Tan Wenbin braced himself with one hand against the stone under his bottom to keep from slipping, while his other hand went to his mouth. He opened his mouth and bit down on his wrist.

Brother Xiaoyuan was right; he needed to sit first, otherwise, he might really collapse onto the ground and get covered in thick mud.

The physiological fear was evident, almost uncontrollable.

Even though he had known for a long time that the waves following Brother Xiaoyuan would be much harder than those of his peers, in the grand scheme of things, they still followed a progressive pattern.

During this time, there were indeed instances like the Fengdu trip, where they were embroiled in conflicts of the Bodhisattva and Great Emperor level. But even in the cracks, survival was possible, provided one could find those cracks.

With Brother Xiaoyuan, not only could they find cracks early, but they could also actively widen them to extract more benefits.

But this time was different. Brother Xiaoyuan’s previous explanation was for him to better convey to Ayou and Runsheng, but the final conclusion was remarkably concise.

The great turtle was going to come ashore from Qidong, landing in Nantong.

Without hesitation or looking back, it was willing to pay a huge price, just to kill the person it wanted to kill.

When such an existence stared fixedly at you and was crushing straight towards you, even if you tried to lift your head slightly to look at the night sky, you could feel every inch of your flesh, from your chest to your neck to your face, pulling hard to stop you, as if looking up would cause you to suddenly meet those terrifying eyes in the night sky.

On the other hand, Tan Wenbin had bitten his wrist until it bled. Some blood dripped into the puddles on the ground, while some swirled in his mouth, staining his teeth red.

This was psychological excitement.

That damned turtle was really coming!

He finally had a chance for revenge!

Even if the probability of successful revenge seemed minuscule at the moment, Tan Wenbin still felt incredibly excited and exhilarated.

Because of Li Lan, Li Zhuiyuan had extensive experience being studied as mentally ill.

So, Li Zhuiyuan had always known that Zheng Haiyang was not just a knot in Tan Wenbin’s heart, but that Tan Wenbin had actually developed a mental illness when he witnessed Zheng Haiyang’s family brutally die before his eyes.

That night, Tan Wenbin chased the tricycle, shouting, “Zhuangzhuang also wants to go back to Grandpa Li’s house.”

It was less about Tan Wenbin being obsessed with avenging Zheng Haiyang, and more about him being unable to continue living a normal life as “Tan Wenbin.”

If he chose the latter, his ultimate destination would be Jiuhuashan, as the people of Nantong often said… there was a mental hospital there.

It was just that Tan Wenbin was very good at disguising it, or rather, he always defined his mental illness as an unbreakable bond of friendship with Zheng Haiyang.

Li Zhuiyuan stood up. The rain had gradually lightened. He closed his umbrella and stood still, waiting for Tan Wenbin.

Finally, Tan Wenbin became a little clearer. The “spasms” of both physiological and psychological fear receded. He looked at the deep wound he had bitten into his wrist and the continuously oozing blood, then looked at Li Zhuiyuan with a bit of embarrassment, saying:

“Sorry, Brother Xiaoyuan, I’ve disgraced you.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “I envy you, having such strong emotional expression.”

Tan Wenbin became even more embarrassed. He immediately stood up. Brother Xiaoyuan was already comforting him about his mental issues; how could he still have the face to be sentimental?

Li Zhuiyuan turned and walked home. Tan Wenbin followed.

“Brother Xiaoyuan, if this wave directly hits Nantong, right up to our doorstep, does that mean the people at home… will have a reason to help us?”

Li Zhuiyuan stopped and looked back at the intersection of the road and the village path.

“So, do you know now why Li Lan just stood there and didn’t enter the village?”

Tan Wenbin: “So that’s it. It seems that the big turtle’s eyesight is really bad. Auntie didn’t enter the village, didn’t see the people and things in the village, so for the big turtle, when it comes here… if it also merges with Auntie’s memories, it means that the Siyuan Village in the big turtle’s perception is still the way it was many years ago when Auntie brought her fiancé back.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “The Way of Heaven does not allow the forces behind a ‘Lantern Lighter’ to provide subjective assistance after the ‘lighting.’ Thus, ancient families and sects all have a set of customs for dealing with each generation’s ‘Lantern Lighter.'”

Tan Wenbin: “Just like before Zhao Yi and Chen Xiyuan lit their lanterns, they would say a married daughter is like spilled water, but then go all out to prepare the most generous dowry for their ‘daughter.'”

Li Zhuiyuan: “So, the simplest method is, regarding the news of this wave, we keep silent. When that day truly arrives, we can even hide and not come out first.

This way, everyone in the village can spontaneously and normally resist the evil, without worrying about karmic backlash.

At the very least, didn’t those elders in the Yu family’s wave also take action?

Although many elders like Xu Fengzhi deliberately chose not to receive treatment after that battle and preferred to die to cleanse themselves, the two from the Dragon King family just went into seclusion to isolate themselves from worldly affairs.

This wave from the big turtle, it’s too direct, the water comes too fast; it’s heading straight for this village of Nantong. And we weren’t just here temporarily seeking shelter; we’ve always lived here.

This itself gives us a lot of room for maneuver.”

Tan Wenbin didn’t respond, just silently pulled out his cigarette case, took out a cigarette that had gotten wet in the car, bit it, then pulled out a piece of yellow paper, ignited it by shaking, and held it under the cigarette to roast.

In the blink of an eye, the entire cigarette was burned to ash.

Tan Wenbin muttered to himself: I actually believed in nimble fingers and practice making perfect.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Also, there’s good news I can tell you, Li Lan told me this, which is the completion target of the next wave.”

Tan Wenbin was startled and said, “Auntie leaked the question?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “It’s not just the question that’s leaked, it’s the answer.”

“Leaking the question” refers to what specific opponent and challenge you ultimately need to resolve in a wave.

“Leaking the answer” means you only need to achieve a minimum score for the wave to be considered complete, though the Heavenly Dao merit you receive after the wave won’t be a high proportion.

Tan Wenbin knew that when facing an existence of the great turtle’s level, if it were a matter of “either you die or I die,” then Brother Xiaoyuan wouldn’t have mentioned it at all.

Bringing it up meant there was a passing score, a bottom line, below that.

Anyone who has been to university knows that striving for high scores for a scholarship and merely aiming to pass without failing are worlds apart in terms of difficulty and effort.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Li Lan asked me today to play mother and son with her for twenty-four hours. I agreed. Guess why the car broke down?”

Tan Wenbin: “Was I driving too fast?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Yes. In the end, she and I walked slowly together, under an umbrella. When we reached the village entrance, our performance time was exactly twelve hours.

Then, she turned and left.

The play certainly has to be finished.

The remaining twelve hours are the time limit for the big turtle to come to the village entrance and make a move on me.”

Tan Wenbin: “Brother Xiaoyuan, did you two communicate like this when you were home before?”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head: “She nagged a lot today, reminded me many times. Maybe she thinks she’s gotten better and become dumber, or maybe she thinks my condition is under control and I’ve become dumber.”

Tan Wenbin: “So, we just need to find a way to avoid the great turtle’s twelve-hour pursuit, and this wave, this crisis, will pass?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “It has already made huge sacrifices, but it cannot pay an infinite price. However, even so, our chances of winning… no, I should say our survival rate, is still very low.

This is the most difficult wave we’ve experienced so far, with the lowest survival rate.”

Tan Wenbin took out another wet cigarette and bit it, purely for psychological gratification.

“Haha, Brother Xiaoyuan, actually, if you think about it from another perspective, the moment that big turtle decided to come ashore, it was bound to pay a huge price. Whether I survive or not, I’ll have avenged Haiyang!”

Li Zhuiyuan: “For now, that’s all. Tell the other two later and remind them to keep it confidential.”

Tan Wenbin: “Runsheng will definitely be fine. Ayou might show some clues to others, but it’s not a big problem. Even Zhao Yi wouldn’t be able to tell that this wave could be so exaggerated.”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded, pulled out a piece of yellow paper, and helped Tan Wenbin dry and light his cigarette.

Tan Wenbin cupped his hands around the fluttering yellow paper, waiting for it to fall and disperse, treating it as a courtesy for someone lighting his cigarette and shielding the wind.

Li Zhuiyuan left the village road and turned onto a small path.

Tan Wenbin stood in place, hands on his hips, taking a couple more puffs of his cigarette.

He knew Brother Xiaoyuan well. Brother Xiaoyuan asking him to inform Runsheng and Lin Shuyou was proper, but Tan Wenbin felt Brother Xiaoyuan’s request for secrecy wasn’t for the convenience of using the power of the “people” living in the village later.

Indeed, Auntie had chosen a place she deemed safe for her son.

But Brother Xiaoyuan probably didn’t want to burn the last bit of kindling from the Qin and Liu families here, for his own sake.

Tan Wenbin took a final deep drag from his cigarette, exhaling through his nostrils. He tossed the cigarette butt into a puddle on the ground, then habitually stepped on it with his foot, making a “splat” and splattering mud all over his trousers.

“Brother Xiaoyuan didn’t even tell me about this…”

Li Zhuiyuan reached the courtyard of his home and looked up to see A’li still sitting on the second-floor balcony.

Dressed in a green dress, she held a white paper umbrella with floral patterns.

A’li had been sitting there since he left that morning, waiting for him to return.

Li Zhuiyuan walked upstairs and stood before A’li.

A’li put down the umbrella and looked down at the boy’s hands.

Li Zhuiyuan spread his palms open, presenting them for the girl to inspect.

A’li looked up at the boy, two small dimples appearing on her face.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and held the girl’s hand, then touched her face; it was very cold from being exposed to the rain and wind for too long.

Liu Yumei was currently staying at Liu Jinxia’s house.

Uncle Qin would not go up to the second floor alone to face A’li.

And the only thing Aunt Liu could do was probably bring her an umbrella when it rained; she couldn’t possibly persuade A’li to come down.

A’li squatted down and picked up two cans of Jianlibao from under the wicker chair.

There was a layer of water on the beverage cans, and leaves were stuck to their sides.

A’li first picked off the leaves, then poured out the water from the can openings, and used her handkerchief to wipe them.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Shouldn’t you be drinking some ginger soup to warm up at this time?”

A’li’s movements stopped, then she looked towards the kitchen below.

Seeing this, Li Zhuiyuan immediately said, “I don’t like to drink that. I’m hungry right now; let’s go make some small wontons to eat.”

Everyone has what they are good at and not good at, and A’li couldn’t cook.

Asking her to make ginger soup, Li Zhuiyuan also worried that the girl would later bring him a large bowl of water stewed with several whole pieces of old ginger.

At that time, he would still have to drink it with a smiling, appreciative face.

Life didn’t need to be needlessly difficult.

Li Zhuiyuan led A’li downstairs and happened to meet Tan Wenbin calling Runsheng and Ayou out of their coffins.

Both of them had participated in the renovation of the dojo today and were very exhausted.

Runsheng: “Let Ayou sleep; I’ll go push the car.”

Runsheng had also gone out with Xiaoyuan in the morning and hadn’t worked the full day.

Lin Shuyou nodded and was about to lie down again.

Let alone a small pickup truck, Runsheng alone could pull back a train engine.

Before he could finish lying down, Lin Shuyou was pulled up again by Tan Wenbin.

“Brother Bin…”

“Let’s go.”

“Understood!”

Li Zhuiyuan: “I’ll make you some late-night snacks.”

Tan Wenbin: “No need, I’ll take them both to eat fried skewers at the entrance of Shigang Town Middle School first. After we’re full, we’ll push the car back to help digest.”

At this hour, only the shops near the middle school in town were still open.

Upon entering the kitchen, Li Zhuiyuan first poured water into the pot and lit the stove, then poured oil into another pot to fry some fried eggs.

A’li stood by the stove, watching the process intently.

Li Zhuiyuan: “A’li, just sit there and wait.”

The girl gripped the hem of her skirt with her fingertips, her head half-bowed, motionless.

“Then I’ll start the fire. When the water boils, you put this whole plate of small wontons in.”

A’li nodded.

After serving up the fried eggs, Li Zhuiyuan sat behind the stove. The fire in the stove was sufficient and didn’t really need supervision.

Through the special cut-out between the two stoves, he could see A’li standing in front of the pot, holding the plate of small wontons, meticulously watching the small bubbles beneath the water’s surface.

This scene was very much like how he used to be when trying to draw talismans.

However, in terms of cooking, it depended on who you compared her to; even if A’li couldn’t cook, her culinary skills were far superior to Yin Meng’s.

Thinking of Yin Meng, Li Zhuiyuan’s mind conjured the image of the Fengdu Great Emperor portrait, torn by the wind on the car’s front window earlier.

Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu’s west room was adjacent to the kitchen.

At this moment, Uncle Qin was lying in bed, his back bloody. A wooden basin was placed under the bed, filled with clotted blood that Aunt Liu had just drawn from him with medicinal leeches.

After the “Life Centipede” on Uncle Qin’s body began to transform into a flood dragon, the balance between his body and the seal was continuously broken, which meant Aunt Liu had to help him with conditioning every now and then.

Uncle Qin: “Go to the kitchen. Prepare some late-night snacks for Xiaoyuan and A’li.”

Aunt Liu: “Hmph, you’re such a blockhead.”

The small wontons were cooked.

Two bowls were placed on the small dining table in the kitchen.

Just as the two sat down face to face, ready to eat, a white, ghostly figure suddenly appeared behind the boy.

This was a hungry ghost.

Chen Xiyuan: “I’m hungry.”

Li Zhuiyuan gave her his bowl, then went back to cook more wontons.

The stove fire hadn’t gone out, and the water in the pot was still boiling. Li Zhuiyuan put all the small wontons that Aunt Liu had prepared earlier, tray after tray, into the pot.

Chen Xiyuan: “It’s delicious! The taste is exactly the same as what Sister makes.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Aunt Liu wrapped them.”

Chen Xiyuan: “I mean the seasonings, they’re identical.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Are they?”

Chen Xiyuan: “Please trust my taste.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Don’t run around like this late at night, you might scare people.”

Chen Xiyuan shook her head, tossing her long hair to both sides: “I don’t want to either, but I was ordered around by Zhao Yi all day today, busy the whole time. I went back, showered, and fell asleep as soon as I lay down.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Didn’t eat dinner?”

Chen Xiyuan: “I did.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “There’s no more flour noodles at home, and no more dried noodles either.”

Chen Xiyuan: “I ate them all. Sister made me Chongqing xiaomian.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Meaning you usually don’t eat so openly. Otherwise, you, a music teacher, don’t even have to hold students after class, and if you were always the first one in the cafeteria, all the teachers and students in the school would go hungry.”

Chen Xiyuan looked at A’li, who was sitting opposite her, drinking soup with a spoon, and asked with some surprise:

“Little brother is in a good mood today, did something good happen?”

A’li didn’t answer, continuing to drink her soup.

Meeting her mother should have been a happy occasion, but here it was an exception.

Chen Xiyuan was also familiar with A’li’s personality and wasn’t upset at all. After quickly finishing her bowl, she continued to look forward to what was in the pot.

In the end, Li Zhuiyuan only ate half a bowl of wontons and drank a bit more soup.

Chen Xiyuan wasn’t satisfied and asked, “Where did Tan Wenbin and the others go?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “The car broke down on the road; they went to push it.”

Chen Xiyuan: “Oh, well, then we’ll just have to wait until tomorrow. I was thinking of inviting them to have a late-night snack by the river again. That big white rat’s cooking is really good.

It’s a shame it’s your family’s pet; if it were wild, I’d want to catch it and take it back to Hainan for my grandpa’s drinking snacks.”

“You can discuss it with him; he’s probably used to working odd jobs everywhere.”

Chen Xiyuan nodded and then laughed, “It’s hilarious. After you left this morning, Zhao Yi originally wanted Tan Wenbin to get that internal reference book from your bedroom. He had just set the stage, but then Tan Wenbin was called away by your phone call, haha.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “I’ll go get it for you now, you can copy it.”

Chen Xiyuan: “No way, using my brain before bed leads to hair loss.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Then give it to Zhao Yi tomorrow morning and let him copy two copies. You can choose one from them.”

Chen Xiyuan: “Good idea!”

Li Zhuiyuan took A’li to Cui Cui’s house.

It was still Chen Xiyuan who directly brought the person to the balcony and opened the door.

When the boy walked out, A’li stood on the balcony, watching his retreating figure for a very long time.

Because from his return until now, the boy had not told her what had happened, unlike usual.

Back home, after Li Zhuiyuan showered, he returned to his room.

He didn’t rush to bed but took out “Zoujiang Behavior Guidelines.”

Thinking that this book would be seen by Zhao Yi and Chen Xiyuan tomorrow morning, the boy pushed it aside and took out “Zhuiyuan’s Secret Scroll.”

Opening a blank page, he first wrote:

“Li Lan never entered the Xuanmen, so she didn’t attract special targeting from the Heavenly Dao?”

Turning to another page, Li Zhuiyuan continued to write:

“I studied physiognomy and fortune-telling, I analyzed the causal flow of the river, I tried to dig canals to divert water myself, and I even poured water on the ground to see where it would flow next.

But I still don’t believe that a person’s fate is predetermined, nor do I believe that the future can be 100% foretold.

Physiognomy and fortune-telling are all data analyses accumulated by predecessors generation after generation.

Brother Liangliang also doesn’t believe in fate, nor that the future is predetermined.

All his predictions about the future are based on a deep understanding of the laws of objective development.

So,

Who gave me that dream I had in the high school principal’s office?

And who,

Can make me and that great turtle dream the same dream?”

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head and looked at the dark night sky outside the window.

When the lanterns for Zoujiang hadn’t ignited themselves, Li Zhuiyuan realized that “it” had been watching him all along.

Turns out,

When he took out the first book written by Wei Zhengdao from his great-grandfather’s basement, “it” had already begun to set a trap for him.

Very rational, yet extremely absurd.

“What did Wei Zhengdao do to you back then?

To make you so hastily bind a child who had only read a few sets of jianghu encyclopedias with that great turtle from the East Sea?”

In the car during the day, Li Lan, because he had affirmed the result of the second painting early, sighed that her son was truly confident.

But the truth was,

The Heavenly Dao’s trust in his abilities was truly extraordinarily high.

Li Zhuiyuan turned to another page and wrote on it:

“Wei Zhengdao, did you play with big turtles when you were little?”

The next morning, Li Zhuiyuan woke up, ready to wash up and then go to Cui Cui’s house to pick up A’li.

Holding his washbasin, toothbrush, and tooth mug, just as he stepped out of his room, Li Zhuiyuan saw Zhao Yi squatting by the vegetable patch below the courtyard, hunched over, dirty, and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes made from white paper.

He looked exactly like a poor migrant worker who had come to the foreman’s house to reclaim his unpaid wages.

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan come out, Zhao Yi turned his head and looked up, raising his hand to greet him: “Ancestor, morning!”

Then, he extended his tongue to lick the edge of the white paper, sealed the rolled cigarette, and took a deep sniff under his nose.

He pulled out a matchbox from his pocket and drew out a match.

“Scratch!”

“Scratch!”

“Scratch!”

He struck it several times in a row, finally igniting it. He immediately brought his mouth to light the rolled cigarette, then vigorously shook his arm to extinguish the match.

Li Zhuiyuan: “Come on up.”

The boy turned and went back into the house.

It should have been given long ago; the reason it hadn’t been given was mainly because Zhao Yi had been “too greedy” early on, pretending to be refined.

Zhao Yi, cigarette dangling from his mouth, sprinted up the courtyard, entered the house, and went upstairs.

Now he realized he couldn’t pretend any longer; these tasks from the Li family just kept coming one after another, they were damn endless!

If he didn’t get his hands on the internal reference soon, he wouldn’t be surprised if the Li family asked him to go fish for turtles in the East Sea.

As he reached the room door, Li Zhuiyuan emerged again, handing “Zoujiang Behavior Guidelines” to Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi first rubbed his hands back and forth on his dirty clothes, making his already clean hands dirty, before solemnly taking the book with both hands.

With it, and by understanding it, he could gain a deeper knowledge of the rules of Zoujiang, achieving twice the result with half the effort!

At that time, he wouldn’t have to worry about anything else. He would live calmly through wave after wave, accumulating a large amount of merit, while slowly drinking a cup of tea, waiting for the tragic news that the Li family member had choked to death on a drink.

Zhao Yi: “Li, by giving me this, does it mean you already have something better in your hands?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “No.”

Zhao Yi: “I don’t believe you.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “You’ve got the thing. Now, you can pack up and take your people back to Jiujiang.”

Zhao Yi: “Just got this thing, and then turn around and leave? That doesn’t seem right, does it?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “By the way, copy this book twice, one copy for Chen Xiyuan.”

Zhao Yi: “No, she actually gets one too?”

Li Zhuiyuan: “Yes.”

Zhao Yi: “Li, I’ve been injured for you, I’ve bled for you, why? This isn’t fair!”

Li Zhuiyuan: “She has money. Before lighting the lantern for Zoujiang, the Dragon King’s sect prepared a dwelling for her, and she gave it all to me.”

Zhao Yi: “Is having money amazing? Can you do whatever you want with money? Brother Xiaoyuan, can I take a look at the scraps from that dwelling that you don’t want?”

Li Zhuiyuan carried the basin to the water vat and began to brush his teeth.

Zhao Yi followed him: “You know, I actually used to have decent conditions, but now I’m reduced to being only slightly richer than you. Isn’t that pathetic?

Besides, my Zhao family in Jiujiang is simply too far from the orthodox Dragon King family. The things the orthodox Dragon King family prepares for their inheritors, tsk, just thinking about it makes my mouth water.”

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan wash his face after brushing his teeth, without responding to his words.

Zhao Yi could only raise his voice, saying: “Li, just pretend you’re the landlord and I’m the tenant. I’m borrowing some grain from you in advance. At worst, you, the landlord, can demand a high return on it!”

“What landlord?” Li Sanjiang walked out of the room. “Bah, bah, bah, landlords get shot. Early morning, it’s unlucky.”

Li Zhuiyuan went to Cui Cui’s house, and Zhao Yi followed along.

“Li, I want to stay here a bit longer, accompany Old Tian, and then my god-grandmother. Also, when I’m reading, if there’s anything I don’t understand, I can come ask you in time.”

“Suit yourself.”

The wind howls before the storm.

At that time, they would notice themselves.

Upon arriving at Cui Cui’s house, they stepped onto the courtyard.

The wooden box radio hanging on the wall was playing the weather news:

“Dear listeners, according to the meteorological observatory, this year’s 5th typhoon formed in the northwest Pacific Ocean at 2 AM yesterday…”

Li Zhuiyuan stopped.

It,

had set off.

A’li was still grooming herself in the living room.

Liu Jinxia walked out with two steamed buns: “Xiaoyuanhou, quickly try the steamed buns your Auntie Juxiang just made. This one is pickled vegetable filling, and this one is shredded radish.

Oh my, Yihou, what happened to you!”

Liu Jinxia hurried forward, grabbing Zhao Yi’s dirty and torn clothes:

“I told you to buy me less stuff, spend less money, how did you end up looking like this?”

Saying that, Liu Jinxia reached into her pocket, but found nothing.

“Wait, I’ll go get you some money from inside the house.”

“Hey, hey, hey, god-grandmother, no need, no need. I’m dressed like this today because someone owes me money, and I deliberately wore this to collect a debt.”

“You’re going to collect a debt, so you must not have any money. I’ll get some for you to put in your pocket for emergencies.”

Liu Jinxia insisted on going inside, and Zhao Yi could only smile wryly, unable to stop her.

Hearts are made of flesh; he could tell that after his efforts during this period, Liu Jinxia had accepted him.

Just then, Cui Cui, rubbing her eyes, walked out of her room and onto the second-floor balcony, looking half-asleep.

She opened her eyes, looked around, and asked in confusion:

“Huh, where’s the wind?”

Zhao Yi looked up at Cui Cui and asked, “What’s wrong, little sister?”

“I dreamed last night, the wind was so strong, and the rain was so heavy!”

Zhao Yi: “I get it, you definitely wet the bed!”

Cui Cui’s face immediately turned red. She glared at Zhao Yi downstairs and said exasperatedly:

“Brother Yihou is so mean, I’m not talking to you anymore. From now on, I’ll only acknowledge Brother Yuanhou!”

Li Zhuiyuan and A’li held hands, each with a steamed bun in their other hand, eating as they walked home.

After arriving home and having some porridge for breakfast, Li Zhuiyuan asked A’li to go upstairs to her room to do crafts, while he headed to the dojo that had been renovated yesterday.

The basic work was all done; now it only needed his personal tuning, which wasn’t difficult.

Zhao Yi was forced to accept Liu Jinxia’s money and was pressed to stay and eat breakfast. When he walked onto Li Sanjiang’s courtyard, he saw Ayou sitting there, using chopsticks to stir the porridge in front of him, looking distraught.

“What’s wrong, what happened?”

Lin Shuyou immediately shook his head: “Nothing, nothing at all.”

Zhao Yi: “Did something big happen?”

Lin Shuyou: “No, what are you talking about?”

Zhao Yi: “Still hiding it from me?”

Lin Shuyou: “Three-Eyes, are you annoying or what!”

Zhao Yi reached out and patted Ayou’s shoulder, comforting him:

“Ah, what’s the big deal? It’s just that the love letter thing got out, right?”

Lin Shuyou: “…”

Inside the dojo.

Li Zhuiyuan completed all the debugging and arrangements. He could only say that Zhao Yi was definitely a qualified supervisor.

However, he used to think the dojo was his most secret and safest place, but now this dojo couldn’t give him much sense of security.

Li Zhuiyuan walked to the altar of the Fengdu Great Emperor, where the hanging portrait was majestic and solemn.

The young man took three sticks of incense, inserted them into the censer, and with a wave of his hand, the incense smoke curled upwards.

Looking up at the Great Emperor in the portrait, Li Zhuiyuan spoke:

“Master, your disciple, I miss you.

How about,

I return to Fengdu now to visit you?”

“Bang!”

The portrait fell off, hit the censer, and instantly burst into flames!