.

He really had no way to develop her into an enemy resource.

This green flute couldn't be turned into "stolen goods" flowing out from him.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the portrait and fulfilled his vow.

In front of the Bodhisattva statue, he had to offer three more sticks of incense, not to thank the one struggling in hell, but to thank Sun Baishen.

Sun Baishen hated the Bodhisattva extremely, and because of that layer of relationship with Wei Zhengdao, he trusted him exceptionally, which made him spare no effort in helping him dig the Bodhisattva's wall.

Next, the youth lit three sticks of incense in front of the portrait of the Great Emperor of Fengdu and silently recited:

"Master, you've worked hard."

Calling him "Great Emperor" was his position; calling him "Master" carried a bit of teasing.

The youth knew clearly that every "Master" of his could make his master recall that night when the door at home couldn't be closed because the lock was broken.

Time in the Daoist arena was unknown; when Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li came out, they found it was already one o'clock in the afternoon.

Great-grandfather and the others had all gone out today and weren't at home; Liu Yi naturally knew where he and A-Li had gone and didn't anxiously call them for lunch.

Just as the youth and the girl came out, Liu Yi's familiar voice came from the flat ground in front:

"Lunch is ready!"

On one hand, Liu Yi sensed the aura of the youth and A-Li appearing again; on the other hand, Tan Wenbin had picked up Grandma Yao from the train station.

Grandma Yao watched as the car drove more and more into the countryside, her heart filled with heartache and worry, but when she got off the car and saw the young lady playing cards with a group of old sisters on the flat ground, in an instant, she laughed until she had tears in her eyes.

After leaving the Liu family, she had long lived an ordinary life and knew the happiness of this kind of life; now, she saw it in the young lady too.

"Shan'er, come over, let me introduce you."

Liu Yumei beckoned to Yao Shan.

Grandma Yao walked onto the flat ground; the closer she got, the softer her calves became; she really wanted to follow the old etiquette and bow to the young lady, but her heart was as fine as her needles, and from the three old women of the same age as her at the table, she saw their "ordinariness."

Therefore, Yao Shan kept bracing herself; when she walked in front of the young lady, she didn't stand steadily, but fortunately, she was supported by Liu Yumei's hand that reached out in time.

Liu Yumei introduced her, and the three of Liu Jinxia also showed great enthusiasm toward Yao Shan.

Liu Yi brought the food up.

Playing cards in the past, the three of Liu Jinxia didn't eat here; at mealtime, they would return home; Grandma Hua lived alone, often going to Liu Jinxia's place to have a bite, and every month she would fix a bit of expensive snacks and good-looking stationery for Cui Cui.

Today, it was Liu Yumei who spoke, so everyone wouldn't brush off this face, so they stayed to eat together.

Eating at the same table with the young lady made Yao Shan somewhat uncomfortable; several times she wanted to take over the dishes brought by Liu Yi and the wine pot held in her hand, but she was gently pressed down by Liu Yi, signaling her to accompany the old lady well.

The atmosphere at the dining table was harmonious.

The only thing that was a bit stuttering was that in order to let Grandma Yao understand, the three of Liu Jinxia couldn't speak Nantong dialect and could only speak Mandarin.

But even so, it was still relatively difficult to communicate, because in the old people's understanding, Mandarin was just Nantong dialect spoken word by word slowly.

Liu Yumei ordered the three of Liu Jinxia to go back and bring the clothes that needed mending at home, saying that Shan'er's hands were skillful, just right for them to see.

Grandma Yao nodded hurriedly, and then said she had brought quite a lot of good fabric this time.

Liu Yumei waved her hand casually: "Coincidentally, give them a few, let everyone make a set."

After the meal, the three of Liu Jinxia returned separately, each bringing only one piece of clothing that needed mending.

When they were playing cards, Grandma Yao sat next to Liu Yumei, watching the young lady play cards while mending.

Each round of long cards had one person sitting out; when someone sat out, she would measure their body.

Although, with her level, a glance was enough to know the measurements, she still took out the measuring tape to do detailed measurements.

Liu Jinxia, who was leading, was embarrassed and wanted to decline, but Liu Yumei just tapped her fingertips on the table, and Liu Jinxia smiled and cooperated actively.

The cards were played until dusk, and before Liu Jinxia left, she said she would come to pick up Sister Liu to her house later, and repeatedly urged her not to bring anything, as everything was arranged there.

Finally getting some time alone, Yao Shan followed Liu Yumei into the east room, first kneeling and kowtowing to the offering table, and finally kneeling and walking on her knees to offer tea to the young lady.

This scene had been imagined in her mind for a long time; the young lady not only had the grace of protection for her at the Liu family back then, but also the virtue of changing her son's fate in the secular world.

Liu Yumei sat in the chair, her hands on the armrests, and said: "Played cards all day, tired; you handed it so far, I couldn't reach it."

Yao Shan was stunned for a moment, and finally had to stand up and deliver the tea to Liu Yumei's hand.

Liu Yumei took the teacup, took a sip, signaled her to sit beside her, and chatted with Yao Shan about some idle topics.

Asking how her family was, how her son and daughter-in-law were, and how her two grandsons were.

Yao Shan answered them one by one.

After she was asked here, she immediately took over the young lady's topic, first asking about the recent situation of Miss A-Li, and then praised the little son-in-law she had seen in Luoyang.

Liu Yumei smiled and said: "I didn't understand before; only when I'm old do I understand what it means to live by pointing at children and grandchildren, hehe."

Yao Shan: "Young lady, you're not old; in my eyes, you're still the same as back then."

Liu Yumei: "You and I are both people who are grandmothers; saying these words again makes people laugh."

Liu Jinxia's whole family was dispatched; Xiang Hou and Cui Cui both came to pick them up.

A-Li didn't resist going to Cui Cui's house, because the youth told her that he would wait at Cui Cui's door tomorrow morning to pick her up.

Before leaving, Liu Yumei took A-Li to bathe and change clothes, and also packed two sets of pajamas and clothes for the next day and the things needed for combing her hair.

Liu Jinxia originally wanted to say that she had all these at home and didn't need to bring them, but watching Liu Yi put the boxes of Liu family sister's items into Xiang Hou's tricycle, the words on Liu Jinxia's lips were swallowed back, and instead, she urged her own daughter not to ride it away later, but to push it, and not to bump these items.

Before going down the flat ground, Liu Yumei looked at Liu Yi.

Liu Yi understood and put a lock on the east room door.

Qin Shu and Liu Yi lived here at night, so it was impossible for outsiders to break in; this was to prevent internal personnel from entering reasonably.

After arriving at Liu Jinxia's house, they assigned rooms.

Liu Jinxia wanted A-Li to sleep in Cui Cui's room; for the sake of Cui Cui's personal safety, Liu Yumei was just about to refuse.

Then, she saw her own granddaughter walk into Cui Cui's room.

This made Cui Cui very happy.

At night, she asked A-Li sister if she wanted to watch TV, if she wanted to drink milk, soda, or eat snacks, if she wanted to look at her picture books and stickers; A-Li didn't react, just silently lying on the inside of the bed, pillowing her head, her hands folded on her abdomen, closing her eyes, and sleeping.

Cui Cui lay on her side, her hand supporting her head; the moonlight shone through the window, allowing her to see A-Li sister's sleeping face.

"A-Li sister, you're really beautiful."

Back then, when Little Brother Yuan Hou came to her house as a guest for the first time, he also slept in her bed for a nap; that time, she was also watching from the side.

The young girl didn't know what marriage and family specifically were, but she understood the game of playing house.

At this time, Cui Cui couldn't help but sigh and look forward to it in her heart:

"Little Brother Yuan Hou is very beautiful, and A-Li sister is also very beautiful; how beautiful will their children be in the future."

In another room.

Liu Yumei let Yao Shan sleep in the same bed as her; Yao Shan refused to do so this time, saying that if she did that, it wasn't because she was worried about the rank of superior and inferior, but because she would be so excited and uneasy that she wouldn't be able to sleep all night.

Fortunately, the bed structure here had a long wooden case under the wooden bed; in summer, many families would rather not sleep on the bed but on this, for the sake of coolness.

Liu Yumei slept on the outside of the bed, and Yao Shan slept on the long case below; the night was still early, and the two continued to talk.

As they talked, Liu Yumei laughed.

There was a person standing outside the door, and they had been standing there for a long time; it was Liu Jinxia.

Seeing her hesitating outside, Liu Yumei asked: "Who is it?"

Liu Jinxia pushed the door and came in, holding a bamboo mat, quilt, and pillow.

Just like that, Liu Jinxia also made a floor bed in this room, and the three old ladies chatted until late at night.

In the morning, A-Li opened her eyes on time.

She sat up, avoided Cui Cui who was still sleeping soundly, and got out of bed.

Liu Yumei also got up, and Yao Shan opened her eyes, her eyes slightly red.

Even if the young lady's movements were quiet, she still sensed it, because even if she didn't sleep in the same bed, she was still so excited that she didn't sleep all night.

Liu Yumei helplessly poked Yao Shan's forehead with a finger, and Yao Shan smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

In the morning, it was Yao Shan who helped A-Li comb her hair.

Xiang Hou set an alarm last night and woke up very early; when they came down, Xiang Hou had almost finished making breakfast.

Thinking that the guests were all up, but her own mother and daughter were still sleeping soundly, Xiang Hou found it funny.

While combing her hair, Yao Shan found that Miss A-Li suddenly smiled.

She looked up and saw, sure enough, it was the little son-in-law who had arrived.

Li Zhuiyuan ate breakfast at Auntie Xiang Hou's place, and then held A-Li's hand, facing the morning glow, and brought the girl home.

Yao Shan didn't sleep all night but wasn't sleepy at all; holding the rope ruler, she helped Xiang Hou measure some body measurements, and also said she wanted to make a set of clothes for Cui Cui.

Xiang Hou wanted to decline, but Grandma Yao blocked her with one sentence: "Your mother agreed last night."

Xiang Hou wanted to take out the money for ordering clothes, but Yao Shan also pretended to touch her pocket and asked Xiang Hou if she should pay for the accommodation too?

Never mind this bit of money, Yao Shan didn't look down on it; if it were really about money, the tailors who were equal to her skill and status in history, many of the clothes they made were now displayed in museums.

Life continued like this for two more days; every morning, Li Zhuiyuan would pick up A-Li from Cui Cui's house, and send A-Li back at night.

The rest of the time, the two were either in the small workshop behind the house or in the second-floor room; there were too many tasks, and currently, they had only just prepared the required tools.

To save trouble, they ate three meals a day at Liu Jinxia's house, and played cards at Liu Jinxia's house, but every dusk, Liu Yumei would return to her east room and take a bath with A-Li.

Some habits couldn't be changed; you couldn't bring your own bathtub and other items when you were a guest at someone else's house; that wasn't just showing off, it would hurt people's hearts.

Today, after Liu Yumei finished washing, A-Li went into the room to wash.

Liu Yi was busy in the kitchen; the dishes at home tonight were a bit special.

Li Sanjiang patrolled the kitchen as usual, saw today's prepared dishes, couldn't help but nod, and said:

"Right, it's time to change the taste, change the forage to feed."

The appetite of the mules hadn't recovered, and Li Sanjiang saw it in his eyes and was anxious in his heart.

But soon, Li Sanjiang saw Liu Yi holding a chicken head in one hand and a spoon in the other, pouring boiling water over a whole chicken; after a while, she simply extinguished the fire in the stove and stewed the chicken in the pot.

Li Sanjiang wondered: "What kind of cooking method is this?"

When Liu Yi took the chicken out and started chopping, seeing that there was still a little blood left in the bones, Li Sanjiang blinked his eyes hard:

"Ting Hou, it doesn't seem cooked."

Liu Yi: "It's cooked; this way the skin is crispy and the meat is tender, eat the original taste, and then make a dipping sauce."

Li Sanjiang scratched his head.

It just so happened that Grandma Zhang was calling to answer the phone across the field, so Li Sanjiang went out.

In the second-floor room, Li Zhuiyuan hung the three paintings personally drawn by A-Li on the wall.

Left painting: wearing a black mask, scales attached to the whole body, like a human and like a beast.

Middle painting: charming woman, with a mole at the corner of her mouth, the lower body like old tree roots.

Right painting: dressed in red, with hands but no feet, like a ghost, with a single eye on the brow.

The self-made wave hadn't arrived yet, but Li Zhuiyuan had a premonition that it would be in the next two days.

Originally, Li Zhuiyuan thought about taking people with him to solve it one place at a time; now, the youth felt there was no need for this.

Zhao Yi had already sent news that he and his people would arrive tomorrow.

According to the youth's inference, Chen Xiyuan should wake up from her drunkenness tonight.

This kind of evil spirit that was lingering on its last breath, letting these two groups of people solve it, was like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken.

But, weren't temporary staff just used to do work?

Li Zhuiyuan held a book, walked out of the room, came to the terrace, and was just about to sit on the rattan chair when he saw Liu Yumei standing on the flat ground, looking up at him.

The youth was just coming out to read a book while the sky wasn't completely dark, and what he was holding was "The Record of Righteous Path Subduing Demons," choosing evil arts for the next stage in advance.

It's just that sometimes being too smart isn't necessarily a good thing.

Li Zhuiyuan could see the deep meaning contained in Grandma Liu's look: Why, knowing that someone is about to wake up, you came out to squat in advance?

The youth felt that Grandma Liu didn't need to think in that direction, but he also understood the sense of crisis in Grandma Liu's heart.

Continuing to sit felt inappropriate, but getting up and going back made him feel guilty.

Li Zhuiyuan had to speak: "Grandma, I have something I want to ask you."

The youth went downstairs, sat beside Liu Yumei, and specifically asked the old lady about the past and present of the Ming family.

Liu Yi, who had finished cooking early and was leaning against the kitchen door preparing to crack melon seeds, kicked Qin Shu who was returning with a hoe, and pointed her chin toward the youth and the old lady:

"Learn more from others."

Smart people flattering, that's called moistening things silently; Liu Yi saw the look the old lady gave the youth just now, but now the youth took the initiative to consult about the Long Wang Ming, which undoubtedly poked the old lady's deepest joy at present.

Nothing else, the Long Wang Ming family not only lost the current river walker, cutting off the possibility of competing for the Long Wang in this generation, but now the days of the entire family were very bad.

Just as they were chatting enthusiastically, in the east room, A-Li, who was soaking in the bathtub, turned her head and looked at her empty right side. ===== CHAPTER 375 =====

While the conversation here was in full swing, inside the east room, A Li, who was soaking in the bathtub, turned her head to look at her empty right side.