Having personally experienced two “dead-fall” incidents and just finished reading “Tales of Jianghu Strangeness,” Li Zhuiyuan had initially hoped to continue his vigorous study of “dead-fall” related matters.

It was as if, after grasping the concepts, he expected to be given formulas, and then to find opportunities to apply those formulas to solve problems.

But pulling out these two books felt like having just begun one course only to be assigned two new ones.

He turned to look at the box, hesitating whether to put the two sets of books back and pick again, but his great-grandfather’s words from that night echoed in his mind:

“Xiaoyuan Hou, don’t aim too high and accomplish little. You must start with a solid foundation.”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. “Never mind,” he thought. Since he had already picked them, he might as well read them.

Perhaps after reading them, he would be able to read faces and tell fortunes for the “dead-fall” next time?

Yet, this self-comforting thought simply didn’t hold up under scrutiny.

Should he read the faces of “dead-fall” victims bloated like pork jelly?

Or tell Little Oriole and the Cat-faced Old Woman that their fates were bad and they would die violent deaths?

With a complex and resigned mood, Li Zhuiyuan carried the two sets of books out of the basement and up to the second floor. From downstairs, Liu Yumei’s voice called out:

“Xiaoyuan, come down and help Grandma make tea.”

Li Zhuiyuan looked down. A light bulb hung at the entrance of the East Room, and beneath it sat Liu Yumei. Beside her, a tea set and a Go board were laid out.

“Coming, Grandma Liu.”

Li Zhuiyuan responded, placed the books on his bedroom desk, wiped the dust off himself with a towel, and ran downstairs.

Even if Liu Yumei hadn’t called him, he would have found a private moment to discuss with her about Uncle Qin teaching him martial arts.

Especially after finding these two sets of books, the idea of practicing martial arts became even more urgent. Since the “textbooks” were off-topic, he could only choose to catch up on his progress through extracurricular “tutoring.”

“Grandma, here’s your tea.”

“Hmm.”

After making the tea, Li Zhuiyuan sat down opposite Liu Yumei. He didn’t rush to speak about his own matters, choosing instead to wait for her to speak first so he could then subtly introduce his conditions.

After all, who makes tea late at night just before going to bed for no reason?

However, just as Liu Yumei was about to speak, the East Room door opened from the inside, and Qin Li stood at the doorway. Dressed in white silk pajamas, she shimmered in the lamplight.

“A’Li, go back to your room and rest first. Grandma and Xiaoyuan have some things to talk about.”

Qin Li didn’t move.

Liu Yumei could only give Li Zhuiyuan a meaningful look.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Qin Li. “A’Li, go to sleep now. I’ll get up early to read tomorrow.”

Qin Li turned and closed the door.

Liu Yumei sighed. It was fine that they were just children now, but if her granddaughter remained so close to and obedient towards this boy when they grew up, it would certainly become a headache for her.

However, there was an immediate problem — a “nose-ache” — that needed urgent resolution.

“Xiaoyuan, tomorrow, come inside and pay respects to our family’s ancestral tablets.”

“Huh?”

“Just think of it as a friendly visit.”

“Okay, Grandma Liu.”

It was like visiting a friend’s house and paying respects to their elders; if the elders had become ancestral tablets, one should still bow to them.

“And while you’re at it, tell A’Li to clear away those dirty towels and the rotten salted duck egg.”

“Towels?”

Li Zhuiyuan suddenly remembered. No wonder he had to find a new towel to wash and hang to dry every night these past few days; he had been wondering where the dirty towels went. It turned out A’Li had taken them all.

But what was a rotten salted duck egg?

Liu Yumei was a bit embarrassed to speak, but she had to brace herself and explain: “A’Li has a habit of taking things you give her and bringing them home. Perhaps I told her, or she believes it herself, that the mourning hall should be where the most precious things are displayed. So, A’Li put those dirty towels there.

As for that duck egg, you probably peeled it for her during breakfast that day. It’s rotten now.

I don’t dare touch anything A’Li puts there for fear of her temper. Only you can help me clean it up.

Also, please teach her not to put other things in the mourning hall in the future.”

Having to ask an outsider for help to educate her own granddaughter, whom she had raised herself, made Liu Yumei feel truly depressed.

Yet, she couldn’t avoid asking, otherwise she would have to endure the smell of rotten duck egg every day when speaking to the ancestral tablets.

She herself was fine, only smelling it when she spoke, but the ancestors of both the Qin and Liu families had to endure the stench constantly.

Furthermore, she was afraid that A’Li might put something new in the mourning hall again. Lately, they had been eating congee with fish head jelly for breakfast. She genuinely feared that A’Li might inadvertently bring home a bowl of fish head jelly that she and Xiaoyuan had eaten, and place it in the principal position in the mourning hall.

“I understand, Grandma Liu. I’ll come tomorrow to pay respects to the ancestral tablets.”

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t ask why not go now. He knew Grandma Liu didn’t want A’Li to think she was tattling.

“Mm, very good.” Liu Yumei nodded with satisfaction, her gaze falling on the Go board. “Look, do you like this Go board?”

Li Zhuiyuan examined the board carefully. It was an old artifact, and upon closer inspection, he could smell sandalwood.

Especially the Go pieces; a few held in hand felt smooth and cool. Although their overall appearance and luster were uniform, a closer look revealed slight differences, indicating they weren’t mass-produced from molds but crafted using ancient methods.

“Grandma Liu, this is a treasure.”

Li Zhuiyuan had grown somewhat accustomed to the valuable items Liu Yumei occasionally produced.

While the era of “ten-thousand-yuan households” was gradually fading, the ability to display such lavish wealth and heritage was truly astonishing.

“Seeing that you and A’Li play Go, I dug this out for you to enjoy. You can take it back to your room later.”

“Okay, I’ll keep it for now.”

Liu Yumei nodded with satisfaction, about to see him off, when she heard Li Zhuiyuan speak again:

“Grandma Liu, I’ve been weak and sickly since childhood, so I’d like to exercise with Uncle Qin.”

Liu Yumei glanced at the boy in front of her. Although he was fair-skinned and delicate, not exactly robust, he certainly didn’t look frail or sickly.

However, she immediately understood the boy’s intention. Normally, she would have brushed him off with a few evasive words, but she had just asked him for a favor…

“Never mind,” she thought. Just teaching a bit of martial arts wasn’t breaking any rules; it wasn’t like he was asking for anything else.

“Alright, I’ll talk to your Uncle Qin.”

“Thank you, Grandma.”

“Come, let’s play a game.”

“Okay.”

Being subtly manipulated by a child made Liu Yumei feel a bit uncomfortable. Although she hadn’t planned to play Go, she couldn’t resist a game in the end.

Then she regretted it. By mid-game, she felt her chances were completely gone.

Li Zhuiyuan had initially thought that since he had gotten his way, he might as well let Grandma Liu “abuse” him in a game to appease her. He had naturally assumed that Qin Li’s Go skills were all taught by Grandma Liu, and thus, he certainly wouldn’t be a match for the old lady.

But as they played, he suddenly realized that Grandma Liu’s Go skills were not as good as his own.

With his mental calculations, he could barely be considered an amateur master, while Grandma Liu was, at most, an amateur mid-level player.

“Grandma, I’m sleepy. How about we stop playing?”

“Hmm, then go to sleep.”

“Okay.”

Li Zhuiyuan stood up, collected the pieces, and then carried the Go board back upstairs.

Liu Yumei entered the house and went to the bedroom. Qin Li was sleeping with her eyes closed, very obedient to what that boy had said.

A loving smile appeared on her face.

Regardless,

Her A’Li was increasingly showing signs of a typical little girl.

“Our A’Li’s illness will definitely be cured, definitely.”

Arriving at the second-floor balcony, he happened to see his great-grandfather standing at the edge, having just finished relieving himself, in the final stage of shaking it dry.

“What are you carrying?”

“Grandma Liu’s Go board, she lent it to me.”

“You still need to focus more, read more books, and study hard.”

“I know, Great-Grandfather.”

“Hmm, something happened in Ying Hou’s family, so she won’t be able to come for a while. You’ll have to push yourself a bit more.”

“What happened to Sister Yingzi’s family?”

“They say her maternal grandparents both fell ill and are in the clinic. Ying Hou and her mother are taking care of them there.”

Sister Yingzi’s “Nan grandparents” must be her maternal grandparents.

Only then did Li Zhuiyuan understand why Sister Yingzi hadn’t come to him for tutoring these past few days. Logically, even with poor comprehension, she should have finished the last set of problems by now.

“So, should we visit them?”

“Visit, my foot! Her mother’s family is in Jiuweigang; it takes several transfers by bus to get there. Besides, if things are truly dire, it’s your grandfather who should go, not me.”

“Oh.”

“Go back to your room and sleep early.”

“Great-Grandfather, do you have a magnifying glass?”

“A magnifying glass?” Li Sanjiang pondered for a moment. “Check the stove’s recess; there might be one. I used to want to use it to start fires, but then I realized matches were better. What do you need that for?”

“To read.”

The text in those two sets of books was simply too small.

“Is studying so hard for kids that you need a magnifying glass? How about Great-Grandfather takes you to the optician in town to get some glasses?

Never mind, the optician in town probably isn’t very good. Great-Grandfather will take you by bus to the People’s Hospital in the city to get them.”

“No need, Great-Grandfather, I just need it to look at the diagrams. My eyesight is fine.”

Li Zhuiyuan first went into his bedroom to put down the Go board, then ran downstairs to the kitchen. Sure enough, he found a dusty magnifying glass in the stove’s recess. After cleaning it, he returned to his bedroom and turned on the desk lamp.

The first book he took out was “A Comprehensive Explanation of Yin-Yang Physiognomy,” consisting of eight volumes.

He flipped through the pages. There was no preface or introduction, not even a label for the first section; it went straight into the content.

Li Zhuiyuan held the magnifying glass and read carefully.

After continuously reading three densely packed pages, front and back, Li Zhuiyuan realized something was off.

These three pages contained an enormous amount of text, all dedicated to one thing: eyebrows.

It covered nearly a thousand variations, from the direction and angle of the eyebrows, their thickness and density, to their length and color.

Starting from the fourth page, it began discussing eye bags.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t continue reading but flipped forward two pages to confirm: it had dedicated two extensive pages to eye bags.

Next, it discussed eyelids.

A faint suspicion arose in Li Zhuiyuan’s mind… Although there was no label for “Part One,” it seemed that everything discussed in the early sections likely pertained to “eyes,” right?

Yet, after all this reading, it was still only a part of “eyes.”

Li Zhuiyuan turned to the very last page of the book and found it was discussing crow’s feet… still “eyes.”

Then, he took out the second book, scanned the beginning, and flipped through: indeed, the first three pages were all about earlobes.

Flipping to the last page, it discussed the back of the ear.

He picked up the third volume, quickly confirmed using the same method, and sure enough, it discussed the philtrum, the area between the lips and nose.

So, the first four volumes were about: eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, respectively.

Normally, the “five features” refer to eyebrows, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Here, it combined eyebrows and eyes into one volume, not dedicating a separate volume to eyebrows.

“That’s quite considerate,” he mused.

Skipping the basic concepts, Li Zhuiyuan took out the fifth volume and carefully read the first page… He didn’t understand it.

But he generally got the gist: it seemed to involve permutations and combinations, with each combination corresponding to a small, extremely concise text description.

The general implication was that due to space limitations, much had been omitted, and the reader should figure it out for themselves.

Li Zhuiyuan rubbed his eyes. So, this was face reading?

Not like a fortune teller approaching you and saying, “Your glabella is dark; you may soon encounter misfortune.”

According to this book’s logic, it would be: “Do you know how many permutation and combination options exist for the appearance of the glabella?”

Li Zhuiyuan couldn’t understand why a book on physiognomy, which involved feudal superstition, exuded such a strong sense of scientific rigor.

How much energy did the author of this book have, and how many faces did they meticulously observe?

No, a single person couldn’t achieve this, not even an entire school of thought.

If this book wasn’t written blindly, then the author must have collected and researched countless related works and notes from predecessors to compile and summarize it.

Li Zhuiyuan opened the sixth book and carefully read the first page.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his earlobes turned red—a typical sign of his brain working rapidly when solving difficult problems.

After finishing the first page, he still didn’t understand the content, but he grasped the rules.

If the fifth book was about permutations and combinations based on the foundational four volumes (eyes, ears, mouth, nose), then the sixth volume was permutations and combinations of those permutations and combinations.

While one might still pass by rote memorization up to the fifth volume, the sixth volume already involved a level of mathematical calculation, and the sheer volume of calculations was immense.

Li Zhuiyuan took a deep breath and opened the seventh volume.

He read the first page quickly this time, as he was merely confirming a guess.

Sure enough, the seventh volume further intensified the complexity from the sixth, and the difficulty in comprehension and calculation was no longer simply multiplied.

“Whew…”

Li Zhuiyuan now really wanted to wash his face, but after a moment of hesitation, he opened the eighth volume.

After reading the first page of the eighth volume, Li Zhuiyuan closed the book.

He leaned back in his chair.

He realized he had been wrong. Previously, he had wondered why a book on feudal superstition could exude such a scientific rigor.

But after turning to the eighth volume,

he saw metaphysics.

The classification of eyes, ears, mouth, and nose in the first four volumes seemed like raw data, or raw numbers. The fifth to seventh volumes, then, were the application of those raw numbers.

To use a more evocative analogy, it could be compared to painting: you start with the most basic points, lines, and planes, then learn to draw a complete object, then to compose and structure, and then to perceive depth through light and shadow…

When you can perfectly copy a master’s painting and produce excellent works, you’ve roughly reached the seventh volume’s level.

The eighth volume… that required you to develop your own style, establish a school of thought, and become a master.

So, even if this book were genuine, most people could only glance at it and wouldn’t be able to learn from it at all. Forget reaching the eighth volume; you’d first need to memorize over a thousand types of eyebrows.

Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze swept over the adjacent set of books, “Treatise on Fate Deduction.” “Never mind,” he thought, “I’ll just go all out.”

He sat up straight again and opened the first volume. “Oh,” he noticed, “there’s a preface this time.”

Sure enough, both sets of books were by the same author, as the very first line read: “Having read the previous work, ‘A Comprehensive Explanation of Yin-Yang Physiognomy.'”

Was this a necessary prerequisite?

He continued reading and found that it wasn’t. Instead, fate deduction required several conditions: physiognomy, astrology, and geomancy/luck studies.

“Could it be that there were two more sets by the same author in the box that I didn’t find?”

Soon, Li Zhuiyuan realized his mistake. In the preface, the author expressed regret that he had only mastered physiognomy and no longer had the capacity to delve into astrology and geomancy/luck studies.

Or rather, astrology and geomancy/luck studies were inherently intertwined and not separate classifications; physiognomy and fate deduction also encompassed aspects of astrology and geomancy/luck.

In the author’s view, true fate deduction methods should integrate all four academic fields to achieve genuine mastery.

“In other words, even after mastering all four, it only improves the accuracy, still not reaching one hundred percent.”

And the previous work on physiognomy was one of the aids to improve the accuracy of fate deduction.

With the preface finished, Li Zhuiyuan formally turned to the first page of the content.

What