Chapter 84.3

These are matters that need to be discussed.

If they’re not discussed beforehand, then bringing them up after the fact becomes awkward and difficult.

Moreover, at the negotiation table, whoever speaks first reveals their hand—and loses the upper ground.

That said, continuing this silent standoff with Granny Liu was getting nowhere. Though elderly, Granny Liu had excellent eyesight. She’d been staring him down for days without once blinking first, never once showing the slightest sign of dry eyes.

Li Zhuiyuan had no idea that every time he left without saying a word or borrowing a book, the usually pampered and composed Liu Yumei would fly into a rage the moment he stepped out. Just yesterday, she smashed a pair of official kilns in fury.

This dragging match couldn’t go on. It was time to add some fuel to the fire—just like how a student aiming for early admission needs to compete in the math olympiad first and win a medal. He had to prove his worth upfront.

But telling Granny Liu outright that he’d already mastered advanced versions of the Qin and Liu families’ techniques would be the dumbest move possible. Big families placed immense importance on lineage and the sanctity of inherited knowledge. Admitting this would be tantamount to confessing he had stolen their secrets. Granny Liu probably wouldn’t punish him—but it would force him into a formal apprenticeship then and there.

Just then, Aunt Liu came in with a fruit plate. She set it down, then picked up the copy of The Liu Clan's Art of Observing Qi.

“Your Granny Liu went out walking again and lost track of time. Xiaoyuan, if you’re bored, you can grab a book to read. I remember you loved reading back home.”

Li Zhuiyuan felt a wave of relief. Clearly, Granny Liu was anxious too. That meant he didn’t have to rush.

“Aunt Liu, I’ve actually got a lot to read lately—no time for anything else.”

“She said you’ve been reading scriptures?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t those a bit too early for you? You’re still so young, already trying to cultivate your character?”

“Ah, it’s not just scriptures. Mengmeng brought some ancient books from home when she came to Nantong. I’ve been flipping through hers as well.”

“Her books?”

“Yeah, actually pretty fascinating.”

“What are they called?”

‘The Yin Clan’s Twelve Techniques’.”

Aunt Liu’s lips curled faintly in a sneer.

But it wasn’t out of snobbery. Aunt Liu was someone who could blend seamlessly between the city and countryside, wearing any identity as needed.

It was a matter of pride in lineage. When it came to family heritage, she had unshakable confidence and pride in her own.

To her, The Yin Clan’s Twelve Techniques was utterly beneath notice.

Li Zhuiyuan completely understood.

After reverse-engineering the complete version of the Twelve Techniques, he was seriously starting to suspect that this once-profound legacy of the Yin family had been butchered by generations of unworthy descendants—not just dumbed down, but even the name had been ruined.

It probably had a much more commanding name originally—after all, it was the legacy of Yin Changsheng, the fabled Great Emperor of Fengdu.

It was like if a powerful martial family’s ultimate technique was called “The Sixth Set of National Middle School Radio Calisthenics.”

“So, Xiaoyuan, did you manage to glean anything from it?” Aunt Liu asked, just making conversation.

Li Zhuiyuan sighed inwardly. The dignity of the Yin family… now rested on an outsider like him.

“Aunt Liu, I’ve only scratched the surface. For example, take this…”

He held out his palm, eyes closing.

At first, Aunt Liu didn’t notice anything. But in an instant, the study went dead silent. Wind and insects outside—all sound vanished.

The boy’s expression turned solemn. Eyes shut, palm raised.

“Four Ghosts Bearing the Coffin.”

He still sat there, and she stood, but in her vision, it was as though his body had suddenly lifted—higher and higher.

It was an aura amplification. He suddenly seemed towering, awe-inspiring.

Aunt Liu pursed her lips slightly. If she were walking the shade right now, she was sure she’d be seeing something extraordinary.

Four Ghosts Bearing the Coffin was the simplest of the Twelve Techniques Yin Fuhai had taught him. Yin Fuhai said it was used to guide malevolent spirits into the afterlife.

If the client paid well or knew the value, a Yin family member would use this move during the vigil to smoothly send the dead on their way.

After reverse-engineering it, Li Zhuiyuan felt it was fortunate that the Yin family had declined. Otherwise, this technique would be a curse disguised as a blessing. Calling this a “sending off ritual” was like using a net to drag the soul away.

In truth, this was one of the moves that best captured Yin Changsheng’s style—a technique worthy of the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

Four Ghosts Bearing the Coffin: Spirits of the Four Quarters, serve as my vanguard.

Clearly, it was a ghost-commanding technique.

Good thing the later generations had ruined it. Otherwise, hiring the Yin family for a vigil would be the most “filial” thing ever—pay someone to abduct your ancestor’s soul.

Li Zhuiyuan slowly rotated his palm downward.

The coffin was lowered.

“Hummm…”

A soundless vibration resonated through the study. A lingering hum.

Aunt Liu’s eyes widened. Was this really from The Yin Clan’s Twelve Techniques?

To fumble at first was normal. To advance was expected. But to master the essence?

She had always known the boy was gifted. But now she realized—she’d still underestimated him.

“According to Mengmeng,” he said, “to truly understand her family’s legacy, I need to go to Fengdu, offer incense in the Ghost City, and seek recognition from the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

Since the new student military training doesn’t apply to me, I might head back there soon. The scenery’s beautiful—really fun.”

Aunt Liu nodded at first, then her expression darkened.

Wait… that girl Yin Meng wants him to formally enter the Yin family?

Secretly learning another family’s technique wasn’t the end of the world—especially if they were weak or didn’t pursue it. But if he went to Fengdu Ghost City and performed a sacrificial rite?

That was tantamount to enrollment.

“Xiaoyuan, stay here a bit. I’ll go see what’s keeping your Granny Liu.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and don’t go out for now. We’re moving soon. Your Granny Liu has some old friends at the university—they’ve invited her to move onto campus. Alí has a lot of stuff; you’ll need to help pack.”

“Got it.”

Once Aunt Liu closed the study door, even with Li Zhuiyuan’s sharp ears, her footsteps vanished entirely.

He stepped out, headed upstairs, and entered Alí’s room.

The girl was carefully brushing wood shavings from a memorial tablet. Each thin, curled strand floated gently down.

Li Zhuiyuan squatted beside her, holding the box. She brushed, he packed.

It felt just like the old days back at Taigong’s house, working on crafts together.

As they worked, he recounted everything—Granny Liu’s resistance, his own strategy.

He didn’t want to hide anything from her. Even the unspoken things—he wanted her to know. This was a girl who had once opened her heart for him to step into.

When they finished, he closed the box and lay beside her on the soft carpet.

“Alí, do you think all this scheming and plotting of mine is… pointless?”

The girl paused her task—she had only been prepping materials anyway.

Then, her left hand slid beneath his neck. Her right hand gently patted his head.

Li Zhuiyuan flinched slightly. He thought she was mimicking that old move of his and Taigong’s—one he had tried many times to unteach her. But it was the first gesture she had ever seen, so she’d kept repeating it over the past year, always pressing her head to his chest, waiting for him to say those embarrassing words again.

But this time was different.

The roles had reversed.

Now he was the one being held. Alí gently stroked his hair.

She said nothing, but her bright eyes and the dimples at the corners of her lips seemed to speak the line aloud:

“Xiaoyuan, whatever you want—I’ll buy it for you. I’ve got money. So much money.”

Li Zhuiyuan froze.

For a moment, he didn’t know what to do. His body began to tremble.

A wave of rejection surged up from deep within.

He didn’t know how to face it.

Didn’t know what to do with these emotions.

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