Chapter 310

Zhao Yanglin's face was filled with shock, his eyes wide with disbelief:

"Qin... Liu... Dragon King's family?"

Everyone present understood that once Brother Xiao Yuan stated his family name, the Second Master Zhao standing before them had no chance of survival.

The young man lowered the umbrella handle, shielding his face.

"Rumble!"

As thunder rumbled in the sky again, everyone moved.

Tan Wenbin extended both arms, tilting his neck, his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose creating a disorienting effect on Zhao Yanglin.

Run Sheng charged forward, bringing his Yellow River Shovel down with powerful force. He wasn't afraid of Zhao Yanglin dodging; he was afraid he wouldn't.

Zhao Yanglin, whose five senses were severely assaulted, sensed a terrible danger and instinctively dodged.

Lin Shuyou had already positioned himself where Zhao Yanglin intended to dodge, and brought his twin maces down fiercely.

The first mace shattered the mist in front of Zhao Yanglin, and the second caved in his chest.

As he stumbled back, severely wounded, the blood gushing from Zhao Yanglin began to swirl.

Zhao Yi appeared from the side, raised his hand, activated the Zhao Family's core technique, and struck with a palm, cutting off his second uncle's last chance to escape.

Liang Yan and Liang Li followed, their soft swords plunging into Zhao Yanglin's chest and violently twisting, while a dagger severed his head.

"Thud..."

The headless body fell to the ground.

This father and son could now arrange to meet in the underworld.

"Sigh..."

Zhao Yi sighed, not for his blood-related second uncle, but for Liang Yan and Liang Li.

The group surnamed Li executed their moves almost flawlessly, but Liang Yan and Liang Li were a step late. If he hadn't intervened, his second uncle might have struggled a few more times.

However, the issue wasn't with the sisters themselves; it was a difference between the two leaders.

Zhao Yi picked up his second uncle's head. Before he could speak, he noticed a faint, peculiar scent emanating from the corpse.

It was so faint it was barely perceptible, yet distinctly present.

The sensation felt familiar. Zhao Yi instinctively sniffed himself, as if he had experienced it before.

Zhao Yi asked, "Did any of you smell anything?"

The others sniffed carefully. Tan Wenbin even used his "ox nose" ability, but everyone ultimately shook their heads.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to Zhao Xu's corpse and opened his hand.

The next moment, a small, crystal-purple flower slowly bloomed from Zhao Xu's body.

This, of course, could only be seen in the Underworld Traveler state, so everyone present, except Run Sheng, saw it.

Zhao Yi suddenly understood. It wasn't a smell after all.

It was a Higanbana (Red Spider Lily), imbued with the aura of the Yellow Springs.

This group had previously been steeped in the great fog of Fengdu, and Zhao Yi's Life-and-Death Gate seam had recorded this mark.

The Higanbana on Zhao Xu's body bloomed and quickly contracted, seemingly enveloping something before dissipating along with it.

Li Zhuiyuan then walked to Zhao Yanglin's corpse and performed the same action.

The Higanbana bloomed, bound the soul, and then dissipated, sending the soul back to the underworld.

The Great Emperor of Fengdu had once issued a decree, designating the entire Zhao clan of Jiujiang for posthumous ennoblement.

This meant that every member of the Zhao family had been marked. While countless souls wandered the world, only a tiny fraction could enter the underworld; the Zhao family, however, each held a ticket to the netherworld.

Zhao Yi held Zhao Yanglin's head before him and said,

"Second Uncle, look how good your nephew is to you. I didn't tell anyone else; I secretly sent you ahead to the underworld to choose your official position."

After witnessing the Great Emperor of Fengdu's methods with his subordinates, it became clear that being an official in the netherworld was, in fact, an endless form of torture.

Tan Wenbin remarked, "When I used to watch 'Investiture of the Gods,' I wondered why villains could be deified after death. Wasn't that a reward for them? Now I understand."

Lin Shuyou added, "Understand that it's not a reward..."

Tan Wenbin corrected, "Understand that these aren't villains..."

Zhao Yi chimed in, "You don't even need to read myths. Just ask the White Crane Immortal Boy, and he'll make it clear. Ask him whether he was happier as a ghost king or later as a high-ranking underworld official."

Lin Shuyou's eyelids twitched, and he said, "The Immortal Boy said he's happiest now as Li, the Nantong Corpse Retriever."

Tan Wenbin said, "External team, two of your family members have already gone to report. After this matter is over, won't your Zhao family directly become a force to be reckoned with in the underworld?"

Lin Shuyou mused, "Perhaps a hundred years from now, in folk tales, many ghost officers and generals will be surnamed Zhao."

Zhao Yi commented, "Sounds a bit impressive."

Tan Wenbin asked, "Aren't you afraid that after a hundred years, you'll go down and reunite with your family?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" Zhao Yi lifted his chin, pointing at Li Zhuiyuan. "We have someone in the underworld."

Liang Yan and Liang Li took on the task of flaying the faces.

With their skillful hands, the two facial skins were perfectly peeled off.

With these as raw materials for disguise, the effect would be excellent, especially since Zhao Yi was already a member of the Zhao family.

Now they had two, one for the father and one for the son.

Zhao Yi held the two facial skins, Zhao Yanglin's in his left hand and Zhao Xu's in his right, and asked Li Zhuiyuan,

"Brother Xiao Yuan, which one do you choose?"

As he asked, Zhao Xu's skin twitched deliberately.

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "You take Zhao Xu's."

Zhao Yi responded, "Huh?"

Li Zhuiyuan clarified, "Zhao Yanglin's skin is for Brother Binbin."

Zhao Yi said, "Zhuangzhuang and I are going in together. Aren't you going, Li?"

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "I am."

Zhao Yi proposed, "Zhao Yanglin is tall, and Zhao Xu is thinner. Li, you can imitate Zhao Xu. I'll make you a puppet frame inside, and you can just control it. With your puppetry skills, it'll be hard to find any flaws."

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "That's too tiring."

Zhao Yi began, "Then..."

Li Zhuiyuan suggested, "Let Brother Binbin disguise himself as Zhao Yanglin, and I'll follow him into the Zhao residence. Zhao Yanglin kept many mistresses outside anyway, and he's brought illegitimate children into the family before."

Zhao Yi exclaimed, "Wait, you know all this?"

Li Zhuiyuan confirmed, "Yes."

Zhao Yi reasoned, "But the younger generation is more free-spirited and interacts with other young family members. Zhao Yanglin is a middle-aged to elder figure in the family and deals with the family's old foxes. I'm worried Zhuangzhuang won't be able to handle it."

Li Zhuiyuan stated, "Now, I probably understand your second uncle better than you do."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi immediately realized something and turned to examine the two corpses.

The two bodies were already rapidly decomposing and would soon turn into pus, which was clearly not normal.

"Li, did you just use the Black Tome secret art on both of them?"

"Yes, I read their memories."

"Heh, impressive, impressive."

Zhao Yi shrugged. He had almost lost half his life trying to counteract the side effects of using that secret art once by chance, yet Li was using it to gossip about the dead.

Tan Wenbin asked, "Where are we going now?"

Zhao Yi replied, "Let's go. I'll take you for breakfast first."

It was still dark, but the shop was already open for business.

The plump proprietress was slicing braised meats, while the bald owner, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, was bare-chested and setting out tables and chairs.

When Zhao Yi appeared, the owner immediately spat out his cigarette, and the proprietress dropped her knife. Both turned to Zhao Yi and respectfully said,

"Young Master."

Zhao Yi waved his hand and said, "There's a job to do, and while we're at it, I'm taking a few friends from out of town for some morning drinks."

The owner immediately bent down, ready to move the tables and chairs he had just set out back inside.

Zhao Yi stopped him, "No need to go to that trouble. Don't specially accommodate us. What's morning drink without a lively atmosphere?"

"Yes, Young Master. Please, you and your esteemed guests, have a seat. I'll prepare everything right away."

Liang Yan handed the proprietress a black package containing the two human faces.

The proprietress acknowledged, took the package, and went into the back kitchen.

Zhao Yi gestured for everyone to sit down and said to Li Zhuiyuan, "After being rained on and having our muscles relaxed, a little wine can also relieve fatigue."

Li Zhuiyuan replied, "You drink."

Zhao Yi leaned back and called out to the busy owner,

"Do you have any milk? Soy milk, dairy milk, yogurt—any kind will do."

The owner awkwardly shook his head, then pointed to a shop that hadn't opened yet, implying he could pry open the lock to get some.

"Do you have soda?"

"Yes, Young Master."

"Soda it is."

With a flick of his finger, Zhao Yi personally opened a bottle, inserted a straw, and pushed it in front of Li Zhuiyuan.

"They're a pair of star-crossed lovers who eloped and were hunted by their families. I had Old Tian intervene and secure their safety. They practice the traditional craft of 'Clay Figure Zhang,' creating incredibly lifelike figures. They stopped taking outside commissions a long time ago and only do private work for me."

Lin Shuyou asked, "In this day and age, people still try to break up lovers?"

Zhao Yi affirmed, "Exactly."

Lin Shuyou observed, "The proprietress is Clay Figure Zhang."

Zhao Yi confirmed, "Both of them are."

Lin Shuyou asked, "Same surname?"

Zhao Yi nodded, "Mhm."

Lin Shuyou guessed, "Cousins?"

Zhao Yi replied, "You're adding a word."

Lin Shuyou's mouth hung open for a long moment before he finally said, "I sort of understand why their family was hunting them now."

Tan Wenbin stood up, distributed chopsticks to everyone, and chuckled, "Young Master Zhao certainly leads a colorful life. Tonight feels like a major drama."

Soon, dishes were brought out one after another, each typically placed over a small alcohol stove.

Zhao Yi invited, "Come on, try it. Although they aren't locals, their craftsmanship is exceptional."

Everyone started picking up food, occasionally taking a sip of wine.

The more they drank, the brighter the sky became.

In ancient times, wherever water transportation was developed, a morning drinking culture would persist. Canal workers, after a strenuous night, would come off the docks, eat and drink to reward themselves, then go straight to sleep.

The proprietress emerged carrying a bag. "Young Master, it's ready."

Zhao Yi said, "Thank you for your hard work."

The proprietress quickly waved her hand, saying, "It's nothing, nothing at all."

After eating, carrying the prepared facial skins, they first returned to their original lodging.

Lin Shuyou and Run Sheng went to sleep, and the Liang sisters also returned to their rooms.

Zhao Yi and Tan Wenbin gathered in Li Zhuiyuan's room.

The two facial skins were spread out in separate washbasins filled with water.

"Zhuangzhuang, come on, take off your clothes and put your face on it."

Tan Wenbin complied. As his face pressed against the skin, not only did his own face writhe, but the water in the basin was also drawn out, flowing down his neck.

When the transformation was complete, Tan Wenbin looked up. Not only had his face changed to resemble Zhao Yanglin's, but his physique had also altered, making him almost indistinguishable from the Zhao Yanglin who had died last night.

The so-called 'clay figures' weren't dolls molded from clay, but living people molded like clay.

This level of craftsmanship was truly exquisite.

Zhao Yi also submerged his face, and when he looked up again, he had become Zhao Xu.

Young Master Zhao didn't hesitate, immediately displaying the reverence and fawning attitude a son would show his father:

"Father."

Tan Wenbin also got into character, nodding slightly and responding indifferently:

"Hm."

Zhao Yi remarked, "Good, you've got the feel of it."

This level of acting was sufficient. With Li by Tan Wenbin's side, Zhao Yi was confident that Zhuangzhuang wouldn't encounter any problems.

Zhao Yi looked at Li Zhuiyuan. "So, next, we go to my family's place?"

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Let's go there first."

From the outside, the civilian house looked no different from others in the village.

As Zhao Yi, Tan Wenbin, and Li Zhuiyuan approached, the old iron gate opened from within, revealing an elderly man standing inside.

"Master, Young Master."

The old man's gaze fell on Li Zhuiyuan. Though he didn't know where the boy came from, he dared not ask.

He also dared not ask about the four house servants who had been taken out yesterday and hadn't returned with them.

Li Zhuiyuan led Tan Wenbin by the hand, walking ahead. After entering the house, they descended a staircase to the basement.

When the door was opened, air circulated, and the candles inside automatically lit up.

The basement was much larger than expected; one could even say the civilian house above was built merely as an accessory to it.

The basement walls were covered with various lifelike paintings, mostly depicting Zhao Yanglin with different women. Zhao Yanglin looked full of vigor, but the women in the paintings with him felt eerily out of place.

If they were ordinary erotic paintings, or self-portraits for memory, it would be one thing. But the female figures in them were not alive.

Some were wrapped in iron chains, some had talismans affixed to their foreheads, and even more shockingly, some had peach wood swords piercing their chests.

In several paintings, father and son even appeared together in the same frame.

The paintings on the walls were merely exhibits. In the basement, various styles of coffins were stacked, and in the central area, there was a massive bed.

The coffins were not empty; they contained female corpses of various forms. They had already died once, only to be "awakened" and subjected to torment again after death.

"Brother Binbin."

"Hm."

Tan Wenbin stepped forward and affixed a talisman to each corpse in the coffins. As the talismans burned, the bodies gradually began to crack and finally turned to dust.

Their grievances still lingered here, enduring the torment of their final moments. Now, they were finally being released.

Zhao Yi licked his lips. He knew Li had come here specifically, not just for this purpose.

"Brother Xiao Yuan, you know how I was before lighting the lamp and traversing the river. I wasn't even close to my parents, let alone other members of the Zhao family.

The reason I knew about my cousin's unusual habits was that after I gradually recovered, I gained informants within the Zhao family, and they told me.

Moreover, initially, the information I received was that Zhao Xu merely desecrated corpses. But I never imagined my second uncle and cousin could go to such lengths.

The fact that they would deliberately turn living people into dead ones was also news I only learned recently when I went to hear the latest report."

"Click!"

Zhao Yi lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and continued:

"Let me put it this way: if I had known the full truth earlier, even if the river traversal hadn't ended, I would have set a trap to dispatch this father and son.

During the river traversal, one cannot rely on family support and must draw a clear line with them, fearing that the karmic repercussions of the traversal might affect the clan.

However, killing people within the family is not subject to this rule.

Brother Xiao Yuan, you have to believe me. I, Zhao Yi, am not what you'd call a good person, but I'm not so despicable that I can tolerate just anything or bear to witness everything."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "I'm not here to listen to you explain this."

Zhao Yi asked, "Are