“The old lady has recovered completely.”

“Oh.”

“The old lady finds her actions after becoming young again to be amusing and interesting.”

“So, it seems you don’t plan to continue fighting?”

“I persuaded them to stop. I don’t want you to fight anymore; all this fighting results in my loss.”

“She might be, but I’m not.”

“If we’re being serious, you’ve helped me more.”

“Have I?”

“Yes, you have. Without you, I wouldn’t have obtained Wei Zhengdao’s black book.”

“I only hoped you’d train yourself into madness, ending up in a state like mine. I had no good intentions for you.”

“Actions speak louder than intentions.”

“You’re still young and relatively weak now, which is why you can say such conciliatory things to me. Once you truly grow powerful and face me again, won’t it just be a matter of a ‘Dragon King Command’?”

“You’re joking, but you’re also right.”

“That’s honest of you. But I am a dying man, and one who seeks death. Even if you truly grow powerful, what can you do to me?”

“I could make you live for ten thousand years.”

Li Chuiyuan blinked and continued, “Of course, I could also help you find release sooner.”

“Alright, I understand. You can go now.”

“There’s one more thing.”

“I knew you wouldn’t chat this much with me if there wasn’t something important.”

“I wouldn’t dare disturb your peace when there’s nothing urgent.”

“Go on.”

“Later, I need to set up a formation outside. The dam area isn’t big enough, so I’ll need to use a bit of the peach grove’s edge.”

“Continue.”

“The formation might be somewhat uncontrollable. I may need to draw upon some of the peach grove’s Feng Shui and meteorological energies to suppress it. It might disturb you, so please don’t mind and bear with it for a while. I’ll finish as quickly as possible.”

“Young man.”

“I’m here.”

“In your eyes, I might have helped you a few times, but not once was it because I truly wished to help you.”

“I know, you only helped because you were willing.”

“Then why do you think I’d be willing this time?”

“Because I’m setting up the ‘Five Senses Seal Diagram.’ Wei Zhengdao once used this formation to seal himself and commit suicide, though he ultimately failed.”

“Next time, get straight to the point.”

“I still wanted to lay some groundwork and build up some goodwill. Otherwise, it would be really difficult to ask you for help next time if there’s no fun involved.”

“The word ‘goodwill’ sounds quite strange coming from you.”

“Then I’ll get to work.”

“Go on, I’ll be watching.”

Li Chuiyuan turned and walked out of the peach grove.

If you can discern its true nature and stroke it the right way, you’ll find that Qing’an is actually quite agreeable.

Of course, only Li Chuiyuan was qualified to think this way.

Because he benefited from the legacy Wei Zhengdao left behind.

The person who caused it so much suffering was still the one it cherished most.

If you could just provide any trace or news of that person, it would be pleased and willing to help.

Such was Wei Zhengdao’s charismatic appeal.

While Li Chuiyuan reflected on this, a young master surnamed Zhao in Jiujiang was playing cat’s cradle by himself, and he too was musing:

“How did that surnamed Li manage to make all those subordinates willingly form a bond with him?”

Li Chuiyuan walked out of the peach grove; the formation was already set up.

On the dam, three circles of altars were arranged. At the head of the ritual, a Heaven-and-Earth table was placed, bearing no offerings, only incense and candles.

Below the dam, there were five sub-formations, each a small circle with a small offering table inside.

Li Chuiyuan would soon stand before the Heaven-and-Earth table on the dam. As the formation guide, he would represent “Heaven” during the upcoming specific period, and the five individuals below would all have to make offerings to him.

It didn’t have to be this complicated. Even without Li Chuiyuan, Tan Wenbin could have sealed the Five Senses Diagram within himself once the formation was set up and running.

However, that would make Tan Wenbin and the four spirit beasts equal in status.

Sometimes, absolute equality isn’t necessarily good. While they might be obedient at first, over time, who knows what might happen.

Therefore, Li Chuiyuan’s external presence was needed to forcibly establish the hierarchy for the Five Senses Diagram.

Everyone was waiting. As Li Chuiyuan walked onto the dam, Tan Wenbin was still spinning in circles in his wheelchair.

Knowing they were about to leave, the two children gave their godfather’s wheelchair one last push.

Tan Wenbin wore a benevolent smile while suppressing the urge to vomit from motion sickness.

Behind the second-floor window, Xiong Shan and Lihua watched the situation below through a crack.

Human curiosity is irrepressible, even though Xiong Shan had just suffered a loss last time.

However, he also knew that the old lady was the old lady, and a sneaky peek here at Little Yuan’s side wouldn’t be a problem. If they truly needed to be isolated, he could have given a warning beforehand, telling his wife, himself, Xiao Yingying… oh, and their son, to leave Big Beard’s house in advance.

Lihua: “Is it about to begin?”

Xiong Shan: “Not yet. We need to send those two children to be reincarnated first, to free up their bodies for new occupants.”

One major reason the dam area wasn’t sufficient was that the large section near the door was arranged with two rows of paper lotus lanterns.

On both sides hung Buddhist banners, Taoist quilts, and other funeral decorations, all readily available, simply moved from Grandfather’s house.

They… were indeed quite useless, displayed merely for aesthetic appeal.

Ample ritualistic grandeur could dilute the sorrow of parting.

Li Chuiyuan walked up to Tan Wenbin; the wheelchair stopped spinning.

Tan Wenbin looked left and right, savoring every glance, knowing each look was one less. Even if he could see photos later, the feeling wouldn’t be the same.

“Little Yuan…”

“It’s about to begin.”

“Mm.”

Li Chuiyuan walked behind Tan Wenbin, extended his right hand, and pushed the wheelchair. The moment he touched it, he felt a wave of icy coldness. Immediately, blood mist emanated from his palm, dispelling the chill.

After pushing the wheelchair to one end of the lotus path, Li Chuiyuan released his hand and began to form hand seals.

Normally, sending a ghost to reincarnation isn’t a difficult operation. Even ordinary funeral directors can help the deceased transcend and be reborn according to established procedures.

However, these two children were special. They were curse-infants, originally unqualified for reincarnation, and were only being propelled forward by a large accumulation of merit. This made the process rather complex.

Li Chuiyuan’s hands moved ceaselessly, reciting the mantra for rebirth. Before him, paper lotuses bloomed one by one, burning with a faint, ethereal fire.

The path in the middle, originally concrete, now shimmered with a layer of water ripples.

Li Chuiyuan extended his hand, first touching Tan Wenbin’s glabella, then withdrawing it and pointing it before himself.

The two children on Tan Wenbin’s shoulders were summoned out. Though they felt an intense reluctance, they dared not resist, as Li Chuiyuan was personally performing the ritual.

The two children landed on the ground, a little bewildered and helpless.

Although born from their mother’s womb, they had never truly lived as humans. Having grown accustomed to life as ghosts, facing reincarnation and becoming human again filled them with fear.

Tan Wenbin straightened his back from the wheelchair, cupped his hands in greeting, and said:

“Brothers, please give me some face and lend a hand to these children.”

They were all his own people, so this favor would certainly be granted. Moreover, after the two children joined Tan Wenbin, they had also fought alongside everyone.

Yin Meng initiated the ‘Nether Stroll,’ taking steps forward. This was a technique recorded in the Yin family’s ancestral records, and one of the few techniques Yin Meng knew.

Therefore, it was inevitable that the Twelve Edicts of Fengdu would become the Twelve Techniques of the Yin family. No matter how advanced a technique, if future generations lacked the talent to inherit and learn it, it would be useless.

However, the simple reincarnation ritual gained a special charm due to Yin Meng’s unique identity.

From the perspective of the two children, the small stream ahead gradually transformed into a river.

Although their relationship with the Great Emperor of Fengdu was currently strained, everyone still acknowledged the Emperor’s magnanimity. No one believed the Emperor would be petty with two child-ghosts and deliberately make things difficult for them during reincarnation.

Runsheng didn’t know incantations, but he could recite scriptures, mostly learned from Old Man Shan and later from Old Man Li.

The content of the recitation wasn’t important; his own grandfather would constantly dig out old books to memorize and review to prevent forgetting, while Old Man Li only remembered the melody. Runsheng found Old Man Li’s method easier to learn and more pleasant to listen to.

He began to hum in Nantong dialect. Simultaneously, his Qi gate opened, creating wind by human power, causing all the Buddhist banners, sutra streamers, and Taoist shrouds to billow.

In front of the two children, rows of guiding stakes appeared along both sides of the small river.

Lin Shuyou took three steps forward, uttering praises, and his vertical pupils opened.

From the eyes of the White Crane True Monarch, streaks of white light emanated, casting forward.

Like shimmering scales on water, dispelling mist and illuminating the clear path ahead.

The two children’s accumulated merit was already overflowing, more than sufficient. What everyone was doing now was merely adding flowers to the brocade, sending them off with a good start.

Deng Chen stood by, witnessing the process. Three fuzzy little orbs of light protruded from his neck, and everyone was watching.

The two children before them might very well be them in the future.

They could accept sacrificing their freedom for merit. Even if enslaved, at least they wouldn’t have to live in fear anymore. But what if the other party was willing to return their freedom in the future?

Then it would be an almost cost-free benefit. The truth was, the other party would indeed do so.

One could say that the treatment the two children received today set an example for the future of these four spirit beasts.

As long as they worked diligently and well, everything they deserved would come to them in the future.

This was characteristic of Li Chuiyuan’s team style: Li Chuiyuan was willing to generously share the merit from ‘walking the river’ with his companions, and when his companions became prosperous, they naturally shared it generously with the spirits around them.

The reason the White Crane Boy was willing to completely switch allegiance and come here was simple… the compensation here was just too generous.

Behind the second-floor windowsill, Xiong Shan pulled out a Chenzhou Talisman. He first silently recited an incantation to consecrate the talisman, then carefully slipped the paper talisman through the window crack.

The talisman floated down, landing before the two children. A white light appeared on their foreheads, as if they had been made up.

This was like contributing to a gift; everyone did what they could, adding whatever little they could manage.

Seeing that it was almost time, Li Chuiyuan prepared to facilitate the children’s reincarnation.

From Xiao Yingying’s room came Benben’s crying. He must have known this was a permanent farewell, so he cried with all his might, his voice hoarse.

Below, the two children instinctively wanted to cry along, to interact with their living brother one last time.

But as Li Chuiyuan’s gaze swept over them, the two children immediately lowered their heads.

In fact, setting aside the obstruction of the window and curtains, one could see Benben in Xiao Yingying’s arms. He wasn’t crying at the two ghost brothers on the dam. Benben cried while extending his hands forward, his intention very clear: he was crying towards the peach grove in front of him.

This child was precocious.

Although not as extreme as Li Chuiyuan was in his childhood, if truly compared, he could stand alongside Zhao Yi in his early years.

Zhao Yi, due to the ‘crack in the gate of life and death,’ saw through the complexities of human nature prematurely in his childhood. Benben, on the other hand, was born with yin-yang eyes and had long experienced life and death partings.

In Benben’s view, since others had given, he should too.

He didn’t feel that his dad giving meant he himself had given. Ever since moving here, he had grown increasingly unfamiliar with his parents.

Within the peach grove, two peach blossoms drifted out.

Xiao Yingying began to comfort the child: “Alright, they’re here, they’re here.”

Benben looked at Xiao Yingying, and his crying gradually subsided.

The two peach blossoms landed before the children, forming a small peach blossom boat.

Aside from Li Chuiyuan, the only one who could ‘shear wool’ from Qing’an (i.e., benefit from him) was Benben, after all, Benben’s formal name, “Xiong Yu,” was given by Qing’an.

The one beneath the peach grove, in a state of simply awaiting death, was like a reclusive elderly person holding vast wealth.

Whoever could successfully please him and make him feel comfortable would be able to ‘extract some gold coins’ from him.

Li Chuiyuan put away the yellow paper he had just taken out. With this peach blossom boat, he wouldn’t need to fold anything himself.

“Get on the boat…”

No sooner had he spoken than two garments suddenly appeared on the two children.

One red, one green, both fitting snugly and exquisitely delicate.

Xiao Yingying’s eyes widened. She specialized in making paper effigies, but she couldn’t make this kind. This was no longer a matter of mere technique.

Tan Wenbin turned his head and looked north; that was Li Sanjiang’s house.

On the dam of Li Sanjiang’s house, Aunt Liu stood before a small brazier, placing two paper garments into it to burn.

The old lady, embarrassed by her rejuvenation, didn’t want to show herself, but she didn’t delay reminding Aunt Liu to burn two paper garments.

Not for the monk’s sake, but for the Buddha’s sake; Zhuangzhuang used to chat with her and find ways to make her happy, so she certainly had to observe this courtesy.

After the decline of the Qin and Liu families, the old lady voluntarily dismantled many forces that had originally belonged to the two families, granting them freedom. This indeed led to fewer visitors and carriages at her door, but she remained very benevolent towards anyone who stayed by her side, never being stingy with anything.

Furthermore, besides giving face to Zhuangzhuang, she also needed to support Li Chuiyuan.

After all, he was from the Dragon King’s lineage, ‘walking the river.’ When the elders of the family should show themselves, they must.

Aunt Liu said to Uncle Qin, who stood beside her, “With such a grand setup, I wonder which wealthy and good family they will be reincarnated into.”

Uncle Qin: “A good family is enough; it doesn’t necessarily have to be wealthy.”

Both of them were born into the household, originally slaves of the Qin and Liu families, but having been raised by the old lady, they never felt their background was inferior.

Li Chuiyuan joined his index and ring fingers, pointed forward, and sincerely declared:

“Past calamities dissipated, future compassion gained. Go forth now to rebirth, and attest to a new self.”

A gentle push came from behind the two children, and they boarded the peach blossom boat.

The peach blossom boat began to move, its hull very steady. Banners fluttered on both banks, and the river surface ahead grew increasingly vast, shimmering like daylight.

The two children simultaneously turned around, knelt towards Tan Wenbin behind them, and began to kowtow.

The love they hadn’t received from their parents at birth was, at this moment, completely fulfilled. Perhaps their mother, who had been refined into a cursed corpse, hadn’t anticipated such a perfect ending when she handed her children over to Li Chuiyuan.

Tan Wenbin laughed, “Go quickly, go quickly! Hurry up and leave, or my arthritis will never heal when I’m old.”

On the river surface, winds and waves began to rise.

Some banners on both banks were blown down and broken, and the calm river surface became turbulent.

The essence of curse-infants caused them to be rejected, not allowed to enter reincarnation.

However, a faint golden light emanated from the two children, which then enveloped the boat as well.

No matter how strong the winds and waves became, the boat remained unoverturned, steadily moving forward.

The contributions from everyone were merely the icing on the cake; what truly ensured their successful reincarnation was their merit.

At this moment, the value of merit was materialized.

Runsheng scratched his head, slightly annoyed, as he looked at the inexplicably broken items before him. These were all rented out by Old Man Li, so to avoid delaying business, he had to repair them overnight.

If he delayed Old Man Li’s business, he would feel too embarrassed to eat his fill of Old Man Li’s food.

Yin Meng was the first to lose sight of them. Her Nether Stroll state was already difficult to maintain, and after the two children sailed away, her vision became a blur.

Next was Tan Wenbin.

Primarily because he was now “alone,” unable to rely on the young ones anymore.

Lin Shuyou also closed his eyes. The reincarnation was successful, so there was no need to watch further.

Inside, the excited voice of the Boy came:

“Four! Four! He’s going to seal four spirit beasts inside! Do you know what that means?!”

“Why are you suddenly so excited?”

“Suddenly? I’m just stating facts as each stage unfolds. While those two curse-infants had some abilities, truly, in terms of quality or potential, they were nowhere near the four spirit beasts.

Once he successfully integrates the four spirit beasts, he can borrow their abilities.

We already can’t compare to Runsheng, and it’s highly probable we won’t be able to compare to him either.”

“Boy, what gives you the illusion that we can surpass Brother Bin’s status?”

“Jitong, are you so lacking in confidence?”

“No… do you know, even if Brother Bin is permanently in a wheelchair, we still can’t compete with his standing with Little Yuan.”

“How would we know without trying…”

“Brother Bin only got into university with Little Yuan’s tutoring help, and they even shared a dorm room during university.”

The Boy fell silent.

Lin Shuyou: “So, you understand now?”

The Boy: “Sigh, I understand. When it comes to connections, we really can’t compete with his close personal connection.”

Lin Shuyou: “…”

The Boy: “In terms of raw strength, we’re outmatched by Runsheng; in terms of connections, by Tan Wenbin; and in terms of background, we can’t even compare to that girl. Sigh, progress is so difficult.”

Lin Shuyou: “Look at it from another perspective: we have no room to fall back either. Look, Chen Jing left with Three-Eyed Boy. I think the premise is that Little Yuan doesn’t want to take on any more new people.”

The Boy: “True, at least it’s not like the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, who kept recruiting new Yin Gods.”

Just then, Li Chuiyuan’s gaze sharpened.

From within the peach grove, a soft “heh” was heard.

Li Chuiyuan said nothing. With a wave of his right hand, the paper lotuses flared brightly. After a burst of fire, they all turned to ash.

“Alright, they’ve been reincarnated. Now, we can proceed to the next step.”

Lin Shuyou’s eyes bulged.

The Boy thought to himself, “Oh…”

Lin Shuyou: “What’s wrong?”

Li Chuiyuan’s peripheral vision swept over.

The Boy: “Ha!”

Lin Shuyou: “What?”

The Boy: “Clearing my throat.”

Tan Wenbin tried to stand up from his wheelchair. He did manage to stand, but his legs were still trembling, and after a few steps, he was about to lose his balance.

His body had been under stress for so long that even with the two children gone, recovery wouldn’t happen overnight.

Even a healthy person would experience muscle atrophy after sitting in a wheelchair for such a long time.

Lin Shuyou hurried forward to support Tan Wenbin: “Brother Bin, in your state, can you still drive to Jinling tomorrow to see Zhou Yunyun?”

Tan Wenbin: “You can drive.”

Lin Shuyou: “I’m going to Jinling too?”

Tan Wenbin: “Yes, to meet the person arranged for you.”

Lin Shuyou: “I can drive you there, Brother Bin, but let’s forget about the ‘arranged person’ for now.”

Tan Wenbin: “It’s on the way, and Yunyun has already talked to her classmate about it.”

The Boy: “Go meet them, go meet them, go meet them.”

Lin Shuyou helped Tan Wenbin down, propped his two maces on the ground as crutches for Tan Wenbin, and had him stand in the central circle.

Deng Chen also came down, sequentially placing a light orb into each circle, and finally, he himself stood in the last circle.

The five circles represented the five aspects in the Five Senses Diagram.

Li Chuiyuan walked to the Heaven-and-Earth table. With a flick of his right hand, the copper coin sword was summoned.

In the previous wave, after he fell unconscious, the copper coin sword was taken and used by Zhao Yi, but Zhao Yi immediately returned the sword after he woke up.

He really had no choice but to return it, because Zhao Yi knew that if he dared to keep the sword, the surnamed Li would dare to set off for Jiujiang the very next day to raid his family’s treasure vault.

If he were to just take two rare items, it wouldn’t be a loss for Jiujiang Zhao as an exchange. But the surnamed Li was terrified of poverty; given the chance, he would surely strip the place bare.

The copper coin sword waved, lighting the candles. Then, with a jab into the censer, though there was no incense, incense smoke spontaneously curled upwards. At this moment, the formation also activated.

All around, violent tremors appeared. This area should have required extensive prior arrangements to maintain stability, but Li Chuiyuan took a shortcut and adapted to local conditions.

The young man extended his left hand forward, making a grasping motion towards the peach grove, while his right hand wielded the copper coin sword, drawing in the Feng Shui and meteorological energies from above the grove.

This peach grove could create a suppressive aura that covered all of Nantong. Using just a bit of it to suppress this formation was truly a trivial matter.

The formation instantly stabilized.

In the five circles below the dam, different lights bloomed.

Li Chuiyuan said in a deep voice:

“For a period of ten years, be loyal and do not betray, then I shall grant you freedom!”

Concise and to the point: servitude was definite, but the contract of servitude was only for ten years.

Actually, in ten years, the ‘river walking’ would certainly be complete. Li Chuiyuan would either drown in the river or become the Dragon King. Cutting that in half, five years would also work.

But five years didn’t sound as good as ten.

The mere promise of a term limit for their freedom already excited the four spirit beasts below. Upon hearing that the term was only ten years, violent tremors appeared in the four circles of light.

Ten years was nothing to them. Even if Li Chuiyuan set a term of a hundred, two hundred, or even three hundred years, and then had them serve as guardian beasts for a family or sect after this generation, it would still be considered an act of benevolence.

After ten years, those who wished to remain within Tan Wenbin could do so; those who didn’t could be set free. By then, imbued with merit, they would not only become stronger, but the disadvantages of being spirit-beasts would also be cleansed by the merit.

Li Chuiyuan held the copper coin sword and pointed to the first circle. Next, he had to call out each one by name, helping Tan Wenbin establish the hierarchy for the next ten years.

The first one pointed to was the green ox.

“Do you pledge allegiance?”

The green ox knelt, pressing its head to the ground, facing Li Chuiyuan, signifying its willingness to submit.

Li Chuiyuan pointed the copper coin sword at Tan Wenbin, signaling that it had knelt to the wrong person.

The green ox quickly shifted its body towards Tan Wenbin, letting out three heavy snorts.

Li Chuiyuan pointed the copper coin sword at the red ape.

Before the sword point even reached it, the ape had already prostrated itself before Tan Wenbin.

Next was the white centipede.

It coiled its body, lowered its head, and assumed a posture of submission to Tan Wenbin. Finally, it was Deng Chen.

Deng Chen spread his arms. His spirit remained in place, while his body retreated out of the circle on its own, sat on the ground, head bowed, and died.

The two-headed python first saluted Li Chuiyuan, then saluted Tan Wenbin, indicating submission.

Under this process, they felt no humiliation.

Not only did Li Chuiyuan feel the need to establish rules early, but they also believed it was necessary. Without rules, there would be no collective strength. If Tan Wenbin were to die during the ‘river walking’ journey because of this, all their future aspirations would come to nothing.

Furthermore, they had all witnessed how Tan Wenbin treated the two children. Even if their status was nominally master and servant, they believed they could get along very well with Tan Wenbin.

In fact, the reason Li Chuiyuan designed such a development path for Tan Wenbin was precisely due to Zhuangzhuang’s unique qualities.

All four spirit beasts expressed their submission.

Li Chuiyuan turned his gaze to Tan Wenbin.

Tan Wenbin released his two maces and knelt on one knee before Li Chuiyuan, because at this moment, according to the procedure, Li Chuiyuan represented “Heaven” presiding over the ceremony and was also the arbiter of the contract.

Li Chuiyuan threw the copper coin sword. It spun in the air and embedded itself in the ground before Tan Wenbin.

The young man clasped his hands together, and the Five Senses Diagram began to coalesce.

This was a formation created by Wei Zhengdao himself. Li Chuiyuan had received Wei Zhengdao’s inheritance in a dream, so the young man was very familiar with his techniques and learned them quickly.

“Black Python for Eyes!”

The two-headed python’s spirit body dematerialized, transforming into a pair of eyes.

“White Centipede for Ears!”

The white centipede’s spirit body disintegrated, transforming into a pair of ears.

“Green Ox for Nose!”

The green ox raised its head, its entire body becoming transparent, leaving only a nose.

“Red Ape for Tongue!”

Redness overflowed from the red ape, transforming into bloody water, within which a tongue thrashed.

Finally,

Li Chuiyuan looked at Tan Wenbin.

The hand seal he was forming at this moment became somewhat difficult, and the operation of the formation stalled.

Li Chuiyuan did not panic at this. The final merging process was naturally the most challenging part.

However, Li Chuiyuan had intended to skip a step, but now, it seemed better not to. Following the oldest and most original procedure would ensure the highest success rate.

Li Chuiyuan spoke:

“Tan Wenbin as the Mouth!”

“Pfft…”

Yin Meng almost burst out laughing, quickly pinching Runsheng beside her to suppress her mirth.

Lin Shuyou turned his back, opened his mouth, and took deep breaths, tears almost streaming down.

Runsheng laughed heartily:

“Zhuangzhuang, the pig-head.”

Li Chuiyuan continued, “Yellow Pig for Mouth, the Five Senses are formed!”

The black python’s eyes, the green ox’s nose, the white centipede’s ears, and the red ape’s tongue all flew towards Tan Wenbin.

“Ah!!!”

Tan Wenbin screamed, collapsing to his knees on the ground, his hands clutching desperately at the dirt in front of him.

This integration was equivalent to enduring the pain of having his eyes, ears, tongue, and nose replaced. This raw sense of severance was very real.

However, the pain was only temporary. Once all four spirit beasts were gathered within Tan Wenbin, he would be able to fully adapt, having gained experience from nurturing the two children previously.

In light of this scene, no one continued to laugh.

Moreover, although the painful process had not yet ended, Tan Wenbin forcibly pushed himself up from the ground, standing again.

This kind of tenacious spirit was truly admirable.

For this, one had to thank Three-Eyed Boy.

What Tan Wenbin was thinking about right now was him; contemplating how ruthless Young Master Zhao was to himself, Tan Wenbin felt he too had to choose to face pain directly.

Blood continuously oozed from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. Tan Wenbin stood there, his expression ferocious and distorted, panting heavily.

This state lasted for an hour.

Tan Wenbin had almost become a man of blood.

However, his originally weakened body now began to recover its Yang energy due to the infusion of the four spirits.

Except for his hair, which was still entirely white as it hadn’t had time to turn black, his entire demeanor first returned to its former normal state, then further improved, forming an aura unique to him.

The Five Senses Diagram, complete!

Li Chuiyuan waved his hand, returning the Feng Shui and meteorological energies borrowed from the peach grove. The formation, deprived of its suppression, shattered immediately, and all the formation flags turned to powder.

The pain on Tan Wenbin’s body vanished. He instinctively took a deep breath, then was surprised to find that he could distinguish multiple taste components in the air’s scent.

In his vision, the surrounding world seemed to have another layer of interpretation, which greatly boosted his confidence in learning Zhao Yi’s secret techniques.

The sounds around him became exceptionally clear, as if his past self had been deaf.

Beneath the peach grove, Qing’an gently clapped his hands: “Interesting.”

One, he marveled that Wei Zhengdao had sealed his own five senses back then, seeking successful suicide.

Second, he marveled that Li Chuiyuan was not replicating Wei Zhengdao’s Five Senses Diagram from back then, but rather reassembling it in reverse.

Qing’an looked up at the night sky.

Unlike Wei Zhengdao, who became indifferent to everything after successfully ‘walking the river’ back then, this young man carried the responsibility of the Dragon King’s lineage and displayed human empathy earlier than Wei Zhengdao.

Although both ‘walked the river’ quietly, their future impacts were fundamentally different.

“If you truly succeed in ‘walking the river’ and become the Dragon King, then the entire martial arts world will be dull for a hundred years.”

Behind the second-floor windowsill, Xiong Shan and Lihua finally recovered from their shock.

Each person’s perspective and level were different, and thus the scenery they perceived also differed.

Lihua: “This, this, isn’t this like cleansing the meridians and refining the marrow?”

Tan Wenbin himself had some talent. With effort, he could have made a living in the Xuanmen (mystic arts) world, but in the greater martial arts world, his talent was actually quite common and unremarkable.

Xiong Shan’s talent, however, was much higher than Tan Wenbin’s. Without extraordinary talent, he couldn’t have successfully risen from humble beginnings during the difficult initial period.

But now, looking at Tan Wenbin below, his state of “acute senses and clear vision” was almost visibly ethereal.

In this state, whatever he wanted to sense or learn would be achieved with half the effort and twice the result.

Pushing a genius further is easily taken for granted, as it’s typically their domain. However, elevating an an ordinary talent to genius level is truly frightening, because most people fall into the ordinary category.

Xiong Shan: “I wonder if our Benben will be able to enjoy this kind of treatment in the future.”

Lihua: “It should… happen, right? As long as we keep working hard.”

Xiong Shan: “Yes, it will, it definitely will!”

The couple once again saw a grand prospect for their efforts.

Tan Wenbin leaped onto the dam.

Then his mind went blank, and a wave of dizziness came over him.

Runsheng opened a can of Jianlibao and handed it to him.

Tan Wenbin: “This is Little Yuan’s special treatment.”

After drinking, Tan Wenbin said, “I’m hungry, so hungry.”

Yin Meng: “Old Man Li will be heartbroken.”

By the looks of it, another big eater was about to be added to the household.

Her master, Aunt Liu, used to cook homemade meals for a few people, but now she felt like she was cooking large-batch meals in a factory every day.

Lihua ran down: “Wait, I’ll go cook!”

Tan Wenbin sat down. Lin Shuyou approached and said:

“Brother Bin, your body seems to have recovered quite well. After a good meal, you can drive yourself. So, I don’t need to accompany you to Jinling, right?”

Young people generally resist blind dates at first, until their fragile self-esteem is shattered by age and reality.

Tan Wenbin: “No, we have to go together. It’s already arranged. If you don’t go…”

“Beep! Beep! Beep!”

The pager rang. Previously, the signal must have been interrupted by the formation.

Tan Wenbin picked up the pager, glanced at it, and said:

“Alright, you don’t have to accompany me to Jinling tomorrow.”

Lin Shuyou breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s great.”

The Boy: “No!”

Tan Wenbin: “Yunyun has already set off for Nantong. Your blind date’s car will probably arrive in Nantong by dawn. You and I will go pick them up together.”

Lin Shuyou: “…”

The Boy: “That’s great.”

Tan Wenbin: “Why are you making such a grim face? That person had their own car in university, and their family is well-off. Whether they’ll even like you is another matter entirely, yet you’re already in agony.”

Lin Shuyou tilted his head back. For the first time in his life, he began to dread the coming of dawn.

Li Chuiyuan: “You all clean up. I’m heading back first.”

“Alright, Little Yuan.”

“Understood, Little Yuan.”

Before Li Chuiyuan left, he specifically looked at Tan Wenbin and instructed, “Eat well during this time to make up for your body’s deficiencies.”

Tan Wenbin: “I guarantee to complete the mission!”

Li Chuiyuan returned home. As he passed the first floor, he picked up a stack of yellow paper and then two paper boy effigies.

The paper figures were very light, effortlessly easy to lift.

Arriving on the second-floor terrace, Li Chuiyuan didn’t rush back to his room to rest. Instead, he first placed the paper boy effigies beside him, then took out yellow paper, picking up one sheet after another and throwing them outwards, one by one.

The yellow paper spontaneously combusted in the air, drifting down and eventually falling onto the ground in two orderly rows.

The paper finished burning, but the ashes formed a small path.

Li Chuiyuan reached out and made a grasping motion forward. One of the Twelve Edicts of Fengdu: Summoning and Commanding Spirits.

But this grab, however, came up empty.

It was probably due to his extremely hasty and overly convenient setup.

But it was already late into the night, and Li Chuiyuan was also quite tired. Furthermore, it wasn’t convenient for others to know about this matter, as it would increase their… his psychological burden.

Therefore, having Li Chuiyuan set it up himself still involved a considerable amount of work.

At this moment, Li Chuiyuan recalled what his main body had told him: using the ‘Liu Clan’s Qi-Gazing Art’ to simulate the Great Emperor’s aura, and then employing the Twelve Edicts of Fengdu, could enhance the power of the spell.

Although doing so would further provoke the Great Emperor, he figured that since the ‘lazy dog’ message had already been sent, the Emperor probably wouldn’t bother with this minor issue.

His left hand formed a loose grasp. The surrounding Feng Shui and meteorological energies flowed according to the young man’s will. A faint layer of black mist rose from behind the young man, with a faint crown visible above his head.

His right hand extended forward again, and the previous spell was used once more. It had to be said, the amplification was indeed very noticeable.

Under the most perfunctory of arrangements, the two children were “captured” by Li Chuiyuan. They stepped onto the small path paved with ashes.

At this moment, they bore no trace of their curse-infant aura, only their purest souls remained.

The merit on their bodies and the blessings initially bestowed by everyone had indeed allowed them to successfully reincarnate.

But at an extremely distant point on that river, beyond anyone else’s sight.

Only the one beneath the peach grove and Li Chuiyuan witnessed it; the Boy should have sensed something.

The two children, at the very moment they were about to successfully reincarnate, actively jumped off the peach blossom boat!

They themselves forfeited