He told me that his grandfather personally helped tattoo it on him. It hurt for a long time," he said.
"Mm, then there’s no mistake, it’s not just for blessings. When one is afflicted by illness or calamity, as long as it’s not an instant death, there’s a chance for the other end to extend life."
"It’s that powerful, it can extend life?"
"It should be a characteristic of the officials’ lineage. They’re really prone to accidents."
Li Zhiyuan thought that those who were invited down all fought in their own styles, not caring much about the Divination Child’s physical condition. Over time, it forced the Divination Child to study some methods to preserve life and extend life.
However, in this situation, it seemed like life couldn’t be extended.
Li Zhiyuan focused his eyes, his fingertips first grasping the two red strings on Lin Shuyou’s wrist. With a gentle rub, the two red strings became even more vivid.
"Brother Binbin, roll up his shirt."
Lin Shuyou’s shirt was rolled up, revealing a damaged mask above his navel.
Li Zhiyuan pressed his fingertips down, filling in the mask along the strokes. His fingertips, in fact, had no pigment, but as he traced, the original colors of the mask dimmed, seeping into the cracks, akin to taking from one part to patch another elsewhere.
Although the entirety had faded considerably, it was patched up and usable.
After finishing this, Lin Shuyou still looked ashen as if afflicted by severe illness, but his breathing was finally steady.
Li Zhiyuan returned to the reservoir edge to wash his hands, asking, "Brother Binbin, can you still carry him?"
Tan Wenbin was already exhausted tonight, but at this moment, would he let Brother Xiao Yuan carry him instead?
Gritting his teeth, Tan Wenbin reached down and carried Lin Shuyou onto his back. Though unsteady, he managed to stabilize eventually.
The three of them slowly walked back to the circus’s location.
In the inner Array, those people were still trapped there.
The outer Array was still active, effectively preventing disturbance from spreading and stopping unrelated personnel from approaching.
Many Ghost Wall stories circulating in society described encounters in secluded places late at night. Sometimes, it wasn’t about encountering something dirty but accidentally entering an Array someone had just set up.
Li Zhiyuan originally went back to get his bag, but as he lifted it, he sensed movement ahead.
Tan Wenbin directly dropped Lin Shuyou to the ground.
Then he grabbed the Yellow River Shovel and slowly approached.
He suspected it was a circus straggler who hadn’t stepped into the Array or managed to escape due to a variety of lucky coincidences.
At this point, there was no need for mercy. After all, they were part of a human trafficking gang. It wouldn’t matter if they were killed.
But just as he pushed aside the grass ahead, a small boy poked his head out, his large eyes staring at Tan Wenbin, who had raised the shovel.
Tan Wenbin lowered the shovel.
Liangliang, frightened by Tan Wenbin, instinctively turned his gaze to the younger-looking Li Zhiyuan. He felt the big brother in front of him was fierce, but the younger brother surely was gentle.
"Brother, please save my dad, my dad is inside."
Li Zhiyuan ignored him and continued to organize the backpack.
Tan Wenbin asked, "Hey, little one, where is your dad?"
"Over there." Liangliang pointed to the circus’s supply tent, "My dad used his teeth to help me bite open the rope and told me to run."
"Brother Xiao Yuan, looks like he’s not with the traffickers. Should we help?"
"Brother Binbin, do whatever makes you happy."
Li Zhiyuan took out a can of Jianlibao from the backpack, opened it, and started drinking.
Tan Wenbin, holding the shovel, led Liangliang to the supply tent, pulled back the flap, and saw exaggerated battle marks inside. He didn’t need to guess that the White Crane Child and the old woman had left them.
Inside, there were several iron cages, already deformed. A man lay on the ground, bound hand and foot, his mouth bleeding.
The rope binding the child was neither thick nor tight, so he could bite it open. However, the rope on himself was not something a child could help with, and he didn’t dare to have the child stay here any longer, urging him earlier to run quickly.
Tan Wenbin squatted down and used the sharp side of the Yellow River Shovel to cut the rope.
"Dad, dad." Liangliang threw himself in front of Xu Dong.
"Liangliang, didn’t I tell you to leave?"
"Dad, I brought Brother Binbin to save you."
"The police are here?" Xu Dong exhaled a long breath, "Officer, I’m guilty."
"Wait until the real police arrive and tell them then."
After freeing the man, Tan Wenbin didn’t delay anymore, returning to Brother Yuanzi and leaving with him.
Passing by the roadside phone booth, Binbin first put down Lin Shuyou, letting him sit against the phone booth pole. Then, he went inside to call his dad’s pager.
After hanging up, Tan Wenbin said to Li Zhiyuan, "Brother Xiao Yuan, let me carry the bag."
At this moment, Li Zhiyuan had a large hiking backpack on his back, Lin Shuyou’s bag in his right hand, and a half-drunk bottle of Jianlibao in his left.
"No need, I can carry it."
From this, it could be seen that the foundation of the boy’s physical abilities was well established.
But usually, with Run Sheng around, he didn’t need to do much work, and he also preferred being on Run Sheng’s back because it was more convenient.
"Carrying people isn’t tiring at all, it’s like resting, ha ha. If carrying people is tiring, how could you be a Corpse Recovery Diver?"
Tan Wenbin said this while trying to take the bag from Li Zhiyuan.