Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 472

"Xiao Yuan, how exactly did you get these data?"

Old Zhai held the blueprints in his hand, gazing at the valley and river before him.

This was something he had always wanted to ask, and now that Li Zhuiyuan had returned to the project team, he couldn't help but voice his doubts.

"Teacher, the data still needs to be verified and may not be accurate."

Old Zhai glanced at the boy, knowing that the child was trying to change the subject, so he didn't ask any further questions.

The data submitted by Li Zhuiyuan was compiled by a group of elite martial arts practitioners who went up mountains and down rivers, and it also incorporated the hard work of many excellent feng shui masters and formation masters.

Projects in complex environments often involve various unknowns and unexpected events. If these can be defined in advance, turning trial and error into verification, then everything else will go smoothly.

Old Zhai put away the blueprints and said with satisfaction, "You did a very good job. It seems I came all this way for nothing."

Li Zhuiyuan: "If you don't come to Yuxi, my work will be difficult to carry out smoothly."

Mr. Zhai: "You've heard those rumors too?"

Li Zhuiyuan smiled.

Old Zhai: "Don't worry about those things."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I don't care, I'm mainly worried about you, teacher."

Professor Zhai: "I trust my choice. I am very satisfied with your performance this time. If I had to nitpick, it would probably be your organizational skills. In this respect, you need to learn a lot from your senior, Xue Liangliang."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I understand, and I will work with everyone next time."

Old Zhai reached out and patted the boy on the shoulder: "The scale and difficulty of future projects will only increase. Although you are still young, you can no longer really see yourself as a child. Individual heroism is acceptable, but you must also clearly recognize its limitations. You need to lead a team and cultivate talent."

This is where I fall short of your teacher. His students and team were far more outstanding and capable than mine. Unfortunately, I'm too old now, and it's impossible for me to do it again.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Teacher, aren't you teaching me right now?"

Old Zhai: "Hehehe."

An old man and a young man walked back while talking. All around them were tents, and further out were survey teams working in various locations.

At the entrance of Li Zhuiyuan's office tent, several people came out holding blueprints. They were all whispering to each other, but when they saw Elder Zhai, they immediately became well-behaved, greeted each other, and returned to their work posts.

Inside the tent, at the desk, Ah Li was drawing blueprints.

Standing at the door, Elder Zhai asked Li Zhuiyuan, "When did she learn these things?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "She was right next to me when I was learning."

During the summer vacation after the college entrance examination, Luo Gong arranged for Xue Liangliang to send him various engineering cases and assign various assignments. Li Zhuiyuan and others completed their graduation projects before officially entering university.

Ah Li was there to accompany her during her studies.

Old Zhai: "Xue Liangliang will be coming over tonight. Come to my tent then, and we'll have a meeting."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Okay, teacher."

After Elder Zhai left, Li Zhuiyuan went into his tent.

"Tired?"

The girl shook her head.

She had drawing paper and paints in her backpack. She should have been drawing, but it wasn't appropriate here, so she helped out in the boys' office whenever she could because there was a lot of work to do.

There were two tables inside the tent, one for each person, and everything felt just like it was back at home.

As the sun began to set, Li Zhuiyuan put down his pen, picked up his lunchbox, and brought back two lunch boxes. A-Li then cleared some space on her desk.

Before eating, Li Zhuiyuan first took A Li's pulse.

In the small hell, Ah Li, who used the power of the Blood Porcelain Bottle, suffered a severe mental backlash. However, Ah Li's ability to withstand this was amazing. In addition, Li Zhuiyuan would infuse her with mental energy every day for healing, and she is now gradually recovering.

After dinner, since the work outside was still ongoing, the work inside the tents also had to continue. Everyone was consciously racing against time to catch up on the progress. This didn't require any extra encouragement because the conditions in the mountains were really quite harsh.

Li Zhuiyuan had no time to pay attention to the current turmoil in the martial arts world. Of course, the martial arts world also did not expect that the person who had just stirred up the storm was now buried in work in the mountains.

"Xiaoyuan?"

Xue Liangliang's voice came from outside the tent.

Li Zhuiyuan put down his pen, came out, and went to Elder Zhai's tent with Xue Liangliang.

Old Zhai: "Liangliang, why are you so late?"

Xue Liangliang: "We encountered a road closure on the way to apprehend a fugitive, which delayed us a bit."

Old Zhai: "Oh, did they catch them?"

Xue Liangliang: "They caught him. I watched as the man was put into a truck. They said he was the leader of a criminal gang who had committed a crime in Nanjing and fled back home."

Old Zhai nodded: "It's good that they caught them."

Li Zhuiyuan saw that there were many stone tablets in Zhai Lao's tent, with people's names and birth dates carved on them.

Mr. Zhai explained, "This was found at a bend in the river. They brought it to me. It must be from a nearby village that has a tradition of carving family genealogies into monuments. However, this village must have been hit by a mudslide disaster, and due to other reasons, the original villagers must have been scattered or migrated."

I've already contacted the local cultural relics department, and they will be moving these away tomorrow.

On the stone tablet, Li Zhuiyuan saw a familiar name and birth date; it belonged to the mother of the old man who had been staying at the temple.

After the project is completed, the boy will have Tan Wenbin find a public phone to dial the number on the note and inform the old man that his mother's hometown has been found.

Old Zhai: "Liangliang, how's everything going on your end?"

Xue Liangliang glanced at Li Zhuiyuan and smiled, "Everything went very smoothly."

Mr. Zhai: "Thank you for your help this time."

Xue Liangliang: "I have to thank you, Professor Zhai, for giving my team such a great internship opportunity."

The three of them sat down and had a short meeting.

After the meeting, Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuiyuan left Elder Zhai's tent together.

"Xiao Yuan, Old Master Zhai is so good to you."

"Ok, I know."

"By the way, was the person who delivered the letter to me last time a human?"

"I don't know that."

"Smell me, do you still smell that odor?"

"No."

"That's good. I've been feeling smelly lately, and in this cold weather, I've been taking three baths in the stream every day just to wash away the smell. I was worried that it would bother her when we got back, since she's pregnant and sensitive."

After delivering the items to Xue Liangliang, the fox spirit lingered for several more days, transforming into a fox during the day to observe from afar, and turning into a human at night to try and enter the tent to be with him.

She didn't have such keen insight, but she instinctively felt that the person she was asked to deliver something to must be extraordinary, perhaps it was some kind of opportunity for her.

After several attempts to sneak in, she couldn't help but transform into human form as soon as she entered, with her fur and tail growing out. In the end, she got scared and slunk away, but in doing so, she left Xue Liangliang's tent filled with body odor.

The two stopped, and Xue Liangliang tilted his head back and stretched.

Yunnan, the land of colorful clouds, is beautiful not only for its mountains and rivers, but also for its starry night sky.

"Xiao Yuan, are you homesick?"

"Fortunately."

In the past, after each wave ended, Li Zhuiyuan would feel an urgent desire to go home.

With Ah Li accompanying him this time, the boy's urgency to return home faded.

"It'll be soon. In just a few days, the preliminary work for these two projects will be completed smoothly. But you'll still have to accompany Elder Zhai to a few meetings, right?"

"um, yes."

"Haha, now it's finally your turn to experience what it felt like when I accompanied my teacher to meetings all over the place."

After the outdoor work was completed, meetings followed one after another, from Yuxi to Kunming. Mr. Zhai accompanied the group most of the time, while Li Zhuiyuan was responsible for speaking and exchanging ideas. Once the last meeting was over, this phase of the project officially came to an end.

As Li Zhuiyuan stepped out of the venue, the sunlight shone on his face, giving him a feeling of being in another world.

It was as if the ghostly figures in the small hell and the storms in the martial arts world were just a dream from yesterday.

Li Zhuiyuan was very fortunate that he was able to continue this work experience immediately after the first wave ended.

It wasn't because he could extract special benefits from his official position, but rather it was more like he was given a spur-of-the-moment adjustment, allowing his understanding of himself as a "person" to be corrected and restored.

Old Zhai: "Xiao Yuan, you've had a tough time these past few days."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Teacher, this is my job. You're the one who's working hard and has to stay with me."

Old Master Zhai: "Alright, you should go back to Jinling first. I still have some things to take care of here, so I need to stay a while longer."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Okay, teacher, please take care of yourself."

As I walked down the steps of the conference hall, a thick cloud in the sky blocked out the sunlight.

The boy stepped out of the warm sunlight and into the shadows.

The Wood King's tour bus was parked there. Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou stood at the front and back of the bus respectively, while A Li sat inside. There were also two majestic and exquisite shrine tablets inside the bus.

Ah Li's mental backlash was completely resolved, Lin Shuyou's injuries were fully healed, and Tan Wenbin's five senses returned to their peak. Before, he would recuperate at home, but this time he was working while recuperating, like a ferocious beast taking advantage of the lull in licking its wounds to have a dream.

Or perhaps, there is no boundary between dreams and reality; it's just a matter of choosing which way to go on the road of life.

Ultimately, we still have to get back on track.

Tan Wenbin stubbed out his cigarette, Lin Shuyou spat out his chewing gum, and the two followed Xiao Yuan into the car.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down next to A Li and said to Prince Mu:

"Drive to Fengdu."

……

Runsheng, carrying a hiking backpack, disembarked from the boat, stepped onto the Ghost City pier, and looked up.

Fengdu County has changed a lot, but the ghost town has remained basically the same, and so have the people.

Walking up Ghost Street, the stalls and shops on both sides are still the same as when I last came. When passing Yin Meng's favorite hot pot restaurant, Run Sheng took a few more glances. The business was very good, but there were still empty seats.

He moved his left hand down and touched the thick wad of cash in his pocket.

This was specially given to him by Xiao Yuan, so that he could install a telephone in the coffin shop and make a phone call while lying in a coffin before going to sleep, just like Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou.

These days, let alone a mobile phone, which is incredibly expensive, even a basic telephone is very pricey.

One was in Nantong and the other in Fengdu. Long-distance calls were very expensive, so Runsheng instinctively felt that it was more cost-effective to burn paper money and write letters to the Emperor.

There was no way around it; I grew up with my grandfather, sometimes going hungry, so thrift was ingrained in my bones.

Fortunately, Runsheng had stayed at Grandpa Li's house for a long time and his thoughts had been influenced. After weighing the pros and cons, he still felt that as long as he could hear the other person's voice, the money was well spent.

After installing the telephone, the remaining money should be used to buy wood. While I'm here, I should make a few more coffins for Yin Meng to stock up on.

This was Yin Meng's suggestion. She said that the shop was just sitting there anyway, and it wasn't appropriate to leave it empty-handed. Even if the coffin shop was slow-moving, it would still bring in some income, and every little bit helped.

The Yin family's coffin shop is just ahead.

Runsheng, who should have quickened his pace, stopped.

A figure dressed in a kasaya appeared in the crowd ahead. He stood in the crowd, yet ignored the people passing right through him.

He raised his head, as if to look at something, but then he disappeared again.

Runsheng began to search, and when he turned around, he saw another figure standing behind him, wearing armor and standing coldly behind him.

In an instant, the scars on Runsheng's body began to writhe, and a gust of wind swept through Ghost Street, blowing the signs and the small windmills sold on the stalls away.

But soon, the armored man also disappeared into the crowd.

Everything around me returned to normal, as if it were all just my imagination.

Ke Runsheng knew that his mind and imagination weren't that rich.

Those two people really exist, and they are right here in this ghost town.

I need to inform Xiaoyuan about this in advance.

"Runsheng!"

A familiar voice sounded.

I haven't heard it in a long time, but it doesn't feel unfamiliar at all.

Runsheng turned around and saw Yinmeng standing at the entrance of the coffin shop, waving happily at him.

"Haha, Runsheng."

Once upon a time, when Yin Meng lived at Grandpa Li's house, she loved to sit with her mentor, Aunt Liu, by the kitchen door, cracking sunflower seeds and looking up.

She had noticed Ah Li's posture and habits and was thinking about whether she should learn from them, since the scene of Ah Li and Xiao Yuan together was always so beautiful.

But no matter how she tried to imitate it, she couldn't. When Ah Li sat down, she looked very natural, but when she sat down, she felt itchy all over. Once, when she was imitating the walking posture, Run Sheng saw her and asked her if she was sick or if she was feeling unwell.

Fortunately, it's not a big regret. Some people's lives are television, some people are good at acting in television, and some people are just good at sitting in front of the TV and laughing.

Putting yourself in her shoes, if Runsheng were to get up early one morning and drag you to play blind chess against the sky, Yin Meng would feel utterly terrified.

Runsheng walked to the shop entrance, stood in front of Yin Meng, and said:

"You've gotten fair-skinned."

"Really?"

"I've gained weight too."

"..."

"Better looking."

"of course!"

Immediately afterwards, Yin Meng raised her hands, touched Runsheng's arm, then his chest, sensing the scars hidden beneath his clothes, and whispered:

"you lost weight."

Although she had spent a long time in hell, Yin Meng had accompanied her on the journey across the river in the early stages. She knew how arduous and dangerous it was on the river, and she also knew how much Runsheng had endured to get to this point.

Runsheng would never say these things to her while burning paper money, nor would she ask. She knew that the person in front of her was not very bright, so she didn't want to force him to rack his brains to make up lies.

The interaction between the two standing at the shop entrance attracted many neighbors to peek in and pry.

After Mengmeng went out, she returned home. The handsome, rich-looking guy from last time had been replaced by this honest-looking one.

Unbeknownst to Yin Meng, she had inadvertently acted in a TV series for her neighbors.

"What you eat?"

"No."

"Are you hungry?"

"Hungry!"

Runsheng was about to point to the hot pot restaurant and say he was going to take her there to eat hot pot when Yinmeng excitedly said:

"Perfect timing, I've made you dinner!"

Runsheng: "..."

"Come in with me."

Yin Meng pulled Runsheng's arm, gesturing for him to follow her into the kitchen.

Runsheng did not resist.

A prohibition talisman was pasted on the kitchen curtain.

When the curtain was lifted, Runsheng smelled a strong fragrance emanating from inside.

In his entire life, whether it was eating freely at Grandpa Li's house, eating his way to death on the river, or being influenced by Chef Zhu Yiwen, Runsheng had never smelled such "deliciousness" before!
Yin Meng turned her head and looked at Runsheng, who was unconsciously swallowing, and smiled:
"See? I knew these things would suit your taste; I knew you'd like them."

Water was boiling in a pot, and a steamer was placed on top. Yin Meng put the offerings she had brought from the Emperor's altar into the pot to heat them.

She knew how terrible her cooking skills were, so she didn't dare add any seasonings.

Runsheng walked to the steamer, took out a piece, and without caring that it was hot, put it to his mouth and took a bite. The moment he swallowed it, Runsheng's eyes were filled with a chilling blackness, which was extremely oppressive.

With just one bite, Runsheng felt as if he could hear his most primal heartbeat.

He couldn't stop. A second bite, a third bite, a fourth bite... As soon as one offering was finished, he would immediately eat the second, the third...

Yin Meng was initially smiling happily, thinking she had brought the right thing, but her smile quickly froze as she noticed something was wrong with Runsheng.

"Runsheng, do you want to slow down? You don't have to finish it all. You can eat it at the next meal. It's all yours. There's no rush."

Runsheng seemed not to hear and continued swallowing.

Thick black energy emanated from his body, his scars writhed, and phantom images of evil dragons appeared on their own.

"Tick-tock...tick-tock...tick-tock..."

At first, I thought it was just water droplets on the steamer, but I soon discovered that water was dripping from Runsheng's body. One drop after another, faster and faster, and more and more, gradually turning into a stream of water that flowed out of Runsheng's body and accumulated into a thick puddle on the kitchen floor, which continued to spread outward.

"Runsheng, stop eating, stop eating now."

Yin Meng stepped forward to stop him, but just as her hand touched Run Sheng, an invisible wave of energy blocked it, preventing her from actually touching him.

"Runsheng, you..."

The Yin family had long since degenerated from the bloodline of the Great Emperor into a family of corpse retrievers in Fengdu. Yin Meng himself used to run a coffin shop and also took on the job of retrieving corpses.

As someone who retrieves corpses, I am certainly familiar with one particular type of entity.

At this time, Runsheng...

It was like a... dead body.

---

There will be another chapter at 9:00 AM.

(End of this chapter)