The familiar river, the familiar trees, and the familiar arc the steering wheel makes every time he turns from the village road into the path leading home.

Earlier, the path was just a dirt road. Cars couldn’t drive through it, and since it couldn’t block the village road, they had to encroach on a piece of farmland, leaving half the car body exposed.

After the children bought a yellow pickup truck, Li Sanjiang spent money on stones and enlisted Qin Shu and Xiong Shan, two laborers, to widen the path and turn it into a gravel road.

From then on, cars could drive directly in, all the way to the open space in front of their house.

Recently, Li Sanjiang had been thinking about changing this gravel road to a cement one.

The reason he hadn’t started yet was because he heard the village head say that the town government would soon organize the construction of cement roads for all village roads. At that time, he could also have his own path paved along with them.

Paving his own road certainly wouldn’t be free; he would have to pay for the materials himself and treat the workers to cigarettes and a meal. But with the workers and equipment already available, it would still be cost-effective.

Tan Wenbin drove the car to the open space. After everyone got out, they all immediately smiled.

Actually, for everyone in the car, even Li Zhuiyuan, their true home wasn’t here. But every time they returned, everyone felt a sense of ease and comfort that surpassed even returning to their own homes.

Li Sanjiang immediately walked up to Xiao Yuanhou.

Two years ago, he could pick up the child without any effort.

Now, he had to first gather his qi in his dantian, lower his center of gravity, and then hug with both arms to steadily lift his precious great-grandson.

For now, he could still lift him.

When he could no longer lift him, it wouldn’t be because the child had grown up, but because he himself had grown old, for in the eyes of elders, a child, no matter how old, is always a child.

After putting down Xiao Yuanhou, Li Sanjiang walked up to Tan Wenbin, Run Sheng, and Lin Shuyou in turn, patting their arms and kicking their calves, checking their fur and bone structure.

There was no special welcome ceremony, just one sentence:

“You’ve all lost weight; eat more for dinner.”

Li Zhuiyuan greeted everyone in the open space and in the kitchen. Neither Liu Yumei nor Aunt Liu kept the young man talking.

Even Li Sanjiang only hugged him once, because he noticed that when he picked up his great-grandson, the boy’s gaze was directed upwards, towards the second-floor balcony.

The young man went upstairs.

Tan Wenbin, saying “I’m dying of thirst,” walked to a chair next to Liu Yumei and sat down. He first steeped some tea, then popped a silver thread roll into his mouth. After that, the “fabricated story” he had already prepared on the way back began to pour out.

Earlier, Tan Wenbin’s extensive allusions and veiled criticisms, limited by his lack of traditional culture, made Liu Yumei very uncomfortable.

Many times, Liu Yumei felt the urge to just spit out blood and tell him to be direct.

Now, Tan Wenbin could speak with great fluency and still keep the old lady engrossed and entertained.

Although she had sources of information, the accounts of direct participants were completely different.

Moreover, Liu Yumei knew that what she was hearing now was a unique perspective among all the direct participants.

Run Sheng picked up a hoe and went to the fields to pick up Qin Shu.

Although dinner was only an hour away, the day’s work in the fields still needed to be finished.

Lin Shuyou learned from Aunt Liu that the light at the porcelain jar was broken, and even after changing the bulb, it wouldn’t light up.

A-You picked up his familiar tools and went to fix it.

He wasn’t a professional in that field, but in the electrician trade, after enough shocks, one eventually becomes a master electrician.

Li Zhuiyuan first took a shower, changed his clothes, and then, while drying his hair, sat with A-Li on the rattan chairs on the balcony.

Summer hadn’t completely left, but autumn’s hand had quietly crept into the bedding, occasionally bringing a pleasant coolness in the evening.

The girl’s eyes never left the boy, even when they were both lying in their respective rattan chairs; she would lie on her side, watching him.

The boy was her balcony to the outside world, and this balcony would periodically run out on its own for a while, returning with different scenery for her.

Li Zhuiyuan began to recount the events of the previous wave to A-Li.

He never held anything back from the girl; sometimes, even his selfish motives and less-than-sunny calculations of benefits when handling certain matters, he would reveal completely.

From the first day they met, the girl had shown a generosity towards the boy in this regard that even he had not expected.

She seemed to have long known that the view from the balcony was never just pleasant in spring, but also had the scorching heat of summer, the bleakness of autumn, and the biting cold of winter.

Just like when the boy, in order to retaliate and kill the dwarf father and son, did not hesitate to blind himself, the girl, upon hearing this, first showed her dimples, happy for the boy’s success.

Li Zhuiyuan’s narration was unhurried yet extremely coherent, and A-Li listened quietly throughout.

From arriving in Luoyang to meeting Chen Xiyuan, from the hidden village to the Yu family ancestral home, and finally to the simple funeral of the two elders.

Li Zhuiyuan did not shy away from Chen Xiyuan’s presence, even adding emphasis to her description.

He even frankly admitted that as his condition improved, the number of times he had suffered in the past year was fewer than the few days she had been by his side.

Furthermore, Li Zhuiyuan told A-Li that if things moved quickly, Chen Xiyuan would arrive here tonight; otherwise, it would be tomorrow.

Hospital records and files would, at most, list a name, gender, and age. Coupled with the fact that Pan Zi and his group were all sent to the hospital by local state-owned factories, the contact address would definitely be that factory. How could the registration at the nurses’ station have real native places, even specific to townships and villages?

These were all filled in by Li Zhuiyuan.

The young man told A-Li that he had no reason to kill Chen Xiyuan.

But if he didn’t kill her, he couldn’t simply forget her and move on.

Not just because he hadn’t yet gotten his hands on the “savings” from Chen Xiyuan.

Mainly, an existence like Chen Xiyuan, protected by the Heavenly Dao and possessing formidable strength, was too easily becoming another pawn of the Heavenly Dao.

The entire Qiongya Chen family, on the surface, its rise and fall seemed directly linked to the talent level of each generation, but in reality, it was like old farmers cultivating land, relying on heaven for sustenance.

Li Zhuiyuan himself was the blade used by the Heavenly Dao for dirty work.

And Chen Xiyuan was more suitable to stand in the sunlight, becoming that spotless hero.

Not killing her was partly because there was no reason to kill her, and he didn’t want to;

On the other hand, if you cut up the glove that the Heavenly Dao had prepared to use, wouldn’t that force the Heavenly Dao to find and cultivate a new glove?

The correct approach should be to keep her, let her always occupy this position, enjoy resources, but deliberately not exert her influence.

Although Chen Xiyuan had already frankly told him that if they met on a wave in the future, and were on opposing sides, she would voluntarily “light the lamp” a second time.

But for Li Zhuiyuan, that wasn’t enough.

Too many accidents could intervene, too many special circumstances could be guided; this was what Jiangshui was best at, pervasive.

Therefore, when dealing with such an existence,

The most correct way is… to break her spirit!

To break her spirit until she is utterly convinced, without any obsession, until she completely ceases to pose a threat to him!

To inject such strong calculations into someone’s pure emotions is utterly despicable and base.

However, Li Zhuiyuan had no choice. If he didn’t consider these things comprehensively and meticulously, then in the future, the most tragic situation would arise.

Besides, he wasn’t the one who started the calculations. The wave arranged for Pan Zi, Lei Zi, and the others, along with Chen Xiyuan’s student’s brother, to stay in the same hospital room, leading to Chen Xiyuan and himself meeting. This was, in fact, a setup.

Pure adversaries pose less of a threat to him, while a betrayal from a former friend is the most damaging.

If he didn’t put thought into it, then both he and Chen Xiyuan would become fated puppets controlled by the strings in Jiangshui’s hands.

Therefore, Chen Xiyuan had to come to Nantong, and he himself had to go to the Qiongya Chen family.

Moreover, for the best effect, Chen Xiyuan had to come to Nantong secretly on her own initiative, and it had to be her, begging him repeatedly, to go to Qiongya.

To disrupt the will of a superior, there’s a simple method: pretend not to know, and then… constantly escalate and double down on the execution.

Since the Heavenly Dao wants to bait me in advance for later use, I will take your bait off the hook, chew it up, and swallow it.

Li Zhuiyuan turned to look at the girl beside him.

Though silent, it was as if he was asking: A-Li, do you think what I’m doing is dirty?

A-Li stretched out her hand and pointed in a direction, towards Big Beard’s house, where the peach orchard was located.

In the girl’s heart, there was no concept of “clean or dirty” concerning the boy.

The environment she had “lived” in since childhood was, in fact, like the Yu family ancestral home amidst the chaos of malevolent spirits.

What is dirty, and how dirty it can get, she knew better than most people in this world.

In the boy’s earlier narration, the girl only heard the boy say that on the registration form, only “Shinan Town, Siyuan Village” was written.

The girl didn’t speak. When the boy wasn’t around, she was accustomed to being quietly alone, but she could perceive the sounds and changes around her.

For instance, ever since she moved in here, she had heard “several brigades, several small teams, and household head” many times.

A-Li knew that the boy hadn’t written these, hadn’t written the great-grandfather’s name. So anyone coming to this village would definitely go directly to that peach orchard.

Li Zhuiyuan: “I didn’t plan to do that.”

He paused, then the young man continued: “She’s not Zhao Yi; her skin isn’t that thick.”

Indeed, sending Chen Xiyuan to the peach orchard first, letting Qing An beat her up, and then he would negotiate her release, could further strengthen this favor.

If it were the old Li Zhuiyuan, he would truly do this; if he didn’t, he would be very pained.

But the initial recovery of his condition, even just a tiny drop of emotion, was enough for the young man to change this rigid way of handling things.

The purpose of calculation was to offset the influence of that hand in the sky, not to view everyone around him as mere numbers that could provide value to him.

The young man didn’t want to see a bruised and battered Chen Xiyuan.

Under permissible circumstances, he did not wish for that Sister Chen to be harmed.

A-Li nodded. Unable to speak, even her own grandmother sometimes had to rely on repeated questioning and careful thought, but the young man in front of her understood at a glance.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Even though I am a heart demon now, I have always looked down on my original self in my mind, and I also look down on Li Lan.

They always consider themselves the only intelligent people in the world, and everyone else is stupid, but the truth is not like that.

The current Li Lan wants her real son, believing that only my original self can be worthy of her.

But the truth is, when ‘they, mother and son,’ acknowledge each other, there will inevitably be a relatively less intelligent one among them, that is, the fool.

You can be smart, but others are not fools. To have such a thought is a sickness that needs to be treated.”

The young man’s gaze fell on Grandma Wang Lian, who was busy moving in and out of the kitchen, helping to bring out the dishes.

“Chen Xiyuan is not stupid.

She is very empathetic.

I don’t want to talk about exchanging sincerity for sincerity.

All my calculations must be based on the premise that when I explain them to her later, or when she suddenly understands them herself, she can still comprehend and approve of my actions.

Otherwise, I would be handing a knife to the Heavenly Dao, allowing its intentions to succeed.”

A-Li grasped the young man’s hand. She could sense an invisible weariness on him.

Walking the *Jiang* was already difficult, but his *Jiang* was more challenging than anyone’s throughout history.

Li Zhuiyuan: “After dinner, I’ll go with you to the medicinal garden in front of Big Beard’s house and tidy up the spiritual herbs we planted together.

I’ll bring the tent from my hiking backpack. If she comes late tonight, or if it has to wait until tomorrow, you can come back first, and I’ll stay in the peach orchard alone tonight.

When she enters the peach orchard, she’ll probably be startled, but it will only be a scare, just a joke between friends.

She definitely wants to play this kind of joke on me too, to scare me.”

Upstairs and downstairs, stories were being told.

Li Zhuiyuan’s side had finished and moved into the summary and discussion phase.

Downstairs, Tan Wenbin was only a third of the way through his story.

This was mainly because Liu Yumei would interrupt and ask questions, pointing out certain details and asking Tan Wenbin for further explanations.

The most frequent keyword the old lady mentioned was Chen Xiyuan.

When Liu Yumei first heard “Chen Xiyuan of the Qiongya Chen family,” a hint of reminiscence appeared in her eyes.

A close confidante from her youth had married into the Qiongya Chen family.

At that time, she had repeatedly pleaded with her to make an appearance, even if just from afar, standing upstairs to admire the scenery, or perhaps rowing a boat on the lake, leaving a faint emerald silhouette.

She had been very conflicted then. Although she was bothered by Qin family’s old dog’s relentless pursuit, she still restrained herself from forming connections with others.

The old dog had a bad temper when he was young; he liked to knock out the loudest flies around him, put them in a sack, and throw them into a cesspit.

But she couldn’t resist the desperate pleas, as her friend said that if her “strategist” couldn’t lure him out, that Young Master Chen would no longer trust her.

She said her fishing rod was already cast; she just needed her sister to help bait the trap.

Ultimately, that fish named Chen couldn’t escape the experienced angler.

The next few mentions were Liu Yumei wanting to hear about Chen Xiyuan’s talent and disposition.

The Chen family members had always had a very proper family upbringing. Chen Xiyuan was indeed a standard Chen family member, and she must have been very well-nurtured by her grandfather and grandmother.

Finally, Liu Yumei sensed something was amiss.

That was, the Chen family girl seemed to be getting a little too close to her Xiao Yuan.

Liu Yumei didn’t think the Chen family girl had any inappropriate thoughts about her Xiao Yuan; the “little brother” she called him must truly be how she regarded him.

The old lady wasn’t worried about her Xiao Yuan, nor was she worried about her granddaughter A-Li.

Firstly, Xiao Yuan was still young;

Secondly, Xiao Yuan’s temperament not only surpassed his peers, but also, only in front of her would he appear as a “shy and reserved” junior. In reality, the young man was now a towering tree capable of sheltering Liu Yumei from wind and rain.

To speak without shame, sometimes, Liu Yumei would even sense the same tolerance and affection that the family’s old ancestor had shown her back then, coming from Xiao Yuan.

Moreover, the way Xiao Yuan and her A-Li interacted… Liu Yumei felt that even if she and that old dog had lived happily together until now, the harmony between them would probably not surpass that of these two young ones.

But now is now, and the “little brother” in Chen Xiyuan’s eyes will grow up.

The flames of the future can also burn, and if they can be extinguished in advance, then all the better.

Liu Yumei didn’t want the girl to repeat the old story of her grandparents.

The best way was to let that Chen family girl see with her own eyes the scene of Xiao Yuan and her A-Li together, letting this impression and perception be fixed.

Unfortunately, her A-Li couldn’t go out yet.

It would be great if she could call that Chen family girl to their house.

Aunt Liu stood alone at the kitchen door, looking up at the scene of Xiao Yuan and A-Li sitting together, shelling melon seeds for ten minutes.

Then, she had to put the remaining melon seeds back into her pocket, return to the kitchen, pick up a large spatula, and start stir-frying.

When dinner was ready, Aunt Liu called out:

“Dinner’s ready!”

Aunt Liu invited Aunt Wang Lian to stay for dinner, as she had also been busy until now.

Wang Lian firmly refused this time, saying she still had to go back to cook for the old and young at home, and hurried down the open space with the bag of complimentary steamed buns.

People are not divided into high or low, noble or humble, but their individual circumstances differ.

The secret for those with poorer conditions to always benefit from those with better conditions is: never think about taking advantage.

Li Zhuiyuan held A-Li’s hand as they went downstairs. While descending the stairs, the young man was still explaining to the girl.

He had calculated the time required from Luoyang to here. Along the way, Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou rested only briefly, with the car always moving without any delay. Thus, Chen Xiyuan couldn’t possibly arrive too early, so he and A-Li could finish dinner normally.

As the young man had said earlier, there were no absolutely intelligent people in this world.

Furthermore, due to his age, he usually didn’t drive and had never actually worked in a related industry.

So, Li Zhuiyuan also didn’t know what kind of terrifying potential an experienced taxi driver could unleash when constantly stimulated by piles of thick banknotes.

Dinner was abundant, and following the traditional customs of the Li family, the tables in a separate dining area used basins instead of bowls.

Run Sheng lit the incense, but unlike in the past, he didn’t stick it directly into his rice bowl.

In the past, he always did this, because he could not only finish all the rice and dishes himself, but also had to get more.

But today, he felt that doing so was a bit wasteful of food.

Lin Shuyou reached for a steamed bun. He really liked the steamed buns here; they had fillings and flavor and could be considered a dish. As before, he reached out with one hand and grabbed three large steamed buns.

Originally, these should all have been his. A single bun was a matter of a few bites; three buns would only just warm up his mouth, without even breaking a sweat.

This time, he placed the other two buns in front of Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin, keeping only one for himself.

Including Tan Wenbin, all three picked up their chopsticks, somewhat hesitant and cautious.

Teacher Chen’s teaching achievements were remarkable. Under Chen Xiyuan’s “heart-to-heart” guidance, the three had forcibly entered a state of “low metabolism” through physical means.

This state allowed them to elevate their control and perception of their own bodies to a new level. Coupled with the fact that achieving this state was truly too painful and difficult, all three wanted to maintain this state for as long as possible, so they could have more time for experience and insight.

But if they didn’t voluntarily exit this state, their current food intake would be no different from that of an ordinary person of their height and weight, perhaps even less.

Li Sanjiang loved the lively atmosphere at home, enjoying the continuous “chomping” and vigorous chewing and swallowing sounds from over there.

As one ages, their appetite naturally declines, but those three, every time they ate, made him feel that the food in front of him became more fragrant. Watching them eat could even stimulate his digestion.

He took a sip of wine.

The noise today seemed a little quieter.

These three brats, after going out more and seeing more people, actually learned to be refined, hehe.

On weekdays, when drinking alone, Li Sanjiang would stick to one cup and not drink more.

After finishing this cup of wine today, Li Sanjiang picked up his rice bowl, ready to formally eat.

Unexpectedly, Tan Wenbin, Lin Shuyou, and Run Sheng all put down their chopsticks at this moment, each looking a little guilty and apologetic:

“I’m full.”

“So full.”

“Stuffed.”

Li Sanjiang instinctively stood up, looking at the large basins of food in front of each of them, almost untouched, and the tower of steamed buns behind Lin Shuyou, barely diminished.

With a “clatter!”, the chopsticks in his hand fell to the floor.

Li Sanjiang, both shocked and worried, cried out:

“What’s wrong? Is it mule plague again?”

Old Man Tian was pedaling his tricycle, with Liu Jinxia sitting behind.

Several bags of cooked food were placed at Liu Jinxia’s feet, including pig’s head meat, chicken legs, as well as cold shredded kelp and mock chicken.

“You bought too much.”

Old Man Tian: “Xianghou sprained her ankle, so it’s definitely inconvenient for her to cook. Take these back with you and make do with Xianghou and Xiao Cuihou for dinner tonight.

Oh, by the way, when you used to attend these events, weren’t you supposed to eat at the host’s place before returning home?”

Liu Jinxia: “No appetite today.”

In the past, people attending the funeral, the funeral procession, and family members who came to help would add a few more tables after the first two rounds of meals, eating before leaving.

But that would mean waiting too late.

Moreover, she was there to help with the funeral, not a relative of the host family, so there was no reason to bring someone else to eat.

Thinking that Old Man Tian was still by the canal ahead, lying in the tricycle, waiting for her to finish her duties and take her home, Liu Jinxia felt bad about delaying him, making him go without food or drink until late at night.

It wasn’t dark yet, and there were many people returning from work or from the fields on the village road. Liu Jinxia was initially a bit embarrassed, burying her head. But then she thought, her popularity in the village was already just so-so, only cared about when needed and forgotten when not. Why did she need to worry about other people’s gazes?

So she bravely lifted her head again.

She still didn’t plan to find a new partner, and Old Man Tian understood her meaning. But this didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends or occasionally help each other in life. In this regard, both were very open-minded.

Old Man Tian pedaled his tricycle to Liu Jinxia’s doorstep, and he helped her down when she dismounted.

Liu Jinxia: “Come in, there’s too much cooked food. I’ll share some with you to take home and eat.”

Old Man Tian: “Did you forget? I have someone who cooks for me there.”

Liu Jinxia said nothing more. In a few days, when Xianghou’s ankle healed, she would have Xianghou cook some dishes and send them to Old Man Tian.

Not cooking it herself wasn’t because she was afraid of being misunderstood, but because her cooking skills were merely at the level of making food edible.

Xianghou, at a young age, took over the cooking at home, not because she was exceptionally sensible from childhood and wanted to help her mother with chores.

Instead, it was after Xianghou was once called to Li Lan’s house and ate an ordinary home-cooked meal prepared by Cui Guiying at Li Weihan’s house. Xianghou, who had no playmates and never visited other people’s homes for meals, realized for the first time that her mother had always been wasting food.

After Xianghou returned, she asked her mother.

Liu Jinxia also had her reasons, and she spoke with conviction:

“Whose fault is it that your mother had such good fortune? As soon as she married in, your in-laws passed away as if in a race.”

After bidding farewell to Old Man Tian, Liu Jinxia walked onto her own open space. Below the side house balcony, a light was on.

When Liu Jinxia walked over, carrying several bags of cooked food, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Her daughter, Xianghou, was happily playing jump rope with Cui Cui.

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan first handed Tan Wenbin a blueprint, asking him to take A-You and Run Sheng to the dojo later to make preparations for the evil spell.

The young man himself picked up his hiking backpack, and with A-Li, each carrying a small tool basket, headed towards Big Beard’s house.

On the way, they met Old Man Tian, who was just returning from Liu Jinxia’s house.

Old Man Tian invited them to ride his tricycle, but Li Zhuiyuan refused. He had just returned and wanted to walk side-by-Side with A-Li for a while longer.

Not daring to persuade further, Old Man Tian cycled back on his own.

As soon as he got to the open space, he saw Benben sitting in the crib, constantly clapping his hands, his small head seemingly swaying from side to side to a certain rhythm.

Old Man Tian looked up. Above the peach orchard, he seemed to see a colorful halo, like a fading rainbow, and faintly, he thought he heard some “rustling” sounds.

He didn’t know what was happening, only assuming that the one under the peach orchard was in an exceptionally good mood today.

Old Man Tian picked up Benben, who was still tapping out a rhythm, constantly “oh-oh-ing” with his mouth.

“Hehe, why are you so happy today?”

Benben looked confused, as if he didn’t understand why Old Man Tian was asking that.

He “oh-oh-ed” twice more to the clear rhythm, seeing that Old Man Tian was still unmoved.

Benben then ignored him, continuing to immerse himself in the utterly beautiful melody that made his soul feel like it was floating.

Old Man Tian affectionately stroked the child’s head: “Hehe, this child, he’s foolishly happy today.”

The greatest cruelty in this world is that some people, who have lived to be nothing but old bones, are no match for a baby still drinking from a bottle.

And the greatest tenderness in this world is probably that the person himself is completely unaware of it.

Xiao Yingying had just returned and was setting up the offering table, uncorking newly bought wine jars one by one and arranging them.

As the candlelight flickered and swayed, the wine in the jars on the offering table quickly lost all its aroma.

Jar after jar, the “drinking” speed was twice as fast as usual.

Moreover, there was no sign of stopping.

Xiao Yingying didn’t understand why this was happening today, but she knew that if she didn’t replenish the wine in time, the wine she had just bought today would not be enough.

She walked over, picked up Benben from Old Man Tian’s arms, and asked Old Man Tian to make another trip, to buy more wine before the town’s liquor store closed.

Old Man Tian immediately acted, getting on his tricycle and driving off.

Not to mention trying to catch the store before it closed; even if it was closed, he would pry the door open, leave the money, and take the wine.

The temper of the one under the peach orchard was definitely not good. If you cut off their wine when they were enjoying themselves, who knew what would happen next?

Even a smart young master like their own was once hung up in the peach orchard by that one and beaten until he was completely unrecognizable!

Xiao Yingying put Benben back in the crib and walked over again, continuing to place new wine jars.

She didn’t go out to buy more herself because it was already night.

Under the protection of the peach orchard, she, unlike other *sidao*, not only avoided the torment of being a *sidao* but could also appear before people as a normal person.

But she was, after all, a malevolent spirit. During the day, the yang energy was strong, so going out was fine. At night, the yin energy was potent. If she went out, those with declining fortunes who met her might experience nightmares and illness.

At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li arrived.

Xiao Yingying turned her head and saw that the two seemed to have no intention of going up to the open space, but were both facing the peach orchard.

Benben, who had been happily responding in the crib, immediately leaned back and pretended to be asleep after noticing Li Zhuiyuan’s appearance. Only his small fleshy legs were still kicking in rhythm, as if swimming in a dream.

On the way, they noticed nothing, but once they entered Big Beard’s territory, above them was a brilliant rainbow, and in their ears, the tide-like celestial music.

It wasn’t just simple music; within it, there was a life full of the vicissitudes of decay and corruption, and also the vibrant and flourishing spirit of growth.

The two artistic conceptions not only didn’t conflict but blended into the ultimate complement in the world, making the listener unable to resist sinking into them, unable to extricate themselves.

A-Li turned her head to look at the young man holding her hand beside her.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and said,

“Hmm, she’s already here.”

Releasing the girl’s hand, Li Zhuiyuan put down his backpack and basket, and walked alone towards the peach orchard.

This time, he had gained new insights into some of Wei Zhengdao’s past.

Moreover, he had intentionally saved things that could make Qing An happy, like canned goods that could be opened at any time when needed.

But currently, it seemed unnecessary.

The last time he came in to pick up Zhao Yi, Zhao Yi’s screams were still fresh in his memory.

But the situation inside now indicated that Chen Xiyuan was enjoying treatment completely opposite to what Zhao Yi had received.

Fortunately, after leaving the Yu family, Zhao Yi first went back to regroup his team and treat Chen Jing’s injuries, not heading directly to Nantong. Otherwise, if he had seen this scene, he would probably be so furious he’d find a peach tree and ram his head into it.

After Li Zhuiyuan entered the peach orchard, Benben raised his head, sat up, and continued to wiggle his body.

A-Li walked onto the open space.

Benben’s body stiffened for a moment. He turned his head and secretly glanced at the older sister in the red dress.

He could clearly sense who liked him and who didn’t. He also liked others very much and enjoyed being liked by others.

There was one and a half exceptions.

One was that older brother. He really liked that older brother, but when he tried to make this older brother like him based on his past experiences, he could see a hidden look of disgust and rejection in the older brother’s eyes.

The other half was this older sister.

When the older sister was tending the medicinal garden alone here, there was no one else in her eyes at all. And when the older sister came with the older brother, there was always only the older brother in her eyes.

A-Li sat on a stool next to the crib, her posture dignified, listening to the music.

Beside her, Xiao Yingying, still busy replacing new wine jars, saw this scene. With her past life memories still intact, a look of profound envy appeared in her eyes.

She used to perform in a qipao on this very open space at Big Beard’s house. She thought she imitated what she saw on TV very well; she was elegant and fashionable.

But upon seeing this person, the naturally flowing temperament, unforced, made Xiao Yingying realize that what was seen on TV was also an imitation.

Benben was still wiggling his body. He knew the older sister didn’t like him, but she didn’t dislike him either, so he could relax a little. However, he no longer made “oh-oh” sounds.

Unlike his godmother, whose ears were filled with water, and Grandpa Tian, who was hard of hearing,

The older sister could hear this beautiful sound just like him, and he certainly couldn’t disturb her.

Upon entering the peach orchard, what lay before Li Zhuiyuan was a scene of indescribable elegance and charm.

The moving melody had materialized, creating another vibrant landscape in this already idyllic place.

Inside the wooden house, the sound of the zither drifted, and Qing An was within.

Outside the wooden house, Chen Xiyuan, with her eyes closed, played the flute, completely lost in the moment.

The greatest joy in life is nothing more than finding a true confidant.

Both were music enthusiasts, and despite the vast age and generational gap, they were perfectly attuned in their rhythm.

Both Qing An and Chen Xiyuan were immersed in this lifelong passion.

Li Zhuiyuan stood still, silent.

No one dared to break the rhythm at this moment.

However, Li Zhuiyuan was also curious: how did Chen Xiyuan arrive so quickly? At present, there were no direct flights from Luoyang to Nantong, and transferring through other places would only take longer.

Even more curious was how they managed to play the zither and flute in unison.

This situation made it seem as if Chen Xiyuan had come to Nantong not for him, nor for the old lady, but specifically to visit Qing An.

In the history of the Chen family, did anyone have an old connection with Qing An, and had they met Wei Zhengdao?

Inside the wooden house, the sound of drinking occasionally came.

At Chen Xiyuan’s feet, there was also a wine jar.

Each time, the two would take turns. The one temporarily resting would lift the wine jar, drink heartily, and then rejoin.

From the moment Li Zhuiyuan stood there until now, he had seen Chen Xiyuan drink no less than twenty times.

As soon as her domain opened, the wine in the jar would flow out on its own. She only needed to open her mouth, and the wine would automatically enter her throat.

Her face was already flushed, but she became even more uninhibited and played with greater enthusiasm.

This wine came from the offerings bought by Xiao Yingying, but when absorbed by Qing An, it underwent a round of essence purification.

Even those with methods to neutralize alcohol’s effects would not dare to be reckless in front of such wine, especially since the two of them were currently seeking to truly drink and truly get drunk.

Finally, the ensemble came to an end, like life itself. It is precisely because it will end that one cherishes and longs for the beautiful moments once experienced.

The zither music stopped, the flute sounds ceased.

From inside the wooden house, Qing An’s laughter rang out: “Hahahahaha, satisfying!”

Chen Xiyuan: “Hahahahaha, enjoyable!”

The difference was that Qing An would not get drunk. His pain was real, those faces like maggots clinging to bones, constantly tormenting him.

As for Chen Xiyuan… her body immediately fell forward.

Li Zhuiyuan was about to step forward to help her up, but he saw peach blossoms falling from all around, carpeting the ground in front of Chen Xiyuan, giving her a soft landing.

She was drunk, completely unconscious.

When Li Zhuiyuan reached her, Chen Xiyuan began to speak in her drunken state:

“The old lady is indeed the old lady, she actually…”

His danger perception was faster than his brain. Without thinking, Li Zhuiyuan used the motion of helping Chen Xiyuan up to cover her mouth with his right hand.

After interrupting her drunken babbling, the young man’s mind finally processed the situation, and he said:

“See, I didn’t lie to you, did I? I told you long ago that my old lady lives in a good place, and the master of music you’ve been desperately searching for is right here.”

Qing An: “I’m very happy.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “That’s good.”

Qing An: “You little rascal, you always manage to come up with new tricks for me.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “It’s my duty.”

Qing An: “In a few days, a peach tree will have a few peaches growing on it, hanging there and being an eyesore. Help me pick them and share them.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Yes.”

Qing An reached out and took down the pole propping open the wooden house window. The window closed.

Li Zhuiyuan had strength; carrying an adult was no problem at all. And he had carried Chen Xiyuan before, in Luoyang.

But at that time, Chen Xiyuan was seriously injured and unconscious. This time, she was drunk. If he carried her, it would be easy to lose control of her mouth, and she might start babbling drunkenly again.

The young man had probably analyzed that Qing An knew some ancestor of the Chen family, and judging by the era, it was most likely the very first ancestor of the Chen family, when the Chen family’s domain was not yet fully developed and was in its initial stages.

But Chen Xiyuan clearly didn’t know Qing An. The “old lady” she just mentioned… she must have mistaken Qing An for an old lady.

Qing An’s personality was reclusive, proud, and self-admiring. If he knew that Chen Xiyuan had mistaken him for an old lady, he would absolutely not be able to accept it and would consider it a great humiliation.

At that time, not only would Chen Xiyuan’s fate be grim, but Li Zhuiyuan would also be implicated and hung up along with her.

The “piggyback” posture couldn’t be used. Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to stand directly in front of Chen Xiyuan, grasping her head with both hands, his fingers pressing against her mouth, and pulling her outward.

Fortunately, with his physique, walking like this with someone wasn’t too abrupt.

From Qing An’s perspective, even though he didn’t practice martial arts and had some strength, he wouldn’t differentiate the strength level of an ant.

As for dragging her by her two legs, it seemed more appropriate, but Chen Xiyuan’s legs were too long, making it even more inconvenient.

In any case, she couldn’t be given a chance to speak until she was out of the peach orchard area… no, until she was out of Big Beard’s property.

Inside the wooden house, Qing An raked his long hair back with both hands, his black and white hair spreading out.

On his arms, and on the back of his head and neck, which were covered by his hair, there were countless tiny faces, the size of fingernails, making different expressions.

Qing An remained unconcerned, still enjoying the afterglow of the duet.

He remembered asking Wei Zhengdao once why he didn’t truly fight Chen Yunhai.

Even if Wei Zhengdao was too lazy to fight, he could have picked any one of them to go.

Wei Zhengdao’s answer was: he wasn’t full yet, so he couldn’t defeat Chen Yunhai.

This answer astonished Qing An. That seemed to be the first time Wei Zhengdao had given such a clear “can’t defeat” assessment.

In the past, no matter how powerful the opponent, even if he couldn’t win head-on, using all sorts of methods, Wei Zhengdao would always defeat them in the end.

As for his second question, Wei Zhengdao didn’t answer.

Nor did he need to, because in Wei Zhengdao’s view, they themselves were no match for Chen Yunhai in a one-on-one fight.

Su Luo brought over a cup of tea and placed it in front of Qing An.

Qing An took the tea, smelled it, and took a sip.

He remembered asking Wei Zhengdao again at the time, since he knew this guy was tricky, why didn’t he just kill him?

Three captures and three releases. It was only because Chen Yunhai had a straightforward personality that he ultimately chose to surrender and let go.

If he had regarded it as the greatest humiliation of his life, gone back to strive for self-improvement, and vowed revenge, wouldn’t that have added a tremendous variable to the future?

Wei Zhengdao shook his head and said, this person, even if he could be killed, should not be killed.

When he asked why, Wei Zhengdao didn’t answer directly, but instead asked him a question:

“Chen Yunhai is skilled at arranging the cloud sea (Bu Yunhai).

Qing An,

Where do you think this cloud sea usually floats?”

The process of pulling Chen Xiyuan out of the peach orchard was more difficult than Li Zhuiyuan had initially expected.

A martial artist’s physique is tough. Even if the young man only pulled her by the head and neck to move her whole body, there was no need to worry about her dislocating anything.

But she was truly drunk.

Others, when drunk, would act crazy. She would unleash her domain.

Every few steps Li Zhuiyuan dragged her, he felt the gravity on his body suddenly increase several times and then suddenly decrease several times.

The ground of the peach orchard was very soft, even moist;

Along the way, the young man left behind footprints of varying depths.

The shallow ones barely showed the sole pattern, while the deep ones went straight past his calves, as if he were transplanting rice seedlings.

By the time Li Zhuiyuan finally dragged Chen Xiyuan out of the peach orchard, the young man was completely exhausted.

But it wasn’t over yet; he still had to transport her home. He couldn’t just leave her at Big Beard’s house.

Otherwise, tomorrow or the day after, when she sobered up completely, she would probably push open the window and shout at the peach orchard: “Good morning, Old Lady!”

But her domain remained in a state of constant opening and closing, not wide in scope, but significant in effect.

Old Man Tian, who had long since left the money and returned after stealing the wine, shrewdly wanted to come over and help.

But as soon as he got close, he felt a sudden surge of gravity and fell to his knees with a “thud,” essentially kowtowing to Miss Chen.

Li Zhuiyuan had no choice but to use his own methods to seal Chen Xiyuan’s body and soul.

Finally, she calmed down.

Li Zhuiyuan plucked a fresh, smooth branch from the nearest peach tree, wrapped it around Miss Chen’s mouth, and tied a knot at the back of her head.

This way, even if she spoke drunkenly, she could only “woo-woo-woo.”

Still feeling uneasy, the young man pulled out a sealing talisman and placed it on Miss Chen’s forehead.

Clapping his hands, Li Zhuiyuan instructed Old Man Tian to push the tricycle over.

Without letting Old Man Tian touch her, the young man personally lifted Chen Xiyuan onto the tricycle.

A-Li stood by, watching, with no intention of stepping forward.

Xiao Yingying, thinking it was to prevent outside men from touching her, voluntarily walked over, offering to help.

However, she was stopped by a glance from Li Zhuiyuan.

Not allowing others to help wasn’t because Li Zhuiyuan was concerned about the propriety of men and women not touching; people of the Jianghu didn’t have so many rigid rules.

The main reason was that Chen Xiyuan wasn’t seriously injured and unconscious, but drunk.

She was familiar and accustomed to him; his touch and proximity wouldn’t trigger her instinctive alertness, especially since Li Zhuiyuan had helped her clean and apply medicine when she was injured.

But physical contact from an outsider might stimulate her, making her perceive it as a threat, in which case the seal he had placed would be utterly incapable of restraining her.

And if a *sidao* like Xiao Yingying touched her, it might even cause an unpredictable stress response in Chen Xiyuan, instantly killing Xiao Yingying.

The reason A-Li didn’t come over to help was that she had already seen this point clearly.

Next, Li Zhuiyuan pushed the tricycle, carrying Chen Xiyuan home. A-Li walked side by side with Li Zhuiyuan, but her gaze was sideways, looking at the woman in the cart with a talisman on her forehead, like a sealed zombie.

The great-grandfather had already gone back to his room to sleep, and Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu were also inside.

After Li Zhuiyuan pushed the tricycle onto the open space, he pushed it all the way to the door of the east room.

The most suitable place to settle Chen Xiyuan was in front of the old lady.

Before knocking, Li Zhuiyuan first untied the branch from Chen Xiyuan’s mouth.

He knocked, and the door opened. Liu Yumei, in a white nightgown and draped with a silver cloud shawl, stood at the doorway.

She knew Xiao Yuan had taken her granddaughter out, and even if they returned a bit late, she wasn’t worried at all. But she didn’t expect that after the two children went out, they would push a woman to her and present her.

The woman’s face was mostly covered by the talisman paper. Liu Yumei raised her hand, and the talisman paper was blown away by the wind, twirling in the air before turning into ashes.

The young face of the woman clearly appeared.

Before Li Zhuiyuan could explain, Liu Yumei spoke:

“That Chen family girl.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Yes, she came to Nantong to visit you, Grandma.”

Liu Yumei glanced at Li Zhuiyuan, not exposing him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Drunk. I’m afraid she’ll act up, so I’m asking you, Grandma, to take her in temporarily.”

Liu Yumei nodded, stepped forward, and reached out. The old lady didn’t seem to make any specific movements; her palm didn’t even seem to touch Chen Xiyuan. In any case, Chen Xiyuan was lifted up and led into the room by the old lady.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t remind the old lady of any precautions, because there was no need.

The East Room bungalow had only two bedrooms and a living room, and one of the bedrooms was already filled with A-Li’s collection of items related to Xiao Yuan.

Liu Yumei had no choice but to “carry” Chen Xiyuan all the way to the bed she shared with her granddaughter.

With a slight tremor of her palm, all the dust and mud on Chen Xiyuan’s body scattered.

Liu Yumei placed her on the bed.

“This child, she’s quite pretty and vivacious.”

Her brows and eyes were almost identical to those of her confidante from back then.

This was also why Liu Yumei recognized her identity immediately.

Liu Yumei placed her palm above Chen Xiyuan’s body, slowly stroking from head to toe.

All the seals Li Zhuiyuan had placed on Chen Xiyuan were removed.

Of course, this was also because Li Zhuiyuan had placed the seals very judiciously; for Old Madam Liu, removing them was nothing.

Regaining her freedom, Chen Xiyuan’s domain once again opened.

But the newly activated domain had not yet taken effect before it was suppressed back into her body by an invisible force.

Liu Yumei: “You naughty girl, are you trying to collapse my bed?”

Unable to open her domain, Chen Xiyuan could still babble drunkenly:

“Old lady… you’re so powerful… I truly admire you so much…”

Liu Yumei extended a finger and lightly flicked Chen Xiyuan’s forehead.

“Heh, truly like your grandmother, sweet-tongued.”

Turning around, Liu Yumei found the room door closed, but A-Li hadn’t entered the room.

“It hasn’t been that long since we last saw them, have these two children not had enough fun yet?”

Li Zhuiyuan indeed hadn’t had enough fun, and he was playing with evil.

“Brother Xiao Yuan.” Tan Wenbin stood at the entrance of the dojo, smoking a cigarette. “Everything’s ready inside.”

“Okay, Brother Binbin, go back and rest.”

“Alright.”

Tan Wenbin didn’t ask why he couldn’t stay; he just left and went back to lie in his coffin.

Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li walked into their dojo.

Earlier, Tan Wenbin, along with Run Sheng and Lin Shuyou, had already prepared the materials he needed.

Considering that his most abundant resource at the moment was various demon beast materials, the evil spell Li Zhuiyuan intended to try first was related to this.

“A-Li, thank you for your hard work.”

A-Li smiled, squatted down, and began to perform the final delicate processing of the roughly processed demon beast skins, tendons, bones, horns, and so on.

This work was something Li Zhuiyuan could have done himself.

But earlier, in order to drag Chen Xiyuan out of the peach orchard, his body, especially his hands, were still somewhat exhausted, making it impossible to accurately carve the patterns.

Fortunately, his body was tired, but his spirit was robust, which would not affect the upcoming evil spell experiment.

Li Zhuiyuan laid out three books in front of him.

One was a volume of Wei Zhengdao’s “Zhengdao Fumo Lu,” which recorded the evil spell he was about to attempt—the “Sanxiang Shouyuan Zhou” (Three-Form Beast Resentment Curse).

Although the content was already memorized, flipping through the textbook again before a minor exam helped calm his mind.

This was nominally an evil spell, but in reality, it was somewhat similar to refining evil artifacts.

Many demon beast materials were required, but the main component had to be a sufficiently powerful and pure soul. Through the curse, it would be linked to itself and its close relatives, then subjected to the biting of beast resentment to stimulate its brutal and ferocious side. Afterward, it would be sealed in an object and activated when used, like releasing a demon from its cage.

Li Zhuiyuan had already prepared the sealing objects, temporarily setting aside five array flags, but he probably wouldn’t need that many.

This evil curse was evil precisely because it would implicate the relatives of the “raw material,” especially targeting the younger generations who possessed the strongest yang vitality.

The karmic ties of curses were already severe, and the intensity of the karmic backlash, especially when it was uncertain who it would ultimately affect, was even greater. Moreover, given Li Hongsheng’s identity, the final involvement would be with members of the Xuanmen, and the opposing party was the Bixia Sect, which had a Daoist lineage.

In the past, Li Zhuiyuan would never have attempted this evil spell. Now, the young man was already eager to try.

Since Li Hongsheng, at the Yu family ancestral home, could shamelessly lay hands on other families’ younger generations, then Li Hongsheng would certainly understand the act of someone laying hands on his own family’s younger generation.

The second book was a wordless book. When Li Zhuiyuan turned to the first page, the woman inside had already prepared to hand over Li Hongsheng’s clean soul.

Just then, the woman in the cage in the book saw A-Li beside her. A-Li seemed to sense something and looked back as well.

The *Evil Book* would never dare to intentionally target A-Li, but its evil nature was sometimes like a normal person’s breathing; whoever looked at her would be affected.

Previously, when Li Zhuiyuan looked at her, there were no outsiders present.

When she tried to restrain herself, she found it was too late; she had already been affected.

Then, a terrifying scene appeared in the caged woman’s vision, making her recoil in the painting in fear.

She failed to scare A-Li. After glancing at her, A-Li continued to lower her head and complete the final carving in her hands.

Instead, the woman was recoiled by A-Li’s spiritual power and fell into A-Li’s “dream.”

After a long while, the woman finally woke up, collapsing on the floor of the cell.

She realized that in front of the young man and those around him, she was practically a novice evil being.

The third book was blank, more like a black hard-covered notebook.

For his first serious experiment with evil spells, Li Zhuiyuan planned to take notes, writing down the process and insights.

While there was still some time before starting, after reviewing the contents of “Sanxiang Shouyuan Zhou” in “Zhengdao Fumo Lu,” Li Zhuiyuan picked up a pen and wrote down the experimental objectives, steps, and other standard formats in the notebook.

Just as Li Zhuiyuan finished writing and put down his pen, A-Li also completed the final pattern carving.

“A-Li, wait for me outside. If I confirm my conjecture, we’ll play together next time.”

A-Li nodded and walked out of the dojo.

Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze slightly condensed. He spread his hands and began to replicate the evil curse recorded by Wei Zhengdao.

First, Li Hongsheng’s soul was extracted by Li Zhuiyuan from the wordless book and infused into the prepared demon beast materials. Then, the young man proceeded step by step according to the process.

Only through personal experience could one deeply realize how practical and refined Wei Zhengdao’s descriptions were.

Li Zhuiyuan encountered no difficulties, everything went extremely smoothly.

But halfway through, specifically when three black threads extended from Li Hongsheng’s soul into nothingness in the young man’s vision, a strong sense of warning suddenly arose in the young man’s heart!

Not everyone who uses evil spells can have such a feeling. The deeper the cultivation and the greater the involvement, the stronger the sensing ability.

Many so-called evil cultivators practiced until they died from karmic backlash, never even knowing the nature of the evil spells they practiced.

If described concretely, this feeling would make you anxious, uneasy, as if the sky would collapse and crush you to death.

Li Zhuiyuan had experienced similar feelings before. It was a subtle connection between heaven and man, implying that he should not proceed with this matter and should turn back early, otherwise, there would be karmic backlash.

In the past, Li Zhuiyuan, after touching it a few times and only sensing a little, immediately understood and corrected his words and actions. After he thoroughly grasped the rules, he maintained the habit of ensuring his every move could withstand the scrutiny of the Heavenly Dao.

This time, Li Zhuiyuan did not stop; instead, he intensified his efforts.

As the evil spell continued to advance, the warning in Li Zhuiyuan’s heart grew stronger and stronger, and he even experienced thunder-like auditory hallucinations!

The young man was fearless, without any hesitation!

Finally, the last step arrived. Li Hongsheng’s soul, enveloped by beast resentment, was cut into three segments by Li Zhuiyuan and infused into three black array flags respectively.

On each of the three array flags, a distorted and ferocious face appeared.

The “Sanxiang Shouyuan Zhou” was complete!

And at the moment of completion, the intense warning in the young man’s heart, which felt as if it could condense into drops of water, instantly melted away like ice and snow under a scorching sun!

This process of pushing his inner trepidation to the extreme and then rapidly alleviating it made the young man unable to help but look up, biting his lip tightly, thus avoiding letting out a soul-shaking sound of comfort.

When he lowered his head again, a smile appeared at the corner of the young man’s mouth.

That’s right, he guessed correctly. Merits were right above his head. The karma he had incurred from using the evil spell was offset by the merits nominally belonging to him but practically unusable!

Other people’s merits from walking the Jiang are like cash received directly. As for me, they are stored in a passbook under my name. That savings bank is always closed, and I cannot enter to withdraw my merits, but the corresponding amount can be directly debited as compensation.

After the successful demonstration, a new speculation arose in Li Zhuiyuan’s mind:

If compensatory deductions can be made, then if the amount in my passbook runs out in the future, can I still make a certain amount of overdrafts?

This idea was very risky, because Li Zhuiyuan didn’t know the consequences of not being able to repay an overdraft in time. This could very likely cause him to no longer be in the safe zone outside the “wave,” after all, this was merit owed to the Heavenly Dao!

Most importantly, there should still be a lot of unusable merit under his account.

For now, it was inexhaustible, completely inexhaustible.

Li Zhuiyuan put away the three array flags. He could give one to Run Sheng, Tan Wenbin, and Lin Shuyou each. Anyway, the “money” for buying this item had already been paid by him, and the Heavenly Dao had even helped him pay for it.

The young man picked up his notebook and continued writing the subsequent part of the experiment.

After writing the last sentence, the young man put down his pen and replaced the cap.

Just then, Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze swept over the last sentence on that page of the “Zhengdao Fumo Lu.” Every *sidao*, evil cultivator, and great demon in each volume of Wei Zhengdao’s book had a fixed way of dying.

Li Hongsheng was dead. The evil spell performed with him as raw material was offset by his merits. Those merits were his, yet not his.

They were deposited, managed, and deducted by the Heavenly Dao, entirely without his hands.

If he were to switch perspectives, he could entirely understand it as: there is no such thing as merit anyway; he had never seen it, nor did he possess it.

He also didn’t know this was an evil spell; he thought it was a technique of the righteous path.

He simply practiced it and used it. As a result, the Heavenly Dao didn’t hold him accountable, and everything was calm and peaceful.

Could that then mean that what he did was inherently permitted by the righteous principles of this path?

What he had just done, where was it an evil or unorthodox practice? It was clearly the upright and proper path.

Li Hongsheng’s soul was not annihilated by an evil spell, but rather purged by the glorious methods of the righteous path.

You deliberately withhold the merits I deserve, first to disgust me; then why can’t I reciprocate and disgust you in return?

Li Zhuiyuan took off the pen cap again, and below the already completed experimental record, he drew another short line,

And wrote:

“Li Hongsheng,

Destroyed by the righteous path.”