Chapter 17

Having personally experienced two Death Collapse incidents and just finished reading Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu, Li Zhuiyuan had originally expected to keep pushing forward in his studies on Death Collapse.

It was like finishing the concepts and expecting to be given some formulas next, then finding chances to plug them in and solve a few problems.

But after pulling out these two sets of books, it felt like he had barely started one course before being assigned two brand-new ones.

He turned to look at the chest, hesitating over whether to put the two sets of books back and draw again, when Great Grandfather's words from that night surfaced in his mind:

"Little Yuanhou, don't aim too high. Build your foundation properly."

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. Forget it. Since he had already drawn them, he might as well read them.

Who knew? Maybe once he finished, he could perform Face Reading Fortune Telling on Death Collapse victims next time.

But that bit of self-consolation really did not hold up to scrutiny.

Was he supposed to read the faces of Death Collapse victims soaked into pork-rind jelly?

Or tell Little Yellow Oriole and the Cat-faced Old Woman that their fates were bad and they would die violent deaths?

With complicated, helpless feelings, Li Zhuiyuan carried the two sets of books out of the basement and up to the second floor. Liu Yumei's voice came from below:

"Little Yuan, come down and help Grandma make tea."

Li Zhuiyuan looked down. A lightbulb hung outside the East Room door. Liu Yumei sat beneath it, with a tea set beside her and a Go board as well.

"Coming, Grandma Liu."

Li Zhuiyuan answered, carried the books into his bedroom and set them on his desk, wiped the dust from himself with a towel, then ran downstairs.

Even if Liu Yumei had not called for him, he would have found time alone to talk to her about Uncle Qin teaching him martial arts.

Especially after drawing these two sets of books, his desire to train had become even more urgent. Since the textbooks had gone off-topic, he could only make up for it outside class and catch up.

"Grandma, your tea."

"Mhm."

After making the tea, Li Zhuiyuan sat across from Liu Yumei. He did not rush to bring up his own matter. He waited for her to speak first, so he could make his request naturally afterward.

After all, who would deliberately make tea before bed in the middle of the night for no reason?

But just as Liu Yumei was about to speak, the East Room door opened from inside. Qin Li stood in the doorway, dressed in white silk pajamas that shimmered beneath the light.

"A Li, go back to your room and rest first. Grandma has something to discuss with Little Yuan."

Qin Li did not move.

Liu Yumei could only give Li Zhuiyuan a meaningful look.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Qin Li. "A Li, go to sleep first. I'll get up early to study tomorrow."

Qin Li turned around and shut the door.

Liu Yumei sighed. They were still children, so it was not a big deal yet. But if they grew up and her daughter remained this close to the boy in front of her, still listening to everything he said, that would become a real headache.

But for now, there was a more immediate pain in the nose that needed solving.

"Little Yuan, come into the room tomorrow and pay respects to my family's Spirit Tablets."

"Hm?"

"Just consider it a neighborly visit."

"Alright, Grandma Liu."

It was like visiting a friend's home and greeting the friend's elders. If those elders had become Spirit Tablets in the house, then he should pay respects to them too.

"While you're at it, talk to A Li and have her clean up those dirty towels and rotten duck eggs."

"Towels?"

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly remembered. No wonder he had needed to find a fresh towel to wash and dry every night lately. He had wondered where all the dirty towels had gone. A Li had taken them all.

But what were rotten duck eggs?

Liu Yumei was somewhat embarrassed to say it, but she still had to force herself to explain. "A Li has a habit of taking things you give her and bringing them home. Maybe I told her before, or maybe she came to think it herself, that the mourning hall should hold the most precious things. So she put those dirty towels there.

"That duck egg should have been the one you peeled for her at breakfast that day. It has already gone rotten.

"I don't dare touch the things A Li puts there, because I'm afraid she'll lose her temper. Only you can help me clear them away.

"And teach her not to put other things in the mourning hall in the future."

Having to ask an outsider for help educating the granddaughter she had raised herself made Liu Yumei feel deeply depressed.

Yet she had no choice but to ask. Otherwise, every time she spoke to the Spirit Tablets, she would have to endure the smell of rotten duck eggs.

She herself only had to smell it while talking, but the ancestors of the Qin Liu Families had to be steeped in the stench every moment.

Besides, she was afraid A Li might put something new in the mourning hall later. Recently, they had been eating porridge with fish aspic heads for breakfast. She was truly afraid that if she was not careful, A Li would bring home a bowl of fish aspic heads she and Little Yuan had eaten from and place it in the mourning hall's seat of honor.

"I understand, Grandma Liu. I'll come pay respects to the Spirit Tablets tomorrow."

Li Zhuiyuan did not ask why he could not do it right now. He knew Grandma Liu did not want A Li to think she was tattling on her.

"Mhm, very good." Liu Yumei nodded in satisfaction, her gaze falling on the Go board. "Look, do you like this board?"

Li Zhuiyuan examined the board carefully. It was an old item with some age to it, and when he sniffed it closely, it carried a faint sandalwood scent.

The stones in particular were exceptional. Holding several in his hand, he found them smooth and cool. Their texture and sheen were uniform, but closer inspection revealed slight differences, meaning they had not come from factory molds but had been made by an ancient dripping method.

"Grandma Liu, this is a fine thing."

Li Zhuiyuan had already become somewhat immune to the good items Liu Yumei occasionally brought out.

Though the era of the "ten-thousand-yuan household" had gradually faded as a status symbol, seeing someone casually display such wealth and family reserves was still astonishing.

"I saw that you and A Li know how to play Go, so I dug this out for you two to play with. Take it back to your room later."

"Alright. I'll keep it at my place for now."

Liu Yumei nodded in satisfaction and was about to send him off when Li Zhuiyuan added:

"Grandma Liu, I've been weak and sickly since childhood, so I want to train with Uncle Qin."

Liu Yumei glanced at the boy before her. He was fair and tender, certainly not sturdy-looking, but he did not look weak or sickly no matter how she examined him.

Still, she immediately understood what he meant. In the past, she would have brushed him off with a few vague words, but she had just asked him for a favor...

Forget it. Teaching him a little martial arts would not break any rules. It was not as though she would be teaching him anything else.

"Fine. I'll speak to your Uncle Qin."

"Thank you, Grandma."

"Come, let's play a game."

"Alright."

Being handled by a child made Liu Yumei somewhat uncomfortable. She had not planned to play Go, but she could not help wanting a game.

Then she regretted it. By the middle game, she could already feel that the overall situation was lost.

At first, Li Zhuiyuan had thought that since he had gotten what he wanted, he could let Grandma Liu beat him around a little to vent her frustration. He naturally assumed Qin Li's Go skills had been taught by Grandma Liu and that he could not possibly be a match for the old woman.

But as they played, he suddenly realized that Grandma Liu's Go skills were actually worse than his.

With his mental calculation abilities, he could barely count as an amateur expert, while Grandma Liu was at most an intermediate amateur level.

"Grandma, I'm sleepy. How about we stop here?"

"Mhm. Then go to sleep."

"Alright."

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, put away the stones, then carried the Go board upstairs.

Liu Yumei went inside to the bedroom. Qin Li had her eyes closed and was obediently sleeping, just as that boy had told her to.

A loving smile appeared on her face.

No matter what,

her A Li was beginning to feel more and more like a young girl.

"Our A Li's illness will definitely be cured. Definitely."

When he reached the Second Floor Balcony, he happened to see Great Grandfather standing near the edge, having just finished relieving himself and giving things a final shake.

"What are you carrying?"

"A Go board Grandma Liu lent me."

"You still need to settle down more, read more books, and study properly."

"I know, Great Grandfather."

"Mhm. Something happened at Yinghou's home. She won't be coming for a while, so you need to keep yourself on track."

"What happened at Yingzi Jie's home?"

"They said her Grandpa Nan and Grandma Nan got sick together and are lying in the Health Center. Yinghou and her mother are taking care of them there."

Yingzi Jie's Grandpa Nan and Grandma Nan should be her maternal grandfather and grandmother.

Only then did Li Zhuiyuan understand why Yingzi Jie had not come to him for tutoring these past few days. No matter how poor her comprehension was, she should have finished looking over the last set of problems by now.

"Do we need to visit them?"

"Visit my ass. Her mother's family is in Jiuwai Port. You'd have to change buses several times to get there. Besides, if they're really not going to make it, your grandfather would be the one to go. What would I be going there for?"

"Oh."

"Go back and sleep early."

"Great Grandfather, do you have a magnifying glass?"

"A magnifying glass?" Li Sanjiang thought for a moment. "Check the stove recess and see if there's one there. I used to think of using it to start fires, but later found it wasn't as good as matches. What do you need that thing for?"

"To read."

The words in those two sets of books were simply too small.

"Is studying that hard for a child? You need a magnifying glass already? How about Great Grandfather takes you to the glasses shop in town and gets you fitted for a pair?

"Forget it, the glasses shop in town is probably not skilled enough. Great Grandfather should take you by bus to the People's Hospital in the city instead."

"No need, Great Grandfather. I just need it to look at the illustrations. My eyes aren't nearsighted."

Li Zhuiyuan first went into his bedroom to set down the Go board, then ran downstairs to the kitchen. Sure enough, he found a dust-covered magnifying glass in the stove recess. After washing it, he returned to his bedroom and turned on the desk lamp.

The first book he took out was Yin Yang Physiognomy Explained, which consisted of eight volumes.

He turned the page. There was no preface, no introduction, not even a label for the first section. It went directly into the content.

Holding the magnifying glass, Li Zhuiyuan read carefully.

After reading three densely packed pages, front and back, in succession, Li Zhuiyuan realized something was wrong.

Those three pages contained a huge number of words, all discussing the same thing—eyebrows.

The direction and angle of the eyebrows, their thickness and density, length and color... nearly a thousand varieties in total were described.

Starting from the fourth page, it began discussing eye bags.

Li Zhuiyuan did not continue reading. Instead, he flipped ahead two pages and confirmed it: it had devoted two full pages to eye bags.

Next, it began discussing eyelids.

A faint suspicion arose in Li Zhuiyuan's mind... Though there was no label for the first section, perhaps everything discussed in the beginning belonged to "eyes"?

But after all this time, it was still only one part of "eyes."

Li Zhuiyuan flipped the book to its final page and found it discussing crow's feet... still eyes.

Then he took out the second book, read the beginning, and flipped through it. Yes, the opening three pages were entirely about earlobes.

At the final page, it was discussing the backs of ears.

He picked up the third volume and quickly confirmed it using the same method. That was right, it discussed the philtrum, the area between the lips and nose.

So the first four books respectively discussed eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

Normally, the five facial features referred to brows, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Here, brows and eyes had been combined into one volume, without a separate volume for brows.

How considerate of it.

Skipping over the basic concepts, Li Zhuiyuan took out the fifth volume and carefully read the first page... He could not understand it.

But he roughly found the pattern. It seemed to be discussing permutations and combinations, with a brief passage of explanation beneath each combination, all of it extraordinarily concise.

The general meaning seemed to be that space was limited, so much had been omitted. The reader was expected to understand it on their own.

Li Zhuiyuan rubbed his eyes. So this was physiognomy?

It was not the kind where a fortune teller walked up to you and said, "Your glabella is dark. Disaster may be approaching."

According to this book's logic, it should be: Do you know how many possible permutations and combinations there are in the appearance of a glabella?

Li Zhuiyuan found it difficult to understand. It was clearly a book on face reading that involved feudal superstition, so why did it carry such an intense air of scientific rigor?

How much effort had the author of this book put in, and how many faces had he carefully observed?

No, one person could not possibly accomplish this. Not even a single sect could.

If this book had not been written with its eyes closed, then its author must have collected and examined countless related writings and notes from predecessors before being able to summarize them.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the sixth book and carefully read the first page.

A thin sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his earlobes reddened. This was usually how he looked when his brain was working rapidly to solve difficult problems.

After finishing the first page, he still did not understand the content, but he understood the rules.

If the fifth book was permutations and combinations built upon the basic knowledge of eyes, ears, mouth, and nose from the first four books, then the sixth was permutations and combinations of those permutations and combinations.

If the fifth book could still be passed through rote memorization, then the sixth had already entered the realm of mathematical calculation. The amount of calculation was simply too great.

Li Zhuiyuan took a deep breath and opened the seventh book.

This time, he read the first page quickly because he was only confirming his suspicion.

Sure enough, the seventh book further increased the complexity based on the sixth. The difficulty of comprehension and calculation had gone beyond simple multiplication.

"Whew..."

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to wash his face now, but after hesitating, he still opened the eighth book.

After reading the first page of the eighth book, Li Zhuiyuan closed it.

He leaned back in his chair.

He realized he had been wrong. Before, he had wondered why a book on feudal superstition could possess such scientific rigor.

But after flipping to the eighth book,

he saw mysticism.

The classifications of eyes, ears, mouth, and nose in the first four books resembled raw data, or raw numbers. The fifth through seventh books were applications of those raw numbers.

To use a more intuitive analogy, it was like painting. You began with the most basic points, lines, and planes, then learned to paint a complete object, then composition and structure, then the fusion of light and shadow into three-dimensional perception...

Once you could perfectly copy a master's painting and create excellent works of your own, you had roughly reached the level of the seventh book.

The eighth book... required you to realize your own style, create a school, and become a master.

So even if this book was real, ordinary people could only read it. They could not learn it at all. Forget the eighth volume—first, they would have to memorize more than a thousand types of eyebrows.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze swept over the nearby set of Destiny Deduction Theory. Forget it. He might as well go all in.

He sat up straight again and opened the first volume. Huh, there was actually a preface.

Sure enough, the two sets of books had the same author, because the very first line read: "Having finished the previous work, Yin Yang Physiognomy Explained."

Was that a necessary prerequisite?

As he continued reading, Li Zhuiyuan realized it was not. Destiny deduction required several conditions: physiognomy, astrology, and the study of fortune.

"Could there be two more books by the same author in the box that I failed to find?"

Li Zhuiyuan soon discovered that he was wrong. In the preface, the author expressed regret that he had only mastered physiognomy and no longer had the strength to study astrology and fortune.

Or rather, astrology and fortune encompassed each other and were not separate categories. Physiognomy and destiny also involved astrology and fortune.

According to the author, true destiny deduction should combine all four fields of study in order to reach the greatest possible refinement.

"So even after learning all four, it would only improve the accuracy. It still wouldn't be one hundred percent."

The earlier work on physiognomy was merely one aid to improving the accuracy of destiny deduction.

The preface ended, and Li Zhuiyuan officially turned to the first page.

The first thing that appeared was one corner of a diagram. More precisely, every page showed only one corner of the diagram, with the text written within it.

Li Zhuiyuan flipped through the pages quickly, memorizing every piece of the diagram. After finishing the entire book, he began assembling the puzzle in his mind. He put it together, though it was still incomplete, but he could already tell what it was.

The Eight Trigrams.

So when all eight books were assembled, they would form a complete Eight Trigrams diagram.

And this whole set of books was actually... an entirely new method.

At that moment, Li Zhuiyuan had the illusion that he was not living in Great Grandfather's house in the countryside, but had returned to a classroom in the capital.

The old professors and their group of child students, after tormenting each other, wore those sinister smiles.

"It really does feel like studying in class."

Li Zhuiyuan checked the time and discovered it was already one in the morning. He got up and left the room, scooped water from the Water Vat, and washed his face.

Feeling refreshed, his fighting spirit reignited.

"Study. Study hard!"

In the morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes and turned his head, seeing a radiance that had entered his bedroom before the sun.

Qin Li was sitting in a chair, turned sideways toward him.

She was afraid that, like last time, sitting directly opposite him would startle him when he woke up.

Today, she wore a padded jacket and skirt: a lined top on her upper body and a skirt below.

The top had a dark green base with white patterns, while the pale green skirt was embroidered with landscapes and flowers.

To Li Zhuiyuan, who had spent half the night examining books through a magnifying glass, the sight was exceptionally soothing to his eyes.

After washing up, and before breakfast began, Li Zhuiyuan brought out the chessboard Grandma Liu had given him the night before and wanted to play chess with Qin Li.

But Qin Li stared at the normally sized, valuable chessboard for a long while without reaching for a piece.

"Don't you like it?"

Qin Li said nothing.

Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to put away the chessboard and take out the simple plastic chessboard sheet Uncle Qin had bought for him in town.

The moment he spread it out, Qin Li immediately picked up a piece and made her move.

After losing three games in a row, Li Zhuiyuan began missing his match with Grandma Liu the previous night.

Still, he could feel his chess skills improving. Being constantly suppressed by the girl made it easy for him to spot and correct his shortcomings.

The girl no longer deliberately let him win. By the third game, although he was still thoroughly defeated, their match had begun to carry the atmosphere of a proper game.

But Li Zhuiyuan also knew that he would soon reach his limit. Unless he threw out both sets of books in his bedroom and replaced them with chess manuals to study, he would never surpass the girl at chess.

But what would be the point of that? Being competitive over something unnecessary would only make him seem childish.

"Qin Li, you're really good at chess."

The girl seemed to be smiling. Though her expression did not change, the faint quiver at the corners of her lips seemed to foreshadow the motion she wanted to make.

Aunt Liu called them to breakfast.

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan noticed that the girl had once again held the salted duck egg he had cracked open for her in her hand and hidden it in her sleeve.

Li Zhuiyuan caught her hand and took out the salted duck egg.

"Qin Li, food should be eaten, not hidden away. If you want to collect things, I can give you some gifts specifically for that in the future."

The girl's eyes lit up.

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan kept his promise and went to the East Room. Liu Yumei was not inside, nor was she drinking tea outside as usual. She had deliberately stayed far away.

This was Li Zhuiyuan's first time entering the East Room. Looking at the Spirit Tablets in the mourning hall, all bearing the surnames of the Qin Liu Families, he inexplicably felt a trace of familiarity.

It was as though he had been somewhere similar and felt the same way before, but for the moment, he could not recall where it had been or who had taken him there.

Li Zhuiyuan bent down and bowed to the Spirit Tablets. After paying his respects, he gathered up several dirty towels and the rotten duck egg from among them.

Qin Li reached out and grabbed Li Zhuiyuan's arm. Her eyelashes did not flutter, and her body did not tremble, yet she still conveyed her unwillingness.

It was only because Li Zhuiyuan was the one cleaning up that she tolerated it. Had it been anyone else, even Liu Yumei herself, the girl would have erupted long ago.

"Qin Li, be good. If you want to collect things, don't put them here. We can find a better place to keep them. This is where the Spirit Tablets are placed to honor the ancestors, understand?"

Qin Li lowered her head. She was very disappointed.

Li Zhuiyuan, meanwhile, began considering what he should give her.

Food was definitely out of the question. She would surely hide it away and let it grow moldy again.

"Qin Li, how about I give you that chess set? Not the new one—the set we used this morning, the one in the small wooden box.

"You can keep it with you. Every morning, take it out and come find me, and we'll play chess together with it."

Qin Li raised her head. Though her expression still did not visibly change, he could feel her whole person brighten.

Outside the door, Liu Yumei, who had deliberately avoided them before but had now crept back to eavesdrop, could not help rolling her eyes.

She could already picture her granddaughter carefully cherishing that worthless toy set in her arms.

Li Zhuiyuan stepped out and saw Liu Yumei.

"Grandma Liu."

"Ah."

Li Zhuiyuan did not hurry away, but continued, "Grandma Liu, the weather is very nice today. You should go out for a walk and get some fresh air. It's good for your health."

"I told A Li. Once he's done with work tonight, he'll teach you. Don't be afraid of hardship."

"How could I be? Thank you, Grandma Liu."

As Li Zhuiyuan held Qin Li's hand and went up the stairs, he happened to see Li Sanjiang coming down. When there was no work, Great Grandfather generally woke up late.

"How has your studying been lately?"

Li Sanjiang had forgotten that he had already asked the night before. He simply enjoyed the feeling of being an elder concerned about a child's studies.

After all, if he really looked into it, he would probably discover exactly what books Li Zhuiyuan had been reading lately.

Well, Qin Li had also been accompanying Li Zhuiyuan while he read. Li Sanjiang was somewhat intimidated by the little girl and still did not want to get too close.

"It's a little difficult, but I'll work hard."

"Mm. Working hard is what matters."

Back at the northeast corner of the Second Floor Balcony, Li Zhuiyuan took out the books, set up the magnifying glass, and placed a blank exercise notebook beside it.

Yin Yang Physiognomy Explained contained many words and descriptions related to "measurements" and "cutting," as well as a great deal of rather abstract classical Chinese that was probably commonly used in old medical texts.

Li Zhuiyuan recognized the characters, but lacked any concrete understanding of the concepts, so he could only write them down first.

Fortunately, he could ask Liu Yumei about the former. He could tell that although Qin Li's clothes had been custom-made, Liu Yumei had certainly altered them. As for the latter, he could ask Aunt Liu, who clearly understood medicine.

By now, Uncle Qin had brought back the raw materials for incense, and Aunt Liu was preparing to make incense using an ancient method.

Li Zhuiyuan could not help marveling. What exactly was Qin Li's family?

He shook his head, cast aside the stray thoughts, and officially began memorizing the book.

There were two classmates in his class who truly had photographic memories.

Li Zhuiyuan knew he could not compare with them in that regard. The gap was enormous, because he needed to read something twice, or even three times.

Partway through, his neck began to ache from holding the magnifying glass while bent over for so long.

Li Zhuiyuan continued reading and memorizing with the magnifying glass in his left hand while using his right hand to massage his neck.

Before long, another warm, soft little hand began kneading the other side of his neck.

A smile appeared at the corner of Li Zhuiyuan's mouth. What an adorable compulsive habit.

Throughout the entire morning, aside from taking Qin Li to the bathroom once and getting her water once, Li Zhuiyuan did nothing but memorize the book.

He felt that his mind was already filled with every kind of "eye."

Once he had memorized all the "ears, mouths, and noses" that came afterward, his mind would probably be packed with who knew how many different faces.

Even the hairstyle model options offered to customers by the largest barbershop in the capital would seem excessively meager and shabby by comparison.

After lunch, Li Weihan and Cui Guiying arrived.

Li Zhuiyuan was immersed in memorization and had not noticed what was happening in the courtyard. Qin Li, naturally, would not remind him.

Only when he noticed Qin Li's body beginning to tremble did Li Zhuiyuan raise his head in surprise and see Cui Guiying approaching with deliberately softened footsteps.

He hurriedly grabbed Qin Li's hand, afraid that the girl might erupt at his grandmother.

Cui Guiying had not intended to disturb her grandson when she saw him studying seriously. Now, she merely smiled and said, "Little Yuanhou, reading?"

"Mm, Grandma. Where's Grandpa?"

"Your grandpa is talking to your Great Grandfather."

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing much. It has nothing to do with you."

"Is it about Third Aunt's family?"

"Uh... yes. They said they wanted to ask your Great Grandfather to take a look."

"Oh."

When regular hospitals had difficulty treating an illness, many families would try every possible unconventional method. Besides, it was not common for an elderly couple to fall ill together. It was indeed strange.

"This little girl is really pretty."

Cui Guiying made as if to reach out and touch Qin Li's head, but Li Zhuiyuan hurriedly stepped in front of Qin Li.

"Uh..."

Cui Guiying froze for a moment and could only pat her own grandson's head.

"Grandma, she's shy around strangers."

"Oh, is that so? She gets along with you quite well, though."

After Cui Guiying spoke with him for a while, Li Weihan also came upstairs to see his grandson.

However, after asking whether he was eating and sleeping well, Li Weihan said nothing more and merely looked at him.

When it was about time, he prepared to leave.

Before leaving, Li Weihan said, "Oh, right, Little Yuanhou. The day after tomorrow, your Great Grandfather is going on a long trip and won't be back that night. The villagers will be dredging the river that day, so come with me."

Cui Guiying immediately complained, "What are you thinking, taking a child to dredge a river?"

Li Weihan did not care. "It's only two days. Spending one night outside is no big deal. It's not like the old days. The dredging period is shorter now, and it isn't so hard. Our family's four sons, including Leihou and Panhou, are all going with me too."

Cui Guiying said, "Even if Uncle Sanjiang is going out to Jiuwugang and won't be home, can't Little Yuanhou sleep at our place?"

"Uncle said it wouldn't be convenient for him to go home to sleep. After all, Little Yuanhou has left the family but hasn't returned to secular life yet."

In truth, Li Weihan simply missed his grandson. And since all the able-bodied men in the family were going to dredge the river this time, he wanted to take Li Zhuiyuan along to have some fun.

"Little Yuanhou, do you want to go with Grandpa?"

"Sure, Grandpa."

"See? The child already agreed."

Li Weihan left with Cui Guiying. He had mainly come today to pass along a message from the in-laws in Jiuwugang, asking Uncle Sanjiang to go over.

Apparently, relatives had come to visit a patient in the same hospital ward, and those relatives were from Shigang Town. They had made the story of the Li family corpse retrievers from Siyuan Village, Shinan Town sound almost supernatural.

When the in-laws heard it, they realized that was the village their daughter had married into, so they immediately contacted them and asked someone to come investigate.

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan went to wait in the courtyard. Liu Yumei kept her word, and Uncle Qin took Li Zhuiyuan behind the house to begin teaching him martial arts.

Horse stance.

Following Uncle Qin's instructions, Li Zhuiyuan began lowering into the stance. Uncle Qin then used his hands to correct each point where he exerted force while explaining every detail that required attention.

After a full hour of adjustments, Uncle Qin finally stopped talking.

Li Zhuiyuan, meanwhile, was drenched in sweat, and both legs were trembling.

But Uncle Qin only let him rest briefly before making him hold the stance for another hour.

When Li Zhuiyuan went upstairs back to his room, he had to support himself against the wall.

That night, Liu Yumei sat outside the room enjoying the cool air when Uncle Qin came over and stopped beside her.

"How was it?"

"His mind is really good."

"His limbs aren't?"

"No, that's not what I mean. His mind is good, so he learns everything quickly. When I trained in martial arts as a child, I didn't comprehend things nearly as fast as he does. He can already sense the rhythm of rooting himself through his feet.

"But practicing martial arts requires suffering, after all. It depends on whether he can persist."

"What, do you want to take him as a disciple?"

"No, I have no such intention."

"Teach him well. Remember, only teach him martial arts."

"Yes, I understand."

Liu Yumei returned to the room, sat before the Spirit Tablets, picked up a pastry from the Offering Table, took a small bite, and slowly chewed.

The mourning hall no longer smelled rotten, and she was able to feel much more relaxed and comfortable.

"The Li boy Qin Li likes playing with has started learning martial arts from A Li. Let's see whether he can stick with it. If he has a good mind and can endure hardship too...

"Goodness, I'm really curious how his mother gave birth to a child like that."

Liu Yumei was getting ready to sleep. She first needed to let down her hair. When she reached for the bronze mirror on the dressing table, however, she grasped nothing. Looking carefully, where was the bronze mirror on the table?

No thief could possibly have entered this room, and no one would touch her things, unless...

Liu Yumei walked into the bedroom and looked at her sleeping granddaughter, who was clutching a small wooden box in her arms.

"Don't tell me that girl A Li used my bronze mirror as a return gift?"

Over the next two days, Li Zhuiyuan followed a steady routine: reading and practicing horse stance.

The first day of horse stance had been agonizing. When he woke up in the morning, his legs were still sore. By the second day, it felt much more normal, and by the third, he could no longer feel any pain or fatigue at all.

Whenever he settled into the stance, he imagined himself as a tree growing from the ground. Following what Uncle Qin had taught him, he moved his body in small, subtle sways in time with his breathing and heartbeat. Even his mind, which had grown heavy and muddled after a whole day of reading, became much clearer.

Still, over those three nights, Uncle Qin had taught him nothing beyond horse stance.

Li Zhuiyuan was not in a hurry, because he was progressing even faster in his reading.

Pure memorization and piling up calculations were not difficult for him. After three full days, plus nighttime reading under the bedroom lamp after practicing horse stance, he had already reached the seventh volume of Yin Yang Physiognomy Explained.

In addition, he had read three volumes of Destiny Deduction Theory and barely grasped the fundamental calculations for deducing a person's destiny.

However, he knew that this was merely an early advantage gained through his strong learning ability.

To go further from here, he would have to spend time and effort tackling things bit by bit.

Especially the eighth volume of Yin Yang Physiognomy Explained. He had not begun it yet, but he already knew how difficult it would be. Yet that eighth volume was the most important one!

Still, even without mastering the subject, learning all this had left him itching to try it out and see how it worked in practice.

On the Second Floor Balcony, Li Sanjiang reclined in a rattan chair, smoking and drinking tea as he leisurely listened to the radio opera The Case of Chen Shimei.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over and asked, "Great Grandfather, when is your birthday?"

"What's this about?"

"I want to remember it in advance so I can celebrate your birthday."

"Heh, what bad timing. It already passed just before you came back to the old home. The next one won't be until next year."

"Then tell me now, so I can write it down."

"Fine, fine, fine."

Li Sanjiang told him his birth date. The little fellow asked in great detail, even asking for the exact hour, but Li Sanjiang did not think much of it and told him everything.

Then Li Sanjiang noticed that his great-grandson would stare intently at him for a while, then scribble and draw in his notebook.

"Little Yuanhou, what are you writing?"

"Calculations."

"A math problem?"

"Mm, more or less."

"Let Great Grandfather have a look." Li Sanjiang reached out and took the notebook. What he found inside were not numbers, but rows of horizontal and vertical lines, some dense and some sparse.

"What's this?"

"Calculation steps."

"Do teachers teach this sort of thing now?"

"Mm. It makes calculations faster."

"Oh. Then calculate properly and study hard."

"Mm." Li Zhuiyuan continued studying his great-grandfather's face as he calculated.

"Little Yuanhou, Great Grandfather is heading to Jiuwai Port tomorrow. I won't be back that night. Hanhou said he was taking you river-picking?"

"Mm, Grandpa and I already agreed on it."

"Then go out and get some fresh air. Your grandpa misses you too. Let me tell you, back then, the person your grandpa cherished most was your mother. Now, the one he cherishes most is you. Your grandpa is terribly biased, you know."

Finally, Li Zhuiyuan finished calculating. His brows furrowed, and a dejected air settled over him.

"Hey, Little Yuanhou, what's wrong?"

"Great Grandfather, I calculated it wrong."

"So you got it wrong. As long as you know it was wrong, just calculate it again. What's the big deal?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded.

According to the calculations he had made from Great Grandfather's facial features and destiny deduction, Great Grandfather's fate could be summarized as:

Born destined for an early death, plagued by illness, with little longevity, a dried-up wellspring of wealth, fated to avoid water, and forbidden from taking crooked paths.

He looked at his calculated result, then at Great Grandfather lying before him and listening to opera.

If only one or two things had been wrong, or one or two points had been unclear, that would have been understandable. After all, he had not finished learning everything yet, so some mistakes and deviations were normal.

But how had he managed to get every single thing wrong?

No, it was not merely wrong. Everything was the exact opposite!

A deep sense of defeat rose within him. It was an experience he had almost never encountered in his previous life of study.

Earlier, he had felt a little smug about how quickly he was learning. Now, all of that was gone.

"Great Grandfather, I'm going back to my room to sleep."

"All right, go on. Sleep early. Your grandpa will come pick you up tomorrow morning."

"Great Grandfather, you should sleep early too."

Watching Li Zhuiyuan's lonely back as he left, Li Sanjiang scratched his chin in surprise and thought:

The kid only got one question wrong. Was there any need to take it this hard?

Back in his bedroom, he sat down at the desk.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the two sets of books before him and suddenly had the urge to throw away his pen and shove all the books onto the floor.

He did not want to study anymore. A feeling of academic burnout had risen in him.

Propping his face up with his left hand, he picked up the bronze mirror on the desk with his right and played with it.

He had noticed that night that the little Go box was gone. In its place was an antique-looking bronze mirror.

He knew that A Li had probably taken his gift and given him one in return.

His reflection in the bronze mirror looked utterly dejected.

As he stared at it, he suddenly felt that this was the normal expression someone his age ought to have.

This time, when faced with this sudden emotion, he did not panic or feel afraid, nor did he need to repeatedly hypnotize himself and talk himself into his own identity.

He had not expected getting a problem wrong to have this kind of effect.

The defeat in Li Zhuiyuan's heart gradually subsided. He took the mirror in his left hand and continued looking at his face in it, then picked up his pen with his right hand and began calculating.

Let me calculate myself again.

There was a saying: a physician cannot treat himself.

But something countless times more taboo than that was... a fate reader calculating his own fate.

Li Zhuiyuan had learned Face Reading Fortune Telling from the two sets of books brought up from the basement. He had no teacher to guide him, and the author of those books had clearly never considered that someone capable of reading and understanding them would not know something so basic. It was like an advanced calculus textbook not including a multiplication table on its first page.

As he calculated,

Li Zhuiyuan felt his head growing hazy.

He must have been tired. Mm, he would sleep after finishing the calculation.

He continued calculating.

He felt something running from his nose. Had he caught a cold?

He reached up to touch it and looked down.

Thankfully, it was not a cold.

It was not snot.

It was blood.

Smack!

Li Zhuiyuan's little face slammed straight into the desk, and he passed out.