Chapter 33

"Thwack!"

It felt like a brief instant, yet also as if a long time had passed.

Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes and found himself lying in bed.

He sat up and carefully scanned his surroundings, not just to confirm if this was his room, but also if he was still dreaming.

After a long moment, Li Zhuiyuan confirmed that this was reality.

Yet, in his ears, the crisp sound of his great-grandfather's hand, holding a talisman, striking the tile seemed to linger.

Then, everything had gone black.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't remember what had happened next.

He didn't even remember when the luck-transfer ritual had ended, or how he had walked out of his great-grandfather's room and returned to his own.

He looked down at the quilt on his knees. He always covered his stomach with the quilt when he slept, and he had his own specific way of folding it.

This meant his great-grandfather hadn't carried him, unconscious, back to bed, because the quilt was folded in his own way.

He got out of bed and glanced at the clock: five in the morning. A-Li usually arrived around six.

Having entered the netherworld so many times, it was inevitable to feel a slight unease and palpitation in the daze of just waking up, instinctively wanting to confirm reality versus illusion.

It was like walking some distance after leaving the house, then suddenly stopping, anxious about whether he had locked the door.

Whenever he woke up and saw A-Li sitting in the chair, he could skip this step.

Feeling thirsty, Li Zhuiyuan walked to his desk to get his water cup, only to find it filled with paper ash.

He immediately began to examine his notebook. Although it was cleanly handled, he could still see traces of pages being torn out.

But what was torn out wasn't anything he had written.

His gaze fell on the pen holder on the desk. There were four pens, placed according to his habits, but his most frequently used pen had significantly less ink.

A picture formed in Li Zhuiyuan's mind:

Late at night, while he was sound asleep in bed, a stranger sat at his desk, writing in his notebook with his pen.

Finally, this person tore out what they had written, lit it, and put it into the cup.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the drawer; his remaining change was inside, not a single cent missing.

Books, homework assignments, and the pen holder were all arranged according to his habits. Combining this with his lost memory after last night's luck-transfer ritual, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but wonder:

Could the person who sat here writing last night have been himself?

But if it was him, why would he burn what he had written?

Was there something he couldn't see himself?

Moreover, the act of burning it suggested that his past self, last night, seemed to have foreseen this memory loss.

Li Zhuiyuan flipped through the books on his desk, not expecting to find any clues within them, as he didn't have a habit of writing or drawing in books.

However, when he picked up the second volume of 'The Righteous Path to Demon Subjugation' and turned to the last page, Li Zhuiyuan noticed a change: a character had been crossed out, and a new one written beside it.

—Authored by Wei Zhengdao.

Had been changed to,

—Authored by Pseudo-Zhengdao.

Li Zhuiyuan frowned. He could now almost certainly conclude that the person sitting at his desk last night was himself.

Because neither family members, nor thieves, perverts, or malevolent spirits would engage in such a pointless act.

Only he himself would have made such a mischievous connection to the previous phrase 'destroyed by the righteous path.'

"What exactly did I do?"

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the wardrobe; his face was reflected in the mirror on its door.

The moment he made eye contact with his reflection, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly felt an intense panic, and immediately averted his gaze.

That cold, detached emotion resurfaced from the depths of his heart, and this time it was particularly fierce and strong.

He clutched his head with both hands, continuously muttering the names of people in his social circle. This time, he mostly repeated A-Li and his great-grandfather, while others, including his parents, were only mentioned briefly at the end.

Finally, that feeling subsided.

Li Zhuiyuan lowered his hands. Squatting on the floor, he turned his head to look at his reflection; "both of them" were panting.

Once completely composed, Li Zhuiyuan stood up, picked up his washbasin, and prepared to wash up to clear his head.

He pushed open his door, and simultaneously, the door next door was also pushed open.

Li Zhuiyuan and Li Sanjiang emerged from their rooms almost at the same time.

"Cough..."

The cool morning breeze blew in his face, and Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but stop and cough.

"Splat!" "Splat!"

"Damn it!"

In the sky, two birds happened to be flying side by side, and simultaneously dropped nature's 'gifts.'

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the bird droppings on the ground in front of him. If he hadn't coughed and stopped just now, the droppings would have landed on his head.

Li Sanjiang touched his head with his hand, looked at the white residue on his fingers, smelled it, and grimaced, about to vomit.

He instinctively wanted to wipe it on the wall, but then remembered it was his own house, right outside his bedroom door. So he walked to the water vat on the balcony, washed his hands first, then scooped water to wash his hair.

"Great-grandfather, I'll get you some hot water. Washing your hair with cold water will make you catch a cold."

"Little Zhuihou, go get some laundry powder for me, your great-grandfather, and a dry cloth."

Li Zhuiyuan first brought the items, then picked up the thermos and poured hot water into Li Sanjiang's washbasin, while he himself began brushing his teeth nearby.

"Damn it, today is really unlucky, bad luck."

"Great-grandfather, just take it as magpies bringing you good news."

"Great-grandfather, I've noticed, you're the one with the smoothest tongue."

"Great-grandfather, when did you go to sleep last night?"

"I went to sleep right after the luck-transfer ended. I slept early, which is why I woke up early today."

"Great-grandfather, do you remember what you did after the luck transfer?"

"What else could I do? Of course, I went to bed."

"I mean, after you slapped the talisman on the ground, Great-grandfather, do you remember what happened?"

"Of course, I remember! How could I not? I wasn't drinking last night, so I didn't black out."

"You really remember?"

"Little Zhuihou, what's wrong with you?"

"Great-grandfather, after the ritual last night, did I say anything to you?"

"You said goodnight to me and went back to your room. What's wrong with you, did you have another nightmare?"

"No, nothing. Maybe I slept too well last night; some things are a bit hazy."

"That's normal. Don't just say it's because you're a kid; even adults can be like that. It's good that you slept comfortably; it proves the luck transfer worked."

As they talked, Li Zhuiyuan saw A-Li coming up the stairs. Today, A-Li was wearing a dignified and lovely lady's traditional dress.

Li Sanjiang, wiping his head, smacked his lips and said, "Don't even mention it, Little Zhuihou, this girl really is beautiful. Before, your great-grandfather thought 'natural beauty' was just a polite compliment, until I saw this girl."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded: "A-Li is indeed beautiful."

In the past, one of the elders' great pleasures was watching young boys and girls playing together and randomly pairing them up.

But Li Sanjiang just shook his head and sighed, "If only she wasn't sick."

The old man still remembered the scene of the little girl's sudden outburst after he had given her candy.

"Great-grandfather, A-Li isn't sick."

"Alright, she's not sick, *you* are. Happy now?"

"Mm-hm."

Li Zhuiyuan knew he was indeed 'sick'; it had just flared up that morning.

"Oh, by the way, Great-grandfather, Brother Runsheng is going back to Xiting to see Grandpa Shan today, and I'd like to go with him."

"Alright, you can go. Oh, wait, I'll go back to my room and get some money for you. Buy some things to take as gifts."

"Great-grandfather, you're so good to Grandpa Shan."

"I'm just afraid that country bumpkin will lose all his money and starve to death."

Li Sanjiang went into the room to get some money for Li Zhuiyuan, then walked downstairs, calling out, "Tinghou, make breakfast early today, I'm hungry!"

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the money in his hand, then added his own remaining pocket money to it. He smiled; he had enough capital now.

A-Li looked at the boy, then at the money in his hand, her eyelashes fluttering slightly.

On the patio, Liu Yumei was brewing tea.

Li Sanjiang came downstairs, stretching, and remarked, "Oh, the weather should be nice today, a perfectly clear day."

Liu Yumei replied, "So you're not going out for a stroll today?"

"What's there to stroll for? Such good weather is perfect for lying on a wicker chair, basking in the sun, and napping."

Liu Yumei smiled, said nothing more, and instead used her right ring finger and index finger to lift the teacup.

Just as she lifted it halfway, the cup suddenly shook, and some tea spilled out.

Liu Yumei ignored her reddened fingertips, staring incredulously at the teacup in her hand, or rather, at the tea inside, which was now only half full.

"How did so much spill out all at once?"

Although the moon waxes and wanes, and tides ebb and flow, they generally follow discernible patterns, allowing for a stable observation amidst change. Thus, such violent fluctuations typically wouldn't occur.

What exactly happened?

Just then, Li Zhuiyuan and Qin Li came downstairs.

Liu Yumei's gaze naturally turned to the boy. As she carefully observed his face, the fingertips of her left hand, hidden within her sleeve, gently touched each other alternately.

As if to amuse the girl, Li Zhuiyuan made a funny face at A-Li.

Liu Yumei's fingers had to stop moving, because the boy's facial reading had changed.

Li Zhuiyuan turned towards Liu Yumei and politely greeted her, "Good morning, Grandma Liu."

"Morning, Xiaoyuan."

Li Zhuiyuan went to the kitchen to help Aunt Liu bring out the porridge and pickled vegetables.

He noticed many newly made incense sticks drying in the northwest corner of the yard and asked, "Aunt Liu, could I trouble you to make some short incense sticks for me?"

"Of course, how short do you want them?"

"About the same length as cigarettes in a pack."

"But what would you use such short incense for? They'd burn out in no time."

"They don't need to burn for too long, just about the time it takes to smoke a cigarette."

"Alright, I'll make them for you."

"Thank you, Aunt Liu."

After breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan set off with Runsheng.

Runsheng was very excited to be going home, occasionally letting go of the handlebars and singing.

He sang many songs, but mostly just the classic few lines from each. Li Zhuiyuan, sitting behind him, felt like he was listening to a song medley.

Xiting Town wasn't too far. Runsheng's singing didn't slow down his pedaling at all, and it didn't take long before they arrived at his doorstep.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the house; compared to other homes they'd seen entering the village, it was truly dilapidated.

Runsheng went inside and called out several times, getting no reply. Then he came back out and said to Li Zhuiyuan:

"Xiaoyuan, my grandpa isn't home, he probably went to play cards. But there's still rice and flour at home, so we'll have lunch, hehe."

"Then let's go find Grandpa Shan."

"Come on, I'll take you to him."

There were several 'gambling dens' in the village, all operating in private homes. Small ones had three or four tables, while larger ones had fifteen or twenty.

The unspoken rule was that playing cards here required a 'tea fee,' and if you won a big hand, the boss also took a share of the winnings.

Besides providing tea, melon seeds, and peanuts, the boss also had to help gather players for the games. This ability determined whether a den could grow large.

It was still summer, not the peak season for the dens. The real peak season was around Chinese New Year.

Those who worked outside would return to the village for the New Year.

Many people, who had been frugal with food and clothing while working away from home, would return to their hometown with a year's worth of hard-earned money. They would immediately put on new clothes, sit at the card table, with good cigarettes bought specially for the New Year dangling from their mouths, and prepare to dominate.

Of course, most of the time, they were the ones being dominated.

One should know that almost every village had a small group of people who didn't hold regular jobs, spending their days playing cards and passing the time. They were counting on the New Year period to open for business and win enough for the next year's living expenses.

Those who worked away from home rarely had opportunities to play cards, so their skill levels couldn't compare to these local 'sharks.' On top of that, they might even encounter rigged games.

Consequently, it was common for people to return to the village and lose all their year's earnings within a few days. Some even ended up in debt. The most tragic cases were those who had to pack up their bags and return to their jobs even before the New Year celebrations were over.

All of this, Runsheng had told Li Zhuiyuan on the way.

Runsheng had said all this to dissuade Li Zhuiyuan because he heard Xiaoyuan say he wanted to play cards this time.

Li Zhuiyuan realized that Runsheng was truly a remarkable person: honest and simple by nature, but also possessing a subtle side. Otherwise, he wouldn't have understood these intricacies. Of course, his demeanor when fighting was even more astonishing.

"Brother Runsheng, you know Grandpa Shan often loses at cards, why don't you try to dissuade him?"

"He's my grandpa, I have to listen to him. Just like you're my younger brother, I have to listen to you."

"You're the older brother."

"My grandpa says I'm stupid, and in this life, I can only listen to two kinds of people."

"Which two?"

"One kind is my grandpa himself. My grandpa says he's actually stupid too, and listening to him might make me suffer with him, but at least he won't harm me.

The other kind is smart people. Smart people might harm me, but before they do, they'll let me enjoy some good fortune first."

Grandpa Shan was playing cards at a small gambling den on the west side of the village. There weren't many people, just one table, playing 'Fight the Landlord' with four players.

When Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng entered, Grandpa Shan had just put down his cards and was paying money.

"Oh, Runsheng Hou is back!"

"Runsheng Hou, long time no see!"

"Your grandpa just mentioned you."

The card players clearly all knew Runsheng and greeted him warmly.

Grandpa Shan also stood up, patted Runsheng's arm, and smiled, "Good, indeed. You've been eating well at Li Sanjiang's house; you look even sturdier."

It was a scene much like a proud owner observing their well-fed animal returning from a neighbor's pasture.

"Grandpa, Xiaoyuan is here too."

"Grandpa Shan."

"Mm-hm, Little Zhuihou." Grandpa Shan reached for the money on the card table, hesitated, then said, "It's bad luck to touch money while playing cards. I'll buy you some cooked dishes tonight."

"Alright, Grandpa Shan."

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at the stack of money in front of Grandpa Shan... well, it was too thin to even be called a 'stack' anymore.

As the cards were being dealt, Grandpa Shan, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, picked up his cards while chatting idly with Runsheng.

Li Zhuiyuan stood quietly by and watched.

Not long after, Grandpa Shan lost three rounds: two as the landlord and one as a farmer.

With such a small sample size, Li Zhuiyuan couldn't yet confirm if Grandpa Shan's luck was truly bad, but he was at least certain of one thing: Grandpa Shan's card skills were indeed very ordinary.

Card players who were bad but loved to play were popular everywhere.

However, Li Zhuiyuan had no intention of joining this game. 'Fight the Landlord' was too slow-paced and involved teamwork, making it inefficient for winning money.

Li Zhuiyuan tugged Runsheng's arm, and Runsheng understood. "Grandpa, I'll take Xiaoyuan back first."

"Mm-hm, alright." Grandpa Shan waved his hand without looking back; he was already engrossed in his losing streak.

Runsheng rode his tricycle, taking Li Zhuiyuan to a larger gambling den. Outside the house, a shed had been set up, inside which eight tables of people were playing. Some were playing 'Fight the Landlord,' others bridge, while the largest round table had nine people playing 'Golden Flower.'

'Golden Flower' was a game that needed many players to be fun and to allow for 'bluffing.'

"Brother Runsheng, do you remember what I told you before?"

"Yes, I remember." Runsheng patted his chest, then walked to an empty seat at the round table and sat down. "Count me in."

The others at the round table paused, their gazes sizing up Runsheng.

Xiting Town was well-connected, so small dens were usually frequented by villagers, while larger ones attracted more people from outside the village. Thus, many didn't know Runsheng.

Mainly, Runsheng's age was awkward. You couldn't exactly call him a child, given his build and age, but if you called him an adult, he still seemed a bit naive.

People at the table didn't like playing with children: first, it sounded bad if word got out; second, children usually didn't have much money in their pockets.

The den boss, a short, stout man, waved his hand at Runsheng. "Runsheng Hou, don't mess around. Your grandpa isn't here with me; go look for him somewhere else."

"I said, I want to play!"

Runsheng deliberately kept a straight face, then slammed all the money Li Zhuiyuan had given him onto the table.

Seeing Runsheng's posture and the money he'd put down, everyone at the table nodded silently. The boss said nothing more, turned to pour tea, muttering under his breath, "When the top beam is crooked, the bottom beam will lean."

Runsheng was a bit nervous but continued to keep a straight face.

This round of cards wasn't over yet; three players were still playing 'blind.'

Li Zhuiyuan's gaze swept over the nine people at the round table, memorizing all their facial features.

'Golden Flower' only involves three cards; its technical skill requirement is much lower than 'Fight the Landlord,' and luck, or card fortune, is the main factor.

Logically speaking, playing this game was unwise if one wanted to consistently win money.

But Li Zhuiyuan had his own method. After memorizing everyone's facial features, any micro-expression from them while looking at or picking up their cards would not escape his eyes.

Clever old gamblers would be skilled at hiding or even deceiving, but that didn't matter. The vast collection of facial physiognomy illustrations in 'An Elaboration on Yin-Yang Physiognomy' was like building a massive database in Li Zhuiyuan's mind.

No matter how skilled at disguise, it was impossible to show no flaws at all. There might be such masters in the world, but Li Zhuiyuan was confident he wouldn't encounter them in the village, because they wouldn't be as bored as him, coming to a village gambling den to earn money.

This round ended, and Runsheng put in his ante.

For three consecutive hands, Runsheng looked at his cards and immediately folded, never playing blind. And when he folded, he deliberately showed his cards, hiding nothing at all.

This was what Li Zhuiyuan had requested. He needed to enrich his data sample, for instance, what micro-expressions corresponded to which card hands.

Of course, Runsheng's three hands were all terrible, not worth playing a single chip on.

Alright, the sample data collection was complete and very detailed, because the people at the table also liked to show their cards when folding, not hiding them.

Li Zhuiyuan quietly leaned closer to Runsheng, who shifted his seat.

When the cards were dealt in the next round, they were almost dealt right in front of Li Zhuiyuan.

This scene caught the attention of many at the table. They were somewhat displeased; Runsheng could still pass for a young man, but the child next to him was truly too young.

However, since they were already sitting together, it wasn't convenient to say anything more. After all, there were plenty of fathers who held their sons in their laps and let them touch the cards while playing.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up some money, threw it in, and played a small blind hand.

"Whose child is this? So fair-skinned and delicate."

"His clothes are nice too, quite fashionable."

The people at the table began to comment on Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan showed a shy smile.

What these people didn't know was that, from that moment on, everyone at the card table was in a 'face-up card' state to the little boy in front of them.

This wasn't cheating, because 'reading expressions and body language' was inherently part of playing 'Golden Flower.'

After a round of blind bets, some looked at their cards and folded, while others looked and continued to bet.

Li Zhuiyuan revealed his cards: a pair of 5s, a rather awkward hand. However, of the two who had looked at their cards and bet, one was bluffing with a small hand, and the other had a hand smaller than his.

Three people looked at their cards and continued to bet, and the rest also stopped playing blind and began to look at their cards.

Li Zhuiyuan felt relieved, because he 'saw' that his hand was the largest among all.

Ultimately, the last remaining player, trying to scare a child by raising the stakes, failed. He revealed his hand and lost. Runsheng stood up, raked in the money, then asked the person below him to shuffle the cards, and the person above him to cut and deal them.

This was because Li Zhuiyuan was small, and Runsheng's hands were clumsy, not even adept at dealing cards.

At the same time, this was also to avoid potential trouble after winning so much money.

Next round.

After playing a blind hand, Li Zhuiyuan looked at his cards: a pair of Aces.

Then the expressions of every player who looked at their cards fell into his sight. After four rounds, five people remained.

What surprised Li Zhuiyuan was that those four people all had big pairs, above 10. But he wasn't flustered, as pairs were within his purview.

Since the cards were all good, after several more rounds, they started revealing. In the end, Li Zhuiyuan won against all other pair-holders with his pair of Aces.

The pot was also substantial. As Runsheng stood up to collect the money, his breath trembled with excitement.

Third round, same routine: play blind, then look at the cards.

A 'Golden Flower', and a straight flush at that.

What more could be said about this hand?

But after a few rounds, Li Zhuiyuan found there was indeed something to say: excluding himself, among the remaining five players, two had straights, and three had 'Golden Flowers'.

Li Zhuiyuan couldn't help but marvel inwardly: "Are they really cooperating this well?"

In this round, everyone bet more and held on longer. Ultimately, and without surprise, Li Zhuiyuan won.

When the cards were revealed, Li Zhuiyuan even pretended to be innocent and asked:

"Is there any bonus money too?"

Runsheng stood up, practically shouting in his mind: "So much money, so much money!"

Actually, in this game, having a big hand doesn't always mean winning a lot. Sometimes, if you have a big hand but no one follows, you might only take the ante.

Only when several players have good hands does the pot become substantial, and only after a fierce battle can the winner rake in a fortune.

Next round, play blind, then look at the cards.

Li Zhuiyuan's expression remained shy, but waves churned in his heart.

666, a 'Leopard.'

His luck today was a bit too good.

Then, as everyone started looking at their cards, Li Zhuiyuan 'confirmed' that among the remaining 5 players, 2 had straight flushes, 2 had 'Golden Flowers,' and 1 had a straight.

This...

Unavoidably, a bloody storm was brewing.

First, most people had already lost money to Li Zhuiyuan in the previous rounds. Now, holding these hands, they all felt a sense of 'destiny is on my side' mission.

No one held back, no one showed mercy, and no one kindly advised others to quit while they were ahead.

The maximum stake was thrown in round after round without hesitation.

Several people who didn't have enough money revealed their cards to those standing behind them watching, asking them to buy in and share the profits.

Li Zhuiyuan felt his arm aching from putting money into the pot. This round finally came to an end.

When several players consecutively looked at their cards and folded, the atmosphere at the card table became somewhat oppressive.

Finally, when three Aces were laid out, the last player almost collapsed to the floor, trembling.

Someone wanted to mutter about cheating, but couldn't bring themselves to say it, because neither of the two had shuffled the cards themselves; they were always helped by the players above and below them, and those very players had lost the most.

However, the reason the scene remained relatively quiet was that Runsheng had stood up.

Runsheng sensed the threat, and winning so much money had put him into an excited state. His eyes were already red, and he exuded the same aura as when he dealt with the two possessed thugs yesterday.

Li Zhuiyuan dared to win money here precisely because Runsheng was by his side.

However, he hadn't expected it to escalate like this, because, from a 'hindsight is 20/20' perspective, the methods he had prepared throughout were utterly useless.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, "Are we still playing?"

He planned to deliberately lose some money back. If it was too slow to lose, he would just give half of it back later.

"Play, let's keep playing. But these cards are old now, let's get a new deck." A middle-aged man with a big beard at the table motioned for everyone to sit down, then exchanged a glance with the person sitting in the seats above and below Li Zhuiyuan.

They usually didn't cooperate when playing cards; if they did, it was only during the New Year period. But today, they had no choice.

A new deck was brought. The player below shuffled, the player above cut, and then dealt the cards on behalf of others.

As usual, Li Zhuiyuan played a blind hand, then looked at his cards: three Queens, a 'Leopard.'

And his opponent's expression told him that he held the biggest hand.

They were cheating.

What they didn't know was that their supposedly discreet exchange of glances, to Li Zhuiyuan, was as loud as a shout.

"I'm out."

Li Zhuiyuan turned his cards face down, pushed them directly into the discard pile, scattering them in the process.

"What?" The man with the big beard suddenly stood up, pointing at Li Zhuiyuan and shouting, "You're cheating!"

He was using his own cheating to prove that Li Zhuiyuan was indeed cheating. Otherwise, who would just fold a 'Leopard' like that?

"Brother Runsheng, get out the table fee, the tea fee, and the cleaning fee."

"Huh?" Runsheng was a bit confused but obediently complied. After estimating the cost, he took the money from the bag and placed it on the table.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, walked away from the table, and said:

"Smash the table."

"CRASH!"

A fist landed, and the table shattered.

This was not an ordinary person flipping a table, nor an emotional outburst of slamming it. The sight of a large round table being directly smashed to pieces stunned everyone present.

Li Zhuiyuan calmly looked at the messy ground. He hadn't been the one cheating, but did he need to explain?

No, he didn't.

"Let's go, Brother Runsheng."

"Alright!"

Runsheng had a sinister smile on his face, and he even extended his hand, pointing at everyone present.

He had learned this from 'God of Gamblers,' which had been shown on the county TV channel the night before last. Too bad Xiaoyuan didn't use hair gel; otherwise, he would have been Chow Yun-fat in Runsheng's eyes.

The man with the big beard dared not step forward, but stood rooted to the spot, his voice trembling: "We'll call the police!"

This was ludicrous. Such gambling dens were usually ignored by both the public and officials, but if pursued, they would certainly be illegal, and all gambling funds would be confiscated.

Li Zhuiyuan stopped and turned to look at him:

"Tan Yunlong, from the town police station, is my uncle."

Having said that, he continued walking out.

Runsheng, carrying a bag full of money, skipped and hopped, his shoes dragging on the ground, adopting the gait of a fashionable girl.

Li Zhuiyuan, however, appeared very calm, even somewhat solemn.

Once on the tricycle, he immediately pulled out talismans and stuck them all over his forehead, shoulders, arms, and thighs, as if he were a zombie preparing to commit suicide.

After a while, he checked all of them; not a single one had changed color.

Putting the talismans away, Li Zhuiyuan sighed. He knew now, and murmured:

"The luck-transfer ritual."