Chapter 69

Chapter 68

"Haha, hahahaha..."

At first, Tan Wenbin just chuckled, but then he couldn't help laughing more and more exaggeratedly, eventually causing Runsheng and Xue Liangliang to join in the laughter.

Li Zhuoyuan didn't deliberately pretend to fit in this time; he didn't laugh out loud, but the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

After experiencing danger, witnessing mysteries, and undergoing numerous trials, they had finally escaped death.

Ordinary people have the ability to heal scars and forget pain. No matter how bitter or difficult things are, after enduring them, the brain will deliberately dilute the negative feelings. It can even make you recall them and taste a sweetness similar to sipping roadside flower stamens on the way to school.

Tan Wenbin now felt a sense of utter exhilaration.

Adventure indeed can be addictive.

As they laughed, the surroundings began to tremble.

Tan Wenbin was startled: "Did we laugh so hard it caused resonance?"

It definitely wasn't caused by laughter, but it did shake. Stones from above started rolling down.

The four immediately got up and moved to a flatter area below.

After a while, the shaking stopped and peace returned, but the area where the four had been standing had collapsed significantly. The stone crack they had crawled out of was also gone.

Actually, even if they could find it, there was no point, because the passage below was definitely blocked solid.

Xue Liangliang: "It should be a chain reaction caused by the collapse of the underground palace."

Tan Wenbin said, confused: "That big thing was so cruel, it went back to demolish its own home and bury itself?"

Xue Liangliang shook his head: "Don't know. Maybe it wanted to go back and find its mother?"

Hearing this, Li Zhuoyuan couldn't help but think of the snake-faced woman sitting on the bed.

Xue Liangliang found a high point again to confirm the direction and then led everyone toward the camp.

The distance wasn't too far, but the terrain was difficult, which delayed them for quite some time.

Fortunately, they saw people in the afternoon. It was a militia team, armed and carrying explosives.

They were likely the first batch of reinforcements from the rear after the attack.

After learning that the four were "missing personnel" from the exploration team, the other side immediately arranged for people to send them back. Along the way, they encountered some detectors who were still assisting with the work. They were all very enthusiastic and came up to thank them.

This thank you left them a bit bewildered. After chatting, they learned that somehow, the events of that night had spread as Xue Liangliang leading several people to lure that big thing into the mountain cave, saving everyone.

Xue Liangliang quickly explained that the big thing had actively run into the mountain cave and they were forced to flee for their lives.

But it was clear that those colleagues just nodded and said they understood, but their expressions showed they didn't believe it.

This made Xue Liangliang a little anxious; he didn't want to take credit for this honor.

Tan Wenbin, on the other hand, muttered to Li Zhuoyuan: "If I get this honor, can it add points for the college entrance exam?"

The four were first sent out of the mountain area, then got into a car. After returning to the town, they were arranged to go to the hospital in Wanzhou city district for a detailed examination. After the examination, they were checked into a guesthouse to rest.

During this time, quite a few relevant personnel came to visit, and some came to take records.

All of this was handled by Xue Liangliang. As discussed beforehand, they would temporarily keep the underground palace below confidential.

It wasn't a deliberate attempt to conceal, but they had already been told that Luo Tingrui was coming. Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuoyuan planned to wait until Lao Gong arrived to report the matter to him and let him decide how to report it upward.

Unlike before, when a body appeared in a village and they concealed it after the matter was resolved to avoid affecting their own lives, this now involved a national project, so they definitely had to be honest.

The first to arrive, a step ahead of Luo Tingrui, was team leader Ma Yiming. He had a stubble beard and looked visibly disheveled and tired. After seeing Xue Liangliang, he tightly grasped his hand, then went into the room to look at Li Zhuoyuan and the others, murmuring non-stop: "Thank you, thank you."

Thank you for coming back alive.

After the incident, he hadn't closed his eyes and was under immense mental pressure. Including temporary workers and outsiders, his subordinates had suddenly lost eight people.

Now that four had returned alive, his heart could finally feel a little better.

Ma Yiming had just left when Luo Tingrui arrived with two people; they must have deliberately staggered their arrival.

Xue Liangliang went into a room alone with the two accompanying personnel and informed them of everything about the underground palace. Of course, he concealed Li Zhuoyuan's special role during this period.

After finishing their inquiry with Xue Liangliang, the two personnel entered the room again, asked Li Zhuoyuan, Runsheng, and Tan Wenbin a few questions each, and then left.

Five people were left in the room.

Luo Tingrui forcefully grabbed Xue Liangliang's shoulders and shook him back and forth a few times: "You scared me to death."

At his age and status in this industry, it was no exaggeration to say that a successor's status was often more important than that of his own biological child, especially since he had no son and his daughter hadn't studied this major.

Immediately after, he walked to Li Zhuoyuan and bent down to hug the boy tightly.

Top figures in the industry basically knew that the country would launch many large construction projects in the future, but these projects, from design to completion, required a lot of time. Luo Tingrui's ambition to realize his ideals truly needed the inheritance and relay between master and apprentice.

Luo Tingrui smiled and waved: "Come on, I'll take you all out for a late-night snack."

The late-night snack stall wasn't far from the guesthouse; it served Wanzhou grilled fish.

Luo Tingrui looked at Xue Liangliang and the three others and asked: "Do you want to drink? I can have some with you."

Tan Wenbin immediately waved: "We don't drink."

Actually, Binbin occasionally had a few drinks with his great-grandfather at home, but he wouldn't be inconsiderate if the person with the highest status at the table didn't want to drink.

"Then let's just have some drinks."

"Okay."

Tan Wenbin got up, went inside, and brought out a basket of soybean milk: "Hey, this is all they sell in this shop."

Saying that, he took out a bottle opener, opened a bottle for each person one by one, and placed it in front of them.

Luo Tingrui said to Xue Liangliang: "Don't let it get cold; let's eat while we talk."

Everyone picked up their chopsticks and started eating the fish.

Xue Liangliang then recounted the details of the underground palace to Luo Tingrui again.

After listening, Luo Tingrui just nodded and smiled.

Tan Wenbin immediately said: "See, Teacher, this is someone who has seen the world."

Luo Tingrui took a sip of soybean milk and said: "Besides the people from the relevant departments who come to ask, don't tell outsiders about this matter again."

The four immediately nodded.

Immediately after, Luo Tingrui smiled again:

"Indeed, I have seen several such cases before. We, contemporary people, walking on this land, fundamentally cannot imagine how much history and mystery are buried beneath it."

There were never a shortage of mysterious events on construction sites, especially for large projects and engineering works. Digging wider and deeper often made it easy to encounter strange things.

The beginning of many weird rumors in society was: my father, a relative, or a friend once dug something out on a project construction site that night...

Here, with Lao Gong, the protagonist was himself.

He narrated a segment of his experience from that year to the four.

That was many years ago. At that time, he had just started working and was temporarily transferred to Jilin to participate in a project. He felt quite strange at the time. Although it was said to be a national project, the Northeast at that time was transferring talents and industries to the inland as the eldest son. When would they need engineering teams from the inland to go there?

Although the place was in the mountains, it wasn't remote, near Ji'an.

After arriving there, they only received the corresponding task part, not planning, design, or construction. Instead, they were to re-examine an existing underground building.

This was originally supposed to be a secret engineering project, most likely a civil air defense project, and quite large-scale, but for some reason, there was serious water seepage.

They were also divided into many teams to inspect various nodes. Some key areas were marked at the time and they were not allowed to approach them; others would handle them.

One day during the work, Luo Tingrui and his companions found a dried-up water outlet. The opening was very large, big enough for a cow to pass through.

By all accounts, with the engineering quality of that time, even if damage occurred due to natural reasons, it wouldn't create such a large opening. Most importantly, when they had checked this section the previous day, this opening hadn't appeared.

Leaving one companion to guard the opening, Luo Tingrui and another companion just crawled in directly to check.

Speaking up to this point, Luo Tingrui smiled:

"We were young then, ah, we fundamentally didn't understand what fear was called. Anyway, looking at the slogans painted on the walls of the engineering passage, everyone was very motivated and courageous. The one left to guard the opening even lost in rock-paper-scissors and was so wronged he could die."

The break was very deep. The narrowest point was only wide enough for one person to pass sideways, but it seemed no matter how they walked, they couldn't reach the end.

Logically, they had already passed the engineering construction range, but the surrounding situation didn't look like a mountain crack or a geological movement. In some corners, however, clear traces of tool chiseling could be seen.

The two young people at the time were extremely excited, thinking this was destruction by enemy agents.

But as they continued walking further inside, they felt something was wrong. Not only did many relatively primitive tools appear on the ground, but also some bloodstains. After going a little deeper, they even heard voices coming from a deeper place.

Then, the people on that side seemed to have also heard movement of someone approaching. There was clearly a string of footsteps running towards them. They vaguely even saw the flickering light of torches they were using.

Although the two weren't afraid, they thought they had to get this message out. So Luo Tingrui let the companion run first, while he walked slowly, paying attention to the rear and preparing to cover. Anyway, it was very narrow here, and even if they left a corpse here, it could block the road.

At that time, the two young people still believed that enemy agents were intentionally destroying the place.

But gradually, the voices and footsteps from that direction disappeared at some point.

Anyway, the companion had already run very far, perhaps already out of the opening to report. Knowing that backup would arrive soon, Luo Tingrui simply stopped walking outward and actively advanced inward.

As he walked, he felt himself start to get dizzy, his steps became weak, and his vision gradually blurred.

"At first I thought it was lack of oxygen, but afterwards I thought, at that time I should have been..."

Luo Tingrui paused and looked at the four people sitting in front of him.

Tan Wenbin and Runsheng were engrossed in the story. Xue Liangliang took over: "Poisoned?"

Luo Tingrui turned to look at Li Zhuoyuan, signaling him to guess.

Li Zhuoyuan showed a shy smile and asked: "Fell asleep?"

Hearing this answer, Luo Tingrui's mouth opened slightly, seemingly feeling a little surprised.

"Xiao Yuan, how did you guess that?"

"Because when I'm sleepy, I'm also like this."

Luo Tingrui nodded noncommittally and continued to narrate: "Looking back now, I should have fallen asleep, because the companion who saved me told me that at that time I was in a coma in the crack.

But I don't feel like this was a dream, because everything was too real.

I stumbled and walked to the deepest place. I saw a magnificent hall. I saw singing girls and dancing women performing. I saw people drinking and having fun.

I was also invited to join. They asked me many things, and I also asked them some.

I can't remember the specific questions and answers, I only remember that we seemed to chat for a long time and drank a lot. Finally, I got drunk and fell unconscious.

After waking up, I found myself lying in the tent inside the camp.

Isn't it like 'The Peach Blossom Spring'?"

Tan Wenbin nodded: "Indeed it is, and both are initially extremely narrow, then people pass through, then suddenly open up. The later development is also very similar; after chatting and asking, there's wine and meat for entertainment."

Xue Liangliang asked: "Then, Teacher, did you report it?"

"Naturally I reported it, but quite a few people reported things in those two days. Someone saw soldiers in ancient armor in the passage, and also strange women in ancient clothes."

"Then the subsequent investigation, what about that crack?"

"Later the water rose, that project was flooded, and those several key areas seemed to have accidents. Some people couldn't come out. I don't know the details.

Our task was considered suspended midway. There was no further feedback on my report."

Xue Liangliang: "Did the higher-ups not believe it?"

Luo Tingrui shook his head: "It's very likely they believed it, but still felt indifferent."

Tan Wenbin said: "Then it's not like 'The Peach Blossom Spring.' Yours sounds a bit gloomy afterwards. 'The Peach Blossom Spring' is a beautiful story."

Li Zhuoyuan interjected: "Perhaps the place recorded in 'The Peach Blossom Spring' was originally not a village of living people."

"Xiao Yuan, why do you say that?" Luo Tingrui looked at the boy curiously again.

"I just have a feeling, Teacher. Can you say more details?"

"Details? Yes. Do you have paper and pen? I'll draw it."

"I do!" Tan Wenbin immediately took out the notebook and pen he carried and handed them over.

Luo Tingrui started to draw. His meticulous brushwork was very good, and the details were drawn very accurately. First, he drew a piece of clothing, then a knife, and finally a set of armor.

It was clear that although this matter had passed many years ago, it had always lingered in Lao Gong's heart and he often reminisced about it, otherwise he wouldn't remember it so clearly now.

The four people leaned over to look together, but for the other three, they could only see that they were ancient items. Beyond that, they couldn't discern anything.

After looking for a few moments, Li Zhuoyuan said: "Goguryeo?"

Luo Tingrui crossed his hands and asked very seriously: "Xiao Yuan, are you really not considering changing your major?"

The boy immediately shook his head.

"I'm just afraid of burying your talent." Luo Tingrui reached out and touched the boy's head, "How much is actually installed in this little head?"

Tan Wenbin was puzzled: "What is Gao Gou Li?"

Xue Liangliang reminded him: "The correct pronunciation is Gao Ju Li."

Tan Wenbin suddenly understood: "Oh, this I understand, I know. Fortunately, history doesn't test pinyin."

Luo Tingrui continued: "Later, I drew the things I saw in my dream and inquired through multiple channels. Only with great difficulty did I get a little clue."

The Goguryeo separatist regime in the Northeast existed for a long time, and its historical fame was also very high. However, its fame was mainly as the backdrop for Sui Yangdi, Tang Taizong, and Tang Gaozong. The Chinese people were generally not very interested in its cultural aspects. Instead, the people on the Korean side liked to steal it as their own ancestor.

This was also why Luo Tingrui was so surprised when Li Zhuoyuan recognized this thing.

"After that, due to work and personal reasons, I went to Ji'an multiple times. The most recent two times, I went specifically to find experts there who excavated and researched Goguryeo culture. I also went to their museum. Only then did I confirm that what I dreamed that night was not false, because before that night, I had fundamentally not come into contact with specific things about Goguryeo culture. I hadn't seen it in reality, how could I have imagined it?"

Xue Liangliang asked: "Teacher, what about that project?"

Luo Tingrui lit a cigarette and took a puff: "I still went back to check last year. I only know that something happened to that project at that time, and it was more serious than I knew. But the related information and files about the project were all sealed and I couldn't access them."

Tan Wenbin laughed: "You really are obsessed with it, like treating it as your white moonlight."

Luo Tingrui was also amused by this metaphor: "Indeed, after all, I was young then, ah, and I started working early, not like you all who are much older now.

Actually, later in my work, I encountered several matters that were more serious and more unbelievable."

Tan Wenbin said expectantly: "Tell us some more."

"I can't. For the Goguryeo matter, I didn't have the right to access the files at that time. For the later matters, I myself belong to the part that should be sealed."

"Alas, what a pity." Tan Wenbin sighed with great disappointment.

"You will encounter this kind of thing later too. At that time, you will also be required to keep it secret.

Okay, let's talk about the current matter. Leaving aside the underground palace and all that, just the underground river you discovered is enough to kill the scheme advocated by Ma Yiming."

Xue Liangliang interjected: "Actually, this matter also doesn't concern Team Leader Ma..."

"The higher-ups are clear about it, but things happened, and someone always has to take responsibility. Of course, he won't be really heavily punished. It mainly depends on whether he can overcome it himself.

I don't want to see him crying like that, and I'm too lazy to console him. Since the founding of the country, how many martyrs' memorials stand beside roads and bridges? I have personally witnessed many, and the best way to console them is to continue building the homeland."

Saying that, Luo Tingrui raised the cup of soybean milk he was holding. Everyone also raised their cups and clinked them.

Tan Wenbin drained the soybean milk in one gulp. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart: After all, he's a big leader. When talking about values, he's more natural than my own dad.

"Liangliang, in two days, just go to another group with me. We have to concentrate on tackling that set of schemes and strive to complete it early."

"Okay, Teacher."

"What about you, Xiao Yuan?"

"Ah?" Li Zhuoyuan pointed at himself, "Can I still go?"

"I want to ask you, after experiencing this kind of thing, do you need to take a leave to rest a bit?"

"Okay, rest." Li Zhuoyuan nodded. He also felt tired, and he still had to go to Fengdu once.

"Hmm, you are still young. You have to pay attention to combining work and rest. You should also actively exercise your body usually. I heard that child prodigies' bodies are generally not too good."

"It's not that exaggerated, Teacher, but I'll remember your words."

Xue Liangliang proactively brought up a matter: "Teacher, we didn't actively lure that thing to save people at that time."

"I know, didn't you just explain it?"

"I don't want to take this honor."

"Liangliang, ah... and all of you, listen up. Sometimes we all dream of being an absolutely pure white person, but this world will inevitably have dust, and sometimes even a sandstorm will blow up."

"I understand this principle, but Teacher..."

"With this incident, if there is an advanced model that can stand out, it will be better for Ma Yiming and the others."

"I understand."

After the late-night snack ended, Luo Tingrui left first, and the four returned to the guesthouse.

Tan Wenbin was still somewhat unsatisfied: "Wanzhou grilled fish indeed tastes good. I'm thinking of learning the technique here and opening branches in other places. I can definitely make money."

Xue Liangliang: "If you have this idea, I can invest for you."

"No, no, no. I'm just mentioning it. Making money is not as important as learning."

Immediately after, Tan Wenbin softly asked again: "This honor, can it add points?"

"It's not hard to get into Haihe University with the exam, and this matter will be kept confidential from the public."

"Oh." Tan Wenbin drooped his shoulders.

Runsheng asked: "Can't you just think of other ways to get points?"

Tan Wenbin shrugged: "Another way is for my dad to be glorious in his position."

Runsheng was choked.

Tan Wenbin had packed the large bundle of straw-like rotten things in a bag. Li Zhuoyuan handed this bag and a piece of paper to Xue Liangliang.

"Brother Liangliang, the restoration method is written on the paper."

"Don't worry, I'll go to that group and meet with Teacher in two days. I'll drive back to Chongqing these two days and first find the unit to help you handle this matter properly." Xue Liangliang glanced at the materials needed on the paper. "The materials are not hard to get, most of them are ready-made, but since you want to keep it secret, you definitely can't go to a cultural relics unit. My friend can do it, but it will take him longer."

"No problem. Just take it and process the restoration slowly. The main thing is that this item brought out cannot be exposed to the external environment for too long. I don't have good storage conditions here either."

"Okay, leave it to me. So, you're going to Fengdu next?"

"Brother Runsheng still needs to change his dressing tomorrow. We'll go the day after tomorrow."

"Be careful on the road. Contact me when you go back; I'll book tickets for you all."

"I'll tell you when I leave, Brother."

Early on the third day, Li Zhuoyuan went to Fengdu with Runsheng and Tan Wenbin. They first took a car, then changed to a boat, and disembarked directly at the Fengdu county town wharf.

Actually, the easiest way was to call the Ding family and ask them to help find out if there were any Yin family people in Fengdu, but that was Liu Nai's relationship after all. Li Zhuoyuan didn't really want to do that and decided to try and find them himself first.

From getting off the wharf, it was very noisy. Along the street, people were crowded, and vendors were everywhere. They had happened to catch the Fengdu Ghost Festival temple fair.

Tan Wenbin was very excited, looking around: "Hey, I have to say, the temple fair here is indeed more lively and fun than the one in our Nantong. No, the one at our home can't compare to this one at all."

Li Zhuoyuan: "Brother Binbin, tourism is originally going from a place you are tired of to a place others are tired of."

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Going back to Nantong is also equivalent to tourism for you."

"Hmm, almost."

"But Xiao Yuan, I really feel that the people in Sichuan-Chongqing here love and understand life more. Where I live, it's hard to find even a late-night snack stall after evening self-study.

Ha, I want to eat that, do you want some?"

Various local specialty snacks made people dizzy, and the prices were all very cheap. Even Runsheng, who was always frugal and disliked eating out, didn't feel the pinch this time.

The three of them tasted everything, just treating it as lunch. In this atmosphere and environment, Runsheng's Xiang-eating behavior didn't attract attention.

Tan Wenbin came to a ghost face mask stall. Two masters were painting. He stood by and watched for a while, then asked a master to paint a Sun Wukong mask for him.

He didn't dare to buy a ghost face mask to take away, otherwise he would get scared out of his wits if he glanced at it when he got up to pee at night.

After the painting was done, he paid the money. Tan Wenbin put the mask on his face and made a monkey gesture:

"Tsk, monster, hand over my Xiao Yuan!"

Next, they came to a tea stall. Covered bowl tea was very popular at temple fairs everywhere nowadays. It often had sugar or various fruit crystals inside. When tired, buying a cup to drink was very comfortable.

However, the covered bowl tea here was obviously different from other places. It was brewed on the spot. He couldn't specifically smell what tea leaves it was, but the taste was very strong. The horizontal banner above on the left said "Soul-bewitching Tea" and on the right "Meng Po Soup."

Tan Wenbin bought three cups. The three of them sat on small stools and drank slowly. The taste was okay, very strong but not bitter.

The temple fair was mostly frequented by local people, but there were also many tourists attracted by the Ghost Festival, and even some foreigners could be seen.

"Xiao Yuan, is that really Yanwang Hall above?" Runsheng pointed at the building complex above and asked.

"It's Fengdu Great Emperor, who manages the underworld. It is the sect of all souls returning."

"Sounds very powerful." Tan Wenbin sipped his tea, "Is he a local person?"

"There are sayings that Fengdu Great Emperor is Yin Changsheng, the younger brother of Empress Yin Lihua of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was not greedy for family wealth and wholeheartedly wanted to cultivate the dao, finally achieving destiny and ascending in Fengdu in broad daylight."

"Empress's younger brother?" Tan Wenbin smacked his lips, "Not enjoying glory and wealth, cultivating what dao ah."

"Everyone has different pursuits, ah. Didn't you also refuse Brother Liangliang's investment in opening a Wanzhou grilled fish branch the day before yesterday?"

"So I am also out of mud but not stained, ah."

Runsheng asked: "Xiao Yuan, why does every shop front here have to place a small water tank?"

Li Zhuoyuan: "It should be some kind of custom, ah."

After drinking tea, the three of them continued walking upward. Next, Li Zhuoyuan planned to find a white affairs shop to inquire about local corpse salvagers. If their surname was Yin, he would give the family a sum of money as a conclusion to the karma related to that segment inside the underground palace.

After passing through the large archway of "Fengdu Ghost City," they saw a stone tablet in the back. A passage was written on the stone tablet:

"If a son does not walk at night, then how does he know there are night walkers on the road?"

This passage was from Ge Hong's "Baopuzi" in the Jin Dynasty, referring to words once said by Yin Changsheng. It roughly meant that after he became immortal, he only knew how many immortals there were in the world, just like you don't know there are people walking at night if you don't go out at night.

This passage had another level of meaning for Li Zhuoyuan now. Before coming into contact with corpse salvagers, he didn't know that there was such a thing as dead bodies in the world. After contacting and learning, he discovered that there were really many, and there were also many peers.

Looking inward from the stone tablet, opposite was a shop. The shop sign above read: "Yin Jun Coffin Shop."

Two signs hung at the shop entrance, one saying "Rising Coffin Get Rich" and the other "Fortune Arrive Luck Come."

Yin Jun was an honorable title for Yin Changsheng, so the shop owner wasn't necessarily surnamed Yin, but since it was a coffin shop, it should have some connection to corpse salvagers.

For example, his own great-grandfather had a very good relationship with the upstream and downstream white affairs industry chain before, until his great-grandfather started doing the industry chain himself and they turned against each other.

They walked into the shop. It was relatively quiet inside. Two coffins, one red and one black, were placed deep inside. As for the counter, it had various small coffins, like toy figures.

And they were painted with different styles of patterns, including Ultraman, Astro Boy, and Transformers.

Tan Wenbin picked up a small coffin, opened it, then closed it, and praised: "Truly exquisite, the boss is also very business-minded, but no matter how much effort you put into the wrong route, it's meaningless."

Coinciding with the temple fair, there were many customers in other shops, but this place was still cold and quiet. Whether they were local people or tourists, not many were obviously willing to buy a coffin or a small coffin toy while browsing the temple fair.

Tan Wenbin continuously opened and closed several times, smiling and asking: "Xiao Yuan, do you want us to buy two to bring back as stationery boxes?"

"Sure, which two do you like? Buying two together can get a discount."

The inner room curtain was lifted, and a girl the same age as Tan Wenbin walked out holding a bowl of noodles. Her skin was a bit dark, but her height was considered tall among the local people, and she exuded a straightforward energy.

"Come, I want these two."

"Okay."

Tan Wenbin knew that Li Zhuoyuan wanted to ask about things, so he decided to buy something first.

Runsheng asked: "Buy one more to give to Zhou Yiyun?"

Tan Wenbin didn't get angry. Instead, he said somewhat moved: "Sigh, don't say it, it's really quite romantic."

The girl boss smiled: "Do you want it? We have couple styles."

"Give me a set."

"Okay, here you go." The girl took out two small coffins from below, one black and one red. The workmanship was very exquisite, and they had interlocking grooves so the two coffins could be joined together.

Tan Wenbin laughed: "Really fun."

The girl boss responded: "That's right. If I were a girl and received this from a boy I liked, I would definitely be happy to death."

Li Zhuoyuan was puzzled: "Aren't you a girl?"

"Ah, I am." The girl boss laughed, "Said it wrong, said it wrong."

Seeing Tan Wenbin actually paid and packed the four small coffins, out of desk mate friendship, Li Zhuoyuan still asked: "Brother Binbin, do you really want to send this to Squad Leader Zhou?"

"I just purely feel it's quite fun." Tan Wenbin rolled his eyes, "Really send it? I'm not stupid."

The girl boss was dissatisfied: "How can you not really send it? It means that girl doesn't understand the connotation. This is the romance in our traditional culture."

Tan Wenbin nodded: "Although I still won't send it, I think you're right."

"Listening to your accent, you are all foreign tourists. Where are you from?"

Tan Wenbin: "Nantong."

The girl boss was puzzled: "Where is Nantong? Anhui or Jiangxi?"

Tan Wenbin: "Jiangsu."

"Oh, I know Jiangsu, Jinling, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Huaian, Xuzhou, all famous old cities. Nantong... is also famous."

Tan Wenbin deliberately asked naughtily: "For example?"

"For example..." The girl boss was stuck.

Li Zhuoyuan prepared to ask about proper business: "Boss, do you know any corpse salvagers nearby? Just the ones in the village who are specifically responsible for salvaging floating bodies."

"Corpse salvager?" The girl boss was puzzled, "Who are you all going to salvage?"

"Not salvaging anyone, just inquiring a bit. Do you know any? More specifically, do you know any corpse salvagers surnamed Yin?"

The girl boss "whooshed" quickly into the inner room. Soon, the curtain was lifted again, and she came out holding a Yellow River shovel in her left hand: "My surname is Yin, and my name is Yin Meng."

Li Zhuoyuan didn't expect to find her so easily, but he still continued to ask: "Does your family have a genealogy?"

"Why are you asking so detailed?"

"To send money."

"Yes."

"Is it convenient to take it out and let me see it?"

"Will you give money after seeing it?"

"Is Yin Zhiwang's name on it?"

"Yin Zhiwang, yes. That was almost two hundred years ago. I remember it very clearly."

"Hmm?"

"It is recorded in the genealogy that a man-eating big snake appeared in Wanzhou. He took people to catch the snake, but he went and never came back. I'll go and get it for you all to see."

"No need." Li Zhuoyuan looked at Tan Wenbin, "Give the money."

Tan Wenbin took out the money and placed it on the counter. The money was tied with a red string.

Yin Meng first picked up the money, then asked somewhat unbelievably: "What happened? Where did you encounter him as a dead body?"

"Hmm."

"Ah?" Yin Meng quickly waved, "Don't scare me, I was just rambling."

Being able to hold a Yellow River shovel and say "dead body" proves she is indeed from the industry, and purer than someone like his great-grandfather.

Since that was the case, there was no need to hide it too much.

"I owe him a favor. I came here specifically to repay it this time. Please accept this money, and our matter will be settled."

"Hehe hehe..." Yin Meng let out a string of laughter, counting the money while saying, "Ai yo, this is truly an ancestor showing spirit to send money. I was just worrying about how to pay next month's rent."

Tan Wenbin suggested: "If you do business like this, the rent is indeed hard to handle."

"Then what can I do?"

"You can sell Wanzhou grilled fish."

Yin Meng blinked.

Tan Wenbin said again: "Yangzhou fried rice is also an option."

Yin Meng pushed the half-bowl of noodles still in front of her. Underneath were plain noodles with no topping, just soy sauce poured on them.

Tan Wenbin nodded: "Understood."

"Have you all eaten? Shall I make you some noodles? Or shall I go to the shop across the street and buy some dishes to invite you all to drink?"

Li Zhuoyuan: "We've eaten."

"Then let's just leave for dinner, ah. You came from afar to send money, I have to at least treat you to a meal. Anyway, I don't think that ancestor of mine could have helped you with anything."

"He did."

"I don't believe it. If he could help you, he wouldn't have died there and couldn't go home."

"And this jade pendant." Li Zhuoyuan took out the jade pendant and placed it on the counter, "Also give it to you."

Yin Meng lowered her head and looked for a moment, then pushed the jade pendant back: "One thing is one thing. I received the money, but this jade pendant is yours."

"Okay." Li Zhuoyuan didn't decline and took the jade pendant back, "Then we'll leave."

"Hey, aren't you going up to play for a while? The scenic spot is up there."

"We want to go."

"The boats on this side stop early. Since you're out playing, don't rush. Take your time and play slowly. Just stay here tonight and sleep in my shop. It will save you the hotel money."

Since they were already out playing, and the other side repeatedly warmly invited them to stay, Li Zhuoyuan no longer refused: "We'll be troubling you."

"Hey, are you really not a big dead body that crawled out after being woken up from a water burial somewhere?"

"Me?"

"That's right, ah. Come, let me try." Yin Meng took a talisman paper from her pocket and stuck it on Li Zhuoyuan's body. Seeing Li Zhuoyuan had no reaction, she pretended to be surprised and said, "Heaven, so scary, you are so fierce, ah!"

Everyone knew she was joking.

"Coming without going is impolite. Tsk, monster, I'll also stick one on you!"

Tan Wenbin took out a "Zhuiyuan Secret Volume" talisman and stuck it on Yin Meng's forehead.

The next moment, the talisman paper turned purple.

Tan Wenbin was so scared he jumped up and screamed: "I a big fuck!"

Yin Meng was a little puzzled.

Li Zhuoyuan tiptoed, reached out and peeled off the talisman paper, saying: "Brother Binbin, the talisman paper got wet and will turn purple when it encounters oil."

"Oh... oh!" Tan Wenbin scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed.

Runsheng leaned over and said: "I knew there was a smell of water corpse."

Yin Meng laughed so hard she bent at the waist: "I almost thought I really was a dead body, hahahaha!"

The three of them walked out of the coffin shop and came to the entrance. Li Zhuoyuan pointed at the small water tank at the entrance and asked: "What is the reason for placing this at the entrance of every shop?"

Yin Meng: "This is Fengdu Ghost City. This street is called Ghost Street. Not only living people like to stroll on the street. They come out after night falls.

Before there were light bulbs, the sky was dark, and relying on candles didn't illuminate thoroughly. When merchants closed their doors and counted copper coins, they would often count paper money.

Later, a custom gradually formed: place a water tank at the entrance of the shop. Throw the received copper coins inside. The ones that float are fake money, and they won't do business with that customer."

Tan Wenbin asked: "Now that it's all paper money, it all floats up, isn't it? Doesn't everyone have to place a money detector?"

Yin Meng: "That thing is expensive; I can't afford it."

Tan Wenbin was stunned: "No, you can still receive that?"

Yin Meng reached out and pulled out the drawer under the counter. From inside, she took out a small stack of Heaven and Earth Bank paper money:

"Here, this is what I've received this month so far. It was originally enough to pay next month's rent, but who knew it wasn't from living business."

Tan Wenbin carefully touched the paper money with his fingertip: "Are you joking? To increase the tourism immersion for us?"

"That's right. What era is it now? Where are there still ghosts, ah? I haven't seen many floating bodies. I haven't done business salvaging corpses for a long time."

"Haven't seen floating bodies? That shouldn't be right, ah. There are so many water systems here. It's not possible that no one accidentally falls in and drowns, right?"

"They all find the village's salvagers. Few come here to me. They feel that the shops on the street are expensive."

"Actually, you are very cheap?"

"Indeed expensive." Yin Meng said matter-of-factly, "If the price is cheap, won't I lose face? We are also proper corpse salvagers, after all."

Tan Wenbin pouted: "You deserve not to be able to pay the rent."

"Let's go, Brother Binbin."

"Ai, coming, wait for me, Xiao Yuan."

For the rest of the afternoon, Li Zhuoyuan led Runsheng and Tan Wenbin on a very detailed and serious tour of Fengdu Ghost City. There were many sculptures and temples here, and touring during the daytime didn't feel scary.

Along the way, they also encountered two performance teams. The three of them watched the performances, which had a strong traditional folklore atmosphere.

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin watched very seriously, wanting to look at the explanation board below every sculpture. Ordinary tourists just skimmed through, but they were supplementing their extracurricular knowledge.

Li Zhuoyuan just walked slowly, appreciating some old-style buildings and sculpture styles. As for the explanation boards, he didn't need to look, because he had a lot of knowledge in his head.

When little Li Lan wasn't so disgusted with him, he could still stay in her study while she worked. Li Lan would either give him drawings to play with or throw a pile of books in front of him and let him flip through them.

As the sky was almost dark, the three of them came down the mountain and returned to Ghost Street.

At this time, there were still many people on the street. Many nearby residents had things to do during the day, and many people could only come to catch the temple fair in the evening.

Furthermore, the atmosphere of Ghost City needed to match the night to be more flavorful, especially the many red and white lanterns above. When they lit up at night, it would definitely be very atmospheric.

At the entrance of the coffin shop, there were still no people. Even Yin Meng was too lazy to guard behind the counter.

"We're back." Tan Wenbin greeted loudly.

Yin Meng lifted the curtain and poked her head out: "I stewed pig feet. We'll have a good meal tonight, comfortable!"

Li Zhuoyuan: "Okay."

Seven o'clock, night fell.

Yin Meng carried out a large basin of pig feet. Everyone gathered around the small table.

The pig feet melted in the mouth and were stewed very tenderly.

The premise was that they had to ignore the occasional pricking in their mouths because Yin Meng had forgotten to process the pig hair.

She was indeed a lively and cheerful person. It seemed that because business wasn't good, she usually rarely had anyone to chat with. She was very happy and started telling stories while eating tonight.

Runsheng was only busy eating, Li Zhuoyuan occasionally answered a few words, and the main force on their side was Tan Wenbin, who kept up with Yin Meng.

And Binbin deliberately used the little Sichuan-Chongqing dialect he had just learned to chat. His pronunciation wasn't accurate, but he had learned the tune. As the two of them talked, the tune got higher and higher, and the speed got faster and faster, like singing mountain songs to each other.

However, they didn't talk too much about salvaging corpses because Yin Meng hadn't practiced much. She had salvaged floating bodies but hadn't seen a real dead body yet.

She had learned her knowledge and skills of salvaging corpses from her grandfather. Her parents divorced when she was very young. Her dad went south to try his luck and was never heard from again; her mom married into a family in the town below and gave birth to two more boys. When she was young and naive, Yin Meng also went to find her mom, but after she became sensible, she realized her mom actually didn't want to deal with her.

Speaking to this point, Li Zhuoyuan and Yin Meng raised the soda in their cups and clinked them.

She mostly lived with her grandfather. Her grandfather operated this shop and was also a proper corpse salvager. Later, her grandfather just handed this shop over to her to inherit.

She was actually very smart. If she changed her business, she should be able to make money, but she didn't want to alter the shop's attribute because she knew her grandfather wouldn't agree.

Li Zhuoyuan glanced at the calluses on her palm and the changes in the tips of her feet every time she got up or sat down, knowing she had martial arts skills.

This was also the reason why she, a young girl, could open a shop alone; the street hooligans had basically all been beaten by her.

She laughed and said that if she wanted to, she could completely be the big sister of Ghost Street and collect protection money here.

Runsheng, who was engrossed in gnawing on pig feet, proactively raised his cup and clinked it with her.

Li Zhuoyuan asked her if her grandfather had left any books or anything, and she puzzledly counter-asked: Don't corpse salvagers all rely on oral teaching from generation to generation, ah? What can you learn from reading books?

This made Li Zhuoyuan slightly disappointed. He actually wanted to see the collections of his peers, but unfortunately, there were none; at the same time, he was also a little envious. Judging from Yin Meng's various detailed performances, her grandfather's level should be very high, and she had received a very complete "educational impartation."

However, Li Zhuoyuan didn't therefore feel that his great-grandfather wasn't good. After all, his great-grandfather could "gurgle" and drink fortune. Mixing with his great-grandfather, he could at least eat Xiang and drink spicy food every day.

In short, tonight was the most relaxed and comfortable evening since leaving Nantong. Everyone was very happy and relaxed.

This relaxed feeling continued until it was time to arrange for sleep and was then broken.

"What, you want us to sleep in coffins?"

Tan Wenbin hugged his head, a look of disbelief on his face.

And Yin Meng was laying cotton quilts in the coffins.

"How? Sleeping in a coffin is very comfortable, ah."

"Can I sleep on the floor outside?"

"It's a mountain here, and it's cold at night. I don't have enough quilts here either. It's still warmer inside the coffin."

Tan Wenbin muttered: "First time hearing that 'warm' can be used on a coffin."

The inner room was a warehouse and kitchen. Three coffins were placed inside, and two were placed in the outer shop.

Since they were already here, they might as well follow local customs.

Finally, Li Zhuoyuan and Runsheng slept in the two coffins outside, and Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng slept inside.

Coffins were like stinky tofu; they looked repulsive from the outside, but once you lay inside, they were actually quite comfortable and gave a sense of being wrapped and secure.

Of course, the coffin lid had to be left slightly open for ventilation.

After a day of rushing and touring, they were all tired. Tan Wenbin soon fell into a dreamland. Then he heard someone using nails to scratch his coffin lid.

"Shasha... shasha..."

Tan Wenbin was so scared that cold sweat flowed out. He pulled the quilt over his face, only daring to squint and look up with a pair of eyes.

Then, Runsheng's face appeared above: "Hehe."

"What are you doing!"

"Peeing."

The toilet was behind the inner room. Runsheng slept outside and had to pass through the inner room to go to the toilet.

Tan Wenbin gritted his teeth in anger.

After a while, he heard the "shasha" sound on the coffin lid again.

Tan Wenbin started to get scared. He felt that this time it wouldn't be Runsheng again. Who was it?

The next moment, Runsheng's face appeared again.

"What exactly do you want to do!"

"I peed, going back to sleep. Just letting you know."

Tan Wenbin was so angry his teeth itched.

With great difficulty, he managed to get a little sleepy again.

"Shasha... shasha..."

Tan Wenbin opened his eyes and used his hand to hit the coffin lid below once.

The sound disappeared.

Tan Wenbin turned over and continued to try and find sleepiness.

"Shasha... shasha..."

Tan Wenbin lifted the quilt, grabbed the edge of the coffin with both hands, and sat up from the coffin.

He discovered that there was no one around his coffin.

Did Runsheng run so fast?

Tan Wenbin swallowed, feeling a little scared again. He didn't dare to go out, but he shrank back and lay down in the coffin again.

"Shasha... shasha..."

The sound appeared again. Tan Wenbin covered his head with the quilt, pretending not to hear, and at the same time, his feet also retracted into the quilt.

Then, the sound disappeared again.

Tan Wenbin continued to muffle his face in the quilt. This time he muffled it for a long time, sweating on his face. He thought that Runsheng, that guy, must have fallen asleep and wasn't teasing him.

He planned to breathe. He grabbed the quilt with both hands and planned to do a quick lift and quick cover.

One, two, three...

The quilt over his face was lifted, but he couldn't cover it back according to the original plan.

Because,

An old face, he didn't know when, had already poked into the coffin, just like that, face to face.

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