Knife splashing

Chapter 29 Reflection
It is not surprising that bandits smashed kilns.

"Smashing the kiln" is a code word in the underworld, referring to attacking the compound of a rich person.

Just over a hundred years into the Daxuan Dynasty, land annexation had become increasingly serious. Coupled with the power of clans, wealthy and powerful families were numerous everywhere.

They are not afraid of the peasants, nor are they afraid of the imperial court's laws, because every time a new official takes office, the first thing he does is to win over the peasants.

People like Li Huairen from Lijiabao are still good, at least he follows the rules.

Li Yan had heard that some gentry were rich and tyrannical, bullying the common people and not taking human life seriously at all. They could accuse you of violating clan rules and beat you to death at will.

The local officials were at a loss as to what to say.

The only thing these landlords and gentry fear is bandits.

Therefore, they built high walls and hired guards to defend their courtyards. They also often donated money to the local Shenquan Society and won over the underworld forces to protect themselves.

But generally speaking, bandits rarely massacre villages.

It's not because they have good intentions, but because they don't want to kill the goose that lays the eggs.

The common people are like grass, and the gentry are like sheep.

Where there is grass, there will be sheep.

They can be happy for a while if they do a job.

In some places, bandits and local gentry even colluded with each other, plundering every once in a while in the name of suppressing banditry.

But this time something was different.

Eunuchs who came from the capital, hiding their identities, bandits from Qi and Lu, slaughtering the whole village...

No matter how you look at it, it's not just for money.

Thinking of this, Li Yan frowned and continued to ask: "Since you encountered bandits, you should go to Xianyang City to report to the authorities. Why did you end up in such a situation?"

"Oh, stop talking..."

Sharifei cried, "The Taoist priest and I returned to Xianyang City at night. Just as we were about to report to the authorities, we discovered that someone had already taken the lead."

"who is it?"

"It was Mr. Lu's concubine in red, and the head of the guards Zhao Cheng, who were in mourning and crying, saying that they were pregnant with Mr. Lu's child and asked the government to make a decision..."

"He is a treacherous and cowardly person. He is obviously an internal traitor colluding with external bandits."

"I wanted to expose them, but the Taoist priest pulled me away."

"I didn't dare to take the main road and cross the mountains to get to Lijiabao."

It can be heard that Sharifei is still dissatisfied and confused.

Li Yan sneered and said, "Master, you are right. If you dare to show up, it will be difficult for you to leave Xianyang City alive."

Sharifi was stunned, "Why?"

Wang Daoxuan was full at this time, so he burped, shook his head and sighed: "I dare not say more on the way, that Lu Yuanwai is a eunuch!"

"Eunuch?!"

Sharifei was completely shocked, and sweat broke out on his forehead.

He is a slippery person, so how could he not notice something fishy?

The purpose of massacring the whole village was to silence the witnesses. The bandits would not be afraid of this. If the news got out, they would become famous. The only possibility was that they did not want to leak the news. The only people who could be related to the eunuchs were the royal family...

The thief stayed, which means this matter is not over yet...

"This...what should I do?"

Thinking of this, Sharifei suddenly felt a headache.

Li Yan shook his head and said, "It's not easy. Several bandits are acting together, and there are also bandits from other provinces. This means that there are many people involved. It is very likely that there are people from the government involved. If you get involved, you will die."

"Hide first and wait until the storm passes."

"There are too many people in the village to see anything, so just hide in the mountains. I will bring you food, and then go out to gather information after the storm has subsided."

"That's all. It's just the way it is."

Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan looked at each other, both helpless.

"By the way, Taoist Priest, I have one more request from you..."

…………

When we returned to the village, the roosters were crowing.

Li Yan sneaked back into the room and pretended to have just woken up. After getting up, he fed the chickens, fetched water, made a fire and cooked a pot of corn porridge. Then he started practicing boxing in the yard.

First the ten major skills, then fighting techniques and swordsmanship.

It was as if what happened last night never happened.

But he knew that everything had changed.

Success in concentrating the spirit means that one has entered the mysterious world. There is also a lot to do, including investigating the cause of his father's death and the dark force that persecuted the family.

But he couldn't leave yet because grandpa's condition was getting worse.

After the curse on the plaque was removed, he did feel more energetic for a while, but it didn't last long. These days, he was even more sleepy and weak, often sitting outside the door in a daze.

I would sit there for a whole day and even forget his name.

It happened that Wang Daoxuan came last night. The Taoist's medical skills were pretty good, at least better than the country doctors. Li Yan asked him to disguise himself as a traveling doctor and come to the house to see the patient today.

"Practicing medicine, saving lives..."

Just after breakfast, someone came from the village entrance and shouted. It was Wang Daoxuan.

At this time, he was still wearing a tattered Taoist robe, but he was carrying a small cloth banner in his left hand and shaking a string of bells with his right hand, which immediately attracted the attention of the village children, who rushed to watch.

In this closed little village, the arrival of a stranger is a big deal.

As for the outfit, there are also some requirements.

The cloth banner was just written, and it was torn into a tattered piece of clothing in the sand.

The string of bells in the hand is also called tiger brace. It is said that the King of Medicine once met a tiger seeking medical treatment on the road. The tiger had a bone spur in its mouth. The King of Medicine was afraid that the tiger would hurt people, so he put the tiger brace in the tiger's mouth. After the tiger recovered, it became the King of Medicine's mount.

Among the Pimen, there are street practitioners, also called "tuibaode" in slang.

The tiger support is its symbol.

As the saying goes, "gold changes skin in one morning".

When Wang Daoxuan was traveling around the world, he couldn't get any work, so he often pretended to be a traveling doctor. He just happened to have this thing.

Li Yan, who was well prepared, immediately went to meet him and invited Wang Daoxuan to his home. "I'm fine, I can eat and drink, what's wrong with me?"

The old man was obviously resisting, unwilling and reluctant.

Li Yan quickly said a few nice words, and Wang Daoxuan's words and actions made people feel like they were in a spring breeze, so the old man frowned and said nothing more.

After some questioning, Wang Daoxuan smiled and said, "The old man is in good health, but he is old and not in good spirits. Just make some sour jujube seeds, poria and licorice and soak them in water. Just drink it every day."

"I told you I'm not sick, what a waste of money."

Li Gui complained, but he was obviously relieved.

After saying a few words, he began to snore again in a daze.

However, Li Yan had already noticed something was wrong. After leaving the house, he took Wang Daoxuan to a secluded place and asked worriedly, "Master, what's going on?"

Wang Daoxuan's face also became solemn, he stroked his beard and shook his head and said: "The old man really doesn't have any disease, it's just that his energy and blood have declined, and he's old."

"But when I took his pulse just now, I secretly used my magical powers and found that the old man's spirit was weak. I'm afraid this is the real reason."

"What happened?"

Li Yan was silent for a moment, and then he roughly recounted the curse, wondering, "The spell of curse has been broken, so why is it still like this?"

After these days, he had developed trust in Wang Daoxuan, so he told him the truth.

"That's not surprising."

Wang Daoxuan sighed, "There are fierce and vicious methods of winning that can kill people within a few days, and there are also those that can have a hidden influence and destroy families."

"The person who did it probably didn't want to draw attention to himself."

"This technique will not only ruin your luck and reduce the number of male descendants in your family, but it will also cause trouble and attract evil spirits. Although the old man cannot realize it, he is subconsciously fighting against it."

"Perhaps you are able to live safely until now because of the old man's protection."

"After all, we are ordinary people. It's like drawing a bow and drawing an arrow, but we have to use up our spirit and blood to support it. After the victory spell is broken, we may feel relaxed for a while, but our spirit and soul have been damaged too much, and coupled with our old age, I'm afraid we don't have much time left..."

Although Li Yan had some guesses, he was still trembling in his heart, "Is there any way to save him?"

"Disaster."

Wang Daoxuan shook his head and said, "This is not an illness, but the end of his life is approaching. Take advantage of this time to accompany the old man."

"Remember, if an old person suddenly wants to eat something cold, then you need to prepare for his death."

"why?"

"The false yang floats outward, and the light returns to the sky."

…………

As soon as Wang Daoxuan was sent out, he was stopped by a group of villagers.

It is difficult for villagers to get medical treatment. If they have a common headache or fever, they usually deal with it with some folk remedies, and only go to the city for medical treatment when they can no longer bear it.

Now that a traveling doctor has finally come, of course we have to invite him to have a look.

Li Yan was in a bad mood and didn't bother to pay attention.

After returning to the room, he saw that his grandfather was still sleeping soundly. After a moment of silence, he turned around and went to the stable at the back, took the horse that Lu Yuanwai had sent, and found Du Daya, the driver.

"Uncle Du, I've sold the horse gang, and I want to ask you to do something for me."

"Brother Yan, you say."

"Invite a troupe to perform in the village for a few days."

"Remember, find another excuse..."

……

Two days later, a drama troupe came to the village.

According to the boss, he was wandering around when he was young and was almost starving to death. He was able to survive because someone gave him food in Lijiabao.

Now I am here to repay my gratitude and will perform for five consecutive days.

The common people naturally didn't care about this. No matter who did the good deed, they would just watch it. After all, they wouldn't watch it on weekdays. Even the people from the surrounding villages ran more than ten miles to watch the fun.

Every night, Lijiabao is brightly lit with candles and bustling with people.

Apart from anything else, Grandpa Li Gui was extremely happy.

The old man has no other hobbies except watching plays.

In the past few years, whenever he heard that there was a play being performed somewhere, he would go out early and take Li Yan to watch the play in a donkey cart. However, his health has not been good in recent years, and his legs and feet are not convenient, so he can only stay at home.

Sometimes I would think about going to Chang'an to watch a play when I have time.

Li Yan couldn't invite famous actors from Chang'an, but the wild troupe from Lantian was okay.

"Investiture of the Gods", "Shooting the Nine Suns", "The Story of Loyalty and Righteousness"...

For several days in a row, the rough Qinqiang opera echoed throughout the village.

The old man naturally had a great time, and even after the troupe left, he returned home and continued to yell:

"A command from the general shook the mountains and rivers,

Men put on armor and saddled their horses.
The boys, both young and old, shouted together,
Urge the troops to the front..."

The pitch is not accurate, but it is desolate and heroic, as if recalling the days of war and war in youth. Every time after singing, I would stare blankly into the distance.

"Yanwa, I feel so hot, I want to eat something cold..."

When Li Yan heard this, tears started to fall. He suppressed his sadness and smiled: "Grandpa, it's not that easy to have something cold. Look, I'll get it for you."

Making ice with saltpeter is not a rare thing, and this method is used in the martial arts world.

Li Yan made some and mixed it with maltose.

The old man ate happily, then looked at him reluctantly:

"My child, after I leave, I'm afraid you will follow your father's path. It's fate, and grandpa can't stop you. But there are a few words you must remember."

"Grandpa, please say." Li Yan was already kneeling on the ground, crying.

The old man looked into the distance and said in a hoarse voice:

"Baby, you're all alone from now on, remember..."

"It is better to teach people to hate you than to teach them to pity you!"

"It is better to let people fear you than to let them bully you!"

(End of this chapter)