The head kept banging louder and louder.
The sound etched into Chen Lin's heart. She buried her face entirely in Lin Shuyou's chest. Now, she was afraid of this place and didn't dare to look at Lin Shuyou's face.
Liu Yumei opened her eyes and said, "Alright, the more you act like this, the more I regret not sending Ah Ting to meet you at the beginning."
Zhao Yi raised his head, his face covered in blood, revealing a smile:
"Thank you, Old Madam Xie, for your appreciation."
Then, Zhao Yi continued, "Once we disembark, I will return to the Zhao family, reshaping family traditions and hastening the old immortal to die already."
When plotting and scheming should be done, it's perfectly fine, but there are some matters that mustn't be handled this way.
Liu Yumei: "Since you're still alive, it means I no longer care about those matters. Your arrival here shows that even our little Xiao Yuan acknowledges you."
Aunt Liu, sitting nearby, continued cracking her sunflower seeds and nodded. She understood the implicit meaning in the old lady's words—recognizing one's own Xiao Yuan, who navigates the Jianghu while surviving, is truly a rarity.
Whenever she went to receive and send letters, invitations, or occasionally when Ali went out for tasks, she paid attention to the happenings in the Jianghu. Outwardly, nothing had been heard about Li Zhiyuan's travels in Jianghu, which clearly showed how "dead" he was at concealing it.
Zhao Yi gracefully said, "Old Madam, I genuinely can't compete with him. That guy is simply not human."
Flattery never gets old; no elderly person dislikes others praising their descendants. Besides, Zhao Yi was indeed speaking from the heart.
Liu Yumei picked up a teacup and handed it to Zhao Yi:
"It's inconvenient to reward you since you are all on the boat, with the waves being rough.
Please have a cup of tea, hoping you can emulate your ancestors and inherit Zhao Wuyang's legacy."
"Thank you, Old Madam."
Zhao Yi took the tea and respectfully drank it.
The old lady waved her hand, and Zhao Yi stood up and left.
He descended the bank and didn't walk far before letting out a soft whistle down the small path ahead.
Though she didn't give anything explicitly, the affirmation from someone truly superior broadened Zhao Yi's mind. The Life and Death Door crack in his heart expanded, further integrating with his heart.
The old lady, with her capabilities, could easily bypass karma and suppress her mind state, but she chose not to, opting instead to lend a hand.
She had figured out what she needed most for her own Life and Death Door crack to grow and develop.
Look at others—even living a lifestyle no different from commoners, they exude such spirit, while her family's group of narrow-minded old folks are simply incomparable.
Aunt Liu spoke up, "Don't be in such a hurry to leave; stay for a meal."
Zhao Yi promptly turned around, the previous stern expression gone, and said joyfully, "One meal isn't enough. I'll have to crash several meals."
Aunt Liu nodded, "Alright, let Meng Meng cook for you."
Zhao Yi: "..."
Ahead, voices were heard. Zhao Yi turned towards the sound and saw an old man curiously inspecting the Liang Sisters and Mr. Tian, who was seated in a wheelchair.
Zhao Yi asked Aunt Liu, "Who is that?"
Aunt Liu: "He's the owner here."
"Oh, so he is Brother Xiao Yuan's Grandmaster?"
"Yes."
Zhao Yi certainly wouldn't be as uninformed as Chen Lin to think that the old man is the strongest here.
True strength usually adheres to the unspoken rule that kings don't meet kings.
A household that can become the Dragon King's Court, a hidden residence, and can also make Li willingly recognize him as the Grandmaster.
Zhao Yi's eyes sharpened: This old man surely possesses great Luck!
Li Sanjiang: "I say, what are you doing here?"
Mr. Tian: "We are…"
For a moment, he didn't know how to introduce his identity; claiming to visit relatives seemed like overstepping.
Li Sanjiang glanced at the sisters and then at Mr. Tian, hearing his outsider accent, just said "Oh," and continued, "Are you magicians?"
With all these bags of items displayed, young sisters, added to a disabled elder—it's the kind of setup many small circus troupes have nowadays.
Zhao Yi walked over and said, "Yes, we're a circus. Old Tian, perform something for the old man."
Though Mr. Tian didn't understand much, he still followed the young master's instructions. Being skilled with knives, he picked up stones from the ground and started tossing them before catching them, stones soaring with such speed that they left afterimages.
Zhao Yi then looked at the Liang Sisters and said, "Don't just stand there, show the old man something!"
The sisters exchanged glances, feeling their leader had gone mad.
Zhao Yi said sternly, "Quick, listen!"
With no choice, the sisters each took a breath. One began flipping continuously, while the other bent down, pushing her head through her legs.
Li Sanjiang: "Wow, impressive, truly impressive!"
Zhao Yi: "Old man, do you believe us now?"
Li Sanjiang nodded, "I believe, I believe, you're the leader of this circus, right?"
Zhao Yi: "Yes, that's right, we are Jiujiang Zhao's Circus, and I'm the young owner."
Li Sanjiang: "That's right, normally circus leaders have a hint of flamboyance."
Zhao Yi: "Hehehe… Yes, exactly that."
Li Sanjiang: "Hey, this is our pickup truck. Why are you here?"
Zhao Yi: "We're acquainted with Xiao Yuan, oh, Li Zhiyuan, from outside; he invited us to Nantong to perform and visit, so we came."
Li Sanjiang: "Oh, so you are Little Yuanhou's friends?"
Zhao Yi: "Yes, very good friends. If you don't believe it, you can ask him."
Li Sanjiang: "It's not possible not to believe, our Little Yuanhou indeed knows how to make friends."
Moreover, every time Xiao Yuanhou brings friends home, they turn out to be excellent mules.
Li Sanjiang: "Have you eaten yet?"
Zhao Yi: "Not yet."
Li Sanjiang: "Then join us for a meal later, I'll ask Ting Hou to prepare more dishes."
Zhao Yi: "That seems so inconsiderate."
Li Sanjiang waved his hand, saying, "Nothing to be concerned about, there's work in the afternoon."
Zhao Yi was momentarily puzzled, asking, "Work?"
Li Sanjiang: "Precisely, there's a funeral in the afternoon. I won't call other performing troupes; you'll perform instead. I'll tell you, this host is generous; you'll earn quite a lot!"
Seeing everyone looking somewhat stunned, Li Sanjiang wondered:
"What's the matter, unwilling?"
"Snap!"
Zhao Yi slapped his thigh hard, exclaiming in delight:
"This is wonderful news—immediately getting work and making money upon arrival. Old man, you're truly my elder!"
