No wonder they returned so quickly and were the first in line, they only picked up one person.

It was a woman, her eyes closed, hair disheveled, clothes filthy and torn, the image very much like that fool I had encountered in Min'an Town.

As the procession approached, everyone lowered their heads, and after it entered the water, they raised their heads again to look toward the second procession.

The second procession had five people, an old man with white hair, and a gaunt middle-aged man with sunken eyes, both also had their eyes closed.

Li Zhiyuan discovered a pattern, the people being picked up seemed to be those who were meant to die.

So, was what I experienced last night an exception?

Because I, the woman, and those seven from the Wang Family were intruders?

Or could it be that the identity of the Wang Family arouses particular sensitivity?

The two corpse driver teams had already entered the lake and disappeared from sight.

But when the third corpse driver team appeared in the distance, the situation suddenly changed.

The third team comprised four people.

Logically, since they were picking up fewer people, they should've been ahead; was it because their route was the longest?

Li Zhiyuan glanced at Xiong Shan beside him, noticing the latter also looked puzzled.

Xiong Shan was experienced, so it shouldn't be a route issue, but a real deviation had occurred.

As the third team drew nearer, Li Zhiyuan realized the one being picked up was a woman.

She wore light blue satin pajamas, fabric slippers on her feet, long hair over her shoulders, as if she'd just been called out of bed.

Most importantly, she had a mole under her lips.

This woman was the one who had received us at the antique market that day and had provided the initial information about the Niu Dao Jie family.

But she should currently be in the city; how did she end up here?

This couldn't have been voluntary, since if it were, she wouldn't be dressed like this.

Li Zhiyuan recalled her telling him that her husband suddenly disappeared during a Lunar New Year five years ago. Could it be her husband vanished in this way back then? And now she is retracing his old path?

So, did this third corpse driving team actually go to the city?

Tan Wenbin and Run Sheng exchanged a glance; they also knew the woman.

When the third team passed by and began to circle around, everyone quickly lowered their heads.

The woman had a scent of incense about her, which lingered long after she circled around.

As the team entered the water, Li Zhiyuan spoke: "She is a Wang Family member."

Hearing this, Xiong Shan frowned.

The fourth team arrived, and everyone looked up.

Also composed of four people, meaning they still only brought back one person.

This was an elderly lady accustomed to a life of luxury, bedecked in elegant clothes, and adorned with jade and jewelry.

Xiong Shan: "This is Madam Bo from the Bo Family. She just celebrated her birthday recently, and I attended the banquet."

The fifth team, also with four people, brought back a young man in a white tank top, with very obvious indentations on his arms and well-developed calf muscles.

This was very similar to the seven members of the Wang Family seen earlier, as corpse drivers needed to train with a bamboo pole between their arms and practice the corpse-kicking leg technique, which made these areas' lines extremely defined due to the deliberate exercises.

One from the Wang Family, one from the Bo Family, so it wouldn't be surprising if this young man has features characteristic of a corpse driver, presumably that surname would be Xie?

So, did these three corpse driver teams go to the other three families at Old Heavenly Gate and each bring one back?

The sixth team was at a distance, and only silhouettes were visible far away for now.

Xiong Shan: "What do you think, why would the General target these three families?"

Li Zhiyuan: "Revenge."

Aside from revenge, I couldn't think of another reason; they couldn't possibly be invited to a feast under the water, could they?

Xiong Shan: "I suddenly realize that it might be necessary to seriously examine the internal conflicts among the four families at Old Heavenly Gate that you spoke of; I suspect this revenge might not come from the General himself."

Li Zhiyuan: "It might be revenge from that Niu Dao Jie; he can already harness the General's power."

Li Zhiyuan paused, then added: "Until Niu Dao Jie is dealt with, the Seal on the General will never truly be secure."

At this point, some guidance needed to be applied, without being too forceful.

Xiong Shan nodded: "Yes."

The sixth team approached, now visible.

This time, there were not four but five people, indicating they picked up two.

One tall and sturdy, the other lean, both with eyes closed.

Beside him, Xiong Shan's breath suddenly became rapid.

Li Zhiyuan deliberately glanced at him; it seemed Xiong Shan not only knew them but was very familiar with them.

If Xiong Shan could hold back, the woman was already stunned, muttering: "Second Brother, Third Brother!"

Second Brother and Third Brother? Were these two from Xiong Shan's team?

As this sixth team approached, Xiong Shan, in a highly suppressed voice, advised: "Lower your head."

This reminder was to the woman.

The woman lowered her head.

The sixth team entered the lake and submerged beneath the water's surface.

The woman started to sob, clutching Xiong Shan's clothing.

It was evident that this team's atmosphere was quite good, with a high level of mutual recognition among everyone.

Xiong Shan clenched his fists, and the scars on his face became prominently visible again.

"How could this happen, how could this happen..."

Li Zhiyuan asked: "What did you have them do?"

Xiong Shan gritted his teeth and said word by word: "I said I only had them watch the Yan Family's Xie and the Bo Family. Do you believe it?"

Li Zhiyuan originally didn't quite believe it, but like the woman, if they were simply watching those two families waiting for them to act and then followed along, how did they inexplicably end up pulled into this corpse driver procession?

But soon, Li Zhiyuan found himself having to believe it.

Because he saw an even more baffling scene; the seventh team arrived.

This team consisted of eight people for the night, quite a large scale.

The first in line was someone Li Zhiyuan was very familiar with, the young Daoist priest he saw last night, who was the twin son of the elderly couple.

But following behind him, carrying a bamboo pole, was Brother Hu.

On the other side of Brother Hu and behind him were his two hooligan brothers.

Weren't these three assigned to seek fortunes in the city? How were they here?

The next moment, both Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin also breathed sharply.

Because even more bizarre, walking behind Brother Hu's trio, were two people carrying poles: Yin Meng and Lin Shuyou!

When passing through Meiling Town in the morning, Tan Wenbin had even communicated with them via town telephone, and everything was normal then.

Since the path ahead was uncertain, I hadn't asked them to bring Brother Hu's trio here.

But now, these five appeared here.

Li Zhiyuan: "Lower your head!"

The seventh team drew closer.

Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin slowly lowered their heads despite tightly clenched fists.

As Li Zhiyuan lowered his head, he glanced at the copper mirror in his hand, seeking an angle.

As per the earlier norm, this team would circle once around the "Yin Yang Road Inn" before returning to the lake bottom.

I needed to time their movements and avoid the one who floated, the unseeable being.

As Brother Hu's image appeared in the copper mirror, Li Zhiyuan closed his eyes, counting in his heart.

Opening them too soon meant seeing "it," causing him harm again; opening them too late, he might miss Yin Meng and Lin Shuyou.

When the time came, Li Zhiyuan quickly opened his eyes, seeing Lin Shuyou in the copper mirror, while Yin Meng was obscured by Lin Shuyou due to being on the opposite side.

At that moment, Lin Shuyou seemed to sense something, and he opened his eyes, looking puzzled. He glanced around in confusion, mouth opening as if to speak but making no sound, yet from his mouth movements, it was clear he was saying:

"Brother Xiao Yuan?"

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