Life in siheyuan era

A month later, a Jeep was speeding along the highway from Fangshan to Beijing. Shen Lanbo, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn't resist saying, "Your driving skills are indeed inferior to Zhiyuan's, even worse than Lao Dong and Lao Nie's."

Zhang Limin replied nonchalantly, "Saying this while I'm in a good mood, I'll still hold a grudge."

Zhang Limin was, of course, happy. After a month of effort, Li Zicheng's treasure was completely transported out last night. Eight million gold ingots and fifteen million silver ingots would serve as a pillar for economic construction. As for the antiques, calligraphy, paintings, pearls, and agates, experts would determine whether they were national treasures or mere jewelry.

Zhang Limin wouldn't concern himself with that. He wanted to embody his leadership qualities. Shen Lanbo was getting married tomorrow, and he had to be brought back to get a haircut, take a bath, and prepare to be a groom.

But Shen Lanbo was concerned about one thing: "Will Zhiyuan be able to make it back tomorrow?"

"No problem..." Zhang Limin reassured him, "Tomorrow morning, the two Taoist priests will seal the formation, and Zhiyuan will rush back immediately, arriving at the wedding venue around nine o'clock."

"But he won't have time for a haircut and a bath. I'm afraid Lanyin will be unhappy."

It wasn't easy being an older brother, having to worry about his sister's feelings at a time like this.

Zhang Limin laughed and said, "Your sister comes to Fangshan once a week. They're so deeply in love, would she really care about that?"

Speaking of which, he remembered something and said in a deep voice, "Director Li's patience is wearing thin. He's preparing to forcibly transfer Zhou Zhining's job. After the wedding, talk to Zhiyuan about it. What's wrong with being a cadre in the Public Security Bureau?"

Hearing this, Shen Lanbo sighed, "Zhining has a proud and aloof personality, speaking and acting straightforwardly, making it easy to offend people. The interpersonal relationships in the factory are relatively simple. The workshop director and the workers all respect him."

"It's different in the Public Security Bureau. We're a disciplined force, tightly controlled. Zhining won't be able to adapt and will still offend people. Relying on you leaders to protect him won't last long."

"That's Zhiyuan's concern, and Zhining doesn't want to go. His parents also don't want him to work in the Public Security Bureau."

Shen Lanbo's reasons were still the same, with no change.

He wanted to demonstrate his leadership qualities, not only caring about his subordinates but also caring about their families. Of course, there was only a little bit of utilitarianism in this.

Shen Lanbo wouldn't expose him at this time. He was busy enough. Returning home, he would become a puppet, fully embodying the qualities of a soldier who obeys orders and follows commands, getting a haircut, shaving, taking a bath, preparing his speech, and memorizing the wedding流程.

He also had to repeat the names of his parents' old comrades-in-arms. It had been more than ten years since they last met, and not being able to call out Uncle Zhang and Auntie Li would cause the elders to lose face.

Thus, Shen Lanbo discovered that getting married was much more tiring than solving a case. In solving a case, he was the main force, and the action followed his own analysis; in getting married, he was a puppet, following others' commands step by step.

This day was quite difficult, and the next morning wasn't easy either. But just as the wedding ceremony was about to begin, his expression changed. Zhou Zhiyuan hadn't arrived.

He hadn't come, and Section Chief Luo hadn't come either. Zhang Limin did come, but his expression wasn't good.

Seeing Shen Lanyin walking over, Shen Lanbo also strode over, and Zhou Zhining and Zhang Yong also surrounded them.

Zhang Limin said in a low voice, "Zhiyuan just resolved a problem and is on his way here. The wedding will proceed as normal."

"What problem?"

Zhang Limin didn't answer this question, replying in a deep voice, "It's still under investigation. Zhiyuan has also been given a gag order. Don't ask. Go back and hold the wedding immediately."

This answer reassured Shen Lanbo and Shen Lanyin slightly. The secrets within the Yin formation couldn't be made public. As long as Zhou Zhiyuan was okay.

Thus, the wedding proceeded as normal, but Zhou Zhiyuan still hadn't appeared after the ceremony ended.

An hour later, they received an official notification from Zhang Limin, "Zhiyuan received an urgent mission and has rushed to GZ."

This excuse seemed to be accepted by Zhou Zhining and Zhang Yong. After they left, Shen Lanbo roared at Zhang Limin in a low voice, "Tell me the truth."

Zhang Limin didn't speak, glancing around at the people in the room. Shen Jue, Chen Shuying, Fang Nan, and Shen Lanyin were all staring at him.

Withdrawing his gaze and looking at Shen Lanbo, Zhang Limin slowly said, "This morning, an emergency occurred. Zhiyuan is trapped in the Yin formation..."

Zhang Limin revealed the truth. This morning, Taoist Zhang and Taoist Li were sealing the formation when an uninvited guest suddenly appeared. During Zhou Zhiyuan's fight with him, the Yin formation changed again.

The so-called sealing of the formation was to completely cut off the passage between the Yin formation and the outside world. This included Taoist formation theory, using the method of reversing the universe to make the other party unable to find their way.

This method, after theoretical discussion, could be established, and the facts also provided evidence for the theory of Taoist Zhang and Taoist Li.

The two Taoists believed that Li Zicheng's treasure was not within the Yin formation but in the affected area of the Yin formation's changes. Under stable Yin formation conditions, gold and silver jewelry could be smoothly transported out.

This theory was proven correct through practice. Hundreds of people entered Li Zicheng's treasury and successfully transported out the gold and silver jewelry.

During this period, the two Taoists repeatedly experimented with the method of reversing the universe, waiting for the treasure to be transported out before immediately sealing the formation.

However, during the implementation, a dark shadow rushed out, engaging in a fierce battle with Zhou Zhiyuan at the entrance. Just as Zhou Zhiyuan forced it back into the depths of the passage, a violent collision suddenly echoed, causing the ground to shake violently. Immediately afterward, the passage sealed shut, trapping Zhou Zhiyuan inside.

Zhang Limin recounted the events, then added, "The two Daoist priests are leading people to find the entrance. We must find Zhiyuan as soon as possible."

These were words of comfort, but he still had confidence and hoped the Shen family would too.

However, Shen Lanyin coldly said, "Even if you find the entrance, you won't find Zhiyuan. I knew that girl was up to no good."

......

Zhou Zhiyuan slowly opened his eyes and immediately heard the sound of waves. He got up and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see a wave revealing a bit of silver starlight.

"Am I at the seaside?"

Confused, Zhou Zhiyuan looked up at the sky. The Big Dipper in the night sky was particularly bright, its handle pointing south, indicating it was summer.

The season was right, but he still remembered fighting the black-armored figure, who wielded a short knife, while he used a dagger.

The two were engaged in a fierce battle when a sudden loud noise erupted, followed by the ground shaking, and then... Thinking of this, Zhou Zhiyuan shook his head and turned to look at the silver starlight that occasionally appeared on the sea surface. His thoughts connected, "And then I was lying on the beach?"

This idea made him incredulous. He closed his eyes again, summoning his Star Chart, only to find that his Star Chart had disappeared. However, his brow was twitching slightly, and then a vision appeared: a car was driving towards him.

"Seeing" the car, Zhou Zhiyuan got up and felt his body. The Yin Formation Passage prohibited carrying firearms, so he only had a dagger with him at the time. Now, the dagger was also gone.

But he didn't care. The Star Chart had disappeared, but his realm had improved. The Niwan Palace in his brow had manifested; he was about to become an immortal.

Of course, this was only theoretical. The timeframe for this "about to" was hard to say—perhaps a few years, perhaps a few decades, perhaps not even after being thrown into the Human Refining Furnace.

This depended on immortal fate. In layman's terms, it meant whether the Immortal Realm had a vacant position. If not, you had to wait until there was one. The true meaning of "about to" lay in this.

This was what Daoist Zhang had said, and Daoist Li held the same view. Neither of them expected to wait for a vacant position, so the matter of "about to" becoming an immortal had nothing to do with them.

Zhou Zhiyuan also felt it had nothing to do with him. Immortals had such long lifespans that by the time grass grew on his grave, a vacancy in the Immortal Realm might still not have appeared.

He didn't consider becoming an immortal. The establishment of the Niwan Palace and the stream of azure energy circulating throughout his body were what he liked. Without him having to consciously control it, this stream circulated endlessly, filling his entire body with vitality.

He enjoyed this state. He took two leaps and hid in a dark corner, watching as a car drove up and slowly stopped. A slender figure stepped out, looked around, and then said, "I know you're here. I won't hide anymore. If you have a way to take me back, I'll surrender."

Hearing this made his heart flutter. He stepped towards the car.

The slender figure turned to look at him, and his face showed a slight astonishment when he saw him, then he smiled and said, "Zhou Zhiyuan, it's actually you."

Hearing him speak, Zhou Zhiyuan still strolled slowly, calmly asking, "Should I call you Nie Yucheng? Or some other name?"

The slender figure smiled and said, "You really guessed it. I'm called Wenbin now. Do you want to know the story here? You've been missing for more than three years; you must want to know a lot, right?"

Wenbin's words made Zhou Zhiyuan stop. He had been missing for three years?

Wenbin smiled and said, "Get in the car. When I was Nie Yucheng, I wanted to have a good chat with you. With your skills, you're not afraid of me plotting against you, and you want to chat with me too, right?"

He was right. Zhou Zhiyuan also wanted to chat with him. He got into the car and went back with Wenbin, observing the buildings on both sides of the road.

Wenbin said, "This is XG. On one side are skyscrapers, on the other are dilapidated houses. Here, they drink red wine and eat steak, while there, they tighten their belts and save every penny. The wealth gap here is very stark."

Hearing his sarcastic words, Zhou Zhiyuan calmly asked, "These words shouldn't be coming from a spy."

Wenbin smiled and said, "A spy's life isn't easy either. If you don't produce results, you only get basic pay, just enough to avoid starvation."

As he spoke, the car drove into a small courtyard. Zhou Zhiyuan got out of the car and looked at the two-story building in front of him, then turned to Wenbin and said, "You've done well."

"You're wrong. My performance over these three years has only been basically acceptable. Let's go, let's talk inside."

As he spoke, Wenbin walked inside. As they entered the door, a middle-aged couple stood at the door and respectfully said, "Sir, you're back."

Then, they looked at Zhou Zhiyuan behind him, their faces showing astonishment.

Zhou Zhiyuan was wearing a grass-green military uniform, a uniform known to everyone.

Wenbin smiled and said, "Don't be afraid for now. Only he came. Whether or not XG is liberated depends on our negotiations. If we negotiate well, he won't liberate XG. If we don't, I'll be the first to be finished, so I won't care anymore. Prepare dinner, something sumptuous."

As Wenbin spoke, he glanced at Zhou Zhiyuan, seeing that his expression was calm and he was unmoved by the luxurious decorations of the room, and couldn't help but smile, "A staunch WCJJ warrior."

Hearing him say this, Zhou Zhiyuan calmly replied, "What do I care if your villa is inlaid with gold and silver?"

Hearing Zhou Zhiyuan's indifferent reply, Wenbin laughed loudly, then lightly said, "Not pleased by external gains, not saddened by personal losses, right?"

That's too high a realm; Zhou Zhiyuan admitted he couldn't reach it. But he really wasn't interested in inlaid gold and silver. If it were antiques and calligraphy, that would be different. Then he would be thinking about how to buy them cheaply and sell them at a high price.

Based on this, his chances of becoming an immortal were slim.