Corpse Recovery Diver-Chapter 778 - 139:

"The Wang Family has already failed."

"Lihua told me, but that doesn't count. Though this General is already decayed and dilapidated, far from his former glory, he's not someone that can be dealt with by sending just any small fry from the family.

We need the real core members of these three families to come over.

I need them to cover for me, to create opportunities for me."

Li Zhiyuan: "I think you might be oversimplifying things."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I've heard stories about the four families of the Old Heavenly Gate, but I hold skepticism regarding the stories' authenticity."

"Even if there's some exaggeration, it shouldn't be too far-fetched."

"It might just be very far-fetched. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was supposed to be the golden age for corpse walkers, with several large-scale migration waves creating a heavy demand for corpse transport. Yet even in such an environment, Niu Dao Jie was unable to revive. What was the reason for that?"

"You're suspecting that those three families have been suppressing Niu Dao Jie all this time? But even among the four families of the Old Heavenly Gate, isn't factional conflict and rivalry normal?"

"Perhaps it's even more serious than that."

"Surely, they wouldn't dare to blatantly defy the rules? Aren't they afraid of the watchful eye of the Heavenly Dao?"

"The Heavenly Dao focuses only on results; it seems indifferent to anything else."

"We should think better of people. I believe those three families wouldn't be so foolish in such matters."

Li Zhiyuan nodded: "So, you're planning to have those three families become sacrificial lambs to help you divert the 'people' in the water burial?"

"What do you mean by sacrificial lambs? That's an ugly word. This is called sacrificing for the Righteous Path, haha."

Xiong Shan's laughter revealed a grim ferocity.

He wanted to pretend otherwise, but the young man had pointed it out, so he simply stopped pretending.

After all, a person who has risen from the grassroots to this level can be upright, but never truly foolish. Otherwise, it would be too unfair to those who have already drowned beneath the river waters.

"Have you seen that Niu Dao Jie?"

"I explored both above and below the water, but didn't see him. However, I did find some human traces; someone deliberately wants to break the seal and release the General, or at least let the General's power seep out."

Li Zhiyuan remained silent. He realized that Xiong Shan's goal was to re-seal the General, while his own future task might be to deal with Niu Dao Jie.

"Gurgle gurgle... gurgle gurgle..."

In the water ahead, a long string of bizarre bubbles emerged, first from one spot, soon followed by several more.

"They're coming out again, and they're quite close, Lihua."

"Alright."

The woman responded, again pulling out the child's diaper, setting up cloth sails, tables, mirrors, and burning paper.

Li Zhiyuan didn't move this time, reaching out to take the half-burned paper money from the woman's hand, while Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin each had their own piece.

Soon, a procession emerged from the water dozens of meters away.

Everyone bowed their heads, including Xiong Shan.

As the first procession emerged, a second appeared on the other side, followed by a third, and a fourth...

In total, there were eight processions.

Each procession made a deliberate detour to pass by the "Yin Yang Road Inn," circling once before departing at the sound of bells. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

This time, Li Zhiyuan didn't attempt to peek at "them," but even with his head bowed, he could see their feet at the edge of his vision on the ground.

Each group consisted of two people in front and back, carrying bamboo poles, while a person in the middle floated without touching the ground.

After they left, everyone raised their heads.

Xiong Shan said: "When they return, there will be more, always picking up people to join them on the road."

Li Zhiyuan: "Is this the General's patrol?"

"A very apt metaphor, quite vivid.

In each procession of corpse walkers, there's someone who doesn't touch the ground; he represents the General's eyes. Any attempt to spy on him would lead to unpleasant consequences.

Lihua said, have you seen it?"

"Driven by curiosity."

"How did you do it, can you teach me?"

"I'm willing to teach, but it's not easy to learn."

"It's alright, you've asked me so much about the matters below, I believe you want to take a look down there, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I can take you down there, to satisfy your curiosity."

"Thank you."

"Do you know how I went down?"

Li Zhiyuan: "Could it be when the procession of corpse walkers returns..."

"Yes, I blended in and helped carry the bamboo poles."

...

Next, it was a matter of waiting.

Xiong Shan tended to his injuries while playing with his son who sat on his lap.

Run Sheng set up two tents for rain shelter, one on each side.

Li Zhiyuan quietly ate biscuits. Inside, he knew clearly that he had helped Xiong Shan suppress corpse poison, fostering a friendly atmosphere between them, but there was still a boundary between them.

Xiong Shan could consider the three families as "offerings" to sacrifice, meaning he could sacrifice himself if necessary.

However, there was no dissatisfaction in this. Instead, this mode of interaction where each is clear about the other's boundaries made both parties comfortable.

No one is a fool; everyone has a sense of propriety, so there's no need to worry about the other's actions becoming inexplicably inappropriate.

The rain stopped, but the originally dim sky turned completely dark.

Xiong Shan carried his son over, approached Li Zhiyuan, and asked, "Do you like children?"

Li Zhiyuan shook his head.

"I really love my son."

"I can see that."

"Because I suffered so much when I was young, I want to give him the best of everything."