Chapter 405

Luo Gong, with his eyes closed, reached out and grabbed Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang by the shoulder.

In an instant, all the panic and anxiety of the past few days transformed into an intense, direct exhaustion that overwhelmed all of Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's thoughts.

Sitting on the ground, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang lowered his head and fell into a deep sleep.

This scene fell into the eyes of Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan.

The youth changed his assessment of the thing on Luo Gong's body because of this.

For someone like Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang, he had to be kept clean.

He could know some things and could participate appropriately, but he should not get involved too deeply.

Throughout history, many great figures have been surrounded by "strange tales and odd occurrences"—either omens at birth, meeting immortals in childhood, slaying pythons while hidden dragons, or perhaps she was hot...

While it is true that many stories are fabricated after their rise to power to enhance their sanctity, in reality, many are true.

The Jianghu can be viewed as a massive dye vat of karma.

Few who enter it manage to compete and emerge victorious in the end; yet there is another path, which is to pass through the vat without getting wet—to merely taste and stop.

It is not a matter of which is superior, but the entrance ticket for the latter is something only a very small number of people in this world are qualified to obtain.

Li Lan said she entered the gate too late, so she simply didn't enter at all, but in truth, she might also have been walking this path.

And in the end, she chose "self-degradation," wanting to achieve success in one step, likely because she discovered that she couldn't reach the height she desired on this path either.

If it were a chaotic era of strife, everyone would have the chance to fish in troubled waters; but in a peaceful and prosperous age, with power gathering and dragons wanting to raise their heads, even the Emperor Emperor Fengdu Emperor only dared to act as Old Man Uncle Tian's shadow, not stopping the flooding of the Daoist field, but merely following the trend to borrow strength to scheme against the Bodhisattva; no matter how well she, Li Lan, acted, she could never act her way through.

The first gift Li Lan gave herself, that pocket watch—a token of love from her "father"—was certainly not meant for her son to inherit a love story between his parents.

The ginkgo leaf specimen inside the pocket watch implied that at that university in the capital where they met and fell in love, Li Lan had left behind something she wanted to give herself; at its simplest, it was likely buried under that ginkgo tree.

If nothing goes wrong, it should contain Li Lan's records and monologues regarding her choice of path, which could be called another version of the "Code of Conduct for Not Walking the River."

The thing on Luo Gong's body caused Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang to fall asleep at this moment because it didn't want him to see the violent conflict that was about to follow, hoping to suppress the impact of this incident to the level of *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*.

Perhaps in a few decades, Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang will be able to recount these past secret experiences to his own students and juniors, just as Luo Gong did at the night market stall in Wanzhou, and amidst the juniors' lingering interest, a gentle and elegant wife will appear to take a slightly tipsy Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang home.

This thing understood the special nature of Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang; it not only possessed Luo Gong's body but also used Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang to keep itself alive.

Ordinary evil spirits—no, even those that could be called powerful evil spirits—would not be able to perceive this level.

It really is quite interesting.

What kind of existence is that Goguryeo tomb, to be able to let such a "person" escape from within?

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You takes the lead, the others assist, split up and resolve the battlefield!"

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin had just tested the strength of these three undead; they were not bad, but they did not exceed the limit.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan didn't even need to rely on the red thread to command; he only needed to provide a rough plan, and they could handle it themselves based on their past tacit understanding.

Taking Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You as the lead was because the opponents were, after all, three undead, and the Bai He Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Zhenjun, who was also a Ghost Marshal, had a natural restraining ability against such existences.

Designated as the main general, Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You's emotions and aura poured out all at once.

"Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Guarding Zhenjun, evil ghosts are to be killed, not saved~"

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You charged forward, and the two knights also spurred their warhorses to meet the attack.

At the very moment before the two sides made contact, Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin pressed his fingertips against his own brow, and a blood-red color with a tearing texture appeared in his eyes.

The two knights' figures trembled, clearly suffering a great impact.

"Bang." "Bang!"

The two knights were knocked off their warhorses by Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You and rolled onto the ground.

The masked person drew a rusted blade, his figure flashed, and his momentum surged as he tried to attack A You's flank.

A Yellow River Shovel blocked him steadily.

The force between the two sides kept increasing in an instant, but accompanied by a strange distortion, the opponent's rusted blade passed through Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's shovel handle and lunged straight at Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's Qi gate opened, and although the waves of Qi could not reach the level of Qin Shu's transformed evil dragon, they formed a resistance beyond the physical level, blocking the rusted blade.

Subsequently, the Yellow River Shovel moved downward and struck the masked person.

The masked person's figure twisted, and the Yellow River Shovel passed through his body without causing any substantial damage.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin increased his speed, ignored Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's situation, and went straight to Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You's side to coordinate with A You.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You crossed his golden maces and struck them together.

White flames burned on the golden mace in his right hand—this was the fire of the Yin God; the golden mace in his left hand was stained with black frost—this is what Yin officials in the underworld use to punish disobedient evil ghosts.

With Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin's participation, the battlefield was successfully divided.

No matter how uncomfortable or frustrated Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng was, he at least managed to hold off the masked person.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin kited one knight while not forgetting to use his intimidation technique on the other.

As for Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, he focused on launching rapid, continuous strikes and strangulation against that knight.

The knight was knocked flying again and again; his undead constitution had nowhere to hide in front of Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You.

Just as this knight was already "covered in wounds," a large eye appeared beneath his feet.

The eye first opened, then closed.

The next moment, the closed eye instantly covered his lower body, not only imprisoning him but also compressing his own power back into him.

Standing on the roof of the ancestral temple, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan gently made a move, accelerating the process while also taking the opportunity to conduct a test.

This instantaneous formation previously only had a binding effect, but after research and improvement by his main body, the effect was further enhanced.

It could be said that after inheriting the "study notes" of his main body, the strength of all the Feng Shui, techniques, and formations Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had mastered in the past had increased by at least thirty percent; and that was only secondary—the real key was that they had generally been developed with new effects.

The opponent, who was already beaten to the point of collapse by him, now also suffered from sealing and stiffness.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, of course, would not let this opportunity pass; as the mark on his brow bloomed, his body spun, and both golden maces struck the opponent's head at the same time.

"Bang!"

After the first round of attacks, the maces crossed again.

"Crack!"

The knight's head exploded directly above the neck, turning into black mist.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You opened his mouth and inhaled; all this black mist entered his mouth, and an expression of enjoyment appeared on his Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Human Face.

This was not the end; it was like a soda can being opened and a straw inserted—under continuous, fierce suction, the knight's body trembled incessantly, and the inside was completely drained.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

In place, only a pile of rusted armor remained.

One resolved.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You turned around and aimed at the next knight.

It was the same familiar recipe, the same familiar routine.

The difference was that Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan used Feng Shui strangulation this time.

Just as this knight was also beaten by Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You to the point where his spiritual body was about to collapse, invisible strands of Feng Shui Qi pierced through his body.

The youth on the roof of the ancestral temple slowly raised his right hand.

The knight's feet left the ground, and he was hoisted up.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You struck with both maces, hitting the knight's head, but just as he was about to perform the strangulation, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan spoke:

"Wait a moment."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You immediately stopped his movement.

Grandma Liu is a master of the Feng Shui path, and she has integrated sword intent into the changes of Feng Shui, so her methods are often extremely sharp.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had never practiced the sword.

But he had learned the spear.

That old man named Xu Xu Fengzhi, before he died, had specifically demonstrated and taught the spear intent of the Xu family spear to him.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan swept his left hand horizontally in front of him, then slapped his palm upward from the center.

Invisible spear intent condensed with the help of Feng Shui Qi and was thrown forward by the youth.

This method would appear flashy and impractical when dealing with entities that have physical bodies, but it had miraculous effects against spiritual bodies.

"Puff!"

After a moment of distortion, the knight's head turned directly into nothingness.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You opened his mouth to inhale, but no black mist came out.

He blinked his vertical pupils.

After a while, the black Qi suddenly dissipated.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You hurriedly opened his mouth again, using all his strength to inhale most of the dissipated black mist; because he had inhaled too much air, his belly bulged up.

"Hiccup..."

A long hiccup was emitted, and his belly deflated.

This was because Brother Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan's technique was too sharp, like an executioner acting too quickly—the head was gone, but the body hadn't reacted yet, and not even blood had spurted out in the first instance.

A You felt shocked in his heart, thinking, "My Brother Marquis Xiao Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Brother Yuan is so amazing."

The boy felt terrified in his heart.

One could only say that he was worthy of being the successor of the Emperor Emperor Fengdu Emperor; the disadvantage of all spiritual bodies in the world is that they lack a complete physical entity, and that person didn't practice martial arts, so the disadvantages just happened to cancel each other out.

But on this basis, that person truly had too many rich methods to toy with spiritual-type existences in the palm of his hand.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and looked at his fingertips.

Just now, he could have actually added karmic fire and other secret techniques of Emperor Emperor Fengdu to the Feng Shui spear intent, but it would have been like using a cannon to kill a mosquito; continuing to increase the caliber would have become increasingly meaningless, and he might have accidentally destroyed the knight completely, leaving not even a snack for the boy.

In the past, when he performed techniques of this intensity, he wasn't so free and easy, and the sense of consumption was very obvious; if he did it too many times, he would easily become exhausted. Now, he could do it very calmly.

It can be said that at present, as long as he is not approached and faced at close range, when it comes to competing with other means, he can not only win with his brainpower advantage but can also achieve a mindless crushing victory.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng was having a very uncomfortable fight there; he could block the masked person, but he couldn't build up momentum like he used to.

But with those two knights eliminated, Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin and Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You joined his side of the battle, and the situation reversed in an instant.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng was responsible for blocking the masked man's escape route, Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin provided suppression and deterrence, and Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You took the lead in the attack.

Without the red thread to command them, everyone's sense of rhythm was clear and precise.

They did not pursue speed, only to remain uninjured.

And for the party being besieged, this was extremely distressing.

With no opportunity and no gaps, the outcome could be seen the moment they clashed.

It wasn't that the masked man hadn't thought of retreating, but the moment he made the move, he discovered that the surrounding formation had been erected.

He could not understand how, as the hunter, he had ended up stepping into a trap set by the prey while in pursuit.

Time continued to slip away.

When Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You's golden mace shattered the armor on the masked man's chest, the masked man finally collapsed, kneeling on the ground.

The eyes beneath the mask were filled with unwillingness.

On the roof of the ancestral temple, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand once more, preparing to coordinate for the final blow.

Just then, a token appeared in the masked man's hand, and he held it up.

The token was merely a token, with no other effects.

It was archaic in design and pitch-black, with no carvings in the center other than the border patterns.

Precisely because of its "harmlessness," Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan halted his movements.

Furthermore, the youth noticed that when the masked man pulled out the token, the black mist dissipating from Luo Gong's body flickered in disorder.

They hadn't reached Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Jie Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Zhao Jie Jian yet, so this "wave" could not be considered the start.

In the pre-wave stage, the most important thing was to collect sufficient clues.

Since it was unwilling to fight to the death, he would leave it for now.

Currently, in Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's estimation, the Goguryeo tomb was likely a prison, the thing on Luo Gong was a fugitive, and the masked man was a constable sent to apprehend it.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Self-seal."

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng, and Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin all withdrew, surrounding the target without attacking.

The masked man seemed to hesitate; finally, he raised his other hand, clenched his fist, and smashed it into his own chest.

To survive, he intended to bind himself.

But as this action began, the token in his hand melted, turning into metallic light and shadow that merged into his body.

The masked man struggled in agony as holes appeared all over his body, quickly turning him into a sieve; as soon as a bit of sunlight shone on him, it dissolved him without a trace.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan was stunned for a moment.

The youth truly could not understand: since he knew he had been placed under a restriction where betraying the order meant death, why had he chosen to surrender just now?

This was because Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan didn't know that Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin had used a stick of incense to draw the masked man's attention away, covering Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang's escape from the ambush; otherwise, it would all have made sense.

In this world, not all people and ghosts can be judged by purely rational thinking.

With this, all three spirits perished.

Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng walked to the base of the ancestral temple; Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan stepped forward, his figure descending, and was caught steadily by Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng's shovel. Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng lowered the shovel, and the youth took his second step, landing directly on the ground.

Luo Gong still kept his eyes closed.

Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Tan Wenbin carried the unconscious Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang away, and Luo Gong did not stop him.

Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Lin Shu You stood by Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's side, guarding against any sudden attack.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan spoke: "He is my teacher."

Luo Gong: "What do you mean?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "It means that your actions are heinous."

Luo Gong: "Do you think you can kill me?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Many people have said the same thing to me, and then they were no longer in this world."

Luo Gong: "If I don't come out voluntarily, killing me is the same as killing your teacher."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I can accept that."

Luo Gong: "What?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I don't like threats. I can accept suppressing and killing you along with my teacher, and I can accept my teacher leaving this world cleanly."

Luo Gong: "You really are a good disciple."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I'll give you ten breaths to judge whether I'm bluffing."

There was no emotion in the youth's eyes.

He knew how difficult this thing was to deal with; if it were unwilling to come out, he would have no way to strip it away.

Rather than being threatened and dragged along, it was better to make everything simple.

Before ten breaths had passed—just as Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan finished speaking—a black shadow flew out from Luo Gong and landed to the side.

He was very decisive.

The black shadow was blurry, but one could see it was a man wearing what looked like wide-sleeved robes, dressed as a scholar.

The blackness swaying beneath his head was likely a beard, proving he was very old—well, very old when he died.

Combined with the perspective he presented, a Ming Dynasty person—it all matched up.

"How do you intend to deal with me?"

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "I ask, you answer."

"Fine."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Name."

"Ye Liangzhong."

Upon hearing this name, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan's gaze sharpened.

"You know me?"

"Ye Dui, courtesy name Liangzhong, pseudonym Master Simei, also known as Guigenzi, from Taizhou. My apologies, it should be Yuhan, Ninghai County."

"Am I that famous?"

"You once presented the 'Strategy for Military Affairs' to the Duke of Wu and prophesied, 'The prosperity of the Sun Hua will flourish, the rule of the Hu will end.'"

"That is correct, it was my doing. Do you have a history with me?"

"I once found a ghost-faced incense burner with a sentence carved on the bottom: 'This is the true likeness of Ye Dui'."

"A close friend made a bet with me and lost that ghost-faced burner to me, but he was unwilling to accept it, so he left that message to vent his anger."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had found that incense burner at a construction site in Jin Ling.

At the time, strange things were happening at the site; frequent water seepage caused the construction schedule to be suspended. That night, the construction team hired a van full of fake monks and fake Daoists to perform rituals, but they didn't expect that there was actually a corpse demon at the site.

The corpse demon was a "dead-walker" formed by the mutation of a human corpse and an animal corpse; Old Lady Niu back home had been in a similar situation.

At that time, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan had not yet been "lit and sent to walk the river." That battle with the corpse demon could be considered the team's first formal battle before officially walking the river.

After solving the corpse demon, Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Lu Runsheng dived underwater and rummaged through the demon's tomb, finding this burner, which looked like the only thing of any value.

Moreover, the reason Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan got involved in this matter was because Jingjing, the niece of Luo Gong's wife Zhao Hui, had been haunted by this corpse demon. Jingjing was living at Luo Gong's house at the time, and Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan and Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Xue Liangliang had been invited by Luo Gong to eat a meal cooked by his wife.

Back then, Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan got that ghost-faced burner through Luo Gong "pulling strings," and today, seeing the burner's owner, Ye Dui, was also thanks to Luo Gong "pulling strings."

This man was indeed a clever person. The strategy he presented accurately predicted the subsequent trends, yet he refused the Duke of Wu's entreaties, withdrew in time, and retired to the countryside, avoiding the terrifying political whirlpool of the early Ming Dynasty.

It was just that this clever man was in a rather miserable state now.

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "What kind of place is that?"

Ye Dui: "Humans can suppress and wear down evil spirits, and evil spirits can also suppress and wear down humans. That place is the latter."

Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Li Zhuiyuan: "Having lived for so long, is that still human?"