Knife splashing

Chapter 259 The Demon Appears
The night was as dark as ink, covering the city of Dangyang.

There were sounds of gongs and drums, smoke of incense, and flames like dragons.

Dangdang Dangdang!
"According to the order of the county lord, the Rat Fairy is catching the monster, so don't be alarmed, people."

Captain Yang shouted loudly, looking at the swarm of rats running on the street ahead. He was not afraid but rather somewhat excited.

This kind of scene is not common in my life.

The noise awakened all the people in the city.

Some people panicked and picked up sticks and straw sandals to beat the mice when they saw them running out of their houses.

But the noises they heard on the street made them hesitate.

Some people took out incense burners, burned incense and prayed.

Since ancient times, people in China have had complicated emotions towards rats. On the one hand, they hate them deeply, and use words like "short-sighted", "sly eyes", and "two-faced" to insult people.

On the other hand, this little creature accompanies humans and can never be killed or destroyed. In addition, it is said that the rat breaks the yin and yang, so it also has some kind of spirituality, so sacrifices are performed.

One of the Five Immortals of Kanto is "Rat".

In particular, the customs of "rat getting married" and "rat marrying a daughter" are popular all over China, with different times, mostly concentrated around the Chinese New Year.

On this day, if you hear a mouse moving in the middle of the night, not only will you not beat it, but you will also burn incense or sprinkle some rice in the aisle, because there is a saying that goes "If you bother it for a day, it will bother you for a year."

Seeing such a scene, some people naturally felt suspicious.

Dangyang City has been in turmoil recently. If we can catch the evil spirit that is causing trouble, it is only natural to burn incense to this "Rat Fairy".

Swish!
The rats in Dangyang City seemed to be celebrating a real festival. They poured out from all directions, running around in the streets and circling around the team.

This situation and scene is weird yet dreamy.

And this is just the beginning.

Lu San held two rats and walked forward with his feet on the Gang Step. His eyes gradually became empty, and he chanted in a strange tone:
"The wind is blowing freely in Jiuyi, and the witch music is resounding. The beasts are graceful, and the spirits are shining. They all obey my orders and protect my country..."

Wang Daoxuan's eyes lit up, he stroked his beard and whispered: "It seems that Brother Lu's inheritance is mostly related to the Chuwu Mountain Ghost."

As Lu San cast a spell, the rats scattered again, running through the streets and alleys, and even entering other people's homes, as if they were searching for something.

At the gate of the county government office, lanterns were swaying and the light and shadows flickered.

"Squeak!"

The rats ran into the county government office, passed through the lobby, and even the garden rooms at the back, twitching their noses as they ran.

Magistrate Zhang held up the hem of his official robe and watched the rats wandering around his feet. His forehead was covered in cold sweat and he dared not move.

Fortunately, as the team left, the rats disappeared.

When we arrived at the inn, we saw mice running around in the hay in the barn, startling the mules and horses so much that they neighed and stamped their front hooves on the ground. The innkeeper and the driver tried to calm them down, dumbfounded...

When he arrived at the grain and oil store, the owner was furious, but to his surprise, the rats did not get in. Instead, they just sniffed in the corner and quickly left...

The same was true for the common people in the city, whether they were rich or poor, no one dared to move, for fear of disturbing the Rat Fairy.

The biggest surprises were undoubtedly the street performers.

They traveled far and wide, both to earn a living and to broaden their horizons. No matter how trivial matters in the market or how strange the government cases were, they were all their subjects.

What I saw today is enough to write several jokes.

Although the people of the Duwei Division were also shocked, they were well-trained after all. They held knives and crossbows, with sharp eyes, and fired in all directions.

They have a feeling that they will definitely gain something today.

On the beams, Li Yan, Zheng Baihu, and several Xuanmen disciples all jumped up and used their magical powers to investigate.

The night wind blew the hem of the clothes, and several people stared at it intently.

Suddenly, the disciple of Taixuan Orthodox Sect had a gleam in his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Someone is trying to escape on the second floor of the inn!"

He has the supernatural power to observe qi and can also see the changes in blood and qi.

After hearing this, Li Yan suddenly exerted force with his feet, crushed the roof tiles with a snap, and rushed out like a sharp sword.

Wow!
On the second floor of the inn, two figures broke out of the window.

"Want to run?"

Li Yan's eyes showed murderous intent. He twisted his body in mid-air and took out the flying knife from his waist. His arm burst out with hidden strength and he swung it with the force.

shhhhh!

The flying knife broke through the air, making a shrill sound.

The speed is naturally astonishingly fast.

"what!"

One of the men screamed as the flying knife pierced his hip bone. He fell from the roof with a crash of tiles.

The other man was highly skilled and was also a sorcerer. He had already sensed something was wrong and suddenly moved his body to the side.

Bang!
With a crisp sound, gravel flew everywhere and the flying knife actually penetrated into the wall.

However, Li Yan's strength was lost due to the force he exerted in the air, so he had no choice but to flip over and land on the street.

"Qiang!"

With the sound of a dragon's roar, he exerted force again as he landed on the ground, drew his sword and rushed out, running and chasing wildly on the street.

At the same time, he also saw the appearance of the monster.

He was a man dressed as a porter, wearing coarse cloth, with a full beard, a bamboo hat, and holding two swords.

This person dodged Li Yan's flying knife, and immediately exerted force on his feet, running and jumping wildly on the roof, his speed no less than Li Yan's.

What's even more bizarre is that despite the opponent's outburst, the tiles under his feet didn't break at all, his arms swung with huge amplitude, and his body swayed left and right like a willow branch in the wind.

He is a master of Emei boxing!

When Li Yan saw it, he immediately became alert.

I've heard about the characteristics of Emei boxing: "Hands are like willows in spring, steps are like lotus leaves swaying in the wind", and judging from his appearance, he is also a master of Hua Jin.

His body is heavy but his feet are light and nimble. He jumps back and forth without breaking any tiles, and his strength flows smoothly. Only Hua Jin can do that.

He was able to dodge flying knives and there was a faint evil aura about him, clearly a sorcerer.

A sorcerer who is a master of Hua Jin!
No wonder he dared to sneak into the city alone to cause trouble.

The two of them were extremely fast and left everyone behind in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that he could not catch up, Captain Zheng in the back gritted his teeth and jumped up, directly jumping to the roof of a nearby second floor.

He stood facing the wind, took off the bow behind him, took out three arrows from the quiver, and burst out with hidden strength, shooting three arrows in a row.

call out!call out!call out!
With a sound of breaking through the air, a sharp arrow whizzed out.

This Captain Zheng is a divine archer under the command of the Duwei. Although he uses a hard bow, his speed is still extremely fast due to the burst of hidden power.

Three feather arrows were shot at the man one after another.

The man awakened his ability of hearing. He heard the sound of wind behind him, and his body swayed left and right like a willow in the wind, thus dodging two arrows.

But this was exactly what Captain Zheng had planned.

The first two arrows paved the way for the third arrow.

This last arrow left the opponent with no way to avoid it, and the timing was also very cruel, as it happened to reach the eaves of a house.

Even with the power of Hua Jin, this guy couldn't bear the arrow with his bare body, so he had to roll over and fall from the roof.

Before he landed on the ground, he heard a sound of breaking air behind him.

But Li Yan had already exerted his strength, his feet burst out continuously, and he stabbed straight in the air, heading for the back of the opponent's head.

At the same time, the soul-catching rope also whizzed out.

The man in front was about to continue fleeing, but when he heard the rattling sound of the soul-catching rope, his face suddenly changed.

He lowered his body just enough to avoid the soul-grabbing rope, and at the same time, he crossed his swords and knocked the handles together suddenly.

puff!
There was a lot of black powder hidden in the handle of the knife. After being exposed to the air, it immediately turned into black smoke and exploded, and the man's figure disappeared.

He can also escape!

Li Yan was startled, put away his knife, wrapped his head, and suddenly blocked it.

clang!
There was a crisp sound and flames splashed behind him.

But he saw that the man was covered in black smoke. He had appeared behind him at some point and chopped down with his right knife.

The force of the knife was so incredible that Li Yan felt his right arm go numb.

He did not give in, did not turn his head, and suddenly hooked his left leg, then kicked sideways and kicked the opponent. This move is the "donkey's back kick" in Hongquan.

The name is the ugliest, but like "Yellow Dog Peeing", it is a killer move in boxing.

When the donkey kicks its legs, it seems to be teasing the crotch, but in fact it is gathering strength for a kick. It is a mixture of real and fake power. Even a ferocious beast would be in trouble if it is hit by it.

What's more, Li Yan also used hidden strength.

This move seemed to be a teasing move on the crotch, and it did cause the man to dodge. But when Li Yan kicked out, the man's knees suddenly bent, holding up his ankles to neutralize his force.

Emei boxing, leg techniques, and sideways flower insertion!

Li Yan was not surprised at all, as he knew that his opponent was a master of Emei boxing and it would be easy for him to break his move.

He took advantage of this opportunity to turn around, swung the Dust-Breaking Sword around his body, and while knocking away the opponent's right sword, he slashed it diagonally, trying to break his abdomen.

The Duanchen Sword is a horizontal sword, and its usage is different from the Guanzhong quick sword.

But the old hermit from Huashan was very experienced. By measuring Li Yan's bones, he knew which weapon was more suitable for him.

The horizontal sword's chopping move is powerful and can be used with one or both hands, combining hardness and softness. It is even more powerful against Li Yan, who is growing taller and stronger.

After practicing for this period of time, he has completely mastered the horizontal sword, and it is indeed more convenient to use than the previous Guanshan sword.

The method of horizontal sword is simple in moves, which are divided into left and right horizontal slashes, bow step and horizontal stab, independent sword hiding, stepping forward and lifting the sword, cutting the sword, wrapping the head and brain, backhand chopping with the sword, backhand eight-character chop, etc.

The name is simple, but the power lies in the person who wields the knife.

In this move of stepping forward and slashing the sword, Li Yan held the hilt with both hands, and the force was so amazing that it produced a shrill whistling sound.

The man used the Emei double swords, which paid attention to the changes in fast and slow swords, combining hardness and softness, and made his moves more exquisite.

But facing Li Yan's swift attack, he had to block it with both swords.

clang!
The weapons collided and sparks flew everywhere.

The man wanted to continue attacking, but his expression changed drastically.

There was a crackling sound of lightning on Li Yan's sword.

It is the Yin Lei stored in the Twelve Yuanchen Coins.

Yin Lei is best at attacking the soul. The man had no time to defend himself. His hair stood on end, his eyes turned black, and his head was buzzing.

Li Yan took advantage of the situation and held the knife in his backhand, slashing left and right.

Horizontal sword technique, backhand eight-character slash!
"what!"

With just a scream, the man's two arms holding the knife were cut off and fell from the air.

The opponent's goal was wide open, and Li Yan showed no mercy. He kicked the opponent in the heart, then swung the knife left and right to shake off the blood.

Bang!
With a loud bang, the man hit the wall and fell to the ground.

Li Yan, however, had already put his sword back into its sheath with a clang, and said in a cold voice: "The people of Huaguang Sect are still the orthodox Emei Sect. When did they defect to the demons?"

That's right, he had already seen through this person's background.

Huaguang Sect is a martial art that is spread secretly among the martial arts community. Those who practice this technique are mostly martial arts masters and bodyguards.

The methods include big and small closed beatings, five thunder beatings, shadow beatings, and divine beatings.

The method used by the opponent before was "Shadow Fighting".

When he fought with Xiong Baodong in Chang'an City, he asked Luo Mingzi for help and invited two masters, one of whom was "Ye Kulang", and they had become his close friends.

The other is the mysterious "Shadow".

This man is a killer. Although he is not well-known in the underworld, he is very powerful. He usually hides in a pawnshop and works as an ordinary pawnbroker.

The "shadow" that night shocked Li Yan greatly. Not only did he kill many masters of the Fire Bear Gang, but his magic was even more amazing. He hid in the shadows and approached Xiong Baodong silently, scaring the other party so much that he dared not bother him again.

However, after that night, the other party disappeared without a trace.

Li Yan couldn't hold it in any longer and asked Luo Mingzi about this person.

The opponent was from the Huaguang Sect, but it was a secret killer tradition that specialized in practicing the "Shadow Fighting" method. Although it was extreme and the practice had hidden dangers, its power was also extremely amazing.

Until now, Li Yan has never seen anyone with a higher level of escape technique than him.

In comparison, the man in front of him is still far inferior.

However, the "Shadow Fighting" method was difficult to deal with. Afraid that the opponent would hear the sound of the Soul-Catching Rope and escape again, Li Yan used Yin Thunder to subdue him.

At the same time, Captain Zheng also led his men to surround him. When he saw the other party's appearance, he was immediately shocked, "Blood Blade Cheng Qu?"

Li Yan frowned slightly, "Is this person famous?"

Captain Zheng said in a deep voice: "How come a famous master in Sichuan and Shu also joined the Tiansheng Sect?"

As he spoke, he looked at the broken arm on the ground, his eyes twitched, and he whispered, "Young Master Li, this man cannot be killed. Leave it to us to deal with."

Li Yan was a little surprised, "Why?"

Captain Zheng looked around and whispered, "This man is from the Cheng family in Sichuan. Their clan leader is Cheng Jianxin, a master. I heard he is also a swordsman who can use a flying sword."

"Sword Immortal?"

Li Yan was stunned.

Hong Yasha, a demon catcher in Chang'an City, once told him that he and his master had seen a sword immortal in Shu, but they only saw his trace but did not know his name.

The Duwei Division monitors the martial arts world and naturally controls more intelligence.

He knew that the Cheng family of Sichuan and Shu was the most powerful family in the Emei lineage, but this was the first time he heard the name Cheng Jianxin.

What’s more, the opponent is actually a master!
"Hahaha…"

At this moment, Cheng Qu, who was lying on the ground, spit out blood and sneered, saying, "Don't worry, I have already betrayed the Cheng family and have nothing to do with that old bastard Cheng Jianxin."

"If you want to kill or chop me up, do it sooner!"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, "You and the Cheng family's affairs have nothing to do with us, but even if you are a famous family in the martial arts world, why do you want to help the tyrant and tarnish the good name of Guan Sheng Emperor?"

"Qingming? Ugh!"

Cheng Qu spat out a mouthful of blood foam, showing his cold white teeth, and sneered: "People only praise Guan Lao Er for his loyalty, but they never thought about how many of the ghosts killed by his sword were innocent souls?"

"Just like you, I am nothing more than a running dog of the Han family."

Li Yan understood what was going on, "You are not Han Chinese?"

Cheng Qu smiled coldly and ignored him.

Li Yan seemed to be thinking about something, and said in a deep voice: "Take him away first, don't let him die, and then interrogate him carefully."

"Ah."

Captain Zheng immediately ordered his men to go forward and bandage the man to stop the bleeding. At least the man could not die before the information was revealed.

Li Yan, on the other hand, walked quickly out of the street.

The Rat Immortal's patrol of the city has not yet ended, and Lu San's magic is still going on.

As far as he knew, the Huaguang Sect was good at martial arts, and the person who impersonated the Holy Lord Guandi must be some kind of evil spirit. There must be problems in the city.

Sure enough, after patrolling most of the county, when passing by a dilapidated old house, dense swarms of rats suddenly became excited and scurried up and down around the courtyard wall.

"Break the door!"

At Captain Zheng's command, several men from the Duwei Division immediately stepped forward and kicked open the wooden door of the old house.

The strange thing was that the mice just ran around but didn't dare to enter.

No one lives in the old house. It is overgrown with weeds and there is a huge locust tree that has long been dead. Half of the roof of the old house has collapsed.

There are locust trees planted in the yard, and something seems wrong.

However, when Li Yan performed some magic spells, he could no longer smell any strange odor from the dead locust tree.

Several disciples on Mount Zigai also displayed their magical powers.

The other three people also got nothing. Only the Taixuan orthodox disciple who had awakened the ability to hear ghosts and gods had his ears trembling and his face gradually became shocked.

"Quick, get out of here!"

He shouted loudly, and everyone left the old house.

Li Yan was puzzled, "What did you hear?"

The disciple stared at the old house and said with gritted teeth:

“This house is speaking…”

　The second one will be later

　　
　
(End of this chapter)