Chapter 48

Li Zhuiyuan sat on the ground and gently massaged his temples with both hands.

It was his first time controlling a Death Collapse. He was a little tired and needed to relax as quickly as possible, because he still had a great deal to do next.

If nothing unexpected happened, he was about to face the greatest overexertion of his life.

This kind of overexertion would most likely cause fairly serious damage to his body.

He knew that perfectly well, but he still decided to do it.

Because he was angry.

To him, that was a very precious emotion.

At that moment, the girl and the woman both knelt before him.

Seeing this, Li Zhuiyuan waved his hand, but it had no effect.

He had already released his control over them. By all rights, they should either have remained standing still, or one should have returned to the rice vat while the other returned to the bed.

Li Zhuiyuan helplessly stood up, and the mother and daughter rose as well.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the table and sat back in his original seat.

The girl and the woman also got up and followed him over, then both sat down to Li Zhuiyuan's right.

Tan Wenbin had originally been sleeping there.

Now, he was firmly sandwiched between them on both sides.

Li Zhuiyuan could not be bothered to adjust things. At least this way, sleeping Bin Bin would not fall over.

However, once they sat down, their expressions and movements began to distort slightly, as though signaling some kind of loss of control.

Although Li Zhuiyuan did not understand the principle behind it, he roughly knew how to deal with it.

"Don't worry. I will definitely keep my promise to you.

"Now, please endure a little longer. Zhou Yong is only a knife wielded by someone else. You don't want to let the true culprit who caused you this suffering get away, do you?"

The girl and the woman quieted down again upon hearing that.

"Brother Run Sheng, restrain and pack up Zhou Yong first. Call me when you're done. I'll take a short nap first."

"Sure thing. Don't worry, Little Yuan."

At that moment, Zhou Yong was pinned in the corner by Run Sheng. The Yellow River Shovel was fixed against his neck, physically trapping him.

He was already extremely weak. Though he was still trying to push the shovel away with his hands, he had too little strength to resist.

Run Sheng walked over to the burlap sack, took out the Soul Returning Basket and the Homecoming Net, and spread them out on the ground.

He took out his box of ink paste, pressed all ten fingers into it in turn, then formed hand seals according to a specific sequence. He grasped different parts of the Homecoming Net one after another, and finally interlocked his fingers around the net's cords. With his palms pressed together, he clapped sharply. This evenly and symmetrically applied red marks to the Homecoming Net, ensuring its effect could be fully brought out.

The entire process was smooth, ceremonial, and quite pleasing to watch, except it lacked practicality.

After all, not every Death Collapse would stand there motionless and give him plenty of time to prepare his tools.

Of course, Run Sheng also wanted to be like Little Yuan—smear a bit of red paste on his fingertip, casually wipe it over an object, and have the tool "consecrated."

He had tried it, but failed. Little Yuan's simplicity and ease were built upon calculations. Little Yuan knew where to apply it and how much to use. Little Yuan had taught him too, but he simply could not calculate that fast.

After completing the preparations on both the Soul Returning Basket and Homecoming Net, Run Sheng placed the Soul Returning Basket over Zhou Yong's head and pulled it down, enclosing his entire body. He then wrapped the Homecoming Net around him, practically turning Zhou Yong into a rice dumpling.

Finally, Run Sheng took out the Talisman Papers Little Yuan had personally drawn and stuck one onto Zhou Yong's skull.

Each one changed color the moment it was attached. He tore it off and put on another, which continued to change color. Only after tearing off and replacing seven talismans in a row did Run Sheng stop, completing the final step of the ritual.

At this, even Zhou Yong's murky eyes seemed to reveal a trace of confusion and doubt.

Li Zhuiyuan had told Run Sheng that the talismans he drew were useless, but Run Sheng did not believe him. He thought Little Yuan was simply being modest.

Once Zhou Yong was packed up, Run Sheng turned around and carried him on his back like a corpse bearer.

At that moment, Tan Wenbin woke up.

He felt utterly exhausted, as though his body had been hollowed out.

Dazedly, he raised his head and opened his eyes. He looked at the girl pressed against his left side, then turned and looked at the woman pressed against his right.

He felt as though he had not fully woken up and was still dreaming, so he closed his eyes and slumped back down.

Soon, he opened his eyes again, looked left, then looked right.

He swallowed.

He suddenly sat upright. Just as he was about to scream, Run Sheng clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Mmmpfh..."

"Shh."

Tan Wenbin nodded.

Run Sheng removed his hand.

Tan Wenbin turned his head, just in time to see Run Sheng turn sideways to gently nudge Li Zhuiyuan awake. Zhou Yong on Run Sheng's back ended up face-to-face with Tan Wenbin.

Li Zhuiyuan woke up. Seeing that Run Sheng was ready, he stood up as well, though he still asked with concern, "Bin Bin Ge, are you okay?"

"I... what happened to me? Oh, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"You should go back to Grandpa Shan's House and sleep."

"No, I'm still okay. I can still help." Tan Wenbin shakily stood up, finally freed from the confinement, then bent over and began gasping for air.

"Bin Bin Ge, eat more nourishing food lately. Build yourself back up."

"Mm, I will. I never realized my body was this weak before."

"Brother Run Sheng, let's go."

The three of them left the house and walked down from the Small Plaza.

Soon afterward, the sound of the door locking came from inside. Then the lights went out. Under the moonlight, a figure flashed past in the kitchen and another in the bedroom.

Because Zhou Yong had left the range of the house, the girl and the woman could only return to their previous positions and wait for Zhou Yong to come home.

This was the life Zhou Yong had wanted to maintain.

Li Zhuiyuan turned back and stared at the well on the plaza.

"Brother Run Sheng, stay here."

"Okay."

"Bin Bin Ge, do you still have strength?"

Tan Wenbin nodded hard. "I do."

"Sorry to trouble you."

"It's fine, Little Yuan Ge. Trust me."

Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin climbed back up to the Small Plaza. Since Run Sheng remained outside the perimeter with Zhou Yong on his back, the girl and woman inside the house were not drawn into moving again.

They lifted the straw hat covering the well, took the rope beside the bucket, tied it around Li Zhuiyuan's body, and Li Zhuiyuan tossed the other end to Tan Wenbin.

"Hold it tight."

"Okay." To be safe, Tan Wenbin wrapped the rope around himself twice as well and made an "all set" gesture.

Holding a flashlight in his left hand and his smaller Yellow River Shovel in his right, Li Zhuiyuan descended into the well. He lowered himself bit by bit, only stopping when he was half a meter above the water.

At the mouth of the well, Tan Wenbin lay wedged in place. His arms had no strength left, so he could only use his body as an anchor.

In the flashlight's beam, Li Zhuiyuan saw patterns carved into the well wall.

Movement came from the water below. When he shone the flashlight down, he could see a thick water snake swimming beneath the surface.

Li Zhuiyuan was not worried about the snake, because it was trapped underwater and could not leave the surface.

Taking up the Yellow River Shovel, Li Zhuiyuan began altering the patterns here.

The well was cold, but he was so hot that he began to sweat.

Modifying someone else's existing patterns was far more difficult than arranging his own from scratch, and required much more calculation.

But there was no choice. First, time did not allow it. Second, Li Zhuiyuan could not gather all the materials needed to set up something like this in such a short time.

Most importantly, only by preserving the other party's original arrangement could he more easily trap and kill them.

An hour later, Li Zhuiyuan tugged on the rope.

Above him, Tan Wenbin—whose body hurt from being cinched tight but who had rested for a while—began exerting force and slowly pulled the rope up.

As Li Zhuiyuan gradually rose, he looked down at the water beneath his feet.

The water snake was still there, but it was no longer as lively as before. Under the flashlight's beam, its body beneath the water now displayed vivid, varied colors.

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face. That was more like it. Something like Mirror Flower Water Moon was still far too low-grade.

After climbing out of the well and breathing in fresh air, Li Zhuiyuan wiped the sweat from his face. His hand felt something sticky on the back of it. He shone the flashlight on it. Red.

"Little Yuan, you have a nosebleed." Tan Wenbin began searching himself for paper.

"Mm." Li Zhuiyuan raised his head, took the wad of paper and stuffed it into his nose, then untied the rope around himself.

"Little Yuan, are you too tired?"

"I'm fine. It's nothing." Li Zhuiyuan did not think much of it. This was hardly anything yet.

After carefully checking that no blood had dripped onto the ground, he placed the straw hat back over the well and restored everything as it had been.

Walking down from the Small Plaza, Li Zhuiyuan signaled that Run Sheng could leave.

When they reached the small river, Li Zhuiyuan walked at the front with a compass in hand. As he silently recited the Liu Clan's Qi Gazing Art, he pointed out to Run Sheng the spots that needed to be dug out or raised.

By the time they reached the bridge, Li Zhuiyuan collapsed onto the ground. Tilting back his head, he asked, "Brother Run Sheng, did you remember everything I just said?"

"Don't worry, Little Yuan. I remembered it all."

"Start working quickly, then."

"Mm!"

Run Sheng set Zhou Yong down from his back, picked up the Yellow River Shovel, and began digging and filling.

"Little Yuan Ge, should I go help?"

"No need, Bin Bin Ge. Stay here and help me deal with the nosebleed again. It won't stop."

"Oh. Okay."

Run Sheng was strong, and the Yellow River Shovel was well-suited to this environment. He would work more efficiently alone, and there would be less chance of mistakes.

Here, Tan Wenbin finally managed to stop Little Yuan's nosebleed again and asked worriedly, "Little Yuan, are you really okay?"

"I'm fine."

"So, what exactly are we doing?"

"Someone set us up and nearly got us all killed. I'm arranging a counterattack now."

"Okay, I understand."

Behind them, Zhou Yong was still wriggling on the ground.

Tan Wenbin looked at him with lingering fear. Even though they had sat at the same table before, he was still terrified of Death Collapses.

"Bin Bin Ge, after we go back this time, I'll teach you some ways to deal with Death Collapses."

"Really? That's great!"

Then the two spoke in unison.

"Keep it from your dad."

"Keep it from my dad!"

After saying that, they both laughed.

Run Sheng could not be used as two people. They really did need another helper. The earlier situation had been like that game of taking a sheep and a wolf across a river—either he or Run Sheng had to remain in place to watch Zhou Yong and prevent accidents.

Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes and began resting. He was very sleepy.

Just as he was sleeping soundly, someone shook him awake. "Little Yuan, Little Yuan."

Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes, which were full of bloodshot veins.

Run Sheng felt a little pained for him, but did not try to persuade him to stop. Instead, he asked, "Little Yuan, I did everything just as you said. What do we do next?"

Li Zhuiyuan stood up and walked beneath the bridge with the compass in hand.

Run Sheng came down with him protectively, afraid the boy might lose his footing and get swept away by the river.

Li Zhuiyuan began explaining the places beneath the bridge that needed to be modified. No large-scale work was necessary; they only needed small adjustments to the existing foundation, which Run Sheng could handle alone with the tools.

Li Zhuiyuan also realized that although Brother Run Sheng was poor at calculations, his memory was excellent. He remembered everything Li Zhuiyuan said clearly and carried it out without mistakes.

"Did you remember it clearly, Brother Run Sheng?"

"I remembered it clearly."

"Mm."

After answering, Li Zhuiyuan pitched forward.

Run Sheng reacted quickly, caught him, and carried him back to shore. After telling Tan Wenbin to look after Little Yuan, he took the tools and climbed onto the bridge from the side.

Tan Wenbin had already prepared clean water and paper wads, but this time, the half-conscious Li Zhuiyuan did not have another nosebleed. Instead, blood began seeping from the corners of his eyes.

"This..."

He first used water to help clean it, only to find that blood quickly flowed from the corners of Li Zhuiyuan's eyes again after being wiped clean. But eyes were not nostrils, and he had no idea how to stop the bleeding.

He could only place Li Zhuiyuan's head on his lap and massage the boy's temples with both hands, hoping to ease his exhaustion.

"Little Yuan, Little Yuan..."

Li Zhuiyuan was called awake again. After opening his eyes, he asked, "Brother Run Sheng, why are you covered in blood..."

"Little Yuan, I'm fine. It's your eyes that are bleeding."

"Oh." Only then did Li Zhuiyuan realize that his field of vision was completely blood-red.

He struggled to his feet, crouched by the river, scooped up water, and began rinsing his eyes.

Although he could still see blood dripping down, at least his vision was much clearer.

When he turned back and looked at Run Sheng, he found that Run Sheng was covered in mud and lime. There were also many abrasions on his hands and feet, with blood seeping out.

"Little Yuan, check it."

"Mm."

"Come on, I'll carry you into the river."

Run Sheng carried Li Zhuiyuan on his back and walked into the river. Li Zhuiyuan raised his head. Rather than checking the "construction details," he directly examined the Feng Shui Pattern.

After wiping his eyes three times to clear away the blood, he confirmed that the Feng Shui Bureau here had been changed by him.

"Brother Run Sheng, you did very well."

"What do you need me to do next?"

"Brother Run Sheng, you can rest now."

"Then let's go back to my uncle's house to sleep. I really think you can't hold on any longer."

"No, there's one last thing I need to do. The most important thing."

"I'll do it."

Li Zhuiyuan fell silent.

Run Sheng understood.

"Then... can you hold on?"

"I have to, even if I can't. We don't have much time. At the earliest, they'll come tomorrow night."

Feng Shui Patterns came in two forms: natural configurations and man-made arrangements.

Natural configurations lasted a long time. Unless there was a sudden, large-scale change in the terrain, only the passage of ages could alter them.

That was why ancient people usually chose such places for graves, relying on the enduring nature of the natural configuration.

A man-made arrangement was like setting up a net in a river to raise fish. If it was not regularly maintained and repaired, the net would inevitably be torn apart by the current after some time, and the fish inside would return to the flow.

An arrangement in a small river basin was simple, but also fragile. When Li Zhuiyuan inspected it during the day, he had already noticed deviations. It was about time for the other side to come repair it.

Of course, they could choose not to repair it, but they would at least have to come check the results of their "practice exercise."

So Zhou Yong had been thoroughly fooled. What he thought would last forever actually came with a periodic expiration date. If they did not come maintain it, he would soon rot away in the river or at home, along with his wife and daughter.

In any case, this could not be delayed. Before dawn, he had to finish every arrangement, then get some proper rest... and recover from his injuries.

Back at the shore, Li Zhuiyuan sat down in front of Zhou Yong.

He entered Yin Walking.

Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin disappeared from beside him, leaving only Zhou Yong. Zhou Yong was extremely weak now, like a fish that had been stranded on land for far too long.

That was good, because Li Zhuiyuan was exhausted as well.

Their weakened frequencies happened to match well now, and they quickly synchronized.

This gave Li Zhuiyuan a new discovery: when a Death Collapse was beaten to the brink of death, it was easier to complete the steps in the Black Book and control it.

But there was a paradox here. If he could easily deal with a Death Collapse through other means, why would he need to control it?

For now, it seemed extremely difficult to sustain a Death Collapse. You had to create a suitable environment for it to exist in, maintain it regularly, and stay on guard against its betrayal at all times.

The very state of a Death Collapse's existence doomed it to resist.

That mother and daughter had quickly shown signs of losing control before, when he had not directly suppressed and killed Zhou Yong.

The only exception now was Little Yellow Oriole.

But Little Yellow Oriole had gained a longer existence because of that "thing" in the Fish Pond. And at present, Li Zhuiyuan did not know where she had gone. Perhaps... that thing had taken her underground with it.

Wei Zhengdao himself had written in the Black Book that this was a powerful method for dealing with Death Collapses, not a Taming Manual.

Because you could not expect something constantly enduring torment and suffering to remain loyal to you for long.

Wei Zhengdao understood this clearly, but Wei Zhengdao's friend did not. That man had successfully raised one, but the price was turning himself into a Death Collapse too.

That was why Li Zhuiyuan thought the man was unbelievably stupid. What animal trainer tamed beasts for the purpose of locking himself in a cage?

"Come, Zhou Yong. Let me see your memories."

Li Zhuiyuan placed his hand on Zhou Yong's forehead.

He was too tired now to linger over the tragic, sorrowful scenes after Zhou Yong's wife and daughter fell ill. He quickly skipped over them, stopping only at several crucial points.

The first was when Zhou Yong wept beside his dead wife's bed and heard a voice from outside the window.

Zhou Yong ran out, but he found no one. That person had only left behind a letter.

The letter said that they could help him keep his wife and daughter by his side.

After his daughter died, that voice appeared again. Zhou Yong went out once more, still found no one, and found another letter with exactly the same contents.

One night after both his wife and daughter had died, Zhou Yong sat numbly in the house, drinking alone. The voice appeared again. He still saw no one, but when he picked up the letter outside and opened it, he found that it described a specific method.

Li Zhuiyuan sighed. He had to admit, the other side had kept their hands remarkably clean.

They were clearly doing evil, yet they left behind no traces or clues. That logic of behavior was very similar to Grandma Liu and her people.

That was not to say Liu Yumei was evil too. Rather, both groups had always been wary of something, terrified of becoming entangled with it.

For example, this group was clearly doing something utterly disgusting and evil, yet their hands were not truly stained.

Even if they had most likely killed the girl and woman themselves, for those two, who had been bedridden for so long, death at that point had instead been a release, something like euthanasia in the West.

When they died, they would not develop resentment. Instead, they would feel grateful deep down.

Of course, that was because they did not know what awaited them after death... If he had not told them, their hatred would only have been directed at Zhou Yong.

Their hands were too clean.

Was this their reverence for that taboo?

This was also why the Black Cat had been so shocked when he proposed his plan: could people of the righteous path really do something like this?

So there really was such a rule on the righteous path.

However, Li Zhuiyuan had no intention of backing down because of it.

As far as he was concerned, after this was over, he could simply go home and hug his Great Grandfather a little more.

Zhou Yong was quite something too. He had really taken out his entire family fortune to repair the bridge and set up the arrangement based on just three letters.

But thinking of the portrait of Jesus in his house, it was understandable. He was the sort of person who believed in such things, the kind of fool who was easy to deceive.

He would rather let his family live in hardship than give money to those fraudulent spirit mediums, all while believing himself clever and wise, convinced that everyone else was drunk while he alone remained sober.

Li Zhuiyuan forcibly roused his spirits and spoke from Zhou Yong's perspective.

"Now, I'll speak, and you'll watch. I'll tell you... the truth."

Step Three of Wei Zhengdao's Black Book: Deceive!

Zhou Yong's perspective was turned back, returning to before Zhou Yong came home from playing cards and found his wife dead. Just as Zhou Yong approached his family's dam, he heard voices coming from behind the house.

"Alright, I've already killed his wife."

"Good that she's dead. If she kept refusing to die, she'd only keep delaying things."

"Once he comes back and sees her, he'll be devastated. That'll make it easier for us to carry out the next step of the plan."

"Is the letter ready?"

"It's ready, but aren't we leaving the specific instructions now?"

"Not yet. His daughter isn't dead yet."

Li Zhuiyuan forced himself to stay alert and continued turning the perspective forward, arriving at the point before Zhou Yong discovered his daughter's death.

The same scene, the same eavesdropping, even the dialogue changed in only a few places.

It was not that Li Zhuiyuan did not want to make it more detailed, but he was already close to collapsing.

He knew very well that this forceful, crude method of altering memories would disrupt Zhou Yong's original chain of memories.

If it were any normal Death Collapse, he could not do this. After being dazed for a while, a person would quickly treat the wrong memory like an ordinary dream from the night before and dismiss it into oblivion.

But Li Zhuiyuan believed in Zhou Yong, because Zhou Yong was truly easy to fool.

And he was adapting it based on the truth. It fit the internal logic of the memory chain.

He continued manipulating it, returning to the scene after Zhou Yong's wife and daughter had died, when Zhou Yong sat in the house drinking alone.

A conversation came from outside.

"Alright, we killed his wife and child. Now we can carry out the next step of the plan."

"Mm, he's really stupid. I already threw the letter here. He'll cling to it like a lifeline and do exactly as the letter tells him."

"Throw it down. He's about to come out."

"Mm."

Li Zhuiyuan had originally wanted to deepen and enrich that final exchange a little more, but he could no longer hold on. The state of Yin Walking was difficult to maintain, and the scene before him began to shake and fragment.

But it should be enough.

Li Zhuiyuan let go of all his strength and closed his eyes.

When he tried to open them again, he found that he could not open them at all. It felt as though something was blocking them.

He knew Yin Walking had ended because he heard Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin's voices beside his ears.

"Run Sheng, why won't this blood stop? This is terrifying."

"Wipe it again. I'll go get some clean water."

"Bin Bin Ge."

"Little Yuan, you're awake. Don't panic. We're trying to stop the bleeding."

"Bin Bin Ge, check Zhou Yong and tell me how he is now."

"He... he keeps shaking his head, like he's having an epileptic fit. But don't worry, he can't break free from the basket or the net."

"Keep watching him. Tell me about any changes. I can't see right now."

Run Sheng came back. Soon, Li Zhuiyuan felt a cool sensation flowing over his eyes.

Now he could open his eyes, but his entire field of vision was pitch-black. He could not see anything.

"Little Yuan, why do your eyes have no light at all? Can you see how many fingers I'm holding up?"

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head.

Right now, even Liu Jinxia, who had cataracts, could probably boast that her eyesight was better than his.

He was no different from blind now.

"Little Yuan, will your eyes be alright?"

"Little Yuan Ge, don't scare me!"

"Don't worry. I've only overdrawn myself too much. I can't see right now, but I'm not truly blind. Once I rest and recover, it'll gradually return."

The Righteous Path to Subdue Demons contained a similar record: "Both eyes went blind; after Xun Yue, they recovered. Only then did he learn restraint."

Wei Zhengdao had overdrawn himself like this before too, but he eventually recovered.

It was just that "Xun Yue" here was difficult to interpret. It could mean one month, ten months, or anywhere from ten days to a month.

Li Zhuiyuan felt the third interpretation was the most suitable. If Wei Zhengdao had really been blind for a full ten months, his tone when writing that passage would have been heavier and more fearful. It would not have been "only then did he learn restraint," but "utterly terrified" or "reborn after disaster."

"Little Yuan, the mucus in Zhou Yong's eyes is fading. His eyes have turned red again. He looks very angry."

"Is he staring at the three of us?"

"No, he isn't. He isn't looking at us."

"Mm, good. It worked."

His hatred had been redirected.

"Brother Run Sheng, take off the net and basket. Put Zhou Yong into the water."

"Alright!"

Although the request was highly unreasonable, Run Sheng never asked why.

He carried Zhou Yong to the riverbank, removed the net and basket, then looked at the man still flopping on the shore like a dead fish. Raising his foot, he kicked him back into the river.

The moment Zhou Yong entered the water, his half-dead body suddenly came alive. He plunged straight down to the riverbed.

"Little Yuan, let's go to the hospital," Tan Wenbin said.

"Bin Bin Ge, trouble yourself a little longer and ride the tricycle to take me home.

Brother Run Sheng, stay here and look after Grandpa Shan and my Great Grandfather.

Starting tomorrow, go to Zhou Yong's Family's Dam once every morning and evening to check on things. If you don't see that mother and daughter sitting on the dam and waving at you, come search by this river instead. You should be able to fish up dead fish."

"Little Yuan, is there anything else I should pay attention to?"

"Remember to recalculate the money with the Village Chief."

"Alright." Run Sheng agreed, then turned to Tan Wenbin. "Can you still ride?"

"No problem."

Run Sheng asked with sincere concern, "You look very tired right now. Do you want me to slap you awake?"

"No, no need. I'll slap myself while I ride."

"Be careful. Don't let anything happen to Little Yuan."

"Of course. Don't worry."

Run Sheng packed everything up, then personally carried Li Zhuiyuan back home.

Inside the house, the two drunk old men were snoring thunderously.

This time, he had helped Great Grandfather solve another problem.

But the boy had never minded helping Great Grandfather resolve such disasters. By staying at Great Grandfather's side, he could act more freely too. Great Grandfather's usual way of doing things had never fit the so-called righteous path.

Of course, it was also possible that the current righteous path was false and wrong, while Great Grandfather's style of doing things was what truly upheld righteousness.

But looking at it from another angle, if he had not come, Great Grandfather might never have encountered this matter in the first place.

Because without him, Great Grandfather would not have been able to find Zhou Yong's house even with that compass.

The first light of dawn appeared.

He was so exhausted that, sitting on the tricycle and feeling the cool morning wind, Li Zhuiyuan instead lost all sleepiness.

Though his eyes saw only darkness, he was in an exceptionally good mood. He even began humming a children's song, Let Us Row the Oars.

Everything he had achieved before had come too easily. In the subject of "retrieving corpses," he had experienced the feeling of being a poor student for the first time.

He had been studying hard, hoping to improve bit by bit, yet you actually dared to frame me while cheating yourself!

Why?

Then I'll kill you.

Tan Wenbin slapped himself as he rode, but when he heard the singing from behind him, he could not help smiling too.

Ever since they first met, the boy sitting behind him had given him a frightening maturity far beyond his apparent age. Many times, Tan Wenbin felt that even his father seemed suppressed in front of the boy.

That was why every "Ge" he called out was not flattery. The boy really was smarter and more mature than him.

Now, hearing the boy sing, he felt happy for him. This was what a child was supposed to be like.

"You're really happy, huh, Little Yuan?"

"Mm, very happy."

The tricycle safely drove onto the family dam. Tan Wenbin, who was riding it, had nearly slapped his face swollen.

Once they arrived, he dizzily pulled the brake, then collapsed to the ground and fell asleep.

After a full day and night of nonstop activity, he had not only suffered repeated shocks but also had his yang energy drained by the Death Collapse. The fact that he had held on until now was already a miracle for an ordinary person.

Liu Yumei and Aunt Liu were having breakfast. Seeing this, they both tossed down their chopsticks, got up, and rushed over.

Li Zhuiyuan's left and right hands were respectively grabbed by Liu Yumei and Liu Ting. The two then exchanged a glance.

Aunt Liu let go, dragged Tan Wenbin back to the dining table on the first floor, then returned to her room to fetch medicine.

Liu Yumei, meanwhile, stared at Li Zhuiyuan with a grim expression and sighed.

Li Zhuiyuan liked this quiet atmosphere very much. There were no unnecessary questions of concern; everyone could see clearly what was going on.

What was more, since he could not see now, no one needed to manage their expressions anymore.

The world had suddenly become much simpler.

Until his hand was held by a soft, warm pair of hands.

The monotonous world immediately became rich and full again.

"A Li, come here. I want to tell you a secret."

A Li moved closer and pressed herself against the boy.

Li Zhuiyuan sensed his lips brush against the girl's hair. She had brought her ear close.

"I'm telling you, a group of people wanted to scheme against me. I'm very angry. I've already made arrangements. I'll definitely screw them over."

Naturally, Liu Yumei heard that secret.

She had originally thought her granddaughter would be angry at the boy for getting himself into this state. Yet after he spoke, two distinct dimples appeared on her granddaughter's face.

"A Li, I can't see right now. Take me back to my room."

Li Zhuiyuan sensed the girl leading him forward with one hand while supporting his arm with the other.

In the past, he had always been the one leading the girl from the front.

They entered the room, went upstairs step by step, returned to his bedroom, and sat on the bed.

Li Zhuiyuan lay down and reached for the blanket, but grabbed empty air.

But soon, the blanket was draped over his stomach, even folded in the way he was used to.

The girl left, and Li Zhuiyuan heard the door open.

After a while, the door opened again. The girl returned, and Li Zhuiyuan felt a wet towel wiping his face.

She wiped for a while, folded it, then continued wiping, just as he had done for her in the past.

So she had been learning all along.

The bedroom door opened again. These were the footsteps of an adult.

"Little Yuan, lie still. Auntie's going to apply some medicine."

"Thank you, Aunt Liu."

The ointment was applied over his eyes, then secured with a cloth strip wrapped around the back of his head.

A comfortable sensation spread through his eye sockets, followed by deep exhaustion.

Forcing himself not to sleep yet, Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Aunt Liu, how long until my eyes recover?"

"Xun Yue."

Li Zhuiyuan: "..."

Aunt Liu laughed. "Hehe, one month. At least you'll settle down for a while."

A smile appeared on Li Zhuiyuan's face as well.

"You little brat, how can you still smile?"

"One month will be just enough to get through summer break. It won't delay the start of school."

During the day, Li Sanjiang woke up. After learning that Little Yuan and Zhuang Zhuang had already gone back, he did not think much of it. He grabbed his gear and led Runsheng Hou along the riverbank for several more rounds.

Runsheng Hou had intended to simply kill time with Li Sanjiang and go through the motions.

Then he saw Li Sanjiang take out that compass.

The compass pointed due south, so he followed Li Sanjiang beneath the bridge.

Under the bridge, Li Sanjiang untied his belt and took a piss.

When men relieved themselves, they often did not like looking down. Instead, with their hearts swelling like clouds rising from the mountains, they swept their gazes across the surroundings.

He saw the stele beneath the bridge and remarked:

"Runsheng Hou, is this Zhou Yong someone from your village?"

"Yes, sir."

"Tsk tsk, is he very wealthy? He donated an entire bridge by himself."

"Uh... I'm not very familiar with the people in the village."

"You're from the village, yet you don't know them?"

"Sir, you know how it is. My grandfather and I work in this line, so we rarely interact with the villagers."

"That shouldn't be. Are you two unpopular in the village? Who wouldn't like Shan Pao, who always loses money at cards?"

"My grandfather usually doesn't have money in his pockets to play cards either."

"Oh, right."

Runsheng Hou let out a breath. He felt as though he had squeezed out every last bit of wisdom just to muddle through that matter.

But then, a scene that left Runsheng Hou dumbfounded unfolded.

Holding the compass, Li Sanjiang headed south and reached the bridge. Ahead was a bend in the river, and there was no road. So he followed the compass in the opposite direction and headed north.

And Zhou Yong's house happened to be at the northern edge of the village.

Runsheng Hou followed Li Sanjiang all the way to the front of Zhou Yong's house, wearing the expression of someone who had seen a ghost.

His grandfather had always said Uncle Sanjiang was incapable. This was what incapable looked like?

Little Yuan had put in quite a bit of effort last night just to find Zhou Yong's house, yet Uncle Sanjiang had found it while taking a piss!

"Hahaha, hello there!"

Li Sanjiang raised his hand and waved at the mother and daughter seated on the dam.

Because Runsheng Hou, a local villager, happened to be standing beside him, he was able to see the mother and daughter.

"Sir, let's not go any farther." Runsheng Hou decided that if Li Sanjiang continued forward, he would carry him away himself if he had to.

"No need, no need. It's only the mother and daughter at home. What's the point of going over there? No fun in that."

The women of the household were home, so it was not appropriate for a grown man like him to approach.

But to Runsheng Hou's ears, those words had another meaning. Uncle Sanjiang had known at a glance that Zhou Yong was not home?

After wandering around until the afternoon, Li Sanjiang returned to Grandpa Shan's House.

The Village Chief was also in the courtyard and asked about the progress. Li Sanjiang patted his chest and said not to worry, that he would find it soon.

After the Village Chief left, there was still plenty of the strong baijiu left from last night, and the Village Chief had also sent over some braised snacks in advance.

The two old men sat down and continued drinking.

As they drank, they got carried away again.

When night was about to fall, Li Sanjiang finally remembered why he had come here. He was about to get up and say that they should take another look around before it got dark.

Grandpa Shan grabbed him, made him keep drinking with him, then urged Runsheng Hou to go out and take another look around.

Runsheng Hou answered and grabbed his things before heading out. Little Yuan had already instructed him to check once in the morning and once in the evening.

He ran to the front of Zhou Yong's Family's Dam.

This time,

the mother and daughter did not appear on the dam.

Night.

A boy sat on an adult's shoulders as they walked along the riverbank.

At first glance, they looked like a father and son out for an evening stroll.

But their conversation was shocking, because the adult man called the boy on his shoulders... Dad.

"Dad, Blind Liu's family had someone return our money. What should we do?"

"We'll go again another day. Double the price. I refuse to believe she won't be tempted."

"Alright. Is their family really that important?"

"Very important. Their whole family has incredibly tough fates, especially that little granddaughter called Cui Cui."

"Dad, have you taken a fancy to her?"

The Dwarf fiercely smacked the man beneath him on the head, making the man cry out in pain.

"Are you stupid? Bringing someone with such a tough fate home, are you hoping your dad dies early?"

"Dad, if that's not what you mean, why are you targeting her?"

"Why? She's useful. If we can establish ties with their family, then we can make them shoulder certain matters in the future. Their fates are tough, so they can endure things. There are three of them. If one gets killed off, replace her with another. Isn't that great?"

"Then why don't we just force them to..."

"Force them, my ass. Have you forgotten what your dad taught you? In our line of work, the greatest taboo is committing funerary offenses. Even if you want to pursue some private agenda, you need to mind your methods and clean up properly.

"Otherwise, who knows when some calamity might descend? You won't even know how you died.

"The two of us, father and son, one with dwarfism and one with gigantism, already have hard lives. It's not just Heaven that dislikes us; even the world looks at us differently. That means we have to be even more careful. Understand?"

"Got it, Dad."

"Oh, right. Next time we go to Blind Liu's house, remind me to ask about that boy."

"Dad, you're still thinking about that boy? He's just a child, isn't he?"

"I keep feeling that child saw through me."

"How's that possible? Dad, aren't you overthinking it? Outside, everyone thinks you're my son."

"I can't be wrong. That boy saw through me. It was like he saw my thoughts at a glance. You were inside at the time, so you don't know. That boy's gaze was terrifying."

"Could that boy have the same condition as you, Dad?"

"I don't know. So next time we go to Siyuan Village, we need to investigate further. It would be best if we could visit that boy's home. Oh, right, the quiet woman beside that boy was really beautiful. She looked like someone from television."

"I saw her too. Her fate isn't tough, right?"

"Couldn't tell. Probably not."

"Then can she be my wife later?"

"Hehe, you're the son. Do you understand the rules? How could your turn come before mine?"

"Dad, that's no way for a father to act."

"Enough nonsense. We're here. Get into the river and call that idiot out. Let's see how the result of your personal work last time turned out. Let your dad inspect your work."

"Don't worry, Dad. No problem."

The man carried the Dwarf on his shoulders and walked down into the river. Just as he was about to take something out to summon it, bubbles suddenly rose before him.

A back emerged, then slowly turned over. Finally, Zhou Yong's figure appeared.

"Dad, look. The Death Collapse I raised is so smart. It came out by itself without even being summoned."

"It really is good. Son, I told you before, in this line of work, I've truly never seen anyone more gifted than you."

"Of course."

"Roar!"

Suddenly, the mucus in Zhou Yong's eyes receded and turned crimson as he lunged straight at the man.

"Dad!" the man screamed.

But the Dwarf atop his head pulled out a Talisman Paper and slapped it onto Zhou Yong's forehead. Zhou Yong immediately stopped moving.

"Dad, that was terrifying. What happened just now?"

"Death Collapses losing control is common too. Don't wor—"

A sinister wind rose at the bridgehead, and the baleful energy in the river instantly boiled.

The Talisman Paper on Zhou Yong's forehead ignited at once.

"Roar!"

Zhou Yong's hands stabbed through the man's chest, then he opened his mouth and bit down on the man's neck.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The sound of bones breaking was rapid and crisp.

The man was knocked down at once and fell into the river.

"How could this happen? How could this happen? No, this is impossible!"

The Dwarf thrashed about in the water, unable to believe what was before him. Why had things developed this way?

Blood and chunks of flesh floated up in the river as Zhou Yong continued lunging at the Dwarf.

"You deserve to die! You deserve to die! Give me back my son!"

The Dwarf's face twisted, no longer resembling that of a child at all.

A barbed rope appeared in his hand. His body moved through the water as nimbly as a fish, circling behind Zhou Yong. He looped the rope around Zhou Yong's neck and yanked it tight.

"Aaaahhh!!!"

Zhou Yong howled as his neck rapidly melted away.

However, when Zhou Yong had first emerged and let out that roar, the cover of the well on his family's dam had already slid off.

The brightly colored water snake beneath the well also opened its mouth and hissed silently upward. Then its body burst apart, turning into pus.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The windows of the bedroom and kitchen were blasted straight out. After the two women, one large and one small, leaped out, they raced toward the river at incredible speed.

Runsheng Hou was also running toward the river when he suddenly saw two figures shoot past him. He recognized them, but he did not understand why the mother and daughter's feet were gliding over the ground as they moved, like two rapidly slithering snakes.

Then they leaped into the river together, leaving only two swift ripples racing across the water's surface.

"You deserve to die! You killed my son! That was my son!!!"

The Dwarf nearly sliced halfway through Zhou Yong's neck with the rope in his hand. Zhou Yong's aura was rapidly weakening, and his baleful energy was quickly dissipating.

This Feng Shui Pattern of clashing baleful positions had only ever been effective for a short time.

But at that moment, Zhou Yong suddenly stretched out both arms and grabbed the Dwarf's feet.

The Dwarf did not care at all. He only knew that he was about to cut this Death Collapse to death.

But just then, he turned to look beside him. Beneath the water, something seemed to be lurking.

Suddenly, two figures shot out from beneath the surface, one on each side, grabbing the Dwarf and beginning to bite him madly.

Their eyes were like snakes' eyes. With every bite, the blood flowing from the Dwarf's wounds was black instead of red.

"Aah!!!"

The Dwarf let out a miserable scream. He wanted to shake them off, but the three Death Collapses crowded tightly around him at close range. No matter how nimble his movements were, he had no room left to maneuver.

In the end, his face turned the bluish gray of poisoning. With great unwillingness, he lost all signs of life and slowly sank into the river together with the three Death Collapses.

After Li Zhuiyuan tampered with his memories, Zhou Yong's resentment changed from his obsession with having his wife and daughter continue to stay by his side into a desire to avenge his shattered family.

Once his enemy died, his revenge was complete, and his resentment began to dissipate.

Even if something unexpected had happened, there was another layer of protection: Li Zhuiyuan had altered the feng shui of this river into a clash of baleful energy, igniting the baleful energy in this area within a short time and creating a boiling effect. Naturally, that included the baleful energy on the Death Collapses.

In short, Zhou Yong had completely vanished.

Once he was gone, the Vengeful Spirit wife and daughter who existed because of him were finally freed as well.

After all of them sank beneath the water while huddled together, they slowly drifted apart and floated back up. Only the mother and daughter were still holding each other.

When Run Sheng ran to the riverbank, the sight before him gave him a fright. So many corpses were floating on the river's surface.

"Little Yuan, you were right. Fish—so many dead fish!"