Chapter 311

In the courtyard, the square opening above let in the sky, while circular channels flowed below. Though it wasn't raining, a constant curtain of water cascaded, and a lotus-shaped vat in the central area emanated wisps of white smoke.

While beautiful, the setup also brought a pervasive chill, making one oblivious to the summer heat.

Tan Wenbin reached out, touched the surface of the vat, and mused, "Brother Xiaoyuan, can Grandpa Li's house get one of these too?"

"Yes, but first you'd have to persuade Great-Grandpa to smash the yard and tear down the house, then dig three *zhang* (approx. 10 meters) deeper into the foundation to install the formation materials. And it would require minor repairs every year and a major overhaul every three years."

Tan Wenbin: "That expensive? The Zhao family is truly extravagant."

"Their old residence in the mountains can easily form a formation by utilizing the natural landscape. Now that they want to be 'great hermits in the city' (hiding in plain sight), the cost is naturally much higher."

"In that case, Brother Xiaoyuan, did they specifically move into the city because they foresaw something happening in the future, and got cold feet?"

"Ding..."

The bell at the entrance chimed, signaling someone had entered.

Tan Wenbin reverted to the posture of the Second Master, his chin lifted, his gaze aloof.

Li Zhuiyuan didn't move, remaining seated on his small stool, watching the leaves drift away in the small channel in front of him. "It's Zhao Yi."

Tan Wenbin relaxed, used his pinky finger to pick his ear, feeling a little embarrassed.

Thanks to the white centipede, his hearing was even sharper than Brother Xiaoyuan's. But for "perception," merely having "feeling" wasn't enough; he also needed the corresponding "knowledge" in his mind.

Zhao Yi was currently disguised as Zhao Xu, and his walking habits had changed.

Tan Wenbin's mental memory database hadn't had time to update.

Zhao Yi pushed the door open, entered, and then turned to close it.

"Li, something's happened!"

"Captain Wai, something's happened!"

Both spoke at the same time.

Zhao Yi: "You've also encountered fakes?"

Tan Wenbin: "Your second aunt is fake."

Zhao Yi nodded.

Tan Wenbin: "Who did you find to be fake?"

Zhao Yi: "Heh, you probably won't believe it when I tell you."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Is it your dad or your mom?"

Zhao Yi: "Li, can't you let me build up to it first?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "Alright, go ahead and build up."

Zhao Yi wasn't surprised to hear his second aunt was fake, which proved that the fake person he discovered was even more shocking. It could only be his parents.

Zhao Yi pulled out a stool and sat down facing Li Zhuiyuan across the small water channel. "Both my dad and mom are fakes."

Tan Wenbin squatted down next to Zhao Yi and asked, "So your real parents have been kidnapped and imprisoned in some secret location?"

Zhao Yi glanced at Tan Wenbin and said, "Deputy Captain, you don't need to be so indirect."

Tan Wenbin: "Even among the best of friends, it's not appropriate to be too aggressive right away with something like this."

Zhao Yi: "Considering how we got the human skins for our faces, I think my parents have already been 'pre-admitted' to Fengdu (the underworld)."

Tan Wenbin: "My condolences."

Zhao Yi fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a few coins and a red paper, wrapped the coins, and handed them to Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin took them.

Then, Zhao Yi looked at Li Zhuiyuan: "Li, do you want some?"

Li Zhuiyuan ignored him.

Zhao Yi: "Sigh, I even told my second uncle that I hadn't told anyone else, and secretly told him to go ahead and choose an official position in the Underworld. I guess he's probably cursing me down there now."

Tan Wenbin: "Your second uncle will understand. After all, family members always get the benefits first."

Zhao Yi: "Yeah, hearing you say that makes me feel much better."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Are the ethical jokes over?"

Zhao Yi lit a cigarette and said, "Bah, it's nothing major."

Li Zhuiyuan: "We can get to the point now."

Zhao Yi blew out a smoke ring and said, "Cui Xinyue, Chen Cuier, Zhao Heming... when you find a few cockroaches in your house, it means there's actually a whole nest."

Tan Wenbin: "Captain Wai, are you worried that you're the only real one left in the entire Zhao family?"

Zhao Yi tugged at the skin on his face: "No, even I am fake."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Replacement ratio."

Zhao Yi: "I interacted with the two sons from the First Branch; they seemed very normal, no changes. But then again, if my parents hadn't shown any flaws, I wouldn't have noticed anything unusual with them either. But no matter what, they wouldn't replace everyone in the entire clan, including the servants. A force powerful enough to do that would have no need to. Therefore, the initial deduction is that the targets of replacement are the core descendants of my Zhao family, specifically the four branches of this generation.

"As an additional detail, the day after tomorrow is my grandfather's birthday, the family patriarch's. He will take people from the four branches to the old ancestral home in the mountains to worship the ancestors. Previously, Grandpa found too many children noisy, so he set a rule that each branch could only bring two children, meaning those of my generation. This rule hasn't changed, even though many of my generation have come of age in recent years."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Is the old ancestral home in the mountains difficult to enter?"

Zhao Yi: "For you, of course not. But in this world, not everyone has the ability to change locks right under the Emperor's nose, like you do."

Tan Wenbin: "So, their purpose in replacing the core members of the Zhao family is to gain access to the Zhao family's old ancestral home in the mountains?"

Zhao Yi: "My Zhao clan's ancestral graves are also within the old residence's formation. Oh, and of course, there's also the treasury."

Tan Wenbin: "I recall you saying there's one in the city too?"

Zhao Yi: "Everything in the city is built to mimic the old residence, and there is indeed a treasury located beneath the museum. But the real essence is still in the mountains."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Their objective isn't about seeking wealth."

Zhao Yi: "Indeed, that would be making too big a fuss over nothing."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Identity confirmation."

Zhao Yi: "I think it must be people from the Jiang (river/flow) because this job is too meticulous. It doesn't seem like vendettas from the martial world or forces coveting my Zhao clan's heritage. Mainly, their modus operandi is very relatable to me. No major force backing them, few in number, but highly skilled."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mhm."

Zhao Yi: "As for whether Cui Xinyue and my parents could have been replaced by the same team..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Cui Xinyue's acting style is very intense, and she deliberately aims for a lazy follow-through. The performers for your parents, however, are very dedicated and confidently improvise, as if they enjoy it. They are not from the same group."

Zhao Yi: "Yeah, Li, you're an expert in this."

Tan Wenbin: "So, this time, like the last time in Lijiang, it's also multiple teams 'flowing the river'?"

Zhao Yi: "Exactly, but there's also a difference. The Lijiang incident was everyone starting from the same line. This time... it's clear that other teams got a head start. More accurately, it's like they've been strategizing and operating for a long time, and we were temporarily brought in. This also fits the style of how we've taken on this 'wave' (an incident or mission). According to the pattern, we just finished one wave, and the next one shouldn't be for a long time."

Li Zhuiyuan: "They have a time advantage, but we also have our own."

Their advantage was Zhao Yi, a genuine member of the Zhao family.

Zhao Yi: "I now have the feeling that my Zhao family is a den of devils. Previously, I only used this perspective to analyze other factions or secret realms. I truly didn't expect that the experience and training from 'flowing the river' would one day be used on my own home. But don't worry, as the future master here, I will definitely fulfill my duties as a host. Even if it's rotten meat, I'll help everyone get the biggest piece of the pie."

Tan Wenbin: "Captain Wai, highly righteous."

Zhao Yi: "It's going to someone anyway, why let outsiders get the benefit?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "More information is needed. First, confirm the number of teams in this 'wave.' Second, ascertain their true intentions for this wave from their perspective."

Zhao Yi: "I'll go check on the First Branch and Fourth Branch to confirm. As for the second point, I don't think it's appropriate to 'stir the grass and startle the snake' (alert the enemy) during this period."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Stirring the grass and startling the snake only applies inside the house. Outside, it doesn't."

Zhao Yi: "Li, are you planning to go fishing?"

The identity of a core Zhao family member was equivalent to an invitation to enter the ancestral home in the mountains. Some teams had already entered, but perhaps others hadn't managed to get in yet. At this point, if they could go out and wander around, perhaps a team might be lured out.

Li Zhuiyuan: "If we can stumble upon one team, things will be much simpler."

Zhao Yi: "The team size this time is definitely not as large as Lijiang's, but their quality, as we've seen, is very high."

Li Zhuiyuan: "I know."

Zhao Yi: "You can directly deploy the Liang sisters; they will listen to you."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Arrange for them to go to the old ancestral home in the mountains first and prepare the preliminary arrangements for me on the formation. Since we know their objective is there, it's crucial."

Zhao Yi: "Alright, I'll inform them. Anything else?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "My condolences."

Zhao Yi: "The person who raised me should be in Nantong now, drinking and playing finger-guessing games with your great-grandfather."

To some extent, Zhao Yi and Li Zhuiyuan were very similar.

However, Li Zhuiyuan had never known what emotions were since childhood, so he could only perform.

Zhao Yi, on the other hand, had developed wisdom too early, just like the 'dummy' from the Big Beard's family, and he remembered his childhood memories clearly without forgetting them. In truth, he was initially a normal child with higher emotional needs amidst the torment of illness. But the pragmatism and coldness of his family and parents caused him to gradually pare away and strip himself of his emotions.

Li Zhuiyuan's situation was too extreme. In fact, Liu Jinxia's description of Li Zhuiyuan as "precocious and heartless" was more fitting for Zhao Yi.

In the entire Zhao family, Zhao Yi truly felt affection for only two people.

One was Old Tian.

The other was Zhao Wuyang.

Stepping out of the room, Zhao Yi licked his lips, then immediately put on the pathetic expression of "Zhao Xu" who had just been reprimanded by his father.

He first went to the First Branch's courtyard. It was unlikely he could see his eldest uncle directly, so he used the pretext of seeing Zhao Wen and Zhao Li. After entering, he immediately turned towards his eldest uncle's study, which was where his uncle worked and the center of power for the Zhao family. Previously, it would be bustling with endless meetings.

His eldest uncle was very power-hungry, and had helped Grandpa manage the family from an early age. If Zhao Yi hadn't been born, his eldest uncle would have naturally become the next family head.

However, when Zhao Yi arrived at the study area, he found it very quiet, with almost no one around. He asked a house servant who was sweeping and learned that his eldest uncle, Zhao Jiuzhi, had been unwell and hadn't overseen matters for five or six days. Now, all clan affairs, big and small, had to be reported to the patriarch.

With the patriarch's big birthday approaching, matters were already numerous; as long as one wasn't terminally ill, they had to get up and work.

This illness was... very ill-timed.

Zhao Yi could almost definitively conclude that the First Branch had also been replaced.

Leaving the First Branch courtyard, Zhao Yi went to the Fourth Branch.

The Fourth Master of the Zhao family was obsessed with cultivation and disliked worldly affairs. However, he married very early, taking his former cultivation master as his wife, who was also born into the Zhao family. When he got his master pregnant, Zhao Hengcheng, the Fourth Master, was only fourteen (by traditional Chinese reckoning), while his master was already over thirty.

The family was certainly against this marriage. While it wasn't uncommon for young masters of prominent families to engage in early intimate relations with maids, or even for them to get pregnant and be taken as concubines, the age gap and the semi-master-disciple relationship were truly outrageous. However, Zhao Hengcheng subsequently lost interest in personal marriage. After his master gave birth to a pair of twins (dragon and phoenix), he completely disregarded the family's attempts to arrange a formal marriage for him, frequently going into seclusion for meditation. Later, the family let it be. Although that master-concubine had no official title as a wife, she was tacitly recognized as the mistress of the Fourth Branch.

When Zhao Yi arrived at the Fourth Branch courtyard, he learned that the Fourth Master, his wife, and his two cousins had all announced their seclusion four days prior, only to be awakened and emerge on the morning of the patriarch's birthday, the day after tomorrow.

In all likelihood, this Fourth Branch had also been replaced. Moreover, the people who replaced them chose a method that was both consistent with their characters and lazy: going straight into seclusion and refusing to perform.

Zhao Yi sighed, thinking to himself, "Heh, it really is a total annihilation."

Although the true foundation of the Zhao family lay in the old ancestral home in the mountains, where the Zhao family elders resided and ancient, immortal beings slumbered, having all the core members of the external residence replaced without a sound was indeed too absurd and bizarre. However, considering this was a "wave" and that the "river" (Jiang) brought contemporary heroes, then it made sense again. These people, if not for "lighting the lamp and flowing the river" (a specific mystical practice), would never have gathered to do such a thing.

No wonder, when he used to read stories of martial arts anecdotes, many families and sects would suddenly vanish or decline. When the specific reasons couldn't be found, onlookers would attribute it to fate, lamenting how unpredictable life was. Wasn't everything currently happening in the Zhao family a realistic manifestation of fate?

Zhao Yi moved through the residence again. Next, he needed to confirm one more thing: the current patriarch of the Zhao family, his grandfather by blood.

He was quite unfamiliar with this grandfather because his grandfather's perspective on him was similar to that of the family elders, and he had never experienced the affection one feels for grandchildren. In comparison, he had once eaten at Li Zhuiyuan's grandparents' house, and even though Li Weihan and Cui Guiying had many children and grandchildren, he could feel their love for Li Zhuiyuan.

"Old man, you haven't been replaced too, have you?"

The patriarch lived in a separate courtyard. After his wife passed away, he never remarried and completely abstained from women. Here, there were many people, with a constant stream of individuals coming in to report on various tasks.

In his identity as "Zhao Xu," he couldn't get a private audience with the patriarch. He could only observe from a distance.

The patriarch was systematically handling various matters, personally making proper arrangements. He didn't seem to have been replaced. If he had been, and could still sit there managing clan affairs, how much would that imposter have to love acting? But his intuition told Zhao Yi that in the "flowing the river" state, the most impossible situations often became possible.

Furthermore, given the patriarch's temper, with his seventieth birthday approaching, his eldest son was sick, his second son was "carousing" outside, his third son was acting as a scholar, and his fourth son was in seclusion. How could he possibly restrain his temper? Unless he knew why they weren't coming out to work and why they needed to avoid being seen. From his previous interactions and understanding, Zhao Yi suspected that the four branches might not know that the others had been replaced. Because according to previous "flowing the river" customs, small-scale team collaboration waves usually didn't reveal everything clearly from the start; they made you figure out and guess if there were other teams.

Therefore, this patriarch might be the one in the highest position with the clearest view in this "wave." Moreover, his strength was incomparable to anyone else in the four branches, so it was highly likely that he not only had the best vision but was also the strongest.

Just then, the patriarch seemed to sense Zhao Yi standing in the distance. He stopped his work and looked