Knife splashing

Chapter 315: The Strange Story of Overlord Well
"Oh, so lively?"

Li Yan looked into the distance, somewhat surprised.

Before we saw Ziyang Lake, we saw lights illuminating the night ahead, the sound of gongs and drums, and the echoing of various opera tunes.

"Young Master Li doesn't know."

A bailiff who followed them stepped forward and said with a smile, "There are beautiful views all around Ziyang Lake. There are many mansions built by the rich families in the city, as well as some restaurants and inns. Many opera troupes have been invited to perform on stage..."

The Buddhist community is busy, and so is the government.

These yamen runners have to maintain order in the Dragon Boat Race during the day and check passing boats. They are already exhausted, so naturally they feel unhappy when they are called in so late at night.

But Li Yan in front of them was a popular figure in Wuchang City recently. They did not dare to offend him and could only hide their dissatisfaction in their hearts.

Seeing this, Li Yan knew what these people were thinking, and laughed, "Everyone, just go and take a look, you may not find anything. It just so happens that we haven't eaten yet, so I'll find a restaurant later and treat you all to a drink."

He tempered his mind in the Mahavira Hall and wiped away the dust in his heart.

To be honest, he was not a taciturn person to begin with, but he had gone through a lot of hardships in the past year. Although he had gotten through them all safely, he was inevitably under a lot of pressure and his temperament had become dull.

This time, he regained a lot of his original nature.

This time I came out to wander around the world to see everything in the world. All I want to do is to have a clear conscience. Even if there is a disaster like the sky falling, I can face it calmly.

"This... this is so embarrassing."

"No need to be polite, but we have to find a good place later. If the wine and meat are bad, I won't pay for it!"

"I will definitely satisfy Young Master Li!"

Just a few words brought them closer.

They turned a street and saw a huge lake in front of them. The lake was as calm as water and there were willow trees shading the banks.

Just as the yamen runners said, many of the mansions of the city's wealthy families, and even teahouses and taverns were still open for business.

There was a temporary stage every few hundred meters, and in the middle there were artists painting pots on the ground, and vendors selling magic pills... Many people were walking around, and it was quite lively.

Seeing this, Li Yan was in a good mood.

In this era, most people in various parts of China would go to bed at night, so the bustle and bustle before us was rarely seen on ordinary days.

Unfortunately, this time I happened to encounter a demon.

Sha Lifei was busy making firearms, Wang Daoxuan and Lu San were learning to practice and protect the Tian family, so he was the only one who could come out.

"Is this Young Master Li?"

After walking a few steps, a few people came from the side of the street, all dressed in black brocade robes. People around them avoided them. They were the people from the Duwei Division.

Unlike Yichang and Yunyang, Li Yan rarely dealt with people from the Duwei Division since arriving in the three cities of Wuchang.

After all, it’s nothing, and no one wants to mess with this kind of government office.

Seeing this person blocking the way, Li Yan smiled and asked, "What's the matter, sir?"

The man in front of him was a burly man with dark skin. Hearing what he said, he said, "I am Yu Sheng, a captain of the Wuchang Guards, in charge of night patrols in the city. Young Master Li, have you found anything while you were here?"

Originally he didn't want to come up and talk.

This is Wuchang City. No matter how famous Li Yan is, it has nothing to do with them. Instead, they have to take the trouble to record more information.

After all, monitoring the martial arts world is also the responsibility of the Duwei Division.

But there were yamen runners following Li Yan, so something must have happened.

"Master Yu."

The yamen runner behind him hurried forward, smiled and bowed, saying: "Baotong Zen Temple asked Li Shaoxia to check the Overlord Well, and we are ordered to lead the way and cooperate."

"Oh I got it."

When Captain Yu heard this, his eyes suddenly became less alert and he said in a deep voice, "The water in Overlord Well suddenly became turbid, causing panic among the people. Some wealthy families also added to the chaos by hiring some weird witches and sorcerers to perform rituals. They all talked nonsense and have been driven away by us."

"It would be a good thing if Young Master Li could find out the truth. If needed, you can always call on the Duwei Division for help."

"Thank you, sir."

"It should."

After some questioning, the people from the Duwei Division left quickly.

Li Yan took a glance and found that people in the crowd and on the second floors of some taverns were looking at him. He shifted his gaze only after Yu Baihu left.

Obviously, they were all from the Duwei Division.

In this operation, all the forces of the three cities of Wuchang were mobilized. It seemed chaotic, but each had its own focus.

The Law Enforcement Hall is mainly responsible for religious ceremonies and preventing people from the Xuanmen from causing trouble.

The Duwei Division mainly focuses on the martial arts world. After all, such a large event attracts countless martial artists, and there must be some evil people mixed in among them.

Li Yan ignored them and casually bought some sugar-roasted chestnuts on the street. He ate them while following the yamen runners through the crowded crowd.

After they left, a man raised his head.

He was dressed in coarse cloth and animal leather boots, like a country hunter. In his hand he held a rack covered with turtles, worms, geckos and other things, all of which were dried.

This is a man dressed in Pimen costume, commonly known as a wild medicine seller. He walks from street to street, selling his own family recipes, mainly aphrodisiacs and abortion pills.

It does work, but they are all strong drugs. Sometimes they can cure the disease, but sometimes the patient will die after taking it, and even if you report to the police, they cannot find the person.

There are too many people like this, and even the common people know their methods.

But some things are just so helpless. Poor families cannot afford to see a doctor, and delaying treatment means waiting for death. It is better to buy a pack of pills and gamble with their lives.

This is why being poor means having a low life.

The man selling wild herbs looked at Li Yan's departing back, a fierce light flashed in his eyes, and he wandered among the crowd, shouting loudly:
"I'm not selling the old medicine anymore. I'm selling the new medicine. It's called Geshanjiao. Listen carefully, folks. If you can't pee high, take Geshanjiao. After taking Geshanjiao, you can pee eight feet high against the wind..."

These were all common lyrics sung by wandering villagers, but he deliberately emphasized a few syllables and changed the tune so that he could convey the message silently.

Soon, the news reached a dark room.

"Overlord Well?"

"It has nothing to do with us, don't bother with it."

"This Li has done bad things time and again. We will definitely not let him off in the future, but we can't alert him now. Are they ready?"

“It’s all arranged…”

"Well, be careful and don't get discovered by the hawks and dogs."

……

"Young Master Li, this is it."

The leading bailiff pointed forward.

This place is relatively remote and sparsely populated. It is hundreds of meters away from the lake and sandwiched between several streets and alleys.

The so-called Overlord Well is a stone well with a pavilion built on top, shrines around it, and mountains of incense ashes.

The yamen runner explained, "Young Master Li, it is said that when the Overlord of Western Chu split this well, a dragon energy was hidden in it, and thus there was the Well Dragon King."

"It is rumored that this well is connected to Ziyang Lake and Donghu Lake, and can even lead to the Yangtze River. However, no matter how the lake water rises, the water level in the well remains unchanged, so the people worship the Dragon King of the Well all year round..."

"Well Dragon King?"

Li Yan took a few steps forward and looked into the well, but saw that it was pitch black inside. He could smell a foul odor without using any magical powers.

The stench was a bit strange, not like the stench of rotting fish or shrimp, but more like the fishy stench of river mud.

He cranked the wheel and drew a bucket of water.

Sure enough, it was extremely turbid and contained mud and sand.

The yamen runner said, "If you ask me, it's because the underground water veins changed course and attracted the mud from the riverbed. The people don't understand and spread rumors at random."

Li Yan shook his head and said, "If it was simply a water diversion, why would Baotong Temple ask me to come and check it out?" As he spoke, he pinched his fingers and took a deep breath.

Various smells rushed into the nasal cavity, and sure enough, there was a faint lingering yin energy in it. If one had not used all of his magical powers, it would not have been possible to detect it.

Li Yan frowned and said to the yamen runners, "Please find some people nearby. I have something to ask."

The yamen runners were naturally good at this kind of thing, and after a while, they found a few old men and women.

This place is far away from the shore, so the residents are ordinary people.

Seeing their trembling appearance, Li Yan comforted them: "Don't be afraid, everyone. I am entrusted by Baotong Zen Temple to come here to handle this matter."

When they heard about Baotong Zen Temple, the old men and women were obviously relieved.

“When did the water in this well become murky?”

"Your Excellency, it was half a month ago."

"Were there any signs at that time?"

"This... When I woke up, the well water became turbid. The court sent people to check, and the rich families also asked Taoist priests to perform rituals, but they couldn't find the cause."

At this moment, an old man behind him hesitated and said, "My Lord, I have found something unusual."

"I am not in good health. I have to get up ten times in the middle of the night and can't sleep at all. I remember that night, I seemed to hear something roaring underground, but it was just a roar."

"Could it be that the Well Dragon King is giving a warning?"

Upon hearing this, the yamen runner next to him quickly scolded him, "Old man, stop talking nonsense!"

As he spoke, he bowed to Li Yan and said, "Young Master Li, there have been all kinds of rumors these days, and some say that the real body of the King of Chu is buried underground. Isn't that nonsense!"

He was a little impatient.

These old men and women have nothing to do all day long, so they like to talk nonsense. Many rumors are made up by them.

The old man was also anxious, "I heard it with my own ears, how could it be nonsense?"

The bailiff scolded, "How come you are the only one who heard it? Are the others deaf? You must have lost your mind in the middle of the night..."

The people nearby also shook their heads and said, "We didn't hear it."

"this…"

The old man felt a little aggrieved, but he didn't say anything more.

"Stop arguing."

Li Yan stopped everyone and asked the yamen runner, "Didn't the court invite a sorcerer to come and check?"

The sorcerer he was talking about naturally did not refer to an ordinary witch or sorcerer.

The yamen runner whispered, "I heard that the masters of the palace also came to take a look, but they didn't find anything. They just said that the water veins were diverted."

"Ah."

Li Yan nodded slightly, as if thinking about something.

This is very possible. Ezhou is a land of thousands of lakes, with extremely rich underground water veins and countless large and small tributaries. It is normal for the river to change its course.

This situation would occur if there was a lake involved and the evil energy from underwater was attracted in.

Of course, in order to prevent himself from making a mistake, he still pinched the magic formula and lightly hooked his little finger.

Whoosh!
In the leather bag around the waist, a paper figure of Chu Ling suddenly floated up, dancing up and down in the air, and then sank into the well.

The scene before them made the people around them stare with their eyes wide open.

This is the real mysterious magic.

Most of what they see on a daily basis are people who play tricks on others. Where have they ever seen such tricks?
Li Yan didn't bother to pay attention and closed his eyes.

Chu Ling Paper Man is the best at exploring. Even if it is pitch black inside, he can see clearly.

This Overlord Well is indeed very old. The surrounding walls of the well are made of bluestone, which is mottled and covered with moss.

The water level is about five or six meters from the ground. A stone shrine is embedded in the wall of the well. It looks quite old and is half submerged in muddy sewage.

Inside the shrine, there is a stone statue with a dragon head and a human body, wearing official uniform, and there is no unusual aura.

However, there were several cracks on the head of the statue, and it seemed that these marks had only appeared recently.

Apart from that, nothing was found.

Li Yan frowned and withdrew his hand gestures. The Chu Ling paper figure suddenly burned and turned into ashes and fell into the water.

Then, Li Yan opened his eyes, turned around and asked, "How long have you been worshipping this Well Dragon King?"

One of the old men said, "I heard from my ancestors that the offerings have been made since the Tang and Song dynasties. It was interrupted for a time due to war, but when the years are peaceful, the residents around here will offer offerings on time."

"Oh."

Li Yan looked at the well again, thoughtfully.

There is indeed a Dragon King in the well, but he is not a real dragon. Instead, he is a folk god created by the people's long-term worship, and is somewhat similar to the God of Land.

This kind of secular gods are generally harmless. They are fed with incense and burned, and at most they can keep the water clear and eliminate evil spirits.

Now it seems that it is most likely due to changes in underground water veins and the disappearance of the secular god Well Dragon King, so the evil energy has risen.

Of course, this is just his guess.

If there is really a problem, with his current Xuanshui escape technique, he is still unable to travel through the water veins.

Thinking of this, Li Yan shook his head. "It is very likely that the water vein has changed its course. It will probably take another few months or half a year for the water quality to recover."

"Did you hear that?!"

The yamen runner quickly said, "This is a true master. You still don't believe what he said? Don't spread rumors in the future..."

What Li Yan didn't realize was that the Chu Ling paper man turned into ashes and fell into the water, and the remaining breath continued to fall.

In the muddy water, a current suddenly rose up, sweeping all the flying ashes and the breath into the deep water veins.

In a dark corner, huge cold eyes slowly opened...

"Okay, that's it!"

The leading yamen runner scolded the people and then dispersed them. He turned to Li Yan and said with a smile: "Young Master Li, let's go. I know a place where the donkey meat is really good..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Yan's hair stood on end and he turned around abruptly.

Call ~
I saw a cloud of black smoke whistling out of the well, rolling in the air. The terrifying aura made everyone present feel cold in their hearts.

Li Yan's eyes widened even more.

He had smelled this scent before, from the mysterious giant alligator in the lake on the way to Bojidun!
Before he could react, black smoke whistled in and went straight into the mouth of the yamen runner.

"Young Master Li, this, this..."

This scene frightened the surrounding yamen runners so much that they trembled all over.

The possessed yamen runner lowered his head, stood on tiptoe, and made snoring sounds with phlegm in his mouth.

"Don't move!"

Li Yan hurriedly stopped everyone, then bowed and said, "Senior Yin Shen, what important matter do you have for me?"

But he knew that the thing in front of him was related to the mysterious Yunzhongjun Shenque, and that it was very powerful. Once it got angry, they would all be in trouble.

There must be a reason for his sudden appearance.

Sure enough, the yamen runner took a while to adjust himself, then he grumbled and said in a stiff tone: "Call... that boy... I have something to trade..."

Li Yan immediately understood that the giant crocodile was looking for Lu San!

They crossed the crowded streets and headed straight for the southwest corner.

(End of this chapter)