Chapter 84

Chapter 82

"Just casually give a clue to play..."

Outside the door and window, Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng looked at each other in disbelief. How could something like this be casual, or be considered a game? Didn't they know that doing this would ruin someone's life?

Tan Wenbin recalled the scene he had seen in Wu Xinhui's memory, the two had confronted each other with such a dialogue:

"Why do you want to frame me, why do you want to frame me, why!"

"It would be good if you died, it would be good if you died, no one would know if you died."

So, Wu Xinhui so bravely chasing the fleeing Zhao Junfeng with a dagger was not because he was the murderer, but to round out this "joke"? How did this kind of absurd behavioral logic and motive come about?

Tan Wenbin whispered, "I don't understand..."

Inside the room, Mao Chang'an's ferocious laughter echoed:

"Hahahahahahaha!"

Obviously, he was the one who was most unable to understand and accept the situation now. He had exhausted all his efforts, planned step by step, always pretended not to know and paid attention to the progress moment by moment, not hesitating to sacrifice his own biological son, and in the end, it turned out to be such a result.

"Please, let us go, we can give you whatever you want."

"Yes, yes, yes, let us go, we won't tell anyone about today's matter, we will definitely keep it a secret."

Mao Chang'an's laughter stopped. He now wanted to inflict cruel torture and extreme torment on the two people in front of him. Unfortunately, Wu Xinhui died too quickly, he got off easy. But, just as Mao Chang'an raised his hand and the silver needle on his fingertip appeared again, he stopped.

Li Zhuoyuan, who noticed this detail from the crack in the window, narrowed his eyes slightly. This old man was a ruthless character. Even if his plan collapsed and failed, even if he was this angry, he was still restrained by the Heavenly Way and suppressed his urge to act. He really loved himself dearly.

At this moment, the fragrance of blood had burned out. The bright array pattern originally drawn on the hall entrance floor tiles instantly turned into old peeling paint. The bodies of Zhao Junfeng and Qiu Minmin, standing side by side, began to shake, and strands of liquid continuously overflowed from their bodies. Because the puppets were damaged, they were in an out-of-control state.

Mao Chang'an waved his hand, speaking in a heavy voice, "You are innocent people, hurry and run, pay attention to safety."

"Thank you, thank you!"

"Thank you, thank you!"

Zhu Hongyu and Liu Xinyu seemed to receive a great amnesty, getting up and running. But the迷魂阵 (mí hún zhèn) arranged by Mao Zhushan when he was still alive was still there. The two circled in place for a long time, yet were still unable to run out of the hall entrance door.

This kind of simple small array could be broken by Mao Chang'an with a wave of his hand, but he didn't do so. While covering his face and sobbing about his dead son and the tragic state of affairs here, he walked out of the hall entrance, knelt down with a "thump," and continued to repent to heaven. Obviously, he was unwilling to let go of those two women, but he also didn't want to dirty his own hands.

Zhao Junfeng and Qiu Minmin stopped shaking. A dense aura of dead bodies emitted from their bodies. Zhao Junfeng's was denser, while Qiu Minmin's appeared shallower, likely because the latter had only recently suffered heavy damage.

The two dead bodies instinctively looked towards the two women still running inside the room, and walked towards them step by step. Zhu Hongyu and Liu Xinyu screamed and retreated. Their backs were almost pressed against the door panel, very close to where Li Zhuoyuan and the other two were hiding and peeking inside.

Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng's expressions changed slightly, because now they only needed to show their faces to save these two people. But the two were obviously unwilling to do so. Not only did neither of them try to consult Xiao Yuan behind them, but one turned their face away while the other simply lowered their head.

Tan Wenbin whispered, "Did you see two dead bodies going to kill people?"

Yin Meng understood and immediately replied, "Didn't see."

Tan Wenbin hesitated for a moment, feeling that this statement was not good, and changed his question again:

"Did you just see Zhu Hongyu and Liu Xinyu run out of the hall entrance?"

"Saw, they just ran out!"

"Very good, they escaped, safe."

"Yes, it's really fortunate for them."

When people are doing things that violate "public order and good customs," they often find excuses for themselves. The purpose of this is to alleviate their inner burden and avoid internal conflict. Many people died inside the room tonight. They watched the entire play from outside. If they had acted earlier, most of the people inside might not have died, but why should they act?

Ran Qiuping and Sun Hongxia had attacked them and others, Runsheng was still recuperating in the hospital bed; Mao Zhushan deserved to die, neither his own father nor his master cared; as for Wu Xinhui and the other three... it was like looking the other way.

After sorting this out, Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng both breathed a sigh of relief, their minds at ease. Along with the continuous screams from inside the room, it didn't make them feel unbearable or guilty.

Li Zhuoyuan stood behind and witnessed the internal drama of the two throughout. Anyway, except for the "Heaven's Way explanation," his own mind basically wouldn't have this process.

Everyone in the room was dead. Mao Chang'an stood up, wiping away tears as he walked into the room. His expression was first astonishment, then unbearable, and finally anger:

"Two evildoers, actually dare to harm living beings under my eyes!"

Tan Wenbin couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of an old actor."

Yin Meng echoed, "Really professional."

Li Zhuoyuan gave a classroom summary, "Remember to learn, and then submit the in-class notes to Runsheng, don't let him fall behind." Every time they jointly participated in an adventure, it was a valuable experience.

Yin Meng's cooperation level was a bit worse than Tan Wenbin's, and she always said some untimely nonsense. This was also because she had been calm since joining the team and coming to Nantong, lacking this kind of team experience磨合 (móhé - adaptation through practice). Perhaps Binbin's nonsense when he first joined the team was much more than hers.

Mao Chang'an was preparing to clear the scene. His plan had failed, his son and apprentice were also dead, but life still continued. Zhao Junfeng and Qiu Minmin walked towards him, obviously wanting to attack him out of instinct. He bent down, picked up the two damaged puppets from the ground, and faced the two dead bodies that were逼近 (bījìn - closing in) step by step without panicking. His fingers quickly rewound the threads and inserted the needles.

Li Zhuoyuan turned around, walked out of the hiding place, and came straight to the door. He looked at Mao Chang'an and said,

"Good evening."

Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng didn't understand why Xiao Yuan chose this time to show up. Wouldn't it be better to let Mao Chang'an deal with those two dead bodies first, and then the three of them would come out to deal with the old man? This would also be more in line with the three people's previous plan, except that the goal of first dealing with the old man had become only one old man left to deal with.

But not understanding was one thing, the two still quickly came to Li Zhuoyuan's side, holding Yellow River shovels, protecting him from left and right. Mao Chang'an held the two newly repaired puppets, and his fingers lightly plucked the strings. The two dead bodies immediately stopped, and with a slight adjustment of his fingertips, the two dead bodies turned around and faced the door.

Subsequently, Mao Chang'an extended three fingers with his left hand, spun his right arm, and after a series of crosses, finally overlapped them up and down:

"Mao Chang'an, my ancestors inserted themselves in Jinling Qinhuai dock, I don't know which family's dock the little brother is sitting in?"

When people in the same trade met, the first thing that came out was actually忌惚 (jìhū - caution and suspicion), first probing, also to avoid friction as much as possible. There was no other way. Who in this line of work didn't have a few tricks up their sleeves? If they truly tore face and plotted against each other, no one would have a good life.

This time, if he were to mention "sitting in Haohe dock" again, it would be intentionally humorous.

Li Zhuoyuan put his hands in his pockets, too lazy to return the courtesy, but said very directly:

"I don't sit in a dock, I worship Liu family's Dragon King."

Mao Chang'an's expression froze, visible panic, even the whole person continuously retreated several steps, anxiously explaining:

"I had no way to teach my son, causing him to go astray and brew such a tragedy. Now I have already great righteousness exterminated relatives, cleaning up the mess, please be明鉴 (míng jiàn - understanding and discerning)!"

He was very afraid. But his fear was different from the shock Yin Fuhai experienced when facing the reported family in Fengdu Ghost Street. Yin Fuhai's family had lived in a small county town for generations, and only heard about things on the river. Mao Chang'an, however, could get a sign from a cultural relics protection unit to hang on his door. What he was afraid of was clearly not the prestige of the Liu family in the past, but now!

This involuntarily made Li Zhuoyuan think of Yu Shu, the storyteller who had come to Nantong earlier. Look, even if it was after the Ding family banquet in Shancheng and she had left, Grandma Liu had still kept a hand, not deceiving him, but also not telling the whole truth.

Li Zhuoyuan pointed to the two puppets in Mao Chang'an's hand and asked, "Can you throw one over for me to see?"

Mao Chang'an hesitated. Huh, could he really throw it to himself?

Li Zhuoyuan continued, "Stop, everyone outside is our people."

Although it was very clear that unless Runsheng came out of the hospital with an IV drip, it was absolutely impossible for there to be people outside. But Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng still stood calmly with their chests held high, especially Tan Wenbin, whose mouth still held a disdainful smile.

"Please."

Mao Chang'an threw the female puppet to Li Zhuoyuan. There were needles all over it. Li Zhuoyuan didn't catch it. Yin Meng flipped her hand, first removed the force, then caught it smoothly and handed it to Li Zhuoyuan.

Mao Chang'an said, "What happened here, I can give a full explanation, it's really..."

Li Zhuoyuan nodded while examining the puppet, "Rest assured, we won't wrong a good person, nor will we let go of a bad person."

The boy confirmed. The old man in front of him considered himself as the same kind of person as Yu Shu. It seemed that Uncle Qin had not chosen a place to live in seclusion after leaving Taiye's home. He had things to do.

After examining it, Li Zhuoyuan casually threw the female puppet to the ground. At the moment it landed, the needle tips were touched, and Qiu Minmin continuously made several strange postures.

Mao Chang'an doubted, "You are..."

Li Zhuoyuan pointed to Zhao Junfeng, "He actually didn't receive your puppet's control. He was pretending from beginning to end."

Mao Chang'an was surprised, "What, how is that possible?"

"Believe it or not, it's up to you. I just didn't come out because you didn't want to use this puppet to control them to deal with yourself, in order to complete the final step of destroying the bodies. You will die, and he was actually waiting for this opportunity."

As soon as the words fell, Zhao Junfeng suddenly pounced towards Mao Chang'an. Mao Chang'an rolled to the side in a狼狈 (lángbèi - disheveled) manner, narrowly dodging. He quickly plucked the male puppet with his fingertips, but it had no effect. Zhao Junfeng spun in mid-air and pounced again, opening his mouth and spitting out a blood mist.

Mao Chang'an saw the situation and had no choice but to throw the puppet and dodge again. But this time, his right arm was swept by the red mist. Not only were his clothes torn, but a layer of skin was also burned off his arm.

"Why is it like this?"

Not only Mao Chang'an didn't understand the situation, but Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng were also the same. But the two still continued to pull a straight face. Tan Wenbin's heart was even more doubtful, but he still forced out an expression of "look, it's like this."

At this time, Qiu Minmin, covered in a layer of rotten mud, pounced towards Mao Chang'an from behind. Mao Chang'an moved to the side again, extending his hand and stabbing a silver needle into Qiu Minmin. Then, along the silk thread, he pulled her closer and kicked her to the side.

"Bang!"

Qiu Minmin, who was already元气大伤 (yuánqì dàshāng - severely injured), was kicked and flipped to the ground. Just as Mao Chang'an was about to take advantage of the situation and use the silver thread to cut off Qiu Minmin's head, Zhao Junfeng appeared. Mao Chang'an had to give up first and quickly retreated. While retreating, he still shouted, "Please help me subdue the dead body!"

Li Zhuoyuan clapped his hands, "You continue, we won't disturb."

After speaking, he simply retreated backward.

"You..."

Mao Chang'an's eyes widened. At this moment, he finally reacted, "You are not from the Dragon King family!"

Li Zhuoyuan ignored him, continuing to retreat backward. Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin also followed him and retreated together. After the three of them retreated to a safe enough distance, they stopped again and watched the play.

Tan Wenbin couldn't help but ask again, "Xiao Yuan bro?"

"That night in the dance practice room, I once tried to control Qiu Minmin, but found that she was controlled by another consciousness, a倀鬼 (chāng guǐ - ghost of a person who died unnaturally, bound to the place of death and often causing others to die there). Earlier, seeing Mao Zhushan use that puppet to control these two dead bodies, I felt doubtful. It's not that this evil art can't control dead bodies. But, I didn't think I couldn't even compete with a puppet."

That night, Li Zhuoyuan was just one step away from completely controlling Qiu Minmin, but the consciousness inside Qiu Minmin's body was exceptionally stubborn and resisted him desperately. But a puppet is a dead object, where would it get the consciousness to resist?

Therefore, the one controlling Qiu Minmin was definitely another existence. Both Mao Zhushan and Mao Chang'an practiced that evil book, and both used puppets to control corpses. That explained that the one truly controlling Qiu Minmin was not them, father and son.

Almost everyone in the room was dead. Using the process of elimination, no matter how impossible it seemed, there was only one final answer. The one who had always controlled Qiu Minmin was Zhao Junfeng.

"Binbin bro, do you still remember the memory screen you saw when we walked阴时 (yīn shí - in the yin realm) earlier?"

"Remember..."

"Have you not noticed that Wu Xinhui's memory screen is very misleading?"

"Ah, right. Wu Xinhui was clearly not the murderer, but that segment made people feel as if he was the murderer who specifically came to kill and silence."

"It was clearly possible to adjust the memory screen forward a bit. For example, the three of Wu Xinhui didn't actually see the murderer. It could have been simply the truth, yet this segment was deliberately not cut out. In addition, there were many doors, three of which were closed, and one door could be opened, inside was Qiu Minmin's face. The other two doors could not be opened. Since there was Qiu Minmin, there should also be Zhao Junfeng's, but Zhao Junfeng's memory was closed."

"Is there still one door then?"

"I originally thought it was Mao Chang'an's, after all, he wasn't dead and was also in this局 (jú - situation). Now I feel it's possible not... it should be something from a deeper layer parasitizing inside Zhao Junfeng's body, for example, the book that father and son mentioned."

"A book, can do this much?"

"Some things are very evil. Runsheng hasn't told you, at the grave head place in Shipu, there is still a copper coin buried there. Even when I left home to go to university, I didn't take it. It's not that I forgot, but I really don't have the confidence to touch it now."

If that thing was obtained, if one was not careful, one would grow too old like an infectious disease.

"So, looking at it now, Mao Chang'an is also not the mantis?"

"Um, the mantis catches the cicada, and there's a food chain behind it."

"Xiao Yuan bro, did you deliberately go out just now because you wanted them to kill each other first?"

"Otherwise? We are here to clean up. The old man is considered the main plotter, and we originally wanted to deal with him. Since it has been proven that it is not the puppet that is truly controlling Qiu Minmin but Zhao Junfeng, then Zhao Junfeng also has a grudge against us. They are all objects to be disposed of. How can we let the old man be sneak attacked and die just like that? Let them bite each other and bleed first, and we will also save effort."

Tan Wenbin, "Brother, if you feel your brain is tired one day, I'll help you wear it for a while."

Yin Meng spoke at this time, "What exactly is the final purpose of all this?"

"Yin Yang accompany dead body, how can it be so easily refined out? According to Wei Zhengdao's meaning, it requires the foundation of those famous sects to try to make this thing. Two corpse salvagers, and even sitting in a dock, where would they get this kind of array?"

Yin Meng's expression was a little sad. Her home also sat in a dock. No, after Grandpa died, she came to Nantong, and her Yin family didn't even have a dock.

"I suspect that the records in the book that father and son got have problems. It's probably the same as your Yin family's twelve methods, it's a simplified version that makes people feel they can easily get started."

Yin Meng felt a dull ache in her chest again.

"Although the final purpose is a bit absurd, I guess it itself is relatively limited. It wants a carrier, and at the same time restore freedom."

Tan Wenbin, "The old man seems to be about to fail?"

Inside the room, Mao Chang'an tried to escape several times, but was intercepted by Zhao Junfeng and Qiu Minmin, as if they would stop at nothing to keep him here.

"Zhao Junfeng, since you are not controlled by consciousness, you should be clear that even if you kill me, you will still have to face those three people when you go out later!"

"Those three people might have come very early. They are still not leaving now, just thinking that we will first fish die and net break so they can clean up the situation. If you want to take Qiu Minmin and leave, I won't stop you. The two of you can leave now. Whether you poison living beings and vent your resentment or escape into the river and sea, it's up to you!"

"Zhao Junfeng, let's join hands first, deal with the three people outside, and then we'll decide life and death. This way, outsiders won't take advantage!"

Tan Wenbin, "The old man is not pretending a little bit."

Yin Meng pursed her lips, "Really shameless."

Tan Wenbin, "But Zhao Junfeng and Qiu Minmin seem to be just staring at him, just wanting to kill him. Such deep hatred?"

A dead body is not the person it was before. Zhao Junfeng, under the premise of being able to control himself and Qiu Minmin, killed Ran Qiuping and Sun Hongxia. This proves that he has already detached from his original identity ties. Under this premise, if he truly had wisdom, it seems he should consider the old man's proposal.

Li Zhuoyuan, "The book is in the old man's body."

Mao Chang'an was truly cornered. His body already had many wounds, fresh blood dripping. If he didn't make a move now, his small life would truly be lost here. He saw his two thumbs fingernails respectively pierce into the center of his palms, opening blood wounds, and then respectively drawing out two red threads from inside.

The red threads propped up, he exerted force in his waist, and弹 (tán - flicked) forward. Just at this time, Zhao Junfeng pounced, spitting out red mist again. But when the red mist touched the弹 (tán - flicked) out red threads, it emitted a "sizzle" sound. It not only scattered itself, but also completely failed to obstruct the red threads.

The red threads弹 (tán - flicked) onto Zhao Junfeng's body, like ink lines, leaving a red mark on Zhao Junfeng's chest, and then quickly melted.

"Bang!"

Zhao Junfeng was弹 (tán - flicked) and flew out, his body twisting. The part of his body that was染 (rǎn - stained) with the red threads began to have minced meat falling off. Qiu Minmin appeared behind Mao Chang'an, stabbing out with both arms. Mao Chang'an's body shrank. He didn't choose to dodge, but顺势 (shùnshì - took advantage of the situation) leaned backward, his shoulders heavily hitting Qiu Minmin's body.

As Qiu Minmin retreated, the rotten mud on her body quickly stuck to Mao Chang'an, surging wildly into his body's wounds.

"Ah!!!"

Mao Chang'an let out a scream, but his arms still wrapped around, and the red threads ringed Qiu Minmin's neck, then exerted force to cut!

"Puff..."

Qiu Minmin's head was cut off. The headless corpse retreated several steps backward, both arms open, pus gushing from the neck wound, black gas overflowing, and resentment began to dissipate.

"Damn, the old man is really strong." Tan Wenbin subconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "Without Xiao Yuan bro's trump card, Yin Meng and I really can't beat him. How did he draw out those red threads from his body?"

Yin Meng, "He温养 (wēnyǎng - nourished and cultivated) them inside his body, using them as tendons."

"How ruthless, Mengmeng, do you know how to do this?"

"No, I heard Grandpa mention it when he told stories when I was young."

"This set of things, no matter how you look at it, doesn't seem like the right path."

Li Zhuoyuan heard the words and couldn't help but think of Uncle Qin's body appearing with blood-colored fish gills before going into the river. Actually, the righteous path is originally very bloody.

After dealing with Qiu Minmin, Mao Chang'an continued to use the red threads to force Zhao Junfeng back, but every time he wanted to take this opportunity to leave, Zhao Junfeng would stick to him again, like a跗骨之蛆 (fùgǔzhīqū - parasite clinging to the bone). But at the same time, this also gave Mao Chang'an an opportunity. He again pretended to want to leave the hall entrance. Waiting for Zhao Junfeng to pounce up again, he kicked with both feet,弹leap (tánlì - sprung) backward, and directly sat on Zhao Junfeng's body.

He pressed down with both arms, pulling the red threads towards Zhao Junfeng's neck. Zhao Junfeng raised both arms, stabbing into Mao Chang'an's thighs, and at the same time opened his mouth, spitting out red mist wildly.

"Die, die, die!"

Mao Chang'an ignored it, putting everything on the line.

"Puff..."

Zhao Junfeng's head was also cut off, rolling several circles on the ground.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Mao Chang'an's entire body was covered in blood, like a bloody person. He limped towards the door, and looking at the three people standing outside, he laughed. In contrast to the bloodstains, his teeth were very white. The red threads in his hands had already broken. From his face to his arms to his legs, his skin and flesh were all obviously loose, as if he had suddenly aged twenty years.

But he still didn't give up. Knowing that he had no strength to fight again, he opened his mouth, "Whatever conditions you mention, I only beg for a way to live."

Li Zhuoyuan shook his head, "You must die."

"Why? I have no enmity with you."

Li Zhuoyuan answered very seriously, "If we don't kill you, it will seem like we did nothing tonight, which will make us look very stupid."

Mao Chang'an, "..."

Tan Wenbin echoed, "Yes, yes, yes. Coming out late at night, the play was indeed wonderful and exciting to watch, but we still need to do something. This way, we'll feel like we participated."

Mao Chang'an, "My every move conforms to the rules. If you kill me, aren't you afraid of heaven's punishment?"

Tan Wenbin pointed to the three of them, "It's okay, the three of us will share it. On average, there shouldn't be much left."

Li Zhuoyuan, "Without my earlier reminder, you would have already died from Zhao Junfeng's sneak attack. Therefore, your life was originally mine."

Yin Meng looked at Tan Wenbin, "Brain's gap."

Mao Chang'an knelt down with a "thump," slumping to the ground. He took out a talisman paper from his hand, and lightly stroked it with his fingertip. The talisman paper ignited. He could barely walk now. If he didn't stop the bleeding, excessive blood loss could cause his death. So he was very clear that he had no possibility of escaping. Selfish people are not only very afraid of death, but also more afraid of others taking advantage of them.

The talisman he had just ignited was the "key" to his home. The moment the talisman paper burned, the wind inside the temple changed its taste. The original yin-yang coexistence pattern began to rub and collide, and strands of dense yin energy overflowed from the bronze door below the general's statue. Groups of green幽火 (yōuhuǒ - eerie flames) rose in the air, and strips of fire also appeared on the ground.

"My things, none of you will take, none of you will..."

Fire began to appear. This fire ignited without any blind spots and soon窜 (cuān - leapt) up from various places.

Yin Meng, "Xiao Yuan bro, I'll go kill him, and then we'll just leave."

"Let's go."

Li Zhuoyuan turned around and ran straight outside. Yin Meng was a little confused. Didn't not killing someone make them look very stupid? Moreover, although the fire was raging at this time, it was not yet a matter of extreme urgency. They could still kill him and get out.

Tan Wenbin had already followed. Seeing the situation, Yin Meng gave a final look at Mao Chang'an sitting there and also followed him out.

"Hey hey..."

Looking at the backs of the three people leaving, Mao Chang'an let out a laugh. Looking at the burning flames around him, his face showed loneliness. He reached out and took out a white-covered black-bottomed book from his embrace. He lowered his head and looked at the book cover, his eyes filled with hatred. He knew that without this book, he and his son would still live a peaceful life, inheriting the family's learning, maintaining peace in one area, not letting dead bodies harm the human world, and not辱 (rǔ - disgracing) the ancestors' door. It was precisely because of its appearance that all of this changed, all of it was its fault.

But soon, Mao Chang'an's eyes showed greed and attachment again. He loved this book, loved it to the core. If he heard the Way in the morning, he could die in the evening. Where would an ordinary corpse salvager sitting in a dock get true profound inheritance? It was this book that allowed him to see true wonders. Originally, this world could still have this kind of possibility.

Zhushan, my good son, my good apprentice, you must feel the same way as I do. What does it matter to lose one's life to see the scenery of that world? We just failed, we didn't succeed. From ancient times to now, how many have succeeded? We father and son two, in the end, compared to others, compared to our ancestors, have seen more...

The yin wind blew, flipping open the first page, which was blank. Mao Chang'an was stunned. He immediately flipped open the second page, blank, then flipped open the third page, blank, and continued to flip, all blank! The book was real, he remembered the feel of the paper, but the book originally recorded the method of refining yin-yang accompanying dead bodies, the method of controlling corpses with needle puppets. How could none of this be seen?

"No, no, no, no!!!"

Mao Chang'an flipped the pages non-stop. He could accept failure, he could accept his biological son as the price of failure, but he could not accept that this was just a scam from beginning to end! The method of refining yin-yang accompanying dead bodies it gave was not real. This book played with him and his son. He and his son became toys of this book!

"It can't be like this, it can't be like this, I beg you, I beg you, put the words out, put the words out, even if they are wrong, even if they are fake, I beg you, give me some words, give me some words..."

Suddenly, the headless Zhao Junfeng inside the hall entrance slowly stood up. Mao Chang'an heard the sound and turned back to look. Zhao Junfeng's clothes fell off. The minced meat on his chest was also greatly reduced because it had been swept by the red threads earlier, but in the blood and flesh模糊 (móhú - blurred) depths, there was a woman's face, slowly蠕动 (rú dòng - wriggling). It was Qiu Minmin's face.

The headless Zhao Junfeng walked to Mao Chang'an, reached out, grabbed Mao Chang'an's head, and squeezed non-stop.

"Ah ah ah..."

"Bang!"

His head exploded, and red and white splattered on the ground. Zhao Junfeng bent down, picked up the white-covered black-bottomed book from the ground. The污秽 (wūhuì - filth) that had originally been splashed on it disappeared in an instant as if absorbed. The woman's face on his chest opened its mouth, and the book was bitten by the woman.

Zhao Junfeng was surrounded by a pool of rotten mud, wrapping him. Before the fire burned to this point, he moved out along the ground. Leaving the hot sea of fire, leaving the General Temple, he went straight to the nearest river, like a fish that had regained its freedom and was about to return to the water.

However, as the fish swam, the firelight from the General Temple below was still so clear. Finally, the fish stopped. The rotten mud slowly retreated. Zhao Junfeng looked around, and the woman's eyes on his chest kept looking around. He was trapped.

"Hey hey hey."

Tan Wenbin slowly stood up, his left hand holding the Seven Star Hook, his right hand holding the Luosheng Umbrella. In urgent moments, the Yellow River Shovel was the most appropriate, but when a real battle was needed and the conditions were sufficient to gather the equipment, one had to be clear about their own positioning.

Beside him, Yin Meng was holding a Yellow River Shovel. Runsheng was not there, so she was the main attacker.

"Hey hey hahaha..."

Tan Wenbin's laughter was non-stop. Yin Meng couldn't help but glance at him and said, "You laugh like a villain in a TV drama."

Tan Wenbin suppressed a laugh, licking his lips, "Don't say, it feels really good to be a villain." He paused, then asked again, "Xiao Yuan bro, how did you guess there was still an additional question?"

Li Zhuoyuan sat on a stone and said very calmly:

"Not an additional question, but the total score was not calculated fully, a face was missing."

Subsequently, the boy leaned his elbow on his knee and supported his cheek with his palm:

"Don't delay, before the firelight attracts people, solve it."

Tan Wenbin nudged Yin Meng: Look, who is truly like a villain. Yin Meng didn't refute. The two of them一边念叨着 (yībiān niàndāo zhe - while chanting): "Three three get birth, four four enter Qian, two eight ask Gua, three nine connect..."

Li Zhuoyuan couldn't help but raise his hand and cover his eyes. This scene was like going back to the multiplication table in the examination room, so stupid that he couldn't bear to look.

Tan Wenbin extended his Seven Star Hook and hooked it towards Zhao Junfeng. Zhao Junfeng wanted to dodge, but he clearly was moving backward, yet quickly became actively moving forward again, and was hooked by the hook. Yin Meng went up and hit him with a shovel.

When Zhao Junfeng reacted and wanted to resist, Tan Wenbin opened his umbrella, blocking all the splashing rotten mud. He then timely retracted the umbrella, and Yin Meng hit him with another shovel.

Zhao Junfeng couldn't escape, couldn't dodge, and every attack was resolved. Instead, he took every blow without fail. His state had already been greatly reduced by Mao Chang'an, and he was trying to escape by feigning death. In this weakened state, encountering an advance carefully arranged array suppression, he really had no room to maneuver. And Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng's incomparably rigid cooperative offensive further eliminated any possibility of a reversal or miracle.

It just made this fight a bit boring. Li Zhuoyuan sighed. If Runsheng were here, with Runsheng's strength, it would have ended early. Yin Meng, in terms of pure strength, still had too big a gap. She was more suitable for Tan Wenbin's current position, and Tan Wenbin was more suitable for his current position.

The boy's feet still had many array flags left. When the array showed looseness or broke, he needed to hold the flags to repair it. But looking at the smooth situation now, the array was very stable and could support itself until the array's effect naturally dissipated. He had nothing to do. This was also why he couldn't accept Runsheng's mistake last time. It was clearly a more rational team choice, but he was dominated by sensibility at that moment.

Li Zhuoyuan's attention was more focused on the book bitten by the woman's mouth. That copper coin in Shipu, if you didn't touch it, it was very quiet, but this book should possess some activity. It might even actively蛊惑人心 (gǔhuò rénxīn - bewitch people's hearts).

Forget it, to end it early, he would add some fuel to the fire. Li Zhuoyuan stood up and shouted, "Remember, you are not allowed to look at that book later, that book is mine!"

Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng's inner thoughts after hearing this shout were: Huh, do you need to shout? If it's not yours, whose could it be? Even if this book were placed in front of them, they wouldn't dare to flip through it!

Just at this moment, the woman's mouth opened, and the book was spit out, falling to the ground. Then, Zhao Junfeng just stood in place, not moving, letting them kill him. Despite this, Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng still very steadily followed the old rhythm, one attacking, one defending, until Yin Meng completely smashed the face on Zhao Junfeng's chest. Finally, with a "thump," Zhao Junfeng's body fell backward. On the ground, strands of pus water gushed out, and black gas madly dissipated.

Solved!

"Huff..." Yin Meng breathed a sigh of relief. Her arms were already exhausted, and her palms were even bleeding from grinding. Tan Wenbin then propped the Luosheng Umbrella on the ground and rubbed his waist. Actually, for the last while, they knew they could be more reckless. The dead body had already given up resisting, but they really couldn't help but keep the formula in mind, afraid of making a mistake, so they naturally continued to act in a methodical manner.

"Close your eyes."

The two immediately listened and closed their eyes. Li Zhuoyuan also walked down with his eyes closed. He could remember the position below, so he walked steadily and stood still in front of the book. There was clearly no wind, yet he heard the sound of the book flipping pages. Li Zhuoyuan liked reading very much, but this was the first time he encountered a book actively showing favor to him. Unfortunately, this媚眼 (mèiyǎn - flirtatious glance) could only be cast upon a blind eye.

Li Zhuoyuan took out a piece of canvas. The purple wood flower rolls inside the canvas were still purple. Every piece was personally刨 (páo - planed) down by A Li from the ancestral tablet. Then, A Li personally carved the patterns, placed them inside the cloth, and sewed them. Its problem was that it was not as convenient to use as the Demon Suppressing Whip, but without a doubt, the canvas was always the strongest tool in his hand for harming evil spirits.

Li Zhuoyuan covered the book with the canvas.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle..."

Instantly, it was like pouring water into a pot of boiling oil, and his nose smelled the burnt smoke.

"Alas..."

Li Zhuoyuan sighed. He still didn't know when he could see A Li. If this thing was damaged, there was no way to repair it. Soon, the boy realized that this kind of thought was not right. A Li was not his tool. So, he quickly self-corrected in his heart: A Li is not by my side. This is A Li's thought left with him. If it's damaged, how can he miss the person by looking at the object? This kind of thought was obviously much more appropriate.

Li Zhuoyuan enjoyed this feeling very much, because only when A Li was involved would his inner thoughts become relatively active, no longer just weighing pros and cons and motives.

The "sizzle sizzle" sound gradually quieted down, and it was not clear whether the canvas was burned through or the thing was finally suppressed. Li Zhuoyuan bent down and carefully touched the edge area. Fortunately, it wasn't burned through, but the canvas had become very, very thin, which meant that most of the purple wood flower rolls inside had already turned black. Fortunately, this book was indeed镇down (zhèn down - suppressed).

Li Zhuoyuan took out the purple Demon Suppressing Whip, first wrapped the book with the canvas, then tied it with the Demon Suppressing Whip, tying a dead knot. After doing this, Li Zhuoyuan opened his eyes and looked at the cloth package wrapped with the Demon Suppressing Whip in his hand.

He couldn't let Grandma Liu see this, he couldn't let her know that the ancestors of the Qin and Liu families were used by him to package a book. Even doing this much, the boy still felt it was not safe enough. This thing might not be like that copper coin which was unconscious. It had its own consciousness. Earlier, when he shouted at it, it just actively "submitted." Therefore, burying it in a pit was not suitable. In case it came out one day, and he burned it like that, it might find a body shell to seek revenge. He still needed to bring it back to the dormitory and watch it himself.

Taking out the talisman paper he had drawn, Li Zhuoyuan stuck it on. The talisman paper did not change color and was very stable.

"Binbin bro, do you still have talisman paper there?"

"Yes, my bag is full of them."

"You can open your eyes." Saying that, Li Zhuoyuan threw the cloth package to Tan Wenbin, "Stick it full."

"Good!"

Just this while, Zhao Junfeng's corpse had already turned into pus water, and the roaring fire below the General Temple was destined to burn everything clean. This saved them the trouble of dealing with it afterward. If it was just a missing person case or an arson case, it wouldn't alert people like Yu Shu. Li Zhuoyuan didn't really want to deal with them now, because if he dealt with them, it would be easy to meet Li Lan. He had his own path to walk, just like now, his own team, his own partners he could trust. Um, although the one he trusted the most was sick today and didn't come.

"Pack up your things, let's go back to school."

General Mountain was relatively remote. There were almost no taxis at night, and for safety, the three of them specially walked a distance away before finding a private car and paying the driver to take them to school. It was still not light when they entered the school. Afraid of leaving an impression on the gate security, the three of them did not walk through the main gate, but chose to climb over the wall.

Walking in the cool, tree-lined path in the school garden, Tan Wenbin mocked himself, "The car fare today is so expensive. If we didn't have money, we really couldn't eliminate demons and guard the path."

Yin Meng said, "After school starts, the store can earn money. We'll save up again, and we can buy a freight car ourselves. This way it will be convenient later. The prices in Jinling are really expensive."

Tan Wenbin, "Right. Our small Nantong is better."

Yin Meng, "Prices are similar to Jinling, but salaries are lower."

Tan Wenbin coughed twice and changed the subject, "However, Xiao Yuan bro, do we need to be so careful? Still climbing over the wall? Even if the school discovers Wu Xinhui and the other three are missing, they won't suspect us, right?"

"It's five."

"Um... right, it's five." There was also the aunt who sold goods in the store, and the aunt in the hostel.

"Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't investigate us, but what if we encounter a police officer like your dad again?"

He remembered that afternoon, outside the Meijie video hall in Shennan Town, Tan Yunlong had just gotten out of the car, and after sweeping a circle, he walked straight towards him. This scene was still fresh in Li Zhuoyuan's memory.

"Ah ha, next time I call my dad, I'll put forward this sentence of yours, Xiao Yuan bro. Believe me, my dad will be happy about it."

Yin Meng chuckled, "Your father-son relationship is really good."

Tan Wenbin, "Right. You say, since Wu Xinhui didn't kill Qiu Minmin, who exactly killed Qiu Minmin?"

Yin Meng, "Could it be, Zhao Junfeng killed her?"

Tan Wenbin shook his head, "How is that possible? In Zhao Junfeng's memory screen, he kept shouting that he was wronged, that he didn't kill anyone."

Yin Meng, "Did you see Zhao Junfeng's memory when the case happened?"

"No."

"I heard that death row prisoners on the execution ground will also keep shouting that they are wronged."

Tan Wenbin blinked, "Damn, could it be that Zhao Junfeng really killed people? Oh, right, if he didn't kill people, why did he run? When he was saved from the water by Mao Zhushan, he肯定 (kěndìng - definitely) wouldn't say he was the murderer, he必然 (bìrán - inevitably) said he was wronged."

Li Zhuoyuan opened his mouth, "What is your occupation?"

Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin said in unison, "Corpse salvager."

Li Zhuoyuan, "What is the most basic condition for a dead body to form?"

Yin Meng, "Resentment."

Tan Wenbin slapped his forehead, "Then Zhao Junfeng died of being wronged, he was wronged."

Li Zhuoyuan shook his head, "Actually, there will also be exceptional situations, but this time, the five missing people are all related to the case seven years ago. The police肯定 (kěndìng - definitely) will restart the investigation. If the true murderer is still at large, it必然 (bìrán - inevitably) will alert him. Perhaps, the true murderer is also inside this school now."

Yin Meng first went back to the store to put things away and feed the dog, and then she still needed to go to the infirmary to visit Runsheng. Li Zhuoyuan and Tan Wenbin then went back to the dormitory. When they passed by Lu Yi's bedroom, they found the door open. Since there was the matter of being possessed by evil earlier, Tan Wenbin just pushed the door open to take a look. When he came out, he was biting a sausage in his mouth:

"He's not here."

Back in their own bedroom, Tan Wenbin was responsible for wiping and organizing the tools, while Li Zhuoyuan carried a basin to the washroom to take a bath. Just as he finished washing, he heard the sound of slippers behind him. It was Lu Yi. He had a喜忧参半 (xǐyōucānbàn - mixed feelings of joy and worry) expression on his face.

"God Son bro, why are you taking a bath now?"

"It's too hot, I can't sleep."

"God Son bro, I just got up to pee, guess what I saw when I came back, the sausage on my供桌 (gòngzhuō - offering table) is gone, it's gone!"

"Oh."

"God Son bro, do you say this is a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good thing, the offering was useful."

"That's right, that's good, that's good. Alas, it's really pitiful. I now suspect that this ghost was also from my old hometown before it died."

"Perhaps."

"Then next time I'll offer two more sausages. Even if it's a ghost, I can't let a ghost from my old hometown not eat enough."

Li Zhuoyuan carried the basin back to the bedroom. Tan Wenbin sat on the ground holding a towel, still carefully wiping the umbrella. The sausage in his mouth was already more than half eaten.

"I'll sleep first, bro."

"Um, you sleep first, bro."

Li Zhuoyuan lay on the bed and closed his eyes. He fell asleep quickly. But when it was not long after the sky had just turned light, he woke up. In the bunk below, Tan Wenbin, who had packed up his things and taken a bath, was sleeping soundly hugging a pillow. Li Zhuoyuan sat up. Under normal circumstances, unless he had consumed excessively and was overdrafted yesterday, his biological clock was very stable. But the boy felt that this stable biological clock was destined not to last too long, because he lacked that three times a day heavenly music.

Just at this moment, a sound of heavenly music came from below the dormitory building outside the window:

"Xiao Yuan, time for breakfast!"

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