Chapter 129

Chapter 126Do you dare come down?

Old Tian head thought to himself: Hmm, you staying up there is fine, what does it have to do with my young master coming down?

But the next moment, Old Tian head's heart suddenly thumped.

On the river,

Walk the river?

The old man's body staggered, and he continuously retreated backward. Thinking again that the young man's group was just behind him, he quickly pointed his toes and did a smooth spin on the spot.

Only after facing the opposite side did he breathe a sigh of relief and continue staggering backward.

With a thud, his calf hit a step, and he plopped onto the ground.

The old man's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape, his expression trembling. Even his bandaged wrists unconsciously oozed blood.

Old Tian head, though loyal, was a bit slow in other aspects. But even he, as dull as he was, understood the meaning and weight of the phrase "walk the river" in the jianghu.

Ordinary sects and families, after their disciples reached a certain age and stage, would leave home and sect. Some called it "traveling the red dust," some "secular world tribulation," some "viewing clouds and listening to waves," and more simply "cultivating," "wandering," or "walking."

Many ancient texts, such as the Yin family genealogy, recorded the stories of almost every generation of the Yin family traveling outside, but nowhere in them were the words "walk the river."

Strictly speaking, only those inheriting the Dragon King family could, after lighting their lamp, call themselves "walking the river."

Because this river was walked upon multiple times by their ancestors and predecessors, and there were likely still many "old friends" and "familiar faces" remaining on the road from those years. So it wasn't called an adventure or pioneering; it was simply re-walking the path of their predecessors from that year. While achieving self-improvement, it was also a declaration to the jianghu that their family inheritance was still present, and the rules they had set would continue to be followed by them.

Nine Rivers Zhao produced a Dragon King during the Qing dynasty, but he never truly broke that level of restriction, and the jianghu didn't acknowledge him as Dragon King Zhao. The people within his family internally referred to it as "walking the river," which, to be precise, actually had a self-aggrandizing meaning.

After all, your family only produced one Dragon King ancestor, and that was so many years ago. Where were the "relatives and old friends" for you to visit?

The loyal old servant, with his shallow eye sockets, knew his young master had been probing for a day, yet he only now recognized the possible identity behind this group of young people in front of him.

"Dragon... Dragon King family?"

Fortunately, they didn't make a move when roasting sweet potatoes by the riverbank. If they had truly fallen out, the family wouldn't be able to protect them.

On the eaves, having received a certain answer, Zhao Yi instead calmed down.

The Yellow River shovel was an identity voucher, and the official general could accept variables. But to be frank, these were all secondary. The most important thing Zhao Yi gradually discovered was that the young man in front of him was not only younger than himself but also more frightening than himself.

As a candidate preparing to walk the river for his family, seeing such a person meant he could only think of rising to the challenge.

"Honored guest, you are unexpectedly so young yet already impatiently walking the river."

Seeing the other side avoiding his earlier question, Li Zhuiyuan lost interest in him and didn't answer that question.

His second lamp was self-ignited.

This river, before he formally decided to walk it, already had water up to his ankles.

Zhao Yi saw that the other side didn't pay attention to him, and he didn't feel dejected. He lowered his head and shouted down, "Tian grandpa, please throw a dagger up."

Old Tian head's mind was somewhat confused at this moment. It was his young master's request, so he threw the dagger up without thinking.

After throwing it, he suddenly realized what was happening and quickly asked, "Young master, what do you want to do?"

Zhao Yi grabbed the dagger with his right hand and tore off the cloth strip on his forehead with his left.

He had repeatedly probed the other side, and now the other side had given a clear answer and posed a counter-question, effectively backing him into a corner.

I am on the river, do you dare to come down?

This wasn't a simple inquiry. As long as he avoided it, changed the subject, or even if his answer wasn't loud enough or confident enough, then this river, without even walking it, was already lost.

Without that spirit, without that confidence, how could he walk the river and become the Dragon King?

Zhao Yi smiled, and while maintaining the smile, he plunged the dagger into the center of his brow and began to dig!

Fresh blood continuously flowed out, from the center of his brow along the bridge of his nose, all the way down to the corner of his lip, to his chin, and finally dripped down, falling onto Old Tian head below.

Old Tian head looked up disbelief, shouting, "Young master, no, young master, you can't!"

Li Zhuiyuan then raised his head again and looked at Zhao Yi once more.

Zhao Yi's face was covered in blood, and he held a piece of minced flesh in his hand. There was a large, dark, deep wound in the center of his brow, still bleeding.

He stood up straight and casually discarded that piece symbolizing the special and extraordinary "gate of life and death."

With it, he was a genius.

He could recover from it, and he could walk the river. Otherwise, he couldn't even walk steadily.

But without it, he could walk the road, and he could also go and see this river.

Zhao Yi leaped forward, bending in mid-air. Before landing, he bounced open, his body stretched, his force easily released, and he landed steadily.

He saw him spread his arms and let out a light hum:

"Aiyo, comfortable."

Without that thing, his bodily senses also recovered.

"Young master, ah, young master, you're confused, ah, confused, ah."

Old Tian head crawled to Zhao Yi's feet, hugged his young master's legs, and cried bitterly.

The two were nominally master and servant, but were more like family. Seeing his young master self-destructing his heavenly fate and future, Old Tian head was truly heartbroken.

Zhao Yi patted Old Tian head's shoulder: "Alright, Tian grandpa, this way neither of us is smart, which is quite good, very fitting."

After comforting Old Tian head, Zhao Yi looked at Li Zhuiyuan. He tilted his head slightly and smiled:

"You just asked if I dared to come down?

Actually, this river originally wasn't necessary for me to walk, but since you are already on the river, then I really have to come down and join the fun.

No other meaning, just afraid you would feel lonely and bored.

To put it another way, if you weren't on this river, this young master really wouldn't bother walking this trip!"

The weak would cower, the strong would meet strength with strength.

Zhao Yi knew that his future would definitely collide with the young man in front of him. They would definitely meet again later, possibly cooperate, possibly unite, possibly protect each other, but ultimately, there would inevitably be a winner and loser, and it might even be... life and death.

Ordinary families and sects that couldn't walk it would just turn back and admit defeat.

But for those striving for the Dragon King family inheritance, losing was harder to accept than death.

Those old Dragon King families could all recognize quite a few blood enemies from each other's ancestral tablets.

Walking the river was a bloody arena; either submit or die. Only one king would emerge walking.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't speak.

Zhao Yi was dissatisfied: "Hey, honored guest, give me some face. I finally heated up the atmosphere and got myself excited. You should at least boost my spirits."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and said, "Wait until you formally light the lamp and walk the river. If we meet again, and the conditions are suitable, I will seriously consider how to kill you."

Old Tian head's eyes widened upon hearing this. This was a direct threat of life and death, wasn't it?

Zhao Yi's face then showed emotion.

Sometimes, "seriously considering killing you," coming from the mouth of a self-acknowledged competitor, was the greatest recognition and praise for oneself.

Zhao Yi spread his arms, wanting to hug Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan retreated half a step backward, refusing this slightly intimate action.

Zhao Yi also withdrew his hand, only leaning his face towards Li Zhuiyuan. His lips trembled slightly, and even at such close range, he used lip language and a mosquito-like voice, barely audible.

The people around couldn't hear, but Zhao Yi knew that the young man in front of him had excellent hearing.

Zhao Yi said: "Since you've already walked the river, it means you are indeed a person, but I can see that you have a monster hidden in your body. You have an illness, right?"

Li Zhuiyuan remained silent.

Zhao Yi continued: "I will go back and thoroughly research a method to see how I can completely stimulate your illness. I don't need to pursue killing you; I only need to help you tear off the human skin on your body.

This way, even if you ultimately win, you will be the one who loses most completely."

Li Zhuiyuan's eyes finally showed a glimmer of light.

This Young Master Zhao family did make him feel interesting.

Zhao Yi withdrew his neck with satisfaction and waved his hand:

"The river is vast, a hundred boats compete. No matter how many times we meet again later, but the last meeting will either be at your grave or before my tomb. Don't offer wine; I don't like it. Offer a cup of tea, I like drinking Bi Luo Chun."

Tan Wenbin immediately took out a pen and notebook from his clothes, writing and reading aloud as he did: "Noted down, Young Master Zhao of Nine Rivers likes drinking Bi Luo Chun. Prepare it before going to the grave in the future."

Zhao Yi saw this and immediately turned to look at Old Tian head, who was still crying while hugging his leg.

Old Tian head wiped away his tears and snot, his face blank.

Zhao Yi sighed helplessly. It seemed that before he lit the lamp and walked the river, he had to carefully select his Dragon King retainers. As for Tian grandpa, should he bring him or not?

But whether it was messy or not, whether his subordinates were well-trained or not, he still had to ask himself: "Honored guest, what do you want me to offer when I sweep your grave in the future?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Jian Li Bao."

Zhao Yi was stunned for a moment, then immediately smiled: "Good, you know how to enjoy."

After saying that, Zhao Yi pulled Old Tian head up and prepared to leave.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his mouth: "Wait."

"Ah?" Zhao Yi turned back. "You don't want to make a move now, do you? We should at least openly raise the flag of acting on behalf of heaven. I'm not afraid of dying, I just worry that killing me now will have a bad influence on your walk on the river."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Stone table Zhao is gone, but there are still lone elderly and orphans in the front courtyard."

Zhao Yi countered: "What does that matter? Did this family adopt them truly to provide for them in their old age and raise them to adulthood?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "People can die without a clear ending, but matters cannot have a beginning without an end."

Mainly, this matter wasn't clearly concluded. If this process of cause and effect wasn't resolved, who knows what trouble it might stir up later.

Zhao Yi didn't walk the river, so his understanding of this wasn't deep enough.

Of course, Li Zhuiyuan felt that even if Zhao Yi walked the river, it would be very difficult for him to understand it to his own degree.

Zhao Yi: "Honored guest means..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Your family should invest in building a nursing home and orphanage here, and donate some more money to put this matter to rest."

"Based on what?"

"Stone table Zhao also surnames Zhao."

"They divided the family early. There are many with the same surname in the world. Do they all have to bear this responsibility?"

"Didn't you just go visiting relatives?"

Zhao Yi: "......"

"Will you do it or not?"

"Alright, I, Nine Rivers Zhao, will take care of this mess here. Anything else?"

"Nothing else, you can leave." Li Zhuiyuan immediately looked at Run Sheng: "Formation flag."

Run Sheng took the formation flag from his backpack.

Zhao Yi saw the formation flags made of metal rods one by one and said with great dissatisfaction: "When I was carving firewood this afternoon, why didn't you tell me you had ready-made formation flags packed inside?"

Before dark, Zhao Yi instructed Old Tian head to go to a nearby farmer's house to buy several bundles of firewood for him. Old Tian head split the firewood from a distance, while he, Zhao Yi, sat in front of Li Zhuiyuan carving.

The dragon's head pile still burning outside was carved by him knife by knife. The more than ten wooden stakes inserted into the ground surrounding it were also shaved by him alone.

He had finally finished the rush job, his hands so tired they were almost cramping.

But now, he was unexpectedly told that he didn't need to make them on-site at all. They had this equipment with them, and it was of better quality.

Li Zhuiyuan: "I saw you carving with great delight, and it wasn't good to interrupt your interest."

Zhao Yi: "He... hehe."

Li Zhuiyuan inserted the small formation flags into the ground seams one by one, from the northwest corner to the southeast, and the last one in his hand was inserted in the center.

Old Tian head looked around suspiciously. There didn't seem to be any change.

Zhao Yi's fingers began to move, confirming that this was a very simple yet very special formation. Its special feature was its excessive simplicity.

Tan Wenbin opened his cigarette case again, took out a cigarette, and bit it between his lips.

He had seen this formation before. Brother Fa Zi, being meticulous, always tried to transform some profound things into simple graffiti to make them easier to remember.

He took out a lighter and lit the cigarette. Bin Bin took a deep drag, then clipped the cigarette in his hand, and with his thumb, flicked it upwards:

"Pa!"

The burning cigarette flew forward, landing and splashing faint sparks.

Instantly, the entire backyard appeared with various sparks. They sought out anything nearby that could ignite, and the fire instantly surged.

Stone table Zhao, as well as all traces of Stone table Zhao, should all be wiped out.

Zhao Yi opened his mouth and blurted out: "The fire will burn to..."

He stopped halfway through the sentence.

Because the fire didn't spread outward; it was limited within the backyard area.

Zhao Yi immediately understood and looked at Li Zhuiyuan: "You secretly modified the formation I modified?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "It was you who modified it based on the foundation of the formation I modified."

This conversation seemed a bit circuitous, but in fact, it hid a rivalry.

Li Zhuiyuan wouldn't arbitrarily walk into a formation controlled by others. He first modified the formation here, controlling the main guiding force. However, he left room for Zhao Yi, predicting his modification path, and letting him come and finish this work.

Knowing that he had been outdone again, Zhao Yi bit his teeth and pointed at Li Zhuiyuan with his finger: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Regret it?"

Zhao Yi shrugged: "This young master is even more excited, hehe."

As the fire flared up, the crowd left the backyard.

Coming to the wall outside, they saw no firelight inside, only occasionally some sparks drifting out, which were quickly swallowed by the darkness of the night.

Along with the burning here, the coughing sounds of the old people and children in the front courtyard also lessened. The eyes of the mentally handicapped child became brighter, and the faces of the lone elderly added a touch of rosiness.

By tomorrow morning, when the villagers woke up, they would see that the backyard of the Old Zhao family had been burned to ashes, while the front courtyard remained completely untouched.

Zhao Yi and Old Tian head left.

Li Zhuiyuan and the others stayed at the original spot for a while longer.

This was Lin Shuyou's first time participating in a full team mission, and the ending wasn't him being carried to the infirmary for first aid.

Therefore, at this moment, he had the presence of mind to sigh: "Clearly knowing that doing these things will not be tolerated by the heavenly way, why do you still want to do it?"

Tan Wenbin reached out and patted A You on the back of the head: "The law is there. If everyone knew and followed the law, what would the police be for?"

Lin Shuyou turned his head to look at Tan Wenbin: "Bin brother, this sentence you said... it feels very profound."

Tan Wenbin looked over Brother Fa Zi's books and notes, combined with his own family background, and couldn't help but feel:

"The heavenly way is ethereal, but the law is visible and tangible, able to be written down and erected into monuments. But even so, it cannot stop some people from ignorantly and fearlessly breaking the law, knowing the law yet breaking it, acting as protective umbrellas, and repeatedly testing the boundaries of the law. The sun... there are no new things under the heavenly way."

Li Zhuiyuan turned his body and looked at a slope in the distance, then said, "Let's go, back to school."

On the slope in the distance, Zhao Yi was wrapping the wound on his brow.

Old Tian head just hung his hands by his sides, sighing continuously, like a sad kangaroo.

"I say, Tian grandpa, even if you want to be the white-haired one burying the black-haired one, you don't need to rehearse so anxiously, right?"

"Pah pah pah! Young master, you have great fortune, whole this inauspicious words."

"Qi Tian's end is not yet here; you don't know how terrifying that one is."

"Then you still..."

"But to be able to be opponents with such a person and strive for the position of Dragon King, that is truly exciting, ah.

He has a high chance of winning, but it's not necessarily a sure win.

The notes of my Zhao family's Dragon King ancestor also recorded many talents being praised and lamented, but in that era, he still successfully walked the river.

There are many undercurrents beneath the river. No matter how many geniuses there are, they cannot block those mouths."

"Young master, you seem to have forgotten to ask which family Dragon King the people behind them belong to."

"It's not that I forgot to ask; it's that they deliberately didn't say. Which family's team has younger brothers and older brothers calling each other like this?"

"So that's how it is."

Zhao Yi touched the wound he had bandaged and clenched his fist:

"Let's go,

Light the lamp at home!"

...

The first ray of morning sunlight sprinkled through the window into the dormitory, and Li Zhuiyuan woke up from his bed.

What surprised him somewhat was that Tan Wenbin was also awake.

Bin Bin was asleep, but he must not have slept soundly, waking up intermittently.

At this moment, he was just lying there with his hands behind his head, a lightly burning cigarette in his mouth, looking at the dormitory ceiling.

"Smoke if you want to smoke, I don't mind."

"Ah, little Fa brother, you're awake?" Tan Wenbin took the cigarette out of his mouth. "Smoke what? I've already quit."

"It doesn't matter. Just remember to ventilate after you finish."

Tan Wenbin was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Thanks, little Fa brother."

Li Zhuiyuan got up to wash up, then packed his book bag, and put it on his back.

"I'm going to Grandma Liu's place."

"Okay, little Fa brother."

"Zhou Yunyun is getting discharged today, right?"

"Um, I know."

"Grandma Liu's place is also empty."

"Um um, I know."

Li Zhuiyuan wasn't in a hurry to leave, but stood there, looking at Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin was feeling a little uneasy being watched. He silently stood up: "Little Fa brother, I can adjust myself well. With our relationship, you really don't need to force yourself specially."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

However, he didn't say anything more, but left the dormitory.

"Hu..."

Tan Wenbin let out a long breath. It was rare for little Fa brother to say so many words to him in the morning. He picked up a mirror and shone it on his face, talking to himself:

"Are all my thoughts written on my face? Tsk, still too young, face is too tender."

Tan Wenbin leaned back on the bed, bit his cigarette again, and lit it with a lighter.

Last night he had several dreams, all about killing Zhao Mengyao.

He didn't regret it. The Stone table Zhao family was simply beastly; they deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces and scraped ten thousand times, and even dying once was too cheap for them.

But rationally, he could quickly move past the matter. Emotionally, there was still some lag.

Tan Wenbin suspected that it was because Zhao Mengyao was too stupid before she died, so stupid that it left a deep impression and indirectly affected his mood. It was truly being stupid to one's own detriment.

"Squeak..."

The dormitory door opened, and Lin Shuyou walked in.

"Bin brother, why are you smoking in the dormitory?"

"Little Fa brother allowed it."

"Then I'll have one too." Lin Shuyou walked over, took one from the cigarette case, bit it in his mouth, lit it, took a drag, and then...

"Puke... cough cough cough!"

Tan Wenbin rolled his eyes helplessly, stood up, took the cigarette from A You's hand, and together with the one in his own hand, pinched them out.

"Smoking isn't a good thing. Don't try to learn if you can't."

"I just felt that night, Bin brother, you clipping the cigarette and saying 'sorry, everyone,' was truly handsome."

"Sacrificing for handsomeness, later you'll feel like you had water in your brain."

"Bin brother, how do you understand so well?"

"My dad often says that about himself."

"Oh."

"But speaking of handsomeness, I feel that if at that time I was holding a can of Jian Li Bao in my hand, took a sip, and then let out a burp, it seems the picture would also be quite good."

Lin Shuyou thought carefully for a moment and nodded: "Indeed."

"Then you should just drink beverages, it can also supplement sugar. No, what are you doing up so early?"

"I get up very early every day, ah. Seeing little Fa brother go out, I just came in to read."

"Then you read, I'll lie down for a while."

"Bin brother, you look very listless."

"I'm fine, just adjusting."

"Is it because of those two on your shoulders..."

"They are very obedient, always sleeping, not noisy at all."

However, this also reminded Tan Wenbin.

Perhaps, it was really because his two shoulders were occupied by two ghost infants, and even if they weren't noisy, it still weakened his aura.

People with weak aura are often easily in a low mood, get stuck in a rut, compete and consume within themselves, and lose interest in everything.

It seems, he should indeed find something to cheer himself up and recover.

Before, he was happy alone. Now, he had a family to support, ha, he hadn't even properly touched his hand yet, and he already had two kids.

Lin Shuyou: "Bin brother, I'm quite curious, what exactly does that feel like?"

Tan Wenbin: "Didn't General Zeng have two, ah? You invite Him down, and having one on your left and one on your right leaning on you is the experience, right?"

"I still can't invite General Zeng yet."

"Have you tried?"

"I've tried. Before, when I had high spirits, I could get a little response from General Zeng. I felt like I could successfully invite him within two years.

But now, when I have high spirits again, I don't get any response at all.

Perhaps, it's because I'm not pious enough, and my heart to eliminate demons and protect the dao has slackened."

"I feel instead that They don't want to jump into this fire pit with you."

"Ah?"

"Don't 'ah', go read your book." Tan Wenbin took the basin out to wash, then went to the cafeteria to buy breakfast and ate it with Lin Shuyou.

After eating breakfast, Tan Wenbin lay back on the bed. He originally wanted to read a book, but found he couldn't get into it and felt irritable.

Lin Shuyou packed up his book and said, "Bin brother, it's almost time. High math is at eight o'clock today."

"You want to go to class?"

"Last time I went out without a leave slip and was called out. If I don't go again, I might have to wait until the new semester to retake the exam."

"Alright, I'll go to class with you. Ai, where did I put my high math book?"

When Tan Wenbin walked into the classroom, many classmates greeted him proactively:

"Class monitor, good morning."

"Class monitor, you're a rare guest, rare guest."

"Class monitor, your old man is also coming to class, ah?"

The last row was already occupied, but seeing Tan Wenbin coming, everyone tacitly moved inward, vacating a lucky spot for the class monitor.

Lin Shuyou sat in the second to last row, in front of Tan Wenbin.

The high math teacher was an elderly male teacher, whose voice was like a broadcaster three times slower.

As soon as he opened his mouth to lecture, Tan Wenbin suddenly felt his eyelids start to droop.

Hiss, here it comes, it's this feeling.

Tan Wenbin rested his head on his arm and fell asleep directly.

Several classmates in the back row nearby saw this and all called it a miracle. The class monitor was indeed the class monitor; he truly didn't waste a single minute of class time.

Lin Shuyou just sat up straight, helping Tan Wenbin block the teacher's line of sight.

After two high math classes ended, the third and fourth periods in the morning required a change of classroom. Lin Shuyou pushed Tan Wenbin, but he didn't budge. Seeing that he was sleeping too soundly, he could only stay and accompany him.

All the classmates left, and in a short while, the classmates from the next class came in, and they were from the management department.

In their class, there were only a few girls, and in this class, there were only a few boys. So when a group of girls came in and saw two more boys in the classroom, they were all very curious.

Everyone kept glancing over during class, making Lin Shuyou's face turn red.

After all, he had practiced martial arts since he was a child, and among ordinary people, his physique and temperament were both superior. Coupled with his reserved nature when he didn't open his mouth, he was originally quite shy.

Therefore, Shuyou was actually quite popular with the opposite sex.

According to normal development, he might have started dating early.

But the problem was, who called him from the start of the school military training, most of the time he was lying in bed recovering from injuries.

After class, several girls even specifically walked over, wanting to chat and get to know him.

"Ah~"

Having slept for a morning, Tan Wenbin felt refreshed. He propped up his arms and stretched with a big yawn.

Honestly, there was really a sleeping atmosphere in the classroom. It was truly not possible to sleep so soundly elsewhere.

"Bin brother, you're awake, ah."

"It's fine, you continue."

Tan Wenbin used his hand to rake his hair a bit, stood up, and left. He had to go to the hospital at noon to handle Zhou Yunyun's discharge procedures.

Lin Shuyou quickly followed him out.

"What are you doing out, I'm going to the hospital."

"Bin brother, I'll go with you."

"Those several female classmates weren't bad, ah, but their faces were a bit strange, was it difficult to learn makeup?"

"Brother, they are not in our class."

"Oh, no wonder. I was wondering why I didn't find them familiar. But that's fine, wasn't there one you liked?"

"No."

"Then who exactly did you fall for?"

Lin Shuyou recalled the one he had a crush on last time who died in his womb, and immediately shivered.

"Bin brother, I feel I'm still young, it's still early to think about this."

"Alright, follow you."

Tan Wenbin took Lin Shuyou to the hospital. He first sent Lin Shuyou to inquire about when the discharge procedures could be handled, then went into the ward alone.

When he came in, Tan Wenbin opened his arms and deliberately exaggeratedly said: "Ah ha, guess guess, who came to see you!"

Then, Tan Wenbin saw Zhou Yunyun sitting on the sickbed, and Zheng Fang was also sitting by the sickbed.

Tan Wenbin: "Ah ha, it's my dear mommy, original!"

Bin Bin went up and had a cordial hug with his mother, Zheng Fang.

Zhou Yunyun lowered her head, her cheeks flushed red.

"Mom, how did you come?"

"Good, ah, both of you father and son deliberately hid it from me. I specifically went to Yunyun's school to find her, and only then did I know that Yunyun had an accident and was hospitalized."

"Isn't this so you wouldn't worry?"

"You stinky boy, where have you been all these days? You haven't come to the hospital to take care of Yunyun?"

"Teacher's task."

He couldn't possibly say that he had spent his spare time these days shoveling to death the person who had harmed Yunyun.

Lin Shuyou walked in at this time: "Bin brother, I asked. You can handle the discharge procedures now, should we handle them? Yi, Auntie, are you... Zhou Yunyun's mother?"

Zheng Fang nodded and smiled without speaking.

Tan Wenbin corrected her: "She's my mom."

Lin Shuyou's mind didn't turn over for a moment, and he said: "Yi, progress is so fast, you're already calling her mom?"

Zheng Fang burst out laughing and said: "Good, go handle Yunyun's discharge procedures, then call a car. Yunyun will come to my place to rest for a few days before going back to school. I've already talked to Yunyun."

Zhou Yunyun looked at Tan Wenbin and explained: "Auntie is too enthusiastic, I..."

Tan Wenbin: "Mom, how much work is this, ah? I think still..."

"I believe you, you ghost."

After handling the discharge procedures, Zhou Yunyun was taken by Zheng Fang to her home.

Zheng Fang made a meal, and Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou also ate at her home.

After the meal, Zheng Fang called Tan Wenbin out alone: "Mom asked the doctor. Yunyun's body is fine. The poison is poison, but fortunately, it didn't leave any aftereffects."

"Um, I know."

"Don't have any knots in your heart, don't dislike her."

"Ah?"

"In the hospital, why did you have to run off to that teacher's project, ah? This set of yours might deceive Yunyun, but it can't deceive your mom. Bin Bin, we can't be that Chen Shimei."

Tan Wenbin spent a long time sorting out his mother's thinking. Probably, his mother assumed that he and Zhou Yunyun were already together in high school, but deliberately hid it from the family, and both chose Jin Ling University.

As a result, he saw her poisoned and just left her in the hospital to fend for herself.

"Okay, Mom, we still have class in the afternoon, so we'll go back to school first, A You!"

"Coming, beauty brother."

Tan Wenbin put one arm around Lin Shuyou's neck and framed him as they walked down the stairs.

"Bin brother, let go, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"

"I told you to eavesdrop, I told you to eavesdrop!"

The two of them闹ed until they were outside the community before separating and hailing a taxi back to school.

In the car, Lin Shuyou asked curiously: "Bin brother, no class in the afternoon, ah."

"According to the plan, little Fa brother will help me arrange these two children this afternoon."

Lin Shuyou: "Truly looking forward."

Tan Wenbin nodded, turned his head, and looked at the street view outside the car window: "Yes, ah, I'm also very much looking forward to it."

...

In the morning, when Li Zhuiyuan arrived at the door of Grandma Liu's house, he stopped and stood outside for a while.

He was defrosting himself.

Every time he went out and came back here, his ears seemed to hear the crisp sound of himself melting.

Before, he had this feeling, but it was far less strong than it was now.

Looking at the positive side, being able to freeze more was also because he could melt better. There was cold and hot, which made the four seasons distinct.

Earlier in the dormitory, Tan Wenbin told him that he didn't need him to comfort him, because Bin Bin knew that this would bring him pain.

But sometimes, being able to control the pain and disgusting emotions, and expressing those words and care, was also a kind of victory for himself.

Li Zhuiyuan pushed open the courtyard door, walked into the courtyard, came to the floor-to-ceiling window on the first floor, and pulled it open.

A Li was pretending to be asleep.

Since he said he wanted to experience the feeling of waiting for her to wake up, she had always cooperated like this.

This wasn't blind obedience or spoiling, but two very small "patients," being careful with each other.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the bedside and called out softly: "A Li."

The girl opened her eyes.

"The weather is very good today, shall we go for a walk on the school playground?"

The girl nodded.

She got out of bed, put on her shoes. In a white silk pajama with a head of black hair, she was ready to go out like this.

Liu Yumei took pride in raising a young lady, but A Li didn't care about these things. The reason she didn't refuse was probably because that way, she could just sit there and make her grandma happy.

"Come, sit here."

The girl sat down in front of the dressing table.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the drawer, took out a comb, and started helping her comb her hair.

Once, he had come early and seen Liu Yumei combing A Li's hair. He just sat there and watched, and learned.

The girl's hair was very smooth, like satin, and felt very comfortable in his hand.

As he combed, Li Zhuiyuan felt his inner heart gradually calm down. The corner of his mouth unconsciously hooked up slightly, from his heart, without the slightest pretense, very purely integrated into the present quietness.

Finally, he saw the hairpin that was already made, which was the last trace after that large fish was burned to ash.

They didn't care whether it was auspicious or inauspicious, lucky or unlucky. They were more willing to see it as a trophy.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the hairpin and used it to give A Li's hair a final touch.

The two people in the mirror both smiled.

"Let's see, are there any clothes in the wardrobe?"

Li Zhuiyuan opened the wardrobe, and many clothes were hanging inside, all in the style of Han clothing.

The boy took out a set and put it on the bed, then walked out, pulled the curtains, closed the floor-to-ceiling window, turned his back to the room, and sat on the steps in the courtyard.

Not long after, the door behind him was pushed open, and A Li, who had already changed her clothes, stood there.

White top lining, black skirt, simple yet fresh and elegant.

The two of them held hands and walked out of the courtyard.

After they left, Uncle Qin carried a water bucket from the corner and walked out, starting to water the vegetables in the courtyard.

On the second-floor balcony, Liu Yumei stood there, looking at the two small figures walking away hand in hand in the distance.

Aunt Liu poked her head out from behind: "Alright, it seems we don't need to have a vinegar dish this morning."

Liu Yumei didn't speak, and lightly patted the railing with her left hand.

Seeing that the old lady was truly emotional, Aunt Liu quickly changed her tone to comfort her: "Isn't this what you always wanted to see?"

"Yes, ah, it is what I wanted to see."

She always worried about what A Li would do alone in this world after she was gone.

Whether A Li would feel lost, whether she would feel uncomfortable, that was the baby she had always held in the palm of her hand throughout her life. She couldn't tolerate the slightest grievance.

But when the scene she had hoped for appeared, she couldn't help but regret her own weakened sense of existence.

"Fitting together is ultimately theirs. Just be more open-minded, ah."

Liu Yumei closed her eyes and nodded.

"What do you want to eat this morning?"

"Can't eat, make me a pot of tea."

"How can you drink tea on an empty stomach early in the morning, ah?"

"I have heartburn, I have to put out the fire."

...

There were more people on the playground in the evening, but very few in the early morning, especially at this hour, when students generally hadn't woken up yet.

On the empty playground, there were only a few sporadic figures. Li Zhuiyuan and A Li walked and talked, mainly he spoke and she listened.

Although it wasn't a big event this time, it still counted as a story.

Unlike Tan Wenbin, who needed to conceal things from Zhou Yunyun, Li Zhuiyuan could tell everything as it was, because she wouldn't be scared, nor would she feel bloody or uncomfortable.

For A Li, these were all things as simple as rain.

However, upon hearing about Zhao Yi self-digging his gate of life and death and choosing to walk the river, A Li grasped the boy's hand and squeezed slightly.

Those dead evil spirits, no matter how intelligent, had their limitations, but people might not be the same.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that Uncle Qin failed to walk the river precisely because of people.

Sensing the girl's worry, Li Zhuiyuan comforted her: "No need to fear this. It should be them who fear me, right? Because compared to them, I am less like a person."

The girl stopped and looked at the boy.

Li Zhuiyuan also turned sideways and looked at her.

Their foreheads lightly touched, and the girl laughed.

In this world, perhaps only she could understand his cold joke.

The two continued to walk. When the girl swung her arm, she used some force, and Li Zhuiyuan also followed along. The hands they held together swung back and forth more exaggeratedly than before, seeming to express a kind of "not losing child's heart."

When it was almost time for students to wake up and have breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan prepared to take A Li back.

At the exit of the playground, he saw Liu Tao and Lu Anan. It was obvious that they had seen him early and had been waiting here for a while.

They were the president and vice-president of the Xiang Study Society. The last time the two were recruiting new members at the playground, Li Zhuiyuan had sat at their stall.

Liu Tao had told his fortune, resulting in a nosebleed, and that Lu Anan was taught the method of three-finger trembling echo by him, but she didn't seem to have learned it.

The two of them were carrying soybean milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns in their hands. When Li Zhuiyuan walked over, smiles appeared on their faces one after another.

However, calling him "Study younger brother" was obviously not suitable, and calling him "senior" was too old-fashioned. The two seemed not to have discussed the title in advance and were stuck, just smiling with their mouths open, looking a little silly.

"Study senior, study senior sister, good."

Li Zhuiyuan held A Li with his right hand and raised his left hand to greet them.

Lu Anan: "Ai, Study younger brother senior, good."

Liu Tao was stunned for a moment, then immediately followed: "Study younger brother senior, good."

Li Zhuiyuan: "If there's nothing else, I'll just..."

Lu Anan opened her mouth: "It's like this, Study younger brother senior. Next week, we have a multi-school joint society activity. Many Xiang Study people will come to participate. We two want to invite you, Study younger brother senior, to participate together. What do you think?"

"No." Li Zhuiyuan refused very simply. "However, I can recommend a person. He is the class monitor of Class 1, Water Resources Engineering Department, freshman. His name is Tan Wenbin. His Xiang Study and fate study are better than mine."

Liu Tao: "Really, ah?"

Lu Anan: "Really?"

"Um, he is enthusiastic and willing to help classmates."

After Li Zhuiyuan finished speaking, he took A Li's hand and left.

Liu Tao looked at Lu Anan: "Then, shall we go find that classmate Tan?"

Lu Anan lifted the breakfast: "We specifically bought breakfast and forgot to give it to them!"

After Li Zhuiyuan and A Li walked back, they just sat down at the dining table, and Aunt Liu brought up the breakfast.

"Doesn't Grandma Liu come to eat breakfast, ah?"

Aunt Liu: "The old lady ate earlier and is feeling a bit full now."

"Oh, so that's it."

Aunt Liu continued to tease: "Little Fa, don't you want to know what the old lady secretly ate this morning, ah?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I know, it was my abruptness."

Aunt Liu suddenly felt that chatting with an overly smart child was very boring.

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan spent the morning drawing in the study room.

A Li was painting. After Li Zhuiyuan finished drawing his share of the drawing, A Li's painting was also starting to take shape.

The painting depicted an old courtyard, with a raging fire just starting. The details and people hadn't been painted yet.

"Do you want to put this painting in the painting frame book, ah?"

A Li shook her head.

"Then just as leisure entertainment."

A Li nodded.

"A Li, work a little harder and help me carve out this rune."

A Li put down her brush, walked to the other end of the long table, sat down, picked up a carving knife, and first picked up an ancestral tablet from the table, shaving off two layers of palm-sized skin.

The action was smooth, and the wood skin was neat. It was clear she was skilled.

Then, A Li started carving lines.

The book by Wei Zhengdao recorded a kind of rune called the Two Worlds Rune.

The function of this rune was to open the Yin world in a person's body and the Yang world in an evil spirit's body. Its traditional meaning was to help people and ghosts communicate.

Many blind godmother businesses used this one to help customers call up their deceased relatives to chat.

However, this Two Worlds Rune was slightly modified by Li Zhuiyuan, cutting off the communication function and strengthening the Yin-Yang boundary.

Tan Wenbin only needed to paste these two pieces of wood skin on his shoulders to achieve the isolation of people and ghosts in his body. Although the price of raising ghosts shortening one's life remained unchanged, it could at least reduce the counteraction effect between people and ghosts to the lowest level.

A Li's lines were carved very fast, and full of rhythm.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but gesture a few times in the air, indulging his craving.

There was no way he could understand and even modify runes, but he truly couldn't draw them.

On the desk were still four sets of clothing styles, four sets of different colors and styles, corresponding to himself, Yin Meng, Run Sheng, and Tan Wenbin, respectively.

And it was obvious that there were drafts and touch-ups. The touch-ups were likely done by Liu Yumei.

These clothes really looked good, not completely the same yet with similar styles, and wearing them wouldn't make people feel strange. Some positions even had special notes for linings and special designs, which were very practical.

For example, he really liked putting the sealing mud in his pocket. On these clothes, it could be built into the cuff or wrist button area. This way, when pressing red again, he wouldn't need to reach into his pants pocket, which would be quicker and more secret.

Besides this, A Li also did a good job on some of the small parts he needed. With these, he could then ask Run Sheng to find a nearby small factory to supplement some larger pieces according to the drawing to complete them.

A Li finished carving the two pieces of Two Worlds Rune. Li Zhuiyuan collected them, planning to go back and make some glue, then paste them on Tan Wenbin's shoulders.

This wood skin material was excellent; it could blend with the skin and not affect life at all.

Actually, Li Zhuiyuan had also figured out a ghost control technique, but this technique was just created, and there were still many problems.

Although the official general's history was not long, they were a legitimate famous sect. No matter how stingy those Yin gods were, they would at most dry up a person's yang energy. However, Tan Wenbin's ghost control method might be completely fighting with yang life.

If the balance between this side effect and merit was not well-grasped, then Tan Wenbin would... use his yang life faster and become younger.

However, with Run Sheng present, and now even Lin Shuyou as a temporary worker who could be dispatched to the team as needed, Tan Wenbin didn't need to bear the main responsibility of fighting in the front.

Then he could design some simple dharma doors for Tan Wenbin to learn and use. This way, the consumption would be low, and the merit from walking the river would more than cover it.

But he could also teach moves that consumed a lot of yang life. At crucial moments, if life was completely gone, how much yang life remained would be meaningless.

"Bang!"

Upstairs, the sound of a cup shattering was heard.

Who knew which family's kiln was smashed again, and how many sets of houses were vented?

Li Zhuiyuan was somewhat surprised. Was Grandma Liu still upset about the morning?

Walking out of the study room, he didn't see Aunt Liu. Li Zhuiyuan could only go upstairs.

On the second floor, the room was open.

Li Zhuiyuan saw Aunt Liu standing beside Liu Yumei, her expression calm.

For the usually sweet and amiable Aunt Liu to reveal such an expression, it already explained the problem.

Liu Yumei was sitting on a rattan chair, holding a name card with an emerald sheen in her hand, the veins on the back of her hand protruding.

"Hahaha...

Good for you, Nine Rivers Zhao. This is hitting my face with the abacus beads, ah. You actually want to devour my family's entire fortune!"

---

End of the month sprint. Those with monthly tickets, please vote for the Dragon, ah.

This month. We have hope to take first place. Begging for monthly tickets!

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