Chapter 221

The phone call remained connected.

But no sound came from the other end.

Li Zhuiyuan placed the receiver on the counter, pointed at Aunt Xu standing in the distance, then at the phone, and walked back with the bag of storybooks.

The evening breeze in the capital, carrying the city's din, brushed against the young man.

That phone call at Aunt Zhang's convenience store had once been his nightmare.

Now, he didn't care anymore.

It wasn't that he was generous enough to forgive; rather, he knew exactly what to do to inflict the most devastating blow on Li Lan.

"I am your experiment, but in my eyes, you are a failure."

On this basis, any superfluous words or actions were merely the futile yelps of a loser.

This was also why Li Lan stopped speaking.

Because she sensed that her condition had truly improved.

When they walked back to the entrance of Fengzeyuan, Grandpa Li, Runsheng, and Lin Shuyou had also come out.

Grandpa Li stood alone at the very front, his face flushed, but he stood very steadily, needing no one's support.

Li Sanjiang: "Sent them off?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes."

Li Sanjiang reached out and patted the young man's arm, saying nothing more.

He had said most of what needed to be said earlier in the day.

Even Lin Shuyou noticed during dinner that the old man's attention was constantly on Xiaoyuan; how could Li Sanjiang not?

Their first meeting at Shichahai was indeed fated, but that fate was like tobacco in a cigarette, burning to ash once lit.

This second meeting was a bit too obvious.

"Come, Xiaoyuan, you're going home tomorrow. Let's walk with Grandpa a bit more and absorb some of the imperial essence under the city walls."

"Grandpa, let's walk further inside then; the roadside only has exhaust fumes."

"Hahahaha!"

Ultimately, the walk didn't last long; Li Sanjiang was tired from too much walking these past few days.

After returning to the hotel to rest, everyone went to the airport early the next morning.

They hadn't brought much when they came, but they took back many local specialties and souvenirs, packed in numerous bags, all intended as gifts for the village.

If you want people to listen to you boast, to humor and indulge you, you have to give them some incentive; no one willingly provides emotional support for free.

Li Sanjiang didn't understand what "emotional support" meant, but he had long seen through the ways of human relationships.

As the plane took off, Li Zhuiyuan instinctively placed his hand on Grandpa Li's hand.

Li Sanjiang adjusted his posture and breathing; this was only his second time flying, but he was still nervous.

Once the plane was flying steadily, Li Sanjiang took out a storybook, opened it, crossed his legs, and alternately looked at the clouds outside the window and down at the story.

He also asked a flight attendant for a cup of coffee.

After taking one sip, he didn't drink another until the cup was collected by the flight attendant before the plane's descent.

Upon landing at Xingdong Airport, they walked out and saw the blue sky and white clouds of Nantong. Breathing in the scent of his hometown, Li Sanjiang became completely invigorated.

The first thing he did was light a match, ignite a cigarette for himself, and slightly reduce the air quality of his hometown.

Uncle Qin and Xiong Shan, who had already received the return flight information, came to pick them up on a tricycle.

On the way back, Li Sanjiang began chatting with Xiong Shan about his observations on the plane.

"Shanhou, I used to hear that flight attendants could light your cigarettes and even pour you Maotai on planes.

Alas, I didn't expect it to be false. You can't even smoke on this plane; it nearly suffocated me."

Li Zhuiyuan played with the pager in his hand. The matters in the capital were temporarily concluded; now, it was time to focus on the next wave.

Tan Wenbin hadn't specifically contacted him these past few days, only sending a standard pager message every three days to indicate he was still alive.

After arriving home, Li Sanjiang began visiting neighbors, specifically bringing the photos he took in the capital to show Grandma Liu, who had poor eyesight.

Li Zhuiyuan first checked on Yin Meng's condition. Yin Meng had recovered and was wearing a large sleeveless shirt, holding a saw, and making coffins.

Here, traditional burials were more strictly regulated, so coffin shops couldn't operate, but occasionally making a few coffins wouldn't be hard to sell.

Everyone staying at Grandpa Li's house, intentionally or unintentionally, found things to do to avoid appearing to be merely freeloading.

Yin Meng wasn't disappointed about not going to the capital because Aunt Liu had taken her to Shanghai in the interim.

Aunt Liu regularly traveled to fetch things for the old lady, and this time she specifically brought Yin Meng along, hoping she could also relax.

After all, for Yin Meng, malls and bustling commercial areas were more appealing than historical sites.

However, this didn't stop her from using it as an excuse to say to Runsheng with a hint of resentment, "Had fun, didn't you?"

Runsheng: "Yes."

Yin Meng pointed to a new coffin nearby and said, "Then paint it for me."

Runsheng: "Okay."

Yin Meng put down her saw, picked up a nearby mug, and gulped down more than half a cup of agastache tea. Some tea dripped down her neck, mixing with sweat.

Ever since Aunt Liu taught her toxicology and she was immersed in the insect jar, Yin Meng's skin had been very fair, the kind of fairness a grown woman has.

Aunt Liu's explanation was that Chongqing girls naturally have delicate skin; Yin Meng just hadn't paid attention to skincare before, plus... her diet was too rough.

That is to say, most of the young men in the team already had partners, and they all knew some of Yin Meng's unique traits, so no one thought she was particularly attractive.

In fact, if Mengmeng wore fashionable clothes now and got a stylish haircut at the town's barbershop...

Not to mention in town, even in the city, her head-turning rate would be quite high.

Grandpa Li said that some people had already come to inquire about matchmaking for Yin Meng. Several of the prospective grooms came from good families, and he didn't know when they had seen Yin Meng, but they were captivated.

But Grandpa Li had refused all of them without hesitation, giving the reason that the girl already had a partner.

Yin Meng sat on a nearby chair, swinging her legs, watching Runsheng work, occasionally pointing out her boredom at home and her envy of them being able to go out and play.

Actually, on the way back, Xiong Shan had mentioned that Aunt Liu took Yin Meng to Shanghai and bought her many new clothes, and Lihua also got some.

But Runsheng didn't expose her, only agreeing.

Lin Shuyou went into the small room to visit the White Crane Boy.

Since Grandpa Li had also gone to the capital, no one had cleaned the room these past few days.

When Lin Shuyou entered, he found that not only had the Two Generals of Gain and Loss, which he had personally carved, fallen to the ground, but even the White Crane Boy was on the ground.

However, the former two were covered in dust, seemingly having rolled around on the ground many times, while the Boy statue was brand new and clean, standing firmly upright on the ground.

This was the first day the Boy had started its usual workplace bullying, knocking its two former colleagues off the table.

The next day, it found no one had cleaned up, so to continue the bullying, the Boy simply came down itself.

Lin Shuyou repositioned all three deities and began cleaning the room.

While wringing out a dirty rag, he heard a smacking sound from the altar.

The Boy truly liked this divine statue and adored this simple temple, often descending to play when it had nothing to do.

Primarily, the young man had given it such high status. It was like Lin Fu'an and Chen Shoumen, who were eager to be absorbed. The current situation of the Dragon King's courts of the Qin and Liu families had too many vacancies, making it an ideal place to invest its power.

Lin Shuyou finished washing the rag, shook his hands, and said, "Xiaoyuan said he was afraid you'd be bored, so he suggested inviting one of the Qin and Liu families' ancestral tablets over to keep you company."

The swaying statue instantly froze.

Lin Shuyou: "Hehehe."

The Boy realized it had been teased, actively swayed forward, intending to strike this spirit medium who dared to offend it!

Lin Shuyou embraced the Boy's statue and carefully wiped it with a cloth.

Before putting it back, he flicked its forehead lightly with his ring finger.

"Hiss..."

Lin Shuyou jumped around, clutching his finger in pain.

This was what true top-grade lightning-struck wood was like, not just timber coincidentally struck by lightning in reality. There truly were residual energies within it; that flick caused an instant burning and electric shock sensation.

The Boy was amused.

*Thud.* It leaned back and fell onto the altar.

After recovering, Lin Shuyou blew on his blackened fingertip and set the Boy statue upright again.

*Thud!*

As soon as it was upright, it leaned back and fell again.

He set it up again, and it fell again.

Lin Shuyou was speechless: "Why weren't you so spirited last night when facing that person? You were so timid, it made me unable to enjoy my meal."

Hearing this, the Boy statue lying on the altar began to sway from side to side.

It was fortunate that Lin Shuyou wasn't in a trance right then, and the Boy wasn't possessing him. If he were, the Boy would probably have to properly educate this medium about who that person truly was and how it dared to act carelessly in front of them!

Even in the underworld system, under Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, it was merely an officer of the ghost yamen; what was that person!

Whether yin gods or yang gods, what demons or monsters would dare approach them?

You inexplicably went to eat at the same table with such a figure without even giving a heads-up in advance, and I haven't even settled accounts with you yet!

Seeing that the Boy was truly angry, Lin Shuyou had to pick it up and begin to appease it.

After a long time of coaxing, the Boy statue finally calmed down.

In fact, the Boy was always the same Boy; it remained that lofty yin god, never changing.

What changed was Lin Shuyou's status. Due to various reasons, he could now truly treat the Boy as an equal.

Previously, he stood too low, kneeling, and naturally viewed the yin god on the altar as high above. Now, on equal footing, without the filter, he felt the Boy was quite down-to-earth.

Lin Shuyou closed the door and walked out.

He had always had a dream: if all general-commanders and yin gods could have an equal relationship like he and the Boy did, then the casualty rate of general-commanders in future demon-slaying and Dao-protecting missions would surely be much lower.

Xiaoyuan had the ability to change the inheritance system of the general-commanders, but he didn't need to. From Xiaoyuan's perspective, he only needed to ensure that both the Boy and the Two Generals of Gain and Loss helped him in his endeavors.

So, this responsibility and mission naturally fell upon himself. Lin Shuyou felt that this was the meaning of him following Xiaoyuan on the River Expedition.

At this moment, Lin Shuyou suddenly felt he had matured.

He walked out, adjusting a non-existent collar on his short-sleeved shirt.

Until Grandpa Li's voice rang out:

"Youhou, delivery time!"

"Okay!"

The man who aspired to lead the transformation of the general-commanders in the future expertly pushed out a cart and nimbly loaded goods.

Li Zhuiyuan, who was chatting with A-Li on the second-floor balcony, was surprised that Grandpa Li had returned so early, still holding the gifts meant for Liu Jinxia.

Li Sanjiang looked up and called to Li Zhuiyuan: "Xiaoyuan, come with me to the clinic to see Grandma Liu."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and went downstairs.

Runsheng and Yin Meng, who were busy downstairs, stopped their work and looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan waved his hand at them, signaling they didn't need to follow for now.

If it was just a simple visit, he could go alone.

Li Sanjiang rode the tricycle, carrying Li Zhuiyuan to the clinic in Shigang Town.

Shinao Town, where Siyuan Village was located, also had its own clinic, but it was too small, like a university infirmary, so villagers from nearby with any significant illness would go to Shigang Town.

"Grandpa, what's wrong with Grandma Liu?"

"I don't know. Her neighbor said she was vomiting blood last night and was rushed to the clinic. It's been two days, and no one was home when I went."

Li Sanjiang and Grandma Liu had been friends for many years. After all, they both made a living in similar ways, considered half-colleagues, and often referred business to each other.

For reasons of both sentiment and logic, he had to go see her. As for bringing Xiaoyuan, it was because Li Sanjiang knew that Grandma Liu had previously helped Xiaoyuan ward off evil and break curses. If Grandma Liu was truly at death's door, Xiaoyuan should also see her one last time.

Upon arriving at the clinic, Li Sanjiang inquired and found Grandma Liu's ward.

As soon as he pushed open the door, before he could even greet them, he saw Liu Jinxia lying on the bed, beginning to convulse, her head tilting to the side:

"Ugh!"

Red fluid continuously poured out.

Aunt Xiang was prepared, catching it with a sputum basin.

Only after Liu Jinxia stopped vomiting and lay back on the bed, eyes half-closed, did Aunt Xiang stand up, intending to dispose of the dirty contents of the basin.

Then, she saw Li Sanjiang and Li Zhuiyuan standing at the doorway.

"Uncle Sanjiang, you're here."

Li Sanjiang looked at the red fluid in the basin, frowned, and asked, "Your mother is..."

Even a healthy young person vomiting blood like this would be in trouble, let alone an elderly person.

Aunt Xiang led Li Sanjiang out of the ward to talk, informing him of the doctor's diagnosis.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't go out but walked towards the bed.

He had just seen Liu Jinxia's vomit; it was red, but not entirely blood, just stained by it. However, this condition was still quite serious.

Liu Jinxia had lost consciousness, receiving an IV drip, her eyes half-open.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out, gently opened her eyelids, and then took her pulse.

Her pulse was strong.

But it was distinctly intermittent and hurried, like a wild horse that could bolt at any moment.

If it were truly a normal physical illness, Li Zhuiyuan would have no other recourse but to rely on the doctors.

So far, Li Zhuiyuan hadn't sensed any abnormal energy residue on Liu Jinxia, but he still wanted to perform one final test to be safe, planning to use the most foolproof traditional method.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a talisman paper, held it between his fingers, and moved it from Liu Jinxia's brow down to her ankle, then pulled it back up.

The talisman ignited during the retraction, instantly turning into blue smoke.

The blue smoke, which should have dissipated, gathered above Liu Jinxia's abdomen, forming wavy patterns.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and dispersed the blue smoke.

It seemed there was a problem, located in her abdomen.

It was hidden remarkably deeply, even evading his perception.

Li Zhuiyuan lifted Liu Jinxia's clothing, placed his left palm on the elder's abdomen, and pressed down slightly.

Immediately after, Li Zhuiyuan initiated his "walking the yin" ability.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Finally, a dark brown shadow appeared in Li Zhuiyuan's vision. The shadow seemed to sense someone probing it, immediately looked up, revealing a single eye.

This was a curse.

The Zhao family of Shizhuo, whose entire household he had once destroyed, specialized in sorcery.

Blood mist overflowed from Li Zhuiyuan's right palm; he intended to forcibly break the curse. But as if stimulated, the hideous, one-eyed entity began to tremble violently, causing Liu Jinxia's body, which had just vomited blood, to start convulsing again.

This curse could not be forcibly broken.

If a similar curse were placed on Runsheng or Lin Shuyou, even with more aggressive methods, they could withstand it.

But on Liu Jinxia, she would die before he could break the curse.

Li Zhuiyuan withdrew his hand, the blood mist receding, bent down, and picked up a plastic basin placed under the bed.

Earlier, while he was doing these things, Aunt Xiang was outside the ward discussing her mother's condition with Grandpa Li, and even the doctor, who was supposed to be making rounds, was called over by Li Sanjiang for questioning.

Now, hearing the commotion inside, Aunt Xiang, the doctor, and others entered.

Aunt Xiang snatched the plastic basin from Li Zhuiyuan's hand: "Xiaoyuan, stay away; it's dirty."

She pushed Li Zhuiyuan aside with her body and went to catch her mother's vomit herself.

After another bout of vomiting, Liu Jinxia's spirits suddenly lifted, and a blush even appeared on her pale face.

"Where's Cui Cui?"

"Cui Cui's at school; she'll be here after classes."

"Oh."

Liu Jinxia's gaze shifted behind her daughter: "Sanjiang!"

"Here," Li Sanjiang replied, "I came to see you as soon as I got back from the capital, just to show off, but I didn't expect you, old blind woman, to move into the clinic just to avoid me."

Liu Jinxia snorted: "So what? I just won't let you show off. What's there to be so proud of? When my Cui Cui gets into a university in the capital someday, won't I also go visit the capital?"

"Alright, alright, you're very impressive."

The doctor came over for an examination, first reassuring Liu Jinxia that her condition had improved, then signaled Aunt Xiang to come out with him, asking if the patient's family wanted to discharge her early to go home.

Not just in the countryside, but even city elders facing such a situation often wished to die at home.

Aunt Xiang covered her face, suppressing her sobs, but she still firmly shook her head, hoping her mother could continue to be hospitalized.

Taking her home would mean preparing for a funeral and waiting for death.

She refused to accept that outcome.

Aunt Xiang, who had wiped away her tears on the way back, her eyes and nose only slightly red, sat down and began peeling an apple for her mother, cutting it into pieces and feeding them to her.

Liu Jinxia: "You eat too; this apple is sweet."

"Mom, you eat first; there's still plenty here."

"Then you eat a couple less, and save some for Cui Cui after school."

"She's still young; she'll have plenty of opportunities to eat good things later."

"Oh, you, this is the first time I've seen a mom fighting her daughter for food."

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the ward and saw Grandpa Li squatting there smoking on the balcony at the end of the corridor.

Grandpa Li, of course, had seen that Liu Jinxia was experiencing a brief resurgence of energy before death.

When Li Zhuiyuan walked over, Grandpa Li sighed, "People are truly... ephemeral."

He truly hadn't expected that after just a trip, he would return to witness the departure of his old friend.

Li Zhuiyuan began, "Grandpa, actually..."

Li Sanjiang spoke first: "Actually, I understand. When people reach this age, it's just how it is. Xiaoyuan, who knows, someday Grandpa might also..."

Li Sanjiang stood up and patted his pants: "I'll go call Shanpao in the village and ask him to come see Grandma Liu. After all these years of friendship."

Li Zhuiyuan stood with his hands in his pockets, watching Grandpa Li hurry away.

The young man was used to it.

Grandpa Li was actually a very shrewd and discerning person, but sometimes, influenced by his good fortune, he would become uncharacteristically muddled.

He had just wanted to tell Grandpa Li there was a way to save her, but Grandpa Li hadn't listened. This was likely a deliberate evasion caused by his good fortune.

In the past, similar things had happened many times.

It seemed good fortune didn't want to get involved in this matter.

Li Zhuiyuan slowly followed. Grandpa Li had just finished his call: "Xiaoyuan, you stay here. Grandpa will go outside to buy some fruit and regular food."

"Okay."

After Li Sanjiang left, Li Zhuiyuan picked up the phone and dialed the university's discount store.

"Hello."

It was Lu Yi who answered.

"It's me."

"Little Yuan!"

Lu Yi on the other end immediately sat up straight and quickly picked up a pen from the counter, pulling a notebook in front of him.

Li Zhuiyuan asked Lu Yi to call Aunt Zhang's convenience store and tell Runsheng and the others to prepare some things he needed.

After hanging up, Li Zhuiyuan walked back to the ward.

The reason he didn't call himself was that Aunt Zhang would have to call others first, which was too much trouble, and some things couldn't be said directly to Aunt Zhang. Having Lu Yi act as a voice relay was more convenient.

Li Zhuiyuan entered the ward, continuing to observe Liu Jinxia, pondering a rational method to break the curse.

"Xiaoyuan, was Beijing fun?"

Liu Jinxia's "complexion improved," and she was willing to talk.

"It was fun."

"Your Grandpa Li really gained a lot from having you, hehe."

"That was Grandpa's own prize."

"How could he dare go to Beijing alone? Ah, I really envy Sanjiang; he's lived such a free and easy life, and at the end, he gets to bring home a good child."

"Grandma Liu, my grandpa brought you a gift."

"Heh, what gift? That's a flattery fee."

Aunt Xiang handed Li Zhuiyuan a freshly peeled apple.

"Thank you, Aunt Xiang."

Aunt Xiang asked, "Xiaoyuan, did you see your mother in Beijing?"

"Yes, I did. She asked me to say hello to you."

Aunt Xiang smiled and tidied her hair.

Hearing this, Liu Jinxia turned her face and pursed her lips.

She didn't believe Li Lan would say such a thing; it was clearly a fabrication by Xiaoyuan.

Liu Jinxia had known Li Lan's unique personality for a long time: very smart, yet lacking in human warmth.

The reason she used to like playing with her own daughter was because her daughter had no other friends, was quiet and not bothersome, and could help run errands.

Only her own simple-minded daughter still considered Li Lan her childhood best friend.

The IV drip was running low, so Aunt Xiang stood up:

"I'll go call the nurse to change the saline bag."

After Aunt Xiang left, only Liu Jinxia and Li Zhuiyuan remained in the ward.

Liu Jinxia: "Xiaoyuan, could you help Grandma open the bedside cabinet and see if there's a ball of yarn?"

"Sure."

Li Zhuiyuan walked over, first opening the drawer—nothing. Then he squatted down and opened the cabinet door below, finding two candles, a bottle of ink, a brush, and a spherical object wrapped in several layers of newspaper.

He had seen these items before; when he had encountered the little yellow warbler, been cursed and fallen into a coma, Liu Jinxia and Li Juxiang had used this set of items to help him break free.

It seemed Aunt Xiang intended to use this method again to ward off disaster and prolong her mother's life.

She had thought of the same thing as him.

Since that curse couldn't be broken on Liu Jinxia's body, the only thing that could be done was to transfer the curse out.

However, this curse was extremely malicious, and no matter how strong Aunt Xiang's fate, she couldn't withstand it.

Cui Cui... might be able to.

But whether she could withstand it was one thing; whether it could be transferred out was another.

People with strong fate are naturally not easily cursed.

If you curse someone with strong fate, you also have to worry about being cursed back.

The one who cursed Liu Jinxia was very skilled. She was successfully cursed, but because her fate was too strong, the curse power was hidden extremely deeply.

This curse was also very special; when he had previously probed it and attempted to act on it, it was clearly agitated.

A curse with a certain level of self-awareness, having barely entered the tiger's den, how could it easily come out again only to enter the dragon's abyss?

"Xiaoyuan, is there anything?"

"No, it's empty."

Li Zhuiyuan closed the cabinet door.

Liu Jinxia, lying on the bed, chuckled and scolded:

"Silly girl, her mind is still clear."

Liu Jinxia had no resentment, only relief. If Aunt Xiang intended to do that, she would have stopped her. After all, it didn't matter if she left; Cui Cui still needed someone to care for her.

Li Zhuiyuan sat on a nearby chair, eating an apple.

Liu Jinxia's problem wasn't severe, at least the curse itself wasn't much to Li Zhuiyuan. But just as parasites could easily tear and crush dolls outside, they became very troublesome once they entered human organs.

He needed to find a way to lure that curse out.

"Grandma Liu, have you traveled far recently?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just asking."

"Yes, I went to Yancheng. Someone invited me to perform a ritual; I went and came back the same day.

That family used to run a fish farm in our town. Back then, both their daughters-in-law were pregnant at the same time and came to me to predict the gender.

I said they would both be sons, and indeed they were.

Later, they often sought me out for predictions; they just trusted my ability.

This time, her husband passed away, so they invited me to perform a ritual.

Your Grandpa Li went to Beijing for a trip; if he had been home, I would have asked him to come along.

That family is wealthy. They made money running fish farms before, then expanded to large-scale fish farming and made a fortune."

Li Zhuiyuan: *Good thing Grandpa went to Beijing. If he had gone with you, he might have brought something back too.*

"Grandma Liu, did you perform the ritual alone?"

"How could that be? They invited many people, monks and Daoists alike. They weren't the fake ones we usually see; they were all from the mountains and temples. Their demeanor and aura weren't put on."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, continuing to eat his apple.

Liu Jinxia: "Xiaoyuan..."

"Yes?"

Liu Jinxia: "Take Cui Cui out to play more often."

"Okay."

Liu Jinxia said no more, keeping her eyes open, staring at the ceiling of the ward.

Li Sanjiang returned with the bought items and then stayed, chatting with Liu Jinxia.

Li Zhuiyuan remained in the corner, deducing methods to lure out the curse.

In the afternoon, Grandpa Shan also arrived.

The three of them chatted by the bedside for a long time.

Liu Jinxia was in remarkably good spirits and didn't seem tired at all.

Nearing dusk, Li Sanjiang and Grandpa Shan finally stood up, intending to leave.

"Grandpa, I'll wait here for Cui Cui to finish school."

"Wait for Cui Cui to finish school?"

Aunt Xiang said, "Then let Xiaoyuan stay here. When I take Cui Cui back tonight, I'll bring Xiaoyuan back with us."

Li Sanjiang nodded: "Alright then, thank you for your trouble, Aunt Xiang."

Grandpa Li and Grandpa Shan left.

After school, Cui Cui ran over with her backpack, sweating profusely.

Her eyes lit up when she saw Brother Xiaoyuan was also there, and a genuine smile appeared only when she saw her grandma looked much better and was drinking porridge.

"Alright, take the children back. Come again tomorrow morning; my IV drip is almost finished anyway."

"Then I'll take them back now."

Cui Cui asked somewhat strangely, "Mom, aren't we staying with Grandma tonight?"

Liu Jinxia: "Cui Cui, be good. Grandma's better; you go home with your mom."

Being a caregiver was exhausting, and Liu Jinxia didn't want to see her granddaughter suffer.

After Aunt Xiang took Cui Cui and Li Zhuiyuan out of the clinic, they went to a small restaurant nearby for dinner. She ordered several meat dishes.

Cui Cui thought Grandma was truly better, so she ate very happily.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Aunt Xiang had no appetite, but she was forcing herself to chew and swallow the meat.

This was her knowing she had "work" to do tonight and giving herself a boost in advance.

After dropping Cui Cui off, she would likely leave home alone again later that night and return to the ward.

After dinner, Aunt Xiang rode the tricycle, taking the two back to the village. After dropping Li Zhuiyuan off at the dam and waving goodbye to Cui Cui, Li Zhuiyuan walked into the west house.

In the west house, all the necessary items were prepared. The family had ample materials, making it a deluxe version of what Liu Jinxia and her daughter used.

Runsheng: "Xiaoyuan, what happened to Grandma Liu?"

Yin Meng and Lin Shuyou had little interaction with Liu Jinxia, but Runsheng had many times due to Grandpa Shan's relationship with her.

The small group of three would often complete a job, celebrate with a meal, and then his grandpa and Grandma Liu would go for a second meal just to badmouth Li Sanjiang.

Li Zhuiyuan: "She was cursed."

Runsheng paused at this: "Here?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: "No, the curse was placed on her outside."

Although the entity under the peach tree only suppressed malevolent entities from approaching, practitioners of Xuanmen arts were not included in this. Didn't Xin Jiyue come last time?

But Liu Jinxia did live in this village. If someone dared to come to this village to place a curse, that entity certainly wouldn't allow it, as it would be right under its nose.

Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs, took a shower, changed clothes, and after telling A-Li about the night's plan, intended to ask A-Li to go back to the east house to rest first. But A-Li shook her head, refusing, and continued to sit in the room, carving ancestral tablets.

Her meaning was that she would wait there for him to return before resting.

Li Zhuiyuan agreed.

Grandpa Shan stayed home for dinner and drank with Li Sanjiang, both getting quite drunk.

When alcohol is accompanied by emotions, it's easier to get intoxicated.

Grandpa Li was carried to his second-floor room by Lin Shuyou, while Grandpa Shan was placed by Runsheng into the coffin he usually slept in. In fact, that coffin was Grandpa Shan's pre-ordered longevity coffin, so it was like moving into a new residence early.

Checking the time, Li Zhuiyuan felt it was about right, so he took the three of them, packed up their things, and went to the hospital.

He had thought Aunt Xiang would wait until Cui Cui finished her homework and was asleep before leaving, but to their surprise, when they arrived at the hospital, they saw her parking and walking in.

Not only did she leave early, but she also took a different village road, not passing in front of Grandpa Li's house.

Li Zhuiyuan knew she wasn't avoiding him, but rather Grandpa Li and Grandpa Shan, as those two old men were aware of her family's specialized methods.

"Ayou, go knock her out, gently."

Lin Shuyou took a deep breath. Knocking someone out gently—that was extraordinarily difficult.

Yin Meng: "I have knockout drops."

Runsheng: "Xiaoyuan knows."

Aunt Xiang was one of their own; unless absolutely necessary, it was better not to use Yin Meng's medicine.

Lin Shuyou was already a skilled practitioner, and his martial arts had improved significantly after the River Expedition. As Aunt Xiang went up the stairs, he darted out from behind, striking her neck with a hand chop. Aunt Xiang immediately fainted.

Lin Shuyou held her, immediately checking her breathing.

After confirming no errors, he sighed in relief.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up and said, "The next ward is empty. Settle her there, tie her hands and feet, and put cotton cloth in her mouth."

A hand chop couldn't guarantee the duration of unconsciousness, and strong-fated individuals like Aunt Xiang tended to be even more resilient in such situations.

Lin Shuyou: "Understood!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yin Meng, go put a Tranquility Talisman on Grandma Liu. Runsheng, go check the morgue."

Yin Meng gently pushed open the ward door. Her movements were agile, and she quickly slipped in. Liu Jinxia wasn't asleep; her eyes were still open.

She knew her current situation, that she was about to enter a long sleep, and she wanted to see more in these final moments.

Suddenly, her vision went black as a talisman was placed on her forehead.

The brief resurgence of energy was itself a false fire, and the Tranquility Talisman suppressed it perfectly. Liu Jinxia immediately fell into a deep sleep.

After Li Zhuiyuan entered, he checked Liu Jinxia's condition and determined that the old lady would last until tomorrow morning without issue.

In other words, in her current state, the best outcome was seeing the sunrise tomorrow.

The reason Li Zhuiyuan excluded others and secretly undertook this was that he still couldn't determine if this incident was a ripple from the next wave.

For their own good, it was better for them to remain unaware for now, lest they get entangled in the karma of the River Expedition.

The formation wasn't difficult and was set up quickly.

Two candles were lit, and a ball of thread soaked in black dog blood was used, one end wrapped around Liu Jinxia's abdomen, the other held in Li Zhuiyuan's hand.

With the formation activated, Li Zhuiyuan planned to go first.

At this moment, Lin Shuyou's eyelid twitched. He first looked suspicious, then understood, and voluntarily stepped forward:

"Xiaoyuan, transfer the curse to me."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's fine, I'll go first."

Lin Shuyou: "Xiaoyuan, let me go first."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I know it's highly unlikely to transfer to me, that's why I'm going first."

Lin Shuyou: "..."

Li Zhuiyuan began attempting the curse transfer. He tried very hard, but as expected, it failed.

This was normal; even yin gods dared not descend into his body. It would be truly strange if that curse, with its clear initial self-awareness, dared to approach him.

Li Zhuiyuan handed the thread to Yin Meng and stepped back.

He had long known that using themselves as vessels would likely not succeed in transferring the curse power, but regardless, they had to try. Ideally, they could discover the curse's preferences, such as which characteristics it was more sensitive to.

This way, he could prescribe the right remedy. He had previously asked Runsheng to check the morgue to confirm if there were any corpses there. Later, he would use Nuoxi puppetry to manipulate a corpse, "dressing" it to the curse's liking, to trick it into coming out.

As for the corpse's original owner, compensation would be given, and he would personally arrange a proper funeral, offering moderate salvation.

Yin Meng held the silk thread, and the formation activated.

The curse power showed no reaction.

She carried the bloodline of Yin Changsheng; though it was very diluted, normal entities truly dared not possess her.

It was Runsheng's turn. He held the silk thread, the formation activated, and still, there was no reaction.

Runsheng carried a malevolent aura, so that entity didn't dare to approach him either.

Li Zhuiyuan pursed his lips. It seemed that when he molded the puppet later, he would have to re-evaluate its preferences through trial and error.

The last one to try was Lin Shuyou. As a spirit medium, and now with the closest relationship to the Boy, it was actually quite unlikely for him to succeed.

But when the formation activated, Li Zhuiyuan surprisingly noticed that the curse power, which had been dormant within Liu Jinxia, actually became active.

Lin Shuyou also noticed and began to actively entice it.

But while the entity did react, it still wasn't enough to make it come out.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Stop."

Lin Shuyou released the thread and asked, puzzled, "Xiaoyuan, why did only I get a reaction?"

Logically, he should have been the least likely to get a reaction, second only to Xiaoyuan, especially since Yin Meng and Runsheng had no response, and he even had lingering traces of the White Crane Boy's aura on him.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You have spiritual remnants left by the White Crane Boy on you. This curse power must be extremely sensitive to spiritual remnants, even desperate enough that it's excited by the spiritual remnants left by the Boy."

Lin Shuyou: "Spiritual remnants?"

Runsheng: "Strong."

Lin Shuyou: "Then if Brother Bin were here, couldn't his two 'godsons' lure it out?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, but the problem was, Tan Wenbin wasn't here.

Furthermore, while he could easily create puppets, he couldn't create spiritual remnants. As for catching malevolent entities now, not only was it uncertain if there was enough time, but currently, the entire Nantong was probably most lacking in malevolent entities.

The scene suddenly fell silent.

Li Zhuiyuan spoke: "Mengmeng, you watch Grandma Liu. Ayou, you watch Aunt Xiang. Runsheng, take me home for a bit."

After Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng left, Lin Shuyou said to Yin Meng, "Xiaoyuan must have thought of a method and gone back to get something?"

Yin Meng nodded: "Probably."

Lin Shuyou: "I just wonder what he's getting."

Yin Meng: "Go to the next room quickly; you'll know then."

After some time, Runsheng ran back to the ward first and pushed open the door.

Yin Meng asked curiously, "Where's Xiaoyuan?"

Runsheng: "Xiaoyuan and the others are behind."

Yin Meng: "They?"

Soon, Li Zhuiyuan walked into the ward, and behind him, another person followed...

It was A-Li.