Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 63

After the chef carefully prepared the dish, he slowly wiped his hands, stood in the distance, and quietly watched the diners enjoy the food.

After committing the crime, the murderer hid in the crowd, secretly returned to the crime scene, and touched the cordon hung in front of him.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t know which one he belonged to, perhaps, neither.

Because right now, he is still far from being able to draw emotional value from others.

But vaguely, deep in my heart, I have touched a faint flame, very weak, but it is really burning.

Just like the ease and concentration he felt when painting for dead people at home, he was also very excited at the moment.

I inherited Li Lan's disease and am in an emotional desert. However, cacti can also grow in the desert.

And one's own impoverished emotions can also be affected by death and cause fluctuations.

This kind of discovery is difficult to tell others about. Not only will they find it difficult to understand, they may even think you are crazy.

It doesn’t matter, Ari will understand anyway.

Li Zhuiyuan decided to wait until he met the girl in the mountain city and tell her about his feelings in detail so that she could also share the joy of his improved condition. This would be a secret between the two of them.

At this moment, all the eyes of the dead were focused on Li Zhuiyuan.

The boy knew that they could see him.

But he was not afraid. The fading of the white frost under his and Runsheng's feet showed their attitude.

At least for now, they can still maintain some clarity and know who is helping them to take revenge.

As for what changes will happen to them after the revenge is over, and whether they can still be clearly distinguished, to be honest, even Li Zhuiyuan himself has no hope for it.

The ancestors of the Qi family left their descendants with means of countermeasures, but they would never have expected that in the future there would be so many corpses of violent deaths left under this village.

When the Feng Shui layout here is changed by myself, the blessing turns into a curse, and then in response to this large group of dead bodies, even more unpredictable changes are bound to occur.

Traditionally, the death will be eliminated after the revenge is completed, but here, the difficulty of elimination will be greatly increased.

Fortunately, I have asked Runsheng to destroy the exit here, so these dead creatures will not come out to cause trouble.

The only hidden danger is probably that if a skilled person comes along and sees the beautiful scenery here and sits down cross-legged to take a walk, his end will surely be extremely miserable.

Even Li Zhuiyuan only dared to enjoy this feast of revenge today and at this moment.

After today, he didn't dare to come here again.

The dead bodies did not move. The previous "please come in" seemed to have failed to impress them.

Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to urge him again:
"Hurry up, the food is getting cold."

The restaurant is open for business, and it’s still a buffet.

Finally, the dead accepted Li Zhuiyuan's invitation and filed in.

Inside, there were immediately piercing sounds of fear and screams, mixed with a gunshot.

Li Zhuiyuan straightened his clothes, an action that was unnecessary when he was in the Yin state.

But just as Uncle Shan taught Runsheng not to eat the skin of sweet potatoes, life requires a sense of ritual.

Walking back to the ancestral hall was like stepping into a devil’s cave.

Li Zhuiyuan walked calmly, passing through it.

He has been to this ancestral hall many times, both in reality and in this space mezzanine, but he has different feelings every time he comes back here, just like the scenery of a scenic spot with distinct four seasons.

"Come on..."

A pool of red and white splashed onto the surface of his shoes.

Li Zhuiyuan stopped and instinctively wanted to bend down to clean it up, but suddenly realized that he couldn't get dirty at all.

I lifted my foot and the shoe surface was still clean.

He walked into the hall and sat down on a bench facing the yard.

It’s not over yet, it’s still early.

The flame of revenge needs to burn as long as possible so that the light it emits can barely bring a glimmer of comfort to the victim.

It would be too easy for these executioners with bloody hands if they died too easily.

Li Zhuiyuan rested his elbows on his thighs, supported his chin with his palms, and just watched quietly.

The desperate wails, the mournful pleas for mercy, the desperate shouts, all these sounds intertwined together, unexpectedly harmonious, like a symphony played by the master himself.

Although the scene was very noisy, he was reluctant to speak, for fear of disturbing the performance on the stage.

There was a smile on the boy's lips.

Unfortunately, there are no "outsiders" here.

Otherwise, if someone walked to the door of the ancestral hall and looked inside, against the bloody and distorted background, there was a smiling boy sitting in the center of the distance. This was really a beautiful composition design.

Time is passing by minute by minute. There is no clear rhythm of prelude, foreshadowing, climax and ending. It just starts from the climax and ends abruptly.

At this time, a person, or to be exact, half a person, crawled up to the boy. It was the village chief.

Behind him was a long trail of blood, with intestines and other offal scattered around.

Logically, he should have died long ago, but he was still "alive". His hands were still strong and he kept scratching at the floor tiles. He still had the desire to live.

Such a target of revenge is often more fun, and one is reluctant to let it die all at once; one wants to chew it piece by piece like sugarcane to extract all the juice.

Standing next to him, driving the village chief around like he was walking a dog, was Zhu Yang.

The village chief had already crawled over, but Zhu Yang still stayed where he was, looking at the boy.

Li Zhuiyuan pointed behind him with some confusion. Zhu Yang did not move, but put his hands on his own stomach and slowly opened it up.

Like a double door, his chest was opened, and the books filled inside were scattered all over the floor.

Some are still relatively intact, while others have long been broken into pieces.

The quality of these mimeographed pirated books was indeed very poor. After getting soaked in water, the ink stained Zhu Yang's abdominal cavity, making it pitch black, as if it was covered with a layer of stove ash.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at him with some confusion, but soon the boy understood.

There was a book stuck between Zhu Yang's ribs and in his chest.

This book is in extremely good condition. Even after being soaked in water, it still has a comfortable glossy texture.

Li Zhuiyuan was very familiar with this texture.

At home, he has books made of the same material, which is the one Wei Zhengdao likes to use... Buddha parchment paper.

Zhu Yang reached out and pulled out the book, and the two ribs shook a few times.

He handed the book to the boy.

There is a line of words written on the cover: "Qi Shi Chunqiu".

At first glance, the title of the book looks very similar to the famous book in history, "Lüshi Chunqiu".

But Li Zhuiyuan knew very well that no matter whether it was the family inheritance of Qi's ancestors who built the imperial mausoleum, or the later seclusion here to concentrate on studying this mezzanine space, it would be of great value to record any part of the family experience.

However, I am currently in a Yin state. I can touch but cannot change physical objects.

He was always dissatisfied with the position of the bench beneath him, but he had no way to move it. Moreover, this was the only bench still standing in the entire venue, as the others had all fallen over. He had no choice but to make do with it.

In short, the boy is now unable to perform such a simple action as turning the pages of a book.

I felt a little regretful. It seemed that I shouldn't have been so impatient to let Runsheng destroy the exit.

Of course, this regret is merely emotional. Before that, I would never have taken the risk of letting someone die.

Zhu Yang did not chase the village chief again. Perhaps his part was already finished, and the rest should be taken over by other dead men.

Everyone has the need for revenge, but the number of perpetrators is limited after all, so the perpetrators can only be treated like long-legged centipedes for the entertainment of the public.

Zhu Yang sat down in front of Li Zhuiyuan and placed the book on his lap.

Li Zhuiyuan was just able to lower his head and watch with him.

Zhu Yang was a man who loved reading. This copy of "Qi Shi Chun Qiu" might have been lost somewhere deep in the pool, and he, who had fallen dead, just happened to pick it up.

Without this coincidence, this book would hardly have had a chance to be published again. In fact, being moved here from the depths of the pond completely blocked the possibility of this book being published again.

Zhu Yang opened the first page, which was covered with colorful dots of different sizes.

He turned another page, and it was still filled with densely packed dots of various colors and sizes.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes wide. He knew this was his only chance to read the book, so he tried hard to remember the contents of every page.

He knew that his memory was not good and could not compare to the two classmates in his previous class who could really remember everything they saw.

Therefore, he could only glance at Zhu Yang a few more times when he was turning the pages of the book, so as to ensure that he could remember it.

As for deciphering the contents on the stones on the walls of the ancestral hall, there is no rush for that, as there will be plenty of time for that later.

The process of flipping through the book was quickly completed. After turning to the last page, Li Zhuiyuan raised his head and closed his eyes, quickly reviewing all the previous pages in his mind.

When she opened her eyes again, she found that Zhu Yang's body had begun to tremble. The nails on his hand holding the book began to grow longer and blacken, and his exposed ribs were also covered with pits and corrosion dents. Strands of thick black pus were dripping like ink.

He is gradually changing and completely losing himself step by step.

In fact, when he turned to the second half of the book, Li Zhuiyuan had already noticed that the other person's hands were shaking, as if he was trying hard to suppress something.

Now that he had finished reading the book, Zhu Yang finally didn't have to suppress the ferocity in his body that he had long since been unable to control.

At this time, the feast of revenge finally came to an end.

But the dead ones generally felt unsatisfied.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that he couldn't stay here any longer. He estimated the time and it was less than half an hour, but it was almost time.

He wanted to do a death count so that he could report to the police the number of people who had fled the village.

But there were pieces here and there all over the ancestral hall, and there were even several hanging on the beams, making it impossible to count them.

Forget it, let’s go.

Before leaving, Li Zhuiyuan said to Zhu Yang in front of him: "I will send some money to your home for the book translation fee."

Zhu Yang's eyes, which had originally turned red, suddenly became clear after hearing these words. Although it was very short, he did understand.

One thing is one thing, he gave himself and the other four a ride just to find someone to hold down the car for courage. Brother Liangliang not only bought cigarettes and food but also paid for the meal;

The corpses spontaneously built a floating bridge underwater, guiding the four of them to leave the dark pool, and he also woke them up so that they could take revenge in person;
In all the above, neither of us owed the other person anything, except for flipping the book just now. I owed the other person this favor, which I should repay.

The dead creatures around silently gathered towards Li Zhuiyuan, following some fierce instinct that was gradually awakening in their hearts.

"Roar!"

Zhu Yang let out a low roar, and two rows of ribs pierced through his flesh and lay in front of him. His cold eyes swept around, causing those who had just approached to collectively take two steps back.

Li Zhuiyuan found it hard to imagine what this place would become in the future. If they were all trapped here, would it become a new poisonous insect breeding farm?

In the end, what will be produced?
Fortunately, they couldn't get out.

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes and ended his Yin move. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Runsheng preparing to pinch his hand.

"Brother, I'm awake."

"Wait a minute, I'll wake Xiaoyuan up first."

Runsheng pinched it.

"Hiss...Brother, I'm awake."

"Ah, oh, haha." Runsheng scratched his head embarrassedly.

"Brother Runsheng, let's go."

"it is good."

Runsheng bent down and motioned for the boy to get on his back.

"Brother, I can walk by myself."

"You're tired, and I'm full."

Li Zhuiyuan reached out to wipe the dried blood from the corners of his eyes, and finally climbed onto Runsheng's back.

They did not leave the village, but went around the mountain.

When we reached the top of the mountain, it was already noon and the sun was shining brightly, dispelling the humidity in the mountains.

Going down the mountain and around to the main road, police cars and trucks were driving quickly.

Tan Wenbin and Xue Liangliang appeared from the back seat of the second police car, waving their hands excitedly.

Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng also got into the police car. The police car stopped in front of the village entrance without honking the siren, and the police rushed into the village.

The expected fierce resistance and difficult capture did not happen because most of the young and strong men and women in the village seemed to have "fled for fear of crime."

The bodies of many victims have never been found, but there is too much evidence of the crime left in the village, almost every household has it, which means that every household is involved.

There is also a ravine that is used specifically for landfill and vehicle disposal.

Before Zhu Yang's truck was dealt with, Xue Liangliang and others went up to take their luggage, while Li Zhuiyuan took a letter Zhu Yang wrote to his wife and daughter, which contained the address and the village phone number.

Although there were too many unbelievable things in the process of handling the case, there is no doubt that this is a big case. However, in the context of the current crackdown on car bandits and highway bullies, it is just a big splash.

Perhaps many years later, when someone hears about "road bandits" again, they will feel strange and confused, as if it is hard to believe that such a thing could actually happen in reality.

There may also be some curious people who specifically look for those dusty file bags, and when they come across this case, they will develop many conspiracy theories about the various inexplicable details in the case.

But that's all in the future.

As mere informants of the case, Xue Liangliang and Tan Wenbin were not detained for long.

Probably, because they knew Xiao Yuan would do something special, they were careful when reporting the case. They only said that the four of them happened to go to the nearby woods to play at night and witnessed the scene of Zhu Yang being surrounded and killed while staying in the truck. They concealed the fact that the four of them had entered the village.

After learning of their destination, the police originally wanted to send a car to take the four of them directly to the mountain city.

But Xue Liangliang still refused, saying that he did not want to cause trouble for the police. He just accepted to be sent to the next city, where he bought a new ticket and got on the train.

This time it was a hard seat, but luckily it didn't last too long.

"We've arrived at the mountain city. Passengers heading to the mountain city, please check your belongings and get ready to get off the bus. Wake up, we've arrived at the mountain city!"

The conductor's voice woke many people from their sweet dreams. This was not the terminal, so half of the people wiped their mouths and stood up to get their luggage, while the other half changed their positions to continue sleeping, either lying down or leaning against the bed.

The four of them walked out of the train station, and everyone looked a little depressed. It would be hard for anyone to be energetic if such a journey was forced upon them.

Fortunately, although the matter was serious, everyone adjusted their mentality quickly. After all, everyone has "seen the world".

At the entrance of the train station, a bunch of old ladies were holding signs to promote their own small hotels and solicit customers. Some even came to take your luggage directly.

Xue Liangliang chose the only aunt who didn’t claim to have any special service arrangements.

It was a good choice. Although this hotel is not big, it is very clean. The owner gave me a dorm room with four small beds placed close together.

The four of them put down their luggage, took a shower one by one, and then lay down on the bed and fell asleep.

Li Zhuiyuan slept lightly and woke up three hours later. He couldn't fall asleep again, so he sat on the bed and stared at the curtains that were gradually brightened by the sunlight.

After everyone woke up, they checked out and went to the breakfast shop downstairs to eat.

The proprietress and her husband initially asked what we wanted to eat in Chongqing dialect, but Tan Wenbin and Runsheng, who were walking in front, didn't understand.

Seeing that the person was from another place, the proprietress slowed down her speech and spoke slowly, word by word. Although it was still Chongqing dialect, she probably thought that this was extremely standard Mandarin.

Xue Liangliang came over and said with a smile, "How much do you want to eat, boss? Two bowls of 300g wontons, with clear soup."

"Yes, you guys?"

Tan Wenbin: "Red soup wonton, three pounds."

Runsheng: "Chongqing noodles, five pounds."

Boss lady: "..."

Finally, it was done.

Tan Wenbin used the largest bowl in the store, while Runsheng used a basin.

Touching the edge of the basin, Runsheng felt a sense of familiarity as if he were back home.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't finish three taels of wonton, so Xue Liangliang put some into his own bowl.

Tan Wenbin and Runsheng were sweating while eating. In the end, Runsheng even drank the soup base.

That is to say, it was after breakfast and there were not many people in the store, otherwise it would definitely attract onlookers.

After dinner, Xue Liangliang hailed a taxi and took the four of them to a hotel in Guanyinqiao, which was a cooperative hotel of his new unit and also served as a guesthouse.

We arrived at night yesterday and went to sleep as soon as we checked into the hotel, so now we can finally appreciate the scenery of the mountain city.

This is a very charming city. It has both modern buildings and facilities and traces of the previous era. Multiple periods of history are harmoniously integrated here, and its high and low terrain features form a unique charm of the mountain city.

Li Zhuiyuan felt that there was no need to go to tourist attractions on purpose. Even just driving around the city was a wonderful enjoyment.

The specifications of the new hotel were much higher. Xue Liangliang took out his ID and letter of introduction to register. He rented one room at public expense and opened another one at his own expense.

The hotel is on the eighth floor and there is an elevator. It was Runsheng's first time taking an elevator, and as a large person, he felt a little restrained when standing inside.

After entering the room, Xue Liangliang said that he had to report to his new unit first and go through the formalities, and then he would take everyone to visit the specific attractions tomorrow for a thorough enjoyment. Tan Wenbin and Runsheng planned to take a walk around the hotel first.

Li Zhuiyuan called the number Liu Yumei gave him in the hotel. There was a male voice on the other end of the phone. After asking for the address of his hotel, he asked Li Zhuiyuan to come downstairs, where the car was already waiting.

This surprised Li Zhuiyuan. Was it so fast?
When I arrived at the hotel lobby, I saw a brand new black car parked there. The driver got out of the car wearing white gloves and came over to ask:
"Excuse me, is this Master Li Zhuiyuan?"

"My name is Li Zhuiyuan, but I'm not Young Master."

"Please get in the car."

The driver took the initiative to help open the car door. After Li Zhuiyuan got in, he turned around and saw a woman in fashionable clothes with orange wavy hair. She was carrying a bag and running out in a hurry. Her high heels made a rapid "tapping" sound on the ground.

"What are you doing? Why are you rushing me? Aren't we going to go at dinner time? Why do you suddenly have to call me down?"

Then, the woman saw the boy sitting in the back seat and asked unhappily:

"Also, who is he and why is he sitting in my car?"

The driver said calmly, "Young Master Li is the master's honored guest. Madam, the master has ordered us to go to Chunyuan now. If you don't want to go, that's fine."

"you……"

The woman was angry, but she held it in.

The driver opened the passenger door for her. The woman pouted indignantly at the sight, but finally got in.

Li Zhuiyuan then realized that this car was prepared for this woman, but because of a phone call he made, it was temporarily changed to pick him up.

Chunyuan was on a mountain, but Li Zhuiyuan didn’t know which mountain it was because the city was full of mountains.

After passing the security booth and driving in, Li Zhuiyuan observed the environment here. It should be a private high-end club with Chinese style, which is usually only used by the owner or to entertain VIPs, and is not open to the public.

After getting off the bus, a middle-aged woman in noble attire came to lead the way.

The woman in the passenger seat got out of the car first, and nervously adjusted her hair and collar. She put away all her previous arrogance and shouted in a very restrained manner:
"sister in law."

The middle-aged woman ignored her. After she saw Li Zhuiyuan getting off the car, she smiled, walked over, and took Li Zhuiyuan's hand:

"Master Zhuiyuan, please follow me."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, he was too lazy to correct the address.

The woman followed him for a few steps, and the middle-aged woman turned around and glared at her.

"Ah, sister-in-law, I, I can't go?" the woman asked, pointing at her face.

The middle-aged woman shook her head, then continued to walk inside, holding the boy's hand with a friendly look.

The young woman was left alone, stamping her feet in anger.

After passing through the corridor and walking through the lotus pond, Li Zhuiyuan finally saw an acquaintance in a pavilion at the deepest part.

Liu Yumei was sitting on a stone bench, with a white-haired old man standing next to her making tea.

In the other corner of the pavilion, a girl who had not been seen for many days was sitting there alone looking at the lotus flowers.

Then, among the shade of lotus flowers, I saw the person I missed.

The girl took the initiative to come over. The lady seemed to know the girl's habits. She let go of the boy's hand and stepped back silently.

Li Zhuiyuan took A'li's hand. A'li looked at the boy, frowned and pouted.

Liu Yumei, who was originally calm and composed, only glanced at the boy lightly, then immediately became serious and raised her voice:
"You little bastard, you're ruining your body again, do you still want to go blind?"

The white-haired old man next to her sat down after making tea, and looked at the girl in surprise that she could be so close to others and even show her emotions.

"Snapped!"

Liu Yumei spilled the freshly poured tea in the cup onto the ground.

The old man understood and immediately stood up, nodded respectfully, and walked out of the pavilion.

Liu Yumei glared at the boy again and asked, "Tell me, what have you been doing? Look at how weak you are now, and you've made our Ah Li worried again."

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "We had bad luck on the road. We ran into a group of car bandits from a village."

"and then?"

"Call the police."

Liu Yumei frowned slightly. She knew that the boy had hidden the key part, but she really couldn't continue asking. After all, she would go back to Li Sanjiang's house to continue living, and the boy would also go back. As long as the two of them had to go back there, the fight would have to continue.

Li Zhuiyuan put his mouth close to Ah Li's ear and whispered, "That group of bandits wanted to harm us. I went to kill them all that night."

The girl grabbed the boy's hand and shook it happily, with two dimples showing on her face when she smiled.

---

I started writing this chapter at noon, and it took a long time to write. I deleted and revised it several times. The main reason is that if I don't do it this way, the chapter may not be released. Our subject matter is more likely to trigger sensitive words. You often find that the release time is before 0:, but when you see the chapter, it is half past midnight. Because after I posted it, the chapter was blocked and locked in. It can only be released after modification. After all, the plot in reality is more sensitive, please forgive me.

(End of this chapter)