Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 183

No one was surprised that Li Sanjiang won the lottery.

Surprisingly, this award can actually be redeemed in time.

Of course, it is impossible for the lottery team to take you on the trip personally, but they will help you contact a national travel agency.

Tourism is very similar to engineering work, and subcontracting at various levels is inevitable.

But at least, the most basic travel expenses, food and accommodation are solved for you.

Li Zhuiyuan and others could certainly go to their destination on their own, but this was one of the clues after all, and it was the most clear clue, so they could only follow it.

The person who came to pick people up was a young man with dark skin that contrasted with his bright white teeth.

The young man is a Naxi, cheerful and enthusiastic. He will be our driver and tour guide for the next few days.

Well, the accommodation is also his home, which he converted from his own mud house into a B&B.

When introducing this, the young man seemed very proud, because although with the rise of tourism, more and more people are engaged in tourism-related industries locally, the proportion of local people willing to start their own businesses and become small bosses is not large.

The young man asked everyone to call him Fat Brother Jin.

Tan Wenbin asked with a smile whether the woman should be called Fat Jinmei?

Fat Brother Jin replied that yes, according to the tradition of the older generation, fat is beautiful and black is precious. They believe that this is the way to be healthy, able to work, and suitable for having children.

When we drove past a large construction site, Fat Jin pointed at it and said:
"Next time you come to visit, you can take a plane directly to our Lijiang."

The beauty of Yunnan has a purity and ethereality that is unique to it.

Even if you just sit in the car and experience it roughly, you still feel like you are walking in a fairy tale.

Fat Jin Ge’s home is not in the city, nor in a tourist attraction, but in the village, but this makes it more quiet.

The car was parked at the door, and it was Fat Brother Jin's parents who came to greet them. The old couple were now helping their son with work.

There was also a young girl inside, who was neither fat nor dark, and looked fair and delicate.

Fat Brother Jin said that this was his girlfriend, they were engaged, and they would have the wedding at the end of the year.

Obviously, young people know how to rebel against tradition.

Earthen houses have their own ethnic characteristics and become very convenient for daily living after being repaired and renovated.

Fat Brother Jin originally planned to arrange for Li Zhuiyuan and the others to live on the second floor so that they could go to the rooftop to enjoy the scenery.

Tan Wenbin rejected the proposal and only asked for three connected rooms on the first floor.

At the same time, Tan Wenbin also rejected the travel plan that Fat Jin Ge made for everyone, saying that they wanted to travel and see the world on their own without a tour guide.

Fat Brother Jin tried to persuade them twice, but seeing that they were determined to do so, he just smiled and gave up.

He had booked the tour guide job, and since the other party didn't need him, he could use this time to take on other jobs.

Dinner was local farm cuisine, very sumptuous, especially the pheasant stewed with chicken and mushrooms. When the lid of the casserole was opened, a thick layer of oil floated on the surface.

Everyone gathered around the charcoal brazier, eating while warming themselves by the fire.

Having been notified in advance, Fat Jin's parents steamed a lot more rice, but they still underestimated how much Runsheng, Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin ate.

The first two martial artists have big appetites, and Tan Wenbin is more like a pregnant woman with twins.

In the end, Fat Jin's parents had to take out the dry food at home, something similar to steamed buns, and fried it in oil and served it.

Tan Wenbin wanted to give extra money for food, but was rejected by Pang Jin's parents. The two old people spoke in the local dialect, and Pang Jin helped translate, saying that his parents meant that it is a blessing for the host family to have distinguished guests come to their home and eat as much as they want.

After dinner, the five of them went to the rooftop together and held a small meeting.

The meeting had been held several times before I came.

Because this wave is very special, there will most likely be many teams or individuals participating in it, especially the fighting for the three pieces of broken jade, which is unavoidable.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a small black wooden box, inside which lay a piece of broken jade.

The small wooden box was made for him by A'li. It was made of the tablets of the ancestors of the Qin and Liu families, so it naturally had a suppressive effect.

The formation pattern above was carved and designed by Li Zhuiyuan himself, and he put a lot of thought into it.

It can be said that in the few days before departure, Li Zhuiyuan spent most of his energy on this box.

The repeated battle of wits and courage with the question setter allowed Li Zhuiyuan to try to deduce the logic of his behavior.

Under the banner of defending the righteous path, there are many restrictions and taboos on killing each other.

If he were the person who set the questions, he would have to help everyone eliminate this difficulty first and create an environment that is more suitable for fighting.

If we start to arrange in other directions, firstly, it will be too abrupt and destroy the aesthetic taste of the question setter; secondly, the subjective initiative will not be strong. Everyone is not a fool, and without sufficient interest motivation, not many people are willing to confront other teams.

Then, the most suitable thing to trigger this fight is this piece of broken jade.

The game of finding broken jade is too tedious and boring. Before this wave starts, it will either be given directly or have been obtained by other teams in the previous waves.

In short, there should be three teams coming to Lijiang with three pieces of broken jade.

The three teams holding the broken jade will become the center of the fight.

Now, you have the broken jade in your hand, but when the door is really opened for guests, whether you will still be the one holding the broken jade when they come, is hard to say. It all depends on your ability.

This is true.

Before entering Lijiang, just as it approached, the broken jade turned black and emitted a faint smell of corpse.

This corpse gas is very special. It is not possessed by the broken jade itself, but is instead the result of absorbing the aura from all around and then exhaling it. Once it sticks to the body, it will not dissipate for a long time.

Ordinary blocking measures are completely ineffective against it.

Even though Li Zhuiyuan had made sufficient targeted preparations in the early stages, he still stopped intentionally before entering Lijiang and reinforced the formation again based on its reaction.

Yuxuzi, who had been pondering over the formation for hundreds of years to build a Taoist temple in a snail shell, actually helped Li Zhuiyuan a lot here.

At this moment, the broken jade in the wooden box has turned black, and the dynamic flow can be vaguely seen, but there is no way to stimulate it.

This also means that Li Zhuiyuan and others who should have been in the light are now in the dark.

If someone really appeared with this aura on him, it would be like a zombie jumping around in broad daylight. There would be no fakes who could participate in this wave and they would definitely be able to detect it.

Li Zhuiyuan: "We have two tasks ahead, divided into two lines: light and dark."

Under the cover of night, everyone was listening attentively.

"On the open line, although we have a piece of broken jade in our hands, we have to pretend that we don't have it. We still have to search for the other two teams carrying the broken jade and make careful preparations for the fight.

In the dark, we have to find out where to go. I suspect that in order to give us enough time to fight each other, the dinner time should not have arrived yet.

But it is also helpful to find more background clues before the meal starts, after all, the real highlight is definitely yet to come.

Starting tomorrow morning, act as a team and don’t be left alone.”

"understand!"

"understand!"

After the meeting, Runsheng stayed on the rooftop as the first round of night watch, while the rest of the people went downstairs to their rooms to rest.

Although this little bit of fatigue is nothing to them, but when each wave comes, everyone will subconsciously seize every opportunity to adjust their status.

Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin shared a room, just like they did in the university dormitory.

Lying on the bed, Tan Wenbin smiled and said, "The scenery here is so beautiful. I really want to have some fun here."

Li Zhuiyuan covered himself with a blanket, lay down, and said, "After we finish our river trip, you can take Zhou Yunyun to visit all the places we have been to again."

"Haha." Tan Wenbin subconsciously reached out to touch the cigarette on the bedside table, but hesitated.

Li Zhuiyuan had already closed his eyes, but he still said, "Go ahead."

Tan Wenbin’s health has recovered now, but the two children have “grown up” and are constantly squeezing his spirit.

Tan Wenbin lit a cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke: "That's great."

This is a response to Brother Xiaoyuan’s previous suggestion.

Perhaps, by that time, there will not only be Zhou Yunyun by his side, but also his own children.

Suddenly, Tan Wenbin shook his head vigorously.

Having watched many movies, he immediately realized that it was unlucky for him to be thinking about these things.

After putting out the cigarette, Tan Wenbin lay down, wrapped himself in the quilt, and began to sleep.

The next morning, everyone got up, had a simple breakfast, and set out to investigate.

Although it is called an investigation, it is actually not much different from traveling.

After all, the clue clearly stated the words "Treasure of the Wooden Palace".

If we have to find a difference, it's probably that this group of tourists... travel much more seriously than other tourists.

Tourists generally have a rush to see the sights, but the five of them are all very penny-wise and pound-foolish.

But after visiting here and there, I didn't find anything special.

This made Li Zhuiyuan wonder whether the [Treasure of the Wooden Palace] only provided a coordinate of Lijiang without any other deep meaning, or even had little connection with the Wooden Palace itself.

Or, the real secret can only be revealed when enough blood is lost in the battle.

But there was nothing else to do at the moment, so I could only continue to visit and have fun. Anyway, I was already here.

As dusk approached, everyone returned to Fat Jin's house.

With the experience of last night, Fat Jin’s parents steamed enough rice today.

After each dish was served, Yin Meng would wave her hands over the food to cover her poisonous insects as they crawled over it.

The poison itself is extremely toxic, but the prerequisite is that it has to secrete it by itself. Most of the time, it is actually no different from an ordinary insect.

It may be innate, or it may be developed through following Yin Meng. In any case, this insect is extremely sensitive to toxins.

Since entering Lijiang, everything that enters the country has to be inspected by this insect.

Since it is a fight between people, it is not excessive to be vigilant.

Fat Jin wasn’t there, and neither was his car. His girlfriend said he had gone to pick someone up.

After dinner, Lin Shuyou went to the rooftop alone to serve as a guard.

Tan Wenbin was sitting in the yard, chatting with Fat Jin Ge's parents, while Fat Jin Ge's girlfriend was translating.

Even though there was a language barrier, Tan Wenbin was still able to have a very happy chat with the two elderly people.

Through chatting, I also learned about some of the local special customs and strange legends.

Li Zhuiyuan sat in the room, consolidating the seal on the box.

The corpse qi in the broken jade continued to attack the restriction. If left unchecked, it would definitely break through within two days. To be on the safe side, Li Zhuiyuan would add another layer of seal every day.

This is also because Li Zhuiyuan’s initial bottom-level seal logic was well designed, which left room for continued stacking of layers.

If it were someone else, it would have been extremely difficult to suppress it in the early stages, and they would have no energy to think about the follow-up.

There was a noise coming from the rooftop. Li Zhuiyuan put away the box and walked out of the room.

Runsheng and Yin Meng also left their rooms. Lin Shuyou leaned out from the rooftop and pointed outside.

There is a situation.

Fat Brother Jin is back and he brought a group of new tourists, four people.

The leader was a woman, very young, in her early twenties, wearing white casual clothes and a ponytail, looking fresh and capable.

When she was assigned a room and passed by Li Zhuiyuan, she stared at him for a while and said with a smile:
"There's such a cute little brother here."

Behind her, there were three men, one wearing a short-sleeved shirt, one wearing a cotton coat, and the other looked very old but was very short, only slightly taller than a normal dwarf.

The short-sleeved man's walking posture is somewhat uncoordinated and feels tight.

The man in the cotton-padded jacket had his hands tucked into his sleeves. He looked really cold, and even the breath he exhaled was misty.

The short man looks quite normal except for his short stature.

When he entered the room, he first looked at Fat Jin Ge's girlfriend with a playful look. When he saw Yin Meng, he licked his lips while looking at Yin Meng.

The woman walking in front turned around and pinched the short man's ear: "You're going to die."

The short man was dragged upstairs while shouting in pain.

Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room and pasted two pieces of talisman paper on the door and window for sound insulation.

Tan Wenbin pushed the door open and closed it carefully.

"No need to keep watch tonight. Inform them and pay attention to daily communication."

"clear."

At this critical moment, any team that suddenly comes into view cannot be taken lightly, not to mention that the shape of this team is very peculiar.

It's not too surprising that they can live here. Fat Brother Jin is an important clue, but this clue is not only for himself.

After going out to make the notifications, Tan Wenbin walked back to the door of the room. When he was about to push the door open, he saw another guest coming in.

The resident was a woman, about thirty years old, pushing a suitcase.

She came here by herself, without asking Brother Fatty Jin to pick her up. The woman's room was on the first floor, and she went in by herself.

At first, Tan Wenbin didn't notice anything unusual about the woman until he saw two white tire marks left on the ground after her suitcase passed by.

The ground in the yard is paved with pebbles. How heavy must this suitcase be to create such an effect? ​​The material of the wheels is also quite special.

The door of the room was opened from the inside. Li Zhuiyuan stood at the door and glanced at the room across the yard.

The woman moved in there.

Earlier in the house, Li Zhuiyuan heard the sound of the suitcase being pushed, and the weight of the suitcase was terrifying.

But the woman was able to lift it easily and carry it over the steps.

Interesting, including myself, there are already three groups of people moving in.

Two teams, one individual.

Li Zhuiyuan had considered whether he should take his people and hide completely, and come out when the fighting outside was almost over and the opportunity came.

But he didn't want to give up this important clue of Fat Brother Jin.

Hiding is safe, but you may also miss important information. Don't let the other two teams have a lot of clues while you are seriously lacking in information when you go to visit.

Tan Wenbin asked, "Brother Xiaoyuan, do you want to test them?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "Before the corpse qi appeared on them, as a team without the broken jade, there is no reason for us to do anything unnecessary."

Tan Wenbin: "What if they try to test us?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "That means they have broken jade."

Tan Wenbin asked in confusion: "Then why aren't they the same as us?"

Li Zhuiyuan gently fiddled with the wooden box twice with his fingertips and said:

"Because they can't suppress the corpse energy in the broken jade like I can."

At night, everything is silent.

The woman in white clothes took a shower, changed into a loose white shirt, and sat on the bed, exposing her beautiful white legs.

But even the short man with the most lewd eyes during the day didn't dare to raise his eyes to look any longer, but just sat on the chair obediently with his head down.

The man in cotton-padded jacket and the man in short-sleeved shirt sat cross-legged on the floor.

"Giggle..."

The man in the cotton-padded jacket's teeth began to chatter; he was really freezing.

Zheng Ruxue, who was lying on the bed, looked at him with a frown and asked, "A Leng, how long can you hold on?"

The man in the cotton-padded jacket called A Leng opened his cotton-padded jacket first. There was a layer of frost on his chest. There was a depression on the right side of his chest with a piece of broken jade embedded in it.

"The corpse energy in this broken jade is getting stronger and stronger. I can't suppress it anymore."

Zheng Ruxue stroked her forehead when she heard this.

This thing is a treasure, but the sooner you get it, the hotter it will be.

Once A Leng can no longer suppress it and the corpse qi erupts, they will be like searchlights in the darkness, attracting many eyes around.

The short man said, "How about we solve the hidden dangers nearby first? There are two groups of people living downstairs. One group is relatively normal, and they look like tourists. My room is just upstairs from that single woman. I listened carefully, and she hasn't made any noise since she entered the room. I can't even hear her breathing."

Zheng Ruxue shook her head: "If she is really alone, it would be difficult to deal with her. Those who dare to travel alone must have their own confidence. But I find that group of people strange..."

Short man: "What's so strange about that?"

Zheng Ruxue: "The strange thing is that it's not strange at all."

The three men looked at each other in surprise.

Zheng Ruxue: "At this time, the more normal the target is, the more dangerous it is. This means that they can disguise themselves calmly."

Short man: "How about I go and give it a try?"

Zheng Ruxue hesitated for a moment, but when her eyes fell on Ah Leng's chest, she nodded: "Go and check it, and be careful."

"Are you still unsure about my physical skills?"

The short man left the room.

The rest of the people were waiting in Zheng Ruxue's room.

Also waiting were Runsheng and his friends who lived in the room on the first floor.

Although they were both sleeping under the quilt, Runsheng hid a Yellow River shovel in his quilt, and Yin Meng hid an exorcism whip in his quilt.

Lin Shuyou placed the trident under his pillow and pretended to sleep on his side with his legs between the quilts.

Even Tan Wenbin, who seemed to be sleeping soundly, had his hands placed on his abdomen, maintaining the first hand seal of the ghost-controlling technique.

The only one who fell asleep as usual was Li Zhuiyuan.

Because he trusted his partners to provide him with early warning, he could not waste their efforts.

Tonight, I not only walked slowly, but also walked quietly.

Zheng Ruxue waited in the room for a long time, but heard no movement and did not see the short man come back.

"problem occurs."

She got out of bed.

The man in the cotton coat and the man in the short-sleeved shirt stood up one after another.

The man in short sleeves pushed open the door first and found the short man limping towards him, holding his chest. Although he looked embarrassed, he was silent.

His body movements were so amazing that he could fly over eaves and walls like Tuxingsun.

Zheng Ruxue breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was injured, she had tried her best.

The man in short sleeves turned sideways, trying to let his companion in.

But just as the short man approached the door, he suddenly thrust his hands into the chest of the man in the short-sleeved shirt.

"puff!"

Everything happened so fast, in a flash, and since they were assumed to be companions, the man in the short sleeves was not on guard at all.

It was clearly a human hand, but at this moment it was as sharp as a knife. It not only pierced his flesh in an instant, but also cut his bones.

The man in short sleeves was so frightened and in pain that he didn't care about anything else. He raised his arms, and his muscles expanded rapidly, and he hugged the short man into his arms.

The loud explosion that should have occurred did not occur. Instead, dense cracks appeared all over the short man's body, and then it completely split apart, turning into flying porcelain fragments.

"Forehead……"

There was a piece of porcelain that was completely embedded in the short-sleeved man's neck, making it difficult for him to make any sound.

The wound could not be described as severe, because vital parts of the body had been pierced and it was impossible to receive medical treatment to prolong his life.

The man in short sleeves collapsed to the ground, and his life force quickly faded.

There were some broken porcelain pieces flying towards Zheng Ruxue and the man in the cotton-padded jacket, but the man in the cotton-padded jacket spread out his hands, forming frost to block them.

But even so, the porcelain fragments still penetrated deep into the frost, forcing the man in the cotton-padded jacket to mobilize more strength for defense.

As a result, the cold energy in his body that was used to suppress the broken jade was weakened, and corpse qi overflowed.

Wisps of black air lingered in his chest.

A voice came faintly from under the floor:
"Corpse qi, evil spirit, must be killed!"

This is a disclaimer.

He did not kill ordinary people or his fellow righteous people. He just suspected that he was an evil spirit. Now that it has been confirmed, he is innocent and has been rewarded.

Zheng Ruxue gritted her teeth and stretched out her hand to push the man in the cotton coat in front of her away. The other person's voice came from downstairs.

The next round of attacks will be launched from beneath the floor.

However, the man in the cotton-padded jacket was in great pain because of the corpse qi of the broken jade leaking out of his body, and his body looked very stiff. Zheng Ruxue's push was originally intended to give him an assist during the battle so that he could dodge better.

But at the moment, he couldn't completely control his body and could only fall forward.

"puff!"

A sharp weapon protruded from the crack in the floor and pierced the man in the cotton coat directly.

Zheng Ruxue's eyes were bloodshot. In a short period of time, all three of her subordinates died!

It would have been fine if the opponent was very powerful and they would have been completely crushed, but the opponent did not show any terrifying strength, and everyone on their side died cleanly and efficiently.

Zheng Ruxue retreated, wanting to leave the room. There was a window in the direction of her retreat.

She was moving very fast, but just as she was about to reach the window, her body suddenly turned and forced to turn in an extremely strange posture. She no longer retreated, but rushed forward.

The window was opened and a figure was waiting for him there.

Zheng Ruxue: As expected, you have predicted my next move long ago!
Zheng Ruxue rushed forward and came to the side of the man in the cotton-padded jacket. With a wave of her hand, the man flipped over. Zheng Ruxue stretched out her hand and grabbed his chest. The broken jade emitting black air was taken out and fell into her palm.

But at this moment, the long porcelain piece that had previously pierced the man in the cotton-padded jacket poked out again.

The timing of its appearance happened to be when Zheng Ruxue had just touched the broken jade and was affected by the corpse's aura, causing her body to stagnate.

"puff!"

Zheng Ruxue's body was pierced by it, and the part that penetrated into her body directly shattered, turning into countless tiny pieces of porcelain that rushed around in her body.

"Pfft..."

Zheng Ruxue fell to the ground, and after her body twitched a few times, she became motionless.

The shadow outside the window appeared at this time. It was not a person waiting for an ambush, but a painting of a lady that had been hung there in advance.

After a while, someone came up from downstairs, pushed the door and walked in. It was the single woman who lived downstairs.

She ignored the corpse on the ground, took the broken jade from Zheng Ruxue's body, and put it into the exquisite porcelain bottle in her hand.

The blue and white porcelain vase was gradually stained with black lines.

The woman sighed:

"Alas, it cannot be suppressed for long."

Then, the woman clapped her hands, and one tiny porcelain doll after another walked in from outside. When they reached the corpses, they shattered and turned into patches that wrapped the bodies of Zheng Ruxue and others.

Soon, "Zheng Ruxue and others" all stood up and began to clean up the traces in the house.

After cleaning, "Zheng Ruxue and others" took their luggage and went downstairs.

The front room is where Fat Brother Jin and his parents live.

Fat Brother Jin was awakened by a knock on the door. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the four guests who had just checked in today. He asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Do you need anything?"

"Zheng Ruxue" said, "We have to leave urgently. Check out."

The other person's voice was hoarse and harsh, and Fat Brother Jin felt that it hurt his eardrums.

"Leaving Lijiang and not coming back?"

"Not coming back."

"Then I'll refund you the room fee for the next few days."

"No need, bye."

"Oh, that won't work."

Fat Brother Jin ran to the counter, opened the drawer with his key, took out the money, and immediately chased after him.

"Where are you going at this late hour? I'll drive you there, and I'll give you some money..."

Fat Brother Jin chased out the door, but was shocked to find that "Zheng Ruxue" and others who had just gone out had disappeared.

Outside the house were village roads and farmlands, the starry sky was bright, and visibility was not low, but no matter how hard I looked around, I couldn't find any human figures.

Only at the edge of the field, there were four mounds of earth that appeared slightly higher than the surrounding areas.

……

early morning.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the door, walked out of the room, and stretched lazily.

At the wooden coffee table at the door of the opposite room, the single woman was sitting there, drinking tea. The tea set she used was very exquisite.

The woman raised her teacup and held it towards Li Zhuiyuan with a warm smile:
"Morning, little brother."

Li Zhuiyuan also gave her a shy smile and waved in response:

"Good morning."

---

There will be another chapter tomorrow during the day, and I will make up for the words in this chapter.

(End of this chapter)