Chapter 381

The blade fell.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan could see himself in the reflection of the opponent's armor.

He watched as a straight black line appeared on his body, starting from his left eye, slanting downward, extending across his neck, crossing his chest, and finally reaching his right leg.

Immediately after, the black line gradually thickened, red fluid spilled out from within, and his body began to separate; his perspective shifted, as if he were two building blocks stacked together, sliding apart smoothly.

"Plop!"

The sound of hitting the ground, along with the sticky sensation of blood constantly spilling out.

The surrounding singing and dancing banquet continued, the sounds of strings and laughter clearly audible.

The young man blinked.

After finishing the strike, the armor turned around and walked back to the head seat from before.

The blade, stained with his own blood, was returned by it to the scabbard hanging on the pillar.

The armor sat down again, and the various armor joints that had been extended earlier retracted, returning to their original display state.

Only beneath the pitch-black helmet were two faint, ghostly shadows.

And that voice sounded once again:

"You have no chance left, nor do you have any more time.

Heaven's will,

no longer permits you to continue living."

The surrounding scene began to distort, like a large stone thrown into a calm Weiming Weiming Weiming Lake.

In an instant, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's perception returned to reality.

He stood at the doorway; in the corner inside, Zhai Lao and Luo Gong were eating their boxed lunches Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face to Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

The young man raised his right hand, covered his mouth with the back of his hand, and yawned.

This was his only reaction to the illusion just now.

No fear, no panic, no confusion.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked into the room again and said with a smile:

"Hello, teachers."

Zhai Lao revealed a kind smile: "Haha, my good student has arrived."

Luo Gong turned around, pointed his disposable chopsticks at the young man walking over, and said:

"Zhai Lao, I respect you, but Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan is my student."

Zhai Lao: "I am also a teacher at this university now."

Luo Gong: "I was the one who went to his high school principal's office to negotiate for Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan to get into this university."

Zhai Lao: "Stingy."

Luo Gong: "It depends on the person."

Zhai Lao: "Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, have you eaten?"

Luo Gong: "You must have just arrived. Come, there is still a boxed lunch here; if you didn't come, I would have eaten it."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan sat down at the table; Zhai Lao helped him tear open the packaging on the chopsticks, split them apart, and rubbed the two sticks together several times to ensure there were no wood splinters before handing them over.

Luo Gong helped open the lunch box and, while he was at it, picked several pieces of braised pork from his own portion and placed them inside.

Disposable chopsticks, a white plastic lunch box, braised pork with gluten, stir-fried green beans with shredded meat, stir-fried tomato with egg, accompanied by a solid portion of rice—there was no need to taste it; just looking at it made it seem delicious.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan began to eat.

Zhai Lao and Luo Gong had both finished eating; the two of them each took a cigarette, lit them, and tacitly stopped talking.

In the past at home, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan tended to chew slowly when eating, because A Li always ate in a very orderly manner.

Now, with two elders waiting for him, he naturally had to "enter a trance" and invite "Chen Chen Chen Chen Chen Chen Chen Xiyuan" to possess him.

Zhai Lao and Luo Gong turned their heads from time to time to look at the young man, then turned back, exhaled smoke, and revealed knowing smiles.

People of a certain age generally like watching young people eat.

It was as if they saw their own younger selves who could also eat a lot, recalling that lost youth.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan finished eating and put down his chopsticks.

Luo Gong: "Is it enough? Do you want more?"

Zhai Lao debunked him: "It's already gone; you ate two portions by yourself."

Luo Gong: "You ordered too little."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm full, I can't eat any more."

Luo Gong gestured with his hands: "You kid, you can't eat as much as I could when I was young. When I was your age, with a bowl this big, piled high with rice, I could finish three bowls in one sitting."

Zhai Lao: "Back then, we lacked oil and fat; we ate our fill of staples, and everyone was a big eater."

Luo Gong: "Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, do you still remember the civil air defense project I told you about?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I remember, the Goguryeo tomb."

Luo Gong: "This project has officially restarted, and Zhai Lao has also been invited by me to participate in this project. Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang is responsible for organizational and coordination work, and you were personally selected by Zhai Lao to follow him and do theoretical research."

Zhai Lao: "Let's be more grounded; it's just organizing and summarizing the data."

Luo Gong: "Thinking about it now, back then, we suffered because of this."

Zhai Lao nodded.

At this moment, the pager on Luo Gong's waist rang; he looked down at it, shook his head, and showed regret.

"I originally wanted to chat with you more, Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, and have you go to my house tonight for your teacher's wife to cook. Well, that's all gone now. Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, if you need anything, tell Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, and if there's anything you don't understand, ask your teacher Zhai."

Luo Gong stood up and left in a hurry; this had always been Luo Gong's image—he was always very busy.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan stood up and watched Luo Gong leave.

Zhai Lao: "He doesn't have it easy either; throughout the year, the number of times he can eat a meal in peace can be counted on one hand."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "You were like this when you were young, right?"

Zhai Lao smiled: "Yes, that's how we all got through it, but he is better at training students than I am."

If one's own hard skills are sufficiently excellent and one is willing to compete, then being Luo Gong's student is very fortunate; he is willing to spend resources to pave the way for you and help you reach a higher stage.

Zhai Lao, on the other hand, is like a kind patriarch.

A thick document bag was taken out of the drawer by Zhai Lao and placed in front of Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Can I take it back to read?"

Zhai Lao: "Yes, the real secrets are not in there."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan put the document bag away.

Zhai Lao stood up and walked to the window; outside was a flower bed, the sunlight was just right, and Zhai Lao's shadow was stretched very, very long.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan followed him over and stood behind Zhai Lao.

Zhai Lao: "Your teacher wants to focus on cultivating you, which is why he pulled you into this project."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I understand the teacher's cultivation of me."

Zhai Lao: "No need to rush; although the project has restarted, the actual implementation and advancement will still take some time, probably another month.

Having learned from the last lesson, this time it should be a step-by-step survey and exploration of the periphery. Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, you must pay attention to safety."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Aren't you going?"

Zhai Lao: "Of course I will go."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "If I stay by your side, I will definitely be safe."

Zhai Lao: "That's not necessarily true."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Teacher, what do you need me to do?"

Zhai Lao: "The initial literature and documents still need some time for screening and organization. When the specific departure date is set, come over a week early to help me prepare the final report."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "You are really helping me reduce my burden."

Zhai Lao reached out and patted the young man's shoulder: "You have to give those senior brothers and sisters of yours room to perform. No matter how smart a person is, their energy is limited; it's impossible to take on everything.

In addition, I have a hypothesis now: the Goguryeo tomb involved in that civil air defense project is not just a simple burial site; it should involve some kind of sacrificial culture.

At that time, scholars from various relevant disciplines will be arranged together to conduct theoretical summaries and discussions from all aspects. I am old, so you need to be by my side to accompany me, help me remember, help me think, and help me understand. Who else but you has such a sharp mind? Good steel should be used on the cutting edge."

"Thank you, teacher."

Zhai Lao: "The three of you had very good results in the final exams last time; you are all good seedlings. Your teacher was praising this point specifically while eating just now."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "This is as it should be."

Zhai Lao: "It's also good to get in touch with and participate in work early; combining theory with practice makes learning and progress more efficient. Alright, you just arrived at school, and you must have many things to deal with; go get busy."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Goodbye, teacher."

Zhai Lao nodded with a smile and turned to look at the scenery outside the window again.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked toward the door; as he moved, the shadow belonging to Zhai Lao at his side also kept stretching, stretching, and stretching further.

When Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the doorway, the shadow stopped at the inner side of the door crack and did not continue to spill out.

The young man stopped his steps and looked back inside.

The original spaciousness and brightness instantly turned into oppressive pitch-black; clusters of magma occasionally spilled out, bringing the scorching smell exclusive to the soul.

In the flickering light, one could see a majestic figure, like Zhai Lao, standing there with his back to Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan.

It's just that the Zhai Lao in reality faces the beautiful scenery outside the window, while He faces a cliff.

If one listens carefully, one can hear endless roars and wails from below.

It seems that after the Bodhisattva's time of taking over hell, the Emperor Emperor Fengdu hell, which had already been emptied, has regained its deathly stillness and become deathly silent once again.

Also, there will never be a shortage of ghosts in this world; those in the underworld are countless, not to mention the large number of ghosts in the human world wearing human skin.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan scanned his surroundings, trying to see if he could find any traces of Xiang Xiang Seeing Yin Meng within his limited field of vision.

He found nothing; Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Yin Mengmeng was not here.

The phantom of the armor he had seen upon first entering was clearly the shadow of the Great Emperor, using Zhai Lao's body to issue him some kind of warning.

But Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan could not yet grasp whether this warning was truly accurate, or what motive lay behind it.

The youth and the Great Emperor, though they were master and disciple in name only.

The master always wanted to exploit his disciple, fearing the disciple might become too comfortable; the disciple frequently bit back at his master, fearing the master might remain too clean.

It could be said that of all the master-disciple pairs in this world, few shared a bond as deep as theirs.

"Boom!"

On the ground ahead, a pillar of magma erupted, dyeing everything in his sight a deep scarlet.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, is there anything else?"

His vision returned to normal; in the bright and clean original library, Zhai Lao had turned back to look at the youth still standing in the doorway.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Teacher, do you live in the school faculty housing?"

Zhai Lao: "Yes, Building 18, Unit 2, Area B."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was very familiar with that location; it was where Grandma Liu had lived with A Li back then.

However, after they moved back to Great-Grandfather's house in Nantong, that faculty housing unit had been vacated.

"Teacher, can I come find you tonight?"

"Of course, any time is fine. Don't worry about disturbing my rest; I'm old, and I don't sleep much."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan waved with a smile and turned to leave.

The Great Emperor's warning could be set aside for now, because whether the Heavenly Dao was prepared to eliminate him early and no longer wanted him as its blade did not affect the youth's determination to continue with the tasks at hand.

First, do one's best, then leave the rest to fate.

Walking out of the old library, the midday sun spilled onto him, feeling somewhat blinding.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan headed toward the residential area.

On the way, he passed the sports field and saw the freshmen undergoing military training.

Returning to his dormitory, which had been unoccupied for the entire summer break, he found a thin layer of dust; since Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin and the others hadn't returned from their meal with Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan began to clean up by himself.

Just as he finished wiping the table, the dormitory door was opened, and standing in the doorway was Lu Yi.

"Brother Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, you're back?"

"Yes."

"I'll come help you."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan did not refuse.

With Lu Yi's help, the cleaning of the dormitory was quickly finished, and the bedding was taken outside to hang in the sun.

Lu Yi even brought over some snacks and water from the shop.

"Brother Lu Yi, thank you for your hard work."

"It's no trouble, no trouble at all."

"Did you not go home again this summer break?"

"I did go back. I stayed home for half a month, but I felt bored, so I returned to school early."

"How is the meat processing plant your parents run doing?"

"The profits are incredible. They wish they could eat and sleep at the plant. Since I, their son, went back, I felt more like a burden, which is why I returned to school early to plan the activities for the start of the semester."

Lu Yi now managed not just one shop, but four, all of which were large stores containing stationery, printing services, and books; two of them even had newly renovated student activity rooms above them.

Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang provided the capital and the name, while Lu Yi handled the actual operations, and he had shown sufficient talent in this regard.

One must know that during the summer break a year ago, he had to stay at school to tutor and earn living expenses due to family difficulties; now, both he and his family were living a prosperous life.

"Brother Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, how long do you plan to stay at school this time?"

"I won't be staying for many days."

"I really envy you guys."

"Aren't you doing well now?"

"I am doing well. I've already planned to go into business full-time after I officially graduate, but deep down, I still have a tiny bit of regret; after all, I had aspirations and expectations when I first applied for this major."

"Just do what you love."

"Yes, I love doing business. In the future, I want to open branches, more and more branches! I want to open shops in my hometown, and I want to open them in Nantong too."

When speaking of his blueprint for the future, Lu Yi's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face was radiant.

After Lu Yi left, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan sat at his desk, took out the document bag Zhai Lao had given him, and began to read.

As he was reading, the dormitory door was pushed open, and Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin walked in, eating a red sausage.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Binbin, didn't you eat enough?"

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin: "I did, but coming back to school without eating a red sausage just doesn't feel like the right ritual."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Is Lu Yi in the dormitory?"

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin: "No, that guy A You forgot his dormitory key and had to climb through the window to open the door."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "What about Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang?"

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin: "He was called away by a phone call from Luo Gong in the middle of the meal. Haha, they are truly busy. However, we have a lot to be busy with over the next two days; there are many meetings. This is the meeting schedule Brother Liang gave me."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan took it, glanced at it, and noted it down.

"Brother Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, I rented a place from Brother Liang for Zhou Zhou Zhou Zhou Zhou Zhou Yunyun to live in. I'm going over to help her move now, and tonight I'll take Zhou Zhou Zhou Zhou Zhou Zhou Yunyun to eat at my parents' place.

Oh, I'm taking A You out too; he has to go on a blind date."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Okay."

That evening, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan ate at the shop.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng slept in the original basement room, and Chen Chen Chen Chen Chen Chen Chen Xiyuan lived in the room where Xiang Xiang Seeing Yin Meng had once stayed.

After the meal, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng returned to his room to prepare to burn paper.