Knife splashing

Chapter 226 Stormy Xiling Gorge

"Sir, we are wronged."

The man named Cheng San said with tears in his eyes, "After the accident in the field, people were in a panic. Later, some people said that they dreamed of a Taoist priest."

"I often go to Yichang to deliver goods. I originally thought that someone was playing tricks on me, so I came to Yichang to report it to the police."

"Why don't you come?"

"Because that very night, I also dreamed of that Taoist."

"Oh?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, "What does that person look like?"

The man hesitated for a long time after hearing this, but still gritted his teeth and said, "I have seen it before. It is exactly the same as the statue in the Sanlu Doctor's Temple!"

"Nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, the head constable's face suddenly changed.

The man was also shocked and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "I really didn't say anything nonsense. Otherwise, how could the people dare to destroy the temple?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, and keenly noticed something strange. "Your village is governed by Zigui County. Why didn't you go to the county government after the incident? Instead, you wanted to come to Yichang?"

After hearing this, the man was timid and did not dare to speak.

Sharifei was an experienced man. When he saw the man's appearance, he had a vague guess in his mind and said happily: "You are not afraid of ghosts and gods, so are you afraid of people?"

The man had been in jail for a few days and his spirit had collapsed. Hearing this, he couldn't hold back anymore and said bitterly, "Ghosts and gods at least have some sense. When people become evil, they are completely unreasonable!"

"The Zigui County government is in cahoots with everyone from top to bottom. The people have long been complaining, so they think it is Doctor Sanlu who has redressed our grievances."

"Also, I heard that they occupied the salt mines in the mountains and sold private salt to the natives for profit..."

As soon as these words came out, the head constable's face suddenly changed. He glared at them and angrily scolded them, "You just heard it from others. What nonsense are you talking about?"

Li Yan glanced at him calmly and said, "I just heard about it. Why are you not allowed to talk about it?"

"Also, what are you in such a hurry for?"

"I…"

The head constable looked aggrieved and ordered his men to put the man back in the cell. He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Everyone, I am doing this for your own good. Just investigate the case and don't provoke the Zigui County Magistrate."

Li Yan was a little surprised and glanced at the former captain.

Well, the Duwei Division is also responsible for supervising all officials. How dare this constable in the government office say such things so blatantly? Who is he?
However, the former captain had a blank expression on his face, as if he had not heard anything.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, did not continue talking nonsense, and asked the jailer to call other civilians for interrogation.

Sure enough, these people all dreamed of the Taoist priest.

Each of them spoke with certainty and claimed to be the Doctor of Sanlu. Some even cursed, saying that the Doctor of Sanlu would not let these dog officials go.

After being wrongly accused and scolded, Li Yan was not angry at all. He turned around and said calmly, "Master Bai Hu, what do you think?"

“This matter is not simple.”

The former captain seemed to be thinking about something, and then he said, "Since the death of the Sanlu doctor, the people have been offering sacrifices to him for a thousand years. The fifth day of the fifth month was originally the Ghost Festival of the Chu State, but now it has also become the Dragon Boat Festival."

"There are countless stories and legends about Doctor Sanlu in the vicinity of Yichang. Some say he was seen reciting Li Sao by the river, while others say he turned into a god and helped the people get out of trouble. Many people believe in him."

"That evil person chose to cause trouble in Erbei Bay. It's obvious that he wanted to incite the people and cause chaos. It's probably related to this rebellion."

"Oh."

Li Yan nodded slightly and didn't say much...

.........

The people from the Duwei Division were obviously prepared.

When they arrived at the ferry, there was already a wooden boat waiting for them.

This flat-bottomed boat is not big, much smaller than the "Kuaishou Zhang", and slightly shabby, no different from the surrounding ships.

The people at the bow and on the boat were not from the Duwei Division, but they obviously knew the former captain. They just nodded and sailed away from the ferry.

Lu San stretched out his hand and waved, and the falcon on his shoulder flew into the air.

There was drizzling rain on the river, but the falcon was fearless and flew up and down in the mist and rain.

The former captain did not seem surprised to see this, and smiled and said, "This must be Mr. Lu San, he is really amazing."

Obviously, he had collected intelligence on Li Yan and others.

Lu San didn't even look at him, let alone say a word.

Before, this former captain expressed his true feelings and said that he wanted to make meritorious service so as to increase the pensions of his brothers. Everyone secretly admired him, but he changed his face to another one in the cell, and it was hard to judge whether he was good or evil.

Of course, they also know that the officialdom is far from that simple.

Officials protect each other, and relatives conceal each other. It has been like that since ancient times. Not everyone can sacrifice relatives for the sake of justice and be fair and strict.

But Lu San has this kind of temper. He just doesn't like things.

Especially after years of fighting with the county lieutenant Qiao Sanhu, he really had no good feelings towards people in government offices.

There is also a boathouse on the wooden boat, but it is very simple, just a few wooden pillars and a straw mat shed.

The drizzle on the river could only barely block it out.

Li Yan looked behind him calmly.

The Yichang Ferry is the throat of Bashu and is extremely busy, so even though it is close to the dangerous Three Gorges, there are still many ships.

At least a dozen ships left the ferry right after them, some carrying grain and some passenger ships, of varying sizes.

Li Yan knew that there must be people from the Duwei Division among them.

These guys have pretty good hidden abilities.

He couldn't even tell which ship he was hiding on.

Thinking of this, Li Yan's heart moved, and he asked: "Master Yuan, how can you be sure that those people will definitely cause trouble for us?"

The former captain smiled and said, "The Beggars' Gang in the west of Yichang City is a hidden pawn of the Longxiang Army. If a war breaks out in the future, they will suddenly attack and perhaps cause the fall of Yichang City."

"The Longxiong Army is willing to expose such an important hidden man in advance and is determined to cause trouble for you, Young Master Li. They will definitely not give up."

"To be honest, I'm curious too."

"What's so curious about this?"

Sharifei, who was standing by, cursed: "We accidentally ruined their plan, and they must hate us to the core. Given the temperament of these villains, they will not let us go easily!"

The former captain smiled and said nothing.

Although the Longxiong Army had been hiding for many years and the current Duwei Division had never had any dealings with them, he searched through past files overnight and knew that these people were not so impulsive.

Otherwise, how could it have been hidden until now?

There must be another reason.

Of course, he wouldn't press the issue too hard.

Li Yan and others have different identities. The City God Temple relies on them a lot. They have to take the overall situation into consideration and cannot be treated as ordinary people in the world.

Both sides had their own thoughts and for a while there was nothing to talk about.

The atmosphere on the boat also seemed a bit depressing.

Not long after leaving Yichang Ferry, Li Yan and others were attracted by the scene before them.

The river ahead suddenly became wider. In this vast water, all the boats on the river slowed down and became cautious.

The boatmen on their boat took out a bunch of incense, lit it and inserted it into the bow of the boat. Then they knelt down respectfully one by one, scattered paper money, and threw some snacks into the river.

The same thing happened with other ships around.

Small boats generally burned incense, while the large cargo ships even began to wrap red cloths, with Taoist priests beating gongs and drums and chanting incantations at the bows.

The Han River Basin borders Bashu in the south and Chu in the east. The customs and cultures are similar and the traditions of witches and shamans are quite prevalent.

The so-called Duangong is equivalent to a shaman in the north.

Such a grand ceremony indicates that the waters ahead are extremely dangerous.

Sure enough, the former captain said, "Everyone, the Xiling Gorge is ahead. The waterway here is tortuous, with many rapids and many shoals. Please be careful."

Li Yan knew that the other party was reminding him to be careful, not only because this was a dangerous waterway, but also because he was warning him to be on guard against a sneak attack.

He gave a wink and Lu San immediately blew the whistle.

The Sky Eagle Falcon flapped its wings and rushed towards Xiling Gorge.

There was not just one falcon in the sky, but two larger ones were flying up and down, and they were obviously released by the Duwei Division.

But how could this kind of large-scale training compare to Lu San's beast-controlling method? It even seemed a little stupid and only knew how to patrol above.

When the former captain saw this, he couldn't hide his envy.

At the same time, Li Yan also became alert and looked at the surrounding ships.

At this moment, the drizzle is hazy, but the fog over the mountains and rivers is not heavy.

Although there are many ships, they keep a certain distance from each other to ensure navigation safety.

Li Yan pinched the Yang Jue and took a deep breath. There were three ships within a range of 300 meters, but they were all ordinary merchant ships and there was no strange smell.

That makes sense. General Longxiang had just failed in his sneak attack last night and knew that they must be on guard, so he would not choose to take action at this time.

Sure enough, Lu San's falcon soon returned from its investigation, fell from the sky, and chirped in his ears.

Lu San seemed to be thinking about something, turned his head and said in a deep voice: "There is no one hiding in ambush on the hillsides along both sides of the river."

Then he pointed to the mountain in the distance and said, "There are quite a few people wandering back and forth on the mountain over there. I don't know where they came from."

The former captain laughed and said, "Those are just tourists."

"Xiling Gorge is the most dangerous pass in the Three Gorges. It has been a strategic point since ancient times and has many historical sites."

"There is an ancient military fort at the foot of the mountain. It was first built in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and was used until the Six Dynasties. You can still see the ruins today..."

"There is a Sanyou Cave halfway up the mountain with a beautiful view. In the Tang Dynasty, Bai Juyi, Bai Xingjian and Yuan Zhen visited it together, which was called the First Three Tours. In the Song Dynasty, the three Su brothers visited it together, which was called the Last Three Tours..."

"As for the mountain, it is said that during the Three Kingdoms period, Zhang Yide guarded the Sanxia Pass and beat drums on the top of Xiling Mountain, training his troops day and night..."

"After we finish our work, if you have time, Young Master Li, I will take you up the mountain for a tour."

"let's discuss it later."

Li Yan nodded slightly without commenting.

Seeing his expression, the former captain was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "Young Master Li, do you think that we are just sitting there doing nothing and not caring about the Zigui County Magistrate?"

"Captain Liu is right. This matter is indeed difficult to handle."

"The Zigui County Magistrate is named Wu Dehai. He is indeed a useless person, but his brother is not a simple person. He is the president of the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce."

"The imperial court opened the sea, and his brother won over many big merchants in Ezhou. He went out to explore the sea and gained a lot. There were many nobles involved behind the scenes, and even the King of Hankou was involved."

"This time when the imperial court pacified the southwest, the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce was responsible for transporting supplies and donated a large amount of military funds. Not to mention my lowly position, even the governor Yuan would only turn a blind eye."

"Things in the court are really not that simple..."

"What the centurion said is wrong."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "It is easy to gain the world, but it is hard to gain the hearts of the people. The government of the previous dynasty was corrupt, and the people were divided. Therefore, even if the Golden Horde was defeated, Taizu would have seized the country immediately after making a call from the top of the mountain."

"If we try to pacify the southwest now but fail to win over the people, I'm afraid there will be problems..."

The former captain looked embarrassed, and a trace of suspicion flashed in his eyes. "This kind of thing is something that the elders will take care of. I am just a desperate soldier, and you are all just trying to make a living. What's the point of complaining about this?"

Wang Daoxuan sighed and stopped talking.

Li Yan's face remained calm, as if he didn't hear anything.

Although the two parties seemed to be friendly on the surface, they were not of the same kind after all and could not pee in the same pot, so even Guan Wanche in Chang'an was somewhat distant from them.

As they were talking, Xiling Gorge was already in sight.

Before we knew it, the rain had gotten heavier.

Entering the canyon, the mountains on both sides are striking, the wind is howling, breaking up the drizzle and turning it into rolling rain and mist. The mountains on both sides are looming, like ferocious beasts lurking.

The turbulent river roared and rushed, the waves splashed, and hit the huge rocks on the shore with a deafening roar. The river seemed to have turned into a giant dragon, crashing wildly in the canyon.

"My Lords, please sit tight!"

The bowman, who had been silent all the time on the road, suddenly changed his expression. He turned his head and greeted someone, then followed the boatmen's busy work with a nervous look on his face.

The former captain frowned slightly, "What's wrong?"

The bowman's teeth chattered, "The sea troll has turned over!"

After hearing this, Li Yan and others looked at each other in surprise.

When entering the mountains, there are taboos on the names of some wild animals, and there are also taboos after entering the water.

In shipbuilding, it is important to “don’t use mulberry wood on the bow and don’t step on locust trees under the feet”, which means that when building a ship, mulberry wood should not be used on the bow and locust boards should not be used under the feet.

When sailing, it is also taboo to say words such as "capsize, break, separate, disperse, fall over, and fire".

The most taboo thing is "Haitiaozi".

"Haitiaozi" is a Jianghu code, meaning dragon!
The former captain's face was also very unpleasant. "It's only spring, not the summer with thunder and rain. How could there be a 'sea cop' causing trouble?"

The captain had already turned pale with fear, "I don't know either."

Wang Daoxuan quickly took out the compass, his face suddenly became solemn, and handed it to Li Yan to take a look.

Li Yan also frowned.

The needle is swaying and slightly sinking, which is called "stirring needle" and "sinking needle". It means that the earth's energy here is not peaceful and there are evil spirits causing trouble.

Could it be that dragons really exist?
Unfortunately, his magical powers could only sense a dozen meters underwater and he couldn't detect anything else.

At the same time, the waves on the river became more and more violent.

The narrow river makes it difficult for ships to navigate, and if they are not careful they will be caught in the whirlpool.

The boatman personally held the sail while the boatmen had tense faces and swung the oars and bamboo poles in their hands vigorously in the rain, fighting against the raging river water.

The wind howled in the canyon, mixed with the roar of the river, as if there was really a giant dragon surging up and down in the canyon.

Ancient vines are entwined on the cliff in the distance, swaying in the wind and rain.

Wow!
The dense vines suddenly broke, and rocks rolled down and hit the ship in front.

Click!

Immediately, a hole was smashed in a merchant ship, and everyone on board fell into the river with blood and screams, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, Lu San also reached his hand into the water, his expression suddenly changed, "Be careful, there is something coming from the water!"

　The third chapter is not finished yet, it will be posted at noon
　　
　
(End of this chapter)