Zhuangzhuang had truly honed his skills.
When he was kicked and flew through the air, he surprisingly managed to land on his knees and elbows, maintaining his balance.
Remarkably, not a single drop of the oil from the bowl he held spilled.
He turned his head back, glanced behind him, and exclaimed in surprise, "Dad, our ancestral grave really is on fire."
Although Tan Wenbin came from a family of police officers, having previously been honored at the entrance of the police station by Li Zhuiyuan and Runsheng, the term "family" in this context referred to the honor and responsibility of inheritance, rather than genuine "family power."
Before, the reason Tan Wenbin didn't believe his father had come was that he understood a bit about the promotion processes internal to the system.
But his father had actually come, and he was wearing a police uniform.
Tan Yunlong was driving to the school with a few new colleagues.
While discussing the topic of children's education, Tan Yunlong shared his "parenting experience," which essentially meant that it was normal for children to be playful and not understanding when they were young; they would eventually become more sensible as they grew up.
Primarily, he aimed to comfort his colleagues while subtly showcasing his own pride.
As they entered the school gate, he casually pointed to the entrance and mentioned that his son had just been accepted there that very year.
Just a moment earlier, while climbing the steps to the store, his colleagues had been asking him for parenting advice.
Little did they know that just as he arrived behind his son, he overheard something surprising.
The sardonic banter about him and their ancestral grave, coupled with dialect that was rich and vivid, might very well cause his new colleagues nearby to forget where they were from.
This wasn't the first time; it seemed that whenever he was ready to take pride in being a father, enjoying that emotional need common to all parents, his son always had a way to knock him down a peg.
One couldn’t say he hadn’t grown up at all; he had changed completely over the past year.
Yet, to say that he was truly sensible was another matter entirely.
"Dad! Are you here in Jinling for a study activity or are you here to receive an award?"
Tan Yunlong ignored his son, taking out his credentials and following the necessary procedure.
"There are some questions that need your cooperation with. You all can start eating; we are not in a hurry."
Runsheng asked, "Tan Uncle, are you joining us?"
"No need. We've already eaten."
Li Zhuiyuan put down his chopsticks, and everyone else followed suit.
During this time, Runsheng and Yin Meng had already undergone two rounds of questioning, while he and Tan Wenbin had also been asked questions since they were students on campus at the time.
"Then let us start," Tan Yunlong said as he walked to Li Zhuiyuan's side, signaling for his colleagues to follow the procedure with others.
"Let's be quick and not hold up their business."
"Dad!"
Tan Wenbin shouted again, and hearing him, Tan Yunlong pointed to another police uncle accompanying him as if to say, "This is your support."
Tan Wenbin slumped his shoulders and could only go to the counter to sit down and accept the questioning.
Li Zhuiyuan led Tan Yunlong to the basement, where Sun Hongxia's room had been sealed off.
Tan Yunlong tore off the seal himself and brought Li Zhuiyuan inside.
“Congratulations, Tan Uncle,” Li Zhuiyuan said.
Tan Yunlong was clearly in investigation mode, not there as a representative for the study meeting or to receive some outstanding award.
If he had been assigned to assist with a case, he surely wouldn’t have brought the local police over from the township of Nantong.
"Hehe, Xiaoyuan, I'm feeling a little dazed at how I suddenly got transferred here."
"Is your work situation unchanged?"
"I've come first; the procedures are still in process."
Tan Yunlong pulled out a cigarette, not lighting it, just holding it in his hand, while surveying the room.
"Before entering the school, I thought I'll check on you and Wenbin after completing the investigation process, and then I noticed that I came across your name in the case file again, and there it was: Runsheng Hou."
Since his hometown used a lot of dialects, names were often abbreviated and modified with particles and tones.
Long-time friends might not even recognize each other's names when reading them on paper.
"Was Tan Uncle specially assigned to investigate this missing person case?"
Tan Yunlong paused for a moment, twisting the end of his cigarette, and then asked, "Xiaoyuan, does Wenbin still smoke?"
"He does."
"Did he smoke this time too?"
"He did, and we can still smell his cigarette on us."
Tan Yunlong stretched lazily.
"I reckon it'll be hard to uncover any useful clues. I just returned from that temple on General Mountain, and it was burned clean."
"I think that the focus of the investigation should be on the real culprit from that case seven years ago."
"Was it him?"
Li Zhuiyuan shook his head, "It doesn't matter if it was him or not; we can't let the real criminal continue to roam free."
"Indeed."
"Tan Uncle, previously when Wenbin brought the case file, could it be related to that incident?"
Tan Yunlong replied confidently, "It’s not connected."
"So it’s related to your past then."
"I want to know why too."
Tan Yunlong stepped out of Sun Hongxia's room and lit his cigarette.
"Once we're done with questioning, Xiaoyuan, let's head back upstairs."
Li Zhuiyuan followed him back up, and the others had also finished their questioning by this time.
Everyone had a good temperament, so they wouldn’t show any flaws under this kind of questioning.
They were merely fearful of disturbing their lives and intentionally hid certain matters.
But in essence, this case indeed had nothing to do with them.
Not a single living person had died by their hands; that night, they only dealt with one... no, they had sent off a deceased who had given up all resistance.
"Xiaoyuan, when I’m done here, let’s go get some late-night snacks together, shall we?"
"Sure."
"Which dorm is Aunt Ran Qiuping in?"
"Our building."
"Then can you show us again?"
"Tan Uncle, I have something to do. Let Wenbin accompany you. We'll meet again when we have late-night snacks."
"Alright."
Li Zhuiyuan really had something to do; Aunt Liu had personally made him a new canvas, which he needed to pick up.
With the new canvas in hand, it was like he had a new cover for his book.
Only then would he dare to lift the "old cover" off that forbidden book and attempt to view its contents.
As he stepped out the door, Li Zhuiyuan greeted Tan Wenbin: "Wenbin, we’ll have late-night snacks tonight."
Tan Wenbin raised his hand to give a gesture of understanding: "Got it, Old Sichuan."
Once Li Zhuiyuan left, Tan Wenbin took charge as the guide.
"Dad, are you really going to be transferred here now?"
"Yes."
"This doesn't follow the rules, does it? Dad, tell me secretly, have you fallen into corruption?"
"What?”
"Did you walk some backdoor? Was there a bribe or gift involved?"
"Are you that worried about your old man?"
"Of course! I didn't get to enjoy your exam bonus; you must not affect my future political review."
“Heh.”
"Dad, you need to be a good police officer."
"You don’t need to teach me that."
"Then what department are you in charge of?"
"Currently here."
"No, I was in your jurisdiction before my college entrance exams, and after my entrance exams, I'm still in your jurisdiction! Doesn't this make my exams pointless?"
"Then you can drop out and go back to high school for another year, and apply to those two universities in Jing."
"Wow, Tan Officer, your ambitions are not small. You want to transfer into Jing, huh?"
Tan Wenbin nudged his father’s arm, and Tan Yunlong shot him a glance.
Then both of them laughed.
As they reached the dormitory entrance, they spotted Lu Yi coming out with a backpack.
Wenbin greeted her proactively: "Hey, you’re going out this late?"
"Yup, just nearby. The kids have piano and dance classes during the day, so they are free at night."
"Stay safe."
"Don’t worry... Is this..."
Lu Yi glanced at Tan Yunlong beside Tan Wenbin.
"Oh, Sir asked me to take him on the way."
"Hehe, okay."
Lu Yi nodded and waved as she left.
Entering the dorm building, Tan Wenbin pointed out, "Dad, this is Aunt Ran Qiuping's office."
"No need to call her name so fluently next time."
"Got it."
The window was closed, and as he opened the door, he found a person standing inside.
Tan Wenbin’s gaze sharpened.
He recognized this person as Yu Shu, who had once been in Shinan Town telling stories to them.
Later, he even came to Grandpa Li's home for a narrative.
Brother Yuanzi was very wary of his identity and did not wish to be too entangled with him.
Tan Yunlong recognized him too and greeted, "Mr. Yu, hello."
"Officer Tan, hello."
Yu Shu simply returned the greeting, turning his gaze toward Tan Wenbin, "Young man, we meet again."
"Ah, yes, hello, storyteller."
"Are you a student here?"
"Yes."
"Are you here to perform for our school?"
"Hehe, do you live here?"
"Yes."
"Then let’s take a look at your dorm; I’m thirsty."
"Sure, no problem."
Yu Shu looked at Tan Yunlong, "What a coincidence; I didn’t know your son was studying here too."
Tan Yunlong was momentarily stunned, suddenly having an inkling about his unexpected transfer.
Tan Wenbin led the way, with Yu Shu and Tan Yunlong following behind, while the other police officers stayed behind to conduct a procedural inspection again in Aunt Ran Qiuping's office.
"Officer Tan, do you believe in fate?"
Tan Yunlong did not respond but took off his police cap, putting it back on with a serious look.
"Apologies, that was rude of me. What I meant was, your son seems to bring you a lot of luck."
"This brat, if he doesn't kill me with his antics, that counts as luck."
Tan Wenbin, walking ahead, raised his arms in dissatisfaction, "But my mom said, a heavenly blessing descended when I was born, and it even showed up as red clouds at night!"
"That was just a fire at the cotton factory next door to the hospital."
Tan Yunlong did believe some people could bring good fortune to others, but not his own son; it was someone else.
When they reached the third floor, Tan Wenbin naturally opened the door to Lu Yi's dorm.
"Come on, everyone take a seat, don’t be shy."
Tan Wenbin picked up some loose cigarettes from a small table, handing them out to his dad and Yu Shu, and then he grabbed a sausage, breaking it into several pieces and handing that out as well.
In the entire dormitory area, apart from his own and Xiaoyuan's room, this was the one he was most familiar with; he practically felt like the land god of this dorm.
Yu Shu asked, "Why is there only one bed in here, and the rest are empty?"
"Ah, my luck wasn't good. I ended up sharing a room with the second-year students during the dorm distribution, and now the new first-year students have arrived earlier for the school year. The upperclassmen haven’t returned yet.”
Tan Yunlong could instantly tell this was not his son’s dorm.
The bedding and daily necessities could easily be explained as old items brought from home, but the accumulation of dust on the storage boxes and other items indicated that this was certainly not a newly inhabited dorm.
However, he said nothing.
Yu Shu was not a professional investigator, after all, and he wouldn't pick up on those details.
Taking a bite of the sausage, Yu Shu nodded, "The taste is quite authentic."
"Of course! It was given to me by a buddy from the Northeast."
Even though there had been a time when ghosts ceased coming to eat his sausage, Lu Yi still maintained the practice of offering them up; anything sent as an offering during the day would be consumed by him that night.
His parents worked at a meat processing plant back home and would regularly send him some goodies.
In any case, he wasn't going to let his fellow villagers starve; who knew when they might start missing this flavor and come back to pay him a visit.
"Officer Tan, shall we head out?"
"Alright."
"Then Dad, Mr. Yu, you guys carry on. I'm going to do some laundry."
As his biological father and Yu Shu left the dormitory, Tan Wenbin finally relaxed.
He couldn't bring Yu Shu to his and Xiaoyuan's dorm, as there was a curfew set up by Xiaoyuan and arranged high heels inside.
After stepping out of the dormitory, Yu Shu finished the last piece of sausage, putting it into his mouth.
"Officer Tan, this case is being taken very seriously by higher-ups. Do you have any leads?"
"I believe the focus should still be on the real culprit from that incident seven years ago. I suspect the real murderer might still be at large."
Yu Shu nodded.
He honestly didn’t care overly much about the case itself; he was rather simply responding, "Then you should investigate in that direction. I’ll take my leave now."
Tan Yunlong then called his new colleagues to head to the next investigation point.
At this moment, Li Zhuiyuan was still unaware that his "old haunt" was on the verge of being raided.
Of course, even if he knew, there was nothing he could do.
He had come to collect something from Arili, only to be told by Aunt Liu that Liu Yumei wanted to speak with him, asking him to wait in the study.
These past few days, every time he came over, after playing with Arili, Liu Yumei would call him into the study for a chat, making him wait there each time.
During the first conversation in the study, Li Zhuiyuan really didn't catch on because there had been mention of "walking the yin" and "the forbidden book."
However, after several unremarkable chats, if Li Zhuiyuan could not pick out the subtext, it would be an insult to those high-achieving students who scored high marks in the college entrance examination.
The book "The Liu Family Secret to Understanding Qi" was always placed in a conspicuous location, and during their conversation, Liu Yumei's gaze practically glued itself to it.
She wanted him to join her as a disciple.
This book was considered a gift for initiation.
But even if he understood Liu Yumei's intentions, Li Zhuiyuan still had to pretend to be oblivious and wouldn’t pick up on that cue.
To be fair, he was willing to join the Liu family’s circle.
Indeed, he had already hinted several times about his Liu family connections while moving around.
And those who were aware of his lineage had quickly faced unfortunate fates.
Otherwise, Liu Yumei at home would have heard rumors that family members had begun walking the yin.
If he were to truly join, wouldn't he have to call Arili "senior"?
The young man even thought of a solution for this; since Arili's surname was Qin, she would likely inherit the Qin family legacy, and even if it wasn't the Qin family but the Liu family, it wouldn't matter.
After all, he had already learned the secrets of both families.
Whichever one Arili inherited, he would go with the other one.
Surely he could pull a peer from that family.
He was willing, but the necessary steps had to be taken.
Principal Wu from high school had already set an example for him.
Though he had decided to enter Haihe University, he still had to pursue the proper respect concerning benefits.
In Li Zhuiyuan's view, the disciple relationship looked much like university enrollment.
He wasn't a natural-born child of the Qin or Liu families.
Therefore, it was a mutual choice.
If you think I'm worth a certain price, then present your offer.
A children's version of "The Liu Family Secret to Understanding Qi" simply wouldn't suffice as an initiation gift; that felt like a loss because he would undoubtedly have to voluntarily offer the advanced version of "The Liu Family Secret to Understanding Qi" later.
That would be tantamount to paying for his own body.
In reality, it wasn't that the young man was greedy or mercenary; it was just that he wasn't alone anymore.
Behind him were Runsheng, Wenbin, and Yin Meng.
He could ignore his own considerations but had to resolve issues related to his partners’ placements and treatment.
For example, he wanted Liu Yumei to call Uncle Qin back to grant Runsheng and the others some special training.
He truly wasn’t good at teaching others, and starting from scratch meant he would need to secure a set of "basic materials" for them.
These matters needed discussion.
If he didn't discuss in advance, trying to negotiate afterwards would be hard.
Also, in negotiations, the first person to speak and show their cards would find themselves at a disadvantage.
However, it seemed that continuing to just stare at Liu Yumei wasn’t an option either.
Although she was older, her eyesight was still sharp, and after days of adulting, she stubbornly refused to break the ice, seemingly too stubborn to feel her eyes drying out.
Li Zhuiyuan was simply unaware that during these days, each time he left without borrowing books, Liu Yumei, who had lived a life of comfort, was beyond infuriated and had smashed a pair of official porcelain.
It couldn't go on being dragged out like this; he needed to turn up the heat, just as in wanting to get accepted by a university, one had to participate in math competitions and win awards; he needed to showcase his value.
To simply tell Liu Yumei that he had mastered the higher-level secrets of the Qin and Liu families would be foolish.
Families take their inherited traditions seriously; revealing that would equate to confessing to stealing knowledge.
Even if Liu Yumei wouldn’t punish him, it would mean he was practically forced to join.
At that moment, Aunt Liu entered with a fruit platter, setting it down before picking up "The Liu Family Secret to Understanding Qi."
"Your grandmother has lost track of time while strolling about. Xiaoyuan, if you’re bored, you may read a book. I remember you loved to read back at home."
Li Zhuiyuan felt a sense of relief; knowing Liu Yumei was anxious allowed him to feel less hasty.
"Aunt Liu, I have a book to read lately, so I don't have the energy for other stuff for now."
"I heard your grandmother say you've been studying scripture recently?"
"Yes."
"Aren't those books too advanced for you at your age? Already starting self-cultivation?"
"Ah, it’s not just these. Mengmeng’s family has some ancient texts. She brought them when she came to Nantong, and I’ve been browsing through them too."
"Those books of hers?"
"Yes, I've actually found them quite interesting."
"Oh? What’s the title of the book?"
"The Twelve Methods of the Yin Family."
A sliver of disdain crept into Aunt Liu's smile.
It was an expression she could muster without despising the poor, for she was someone who could navigate both urban and rural spheres, easily shifting between various identities.
When it came to inheritance, she had complete confidence and pride in her own line.
In her eyes, "The Twelve Methods of the Yin Family" was simply not something worth much.
Li Zhuiyuan understood her sentiment well.
After reverse-engineering the complete version of "The Twelve Methods of the Yin Family," he severely doubted that this seemingly grand tradition had been modified over generations by unworthy descendants—not only the difficulty of content but even the title.
It must have had a much more imposing name at the outset, considering it was a legacy from Yin Changsheng, the legendary Emperor of Fengdu.
It was akin to an ancient martial family's family treasure being called "The Sixth Set of National Student Radio Calisthenics."
"Then, Xiaoyuan, have you detected anything?" Aunt Liu spoke out of formality.
With palms turned upward, Li Zhuiyuan closed his eyes.
Initially, Aunt Liu didn’t sense anything unusual, but in an instant, the study room fell silent, all external sound of wind and insects snuffed out.
The youth’s face took on a grave expression, palms facing up, and he murmured solemnly: "Four Ghosts Lifting the Palanquin."
In that moment, while he appeared to be sitting in front of her, it felt as though his figure had been suddenly elevated, rising higher and higher.
It was an amplification of aura, making the young man seem towering.
Aunt Liu pressed her lips together, and she believed that if she were to walk the yin now, she would be able to see a different scene.
"Four Ghosts Lifting the Palanquin" was the simplest of the twelve methods taught to him by Yin Fuhai.
He learned it was used to send off the spirits of the deceased properly.
If the main family offered a fair price or recognized the value, a member of the Yin family would use this technique during rituals to send the departed off comfortably.
Once Li Zhuiyuan had gotten through the reverse-engineering, he thought it was fortunate that the Yin family had weakened in more recent generations; otherwise, this technique would only serve as a "rebirth spell."
In reality, this was a lower-tier technique that displayed the full splendor of Yin Changsheng back in the day and showcased the might of the Emperor of Fengdu.
"Four Ghosts Lifting the Palanquin: The four directions' spirits, become my vanguard."
It was clearly a technique for restraining and employing spirits.
Thank goodness the Yin family’s descendants had not mastered it enough to disgrace their forefathers; otherwise, whoever paid a large sum to host rituals would find the spirits of their loved ones being detained elsewhere—a truly filial act.
Li Zhuiyuan turned his palms down slowly, settling back down.
"Boom..."
A colorless sound vibrated, resonating throughout the study, the echo lingering.
Aunt Liu's eyes widened.
"Is this truly 'The Twelve Methods of the Yin Family'?"
Noticing the shift in his demeanor, thoughts raced in Aunt Liu's mind as she pondered the implications of what she understood.
The beginning-level learners learned to crawl, the intermediate students learned to flow gracefully, while advanced practitioners integrated and connected.
Yet here was a youth who had already grasped the subtleties of this craft.
What Aunt Liu didn't know was that due to all the high-end books in the basement at their great-grandfather's, ever since Li Zhuiyuan began reading, the threshold for understanding a book had become recognizing the spirit of the text.
The young man did not wish to skip steps; he simply lacked a base textbook, leading him to accomplish high-difficulty actions off the high diving board without having learned how to swim.
When Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes, his dignified aura vanished, and he returned to the excitement of someone who wanted to show off: "Aunt Liu, I think Mengmeng's books are really fun."
Aunt Liu was momentarily unsure how to reply.
After all, the boy had always been clever, but suddenly realized she had underestimated him.
"Mengmeng said to really learn this stuff well, you have to go back to Fengdu to burn incense and make sacrifices, requesting the Emperor of Fengdu’s protection and acknowledgment. Anyway, since the new students are having military training, and I don't have to join, I can indeed take the time to return to Fengdu and take a look. The scenery there is beautiful; it is a lot of fun."
Aunt Liu nodded in agreement first, but her expression then shifted.
Wait, was that girl trying to get you to enter the Yin family?
If she had secretly learned some family's methods, that wouldn’t have been a big deal if that family was weak or didn’t press the matter.
But if she truly planned to lay offerings in the Fengdu Ghost City, the nature of that would change entirely.
That would be like already being admitted to other universities.
"Xiaoyuan, you stay seated for a bit; I’ll check to see why your grandmother still hasn’t returned."
"Okay."
"Oh, by the way, for this period, don't go wandering too far because we need to move. Your grandmother has some old friends at the university who are inviting her to stay on campus. Since Arili has a lot of belongings, you need to help straighten things up."
"Okay, I understand."
Aunt Liu left the study, and after the door clicked shut, even with Li Zhuiyuan’s keen hearing, he could no longer catch her footsteps.
He opened the study door and headed upstairs, reaching Arili's room.
The girl was using a brush to paint a character onto a wooden tablet, each roll of wood was equally delicate and airborne.
Li Zhuiyuan crouched down to grab a box, while she continued painting, and he slowly filled it up.
It felt just like the past when they worked on crafts together at their great-grandfather's house.
As they did the work, Li Zhuiyuan recounted everything that had just happened, including Liu Yumei’s thoughts and his own calculations.
He didn’t want to hide anything from her; even if such matters could only be implied, he didn’t wish to conceal, after all, this was a girl open-hearted enough to allow him to see her innermost thoughts.
After tidying up the wooden tablets, Li Zhuiyuan closed the box and lay down beside her.
The carpet on the floor was soft.
"Arili, do you think it’s pointless to scheme back and forth like this?"
The girl halted her movements.
In reality, she had only been preparing materials.
Then, without hesitation, her left hand slipped under the boy’s neck, and her right hand gently patted the boy's head.
Li Zhuiyuan instinctively reacted, thinking Arili was about to engage in the same action his great-grandfather did back then.
That action was one he had tried multiple times to abandon but had failed, as it had first caught her gaze.
Over the past year, the girl had often leaned against his chest, hoping he would pat her head, saying those words, even if saying them out loud felt somewhat embarrassing.
But soon, Li Zhuiyuan realized something was off—the roles had reversed.
Now it was him being embraced by Arili while she gently patted his head.
Arili said nothing, but her clear eyes and the dimple at the corner of her mouth seemed to silently convey the sentiment: "Whatever Xiaoyuan wants, I’ll buy it for you. I have money; I have plenty of it."
Li Zhuiyuan was momentarily stunned, feeling at a loss.
His body began to tremble slightly.
A powerful wave of rejection surged from deep within him.
He didn’t know how to face this scene, nor could he comprehend how to deal with this emotion.
Instinctively, he clenched his left hand into a fist, bringing it to his mouth, and bit down with his teeth.
The sting followed, but he immediately yelled and withdrew his hand, afraid of bleeding in front of the girl.
The girl stood up, seeming like she wanted to come closer, but the boy's reaction intensified, so she could only stand in place.
"Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh..."
Li Zhuiyuan clutched his head, his gaze downward.
At this moment, he felt like an examinee entering an exam room, picking up a pen, only to forget all knowledge points.
He was anxious, lost, and helpless.
The sound of other candidates writing filled his ears, and everyone seemed to be proficient; the questions appeared simple.
Yet, he couldn’t write a single word.
Even though answers surrounded him, they felt too distant to grasp.
In that moment, Li Lan's voice echoed in his mind:
"Li Zhuiyuan, you and I are just monsters in human skin."
"Thud!"
The back of the boy’s head slammed against the wall, but it brought him a sense of tranquility.
Earlier, he felt like he had been drowning, but now he had finally crawled ashore, soaking wet and utterly exhausted, yet feeling a joy he couldn’t quite articulate.
He had been exerting effort not to shed the human skin he wore, yet now that it seemed to be genuinely growing, he found himself at a loss.
It turned out he and Zhuangzhuang were the same; they appreciated the dragon only superficially.
"Ha ha ha... Ha ha ha... Ha ha ha ha..."
The boy burst into laughter.
Arili approached, crouching down to look at him.
Li Zhuiyuan met her gaze, both of them seeming to find a reflection of themselves within each other’s eyes.
"Arili, do you think that once I join, my tablet can be placed on the offering table in your dreams?"
…
"That is absolutely not 'The Twelve Methods of the Yin Family.'"
"Not?"
"I sensed it when Yin Meng first arrived in Nantong. The girl has a dull mind; she probably can’t even manage walking the yin, let alone teach that brat anything."
"He said he looked at the books she brought…"
"That set of books doesn’t exist."
Liu Yumei said firmly.
"If that set truly existed, the Yin family would have long severed ties with it; it wouldn’t have lasted this long because without alterations, future generations of their own would be unable to grasp it!"
Liu Yumei paused before continuing, "Even though the Qin and Liu families have dwindled, we still have you, A Li, and those… Even Arili—if she weren’t ill, her talent would be extremely high because only those with true bloodline talent tend to get sick like this.
Ordinary children wouldn’t even catch the attention of those spirits; they’d have no interest in seeking revenge. The Qin and Liu families have been interrupted, not truly declined. So, A Ting, you’ve not witnessed what the truly fallen families in the martial world look like.
The descendants of those families would line up to compete in idiocy against pigs!"
"But if that set of books doesn’t exist, how did Xiaoyuan learn it?"
"There are two possibilities. One, there might be something good hidden in those books in Li Sanjiang’s basement, even if we deem it otherwise."
"But is something like inheritance merely something learned from books?”
Aunt Liu couldn’t help but recall a scene of the boy reading on the patio in a reclining chair.
His pages flipped enthusiastically like it was a comic.
"Right? It's hard to imagine that possibility, isn’t it? The key points in each family’s inheritance lie with the people. If it were just a matter of reading books, wouldn’t all family secrets have already merged? How could such smart individuals even exist in this world?"
"But you just said..."
"That's because the second possibility is even harder to imagine. That Yin Meng girl likely carries something intended for pigs. And that boy, he reversed engineered it to present to people as if offering it to the Emperor of Fengdu..."
Liu Yumei suddenly halted, raising her hand instinctively as she murmured, "Four Ghosts Lifting the Palanquin."
Even without wind or waves, the sensation from that time had already been communicated to her.
Between these two possibilities, no third path existed because for the past year, they had been living with Xiaoyuan; no one could have surfaced beneath their noses secretly instructing or teaching the child.
"Xiaoyuan, reverse engineering..."
Aunt Liu’s eyes were filled with astonishment.
"If he truly has that ability, wouldn't he be able to master all family secrets just by being handed the materials?"
"If it were not for the fear of drawing on the fortune and backlash when I was at Li Sanjiang's, I should have taken a look at what that boy reads each day."
Aunt Liu reminded him, "Arili should know. Unfortunately, Arili still cannot speak."
"Heh."
Liu Yumei sighed deeply.
"Even if Arili could talk, do you think she'd tell you?"
"Why are you getting angry with me? Arili is your granddaughter whom you raised with your own hands."
Liu Yumei sighed, looking exasperatedly away.
She was reluctant to admit it, but the truth lay before her:
She, Liu Yumei, who had lived a life of wealth and nobility, elegant and refined all her life, now found that her beloved granddaughter's elbow was not only turned away from the family; it had completely separated from home!
Aunt Liu realized that Lady Yumei was truly feeling frustrated and only said lightly, "You can only fault Xiaoyuan for not giving our Arili some love potion."
Liu Yumei huffed.
"Hmph! It can't just be that our Arili has good taste, with an eye as keen as a hawk, can it?"
“Yes, yes, absolutely! You’re absolutely correct!”
Liu Yumei crossed her arms, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.
"Our Arili is like me, she surely has excellent taste when it comes to choosing men."
"That’s right! Of course, she wouldn't follow you; after all, she's your own granddaughter."
"Hehe."
Liu Yumei chuckled.
Aunt Liu teasingly said, "So, hearing your words, it seems you’ve changed your mind and plan to recruit this over-the-river dragon?"
"The children are still young. Why bring this up? It’s too trivial."
"What you say is right; everything you say is correct."
"Alright, A Ting, we misjudged him. Even if he only grasps what he reads, he is already an exceptional talent. Just think, back then, if I had only thrown the books at you and Ar Li and allowed you to read them on your own, now you might still be digging for eels in some river ditch."
"Of course! A Li and I are rather dull-witted, how could we compare to your exceptionally chosen granddaughter? Granny, you’ve got to be kidding. This matter hasn’t even begun, yet you’re already looking down on us.”
"Don’t talk nonsense; stop blabbering or I’ll have to hit you."
"I was wrong."
Aunt Liu gently slapped her own face a couple of times, then said, "You must hurry then; otherwise, they’ll go offer sacrifices in Fengdu."
"Silly girl, can’t you see? It’s not about offering sacrifices in Fengdu; it’s more like someone is urging this old woman to speak up quickly for him to seize the advantage."
…
Li Zhuiyuan walked down from upstairs.
In the yard, he saw Liu Yumei and Aunt Liu standing there.
"Grandma Liu."
"Yes, three days from now, we move. According to custom, you should come home and have a meal."
"Sure, according to custom, should I bring a gift?"
"You’re still a child; coming empty-handed is fine. By our rules, I’ll provide you with an initiation gift."
"What will it be?"
"What do you want? Whatever you want, Grandma will give you."
(End of this chapter)