Chapter 119.2

Four questions tormented him from noon until nightfall. During that whole time, aside from drinking a cup of water from Brother Bin’s desk, he had not eaten a single thing.

By now his stomach was growling with hunger. He had to keep sucking in his breath and tightening his belly so the noise would not disturb Brother Yuan while he wrote and practiced.

Brother Yuan would never be that harsh, of course, but looking at the blank answer sheet in front of him, Lin Shuyou himself felt too embarrassed to think only about food when he still could not write anything down.

Li Zhuiyuan finished his practice and slowly let out a long breath.

He looked over at Lin Shuyou again and saw that his face had already gone pale and his lips were trembling.

Still, although the answer sheet remained completely blank, the scratch paper was full of writing. He had ideas. He was thinking. He just could not formally put anything onto the page.

Li Zhuiyuan did not find that strange at all. Asking Lin Shuyou to do this was no different from making Zhang Fei do embroidery.

Compared with this, Lin Shuyou much preferred straightforward fighting, spirit medium rituals, and bringing down gods, where it was either your death or mine.

“Leave the questions there for now. Think about them again when you go to sleep tonight. Tomorrow is the weekend. Come back in the morning and keep sitting here to work them out.”

“Huh?” Lin Shuyou cried out in surprise, then immediately corrected himself. “Okay, understood!”

The process was incomparably painful, but if his master and grandfather back home ever found out that he had rejected this lesson because he was afraid of studying, then when he went home for New Year’s, he could forget about sitting at the main table. He would probably end up sharing a table with the family watchdog.

“Brother Yuan, what do you want to eat? I can go bring it back for you.”

“No need. I’m going to eat at the shop. Take care of your own dinner, and remember to lock the door.”

After Li Zhuiyuan left the dorm room, Lin Shuyou finally collapsed completely, slumping into the chair in utter dejection.

Brother Bin really was Brother Bin. He had stayed by Brother Yuan’s side for so long. How had he managed to endure it?

At the shop,

Runsheng had made a basin of stir-fried arrowhead with pork, a basin of tea-dried tofu with chives, and a basin of seaweed egg drop soup.

After Li Zhuiyuan arrived, Runsheng first filled bowls with the dishes and soup, then lit incense over the basins for himself.

The two of them sat at the table and started eating dinner.

“Where’s Mengmeng?”

“She went shopping this afternoon with Zheng Jiayi.”

“Mhm. Brother Runsheng, you could go out and have some fun too. Find a hobby or something.”

“I think helping out in the shop is already a lot of fun.”

He used to get itchy from not being able to haul up Dead Sinkers, but now that Xiaoyuan was walking the rivers, he got a good fix on a regular basis. In ordinary times, he could live peacefully enough.

Li Zhuiyuan finished eating and set down his chopsticks.

Runsheng asked, “How does it taste?”

“A little salty.”

“I’ll use less salt next time.”

“No need. You like stronger flavors, so keep it the way you like. Next time just ladle my soup out first before you add the salt.”

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the nourishing elixir beside him, which had already cooled to a warm temperature, and set it in front of Xiaohei.

Xiaohei’s nose twitched. He opened his eyes, stretched lazily, and looked utterly languid in his doggish way.

Then he rolled over, walked to the dog bowl, and started eating the nourishing elixir.

He truly treated the tonic as his food. As for other things, even meat, he had very little interest in them. Even if you put a whole basin of meat in front of him, he would only occasionally take a piece, just to sample it as a snack.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and rubbed his head, then pinched one of his legs.

“Why does it feel like Xiaohei is still growing?”

“Mm.” Runsheng took a bite of incense. “He really is still growing.”

“This dog cage is going to start feeling too small again. We’ll have to order another custom one.”

“No need. He can sleep with me.”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and said nothing more. Even without a cage, Xiaohei was too lazy to run off anywhere. Ever since he was little, he had never been interested in the outside world. All he liked was eating till he was full, sleeping, then waking up and eating again. At such a young age, he had already seen through the meaninglessness of dog life.

Most importantly, even though the fellow never exercised, his bones had developed extremely well. If he stood upright now, he would carry something of the bearing of a Tibetan mastiff.

Li Zhuiyuan patted his head.

“When I have time someday, I’ll take you out for a walk.”

Xiaohei, busy eating his nourishing elixir, gave a snort through his nose, as though he had no interest whatsoever in the suggestion.

“Xiaoyuan, school gets National Day break, right?”

“Mm, it does.”

“Are you going back to Nantong?”

“I am.”

“Heh, heh, I miss my grandpa.”

As Li Zhuiyuan kept petting the dog, a smile also appeared on his face.

“I miss my great-grandpa too.”

…

“Where did you get these books?”

The old gentleman held up a magnifying glass and examined them carefully.

Yin Meng said, “They’re family heirlooms.”

The old gentleman asked, “Where is your family from?”

“Rongcheng.”

“Were your ancestors Daoists?”

“Mm.”

“These books reek of rot. They’ve only recently seen the light, and the air hit them fresh. They were clearly just dug out of some place that never sees daylight. You robbed a tomb?”

“Who would go into a tomb just to dig up books?”

The old gentleman shook his head. “That’s where you don’t understand. Only those stupid grave robbers with no eye for value like going into tombs for gold and silver. In truth, things with writing or paintings on them are worth the most.”

“Just name your price.”

“The loose ends on these have all been cleaned up, right?”

“They won’t bring you trouble.”

“All right, then. How about this amount?” The old gentleman wrote a figure on the paper in front of her.

“That works.”

“Do you have any more books like these? You can bring them all to me. I’ll keep buying.”

“No more.”

These were the ones Xiaoyuan had not cared for, which was why she had brought them out to sell.

As for the books Xiaoyuan had taken an interest in, Yin Meng knew those were priceless treasures.

“Wait here a moment. I’ll go get the money.”

The old gentleman went into the back room. After a while, he came back out holding a plastic bag. He handed it to Yin Meng and said, “Count it.”

Yin Meng set the bag on the table and counted the stacks one by one herself.

The old gentleman sipped tea on his own.

“All right. Not a cent more, not a cent less,” Yin Meng said, lifting the bag. She could go buy a car now... no, first she needed to get a driver’s license.

Just as she was about to walk out, the old gentleman called after her again. “Miss, wait a moment.”

“What else do you want?”

“Could you leave me your contact information?”

“No.”

“Were your ancestors really Daoists?”

“More or less.”

“I recently bought a new house. Might you come take a look at it for me?”

“No.”

“As for the red envelope, you can name your price.”

“I have enough money now. Goodbye.”

Yin Meng walked out carrying the money.

The moment she left, a bald man came out of the back room.

“Boss, want me to check into her background?”

The old gentleman waved a hand. “Forget it. Don’t invite trouble.”

“Isn’t she just a grave robber? What trouble could there be?”

“The items are newly excavated, that much is true, but that girl has an upright look between the brows and a natural heroic air. She is absolutely not a tomb robber.”

“Then she’s fencing stolen goods.”

“Take a look at my teacup.”

The bald man lowered his head and looked. The tea in the cup was clear and bright, nothing unusual about it.

“What about it?”

The old gentleman stuck out his thumb, wet it with saliva in his mouth, then dipped the tip of his finger into the teacup. In an instant, the water in the cup turned black.

“This... poison?”

The old gentleman shook his head, gently swirled the teacup again, and the blackness faded away.

“No poison. This is simply a warning she deliberately left for me. Of course, if you keep pestering her without end, then it won’t remain just a warning.”

The old gentleman held up the cup and examined it carefully, then smiled again.

“Compared with the books I bought tonight, this technique interests me even more. I’ve only seen it before in my master’s diary. There is a type of Jianghu person who likes to conduct themselves in exactly this style.”

“Then...”

“Then what? Haven’t you seen that I’ve already admitted defeat? When you do business with the door open, you think long term.”

Yin Meng walked out of the alley and came outside. Zheng Jiayi, carrying big and small shopping bags, came trotting over and asked, “How did it go, Mengmeng? Did you sell everything?”

“Mm.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of money. Put it away quickly. Don’t let it show. Right, let’s go, hurry.”

Zheng Jiayi pulled Yin Meng toward the roadside. As soon as he saw them come out, Fatty Wu started the car.

After the two girls got in, Fatty Wu slammed on the gas and drove off, checking the situation behind them through the rearview mirror the whole time.

Zheng Jiayi did the same. She knelt on the back seat and watched through the rear windshield.

The wary way the two of them acted made it look like they were filming a spy drama.

The car drove to the school gate. Fatty Wu rolled down the window and greeted the guard. The gate opened, and Fatty Wu drove straight in, all the way to the shop before stopping.

Even over such a short stretch, Zheng Jiayi still got out of the car with Yin Meng and escorted her into the store.

Only when she saw Runsheng did Zheng Jiayi pat her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

Then she went to the shelf, took two bottles of soda, and walked to the counter to pay.

Yin Meng smiled and said, “Just take them.”

“I already owe you too much. I can’t keep owing you, Mengmeng.”

Yin Meng said, “If you keep talking about owing people, the relationship won’t last.”

Zheng Jiayi went up laughing and kissed Yin Meng on the cheek. “Mengmeng, you’re so nice. Oh, right, Mengmeng, if you’re not in a hurry to buy a car, remember to deposit the money in the bank first.”

“Mm, I will.”

Zheng Jiayi left happily.

Yin Meng wiped her face with the back of her hand and said to Runsheng, “She doesn’t seem to have changed at all.”

Runsheng said, “Your relationship with her has already become close.”

“That makes sense.” Yin Meng nodded. “Then over the next few days, I’ll secretly keep an eye on her and observe whether her attitude toward other people in daily life has changed at all.”

“Won’t that be too troublesome?”

“Not at all. This is the task Brother Yuan assigned me.”

“Xiaoyuan came here for dinner tonight. When he asked about you, he called you ‘Mengmeng’ too.”

Yin Meng burst out laughing and pointed at Runsheng.

“You really do know how to make me happy.”

…

“Class monitor, these are yours. One is from our school, and one is from Haihe University.”

In the dorm room, a girl delivered two love letters to Zhou Yunyun’s desk. Zhou Yunyun did not even look at them and simply placed them in her drawer.

“Sigh.” A girl beside her, sitting on the edge of the bed painting her nails, let out a dramatic lament. “Yunyun, this really is a case of drought where there’s drought and flood where there’s flood.”

The girl across from her pointed and laughed. “What kind of outrageous nonsense are you even saying?”

“I’m just telling the truth. Look how popular our Yunyun is. Since school started, how many love letters has she gotten already?”

“That’s true enough. But Yunyun, why did you want to organize that mixer with Haihe University? I heard from other classes that it was your suggestion.”

Zhou Yunyun said, “Aren’t you all always shouting in the dorm about finding Prince Charming? I’m just helping you cast a wider net.”

The girl blew on the spot she had just painted. “By the way, Yunyun, are you planning not to date anyone, or do you already have someone in your heart?”

“Not thinking about that for the moment. Studies come first.”

“Oho~~”

“Hey~~”

Several girls in the dorm drew out the sound together, clearly not believing her.

Smiling, Zhou Yunyun put her clothes into a basin and asked, “Do any of you have dirty laundry? I can wash it for you while I’m at it.”

“Love you, Yunyun. If I were a man, I’d marry you and spoil you rotten.”

Zhou Yunyun picked up the basin, put the laundry soap inside, left the dorm room, and went to the wash area.

The lightbulb over the sinks seemed to be broken and would not turn on, but the light from the hallway was barely enough, as long as she did not go too far inside.

She turned on the faucet and let the water run. Her thoughts gradually began to drift, floating through the classroom windows of her high school days, drifting toward the podium, then landing on the left side.

Sometimes feelings were just that inexplicable. Even the person herself could not say when exactly that jar of wine had been laid down to age.

She remembered how rebellious and wild he had been at first, daring to fight at school, daring to talk back to teachers, even daring, when called up to solve a problem on the blackboard, to scratch his head and draw Doraemon instead.

Later, he changed all at once. He became steady, started studying hard, and his grades gradually rose from the bottom of the class to the top few.

Stories of prodigals turning back always carried immense appeal.

She had never regretted confessing to him before the college entrance exams. Even though nothing had come of it, she still felt glad she had done it.

She had thought she had let it go. She agreed with that line she had read somewhere: the best youth should remain whole inside a picture frame.

In truth, until seeing him today, she had never had such a clear thought again.

But after seeing him, and seeing that same sense of distance he showed once more, she found herself captivated all over again, because he seemed to have changed yet again.

Actually, for Tan Wenbin, there was nothing he could do about that.

Back in high school, while his peers were still bent over their books, he had already hauled up Dead Sinkers.

Now, while his university classmates were busy chasing the meaning of youth, he had long since become deeply familiar with life and death. And not long ago, he had personally smashed a man to death with a rock and wiped out an entire nest of malevolent spirits by himself.

The weight of a life comes from its breadth, not its length. Those college students who manage to earn money early through their own abilities and become financially independent often look at their classmates as though they were children, much less someone like Tan Wenbin.

It was just that most people could not sense that difference.

But Zhou Yunyun had always liked reading him carefully.

When you watched him go from a reckless boy to someone steady, and then to a mature “uncle,” it became only natural to want to walk into his world.

Even knowing full well there would be no result, even when the other person once again showed that sense of distance, you still could not control yourself.

It was foolish, and yet intoxicating.

The water had filled the basin, and Zhou Yunyun started washing her clothes.

As she washed, a voice came from behind her.

“Classmate, can I borrow your laundry soap for a moment?”

Zhou Yunyun was scrubbing hard, both hands pressing down on the clothes, so she replied, “Sure, take it.”

A hand picked up the laundry soap from beside the sink.

After a while, she heard the sound of clothes being removed behind her.

Zhou Yunyun did not think much of it. Maybe the person had only come to wash a dirty jacket.

Rip... rip... rip...

Next came a dense series of tearing sounds, like someone ripping tape.

Zhou Yunyun grew a little curious. What exactly are you washing?

She turned and looked behind her. The other person was standing at the sink opposite her, about ten meters away, too far to see clearly.

“Classmate, where did you buy your laundry soap? It smells good and works really well.”

“At the school shop.”

“Oh.”

Rip... rip... rip...

The tearing sounds came again. Through the dimness, she could vaguely make out the person moving as though taking clothes off.

Had they wrapped tape around their body or something?

Zhou Yunyun asked, “What are you washing?”

“I’ve got a lot of body hair. It’s dirty.”

Zhou Yunyun froze for a moment. So... was this hair removal?

She was a little surprised, but there were all kinds of people at school, so she could not be bothered to concern herself with it further.

After rinsing the clothes clean and wringing them out, Zhou Yunyun picked up her basin and asked, “Are you done with the soap? I’m leaving.”

“Done. You can take it.”

Zhou Yunyun walked over. As she got closer, she could see that in the dark interior, a figure was vigorously scrubbing clothes.

The person seemed to be dressed very lightly, because there were no visible lines of clothing.

Zhou Yunyun reached out, picked up the laundry soap from the side, put it into her basin, and walked out.

The moment she stepped out of the wash area and into the hallway light, she was shocked to discover a patch of bright red blood on the clothes in her basin.

Sometimes girls stained their clothes for physical reasons. That was normal.

But the problem was that she had just washed these clothes.

And the reddest thing of all was the bar of laundry soap. It looked as though it had been soaked through with blood, and bloody bubbles were still rising from it.

Zhou Yunyun instinctively turned back to look into the wash area. At that exact moment, for some reason, the faulty wiring suddenly connected again, and the bulb inside flickered several times.

In the wash area,

a person stood there, blood pooled around their feet and spreading outward.

Standing by the sink, from the lower abdomen, belly, chest, neck, and face, the entire large sheet of skin from the front of the body above the waist had sloughed off and fallen into the basin.

At that moment,

both of her hands were scrubbing hard at... the skin she had peeled off her own body.

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