Chapter 14

After a hearty breakfast, Li Sanjiang and the others prepared to set off.

There was actually a human-powered cargo tricycle at home, with long wooden slats attached to the back. It was normally used to deliver tables, chairs, bowls, and dishes for wedding and funeral banquets. But Run Sheng could not ride a bike, and the elderly people did not dare let him learn on the spot today.

So, Run Sheng pushed a flatbed cart out of the storeroom. Its front was quite spacious. After Li Sanjiang, Liu Jinxia, and Grandpa Shan climbed aboard, Run Sheng first pressed the cart level by gripping the handles, then steadily pushed the three elders down the embankment.

It had to be said that after eating his fill, Run Sheng's strength was genuinely frightening.

Yet as he watched their retreating figures, Li Zhuiyuan still felt uneasy. After all, there was no denying that this was still a very standard... combination of the elderly, weak, sick, disabled, and young.

The house returned to quiet.

Uncle Qin was chopping wooden strips in the courtyard to make frames for paper figures. Aunt Liu was painting the newly made Paper People on the first floor. Liu Yumei sat drinking tea before the East Room, while Li Zhuiyuan and A Li read on the second floor's southeast corner.

Just as he had for the past two days, he kept track of the time and brought A Li downstairs to use the toilet, drink water, and have some snacks. Whenever they passed Liu Yumei, he would smile and greet her.

Liu Yumei had even seen the Boy seriously perform a full set of radio calisthenics after reading for a long time.

But with half an hour left until lunch, Li Zhuiyuan closed his book. He did not go inside to get another one. Instead, he looked very seriously at A Li.

"A Li, I'm worried Great Grandfather and the others might be in danger, so I need to go check on them. Will you wait at home for me to come back?"

A Li did not respond.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and went downstairs. A Li followed him down as well. But Li Zhuiyuan took out a key and entered the basement, while A Li walked toward the East Room.

Liu Yumei asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Her granddaughter had been getting up early these past two days. Even Liu Yumei, her grandmother, had started getting up earlier to dress her.

Wasn't it all so she could read with Little Yuanhou earlier?

But it was barely noon. Why was her granddaughter going back to her room alone?

Had the two children argued?

No, could her A Li even argue with someone?

Then Liu Yumei saw Little Yuan come out holding a Peachwood Sword. Oh, then they really had not argued. If he had truly made her granddaughter angry, this brat would not still be hopping around so lively.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over to Uncle Qin and said, "Uncle Qin, I want to go into town and buy something."

"Sure. Tell me what you need, and I'll go buy it for you."

"I want to pick it out myself. Uncle, ride me there."

Uncle Qin put down the wooden strip in his hand, clapped his hands together, and nodded. "All right."

But he still asked, "To Shinan Town?"

"Shinan Town is too small. Let's go to neighboring Shigang Town instead."

Shinan Town only had a few shops around its crossroads. It truly could not compare to nearby Shigang Town, which had department stores, dance halls, karaoke rooms, and other places. Villagers from several surrounding towns went to Shigang Town whenever they wanted to buy large items or have some entertainment.

The Niu Family was in a village beneath Shigang Town, and that was also Li Sanjiang and the others' destination.

Uncle Qin looked at Li Zhuiyuan, then suddenly smiled and changed his mind. "I'm busy today. If you want to go to Shigang, let's go tomorrow."

"No, Uncle Qin. I want to go."

"You want to go where your Great Grandfather is?"

"Yes. I also want to buy something while I'm there."

"Little Yuan, your Great Grandfather went there to do a job. My work is farming at home, helping with Paper Crafting, and delivering tables and chairs. I don't touch your Great Grandfather's kind of work."

"I know." Li Zhuiyuan raised the Peachwood Sword. "Great Grandfather even told me last night to remind him to bring this, but I forgot this morning. I only remembered just now, so please take me to Shigang. I'll give it to Great Grandfather. This is his treasure. He can't do without it."

From Li Zhuiyuan's description, the Peachwood Sword seemed to have become some mighty weapon for slaying demons, vanquishing evil, and upholding justice. Yet he carefully covered the base of the hilt with his hand, hiding the maker's mark—"Shandong Linyi Furniture Factory."

Uncle Qin froze. Deliveries were indeed part of his work, but he clearly heard another intention beneath the Boy's words.

"All right, give the sword to Uncle. I'll deliver it to your Great Grandfather for you."

Li Zhuiyuan moved the Peachwood Sword away. "Uncle, you forgot. I still need to buy things, so I have to go along."

"Then wait a moment."

Uncle Qin walked over to Liu Yumei, who was sitting there drinking tea, and quietly said something to her. Liu Yumei looked up at Li Zhuiyuan standing in the distance, a smile playing on her lips as she sighed.

"That Li Sanjiang is a rough fellow who does not know how fortunate he is. But this child is thoughtful. He has seen that our family is not ordinary. No, he has seen what lies beneath the surface."

Seeing that their family was well-off was only the first layer. Seeing their deeper background was the second.

"What should I do, then?"

Liu Yumei did not answer immediately. Instead, she lifted her teacup and took a sip.

This Child had probably made up his mind long ago, yet he could still calmly do the same things he had done over the past two days. He was worried sick about his Great Grandfather, but not a trace of impatience showed on his face.

Then she recalled how he had led A Li to the toilet earlier, smiling and greeting her as they passed. Ripples suddenly spread across the tea in Liu Yumei's cup.

How could such depth of thought possibly belong to a child?

"You should accompany him." After a pause, Liu Yumei added, "But on the way, make some things clear to him."

"I understand."

Uncle Qin walked over to Li Zhuiyuan. "Little Yuan, wait here. Uncle will go bring out the bike."

"All right, Uncle."

Uncle Qin rode out an old-fashioned heavy bicycle. Li Zhuiyuan tried to sit on the rear rack, but Uncle Qin grabbed him with one hand and lifted him onto the front bar.

When the two rode down the slope and left, A Li instinctively walked in that direction, only for Liu Yumei to seize her hand.

The girl's eyelashes began to tremble.

"A Li, Grandma knows you want to play with Little Yuan. But Little Yuan has something of his own to do right now. At times like this, you should wait at home for him, wait until he has finished what he needs to do and comes back.

"If you only know how to cling to him all the time, he'll get tired of it and annoyed. Then maybe he won't want to play with you anymore."

Hearing that, the girl turned to look at her grandmother. In her eyes, there seemed to be a faint, almost imperceptible flicker of confusion.

But Liu Yumei still caught it. She was both delighted and sorrowful.

It had been a long time since she had sensed any other emotion from her granddaughter. This time, she had finally felt one, but only because she had said such things to her granddaughter.

"A Li, Grandma does not mean that Little Yuan will really dislike you. When he comes back, Grandma will dress you up beautifully again so you can play with him, all right?

"Actually, Little Yuan cares about you a lot. That boy is clever. He could clearly have dragged you along and said he wanted to go to Shigang to find his Great Grandfather, forcing us to give in.

"But he did not do that.

"So Grandma will return the favor."

The heavy bicycle rode very steadily. Sitting on the front bar, enclosed by the rider's arms, gave him a sense of being protected.

Li Zhuiyuan held the Peachwood Sword while his gaze kept sweeping over Uncle Qin's arm muscles.

Then he looked at his own skinny arms and legs. Though they were fairer than Uncle Qin's, they were clearly more for show than use.

"Uncle Qin, have you trained before?"

"Yes."

Uncle Qin was somewhat surprised. He had put the Boy on the front bar to make it easier to find a chance to speak, but before he could say anything, the Boy spoke first.

"Uncle Qin, can you fight?"

"Uncle can't."

"No way, right?" Li Zhuiyuan stretched out a finger and pinched Uncle Qin's forearm. It did not feel as hard as it looked, but it was very firm.

"I'm not lying to you, Little Yuan. Uncle doesn't know how to hit people."

"Do you still practice normally, Uncle?"

"I have work to do and fields to farm, so I'm busy. I don't have time to set aside for practice. But once you've entered the door of martial arts, whatever you do can serve as practice."

"I want to learn."

"Little Yuan, do you think this is Shaolin Temple?"

The Shaolin Temple movie starring Jet Li had long become popular throughout the country. Even now, it was a frequent showing at open-air movies in rural courtyards.

"Uncle, I know it'll be hard, but I'm not afraid."

"It's not just about hardship. Times are different now. No matter how well you train, can you beat a bullet?"

"It would still be good exercise."

"Heh."

"Uncle Qin, teach me whenever you have time."

Although Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu was only an entry-level encyclopedia introducing the characteristics of Death Collapses, Li Zhuiyuan had discovered through constant reading that many Death Collapses generally possessed immense strength. In strange and unusual environments, one sometimes truly had to rely on a corpse retriever's physical abilities to force a way through.

The book also marked the weaknesses and methods of attacking many Death Collapses. It was not as simple as throwing Talisman Papers or spells at them and having them vanish into ashes. One had to truly get hands-on.

The most frequently appearing and useful techniques were back strength, wrestling, grappling, leg locks...

From some of the illustrations, Li Zhuiyuan could tell that this did not seem to be close combat in the traditional sense. Judging by the figures' movements, it looked like martial arts specifically designed for dealing with Death Collapses.

Furthermore, Run Sheng's appearance yesterday had helped Li Zhuiyuan clear away the fog surrounding his reading.

Run Sheng might have had a huge appetite and some unusual traits, but in truth, he was probably the most standard corpse retriever build.

And his own Great Grandfather was in excellent physical condition too. Otherwise, he could not have carried corpses from The Bund all the way until now. Even at his age, he could still easily carry Li Zhuiyuan along country paths.

Seeing that Uncle Qin had not replied, Li Zhuiyuan asked again, "Uncle?"

Uncle Qin lowered his head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan. "You'll have to ask whether your elders agree."

"All right. I'll ask when we get back."

Uncle Qin's reference to elders was vague, but Li Zhuiyuan knew he meant Grandma Liu.

"Little Yuan, there's something Uncle needs to explain to you beforehand."

"Please tell me, Uncle."

"Uncle is a lazy person. I only do what falls within my duties. I will absolutely not do anything beyond them."

"How could that be? Uncle is obviously very hardworking."

Even by the standards of rural life these days, Uncle Qin stood among the most diligent and capable. He farmed, worked, and delivered goods. Even the village's old yellow ox could not outwork him.

"Uncle is telling the truth. If something is not my responsibility, even if I'm standing right there and a soy sauce bottle falls over, no matter how much spills out, I won't reach out and set it upright."

"Really?"

"Really."

Li Zhuiyuan fell silent.

Uncle Qin sighed inwardly. Talking to this Child really felt like talking to a smart person. He could sense that the Child understood what he meant.

After a long while, Li Zhuiyuan answered.

"Uncle, I understand."

"Mm."

Siyuan Village was located at the northern edge of Shinan Town and bordered Shigang Town. On top of that, Uncle Qin took smaller roads, cutting through villages and saving even more time.

After reaching the road belonging to Shigang Town, Uncle Qin continued cycling toward their destination.

"Uncle, do you know where it is?"

"I do. I've delivered tables and chairs to that village before."

"Oh."

"Or do you want to go to the department store in town first and buy your things?"

"No. Let's go where Great Grandfather and the others are first."

"All right."

They passed through the town and entered the village, where the road became narrower.

Before long, they could see a place in the distance where a funeral was being held.

"Uncle, you can stop here."

"We're almost there."

"I'm tired."

"Rest when we get there. You can even have a drink of water."

"I need to pee. I can't hold it anymore."

"All right."

Uncle Qin stopped the bicycle. Li Zhuiyuan jumped down, found a spot hidden beneath willow trees, and relieved himself. Then he squatted by the nearby ditch and washed his hands.

Qin Li had originally thought the Boy would get back on the bike after finishing, but instead, he sat down on a smooth rock by the field ridge and pulled a bottle of drink, several packs of biscuits, and two books from his clothes.

Qin Li remembered that gourd-shaped bottle of drink. He had bought it for the Boy after listening to Li Sanjiang.

No wonder the Boy's clothes had looked bulging when he got on the bike. He had secretly packed so many things. He clearly was not planning to leave at all, but intended to have a picnic here and read.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm tired, so I'm resting. Uncle Qin, you should sit too."

"Aren't you going to give the sword to your Great Grandfather? He's right ahead. Hurry and deliver it, then I can go back to work. Your Aunt Liu can't finish everything alone. The deadline is already tight. If we can't finish, we can't deliver the goods, and your Great Grandfather will lose his temper and scold people."

"He won't. Great Grandfather said he would write his inheritance in my name. If something happens to Great Grandfather, I'll be the young master. I won't lose my temper and scold people."

"You brat..."

"Uncle, sit. Look how tired you are from working all day. Let's take a day off too. Work and rest should be balanced."

Qin Li walked over to the Boy. He could tell that the Boy was doing this on purpose. As long as the sword was not delivered into Li Sanjiang's hands, Qin Li could not count his task as complete and had to stay here with him.

What shocked Qin Li even more was that the Boy seemed to have anticipated his line about not even righting a fallen soy sauce bottle.

Was this really a child? He was clearly a monster wearing a child's skin!

Then Qin Li suddenly understood. No wonder A Li was indifferent to everyone else but showed closeness only toward him.

Qin Li lowered his center of gravity. He planned to use brute force to carry the Boy over and forcibly complete the task.

"Uncle, our two families living together is really quite warm. Grandma Liu is very kind, and Aunt Liu is gentle too."

Qin Li narrowed his eyes.

"The book says that harmonious coexistence between people is built on the most basic foundation of respect."

Qin Li said, "Heh. Aren't we doing that?"

Li Zhuiyuan turned around and looked at Qin Li, who was unexpectedly close to him. He smiled. "Are we? We are."

Qin Li closed his eyes and straightened up. He felt completely manipulated by a child.

After a while, Qin Li said, "Little Yuan, if Uncle had not agreed to bring you here, would you have come alone?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. "I'm just a child. I can't help with anything. I wouldn't come alone, because coming would only cause trouble."

"All right. Go find your Great Grandfather. I won't go back, but remember, I still can't right a fallen soy sauce bottle."

"All right. Thank you, Uncle."

Li Zhuiyuan immediately packed up his things, walked to the heavy bicycle, and urged,

"Uncle, get in the car. We're almost there."

"What's wrong?" Li Sanjiang looked at Li Zhuiyuan first, then at Qin Li. "Why did you bring the child?"

"Great Grandfather, I missed you, so I begged Uncle Qin to bring me here. Uncle Qin couldn't say no to me."

"Little Yuanhou, is this somewhere you should be? Go on, go on. Have Lihou take you home."

"No, I'm not leaving. I want to stay here."

Li Zhuiyuan clutched Li Sanjiang's clothes tightly, his face full of grievance.

Li Sanjiang had wanted to say something harsher and send him away, but seeing the child like this, something soft deep within the old man—who had never married or had children—was fiercely squeezed.

So when old people doted on children, sometimes... they really had no principles, especially when it was affection passed down through generations.

"Fine. Lihou, keep an eye on the child. Don't let him run around."

Qin Li nodded. "Mm, I will."

Li Zhuiyuan had successfully stayed behind and began observing the zhai shi.

The zhai shi was being held on an open patch of ground in the village, formerly the village collective's threshing yard. A relatively small White Cloth Band had also been hired and was busy at work.

Eight performers dressed in Daoist robes were conducting the ritual. Each held a ritual instrument and muttered chants as they circled the offering table.

Offerings were laid out on the offering table, with Old Woman Niu's black-and-white memorial portrait in the center.

The plaque bore the words: Niu Clan.

Before marriage, the old woman had been an adopted child bride with no birth family and no name. Later, when the village conducted its household registration survey, she had reported her husband's surname.

The filial sons and daughters knelt on cushions, white cords wrapped around their heads, hemp mourning clothes on their bodies, and black armbands around their arms. As they wailed, they tossed paper money into the brazier before them.

Niu Fu and Niu Rui merely howled dryly, occasionally wiping their tears. They had the motions, but none of the feeling.

Their younger sister, Niu Lian, was far better. Her emotions and movements were both on point, tears pouring nonstop like water from a frozen broken faucet, and her words came in an endless stream.

"Mother, our father died early. You were the one who raised the three of us with such hardship, ahh-yo-wei!"

"Mother, times were hard back then. You couldn't bear to take another bite for yourself and fed it all to us, ahh-yo-wei!"

"Mother, we three had only just grown up. You hadn't even had the chance to enjoy life before you left us, ahh-yo-wei!"

The "ahh-yo-wei" after every line served as both the ending to the previous sentence and the emotional lead-in for the next, while also giving her a chance to catch her breath.

She was clearly speaking, yet she used a singing tone. Perhaps this was the earliest ancestor of rap in the country.

Niu Lian's performance carried along her two brothers. Every time, they repeated the ends of her lines and followed her in wailing, like backup singers.

Li Zhuiyuan found it interesting. Leaving aside the fact that he had met the old woman, the content of this mourning alone was enough to make one laugh through tears. What did she mean, they had only just grown up and Old Woman Niu had not had time to enjoy life before leaving?

Were they newly adults? Every one of them was already a grandfather or grandmother. If they truly wanted to be filial, how could it possibly have been too late?

Thinking of Big Beard's family funeral last time, they had wailed for their old mother in the daytime like truly devoted children, yet that did not stop him from taking his son to do something worse than beasts that night.

So no matter how well the White Cloth Band performed in the afternoon session, they could not compare to the main event in the morning. That was where the true masters of acting competed.

Still, this zhai shi was a little too quiet. By rights, a zhai shi should involve feeding guests as well.

Li Zhuiyuan moved close to Li Sanjiang, who was smoking, and asked, "Great Grandfather, why are there so few people? Aren't they feeding anyone?"

Yet not far away, he could see cooks busy at work.

Li Sanjiang sneered. "When the old woman died half a year ago, these Three Siblings held her funeral. Not only did they not hire a funeral troupe, they also cut every corner they could on the food. They made a thin, watery meal. The villagers came with condolence money, and forget eating well—they did not even fill their stomachs.

"This time, for her memorial birthday, no one from the village came. They have no sense of propriety at all."

Li Zhuiyuan understood. The Three Siblings had treated their mother's funeral purely as a way to rake in condolence money.

The custom of giving gift money at rural ceremonies was originally meant for everyone to pool their efforts and help the host family get through the event. Even if there were the occasional people who liked taking advantage, the hosts usually would not suffer a loss.

Who would have thought they would encounter three people this shameless?

Liu Jinxia was sitting behind the offering table. The smoke stung her eyes, making her repeatedly wipe away tears with a handkerchief, yet she continued chanting scriptures without pause. Every so often, she took out specific talisman papers and handed them to the filial sons and daughters below to burn.

Her position was meant to connect yin and yang—to help the dead and the living communicate.

Grandpa Shan had spread out a worn sleeping mat and sat in the northwest corner, holding a water pipe and smoking without stop.

Li Zhuiyuan recalled what he had read in the books. Taking the offering table as the central point, Grandpa Shan's position happened to be at the Evil-Breaking Gate. Any sinister wind or evil aura that wished to enter had to pass through there.

Run Sheng had not rested either. He kept walking back and forth, spinning the banner in circles. It was physically demanding work; he had to keep the banner turning without letting it fall.

His own great grandfather, on the other hand, sat beneath the awning drinking tea. Li Zhuiyuan felt his knowledge was too shallow to tell which position his great grandfather held.

But... it had to be an extremely important one.

They had eaten lunch long ago. In the afternoon session, the White Cloth Band performers changed collectively into monk robes, pretending to be monks as they knocked wooden fish and chanted scriptures.

A few had shaved heads and looked rather convincing.

Run Sheng carried bowls and chopsticks over from the back kitchen. He was hungry. Other people had afternoon tea, but whenever conditions allowed, he had afternoon meals.

He thoughtfully invited Li Zhuiyuan to eat with him. Li Zhuiyuan did not stand on ceremony, taking an empty bowl, scooping in some food, and starting to eat.

As for Uncle Qin, Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng had called him over, but he would not eat.

Ever since arriving, Uncle Qin had stood at the edge of the awning, barely moving from that spot.

Run Sheng stuck incense into the food. While waiting for it to burn down, he told Li Zhuiyuan, "I told my grandpa you'd been reading those books. My grandpa said you're much smarter than me and told me to talk with you more in the future."

Unlike Li Sanjiang, who firmly believed his great grandson had to return to the capital for university, Grandpa Shan had seen early on that Li Zhuiyuan was excellent material for retrieving corpses.

"Sure. You can come play with me often."

In Li Zhuiyuan's eyes, Run Sheng was the perfect bridge between theory and practice.

"Really? That's great. Heh, you don't know this, but my grandpa's health is bad and he often needs medicine. Our family is already strapped for money, and I'm such a bottomless pit when it comes to food. Sigh.

"If I come to your place, I can eat my fill and lighten Grandpa's burden a little. When there's work, I can go back and retrieve corpses for Grandpa. That way, neither thing gets delayed."

"You want to live here long-term?"

"Ah, can't I?" Run Sheng scratched his head.

"You'd have to ask my great grandfather."

"Then I'll have my grandpa talk to your great grandfather. According to Grandpa, after he's gone, I'll work for your great grandfather."

"Mm." Li Zhuiyuan nodded. His great grandfather was old too. It would be good if Run Sheng could take over someday.

After all, retrieving corpses was his great grandfather's real profession and an important part of his image. His great grandfather's other businesses could continue receiving customers only because he was a corpse retriever.

The incense burned out. Run Sheng eagerly used his chopsticks to stir the food together with the incense ash, then began eating in huge mouthfuls.

Li Zhuiyuan asked curiously, "If you don't light incense, can't you really eat?"

"Mm." Run Sheng swallowed as he answered. "I can't. It doesn't just taste like nothing in my mouth—it makes me nauseous."

"Then have you eaten..." Li Zhuiyuan hesitated before asking anyway, "Have you eaten Death Collapse?"

Run Sheng froze, then immediately lowered his voice.

"Grandpa warned me. I can't say outside that I've eaten it."

"Then you'd better remember your grandpa's warning."

"Of course. I've always remembered."

Li Zhuiyuan soon finished eating. Watching Run Sheng continue to feast, he thought that if Run Sheng had arrived two days earlier, he could have caught Old Woman Niu's paper person birthday banquet. He could have claimed an entire table of dishes for himself.

The afternoon gradually passed. Near dusk, everyone began packing up. Some carried flags, some carried banners, some carried scripture books, quilts, and pillows.

They formed a long line and walked along the field ridges toward Old Woman Niu's grave.

The last two people in the procession kept setting off double-bang firecrackers. They looked relaxed and carefree, lighting them and tossing them into the fields before they shot away.

Li Zhuiyuan helped Run Sheng carry a flag. As for Uncle Qin, he did not walk with them, instead following the procession from afar and maintaining a distance of a hundred meters.

Old Woman Niu's grave was small. Although cremation had long been promoted in the cities and burials were strictly regulated, rural areas still practiced traditional burial. Still, the sight of enormous tombs lavishly built and sealed with concrete had indeed become rare.

In their place stood little houses. Some old ones were two-story buildings with red bricks and green tiles; there were also three-story buildings and courtyard homes.

Someone unfamiliar with the place might enter this graveyard and think they had wandered into a model exhibition themed around rural architecture.

Old Woman Niu's grave, however, was merely a grave mound, a "dirt cap" dug up from the nearby earth with a shovel.

When visiting the grave, Niu Fu, as the eldest, first removed the dirt cap. Niu Rui then used a shovel to dig a new one, and once the grave-visiting ritual ended, Niu Lian placed the new cap over it.

They arranged incense and candles, burned paper money, and burned the Blood Scripture. Everything proceeded in orderly fashion under Liu Jinxia's direction.

Once it was all over and the new cap had been placed on the grave, everyone returned. Nothing happened.

But Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Liu Jinxia did not look relieved. By the rules, this zhai shi had to continue until midnight. In the past, there had been specific watches of the night, but now everything had been standardized to midnight.

Only after midnight could the zhai shi be considered complete. It was also a kind of vigil, except the corpse had already been buried rather than laid out here.

Daytime was one thing, but after dark, no one could say what might happen.

After dinner, the few villagers who had come to help out of obligation all left. The families and children of the Three Siblings also went home separately. They should have stayed for the vigil, but the three siblings had forcefully driven them away.

Once the White Cloth Band packed up and left, the area around the mourning hall seemed especially empty.

The Three Siblings were still kneeling on their cushions. They had stopped wailing and merely continued burning paper in silence.

Niu Lian's voice had gone hoarse. Without their sister's material, Niu Fu and Niu Rui could no longer echo along with her, so they too could only remain quiet.

Liu Jinxia was still in her old position, and it was clear that she was uneasy.

Grandpa Shan remained seated at the Evil-Breaking Gate. His pipe tobacco had run out, so he had switched to cigarettes provided by the host family.

As for his own great grandfather... Li Zhuiyuan discovered that his great grandfather had leaned against the railing and fallen asleep, his body jerking slightly as he snored.

Run Sheng somehow found a deck of playing cards and said with a smile, "Let's play Fight the Landlord."

"Don't we need four people?"

"Then call him over?" Run Sheng pointed at Uncle Qin.

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. He knew Uncle Qin would not come. Actually, he felt quite grateful. Uncle Qin might not even know how to prop up a soy sauce bottle, but simply having him standing there made Li Zhuiyuan feel much more secure.

Next, Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng began playing three-player Fight the Landlord together.

There was only one deck and three players, so it was easy to count cards.

Run Sheng was terrible at cards, and the player after him was only average. This meant that whether Li Zhuiyuan drew the farmers or the landlord, he won every time.

After playing for who knew how long, Li Zhuiyuan asked, "What time is it?"

Run Sheng shook his head. "No idea. Where would we find a watch?"

The player after him said, "It's eleven."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Then it'll be over soon. One more hour."

Run Sheng said, "Yeah. I wonder whether the host family will feed us another meal after it's done."

The player after him said, "They probably will. They prepared a lot of food today, and not many people came to eat."

Li Zhuiyuan drew another excellent landlord hand. This round was not going to be interesting either.

But just as he was about to play, Li Zhuiyuan glanced at where Uncle Qin had been standing and suddenly realized that Uncle Qin was gone.

His source of support had suddenly disappeared. Li Zhuiyuan's heart trembled, and his mind cleared a little. Then, as though thinking of something, he stared blankly at the cards in his hand.

Run Sheng said, "What are you thinking about, Little Yuan? Hurry up and play."

The player after him said, "Yeah, play already. We know you have good cards."

Li Zhuiyuan played a card, a single big joker.

Run Sheng's eyes widened. "What kind of strategy is that?"

The player after him said, "Are your cards so good that you're going to lay them all out?"

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Can I lay them out?"

Run Sheng said, "If you want to, go ahead. Can't help it if your cards are good."

The player after him said, "You'd better think carefully. Playing face-up makes it easy to capsize."

"Then I'll think about it some more." Li Zhuiyuan gripped his cards as if considering it, while the corner of his eye glanced at his napping great grandfather, the Three Siblings sitting on cushions, Liu Jinxia, and Grandpa Shan.

What had seemed perfectly normal earlier now felt suddenly terrifying. He could clearly hear all kinds of sounds around him, yet none of them moved at all.

Even when his great grandfather snored, his body did not jerk along with it. The snoring sounded as though it had appeared from nowhere.

"Brother Run Sheng?"

"What is it? Have you decided? Are you laying them out or not?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded slightly. Run Sheng was normal, but that meant he had to lay them out even more. Of this group of elderly, weak, sick, and young people, Run Sheng was the only one he could rely on.

Without Run Sheng, what could those old people do?

"Lay them out!"

Li Zhuiyuan spread his cards on the small table.

Run Sheng asked in confusion, "Hey, your hand isn't that good. I thought you had bombs."

"Play. Big joker. Do either of you want it?"

The player after him said, "Your turn."

Run Sheng said, "Pass."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Three sevens with a five."

The player after him said, "I'll take it."

Li Zhuiyuan said, "Three tens with a seven."

Run Sheng said, "Little Yuan, don't rush to play. The player before me wants it."

Li Zhuiyuan slapped the little table and shouted at Run Sheng.

"Open your eyes and look! Where do we have a player before or after us?!"

Run Sheng was stunned by the shout. He instinctively wanted to argue, but when he turned and looked to either side, he suddenly came to his senses.

"That's right. There are only two of us. How could we be playing three-player Fight the Landlord?"

The next moment, a cold night wind blew over them.

Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng shuddered at the same time, then simultaneously discovered that the two of them, who had been playing cards in the zhai shi tent, had somehow ended up sitting atop a grave mound.

All around them were red-and-green two-story and three-story little houses beneath the moonlight. Beside them was Old Woman Niu's grave, still covered by its fresh dirt cap.

"I'll take it! Three eights with a three! I'll take it! Three eights with a three!"

The sound of card playing came from nearby. It was a woman's voice, shrill and miserable.

Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng looked at each other. Run Sheng shielded Li Zhuiyuan behind him, and the two circled around the grave to the back.

There was actually a hole there. Its opening was jagged and irregular, and bloody handprints remained on it, as though someone had clawed it open with bare hands.

Peering into the hole, they could see that the inside had been dug out. A woman lay within, both hands covered in blood. Though there was nothing in her hands, her left hand held the pose of gripping cards while her right hand made the motion of throwing them.

"I'll take it! Three eights with a three!"

She kept excitedly flinging her head about, shaking loose the hair and mud covering her face. It was Niu Lian, Old Woman Niu's youngest daughter.

She had dug open her mother's grave with her hands and crawled inside.

But within the grave, aside from the heavy stench of rot and an indescribable pool of murky liquid, there was only a rolled-up broken sleeping mat. There was no trace of Old Woman Niu's remains.

By rights, even a burial in the earth required a coffin. This wasn't before liberation, when bodies had to be tossed into mass graves. Old Woman Niu had no coffin; she had probably rented one for the wake, then replaced it before burial. The reason was easy enough to guess... to save the cost of a coffin.

Li Zhuiyuan instinctively covered his nose, suppressing the urge to vomit from the stench. Run Sheng, on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered.

At that moment, with the card game over, Niu Lian seemed to regain a bit of clarity. Only a bit.

"So we're not playing anymore, right? Not playing anymore, right? Then I'll get back to work."

Niu Lian made a motion as though tossing down the cards in her hand, then turned around and resumed digging downward with her bare hands.

If she kept digging, the hole might collapse before long, and she could end up buried alive.

"Hey, stop digging! It's dangerous if you keep going. I'll save you!"

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and grabbed Run Sheng.

"What is it, Little Yuan?"

"Go check on your Grandpa first. They might be in danger!"

"Ah, right, but she..."

"Who's more important?"

"Grandpa is!"

Run Sheng stopped hesitating and immediately dragged Li Zhuiyuan in a mad dash toward the Zhai Shi tent.

By the time they reached the tent, Li Zhuiyuan was already panting heavily. The two Niu Family brothers were nowhere to be seen.

Liu Jinxia was crawling around the Offering Table, meowing like a cat as she crawled. The old woman's palms had been scraped raw, leaving a dense trail of handprints across the ground.

Grandpa Shan was barking "woof, woof, woof" while crouching before a tree with one leg raised, urinating like a dog.

The urine streamed down and soaked his clothes, making him look utterly filthy.

After finishing, he actually got down on all fours and began digging at the tree roots.

"Grandpa!" Run Sheng hurriedly called out. "Grandpa, what's wrong with you?"

That shout immediately drew the attention of Liu Jinxia and Grandpa Shan.

One moved like a cat, the other crawled like a dog. Both were on all fours, their faces vicious as they lunged swiftly at Run Sheng and Li Zhuiyuan.

Run Sheng spread his arms and took the initiative to shield Li Zhuiyuan. "Little Yuan, get back!"

Li Zhuiyuan obediently took two steps back. Feeling that wasn't enough, he took another two.

The next moment,

Liu Jinxia pounced onto Run Sheng, clamping his waist between her legs as she clawed and bit at his chest.

Grandpa Shan grabbed one of Run Sheng's legs and bit down hard on his thigh, tearing off a chunk of flesh along with two old teeth.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, what's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?"

Run Sheng did not resist. He merely stared anxiously at his Grandpa, who kept biting him.

Seeing this, Li Zhuiyuan immediately reminded him, "Fight back! Don't just stand there."

"But he's my Grandpa. How can I hit him?"

Li Zhuiyuan immediately said, "Remember that book I read? It said Corpse Demons can confuse people's minds, just like when we were playing cards earlier. The way to break the delusion is to hit them in the face—slap them hard!"

In truth, the book listed far more than one method: pure-yang black dog blood, Fiend-Breaking Rune Water, consecrated ritual implements, and so on.

They might actually have brought black dog blood, but whether it was pure-yang and from an unspoiled dog... Li Zhuiyuan seriously doubted it. The village dogs had always been rather free-spirited, and things were a mess among them.

As for Rune Water, Li Zhuiyuan did not even know what that was. He had not read that far into the book yet.

Consecrated ritual implements were objects nurtured and refined through offerings by accomplished practitioners, true tools for dispelling evil. Li Zhuiyuan did not believe that, when the Linyi Furniture Factory produced these Peachwood Swords, they had hired a row of masters to consecrate the entire assembly line.

So only the simplest and most brutal method remained. The book said so too: slap people awake. If one blow did not wake them, then give them a few more.

Run Sheng asked, "But... can we really do that?"

Even as the two elderly people, mad as demons, kept hurting him, Run Sheng's voice remained calm, as though he were not the one being injured.

Li Zhuiyuan could only say firmly, "You're saving them. If you don't slap them awake, the more harm they'll suffer. Hurry up and do it!"

If you did not wake them soon, Grandpa Shan would chew all his teeth out on your leg!

"Okay, I'll listen to you, Little Yuan!"

Run Sheng nodded forcefully. Once he made up his mind to do something, he was unwavering and never dragged things out. He grabbed Liu Jinxia by the neck with one hand and lifted her into the air.

Liu Jinxia flailed all four limbs wildly, but the old woman's arms and legs were too short. She could not reach him at all.

Then Run Sheng began slapping Liu Jinxia across the face from side to side.

"Slap!" "Slap!" "Slap!" "Slap!"

Liu Jinxia's face visibly swelled. Both corners of her mouth split open and bled, but she quieted down. The fierceness in her eyes was once again covered by cataracts.

"Wha... what... happened... to... me?"

"Little Yuan, you're amazing!"

After praising Li Zhuiyuan, Run Sheng raised his leg and kicked Grandpa Shan away from where he had been gnawing on his thigh.

Grandpa Shan landed rather unfortunately—face first—and even slid some distance.

Once he sat up, Li Zhuiyuan saw him rubbing his face. He was clearly beginning to regain his senses as he muttered to himself,

"I... I was... no..."

Before he could collect himself, he saw his foster grandson stride quickly toward him. Then a huge palm came flying straight at his face.

"Slap!" "Slap!"

Grandfather and grandson were still bound by affection. Run Sheng had slapped Liu Jinxia four times in a row, but for his own Grandpa, he first gave him two slaps before stopping to check the effect.

"Grandpa, are you awake now?"

"Pah!"

Grandpa Shan spat all over Run Sheng's face, along with two teeth that the slaps had just knocked out.

"Still not awake?"

Seeing that his Grandpa was still aggressive, Run Sheng raised his hand again.

Grandpa Shan hurriedly cried out in fright, "Stop! I'm awake, I'm awake!"

"Grandpa, you're finally awake. I was really scared just now!"

Run Sheng wrapped Grandpa Shan in a tight embrace.

Grandpa Shan: "..."

Seeing that Liu Jinxia and Grandpa Shan had both awakened, Li Zhuiyuan immediately went looking for his Great Grandfather. That was what concerned him most.

He found him quickly.

Yet upon seeing his Great Grandfather, Li Zhuiyuan found it hard to believe.

It was not because his Great Grandfather looked miserable or bedraggled. Quite the opposite—Li Sanjiang was still leaning in the same spot, dozing off. His snores came one after another as he slept soundly.

It was as though everything happening around him had nothing to do with him, as though he had not been affected in the slightest.

Li Zhuiyuan was delighted that his Great Grandfather was safe and sound, but the stark difference between his treatment and that of Liu Jinxia and Grandpa Shan still left him deeply puzzled.

Then Li Zhuiyuan recalled what had happened on the first floor of his home, and a guess suddenly rose in his mind:

Could it be because the Cat-faced Old Woman feared his Great Grandfather too much,

and did not dare lay a hand on him?