Chapter 222

After hearing the commotion, Lin Shuyou emerged from the adjacent patient room. Seeing the girl standing there, he froze.

Yin Meng was also greatly surprised; she hadn't expected Brother Xiaoyuan to bring A-Li.

In fact, A-Li usually avoided going out because her illness made her reluctant to interact with strangers. However, she was not incapable of leaving the house. When the young man was in high school in Shigang, A-Li often rode in Runsheng’s tricycle, found a quiet alley to wait, and then went home with him after school.

The clinic was sparsely populated late at night, with patients tucked away in their rooms. Earlier, as A-Li walked through the corridor, her breathing had quickened slightly, but with the young man by her side, she could manage completely.

When Li Zhuiyuan returned to inform the girl of the situation, she immediately set aside what she was doing and instinctively took the young man's hand.

There was no need to worry about whether this incident was related to the "Wave" or if it would involve A-Li, as A-Li had always been "walking the river" alongside him.

Zhao Yi had once mentioned that a respected elder in his family had a dream: two dragons soaring over the Nine Rivers. The elder interpreted it as an auspicious sign and, disregarding all objections, sent a marriage proposal to Grandma Liu. The dream was likely real, but the interpretation must have been flawed.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the thread and handed it to A-Li. A-Li took the thread and wrapped it around her fingertip.

Once it was confirmed that this spell power was extremely sensitive to and obsessed with spiritual presence, things suddenly became simple. After all, in this world, when it came to spiritual presence—in terms of both quantity and quality—very few could surpass A-Li. As long as it could be drawn out, its existence would pose no threat.

Li Zhuiyuan wasn't concerned that A-Li would be harmed by the spell power, because every malevolent entity in A-Li's dreams could be seen as a curse mark. Any single one of them, taken alone, was far more potent than the one inside Liu Jinxia.

The formation activated. A-Li closed her eyes, initiated "soul travel," and entered her dream. Instantly, the spell power within Liu Jinxia went into a frenzy. With almost no hesitation, it immediately left Liu Jinxia's body and transferred into A-Li via the thread.

Sensing the spell power entering her, A-Li remained calm, not even a flicker of a frown.

Liu Jinxia, who had fallen into a deep sleep, began to vomit black liquid. Yin Meng immediately helped her sit up, directed her to vomit into the spittoon, and gently patted her back, concerned she might choke. This was Liu Jinxia's body detoxifying after the spell power had departed.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at A-Li. A-Li opened her eyes, nodded to the young man, and a slight smile touched her lips.

“Mengmeng, A-You, you two stay here to handle the aftermath.”

“Understood.”

“Understood.”

Li Zhuiyuan took A-Li's hand and left the clinic. Runsheng pushed out the tricycle and took the two of them home.

Earlier, across the farmland, they had seen the East Room door open and its light on. However, by the time the tricycle reached the yard, the door was closed and the light was off.

The old lady was worried about her granddaughter going out at night, but she wouldn't let her concern create any fuss. For this reason, she even declined Qin Li’s usual practice of discreetly accompanying them from a distance. Previously, she had only wished for her granddaughter's illness to improve, which would have been a blessing. Now, she could dream of much more.

“Brother Runsheng, please be so kind as to decoct the medicine according to this list and deliver it to the patient rooms. This one is for Grandma Liu, and this one is for Aunt Xianghou.”

To see a good deed through to the end, since Liu Jinxia had been saved, it was only natural to follow up with a tonic for her recovery. This was Li Zhuiyuan's area of expertise. As for sending a dose to Aunt Xianghou as well, the young man knew that Aunt Xianghou must have made extra preparations for tonight's "transfer." The folk remedies she and her son had devised, though effective, had overly severe side effects. When he first returned home, Aunt Xianghou had been exceptionally kind to him because he was Li Lan's son. Li Lan didn't appreciate it, but he felt he should, purely as a reciprocal gesture.

“Alright, don’t worry.”

There was no shortage of medicinal ingredients at home; if humans didn't drink them, even the dogs would. Decocting medicine was a skilled task, but it wasn't difficult for Runsheng. As long as the steps were clear, he had never made a mistake with tasks Xiaoyuan assigned him.

As soon as the coal stove was lit and the clay pot placed on top, Little Black walked in, yawning, and sniffed the pot. Runsheng patted its head: “It’s not for you.” Hearing this, Little Black simply lay down at Runsheng’s feet, using Runsheng’s shoe as a pillow, and went back to sleep. This black dog had been personally selected and purchased by Aunt Liu. It had been fed well, given good drink, and good medicine, growing more vigorous with each passing day. The small amount of blood everyone needed from it was nothing at all. The once tiny puppy was now incredibly robust. Despite disliking exercise and doing nothing but eating and sleeping, the muscles beneath its fur were remarkably firm. Runsheng reached out and stroked its body; it felt like stroking a sturdy calf. Little Black smacked its lips a few times, shifted its body, and offered its belly to Runsheng, making it easier for him to continue massaging it.

Li Zhuiyuan led A-Li back to his room on the second floor. The spell power had been absorbed, and it needed to be dealt with. However, the method of handling it depended on the specific circumstances.

The two sat opposite each other, hands clasped, both closing their eyes. Li Zhuiyuan entered A-Li's dream.

Now, A-Li's dream was truly much quieter. Standing in this flat-roofed house, one could no longer hear the usual clamor, and even the small-scale chirping had disappeared. The dense fog from before hadn't vanished, but instead of being on the ground, it had all floated into the air, with dark shadows vaguely visible within it. This scene had a visual quality reminiscent of a Buddhist Thunder Sound Temple painting. However, those figures above were not divine beings. They remained high up purely because they dared not descend.

As soon as Li Zhuiyuan stepped over the threshold, the mist above rapidly ascended, forming layers of clouds. However, this time, Li Zhuiyuan's target was not them. Having just crossed the threshold, he turned around and looked at the spell power, which was curled up in a crack in the wall. It had a head and four limbs, slender and small, like a one-eyed monkey. At this moment, it was trembling, showing none of its previous excitement. It had originally thought it had found its organization, but upon entering, it discovered that the members of this organization were in a far more miserable state.

Li Zhuiyuan approached it, his gaze slightly narrowed. The one-eyed skinny monkey immediately prostrated itself and began to kowtow. Li Zhuiyuan squatted down, reached out, and grabbed its tiny head, making it look up. Various expressions constantly shifted in its single eye. It seemed to have considered resisting and launching a sneak attack on the young man, but it held back.

What kind of spell could give spell power itself self-awareness, like a living creature? Li Zhuiyuan speculated that this might be related to the sacrifice used when casting the spell, most likely a spell cast using a living creature as a sacrifice. Just then, the one-eyed skinny monkey, which had already been under immense pressure, seemed to finally be unable to bear it. A special halo of light, karma, spilled from its single eye. It was very mixed and chaotic, as if various types and components of karma from different periods had been forcibly blended together. This feeling was very similar to the bustier Xin Jiyue had used to store karma.

Generally, no one in the Mystic Gate community would foolishly touch such a thing. Everyone wanted to sever karmic ties to ensure purity. To touch it, and to do so in such a crude and simplistic way... Li Zhuiyuan confirmed it: this was the "Wave." Tan Wenbin had already been dispatched to the Zhoushan Islands to manage a specific line of inquiry. So, what was before him was another line given by the "Wave."

If analyzed purely from a rational perspective, both clues had been given quite thoughtfully and clearly. One was Xin Jiyue, who delivered herself to their doorstep. The other was Liu Jinxia, who deliberately contracted a spell outside and returned. Furthermore, between the first and second lines, he even had time to take his great-grandfather to Beijing for a trip. The river, in this particular "wave," had shown an unprecedented inclusiveness and gentleness. This also meant that this "wave" was not simple.

However, from the perspective of the "examiner," they likely intended to convey the message about the ritual performed by that family in Yancheng through Liu Jinxia's death, thereby revealing this line. The "examiner" probably didn't anticipate that he would be able to successfully extract the spell power. Logically, the death of the cursed person should have meant the dissipation of that spell power.

The young man turned his head and said to the girl standing at the threshold: “A-Li, I need to pull it out of your dream.”

The girl nodded.

Li Zhuiyuan's figure vanished from the dream. He opened his eyes, returning to reality. The girl was still closing her eyes. The young man retrieved the Wordless Book, opened it to the second blank page, placed his right palm on it, and again took the girl's hand with his left.

Li Zhuiyuan returned to the girl's dream. The one-eyed skinny monkey, originally curled up in the wall crack, had now scurried to the open area in front, constantly hissing at the "gods and Buddhas filling the sky" above, as if begging them for help. But those above were playing dumb; no one dared to come down at this moment.

Li Zhuiyuan walked out. The skinny monkey was about to flee, but the young man simply opened his left hand, and black mist rose, pulling the skinny monkey back. Even now, Li Zhuiyuan didn't know what he had done to the Great Emperor of Fengdu in the Dream Ghost's dream, but he knew very well that each time he used the power of the "Twelve Edicts of Fengdu" in A-Li's dream, it was akin to "falsely issuing imperial edicts," repeatedly splashing his "river-walking" traces onto the Great Emperor. Just based on this, it was truly no injustice for the Great Emperor to hate him and want to kill him. Li Zhuiyuan suspected that this was likely why the Great Emperor, despite being in Fengdu, watched as his descendants gradually dwindled. For beings like them, bloodline not only lost its meaning of inheritance but could also become a karmic flaw.

But the Great Emperor hadn't anticipated that the twelve degenerate arts of the Yin family could be reversed by a young man back into the twelve edicts. This was akin to "sitting at home and having the direct lineage come to you." If Grandma Liu could spit blood just by looking at a painting, the Great Emperor probably wouldn't feel too good either, with his edicts being stirred vigorously in the river like a bamboo pole.

The skinny monkey was dragged in despair before the young man. The young man placed his right palm on its head. In reality, the Wordless Book trembled slightly. The Evil Book, which was already powdered on the first page, surprisingly manifested a small head at this moment, curiously looking at its neighbor on the second page. It was imagining what kind of formidable being this would be. Soon, a scene appeared on the second page: a small iron cage, with a monkey locked inside. The Evil Book was very surprised, then erupted with intense dissatisfaction. This was its prison cell. How could even such a low-grade thing be imprisoned here?

Compared to the Evil Book's displeasure, the dark shadows high in A-Li's dream collectively fell into panic. They didn't know the cause and effect, unaware that this time Li Zhuiyuan was merely using A-Li's dream as a transfer station, or a temporary detention center. From their perspective, what they saw was the young man just taking something that already existed in the dream and re-detaining it! From first using a lantern to guide and capture people, then using it for fishing, then directly summoning with Fengdu edicts, now it had become a targeted transfer to a new prison. This young man brought them a different kind of shock every so often. If this trend continued, what would they themselves become? They had clearly come to gloat, curse, and intimidate the orphan. Now, how had it become almost like voluntarily turning themselves in?

At this moment, some dark shadows had already begun to leave. Their presence there had been to await an opportunity, to hope. Now, things were becoming increasingly uncontrollable. The contemporary river-walker young man of the Qin and Liu families might not be as powerful as the Dragon Kings they faced in their era, but the young man's methods were making them feel despair.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, clapped his hands, and looked up at the sky. He currently had matters to attend to, and besides those who specifically came forward like the black-robed man last time, the unsightly riffraff remaining here no longer met the "examiner's" difficulty requirements. But this didn't mean Li Zhuiyuan would let them go. He saw that some had already left. However, what kind of place was this, where one could come and go as they pleased?

Li Zhuiyuan walked back into the room and asked the girl standing there: “A-Li, do you remember all of them?”

A-Li nodded. How could she forget the nightmares she had faced since childhood?

“Then let’s wait a little longer. We’ll clear them all out together later.” Everyone who had come and cursed had left a mark; this was mutual. Since they could come over, A-Li could also actively seek and sense them. The experience and knowledge accumulated from outwitting the "examiner" would not become useless just because the river-walking was successful. Li Zhuiyuan believed that in the future, he would have sufficient methods to help A-Li deepen this karmic connection, making it impossible for them to hide. When he became the Dragon King, his companions would also grow to a considerably powerful level. At that time, he could dispatch them to search and solve problems individually. Moreover, the constraints of river-walking karma would no longer exist then, allowing Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu to join. Even a single Dragon King Edict could mobilize forces like the Nine Rivers Zhao in the martial arts world to help him with a major cleanup.

The young man was still young; even now, he could still be called a "child." Therefore, he was too lazy to choose to trust the wisdom of future generations. He would personally clean up the remnants that the Qin and Liu family Dragon Kings of the past had left unfinished.

In reality, both opened their eyes simultaneously. Li Zhuiyuan's gaze fell on the second image in the Wordless Book. The skinny monkey was anxious, terrified of its new environment. At the same time, the young man sensed a grievance emanating from the first image. Turning back to the first page, the skull's mouth was wide open, as if protesting and denouncing.

Li Zhuiyuan placed his finger on it. “It seems you have a lot of energy. That’s good; let’s use up today’s deduction quota.” After the deduction, the skull turned to powder again. It quieted down.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his right palm. Amidst the spreading blood mist, the red thread could now coil and layer. This length was barely usable, but in a normal confrontation, the companions would be far apart, not all crowded together. So, this length needed to be extended further to cover the entire battlefield area.

Li Zhuiyuan looked again at the skinny monkey in the cage in the second image. He noticed that the cage in the painting hadn't changed, but the skinny monkey inside had changed direction. The young man closed the Wordless Book, rotated it, and opened it again. The skinny monkey's sitting posture in the second image had changed position again. What changed was its orientation within the paper's layout, but in reality, the skinny monkey's single eye consistently faced a fixed direction in reality.

Li Zhuiyuan took out paper and pen, first calculated the skinny monkey's direction angle, then, in his mind, brought up a map. Starting from his current location, drawing a line in that direction, it pointed southeast, towards the Zhoushan Islands. As for Yancheng, it was in roughly the opposite direction. Liu Jinxia had contracted the spell in Yancheng and returned. Normally, he should first go to Yancheng to find clues and follow them, but now... he could skip a step.

The young man closed the Wordless Book and lightly patted its cover. This book was indeed a good item; no wonder that scholar loved it so much even though he couldn't understand it. Next, he could pack up and prepare to go to Zhoushan.

Li Zhuiyuan escorted A-Li downstairs to the East Room. The door wasn't locked. The girl pushed it open, walked in, and their eyes met as she closed the door. Li Zhuiyuan went back upstairs to wash up and rest.

A-Li walked to the bed. Usually, she slept on the inner side of the bed, and Grandma slept on the outer side. Tonight, Grandma was lying on the inner side, seemingly sound asleep. A-Li lay down on the outer side.

Liu Yumei opened her eyes, a smile on her lips. A-Li turned her head and met her grandmother's gaze. But soon, the girl turned her head back, staring at the ceiling beam, not closing her eyes to sleep. Liu Yumei picked up the thin blanket and gently placed it over her granddaughter, saying softly: “Our A-Li, do you also want to go out and accompany him...?”

A-Li didn't speak, her two hands resting on her abdomen, gently twisting together.

“Grandma can see that for Xiaoyuan, just seeing you at home after every outing is already enough for him, truly.” A-Li crossed her hands, her fingertips quiet now. “There will be that day. When our A-Li’s illness gets even better, you’ll be able to go out with Xiaoyuan. We don’t need to rush, let’s take it slowly.”

A-Li closed her eyes. Liu Yumei gazed at her granddaughter’s delicate, smooth profile. Although Xiaoyuan was a successor of both the Qin and Liu families, and she had come to regard the young man as her own child, this didn't prevent her from also hoping that her own granddaughter would one day be able to stand on the river herself. After all, her granddaughter also had the blood of both the Qin and Liu families flowing in her veins. Though the Qin and Liu families had ancestral homes, they didn't speak of a "hometown," because their home was on this river.

The old lady reached out and gently patted her chest. She suddenly felt a sense of relief, grateful that Xiaoyuan and A-Li were a boy and a girl, and that their relationship was already so close that "childhood sweethearts" didn't even begin to describe it. If they had been two children of the same gender, one taking over the family and the other gradually recovering, even if both were reasonable, it would have been hard to avoid conflicts. Now, it was good. Any potential conflict was nipped in the bud before it could even arise.

Liu Yumei unconsciously smiled again. Life was indeed getting better. She could even spare a thought for internal strife. In the past, this was unthinkable, because even if you wanted to engage in internal strife, there weren't enough people in the family to do it. Liu Yumei reached out and gently smoothed a strand of hair from her granddaughter's cheek. Then she also closed her eyes. She, too, should sleep. Everything was in dreams.

The next morning, Li Sanjiang stepped out of his room. He had woken up much earlier than usual today. As he went downstairs, he saw A-Li heading upstairs.

“Morning, lass.”

A-Li stopped, glanced at Li Sanjiang, then continued upstairs.

Old Man Shan also woke up, sitting up in his coffin. The two had drunk too much last night. It's easy to get drunk when you have worries, and similarly, you don't stay drunk long when you have worries.

Li Sanjiang asked, “Shan Pao, how was the new room inspection?”

Old Man Shan: “Soft and spacious. That girl has a bad temper, but her craftsmanship is truly impeccable.”

Li Sanjiang: “Exactly! Craftsmen don’t starve in lean years. Isn’t that much more reliable than always depending on heaven for your livelihood?”

Both were body retrievers. Li Sanjiang had long since transitioned into the upstream and downstream businesses of funeral services, thus having more opportunities to host memorial services. Old Man Shan could only occasionally host memorial services in the village. Most of his income still depended on retrieving bodies, but no one who drowned or fell into the river would give him advance notice or a schedule. It truly was a business dependent on fate.

“If only her temper were better,” Old Man Shan remarked, “I heard women from that region like spicy food and are very feisty.”

Li Sanjiang rolled his eyes at Old Man Shan: “Soft-tempered women wouldn’t dare jump into a pit like your family’s. You should be damn grateful, and you still have the nerve to be picky.”

Old Man Shan didn't retort. He got out of the coffin and said, “It’s just Runsheng, that boy is a bit dull-witted, not as clever as your Xiaoyuan Hou.”

Li Sanjiang: “I think Runsheng Hou is quite smart. He understands not to use his brain in front of smart people, which puts him above too many ‘smart people’ in this world.”

The two old men habitually bickered, but as they bickered, they both stopped, finding it tiresome.

Old Man Shan: “Let’s go, let’s pick her up.”

Li Sanjiang nodded: “Bring her home.”

Having dealt with so many dead people, the two old men knew better than doctors what a "final burst of vitality" looked like. A person might seem energetic, but in reality, death energy had already spread to their eyes. Liu Jinxia had been in that state yesterday. Their livelihood their entire lives had revolved around this, so they naturally trusted their judgment.

Old Man Shan packed incense, candles, and spirit money into a tattered cloth bag. Li Sanjiang found two black armbands and tied them on himself and Shan Pao.

Aunt Liu stood at the kitchen door. Seeing the two old men come out, she stopped cracking melon seeds and said, “Breakfast hasn’t started yet, you’ll have to wait a bit.”

Li Sanjiang: “No need to make ours. If we go now, we might still see Old Blind Liu’s last moments.”

Old Man Shan: “You can make it. We’ll eat after we bring her back.”

Li Sanjiang: “Shan Pao, you’re still thinking about food at a time like this?”

Old Man Shan: “How can I arrange her funeral affairs without a full stomach?”

Li Zhuiyuan pushed out the tricycle. Old Man Shan sat in the back, and the two old men left the yard. Aunt Liu spit out a melon seed shell. She didn't think Old Blind Liu would die, otherwise Xiaoyuan wouldn't have gone out so late last night for so long, and with A-Li.

Li Sanjiang and Old Man Shan arrived at the patient room door. They pushed it, but the door was locked.

Old Man Shan immediately shouted, “No need to lock the door in such a hurry just because someone’s gone, right? Where is she? Where is she?”

Li Sanjiang also chimed in, “Yeah, open the door quickly. We’re here to take her home.”

The doctor and nurse were called. Hearing the commotion from the two old men, the doctor quickly asked the nurse who had died. Just then, the patient room door opened. Liu Jinxia stood at the doorway, her face showing both embarrassment and annoyance. Her appearance startled both Li Sanjiang and Old Man Shan, who thought Old Blind Liu had risen from the dead. But on closer inspection, they realized that Old Blind Liu hadn't died. Her spirits had returned to normal, and even that eerie "final burst of vitality" from yesterday was gone.

Liu Jinxia apologized to the doctor and nurse, then glared at her two old friends, motioning for them to come in.

Old Man Shan: “Old Blind Liu, are you really well?”

Liu Jinxia: “I’m well. I have a tough life. I wouldn’t dare go before you two.”

Old Man Shan: “I’ll accept you going after me, but going after him is questionable.”

Li Sanjiang: “Heh, this is truly strange. Old Blind Liu, did you accumulate great virtue somewhere before, that allowed you to turn a corner before the gates of hell?”

Liu Jinxia: “Who knows? I haven’t done anything against my conscience in this life.” Even when people came to ask her for blessings and charm water, she would repeatedly instruct them to strictly follow their doctor’s advice.

Li Sanjiang: “Then why were you in there so long just now without opening the door? You made Shan Pao and me think you’d already passed and were being stored in the room.”

Hearing this made her angry. She had been using the spittoon in the patient room when these two old men were knocking incessantly outside! Liu Jinxia pointed at the two of them and said, “Oh, you’re so impatient! You even tied on black armbands. You really are eager for my funeral wine.”

Old Man Shan immediately pulled off his black armband.

Li Sanjiang asked in surprise, “Hey, you can actually see it.”

Liu Jinxia: “I had cataract surgery a long time ago.”

Old Man Shan: “Then why did you keep pretending to be blind?”

Li Sanjiang gave Old Man Shan a rap on the back of the head: “Serves you right, you old rascal, for always being poor!”

Liu Jinxia: “If I weren’t blind, wouldn’t it be ineffective? It was just to make a living.”

Li Sanjiang took out an envelope from his inner coat pocket, filled with photos: “Not blind is good, not blind is good! Shan Pao is here too, come, let’s look at the photos I took in Beijing together.”

Liu Jinxia was puzzled: “Weren’t you here to collect my body this morning? And you brought these photos?”

Li Sanjiang: “Xiaoyuan Hou developed several copies for me. You didn’t see this one while you were alive, so I was planning to burn it for you.”

Liu Jinxia was so angry she laughed: “Li Sanjiang, thank you so much! Even as a ghost, I won’t let you off.”

Li Sanjiang spat, saying, “What nonsense are you talking? Don’t let Xianghou hear and misunderstand. I’m a generation older than you. Oh, right, where’s Xianghou?”

Liu Jinxia: “She slept with a stiff neck, her neck hurts. She went to the doctor for bone setting.”

After rounds, the doctor was surprised by Liu Jinxia's recovery and urged her to stay for a few more days of observation, but Liu Jinxia refused, insisting on being discharged today. And so, when Li Juxiang returned with a crooked neck, she proceeded with the discharge procedures. Two tricycles carried four people back to Li Sanjiang's house. Li Sanjiang instructed Aunt Liu to prepare a generous lunch today, celebrating Old Blind Liu's discharge.

Old Blind Liu saw Liu Yumei sitting there drinking tea and subtly moved closer. In the past, during leisure time, Old Blind Liu would also gather people to play bridge with Liu Yumei here.

Liu Yumei smiled: “After all, you went through a calamity. Good thing you pulled through.”

Liu Jinxia: “Indeed, I thought I wouldn’t make it through this hurdle.”

Liu Yumei: “This is the blessing of your good deeds and accumulated virtue.”

Liu Jinxia: “I wouldn’t dare claim that. It must simply be heaven’s blessing.”

Liu Yumei pushed the tea snacks in front of her towards Liu Jinxia, motioning for her to eat. Liu Jinxia acknowledged, and indeed, she was hungry, so she picked up the snacks and began to eat. In the past, she used to rely on leftover food and tea to attract her old card partners to play cards with her. With Liu Yumei, it seemed to be the other way around. Not only did people not mind her ominous reputation of having a tough life, but the tea snacks were always different and all delicious. As for the tea, though she couldn't discern its quality, she found it fragrant.

Liu Yumei saw Xiaoyuan coming downstairs and beckoned him over. Then, telling Liu Jinxia they would play cards in the afternoon, she rose and went into the East Room. Li Zhuiyuan first chatted with Liu Jinxia for a few moments, congratulating her on her recovery and discharge, then entered the East Room.

Liu Yumei came straight to the point: “Xiaoyuan, when do you think A-Li can go out?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Later, no rush. It shouldn’t be too far off.”

In truth, last night’s event was just an insignificant little interlude. From an emotional perspective, Li Zhuiyuan didn’t want A-Li to venture into river-walking with him. Moreover, although A-Li’s condition had improved greatly, and she could cope when he was by her side by avoiding crowds, it was still unrealistic for her to go out and "walk the river." During river-walking, one would encounter not only crowds but also, as seen previously, hordes of corpses and the ghost horde under the general's tomb. These could easily trigger A-Li's illness.

Liu Yumei nodded: “That’s what I thought too, but A-Li wants to help you.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “I know, and A-Li has already helped me so much.”

Liu Yumei: “You have a plan in mind, and I’m very relieved. You can arrange these matters as you see fit.”

Just then, Uncle Qin came in from outside. Aunt Liu had asked him to get ointment for Xianghou. Liu Yumei pointed to Uncle Qin and said to Li Zhuiyuan: “Not just A-Li, but A-Ting and this A-Li (Qin Li), you should also start planning their arrangements. They may be a bit clumsy, but at least they have strength.”

Uncle Qin's steps halted. He didn't know whether to continue into the room to get the ointment or stand still and await instructions.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Grandma, we’re all family. There’s no ‘arranging’ anything.”

Liu Yumei waved her hand: “Without rules, there’s no order. Even if it’s a family, there needs to be a head of the family for peace. Grandma, I am hoping you grow up soon to take on this responsibility.”

“I will, Grandma.” At this point, there was no need to decline.

Liu Yumei looked at Uncle Qin, raising an eyebrow: “Did you hear that?”

Uncle Qin: “I heard. I’ll convey it to A-Ting.”

Liu Yumei: “A-Ting doesn’t need you to convey it; she understands. Take care of yourself first.”

Uncle Qin: “Yes.”

In the yard, Lin Shuyou was sitting on a small stool, shelling edamame. Yin Meng walked over, sat on a nearby stool, reached out, and grabbed a handful, intending to help him shell. Lin Shuyou immediately pulled the handful back to himself: “Shelling these can hurt your hands.”

Yin Meng: “I don’t cook, what are you afraid of?”

Lin Shuyou: “It’s unlucky.”

Yin Meng secretly tugged on Lin Shuyou’s sleeve and whispered, “Did you notice Aunt Xianghou keeps looking at you?”

“Did she?”

“Yes. I mean, did she find you out?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“When did she wake up?”

“Runsheng brought us medicine. She woke up when I was feeding it to her.”

“She saw you?”

“No, it was still dark then, she couldn’t see my face. I just warned her that if she dared to move or resist, I wouldn’t be polite to her mother and daughter. Then she obediently drank the medicine.”

“She recognized your voice?”

“I deliberately spoke with a pinched and distorted voice. How could I make such a low-level mistake?”

“Pinched voice AND distorted?”

“Exactly. Guaranteed she couldn’t recognize it.”

Yin Meng: “Come, repeat after me: Fuzhou.”

Lin Shuyou: “Hu jiu.”

Yin Meng shrugged.

Lin Shuyou: “Not standard? I never speak with an accent.” In an environment where everyone spoke Nantong dialect, speaking Mandarin was already very noticeable, let alone Mandarin with a Fujian accent.

Yin Meng: “Go confess to Brother Xiaoyuan yourself.”

Lin Shuyou stood up. Seeing Brother Xiaoyuan coming out of the East Room, he immediately ran over. A moment later, Lin Shuyou sat back down.

“Brother Xiaoyuan said that even if Aunt Xianghou suspected something, without concrete evidence, it’s not a big problem. Besides, she didn’t mention being knocked unconscious, probably seeing her mother recover, she understood the mysterious person’s intention and voluntarily helped keep it a secret. Also, we’re leaving for Zhoushan tomorrow to find Brother Bin and start dealing with this ‘wave’.”

Yin Meng: “Then you’d better practice your Mandarin, otherwise you’ll easily give yourself away next time.”

Lin Shuyou suddenly smiled. Brother Xiaoyuan had told him more than just that.

“Mengmeng, what number is this?” Lin Shuyou spread his hands to Yin Meng, holding up all ten fingers.

“Ten, what about it?”

Lin Shuyou held up four fingers to Yin Meng: “What number is this?”

“You’re so childish, it’s ten.”

Life on the island was very monotonous. Initially, apart from socializing, Tan Wenbin spent his time fishing. The fish he caught grew fewer and fewer, but the socializing increased because the number of people waiting to board boats to Wuxin Island for "delivery" kept increasing. This scale clearly indicated someone was planning and organizing it. Among these people were those from Northeast China and those from Hainan, truly encompassing people from all corners of the country. And they generally shared a characteristic: their original sect or family traditions, much like Lin Shuyou's Guanjiongshou, followed the path of spirit mediumship and inviting deities.

Tan Wenbin had initially regretted not bringing Lin Shuyou along, thinking A-You's presence would help them blend in better. But after he stirred up trouble between two people, making them fight, Tan Wenbin realized he had overthought things; it was good he hadn't brought Lin Shuyou. Because these people were all performing spirit mediumship, inviting deities, or calling on "great immortals." It seemed to have an effect, and their fights were quite lively, but even with him and his two "godsons" on his shoulders, all three pairs of eyes straining to see, they couldn't discern what exactly was possessing these two people. They apparently hadn't invited anything down, yet they possessed the power of successfully invited spirits.

After some undercover communication, Tan Wenbin discovered another common characteristic among this group: they were generally those who had made mistakes and been expelled from their sects or families. Some had severed their incense ties with their "great immortals," others had their names erased from temple registers. This meant that unless they could make a spirit switch allegiance like Lin Shuyou did with the White Crane Boy, they had actually lost the qualification to perform spirit mediumship. If Lin Shuyou had been brought along, his genuine spirit mediumship, inviting a Yin deity, would have immediately made him an absolute anomaly in the field.

Once a person tasted that power, it was hard to accept losing it. At such a time, if someone appeared and offered to return that power, you would do anything. The first few people Tan Wenbin met were quite simple and honest, especially Xin Jiyue, who genuinely believed she was performing chivalrous acts and punishing evil to promote good. The later arrivals had denser karma, and their personalities were more extremely distorted. It was clear they were treating "chivalrous acts" as a business, intentionally escalating and expanding incidents to gain more karma. While his own Brother Xiaoyuan also liked to "cancel accounts" (eliminate targets), none of those targets were truly innocent. But these people were single-mindedly pursuing "cancellation with collateral damage," fearing that the karmic entanglement wouldn't be deep enough.

The day of boarding the island was drawing nearer, and new disputes arose. There were even incidents of people forming gangs and fighting over karmic artifacts held by others, and it was escalating. What was even more ridiculous was that during their mutual slaughter and squabble, they would shout, "Your karma is deep; I will punish you on behalf of the Heavenly Dao!" The first targets of these fights were generally those who still possessed a simple sense of justice. They often acted alone and were of relatively ordinary strength.

Tan Wenbin had been busy these past two days and had saved several people. Primarily, he had known these few individuals for a longer time. Although their actions were rough, they weren't inherently bad people, and their honest personalities made them easy to utilize. But what Tan Wenbin hadn't expected was that by saving people, he had formed a small group, and gradually, people started actively gravitating towards him, seeking to join for protection.

As night fell, fish roasted over the bonfire. Tan Wenbin sat there, his face flickering in the firelight. On the outer perimeter sat three people, and further out, six people. This didn't even count those Tan Wenbin had assigned to night watch.

Xin Jiyue walked over and said to Tan Wenbin: “Brother Bin.”

“What is it?”

“The leaders of those groups sent word, saying they’d like to invite Brother Bin to a meeting tomorrow morning for negotiations.”

“I know. You watch things here for me. I’m going down to the village.”

“Brother Bin, you’re going alone?”

“Don’t worry, I can conceal my karma. It’s very safe.” In reality, Tan Wenbin had no karma at all. For those who "walk the river," even if they had residual karma, it would be dissolved by merit after each "wave."

There was a phone in the village, so Tan Wenbin was going to make a call. Before, he would page Brother Xiaoyuan every three days to let him know he was still alive. The past two days had been busy, and the situation was changing rapidly, so he felt he needed to make a formal phone call to report to Brother Xiaoyuan.

“Brother Xiaoyuan, if you don’t come soon, I’m going to become a boss here.”