In this world, might has never meant right. But a fist can smash other people’s mouths, making you the only one speaking in the room, and even if your voice is soft, it still resonates loudly.

An old man and a middle-aged man passed through the small courtyard gate and continued on their way. Without a word, without notifying anyone, without any signal, the two men walked out of the school’s faculty residential area, past the cafeteria, across the sports field, and finally out of the school’s main gate before stopping.

Lin Fu’an looked at his apprentice, and Chen Shoumen looked at his master. Although they were not related by blood, their half-lifetime as master and apprentice had forged a bond stronger than father and son, yet their current understanding surpassed any prior level of unspoken accord.

Chen Shoumen murmured, “Qin Li.”

Lin Fu’an quietly said, “Dragon King.”

Chen Shoumen had once witnessed a man tending to a flower stand, bleeding a hundred-meter-long corpse centipede at the mouth of the Dragon River. The blood, a mix of red, black, yellow, and purple, splattered across both banks, and now a large area of exceptionally lush and vibrant flora had grown there. The local community had even built a riverside park at the spot.

At that time, Chen Shoumen was still young, full of enthusiasm and fiery like the scorching sun, yet he encountered a true sun. When the hundred-meter-long corpse centipede appeared, its terrifying aura and dense death energy made his body tremble uncontrollably, preventing his vertical pupils from opening. The only thing he could be proud of was that while struggling to overcome his instinctive fear, he hadn’t truly retreated and still remembered the mission of the General’s Head.

Then, he saw a peer, whose body was covered in flowing talismans, surge from beneath the river’s surface and smash the corpse centipede ashore with a single punch. At that moment, he realized that the terrifying demonic creature, which had terrified him the moment it appeared, was actually being chased and beaten out of the riverbed by a single person.

Was there a sense of defeat? Not really. When the gap is wide enough, you simply can’t bring yourself to compare. The other party hadn’t entered a trance, possessed no Yin spirits, nor did they use divine descent, spirit summoning, or other regional traditions. They relied purely on their brute strength, beating the demonic creature until it was utterly defenseless. Long tentacles snapped one by one, bony segments broke apart, and the wails that echoed through the valley were merely background accompaniment to his fists and kicks.

Later, Chen Shoumen tried his best to gather information about that person, learning that his name was Qin Li, that he belonged to the Qin family, and that he was the first River Walker from the Qin family in modern times. Even later, he received news that the man had failed in his River Walking attempt and had since vanished without a trace, his fate unknown. Chen Shoumen couldn’t understand how difficult River Walking truly was, that even someone like that couldn’t complete it.

However, after that, the proud Chen Shoumen would stand quietly and listen whenever his master Lin Fu’an told stories about the Dragon King’s family to his grandson, who was also his apprentice. Whenever young A’you asked who was more powerful, the Dragon King’s family or their General’s Head, Chen Shoumen, as his master, would remain silent. It was always Lin Fu’an who had to offer guidance:

“We are all fellow practitioners who uphold righteousness; it’s not appropriate to compare who is superior.”

At the same time, Lin Fu’an would add another sentence: “However, their lineage is ancient. If you ever meet someone from the Dragon King’s family in the future, A’you, you must show them proper respect.”

Chen Shoumen genuinely hadn’t expected the figure that had once awed him in his youth to suddenly crash into his middle age in such an abrupt manner. In the instant they passed the small courtyard gate, he thought of the corpse centipede from all those years ago. The image of the centipede being suppressed, violently beaten, and disintegrated in his memory now felt as if it were himself.

Lin Fu’an did not know Qin Li, although he had heard his apprentice describe this experience upon returning from the temple. Unfortunately, Chen Shoumen couldn’t draw. However, as an elder General’s Head, Lin Fu’an, even without opening his vertical pupils, could discern atmospheric omens invisible to ordinary people. When he had previously glanced over, the woman tying her hair had a posture like a horned python raising its head, as if suppressing some pent-up frustration, ready to unleash it on someone. And the man, the dust and dirt particles beneath his feet were already trembling, as if a flood dragon was opening its eyes, about to tear through the clouds and reveal its true form.

The two Generals, Zeng and Sun, were once Ghost Kings in the mortal world, capable of observing the Sea of Fortune. The man and woman clearly bore Dragon Qi, which, though fragmented and decaying, was genuinely present. As for Dragon Qi, ordinary people would be tearfully grateful and burn incense to their ancestors for manifestation if they could find even a trace of it. But for these two, the ancestors they revered were the Dragon Kings.

Besides the man and woman, Lin Fu’an vaguely sensed an even greater Dragon Qi on the third floor of the house, so immense that even without shifting his gaze upward, its oppressive aura and presence still intruded upon his perception. He dared not look up again. He had a feeling that if he truly dared to look up, he wouldn’t be leaving today, nor tomorrow, nor the day after. If he was lucky, in a while, he might turn into a newly formed loofah.

“Shoumen.”

“Master.”

Even after exiting the school gate, their voices remained very low. Because they had come uninvited, and with an air of intimidation, which, by Jianghu rules, meant they were there to challenge. If you’ve already made the first move, then it’s reasonable for them to deal with you completely. Earlier, Liu Ting tying her hair and Qin Li rolling up his sleeves indicated they were preparing to act. There was no choice; the other party had already come to their doorstep. As a “small household” with an orphan and a widow, they had to “brave it out” and fight.

In fact, this was a novel experience for both of them. Although Dragon King Qin and Dragon King Liu were not what they once were, and the old lady was too lazy to go out and read the unspoken criticisms in people’s respectful gazes; yet, a centipede dies but never stiffens. Beneath that large table of spiritless memorial tablets, there was still an old lady occasionally talking to them. For decades, no one had truly dared to come to their door with ill intent.

After calling out to each other, the master and apprentice both swept their peripheral vision around. Then, in unspoken understanding, they remained silent, continued walking, arrived at the infirmary, entered the ward, and sat down on either side of Lin Shuyou.

Late last night, A’you, who had left in a huff, had his Life Pattern fully resonate. At the time, his family thought the boy had finally had a change of heart and understood. Little did they know, as soon as it resonated, he was on the verge of death. The family was in a frantic rush, setting up altars, arranging life-and-death plates, performing Yin-Yang divination, and it took a great deal of effort to restore his vitality. Generally, such arrangements are made in advance by the General’s Head in the temple before they confront evil spirits, just in case.

Knowing that the youngest in their family had gotten into trouble, after some discussion in the temple, Lin Fu’an and Chen Shoumen bought the earliest flight tickets and flew to Jinling. At the time, they thought that no matter what, if the two of them went, even the biggest problem the youngest might face could be easily resolved. They both believed this. As it turned out, they hadn’t anticipated such a situation where they not only dared not enter the other party’s gate but didn’t even dare to stop.

The old man looked depressed, not particularly angry or wronged, just very uncomfortable. What was worse, this discomfort was genuinely hard to vent. He couldn’t exactly pick up his grandson and punch him a few times to let off steam. Not to mention that his grandson had just been injured and was still weak; a few punches would likely kill him. Even if he wanted to hit him, it wasn’t his decision to make. To be precise, this was no longer something that could be settled by a few blows to his grandson.

The General’s Head lineage isn’t strictly passed down through a single family name; it relies on the temple system. For example, Lin Fu’an’s own son wasn’t the top successor in the next generation; it was his apprentice, Chen Shoumen. If they were all family, the old man could just pretend to discipline the child, and behind closed doors, it would be brushed aside. But when it involved an entire temple, trying to deal with it superficially was inappropriate. Because if things went wrong, everyone in the temple could be collectively sent away by his grandson.

The old man understood more about these matters than his apprentice, Chen Shoumen. Since ancient times, there have never been many Dragon King families on the rivers. After all, these positions were earned through generations of River Walking and fierce combat, inherently making them scarce. However, the style of the Dragon King families was very consistent: they might disregard tributaries and smaller lakes, but if any river or lake dared to stir up trouble, they absolutely had to step in and suppress it, otherwise outsiders would think the Dragon King had no temper.

In the previous era, the most prominent Dragon King lineages were the Qin and Liu families. Because Dragon King families were naturally sworn enemies, generation after generation, during River Walking, it was either one family suppressing the other or one family killing the other. If the memorial tablets of both families were placed side by side, one could even discern a deep connection: “Your great-grandfather killed my great-grandfather.” “My grandfather killed my grandfather.” “Your father killed my father.” Yet, no one had anticipated that amidst such complex and ancient blood feuds, Dragon King Qin and Dragon King Liu would unite in marriage. At the time, when their wedding invitations circulated through the Jianghu, they caused a shock throughout the entire community, leading everyone to believe that the Jianghu would henceforth be dominated by these two surnames. It was only when both families collectively ceased their activities later that this grand momentum failed to continue.

But a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. The master and apprentice had just witnessed firsthand that even the elder on the third floor wouldn’t need to act. If the two in the courtyard were unleashed and headed straight for their temple, it would be enough to remove their temple from the map. In fact, even sending just one would suffice. It wasn’t that Lin Fu’an was afraid; anyone capable of becoming a General’s Head would never be a coward at heart. When it truly came to the temple’s destruction and their demise, they would at worst all fight with their lives on the line.

But they knew their own limitations. If facing evil spirits that preferred to act alone, hiding or secretly causing harm, a General’s Head fighting solo or in formation was no problem. In this peaceful era, under a clear sky, evil spirits wouldn’t gather in large groups or create major disturbances as they would during chaotic times. However, in a Jianghu conflict, especially against individuals who relied purely on their personal strength, the weaknesses of their own temple would be infinitely magnified. Particularly terrifying was Dragon King Qin’s “Qin Clan’s Flood Dragon Observation Method,” which allowed one to wield the power of a flood dragon with their own aura, endlessly. While saying one person could block an army of thousands was an exaggeration, fighting for days and nights alone was truly not uncommon. He would only need to arrive at their temple entrance and step in. Would they then enter a trance or not? Once they entered a trance, he would leave. When their time was up and the Great Generals departed, he would return.

An ordinary General’s Head would need several months to recover after entering a trance once, which was usually sufficient, as temple fairs only occurred a few times a year. A veteran General’s Head would need half a month to recover after entering a trance once. Their temple, with its profound lineage, could manage one trance per day. When A’you first learned as a child, he even managed two in one day; although he fainted for a long time and nearly couldn’t be revived, he was nonetheless regarded as a treasured genius by the entire temple. However, each trance didn’t last long. Even if they lit three “path-asking” incenses on their head to extend the duration, once the incense burned out, the Great Generals would simply depart. Since the lineage began, countless General’s Heads had died not from lack of strength in battle, but because the duration was insufficient, and the Great Generals would float away, leaving behind a weakened, ordinary person to be killed by evil spirits.

Therefore, the other party only needed to send one person—someone whom their entire temple, even in formation, wouldn’t be fully confident of surrounding and killing—to kite them. And then, they would wear down their entire temple until it was destroyed. After wearing down their entire temple, the other party might not even have a single injury, because they would only need to act against ordinary people. Ordinary Jianghu sects and families didn’t have such powerful individuals, but the Dragon King family did. Furthermore, in other circumstances, various temples forming alliances to deal with a threat would be fine, but if they provoked the Dragon King family, others would likely be unwilling to form an alliance with them.

Lin Fu’an spoke, “If we are used as a spear by the Dragon King family, it might not be so bad.”

Chen Shoumen said, “Why would an elder of the Dragon King family use A’you? If anyone were to use him, it should be a junior from the Dragon King family.” Lin Fu’an replied, “The Qin and Liu Dragon King families are dwindling in numbers, so there probably aren’t many young juniors. If there are, they must be the true direct descendants of the two Dragon Kings.”

Chen Shoumen then said, “So A’you was used by a direct descendant.”

Here, “direct descendant” doesn’t refer to bloodline but to the importance and status within the lineage. In the past, if one claimed to worship the Dragon King, while people wouldn’t dare provoke them, they also knew that the Dragon King family was large and influential, with many members. The one you revered might not even be a direct descendant, as there were many thresholds and levels of status within the family. A true direct descendant was extraordinary; all family resources, teachings, and lineage were concentrated on them. If they succeeded in River Walking in the future, they would truly be transcendent. Given the current state of the Qin and Liu families, if a junior direct descendant were to emerge, they would truly be spoiled rotten and showered with resources. Even if this person chose not to undertake River Walking to preserve the family’s legacy, they could still become influential, even by simply living off inherited wealth. This was because the Qin and Liu families had another layer of protection.

With that said, the master and apprentice each nodded. Their initial tension briefly eased. It was only brief because they immediately thought of something else. If this was merely an affair between a junior direct descendant of the Dragon King family and their own A’you, then what business did the two of them have getting involved? Originally, if juniors had a conflict, a bit of roughhousing, even if the intentions were truly impure and they were treating someone like a monkey for amusement, ultimately, it was still a matter between juniors. Even if someone died, wouldn’t you have to accept it and grin and bear it? When Emperor Jing of Han was a child, he killed a vassal king’s son with a chessboard. So what? Moreover, no one had died now; the person was even being treated in a hospital bed.

But the two of them had rushed here in a frantic hurry. Not only did they come, but they also exuded an aura, walking boldly towards the other family’s door. If they had sent a formal visiting card first, it would have been acceptable. The other party might not have seen them, but at least it would have been within proper etiquette. Even if the other family was willing to see them, once they met, they wouldn’t dare bring up the children’s matter directly. They would exchange greetings and then should leave. If the other family was inclined, they might inquire below and then greet them. Of course, this step was already extremely risky, because the other party’s reaction might be: “What? You’re not convinced? You even dare to come to my door to pressure me?” So, the more appropriate course of action would have been: “Although my child is severely injured and lying in a hospital bed, I have come to apologize in person.” Their posture should have been humble.

Instead, the path the two of them took this time was: “You hit our junior, so our elder has come.” This implied the other family should also send out their elders. They successfully escalated a conflict between juniors into a factional dispute.

Chen Shoumen quietly said, “Perhaps, A’you and the Dragon King family’s junior had no animosity to begin with.”

Lin Fu’an’s chest heaved, as if an old mouthful of blood was stuck in his throat, which he then forcibly swallowed back down. There might genuinely have been no animosity initially, but because the two of them came, they had created one.

Chen Shoumen quietly continued, “A’you also said that we should go back and prepare a new page in the family genealogy for him. Does that mean A’you has already formed a connection with that person from the Dragon King family?”

Lin Fu’an felt his apprentice’s words pierce his heart like a knife.

Chen Shoumen quietly persisted, “If both times A’you was injured involved that person from the Dragon King family, then even if that person from the Dragon King family had a heart of stone, it should have warmed up by now. And even if not… the people around the Dragon King should have warmed up.” Chen Shoumen’s gaze fell on the washbasin on the nightstand, along with the change of clothes and toiletries inside it. That person had sent them. And later, that person had walked directly into the Dragon King family’s home and greeted them warmly and casually. “That person must be a worshiper of the Dragon King.”

Chen Shoumen then pointed to Lin Shuyou’s stomach: “When we first arrived to treat A’you’s injuries, we found that his Life Pattern wasn’t patched up, but rather borrowed from other places, evenly distributed, and then reorganized. In our entire temple, only you, Master, can draw Life Patterns; I haven’t fully mastered it. Our A’you himself probably can’t mend it either, let alone a method like transforming the original form to fill in gaps. This kind of technique… Master, do you know it?”

Lin Fu’an’s face turned red with exasperation. Do I know? I know sweet nothing! This is a formation, a formation that, if damaged, must be erased and redrawn. Have you ever seen a family whose formation was broken, yet they could borrow a few pillars here and a few flags there, put them back, and have it work again?

Chen Shoumen quietly prepared to speak. Lin Fu’an finally couldn’t hold back, letting out a low growl from his throat, “If you speak in that tone again, I’ll clean house first.” Chen Shoumen covered his face with both hands and lowered his head.

Lin Fu’an said, “You’re a grown man, why are you acting like this? It’s truly…”

At that moment, Lin Shuyou slowly awoke and opened his eyes. Lin Fu’an covered his face with both hands and lowered his head. For no other reason than shame.

“Grandpa, Master…” Lin Shuyou had slept soundly. His body had been adjusted by his master and grandfather, but he still remembered their unfinished conversation, where his master and grandfather clearly didn’t believe he was about to receive any inheritance. “I really have obtained a great opportunity.”

Lin Fu’an and Chen Shoumen exchanged glances; neither was willing to speak. How could they say: “Child, dear, your opportunity is gone, and we’ve even helped you make an enemy.”

Lin Shuyou clenched his fist, his expression excited, and said: “Believe me, Master, Grandpa, that thing will be very useful to us General’s Heads; it’s what we need most. Once I obtain it, Grandpa, you can share it with other temples, so all General’s Heads can better eradicate demons and defend the righteous path! Grandpa?”

Seeing Lin Fu’an’s expression, Lin Shuyou thought his grandfather was happy, and he became happy too, mistakenly believing his grandfather finally trusted him. Influenced by Tan Wenbin, he, who was usually known for being upright and introverted, unusually began to flatter them: “Grandpa, haven’t you always wanted to be the president of the Temple Heads’ Association? With this, you can achieve that! How wonderful!”

Lin Fu’an forced a smile and held Lin Shuyou’s hand: “Good child, being the president of this Temple Heads’ Association isn’t something your Grandpa absolutely must do…” The current situation was that whether their family’s temple could even be preserved was uncertain.

Chen Shoumen vigorously rubbed his face. “A’you, your master needs to tell you something…”

Lin Fu’an abruptly stood up. “A’you just woke up; let him sleep a little longer. We should go out first.”

Chen Shoumen could only follow his master into the corridor outside the ward. “Master, aren’t we going to tell him the truth?”

“No, we can’t. We’ve already made one wrong move; we can’t continue making mistakes.”

“So, should we go back now?”

“We can’t go back. We need to offer an explanation. Leaving directly would mean the matter isn’t settled here in Jinling, effectively forcing them to come to our hometown to settle it.”

“Then should we send a formal visiting card?”

“We can’t send a formal visiting card. Although we’ve already gone from arrogant to humble, if you do it literally again, it would be explicitly telling them: ‘If it weren’t for the fact that you’re the Dragon King family, we would have come today to challenge your authority, destroy… break down your doors!'”

Chen Shoumen asked, “Then what do we do?”

Lin Fu’an said, “We’ll just wait here until they give us a message.”

Just then, Dr. Fan Shulin, who had gone home for a nap, returned to work. Today, he brought not only dates but also a bag of oranges and a box of rice cakes personally made by his mother. As he passed by, he glanced at the old man and the middle-aged man standing there, then walked into the ward.

“Oh, Binbin isn’t here?” Fan Shulin placed the items on the nightstand.

“Brother Fan, my Brother Binbin isn’t here, but he must have just been here, he brought me some things.” Lin Shuyou knew that this young doctor had performed his surgery last time, and it was probably the same this time.

“Hey, looks like your big brother is good to you, his little brother, bringing so much food.” Fan Shulin picked up a bottle of milk, twisted it open, and took a sip. The rich taste of the milk was as potent as the red packet he had received last night.

“I caused my big brother to worry.”

“Not at all. I, for one, didn’t notice that. He gives me the vibe of an old senior from school. How should I put it? He seems to view life and death lightly. Who knows, if he died one day and could climb out of his coffin, he’d probably happily play the suona for himself.” Fan Shulin also found this feeling very strange. The other person was just a freshman; what had he experienced to become like this? But this person was also truly interesting; Fan Shulin was coerced by him every time, yet he continuously developed a liking for him. This liking wasn’t because of the red packet, because if he had truly taken it upon himself to treat someone to death here, his career, and even his entire life, would have been over.

“Come, let me check on you.”

“Okay, Brother Fan.”

After the examination, Fan Shulin couldn’t help but say in a daze: “My goodness, such a good recovery?” At this moment, Tan Wenbin’s words from last night echoed in Fan Shulin’s mind. Could it be, I am truly Bian Que reborn, or Hua Tuo returned to the world?

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

The two visitors, who had arrived with a powerful presence, left as smoothly and swiftly as mercury flowing across the ground. Uncle Qin was fine; he just smiled, not hurrying to roll down his sleeves. He was waiting for the old lady’s instructions from inside the house. Aunt Liu, however, was genuinely a little angry. These days, she hadn’t been having a pleasant time and urgently needed a fight to release some steam. But who knew, as soon as she tied her hair up, the people left. But she still didn’t rush to untie her hair, just in case the old lady decided to send her this time instead of A’Li.

Originally, Li Zhuiyuan had learned about the General’s Heads from Aunt Liu while she was cutting his hair. This indicated that Aunt Liu was familiar with this faction. In her view, if the old lady sent A’Li, he would still have to slowly “kite” them. But if she sent herself, wouldn’t it be much simpler? No matter how powerful those Yin spirits were, she hadn’t heard of them being able to detoxify or cure illnesses. Even if they could, summoning them one by one would be too slow; there wouldn’t even be time to queue for registration.

Tan Wenbin rubbed his head. At this moment, he finally realized something. Oh no, he had brought the Imperial Army into the village.

“Brother Xiaoyuan…”

“Go on up. Grandma is still waiting to give you a lesson.”

“Oh, alright.”

Lunch was still Uncle Qin’s lentil rice, because Aunt Liu hadn’t just temporarily lost her sense of taste; it was disordered, meaning… she might think half a bowl of salt would make a bowl of soup taste better. The decline in the family’s meals made the old lady even more restless. Logically, at this point, she, as the elder, should have stepped up, but being unable to do so only made her feel more useless.

Li Zhuiyuan walked over to Uncle Qin and said, “Uncle, those two were here for me.” Just as one could deduce that Mao Chang’an was a corpse salvager from his hands-behind-back walking posture seen in the General’s Temple, the walking style of those two men just now also bore traces of the ‘Three-Step Praise’. Of course, even without looking at their steps, the faint, hazy image of incense and candles above their heads meant that they could enter a trance at any moment, or were even already preparing to do so.

Uncle Qin looked at Li Zhuiyuan and smiled, “I know.”

“Uncle, I’m crossing the river now.”

“I haven’t forgotten.”

“Then you and Aunt Liu just now…” Li Zhuiyuan knew that the two of them were truly preparing to take action. According to normal theory, if family members interfered with troubles he encountered during River Walking, they would bear the karmic backlash. They definitely knew this. In fact, when they were teaching Runsheng and Yinmeng, they were already enduring some backlash.

However, he had already grasped the rules of River Walking. The first wave had just ended, and the second had not yet begun. Therefore, the two individuals who had just arrived were not pushed by the river’s current. This meant they were not karmically bound, relentless opponents to him. It also meant… he could genuinely ask Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu to intervene and deal with these two people who were outside the river’s influence. Of course, Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu were unaware of any of this.

“You are a child of this family. Besides, if others come to our doorstep and actually push open that courtyard gate, there’s only one option: fight them to the death. There’s no other choice. This has nothing to do with whether you are currently River Walking or not.”

Li Zhuiyuan smiled upon hearing this. Inwardly, he was secretly alerted. It seemed he would have to make a small report to Grandma Liu. Because judging by Uncle Qin’s demeanor, he was genuinely willing to risk karmic backlash to help him deal with his dead adversaries. It wasn’t just for his sake; there was also a hint of wanting to make up for regrets from his youth. Unfortunately, his current understanding of River Walking, both what was in his mind and what he was about to compile into a book, could only be shared with his team. He couldn’t elaborate to them, otherwise he would suffer unwarranted involvement. He could tell A’Li; he had no secrets from her. Firstly, because A’Li wouldn’t divulge these matters. Secondly, the relationship between A’Li and him, and his method of using the dead outside A’Li’s threshold as a question bank, meant the two of them were inherently intertwined. This river was, in essence, a journey they walked hand-in-hand together. In essence, A’Li had joined the team earlier than Runsheng, who was nominally the first.

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to Li Zhuiyuan. If outsiders who saw his book would be implicated, then did his entanglement already begin when he sat on his great-grandfather’s second-floor terrace, reading Wei Zhengdao’s book? Then, recalling the evil book in his dormitory, wrapped in layer upon layer… compared to what he was about to write and Wei Zhengdao’s book: “You, too, dare to call yourself ‘evil’?”

Liu Yumei was originally sitting upstairs, drinking tea. When the two men had just approached, the old lady’s gaze slightly narrowed. In the latter half of her life, what pained her most was the sight of outsiders no longer showing reverence for the Dragon King family’s nameplate. Well, isn’t this something, someone actually dared to come to their doorstep. The flame in the old lady’s heart had been ignited. She had even planned how, after dealing with these two individuals, she would then follow the trail to handle all the connections behind them. This tiger was lurking. If she didn’t severely deal with those who dared to approach first, then a large swarm of scavengers would be attracted later, bothering her relentlessly. But when the two immediately ceased their aggressive posture and smoothly passed by without entering, as if merely out for a stroll, Liu Yumei was amused and burst out laughing. The flame in her heart dissipated. In fact, she even found it a bit amusing. Ultimately, it was just like how she instructed Uncle Qin to grow vegetables and fruits in the courtyard instead of flowers. Due to Xiaoyuan’s entry into the family and his connection to River Walking, the old lady felt at ease and peaceful, no longer as sensitive as before. This world has always been like this: the life and death of many depend on a single thought from certain individuals.

Tan Wenbin came upstairs. As he ascended, he was already brewing his emotions. When he stood before the old lady, he began his performance: “Old Lady, you must stand up for me! I was just strolling along innocently, but someone was secretly following me. They wouldn’t be trying to harm me, would they?”

One was a thousand-year-old fox, and the other was trying to attach fox fur to himself. In this family, only Xiaoyuan could truly contend with the old lady.

Liu Yumei put down her teacup and said, “Alright, alright, if you want to plead on their behalf, just say so directly. There’s no need to beat around the bush for such a small matter.”

“Hehehe,” Tan Wenbin chuckled and began to brew tea. He had learned this skill from Xiaoyuan in their dormitory, remembering every step.

Liu Yumei waved her hand. “No more tea. Pour me