The wind and rain did not intensify as predicted; instead, after reaching a peak, they noticeably receded.

From the wooden radio hanging on the wall of the second floor, the latest broadcast announced:

“Listeners, according to the latest monitoring results from the meteorological station, this year’s fifth typhoon has suddenly changed its course and will not make landfall in Qidong as expected. At the same time, the wind speed at the typhoon’s center has also significantly decreased…

According to the latest news from the frontline of typhoon resistance, possibly due to extreme weather, a historically rare red tide phenomenon has appeared in the eastern waters of Qidong, turning a large area of the sea blood-red…

Experts say this phenomenon will not affect the coastal aquaculture industry in the area…”

Uncle Qin’s injuries could only be described as horrific.

Nine deep gashes covered his entire body, each revealing the white of bone. He now looked like a severely damaged human specimen, haphazardly draped with some flesh and skin.

Even Xiong Shan, who had seen the river scenery with the illuminated lanterns, was inwardly horrified upon seeing Uncle Qin’s current state.

Because, under normal circumstances, Grand Uncle Qin should have been dead long ago.

Any one of those gashes on his body would be a fatal wound for an ordinary person… no, even for Xiong Shan himself.

But at this moment, he stood before Grand Uncle Qin, unable to sense any weakening of Grand Uncle Qin’s breath.

Only evil spirits could be like this.

Xiong Shan swallowed.

He didn’t believe Grand Uncle Qin would follow the path of evil spirits. Moreover, Grand Uncle Qin was relatively young, far from needing to resort to dark paths to extend his lifespan.

Uncle Qin raised a hand, interrupting Xiong Shan’s treatment. His current injuries were beyond traditional remedies, and only A Ting could “mend” him.

Furthermore, his attention wasn’t on himself at all; his gaze was fixed on the coffin behind the altar table in the mourning hall.

The young mistress’s question finally pulled Uncle Qin from his pain and despair, allowing him to think.

The conclusion he reached was that Xiao Yuan was likely… not dead yet.

Uncle Qin took a step forward.

The old madam raised a hand, blocking him.

Liu Yumei’s secret art had been interrupted. The Young Miss Liu was once again relegated to the historical memories of this body; the true Old Madam Liu had returned.

This time, she had no time to worry about pretense or reputation.

After stopping Elder Qin, she walked forward herself.

The old madam had sensed something was wrong when the incident occurred. If she couldn’t figure out the purpose of this setup afterward, then the two family estates could not have been sustained under her care for so long.

In her eyes, her most foolish, naive, yet somewhat useful period was during her years as Young Miss Liu, wandering the jianghu.

After marriage, she became stable.

After the decline of the Dragon King Qin and Dragon King Liu families, she fully matured.

Therefore, this age bracket was very strict; she could only confirm that at that age, she would not have been able to discern Xiao Yuan’s arrangements.

Liu Yumei walked to the coffin, bent down, and said softly:

“A Li, let Grandmother see Xiao Yuan.”

A Li shook her head.

“Grandmother will just look. Grandmother promises you, she won’t do anything.”

A Li didn’t believe her.

But the girl still moved aside.

Liu Yumei herself didn’t believe those words.

The old madam’s palm swept slowly from the boy’s head downwards, maintaining a distance.

Her brow furrowed. The results of her inspection were: Xiao Yuan was, indeed, dead.

The old madam didn’t believe it and touched the boy’s glabella with her fingertip.

A flicker of light appeared in her eyes.

Immediately, the old madam’s eyes lit up with surprise.

Dead to the very last step, even almost ninety-nine percent through that last step, yet a glimmer of life remained.

Even Liu Yumei, who had seen all sorts of grand spectacles, couldn’t help but marvel inwardly:

How did this child manage to do that?

And the purpose of this child doing so was to make them truly believe he was dead, to avoid the various karmic backlashes that would follow.

For this, he didn’t hesitate to be so ruthless to himself.

Actually, this child clearly knew that even if he did nothing, these people would all be willing to die for him.

Liu Yumei felt a mix of emotions: anger, gratitude, helplessness, and even a sense of relief.

But soon, these complex emotions were replaced by a deep apprehension.

This child had pushed himself too hard, created too fiercely. Even if she, Liu Yumei, wanted to burn herself now, not hesitating to touch the karmic taboo again, she couldn’t help him in the slightest.

Moreover, she dared not even try, because this child’s life-fire was not a flickering candle in the wind, but the residual warmth after being extinguished, only hoping for a sudden resurgence from the ashes.

Any actions by others could cause this last bit of residual warmth to cool.

“A Li, Xiao Yuan, he has a way to wake up on his own, right?”

A Li nodded.

A smile also appeared on Liu Yumei’s face: “Yes, Xiao Yuan always acts carefully and methodically, with a clear beginning and end. We’ll just wait for him to wake up on his own.”

After speaking, Liu Yumei’s gaze swept over the people below and she instructed:

“Those who need to heal, go heal. Those who can still move, dismantle this mourning hall. A Li, you carry Xiao Yuan and take him to my East… to Xiao Yuan’s own room.”

The only non-mystic in the household was Li Sanjiang.

And only Li Sanjiang might disturb Xiao Yuan.

Liu Yumei was actually quite eager to let Li Sanjiang try his luck.

Uncle Qin followed the instruction, placing one hand on the outside of the coffin, lifting it.

He moved, went upstairs, entered the room, and then used his power from a distance to place the boy on his bed.

Throughout the entire process, the boy did not experience the slightest jolt; not even the corner of his clothes swayed.

After doing all this, Uncle Qin stood by the bed, looking earnestly at Li Zhuiyuan lying there.

He really wanted to smash this guy with a punch. Only in hindsight could he more clearly realize how long he had been strung along by a soy sauce bottle.

But despite his anger, he couldn’t help but genuinely feel admiration from the bottom of his heart.

The mistress said he was stupid, and he fully agreed. As a foolish person, he needed a truly intelligent person to lead and command him.

Hard fists could indeed solve most problems in this world.

But when you encounter harder fists and a large group of fists, problems will still arise.

The Qin and Liu families needed the boy before them.

Uncle Qin took two steps back and knelt on one knee before the bed.

At this moment, he, on his own behalf, acknowledged the boy on the bed’s status in the Qin family, not as a future leader, but as the present one.

After performing the salute, Uncle Qin stood up.

Outside the door, A Li stood quietly leaning against the side wall by the door, holding an extinguished oil lamp.

Only after Uncle Qin came out did A Li walk in.

The girl placed the oil lamp beside the boy’s pillow.

The oil lamp, which had never been lit, slowly emitted wisps of white smoke, as if it had just been extinguished.

This represented the boy’s current state.

Below, when the oil lamp reignites a flame, even one as faint as a tiny green bean, it will signify the boy’s awakening.

A Li didn’t pull over a stool to sit and stare blankly.

The girl returned to her drawing table, took out new tools, and continued carving the gourd.

He was tired; he finally had a good, long sleep.

So she had to do more during this time, so that he wouldn’t wake up to find that time had been wasted.

After Uncle Qin went downstairs, he picked up the unconscious Aunt Liu and carried her back to her bed in the west room.

Aunt Liu, who had just touched the bed, slowly regained consciousness, opening her eyes with great fatigue.

Uncle Qin: “Don’t worry, it’s all over.”

Aunt Liu: “I know.”

Uncle Qin: “It’s the same here and there. How did you know?”

Aunt Liu: “It’s not over. Even in that ‘world,’ you wouldn’t have had the means to carry me into this west room.”

Uncle Qin: “True.”

Aunt Liu: “Has Xiao Yuan woken up?”

Uncle Qin: “You already know?”

Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

Because of her extreme weakness and prolonged consciousness tearing, this action almost caused her to faint again.

In Uncle Qin’s eyes, Aunt Liu was now rolling her eyes, her body slightly twitching, as if on the verge of passing away.

Uncle Qin anxiously said: “I’ll go find the mistress!”

Aunt Liu recovered: “No need, I’m fine. It’s just that the secret art was maintained for too long, and the side effects have accumulated quite heavily.”

Uncle Qin: “How did you figure it out?”

Aunt Liu: “I think everyone figured it out, except you.”

Uncle Qin: “Is that so?”

Aunt Liu: “Were you the only one who played your role authentically throughout the whole thing?”

Uncle Qin: “Yes.”

Aunt Liu: “Hehe… hehehe, you really are a block of wood.”

Uncle Qin: “I’m the one who makes Xiao Yuan the least worried.”

Aunt Liu: “…”

Uncle Qin pulled at his flesh clinging to his bones in the mirror: “I need to fix this first, use a paper figure. Can’t let Uncle Sanjiang see it.”

Aunt Liu: “You’re acting strange.”

Uncle Qin: “Where?”

Aunt Liu: “You’ve recognized Xiao Yuan as the family head, haven’t you?”

Uncle Qin: “Hasn’t Xiao Yuan always been?”

Aunt Liu: “Originally, it should have been in the future.”

Uncle Qin: “It is now too.”

Aunt Liu was silent for a long time, then said: “That’s right.”

Uncle Qin: “I’ll patch myself up with paper first. When you’re rested, you can help me mend.”

Aunt Liu: “First, carry me upstairs to the main house.”

Uncle Qin: “What for?”

Aunt Liu gnashed her teeth: “You’ve already performed the ritual, I have to go too!”

Uncle Qin: “No rush, Xiao Yuan isn’t awake yet. Besides, only the two of us in the family need to perform the ritual.”

Aunt Liu: “In my ears, that sounds like I’m the only one in the entire family who hasn’t acknowledged Xiao Yuan yet.”

Uncle Qin reluctantly walked over and picked up Aunt Liu again.

As they reached the doorway, Uncle Qin suddenly stopped.

Aunt Liu: “Why did you stop?”

Uncle Qin: “Why didn’t you tell me that the life of the Life Centipede was your life?”

Aunt Liu: “If you died one day, and this family couldn’t hold up, wouldn’t I surely die too? What’s the difference?”

Uncle Qin: “When fighting that big turtle, if the mistress hadn’t interrupted me, I would have almost swallowed the evil jiao. You would have died.”

Aunt Liu: “You’re such a nag. I need to hurry and kowtow.”

Uncle Qin: “A Ting, you gave your life to me.”

Aunt Liu: “Uh huh?”

Uncle Qin: “I…”

Aunt Liu: “What are you going to do?”

Uncle Qin: “From now on, when I’m outside, I will cherish my life.”

Aunt Liu: “Go to hell.”

East room.

Liu Yumei sat facing the empty altar table, her back now looking exceptionally thin.

The old madam held a cup of yellow wine, the cup constantly spinning between her fingertips.

She still remembered, not long ago, the boy stood here, under the guise of legal inheritance, pressuring her to bow and leave.

Next time, if the same thing happened, the boy wouldn’t need to do that.

The essence of power isn’t the title you hold, but whether the people around you or below you recognize that title.

After this experience, the boy was, in essence, the contemporary family head of the Qin and Liu families.

“Our two families are sparsely populated, and there are benefits to being sparsely populated.”

Liu Yumei drained the yellow wine in her cup.

Although it was irresponsible, the burden on her shoulders was indeed lifted. From now on, whatever the family head said would be law, and she, as an elder, would just listen.

Liu Yumei propped her chin with her elbow, looking at the empty altar table before her.

To the old madam, whether there were spirit tablets or not made no difference.

However, at this moment, she truly spoke like an ordinary old woman:

“You all, please bless Xiao Yuan, that he may wake up safely and smoothly.”

At Dahu Zi’s house, it was like a field hospital.

Even Captain Chen had been moved here.

Zhao Yi went to find Benben.

Benben was sleeping soundly.

Zhao Yi stood by the crib for a while, and Benben slept even more soundly.

“Stinky kid.”

Zhao Yi turned and walked to Chen Xiyuan’s temporary bed, asking:

“How is it?”

Chen Xiyuan: “Although it was interrupted, it can be resumed later.”

Zhao Yi: “I asked you about your injuries.”

Chen Xiyuan: “Oh, I thought you were asking about enlightenment.”

Zhao Yi: “You’ve been enlightened for quite some time.”

Chen Xiyuan: “So, I’ve never understood what my grandfather meant when he taught me that ‘enlightenment’ was important. I’ve never found that feeling of extreme, instantaneous understanding that grandfather described.”

Zhao Yi: “Alright, stop talking. My internal injuries are a bit severe.”

Chen Xiyuan: “Has little brother woken up?”

Zhao Yi: “Not yet, but it won’t be too long.”

Chen Xiyuan: “Little brother is amazing.”

Zhao Yi: “Indeed.”

Chen Xiyuan: “What’s really on your mind?”

Zhao Yi: “What, can you tell?”

Chen Xiyuan: “Because when I praised little brother, you responded very absently.”

Zhao Yi: “I want to borrow your flute to touch.”

Chen Xiyuan handed over the flute she was holding.

Zhao Yi didn’t rush to take it, but asked: “Have you tuned it?”

Chen Xiyuan: “Mm.”

Zhao Yi waved outside. Chen Jing, in the wheelchair that Old Man Tian used to use, laboriously pushed himself over.

“Come, A Jing, hold this flute.”

This flute could only measure four segments. If Zhao Yi measured it himself, the overflowing effect wouldn’t be very obvious. So he planned to be clever, first distributing a certain proportion to A Jing, and then having A Jing measure it. This way, the scale of this merit sharing could be more intuitively presented.

Chen Jing obediently reached out and grabbed the flute.

On the flute, four segments of light appeared.

This light directly illuminated Zhao Yi’s face red.

Zhao Yi: “We’re rich, we’re rich, we’re really rich this time!”

Chen Xiyuan: “It’s little brother who suffered, toiled, and faced danger, yet it’s us who benefited.”

Zhao Yi: “The benefits he gained are things that even merit cannot buy.”

Chen Xiyuan: “After little brother wakes up, please let me know. I’ll take an enlightened nap first.”

Zhao Yi: “Don’t worry, Li won’t be in any trouble.”

Something went wrong.

After everything outside concluded, Li Zhuiyuan emerged from the Daoist temple.

The entire village could hardly be described as ravaged, because all the devastated spots were now covered in blooming peach blossoms.

Siyuan Village could almost be renamed Peach Blossom Hamlet.

A Li sat on the rattan chair on the second-floor balcony, looking down at the book in her hand that no longer existed.

Tan Wenbin picked up his broken大哥大 (Dàgēdà – old mobile phone) and chatted with Zhou Yunyun.

Lin Shuyou was climbing on the wall, touching the power lines that were already disconnected.

Rùnshēng watched the pitch-black TV screen with great relish.

Aunt Liu, with disheveled hair, was cooking in the kitchen, while Uncle Qin was hoeing the ground in the only remaining corner of the area almost entirely covered with peach trees.

Young Miss Liu, on the other hand, sat on the dam, drinking tea.

When their true selves disconnected the red thread, the remaining “sculptures” continued to operate according to their previous logic.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at his room on the second floor.

Inside, were the thick results of his main body’s studies.

The boy wanted to see, but also felt it was unethical.

As a heart demon, to still speak of ethics with the main body, it sounded truly absurd.

But the respect due still had to be given; after all, the main body this time had died truly contentedly.

Furthermore, Li Zhuiyuan felt that the most important thing now was to “come alive” first.

He was well aware of how terrible his physical condition was in reality.

Li Zhuiyuan walked down the dam, along the path, onto the village road, and continued until he reached the village entrance.

The boy stood at the junction of the gravel path and the road, purposely stepping over the line to stand on the road, facing the village, and began to call for Xiao Hei.

Xiao Hei was his key to getting home. To ensure that he could switch the big turtle’s perspective here, he dared not leave such a flaw as a retreat path on himself.

Of course, it could also be simply understood that Li Zhuiyuan was now a lone wandering ghost, and he needed Xiao Hei to guide him back to life.

The reason he chose Xiao Hei was because Xiao Hei was originally Li Zhuiyuan’s backup plan to counteract his main body.

The main body had carved everyone. Li Zhuiyuan had even seen the main body’s failed attempts to carve Bodhisattvas and the Great Emperor of Fengdu in the basement.

But the main body had overlooked this dog.

Previously, when he ran crash courses for Run Sheng and the others, Li Zhuiyuan needed his main body to come out and give him a final spiritual squeeze. Every time class started, Li Zhuiyuan would specifically bring Xiao Hei out and let it stay in the corner of the Daoist temple.

At that time, Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou had even wondered if they were supposed to take Xiao Hei with them to the Yu family.

However, plans never keep up with changes.

The sudden surfacing of the big turtle completely disrupted all progress.

The main body, which had been coveting, actively went to its death for him;

So he naturally had to reveal Xiao Hei, which he had kept to guard against the main body, ahead of time.

Only Xiao Hei could clearly distinguish the difference between himself and the main body. Coupled with the fact that its dog blood had been dripped on this line with his, only it could enter and exit here and lead him back.

However, the boy called many times and waited a long time.

Xiao Hei, however, never appeared.

Li Zhuiyuan realized something was wrong.

Everything was fine when he came; now, he couldn’t go back.

He didn’t think Xiao Hei had forgotten or been negligent; it could only be that some accident had occurred, and that “accident” needed to be put in double quotes.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up, scanning his surroundings.

The wind and rain had subsided, but a clear sky had not appeared; instead, the edges were stained with an even deeper black.

If Xiao Hei didn’t come, it wouldn’t be long before this darkness would gradually engulf this place, this “world” would be annihilated, and he would completely die.

The threat of death was imminent, but Li Zhuiyuan showed no panic or fear on his face.

He didn’t continue to wait indefinitely at the village entrance, but walked back home.

If Xiao Hei could still come, then not finding him here, it would know to look for him at home.

If Xiao Hei couldn’t come… he would also have to go home.

Li Zhuiyuan first went to the basement.

The released sculptures were still “living,” and the basement was empty.

Li Zhuiyuan walked directly to the very end of the basement.

He wanted to see Schrödinger’s main body.

However, when the boy stood before the coffin, he was also startled.

The main part of the coffin was still there, but the original coffin lid had turned into a gigantic turtle shell!

Lines resembling bagua patterns extended downwards from the turtle shell, sealing the coffin completely.

“Ha.”

Li Zhuiyuan knew the reason for this.

“That part of the big turtle, before being completely blown apart, cursed me, and it landed on you, my main body.

It’s truly something else.”

Li Zhuiyuan patted the turtle shell with his hand.

“I originally came to tell you that I might not live much longer, so I could look through the study materials you left behind.

After all, just sitting there stupidly waiting to die is really boring.

Now, there’s an extra reason.

What if I still have a chance to live?

I promised you I would help you rise again.

But this large turtle shell, in my current state, I don’t have a good way to deal with it. I can’t damage the main structure of the coffin. If the coffin collapses and you’re completely crushed by the turtle shell, then you’ll truly be dead.

I’ll read some books first, study some supplementary materials, improve my own level, and maybe I can find a way to help you break this turtle shell.

If you don’t speak, I’ll take it as your agreement.”

Li Zhuiyuan stood before the turtle shell for a while; the main body remained silent.

The boy nodded, turned, walked out of the basement, and went to his room on the second floor.

Constantly worrying and wasting energy over a situation he couldn’t change was meaningless.

Li Zhuiyuan sat amidst stacks of book pages and began to read.

When he got tired of reading, he would unroll the scrolls and admire the paintings.

All of the main body’s improvements were built upon what he already knew and understood.

Li Zhuiyuan now looked at these, just as he had once personally designed targeted advanced problems for Tan Wenbin.

He became so engrossed that he forgot the time.

When the boy briefly emerged from this state of learning and seeking knowledge, the sky outside had grown darker.

Li Zhuiyuan took the scroll and walked out, sitting on the rattan chair.

A Li was still sitting next to him.

In front of them, the village’s edges were already swallowed by darkness.

It wasn’t just the horizon anymore; now, Siyuan Village itself was incomplete.

Preliminary estimates suggested that about a third of the village area, centered around Grand Uncle’s house, was already submerged in darkness, and this circle continued to shrink.

Li Zhuiyuan remained unmoved, continuing to unfurl the scroll.

Before looking down to immerse himself again, the boy spoke softly:

“A Li.”

The girl sitting beside him turned her head to look at the boy.

She was fake, but she was very delicate, especially her eyes, which were identical to A Li’s.

“I might have to break my promise.”

Early the next morning, dawn broke, and the sky cleared.

A Li didn’t return to the east room; she stayed in the boy’s room.

Liu Yumei also didn’t call her granddaughter back to sleep.

Another successful cut had been added to the gourd.

A Li turned her head and looked at the oil lamp beside the boy’s pillow on the bed. It was no longer smoking.

The girl put down her carving knife and gourd, walked to the bed, and placed her palm above the oil lamp. Now, only a faint trace of residual warmth remained.

This meant that the boy’s condition was steadily worsening.

A Li’s gaze fell on the boy’s face.

The girl tilted her head.

She left the room and walked downstairs.

In the living room on the first floor, A Li’s gaze swept around. She was searching if anything was missing from the house.

Everyone in the family was still there.

What was missing was…

Xiao Hei’s dog bed was gone.

The spot where the dog bed should have been was previously repurposed as a mourning hall, but the dog itself was also nowhere to be found.

Liu Yumei: “A Li, Run Sheng is seriously injured and can’t move. Go to the west pavilion and pick up your Uncle Sanjiang.”

Uncle Qin: “Okay.”

Liu Yumei: “Pick him up carefully. Your Uncle Sanjiang drank too much and might feel queasy from bumps. Be steady and let him be comfortable.”

Uncle Qin: “Okay.”

After Uncle Qin rode off on the tricycle, Liu Yumei glanced at the doorway of the second-floor room.

She really wanted to go upstairs now, stand outside the screen door, and check on Xiao Yuan.

But she felt a sense of panic, she didn’t dare to do so, especially when she felt willing but powerless. She didn’t even dare to ask her granddaughter about Xiao Yuan’s progress in waking up.

Fortunately, her granddaughter rarely showed any expression except when facing Xiao Yuan, so she couldn’t discern any emotions. She was a little disappointed and also a little relieved.

However, Liu Yumei soon noticed something was wrong; her granddaughter seemed to be searching for something.

“A Li, who are you looking for?”

A Li pointed to the original location of the dog bed.

Liu Yumei: “Are you looking for that dog?”

A Li nodded.

Liu Yumei: “Is it related to Xiao Yuan?”

A Li didn’t answer; she didn’t know.

Liu Yumei immediately said:

“It’s easy to find a dog, just bring a wolf.”

Zhao Yi sat on Dahu Zi’s dam, rubbing his hands.

It was already this late, and there was still no news of Li’s awakening.

He could sense that something seemed to be wrong.

But he dared not go over there to inquire, not because he was afraid of the old madam settling scores with him. Even if the old madam came herself, he wouldn’t be afraid in the slightest.

Lihua walked over: “Young Master Zhao, the old madam requests your presence.”

Zhao Yi looked up in disbelief.

Lihua pointed outside: “The old madam is standing outside now.”

Zhao Yi shakily stood up.

Lihua then pointed to Chen Jing, who was sitting in a wheelchair and playing with Benben in the crib.

“The old madam said to bring Chen Jing with you.”

Zhao Yi let out a long sigh and grumbled, “Next time, can you finish your sentence in one go?”

Lihua: “What’s wrong?”

Zhao Yi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: “You almost scared me to death.”

When Zhao Yi pushed Chen Jing out of Dahu Zi’s house, he saw Liu Yumei standing on the road, with A Li by her side.

Although both sides had just fought together in that “world,” upon returning to reality, they still tried to avoid direct contact.

Mainly because there was truly no one else at home; Qin Li, who could move, had already been sent to pick up Li Sanjiang, and A Ting was still lying in bed, not yet recovered.

Upon seeing Zhao Yi and Chen Jing, Liu Yumei got straight to the point:

“Zhao Yi, do something for me.”

“Old madam, please instruct.”

“Help me find a dog.”

Chen Jing and Xiao Hei were very familiar with each other. After all, after class in the Daoist temple, due to a period of mental confusion, A Jing genuinely thought of himself as a wolf and chased Xiao Hei around the rice fields for many laps.

Now, his wolf nose came in handy. He sniffed while guiding Brother Yi to push his wheelchair.

Liu Yumei held A Li’s hand, following behind.

Chen Jing tried to ask the old madam or A Li about his Brother Yuan’s condition several times.

But each time, Zhao Yi preemptively pressed his mouth, sniffed his nose, and gestured for him to concentrate on tracking the scent.

What a joke, if Li’s situation was good and he was about to wake up, would the dignified mistress of the Dragon King’s family specifically come looking for a dog?

Chen Jing led everyone into a field. This field was not part of Li Sanjiang’s contracted land, but from here, facing north, one could directly see Li Sanjiang’s house.

“Here, Xiao Hei, it…”

Chen Jing’s face showed a look of shock.

Zhao Yi stepped forward and pushed aside the crops’ cover. What appeared before everyone was a small pit.

In the pit, there was a puddle of blood and a patch of charred dog hair.

Zhao Yi:

“Xiao Hei was struck dead by lightning.”

Liu Yumei’s gaze was deep as she looked at her granddaughter.

A Li’s face was expressionless.

Zhao Yi patted Chen Jing’s head, urging, “Sniff again, quickly, sniff again.”

Chen Jing: “Brother Yi, Xiao Hei’s scent only goes this far. It…”

Zhao Yi pursed his lips.

Chen Jing: “Brother Yi, why did lightning strike Xiao Hei?”

Zhao Yi glanced at Liu Yumei and A Li beside him and replied:

“How would I know?”

After a pause, perhaps feeling that his answer was too insincere, Zhao Yi added his own guess:

“Maybe it wasn’t aimed at Xiao Hei.”

Liu Yumei reached out, broke off a stalk of grain, slowly rubbed it in her hand, then brought it to her nose and sniffed.

Seeing the silence in the scene, Zhao Yi could only say again, “Brother Xiao Yuan is really something; he doesn’t even know how to properly fence in his dog.”

Liu Yumei: “That’s because Xiao Yuan thinks there’s no need.”

Zhao Yi looked puzzled. He suspected the old madam hadn’t understood his meaning and had taken it too lightly, but he quickly realized that perhaps, it was he who had understood too lightly?

Liu Yumei looked up at the sky, a hint of anger in her eyes.

Zhao Yi also looked up at the sky.

Although he still didn’t understand the intricacies here,

He had an answer in his heart, ready to burst forth.

At this moment, even the “Zou Jiang Code of Conduct” that was already in his pocket began to feel a bit hot.

Li Zhuiyuan twisted his neck, looking up. Darkness had already covered the edge of the rice fields in front of Grand Uncle’s house.

The boy knew this meant his time was truly running out.

Hmm, gotta hurry, otherwise I won’t finish these materials before I die.

Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room, set the scroll aside, and once again began looking at the notes and pages on the floor.

The closer the shrinking circle of darkness, the faster the boy read.

Was he afraid?

Apparently not.

Was he unwilling?

Not really.

As for regret, that was even less present.

People are always accustomed to thinking about, understanding, and performing death when it is still far away, but when death truly approaches, they instinctively avoid it.

“Just a little more, almost finished, almost finished.”

With a stewed turtle, Li Sanjiang and Grand Uncle Shan drank until dawn.

The two cherished this hard-won accompaniment for their drinks, wishing they could savor every piece of meat, repeatedly, several times, then dip it in the sauce, and slurp it all up again.

In short, the turtle was eaten absolutely clean.

“Shan Pao, you’re drunk, you can’t hold your liquor, haha!”

Grand Uncle Shan, who was sprawled on the table with his eyes closed, still maintained his last stubbornness: “You’re drunk, you’re the one who’s drunk!”

“I’m not drunk, I can still stand up. You try standing up!”

“I’ll stand, who’s afraid of whom!”

Grand Uncle Shan stood up, then fell backward, lying on the ground.

Li Sanjiang: “Hahahaha!”

Grand Uncle Shan: “What are you laughing at? Don’t move around. You’re making the ground shake.”

Li Sanjiang: “Drunk is drunk, yet you still won’t admit it. If your alcohol tolerance isn’t good, it just isn’t. I told you earlier to drink some good wine, don’t always drink those fake wines mixed with dichlorvos, but you just wouldn’t listen.”

Grand Uncle Shan: “You’re drunk too, you’re drunk too.”

Li Sanjiang: “I’m not drunk. Not only can I stand, I can even walk home by myself!”

With that, Li Sanjiang started to walk out.

He stumbled and staggered, making his way to the village road. As he was trying to figure out which direction was home, a small engineering vehicle stopped in front of Li Sanjiang.

The person in the car rolled down the window and asked, “Grandpa Li, what are you doing here?”

Li Sanjiang squinted, looked carefully, and laughed: “Mingming, Mingming!”

Xue Liangliang got out of the car and helped Li Sanjiang up: “Grandpa Li, I’m Liangliang.”

“Oh right, you’re Liangliang, Liangliang.”

“Grandpa Li, where are you going?”

“Home!”

“Perfect, I’m also going to your house. Get in.”

“Oh, okay.”

Xue Liangliang settled Li Sanjiang in the passenger seat and restarted the car.

A breeze blew, and Li Sanjiang sobered up a bit, asking in confusion: “Liangliang, why are you back?”

Xue Liangliang: “Something came up with the teacher, I specifically came to find Xiao Yuan.”

Earlier, he had spoken to Tan Wenbin on the phone, and Tan Wenbin hinted that there were also matters here, so Xue Liangliang held back from coming.

Upon noticing the weather forecast and finding that the typhoon, which should have passed through Nantong, suddenly changed its path, Xue Liangliang instinctively realized that the situation with Xiao Yuan should have been resolved.

He had been in contact with Xiao Yuan and the others for a long time, and had gained some experience and understanding.

Mainly, the teacher and those few persons in charge had been missing for so long, and there was still no news. He was anxious and dared not wait any longer, so he drove over directly.

On the way to Shinan Town, he encountered someone riding a bicycle who had fallen by the roadside.

The typhoon had just ended, and there were many branches and debris by the road, making it easy to slip.

The person seemed to have fallen hard, clutching their waist.

Li Sanjiang pointed and said, “Help him up, help him up.”

Xue Liangliang nodded, immediately stopped the car, helped the person into the car, then put the bicycle in the back of the engineering vehicle. This engineering vehicle was shaped like a small pickup truck, more suitable for use in extreme weather.

Xue Liangliang had intended to take the person to the town clinic, but the person waved him off, saying he wasn’t seriously hurt and wanted to go home first.

His home was not far, and it was sort of on the way, just requiring a slight east-west detour. For Xue Liangliang, it simply meant entering the village from the east end instead of the usual west end.

After dropping the person off at their doorstep, the person’s two sons were home. Seeing their father brought back by a car, they were quite surprised and stared at Xue Liangliang with scrutinizing eyes.

“Quickly thank him, he kindly helped me get back. Find some plaster for me and invite him for a meal…”

Upon hearing this, the two sons immediately grabbed Xue Liangliang’s hand to express their gratitude, and even the eldest son, who was already married, instructed his wife to kill a chicken.

Xue Liangliang firmly declined. After moving the bicycle with the twisted wheel from the car, he drove away.

Entering Siyuan Village from the east end, when driving on the village road, one would pass by the Old Li family’s ancestral graves.

Li Sanjiang pointed to the location of his family’s ancestral graves, looked at Xue Liangliang, and said proudly:

“Liangliang, those are our Old Li family’s ancestral graves, hehe. Everyone in the village says our Old Li family’s ancestral graves always smoke.”

Xue Liangliang politely turned his head for a glance, then exclaimed in astonishment:

“Grandpa Li, your ancestral graves are really smoking!”

The car stopped.

Li Sanjiang, accompanied by Xue Liangliang, got out of the car.

Their ancestral graves, which had just been simply drained, were indeed smoking. In the very center, a large hole had inexplicably appeared.

Xue Liangliang observed the surrounding burn marks and said:

“Grandpa Li, your ancestral graves seem to have been struck by lightning.”

Li Sanjiang slumped to the ground, his lips trembling.

In the village, if someone’s ancestral grave was struck by lightning, it would be talked about. Even if your family had done good deeds your whole life, people could fabricate all sorts of rumors about you.

“Liangliang, quick, quickly bury it back, quick, don’t let anyone see…”

The hangover, combined with the shock of his ancestral grave being struck by lightning, caused Li Sanjiang to simply pass out from intoxication.

“Grandpa Li, Grandpa Li?”

After confirming Li Sanjiang’s breathing was normal and he was fine, Xue Liangliang quickly got busy.

There were tools in the car, so Xue Liangliang immediately grabbed a shovel, ready to fill in the earth.

Just as he reached the edge of the pit and was about to start digging, he noticed a tattered straw mat below.

Thinking nothing of it, he continued to bury, but then saw the straw mat moving.

Xue Liangliang jumped into the pit and pulled out the straw mat. He wanted to see what was inside, hoping it wasn’t an abandoned baby.

But no matter which end he looked from, it was pitch black inside, completely unclear. He tried to untie the rope binding the mat, but found the rope was tied in a dead knot, and it was so tight it couldn’t be opened at all.

Xue Liangliang had no choice but to reach inside and feel. He felt a paw, and as soon as he touched it, it retracted. He didn’t know if it was a cat or a dog.

He immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Good, it wasn’t a child.

Xue Liangliang wanted to shake the animal out, but no matter how he tilted it, the little fellow inside just wouldn’t come out.

Time was short, and Grandpa Li was still lying on the ground. Xue Liangliang simply set the broken mat aside, filled the pit, and then carried Grandpa Li back to the car. After a moment of hesitation, he couldn’t bring himself to leave it, so he also picked up the broken mat and put it in the back of the car.

Next, Xue Liangliang hurried the car to Li Sanjiang’s house. As soon as he got onto the dam, before Xue Liangliang could call someone to look after Grandpa Li, he heard a near-frantic dog bark from inside the tattered straw mat in the back of the car.

The books and paintings were all read.

Darkness had already shrunk to the edge of the dam.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the edge of the second-floor balcony. He had little room left to maneuver.

Before him was literally a direct confrontation with death.

Li Zhuiyuan sat down in the rattan chair. Here, he was at the center of the final circle.

Just as the boy prepared to meet his final moment, a figure suddenly darted out from the darkness ahead, arriving on the dam.

Dressed in red and white, skin torn and flesh exposed, not a single good piece of flesh from head to toe, not even a trace of black visible, Xiao Hei, holding a leash in its mouth, arrived below.

It opened its mouth, dropped the leash, raised its neck, and barked loudly at Li Zhuiyuan above:

“Woof!”