Chapter 70.4: A Proper Send-Off

Li Zhuiyuan was surprised—the old man was really sharing his ancestor’s secrets, and even willing to lend the family genealogy.

That wasn’t something one could get for free.

The old man waved his hand. “I’m too lazy to arrange a son-in-law to inherit our surname. That genealogy may record many secrets, but what good are they to me or Mengmeng?

If you like it, take it. That’s called putting things to good use.”

“Old man, I’ll give you one more chance—name your price.”

“Take Mengmeng with you. Let her follow you.”

“She’s not a commodity. She’s a person. You can’t just say ‘take her’ like that.”

The old man didn’t immediately refuse. His expression softened. Since he was willing to talk price, it meant he was still open to making a deal.

“Mengmeng’s a kind-hearted girl. I believe, with your brilliance, you can take her away. Ah, I’m not saying your intentions are impure.”

“You’re still alive—she won’t leave.”

“I will die.”

“Then what happened earlier? Why did your lifespan return?”

“It failed. The deal fell through, so the time was refunded.”

“But the people are dead.”

“It wasn’t responsible. According to it, the two boys were playing around and poured pesticide into the rice jar. The one-eyed old woman couldn’t bear to throw the rice away—she just washed it and cooked it. Too old to eat it herself and too worried to feed her grandsons, she gave it to the two adults. They died from poisoning that very night.

The one-eyed woman, afraid of being blamed, tied the corpses together and dragged them to the river, pretending they had drowned.”

“She had that kind of strength?”

“She told her eldest son. He helped her. His condition was that the younger brother’s house and land be given to him, and she could move into his home and be taken care of in her old age.”

“She was pretty clear-headed. No wonder she tried to hand those two boys off to Yin Meng earlier—she wanted to ‘cut all ties’ before retiring.”

“Mengmeng’s not stupid. She wouldn’t agree.”

“You really believe that?”

“What else?” the old man replied matter-of-factly. “It’s not like I’d harm those two boys. Grievances have causes, debts have owners. They’re innocent.”

“Mm.”

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t believe him.

Sure, he couldn’t understand ghost-speak. But if it were just a failed deal, the shadow wouldn’t have lingered so long.

Most likely, the big job fell through, so it wanted to negotiate a smaller one—for some kind of compensation.

And who the smaller job targeted was obvious.

The situation had changed, and the old man no longer saw the need to proceed. That’s what made the shadow, who’d wasted its time, so angry.

“I will die. I’ll make sure Mengmeng can leave without ties. The world’s good now. She should go see it. If she finds she doesn’t like it, she can always come back. At least she won’t regret never trying.”

“Describe how you plan to die.”

“If I want to die, it’s easy. I’ll make one more deal and have the client kill me.”

“Yeah, that’s simple.”

“You don’t know how painful it is to still be alive. I want release.”

“Then hurry. I won’t stay here for long.”

“All right. Don’t worry. As soon as you agree, I’ll make the arrangements.”

“I can agree. But I must be clear—I’m a registered disciple of the Liu family, not a formal member yet. So my relationship with them isn’t what you might imagine.

Don’t assume I can definitely bring Yin Meng into the Liu family.”

“With the abilities you showed yesterday, whether or not you’re from the Liu family doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

“Fine. I agree.”

“Thank you.”

“Didn’t you say yesterday that you didn’t want her to take this path?”

“I had a deathbed vision in the day. Though I didn’t die, it helped me let go. Mengmeng should choose her own path. If she doesn’t like this life, I believe you’ll find her another way—because you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met.”

Smart to the point of being almost inhuman.

“Sleep.”

“Rest well.”

…

The next morning, Li Zhuiyuan woke and sat up in his coffin.

Yin Meng and Runsheng were lifting the door panel, preparing to open the shop that rarely saw customers.

“You’re up. I’ve made pork and preserved egg congee. Want some?”

Li Zhuiyuan looked past Yin Meng’s cheerful face toward Runsheng behind her.

Runsheng gave a serious shake of his head.

That made Li Zhuiyuan curious. Just how strange was this congee if even Runsheng found it inedible?

But he wasn’t willing to test it on himself. He shook his head. “I want buns.”

Runsheng immediately replied and walked out: “I’ll go buy some.”

Yin Meng looked a little disappointed. “But there’s a lot of congee left. I made too much.”

Li Zhuiyuan consoled her. “No worries. Leave it for Binbin when he wakes. He loves congee.”

He got out of the coffin and washed up.

Then he returned to Yin Meng and said frankly, “I want to see your family’s genealogy.”

Yin Meng didn’t hesitate. “Sure, I’ll get it for you.”

She couldn’t Walk the Shade and had never spoken with the old man about it. She simply felt that the genealogy wasn’t some forbidden thing—especially not for a friend.

The book was thick and large. For easier reading, it had to be laid out on the floor.

The Yin family did have history. The beginning of the genealogy read like mythology: page after page about Yin family daughters and daughters-in-law who either napped by the river or dreamed of fantastical visions, and then became pregnant, giving birth to some exalted figure.

It seemed in those days, the women of the Yin family only had one job—to mysteriously conceive.

The middle section resembled historical records—meticulous and consistent with official histories.

The later parts were densely packed with the Yin family ancestors’ research and investigations.

It reminded Li Zhuiyuan of the original owners of Luba Village, the Qi ancestors.

A bunch of research-obsessed lunatics—but where the Qi ancestors studied spatial rifts, the Yin ancestors focused on the most famous figure in their lineage.

The content was so detailed, including long travel notes and theoretical essays, it barely counted as a genealogy anymore—more like a generational compendium of research.

Li Zhuiyuan now had three great books on hand: the Qi ancestors’ notebook, the bamboo slips from the masked man, and the Yin family genealogy.

He’d memorized the Qi notes but hadn’t decoded them due to health issues. The bamboo slips were still being restored.

Still, all three were worth savoring.

Only book lovers would understand—reading something so rich, and seeing how much remained, was its own kind of joy.

…

At noon, while Yin Meng was changing her grandfather’s diaper, the old man opened his eyes again.

This time, he even spoke. His stroke had caused severe facial paralysis. He couldn’t lift his lips, and his voice was very faint.

Li Zhuiyuan heard the noise and came in to translate.

There wasn’t much new—just an elder’s clichés and blessings to the younger generation. Trite, but heartfelt.

The old man seemed to trust Li Zhuiyuan’s ability completely. He didn’t even mention letting his granddaughter follow the boy. And Li Zhuiyuan didn’t add anything himself.

Let things run their natural course.

Yin Meng seemed to sense something. After the chat, she asked Runsheng to accompany her to the fabric shop to buy white cloth and black gauze, and then to the funeral goods store.

She didn’t ask Tan Wenbin to come—because he’d gotten food poisoning from the congee that morning and was vomiting and having diarrhea.

Even Li Zhuiyuan was shocked. Binbin had eaten food from Dead Sinkers’ homes and even dirty preserved meat—and yet he couldn’t handle Yin Meng’s porridge.

Once everything was ready, the group was quiet and calm.

The funeral would be simple. After all, whether it was a coffin shop or a Corpse Retriever’s den, there weren’t likely to be many friends or family.

Most likely, the four of them would be the only guests at the upcoming funeral.

That night, Li Zhuiyuan heard the yin wind howling outside the coffin. He turned over, but didn’t Walk the Shade.

…

The next morning, everyone got up and had soy milk and fried dough sticks for breakfast.

After eating, Yin Meng went about her usual routine. She didn’t check the burial clothes she’d prepared, but instead brought over clean laundry and diapers.

She opened the coffin, planning to clean her grandfather.

Inside, the old man lay with his eyes closed, breathless. He had passed peacefully.

Yin Meng cried—tears gushed out—but after wiping her face hard twice, she turned to the three behind her and said with a smile:

“It’s good. My grandpa’s gone.”

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