Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 534

As soon as Hu Zi spoke, an invisible golden thread was released from Li Zhuiyuan's body and spread towards Hu Zi.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed this and took back the gold thread.

This is my first time acting as a Bodhisattva, so I have no experience.

Li Zhuiyuan is currently unsure whether this is an instinct inherent to the Bodhisattva's attainment or a lingering inertia left over from the previous Bodhisattva.

He didn't know whether Tiger's words were offensive or a prayer, but they had triggered something.

Li Zhuiyuan had no interest in becoming a Buddha statue to be enshrined and worshipped; he lived only one life and did not seek to live for eternity.

Based on the principle of pragmatism, once he got home, the boy would study this "fruit position" carefully, pruning away all the unnecessary branches and leaving only the useful trunk.

"Young Marquis Yuan!"

Cui Guiying was very happy to see Li Zhuiyuan. She couldn't help but scold Hu Zi. She wiped her hands on her clothes and went forward to cup Li Zhuiyuan's face in her hands.

Ah Li loosened her arms around the boy's neck and tried to get down, but Li Zhuiyuan glanced back and the girl pressed her face against the boy's shoulder again.

"Grandma, Ah Li twisted her ankle. I'll go back first and come to see you later."

"Not serious."

"It's not serious, you just need to rest."

"Grandma, let me carry you."

"No need, it's just a few steps, I have the strength."

"Okay, hurry back."

Cui Guiying turned around, grabbed two handfuls of the most expensive milk candies from the convenience store, spread them out for Aunt Zhang to roughly count, and then chased after her. She put one handful of milk candies into Li Zhuiyuan's pocket and the other handful into A Li's pocket.

"Go back quickly, Grandma is going to town to buy meat. Come home for dinner."

"Okay, milk."

When Cui Guiying returned to the shop, she took out her handkerchief and opened it to pay. She looked at the milk candy in the jar and then at Shi Tou and Hu Zi beside her.

Stone deliberately ignored the milk candy, while Tiger grinned and said, "Hey, can I have Yuanzi's spicy strips?"

The brothers were more concerned about inequality than scarcity, but they grew up eating things sent by Li Lan. In the past, whenever they met Yuanzi at the corner store, they would also get some things. In the eyes of the two brothers, Yuanzi was already an adult, so they didn't have any objections to their grandmother's favoritism towards him.

Cui Guiying grabbed another handful of milk candies and stuffed them into their hands: "Remember to share them with the children when you get back. Grandma will go to town later to buy some meat for you to eat."

Tiger refused, and Stone wouldn't take it either. Spicy strips were cheap, but they knew the milk candy was expensive, sold by the piece.

"Just one, take it. If you have more, the money for milk won't be enough to cut the meat."

Stone then licked his fingers, reached out and took the bag, and began counting to make the allocation in advance.

On the dam, Liu Yumei had been eagerly waiting.

The granddaughter had to be carried on Xiao Yuan's back, so her injuries must be quite serious.

Fortunately, the fact that the two children were able to walk back so leisurely means that everyone else is also fine, and they've probably all been taken to Big Beard's house to recover.

No matter how anxious she was, Liu Yumei could still hold the cup of tea in her hand with composure.

As the two children descended the village road and entered the path, Liu Yumei took a sip of tea to calm herself. But when she looked up again, she found herself unable to swallow the tea.

In her vision, the person carrying Ah Li on her back was Xiao Yuan one moment, and the person carrying Ah Li the next moment was just someone who looked like Xiao Yuan the next.

Liu Yumei's gaze narrowed slightly. The feng shui around Xiao Yuan appeared scattered, neither stripped away nor suppressed, but rather a kind of retreat that dared not approach.

To use a worldly phrase, it implies transcending the three realms and the five elements; its essence is a high degree of control over feng shui and cause and effect, like a boat sailing without getting wet.

They're almost home, so Xiao Yuan definitely won't use any feng shui techniques at this time.

Liu Yumei could only guess that Xiao Yuan had made a great breakthrough in the previous wave, but he had not yet consolidated his gains and could not control the new realm well.

Aunt Liu leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching her childhood sweetheart being carried on her back, while spitting sunflower seed shells at the iron plum wood horse in front of her.

She was well aware of the dangers of crossing the river, but the sight of her being helped back after the perilous journey made her even more envious.

We can manage to live our lives behind closed doors, but when we open the door, we can face the storms of life together.

Aunt Liu couldn't help but sigh, "No one taught them at all, yet the two children were able to skip so many detours."

Carrying Ah Li on my back is not tiring at all; on the contrary, it gives me a sense of security that my whole world is on my back.

"Aunt Liu, Uncle Qin, Grandma, we're back."

Ah Li's gaze followed the boy's greeting, passing over each person's face in turn, pausing for a moment at each one.

Uncle Qin made a gesture as if he wanted to accept the offer but was unsure whether he should.

Aunt Liu: "I'll go and brew the medicine, according to the prescription you gave me last time."

The family has a medicinal herb garden that Li Zhuiyuan and A Li have planted themselves, and the prescriptions were also written by Li Zhuiyuan himself. If Aunt Liu is only responsible for decocting the medicine, then the karmic backlash is negligible.

Liu Yumei: "It's good that you're back."

Li Zhuiyuan carried A Li into the east room and settled the girl on the bed.

Immediately afterwards, the boy picked up the girl's hiking bag and went to the bedroom on the south side, which was used as a storage room. He deliberately left the door to the north bedroom open so that the girl could see through the living room from her bed and watch him put the empty beverage cans from the bag into the storage box.

After doing all this, Li Zhuiyuan verbally said to A Li, "Go to sleep."

The girl obediently closed her eyes.

After leaving the east room, Li Zhuiyuan sat down next to Liu Yumei.

Grandma had poured tea in advance. The boy picked it up and took a sip. The aroma of the tea built a fence, blocking out the wind and rain. Only then could he finally feel like he was home.

Liu Yumei: "Are Zhuangzhuang and the others in the south?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

Next, Li Zhuiyuan recounted the events of the previous wave to Liu Yumei in a veiled manner.

Upon hearing the last part, Liu Yumei turned her head in disbelief to look at the boy sitting next to her.

Li Zhuiyuan prepared to get up and add water.

"Don't move, let Grandma take another good look."

The boy had no choice but to sit obediently.

There was no shock or fear in Liu Yumei's eyes. Born into a prestigious family and having weathered many storms, she had no prejudice against those high and mighty figures.

"Master of the house."

"Ok?"

"Please forgive my rudeness, Elder."

"it is good."

Liu Yumei put down her teacup, reached out and gently touched Li Zhuiyuan's face, then slightly lifted the boy's chin, carefully examining and scrutinizing him.

Even if a real Bodhisattva appeared before her, the old lady would not kneel down to worship, but it was truly strange, very interesting and amusing that her own child had become a Bodhisattva.

Uncle Qin sat in the kitchen, fanning the coal stove where medicine was being decocted.

"What is the mistress looking at?"

Aunt Liu arranged the pastries on a plate and asked in surprise, "Didn't you understand?"

Uncle Qin: "It sounds like Xiao Yuan has become a Bodhisattva?"

Aunt Liu: "Didn't you understand?"

Uncle Qin put his hand into the coal stove, blowing air to control the heat.

"Really?"

"Is it still fake?"

Uncle Qin withdrew his hand and brushed off the black ash.

"Hehehe."

"What are you giggling about?"

"The head of the Qin family has become a Bodhisattva."

Aunt Liu's lips tightened; she wanted to laugh too, it was like a martial artist who had mistakenly entered the wrong examination hall and won the top scholar title.

However, Aunt Liu still deliberately retorted:

"What's wrong with me, the head of the Liu family, casually studying Buddhism?"

Uncle Qin shook his head: "It just feels a bit unreal."

"Look at you, so easily frightened. It's no big deal."

Aunt Liu carried a tray, preparing to go out and deliver pastries.

Uncle Qin asked in confusion, "Weren't the offerings on the altar just changed this morning?"

Aunt Liu: "What offerings? I'm just giving these to Xiao Yuan and the others to tide them over..."

Aunt Liu fell silent halfway through her sentence.

She arranged the plates of pastries on the tray with remarkable neatness, as if by magic, and added a candle, making it look like she was going to a temple to offer incense and prayers.

Clearly, she felt a little unreal after eavesdropping on the stories on the dam, and subconsciously went to make offerings to the Bodhisattva.

Liu Yumei parted Li Zhuiyuan's lips and examined his teeth.

Li Sanjiang is not home right now.

Liu Yumei smiled and said, "Xiao Yuan, show your grandma what you're made of?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

If an ordinary elderly person knew about this, they would probably be unable to resist bowing and worshipping. But my elders are knowledgeable and experienced, and they want to see the Bodhisattva transform into a performer.

The boy's eyes were dignified, and a lotus mark appeared between his eyebrows, giving him a solemn and dignified appearance.

Liu Yumei's smile widened.

"Om."

The sword box under the bed in the east room was opened, and the sword flew out, pointing directly at Li Zhuiyuan.

Liu Yumei raised her hand to stop the sword.

The old lady took the sword off somewhat awkwardly and said, "It's beautiful, beautiful, and very photogenic."

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and looked at the sword.

When she sensed the approaching aura of the Bodhisattva, the old lady in the family's first instinctive reaction was to unleash murderous intent and want to kill Him!

"The array patterns inside this sword are worn out; it probably needs to be repaired."

Liu Yumei casually tossed the longsword into the flowerbed in front of the dam, and the blade instantly disappeared into the soil.

Then, Liu Yumei sat down, picked up her teacup, but the smile on her lips never stopped.

Buddhism is a major tradition in the martial arts world, and Qinglong Temple is comparable to the orthodox Dragon King's sect.

Although the monks at Qinglong Temple do not show the same respect to "Bodhisattvas" as ordinary believers, they still have to treat them with the respect due to disciples, at least out of politeness.

The thought of her son Xiaoyuan visiting Wangjiang Tower and the bald monk from Qinglong Temple having to bow to him first filled Liu Yumei with joy.

"Xiao Yuan, does anyone else know about this?"

"It won't spread."

The dead are masters of keeping secrets; neither the monks who died in the Zhenjun Temple nor the ghosts in the underworld would spread this matter.

Yayoi, on the other hand, would keep her mouth shut.

Even the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha would keep this a secret.

In other words, unless Li Zhuiyuan actively publicizes it, this matter will not be leaked in the martial arts world.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't possibly publicize it. He still needed to deal with Qinglong Temple, so keeping this trump card in reserve would bring great benefits later.

Furthermore, he is now just an empty shell of a Bodhisattva, having given all his Buddha-nature to Yayoi. Sun Baishen has left this world, and the one in the underworld has also lost his position. The young man can no longer easily borrow strength as before.

"The patriarch has his own plans; it was I who spoke out of turn."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Liu Yumei.

Liu Yumei pretended to drink tea to hide her smile.

"Grandma, I still feel a bit restricted."

"What about those elders?"

"Ah."

"The old folks are old after all. They haven't wasted so many years of their lives. It's inherently difficult to catch up with them quickly."

Aside from such empty talk, Liu Yumei couldn't say anything more. Should she encourage Xiao Yuan to be radical? Or should she remind him that haste makes waste? Neither was appropriate, nor was it realistic.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Because he was targeted by the Heavenly Dao, the only time he truly enjoyed the joy of a generational gap in strength was during the Yuxi wave, when each of his subordinates could be sent out to block another team.

Then, the Heavenly Dao began to increase its own strength. The wave from the Chen family in Qiongya was alright. The faceless man, the Heavenly Dao, and the spirit of the Chen family's Dragon King were fighting and restraining each other. It seemed that he had brought evil spirits from his home to visit, but in reality, he had only filled the last gap.

This time at Zhenjun Temple, they really ran into that old guy, and Li Zhuiyuan didn't like this kind of life-or-death struggle.

Next time, you might not encounter the Hollow One who can't fight, or the Xuanzhen who suddenly goes on defense and waits to catch the predator.

Therefore, it is imperative to provide a new round of training for our partners, even if it is a desperate measure.

Right now, the only clear direction for improving Lin Shuyou is...

Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, and A Li are still in the exploratory stage, mainly making small progress and improvements, which are not very significant.

Liu Yumei: "Xiaoyuan, Grandma will say it again: if you don't have the time, there are still people in the family who can help you."

Li Zhuiyuan: "If everyone in the family is gone, what's the point of racing against time?"

Liu Yumei: "What the head of the family says is true."

This way of chatting is versatile and can be used both offensively and defensively, and Grandma Liu is becoming more and more proficient at it.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Grandma, I'm going upstairs to take a shower first. I'm going to Grandpa's house for dinner later."

Liu Yumei: "Alright, Xiaoyuan, you go ahead. Your great-grandfather has gone to the West Pavilion for meditation. He'll probably stay at your Uncle Shan's house tonight. Even if he comes back, he'll be drunk and it'll be very late."

Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs, took a shower, and changed his clothes.

As she came downstairs, Aunt Liu brought over a basket:
"I'll bring Ah Li's medicine over to her later."

"Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Liu."

"You flatter me, Bodhisattva."

Li Zhuiyuan smiled, took the basket and walked down the dam. The basket contained homemade salted duck eggs, snacks and some daily necessities.

Grandpa and Grandma would certainly prefer to skip to dinner empty-handed, but the family still runs a "daycare" after all. Even though the older children have already graduated, there are still a bunch of younger children in school. In addition, Auntie San is about to give birth, and Auntie Si is pregnant again, so there is plenty of room for children.

Liu Yumei: "I think you're asking for a beating again, aren't you?"

Aunt Liu: "Oh dear, I just slipped my tongue. Unlike you, other old ladies burn incense and kowtow to the Bodhisattva all day long, praying for blessings. But you, old lady, are all over the place, pinching and kneading the Bodhisattva."

Liu Yumei: "Are you asking for a beating?"

Aunt Liu patted her face: "If you want to hit me, do you think I won't obediently take it? I'm just afraid that your hands are used to touching the Bodhisattva and will find my mortal skin uncomfortable."

Liu Yumei: "You're only good at talking to me. I think that's all you're capable of. All you've managed to do so far is take a walk in the dark at night. If you're so capable, why don't you make your own wooden husband carry you around?"

Aunt Liu: "That won't do, the log will only roll."

Uncle Qin came out of the kitchen carrying the medicine and replied, "Yes, there's not much firewood left behind the stove. I'll chop some more this afternoon."

Aunt Liu: "Get out!"

Since it was still early before dinner, Li Zhuiyuan went to Big Beard's house on the way.

It's normal that Luo Xiaoyu hasn't returned yet; but it's a bit unusual that Chen Xiyuan hasn't returned either.

Sister Chen always cuts through the mess quickly, and the river is very accommodating, deliberately tying up the mess for her to cut.

This wave has actually taken so long?

Recalling Chen Xiyuan's resentment before setting off, Li Zhuiyuan suspected that if this wave wasn't exceptionally difficult, then it was because Sister Chen deliberately dug out a side story in this wave so that the training course wouldn't be in vain, and she was determined to find the Buddhist temple in Huangguoshu Waterfall.

To Li Zhuiyuan's surprise, the bearded man's house actually had guests.

The bearded man's family is considered an outer member of the Dragon King's faction, residing outside the main gate. Apart from Zhao Yi, who can come uninvited, no other team has the right to do so.

Elder Sun had long wanted to bring his granddaughter over, but he dared not mention it.

Xiao Yingying was sitting on the dam making paper offerings. Beside her was Bai Nuo, who had two pigtails.

One was dead, and the other was the White Family Goddess; their yin energies were compatible.

Bai Nuo was holding a water pipe in his hands, puffing out smoke.

Not far away, there was a crib that Benben used to use, and Clown Girl was lying on it.

The person sitting next to the baby crib, rocking it, is Master Sun.

Master Sun's expression was a mixture of relief and bitterness.

He was pleased to see Benben leading Xiao Hei to plant each flag with extreme precision below the dam, but bitterly, he was leading his granddaughter's future rival in love.

Benben has a special fondness for Clown Girl.

At such a young age, being precocious doesn't mean the kind of precociousness adults often perceive. Rather, it means that a child who is exceptionally intelligent from a young age feels a strong sense of curiosity and fulfillment when seeing a clumsy child.

After Li Zhuiyuan and the others went to Zhoushan, one day, Benben quietly took Xiao Hei away from the village to the city to find Xiaochou Mei.

Benben didn't know how to transfer to the bus, and he didn't dare ask anyone, afraid that if he did, people would see him running around like such a small child and take him to the police station. So he relied on Xiao Hei's dog nose, following the scent as he went.

It takes quite a long time to drive from the countryside to the city, and even longer to walk, let alone by dog.

To prevent Xiao Hei's paws from getting worn out, Benben even put gloves on Xiao Hei's four paws.

With food and water in their small backpacks, the child and the dog set off.

Luo Xiaoyu wasn't home, so Benben missed half a day of class. He skipped Master Sun's class for the other half of the day without being discovered because it rained the night before last, and Benben deliberately left a footprint leading to the peach grove.

When Master Sun saw this, he assumed that Benben had been called inside by the person in the peach grove, so he didn't dare to urge him.

Finally, it wasn't until she was about to attend evening self-study that Xiao Yingying discovered her child was missing.

Xiong Shan and Li Hua said it was nothing, and that the child was probably playing at home over there.

After going there to ask and finding out that she wasn't there, Xiao Yingying started searching frantically throughout the village.

Xiong Shan and Li Hua went to bed early.

They didn't think anything would happen to their child. This was Nantong, after all. With this peach orchard right outside their door, what human trafficker would dare to kidnap their own son?
Master Sun also went to bed early.

Because he set up a formation and sat in it to deduce the child's position, he found that the child's fate was extraordinary. Master Sun was only skilled in formations but not in divination, and he fainted from the calculation.

It was only when the Bai family's funeral clothing shop called that I found out where Benben had gone.

Big White Rat drove a karaoke motorcycle to bring Benben back. As soon as they got home, Xiao Yingying picked Benben up and spanked him. The accomplice, Xiao Hei, was so scared that he ran back to Li Sanjiang's house.

However, the family still doted on Benben. Since Xue Liangliang wasn't home at the Bai family's funeral shop, they were eager to send the child there frequently. Bai Zhilan's identity wasn't suitable, so they had Bai Nuo bring Xiaochou Mei over every few days, since Bai Nuo at least looked like a child.

In order to allow his future grandson-in-law to focus on learning formations, and also to prevent him from running away again, Master Sun had no choice but to accept the existence of the clown girl.

With Clown Girl around, Benben is more motivated to study. After quickly finishing a lesson, he immediately runs back to the dam to tease Clown Girl.

As Li Zhuiyuan walked onto the dam, Bai Nuo had just inhaled a puff of smoke when he saw the boy and immediately swallowed the smoke.

She put down her water pipe, stood up, clasped her hands in front of her, and bowed her head to Li Zhuiyuan.

Xiao Yingying put down her work, pushed out her tricycle, and went to town to buy wine.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the crib and glanced at the clown girl.

The clown girl has gained some weight, she's not as dark-skinned or ugly anymore, but to say she's fair-skinned and pretty would be quite a lie.

Right now, she was sticking her feet up and sucking her fingers, the bells on her feet making a crisp sound. When she saw Li Zhuiyuan, she just glanced at him and continued to focus on sucking her fingers.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's lips.

Stupid kids are common, but those who are stupid in such a pure way are rare.

Growing up in this way, Clown Girl was the kind of child who was a bit scatterbrained, but listened attentively in class, yet her eyes showed no trace of being corrupted by knowledge.

She has absolutely no guile, is always cheerful, and can't hide or conceal even the slightest thought.

Li Zhuiyuan could empathize with Benben's feelings for the clown girl. He had just returned from his trip and seeing his "god-daughter" was quite stress-relieving.

Master Sun stood by with his hands clasped, finally mustering up the courage to feign a speechless expression.

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head.

Old Tian came out and reported, "Master Li, I've applied medicine to them and settled them in."

"Hard."

"Master Li, you're too kind."

Li Zhuiyuan walked down the dam and headed towards the peach grove.

When Benben saw Li Zhuiyuan, he was so scared that he stood there and dared not move. Xiao Hei also curled up his tail guiltily.

A child and a dog, both afraid that what they did while the "patriarch" was not at home would be reported.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't intend to reprimand them; he simply waved his finger, changed a formation flag, and tested Benben's formation skills.

Then, Benben and Xiaohei started spinning around in the formation.

When Master Sun, who was standing on the dam, saw this scene, his mouth dropped open. This move was simply turning decay into magic.

Li Zhuiyuan walked into the peach grove.

Qing'an lay by the pool, basking in the sun, with half of her hair submerged in the water.

Li Zhuiyuan had long felt that Qing'an was a good place to open a photography studio; he was really good at striking that dashing and debonair pose.

Li Zhuiyuan walked closer, sat down, and asked:
"Washing your hair?"

Qing An raised his hand and pointed at the boy: "The last time I struck this pose, Wei Zhengdao brought me a piece of soap."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Now everyone uses shampoo."

Qing'an: "This appetizer is quite good; it's already getting me into the mood for wine."

Li Zhuiyuan: "This is not the appetizer I had planned."

Qing An: "I know, you don't need to explain further."

Li Zhuiyuan: "But to explain, an appetizer can be even more effective."

Qing'an: "Indeed."

Li Zhuiyuan recounted the events of the previous wave to Qing'an.

After finishing speaking, Qing'an remained silent for a long time before slowly saying:

“I remember when you went to Zhenjun Temple last time, you told me that Sun Baishen asked you whether Wei Zhengdao was dead or not.”

"Ah."

"Anyone who cares whether Wei Zhengdao is dead or alive would not be willing to live a life of ignominy."

"I guessed, but I'm not sure; people can change."

"He has indeed changed."

"But I think he may not have changed."

Wei Zhengdao said that he should not raise animals as humans. Another meaning of this statement is that if you want to raise them as humans, you can, but you have to set limits and think about your own future and the future of the monkeys.

Sun Baishen's mistake was that he clearly followed the path of contemporary Buddhism, yet he worshipped the Buddha of all ages.

"This statement deserves a hearty toast."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, preparing to leave.

Qing'an: "That's it?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Is that enough?"

Qing An: "It's not bad, the alcohol is strong, but it's like it's missing a spark, not quite enough to fully enjoy it. Never mind, you can go now."

Li Zhuiyuan walked out, and when he reached a peach tree, the boy stopped and turned around.

Setting down the basket, Li Zhuiyuan clasped his hands together and solemnly addressed Qing'an Faxiang:
"Amitabha."

Immediately afterwards, Li Zhuiyuan picked up the basket and left the peach grove.

After a brief silence behind me, laughter broke out:

"Hahahahahaha!"

The essence of the wine in the wine jars on the altar in the dam was quickly extracted and flowed into the peach grove.

Old Tian and Master Sun hurriedly replaced the wine jars and told Bai Nuo to go outside and see if Xiao Yingying had returned with the wine, as the stock was running low.

Li Zhuiyuan snapped his fingers.

"Snapped!"

Benben stopped spinning around and sat down on the ground with a thud, seemingly out of it.

Xiao Hei bit the dog's tail in its mouth, and the dog's eyes rolled back.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over to Benben and said, "You can do what you want to do, but you have to do it well."

Benben nodded, feeling a bit dizzy.

When they arrived at Grandpa and Grandma's house, Cui Guiying scolded Li Zhuiyuan for bringing things over. Li Zhuiyuan replied that he was earning money now and received a stipend.

The sound of a boat docking came from behind the house; it was Li Weihan returning in his boat, having just caught a few fish.

Li Zhuiyuan went to the back of the house to help take things away.

Li Weihan immediately bent down and raised his hand: "Young Marquis Yuan, no, don't come over, stand on the shore, don't get on the boat!"

Some things, even though the people involved have long since moved on, leave a lasting shadow in the hearts of their elders.

The meal was plentiful, with both fish and meat.

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan listened to Cui Guiying tell him what Li Lan had recently sent over, lit a cigarette for Li Weihan, and casually slipped the two packs of cigarettes he had bought from Aunt Zhang's shop into his grandfather's pocket.

Grandpa usually smokes hookah, but Great-Grandpa smokes a higher grade of cigarettes. Even if Grandpa had them, he wouldn't smoke them, and he wouldn't even open a whole carton of cigarettes.

Li Weihan patted his pockets happily, showing off to Cui Guiying.

Cui Guiying took out two bottles of white vinegar and several bags of locally made ginger candy from the basket. The white vinegar was for soaking and moisturizing her hands, and the ginger candy was a favorite snack of local rural women.

Li Weihan: "Our little Yuanhou is great."

Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the refrigerator at home: "Brother Pan and Brother Lei are the best."

Li Weihan wiped the corner of his eye with his fingertip and laughed, "They were raised by your grandmother and me since they were little. You, Little Marquis, have only eaten my food for a few days."

Li Zhuiyuan: "They are all grandparents, they are all the same."

After leaving his grandparents' house, Li Zhuiyuan, carrying an empty basket, walked home when he heard a familiar voice calling from afar:
"Young Marquis Yuan!"

Looking up, I saw Li Sanjiang riding a tricycle.

"Master!"

Everyone was injured when they came back this time, so they didn't inform the old man in advance like they used to. The old man called back to tell Uncle Qin to send paper offerings, and that's how he learned from Aunt Zhang that his little Marquis Yuan had returned. Li Sanjiang immediately rode his bicycle back from Xiting.

Li Zhuiyuan got into the tricycle. After his great-grandfather took him home, he rode back to Xitingli without stopping. He still had to take care of the vegetarian feast there. He made a special trip back and forth from so far away because he was eager to see his great-grandson.

In the afternoon, Li Zhuiyuan planned to repair the tools he had on hand.

As a result, the boy stared blankly at the dragon-patterned compass, talisman armor, and evil book laid out in front of him.

He can't repair a compass.

The perfectly good Chen family's superior compass, after being repaired by myself, is now crooked.

As the name suggests, the talisman armor requires the integration of talisman-drawing skills. Right now, it's just worn out, but after I repair it, it will probably be unusable.

Even if Li Zhuiyuan cleaned up the Buddhist paper on every page of a heretical book, A-Li would still check it again afterward.

This is her and A-Li's "recognition of master" process. It is true that it is afraid of A-Li, but just like how it wasted her in the past, if it wants her to comfortably recognize and serve A-Li, there must be a stage where it is wasted by A-Li herself.

This process cannot be skipped, otherwise the evil book will feel very uncomfortable. If you don't torture and torment me, you are disrespecting me.

That's why the woman in the evil book repeatedly displayed "provocative" scenes. Of course, she knew that such childish tricks could not fool Li Zhuiyuan. She was provoking A Li, as if she was deliberately jumping back and forth on the red line, shouting: Come and deal with me! Come and deal with me!
In a way, this is also a form of recognition of Ah Li by the evil book.

The embarrassing thing is that these things on the table really couldn't be fixed without Ah Li.

Li Zhuiyuan could only hold the black Bodhi fruit in his hand and play with it. He had used the evil dragon too much and it was too weak at the moment.

It can enter Li Zhuiyuan's body and use the boy's soul to accelerate recovery. That's what it's done before. Anyway, the boy's soul is profound, so it doesn't matter if it's nurtured.

But now it has a "physical body" and is locked inside this Bodhi fruit. It needs to recover to a certain stage before it can dissolve the Bodhi fruit and return to the boy's body.

Otherwise, Li Zhuiyuan would have had to dig such a large hole in his own body and stuff it inside.

Well, with my ordinary body, I didn't even suffer such serious injuries after going through a whole wave.

As for the True Lord weapons he brought back, they are still at Big Beard's house. Li Zhuiyuan did not retrieve them. The kiln was built, and the underground furnace was ready to use, but without the help of his companions, Li Zhuiyuan could not start the fire himself.

The young man had no choice but to take out the "Secret Scroll of Tracing Ancestral Roots" and write down his summary and insights from the previous wave.

Then, he took out another notebook, pinched out golden threads with his left hand and wrote and drew on the notebook with his right hand, trying to deduce a way to help his partners improve in the next round.

There are ways to improve, and Li Zhuiyuan never lacks shortcuts and crooked paths to quick success. The difficulty lies in combining them with one's current conditions and controlling the risks.

Li Zhuiyuan nominally owns two Dragon King ancestral homes, but in reality, he only controls a Taoist temple and a furnace; all other resources and materials are accessories for these two.

The boy came up with a plan to improve Runsheng's life.

The pen tip quickly sketched on the paper, and soon, first a furnace appeared on the paper, and then Runsheng stood in the furnace.

Could you perhaps refine Runsheng?
Melt, purify, compress, and seal the deathly aura within Runsheng's body.

In this way, although Runsheng's tendency to collapse has not been changed, it is equivalent to adding a switch. When the valve is closed, Runsheng can be closer to a normal person, and he may not need to smell the aroma when eating. When the valve is opened, his tendency to collapse will be manifested in a more refined and powerful way.

The melting pot is an objective condition; before it is built, it is just empty talk. Even if it had been built before the last wave began, it would not have been feasible. Now that Li Zhuiyuan's red line has become a gold line, there is a stronger ability to predict and control, which makes all of this half possible.

The reason it's only half is because Runsheng is completely unfamiliar with formations and needs someone to stand in the furnace with him to guide and assist him.

At that time, Li Zhuiyuan will have to stand on the outside and control the entire furnace array, which is of utmost importance; although he has a main body and can multitask, the main body is inside his body, and he cannot be two separate people from the main body.

Even if he could become two people, given his physical condition, if he entered the activated furnace, he would probably be burned to ashes in an instant.

Therefore, we need to find someone who is proficient in formations and has thick skin and can withstand fire.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze fell on the crack of the door between life and death, which was placed on the table as a temporary pen holder.

Isn't that a coincidence?

The image of going through fire and water is suddenly vividly embodied.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the golden thread he had pinched with his left hand. The young man felt that the golden thread was the result of a higher level of deduction ability.

Otherwise, it means that subconsciously, one treats Zhao Yi as a prerequisite resource that must be utilized, and uses whatever one has on hand, making a fuss over nothing for the sake of Zhao Yi.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the seam between the bones and the gate of life and death and examined it closely.

"A crack in the door between life and death at maturity should be enough to move you, right?"

Without this innate talent, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't specifically measure its value. He only knew that it was definitely very valuable to someone born with the ability to navigate the gap between life and death, but how much more valuable was unknown.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up his mobile phone, dialed Zhao Yi's number, hung up, and then put the phone back on his desk.

If Zhao Yi were in Lushan instead of on the river right now, he would come down the mountain and call back in no time.

However, the young man will assume that Runsheng's plan has been finalized for now.

All that's left now are Tan Wenbin and A Li.

Li Zhuiyuan crossed out A Li's name.

Ah Li encountered the problem of needing to improve her strength because she was a minor and accompanied him on his journey across the river. In any normal era, Ah Li would be absolutely outstanding.

One's own path requires attaining the Bodhisattva level to achieve a new round of qualitative change, which illustrates just how difficult it is to continue developing upwards on this path.

Moreover, Ari's logistical support capabilities are already enormous.

Binbin-ge.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the gold thread again and began to deduce.

Runsheng has a constitution that makes him prone to dying, and he can also learn from Uncle Qin's model; Lin Shuyou came with the official and general leadership system when he joined, and his subsequent improvements were based on this.

Binbin is different. He comes from an ordinary background. Although he has built up his skills step by step, his abilities have also improved. But even Li Zhuiyuan, the designer of all this, is struggling with such a complex structure.

If it can't be demolished and rebuilt, it would mean that Binbin would end up like Lao Tiantou, "retiring" at home. Even if he wanted to, Binbin wouldn't.

But if he wants to move up further, it will be too difficult for Binbin. He may very well remain at this level of ability forever, watching the gap between himself and his partners widen.

If any other force in the martial arts world knew Li Zhuiyuan's current predicament, they would probably feel a mix of emotions.

How could a problem student who used to only know how to read comics and fight not be satisfied with such strength in a short period of time?

Li Zhuiyuan turned to a new page and drew a sketch of the "Five Senses Seal Diagram" on it.

If we want Binbin to also get the next round of improvement, the most feasible solution is to personally modify and improve the "Five Senses Seal Diagram".

Even just thinking about it makes you realize how difficult this is; this is a seal created by Wei Zhengdao.

Excitement shone in Li Zhuiyuan's eyes:
"Let me see how much I still differ from you back then in this respect?"

dusk.

"Dinner's ready!"

After taking her medicine in the afternoon, Ah Li went back to sleep and didn't get up for dinner.

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan turned off the lights and went to bed early. He still had energy, but the primal fatigue from the long journey needed to be relieved.

"Squeak..."

The door to the east room was pushed open, and Ah Li came out.

Liu Yumei thought her granddaughter was going to see Xiaoyuan. She was about to remind her granddaughter that the lights on the second floor were off when she saw that her granddaughter did not go to the main house, but instead went to the back of the house.

At first, Liu Yumei thought it was a division of labor agreed upon by her granddaughter and Xiao Yuan, and that she had something to do at the temple, so she didn't take it seriously.

Although the child is still young, he has already been taken care of by the river.

Other parents who peek at their children's diaries at most make their children angry, but she would spit blood if she peeked at the frame of a picture book.

But when Ah Li returned to the east room and stepped across the threshold late at night, Liu Yumei, who was still lying in bed waiting for her granddaughter and hadn't fallen asleep yet, suddenly turned her head and looked at Ah Li.

She sensed a peculiar aura, which was deliberately concealed, clearly not wanting to be discovered. It could fool others, but it couldn't fool her.

This aura only appears during a specific stage for the Qin family. When Ali's body had just fully grown and he received instruction in the "Qin Family Observing Dragon Method," this aura was very strong. It was the initial scent of blood and qi as he began to refine his physique and develop his body.

Ah Li's hair was wet, and her hands were also wet, as if she had finished doing crafts at the dojo and washed her hands and face. She smiled at her grandmother, meaning that she wanted to change her clothes and continue sleeping.

Liu Yumei sat up, looking at her granddaughter with a complex expression—a mixture of heartache, understanding, and helplessness. After a long silence, she finally asked:
"Ah Li, you've started practicing martial arts?"

(End of this chapter)