Chapter 328

Yingzi’s parents wanted to host the university celebration banquet at home so they could collect the monetary gifts themselves.

Upon hearing this, Li Sanjiang went to their courtyard and gave the couple a furious scolding, pointing his finger at their noses.

Many villagers came to watch the commotion, and the three pairs of uncles and aunts also joined in, adding insult to injury and reveling in their misfortune.

In the end, the university celebration banquet was hosted by Li Weihan and his wife. After deducting the banquet costs, all the collected monetary gifts were given to Yingzi for her university expenses.

Li Sanjiang deeply disliked the four ungrateful children of Li Weihan’s family, but he believed in separating issues. He didn't hold such strong prejudices against the younger generation. After all, he was currently the most senior member of the Li family in the village.

Therefore, Li Sanjiang first made his stance clear by offering a substantial monetary gift. The three pairs of uncles and aunts couldn't escape either. At Li Sanjiang's insistence, they had to agree to contribute the same amount. As Li Sanjiang put it, “They're close relatives after all. If they contributed the same amount as ordinary villagers attending the banquet, wouldn't outsiders laugh us to scorn!”

The three pairs of uncles and aunts had grim expressions, because this money would only be recouped if their own children were to be admitted to university in the future.

Li Lan called. She said she would cover Yingzi's annual university tuition fees. It was certainly not Li Lan herself who called, but her secretary, who was from Nantong. Li Weihan and Cui Guiying had already come to regard the secretary's voice as that of their own daughter. Even Li Zhuiyuan had to admit that Li Lan's image was definitely a highlight in the village; any family with such a daughter would be truly blessed. Yingzi even saw her aunt, Li Lan, as her role model. Her parents allowing her to finish high school normally was also due to Li Lan's influence.

On the day of the banquet, the dishes were very substantial. Yingzi, recovering from a serious illness, clutched her admission letter and expressed her gratitude to Li Weihan and Cui Guiying in front of the guests. Finally, she became emotional and cried profusely while hugging her grandparents. From childhood, she had spent the most time living with her grandparents. In her final year of high school, when her parents went to the city to earn money at construction sites, Li Weihan would find ways to get her nutritious food, and Cui Guiying would sit by her side every night, mending shoe soles while accompanying her studies late into the night. When she “fell ill,” it was her grandparents who pushed her back from school in a cart.

As for her biological parents, they thought it would be their turn after she thanked her grandparents; they even straightened their clothes and prepared their expressions, but Yingzi completely skipped over them. A child isn't blind; they have a clear understanding in their heart. Yingzi used to say nothing because she wasn't strong enough, but now she was clearly expressing her feelings.

Yingzi also specifically sought out Li Zhuiyuan to ask when Zhao Yi from the acrobatics troupe would return to Nantong. Zhao Yi had indeed put in a great deal of effort regarding Yingzi's college entrance exam. Although he made Yingzi severely ill after the exam, he at least resolved her psychological anxieties, ensuring she could perform normally. However, there were still lingering effects. Yingzi had a crush on Zhao Yi. After overcoming her confusion about the future, Yingzi gradually became true to her name, developing a heroic spirit.

Li Zhuiyuan's reply was that Zhao Yi was at home with his wife, who was giving birth, and would not return to Nantong for the time being. Yingzi sighed, then brightened, realizing that some dazzling encounters in life were destined to be fleeting.

Next, Yingzi began to ask Li Zhuiyuan for advice on university life. In truth, Li Zhuiyuan himself hadn't experienced much university life. Most of the time, he wasn't at school, and even when he was, the young man would take the entire school's course schedule and attend classes that interested him. The young man advised his elder cousin to participate more in club activities and join the student union for experience, despite not having participated in any of these himself.

Given the large sum he contributed, Li Sanjiang even brought his family's mule to the banquet. After the evening banquet, Run Sheng, Tan Wenbin, and Lin Shuyou left the table early to go home and work as construction laborers. As usual, Li Sanjiang would get roaring drunk at the banquet, and then Xiong Shan would carry him back.

Li Zhuiyuan packed up a few crabs, pastries, and fried items from the banquet. The village chef's skills certainly couldn't compare to Aunt Liu's, but Aunt Liu couldn't possibly cook banquets every day, nor could she offer as much variety. Furthermore, food wrapped in torn-off table paper from a banquet seemed to have a unique flavor. Li Zhuiyuan originally didn't want to take any, but he was the youngest at the table. Li Sanjiang directly gave him some dishes portioned per person, and the other elders at the table, who had no young children at home, also gave their portions to Xiao Yuanhou. This was a kind of unspoken understanding.

Carrying the packed food, Li Zhuiyuan shared it with A-Li. Feeling a bit self-conscious about eating at home, the young man took the girl's hand and went to a haystack by the edge of a rice field. Little Hei, who always went to bed earlier and woke up later than his owners at home, was casually led out by Li Zhuiyuan. This spot was close to the river, and snakes were often seen in the haystack. With Little Hei around, even if he couldn't catch a snake, the snake would bite him first. The two shared the food under the moonlight, their fingertips greasy. Little Hei, lying beside them, showed no interest in the remaining mess after they finished eating.

They squatted by the river to wash their hands. An irregular ripple appeared on the river surface ahead. Li Zhuiyuan was helping A-Li wash her hands. He heard it but wasn't in a hurry to investigate, as it was still far away. A-Li looked up and glanced. The water snake startled, then with a splash, swam away into the distance. The two walked towards home. As they passed Little Hei, they saw him snoring. Li Zhuiyuan gently nudged him with his foot. Little Hei wobbled to his feet, yawning as he followed them home.

After taking A-Li back to the East House, Li Zhuiyuan went to the second-floor terrace. The young man's gaze sharpened. Through the isolation formation, he saw the construction scenes inside, as if on “fast forward.” Lin Shuyou was out of sync with Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin, appearing to be moving at double speed.

Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room. A-Li's painting was almost finished, just needing a final touch. In the painting, a young man stood in a treasure vault, with Zhao Luhai burning before him, and the wailing, despairing ancestors of the Zhao family below. The young man held a lamp, watching them with a calm expression. Three talisman armors were laid out on the ground, mostly complete. However, the special paint on them hadn't fully dried yet, so they needed to air out a bit longer before being put away. Li Zhuiyuan carried a plastic basin, took a bath, and then went straight to bed upon returning to his room.

In the field behind the house.“Alright, A-You, alright, A-You!” Tan Wenbin called a halt to Lin Shuyou, who was still toiling away. Lin Shuyou had been a bit out of sorts these past two days. After being stopped, he looked at Tan Wenbin somewhat blankly and subconsciously said: “If we push a bit more, we can finish before dawn.”

“Every stage needs to be inspected by Brother Xiaoyuan. We're not building a house that can just be 'good enough' to live in.” Tan Wenbin pointed to Li Zhuiyuan's room on the second floor, where the lights were off.

Lin Shuyou: “But the construction is already a day behind schedule.” Earlier, Brother Xiaoyuan told him the construction could be compressed to two days, and today was already the third.

Tan Wenbin: “Didn't your grandfather call you?”

Lin Shuyou: “Yes.”

His seriously injured grandfather had called Lin Shuyou back, reassuring his grandson that although he was hurt, his life was not in danger. He also stated that he had already represented their family temple and agreed to merge temples, and the suddenly appearing mysterious group had stopped troubling them.

Tan Wenbin: “As long as your family temple is fine, tell me, why are we rushing?”

Lin Shuyou: “But my grandfather and my master, they were...”

Tan Wenbin: “They've already been beaten, and this debt has been recorded. It will definitely be repaid. And your grandfather also said that those people are no longer troubling your family temple now. So, since that group wants to integrate the Guan Jiang Shou, let them take their time and do it first. Who would willingly merge temples? Who would willingly live a comfortable 'mountain king' life only to have someone above them appear to control them? If that group doesn't do this offensive, unpleasant work, then we'd have to. So for now, let them be the villains and finish the preliminary work. Then we can step in and take the credit.”

Lin Shuyou: “So...”

Tan Wenbin: “This way, we won't be integrating the Guan Jiang Shou; we'll be saving them.”

Lin Shuyou: “Brother Bin, I understand.”

Tan Wenbin: “So, rest when you should. Come on, let's go get some late-night snacks.”

Lin Shuyou: “Okay!”

Run Sheng got on the tricycle, and Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou sat behind him. They had invited Brother Xiaoyuan, but Li Zhuiyuan had no interest in going to the riverside for late-night snacks. The young man preferred to stick to his routine of early nights and early mornings.

When the three were nearing the riverside, they saw a fire in the distance. The pot was set, the fire lit, and cold dishes arranged. Seeing guests arrive, the large white rat, wrapped up like a "rat grandma," immediately began stir-frying hot dishes. It was actually a chef specially prepared by Madam Bai for Xue Liangliang, but since Tan Wenbin and his companions were coming to enjoy the food, Baijia Town naturally wouldn't neglect them. Tonight, it wasn't the usual old yellow wine. Although the wine pot was ordinary, the warmed wine had a honey-like texture when poured into cups. With one sip, the aroma spread from the lips and teeth down the throat into the stomach, layer by layer, refreshing the mind.

Lin Shuyou: “This wine is delicious!”

The result of the delicious wine was that Lin Shuyou got drunk.

The next morning.

Aunt Liu: “Breakfast is ready!”

Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou woke up as if resurrected. The two stumbled to the well. Tan Wenbin, with blurry eyes, squeezed out toothpaste. As he handed it to Lin Shuyou, he noticed A-You was already brushing his teeth, with laundry detergent suds bubbling out of his mouth. Tan Wenbin didn't remind him. Lin Shuyou, after rinsing his mouth several times, mumbled drowsily, “Brother Bin, today's toothpaste tastes very strange.”

Tan Wenbin: “It's a new type of toothpaste.”

After breakfast, Lin Shuyou made another call home. This time, he strongly insisted on speaking to his master. Upon hearing his master's voice, the last lingering worry in Lin Shuyou's heart disappeared. After hanging up, Lin Shuyou sighed and said to Tan Wenbin, “Brother Bin, one temple was destroyed last night because they adamantly refused to merge.”

Tan Wenbin nodded.

Lin Shuyou: “Next, more temples are likely to be attacked.”

Tan Wenbin: “A-You, tell me, if these temples aren't willing to obey them, would they be willing to obey us?”

Lin Shuyou: “If we reveal our identity as the Dragon King's lineage...”

“Cough, cough!” Tan Wenbin interrupted with two coughs. “You should know what it means to reveal our Dragon King lineage, given Brother Xiaoyuan's temperament.”

Lin Shuyou: “Hmm... then they certainly won't obey us either.”

Tan Wenbin: “If you were asked to go and challenge those temples that don't obey us, would you do it?”

Lin Shuyou fell silent.

Tan Wenbin: “So...”

Lin Shuyou: “I would!”

Tan Wenbin raised an eyebrow, surprised.

Lin Shuyou: “I believe it's the right thing to let yin gods and spirit mediums be equals and share merits. If some temples don't understand this and still want to follow the old rules... then I don't want to try to understand them anymore.”

Tan Wenbin: “But the fact is, many spirit mediums, including you in the beginning, naturally felt that the yin gods should be supreme.”

Lin Shuyou: “Yes, including my grandfather and my master...”

Tan Wenbin: “That group didn't propose such reform theories; they just simply want to integrate the Guan Jiang Shou. So, the best way to make the spirit mediums open their minds is to act as if you're going to tear down the door. Give that group some more time to remove all the troublemakers and finish all the dirty, arduous work. Then we can descend as saviors, bringing even better reforms and treatment.”

Lin Shuyou: “Okay, I'll keep in touch with the temple.”

Tan Wenbin patted A-You's shoulder: “When you just said 'I would,' it surprised me a little, but I know you subjectively wouldn't like doing something like that. Let others do it instead; don't get your hands dirty.”

Lin Shuyou: “Thank you, Brother Bin.”

Tan Wenbin: “I'm not the one you should be thanking.”

At that moment, Lin Shuyou's mobile phone rang.

“Hello.”

“A-You, it's me.”

“Three-Eyes.”

“Grandma Liu Jinxia recently... Huh, did something happen to you?”

“No.”

“Then you should be saying 'Three-Eyes!' not 'Three-Eyes' (as a statement).”

“I'm fine.”

“Then something's wrong at home, or with your team. Either way, since there's someone named Li there, you don't need to worry.”

“We can handle it.”

“The one surnamed Li is going to your hometown?”

“I...”

“When are you leaving?”

In the second-floor room.

Li Zhuiyuan's right palm was open, and within the swirling blood mist, a jiao spirit continuously swam. "Swish! Swish! Swish!" The three talisman armors laid out on the ground quickly folded and flew back into the young man's palm like playing cards. The talisman armors were complete. Beside him, A-Li was busy embedding her newly finished painting into her sketchbook frame.

“Brother Xiaoyuan.”

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the room.

Tan Wenbin: “Zhao Yi just called, asking about Liu Jinxia's recent condition. He heard some things from A-You and wanted to go to Fujian together, but A-You dissuaded him.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “He's likely burning himself out, healing and compensating the Liang sisters at all costs. His current condition is very poor. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked A-You so many questions; he would have secretly come to Fujian himself.”

Tan Wenbin: “Asking so many questions on purpose was actually just him wanting A-You to refuse him.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “If he were truly needed, he would definitely come if A-You called him.”

Tan Wenbin: “I believe that.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Send him a message back, tell him he's not needed this time, and to rest easy.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Tan Wenbin's mobile phone rang. Tan Wenbin answered, and Zhao Yi's voice came through.

“Hello, Great Eunuch Tan, is His Majesty with you?”

Li Zhuiyuan turned and went back into the room to help A-Li set up the sketchbook frame. Tan Wenbin walked a few steps away and replied into the mobile phone: “His Majesty said there's no need for Inspector Zhao to return to the capital to serve the King this time.”

After another night, the Daoist temple was finally completed. Although they didn't push for the absolute shortest construction period, the efficiency was still astonishingly high. Li Zhuiyuan began activating the embedded formations layer by layer, and the rice field was slowly enveloped in black mist. This was undoubtedly the most powerful defensive formation Li Zhuiyuan had set up since he started learning array formations. The spirit tablets, originally placed in a small cubicle, were moved here. The offering table was not large and had no tiers. On it stood a carved statue of the White Crane Immortal Boy, with the Two Generals of Gain and Loss behind it.

When Lin Shuyou's gaze swept over the Two Generals of Gain and Loss, intense excitement erupted from the bottom of his heart, making it impossible for him to suppress a laugh. He opened his mouth and laughed out loud. This special treatment greatly pleased the White Crane Immortal Boy. In the old yamen, the Immortal Boy did the most work and received the least, and what he most desired was respect commensurate with his status and experience. Now, he felt it. Of course, if that cut on the carvings of the Two Generals of Gain and Loss were a little lower, directly castrating them, it would be even more perfect. But considering these were personally carved by the "Little Mistress," the Immortal Boy could only think about it inwardly and dared not actually propose such a fatal idea.

Besides this emotional joy, the White Crane Immortal Boy also discerned the young man's deeper meaning from the arrangement of the offering table. There were no steps on the offering table, indicating that the young man did not intend to place the yin god spirit tablets here, meaning he did not plan to share in the merits from the future Guan Jiang Shou system. Below the offering table was a circle of still-unlit eternal lamps, indicating that the young man would gather all the divine essences and life fires of the yin gods, both those currently remaining and those who would join in the future. Whoever disobeyed or violated taboos would have their lamp extinguished and their divine essence shattered. Beneath the eternal lamps was also arrayed the Eight Directions of the Ghost Gate formation. Given the young man's special relationship with Fengdu, shattering their divine essence would only be a minor punishment. The true major punishment would be banishing them to Fengdu Hell, where they would become yin officials eternally bound in chains.

In comparison, the Two Generals of Gain and Loss had indeed gotten off easy. These two really should thank themselves for not pursuing and beating them to death in Ghost Street back then, allowing them to remain useful and be designated by the young man as future enforcers.

“Huh?” The White Crane Immortal Boy, having sought Lin Shuyou's permission, controlled his body to re-examine the damage on the carvings of the Two Generals of Gain and Loss. The location of this damage perfectly corresponded to the hands of his own carving. In the future, when patrolling the river, the Two Generals of Gain and Loss would also share in merits, but their meritorious bodies were damaged, so a certain proportion would leak out each time, ultimately falling upon him. This meant that he would receive a merit commission from the Two Generals of Gain and Loss every single time!

In an instant, Lin Shuyou cried, his eyes welling up with tears. The young man had no intention of taking merits, but he specifically increased his own benefits. This meticulous thoughtfulness completely captivated the Immortal Boy's heart, once that of a ghost king.

Immortal Boy: “Spirit medium, you must not be half-hearted anymore. You must serve with your life.”

Lin Shuyou: “Who has been half-hearted all this time, anyway?”

The Immortal Boy's emotion was genuine; Lin Shuyou could feel this deeply. If time were to rewind to the beginning of university, Lin Shuyou wouldn't have believed that the once incredibly rebellious Immortal Boy's loyalty now... even surpassed that of Little Hei, their family dog.

Lin Shuyou turned his head to look at Brother Xiaoyuan, who was still testing other areas. When he was little, he had asked his grandfather what the sign of becoming a Dragon King was. His grandfather replied: “A Dragon King must subdue a generation.” At that time, he didn't quite understand this categorization; it wasn't like an exam with a measurable score. Now, Lin Shuyou understood. From the Immortal Boy to Three-Eyes, they had all been subdued by Brother Xiaoyuan. A-You tried to think of more examples to describe his feelings at that moment, but found it difficult to come up with any. Because many other beings weren't just subdued... they were crushed to death.

In another area, Li Zhuiyuan set up statues of the "Great Emperor of Fengdu" and the "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva." The Bodhisattva statue was below the Emperor statue. He set them up to conveniently attribute karmic blame in the future. At the same time, Li Zhuiyuan deliberately altered the facial details of the Bodhisattva statue to resemble "Sun Baishen." The "Zhao Wuyang statue" was placed by Li Zhuiyuan facing away, making it "face" the East House.

Li Zhuiyuan had quite a utilitarian motive in building this Daoist temple. With Zhao Wuyang's lingering spirit in his possession, it meant there would be opportunities to "utilize" it in the future; it might even be completely consumed one day. Of course, since Dragon King Zhao had generously given him the lingering spirit, he wouldn't mind these uses. When the lingering spirit was eventually used up, Li Zhuiyuan planned to move Zhao Wuyang's spirit tablet onto the offering table in the East House as well. Anyway, since everyone would be without their spirits, they would certainly have more in common. The old lady certainly wouldn't object, because in terms of the lineage principles of both families, the young man held a higher position than the old lady herself.

There was one person's "likeness" that wasn't very convenient to set up authentically. It was fine to create it in the spiritual world last time just to test the waters, but to display it openly in reality could easily violate heavenly taboos. But this fellow, despite the difficulties, still needed to be displayed. So, Li Zhuiyuan drew a faceless Wei Zhengdao, and the spirit tablet below it was also blank. Leaving aside everything else, if needed one day, picking a peach blossom from the peach forest and bringing it here to tell it about Wei Zhengdao's merits and demerits being judged by future generations... that should make Qing An delighted and drink heartily. At this moment, Qing An, who was playing the zither with Su Luo in the peach forest, probably wouldn't imagine that his happiness had become a pre-made canned food in the young man's possession.

Run Sheng: “A-You.”

Lin Shuyou turned around and looked at Run Sheng. Run Sheng pointed to the large open area beneath him. Lin Shuyou walked over with a smile, twisting his neck and rubbing his wrists, while simultaneously activating his vertical pupils. Run Sheng frowned slightly. Tan Wenbin, standing nearby, chuckled and flicked cigarette ash.

Lin Shuyou: “Huh?” Wasn't this supposed to be a spar?

Just then, Li Zhuiyuan, standing on the altar in the central area of the Daoist temple, closed his eyes and raised his right hand. The originally flat ground beneath Lin Shuyou and Run Sheng's feet transformed. Square grids, like mahjong tiles, appeared, then began to shift in layers, followed by a wiggling motion, finally taking on the appearance of river waves. Wooden figures appeared, beginning to practice various martial arts. The young man didn't practice martial arts, but he read many books and understood many inheritances thoroughly. What Li Zhuiyuan was doing now was similar to how he used to break down complex formations into numbers. He was using this Daoist temple to demonstrate the inheritances in his mind to his companions.

Back then, after discovering the young man's talent, Liu Yumei directly offered him the inheritance because the old lady was experienced and deeply understood what kind of transformation such a genius could bring to a force, including making dying embers, already in decline... reignite. Now, it was merely that the young man's self-cultivation and practical experience had reached a certain level, and he was beginning to truly realize their potential.

Lin Shuyou began to practice along. His vertical pupils were still open, but his movements were clumsy, as if he were drunk, because as he learned, the Immortal Boy was also learning. Although he looked a bit disheveled, he made rapid progress. Run Sheng, too lazy to think, directly closed his qi meridians, stopped the flow of channels in his body, and after frantically suppressing his own strength, went down to fight a group of wooden figures. Strictly speaking, he was unilaterally being surrounded and beaten by a group of wooden figures. Tan Wenbin activated his snake eyes, and all his other spirit beasts were also activated to enhance his five senses and improve his learning efficiency. At this moment, he felt like he was back in his third year of high school, taking a "crash course" with Brother Xiaoyuan.

Seeing that his companions had all entered a state of learning, Li Zhuiyuan sat down cross-legged. With a "psst," he first opened a can of Jianlibao, inserted a straw, and sipped slowly from it with his left hand. His right hand rested on the wordless book, ignoring the despair on the page as the "Evil Book" transformed from a beauty back into a skeleton. While they were learning, Li Zhuiyuan was also practicing. The young man was practicing further subtle control over the formations and the stretching and refinement of his own spiritual power.

When Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin were nearly fainting from studying, Li Zhuiyuan stopped the formation's operation. The young man touched his nose; fortunately, it wasn't bleeding. Run Sheng was still eager for more; he thoroughly enjoyed being beaten. It felt as if the moves were being hammered directly into his mind.

That night, a large white rat stood alone by the river, waiting all night.

Dawn.

“Breakfast is ready!”

Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou's bodies twitched, but they failed to "resurrect" successfully. As Li Sanjiang came downstairs, he saw the two still snoring and asked with confusion: “Did they go stealing last night?” The two slept until noon. Tan Wenbin was slightly better, though his eyes were a bit glazed. Lin Shuyou appeared better, his gaze clear. But to A-You's eyes, the paper figures displayed in the main hall seemed to be moving, practicing boxing, kicking, and wielding swords.

Run Sheng was scolded by Li Sanjiang. Because today, Run Sheng had broken three hoes, two handcarts, and one tricycle, and even pushed a cartload of goods into the river. Uncle Qin's gaze was profound, as Run Sheng had been working in the fields and delivering goods with him that morning. He could clearly sense that Run Sheng, who previously relied solely on brute force and instinct, was for the first time beginning to operate with routines and techniques, although he was still unfamiliar and hadn't yet perfected the coordination. In this world, the hardest thing must be to teach someone who dislikes thinking to solve various complex problems.

Liu Yumei took a sip of tea and whispered to Uncle Qin: “I'm envious.”

“Hmm...”

Uncle Qin's attention was currently on the rice field behind the house. He knew that this group of young people had gone there during the night, so any changes must have originated from that place.

Liu Yumei: “Alas, I failed to find a good patron for you; ultimately, I held you back.”

Uncle Qin: “...”

It was only because there were many people in the courtyard right now and Liu Jinxia, Granny Hua, and others were already walking towards them on the path; otherwise, given Liu Yumei's temper, Uncle Qin would have already been sent flying. A child one raised oneself could be cherished when appropriate and kicked when necessary.

Subsequently, the "special training class" would commence every night. Lin Shuyou and Tan Wenbin were listless during the day. Run Sheng became increasingly clumsy when working. This made Li Sanjiang wonder if there was a mule plague breaking out in his own enclosure.

Lin Fu'an and Chen Shoumen reported the latest situation regarding the Guan Jiang Shou twice a day. The resistance continued, but it would soon be suppressed. The Guan Jiang Shou temple in the mountains also sent people down, but they quickly lost contact. Later, on the second night, rumors spread that there was a great commotion at the location of the Guan Jiang Shou temple in the mountains. This was mainly because in the previous Fengdu incident, the Bodhisattva failed to lead a group of yin gods through the Ghost Gate, resulting in the Guan Jiang Shou being severely weakened, their strength already at a low point. However, Li Zhuiyuan believed that even without this incident, it would at most cause a bit more trouble for that group... it wouldn't change the situation. After all, the reason they acted against you wasn't because you happened to be weak, but because they knew the Bodhisattva was no longer in the mortal realm.

Li Zhuiyuan's "crash course" was about to temporarily conclude. The young man's actions were already an extreme form of pulling up seedlings to help them grow, and his companions needed time to digest what they had learned after accepting it. They had reached their limit.

At the same time, the latest news came from Lin Fu'an: A grand meeting would be held in three days at the old Guan Jiang Shou temple in the mountains. When Lin Shuyou told Tan Wenbin this news, Tan Wenbin looked at the television, which was playing "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," starring Felix Wong and Barbara Yung, a drama always broadcast during winter and summer holidays.

Tan Wenbin: “It really sounds like a martial arts convention.”

When Tan Wenbin conveyed the message to Li Zhuiyuan, Li Zhuiyuan nodded: “They've already set the stage.”

“Brother Xiaoyuan, then we...”

“We leave tomorrow.”

Tonight, by the riverside, the rat still stood in the evening breeze, waiting alone. The cruelest thing in the world is to give hope only to crush it afterwards. Previously, when customers came, the large white rat would grumble, but now that they hadn't come for days, the rat was longing for them. Finally, tonight, he saw people arriving. The large white rat stepped back in disbelief, falling to the ground, tears dripping from its eyes. Due to its appearance, from a distance, it looked like an old woman, emotionally distraught and preparing to drown herself by the river.

Flames rose from the stove, the ladle stirred, leaving afterimages, and the large white rat quickly served the dishes. Its shortsighted gaze remained fixed on the young man, who was visiting for the first time today. When the young man picked up a dish, put it in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed, the large white rat felt its scalp tingle, realizing that human skin was starting to grow there too!

Lin Shuyou: “How is it, Brother Xiaoyuan, delicious?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Do you know what it costs to eat this?”

Lin Shuyou was stumped by the question.

Tan Wenbin: “It costs merit?”

Run Sheng immediately stopped chewing.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the large white rat and said, “It's just a little bit of merit, like earning money to eat at a restaurant. It's nothing. Even yin gods like the Immortal Boy could afford it before.” Run Sheng resumed chewing.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the river surface and said, “If you're hungry at night and want a late-night snack in the future, there's no need to specially come here. Just have it made and delivered home.”

The large white rat immediately said, “Yes, yes, actually, not just late-night snacks, I can deliver breakfast, lunch, and dinner too!”

Tan Wenbin: “If you come delivering meals during the day, you'll be skinned alive.”

The large white rat shivered in fright. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were Aunt Liu's responsibilities. If a rat suddenly appeared and tried to snatch her work, given Aunt Liu's temper, it would probably turn into dried rat meat the next day.

After finishing their meal, Run Sheng rode the tricycle, with Li Zhuiyuan, Tan Wenbin, and Lin Shuyou sitting behind. The wind carried a chill, the dew grew heavier, and the eastern sky began to lighten. They weren't heading home but to the airport in Xingdong Town.

Tan Wenbin asked Lin Shuyou, “How did you tell Grandpa Li that we were going to your hometown?”

Lin Shuyou: “I said my grandfather was celebrating his 80th birthday.”

Tan Wenbin: “Not bad, you've improved. That's a good excuse.”

“Lin Fu'an, you scoundrel, how dare you still celebrate your birthday at home?” The three kicked the door open, saw the arrangements inside, and immediately shouted in anger. The three were temple masters from three different temples. The leader was Ma Kuosheng, and the other two were Gao Yuanyi and Ding Jucheng. The three temples they represented were significantly smaller than the Lin family's temple. In past meetings among temples, these three always sat at the very end.

“Cough, cough...” Lin Fu'an walked out, leaning on his cane. Although he tried to straighten his back, he couldn't hide the paleness of his face. Behind him, being carried out in a chair by two disciples, was Chen Shoumen, who couldn't even stand up now. These two were the strongest spirit mediums in the Lin family's temple, but now both were severely injured.

Ma Kuosheng sneered, “Lin Fu'an, how do you still have the face to be alive? If I were you, I would have drowned myself in a well long ago!”

Lin Fu'an looked at the three and retorted: “Yes, my Lin family temple was the first to agree to merge, but weren't your Ma family temple, Gao family temple, and Ding family temple second, third, and fourth? If I were to drown myself, I'd need a big well, because you three would have to line up behind me.”

“You...”

“It's all because your Lin family temple didn't resist!”

“If your Lin family temple hadn't surrendered first, how would we have ended up in such a situation?”

Lin Fu'an watched them with cold eyes. He felt guilty for agreeing to merge the temples. He indeed had no face to meet the fellow spirit mediums who had been suppressed for resisting these past days. But if they wanted to get down to brass tacks, his Lin family temple was actually the first to resist. He and his disciple were severely wounded to the brink of death by the other party and had only recently recovered slightly. Furthermore, as for coming to accuse and scold him, others might have a point, but what right did these three families have to show up and curse him?

Lin Fu'an: “The day after tomorrow is the day of the grand meeting. If you have any spittle to spare, you might as well save it for then. This old man actually had no desire to celebrate this birthday, but had no choice but to set up this banquet, hence celebrating behind closed doors. Gentlemen three, you are not welcome. Close the door, see them out!”

“Bang!” Ma Kuosheng stepped forward, sending two disciples of the Lin family temple flying. Then, he feinted with his right fist, extended his left arm, stomped his foot fiercely, and his tiger-like eyes flashed like lightning, exuding an imposing aura!

Lin Fu'an watched this scene in confusion. Since some time ago, over half of the yin gods could no longer be sensed. Even if the remaining yin gods occasionally descended, they appeared listless, and the Two Generals of Gain and Loss were especially unresponsive to spirit medium channeling. Yet, the Tiger Lord that Ma Kuosheng channeled was not only robust and fully recovered but even more powerful than before. Gao Yuanyi and Ding Jucheng smiled, each toying with their weapons, not rushing to channel spirits. After all, in the current environment, the descent of one Tiger Lord was enough to flatten this temple.

Ma Kuosheng spoke, “Lin Fu'an, at the meeting the day after tomorrow, I want you to publicly admit that your temple ranks below ours!”

Lin Fu'an replied without hesitation, “Alright!” He understood now. These three families had come to contend for the new ranking. As for that ranking, whoever wanted to fight for it could; Lin Fu'an truly didn't care for it. If it weren't for the orders conveyed through A-You, Lin Fu'an would have long ago led all the disciples of his temple to rally other temples for a united resistance. But since the message came from that side, he could only obey. Furthermore, he had secretly contacted many other temples, guaranteeing them with his past reputation—his "old face"—to tell them not to rush into resistance, but to agree for now. While it was courageous to throw an egg against a rock, that was only a last resort. But as long as "that side" made a move, these green mountains would surely remain.

However, this very action of his, in the eyes of uninformed temples, was typical of someone who knelt and then led the way for others. Even the mysterious group considered him pragmatic and obedient, which was why the rumor spread that his Lin family temple would be made a new benchmark. Unexpectedly, he also incurred resentment because of this.

Seeing Lin Fu'an agree so readily, Ma Kuosheng was somewhat surprised. Then, as if understanding, he said: “Heh heh, do you think someone