Chapter 457

Zhai Lao's phone call was very brief, just informing Li Zhuiyuan of his specific arrival time in Yuxi.

This was a perfectly normal schedule alignment, but the timing of the call was truly ingenious.

Li Zhuiyuan hung up the phone. When Runsheng was tidying up the offering table and cleaning the paper ash in the fire basin, he could discover that the seal Li Zhuiyuan had thrown in earlier had disappeared.

According to Mengmeng's description when in Fengdu, at this time, this seal should have already appeared on the offering table in the main hall on the top floor of hell.

Mengmeng also said that that pair of rotten dog lazy sons were still placed there to this day.

To a certain extent, it also showed that Zhao Yi was still "simple in the emperor's heart."

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and looked at the big brother phone in his hand.

Remembering the first time he saw Zhai Lao on the way to Fengdu, and when the Fengdu project was formally announced to be opened, the Great Emperor's influence on Zhai Lao was not that profound.

Zhai Lao was not the Great Emperor's puppet; the Great Emperor gave Zhai Lao considerable respect.

However, subsequently, the Great Emperor borrowed Zhai Lao's identity, and the sense of interaction with himself became stronger and stronger.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't think that this was the Great Emperor's deepening degree of control over Zhai Lao. If the Great Emperor wanted to do this, he could have started when Zhai Lao was young; there was no need to wait until now.

Here, there must be a deeper reason.

Using the elimination method, the only influencing factor left was himself.

Li Zhuiyuan suspected that it was Zhai Lao's own high regard for himself, this student, sincerely wanting to cultivate and pave the way for himself, which made him and the Great Emperor form a fit in this aspect.

In other words, if the Great Emperor's behavior could help himself, then even if Zhai Lao himself wasn't clear, subconsciously, he was willing to cooperate with the Great Emperor, and the Great Emperor could therefore obtain greater composure.

This old man was good to himself regardless of profit or loss.

Runsheng tidied up the offering table and turned his head to see the painful expression on Xiaoyuan's face, and his breathing also became rapid.

"Xiaoyuan."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, took a deep breath, revealed a smile, and said:

"Brother Runsheng, I'm fine."

Runsheng nodded. In the past, this kind of expression often appeared on Xiaoyuan's face, and generally, it would be fine after a while.

Tan Wenbin: "A You, set the table, get ready to eat!"

Runsheng also went over to help.

A Li walked to Li Zhuiyuan's side and handed over a warm towel that had just been washed with hot water.

Li Zhuiyuan took it and wiped his face.

He had just had an episode, but the illness was different from before.

In the past, when he forced himself to violate rationality, his illness would flare up, producing a feeling of skin peeling.

But just now, he was recognizing the relationship between Zhai Lao and the Great Emperor, as if seeing a math problem and instinctively going to push for the answer, starting to analyze how to use Zhai Lao's selfless love for himself, set up a trap to reversely influence the Great Emperor, and thereby find an opportunity to realize his greater gains.

As a result, a feeling of nausea emerged.

He himself was rejecting this mode of thinking, repulsing calculating and using an old man's selfless love for himself.

Just like after the sand control project was steadily advanced, although it couldn't be shaded by green trees yet, it could already fix sand and store water.

And his own human skin, after gradually growing in thickness, also began to help him resist the illness of absolute rationality.

After wiping his face, Li Zhuiyuan pulled his own skin to savor it.

A Li also pinched her own face and smiled at the youth with two dimples.

The buns and steamed buns were reheated, and the meat and vegetables A You bought were made into a pot of stew by Tan Wenbin, with the cold fried dough sticks cut into segments and put inside.

Going out to walk the rivers, this kind of food was already a rare high-standard enjoyment.

At the dinner table, Tan Wenbin praised Lin Shu You's performance in Yama's barrier again, and Lin Shu You felt very embarrassed listening.

Earlier, when Brother Xiaoyuan said to skip the praise step, he felt a sense of relief in his heart.

Because if he hadn't brought the talisman needles, he should have already been hot-headed and rushed up to do it at that time.

Runsheng put down his chopsticks.

Tan Wenbin: "Runsheng, why eat so little? Poor appetite?"

Runsheng: "Already ate, not very hungry."

Tan Wenbin: "It seems that Yama was rich in nutrition."

Runsheng: "Hmm, also very delicious, that pickled radish."

Thinking of this, Runsheng felt some regret; the last ginseng head was left behind and he couldn't eat it.

However, according to the theory of eating what you need to supplement, eating that ginseng head himself would also be a waste, so he felt relieved in his heart.

Runsheng went down the table first, picked up a broom, and began to clean the hygiene in the homestay.

When cleaning spider webs in the corner of the room, Runsheng discovered that the eyelids of the brother-in-law lying on the bed began to tremble, which was a sign of imminent awakening.

Tan Wenbin had said that he should let the brother-in-law see Lin Shu You the first thing when he woke up, and at this time Lin Shu You was still eating in the kitchen.

Runsheng stretched out a finger and flicked it on the brother-in-law's forehead.

"Slap."

The brother-in-law fainted again.

After the meal, Tan Wenbin began to assign tasks, directing everyone to set up formations in the homestay.

Busy fishing last night and busy bombing fish this morning, this matter had been delayed until now.

The "Code of Conduct for River-Walking" standardized every aspect, and, where it could be modularized, it was modularized as much as possible.

According to different geographical environments and response needs, Li Zhuiyuan improved and decomposed a batch of very representative formation templates.

Partners knew the what but not the why, relying on rote memorization and formulaic cramming to set up the formations.

In the afternoon, the formation was set up, meaning everyone had a stable and safe foothold in the local area.

Lin Shu You finished showering, wiping his hair while entering the room to check on his brother-in-law.

The brother-in-law, who had taken another nap, had his eyelids tremble again.

He woke up.

A You: "You're awake?"

Chen Lang's first reaction upon opening his eyes was facial distortion, and an angry servant soul appeared on his face, like a startled fierce tiger tearing forward.

Lin Shu You's vertical pupils opened.

The servant soul couldn't bear the pressure and shrank back under violent trembling.

The fierce color in Chen Lang's eyes faded, and he returned to being that sloppy and melancholy self.

"You are... I am..."

Chen Lang was trying hard to recall, and finally pieced together a logically sound possibility:

"You saved me?"

Lin Shu You: "Hmm."

"Why did you save me? No, that's not what I meant. I am very grateful to you, but I cannot understand why you would take such a big risk to save me under those circumstances."

Master Tongzi: "For the football team!"

Lin Shu You: "Chen Lin, do you know her?"

"My sister?" Chen Lang seemed to have grasped the point. "You know my sister?"

"Hmm, I know her."

"What is your relationship?"

"We... we... are dating."

"I remember now. When I wanted to help you measure your marriage, the character you wrote for me was 'Lin'. No wonder."

Immediately after, the two fell into a period of silence.

The relationship between a brother and his sister's partner is often quite resistant and awkward at first.

Chen Lang broke the silence first: "She, is Linlin okay?"

Lin Shu You: "She's quite good. You can go to Jin Ling to see her yourself."

Chen Lang shook his head and said: "I can't go back. I can't see her, and I can't even hear her voice, otherwise I won't be able to control myself and will do... in short, I encountered a very complicated and embarrassing matter. It's a long story."

Lin Shu You: "I know, you were taken over by the servant soul."

Chen Lang turned his head away, his expression desolate, mocking himself: "As an onmyoji, being controlled by one's own servant soul, is it very useless and wasteful?"

Lin Shu You nodded: "Hmm."

Chen Lang pursed his lips, intending to change the subject: "You and Linlin, are you really just dating?"

Master Tongzi: "Much simpler than you imagine."

Lin Shu You: "Hmm."

Chen Lang: "Does it not involve anything else? I mean, after she left the family with me, she might encounter some things, might be quite difficult, so she might suffer a little grievance. Our family has enemies in the Jianghu..."

Lin Shu You: "The enemies have already been wiped out."

Chen Lang: "By you?"

Lin Shu You: "Hmm."

Chen Lang smiled bitterly: "Hehe, I can't take care of my own sister, and I can't handle family matters. I often doubt myself. What value does a useless person like me have living in this world?"

Lin Shu You: "Hmm."

Master Tongzi: "Spirit medium, actually, you don't have to cater to your brother-in-law from beginning to end like this."

Chen Lang felt very uncomfortable. He didn't know how to continue this conversation. He had already vaguely felt that he seemed to need to adjust his positioning quickly.

Not the positioning of a brother-in-law, but the positioning of a savior and the savior's strength and background.

But he tried hard, yet he could never obtain clear feedback from Lin Shu You. Whether sitting, standing, or kneeling, it was all fine. This feeling of not being able to sit or stand, only being able to squat in a horse stance, was so agonizing.

Lin Shu You was also somewhat uncomfortable. When it came to emotional problems, he was habitually introverted and shy, not good at expressing, and even worse at advancing.

Tan Wenbin, standing in the courtyard, also felt so uncomfortable listening that he simply walked in with a cigarette clamped.

Lin Shu You looked at Brother Bin, felt a sense of relief in his heart, and silently stepped aside.

Tan Wenbin exhaled a puff of smoke at Chen Lang, who was sitting up on the bed.

Chen Lang was immediately relieved, and his whole person relaxed.

Tan Wenbin: "You are Chen Lin's brother?"

Chen Lang: "Yes, my name is Chen Lang."

Tan Wenbin reached out and pointed at Lin Shu You, saying: "It was he who violated our team's rules, acted without authorization to save you, and put our entire team in a passive position. He suffered severe punishment from our leader for this."

Chen Lang swallowed his saliva. Kneeling on the bed, he turned toward Lin Shu You, preparing to pay his respects solemnly.

Tan Wenbin: "Can a light bow be worth your life?"

Chen Lang had to stop his movement: "I..."

Tan Wenbin: "You just need to keep this matter in your heart forever."

Chen Lang: "Please rest assured, I, Chen Lang, will definitely not forget the life-saving grace."

Tan Wenbin pointed at Lin Shu You again: "He knelt and begged in front of our leader for a long time before finally getting our leader to loosen his mouth and be willing to take action to help you solve the problem on your body."

Chen Lang: "I... can the problem on my body be solved?"

Tan Wenbin: "To avoid the backlash of karma, this requires you to light the lamp a second time."

Chen Lang: "To tell you the truth, I don't know the reason, but the intensity of the river water has increased very quickly recently.

I have long wanted to light the lamp a second time, but it doesn't agree."

Tan Wenbin: "You don't need to worry about its problem."

Chen Lang: "I am willing to light the lamp a second time!"

Tan Wenbin bent down and stared into Chen Lang's eyes:

"After solving your problem, you can go see Chen Lin and accompany your sister, but you will lose your servant soul forever and become a useless person. Are you willing?"

This was Tan Wenbin testing A You's brother-in-law to see what kind of character he specifically was.

Chen Lin had schemes, but she truly liked A You.

If this brother-in-law was the kind of person with deep obsessions, it wouldn't be suitable to have too much contact in the future.

Chen Lang: "I'm not even as good as a useless person now; I'm a slave."

Tan Wenbin: "Good, light the lamp. A You, get him a candle holder."

Lin Shu You brought the candle holder over and placed it in front of Chen Lang.

Tan Wenbin: "Keep the vertical pupils open."

Lin Shu You opened the vertical pupils.

This was a threat and a deterrent.

In the past, it wasn't that Chen Lang hadn't tried to light the lamp a second time, but he had been stopped by the servant soul in his body.

This time, the servant soul didn't dare to come out.

The second lamp lighting was successful.

Chen Lang wept with joy: "I've come ashore, I've come ashore!"

When he lit the lamp and walked the rivers and lakes, it was forced by the situation. He himself was not an ambitious character and was far inferior to Xiong Shan back then.

Tan Wenbin: "Sit in meditation and adjust, get ready, I'll go invite our leader."

Chen Lang immediately sat cross-legged and began to adjust his breath.

Tan Wenbin went to invite Li Zhuiyuan over.

Seeing the youth, Chen Lang revealed a puzzled expression.

"You... are you..."

Li Zhuiyuan stretched out his hand and grabbed toward Chen Lang.

"Come out."

"Ah!!!"

Chen Lang immediately let out a scream, his whole body curled up on the bed, rolling and twitching incessantly.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't withdraw his hand, but continued to pull backward, and gradually, a soul body was forcibly pulled out.

The soul body looked at Li Zhuiyuan, revealing horror, and then began to beg.

Li Zhuiyuan clenched his five fingers into a fist.

"Bang!"

The soul body exploded, turning into a piece of crystal.

The youth's fist loosened, turned into a palm, and pushed forward. The scattered crystal didn't dissipate but was re-compressed back into Chen Lang's body.

His servant soul was gone, but his foundation as an onmyoji was preserved by Li Zhuiyuan, which meant he could continue to select and control new servant souls next, not falling into a useless person in the mysterious sect.

On the bed, Chen Lang gasped for air, his eyes looking at the ceiling, sweat not only soaking his clothes but also wetting the bed he was lying on.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Apply medicine to him."

Tan Wenbin: "After applying the medicine, let him hurry up and leave this place of right and wrong."

Lin Shu You: "Okay, I understand."

During the process of applying medicine, Chen Lang gradually regained consciousness.

He checked his state, first relieved, then pleasantly surprised, and finally returned to peace.

He looked at Lin Shu You several times, wanting to speak but stopping.

After applying the medicine, Chen Lang left the room. Just as he was about to go out the front door, he turned around, knelt and paid his respects.

After the ceremony, he stood up and walked out the front door.

Just as he went out, Chen Lang heard the footsteps coming from behind. Looking back, it was Lin Shu You chasing him out.

Lin Shu You handed the money in his hand to Chen Lang:

"You forgot to take the travel expenses."

After Chen Lang took the money, he summoned his courage, reached out and grabbed Lin Shu You's arm, and asked very sincerely:

"Although our contact time is short, I can feel that you are a good person. Can I... can I call you brother-in-law?"

Lin Shu You: "Ye... yes."

Chen Lang opened his mouth several times, even making the mouth shape, but that sound just couldn't be emitted.

Finally, he gave up, patted Lin Shu You's arm, and said:

"Forget it, you and Linlin are your own business. Let's discuss us separately, okay?"

Lin Shu You: "Also... okay."

Chen Lang retreated while waving at Lin Shu You, smiling:

"Goodbye, brother."

"Puff!"

Tan Wenbin, who was drinking tea with Li Zhuiyuan, turned his head away and spat out the tea in his mouth.

Li Zhuiyuan also shook his head.

Tan Wenbin wiped his mouth with his sleeve and teased: "Our A You's family status is truly high."

After a pause, Tan Wenbin added:

"If Grandma knew about this, she should also be happy. Grandma herself liked Chen Lin very much."

Standing from Grandma's perspective, bestowing grace is more reliable than bestowing favor.

The Dragon King family gate will definitely be rebuilt in the future. Li Zhuiyuan's current team is the foundation of the new family gate.

Grandma liked Zhou Yunyun more at first, and later gradually improved her favor for Chen Lin.

Just like the bitter romance dramas with heroines that are popular on TV now, the scheming female villain inside is often both good at drilling and good at catering, and is smooth and slick. If you remove the villain background, she is actually more likable than the bitter heroine.

At this time, the chirping sound of small animals came from outside.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, intelligence is here, I'll go receive it."

"Hmm."

Tan Wenbin walked out of the homestay and came to the outer wall.

Clouds of smoke of various colors burst up in front of him. Tan Wenbin, according to the intelligence, used his fingernails to scratch marks on the identity cards one by one, recording the contribution points.

After receiving it, Tan Wenbin returned to the homestay and sat down in front of the youth again.

With specific targets and predictable travel routes, the abilities of mountain spirits and wild monsters were finally fully implemented.

Unlike the past of casting a wide net and distinguishing, which easily exposed flaws, now they only needed to follow the target from afar and ask various animals nearby to get specific intelligence. ===== CHAPTER 458 =====