Chapter 127: End of This Volume

The Zhao family from Jiujiang again?

He had only just parted ways with Zhao Yi; was he so impatient to drink Biluochun tea already?

Considering what Liu Yumei had said earlier about “eating up a household,” Li Zhuiyuan could roughly guess what it meant. However, he also felt that Zhao Yi shouldn't be that foolish.

Furthermore, from a logical perspective, since Zhao Yi had already cut the Life-and-Death Seam between his eyebrows and resolved to Light the Lamp and Walk the River, he shouldn't have much involvement with his family anymore.

Just as he himself, when Walking the River, only maintained basic interactions with Granny Liu. Even when discussing matters related to Walking the River, he had to use vague terms, precisely to prevent his karma from affecting them.

Why was Zhao Yi doing the opposite?

Liu Yumei naturally noticed Li Zhuiyuan's arrival. The old lady seemed to hesitate, the invitation card in her hand swaying slightly, but in the end, she didn't hand it to the young man to see.

"Xiaoyuan," she said, "you young people have your careers to focus on. Let us old folks handle the family's social obligations."

With that, Liu Yumei put away the invitation card.

"All right, Granny," he replied.

Although he knew in his heart there must be some misunderstanding, Li Zhuiyuan found it inconvenient to explain at that moment.

Firstly, the old lady was in a fit of anger, and it wasn't appropriate for him to play the role of an impartial mediator then.

Secondly, the invitation was indeed from the Zhao family of Jiujiang, and the old lady was angry at the entire Zhao family of Jiujiang, not just one person.

Thirdly, and most importantly, since it involved "eating up a household," and he himself carried the legacy of both the Qin and Liu families, wasn't he the one currently benefiting from it?

The old lady's anger also stemmed from protecting her own interests.

Granny Liu was like an old hen, shielding him behind her, guarding her "food bowl." He truly had no reason to intercede or make excuses for an outsider.

However, fearing that the old lady's anger might harm her health, Li Zhuiyuan said before going downstairs:

"Granny, Zhuangzhuang is dating someone recently."

"Oh?"

Indeed, Liu Yumei's interest was piqued when she heard this.

Elderly people always love to gossip about the romantic relationships and marriages of the younger generation.

Yet, for over a year, she had only been able to watch as her meticulously cultivated "cabbage" was "rooted around" by that "little golden pig."

Fortunately, that "little strong pig" was also rooting for a "cabbage" now.

"Zhuangzhuang hasn't visited me for several days."

"He should be coming over soon."

"Mm-hmm."

Liu Yumei picked up her teacup.

Li Zhuiyuan turned and walked downstairs.

Halfway through lifting the teacup, Liu Yumei put it down again, saying, "The tea truly is cold."

Aunt Liu consoled her, "The fire is already building; it should be boiling soon."

"Our Xiaoyuan is quite something," Liu Yumei mused. "He's been Walking the River for a while now, yet his reputation remains low-key. It makes others think our family is still being propped up by me, an orphan and a widow."

Aunt Liu replied, "That's true. When Ah Li was Walking the River back then, there was much more commotion and bigger waves than now."

"That's why Ah Li failed at Walking the River," Liu Yumei stated.

"So, Xiaoyuan's approach is much more low-key than Ah Li's," Aunt Liu concluded.

Liu Yumei shook her head. "Xiaoyuan is actually much more high-profile than Ah Li."

"Old lady, I truly don't know how to respond to that. Please, enlighten me?"

"Xiaoyuan always goes early and returns early. Before the waves even build up, he smooths them out. He Walks the River as if he's going on a business trip. Ah, people with sharp minds truly do things differently from ordinary folks. And another thing, remember that banquet in Shancheng? I never taught him, yet he knew the traditional etiquette of both the Qin and Liu families. He must have used it quite a bit before. Despite using it so many times, there's still no word of it in the jianghu. Ah Li has been traveling around recently and hasn't heard anything either. This can only mean one thing: others use their family name as an identity token when venturing into the jianghu, to gain convenience and resources. This kid, I'm afraid, uses 'Descendant of the Qin and Liu River Walkers' as an introduction when Black and White Impermanence are collecting souls."

Aunt Liu didn't understand at first, only grasping the meaning after pondering it. It meant: Xiaoyuan truly didn't hide his identity, but every time he introduced himself by his family name, he would completely "handle" anyone or any evil spirit who learned his identity. If you never leave a single survivor, who would spread news about you? How could legends about you circulate in the jianghu?

Actually, there were two survivors: the two Guanjiangshou generals who stormed past the door last time. Firstly, they were truly terrified, and secondly, their own child was staying here, awaiting an opportunity. So, back in their temple, they naturally kept their mouths shut about this matter, refusing to say a word even if it meant death.

Liu Yumei murmured, "This way... is also quite good. Silently getting rich."

Aunt Liu's face showed a mix of amusement and helplessness. "Old lady, you're biased to the core," she thought. "You're even willing to use a phrase like 'silently getting rich' to describe your own family. Throughout history, which Dragon King family has ever operated like this?"

Aunt Liu said, "Then we can look forward to the day when paper can no longer contain fire."

Liu Yumei nodded. "When the paper truly can't contain the fire, the entire river will be startled by it."

"So, about this invitation from the Zhao family of Jiujiang..."

"One thing at a time. Call Ah Li up."

"Yes."

Aunt Liu went down to call him, and Uncle Qin quickly came up and stood by the old lady's side.

Liu Yumei said, "Take a look yourself."

Uncle Qin picked up the invitation card, opened it, and read it once.

Although the wording was humble and the posture deferential, anyone who wasn't a fool could understand the underlying meaning.

Even in the past, the old lady would never have agreed to such a thing, let alone now, when there was another River Walker in the family.

Uncle Qin closed the invitation card and awaited instructions.

"Ah Li, are your injuries healed?"

"Mistress, they are fine."

"I don't intend for Xiaoyuan to get involved in these matters."

"Of course."

"Have Ah Ting write a reply. Ah Li, you go to the banquet on my behalf."

"Understood."

"Ah, even if our family is just an orphan and a widow, we still have to observe proper etiquette and not let others laugh at us. Since you're going alone, it's inevitable they'll think we're being arrogant. How about this: no matter how many people attend their banquet this time, you ensure an equivalent presence from our side."

"Understood."

As Li Zhuiyuan came downstairs, he saw Tan Wenbin push open the courtyard gate and enter.

"Brother Binbin, did everything go smoothly?"

Tan Wenbin paused for a moment, then realized it was Brother Xiaoyuan, who was with Ah Li, and he wasn't surprised.

"Smoothly, very smoothly. Zhou Yunyun has been taken home by my mom to be looked after. My mom even called me Chen Shimei."

"Chen Shimei?"

"My mom misunderstood. She thought Zhou Yunyun and I had been dating for a long time, and then she thought I wasn't at the hospital taking care of her these past few days because I was tired of her. 'Prince Consort, come closer and examine, it says Zhou Yunyun, she is nineteen years old...'"

"Save your voice and go sing for the old lady instead. She's in a bad mood right now."

"Okay, perfect. I'll just present my own affairs to the old lady as gossip material."

"Alright. I'll wait for you to finish chatting with the old lady, then we'll go back together, and I'll teach you some more things... Where's A-You?"

"He absolutely refuses to come here."

"Oh."

Uncle Qin came down, and Tan Wenbin went up.

He hadn't even reached the second floor before his voice preceded him:

"Oh dear, old lady, you simply must help me with this matter; it's giving me such a headache!"

Li Zhuiyuan and Ah Li sat by the full-length window, looking out at the meticulously tended vegetable garden.

The young man held a ripe persimmon, carefully peeled it, and offered it to the girl. She lowered her head and took a bite.

Li Zhuiyuan then took a handkerchief, wiped the girl's mouth, and continued peeling.

The girl ate half the persimmon. The remaining half was not easy to bite, so Li Zhuiyuan tore it off and ate it himself.

Then, under the girl's gaze, he picked up the handkerchief and went to wash it under the tap.

The girl pouted.

When Li Zhuiyuan turned around, he saw this scene and felt that the longer they were together, the more their childish tendencies became apparent, even as they grew older.

The afternoon breeze was soft and cool. The two continued to sit together, not speaking, not interacting, not even playing chess, just quietly emptying their minds.

Upstairs on the second floor, however, the old lady's laughter occasionally rang out, startling the magpies on the treetops.

Pleasant time flowed by, yet it was not cause for fear or longing, for they were certain there would be a tomorrow.

Finally, Tan Wenbin came downstairs.

After bidding farewell to Ah Li, Li Zhuiyuan returned to the dorm with Binbin.

In the dorm, Lin Shuyou stood with his eyes closed, muttering and circling while waving his arms.

Even when someone entered, he didn't notice at all.

Tan Wenbin teased, "Oh, are you finding a new path, incorporating shamanistic dancing into Guanjiangshou?"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "He's gone astray into madness."

Tan Wenbin immediately became serious. "What should we do about this?"

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the bucket of water placed against one wall.

Tan Wenbin understood, picked up the bucket, and splashed the water onto Lin Shuyou's face.

"Splash!"

"Hmph..."

Lin Shuyou froze, and at the same time, he sobered up.

Once he sobered up, he immediately bent down and picked up all the water-soaked papers. These items were incredibly precious to him, serving as his "ticket" to the main seat at the New Year's family banquet.

Tan Wenbin picked up a mop and started cleaning the floor nearby, complaining, "Why on earth did you go astray just by looking at a formation diagram?"

Lin Shuyou carefully laid the diagrams flat on the desk, then took a rag to help wipe the water from the floor, saying sheepishly, "I don't know why, but I just got completely absorbed while looking at them."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "You just need to memorize it by rote; you don't actually need to comprehend it fully."

"Ah," Lin Shuyou said, sounding a bit hesitant.

Tan Wenbin said impatiently, "Brother Xiaoyuan doesn't have time to speak in riddles with you. Just take what he says literally."

"Oh, okay, I understand, Brother Xiaoyuan."

Li Zhuiyuan was indeed not speaking in riddles. Lin Shuyou didn't have a complete understanding of the foundational structure of formations, nor strong proficiency in comprehending them. The formations he was holding were also ones Li Zhuiyuan had modified. Thus, once he immersed himself in the conscious sensation of the formations, he would lose his way and easily go astray.

At this point, rote memorization of the formulas, knowing what they are but not why they are, was actually the optimal solution.

After the two had cleaned the dorm, Lin Shuyou knew what was next. So, he quickly ran back to his own dorm, changed into clean clothes, and then ran back again.

Tan Wenbin took off his shirt and sat on a chair.

Li Zhuiyuan placed two Two Realms Talismans on Tan Wenbin's left and right shoulders respectively, then pressed his thumbs down with both hands to empower the talismans.

"Om!"

Tan Wenbin suddenly straightened his chest and let out a long hum from his throat.

He hadn't felt anything special before, just accustomed to it, but now, he suddenly felt much more energetic, and even the negative distracting thoughts in his mind had cleared.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, it really works! These two little ones are sleeping more comfortably. But why are they always sleeping?"

Lin Shuyou quickly answered, "Because they're absorbing your Yang energy."

Tan Wenbin glared at Lin Shuyou. "You just can't keep your mouth shut, can you? Go back to your spiritual deviation and madness."

Lin Shuyou shrank his neck.

Li Zhuiyuan explained, "They are inherently malevolent curses, not ordinary resentful spirits. Their mother entrusted them to you before she died, and now they see you as their 'mother.' Before these talismans were attached, your negative emotions would multiply several times due to their presence. Now, you no longer influence each other. You can perceive their existence, and they can perceive yours. You can sense each other's vague state, but you can't communicate directly as before."

Tan Wenbin agreed profoundly. "It's better not to communicate then. Let's accumulate merits by Walking the River together. Once you've accumulated enough, hurry and reincarnate. Let's not develop real affection for each other and then be reluctant to part."

"However, as the main entity, you can borrow some power through them, even though that power was originally yours."

Essentially, Binbin was the provider.

Li Zhuiyuan began to demonstrate some simple spells he would normally use.

Tan Wenbin watched very carefully.

Lin Shuyou also sat there, openly "stealing" knowledge and taking notes.

After one demonstration, Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Have you learned it?"

Lin Shuyou blushed, saying uneasily, "I tried my best, but..."

Tan Wenbin replied candidly,