Chapter 71: The Woman in Chains

Thanks to his mother taking him to see a psychiatrist frequently when he was little, Li Zhuiyuan had once naïvely created a case of split personality just to please her, following the therapist’s guidance.

So now he wondered—could the same method be used here?

The thought made his skin crawl. It felt like he had just found the breakthrough to unlocking the mystery of the eighth volume!

But at the same time, he sensed danger. The personalities he had crafted before were under his control. But if he were to create one modeled after someone else’s template inside his mind, could he really keep it safe?

"Little Yuanhou, wake up now, heh, still sleeping? Time to get to work."

Li Weihan’s voice rang in his ear, followed by a rough yet warm hand gently patting his face.

Li Zhuiyuan realized he was fully awake.

He wasn’t sure if the woman had come back to test him again after that night.

But it no longer mattered. Immersed in a studious mindset, he had genuinely shut out the outside world. He hadn’t been asleep, but he might as well have been dead.

"What’s wrong, Little Yuanhou? Didn’t sleep well out here?" Li Weihan asked with concern.

"No, no, Grandpa. I slept fine."

Li Zhuiyuan turned his head toward the house and saw the college students were up and washing up. Zhao Hequan was there too—still alive and chatting and laughing with his classmates.

"Good then. Your uncle’s fetching water. Let’s wash up."

After a quick rinse and a simple breakfast, the group headed to the worksite early. Today’s task was organized by village teams: whoever finished early could head home without staying another night.

Li Zhuiyuan joined the river workers. This time, he slacked off and found a rock to sit on, resting his chin in his hand.

He was conflicted. He felt he had found the key to the eighth volume, but didn’t dare test it.

It reminded him vaguely of that time he read his own fortune.

In this line of work, there were many taboos—no, it was made up entirely of taboos.

The hustle and bustle of the worksite gradually lifted the gloom in his heart.

He felt a bit more at ease. The first seven volumes were enough for him to study faces when bored. As for the eighth volume—best to leave it untouched unless absolutely necessary.

Time to help Grandpa haul some mud.

Just as he was about to get up, his eyes fell on the inside of his left forearm, where a grayish patch had formed. Looking at his right arm, the same patch appeared in the corresponding spot.

He immediately touched his face. It felt normal—no sensation. He hadn’t felt any itching upon waking up. He had nearly forgotten this part.

Looking at it now, it was clear he hadn’t gotten off scot-free.

It made sense that the mark didn’t appear on his face—after all, during that dreamlike state, his body wasn’t real.

Li Zhuiyuan raised both arms and examined them closely. Though the spots were only the size of coins, they looked like something that could spread.

Just then, two people approached—Xue Liangliang helping Zhao Hequan walk.

They were in the same survey team. Whatever friction there had been the previous night, they still had to complete today’s task together.

"Brother, what’s wrong with him?" Li Zhuiyuan asked.

Xue Liangliang replied, "He’s feeling unwell. I’m taking him to see a doctor."

Li Zhuiyuan noticed Zhao Hequan’s neck was completely bruised, almost black and blue.

Of course—while he himself had only been hit in the face by the woman’s flesh, Zhao Hequan had been dragged away by the neck. It must be far worse for him.

After informing Li Weihan, Li Zhuiyuan followed them back to the sleeping area. A barefoot physician was stationed there.

The doctor unbuttoned Zhao Hequan’s shirt and examined him, his face quickly darkening.

"Doctor, is it poisoning? Or a bug bite?" Xue Liangliang asked anxiously.

"We don’t have mosquitoes that venomous around here. And if it were poisoning, it wouldn’t act so fast. Didn’t you say he was fine this morning?"

"He was! No signs of anything."

The doctor looked troubled. "Better take him to the township clinic for a full check. I can only handle minor illnesses here."

"Doctor, I’ve got it too." Xue Liangliang rolled up both sleeves.

Standing beside him, Li Zhuiyuan saw the same gray patches on his arms.

No surprise—the woman had crouched in front of Xue Liangliang too. She nearly grabbed him instead of Zhao Hequan. It was perfectly plausible that some flesh landed on him as well.

"You better get to the hospital—take a checkup too. Could be something contagious."

"Alright, I’ll go find a ride. I’ll leave my friend here for now."

The doctor frowned but nodded, pulling an old mask from his pocket and putting it on.

After Xue Liangliang left, the doctor looked at Zhao Hequan again. His consciousness was already slipping.

The doctor muttered, "This doesn’t look like illness—it’s more like he got invaded by something unclean."

Barefoot physicians, introduced after the founding of the new China, were trained or designated by the state to provide basic healthcare. Without formal credentials, they often balanced farming with medicine. Though less qualified than hospital doctors, they played a vital role in rural healthcare during a unique period.

And because of their peculiar professional background, they often had their own views on unusual or difficult cases—and weren’t entirely dismissive of them.

"What did you say?" Li Zhuiyuan heard and asked curiously.

The doctor didn’t reply. He wasn’t about to spook a kid with superstitions.

"Was it something unclean? Did it invade him?" Li Zhuiyuan pressed. "How do we fix it?"

The doctor chuckled. "You’re a sharp kid. But how would I know? I’m a doctor, not a fortune-teller."

Li Zhuiyuan looked disappointed. He’d have to wait until his Great-Grandpa got back.

He had a rough idea that Liu Jinxia and Aunt Li Juxiang might know how to handle this kind of thing, but he was reluctant to go to them. Their methods were… a bit too rough.

Just then, Xue Liangliang returned, accompanied by a middle-aged man in work clothes with graying hair.

The man had thick eyebrows and a square face, radiating a stern and upright aura.

"Engineer Luo." The doctor greeted him, standing up.

This was Luo Tingrui, deputy commander of the project and also a department head at Haihe University. He had overseen waterworks in this region for years.

"Mm." Luo Tingrui acknowledged with a wave, then walked straight to Zhao Hequan. After examining him, he whispered angrily to Xue Liangliang, "Do you have a brain? Who told you two to act so recklessly yesterday?"

"Director, it’s my fault."

Luo Tingrui’s face hardened. "Haven’t I taught you? When construction encounters a grave or shrine, even if you can’t relocate it properly, you still need to light some incense, offer a few words before touching it. But you just went in swinging hammers!"

"Director, what should we do now?"

Truth was, Xue Liangliang had planned to burn incense first. But Zhao Hequan scoffed, calling it a sign of Chinese backwardness, then smashed the shrine directly. Xue had no choice but to follow.

Who knew this would happen the very next day? But this wasn’t the time for blame.

"Where did the statue go?"

"It was dumped in the west gully with the construction waste."

"Fine. Take him there now. I’ll grab some incense from my temporary office.

Make amends first. Then take him to the city hospital. The township clinic won’t manage this. Besides, getting a car will take time."

"Understood, Director."

Xue Liangliang hoisted Zhao Hequan onto his back and trotted off the embankment.

As he walked, he suddenly turned his head and looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

"You—"

Without a word, Li Zhuiyuan rolled up his sleeve to show him.

Xue Liangliang was surprised. "Kid, you smashed it too?"

"I don’t know."

Truthfully, Li Zhuiyuan was the most innocent of all. He had a passive ability to walk the shade, but this incident really had nothing to do with him.

"Then come burn incense with me. Afterward, let your family know—I’ll take you to the city hospital too."

"Okay, brother."

The two of them—or three, really—arrived at the west gully where the construction waste was piled. The Bodhisattva statue lay there, solitary and abandoned.

Even among the workers, basic taboos still held. They hadn’t laid it flat; a rock was propped against it to keep it standing.

After setting Zhao Hequan down, Xue Liangliang stepped forward and bowed before the statue.

"It was my fault yesterday. Please forgive me…" He paused, then glanced at Li Zhuiyuan beside him. "At the very least, please forgive this child."

• Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.

Next Chapter >>>