Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 480

This is my first marriage, and I have no experience.

Not knowing how to dilute the wine with water or drink it in shallow sips, Pan Zi toasted the wine until the man was drunk.

After lunch, he went to lie down in the house.

Pan Zi's parents, who are Li Zhuiyuan's uncle and aunt, not only organized the relatives to play cards, but also joined in themselves.

The bride carried a basin into the house to help Panzi wipe his face, and her mother and father-in-law also followed into the house to help take care of their drunk son-in-law.

It's just a minor, harmless detail, but it permeates our entire lives.

The woman's family lived next to the Xingren Town Machinery Factory. It was most convenient for Panzi to stay at the woman's house while commuting to and from get off work at the factory, as it would save him the trouble of traveling back and forth from Shinan Town every morning and evening.

In addition, Xingren Town is closer to the city center and has better facilities than Shinan Town, so it would be more appropriate for children to attend school in Xingren Town in the future.

Therefore, apart from being a little cautious at the beginning of the blind date, the woman's parents were very considerate and warm after the two young people got to know each other and established a relationship. They didn't make any demands when discussing marriage and didn't have any intention of making things difficult for the young people.

The uncle and aunt were very proud of themselves, telling others how capable their son was.

Li Sanjiang laughed at the two guys at the dinner table, calling them stupid donkeys who loved to bray.

They quietly took this son-in-law into their family and made him their whole son, saving face while also getting something in return.

The truth is, every time Panzi comes back, he goes straight to his grandparents' house, who raised him since he was a child. The things he gets from the factory and the gifts he buys after he gets his salary are always delivered to Li Weihan and Cui Guiying first.

As for his own parents, he only maintained basic politeness and acted as usual, but it had nothing to do with intimacy.

Panzi knew his parents' nature; if they really brought his wife back to live with them long-term, then he could expect constant fighting at home.

The lunch was very lavish.

In the past, the only time the village could have a feast of this caliber was when Big Beard's mother died.

This also shows the development and changes in recent years. Few of the younger generation in the village are still engaged in full-time farming at home. They mostly choose to work in factories, and even if the factory is far from home, it is still within the reach of a bicycle.

Locals living there don't notice the difference, and children in the local rural areas take it for granted that their parents leave for work in the morning and come home in the evening. They find it hard to understand the feelings of seeing their parents carrying large bags and small packages home only during holidays.

Of course, nothing is absolute, and there are indeed left-behind children; Li Zhuiyuan could be considered one of them.

It's customary at banquets that the leftover large bottles of drinks on the table are taken home by the children at that table.

Originally, the drinks at this table should have been served by Benben.

But Benben has a very strict and domineering mother at home.

Finally, Ah Li held the remaining half-bottle of beverage on the table in her arms.

The fields, the sunshine, the stream, and the girl following him with a large beverage bottle create a warm and beautiful scene.

Instead of rushing home, they found a haystack and lay down side by side with Ah Li.

Sun-dried hay, like a miraculous medicine, exudes a calming and peaceful fragrance.

There are many things to do next, such as tutoring my friends, going to the Dragon King's ancestral home, going to Qiongya, and further afield, there's the next wave.

But at this moment, Li Zhuiyuan decided to put things aside for the time being. No matter how urgent things were, he wasn't in a hurry for half a day. He wanted to lie here with the girl and bask in the sun.

The boy now understands what Tan Wenbin said when he was in high school:
"The comic book I read the night before my final exams is the best!"

The bearded man's house.

Everyone in the house went to eat at the banquet.

Even Old Tian went, but he didn't sit at the same table as Li Zhuiyuan and the others. Instead, he sat at the same table as Liu Jinxia and even saved a seat for her so that Li Juxiang could sit down and eat the first course of the meal as soon as she returned from picking up Cuicui from school, without delaying the child's afternoon school.

Logically speaking, Xiao Yingying shouldn't need to cook when no one is home; after all, she's not human.

However, following the boy's instructions, she still prepared a rather lavish meal and placed it on the offering table.

After leaving to busy himself for a while, he returned to find that the wine in the jar had turned into water, and the dishes and rice on the offering table had all disappeared.

Deep in the peach grove.

Sister Hua served Luo Xiaoyu food, and Luo Xiaoyu shoveled the food into his mouth while staring at the battle formation on the broken chessboard in front of him.

The fragrance of peach blossoms, the aroma of magic formations, and the aroma of food filled his face, making it as rosy as the surrounding environment.

This place was like paradise to him.

He no longer needed to deliberately hide his talents within the sect, enduring the contempt and disdain of his peers and elders; he no longer needed to be troubled by the resentment and frustration of his youth on the river; here, he found true freedom and ease.

Su Luo walked over carrying a basket.

The offerings for the three meals a day were made by Xiao Yingying, and the food was brought over by Su Luo.

He placed a pot of peach blossom wine here.

After Su Luo left, Luo Xiaoyu picked up the wine pot, hesitating whether or not to drink.

Drinking alcohol can easily delay the afternoon's formation.

But this wine has an almost criminally fragrant aroma.

"The senior has permitted me to stay in this peach grove indefinitely."

Luo Xiaoyu picked up the cup and poured himself a drink.

He already had a low alcohol tolerance, and this wine had a strong aftereffect. Even Chen Xiyuan, who could open her domain to expel alcohol, would get drunk, let alone him, an array master with an ordinary physique.

"Hehehe, hehehe, hahaha..."

Luo Xiaoyu leaned against a peach tree, drunk and grinning foolishly.

By the distant pool, Qing'an was also drinking, using Luo Xiaoyu's laughter as a snack.

A silly roe deer is just a silly roe deer.

Back then, they were just a bunch of silly roe deer.

Qing'an doesn't empathize with Tan Wenbin and Runsheng because they all rose through the ranks thanks to the Youth Development Program.

Wei Zhengdao back then would never have done such a thing.

Because Wei Zhengdao has no weaknesses, even if he encounters an opponent he can't beat, like Chen Yunhai, it's just a matter of needing a little more time to overcome them.

Even if we take a step back and say that Chen Yunhai is an extreme case, it's just that he couldn't beat him in a one-on-one fight and wanted to kill him... It's actually quite simple.

Li Zhuiyuan once tried to put himself in Wei Zhengdao's shoes when he sought out Qing'an and others to pay homage to him, and concluded that it was like collecting stamps.

With Wei Zhengdao's talent and ability, he could definitely cross the river alone. So, having a group of companions around him wasn't to solve a real problem, but simply for the sake of looking good and pleasing to the eye.

Having a group of geniuses of his time, each possessing absolute competitiveness to become the Dragon King, worship him as the Dragon King and call him their leader, was enough to satisfy a certain perverse sense of amusement in Wei Zhengdao's heart.

When they were together, they had no pressure to survive or perform, and they were all impressed by their boss, so they lost their ambition early on. Therefore, their journey across the river truly became a spring outing on the river.

The group of people, carefree and unrestrained, stopped to rest, some reciting poems and painting, others playing the zither and singing. This is what true elegance is all about.

Therefore, in that generation of martial arts world, the Dragon King was silent yet exceptionally clean, not only because of Wei Zhengdao's unique way of dealing with evil spirits.

Just like Runsheng at this moment, after eating good food, eating something less appealing becomes uninteresting, and he can no longer improve.

So, aside from some evil spirits that are difficult to kill and too lazy to believe in the wisdom of later generations, Wei Zhengdao wouldn't eat them to help him digest, nor would he be like a glutton, wandering the martial world looking for weird and rotten things to eat.

The real reason for the strange phenomenon of a "gap" in the martial arts world of that generation was that, in the end, more than one "Dragon King" emerged from that generation of martial arts world.

This group of dragon kings exists in name only, but has no real power.

Therefore, the Dragon King's Decree was never heard of in that generation of martial arts world.

However, when chaos or evil is about to emerge, the Dragon Kings of other eras need to order the martial arts world to help them suppress it, and they can... notify each other.

The faces and malevolent figures in Qing'an are the product of their group's suppression of a generation of martial arts practitioners.

Su Luo sat down at the small table, poured wine for Qing An, and poured herself a glass as well.

He discovered that not only could the person who entered the peach grove and made Qing'an happy with just a few words, but even the person who was casually thrown in could improve Qing'an's mood.

Su Luo believed that Qing An also knew this, that the other person was just coaxing him, but Qing An liked this feeling and longed to relive it.

Outside the peach grove, after having lunch, Benben was carried back to the small desk outside the peach grove by Master Sun for further instruction.

Master Sun was absolutely smitten with his grandson-in-law. If he hadn't known that the deceased represented the will of Peach Grove, he would have even taken over the job of sleeping with him at night.

Anyway, the parents are busy having a second child every night and don't have time to take care of the child.

Unfortunately, this place is ultimately within the sphere of influence of the Dragon King's faction.

He earned the opportunity to teach his grandson-in-law here through hardship and perseverance. It was already a great privilege for him to stay here, and he should not act recklessly again.

Otherwise, he really wanted his family to send his granddaughter over so the two children could attend classes together and become childhood sweethearts.

Benben took the brush and drew the positions of several circles on the picture, then connected them into lines.

Master Sun glanced at it and his face lit up with joy: "Good, very good, you can play with the dog for half an hour."

Benben happily called for Xiao Hei, jumped onto the dog, rushed into the peach grove, and spurred the dog on to run wildly.

He wasn't afraid of the person under the peach grove; he only knew that the peach blossoms here would only be gentle to him.

Looking at the child happily running around in front of me.

Qing An took a sip of wine and said to Su Luo:
“From now on, in the morning, let that Taoist priest teach, and in the afternoon, since that guy in the woods is half drunk anyway, just leave the child with him to teach, and in the evening, send him back to the house to look at paintings.”

Tell her, just as I said, stop with the usual three or two times a week, just unfold the painting for me every night.

"Yes."

The mornings are for teaching the basics, the afternoons for advanced courses, and the evenings for supplementary professional courses.

"boom."

Benben fell off Xiao Hei's back, landed on his bottom with a thud, stared wide-eyed, and opened his mouth as if the sky had fallen.

……

Li Zhuiyuan took a nice afternoon nap in the haystack.

When she woke up, Ah Li twisted open the beverage bottle in her arms, took a sip herself, and then handed a sip to the boy.

Then, the girl screwed the lid back on.

The large beverage bottle was almost empty, with only a shallow layer of drink left, but she couldn't bear to throw it away and wanted to take it home as a keepsake.

"Xiao Yuan, you're here!"

It was Yingzi who spoke.

After entering university, Yingzi was different from when she was in the village. She no longer cared about dressing up. Her clothes were still very simple, but her confident and radiant temperament was brought out.

"Sister Yingzi."

Yingzi walked over and sat down by the haystack, chatting with Li Zhuiyuan for a while.

The Li family is widely recognized in the village for their academic prowess, but only the Li family members themselves know that this talent lies entirely with Li Lan and her son; for the rest of the Li family, getting an education is an incredibly difficult task.

Yingzi studied so hard that she forgot to eat and sleep, which made Cui Guiying feel sorry for her. With Li Zhuiyuan tutoring her, she finally managed to overcome her mental issues with Zhao Yi's "stimulant" and, at the cost of falling seriously ill after the exam, she barely managed to get into an ordinary normal school.

As they chatted, Yingzi casually tossed her hair aside and asked about Zhao Yi again.

This time it was Panzi's wedding, and she had just returned from school. During the summer vacation, she didn't stay at home for long, but was busy doing part-time jobs. She only heard from the villagers that the Zhao Family Acrobatic Troupe often came back to the village.

The first stirrings of the heart in a young girl's heart are like a spring; even knowing they can never be obtained, they are buried deep within the heart, and one can savor their sweetness from time to time.

Li Zhuiyuan told Yingzi that Zhao Yi was doing very well with his two wives and his career was also thriving. He often took his acrobatic troupe to perform in big cities, and they performed in big theaters, where many celebrities came to support him.

Yingzi: "That's great. I knew he would make something of himself."

After the dinner, the guests left.

Ah Li received another large beverage bottle, and Li Zhuiyuan helped her hold one up.

Li Sanjiang had a few drinks and took his two children home.

Li Sanjiang lit a cigarette, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and said with a smile:
"Haha, time really flies. Panzi is getting married today, but it feels like just yesterday that he went to town to watch porn and got brought back from the police station."

As they walked, Li Sanjiang deliberately stopped and let the two children walk ahead while he followed behind.

Watching the two children ahead of him, Li Sanjiang found his cigarette increasingly satisfying.

Back home, Ah Li went into the east room.

Liu Yumei smiled as she washed and dressed her granddaughter.

Back then, Ah Li would just sit inside the house, her feet on the threshold, for the whole day. Now, her granddaughter can go out to eat at banquets with her.

Looking at her granddaughter in the mirror, she felt that one day she would hear her granddaughter speak and call her "Grandma".

Although she felt that her granddaughter's first words would most likely not be directed at her, it didn't matter; she wasn't jealous.

Ah Li took out the red envelope and handed it to Liu Yumei.

Liu Yumei opened the red envelope. Inside the money was two separate sums, representing the money from the two groups. One sum was from Xiaoyuan's grandparents for their first visit, and the other was from Panzi.

"Ah Li, Grandma will remember this money for you. You'll have to return the favor later."

Ah Li nodded.

Liu Yumei found a gift book with a gold border and dragon pattern, and placed the red envelope and the not-so-large amount of money inside on the altar, recording this favor in front of her ancestors.

After she finished writing, she picked it up, blew on it, and even gestured towards the memorial tablets on the offering table:

"Hey, you guys, don't just stand around, help check it out."

Before I knew it, life was becoming more and more promising.

Previously, Liu Yumei thought about how to keep the family together as long as possible. If it failed, so be it; she just wanted to lose it with dignity.

Now, when she leaves and goes down to the underworld, she will not only continue to pinch Qin Laogou's ears and scold him and bully him to her heart's content, but even the ancestors will have to put on a smiling face in front of their great-aunt!
Tan Wenbin's voice came from outside the door:
"Grandma, the Mu family will arrive at dawn tomorrow."

"I see."

"What etiquette should be used when entertaining the Mu family?"

The Mu family has a historically unusual relationship with Dragon King Liu. This relationship, which is similar to that of a retainer, certainly cannot be treated in the same way as Feng Xionglin and Luo Xiaoyu.

Because Feng Xionglin and Luo Xiaoyu were recruited by Brother Yuan, and it had nothing to do with their families or sects, while the Mu family represented the entire Mu Family Village.

"You don't need to worry about that, they know it themselves."

"Okay, ma'am. I packed some crabs from the dinner tonight; they're all untouched. Would you like some?"

The room was quiet for a moment, then a sound came from inside:
"Bring it in."

The door was pushed open, and Tan Wenbin was holding not only crabs, but also a dish of vinegar with shredded ginger in it.

Without the old lady's permission, he took it upon himself to place the items on the offering table and poured her a cup of yellow wine. He knew that the old lady would definitely be in the mood to chat and show off to the ancestors tonight.

As a staff member, the emcee ended up eating with his own family. He didn't receive any money, but Li Weihan's group stuffed a lot of food into his pocket for him to take back.

Tan Wenbin: "Grandma, would you like some crab-eating tools?"

Liu Yumei rolled her eyes at Tan Wenbin.

"If something like this happens again, you can call me."

Tan Wenbin: "It's my fault. I didn't think things through. Don't worry, if something like this happens again, I'll make arrangements for you so that your group of old ladies can sit at the same table with you."

Actually, both Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu called out, and the old lady was sitting on the dam drinking tea at the time, so how could she not have heard them?
It's simply that the old lady is too lazy to join in the fun.

After looking at the gift book on the altar, Tan Wenbin understood the reason for the old lady's change of heart.

Just like with the Mu family, when the family was in decline, the old lady herself dismissed all the outer forces of the two families, because she did not want to test any human relationships when she was in a weak position.

Now that she has more confidence, she is more willing to engage in social interactions, which makes those interactions seem more genuine.

Liu Yumei: "Tell Xiaoyuan that he doesn't need to get up early tomorrow."

Tan Wenbin: "You're here to greet us?"

Liu Yumei picked off a crab leg and nodded:
"Yeah, I'll do it."

……

The river flows in front and the beach behind.

We were clearly just across the river from Nantong, but my grandmother insisted on stopping at that moment.

Grandma said it was impolite to visit at night, so we should stay here until tomorrow morning and then go after dawn.

Mu Qiuying couldn't really object to this. If she hadn't misjudged the accent and taken her grandmother to Fuzhou first, she wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble for nothing.

The three of them took a break in an empty fisherman's house by the river.

Besides himself and his grandmother Mu Xueci, there was another person, his aunt Lin Qingqing.

My uncle was my grandmother's youngest son and the most talented person of the previous generation in Mu Family Village, but my grandmother forcibly suppressed him and forbade him to light a lamp.

My uncle dared not disobey his grandmother and did not light the lamp without permission, but this caused a great rift between him and his grandmother. Later, he left Mujia Village and lived alone for more than ten years.

When he returned to the village, his uncle brought back a woman named Lin Qingqing.

The younger uncle knelt down in the ancestral hall to repent, and the mother and son reconciled. The grandmother also loved this younger aunt very much and kept her by her side every day.

Even when visiting Madam Liu in Nantong this time, Grandma brought Lin Qingqing along, saying that she should kowtow to Madam Liu.

Mu Qiuying didn't quite understand why her grandmother would do this. Even if she loved her youngest daughter-in-law very much, this action was really going too far.

But she still wasn't qualified to comment on it, because to be fair, only when her grandmother allowed her to light the lamp could it be considered a true blessing.

The Mu family and the Dragon King Liu have shared a common destiny throughout history, and generations of Mu family ancestors have become followers of the Dragon King Liu.

Of course, one could say that when they wanted to consult with the old lady of the Liu family, they couldn't reach her, but that's not a valid excuse.

Because this act of "requesting instructions" is itself a deviation.

Your daring to light the lanterns and compete for the dragon's head means that you believe you can ignore the pressure from the Liu family on the river, that you think you have a chance of winning, and that you want to give it a try.

This has nothing to do with the independent personality of Mu Family Village, because historically, Mu Family Village was protected and given resources by Dragon King Liu. Every generation of outstanding descendants of Mu Family Village was qualified to be sent to Liu Family Ancestral Home to receive training together with Liu Family descendants.

Those who are kept by sugar daddies shouldn't talk about having an independent personality.

Therefore, Mu Qiuying knew that her grandmother had come here with her not to visit Madam Liu, but to apologize to Madam Liu on behalf of Mu Family Village.

She, Mu Qiuying, is the culprit.

Lin Qingqing was cooking outside, while Mu Qiuying brought a basin of hot water into the house, took off her grandmother's shoes while she sat in a chair, and helped her massage and soak her feet.

Mu Xueci laughed and said, "I haven't been out for so long, it's really not my usual way to travel such a long distance all at once."

Mu Qiuying: "Grandma, it's all my fault."

Mu Xueci: "You're such a simpleton, you don't even listen to the person in question just because of their accent."

Mu Qiuying: "But that person's Mandarin... is very standard."

Mu Xueci: "Never mind, it's all fate. It's fine too. There will definitely be more than just you who will be summoned. It's better if we arrive a little later so that we can have more time to be dealt with."

Mu Qiuying: "Grandma, how angry do you think Old Madam Liu will be?"

Mu Xueci sighed, her eyes filled with reminiscence: "The young lady won't be angry. Outsiders say that the young lady is unreasonable, but in fact, she is the most reasonable person."

Back then, when the eldest daughter decided to marry Young Master Qin and give up lighting the lamp, she even advised me to light the lamp myself and not waste my talent and the arduous cultivation I had undergone since childhood. She suggested that I share the resources her family had prepared for her to travel the river with me.

The young lady patted my hand and said she would hint to Young Master Qin that if he encountered me on the river, he could offer him some assistance.

"But Grandma, you still haven't lit the lamp."

“Because Grandma is afraid.” Mu Xueci bent down and brushed her granddaughter’s hair aside. “Just as you were afraid of that person, I was just as afraid of the young lady back then… and even more afraid of Young Master Qin back then.”

Mu Xueci remembered that when Young Master Qin was pursuing the young lady, she was unwilling to meet him, so she helped to stop him.

She meticulously arranged a grand array of musical effects, but the young master Qin acted as if nothing had happened, strolling leisurely through all her arrangements, walking up to her, handing her a jade pendant, and gently asking if the young lady was in the villa inside.

If the young lady lit the lamp, she was confident she could help her compete with this young master Qin. But since the young lady didn't light the lamp... the thought of facing young master Qin alone on the river after lighting the lamp made her truly lack the courage.

Without that lofty ambition, what's the point of lighting this lamp?
Mu Xueci looked at her granddaughter and said softly, "Don't worry, the young lady won't blame you. She's very sentimental. Besides, you didn't do anything wrong, and you did what you thought you should do on the river."

Mu Qiuying: "Actually, at first, I was unwilling, but in the end, I understood our ancestors and you, Grandma."

Mu Xueci: "There's nothing wrong with it. There's only one Dragon King in each generation. Does that mean we can't live our lives if we can't become the Dragon King?"

Mu Qiuying: "I understand, Grandma."

Lin Qingqing brought in the food: "Mother, dinner is ready."

Mu Xueci: "Okay, let's eat. Remember to get up tomorrow morning and put on some nice clothes so you can look presentable when you see the young lady."

Lin Qingqing: "Yes, Mother, you've given me these instructions several times along the way."

Mu Xueci: "Hehe, I'm so excited and happy to see Miss Mu Xueci. I'm afraid I'll make a mistake. There's a mirror there. After we finish eating, you can comb my hair properly. Never mind, just to avoid being flustered in the morning, you can help me with my makeup and change my clothes later."

Lin Qingqing: "Then, Mother, how will you sleep tonight?"

Mu Xueci: "How can I possibly sleep? I'm not going to sleep."

Lin Qingqing: "How can that be? Your health isn't good to begin with."

Mu Xueci: "Qingqing, if you don't listen to me, I won't eat dinner either."

Lin Qingqing had no choice but to set up the dressing mirror and persuade the old man:
"Okay, okay, I'll do as you say. You eat first, and then I'll help you with your hair and clothes."

Mu Xueci smiled happily.

Mu Qiuying picked up the basin, went outside, and poured out the water from washing her feet.

On the riverbank, it was cold and windy. The thought of seeing him again tomorrow made her tremble even more.

"Buzz!"

Mu Qiuying quickly sidestepped, dodging a terrifying invisible wind blade.

"Grandma, enemy attack!"

"Crash!"

The surrounding pebbles floated up and collectively hurtled towards Mu Qiuying.

Each pebble contained terrifying force; after Mu Qiuying dodged it, a deep crater would be created behind her.

The assassin is very strong!

Mu Qiuying dodged and weaved continuously, and with a wave of her palm, the guqin leaning against the courtyard wall flew to her in front of her. The guqin cloth broke apart, and she attacked with her fingertips.

Although the assassin's location has not yet been confirmed, she has spread the sound waves in all directions to search for him.

But just then, a thick black fog appeared above and plummeted downwards.

Mu Qiuying remained calm and pulled back the string, shouting, "Heavenly Net!"

The soaring sound waves surged, relentlessly crushing everything in their path.

Below, the ground begins to sink.

Mu Qiuying placed one hand on the strings and gave a downward thud: "Earth Net!"

The sound waves were deep and resonant, like mercury spilling onto the ground, seeping downwards.

She dares to travel the world alone, so she naturally has the ability to handle all kinds of unexpected situations on her own.

However, both of her counterattacks missed their mark; the assassin was experienced and seemed to have seen through her moves.

A faint aura emanated from behind, sensed by the sound of the zither.

With a swift, single hand motion, Mu Qiuying drew a dagger from the guqin, her movements as fluid as a dragon as she turned and slashed.

"Snapped!"

It missed again.

not good!

Having her moves read by her opponent three times in a row, Mu Qiuying felt a great sense of crisis.

She used all her strength in every move, trying to kill her opponent so she could go and help her grandmother inside the house. As a result, after three moves, she was clearly struggling to breathe for a short period of time.

At that very moment, a strong and intense killing intent surged from directly in front.

Before Mu Qiuying could turn around, the music immediately soared, and the strings flew up as if to stop her.

However, the opponent's move was extremely resolute, as if all the previous feints were just a prelude, all for this decisive blow.

"boom!"

The strings were plucked, and the sound of the instrument was suppressed.

Mu Qiuying could sense that the assassin's absolute strength was not much higher than hers; she simply lost because she was not as experienced as him.

If she were given another chance, after this experience, she felt she wouldn't lose if she fought that assassin again.

If... there is such an opportunity.

"puff!"

The assassin's cold hand pierced his own chest and pinched his own heart.

Mu Qiuying's eyes turned cold, and the scattered strings of the zither quickly entered her body, intending to use her own body as the next battlefield to counter the assassin.

The assassin seemed flustered, but he reacted extremely quickly, immediately clenching his fist and giving a jolt.

Mu Qiuying felt her meridians throughout her body violently shaken, an injury far more serious than a simple external injury.

The assassin, however, did not greedily seek victory; after a brief shudder, he immediately withdrew his fist.

Each string of the instrument penetrated Mu Qiuying's body, enveloping and protecting her.

"Pfft!"

Mu Qiuying fell to the ground.

The shock to her meridians temporarily rendered her unable to move, and she could only watch helplessly as the dark figure representing the assassin rushed into the room where her grandmother and aunt were.

Damn it... who... dares to attack me here at this time...?

As the one who lit the lamp, Mu Qiuying was well aware of the weight of karma she carried, yet the other party didn't even care about that.

No, the other party seemed to care, because they didn't take the opportunity to completely kill him.

But this might be because he was protected by the strings, and the other party was too lazy to put in any more effort. Also, the other party's real target was not him, but his grandmother.

Mu Qiuying gritted her teeth, letting the strings continue to travel through her body, temporarily replacing her damaged meridians with each string. It was an incredibly painful experience, but Mu Qiuying couldn't care less about it at the moment.

She was finally able to stand up again and stumbled into the house.

Upon entering the room, Mu Qiuying's eyes widened in fury.

She saw her grandmother sitting in the chair, her body charred black, with remnants of lightning still writhing on her skin. But her grandmother was unresponsive; she was clearly... dead.

Beside her grandmother, the shadow dissipated, revealing Lin Qingqing, who held a whip crackling with lightning in her hand.

The whip was small; it was the hair tie she always used to tie her hair.

She had thought it was pretty before and asked her about it. She apologized to her, saying it was a keepsake left to her by her deceased mother and she couldn't give it away.

Later, she made an identical, beautiful hair tie by hand and gave it to herself.

It turned out that her mother's belongings were a thunder whip.

Pure thunder magic, pure and vigorous.

Mu Qiuying: "You are... a member of the Ling family?"

Lin Qingqing... Ling Qingqing.

The woman his uncle married turned out to be from the Dragon King's family.

Lin Qingqing looked at Mu Qiuying with a cold gaze.

Mu Qiuying: "Why did you kill my grandmother? She was so good to you!"

The music, vast and resonant, transformed into melodies and surged towards Lin Qingqing.

Mu Qiuying was covered in blood; she was using her own body as a musical instrument.

Lin Qingqing swung her lightning whip to block the attack. She looked around, then, without lingering, she darted out of the window.

"You, come back here!"

Mu Qiuying planned to give chase, but although her attack methods were now more powerful, the strings of the zither had entered her body, making it impossible for her to use her movement techniques. She could only walk slowly.

If the strings were removed, the damage to her meridians would cause her to fall into paralysis.

She deeply regretted that before entering the house, she should have used the music to envelop the entire house, preparing to annihilate it all.

Before entering the house, she never imagined, or dared not imagine, that her grandmother was already dead.

This was on the shore, not on the river; she lacked that ruthless decisiveness.

Mu Qiuying walked to the chair and looked at the charred corpse.

At that moment, even her eyelids were stiffened by the strings of the piano, making it impossible for her to make a crying expression; all her grief and indignation could only turn into a wail:
"grandmother!"

……

It started raining in Nantong in the middle of the night.

Light rain.

According to the older generation, this rain signifies the arrival of winter, and people are gradually starting to use the word "end of the year" in their daily lives and work.

As the sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn, Zhang Li wiped down his pavilion.

This job can only be done at this time. If it gets any brighter later, more people will be out going to work. If they see the mop flying in the air by itself, it might scare them so much that they ride their bicycles into the ditch.

Zhang Li really likes his current job. He's a lowly official, a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister. He went from being a lowly ghost messenger in the underworld to a gatekeeper of the emperor. He can't even count how many ranks he's risen.

Moreover, Shaojun is also the head of two Dragon King families.

Throughout history, has any Dragon King's gatekeeper ever been a mere imp?

He was very satisfied and content.

Hmm? We have a guest.

Zhang Li hid the mop and stood up straight.

A figure appeared at the southern end of the road outside the village.

A woman was carrying an elderly woman wrapped in a blanket on her back, walking step by step towards this place. At first glance, it looked like she was carrying the elderly woman to the hospital for a medical visit.

But around the woman, there was an invisible barrier that blocked the rain, preventing a single drop of moisture from reaching the old lady on her back.

Zhang Li looked around to make sure no one was around, then, holding a black oil-paper umbrella, floated out of the pavilion.

"But Lady Mu Qiuying, this humble servant has been waiting here for you for a long time..."

The oil-paper umbrella in Zhang Li's hand was cut in half. Luckily, he stopped in time, otherwise, if his little soul board had gone in, it would have been cut in half in an instant.

Mu Qiuying raised her head, looked at Zhang Li, and then at the village houses and fields to the east.

She knelt down and said:
"Please inform them that Mu Qiuying, along with her grandmother Mu Xueci, has come to apologize."

When the woman knelt down, the face of the old woman hidden in the bedding on her body was revealed.

Zhang Li's eyes widened in disbelief. The area was charred black, clearly indicating someone who was dead beyond any doubt.

He realized something was wrong.

"Please wait a moment, Lady Mu Qiuying, I will go and inform her immediately."

Turning around and then moving back, Zhang Li circled around Mu Qiuying once, using a simple illusion to prevent anyone entering or leaving the village from seeing her.

He then immediately floated towards Li Sanjiang's house.

Tan Wenbin got up early today and just finished brushing his teeth.

Seeing Zhang Li float over, he took the initiative to walk forward.

After hearing Zhang Li's report, Tan Wenbin first woke up Runsheng and Lin Shuyou, who were still sleeping in the coffin, then ran upstairs to wake up Xiaoyuan, and finally came to the east room and knocked on the door.

"Enter."

The door opened.

Liu Yumei sat in the main room, dressed in a gorgeous outfit.

"Grandma, the Mu family has arrived. Mu Qiuying is carrying her grandmother's body."

Upon hearing this report, Liu Yumei's eyes sharpened at first, then she closed them.

She did not get angry about Mu Xueci's death, but just sighed silently.

"Ugh……"

Liu Yumei waved her hand: "Please trouble the head of the family to handle this."

Tan Wenbin closed the door.

Inside the room, Liu Yumei opened her eyes, looked at the memorial tablets on the altar, and gave a helpless smile:
"Human relationships, human nature."

……

Tan Wenbin held an umbrella and walked side by side with Xiao Yuan on the village road, with Runsheng following behind.

Lin Shuyou was at home, busy cleaning the coffin he had made room for.

Because Tan Wenbin's coffin smelled of smoke, Runsheng's coffin smelled of fragrance, and only Ayou's coffin was the cleanest and had no odor.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Brother Binbin, what was the old lady's reaction?"

Tan Wenbin described it in detail.

After listening, Li Zhuiyuan spoke:

"Grandma, you must be very sad right now."

Village entrance.

Mu Qiuying remained kneeling there.

As Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin approached, she slowly raised her head and repeated what she had said earlier:
"Senior, Mu Qiuying and her grandmother Mu Xueci have come to apologize."

Originally a visit, it was actually an apology; now, it's a request for someone to take charge and help with revenge.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to Mu Qiuying's side, lifted a corner of the blanket, glanced at Mu Xueci's current condition, and said:
"Get up first, let the old man lie down more comfortably."

Mu Qiuying stood up, carried her grandmother on her back, and limped into the village.

She had injuries, and the broken strings of the violin were visible through her skin.

Tan Wenbin gestured for Runsheng to help carry it, but Mu Qiuying thanked him and declined.

Arrived at home.

Uncle Qin did not go down to the ground, but stood on the dam.

Aunt Liu didn't rush to make breakfast, but instead prepared incense and offerings.

Mu Qiuying: "Mu Qiuying greets Lord Qin and Lord Liu."

Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu nodded in response, without saying a word.

Ah Li came out and was in the main room.

The door to the east-facing bungalow remained tightly closed.

Mu Xueci's body was placed in Lin Shuyou's coffin, with incense and offerings placed at the head of the coffin.

Grandpa drank quite a bit at the wedding banquet last night, so he'll probably sleep until noon today.

Li Zhuiyuan stood beside the coffin, examined the old man's body, and said:

"Pure lightning magic."

Mu Qiuying: "It's the Ling family."

She recounted everything that had happened the previous night to Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan listened patiently to the whole thing.

After she finished speaking, Mu Qiuying handed over a mirror:
“Senior, this is my grandmother’s dressing mirror. It was given to her by Madam Liu Xiaoda… Madam Liu. My grandmother always used it to do her hair.”

Li Zhuiyuan took the mirror, touched it with his fingers, and discovered that there was a world inside.

Grandma Liu was always generous to those around her, but even if she was stingy, the things she gave away would never be ordinary.

Li Zhuiyuan: "There's an array inside this mirror that can capture images. Have you seen it?"

Mu Qiuying: "I've seen it. It clearly records the entire process of my grandmother being murdered."

Li Zhuiyuan flicked his finger, and an image appeared in the mirror.

This mirror can capture images, but it cannot capture sounds.

The scene shows a dimly lit house, which is probably the fishing hut where Mu Qiuying and her group stayed the night before.

The old woman sat in a chair, holding a soup bowl in her hand; she must have just drunk the soup from it.

At this moment, the old woman's body convulsed, white foam spilled from the corner of her mouth, and she grabbed the middle-aged woman beside her with her other hand, her face full of disbelief, questioning her.

The woman's face looked very unpleasant as her hand was being held.

The old woman crushed the soup bowl in her hand, and in her rage, she made a fist with her palm, intending to strike the woman.

With one hand restrained, the woman used her other hand to remove her hair tie and fling it, which transformed into a thunderous whip that lashed the old woman's body.

The lightning struck her body; electric snakes crackled all over her, leaving her charred black. She slumped into a chair, motionless.

Then, the scene showed Mu Qiuying stumbling in. Mu Qiuying first roared at the woman, then attacked her. The woman defended herself with a lightning whip and then broke through the window to leave.

Although it was silent, the whole thing was recorded clearly.

The most indelible aspect here is the identity of Mu Qiuying's aunt's family.

Judging from her proficiency in using lightning magic and the lightning whip that her hair tie transformed into, it is clear that her status in the Ling family is not low. She cannot be an outer disciple of the Ling family; at the very least, she is a standard member of the Ling family.

This kind of identity cannot be hidden. As long as one is careful, one can definitely find out the specific traces of her existence, making it impossible for the family to deny it.

Li Zhuiyuan handed the mirror to Tan Wenbin, asking Tan Wenbin to show it to Lin Shuyou and Runsheng.

The boy sat down on a chair next to him.

Mu Qiuying knelt beside the coffin, looking at her grandmother lying inside.

After watching the whole thing, Runsheng scratched his head and didn't say anything.

Tan Wenbin frowned slightly, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Lin Shuyou spoke up: "How dare your family be so arrogant?"

Knowing that Mu Xueci had brought her granddaughter to pay a visit in order to bring Mu Family Village back under the patronage of Dragon King Liu and to continue the historical relationship between the family and the vassal, he ordered his family to take action in advance and kill the old woman.

This not only killed members of the Mu family, but also severely slapped Dragon King Liu in the face.

Lin Shuyou: "If the old woman hadn't secretly turned on the mirror to record things after realizing she was poisoned, could this matter still be pinned on us?"

Dragon King Liu certainly had a motive to do such a thing. His former retainers had committed a serious offense by lighting lamps without permission. Now that Dragon King Liu was in the process of reviving his family, he began to punish these disloyal individuals.

If this gets out, it could easily cause the two Dragon King factions in the martial arts world to become estranged and alienated from each other.

If they come to you to plead guilty, they'll be killed, so they might as well... rebel against you completely.

Lin Shuyou is right. Without this mirror to record it, the logic would naturally develop in this way.

From Ah You, one can see the entire martial arts world's opinion on this matter.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Mu Qiuying, who was not only seriously injured, but also mentally and physically traumatized, her chest filled with the rage of revenge.

In contrast, the boy who was being bullied seemed quite calm this time.

Because what he saw was not only what was reflected in the mirror, but also a first-person account from Mu Qiuying.

The mirror scene begins with an old woman drinking soup.

As Lin Shuyou said, it makes sense that the old woman activated the mirror to record the events because she realized the soup she drank was poisoned.

But this was too much of a coincidence; the mirror just happened to be there, reflecting the old woman and her young daughter-in-law perfectly.

If the mirror hadn't been taken out, or if it had been placed at a slightly different angle, this scene wouldn't have been recorded.

As if by divine intervention, the Ling family's conspiracy had a fatal flaw, and the truth was revealed to the world.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't quite believe in such divine will.

Furthermore, based solely on the mirror's image, it's impossible to know that before this scene unfolded, Mu Qiuying was engaged in a battle with the assassin outside.

The old woman, completely unaware of the fighting outside, was still enjoying the soup her daughter-in-law had made.

This can certainly be explained, for example, by setting up a formation in advance to isolate movement.

Mu Qiuying witnessed the assassin's shadowy figure enter the house after knocking her down. When they fought again later, only Lin Qingqing was present.

In other words, Lin Qingqing went outside first, knocked Mu Qiuying down, and then immediately went inside to serve her mother-in-law soup.

The scene begins and continues until the old woman is poisoned and then killed by the lightning whip. During this time, Mu Qiuying uses the strings of her zither to replace her meridians, forcibly gets up, and stumbles into the house.

If it had been just a little later, Mu Qiuying would never have seen her aunt holding the thunder whip.

Lin Qingqing was unaware that the scene was being recorded. Normally, she could have kept herself hidden, killed her mother-in-law, then pretended to be seriously injured by slapping herself a few times, and then pointed to the window, saying that the assassin had escaped through the window after killing the person. This would have been much better than having her identity completely exposed.

As for why Lin Qingqing, despite possessing the strength to defeat Mu Qiuying, chose to flee, one possibility is that she didn't want to bear the consequences of killing the Jiangzhe without permission; another is that she was afraid of exchanging her life with the enraged Mu Qiuying; and a third possibility is that this place is very close to Nantong, and things could easily go wrong if things dragged on.

Looking at the whole picture, apart from a few coincidences, everything can be explained quite reasonably.

Mu Qiuying, who was kneeling on the ground, turned to the side and knelt down in front of Li Zhuiyuan, her forehead touching the ground:

“Senior, I dare not address you as the head of the family. When I heard you announce your identity in Lu Family Village, I knew that I was guilty.”

Mu Family Village has been blessed by the Dragon King Willow for generations. Without the Dragon King Willow, there would be no Mu Family Village today.

But my Mu Family Village did not steadfastly await the call when the Dragon King Willow fell into despair; instead, we recklessly lit lamps.

This act is truly a betrayal of God and a rejection of grace.

I know I am guilty, and my Mu family village is guilty too. Grandma brought me here to apologize.

But I... but I...

"I am shameless! Senior, please help me avenge myself! I, Mu Qiuying, hereby swear a blood oath to serve you as my servant for all eternity!"

Mu Qiuying's face turned bright red. A tainted retainer had to ask his master for protection before he could even be accepted back into the household.

She herself admitted that she was shameless, but she really had no other choice. She knew that she could never become the Dragon King, and she knew even more that with her and Mu Family Village's strength, she was powerless to take revenge on a Dragon King's family.

If they want revenge, they can only rely on the power of their master's side.

Mu Qiuying placed her hands on the floor tiles, her forehead pressed against the ground, too ashamed to look up.

Lin Shuyou looked at Brother Xiaoyuan and felt that the matter was very clear. Besides, his family had a grudge against the Ling family, and the Ling family had always been on the books.

Li Zhuiyuan began:

"You take a rest first, I'm going to talk to the old lady at home for a while."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and walked out of the hall.

Mu Qiuying remained in a prostrate position, completely still.

Li Zhuiyuan knocked on the door of the east room.

"Enter."

Pushing open the door, Liu Yumei sat in a chair, looking somewhat forlorn.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down beside her and recounted the whole story to Liu Yumei.

After listening, Liu Yumei asked, "Xiao Yuan, do you think we should grant her request?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "Grandma, I think the key to this matter is not whether or not to agree."

Liu Yumei: "It seems you've figured it out."

Li Zhuiyuan: "When I went out, I was walking on the road and heard Tan Wenbin's description of you after you learned about this matter, and that's when I realized it."

There's no need to examine Mu Xueci's body, no need to listen to Mu Qiuying's statement, and no need to even look at the records in that mirror.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Grandma, this may be an unnecessary question, but I still need to ask you."

Liu Yumei: "Ask away."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mu Xueci, is she stupid?"

Liu Yumei: "If I hadn't given up lighting the lamp back then, she would have worshipped me and started walking the river with me."

It wasn't a direct answer, yet it was the most direct answer.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Mu Xueci is not stupid.

Therefore, setting aside the chaotic appearances and getting straight to the heart of the problem, it is:
Mu Xueci really didn't know that there was something wrong with her status as the daughter-in-law?
She was so unguarded that she didn't notice the isolation formation. While her granddaughter was still fighting outside, she was still sitting in the house drinking poisoned soup.

Even if we take a step back and say that she brought her youngest daughter-in-law to Nantong, it's very strange. The best pairing would be her and her granddaughter. If she had to bring someone, she should have brought her eldest son, the current village chief of Mujia Village, or her most talented youngest son. Why did she bring her youngest daughter-in-law instead?

She couldn't possibly be so naive as to think that her youngest daughter-in-law was virtuous and lovely, and that she could let her youngest daughter-in-law win over Old Madam Liu's heart, could she?
Liu Yumei: "Xiao Yuan, this is why I decided to disband the outer sect back then. I know that people's hearts and feelings cannot withstand testing, but when it really comes to that, I still feel very uncomfortable."

I didn't ask anything of them. Over the years, I've known that our two ships were going to sink, but I never thought of asking them to lend a hand.

But why are they in such a hurry? Can't they even wait for the ship to sink?
At my age, how much longer can I live?
"Can't they wait until I'm dead!"

Liu Yumei could withstand the insidious attacks from enemies and competitors, but what hurt her most was often the betrayal from her former own people.

This is not just about lighting lamps without permission. Liu Yumei had already discussed it with Li Zhuiyuan the day before yesterday. She didn't care if Mujia Village lit lamps on its own. After all, she didn't know that her family would encounter a successor like Xiaoyuan. He was a promising child, so it was only natural for him to light lamps and go out to try his luck on the river.

Mu Xueci also told Mu Qiuying that the young lady would not offend Mu Family Village because of this matter.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Grandma, you have to take it easy. Just like when it's going to rain, we knew it was bound to happen, didn't we?"

Liu Yumei covered her forehead and nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan: "So, it's not that we can't take back the outer sect from before. Those who don't want to come back, let them not come back. As for those who want to come back, we'll have to clean them up one by one when we take them back."

Even things will gather dust if left out for a long time, even if they don't break. How much more so people's hearts?

Grandma, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but I think it's best to take the lead. In the future, the foundation of both families' businesses will mainly depend on my own efforts.

Anyway, I'm still young, I have plenty of time.

Liu Yumei: "Xiao Yuan, since you already knew, why did you sit there for so long?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I wanted to see if Mu Qiuying was aware of this."

During my previous interactions with her, I had a basic understanding of her. She has a good nature. Although she was initially unwilling, she genuinely recognized the glory of Mujia Village's history and ultimately willingly returned to her original position.

This is inseparable from the teachings her grandmother gave her since childhood.

But I want to double-check the boundaries, as this will determine how I respond to her request next.

I judge that she is currently distraught over her grandmother's death and blinded by anger. In time, she may one day, by chance, figure out the truth for herself.

Of course, even if she comes to terms with it, she will accept it, but she will definitely feel some discomfort and unease, which is fine.

The main thing is, I need to make sure she's not pretending to be confused.

"If that's the case, I won't take her in now, because she doesn't deserve to be among the first to get the biggest share of the benefits, nor is she suitable to take control of Mu Family Village again."

Liu Yumei removed her hand from her forehead and looked at the young man sitting in front of her, who was doing an organized analysis.

Her father and grandfather were the former Dragon King Liu family head, and her husband and father-in-law were the former Dragon King Qin family head.

At that time, the two Dragon King clans were at their peak, able to dominate the martial arts world. To put it bluntly, the ability of the clan head did not have a significant impact on the clan.

But right now, with the family reviving and rebuilding, there is no suitable leader. Even if the previous family heads were to take charge, it would likely end up like a firework that explodes the moment he dies.

The family has been in glory for too long and has forgotten the hardships of its first ancestors in starting the business.

Liu Yumei reached out and grasped the boy's hand, saying very sincerely:

“Xiao Yuan, Grandma truly believes that you are a blessing bestowed upon our two families by God.”

Li Zhuiyuan smiled and said, "Grandma, I'll go and take care of things over there first."

"Well, you go."

Li Zhuiyuan left the east room.

Liu Yumei murmured to herself, "Heaven bestowed you upon both our families, but Grandma knows that Heaven seems to dislike you very much."

Looking up at the altar, which was filled with countless spirit tablets, other families could pray to their ancestors for protection, but it was completely useless for their own.

Liu Yumei questioned:

Are you willing to accept this?

……

Li Zhuiyuan walked back to the hall and sat down in his original spot, while Mu Qiuying remained kneeling.

“Say what you just said again.”

"This servant is willing to give everything, please, senior, help this servant take revenge!"

"First, we don't have the custom of referring to ourselves as servants here. My old lady doesn't like this old-fashioned etiquette anymore, so you'll have to remember to change how you address yourself in the future."

Upon hearing this, Mu Qiuying's face lit up with joy. She looked up at Li Zhuiyuan excitedly and said, "Qiuying understands, Qiuying will change!"

"Secondly, I can't help you get revenge. Because your grandmother is..."

suicide."

Mu Qiuying: "..."

Runsheng scratched his head.

Tan Wenbin breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

Lin Shuyou and Mu Qiuying both showed the same shocked expression.

Li Zhuiyuan: "I just went to the old lady to verify. Your grandmother is a very outstanding person. You were raised by your grandmother from a young age. You should know this very well."

So, do you believe that your grandmother would never have noticed that her daughter-in-law had a questionable background, and that she would still love her so much?
Do you believe your grandmother could be so easily poisoned and killed?

I think that's underestimating your grandmother.

Mu Qiuying: "But...but why..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Your grandmother did this on purpose, sacrificing her own life to incite hatred between your Mu family and the Ling family, and more importantly, to obtain evidence that the Ling family was trying to smear our family."

She wants Mujia Village to return to Longwangliu; she wants to arrange a better path for you and the villagers; she wants to repent and atone for her sins to my old lady.

She was ashamed to face my old lady, to see her former young lady, because she felt she was already defiled. She came here only to seek death.

She knew that her youngest son had married into the Ling family, that her youngest son had likely sided with the Ling family, and that the Ling family was trying to control and influence Mu Family Village through her youngest son.

She didn't take the initiative, but she tacitly agreed, allowing the village to turn to another Dragon King's faction.

She wanted to use this method to clear Mu Family Village's name; she regretted her decision and wanted to set things right.

Li Zhuiyuan speculated that Mu Xueci's actions were not entirely driven by self-interest, but rather by genuine feelings.

Because she knew Liu Yumei well and had feelings for her, she could sincerely apologize. She knew that even if Liu Yumei was upset, she wouldn't kill her, much less send Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu to destroy Mu Family Village in a fit of anger. They would simply draw a line between each other and sever all ties.

This can be clearly seen from her conversation with her granddaughter and her inferences about Grandma Liu's attitude.

Therefore, this matter is not simply driven by the pursuit of maximizing profits, because if one is not careful, Mu Family Village could easily become too thin, like the Zhao family of Jiujiang, a family with only one son.

Even worse, if her granddaughter discovers this beforehand, and Mu Qiuying runs to the head of the household pretending to be ignorant, her crime will be compounded, and she could easily have her household registration completely revoked.

Ultimately, she was a really conflicted old lady.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Your grandmother first subdued Lin Qingqing, and it was also your grandmother who knocked you down outside the yard, and then she recorded this scene herself."

Actually, your grandmother controlled Lin Qingqing while simultaneously giving her poison in front of her, and then forced her to kill herself in self-defense.

However, judging from Lin Qingqing's expression in the video, I can deduce that she most likely did indeed poison the soup; the Ling family truly intends to tarnish my family's reputation in this way.

After hearing these words, Mu Qiuying looked dazed and blank, and asked:

"But why did you tell me?"

"Because I want you to make the choice; you decide which path to take."

Mu Qiuying closed her eyes, and after a long while, she opened them, her gaze clear:
"This is my own idea. When we were on the river, I was completely convinced by you and Miss Qin. I think you should become the Dragon King like the ancestors of the Qin and Liu families. In this way, the glory of my Mu family ancestors can be preserved."

This was also my grandmother's last wish.

Mu Qiuying kowtowed again, her forehead hitting the ground heavily with a "bang."
"Please, Patriarch, help me cleanse Mu Family Village!"

(End of this chapter)