TRYMBPIETM 86: Revival of All Things (7)

The villa of the Chi family didn’t have too many guest rooms.

Considering that Wu Qi was a female, Chi Qingzhou didn’t feel comfortable letting her stay at the Chi family’s house. After dinner, he decided to send Wu Qi back to her place first.

Wu Qi was quite capable herself, and since this area was her territory, there was no need for Chi Qingzhou to send her. However, she wouldn’t refuse a friend’s kind offer.

Before leaving, she took a glance at the Chi family members sprawled haphazardly on the floor, and barked once to ask Chi Qingzhou.

Chi Qingzhou understood her meaning and agreed, “You’re right. We can’t just leave them lying here like this.”

It wasn’t just about the unsightly view—lying around like that would surely make it difficult for the housekeepers to clean up.

One shouldn’t take the housekeepers’ labor for granted just because they were paid for their work. It was rather unkind.

Chi Qingzhou tilted his head slightly.

His massive shadow shifted, and five long tendrils extended from the ceiling, lifting the five people lying on the ground and gently placing them back into their original seats. He even moved their bowls and chopsticks, arranging them in a posture as though they were sleeping on the table.

“When the housekeepers come and see them asleep here, they will surely wake them up and tell them to go back to their rooms. That way, they won’t catch a cold.”

Chi Qingzhou nodded in satisfaction, pleased with his thoughtful gesture.

Wu Qi barked again, “Woof woof.”

Zhou Zhou is always so considerate.

Chi Qingzhou smiled softly, “After all, they are my family. You have to be a bit more tolerant with family.”

Wu Qi nodded, “Woof, woof woof.”

Got it, I’ll understand now.

Realizing her friend wasn’t acting foolishly, Wu Qi had no more questions. She left the dining room first and urged Chi Qingzhou to hurry up and catch up with her.

As the head of the largest gang in Hexing City, Wu Qi had a very busy schedule.

She had to train her underlings, regularly patrol the area, deal with rebellious members and ambitious challengers…

The fact that she could spare time to cause trouble for Fu Wenan showed how much she valued her friends and how angry she was at Fu Wenan.

When Chi Qingzhou sent her out of the villa area, she asked specifically, “Woof woof, woof woof woof, woof?”

By the way, Zhou Zhou, I heard them say many people misunderstood that you’re interested in that idiot with the surname Fu. When are you going to clear things up?

Chi Qingzhou replied, “In a few days. The timing isn’t right now.”

Wu Qi barked, “Woof woof.” As long as you know what’s in your heart, that’s fine.

Chi Qingzhou chuckled, his expression gentle with a hint of meaningful warmth.

“Don’t worry, even if I don’t do anything, they’ll eventually give me the chance to clarify things.”

Wu Qi decisively believed Chi Qingzhou’s words. After chatting with him for a little longer, she turned and went back to her business.

Chi Qingzhou stretched and took a stroll around the garden before turning back to the villa.

Xing Shuangzhan, who had been silently observing, finally raised an eyebrow. “You’re really planning to stay here tonight?”

Chi Qingzhou paused, looking innocently confused.

Xing Shuangzhan didn’t argue over the small details. “Fine.”

Chi Qingzhou hummed.

It may be shameful to avoid, but it’s useful.

The system was deeply shocked.

It hesitated for a moment in the shadows, then quietly asked, 【Host, is it really okay to go back to the Chi family at this time? Didn’t you just return the bad luck to them? Won’t they… uh, do something extreme?】

Chi Qingzhou replied, “How could that be? We’re family. Families don’t have overnight grudges. How could they do something bad to me?”

System: 【…】 Host, do you even believe that?

Chi Qingzhou taught, “You shouldn’t think that way. They’re all my family, and they will only treat me well. You shouldn’t always suspect them.”

“Don’t think the worst of people. Maybe they won’t even remember my grudge.”

The system had a thousand things it wanted to say but didn’t dare.

It watched helplessly as Chi Qingzhou strutted back into the villa, greeting the housekeepers without a trace of guilt.

Aunt Yu smiled as soon as she saw Chi Qingzhou.

“Mr. Qingzhou, did you go out for a walk to help digest your meal? Did you have any alcohol? Would you like some hangover soup?”

Chi Qingzhou naturally replied, “I don’t really like drinking.”

Aunt Yu said, “It’s good that you don’t like drinking. Mr. Fu and the others, I don’t know what’s going on, but they all drank quite a lot.”

Chi Qingzhou curved his lips into a smile. “Maybe they were just happy after receiving a gift, that’s why they drank a bit.”

“Gift?” Aunt Yu was startled, then looked at Chi Qingzhou again. She seemed to have made some assumptions in her mind and her eyes showed a bit of sympathy. “I see. Mr. Fu is quite good at managing people. He probably didn’t expect you, Mr. Qingzhou, to suddenly come back tonight.”

Chi Qingzhou obediently nodded, “I made a last-minute decision, and didn’t tell the family.”

Aunt Yu relaxed at once upon hearing this.

She casually chatted with Chi Qingzhou for a bit more, then noticed he looked a little tired and yawned secretly. She quickly urged him to go rest in his room.

Chi Qingzhou wished Aunt Yu good night and leisurely went to his room to sleep.

Aunt Yu watched as Chi Qingzhou ascended the stairs before turning back to the kitchen. She began tidying up the housework while chatting with another aunt.

“Mr. Qingzhou has it tough too,” Aunt Yu said.

“Who can say otherwise? I’ve been keeping an eye on the things online, and the things people say are really filthy. It’s a pity Mr. Qingzhou couldn’t even explain himself back then,” the other aunt remarked.

Aunt Yu sighed. “He was never raised by their side when he was young. No matter how you look at it, it’s a disadvantage.”

“I can’t stand those people,” the other aunt replied. “From now on, whenever Mr. Qingzhou returns, we should take extra care of him.”

Aunt Yu nodded in agreement. “Mr. Qingzhou definitely seems like a good kid. Helping him more is definitely right.”

…

The moon slowly climbed into the sky, and soft moonlight bathed the earth.

Fang Tao lay in a hotel just five kilometers from Linghe Village, having a long-awaited dream related to the past.

In the dream, she was still in her twenties, hiding outside the ancestral hall, always ready to sneak in and steal a bracelet made by the Puluo tribe.

The village chief and the old shaman were sitting in the hall, smoking in a detached manner, with serious expressions.

“I’ve contacted the great shaman of the Puluo tribe, and things are not looking good,” the old shaman said.

“What do you mean?”

“They still haven’t found the source of the disaster. If this continues, our village will be affected.”

“If it really comes to it, we’ll have to return to the Danlin tribe. The high priest and the others should have a way to help us.”

“Are you crazy? We absolutely cannot go back!”

“Not going back? Are we just going to watch everyone die? So many children haven’t even grown up yet. Can you bear that?”

A long silence fell over the ancestral hall.

After a while, conversation resumed.

“Even if we return, it might not be safe. Don’t forget, the high priest and the others are too afraid to go to Jingming Mountain. From the day they broke the agreement, it was destined they’d face retribution.”

“That’s a problem for the future.”

“I advise you not to think that way. The sacrificial rites may have been taken over by the Xuanxu Sect, but that doesn’t mean the tomb master won’t pursue the high priest for their mistakes. He hasn’t paid attention to these traitors yet, but that doesn’t mean he lacks the ability.”

“We need to survive the current crisis first, then we can talk about the future.”

“Since you’re saying all this, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think the high priest has a way to solve the Puluo tribe’s problem.”

“I know you look down on them, and yes, the recent generations haven’t been capable, but you can’t deny that in the past, every time there was unrest in the dragon vein, it was always them who managed to fix it.”

“Managed to fix it? That’s laughable. It was the tomb master of Jingming Mountain who did it, and they sure know how to take credit for things that weren’t theirs.”

“Stop always assuming the worst.”

“What part of what I said isn’t the truth? Today, I’ll say it here—mixing with those traitors will lead to no good end! They have no connection to the Danlin tribe. If you,the village chief hadn’t insisted on taking them in, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”

Loud arguments erupted from the ancestral hall.

Along with the sounds of the argument came the eerie sound of something crawling on the ground.

The noise was so grating, like metal scraping across glass, and the young Fan Tao couldn’t help but cover her ears.

A bench flew out of the ancestral hall, and Fang Tao instinctively curled up, afraid of being discovered.

She hid anxiously for about ten minutes, when suddenly a painful scream came from the old shaman.

An elderly woman’s voice was filled with resentment and disbelief: “You… you actually—”

The village chief seemed terrified. “I… I didn’t mean to! I didn’t expect you to be so fragile!”

Perhaps fearing further harm to the old shaman, the village chief hurriedly bandaged her injuries and rushed toward the village clinic.

He was walking too quickly, not noticing Fan Tao hiding outside.

Fan Tao listened to the old shaman’s painful groans, hesitated for a few seconds, then stood up and entered the ancestral hall.

The old shaman’s consciousness was fading, and she could barely make out who had entered.

With great effort, the old shaman weakly asked, “Who? What are you doing in the ancestral hall?”

Fan Tao lowered her head and glanced at the dazed old shaman.

The village chief must have been truly flustered, as the bandaging was poorly done. The old shaman’s forehead and body were still bleeding, and the bandage quickly soaked red.

Fan Tao didn’t answer. She stepped over the old shaman and went straight to where the bracelet was kept. Grabbing it, she stuffed it into her pocket and turned to run out of the hall.

The old shaman sensed something was wrong.

The elderly woman, losing a lot of blood, shuddered violently. Not caring about her waning life, she screamed with all her strength.

“Someone! Thief! They stole the offering bracelet!”

Fan Tao was startled by her agonizing scream. Not daring to waste any more time, she ran desperately toward the village entrance.

Faster!

Even faster!

Chi Jianming was waiting for her at the village entrance. As soon as she reached it, she would be completely free!

Sounds of activity were coming from all the households, and Fan Tao knew that soon someone would come to investigate.

She turned a corner, hiding behind a small house near the ancestral hall.

The sorrowful crying from the ancestral hall grew louder.

The old shaman, in her final moments, cried out desperately: “No, you can’t take the key! Our mission is to protect this tomb—”

Her cries gradually weakened.

The villagers anxiously rushed toward the ancestral hall. The sound of crying, cursing, and frightened screams mixed together.

Fang Tao brushed past the forgotten black shadows, her eyes full of cold determination.

I am not wrong.

She thought.

I just want freedom.

She ran all the way to the village entrance and saw the figure leaning against the stone tablet, a smile spreading across her face.

The figure turned around, and she froze, the smile instantly fading as the words “ Brother Ming”caught in her throat.

Her youngest son stood there, tilting his head and smiling at her.

“So, you think sacrificing your own child isn’t wrong?”