Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu

It's common for the wedding party to be busy with the newlyweds, and after hosting relatives and friends, to be so hungry they could eat their own backs, sitting down at the tail end of the feast for a quick bite.

But it's unheard of for the main person hosting a funeral to personally join the feast.

Only then did Li Zhuiyuan notice that when he and Run Sheng were walking over earlier, Run Sheng had shouted from afar, "Grandpa, they're clearing the tables. Let's go home!"

At the time, he just felt something was off but didn't think too deeply about it. Now, it finally clicked.

Normally, if you saw your elder drinking with others at a table, you'd at least walk up closer and greet everyone at the table before taking your elder home. Shouting from afar like that implied a lack of respect for the people at the table.

Brother Run Sheng, though a bit simple in personality, understood etiquette and rules. So, if he acted that way, it was because in his eyes, Li Sanjiang was the only one drinking at the table?

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Run Sheng, who was already with his back to Li Sanjiang, crouching down, ready to carry Li Sanjiang home.

Yes, it was confirmed. Run Sheng couldn't see those two people.

Following his usual habit, Li Zhuiyuan subconsciously wanted to pretend he didn't see them either, but this path dependency was quickly rejected.

Although he hadn't spoken directly to them, his posture as he walked to the table earlier, and the way he stood beside Great Grandfather, turning sideways to face the two people at the table... all silently conveyed that he "saw" them.

Pretending to be oblivious now would only make him look like a complete fool.

Li Sanjiang took Li Zhuiyuan's hand again and said with a smile to the two people at the table:

"Look, my great-grandson is so fair and clean. He's clearly a child destined for a bright future through his studies."

Run Sheng was already accustomed to it. His Grandpa Li praised Little Yuan so many times every day, and now that he'd been drinking, he wouldn't stop praising him.

Brother Leopard nodded and said meaningfully, "This child does look very smart."

The host of today's event, the deceased Zhao Xing, chimed in, "In any case, he's more clever than I was as a child. I wasn't good at studying."

Li Sanjiang was delighted to hear such praise and laughed, "Ha, did you hear that, Little Yuanhou? They're praising you!"

Li Zhuiyuan felt a wave of helplessness. He had just been thinking about how to escape the current situation, but Great Grandfather had directly pulled him into the drinking party.

At that moment, Li Zhuiyuan could only pretend to be shy, lowering his head with a bashful expression.

"Come, Little Yuanhou, sit down and eat some more."

Although Li Sanjiang was old, his strength was still considerable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to move the corpse or carry it ashore. Moreover, he was already drunk, and Li Zhuiyuan couldn't resist his grip, being forcefully pulled to sit down.

"Here, Little Yuanhou, Great Grandfather will give you some ribs. These are your favorites."

Li Sanjiang picked up several pieces of sweet and sour ribs and placed them on the plate in front of Li Zhuiyuan.

Run Sheng, who was waiting nearby, turned around in confusion and scratched his head. Didn't Little Yuan say he wanted to carry Grandpa home? Why was Little Yuan sitting at the table eating?

If he wanted to eat a late-night snack, he should have said so earlier. He could have brought some incense from home to eat a few bites at the table.

"Little Yuan..."

"Brother Run Sheng, wait by the side for us for a moment."

"Alright, Little Yuan."

Grandpa Shan had told him that Little Yuan was smart and that he should listen to him more. Run Sheng felt the same way, so he simply turned his back to Li Sanjiang and Li Zhuiyuan, squatted on the ground, rubbed his eyes, and yawned.

Li Zhuiyuan also felt relieved. As long as there was room for a smooth transition, he didn't want to risk a direct confrontation.

If they were just dead bodies, it would be fine. With Brother Run Sheng's strength and experience, it wouldn't be impossible to fight them.

But the problem now was complicated. The two people in front of him were not dead bodies. At least, they didn't have physical bodies here, and Run Sheng couldn't see them at all.

How could he fight them? Fight ghosts?

He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of sweet and sour rib, and put it in his mouth.

After all, this was a real banquet, unlike the paper effigy feast hosted by Cat-faced Old Woman. Li Zhuiyuan dared to eat it, chewing in his mouth.

However, in this environment, even the most delicious food tasted like chewing on wax.

At this moment, he was worried if Brother Leopard would still remember him.

"Little Yuan, right? Have we met somewhere before?"

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Brother Leopard in confusion, "Have we?"

Li Sanjiang spoke up, "We probably haven't met. This child is returning to his hometown for the first time and hasn't stayed long, so he doesn't recognize many people."

Brother Leopard continued, "Is that so? Looking closely, you do seem familiar. You went to the town market yesterday, didn't you?"

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, "Yes, I went to the small shop to buy snacks and stationery."

"Oh, which small shop?"

"The one next to the firecracker shop. I sat there drinking soda and watching people play billiards for a long time."

The small shop was west of the firecracker shop and east of Sister Mei's Video Hall.

Li Zhuiyuan deliberately avoided mentioning the video hall, partly to avoid provoking Li Sanjiang, as Li Sanjiang knew what had happened at the video hall yesterday, and being drunk now, he could easily start talking.

Secondly, Li Zhuiyuan was gambling. He gambled that when Brother Leopard possessed that woman yesterday, he could only control her movements and not know her memories. He was also gambling that when the shop owner went to the clinic to report the incident, he didn't have time to explain clearly before getting high.

Li Zhuiyuan felt the probability of winning the gamble was high because if Brother Leopard knew he was the one who called the police yesterday, his current attitude towards him would not be so calm.

After a pause, Li Zhuiyuan continued, "Hehe, yesterday an auntie wanted to invite me to sit next door, but I preferred watching billiards. Besides, Brother Run Sheng had taken the owner of the shop next door to the clinic and told me to wait for him there before taking me back. I had to obey my brother.

Right, Brother Run Sheng?"

"Huh?" Run Sheng was cleaning his fingernails with the nail of his right index finger. "Yeah, that's right."

He vaguely felt something was off about what was said. When he was with Little Yuanhou, even though he was older, Little Yuanhou always made the decisions. How come Little Yuanhou was talking as if he were the big brother in charge?

Wait, no, who was Little Yuanhou even talking to?

"Little Yuanhou, you..."

"Brother Runsheng, be quiet for a bit. We'll be home after sitting here a little longer. Don't make noise, don't talk."

"Oh, okay."

Run Sheng obediently continued to pick at his nails, falling silent.

Brother Leopard said, "That's right. I bought a pack of cigarettes at that small shop yesterday. I must have seen you then, but you probably don't remember me."

"Mmm..." Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head slightly and said apologetically, "I was probably engrossed in watching the billiards game then."

It seemed Brother Leopard really didn't know it was him who called the police. And judging by his demeanor, he didn't seem to remember Run Sheng, who had taken him to the health center.

Was it because he was unconscious at the time, not dead yet?

But Brother Leopard should have emerged from the health center after dying there and walked to the video hall. He wouldn't have seen Run Sheng at the health center either?

Li Zhuiyuan recalled Run Sheng mentioning that he had wanted to leave but was stopped by the health center staff who demanded payment for medical expenses. He had no other choice but to wait outside Sister Mei's ward for her to wake up, so did they just miss each other?

Brother Leopard asked again, "I just heard you say you took someone to the health center. How is she?"

"The doctor said she's fine, she'll be alright with some rest."

"Oh."

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Brother Leopard's gaze towards him had softened.

This was also the reason he had deliberately brought up Run Sheng taking Sister Mei to the hospital earlier.

Actually, there was still a problem: he could see them now, which was a huge loophole.

But at the same time, this loophole seemed to be covered because Li Sanjiang was here. Li Sanjiang was the first to see them and start drinking with them.

And Li Sanjiang's identity was rather special. As a corpse retriever and ferryman between the living and the dead, he already possessed a certain uniqueness. It wasn't just the living who sought help from corpse retrievers; the deceased did too.

There were similar records in the Records of Strange Tales from the Jianghu.

At least, so far, neither Brother Leopard nor Zhao Xing had shown any surprise at his ability to see them.

Even Run Sheng, under his concealment, was in a state of "as if seen."

"Hiss... Tsk!"

Li Sanjiang downed another cup of wine, wiped his mouth, and used his chopsticks to pick up a mouthful of food to press it down.

Li Zhuiyuan sighed silently. While he was here, meticulously mending things, his own Great Grandfather was enjoying his food and drink with gusto.

Zhao Xing asked, "How's the food today? Are you satisfied?"

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and continued eating the pork ribs. "Delicious."

Li Sanjiang nodded and said, "Your Zhao family are kind people. The dishes at this banquet are truly not bad."

Li Zhuiyuan guessed that Great Grandfather probably mistook Zhao Xing for one of the nephews from the Zhao family.

"That's good. As long as everyone can eat and drink well, that's all that matters. I was just afraid I wouldn't do a good job and would slight everyone."

Zhao Xing's face broke into a smile, but his complexion was already pale, making his smile even more chilling.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up another piece of cured meat, dipped it on the plate, and put it in his mouth.

Only the cold dishes on the table were still edible; the other dishes had gone cold.

However, the host was really quite concerned about the evaluation of the banquet.

Actually, at a funeral banquet, if the host who was supposed to be lying there were to get up and ask, no one would dare to say the food was bad.

Brother Leopard said, "If I didn't know your banquets were good, would I have rushed over to eat?"

Zhao Xing chuckled, "Alright, in a couple of days, won't I be attending your banquet too?"

Brother Leopard replied, "Mm, but my banquet definitely won't be as good as yours. Your Zhao family is in big business, while mine is just small business. After expenses, there isn't much left over. But when you come, I'll definitely accompany you well, just like you're doing for me today."

Zhao Xing waved his hand, "Eating and drinking are secondary. The main thing is the atmosphere. With our relationship, there's no need for such formalities."

Li Zhuiyuan picked up another mouthful of cold-mixed spinach. This kind of interaction, where they invited each other to their banquets after death, was truly quite novel.

However, how should he end this banquet in a natural way?

Also, why did they appear and drink with Great Grandfather? Was it out of loneliness, or was there something else?

Li Sanjiang looked at Brother Leopard. "What's up? Is your family having an event soon too?"

"Yeah, soon. Once my wife's health improves, we'll hold it."

"Then you can't do this. Your wife is sick, and you're still here drinking so late? Shouldn't you go back and take care of her? That's too irresponsible.

Besides, holding a banquet is very troublesome. Since your wife is sick, you must be in charge of everything; you can't escape the chores."

Li Zhuiyuan immediately nodded in agreement. "When I was sick, I hoped someone would stay with me."

Brother Leopard shook his head helplessly. "I did something wrong to my wife, and her illness was caused by my anger. So, it's not appropriate for me to go home right now. Including today, I'll stay away for another six days. When the seventh day comes, she should have calmed down by then."

"Heh heh," Li Sanjiang pointed at Brother Leopard with his chopsticks. "You young people really are something. Either don't get married, or once you're married, don't go around messing around."

"Uncle is right to lecture me," Brother Leopard said, picking up his chopsticks and flipping them in his hand.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed that Brother Leopard was angry.

As a local hoodlum, how could he allow someone to point at his nose and lecture him like this? In the past, no matter if you were old or young, he would have already taken action to teach you a lesson.

But now, he was holding back.

Zhao Xing took the initiative to interject, "I say, Uncle..."

"Pah, how old are you, kid? You look twenty at most, and you're calling me Uncle?" Li Sanjiang pointed his finger towards the mourning hall. "Old Zhao there, he's the only one who can call me Uncle, and that's only because I don't bother arguing with him. You're about the same age as the main person who passed away today, aren't you?"

Seeing Li Sanjiang turn his head to look at the portrait in the mourning hall, Li Zhuiyuan was afraid that the tipsy Great Grandfather would notice and realize who was being referred to under the table's blind spot.

He quickly picked up the wine bottle and poured wine for his Great Grandfather, deliberately pouring until it overflowed.

"Hey, hey, hey, that's enough, enough. What a waste of good wine," Li Sanjiang's gaze was quickly pulled back. He steadied the wine bottle, then lowered his head and slurped up the spilled wine on the plastic tablecloth.

"It was my hand that slipped, Great Grandfather."

After Zhao Xing and Brother Leopard exchanged a glance, they changed their address: "Grand Uncle, we brothers have something we'd like to ask of you."

"Tell me about it first."

"Old Jiang in Shigang Town owes us brothers a debt, and he's been dragging his feet on paying it back."

"Old Jiang?" Li Sanjiang lightly patted his forehead, trying to clear his head through the alcohol to recall, "That sounds a bit familiar. Ah, is it that Old Jiang in Shigang Town who runs the karaoke bar and bathhouse? That guy is quite famous in that area. I heard he started out in the earthmoving business years ago?"

"Yes, it's him."

"Then that's a difficult situation. If he owes you money, why don't you go ask him for it yourselves? Do you have an IOU?"

"It's just that he has leverage over us, so it's really inconvenient for us to see him."

"Ah, I can't get involved in something like this," Li Sanjiang quickly shook his head. "I'm not some big shot, just someone who fishes things out of the river. How could I help with something like this? If I had that kind of ability, why would I still be out here taking jobs? I'd be lying at home enjoying myself."

"There's a large vat in the middle of the pond at his house. Inside the vat is a Tai Sui. He fished it out of the river many years ago. Because he tricked us into eating that thing, it's made things very difficult for us brothers now.

We don't dare to go find him, and we still have to continue working under him."

"What kind of Tai Sui?" Li Sanjiang was confused. "Is it poison? Did he drug you two?"

"We just beg you to help us destroy that vat of Tai Sui at his house. Whether you burn it, take it, bury it, or throw it away, anything is fine, as long as that vat of stuff is no longer at his house."

"I say, what are you guys even talking about? Isn't this asking me to steal something? I'm an old man, how can I do something like that? You've come to the wrong..."

Zhao Xing took out stacks and stacks of Da Tuanjie from under the table, a total of nine stacks.

Each stack of money was brand new, tied with white paper.

Li Sanjiang swallowed, his breathing becoming rapid.

"Grand Uncle Li, if you agree to help, all this money will be yours."

Li Sanjiang's hand holding the wine glass was already trembling. He remembered that he had gone to the Niu family back then, knowing they had strange things there, even with his injured body, all for money.

But this time, even though he was drunk, Li Sanjiang still forced himself to lower his head. At the same time, he slammed his wine glass heavily onto the table, declaring with a firm voice:

"No!"

Then, Li Sanjiang began to pound the table with his hands, cursing:

"You two blind little brats, you really think your grandpa is the kind of person who would do petty thieving for money? Pah!"

Brother Leopard and Zhao Xing were stunned. Then, a greenish hue began to appear on their faces, a sign of anger.

The air around them grew cold.

Even Run Sheng, who had been squatting nearby and almost asleep, shivered.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "What did that Old Jiang do wrong?"

Seeing their gazes turn to him, Li Zhuiyuan explained, "I want to help my Great Grandfather by asking for clarification."

Zhao Xing shook his head; he didn't know.

Brother Leopard said, "I've seen it. In the mud at the bottom of the pond where that vat is, there's a person buried. It's Old Jiang's enemy, surnamed Zhou."

"What, he even killed someone?" Hearing this, Li Sanjiang's drunkenness lessened slightly. However, his first reaction was, "You're asking me to steal from a murderer's house?"

Zhao Xing looked at Brother Leopard and asked, "When did you see it?"

Brother Leopard replied, "Because I helped him bury it. Old Jiang said that burying the body there would nourish the Tai Sui."

Zhao Xing was surprised. "So, you've been working for him for a long time? You didn't tell me earlier, otherwise I wouldn't have suffered so much."

Brother Leopard sneered, "Don't you remember? We left one after the other."

"That's right, I really forgot about that. What a shame, my fortune."

Zhao Xing looked around with great regret. His family was well-off, and his father was capable of earning money. Therefore, he could have continued to enjoy life. When he was tired of playing and wanted to get married properly, no marriage in the surrounding villages couldn't be bought with his father's money.

However, what he didn't know was that it was precisely because his father was so good at making money that he, a person with little fortune, couldn't bear it too early.

Li Sanjiang was about to say something else when his stomach suddenly churned, and he turned to the side and started to vomit.

Li Zhuiyuan patted his back to help him, while his peripheral vision continued to focus on Brother Leopard and Zhao Xing.

Brother Leopard urged, "Are you in or out? Give me a straight answer, and fast. For my wife's sake, I don't want to make things too difficult for you."

Li Sanjiang, who had just finished vomiting and was catching his breath, asked in confusion, "What relationship do I have with your wife?"

After asking, Li Sanjiang started vomiting again, this time more violently. He was hunched over, lying on his side on the bench.

Li Zhuiyuan continued to pat Li Sanjiang's back and said, "Help us if you can. We don't need the money, and if it doesn't work out, don't blame us, okay?"

At this moment, the two people who had barely looked human moments ago suddenly sat bolt upright in their seats.

Their faces were ashen, and patches of corpse spots appeared on their skin. Their eyes were completely filled with white.

Their lips moved rapidly, opening and closing quickly, as if they were speaking, but their voices were unintelligible.

Li Zhuiyuan tried hard to catch any useful information, even a threat, but it was to no avail. He couldn't understand a single word, only hearing a buzzing sound in his ears like countless flies.

What was going on?

Weren't they communicating fine just moments ago?

Was something wrong with them, or with himself?

"Clack!" "Clack!"

Two pairs of chopsticks were neatly inserted into the rice bowls in front of them.

Their mouths continued to twitch rapidly, still completely unintelligible.

But in the blink of an eye, they stood up.

In the blink of an eye, they left their seats.

In the third blink, they had left the shed.

When Li Zhuiyuan focused his eyes again, he saw that they were already in the distant fields, their figures very blurry.

Then, they disappeared completely.

But in the end, Li Zhuiyuan still couldn't figure out if those two acknowledged the plan he had proposed.

However, most likely, they didn't. Otherwise, they wouldn't have said so much before leaving. Even though he didn't understand a single word, there were quite a few of them.

At the very least, it wouldn't have been a simple "Okay, goodbye."

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Li Sanjiang, only to find that Li Sanjiang had already fallen asleep on the bench.

When had he fallen asleep?

It seemed to be when those two were speaking unintelligibly.

"Brother Runsheng," Li Zhuiyuan nudged Runsheng.

"Ah, are you done eating?"

Runsheng stretched. He had indeed fallen asleep, and in his dream, he suddenly felt a chill.

"Yeah, Great Grandfather is drunk. Brother Runsheng, can you carry Great Grandfather?"

"Sure thing."

Runsheng got up, grabbed Li Sanjiang's arm, and with a flick, Li Sanjiang was slung over his back in a very standard posture.

It was indeed standard, the standard posture for carrying a corpse.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze fell upon the nine stacks of money in the center of the table. He reached out, took them, and shone his flashlight on them.

The Da Tuanjie bills, which had been there before, had now turned into ghost money.

"Are we leaving, Little Yuan?" Runsheng asked.

"Let's wait a bit longer."

Li Zhuiyuan took out matches from Li Sanjiang's pocket, then picked up the ghost money on the table and went to the mourning hall, where there was an unlit brazier.

After placing the ghost money inside, Li Zhuiyuan lit it. He picked up a half-burned wooden stick from the side, flipped it over to ensure it burned thoroughly, and then said to the portrait:

"I'm returning the money you left behind."

No matter how things turned out, it was always right to sever ties with such unclean things as much as possible.

After doing this, Li Zhuiyuan walked back. As he passed the wine table, his flashlight swept over the spot where Brother Leopard and Zhao Xing had been sitting, and an unusual reflection immediately appeared.

He stepped forward to examine it closely. It was a water stain.

Ignoring the disgust, he touched it with his finger. It was very greasy.

Shining his flashlight under the chair, he found that a pool of water had accumulated beneath the chair, as if it had just rained lightly.

Because the ground here was uneven, the water had not flowed towards where he and Great Grandfather were sitting.

"It's wet, so much water..."

Li Zhuiyuan immediately retraced his memory, looking for the spots where those two had been during the previous blinks.

A pool of water, A pool of water, Two water stains where footprints could be seen.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't go back to the fields to search after the fourth location.

At this moment, recalling what the two had said, the vat where the Tai Sui was kept was placed in the pond, and there was a corpse buried beneath the pond.

And the fear those two had towards the Tai Sui in the water vat, clearly as if it were being controlled.

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze gradually deepened:

"You two, you're not involved with the dead float, are you?"

Run Sheng turned his head, about to urge him again, but upon seeing Li Zhuiyuan standing there with a flashlight, he didn't know why his words got stuck in his throat, and he didn't dare to say them.

Because he suddenly felt that the Little Yuanhou in front of him was so unfamiliar, and so frightening.

The purer and simpler a person's disposition, the more sensitive they are to their surroundings. Even though everyone else thought Li Zhuiyuan was well-behaved and sensible, praising and liking him, Run Sheng had never gone upstairs again after he voluntarily went up to the second floor the first time he visited Li Sanjiang's house.

Everyone else in the family thought it was because the girl was there, and the girl didn't like interacting with outsiders.

But only Run Sheng knew that compared to that girl, he was more afraid of Little Yuanhou. He didn't dare to disturb him unless he actively sought him out.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up, and Run Sheng immediately turned his head away, not daring to make eye contact.

"Let's go, Brother Run Sheng, we're going home."

"Mm."

On the country road in the middle of the night, Run Sheng carried Li Sanjiang and walked ahead, with a boy following behind.

The boy's eyes were half-closed, his head lowered, and his hands were gently clenched as he walked.

Li Zhuiyuan was very angry now.

Because, once again, he felt this sense of powerlessness.

Before, hadn't he wondered if the frequency of him encountering such things was a bit too high?

But then he looked at Great Grandfather, who could end up at a table with two dirty things just by drinking.

And he felt that his frequency was still normal.

Moreover, although quite a few people had died in these incidents, in the eyes of ordinary people, those people had all died of accidents or illnesses.

Indeed, it was difficult for a normal person to encounter or hear about such a thing; but if it were replaced by various accidents, it would suddenly become very common.

He himself was merely able to see through the accidents in the eyes of ordinary people due to some special circumstances, and knew what he was encountering.

It was like in real life, bacteria are everywhere, but because they can't be seen by the naked eye, everyone thinks it's normal. If you look through a microscope, they're everywhere.

Li Zhuiyuan actually quite enjoyed this change and liked to explore and learn along this path, but he disliked these sudden occurrences and hated his own repeated powerlessness.

He could admit that he was a poor student, but that didn't mean he could accept being reminded of his grades like this every few days.

Even poor students have dignity.

After returning home and settling Li Sanjiang onto the bedroom bed, Li Zhuiyuan went into his own bedroom and turned on the desk lamp.

The fatigue from going out earlier had vanished, replaced by stimulation. He held a pen and quickly sketched on the drawing.

Under the desk lamp, the boy's eyes were full of determination.

Like a student who usually doesn't study hard, making a last-ditch effort before an exam.

In Li Zhuiyuan's life experience, he had never entered such a state of diligent and focused study.

Finally, when the clock struck five in the morning, Li Zhuiyuan finished drawing.

He got up to tidy up, only to find that his shoulders and legs had lost all sensation. He swayed, and if he hadn't quickly braced himself on the table, he might have fallen over.

It took a while for the numbness to subside.

Without taking much rest, Li Zhuiyuan organized the drawings. Of course, this wasn't all of "The Righteous Path to Subdue Demons"; in fact, these drawings were just the tip of the iceberg of the book.

But these were the tools Li Zhuiyuan had selected for himself, the easiest and most practical to make at the moment.

The raw materials he had prepared yesterday were also sorted and categorized again by Li Zhuiyuan.

Next, it was time to assemble and fabricate them.

The door was gently pushed open at this moment, and A Li walked in.

Normally, at this time, Li Zhuiyuan should have been asleep in bed when she came in.

The girl walked up to the boy, squatted down, looked at him, and reached out to touch his forehead.

Her grandmother had done this to her more than once, and in her understanding, this was a gesture of care.

"A Li, you're here. I'm fine, but today, I'll have to trouble you again. I'll explain the process of these drawings to you."

Yesterday, A Li had shown exceptional manual dexterity. Li Zhuiyuan only needed to explain the drawings to her, and she could make them with the available materials.

Today, A Li was wearing a black, tight-fitting training suit. Li Zhuiyuan suspected that Liu Yumei, having learned from yesterday's lesson, thought black was more resistant to dirt.

After explaining to A Li, Li Zhuiyuan and A Li worked together, and soon, it was daylight.

"A Li, you keep working on it, I need to go out for a bit."

With that, Li Zhuiyuan carried a stack of drawings and a prescription downstairs.

"Little Yuan, come quickly, breakfast is ready." Aunt Liu happened to be coming out of the kitchen.

"Aunt Liu, can you help me decoct this medicine?"

Aunt Liu took the prescription, glanced at it, and then looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

"Please, Aunt Liu, this is for Great Grandfather. Great Grandfather hasn't been feeling well lately. He said he needs to replenish his strength. This is… your job."

"Alright, Auntie knows. I'll decoct it for you."

Decocting medicine was a troublesome and skillful task. If Li Zhuiyuan did it himself, it would be time-consuming and labor-intensive, and he couldn't guarantee the medicinal properties. He could only rely on Aunt Liu.

Although it felt a bit inappropriate to force her this way, Li Zhuiyuan was short on time. Those two fellows would give him at most three days. Once they saw he hadn't completed the task, they would likely come looking for him again.

"Thank you, Aunt Liu."

"Oh, it's time for breakfast. Where are you going?"

"I'm going out."

Li Zhuiyuan ran to the old carpenter's house in the village. The carpenter's house was a two-story building, quite grand.

Because the old carpenter used to be a formal worker at Xingren Machinery Factory, even though he was retired now, he still took on odd jobs. Plus, both his sons worked at the machinery factory, so their family's conditions were considered good in the village.

When Li Zhuiyuan entered, the old carpenter was eating breakfast.

"Are you… Li Weihan's grandson?"

"Yes, Grandpa. My name is Li Zhuiyuan. Great Grandfather Li Sanjiang sent me. He said there's a batch of tools that need your help to make as soon as possible."

The old carpenter took the blueprints and looked at several sheets. He asked in surprise, "Who drew these blueprints?"

These hand-drawn blueprints were very detailed and professional, and also very considerate for the maker.

Actually, Li Zhuiyuan hadn't just learned to draw recently. His mother's study used to be filled with these blueprints, scattered on tables and the floor. He had crawled on these blueprints since he was very young.

"I don't know. Great Grandfather gave them to me. Great Grandfather said they are urgently needed and that he owes you a great favor."

Li Sanjiang's favors carried weight in the village, especially among the elderly.

After all, in life, everyone eventually faced the same destination, and in the end, they would all invite Li Sanjiang to preside over their funeral rites.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't feel like he was abusing his Great Grandfather's favor. After all, those two fellows had approached his Great Grandfather this time. By quickly making these items, he was also helping his Great Grandfather.

"Alright, consider it done. No problem. I'll start working on it right away. I still have the materials at home, all ready. However, some of the parts on your blueprints need to be machined on a lathe…

I'll have my son take them to the factory and use the factory's machinery to make them for you."

"Thank you so much! How long will it take you to finish?"

"So urgently?"

"Yes!"

"Come pick them up tomorrow morning. I'll call my two apprentices to help, and we'll get it done quickly."

"Thank you for your hard work. I'll come to pick them up tomorrow morning."

After thanking him, Li Zhuiyuan ran home. Just as he was about to go upstairs, Liu Yumei called out to him, "Little Yuan, can you call Ah Li down for breakfast? We can't get her to come down."

"It's okay, we're not eating. We have snacks."

Eating snacks while working wouldn't delay their progress.

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan run upstairs, Aunt Liu looked surprised. "Little Yuan is rushing around so early in the morning. What's going on?"

Liu Yumei, who was sitting nearby drinking porridge, snorted.

"Who knows? Maybe he ran into a ghost."

"Should we call Ah Li down then?"

"If that kid doesn't say anything, who can get Ah Li to come down for a meal?"

"That's true." Aunt Liu had just tried calling her, but Ah Li didn't respond at all. "I wonder what Ah Li is doing in her room."

Liu Yumei sighed.

"What else? She's working for that kid."

Back in the bedroom, Li Zhuiyuan opened the snacks and placed them in front of himself and Ah Li. They both ate while continuing their work.

Ah Li didn't speak much to begin with, and Li Zhuiyuan was too preoccupied to talk today. The only sounds in the room were the constant pestle grinding and hammering.

Various materials were processed in an orderly fashion by the boy and the girl, and small parts were made one after another.

They didn't go down for lunch either. They just ate snacks whenever they felt hungry.

By evening, all the work at hand was almost completed.

Li Zhuiyuan collapsed onto the floor. Ah Li looked at the results of their work over the past two days. She didn't seem tired, and even seemed to have some unfinished business.

At that moment, Aunt Liu called from downstairs, "Little Yuan, the medicine is decocted."

Aunt Liu didn't call Great Grandfather to drink the medicine.

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the room. He hadn't slept all night and felt a bit lightheaded. He had to hold onto the wall as he went downstairs.

Tomorrow morning, he just needed to pick up the crafted tools and assemble them with the various materials he had prepared. Then, the work would be completely finished.

Today, only the final step remains. Once it's done, I can finally get a good night's sleep.

Downstairs, Li Sanjiang was sitting with Run Sheng watching TV. Seeing Li Zhuiyuan come down, Li Sanjiang asked:

"Little Yuanhou, what were you doing in your room today? You didn't even come down for meals?"

"Great Grandfather, at last night's banquet..."

"I drank too much last night and had a dream. In the dream, someone gave me a lot of money and told me to do illegal things, but I refused.

Oh, I still feel heartbroken about it. That dream felt so real, I almost thought it wasn't a dream. Luckily, I asked Runsheng Hou. Runsheng Hou said that when he picked me up last night, I was the only one drinking."

Li Zhuiyuan: "..."

At that moment, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly empathized with Grandpa Shan.

Li Zhuiyuan went to get the medicine.

Li Sanjiang sniffed and asked, "Is this Chinese medicine? What's wrong, are you feeling unwell?"

Li Zhuiyuan took a sip from the bowl and said, "No, Aunt Liu was worried I was studying too hard and stewed this soup to help my brain."

"Oh, then you should drink more."

Li Zhuiyuan carried the medicine back to his room. As soon as he put the bowl down, the little black dog ran over by itself and started drinking with slurping sounds.

The medicine didn't taste bad, but it didn't taste good either. Li Zhuiyuan had originally planned to force-feed it to the dog.

The little black dog finished all the medicine and then walked back to its cage unsteadily, seeming to have a full belly.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a small syringe and walked to the cage, beckoning.

The little black dog sat with its belly facing the cage, holding onto the cage with one paw and extending the other paw through the bars for Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan had seen this posture before when his parents took him to the zoo as a child, watching a giant panda undergoing a physical examination.

Li Zhuiyuan held its paw, inserted the needle, and drew back a little blood.

Then he wiped it with a cotton ball.

The little black dog didn't cry or fuss, just quietly waited for Li Zhuiyuan to finish. Once it confirmed there was nothing else, it leaned back and started to sleep.

"Why are you so well-behaved..."

Li Zhuiyuan thought that if Wei Zhengdao were alive, he would probably be so envious of such an obedient black dog that he'd shed tears.

After dripping the black dog's blood into the prepared components in proportion, the final stage of the production process was quickly completed.

Only the final assembly tomorrow morning remained, and that was simple.

"A Li, thank you."

A Li walked up to Li Zhuiyuan, reached out, and patted his head, then pointed to the wooden bed in the room.

In the past, Li Zhuiyuan would coax her to go back to her room to sleep like this.

"Okay, I'm going to sleep."

Li Zhuiyuan was truly exhausted. He'd wash up after waking up. As he lay down on the bed, even though the mat beneath him was hard and cool, he felt as comfortable as if he had sunk into cotton.

Before closing his eyes, Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the ceiling and silently thought:

"The counterattack begins now..."