Knife splashing

Chapter 231 Exchange of Interests
The content of the letter is very important.

Two things were mainly mentioned.

The first was to let the old beggar make preparations. The reason was that the Sheling troops of Yunyang Prefecture had frequently entered the Jingchu mountainous area to search during this period, which had seriously interfered with their plans.

The Longxiang Army and the Tiansheng Sect gathered a group of experts and planned to find an opportunity to sneak into Yunyang Prefecture and blow up the City God Temple with new gunpowder.

The second is about them.

The letter did not mention the "Thunder and Fire Sutra", but said that the spy from the Yichang Qianhu Office gave information that the Yichang Dharma lineage, the Zhushan Sect, would send out experts to perform rituals to kill the river monster tomorrow.

The orthodox Xuanmen sect and various dharma lineages all have special rituals for killing spirits and monsters, but the rituals last at least three days, and require the summoning of soldiers and horses, and the setting of a tight net, and at that time the Duwei Division will also send ships to bring back the original centurions.

If you want to take action, you can only do it tonight!

The former captain released the falcon and sent a message back to the thousand-man unit, but he didn't expect that the first people he provoked were the Longxiang Army.

Li Yan shook his head and said, "I think you should forget about making meritorious contributions. The war is coming. If you can't catch the traitor, I'm afraid you will all be in trouble."

"It's more than just bad luck."

The former captain said with a gloomy face: "The brothers we sent into Tusi City have been in contact with the natives for many years, and their speaking habits are exactly the same. Now most of them have been killed, and someone must have leaked the secret!"

As he spoke, his tone became depressed again, "The other party must be of high status. I failed this time. I'm afraid I will be questioned when I return."

"Not always."

Li Yan said calmly: "There are so many elite Longxiang soldiers outside the cave, plus the remnants of Green Forest Mountain at that time, and a few escaped evil cultivators, so their merits and demerits can be considered to offset each other."

"As for this information, if we can arrange it in advance, not only can the Yunyang City God Temple be spared from disaster, but we may also be able to capture a few more wanted criminals."

The former captain was stunned at first, then remained silent for a long time before asking, "Young Master Li...what do you want?"

It was clear from Li Yan's words that he wanted him to take all the credit and use it to turn the tables.

If he had these achievements and could catch the traitor, he might not only avoid being punished, but could even be promoted to a higher level.

But the relationship between the two sides is average, and Li Yan is not a pushover either.

Being so generous, he must be asking for something.

Li Yan didn't rush to speak, but just glanced at it.

The crew members on the nearby boat were also smart. Upon seeing this, they immediately chased the boatman to other places. They didn't even dare to listen to such things.

Li Yan then spoke in a deep voice: "Former Captain, we have experienced life and death together, so there are some things we should not hide anymore."

"The new gunpowder is no longer a secret. You've seen that even those bandits and evil cultivators have weapons in their hands. If we run into them, it will be difficult to deal with them..."

Upon hearing this, the former captain's face changed slightly, and he quickly shook his head and said, "This is a taboo in the court. The Yichang Garrison only has two magic fire guns. Every time the ammunition is used, it must be registered and approved by the seal-holding captain."

"I am a lowly person, and I cannot get this thing."

"The centurion is joking."

Li Yan said calmly: "To be honest, I have received some news that not only the bandits, but also some forces in the underworld and even the aristocratic families are secretly making this thing."

"This matter cannot be stopped. There are many wise men in the court. They must have thought of a solution long ago."

Yuan Baihu's pupils shrank slightly, "What method?"

To be honest, he was also curious.

How come Li Yan has more information and connections than I do?

Li Yan said calmly: "Control the spiritual object that makes gunpowder!"

When in Chang'an, the treasure hunter Zhao Luzi once gave him a coal spirit and mentioned that the Li family and the imperial army had closed the coal mines in northern Shaanxi.

That's where the most coal is.

He didn't care before, but after all these things, he knew clearly in his heart that the court knew it couldn't control it, so it tightened the spiritual objects in advance.

The production of new gunpowder is inseparable from the two rare treasures of "coal ore" and "red saltpeter". I'm afraid the court has already secretly sent people to look for them.

"Controlling spiritual creatures?"

The former captain nodded in agreement and said, "That is indeed a solution. The Divine Fire Spear is quite powerful, but it can only be used as a deterrent to deal with experts."

"Without gunpowder, nothing is good."

Thinking of this, he frowned and said, "I can't get these things. What does Young Master Li want?"

Li Yan said in a deep voice: "Those noble families who got firearms, besides protecting themselves, most of them wanted to use them to open the sea."

"But according to the court's laws, keeping this item privately is a serious crime, equivalent to treason, not to mention using it on a large scale. Do you think they will allow this handle to remain in their possession?"

The former captain was also a shrewd man. Hearing this, he immediately understood, "These people have considerable influence in the court. They will definitely push the court to pardon the crime."

At this point, he understood everything. "Young Master Li also wants this right, but I'm afraid I can't do it."

"Not urgent."

Li Yan smiled and said, "Master Baihu, just keep an eye on this matter. When the court makes a move, we will think of a solution."

"Sometimes, once the hole is broken, air leaks everywhere."

"it is good!"

The former captain agreed without hesitation.

He understood the court much better than Li Yan, and knew that the other party was right and that this kind of thing could not be stopped at all.

A ban alone cannot stop those powerful families.

If some forces get permission, other forces will follow.

The Duwei Division is directly under the emperor, so how could it be left behind?

It won't be a problem to do something convenient at that time.

Seeing that Li Yan had reached an agreement, Sharifei was undoubtedly the happiest. He smiled and said, "I'll have to trouble you, Lord Baihu, to take care of this matter..."

As he said this, he slapped his mouth lightly and said, "Look at me, I said the wrong thing again. I should call you Master Qianhu!"

The former captain was stunned for a moment, then clasped his fists and said, "Thank you very much!"

After the deal was done, both parties were in a good mood.

Li Yan also felt a little emotional.

The Duwei Division monitors the underworld in order to maintain stability and prevent chaos caused by people gathering together to rebel at the command of one person.

Of course there are iron-blooded measures, and exchange of interests is also indispensable.

For example, the Shenquan Society is the product of an exchange of interests. At least if martial arts escort agencies in various places want to do business safely, they cannot do without the recognition of the imperial court.

But this exchange of interests also varies from person to person.

At the mass grave in Xianyang, they informed Chang Xuan of important news, which enabled him to be promoted to a thousand households, and they only spent some silver to send him off...

In Shangjin City, Huang Wenzhong, the commander of Yunyang Guard, initially wanted to suppress them with his power, but later Li Yan refused to give in and finally helped Lu San remove the wanted order...

But now, he can ask the former centurion to help him get the right to use firearms...

The same is true with Taixuan Orthodox Sect.

From being high and mighty to now having to rely on their strength.

Step by step, their strength increased and they finally had the qualifications to negotiate with others!
The former captain naturally had no idea what Li Yan was thinking. He held the letter and looked at it left and right in the firelight, sometimes frowning, sometimes falling into deep thought, obviously thinking about how to use this thing to break the impasse.

Li Yan and others continued to collect the spoils.

Lu San liked the old beggar's erhu. He had learned it for two days at Manchuan Pass, so he asked for it as his own magic instrument.

This thing is a bit like Li Yan's Yunlei God Drum, and it can also cast spells with the help of sound. The difference is that the sound of this thing is better at communicating with spirits.

So at that time in the Yan family mansion, the old beggar played the erhu to drive the poisonous snake to attack.

Once it falls into Lu San's hands, it will be even more powerful.

In addition, there is a sword hidden in the long handle of the erhu, which is sharp and tough, and has a little power to destroy evil.

The old Taoist who controls the human-skin puppets has only a bunch of worthless odds and ends on him. It's likely that most of his fortune is invested in those human-skin puppets.

On the other hand, Sharifei put away the gongs and drums with a chuckle, and said happily: "Brother Yan has the drums, brother Lu San has the erhu, and I will play the gongs. When we travel around the world, we can pretend to be a drum and music band."

Li Yan laughed in silence. Seeing that Sharifei was about to turn over the old scholar's bamboo box, he quickly stopped him, "Don't move. There are poisonous insects hidden inside!"

Sarifei's face turned pale and he quickly withdrew his hand.

"Brother Lu, get ready."

Li Yan said this and placed the bamboo box at the entrance of the cave.

Lu San understood and immediately patted the magic gourd.

Originally, the demon gourd could have shown its power in tonight's encounter, but with the violent storm outside, the swarm of poisonous bees could not fly steadily even if they were deployed, so it was useless. And these poisonous insects and poisons were all food for the demon gourd.

Buzz!
A swarm of poisonous bees flew out.

Li Yan split the bottom of the bamboo box with a knife.

In an instant, all kinds of strange insects swarmed out.

Some resemble spiders, but have scorpion tails...

Some are as small as rice grains, falling to the ground and bouncing around...

Others are like wireworms, twisting into a ball as soon as they come out...

hum!
A swarm of poisonous bees instantly swarmed up, flying up and down, eating all the poisonous insects. They even drilled into the wooden boxes and smashed the bottle caps that had not yet been opened.

No matter whether it was poisonous insects or poison powder inside, they were all eaten up.

Li Yan and others knew nothing about witchcraft, so they could only use this rough method, which would also increase the toxicity of the poisonous bees.

The old scholar was obviously a cunning and vicious person. There were even poisonous insects hidden in the cracks of his books, but they were also cleared out.

Only after cleaning it thoroughly did Li Yan pick up the book.

There are three books in total.

A book called "The Thousands of Herbs and Hundreds of Insects" was passed down by the Gu Poets of western Hunan. It not only contains the techniques of making and releasing Gu, but also tells a lot of knowledge about herbs and insects.

The art of witchcraft is inseparable from the environment. It is more popular in the jungles of western Hunan, the Baiyue Mountains in southern Lingnan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Southeast Asia.

Not only does one need someone to teach, but one also needs to start from elementary school.

Li Yan and others are too busy with their own inheritance, so naturally they can't study, but if they flip through it in their spare time, they can still broaden their horizons.

The second book is more interesting, it is called "Youxuan Tan".

This book was written by a Confucian Taoist in the Song Dynasty. It collected and recorded many strange stories in the Taoist sect. Some of them were true, while others were quite bizarre. Even those who were in the Taoist sect found them absurd.

The last one was a notebook with no name written on it.

Li Yan flipped through it and took a few glances, his expression immediately becoming solemn.

This is a secret method from "The Treasury of Immortals"!
The name of the secret method is "The Plague God's Longevity Method". It involves using oneself as a poisonous vessel, refining 7749 kinds of evil poisons, placing them in the body, and then hiding in a damp place like a zombie.

On weekdays, they have to worship a demon god called "Wen Ju" every morning and evening. On the first and fifteenth day of every month, he has to leave his hiding place, suck human blood, and feed the poisonous insects in his body.

Of course, there are faster ways.

That is to hold human sacrifices and obscene ceremonies!

There is also a painting on it of the demon god warming his coffin, which is used for visualization and worship. His body is like a human, with red clothes and bare feet, but his head is like that of a camel.

It's clearly a demon.

Along with this method of longevity, there are also several vicious techniques, all of which are cruel witchcraft. The above methods made Li Yan feel a chill down his spine.

Without any hesitation, Li Yan, Sharifei and others said something and threw the book directly into the campfire and lit it.

He is not afraid of killing, but the magic above still makes people shudder. No wonder Xuanmen wants to ban it. This kind of thing should not appear in the world.

Looking at the books that were burned to ashes, Li Yan felt no joy at all.

Although this book is old, it looks like it is only about ten years old.

It seems that the "Changsheng Xianku" is still being passed down in secret among the people, and no one knows how many fragments have been copied now...

…………

"Everyone, be careful on your way!"

The former captain clasped his hands and bowed solemnly.

The rainstorm stopped before dawn the next day. Li Yan had no time to wait for the river to be open to navigation, so he planned to go to Zigui County along the mountain road.

As for the former centurions, they had to plan for their own future.

The boatmen avoided his gaze and dared not look around.

They were all locals, and Li Yan was afraid that he would not be able to understand the villagers' dialect, so he wanted to hire a guide.

But after seeing what he did last night, who would dare to follow him around?

I had no choice but to go to Zigui County to hire someone.

Sharifei raised his eyebrows, clasped his fists and said, "Captain Yuan, I wish you immediate success!"

“Hahaha… no problem!”

Yuan Kejian also felt a sense of pride in his heart and no longer concealed his ambitions.

Seeing the figures of Li Yan and others gradually disappearing in the forest, Yuan Kejian turned around and looked at the boatmen with a stern expression:
"Everyone, I'm sure you've heard some of this."

"You have no choice now. Either you are wanted by the imperial court and become a wanderer, or you follow me and seek wealth and glory!"

…………

After a rainstorm, the mountain road became extremely difficult to walk on.

Not only was the ground muddy, but the mountain trails in some places were destroyed by mudslides, so the only way to move was to crawl along the cliffs.

It takes less than half a day by boat from Yichang to Zigui.

It took the group a full day and a half to walk along the mountain.

Of course, the scenery along the way is also breathtaking.

They climbed over the hillside and saw a huge rock standing on the opposite side of the river. It was dozens of feet high and looked like a wall. The setting sun and the sunset glow made it look like a theater with lanterns and shadows, and it looked very lifelike...

This is the famous Dengying Gorge.

After passing Dengying Gorge, you will see a row of steep stone walls towering above the peaks, overlooking the Mingyue Rapids. Nine ridges hang down below the cliffs, like nine dragons descending into the water. It is majestic and spectacular. This is the famous Huangniu Gorge.

At this moment, the moon is over the mountain, and the river is full of bright moonlight. Above the dark mountain in the distance, there is a faint flickering light.

"baby!"

When Sharifei saw it, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Lu San then released the falcon. After it circled around, it chirped in his ear and his expression became strange.

"Is it a baby, or a coal spirit?"

"There's coal here!"

When Sharifei heard this, he immediately became interested.

Everyone quickened their pace and went to the forest near Huangniu Gorge to look around.

In the cracks between the huge rocks of the Yellow Ox, several firefly-like lights were seen flying up and down, making buzzing sounds, and each one was as big as a fist.

It moves so fast that it can even leave an afterimage in the eyes.

"How to do?"

Sharifei asked in a low voice with anxious eyes.

"Cold salad!"

Li Yan shook his head and said, "This thing is not easy to catch. If you don't have the means to hide the treasure, you will be blown to death."

"And judging by the quantity, it's not worth the effort."

He knew clearly that there didn't seem to be a coal mine in Huangniu Gorge, but there were probably some ancient trilobite fossils left.

Although the "coal spirit" was dangerous, it was also extremely timid. It seemed to sense their approach, and with a whoosh, it dived into the stone wall and disappeared.

Not to mention Sha Lifei, Wang Daoxuan also felt a little regretful when he saw it, stroking his beard and shaking his head, saying: "The art of holding back treasures is complicated and varied, and it is different in different places. If you want to learn it, you will have to study it for more than ten years."

"But for something like 'Jet Essence', there is a fixed method for obtaining the treasure. If we can learn it, we won't be so anxious when we encounter it again."

"It was my mistake."

Li Yan also felt a little regretful. "I forgot to ask Brother Zhao Luzi at that time. I will go back to Yichang City to see if I can find him."

When walking in the mountains at night, there are bound to be some wild beasts and lonely ghosts.

Li Yan cast the "Northern Emperor's Protective Spell" from time to time, and the wild beasts immediately fled and the wandering ghosts hid underground.

Finally, early one morning, they climbed up the hill.

In the morning mist, an earthen city stood on the plain below...

　From the beginning of the book to now, I haven't had a day off, my status has declined a bit, and the update is a bit awkward. In order to ensure the quality, I will update twice a day on Sunday to collect manuscripts and adjust my status.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)