Chapter 239

"Ah!"

"All done."

Yin Meng hooked her finger, and the Gu worm flew back, circled her finger once, then burrowed into her sleeve and vanished.

Lin Shuyou didn't rush to put on his clothes. Instead, he turned his back to the mirror on the wall, twisted his head to look, and discovered a blood-hole the size of a pinky fingernail on his back."No wonder it hurt so much today."

Yin Meng took out a bandage, applied it to Lin Shuyou, and explained, "Sorry, the worm and I have been practicing a new secret technique that Xiao Yuan taught us recently. It might have gotten a bit carried away."

This small wound was nothing, and Lin Shuyou certainly wasn't angry. Instead, he asked curiously,"What secret technique?""It's something Xiao Yuan created based on its characteristics and mine. We're still in the integration and practice phase, but if we master it...""And then?""It's quite harmful to people.""In that case, I'm really looking forward to it."

After putting on his clothes, Lin Shuyou walked into Tan Wenbin's room.At that moment, Tan Wenbin was curled up in the corner of the bed, several books laid out in front of him. His eyes were slightly open, and his eyebrows seemed to be frosted over.

When Lin Shuyou entered, he instinctively felt the chill in the room react, actively repelling him.

Tan Wenbin's eyelids lifted, and the repulsion vanished."Brother Bin, good morning.""Hmm, morning."

"How long did you sleep last night?""My consciousness was absent for a little while.""So, that counts as sleep, right?""Let's call it deep sleep."

Lin Shuyou first gathered the books from the bed, then helped Brother Bin dress, before carrying him downstairs to the wheelchair.

As was customary, after descending the embankment, they first turned into the peach grove to visit Runsheng, who was still soaking in the water.The water level in this pit was dynamic; it would always start full, then gradually decrease day by day. However, Xiao Yuan had a way to refill it.

"Brother Bin, Runsheng's injuries look almost healed.""Let him soak as long as he can; it's a rare opportunity.""I see.""Let's go, push me down to the river.""Alright."

After being pushed to the riverside, Tan Wenbin raised a hand, signaling them to stop."This is fine. Let me stay here alone for a while.""I'll come back later then.""Okay."

After Lin Shuyou left, Tan Wenbin hunched himself further into the wheelchair.

In his ears, he heard the soft whispers of two children.

Xiao Yuan was right; after the two children awoke, Tan Wenbin's situation became even more difficult. His body and soul endured the pain of ice-needle punctures every day.

The two children could also sense their godfather's torment, so they tried to sleep more and moved less. When they did communicate, they'd keep their "voices" as low as possible to reduce their spiritual energy fluctuations.

Both sides currently had little quality of life to speak of. Fortunately, no matter how tough or difficult, they just had to get through this period. Tan Wenbin felt like he was experiencing, in advance, what it was like for parents to accompany their children during the final sprint before the college entrance exam.

Ahead, two young men with schoolbags were approaching. Tan Wenbin knew them; they were Xiao Yuan's relatives, Panzi and Leizi.

Panzi and Leizi had long given up on the college entrance exam, so there was no academic urgency for them. The two squatted in front of Tan Wenbin. Leizi pulled out a loose cigarette from his pocket, handed one to Panzi, and began to puff smoke.

They couldn't see Tan Wenbin.

Panzi: "School is truly pointless."Leizi: "Tell me about it."Panzi: "My parents know I can't pass with my grades. I told them I might as well 'drop out' early and go move bricks at the brick factory for a couple of months, but they just wouldn't let me. They want me to keep going until the college entrance exam and try my luck. Ha, when it comes to exams, you either know it or you don't. How can luck help?"

Here, "dropping out" didn't mean truly leaving school. Generally, before the high school entrance exam or college entrance exam, homeroom teachers were happy to see students with low grades voluntarily give up. This not only avoided affecting other students but also boosted the promotion rate. Students would simply come back later to collect their graduation certificates.

Leizi: "My parents are having the same pipe dream. If you ask me, the only ones with brains in our Li family are Auntie's family. Look at Auntie, then look at Yuanzi. What are we messing around for?"

Young people had many concerns, too many to talk about all night, but sometimes they were very brief, lasting only as long as a single cigarette, because there wasn't another one in their pockets.

Flicking the cigarette butt away, the two stood up to leave, coincidentally walking toward where Tan Wenbin was sitting behind them.

Tan Wenbin raised a finger and gently wiggled it."Ow!"Panzi stumbled, and Leizi caught him."What's wrong?""My left foot tripped over my right.""Heh, hahaha!"

The two walked off, schoolbags on their backs, arms around each other's shoulders, strolling casually.

The sun gradually emerged, the sunlight becoming brighter. Tan Wenbin hunched further into his wheelchair and closed his eyes.

He had barely dozed off when the sound of a motorcycle came from the village road in the distance.

Tan Wenbin was all too familiar with this engine sound. In the past, whenever he heard it at home, he would immediately jump up, turn off the TV, and put the remote control back in its place.

He had considered ways to make things less tense, but he was too lazy to bother. Anyway, he couldn't fool his dad. If he just showed a proper attitude, his dad usually wouldn't bother him when he came home, unless he was already in a bad mood.

He opened his eyes and saw Tan Yunlong ride past on his motorcycle. After a while, he saw Tan Yunlong ride back again.

He hadn't gone to Old Man Li's house; he was genuinely just cruising around the village.

Tan Yunlong left, having gained nothing.

Tan Wenbin continued to close his eyes, enjoying the sun.

The sun rose higher, and three hours passed just like that. Lin Shuyou came once during this time; seeing Brother Bin was still enjoying himself, he left again.

"Ding-a-ling..."Hey, it was that familiar bicycle bell again.Tan Wenbin opened his eyes once more. This time, he saw Zhou Yunyun. He was familiar with her bicycle bell too; she used to ride that bike to and from school.

Why hadn't she returned to Jinling for school yet? Was her holiday that long?

Sitting in his wheelchair, Tan Wenbin felt as if he were sitting at a gravesite, waiting for his loved ones to come pay their respects one by one.

What was even stranger was that Zhou Yunyun actually parked her bicycle by the village road, then walked along the riverbank towards him.

She passed in front of Tan Wenbin, then squatted down diagonally in front of him.

Tan Wenbin leaned back in his wheelchair, tilting his head to observe his girlfriend.

She's thinner; there's less flesh on her face.This won't do. She needs to eat quickly to gain it back. Being too thin isn't pretty.

The two children on Tan Wenbin's shoulders each put their index fingers in their mouths. They looked at Zhou Yunyun for a while, then turned to look at their godfather, and finally, the two children looked at each other and smiled.

After looking at the river for a long time, Zhou Yunyun stood up, walked back to the village road, and rode away on her bicycle.

Xiao Yuan had said that not only did he now look more like a dead person than a living one, but in fact, he should be in a state that was "deader than dead."

Therefore, for those truly close to him, an inexplicable sensation would arise—a feeling of emptiness and extreme unease in their hearts.

A little while later, Lin Shuyou walked over."Brother Bin, heading back?""Did you guide her here?"Tan Wenbin believed in love, but he didn't believe love could penetrate his ghostly illusion.

"Huh?" Lin Shuyou scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "I thought you might want to see her, Brother Bin. I just ran into her in the village and told her you used to like sitting here, enjoying the breeze and daydreaming.""Hmm, well done.""Heh heh."

"All right, Ah You, push me back.""Got it."

"Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof!"A yellow and white dog was barking almost frantically, as several villagers stood, hitting it with tree branches and stones.

The dog had just bitten someone and was clearly rabid; it couldn't be kept alive. However, since no one had a suitable tool at hand, no one dared to approach it easily. A bite would mean many injections later, which was too much trouble.

Just then, Lin Shuyou pushed Tan Wenbin over. The mad dog, seeing many people opposite it, turned its head and immediately lunged at Lin Shuyou, intending to bite.

Lin Shuyou had just released the wheelchair, ready to step forward and kick the dog to put it down. But before the mad dog even got close, it suddenly let out a howl, its limbs stiffened, and after skidding across the ground, it collapsed motionless. Immediately afterward, fresh blood flowed from its mouth.

Ah You turned back to look at Brother Bin, a little surprised.

Dealing with a mad dog was a trivial matter, but it was the method of dealing that stood out.Just now, Lin Shuyou hadn't detected any killing intent from Brother Bin, nor had he even sensed how Brother Bin cast the spell. Yet, the mad dog had suddenly dropped dead.

"Brother Bin...""A curse."Tan Wenbin had just cursed the mad dog to death.

"Brother Bin, your methods now are a bit terrifying."

No killing intent, yet instant death by curse.

Although he knew it wouldn't have such a miraculous effect on true cultivators or evil spirits, it was still terrifying if used against ordinary people.

"This suffering isn't for nothing," Tan Wenbin narrowed his eyes. "If my body failed without gaining a boost in power, wouldn't I just be holding the team back?"

The villagers ran over, confirmed the dog was dead, and then left, pointing at Lin Shuyou as they went, signaling him to dispose of the dog's carcass. No one dared to eat a rabid dog.

Lin Shuyou picked up the mad dog's carcass and pushed Tan Wenbin back to Old Hu's house.

Xiao Yuan stood on the embankment.

"Xiao Yuan!"Li Zhuiyuan walked towards them, first gesturing for Lin Shuyou to lift his shirt. After checking his physical condition, he frowned slightly."What's wrong, Xiao Yuan?"

"When you have a moment, tell Tongzi that the body modification doesn't need to be overly perfected. The further it goes, the higher the cost and the less worthwhile it becomes. He's focusing on minute details now.""Okay, I understand."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Tan Wenbin, who was sitting in the wheelchair. "Any regrets?"Tan Wenbin tried to sound nonchalant. "How could I? I feel incredibly strong now."Li Zhuiyuan: "What happened with this dog?"

Lin Shuyou: "A mad dog bit someone, and Brother Bin cursed it to death instantly. I was about to find some grass to burn it."Li Zhuiyuan: "Keep it for now. Yin Meng can use it."

Lin Shuyou asked in surprise, "Meng Meng can use even a mad dog to make poison now?"Just then, Yin Meng emerged from the house, carrying a pile of formation materials.

Li Zhuiyuan handed a stack of formation diagrams to Lin Shuyou. "Go help Meng Meng set up the formation for Brother Runsheng.""Okay."Lin Shuyou tossed the mad dog's carcass into a corner, washed his hands, and then went with Yin Meng into the peach grove.

Li Zhuiyuan went to push Tan Wenbin's wheelchair. The wheelchair was heavy. Although Tan Wenbin was emaciated, he still had considerable weight, yet the young man pushed him with ease.

"Xiao Yuan, Runsheng is about to wake up.""Yes. My original intention was to let him soak longer, but his wild nature is stirring first."

Arriving at the pit's edge, Lin Shuyou and Yin Meng had already planted many formation flags around it.

Li Zhuiyuan was certain that Runsheng, no matter how wild he became, wouldn't harm him. However, if Runsheng were to leave this place, he would show no mercy to ordinary living beings.

Therefore, before helping Runsheng awaken his self-awareness, his personal freedom had to be restricted.

With the formation set, Li Zhuiyuan squatted by the pit's edge and tapped Runsheng's forehead with his finger.Runsheng's eyes opened, completely white with no trace of black.He instinctively opened his mouth, engaged his core, and like a beast, tried to tear the young man down.

But before his body could leave the water, Li Zhuiyuan activated the formation, forcing Runsheng to lie back down, only able to struggle faintly in the water.

Li Zhuiyuan said to Lin Shuyou and Yin Meng, "You two arrange a schedule. Every six hours, someone must come here to check and replace any damaged formation materials."Yin Meng: "Xiao Yuan, Runsheng..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Actually, I could start helping him awaken his consciousness right now. But his wild nature has just begun to stir. For him to better confront and suppress this wildness in the future, we need to wait until it's fully unleashed before proceeding with the next stage of treatment."

Tan Wenbin: "Only then will he not easily lose control in the future, and Runsheng will be able to master this power better."Li Zhuiyuan: "It seems you've been reading a lot lately."Tan Wenbin: "There's not much else to do but read. It's a pity I wasn't in this state back in high school; otherwise, I would have performed even better on the college entrance exam."

Li Zhuiyuan asked Yin Meng, "Is the temporary formation on the embankment ready?"Yin Meng: "Not yet. I'll go set it up now."

Soon, the disposable formation on the embankment was also set up.

For this, Xiao Yingying specifically moved all the paper effigies that were originally displayed there into the house, then took Benben to Li Sanjiang's home.

Yin Meng stood within the formation, the mad dog's carcass placed before her.

Lin Shuyou stood nearby, a look of anticipation on his face. He was very curious about the secret technique Xiao Yuan had customized for Meng Meng and the Gu worm.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Ah You.""Yes, Xiao Yuan.""Don't just watch. Be ready to intervene at any moment.""Understood."

Lin Shuyou straightened his back and stood at the edge of the formation.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Meng Meng, you can start."Yin Meng nodded, stepped forward, and moved her hands to form seals.Because they were still in the early stages of integration and not yet proficient enough, nor had she fully grasped the true meaning of the secret technique, the preliminary steps had to be more complex. Yin Meng dared not skip any part of the process.

Lin Shuyou found Yin Meng's steps somewhat familiar, but with Xiao Yuan present, Tongzi dared not communicate with him openly.

Tan Wenbin, seated in the wheelchair, spoke up, "A sacrificial dance?"Li Zhuiyuan: "It's the Astral Yin-Yang Step, a form of Nuo opera, a branch of shamanism. It's used to communicate with deities and spirits, and often for ancestral worship."

When the steps were complete and the seals formed, Yin Meng let out a low cry. Holding incense in her left hand and a talisman in her right, she swung them three times. The incense and talisman ignited, and she raised both arms high, performing a kowtow.

The next moment, the Gu worm flew out from Yin Meng and directly entered the mad dog's carcass.Soon, the mad dog's body began to inflate like a balloon. Just as it seemed about to burst, countless tiny holes appeared, and the carcass rapidly deflated. Its flesh began to rot, and then it started to churn like boiling water.

Tan Wenbin: "Sacrifice... Who is this being sacrificed to?"Li Zhuiyuan: "Who else?"Tan Wenbin: "Emperor Fengdu?"Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes."

The reason Yin Meng's cooking was poisonous and something ordinary people couldn't tolerate was that she was preparing offerings.

Based on this characteristic of Yin Meng, Li Zhuiyuan had her perform a sacrificial ritual to offer the mad dog's carcass to Emperor Fengdu, thereby receiving a return from the Emperor.

Ordinary people wouldn't dare do this. After all, who would dare offer a dead, rabid dog to the Great Emperor?

Li Zhuiyuan had no such reservations, because if he were ever apprehended and brought back to Fengdu, and the Great Emperor read out his crimes, this current deed... wouldn't even be significant enough to be listed.

Suddenly, a swarm of black insects crawled out of the decaying flesh. One of them was the main Gu worm, glowing with golden light.Yin Meng was trying to control these newly born insects through her Gu worm.

The swarm of insects began to arrange themselves in formations on the ground; everything seemed orderly.

But when Yin Meng tried to make them fly, pairs of ladybug-like wings unfurled and flapped, and the insects collectively took flight.However, immediately, the previously orderly formation began to fall into disarray. Insects constantly collided and fell, one collision leading to another, and the entire scene turned into chaos.

Immediately afterward, all the insects, whether on the ground or in the air, became violently restless. Finally, they collectively rushed towards Yin Meng—this was a backlash!

Li Zhuiyuan: "Ah You!"Lin Shuyou appeared behind Yin Meng, pulling her out of the formation. The Gu worm, also moving swiftly, darted out and returned to Yin Meng's sleeve.

Li Zhuiyuan clenched his palm, activating the formation, and all the insects inside were instantly crushed.

Yin Meng: "Xiao Yuan, I was too clumsy. I failed..."Li Zhuiyuan: "A mad dog carcass is still a bit too difficult. Start by practicing with the simplest things. Ask Aunt Liu to bring you more meat when she buys groceries every day—any kind, as long as it's fresh."Yin Meng: "Okay, I understand."

Yin Meng went inside the house, brought out an offering table, and solemnly performed the ritual again.

This was something Xiao Yuan had taught her: every time she practiced this secret art, regardless of success or failure, she was to make a proper offering to the Great Emperor, purely as an apology.

The candlelight flickered on the offering table. Yin Meng lit the yellow paper and placed it into the brazier.Suddenly, even though there was no wind, the burning yellow paper twirled and flew out on its own, finally landing in the wine bowl on the offering table, turning into ashes.Yin Meng: "Xiao Yuan, there's writing...""Are you being told to return home for ancestral worship again?""No..."

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and looked down.Four extremely distorted characters appeared in the bowl: "Return to the sect, apprentice to a master."