Chapter 1676 - 305

This is the layout of the Dragon King.

Zhao Yi's transformation stemmed from the Ancestor's Notes, combined with his own reflections and insights from his experiences with Zou Jiang, and Elder Mrs. Liu's guidance, allowing him to increasingly understand the mind state of his ancestor.

In the eyes of outsiders, what he was about to do next was tantamount to the greatest rebellion in the history of the Zhao Family.

But in Zhao Yi's view, if the ancestor Zhao Wuyang were to resurrect, the first to act against Jiujiang Zhao would be the ancestor himself, not him, Zhao Yi.

Li Zhiyuan bent down and picked up the copper coins from the ground one by one.

Zhao Yi rose from his knees off the meditation cushion and stood up, his expression shifting from solemn and austere to deep confusion and bewilderment.

The divination was extremely auspicious.

But in reality, regardless of what the divination specifically pointed to, it wouldn't affect the outcome of this trip.

Li Zhiyuan was skilled in divination, yet the more one understood and was familiar with it, the less one would be superstitious about it.

Conducting this divination was merely to observe proper etiquette.

It was never considered that Zhao Wuyang would truly "manifest."

However, what was originally just a simple formality now ran into a problem.

The ancestral tablet, it just moved.

Both Li Zhiyuan and Zhao Yi perceived that this was definitely not caused by nearby construction or an earthquake, because the identity spirit tablet of Nantong Corpse Recovery Li was also placed next to the offering table, yet it remained completely still.

Zhao Yi spoke, "I remember when lighting the three incense sticks, you mentioned that from then on, I would no longer be able to sense the spirit of the ancestor."

Li Zhiyuan nodded slightly, "Yes, you definitely shouldn't be able to sense it."

When lighting the three incense sticks, Zhao Yi was cursed by the Book of Life and Death. To save him, Li Zhiyuan used the copper coin sword bestowed by Zhao Wuyang as a medium, harnessing the Zhao Family's Secret Technique he mastered, and simulated the aura of Zhao Wuyang with Feng Shui Skill, thus pulling Zhao Yi, who should have been cursed to death, back from the Ghost Gate.

The copper coin sword crumbled to dust, and along with it dissolved the "Ancestor's Blessings" that Zhao Yi should have possessed.

Therefore, theoretically, Zhao Yi now, even if he battered his head against the ancestral tablet until it bled, or even smashed his brains out, would not provoke the slightest response from the ancestor.

But just moments ago, there was a response.

Zhao Yi asked, "Is it possible, that response wasn't meant for me, but for you?"

Li Zhiyuan replied, "No."

Zhao Yi questioned, "Are you sure?"

Li Zhiyuan affirmed, "Certain."

Zhao Yi concluded, "Then things are strange."

Li Zhiyuan spread open his right hand, and a line of blood spread outward.

Zhao Yi couldn't see the bloodline, yet he could sense something was being released, while before his eyes, the young man's gaze took on an unfathomable depth.

The bloodline wrapped around the tablet inscribed with "Ancestor Zhao Wuyang," using it as the first node, continued to extend, and seemed to have footprints appeared behind the offering table.

In fact, the "Red Line" is a manifestation of Li Zhiyuan's own understanding, just as are those footprints.

The invisible spirit cannot perform human actions, but it suggests that Zhao Wuyang's spirit passed through here.

A spirit is not a ghost; it represents a state. Although the term "spirit" appears in the name, there is a vast difference.

Traditional Walking Yin transforms things that don't exist in reality to something "visible," whereas Li Zhiyuan's Red Line operates at a higher level, re-tracing the indescribable.

The Red Line continued forward, constantly evolving footprints on the ground.

Li Zhiyuan followed the footprints forward, Zhao Yi trailing behind him.

The two walked out of the small enclosure and into the outside.

The footprints continued ahead.

On the dam, four old ladies were playing cards.

Wang Lian was the odd one out this round, busy shelling peanuts for the others at the table.

Her life path was twisted yet incomplete, signifying a life of hardship, but since the path was formed, surpassing many ordinary people, it hinted that if she could persist, there would be a day when her sufferings would turn sweet.

Though that sweetness would not be hers to taste, her heart's desire would eventually be fulfilled.

Granny Hua's life path was unformed, fragmented and sparse, a common saying of thin fate and shallow fortune, yet surrounded by a faint gentle glow, subtly supporting it.

Liu Jinxia was characterized by her toughness.

Li Zhiyuan had witnessed this trait earlier on.

As for Liu Yumei... as Li Zhiyuan followed the Red Line, he deliberately skipped over this old lady.

Wang Lian, while shelling peanuts, curiously watched Li Zhiyuan and Zhao Yi pass by their card table.

The larger one followed closely behind the smaller one, step by step, the smaller one's hand reached forward, as if playing a game of imitating a blind man walking.

Liu Jinxia and Granny Hua also noticed them and were about to jokingly make remarks, but were immediately diverted by Liu Yumei's exclamation of "I win," pulling all attention to her.

Primarily because Liu Yumei usually lost money when playing cards and rarely won, this big win indeed surprised her card friends.

Liu Yumei cheerfully reached over, grabbed a handful of shelled peanuts from Wang Lian, blew the skins off, and popped a few into her mouth, laughing:

"Today my luck is good, feels like some good things are coming my way."

Li Zhiyuan and Zhao Yi crossed the dam and entered the East Room.

The footprints stopped in front of the offering table filled with tablets in the East Room.

A slender red line threaded through from top to bottom without missing any.

It was as if someone was standing here, eyes sweeping downwards over all the tablets.

But several tablets stacked together were tightly wrapped and densely intertwined with the red line.

This seemed to indicate a glance or even a possible touch.

Of course, these actions didn't exist; they were all imagined by Li Zhiyuan.

The arrangement of the Qin and Liu Families' tablets initially followed the left and right sides, with the vertical sequence determined by each family's seniority.