Chapter 380

Qin Shu: "A-Ting, I have long since severed the possibility of becoming a dragon in this life, but I seem to still have a chance to reach the step just below the dragon."

Liu Yi: "It's unbelievable."

Qin Shu: "Help me seal it."

Liu Yi pointed her fingertips at this life-centipede—no, this life-jiao; her fingers were incomparably sharp, but the reaction of this life-jiao was also astonishing, actually producing an afterimage.

But after a brief stalemate, it was still successfully subdued by Liu Yi; she exerted force and flicked her fingertip against its forehead, a wisp of slumber toxin seeped in, and this life-jiao closed its eyes.

After sealing it back up, Qin Shu leaned forward, supporting himself on the ground with both hands, and knelt prostrate.

From his neck to his limbs, blue veins stood out.

He had endured it, but she knew clearly what kind of torture he had just endured.

Liu Yi: "Are you alright?"

Qin Shu: "Tomorrow morning, I can still go down to the fields to farm."

Liu Yi: "I'll fetch some hot water to help you wipe your body so you can sleep."

Qin Shu: "Mm."

Pouring hot water from the thermos into a basin and wetting a towel, Liu Yi began to help Qin Shu wipe his body.

Qin Shu: "There is one thing I regret very much."

Liu Yi: "Sigh, are you going to bring up your soy sauce bottle story again?"

Qin Shu: "That night, the Matriarch only let me undo one seal to deal with that group of white rats."

Liu Yi: "Isn't that quite good? If you had fought too quickly, that pair of lovers wouldn't have been able to become a couple."

Qin Shu: "But Xiaoyuan was watching on the shore at the time."

Liu Yi: "So that's how it was, hehehe!"

Qin Shu: "Stop laughing."

Liu Yi: "Alright, alright, Xiaoyuan should have guessed that you have a seal on you, at least he's clear that you didn't use your full strength that night. Runsheng's progress, even I can see it; I don't believe you didn't notice at all."

Qin Shu: "It's a regret."

Liu Yi: "Enough, enough. That time the Bai family directly implicated Uncle Sanjiang; the Matriarch let you go, and you only undid one layer of the seal, which already cost you nearly a year to dissipate that backlash. If you had undone a few more layers that night, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to appear in front of Uncle Sanjiang now."

Qin Shu: "The Matriarch said at the time that I only needed to avoid him for half a year."

Liu Yi: "It's also because of this matter of yours that the Matriarch realized she had miscalculated the fortune on Uncle Sanjiang. At first, we moved here wanting to sponge off a bit of that fortune to treat A-Li's illness.

Now, what we have harvested is far more than just the improvement in A-Li's condition.

The Matriarch's changes, your changes, the changes in the two family gates...

Heh, even I have fallen in love with cracking melon seeds.

Alright, it's wiped clean."

Liu Yi moved Qin Shu to his bed and helped him cover himself with the quilt.

"You sleep first, I'm going out for a bit."

"It's so late, what are you going to do?"

"That Chen girl's stomach is simply a bottomless pit; the vegetables in the kitchen at home have all been eaten. I'm going to Big Hu Zi's house... forget it, I'll go to Auntie Jinxia's house and steal some first.

When it's dawn, I'll go to the town vegetable market early and buy some back to replenish her house."

Liu Yi walked out of the west room.

She saw Chen Xiyuan already standing below the dam.

"Sister, are there no vegetables at home? Shall I help you go to Big Hu Zi's house to borrow some?"

"Alright, there are plenty of vegetables there, you go; it's inconvenient for me."

"Alrighty."

Chen Xiyuan ran out, and not long after, she ran back carrying two large baskets.

"Sister, here you go; it's been hard work cooking for me."

Chen Xiyuan handed a peach to Liu Yi.

Liu Yi took the peach and asked curiously: "How come there are still some?"

"I specifically asked him for them, hehe, he just grew another one for me temporarily."

"He's really generous."

"He said he's a person who's going to die anyway, so there's nothing to be generous or not generous about. He also said that the good things the little brother coaxed away from him were already far more than a few baskets of peaches."

"I'll go cook your midnight snack first; you just sit here and think about what you want to eat tomorrow morning."

"Mm."

Liu Yi went into the kitchen to cook first. After serving the midnight snack and watching Chen Xiyuan start eating, she took that peach and went into the west room.

Qin Shu, lying on the bed, opened his eyes. Liu Yi placed the peach by his mouth and squeezed it.

Qin Shu opened his mouth, and the juice flowed into it.

After squeezing it dry, Liu Yi found a handkerchief and wiped her sticky hands.

Liu Yi:

"This girl is truly lovable."

In the morning, Qin Shu and Runsheng went down to the fields carrying hoes together.

After reaching the edge of the field, Runsheng took out two peaches and handed them to Qin Shu.

Qin Shu: "You eat them."

Runsheng: "Xiaoyuan told me to give them to you."

Qin Shu: "You eat."

Runsheng: "One for each."

Qin Shu: "How many did Xiaoyuan give?"

Runsheng: "One."

The second one was originally Runsheng's share.

The number of peaches was not large to begin with; after dividing the one that should be divided, only three remained with Li Zhuiyuan.

Qin Shu took one, squatted down, and took a bite.

Runsheng wiped the remaining one on his clothes, and the two of them squatted in the field together, eating the peaches.

After Runsheng finished eating, he turned his head and saw that the peach in Qin Shu's hand was actually still intact.

He had actually been tricked just now.

Runsheng: "I don't want it."

Qin Shu: "It's not being saved for you."

After putting the peach away, Qin Shu began to work, and Runsheng scratched his head and followed along.

"Breakfast is ready!"

Qin Shu and Runsheng walked back together.

Returning to the dam, Runsheng sat down to eat. At the round table next door, the xiao long bao, tang bao, and so on in front of Chen Xiyuan were stacked high in steamer baskets, obscuring her entire person.

Li Sanjiang came downstairs for breakfast and saw this scene; he was startled at first, then his face beamed with joy.

She used to only drink one bowl of porridge, but this morning she drank two and a half!

Li Zhuiyuan told Li Sanjiang that he was going back to school tomorrow and would be back within a week, definitely in time to accompany his great-grandfather to Hainan.

Li Sanjiang smiled and said he understood. After breakfast, he was accompanied by Lin Shu You for a stroll around the village.

Tan Wenbin, in the name of a local host, invited Chen Xiyuan to visit various scenic spots in Nantong.

Chen Xiyuan agreed. When she got into the yellow pickup truck, she was still asking if it would be too rushed to visit all the scenic spots in one day.

Tan Wenbin shook his head and replied: "It won't take a day; half a day is enough to finish visiting them."

As soon as the car drove from the path onto the village road, they saw Cuicui walking towards them. She had come to play with Sister A-Li and Brother Yuan Hou; of course, seeing Sister Chen, she was also very happy.

Tan Wenbin waved his hand and said: "Come, Cuicui, get in the car. Let's go to your house first to tell your grandmother that you'll be your Sister Chen's tour guide today."

When Chen Xiyuan was taken to the city, Li Zhuiyuan held A-Li's hand and entered the dojo.

Last time, the boy had promised the girl that he would take her along to play this fun game.

Perhaps, for other girls, the content of the game might be a bit too terrifying, but for A-Li, who was temporarily unable to go out and walk the river, watching evil spirits being twisted, ravaged, blended, and used in front of her was not only a compensation for her regrets but also a recompense for her past experiences.

Liu Yi was washing dishes in the kitchen.

Qin Shu walked in and placed a peach in front of her.

Liu Yi: "Xiaoyuan gave it?"

Qin Shu: "Runsheng gave it."

Liu Yi: "I don't believe it."

Qin Shu: "Xiaoyuan gave me one and Runsheng one; I let Runsheng eat the one he gave me, and I brought Runsheng's over for you."

Liu Yi shook her hands, wiped them on her apron, and pointed her chin at the unwashed dishes in the sink.

Qin Shu rolled up his sleeves and took over the washing.

Liu Yi took a bite of the peach; it was very sweet and refreshing. Most importantly, there was a coolness that went straight into her spleen and stomach, and even seeped into her soul.

It wasn't some miraculous elixir, but it could soothe the soul and revitalize the spirit.

Liu Yi: "We have some at home too."

Qin Shu: "Far worse than this one."

Liu Yi: "But the ones at home can keep us full."

Qin Shu: "Another day when the Matriarch lets me go inspect the two ancestral homes again, I'll pick some back for you."

Liu Yi: "Pick more; I'll dry them into fruit slices and mix them with honey—they'll be perfect as snacks."

Qin Shu: "That's why the Matriarch never lets you return to the ancestral home alone."

While they were talking, a sense of foreboding suddenly rose.

Qin Shu and Liu Yi both paused their movements, then continued, as if they hadn't noticed anything.

After a while, a second sense of foreboding appeared.

Then, a third.

Liu Yi took a bite of the peach and commented:

"As expected of our Xiaoyuan; even if he steps onto an evil path, playing with evil arts is far better than orthodox evil cultivators."

Qin Shu continued washing the dishes; he could ignore it, but he couldn't yet be as confident and happy as Liu Yi in his commentary.

However, Qin Shu soon thought of something and said:

"A-Li is not in the room on the second floor."

Liu Yi: "Then they must be together."

Qin Shu: "Is this... okay?"

Liu Yi: "What's wrong with it? Remember how Xiaoyuan used to coax A-Li, making A-Li walk through the yin to see him, and even brought a dead-walker onto the dam.

It was the first time in my life I knew that a dead-walker could be used as a telephone pole.

It's a pity the two children are playing in the dojo behind the house, and I can't see them. Sigh, I really want to sneak in and take a look."

Qin Shu: "You can't get in."

Liu Yi: "What are you talking about!"

Qin Shu: "Without breaking the dojo's formation, you can't get in."

Liu Yi: "You've tried?"

Qin Shu: "When I was farming behind the house, I observed it."

Liu Yi: "Our Xiaoyuan's attainment in formations has already reached such a level?"

Qin Shu: "Let's put it this way: the Ghost Gate of Fengdou is nothing more than this."

Inside the dojo.

The residual evil energy was very thick here; clusters of ghost fire constantly shuttled through, and the screams continued to echo.

A-Li sat on the steps of the altar; in such a gloomy and eerie environment, the girl still had two cute dimples on her face.

One of her hands was held by the boy, and the two of them enjoyed the "fireworks" created after three consecutive evil arts.

"Everyone who has bullied you, intimidated you, or appeared in your dreams—I won't let any of them go. This is just the first batch; each subsequent batch will be more numerous.

They cast curses on you, and the karma they left here is now the life-strangling lock I use to collect their lives."

A beautiful atmosphere always has a time limit.

When the environment inside the dojo gradually returned to normal, Li Zhuiyuan took out three sets of talisman armor.

With a flick of his fingertips, the talisman armor flew out, landed, and the three figures of the Two Generals of Increase and Decrease appeared.

There was a mystery within that layer of fur; it wasn't just clothing, their images were also inside.

The Two Generals of Increase and Decrease that appeared at this moment were truly identical to the appearance of their divine souls.

"Greetings, Brother Xiaoyuan!"

"Greetings, Brother Xiaoyuan!"

This time, it was uniform; no one called him Lord.

It was just that the posture of the two bowing was very archaic, and combined with this form of address, there was still a slight sense of incongruity.

After carefully checking their current appearance and touching their faces, the Two Generals of Increase and Decrease turned around and bowed to A-Li:

"Greetings, Miss Qin."

"Greetings, Miss Qin."

One was the Lord in the actual sense now, and the other's status was equivalent to the Matriarch.

Their wooden carvings, talisman armor, clothing, etc., all came from A-Li's hands.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Last time I promised you that after you scouted the path and lured the enemy for me, I would give you double compensation."

General Increase: "The merit is abundant!"

General Decrease: "Already received a generous reward!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "That little bit is far from enough."

In the past, Li Zhuiyuan felt he was quite generous, but later he discovered that he was actually so poor, but the Guan Jiang Shou were even more ridiculously poor.

Although the combined merit of Runsheng and the three of them was equivalent to the river-walking gains of a normal Dragon King family, satisfying them was more than enough, but this was far from what Li Zhuiyuan wanted to distribute.

The boy pointed to a black branch placed on the altar nearby and said:

"General Increase, accept the reward."

The two figures of General Increase stepped forward, reached out together, grabbed the black branch, and it quickly submerged into their respective bodies.

In an instant, General Increase felt that the sense of connection between the two forms became even closer.

That old tree-root evil spirit on Chongming Island, after being re-refined by the boy with evil arts, became an evil artifact. This evil artifact was originally used for cursing or plundering.

It could bind the target to the decaying, making them suffer; it could also bind the target to the prosperous, increasing benefits.

The side effect was that the longer this binding lasted, the deeper the sense of fusion between the two, and over time, they would blur their cognition of each other, invade each other, and eventually become something that was neither human nor ghost, neither themselves nor the other.

Evil artifacts and evil arts are all about quick success; if the methods aren't cruel and the side effects aren't significant, what qualifications do they have to be crowned with "evil"?

However, this side effect didn't exist at all for General Increase; he was originally one soul in two bodies, and each was himself. The effect of this evil artifact would only deepen the communication and cooperation between his two bodies, fundamentally raising his strength ceiling.

The so-called merit—isn't it accumulated just to exchange for these things?

General Increase didn't know how much merit it would take to bring about such an immediate, qualitative change for himself.

"Many thanks, Brother Xiaoyuan!"

General Increase knelt on one knee to the boy, his fist pressed against his chest.

Li Zhuiyuan: "This is an evil artifact; if you nourish it with your divine soul, it can always be used by you. Rest assured, the karma on it has already been borne by me. You should be able to feel this point—it is very clean."

The two General Increases raised their heads in astonishment; if the boy hadn't mentioned it, he really wouldn't have known this was actually an evil artifact.

The karma is borne by him, the benefits are given to him.

The chests of the two General Increases heaved with excitement; everything is afraid of comparison. The previous boss's cut was ruthlessly high, and the current boss is generously high—it really is one in heaven and one that deserves to go to hell!

The predecessors of the Guan Jiang Shou were basically ghost kings in the human world; rather than saying they were "converted" by the Bodhisattva, it's better to say they were suppressed and subdued by the Bodhisattva. If they were truly absolutely loyal, the Two Generals of Increase and Decrease wouldn't have gone easy on him in the Fengdou Ghost Street back then just to save their own lives.

Relying on faith to subdue them is definitely the best, but Li Zhuiyuan himself doesn't even know what his own faith is, so he can only use benefits to feed them and feed them enough loyalty.

"General Decrease, accept the reward!"

Li Zhuiyuan pointed to a ghost-face mask that was only the size of a palm.

General Decrease reached out and picked it up, and the mask immediately merged into his palm.

"Hiss... Hu-hu-hu~"

He immediately gasped, then let out a comfortable moan.

The next moment, he turned around abruptly, his scales attached, adding an even more eerie aura to his entire person.

General Decrease patted the scales on his body; these scales merged with his divine soul, and each one could store his divine soul power, which meant his divine soul ceiling had received a qualitative increase, and his endurance during battle could also be greatly improved. Comparatively, the effect of this astonishing defensive power could only rank third.

Li Zhuiyuan: "This is also an evil artifact; the karma is also borne by me."

General Decrease knelt on one knee, no different from General Increase earlier, and pounded his fist against his chest, causing the scales to rattle collectively.

"Willing to die for you!"

General Increase, who had just stood up, saw this and knelt down again:

"Me too!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I don't need you to die for me; I'm very afraid of death, and I don't practice martial arts, so I need you to protect me closely. If you die, it proves that I am also in danger.

Therefore, I will try every possible way to help you two improve.

Your treatment definitely won't be as good as the Bai He Master Master Tongzi's.

He came earlier than you.

But I can promise you that you won't be too much worse than the Master Master Tongzi.

I am a person who has always been very biased."

The Two Generals of Increase and Decrease said in unison:

"We understand!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Alright, go back and feel and adapt to it yourselves."

"We take our leave!"

The three figures dissolved on the spot, and the talisman armor flew neatly back into the boy's palm.

In the previous wave, the disadvantages of the Two Generals of Increase and Decrease had already appeared; they could act as pathfinders or bait, but to let them truly take on the responsibility of his personal bodyguards, their strength was not enough.

Admittedly, Li Zhuiyuan had always had partners protecting him, but there were always situations where manpower was insufficient, and sometimes, if he could have the conditions to act alone, the effect would often be better.

Therefore, Li Zhuiyuan focused on seriously improving the ceiling of the Two Generals of Increase and Decrease this time.

He didn't ask them to be as fierce as Runsheng; he only needed them to be able to truly help him hold on for a while longer in front at special moments.

There was also a red crystal, like a ruby, the size of a fingernail, which was refined by that one-eyed evil spirit.

Lin Shu You was accompanying his great-grandfather for a stroll; he should have returned by now.

When the boy prepared to go out and call him, A-Li moved first; she stood up and walked out.

The girl meant that she would go call them.

Li Zhuiyuan smiled; perhaps now, A-Li was already familiarizing herself with the operation form of the team in advance.

Sitting back down, the boy took out the purple-gold compass and placed it in front of him.

Taking advantage of the moment, he planned to further refine the blueprints for the dojo's upgrade and optimization.

As the compass rotated, the wooden floor tiles around the boy also began to float dynamically, wrapping the boy and isolating his aura.

On that altar table worshipping the Bai He Master Master Tongzi and the Two Generals of Increase and Decrease, the puppets of the Two Generals of Increase and Decrease began to move in front of the Bai He Master Master Tongzi, as if showing off, and then circled around the Master Master Tongzi's carving.

The Bai He Master Master Tongzi couldn't stand it soon and rushed up to fight with the two of them.

They had no idea that the boy hadn't actually left yet.

"Patta! Patta!"

The figurines fought from the altar table to under the altar table, and then continued to tear at each other, you pressing on me, I pressing on you, mutually jamming each other's legs or arms.

It was mainly because although the puppets A-Li carved were lifelike, she hadn't made them like toys whose limbs and heads could rotate, so when they fought, they looked very comical.

Li Zhuiyuan's train of thought was disturbed by this movement.