Knife splashing

Chapter 292: Stepping on the Frost, the Ice Comes
Are you really coming?
Li Yan was also a little surprised when he heard it.

This is not simply "respecting the wise and humble oneself", but helping others to improve their reputation. The double-eyed Taoist of Jiang Xiang's faction can use this to make a name for himself and then establish his own sect.

This kind of thing has happened many times since ancient times.

There are many stories about Chen Xiyi and Emperor Taizu of Song, and Sanfeng Zhenren and Emperor Taizu of Daxuan that have been passed down to later generations, and the sect has developed rapidly as a result.

The prince personally came to save the day and resolved the disaster...

As the story of the founding of a sect, it is the most appropriate!
Master Lin, who was standing aside, did not seem surprised by the arrival of King Wuchang. He just rubbed his temples to relieve his fatigue.

Li Yan couldn't help but ask, "Sir, is that person famous?"

Master Lin was supported by Tian Wei and sat on a chair. He shook his head and said, "Although his reputation is not great, his methods are extraordinary."

"This man is called Yu Lanshan. He is also a miserable person. He was born with double pupils since he was a child. However, his family members feared him and sold him to human traffickers. He was almost crippled by the Beggars' Gang and became a beggar."

"He was later rescued by his master, and he awakened his ability to see qi. Because he was born with a natural ability to see things, he could see more than others. From then on, he surpassed his master and became quite accomplished in the art of feng shui."

"He is quite capable, so he naturally looks down on the trickery of Jiang Xiang's sect. He is considered a traitor and has had many conflicts with them. Moreover, because of his background, he is not respected by the Xuanmen orthodox sect."

"I met this man by chance and found that although he was rebellious, he was also upright in his conduct. I couldn't bear to see him go astray, so I advised him to come here to make a name for himself and start a new business."

Tian Wei suddenly realized, "So it was written by you, sir."

Master Lin said calmly: "I am just following the trend. Whether he can succeed or not depends entirely on him."

As he spoke, he rubbed his waist again and sighed, "Alas, time is not forgiving. I wanted to walk around the Yelang Ancient Road a few more times this year, but it seems that I can't do it anymore."

Tian Wei quickly advised: "Sir, although we have gathered all the money, the world is in chaos now, it is too dangerous..."

Master Lin shook his head and said, "Xu Hongzu of Jiangyin dared to go on the road alone. I have people to accompany and escort me, but I can't even do one ten-thousandth of what he did. What a pity."

"If you are willing, please help me complete this book in the future..."

After listening to the conversation between the two, Li Yan finally understood what was going on.

It turns out that not everyone in the Confucian school is eager for fame and fortune. Some people can be called avid hikers.

They like the ancient Zhou Dynasty poets who shook wooden bells, walked in the countryside, recorded famous poems, and compiled the "Book of Songs"...

They also admired Li Daoyuan, who served as an official in various places and wrote the Water Classics...

In short, I like to go deep into the mountains and swamps to record customs, folkways and geography. My life goal is to leave behind classics that will be passed down through the ages.

Mr. Lin wanted to write a book called "Jingchu Guangji" in imitation of "Jingchu Sui Shi Ji" to describe the changes in Jingchu customs according to historical dynasties.

But unfortunately, he spent half his life and only wrote half of it. It is estimated that he will have to wait for his disciples to inherit his mantle and it will take the combined efforts of two generations to complete it.

Hearing this, Li Yan and Lu San were also extremely impressed.

Unfortunately, they are all rough people. Although they travel around, writing books is obviously not something they are good at.

Just then, the sound of footsteps and armor outside the yard faded away.

However, the guards who escorted Prince Wuchang had already left.

The headmaster and the head priest of Jianghan Academy also quickly walked into the courtyard and sighed, "Brother Lin, Mr. Yu has been invited away by the prince."

Master Lin shook his head and said, "It's earlier than I thought. Could something have happened?"

Liu Shan sighed and said, "Something has indeed happened."

"People from the Law Enforcement Hall and the Guards were heading to the Liangzi Lake Miao Kiln, but they didn't expect the news to leak out halfway."

"Those Miao people who were causing the rebellion have already left, and they have also captured many people from nearby villages, regardless of whether they are Miao or Han, and are holding a blood sacrifice outside the Barbarian King's tomb."

"The master guarding the Baotong Zen Temple was killed. According to those who escaped, they heard the roar of a tiger, shaking the mountains."

"The area around the Barbarian King's Tomb has now become a dangerous place, shrouded in white fog. No one who enters to explore will come out alive."

Master Lin frowned slightly, "It seems that Mr. Yu's guess is correct. I hope he can succeed..."

As he spoke, he could no longer hide his tiredness.

Seeing this, Li Yan and his companions quickly stood up and said goodbye.

When we left the academy, the sun was already shining brightly outside.

The streets are very lively, with peddlers walking around the streets, street performers singing fisherman's drums and telling stories, and people setting up stalls...everywhere you can see them.

The people are still unaware of what is happening now.

For them, even though these two days may feel a little chaotic, it is not as important as celebrating the festival.

It's not even the Dragon Boat Festival yet, but there are already people carrying two baskets of rice dumplings and selling them on the streets. The green-skinned dumplings are neatly stacked, looking very exquisite.

Li Yan and his friends had not eaten breakfast that morning, so they bought a few of them when they saw this.

Every household can make zongzi. If they dare to sell it, they must have extraordinary skills. The glutinous rice is cooked to perfection, and the date paste and red bean paste each have their own flavor.

The three of them ate as they walked, and they had finished everything before they reached the Chamber of Commerce.

Back at the Chamber of Commerce, the entrance was just as busy.

A dragon boat was placed outside. It was long and narrow with dragon heads and tails carved on both sides. There were also carved and hand-painted dragon scales on the hull, which looked lifelike.

At this moment, the dragon boat was hung with red silk, with an offering table placed in front. Several officials were dancing around the dragon boat, holding gongs, drums and incense.

Behind the altar, there was a row of neatly dressed men in red and black waistcoats, revealing their muscular arms, all bending over and bowing in worship.

“This is to consecrate the dragon boat.”

Tian Wei explained with a smile: "The newly made dragon boats need to be blessed and dotted before launching. These people are from the Chamber of Commerce Dragon Boat Team. They are all experts from the surrounding villages. They are determined to win the championship this year."

Outside the Chamber of Commerce, there were several old men, all dressed in gorgeous clothes, with long and neat beards, looking at the ongoing ceremony with smiles on their faces.

Seeing this, Tian Wei hurriedly whispered, "That person is Mr. Zhao, the vice president of the Chamber of Commerce. He is also a big family in Ezhou and has always been plotting to become the president."

"Ah."

Li Yan nodded and didn't care.

Wherever there are people, there will be struggle.

In the past in the village, people would sabotage and fight each other just for a small profit from running errands, not to mention the huge interests involved in the Chamber of Commerce.

Of course, no matter how fierce the fight is, it has nothing to do with him and he won't even look at it.

However, just as they were about to enter, Vice President Zhao stopped them with a glance, and said with a smile: "Nephew Tian, ​​why don't you say hello to me when you see me?"

Tian Wei was a little embarrassed, and quickly bowed and said, "Hello, Uncle Zhao. I didn't see you were busy, so I didn't dare to disturb you."

Vice President Zhao nodded, then his expression turned serious, and he snorted coldly: "Humph, Brother Tian is also a member of our Chamber of Commerce. How dare those monsters harm him so cruelly? They simply don't take our Ezhou Chamber of Commerce seriously!"

"If our own people don't support us, where will the people's hearts be in the Chamber of Commerce if this continues? Don't worry, nephew Tian, ​​I'm here to avenge your Tian family!"

Tian Wei quickly nodded and thanked him.

He didn't dare to respond to such words.

On the surface, he was cursing the evildoer, but in reality he was indirectly criticizing Wu Honglin for not making decisions for the members of the Chamber of Commerce.

If he got carried away and followed the other party's lead, the old fox would definitely use his family's experience as a handle and make a big fuss about it.

Whether you can vent your anger is another matter.

Being caught between these two parties means you get bullied from both sides!

Vice President Zhao saw this and did not force him. Instead, he turned to look at Li Yan and said with a smile: "This must be Young Master Li from Guanzhong, right? He is indeed a young talent."

Li Yan bowed helplessly, "I am just a nobody."

Vice President Zhao didn't take it seriously, stroked his beard and smiled, "You are young and famous but not arrogant, good!" "This time, I will be in charge of the competition. I heard that Young Master Li will also participate. This time, he will definitely become famous."

Li Yan was stunned. "Has the time been set?"

Vice President Zhao nodded and said, "This year's dragon boat race will start on May 5th and last until May 15th. All martial arts escort agencies must send people to compete, so the competition must end before May 5th."

"During this period, there are dragon boat races on the Yangtze River during the day, and at night Buddhists hold grand rituals to liberate the souls of the dead. On May 13, they worship Guandi, the God of Mercy, on May 15, they 'carry the Bodhisattva' and 'jump off the pier', and on May 17, they 'send the plague ship'. It's very busy."

Tian Wei was a little surprised, "Is it such a big deal this year?"

Vice President Zhao nodded slightly and said meaningfully: "This was a special order from the palace this morning. The Ezhou Chamber of Commerce has mobilized its full strength. I heard that you went to the academy, so you should know about this."

When the three heard this, they immediately had some guesses.

Making such a big fuss may also be related to the bad feng shui.

Of course, such secret matters cannot be spoken carelessly. So Tian Wei pretended to be confused and said, "Well, I just heard that the teacher was coming, so I went to the academy to pay my respects. I don't know much about other things."

Vice President Zhao smiled slightly and did not continue to ask questions. Instead, he said to Li Yan: "In short, time is a bit tight. It will be in three days. This time, each family will send out their best players, and the prince will go to watch in person."

"If Young Master Li wins the first prize, he might even be able to enter the palace!"

Li Yan cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the reminder, senior."

He went to participate in the competition, firstly to take advantage of the opportunity to test and hone the martial arts he had just acquired, and secondly to compete for a spot.

As long as we win four games, we will achieve our goal.

As for entering the palace... he was too lazy to serve anyone.

Of course, since he was in front of Vice President Zhao who was suddenly so enthusiastic and he didn't know what he was up to, he wouldn't speak casually.

When they returned to the courtyard, Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan hurried to greet them.

Hearing the noise in several rooms, Li Yan frowned, "Why are there outsiders?"

Sharifei said happily, "The third brother of the Tian family has also been brought here from Hankou. He just had a fight this morning, and now the three brothers are crying and hugging each other and acting crazy while drunk."

"Oh, that's fine."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan took a few people back to the room and narrated what had happened in the academy.

"Xuanwu is absent, Suzaku is blocked, and Baihu is rising?"

Wang Daoxuan was startled at first, then his eyes became uncertain. He casually dipped the tea and drew a line on the table. It could be vaguely seen that it was the direction of the mountains and rivers near the three cities.

After a while, he shook his head and said, "This Yu Lanshan is indeed not a simple person. If he is not proficient in both the situation and the qi, he would not be able to see the situation clearly."

Sharifei said disdainfully: "The other party is just relying on his magical power of looking up the sky, and he knows this place very well. The Taoist priest is not inferior to him."

Wang Daoxuan laughed dumbly, "My foundation is still far from enough."

"The White Tiger has become a vicious evil. The White Tiger is of the metal element, and metal and water are mutually beneficial. Guishan is the Black Tortoise. If we don't handle it properly, Guishan will be the next to have problems..."

As he spoke, he frowned slightly and said, "Brother Yan, you must be careful. The other party is likely to start from Guishan. This time the competition also started early, maybe it was their arrangement."

Li Yan was a little surprised, "Can fighting in a ring also affect Feng Shui?"

Wang Daoxuan nodded and said, "In ancient times, fighting, drama, and Nuo dance were all for entertaining the gods. Maybe this is related."

"But with so many forces participating, the palace shouldn't do anything behind the scenes. I'll follow them and see what they have arranged."

Li Yan nodded and said, "No matter what the palace has arranged, this quota must be obtained. The competition will begin in three days, and the forging of the magic weapon must be finalized first."

"I just asked the monks and they said Chengjue has returned to Baotong Temple. I will go there right away and try to settle the matter today."

After saying that, he turned around and left, borrowed a horse from the Chamber of Commerce, went out of the city gate, and headed straight for Baotong Temple.

It was still daytime and there were many people traveling on the official road, so there would naturally be no ambush like that day.

In less than half an hour, they arrived at Baotong Temple.

Today, Baotong Temple has been temporarily closed and no longer receives outside pilgrims. There are also martial monks guarding outside the mountain gate.

Li Yan was also an acquaintance, so the monk guarding the gate did not make things difficult for him. After he informed the monk, someone took him into the meditation room.

Soon, Chengjue came hurriedly, his face was obviously a little tired, but he was still so direct, and asked as soon as he met him: "Young Master Li, what is the important matter that brings you here?"

Li Yan noticed something strange, "Is there trouble at the Barbarian King's Tomb?"

Cheng Jue was stunned for a moment. "You are well-informed. The Barbarian King's Tomb has become a very dangerous place. A powerful evil creature has been awakened."

"The person behind the scenes is probably hiding in there, taking advantage of the terrain to stir up trouble."

Li Yan frowned, "Since we know there are people up there, wouldn't it be more convenient to just send troops to bombard the mountain with artillery?"

Cheng Jue shook his head and said solemnly: "The person behind the scenes is very thoughtful, how could he not be on guard?"

"My uncle used his clairaudience to investigate and discovered that there is something in the Barbarian King's tomb that has probably transformed into a corpse fairy or a drought demon. Once it is broken open and the drought demon is destroyed, the poison will spread thousands of miles away, and the entire Wuchang City will be ravaged by plague."

"If we want to break the impasse, we must first break the White Tiger Evil..."

At this point, he stopped talking and asked, "Is this what you came here to ask?"

Li Yan shook his head and said, "Your temple is busy right now, and I shouldn't disturb you, but I really have no choice but to come to you for help."

As he spoke, he talked about brokering a deal for the Jade Emperor Temple and borrowing land to refine weapons.

"It's not a big deal."

After hearing this, Cheng Jue said directly: "What immortal treasure is that? It's all a rumor. That thing is just a rare crystal treasure from heaven and earth."

"The reason why the prince refused is because he had some grievances with the Taixuan Orthodox Church when he was young. If the abbot asks, he will give this face."

"The matter of Yuquan Temple is easier to handle. The host there is my uncle, so I can just send my disciples to tell him."

"Thank you, Master."

Li Yan was delighted when he heard this. He didn't expect it to be so simple.

Cheng Jue shook his head slightly and sighed, "These are all small matters. The great catastrophe now is the difficult problem."

"The person behind this has been making many moves and has not yet shown up. If I don't catch this person, I will not be able to sleep or eat well..."

Li Yan was stunned when he heard this.

The great monk in the Law Enforcement Hall looked like a Dharma Protector, and was decisive in his actions. This was the first time he had seen him like this...

.........

After returning to the Chamber of Commerce, Li Yan informed them of the results of the trip.

The happiest person was naturally Sharifei, who immediately went out to greet people, packed all the goods and spiritual materials into boxes, and prepared to go find Master Lu.

He already had a plan, so he stayed by his side for a few days under the pretext of looking after the goods and asked him for some tips.

Li Yan didn't want to delay and led the team out immediately.

After they left, Wang Daoxuan had nothing to do in the room, so he put three talisman coins into the tortoise shell, pinched the magic formula, and shook it a few times.

Wow…

If the coin falls to the ground six times, you will get a complete hexagram of six lines.

Wang Daoxuan's face became solemn, and he murmured, "On the sixth day of the lunar month, frost is approaching, and ice is coming... The person who comes here is not a good person."

　Second update at 12 o'clock

　　
　
(End of this chapter)