Corpse Retriever.

Chapter 93

"With all my sincerity, I declare this to the rivers, lakes and seas..."

When Liu Yumei's voice rang out, although Li Zhuiyuan was still standing in the room, his consciousness fell into a strange trance.

In his sight, the lamp with the golden dragon raising its head seemed to come alive all of a sudden.

The golden dragon's body detached from the lamp, first twisting, then circling, the wick was like fire, and its breath was surging.

It left the ground, flew in front of him, and then circled around him.

It felt like something was burning, but there was no burnt smell, only wisps of smoke and a faint crisp sound by the ear.

If I have to use a metaphor, it would be yarn.

A layer of veil that shrouds our feet, covers the road, and obscures our fate.

The gauze is thin and allows light to pass through.

Just like more than a year ago, Li Zhuiyuan first found the set of "Jianghu Zhiguai Lu" in his great-grandfather's basement.

In this book, Wei Zhengdao summarizes all the deaths he has seen and heard in his life. It is an encyclopedia about deaths.

This set of books was Li Zhuiyuan's enlightenment.

Since then, Li Zhuiyuan has planned his future path.

Go back to high school, choose a good university, participate in the Mathematical Olympiad, and get admitted in advance.

Including the relationship with Engineer Luo, it is also to ensure that I can participate in large-scale water conservancy projects in the future.

Therefore, the road under his feet was only covered with a thin veil.

But some things, even if there is only a little bit of opacity, there are still undercurrents underneath.

He had indeed started to cross the river a long time ago, but he did not walk clearly, decisively, or smoothly.

The opening ceremony and Liu Yumei's announcement helped him dispel the last layer of mist.

This is a river that is destined to be difficult to navigate, full of difficulties and obstacles, and prone to capsizing at any time.

But it is here.

Compared with open-ended subjective questions, teenagers prefer objective questions with limited conditions, no matter how complex or difficult the latter are.

Now, the topic is in front of you, just pick up your pen and start doing it.

After the confusion of clouds and mists is gone,

I just felt relaxed and comfortable all over.

Even the golden dragon flying around him seemed cute and silly to Li Zhuiyuan, like his own pet Xiao Hei.

In reality, the lamp is still the same lamp, the golden dragon is still hanging on the lamp, and the wick candle flame is swaying in the dragon's mouth.

Most people in the room could not see the strange vision that Li Zhuiyuan saw at this time.

In the eyes of Runsheng and the other three, Li Zhuiyuan seemed to have relaxed.

They worshipped the Dragon King and understood the meaning of the second lamp, but it was impossible to say how deep their understanding and experience were.

Just now, they felt nervousness and uneasiness from the reactions of Liu Yumei and others, but after seeing the current condition of their brother Xiaoyuan, the three of them felt relieved.

No matter how serious the matter is, if you change your perspective and mindset, it can become: Well, it’s no big deal.

All other emotions in Uncle Qin's eyes were dispelled, and all that remained was emotion.

I recall that when I first lit the second lamp, my mistress was still young.

Facing the rows of tablets on the altar and the responsibility of reviving the Qin and Liu families, he gritted his teeth, his face solemn, and his heart was filled with anxiety and fear.

But the same scene, coupled with an unexpected opportunity, happened to the young man in front of him, and he showed a kind of free and easy attitude.

This is not a disguise, because in this atmosphere, those who are capable of disguise...there is no need to disguise.

When you see people who are better than you, you will suddenly realize that your failure seems to be inevitable.

Aunt Liu's opinion was more straightforward. She felt that Xiaoyuan seemed to have an extra layer of temperament, which made the already handsome boy even more handsome.

In this way, the boy and the girl are closer in temperament, and they look more harmonious when they are together.

Aunt Liu now urgently needs this little sweetness in her mouth to offset the bitterness that Yin Meng will cook for her next.

Liu Yumei looked at Li Zhuiyuan and waved gently.

The boy didn't move because he was still immersed in his own emotions.

Uncle Qin walked out.

Aunt Liu wanted to take A'li's hand and take her away, but A'li didn't move and still looked at the boy.

She didn't like painting, she only liked to paint Li Zhuiyuan. She thought the boy was very handsome now, including the little golden dragon flying around him in the background.

Aunt Liu looked at Liu Yumei, and Liu Yumei nodded slightly.

The entrance and river-walking ceremonies were completed, and next it was time for the elders to give instructions. Ah Li was sitting on behalf of the Qin family today, so she could stay, although she could not speak.

But Liu Yumei knew that to this brat, a look from her granddaughter was worth a thousand words.

Seeing this, Runsheng and the other two followed him out.

Only Liu Yumei, A'li and Li Zhuiyuan were left in the room.

Finally, the golden dragon left his body and fell back onto the lamp.

In reality, the lights went out.

To normal people, this lamp lights up strangely and goes out abruptly.

But in Li Zhuiyuan's view, the light had already burned around his body, making him feel warm.

He couldn't help but turn his head and look out the window. The thunder had stopped, but the wind and rain were still there.

At this time, I really want to open the window, let some wind and rain in, and enjoy a little coolness.

"Squeak..."

The window was pushed open by a hand, and the wind and rain came in.

A cool breeze blew, moistening his face, and Li Zhuiyuan woke up completely.

At this moment, he realized that everyone else had left.

Li Zhuiyuan turned around and said to Liu Yumei who was standing by the window with an apologetic look on his face: "I was distracted."

Liu Yumei admired the dark clouds outside the window and said with a smile:
"It's a good thing to think more about how to swim before going into the river. It's better than just jumping in without thinking."

Li Zhuiyuan could tell what the old lady meant, but fortunately Uncle Qin was not there at the moment.

"Grandma, I have a question. Aunt Liu told me before. Now, I want to confirm it with you again."

"explain."

"The impact on my family after I left the country."

"You changed your surname and moved away, which meant you severed your ties with your family in the north; your household registration was changed to Li Sanjiang's name, which meant you divorced yourself from your family in the south.

In other words, in your narrow family, there is only Li Sanjiang now.

Your great-grandfather is an old man with great fortune. As long as he stays in his hometown, he can still live a good life.

Even if you want to go back and take a look, you can always do so. Just treat him as you did before. Don't try to make a big fuss about changing his luck, changing his spirit, or prolonging his life, and nothing will go wrong.

The old guy is really lucky. He shares the same household registration book with you, and he signed a contract early on to leave all his inheritance to you. You are so deeply bound to him.

From now on, when you travel by river, the merits accumulated by those evil spirits in the suppression will be shared with him.

When you sit at home, blessings will come from heaven.

It’s normal for old people to live to be over 100 years old in good health.”

Li Zhuiyuan: "What about Guangyi's relatives?"

"Relatives in a broad sense do not refer to your relatives in the north and south, but to us, the Qin and Liu families.

It is precisely because you entered the door that the severance of ties between the north and the south has deepened.”

"If my journey along the river goes smoothly..."

Liu Yumei said bluntly: "The Qin and Liu families will certainly benefit from this."

"...Will Ahri's illness get better?"

Liu Yumei: "Isn't Ah Li's illness getting better?"

"The illness is still there, but Ahri is trying harder to overcome it and get used to it."

"It will get better." Liu Yumei looked at Ah Li and continued, "They are all former defeated enemies, filthy scum. They just took advantage of the opportunity to bully us orphans and widows."

"what should I do?"

"You don't have to do anything deliberately. You just need to do what you should do and walk your own path. The stronger you are, the more prosperous the Qin and Liu families will be. Those who bully the weak and fear the strong will retreat on their own."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Then he stopped talking.

Fortunately, the sound of wind and rain mixed together, so it didn't seem dull.

Liu Yumei asked: "Why don't you continue?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Because I have asked all the questions I wanted to ask."

Liu Yumei pointed to the tablet on the altar: "There are still three thousand nails on the rotten boat, don't you think highly of it?"

"Grandma, that's not what I meant."

"Are you afraid that we will be implicated?" Liu Yumei lightly hooked her fingertips, closed the window, and the room suddenly became quiet. "When the younger generation of ordinary families go out, the elders know to prepare some money for them. Now, it's not easy for someone from our Qin and Liu families to go to the river again. As a family member, we should ask him to help."

"grandmother……"

“I am old, grandma, but I have lived a life of luxury and I can still afford it;
Even though your Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu are incompetent elders, they can at least take on some responsibilities.

I moved to a new house. It’s a little small, but it can at least shelter me from the wind and rain, right?

When you encounter someone you can't afford to offend or can't handle, you should come back when you should, and ask for help when you should.

Once the door is closed, there are not many things in the world that dare to knock on it and come in.

If you really want to go out, no matter which house you go to, it will be unpleasant.

Even though the tiger is dead, its might still remains. Our two families are no longer the same as they used to be, but precisely because of this, we are more willing to take risks. "

Ali nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan had seen how cautious Liu Yumei was at his great-grandfather's house, so he naturally understood the weight of what Liu Yumei had just said.

Unless he lights the lamp again to announce the end of his journey along the river.

Otherwise, if you encounter something outside and hide back home, the person who shelters you will suffer the backlash of bad luck.

Not to mention who in the family will take the initiative to help you. The side effects of this action will only be more severe. If things go wrong, it may cost you your life for every time you take the initiative to help.

It can be said that from the moment the second lamp was lit, the relationship between himself and Liu Yumei and others became the same relationship between his grandfather and them in the past.

You can eat and live together and lead a normal life, but as long as metaphysics is involved, it will cause negative effects.

"Grandma, you've seen it too. Although you've officially announced it today, in reality, I've been walking in the dark along this river for a long time.

What I mean is, I will just keep walking the same way I did before.

I have my own habits and my own rhythm.

The old model may not be the best, but it is the one that I have figured out and is most suitable for me.

Therefore,
We're doing business as usual?"

"Xiao Yuan, you have your reasons, but I also have my own rules. You can't just talk about your own reasons and completely ignore grandma's rules.

Grandma, I have lived a decent life, so it’s good to have this kind of appearance.

You always make me catch a cold and cough.

This way, when you succeed in crossing the river, I can go meet those old immortals again and pretend to be humble and say something nice like "I just picked up a Dragon King for nothing."

"Since grandma said so, I will speak now."

"explain."

"You, Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu, continue to teach Zhuangzhuang, Runsheng and Yinmeng for a while."

"What kind of an offer is that? I promised you a long time ago, and I promised you twice."

"The past was the past, and the present is the present. Different promises have completely different weights at different times."

Before he crossed the river, this was not a big deal, but now, it was all related to cause and effect. Moreover, judging from the result that he had already crossed the river, cause and effect had already appeared.

For example, Uncle Qin came back with serious injuries, and Aunt Liu was almost poisoned to death today.

One of them wants to teach Runsheng Kung Fu, and the other wants to teach Yin Meng poison.

The old lady didn't have much to do because she only taught Binbin how to chat.

If there is a price to pay...

In this world, the most cost-effective thing between input and output is learning.

Instead of letting Uncle Qin help him fight, it is better to let Runsheng learn and develop into Uncle Qin;

Instead of letting Aunt Liu help you treat and poison you, it is better to let Yin Meng learn and develop into Aunt Liu.

Anyway, according to common sense and experience, the waves were not that strong when we first set out on the river, and our team still had room for error and development.

Liu Yumei asked: "What about you? What about me?"

It was obvious that Liu Yumei had also noticed that this backlash had already occurred.

But there was no other way. The old lady, who had always been very proud, would not allow Ali and Ting to bleed alone. She had to hold a handkerchief to catch the bleeding, otherwise it would be uncomfortable.

"Grandma, please make the decision and help me choose a set of basic books. The more basic the better."

"Grandma, I can actually... handle it much better than both of them."

"I know. I believe it."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the chair where Liu Yumei had originally sat. The armrests on both sides had been crushed, and two small piles of fine sawdust were piled up on the ground.

This is not something that can be achieved simply by sheer strength.

"Then just ask grandma for something good. Don't be polite. Let grandma bleed a little."

“But I just lack the basics.”

If your foundation is not solid, you will suffer in the future. This is something that teachers in school often tell you.

Li Zhuiyuan suffered a lot in the past because of this.

He is not in short supply of high-end martial arts techniques now. The most important thing is that he can continue to search for these high-end martial arts secrets in his great-grandfather's basement.

My great grandfather simply regarded those ancient books as waste that could not be sold at a high price, and did not consider them as his own things at all.

This means that no matter how many sets of books he takes, there will be no backlash on his grandfather.

Liu Yumei closed her eyes, as if accepting her fate, and said calmly:

"alright."

Li Zhuiyuan smiled and said, "Grandma, after Runsheng and the others have learned their lesson during this period, our way of getting along will return to the way it was before."

"It's up to you."

Liu Yumei waved her hand, signaling them to leave quickly.

What emerged in her mind now was the scene of Li Sanjiang sitting in front of a small square stool that day, holding a pen and calculating Li Zhuiyuan's university expenses one by one.

Sometimes, it is frustrating to have the conditions and financial resources but not be able to give.

What's even more depressing is that Liu Yumei found herself always empathizing with Li Sanjiang recently.

"Grandma, I'm leaving now."

Li Zhuiyuan walked towards A-Li.

The boy didn't like Ari's outfit today very much, because it was too solemn and lacked some innocence and playfulness. Fortunately, this kind of outfit would only be worn a few times in a lifetime.

Ahri stood up and handed his hand to the boy.

The moment the two held hands, Li Zhuiyuan seemed to hear the howling of ghosts and wolves.

It should be because I was admitted into the Qin and Liu families and my identity was confirmed, which made the relationship between me and A'li closer in legal terms.

This was the first time that Li Zhuiyuan realized that those things were haunting her not only in the dark nights when she was sleeping, but even during the day when she was awake.

No wonder the girl only liked to sit on the bench and look straight ahead. She was trying her best to block out the interference from the surroundings.

This kind of intimidation, menace and curse exists day and night, like a maggot on the tarsal bone, always there.

Ali seemed to have sensed something, and she closed her eyes slightly, trying to cut off this connection so that the boy would not be affected.

But Li Zhuiyuan held her hand, exerted a little force, then fixed his eyes and went straight to the Yin.

The girl raised her head and looked at the boy, who gently raised her hand:
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

You didn't tell me that even when you were playing chess, eating and painting with me, you were still in this scene.

The girl said nothing.

The boy took her hand and walked out.

He pushed open the door, and outside was a corridor; outside was a bloody muddy swamp.

They went down the stairs, which were covered with mats that were soft and non-slip; the stairs were made of piles of bones, and countless hands stretched out from them, trying to grab their ankles.

They came to the first floor, where Aunt Liu had already placed lunch dishes on the dining table; the dining table was a big pot, in which a huge tumor was cooking. The tumor had eyes, hands, and legs, and it floated up and down in the pot, and from its mouth, which seemed particularly small compared to its body, it kept uttering dirty curse words that were hard to hear.

They arrived at the door of the house, and outside the door was the courtyard of the three-story townhouse. They opened the door, and it was raining and windy outside. They came to the threshold of an ancient bungalow, and outside the threshold were groups of various strange and terrifying creatures who had put down their work. They all looked over here and gave sinister smiles.

Li Zhuiyuan is sick.

Li Lan said that the mother and son were monsters in human skin because their innate rationality would obliterate their emotions and they would regard even the people closest to them as stupid, disgusting and lower-level beings.

If this is how you look at people, how can you have any good impression of these things that are not even human?

Or,

How could a child who, at the age of ten, plays with dead and evil spirits as toys, have any reverence for these things in his bones?

The boy held the girl's hand and walked out of the house; the boy held the girl's hand and stepped over the threshold.

Li Zhuiyuan faced the violent storm all around him; Li Zhuiyuan looked around at the filth and evil spirits around him.

“Those of you who are sealed and cannot get out, I will find you later, break your seals, and send you off with my own hands!
For those who have been suppressed but not yet destroyed, I will go to the suppression site, repair, perfect and upgrade the formation, and watch you being suppressed and shattered.

Those who are already dead but still enjoy the incense offerings from someone to survive,

Who will worship you?

I will make that person's entire family be wiped out!
Don't think I'm making empty threats.

If you don't believe me, peel off each other's skin and see.

Who is it?

Not even human!"

The words fell,

The rainbow disappears and the rain stops.

……

Liu Yumei stood by the window, watching the sunlight shine through the clouds and the sky gradually clear up.

The tears that I had held back for so long finally wet my eyes.

But she still held on and didn't let the tears fall.

Because she knew that no one in this world really cared whether she cried or not.

In the past, when she was still the young lady of the Liu family, if she shed a tear, her father and brothers would surround her out of heartache. The old man would even beg her to put on a monkey show for him, completely ignoring his identity as the young master of the Qin family, just to make her laugh.

They are all gone.

I was left alone.

She knew that the people on the river were still afraid of her, but what was scary was not the Dragon King Liu or Dragon King Qin of the past.

Even if they appear to be polite on the surface, bowing and kneeling as required, they may have already complained in their hearts.

The joke is that she is an old lady in her twilight years, holding up the plaques of two Dragon Kings just to maintain the dignity that she is reluctant to give up.

But the brighter the plaque is polished, the more majestic it looks.

The plaque must be splashed with blood, and new blood must be used to wipe away old blood.

It doesn't matter whether you are convinced on the surface or not in your heart.

Kneel down and then raise your head. What I want to see is the fear and panic in your eyes.

I am the eldest daughter of the Liu family, but from the time I was born until I got married, I never knew what the word "grievance" meant.

But over the past few decades, you have forced me to swallow so much.

Come and have a look

This is a great gift I give to you.

"This world,

It's time for blood to flow, so that I can vent my anger!"

……

The sky cleared up and the rain stopped.

The wife of the old professor next door was cursing the evil God for breaking her TV.

Televisions were big and expensive items these days, and she even shouted out the model of the TV, which was a color TV.

As she continued to curse, the old woman changed her tone and shouted:

"Why don't you go and kill Shi Yuqing!"

Shi Yuqing was a female student taught by the old professor when he was young. She just got divorced this year.

On Li Zhuiyuan's side, everyone sat together peacefully and had lunch, and continued doing what they did in the morning in the afternoon.

A'li was drawing in the study. She first drew the layout of the ceremony room and also drew in the other people who had been present.

She wanted to draw the boy last, which was very similar to other children of her age who would finish the bread first and save the last bite for the precious cream when eating cake.

Li Zhuiyuan was watching her painting from the side, and when she was halfway through, he went out to pour tea.

Normally, Aunt Liu would be considerate enough to bring in tea, but now she couldn't do that. She had just taught Yin Meng how to cook another dish in the afternoon, and the entire ground floor was filled with smoke.

Finally, Liu Yumei cursed and sent them to the house outside the school where they had lived before, and asked them to teach there.

Li Zhuiyuan discovered that Aunt Liu's teaching method was tailored to the individual's needs. She actually integrated the principles of poison techniques into her cooking experience and taught Yin Meng through cooking.

The teaching efficiency will definitely be astonishingly high.

But Li Zhuiyuan also secretly took note and reminded Runsheng not to let Yin Meng get close to the kitchen in the future.

As for Runsheng, he is in great pain now.

Uncle Qin taught him a set of boxing techniques, and Runsheng is practicing them.

Li Zhuiyuan was in the room earlier and could hear the sound of bones and muscles tearing when Runsheng practiced boxing.

When the young man came out of the house with the bottle of boiled water, he saw that not only was Runsheng bleeding from all seven orifices, but also beads of sweat mixed with blood were all over his body.

"Keep practicing."

After Uncle Qin finished his instructions, he took the initiative to walk towards Li Zhuiyuan and explained:
"I'm correcting his previous mistakes and rebuilding the foundation."

"Ah."

Li Zhuiyuan knew that Uncle Qin had misunderstood. He might feel that this training method was a bit cruel and thus sympathized with Runsheng's situation.

But in fact, Li Zhuiyuan not only did not sympathize, but also appreciated the training effect that could be demonstrated intuitively.

Uncle Qin pointed at Runsheng and said, "When I was at Uncle Li's house, I saw that this boy was extraordinary. Unfortunately, at that time, I couldn't even teach you more."

"Uncle Qin, can I ask you something?"

"Xiao Yuan, you want to ask me why I failed in my attempt to escape the river, right?"

"Yes."

"When the time comes, I'll tell you. I'm not being hypocritical, but I'm counting on you to help me get revenge on those guys."

"No, Uncle Qin, you misunderstood. I am too lazy to avenge you." Li Zhuiyuan pointed at Run: "You still have to count on him."

"Okay, I get it. I'll train him to death."

(End of this chapter)