Chapter 70

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin immediately looked at Li Zhuoyuan with intense gazes. At this moment, silence was more effective than words.

Since leaving home, they had experienced quite a few strange things and seen many deaths. However, after suddenly having their fill of rich food, they began to miss the simple flavors that soothed their stomachs.

For the two of them, a normal corpse salvage was simply a way to cultivate sentiment.

Li Zhuoyuan nodded.

The two immediately exchanged glances and smiled. Runsheng lit a “cigar,” while Tan Wenbin excitedly rubbed his hands.

Yin Meng entered the inner room. She first pushed open the coffin lid, then went outside to bring in the warmed clay pot. She poured it into a bowl and used a spoon to feed it little by little into the old man’s mouth.

This wasn’t medicine, but more like a kind of thick sugar water, used to sustain the old man’s life.

After feeding him, Yin Meng filled a basin with hot water, changed the old man’s diaper, carefully wiped his body, and finally changed him into clean clothes.

After doing all this, she wiped away some sweat with the back of her hand.

The old man opened his eyes.

Yin Meng was slightly stunned, then immediately laughed:

“Grandpa, you can actually open your eyes, and your complexion is much better. It looks like you’ll be well.”

Li Zhuoyuan had been standing at the side watching. He knew the old man could open his eyes; he was paralyzed from a stroke, not in a vegetative state. Moreover, many people in a vegetative state could still open their eyes and look around a bit.

The old man had previously deliberately shown no response, wanting to intentionally dampen his granddaughter’s hopes. It would be best if she just treated him as a burden to care for. He knew his own physical condition and didn’t want his granddaughter to hold any hope.

That he actively opened his eyes today was likely because he wanted to take one last look at his granddaughter.

As for his face showing a good complexion, it was actually a sign of the “return of light.”

Yin Meng happily said a few words to the old man, then carried the basin of dirty clothes out to wash.

Li Zhuoyuan walked to the side of the coffin, looking at the old man. In his eyes, he saw relief.

Last night, the old man hadn’t asked him to tell the truth to Yin Meng. Thinking about it, he didn’t want his granddaughter, after experiencing being “abandoned by her parents” in childhood, to have new wounds reopened.

Just seeing Yin Meng’s attitude towards those two half-brothers, heh, Old Man, you might not be bringing two burdens to your granddaughter.

But thinking again, Li Zhuoyuan felt the old man wouldn’t make that mistake.

To put it bluntly, navigating the river, who could possibly have any truly good men and faithful women?

How simple it was to kill someone on the river; just tie a stone and sink them.

This group of people had means and abilities. Normally they relied on the ways of heaven, kindness, and worldly rules to restrain themselves, but what if they stopped caring one day?

So, ah, never force the “honest person” to the point of desperation.

Li Zhuoyuan walked to the doorway of the inner room and saw Yin Meng wiping away tears while hanging clothes.

Also, she was, after all, an orthodox heir to the corpse salvage trade. How could she not recognize the “return of light”?

It was nothing more than both sides putting on a play, seeking a more dignified curtain call.

Yin Meng thanked and agreed to Tan Wenbin’s offer of help. After tidying up the house, they set off.

On the way, the two boys seemed to want to find Li Zhuoyuan, a child their age, to talk to. Li Zhuoyuan was carried by Runsheng, ignoring them. He primarily played the role of someone who didn’t interact, didn’t understand, and wasn’t responsible.

The journey wasn’t far, just to a village in the adjacent county. Around the pond, many villagers were gathered, watching the excitement.

One male and one female corpse were still floating on the water’s surface. The male was face down, the female face up, yet they were tightly stuck together, seeming unwilling to be separated even in death.

If it weren’t for these two people normally fighting every few days in the village, it’s likely everyone would have spread the rumor that they committed suicide together.

Li Zhuoyuan got down from Runsheng’s back and stood at the edge of the pond, glancing over. Only then did he understand that these two weren’t faithful even in death, but rather their corpses were stuck together.

Unlike the pale appearance of ordinary drowned bodies, their corpses were black, like two pieces of spoiled, blackened pig skin jelly.

There were two middle-aged men arguing with a one-eyed old woman. Looking at the tools they carried, they should be local corpse salvagers.

These two drowned bodies were also blackened through something wrong. The price for salvaging the corpses would have to be recalculated.

Obviously, the two sides couldn’t agree on the price. The one-eyed woman preferred her own son and daughter-in-law to continue soaking in the water rather than “taking this loss.”

Seeing Yin Meng arrive, the one-eyed woman immediately pointed proudly and laughed: “Alright, no need for you two black-hearted things, my eldest granddaughter is here.”

Saying that, the one-eyed woman walked over very enthusiastically, starting with a smiling face, halfway transitioning into a crying tone, and upon reaching her, expertly combined crying and laughing. She wiped away tears and grabbed her hand, as if she had finally found her support.

“Eldest granddaughter, you’re finally here. Quick, quick, salvage your parents. They’re so pitiful! So pitiful!”

Tan Wenbin at the side couldn’t help but roll his eyes, thinking that such shameless people actually existed in this world.

When Yin Meng was young and didn’t understand, she would cry and go looking for her mother. Her mother deliberately hid and wouldn’t see her. Every time, the one-eyed woman would come out and scold the girl with the most hurtful words.

Once in winter, the one-eyed woman carried a basin of water and splashed it out, making Yin Meng wet and cry all the way home.

The girl was also silly. After going home, she told her grandpa that she had been playing greedily and fell into a ditch.

The old man was also silly and actually believed it.

Li Zhuoyuan knew that the old man loved his granddaughter truly, but he was also careless. Otherwise, that year he wouldn’t have truly believed the “letter” his son left.

Yin Meng wasn’t enthusiastic with the one-eyed woman. She just said faintly: “I will salvage the people.”

“Ai, ai, good good good.”

Yin Meng looked towards the two local colleagues. Their faces were not very good, but they couldn’t say anything. They just lit cigarettes for themselves, hung their heads, and carried their tools back.

The person salvaging the body was her own mother; this didn’t count as breaking the rules by snatching business.

Although their hearts were a bit uncomfortable, it was originally just a troublesome task, so they’d just handle it.

Tan Wenbin arranged the altar and lit candles. Runsheng moved a small fishing boat over and placed it at the edge of the pond.

Yin Meng stood in front of the altar and began to perform the rites.

Li Zhuoyuan stood beside her, watching with interest.

Compared to his own great-grandfather’s casual approach to rites, Yin Meng was obviously much more professional. Many of her rituals, although not standard, still showed signs of ancient rites.

Especially the obscure syllables she produced through quick vibrations of her throat, lips, and teeth greatly interested Li Zhuoyuan.

Last night, when the old man was conducting business, facing that ghost shadow, he also used this method to communicate.

“Ghost talk” endlessly could sometimes also be a complimentary term for a special ability.

After the rites were completed, Yin Meng began to prepare to salvage the corpses. But before she left the altar, she saw Runsheng and Tan Wenbin already propelling the boat out. They were using Yin Meng’s tools.

Yin Meng put her hands on her hips and looked somewhat helplessly at Li Zhuoyuan: “How is this fair?”

“It doesn’t matter, their hands are itching.”

Yin Meng laughed: “My hands are itching too.”

Because the price was expensive, she didn’t receive many corpse salvage jobs throughout the year. This time, she was also eagerly rubbing her hands.

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin cooperated very well. Because the two corpses were stuck together and couldn’t be separated, the two of them simply stood shoulder to shoulder, each carrying one, and then:

“One, two, three!”

From the boat, they jumped onto the land together.

Yin Meng watched the entire process and said somewhat unexpectedly: “The rules for salvaging corpses on the Nantong side seem to be…”

Li Zhuoyuan didn’t comment. If his own great-grandfather had come, Yin Meng probably wouldn’t have had this feeling.

Runsheng’s process was corrected by himself based on the records in Wei Zhengdao’s book. This included the moves for dealing with dead bodies in “Zhengdao Fumo Lu,” which he had also taught Runsheng. Tan Wenbin then learned from Runsheng.

It could be said that what Runsheng and the others displayed were textbook templates, the most professional standard actions.

Too lazy to unload and then roll, the two of them directly carried the corpses into the one-eyed woman’s house. A long bench was covered with a large mat, and the corpses were placed on top.

The one-eyed woman found a white bedsheet and covered her son and daughter-in-law. Then her nose felt a bit sore, and just as she was about to enter a crying state, two women came forward. One poked her in the waist, and the other whispered a few words in her ear.

The one-eyed woman immediately became alert. She first drove away the villagers watching the corpses inside the house, only allowing her own relatives to remain. Then she specifically came forward, pulled Yin Meng’s hand, pulled her into the house, and subsequently closed the living room door.

Outside the house, the villagers gathered and whispered.

Tan Wenbin saw Li Zhuoyuan sitting on a small stool and also squatted down beside him, asking curiously: “Little Yuan bro, they aren’t rushing to arrange the funeral, what are they doing?”

Li Zhuoyuan: “Entrusting orphans.”

Tan Wenbin: “Damn, can they be that shameless?”

Li Zhuoyuan didn’t answer, lowering his head to look at an earthworm below his feet that was just drilling out of the soil, half its body out and half inside.

Tan Wenbin asked again: “Little Yuan bro, then what do we do?”

“What to do?”

“My meaning is, do we help her or not?”

“And what does that have to do with us?”

“At least, we’re friends, right?”

“Then respect a friend’s choice.”

“Um…” Tan Wenbin scratched his hair forcefully. “But this matter isn’t right. What if she actually gets a muddled head and agrees, what then?”

“Then respect her fate.”

Inside the house.

Yin Meng stood in the middle, surrounded by a group of people, and those two boys.

The one-eyed woman pointed at this group of adults and introduced them: “Eldest granddaughter, they are your relatives. This is your eldest uncle, this is your second uncle, this is your eldest aunt, second aunt…”

The one-eyed woman had three sons and one daughter. Yin Meng’s mother was married to her youngest son.

Yin Meng’s gaze swept over this group of “relatives” with whom she had no blood relation whatsoever.

At this moment, one by one, they all wore smiling faces.

The one-eyed woman continued: “Eldest granddaughter, your parents just left like this. For me, the sky has collapsed. I am an old woman, and my body isn’t well, but these two grandsons can’t be left unattended, ah.

They still need to study, they still need to eat, they still need to wear clothes. I really can’t bear it, oh~”

The one-eyed woman started singing again.

The crowd of “uncles and aunts” immediately followed suit:

“Yes, ah, yes, ah.”

“Difficult, ah, really difficult.”

Yin Meng didn’t speak.

Seeing that the girl didn’t engage, the one-eyed woman didn’t get discouraged. She pulled Yin Meng’s hand and called the two grandsons over:

“Come, Niuwa, Mawa, from now on, ah, you two will live with your sister. Sister will provide you with food and drink, provide you with schooling. Quick, thank your sister.”

“Thank you, sister.”

“Thank you, sister.”

The one-eyed woman turned her head again to look at Yin Meng and said lovingly:

“This arrangement is also for your good. You are also alone at home. Later, if you get married, you won’t even have a maternal family, and you’ll be bullied.

Niuwa, Mawa are originally your blood brothers, from the same mother and womb. If you raise them, they can help you later. They will also be your later backbone and confidence.

This matter is decided.”

The one-eyed woman smiled happily, preparing to open the door. First, they would discuss the matter inside the closed door, then open the door and announce it to the villagers. Even without a written agreement or anything, with this process, the matter would be considered decided.

Yin Meng finally opened her mouth and asked: “You want me to raise the two of them?”

“Ah, yes, ah. Don’t you quite like your two brothers? Look how obedient they are, ah.”

Every time the two children went to the county, to the coffin shop, Yin Meng would either let them eat a meal or give them some pocket money. The one-eyed woman knew the girl was kind-hearted.

Yin Meng asked again: “You want me to raise the two of them?”

“Of course, that’s so good. When you get married later, you’ll have two brothers, and your in-laws definitely won’t dare to bully you. Even if you don’t plan to marry, your two brothers and their children can also help you in your old age.”

“Oh.”

Yin Meng nodded.

Seeing the situation, the surrounding crowd all breathed a sigh of relief, smiling and praising the girl.

The one-eyed woman was even happier, the wrinkles on her face blooming like baby chrysanthemums.

The two boys must have been instructed by their elder relatives. At this time, they also grabbed the girl’s legs: “Sister.”

Yin Meng raised her hand and swung it down hard towards the two boys:

“Pa! Pa!”

The two boys were both slapped and flipped to the ground, covering their swollen right faces. The corners of their mouths were bleeding.

At this moment, it was dead silent in the house.

Breaking the silence were the cries of the two boys after they emerged from their stunned state.

The one-eyed woman slapped her thighs and wailed: “Heaven, ah, this is heartless!”

She cried and shouted as she pounced towards Yin Meng.

Yin Meng lifted her foot and kicked her directly in the heart.

“Bang!”

The one-eyed woman was kicked to the ground and still rolled several circles.

Two “uncles” saw that a fight had started and immediately rushed up angrily. Yin Meng not only didn’t dodge but actively went forward, throwing one over her shoulder to the ground. Then she grabbed the other one’s hand and kicked him in the back.

She had the strength to wrestle with dead bodies. Dealing with ordinary people was truly easy.

“How can you still hit people, ah!”

“Have you no education at all!”

The “aunts” and “little aunt” were still chattering at the side. Yin Meng walked up, grabbed the hair of one, and swung up two slaps.

“Pa! Pa!”

The others wanted to dodge. Yin Meng chased them, grabbing two people’s hair with each hand, dragging them back, and pressing them firmly onto the mat in front of the two corpses, making their faces stick tightly to the corpses.

Yin Meng pressed their heads and rolled them back and forth. It was equivalent to giving them a beauty treatment. The faces of the two people couldn’t be distinguished between water or oil.

“Ah!!!!!!”

Screams, one after another.

After dealing with everyone in the house, Yin Meng saw anyone trying to get up and would go up and kick them down again.

Her expression was very calm, not crying, not shouting, not making noise, not even scolding, but her fists and feet were very hard.

The two boys were initially left there and not paid much attention to, but they themselves actively ran over to “beg sister not to hit.” Yin Meng slapped them each with her backhand again, requesting symmetry.

Hitting children wasn’t right, but she was also a child. Most importantly, hitting children was refreshing.

After dealing with them, Yin Meng walked to the living room door.

“Bang!”

The door panel was kicked open, and Yin Meng walked out.

The villagers peered into the house and discovered a pile of people lying inside.

Tan Wenbin stood up and walked to Yin Meng’s front, clapping forcefully: “Good, good, I was really worried you would agree.”

Yin Meng gave her a side glance: “My brain isn’t filled with water.”

Runsheng observed inside for a bit, shook his head, and said: “Their teeth weren’t all knocked out.”

At this time, someone among the villagers shouted: “The village chief is here, the village chief is here!”

A stout middle-aged man wearing a hat and with a cigarette behind his ear walked over. His gaze swept over the whole scene, and the place immediately quieted down. It seemed this village chief was very respected in the village.

“They hit people, they all want to hit them to death! Call the police station, call the police station!”

People crawled out of the house, their faces swollen like pig heads, their hair disheveled, like fierce ghosts escaping from a cage.

The village chief looked at Tan Wenbin and Runsheng, who were standing beside Yin Meng, and was about to speak. Li Zhuoyuan’s voice came first: “Runsheng, Binbin, step back.”

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin immediately retreated.

Li Zhuoyuan pointed at Yin Meng and said: “Everyone saw just now, only she went in, no one else followed.”

The surrounding villagers all nodded.

The village chief was shocked. This girl was so capable, she beat down everyone in a house by herself?

He looked at the girl and asked: “Tell me, why did you hit people?”

Yin Meng: “They wanted to…”

Li Zhuoyuan: “They wanted to tie her up and marry her off for a bride price. This is human trafficking!”

The village chief was a little stunned. Regardless of whether it was true or false, once this reason was stated, plus the fact that the girl fought alone, even if it was taken to the police station, it would be impossible to pursue the matter or hold anyone accountable.

“You’re talking nonsense!” The one-eyed woman’s teeth were bloody. She shouted with all her strength, “Who wants to sell her, who wants to sell her!”

Li Zhuoyuan: “Then why did you call her in? What blood relation does she have with you? What kind of relatives are you?”

Having said that, without waiting for the people in the house to react, Li Zhuoyuan waved his hand: “Let’s go, go home.”

Runsheng and Tan Wenbin each carried things, then one on the left and one on the right cleared the way, leading Yin Meng to squeeze out of the crowd and walk away.

The villagers originally just came to watch the excitement. Seeing the two men holding a shovel and a hook, they actively made way.

Several young men in the village wanted to look at the village chief’s expression to see if they should block the people. This was outside the traditional concept of helping those from the same village, but the village chief showed no expression at all.

The one-eyed woman didn’t dare to block the way: “You just let them leave like that? They almost beat people to death, ah!”

The village chief glared at her and asked: “What did you call the girl in for?”

The one-eyed woman said as a matter of course: “To let her take care of her two brothers, ah!”

Hearing these words, a crowd of villagers all looked at each other. The village chief also felt a breath stuck in his chest.

“Deserve it!”

He spat heavily on the ground and walked away directly.

When the four people returned to the county, it was already dusk. Yin Meng wasn’t in a hurry to return to the coffin shop. Instead, she pointed at a hot pot restaurant and said:

“Let’s eat hot pot, it’s my treat!”

They entered the shop and ordered a nine-grid pot. Everyone hadn’t eaten much for lunch and had rushed over. After the afternoon’s walk and salvaging the corpses, they were all hungry and quickly started rinsing tripe and duck intestines.

Yin Meng ordered wine and stood up to pour for Runsheng, Binbin, and herself. She also poured soybean milk for Li Zhuoyuan.

She raised her cup.

“Thanks!”

Having said that, Yin Meng gulped it down, then choked and coughed violently.

Tan Wenbin said with a bit of a mixed expression: “Alright, alright, if you don’t drink, we won’t. You and my Yuan bro drink milk together.”

Yin Meng wiped her mouth and said: “The process must be followed!”

“It’s already followed well, followed well. Come, the tripe is good, eat quickly, otherwise it will get old.”

When facing dead bodies, Runsheng or Little Yuan might be the busiest, but at the meal table, Zhuangzhuang was always the busiest.

During the rest of the hot pot meal, everyone tacitly didn’t talk about what happened today.

Tan Wenbin asked Yin Meng what she wanted to do if she didn’t open the coffin shop in the future. Yin Meng said she didn’t know. She said maybe not wanting to change was also a way of liking the current situation.

Yin Meng asked the three of them what they wanted to do later. Li Zhuoyuan and Tan Wenbin answered that they wanted to go to university. Runsheng answered that he would ride a tricycle to take them to university.

After everyone was full, Yin Meng went to pay the bill.

The four of them walked back to the coffin shop side by side. While washing up, Tan Wenbin said with a smile:

“I’ve discovered that sleeping in a coffin is actually quite comfortable. When I go back, I must advise Grandpa Li to prepare a coffin early. This way, I won’t have to sleep on a round table later. Runsheng, what do you think?”

“If you dare to go back and say that, Grandpa Li will dare to beat you to death and make you lie in that coffin first and be buried.”

“Just kidding, ah. Let me tell you, I’ve recently made a new breakthrough in my studies.”

“What?”

“It’s not convenient to say now. When we sit on the boat and leave tomorrow, I’ll chat with you carefully. If you want to learn, I can also teach you, but you have to beg me.”

“Can’t I just find Little Yuan?”

“You really can’t say, this Little Yuan might really not be able to teach.”

Yesterday, when Little Yuan taught him the method of walking the yin, he just told him to find the feeling of floating up.

This was like telling a beginner piano student: as long as you feel it with your heart, you can play a moving melody.

But the problem was, he didn’t even recognize the keys and didn’t understand the score.

After washing up, everyone lay down in their respective coffins.

After Li Zhuoyuan slept for a while, he vaguely heard a coughing sound. He turned his head to the side and walked the yin.

He walked into the inner room and saw the old man just climbing out of the coffin. Inside Tan Wenbin’s coffin, a “sha sha” sound was coming.

“He was like this last night. He can sense it, seems to want to walk the yin. But when I really pulled him out, he was scared half to death when he saw me.”

Li Zhuoyuan’s gaze condensed. A shadow fell on the coffin where Tan Wenbin was, and it immediately became quiet.

The old man was startled by this scene and hurriedly said: “You can’t use this move to interrupt his walking the yin, ah. If the degree isn’t grasped well, it will cause harm to his brain.”

After saying that, the old man seemed to realize something and hurriedly shook his head with a smile: “Forget it, I was overthinking. You have a more precise grasp than me.”

He had personally witnessed the boy’s terrifying learning ability yesterday. His current attainment in the twelve methods of the Yin family was even more profound than his own, an orthodox successor.

Frequent walking the yin could easily lead to loss of consciousness. Li Zhuoyuan was now controlling Binbin’s frequency.

However, what made Li Zhuoyuan even more strange was the old man’s current state.

“How come you seem to be getting better again?”

“Ah, I’m also puzzled, ah. According to reason, I shouldn’t even have the strength to walk the yin today.”

“Did your Yang life return?”

“Did the people die?”

“Both of them died.”

“That shouldn’t be, ah. The business was successful, why is it still refunding?”

According to reason, this should have been a great advantage, but the old man wasn’t happy about it. Instead, he scolded,

“This isn’t just blindly delaying things for me!”

He had clearly had a “return of light,” and the funeral was just these two days away. He was about to free himself and his granddaughter, yet he could continue to live.

The old man walked to the wall and pressed the mirror. The door panel immediately became transparent.

The Ghost Festival was over, and the temple fair had also ended, but the road wasn’t empty of “people”; there were still sporadic figures walking.

Li Zhuoyuan suspected that Fengdu, this place, must have its own wonders. In other places, the boy might not see this many ghost shadows.

Perhaps the legend of Yin Changsheng ascending to heaven in broad daylight here was not baseless.

Although there were fewer people outside today, the entry rate into the shop increased. As soon as the door was opened, a black shadow impatiently floated in.

These black shadows were almost all the same. Their bodies were like wearing a black robe, completely unable to see human faces, even unable to distinguish gender.

But the feeling was like yesterday’s “sightings.”

The old man and the black shadow began to communicate using obscure buzzing voices.

After the communication ended, the old man sighed, sat back in his chair, covered his face, and was somewhat between crying and laughing.

The black shadow didn’t leave, still standing in its original spot.

The old man waved his hand: “You should leave, ba.”

The black shadow still didn’t move.

The old man said angrily: “What, you still want to stick around?”

The black shadow turned and floated towards Li Zhuoyuan.

The boy was not only not afraid but even a little secretly happy. In his eyes, he showed some eagerness to try.

The old man spoke up to remind him: “He is from the Dragon King’s family.”

The black shadow stopped and, without hesitation, floated back out of the coffin shop, merging into the darkness.

Li Zhuoyuan looked at the old man: “Why did you say that?”

“This is Ghost Street, at the foot of Fengdu Great Emperor. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, don’t conflict with these things.”

“Your Yin family has been developing and inheriting here for a long time, ba. Have you conducted research on the special situation here?”

“Our surname is Yin, the same as Fengdu Great Emperor. We… were originally his descendants.”

“Do you have a genealogy, me?”

“Yes, it was placed in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Our family used to be imperial relatives.”

Li Zhuoyuan surveyed the coffin shop: “Now you can really not see any imperial relatives’ air.”

The old man didn’t mind saying: “This is very normal. Casually pick any surname from the ‘Hundred Family Surnames,’ and which family’s ancestors haven’t been kings or nobles?”

“Have you investigated before, me?” Li Zhuoyuan continued to pursue the previous topic.

“Yes.” The old man nodded forcefully. “Ancestors were cultivators, but ancestors could ascend because he ate an immortal pill.”

“I remember it seems to be recorded in ‘Baopuzi,’ your family ancestors also got a ‘Dan Juan.'”

“This is fake, it’s recorded in the genealogy. If this thing really existed, and one could refine pills oneself, then I don’t know how many ancestors would have ascended.

In fact, according to the verification of several generations of ancestors, what ancestors ate might not be an immortal pill.”

“What was that?”

“Corpse pill.”

“Look, your family previously really put a lot of effort into research.”

If there weren’t enough evidence, which family would say their ancestors ate an immortal pill and then say they ate a corpse pill? Was it just for the sake of discrediting their ancestors?

According to the records in related Daoist classics, after Yin Changsheng achieved enlightenment and ascended, he roamed the human world for a long time, and finally ascended… So here, ascending can also be understood as disappearing?

Is it possible that Yin Changsheng didn’t fly up but drilled down?

Combining this with the line carved on the stone at the shop entrance:

“If you don’t walk at night, how will you know there are night walkers on the road?”

Yin Changsheng said that after he ascended, he only knew how many people had successfully achieved enlightenment since this dynasty. He said that many immortals didn’t like to disturb the human world and only liked to live in seclusion.

If Yin Changsheng ate a corpse pill, then those hidden immortal friends he mentioned were just…

The old man opened his mouth: “Ancestors were very enthusiastic about this research before, even to the point of becoming crazy. But later, firstly the family declined, and secondly, after all the research, they didn’t find anything useful. Later generations of ancestors just settled down.

These things are all recorded in the genealogy. You can ask Mengmeng to take out the genealogy for you during the day. You can copy a copy… You can also borrow it to look at directly.”

Li Zhuoyuan walked to the position where the black shadow had stood before, facing the old man across the counter, and asked:

“Are you wanting to do business with me?”

He was actually telling him the secrets of his ancestors, and he was even willing to lend him the genealogy.

These things, where could one listen and borrow them for free?

The old man waved his hand: “I am too lazy to find a son-in-law to inherit the surname for Mengmeng. Although this genealogy records many secrets, what use are they to me and Mengmeng?

If you like it, just take it. This is just making the best use of everything.”

“Old sir, I’ll give you one more chance, name your price.”

“Take Mengmeng away, let her follow you.”

“She’s not merchandise, she’s a person. Can she be taken away just like that, me?”

The old man’s expression relaxed. He didn’t refuse outright, but negotiated, which proved that the other side was still willing to do this business.

“Mengmeng is a child with a pure and good nature. I believe with your wisdom, you can take her away. Ah, I’m not saying your mind isn’t pure.”

“You are still alive, she won’t leave.”

“I will die.”

“Then what were you just talking about? How did your Yang life return?”

“It didn’t handle the matters. The business wasn’t successful, so it was just refunded.”

“But the people died.”

“It’s not messy. It said that it was the two boys in the house who were playing greedily and poured pesticide into the rice jar. The one-eyed woman wasn’t willing to throw away the rice, but she washed it and cooked it. She herself was old and didn’t dare to eat it. She was also heartbroken that her two grandsons wouldn’t eat it, so she just gave it to the two adults to eat. They were poisoned and died that night.

The one-eyed woman was afraid it would be traced back to her, so she tied the two dead bodies together on the bed and dragged them to the pond, pretending they drowned.”

“Could she have that much strength by herself?”

“She told her eldest son. Her eldest son came to help her. The condition was that the youngest son’s house and land would all be given to the eldest son, and she could also move into the eldest son’s home to be supported in her old age.”

“She’s clear-headed. No wonder she wanted to throw those two boys to Yin Meng to take care of during the day. This is her wanting to ‘leave no debt’ to be supported in her old age.”

“Mengmeng isn’t silly, she won’t agree.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Otherwise, ah?” The old man asked as a matter of course, “I wouldn’t put it in the hands of those two boys. Wrong has a head, debt has an owner, they are innocent.”

“Um.”

Li Zhuoyuan didn’t believe him.

He didn’t understand ghost talk, that was true, but if it was just a normal business failure, that black shadow wouldn’t have stood there for so long.

Perhaps it was because the big project wasn’t successful, so they wanted to discuss doing a small project, to exchange for some reward.

Who the small project referred to was self-evident.

Nothing more than things changing. The old man felt that there was no need to do the small project either. This made the black shadow who had been busy for nothing very angry.

“I will die. I will let Mengmeng leave here without any ties or burdens. The world is very good now, she should go out and see, really see the outside world. If she doesn’t like it, then she can come back. At least her heart won’t have any regrets.”

“Tell me about your death method.”

“It’s not simple to die. Do another business and let the guest kill me myself.”

“Indeed simple.”

“You don’t know, I am also in pain being alive now. I also want to be free.”

“Then you hurry up. I won’t stay here for too long.”

“Okay, rest assured. As long as you agree, I will immediately arrange my own death.”

“I can agree, but there is one thing I must explain first. I am considered a nominal disciple of the Liu family, but I haven’t officially entered. So my relationship with the Liu family is not the same as you imagine.

Don’t think that I can definitely take Yin Meng into the Liu family.”

“The ability you showed yesterday, in my opinion, whether you are a member of the Liu family or not is actually no longer important.”

“Good, I agree.”

“Thanks.”

“Didn’t you say yesterday that you didn’t want her to follow this path, me?”

“The return of light during the day, although I didn’t die successfully, allowed me to see some things clearly. Mengmeng’s path, it’s best for her to choose it herself. If she really doesn’t like this path, I believe you will also arrange for her well, because you are the smartest person I have seen in my lifetime.”

So smart that he almost didn’t seem like a person.

“Sleep.”

“You rest.”

The next morning, after Li Zhuoyuan woke up, he sat up from the coffin.

Yin Meng was just with Runsheng, together unloading the door panels, preparing to open that business that was destined not to have many guests.

“You’re awake, ah. I boiled preserved egg and lean meat porridge in the pot. Would you like some?”

Li Zhuoyuan looked around at the enthusiastic Yin Meng, then looked at Runsheng behind her.

Runsheng shook his head with a serious face.

This couldn’t help but pique Li Zhuoyuan’s curiosity. What kind of strange food could make Runsheng find it unpalatable?

But he still wasn’t willing to test the poison. He shook his head and said: “I want to eat steamed buns.”

Runsheng immediately took his words and walked out of the shop: “I’ll go buy them.”

Yin Meng said somewhat disappointed: “But, I still have quite a bit of porridge left in the pot, ah. I boiled too much.”

Li Zhuoyuan comforted her: “It doesn’t matter. When Binbin wakes up, leave it all for him. He loves to drink porridge.”

He got out of the coffin and washed up.

Li Zhuoyuan walked back to Yin Meng’s front and said very frankly: “I want to look at your family’s genealogy.”

Yin Meng didn’t hesitate: “Okay, I’ll get it for you.”

She didn’t walk the yin, so she naturally didn’t communicate with the old man. She just purely felt that there was nothing in the genealogy that couldn’t be shown to others, especially friends.

The genealogy was very thick and very large. For easy reading, it could only be placed on the ground.

The Yin family indeed had a history. Because the beginning of their family genealogy looked like a myth story, flipping through several large pages one after another, it spoke of which wife or daughter of the Yin family either napped by the river or dreamed of something wonderful, then, became pregnant and gave birth to some noble figure.

It seemed that era, the women of the Yin family were all busy with only one thing, which was mysteriously getting pregnant.

The middle part, like a historical record, was relatively rigorous and matched official history.

The back part was a dense record of the Yin family ancestors’ verification and research.

This couldn’t help but make Li Zhuoyuan think of the original owner of Road Tyrant Village, the Qi family ancestors.

They were all a group of obsessed research fanatics. Although the Qi family ancestors researched spatial interlayers, the Yin family ancestors researched the most famous ancestors in their family history.

The content was too detailed. There were also large passages of travel notes and arguments inside. This actually no longer counted as a genealogy, but more like a summary of generations of family research.

Counting what he already had, the Qi family ancestors’ notes, the bamboo slips on the mask man’s body, plus the Yin family genealogy.

The Qi family ancestors’ notes were always recorded in his own brain, but due to his physical reasons, he hadn’t yet been able to decipher them. The bamboo slips hadn’t been restored well yet.

However, these three books were all extremely worth reading.

People who love to read books understand what kind of happiness it is to weigh the thick content after getting absorbed in reading.

At noon, when Yin Meng was changing her grandpa’s diaper, the old man opened his eyes again.

This time, he still opened his mouth to speak. The stroke caused severe facial paralysis. The skin and muscles of his face were weak, his lips couldn’t lift up, and his voice was extremely weak.

It was still Li Zhuoyuan who heard the movement and came in to translate.

There wasn’t much fresh content, just the exhortations and blessings of elders to the younger generation, clichéd yet revealing true feelings.

The old man seemed very reassured about Li Zhuoyuan’s abilities. He didn’t even mention the matter of letting his granddaughter follow the boy. Li Zhuoyuan also didn’t add anything unnecessarily.

Everything, let nature take its course best.

Yin Meng must have sensed something. After finishing the chat, she called Runsheng to accompany her to the fabric shop on the street to buy white cloth and black gauze. They also went to the funeral shop to buy funeral supplies.

The reason for not calling Tan Wenbin to go together was that Binbin had food poisoning from drinking porridge in the morning and was vomiting and having diarrhea.

This greatly surprised Li Zhuoyuan. He knew Binbin had even eaten the food of dead corpses’ families several times and had even eaten dirty bacon, yet he still couldn’t withstand Yin Meng’s boiled porridge.

When everything was prepared, everyone was instead very quiet and peaceful. The funeral could be foreseen to be very simple, because whether it was a coffin shop or a corpse salvager… there were destined to be no relatives and friends.

Perhaps, the four of them were just about to be the only guests at this funeral.

That night, Li Zhuoyuan heard the yin wind outside the coffin. He turned over, not walking the yin.

The next morning, everyone got up first and ate soybean milk and fried dough sticks bought from outside for breakfast.

After the meal, Yin Meng, as usual, didn’t go to look at the mourning clothes that were already prepared. Instead, she went to get the washed clean clothes and diaper.

She opened the coffin, wanting to help grandpa wipe and change.

Inside the coffin, the old man had his eyes closed, no breath. He walked very steadily and peacefully.

Yin Meng cried, tears gushing out, but after wiping them away twice with force, she turned her head and smiled at the three people behind her, saying:

“It’s really good, my grandpa is gone.”

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