Chapter 542
Chapter 542
Chapter 542
With the Yu family having sealed off their gates for sixty years prior, the recent closure of Qinglong Temple inevitably raises questions.
Compared to the entire martial arts world, Li Zhuiyuan has two important hidden clues.
One of them is Yayoi.
In the Zhenjun Temple, Li Zhuiyuan bestowed the vast amount of Buddhist nature upon Miyo. After returning to Qinglong Temple, Miyo would surely climb the Demon Suppression Tower again to absorb demonic nature in order to achieve balance.
One is the river.
From the opening of that scenic spot in Suzhou to the competition for the Bodhisattva status, it's clear that Heaven is making itself peel back the layers of the Qinglong Temple like an onion.
Admittedly, Heaven doesn't mind its sword breaking here, but at the same time, it also means that Heaven hopes Qinglong Temple will be overthrown.
It is likely that Qinglong Temple is plotting something truly taboo, which has triggered the Heavenly Dao to push the river and bring about a karmic backlash.
"Brother Xiaoyuan, I don't think it's likely because of Yayoi."
Firstly, all seven eminent monks of the Kong generation passed away at the Zhenjun Temple, and the Qinglong Temple was unaware of the secret of Yayoi's demonic possession.
Secondly, Qinglong Temple has always held a dislike for Yayoi, and the more the temple's heritage is lost, the more tolerant it becomes of Yayoi.
Most importantly, even if Yayoi is exposed, Qinglong Temple will either succeed in suppressing her or fail; there's no need to seal the temple off.
Li Zhuiyuan: "This should be related to the taboo thing that Qinglong Temple is doing. It is possible that something went wrong and the temple had to be closed to deal with it; or it is possible that it is close to success and the temple is closed to focus on completing the last step."
The blow of losing eight eminent monks of the "Kong" generation in the short term, coupled with the long-term pressure of Qin Liu's resurgence, will all compel them to make the final decision to push through to the end.
Tan Wenbin: "If only we could get in touch with Yayoi at this time."
Li Zhuiyuan: "Sealing the temple does not mean that the gates will not be closed. When the Yu family sealed the gates, the demons would still be active outside. This move is just an implicit acceptance that no one from that lineage will walk in the martial world anymore, severing the causal ties."
Furthermore, Yayoi hasn't lit the lamps a second time yet. Qinglong Temple's decision to keep him under surveillance and prevent him from leaving will only force the river to concentrate further towards Qinglong Temple. Keep an eye out; as soon as he leaves the temple, he should contact us immediately.
Tan Wenbin: "I understand."
Li Zhuiyuan: "Combined with the Emperor's recent unusual behavior, I have a preliminary picture of our next wave."
Tan Wenbin: "It is based on the Yu family."
Li Zhuiyuan: "With a ready-made successful irrigation canal, the river water might not mind flowing in the same way again, and it is even possible to replicate it."
Tan Wenbin: "A replica...?"
Li Zhuiyuan: "The wave that the Yu family went through first was when Zhao Yi was ordered to be hunted down by the Dragon King Yu. He was used as bait to gather a group of lamplighters and head towards the Yu family."
Yayoi is a more suitable bait than Zhao Yi was back then; he has truly become a demon.
This is our catalog unfolding, but it could also be the start of a major wave within the team.
Having learned from the Dragon King Yu crisis, those who light lanterns on the river will inevitably be more cautious, and the rate of destruction in such waves will be frighteningly high.
Meanwhile, the various martial arts forces on the shore will take this matter more seriously than last time, sending out more people with a stronger purpose.
"Brother Binbin, do you remember what those old fogies did at the Yu family ancestral home?"
"The old folks are using the pretext of cleaning up monsters to eliminate the young people from other families."
"Back then, we hadn't yet made a name for ourselves in the martial arts world, and we entered the Yu family's ancestral home through connections, so we didn't face much targeting."
"Right now, what do you think their reaction would be if those old fogies saw us at Qinglong Temple?"
"They'll attack like rabid, starving dogs."
Li Zhuiyuan's fingertips lightly traced patterns on the desk, making a rubbing sound.
Tan Wenbin took out a cigarette, didn't light it, and took a deep sniff.
If things develop along this line of thought, then this round of improvement for Xiao Yuan and others becomes crucial.
In an environment similar to the Yu family's ancestral home back then, they no longer need to hide from or fear those old guys; instead, they can switch roles as hunter and prey.
Li Zhuiyuan: "During this time, keep an eye on the news in the martial arts world. If nothing unexpected happens, there should be some activity from Wangjiang Tower."
Of course, the most important thing is to seize the time to practice using the knife in our hands as much as possible, making it more nimble and sharper.
This is the capital that allows us to calmly observe changes in the situation, remain steadfast in the face of adversity, and act when the time is right.
If it is indeed a joint effort by multiple teams, with legitimate forces from the underworld intervening, then we will play out the same script in reverse.
We don't want the kind of nominal alliance leader Zhao Yi did last time.
What we must do is forcefully suppress and integrate these people who light lamps on the river.
Anyone who disobeys, is disobedient, or thinks too highly of themselves will be drowned in the river according to the traditional rules of the river.
The group that Zhao Yi organized scattered and fought independently once they entered the Yu family's ancestral home. This time, I want them to obey my orders once they enter the ancestral home.
The last wave went to Zhenjun Temple, but the river water was very strict with our side. Chen Xiyuan waited until the end, but was still pushed away by other river waters.
However, due to the unique nature of the next wave, the mechanisms are likely to be relaxed.
Tan Wenbin understood and immediately said:
"Brother Xiaoyuan, I will notify all the other teams to gather before our next wave begins, and then let them try to crash into our wave."
To quickly integrate and control a large team, decisiveness alone is not enough; you also need to place your own loyal people in positions of authority.
Tan Wenbin wouldn't naively believe in the loyalty of the other teams, but he was certain that Yilang, who was involved in the inheritance of Qinglong Temple, would definitely be able to sway them.
Li Zhuiyuan: "First, observe the situation. If things develop as we predicted, we should inform them in advance and hint to them to dissuade their elders from going to Qinglong Temple and not to get involved in this mess."
The other team is the other team, but the elders of the other team are not Li Zhuiyuan's elders.
However, even as the best of the younger generation in their respective factions, it is still difficult for them to influence major decisions of their families and sects. But since Li Zhuiyuan has given them a reminder, they have done their utmost.
Tan Wenbin: "Understood, I will manage the communication pace well."
Li Zhuiyuan picked up the water glass on the desk, opened the lid, and watching the rising steam, the young man gently blew on the rim of the glass and calmly said:
"I'm going to take this opportunity to give these old bastards a good bloodbath."
……
After getting up in the morning, Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin went to the shop for breakfast.
The store sells soy milk, tea eggs, and corn on the cob, making it convenient for students who wake up late to buy and go.
Li Zhuiyuan and Tan Wenbin finished their breakfast in the shop but didn't see Ayou come over, so they stopped waiting. Tan Wenbin packed a portion and headed to the exam hall for the morning.
Before the exam began, Lin Shuyou, sporting dark circles under his eyes, entered the exam room carrying a pencil case, followed by Professor Zhai.
The exam papers were distributed.
After finishing his exam, Li Zhuiyuan looked at the seat where Ayou was sitting.
Ah-you was writing with a pen in hand, his wrist was trembling, and he was having a hard time writing.
Old Zhai walked over, tapped on Li Zhuiyuan's desk, and said:
"Don't look around, and pay attention to the exam room rules."
Li Zhuiyuan picked up the test paper: "Teacher, I'm handing in my paper."
Mr. Zhai picked up the test paper and glanced at it. He didn't look at the boy's answers, but instead helped check if the boy had filled in his name and student ID.
Li Zhuiyuan looked at Ayou diagonally opposite him again. Ayou pressed his left hand against his right wrist, trying to stop the trembling as he wrote.
Even after handing in the paper, you can't disturb other people's exams.
"Yes, teacher."
Li Zhuiyuan stood up, preparing to leave the examination room.
Professor Zhai: "It's cold outside, don't freeze. Go sit on the front platform and help proctor the exam."
Li Zhuiyuan walked behind the podium and sat down.
There were two proctors in the examination room. They just smiled when they saw this scene, and no one thought there was anything wrong with the examinee becoming the examiner.
If Li Zhuiyuan initially received preferential treatment only because of his reputation as a child prodigy, now the boy's qualifications outside are higher than those of these two teachers.
The large lecture hall was crowded with examinees, and Li Zhuiyuan had no interest in catching cheaters.
After observing Ayou for a while and confirming that Ayou could answer the questions normally, Li Zhuiyuan pretended to look ahead, but actually placed his hands on the desk and flipped through the golden thread with his fingertips to conduct the next wave of deduction.
The boy was engrossed in his own work, but the students below who wanted to cheat were watching him closely.
Basic procedures before cheating include pretending to flip through the exam paper, coughing, or stretching to quickly locate the proctor.
Li Zhuiyuan, sitting on the podium, was frequently subjected to "attention" from those with ulterior motives.
Then, just as the student with the cheat sheet took it out, the broken window opened, and a gust of wind blew in. He only had time to hold down his own paper, but the cheat sheet was blown away.
Someone was passing the answers to a friend when they sneezed, and the crumpled answer sheet hit the proctor on the head.
And then someone, while furiously copying something, couldn't help but let out a long, loud fart...
Those who violated the examination rules were caught red-handed.
Tan Wenbin didn't hand in his paper early to go outside for some fresh air; instead, he lay down on his exam desk and fell asleep.
Lin Shuyou put down his pen and finished answering the questions just before the exam time ended.
After handing in his exam paper, Tan Wenbin handed breakfast to Ayou. The corn and tea eggs were still warm, and he held them close to his chest.
Seeing that Ayou's hands were trembling so much that he couldn't even hold the corn properly, Tan Wenbin helped him get the corn and fed it to him, while Li Zhuiyuan peeled a tea egg for Ayou.
Tan Wenbin: "Doesn't Old Zhai eat breakfast either?"
Lin Shuyou: "Old Zhai made me breakfast this morning, but I wasn't full."
This is due to excessive consumption, which prevents normal metabolism from being maintained.
Tan Wenbin: "Let's go back to the shop and have a good meal first."
Lin Shuyou shook his head, ate the tea egg, and picked up his pencil case: "Brother Xiaoyuan, Brother Bin, I'm going back to my hometown in Zhai to continue studying. See you at the exam hall this afternoon." Tan Wenbin: "You won't miss the time to eat a meal, will you?"
Lin Shuyou: "Even when you're hungry, you have to be able to wield a knife."
After Lin Shuyou left, Tan Wenbin remarked with emotion, "Our Ayou has matured."
This shows that they know the opportunity to work together is rare and they actively cherish it.
In addition, not reviewing also has its advantages; ordinary people would beg for such a private coach.
Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, I also want to audit a class."
Li Zhuiyuan: "Go."
Tan Wenbin: "Then I'll go and bring some good food to Ayou."
The Great Emperor is currently unable to project his power out of Fengdu, but He can still provide certain convenient means that are in accordance with cause and effect.
When I went to have dinner with Runsheng in the ghost town, it was like conducting an evaluation, and Runsheng passed the test.
Lin Shuyou's compatibility was too low, so the teacher pulled him in for extra lessons and gave him special training.
Li Zhuiyuan's deduction of the next wave contained hints of the Emperor's actions.
The emperor, like a major creditor, began to care about the health of the debtor.
This indirectly shows that the Great Emperor really wanted the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda of Qinglong Temple, and was willing to personally help Li Zhuiyuan train his companions.
Tan Wenbin has a good grasp of the new drawings, but who can resist striving for perfection?
I dare not try to go behind Chen Xiyuan for fear of being accidentally hurt, but isn't the Great Emperor's spiritual sense much higher than Chen Xiyuan's?
More importantly, at this time, the emperor cannot fight outside and is absolutely safe.
Tan Wenbin brought food from the store to visit Lin Shuyou. He activated the array and sneaked in, but when he pushed the door open, it was already open.
After a while, Tan Wenbin took some review materials to Lin Shuyou and sneaked into the courtyard. The door to the house was still open.
For the next few days, Lin Shuyou spent all his time at Mr. Zhai's house studying, except when he was taking the exam.
Ah-you has lost weight and looks haggard.
My daily routine of studying involved watching Brother Bin frequently come into the room to bring me all sorts of things, including urea cream, because he was worried that my skin would get chapped from the cold.
Before the last exam, Lin Shuyou was able to lift the book with two fingers, and when he held the pen to answer the questions, his hand moved smoothly and without any tremor.
Tan Wenbin gave Ah You some thermal underwear.
When I tried to open the door, I found it was closed.
Tan Wenbin was a little unsure whether it was because his hidden abilities had improved to the point where they were sufficient, or because the Emperor's tutoring classes had closed down with the end of exam week.
Lin Shuyou opened the door from the inside and walked past Tan Wenbin.
“Ah You”.
"Huh? Brother Bin, you're here? I didn't even notice."
"Ah You, don't just focus on giving me emotional value. If I'm not good at hiding my true feelings, I could easily get stabbed in the back and die."
"No, Brother Bin, when you came here to find me before, I could hear your footsteps from far away while I was sitting inside. I didn't hear them at all just now."
"Am I making my footsteps weaker and weaker?"
Yes, that's right.
"Okay, you can keep praising me now."
"Brother Bin, you're amazing..."
"Okay, put your long johns on first."
"Brother Bin, I'm a martial artist, I'm not afraid of this cold."
"I've already taken it, don't make me commit the crime of deceiving the emperor."
Lin Shuyou had no choice but to go back inside and put on his long johns.
For the last exam, Professor Zhai didn't come to proctor. I overheard the two proctors chatting and they said that as a year-end bonus, the school arranged for qualified senior professors to go to Tangshan to soak in hot springs and recuperate.
After the exam, Tan Wenbin, following the usual practice of each semester, treated the whole class to a meal. During the meal, Tan Wenbin talked about some projects, which made the students who had not yet started their internships very eager to participate.
The dinner lasted until late at night. Tan Wenbin was covered in the smell of alcohol but showed no signs of drunkenness. However, he still had Ayou, who had been drinking soy milk with Xiao Yuan the whole time, drive.
First, I went to the home of my counselor, Fatty Wu. He was invited to the dinner party, but he didn't come because his wife was pregnant and he rushed home to take care of her after work every day.
Wu Pangzi's wife, Zheng Jiayi, was Yin Meng's only best friend from her school days. Yin Meng wanted Runsheng to send her a set of cosmetics on her behalf by burning paper money. After learning that she was pregnant, Tan Wenbin changed the cosmetics to regular gifts like milk.
After leaving Wu Pangzi's house, Tan Wenbin asked Ayou to drive back to the school to pick up Runsheng and get his backpack, so they could return to Nantong.
"Brother Bin, aren't you going to visit your aunt and uncle?"
"My dad went on a business trip, and my mom went back to Nantong with Yunyun and Linlin the day before yesterday to prepare for the Chinese New Year. By the way, Ayou, when are you planning to go back this year?"
“Brother Bin, didn’t I just go back a while ago? There’s no need to make a special trip back.”
Tan Wenbin nodded. He knew that Ayou was afraid that the waves would suddenly appear and he didn't want to leave the team at this time.
Lin Shuyou drove the car back to school first. He got out of the car and went to the store to call Runsheng, while Tan Wenbin went to the dormitory to pack the three of their things.
When he returned, Tan Wenbin had three backpacks, a large bag of red sausages, and a small bag of incense and candles.
Lu Yi went home yesterday and, after discovering that the Red Sausage Ghost had reappeared, asked the classmates who stayed at school to perform the rituals for the Red Sausage Ghost on his behalf during this time, fearing that the Red Sausage Ghost would go hungry during the Lunar New Year.
Tan Wenbin accepted the offerings without hesitation.
Even if the classmate who was asked to do the favor called Lu Yi the next day, Lu Yi wouldn't think it was a theft, but rather that it had been taken advantage of.
After putting his things away, Tan Wenbin leaned forward and said to Li Zhuiyuan:
"Brother Xiao Yuan, there hasn't been any significant movement in the martial arts world lately."
Li Zhuiyuan: "Then it should be soon."
The sealing of Qinglong Temple will not be ignored by the top forces in the martial arts world. The calmer the surface appears, the more turbulent the undercurrents are, just one spark away from igniting it completely.
When we drove back to Siyuan Village from Jinling, it was already dawn.
Li Zhuiyuan got out of the car and had just walked onto the dam when he saw the door of the east room open and A Li came out.
Whether the boy is home or not, the girl goes to his room at this time every morning.
If it weren't for the fact that Ah Li needed to use the dojo to practice martial arts, Li Zhuiyuan would definitely have taken her with him when he went to Jinling for the exam.
Every morning when I wake up, I turn my head and open my eyes to see Tan Wenbin in the next bed, and there is still a bit of a sense of loss.
Aunt Liu: Breakfast is ready!
After Li Sanjiang got off the train, he saw the mules had returned and happily asked:
How did the exam go?
Tan Wenbin: "The teacher kept Ah You and me behind for special review, and we finally passed the exam with great difficulty."
Li Sanjiang: "This is a responsible and good teacher. It's almost Chinese New Year, have you given the teacher any gifts?"
Tan Wenbin: "No."
Li Sanjiang: "How can you be so insensible?"
Tan Wenbin: "The teacher went to recuperate and didn't have time. I'll send it when he returns to school after the New Year. It's the same."
Li Sanjiang: "Don't forget, we can't let their good intentions go to waste."
Then, Li Sanjiang looked worried and asked, "Zhuangzhuang, do you have the phone number of that little monk from last time?"
Tan Wenbin: "No, he doesn't have a mobile phone, and his family doesn't have a telephone."
Li Sanjiang: "Sigh, that big boss introduced me to another big job. He even called me yesterday to ask about it. I said I'd think about it. Well, I'll call him back later and turn it down."
Upon hearing this, Tan Wenbin immediately looked at Li Zhuiyuan.
Judging from this, the next wave is about to arrive.
After having breakfast, Li Sanjiang went for a walk, refusing Tan Wenbin's offer to accompany him, and told them to get some more sleep, as they must be tired from driving back all night.
Li Sanjiang lit a cigarette, walked along the village road, and strolled to Aunt Zhang's small shop.
Aunt Zhang is disassembling the door panel, preparing to open the door.
"Uncle Sanjiang, your kids all want a mobile phone, so why do you keep coming to me to make calls?"
"Big brother is expensive, every little bit saved for the kids is a good thing."
"Too."
Li Sanjiang picked up the phone, pulled out his notebook, and called the big boss.
After the call connected, Li Sanjiang said:
"Um, I'm really sorry, about what you told me yesterday..."
"Amitabha!"
Li Sanjiang paused for a moment, turned around to look behind him, and exclaimed in surprise:
"Hey, Tang Sanzang is back!"
(End of this chapter)