Chapter 336

Tan Wenbin took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, then pulled out his lighter. He flicked it on, but the flame kept flickering unsteadily, appearing both near and far in his eyes, making it impossible to light the cigarette.

After much effort, his gaze sharpened, and he finally lit it. But the cigarette flared up like a piece of kindling—he had accidentally put the filter end in his mouth and lit the wrong side.

He spat it out, stomped it out with his shoe, then pulled out another cigarette, inspected it carefully, and put it in his mouth.

"Brother Bin, let me help you."

Lin Shuyou took the lighter. With a click, the flame shot up with a whoosh, almost a meter high.

It was a good thing Tan Wenbin pulled his head back in time, or his eyebrows and hair would have been singed off.

"Brother Bin, I..."

"Never mind, I won't smoke."

Tan Wenbin put away the cigarette pack and sat on the coffin.

The re-opening of the crash course made everyone feel the same discomfort they had experienced during the previous session, but this time, the increased intensity made the discomfort even more pronounced.

Tan Wenbin's senses were not just acutely sensitive now; under Brother Xiaoyuan's illusion array, he instinctively doubted everything around him. Even the simplest objects required several rounds of re-identification, leading to a cognitive misalignment in his sensory perception.

Lin Shuyou, on the other hand, habitually formed hand seals. When he used the lighter, a small seal naturally formed with a flick of his thumb.

Li Zhuiyuan's crash course was tailored to each individual's situation.

Run Sheng needed to strengthen his combat skills, moving beyond pure brute force to fight more efficiently.

Tan Wenbin needed to combine his sensory reactions with his bloodline power, no longer serving merely as a "radar appendage" or relying on short bursts of power for one-off attacks. His role was evolving to gradually become like Lin Shuyou in the current team.

As for A-You, he could have leveraged his "Ghost Commander" and "True Lord" advantages to achieve a more suitable integration of body and magic. However, he now habitually focused on close-quarters combat with his twin maces. Li Zhuiyuan hoped to not only address his weaknesses but also correct his past habits, enabling A-You to stand on his own.

In short, Li Zhuiyuan was not merely seeking to improve a specific ability in his companions, but rather to enhance their team roles, thereby elevating the team's overall strength to the next level.

Today, the three of them had been called by Old Man Li to Rugao to help with a funeral, but they only made things worse.

Tan Wenbin, who was writing the funeral register, misaligned all the characters; Lin Shuyou, who was setting up the mourning hall, accidentally set the altar table on fire; and Run Sheng, who was putting up the canopy, caused it to collapse.

Li Sanjiang was so furious his beard trembled. He sent the three of them home directly before lunch, telling them to go to Shijiang Town Health Center to check if they had caught "mule plague" again.

On the drive back, Tan Wenbin received a message from Baijia Town, learning the contents of the Yu family's Dragon King Order.

Upon returning home, the letter was conspicuously placed on the desk. Tan Wenbin picked it up to cross-reference the information.

Tan Wenbin: "This Yu family... they actually dare to openly target those who 'walk the river'."

It's not that they can't be targeted, but you need a proper reason. Those who "walk the river" with their lamps are often watched by the Heavenly Dao, especially those who make a name for themselves on the river.

The problem is, Yu Miaomiao, the Yu family's direct descendant, was also one of those who "walked the river." What happens on the river stays on the river. Using river grievances as a reason on land clearly shows they have no regard for the Heavenly Dao's perception.

Furthermore, the reason the Jianghu generally accepts that Dragon King Lineages can issue Dragon King Orders is not just because these lineages are likely to produce Dragon Kings and have strong foundations. It's also because, at least on the surface, Dragon King Lineages value their reputation. They wouldn't easily issue a Dragon King Order unless it involved extremely dangerous and unmanageable evil spirits or natural disasters. After all, each Dragon King Order essentially consumes the accumulated public trust of their past Dragon Kings.

Since ancient times, no Dragon King Order has ever been issued in the name of personal grudges or revenge, especially not for someone who died during river competition.

Even if we take a step back and say your Yu family's direct descendant lost a river competition and died, is that something to brag about? Other families would be scrambling to hide such news, yet your Yu family is actually publicizing it?

Lin Shuyou: "Three Eyes... why is he so unlucky?"

Tan Wenbin: "That's understandable. Our Brother Xiaoyuan takes a low-profile approach, so he's either actively or passively taken credit for many of our deeds."

Lin Shuyou: "So, 'Three Eyes' took the fall for us?"

Tan Wenbin: "He chose this himself, and he had his fun."

During the Lijiang wave, Zhao Yi of Jiujiang's reputation surged. In the early stages, while fleeing with the shattered jade, Zhao Yi used all sorts of unbelievable tactics to trap and kill a large number of his pursuers.

However, by the time he entered Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Zhao Yi was "a puddle of mud," needing Lin Shuyou to carry him to walk. Yu Miaomiao's death truly had no direct connection to him.

Lin Shuyou: "If we consider this a clue for the Yu family's 'wave,' then 'Three Eyes' has become the entry ticket for this wave?"

Tan Wenbin: "Yes, a 'meat ticket'."

Lin Shuyou: "The Yu family truly fears nothing..."

Tan Wenbin: "It's normal. Beasts will always be beasts."

Li Zhuiyuan came downstairs.

"Brother Xiaoyuan."

"Brother Xiaoyuan."

Li Zhuiyuan: "What are your thoughts?"

Run Sheng continued smoking his cigar; he habitually attended meetings without engaging his brain.

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Xiaoyuan, I think this is quite normal. Beasts will always be beasts."

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, I, on the other hand, believe something unusual is afoot."

Lin Shuyou: "..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's a bit too deliberately foolish, as if they're using this as a cover-up for something."

Old Man Tian arrived, bringing his homemade chili sauce, which Aunt Liu accepted.

Since Li Sanjiang wasn't home, Old Man Tian didn't stay for dinner. After glancing at Liu Jinxia playing cards in the courtyard, he chuckled and left.

This meant that Old Man Tian was unaware of his young master's current predicament.

This wasn't hard to understand. His life here was very much like someone who had washed their hands of the Jianghu. Even Xiong Shan usually cut off contact with the martial world, avoiding past troubles.

Old Man Tian's only contact was Zhao Yi. As long as Zhao Yi didn't tell him about this matter, he had no other way of knowing the developments in the Jianghu.

Lin Shuyou: "It seems 'Three Eyes' not only didn't contact us, but he also didn't inform Old Man Tian."

Tan Wenbin corrected him: "It's normal for outsiders not to inform Old Man Tian, but it's very abnormal for him not to inform us."

Lin Shuyou: "Could 'Three Eyes' have already... had his head cut off?"

Tan Wenbin: "It wouldn't go that far."

Lin Shuyou: "So he's intentionally not informing us, holding a grudge and trying to prove himself?"

Tan Wenbin: "That's even less likely."

Lin Shuyou: "Then..."

Although the Yu family was currently a joke, this joke was only circulated among the top forces of the Jianghu. Furthermore, even with the Yu family in its current state, there weren't many people or factions in the entire Jianghu qualified to mock them.

Therefore, this utterly absurd Dragon King Order was bound to be effective. Jiujiang must now be swarming with Jianghu individuals aiming to hunt down Zhao Yi.

Li Zhuiyuan: "He's currently in a dangerous, yet not *too* dangerous, phase."

Lin Shuyou: "I see."

Tan Wenbin: "Brother Xiaoyuan, are you saying that Team Leader Zhao actually has enough helpers and allies right now, so he doesn't need our help for the time being, and he also doesn't want to expose his relationship with us... or our existence?"

Lin Shuyou looked at Tan Wenbin. Had Brother Xiaoyuan really said that much just now?

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mhm."

After responding, the young man walked towards the east room.

"Young Master Xiaoyuan, aren't you going out today?"

"Young Master Xiaoyuan, you seem to have grown taller again?"

Li Zhuiyuan responded to the greetings of the old ladies at the card table and entered the east room.

Lin Shuyou: "Brother Bin, you're saying 'Three Eyes' has helpers now?"

Tan Wenbin: "Yes, there must be a large group of people hunting Zhao Yi because of this Dragon King Order and the reward promised by the Yu family. But if you truly consider him 'a wave,' would you go after Zhao Yi? Even putting aside your relationship with him."

After careful consideration, Lin Shuyou shook his head: "No."

"Why not?"

"Because I know the Yu family is no longer a Dragon King family, so I can't do things for them."

"That's because you stand high enough and have comprehensive information. Guess which forces in the Jianghu have access to the same information as us?

As you said before, if you see this as the 'flower' of a wave, would you choose to kill Zhao Yi and cut off his head, or 'capture' him alive?

Kill Zhao Yi, take his head to the Yu family for the reward, and offend the Heavenly Dao;

Don't kill Zhao Yi, 'capture' him alive, and go with him to the Yu family—wouldn't that also earn you a VIP qualification with the Yu family?

Those who realize this and still possess the 'river-walking' mindset are undoubtedly the elites of this generation's Jianghu.

Therefore, many people are indeed hunting Zhao Yi, but there are also truly powerful individuals extending olive branches to him, or even actively trying to befriend him.

Among these people, there must be quite a few who, based solely on his identity as the young master of the Jiujiang Zhao family, were previously unworthy of even sitting at the same table with them."

Lin Shuyou frowned, saying somewhat indignantly:

"'Three Eyes' is doing so well now?"

Tan Wenbin: "You were just worried about him."

Lin Shuyou: "But he's doing *too* well."

Tan Wenbin: "Understandable."

Li Zhuiyuan emerged from the east room, cradling a memorial tablet wrapped in black cloth.

As he reached Tan Wenbin and the others, the young man paused and said:

"Brother Binbin, I believe this Dragon King Order is the 'wave' of our next surge, and it's a multi-person, multi-team wave.

But since Zhao Yi hasn't contacted us voluntarily, we'll act as if we don't know.

Next, we'll continue classes at night. During the day, I'll need you to make more effort to interact with the outside world; there should be other 'wave' clues."

Tan Wenbin: "Yes, I understand. We're not in a hurry."

Li Zhuiyuan nodded and went upstairs with the memorial tablet.

Tan Wenbin stretched.

If waves had tiers, then the wave represented by Zhao Yi was undoubtedly the largest in the prelude.

In the past, they would have had to risk everything to compete and seize it. This time, there was absolutely no need.

Because no matter what, Zhao Yi would surely contact their Brother Xiaoyuan before completing his integration and heading to the Yu family.

This allowed them to enjoy a period of peaceful tranquility during the intense and exciting early stage of this major wave.

"This is the advantage of having 'unofficial' members. Let them do the hard work and tiring tasks; we'll come out when they've finished."

Granny Hua: "Let's play cards a bit longer today; we'll finish later."

Wang Lian: "What's wrong, do you also have an Old Man Tian to avoid at home?"

Liu Jinxia reached out to pinch Wang Lian's mouth.

Granny Hua: "Oh, I'm not like Liu Jinxia. At my age, I'm not so young and vibrant that an old man would dote on me."

Liu Jinxia: "Alright, no more cards. I'm going to find a needle and thread and sew both your mouths shut!"

Liu Yumei picked up her teacup, a smile playing on her lips as she watched the three old sisters bicker.

After enough teasing, Granny Hua said, "The power tripped at my house last night. I'll have to wait for the village electrician to get off work from town, then go to his house and call him to come check mine."

Liu Jinxia: "Electrician? Isn't there one right here?"

Granny Hua: "Where?"

Liu Jinxia: "Last time, I saw Young Master You climbing the wall to fix the circuits."

Granny Hua: "I'm not familiar with this Young Master You."

Saying this, Granny Hua reached out and lightly nudged Liu Yumei: "Sister Liu..."

Liu Yumei put down her teacup, turned, and called out to Lin Shuyou, who was standing there:

"A-You."

"Coming!"

Lin Shuyou jogged over.

"Granny Hua's power is out; go fix it." Liu Yumei then pointed at Granny Hua, "Give him your house key; he'll go now."

"Alright." Granny Hua handed the key to Lin Shuyou.

Lin Shuyou took the key, went to the living room to grab some tools, and then ran down to the courtyard.

A short while later, Lin Shuyou ran back again.

Granny Hua said incredulously: "That was too fast, wasn't it?"

Lin Shuyou: "Where did Granny Hua say her house was in the village?"

Granny Hua: "Near the carpenter's house on the west side of the village, further in. Just ask someone, and you'll find it."

"Okay."

Lin Shuyou ran down to the courtyard again.

Granny Hua's house wasn't a two-story building; it was a single-story house, but the courtyard was smoothly paved with concrete, and the house itself had been renovated.

Lin Shuyou opened the door to the main room with the key. Upon entering, he saw a memorial photo frame on the long cabinet against the wall. The black and white photo inside showed a very young person.

A-You walked forward, lit an incense stick for the person, and greeted the photo:

"I'm here to fix the electricity."

Afterwards, A-You began his inspection.

He wasn't a professional electrician, but his operations were more skillful than an experienced master electrician.

After all, he knew whether there was power just by touching it.

After finishing the work, he flicked a switch, and the light came on.

A-You nodded with satisfaction. After locking the door again, he went to the well in the courtyard, drew some water, and smoothed down his standing hair.

"Oh, I remember you."

It was the next-door neighbor, a young woman holding a baby, who greeted Lin Shuyou while breastfeeding.

Lin Shuyou turned to look at her, then immediately blushed and quickly turned away.

The young woman chuckled.

Last time, when the carpenter's family was digging their fish pond, A-You was sent by Li Sanjiang to help. She noticed this young man. He took off his shirt, jumped into the pond, and easily pulled a side of the net that would normally require four or five people.

When he got out of the pond, he was dripping wet, with a well-proportioned and muscular physique that was quite appealing.

"What are you doing at Granny Hua's house?"

"Fixing her electricity."

"Oh, I see. My radio is broken; can you fix it?"

"No."

"Alright, alright, I'm done feeding. My clothes are covering me now."

Lin Shuyou didn't turn around, but said, "I'm leaving."

"Don't go yet! You're strong; can you help me move some rice sacks?"

"No."

"Please help. There's no man in my house."

"No."

Lin Shuyou walked away.

"Hey, hey, hey! My man is gone!"

Lin Shuyou stopped, turned, and glanced at her.

Then, he walked to her courtyard. Following her directions, he entered a room where there was a grain pile woven with bamboo strips. It seemed to have broken earlier, spilling grain, but it had all been put back into rice sacks.

The grain pile had been repaired, but Lin Shuyou tested it and found it wasn't sturdy enough. He found some rattan and wooden planks nearby and reinforced it, then poured all the rice from the sacks back into the pile.

"Thank you. Here, for you."

The young woman handed him a cup.

Lin Shuyou took it, took a sip, and froze. It was milk.

"Heh heh heh. It's powdered milk. I don't have much milk; it's not even enough for my baby, so how could I feed you?"

Lin Shuyou put down the cup and said, "Okay, I'm leaving."

"Won't you stay a little longer?"

"No."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"Oh, that's nice. Where are you from?"

"Fujian."

The two conversed as they walked out, with Lin Shuyou already descending from the courtyard and nearly on the road.

The woman said, "My man was from Henan, Luoyang."

Their conversation wasn't genuine small talk, but rather idle chatter, forced conversation.

But the place name Luoyang made A-You stop in his tracks.

"Was your man named Yu?"

"Yes, his surname was Yu."

Lin Shuyou's expression turned serious. He felt this was a "wave" arriving, and he needed to catch it.

Inside the room.

Li Zhuiyuan was carving wood shavings, while A-Li was trying to draw a new talisman.

This talisman couldn't be used by others; Li Zhuiyuan had designed it specifically for himself, making its creation very difficult.

Finally, after many trials and errors, the first complete talisman was drawn.

This was already frightening efficiency; many people immersed in the art of talismans their entire lives would find it incredibly difficult to create a new one.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the talisman paper and placed it in his right palm. The spirit of the black flood dragon flashed, merging into the paper. The talisman floated on its own, fluttering wildly around the room with the movement of the young man's fingertips.

The young man gently squeezed his fingers, and the talisman paper split open, as karmic fire burst forth then vanished.

The talisman itself had no special properties; its greatest ability was to temporarily store a spell the young man was about to use, then release it after a period of time and across a distance.

"A-Li, I'll need to trouble you to draw some more for me."

A-Li nodded. With the first successful experience, the subsequent success rate of creation significantly improved.

However, a fine sweat also beaded on the girl's forehead.

"Alright, let's rest."

Li Zhuiyuan called a timely halt.

A-Li looked up at the young man, indicating she could continue drawing.

"Before dinner, we still need to play chess, and after dinner, we'll go for a walk."

A-Li put down the cinnabar brush.

Li Zhuiyuan picked up the thermos, poured some hot water into a basin, wet and wrung out his towel, then walked over to the girl.

"Close your eyes."

The girl obediently closed her eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan tested the towel's temperature, then gently wiped the girl's face.

Although A-Li was meticulously dressed by Liu Yumei every day, she didn't wear rouge, so there was no need to worry about smudging makeup.

After wiping her face, he unfolded and refolded the towel, then wiped the girl's hands.

The girl's eyes remained fixed on the towel.

"It's uncomfortable always using new towels."

Hearing this, A-Li moved her gaze from the towel.

The evening breeze reluctantly brought a bit of coolness to the summer air.

Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li sat on rattan chairs on the terrace, playing chess under the twilight clouds.

In the corner of their chess board, the excited running figure of Lin Shuyou appeared.

"Brother Bin, Brother Bin, the Yu family wave, a wave!"

Lin Shuyou grabbed Tan Wenbin's arm and handed him a slip of paper with an address written on it.

Tan Wenbin took the note and listened to Lin Shuyou's story.

The young woman's surname was Sun, named Sun Caijuan. She and her boyfriend fell in love elsewhere. When she had just gotten pregnant and they were preparing to return to their respective hometowns to meet their parents and hold a wedding, the man died in an accident.

Sun Caijuan said she valued loyalty and couldn't bear to abort the child, so she returned to her parents' home and gave birth.

She had a wish: she hoped her man's parents would know about the child and see the bloodline he left behind.

Tan Wenbin: "A-You."

Lin Shuyou: "It's a lead, isn't it? A clue, Brother Bin?"

Tan Wenbin: "A while ago, when the old ladies were playing cards, Granny Hua mentioned this neighbor of hers. Granny Hua said that Sun Caijuan was a mistress in Shanghai a few years ago. After getting pregnant and returning home to give birth, she received money every month for the child's upbringing."

Lin Shuyou: "Huh? Could that just be village gossip?"

Tan Wenbin: "Didn't you see her family?"

Lin Shuyou: "When I went, she was the only one at her house."

Tan Wenbin: "Her family includes not only her parents but also her older brother and his wife living with them. Her mother often brags in the village that her daughter is capable enough to have found a wealthy backer, and the money sent each month is enough to cover all their family's expenses."

Lin Shuyou: "But why would she lie to me?"

Tan Wenbin: "Maybe she took a liking to you?"

"Brother Bin, don't joke like that."

"You were the one who joked with me first. Didn't you look closely at this piece of paper yourself? The address is written in such detail, it wouldn't be hard to find someone even without a phone number, would it?

And look... it's Yu Family Village."

Lin Shuyou took the paper, examined it closely, and froze in place, muttering:

"Then this isn't a wave."

Tan Wenbin patted Lin Shuyou's arm: "Alright, it's not so easy to hit the mark with a wave right away. Keep trying."

Aunt Liu: "Dinner time!"

After dinner, Li Zhuiyuan and A-Li went for a walk by the small river.

Every night, the young man not only had to teach his companions but also conduct his own special training. The mental exhaustion and fatigue were significant, so he had to ensure he got enough sleep while also focusing on relaxation and relief.

After their walk, Li Zhuiyuan walked A-Li back to the east room, then woke up the sleeping Xiao Hei and led him to the rice fields behind the house.

He opened the barrier and went inside. Tan Wenbin, Run Sheng, and Lin Shuyou were already waiting there.

No one complained about how tiring these classes were. Having experienced countless life-and-death situations, they understood even more how to cherish such opportunities.

Run Sheng was flexing his muscles and practicing punches, Tan Wenbin walked in circles with his eyes closed like a blind man, and Lin Shuyou diligently formed hand seals. Before the teacher arrived, everyone was doing their own warm-up.

Li Zhuiyuan walked onto the altar. The three below stopped and stood at attention.

There were no "Hello, teacher" or "Hello, classmates." The young man raised his right hand, the ground began to undulate again, and the lesson commenced.

On a summer night, a figure entirely wrapped in clothes was vigorously pedaling a tricycle, which was laden with pots, pans, bowls, and various vegetable baskets.

Perhaps feeling the speed wasn't fast enough, he simply stood up to pedal.

As he pedaled, a long tail swung out from behind him.

Frightened, it quickly grabbed its tail with its hand, wrapped it around its belly, and continued pedaling.

"The flavor won't be as good if I cook it beforehand and then deliver it, so this time, I, the rat, will cook it fresh for you here!"

Arriving at the village entrance where it had made a delivery yesterday, it stopped. After a moment of hesitation, the large white rat finally decided to ride inside.

The tricycle slowly made its way along the village road. It didn't know which house it was looking for, so it kept twitching its nose, sniffing.

It wasn't searching for a strong scent, but rather for the house with the faintest, cleanest scent.

And it actually found one. The tricycle slowly slowed down. Ahead, the village road extended into a gravel path that led specifically to a large house with a spacious courtyard.

"It seems... it's here?"

Just then, the large white rat saw a woman appear in the courtyard, who glanced in its direction.

The large white rat immediately felt as if its neck was being squeezed and would be crushed at any moment. Terrified, it quickly pedaled away.

Aunt Liu returned to the west room, holding a thermos.

Uncle Qin: "What's wrong?"

Aunt Liu: "Sigh, competitors are getting more and more brazen now, directly coming to our doorstep."

Uncle Qin: "You didn't kill it, did you?"

Aunt Liu: "You're certainly good at favoring outsiders."

Uncle Qin: "I just don't want you to get tired cooking midnight snacks."

Aunt Liu: "If it had come down from the village road just now, I would have made you some dried rat tomorrow. But Xiaoyuan and the others are truly extravagant, exchanging merit for midnight snacks."

Uncle Qin: "As long as the children are happy."

Aunt Liu: "Yes, I suppose I haven't seen much of the world. I've almost forgotten what it was like when we had a Dragon King in the family. Even this small amount of merit feels incredibly precious."

Uncle Qin: "..."

Aunt Liu: "Hey."

Uncle Qin: "What's wrong?"

Aunt Liu: "That sacrificial rat just rode off towards Big Beard's house."

"That truly scared the rat out of me! This village is terrifying!"

The large white rat pedaled until it was almost exhausted before finally stopping.

But before it could even catch its breath, it saw a woman walking down from the courtyard of a house ahead, holding a baby in her arms.

"Oh no!"

The large white rat was startled again and immediately turned the tricycle around to leave, shouting at the same time:

"If you eat the child, you can't eat the rat! Children taste better than rats; rats are smelly and don't taste good!"

To its surprise, although it was pedaling with all its might, the tricycle moved backward instead of forward. The large white rat looked down and saw a peach branch wrapped around its tricycle, pulling it back.

The large white rat prepared to jump off the tricycle, but the peach branch immediately spread, locking it tightly in place.

Finally,

Both the rat and the tricycle were dragged into the peach grove.

After class, Lin Shuyou went to the village entrance to wait for delivery, just like yesterday.

But he waited for a long time and didn't even see a shadow.

"Huh, where did that rat go?"