Chapter 566
Chapter 566
Chapter 566
On the steps outside the office, Mi Guang sat with his hands tucked into his sleeves, sniffling and looking around blankly at the new environment where he would be living in the future.
He had initially thought his master was going to take him away, but instead his master took out his savings book and hurriedly went to find the person in charge.
He was puzzled.
Master said that this group of people were the most capable people he had ever met in his life in the martial arts world, and he definitely had to stick to them tightly.
He still didn't understand.
According to that master, he would have to stay here for another ten or even twenty years, and he needed to save money.
Even the most capable person can only provide this kind of life; it's not as good as the master and apprentice being happy in Fengdu.
The master said: You're stupid. I wasn't here then, but you were.
Mi Guang fell silent. At this moment, he began to try to connect with the cold wind, which was even more biting than in Fengdu. He was no longer as cold as before because his heart was filled with warmth.
The petty squabbles in the office continued. At first, Yang Banxian was worried that his behavior might offend Tan Wenbin and make him feel that he was troublesome and procrastinating.
Who would have thought that Tan Wenbin would be even more dedicated to helping fight for benefits than him? He was just being stingy with pennies, while Tan Wenbin was digging deep into the ground.
The relevant personnel were annoyed and tried to leave the table several times, but Tan Wenbin pressed them back down.
By the time the initial discussions were over, it was already dusk outside, and the person in charge was feeling dizzy.
As they left the office, Tan Wenbin handed Yang Banxian a cigarette and then lit it for him with a lighter.
As he shielded himself from the wind, Yang Banxian hurriedly said, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."
Tan Wenbin: "What's written in the contract is what's written in the contract; once the shop is actually opened..."
Master Yang exhaled a smoke ring: "Understood, understood, don't worry, old Taoist... I've been around the block too."
Like Brother Liangliang, buying up a whole row of shops to open a funeral clothing store for his wife is the simplest thing to do; but in scenic areas like this, where public and private interests are intertwined and relationships and interests are involved, it is the most difficult to deal with, especially since Master Yang and his apprentice are from out of town.
If Tan Wenbin were to call the local police station chief and address him as "uncle," things would immediately go much more smoothly.
But wouldn't it be even better to just exhale a puff of smoke and hypnotize the person in charge?
Yayoi insists on earning money step by step to secure the contract; that's his rule.
Having witnessed the filth of the old Qinglong Temple, he hoped that every brick in the new Qinglong Temple would be clean.
This means the master and apprentice will have to make do, or rather, it depends on their management skills.
Even from Tan Wenbin's perspective, if he could see what it meant for Yang Banxian to take out his savings today and upgrade from a toilet stall to a shop halfway up the mountain, he would be worthy of a prominent place in the annals of the new Qinglong Temple a hundred years from now, and be considered half a founding ancestor.
If time goes on, it will involve mythological stories. Yang Banxian, who established the temple with the founder of Yayoi, can truly be mythologized like a deity or Buddha.
But the future is the future, and the present is the present.
Tan Wenbin looked up at the shop halfway up the mountain, his snake-like eyes suddenly flashing.
Even if his knowledge of feng shui is only at a beginner level, as long as he's not blind, he can see that the afterglow of the setting sun is shining alone on that golden shop on the mountainside!
This must be the work of Brother Xiaoyuan. Brother Xiaoyuan has invested heavily and provided great assistance for this new Qinglong Temple.
Tan Wenbin reached out, put his arm around Yang Banxian's shoulder, shook him, and encouraged him:
"Do a good job."
"Yes, yes!"
When it comes to the deepest bond with that shop, who can compare to the shop owner and the shop assistant?
As long as Master Yang doesn't run away halfway and keeps the shop open, he will surely be blessed with good fortune in his old age. I'm afraid that even when he's over ninety, he'll still be complained about for drinking when he goes to the hair salon!
Li Zhuiyuan and Yasheng descended the mountain, the boy walking in front and Yasheng following behind.
Looking at the boy's back, Yayoi was somewhat dazed. She remembered how the boy used the analogy of a Bodhisattva vying for favor to mock her and provoke her into demonic possession, followed by his domineering and forceful revenge. This extremely ruthless character suddenly revealed the true Buddha side of him.
Perhaps, like the spirit of the holy monk, it is because he did not wish to become a Buddha that he was able to become a true Buddha.
Li Zhuiyuan didn't have the same rich inner monologue as Yasheng. He just felt that the wind was strong and the incense was burning brightly on the mountain, and he wanted to go home early to have New Year's Eve dinner with his great-grandfather.
As for the matter of distributing merits, he didn't take it seriously at all. He simply saw Heaven as using him as a knife and Heaven as a political censor.
Even if his account were completely empty, let alone the large amount of merit that he couldn't actively spend, he could probably still overdraft it.
In this mundane world, very few people can uphold their original intentions and do good deeds, and have good karma to rely on. If their own accounts could generate interest, the interest alone would be enough to cover their expenses.
The boy suddenly stopped.
Yayoi paused for a moment, then stopped as well.
The boy turned around, looked again at the empty bed, and then at the smoke from the incense burning by the pilgrims queuing up at the top of the mountain.
He thought of a possibility, a possibility that could not be verified at the moment but had a theoretical probability of happening.
In places like this, according to people's custom, once their prayers are answered, they often return to give thanks.
Those who have accumulated good karma in secret, after receiving a share of their merits, return here to fulfill their vows. Will this result in their merits not only not decreasing, but actually increasing?
Yayoi: "Brother Xiaoyuan?"
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head and continued walking forward.
Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, we've reached a preliminary agreement."
Yang Banxian: "Tomorrow I'll go buy some goods and sell beverages, mineral water, or sweetened water. I should be able to make some money during the New Year, hehe."
Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's have a meal together."
Although we have to rush back, it won't make a difference if it's just a little while longer. No matter how makeshift the team is, we still have to have a meal to celebrate the opening of the temple.
Yayoi: "Eating plain noodles is cheaper."
It's cheap and you can get back to the village sooner.
However, Yayoi underestimated the prices at the entrance of the scenic area, especially during the Lunar New Year, when merchants were counting on this period to make money for the whole year.
Looking at the newly revised prices on the signboard, Yayoi fell silent.
Yang Banxian, who had just invested his retirement savings, also felt the pinch, not only because of the noodles, but because if everything here was so expensive, then hair salons must have poor service and high prices.
Master Yang: "My apprentice and I don't like this kind of noodles. How about this, I'll go to the shop to buy some dried noodles, and then find a guesthouse to settle down. I'm afraid it will be hard to find one after dark. You all should go home first, hmm, home?"
Yayoi: "Okay."
Yayoi took the money out of her pocket and handed it to Yang Banxian.
Master Yang: "Master, you mustn't, you mustn't!"
Yayoi: "This humble monk can earn money by sitting in meditation and chanting sutras. When I earn money, this humble monk will send it to you."
In Yayoi's eyes, the master and disciple were ascetic monks who stayed at Shin-Shoryu-ji Temple. It was his fault for not making proper arrangements, and he had a responsibility to take care of them.
Unable to refuse, Yang Banxian had no choice but to accept the money and take Mi Guang to find a guesthouse.
On the way back in the little yellow pickup truck, Yayoi looked out the window at the bleak winter sky gradually darkening, and said softly:
"They've really suffered."
Tan Wenbin smiled and comforted him, "I think that fortune teller Yang is capable. He's just changing locations. He'll definitely be able to make a name for himself soon."
The old Taoist priest had just arrived in Nantong today and was already consciously learning the Nantong dialect. People like that can get along anywhere.
Yayoi: "Amitabha, I hope so, so that I may feel less guilty."
Tan Wenbin: "Maybe they can earn the money to contract the mountaintop temple even earlier than you."
Sitting in the passenger seat, Li Zhuiyuan gently turned his head and leaned against the car window. If he did that, his account might have even more cold, hard numbers that he couldn't withdraw.
Grandpa and the others drank too much at noon, so the New Year's Eve dinner was postponed. When Li Zhuiyuan and the others arrived home, Grandpa had just sobered up and laughed at Uncle Shan and Uncle Xue for not being able to hold their liquor!
Grandpa Shan didn't argue. He had once had a drinking contest with Li Sanjiang, and Li Sanjiang lost and fell asleep on the table. As the victor, Grandpa Shan went out to urinate arrogantly, slipped, and fractured his tailbone.
Xue's father was not convinced and said they would have another competition that night, and they drank until the Spring Festival Gala sang "Unforgettable Tonight".
Fearing that the elderly might drink themselves into unconsciousness and waste such expensive fireworks, Tan Wenbin suggested setting them off first and then eating.
Large boxes were placed on the dam, and after being disassembled, the first one was lit.
"boom!"
A series of explosions occurred in a short period of time, fireworks soared into the sky, and after exploding, they drew a huge golden flower in the night sky, lasting for a long time, as if witnessing the complete blooming and withering of the flower, giving people ample time to savor the experience.
Many families in the village noticed it, and their children called them out of their homes to watch. They chatted about how expensive these fireworks were and lamented that they hadn't seen the start.
Fortunately, money can't make up for all regrets, but it can fill 99% of them.
The second shot ignited, launched into the air, and was even more brilliant and dazzling than the first.
Many villagers spontaneously left their homes and moved closer to Li Sanjiang in order to get a better first-person perspective.
Bai Zhilan held the clown girl and let her watch the show together. As a result, the clown girl had been acting crazy for a long time in the afternoon because Benben was with her. Now, she turned to her side in her mother's arms and buried her head in sleep.
While Xue's mother continued to speak ill of Xue Liangliang, she didn't show the same utilitarianism as Xue's father and Li Sanjiang. Instead, she empathized with her daughter-in-law's grievances and even wiped away tears.
Bai Zhilan had no choice but to hand the clown girl over to Benben to hold, and then she went to hug her mother-in-law to comfort her.
Just as I finished comforting my mother-in-law, I saw Benben put Xiaochou Mei on Xiao Hei's back and carry her down the dam.
Aunt Xue: "Is the child alright?"
Bai Zhilan quickly drew her mother-in-law's attention back and said, "She's asleep, sleeping soundly."
Li Zhuiyuan and A Li lay on the rattan chairs on the second floor, holding hands.
They had seen far more spectacular scenes in the waves, but none as calm and peaceful as this.
Aunt Liu cracked sunflower seeds, glancing occasionally at the two people on the terrace, and sometimes at Uncle Qin, who was squatting in front of her, intently watching the fireworks.
The two children above look like two elderly people, enjoying this peaceful moment of "children reuniting for the New Year"; while the two adults themselves are still in a daze.
He couldn't help but speed up the process of cracking sunflower seeds, and he spat them out with greater force. Soon, his entire back was covered with seeds.
Jiang Xiuzhi: "Sister, another year has passed."
Liu Yumei: "Life is getting better year by year."
The New Year's Eve dinner has ended.
So fast it caught everyone off guard; a bustling scene turned into a desolate silence, with people even subconsciously lowering their voices.
Lin Shuyou carried Xue's father into the car, and he drove the family back to the city.
Benben, holding Xiao Hei's hand, watched longingly as the yellow pickup truck was swallowed by the night.
He turned around and saw Xiao Yingying standing behind him.
Xiao Yingying took out a yellow packet from her pocket.
Benben took it, unwrapped the yellow paper, revealing the red envelope inside.
She wrapped the red envelope in yellow paper because she was afraid it would bring her bad luck.
Benben happily put the red envelope away.
The only use money has for Benben is that next time he wants to go to the city to see Clown Girl, he won't have to rely solely on Xiao Hei's lackeys.
When I got home, I had just entered the house when I heard the creaking of the bed upstairs.
Like bravely climbing to the summit, like surging waves crashing against the shore.
Once upon a time, their son was the apple of Xiong Shan and his wife's eye, and they were willing to take him with them on their journeys to Jianghun to perform meritorious deeds.
Since moving here, their son has been surrounded by top teachers, his future is guaranteed, and even a marriage has been arranged for him since childhood. Like ordinary parents who have supported their child from school to marriage and career, they can finally unload all their responsibilities and burdens and live a life as a couple. The difference is that they are still young and have made quite a stir.
Xiao Yingying was already used to it. She picked up the thermos and poured the basin full of hot water, then put her hand in. In a short while, the hot water cooled down to lukewarm.
Benben obediently took off his clothes and sat in the tub to take a bath.
After washing, Xiao Hei brought a dry towel and wiped Benben's body.
Then, Xiao Hei put its four legs into the bathtub one by one, and Benben dried its legs.
Xiao Yingying did not unroll the painting on the bed again. On New Year's Day, she planned to give the child a holiday.
Xiao Hei was sleeping on the footboard under the bed, while Benben was curled up in Xiao Yingying's arms, habitually putting his fingers in his mouth. After he fell asleep, Xiao Yingying also habitually pulled his fingers out.
As she turned her head, she heard a sound under the pillow. Xiao Yingying reached under the pillow and found all the red envelopes that Benben had received that day.
Yayoi and Junsheng, each carrying one on their backs, settled the completely drunk Li Sanjiang and Uncle Shan on the bed.
Just as the two were about to leave, they saw Grandpa Shan grind his teeth and kick off the blanket.
Before Runsheng could go over to cover him again, he saw Li Sanjiang, who was also dazed, first slap the old man on the mouth to stop him from grinding his teeth, and then pull the blanket over the old man.
The two old men had been friends for decades, even though it had always been Grandpa Shan who had risked his life for them.
Uncle Qin was boiling water in the kitchen, and rows of empty thermos bottles were placed there, like an army protesting for pay.
Li Zhuiyuan pushed open the door to the west room.
On the ground, snakes, insects, and rodents scattered in fright. A centipede scrambled to Li Zhuiyuan's feet, touched his shoes, and then flipped over, belly up.
Aunt Liu sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes dull and her expression blank.
As soon as the guests left and she finished her work, that state would immediately reappear, and it would come even more intensely.
The past year had been too painful, and this year had been too easy; the mountain weighing on her spirit gradually crumbled into pebbles.
Even now, with Li Zhuiyuan standing at the door, it took her a long time to slowly raise her head, and the clarity in her eyes slowly returned.
Li Zhuiyuan asked:
"who am I?"
Aunt Liu closed her eyes, then opened them again, and stood up: "Master!"
The fact that her vulnerable side was being seen through made her very uneasy.
"Master, I'm fine. I can handle this. Please don't worry."
Li Zhuiyuan: "Who are you?"
"Liu Ting".
"identity."
“The Liu family has a son.”
“Then I will exercise my authority as the head of the family. After I finish my journey across the river, I will bestow your hand in marriage upon Qin Li.”
Aunt Liu was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.
"Patriarch...I..."
"You have no right to decide your own fate." "Yes... I obey the patriarch's command!"
Li Zhuiyuan nodded, turned and left the west room to fetch a thermos of hot water from the kitchen to prepare a bath for A-Li.
Grandma Liu is a figure from the previous era, but in some ways she is extremely open-minded and thinks about letting things take their natural course.
However, between Uncle Qin and Aunt Liu, Uncle Qin's sense of responsibility is too heavy, and he can only completely shed it after he becomes the Dragon King. Aunt Liu's problem is actually bigger than Uncle Qin's.
Hoping they can let things take their natural course is more difficult than an iron tree blooming; it's better to just adopt feudal autocracy.
Li Zhuiyuan has extensive experience in resolving such mental health issues.
"The water temperature is just right."
The girl obediently got up.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, Li Zhuiyuan took the girl to the peach grove and took the opportunity to beat up Chen Xiyuan again.
Chen Xiyuan can now perform the sword stance normally. Indeed, the most suitable teaching method for her is muscle memory.
Unfortunately, although he learned the techniques, his practical combat skills were still weak. His sword techniques were too slow, and he was always knocked away by Ah Li first.
This isn't a big problem; a few more days of beatings will do the trick.
After the head of the family left, Aunt Liu curled up in the corner of the bed, hugging her legs, her eyes filled with fear.
She glanced at Uncle Qin's bed across the way, thinking about how the two of them would be sleeping together in the future, about how she would get pregnant, give birth, and raise the child, and about how a child would call her "Mother." Her body began to tremble.
The familiar, overwhelming mental pressure came crashing down, gradually straightening her already distorted mind.
After boiling the water, Uncle Qin returned to the east room and saw Aunt Liu's appearance. He asked:
"Your illness..."
Aunt Liu jumped off the bed: "Pah! It's the New Year, you're the one who's sick! Pah, you're not allowed to be sick!"
Uncle Qin scratched his head and smiled. He didn't know why, but he felt that the old A-Ting had returned.
"We've finished all the work, let's go for a walk."
"I'm not going anymore. I'm too tired today. I want to think about things in peace and quiet."
"Let's go for a walk and consolidate the treatment."
"Can't you understand human language? I said I'm too tired, my feet hurt!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Uncle Qin hoisted Aunt Liu onto his shoulder and walked out of the west room.
Aunt Liu rolled her eyes.
She didn't struggle; she knew how strong the man beneath her was.
"Ali, I'm so scared..."
"It's alright, Xiao Yuan is here, and the head of the family is here!"
"This is not the head of the family's business."
"What about me?"
"What I'm afraid of is you."
After taking a shower, Li Zhuiyuan returned to his room and his gaze fell on a box of stones with sticky notes on it placed against the desk.
In the evening, when my grandparents came to wish my great-grandfather a Happy New Year, they told me that Li Lan had called that afternoon and asked about me, but unfortunately I wasn't home.
On the desk lay a letter. After returning from Qinglong Temple, Tan Wenbin had sent a letter to Qilongwang's Taoist temple using the contact information he had left at the mental hospital. This was the reply.
This means that something extremely extreme did not happen. Although the Eye of the Drought Demon was taken away, the person who took it did not harm the people in the temple, even though they were extremely weak.
Not only did they not cause any harm, they didn't even discover that the object of their suppression had been stolen.
This implicitly suggests a more extreme possibility.
If Li Zhuiyuan was only half-believing and half-doubting the drought demon's claim that King Qilong was not dead, then the matter of the drought demon's eye and the drought demon's decisive act of self-destruction further increased the likelihood of this possibility.
To put it another way, it was precisely because the drought demon was certain that the Dragon King Qi was not dead that she was able to easily give up hope of survival. In her subconscious, even if she escaped and found her old enemy... it would only be a new way of dying.
Li Zhuiyuan looked away and went to bed.
On the first morning of the new year, the sunlight, warmed by Ah Li, shone on the boy.
The bright red dress, worn by the girl, did not look tacky at all, but instead accentuated her dignified and beautiful appearance.
Li Zhuiyuan was dressed in black today, which was not Qin Liu's traditional style. After putting it on, he glanced in the mirror and thought that Grandma Liu probably felt he should be more dignified.
Holding the girl's hand, Li Zhuiyuan arrived at Liu Jinxia's house to greet Grandma Liu.
Jiang Xiuzhi sighed as she watched her eldest granddaughter behave herself on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Li Zhuiyuan made an excuse for Chen Xiyuan, saying that she had practiced martial arts last night and should be undergoing conditioning.
When they got home, they saw Miss Chen holding a spoon in her left hand and chopsticks in her right, waiting for breakfast.
Things that were postponed before the Lunar New Year, such as the first, second, and third days of the Lunar New Year, need to be arranged now.
Li Zhuiyuan devised several plans to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs by sacrificing the powerful weaponry, and to give his comrades' weapons a new round of enhancements.
Having lived in poverty for so long, it's really hard to get used to suddenly becoming rich. The plan is good, but it's time-consuming and labor-intensive. Li Zhuiyuan plans to leave it to Luo Xiaoyu and start the preliminary preparations after he returns from the sect.
In addition, Li Zhuiyuan also made a renovation plan for his dojo, adding many new functions that he didn't know what to do with now but might be useful in the future.
The main reason is that Zhao Yi is not in a hurry to return to Jiujiang. He is still in the village with his godparents. He can keep them company during the day, but he inevitably feels lonely at night.
Runsheng and his team gradually recovered to their peak condition, and A Li also completed the replenishment of equipment and supplies. Everything was being prepared according to the procedures for traveling along the river.
The knife is sharpened; it's time to chop wood.
Yayoi: "Don't I need to go?"
Li Zhuiyuan: "There are many things to do after the New Year."
Yayoi: "I understand."
Cui Cui won another prize in the painting competition, and the certificate arrived. She brought it to share her joy with A Li.
When he returned, he brought back a thick stack of paintings.
"Brother Yi, this is what Brother Yuanhou asked me to give to you."
"Burn it, destroy it."
"what?"
Zhao Yi eventually took the proposal. After a quick glance, he realized that the man surnamed Li was just looking for a way to pass the time.
However, the Li family's style remained unchanged: they used both millstones and hay together.
The last few pages of the proposal outlined the career development plans for Xu Ming, the Liang sisters, and Chen Jing, and listed the necessary preparations.
Logically speaking, the instruction manual had been given to him, but Zhao Yi dared not do it himself, fearing that he might accidentally kill one of his men.
"Oh."
Zhao Yi stood up and patted the proposal with his palm. The meaning of the man surnamed Li was that he had to finish the project before Zhao Yi returned, and only after it passed inspection would he be able to fulfill his promise of the follower's promotion.
In the peach grove, Chen Xiyuan was finally able to exchange blows with A Li in sword fighting.
Of course, this is because the two sides were not actually facing each other to the death, and both fought in a very methodical and orderly manner, just like in a model problem.
Given Miss Chen's basic setup, if she were to suddenly unleash such a sword strike during a battle at the Open Domain level, it would be enough to shock her opponent.
After class, Chen Xiyuan learned that Li Zhuiyuan was about to depart and immediately said:
"Little brother, I'll go with you to rescue him!"
Li Zhuiyuan: "I am prepared for conflict to break out, but I am not going to have a conflict."
Even if he could summon all the external teams like in the previous wave, none of them were Qinglong Temple, especially since the Emperor's true form was sitting in the Underworld.
The bargaining chip Li Zhuiyuan could use was not his current military strength, but the threat he would face in the future.
Chen Xiyuan was a little disappointed when she was refused entry, just then Luo Xiaoyu returned.
Sister Hua sat on the cart, eating snacks and suddenly laughed, while Luo Xiaoyu pushed the cart.
Chen Xiyuan waved over, and Sister Hua immediately jumped out of the car and ran over, the long legs eager to hear the story and the short legs eager to tell the story running towards each other.
The two women sat on the haystack. Chen Xiyuan took a bag of peanuts from Sister Hua, tore open the packaging with a "whoosh," and urged:
"Tell me quickly, tell me quickly, do you regret it? Did you cry? Did you try to stop them?"
"Of course, you weren't there, you didn't see them one by one..."
Sister Hua spoke vividly, and Chen Xiyuan listened with great interest.
The once despised and bullied junior brother stood before the sect's barrier on New Year's Eve, and with a single move, shook the entire sect's grand formation.
It was his own territory, and if it was destroyed, it would have to be rebuilt. Luo Xiaoyu couldn't bear to do that, which led the disciples inside to misjudge the situation, and the gatekeeper elder ordered his arrest and punishment.
Luo Xiaoyu, alone with his chessboard, stormed into the sect, suppressing all those high-and-mighty fellow disciples until they were all forced to prostrate themselves on the ground.
After the senior disciples and elder disciples were also suppressed, all the old guys above—no, all of them—realized that something was wrong.
Until Luo Xiaoyu broke through the formation of an elder, he coughed up blood three times, and the elder knelt down.
At this moment, everyone in the sect, whether standing or lying down, looked at him differently.
If you are strong enough and talented enough, you will no longer be a rebellious disciple who defies authority, but a prodigy protected by the sect.
The grandmaster broke through the barrier and burst into hearty laughter from afar. The thoroughbred horse he had personally recognized back then finally neighed today.
Luo Xiaoyu made another move, and the grandmaster, not expecting this kid to attack him, stumbled in front of everyone.
Immediately, Luo Xiaoyu put down the chessboard and went forward to help the elderly man with gray hair.
During their stay at the sect, the sect elders held meetings day after day, excitedly discussing how to become Qin Liu's outer disciples.
Logically speaking, they shouldn't have to be so humble. They don't want to become outsiders, but only by kneeling low enough can others help them up higher. In business, you ask for the sky and then bargain on the ground.
Chen Xiyuan wasn't interested in these power struggles; she focused on listening to Sister Hua talk about the junior sisters and senior sisters who had specifically come to Luo Xiaoyu's side in private during those days, and, well, her aunt as well.
Listening to the constant chatter coming from the haystack, Luo Xiaoyu felt both helpless and had a headache.
Li Zhuiyuan: "Aren't you going to tell the story yourself?"
Luo Xiaoyu shook his head: "I'm not interested."
"Perfect, this one is for you."
Luo Xiaoyu took the thick stack of papers, his lips twitching. Just looking at how thick it was, he was afraid he would have to work as a boiler operator for the next half month, with Sister Hua bringing him his meals.
"Thanks for your hard work."
"Brother Xiaoyuan, you flatter me. This is your way of training me."
After Li Zhuiyuan and A Li left, Luo Xiaoyu came to check Benben's winter vacation homework.
Master Sun said, “My grandson-in-law is intelligent, look at him.”
Luo Xiaoyu: "If that's the case, then why do you look so worried?"
Master Sun: "My granddaughter wrote to me saying she misses her grandfather."
Luo Xiaoyu: "You can go back and see for yourself. You didn't even go home for the New Year."
Master Sun said, "To be honest, I am not like you. I am afraid that once I leave, I will not be able to come back."
Luo Xiaoyu was almost finished learning the basics of array formations, but he forbade Master Sun to teach him the more advanced array concepts, and Li Zhuiyuan agreed to this.
Luo Xiaoyu: "I understand. You feel like you're just a freeloader with no presence."
Master Sun: "You don't need to do this during the New Year..."
Luo Xiaoyu: "Come with me to tend the boiler, be my helper, do some work, and when that person comes back, we'll talk about wanting to go home to see our little granddaughter."
Judging from his demeanor and style, he'll allow you to bring your granddaughter to stay with you for a while.
Master Sun immediately clenched his fists, his breathing becoming rapid. What he feared most these days was that a marriage contract couldn't compare to his childhood sweetheart.
Hearing this, Benben's eyes lit up with joy. This meant he wouldn't have classes during the day and could go to the city to find Clown Girl.
Master Sun: "But if we both go to work in the boiler room, what will happen to the children's studies?"
Luo Xiaoyu: "That's easy, just take him to the boiler room."
Benben: "..."
After arranging things at home, Li Zhuiyuan went home, told his great-grandfather that he and the others were going back to school early, and then he and A Li each carried their "schoolbags" down the dam and walked towards the yellow pickup truck parked there.
Runsheng sat in the back of the car, holding a thick incense stick that hadn't been lit in a long time, watching it burn.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Lin Shuyou asked with a serious expression:
"Brother Bin, I've noticed a problem. If we clash with the Emperor this time, without those evil spirits to sacrifice, won't I be unable to help at all?"
“There might be conflicts, but it won’t lead to a complete breakdown in relations. If the Great Emperor stops your evil spirit sacrifices, it not only means that the Underworld has removed you as the Ghost Commander, but also that the Underworld has lost a small hell, a young ruler, a Bodhisattva, a large debt… while gaining a powerful future enemy.”
“Brother Bin, Runsheng has been burning paper money for Yin Meng these days but hasn’t received a response.”
"Yes, so we don't know what the Emperor's attitude is."
Inside the pavilion at the entrance to the village road.
The ghost messenger Zhang Li first took a sip of tea, then lowered his head to inhale the fragrance, waved his hand, and a cold wind lifted the next newspaper.
He was quite busy before the New Year, but after the adults left, he had a lot of free time.
However, if someone comes to the village to visit relatives or friends but can't find their way, he will use a magic spell to kindly lead them there.
On the south side of the road, a taxi with a Jinling license plate drove towards us. The driver was Liu Changping, who came to deliver New Year's greetings.
Zhang Li was humming a Huangmei opera tune when he suddenly felt a terrifying pressure coming his way.
Inside the pavilion, the incense burner was overturned, the teacup was smashed, and the newspaper was rolled out. Zhang Li knelt on the ground, his forehead touching the ground, trembling with fear.
The taxi stopped at the entrance to the village road, turned right, and prepared to drive in.
Inside the car window, the "Passengers Available" sign, which should have been red, now displayed two simple and dignified gold characters on a black background:
Fengdu!
(End of this chapter)