Chapter 83

Chapter 81

Plans are always subject to change.

Originally, Li Zhuiyuan wanted to make small, individual dishes, each numbered and prepared one by one. Now that all the ingredients were being dumped into one pot, he’d switch to a big stew method, which was still a good dish.

Anyway, the goal was revenge. If he could also enjoy a spectacle at his enemy's doorstep while getting revenge, that would be a double delight.

"Remember, no matter what happens, if you can handle it outside, don't linger inside. We have an array set up outside, so use it. It's also our retreat route."

"Understood."

"Got it."

Stopping in front of the temple door, Li Zhuiyuan paused.

The temple door wasn't a large iron or wooden door, but a half-height push-pull design. Although labeled as electric, it was actually hand-operated and even a child could easily step over it.

However, crossing this threshold, Li Zhuiyuan smelled a different odor.

It was so strong that even Yin Meng frowned, and Tan Wenbin kept sniffing.

An old temple naturally has a bit of a musty smell, but the problem was, where did this pungent, almost dripping, fishy smell come from?

It was as if the three of them weren't facing a temple at all, but a long-rotting swamp.

Li Zhuiyuan took out his compass and looked down: A place concealing ominousness.

But the problem was, he had been here before, even entering the temple to visit. If this was truly the case, why hadn't he noticed anything that day?

It wasn't impossible to alter a feng shui pattern; he had done such things many times before, but they were always based on modifying the original foundation.

However, during his visit that day, he hadn't seen any solid feng shui layouts in the temple. The only thing that remotely counted was the crack under the main deity's statue.

Normally speaking, unless a feng shui master provided detailed blueprints and hired a large construction crew during the day to completely transform the temple...

No, even if a newly transformed feng shui layout could function, this strong decay hadn't accumulated overnight. The smell within carried the precipitation of time that couldn't be rushed.

Li Zhuiyuan squatted down, extended his left hand to grab a handful of moist soil, carefully feeling it while covering his mouth with his right hand. He softly chanted descriptive terms of perception, comparing them to the content in the books he had read.

To understand the autumn from a single leaf, one needed a vast database, and observing soil was the same.

Tan Wenbin also squatted down, mimicking Li Zhuiyuan's actions. He reached out, grabbed a handful of soil, brought it to his front, and stuck out his tongue to lick it.

Instantly, he felt a strong sense of déjà vu, returning to the experience of trying to eat folded ear root back in Shancheng.

Because he couldn't make too much noise, Tan Wenbin could only open his mouth wide and dry heave silently.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Tan Wenbin with confusion: "Binbin ge, what are you doing?"

Tan Wenbin finally recovered and said guiltily: "Learning, learning from you."

Li Zhuiyuan removed his right hand from his mouth; his palm was clean and dry. He then loosened his left hand, letting the soil fall.

Tan Wenbin's eyes widened. It was dark, and his vision wasn't great, so he couldn't distinguish between the left and right hands.

Yin Meng, standing nearby, said: "His eyes are blurry, he thought you were eating soil, so he ate some too."

Tan Wenbin: "You..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Water monkeys do have the habit of tasting soil, but this method is too impatient, not good."

Tan Wenbin immediately nodded: "Yes, yes, yes, I was wrong."

Yin Meng changed the subject and asked: "Xiao Yuan ge, why do I feel so strange inside?"

"When I first came to Jiangjunshan, I discovered this place because it's a standard water burial auspicious land. In ancient times, people should have chosen this place for water burials."

Tan Wenbin said doubtfully: "But, a standard place means it's easy to be discovered, right? Water burials shouldn't be conspicuous, should they? Burying here is just waiting to be robbed?"

"When emperors built imperial tombs, they generally assumed their dynasty would last forever. Dignitaries also thought their wealth could be passed down permanently, so building here wasn't strange. They believed it could be guarded for generations."

"This water burial should have been robbed and excavated by water monkeys long ago. Building a temple above it is also according to ancient tradition, performing a suppression act in such places."

"Many small temples along riverbanks and in the mountains, in sparsely populated areas, came about this way. Their existence isn't for people to conveniently worship and burn incense, but to suppress evil and protect peace. Therefore, the things enshrined in these temples are often strange and varied. As long as it serves a purpose, the details don't matter."

"However, this kind of place also gives rise to another unique feng shui pattern: black and white intertwine, good and evil clash. The living shouldn't linger, and the dead shouldn't enter."

"Some feng shui masters like this kind of place and will specifically choose to build a dojo or a house here. Generally, such places are called 'yin-yang joint burial' or 'yin-yang joint living,' combining yin and yang houses."

Yin Meng: "So the corpse salvagers in this temple are actually following a side path?"

Every industry has its own hierarchy. Among corpse salvagers, water monkeys are at the very bottom, almost expelled from the corpse salvager ranks and living alongside tomb robbers.

And within traditional corpse salvagers, there are also those who follow the orthodox path and those who follow the side path. Although the Yin family has declined early, they have always considered themselves orthodox.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "Yin Meng, your family has an old house, right?"

"Yes, but it's in the countryside, no one has lived there for a long time, it's quite remote, so I haven't taken you there."

"Not surprising. Your family's old house should also be built on this kind of feng shui position, because the corpse salvager profession itself involves frequently crossing the Yellow Springs between yin and yang. Choosing this boundary to build their own yang house is most suitable."

Yin Meng was speechless for a moment, not expecting that she was the one following the side path.

"Great-grandpa's house is actually the same, only Great-grandpa's house was rebuilt, so it's not obvious. Runsheng's old home, the house Great-grandpa lived in on the mountain, is easier to see."

"These kinds of houses are generally built on the edge of primitive villages, with no neighbors nearby. If there are, it's only slightly next to one side. It's impossible to have densely packed neighbors on all four sides."

"However, these are all choices of ordinary corpse salvagers. This family here..." Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the temple in front of him, "Being able to settle down on a large water burial ruin is already considered quite successful among our colleagues."

"Jiangjunshan hasn't been developed yet, and this temple has no fame. If you look closely, even the main deity statue in the main hall uses one of the Four Generals of the Mo family, stolen and transported from who knows which temple."

"As a result, they can still manage to be a 'protection unit,' hanging up a plaque. Although the allocated benefits are certainly meager, it still counts as borrowing the emperor's qi to guard the house."

"That master and disciple are nominally staff of this temple, but it's just the old owner changing into a set of work clothes during his lifetime."

This kind of tactic even opened Li Zhuiyuan's eyes.

His own great-grandpa still had to go to the police station to get a plaque, but these people directly hung a public plaque at home.

"I don't know what they're planning, but since both the living and the dead are gathered tonight, they must be planning to cash in."

"They have now closed the door to the yang house and opened the door to the yin house."

"Entering the temple now isn't like visiting during the day; we are truly stepping into the yin house."

"In short, we must be extra careful after going in. Anything strange is possible inside."

Tan Wenbin smacked his lips and said: "Holy cow, that sounds amazing. If developers choose this kind of place to build houses later, won't the owners get a free house area?"

Yin Meng couldn't help but roll her eyes and say: "Living in the yang house during the day and going back to the yin house to sleep at night?"

Tan Wenbin: "Is that not allowed?"

Yin Meng: "Which developer would be so stupid?"

Tan Wenbin retorted: "Brother Liang said that with the great development of the economy later, real estate will definitely skyrocket. If yang houses soar, will yin houses still be cheap?"

"I watch Hong Kong dramas on TV, and the cemeteries there are all very expensive. I'm not sure if we'll build commercial housing in a small city near a big city later to attract people from big cities to buy houses just to provide an urn."

"In a community, both the living and the ashes reside. Isn't that the kind of yin-yang joint living that Xiao Yuan ge just mentioned?"

Yin Meng felt that Tan Wenbin was talking nonsense, but she didn't know how to refute him.

Tan Wenbin's face showed a smug expression.

Li Zhuiyuan said faintly: "A small city near a big city, isn't that just our Nantong?"

Tan Wenbin: "..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Okay, let's go in. The show inside should have already started."

Yin Meng flipped over and entered first. She slightly frowned upon landing, bent down to support herself, and then signaled that it was okay.

Li Zhuiyuan entered second. Upon landing, he clearly felt the soil quality was loose, and with each step, water could seep out from around his shoe bottoms.

After Tan Wenbin flipped in, he whispered: "Are all yin houses this wet? And it's foggy too."

Just one door separated them, but inside the temple, not only was it terrifyingly wet, but mountain fog was also rising, hazy and only allowing them to see the shadows of the people beside them.

Moreover, the fog seemed to be disturbed and was continuously gathering here, becoming thicker and thicker.

"Follow me."

Li Zhuiyuan reached back with his right hand, grabbing Tan Wenbin's waist, and extended his left hand forward, grabbing Yin Meng's waist.

When he grabbed, Yin Meng's body tensed up.

"Xiao Yuan ge..."

Her waist was sensitive and ticklish.

Usually, Runsheng would do the pathfinding work. When Runsheng wasn't around, the more capable Yin Meng would naturally lead the way.

Li Zhuiyuan had to change his position, grabbing Yin Meng's waistband with his fingertips, pressing his knuckles against her back.

There was no other way; he needed to rely on force to guide Yin Meng's direction of advance.

Furthermore, they couldn't hold hands. The two people at the front and back for pathfinding and rear defense must always have their hands free to deal with possible anomalies.

Advancing slowly like this, they finally walked out of the dense fog. In front of them was a bulletin board with ID photos and names. The first row had two official workers, and below that were two temporary workers.

Mao Zhushan's name was in the first row, and next to him was a photo of an old man, also surnamed Mao, named Mao Chang'an.

Looking back, the dense fog had disappeared, and they had walked less than ten meters from the temple door, but these ten meters felt as long as a hundred meters.

It seemed that the water monkey who stole and excavated this water burial site back then was very skilled. While successfully excavating, they also largely retained the original layout of the water burial, allowing the yin house effect to be so good now.

That earlier 'ghost fog' was a relatively common anti-theft measure in water burials.

Yin Meng secretly reached out and pinched her own waist. She felt that it was embarrassing and inappropriate to still be afraid of being tickled in that situation.

Tan Wenbin muttered in a low voice: "Hehe, I think we can order custom action clothes later, with rings on the waist."

Although it was a joke, Yin Meng rarely didn't retort.

Several places in the temple were lit, but the light was bright and hazy, presenting a dim green color.

"Continue walking along the corridor inside, don't go outside."

The corridor was a yang house building. Although it wasn't absolutely safe, if they randomly walked in the open area, the changes would be too numerous.

Along the corridor, they passed an open window office.

Looking inside, they found the area was unexpectedly spacious.

According to common sense, this should be a small office of three or four square meters, or a reception desk, but looking in now, it was fully several tens of square meters.

Tan Wenbin rubbed his eyes in disbelief, shrinking his head back to look outside and then inside again.

He had earlier laughed and said they could steal a set area. Now it seemed he was too conservative; how many times the area had been stolen?

However, it was empty inside, and the roof was flat, with only open grooves around the edges. This scene was a bit familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere.

He remembered that this kind of layout was the ear room they had seen when the four of them first entered the underground palace, wasn't it?

So, the corridor he was walking now was actually a passage inside the tomb?

The corridor first passed the office area, then turned left, leading directly to the entrance of the main hall, where the general statue was located.

At this time, the light there was the most prosperous, and vague human voices could be heard.

The crowd that entered the temple earlier should be there.

Moreover, that was the place where the yin house and yang house switched.

The last time he came, he only discovered an interlayer under the general statue, but he hadn't expected this kind of arrangement. He was mainly wary of the sleeping dead body and didn't check in the yin state.

However, when they reached the window of the second office, the scene inside was different.

Although it was still the same as the first office, small outside and very large inside, this time it wasn't empty. There were six steps, and on the steps was a bed frame. On the frame lay an old man.

The old man had red lips and a white face, wearing a shroud, his hands folded on his abdomen, appearing peaceful.

The old man was the one they had seen that day, whose walking revealed the characteristics of a corpse salvager, Mao Zhushan's master, Mao Chang'an.

He was dead?

Beside him was a pair of elegiac couplets, signed by disciple Mao Zhushan.

Tan Wenbin said in surprise: "Was the old man killed by his disciple?"

How could it be such a coincidence? The old man, who was in good spirits two days ago, just passed away when he and the others were about to go to his door to settle scores?

Considering Mao Zhushan's earlier appearance, bringing the crowd into the temple, it was evident that tonight's gathering was arranged by him. Then, he must have killed his master in advance to prevent him from obstructing his plans.

This main office also corresponded to the main tomb chamber in the water burial. So, looking from outside the window, the dead old man was lying on the bed frame of the main tomb.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and grabbed the door handle.

He wanted to push the door open and go in to see the dead old man. Although he knew very well that doing this had no meaning, and the main event tonight was on the side of the general statue.

But, he just wanted to go and see.

However, as soon as the door handle turned, the wind around them suddenly picked up, as if a sealed tomb had been opened, leading to bursts of inexplicable broken sounds howling.

This movement forced Li Zhuiyuan to release his hand.

A puddle of rotten mud accumulated from outside the corridor, slowly stacking up, gradually forming a human shape. When the rotten mud dispersed, a faceless corpse was revealed inside.

Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin immediately picked up their Yellow River shovels, ready to fight. This was originally their purpose for coming tonight.

Li Zhuiyuan, however, said: "She's far away from us, she can't see us now, pull the net."

Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin immediately pulled out the return-to-hometown net again and covered the three of them.

Sure enough, although Qiu Minmin walked towards them, she walked very slowly, not like the way she had flown over and attacked in the practice dance room earlier.

This was because there was no corridor leading to it; even a dead body was restricted within this yin-yang house.

With great difficulty, Qiu Minmin stepped onto the corridor, then immediately rose up, clinging to the top of the corridor, and started shuttling through the corridor at a very fast speed.

But because the three of them were covered by the return-to-hometown net, she couldn't sense the presence of outsiders. Soon, she returned to the main hall, and her figure disappeared inside.

The alarm was lifted.

Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment, then looked into the office window again. The old man was motionless, and the newly written elegiac couplets next to him seemed to have wet ink, and the content was even more heartfelt.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't try to open the door and go in again, but signaled to withdraw the net. The three of them continued walking towards the hall entrance, following the corridor, reaching the edge of the hall entrance, then slowly circling to a hidden corner behind it, stopping to observe.

Around the hall entrance, many small black stone lions were placed, and bronze swords were hung above them.

These were things they hadn't seen the last time they came; they must have been specially set up for today.

They played a role in isolation, and this isolation was two-way. Unless there was that kind of violent noise earlier, otherwise, changes outside couldn't be perceived from inside.

Normally speaking, there were few people here at night, and the yin house setup was already enough to block all outside interference.

However, in Li Zhuiyuan's eyes, this kind of setup was very forced and arbitrary, seeming to completely ignore the special environment outside.

Through the gap in the door and window, they could only see the dim green light inside; everything else was obscured.

To get in, they either had to break the array or walk in the yin state.

"How about it?" Yin Meng reached out and pushed the slightly swaying Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin suddenly inhaled, as if he had suddenly cheered up, and said strangely: "Clearly I slept during the day, but now, inexplicably, I'm suddenly very sleepy."

Just at this moment, the light inside suddenly changed color, becoming milky white. The light halo scattered and overflowed.

Tan Wenbin's eyelids involuntarily drooped again. He could only forcibly twist his thigh, but the sleepy tears in his eyes couldn't be controlled.

Li Zhuiyuan: "They're holding a ceremony inside."

Yin Meng: "Why don't I feel this way?"

Tan Wenbin rubbed his eyes, yawning as he said: "Because you're slow to react."

Yin Meng glared at Tan Wenbin and asked: "Xiao Yuan ge, no matter what they're doing now, isn't this a good opportunity for us? Or should we just break the array and charge in?"

Li Zhuiyuan was silent for a moment.

Yin Meng wasn't wrong; this was indeed a good opportunity for a sneak attack. Mao Zhushan and Ran Qiuping didn't care about righteousness when dealing with them earlier.

But Li Zhuiyuan looked behind him, then in front, and shook his head, saying:

"No, wait a bit. The dead body under the general statue is still sleeping. The main course hasn't been served yet, so let's not rush."

Yin Meng could only nod.

Tan Wenbin then continued to forcibly twist his thigh, struggling not to fall asleep. He was actually entering the yin state.

Moreover, what he had said to Yin Meng earlier wasn't wrong; the reason she felt nothing was indeed because she was dull.

In the coffin shop on Fengdu Ghost Street, Yin Fuhai appeared in the yin state at night, and Tan Wenbin was stimulated to push up the coffin lid. But Yin Meng, who had a blood relation with Yin Fuhai, was snoring away the whole time.

"Let's go and see. I'm also curious about what that guy is planning. Yin Meng, take good care of Binbin ge." Saying that, Li Zhuiyuan patted Tan Wenbin's back, "Go to sleep. You don't need to struggle this time. Follow me in."

Given permission, Tan Wenbin directly lay on Yin Meng's back and closed his eyes.

Yin Meng held him properly. When she wanted to go and support Li Zhuiyuan, she saw the young man standing there with his hands behind his back, his eyes half-open, not moving.

Leaving aside everything else, just the young man's posture and temperament at this moment did have a kind of otherworldly feeling, involuntarily reminding her of the portraits of ancient ancestors in her family genealogy.

Tan Wenbin was already sleeping like a dead pig. Yin Meng curiously reached out and waved her hand in front of the young man.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You take good care of Binbin. Remember to pay attention to the front and back."

"Xiao Yuan ge, are you in?"

"Mm."

"What do you see?"

Li Zhuiyuan didn't speak.

Yin Meng knew he thought she was being annoying.

When he successfully entered the yin state, Li Zhuiyuan's vision showed a different picture, like door after door emitting light.

He understood. Mao Zhushan was conducting a collective walk yin ceremony. These doors were all the memory pictures of the people inside.

But how did he do it?

Having a yin-yang house switch hidden under the general statue was extraordinary enough. This kind of collective walk yin ceremony might not be easy to set up unless he borrowed other power, like... the dead body that was always sleeping.

He didn't see Tan Wenbin, so Li Zhuiyuan felt that he should have entered one of the doors, into someone's memory picture.

Li Zhuiyuan wasn't in a hurry to go and check. The same memory pictures, he could read them many times faster than ordinary people. So, he first circled around to check the 'environment'.

Here, most of the doors were open, with only three doors still closed.

Li Zhuiyuan first walked to a closed door, reached out and opened it. Inside hung the face of a girl.

Li Zhuiyuan had seen this face in the files and the relic photos from Sun Hongxia's house; it was Qiu Minmin.

Why would her face be here?

Li Zhuiyuan closed the door. At this moment, he had to re-doubt the source of this environment.

He tried to open the second door, but it was tightly closed, as if there was a force inside competing with him. The third door was the same.

Li Zhuiyuan started to walk back, stepping into one of the open and luminous doors.

After walking in, he saw Ran Qiuping sitting on a chair. She looked much younger than now. Ran Qiuping was clapping, her face smiling and proud, looking at Qiu Minmin who was dancing in front of her.

Qiu Minmin's dance posture was indeed very good, reflecting her excellent talent in dance.

"Come, come and watch my daughter dance." Ran Qiuping took the initiative to wave to Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, but moved a step to the right. A black line extended from under his foot, forming a picture split.

On the left side was still the warmth of a mother watching her daughter dance. On the right side was Ran Qiuping holding her daughter's corpse, sobbing heartbreakingly.

Oh, just these.

Li Zhuiyuan felt no emotion whatsoever. He even felt watching this segment of memory was meaningless.

He took a step back, left this door, and stepped into the second one.

He saw Sun Hongxia. Sun Hongxia was sitting at the dining table, eating with her son Zhao Junfeng. Her son ate in large mouthfuls while his mother nagged beside him.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Zhao Junfeng's bowl in front of him was very large and piled high with rice. On the cabinet behind the picture, there was also a set of training clothes and competition certificates.

"Come, sit down and eat with my son."

Like Ran Qiuping, Sun Hongxia also invited Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan hesitated for a moment. Although it felt like a waste of time, he still moved a step to the right.

In the other split picture, Sun Hongxia was kneeling on a cushion, and beside her was a relic photo of her son placed on a stool. She was just with her dead son, kowtowing and apologizing to Qiu Minmin enshrined on the high table.

Li Zhuiyuan exited this door and entered another. This time, there were many people inside, and it was very lively. Many students and police were searching in the mountains.

Among them, Li Zhuiyuan even saw Tan Wenbin.

A student beside him opened his mouth and said: "Classmate, come quickly and help us find the murderer!"

Li Zhuiyuan ignored him; he just walked over by himself.

When another student passed in front of him, he said the same words again: "Classmate, come quickly and help us find the murderer!"

Li Zhuiyuan still didn't pay attention to him, but it was very obvious that Binbin, who was searching with all his might in front, was already immersing himself in this kind of scene game.

Li Zhuiyuan could only walk towards Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin was just searching with all his might!

He was still muttering: "Damn it, Zhao Junfeng, where exactly are you hiding!"

Turning his head, Tan Wenbin saw Li Zhuiyuan. He was stunned for a moment, seemingly vaguely sensing something was wrong, but he still opened his mouth and said: "Classmate, come quickly and let's..."

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and slapped Tan Wenbin's face.

"Slap!"

Tan Wenbin covered his face, a bit of clarity finally appearing in his eyes: "You are, Xiao Yuan?"

...

At the same time, in reality, Yin Meng, holding Tan Wenbin, looked strangely at Tan Wenbin's face, which was tilted to the left.

She could only reach out to support the other side of his face, which was on the opposite side.

Who knew, just as she was about to touch it, the other side of Tan Wenbin's face also suddenly tilted, although the process was very difficult to understand, but it was indeed tilted.

...

Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand and slapped again.

"Slap!"

Tan Wenbin covered his face with both hands and said in surprise: "Xiao Yuan ge!"

He was completely awake now.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't deliberately use this method to humiliate Binbin. In the state of walking in the yin, he knew the Yin family's twelve methods and the 'Dizang Bodhisattva Sutra'. Any random move he used on Tan Wenbin would be torture. A slight carelessness would pinch him out of here.

Slapping his face was the lowest harm choice with the premise of being effective.

Anyway, Binbin could understand and wouldn't misunderstand.

"Xiao Yuan ge, I feel like I had a very, very long dream. I was catching criminals in the dream! Uh, are we out now? Did you solve the problem while I was sleeping?"

"So many people, and there were also police, wearing old-style uniforms. My dad used to wear that set too."

"Binbin ge, we're still in the yin state."

"Oh? Oh—oh~ oh!"

Tan Wenbin finally understood: "Whose memory is this? Oh, right, I think I just saw Wu Xinhui. I even called him president. Where is he now?"

"Binbin ge, watch carefully, I'll teach you."

Li Zhuiyuan stepped to the right. A black line extended from under his foot, and the picture was split.

In the picture on the other side, the figures of Wu Xinhui and Zhao Junfeng appeared.

Tan Wenbin also took a step to this side. He found that he hadn't crossed over and was still in the original picture.

He started to jump, but he couldn't jump over. He started to run, but he was still in the original picture.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and grabbed him. He used the force and finally squeezed over.

At this time, Wu Xinhui held a dagger in his hand and stared viciously at Zhao Junfeng.

Zhao Junfeng's face was full of panic and confusion. He shouted loudly: "It wasn't me who killed her, I really didn't kill anyone, not me, not me!"

Wu Xinhui didn't speak and continued to approach.

Zhao Junfeng continued to call out: "Why do you want to frame me, why do you want to frame me, why!"

Wu Xinhui: "It's good if you die, it's good if you die, it's good if you die so no one knows!"

Saying that, Wu Xinhui fiercely rushed forward, stabbing at nothing. Zhao Junfeng twisted Wu Xinhui's arm with a backhand, snatched the dagger at the same time, and controlled Wu Xinhui again.

Tan Wenbin couldn't help but whisper: "Zhao Junfeng's skills are pretty good."

Li Zhuiyuan: "He won martial arts awards."

In Sun Hongxia's memory, Li Zhuiyuan saw the training clothes and certificates.

"Stop, Zhao Junfeng, you are already surrounded. Put down your weapon, stop committing crimes..."

"I didn't kill anyone, I didn't kill anyone, I didn't..."

"Bang!"

Gunshot.

Zhao Junfeng was stunned. At this time, Wu Xinhui collided backward. Zhao Junfeng lost his balance and slid into the river behind him.

In the picture, the shooting police officer also seemed dazed for a moment, his body slightly shaking.

Tan Wenbin said: "Xiao Yuan ge, it seemed like Zhao Junfeng wasn't shot just now."

In the blinding light of the gun, the person on the opposite side was still holding a hostage. What kind of sharpshooter would dare to shoot directly at the 'murderer'? That shot was likely just a warning shot fired in an urgent situation.

Wu Xinhui knelt on the ground, supporting himself with both hands, his face showing relief.

The memory picture ended here.

Li Zhuiyuan brought Tan Wenbin out of this door.

There was still one last open and brightly lit door. Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin walked in.

In this picture, a young Mao Zhushan rescued Zhao Junfeng from the river. They were talking.

"The newspaper says you were shot and fell into the water. Now the police and students are all salvaging your body."

"I didn't kill anyone, I really didn't kill anyone. It was Wu Xinhui, it was Wu Xinhui..."

Li Zhuiyuan took another step. Another picture split out beside him. In the picture, Mao Zhushan found Ran Qiuping, whose face was like dead ash after seeing her daughter's corpse.

"Preserve your daughter's corpse well. Believe me, I have a way to revive your daughter."

The two pictures started to collapse simultaneously.

"Xiao Yuan ge, what's going on?"

"The ceremony is ending."

"Then let's leave quickly."

Li Zhuiyuan wasn't in a hurry to leave, but raised his hand. The pictures on both sides started to fast forward. The last picture was Mao Zhushan smiling ferociously and personally killing Zhao Junfeng. Ran Qiuping knelt at Mao Zhushan's feet, begging him to revive her daughter.

Subsequently, Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin exited the door. He took one last look at the three closed doors, or to be precise, the two doors that couldn't be opened.

"Snap!"

Fingers snapped.

Li Zhuiyuan ended his walk in the yin state, and his vision returned to normal.

Tan Wenbin also opened his eyes, as if he had just woken up from a nap, his head aching greatly.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Cracks appeared all over the small stone lions placed on the ground. The bronze swords hanging above them fell down at this time, and the isolation array was shattered.

At this moment, through the gap in the door, they could see that the people inside had all woken up, standing in the center. Mao Zhushan, holding a long incense stick, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, but his expression showed a strange excitement.

Mao Zhushan: "Hehe, all of you, see."

In the earlier memory picture, the people inside could originally see other people's memories. Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin entered later, although Binbin merged in.

Mao Zhushan's words weren't actually spoken to the living people present. When he said this, he first looked at the faceless corpse hanging above, and then at the area under the general statue.

Ran Qiuping lunged at Wu Xinhui like a madwoman: "So it was you, it was you who killed my daughter, it was you who killed my daughter!"

Wu Xinhui struggled to push her away, but the woman was beyond control. Even though he was an adult male, he couldn't break free.

"You beast, give me back my daughter's life, give me back my daughter's life!"

Wu Xinhui shouted: "I didn't kill her, I didn't kill her!"

Beside him, Zhu Hongyu and Liu Xinya, after slowly coming to their senses, also immediately went up to help Wu Xinhui push Ran Qiuping away.

"You beast, you still won't admit it even now, I'll fight you, I'll fight you!"

When Ran Qiuping lunged up again, Wu Xinhui simply pinched her neck and threw her to the ground. Zhu Hongyu and Liu Xinya also went up together to help hold her down.

"I didn't kill her, I really didn't kill her!" Wu Xinhui immediately turned his head to look at Mao Zhushan, "Did you drug us or give us some illusion drug? I didn't kill Qiu Minmin, it wasn't me!"

On the other side, Sun Hongxia was in a daze for a long time. She first looked at Wu Xinhui, then at Mao Zhushan.

She had brought her son's relic photo to apologize to others for so many years, she had atoned for her sins for so many years, and originally her son was really wronged?

She regretted deeply why she hadn't chosen to believe her son.

"It was you, it was you who killed my son!"

Sun Hongxia lunged at Mao Zhushan. Mao Zhushan's mouth curved into a smile.

"Buzz!"

Above, Qiu Minmin fell down, extended a hand, and grabbed Sun Hongxia's neck. No matter how Sun Hongxia struggled, she couldn't break free.

Ran Qiuping was already being held down by the three people. She turned her head to the side and saw this scene, immediately shouting: "Minmin, kill him, kill him, he is the murderer who killed you!"

But the always "obedient" daughter didn't move at this moment.

Mao Zhushan smiled and said: "Go."

"Bang!"

Sun Hongxia was thrown out by Qiu Minmin and hit the area under the general statue.

Immediately, Qiu Minmin lunged at Wu Xinhui.

"Ghost!"

"Qiu Minmin?"

Wu Xinhui, Zhu Hongyu, and Liu Xinya were so scared that they immediately released Ran Qiuping and retreated backward.

Ran Qiuping's face showed a look of anger. She was just about to climb up, but the next moment, a hand pierced out from her chest.

She turned her head to the side in disbelief. It was a faceless face, but she always knew it was her daughter.

"Minmin... why..."

Ran Qiuping's fresh blood began to be quickly recycled, absorbed by Qiu Minmin into her body.

"Ah ah ah!"

"Ah!!"

Zhu Hongyu and Liu Xinya screamed. This scene was indeed too bloody and shocking.

Immediately, the general statue at this moment crashed down backward with a boom.

"Boom!"

After the sound of the tremor ended, a bronze door appeared below. A puddle of water accumulated on the door, and the corpse lying in the water slowly sat up.

Zhao Junfeng!

Sun Hongxia raised her head to look at Zhao Junfeng and murmured: "Son, you, you're still alive? Mom is sorry, Mom shouldn't have not believed you, Mom..."

Zhao Junfeng bent down and bit Sun Hongxia's neck. Sun Hongxia's body began to twitch, emitting no sound.

Subsequently, Zhao Junfeng tossed his head, and Sun Hongxia's corpse was flung away. His face was covered in Sun Hongxia's fresh blood.

On the other side, Qiu Minmin withdrew her arm, and Ran Qiuping slumped down. Her arm was also covered in Ran Qiuping's blood.

"Run!"

Wu Xinhui shouted and prepared to slip away. To ordinary people, this kind of scene could be called something that couldn't even be imagined in previous nightmares.

"Heh." Mao Zhushan chuckled.

Qiu Minmin appeared in front of Wu Xinhui and the three others, blocking the way. Zhao Junfeng stood behind, blocking their retreat.

Immediately, Mao Zhushan flicked his fingers. A mirror stood up above, and long paintings fell down on both sides, forming a ghost wall array. This was actually very simple, but it was enough to trap the three people inside.

"Ah!!!" Zhu Hongyu screamed, clutching her head.

Wu Xinhui knelt down and kowtowed: "I'll give you money, I'll give you everything, let me go, let me go!"

Outside, Tan Wenbin, who was peeking through the window gap, looked at Li Zhuiyuan with great shock and confusion, and whispered:

"Xiao Yuan ge, which play is this exactly?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "He is refining... yin-yang companion dead bodies through sacrifice."

Tan Wenbin's face showed shock. Obviously, having read the books, he remembered this part.

In Wei Zhengdao's 'Jianghu Strange Records', there is a record: Male and female dead bodies, each occupying yin and yang, choose auspicious and taboo days, kill the closest and enemy relatives, pour their blood, and mutually form a companion life.

Li Zhuiyuan's impression of this record was quite deep, not because of the name of the dead body and this terrifying refining method, but because Wei Zhengdao used a very implicit method in the subsequent introduction targeting this dead body.

He drew a picture. In the center of the picture was a throne, it wasn't clear what sect, but on both sides of the throne were a pair of boy and girl.

The ending was: A certain sect's yin-yang companion dead bodies lost control and exterminated the entire sect, and were later destroyed by the righteous path.

This was a hint, it couldn't be stated clearly, because it was very possible that some 'righteous path sects' were just like refining this dead body. The boy and girl in many mythical stories and images... their prototypes, or perhaps not so simple, pure, and lovely.

But one point could be confirmed: something that could make Wei Zhengdao 'taboo for the righteous path' definitely meant a very deep interest-driven motive that made those righteous path people disregard their faces, and then link it to which noble figures could have the standard boy and girl.

One could only say, they were all lunatics, just like the group of people in Baijia Town under the river surface, all lunatics who didn't hesitate at anything to pursue the dream of becoming immortal.

Now, the closest blood had been poured, next was the blood of enemy relatives.

Tan Wenbin said doubtfully: "Xiao Yuan ge, Qiu Minmin was killed by Wu Xinhui, but Zhao Junfeng was personally killed by Mao Zhushan. Isn't it possible that he still wants to offer himself as a sacrifice later?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Enemy relatives."

"Enemy relatives' blood..." Tan Wenbin's entire face was covered with shock, "So, he killed his dad, using his own father as a sacrifice?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "His dad Mao Chang'an is not dead."

Yin Meng heard the words and only then understood why Xiao Yuan wanted to try to open that office door earlier, and why he wanted to repeatedly remind her to pay attention to the front and back.

Originally, the young man had long seen that Mao Chang'an, who was lying in the 'main tomb', was actually still alive.

Indeed, he was still alive. If he killed him early, how could he be sacrificed? Moreover, it had to be in the hall entrance with the array pattern drawn, simultaneously killing him during the period when the blood incense was burning out, only then would it be effective.

At this time, Mao Zhushan took out two male and female dolls from his bosom. Lines were tied to the dolls, and needles were stuck in them. The backs of the dolls were already dyed blood-red, only the fronts were still their original color.

Mao Zhushan gently swung the female doll, and Qiu Minmin immediately rushed out of the hall entrance.

Because Li Zhuiyuan and the two were hiding in the back corner, they didn't need to worry about being discovered. Of course, in the past, this hiding place would have been self-deception to avoid the dead body's perception, but now this was a yin house. Besides direct 'perception' through sight and hearing, other things like the sixth sense were not accurate here.

Soon, Qiu Minmin carried Mao Chang'an back.

The two enemy relatives were also ready.

Mao Zhushan sighed and looked at his old father and master, seemingly still retaining some father-son emotion.

He first raised the female doll and pointed at Wu Xinhui.

Qiu Minmin leaned Mao Chang'an against a pillar, then turned and walked towards Wu Xinhui.

Seeing this, Wu Xinhui immediately let out a terrified scream: "No, no, no, don't kill me, don't kill me! Ah eh eh!"

"Crack!"

Qiu Minmin bit off Wu Xinhui's neck.

"Eh."

Mao Zhushan first sighed, then showed an expectant expression, lightly flicking the needle on the male doll with his fingertip.

Just at this moment, Mao Chang'an suddenly opened his eyes and scolded:

"Beast!"

Mao Zhushan said in disbelief: "How are you still awake? I clearly gave you enough drug!"

Mao Chang'an started to struggle. His body's shroud was torn, but inside the shroud, iron chains were still tied, with a large copper lock. It was obvious that his own son had taken double precautions in advance.

"You beast! I raised you for so long in vain, I taught you for so long in vain, you actually dare to do such a thing that harms heaven and reason behind my back, aren't you afraid of suffering divine punishment!"

"Old man, that book was clearly when we just moved here as a child, I picked it up from below, you actually sealed and hid it, not letting me practice. I am your son and your disciple, you don't practice yourself, why not let me practice!"

"That is an evil book, all evil methods are written on it. It's not something we can touch. I myself didn't dare to look at it, and I didn't dare to practice it either."

"It doesn't matter, anyway, the place you hid it is also found by me. I started practicing eight years ago. According to the record in that book, obtaining yin-yang companion dead bodies can enter the gates of heaven and attain eternal life; I don't want to stay here doing what corpse salvagers do with you for a lifetime!"

"Zhushan, you are demonized. If you turn back now, it's still in time, really, turn back. Go surrender, go atone for the sins you've committed."

"I'm almost successful, hehehe, turn back now?"

"Heaven is watching you. Doing this kind of thing will definitely lead to misfortune and a bad death."

"Come on, let me see, where is it? Old man, I've been fooled by your words until now. Now, you go to where you should go."

"Wicked son, wicked disciple, you actually dare..."

Mao Zhushan looked at the last section of incense remaining in front of him and said:

"The incense is burning out quickly. I must complete all the ritual processes before the incense burns out."

"So, Dad, go. After you die, I will break the basin for you."

Outside, Tan Wenbin grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's arm, and Yin Meng was also ready, just waiting for Li Zhuiyuan's order to rush in.

"Xiao Yuan ge, let's go in and save the old man!"

In the eyes of the two of them, now was the most suitable time to act.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't give the order, but said faintly: "The old man's words are very familiar."

"Ah?" Tan Wenbin didn't understand what Xiao Yuan meant by saying this now.

Yin Meng also cast a puzzled gaze. Wasn't it time to act now?

Inside the house, Mao Zhushan raised the male doll, and Zhao Junfeng also walked towards Mao Chang'an.

"You rebellious disciple and son, I will act on behalf of heaven!"

As soon as the words fell, although Mao Chang'an was bound, he flipped his hands, and two thick, long silver needles appeared in his hands, the tails of the silver needles connected with threads.

"Buzz! Buzz!"

Two silver needles alternately popped out from his fingertips.

One stabbed Mao Zhushan's wrist. He cried out in pain, his fingers spasmed open, and the male doll in his hand fell. The other one then just right stabbed into the male doll above, and then was pulled back along the momentum, the male doll flying into Mao Chang'an's hand.

Mao Zhushan: "You actually also practiced..."

Mao Chang'an lightly flicked a needle on the doll with his thumb.

Zhao Junfeng's eyes were red, like a beast, lunging at Mao Zhushan. Mao Zhushan didn't even have time to scream before being bitten to death.

Mao Chang'an held the needle in his palm and fiddled with the copper lock.

"Click..."

The copper lock opened quickly, and he stepped forward. The lock and chain fell off his body.

Immediately, Mao Chang'an swept a glance at the corpses on the ground, then suddenly knelt down and started to cry:

"Woo woo woo... It's because I didn't teach you well, let you do such a big rebellious thing, I'm sorry to your mom, and also sorry to the heavenly way..."

He cried bitterly, his heart breaking.

Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng, who were peeking outside, subconsciously swallowed. This old man was fierce!

And at this time, the two of them also gradually understood. This old man was unbelievably fierce. Why didn't he act earlier?

Li Zhuiyuan seemed very calm, not surprised at all.

There was no other way. The words the old man said after opening his eyes were truly familiar. He often said this kind of fooling heaven talk, it was too familiar.

The person was killed by his son, the sin was committed by his son. He was kept in the dark the whole time. Finally, making a move on his son was just self-defense.

Look, he was completely innocent, yet he could finally complete the ritual and get a pair of yin-yang companion dead bodies for nothing.

Listening to the words Mao Zhushan said before he died, it seemed that when they chose to settle here many years ago, young Mao Zhushan picked up a book here and then gave it to Mao Chang'an.

This book should have been left in this water burial ground.

It's unclear whether that book had a mind-bewitching effect, or whether the things recorded in it moved both father and son, but it was very obvious that the dad was ultimately one step ahead in calculating compared to his son.

Witnessing this kind of out-of-this-world father-son affection, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly had a feeling that the mother-son relationship between himself and Li Lan wasn't that bad either.

When he and Li Lan first met, they were just peeling each other's skin, while these people were truly digging into each other's hearts and lungs.

Indeed, the sense of happiness is all relative.

Li Zhuiyuan looked inside and whispered: "Okay, don't cry, the incense is burning out quickly."

Mao Chang'an's painful crying and tears suddenly stopped. He immediately stood up and quickly walked over to pick up the other female doll.

"This kind of thing that harms heaven and reason should naturally be guarded and suppressed by me to prevent it from harming the world!"

Mao Chang'an stacked the two dolls together.

Zhao Junfeng and Qiu Minmin also stood together at this time.

Mao Chang'an began to recite incantations, and at the same time, he grabbed the blood incense ash, sprinkled it on the two dolls' bodies, and then placed the dolls in front of the candlelight and lit them.

However, Zhao Junfeng and Qiu Minmin just stood together, and nothing else changed.

"Something's not right. According to the book, they should now mutually present seals, go out into yin and yang, form a companion life, and release a glorious light."

As the dolls continued to burn, Zhao Junfeng and Qiu Minmin's eyes gradually turned red, showing a tendency to detach from control.

"Something's wrong, how could it be like this? Impossible, impossible, could it have failed?"

Mao Chang'an subconsciously turned his head and looked at his son on the ground.

No, he had paid such a big price, how could he allow it to fail?

"Where exactly did it go wrong, where exactly did it go wrong?"

Mao Chang'an immediately picked up the two half-burned dolls again. Regardless of the heat of the fire, he separated the two dolls. He was surprised to find that the male doll was red on both sides, while the female doll was only red on the back, and the front was still its original color.

This meant that Qiu Minmin hadn't completely taken revenge yet!

"No, what's going on?"

Mao Chang'an immediately ran towards Wu Xinhui's corpse. His neck was broken, his head and body separated. He was thoroughly dead.

"Why, why isn't the revenge complete? Didn't he kill Qiu Minmin?"

Mao Chang'an roared, looking at Liu Xinya and Zhu Hongyu, who were still alive and curled up in the corner. They were already somewhat stunned and傻.

"Could it be that he didn't kill her? Was it you, or you, who raped... killed Qiu Minmin?"

He had completely forgotten that he was pointing at two women.

Liu Xinya: "Not me, not us, we didn't kill anyone, we really didn't kill anyone!"

Zhu Hongyu: "It has nothing to do with us, we didn't kill her, and Wu Xinhui didn't kill her either. We were together the whole time that night."

Liu Xinya pointed at Zhu Hongyu: "She said, she said she saw Zhao Junfeng run out of the toilet."

Zhu Hongyu screamed and pointed at Liu Xinya: "You're talking nonsense, I didn't say that, you said that, you saw Zhao Junfeng run out of the toilet!"

The two women accused each other, then together pointed at Wu Xinhui, who was lying on the ground with his head and body separated: "Wu Xinhui said, he said he saw Zhao Junfeng run out of the toilet."

Mao Chang'an roared: "But he wasn't the murderer who killed Qiu Minmin!"

"We, we actually didn't see anyone."

"We saw Qiu Minmin being killed when we went to the toilet."

"Yes, we basically didn't see the murderer."

Mao Chang'an hissed and roared: "Then why did you say you saw Zhao Junfeng kill her?"

"Who knew Zhao Junfeng wouldn't cooperate with the arrest and even died? At that time, the three of us just wanted to casually provide a clue to the police and just play..."

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