Corpse Retriever

Yin Fuhai had once told himself, “After all these years, someone from the Liu family is finally walking the River again.”

“It’s just a figure of speech. A lofty aspiration.”

“Granny Liu, I want to know—what did it originally mean?”

“What did it originally mean?

From one end of the river to the other, the people you meet, the things you encounter—flatten what must be flattened, deal with what must be dealt with.

A new household must walk the River to establish itself.

An old ancestral home must walk the River to steady its name.

The river nurtures people. And people, more than pythons, have the potential to become dragons.”

“What about Uncle Qin, back in the day…”

Now that they were no longer in Great-Grandfather’s house, some words could be said more freely. Yet Li Zhuiyuan noticed Granny Liu still held some reservations. Probably because Ah Li wasn’t fully recovered and hadn’t spoken yet—she might still have to “repay her vow” at Great-Grandfather’s place one day.“Ah Li walked the River back then, naturally he did. But he didn’t finish it. Almost lost his life. That was my fault—I was too impatient back then.”

A trace of remembrance glimmered in Liu Yumei’s eyes.

“Did something happen?”

“Mm. Rotten old gossip, better left unsaid.” Liu Yumei changed the subject. “And you, boy? What do you want to do in the future?”

“Granny, what exactly does walking the River mean?”

“Heh.” Liu Yumei chuckled. “Asking that is like asking where the jianghu is. There’s no fixed definition. If your heart’s set on walking it, then aren’t your feet already on the river?”

Li Zhuiyuan fell silent.

“Too cryptic for you?”

“I think I get it.”

“Oh?”

“Once you’ve stepped into this path, if you don’t intend to stop, you’ll just keep going.”

When you go searching for Dead Sinkers, you’ll find that while you seek trouble, trouble grows legs and comes looking for you too.

It reminded him of what he said to Tan Wenbin on the freight truck coming into Jinling—the “scouring pad” analogy.

But somehow, this also felt a bit… metaphysical.

Li Zhuiyuan looked up at the ceiling, recalling how he and Mao Zhushan had bluffed their way past Heaven’s will. Maybe Heaven was metaphysical too.

Besides, the Yin clan’s genealogy had recorded ancestral travels, but they didn’t call it “walking the River.” Likely a term exclusive to families like the Qins and the Lius. Just like how a regular tourist can’t claim to be “paying a visit.”

The Yin clan travelogues all shared one thing: no matter how full of ambition they were at the start, they ended in setback and retreat back to the ancestral home in Fengdu. Some travelogues even ended halfway, likely because the author never made it back.

Like those four Yin ancestors who carried the Snake-faced Woman’s bed in the underground palace.

So “setting up shop” was pretty much the same as hiding away—settling at a dock, not really carving out territory, more like bowing to fate.

Li Zhuiyuan refilled Granny Liu’s teacup, rose, and handed it to her.

“Granny, the past is the past. Now is now. Can things still be the same?”

“Back then, the foreigners sailed the Purple Sapphire right into the river. Now they don’t. Is it because they’ve lost interest?”

“You mean, outward appearances have changed, but the underlying conflict’s still there?”

“Try putting it a different way. That wording irks me.”

“The scenery on both banks has improved, but the undercurrents beneath the river are just as treacherous as a hundred years ago?”

“Hehehe.” Liu Yumei laughed, pointing at the boy. “Now I get why Ah Li likes having you around. Your great-grandfather used to say your grandparents doted heavily on your mom. Looks like that silver tongue of yours came from her.”

Li Zhuiyuan: “…”

“No matter how many dams are built on the river, no matter how calm the surface looks, the silt on the riverbed can still bury a person in an instant. This river… it’s never been easy to walk.

But for you, all that’s still a bit early. Just focus on growing up and studying for now.”

As she spoke, Liu Yumei glanced down at the prominently placed copy of The Liu Clan’s Art of Observing Qi.

Li Zhuiyuan looked down too. If he were to drag Runsheng, Binbin, and Yin Meng around hunting Dead Sinkers for fun, it might already count as “walking the River.”

Uncle Qin never finished, and he still became that formidable. If he himself saw it through, then what?

He’d hit a bottleneck in his reading. To improve further, he’d have to seek out whatever gifts fate might offer.

“Staying for lunch? I’ll have Tingting make something.”

“No, I’d better head back to school. I’ll visit Ah Li again tomorrow.”

“Alright then.”

Li Zhuiyuan rose. “Thank you for your guidance.”

Liu Yumei nodded. That was her way of seeing him off.

And with that, Li Zhuiyuan walked out of the study. He was gone.

Liu Yumei eyed the book on the tea table, slightly puzzled. That rascal—did he forget something?

Aunt Liu pushed the door open and came in.

“The rascal’s gone?”

“Mm. Gone. Huh, why’s the book still here? Were you too strict?”

“This old woman has never been so kind to an outsider. I even encouraged him, afraid he’d be too shy to speak up.”

“Maybe you weren’t obvious enough. The boy’s got a thin skin.”

“Not obvious?!” Liu Yumei picked up The Liu Clan’s Art of Observing Qi. “I practically offered him the book on a silver platter and begged him to read it—asked him to teach me!”

“That doesn’t sound right. The kid’s clever. Did he really miss your hint this time?”

“Forget it. Let him be.”

“You’re really okay with that? I heard you laughing just now.”

“How far is the school from here?”

“Not far. Just a short walk from the gate.”

“Isn’t the school wall right across the way? Could we open a door to make it closer?”

“I’ll go make arrangements.”

“Doesn’t the school have housing too?”

“Small ones, for retired teachers. Might not suit your taste.”

“Pfft. I managed just fine in that tiny east room. This should be nothing. Have someone clear a unit. If that doesn’t work, just swap places with a family. Living inside the school would be closer.”

“You just said you were done with him.”

“I said that for his sake. I saw how Ah Li stood up the moment he arrived. My heart aches.”

“Alright, alright. We’ll do as you say. But we’re not giving up this house—the school rooms don’t have basements to hold all of Ah Li’s things.”

“You get on that. I’ll go upstairs for a bit. That rascal… didn’t even ask to borrow the book.”

Just as Liu Yumei stepped out of the study, she saw Ah Li emerge from the room across the hall.

That room was for the ancestral altar—a brand-new set of memorial tablets, all made from top-grade Thunderstrike Wood.

Ordinary Thunderstrike Wood wasn’t hard to find. But a specific type, with a particular grain, from a particular age—nigh impossible to buy.

Ah Li stepped out holding four memorial tablets in her arms.

She didn’t head upstairs immediately. She stood there, looking at her grandmother.

Right. That rascal comes over, and her granddaughter ends up playing his errand girl.

Liu Yumei opened her mouth, then waved her hand.

“Go on, dear. Take them up.”

“Tingting! Tingting, get Ah Li’s toolbox and bring it upstairs!”

Next Chapter >>>