Chapter 302

The afternoon sun, slanting through the open window, spilled into the room, bathing the shoulders of the boy and girl by the bed.

The boy held the girl's hand in one of his, while with the other, he gently sprinkled medicinal powder, ensuring it evenly covered the wound on her palm.

Li Zhuiyuan applied the medicine with great care. He knew A-Li wouldn't even wince from this kind of pain, but it still pained him to see her hurt. Even though he had recently experienced the sensation of his entire being almost melting, the pain he felt himself was endurable and something he could easily dismiss afterward.

After bandaging it, the boy tied a delicate knot on the back of the girl's hand.

The girl brought her hand up to her face, examining it closely.

"Don't try to preserve this," he said. "Whether I or Aunt Liu change the dressing, you must agree to have it untied."

The girl nodded.

The door to the east room opened, and Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li emerged.

Liu Yumei squinted, enjoying the rural breeze that was now dispelling the intense heat. When A-Li had suddenly hidden indoors earlier that day, Liu Yumei hadn't felt the slightest bit of panic. She knew Xiaoyuan would surely be able to coax her granddaughter out again. Years ago, when she had been in secluded meditation in a secret realm of the Liu family, that old dog had simply huffed and puffed his way in, covered in blood, holding onto his last breath as he appeared before her. He had merely grinned, then collapsed. It was as if he had risked his life just to see her and then feign injury for attention. While the younger generation played with finesse and variety, when it came to truly bold and grand schemes, the older generation still held the advantage.

Li Weihan arrived on his bicycle, and Li Zhuiyuan went to greet him.

"Grandpa."

"Xiaoyuan Hou, you're back."

"Yes, I'm back."

"Was it tough out there?"

"Not tough at all."

"How's your great-grandpa doing?"

"He's alright."

"I'll go upstairs and check on him."

"Grandpa, great-grandpa just fell asleep."

"Oh. Right, wasn't there a small acrobat troupe in our village recently? They seemed to be staying with your great-grandpa. There was a very handsome young man among them, do you know him?"

"Yes, I do. What do you need him for, Grandpa?"

"Ying Hou got sick today, and he cured her with acupuncture. When we went to thank him, he was gone. I've already asked your grandma to go to town for meat. We want to invite him over for dinner tonight. Where is he? Could you come with me to invite him? You should also stay for dinner tonight, Xiaoyuan Hou."

"Grandpa, why don't you head back first? I'll go deliver the message for you."

"Are you sure you can get him to come?"

"Yes, I can."

"Alright."

Li Weihan rode his bicycle back home.

Lin Shuyou had just finished showering by the well and was walking towards them, drying his hair.

"Brother Xiaoyuan, I'll go notify Three Eyes for you."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Lin Shuyou and asked, "Do you know where he is?"

"Uh, where else would he be? Shouldn't he have gone to Big Beard's house to check on Old Tian Tou?"

"He won't be there."

"Huh? Then where could he have gone...?"

"If he went, the outcome would be dire."

"Then—" Lin Shuyou continued vigorously drying his hair, clearly not understanding.

"I'll go check at Big Beard's house."

Li Zhuiyuan went to the kitchen doorway and told Aunt Liu, who was busy inside, "Aunt Liu, could you prepare a few things for me? I'll take them to Grandma and Grandpa's house."

"Alright."

Aunt Liu wiped her hands on her apron, then, like a general summoning troops, began listing items: a basket of freshly pickled salted duck eggs, a bag of fried meatballs from yesterday, and a smoked cured ham. Considering that the local residents weren't accustomed to smoked flavors, Aunt Liu swapped the cured ham for freshly made fish paste.

Every time Li Zhuiyuan and the others were about to return, Aunt Liu would prepare dishes in advance, much like a regular family preparing for a big banquet. This was mainly because of Run Sheng's astonishing appetite. If he were to buy packaged goods from a store, his grandparents wouldn't open them to eat; they would simply save them and use them as gifts for others. While these duck eggs and meatballs would eventually be eaten by his aunts and uncles, his grandparents would at least get a taste too.

Li Sanjiang had once told Li Zhuiyuan, "Don't try to change someone, especially an older person. Just do your duty, then let them be." In truth, it was Li Sanjiang who couldn't let go, and it was also Li Sanjiang who cursed the old couple the most. Li Zhuiyuan, on the other hand, had always been quite open-minded.

"Aunt Liu, could you put a price on these items and settle the payment with Brother Binbin?"

"Hmm?"

"My great-grandpa doesn't like sending things to my grandparents' house, so I'm just making things easier."

"Alright, I understand."

Lin Shuyou asked, "Huh, where's Brother Bin? I haven't seen him since he got back."

Aunt Liu replied, "Zhuangzhuang is in the workshop out back, studying. I just brought him some cantaloupe."

Upon hearing this, Lin Shuyou immediately dashed towards the back of the house, shouting as he ran: "Brother Bin, you're secretly studying and didn't even call me!"

The two large baskets were heavy, but Li Zhuiyuan lifted them steadily. A-Li also carried two small tool baskets, accompanying him as they walked down the embankment.

As soon as they arrived at Big Beard's house, Xiao Yingying walked over and reached out for the baskets in the boy's hands.

"These are for me to take away."

Xiao Yingying nodded, then turned and left.

Li Zhuiyuan set the baskets down and walked over to Old Tian Tou. Benben, who had been feigning sleep, secretly opened an eye. After confirming the visitor was Li Zhuiyuan, he immediately closed his eyes again, resuming his act. Old Tian Tou's eyes held an anxious plea for help, not for himself, but for the boy to save his young master. Li Zhuiyuan didn't help Old Tian Tou remove the restraints, letting him continue fanning.

Next, the boy and girl walked down the embankment, each taking a small shovel, and began tending to the herb garden. The herb seeds they had planted before their last trip were growing well, primarily because this place truly was a "blessed land." The rapid maturation of the herbs provided a great sense of accomplishment.

As they worked, peach blossoms drifted down.

"A-Li, I'm going inside for a moment."

A-Li nodded, continuing to focus on the herb seedlings in front of her.

Li Zhuiyuan put down his shovel, reached out, caught two peach blossoms, and rubbed them between his fingers. The petals were exceptionally moist, almost like washing his hands. Then, the boy walked into the peach grove.

There was no obstruction; the path was clear. Soon, Li Zhuiyuan heard a hoarse, desperate soul-shriek. His physical body was exhausted, his voice no more than a mosquito's buzz, but the lashing wails from his soul grew ever clearer.

Arriving at the small pond, Li Zhuiyuan saw Zhao Yi hanging there, whipped beyond human recognition. Young Master Zhao certainly hadn't anticipated such a "warm welcome" on his first day back in Nantong.

Qing'an was painting, and Li Zhuiyuan stood to its side. The painting was a landscape in an impressionistic style, appearing as mere chaos before its completion. The whipping continued, but Li Zhuiyuan intently watched the painting process, as if studying a technique.

A moment later, Qing'an spoke first: "He's very arrogant."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "He shouldn't be that foolish. Could it be that *that* face possessed his body and was then drawn here by this peach grove?" The boy trusted Zhao Yi's intelligence. Even if he had unknowingly come cheerfully to see Old Tian Tou, he would surely have realized he couldn't enter upon reaching Big Beard's doorstep.

"Are you here to plead for him?"

"You're the one who let me in. Besides, if he hadn't cured my elder cousin today, and my grandparents weren't planning to invite him for dinner, I wouldn't even care where he went."

"You're still pleading for him."

Qing'an put down its brush and tapped its fingertip on an empty jar nearby. Outside on the embankment, Xiao Yingying placed two newly purchased jars of wine on the offering table and lit the incense. The wine jar beside Qing'an slowly filled up. It lifted the jar and took several large gulps. Such beings enjoyed the sensation of drinking half and spilling half when they drank.

"If you've only come to plead for his release today, I'll hang you up and whip you both."

The wine was full; it needed good accompaniments.

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Wei Zhengdao used to look down on Buddhism."

Qing'an nodded. "Exactly. He thought Sun Boishen was a fool."

Li Zhuiyuan continued, "This time, the Bodhisattva was dragged into the underworld and suppressed."

Qing'an chuckled.

Silence fell.

Qing'an's hand patted the rim of the jar. "This time, are you just going to dismiss me so perfunctorily?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

Overhead, the peach branches swayed, as if about to descend and tie the boy up to receive the same treatment as Zhao Yi.

Qing'an said, "I really will act."

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "I know."

For Qing'an, hanging up and whipping someone who strongly resembled Wei Zhengdao was also a very enjoyable act. Peach branches began to coil around the boy's wrists and ankles, and another slowly snaked up to his neck.

Qing'an said, "It seems there's really nothing to gain this time?"

"There is," Li Zhuiyuan replied.

Qing'an said, "Then speak."

"I don't want to say it yet. I'm waiting to use it as leverage to trade with you."

Qing'an raised an eyebrow. "Do you think this fellow isn't worth using as a bargaining chip?"

"It's not a question of worth," Li Zhuiyuan countered, "but rather that it's unnecessary. I've already figured it out."

Qing'an said, "You're progressing very quickly."

"Thank you," Li Zhuiyuan replied.

Qing'an asked, "But you're clearly not affected by the black book's secret art, so why bother studying its 'toxicity'?"

"Even before, if I did nothing, I wouldn't have been affected by this secret art. But now, I am affected by it, though I've found a way to deal with its 'toxicity'."

"Oh?" Qing'an mused.

"This has always been my pursuit. Being completely unaffected by it isn't what I actually wanted. Now, being able to be influenced by it, paradoxically, is a form of self-affirmation. I believe that when Wei Zhengdao first created this secret art, he initially thought, like I did, that it was tailor-made for him. Later, he must have realized that, in certain respects, this spell was actually a mockery of people like us. On some day in his later attempts at suicide, he must have yearned to be poisoned to death by the 'toxicity' of this spell, even if the process would make life worse than death."

"You mean Wei Zhengdao even envied my current wretched state?"

"Initially, I too envied my companions. What I needed to 'perform' was their genuine, everyday emotional expression."

Qing'an raised the wine jar.

Li Zhuiyuan continued, "Perhaps this is also why I chose them to be my companions, to live alongside me and face the storms together."

"Hah, heheh, hahahahahaha!"

"Glug, glug, glug...!"

The entire jar of wine was guzzled down in one wasteful gulp. With a "thud," the jar was set down.

Qing'an brushed up its wine-dampened long sleeve and swept its gaze across the painting before it. Imbued by the wine's essence, the previously chaotic painting burst into full bloom, revealing a profound and expansive artistic vision.

Qing'an said, "You said you still have another 'appetizer' hidden?"

"Yes," Li Zhuiyuan confirmed.

Qing'an continued, "But I've already had my fill. You truly are like him; even a few impromptu words can make me laugh heartily. In the eyes of people like you, are people like me easily manipulated and worthless?"

"Who would deliberately try to amuse someone worthless?"

Hearing this, Qing'an lowered its head and let out a wistful sigh.

After a long moment, it raised its hand. Zhao Yi's whipping stopped, and peach branches coiled around him, lifting him to a spot behind Qing'an. With a "splat," Zhao Yi knelt down, his bloody, mangled face pressing into Qing'an's palm. At this point, Zhao Yi's entire body had been whipped into a soft pulp, and his soul was almost on the verge of dissipating.

"Oh, oh, oh!"

A terrible suction force emanated, and Zhao Yi let out another soul-wrenching wail. This time, a second voice emerged: Su Luo's. Su Luo's face first materialized on Zhao Yi's, then transferred to his soul, and finally migrated to Qing'an's palm. What was extracted was not only Su Luo's face but also the side effect of Zhao Yi's last use of the black book's secret art, facilitated by Li Zhuiyuan's previous arrangements. Moreover, this side effect had been intentionally amplified by the Great Emperor.

Qing'an asked, "How did he manage to anger that one?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "He told that one not to 'be shameless,' and he also sent a pair of rotten dog's testicles."

"Oh? This boy is actually that brave?" Qing'an mused. While following Wei Zhengdao, Qing'an had witnessed true tribulations, yet it was still surprised by Zhao Yi's audacity to openly insult that entity with his current level of power.

"He doesn't lack courage," Li Zhuiyuan said.

Qing'an then stated, "But if that's the case, he shouldn't have been able to return here alive."

"The main reason is me; he was implicated because of me."

"He certainly didn't lose out," Qing'an said, "He gained a lot from this experience."

With that, Qing'an flicked its palm, and Su Luo's face was thrown onto a peach tree in front of them. The face began to writhe, as if unaccustomed to its new body. Qing'an beckoned with a finger, and the next moment, Su Luo stepped out from inside the tree. At first, he was just an ordinary wooden figure. Gradually, he became more refined, his body restoring to the likeness of the tomb's occupant, even his skin tone becoming consistent.

Qing'an asked, "Can you paint?"

"Yes," Su Luo replied.

"Can you play chess?"

"Yes."

"Can you play the guqin?"

"Yes."

"Can you drink alcohol?"

"No, I have a low tolerance, but I enjoy being drunk."

Qing'an's finger tapped Zhao Yi's face. Zhao Yi's entire body jiggled, like a piece of aspic that trembles all over when tapped in one spot with a spoon.

"Forget the sensation of using that secret art. I can only help you this one time. A physical addiction can be cured, but a mental one is hard to shake. Why do you think I've kept myself sealed all this time?"

Qing'an gestured, and peach blossoms drifted down, completely enveloping Zhao Yi. When the peach blossoms dissipated like water, the bloody mangled flesh was gone, and Zhao Yi was completely restored to normal.

Li Zhuiyuan said to Qing'an, "Thank you." This thank you was necessary. Because Li Zhuiyuan could tell that Qing'an had only superficially healed Zhao Yi; such severe injuries hadn't been cured in the slightest, merely covered up. The reason was likely that Li Zhuiyuan had mentioned earlier he was taking Zhao Yi to his grandparents' house for dinner that night.

Qing'an waved a hand and said, "That 'appetizer' you've saved can be brought out another day. The small cold dish you just improvised was more than enough for several rounds of drinks."

"Understood," Li Zhuiyuan replied.

The peach grove began to repel them. Li Zhuiyuan reached out and, dragging Zhao Yi, easily walked out of the peach grove, propelled by the wind it generated against them.

"Ah!" Zhao Yi awoke and staggered to his feet.

"Li, you can't possibly understand how I feel right now. The pain aside, I feel like a jellyfish washed ashore; a little more sun and I'll melt."

"I understand," Li Zhuiyuan said, "because I was genuinely melted once."

Zhao Yi asked, "When was that?"

"In Ghost Street," Li Zhuiyuan replied, "after you all died