Chapter 201

Chapter 196

Li Zhuiyuan ended the "walk yin" state and reached out to rub his forehead.

The young man’s head was a bit dizzy, but still within an acceptable range.

Learning this kind of thing naturally required paying a certain price.

Fortunately, this time, he had a study partner.

Zhao Yi's body went soft, and luckily Tan Wenbin was quick and supported him in time, preventing him from hitting his head squarely on the ground.

Temporarily being in the seam between life and death, opening and closing, closing and opening, was equivalent to repeatedly dancing on the edge of the ghost gate, further trampling on his physical state.

Zhao Yi was gradually getting used to this, and his old shackles were almost becoming fingertip tools. This was also a huge step forward.

"Phew..."

Zhao Yi first carefully reached out to touch Tan Wenbin's back. Seeing that it wasn't as cold as the last time, he then actively got up.

Tan Wenbin carried him and weighed him, saying, "Young Master Zhao is indeed skilled."

Zhao Yi said, "I've been a weakling since I was young, I'm used to being carried."

Tan Wenbin didn't say anything more and carried him down the platform.

Regardless of whether it was a foreign mule or a local mule, as long as it could turn the millstone, it was a good mule.

Zhao Yi's earlier performance proved his role and value, so he naturally deserved corresponding treatment.

Baihezi knelt on one knee, supporting himself with the trident, struggling to hold on for the last moment.

Practice makes perfect. No one was born to be good at social niceties, but if there were benefits to be gained nearby, no one needed to teach them, and even gods were no exception.

Li Zhuiyuan walked in front of Baihezi, squatted down, and was at his level.

"You've worked hard."

This was his teaching session, and also the child's beating session.

The child used his last bit of strength and slightly raised his chin, saying, "It... is my duty."

After saying that, the child left.

He was like an elderly person who saw the last person he wanted to see on his deathbed and then peacefully passed away.

Lin Shuyou's body swayed. He was very weak, but because he hadn't used the Biexie Talisman Needle, he wasn't to the point of collapsing and fainting.

"Crack!"

Li Zhuiyuan opened a can of Jianlibao and handed it to Lin Shuyou.

Lin Shuyou took it with both hands.

Not to show solemnity, but because he was afraid he couldn't hold it with one hand.

He tilted his head and drank it down, then lowered his head and let out a long burp, like a diligent mule snorting happily.

Runsheng continued to take out drinks from his bag while thinking. Influenced by Li Dage, everyone's daily worldview was imprinted with the mark of a mule.

Fortunately, they were all high school graduates, otherwise, it would be easy to be considered plagiarism when writing a metaphorical sentence during a Chinese exam.

Lin Shuyou smacked his lips and felt he had regained some strength.

This was actually just a psychological effect. A can of drink wasn't some miraculous medicine. It was just because Xiao Yuan ge usually drank a lot, and in his companions' eyes, this thing was imprinted with a layer of special filter.

Tan Wenbin carried Zhao Yi over, and Runsheng handed him a can of drink.

Zhao Yi took it.

Then he saw Runsheng still staring at him.

Zhao Yi said, "In my pocket."

Tan Wenbin turned sideways, and Runsheng went to take something out of his pocket, taking out quite a few bottles and jars.

Zhao Yi asked, "Can you tell the difference?"

Runsheng nodded.

After receiving supplies from Captain Zhao twice, he was familiar with these precious pills.

Trading Jianlibao for spiritual pills and wondrous medicine was indeed a win-win situation.

After giving the medicine, Runsheng turned around and squatted down, signaling Lin Shuyou to come up.

Lin Shuyou said, "I can walk myself."

Runsheng shook his head, "Rest on my back first and catch your breath. You might still be needed later."

Lin Shuyou felt that was very reasonable, so he got on Runsheng's back.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to Yin Meng's front. Yin Meng was leaning against the coffin and regulating her breath.

Just earlier, she was still worried about her team's position, but she immediately got the opportunity to prove her value.

Her anxiety was alleviated. Although Yin Meng was poisoned, her heart was satisfied.

Li Zhuiyuan grabbed Yin Meng's arm with his left hand, drew out a dagger from the side of his boot with his right hand, and cut open three openings on her arm.

Then he pressed some red mud and quickly drew patterns on her arm. He immediately pressed down with his thumb to activate them.

Yin Meng suddenly felt a sharp pain and bit her teeth tightly not to make a sound, only her body twitched slightly.

Black blood quickly overflowed along the three wounds and soon accumulated in a pool on the ground.

Yin Meng suddenly felt her body much lighter, and seven or eight tenths of the toxins were cleared. She could even dissolve the remaining ones herself.

Just as her mood calmed down, a greater sense of unease instantly arose:

"Xiao Yuan ge, you learned poison techniques?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

Having read so many esoteric medical books, he still knew some basic medical techniques and pharmacology.

In the past, when Yin Meng poisoned herself, he had no clue and dared not treat her randomly. But the poison "replicated" by the one in the coffin was extremely standard and formulaic, corresponding exactly to the standard cases he had learned from books.

"You bandage yourself a bit."

"Okay."

Yin Meng nodded and flicked out a gu insect with her fingertip. The gu insect fell on the wound and quickly bit along it with its mouthparts. Soon, the wound was sutured very tightly.

It had a self-anesthetic effect and didn't need stitches removed. The effect was excellent.

After suturing, Yin Meng raised her head to look at Lin Shuyou on Runsheng's back.

Lin Shuyou immediately shook his head in fright, "I only have internal injuries here, no need for external wound treatment."

Li Zhuiyuan stood at the edge of the coffin and placed his hand against the coffin wall.

"Scratch... scratch... scratch..."

Fine friction sounds were transmitted, and extremely light tremors. The closed coffin isolated most internal and external movements, so this little leaked sound indicated the intense frenzy inside the coffin.

The one lying inside was frantically scratching the inner wall, hysterical.

Li Zhuiyuan had specifically instructed Yin Meng earlier not to look at the situation inside the coffin. He was worried that if she looked, there would be extra problems.

The one inside was after all his "one-lesson teacher." In the process of learning, Li Zhuiyuan had naturally also detected a stock of violence hidden within its dogma.

There was obviously a kind of rule restriction here, but the one inside was very clearly trying to utilize the rules as much as possible, the purpose being to keep the "student" forever.

Teachers are not willing to be lonely.

Zhao Yi said earlier that from the moment he chose the puppet stone door, the seed of greed was already planted. The killing trap didn't necessarily need perfect ambushes from all sides. It could also be you actively looping the rope around your neck.

Li Zhuiyuan walked around the coffin. The carved patterns on top were very novel and difficult to correspond with historical records.

This was not strange. Complete historical records were originally a luxury. Even the history of the Central Plains region often had discontinuities, let alone in the mountains.

Many ancient civilizations sprouted, bloomed luxuriantly, and withered here, going through a life cycle. However, because they didn't communicate with the mainstream, they could only be beautiful on their own. When later people excavated the ruins, they would feel extremely shocked.

"Bang!"

The coffin began to sink.

Li Zhuiyuan stood in place, his hands clasped over his abdomen, and performed a silent salute to his teacher.

If it was truly a benevolent teacher or a strict teacher, it might not be necessary to perform a grand salute, but it was not. It was more like a prisoner imprisoned here, forced to work.

After the coffin had thoroughly sunk in, the ground beneath his feet became emerald-like again.

Looking down, he could see the coffin still sinking. Soon, those dense black shadows would submerge it.

Without the attraction of the coffin's movement, these black shadows became curious about the living people above again.

In front, a stone wall gradually softened, with intertwined green light and shadows. There were no black shadows inside that area, like a door.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and touched it with his palm. He could penetrate it.

There was extremely great danger here, but Li Zhuiyuan didn't think there would be direct danger, such as walking through the door into a deadly trap.

Therefore, Li Zhuiyuan was the first to pass through.

After entering, it was an open space. The ground was still emerald quality, emitting green light. Whether above or below, the visibility was very high.

This scene was extremely similar to Shichahai after it froze in winter, except the ice layer was tuned to green.

The rest of the people also followed in. Runsheng rushed ahead, feeling that he should scout the unknown place first and that Xiao Yuan shouldn't be so hasty.

Tan Wenbin said, "How is it that there is fake emerald everywhere here?"

Zhao Yi said, "I suspect it's some kind of seal now."

At the end of the open space were steps. Everyone had to first walk from this end to the other end.

Everyone began to march.

There were no objects above, it was bare and clean. But the furnishings below were very dense.

Block by block of areas basically followed the layout of a platform below with stone chairs and stone cushions.

Some black shadows sat on the platform, and some black shadows sat below the stone chairs and stone cushions, all sitting upright and very solemn.

There were also floating black shadows passing through, but without exception, as long as they were seated, they would not move and were very serious.

The environment below was very much like a teaching scene depicted in ancient paintings.

The difference was that the space here was very large, and the teaching and lecturing areas were divided into blocks.

Walking above felt like a school leader patrolling outside the classroom.

Recalling the three selectable stone doors on the outermost layer, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but suspect that someone had built some kind of academy here in history, spreading scriptures and preaching.

To do this in the Nine Great Secret Realms, it must be said that it was indeed a shockingly grand undertaking.

However, the ending did not seem good. The students and teachers who were once here were all permanently sealed here.

The black shadows in the two places should not be the same kind of people. The number of black shadows here was obviously much less than before, and the black shadows here also "focused on listening and learning" after death and were not curious about living people.

According to the atmosphere of current schools, this place was like a rocket key class, and the one in front was an ordinary free-range class.

Of course, this metaphor was not accurate. Those black shadows outside should not be students.

Any large building in ancient times required massive manpower. Li Zhuiyuan suspected that the large number outside who were used as teaching consumables were possibly "civil workers."

If human sacrifice was used as consumables, then this "academy" was no longer grand and righteous, but rather stained with a layer of thick black oppression.

It was a pity that they never saw murals or stone tablets. For the background of this place, they could only rely on speculation for the time being.

No accidents or changes occurred. Everyone walked to the other end very safely. Just as they were about to go up the steps, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but stop and look back.

Did the two from the Yu family pass the exam?

If they didn't pass the exam and died inside, that was also quite good.

But if they passed the exam, then they should also pass here. Were they walking in front, or were they still not out?

After a brief consideration, they continued to walk upward.

The steps were not long. Above was another large stone door, but this time there were no murals on the stone door, it was very clean.

It definitely couldn't be pushed. All the doors here were solid and integrated. Even if Runsheng opened his qi gates fully, he couldn't shake it at all.

Li Zhuiyuan put his palm on the stone door. When he withdrew his hand, the original contact position was imprinted with his own palm print invitation mark.

But the stone door did not open.

Zhao Yi also did this and successfully left his mark, but the stone door was still quiet.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Missing a Yu family person's hand invitation."

Tan Wenbin said, "If they didn't pass the exam and died there, then can we still open the door?"

Zhao Yi said, "Since you got the invitation and were given a branched path choice, it's impossible for this stuck here situation to occur.

I think it's because the Yu family person hasn't come over yet, and at the same time, the Yu family person is still not dead.

If they were already dead, the invitation in our hands should be able to open the door."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and said, "Then rest. Runsheng ge, Binbin ge, set up the tent and make some food."

A good resting environment helped the injured recover. As long as conditions allowed, there was no need to struggle.

Moreover, Li Zhuiyuan had a premonition that the Yu family people wouldn't come out so quickly, and of course, they wouldn't die so easily either.

So, they might need to rest here for a long time.

The tent was set up, and the sleeping bags were laid out. They used an alcohol stove to cook some porridge, adding dehydrated vegetables and beef granules. The taste wasn't great, but having a mouthful of hot food here was enough to make people happy.

Zhao Yi sighed while eating with a spoon, "You are truly willing."

There was no firewood or water here. Except for the fake emerald visible everywhere, there were no supplies to be seen.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Then you don't eat."

Zhao Yi said, "How can I not? I also put in effort."

After eating, Li Zhuiyuan got into his sleeping bag to rest. Zhao Yi cheekily wanted to squeeze in, but was rejected by the young man.

Zhao Yi had no choice but to crawl over and want to squeeze with Lin Shuyou. Lin Shuyou also expressed rejection, but immediately reluctantly agreed.

Runsheng said to Yin Meng, "You're poisoned, go and rest too. Zhuangzhuang and I will be on alert."

"Okay." Before going to sleep, Yin Meng took out spiced peanuts, chocolate, squid jerky, and fresh flower cakes from her bag and told Runsheng and Tan Wenbin to have snacks while they were on alert.

Tan Wenbin was not polite either and started eating as soon as he opened the packaging bag.

Runsheng took out a compressed biscuit in doubt and asked, "You didn't eat enough just now?"

Tan Wenbin said, "I ate enough."

Runsheng said, "Then why are you still carrying stones to the mountain?"

Tan Wenbin said, "My mouth is bland, adding some flavor. You have some too."

Runsheng shook his head.

He wasn't deliberately saving snacks for Yin Meng, but he really didn't have the habit of eating snacks. In the past, when the school store opened, he would only eat the ones that were about to expire to avoid waste.

Initially, Li Zhuiyuan only planned to take a short nap to replenish some energy.

But unfortunately, the Yu family people always failed the exam and were always unwilling to die. The time was dragged longer and longer. In the end, Li Zhuiyuan simply let go completely and treated it as a normal sleep.

While sleeping, he heard sounds in his ear. It seemed like someone was lecturing.

He only knew that someone was lecturing, but he couldn't hear the content of the lecture clearly.

Li Zhuiyuan knew he was dreaming.

It wasn't walking yin, entering a dream, or an array effect. It was purely having thoughts during the day and dreams at night.

It should be related to the special environment here. Human spiritual sense seemed to become very active here.

If he was truly pulled into the dream below and could learn things, Li Zhuiyuan might really carefully protect this dream and see if he could go down and audit a class. But if it was just purely dreaming, there was no need to affect his rest.

The young man decisively detached himself from the dream and continued to sleep.

He woke up refreshed after sleeping.

Yesterday's fatigue was swept away. This recovery speed was truly astonishing.

Beside him, Lin Shuyou and Zhao Yi were hugging each other and sleeping soundly.

Afraid of still needing a study partner later, Zhao Yi didn't suture the seam between life and death on his forehead. Along with his breathing, the seam between life and death was also slightly opening and closing.

The wisps of dead qi drawn out from it led the sleeping Lin Shuyou, who was hugging him beside him, to have his eyelids constantly micro-trembling with the rhythm.

It should be the dead qi pulling at Shuyou's vertical pupils as a warning, but knowing it wasn't an enemy, it only retained some basic instinctual response.

Tan Wenbin was sleeping inside Yin Meng's sleeping bag. She was already up and had gone to change shifts on alert.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, took a bottle of water, and walked to the front of the steps to sit down while drinking.

After a long while, a yawning sound came from behind. Zhao Yi twisted and turned and walked over.

When he was close to Li Zhuiyuan, he still reached out and supported the young man's shoulder a bit before sitting down steadily.

Li Zhuiyuan handed him the half-empty bottle of water in his hand. Zhao Yi took it and drank.

"This place is really nourishing, ah. The effect of sleeping is very obvious." Zhao Yi also felt this very clearly.

"Yes."

"Is that big silly girl from the Yu family still taking the exam?"

"Maybe she's taking a make-up exam."

Zhao Yi said, "That silly girl is really stupid and strong."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "I knew earlier I should have given you to her. This way she would have two votes, and the difficulty would be at least doubled. This way you two could destroy each other in there."

Zhao Yi said, "With me there, maybe she would have passed the exam and come out earlier."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "She might not listen to your suggestions."

Zhao Yi said, "That's true."

At this moment, a small block of light and shadow flowed on the distant stone wall.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up.

Zhao Yi reached out and grabbed the young man's arm, also following him to stand up.

Runsheng used the Yellow River shovel to knock on the steps, waking up Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou.

The Yu family people came out.

Their bodies were full of torn and bitten marks, almost not human-shaped.

A Yuan's back was hunched, and when he walked, he actually walked on all fours. And Yu Miaomiao was bitten in his mouth.

Seeing this scene, Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi exchanged a glance.

They had originally planned to think of ways to scheme against the Yu family people here.

Facts proved that some people fundamentally didn't need to be schemed against. Even if they just walked through the normal process, they could play themselves until they were only one breath left.

When they reached the bottom of the steps, Yu Miaomiao opened her eyes. Looking at the tent above, the alcohol stove, and the opened bag of various uneaten snacks, a trace of resentment was revealed in her eyes.

Why did she come out after a near-death experience, while they were picnicking and resting here?

You, you truly deserve to die, ah!

Although the girl was so heavily injured that she couldn't walk, at this moment, she clearly and unmistakably emitted killing intent.

This killing intent was so straightforward that even Yin Meng detected it!

A Yuan gently shook his head, along with shaking the Yu Miaomiao he was biting in his mouth.

He hoped that the young lady would be a bit more sober and pay attention to the current specific situation.

Zhao Yi swayed and walked downward. He really couldn't stand it. He was going to cause trouble.

Today, it was either her or him!

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at Runsheng. Runsheng understood and followed Zhao Yi closely to walk down together, afraid that he would truly risk his life when he caused trouble.

The resentment in Yu Miaomiao's eyes quickly dissipated, replaced by a multi-layered fear.

Li Zhuiyuan had suspected whether the Yu family had problems early on. Even if the Yu family had no problems, this Yu Miaomiao definitely had very big problems.

Something else lived in her body. After fusing with each other, it led her entire person to be full of a contradictory feeling.

Earlier, the arrogance and wild defiance of the Yu family young lady formed a unity, making her extraordinarily look down on everything. Now, it was the human and animalistic survival instinct, making it achieve a new consistency.

This kind of person often lacked life wisdom, but their survival instinct was intact.

Yu Miaomiao opened her mouth, "I know the secret here. I can reveal it to you, but I demand you..."

Zhao Yi continued walking downward.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't answer either.

It was already this time, and she was still thinking about bargaining.

Secrets were very important, but they could slowly explore the secrets themselves. And without her, it was more important to them.

But as long as the Yu family people changed to any other team, even if they had their own little thoughts and needed to guess and guard against each other, it wouldn't matter. They could still cooperate normally.

Because everyone could have a basic consensus on when they could scheme and compete internally, and when they had to unite against external forces to pursue common interests.

But she fundamentally didn't have this sense.

She was like a thunderclap that would explode at any time. While exploding herself, she would also bury the people accompanying her.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't even understand why the Yu family would send her out to wander. How could this kind of person... become a Dragon King?

But just at this moment, A Yuan, who was biting Yu Miaomiao in his mouth, had changes in his eyes.

His gaze was originally always simple and pure, like a servant with no ideas of his own, only his young lady in his heart.

Now, within his eyes, there was more profundity, warning, and threat. If it were merely these, it wouldn't be strange. It was understandable for a loyal servant to burst out in anger at this moment to protect his master.

But the problem was, why did his eyes have a sense of long years!

And when he showed this gaze, below the emerald wall surface, the black shadows who had originally been "concentrating on class" all raised their heads and looked upward.

Yu Miaomiao was being bitten, and her vision was problematic. She couldn't see the changes in her servant's eyes, nor could she see the changes in the black shadows below. So she was still shouting:

"You'd better think about the consequences of moving me!"

Zhao Yi stopped and turned back to look at Li Zhuiyuan on the steps behind him.

Obviously, he had seen through it.

After contacting the young man's solemn gaze, Zhao Yi knew that the young man's judgment was consistent with his own.

Seeing the situation, Yu Miaomiao thought her threat and lure had worked, and she let out a complacent light hum from her nose.

Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi simultaneously thought:

This silly girl, she surprisingly isn't aware?

Earlier in the "puppet classroom," Li Zhuiyuan had already detected the thoughts of the "teacher" inside the coffin.

But it was truly teaching the apprentice and starving the master. From beginning to end, Li Zhuiyuan didn't give the one in the coffin the slightest opportunity. That one could only frantically scratch the wall inside the coffin, in impotent rage.

That one was already so powerful under the restrictions of the classroom rules. If it was detached from the classroom and lost the shackles of the rules, how terrifying would it be?

However, originally Li Zhuiyuan only thought that these two from the Yu family were brainless and extraordinarily greedy. That was why they were detained for so long in the classroom with only one vote difficulty and finally came out covered in scars.

But who knew,

They were surprisingly stupid enough to...

Bring out the teacher from their own hall class!