Chapter 281

The oath concluded, Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and continued with his work.

Zhao Yi watched the young man before him, the phrase "family in decline" still echoing in his mind. In truth, the description wasn't wrong, yet it was incredibly outlandish.

Zhao Yi took a deep breath and moved closer to the young man. The copper coin sword was destroyed, and he knew it was impossible to renege on the debt. His previous theatrics, though born of heartache, were also an attempt to gain more benefits to offset his loss. But Li was unyielding, as if if he dared to push his luck further, Li would swear another oath, directly making an enemy of the Zhao clan of Jiujiang.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, please take pity on me. My parents never cared for me since childhood; I was raised by an old servant and experienced nothing but coldness from others..."

"Are you unconvinced?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"If you're unconvinced, you could also visit the ancestral homes of the Qin and Liu families."

"No, can I even go to a place like that? You know I can't..."

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

"I've never been there."

However, Li Zhuiyuan had seen it once when Granny Liu was prepared to risk her life for him. She specifically had Uncle Qin move many items out of the ancestral home, which were then sealed in the ancestral hall on the third floor of the university faculty housing. Even standing at the heavily sealed entrance, he could feel various terrifying auras emanating from within. If just one of them were to get out, it could cause terrible havoc. And these were only the ones convenient enough to be moved. The truly significant items were immovable.

"Let me put it this way: compared to the ancestral homes of your Qin and Liu families, my Zhao family's treasury is like a small landlord's property compared to an imperial palace. My Zhao family only has that one ancestor, while the Qin and Liu families have had generations of Dragon Kings. Even if my Zhao ancestor moved things into our home with all his might, it couldn't compare to what your two families have accumulated over generations. Moreover, what Dragon Kings brought home weren't gold and silver treasures. If one didn't have faith in their future descendants, they truly wouldn't dare to suppress those terrifying objects within their homes."

"'Oh,' Li Zhuiyuan nodded. 'If they're not maintained for a long time, will there be problems?'"

"'Theoretically, problems are bound to arise, but the Dragon Kings' heritage... who knows?'"

Granny Liu had never mentioned this to him, so Li Zhuiyuan could only assume that the ancestral homes of the Qin and Liu families were currently in good condition. If maintenance was needed, a few years wouldn't make a difference. It wouldn't be too late to sort and clean them after he completed his river journey. The main reason was that if he went now, he could only visit the treasures but not take them, and nominally, all these treasures already belonged to him.

"'Brother Xiaoyuan, my Zhao family's treasury not only has formations and restrictions, but also guards. There's even one of those old geezers lying inside.'"

"'Why didn't you say that before?'"

"'You never asked. Look, I wasn't trying to trick you. What I mean is, if you want to pick whatever you need without disturbance, you'll have to deal with the guards. You know what I mean, right?'"

"'I understand. You want to use me.'"

"'Let's not be so blunt. Actually, the really good stuff is inside that old geezer's belly; he's using it to extend his life.'"

"'I'll see how things go.'"

"'Alright, don't be shy. When the time comes, we'll coordinate our efforts from inside and out.'"

"'Are you that eager?'"

"'It has to be cleared out sooner or later.'"

"'Problems might arise...'"

"'Don't worry, I'll make the plan. They won't expect me to rebel.'"

Seeing Zhao Yi say this, Li Zhuiyuan stopped speaking. He actually wanted to remind Zhao Yi that given his current standing with the Heavenly Dao, intervening too deeply in a particular matter could easily lead to misunderstandings from the Heavenly Dao. At the current pace, after encountering Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva last time, the difficulty of the next wave was lowered; this wave was heading towards Fengdu, and if he could return alive, the next wave would likely offer a reward. Dropping by Jiujiang or taking some time to 'borrow' from them wouldn't be a big problem. But if the matter and objective became too complex... Li Zhuiyuan worried the Heavenly Dao might misunderstand and simply push things along, making the Jiujiang Zhao family his next challenge. If that were to happen, he wondered what kind of expression Zhao Yi would have. But now wasn't the time to discuss such things; the third stick of incense still needed to be endured.

Zhao Yi stood up, stretched his limbs, and asked in confusion: "'It seems a little different again. The first stick of incense transformed the 'Gate of Life and Death,' and the second stick changed the body.'"

"'How are you feeling now?'"

"'A little tired, but it doesn't matter.'"

"'Then I'll factor you in as being at your peak state.'"

"'Alright,' Zhao Yi said, looking around. 'Huh, this formation targets a specific corner. Are you certain that thing will emerge from there next?'"

"'Yes.'"

"'Where did you get that information?'"

"'Luck.'"

"'Luck?' Zhao Yi's eyes widened. He couldn't imagine such a thing coming from the young man's mouth. 'Is that reliable?'"

Li Zhuiyuan paused. The image of his great-grandfather lying sick in bed when he left home this time flashed through his mind. Rather than believing in luck, Li Zhuiyuan believed in his great-grandfather.

"'It's reliable.'"

Zhao Yi seemed to realize something too. The doubt on his face vanished, replaced by a certainty even stronger than the young man's: "'Right, it's definitely reliable.'"

As soon as he spoke, the phantom in official robes appeared once more. Only the last stick of incense remained in the censer it held.

Zhao Yi sat down cross-legged and began to meditate. Li Zhuiyuan stood up and went to check the progress of the formation's setup below. He also told Yin Meng to step away from her duties and start cooking a meal early. Precious time was constantly slipping away. During the final stage of the formation's setup, the phantom in official robes reappeared beside Zhao Yi. Only the last third of the incense remained inside. Everyone saw it, and they all quickened their pace.

The formation was complete. Li Zhuiyuan spread his right hand, and a blood-red formation flag appeared. The young man began the final test of the formation.

Zhao Yi also opened his eyes, looked at the young man's right hand, and asked, "'Are you hiding something in your hand?'"

"'Yes.'"

"'No wonder,' Zhao Yi said, looking at his own right hand. 'Do you have any extra stock?'"

"'No.'"

"'That's no fun,' Zhao Yi clapped his hands and stood up. 'I thought it was because I hadn't fully grasped the learning, but it turns out I lacked the hardware.'"

"'When that thing comes out later, its target will definitely still be you.'"

"'I understand. You direct, and I'll act as full bait to draw it in, but there's one thing...'"

"'It might not be that foolish.'"

"'Yes, as long as you're aware.'"

The first two sticks of incense had both targeted Zhao Yi individually through Xuanmen methods and had failed. To ensure the third stick succeeded, many rules would likely change, and they wouldn't care about appearances anymore. So, using Zhao Yi as bait was fine, but genuinely believing they could trick that thing like a fool for the entire duration would be too naive.

"'To your positions!'"

At Li Zhuiyuan's command, everyone entered the formation. The Liang sisters had originally thought that with the young man in command this time, they might be able to integrate more. But to their surprise, his choice was the same as their own leader's when dealing with the wolfhound in the underground cave: he positioned them separately on the team's periphery as purely mobile forces. Their own leader, on the other hand, could still stand within the main group, side by side with the young man. For a moment, the two sisters felt an absurd sense of abandonment, as if their leader had 'abandoned darkness for light' before them.

Li Zhuiyuan gave a final reminder: "'Everyone, follow instructions. Do not act on your own initiative, especially at the initial contact. All 'drawing legs on a snake' is forbidden.'"

Liang Yan: "'Understood.'"

Liang Li: "'Got it.'"

Zhao Yi and Run Sheng, like the others, didn't respond. Li Zhuiyuan turned his head to look at Zhao Yi beside him.

Zhao Yi: "'Understood!'"

Immediately after, Zhao Yi added, "'Damn it, I'm really jealous of your secret communication method.'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'I gave you the book; you just didn't learn it.'"

Zhao Yi: "'Heh.'"

The phantom in official robes appeared before Zhao Yi again. The incense in the censer was almost gone. This time, it didn't just stand still, but walked directly towards one direction. That direction was precisely where the young man's formation was aimed.

Zhao Yi: "'If I can see something like this, how could those six not see it?'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'They are figures from myths, but don't mythologize them too much.'"

Zhao Yi: "'Then I'm curious, from your perspective, wouldn't the Great Emperor of Fengdu just be an extremely long-lived dead man?'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'You said that.'"

Zhao Yi: "'I...'"

The phantom in official robes stopped after reaching that spot. Zhao Yi's eyes narrowed. "'It's not standing directly on top of the tomb. That position is strange, I can't quite describe it... Is it the best area for digging a grave robbery tunnel downwards?'"

"'Yes.'"

"What surprised me is that you, Li, actually placed the most precise point here too. Were you really driven crazy by poverty before?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'It's coming out.'"

The phantom in official robes gradually dissipated. From underground, a 'buzzing' sound emanated. The disturbance wasn't loud, but it was audible. The soil and pebbles above also began to vibrate, and once a critical point was reached, that area collapsed inwards. The tomb owner was coming up, but not by crawling out after reanimating, as traditionally imagined, but by rising with the coffin itself. The coffin stood vertically. It was a black coffin, of traditional design. The most basic function of a 'lucky burial site' is to ensure the body is undisturbed by insects or rodents and protected from dampness and decay. This coffin was remarkably well-preserved; its greatest wear came from the friction against the tunnel walls as it emerged.

Zhao Yi: "'Now, the answer will be revealed. Let's see what kind of sacrifice they're willing to make.'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'You won't be disappointed, because that tomb is very ordinary, and so is the coffin.'"

Zhao Yi: "'So, it must be the tomb owner's unique nature?'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'Yes, I speculate that the tomb owner's remains are more suitable for their descent.'"

Zhao Yi licked his lips: "'They... plural?'"

"Click."

The coffin lid fell open. Nothing slid out; the tomb owner, including the burial items, seemed to be 'lying flat' in a vertical orientation. The tomb owner was young, a male around twenty years old. His face was very pale, not due to makeup, but naturally so. He was covered by a sutra quilt, with gold and silver artifacts and some daily necessities at its four internal corners. His head rested on a jade pillow. The ordinariness of his tomb was only in comparison to the two high-spec tombs underground. In fact, being found in a lucky burial site and deeply interred there indicated that his family's status during his lifetime was far from ordinary.

The sutra quilt had originally covered his face below the nose. Now, a gust of wind blew, causing the quilt to drop a bit and fully reveal the tomb owner's entire face. At first glance, it didn't seem remarkable, but when his entire face was revealed, Li Zhuiyuan and Zhao Yi's gazes simultaneously grew solemn. The Liang sisters, meanwhile, opened their mouths, nearly letting out gasps of surprise. Tan Wenbin frowned, looking as if he'd encountered an exam question he'd previously seen the answer to. As one of Li Zhuiyuan's early popular science readings, Tan Wenbin had naturally read 'A Comprehensive Explanation of Yin-Yang Physiognomy.' Of course, he couldn't memorize it perfectly like Brother Xiaoyuan to combine concepts, but he was familiar with the most classic facial features. He finally remembered: this facial feature was called 'Heavenly Yin, Earthly Fiend.' The book stated that those with such a facial feature would face continuous misfortunes and would not live past the age of ten. Furthermore, it was said that people with this facial feature were highly prone to attracting 'Yin entities' – not in the conventional sense of attracting ghosts, but rather attracting 'Yin couriers.' When local Yin couriers or Yin soldiers passed through, they liked to rest on such individuals, relishing the feeling of life, and over time, they would ruin the person's body.

Zhao Yi: "'A Heavenly Yin, Earthly Fiend physiognomy? How could he have lived to adulthood?'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'Why don't you look in a mirror?'"

While a Heavenly Yin, Earthly Fiend individual couldn't live to adulthood, someone with the 'Gate of Life and Death' was unlikely to be born alive.

Zhao Yi: "'If he were a five or six-year-old child, he'd be much easier to deal with, like you who hasn't practiced martial arts.'"

Black patterns appeared at the bottom of the coffin. Li Zhuiyuan waved the formation flag, and the grand formation activated! The reason the formation wasn't activated at the very beginning was that the 'step' hadn't been reached yet. Even if they had cleared it prematurely, the other party could claim it didn't count and simply create another one for them underground. This was also why Li Zhuiyuan, despite having foresight about the tomb's location, hadn't told Run Sheng and the others to dig it up and burn it earlier—the final right of interpretation wasn't in his hands. Only when the black patterns appeared was the third stick of incense truly confirmed.

The power of the formation crashed down onto the coffin's location. In an instant, the coffin was crushed, and the sutra quilt and all the burial items were reduced to dust. Yet the tomb owner remained standing there, completely unharmed. He wore a white robe, dressed like an elegant young gentleman. His eyes were slightly open, seemingly unfocused and unconscious, but in reality, there was hidden depth within. He was being controlled, but the manipulator had deliberately hidden this fact.

Zhao Yi: "'I knew it would be extreme, but I still didn't expect them to choose direct micro-management.'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'The advantage is with him.'"

The tomb owner slowly raised his head, fixing his gaze on Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi: "'The formation's effect...'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'It's still active. Although it couldn't crush him, he's still enduring the pressure of the formation.'"

The tomb owner took a step and began to walk towards them. He walked very slowly. But Li Zhuiyuan noticed that as the figure walked, the soft earth beneath his feet didn't even bear a single mark. An ordinary person's weight couldn't achieve this, let alone someone currently under immense additional pressure.

"'Liang, test and retreat immediately!'"

The Liang sisters rushed out simultaneously, then split left and right. One held a dagger, the other a soft sword. Their mission was to probe, to disengage after a single strike. A line of blood appeared between the tomb owner's eyebrows. He first looked at Liang Yan. Liang Yan was prepared to defend against illusions or charms, but in reality, there were none. The opponent merely stared at her. Liang Yan's soft sword swept forward. At the same time, she rotated her feet on the ground, put power into her waist, and intended to retreat after striking. The tomb owner continued to watch Liang Yan, then dodged the soft sword's sweep with an incomprehensible posture.

"Thud!"

Liang Yan, who was just preparing to retreat, felt her body sink. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pale hand pierce through her abdomen.

"Ah..."

An utterly surreal feeling assaulted Liang Yan's senses. She couldn't imagine that, despite her full vigilance and extreme caution, her opponent could still, with a single move, grievously wound her like this. Next, the opponent merely needed to clench his fist, and the spreading force would shatter all her internal organs. In short... she was truly about to die.

Their sisterly bond was genuine; after all, their affection was so strong they could choose to marry separately or even marry one man together. Liang Li changed her strategy from probing to main attack, her dagger flashing with a cold light. She defied Li Zhuiyuan's command and acted on her own initiative, but seeing her sister in crisis, she indeed couldn't remain perfectly calm. However, her 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao' tactic did not achieve the desired effect. The tomb owner turned his head and looked at her. His other hand shot out, grasping the base of the dagger with unbelievably fast speed. An irresistible force transferred through, changing the direction of the dagger in Liang Li's hand. It stabbed into her own chest, and the momentum wasn't yet spent; another horizontal cut would have sliced off her entire upper body. This scene unfolded too quickly, so fast that everyone only had time for their pupils to dilate.

Everyone was aware of the Liang sisters' strength. Zhao Yi personally went to great lengths to persuade the sisters to join him on his river journey, which was certainly a proud achievement. Yet now, they were on the verge of perishing during this test. Zhao Yi clenched his fists. But given the distance, he couldn't possibly go to their rescue. Run Sheng and Lin Shuyou, who were ahead, were in the same predicament. By the time they rushed over, not only would the sisters be dead, but they would also fall into the same dangerous situation as the Liang sisters due to their reckless charge.

The blood mist in Li Zhuiyuan's right palm was so dense it turned into a viscous liquid. Previously, he used blood mist for cost-effective conservation. Now, the young man was directly sacrificing his own fresh blood to mobilize and amplify the formation as quickly as possible. Li Zhuiyuan opened his palm, aiming it at the tomb owner in the distance. Within the formation's range, the power of the formation was naturally much faster than any person.

"Thump!"

The tomb owner staggered back three steps, then stabilized. Using this distraction, Liang Yan quickly retreated, 'pulling out' her abdomen from the opponent's hand. Liang Li turned sideways, exchanging a further tearing wound for her escape. Fortunately, his arm wasn't long, nor was the dagger, which allowed the two women to escape being 'skewered meat.' The two quickly retreated and returned, this time not standing beside Li Zhuiyuan and the others, but moving to the rear.

Liang Yan's body twitched slightly. As she pushed her protruding intestines back in, she used her fingertips to quickly stitch herself up, treating her fingernails as needles. After Liang Li stitched up her own chest wound in the same manner, she helped her sister stitch the back of the piercing wound. Liang Yan looked at her sister with a questioning gaze. Her own wound seemed more terrifying but was not fatal, while her sister's wound was near her heart. Liang Li quickly whispered, "'Lucky, it just grazed a vital spot.'"

After roughly treating their injuries, large sections of both sisters' clothes were stained red with blood. Zhao Yi watched them, his expression somewhat detached. If Li Zhuiyuan needed to consciously suppress his own indifference and rely on acting to maintain normal human relations, then what Zhao Yi was doing was suppressing his own excessive desire for theatrics. He was now very conflicted. Theoretically, he only needed to rush forward and let the tomb owner kill him, and then the matter here would be concluded. But he didn't want to die; he wanted to live. Seeing them like this, it was impossible for Zhao Yi to feel nothing, yet he also hoped the Liang sisters would continue to fight for his survival. The differential treatment was obvious; when he learned of Sun Yan's death, Zhao Yi had felt absolutely nothing. Because of this, he was now a little twisted.

Li Zhuiyuan: "'Keep up the act. They like it when you deceive them.'"

These two women, despite having the strength to venture out on their own, still chose to join Zhao Yi. Whether marrying off or having a husband move in, they were willing to commit themselves fully. Fundamentally, they weren't rational people; they just fell for Zhao Yi's charm.

Zhao Yi: "'Are you alright?'"

Liang Yan: "'I'm fine.'"

Liang Li: "'I won't die.'"

Zhao Yi: "'I'll figure out a way to make sure you don't have scars, or else my psychological pressure in bed later will be a bit much.'"

Liang Yan: "'Bastard.'"

Liang Li: "'Beast.'"

Despite their curses, the sisters stood up again. Although their recent injuries weren't fatal, they were by no means minor. So, one was now hunched over, and the other stooped. They could still fight, but their combat effectiveness would be greatly reduced. But when they moved from the back to the side, it showed their attitude.

Lin Shuyou tilted his head slightly, looking at Zhao Yi. He thought the 'Three-Eyed' was simply a genius among beasts. It left Ah You dumbfounded yet awestruck at the same time.

Zhao Yi turned his gaze back to Li Zhuiyuan and said, "'I wasn't like this before.'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'Hm.'"

Zhao Yi: "'It's all your old lady's fault. Ever since she gave me that advice, I've felt more and more off. And you! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't treat my subordinates like this...'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'What did you say you learned from me?'"

Zhao Yi: "'You win.'"

To say he learned to care for his companions from someone devoid of emotion—Zhao Yi really couldn't bring himself to say that.

The reason they had time for such an exchange was that, after being repelled by Li Zhuiyuan's formation power, the tomb owner, though advancing towards them, was still moving very slowly. He was clearly terrifyingly powerful, yet he made no move to 'sweep away fallen leaves in the autumn wind.'

Zhao Yi: "'The first two sticks of incense could be said to be about maintaining a certain style, but the third stick, meant to save face, couldn't possibly be intentionally slow to savor the pleasure of victory.'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'He has reservations.'"

Zhao Yi: "'His eyes.'"

Just now, when facing the Liang sisters' attack, the tomb owner looked at each of them before making a move.

Li Zhuiyuan: "'Right.'"

Zhao Yi: "'His eyes can only focus on a limited number of targets...'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'Because according to the rules of the incense, his eyes should only be on you.'"

Zhao Yi: "'So, should we have actually charged him all at once just now?'"

The probing move itself wasn't wrong. Facing an opponent of unknown background, Zhao Yi would also probe first. He wasn't blaming Li Zhuiyuan, but if that were truly the case, then the young man's earlier probing move would have amounted to needlessly sacrificing two major combatants.

Zhao Yi immediately said, "'No, it can't be that simple.'"

The tomb owner was still slowly advancing. The closer he got, the greater the deterrent he brought.

Li Zhuiyuan: "'His speed is too fast. Even if you charged him all at once, he'd be able to react. When it comes to coordination and synergy, who can compare to twins?'"

Zhao Yi: "'The reason we could notice his head-turning movements was because Liang Yan and Liang Li's coordination was too perfect, almost completely synchronized.'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'Exactly.'"

Zhao Yi: "'He's waiting for us to make a move now. His slow pace at first was understandable, but maintaining it after showing his strength means he has reservations. His speed is actually very fast. If he were to charge directly at us, right in front of us, he would...'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'Attack all at once.'"

A scene flashed in Zhao Yi's mind: The tomb owner charges above them, and just as he is about to 'crush them like Mount Tai,' the only thing everyone can do is panic and instinctively launch a collective attack. It seemed as if they had gone in circles only to return to the starting point, but that wasn't the case.

Zhao Yi: "'What he fears is multiple attacks acting simultaneously at a single point with extremely minimal error.'"

If the tomb owner actively charged and attacked, it would very likely create such a situation. However, if their side charged all at once, they would inevitably follow the old tradition: Run Sheng would handle the front, Lin Shuyou would provide support, Tan Wenbin would be responsible for interference... The consequence of this would be that, from Run Sheng to Lin Shuyou and beyond, every person who engaged with it would be swiftly and decisively dealt with, just as the Liang sisters had been earlier. Even with Li Zhuiyuan orchestrating the formation for aid, it would only delay the process of slaughter for a little while longer.

Zhao Yi: "'But by normal logic, this thing fears death... No, it even fears injury.'"

A puppet summoned from underground, if it broke, it broke. As long as it achieved its purpose, even if it was completely destroyed here, there would be no heartache. But it was acting too obviously, treating itself too preciously. This didn't align with common sense.

Li Zhuiyuan: "'Do you remember the black patterns that first appeared at its feet?'"

Zhao Yi: "'It's been in my mind; I've been reviewing and analyzing it, and I haven't reached a conclusion yet, but I'm close...'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'I've deduced it.'"

Zhao Yi: "'Oh.'"

Li Zhuiyuan: "'Next time you're by my side, don't think about things I haven't told you to. Save some brainpower for me to use.'"

Zhao Yi: "'