Chapter 177.2

“There are big ones and small ones, thick ones and thin ones. Memorial tablets don’t come in just one standard size.”

“Can different sizes be placed together in one set?”

“Why not? Make the ones for the higher generation larger, and the ones for the lower generation slimmer. That way you can distinguish seniority and rank among them.

It’ll also make it easier for Ah Li to take material from them.”

“Understood.”

Liu Yumei slapped her forehead and said reproachfully, “Sigh, how did it take me until now to think of this?”

“You mean...?”

“It is only right and proper for us to enshrine memorial tablets. Ah Li, as one of the family, taking and replacing those tablets is only right and proper as well. And the relationship between Ah Li and him is... quite special.

Heh. Looking at it now, this bunch losing their spiritual efficacy may not be entirely a bad thing. At least here, it’s equivalent to severing the karmic link.”

Aunt Liu suddenly understood. “Mistress, I understand now.”

Little Yuan had set out on his river walk so suddenly that there had been no time to equip him with so many of the good things in the ancestral residence.

Now, the ancestral memorial tablets... were effectively the only channel through which the Qin Clan and Liu Clan could pass benefits to Little Yuan.

That was why the mistress had told her to diversify the materials and sizes. Only that way could the range of what they sent through be broadened.

Liu Yumei said, “Also, you could inlay the tablets with... forget it. Too much is as bad as too little. Use your own judgment. A memorial tablet, in the end, still has to look like a memorial tablet. It can be luxurious, but it can’t be too outrageous.”

“Don’t worry, I understand.”

“Go make the preparations.”

“Yes.”

After Aunt Liu went out, Liu Yumei sat back down in her chair. Just now, she had almost told Aunt Liu to try adding some embellishments to the tablets.

For example, some beads, some runes. If a given ancestor had liked using a saber, a sword, reading books, or appreciating paintings, each of them could be outfitted accordingly.

But the moment she was about to voice the idea, the ominous warning signs that had appeared before surfaced again.

You could exploit loopholes in the Heavenly Dao to a moderate degree, but you absolutely must not treat the Heavenly Dao like an idiot.

Once you stepped out of bounds, it would be no different from directly sending things over and suffering the resulting karmic backlash.

Liu Yumei picked up her brush and continued designing clothes for the boy.

There was one thing she often regretted bitterly: why hadn’t she started giving the boy things much earlier?

In the past, the children of the Qin Clan and Liu Clan had always carried a few fine things with them from a young age. The Dragon King’s clan had that kind of foundation.

But Little Yuan had nothing.

Her original plan had been to take Little Yuan to the Qin and Liu ancestral residence after the initiation ceremony. As the only heir of the current generation, he could have picked anything there he liked and could handle.

But instead, the moment he entered the sect, he began his river walk, and she lost that chance.

He clearly had the inheritance of two Dragon King households behind him, yet when he walked the river, he looked like some wandering drifter scraping by on a rich family’s poor road.

Still, she lowered her eyes and glanced at the jade thumb ring on her finger.

When they first met, she had wanted to give it to the child as a meeting gift, but the child had flatly refused to accept it.

Perhaps this really was the will of fate. Before he had formally entered, even if she had wanted to give him something, the child would never have taken it.

As she drew, Liu Yumei turned and glanced at the offering table, then mocked herself:

“You lot never expected this either, did you? I’ve lived a life of luxury, and in my old age I’ve been assigned the role of raising a child in poverty.”

…

Sixteen memorial tablets were carried into the small workshop.

Runsheng was already sitting inside, waiting.

Ah Li, completely at ease from long familiarity, picked up an ink brush and sketched lines onto the tablets.

Then she took out her tools and began taking material and carving.

Li Zhuiyuan helped at the side.

Runsheng wanted to help too, but this kind of delicate work was beyond him. All he could do was tidy up the workbench and sharpen a few tools.

Wooden nails were not hard to make, and since they did not require intricate engraved patterns, they did not take much time.

High-end memorial tablets, even in their original unaltered form, could already exert excellent suppressive effects.

Pshht! Pshht!

Li Zhuiyuan opened two cans of Jianlibao, handing one to Ah Li, and the two of them drank.

“Ah Li, go get some rest.”

Ah Li nodded, her gaze settling on the Jianlibao can in the boy’s hand.

She no longer collected ordinary beverage cans. After all, the standard of her collection had risen.

But a pair of cans opened together and drunk together—those she still wanted.

Li Zhuiyuan could only tilt back his head, finish the rest of his drink in one gulp, and hand the can to Ah Li.

Ah Li took the can, satisfaction shining in her eyes, then left the workshop.

“Brother Runsheng, take your clothes off.”

“Okay.”

Runsheng took off his clothes.

Back then, Uncle Qin had used sixteen coffin nails to forcibly open Runsheng’s Qi Gates, teaching him the body-tempering art of The Qin Family’s Guide to Viewing Flood Dragons in the crudest and most rigid way possible.

Now, the old wounds had long since healed, and the circular scars that had once looked like marks left by cupping had already faded to the faintest traces.

But today, Li Zhuiyuan had to bore those Qi Gates open again.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up a wooden nail, then a hammer, and began driving the nails into the positions of the Qi Gates.

Clang, clang, clang! Clang, clang, clang! Clang, clang, clang!

Both of Li Zhuiyuan’s hands were sticky and slick, covered in Runsheng’s blood.

Fortunately, the blood only sprayed at the beginning, when the nails were first going in. Once the nails were driven deep enough, Runsheng would contract his muscles and stop the bleeding himself.

Runsheng did not feel pain. He did not even frown. He only said apologetically, “Little Yuan, next time I won’t eat things carelessly again.”

“The Gu child corpse you ate was really just a catalyst. The Qin Family’s Guide to Viewing Flood Dragons is endlessly regenerative. Even when you’re not fighting, it keeps tempering your tendons, bones, flesh, and skin while you eat, sleep, and go about daily life. Once your body has been forged to a certain point, the things in your bones were bound to be awakened.”

If Runsheng had spent this life quietly following Grandpa Shan as an ordinary Corpse Retriever, then the traits of his true nature would never have been provoked. He might still have seemed strange, but he could have lived out his life in peace.

But instead, Runsheng had followed him into the river walk. Battle after battle, grievous injury after grievous injury, with his Qi Gates fully opened again and again, his true side had been forced into being.

Runsheng’s expression dimmed slightly, and his eyes lowered.

This was the first time Little Yuan had almost plainly told him that he was not human.

Though, in truth, Runsheng had long known that himself.

What normal person couldn’t eat without the smell of incense? What normal person would have such a powerful appetite for rotten flesh?

As Li Zhuiyuan continued hammering the nails, he said:

“This is great. The two of us brothers aren’t human. We’re both monsters wearing human skin.”

Runsheng lifted his head and looked at the boy.

The boy was smiling.

But within that smile, Runsheng could see the pain those words caused him.

He knew that “a monster wearing human skin” was the most piercing thing imaginable to the boy, yet the boy had said it on purpose to comfort him, even making a joke of it.

“Little Yuan.”

It was only a single call of his name. Any further words could not be said, and did not need to be.

The scene from that dream long ago—neither of them remembered it now.

In the dream, even after becoming a puppet under the Dream Ghost’s control, Runsheng had still refused to obey his “master’s” command to attack Little Yuan.

Forgotten was forgotten. Some things did not need to be clung to in memory. They were already settled in the heart.

“All right, Brother Runsheng. Now start circulating The Qin Family’s Guide to Viewing Flood Dragons again. Follow the rhythm I tell you. When I tell you to go faster, go faster. When I tell you to stop, stop. When I tell you to reverse the flow... reverse it.”

“Okay.”

Li Zhuiyuan had not yet begun martial training himself, but when it came to understanding The Qin Family’s Guide to Viewing Flood Dragons, even Uncle Qin could not compare with him.

Under his direction, Runsheng began circulating the method again.

“Ungh... ungh... ungh...”

Runsheng let out low growls of pain.

“Pause a moment.”

Li Zhuiyuan raised a hand to signal him, then set up a simple soundproof formation in the small workshop.

“All right. No one outside can hear now. Continue.”

“AHHHHHHHHH!”

Runsheng began screaming in agony.

It was like how animals needed to grind their teeth. What Li Zhuiyuan was doing was effectively grinding Runsheng’s teeth for him.

He was forcibly grinding down the baleful Yin aura that had been constantly growing within Runsheng’s body.

In practical terms, that meant Runsheng was using his living flesh and bones as the thing being ground and tempered.

The pain far exceeded scraping poison from the bone.

And yet Runsheng endured it all.

“All right, that’s enough.”

“Huff... huff...”

Panting, Runsheng lifted his head. The light in his eyes had become deeper.

The bulky masses of muscle on his body had now tightened and compacted into something lean and hard. Though he was still a large man, compared to before, he looked somewhat more drawn out and rangy.

In terms of bearing, he now faintly resembled Uncle Qin.

When beast nature was transformed into human nature, it did not make one weaker. On the contrary, it made one stronger, because only a human could make rational use of power while fully conscious.

That change in bearing also meant Runsheng’s body-tempering art had finally truly entered the gate.

Even if the path he had taken was one of ramming the gate with brute force.

Still, he had really managed to smash open a crack by sheer force.

Most importantly, the evil baleful aura on his body had been suppressed again. If Xiaohei bit him now, it would no longer create those wounds caused by Dissolution of Evil.

Li Zhuiyuan took out a talisman he had drawn and stuck it over the wound on Runsheng’s wrist. The talisman showed no reaction.

“Brother Runsheng, you’ve worked hard.”

Runsheng shook his head, then looked at Li Zhuiyuan and said:

“Little Yuan.”

“Mm?”

“Let’s be human together, okay?”

…

When Li Sanjiang came back with a cigarette in his mouth, Runsheng had just finished rinsing himself off by the well in the yard and was getting ready to clean up the blood that had washed off him.

“What’s this? So much blood on the ground. Did the family slaughter a pig?”

Runsheng scratched his head. “Grandpa Li, it was me.”

“You? What, did you have a hemorrhage during childbirth?”

Li Zhuiyuan had just removed the formation in the small workshop and stepped out to wash his hands. Hearing the exchange outside, the boy immediately said:

“Taigong, Aunt Liu was going to make blood curd, but I accidentally knocked it over. Brother Runsheng’s helping me clean it up.”

Li Sanjiang said, “If it spilled, it spilled. What’s the big deal? I don’t even like eating blood curd anyway. Makes you overheat.”

Li Zhuiyuan squatted by the well and washed his hands.

A hand pump had been installed over the well now, so there was no need to tie a rope to a bucket and haul water up anymore. A few pumps would do. There was always a cup of water kept nearby too; if the well mouth dried up during the day and no water came up, you just poured in a cup.

Li Sanjiang looked at Runsheng oddly and said in puzzlement, “Why does it feel like Runsheng’s gotten a bit thinner?”

“No, right?”

“No, definitely thinner.” Li Sanjiang walked over and kicked Runsheng lightly, who was crouching there wiping the ground. “If Shanpao came and saw this, he’d think I wasn’t feeding you. Remember to eat more and put that meat back on.”

“Got it, Grandpa Li.” Runsheng answered with a grin. As for eating, that was something he was good at.

Li Sanjiang turned to Li Zhuiyuan. “Hey, Little Yuanhou, come with me for a moment.”

“Okay, Taigong.”

Runsheng handed over a cloth. Li Zhuiyuan wiped his hands, then followed Li Sanjiang into the house.

Unexpectedly, going inside was not enough. Li Sanjiang gestured for Li Zhuiyuan to follow him upstairs.

Only after they entered the room did Taigong pull a prize ticket from his pocket.

“Little Yuanhou, take a look at this.”

“Taigong, you went buying lottery scratch cards?”

These past few years, scratch-card fever had spread everywhere.

Whenever one was held in a town, both sides of the road would be lined with prize-ticket stalls, with identically dressed sellers standing behind them. Nearby villagers would all be drawn over, and the scene would be as lively as a market fair.

The discarded losing tickets covered the roads in layer upon layer.

“The people selling those things are always shrewder than the people scratching them. Your Taigong here picked this one up.”

“Picked it up?”

“Yeah. Take a look.”

Li Zhuiyuan took the ticket. Printed on it was: “Luxury Five-Day Tour of Beijing for Two.”

“Heh, look at that. How’s your Taigong’s luck? I heard from Zhuangzhuang that you’re busy with your internship now and don’t need to go back to school, so you don’t have much going on at the moment. This is just perfect—you can go to the capital and have another look.

You don’t need to go see your mother anymore, but don’t you still have relatives in the capital?”

“Taigong, I don’t want to go back to Beijing. I’m living very well here.”

“It’s not like I’m telling you to move back to Beijing. It’s a free trip. It’d be a waste not to go.”

“But we can’t go, Taigong.” Li Zhuiyuan pointed at the fine print on the ticket. “It’s already past the date. This was one of the grand prizes from the previous two rounds.”

“It’s expired? Somebody already won it?”

“Mm.”

Generally speaking, prizes like these were won by the organizers’ own people, who then went up on stage to claim them. Ordinary people could only win shampoo, soap, and things like that.

“Tch, what a waste of excitement. I’d been treating it like a treasure and carrying it around in my pocket.”

“Taigong, if you want to see Beijing, I can take you on a trip there.”

For almost everyone of the older generation, visiting the capital was a lifelong dream. They wanted to go and take a look at that great sun.

“Why spend that kind of money? I’ve heard everything in the capital is expensive—food, drink, all of it. I’m not going, not going!”

“Taigong, I’ve saved quite a bit of money. Enough to take you—”

“That little bit of money you saved is enough for what? Have you gotten married yet? Had children yet? Bought a home in the city yet?”

Li Zhuiyuan blinked. He was still so young.

Li Sanjiang patted the boy on the head. “It’s fine. Taigong’s got all that planned out for you. Business is good now. Let Taigong save up a little more. It’ll be enough, enough for everything.”

“Okay, Taigong.”

The boy knew that earning and saving money for him was now the greatest pleasure in Taigong’s life.

“Dinner’s ready!”

Downstairs came Aunt Liu’s punctual call.

“Go on. Go invite that girl to come eat too.”

“Mm.”

After Li Zhuiyuan left the room, Li Sanjiang took out the ticket again and looked it over.

“How come it had to be expired?”

He smacked his lips twice.

He had never liked gambling or prize draws, and he did not care for cards in daily life either.

But the desire he had never had before was stirred up instead by this expired prize ticket.

“Maybe tomorrow I should go buy one and try scratching it?”

…

Late at night.

The west room.

Yin Meng was staying there now.

At the moment, everything from the bed to the cabinet to the floor was covered with bottles and jars she had laid out.

All of them contained poisons she had personally extracted.

Of those poisons, she knew the effects of one-third. As for the other two-thirds, heaven knew.

The Gu insect was clenched in Yin Meng’s hand, its two long black feelers exposed.

With her other hand, she began mixing poisons, trying different combinations of toxins.

She had discovered a pattern: the more potent the poison it faced, the more violently the Gu insect’s two black feelers would sway and strike.

So Yin Meng relied on that reaction to explore how to formulate poisons.

She mixed another poison and placed it under a specially made cover.

The black feelers shook rapidly, full of energy.

Then she mixed another poison.

The black feelers shook so fast they blurred into afterimages.

Yin Meng nodded, then tried combining those two poisons together according to a purely intuitive ratio.

The black feelers stopped moving.

Yin Meng looked puzzled.

Had using poison against poison somehow neutralized them both into something harmless?

She reached out and touched the Gu insect’s black feelers with a finger, only to find they had gone stiff.

When she opened her hand, the Gu insect gave no response.

Yin Meng turned her head and looked at the cover she had used for compounding and isolating the poisons, only to discover that a tiny hole had been melted through the bottom of it.

In the next instant, there came a single sound—

Thump.

Yin Meng’s head hit the bed, and she passed out from her own poison.