Chapter 225

Li Zhuiyuan walked up the steps. He had just stepped onto the second level when he felt the steps beneath his feet come alive, beginning to writhe as if alive.

The steps, which were not numerous to begin with, now seemed to extend infinitely, with no end in sight. This sight could instill despair in most people who wanted to continue forward.

However, the boy's steps not only did not stop, but his speed did not slow down at all.

In his eyes, the steps were still just steps. The effect of this minor array was no longer able to interfere with his perception.

He stood on the threshold and casually flipped over the copper mirror hanging on the door frame.

He had arranged a similar array when he first went to university, in his dormitory. His version was even more advanced than this one because the copper mirror he used was more valuable.

Runsheng and Lin Shuyou immediately followed. Runsheng habitually positioned himself in front of Xiaoyuan, while Lin Shuyou naturally stood behind, replacing Bin ge's previous position.

Ayou occasionally had moments of clarity and whimsy in his life, but at crucial moments, he never dropped the ball.

In the temple courtyard, a young monk stood, holding a broom in his hand.

When Li Zhuiyuan flipped the copper mirror, he wanted to go forward, but Runsheng blocked him.

The young monk turned his body and shouted towards the inside:

"Ah, ah, ah..."

He was mute, and newly mute at that.

Li Zhuiyuan could read his lips, and the way he used his vocal cords followed his previous habits.

From inside the temple room, a small monk walked out. The small monk's face was waxy yellow to an incomprehensible degree, as if a drop of yellow liquid would drip from his jaw at any moment.

The small monk held a small pottery fish tank in his hand. Several fish were swimming in the tank, all belly up, dead as could be.

He walked to the incense burner, reached out to grab the dead fish, and threw them in one by one.

The dead fish were first coated in incense ash, then gradually roasted, emitting a sour smell.

"A guest has arrived, please enter the room for a talk."

An old voice came from inside the room. Li Zhuiyuan's ears twitched slightly. It was the exact same voice as in his dream, without the slightest change.

The boy strode forward, with Runsheng and Lin Shuyou following closely behind.

However, the sweeping mute monk actively crossed his body this time, and the small monk also stepped aside, each positioning themselves against Runsheng and Lin Shuyou respectively.

This meant that everyone else had to stay outside, and only Li Zhuiyuan could enter the room alone.

Inside the temple room, there was no discernible array presence. However, the dangerous arrangements in this world might not be limited to arrays.

Li Zhuiyuan might not have any interest in going in alone.

He had come as a guest, but he was an unwelcomed guest. The small trick that Esoteric high monk used on him initially was far more severe than kidnapping children.

It was also fortunate that the other party failed, otherwise his remaining life would have fallen into his hands as a puppet.

Furthermore, the high monk was wary of Li Lan's identity.

If Li Lan had been an ordinary and normal mother who took her sick son to find this high monk for treatment, it was unclear whether the illness could be cured, but her son definitely would not have survived.

It was fine that he hadn't remembered that part of his memory before, but since he had recalled it, he naturally had to come and ask for an explanation.

"Donor, the poor monk has been respectfully waiting for a long time."

The old voice appeared again. This was a催促 (cūcù) or urging.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Fight."

Runsheng's right hand reached into his bag and drew out the Yellow River shovel. He struck directly at the mute monk who was blocking him.

The mute monk used his broom to block, but was immediately knocked back by the powerful force. Runsheng's Yellow River shovel also completely unfolded with this strike.

Not many words were needed. If Xiaoyuan said to fight, Runsheng would certainly fight to the death.

The Qi gate opened, and the Yellow River shovel came down. The mute monk leaped away, originally dodging this strike. But Runsheng was able to forcefully change direction midway through the downward chop, and the shovel immediately swept horizontally towards the mute monk.

The mute monk raised his broom to block again. This time, he let out a muffled grunt, and his whole person flew out, hitting the courtyard wall, with fresh blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

The difficulties encountered while walking the river were one wave after another, and now he was even in contact with the level of the Nine Great Secret Realms. Furthermore, the opponents competing in the river water were also contemporary outstanding figures, none of them were easy to deal with.

But if placed in the common folk of reality, Runsheng was no longer the young man from Xiting town who used to salvage corpses behind Shan Deye.

Lin Shuyou drew a trident from his waist and thrust it directly at the small monk's face.

The small monk's body retreated, showing a peculiar flexibility. When he raised his head again, oil oozed from his waxy yellow face, black patterns appeared, and when he opened his mouth, black mist flowed between his teeth.

This was a type of seal evil method. Up乩 (shàng jī) is borrowing the power of Yin Shen (陰神) to descend upon oneself, while seal evil is sealing evil spirits and evil things within the body, waiting to stimulate their power when needed.

The next moment, the small monk stamped both legs on the ground and quickly pounced towards Lin Shuyou.

Lin Shuyou raised his trident, but in an instant, his hands were keenly grabbed by the opponent. Using this opportunity, the small monk twisted his body in mid-air and launched a series of kicks at Lin Shuyou's chest.

Ayou dodged to the side, avoiding the majority of the kicks, but was still hit in the chest by the last foot. He immediately covered his chest and lowered his head, his footsteps becoming chaotic, his center of gravity lost and about to fall.

The small monk's eyes lit up, and he once again closed in, intending to forcibly tear away Lin Shuyou's trident and then thrust it into Lin Shuyou's chest.

However, his beautiful idea was soon forcefully extinguished.

First, he used all his strength, but was actually unable to snatch the trident from the opponent's hand. Next, the opponent lifted his head, a vertical pupil condensed in both eyes, and a charming smile flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"Evil demons and evil things, only kill, not ferry~"

The White Crane Child's body rushed straight forward. He grabbed the small monk's chest clothes with his left hand, then heavily smashed him to the ground.

"Bang!"

A large amount of yellow liquid overflowed from the small monk's body. This was a way to soften his body to dissolve this force. At the same time, he also took off his clothes and slid backward, attempting to break free.

The Child threw the trident in his hand. The opponent cleverly dodged, but next, a trident condensed from technique appeared in the Child's hands again and he continuously threw!

"Pu."

"Ah!!!"

No matter how you dodged, one was eventually able to stab through.

The small monk emitted a mournful scream. This voice sounded like a crazy old woman.

Runsheng and Lin Shuyou both heavily repelled the people blocking the road, but Li Zhuiyuan had no intention of entering the room.

No hurry,

First kill the two outside, then the three of them would go in together. This way was more stable.

But the person inside the room couldn't sit still anymore.

The old monk walked out.

His appearance hadn't changed much from Li Zhuiyuan's memory, but his skin was no longer delicate and already showed signs of age.

When he saw Li Zhuiyuan, a look of thought flowed in the old monk's eyes, as if he was trying to match the boy with his past memories.

This proved that the other party didn't know he was coming.

But the other party should have foreseen that a crisis would come.

This new mute young monk and the small monk who had just been soaked were the means used to cope with the crisis.

Using irreversible secret methods that greatly overdrafted their strength beforehand enhanced the strength of the two people, meaning that this mute monk and small monk still had unused means.

But it didn't matter, because Runsheng and Lin Shuyou had also just warmed up. Now they were pressing the attack. After they used those means, they would still be pressed.

The old monk bowed to Li Zhuiyuan: "Since the donor is unwilling to come in, the poor monk will come out."

When the old monk came out, the mute monk and small monk stopped their actions, showing a defensive posture.

But Li Zhuiyuan didn't speak, and Runsheng and Lin Shuyou didn't stop, continuing to attack.

Soon, the mute monk was once again sent flying by Runsheng's shovel, spitting out fresh blood in the air. The small monk's arm was first broken by Lin Shuyou's trident, and then followed by a kick, splashing yellow fluid.

The old monk sat cross-legged, with some extremely tough thin silk seemingly wrapped around his hands like wind. As he pulled his fingertips, a painting flew out from inside the room and landed in the old monk's palm. He quickly unfurled the painting, revealing the appearance of a five-year-old boy inside.

The painting was very detailed and realistic, even the small bookbag Li Zhuiyuan carried back then was painted.

"Donor has come for the matter of that year, the poor monk knows everything and will speak without reservation!"

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand.

Runsheng and Lin Shuyou stopped their actions and each walked to the boy's side.

Runsheng's clothes were slightly swelling as he adjusted himself. Although the previous consumption was negligible, taking every opportunity to adjust his state was a habit formed while walking the river.

Lin Shuyou's side was much simpler. The vertical pupil dissipated, allowing the Child to leave directly.

Ever since Li Zhuiyuan invited the White Crane Child into his southern passage field, not only has Lin Shuyou's Up乩 become easier, but the Child's descent has also become more free.

Previously, he only followed the official general system, but now a new system has been added, which is equivalent to upgrading the previous two-way two-lane to four lanes.

Of course, not everyone can achieve this effect by building a branch and moving a temple book. It was A Li personally carving the White Crane Child's image that played a key role.

Ever since the new statue was placed, the Child liked to descend to that body when he had nothing to do. 'Ba ji ba ji' sounds often came from the kitchen next door at night.

That small room was where the offering table was placed, but originally there were long strip boards nailed on both sides of the wall, convenient for placing offerings under every god and Buddha image.

Therefore, the first thing Li Sanjiang did every morning when he entered the small room to worship incense was to move the Child statue, which had inexplicably run under some god or Buddha image, back to its original position, then bend down to pick up the two ugly, shapeless wooden figures on the offering table that kept falling down.

For this, Li Sanjiang even specifically asked about it during breakfast, asking who was so idle as to run there every day to mess with things. If they wanted to play with toys, he would pay for them to go buy some at Aunt Zhang's small store.

In short, Li Zhuiyuan built a bridge for the Child using the Dragon King Gate pattern. This was a luxury treatment that official generals, whether Yin Shen or Jī Tong (乩童), couldn't even dare to think about from birth.

Seeing the old monk settle into his posture, Li Zhuiyuan also sat down.

The corner of the boy's eye swept over the old monk's fingertips. His hand lines were dense, mottled, and profound, caused by the frequent use of those extremely tough metal silk threads.

It was right that he didn't enter the room alone. Heaven knew how many such metal threads were hidden inside, and he wasn't worth the risk of going in.

"That year, Donor, your mother asked the poor monk to make a move to cure your illness. Unfortunately, the poor monk's Tao 행 is shallow. Although I did my best, I still failed."

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand again. This was a plan to command Runsheng and Lin Shuyou to make a move again.

The old monk's eyes froze for a moment, then he immediately spoke again:

"It is because Donor's situation is special. There is no heart demon to suppress. Originally, there is no disease. How can the poor monk cure a disease?"

Li Zhuiyuan's hand continued to wave down.

The old monk opened his arms: "Wait a moment! It is the poor monk's desire. It is truly out of love and appreciation for talent. Donor is naturally pure in six roots, not stained by secular dust. It is exactly the spiritual child that our Buddha sect eagerly seeks. When the poor monk saw Donor, I just wanted to bring Donor into my fold and impart all my lifelong learning to enhance the glory of our Buddha sect!"

Li Zhuiyuan waved down his hand, and at the last moment, withdrew his fist.

The old monk let out a long sigh of relief.

He had foreseen that today might come, but this "today" did not unfold in this way. He was wary of Li Lan's identity. Even if the means he used initially were discovered and pursued afterwards, it should have been official pressure. But what was presented before him now was oppression from the Jianghu.

He preferred to deal with the former because the former would speak of rules, while the latter... was simply the rule.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Corpse ghost lock soul array, is that also out of love and appreciation for talent?"

When the old monk heard this, a look of fear appeared on his face. How did the other party even know this?

This was exactly the control method he had prepared after planning to help him decompose the heart demon that year, but because there was fundamentally no heart demon to divide, it was just a futile effort.

Reasonably speaking, this was a failed calculation, but the other party could be so clear about it.

The old monk took a deep breath and said: "Our sect has always had means of control for spiritual children, fearing that they might develop crooked thoughts and fall while bearing the study of Buddha's law. This restriction is to pull them back onto the right path.

The reason why the poor monk did this initially was because I regarded you as a spiritual child at first sight, hence..."

"So, I still have to thank you?"

"The poor monk dare not, the poor monk dare not!" The old monk seemed to have made a certain decision. "Because of the wrong the poor monk committed that day, I now suffer the consequences. Whatever the donor desires, the poor monk will bear it truthfully!"

"This matter could have been discussed, but now, it cannot be discussed. I gave you an opportunity, but you did not cherish it. Furthermore, even if I truly decide not to pursue it, you will not have a good outcome."

"What does the donor mean by this?"

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look at the large incense burner. The smell of roasted fish had already permeated the air: "You knew something would happen today, right?"

Raising fish to cultivate spirits and using them to predict auspicious and inauspicious events was not a rare matter. Many places among the folk also had this custom, not just for viewing.

The old monk muttered a few times, finally nodding:

"Yes, the temple is small and the wind is strong. It started blowing fiercely a few days ago. What should die will die, and what should crack will crack. The ominous signs are a great calamity, almost clearly indicated."

Occasionally, if one thing happens with an anomaly, it can still be vaguely explained. If collective signs appear, then it is a certainty.

This kind of great calamity cannot be relied on by pure hiding. The more you hide, the more unmanageable the matter becomes. The most rational way is to actively face the calamity. This is also the traditional attitude of the various sects of Buddhism towards calamities.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You didn't expect that I would become your great calamity."

The old monk's face showed bitterness: "Indeed, the poor monk... Tao 행 is shallow."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You were deceived."

Old monk: "What..."

Li Zhuiyuan opened his left hand, a wisp of karma fire condensed, and he pushed it forward.

The black karma fire attached to the painting. Although the old monk couldn't see it, he could perceive that the painting was tainted with something terrible, and immediately let go, letting it fall.

As the karma fire burned, cracks appeared on the painting. Finally, it became as if someone had held a knife and frantically scraped and carved it.

The old monk's eyes widened, daring not to believe.

This meant that the calamity had a clear point early on, but the painting had been tampered with to conceal it.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You are old, you can see this point. But your voice hasn't changed. This is a flaw. Appearance and voice, voice grows with age, and it will also change with it."

The old monk's body began to tremble.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Furthermore, you speak too literately. When people reach a certain age, they lose some learning ability and are also lazy to change. Initially, you still liked to quote 'use your Zhongyuan words to say'. Look at you now... how well your language habits have integrated. Could it be that you have been lazy to do other things all these years and have focused on language classes?"

The old monk looked at Li Zhuiyuan with some despair.

Li Zhuiyuan: "The person who could arrange the corpse ghost lock soul array that year cannot even comprehend this divination of heavenly secrets. When you came out and saw me, your first reaction was to feel that I looked familiar, as if you had seen my appearance somewhere. You were thinking about something, not searching for memories."

The old monk's body slumped, and he admitted frankly:

"Master has said many times over the years that not being able to bring this spiritual child into his fold is his lifelong regret.

If your mother's identity hadn't been special, Master wouldn't have dared to act rashly. Otherwise, you should have become my junior brother, you would call me senior brother, and I would pamper and protect you without reservation. Master would certainly be the same."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "I don't see that kind of atmosphere here."

Old monk: "This is true."

Li Zhuiyuan pointed at the old monk sitting in front of him: "Your master is hiding himself and letting you pretend to be him to block the calamity for him. Is this what you call master's慈爱 (cí'ài) - compassionate love?"

Li Zhuiyuan then pointed at the mute monk and small monk: "You, as a senior brother, knowing that you are being pushed out by your master to block the calamity, just muted and soaked two junior brothers. Is this what you call your senior brother's宠溺 (chǒngnì) - doting?"

The old monk opened his mouth, cold sweat flowing.

Li Zhuiyuan: "After you just contacted me, you discovered that my killing intent was not that strong, so you thought of seizing the opportunity to climb up, pulling out my mother at the same time and playing a warm card.

Don't act in front of me, you're not good at it.

Actually, from the moment I entered the door, the full desire to live I felt from you was the biggest flaw in you replacing your master's identity."

Old monk: "I want to live, really, I just want to live, I don't feel I'm wrong!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I came to ask for an explanation. As you sensed, my killing intent was not that strong. But looking at the situation now, even if I don't make a move, you won't be able to live."

Old monk: "No, as long as you can lift your noble..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his body stiffened. Next, his eyes began to turn red, and his expression became distorted, as if undergoing a certain change.

He was under a restriction placed on him beforehand, and it had just taken effect.

Li Zhuiyuan immediately stood up, flicked his left hand downwards, a copper coin sword appeared in his hand, and he drew it directly towards his brow.

"Pa!"

In an instant, white smoke rose, and the old monk's facial skin began to peel off, revealing the image of a middle-aged person.

The red color in his eyes was dissipated by the copper coin sword, and his distorted face also gradually recovered calm.

"I didn't expect Master to be so ruthless. Thank you for being willing to save me..."

"I don't intend to save you, and I can't save you. The thing your master planted in you cannot be dispelled at all. You will definitely die."

As if to verify the words he had just spoken, Li Zhuiyuan moved the copper coin sword away from his forehead.

"Ah!!!"

His pupils were once again covered by red color, his face was even more distorted, and at the same time, his limbs swelled continuously as if inflated, similar to the scene when Tan Wenbin used the ghost control technique.

But Tan Wenbin's ghost control technique was controllable. Even if Binbin himself didn't control those two dry sons, he wouldn't inflate the dry dad to death.

This one in front of him was completely deliberately made uncontrollable. Either he would go mad, or his body would burst.

Li Zhuiyuan: "See, I wasn't wrong. Your master simply doesn't want you... any of you to live."

The mute monk's body twitched, and the aura on his body also became more and more fierce. His eyes were also filled with red color, no longer having his own thoughts.

The small monk's face simply melted, revealing an old woman's face. She let out a mournful cry, flowing with the desire for blood and food.

The old monk from before was in a small unit under a certain sect. There were not a few cultural relics and ritual objects placed inside. However, that small unit was disbanded early on.

Therefore, it was actually quite difficult to find them.

Li Zhuiyuan always wanted to dial that number, which was Li Lan's office phone. Li Lan should be able to find his location.

But this matter became simple because of Taiye's involvement, because Taiye had been tormented by that group of zombies in his dreams for a long time.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that this should be the counterattack of Taiye's own good fortune. Winning the lottery again and getting a luxury tour in Jingli was due to his good fortune.

This also fits why Grandma Liu and the others were so careful when they stayed at Taiye's home, and it also explained why Uncle Qin didn't help with the soy sauce bottle initially.

When the good fortune on Taiye's body began to counterattack... the people around him naturally became tools to be used.

Li Zhuiyuan not only did not dislike this feeling, but rather quite liked this strong, simple, and clear guidance.

But it was just too straightforward and clear, which the Esoteric old monk sensed in advance.

This move of theirs was indeed ruthless. Taking the lives of three apprentices to break this cause and effect.

Putting aside positions and ethics, Li Zhuiyuan actually quite appreciated his method, because it was indeed effective. When this matter ended, the dead would clear the debt, and Taiye's good fortune would also lose its target for counterattack.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Solve them."

If he hadn't come tonight, the three people in this temple would have gone mad and caused harm. Since he was here, he definitely had to make a move to solve it.

Runsheng and Lin Shuyou both made a move.

Li Zhuiyuan once again pressed the copper coin sword onto the face of the middle-aged monk in front of him. Blood mist condensed in his right hand and he patted the sword body. Patterns were directly branded on it. The copper coin sword, like an electric iron, began to frantically wear down the evil spirit rising from the opponent's body.

"Ah!!!"

If the distance was a bit farther or the opponent had completed his transformation, Li Zhuiyuan would have had some trouble dealing with him. But now, the person was right in front of him, and he had taken the initiative. There was no problem with close combat kung fu. It was very simple to solve.

The copper coin sword cut downwards, from his brow to his chest, a bloodline appeared. At the same time as the evil spirit sprayed out, a large amount of essence and blood were also carried out.

Li Zhuiyuan took out the wordless book, flipped to that page, and stained it with the essence and blood.

Since it was sprayed out, it shouldn't be wasted.

This was not trading, because the amount of deduction would double tomorrow if he swallowed it today. Anyway, no matter how much he ate, he had to squeeze it out, just letting him have a taste.

"Tell me where your master went, and I'll give you a quick death."

"Plateau... mountain sect."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, the copper coin sword swept horizontally, cutting off his head.

The copper coin sword did not have an edge, but after touching evil things, it would become abnormally sharp.

This was enough to see what a powerful person Zhao Family Dragon King was back then. Zhao Yi's weak and delicate painting style indeed disgraced his ancestors.

Root-like things grew out of the mute monk's throat. Vines also appeared under the skin of his limbs. His physical strength was further enhanced, and he roared and pounced towards Runsheng.

Runsheng was not polite. Fifteen of the sixteen Qi gates opened at once. He first kicked the opponent away with one foot, then leaped forward, and the Yellow River shovel heavily struck down, smashing his head.

When a person goes mad, their strength becomes stronger, but they also lose their original consciousness. As long as your strength is strong enough, you will feel that they are easier to deal with now.

But after losing his head, he was still twitching, and the root-like things were still spreading outwards.

Runsheng stepped on it with his foot, raised the shovel again and smashed it down, then bent down and pulled out the tree roots.

The tree roots rapidly wrapped around Runsheng's palm, trying to find an opening to enter Runsheng's body. Runsheng opened his mouth, bit off a section, and began to chew.

"Ga ben! Ga ben!"

Crispy, very crispy, like sweet sugarcane.

On the other side, the White Crane Child also solved the problem very quickly.

The opponent's sealed evil had leaked out, equivalent to a fierce ghost attaching to the body. Dealing with this kind of guy, official generals were the professionals. After all, the things that this helper was showing now were all things they had played with before.

The old woman initially wanted to actively attack, but after being continuously severely injured, she began to want to escape. For this, she even specifically sprayed out a burst of yellow mist, wanting to create a ghost hit wall for the Child.

The Child was almost angered to laughter. Creating a ghost hit wall for himself, who was given the title of lead road child?

Under the shining vertical pupil, the old woman had nowhere to hide. The Child held his left hand vertically at the edge of his lips, chanted a spell in his mouth, and the old woman hugged her head and began to spin in place.

Then, while continuing to maintain this posture and chant the spell, the Child walked to her with the trident in his right hand, and stabbed the trident down at her head, then conveniently stirred.

The old woman immediately turned into a puddle of yellow pus. A block of yellow essence-like substance remained on the trident.

The Child turned his head and saw Runsheng eating with relish. He simply opened his own mouth, like eating barbecue, and took a bite of this "yellow essence".

The evil spirits and ghost Qi condensed here have a nourishing effect on the soul body, but normal people fundamentally cannot eat it, nor can they even touch it. However, Lin Shuyou absorbed quite a bit of the Child's divine power during the previous round of walking the river, so he was not in this category.

The Child was a little surprised that this thing was really hard for people to eat, but when he ate it this time, his Jī Tong did not transmit too much disgust or rejection to himself.

The Child was very relieved, thinking that Lin Shuyou had matured.

Actually, it was because Ayou had just experienced the baptism of douzhi (豆汁) not long ago.

With douzhi in front, this playful little thing was not that hard to swallow.

This time, where the middle-aged monk's neck was broken, a black goose egg-sized thing, similar to a preserved egg, was squeezed out.

After falling to the ground, it began to glow, and there seemed to be a gaze emanating from within.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that this was the Esoteric high monk's hidden backup plan in his apprentice's body. He was "witnessing and observing" in this way.

The preserved egg began to roll, rolling into the temple room. Li Zhuiyuan followed him in.

Runsheng and Lin Shuyou followed quickly while eating. When the two met at the temple room door, they both froze for a moment.

Runsheng handed the tree roots to the Child. The Child shook his head.

He didn't like the taste of this playful thing. If his Jī Tong ate one bite, he would have to go to the hospital.

The Child handed the remaining half block of "yellow essence" in his hand to Runsheng. Runsheng was not particular about what he ate. He lowered his head and took a big bite.

Chewing, swallowing, frowning. This thing tasted bland, and swallowing it made him feel nauseous.

Runsheng: "Not good to eat."

The Child threw the remaining "yellow essence" into his mouth, thinking to himself, you, who can't even walk the Yin, where do you need to nourish your soul body?

Under the Buddha image in the temple room, there was a tray full of water. After the preserved egg rolled into it, it began to dissolve, transforming into a face. It began to speak, but could not emit a voice. However, Li Zhuiyuan could read what he was saying. He was very excited:

"Heart demon... heart demon... I just saw the existence of a heart demon in your body... Come find me... Come to the plateau to find me... I can help you control and strangle the heart demon..."

Strangle the heart demon?

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and said:

"Rest assured, I will definitely come find you later."

After saying that, he stabbed the copper coin sword into the tray in his hand. The murky liquid inside immediately boiled, and the tray exploded.

Tonight, Li Zhuiyuan came to ask for an explanation, but the "explanation" given by the old monk left the boy very dissatisfied.

Li Zhuiyuan said to Runsheng and the White Crane Child beside him: "Okay, clean up here."

Runsheng: "Um."

White Crane Child: "Um!"

After saying "Um", the White Crane Child immediately ended his Fú Jī (扶乩) state, the vertical pupil dissipated, and he ran away.

...

The stars shone brightly.

On a towering rock wall, temples were carved.

In one of the temples, three monks sat.

"Why are you so happy, Lo Sang?"

"Do you still need to ask me? It must be that Lo Sang's calamity has been successfully faced."

Lo Sang shook his head: "This is something that makes me happier than facing the calamity. You still remember me. I told you that I once encountered a spiritual child."

"Remember, you've said it several times."

"How, is this calamity related to that spiritual child?"

Lo Sang: "This calamity is precisely him. But I now think this is not a calamity, but guidance from the Buddha ancestor. My spiritual child has not only broken free from his mother's protection, but has also given birth to a heart demon."

When the other two monks heard this, their eyes lit up.

Lo Sang: "He is like an egg that has already matured and actively peeled its shell, jumping into my plate by himself. I have a premonition that my mountain sect will flourish because of him!"

"Lo Sang, do you have his birth date and fate information?"

"Right, Lo Sang, quickly hand it over to us. We will perform divination together."

"Of course I have it. After all, his mother initially asked me to help him cure his illness. Here, this is it. Let's the three of us perform divination together, first measure his fate and destiny, and then discuss when to go down the mountain and bring the spiritual child back to the sect."

The three monks each held a ritual object and began to perform divination.

"Fate is smooth and high, the beginning of the spiritual child's fate is extremely high."

"Wind and rain protect, is a person with great wisdom and spiritual roots."

Lo Sang: "This is of course. However, this is just the outward appearance of the spiritual child. What amazes me the most and keeps me thinking about him is that he is naturally pure in six roots. Our generation has spent our entire lives seeking to enter the empty door but cannot, yet he was born into the empty door."

The three monks' faces showed smiles and they continued to perform divination.

As they divined, the three monks suddenly collectively froze.

"Pu!" "Pu!" "Pu!"

Each of the three monks spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, their aura weakened, and they swayed from side to side.

"I saw two paths, two terrible paths... Lo Sang, what kind of spiritual child is this, whose spiritual child is this exactly!"

"I saw a river piercing the sky, hanging down, washing away everything. Disaster, disaster, Lo Sang, you have brought disaster to our sect!"

Lo Sang's expression was the most horrified. He opened his mouth, his eyes fell into emptiness, and he murmured:

"Impossible, this is impossible, he is still just a child..."

...

The itinerary for the second day was to climb the Great Wall.

Li Sanjiang was strong and walked for a long stretch. His rough palm didn't know how many battlements he had patted.

Although Tan Wenbin wasn't here, there were plenty of people in the scenic area who helped tourists take photos. It was just... the price was more expensive.

However, Li Sanjiang rarely didn't complain about spending too much money on this matter. He took many photos.

Young people like a place and can think about having the opportunity to come back later.

But for old people, many places they visit are the last time in this life. If their bodies have problems one day, they might not even be able to go far from home.

After returning from the Great Wall, everyone went to South Gate to eat涮羊肉 (shuàn yángròu).

The Xue Liangliang exchange meeting had already begun. It was mainly for the newly selected students. They didn't need to participate in the whole process, only needed to give an experience sharing report tomorrow.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't plan to go himself. He sent Lin Shuyou.

When he heard that he had to go and give a report in front of so many people, Lin Shuyou's toes began to dig into the ground.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't let him go empty-handed. In the hotel room, he took paper and pen and wrote a speech draft for him.

It mainly started from a professional perspective, combined with practice, talking about how to avoid and handle some special "accidents" encountered during the construction process.

He couldn't speak too obviously, as that would involve feudal superstition, but he also couldn't speak too superficially. After all, even people like Worker Luo would chat with "mountain gods" and "river gods". This was part of the job. Plus, after going to Gaoju Li's tomb, it was unlikely to be completely peaceful.

It didn't take long to write a well-structured speech draft. Li Zhuiyuan handed it to Lin Shuyou and instructed him to just read from it tomorrow.

At this time, Runsheng opened the door and came in, pointing to the next door: "Xiaoyuan, there's the smell of blood in Li Deye's room next door."

Li Zhuiyuan immediately ran to the room next door and found Taiye standing by the washbasin, raising his head, nosebleed gushing out "gu du gu du".

He helped Taiye block his nostrils with paper, but the nosebleed soon seeped out again. The flow was fierce, seemingly unstoppable.

Finally, after a long struggle, it finally stopped.

"Hu..."

Li Sanjiang lay on the bed, gasping for air non-stop.

"Taiye, didn't you drink the tea I made for you before?"

"Xiaoyuan Hou, you know, your Taiye I'm not too used to drinking tea leaves."

At home, Taiye basically drank tea brewed with orange peel or huò xiāng (藿香) leaves. He rarely drank tea leaves.

"You have to drink it. You need to replenish your water, otherwise you'll still get nosebleeds."

There was a climate difference between the south and the north. The northern climate was drier. These days they had been visiting many scenic spots, plus eating 涮羊肉, so the nosebleed came fiercely this time.

"Okay, I know, I'll drink it. The most I'll do is pee a few more times."

The next morning, at Li Zhuiyuan's persistent request, he took him to the hospital for a physical check-up.

On the way, Li Sanjiang kept muttering in a low voice: "It's just a nosebleed, why do I need to go to the hospital?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Since we've come all the way to Jingli, it would be a shame not to stroll around the hospital. When we go back, we can also tell everyone about it."

When Li Sanjiang heard this, he immediately stopped complaining.

Runsheng: "I also want to take my grandfather to Jingli for a physical check-up later."

When Li Sanjiang heard this, his waist straightened even more.

After entering the hospital, of course, it wasn't just a simple nose check. Li Zhuiyuan arranged a major check-up.

The check-up results surprised even the doctors, especially after seeing the old man's age on the medical record. Some doctors even began to inquire about Li Sanjiang's health preservation secrets.

Some check-up reports needed some time to come out. Li Zhuiyuan asked Runsheng to accompany Li Sanjiang to sit outside for a while, while he stayed here and waited.

Behind this hospital, there was a very high-level sanatorium.

Li Sanjiang sat down on a long chair and sniffled: "Hey, Runsheng Hou, isn't there a place selling roasted sweet potatoes over there?"

"Um." Runsheng stood on tiptoe and looked. There was indeed a person pushing a gasoline barrel stove on the roadside.

"Go buy two for me to taste."

"Okay."

Runsheng went to buy roasted sweet potatoes.

Li Sanjiang placed his hands on his knees, lightly rubbing them while curiously looking around the environment.

It is indeed much bigger than the health center in our town, ah. Look at this, it's arranged like a garden.

"Old brother?"

A voice came from behind.

Li Sanjiang turned his head and saw the person who came. Hey, it was actually the same person he had smoked with in Shichahai the day before.

"Hey, old younger brother!"

Li Sanjiang said as he patted his pocket and handed the lighter to the other party: "Sorry, I only realized I took your lighter when I came back."

The elder smiled and reached out to push it back: "Keep it. My old companion at home doesn't allow me to smoke."

Li Sanjiang nodded: "That's right, smoking is harmful to health."

Saying that, he took out a cigarette box, took out two cigarettes, and lit one for each of them.

"Old brother, why are you here?"

"Sigh, it's still my great-grandson. I just had a nosebleed, and he just insisted on dragging me to the hospital for a check-up. I really couldn't argue with him, so I could only come. You say it's just this small matter, is it worth it for us to come here specially? How expensive is it to see a doctor in this big hospital!"

"The child cares about you. He has filial piety."

"That's right." Li Sanjiang got the answer he wanted, and exhaled a smoke ring with satisfaction.

"My re-examination results from yesterday came out."

"How?"

"Very good. The surgery effect is better than the doctor expected."

"That's good."

"Old brother, come to my home and sit for a while. We can drink tea and chat this afternoon. I live just there."

Li Sanjiang followed the direction of the other party's finger and looked. He smiled: "In our countryside, we don't have the rule of visiting empty-handed. Old younger brother, next time, next time."

"I've already smoked two of your cigarettes, Old Brother. I have to at least treat you to a cup of tea."

"It's really inconvenient. I still have to go back with my great-grandson later. I still have to go to the military museum this afternoon."

"I'll accompany you. I can explain it to you."

"No need. My great-grandson is very familiar with it. He explains it better than any professional guide."

"Definitely not as familiar as I am."

At this time, Li Zhuiyuan walked out holding the report.

Li Sanjiang immediately waved: "Xiaoyuan Hou, your Taiye I am here, Xiaoyuan Hou!"

Subsequently, Li Sanjiang said to the elder beside him: "Look, this is my great-grandson. Don't look at his young age, he is already a university student. He was even the top scorer in the province in the college entrance exam! How, how handsome is my great-grandson? I didn't lie to you that day, did I, old younger brother?"

"Yes, uncle."

()