Chapter 215

The woman stopped. She dared not go forward.

It was true that the martial arts world was full of hidden masters, but she had never seen such a method of concealment!

To put it plainly, only the Grand-Elder himself truly didn't know the skill level of his subordinates, and only he could organize such a group to work with him on the funeral team.

Xiong Shan stood up.

His son was not yet grown, so his father still needed to work hard.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Have another drink with my Grand-Elder."

Li Sanjiang nodded: "Yes, Shan Hou, have another drink. It won't delay the afternoon's work."

Xiong Shan sat down.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Run Sheng Ge."

Run Sheng put down his chopsticks and clutched his stomach: "I'm going to make room in my belly so I can eat more."

Li Sanjiang cursed with a laugh: "You rascal!"

Run Sheng left his seat and casually picked up the Yellow River shovel he had used earlier to set up the stage on the flat ground.

Uncle Qin looked at Li Zhuiyuan and asked:

"That fast?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's a bit different."

Uncle Qin nodded. Xiao Yuan's 'Zou Jiang' was indeed completely different from how it was originally for him.

Li Zhuiyuan said to Li Sanjiang: "Grand-Elder, I'm full."

"Mm." Li Sanjiang raised his wine cup, clinked it with Xiong Shan's, and drained it in one gulp.

After Li Zhuiyuan left the table, Yin Meng, who had been frowning, finally found a suitable excuse to leave the table:

"I'll go take some paper to Run Sheng."

The woman was running, and Run Sheng was chasing.

In the fields, two figures rapidly chased each other, drawing closer and closer.

Run Sheng, having just eaten, was like a tractor freshly fueled.

The woman couldn't outlast him, nor could she outrun him. In a depression by a small river, she stopped, turned around, and faced Run Sheng.

Run Sheng also stopped.

The woman asked, "Why are you aiding evil?"

Run Sheng: "I don't understand."

He could sense that the woman must have misunderstood something.

The woman wiped away the blood from the corner of her eye, her aura condensing.

Run Sheng said, "Wait a moment."

The woman asked, "Wait for what?"

Run Sheng: "Wait for my people to arrive."

The woman let out a scoff: "Heh!"

Immediately, the woman opened her left palm, clenched her right hand into a fist, and pushed off the ground with one leg.

This set of movements was very familiar to Run Sheng, resembling that of a departed old acquaintance.

The next moment, the woman's eyes again glowed with an unusual color; unlike the pure red pupils from before, this time they were red and black, commonly known as 'Yin-Yang Eyes'.

With a flick of her hands, two sections of bamboo slid from her sleeves, and with another flick, she produced two long whisks, one black and one white.

The woman leaped high, one whisk striking directly at Run Sheng's face.

Run Sheng raised the Yellow River shovel, blocking it.

The woman swept with her other whisk, and Run Sheng held the shovel vertically down, blocking again.

The woman moved like fire, her body constantly spinning and flipping, her two whisks waving like swords.

As Run Sheng retreated, he continuously raised his shovel to block, sparks flying with each clang of metal, each strike producing a trail of fire.

The woman pushed off the ground with her right leg, lowering her center of gravity, attempting to attack Run Sheng's lower body.

Run Sheng constantly lifted his legs and continued to retreat, giving the opponent no chance to attack him.

When the woman was about to shift her power, Run Sheng immediately pressed forward, forcing her to remain engaged even though she could push him back.

Finally, the woman could no longer hold back. Her eyes glowed with swirling red and black, and she muttered under her breath, sounding like a sinister laugh mixed with scripture chanting.

Run Sheng's breathing became ragged, and his face twitched uncontrollably.

He was strong in physical combat and close quarters, but in terms of magical arts, he only had nine out of ten orifices open.

The woman initiated another attack.

Run Sheng's response became flustered, and the woman found several openings, causing him to lose his previous composure and stagger backward repeatedly.

Just as the woman was about to seize the opportunity for another strike, to completely repel him and make a clean escape, she saw the burly man in front of her pull out a talisman and stick it onto his forehead.

In an instant, his eyes regained their clarity.

The woman's eyes widened. What kind of quality was this talisman, to be able to block out the 'noises' from the underworld?

With the effect of the 'Mind-Cleansing Talisman' enhanced, Run Sheng's responses regained their order, and he continued to entangle the woman.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan and Yin Meng arrived.

Yin Meng: "Three-Step Praise?"

Mainly because everyone was too familiar with Lin Shuyou's movement technique; the woman's fighting style was very similar to A-You's.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "Very similar, but this is the 'Seven-Star Step'."

Yin Meng: "She's not a Guan Jiang Shou?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "She should be a Ba Jia Jiang."

Within inheritance systems, there's often overlap, 'you in me, me in you'; even if they break away and develop independently, many similarities can still be seen.

However, with the woman holding the black and white whisks, seemingly having successfully entered a trance, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't distinguish which Yin God had possessed her. It resembled Seventh Lord or Eighth Lord, yet it wasn't them.

Below, the woman's continuous assault still hadn't managed to defeat or shake off Run Sheng. Growing increasingly anxious, she attempted to retreat a distance to cast another spell, but Run Sheng, having learned from his previous disadvantage, wouldn't allow her to succeed and immediately intensified his pressure.

Li Zhuiyuan called out: "Run Sheng, take her down."

Hearing this, the woman's face showed surprise and doubt: He had been holding back?

Run Sheng was indeed holding back because Xiao Yuan had only told him to leave the table and chase, without further instructions.

Immediately, one by one, his 'qi gates' opened.

The woman didn't know what kind of martial art this was, but she could feel that as more 'qi gates' opened, the opponent's aura was growing stronger and stronger.

Some opportunities actually require time to digest.

Just as Lin Shuyou digested the residual divine power left in his body by the White Crane Boy, Run Sheng also began to formally digest the nourishment from that meal in the pavilion only after all his qi gates fully opened and he was paralyzed.

At that table, no one dared to touch their chopsticks except for him.

In fact, this kind of 'break and then build' was inherently a new reshuffle of his own body, perfectly suited for new integration.

For example, just now, the woman's offense was like a tide, yet Run Sheng, without even opening a single 'qi gate', could easily intercept her.

Now, there was no need to suppress himself.

Run Sheng began to attack proactively. When there was a generational gap in absolute power, even the most exquisite moves would appear weak.

A single phrase, "attack where the enemy must defend," was enough for him to seize all initiative.

Run Sheng brought his shovel down. The woman raised her whisk to block, but with a *snap*, the whisk split, and the shovel blade struck the woman's shoulder.

The woman let out a muffled groan, forced to her single knee.

This was already the result of Run Sheng holding back; otherwise, it wouldn't have been the flat of the shovel hitting the woman, but the sharp edge.

However, the kneeling woman did not give up resisting. She swept her other whisk towards Run Sheng's calf.

Run Sheng quickly lifted his foot, then brought it down heavily, firmly stepping on the whisk.

The woman pulled hard, but could not free it.

What came next was Run Sheng's other foot.

"Bang!"

The woman's body flew backward.

As she was about to land, the woman endured the sharp pain to adjust her posture, attempting to stabilize herself, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Run Sheng, who had already sped to her side.

Run Sheng's hand gripped the woman's neck. His rough palm felt like sandpaper, causing discomfort while also exerting immense force.

"Thud!"

The woman was slammed into the ground, her neck still clutched.

She instinctively wanted to continue resisting, but Run Sheng's knee was already pressed against her chest, and the edge of the Yellow River shovel rested at her neck.

One more move, and she would die!

The woman showed a cold smile. Her trance state ended, and she stopped struggling.

Yin Meng: "Run Sheng has become even stronger."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Don't you usually spar with each other?"

Yin Meng: "We stopped sparring a long time ago. We can't beat him."

Initially, Tan Wenbin, Yin Meng, and Run Sheng would spar with each other every night in the fields behind Grand-Elder's house.

Tan Wenbin was the first to quit. His half-baked skills were fine for the underworld, but completely inadequate against true martial artists.

Later, Yin Meng also gave up. With Run Sheng's double improvement in brute strength and technique, she found it increasingly unbearable and simply accepted reality, dedicating herself to researching her poisons.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and said to Run Sheng: "Run Sheng Ge, you've worked hard."

Run Sheng shook his head: "She's even weaker than A-You was when we first met him."

They were both spirit mediums, both systems for inviting Yin Gods, but the Guan Jiang Shou had a relentless, forward-moving aura that this woman lacked.

Li Zhuiyuan squatted down beside the woman and asked:

"Who exactly did you just invite?"

The woman merely continued to stare at Li Zhuiyuan with a cold smile, not answering.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't get angry. He simply placed his fingers on the upper part of the woman's nose bridge, lightly pinching a bit of skin and pulling upward.

If one were in the 'Zou Yin' state at this moment, they would see a wisp of black energy swirling around the young man's fingertips; this was the Edict of Fengdu activating.

Yin Gods were not ghosts, but in some aspects their characteristics were very similar; the method used to restrain ghosts could also be used to restrain them.

The White Crane Boy had continuously met with setbacks in front of the young man back then also because the young man was an unrecognized successor of the Great Emperor; Yin Gods couldn't be elusive in his presence.

The woman was greatly alarmed. Her eyes again swirled with red and black, though very faint, indicating that her previously ended trance state had been briefly recalled.

Li Zhuiyuan frowned slightly. He couldn't analyze a specific entity from this residual power.

The woman's trance hadn't summoned a Yin God; it was merely a projection of a very chaotic force.

The young man released his fingers and gently patted the woman's forehead with his palm.

"Slap!"

The woman's eyes returned to normal, but her gaze towards the young man held no coldness, only terror.

She couldn't understand what kind of method this was, that it could so casually manipulate her most cherished martial arts inheritance, treating it like a toy.

Li Zhuiyuan: "There seems to be a misunderstanding between us."

Saying this, Li Zhuiyuan looked at Run Sheng.

Run Sheng: "She's as simple-minded as A-You was back then."

The woman asked, "What... what exactly do you want to say?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "The arrangements on Old Man Pu's remains, you did them, didn't you?"

The woman: "That's right, so, kill me or torture me, I don't care!"

The woman again put on an expression of resignation to fate.

Li Zhuiyuan sighed. He truly disliked forcing communication with people who didn't understand how to communicate. Never mind, he would start hypnotizing her slowly.

He flicked his finger, hitting the woman directly on the forehead. A ripple echoed within the woman's mind, shattering the emotions she had just gathered, and fear reappeared in her eyes.

"Why did you do it?"

"That old bastard lured, cheated, and harbored underage girls, causing them to eventually commit suicide. He deserved it!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Why didn't you call the police?"

The woman: "..."

The woman was stunned. She truly couldn't understand why a young man with such subordinates and such terrifying abilities himself would ask her "such a normal" question.

Li Zhuiyuan asked again: "Why didn't you call the police?"

The woman: "She had already committed suicide. One of the old men involved was arrested by the police and then died of a heart attack at the police station, so the matter was dropped."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Evidence."

The woman: "I encountered the girl's vengeful spirit, but her spirit couldn't enter the Nantong area. Here, it seems there's some terrifying restriction, or some... terrifying presence."

Li Zhuiyuan: "So you took matters into your own hands?"

The woman: "Three old men: one died in the police station, I killed two. This old bastard, Pu, was the ringleader. I wanted to make sure his descendants would never have peace. Was I wrong?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I can understand that."

The woman: "You can... understand?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "What's your name?"

The woman: "Xin Jiyue."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I'm not just asking your name."

The woman: "You're interrogating me. By what right do you..."

Li Zhuiyuan again raised his finger, poised to tap.

Xin Jiyue: "Chaoshan native, no sect or affiliation."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You're lying."

Xin Jiyue: "I really am from Chaoshan!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "The next sentence."

Xin Jiyue: "I'm no longer part of the 'Ba Jia Jiang'. I was removed from the temple registry and can no longer receive the Yin Gods."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Continue."

Xin Jiyue: "But I still have a way to borrow some of their power, by relying on..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Relying on what?"

Xin Jiyue: "It's in my bustier."

Li Zhuiyuan stopped and looked at Yin Meng.

Yin Meng squatted down, took out the bustier, and handed it to the young man.

It was a very traditional style, and a very traditional method.

Li Zhuiyuan extended two fingers, pinching the bustier as if handling something dirty.

Because it was condensed with dense karma.

Each of those red dots must have been added later with blood, and each red dot was a source of karma emission.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Who taught you to do this?"

Xin Jiyue: "What?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Tell me."

Xin Jiyue: "I am punishing evil and promoting good!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm, I admit that's part of it, but you also have a utilitarian motive. The person who taught you isn't worth you keeping a secret for them."

From the start, Li Zhuiyuan suspected that Old Man Pu had done something bad and was facing retaliation.

When Xin Jiyue first appeared, it confirmed the young man's suspicion. However, after interacting with her and questioning her, Li Zhuiyuan keenly realized that Xin Jiyue was