Chapter 270

Chapter 271

Qing’an picked up the wine jar, tilted its mouth downwards, and the wine flowed out, spilling onto the peach-scented black book.

Green flames ignited, and soon, the book was reduced to ashes.

He tilted his head back, pouring the remaining wine down his throat. Once the jar was empty, he casually tossed it aside with a “smash,” and it shattered on the ground.

Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, his steps swayed slightly, and his eyes held a joyful daze.

Life was like a dream. Before confining himself here, he had followed Wei Zhengdao and experienced what he considered the highest peak.

Now, as he neared complete dissolution, he could, by chance, relive similar experiences from those years.

It was as if the long period of torment and suffering in between had also gained some practical significance.

The young man before him carried a strong resemblance to Wei Zhengdao, yet he was not Wei Zhengdao.

As for Zhao Yi…

If he were exactly like it, it would not bother to respond, finding it merely a repetition of its past, uninteresting and unappealing.

But if he were like it yet not quite, then that would be interesting, as it would create both a sense of identification and new anticipation.

“No wonder that kid was in a hurry to leave; turns out, he wanted to avoid me.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “He still misunderstands you somewhat.”

“Tell me honestly, you didn’t warn him?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “You have experience. When it comes to that black book, is a warning truly effective?”

“Indeed.”

The secret art of the black book was, so far, the most profound and overbearing secret method Li Zhuiyuan had ever encountered.

Moreover, it could serve as a foundation for integration with other techniques.

The most practical techniques Li Zhuiyuan currently mastered were all based on the fundamental logic of that black book.

Logically, such a secret method should not exist, and no one would even research or create it.

This was because it had a massive flaw; one could even argue that it *was* the flaw itself!

Practicing it was tantamount to self-inflicted punishment, self-depletion, and self-delusion, ultimately leading to a state worse than death. Even deviant arts wouldn’t dare be so utterly ruthless.

The person before them was the best example of this.

If Zhao Yi truly opened that book and learned its secret methods, he wouldn’t be able to resist using them. No one could refuse the transcendent feeling of mastering “living consciousness.”

If he did learn them, then Li Zhuiyuan would have to continue leasing and renewing the contract for this peach orchard, to accommodate Zhao Yi later.

If he learned quickly and used the methods frequently, perhaps Qing’an would still be there when he moved in, and the two could enjoy some lively times together.

This secret method was created by Wei Zhengdao for himself, because its flaws could not affect *him*; after all, he didn’t even possess the thing that could be affected.

Qing’an spoke again: “This kid’s temperament and talent are exceptional. In any other era, I’d see him as a Dragon King candidate.

It’s a pity, he’s of your generation.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “You can’t blame everything on me. I believe every generation competing for the Dragon King title has plenty of similar regrets.”

“You are different. On this point, you don’t need to be modest.

I saw how he journeyed across the rivers back then. People like you and him, no matter what era you’re born into, are the sorrow of that era’s competitors.

Unfortunately, because he was here, it’s even harder for you.

You genuinely have a very high chance of dying.

As for Zhao Yi,

this little fellow,

he genuinely has a chance to rise to power after you die.

He sees that very clearly.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “It seems you’re pleased.”

“Yes, I am pleased.”

“The medicinal garden.”

“I can look after it for you for a few days.”

“Thank you. I’ll try my best to dig up more information about Wei Zhengdao for you.”

“Ideally, you could help me find his true grave.”

“I also want to find his grave, but not for your sake.”

Li Zhuiyuan turned, walked out of the peach orchard, gathered the hoe and shovel, and slung them over his shoulder.

The tools seemed a bit mismatched for his physique, yet he held them steadily, without the slightest tremor.

The crib was placed on the dam, catching the evening breeze. Benben, grasping the railings with both hands, could now walk around the perimeter.

At that moment, he shuffled from the south side to the north, then back from north to south.

As for the west and east, he avoided them and deliberately didn't look, because A-Li was sitting to his west.

Children are very perceptive; he could sense that not only did the older brother dislike him, but this older sister also didn’t like children.

All his playful antics, which could amuse everyone from men and women to old and young, even the deceased, were completely useless on these two.

Furthermore, the more he tried to perform, the more these two seemed to dislike him.

A-Li stood up, carrying a basket with small tools, walked down from the dam, and held hands with Li Zhuiyuan.

The evening glow, not yet fully faded from the horizon, still lingered. The two walked hand in hand, urged home by the impatient stars overhead.

When they returned, Li Sanjiang and Old Tian had already gotten quite drunk.

Li Zhuiyuan was long accustomed to this.

Grandfather always got completely drunk whenever he met old friends.

As for Old Tian… he really was drunk, not pretending.

This was because he had two needles inserted at the back of his neck to suppress his body’s alcohol rejection, as he genuinely wanted to drink his fill with Grandfather.

“Little Lord Yuan, you’re back… *hiccup*!”

Li Sanjiang had just waved when he let out a hiccup.

Old Tian, imitating Li Sanjiang, also waved at Li Zhuiyuan: “Come, children, come to Grandpa, Grandpa will give you money for candy.”

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Old Tian with a slight smile.

Old Tian let out a “hiccup” too, then his face immediately changed. He had been sobered by the young man’s smile.

Li Zhuiyuan wasn’t angry; instead, as he passed behind Old Tian, he reached out and lightly brushed the two needles.

Old Tian’s drunkenness surged back instantly, and he and Li Sanjiang raised their cups again, becoming close like brothers.

Liu Yumei had already eaten and returned to her room. As soon as Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li sat down, Aunt Liu emerged from the kitchen with dishes.

Although the two children had washed their hands and cleaned up, the earthy smell on them was unmistakable. She felt like laughing; probably only Xiao Yuan would take A-Li to farm.

It was a pity that place wasn’t suitable for her; otherwise, it would have been perfect to sit on Old Beard’s dam, sunbathing with some sunflower seeds, while watching the two children tend the garden.

They were only halfway through their meal when two “thuds” were heard. Grandfather and Old Tian, one after the other, slumped onto the table, completely drunk.

As Li Zhuiyuan was about to get up, Uncle Qin stepped forward, hoisting Li Sanjiang onto his shoulder with one hand.

“Uncle Qin, take Old Tian to Grandfather’s room as well. Let them share a bed.”

“Alright.”

Uncle Qin also hoisted Old Tian and went upstairs.

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan first escorted A-Li back to the East Room, then went upstairs to shower, and returned to his room to read.

He hadn’t been reading long when he heard sounds from the room next door.

Li Sanjiang was woken by the urge to urinate. Still drunk and groggy, he sat up and saw Old Tian, also drunk, passed out beside him.

“Brother, need to relieve yourself?”

Old Tian struggled to open his eyes and mumbled, “Drink, thirsty, drink.”

“Pah, wishful thinking!”

Li Sanjiang nudged Old Tian: “I mean, pee.”

Old Tian: “Pee, have to pee, need to go.”

Li Sanjiang: “Then you wait. I’ll go pee first, and then I’ll bring you a spittoon when I get back.”

With that, Li Sanjiang got out of bed, staggered through the door, and walked out.

The toilet was behind the house, and it was too troublesome to go downstairs to pee at night. When Li Zhuiyuan first lived there, Li Sanjiang had taught him how to easily relieve himself.

Walk to the northwest corner of the balcony, unbuckle your belt, and then you can freely relieve yourself.

Old Tian, lying on the bed, stubbornly said, “I don’t want you to bring me a spittoon; I can go pee myself…”

Old Tian crawled off the bed. His wooden clogs were under the bed, so he gripped them with both hands and crawled out step by step.

Li Sanjiang stood in the northwest corner, squinting, groggily looking for his “bird,” when he suddenly noticed something large crawling beneath him.

“Ouch!”

This startled Li Sanjiang.

Old Tian sat on the ground, continuously inching himself towards the edge. Only after almost half of his backside was outside did he start unbuckling his belt.

“Brother Li, let’s have a contest! Who can pee the farthest!”

“Pah, what contest? I’m peeing standing up, you’re peeing sitting down. How could you beat me?”

“That’s not necessarily true! I tell you, I’ve never married or had children in my life, so I’ve been ‘nurturing’ it for so long, it’s mighty fierce!”

“Hmph, you talk as if no one else has been ‘nurturing’ theirs.”

Li Zhuiyuan stood behind them, quietly watching the two old men act drunk, playing a game only kindergarten children would compete in.

He wasn’t worried about Grandfather falling, but Old Tian was another matter.

Even though Old Tian was skilled, he was genuinely drunk tonight.

However, what made Li Zhuiyuan curious was that in the past, Grandfather, even when drunk, would just lie in bed and sleep soundly until morning. He had never shown such a desire to perform.

Tonight seemed a bit out of the ordinary.

“Look, I peed five meters!”

“I peed ten meters!”

“I peed a hundred meters!”

“I peed a thousand meters!”

“I watered the moon!”

“Why can’t you see the sun? Because I extinguished it!”

The contest ended.

Old Tian cried, slapping the ground with his hands, crying very sadly.

Li Sanjiang: “What are you crying about? Fine, you win, you win!”

Fully drunk, the emotions suppressed in his heart for a long time finally burst forth:

“I’ve become a cripple, a cripple, I’m a cripple!”

“It doesn’t matter. At this age, how many people are still spry?”

“I can’t do anything. I watched that child grow up, but now I can’t stand beside him and help him. I can only live off his merits for free.”

“What are merits? Are they tasty?”

“I don’t know.”

“Alright, you’re still useful. You can perform tricks and grow flowers too.

Unlike me, my boy barely lacks money now; he can afford to treat me to nice restaurants outside, sigh.

Before, every time my boy took pocket money from me, I was so happy. Now, even if he asks for it, I feel a bit embarrassed to give it.”

Old Tian: “He’s just humoring you.”

Li Sanjiang: “Exactly. Giving it to him now feels like just playing around.”

Old Tian: “Your kid is incredibly capable. My own, who’s been ambitious since childhood and doesn’t think highly of many people, fears him.”

Li Sanjiang: “Of course! My Little Lord Yuan is smart and excellent at studying; who wouldn’t look up to him?”

Old Tian: “It’s different. Your child is truly remarkable.”

Li Sanjiang: “I told you, I know. How could I not know my own boy? All I can do now is save more money for him so that when the time comes, the old house can be renovated, and he can buy an apartment in the city, so he can get married.”

Old Tian: “He needs you to save money for a house to get married?”

Li Sanjiang: “Let me tell you, that girl’s grandmother is very worldly. If things aren’t up to par, she’ll nitpick endlessly!”

Old Tian: “Hahahahaha!”

“What are you laughing about? Come on, I’ll carry you back to the room to sleep.”

“You don’t need to carry me, I can walk myself.”

“With what are you going to walk?”

“I have hands.”

“What about your legs?”

“They’re broken, completely broken, can’t move. Bitten by worms, my lower body is full of poison.”

“Then I’ll take you to a doctor. I know one who isn’t good at treating common illnesses, but he’s very skilled with strange and unusual ones.”

“He’s dead as a doornail.”

“Nonsense! Whether he’s dead or not, don’t I know?”

Old Tian became a bit uncertain, and asked doubtfully, “It seems he really is dead.”

“If he were dead, he would surely have invited me to perform a vigil for him. I didn’t perform a vigil for him, so he’s not dead!”

“Makes sense.”

“Come on, I’ll take you to find him.”

“Okay, let’s go!”

Li Sanjiang bent down, hoisted Old Tian onto his back, and instead of returning to the room, went downstairs.

After reaching the dam, Li Sanjiang tossed Old Tian into the trishaw, then got on himself and rode down from the dam.

By now, Li Zhuiyuan had realized that Grandfather’s drunkenness tonight was somewhat unusual.

He was truly drunk, but the subsequent developments seemed to be propelled by an external force.

“Huh, wasn’t this road just repaired not long ago? Why is it so bumpy and winding…”

Li Sanjiang rode, shaking the handlebars, and the trishaw zig-zagged continuously down the road.

The speed wasn’t fast, allowing Li Zhuiyuan to easily keep up.

Just as they turned from the small path onto the village road, Li Zhuiyuan noticed a figure with a flashlight emerging from the direction of their home; it was Uncle Qin.

Li Zhuiyuan waved towards him, indicating that he could handle it.

The flashlight was extinguished, and Uncle Qin returned to the house.

After riding for a distance, Li Sanjiang got tired and said to the “paralyzed” Old Tian behind him: “I’m tired, need a breather. You ride!”

“I’ll ride, I’ll ride! You stand up!”

Li Sanjiang lifted his backside off the seat and stood up, while Old Tian leaned forward, chest against the seat, hands on the pedals, and began pressing up and down.

The vehicle’s speed instantly picked up.

Li Zhuiyuan, trailing behind, started running.

“Whoosh… Haha!”

Li Sanjiang’s feet perched on the front bar. While his hands held the handlebars to steer, his right hand continuously twisted the right grip, mimicking accelerating.

“Give it gas, faster! Give it gas, even faster!”

Under the cover of night, the two old men on the trishaw began racing on the road.

Li Zhuiyuan also had to start sprinting.

The young man had good stamina and didn’t feel tired.

Finally, the vehicle turned onto a village path, where the road became less easy to ride. Even though Old Tian was “paralyzed,” he was once a master of blades and had considerable strength in his hands, so the speed did not drop.

Even when sober, Li Sanjiang couldn’t control a motorcycle speeding on the narrow village roads, let alone in his current drunken state.

Soon, the trishaw veered off the road and plunged into a patch of wasteland.

The two old men weren’t thrown off, but endured continuous violent jolts. Once the trishaw stopped, both sighed with relief and slid off.

This area was densely populated; people would even dig up foundations by the road to claim more land for farming. So, how could there be a patch of wasteland?

Looking closely, there were mounds rising from the ground.

There were old-fashioned grave mounds with soil caps, upright tombstones, and even more extravagant two- or three-story miniature “mansions” for the deceased.

Li Sanjiang reached out, supporting himself on the new tombstone in front to stand up. His foot slipped, and he nearly fell where he stood, instinctively clutching the tombstone.

By the moonlight, he saw the photo affixed to the tombstone—black and white, somewhat familiar. Following his gaze downwards, he read the inscription on the stone.

“Hey, found it! We’re at his place!”

This was the grave of that itinerant doctor.

Old Tian: “Tell him to open the door!”

Li Sanjiang: “Hey, we’re here! Open the door, hurry up and open the door!”

He called for a long time, but there was no response. Li Sanjiang’s hand was sore from knocking on the tombstone.

Li Sanjiang: “Oh no, he doesn’t seem to be home.”

Old Tian: “How’s that possible? In the middle of the night, where else would he be if not home?”

Li Sanjiang: “Hard to say, what if he went out on a house call?”

Old Tian: “No, wait, I hear movement inside! Someone’s home!”

Li Sanjiang: “Someone? Are you sure?”

Old Tian pressed his ear to the grave mound behind the tombstone and nodded, “I’m sure, someone’s there!”

Li Sanjiang started knocking again: “Open up! If you’re home, open the door! We’re here for a check-up. If you don’t open up, we’ll just climb in ourselves!”

With that, Li Sanjiang began digging at the grave mound.

Seeing this, Old Tian immediately joined in. His hands were far more efficient at digging than Li Sanjiang’s, and soon a small pit was dug.

Then, a hard wooden lid appeared beneath. Old Tian knocked on it and shouted happily:

“Caught him! He’s hiding here!”

Li Zhuiyuan stood in the distant darkness, witnessing the entire scene.

If Grandfather were just an ordinary old man, he would have stepped forward early to stop them. After all, getting drunk and digging up someone’s grave would sound very bad if it got out.

But with Grandfather involved, Li Zhuiyuan dared not intervene rashly, fearing that his actions might interrupt some process.

Moreover, something strange had already occurred.

Old Tian had said he heard movement earlier, and there genuinely was movement; Li Zhuiyuan had heard it too.

Usually, coffins are buried very deep; it’s impossible to find one by digging just a small pit. The earlier movement was actually the coffin actively moving upwards on its own.

This situation truly resembled the inhabitant opening the door to welcome guests.

When the host was so welcoming, it felt inappropriate to call digging up the grave immoral.

However, in Nantong’s territory, it was currently impossible for zombies or jiangshi to form.

This movement implied that the doctor had a problem even before he died.

Li Sanjiang: “Hey, open the door!”

Old Tian: “Yeah, hurry up and open the door!”

The two old men shouted while attempting to pry open the coffin. Li Sanjiang had no tools, so he could only pick at it with his fingers, serving a symbolic purpose.

Old Tian’s fingernails could dig in, and the coffin lid indeed made a creaking sound.

At the same time, a force from within pushed the coffin outwards, helping them “open the door.”

However, this internal force was intermittent, as if it were being suppressed.

Li Zhuiyuan moved closer, setting up a formation around himself to remain undetected.

At this distance, if some malevolent entity were to truly emerge, he could ensure its timely suppression.

Old Tian seemed to sense something, looked back, saw nothing, and then turned back to continue opening the coffin.

Finally, with a “click,” the coffin lid opened. It wasn’t lifted off, but slid open towards the foot end.

Immediately after, a figure sat up from inside.

Li Sanjiang chuckled: “Haha, I told you, how could you be dead? I didn’t even perform a vigil for you, so how could you be dead!”

Old Tian: “Right, not dead at all, and quite energetic.”

No sooner had he spoken than the figure that had just sat up slumped back down with a “thud.”

Li Sanjiang stopped laughing, clung to the edge of the coffin, and shouted, “Hey, wake up! Did you drink tonight too? How can you have such a low alcohol tolerance, getting this drunk?”

Old Tian: “Exactly! We’re both capable of drinking a thousand cups without getting drunk!”

Suddenly, the figure sat up again.

Then, with a “thud,” it lay back down again.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up, observing the aura continuously gathering around them. This aura came from beneath the peach orchard, targeting the malevolent entities in the Nantong area.

Inside the coffin was indeed a malevolent entity, but it only had evil energy, not resentment.

It wanted to get up and do something, and even as it made this movement, no resentment emerged, which very likely proved it wasn’t trying to harm anyone or find a scapegoat.

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at his grandfather, whose face was flushed and who was still in a drunken frenzy. He raised his hand and dispersed the peach orchard’s aura that had gathered around them.

This act was tantamount to offending the one beneath the peach orchard. Fortunately, Li Zhuiyuan had enough “face” with Qing’an, and Qing’an was still feeling good.

Without the suppression, the dark figure in the coffin sat up again, then turned its head and bit directly into Old Tian’s neck.

“Ohhhhh!”

Old Tian let out a prolonged sound, which didn’t seem to indicate any pain, but rather a great deal of comfort.

Li Sanjiang’s eyes were glazed. He wanted to say something but yawned, leaned back, and immediately fell asleep.

Li Zhuiyuan walked behind Old Tian and looked at the dark, inky corpse.

On the corpse’s chest, purple flowers bloomed.

As it absorbed, these flowers gradually withered.

The corpse wasn’t absorbing blood or yang energy, but rather the poisonous misfortune within Old Tian’s body.

Li Zhuiyuan moved closer, sat by the coffin, and reached out, wanting to try and touch the purple petals.

But as soon as he touched it, the flower recoiled in fear, retracting into the body.

The young man looked down at the purple viscous liquid clinging to his fingertips.

A blood mist emanated, stimulating it. The viscous liquid quickly boiled, then rapidly evaporated.

This wasn’t a flower; it was a special kind of malevolent entity.

There were many types of malevolent entities. For example, Li Zhuiyuan was once affected by the Little Oriole entity, which is one of the most common types, what people usually call being haunted or entangled by a ghost.

But there are many spiritual beings in the world; plants, under special conditions, can also develop a unique nature and form the conditions for such an entity.

Those afflicted by a malevolent entity would suffer greatly.

For example, humans and ghosts belong to different realms; even if a human falls in love with a ghost, the living person will constantly suffer misfortune and ultimately come to a bad end. Tan Wenbin and his two adopted sons had such a good relationship, yet during that period, Tan Wenbin lived a life worse than death.

Being afflicted by a plant entity was also agonizing, akin to being parasitized.

This purple flower likely fed on calamities and toxins, or rather, it was this substance that could inhibit its activity, allowing its host to temporarily escape the torment it caused and feel comfortable for a while.

Li Zhuiyuan guessed that the doctor must have been afflicted by it somewhere in the past, and his body had undergone abnormalities ever since.

He specialized in treating difficult and complex diseases, probably to find a temporary antidote for himself. He might not have been unable to treat common ailments, but rather didn’t need to, and instead had to seek out extremely special cases like Old Tian.

He was dead now, but extremely restless after death.

Logically, his condition should have led to his corpse transforming after death, especially since his body was not cremated but chosen for burial by his family.

A corpse transformation wouldn’t necessarily involve harming people. It’s possible that after crawling out of the coffin, the body would soon collapse and disintegrate, separating from the purple flower, allowing the person themselves to find liberation.

It could also exist for a long time, wandering in the dead of night, visiting courtyards where people were ill, and absorbing whatever it could to alleviate its own suffering.

Such situations, in ancient local gazetteers, could lead to becoming an immortal or being enshrined in a local Earth God temple.

This is also why many local gazetteers describe “good deities” with very poor images, almost equivalent to evil spirits: because they are malevolent entities themselves, only their food and desires differ.

The common people are pragmatists; they don’t overthink things. As long as it benefits them, they’ll erect a monument and build a temple for you, offering sacrifices.

Such “local living deities” were even harder to find than auspicious omens.

Li Zhuiyuan hadn’t expected that there would be such a being right in the neighboring town where he lived.

This doctor had chosen the wrong profession. He should have adopted a mystic facade like Liu Jinxia and Old Man Shan. Perhaps then he could have had contact with him earlier, and it would also have made it easier for him to receive clients.

After all, many people with difficult and complex illnesses that hospitals couldn’t handle would go to Liu the Blind Man.

Li Zhuiyuan initiated his "walking the netherworld" technique.

On this corpse, he saw a man with a tormented expression.

Because of the one beneath the peach orchard, he was still entangled with this flower after death, unable to transform, unable to end, trapped in this coffin, endlessly enduring torment.

This couldn’t be blamed on Qing’an; it simply meant that a blanket policy would inevitably cause some collateral damage.

The corpse released its bite. Old Tian swayed and fell to the ground, his face serene, with the peacefulness of someone who had passed away.

The purple flowers on the corpse had almost entirely withered, and the man’s figure no longer appeared as tormented as before.

Li Zhuiyuan extended his finger, placed it on the corpse’s glabella, and then pulled outwards. The man’s soul was pulled out from the body.

Thin, vein-like purple vines tried to cling and pull the soul back.

Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze sharpened. Blood mist condensed into vital essence on his fingertip, which he flicked onto the corpse’s glabella.

“Snap!”

The purple vines all recoiled in fright. Regardless of their original form, if they could afflict people, it meant they possessed a certain spiritual quality, and thus they would feel fear.

With the soul successfully extracted by Li Zhuiyuan, the man’s expression turned blank. Under prolonged torment, his soul no longer possessed the ability to think and was rapidly dissipating after losing its physical host.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a piece of yellow paper. For Grandfather’s sake, the young man was willing to see him off.

The yellow paper ignited, drifting out and engulfing the soul, burning with it until both turned to ashes.

Unlike Tan Wenbin’s two adopted sons, who had the blessing of merit and could naturally be arranged for calmly, even if Li Zhuiyuan helped this doctor, his chance of successful reincarnation was less than fifty percent.

Of course, if he were to choose, he would be willing to instantly dissipate, as long as it meant liberation.

Then, the young man placed his right hand on the corpse’s chest. It was already hollowed out, allowing his hand to easily slide in. When he withdrew his palm, a clump of mycelium was extracted by Li Zhuiyuan.

At the same time, the corpse began to rapidly decay into putrid fluid.

Blood mist swirled in the young man’s palm, as if burning. The mycelium instantly vanished, leaving only a single purple seed.

This thing was somewhat malevolent, but if properly controlled, it could be useful. It was suitable for planting in his newly opened medicinal garden, though it would require special supervision.

Never mind, no special care needed. He had Qing’an, the outsourced gardener, watching over it.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t believe this thing could afflict Qing’an or turn the entire peach orchard purple.

After putting away the seed, Li Zhuiyuan bent down and pulled out the two needles from Old Tian’s body.

Old Tian’s gaze slowly focused. He gradually emerged from the paralysis of drunkenness, becoming clear-headed.

“Where is this…?”

Drunken antics, blackout.

Old Tian looked at Li Zhuiyuan, then rose to his feet with a bewildered expression.

“Xiao Yuan… Brother. Where are we? Did we encounter a malevolent entity?”

Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze shifted downwards.

Old Tian’s gaze also shifted downwards. First, he was puzzled, not knowing what to look at, then he understood, and his face lit up with wild joy!

Then, with a “thud,” he fell.

Due to prolonged paralysis, his leg muscles had long atrophied, and it would take some time for rehabilitation to fully restore their function.

However, Old Tian was a martial artist after all; even using only his hands, he could pedal a trishaw as fast as a motorcycle. Li Zhuiyuan certainly didn’t plan for him to be idle just yet.

“Clean up this place, then take my grandfather back.”

“Okay, understood, yes, by your command!”

“I’ll head back first. You two be careful on the way.”

This seed needed to be planted immediately; keeping it around would inevitably lead to complications.

After Li Zhuiyuan left, Old Tian looked at Li Sanjiang, who was lying on the ground, sound asleep.

“Young Master, you were right. Fortune, I’ve seen it! It’s truly terrifying, this fortune!”

Old Tian first carried Li Sanjiang back to the trishaw, then began cleaning up the coffin and the dug-up grave mound. As he did these things, a broad smile spread across his face.

“Young Master, I can follow you on your river journeys again, and I can help you again, hehe, this is great, hehe!”

What Old Tian didn’t know was that Li Zhuiyuan once, due to a transfer of Grandfather’s fortune, was able to win big in every card game, even when playing normally, which instilled fear in the young man at the time.

The gifts of fortune had long been marked with a hidden price.

Old Tian receiving the fortune was equivalent to receiving an advance payment for his work.

After everything was handled, Old Tian immediately drove Li Sanjiang home. He was now eager to tell his Young Master this good news.

“Boss, phone.”

Liang Li handed the mobile phone to Zhao Yi.

“Whose?”

“Old Tian’s.”

“Oh.” Zhao Yi took the phone, sat down next to Lin Shuyou, and nudged him with his butt to make space.

Lin Shuyou was about to nudge back, but Zhao Yi looked at Tan Wenbin, who was sitting opposite, and raised an eyebrow.

Lin Shuyou had no choice but to retract his force and shrink back.

“Hello, Old Tian, it’s me.”

Tan Wenbin looked over. After Zhao Yi finished his call, he noticed Zhao Yi’s expression had become extremely complex, a mix of joy and sorrow.