Chapter 165.2

By the time they returned from Gaoyou to Siyuan Village, it was nearly dusk.

Xiao Yingying sat on the yard embankment facing the setting sun, holding the child in her arms.

Lihua took the child from Xiao Yingying, rocked him for a bit, then handed him to her husband.

After Xiong Shan teased the child for a moment, he passed him back to Lihua. Lihua lightly pinched the baby’s backside, and he immediately burst into tears.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lihua placed the child back in Xiao Yingying’s arms.

The child stopped crying at once.

“See?” Lihua said. “The baby’s attached to you.”

Xiao Yingying held the child, her gaze calm and cold.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, “Where’s my Taigong?”

“He went to the blind man’s house,” Xiao Yingying replied.

Li Sanjiang had gone to Liu Jinxia’s home, probably to discuss business. As the only two funeral specialists in Siyuan Village, they sometimes referred jobs to each other or teamed up to conduct rites and make money together.

Lihua went to prepare dinner. Xiong Shan first hefted his hoe, but seeing how late it was, he set it back down and pushed out both the family tricycle and flatbed cart, washing them with water from the well.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at Xue Liangliang, then pointed at the taxi.

“Not tonight,” Xue Liangliang said.

“Oh.”

Li Zhuiyuan wanted to make a phone call, so Xue Liangliang and Liu Changping went with him.

At Aunt Zhang’s shop, Li Zhuiyuan picked up the receiver and dialed the phone at the Bargain Shop Bandit Camp.

Lu Yi answered. Li Zhuiyuan asked him to go fetch Yin Meng.

“Hello, Little Yuanhou, it’s me.”

“Get ready and drive them back with you.”

“Okay, Little Yuanhou.”

“And help me tell Granny Liu that I’m inviting them back for New Year on behalf of my Taigong.”

“Got it.”

Li Zhuiyuan hung up.

Xue Liangliang picked up the phone and kept calling. He needed to get through to Min’an Town, but when the other side went to fetch his parents, the line got cut.

After waiting five minutes, Xue Liangliang called again and finally started talking to his father.

The call went on a while, but it went smoothly. After hanging up, Xue Liangliang smiled and said, “My parents agreed to come here for New Year. I’ll arrange for them to stay at an inn in town.”

“No need. Big Beard’s house is still empty. I’ll have Xiong Shan and the others move over there, and free up the west room for your parents.”

“Is that really appropriate?”

“It is.”

Ordinary people really were not suited to stay in Big Beard’s house. It counted as a haunted house, after all.

But if Xiong Shan and his wife stayed there and spent New Year with the one beneath the peach grove, they would probably be happy to do it. It would be a good chance to build a closer relationship.

Liu Changping glanced at the pager on his waist, then picked up the phone as well. After dialing out, he talked for quite a while. He was discussing the bride price.

When he hung up, Xue Liangliang handed him a cigarette and asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

Liu Changping took out his lighter, lit Xue Liangliang’s cigarette first, then his own, and said, “My future brother-in-law came back from the army. When he found out his sister was getting married, he lost his temper at home and said he absolutely wouldn’t let them take his sister’s bride price money.”

“Congratulations,” Xue Liangliang said. “That takes some pressure off. But later on, you’ll have to give even more.”

Liu Changping nodded and smiled. “But at least I’ll be happy to give it, right?”

Just then, Li Sanjiang came walking down the village road. He was wearing the new clothes Little Yuanhou had bought him, and that fountain pen was still clipped to the chest pocket.

Seeing the people standing outside the shop, Li Sanjiang deliberately puffed out his chest, clasped his hands behind his back, and raised his chin.

Xue Liangliang clapped his hands and said, “Oh my, isn’t that the village chief?”

“Come on,” Li Sanjiang said. “Let’s go home and eat.”

At dinner, Xue Liangliang took the initiative to talk with Li Sanjiang about his work plans going forward. He also mentioned that next year Little Yuan would be traveling around with him.

When Li Sanjiang heard that, he looked at Li Zhuiyuan with some heartache and said, “Getting out more is good. It toughens a person up. I can tell this is an opportunity your teachers are giving you.”

After a pause, Li Sanjiang patted the back of Xue Liangliang’s hand and added, “Liangliang, once you’re out there, you have to look after him.”

Xue Liangliang immediately nodded in agreement. He knew very well that if he took Little Yuan out with him, the one being looked after would only be himself.

After that, Xue Liangliang also told Li Sanjiang about bringing his parents over for New Year.

“The more the merrier,” Li Sanjiang said. “That’s what New Year should be like. That’s what makes it feel like New Year.”

Late at night, everything was silent.

Xue Liangliang sat up in bed, got down quietly, and put on his clothes.

After he stepped out of the room, Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was three minutes past midnight.

Liangliang had said he would not go see them tonight, but now it was already a new day.

Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the room and onto the terrace. Ahead on the village road, he saw a car parked there. The red sign on top made it obvious at a glance that it was a taxi.

Xue Liangliang got into the car.

Liu Changping asked, “Still going there?”

Xue Liangliang nodded. “Yeah. I still miss them.”

Liu Changping sighed, started the car, and said as he drove, “Brother, you really need to think it through. Think more about your parents. Life is still long.”

“That’s exactly what’s got me worried. I’m thinking about how I’m supposed to get past my parents on this in the future.”

Liu Changping did not dare keep trying to persuade him. His hands on the steering wheel were already slick with sweat.

This guy really did not want to live. He was still thinking about killing himself.

After the taxi drove off, Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the moon.

Just then, Xiao Yingying appeared on the terrace as well, still holding that child in her arms.

She was awake, and so was the child. Those pitch-black, shining eyes were curiously looking around.

Perhaps he had seen Li Zhuiyuan’s earlier motion of lifting his head. He imitated him by kicking his legs, tilting his head back, and glancing up at the moonlit sky.

Li Zhuiyuan could tell that this child really was smart, though his intelligence had not crossed the line.

He simply had sharper perception and greater curiosity about the world. He was not like Li Zhuiyuan had been back then, having already stepped outside that category so early.

Back then, Li Zhuiyuan had noticed that whenever someone praised him for being clever, Li Lan’s brows would twitch faintly. For a time, he had even deliberately acted a little dull.

Then he discovered that Li Lan got even angrier about that.

At the time, she had not yet determined that he had inherited her illness.

She simply did not want her son to be some freakishly smart oddity, yet at the same time she also could not accept her son being not smart enough.

Xiao Yingying kept holding the child with one arm and pointed with the other toward Big Beard’s house.

The one beneath the peach grove wanted to see him.

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and went downstairs.

When he reached the west room, the door opened from inside. Xiong Shan and Lihua were already waiting there.

They were staying in that room and had in fact been paying close attention to the movements outside the whole time. They would not bother with Xue Liangliang leaving, but they could never ignore Li Zhuiyuan’s footsteps.

“Come along too. Bring offerings, incense, and candles.”

“Okay!”

Xiao Yingying did not follow them. She held the child and lay back down in the coffin to sleep.

Li Zhuiyuan took Xiong Shan and his wife to Big Beard’s house.

The offering table was set up. Li Zhuiyuan stood to one side and watched while Xiong Shan presided over the ritual.

Xiong Shan’s attitude was proper, and the ceremony was carried out with meticulous care.

Lihua stood beside him with her back bent, still muttering those same prayers for her son’s protection.

It was as though what they were worshipping was not some terrifying malevolent spirit at all, but a Peach Blossom Immortal.

But between an immortal and a malevolent spirit, who could really say which was which?

Sometimes, beings like this were two sides of the same thing.

Li Zhuiyuan stood there quietly.

Then the candles on the offering table began to flicker, and peach blossoms drifted down toward them.

Xiong Shan and Lihua looked thrilled. One burned paper and chanted with even greater fervor, while the other prayed even more earnestly for her son’s blessings.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the pitch-black, deep peach grove before him. This thing was pretty interesting. He had no idea why it had changed styles tonight and even produced something of an artistic atmosphere.

But presumably it was not out of special consideration for Xiong Shan and Lihua, because the two of them were not worthy of that.

So, had the one beneath the peach grove taken an interest in the child?

After all, the child had been in Xiao Yingying’s arms the past two days, and Xiao Yingying was its thrall. In theory, it could obtain all of Xiao Yingying’s perceptions.

If that was really the case, then this was exactly the great fortunate opportunity Xiong Shan and his wife had long been seeking.

That one might not compare to the Dragon King’s clan, and its current condition was poor, but even a starved camel was bigger than a horse. After all, it had once been one of Wei Zhengdao’s followers.

Li Zhuiyuan entered Walking the Shade, then in that state walked down from the embankment and into the peach grove.

Inside the grove, which had originally been pitch-black, two strings of lanterns appeared, casting a dim ghostly glow.

That one stood there in profile.

Once Li Zhuiyuan got within a certain distance, he stopped.

It would not be appropriate to go any closer. The other clearly wanted to face him sideways, because his front face was constantly changing, and there was also a face at the back of his head that kept changing as well.

Since the other wanted to present the slightly more normal image, Li Zhuiyuan naturally had to give him that courtesy.

At the same time, it showed that there really was some kind of hope rekindling in his heart.

Because only people who wanted something, only those with attachments in their hearts, would start caring about their appearance.

But he did not speak. He simply maintained that sideways stance in silence.

Li Zhuiyuan took the initiative and said, “That child is pretty good.”

The other remained silent.

“A very smart child,” Li Zhuiyuan continued. “He’s seen a lot from a young age, and he even carries merit on him.”

Still no response.

“He still hasn’t been formally given his proper name. His parents are thinking of finding a godfather or a master to name him.”

Still no response.

Li Zhuiyuan felt a little annoyed inside. Where had this tsundere rotten temper come from?

The boy could not help wondering whether Wei Zhengdao had once found this affected behavior so unbearable that he had deliberately passed on the secret art from the Black Book just so this one would go bury himself somewhere and give everyone some peace.

Still, tying this one more tightly to reality was in Li Zhuiyuan’s interest.

If it was willing to acknowledge a child or take in a disciple, then it would amount to adding an utterly unbreakable layer of insurance to Li Zhuiyuan’s rear base.

Even the gates of those great clans and major sects could not possibly afford a gatekeeper of this level, could they?

True, its past existence really had protected peace in this area. Even Dead Sinkers drifting here had to reverse course and change direction.

But that was not its intention. It simply existed here and, by existing, produced that effect. It had never truly said it was willing to serve as some local earth god.

Li Zhuiyuan said, “Doesn’t that child resemble the old you? Very clever, yet not truly the cleverest one?”

Its body began to tremble.

Li Zhuiyuan knew he had guessed right.

It hated Wei Zhengdao the most, yet cared about Wei Zhengdao the most as well.

And honestly, that kind of description was not hard to make. This one had obviously once been exceptionally gifted, but before Wei Zhengdao, any genius would immediately seem dim.

On that point, Li Zhuiyuan could easily relate.

Its feelings toward Xiong Shan’s son were probably also because the child had appeared at Li Zhuiyuan’s side.

Finally,

it spoke:

“Let’s strip off the human skin and speak plainly.”

“Hm?”

“Have you met him?”

“How could you tell?”

Li Zhuiyuan did not deny it. Although he did not remember, he was almost certain that he really had met Wei Zhengdao.

“Since you came back this time, your confidence is different.”

“Was I really lacking confidence before? No matter what, I’m still the inheritor of two Dragon King lineages.”

“Are those things yours?”

“How are they not?”

“Deep down, do you really believe they are yours?”

“I’m trying to accept that, and gradually I am.”

“So at least for now, they still aren’t truly yours. Then tell me, where does your confidence now really come from?”

Li Zhuiyuan fell silent.

It continued, “You may not be able to tell, but I can see it clearly here. Even the way you’re standing before me right now makes it obvious.”

“All right, I admit it. You’re right.”

Li Zhuiyuan could feel how agitated it was at this moment. It was desperate to know something about Wei Zhengdao.

If he told it that he had forgotten, it would not have Granny Liu’s good temper. It would go mad, and then peel a lot of people into white-boiled shrimp.

It was absolutely capable of doing something like that. How much control it still had over itself was debatable. Once its emotions ran wild, it would become the greatest source of danger.

“So he really isn’t dead yet?”

Li Zhuiyuan was about to start making things up.

He felt that the version of himself from that period of lost memory must have considered this issue when facing Wei Zhengdao, and had probably even mentioned this one to him.

Out of trust in his own rationality, he believed that his past self must have had a contingency plan. And if there truly were no traces left behind, then that meant... no traces were necessary.

Even if he was making up nonsense, that earlier self must have believed that the later self, after losing his memory, would still be able to round it out.

At that thought, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly felt little burden in his heart.

“He’s dead.”

“Dead? Then how did you see him?”

“You know as well as I do. For someone like him, it’s very hard to die cleanly.”

“True enough.”

“He thought of many ways to kill himself. He struggled with it for a long time.”

“That’s normal.”

After a brief silence, it took the initiative to ask, “Did he mention me?”

“He did.”

“What did he say?”

“He said you were stupid, like some dog that could be tricked into guarding the gate.”

“Hahahahahahahaha!”

Li Zhuiyuan had deliberately made it up that way because he knew exactly what he wanted this one to do, and this one also knew exactly what he wanted it to do.

Right now, all Li Zhuiyuan was doing was using Wei Zhengdao’s mouth to “say” that purpose out loud.

Would it get angry? Fly into a rage because of it? Deliberately do the opposite?

No.

It was dangerous, terrifying even, but its personality was also very easy to read.

Especially now that Li Zhuiyuan finally had enough confidence to stand calmly in front of it, their “personalities” had been leveled much more evenly. Without that mysterious, lofty veil of clouds and distance between them, he could see things far more clearly from this angle.

It said, “He wasn’t wrong. Isn’t that exactly what I am now?”

Li Zhuiyuan smiled but said nothing. His mind was racing, already working out how to answer the next question.

If nothing unexpected happened, it would probably ask: What else did he say?

He had to come up with a perfect answer, one that would not only leave a deep lingering resonance in it, but also satisfy it enough to end this entire exchange about Wei Zhengdao. He needed it to feel that after hearing the answer, there was no need to keep asking.

Because he still had not recovered the specific memories of meeting Wei Zhengdao. He truly could not withstand too much probing. A few more questions and he would easily let something slip.

The silence broke again.

“What else did he say?”

Li Zhuiyuan said, “He asked me to pass a message to you.”

“What message?”

“I’m sorry.”