The good news is that, although Lin Shuyou is carrying the bamboo pole in the Corpse Escort team, he can open his eyes and seems to retain a certain degree of self-awareness.

This means he might not have been "brought" here, but instead joined the team of his own accord.

The problem, however, is that while Lin Shuyou occasionally has a mental lapse, without a facelift, he is usually very obedient, especially since I've paired him with Yin Meng.

Under normal circumstances, the two of them would never secretly do some improvisation on an existing mission.

My team places the utmost importance on team discipline.

So, did something unexpected happen mid-way, causing them to get involved?

The bad news is, they are entering the water.

The jingling from the bell in the hand of the Taoist in the yellow robe at the front gradually quiets down, water sounds rise, and Li Zhiyuan, with his good hearing, can hear the sound of them entering the lake one by one.

Li Zhiyuan pursed his lips, starting to think quickly.

Because... time is running out.

At present, Lin Shuyou retains some degree of self-awareness, and although Yin Meng hasn't been observed, he likely isn't in the worst state either.

But the current situation is as it is; what about after a day?

Tomorrow, there will be eight teams leaving the lake again, and by then, each team should be in the "two carrying one" standard three-person formation.

When the eight teams return, it should be about the same time tomorrow, twenty-four hours from now.

During this day and night, can Yin Meng and Lin Shuyou stay safe underwater?

Thus, if I choose to wait another twenty-four hours, it is almost equivalent to giving up on the rescue, hoping they somehow work a miracle and come out alive.

And if I want to do something, the only opportunity is the eighth team, whose shadow is already appearing ahead and coming this way.

Infiltrate that eighth team and enter the water!

Li Zhiyuan made up his mind.

In the dictionary of youth, there's no option to concede defeat after relighting the lamp.

Hence, sooner or later, he is going into the water.

So, based on this, not going in to rendezvous and rescue while Yin Meng and Lin Shuyou still retain self-awareness, are you going to wait until it's too late?

Li Zhiyuan turned his head to look at Xiong Shan.

Xiong Shan had been down there before; he has experience.

Whether from the perspective of a guide or team cooperation, if Xiong Shan goes down with us, it will undoubtedly enhance our chances of a successful rescue.

Right now, Xiong Shan's eyes showed signs of struggle.

Li Zhiyuan couldn't measure Xiong Shan's feelings towards his brothers, but Xiong Shan had previously shown signs of wanting to quit and relight the lamp.

When someone expresses such emotions, it means the dam in their heart is already full of holes.

Moreover, going down there are his brothers; up here are his wife and children. If the configuration were swapped, the intensity of his struggle might not be so great.

The situation has apparently spiraled out of control, and Xiong Shan can relight the lamp now and declare defeat, then spend the rest of his life with his wife and children, enduring at most a bit of inner guilt in dreams over leaving his brothers behind to die.

"Ding-a-ling... Ding-a-ling... Ding-a-ling..."

The bell of the eighth team draws near.

Xiong Shan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the struggle had vanished from his eyes.

He looked at Li Zhiyuan, but his hand reached out to gently pat his wife's shoulder, saying, "We'll go save the second and third."

Lihua breathed a sigh of relief, a smile forming on her face. She first lowered her head to kiss her son, then fastened the sling to herself, letting the child press against her body tightly, to fully free her hands.

Facing Xiong Shan's gaze, Li Zhiyuan calmly responded:

"Together."

Xiong Shan laughed, "You've outdone me, young man, you're even more sentimental."

Li Zhiyuan: "What do we do next?"

Xiong Shan had previously mentioned how to blend into the group, but he didn't explain the actual detailed operation, which was a purposeful reservation.

"When they are about to enter and leave the 'inn,' quickly blend in and throw away paper money; that way, you can successfully blend in without disturbing them.

Once inside, when the bamboo pole starts rotating, let go, stand still, and pretend to be dead.

There's an eye there, don't make a move when it opens; wait until it closes to find your opportunity."

"Did you succeed on your first try?"

"I'm half a local. After killing that Evil Cultivator, I learned the Chenzhou Talisman he left behind, so I know a bit about the taboos and methods of the Corpse Escort Dao.

If you're interested, I have some Chenzhou Talisman remnants and if we make it out alive this time, I could let you have a look."

"I'm not interested in that."

"Right, you're worried about entangling with my Jianghu karma."

Li Zhiyuan didn't explain further.

The eighth team only had three members, meaning this team wasn't carrying anyone else.

Xiong Shan: "The three of us go up first, and then you three after us."

It was clear that he counted his son as one of the group.

Li Zhiyuan: "Alright."

The young man cast his gaze towards Run Sheng and Tan Wenbin, and they nodded in return.

The eighth team arrived, and everyone lowered their heads together.

When the team adjusted the angle and started circling the "Yin Yang Road Inn," or so-called "entering the inn," Xiong Shan and Lihua quickly got up, each taking one side, gripping the bamboo pole with one hand, and shouldered it.

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