Chapter 40

"Slowly looking back, the nights that once belonged to each other.

Red and bright, you are still the brilliant sun in my heart, gifted to me.

......"

The singing began; Secretary Jin's Cantonese pronunciation was very standard, she sang quite professionally, and her stage movements were also more natural.

Unlike Xiao Huang Ying; he remembered that when she first spoke into the microphone, her Mandarin was still mixed with the Nantong dialect.

But Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan still thought that Xiao Huang Ying sang more beautifully.

Back then, it was precisely this song by Xiao Huang Ying that led him onto a path he had never imagined before.

Of course, if one were to force a realistic reason, it wasn't impossible to find one.

For instance, Xiao Huang Ying poured her emotions into singing this song back then, while Secretary Jin only thought about finishing the daytime routine early so she could go dig up graves at night.

At first, the surface of the fish pond didn't have the slightest ripple.

But when Secretary Jin sang:

"Even if there are a thousand songs in the days to come, drifting on my path in the distance; even if there are a thousand night stars in the days to come, brighter than tonight's moon..."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's body swayed slightly; he felt a wave of drowsiness, especially as a familiar, bone-chilling cold vaguely spread from his shoulders, much like how old arthritic legs can predict a change in weather.

He knew Xiao Huang Ying was listening, and it seemed there were signs she couldn't hold back.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan took a deep breath, forcing himself to wake up; he couldn't let his soul wander at this time.

"Beep—!"

A harsh electrical screech came from the speakers, and everyone present covered their ears; the children began to scream, and the people from the opera troupe on stage all rushed forward to adjust the equipment; it was evident they were generally both familiar and unfamiliar with it.

They should have known how to operate and use it, but they didn't use it very often in their daily lives.

The equipment was old, and the troupe was most afraid of losing work, so logically, it shouldn't be like this.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan slowly pressed his hands down, quietly making a gesture for silence.

He didn't know if Xiao Huang Ying could see it, nor did he know if she could understand his meaning.

But losing control of his emotions now would only let this group of water monkeys sense something eerie in advance and prepare themselves.

Endure it,

and wait until night to resolve it properly.

Soon,

the electrical noise vanished, and the equipment returned to normal.

This situation was quite common on current performance stages; the villagers, who had just been covering their ears in discomfort, continued to chat and laugh, and no one left.

Secretary Jin held the microphone and apologized to everyone repeatedly, then the background music started again, and she began singing "A Thousand Songs" once more.

Impatience showed in her eyes; if she had some professional polish to fall back on earlier, now she was simply going through the motions, and for the chorus, she didn't even sing herself, instead handing the microphone to the audience below.

During the first round of the chorus, there were still some extroverted adults and rowdy children singing along in their own versions of Cantonese, but by the second round of the chorus when she continued to pass the microphone, no one followed, and the scene became completely cold.

"Sing, you sing."

"Hurry up and sing, sing."

Someone below was urging her.

Secretary Jin maintained her professional smile, glossing over the song without caring at all.

The song ended, and Secretary Jin threw the microphone to the person beside her and walked to the corner to talk to a few people.

A person dressed in an exaggerated outfit went on stage and began performing card magic.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan followed a group of children and leaned toward the side of the stage, barely managing to hear Secretary Jin and the others complaining about why it wasn't over yet.

He had noticed earlier that all ten people in the opera troupe spoke Mandarin with the same accent.

And for this banquet, the chef and those responsible for washing vegetables, dishes, and serving were all locals invited on behalf of the village chief.

This meant that this group of water monkeys was concentrated only within this opera troupe.

However, there was one more thing to keep in mind: on the periphery, were there others arranged to keep watch?

When the magic show ended, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan clapped along with everyone else while stepping backward, leaving the crowd of spectators.

By the side of the road at Grandpa Grandpa Hu Zi's house, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng was already waiting on his tricycle.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan got on the vehicle: "Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, follow this small path onto the village road, keep riding forward, don't stop."

"Got it!"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng started riding, and Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin's voice came from behind: "Wait for me, you guys wait for me!"

On the village road, the tricycle was in front, followed by a big boy running behind.

This scene was full of life and could avoid raising suspicion as much as possible.

On an electrical tower in the middle of the farmland west of Grandpa Grandpa Hu Zi's house, an electrician wearing gray-white work clothes was sitting on top.

This should have been a very normal sight, but Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was working backward from the result to find evidence.

He quickly discovered the abnormality of this electrician; hanging on the rack beside the electrician were two bags containing food and water.

But this place was neither a high mountain range nor a desolate wasteland; when they wanted to eat or drink, they could easily go down to the ground, so there was really no need to take it up there.

"Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, turn around, go in the other direction."

"Okay!"

As the tricycle turned, Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin finally climbed onto the vehicle; he panted while saying: "You... you guys don't leave me behind."

"Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Binbin, we need you now."

"Really?"

When the tricycle rode to the east side of Grandpa Grandpa Hu Zi's house, another electrical tower appeared in the distance.

"Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Binbin, you get down and chase the vehicle."

"Ah?"

"Brother, hurry up."

Seeing that Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan didn't seem to be joking, Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin immediately jumped off the tricycle and continued his previous act, shouting "I haven't gotten on the vehicle yet" while waving his arms and chasing the vehicle in an exaggerated manner.

The vehicle approached that electrical tower; there was also an electrician on it, but perhaps because the west side was near the village road leading to the main highway, while his side was in the village hinterland, he appeared more lazy, leaning against the beam with a cigarette in his hand.

"Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, head south, to Zhang Shen's small shop."

"Okay."

On the way south, he saw another person, but this person was treated a bit poorly; he didn't have an electrical tower, only an electrical pole, so he could only hang himself on it using tools.

Out of caution, after passing him, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan still continued south to Zhang Shen's small shop to buy some things.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin asked for a pack of small Su cigarettes.

Of course, he paid for it himself.

He tore open the packaging paper skillfully, peeled off a corner of the cigarette box, turned it upside down in his palm and flicked it, and a few cigarettes fell out halfway.

"Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, want one?"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng looked back, then continued to focus on riding: "I don't smoke."

"Brother Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, do you want one?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin had no choice but to bite one himself, take out a match, shield it with his palm, and light it.

"Hiss... puff... cough cough cough... ugh!"

First, he choked and coughed continuously, then tears flowed out, and finally, he dry-heaved.

It was clear that the moves were flashy and he had probably practiced imitating it in his mind many times, but he didn't know how to smoke.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin said somewhat embarrassedly: "A bit nervous, wanted to relax a little."

Clearly, no one told him what was actually going on, and he didn't even know what was happening himself, but he was able to find enough immersion for himself.

Heading north was simple, because Li Sanjiang's house was already north of Grandpa Grandpa Hu Zi's house.

On the way, he passed an electrical pole, and there was one hanging on that pole too.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan could now be certain that these four electricians were water monkeys in disguise.

Even for rural power facility maintenance, they wouldn't arrange so many people at once and arrange them so densely; usually, one electrician would check a large area alone.

But unless they were intentional, most people wouldn't really notice anything unusual; everyone was long used to the occasional electrician appearing on the poles, and because they were basically not from the local village or town, few people would take the initiative to greet them.

Returning home to the workshop, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan took out paper and pen, and with Grandpa Grandpa Hu Zi's house as the center, drew a rough sketch of the farmland, river, and electrical poles.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin leaned their heads over from left and right, also looking at the map very seriously.

In a rural plain area, there were people at all four high points around; this was just what was known on the surface, and there might be other observation posts that hadn't been discovered, or ones that weren't there during the day but were added at night.

Originally, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan planned to wait until nightfall, and have himself and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng take tools to sneakily approach the edge of Grandpa Grandpa Hu Zi's fish pond.

Now it seemed that was impossible; during the day, the crowd could provide cover, but at night, there was basically no one on the village roads, and when they were digging the grave, the lookouts outside would definitely be more alert.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "There are ten people in the opera troupe, and at least four on the periphery; counting Ding Ding Dalin and the two lying in the hospital, the scale of this group of water monkeys is close to twenty."

"So many people?" Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng scratched his head, "I thought this kind of work could be done by one or two people."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan smiled; the difficulty of grave robbing for a water burial tomb was inherently greater, and the population in water system areas was generally not too sparse, therefore, the scale of water monkey groups was generally quite large, focusing on digging fast and leaving fast.

"Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, the problem now is, how do we sneak in at night without being discovered."

The methods he prepared were all to assist Xiao Huang Ying; if he couldn't observe from the side, he wouldn't be able to grasp the timing to act at all; he couldn't have Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng start fighting the water monkeys before Xiao Huang Ying even appeared.

If it really came to that, he might as well call the police now.

"That, Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, can we go this way?"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng stretched out his hand and pointed all the way along the river in the map.

This river was very close to Grandpa Grandpa Hu Zi's house and the fish pond.

"Go through the river?"

"Right, Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, we can walk underwater, reach this spot, then go ashore and hide in the haystacks; as for breathing, each of us can hold a straw in our mouths."

At first, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan felt this proposal was very unreliable, but upon closer thought, it was surprisingly feasible.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng had great strength and was a strong swimmer, plus he had the experience of fighting a corpse underwater; the twelve formation flags and the corpse-salvaging gear were just enough to provide him with the weight needed to walk underwater.

At the same time, the haystacks on the shore were already very close to the fish pond.

The only drawback was that when I follow along, I'll probably have to tie a rope to Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, and the posture will be a bit unsightly.

"Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, your proposal is excellent; let's tentatively decide to do it this way."

Having received approval, a smile appeared on Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face; he knew that watching more movies was useful.

"Not bad, that really is a great method." Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin nodded, "So, can you tell me what exactly we are going to do tonight?"

"Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Binbin, after we finish the evening banquet, I will tell you everything."

"Brother Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, you won't lie to me, will you?"

"I won't."

"Fine, I believe you."

The evening banquet started very early; at five o'clock, everyone was invited to take their seats, and the dishes were served quickly.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan once again brought Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin to find Li Sanjiang, and they sat down together to eat.

The flush on Li Sanjiang's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face from drinking at noon had not yet faded; he rubbed his belly, not feeling very hungry, and asked Ding Ding Dalin who was sitting beside him:

"Why did the banquet start so early?"

"Sanjiang Hou, you know, I've been abroad, there's a time difference."

"Oh, I see."

This excuse was very lame, but since the dishes were already being served, there was no need to say anything more.

Moreover, the speed of serving dishes from the kitchen in the evening was also very fast, with hot dish after hot dish.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan knew this was all to end the banquet early and buy more time for digging the grave at night.

During the banquet, Secretary Jin walked to Ding Ding Dalin's side and whispered a few words.

Ding Ding Dalin then looked at Li Sanjiang: "Sanjiang Hou, do you have any lanterns at home?"

"Lanterns? Yes, I do."

Li Sanjiang's house had some basic items for weddings and funerals prepared, which were convenient for renting out.

This did not refer to paper lanterns, but ones that could be recycled and reused.

"It's a special custom of ours; on the night of moving into a new home, one must hang a string of red and white lanterns on the roof, but unfortunately, the lanterns I originally ordered were delayed and won't arrive tonight."

"What's that to worry about." Li Sanjiang looked at Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, "Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan Hou, go home, tell Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng to bring the lanterns over, and help them hang them up while you're at it."

"Alright, I'll go right now."

"Eat first, then go; there's no rush."

"I'm not hungry, Great-Grandfather."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan left the table, and Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin grabbed a chicken leg and hurriedly followed.

He had gone for a run in the afternoon, so his digestion was relatively fast.

Last time, when Brother Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang told him about his experience going to Bai Family Town, he mentioned the two strings of lanterns hanging on the town's archway.

This actually had a hidden meaning: red represents human affairs, white represents ghost talk; with red and white lanterns hung high, neither the yin nor yang paths will interfere.

Bai Family Town set this up because of its special nature; the Bai Family ladies were in a stage of being neither fully human nor fully ghost.

The water monkeys doing this was also one of the traditions of their faction, hoping for things to go smoothly, with peace in the world of the living and no disturbance from the underworld.

However, this did give Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan a new idea.

Returning home, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng had already packed the formation flags and corpse-salvaging tools in white plastic sheeting, and he had a strap slung across his upper body.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan knew this was for binding himself when they set off to go underwater.

"Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, the plan has changed; I've found a better way to enter."

"Ah, Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, what do you intend to do?"

"The most dangerous place is the safest place; since there are high points keeping watch all around, we shouldn't even think about going out and then coming back in."

"I still don't understand." Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng shook his head.

"I understood a little, but I want to keep listening." Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin rested his chin on his hand, his eyes showing contemplation.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan tilted his head toward him; Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng understood this gesture, so he directly lifted Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin up, forcibly brought him to the workshop behind the house, and then took a rope to tie his hands and feet.

"No, no, you can't do this, Brother Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, you promised to tell me everything."

"Mm, I'm telling you now."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan squatted down in front of Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin and told him everything about the water monkeys and the main burial site.

After listening, an incomparably excited expression appeared on Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face: "So exciting!"

Immediately, he shifted his bound hands and feet: "But what are you doing this for?"

"Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Binbin, what does your grandfather do?"

"He's a police officer, and my maternal grandfather is also a police officer."

"Then what do you plan to do in the future?"

"Anything is fine, as long as I don't become a police officer."

"Don't say angry words; things said during the rebellious phase don't count. You will definitely be a police officer in the future too."

"I don't want to be..."

"Plug it."

"Wuwuwuwu!"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng very deftly plugged Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin's mouth.

"Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, did you hear what Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Binbin just said?"

"He said he doesn't..."

"He said that in the future, he will definitely be a police officer."

"Oh, right, yes, that's correct."

"A police family, indeed."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan leaned forward and reached out to hug Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin.

There's no time to go to the police station to hug the plaque, so hugging you is the same; it's for good luck.

When Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan stood up, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng also leaned over and gave him a forceful hug, squeezing Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin until his eyes rolled back.

"Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Binbin, we are doing this for your own safety; next time we have a chance to encounter a kinder corpse, we'll bring you to see it."

"That's right, that's right." Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng chimed in, "People are much more dangerous than corpses."

Next, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng put the items into the lantern covers and carried them to the bearded man's house.

At this time, the first batch had finished, and the second batch was eating.

Li Sanjiang and Ding Ding Dalin had not left the table and were still drinking; seeing Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng arrive, Li Sanjiang waved his hand and urged: "Hurry up and help them hang them up."

"Alright, Great-Grandfather."

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan went up to the second floor; there was an opening on the second floor with a ladder placed next to it, from which one could reach the roof.

After setting up the ladder and carrying the items up, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng began to prop up the lanterns, stringing them one by one, then lighting them in sequence and lowering them.

The east side was red, and the west side was white.

After finishing, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan said: "Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, I'll go down and move the ladder back; you stay up there and get ready to catch me."

"Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, there's no need for such trouble."

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng jumped downward, his feet hooking the edge just in time, and his whole body swung down.

Then he grabbed the ladder, using his waist strength to swing it back into its original position against the wall.

Immediately exerting force again, he retracted his upper body and grabbed the edge with both hands, pulling himself back bit by bit, and finally covered the opening; the whole set of movements was done in one go.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan could only sigh in his heart once again at Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's terrifying physical fitness.

But this was something he was born with; it couldn't be envied.

It's just that he didn't know if the kind of person like Uncle Qin, who could grow blood gills to go underwater, was born that way or trained later.

Recently, because of his persistence in breathing exercises and horse stance, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan felt he had made great progress, but his own painstaking accumulation might just be to catch up to someone else's starting line.

At this moment, the boy felt a bit of rejection and resentment toward geniuses; why?

"Little Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, what if they come up to check later?"

"Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, there is a 'what if' in everything."

"That's true."

The local roofs were purely roofs and would not become places for people's activities, so usually, except for when the house leaked, no one would come up.

Most of the roof area was covered with large red tiles, surrounded by small cement walls on four sides; the walls were very low, not even enough for a person to squat, so Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng could only choose to lie flat.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng was very close to the opening, clutching a Yellow River shovel in his hand.

That shovel of his had been modified by Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan; it was larger, heavier, and the sharpened edge was longer.

If the water monkeys didn't come to check the roof, that would be fine, but if they dared to push open the cover and poke their heads out, what awaited them would be a shovel strike from Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan gently covered his chest with his right hand, sensing his thumping heartbeat; he was a little nervous, but more than that, he was excited.

Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Binbin, I didn't lie to you; this is indeed fun.

The reason I didn't bring you is also because I don't want to increase the probability of accidents; I still want to be able to continue playing in the future.

Occasionally, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan would also gently lift his head; he was perfectly positioned facing the fish pond, and the opera stage was right next to the fish pond, so the view was excellent.

Gradually, the second batch also finished, and everyone began to disperse.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan heard Li Sanjiang's voice; he was drunk, holding onto Ding Ding Dalin's hand and muttering incessantly, "Good brother, for a lifetime!"

It was evident that Ding Ding Dalin had been humoring him, and it took quite an effort to finally persuade Li Sanjiang to leave.

Originally, the tail-end banquet was meant for the chefs' assistants and laborers, but they were all given red envelopes and allowed to take the leftovers, so everyone left happily.

The boisterous and lively banquet soon quieted down.

The large horns and speakers on the stage had their volume turned up, and the music and singing continued.

The members of the opera troupe all came down; instead of helping to clear the bowls, chopsticks, tables, and chairs, they began to inspect the courtyard and its surroundings.

Secretary Jin picked up a flashlight, turned it on, and held it up, rotating it in a circle.

Soon, flashlights flickered in response from six high points on the perimeter.

One of them was right on top of the haystack by the river.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan inwardly thought, "That was close." In their original plan, after he and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng sneaked ashore from underwater, they would have hidden in this haystack, which would truly have been like a mouse jumping into a mousetrap of its own accord.

Footsteps also came from the balcony on the second floor below, where someone was checking the rooms one by one.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look at Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, who was pressing his ear against the ground, his Yellow River Shovel ready in his hand.

Before long, the footsteps faded away, and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, looking through a drainage hole in the small concrete wall in front of him, saw that they had already gathered in the courtyard.

It seemed they had finished their inspection and had even skipped the roof; the "darkness under the lamp" strategy was indeed effective.

Ding Ding Dalin had changed into a bright yellow Daoist robe and was holding a peach-wood sword.

An offering table had been set up in front of him, with candles and sacrificial offerings placed upon it.

Ding Ding Dalin began to perform the ritual; unlike Li Sanjiang, Ding Ding Dalin's movements were very rapid.

After all, the others were just going through the motions before opening a tomb for the water monkeys, whereas his own great-grandfather sometimes had to cater to the host's emotions, performing for a while longer so the host would feel the money was well spent.

But it could not be denied that Ding Ding Dalin's movements and demeanor were far more standard and professional than his great-grandfather's.

It was quite like the difference between Secretary Jin and Xiao Huang Ying singing during the day.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was stunned for a moment and rubbed his brow with his hand; what kind of random associations was he making?

The ritual completed, Ding Ding Dalin did not take off his Daoist robe but instead swapped the peach-wood sword for a Luo Pan, standing in place and looking around.

This Luo Pan was entirely purple and quite large; the carvings and inlays on it were extremely intricate. Like the wall clock in the foreign-affairs hotel, it had a row of small circles outside the large circle, each representing the time in different regions.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips; compared to this purple Luo Pan, the custom-made one he had was far inferior, requiring him to calculate and calibrate it mentally every time he used it.

At this moment, led by Secretary Jin, all ten water monkeys knelt on one knee before Ding Ding Dalin.

Ding Ding Dalin stared at the Luo Pan and slowly raised his hand:

"The auspicious hour has arrived, start the work!"

Everyone raised one hand, silently chanting something in unison; after finishing, they stood up and went their separate ways to get to work.

The advantage of a water tomb over a traditional earth tomb is the lower probability of "air force" (finding nothing).

However, water tombs are harder to rob than earth tombs and carry higher risks. Any industry like this will derive many complex rituals and etiquettes, not just to respect ghosts and gods, but to strengthen one's own psychological preparation.

Quite a few things were moved out from under the stage; at a glance, there were two water pumps and a diesel generator.

There were also things resembling noose loops, and two people were methodically building a frame.

Times are changing, and the water monkeys' tomb-robbing methods are naturally progressing as well.

The noise of the water pumps was masked by the horns and speakers, and with the water pipes leading to the nearby river, the surface of the fishpond soon began to drop at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng also moved over at this time, as there was no longer any risk at the cover opening.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, tell me when you need me to go down and plant the flag."

"Hmm, it's still early."

The opportunity to plant the flag would come when Xiao Huang Ying confronted the water monkeys; only when they were in chaos would he and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng have the chance to run to the perimeter and set things up.

The fishpond began to hit bottom, revealing the mud at the base, along with many dead and rotting fish and crabs.

The water monkeys laughed, believing they were closer to their goal.

But Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan knew that as long as a "dead-fall" resided in a small fishpond, the aquatic life there would never thrive.

Therefore, this scene was truly not triggered by that main tomb chamber.

Five water monkeys wearing waterproof suits went into the fishpond, holding retractable iron rods. They stabbed them into the ground, then pulled them out to extract soil from an interlayer at a specific height.

Ding Ding Dalin sat by the fishpond; the Luo Pan had long been set aside, and now he held a large bowl and a wooden spoon.

The deep-layer soil retrieved was brought over one by one and poured into his bowl, and he picked up the wooden spoon to taste it.

"Mom, Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, look, he's actually eating mud."

"Hmm, I see it."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan didn't quite understand why Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng had such a strong reaction; after all, while eating mud was strange, it was still much more normal than eating incense.

Although there was no relevant record of the act of eating mud in the books, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan could still understand the intent; it should be a way of identifying the location.

Ding Ding Dalin tasted a mouthful and shook his head, and he shook his head five times in a row.

The water monkeys continued to choose locations to pierce, then continued to provide new mud.

Finally, Ding Ding Dalin tasted it and nodded, pointing his finger at that location.

Everyone picked up shovels and began to dig. After digging a pit, they took out steel plates and began to hammer them in; the steel plates had locking buckles between them, all fastened once they entered the soil.

After completion, they tied ropes and connected them to a winch, and the machine began to turn.

A large chunk of earth was excavated and dragged out of the fishpond.

Using an excavator would be too conspicuous; this contraption achieved the effect of an excavator, and besides, when they reached the tomb later, it could also be used to forcefully pry open the lid.

Digging a tomb tunnel or the like was too time-consuming and laborious, unless the housewarming banquet was held for an entire month.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan knew that they didn't use detonators not because they were kind, but simply because the conditions didn't allow it.

But even if they continued to excavate in this manner, the damage to the tomb would be immense.

They just wanted to open the tomb as soon as possible, take the most valuable items inside, and then run away to sell the stolen goods abroad.

The excavation with steel plates combined with manual labor soon revealed a very deep pit.

It was fortunate that Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was on the roof now; in any other position, it would have been impossible to see these construction details.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng whispered, "Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, is Xiao Huang Ying not at home?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "She should be at home."

He had even sensed Xiao Huang Ying listening to the opera in the afternoon.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, you say, is there a possibility that she saw so many people coming to her house, got scared, and then slipped away?"

"This..."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was also unsure, because the fact was that the water monkeys had progressed to this point, and there hadn't been the slightest anomaly.

The *Jianghu Records of Strange Tales* described that "dead-falls" basically acted on instinct, but high-level "dead-falls" would develop intelligence.

This group of water monkeys was large in number and very professional; avoiding their sharp edge was also normal.

But Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan still didn't believe that Xiao Huang Ying would just run away like that.

"Dug it up, dug it up!"

"Found it, saw it!"

The water monkeys below in the pit were wearing hard hats with lights on them, cheering very excitedly.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan also saw that a circular arc top had been dug out in the pit.

Because the silt on top hadn't been cleared, the original color couldn't be seen, but from the shape, it looked very much like the spire of a temple.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's heart shook violently; it actually wasn't an ordinary water-burial tomb.

In water burials, there are many categories, and the most taboo and troublesome one is this kind of temple tomb.

Because its existence is often for the ancients to suppress some kind of evil spirit.

It can be said that the probability of trouble with other tombs is actually not high, while the probability of no trouble with this kind of tomb is not high.

Just like the statue of the Bai Family Lady dug up during river work a while ago, its original purpose was also to suppress; as a result, as soon as the chains were smashed open, strange things happened that very night.

And the small temple with the statue of the Bai Family Lady could not be compared at all to the circular arc top revealed before them.

This seemed to be truly a tower, and the structure of a tower is usually smallest at the very top, so how large was its entire scale?

Of course, it wasn't just Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan who was shocked; as the person in charge on site, Ding Ding Dalin's expression suddenly became very ugly.

He didn't care about his old age, entered the pit, and began to wipe away the silt with a flashlight to observe the details. Immediately, he seemed to have discovered something; his body trembled, his gaze swept toward the other water monkeys around him, and he waved his hand.

Secretary Jin also jumped down and asked, "What's wrong?"

"This is a temple tomb, it cannot be opened."

"Why?"

"I've experienced temple tombs a few times, and there has never been a time when it was peaceful and stable; once this kind of tomb is opened, evil will inevitably be seen afterward."

"Then will there be good things in this kind of tomb?"

"I said, it cannot be opened."

"We've reached this point, and you say it won't be opened just because you say so? This operation cost so much, and we lost two brothers, and now they are being watched by the police in the hospital and can't get out."

"Listen to me, you all said it before, you have to listen to me, I'm the boss!"

Secretary Jin reached out, grabbed Ding Ding Dalin's neck, and said coldly:

"Old thing, today this tomb must be opened no matter what. The police have already noticed us, and we must finish this job to go out and hide. Without money, what are we all hiding from?"

"You... you for money... don't want your life... anymore...?"

"Without money, what's the use of this life?"

Secretary Jin pulled out a dagger and rubbed it up and down against Ding Ding Dalin's old Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face: "Old thing, I'll give you one more chance."

"I'll open it... I'll open it..."

"Very good, what do we do next?"

Secretary Jin let go of her hand, and Ding Ding Dalin covered his neck, gasping for breath as he replied:

"Small temple tombs emphasize containment and locking, while large temple tombs emphasize sealing; both are meant to nail down whatever is suppressed inside. To open such a tomb, there is no other way; you can only use the clumsy method of first opening a seam along the bottom corner, then using external force to pull it."

"But I advise you, consider it again, really."

"Hah, if you're scared, go up and find a place to hide, don't get in the way."

"Good words are hard to persuade..." Ding Ding Dalin took one last look at the pit, then climbed out, subsequently crawled out of the fish pond, and arrived outside.

He picked up the Luo Pan again, held it in his arms, and kept muttering with his head bowed, as if he were praying.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, that old man wasn't the boss after all?"

"When he can lead everyone to make money, he is the boss; if he hinders everyone from making money, then he isn't."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan could see that the old man Ding had also recognized the temple tomb, but clearly, his words no longer carried any weight.

Hook after hook was fixed into place, and after a gesture was made on this side, the machines on the other side were started.

But even though the ropes and cables were pulled taut, they still couldn't pull this top off; it only caused the arc-shaped top to tilt.

In other words, this tower was now crooked.

"Go down and pry it!" Secretary Jin had now replaced Ding Ding Dalin in command.

A group of water monkeys began to use tools to pry and smash, all of them working until they were drenched in sweat, and time ticked away second by second.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, why can't they open it yet?" Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng yawned; he was getting a bit sleepy.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan also felt a bit bored; by a rough estimate, this group of water monkeys had been busy for nearly two hours.

During this time, some people left after becoming exhausted and were replaced by new people, likely having swapped shifts with the observation post.

"Click..."

Hearing this sound, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng both quickly perked up; it looked like there was finally some progress.

With a gap opened, it was easier to break the wall; accompanied by the "creak, creak" sound of the winch, the ropes suddenly gave a sharp jerk, and the entire arc-shaped top was lifted off, revealing what was inside.

For now, it was unclear whether it was the tower top or the tomb passage.

The water monkeys were experienced and retreated one after another; no one was foolish enough to dive in right then.

After a while, seeing that there was still no movement inside, Secretary Jin threw several signal flares in, but the interior seemed very deep, and the light vanished quickly after they were thrown in.

A water monkey brought over a long pole with a rooster tied to the end and probed the pole inside; after a while, the pole was retracted, and the chicken was still alive.

"It's safe below."

The pole was thrown away directly and landed far off.

Secretary Jin nodded: "Go down and scout the path."

After two water monkeys tied ropes to themselves, they officially entered the tomb.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, what should we do? The corpse hasn't come out yet; don't let them actually succeed in robbing it."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan sighed and said: "Then we..."

Just then, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan saw Ding Ding Dalin walking toward the rooster that was still tied to the pole; he squatted down and reached out his hand.

The rooster suddenly broke free from its restraints and pecked fiercely at his palm.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan saw this scene clearly from above, yet even he could not react to how the rooster had managed it.

Because the rooster's feathers and even its chicken skin were still left on the pole; it had almost jumped out of its own carcass to peck the person.

Moreover, after pecking the person, it seemed even more excited, frantically calling out "cluck, cluck, cluck" on the spot.

This scene was bone-chilling; although he often ate chicken, this was the first time Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had seen a bloody, walking chicken.

Ding Ding Dalin, ignoring the bloody hole in his palm, turned his head and shouted at Secretary Jin's group:

"It's out, it's out, it's out!"

"Old thing, be quiet!" Secretary Jin cursed.

At this moment, the water monkeys were all gathered around the edge of the fish pond hole, waiting for a response from inside; due to their line of sight, they couldn't see the chicken.

Secretary Jin pointed at someone: "You go up and see what's wrong with the old thing."

"Okay."

Before that person could go up, tugging motions came from the two ropes; this was the signal from the two people who had gone in—they intended to come out.

Everyone outside breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed it was safe inside. Next, they would wait for the two who had gone in to come out and explain the situation, then everyone could go in together to move the items.

Secretary Jin ordered: "Pull the ropes."

The people outside began to pull the ropes; it wasn't to drag them, just to slowly lift the ropes, which meant the two people inside were steadily walking out.

Not long after, they walked out.

"There are good things inside, so many good things!"

"Too many things, but too heavy, the two of us can't move them. There's also a coffin, black, tied with chains, very noble; there must be treasures inside!"

Excitement appeared on everyone's faces, and someone came up to help the two of them untie the ropes from their bodies.

But just then, the two of them untied the ropes themselves.

Not with their hands, but their entire bodies crawled out from their own clothes—no, from the tops of their own heads.

"There are good things inside, so many good things!"

"Hurry and move them, hurry and move them!"

The two bloody people danced happily on the spot, still urging their companions to hurry down into the tomb.

This eerie and terrifying scene left all the water monkeys present stunned.

They were all veterans in this trade, having been in many tombs and having encountered some incidents, but none could compare to what was before them!

After opening the tomb, there was no mist, no poison, and no corpse seen; they had just been sharing their joy, and this horrifying scene had appeared so abruptly.

"Tie them up!"

Secretary Jin gave the order, then immediately turned away from the edge of the cave, jumped over the fish pond, and went to find Ding Ding Dalin.

"Something's wrong, boss!"

Secretary Jin saw Ding Ding Dalin huddled and leaning against a mound of earth, his voice already hoarse, yet he was still muttering: "It's out... it's out..."

"Something's wrong, boss, come and take a look."

Ding Ding Dalin ignored Secretary Jin's words and continued to repeat what he had said before.

"I'm telling you something's wrong!"

Secretary Jin kicked Ding Ding Dalin in the back.

"Rip..."

With a crisp sound of tearing flesh, Ding Ding Dalin's Daoist robe and the human skin inside remained where they were, with gray-white hair still on the scalp, while a bloody person was kicked out, rolling on the ground continuously, causing mud and small pebbles to become embedded in the flesh.

But even so, this bloody person continued to squat on the ground, muttering:

"It's out... it's out..."

Secretary Jin retreated two steps, looking at all this in disbelief, because she knew that Ding Ding Dalin had been outside the fish pond the whole time; if even he had become like this, then the others...

Secretary Jin turned back and looked at the pit inside the fish pond, where bloody people were crawling out one by one, running in circles in the drained fish pond.

Her Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face was full of fear; she raised her hand and touched her own Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

The moment she touched it, her skin split open.

Like taking off clothes, the skin on her body and her clothes all fell to the ground.

The evening wind was like a knife, cutting into her exposed blood vessels; she squatted down and began to scream.

All of this actually happened in less than a minute.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng both widened their eyes; the two turned their heads and slowly looked at each other.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng was thinking of plots from movies, while Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was deducing in his own mind; in short, they had both imagined various directions for tonight's events, but they had never expected it to reach this point.

Xiao Huang Ying had not appeared, but the scene below was countless times more terrifying than if she had.

Even if they were water monkeys and deserved to die, they were still a group of living people; were they just going to come out stark naked, as cleanly as peeling shrimp?

Among all the corpses they had experienced before, which one could cause a scene like this?

At this moment, the blood-red Secretary Jin stopped screaming; she stood up staggeringly, took a flashlight from her clothes, turned it on, held it above her head, and began to rotate it in circles.

She was sending a light signal.

Soon, light responses came from six high points on the perimeter, and during the response, the lights were moving downward.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan suddenly realized that she was deliberately using light signals to call the accomplices outside over.

And the result of calling them over would be...

Why would she do this?

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan suddenly thought of a possibility: this thing wanted everyone who knew about the events here to keep the secret forever.

Then was his current position still safe?

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, what on earth happened to them? I didn't see who..."

Below, Secretary Jin, who had originally been facing away from the house, lowered her arm, and her figure began to turn.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Run!"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng was stunned for a moment, then immediately went to the cover, preparing to lift it, but Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan patted his back several times:

"Brother, it's too late, jump down directly, there's a woodpile behind the house."

"Okay!"

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng did not hesitate, got up, rushed over, and leaped down.

There was indeed a woodpile below, but it wasn't very high, and the drop from the roof was still significant; after Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng landed, he didn't stand steady, fell sideways, and his skin was scratched in several places by the branches.

But he didn't even groan, immediately forced himself to stand up, facing upward, and at this moment, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan also jumped down.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng raised his arms and hugged Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan.

Yet even so, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan still felt a tightness in his chest and sharp pain in his ribs; his nose had even scraped against Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's arm, and now warm liquid was already flowing down.

To force his way downstairs so crudely, it was naturally impossible not to pay some price.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, are you alright?"

"Run..."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan pointed ahead, and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng nodded, immediately hoisting the boy onto his back, jumping off the woodpile, quickly crossing the village path, and then disappearing into the farmland ahead.

At this moment, there was no need to worry about being seen by the sentries on the perimeter; firstly, they had already left the high ground, and secondly, they were running toward the fishpond at the bearded man's house.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng carried the boy as he wove through the rice paddies; the rice ears stung his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face painfully, with a sensation of being sliced.

This feeling was terrifying at the moment, because he couldn't be sure if it was caused by the rice ears, or if his own skin was about to break as well.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was bleeding; he wanted to lift his neck to stop the bleeding, but he couldn't because of Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng running beneath him.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng was also bleeding; he was terrified and didn't dare to stop at all.

Ever since he could remember, accompanying his grandfather to retrieve corpses, he had never seen such a horrifying scene.

Finally, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng ran out of the farmland, reached the road, and then followed it, running in one breath to the terrace of their home.

In the workshop, Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin was already asleep.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and he saw the two of them covered in blood enter, which scared his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face white.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan raised his head, found paper to fold into balls, and stuffed them into his nostrils.

With great difficulty, the nosebleed finally stopped, and he rubbed his chest; although his ribs still hurt, it was no longer a major problem.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng picked up a pair of tweezers and pulled out the wooden splinters embedded in his skin one by one.

After both of them finished tending to themselves, they sat Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face-to-Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face, panting incessantly.

In Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's eyes was helplessness; he had been scared out of his wits.

In Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's eyes was bewilderment; this question was beyond the syllabus.

The commotion caused by the Bai family ladies last time was nowhere near as terrifying and bizarre as tonight.

After all, the methods of the Bai family ladies were understandable and could be countered, but the situation at the bearded man's fishpond just now had no leads at all.

Even now, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan felt a deep sense of unreality; why would such a thing be buried in Siyuan Village?

Just by opening the tomb lid, a whole group of people ended up in such a state; just how terrifying must the existence inside be?

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan now had to wonder, could Liu Liu Jinxia still handle the situation?

Seeing the two of them like this, Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin knew something major must have happened; he was very curious and wanted to know, but the two seemed to have forgotten he was still tied up and gagged, so he could only attract their attention by swaying constantly, wriggling like a cheerful maggot.

Finally, their gazes fell upon him, and their eyes also revealed astonishment.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin paused for a moment, then wriggled even more violently; no, what kind of look is that, you actually really forgot I existed!

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng untied Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin, and Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin wanted to ask something, but immediately crossed his legs and ran out of the workshop to the toilet.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, I feel a bit itchy all over, but I don't dare to scratch."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan raised his head and saw that Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's skin was a dark red color.

He immediately looked down at himself and seemed to be a bit red as well.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, are we not going to end up like that, are we?"

"We won't; if we were going to, we would have already."

"I'm going to use well water to rinse off." Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng walked out of the workshop.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin, feeling relieved, walked in; he wasn't angry, but instead took the initiative to come over again, asking curiously:

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Binbin, wait for Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng to tell you."

"Lingering fear?"

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

"That serious?" Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin hesitated for a moment and asked, "How about we call the police now?"

"No, absolutely not; that place cannot be approached right now."

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, soaked all over and wearing only a pair of briefs, walked back barefoot: "Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, rinsing with well water really works; my skin isn't red anymore. Come over, I'll rinse you off too."

Although he couldn't understand the principle behind it, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan still went; several buckets of well water were poured over his head, and his body began to shiver subconsciously.

But indeed, the red color that had appeared on his body earlier had faded.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, it seems our problem isn't big."

"Yeah, maybe it's because we were a bit further away."

"Besides, we ran fast; it's a good thing you reminded me to jump down directly, otherwise if we had waited to take the stairs, we might have been cooked too."

Hearing this, a scene couldn't help but appear in Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's mind of a large blood-clot-head carrying a small blood-clot-head running through the rice paddies.

"Oh no!" Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's expression changed.

"What's wrong?"

"The array flags are still left on the roof, and my set of corpse-retrieval tools are still left there too!"

Looking at Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, who was full of regret and heartache, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan could only comfort him: "It's okay, Brother Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, the tools can be made again."

Immediately after, to prevent Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng from doing something foolish, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan reminded him: "Brother, without my permission, you are not allowed to sneak back to retrieve things."

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng hurriedly waved his hand: "How would I dare? I wouldn't dare; I'm truly scared this time."

"Let's sleep; let's get some sleep first."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs, and when he reached the door of his room, he turned around, looked in the direction of the bearded man's house, and after hesitating for a long time, he still pushed the door open and walked in.

Tonight, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had a dream; it wasn't a spirit-walk, but a very simple nightmare.

In the dream, he was still lying on the roof, watching two rows of water monkeys kneeling below.

They climbed out of their own skins over and over again, turning into blood monkeys;

And then they climbed back into their own skins over and over again, as if putting on clothes they had just taken off.

Throughout the whole process, his ears were filled with their shrill, miserable screams.

And their gazes, from beginning to end, were fixed on him on the roof.

He didn't know if it was a nightmare he had before waking up, or if this nightmare had been repeated several times; in any case, when Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan couldn't bear it anymore and turned to jump off the building, he woke up the moment he jumped.

He turned his head eagerly; on the chair at the door, A Li was sitting there, holding a bowl in her hands.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes and lay back down.

Seeing that he was awake, A Li walked over with the bowl; this time, there was a small soup spoon in the bowl.

The girl didn't want to accidentally pour it on the boy's head again when feeding him medicine.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan sat up and accepted the girl's feeding; the spoon was quite large, and after spoonful after spoonful, he finished it quickly.

He had lost quite a bit of blood from his nose last night, so he really needed to replenish it.

The girl put down the bowl and tilted her head to look at him, seemingly noticing the boy's current absent-mindedness, her eyes filled with confusion.

"A Li, last night, I witnessed something very terrifying."

The girl took the initiative to hold the boy's hand.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan placed the girl's hand on his chest, and after sensing this softness and warmth, he closed his eyes again and took another nap.

Li Sanjiang went downstairs while yawning; he had drunk too much alcohol yesterday, and now that he had woken up, his head was still a bit dizzy.

However, after seeing the two of them sleeping on the same table, hugging each other,

he still couldn't help but raise his voice and scold:

"You rascals, what kind of sleeping posture is this!"

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin was woken up by the shouting; he tried to break free from Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's arms but was powerless to do so, so he could only look at Li Sanjiang helplessly.

Who would have thought that Li Sanjiang would just scold and clear his throat, then walk to the terrace on his own to stretch.

"Breakfast time!"

Hearing Liu Liu Jinxia's voice, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng woke up; it was time to eat.

Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan was scared, and he was scared too, but Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan had A Li, while he only had A Bin by his side.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan also brought A Li down, and everyone took their seats.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin changed his seat this time and went to sit with Li Sanjiang.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei looked at Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng curiously; these two children probably didn't get much rest last night.

"Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan, come over here and try the snacks Grandma has here."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan stood up and walked over.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei handed him a piece of pastry: "Did you have fun playing last night?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan didn't know how to answer.

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei continued to ask: "Did you see blood?"

"Yes, a lot of blood."

"Did you cause it?"

"We didn't cause anything."

Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei took a bite of the pastry with some surprise: "Then I really misjudged; it's truly picking the tallest among the short."

"No, you didn't misjudge; there really is a great king in the mountains."

"How so?"

"It was peeled in one bite."

"Peeled?" Liu Liu Liu Liu Liu Yumei had some trouble understanding this word; if he had said "swallowed in one bite," it would have been easier to understand.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan really wanted to tell Grandma Liu everything about last night, but unfortunately, in this house, one had to speak in riddles.

"Alright, I've eaten enough." Li Sanjiang set down his porridge bowl and stood up.

Liu Liu Jinxia said, "There's still more in the pot."

"I ate and drank too much yesterday, so I have no appetite now.

Tomorrow is the day for the sacrificial rites at the West Village. Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, you go with me to Big Beard... oh no, go to Ding Ding Dalin's place, and collect all the tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks. Send them to that family in the West Village this afternoon. Right, we also sent a pair of lanterns yesterday, don't forget to get those."

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng hugged a large basin of porridge and huddled in the corner, pretending not to hear.

"Hey, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, I'm talking to you, did you hear me?"

"Grandpa, I'm not feeling well today."

"Fine, you're not feeling well, is that it? Then I'll go myself. I'm not so old yet that I can't walk."

After saying this, Li Sanjiang went to push out the flatbed cart.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng immediately stopped worrying about their breakfast and ran over.

"Great-Grandpa, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and I will go collect them this afternoon, you don't need to go."

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng also chimed in, "Yes, I'll go this afternoon."

Li Sanjiang looked at Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng and reached out to touch his forehead: "You don't have a fever, what's wrong?"

"It's just a little bit, it's nothing serious."

"Hmph." Li Sanjiang sneered, reached into his pocket, took out some money, and handed it to Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, "After you finish breakfast, go to Zheng Zheng Datong's place and get a proper check-up. Get an injection if you need one, take medicine if you need to."

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng was too embarrassed to take the money; he was faking the illness.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan reached out, took the money, and put it into Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's pants pocket.

"Great-Grandpa, I'll accompany Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng to see Zheng Zheng Datong in a while. After we see him, we'll go collect the bowls, chopsticks, and lanterns."

"If there's no problem, go collect them. If there is a problem, call me, your Great-Grandpa."

Li Sanjiang put down the cart handles, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. According to his habit, he was going for his post-meal stroll.

"Great-Grandpa, I'll accompany you for a walk."

"You haven't finished your breakfast yet."

"I'm the same as you. I ate too much good food yesterday, so I have a bit of indigestion today and can't eat."

"You didn't eat much yesterday, but that Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Zhuangzhuang fellow, he ate an awful lot."

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin, who was busy shoveling porridge into his mouth, looked up with some confusion: "Grandpa, my name is Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Binbin."

"Let's go, Great-Grandpa, I'll walk with you."

"Hmm."

Li Sanjiang still liked going for walks with Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, however, was worried that Li Sanjiang would end up at Big Beard's house while strolling, so for safety's sake, he kept a close eye on him.

Sure enough, as soon as they stepped onto the village road, Li Sanjiang's steps turned toward the direction of Big Beard's house.

"Great-Grandpa, let's go to the convenience store."

"Why go to the convenience store so early? It's not even open yet. I'll accompany you to buy things later."

"Then shall we go see Grandma Liu?"

"Old Man Liu and I don't have much to talk about on a daily basis."

"Then let's go walk over there, the scenery is quite nice."

"Since when has the scenery in this village been divided into good or bad? Let's go, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, let's go take a look at your future home."

"My future home..."

"Once Old Man Ding kicks the bucket, won't it be your home? Let's go, let's go see if he's kicked the bucket yet, hehe."

"Great-Grandpa, he just moved in, wouldn't it be inappropriate to disturb him so early?"

"What's inappropriate about it? Moving house isn't the same as getting married."

After walking forward a few steps, Li Sanjiang stopped himself and pondered:

"That seems right. That secretary of his, heaven knows what she's there for. I reckon they're still in the same bed and haven't gotten up yet."

"Exactly."

A smile appeared on Li Sanjiang's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face, and he quickened his pace: "Ha, then I have even more reason to go take a look!"

Seeing that he couldn't talk his Great-Grandpa out of it, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to step forward, grab Li Sanjiang's arm, and tell the truth: "Great-Grandpa, something happened at Big Beard's house last night. The entire opera troupe, including Old Man Ding, were all skinned. They died very miserably."

"Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, what kind of nonsense are you making up so early in the morning?"

"Great-Grandpa, I'm telling the truth."

"It couldn't be faker, haha."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan felt a bit helpless. It was like this every time; at the critical moment, his Great-Grandpa never believed him.

"Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, look, that group of skinned people is coming."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan looked up with some confusion. A truck fully loaded with speaker equipment was driving from ahead. There were four people sitting in the cab, and quite a few standing in the back cargo bed.

They were all members of yesterday's opera troupe, and they all looked perfectly fine.

Upon seeing Li Sanjiang, the driver even honked the horn.

The people in the back of the truck even waved their hands to greet them:

"Grandpa Li, up so early?"

"That's right, just out for a stroll. You performed all night yesterday, and you're out so early today too."

"We have to rush to the next job, we can only catch some sleep on the truck."

"That's truly hard work."

"See you later, Grandpa Li."

"See you later."

Li Sanjiang waved his hand at the people in the opera troupe on the truck. Soon, the truck disappeared into the distance.

"Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, next time you make up a story, you need to make it more believable. That's the only way to write a good essay."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan stared at the gradually blurring truck, his hands and feet beginning to turn cold.

It was impossible. He was certain he hadn't been dreaming last night, it wasn't a hallucination, and it certainly wasn't a spirit walk. He had truly, with his own eyes, seen this group of water monkeys get skinned!

But what exactly was going on with that group of living people on the truck just now?

"Li Sanjiang, morning!"

"Morning, Lin Hou, you're out for a stroll too."

"That's right, I'm getting old, I don't sleep much. By the way, I've had people clean up your tables, chairs, bowls, chopsticks, and lanterns. When are you coming to haul them back?"

"This afternoon, I suppose. The mule at home isn't feeling well, I'll let him see a doctor first."

"Oh, I see. Yo, isn't this Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan? What a well-behaved child, out so early to accompany your Great-Grandpa for a stroll?"

"That's right, my Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan is the most well-behaved and filial. Come, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan, say hello to Old Man Ding."

In truth, when Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan heard this voice earlier, his body had already stiffened.

At this moment, he turned around with great difficulty, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Because,

Secretary Jin was supporting Ding Ding Dalin, standing right in front of him.

(End of chapter)