Chapter 224

“It’s a good thing the wind and waves died down after dawn; otherwise, I wouldn’t dare to set sail at this time. You guys are really lucky.”

“Indeed, indeed.”

Lin Shuyou, imitating Bin Ge, walked up to the old boatman, pulled out a cigarette pack, and offered a cigarette to the boatman who was steering the boat.

When he pulled out his lighter, Lin Shuyou wanted to do something cool, tossing it in the air. Just as he was about to catch it with his other hand, a wave crashed over the boat, making it lurch. The lighter hit the gunwale and fell into the sea.

The old boatman was amused and couldn't help but grin. He took out his own matches to light his cigarette, and then lit one for Lin Shuyou as well.

“Tell me, what are you doing going to that island at this time? It’s not the season for it, is it?”

“Sightseeing and sketching.”

“Oh, just for kicks, then.”

Lin Shuyou: “It’s both life and work.”

With Bin Ge absent, this kind of social interaction naturally fell to him.

Yin Meng could also handle it, but she was a woman, and now that she was fairer and prettier, dealing with all sorts of people inevitably meant encountering those with lustful eyes and lewd mouths.

The old boatman: “When are you coming back?”

Lin Shuyou: “Oh, we don’t know yet.”

The old boatman: “There aren’t many boats that go to that island on weekdays. When you want to come back, just call my village from the island, and I’ll come pick you up.”

Lin Shuyou: “Alright, thank you for your trouble.”

The old boatman: “Well, the price for this trip will be double, and you’ll need to pay in advance.”

Lin Shuyou: “I can only give you an extra half, as a deposit.”

The old boatman nodded: “Done.”

Lin Shuyou felt he had negotiated quite well, but the old boatman merely chuckled to himself. He was planning to go fishing secretly soon and wouldn’t have time to wait at home to pick them up; every extra penny counted.

Just then, the old boatman noticed the thick smoke rings Lin Shuyou was blowing and immediately tutted:

“Tsk, are you just puffing out the smoke after taking it into your mouth? I’m telling you, if you don’t know how to smoke, don’t force it. You’re just wasting good stuff.”

As he spoke, the old boatman reached out to Lin Shuyou and asked for the freshly opened pack of cigarettes in his pocket, saying he’d smoke them on the way back.

Lin Shuyou responded somewhat awkwardly, secretly glancing at his companions. Seeing that no one had noticed him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Whenever they went out before, Bin Ge always arranged everything perfectly, and every helpful stranger was quite amenable. It felt a bit odd now that it was his turn to arrange things.

The old boatman: “See it? It’s right ahead. We’re almost there.”

Ahead, the silhouette of an island appeared.

Li Zhuiyuan, standing at the bow, looked down at the blank book in his hand. The direction the monkey in the second drawing was facing also pointed directly at this island.

However, this island was merely where Tan Wenbin was located, not Wuxin Island, where Qiu Zhuang was.

Did this mean his current position, the island before them, and Wuxin Island were all in a straight line?

Or, was the “target” the monkey was facing not on Wuxin Island at this moment, but on the island right in front of them?

The boat pulled up to the dock. A larger fishing vessel was also moored there, its owner squatting at the bow, holding a bowl and chopsticks, eating.

The old boatman waved a hand in greeting, but the other man merely glanced at him, ignored him, and continued eating.

Lin Shuyou: “You know him?”

The old boatman: “I’ve seen him, but we’re not close. He always works this route, and he delivers supplies to this island.”

After everyone disembarked, the old boatman turned his boat around and headed back.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the blank book in his hand again. The monkey was now curled up into a ball, head down, hugging its knees, with no clear sitting direction to guide him.

Lin Shuyou, remembering his current responsibility, stepped forward to strike up a conversation with the owner of the other boat.

The man first asked about their boat fare, and Lin Shuyou told him.

The boat captain: “You’ve been ripped off.”

Lin Shuyou hadn’t heard that idiom before, but he understood its meaning: he had been swindled.

Upon hearing that Lin Shuyou had also prepaid half of the return fare, the boat captain laughed, wiping his mouth with his hand, and rinsed his finished bowl and chopsticks in the water:

“If you come back on my boat, I won’t even charge you for the fare.”

With that, he stood up, intending to go into the cabin. Lin Shuyou quickly asked about Tan Wenbin again.

The boat captain stopped and replied, “You’re asking about that young man? Is he your friend? He’s a good kid, and we chatted quite a bit. He should still be on the island; you can go look for him in the village.”

While Lin Shuyou was talking to the boat captain, Li Zhuiyuan was observing him.

The man had no unusual aura, and his every action showed the habits of a sailor.

However, Tan Wenbin’s safety call had been interrupted, which meant something had definitely happened on this island.

Lin Shuyou ran back: “Xiaoyuan Ge, should we go to the village to meet up with Bin Ge?”

“Yes,” Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

The group followed the path towards the village.

The boat captain emerged from the cabin, first glancing at the four departing figures, then turned to face the sea, his gaze deep and melancholic.

Li Zhuiyuan, who had been walking forward, stopped and looked back at the boat and the man on board.

In that moment, based solely on that scene, Li Zhuiyuan was convinced that something was wrong with the man.

On an island where something had clearly gone wrong, any deviation from the expected scenario should not be taken lightly.

On the way to the village, they passed a lighthouse.

Beneath the lighthouse, an old man was sitting and fishing.

From an artistic sketching perspective, it was indeed an excellent composition, conveying tranquility and timelessness.

A bottle of liquor lay beside the old man. He picked it up, took a swig, then removed his straw hat and looked at the four people opposite him.

He neither waved nor spoke, simply watched quietly for a moment, then turned back to tend to his fishing rod.

Li Zhuiyuan slightly raised his head, looked at the sky, then at the sea, and began analyzing the fish school’s position in that area using the principles of Feng Shui and meteorology.

The old man was sitting at the slanting back corner of the lighthouse, where the rocky beach protruded and the water was relatively shallow. Normally, one should sit directly in front of the lighthouse, where the water was deeper and it was easier to catch fish.

It would be normal for a casual angler not to know this, but for an old man who had guarded the lighthouse for years not to know the best place to cast his line was quite strange.

The greatest convenience of his chosen spot was that it faced the direction of the dock, allowing him to watch people disembarking onto the island.

At first glance, the village didn’t seem small, but if one removed the houses that were clearly abandoned and hadn’t even had new Spring Festival couplets pasted on them, then the number of people still living on the island was indeed sparse.

After entering the village, there wasn’t a soul on the road, making it difficult to find anyone to ask about Tan Wenbin.

Fortunately, the local cooperative store was still open, and an old woman was sitting inside, knitting a sweater.

Lin Shuyou walked up the steps to the counter, intending to talk to the old woman.

However, Lin Shuyou softly called out several times, but the old woman seemed hard of hearing, completely unresponsive, and remained focused on her knitting.

Lin Shuyou had to raise his voice, but the old woman still didn’t react.

Just then, Lin Shuyou noticed a rusty ashtray on the counter in front of the old woman, with several cigarette butts in it.

He reached into the outer pocket of his hiking pack and pulled out another pack of cigarettes.

For a while, he used to like having a cigarette in his mouth for no reason, but Bin Ge would smack it out every time he saw him, which prevented him from getting addicted. This time, knowing he had to temporarily fill Bin Ge’s role, he had prepared plenty of cigarettes.

He opened the pack, pulled out two cigarettes: “Granny, could I borrow a light?”

His voice wasn’t loud, but the old woman immediately stopped, turned her head, stood up, walked over, pulled a matchbox from her pocket, took the cigarette, and lit it, all in one smooth motion.

“Granny, I need to ask you something. Do you know where Tan Wenbin lives? We’re his friends.”

“Up on the mountain, I suppose. He likes to pitch his tent there, says it lets him get closer to nature.”

“Oh, alright, thank you, Granny.”

Lin Shuyou waved his hand and walked down the steps: “Xiaoyuan Ge, Bin Ge might be up there. Should we go look for him?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “You go make a call to Aunt Zhang’s store and let Great-Grandpa know we’re safe.”

“Oh, okay.”

Lin Shuyou turned back: “Granny, I need to make a call.”

The old woman bent down, opened a wooden box under the counter, took out a telephone, and placed it on the counter.

“Go ahead and dial.”

Lin Shuyou picked up the receiver and dialed the number. Soon, Aunt Zhang answered the phone.

“Hello, who is this? Who are you calling?”

Lin Shuyou deliberately altered his voice, responding in the Nantong dialect he had learned: “I’m calling the Li Sanjiang family.”

Aunt Zhang: “Oh, a Fujian boy.”

Lin Shuyou was startled. So his accent was that strong? Even when speaking Nantong dialect, people could tell he was from Fujian?

Aunt Zhang: “Shall I go get your Grandpa Sanjiang to answer the phone?”

“No, Aunt Zhang, please just tell Grandfather Sanjiang that we’re doing well out here.”

“Alright, I’ll tell him later.”

“Thank you for your trouble, Aunt Zhang.”

After hanging up, Lin Shuyou paid the phone fee and walked down the steps: “Xiaoyuan Ge, I’ve made the call.”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, taking another look at the cooperative store and the old woman who had returned to her knitting inside.

The phone could be used, yet Tan Wenbin still hadn’t contacted them.

Either Tan Wenbin had met with an accident, or he dared not come to this cooperative store to make a call anymore.

The group left the village and headed towards the mountain.

When viewed from the sea earlier, the island hadn’t seemed very large, but once they were actually on it, they realized how much area its ravines and valleys concealed.

They searched for a long time but couldn’t find Tan Wenbin.

According to what Tan Wenbin had reported earlier on the phone, there should have been many people coming to deliver goods on this island, but they saw no trace of them either.

During their search, they did find a few markers left by Tan Wenbin, but following them led to nothing.

The markers must have been real. The fact that they couldn’t find him meant Tan Wenbin was constantly changing his hiding spot, which indicated he was on the run.

Li Zhuiyuan sat on the ground, took out a few small formation flags from his bag, set up a guiding formation, and lit an incense stick within it.

Next, Li Zhuiyuan placed his compass in his palm and began to sense.

Sometimes, finding ghosts was much simpler than finding people.

He had personally sealed the two vengeful infants on Tan Wenbin’s shoulders, so the young man was naturally extra sensitive to their aura.

The incense smoke began to drift against the wind.

Li Zhuiyuan held the compass above, pointing his fingertip at the smoke to guide it onto the compass. Immediately, the compass needle began to show a specific direction.

This method had strong limitations regarding distance and direction, but they were lucky; it worked on the first try, so they didn’t need to change positions and set up the formation again.

“Let’s go.”

Since the two vengeful infants were still present, Tan Wenbin must still be alive.

Li Zhuiyuan believed in their father-son bond; those two vengeful infants wouldn’t let Tan Wenbin die while they survived.

They descended the slope and arrived at the shaded side of the island, where the ravines were even deeper. Few people would likely come here on a normal day.

Following the compass’s guidance, the four arrived at the shore and saw a cave entrance hidden among the rocks.

Seawater had poured into the cave entrance, leaving only the upper part accessible.

They waded in. Not long after entering, a whisk swept towards them.

Run Sheng, who was leading, was very familiar with this whisk; he had once pinned its owner firmly beneath him.

This time, the whisk’s force was even weaker than before. Run Sheng didn’t even need to take out his Yellow River Shovel; he simply grabbed it with his bare hands, then, giving the opponent no time to react, pulled the person behind him.

A figure was pulled out—it was Xin Jiyue.

Run Sheng leaned his shoulder into her, pinning Xin Jiyue against the damp rock wall, his other hand gripping the woman’s neck.

He could now easily take her life with just a slight squeeze.

The subdued Xin Jiyue stared wide-eyed at Run Sheng.

She had felt indignant, believing that if she hadn’t been injured and weakened, she wouldn’t have been so easily subdued. But upon recognizing Run Sheng, her indignation faded, for she knew that even at full strength, she would never be his match.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Where is Tan Wenbin?”

Run Sheng slightly loosened his grip on the woman’s neck.

Xin Jiyue: “You actually know Bin Ge?”

There was an unusual emotion in that “Bin Ge.”

Lin Shuyou had never met Xin Jiyue; he had still been in Fujian and hadn’t returned when the funeral in Xigou Village took place. But that didn’t stop him from finding the woman’s call of “Bin Ge” very strange.

It seemed there was something going on between Bin Ge and her!

Li Zhuiyuan glanced down at the compass in his hand, its needle pointing deeper into the cave, and said:

“Tan Wenbin is one of us. We’re here to rescue him.”

Xin Jiyue: “Why should I believe what you say?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Do we need your belief?”

Xin Jiyue froze for a moment, then suddenly found this explanation quite reasonable.

“Bin Ge is inside, but he…”

Just then, peculiar ripples appeared on the water surface within the cave.

This was the aura of a formation, perfectly integrated with the internal space of the cave.

A rising wave surged out from inside the cave, rushing towards the group.

Run Sheng released Xin Jiyue, letting her fall into the water, while he pulled out his Yellow River Shovel, activated his Qi Gate, and powerfully slammed it down onto the wave.

Lin Shuyou, meanwhile, unfurled the Rashomon Umbrella, shielding Xiaoyuan Ge.

As long as the force was strong enough, it could suppress any flashy tricks.

With a “bang,” the wave was smashed into fragments, scattering as a surging spray.

Just then, something submerged itself, pulled Xin Jiyue up from the water, and retreated backward.

This was a simultaneous attack and rescue, quite a meticulous mind at work.

Run Sheng pressed his hands into the water. With his Qi Gate activated, the water level in front of him rapidly receded.

Yin Meng seized the opportunity to lash out with her demon-expelling whip. With a crisp snap, a middle-aged bearded man’s arm was encircled by the whip.

He instinctively tried to pull the whip.

Yin Meng flicked her wrist, and barbs rose along the demon-expelling whip. “Don’t touch it if you don’t want to die,” she warned.

Wu Qinhai immediately stopped.

Xin Jiyue spoke: “They are Bin Ge’s people.”

Wu Qinhai asked, perplexed, “What?”

Though he didn’t understand, Wu Qinhai still gave up resisting.

Yin Meng retracted her demon-expelling whip, lightly nudging Lin Shuyou with her elbow, and whispered, “Listen to that. We’re Bin Ge’s people.”

Wu Qinhai: “Bin Ge is inside. He’s in a very bad state. I hope you have a way to save him.”

After saying this, he and Xin Jiyue led the way.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Have you been hunted?”

Xin Jiyue: “Yes, Bin Ge paid a huge price to help us hide and survive on this island.”

At the deepest part of the cave, there was a dry area unaffected by the seawater. On a stone platform there, Tan Wenbin lay on a pile of straw.

His face was pale, his breath faint, and he was extremely weak.

This clearly indicated an extreme state of exhaustion after using Ghost Control Arts. However, if that were the case, the two vengeful infants should also have fallen into a deep slumber, making it impossible for him to pinpoint their location.

Therefore, Tan Wenbin had not used Ghost Control Arts. He wouldn’t allow himself to fall into a comatose or paralyzed state here unless absolutely necessary, especially while hiding with two other people.

“Tan Wenbin?”

Li Zhuiyuan gently pushed Run Sheng aside and stepped forward.

Run Sheng naturally moved to block Wu Qinhai. Seeing this, Yin Meng immediately followed suit, stopping Xin Jiyue, ensuring no outsiders were near Xiaoyuan Ge and Tan Wenbin.

Lin Shuyou, meanwhile, stood on tiptoes, anxious to see how serious Bin Ge’s injuries were.

Then, as if remembering something, he pulled out a can of tiger-penis wine from his bag, which he had specifically brought back from his hometown for Bin Ge.

Tan Wenbin weakly opened his eyes and looked at Li Zhuiyuan:

“Xiaoyuan Ge…”

Li Zhuiyuan placed a hand on Tan Wenbin’s wrist; his pulse was weak.

The young man’s other hand seemed to be adjusting the straw pillow under Tan Wenbin’s head, but in reality, he subtly patted both of Tan Wenbin’s shoulders.

The two vengeful infants were most afraid of him. With this contact, they immediately trembled violently in fright.

The two vengeful infants were in good condition, meaning Tan Wenbin shouldn’t be so weak. Therefore, this was a deliberate act.

“Xiaoyuan Ge, I’ve finally waited for you. I thought I’d never see you again in this lifetime…”

Tan Wenbin’s voice revealed the joy of surviving a catastrophe, and he struggled to grasp Li Zhuiyuan’s hand with both of his own.

Li Zhuiyuan perceived that Tan Wenbin had clenched his index and ring fingers together separately and squeezed hard.

“Xiaoyuan Ge, there are three very dangerous people on this island…”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and said, “Don’t worry, I understand.”

He knew what Tan Wenbin wanted to convey:

Between Xin Jiyue and Wu Qinhai, one was an informant.