Chapter 36

"Runsheng Hou, stop up ahead."

Run Sheng stopped the tricycle, bent down, and reached out to pull up the brake handle.

Li Sanjiang took money from his pocket without counting it and handed it to Run Sheng. "Go buy some steamed buns over there, then get me a bottle of liquor from the shop next door."

"What? Drinking this early in the morning?"

"Just go when I tell you to. Why so much nonsense?"

"Got it."

Run Sheng came back with the buns and liquor.

Li Sanjiang bit off the bottle cap, spat it out with a flick of his head, then lifted the bottle and took a huge gulp.

"Urgh... urgh... whew..."

That morning gulp hit hard. He had to take several bites of bun before he managed to suppress it.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"Great Grandfather, I left in a hurry this morning and didn't bring any incense."

"Then why'd you buy so many buns? They'll be cold by the time we bring them back."

"They're still good cold. These are meat buns!"

"Go, go, go. Home, let's go home."

"Then sit tight. Don't get so carried away drinking that you fall off."

Li Sanjiang shot him a glare, then raised the bottle for another drink.

When he tried to bite into a bun again, though, he let out a drunken belch. Then his whole expression suddenly fell, his eyes welling with tears. He could only turn his head away, grab the back of Run Sheng's vest, and wipe his face on it.

Run Sheng looked back and asked, "Great Grandfather, shouldn't you be happy? Why are you crying again?"

"Happy? Happy my ass."

"Didn't Little Yuan get registered under your household? Isn't that worth being happy about?"

"What good is my household registration? Can it compare to a city registration? Can it compare to a Beijing registration?"

"What's so great about a Beijing registration?"

"What's so great? It's like finally having a carp leap through the Dragon Gate, only for the damn thing to jump back down and turn into a carp again."

"Being a carp is pretty good too. That way Little Yuan doesn't have to leave."

Li Sanjiang sighed and slapped himself across the mouth twice.

Early that morning, the Village Chief had called him to the Civil Affairs Bureau. The moment he entered, several staff members surrounded him. They put the papers in front of him and said Little Yuanhou's mother had requested that the child's household registration be transferred to him.

At the time, he had only felt baffled. He truly liked the child, but he absolutely could not do something that would ruin the child's future!

But they said that something seemed to have happened to Little Yuanhou's mother, and the child's registration had to be settled. If he did not sign today and the paperwork was sent back, Little Yuanhou would become unregistered and might not even be able to attend school in the future.

Pressed and rushed by their good-cop-bad-cop routine, Li Sanjiang had signed his name in a daze.

Now, although he had been drinking, the wind had actually cleared his head a little. Even if the child's Beijing grandfather did not want him, shouldn't he have been registered under Li Weihan instead? What was the point of registering him under Li Sanjiang?

The child was living with him now, sure, but what did that have to do with him?

But now, it did.

Li Sanjiang lowered his head and looked at the bag by his feet. Inside were the household register and other documents.

"Damn it, why was the government office so efficient today?"

He pulled out the household register, opened it, and looked at the extra name listed beneath his own household.

Li Sanjiang's feelings were a jumble. The Li family had finally produced a golden phoenix that had flown to Beijing and even laid an egg, only for that egg to be dropped back in its old hometown.

"Ugh, decades of hard work, and back to square one overnight."

"Fine, it's only been one night. How did everything go back already?"

Liu Yumei held a teacup in her hand. The tea had gone cold, yet she had not taken a sip.

Looking at her granddaughter sitting motionless behind the threshold, she felt bitterness fill her mouth. If she drank the tea now, it would taste even more bitter.

Last night, she had wept tears of joy. If she had known, she would have saved some tears. Now, even if she wanted to cry, she could not.

She looked up toward the Second Floor Balcony. The boy sat in a wicker chair, reading intently. Only when he turned a page did he occasionally lower his head to glance at A Li below.

Liu Yumei badly wanted to curse. Kid, don't just sit there watching!

If ordinary children had a fight, they might call out to each other, "Hmph, I'll never play with you again!"

Then they would ignore each other out of spite. That was common enough, perfectly normal.

But Liu Yumei knew that would not happen to her granddaughter, much less to that boy. He was too smart and too steady to do something so childish.

So what had happened between them?

After hesitating for a long while, Liu Yumei finally stood and entered the main house.

Normally, she would not enter this place, much less go up to the second floor. But today, she had no choice but to make an exception.

A Li had been steadily improving, only to suddenly return to her original state. Liu Yumei's heart felt like a stone heated until it was scorching, then doused with a basin of cold water. It was nearly cracking from the pain.

She had to ask what had happened. It was not that she favored one over the other and therefore had to ask the boy whenever something went wrong. If she could get A Li to say anything, would she need to live here?

As she approached, the boy stood up as well, book in hand.

"Little Yuan, Grandma came to talk with you."

"Grandma, please sit."

Liu Yumei sat down in the wicker chair A Li had once used. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at the book in the boy's hand. It looked like a page of unintelligible scribbles. She could not make out what the hell it said.

"Reading?"

"Yes."

Li Zhuiyuan politely placed the book at his side, then turned halfway toward Liu Yumei with an attentive posture. Yes, he had been reading the Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art.

"What happened between you and A Li?"

"Grandma, it was my fault."

He had been deeply shaken last night by what Li Lan had said on the phone.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his head and looked at the palm he had bandaged himself.

He was A Li's balcony. She had gathered the courage to walk out of the darkness and onto that balcony, where she had begun cautiously observing and reaching out to the world.

Yesterday, A Li had discovered bricks appearing on that balcony, meaning it might be sealed shut.

It was hard to imagine how despairing the girl had been when she saw the self-inflicted wound on his palm last night.

She had imprisoned herself beneath a dark, dried-up well. One day, a rope had been lowered from above, and someone at the mouth of the well had kept talking and chatting with her. Just as she prepared to climb up the rope, she discovered that the person who had always encouraged her was climbing down while gripping it.

Li Zhuiyuan knew that because the girl's eyes had once been filled with him, his descent had hurt and struck her even harder.

No, she had come upstairs last night. She had wanted to keep him company. She was not afraid of his depression; she could not accept him giving up.

Like Li Lan had—giving up the struggle and abandoning herself.

The light in her eyes had been him, yet last night, he had extinguished it.

"Ah, what's the point of fussing over who was right or wrong now? Grandma wants to ask you, Little Yuan, do you still have a way to make A Li return to how she was a few days ago? Can you?"

"Yes."

Liu Yumei's face lit up. "Really? What do we need to do?"

"I can't do it yet, Grandma. I need some time."

"You need time... um, what exactly do you need to do?"

"Read."

"Read?"

Liu Yumei frowned slightly. She suspected the boy before her was stringing her along, but on second thought, it suddenly seemed to make sense. As she recalled, the boy had been reading up here on the second floor before, and as he read, A Li had taken the initiative to walk toward him.

Could it be that her granddaughter liked the scholarly air?

Liu Yumei pondered it. Was it because she liked dressing A Li in ancient clothes and usually enjoyed reading storybooks like The Romance of the Western Chamber?

"Grandma, A Li has already gone back into her room."

"What?" Liu Yumei looked down and saw A Li still sitting behind the threshold, not moving at all. "Isn't she still right there?"

"We need to find a way to call A Li out again, so I can apologize to her face-to-face."

Liu Yumei could not quite understand, but the boy spoke so logically that she inexplicably felt reassured.

"Then... read well."

"Okay, Grandma."

Liu Yumei went downstairs.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art again. Those scribble-like characters—if he looked away for even a moment, he had to start over and get the feel for them again, or he simply could not understand them.

After reading another page, Li Zhuiyuan looked down at the girl as he turned the page.

He felt no dissatisfaction whatsoever at the girl's sudden "departure." He liked this feeling of being needed.

At last, he had a mask he could not take off.

Li Lan, I found what you failed to find.

Back downstairs, Liu Yumei's expression had relaxed somewhat as well. She brewed herself another pot of tea.

Just then, Run Sheng rode the tricycle onto the terrace.

"Great Grandfather, we're home. We're home, Great Grandfather. Wake up, wake up."

Liu Yumei stepped forward and asked, "What happened?"

"Great Grandfather got drunk."

"Oh? Did he go out for morning drinks?"

"He got drunk while drinking." Run Sheng took the empty bottle from the tricycle and tipped it upside down. Not a single drop remained.

"Carry him upstairs on your back."

"Okay."

Run Sheng grabbed Li Sanjiang's shoulder with his left hand and gave a smooth pull with his right. With a jolt, Li Sanjiang was on his back.

Liu Yumei asked, "Who taught you to carry someone like that?"

"Huh? Nobody taught me. You get used to it after carrying enough corpses."

"Remember not to carry people like that next time. It's unlucky."

"Okay, got it."

Liu Yumei waved her hand, fanning away the smell of alcohol while signaling for Run Sheng to hurry up and carry him away.

Run Sheng ran into the house and climbed to the second floor in one breath.

Liu Yumei returned to her tea table and habitually pinched the teacup between her index finger and ring finger.

As she raised it into the air, the cup suddenly wobbled, yet not a drop of tea spilled.

Liu Yumei said in surprise,

"Was it filled up again?"

"Little Yuan, help me open the door. Your Great Grandfather drank himself unconscious."

Li Zhuiyuan opened the screen door and helped Run Sheng settle Li Sanjiang onto the bed. Li Sanjiang's face was flushed red from the alcohol, and he looked completely passed out.

Then Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng left the room together.

"What exactly happened?"

Great Grandfather liked drinking, but he was not the sort to start drinking first thing in the morning.

Run Sheng scratched his head. "Little Yuan, your household registration was transferred under Great Grandfather's name. It seems your school records and things like that were transferred too."

Li Zhuiyuan froze. That fast?

When Li Lan had said on the phone last night that she wanted to transfer his registration over, he had deliberately hinted that he was currently living at Li Sanjiang's Home. Clearly, Li Lan had understood.

Of course, it would have been strange if she had not. Mother and son both acknowledged each other's intelligence.

But not only had it been efficient this time, even his school records had been transferred. It seemed that the project Li Lan was participating in really was important. Her family's relocation had been specially approved, and even those old professors had been unable to stop it.

"Little Yuan, I'm going downstairs to eat buns first."

"Mm, go ahead, Brother Run Sheng."

After Run Sheng went downstairs, Li Zhuiyuan washed a towel in a basin, then pushed open Li Sanjiang's door and went inside again.

Li Sanjiang lay on the bed with his left arm across his forehead and his legs splayed apart.

Li Zhuiyuan wrung out the towel and handed it to Li Sanjiang.

"Great Grandfather, wipe your face."

Li Sanjiang did not move.

"Great Grandfather can hold his liquor. You're not drunk. If you were really asleep, you'd be snoring."

"Cough, cough..." Li Sanjiang opened his eyes and looked at Li Zhuiyuan beside the bed. "Little Yuanhou, Great Grandfather did something wrong."

"No, Great Grandfather took me in."

"You're still young. You may not know what a Beijing household registration means."

"Great Grandfather, that isn't so important."

"What do you know, little brat? When you grow up, you'll definitely get angry and regret it to death. Listen to Great Grandfather. Find a way to contact your Beijing grandfather's side and have them get it transferred back."

"Great Grandfather, my surname is Li now."

"Ah, tell me, what kind of mess is your mother making? You may not care, but Great Grandfather does. Great Grandfather feels sorry for you, truly sorry. My little boy's future has been ruined just like that."

"It's okay, Great Grandfather. At worst, I'll be like Li... like my mother, and get into a university in a big city."

"Right, school! I almost forgot!"

Li Sanjiang sprang off the bed like a carp, then quickly ran over to the stool and opened the bag holding the household register, document folder, and other items.

"Great Grandfather still has to ask around and find you a school. How about Shinan Elementary? Forget it, Shigang is bigger. We'll go to elementary school in Shigang."

"Elementary school..."

"I'm telling you, Little Yuanhou, you can play however you want during summer vacation, but once school officially starts, you absolutely can't fall behind. You have to put your mind into studying."

"Great Grandfather, do you know anyone at the school?"

"Can't I look if I don't know anyone? Even if I can't find someone direct, I can find someone indirect who can take money without worry.

I heard schools have good classes and bad classes. We'll put in some effort. No matter what, we have to get you into a good class.

By the way, Little Yuan, what grade are you in?"

"Great Grandfather, that Uncle Tan from last time seemed like a pretty good person."

"Uncle Tan? Which Uncle Tan?"

"Captain Tan from the Police Station."

"We've only met twice. We're not familiar with each other. Besides, he's not from the school."

"Shigang Town is only so big. It'd definitely be more convenient if he stepped in. He invited me to his home last time, too. In a while, I'll take my records over and ask him."

"All right. Great Grandfather will go with you then."

"No need. If he can't handle it and you go too, it'll just be more awkward. I'm the one better suited to ask as a child."

"Then let's leave it at that for now. Ask when you go to his house. I'll also see if I can find someone here."

Seeing Li Sanjiang agree, Li Zhuiyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was reluctant to leave this place now, but he also did not want Great Grandfather to send him straight to elementary school.

Although he had not dealt with Captain Tan many times, the man owed him a favor from last time and should be willing to help. More importantly, he needed help skipping grades—preferably all the way to senior year of high school.

That way, he could take the Gaokao a year from now.

If he wanted to shorten the time further, he could also take the National Math Olympiad held every winter and earn a guaranteed admission spot.

But where should he go to university?

Since Li Lan did not want to see him, he would not go anywhere she was.

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly thought of a school. From its name to its majors, it suited his current self perfectly... Haihe University.

At that thought, Li Zhuiyuan could not help smiling to himself.

Brother Liangliang, it looks like we really will become schoolmates someday.

Great Grandfather scratched his head as he pondered his network of connections, while Li Zhuiyuan went outside and continued reading.

He did not put down his book and head downstairs to eat until Aunt Liu called everyone to lunch.

Sitting on his little stool, with the seat beside him empty and the girl's small plate absent from the table, he truly felt a hollow emptiness in his heart.

When he turned to look, he found that A Li's little dining table had been moved into the East Room. Liu Yumei was sorting out portions of food for her while trying to persuade her.

At last, A Li picked up her chopsticks and began eating.

Liu Yumei nodded in relief. When she stood again, she felt a soreness in her waist. Before, the girl would eat after just one word from the boy. Why had she needed so much persuasion this time?

For a moment, a sense of urgency suddenly rose in her heart. She was getting older and older. If she was gone before A Li's illness was cured, who would take care of A Li?

Li Sanjiang also came downstairs for lunch. After sitting down, he saw Li Zhuiyuan sitting alone. Looking around again, he found the girl had gone to eat inside. He immediately slammed down his chopsticks and said unhappily,

"I say, do you have to be this realistic? Our Little Yuanhou just lost his Beijing household registration. Good grief, and now you don't even want to eat at the same table?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Pan Zi and Lei Zi came running over, drenched in sweat.

"Great Grandfather, Great Grandfather, something's wrong! Something happened at Sihai's Fish Pond. When they started draining the pond, a whole lot of red water suddenly churned up inside, like blood. Sihai and the people who went into the pond to set nets are all rotting!"

"Great Grandfather, the people over there sent us to ask you to come take a look."

"What?" Li Sanjiang sprang to his feet. "Run Sheng, let's go take a look!"

After hearing the description, Li Zhuiyuan silently recited to himself, Earth Yin Red Calamity?

Liu Yumei brushed the hair at her temple, equally puzzled. How could there be an Earth Yin Red Calamity in this area?

Run Sheng reluctantly put down his bowl of food and followed Li Sanjiang away.

Li Zhuiyuan did not go. Until he confirmed that the issue with his blessed fortune had been resolved, he would not go near water.

Back on the second floor, Li Zhuiyuan reopened his book and continued reading.

If it was only an Earth Yin Red Calamity, Great Grandfather's side should not be in much danger. That was because this sort of Earth Yin Red Calamity formation only appeared at bait-hole sites.

Since ancient times, things had not only been buried in auspicious veins among famous mountains and great rivers. In fact, many ancient people chose to bury things in river channels—tombs, temples, treasures, and the like.

As silt accumulated and river courses shifted, it was easier for rapid changes of "seas turning into mulberry fields" to occur, making them far harder to find.

The Earth Yin Red Calamity was a relatively traditional type of feng shui trap formation. Once disturbed, whatever lay inside would swiftly surge out with the water and scatter in all directions, injuring anyone coveting it.

But it was generally used in bait holes—traps deliberately arranged to fish for Water Monkeys.

Still, that also meant there was probably a main burial site nearby. The only question was what exactly had been buried inside.

Li Zhuiyuan had no interest in looking for it. Anyone capable of arranging an Earth Yin Red Calamity would certainly have built a "living burial" back then. That did not mean burying living people alive; it meant that the underwater structure they built could move as hydrological patterns changed.

Thus, the bait holes and main burial site might have been laid out in a standard arrangement when they were first built, but by now they could have shifted into complete chaos. Even if one knew the location of a bait hole, there would be no way to calculate the position of the main burial site.

Sihai's family had simply been unlucky. Who knew whether their fish pond had been dug right over a bait hole, or whether the bait hole had moved beneath their pond on its own?

Of course, if neither of those possibilities was true, then the nature of the matter might have changed. It might really mean a Water Monkey had taken the bait.

Li Zhuiyuan spent the whole afternoon reading. Great Grandfather and Run Sheng did not return until dinner.

While eating, Li Sanjiang spoke about what had happened at Sihai's home.

Two outsiders wanted to lease Sihai's Fish Pond at a high price to raise soft-shelled turtles. So, although it was not yet time to drain the pond, Sihai decided to clear it out first so he could rent it to them.

As a result, when Sihai and his son went into the pond at noon to set nets, something happened. The two outsiders helping in the pond were also injured. All four of them looked as if they had been scalded by boiling limewater, with large areas of flesh burned and rotted away. They had not died and had been sent to the Health Center, but their appearance was truly terrifying.

The nearby villagers had all been badly frightened. Li Sanjiang spent the afternoon there conducting a ritual. The moment the ritual was finished, the red water filling the pond receded, and the villagers all said that Old Master Sanjiang had suppressed the Haunting.

As he said this, Li Sanjiang smugly stroked his chin and took a sip of liquor.

Li Zhuiyuan guessed that after the Earth Yin Red Calamity had been disturbed and fully released, the bait hole opened, and all the water in the pond finally flowed backward into it.

Besides, those two outsiders were truly helpful. Not only were they leasing the fish pond at a high price, they had even helped clear it out.

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan was about to go upstairs to practice his horse stance when Run Sheng mysteriously stopped him.

"Little Yuan, come here for a moment."

Li Zhuiyuan followed Run Sheng to the tricycle. Run Sheng lifted the white plastic sheet on top, revealing an old shovel lying inside.

"Little Yuan, look. Doesn't this shovel resemble our Yellow River Shovel a little? Just a little, though. It's nowhere near as good as ours."

Li Zhuiyuan took the shovel and tried folding and transforming it a few times. Its core construction was indeed the same as the Yellow River Shovel's, but its detailed design was far inferior.

Still, this thing was indeed old. It bore many signs of repair and could be considered an antique.

"Brother Run Sheng, did you pick this up by the fish pond today?"

"Yeah. I didn't dare tell Old Master. I secretly brought it back myself, because I smelled corpse stink on it."

Li Zhuiyuan leaned in and sniffed it. He could not smell anything, but he trusted Run Sheng's judgment. Professional corpse retrievers often possessed a sensitivity to the stench of Water Corpses that ordinary people could scarcely understand.

"Did it belong to those two outsiders?"

"I don't know. When we got there, all four people were badly hurt. This thing was just lying by the pond."

"You did well, Brother Run Sheng."

"Ah... I thought you'd blame me for taking something that wasn't mine, Little Yuan."

"This is no ordinary thing."

An ancient imitation Yellow River Shovel, carrying the stench of a Water Corpse—it practically made it clear that it had been used by those Water Monkeys.

Water Monkeys referred to thieves who stole from underwater. If people on the shore discovered them while they were excavating, they would often drag those people into the water and kill them to silence them. Thus, tales of Water Monkeys searching for substitutes to die in their place had spread everywhere.

"Little Yuan, is it useful?"

"Yes. Brother Run Sheng, if you smell this kind of scent again in the future, remember to tell me promptly."

"Sure thing, no problem."

"Oh, right, Brother Run Sheng, play cards with me for a while."

"What? Play cards with you?" Run Sheng recalled Little Yuan's unstoppable slaughter at the shrine that day. In his eyes, Little Yuan was practically another Gao Jin, the God of Gamblers.

"Just a few rounds. No money involved."

There was already an opened deck of cards in the drawer. Li Zhuiyuan and Run Sheng sat facing each other, with Run Sheng shuffling and dealing. It was simple: three-card poker. Once the cards were dealt, they immediately revealed them and compared hands.

After twenty rounds, Run Sheng had won eight, while he had won twelve.

Li Zhuiyuan then switched to shuffling and dealing himself. After twenty rounds, he had won nine, while Run Sheng had won eleven.

It seemed the peculiar blessed fortune surrounding him had disappeared?

But what price had he paid?

Li Zhuiyuan sat there, continuing to toy with the cards in his hand. He had been waiting for something big to happen, but that big event never came.

Forget it. He would stop thinking about it. Tomorrow morning, he would play cards with Run Sheng again and compare their hands. If the win-loss ratio remained this normal, then he could go out.

East Room.

Aunt Liu was combing Liu Yumei's hair and sighed. "Little Yuan's household registration has been settled here. That child really has terrible luck. He took such a huge fall."

"A huge fall? Maybe that boy himself doesn't feel much about it."

"That's because he's still young and doesn't understand, isn't it?"

"A Ting, you've interacted with him before. Do you really think he's just a child?"

"Doesn't seem like it."

"For ordinary people, encountering something like this would probably ruin their luck for a lifetime and leave them unable to recover.

But this ladder of rules was built for ordinary people in the first place. To true geniuses, it means nothing.

In peaceful times, they can rise whenever they want, and there are plenty of ways to do so. It's not something ordinary people can envy."

"You're right. That really is how it is."

"But this is good too. I was worried before that he would leave once summer vacation ended. From the looks of it, he'll continue living here for a while."

"Did Little Yuan say anything about A Li's illness?"

"He said he had a way, but he needs to read."

"What kind of method is that?"

"Let's wait and see. We're old now. We can't understand young people's affairs anymore."

The next morning, when Li Zhuiyuan woke up, he habitually turned his head to look. There was still no one sitting in the chair by the door.

"Ah..."

After getting up and washing, Li Zhuiyuan read outside for a while. When he went downstairs for breakfast, A Li was still not beside him.

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan pulled Run Sheng over and continued playing cards and comparing hands as they had the night before. The win-loss ratio was healthy.

Only then did he finally relax. He could go out now.

"Morning, Captain Tan."

"Morning, Captain Tan."

"Mm, morning."

Tan Yunlong rode his motorcycle into the Police Station in casual clothes, greeting colleagues as he passed them.

It was actually no longer early—it was already morning. He had taken leave to arrive late because he had gone to his son's school early that morning to meet with a teacher.

Students who had finished the second semester of their second year of high school and were advancing into their third year had very short summer breaks and had already returned to school. His son had gotten into a fight outside school the previous evening. The commotion had been quite large and had nearly triggered a group brawl.

But he did not blame his son, because the boy had been protecting a classmate who was being bullied.

Tan Yunlong had always been open-minded about his son's studies. So what if his grades were not outstanding? So what if he could not get into a good university through the Gaokao? As long as his character and values were sound, that was enough.

That was also why, when his job was transferred, he had argued with his wife and insisted on moving his son to a school near his workplace. He needed to keep an eye on the boy.

After being a police officer for so long and seeing every kind of evil, he understood that if a child's character was not kept in check, then no amount of cultivation would mean anything.

As he entered the office building, colleagues he met along the way continued greeting him warmly. Although a serious case had occurred in his jurisdiction, it had been solved quickly, and he had received a commendation for it.

Even the station chief had hinted that he should take the opportunity to make more moves. After all, his old connections were still there, and with merit to his name, he could naturally be transferred back. But Tan Yunlong made no move at all. He felt that working at a township police station was quite good.

When he pushed open his office door, Tan Yunlong froze for a moment. Then a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he closed the door.

He picked up the thermos, made a cup of tea, and handed it to the boy.

The boy took out something wrapped in newspaper from beside his feet and opened it before him. It was a shovel.

Cultural relics excavated from underground belonged to the state. Privately taking them was illegal, and their channels for selling stolen goods often led overseas, so the police should be notified promptly.

After listening to the boy's concise account, Tan Yunlong first got up and left the office, arranging for people to monitor the ward at the Health Center. Then he closed the door and sat back down. Seeing Li Zhuiyuan holding the teacup and taking several sips of hot tea without setting it down, he said,

"Looks like you came to ask me for help this time."

"Yes, Uncle Tan. I'd like to ask you to help arrange my enrollment. These are my records."

Tan Yunlong flipped through the documents, then said in incomprehension, "What kind of operation is this?"

"I want to go to school."

"All right. I'll help you contact the town elementary school. What grade were you in before?" Tan Yunlong held up the student registration certificate and examined it carefully again. "Is this juvenile class an elementary school? This university's name... Tsk, tsk. Were you attending this university's affiliated elementary school before?"

"I want to skip grades."

"To sixth grade? I know educational resources in the capital are good, but competition among students here is quite intense too. In terms of test-taking ability alone, students from the capital may not necessarily be better than those here."

"Senior year of high school."

"Mm, senior year of high school... What?" Tan Yunlong looked up and stared at the boy. "Are you sure you're not joking?"

"Uncle Tan, you only need to help me go through the grade-skipping process. I'll handle the examinations and assessments myself."

Li Zhuiyuan knew that grade-skipping policies existed everywhere. Back then, quite a few students in his class had skipped ahead this way.

"Really?" Tan Yunlong grew interested. "From the way you're talking, if the Gaokao hadn't already ended this year, you could have prepared to take it directly."

"No. I still want to stay here a little longer. I'm reluctant to leave."

"How about this? I can help you, but to avoid making a complete fool of myself, you have to come to my house for dinner tonight. My son is about to enter his senior year too."

"Tonight won't work. Tomorrow or the day after is fine."

Seeing how calm and composed the boy was, Tan Yunlong found himself already believing him. He asked, "You're one of those child geniuses?"

Li Zhuiyuan hesitated. A more fitting description of himself seemed to be a sick child.

"Then why did you go do that?" Tan Yunlong gestured with his hand, referring to corpse retrieval.

This time, Li Zhuiyuan's answer was firm.

"It's fun. Interesting."

"If you really are that kind of person, you should still study hard and serve the country."

"Am I not doing that?"

"That's not what I meant. All right, then tomorrow night, I'll come pick you up at your home. I remember where you live."

"Okay." Li Zhuiyuan stood and bowed to Tan Yunlong. "Thank you, Uncle."

Tan Yunlong stood as well, walked around to the boy's side, and patted his head. "I should be the one thanking you."

Before noon, Li Zhuiyuan returned home on Run Sheng's tricycle.

Several bricklayers had come to the house and were building a room by the back house.

Aunt Liu walked over smiling and said to Li Zhuiyuan:

"Your Great Grandfather just asked what was going on. I told him you wanted a workshop built for yourself, and he actually nodded without asking anything else. He went inside, got some money, and handed it to me, but I pushed it back and told him we had enough.

He asked where the money came from, so I said Run Sheng won it playing cards."

"Hehe."

Run Sheng, who was parking nearby, wore a foolish grin.

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and reminded him, "Brother Run Sheng, shouldn't you run?"

"Huh?"

A figure suddenly burst out of the main house, wielding a rattan strip used for Paper Crafting and charging straight at Run Sheng.

"I told you not to learn bad habits! Of all people, why'd you have to learn from that Shan Pao of yours, gambling with cards? I'll beat you to death! Beat you to death!"

Run Sheng ran, and Great Grandfather chased after him.

The two of them ran circles around the field in front of the yard.

Li Zhuiyuan sighed inwardly. Great Grandfather was really in good shape.

His cold had fully recovered, and he had not been hit by bird droppings lately either. It seemed that after the problem with Li Zhuiyuan's fortune had been resolved, Great Grandfather had returned to normal as well.

Then Li Zhuiyuan looked toward the East Room. A Li was still seated behind the threshold, unmoving, like an exquisite sculpture.

These past few days, without the girl keeping him company, reading was truly just reading.

Liu Yumei gave Li Zhuiyuan a meaningful look, signaling for him to go over and try interacting with A Li again.

Li Zhuiyuan did not go. Instead, he headed straight inside and went up to the second floor. He was only a little away from finishing Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art.

He had been staying up late every night to read, forcibly speeding up his progress.

Liu Yumei sat in her chair, staring up at the second floor as an uncontrollable irritation rose within her again. In the past, she had felt jealous when her granddaughter was close to the boy. Now, she desperately wished her granddaughter could go back to clinging to him and playing with him as before.

Yet this boy really did nothing but read every day. At least come over and try! How would he know whether it would work if he did not try? Girls needed to be coaxed.

Since childhood, A Li had only ever had this one playmate. Liu Yumei did not believe her granddaughter had completely lost all feeling for the boy.

After lunch, Li Zhuiyuan continued reading. By afternoon, he finally finished the book.

He leaned back in the wicker chair, racing to organize and refine everything in the book.

Though his eyes were closed, scenes and phenomena recorded in the text emerged one after another in his mind. His hands kept making irregular gestures. To an outsider, the boy looked like he was imagining himself as a music conductor with his eyes shut. But in Li Zhuiyuan's perception, he was manipulating one distinct body of water after another.

For books like this, rote memorization had limited effect. Only by gaining a deep understanding and reaching a mysterious state akin to artistic appreciation could one truly be considered to have entered the door and mastered it.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his face, and his brows alternated between tightening and relaxing.

When he had completely sorted everything out, the boy opened his eyes, which were filled with exhaustion.

As he sat up, he realized his face felt sticky. He had gotten a nosebleed, and quite a lot had flowed. A large patch of his clothes had been soaked red.

Li Zhuiyuan knew this was his body's warning that he had overworked his mind.

To fully grasp Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art in just a few days was an immensely taxing challenge even for him. Fortunately, he had succeeded, but he could not keep doing this in the future.

Otherwise, he feared that before any mental problems surfaced, his body would give out first.

After bathing, changing clothes, and washing his bloodstained clothes himself, Li Zhuiyuan went downstairs and told Aunt Liu he was sleepy and would not be eating dinner. Then he headed behind the house again.

Li Sanjiang and Run Sheng were helping the masons. The workshop was being built against the rear wall of the main house, and it would be finished before nightfall.

Li Zhuiyuan told Li Sanjiang that he would not be eating dinner. He had stayed up too late studying the night before and could not hold on anymore, so he wanted to sleep first.

He had only come specifically to say so because he did not want Great Grandfather to worry, and even more because he feared Great Grandfather might come check on him at night and disturb his rest.

Yet as soon as Li Sanjiang heard him, his eyes reddened. He hurriedly waved for Li Zhuiyuan to go back and sleep.

After Li Zhuiyuan left, Li Sanjiang wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"He says he doesn't care just to make me feel better, but Little Yuanhou is anxious too. Listen to him. His mind was never on studying before. When had he ever worked hard studying late into the night?"

On his way from behind the house to the front, Li Zhuiyuan passed the East Room. He could only walk pressed against the wall, keeping a sufficient distance, otherwise A Li would react badly.

From beyond that safe distance, Li Zhuiyuan stood there and watched the girl for a long time.

He had worried before whether he would be unaccustomed to not seeing A Li after returning to the capital.

Now, he no longer needed to worry. He knew he would not be able to adapt at all.

Just as A Li had already grown accustomed to darkness, he too had already grown accustomed to all kinds of masks.

If they had never experienced it, everything could have continued as before. But precisely because they had experienced it... there was no going back.

"Little Yuan, come, have some tea with Grandma."

"No, Grandma. I'm tired. I'm going back to sleep."

Back in his room, Li Zhuiyuan lay down on the bed and went to sleep. He was truly exhausted.

He slept until the middle of the night. After waking, he got out of bed and first went into Great Grandfather's room to take a few things. Great Grandfather was sleeping soundly, so deeply that even thunder would not wake him.

Then he went downstairs. The television was on, displaying a fixed color image.

Run Sheng was sleeping soundly on bedding spread over the floor beside the table, hugging Little Black Dog in his arms.

Little Black Dog was now being kept by Run Sheng. Of course, it did not really need looking after, since it spent most of its time sleeping in its own doghouse. Great Grandfather had only realized several days later that there was an extra dog in the house.

"Brother Run Sheng, wake up."

"Mmm... what is it, Little Yuan?"

"Brother Run Sheng, come out with me. Put on all the gear."

"Okay!"

Li Zhuiyuan went to get some incense and candles, then took some ingredients from the kitchen. When he came back out, he saw Run Sheng preparing to push the tricycle.

"Brother Run Sheng, it's not far. We'll walk."

"Okay." Run Sheng followed with a large burlap sack on his back, lowering his voice as he asked, "Little Yuan, are we going to deal with them?"

"Deal with who?"

"The guys who contracted Fish Pond."

"The police will deal with them."

"Then what are we going for?"

"To ask someone for help."

Run Sheng looked at the sack on his back, then at the incense, candles, and offerings in Li Zhuiyuan's hands.

"We need to bring this to ask someone for help?"

Li Zhuiyuan led Run Sheng to a fish pond. Directly across from it stood Big Beard's house.

Big Beard's wife had already gone to live with their eldest son. This house was currently intended for sale, but the homestead was not easy to sell to outsiders, and someone had drowned right in front of it. Rumors about the incident had grown extremely sinister. Even at a low price, no one dared take it for the time being.

Thus, this was currently one of the quietest places in the village.

Standing before the fish pond, Li Zhuiyuan first closed his eyes, then slowly opened them. The contents of Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art surfaced in his mind.

He had led Little Yellow Oriole here in the first place. Now, he needed to determine whether she was still here.

The color of the ripples, the state of the aquatic plants, the shore and banks, even the wind passing over them—all these minute details came together into a phenomenon within Li Zhuiyuan's mind.

Li Zhuiyuan slowly walked along the edge of the fish pond, observing closely. In the end, he confirmed it. There was a Death Collapse hiding in this pond.

Little Yellow Oriole was still here.

"Brother Run Sheng, dig small holes here, here, and over there. Then stick incense into them."

"Mm." Run Sheng picked up the Yellow River Shovel and got to work.

Li Zhuiyuan tossed the offerings he had brought into specific locations in the pond. Then, at the guiding position on the southwest side of the pond, he set down two candles and lit them.

After finishing all this, Li Zhuiyuan took a stack of Yellow Paper and lit it from the candles.

"Brother Run Sheng, unless I call you later, don't make a move. Go stand farther away for now, and follow us when the time comes."

Run Sheng obediently moved farther away, then asked in confusion, "Follow us?"

Li Zhuiyuan waved the burning Yellow Paper in his hand and chanted.

"This junior, Li Zhuiyuan, requests that you emerge from the water. Afterward, I will offer three sacrifices in return."

Smack!

The Yellow Paper was slapped into the mud and extinguished.

Li Zhuiyuan turned around, putting his back to the pond. He held an incense burner in his left hand and raised a bell in his right.

Though Run Sheng stood at a distance, he could still see clearly. Ripples suddenly spread across the pond behind Li Zhuiyuan, and then the figure of a long-haired woman slowly came ashore.

A Death Collapse!

Run Sheng's breathing immediately quickened. He wanted to shout that Little Yuan was in danger, but then remembered that Little Yuan had summoned this Death Collapse himself.

Then his mind took another turn. My God, Little Yuan can actually summon a Death Collapse!

He had followed his own grandfather recovering bodies from the water since childhood. Every time, they had only dealt with such things passively. He had never seen, much less imagined, that there could be such an active method.

How exactly had Little Yuan done it?

Two icy hands landed on his shoulders. Li Zhuiyuan felt his body sink, and then wet water stains soaked through his clothes.

That familiar feeling had returned.

But this time, he was not very afraid. Still, to be safe, he called Run Sheng over.

"Ding ding ding... ding ding ding... ding ding ding..."

The crisp ringing of the bell sounded. Li Zhuiyuan began walking forward, and the figure behind him followed as well.

Under the moonlight,

two shadows, one tall and one short, stretched across the ground.

East Room bedroom.

Liu Yumei held a palm-leaf fan and fanned A Li. A Li had her eyes open and had not yet fallen asleep.

Back then, that boy would coax her to sleep every night. Once A Li returned to her room, she would obediently close her eyes and try hard to fall asleep, so she could wake early, dress herself up, and go see him.

Suddenly, Liu Yumei seemed to sense something. She rose and looked out the window. Then she looked back at A Li on the bed, only to see that A Li's open eyes were slowly closing at that very moment.

"This... this is... this is..."

Even Liu Yumei, who had seen all manner of storms, was rendered speechless by shock. After a long while, she recalled what the boy had told her the day before yesterday.

"Grandma, A Li has gone back to her room. We need to find a way to call her out again so I can apologize to her face-to-face."

A helpless, amused smile appeared on Liu Yumei's face.

"No, do young people nowadays make dates at night this way?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook the bell and carried the incense burner as he walked onto the yard, then stopped.

Then Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes.

Although he was soaked through, cold, and uncomfortable, he still forced himself into a state of sleep.

In truth, he did not need to actually fall asleep. As long as he reached that hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, he could successfully perform Yin Walking.

When he slowly opened his eyes, he first looked behind him. The long-haired figure in the qipao was still there. Looking farther away, however, he could no longer see Run Sheng.

Mm, he had successfully entered the dream.

"Please wait a moment. I'll send you back shortly."

After saying that, Li Zhuiyuan put down the bell and incense burner, then walked forward by himself.

He had slipped free of those hands' restraint, while the qipao-clad figure remained in place with both hands raised, utterly motionless.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the East Room and stopped.

Very soon,

the girl's figure appeared.

This time, she finally no longer ignored him entirely as she had during the day. Instead, she fixed her gaze on him.

Late at night,

pitch-black darkness,

in the yard stood a boy, a girl, and a Death Collapse.

The boy looked at the girl and said with complete sincerity,

"A Li, will you forgive me?"