Chapter 213

No wonder it’s so effective at trapping people; if it weren't incredibly sturdy, it couldn't function as a prison.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the blank book again. It was still the same page, but this time, the painting no longer depicted a disheveled old man roaring while gripping bars. Instead, a woman in green robes was curled in a prison cell corner, covering her face and weeping.

A few simple strokes perfectly captured a pitiful sight.

That "Evil Book" was certainly not idle. Even in its current state, it was still racking its brains to spread its wickedness within its capabilities.

Li Zhuiyuan closed the book and quickly opened it again. Inside the prison cell in the painting, the woman in green had changed to red, her long black hair flowing down. She stood on a stool, hands gripping a dangling noose, preparing to hang herself.

The young man gently stroked the page with his finger.

The woman, about to hang herself, stretched out a hand, as if weeping and pleading. Her expression was so nuanced; even if one scoured old book markets, it would be hard to find another comic strip with such a poignant style.

Li Zhuiyuan closed the book and tossed it onto his desk.

“So much drama.”

The blank book inherently possesses the ability to imprison and seal. Now that the "Evil Book" had been absorbed, there was no longer any need to seal it.

After going out with a basin to wash his face, Li Zhuiyuan got into bed, ready to rest. He had deliberately avoided any brain-intensive research today because he had to go out again tomorrow. Although the journey back was somewhat tiring, it was far less exhausting than traveling on the river, so he had already recovered what was needed.

Because of this, his sleep was a bit short. When he woke up, A-Li hadn't arrived yet. However, Li Zhuiyuan had already heard the sound of the east room door opening. Though her footsteps were light, they were the most familiar to him.

He straightened his head, closed his eyes, and feigned sleep.

The girl entered the room, first walked to the bedside and watched for a while, then moved to her drawing table to continue the painting from last night. Li Zhuiyuan then “woke up” at an opportune moment, turning his head to look at the girl. He saw that although she held a paintbrush, she was half-turned today, her peripheral vision constantly fixed on him.

He was pretending to sleep, and she knew he was pretending, because even Li Zhuiyuan himself didn't realize that his brows were a touch more relaxed when he was asleep than when he was awake. The two exchanged a knowing smile, completing their unspoken morning ritual.

Li Zhuiyuan first went to wash up, then returned to help A-Li grind ink and mix colors. After she finished a section of her painting, they both left the room, sat on the rattan chairs, and began to play chess. One always lost, one always won, yet they never tired of playing.

Aunt Liu, who had just set water to boil on the kitchen stove, leaned against the kitchen doorway. Her gaze was fixed on the veranda, and her lips occasionally pursed. A person who loves cracking sunflower seeds can "crack" them even without actual seeds.

The otherwise peaceful morning was broken by the arrival of a taxi.

It was Liu Changping driving, the Jinling taxi driver who had met his nurse girlfriend because he waived Tan Wenbin’s fare. He had recently gotten married and had taken a long-distance fare yesterday, from Jinling to Nantong. Before setting off, he had loaded his car with specialties from his hometown in Jiangxi and some wedding candy and gifts.

He had arrived last night but didn't want to disturb them by showing up late, so he slept in his car for half the night and came to deliver the gifts first thing in the morning. Actually, when he left last time, Li Sanjiang had given him a red envelope according to local custom for his first visit, but Liu Changping had also left a return gift he had specifically bought from town, so there was nothing owed between them. However, it is precisely such relationships, where neither party wishes to take advantage of the other, that tend to last longer.

Li Sanjiang got out of bed and came out to talk and chat with Liu Changping, inviting him to stay for breakfast. Li Zhuiyuan was going out anyway, so he simply hired Liu Changping for the day.

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng got into Liu Changping's car. Liu Changping took a red envelope from the car's drawer, pulled money from his pocket to put inside it, added a piece of candy, and handed it to the young man in the back seat.

“This is for you.”

Li Zhuiyuan didn't refuse, reaching out to take it and replying, “May you have a son soon.”

The scholar’s wife was buried on the Suzhou side of Taihu Lake, not far from Nantong. This was also why Li Zhuiyuan chose to go home first before fulfilling his promise to the other party.

Upon reaching the general area, Li Zhuiyuan took out his compass and began to direct Liu Changping. When there was no longer a road to drive on, Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng got out of the car. Liu Changping also followed them out; the young man glanced at him but said nothing. Suzhou is industrially developed and highly developed, but fortunately, the scholar's wife's burial site still retains its original, pristine appearance, which saved them a lot of trouble.

Run Sheng had brought all his tools when he left home. After extending his Yellow River shovel, he began to dig at the spot Li Zhuiyuan indicated. Liu Changping, who had a cigarette between his fingers, started trembling when he saw this. He had driven for this group of young people several times, but the strangest thing he had witnessed was Xue Liangliang’s streaking because he had collected his clothes early. A young man, with another person, came to a place and, without a word, began digging a hole.

Liu Changping swallowed, looking left and right. While instinctively panicking, he also took on the role of lookout.

Run Sheng was quick and efficient. Soon, the excavated hole connected to an existing cave below. Run Sheng squatted down, hoisted the young man onto his back, and leaped down. The cave interior was not large. The scholar had arranged formations here to maintain the basic environment of the tomb, but with the erosion of time, the formations had long become ineffective. Water had accumulated on the ground, reaching above knee-height.

On the corpse platform, the female corpse was completely frozen and had not decayed. However, the formation within the platform had long ceased to function, and the jade pendant, which was supposed to preserve the body, had shattered, its last bit of energy freezing the female corpse. If he hadn’t come, the corpse would have thawed and rotted soon, the tomb would have filled with lake water, and the body and its burial items would have been swept into the lake.

“This formation is indeed crude.”

Having seen it once in his memory and now witnessing it firsthand, Li Zhuiyuan confirmed that the scholar was, in fact, just a “Run Sheng” who liked to dress like a scholar.

“Brother Run Sheng, there, and there, and there…”

Li Zhuiyuan rattled off many instructions. Run Sheng listened and simply replied, “Got it!” Run Sheng began to excavate the tomb, first draining the accumulated water, then rearranging the formation flags as the young man requested. Li Zhuiyuan, meanwhile, focused on modifying the formation on the corpse platform.

After everything was completed, Li Zhuiyuan activated several newly arranged formations. The formation's core was positioned in the west, responding to the Taihu Lake tides, using the lake's power to maintain the formation for a much longer time.

After doing all this, Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng together tidied up the burial objects that had been soaked and overturned by the accumulated water. Run Sheng also shoveled away the silt with his Yellow River shovel, and the entire tomb chamber immediately became much cleaner.

Run Sheng, leaning on his shovel, said, “It’s better to be cremated; saves cleaning.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Don’t you dare say that to your grandpa.”

Grandpa Shan and Great-Grandpa had already chosen their burial coffins and auspicious burial sites; they were still waiting for traditional burial. Li Zhuiyuan added, “And don’t say it to Mengmeng either.”

Run Sheng chuckled at that. Coffin makers naturally detest cremation.

Li Zhuiyuan actually quite supported cremation, as it not only conserves land but also greatly reduces the risk of corpses becoming zombies or reanimated dead. However, each generation has its own beliefs. The scholar himself could accept turning to ashes, yet he still wished for his beloved wife's body to be properly preserved.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Alright, let’s go back.”

Outside, Run Sheng restored the cave entrance. At first, Liu Changping wasn't visible, but after a while, Liu Changping tiptoed over, lowering his voice, “Quick, let’s go, I just checked, no one’s around right now.” As he spoke, his gaze fell on Run Sheng’s hiking bag. It was bulging when they arrived, and still bulging now, making it impossible to tell if anything valuable had been dug up.

During the drive back, Liu Changping was somewhat restless. He mumbled several times but ultimately didn't ask anything.

When they reached Nantong, Li Zhuiyuan instructed Liu Changping to first drive to the city department store. After buying some baby products inside, he had Liu Changping drive to the riverside. This was a familiar spot for Liu Changping.

Li Zhuiyuan told Run Sheng to stay in the car and got out himself, carrying the items. Walking to the riverside, he first pulled out a talisman paper and flicked it out. The paper ignited spontaneously and drifted onto the river surface. Soon, accompanied by gurgling sounds, a water curtain emerged from the bottom of the river, revealing a woman in an elegant white dress. Her abdomen was slightly swollen, but her pregnancy was not very obvious. It seemed this child would not be easy to deliver.

The woman took three steps back, placed her hands in front of her, and prepared to perform a formal bow.

“Dispensed with.”

“Yes.”

The woman lowered her head slightly, not daring to make direct eye contact. Although Xue Liangliang hadn’t called to ask him to do this, since he was back, Li Zhuiyuan felt he should bring something and say hello. However, this task should have been Tan Wenbin's responsibility, but Tan Wenbin wasn't here. His personal appearance would put too much pressure on the woman.

After he tossed the gifts into the river, they were enveloped by a special current and quickly submerged. Li Zhuiyuan said nothing more, turned, and left. Behind him, the woman completed the grand bow she had not performed earlier, directing it towards the young man. Only after the young man had walked far enough that his figure was no longer visible did she slowly sink and disappear into the river surface.

Next, it was time to return to Siyuan Village.

Li Zhuiyuan was about to calculate Liu Changping’s fare for the day, but before he could speak, Liu Changping’s pager rang.

“My wife. I’ll call her back.”

He pulled the car over by a roadside shop, got out to return the call, and soon after, he excitedly ran back, seemingly forgetting he was a driver, and even slapped the car window. Li Zhuiyuan rolled down the window.

Liu Changping: “Haha, my wife’s pregnant! My wife’s pregnant!”

This joyous news instantly washed away the gloom of the morning’s suspected tomb raiding. He drove Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng back to Siyuan Village, grinning foolishly all the way. Midway, when Li Zhuiyuan tried to pay him the fare, he waved it off, saying it was a celebratory day and he wouldn’t accept money. Li Zhuiyuan didn’t insist.

The car pulled back into the courtyard of Li Sanjiang’s home. Liu Changping happily shouted to Li Sanjiang, who was sitting in the courtyard: “Grandpa Li, my wife’s pregnant, I’m going to be a dad!”

Li Sanjiang smiled and said, “Oh, that’s great news! Come, let’s have a good drink… No, you’d better head back first. Drive safely on the road.”

“Then I’ll get going, Grandpa.”

Liu Changping backed the car out and drove out of the village. It was truly a coincidence; he felt that every time he drove for these people, he always received good news. From meeting his partner to getting married and now to pregnancy, it had been a complete package deal.

In the courtyard, Li Sanjiang chuckled and said, “That boy, he looks foolish with happiness. It’s as if he wishes he were driving a rocket instead of a taxi right now.” As he spoke, Li Sanjiang’s gaze instinctively fell on Li Zhuiyuan, then naturally began to search for the girl. Midway through his search, Li Sanjiang slapped his forehead. The children were still young. What on earth was he thinking? So shameless.

“Little Prince Yuan, come with me to see your grandpa again.”

“Okay.”

In the courtyard, Liu Yumei, who was sitting there drinking tea, looked first at the young man, then shifted her gaze to her granddaughter. As the sole bloodline of both the Qin and Liu families, it was naturally impossible that Liu Yumei hadn't considered this possibility. It was just that A-Li’s condition used to be so severe that she had largely given up the idea of A-Li marrying in the future. Now, seeing A-Li’s continuous improvement, she was already pondering how the family names should be divided. Anyway, Little Yuan also took his mother’s surname, Li, so he probably didn’t value surnames that much. If she were to thick-skinnedly ask, it might just…

Aunt Liu suddenly appeared before Liu Yumei. Liu Yumei was startled, a look of annoyance on her face.

Aunt Liu said plaintively, “I called you several times, asking what you wanted to eat tonight, and you didn’t respond. So, what were you thinking about just now?”

Liu Yumei’s annoyance turned into a slight blush as she replied, “I was thinking about A-Li’s new clothes, what fabric would be best.”

Aunt Liu: “Have one!”

Liu Yumei: “Not enough!”

Aunt Liu laughed.

Liu Yumei raised her hand: “You cheeky rascal, asking for a beating!”

Aunt Liu ran cheerfully ahead, the old lady chasing after her.

Uncle Qin, holding a hoe, stood in the fields, looking towards the scene in the courtyard, a smile also appearing on his face. It was as if everything had returned to when he and A-Ting were children. Whenever A-Ting made a mistake, the mistress would chase after her to scold her. Yet, despite having martial arts skills, the mistress could never catch A-Ting, who was unwilling to endure the hardship of practice.

A-Li, who was drawing in the upstairs room, walked out, glanced at her grandma and Aunt Liu chasing each other, then turned back to her room to continue drawing. In the painting, the solemn and majestic auspicious clouds had already been drawn, but the girl added a few more strokes, making them even more vibrant and bright.

Li Sanjiang brought Li Zhuiyuan to Li Weihan’s house again, where they happened to see Li Zhuiyuan’s younger uncle, who was holding a bowl full of meat. Li Zhuiyuan had instructed Xiong Shan to deliver the meat last night during dinner.

The younger uncle shrank back in fear when he saw Li Sanjiang, then forced a smile: “Grandpa Sanjiang.” He knew that Li Sanjiang disliked him and his three brothers. Sometimes, when he saw them in the village, he would spit and curse them as "ungrateful wretches" from a distance.

Li Sanjiang chuckled and approached, ignoring the meat in the other man’s bowl. Instead, he asked, “Your dad told me he has to go to the kiln to move bricks to pay back the hospital and surgery fees you four brothers paid for him.”

The younger uncle: “I didn’t want it; it was my brothers…”

Seeing Li Sanjiang pick up a wooden stick from the ground, the younger uncle immediately grabbed his bowl and took off running. Li Sanjiang threw the stick, hitting the younger uncle’s back. The younger uncle winced and straightened his body for a moment but continued to protect the meat in his bowl without letting go, running towards home.

Li Weihan and Cui Guiying heard the commotion and came out of the house. Cui Guiying, seeing Li Zhuiyuan, ran up and hugged him, affectionately stroking his head and face. Li Sanjiang, meanwhile, glared at Li Weihan, who explained: “Xiong Shan brought meat today. I saw that Fourth Hou’s family has many young children, so I told him to give it to them…”

Hearing this, Li Sanjiang first looked down at Little Prince Yuan beside him, then at Li Weihan, letting out a cold laugh and cursing, “Times aren’t what they used to be; it’s not easy for someone with hands and feet to starve to death. Who the hell are you putting on this act for?!”

Li Weihan was bewildered. Uncle Sanjiang had scolded him yesterday, but today he was cursing even more fiercely.

Li Sanjiang: “Tomorrow, you and Cui Guiying go to Xiong Shan’s place. Help plant peach trees and harvest peaches. You’ll get paid and two meals.”

Li Weihan immediately replied, “Oh, it’s my duty to help you, Uncle Sanjiang. No need for wages…”

Li Sanjiang cursed, “You stubborn old fool, if you don’t take wages, how will you pay back your four sons’ money!”

Seeing Uncle Sanjiang so angry, Li Weihan could only nod.

Li Sanjiang added, “Meals are for eating here, not for taking. Don’t think about taking advantage of me!”

Li Weihan quickly waved his hands, “No, no, we understand.”

Li Sanjiang sighed, too tired to get angry again, and simply said flatly, “Cherish your body. Don’t die before I do.”

“Yes, yes, I know, I know.” Li Weihan nodded repeatedly with a forced smile, thinking to himself: “To outlive you, Uncle Sanjiang, I really don’t have that confidence.”

Li Sanjiang added, “If you and Cui Guiying become incapacitated and need nursing one day, that’s when the real show begins.” With that, Li Sanjiang took Li Zhuiyuan’s hand and left.

As they walked on the field path, Li Zhuiyuan peeled the boiled egg his grandma had just given him. He first offered it to his great-grandpa, who lowered his head and took a small bite: “Little Prince Yuan, you eat it yourself.”

“Okay.”

Li Zhuiyuan was afraid his great-grandpa was angry, because his great-grandpa must have guessed who had told Xiong Shan to deliver the meat.

“Little Prince Yuan…”

“Yes, Great-Grandpa.”

“I’ve lived many years, Little Prince Yuan, and I’ve realized something: some people are simply fated to live a certain way. Don’t try to change others’ fates. Even if you mean well, they might not appreciate it.”

“I understand, Great-Grandpa.”

“Come, Great-Grandpa will carry you!”

Li Zhuiyuan climbed onto Li Sanjiang’s back. Li Sanjiang bounced him a bit: “Ho, the sparrow is getting bigger!”

Back home, they ate dinner.

Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li returned to their room. They sat facing each other, the blank book laid open between them. On this page, within the painting’s prison cell, the red-clad woman had already hanged herself, her face purple, her tongue hanging out long.

Li Zhuiyuan’s biggest problem now was that the "Evil Book" had been trapped and contained, but what was the point of just trapping it? He was hoping it could undergo re-education through labor.

Leaving the book open beside them, Li Zhuiyuan took out a red string and continuously wove it around his fingertips, simultaneously beginning to deduce team formations. However, after only a short while of deduction, the young man felt his brain grow tired.

The girl stood up. The young man looked up at the girl, a little worried she would go out to the kitchen to make him brown sugar poached eggs. However, the girl did not leave. Instead, she reached out and took a red string from the young man, then, imitating his earlier steps, began to weave it around her fingertips. She was helping him with the deduction.

Li Zhuiyuan watched the red string rolling around the girl’s fingertips while his right hand continued to deduce. Before long, A-Li also stopped her movements. The girl frowned slightly, as if wanting to force herself to continue, but Li Zhuiyuan stopped her.

“This is enough for now. This deduction consumes a lot of energy; there’s no rush.”

The girl nodded, got up, and left. Li Zhuiyuan thought she was tired and went to rest, so he took his basin to bathe. After bathing, feeling a bit dizzy and unsteady on his feet, he pushed open the door and entered the room, only to find the girl had returned, carrying two large bowls of brown sugar poached eggs.

“A-Li, let’s eat together.”

The girl nodded. Tonight’s brown sugar poached eggs were much better than last night’s, not as cloyingly sweet. Aunt Liu must have helped make them. After eating, the girl returned to the east room, and Li Zhuiyuan took the bowls to the kitchen.

Aunt Liu was still tidying up inside and, seeing him, asked, “Was it good?”

“Aunt Liu…”

“Next time, I’ll make you a different dessert.”

“Thank you, Aunt Liu.”

“You’re welcome. Go back and rest quickly.”

After Li Zhuiyuan left, Aunt Liu looked at the large tea mug of brown sugar on the table. This morning, she had noticed that the large mug, which had been full yesterday, was gone. If she hadn't returned to the kitchen earlier, A-Li would have added another full mug of brown sugar to the pot.

After the late-night snack, Li Zhuiyuan, having regained some energy, returned to his room. His right hand continued to deduce, beginning to consolidate the part he had previously deduced. This was a massive undertaking, not only complex in principle but also requiring individual design and adjustments based on each team member’s characteristics. Even with A-Li helping him, at this current speed… Li Zhuiyuan suspected it would truly take a full year to deduce it.

For a profound secret method, deducing it in a year would already be incredibly fast; many factions’ inherited cultivation methods require generations to complete. But for the young man, a year… was truly too long. Although he had demonstrated strategic value by the river, capable of avoiding that "wave mode" of sudden attacks, the difficulty pushed by the river would also increase. If he didn't quickly improve the team's overall strength between each wave, they could easily be shattered by the increasingly swift waves to come.

The young man lowered his head and looked at the blank book again. On that page, the woman still maintained the image of the hanged ghost, unchanged.

Hmm, why has your urge to perform suddenly decreased today?

Li Zhuiyuan’s right hand continued to deduce, his left hand resting on the book page. At this moment, the young man suddenly found that as he continued his deduction, a special sense of assistance appeared, similar to how Zhao Yi had once lent him his mind using the crack of life and death. Li Zhuiyuan immediately looked down at the image. In the image, she was no longer hanging but had started acting crazily, rolling on the prison floor.

Li Zhuiyuan continued his deduction, unconsciously speeding up. In the image, the woman’s figure changed to a man, who started tearing at his own face, looking terrifying. As the deduction continued, the man turned back into a woman, her body twisted and bloody, clinging to the prison wall. But the young man still didn’t stop; he continued the deduction. He couldn’t help it; this fellow had a history of playing the victim.

The figure in the image began to hunch, its body started to wither, no longer distinguishable as male or female. The deduction continued until… one of its legs exploded and disappeared. Li Zhuiyuan paused for a moment. Only one leg exploded; there was still another leg and two arms. He continued the deduction. The other leg was gone too. The arms were also gone. Only when it was just a head atop a large mass of rotten flesh did Li Zhuiyuan finally stop. The part he had just deduced was enough for ten days.

In truth, Li Zhuiyuan himself was still doing the actual deduction, but through the blank book, he could draw upon the computational power provided by the "Evil Book." At this point, because only a clear head remained, the image was magnified. The face of that head was filled with terror and horror.

It was the "Evil Book." Since its birth, it had manipulated and instigated countless human tragedies and family destructions, feeding on them and finding pleasure in them. But since falling into this boy's hands, it had finally realized what true evil and ruthlessness were!

Li Zhuiyuan picked up his pen and wrote on the prison wall in the image: “Continue tomorrow, same intensity.”

The head began to shake wildly, then its tongue extended, licking the blood beneath it. The next moment, the page changed: bloody words written by the tongue appeared on the wall: “Please let me rest, I will die!”

While sustainable exploitation would certainly be better, the problem was that Li Zhuiyuan didn't know where this guy's bottom line was. It had deceived him once, and he had no trust left for it. The young man picked up his pen and wrote a simple, heartwarming response: “Oh.”

The hospital room door was pushed open, and Tan Wenbin walked in. Looking at Tan Yunlong, whose lips were still a bit pale on the hospital bed, Tan Wenbin smiled, "Congratulations, Officer Tan! Oh no, Captain Tan! Oh no, Director Tan! Do you think we can 'oh no' one more time and aim for Commissioner Tan this time?"

At this moment, Tan Yunlong was alone in the room, so Tan Wenbin had no reservations. He didn’t want to fake tearful embraces with his father. In fact, he had been through much worse injuries several times. After so many experiences, his perspective had naturally changed: as long as you don't die, you'll recover and be a strong man again. Besides, although his father's injuries were significant, they weren't critical, so it wasn't a major problem.

Tan Yunlong, lying in his hospital gown, uncharacteristically didn't get angry at his son's playful antics. Instead, as if seeing his son anew, he said in a hoarse voice, "How much hardship have you endured outside?"

Before, when busy, father and son always seemed to have a shell between them during conversations. Tan Yunlong was now recuperating, and his shell was temporarily broken. So, with the eyes of an excellent veteran detective, he immediately noticed something different about his son. This kind of nonchalance about life and death, Tan Yunlong had only seen in a very few special individuals before. He truly hadn't expected that one day he would sense a similar feeling in his own son.

Tan Wenbin quickly waved his hand, "Don't, Dad. We're father and son, no need for theatrics. Save your emotions for when the TV station arrives."

Tan Yunlong's chest heaved. The feeling of heartache for his son was shattered by his son's own words. Feeling stifled, he could only utter, "You beast."

"Hehehe!"

Tan Wenbin picked up an orange from the bedside table and peeled it. "Dad, I really need to talk to you. You knew you were going to be a 'righteous judge,' so why didn't you carry your gun when leaving the police station?"

Tan Yunlong opened his mouth, saw Tan Wenbin put the peeled orange segments into his own mouth, and could only purse his lips, saying, "How was I to know they could be so foolish?" He had already reported the details of the stolen goods. Any retaliation against him at this point would be meaningless. But it turned out they actually gathered a bunch of thugs to retaliate against him. It's said that the district chief, who had already been taken away by the disciplinary committee, was completely paralyzed with fear upon learning what his younger brother had done. It was originally a normal corruption case, but with this incident, the nature of the case immediately changed. Correspondingly, even though he was injured and not particularly keen on it, Tan Yunlong clearly understood the significant impact this incident would have on his future.

Tan Wenbin finished the entire orange, then took his dad's malted milk and made himself a large cup.

“You didn’t eat?”

“I knew something happened to you, so I immediately rebooked my flight to Jinling.”

“You can eat at the airport too.”

“Heh, things at the airport are so expensive.”

“You’re not short on money.”

“Wasn’t in the mood to eat.”

Both father and son fell silent. Tan Yunlong turned his head and closed his eyes.

Tan Wenbin had accidentally become sentimental, so he quickly compensated by breaking the atmosphere: “Dad, do you think your story could be made into a TV series? A detective series at first, then an injury at the end, a corrupt official brought down—perfect, absolutely classic.”

Tan Yunlong sighed and said, “Be serious.”

“Huh?”

Tan Yunlong: “Be serious about them.”

“Okay,” Tan Wenbin obediently replied, “I understand.”

Not everyone is as lucky as Tan Yunlong, who was stabbed twice with no major issues. Many quiet guardians have sacrificed their lives on duty.

Tan Wenbin: “Dad, you still need to be careful in the future. If something happens to you, what about Mom? It was already hard enough for her to marry you; don’t deny her a peaceful retirement.”

Tan Yunlong used all his strength to softly “mm-hmm.”

“Also, I haven’t had time to study the policies yet, so I don’t know if I’d get extra points on my postgraduate exam if you, you know, go out gloriously.”

Tan Yunlong closed his eyes. What a pity; hospital gowns don’t have belts.

At this moment, the hospital room door opened again, and Zhou Yunyun entered, carrying hospital food.

“Binbin, you’re back?”

Tan Wenbin asked in surprise, “You’re taking care of my dad?”

Zhou Yunyun: “Auntie has been taking care of him for days and was too tired, so I told her to go home and get some sleep.”

Tan Wenbin: “Thank you for your hard work.”

Zhou Yunyun: “Uncle Tan has been very kind to me. Isn’t it my duty to take care of him?”

Tan Yunlong said, “Yunyun is a good girl. Your mother and I both approve of her. Don’t mess things up in the future, boy.”

Tan Wenbin: “I know, nursing by the sickbed is second only to wearing mourning clothes at a funeral.”

Tan Yunlong: “…”

The three ate together. As soon as they put down their spoons and chopsticks, a group of leaders arrived outside the room. Tan Wenbin asked Zhou Yunyun, “Are there many visitors?”

Zhou Yunyun nodded, “Since Uncle Tan woke up, there have been many visitors.”

Tan Wenbin packed away the dishes and food containers, saying, “Dad, you rest. I’ll go back and check on Mom; she must have been terrified these past few days.” He got up, walked to the door, opened it, and enthusiastically gestured to the leaders outside: “Uncles and gentlemen, you’re here to see Uncle Tan, right? Perfect timing, Uncle Tan just finished eating and is awake. Please, come in.”

Tan Yunlong watched his son leave. The leaders who entered afterward all said, “Your nephew is great, very energetic and polite.”

The closer to home, the faster his heart beat. Lin Shuyou took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, then inhaled again, exhaled again… Although branches didn't separate from the main temple, and everything remained the same within the framework, what he needed to do this time felt like a new coming-of-age ceremony for Lin Shuyou.

He walked out of the alley, up the steps, and through the temple gate.

“A-You is back.”

“A-You, is your school on break again?”

The elder brothers and uncles in the temple warmly greeted Lin Shuyou. When he returned for Chinese New Year last time, Lin Shuyou had shown great rapport with the White Crane Boy. Combined with his long-held reputation as a child prodigy of the spirit medium lineage, the next temple master would, without a doubt, again have the surname Lin. Lin Shuyou greeted them back one by one. Learning that his grandfather and master were not in the temple but at a meeting, he looked around, found a junior brother, and asked him to run an errand to inform them of his return.

Immediately, Lin Shuyou entered the main hall. Upon entering, he saw the White Crane Boy statue, placed in a separate row among the statues of the various Guanjiangshou generals. Because the craftsmen repairing the neighboring Guanjiangshou temple had been hospitalized, there were temporarily no skilled masters nearby willing to take on the repair work. So the Boy’s statue remained old and dilapidated.

“Ha, Boy, I didn’t expect you’d be faster than me.” Lin Shuyou slung his hiking backpack up, then jumped onto the platform and sat down. This row only had the Boy’s statue, so it was quite spacious. Leaning against the Boy’s statue, Lin Shuyou’s gaze swept over the other Guanjiangshou generals in the main hall.

He and Brother Bin had both rebooked their flights, so after Brother Xiaoyuan and the others boarded, he and Brother Bin waited in the lounge for quite a while. Brother Bin told him that there were some things Brother Xiaoyuan hadn't mentioned, but they needed to consider them in advance. For example, what was Lin Shuyou's foundation in the team? It was his identity as a Guanjiangshou. "Now you have one tree, but don't you want a whole forest, just like your surname?" Brother Bin also said, "Once our Nantong Daochang is established, whoever places more things inside will have more influence, won't they? When it comes to numbers, who can compare to you? Yin Meng might put up one Emperor Fengdu in the future, but you'll have a whole group of Guanjiangshou, so you won't fear her at all, right?"

Lin Shuyou had some reservations about whether a group of Guanjiangshou could truly intimidate Emperor Fengdu. But he felt Brother Bin was right: his relationship with the Boy was good, but to get by in this world, you still needed power. While discussing these things in the waiting lounge, A-You didn't open his vertical pupils. Otherwise, if the White Crane Boy had heard this, the first thing he'd do the next time he possessed A-You would probably be to beat Tan Wenbin to death.

Lin Shuyou's gaze gradually fell upon the Two Generals, Zeng and Sun. Generals Zeng and Sun are the strongest and most unruly among the Guanjiangshou. The former is a strength for Brother Xiaoyuan; the latter isn't a weakness for Brother Xiaoyuan either. A-You trusts Brother Xiaoyuan to handle them. After all, the Boy initially liked to hold his head high but has now become more amiable.

Anyway, he was going to establish a branch. Putting up one Boy statue was the same as putting up two additional Zeng and Sun Generals. After Brother Xiaoyuan tames them… after Brother Xiaoyuan has thoroughly integrated with them, he can then smoothly transfer them into the Nantong Daochang, saving himself another trip back for a ritual. Lin Shuyou didn't consider this behavior betrayal. In Brother Bin's words, it was called "deity secondment." The stronger he got, the stronger the Underworld Deity became, and thus the Guanjiangshou system became stronger. He was greatly advancing the Guanjiangshou!

While Lin Shuyou was pondering his grand "packaging" plan, Lin Fu'an and Chen Shoumen hurried in. If it were simply their grandson (or disciple) returning, they wouldn't be in such a rush. But they knew A-You was back on that person's orders, bringing that person's will. Therefore, upon finding Lin Shuyou sitting on the deity platform, neither of them got angry as they might have in the past.

Lin Shuyou jumped off the platform, clapped his hands, and recalled the procedure Brother Bin taught him. Brother Bin had said that if he followed his procedure, establishing the branch would naturally be smooth, and his master and grandfather would not object but would be incredibly happy.

“Ahem…” Lin Shuyou, remembering Brother Bin’s advice, didn’t rush to announce himself but first cleared his throat. Lin Fu'an and Chen Shoumen, seeing this, exchanged glances, thinking to themselves: Could this day finally be here?

Lin Shuyou pulled out a talisman paper, flicked it forward. The paper passed through a candle, ignited, and turned to ash.

“By the Dragon King’s command…”

Lin Fu'an and Chen Shoumen exchanged glances again, both seeing excitement and joy in each other's eyes: "This day has truly come!"

Before Lin Shuyou could continue, he suddenly saw a look of shame and indignation on his grandfather’s face, and anger on his master’s face. Immediately after, Grandpa Lin Fu'an pointed at him and cursed, “You ungrateful beast who forgets his ancestors, I have no grandson like you!” Chen Shoumen beat his chest and stamped his foot, “Heavens above, how could I have raised a disciple like you? I have shamed my lineage, I have shamed Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva!”

“Huh?” Lin Shuyou was dumbfounded. He was just establishing a branch. Why were his master and grandfather reacting so strongly? Not to mention that branches don't separate from the main temple; even if he were truly going to split off and build a separate temple, it would be a proud achievement. His master and grandfather should have proudly patted his shoulder, saying he had finally grown up and could spread the Guanjiangshou lineage.

Lin Fu'an: “Alas, my heritage, my foundation! You beast, I will never tolerate you!”

Chen Shoumen said with deep sorrow, “Pity, my sect, my dharma lineage! Traitorous disciple, I sever all ties with you!”

Lin Shuyou was momentarily confused, unable to grasp why his grandfather and master were reacting so strongly, and so in sync.

After wailing, Lin Fu'an waved his hand and sighed, “Enough. Circumstances compel us; I cannot resist. I must endure this humiliation and choose to preserve our heritage.”

Chen Shoumen said in deep anguish, “Forget it. We are fish on the chopping block. As temple master, I must be responsible for all living beings in the temple, so I must bow my head.”

After speaking, both of them collectively knelt before Lin Shuyou. Lin Shuyou was startled, tremblingly leaping back several steps to hurriedly get away. What on earth had gotten into his master and grandfather?!

Lin Fu'an and Chen Shoumen said in unison, “Respectfully obeying the Dragon King’s command, from today onwards, our temple shall belong to the Dragon King’s lineage!”

Lin Shuyou: “…”