Chapter 248

The bowing ceremony concluded.

The young Taoist priest had many questions on his mind, and he turned to look at his master, noticing a strange flush on his master's face.

His master was literally both a teacher and a father to him. Up until now, his master had always appeared detached and uninhibited to him, like the portraits of the patriarchs hanging on the wall. This was the first time he had sensed such clear worldly emotions from his master.

"Master, which Dragon King is he?"

The young Taoist priest was still young. When he visited his Taoist temple's scripture library, he preferred reading story-like records rather than flipping through the scriptures. Many stories mentioned "Dragon Kings," and he used to marvel at how long this "Dragon King" had lived, with records of him suppressing powerful evil spirits in every dynasty and period. Later, he learned from his master that "Dragon King" was a title, but it couldn't be self-proclaimed; it had to be recognized by the Heavenly Dao. Each generation's Dragon King was an outstanding figure of their era, leaving behind their own stories and legends in the martial arts world.

However, the master did not answer the question. Instead, he took out the prayer mat he carried, placed it on the ground, and sat down cross-legged. "Disciple, come here."

The young Taoist priest nodded, took off his own prayer mat from his back, placed it diagonally behind his master, and sat down.

"Disciple, calm your mind, perceive, and listen to the teachings." After saying this, the master closed his eyes.

The young Taoist priest also closed his eyes.

At first, he felt nothing, and due to the unique environment, the young Taoist priest couldn't even enter a meditative state. But gradually, the young Taoist priest noticed that something in his mind seemed to be changing. Yet, for a moment, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. This feeling was tormenting and caused him great unease. He forced his eyes open, leaned forward, and looked at his master, who was smiling with closed eyes, utterly engrossed. This was certainly not a Taoist meditative trance.

The unease intensified. The young Taoist priest clutched his head with both hands, feeling as if someone's hand was reaching into his mind, manipulating it. Finally, he discovered the change, which stemmed from a distortion of something he already knew.

He recalled a scene from his childhood when his master first initiated him and taught him their sect's martial arts. Although their sect was small and had been passed down through a single lineage for many generations, it had a long history in Mount Qingcheng, and its ancestors were from a legitimate Taoist school. Therefore, the initial martial arts training focused on establishing foundations, shaping muscles and bones, and accumulating righteous energy, which was essentially about adjusting one's physical state to better comprehend and learn Taoist classics.

But now, recalling that memory, his master's demonstrations had become incredibly forceful, and the incantations he recited were completely different. The aura was grander, and the incantations and mental cultivation methods were more profound. The young Taoist priest could clearly feel that this current set was far superior and more advanced than his sect's own heritage.

However, the young Taoist priest would accept being taught in person; he would be grateful and perform the master-disciple salutation. He could also accept a secret manual to ponder and comprehend, even if it meant racking his brain and thinking hard. But he truly could not accept this kind of teaching that forcibly modified his own memories.

He had always cherished his time after joining the sect. His mother had died in an accident during his birth, and he had lived with his maternal grandparents since childhood. He only knew that his father would quietly visit every now and then at night while he was asleep, leaving some money and food. When his grandparents grew old and their health declined, no longer able to raise him, they said his father was preparing to take him away. He was reluctant to leave his grandparents but also full of anticipation for his father, which was a perfectly normal reaction for a child. His father arrived, dressed in a Taoist robe. It was the first time he had ever seen his father. But when he called him "father," his father told him to change his address to "master." His father said it was the rule. In short, he cherished his memories with his father, and he could not allow them to be altered.

The young Taoist priest stood up, wanting to reach out and shake his master awake. But as soon as he got close, his master turned his face slightly, his eyelids barely lifted, revealing a terrifying glint in his eyes. This was certainly not his master, and even less his father.

"Ah!!" The young Taoist priest's scream echoed, and he ran away frantically.

The master, however, withdrew his gaze and continued to display the same smiling, engrossed expression as before.

After a long time, the master seemed to have finished. He stood up, faced the frozen black pool, and bowed again.

"Thank you, Dragon King."

Then, he began to pack up the items on the ground. As he picked up the small prayer mat, the master couldn't help but sigh: "This child truly has shallow blessings."

Although their sect also had a legitimate Taoist lineage, it had long since declined. Even if some ancient texts remained, without enough people to study and teach them, they were ultimately just a pile of dusty, dead books. Moreover, even the peak period of their sect, as recorded by their ancestors, could not compare to the personal teachings of the Dragon King himself.

"Crack..." This time, the sound was more distinct. A stone tablet had broken through the ice, revealing a small section. The master looked at the first character on the tablet, and the excitement in his eyes deepened, for it was a surname. He had heard of this surname.

In the jianghu, it wasn't uncommon for Dragon Kings to emerge from humble origins, and some, like fleeting glimpses, would achieve the title only to quickly disappear. However, some clans had lineages so powerful that they continuously produced Dragon Kings. If not in one generation, then the next; if not the next, then the one after that. They always managed to have a successor, albeit intermittently. The surname before him also represented a Dragon King clan.

The master spoke solemnly: "I have sent out the invitations. As per your request, the 'Demon Sealing Grand Assembly' will commence in five days. I just don't know how many of the families who arrive with invitations will actually be from Qingcheng."

Pausing, the master continued, "I know you deliberately showed me this surname. I also hope that when you fully awaken, I can, as your successor, return to and join the Dragon King clan."

After explaining this, the master left with his belongings. This was the first time he had brought his disciple here, but the disciple's behavior greatly disappointed him.

The entrance and exit were a curtain of water from a waterfall. The protective barrier was clearly still in place, yet there was no sign of his disciple, only a child's Taoist robe floating on the water. The disciple had left this place.

"Did the barrier here make an exception for him because of our blood relation?" The master walked through the water curtain and exited the area. He thought his disciple would have returned to the sect first. However, when he activated the sect's formation and ascended the steps, he found that the formation here had not been activated midway, meaning his disciple had not returned to the sect after leaving that place.

"What a useless fellow."

After putting his belongings away, the master emerged again, closed the door, and walked away. As he walked further, the grand gate of the Taoist temple behind him gradually faded and merged back into the mountain scenery.

He arrived at a village at the foot of the mountain, where his worldly wife's parents lived. The house door was tightly shut and locked. There were a few handprints on the lock, indicating it had just been touched.

Just then, someone from the neighboring house, who had just used the latrine at night, emerged yawning and, seeing the scene, called out: "The old man had a stroke and is in the hospital. His wife went to care for him. Jingjing just came back and knocked on the door. I told him. You're his master, right? I heard the old folks say that Jingjing went into the mountains to become a Taoist priest with his master."

Jingjing was the young Taoist priest's name; his surname was Chen, from his mother, making him Chen Jing.

The master nodded and turned to leave.

In the guesthouse, Tan Wenbin leaned back on his bed, holding a book. He was in a standard room, but no one wanted to share it with him. He had also informed the front desk not to arrange for room cleaning during his stay, fearing that if they didn't open the window quickly enough for ventilation, the cleaning lady might get frozen. Regular cold air was one thing, but this ghostly, chilling energy, if ordinary people came into contact with it, would bring them bad luck for quite some time. This was also one reason Tan Wenbin had avoided physical contact with his parents and Zhou Yunyun in Nantong earlier. Now, even a jinx might find him too unlucky to be around.

However, the bed next to him wasn't empty either. It was padded with cardboard, on which lay an old Taoist priest from the sweeping sect. Runsheng, worried about insufficient preservation, had even opened a fertilizer bag to allow half of the old Taoist's brain to air out. Sometimes, when Tan Wenbin reached for water from the nightstand, he could turn his head and meet the gaze of the sleeping old Taoist on the adjacent bed. He felt that his comrades were becoming increasingly perverse, and their work was getting more and more gruesome. But then he thought, he wasn't much better himself. With a person like that on the next bed, he could still eat and sleep as usual, completely unaffected. So, Brother Xiaoyuan truly had foresight.

Having traversed the rivers so much, his human side was being increasingly eroded. Tan Wenbin now greatly missed the warmth of embracing Zhou Yunyun and the sting of Director Tan's belt. These things could quickly pull him back to reality, making him feel like a human again.

"Creak..." The room door was being pushed open. There was a protective spell on the door, cast by his godson.

"Brother Bin, it's me."

Tan Wenbin lightly flicked his finger, the door opened, and Lin Shuyou walked in. Lin Shuyou had a light sweat on his face and seemed a bit unsteady as he entered.

Tan Wenbin asked seriously, "Did you use the needles?"

Lin Shuyou scratched his head, "I couldn't resist, so I used two."

Next, Lin Shuyou picked up a notebook and began recounting the events of the evening. Just as he started, Tan Wenbin interrupted him, "Wait, have you reported this to Brother Xiaoyuan?"

"Not yet. Mainly, I made a decision on my own, and I wanted Brother Bin to help me see if it was the right one, if there were any flaws."

"So, you've returned now, and instead of reporting to Brother Xiaoyuan, you're reporting to me?"

"Yeah."

"What do you take this place for, the Directorate of Ceremonial?"

"Oh, I originally intended to go directly to Brother Xiaoyuan's room, but the Boy suggested I come to you first, Brother Bin."

"Heh."

"So, should I go find Brother Xiaoyuan now?"

"Help me onto the wheelchair; let's go together."

"Alright, Brother Bin."

Lin Shuyou pushed Tan Wenbin out and knocked on Brother Xiaoyuan's door.

"Come in."

After pushing the door open and entering, Lin Shuyou reported the events of the evening.

After listening, Tan Wenbin, seated in his wheelchair, spoke: "Don't even mention it, that 'Three-Eyed' fellow really has good luck with women. What was that Gu-woman's name last time, Mountain Girl or Saintess?"

Lin Shuyou: "Her name seemed to be Mountain Girl; Saintess was her title, and Gu-woman was her profession."

Tan Wenbin: "Never mind, she'll probably just become another one of his consumables. That guy is a complete scumbag."

Lin Shuyou nodded, "Yes, that's right."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Xu Ming was originally Zhao Yi's enforcer, but now Zhao Yi has changed his role to a team defense character. This indicates that the team now has absolute responsibility for offense. We cannot underestimate those twins."

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, I'm curious, what a coincidence that we ran into him again. There are so many 'lantern carriers' traversing the jianghu."

Li Zhuiyuan: "During the first wave with the Old Witch, Zhao Yi could appear because his ancestor had suppressed the Old Witch. The last time in Lijiang, it was because Zhao Yi had a heart problem at the time. He got involved in karma early to seek 'river walking merit' to prolong his life. I believe this time, there's also a specific reason. Furthermore, from A-You's description, it's clear that Xu Ming has changed significantly. Although the absolute increase in power isn't comparable to ours, the extent of this change shouldn't be normal."

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, are you suspecting that 'Three-Eyed' has increased his river-walking frequency?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, "Exactly. He already showed it last time in Lijiang. Since he succeeded, he might have developed a taste for it and continues to gamble at a high frequency."

In short, while others have a period of rest between two "waves," Zhao Yi doesn't. As soon as one wave ends, he intentionally manipulates karma to forcefully trigger the next.

Tan Wenbin: "He's indeed the kind of person who would do something like that." He's adaptable and ruthless with himself. Teasing aside, he should never be underestimated.

Li Zhuiyuan: "So A-You did well this time. This 'beating' was excellent. It allowed him to recognize the disparity in strength early again, laying a good foundation for future cooperation."

The thought of all the construction workers at the site being marked gave Li Zhuiyuan a headache. Such a widespread diffusion indeed required more people to get involved.

Tan Wenbin: "So, do we need to contact him proactively?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "No, first, there's no urgent need right now. Second, he probably has his own clues, and merging ahead of time might put us at a disadvantage."

Next, Li Zhuiyuan looked at Lin Shuyou again. "How long will your body take to recover?"

Lin Shuyou: "Only two needles; two days are enough for recovery."

Previously, after using the needles, he would have to rest in bed for at least half a month. Now, even though it seemed a bit overdrawn, he could walk and move, and a full recovery would only take two days. The True Lord system truly benefited the True Lord himself.

After the discussion, the others returned to their rooms, and Li Zhuiyuan pulled up his blanket and went to sleep. The young man's biological clock was very stable; he woke up early.

Yin Meng knocked on the door, bringing breakfast. She also mentioned that Runsheng was still sitting at the breakfast shop, diligently finishing bowls of douhua. The douhua was both fragrant and cheap, and Runsheng couldn't put his chopsticks down. After speaking, Yin Meng quietly added, "Actually, making douhua isn't difficult, and it's quite good with rice too."

Li Zhuiyuan continued eating his bun and drinking soy milk, not responding.

Yin Meng shrugged, "Brother Xiaoyuan, I was just kidding."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I know. Here's Wu Xin's business card. Give him a call and tell him to come over soon."

"Alright, Brother Xiaoyuan."

Wu Xin arrived on a three-wheeled motorcycle, bringing a large bag of breakfast. Fortunately, Runsheng returned in time, so Li Zhuiyuan told Wu Xin to give the breakfast to Runsheng. Although Runsheng had eaten many bowls, he wasn't satisfied. He originally intended to indulge for once and buy all the douhua the boss had in the shop today. But the boss was unwilling to sell him any more, as delaying regular customers' business for a sudden new one was not profitable.

"You guys are up really early," Wu Xin said, pulling out a cigarette and hesitating.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Suit yourself."

"Okay, thanks." Wu Xin lit his cigarette. "Are you the top scorer in the college entrance exam?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "There's one in every province each year."

"How did a top college entrance exam scorer end up in our line of work?" Wu Xin immediately explained, "I mean, you should have found a better path. Our line of work is simply too arduous."

"Because I like it." He had always felt that hydraulic engineering and retrieving bodies from rivers were a good match, and it turned out to be true. Xue Liangliang could now even "issue" clues about "waves" to him.

"So, should we go to the hospital now?"

"No rush." Li Zhuiyuan pointed to the bedside. "Sit down first; I'll check your body."

"Me?" Wu Xin, though puzzled, obediently sat down. The longer one interacted with this young man, the more naturally one would follow his instructions. It was worth noting that Wu Xin was famously hot-tempered at work.

Li Zhuiyuan flicked Wu Xin's forehead three times with his knuckles, then pressed his fingertip into red clay and drew a pattern on Wu Xin's forehead. After ensuring Wu Xin's consciousness was suppressed, Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes, activated the secret technique of the black book, and forcibly entered Wu Xin's consciousness.

In Wu Xin's statement from last night, he was on the periphery when the "oil" erupted. Although some had splashed on him, it wasn't much. If his memories had also been altered, it would almost prove that none of the workers present at the time had been spared. Reading memories was akin to experiencing a person's first half of life; too many joys, angers, sorrows, and delights would become a burden.

Li Zhuiyuan "arrived" at Li Sanjiang's home again, went upstairs, and pushed open his bedroom door. Books were everywhere, on the desk and on the floor. His main self was truly studying diligently. Knowing that his "inner demon" had arrived, his main self didn't even lift his head, remaining engrossed in diligent study.

Main Self: "Leave the trash by the door; I'll deal with it later."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's just a quick thing to do."

Main Self: "It wouldn't matter even if you were slightly affected."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I need to ensure my own condition is good."

Main Self: "There's no need to fully restore all three of their memories. You could save some energy, since it's just about completing this process."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Next time, you can pretend you don't know I've arrived. After all, few people enjoy having a chat every time they throw out the trash."

He closed the door.

Li Zhuiyuan began destroying and rebuilding their memories. The difficulty wasn't as great as he had imagined, since three sets of correct answers were right there; they had simply been written in the wrong places.

After the treatment, it was already afternoon. The three patients were huddled together, asleep on the same hospital bed. When they woke up, they would all be back to normal. Li Zhuiyuan felt his head spinning slightly, not quite to the point of exhaustion, but close. Considering that the other person completed hundreds of such operations in a short time, it was enough to show how formidable they were. Therefore, Li Zhuiyuan had to consider a possibility: Was this ability innate, a racial talent? For instance, the Dream Ghost of the past could create such vast dreams, not relying on mental power cultivated through postnatal training.

He pushed open the door and left the ward.

"Pfft!" Runsheng opened a can of Jianlibao and handed it over.

Li Zhuiyuan drank the beverage and asked, "Where's Wu Xin?"

Runsheng: "Stomach pump."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You let him smoke the incense?"

Runsheng: "Yes, he wanted to sneak a peek."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Oh."

Although stomach pumping was painful, Runsheng's incense was special. Overall, its benefits outweighed the drawbacks, aiding in cleansing and detoxification, especially for smokers.

"Go tell him."

"Okay."

Li Zhuiyuan took Runsheng and left the small Western-style building, arriving at the main hospital building ahead.

In a hospital room.

Xu Ming lay on the bed, his entire body in a cast. Sun Yan sat by the bedside, caring for him. Zhao Yi and the twin sisters stood on the balcony of that floor, enjoying the nearly depleted cigarette lighting service. The former Young Master Zhao, whenever the 'gate of life and death' opened, would become like someone with rickets, walking like a weak willow swaying in the wind or a slender horse from Yangzhou. Now, with his body restored to normal, even without changing clothes, leaning against something gave him the elegant demeanor of an ancient nobleman, almost as if he needed a handkerchief to catch a cough of blood from his throat. To attract the opposite sex, inner qualities are important, but outer appearance is absolutely essential; otherwise, you might not even get a chance to show your inner self.

Liang Yan: "Do we really have to come to the hospital?"

Liang Li: "We brought medicine, though."

Zhao Yi: "With hospital treatment, recovery from injuries can be shortened from five days to three days, and that's the key. When 'river walking,' you have to be meticulous. Before, in Lijiang, that Li fellow meticulously calculated the injuries of his subordinates twice on his fingers. And wouldn't you know, he really did figure it out precisely."

Liang Yan: "You keep talking about him. Is he really that powerful? Even if he's from a legitimate Dragon King family, it shouldn't make you praise him so much."

Liang Li: "We want to see him. We're very curious."

Zhao Yi: "Oh, he's just alright. He's just a bit smarter than his peers, capable of skipping a grade in school—just a clever kid."

At this moment