Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 535

Liu Yumei stood up, walked to her granddaughter, and placed her hand on her granddaughter's shoulder.

The first exploration yielded nothing.

Before the second investigation, Liu Yumei's palm trembled, and A Li's body shuddered.

Liu Yumei noticed the signs of physical conditioning.

The reason she failed the first time was because Ah Li used the Qi of the Liu family to open the body-refining method of the Qin family.

The advantage of doing this is that it allows for extreme precision from the very beginning, resulting in better outcomes and less time, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

In addition, it can cover up the traces of martial arts training. Unless you personally take action or your body reacts instinctively when you are caught off guard by an attack, you can't tell at all.

Liu Yumei believes that the latter is the main reason why her granddaughter did this.

She didn't want Xiao Yuan to know that her granddaughter had started practicing martial arts.

Liu Yumei closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

Warriors are divided into two categories.

One aspect is the understanding and appreciation of techniques, breathing, body movements, and artistic conception; the other aspect is the refinement and improvement of the body.

The two complement each other and do not conflict.

However, under normal circumstances, physical development requires waiting until the body is fully developed, that is, reaching adulthood in terms of physical age.

Therefore, unless they take a crooked path, such as becoming demonic or evil, or even monsters, orthodox martial artists will wait until their bodies are fully developed before undergoing training.

If it is done ahead of schedule, firstly, it will affect physical development, and secondly... it will greatly weaken the realization of one's talent.

The former isn't a major problem; there are many ways to remedy it. The latter, however, is truly fatal, equivalent to lowering one's ceiling and killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

What Ah Li is doing now is exactly this kind of thing.

In Liu Yumei's eyes, her granddaughter is not a standard seed of the Dragon King, but a standard template of the Dragon King.

By focusing on improving her physique now, she's essentially lowering her future potential, bringing her down to Ali's current level.

It seems good, but it's actually a great pity.

Liu Yumei gently stroked her granddaughter's face.

Ah Li started practicing martial arts in advance so that she could better help Xiao Yuan.

The old lady felt no resentment towards her granddaughter, nor did she feel any dissatisfaction towards Xiao Yuan.

Serving as the protector of the family head is the duty of every member of the Qin Liu Clan; they would even give up their lives for it, let alone their talents.

Moreover, Liu Yumei had long known that Xiao Yuan's journey across the river was unusual.

The children are already very strong at this stage, but they face far greater challenges than ever before, and they desperately need to become even stronger.

During a tea session with himself during the day, Xiao Yuan revealed the difficulties and helplessness he felt in dealing with the old gangsters.

If given a choice, Xiao Yuan should have been the one to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, but he didn't. It wasn't because he was unwilling, but because he couldn't.

"You don't want him to know, right?"

Ah Li nodded.

I don't want him to feel guilty, and I'm even more afraid that he'll stop me.

Liu Yumei spread her hands.

"Buzz!"

In the flowerbed in front of the dam, a long sword flew out and landed in Liu Yumei's palm. Liu Yumei hung the sword on the wall, flicked the blade with her fingertip, and it made a crisp sound.

Ah Li understood and walked up to the longsword.

The lingering sword energy began to cut away the remaining blood essence from the girl's body.

Ah Li's eyelashes trembled slightly.

It was excruciating, like being skinned and cut by a sharp instrument, but she still stood there steadfastly.

For Liu Yumei, this was not helping the child cultivate himself, but rather like inflicting torture on him.

After hone her body each night, Ah Li only needed to rely on her own sword to endure the pain, and even someone as clever as Xiao Yuan would not be able to detect it.

After removing all traces of blood and odor, Liu Yumei brought out clothes and changed her granddaughter.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll say I have trouble sleeping at night and ask Ali to prepare a hot bath for me every night. I'll just make do tonight and go to sleep first. I'll take a bath when I'm getting ready tomorrow morning."

A smile appeared on Ah Li's face as she lay down on the bed.

Liu Yumei walked to the offering table and looked at Qin Laogou's memorial tablet.

Back then, she gave up the opportunity to walk across the river with a lantern for him.

They never expected that their granddaughter would do something of the same nature.

Do you regret it?
Suddenly, all the clutter and gloom in my heart vanished.

Liu Yumei turned her head and looked at A Li, who was lying obediently on the bed with her eyes closed and sleeping. A smile appeared on her lips.

The old lady immediately empathized with her granddaughter's current state of mind, looking at her granddaughter as if she were looking at her younger self.

"Grandma has never regretted it to this day."

Liu Yumei walked to the bedside, lay down next to A-Li, and asked:

“Ah Li, since you’re practicing martial arts, you should also practice swordsmanship. It looks better for girls to use swords.”

Ah Li closed her eyes and made hand seals.

"Kachacha..."

The blood-stained porcelain bottle placed on the offering table first shattered, and then coalesced into a sword with a broken beauty.

……

The morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the bed. Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes and looked at the drawing table in front of him.

Ah Li sat there, cleaning up the evil books.

Ok?
Li Zhuiyuan felt that A Li seemed to have changed a little this morning, but he couldn't see the specific changes; it was just a feeling.

The boy got out of bed and walked up to the girl. The girl looked at the boy, and their eyes met. A sweet smile appeared on the girl's lips.

Li Zhuiyuan did something that spoiled the mood: he placed his hand on the girl's wrist and took her pulse.

no problem.

Golden threads were released from Li Zhuiyuan's fingertips and wrapped around the girl's wrist.

The deficit left by the overdraft and backlash in the Zhenjun Temple is gradually recovering due to taking medicine and resting, and there are no problems.

The girl winked at the boy.

"Ah Li, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

The girl shook her head.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up his washbasin and went out to wash up. When he passed the terrace, he saw Grandma Liu sitting on the dam, drinking tea.

After washing up, the boy didn't rush back to his room but went downstairs instead.

A ripple spread across the tea in Liu Yumei's cup.

So, it's been discovered?
"Good morning, Grandma."

Good morning, Xiao Yuan.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't mince words and asked directly, "Grandma, have you noticed any changes in A-Li?"

"What changes?"

"I don't know either, so I came to ask you, Grandma."

"Is it different from yesterday?"

“I do feel that way.”

"Girls change a lot as they grow up. Although Ah Li is the same age as you, girls naturally develop earlier than boys."

"I see."

"I need to adjust the measurements for the clothes I designed for Ali. Hmm, before the New Year, I'll try to get each of you a winter coat."

"Thank you grandma."

Li Zhuiyuan went back upstairs.

Liu Yumei put down her teacup.

Sigh, you can hide the details, but you can't hide your feelings.

Fortunately, Xiao Yuan will definitely know when the next wave comes. If he doesn't know about the next wave, it means that the next wave will be calm and peaceful.

In short, let's keep this a secret for now. Once it's too late, even if Xiao Yuan wanted to stop it, it would be too late.

"Time for breakfast."

Aunt Liu's voice rang out right on time.

A response came from the village road:
"Did I catch up?"

Aunt Liu, who was setting out the dishes, suddenly felt a pang of unease. Oh no, she had made too few pots.

Chen Xiyuan ran over quickly.

If she weren't worried about Grandpa Li seeing this at home, she would even have considered using the domain acceleration feature.

"Sister!"

Upon arriving at the dam, Chen Xiyuan first hugged Aunt Liu and asked nervously:
"Sister, has the food for me been prepared?"

"The stove is still on."

"Hehe, you're so kind, sister."

"What's wrong with your face?"

A golden scar appeared on Chen Xiyuan's left cheek. From a distance, it looked like she had applied a smear of golden powder to her face.

"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

It's a minor injury, but it clearly carries some kind of residual substance, which seems to cause problems with recovery. In short, it may never fully heal.

"I'm hungry, sister, I'm so hungry."

Chen Xiyuan was partly unwilling to let Aunt Liu worry about her, and partly because she was truly hungry.

Aunt Liu didn't say anything more, went into the kitchen, and added cakes and snacks.

Chen Xiyuan faced Liu Yumei, becoming slightly more reserved but not distant, and called out:

"Old lady!"

Liu Yumei: "You're disfigured."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiyuan pouted.

Liu Yumei liked this eldest girl quite a bit. Even after what happened with Chen Pingdao, she didn't do anything to her. Besides, that matter is now over.

The scar bears the pure power of Buddhism; to heal it, a virtuous and eminent monk must intervene. Well, such monks are hard to find; fortunately, we have a Bodhisattva statue at home.

Liu Yumei didn't mind teasing the young girl a bit more:
"What should I do? This will scare away my future partner."

Chen Xiyuan said nonchalantly, "Hey, it's no big deal, as long as my little brother doesn't mind."

Liu Yumei: "..."

Miss Chen had never considered romance; she was content as long as the younger man didn't find her ugly and was willing to continue playing with her.

Liu Yumei knew that the girl didn't mean it that way, but this only made her more speechless.

Li Sanjiang returned from his vegetarian retreat last night, drank some wine, and is still asleep, so he didn't come down for breakfast.

Li Zhuiyuan led A Li down the stairs, his gaze sweeping over the golden scar on Chen Xiyuan's face.

It's confirmed. Sister Chen really did dig three feet into the ground to find that bald monk and go fight him.

Those who can leave behind such pure Buddhist power are definitely not ordinary Buddhists.

After finishing his breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan put down his chopsticks and said to Chen Xiyuan:

"Come up here with me for a moment, let me take a look at your injury."

Chen Xiyuan was focused on eating a bowl of wonton noodles when she shook her head and said:

"Even after I've eaten my fill, I'm still not full."

For Sister Chen, the allure of delicious food was more important than the scars on her face.

Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs first; he still needed to continue working on the "Five Senses Sealing Diagram".

Ah Li went to the east room alone to select materials for repairing the memorial tablets.

Liu Yumei got up and followed them back to the east room, closing the door behind them.

Ah Li stood in front of the offering table, picked up a pastry, and put it in her mouth.

Liu Yumei stood behind, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Grandma is craving something sweet. From now on, have A-Ting double the variety and quantity of the food offered, and add a late-night snack every night."

After Ah Li finished eating, she picked up the memorial tablet she had chosen and prepared to leave. Liu Yumei stopped her, picked up a pinch of tea leaves with her fingertips, and brought it to the girl's lips.

"Chew it dry to remove the taste. Xiao Yuan is meticulous, so we can't be careless."

The girl chewed on her tea leaves, smiled at her grandmother, and left.

This kind of unconditional pampering is probably something only Liu Yumei could do, just like how Liu Qingcheng pampered her back then.

Liu Yumei sighed, sat down beside the offering table, and the smile on her face gradually faded.

The two ancestral homes contain countless rare and precious materials, and the Qin family's ancestral home even has special equipment to hone the physique of each generation of outstanding descendants of the Qin family.

Unfortunately, Ah Li couldn't use any of these things and could only get nutrition by eating more ordinary food.

In the past, Liu Yumei often lamented that Xiao Yuan wandered the river like a hermit, and now, she has another granddaughter.

Looking at the ancestral tablets of the Dragon King filling the offering table, Liu Yumei sighed and rubbed her forehead.
"Oh dear, what a tragedy!"

On the dam, Chen Xiyuan finally put down her chopsticks and called out, "Sister, I'm full, you don't need to cook anymore."

“There’s nothing left to cook at home. I’ve already asked your Uncle Qin to go to town to buy some. Otherwise, when your Uncle Li wakes up later, he might think there’s been a disaster at home because there’s no breakfast.”

"Hey hey hey."

Chen Xiyuan picked up her flute, preparing to go to the peach grove to play a tune to aid digestion.

Aunt Liu reminded him, "Have you forgotten what Xiao Yuan told you?"

"Oh, right, I have to go up there."

Chen Xiyuan enjoys spending time with her younger brother, but doesn't like being in that room.

The little boy sits at the desk, and the little girl sits at the drawing table. Both of them are focused on doing their work, which makes her seem rather dull.

Aunt Liu shook her head and started clearing away the dishes.

Chen Xiyuan, who had just run upstairs, ran back down, picked up her hiking backpack, and ran back upstairs.

"Little brother." Pushing open the door, Chen Xiyuan happily opened her hiking backpack. "Look what gift I brought you back, ta-da!"

Chen Xiyuan took out a simple, old-fashioned kasaya with holes from her bag.

This kasaya is quite unusual; each compartment contains a small array, and the lines exude an aura of restriction.

"Sigh, it's all that old bald monk's fault. He was hiding in this robe, and I tried many times but couldn't force him out. In the end, I could only damage the robe a bit, but... it should be mendable, right, little sister?"

Ah Li released the pestle, took the cassock, inspected it, and nodded.

"That's fine, that's fine."

"How did you get it?"

"Hmm, he's a nominal disciple of an outer sect lay disciple of that temple. He tricked an old man with cataracts by saying he was possessed by something evil and sold him talisman water for money."

I arrested him and went to find his lay disciples, masters, outer disciples, inner disciples... demanding an explanation. But they all acted arrogantly, so I beat them up one by one, finally reaching the abbot of that temple and forcing him to personally apologize and promise to discipline the conduct of his disciples' disciples' disciples' disciples.

Chen Xiyuan was clearly there to cause trouble, but she showed improvement and understood procedural justice.

That temple should be thankful; Miss Chen only wanted to fight the monks. In the world of martial arts, big fish eat small fish and directly devour your inheritance—this happens every day.

"Thank you."

“Little brother, look, this time I killed an evil spirit in Huangguoshu Waterfall, and my domain has changed again.”

With that, Chen Xiyuan opened the domain.

Her domain has long since transformed from its initial emptiness and purity into a landscape adorned with clouds, thunder, and rainbows. Now, the clouds flow downwards, the thunder roars, and the rainbows hang high, all converging into a continuous, dynamic waterfall.

This means that Chen Xiyuan gained new insights in the previous wave, and her domain also received a new upgrade.

"very nice."

"It's a bit noisy," Chen Xiyuan pointed to her ears. "When I sleep, it feels like I'm lying next to a waterfall."

"When the mind is still, it stops."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiyuan suddenly realized something.

Soon, the sound of the waterfall in the domain subsided.

Chen Xiyuan interrupted her sudden realization and said happily, "Little brother, your method is really useful! I'll try it again tonight before I go to sleep and see if I can adjust it to be even smaller."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Come closer, I'll remove your scars."

"Little brother, you can do all of this? Oh, right, little brother, you can do everything."

Li Zhuiyuan sat in the chair, and Chen Xiyuan bent down and brought her face close to his.

A lotus mark appeared between the boy's eyebrows, giving him a solemn and dignified appearance.

Chen Xiyuan's eyes widened, and she backed away to sit on the ground.

"Little brother, what's wrong with you...?"

"Buddha."

"true or false?"

"real."

Chen Xiyuan raised her hand, eager to try and touch it.

Li Zhuiyuan's eyes flashed with anger.

Chen Xiyuan immediately withdrew her hand and obediently brought her face closer.

Li Zhuiyuan's fingertips traced the scar on Chen Xiyuan's face, and the gold color disappeared from the scar, clinging to Li Zhuiyuan's fingertips.

Ah Li applied the medicinal juice she had just pounded to Chen Xiyuan's scars. It was made from herbs from the medicinal garden and could remove scars.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Alright."

Chen Xiyuan: "Uh..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Is there anything else?"

Chen Xiyuan: "Um, little brother, actually I have more than just this one scar on my body."

Ah Li closed the door, drew the curtains, and then put the remaining herbs inside and continued pounding.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Take off your clothes and lie down on the bed."

Chen Xiyuan: "Okay."

Women of the martial world, when treating injuries, would not be so fussy as to care about the differences between men and women. Besides, when she was in Luoyang, her whole body had been treated with medicine by her little brother.

After taking off her clothes, Chen Xiyuan lay on the bed, her body covered with many scars bearing golden marks.

This robe was hard-won.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"It's not hard work, it's not hard work. Little brother, you've become a Bodhisattva, you should at least have a decent robe."

Li Zhuiyuan ran his fingertips over the scars one by one, absorbing the gold. Then, A Li came over and applied medicine to Chen Xiyuan.

Afterwards, Chen Xiyuan put on her clothes, picked up her flute, and said, "Little brother, I'm going to the peach grove."

"Okay, come once every morning from now on."

"understand!"

Chen Xiyuan ran out of the house, and soon, her voice came from downstairs, as she gave instructions to Aunt Liu:

"Sister, remember to shout louder when you eat dinner!"

"Pfft!"

Ah Li opened two cans of drinks, inserted straws, one for the boy and one for herself.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down at his desk, ready to continue his battle with Wei Zhengdao across the years.

The cell phone rang.

Li Zhuiyuan answered the phone.

"Hey, you surnamed Li, I just got back from a gang fight. What do you want?"

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the life-or-death gate from the table without saying a word.

"Hey Li, speak up, don't stay silent."

You called me with your old mobile phone, and only once, something must have happened. A whole day has passed; that's plenty of time for you to prepare your price.

"There's something I need your help with..."

"Don't be so formal. What kind of relationship do we have? Let's put this aside for now. I want to hear about the 'change of address fee' first."

"I hold in my hand a crack in the door between life and death at its mature stage."

"Yi is willing to go through fire and water for our ancestors!"

(End of this chapter)