Knife splashing

Chapter 167 The Enemy's Background
On the fifth day of the Yisi year, the sound of firecrackers could be heard throughout Chang'an City.

In this festive atmosphere, a group of Taoist priests rode back on horseback. They were the Chang'an Law Enforcement Hall which had been away for a long time.

Almost all of them were injured, with torn collars, bloodstains, and traces of battle. Their eyes were sharp and the murderous aura had not yet dissipated.

Not only were there a large number of garrison soldiers leading the way in front, there were also guards in the back, and even people from the Duwei Division were mixed in.

Li Yan's heart skipped a beat; the number seemed a little wrong!

There are a hundred people in the Chang'an Law Enforcement Hall. Although the number is not large, they are all people who have been trained in the Taixuan Orthodox Sect since childhood and are good at fighting.

Moreover, they cooperate with each other tacitly and can set up the Xuanmen sword formation.

But now, nearly half of the people are missing!

What did they encounter?
Just then, Li Yan saw Luo Mingzi in the team.

Half of his body was wrapped in bandages, but he looked to be in good spirits. He rode his horse, scanning the surroundings with cold eyes, as if looking for something.

Suddenly, he saw Li Yan leaning against the window.

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief and clasped his fists with a smile.

Luo Mingzi also waved and clasped his fists, then looked around.

Li Yan immediately understood who they were guarding against...

"Look at that!"

Guo Luquan exclaimed again.

Everyone looked over and saw an ox cart in the team.

There was a coffin in the car.

The coffin is made of pure copper. It is very old and covered with verdigris. The patterns on it are intricate but now mottled and blurred.

Outside the coffin, there were layers of iron chains as thick as arms, and not only that, there were also peach charms hanging on it.

What’s even more bizarre is that there are seven holes on the top of the coffin lid, arranged in the direction of the Big Dipper, with seven rusty iron spears inserted in them.

"It's a corpse-suppressing coffin!"

Guo Luquan who was standing next to him took a deep breath and said, "This thing really exists. I thought it was just a rumor."

The old man from the carpenter shop also frowned, pointed his finger at the coffin, and said in shock, "My goodness, the size corresponds to the four major unlucky numbers of illness, separation, robbery, and death. It's obviously done on purpose..."

Li Yan asked curiously, "Is the corpse-suppressing coffin a coffin specifically used to suppress zombies? Why not burn it?"

Guo Luquan explained: "I also heard from a senior porter that some powerful zombies, if they absorb the evil spirit for a long time, will become disasters in themselves."

"Not to mention how powerful it is, once it is killed, the plague and evil spirit will spread immediately, causing endless harm. We can only suppress it and use the power of innate qi or incense to slowly wear it out."

"Looking at this, it's been a long time. The same is true for the Taixuan Sect. Why should they just send this thing to Huashan or Zhongnan? Why are they transporting it to Chang'an?"

"What do you know!"

The old man from the carpenter sect nearby took a quick look and said, "This is not an ordinary zombie. Do you see the spear on the coffin lid?"

"That is the Seven-Star Soul-Suppressing Nail, which originated from the Seven-Arrow Nail Technique. It is an evil curse. I don't know who the person in the coffin offended during his lifetime..."

"Senior is indeed well-informed."

Everyone flattered him one after another.

The old man shook his head with a serious expression and said, "I have only heard of this kind of thing. It is unlucky anyway. Why did I see this thing today... Bah! Bah!"

After saying that, he spat three times on the ground.

"Bah bah bah!"

Others followed suit.

But then they were attracted by something behind the coffin.

It was a wooden prison van, inside which was locked an old man, with a hook lock piercing his scapula and more than a dozen iron spikes sticking out of his body. He was covered in blood, and his face could not be seen clearly because he had his head lowered.

"Who is this guy?"

"How would I know, but he must be a powerful character..."

Everyone was talking again.

Only Li Yan's brows suddenly furrowed.

The smell of other people was not unfamiliar to him.

It’s the Maitreya Sect’s “Tomb Snake” Dugu Qian!

This guy was caught?
It turns out that the Law Enforcement Hall came out in full force to deal with the Maitreya Sect.

Li Yan had some guesses in his mind, but doubts also arose.

Dugu Qian knew that his Taoism level should be around the third or fourth level. Although he was very powerful and even raised a ferocious crested snake, he would never allow the Law Enforcement Hall to suffer such a loss.

Could it be the corpse-suppressing coffin from before?

…………

After this incident, Li Yan naturally had no mood to drink.

After the Law Enforcement Hall team left, he calculated the time and found that he had returned to the City God Temple. He said goodbye to everyone and went to Guangdefang.

When we arrived outside the City God Temple, we found that martial law had indeed been imposed.

Although Li Yan could not get close, he had already become familiar with the Taoist boy guarding the gate, and asked him to pass a message to Luo Mingzi.

The Taoist boy came out quickly and just asked him to wait.

But this wait lasted for two full hours.

Just when Li Yan was puzzled, Luo Mingzi walked out of the side door of the City God Temple and said apologetically: "There are too many things to deal with. I just finished them."

"Let's go find a place to drink. We've been in the mountains for two months and I'm almost exhausted!"

Most of the restaurants nearby have some connection with Taixuan Orthodox Religion. The two of them randomly found a newly opened one and entered a secluded room.

As soon as the wine and meat came, Luo Mingzi wolfed them down, taking sips of wine and mouthfuls of meat, like a starving ghost reincarnated.

Li Yan was about to speak when Luo Mingzi shook his head and said, "Don't ask. Even if you ask, I can't tell you. Anyway, this time it was tragic enough."

Isn’t it just about catching tomb snakes?

Li Yan was speechless, but he didn't say anything more.

He knew that things were definitely not that simple.

Although Dugu Qian is cruel, he could have just been killed if he was caught. Why bring him back?

Maybe he was trying to catch his accomplices.

Of course, this matter had nothing to do with him, and he didn't want to embarrass Luo Mingzi, so he simply kept silent.

Luo Mingzi ate several dishes in a row and drank half a pot of wine. He wiped his mouth and smiled, "I heard about the Xiangji Temple. It was well done. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have known that the Maitreya Sect had set up such a big plan near Chang'an."

"Speaking of this..." Li Yan's face turned serious and he said in a deep voice: "I want to know, where is Zhao Changsheng from?"

"What did you ask him to do?"

Luo Mingzi shook his head and said, "He is not in Guanzhong. He is probably just a casual move here. It is best to stay away from this person. He is not someone you can mess with."

Naturally, someone would ask about the Xiangji Temple.

Luo Mingzi was not surprised to know that it was Zhao Changsheng who did it.

Li Yan was silent for a moment, "My father's death is related to him..."

As he spoke, he recounted Lu Gongyuan's confession and what had happened in the brothel at that time.

He hasn't told anyone about this yet.

"Your father?"

Luo Mingzi was obviously a little surprised. "Your father is just a swordsman in the martial arts world. Why are you investigating Zhao Changsheng's background?"

Li Yan said in a deep voice: "I have a suspicion in my heart, but I need to know Zhao Changsheng's background to verify whether he is a member of your Taixuan Orthodox Church?" Luo Mingzi was silent for a while, then took a sip of the wine and said: "This matter is a taboo in the church, but since it is related to your father's death, I will no longer hide it, but you can't tell others."

"Zhao Changsheng, originally named Changkongzi, was a genius with amazing talent and endowment in our Taixuan Orthodox Sect. But something happened later and he defected from the sect."

Li Yan frowned, "Has he ever been in charge of distributing magic weapon plaques to the army in the capital?"

Luo Mingzi was stunned. "I have indeed been to the capital."

"That should be it."

Li Yan said in a deep voice: "My grandfather is a veteran of the Northern Frontier War. The court gave him the 'Hundred Battles Plate', which can ward off evil and protect the house. But I only found out last year that someone secretly used a spell to ward off nightmares on this item."

"This method of nightmare suppression is very cleverly designed. It takes effect slowly and is difficult to detect. If it is left on for a long time, it will lead to the extinction of the family line."

"In that pursuit battle in the northern border, less than a hundred people returned alive. After arriving in Chang'an, I asked someone to find the list of veterans from that time."

"Over the years, after the veterans retired from the army, their families either met with disasters or their descendants died inexplicably. Even the leader of the team, Yuan Xizhong, suffered from numerous illnesses in his later years, and was subsequently convicted and his entire family was executed..."

"I think my father was helping grandpa contact those old friends, and he found something strange and traced it back to Zhao Changsheng..."

This is the process that Li Yan deduced based on the clues.

Luo Mingzi was obviously shocked after hearing this. "The court gave the old soldier a badge, but he also tampered with it!"

"This should be."

Li Yan nodded and frowned, "It's just that there is something I can't figure out..."

As he spoke, he took out the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin Knife Spike and said in a deep voice: "The reason why the Nightmare Suppression Technique was able to conceal it from the imperial court was all because of this item."

"The Three Talents Demon Suppression Coins were refined by Yang Yi's Demon Sword. There are a total of 108 coins. Although they are not top-notch, they are still precious enough."

"My grandfather and his men are just old soldiers from a farming family. They can't even read a single word, and they have no contact with the Xuanmen at all. Why would they go to such great lengths and spend so much money to harm others?"

After saying that, he stared into Luo Mingzi's eyes.

This problem has troubled him for a long time.

"I know why."

Luo Mingzi was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Not many people know about this matter, it is a ruthless move by the imperial court."

"The rebellion in the northern border is not only the ambition of the frontier army marshal, but also backed by some tribes. The one who deceived them is none other than the shaman high priest clan that remained from the Golden Horde Wolf Nation."

"A national master who is proficient in feng shui and geomancy said that those shaman priests have gathered the dragon veins in the northern border and are trying to rebuild the country."

"Therefore, the imperial court not only sent troops to encircle and suppress them, but also selected veterans with strong fate in the army, marched into the northern border, destroyed the shaman sacrifice arrangements, and hunted down the descendants of the royal tribes, all the way into the ice field."

"Shamanism believes that all things have spirits. Their altars are often located between mountains and rivers, with stone idols, stone towers, wooden Bangi pillars, bone masks hanging from trees, etc...."

"If we destroy all of these, the dragon veins will not be able to gather."

"I see…"

Li Yan's eyes trembled and he remembered what his grandfather said.

The leader of the team, Yuan Xizhong, went mad and burned down all the villages along the way, including the Han villages. My grandfather had a conflict with him because of this...

Grandpa and his men destroyed many stone pillars. Sometimes a white-haired wind would suddenly blow in the middle of the night. Some people went crazy and said they saw a strange woman. Some people froze to death and woke up with a weird smile on their faces...

Luo Mingzi continued, "Those soldiers were only responsible for the action. No one knew about it except the commander Yuan Xizhong."

"Their military flags are magical instruments from the previous dynasty that can suppress evil spirits in the surroundings. We didn't tell them because we were afraid they would be scared."

"Without fear in the heart, ghosts and gods will naturally have difficulty invading. Near their team, there will be battles one after another until the remnants of the Wolf Nation's Shamanism are completely defeated."

"Later, some of them escaped and were protected by the Icefield Shamans. These shamans were at odds with the Luosha royal family and were hostile to each other. They were also one of the barriers of our Daxuan, so they did not take action and retreated."

"Since then, the northern border has been completely stable. Your Majesty has also moved a large number of people outside the border to trade with each other. Now they have all become citizens of Daxuan."

"And the leader of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect was none other than Changkongzi!"

"He was seriously injured at the time. After returning to the capital, he stayed in the Ministry of Rites for a while, and then suddenly disappeared."

"When he reappeared, he was already the deputy leader of the Maitreya sect, calling himself Zhao Changsheng. At that time, he inexplicably proposed to gather the Maitreya sect incense halls from all over Guanzhong to start an uprising. Many people thought he was an undercover agent, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding."

"His master went to persuade him, but was killed by him..."

"I understand!"

Li Yan suddenly realized, "He is a resurrected person!"

"When he came back from the Northern Frontier, he was no longer Chang Kongzi. After leaving the Ministry of Rites, he went to Japan and asked a Yin-Yang master in Japan to return to life!"

"No wonder, that's the only way it makes sense."

"It must be that a certain shaman master from the past has returned to life and possessed Chang Kongzi's body. When he returned to the Ministry of Rites, he had not yet recovered. He was afraid that others would find out, and he was filled with resentment, so he resorted to such a despicable trick!"

"My grandfather and his men destroyed the dragon vein. Changkongzi has been possessed by another spirit, and the rest will naturally be retaliated against!"

"Seize the body?!"

Luo Mingzi also had a gloomy expression and stood up suddenly. "That Zhao Changsheng is elusive and has appeared in various places in Shenzhou in recent years. If he is really the remnant of the former evil, I'm afraid he has big plans!"

"This matter is of great importance. I will report it to the capital immediately!"

"Also, remember not to tell anyone that Zhao Changsheng was able to possess Changkongzi's body, so he must have concealed something about his abilities. Just pretend you don't know about it and don't meddle in other people's business."

"If you are noticed, no one can save you!"

After that, he turned around and left.

Li Yan suddenly asked, "Is he a god?"

Luo Mingzi turned around and said with a wry smile: "You even know this? It must be that Shen Sanyou, that slut, who was too talkative!"

"According to what you said, Zhao Changsheng must be a deity, so he is very dangerous and far beyond our ability to handle."

"God Ascendant... You are a living ghost messenger, it is best to stay away from them."

"Most people who embark on this path are no longer human!"

After saying it, he quickly went out and went downstairs.

When Li Yan paid the bill and came out of the tavern, Luo Mingzi had already come out of the City God Temple, rode away on his horse, and disappeared quickly...

Looking at the other person's leaving figure, Li Yan seemed to be thinking about something.

There are still a lot of things going on in Chang'an, which made Luo Mingzi leave here and go to the capital immediately. It is conceivable how serious the matter is.

Of course, Taoist Luo Mingzi also overestimated him.

Zhao Changsheng is so mysterious, his conspiracy is hostile to the entire country, and his Taoism is unfathomable, so he will definitely not provoke him.

There are countless masters in the imperial court. If one reveals the other party's background, naturally there will be waves of people looking for trouble with them.

Of course, it's only temporary.

If the other party was still alive when he set out on that road, he would naturally find a way to deal with him personally.

Thinking of this, Li Yan turned around and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, he sniffed and turned his head to look into the distance.

I seemed to smell a scent just now, and it seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember who it was.

And the smell dissipated in the blink of an eye.

Li Yan shook his head and strode out of Guangdefang.

On the distant street, several people were carrying an exquisite sedan chair away.

This kind of sedan chair is used by women. Many women return to their parents' homes after the New Year, so it is very inconspicuous.

Inside the sedan, a red rope was wrapped around a yellow talisman to isolate the surrounding aura.

Inside sat a woman in white.
It was the concubine of the Lu family in Gushui Village...

　There are only two updates today, let’s sort out the outline

　　
　
(End of this chapter)