Chapter 95

Chapter 93

"With utmost sincerity and respect, I announce to the rivers, lakes, and seas..."

The moment Liu Yumei's voice sounded, though Li Zhuoyuan still stood in the room, his consciousness fell into a strange trance.

In his line of sight, the golden dragon lamp seemed to suddenly come alive.

The golden dragon's body detached from the lamp, first twisting, then coiling. The wick was like fire, breathing with surging power.

It left the ground and flew in front of him, then circled around him.

It was as if something was burning, yet there was no burning smell, only wisps of smoke and dust and a faint, crisp sound in his ears.

It was hard to describe, but it was like yarn.

A layer covering his feet, covering the road, concealing fate's yarn.

The yarn was thin, allowing light to pass through.

Just like over a year ago, when Li Zhuoyuan first found the set of *Jianghu Strange Records* in his great-grandfather's basement.

In this book, Wei Zhengdao summarized all the dead inversions he had seen and heard in his lifetime, making it an encyclopedia on the subject.

This set of books was Li Zhuoyuan's enlightenment.

From that moment on, Li Zhuoyuan meticulously planned the path he would take in the future.

Returning to high school, choosing a good university, participating in math olympiad competitions, and early admission.

Even his relationship with Luo Gong was to ensure he could participate in large-scale water conservancy projects later.

Therefore, the road beneath his feet was only covered by a thin layer of yarn.

But some things, even if only slightly obscured, still had dark currents surging beneath.

He had indeed started walking the river early, but the path was not clear, not straightforward, and not refreshing.

Opening the altar and walking the river, and Liu Yumei's announcement, were equivalent to helping him disperse this last layer of thin mist.

This was a river destined to be difficult to navigate, full of hardships and dangers, where capsizing was a constant threat.

But it was right here.

Compared to open-ended subjective questions, the boy preferred objective questions with limited conditions, no matter how complex or difficult the latter might be.

Now, the question was laid out before him; he just needed to pick up his pen and solve it.

After the surrounding confusion and obscure fog dissipated,

He felt completely relaxed and comfortable.

Even the golden dragon still circling him seemed somewhat cute in Li Zhuoyuan's eyes, with a stunned head, like his own little Hei.

In reality, the lamp was still the lamp, the golden dragon was still attached to the lamp, and the candle flame in its dragon mouth was swaying.

Most people in the room couldn't see Li Zhuoyuan's visions at this time.

In Runsheng's and the other two's eyes, Li Zhuoyuan seemed to relax completely.

They worshiped the Dragon King and understood the meaning of the second lamp, but it was impossible for them to have a deep understanding and experience of it.

Just now, they had felt tension and unease from Liu Yumei and the others' reactions, but after seeing their little Yuan brother's current state, the three of them also felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

No matter how serious a matter was, changing one's perspective and mindset could turn it into: "Hey, it's not a big deal."

All other emotions were driven away from Qin Uncle's eyes, leaving only a sigh.

He thought back to when he first lit the second lamp; the matriarch was still young.

Facing the row of spirit tablets on the offering table, facing the responsibility of revitalizing the Qin and Liu families, he gritted his teeth, his face solemn, and in his heart, there was apprehension and panic.

But the same scene, coupled with unexpected circumstances, presented a kind of ease on the boy in front of him.

This wasn't pretense, because in this atmosphere, people capable of pretense... didn't need to pretend.

When you see someone more excellent than yourself, you suddenly realize that your failure seems a kind of inevitability.

Liu Aunt's perception was more direct; she felt that Xiao Yuan seemed to have gained a new aura, which made the already very good-looking boy even better-looking.

Like this, the boy and girl were more similar in temperament, and when they were together, they looked more harmonious.

Liu Aunt urgently needed a bit of sweetness in her mouth now to offset the bitterness she was about to cook herself with Yin Meng.

Liu Yumei looked at Li Zhuoyuan and lightly waved her hand at the same time.

The boy didn't move because he was still immersed in his own emotions.

Qin Uncle walked out.

Liu Aunt wanted to go and pull A Li's hand to leave, but A Li didn't move, still looking at the boy.

She didn't like painting; she only liked painting Li Zhuoyuan. She felt the boy was very good-looking now, including the little golden dragon still circling him as a background.

Liu Aunt looked towards Liu Yumei, who nodded slightly.

Both the entering the door and walking the river ceremonies were completed; next should be the elders' admonitions. A Li was representing the Qin family today, so she could stay, although she wouldn't speak.

But Liu Yumei knew that for this cheeky boy, her granddaughter's single glance was worth more than a thousand of her own words.

Seeing the situation, Runsheng and the other two also followed suit and went out.

In the room, only Liu Yumei, A Li, and Li Zhuoyuan were left.

Finally, the golden dragon left his surroundings and fell back onto the lamp.

In reality, the lamp's fire was extinguished.

In the eyes of normal people, this lamp lit wonderfully and extinguished abruptly.

But in Li Zhuoyuan's view, the lamp's fire had already burned a circle around him, making him feel warm all over.

He involuntarily turned his head and looked out the window. The thunder had stopped, but the wind and rain continued.

This time, he really wanted to push open the window, let in some wind and rain, and greedily enjoy a moment of coolness.

"Creak..."

The window was pushed open by a hand, and the wind and rain came in.

A cool breeze blew, moistening his face, and Li Zhuoyuan was completely awake.

At this moment, he realized that everyone else had left.

Li Zhuoyuan turned around, facing Liu Yumei standing by the window, and said apologetically, "I was distracted."

Liu Yumei was appreciating the scenery outside, which looked like black clouds pressing down on the city, and laughed:

"It's a good thing to think more about how to swim by yourself before going down the river. It's always better than diving in headfirst like a stunned young man, without any consideration."

Li Zhuoyuan heard the old lady's implied meaning, but luckily Qin Uncle wasn't here now.

"Grandma, I have a question. Liu Aunt told me earlier, and now I want to confirm with you again."

"Speak."

"The impact on the family after I walk the river."

"You changed your surname and moved your household registration, which is considered breaking ties with your northern family; your household registration is under Li Sanjiang's name, which is considered separating from your southern family.

That is to say, in your narrow sense of family, there is now only Li Sanjiang.

Your great-grandfather is a fortunate old fellow; as long as he stays in his old home and doesn't move, he can still eat and drink well.

Even if you want to go back and visit, you can do so anytime, just treat him as before. Don't try to set up any grand formations to change his fortune, alter his qi, or extend his life; there won't be any problems.

That old fellow really has a good life. You share the same household registration book and he has already made a contract to leave all his inheritance to you; you are so deeply bound.

When you walk the river later, the accumulated merits of those evil spirits in town will also splash onto his head.

A person sits at home, and fortune comes from the sky.

It's very normal for that old fellow to live healthily for over a hundred years."

Li Zhuoyuan: "What about broad sense relatives?"

"Broad sense relatives refer not to your southern or northern relatives, but to us, the Qin and Liu families.

It is also precisely because you have entered the door that the break with the southern and northern sides has deepened."

"So, if I walk the river smoothly..."

Liu Yumei said directly: "The Qin and Liu families will naturally benefit."

"...Will A Li's illness get better?"

Liu Yumei: "Isn't A Li's illness always getting better?"

"The illness is still there, but A Li is just overcoming it and getting used to it alone."

"It will get better." Liu Yumei looked towards A Li and continued, "They are just some once defeated subordinates, filthy remnants, nothing more than seizing a loophole to come up and bully us orphans and widows."

"What should I do?"

"You don't need to do anything deliberately. You just need to do what you should do, walk your river well. The more powerful you are, the more the Qin and Liu families will flourish, and those things that bully the soft and fear the hard will retreat on their own."

Li Zhuoyuan nodded.

Then, he stopped talking.

Fortunately, the sound of the wind and rain mixed together, so it didn't seem stuffy.

Liu Yumei asked: "Why aren't you continuing to speak?"

Li Zhuoyuan: "Because I've asked everything I wanted to ask."

Liu Yumei pointed to the spirit tablets on the offering table: "A rotten ship still has three thousand nails. Are you looking down on them?"

"Grandma, I don't mean that."

"Are you afraid of involving us?" Liu Yumei lightly hooked her fingertip, and the window closed. The room suddenly became quiet. "When a younger generation from an ordinary family goes out, the elders all know to prepare some travel expenses. Now, our Qin and Liu families have finally had someone walk the river again. As family, we should all lend a hand."

"Grandma..."

"Grandma, I am old, but I have been raised in luxury all my life and can still afford it; your Qin Uncle and Liu Aunt, although not capable elders, can at least shoulder some matters.

We've moved to a new house; it's a bit small, but it can still shelter us from the wind and rain, right?

If you encounter something you can't provoke or handle, just come back. If you need to invite people, just invite people.

Once this door is closed, there really aren't many things in this world that dare to knock and come in.

If they really dare to go out and find which family to trouble, that family won't have a good time either.

Even a dead tiger has its might. Our two families are not what they used to be, but precisely because of this, we can be more unrestrained."

A Li nodded.

Li Zhuoyuan had seen Liu Yumei's cautiousness at his great-grandfather's home, so he naturally understood the weight of the speech Liu Yumei had just given.

Unless he lit the lamp again and announced the end of walking the river.

Otherwise, if he encountered anything outside and hid back home, the people protecting him would suffer fate's backlash.

Not to mention the side effects of a family member helping him take the lead, which would be even more intense. Getting involved was truly risking a life each time they took the lead.

It could be said that the moment he lit the second lamp, his relationship with Liu Yumei and the others became the same as his great-grandfather's relationship with them in the past.

They could eat and live together and have a normal life, but as long as metaphysical matters were involved, negative effects would be triggered.

"Grandma, you also saw that although you formally announced it today, in reality, I have been walking this river in the dark for a long time.

What I mean is, however I walked before, I will continue to walk that way afterward.

I have my own habits and my own rhythm.

The old way is not necessarily the best, but it is the most suitable one that I have found through my own exploration.

So,

Should we keep everything as usual?"

"Xiao Yuan, you have your reasons, but I also have my rules. You can't just talk about your reasons and completely ignore Grandma's rules.

Grandma, I have lived a very decent life and I like this face.

You always have to let me catch a cold and feel a little chilly, cough, cough.

This way, after you successfully walk the river, I can go and meet those old things again, and then I can humbly say, 'Actually, I just picked a Dragon King,' with a good conscience."

"Since Grandma has said so, I will just speak my mind."

"Speak."

"You, Qin Uncle, and Liu Aunt, continue to teach Zhuangzhuang, Runsheng, and Yin Meng for a period."

"What is there to say? It's just something I originally promised you, and twice at that."

"Before was before, now is now. The weight of different promises at different times can be completely different."

When he wasn't walking the river, none of this mattered, but now, it all had to involve cause and effect. Moreover, according to the results of his already walking the river, cause and effect had actually already appeared.

For example, Qin Uncle returned heavily injured, and Liu Aunt was almost poisoned to death today.

One of them was teaching Runsheng kung fu, and the other was teaching Yin Meng poison arts.

The old lady had no issues because she only taught Binbin how to chat.

If a price had to be paid...

Then, in this world, the most cost-effective thing between payment and return is—learning.

Letting Qin Uncle help him fight is not as good as letting Runsheng learn and develop into Qin Uncle;

Letting Liu Aunt help him treat and poison is not as good as letting Yin Meng learn and develop into Liu Aunt.

Anyway, based on normal experience, the waves when first walking the river are not big yet, and his own team still has room for error and development.

Liu Yumei asked: "What about you? What about me?"

It was obvious that Liu Yumei had also noticed that this kind of backlash had already appeared.

But there was no other way; the old lady who valued her face all her life would not allow only A Li and A Ting to bleed. She also had to hold a handkerchief and catch a mouthful, otherwise, it wouldn't feel right.

"Grandma, you decide. Help me select a set of basic books, the more basic the better."

"Grandma, I actually... can bear more than the two of them."

"I know, I believe you."

Li Zhuoyuan's gaze looked towards the chair where Liu Yumei had originally sat. The armrests on both sides were already broken, and two small piles of fine wood chips were piled on the ground.

This couldn't be done by simply having great strength.

"Then just ask Grandma for some good ones, don't be polite. Let Grandma also feel some pain and bleed a little."

"But I just lack the basics."

Not having a solid foundation will lead to losses later; this is a truth that school teachers often tell.

Li Zhuoyuan had suffered a lot because of this before.

He wasn't too lacking in high-level techniques now. The most important thing was that he could continue to search through the secret books of these high-level techniques in his great-grandfather's basement.

His great-grandfather simply regarded those ancient books as unsellable junk and fundamentally didn't consider them his own.

This also meant that no matter how many sets of books he took, it wouldn't have any backlash influence on his great-grandfather.

Liu Yumei closed her eyes, seeming resigned, and said faintly:

"Alright then."

Li Zhuoyuan smiled: "Grandma, after Runsheng and the others learn for this period, our way of getting along later will be restored to how it was before."

"As you wish."

Liu Yumei waved her hand, indicating for him to leave quickly.

In her mind, she unexpectedly recalled the scene that day when Li Sanjiang sat on a small stool, holding a pen and calculating Li Zhuoyuan's university expenses one by one.

Sometimes, even if you have the conditions and family background, not being able to give is also a kind of frustration.

What was more frustrating was that Liu Yumei found herself empathizing with Li Sanjiang recently.

"Grandma, I'll leave first."

Li Zhuoyuan walked towards A Li.

The boy didn't really like A Li's attire today because it was too solemn and lacked some innocence and liveliness. The good thing was that this kind of attire wouldn't be worn many times in her lifetime.

A Li stood up and extended her hand to the boy.

The moment their hands met, Li Zhuoyuan's ears seemed to hear ghost cries and wolf howls.

It should be because he had entered the Qin and Liu families' door and gained identity recognition, which made his relationship with A Li closer in terms of fate.

This was the first time Li Zhuoyuan knew that originally, not only when sleeping in the black night, but even in the waking daytime, those things were still always缠绕 her.

No wonder the girl initially only liked to sit on a stool, gazing straight ahead; she was trying her best to shield herself from surrounding interference.

This kind of intimidation, fear, and cursing didn't distinguish between day and night; it was like a maggot on the heel, always there.

A Li seemed to notice something. Her eyelids slightly closed, wanting to cut off this connection so the boy wouldn't be affected.

But Li Zhuoyuan, holding her hand, slightly exerted force, then his eyes focused, and he directly walked into the yin realm.

The girl lifted her head and looked towards the boy, who then gently raised her hand:

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

You didn't tell me that even when playing chess with me, eating meals, and painting, your body was still in such a state.

The girl didn't speak.

The boy held her hand and walked towards the outside.

He pushed open the door, and outside the door was the corridor; outside the corridor was a bloody, muddy swamp.

They went down the stairs. There was a mat on the stairs, which felt very soft and non-slip to step on; the stairs were piled with white bones, and countless hands stretched out from inside, wanting to grab their ankles.

They came to the bottom floor. On the dining table, Liu Aunt had already set up a delicious lunch; the dining table was a large pot, and inside the pot, a huge meat tumor was boiling. The meat tumor had eyes, two hands, and two legs. It floated and sank in the pot, constantly rolling, and from its mouth, which seemed especially small compared to its body, it constantly emitted difficult-to-hear dirty curses.

They came to the front of the house door. Outside the door, in the courtyard of this three-story row house, they opened the door, and outside the wind and rain were mixed; they came to the edge of an ancient, simple flat house's threshold, and outside the threshold were large pieces of things that had put down their hands, various strange and terrifying existences. They were all looking over in this direction, emitting eerie smiles.

Li Zhuoyuan was sick.

Li Lan said that their mother and son were monsters wearing human skin because their innate rationality would extinguish emotions and even regard their closest people as stupid, disgusting, lower existences.

If they looked at people like this, how could they possibly have any good feelings towards these things that weren't even people?

Or rather,

A ten-year-old child who treated dead inversion evil spirits as toys to fish and play with, how could he possibly have any awe for these things in his bones?

The boy held the girl's hand and walked out of the house; the boy held the girl's hand and stepped over the threshold.

Li Zhuoyuan faced the stormy wind and rain around him; Li Zhuoyuan surveyed the surrounding filthy evil spirits.

"Those who are sealed and can't come out, I will find you later, break your seals, and personally send you on your way!

Those who are suppressed and not yet ground, I will go to the place of suppression, repair and elevate the formation, and watch you be ground to pieces.

Those who are already dead but still enjoy incense offerings from some family and thus continue,

Which family offers you,

I will make that family's whole family exterminated in a bloody light!

Don't think I am making empty threats,

If you don't believe me, let's peel open our human skin and see,

Exactly who,

Is more unlike a human!"

As the words fell,

The rainbow disappeared and the rain cleared.

...

Liu Yumei stood by the window, looking at the sunlight breaking through the clouds, the sky gradually clearing.

The tears she had held back for so long finally wet her eye sockets.

But she still held on strongly, not letting the tears really fall.

Because she knew that in this world, no one really cared if she cried or not anymore.

Before, when she was still the Liu family's eldest miss, if she casually shed a tear, her father and brothers would heartache and surround her, and that old thing would even shamelessly perform monkey shows for her, completely disregarding his identity as a young master of the Qin family, just to make her smile through her tears.

They were all gone.

Only she was left.

She knew the river people still feared her, but they didn't fear the Dragon King Liu or Dragon King Qin of the past.

Even if they were polite on the surface, bowing when they should, kneeling when they should, in their hearts, they were probably already complaining.

Mocking her, an old lady with the years of a dying candle, trying to hold up the Dragon King plaques of two families, just to support that face she was unwilling to discard.

But plaques are not wiped brighter or more majestic.

Plaques need to be splashed with blood, wiping the old blood with new blood.

Being outwardly submissive but inwardly disobedient is fine.

Kneel down, then lift your head, what I want to see is the fear and panic in your eyes.

I, the dignified eldest miss of the Liu family, from birth to marriage, never knew the meaning of the words "wronged."

But in these decades, you have made me swallow so much.

All of you come and see

This great gift I'm giving you.

"This Jianghu,

Should be rolled in blood, let this miss vent her anger!"

...

The sky cleared and the rain stopped.

The old professor's wife next door was just cursing the thieving old heavens for splitting her television set bad.

In this day and age, a television set was a big and valuable item, and she even loudly shouted out the television set's model, it was a color TV.

While scolding, the old woman again changed her mouth and loudly shouted:

"Why don't you go and split that Shi Yuqing dead!"

Shi Yuqing was a female student the old professor had taught when he was young; she had just divorced this year.

On Li Zhuoyuan's side, everyone peacefully ate lunch together, then continued doing what they were doing in the morning in the afternoon.

A Li was painting in the study room. She first painted the layout of the ceremony room and also painted everyone else who was present earlier.

She painted the boy last, which was very much like other children her age eating cake, eating the bread first and leaving the cherished cream for the last bite.

Li Zhuoyuan watched her paint for a while, then went out to pour tea.

Normally, Liu Aunt would thoughtfully bring the tea in, but now Liu Aunt couldn't do so. In the afternoon, she taught Yin Meng how to cook another dish, which directly filled the entire bottom floor with black smoke and foul air.

Finally, Liu Yumei scolded them and sent the two of them to the house they lived in outside the school before, letting them conduct their teaching there.

Li Zhuoyuan discovered that Liu Aunt's teaching method was very tailored to the student's aptitude. She actually integrated the principles of poison arts into cooking insights, using the way of cooking to impart knowledge to Yin Meng.

This teaching efficiency would definitely be astonishingly high.

But it also made Li Zhuoyuan secretly make a note to remind Runsheng later to absolutely not let Yin Meng near the shared kitchen.

As for Runsheng, he was in great pain now.

Qin Uncle taught him a set of fist arts, which Runsheng was practicing.

Earlier in the room, Li Zhuoyuan could hear the sound of Runsheng's bones and muscles tearing while practicing his fist.

When the boy came out holding a thermos of boiling water, he saw that Runsheng was not only bleeding from all seven orifices, but also covered in sweat and blood beads mixed together.

"Continue practicing."

After Qin Uncle finished instructing, he took the initiative to walk towards Li Zhuoyuan and explained,

"I'm correcting his previous errors and rebuilding his foundation."

"Mhm."

Li Zhuoyuan knew that Qin Uncle had misunderstood. He might have thought that this kind of training method made him feel a little cruel, thus sympathizing with Runsheng's situation.

But in fact, Li Zhuoyuan not only didn't sympathize, but even appreciated this kind of training that could intuitively show the results.

Qin Uncle pointed to Runsheng, "When he was at Li Uncle's house, I saw that this boy was extraordinary. It's a pity that at that time, I couldn't even teach you more."

"Qin Uncle, can I ask you something?"

"Xiao Yuan, you want to ask how I failed to walk the river initially, right?"

"Yes."

"When the time comes, I will tell you. I am not being coy, but I am counting on you to avenge me against that group of guys."

"No, Qin Uncle, you misunderstood. I am too lazy to avenge you." Li Zhuoyuan reached out and pointed to Run: "You should count on him."

"Okay, I understand. I will make him practice to death."

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