Knife splashing

Chapter 252: Earthly Immortal Tomb

"The most famous thing in Zigai Cave is undoubtedly Ge Xianweng's overturned well. He also wrote the "Legend of the Immortals". Everyone knows about this."

Guan Peide glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice: "In the Zigai Mountain Taoist Temple, there is a statue of Ge Xianweng, and there are four people worshipped beside him."

"Two of them are the daughters of the Qu family in Dangyang. It is said that when Ge Xian Gong was refining elixirs and practicing in Zigai Mountain, he often walked barefoot on thorns and gravel.

The two daughters of the Qu family in the village at the foot of the mountain saw the blood flowing from the feet of Ge Xiangong and felt sorry for him, so they twisted colorful silk threads and made colorful silk shoes for Ge Xiangong.

Seeing that they were simple and kind-hearted, Ge Xian Gong took the two sisters with him when he ascended to heaven.

"The other two are Madam Fan and Liu Gang."

"These two are both characters in Ge Xianweng's "Legends of Immortals". Liu Gang was the magistrate of Shangyu County in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Madam Fan was his wife. Both of them practiced Taoism, and it is rumored that they ascended to immortality in Zigai Mountain."

After hearing this, Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan were both confused.

There is no doubt that Ge Xianweng is a person who successfully ascended to deity. These people who are worshipped as gods are either his disciples or have close connections with him.

They are all people from long-gone eras.

What did the old monk find out that brought him death?
Everyone couldn't figure out the reason, and with the two young monks crying, they worked together to collect Master Miaoshan's body.

When Li Yan saw his corpse, he became secretly alert.

This old monk was slapped to death by someone. The opponent should have been at the peak of dark power, and he used martial arts, which even destroyed his soul.

The attack was extremely brutal.

Rumble!
At this moment, lightning and thunder flashed, and heavy rain poured down.

This time the rain was heavier, as if the heavens were angry. The trees in the mausoleum creaked and swayed in the wind, as if they were about to collapse.

The rain was pouring down, hitting the roof with a crackling sound like popping beans. The rain poured down the eaves like a waterfall and flowed along the waterway.

There were flashes of lightning and thunder, and the candlelight in the room was dim.

Several young monks were crying, making the atmosphere even more depressing.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. They were originally going to the county government office, and someone had died, but in this situation, they could only hide temporarily.

Wang Daoxuan sighed, "Brother Yan, since we can't leave for the time being, why don't we go and burn some incense for Emperor Guan?"

"Alright."

Li Yan looked solemn and nodded.

He knew that Wang Daoxuan wanted him to see if he could become a god.

The current situation in Dangyang County is very wrong and shrouded in mystery. Some things may be hidden from humans, but not from ghosts and gods.

"You two, I will go with you."

Seeing this, Guan Peide hurriedly led the way.

In this kind of weather, the oil-paper umbrella would be torn to pieces by a single blow. Besides, the hall was not far away, so the three of them trotted in the rain and came outside.

On the front eaves of the main hall, there was a huge golden plaque hanging with four big characters "Terrifying China" written on it.

Inside the main hall, rows of lotus lanterns swayed in the wind, the air was filled with the smell of incense, and statues of Guan Yu and his sons and Zhou Cang were enshrined.

Li Yan shook his head slightly at Wang Daoxuan.

He finally understood why the other party took the risk to kill people.

This golden plaque with the inscription "Terrifying China" is an extremely powerful talisman. Once one enters the hall, his supernatural powers are suppressed and cannot be used.

If someone is bold enough to cast a spell or use exorcism to kill people, they will probably backfire and die before they even get close, so they can only sneak in and do it themselves.

But even so, Li Yan could vaguely feel that the statue in the main hall exuded a terrifying pressure. The divine power was like a prison, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Several people burned incense respectfully and kowtowed in turn.

Guandi is now the totem of China, representing "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness", which is incomparable to any ordinary gods and deities.

After bowing, Li Yan shook his head helplessly at Wang Daoxuan.

To be honest, he really wanted to meet this martial saint, but Gou Diao did not respond at all.

Temples dedicated to Guandi are spread all over China. The incense is so strong and the divine power gathered from them has probably reached an incredible level.

A lightning strike on a mausoleum was a big deal in their eyes, but perhaps to Guandi, it was not even a tickle.

Although he is a living ghost, he cannot see such a being whenever he wants.

Wang Daoxuan shook his head and said, "Let's go to the back and take a look."

Guan Peide immediately understood that the two wanted to check the cause of the lightning strike, so he quickly led them around the bedroom and to the tomb.

The tomb of Guandi is a huge mound covered with dense green shade and densely planted trees, like a small hill.

There is a pavilion and a tombstone in front of the tomb. On the tombstone are written "Han Shou Ting Hou" in large, powerful characters.

Wang Daoxuan first bowed respectfully to the tombstone, then took out the compass, looked around, and couldn't help but praise: "Good feng shui!"

"This place faces east and sits west, with the Daba Mountains at its back. It is like a dragon walking on the earth, majestic and imposing, and is the dragon throne of Guanling.

In front of us is the Ju River, which looks like a jade belt around its waist, and Jingshan Mountain is visible in the distance.

I saw Jingshan before, which was like a pen holder, just right to harmonize the martial arts of the emperor with the momentum of Wenchang. This is called having a light in front and a support behind…”

Click!

As he was speaking, suddenly the sky and the earth turned bright with snow, there was a deafening roar of thunder, and a huge bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck directly on the grave.

The three of them were shocked and looked up quickly.

I saw that the crown of a tall tree on the mound was directly chopped off, fell down with flames, and was extinguished by heavy rain.

“Here… again!”

Guan Peide's face was pale and his voice was trembling.

Wang Daoxuan frowned and carefully examined the mound. He thought of something and raised his hand and said, "Don't worry, Master Guan. Wait a moment and look at the tree."

Li Yan looked up and saw that the crowns of other trees had been broken, except for this one, whose crown was still lush and dense.

He was thoughtful and vaguely figured out the taste.

Click!
Less than half an incense stick of time passed before huge thunder struck again.

Sure enough, the crown of the tree was also chopped off.

Guan Peide's eyes widened, "What's going on?"

Wang Daoxuan breathed a sigh of relief and said in a deep voice: "Heaven and man are in sync!"

"The body of Guan Yu is buried here, but without his head. Now that the Saint's divine power is so great, it will naturally become more effective."

“How can you plant a tree with a crown in a land without a head?”

"Master Guan, don't worry. No evil creature in the world dares to cause trouble here. If I'm not mistaken, there will be no more lightning strikes in the future."

"This is a good thing. It shows that Guanling is even more mysterious. At the next temple fair, we just need to disclose this matter in advance, and no one will dare to gossip about it. The incense will also be more popular."

"But from now on, tree crowns must be trimmed in advance to avoid being struck by lightning again."

"Is this...really?"

Guan Peide was surprised and delighted.

Wang Daoxuan nodded and said, "This is not an isolated case."

"At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the world was in chaos. A strange light rose near the Mausoleum of the First Emperor. People around often heard the sound of soldiers fighting in their dreams at night..." "At the end of the Tang Dynasty, Wu Daozi's murals in the Daming Palace were oozing with blood, which was regarded as an ominous sign at the time..."

"In addition, there are some blessed places where, if there is a response from the gods, the surrounding vegetation will also be the first to change, such as the purple cypress trees on Mount Huashan."

As he spoke, he looked around and frowned, "The only thing that puzzles me is that this heavenly induction is too violent. I'm afraid there is something wrong with the Feng Shui layout."

Li Yan, who was standing next to him, suddenly had an idea and asked, "Master Guan, what did the Ju River look like originally?"

Guan Peide said: "Although the river is narrow, the water is clear, like a jade belt."

“When did it start to get muddy?”

"Hiss, come to think of it, it was just before the lightning strike!"

"It seems right."

Wang Daoxuan breathed a sigh of relief. "This Ju River is also part of Guanling's Feng Shui. It is turbid and violent. Coupled with the appearance of the connection between heaven and man, this strange phenomenon occurred."

"That's fine, that's fine."

Guan Peide finally felt relieved, but then he thought of something and wondered, "I often drink tea and chat with Master Miaoshan, who is also proficient in Fengshui. Why didn't he see this?"

Wang Daoxuan was speechless and shook his head, saying, "That is unknown. This is all I can see. Perhaps the Zen master has made other discoveries."

In any case, the story of the lightning strike at Guanling was finally solved.

When it was getting dark, the thunderstorm finally stopped and everyone set off immediately, carrying the body of Zen Master Miaoshan to Dangyang County.

Guan Peide found a carriage to transport the body. The road was muddy and difficult to travel on, and when he returned to the city, it was already night.

This small county town is not like Chang'an. At night, all the teahouses and restaurants are closed. Only a few wealthy families have lanterns hanging at their doors.

There are still puddles of water on the bluestone path.

The young man from the Guan family pushed the carriage directly to the gate of the county government office.

When the gatekeeper heard that something had happened again, he did not dare to delay and hurried to the backyard to call the county magistrate and all the yamen runners on duty.

The county magistrate was named Zhang Cheng, a native of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. He had a thin appearance and liked to show off his literary talent. Although he was not very capable, he was fair and honest and had a good reputation among the common people and gentry.

He hurriedly put on his official uniform and examined the bodies in the hall. He suddenly felt a headache and rubbed his brows, saying, "There are thieves from the Tiansheng Sect causing chaos in Dangyang. I have sent someone to pass a message to the Yichang Duwei Division, and they are expected to arrive tomorrow. I didn't expect another death."

"This thief of the Heavenly Saint Church is so inhumane!"

At this time, the head constable Yang Desheng suddenly cupped his hands and said, "Sir, this young man Li asked me to investigate those grave-stalkers, and I did find something."

"Oh?"

County Magistrate Zhang Cheng quickly asked: "Why are they connected with the tomb robbers again? Could it be that this group of people want to take over Guanling?"

He looked anxious and sweat broke out on his forehead.

If something happened to Guan Ling, his official career would be over.

Li Yan looked around and said, "Don't worry, sir. Guan Ling is fine, but there are many strange things about this matter. Maybe there are more than one party involved."

There were so many people around and he didn't want to say too much to avoid leaking the news.

"That's good."

County Magistrate Zhang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Li Yan, saying, "I have also heard about Young Master Li's story. He is indeed wise and brave. He found the real culprit as soon as he arrived in Dangyang."

"Young man, go ahead and investigate. The county government will definitely cooperate with us!"

It sounds nice, but it's actually just a headache and laziness.

Li Yan didn't care. He bowed and followed the head constable Yang Desheng to the prison. The others followed closely behind.

The conditions in the county jails were even worse.

The mottled stone walls, the damp straw, and all kinds of foul odors mixed with the smell of decay and mold hit me in the face.

Torches were flickering, and the prisoners in the cells had disheveled hair. Some were groaning, some were shouting for injustice. It was like a hell of evil spirits.

Li Yan couldn't bear it any longer, so he closed his magical powers, held his breath, and followed Captain Yang to the death row cell.

A man covered with poisonous sores was sleeping soundly, with a few chicken bones scattered around him.

"Young Master Li, this is the man."

Captain Yang said, "This guy's nickname is the Earth-Drilling Wolf. He's the leader of a gang of grave-dwellers. He asked for a pot of wine and two chickens before he would talk."

Then he pulled out a wooden stick and knocked it, "Hey, burrowing wolf, wake up and repeat what you said before."

The man stood up slowly, his eyes cold, scratched his body randomly, scratched a few poisonous sores, and said indifferently: "Okay, get another pot of wine and two chickens."

"You're such a fucking idiot..."

Captain Yang was immediately annoyed, but he didn't want to delay the work, so he ordered his men, "Go, bring it to him!"

There is really no way to deal with this kind of stubborn death row inmate.

After drinking a pot of wine and eating half a chicken, the man glanced at a few people and sneered, "It's really strange, how come the government is also interested in digging into graves?"

"Just say what you want me to say, don't talk nonsense!"

Captain Yang cursed again viciously.

The man was not angry, and smacked his lips and said, "Dangyang County was called Quan State during the Shang Dynasty. It was later destroyed by Chu. There were originally many tombs of Chu and Han in the mountains."

"But when Prime Minister Cao arrived, he ordered his tomb raiders to rob everything. Later, they were all small tombs, and the brothers used the money to support their families."

"There are only three places near Dangyang that we dare not approach."

"One is Guanling, and the other is Zigai Cave."

"As for this third one, it's called Earth Immortal Cave."

"Earth Immortal Cave?"

Guan Peide frowned and said, "I have never heard of a place called 'Dixian Cave' in Dangyang."

"hey-hey."

The Earth Wolf sneered, "Of course you don't know. The name 'Earth Immortal Cave' is only known to insiders."

"In the mountains southwest of Dangyang, there is an ancient Yelang Road that originally connected Bashan and Yichang, but later a land dragon turned over, completely interrupting the road and making it difficult to repair, so it was abandoned."

"During the Zhenyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, it was rumored that there was an immortal who practiced in a cave on the cliff of the Yelang Ancient Road. Her name was 'Xiang Ai'. Because she killed a turtle monster in Dongting Lake and saved countless people, many people went to pay homage to her."

"Later, she recruited many disciples. After she passed away, those disciples built a tomb for the immortals, saying that this 'Xiang' would return to the world many years later."

"The tomb of an immortal is naturally coveted by many. Many people have gone to look for it, but either found nothing or never returned. Anyway, it is very strange, and it is considered a taboo in our industry."

"What Immortal Tomb?!"

Captain Yang cursed, "I think this is probably where the evil people from the Tiansheng Sect hide. They are afraid of being found, so they deliberately scare people."

"You know nothing!"

The Earth Wolf said disdainfully: "The story of the 'Earth Immortal Cave' has been circulating since the Tang and Song dynasties. At that time, the Heavenly Saint Sect had not yet appeared."

"Don't disbelieve me, this 'Xiang Ai' was already recorded in the Song Dynasty's Taiping Guangji. By the way, she also has an identity..."

"She is Madam Fan, the fairy from the Eastern Han Dynasty!"

　Two updates today

　　
　
(End of this chapter)