Chapter 1750 - 315: 20,000-Word Mega - (Part 8)

He finally agreed to cut his own facial skin off to help us make this mask.

His wife assisted him in the task, one was bleeding, the other shedding tears.

I lectured them, saying that Young Master had, first, saved their lives, and second, sheltered them. Paying back your debt by giving up a piece of facial skin is a great deal for you!"

Liang Li was talking about that couple who used to run a breakfast inn.

After listening to the story, Zhao Yi nodded and said:

"The debt they owe me should be repaid.

Alas, next, I should worry about how to pay my own debt. This time, I'm afraid I owe the Li family a hefty one."

...

Li Zhiyuan rode in a palanquin and arrived outside the ancestral residence.

He stepped out of the palanquin.

First, he looked towards the back.

Bu Chen and the other three showed no expression.

The Monk and the Master both offered him a distant nod of respect.

The little man sitting on the big woman's shoulder looked at him with a playful expression.

These three groups had tailed him all the way here, and no conflicts had erupted between them on the way.

Li Zhiyuan then turned to look at the main gate of the ancestral residence, his gaze slightly focused.

Soon, the young man discovered a problem with the ancestral residence's array, which didn't match the 'instructions.'

Li Zhiyuan: "The array of the ancestral residence has been altered."

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Xiao Yuan, you can definitely break it."

Tan Wenbin: "The key isn't whether it can be broken or not."

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, then what is the key?"

Tan Wenbin: "Guess who changed this array?"

Lin Shuyou: "The Three-eyed... right?"

Tan Wenbin: "Then what is the purpose of the Three-eyed changing the array? To block us? With Brother Xiao Yuan here, can he stop us? Or is it to block the group behind? The group behind doesn't even know what the old array looked like; does it need to be changed?"

Lin Shuyou: "It doesn't seem necessary to change it unless..."

Li Zhiyuan: "Someone from the ancestral residence was blocked outside by Zhao Yi."

Run Sheng immediately moved closer to Li Zhiyuan, lifting his right hand slightly at the shovel's handle.

Lin Shuyou also drew his double mace, standing to the side.

Since standing here, Tan Wenbin had been keeping an eye on all directions, listening intently.

"Brother Xiao Yuan, no movement; they shouldn't be moving, holding their breath."

Li Zhiyuan: "If the old folks from inside are blocked outside, unless they take action themselves, it's really hard to notice. They're good at hibernation."

While Li Zhiyuan was vigilant about the old Zhao family members hidden nearby, the three groups behind had finished a new round of discussion.

The topic of the discussion was how to enter this ancestral residence.

Initially, this shouldn't have been a challenge, not even considered a threshold.

Because according to the original procedure, everyone entered as an ancestral visit by wearing masks of the Zhao family members.

Now, with everyone's masks torn apart, getting in became a big problem.

In Bu Chen's team, the array master Chou Chuyin was killed by Lin Shuyou, and without an array master, they could only listen from the sidelines.

The little man knew a bit about arrays and could describe Zhao Mansion's array to some extent, but had no clue how to break it.

The main thing is that such arrays based on ancestral residences undergo generation-over-generation refurbishment, making the underlying framework more complex, and Jiujiang Zhao is no ordinary family in the Jianghu. Even its foundation is beyond the reach of common family sects.

Ultimately, the only person who could speak authoritatively on this was Master Huixin.

Master Huixin: "To break such an array by hand is almost impossible. The most correct method is to first observe its spirit, then its form, and finally set up a detection array to find loopholes, and then set up a high-specification array to try prying it open.

If it were up to me, in the most optimistic scenario, I would need at least a day's time.

The main issue is that I am currently injured, not in the best condition."

The little man: "A day's time... that's long."

Monk Huixu asked: "There's another method, which is to knock on the door, say we're traveling monks, hoping for some donated vegetarian meal from the master inside."

Begging for alms even to someone's ancestral residence while stained with the blood of their family, this approach is definitely unrealistic.

Knowing Monk Huixu was being sarcastic, the little man didn't get angry, simply explaining, "A day's time is enough for many variables to occur."

Large Woman: "We've already been worn out by this wave; we want to finish it quickly, return, rest, and look for new members."

Bu Chen, who hadn't spoken all along, said: "What if we join him?"

Bu Chen pointed to the young man standing ahead.

Master Huixin: "Although it sounds ridiculous, I truly believe that young man's array skills are likely above mine. If I were to join forces with him, it might cut the time in half, or even further."

Little Man: "Why not talk to him? He intends to enter too. At this moment, collaboration is logical, as our goals are the same."

Large Woman: "Who will go to negotiate?"

Little Man shrank his neck: "I'm definitely not going."

Monk Huixu: "Amitabha, I shall go. That young benefactor, although showing signs of collaborating with Zhao Yi, hasn't gone too far."

Hearing this, Bu Chen gave the monk a cold glance.

Unconcerned, the monk thought to himself—the ones blocking the way were theirs. If they didn't want to stop and chose to fight, resulting in one of theirs being killed, that was their own inadequacy.

Master Huixin: "Huixu, convey my expectations regarding that young benefactor's array capabilities."

The monk shook his head, smiling, "It's better to reveal your own array prowess to him."

Finished speaking, Monk Huixu took the initiative to leave the group and walked towards Li Zhiyuan.