Chapter 541
Chapter 541
Chapter 541
"Try this spicy chicken, it's a specialty of Fengdu. Also, try this Ghost City Spicy Wonton, and the Lantern-Shaped Beef..."
Yin Meng kept putting food into Runsheng's mouth, and Runsheng would quickly swallow it and then immediately open his mouth to take more.
Dusk cast a warm glow over the ghost town, and people came and went at the dock. Two people sat on the steps, eating, drinking, talking and laughing, completely absorbed in their own world.
After Yin Meng discovered that Runsheng didn't need to chew on food, she became obsessed with buying all sorts of snacks from Ghost Street to feed him.
It's not that she minded this before, but Runsheng, which doesn't require burning incense during meals, gives her a more vibrant warmth and texture.
She was genuinely happy for Runsheng. A hundred years of life is wasted if one becomes more and more like a dead person. Only by living like a human being can one truly savor the flavor of life.
"Is it good?"
"good to eat."
Runsheng nodded, and after finishing the last serving of wontons, he felt full.
His injuries have largely healed, and his body no longer needs to eat a lot to repair itself. In addition, there is a seal on his body that controls his metabolism, so his current appetite is that of a normal young man with this physique.
But he didn't want to disappoint Yin Meng. When Yin Meng fed him, her face was always beaming with a bright smile, which he found very attractive and wanted to keep looking at.
The consequence of watching it for a long time was that my stomach was so full at night that I couldn't sleep.
Runsheng himself found it rare; ever since he could remember, he had never imagined that he could live such a life of having plenty to eat.
"Let's go back then, we'll have hot pot tonight!"
"it is good."
Runsheng planned to sneak off to a nearby demolition site before going to bed that night to break the seal and help him break down the wall to process the mess.
Yin Meng set up a hot pot in the coffin shop and asked Run Sheng to get two servings of dipping sauce from the hot pot restaurant lady.
As the two bowls were brought out, the armored doll on the counter of the coffin shop moved slightly, and the figure of the tomb owner appeared on the street in front of the shop.
It stood there, seemingly real yet unreal.
Runsheng passed right through him and continued walking toward the hot pot restaurant.
The tomb owner turned slightly to look at Runsheng's back.
After a while, Runsheng returned with the prepared condiments.
A faint light emanated from the depths of the tomb owner's helmet.
Runsheng picked up two bowls with one hand and used the other to scratch his scalp, which suddenly felt a little itchy.
Then, Runsheng passed through the body of the tomb owner once again.
When he returned to the shop, Runsheng was taken aback.
Besides Yin Meng, Old Zhai was also sitting at the dining table.
Old Master Zhai sat in the head seat, his entire body now hidden in the deepest shadows of the shop; his face was visible, but his expression remained unreadable.
Yin Meng sat upright and solemnly.
She didn't expect Him to come over so suddenly, and then sit down at the table without saying a word.
Runsheng stood still, while Old Zhai remained silent.
The coffin shop felt as oppressive as a sealed coffin.
Finally, Yin Meng mustered up the courage to break the silence: "The pot's boiling, um, let's eat."
Runsheng walked to the table and sat down, handing a dish of oil to Yinmeng.
Old Zhai's gloomy face seemed to lift slightly.
Runsheng placed his oil dish in front of Old Zhai.
Yin Meng picked up long chopsticks, dipped a piece of tripe into the boiling red oil, and after a few dips, she placed the first piece of tripe in the oil dish in front of Old Zhai.
Old Zhai picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of tripe, and put it in his mouth. You could hear the crisp sound of him chewing.
Yin Meng picked up another piece of tripe, blanched it, and wanted to give it to Runsheng, so she gestured for Runsheng to bring an empty bowl to take it.
Runsheng shook his head and pointed to Yin Meng's own oil dish.
Immediately afterwards, Runsheng stood up, picked up his chopsticks, and began to put all the hot pot ingredients into the pot.
Then, he served one chopstick to Elder Zhai and the other to Yin Meng, serving the two of them.
The reason I gave my oil dish to Old Master Zhai earlier was not because I was intimidated by his power, but because Runsheng was too full.
He was quite pleased that he could stop eating with his belly full.
However, Runsheng had always been careless when it came to food, and he wasn't particular about the cooking time of each hot pot dish. The ones he put into Yin Meng and Zhai Lao's bowls were either too old or not cooked yet.
Yin Meng is under a lot of pressure, so she doesn't care what she's eating.
After being served by Runsheng for a period of time, Old Master Zhai had no choice but to place the chopsticks horizontally on the condiment dish.
Runsheng didn't understand the signal, but he put the food into the plate in front of Old Zhai, and soon the plate was piled up very high.
Old Master Zhai looked up formally and gazed at Runsheng.
Runsheng and Elder Zhai looked at each other.
Old Zhai got up from the table and walked outside.
Yin Meng pulled Runsheng along and escorted him to the shop entrance.
Yin Meng saw the tomb owner walking towards Ghost Street.
Runsheng couldn't see the tomb's occupant; he only saw Old Zhai walking down Ghost Street.
The tomb's occupant is going back to hell.
Before returning to hell, Old Zhai had to go to the People's Hospital in the county town.
The elderly person's body can't handle eating so much undercooked food.
Yin Meng: "I don't know why He came."
Runsheng picked up the phone on the counter.
Yin Meng turned around and looked at him, saying, "But it feels like He doesn't have any other purpose, as if He just came to see you?"
Runsheng still insisted on dialing Xiaoyuan's number.
"Hey, Runsheng, what happened?"
When Li Zhuiyuan's voice came through the microphone, an invisible wind swept through Ghost Street, and the golden plaque of the Hell Prince's Mansion emitted a faint light.
The tomb owner stopped when he reached the top.
Old Zhai, who was walking below, also stopped.
Then, the tomb owner continued forward, the hard brick road like an unfathomable swamp, with yellow water rising and gradually submerging his figure.
Old Zhai turned around, his eyes filled with doubt. He quickly walked back to the entrance of the coffin shop, saw Runsheng holding a microphone, and smiled:
"Runsheng?"
Runsheng said into the microphone, "It's Elder Zhai who's back."
Old Zhai pointed to the microphone and asked, "Is that Xiao Yuan on the other end of the phone?"
Runsheng nodded.
Mr. Zhai: "May I say a few words to Xiaoyuan?"
Runsheng handed the microphone to Elder Zhai.
Old Zhai picked up the phone: "Hello, Xiao Yuan, it's me."
"Hello, teacher."
"Do your best on the final exam."
“I know, teacher, I will go back to school before exam week.”
“It’s not just you, but also Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou. I’m keeping an eye on them. Remember, you not only have to walk faster than others, but also walk more steadily.”
"Yes, teacher, please don't worry, we will return to school to take the exams before exam week."
"Then we'll meet at school."
Goodbye, teacher.
Mr. Zhai handed the phone back to Runsheng.
"Xiao Yuan, it's me."
"Runsheng, when you return to Jinling in a few days, we'll meet up at the school."
"it is good."
"Ask Elder Zhai when he is leaving. If possible, escort Elder Zhai back to Jinling."
Runsheng looked at Elder Zhai and asked, "Elder Zhai, when are you leaving?"
Just as Old Zhai was about to answer, he suddenly clutched his stomach and squatted down, his face covered in cold sweat from the pain.
Runsheng: "Xiaoyuan, it looks like Old Master Zhai is leaving soon."
……
"Brother Xiaoyuan, Runsheng has already carried Old Zhai to the county hospital."
There are two small clinics on Ghost Street. One likes to give you an injection no matter what the problem is; the other specializes in selling cure-all plasters to tourists.
The latter wouldn't use their own medicated plasters when they were sick, and they dared not go to the previous clinic.
"Let me know when Elder Zhai's condition improves."
"Okay, Brother Yuan, I understand."
Li Zhuiyuan put down his mobile phone and picked up his chopsticks again.
The young man wasn't worried about Old Master Zhai's health. After all, Old Master Zhai was currently in Fengdu, on the verge of death. Before his lifespan was over, there was no way he could go down there.
Li Sanjiang took a sip of wine and asked, "Young Marquis Yuan, is that a call from your teacher?"
"Yes, the teacher reminded us to remember to go back to school for the exam."
Li Sanjiang: "You have to take the exam, the teacher is just doing it for your own good."
Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, we'll go back to Jinling in a couple of days."
"How long will it take to finish the exam? Will we have enough time..." Li Sanjiang tapped his forehead. "Look at my brain, I'm not sure I can come back before the New Year."
Li Sanjiang was worried that his son, Xiao Yuanhou, would not be home for the New Year, as he had been going out frequently lately.
For so many years, he had spent the New Year alone and never felt lonely. But after a few joyous New Years, he realized he couldn't go back and was even more afraid to go back.
Li Zhuiyuan: "Grandpa, we'll be back as soon as the exam is over, it won't delay us."
Lin Shuyou nudged Tan Wenbin's arm and reminded him, "Brother Bin, we should start reviewing!"
Tan Wenbin: "Mm."
During Xiao Yuan's trip to Fujian and in recent days, Tan Wenbin has reviewed the final exam content five times.
Studying is a mentally painful thing, but compared to the physical pain of staring at paper for a while, these review materials seem much more appealing. Every time he switches to them, Tan Wenbin is reminded of the feeling of secretly reading comics in high school. Studying makes people happy.
Li Zhuiyuan had already finished eating. He was peeling shrimp for A Li, removing the shrimp veins, and then putting them into a bowl of fragrant vinegar.
Ah Li ate her rice and vegetables at her own pace, but now, she took longer to eat than before.
Liu Yumei held a cup of rice wine, looking at them with a smile on her lips.
It's better to lay things out in the open. Not only will we not have to eat secretly, but we can also have Xiao Yuan keep us company.
However, the speed at which her granddaughter honed her physique was so fast that even Liu Yumei found it unbelievable.
It should be noted that she initially estimated her granddaughter to be a genius among geniuses, but Liu Yumei found that she had greatly underestimated her.
She knew that this was Xiao Yuan's doing, and the fact that Xiao Yuan was able to take it out in time meant that it was originally prepared by Xiao Yuan for her.
After finishing his wine, Li Sanjiang quickly ate his rice soaked in vegetable soup, wiped his mouth, lit a cigarette, and looked at A-Li with a smile:
"The little girl has been eating well lately; it looks like she's about to grow taller."
"Young Master Yuan, you should eat more too, lest you fall behind Xi'er. Otherwise, you'll have to stand behind her and have her protect you every time you go out."
Li Zhuiyuan: "Okay."
Chen Xiyuan, who was also working tirelessly, said, "Uncle Li, you can also praise me for growing taller."
Li Sanjiang: "Girl, you're already so tall. If you grow any taller, I'm really afraid you won't be able to get married."
Chen Xiyuan reached out and took the fish soup that Aunt Liu had added for her.
Li Sanjiang stood up. As was his custom, he liked to take a stroll around the village after dinner.
While Li Zhuiyuan was still peeling shrimp for A Li, Tan Wenbin said to A You:
"Go, go take Grandpa Li for a walk."
"Brother Bin, aren't you going?"
In the past, when Brother Xiaoyuan was unavailable, Brother Bin would accompany him. Brother Bin was good at talking and could make Grandpa Li very happy.
Tan Wenbin: "Have you forgotten what you're supposed to do tonight? Go, give your grandfather a quick hug."
Lin Shuyou obediently got up and accompanied Li Sanjiang down the dam.
Li Sanjiang: "Linhou and the others have all returned to Jinling, right?"
Lin Shuyou: "Hey, their school's final exams are earlier than ours."
Li Sanjiang: "I've been so busy lately that I haven't had a chance to ask you if your family was satisfied with the last time you brought Lin Hou to your home?"
Lin Shuyou: "I'm satisfied. My mom likes her very much."
Li Sanjiang: "When are you going to have the wedding?"
Lin Shuyou: "After graduating from university."
Li Sanjiang: "So you're having your wedding in the same year as Zhuangzhuang? Then we have to stagger them, otherwise if you have to do it in two different places, your grandpa won't be able to keep up."
Lin Shuyou: "It'll be held in Nantong."
Li Sanjiang: "What a joke! Zhuangzhuang can run a business in Nantong, but he doesn't have any relatives in Nanjing. How can you do it in Nantong?"
Lin Shuyou: "They're all the same."
Li Sanjiang: "You little rascal, you're practically a married man now, how come you still can't watch your mouth? Did you get shocked while fixing the circuit? Haha!"
Lin Shuyou laughed along with him.
If we let his master and grandfather choose, they would prefer to hold the ceremony in Nantong, so that they can make up for the regret of not being able to properly pay their respects to the old lady last time.
"Alright, go home and get some sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow to attend a memorial service for the deceased."
After accompanying Grandpa Li on his walk back, Lin Shuyou saw Tan Wenbin leaning against the wall, looking at the stars while chatting with Zhou Yunyun on his mobile phone.
Lin Shuyou: Brother Bin is so nice, he even waits for me to study together.
Li Sanjiang washed up and went back to his room to sleep. Turning off the light in his room was tantamount to sounding the horn for the rest of the night.
Everyone gathered in the prayer hall behind the house.
Zhao Yi came from Big Beard's house and was the last to arrive.
The special pit for General Zeng in the training ground had been built long ago. Zhao Yi was in no hurry to leave because he wanted to see if Lin Shuyou's improvement was successful. If anything went wrong, he could make timely corrections while he was here.
The evil dragon appeared, representing Li Zhuiyuan's will operating the altar. A circular pit with a diameter of three meters appeared in front of the altar. In the center of the meticulous array, General Zeng's set of talisman armor was placed.
Under everyone's gaze, Lin Shuyou first removed his headband, revealing the True Monarch Mark, and activated True Monarch state.
Even at the current intensity, it would be more than enough for normal river walking and still be presentable to others. However, within Li Zhuiyuan's team, it has reached a stage where further improvement is imperative.
Li Zhuiyuan looked at Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi didn't stand on ceremony. He stepped forward, first checking on Zhenjun Ayou's condition, then squatted down by the pit to carefully observe the formation's warm-up.
"Okay, let's try the next step."
Lin Shuyou spread his left palm, clenched his right fist, pushed off the ground with one leg, and began to form a spirit!
Having grown accustomed to the spirit residing within him in the True Lord state, Lin Shuyou had not performed such a ritual of spirit writing for a long time.
However, this was just a simple procedure, and General Zeng was already impatient, just waiting for the order.
The spirit mediumship was successful, and General Zeng now possessed two clones: one divinely descended to Ayou, and the other materialized into a talismanic armor form within the crater.
Lin Shuyou's aura immediately doubled literally. His knees sank first, and General Zeng in the crater let out a roar and stood up straight.
The pressure on Ayou lessened considerably, and he straightened up again, slowly clenching his fists.
Zhao Yi: "How does it feel?"
Lin Shuyou: "It felt great."
Zhao Yi: "I'm asking you about the load-bearing capacity. Is it barely enough? If it is, I can lower it a bit for you."
Lin Shuyou pondered it carefully: "It's a bit of a stretch."
Zhao Yi: "Then you need to work on it yourself and get used to it as soon as possible."
Lin Shuyou: "Oh, okay."
Zhao Yi: "Give me a punch."
Lin Shuyou threw a punch.
Zhao Yi dodged perfectly, not because he was fast, but because he anticipated Ayou's move before Ayou even threw a punch.
After Ah You threw a punch, he lost his balance, and his chest was wide open to Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi gripped Ayou's chest with his five fingers and shook his head, saying, "Practice here more often when you have nothing else to do, get used to the new range of power, otherwise you'll be full of openings when you fight."
Lin Shuyou: "Okay."
Tan Wenbin: "Ah You, catch the knife."
The Meishan Twin Swords were thrown over, and Ayou caught them with both hands. After performing a series of sword flourishes, he half-squatted down, with the male sword in front and the female sword behind.
"Li, this image is good." Zhao Yi clapped. "You can tell he put a lot of thought into it."
While the practical value of the weapon was not sacrificed, its emotional value was certainly carefully designed.
Zhao Yi took out a sword manual from his pocket and handed it to Ayou:
"It's not as valuable as the basement book belonging to the man surnamed Li, and it can't be called a secret manual, but it's definitely highly efficient and practical. Have the boy accompany you to study it."
Lin Shuyou: "Thank you, Three Eyes."
White Crane Boy: "Ha, do I need you to teach me how to do things?"
Zhao Yi's chest spun around the Gate of Life and Death, his fingertips forming a seal that struck Lin Shuyou's brow.
Caught off guard, Ayou didn't have time to dodge. After realizing what was happening, he didn't rush to avoid it. Instead, he looked at Xiaoyuan and, seeing that Xiaoyuan didn't react, let Zhao Yi do as he pleased. Zhao Yi said, "I'll isolate General Zeng's consciousness for you. You only need to communicate with the boy normally. Having another Yin spirit residing in your body might affect you."
White Crane Boy: "No wonder he is a descendant of Zhao Longwang of Jiujiang!"
Lin Shuyou looked at the sword manual and asked in confusion, "Three-Eyed, how did you know my new weapon is a sword? Moreover, it's a dual-sword technique."
Zhao Yi: "That chess idiot in the peach grove, if you talk to him more about the long-legged senior sister and the voluptuous junior sister, his defenses will loosen, and he'll be able to dig out anything."
Luo Xiaoyu's state of mind was definitely not as weak as Zhao Yi said, but nowadays, there are very few people on the river who can withstand Zhao Yi's scrutiny through the cracks between life and death.
Tan Wenbin: "I'm saying, shouldn't the foreign teams take a closer look after they've broken through your defenses?"
"Tan Daban, we can't do without you, no matter who else is needed."
Zhao Yi pulled something resembling a belt from his pocket and handed it to Tan Wenbin.
Tan Wenbin wrapped the belt around his waist. The belt was hollow inside and made of a very special material, like...
"Dragon skin?"
Zhao Yi: "Don't be so moved. How could I possibly cut off my own skin to give to you? This is what I shed when I was refining and enhancing my dragon skin. I'll make it into a belt for you and put the soft sword inside to prevent you from cutting yourself. You won't need to carry a tetanus shot when you go out in the future."
Tan Wenbin: "Thanks."
Zhao Yi: "Would you like me to build a shrine for you on Mount Lu after I go back?"
Tan Wenbin: "That would be too embarrassing, too flashy."
Zhao Yi: "Hey Li, this is over, I'm leaving."
Li Zhuiyuan nodded.
Zhao Yi: "Don't see me off, please don't see me off. We don't need to be so polite between us."
Li Zhuiyuan did not move.
Zhao Yi: "Wait, wait, don't be shy, don't be shy!"
After leaving the temple and descending the dam, Zhao Yi stopped and lit a cigarette.
After finishing one cigarette, light another one...
Zhao Yi finished half a pack of cigarettes under a tree by the path.
Li Zhuiyuan's footsteps approached.
The boy held two notebooks in his hands, which he had just filled out.
Li Zhuiyuan: "One book is for A Jing, a qi and blood mobilization technique that borders on evil magic. You have to keep an eye on him while he practices. This book is a set of combined attack formations that I improved myself, for Liang Yan and Liang Li."
Zhao Yi reached out and took the book from A Jing, saying, "I'll take this one. It's a gift from my friend, so I won't take any money."
Li Zhuiyuan tossed another book to Zhao Yi: "I won't charge you for A Jing's book either."
Zhao Yi patted the two notebooks together: "I traded a tattered sword manual with some dead skin for these two. I got a great deal. My ancestors are so generous!"
Li Zhuiyuan didn't look after her; he turned back, as he still needed to practice martial arts with A Li.
Zhao Yi walked onto the village road and whistled.
Under the cover of night, Xiao Hei carried Benben as they sped off.
When Zhao Yi picked up Benben, he casually flicked Xiao Queque.
Benben pouted and got angry.
"You need to leave with the marks from the struggle to show that I forcibly abducted you. I'll send you to Xue Liangliang's house and have his family call you so you can spend the night with the clown girl there. When his family brings you back tomorrow, they'll also bring the clown girl over for a day as a guest."
Zhao Yi lifted Benben up and let the child sit on his shoulders.
"Do you think my future children will be as smart as you?"
Upon hearing this, Benben grabbed Zhao Yi's hair with both hands and looked down curiously.
"Pah, pah, pah, not the kind of 'intelligence' that interests you, otherwise you're completely doomed."
Benben raised his head uninterestedly.
"You should study hard first. I have two wives, and they can have children quickly. I'll send my children over later and have them recognized as godfathers by the surname Li... But wait, having a godfather with the surname Li is too unlucky."
In short, will you help me take care of the kids?
Clumsy fingers ran through Zhao Yi's hair, as if looking for lice.
"Just think about all the suffering you've endured. Then you can use ten or a hundred times more of that to teach my children a lesson they won't forget. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"Oh!"
As Zhao Yi passed the village entrance, he greeted Zhang Li in the pavilion:
"I'll take the child away first. Remember to notify her later, so her godmother doesn't panic."
Zhang Li smiled, bowed, and respectfully saw Lord Zhao off.
late at night.
Lin Shuyou finished his acclimatization training for the evening and returned to the living room, exhausted. Before his own coffin, he first pushed open the lid of Bin Ge's coffin.
There was no light inside.
Tan Wenbin opened his eyes: "What's wrong?"
Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, aren't you going to study anymore?"
Tan Wenbin: "I just finished reading the divination paper. I'll take a nap. It'll be my turn tomorrow."
Lin Shuyou: "I was referring to studying, the final exams."
Tan Wenbin: "I'm so sleepy, I'm going to sleep now."
Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin is right, you need to be well-rested to be in the right state of mind for studying."
Ah-you lay back in his coffin and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Tan Wenbin was summoned to the temple to receive Li Zhuiyuan's modification of the formation diagram.
This was a delicate task that couldn't be interrupted, so Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin stayed at the dojo for the entire day.
Fortunately, Grandpa went to observe a vegetarian fast, so it's fine if we don't go out for meals.
Afterwards, Li Zhuiyuan sat on the steps of the altar to rest.
Ah Li opened a can of ordinary Jianlibao and handed it to the boy.
After taking a sip, Li Zhuiyuan missed the taste of Mingjia brand.
The boy got up and left the dojo with the girl. The dinner spot was near Chen Xiyuan and had not yet been lost.
Sister Chen generously pushed the dishes in front of her to the boy, and Li Zhuiyuan picked up his chopsticks and started eating.
Lin Shuyou came to the dojo to find Tan Wenbin:
“Brother Bin, I was worried about you during the day and couldn’t concentrate on studying. Besides, if you weren’t studying, I felt bad about secretly studying behind your back.”
Upon entering, I couldn't find Brother Bin.
"Huh, Brother Bin has already gone out?"
A soft sword appeared in front of Lin Shuyou's neck.
Lin Shuyou was immediately provoked into activating his True Monarch state.
Upon seeing the rust on the soft sword, True Lord Ayou's demeanor dissipated, he breathed a sigh of relief, and exclaimed in admiration:
"Brother Bin, my vertical pupils didn't detect your presence at all!"
Tan Wenbin sheathed his soft sword and said, "You're naturally more relaxed at home, but if you're outside, you'll still be able to sense warning signs."
Lin Shuyou: "I don't think so."
Tan Wenbin: "I need you guys to draw the enemy's attention so I can launch a surprise attack."
Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, why don't you go and try it on Miss Chen? She's eating out. See if her flute reacts when you get close."
Tan Wenbin: "I am invisible, not Runsheng."
Disturbing Miss Chen's meal, she swung her flute backward, but her body couldn't withstand the blow.
Ayou stayed at the temple to adjust and adapt, while Tan Wenbin came to the dam, poured the leftover food over the leftover rice, made a rice bowl, and after eating, sat down on the dam to start adapting to his changes.
Li Sanjiang, who had just returned from his meditation retreat, was slightly drunk. He saw Tan Wenbin sitting there in the distance by the light bulb on the dam. After walking a few steps forward, he found that Tan Wenbin was gone. After walking a few more steps, he saw Tan Wenbin again.
"Uncle Li, you're back!"
Tan Wenbin went down to the dam and helped Li Sanjiang up.
Li Sanjiang: "The light bulb on our dam is probably broken; it's flickering."
Tan Wenbin: "Okay, I'll have Ah You fix it tomorrow."
After escorting Li Sanjiang back upstairs, Tan Wenbin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. When he sealed himself in, his senses would also be affected, and he hadn't been able to detect that Grandpa Li had returned in advance, almost letting Grandpa Li notice something was wrong.
After drawing pictures all day, Tan Wenbin was exhausted, so he lay down in the coffin and went to sleep.
After the trial run ended tonight, Lin Shuyou returned exhausted, both physically and mentally. What frustrated him even more than the exhaustion was that he still couldn't fully grasp his new power.
This made him very anxious. Xiao Yuan did everything he could, even feeding him, but he still complained that it was too hot.
However, seeing that Brother Bin was sleeping soundly, Ah You also fell asleep peacefully.
With the return-to-school exams approaching, the first exam is in the afternoon. Everyone will take a yellow pickup truck to Nanjing in the morning to minimize the time wasted studying at school.
Tan Wenbin drove, Li Zhuiyuan sat in the passenger seat, and Ayou sat in the back.
Lin Shuyou pulled out brand-new review materials from his bag and said, "Brother Bin, let's take turns driving and studying in the car. The exam is this afternoon."
Tan Wenbin: "You focus on your studies, I'll drive."
Lin Shuyou: "That won't do, that's not fair."
Tan Wenbin: "Look quickly, be a good boy."
After some hesitation, Lin Shuyou opened the review materials and started reading.
"Brother Bin, you're so kind."
Runsheng returned to the school with Mr. Zhai last night. He first cleaned his dormitory and then went to help out at the school store. He really enjoyed organizing the shelves there.
Li Zhuiyuan and others arrived at the school at noon. The boy brought supplements to visit Old Zhai, who had just been discharged from the hospital, in the faculty and staff courtyard.
After returning to his dormitory, Tan Wenbin lay down on his bed and took a nap.
Lin Shuyou sat at his desk, engrossed in his book, reminding him several times: "Brother Bin, at least read a little bit."
Old Zhai lives in the same house that Grandma Liu used to live in; the furnishings and flowerbeds inside haven't changed.
Li Zhuiyuan didn't knock on the door. Instead, he habitually entered the courtyard and pushed open the French windows of the bedroom that Ah Li used to have on the first floor.
Upon entering the house, I saw Old Zhai sitting at the dining table. The sunlight didn't reach him, but his shadow stretched very long.
Li Zhuiyuan took a step forward, and his shadow took a step back.
Until the boy walked up to Old Master Zhai, the shadow that shouldn't have been there completely disappeared, and Old Master Zhai woke up from his slumber.
"Xiao Yuan, you're here? Sigh, as people get older, they tend to doze off easily. Why did you bring so much stuff?"
"To help you recover."
"I only had mild food poisoning, and I was fine the next day after getting an IV drip. How could I possibly eat all this?"
"Then consider it a pre-exam bribe."
"hehe."
Li Zhuiyuan sat down and chatted with Elder Zhai.
Even without that food poisoning incident, the old man had visibly aged.
In Zhai Lao's words, aging is not linear, but rather a sudden and significant decline after reaching a certain stage.
He was originally semi-retired and teaching at the school, but in order to support Li Zhuiyuan, he started working outside again.
Li Zhuiyuan did not urge Old Zhai to rest, but instead actively enriched his imagination when the old man was looking forward to the future for him.
"It's almost time for your exam. Do you remember the exam venue?"
"remember."
"Come on, I'll go with you. Hehe, I can't let you take these things for free. I'll put in a good word and proctor the exam for you."
Tan Wenbin and Lin Shuyou left the dormitory. A dusty car was parked at the dormitory entrance, and Xue Liangliang was lying in the driver's seat.
"Brother Liang."
Tan Wenbin greeted him while pulling Ayou, who was engrossed in reading, back to his senses.
Xue Liangliang woke up and stretched: "Where's Xiaoyuan?"
"Brother Xiaoyuan went to see Old Zhai. He should be heading to the exam hall via another route now."
"Get in the car, I'll drive you to the teaching area exam site."
While driving, Xue Liangliang noticed that Ayou, who was sitting in the back seat, was still reading a book, and smiled:
"That's right, work hard, in addition to the national scholarship, there's also the scholarship I sponsor, don't try to save money for me."
"Did Brother Liang sponsor our department this time?"
"It's not just your college, or just our school; we've sponsored quite a few schools."
That would cost quite a bit.
"Enough money is enough. More is meaningless. It's better to build more dams, more power plants, and more factories."
Tan Wenbin picked up a stack of documents from the passenger seat, glanced at the table of contents, and asked curiously, "Brother Liang, did you switch majors?"
"I was ordered to attend the meeting, so I had no choice. I also wanted to go home and spend more time with my daughter, but unfortunately I have meetings tonight and tomorrow."
"The world's factory? Wow, that's quite an ambitious statement. How many factories would that require? It would certainly be more than anywhere else, right?"
"This means that in the future, the world will no longer need factories except for us."
Tan Wenbin rubbed his temples: "I'd better adjust my mindset and prepare for the exam."
Upon entering the examination room, Tan Wenbin saw that Xiao Yuan was already sitting there, and Old Zhai was talking to the other two proctors while holding a thermos.
Xue Liangliang stood outside the examination hall, found a corner, and lit a cigarette.
The exam begins; papers are being distributed.
Knowing that Brother Liangliang was waiting for him outside, Li Zhuiyuan quickly finished the test paper, handed it in, and left the examination room.
"Brother Liangliang."
"Xiao Yuan, let's talk about that Western Regions thing we discussed last time. I'd like to discuss it again."
"Is there any new development regarding that matter?"
"It's not that there's been a new development in that matter, it's that I've made new progress; the higher-ups want me to change careers."
Twenty minutes later, Tan Wenbin handed in his paper.
Lin Shuyou: "..."
Tan Wenbin walked out of the examination room and joined Liang Ge and Xiao Yuan Ge's conversation.
For Mr. Zhai, the only familiar face left in the examination room was Lin Shuyou. He walked over to Lin Shuyou, lowered his head, and watched Lin answer the questions.
Ah You felt a shadow loom over him, and the Ghost General mark under his headband seemed to respond.
This isn't just the kind of treatment you receive from a proctor, but also the kind of treatment a great emperor gives to a ghost general.
Adding this already difficult test paper on top of that, Lin Shuyou experienced firsthand what it meant for each day to feel like an eternity.
"Time to collect the papers!"
Ah You is granted a general amnesty.
This score is not bad enough to fail, but it's just not bad enough. Compared to past grades, it's a significant drop.
Old Zhai put away Lin Shuyou's exam paper and said, "Come to my place later to study and review."
Ayou: "Yes..."
As I walked out of the exam hall, a gust of wind made me realize that I was soaked through.
Xue Liangliang had already left. He had gone back to the school during a break from a meeting to chat with Li Zhuiyuan. He knew that the junior exam wouldn't be long.
"Brother Xiaoyuan, Brother Bin, Master Zhai asked me to go to his place to study."
Li Zhuiyuan: "Then go. No matter which side you're on, you're still his student."
Tan Wenbin: "First Runsheng, then Ayou, and then Brother Xiaoyuan, it's quite interesting."
Lin Shuyou went straight to Elder Zhai's residence.
Tan Wenbin went to Ayou's dormitory, packed up the review materials for other subjects and delivered them to him, and took a red sausage from the box under Lu Yi's bed.
When they arrived at Mr. Zhai's house, they knocked on the door and found it was open. They pushed the door open and saw Lin Shuyou and Mr. Zhai sitting opposite each other.
Old Zhai was looking at a document, while Lin Shuyou was reviewing his studies.
Under the lamplight, the two people's shadows stretched long to the side.
One figure was dressed in solemn imperial robes, and another figure held a general's banner.
Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin..."
Tan Wenbin: "I brought you all the materials and books. Brother Xiaoyuan said that this is a rare learning opportunity. If you get tired, you can sleep here. Don't let Professor Zhai's good intentions go to waste..."
Just then, Tan Wenbin's mobile phone rang, and he immediately excused himself.
"Mr. Zhai, you've worked so hard, I'll be going now."
Lin Shuyou had no choice but to lower his head resignedly and continue reading.
After Tan Wenbin left and the door closed, Old Zhai spoke:
"Pick up the book to read; the light is better and it won't hurt your eyes."
Lin Shuyou did as instructed, picking up the book with both hands. Suddenly, the book became heavier and heavier, as if he were holding two knives. But then, out of the blue, the book suddenly became very light, almost causing Lin Shuyou to lose his balance and fall.
Mr. Zhai:
"Have you neglected your studies to the point that you can't even hold a book properly?"
In the dormitory.
Li Zhuiyuan sat at his desk, flipping through a book called "Tales of the Strange and Unusual in the Martial World," a bedtime read for the young boy.
Tan Wenbin pushed open the door and came in, his expression serious.
"Brother Xiaoyuan, several other teams just sent me messages at the same time, something happened."
Li Zhuiyuan put down his book and looked at Tan Wenbin.
"Qinglong Temple hereby announces to the entire martial arts world that the temple will be closed from this day forward!"
(End of this chapter)