Chapter 581
Chapter 581
Chapter 581
As night fell, Yayoi accompanied Li Sanjiang along the path home, and along the way, Li Sanjiang kept giving her instructions.
Although Li Sanjiang had taken Mi Hou to a vegetarian retreat many times, this was the first time Mi Hou had gone out to a vegetarian retreat alone, and Li Sanjiang was a little worried.
"Lord Mi, have you remembered everything?"
"remember."
Are you nervous?
"A little."
"It's okay, just go in an open and honest way, memorize the whole process, go through each step one by one, and move on to the next step after you've finished the previous one. Don't think about what you didn't do well before, just focus on the present."
That's what I told Zhuangzhuang before his college entrance exam, and he did very well on it.
"So, Master, what did you say to Xiaoyuan?"
"Haha, I don't need to tell you, our little Marquis Yuan was admitted early, and becoming the top scorer in the college entrance examination is just a formality."
Upon reaching the dam, Li Sanjiang went straight upstairs, while Yayoi put the stool back in its original place.
Just as he was about to return to his coffin to rest, he saw Tan Wenbin leaning against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth.
"But something?"
"The waves have arrived."
"Oh?"
"Master, don't you feel anything at all?"
"It's not that I'm oblivious, it's that you're all too perceptive."
"Master, I'll go with you to call the person who introduced us back now."
"it is good."
Aunt Zhang was about to close the door when she saw someone making a phone call, so she stopped what she was doing.
Tan Wenbin pressed a button on the telephone for Yayoi, dialed back, and then handed the receiver to Yayoi. He stood aside, his lips trembling slightly, and taught Yayoi how to speak.
Such a late-night call was somewhat abrupt and impolite, but fortunately, Tang Seng had a lot of influence, and his responsible work attitude made the recipient feel very pleased.
After finishing their conversation, Yayoi hung up the phone and looked at Tan Wenbin.
Tan Wenbin was taking notes, with a notebook and pen in his hand.
The family owns a forest farm. After returning from inspecting the business a while ago, he has been plagued by nightmares. That's when he took a friend's advice and invited "Tang Sanzang" to his home to chant sutras.
Therefore, although Yayoi's first stop is Yancheng, she will likely be led by the river to a more distant forest farm. This wave will most likely involve some powerful mountain spirit or monster, and will be a wave with a high degree of freedom and focused on geographical exploration.
"Alright, Master, you should go back and rest now."
"You've gone through a lot."
Tan Wenbin arrived at the bearded man's house and shouted towards the third-floor window:
"Miss Chen!"
"Squeak..."
The window was pushed open from the inside, and Chen Xiyuan, her hair still wet from a shower, poked her head out and asked happily:
"Want some late-night snacks?"
"Come down here."
"okay."
Chen Xiyuan went downstairs and came to Tan Wenbin.
"Dry your hair, don't catch a cold."
"cold?"
She had rarely suffered from headaches or fevers since childhood, but she still obediently ran her fingers through her hair. The domain opened, and the sea of clouds swirled.
Ordinary people can't see it, but Tan Wenbin can see that Ms. Chen looks like she's dry-cleaning and applying bubbles.
She shook her head, the domain closed, the sea of clouds dissipated, and her hair fell smoothly and fluffily.
"If you were to open a hair salon, the old commune barbershop in town would go out of business because of you."
“I just discovered that the sea of clouds can actually heat up. If your Yunyun wants to get a perm, I can help her.”
Chen Xiyuan's domain is still under development, no wonder she hasn't adjusted her metabolism yet.
Tan Wenbin handed his mobile phone to Chen Xiyuan: "Call your tutoring center owner."
Chen Xiyuan took the phone and dialed the number.
Just like with Yayoi before, Tan Wenbin taught Chen Xiyuan to speak from the side.
Xiaoqing's great-grandfather lived in Shanghai, and coincidentally, Ding Rou, the owner of the tutoring center, was also in Shanghai on a business trip. Ding Rou agreed to help by visiting Xiaoqing's great-grandfather's home to check on the old man's condition and then contacting him to provide feedback.
After hanging up the phone, Chen Xiyuan asked, somewhat puzzled:
"Such a strange favor, and Sister Rou agreed to help without even asking."
"You've helped your boss save her father several times already. In her eyes, you're practically like Master Chen."
Is that so?
"When she calls back, write down what she says and report it to me immediately."
"it is good."
"Go and rest first. Remember not to turn on the phone and fall asleep, or you might miss the call."
After dealing with Chen Xiyuan, Tan Wenbin walked towards the peach grove while making notes in his notebook.
Upon reaching the peach grove, Tan Wenbin stopped and reached out to brush aside the branches of the outermost peach tree.
Su Luo walked out carrying a lantern.
"You're always so polite."
"Being polite is always better than bluffing."
Led by Su Luo, Tan Wenbin entered the peach grove. Instead of going to the waterside hut in the core area, he went to another corner, the area where Luo Xiaoyu and Sister Hua lived.
The peach grove is like spring all year round. There is no need to build anything. Just grab some peach blossoms to put on the ground and sleep on the ground. Xiao Yingying or Lao Tiantou are in charge of the daily meals. Hua Jie only needs to go to the offering table to get them.
As they got closer, Tan Wenbin could hear Sister Hua talking to Luo Xiaoyu about her childhood stories in her hometown; she was clearly still caught up in the nostalgia she had felt that evening.
Luo Xiaoyu: "Sister Hua, there's still some time before the next wave, you can go back to your hometown for a visit."
Sister Hua: "This thought can only stay in my mind; I can't afford the travel expenses to go back to my hometown."
Tan Wenbin: "Sorry to bother you."
Luo Xiaoyu: "Please come in."
There were no fences or railings; they simply walked around a row of peach trees and saw two peach blossom beds. Luo Xiaoyu and Sister Hua were each lying on one, and sat up at the same time after hearing Tan Wenbin's voice.
Tan Wenbin cut to the chase: "Sister Hua, do you remember the address of that couple who run the fried food stall?"
Sister Hua: "They said they rented a place behind the Shigang Town Department Store and usually set up a stall on that street."
Tan Wenbin: "Their sick son is in their hometown, right?"
Sister Hua: "Yes, they work very hard to earn money for their child's medical expenses."
Tan Wenbin: "Go to their rented room now and have a good talk with them. Focus on their son's illness and recent news from their hometown. Come back and report to me after you're done."
Sister Hua: "Okay."
Without asking why, Sister Hua got up and walked out of the peach grove.
Tan Wenbin continued taking notes on the paper.
The waves from the three groups of lamplighters arrived together, but it will still take a little while before the river water truly surges in and propels them forward.
Yayoi had to go to Yancheng first before going to the forest farm, a long journey; the brush washer that Xiaoqing's great-grandfather had acquired had not yet affected her family, nor had it indirectly alerted Chen Xiyuan, who was attending a tutoring class; and Sister Hua had not yet received a reason from the couple at the fried food stall for having to return to her hometown.
During this "wave" phase, it's a good time to spy and also easy to break in.
Luo Xiaoyu asked, "Is my next wave coming early?"
Tan Wenbin nodded.
Luo Xiaoyu: "Why is this happening?"
Tan Wenbin: "It's already like this."
Luo Xiaoyu: "So..."
Tan Wenbin closed his notebook and asked, "If you had to choose one of us to help you through the next wave, who would you choose?"
Luo Xiaoyu immediately replied, "Of course..."
"We can't choose Xiao Yuan Ge."
Luo Xiaoyu lowered his head, eliminated the first option, and began to rethink. Then, he raised his head again, his eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.
Tan Wenbin smiled.
Luo Xiaoyu's choice of Xiao Yuan Ge was the least appropriate. His formation abilities were overshadowed by Xiao Yuan Ge's. But when it comes to idol worship, does one need to be rational?
Once Luo Xiaoyu considered the selection from the team's perspective, the choice became obvious to him.
No formation master could resist such a temptation, which is:
As you set up the formation, someone stood in front of you...
Luo Xiaoyu: "Runsheng".
……
Tan Wenbin returned just as dawn was breaking. The door to the east room opened, and A-Li walked out.
Tan Wenbin handed the notebook in his hand to A Li.
Ah Li nodded to him, took the notebook, and went upstairs.
The girl sat down at the drawing table and began to flip through her notebook.
In addition to records and summaries, the notebook also contains Tan Wenbin's own analysis and deductions, just like the homework he gave to Xiao Yuan.
The boy woke up just as the girl finished reading.
After washing up, Li Zhuiyuan took the notebook and sat down at the desk.
Ah Li picked up a carving knife and began carving a wooden puppet.
The girl's carving skills were superb. Soon, the little wooden puppets of Runsheng, Tan Wenbin, Yin Meng, and Lin Shuyou were carved and came to life.
The last piece to be carved was of her and Li Zhuiyuan, the boy and girl holding hands, with the connection point not separated.
"Sizzle... sizzle..."
Li Zhuiyuan tore four sheets of paper from Tan Wenbin's notebook, got up, and placed them on the drawing table in front of the girl.
The first three sheets of paper contain the names of Yayoi, Luo Xiaoyu, and Chen Xiyuan, respectively.
Since the purpose is to help people cross the river, the three people living in Nantong should naturally be included. Putting everything else aside, it will also be convenient for them to travel home together after completing the next wave.
The fourth sheet was drawn from the various teams outside the city, by Mu Qiuying.
After looking at the four pieces of paper, Ah Li picked up a carving knife and cut off the hands that were connecting the puppet boy and the girl.
Tan Wenbin squatted down in front of the well, washed his face, and when he heard footsteps behind him, he stood up and took four pieces of paper from the girl's hand.
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away."
When Tan Wenbin arrived at Big Beard's house, he saw Chen Jing carrying a large snakeskin bag.
The snakeskin bag contained seasonal mountain produce from Mount Lu. Zhao Yi often had Chen Jing secretly sneak into Nantong to deliver these so that Lao Tiantou and Liu Jinxia could have a taste.
"Hey, Jing's here."
"Ok!"
"Zhao Yi must be very busy lately, right?"
"Forehead……"
Chen Jing looked deeply troubled. Yi Ge had indeed been very busy lately, busy stirring up trouble for Yuan Ge everywhere.
Tan Wenbin smiled and said, "Wait for me a moment, we'll go to the north side for breakfast later."
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing's eyes immediately lit up with joy, but he quickly lowered his head, looking quite disappointed.
"No, I received a message from Brother Yi on the way here, telling me to hurry up and return to Lushan as soon as I finish delivering the goods."
"You don't want to see your brother Yuan anymore?"
"I really want to... but I belong to Brother Yi."
"Hey, if you're in a hurry, a little longer won't make a difference. Consider it as me, the Ninth Prince, forcing you to stay."
"no……"
"I have a peerless secret manual that I'd like you to take back to Zhao Yi."
"OK then."
At the kitchen doorway, Aunt Liu was cracking sunflower seeds when Yin Meng got up, leaned against Aunt Liu, reached into Aunt Liu's pocket and took a handful of sunflower seeds. Their eyes met as they looked at the two figures playing chess on the second-floor terrace in the morning light.
Yin Meng: "Auntie, these sunflower seeds taste a little off today. Are they damp?"
Aunt Liu: "It seems so. I forgot to tie the bag tightly last night. It's getting late, I'm going to make breakfast. You can continue."
Yin Meng wasn't allowed to help in the kitchen, so she could only continue to bang on her head.
Second floor terrace.
Li Zhuiyuan has just won a game of chess.
The boy's chess skills were far inferior to the girl's; since they started playing chess together, he had won only a handful of games.
The girl was distracted.
Li Zhuiyuan walked into the room, took out two cans of Jianlibao from the basin, and wiped the water droplets off with his own towel.
It was cold in the morning, so he specially scalded it with water from the thermos.
Open the can, insert a straw, and hand it to the girl.
The girl reached out and took it, then lowered her head and bit the straw.
Her condition has really been improving.
At this moment, Ah Li is revealing her little emotions to herself.
Li Zhuiyuan: "Some of the things I've been doing lately seem like I'm making arrangements for the future. Yes, I am indeed taking precautions against the worst-case scenario."
The door to the east room was pushed open, and Liu Yumei came out and sat down in her familiar chair. Aunt Liu came over to make her tea.
Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand, summoning a wisp of breeze to block out his following sounds:
"Grandpa Qin kept Grandma around back then out of a sense of responsibility."
But if Grandma had a choice back then, she would definitely have chosen to go with Grandpa Qin.
Even if Grandpa Qin could witness how Grandma spent those decades being left behind, I think he would change his mind and walk away hand in hand with her.
I had a premonition of great danger in the Western Regions; after all, that was the place where that person could successfully die.
I hope that Binbin, Runsheng, Ayou, and Mengmeng can live well, but Ali, you are different.
I promise you, even if a cliff were to appear before me one day, and I couldn't foresee any chance of survival, I wouldn't hide it from you or deliberately send you away to jump off alone. I would always ask you first if you were willing to jump with me.
The girl took the boy's hand, biting her straw and smiling, revealing two dimples.
They are two people whose conditions complement each other. The departure of either one would cause their conditions to collapse. Rather than living in despair and pain, they would rather face the end together.
Li Zhuiyuan: "Also, the trip to the Western Regions is dangerous, but not a certain death. The purpose of scattering everyone and sending them into other groups is, as Tan Wenbin said, to give everyone an opportunity to adapt and adjust on their own."
You can experience walking along the river while I'm not around.
Furthermore, if I were with you, joining any team would be too extravagant and would defeat the purpose of getting to know each other.
Most importantly, Mengmeng can't make arrangements.
Li Zhuiyuan and A Li lowered their gazes to look at Yin Meng, who was leaning against the kitchen door.
The unexpected eye contact caused Yin Meng to swallow the sunflower seed shell she was about to spit out.
"Cough cough... cough cough... Auntie... I choked on sunflower seed shells!"
Dojo.
Before breakfast began and before the old man got up and went downstairs, everyone gathered in the temple.
Li Zhuiyuan and his companions each sat in a different area. As the formation within the dojo operated and the feng shui rippled, the positions where the six of them sat rose, giving them a commanding view of Chen Xiyuan, Luo Xiaoyu, and Misheng.
At the central platform, six newly sculpted figures stand.
It's not about showing off or pursuing any sense of ritual, but rather that the boy needs to inject cause and effect into the puppet to further increase the success rate of crashing into other people's waves and ensure that nothing goes wrong.
A lotus mark appeared between Li Zhuiyuan's brows. He raised his hand, and the evil dragon flew out, carrying Runsheng's puppet and landing on Luo Xiaoyu.
Luo Xiaoyu tried hard to remain composed, her face turning red.
Chen Xiyuan already knew from Tan Wenbin what was about to happen; her little brother was going to send someone to help her through the next wave.
Runsheng temporarily joined Luo Xiaoyu's team, so what about himself...?
Chen Xiyuan looked at Lin Shuyou sitting on the high platform and waved her flute. In her eyes, she and Ayou were equally brilliant, second only to her younger brother.
Although, perhaps only she herself thinks so.
The evil dragon snatched Tan Wenbin's doll and handed it to Chen Xiyuan.
Although the result was different from what she had hoped for, Chen Xiyuan could accept it. She had walked across the river with Tan Wenbin. With Tan Wenbin by her side, she could skip the conversation and just focus on playing her flute all the way.
Lin Shuyou's doll fell into Yayoi's hands.
Yayoi faced Ayu, clasped her hands together, and said, "Amitabha."
White Crane Boy: "Following a monk doesn't seem very challenging?"
General Zeng: "Apart from Luo Xiaoyu, none of the others are challenging."
White Crane Boy: "Fortunately, the place is spacious, and we're going to go into the old forest."
General Zeng: "Then let's venture deeper into the forest and increase the challenge."
Yin Meng pursed her lips, feeling a little nervous. Besides having a large amount of ghost energy sealed within her, she was also an excellent cook.
She was fine with her own team, but if she were sent to another team, she was really afraid that she would embarrass Xiao Yuan.
The evil dragon grabbed Ah Li and Yin Meng's dolls, flew upwards, and landed in Ah Li's hands.
Seeing that she was going to be with Ah Li, Yin Meng became even more nervous, but at the same time, she breathed a sigh of relief. She and Ah Li could cooperate and play their roles.
A Li and Yin Meng were assigned by Li Zhuiyuan to be Mu Qiuying's next wave.
This would allow Ah Li to experience being on her own and also make up for the regrets of the previous generation, including Grandma Liu.
Li Zhuiyuan raised his hand, opened the restrictions on the dojo, and let his aura overflow.
Aunt Liu:
"Time for breakfast!"
……
Mount Lu, with its cascading waterfalls and swirling white mist, makes one feel as if they have entered a fairyland.
Zhao Yi, a pipe dangling from his mouth, frowned as he stared at a treasure map of ancient ruins.
Liang Yan: "Boss, is our next wave coming ahead of schedule?"
Zhao Yi: "Yes, there's more porridge than monks, so to avoid wasting food, we'll definitely have extra meals."
Liang Li: "So, will our next wave be very difficult?"
Zhao Yi: "It can be very simple, so simple that it's just going through the motions."
Liang Li: "Isn't that a good thing?"
Zhao Yi: "It could be very difficult. I suspect that this treasure map of the ruins hides the secret of the rise of a Dragon King's clan."
Liang Li: "So, which one should we choose?"
Zhao Yi didn't speak; he was weighing his options.
Just then, a strange sound came from the waterfall in front of them, indicating that someone was climbing the mountain.
Zhao Yi: "A Jing is back. That kid wasted time in Nantong again."
Liang Yan: "This is unavoidable."
Zhao Yi: "Yes, it's inevitable, so I always have him deliver the mountain products."
"Haha, Brother Yi!"
Chen Jing darted to Zhao Yi like the wind, barely managing to stop. His body swayed back and forth for a moment, but he had a bright smile on his face and a doll hanging around his neck.
Ah Jing held up the doll and called out to Zhao Yi, "Brother Yi, Brother Yi, Brother Yuan..."
Zhao Yi: "Hmm, it's well carved. It's definitely the work of that Miss A Li."
A-Jing: "No, it's Brother Yuan, it's Brother Yuan..."
Zhao Yi: "I recognize him, I recognize him, I'll still recognize him even if he turns to ashes."
A-Jing: "No, it's Brother Yuan, Brother Yi. I brought Brother Yuan here!"
"Ok?"
Zhao Yi pulled Chen Jing aside and looked ahead. On the mountain path shrouded in white mist, the figure of a young man gradually appeared. Zhao Yi suddenly stood up, saying in disbelief:
"The one surnamed Li!"
(End of this chapter)