Knife splashing

Chapter 243 Chaos in the Southwest
Rumble!
The north city gate slowly opened, and a large group of soldiers rushed out. Not long after, they returned carrying corpses.

By this time it was already daybreak, and many people along the street were looking around, wondering and confused, and whispering to each other.

People in Ezhou love to watch the fun.

But the series of incidents these days have made people panic, so they no longer have the heart to sit around and watch, for fear that disaster will befall them.

"Who are those people?"

"I heard that he was a demon from the Chaoshan Society."

"The Chaoshan Society is a bunch of bastards. They should have died long ago. But where did they get the courage to rebel?"

"I heard something, please don't talk nonsense."

"I heard that they killed people to sacrifice to the ghosts and cut off their heads and livers. Haven't you seen that the scholars in the city are all holding funerals?"

"You are talking nonsense."

"Why would I lie to you? My uncle is a leatherworker. I heard that he has made a lot of fake heads in the past few days."

"Why don't you speak?"

"I seem to have heard my grandfather talk about this..."

There are so many people in the city and some news can't be kept secret.

The custom of killing people to sacrifice to ghosts originated in Hubei and Hunan provinces and was completely eliminated during the Daxing period. Naturally, some legends were left behind.

Those ancient and dark stories of the past were once again circulated among the people, causing more panic.

When killing people to sacrifice to ghosts, scholars or officials have one liver for three livers; monks and Taoists have one liver for two livers; women and children have one liver for one liver…

The most direct manifestation is Danyang Academy.

At this moment, the Danyang Academy was sealed and empty. If it happened on normal days, this kind of thing would surely arouse the indignation of the Confucian scholars.

However, now, the scholars are all staying at home, trembling and afraid to run around...

Officials in Zigui County, even the petty clerks, were all terrified and had to be accompanied by several people when they went on a mission...

As for ordinary people, they hid their children very well, and the women in their families did not dare to show their faces in public...

The bodies of the thieves were fine, but when the headless bodies of the monks were seen, the street became dead silent.

The people's faces turned pale and a chill rose in their hearts.

On the second floor of an inn, the window was half open.

The look in the crack of the door was filled with doubt and uncertainty.

It was the female swordsman Liu Mei who escaped from Li Yan.

When she heard that last night's operation was to deal with Li Yan, she immediately pretended to be sick and declined to go, hiding in the inn.

Sure enough, he escaped.

Thinking that even a master like "Hongnu" couldn't escape, Liu Mei no longer hesitated and hurriedly packed up her things.

She can't afford to offend either side, so she might as well go far away.

Just then, there was a noise in the street.

"The waterway is open! The waterway is open!"

"The imperial court's reinforcements are here!"

"The river monster has also been caught, go and see!"

Upon hearing this, many people ran towards the ferry.

This news was like a ray of sunshine, slightly easing the gloomy atmosphere in Zigui County.

The female swordsman Liu Mei said nothing, picked up the package and walked downstairs...

…………

At the same time, in the lobby of the county government.

"Phoenix vein of Chu?"

Zhou Kai, the judge, looked at the blood jade cong in his hand, his eyes were uncertain, he gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "How dare the evildoers of the Ghost Cult ruin the fortune of Shenzhou!"

After saying that, he quickly stood up and bowed deeply to Li Yan, "Thank you, Young Master Li. If the Ghost Cult had done this under my nose, I would be to blame."

"It should be done."

Li Yan looked calm and didn't care.

He would not hide such a thing.

Not only will it not be hidden, but it will also be made known to everyone.

After all, the most frightening thing about a conspiracy is that it becomes known to the world.

He is most likely no match for a terrifying monster like Zhao Changsheng, but there are many more masters hidden in the Xuanmen.

When something like this happens, many people get anxious.

Apart from anything else, the imperial court will definitely send a Feng Shui master to destroy their conspiracy and rearrange the arrangements.

This kind of large-scale Feng Shui arrangement involving the destiny of China is so important that not only him, but even Wang Daoxuan probably can't understand it at all.

This kind of troublesome matter can be thrown away, there is no need to carry it with you.

"Report!"

At this moment, a soldier strode into the county government hall, clasped his hands together and said, "Reporting to you, sir, the reinforcements from Yichang have arrived!"

"it is good!"

Judge Zhou Kai clenched his fists tightly, his eyes full of excitement.

The situation in Zigui County is unclear, and there might be hidden evildoers in the garrison. He did not sleep all night last night, and waited in the lobby with several trusted men with knives in hand, ready to fight at any time.

Once the imperial reinforcements arrive, there will be more room for maneuver...

…………

Everyone hurried to the ferry and looked around.

On the river, large and small warships were lined up, drums were beating, and flags were fluttering. The boats were densely packed with soldiers, with swords and spears like a forest, and murderous aura was overwhelming.

Although the Daxuan Dynasty is now experiencing undercurrents, it is still its heyday. These are the troops stationed in Xiangyang and Yichang, and they had gathered two days ago.

As soon as the river was opened, they rushed to Zigui to provide support.

Especially in front of the team, there was a Fu ship as tall as a city, with a huge creature hanging on the deck, which was the fish monster that caused trouble that day!
After seeing this, Li Yan nodded slightly.

The court's move was clearly intended to stabilize people's hearts.

Sure enough, when the people of Zigui County saw the huge fish monster, they exclaimed in surprise and then cheered loudly.

On the deck, there were many old men wearing green robes, which were similar to Hanfu, and tall crowns on their heads, all with gloomy expressions.

Li Yan knew at a glance that these were members of the Zhushan Sect.

Although Zhushan Sect originated in Zhushan County, Ezhou, the source of its techniques is not simple. It comes from the ancient Han Palace and is combined with local witchcraft.

During the Han Dynasty, there was a "Shenque for Sacrificing to Heaven" in the palace.

According to the "Book of Han·Records of Rites and Music", Emperor Wu of Han worshipped the Taiyi Emperor Star, offered sacrifices at the Ganquan Palace in the suburbs, took the Qian position, and offered sacrifices to Hou Tu at Fenyin, which is the Zhongfangqiu in the lake.

The method of sacrifice is "offering sacrifices to the God of Heaven". A bamboo palace is built with purple clay as the altar, and the gods from heaven descend like flowing fire.

After the collapse of the Han Dynasty, this method was also introduced to the people.

Zhushan County was the site of the ancient Shangyong State. The deposed emperor of the Western Wei Dynasty, Yuan Qin, renamed the county "Zhushan" because of the lush forests, bamboos, beautiful mountains and clear waters in the area.

There are many sacred bamboos in this area, so the secret techniques of the Han Palace have been preserved. Combined with the original Chu-area "Spiritual Grass and Holy Reed" witchcraft, the Bamboo Mountain Sect has a place in Ezhou.

Now that their old nest has been busted, they are filled with rage.

There are plenty of ways to deal with this river monster.

"Master Zhou."

Seeing that the reinforcements had arrived, Li Yan stopped talking nonsense and bowed to Zhou Kai and said, "Once we are done with this place, we will leave first. We have other things to do."

Zhou Kai was stunned, and was obviously reluctant to leave. "Young Master Li, Zigui County is full of dangers, why don't you stay..."

Li Yan shook his head and said, "Sir, once the war starts, we cannot control it. Besides, we have missions in other places."

"Alright."

There was obvious helplessness in Zhou Kai's eyes.

Li Yan glanced at the arriving Fuchuan and said, "But there is something I need your help with."

…………

On the surface of the river, naval officers and soldiers would occasionally emerge from the water.

The huge iron chain was connected to the Fu ship and was carried to the bottom of the river by these soldiers who were proficient in water.

Soon, someone poked his head out. "Sir, there is something down there!"

On the deck, there was a dense row of people standing, some wearing scarlet official robes, and some generals in golden armor.

These were high-ranking officials sent by the imperial court, including the commander-in-chief of Xiangyang. Given Zhou Kai's official position, he could only stand aside.

Of course, several elders of Zhushan Sect were also present.

When they heard the soldiers shouting, their faces looked a little ugly.

After all, Zigui County was also the area under their responsibility, but the Ghost Cult was developing secretly, and some people were practicing evil arts under their noses, harming the Three Gorges Water God. It was really a dereliction of duty.

Of course, it’s not their fault.

After all, the Ghost Cult is extremely deeply hidden, and its plan to harm the Three Gorges Water God was launched during the Daxing period. It has been a long time, and few people know about it.

And those who can communicate with gods are even rarer.

The commander of Xiangyang also had some curiosity in his eyes. He looked at Li Yan standing on the boat below and raised his hand to give an order:
"sail!"

At the command, the huge Fu ship immediately set sail.

Wow!
On the surface of the river, the bronze chain suddenly tightened.

The rolling mud and sand surged up and soon dyed the surface of the river black.

When Li Yan saw this, a smile appeared on his face.

The evil creature that possessed the old scholar Liu Danqiu was indeed extraordinary. It buried its real body deep at the bottom of the river, and its ghost was causing trouble everywhere.

If you encounter danger, you can immediately abandon your physical body and flee far away. This is the difficulty of the Water God's Longevity Method.

But Li Yan was not a pedantic person. Only a fool would look for people everywhere. It would be better to use the power of the court to directly destroy his true identity.

Wow!
On the surface of the river, the huge chain was getting tighter and tighter.

Amid the exclamations of the crowd, a huge sarcophagus was suddenly pulled out of the river. It was covered with mud and shells and looked very old.

Swish swish!
Li Yan didn't have to exert any effort at all, as the naval officers and soldiers immediately threw out iron hooks, which were used to climb onto the ship and fight.

A series of iron hooks grabbed the lid of the sarcophagus and immediately lifted it up.

Call ~
Suddenly, a strong cold wind blew around, and dense black hair rushed out and spread in the water.

Li Yan had already jumped up, holding the hook in mid-air and shouted: "Heaven has rules, earth has rules, the underworld is arresting souls, the living should stay away!"

Call ~
A cold wind suddenly blew up around, and mist surged on the surface of the river.

Li Yan had already landed, holding the hook and hitting the swollen corpse's head hard.

And the corpse immediately began to tremble and twist...

Dozens of miles away, beside a huge lake, the old Confucian scholar Liu Danqiu was busy in the river with a group of people.

Suddenly, his eyes were filled with fear and he looked towards the north.

"No!"

With a scream, he fell to the ground and died.

At the same time, at the Yellow Demon Temple outside the west gate of Zigui County, the old man who was cleaning the temple was stunned, watching the statue of the god crack in the middle with a snap...

On the river, Li Yan smiled slightly when he felt another command in the letter.

The swollen corpse below no longer moved, and a large amount of smelly black water seeped out of the surface. The twisted black hair quickly turned yellow and dried.

Li Yan quickly covered his nose, jumped up, jumped back onto the boat, and bowed to the tall Fu ship in the distance.

Sharifei had already put on his bag and stood at the bow. Seeing this, he nodded to the boatman and said, "Go to the other side!"

"Yes, my lord."

The boatman was found by Zhou Kai. When he saw this, he knew that the two people in front of him were strange people from the martial arts world, so he nodded and started the boat.

Looking at the boat in the distance, the official in red robe stroked his beard and said, "You are really a chivalrous man, Judge Zhou, why don't you keep the other party?"

Before Zhou Kai could speak, Taoist Feng beside him smiled and said, "These people are on good terms with my Taixuan Orthodox Sect. The southwest is in chaos and full of demons. They have to rush there to subdue demons and catch monsters."

"Oh, that's a pity."

Upon hearing this, the official in red robe shook his head slightly.

The expressions of several Zhushan Sect elders were even uglier.

The southwest is full of evil spirits, and they are just indirectly blaming them for dereliction of duty.

This old Taoist really knows how to add insult to injury.

Thinking of this, they were not willing to be outdone, and they bowed and said in a deep voice: "Don't blame me, Lord Lu. The situation in the southwest is complicated, and it is far from being as simple as a ghost cult."

"There are three sources of disasters: Wushan, Shennongjia, and Miaojiang. It is difficult for me to suppress them with my own strength."

"I will send a message right now, inviting fellow Daoists from all the southern sects to come and help!"

"it is good!"

Upon hearing this, the official in red robe smiled.

How could he not know the secrets between orthodoxy and Dharma lineage?

These words were said intentionally.

The situation in the southwest is complicated and the help of Xuanmen is indispensable. If we can gather masters of southern magic, many things will become easier.

Taoist Feng just smiled and didn't care at all.

He knew that the Dharma lineage was trying to gain dominance, and for this purpose, the Zhushan Sect was willing to sacrifice its reputation and invite others to help.

But if they still can't handle the situation, the Taixuan Orthodox Sect will officially take action, and then this area will no longer be under the control of the Dharma lineage.

Even if the Southern Dharma lineage can suppress this matter, once Wushan is connected, Wudang Mountain and Qingcheng Mountain will complement each other and help each other, the influence of Taixuan Orthodoxy will also spread.

No matter how you look at it, it's a win.

And now, he can be transferred back to Wudang Mountain to enjoy a peaceful life.

Thinking of this, Feng Daoren was overjoyed...

…………

The place where the monster hid the coffin is upstream of Zigui County.

Li Yan and others sailed downstream and soon arrived at the southern bank downstream of Guizhou City, slowly approaching the river.

Sharifei's face was a little solemn, "Brother Yan, Brother Lu hasn't contacted us since yesterday, is there anything wrong?"

Li Yan frowned slightly, "Let's go up and take a look first."

At this moment, an eagle cried in the sky. The two men looked up quickly and saw the eagle flying up and down, drawing several figure eight shapes.

Li Yan's face changed slightly, "Hurry, they encountered a strong enemy!"

Upon hearing this, the boatman hurriedly sped up.

Before they got close to the shore, Li Yan and Sha Lifei jumped up, and after landing on the shore, they followed the falcon and quickly ran towards the forest.

After running less than two miles in the forest, they saw the figures of Lu San and Wang Daoxuan. They were running and hiding, with arrows raining down from behind them.

One could vaguely see that there were quite a few people in the dense forest, wearing leather armor, with black cloth wrapped around their heads, their faces painted with oil paint, shouting and shooting arrows with bows.

There were a few people among them, waving long red banners in their hands and chanting non-stop. The swarm of poisonous bees released by the magic gourd circled up and down, but were difficult to approach.

"It's the Tusi City Army!"

When Sharifei saw this, his expression suddenly changed.

Without saying anything, Li Yan immediately stepped on the steps and chanted the spell, "Nuo Gao! The pure and simple nature, the essence of Ren and Gui. The internal part corresponds to the kidneys, and the upper part corresponds to Mercury... Hurry up and obey the command!"

This is "Northern Emperor's Mysterious Water Escape".

At this moment, there was still a drizzle in the sky, and the moisture in the forest was thick. Coupled with his full strength, white mist suddenly surged and spread rapidly, blocking his vision.

Seeing this, Lu San and Wang Daoxuan rushed into the fog.

The Tusi City soldiers were about to chase after them when they heard a rough voice in the thick fog, "Take your grandfather's move!"

Then, a fire caltrop was thrown from afar.

boom!
There were loud explosions, flying iron and porcelain pieces, breaking and falling branches and leaves of surrounding trees, and many native soldiers fell to the ground screaming, not daring to continue the pursuit.

Li Yan and others had already taken advantage of the thick fog and quickly ran to the riverside.

"Hurry, hurry, start the boat!"

Sharifei shouted and urged him.

The boatman heard the explosion and was confused. "Sir, what happened?"

Wang Daoxuan said in a deep voice: "The troops of Tusi City have been assembled."

"Here, there's going to be a war..."

(End of this chapter)