Chapter 10

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan felt as if he had been doused with a basin of ice water, his whole body plunged into a deep chill.

In a daze, it felt as though his soul had been frightened out of his body, yet the reason it hadn't was because this wasn't reality, and his body wasn't here.

"Run!"

Li Zhuiyuan grabbed Qin Li's hand and stood up to run.

But before they had run a few steps, the group of old grandmothers who had been using sand to wash bowls earlier all stood in front of them, blocking their path.

Their seemingly withered and aged bodies remained unmoving, no matter how Li Zhuiyuan pushed and bumped them.

In despair, an unexpected thought appeared in Li Zhuiyuan's mind: No wonder Great-grandfather's paper offering business was so good; the materials and craftsmanship were indeed top-notch in this place.

In reality, forcing their way through was originally hopeless, because he was still small and fundamentally lacked strength. He didn't know any of Great-grandfather and Liu Jinxia's methods.

He had originally thought he could rely on hiding to avoid this event, and he had almost succeeded, but it was ruined at the last step.

He turned around, looked towards the cat-faced old lady, forced himself to calm down, then his mind began to quickly recall if he had any usable knowledge.

He didn't need to search too much, because he had only read one book, which was still an entry-level encyclopedia... and he had only read four volumes.

It was truly a time when one regretted not having read enough books, but now, he could only try to use the existing knowledge points to force a match.

As a result, Li Zhuiyuan actually found one that seemed to fit.

In the third volume, twelfth article of "Jianghu Strange Records," a special kind of dead invert—a corpse demon—was recorded.

People with extremely deep resentment floating in the water would come into contact with some animal corpses that also carried evil aura. By chance coincidence, the two would merge, forming a strange existence that was neither human nor demon.

This dead invert would have some special abilities. For example, the corpse demon cited in the book, located in the Northeast Changbai Mountain area, was a combination of human and Huang Great Immortal. It could create Mízhàng, bewitch people's hearts, and was ultimately exterminated by the righteous path.

As for what the "righteous path" referred to here, Li Zhuiyuan wasn't clear, and he felt there was no need to be clear, because the ending of every article about dead inverts was "exterminated by the righteous path."

Whether they were truly exterminated, by which sect or school, whether they were monks, Taoists, lamas, or sorcerers... it was all irrelevant. The author who wrote this book seemed to just use "exterminated by the righteous path" as the concluding sentence for every article.

The cat-faced old lady in front of him was very much like a corpse demon.

But to force the concept, he had to first confirm if she had died in the river. If she had died elsewhere, then she wasn't a dead invert and didn't belong to the collection in "Jianghu Strange Records."

But this old lady's clothes were dry and clean, her hair gray-white and fluffy. She didn't have the appearance a water ghost should have at all. Someone like Xiao Huangying, who was dripping wet all over, was the standard template.

Li Zhuiyuan felt... this should be beyond the syllabus.

The cat-faced old lady retracted her extended head. She bent down, reached down to pick up a piece of tiger skin meat and a chicken leg from the ground.

It was through these two things on the ground that she detected something wrong, because it didn't conform to the simple cognitive habits within her dream.

"What good food, ah. How can you waste grain like this? This is a sign of suffering..."

The last word was stopped by the cat-faced old lady. Obviously, for her to say those two words with her current identity was the real taboo.

She opened her mouth, regardless of the dirt, and put that piece of meat and chicken leg into her mouth, chewing with enjoyment and intoxication.

"At that time, if I had a bowl of corn porridge, how good that would have been, ah."

In her eyes, recollection flowed. That was her biggest thought for a long time when she was curled up on the bed, looking at the tightly closed door, even a... luxury.

But in the end, she still couldn't wait for a single grain of rice or a mouthful of water.

The cat-faced old lady once again looked towards Li Zhuiyuan, but before she could speak, Li Zhuiyuan spoke first:

"Grandma is good, happy birthday to you."

Cat-faced old lady: "......"

This one birthday wish left even the corpse demon silent.

After a long time, the cat-faced old lady stretched out her hand and reached towards Li Zhuiyuan's front.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that the back of her hand also had fine hair, and her fingernails were very long and sharp at the tips.

Without dodging, Li Zhuiyuan let the other's hand touch his face.

The familiar feeling of an ice block against his face appeared again, exactly the same as the feeling he had in Liu Jinxia's hall that day.

"Grandma has discovered that you, this young boy, are not only handsome but also have a very useful brain, ah.

That day, when my eldest son was leaving, you deliberately asked him to wash his hands by your side so that Grandma could leave your body and go back to his body, right?"

"I was afraid Grandma would forget the way home."

"Really?"

"Also felt you were more used to him carrying you."

"No..." The cat-faced old lady's fingers slid down to Li Zhuiyuan's lips, "Now I prefer the young boy to carry me."

Following this, the cat-faced old lady again looked towards Qin Li, who was standing behind Li Zhuiyuan: "Truly a good-looking young girl."

Li Zhuiyuan introduced: "Her brain has problems, she can't speak, and she has a bad temper, she bites people at the slightest provocation."

"Oh, so that's it. No wonder I saw her in the daytime, she just sat there, not moving at all. Ah, what a pity, such a good-looking young girl."

As she spoke, the cat-faced old lady's attention returned to Li Zhuiyuan's face: "Young boy, Grandma truly likes you. Why don't you just stay with Grandma."

"You don't have..." Li Zhuiyuan immediately realized something and changed his words, "Okay, ah, I'll accompany Grandma."

He had originally wanted to say, "You don't have your own grandson," but this would be bringing up a sensitive topic.

The cat-faced old lady nodded with a smile and said to the fat master and the others: "Everyone has worked hard, let's eat together."

According to local custom, when hosting a banquet, after the first and second batches had finished eating, and all the guests had been entertained, one or two tables would be set up for the cooks, helpers, and the host's own family to eat.

"Alright, old granny." The fat master and the old grandmothers regained their vitality and began to pack things up to go eat.

"Young boy, you come too."

After instructing them, the cat-faced old lady turned around and walked towards the outside of the kitchen. Li Zhuiyuan noticed that there were water marks inside her left footprints, and the color of the pair of cloth shoes on her feet was especially deep, making a constant "creak creak" sound when she walked, as if they were full of water.

This... was hitting the topic?

"Come, young boy, let's go eat." The fat master grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's hand, interrupting Li Zhuiyuan's thoughts.

Li Zhuiyuan saw that those old grandmothers weren't grabbing Qin Li, obviously because the cat-faced old lady wasn't interested in this "brain-damaged" girl. He then let go of Qin Li's hand, turned his head, and said to her:

"You go first... no, you just stand here and don't move."

He didn't know where she would go if she walked, so it was better to stay in the kitchen, which was safer. Anyway, what that old lady wanted was himself.

Li Zhuiyuan was led out of the kitchen by the fat master. The area outside, which was originally full of people, now seemed deathly silent.

It wasn't that there were no people; on the contrary, there were many people, shoulder to shoulder, packed in a dense crowd, yet no one made a sound, nor was there the slightest movement.

The original tables, chairs, and stools had already been tidied up and stacked against the wall. Here, only two slightly empty areas were left.

One area had a table full of wine and dishes, and the other area was where the three people singing children's plays were.

The other people were all densely packed around, all waiting to watch the performance after the meal.

Li Zhuiyuan was strongly pulled to the table by the fat master.

The cat-faced old lady was already sitting at the head seat and patted the empty seat beside her: "Come, young boy, sit beside Grandma."

Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to sit over. During this time, he deliberately looked in the direction he had come from, and found that Qin Li had unexpectedly not listened and stayed put in the kitchen. She had actually followed him out and was standing among the crowd, her gaze fixed on him.

People aren't paying attention to you, why are you still trying to squeeze forward?

The cat-faced old lady also discovered this and asked with a smile: "Or, why don't we call her over to sit together, ah."

"No, Grandma, she's eaten. She has a bad temper and is shy with strangers, it's easy to upset everyone while they eat."

"Oh? Then why do you still play with her?"

"She's a neighbor, so I bring her to play."

"Hehe, you are indeed kind-hearted, le." The cat-faced old lady's hand was placed on Li Zhuiyuan's head, gently stroking it, "My grandsons and granddaughters, when they were small, I also helped bring them up. At that time, they also called me 'Grandma' one mouthful at a time, but after they grew up, they one by one wished I would die early, all feeling that I hadn't died yet, which made their lives difficult, their lives not good, and they couldn't get rich."

Li Zhuiyuan listened quietly.

"How could I ever understand how they became like that? Perhaps, it really is my fault. I lived too long and drained their fortune, I'm sorry for them?

I feel that I should die earlier and reincarnate earlier, it would also be good for them, young boy, ah, do you think that's right or not?"

If you really thought that, why did you become a dead invert?

According to the general outline at the beginning of "Jianghu Strange Records," dead inverts are existences catalyzed by resentment.

If you don't have resentment, how can you sit here, by missing me?

"Grandma, you must not think that way. My mother told me that when facing animals, reflecting on oneself and trying to understand them is all very ridiculous."

"Oh... your mother's words are indeed reasonable." After a pause, the cat-faced old lady laughed self-indulgently, "Hehe, I also think so, but I still feel some unwillingness, ah. After all, they are children I raised and brought up."

"Then do they treat you as their mother, as their grandma?"

"In my eyes, they are still children after all, ma. As children, they will always make mistakes, won't they?"

"But they have all become grandfathers and grandmothers themselves, and they have all been fathers and mothers. How could they not understand your feelings, yet they still did that?"

"Right, ah, they are really hateful!!!"

The green light in the cat-faced old lady's eyes began to circulate quickly, and her sharp teeth also flipped out, exposed outside her lips.

"Young boy, ah, what you said is really right, too right. Grandma, I, truly cherish you to the extreme, ah!"

This time, two hands grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's face and kneaded it non-stop.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that his face was almost frozen stiff.

"Grandma... you must not let them go." The cat-faced old lady released Li Zhuiyuan's face, grabbed the tabletop with both hands, leaving ten deep indentations with her fingernails:

"Not wrong, how could I possibly let them go? This group of guys is simply worse than us animals!"

Li Zhuiyuan: Worse than us animals?

So the dominant species of this corpse demon is a cat?

The cat-faced old lady turned her head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan, speaking word by word: "Young boy, you watch carefully, I will make them pay the price for what they did!"

Can you let me see it alive?

Li Zhuiyuan immediately echoed: "Grandma, definitely!"

In his heart, he didn't feel any guilt for guiding the hatred towards his relatives. He was only just filling in the answers to the questions.

He didn't need to guide her, this old lady would do that. If he tried to persuade her to be more open-minded, his head would be the first to be opened.

At this time, the fat master opened his mouth and asked: "Old granny, can we start with this table, or not?"

The cat-faced old lady asked: "Have everyone arrived?"

"Just us people."

"What about the main family?"

The fat master scratched his head: "The main family is just you, ah, your children didn't come."

"Not them. We borrowed other people's place, tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks. It's not proper not to invite people to the banquet."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Grandma, they're not hungry, they're already asleep, don't wake them up."

"How can this be?" The cat-faced old lady suddenly stared at Li Zhuiyuan sinisterly again, "This tail seat, definitely must call everyone before arranging it, otherwise it's breaking the rules, and you'll be talked about behind your back."

"Really no need, Grandma."

"Buzz!"

The cat-faced old lady pinched Li Zhuiyuan's neck with one hand, lifting him up completely.

"Young boy, ah, you're just not obedient, ah, hehehehe."

...

At this moment, in the bedroom on the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan, who was asleep with his forehead on the desk, showed pain on his face and fell into a state of suffocation.

...

"Grandma... I'm wrong... I'm wrong..."

Li Zhuiyuan grabbed the other's hand with both hands, but he couldn't pry it open no matter what, and his legs could only kick aimlessly.

The feeling of death was so clear.

Qin Li, who was standing far away in the crowd, her eyelashes began to tremble, and her body also began to shake, and the amplitude was getting larger and larger.

"Pa!"

The cat-faced old lady loosened her hand, and Li Zhuiyuan fell to the ground. Released from the restraint, he began to gasp for breath in large gulps.

She... would still kill me!

She isn't human, she's a corpse demon. Ferocity is her nature!

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head towards Qin Li in the crowd. After meeting his gaze, Qin Li seemed to be soothed, slowly lowered her eyes again, and her body gradually stopped shaking.

...

In the bedroom on the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan, who was sleeping with his head on the desk, the pain on his face slowly faded, and his breathing recovered.

...

Cat-faced old lady: "Young boy, you must be taught well from a young age."

"Grandma, you are right."

"If you feel they can't be taught well, then you must drown them early, to save them from growing up and becoming heartless scourges instead. Do you think that's right, ah?"

Li Zhuiyuan brought over a plate of braised fish from the table and exchanged positions with the fried peanuts in front of the cat-faced old lady.

Then, he sat down and nodded: "Not wrong, yes."

"Um..." A smile floated across the cat-faced old lady's face again. She reached out and gently touched the red mark on Li Zhuiyuan's neck, "Still you, this young boy, are obedient. Did Grandma hurt you just now?"

"Grandma was educating me, I understand."

"Um." The cat-faced old lady looked towards the fat master, "Go and invite people, bring all the main family over to eat."

"Alright, we'll go now."

The fat master and those several old grandmothers who were washing bowls all stood up and left the table to go and call people.

And when the fat master walked to the staircase, the staircase that had originally disappeared reappeared. He trotted up, his fat flesh jiggling.

Coming to the second floor balcony, he walked to Li Sanjiang's bedroom, pushed the door open, and saw Li Sanjiang sleeping on the bed.

"Come, lo, let's eat the banquet!"

The fat master walked to the bedside, reached out and grabbed Li Sanjiang's wrist. Next, he was going to pull this person's soul out and bring it to eat the banquet.

However,

Suddenly, the fat master felt the environment around him distort. He, who was originally standing in the bedroom, now appeared in a square, surrounded by majestic halls.

Then, he saw in front of him:

There was an old man wearing ripped white shorts, leading a group of zombies in jumping at the very front.

The old man jumped once, and the zombies behind him also collectively jumped once.

The old man was not careful and didn't stand steadily when he landed, and the zombies behind him also collectively staggered.

The fat master was scared by this scene and immediately returned to his original state—his face was like paper.

Exactly at this time, the last zombie, who reacted the slowest, fell down. Its face looked towards the back and just saw the fat master standing there.

This zombie seemed to have seen something new and just jumped towards the fat master.

The fat master immediately began to run, and the zombie began to chase.

"Buzz!"

The fat master appeared back by the bed in the bedroom. He reached up and touched his face, touching out thick, heavy powder paste; he had been so scared that his makeup had all come off.

"Thump!"

The floor suddenly trembled,

It seemed as if a huge object had landed.

...

"Come, young boy, ah, they've gone to call people, let's just eat first."

The cat-faced old lady reached out and grabbed a handful of dried fruits, placing them in front of Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan's face showed difficulty; he had tried this thing, and not to mention eating it, it was even difficult to put in his mouth.

"Eat..."

The old lady's tone was lowered.

Li Zhuiyuan could only pick one up, swallowed his saliva, and put it into his mouth. In an instant, a strong feeling of nausea attacked him, but looking at the old lady's expression, he could only reach out and cover his mouth to prevent himself from throwing up.

"Um, truly obedient, young boy, ah, this is right. No matter what time it is, you can't not cherish grain. Grandma, I, ah, this lifetime, starved before liberation, became a widow after liberation raising three children and starved, and after the children grew up, I even starved to death.

So, ah, Grandma truly knows the preciousness of grain, ah."

Li Zhuiyuan could only nod while strongly enduring the nausea, but this mouthful of food really couldn't be swallowed.

Just at this time, the fat master rolled down the stairs in extreme panic, shouting loudly:

"Old granny, not good, old granny, something big is not good!"

"What is it?"

The cat-faced old lady stood up; this was her "territory," and she was the controller here.

"Bang!"

A pair of long boots fell down, directly smashing onto the fat master's body, stepping him into a pile of waste paper and wood strips.

"Ah..."

A hoarse sound surrounded the entire banquet hall, making the temperature suddenly drop.

Li Zhuiyuan lifted his head, looking at the suddenly appearing existence with a face of astonishment.

This was a...

A zombie wearing a full Qing official robe and a hat with a feather!

—

There is one more update before 0 o'clock.

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