Chapter 298

Chapter 299

This was the true Emperor Fengdu.

No mythological filters or forced connections to legends—the Emperor appeared before the young man in such a clear and direct manner.

Any description used to convey grandeur paled in comparison; the oppression and shock it brought transcended the realm of mere soul-striking, feeling more like a ruthless, top-down crushing at the very level of life itself.

Most importantly, He wasn't deliberately targeting him.

It was like an ant expending all its strength to climb a small mound, just to get a fuller view of an elephant, yet in the elephant's eyes, the ant simply didn't exist.

Inside the hall, the clanking sound of chains rubbing against each other could be heard, but it stopped a short distance from the entrance, then faded away.

This was Yin Meng, who had intended to see him off at the hall entrance, but had turned back.

Lingering goodbyes didn't fit the team atmosphere under Brother Xiaoyuan's leadership. Meaningless advice and concern were kept to a minimum; everyone was restraining themselves from excessive display or sentimentality.

Yin Meng sat down at the desk, surveying the hall. She deliberately prevented herself from releasing too much emotion; she needed to conserve it, as she would need it to endure and survive here.

Outside the hall, the black shadow manipulated Li Zhuiyuan's hand, gripping the young man's neck once more.

"Will you still come to take her away?"

Combined with the manifestation of the Emperor's true form, the shadow's question carried a hint of both threat and amusement.

Li Zhuiyuan replied:

"I will come back and pull her out."

Li Zhuiyuan slightly emphasized the word "pull."

"So confident?"

"The first thing I learned was how to rescue people."

"I noticed that after your formal apprenticeship, you stopped calling me 'Master'."

"Teacher."

The black shadow didn't respond.

"Teacher, can I choose a different way to die? It's a rare chance to experience death; just having my neck twisted like this feels a bit regrettable."

"How do you want to die?"

"Teacher, I want to fall from here, into the boundless hell."

At this moment, the deepest part of hell held the Bodhisattva.

"No."

"Then, do it."

"Snap!"

The young man's neck was twisted and broken. Perhaps fearing he wouldn't die instantly and to spare him further pain, the residual force shattered his body.

Li Zhuiyuan was dead.

Regardless of whether there was ample preparation or a hasty approach before death, when death truly arrived, it was an instant of profound solitude.

As the sun sets in the west to rise in the east, if one died here, one should live there.

However, in this transition between death and life, Li Zhuiyuan experienced a momentary suspension.

The sound of water rushing in filled his ears, a gurgling accompanied by chaotic auditory hallucinations.

All around him, countless tentacle-like, viscous things clung to every part of his body, constantly writhing.

If one were to raise their gaze, they would see:

In a newly dug fish pond, the young man floated on the surface, surrounded by dense shoals of fish.

They were excited, frantic, seemingly trying to find something to devour on the young man's body.

Deep within his consciousness, in his great-grandfather's basement.

His original body stood before a long wooden table, holding a carving knife.

The figures meant for carving sat there, neatly and quietly.

Those difficult to carve were all placed on the table, slowly adjusted, and carefully outlined.

"Crack."

A cracking sound was heard; first, a sculpture that had just had the Buddha's aura carved behind it shattered, scattering across the table.

Immediately after, the sculpture behind it, which had only just had its ceremonial crown carved, first cracked all over, then completely disintegrated.

His original body was expressionless, seemingly unsurprised by this situation.

However, among the seated "figures," the sculpture of Yin Meng made a "click-click-click" sound.

His original body walked up to "Yin Meng" and looked at her intently.

She hadn't shattered, but her exquisitely lifelike painted surface had either discolored or flaked off, as if stripped of all spiritual essence.

On the long table, the shattered materials of the Emperor and Bodhisattva were collected by his original body.

The original body didn't clean up the discolored Yin Meng sculpture, leaving her seated among her vibrant "companions."

He pushed a cart laden with materials outside, heading directly to the fish pond.

He lifted the cart and poured in the waste materials. The fish, which usually swarmed, didn't appear this time, not a single one.

His original body clapped his hands, walked to the other side of the pond, and looked at Li Zhuiyuan, who was still floating on the surface.

One in the water, one on the shore; a wisp of wind blew past the two identical young men.

His original body urged, "Time to get to 'work'."

In the water, Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes.

He gently raised his hand, and the surrounding fish scattered for a moment, then quickly gathered again.

They gathered because they perceived emotions.

But they hadn't eaten anything, meaning the emotions that had made them salivate remained within the young man's body, not spilling out as before.

The "desertification control" of emotions, from the initial sand stabilization to now, had finally shown true effectiveness; it could now lock in moisture.

The foundation of his humanity had been solidified, though currently only to a minimal degree.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his hand and looked up at the sky, which was cloudless and an almost surreal blue.

He remembered that initially, the environment deep within his consciousness had been very detailed; standing on his great-grandfather's terrace, he could see waves of wheat in the wind, dancing dandelions, moving clouds, and curling chimney smoke.

Now, all of that had been cut.

There were only two truly detailed areas: this fish pond and his great-grandfather's house. The scenery along the path from his great-grandfather's house to the fish pond looked like a movie set, impossible to scrutinize, as it would reveal the artifice.

Li Zhuiyuan: "How did you get so sloppy?"

Original Body: "Isn't this to save you some energy? I was afraid you'd die out there and drag me down with you."

"Is the energy you saved truly for me?"

Supported by the fish, it wasn't quite like lying on flat ground, but at least like on a soft bed. Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the clod of earth still floating in the water on the other side of the fish pond.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that his original body had deliberately brought this out for him to see.

Original Body: "Are you sad about not being able to bring Yin Meng out?"

After seriously examining his inner feelings, Li Zhuiyuan gave his answer: "Yes, but not much, nowhere near the point of making me sad."

Original Body: "Then why are you still lying here? Hurry up and get to 'work'!"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mainly, I feel it's hard to explain—to her, to Great-Grandfather, to Aunt Liu, to her deceased grandfather, to Runsheng. All of this combined made me experience an emotion called 'loss'."

His original body tilted his head, looked at Li Zhuiyuan, and asked, "Are you... showing off to me?"

Like a child who gets a new toy or a new snack, approaching friends to explain how to play or how it tastes.

Li Zhuiyuan thought seriously again and replied, "Yes, when I described it to you, a little bit of happiness emerged in my heart."

Original Body: "Childish."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You don't understand."

Original Body: "So you do understand?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "You speak, I'll listen."

Original Body: "The Emperor's shadow explained twice why Yin Meng had to be left there. Both explanations were correct, yet they concealed the true intention."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It seems you're not going to play dumb this time."

If it were his perfunctory original body, it would probably have said: "Anyway, you've already received the Emperor's official recognition, Yin Meng's value has greatly decreased, and her strength is increasingly difficult to coordinate with the team. It's a good thing for her to leave in such a dignified way that doesn't harm team morale."

Original Body: "Emperor Fengdu suppresses myriad ghosts to gain merit, suppresses himself to gain merit, suppresses the Bodhisattva to gain merit, and suppresses the Fengdu project to gain merit.

"By modifying the lock, you forcibly obtained the apprenticeship gift from Him. This is a threat to Him, because the Heavenly Dao is focusing its attention on you.

"Therefore, even if it's just to open another karmic link outside of the 'master-disciple relationship' to hedge, He has to keep Yin Meng.

"The biggest possibility is... that day when the Heavenly Dao deems you, this blade, useless and intends to break it, the Emperor can also use the connection to Yin Meng to force you to return to Fengdu. Then, He can suppress you again to gain merit.

"Your master is always ready to clean house. What a loving pair of master and disciple."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You don't object to me promising to go back for Mengmeng later, directly accepting this new karmic relationship?"

Original Body: "No objection.

"From the perspective of immediate gain, taking Him as your master is correct. It not only significantly enhances your current strength but also allows you to more calmly leverage His influence to choose the challenges of the next wave.

"From a long-term perspective, your master is ready to sell you for merit, but you, too, can choose 'betraying your master and ancestors'.

"Control your growth rate, and simultaneously grasp how the Heavenly Dao's attitude towards you will change in the future.

"At the appropriate time, when the Heavenly Dao shows signs of wanting to break you, this blade, you actively instigate a wave of 'betrayal of master and ancestors'.

"Let the Heavenly Dao itself choose between Emperor Fengdu and you, Li Zhuiyuan.

"As long as you control the rhythm, you can make the Heavenly Dao more inclined to choose Emperor Fengdu.

"At that time, the Emperor will be the stepping stone you use to shield yourself from the Heavenly Dao as you continue to climb upwards."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Unless the Emperor actively threatens or targets me using Yin Meng, I won't deliberately betray my master and ancestors."

Original Body: "Giving the Emperor the choice of firing the first shot is very good. To some extent, the Emperor will actually have better timing options, and it will also reduce the difficulty and risk of you trying to control the Heavenly Dao's intentions."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Think whatever you want."

Original Body: "You truly have emotions now. In my eyes, you're even a little hypocritical."

Li Zhuiyuan didn't reply.

Original Body: "You called the Emperor's shadow 'Teacher' instead of 'Master' because you wanted to test him, to see if he had changed due to Old Zhai's influence throughout his life, and to speculate if he could become a breakthrough point when you become an enemy of the Emperor.

"Moreover, you tried to soften him, to get him to agree to your request for you to fall to your death.

"Your goal was to go down and make contact with the Bodhisattva.

"Because you knew that as things entered a new phase of development, former adversaries could also form alliances."

Li Zhuiyuan: "The Emperor is a being embodying reversed death. I'm very curious what the Bodhisattva's true form is."

Original Body: "The Bodhisattva has been suppressed by the Emperor. This is still a secret for now. There are two things you can do next.

"One is the Zhenjun Temple at the bottom of the sea in Zhoushan. You can try to go in again and help Sun Baishen unseal himself.

"Since the true Bodhisattva has entered hell, whoever sits on the lotus platform next will be the 'true Bodhisattva'.

"The other thing is the Guanjinshou. This time, the Yin Gods suffered heavy losses, but the main framework, represented by the Two Generals of Gain and Loss, is still intact. Most importantly, since only the Yin Gods appeared this time and not the battle children, the Guanjinshou's earthly lineage system remains very complete.

"You can go and reorganize the Guanjinshou, take the Bodhisattva's place, and gain an endless stream of merit commission."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I won't do that."

This time, it was the original body's turn to be silent.

Li Zhuiyuan: "I can reorganize the Guanjinshou, but from now on, the Yin Gods cannot lord over the spirit mediums, nor will I treat the spirit mediums as inferiors, following the Bodhisattva's old example of draining their merit-blood.

"At most, I'll confirm a temporary employment contract for the Two Generals of Gain and Loss with me, to refine my puppetry skills."

When the Bodhisattva was present before, it wasn't convenient for Li Zhuiyuan to openly do such things. Now that the Bodhisattva was gone, things were simpler.

The Two Generals of Gain and Loss suffered severe damage to their divine souls this time, and would likely need more merit. There wouldn't even be a need for threats; just hinting at it would make them rush down.

Then, he could create two puppets, and the Two Generals of Gain and Loss would quickly respond to possession and descend, which would greatly alleviate his current predicament of not practicing martial arts.

Original Body: "There's also a third thing."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Didn't you say two things?"

Original Body: "These two things are within your control. For the third, the initiative is not yours."

"Tell me."

"You can support Sun Baishen as a proxy, but I suggest removing the first option. You yourself have perfectly mastered the 'Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra' and are proficient in Fengshui, so you can completely disguise yourself as the Bodhisattva.

"This way, when you and the Emperor need to stand on opposing sides in the future, if you present yourself as a 'Bodhisattva', there's a certain probability that the true Bodhisattva, suppressed by the Emperor, will actively acknowledge your identity as a Bodhisattva in order to escape, potentially triggering a coordinated inside-outside action."

"Then is there a fourth thing? Where the initiative is also in our hands?"

"We?"

"That 'Bodhisattva' can be you."

"My future has only one possibility: to suppress the inner demons and become the true Li Zhuiyuan."

"Alright, I know. I should go. 'Work' calls."

Li Zhuiyuan's body slowly sank, soon completely disappearing beneath the surface.

The fish surrounded him completely, plunging his surroundings into darkness.

Occasionally, a gap would appear, and through the churning fish bellies, Li Zhuiyuan saw a little yellow oriole in a black qipao, walking gracefully, dancing, and singing a melodious song underwater.

The gap closed. When it opened again, the little yellow oriole was gone, replaced by a massive, majestic seated figure.

He had traveled such a long river, seemingly from one state of reversed death to another.

The fish gradually dispersed; with each one leaving, a measure of the young man's sense of security was taken away.

Li Zhuiyuan sank openly before Him.

One enormous, one minuscule.

Between the two, a white light spot appeared, constantly growing as it spun, like a ball of fire, incinerating everything completely.

His bodily sensations and mental consciousness began to recover. Although he hadn't opened his eyes yet, Li Zhuiyuan knew...

...he was alive again.

"Whoosh!"

Zhao Yi opened his eyes.

The truck was parked in an alley adjacent to Ghost Street. The surrounding walls were marked with large red "DEMOLISH" characters, circled boldly.

The surroundings were quiet, and the fog was gradually dispersing.

"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."

His neck arched back, and his head hit the headrest heavily.

During the three incense sticks ritual, due to the curse of the "Book of Life and Death," Zhao Yi had experienced death once before. Yet, even experiencing it again, the impact was still intense.

But regardless, he recovered faster than the first time he "died."

"Li, you bet right!"

Excitedly, he turned to look at the passenger seat. The young man had his eyes closed and hadn't woken up yet.

Seeing Li completely naked, Zhao Yi then realized that he himself was also naked.

He turned to look at the back of the truck.

Everyone was awake, but they all sat or lay with numb expressions and vacant eyes. Clearly, they hadn't yet emerged from the shadow of death.

At this moment, they had no self-awareness; they were like people asleep, completely disconnected from their surroundings.

Zhao Yi got out of the truck and went to the back. He intended to find clothes but discovered that Tan Wenbin's and his own backpacks weren't in the truck.

Zhao Yi rolled up the plastic tarp in the back of the truck and covered the Liang sisters, concealing their bodies.

Then, naked, he jumped off the truck and quickly darted into the street.

When he returned, Zhao Yi was already dressed: leather shoes, jeans, a blue shirt, a gold Rolex on his wrist, and his hair brushed back a few times with a wet hand.

They were all branded items, but all fakes. However, Young Master Zhao was naturally a clothes horse; dressed casually, he looked absolutely fresh and stylish for the moment.

In addition, Zhao Yi was carrying a large bag.

He first went to the back of the truck and threw three sets of clothes in front of Tan Wenbin and the other two: all were large boxers, tank tops, and oversized flip-flops.

Then he took out two sets of women's clothes, and Zhao Yi personally helped Liang Yan and Liang Li put them on.

Everyone in the truck was still in a dazed state, like plastic mannequins in a clothing store.

While dressing the sisters, Zhao Yi specifically checked them. Not only had the sisters' lifespans reverted to youth, but their injuries had also completely healed, leaving no scars.

Returning to the driver's seat, as he prepared to toss clothes to the young man, he found that Li was already awake.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and took the clothes, putting them on himself.

Zhao Yi suddenly remembered that the first thing he did upon waking was turn to look at Li, and Li's eyes were closed.

Everyone else was dazed with open eyes, so being able to close his eyes meant...

Zhao Yi: "Were you awake for a while already?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mhm."

Zhao Yi: "Were you just pretending to be asleep because you didn't want to go out and find clothes for everyone?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "I don't practice martial arts; my agility isn't as good as yours. You're the most suitable one to steal clothes."

Zhao Yi: "When we get back and get the money, I'll pay the stores back. But not at the tagged prices. Can you imagine this outfit, at tagged prices, would cost tens of thousands?"

In the small town's alleyways, half the shops had "clearance sale" signs, but the clothes inside, when taken out, were exorbitantly priced.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Just remove two zeros and then halve the price."

Zhao Yi: "You really have experience. By the way, are your clothes too big?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "A bit big, yes."

Zhao Yi: "I couldn't find a children's clothing store in that area, otherwise, I really wanted to pick out a denim overall for you. It would definitely suit you."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the bag in Zhao Yi's hand, which wasn't entirely flat.

"Cough, cough..."

Zhao Yi coughed and shoved the bag under the driver's seat.

Actually, the denim overalls were inside, with a large panda on the front and a cute gray bear on the back. The straps were elastic, with two clip-on fasteners at the front.

Besides this outfit, there was also a pair of air-cushioned shoes, with soles taller than ordinary ones, which would light up in various colors with every step when worn.

If Li hadn't woken up, Zhao Yi would have personally helped the young man put on this outfit and shoes.

But with Li awake, Zhao Yi wouldn't dare even take the clothes and shoes out, let alone put them on him.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Go retrieve our things again."

Zhao Yi nodded: "Okay."

All their equipment had been left on Ghost Street. The daily necessities and cash inside weren't important; what truly couldn't be lost were items like Li Zhuiyuan's small geomantic compass and Yin Meng's poison jar.

If those things fell into the wrong hands and were opened by unsuspecting ordinary people, it would cause great disaster.

Zhao Yi lit a cigarette, got out of the truck, and ran towards Ghost Street.

Not long after, Zhao Yi returned, carrying a shoulder pole heavily laden at both ends. Their belongings seemed quite complete.

He tossed the pole into the back of the truck, then got back into the driver's seat and said:

"Zhang Xiuxiu collected all our belongings. I checked; nothing's missing."

It certainly wasn't just helping to pick up things. It was like clearing a battlefield; the talismans there were absolutely high-grade items in the eyes of the Zhang siblings.

However, as soon as Zhao Yi entered Ghost Street, he went straight to the Zhang siblings.

Upon seeing Zhao Yi, Zhang Chi was utterly terrified, his guilty conscience clearly written on his face.

Zhang Xiuxiu, on the other hand, cried, "Thank goodness, you're still alive."

Zhao Yi took out two pills from his bag, broke off a poisonous corner from one, gave one to each sibling, and then retrieved all their belongings.

At this moment, the first person to regain consciousness in the back of the truck was Runsheng.

After sitting up, Runsheng's gaze swept around. After a slight frown, he started searching a second time.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Brother Runsheng, please look after them."

"Okay," Runsheng responded, first dressing himself, then proceeding to dress Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou.

Zhao Yi started the truck and drove towards the guesthouse.

En route, Tan Wenbin regained consciousness, then, as if carsick, quickly scrambled to the back of the truck and began to vomit.

After a long time of vomiting, he rolled over, propped his arms on the tailgate, his chest heaving, breathing heavily.

Runsheng handed him a bottle of water. Tan Wenbin took it, drank a mouthful, and poured the rest over his head.

Zhao Yi, who was driving, suddenly stepped on the brake. Everyone in the truck lurched forward.

The Liang sisters, who had been huddled together, fell to their sides, showing no signs of waking up.

Lin Shuyou rolled around in the truck bed until he reached Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin instinctively reached out to steady him but found Ah You's body burning hot, steam still rising from his head.

"Ah You's body temperature..."

Runsheng picked up Lin Shuyou, made him "sit properly," and said, "The temperature is very low."

Hearing this, Tan Wenbin looked closer and noticed that Lin Shuyou's previously flushed skin was now bluish-black, and the steam rising from his head was no longer hot, but rather like the cold mist escaping from an open freezer.

After a bumpy stretch of road, under continuous vibrations, Lin Shuyou's eyes regained clarity. His first reaction was to hug himself and curl up on the ground:

"So cold..."

After a while, Lin Shuyou started tearing at the tank top he was wearing:

"Hot, so hot..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "No need to rush back to the guesthouse. Pull over at that open space ahead."

"Okay."

Zhao Yi turned the steering wheel, and the truck drove onto a platform at the side of the road. At the end of the platform was a steep slope.

However, the truck, which should have slowed down beforehand, showed no signs of decelerating.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Zhao Yi and saw another face appearing on Zhao Yi's face.

It was Su Luo, the tomb owner. He looked at the steering wheel in his hands, then at the environment outside the window, and murmured:

"How, exactly, should this carriage be stopped?"

Li Zhuiyuan stepped over to the driver's seat and pressed the brake.

With an abrupt stop, the truck halted at the edge of the platform.

Zhao Yi lowered his head, looked at the pedals below, seemingly memorizing the brake, then looked at other buttons inside the car, shaking his head and sighing:

"I'm not accustomed to these novel things."

Li Zhuiyuan: "You can learn."

"Not what I've learned, nor what I wish to learn."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Then what do you like?"

"Zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting—these are my aspirations."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Then do you like peach blossoms?"

"Is it the beautiful realm like the Peach Blossom Spring?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "There, you'll find wine, flowers, and masters of zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting, where you can indulge in carefree enjoyment all day long."

"But this body is ultimately his. I cannot, for my own preferences, take control of him, although I don't know why I suddenly woke up and started driving this carriage without horses."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I have a way to satisfy both."

"That would be excellent. I hereby bow to the Dragon..."

Su Luo had seen Zhao Yi's memories and knew that the Zhao family's greatest hope for Zhao Yi was for him to become a Dragon King in the future.

He didn't know there was only one Dragon King per generation, so he used this "title" as if it were a greeting like "congratulations and prosperity."

Zhao Yi turned to Li Zhuiyuan, bowed halfway, and stopped.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that the true Zhao Yi had returned.

Zhao Yi: "My goodness, I almost broke through!"

"I was still competing on the river, and you just conceded for me? What's going on?"

Immediately, Zhao Yi frowned: "I didn't expect that I was also this serious?"

Zhao Yi had previously checked on the people in the back of the truck and naturally discovered the problem.

But he hadn't anticipated that his own problem would be so significant.

The car was driving along, and then, without any warning, it was being driven by someone else. Who could bear that?

Li Zhuiyuan: "We'll discuss your problem when we get back. Tell everyone else to get out for a meeting."

Everyone was called out of the truck by Zhao Yi, including the Liang sisters who were still in a dazed state.

Li Zhuiyuan first walked up to Tan Wenbin. Tan Wenbin had just managed a smile, intending to call out "Brother Xiaoyuan," when he suddenly crouched down again, leaning as if about to vomit.

The four spirit beasts had been greatly enhanced, leading to problems with their coordination, which in turn caused distortions in Tan Wenbin's perceptions.

Li Zhuiyuan gathered a bloodstain on his right hand and drew a spell on Tan Wenbin's face. After finishing, the young man snapped his fingers.

"Snap!"

The red mark on his face faded. Tan Wenbin gasped in pain. After enduring this, he found that the world before his eyes had finally returned to normal.

However, the world now looked blurry, and sounds were a bit "humming." Having grown accustomed to a clear and keen perception of the world, Tan Wenbin was truly unaccustomed to having the amplification suddenly removed.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, did you seal those four?"

"Temporarily sealed. They also need to sleep and recuperate now. We'll find a solution after we get back."

"Mhm, okay."

What Li Zhuiyuan applied was not a seal. When drawing the spell, he used his own blood instead of ink paste, which was actually a form of deterrence, temporarily causing the four spirit beasts to quietly prostrate themselves.

Zhao Yi crouched in front of Lin Shuyou, administering acupuncture to Ah You.

As the needles were inserted, red and black blood flowed out continuously. Lin Shuyou's alternating chills and fevers finally subsided, and he let out a sigh of relief.

Li Zhuiyuan walked up to Runsheng.

Before the young man could do anything, Runsheng raised his fist and punched himself in the chest, forcing open a congested "qi gate" and allowing some turbulent ghost qi to escape from his body.

The ghost qi in his body was too powerful, suppressing the malevolent aura and resentment, so Runsheng released the qi himself.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a sealing talisman, handed it to Runsheng, then turned to Zhao Yi and said, "Help Runsheng pin it down."

"Coming."

Using a special technique, Zhao Yi inserted the sealing talisman into Runsheng's acupoints with a silver needle, suppressing his ghost qi as much as possible and reducing its rampage within his body.

Li Zhuiyuan walked past the Liang sisters, looked at them, did nothing, and then walked back.

Zhao Yi said nothing about this.

After briefly addressing everyone's issues, Li Zhuiyuan began to recount what had happened after their deaths.

Only then did everyone learn that Yin Meng had been left behind in the Underworld.

Tan Wenbin: "Just as Brother Xiaoyuan said, from now on, we'll go together to bring Mengmeng back."

Lin Shuyou: "Even if we have to snatch her, we'll snatch her back!"

Runsheng: "Mhm."

Runsheng's reaction was the calmest.

Li Zhuiyuan motioned for everyone to rest where they were, drink some water, and eat something. Then Zhao Yi pulled him aside to a corner.

"Li, did you omit anything from this account?"

"No."

"But I still feel you're hiding something from me. If it's not the events... then it's your own analysis that you haven't shared?"

"Do you want to hear it?"

"Of course. If I don't listen, you'll just say to me later, 'Didn't you ask?'"

"It's better not to hear it."

"Why?"

"The 'lazy dog' trauma just passed. Do you want to experience that again later?"

"How much later?"

"Quite a while."

"I do still have psychological trauma from that 'lazy dog' incident. So, I won't ask now. I'll leave it for my future self to ask."

"Let's go back to the guesthouse, wrap up the last of the official business, and then we can go home..."

With not everyone accounted for, with someone missing, the word "home" didn't carry the same warmth as before.

Back at the guesthouse, they saw Xue Liangliang from afar, chatting with a few people at the ground-floor tea lounge.

Xue Liangliang stood up and waved to Li Zhuiyuan and the others.

The others returned to their rooms to settle in. Li Zhuiyuan took Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin to sit down.

Xue Liangliang made the introductions. The three middle-aged men were Xu Deng, Zhou Kuisheng, and Chen Xu, all pillars in the industry. However, their usual workplaces were scattered across the country, and they had only gathered for this meeting.

"Oh, right, Xiaoyuan, Brother Chen is half a fellow townsman of yours; he's from Suzhou."

Chen Xu: "Indeed, fellow townsman."

Zhou Kuisheng: "Heh, since you're fellow townsmen, Old Chen, why don't you and Xiaoyuan each use your dialect to greet each other? No need to accommodate us by speaking Mandarin."

Chen Xu pointed at Zhou Kuisheng and said, "You're trying to sow discord, aren't you?"

Zhou Kuisheng shook his head: "You don't have that kind of atmosphere there. True fellow townsmen are found in our Northeast; once you're out of the pass, no matter which province, everyone's a fellow townsman."

Xue Liangliang asked Li Zhuiyuan: "Xiaoyuan, how do you plan to get back?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "By plane, I suppose."

Mainly, everyone had physical issues that needed timely attention and treatment back home. Also, the risks encountered on the way there had been resolved, so flying back was naturally the quickest option.

As for the truck, Zhao Yi said he could contact Zhang Xinhai and have his factory send someone to drive the truck back and return it to Yongzi.

Xue Liangliang said to Chen Xu: "Then you and Xiaoyuan can go to Shancheng together and fly back. After arriving in Nantong, you can transfer to a car back to Suzhou. You can chat on the way, keep each other company."

Chen Xu: "Okay, of course."

Lin Shuyou: "Why not fly directly to Suzhou?"

Chen Xu replied: "We don't have an airport in Suzhou yet."

Lin Shuyou: "Huh? Isn't Suzhou economically strong? How can it not have an airport?"

Chen Xu touched his nose, a little embarrassed.

Tan Wenbin spoke up: "It'll definitely have one soon, very soon."

The three men still had their own matters to attend to, so the tea party temporarily concluded.

Xue Liangliang and Li Zhuiyuan went to see Engineer Luo together.

"Xiaoyuan, did things go smoothly?"

"Yes, they did."

"That's good then."

Engineer Luo was also holding a tea party, but it was in a room. As soon as the door opened, smoke billowed out. Xue Liangliang immediately opened the window to clear the smoke after entering.

"Come on, no need to introduce Liangliang. But Xiaoyuan here, I must introduce him properly. He's my youngest apprentice, and my last disciple."

"No need to introduce, no need. We've heard you talk about him several times since last year. The provincial top scholar, right?"

"And a prodigy too! Every time we meet for a meal, the first half is about work, and the second half is just showing off."

It was evident that everyone relaxed after the meeting.

After Li Zhuiyuan sat there for a while, dealing with the pleasantries, Engineer Luo had Xue Liangliang take him away.

Back in his room, Li Zhuiyuan didn't see Zhao Yi.

After taking a shower, Li Zhuiyuan sat on the bed, toying with the small geomantic compass in his hand.

The return date was tentatively set for three days from now. Tomorrow, there was still a survey mission to complete, at the location where the last survey team had met with an accident.

The young man gently flicked the compass needle in his hand, pondering something:

The Bodhisattva was suppressed by Emperor Fengdu and taken into the Underworld, but where did the heavily wounded Di Ting go?

Unfortunately, the other party was either critically wounded or so frightened that it had concealed its aura. In any case, the compass showed no reaction to it.

Tan Wenbin pushed the door open and said, "Brother Xiaoyuan, Runsheng went out to find a workshop to repair his Yellow River Shovel."

"Brother Runsheng won't act impulsively."

"But he's too much like a normal person now. I've already told Ah You not to go comfort Runsheng."

"Mhm."

"Where's our unofficial captain?"

"Probably in the Liang sisters' room."

"Oh, right. Those two haven't woken up yet."

Li Zhuiyuan gave no comment.

After dark, Zhao Yi still hadn't returned. Li Zhuiyuan went to sleep first.

In the Liang sisters' room, Liang Yan and Liang Li lay on separate beds. Zhao Yi stood in the middle, his cigarette glowing on and off.

After finishing the cigarette, Zhao Yi pinched out the butt with his fingers and flicked it into a teacup.

Then he rolled up his sleeves and raised his right hand.

"Slap!"

First, he slapped Liang Yan across the face.

"Slap!"

Then he slapped Liang Li across the face.

The two sisters, who had regained their youthful beauty, instantly had highly swollen cheeks.

"Still pretending, are we? Still unwilling to wake up? Go on and kill each other, then! I'll set up a formation outside, and you two can duel inside. Two go in, one comes out, how about that?"

The turbidity in the sisters' eyes dissipated, and clarity returned.

With their foundations, it was impossible for them to recover consciousness so slowly; they were arguably among the first to wake up.

The reason they kept pretending was that as soon as they regained consciousness, they realized what had happened to them, and a terrifying urge to kill their sister surged within them.

They were both feigning unconsciousness, but in reality, they were giving each other a chance to kill them.

Zhao Yi: "I have an idea, a compromise: before you plunder each other, why don't you fight over me, this man? No need to be polite about it. How exciting and fun would it be to snatch a man from your sister?"

The two sisters sat up from their beds, both crying.

In truth, they knew in their hearts that while neither was willing to kill the other at the moment, and even actively wished to fulfill the other's desire, as long as this addiction persisted, with time and their continuous growth and strengthening, it would eventually become uncontrollable.

Zhao Yi: "Don't be afraid of that day. At worst, before that day comes, I'll keep the one I like best by my side, and the other will find a sealed place to live, preventing you from meeting."

Liang Yan: "How cruel."

Liang Li: "How heartless."

Zhao Yi: "Then, how about rotating seals? One serves me for a quarter? A quarter is too long, you'd get bored. So, a month... no, a week then.

"Sigh, I'm still at a disadvantage. I finally got my hands on a pair of twins, and I have to separate them."

Liang Li: "Shameless."

Liang Yan: "My man is truly shameless."

Liang Li: "..."

After successfully calming the sisters, Zhao Yi returned to his room.

Seeing that Li Zhuiyuan was already asleep, he took a shower and got into his own bed.

"Li, there's something I haven't figured out. Isn't hell basically empty now? So, the Bodhisattva didn't become a Buddha?"

Li Zhuiyuan didn't even open his eyes and said, "You can understand the Emperor as the only ghost."

"Pfft, hahahaha!"