Chapter 275

When Zhao Yi first built this place, he not only considered recruiting subordinates in the future but also thoughtfully accounted for their eventual turnover. To avoid the awkwardness of new occupants moving into a deceased person's dwelling, many small courtyards were designed, and the soundproofing was excellent. Therefore, it wasn't until Sun Yan's death, when the animals in her room became uncontrollable, crashing through doors and windows and scrambling everywhere, that Xu Ming and Chen Jing realized something had happened to Sun Yan.

The two first entered Sun Yan's room, then went to the backyard, where they saw the corpse of the colorful python and Sun Yan lying motionless with her head on the ground.

"Sister Yan!" Chen Jing cried out, wanting to rush forward and check on her, but Xu Ming hugged him tightly.

"Don't go!"

"But Sister Yan, she..."

"She's dead."

Chen Jing closed his mouth and stopped struggling. After Xu Ming released his arm, the boy stood rooted to the spot, dazed. Although he had experienced a major life change, he had just joined the team and hadn't yet been through a full "wave" (a significant event or mission). Expecting him to immediately accept the sudden deaths of his "brothers and sisters" in the team was unrealistic.

Xu Ming glanced at Chen Jing. The force with which the boy had pushed against his arm was substantial; if Xu Ming hadn't held him back, he truly would have rushed to Sun Yan's body. The child wasn't foolish; a foolish child wouldn't have grasped the cultivation so quickly. He knew there was danger, but his first instinct was still to act. From the team's perspective, having someone so "impulsive" wasn't ideal, but from a personal standpoint, having such a companion made one feel secure.

Xu Ming: "Don't go near her. It's dangerous. She died within the formation's boundaries without leaving it, which means the attacker can kill people on the edge of the formation."

Chen Jing: "Could they already be inside?"

Xu Ming: "No, Sun Yan was killed instantly. If the attacker could fully enter here, they would have attacked us immediately after killing Sun Yan, not waited for us to discover the situation and become alert."

Chen Jing: "It's my fault. I didn't properly convey Brother Yi's instructions to Sister Yan."

Xu Ming glanced at the colorful python's head, which lay against Sun Yan's body, and shook his head. "No, it has nothing to do with you. She herself... was careless."

Everyone in the team was constantly striving for their position, and Xu Ming knew how important that colorful python was to Sun Yan. Especially after Chen Jing was recruited by the Young Master, Sun Yan's sense of insecurity about her position intensified. The maturing Chen Jing could not only control beasts with his demonic blood but was also a skilled fighter, capable of perfectly replacing Sun Yan.

"Let's go. We'll stay in the Young Master's room."

Zhao Yi's room was in the most central area, and currently, the safest place. Pushing open the door, the two entered. The interior was simply furnished, with few personal belongings. In his daily life, Zhao Yi was very frugal.

After Xu Ming sat down on the floor, he looked at the still-dispirited Chen Jing and comforted him:

"You have to learn to adapt and get used to it."

"I..."

"We could all die, even the Young Master."

"Is this what 'Walking the River' is like..."

"The Young Master once said: 'Without the blood of the dead, how can there be river tides?'"

Li Sanjiang began performing a ritual at home. It was impromptu, without warning or notification. He brought out his ritual tools, lit candles, burned yellow paper, and then, holding his favorite peach wood sword from the furniture factory, began to wave it. Tan Wenbin stepped forward to ask who the ritual was for, but Li Sanjiang didn't answer. He refused their help, insisting on completing it himself.

Li Zhuiyuan sat on the second-floor terrace, earnestly watching his Great-Grandpa on the courtyard below. He knew that his Great-Grandpa actually didn't have much spiritual cultivation. In terms of true ability, Grandpa Shan and Liu Jinxia were far more capable than his own Great-Grandpa. His Great-Grandpa himself was actually aware of this. He knew that after receiving money from clients, all he could do was provide them with peace of mind. Today, there was no client; it was his Great-Grandpa's own heart that was troubled.

"Pray to the earth and the earth collapses, kowtow at a grave and the tomb sinks." While he outwardly said, "May all worries be shattered and peace prevail," inwardly his heart was already throbbing with unease. Therefore, he performed this ritual with exceptional diligence. Even with incorrect movements and chaotic steps, he executed them meticulously. The thick opera costume was unsuitable for wearing for so long in the current heat. After the ritual, when he took off the clothes, sweat poured out as if from a tap.

Tan Wenbin, Runsheng, and Lin Shuyou immediately stepped forward to help, fanning him, offering water, and wiping his sweat. It was arduous work, but if it had even a slight effect, there wouldn't have been any backlash either.

Li Zhuiyuan went to the kitchen, filled two bottles with hot water, and brought them up, preparing a bath for his Great-Grandpa. Since A-Li was still on the terrace, Li Sanjiang went upstairs, and even though his clothes were wet and clinging to him, he remained fully clothed. Seeing Li Zhuiyuan approach, Li Sanjiang waved his hand and said, "Xiao Yuan, I want to take a cold shower." Taking a cold shower right after sweating profusely could easily make even a young, strong person ill. However, his Great-Grandpa was an exception; at his age, he certainly had the right to be willful.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at A-Li, who understood, picked up her book, went downstairs, and sat back by the East House door. Only then did Li Sanjiang completely undress, leaving on only a pair of blue, torn boxer shorts. They had crooked patches, sewn by his Great-Grandpa himself with needle and thread. Aunt Liu would mend outer garments, but Great-Grandpa wouldn't let her touch his trousers or underwear. It wasn't that he was so poor he had to wear torn clothes; rather, in Great-Grandpa's view, he would rather have a couple more sips of wine with a large piece of pig's head meat than spend money on clothing that outsiders wouldn't see and could just make do with. In recent years, all his new clothes were bought by Li Zhuiyuan. Except for the imitation Zhongshan suit he wore on his last trip to the capital, Great-Grandpa wore his other clothes as soon as he bought them, rarely keeping them in a trunk.

Picking up the dipper, Li Sanjiang scooped water from the water vat and poured it over himself, then wiped his face, making a sound of pure pleasure. When he instinctively reached for the laundry detergent, he found it had been moved by his great-grandson, replaced by shampoo.

Li Sanjiang rubbed his hair while admonishing, "Xiao Yuan, when you leave this time, be extra careful. It's summer, so there's a lot of rain and slippery roads, and your work involves going into mountain gullies."

"I know, Great-Grandpa."

As if afraid that Grandma Liu downstairs would hear, Li Sanjiang lowered his voice and said:

"If you really find it tough, then we won't do this work. Life is better now, and my boy is smart; he won't starve no matter what he does."

"Great-Grandpa, I like this line of work."

"Mm, as long as you like it, that's good."

Li Sanjiang didn't try to persuade him further. He could sense that the old woman was very satisfied with her great-grandson's current career development. If his great-grandson changed jobs, that worldly old woman might change her mind.

Li Sanjiang watched Xiao Yuan and A-Li, seeing them as sweethearts. He had implicitly accepted A-Li as his future great-granddaughter-in-law, but he also knew that childhood innocence didn't always count for much in adulthood. So many children in the village played games when they were little, saying they'd marry him when they grew up or that he'd marry her, but then as adults, they might not even bother to greet each other if they met on the street. Xiao Yuan's job was still very important.

"Splash!" Another dipper of water poured down from his head.

Li Sanjiang exhaled. In truth, he also understood that it wasn't just the old woman who was worldly; wasn't he the same?

After showering, Li Sanjiang, still wet, shuffled into his room before starting to dry himself. Li Zhuiyuan helped him take clothes from the cupboard and put them on.

"Xiao Yuan, Great-Grandpa is tired. I'll rest for a bit. Call me when it's time for dinner."

"Okay, Great-Grandpa."

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the room. Just as he was about to go downstairs, he saw Zhao Yi standing at the staircase landing. Zhao Yi was clutching his chest with his right hand, his expression somewhat pained. Li Zhuiyuan stood by, watching him. After a moment, Zhao Yi recovered. He unbuttoned his shirt, reached into his chest, and pulled out a handful of colorful eggs. These eggs were cracked and oozing pus. It was a disgusting and unsettling sight, but it had appeared so many times on Zhao Yi that they were somewhat accustomed to it. Zhao Yi wanted to throw them on the ground, but hesitated. He then pulled out a talisman paper, silently recited something, and placed it on the eggs. As the talisman burned, it consumed the foulness, turning it into black smoke.

"That colorful python is dead, and Sun Yan is dead too."

"What about Xu Ming and Chen Jing?"

"The two eggs representing them were the last to crack, likely due to the colorful python's death making them unsustainable. Sun Yan died quickly. For someone with the power to kill Sun Yan in one blow, eliminating the other two would not have been difficult. So I reasonably suspect that those two aren't dead; only Sun Yan is."

"Mm."

"They found my old lair."

"Your old lair is near your current Zhao family residence..."

"It's incredibly close, just a few mountain peaks away. After all, my separation was just a formality; my family knows I'll 'return to my ancestors' after Walking the River. Besides, building the lair near home also avoids a lot of trouble. I originally thought I was quite clever, until I saw your lair's setup. Li, you're really afraid of death!"

"I lived in a university dorm."

"Then why did you come back?"

"I didn't expect to finish university so quickly. Anyway, I'm always going on long trips, so instead of returning to a dorm after each 'wave,' it's better to just come home."

"When Walking the River is over, I'll also try to get into a university."

"Let's get back to the main topic. The Zhao family should be fine." Li Zhuiyuan pointed downstairs. "If anything happened to the Zhao family, the old woman here would have been notified before you."

The Zhao family of Jiujiang wasn't a true Dragon King lineage, but it was a family not to be underestimated. If it were to be overthrown, the top forces in the jianghu would certainly detect it immediately.

Zhao Yi walked to where Li Sanjiang had just bathed, scooped out some water, and cleaned his chest. He said, "So, for now, it seems they're only targeting my people, not the Zhao family."

Li Zhuiyuan: "If the Great Emperor had acted like last time, directly issuing a decree, the commotion couldn't have been hidden."

Zhao Yi nodded. "Exactly. Killing only my people but not destroying the Zhao family... I also suspect this wasn't the Great Emperor's direct action."

Li Zhuiyuan: "The Great Emperor has turned the tide, and we've decided to go to Fengdu. The Great Emperor has no reason to act at this moment."

Zhao Yi: "But there's also been trouble here. If not for the peach forest's concealment, it would have happened much earlier. Being able to act on two fronts simultaneously—this scale is already quite large."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Your living environment since childhood has been more complex than mine. You should understand better."

Zhao Yi: "Individual will and collective will sometimes don't align. The former is often carried along by the latter."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I've read the Yin family's genealogy. It records Yin Changsheng's grand aspirations after becoming an immortal. Actually, that zombie suppressed beneath the tall tower during our last experience together at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain—its goal was to imitate the Great Emperor of Fengdu and create its own earthly heavenly kingdom beneath the snow mountain."

Zhao Yi: "It wasn't the Great Emperor's command, but his subordinates still made a move."

Li Zhuiyuan: "They probably don't want us to go to Fengdu."

A smile appeared on Zhao Yi's face. "Heh heh, very good, very good."

Li Zhuiyuan reminded him, "That seems a bit inappropriate."

Zhao Yi: "I gave her notice. If she still died, that's not my problem. I'm not like you, able to keep the same team stable until now. I'm open-minded. Now at least we know that in this matter, the Great Emperor is still adopting an ambiguous stance. If he's not openly trying to kill us, then we have a chance to live."

"Mm."

Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi went downstairs together, arriving at the courtyard. Lin Shuyou walked over and asked, "Brother Yuan, Brother Bin wants to know if we're flying to Fengdu or driving like we did last time to Dujiangyan."

Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi looked up at the sky simultaneously. Lin Shuyou didn't understand why, but he also looked up at the sky with them.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's drive."

After speaking, Li Zhuiyuan went to the East House, took A-Li's hand, and walked down from the courtyard. Zhao Yi reached out and patted Lin Shuyou's shoulder, asking, "Do you know why Brother Bin asked you to ask that question?"

Lin Shuyou: "Because we also drove Chen Lin's car back."

Zhao Yi was choked by the answer, then nodded, "Right."

Lin Shuyou's eyelids began to twitch, clearly indicating that the Boy was speaking within him. Zhao Yi frowned slightly, confused. "Why doesn't Li help you seal the Boy? He lives inside you now, and such frequent interaction will affect your perception."

The twitching of his eyelids became more intense, meaning the Boy's emotions were highly agitated. Although Zhao Yi couldn't hear exactly what the Boy was saying, it was certainly cursing profusely.

Lin Shuyou: "The Boy is very sensible."

Zhao Yi: "Heh, it's strange. Li, who loves setting rules so much, isn't setting rules here."

Lin Shuyou: "Probably because Brother Yuan knows I consider the Boy a friend."

His eyelids quieted, no longer twitching.

Zhao Yi: "Mm, I understand that feeling. Just like you and me, we're best friends, pinky sworn for a hundred years, never to change."

Lin Shuyou took half a step back, looking at Zhao Yi as if he were an idiot. When A-You used this look, it had an even stronger sarcastic effect.

Zhao Yi didn't mind, wiggling his finger in invitation. "Come on, let's make a pinky promise."

"Childish." Leaving that remark, Lin Shuyou turned away with a flourish.

Zhao Yi: "You said you loved someone you shouldn't have, your heart is full of scars."

Lin Shuyou spun 360 degrees and pinky-swore.

"Heh heh!" Zhao Yi rubbed Lin Shuyou's face, red from annoyance, and then, satisfied, ran off to catch up with Li.

Just then, the "big brother" phone (an old-style mobile phone) on A-You rang. He answered:

"Hello."

Zhou Yunyun's voice came from the other end: "It's me, A-You. Is Binbin with you?"

"Mm, wait a moment. I'll give the phone to Brother Bin."

"Linlin is with me too. She wants to call you. Is it for Aunt Zhang?"

"No need. I'll give you a number; have her call this one. We have more than one cell phone now."

"Mm, okay. Tell me the number, and I'll have Linlin write it down."

Before long, Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou each held a "big brick" phone, sitting on benches, and started chatting. When Tan Wenbin talked to Zhou Yunyun, it was like an old married couple chatting about everyday life. He leaned back against the wall, legs spread, half-reclined, looking completely at ease. Lin Shuyou sat with a stiff back, mostly just uttering "Mm," "Oh," "Right."

Grandma Liu stood in the East House, holding a damp cloth, intending to wipe the ancestral tablets as she used to. But as she looked them over, they were all incredibly new and gleaming, needing no cleaning at all. Just then, Aunt Liu came in with tea and chuckled, "I feel sorry for A-You; that Zhao boy bullies him terribly."

Grandma Liu tossed the cloth aside, took the teacup, and sipped. "That Zhao boy truly likes A-You."

The more precious the spiritual herbs and immortal plants, the more powerful and terrifying the evil spirits lurking nearby tend to be. Conversely, planting herbs near more powerful evil spirits will cause the herbs to be drawn to match that level. The medicinal herbs in the garden had only been planted recently, but their rapid growth had already left Old Tian stunned. Because Qing'an was truly generous; for those awaiting death, whoever pleased it could receive gold coins. However fast the herbs grew, they weren't ready for use yet. Fortunately, Zhao Yi had brought enough finished products, and Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li had come specifically this time to learn how to make them. The newly made pills could be taken directly on their journey this time.

Old Tian taught everything he knew, holding nothing back. He knew that after a while, he would receive a reverse replenishment. He had only heard before that this Miss Qin suffered from a hidden illness, unable to uphold her family's reputation, and it was precisely because of this that their own great elder, with a muddled mind, had sent a visiting card. However, after interacting with her, Old Tian felt that, aside from being somewhat unapproachable, Miss Qin's innate abilities were not at all inferior to those of their young master. He had raised the Young Master and had firmly believed he was the smartest child in the world, until he came to this "nest of smart children."

The wind in the peach forest still blew from time to time.

Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li sat together, learning to make medicine with Old Tian. Zhao Yi, meanwhile, leaned over the crib, playing with Benben. Benben was also obliging, playing back with him. One "hahaha," one "gigglegiggle," both host and guest were thoroughly entertained. Zhao Yi genuinely liked this child. After all, this child, like himself when he was little, could, by fate, directly sterilize his parents.

Zhao Yi: "Hmm, why is there still a seal inside this child?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied without looking up, "Can't you guess why?"

Zhao Yi: "Heh, good talent, high inspiration, broke the seal... why not add another one?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It would be counterproductive."

Zhao Yi: "Alright, this child is smart, but probably not at your level when you were little. Li, what were you like as a child?"

Li Zhuiyuan wasn't interested in continuing the topic. Zhao Yi suddenly thought of something and burst out laughing:

"Haha, Li, you can't practice martial arts now. If you had encountered the mystic arts earlier, would you have been 'Walking the River' with a pacifier?"

Just then, someone called from outside. Xiao Yingying went out to greet them, and soon returned, reporting to Li Zhuiyuan:

"It's the mad dog killed in the next village, delivering the 'dog-lazies' Yin Meng ordered. I told him to take them to Grandpa Li's house to find Yin Meng."

"What?" Zhao Yi couldn't sit still. He immediately stood up and leaned closer to Li Zhuiyuan, asking, "Brother Yuan, what is Mengmeng collecting these things for?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Can't you guess?"

Zhao Yi: "Throw these out at a crucial moment to make me attract aggression?"

Li Zhuiyuan continued pounding the medicine.

Zhao Yi: "We're allies, at least for now. Do you really need to treat me like this?"

Li Zhuiyuan stopped his work and looked at Zhao Yi: "Actually, there's a better way."

Zhao Yi saw the seriousness in Li Zhuiyuan's eyes. He believed that Li truly had an even more effective method, but it wasn't used.

"Brother Yuan, it's fine. Briefly attracting attention for an ally is only right, for the sake of the bigger picture."

Zhao Yi returned to the crib. He still found Benben adorable. As he played, Zhao Yi thought of something else and reopened the conversation: "Tan Wenbin's two adopted sons, have they been reincarnated?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

"He really gave them up." After a pause, Zhao Yi added, "Did *they* really give them up?"

Benben's hands grabbed Zhao Yi's fingers, shaking them vigorously. As he was shaken, Zhao Yi's gaze became serious. He suddenly realized a problem, or more accurately, perceived a potential future development. This child before him, Tan Wenbin's child, A-You's True Lord system needing bloodline inheritance...

Zhao Yi slowly turned his head, looking at the backs of the young man and girl sitting together. The decline of the Dragon King lineage was obvious. The simplest way to see it was to count the ancestral tablets or the remaining living members. But revival and resurgence often felt more like a slogan, hard to ground in reality. Now, Zhao Yi saw a palpable surge of earthly energy.

Damn it, this generation's "Walking the River" isn't even over yet, and the next generation's "Walking the River" setup is already taking shape? That old woman wouldn't even need special methods; with a little effort, living normally, she might truly live long enough to witness both the decline and the resurgence of the Dragon King lineage. The most critical thing was that if Li didn't die on the river, he would still be very young when the next generation "Walked the River."

Xiao Yingying sat down and handed Benben a baby bottle. Benben sighed and took the bottle, sucking on it listlessly.

Zhao Yi looked at Xiao Yingying: "You're really good with kids, very thoughtful."

Xiao Yingying didn't understand why Zhao Yi would say such a thing to her, nor did she care to, and got up to leave. Zhao Yi quickly continued:

"How about if I have children in the future, I send them here for you to take care of?"

Xiao Yingying didn't look back. Benben nodded vigorously. Since his two ghost brothers disappeared, he felt very lonely by himself. Zhao Yi reached out and patted Benben's head, thinking to himself:

Damn it, if you guys do this, how will the next generation even compete?

Night fell.

Li Zhuiyuan finished his work. As A-Li packed the pills, he walked down from the courtyard, faced the peach forest, and bowed deeply. The young man knew that these two days of peace had come through its protection. A gust of wind rose in the peach forest, then vanished into nothingness.

Zhao Yi followed suit and also bowed.

"Buzz!"

A peach blossom flew out and pierced Zhao Yi's chest. But this time it wasn't a penetrating wound; the petal went in and didn't come out. Zhao Yi looked down at his chest, near his heart, where a peach blossom was blooming.

"Thank you. I promise you, I will live a different ending than yours."

"Dinner's ready!"

Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs to call his Great-Grandpa down for dinner. As he pushed open the screen door, he heard Li Sanjiang coughing inside, followed by the sound of him blowing his nose. When he saw Li Sanjiang's face, he found his Great-Grandpa's face flushed and his eyes brimming with tears.

"Great-Grandpa, you've caught a cold."

Normally, Great-Grandpa had always been very robust, rarely getting sick, not even suffering from headaches or fevers.

"It's nothing."

Li Sanjiang got out of bed and went downstairs with Li Zhuiyuan for dinner. Once seated, he sniffed, picked up his wine, clinked glasses with Old Tian, took a sip, then frowned, staring closely at his glass. The bottle opened at noon was definitely not fake alcohol, so why did it taste completely bland?

Old Tian noticed the problem and said, "Brother, I'll boil some medicine for you. Take it before bed, and you'll be fine tomorrow."

Li Sanjiang nodded. Old Tian himself stopped drinking, pointing his chopsticks at the dishes: "Eat, eat."

Li Sanjiang ate only half a bowl of rice. Having lost his appetite, he waved his hand, left the table, and went upstairs to rest further. Seeing this, Grandma Liu also put down her chopsticks and returned to the East House, sitting before the ancestral altar.

"Sigh, it seems this 'wave' is unusual." She looked up at the rows of ancestral tablets, the names on them like a multitude of gazes. Grandma Liu sighed: "What are you looking at? The spirits are gone. What good is looking now?"

Old Tian brewed the medicine, and Li Zhuiyuan carried it upstairs.

"Cough, cough... cough, cough, cough..."

Violent coughing could be heard from afar, worse than before. In the ashtray made from a Jianlibao can on the bedside table, several cigarettes, only smoked one or two puffs, had been extinguished.

"Great-Grandpa, drink the medicine."

"Mm, okay."

Li Sanjiang sat up and gulped down the medicine, "glug, glug, glug." After finishing, he still felt somewhat unsatisfied. The medicine was extremely bitter, as one could tell just by smelling it, but it provided Li Sanjiang with a truly distinct sensory experience.

"Xiao Yuan, Great-Grandpa is fine. A good night's sleep and a sweat will fix me right up. Great-Grandpa's body is very strong."

"Mm, I know."

"When you go out, be careful. Wear more clothes, avoid cold water, and wherever you go, remember to have Runsheng and the others go with you. Construction sites are definitely dangerous..."

Great-Grandpa had a fever, and his mind wasn't entirely clear. His admonitions repeated like a broken record. Li Zhuiyuan sat beside him, listening quietly while actively responding. This continued until midnight, when Great-Grandpa finally fell into a dazed sleep. Li Zhuiyuan refilled his tea mug with Agastache tea and pulled up his blanket.

"Xiao Yuan... be careful when you go out... be careful..."

His sleeping Great-Grandpa was still mumbling in his dreams, still worrying about him. Li Zhuiyuan's lips trembled slightly, then twitched. The corner of his mouth curved up, and then his whole face lit up, finally breaking into a smile. Accustomed to exchanges of interest and mutual calculation, yet in front of this old man, he could only receive, with nothing he could truly give back in return. Because, even without him, with Great-Grandpa's good fortune, he could still live a healthy, smooth, and long life. It was precisely his arrival that had brought more worries and turmoil into Great-Grandpa's life. Almost every injury and illness he suffered was related to Li Zhuiyuan, as if Li Zhuiyuan were a jinx.

He returned to his room and went to bed. That night, Li Zhuiyuan had a dream. In the dream, his bed floated on a black ocean, beneath which were countless densely packed corpses. He had had this dream before; it was his Great-Grandpa's dream. In fact, from the moment he called his Great-Grandpa down for dinner, Li Zhuiyuan knew that Great-Grandpa's good fortune had vanished. The good fortune had been transferred to him. In other words, during the upcoming period away from home, Great-Grandpa would constantly suffer from illness and pain. If he could choose, Li Zhuiyuan would not hesitate to return this good fortune to his Great-Grandpa. But good fortune was something he couldn't fully comprehend, let alone manipulate. Even Great-Grandpa himself didn't understand what it was.

Waking up, he turned his head and opened his eyes. A-Li, dressed in a red dress, stood before the drawing table, not drawing, but organizing her backpack. She knew exactly which pocket each item belonged in, placing them with great care. After Li Zhuiyuan washed up, he put on his backpack, took A-Li's hand, and went downstairs.

"Breakfast is ready!"

Li Sanjiang did not come downstairs. After breakfast, everyone prepared to depart. They would take two vehicles: a small pickup truck and Chen Lin's sedan. Li Zhuiyuan handed his bag to Tan Wenbin, then went back upstairs to inform his Great-Grandpa before leaving. Pushing open the door, Great-Grandpa seemed half-awake, vaguely sensing something.

"Xiao Yuan... I'll go down for breakfast in a bit..."

"Great-Grandpa, I'm leaving."

"Oh, leaving so early? Do you have enough money..."

"Yes, enough."

"You must bring enough money. A poor home means a rich journey."

"Don't worry, Great-Grandpa, I brought more than enough."

Beside the cars below the courtyard, Zhao Yi, Tan Wenbin, and Runsheng were all smoking. Lin Shuyou wanted to join them and light one up, but both Zhao Yi and Tan Wenbin refused him.

Zhao Yi flicked off his ash and asked Tan Wenbin, "Can Grandpa Li also get sick?" Grandpa Li's good fortune could make Old Tian, who they had been helpless to help, stand up again. How could it not even protect himself from illness and disaster?

Tan Wenbin didn't answer.

Runsheng spoke up, "Don't talk about that."

Zhao Yi: "Understood." It seemed this was Li's taboo, not involving cultivation methods, secret manuals, or inheritances, but purely personal. Zhao Yi could truly empathize with this; didn't he also have Old Tian?

Old Tian...

Zhao Yi extinguished his cigarette, walked to the back of the sedan, and opened the trunk. Inside lay Old Tian, covered head to toe in talismans to prevent his aura from leaking, an extravagant display. He had planned to hitch a ride first, and once they had driven some distance, even if discovered, he could shamelessly insist on coming along.

Old Tian covered his panic with feigned surprise, saying, "Young Master, your spiritual perception has improved again! You actually found me?"

Zhao Yi shook his head. "I didn't even check; I just knew you'd be hiding here."

"Young Master, please let me go with you. My legs are better now, I'm useful..."

"No! I've already sold you!" Zhao Yi reached in and lifted Old Tian out of the trunk. He used to be small and light, and Old Tian's back was the widest place in the world for him. Now, Old Tian had shrunk, his back was hunched, as if he had shriveled. The images in his memory were forever fixed, clashing with what he saw in reality. The moment he lifted Old Tian, even someone as resolute as Zhao Yi felt an intensely strong sense of unreality.

"Young Master, let me go, please let me go!" Old Tian was still pleading desperately.

Zhao Yi was unmoved. Holding him, he walked directly towards Big Beard's house.

"Young Master, Young Master..."

Zhao Yi began to run. Old Tian, afraid of tiring the Young Master's arm, quietly climbed onto the Young Master's back.

"I told you to stay put, but you had to pull this stunt, letting Li and his gang get a free show. Am I so idle that I have to act out a TV drama with you here!"

Old Tian remained silent. Zhao Yi's shoulder became wet.

"Don't do this. Or should I carry you back and we'll cry our eyes out in front of them? Old Tian, you know your Young Master cares about his reputation, can't we just endure it?"

"Young Master, Elder Brother Li is sick."

"He's old, getting sick is normal."

"It's different." Before, Old Tian didn't understand what good fortune was, and he even questioned his Young Master's arrangements. But after experiencing it firsthand, he realized how terrifying this good fortune truly was!

"Young Master, it's different. He's sick because of Xiao Yuan."

"Don't say that again. They don't like to hear it, especially Li."

The person he cherished most was willing to fall ill and wait at home for his safety. Zhao Yi believed that with Li's personality, he would never actively ask for this. In fact, if someone offered it to him, he would return it without hesitation. He guessed that Li could receive it but couldn't actively return it. With that mindset, Li must feel very uncomfortable. Anyone who dared to bring it up in front of him now would truly be courting death. Runsheng was the one who understood him best.

"Young Master, I can also shield you..."

"Old Tian, I already owe you two lives." One when he was a child, one during the last "Walking the River."

"Young Master, this old servant's life is yours."

"If I owe you more, I'll feel guilty when I see you, and I won't want to see you again. Alright, be obedient, just stay here and farm and make medicine for me. Wait for me to come back. I'm tired, don't fuss anymore."

Zhao Yi placed Old Tian on Big Beard's courtyard. Old Tian: "But Young Master, this concerns our entire Zhao family. I want to do my part too."

Zhao Yi left without looking back, waving his hand in response:

"You're not a Zhao. You're not on the list."

Li Zhuiyuan slowly walked down from upstairs. As soon as he reached the courtyard, he saw Grandma Liu standing in front of him, as if she had been waiting specifically for him.

"Grandma Liu."

"Xiao Yuan, Grandma wants to tell you something."

"Grandma, now isn't a good time."

He was about to "Walk the River," and this "wave" was extremely special. He didn't want Grandma Liu to get entangled in any karma at this moment.

"Heh heh." Grandma Liu chuckled, "Am I someone who doesn't know what's important?"

"Please tell me, Grandma."

Grandma Liu looked at A-Li and said:

"A-Li's illness started when she was very young. I've tried every method, and as you saw when you first arrived, I even had to coax A-Li to eat."

"Mm."

"But I'm very happy. People are different. Some feel wronged and unappreciated when burdened by their children, while others enjoy their children bothering them. When one gets old, sometimes it's these little commotions that make you feel alive. When your Great-Grandpa found out you no longer needed his money, oh, the disappointment he felt! After returning with you from Wolf Mountain that time, he wasn't even as eager to collect debts anymore. He wants to help you. He's willing and happy to."

"Thank you, Grandma."

"Go. Aunt Liu is home, so nothing will happen. As for outside..." Grandma Liu turned sideways, looked at the western sky, and continued, "Don't be afraid. Grandma has seen the sky fall before. Really, it's just one of those things!"

When Zhao Yi returned, he found Li Zhuiyuan sitting in the back of the small pickup truck, with Runsheng beside him. Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou were in the driver's seat. In the sedan, Liang Yan sat in the front passenger seat, while Liang Li and Yin Meng sat in the back, leaving the driver's seat empty for him. Clearly, this was a specially arranged seating plan.

Zhao Yi nodded, opened the car door, got in, and started the car. He honked the horn a few times, signaling Tan Wenbin to let him pass so he could take the lead. Tan Wenbin didn't yield, simply started his car and drove out. The small pickup truck was in front, the sedan behind. The two vehicles first drove onto the village road, then onto the main road.

In those years, long-distance driving relied on maps, but having just been to Rongcheng, a map wasn't needed this time. As for Fengdu... last time, to stay as far away from Fengdu as possible, everyone had become extremely familiar with the transportation network around it.

Zhao Yi didn't play music this time. Instead, as he drove, he asked Yin Meng, who was sitting in the back:

"Mengmeng, has Runsheng's taste become so strong now that he even eats 'dog-lazies'?"

Yin Meng blinked and whispered, "Actually, A-You suggested I collect them."

"Haha!" Zhao Yi exclaimed. "He still thinks ahead! When the time comes, I'll carry a pair of 'dog-lazies,' and he'll carry me, and we'll go attract attention together—perfect!"

The journey was smooth and unimpeded.

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Yuan, we've seen the boundary marker. We're leaving Nantong now."

The two cars drove past the boundary marker. Road construction on one side had turned the original two-way road into a single lane, but fortunately, there wasn't much traffic today. Ahead, a large truck loaded with steel rebar was driving. Behind it, another large truck, carrying cables, was following.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up.

Zhao Yi, who was driving, glanced in the rearview mirror and muttered, "Damn it, not this fast, right?"

Suddenly, the truck ahead seemed to have a problem and braked sharply. The truck behind, however, sped up, showing no signs of slowing down. The rear truck first hit the sedan, pushing it forward, which in turn compressed it against the pickup truck ahead. The pickup's front then crashed into the back of the front truck. The steel rebar on the front truck, dislodged by the impact, slid off, impaling both already crumpled vehicles.

"Boom!"