Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 450

"Let's disperse first."

Liu Yumei picked up the stack of money in front of her, opened the small drawer in the middle of the square table, put the money in, and closed it.

Strange noises kept emanating from the rice paddy behind the house, making her feel uneasy all morning.

Once your mind is not on the card table, you're bound to win more often, wishing you could win every hand.

As lunchtime approached, the old ladies dispersed as usual, each returning home to come back in the afternoon.

Liu Yumei got up and went into the east room, sat down in front of the offering table, picked up a piece of silver pastry roll, and took a bite.

Footsteps could be heard outside.

Ah Li carried a blood-stained porcelain bottle into the house.

Liu Yumei's eye twitched.

The key point is that at first glance, the old lady didn't notice the seal on it.

You know, if this thing is not handled carefully, not only Siyuan Village, but the entire Shinan Town could be caught in it all at once.

He treated his own precious granddaughter like a vase, holding her in his arms without a care in the world.

Ah Li first looked to the left at the bedroom, then to the right at the storage room, and finally took a few steps forward and placed the blood porcelain bottle on the altar.

Then, Ah Li turned and left the east room, heading towards the kitchen.

Liu Yumei wiped her hands with a handkerchief and looked at the blood-stained porcelain bottle.

In the past, if the spirits of the two Dragon Kings were still alive, this evil thing could just be left there without any problems, since the eyes of our ancestors were watching.

But now, the altar is just a formality; it can't just be set up like this.

Liu Yumei reached out towards the blood porcelain bottle, her fingertips emitting a faint green glow. However, when she touched the bottle, the bottle overflowed with blood-red light, negating the sealing power of Liu Yumei's fingertips.

The old lady's gaze sharpened, she withdrew her hand, and smelled it under her nose.

"It's actually an internal seal, and it even uses blood patterns... Xiao Yuan's blood."

She received countless love letters in her youth, but she was too lazy to even open them.

There are even more people who want to give themselves gifts, but she doesn't care about rare treasures.

But Liu Yumei never expected that there would be a gift in this world with love letters written in blood on an evil artifact.

She knew that this was specially arranged by Xiao Yuan for A Li to enhance A Li's ability to travel across the river, but Xiao Yuan's intentions must have been put into the selection process.

Recalling the interactions between the two children in the past, Liu Yumei could only look at the memorial tablets above and sigh:
"I'm getting old, I really can't understand young people these days."

After Ah Li entered the kitchen, she first took some medicinal herbs, lit the small stove, and then put the medicine pot on it to decoct the herbs.

Aunt Liu stood to the side, showing no intention of going up to help.

Sometimes, the medicine is decocted to retain its original flavor, so that even the taste of the person who decocted it cannot be mixed in.

Ah Li picked up the small tool basket by the kitchen door, went outside, walked down the dam alone, and left home.

Aunt Liu sniffed it: "This is a tonic for replenishing qi and blood. Ah Li must have gone to the big bearded man's herb garden to dig up fresh main herbs. Xiao Yuan was injured and lost too much blood?"

"Is there anything to eat?" Uncle Qin appeared outside the kitchen. "Get me some; I'll take some over to Uncle Sanjiang."

Aunt Liu asked in confusion, "Didn't you go to meditate with Uncle Sanjiang?"

Uncle Qin: "The host family didn't count the number of relatives and friends properly, and there were too many guests. Our table and the funeral team's table were taken, and the host family gave us a discount. I came back to pick up the second batch of paper offerings. Uncle Sanjiang asked me to bring some food from home to him and Uncle Shan."

Aunt Liu: "Wait here, I'll pack it for you."

Uncle Qin: "Hmm."

Aunt Liu first ladled some food from the pot and placed it by the stove: "You eat yours first, and I'll put the others in a food box. I'll also give Uncle Sanjiang some peanuts and wine; he'll be chanting his sutras more sincerely this afternoon."

"it is good."

Uncle Qin sat down by the stove, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.

Aunt Liu: "After you went out with Uncle Sanjiang this morning, I don't know how many loud noises happened behind the house, each one more frightening than the last. I've been worried about you ever since."

Uncle Qin: "Xiao Yuan doesn't need you to worry about what he's doing."

Aunt Liu: "If you didn't need to worry about anything, why did you come back?"

Uncle Qin was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in understanding and said, "Indeed."

Aunt Liu: "But everything's fine now."

Uncle Qin: "That's good."

After quickly finishing his meal, Uncle Qin went out to pack paper offerings.

Just then, Runsheng and Ayou returned from bathing in the river.

Seeing this, Runsheng immediately packed up the shoes he was carrying and came over to help.

After Uncle Qin finished loading the cart, Runsheng walked to the front, grabbed the handlebars, and lifted the cart.

"Anything alright this afternoon?"

"Yes, Xiaoyuan said everything is fine and that we should rest."

"Okay, let's walk."

Aunt Liu placed the food box on the cart and waved to Lin Shuyou:
"Ah You, the kitchen light is out and there's no power in the socket. Could you fix it right away?"

"Okay, I'll take a look."

Runsheng pulled the cart down the dam and walked steadily.

Uncle Qin followed behind, one hand on the car, as if to offer a helping hand.

The transmission of skills between the two occurred after Xiao Yuan lit the lamp and went across the river, so they could not yet address each other as master and apprentice.

But Runsheng always regarded Uncle Qin as his mentor, so Runsheng was also the most active in doing chores in the family, whether it was in the fields or in business.

Because he knew that if he didn't do these jobs, then Uncle Qin would do them, and as an apprentice, he couldn't just sit there resting and watch his master work.

The autumn wind is rising.

At first, Uncle Qin didn't notice anything, but as he walked, he noticed that although the fallen leaves on the village roads on both sides were clearly drifting backward, the wind he felt was blowing from behind him.

Take a closer look.

Uncle Qin's expression
They immediately became more serious.

The wind was indeed blowing from the front, but as it passed Runsheng, it gently parted to the sides and rolled back from behind.

This not only eliminates the resistance of headwinds but also allows you to take advantage of the wind's momentum.

They wouldn't do that intentionally; the effort and cost of doing so would far outweigh the benefits of that wind resistance and propulsion.

Uncle Qin knew Runsheng's personality very well; he was definitely not showing off in front of him on purpose.

This leaves only one possibility: that Runsheng has now integrated his control over the surrounding atmosphere to a level that is almost instinctive, like breathing.

It wasn't intentional; it was simply the right thing to do for him here.

When I went out in the morning, I saw Runsheng driving Grandpa Shan over. At that time, Runsheng had not yet undergone these changes.

After only half a day, his apprentice had undergone a complete transformation?

People like array masters and spellcasters do indeed value sudden enlightenment and pursue a sense of boundless freedom in a single thought.

But whether a martial artist can achieve enlightenment is something others may not know, but how could Qin Li not know?
A martial artist's epiphany is always delayed; it is achieved by honing and accumulating physical skills to a certain stage before adding consciousness, thus achieving a breakthrough in both body and mind.

I've never heard of anyone becoming a martial arts master simply by thinking and comprehending at home.

If that were possible, what would my little Yuan be waiting for? Wouldn't his physique have already taken off?
Furthermore, Uncle Qin didn't think his disciple had the mind to trigger sudden enlightenment.

When he was teaching Runsheng kung fu, he felt that Runsheng lacked comprehension, so he chose to use coffin nails to carve holes in his body to help him understand. It's not that all members of the Qin family have to poke holes in their bodies when practicing martial arts.

Even so, he deliberately avoided opening the vent on his forehead, fearing that he might make his already not-so-bright apprentice even dumber.

Uncle Qin raised his head, and a wisp of wind gathered around him and swept towards Runsheng. A wisp of wind also appeared on Runsheng, which canceled it out.

Three wisps of wind gathered around Uncle Qin and blew away, while three wisps of wind also appeared around Runsheng, canceling each other out once more.

If before, Uncle Qin was only surprised and puzzled by Runsheng's sudden increase in strength, now, Uncle Qin's eyes revealed excitement and trepidation!

He vaguely guessed a possibility, a possibility that held extraordinary significance for him.

Nine wisps of wind gathered and swept towards Runsheng. Nine wisps of wind also appeared around Runsheng, one by one, without missing a single one, dispelling all of them.

This time, Uncle Qin did not let the wind be neutralized. Instead, he applied a little force, and the wind on Runsheng's side was not neutralized either, and the stalemate continued.

In the darkness, nine black shadows emerged from each of the two figures, one in front and one behind, vying with each other.

But Qin Shu's are nine illusory dragons, while Run Sheng's are inferior imitations, or even fakes.

Runsheng's clothes were blown up by the wind, revealing the hideous scars underneath.

Runsheng finally stopped, feeling immense pressure.

Previously, he was completely unaware of the probing from Uncle Qin.

Runsheng turned around and looked at Uncle Qin with a puzzled expression.

Uncle Qin dispersed the crowd, waved his hand, and signaled to continue forward.

Runsheng nodded and pulled the cart forward again.

Uncle Qin covered his chest with one hand.

The nine wisps of wind, and the newly revealed scars on Runsheng's body, indicated one thing: his disciple had embarked on the exact same path as himself.

The path he chose was not the orthodox path of the Qin family. It was a wrong path he forcibly chose after his failure to cross the river years ago, when he had been depressed and had a sudden enlightenment after letting go of everything.

Not long after, when he looked back, he found that his apprentice had also started at the beginning of this wrong path.

There was originally no road in the world, but as more people walk on it, it becomes a road; if people only walk on this road, then this road becomes the orthodox one, no matter how rugged it may be.

Uncle Qin opened the food box, took out the wine that Aunt Liu had prepared for Uncle Sanjiang, unscrewed it, and drank it himself.

Qin Li was supposed to be an insignificant and disillusioned figure in the history of the Qin family, but unexpectedly, he became the founder of the Qin family lineage.

In his excitement, Qin Li accidentally finished the entire drink.

"Ah, this is the wine Uncle Sanjiang makes with peanuts..."

Qin Li picked up the plate of peanuts as well, popping them into his mouth as he followed Runsheng.
"Without wine, Uncle Sanjiang's plate of peanuts is also useless."

Aunt Liu was cracking sunflower seeds at the entrance to her kitchen.

After Chen Xiyuan blew up the stove, she also messed up the electrical circuits in the kitchen.

Lin Shuyou was checking where the problem was, constantly reaching out to touch the wires.

Ha, found it.

As he grabbed her, the mark between Lin Shuyou's eyebrows flickered.

Aunt Liu stopped eating sunflower seeds.

She saw Lin Shuyou holding a ball of electricity in his fingertips.

Aunt Liu's first reaction was that Ayou had been shocked too much and had gained some insights from it.

But she immediately realized that this was not enlightenment, because a thick layer of ghostly energy enveloped the electric snakes, preventing them from dissipating.

"hey-hey."

Lin Shuyou found it amusing, so he moved the hand holding the electric shock closer to his head, then looked up and watched his bangs slowly curl upwards.

That's great! I won't need to go to the hair salon anymore if I want to get my hair permed.

Immediately afterwards, Ayou brought his hand to his mouth and blew a breath at it.

"Om."

An electric snake shot out and struck the table in front of him, smashing the oil cans and various condiment bottles on it to pieces.

Lin Shuyou: "..."

……

After leaving the temple, Zhao Yi did not walk in the front, but instead went around through the rice paddies.

Walking ahead, he would have to see Old Madam Liu and Aunt Liu again and greet them. Zhao Yi just wanted to be alone right now.

Xu Ming, who had run back first, drove the tractor over. Next to the driver's seat was a large package containing snacks that Old Tian had prepared and packed in advance.

This shows that Zhao Yi had anticipated that he would want to leave before today's observation.

The rest of the people waited by the tractor, while Zhao Yi and Li Zhuiyuan deliberately slowed down and walked slowly towards it.

"Sigh, I really miss home, I miss the waterfall in front of my house."

"Let's go quickly, stop being so sentimental."

"Hey Li, do you know what the biggest weakness in your team is right now?"

Li Zhuiyuan did not answer.

"That's you, Li Zhuiyuan."

Zhao Yi looked up at the sky: "Should I say something like, 'The net of heaven is vast, its meshes are wide, yet nothing escapes it'? Li, tell me honestly, do you hate it? Do you regret it?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Same as you."

Upon hearing this answer, Zhao Yi's face stiffened.

Li Zhuiyuan:
“I used to feel it was unfair and unbalanced, but gradually I’ve become more and more at ease. You said you wanted to go up the mountain to see the scenery. Now, I also want to go up there and see the scenery.”

Zhao Yi stopped and continued gazing at the sky.

After a long while, he lowered his head, looked at the boy beside him, and smiled:

"You, surnamed Li, you're a real beast! You even think you can outdo me with famous quotes, huh?!"

Zhao Yi walked toward the tractor, and as he passed Tan Wenbin, he saw that Tan Wenbin was holding a gift box.

"Nine thousand nine hundred years old? This is too much trouble, you still want to send a farewell gift?"

Tan Wenbin: "Teammate, don't misunderstand, this gift isn't for you. If you take it, you might not be able to leave Nantong."

Zhao Yi: "Hey, I was just asking casually."

Before getting on the tractor, Zhao Yi looked at Chen Xiyuan and said, "Want to come along? I can give you a ride to the airport on the way."

Chen Xiyuan shook her head: "I'm not leaving."

Zhao Yi: "Are you going to stay here?"

Chen Xiyuan nodded: "I finally mustered up the courage to enter the village after much mental preparation, I want to stay a little longer."

Zhao Yi: "So how long do you plan to stay here?"

Chen Xiyuan's voice softened: "I'll go back when I can stay here long enough to break my grandfather's legs."

Zhao Yi: "I went back feeling down, and you're secretly getting extra lessons here. Aren't you annoying?"

Chen Xiyuan shook her head: "You'll recover soon."

Zhao Yi: "It's rare to hear such positive things about me from you."

Chen Xiyuan: "That's how it's portrayed on TV. As long as the villain isn't dead, he'll always come back and die again in the end."

Zhao Yi pointed at Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's just assume that the one surnamed Li is righteous, but if he is righteous, then who is the villain who is naturally on the opposite side of him?"

Chen Xiyuan: "Wasn't it you?"

Zhao Yi: "I've called him 'ancestor' more than once."

Chen Xiyuan: "How do you treat your ancestors?"

Zhao Yi: "What you said actually makes a lot of sense!"

Sitting on the tractor, Zhao Yi placed his feet on the edge of the back of the truck bed, looked at Li Zhuiyuan, and shouted:

"Hey Li, did you hear that? From this day forward, in the martial world, I, Zhao Yi, am your destined enemy, Li Zhuiyuan."

Back then, my elders from the Zhao family in Jiujiang merely sent a visiting card hinting at marriage, hoping to forge a bond of kinship.

As a result, not only did your matriarch disagree, but she also took it as an insult and took it out on my Zhao family. She first sent Qin Li to humiliate me and forced me to kneel with three cuts and six holes in my body!

They then threatened to exterminate the entire Zhao clan of Jiujiang, forcing me to betray my family and destroy the ancestral home of the direct lineage in order to save the lives of innocent members of the Zhao clan's outer lineage. They even forced me to spread rumors in the martial arts world that the Zhao family had desecrated their ancestors, completely trampling the centuries-old reputation of the Zhao clan of Jiujiang into the mire!

Remember this: even if I, Zhao Yi, were to serve a Bodhisattva as a dog or become the adopted son of the Emperor of Fengdu...

No matter how unscrupulous I have to be, I will seize every opportunity to make myself stronger.

As long as I, Zhao Yi, have a breath left...

You, Dragon King Qin and Dragon King Liu, can forget about reviving and rising again!

After shouting, Zhao Yi got back into the car and signaled Xu Ming to drive.

Chen Jing, who was also sitting in the car, stared blankly in disbelief.

After the tractor drove away, Chen Xiyuan looked at Tan Wenbin and asked, "What exactly was he saying just now?"

Tan Wenbin: "Outside Team Declaration"

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and took the gift box from Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin then took out a plastic bag containing powder from his pocket and handed it over:

"Brother Xiaoyuan, this is made by stir-frying peppercorns and salt."

"Ah."

Li Zhuiyuan carried his things and arrived at the bearded man's house.

Pear Blossom was making paper offerings with Xiao Yingying on the dam when she saw Li Zhuiyuan arrive. She stood up and pointed to the medicinal herb field in front of her:
"Miss Qin Li just left."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and walked into the peach grove.

The journey was unimpeded, and we arrived at the deepest pool of water.

Qing'an lay there on her side with her eyes closed, as if taking a nap.

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's time for a drink."

Qing An opened her eyes: "So stiff?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Because the snacks to go with the drinks are tough enough."

Qing'an sat up, folded her long sleeves to her sides, and then tidied her sideburns:

"In that case, let's see!"

Li Zhuiyuan placed the gift box on the coffee table and opened it himself.

When the demolition was halfway done, Qing'an spoke up:

Why weren't you given any conditions first?

"We'll talk about it later."

"Hehehe." Qing'an raised his hand, and Master Sun emerged from the pool and landed on the ground. "Let's talk about the terms first, otherwise we won't feel at ease drinking this wine."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I had completely forgotten that he was still here."

Qing An: "Just as I can't remove the face from my body, you can't forget things either."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Okay, I'll take him with me later."

Qing'an: "That's it?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I don't like children, and you should be able to tell that. I even have a bit of a dislike for Benben."

Qing An: "From both a moral and logical standpoint, you will need this child in the future, because you will also grow old and die, or at least, you will strive to die."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, logically speaking, I've considered it. You're right."

Qing'an: "Is there no affection left?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I don't want to lie to you. You have so many faces watching me, I can't fool you."

Qing'an's gaze fell on Master Sun beside her, and she sneered, "You're still speaking up for him after all."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I will die, and you will die too. Moreover, you will die much sooner than me."

Qing'an: "He's having wild ideas."

Li Zhuiyuan: "From another perspective, this is called having a lot of initiative. With more people protecting, watching over, and cherishing you, you're never at a loss."

"Fine, let him be." Qing'an leaned to the side and looked at the boy. "But if I'm not satisfied with the snacks we have today, you'll have to go to the bottom of the pool with him."

“No, not at all. You can have Su Luo serve the wine now, and also have the other side prepare the wine.”

Qing'an stood up and urged, "Open it, open it quickly!"

Li Zhuiyuan opened the gift box, and inside was a pile of bone fragments.

Qing An stared at the bone fragments, then looked up at Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan: "How is it? Are you satisfied?"

Beside him, the pool water began to boil.

Qing An: "Unless you tell me these are his bones, you can expect to be boiled until the bones fall off."

Li Zhuiyuan: "So, the person who understands him best in this world will always be you."

The boy recounted the events that occurred in the Goguryeo tomb to Qing'an through innuendo and other veiled means.

Qing'an sat down and looked at the bone fragments in front of him.

It really was him.

Qing'an: "He was willing to go to such lengths to seek death."

Li Zhuiyuan: "He has found the path and the goal."

Qing An: "That's right, a very, very big goal."

Li Zhuiyuan: "He succeeded. My current situation is the best proof of his success."

Qing'an shouted, "Su Luo, bring the wine!"

Su Luo: "Coming, coming!"

Qing'an reached out, picked up a bone, and twirled it in front of his eyes:
"To see bones and think of people, especially the bones of a clone, is such a pity, such a pity. This interest is both intense and indifferent."

"This is easy to handle."

"how?"

Li Zhuiyuan tossed the bag of powder onto the table and replied:

Salt and pepper.

……

Li Zhuiyuan dragged the unconscious Taoist priest Sun out of the peach grove.

On the dam, Lihua was busily offering wine, while Xiao Yingying had already ridden her tricycle to town to buy goods.

When that man in the peach grove got into a drunken frenzy, no one dared to bear the terrible consequences of running out of food.

Old Tian had just returned from Liu Jinxia's house. His young master had left, and he was going to say goodbye to his godmother on his behalf.

Li Zhuiyuan then handed Master Sun over to Old Tian to take care of, and went home.

When he arrived at the courtyard, he smelled the aroma of herbs. The boy glanced at the girl in the kitchen who was using a small fan to control the heat, and instead of going upstairs, he pulled up a stool and sat down against the kitchen door frame.

Once the medicine was ready, Ah Li poured it into a bowl, placed a spoon inside, and then used a cloth to support it, presenting it to the boy.

This medicine must be drunk while it's hot.

Li Zhuiyuan took the bowl, picked up the spoon, and, enduring the heat, drank it all spoonful by spoonful.

Soon, the warm current began to circulate throughout his body, and the discomfort caused by excessive blood loss was significantly relieved.

"Ah Li, let's go upstairs."

The boy stood up, took the girl's hand, and went upstairs together. He had been waiting downstairs because he didn't want her to have to bring it up again.

Classes aren't always so easy to skip.

Moreover, skipping too many classes will take away the joy of skipping classes.

Today, Pear Blossom brought Benben into the house. As soon as Pear Blossom turned around, the painting completely enveloped Benben.

Benben sat under the bed with both hands outstretched in front of him.

The left hand is stroking in rhythm, like playing the piano; the right hand's fingertips are rapidly plucking, like calculating on an abacus.

Two resentful children, two teachers, music class and math class, all taught together.

When the boy and girl came in, Benben pouted and looked at them, hoping to get a little bit of sympathy.

But Benben was disappointed. For them, who liked to play multiple blindfold chess games at the same time, taking two lessons at the same time was nothing.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the wardrobe, opened the door, and saw a handwritten booklet in front of him.

Logically, it should be placed in the desk, not in the wardrobe.

The problem is that Aunt Liu's booklet is so thick that the desk drawer isn't tall enough to hold it.

Picking up the booklet, Li Zhuiyuan went outside and sat down on a rattan chair.

Ah Li stayed inside, took out a memorial tablet from the bamboo basket under the painting table, picked up a carving knife, and prepared to make a forehead band for Lin Shuyou.

The weather is lovely today, sunny and bright.

Li Zhuiyuan initially sat upright, but after opening the booklet, he unconsciously bent down and leaned closer.

Aunt Liu's account book wasn't just thick; the writing on it was also incredibly tiny and densely packed.

Countless nights, Aunt Liu relied on writing this to relieve her frustration and resentment.

No wonder Grandma Liu rarely sends Aunt Liu out alone.

In the next wave, having already made a deal with the Emperor, he will proactively "dig a channel" towards the Valley of Living People in the Ailao Mountains.

However, the young man did not want to travel far away for this purpose alone; or rather, simply experiencing the ups and downs of the river was too monotonous for him at the moment.

Li Zhuiyuan flipped through the booklet, his eyes scanning up and down, searching for the address:

"Let's find out which enemy is closest to here."

.........

This chapter is not long enough because I need to pause and consider the plot that will unfold next. I can only stop here for today. Tomorrow I will write 2 words.

(End of this chapter)