Knife splashing

Chapter 327: Xuanbing at the end of Tang Dynasty
"Han Kun!"

The man with tattoos on half of his face held his two swords horizontally and shouted angrily: "You Cao Gang have crossed the border and come to the Yangtze River to do business. Do you really think that I, the Paijiao, are easy to mess with?"

Han Kun's expression remained unchanged, and he said calmly: "What a joke! This is an order from the imperial military. Do we dare to disobey it?"

"If you are not convinced, go find Marshal Zhang yourself."

"Stop using the imperial court to pressure others!"

The man with tattoos on half of his face had bloodshot eyes. He roared, then rushed forward with two swords in hand. The people around him also rushed forward.

This is a naked fight in the martial arts world. Only those who are still alive have the right to speak, and their strength lies in numbers.

However, a hint of mockery flashed in Han Kun's eyes.

He stepped back quickly, and the disciples of the Cao Gang behind him suddenly raised their rifles and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang bang bang!
Flames exploded and smoke filled the air.

The people who were in the row of sects suddenly fell to the ground.

The tattooed man holding two swords was an expert. Seeing that the situation was not good, he turned around and grabbed a disciple to block in front of him.

The firearms used by the Cao Gang were not new, and one round of volleys killed half of the Paijiao soldiers, but they had no time to reload the gunpowder, so they all drew their weapons.

The tattooed man dodged the musket, and suddenly burst out with hidden strength under his feet. He attacked with both swords, stabbing directly into Han Kun's chest.

Han Kun's expression was calm, and he didn't even try to hide.

Just as the two swords were about to get close, a flash of cold light whizzed out from the inn, and arrived first, directly piercing the tattooed man's forehead.

It was a silver-handled spear.

The tattooed man was startled and quickly put away his knife. He dodged with a metal bridge and then spun around and stepped back in a series of steps.

However, the spear was ruthless and simple, the tip of the spear turned into several shadows and pierced the man's vital points.

This man's skills were also amazing. He stepped in a chain of steps, wielded two swords, and was as fast as light and shadow, deflecting the spear head time and time again.

Dangdang Dangdang!
Fire burst out, and although the man blocked it, he was forced out of the inn. He stopped and gritted his teeth and said, "Yue family Liuhe spear?"

The man took advantage of the situation and held his gun horizontally, saying coldly: "You have eyes!"

The speaker was actually an acquaintance.

It was Lei Poshan, the son of Huangmei Lei Zhen.

Li Yan also saw that the tattooed man was skilled in martial arts and was using the Wansheng twin swords.

The Wansheng Double Swords come from Xixia Temple on Wansong Mountain.

The founder was named Wan Shengying, who was the chief escort of the thirteen provinces in the north and south and one of the ten great masters in China.

He had many disciples and his kung fu was widely known.

Seeing Lei Poshan also appear, and also using a musket, the tattooed man felt that things were not going well, and gritted his teeth, "Retreat!"

At the command, the remaining Paijiao disciples stopped fighting, picked up the injured on the ground, and left in a panic.

"Brother Yan, do you want to say hello?"

On the deck, Sharifei looked solemn and asked in a low voice.

Of course, he had a reason for asking this question.

Both Han Kun and the Lei family have a good relationship with them, but looking at the situation, it is clearly a struggle between two forces.

It is not wise to rush into it rashly.

Moreover, Han Kun is a member of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce. He has secretive thoughts, so both Li Yan and Salifei are very wary of him.

However, before Li Yan could reply, Han Kun on the shore noticed them, smiled and nodded, and made a gesture of invitation.

Li Yan had no choice but to say to Shen Jinghong beside him: "Mr. Shen, you guys wait a moment, I'll just say hello and leave."

"okay."

Shen Jinghong nodded quickly.

He is a member of the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce and takes a different path. He is also unwilling to get involved in these underworld disputes.

Li Yan got off the boat alone and came to the door of the restaurant. He smiled and clasped his fists and said, "Elder Han, Brother Lei, we are destined to meet."

As he spoke, he didn't even look at the bloodstains on the ground.

Han Kun smiled and said, "I haven't congratulated Brother Li on his fame at Guishan yet. I was planning to visit him when I got to Wuchang, but I didn't expect to run into him here. It's a good opportunity to have a drink."

Having said that, he invited him into the restaurant.

This restaurant was obviously the secret hall of the Cao Gang. There had been a fight just now and even the shopkeeper and the cook had picked up knives. But now they continued to work as if nothing had happened.

Soon, several side dishes and drinks were brought to the table.

Li Yan didn't want to get involved in this fight, but since he had already seen it, it would be too hypocritical to continue pretending to be confused, so he asked, "Elder Han, why are you fighting with the Pai Sect again?"

"Don't mention it."

Han Kun sighed and shook his head, saying, "Shi Chen, the leader of Wuchang, colluded with the evil spirits, his property has been confiscated, and his forces have also been dispersed."

"Over at Hanshui in Yunyang, there was a fight between 'Wei Lao Ba' and 'Black Fish Head'. 'Black Fish Head' was also found to be secretly connected with the Tiansheng Cult and helped them smuggle firearms. He has been killed by the Duwei Division."

"Originally, 'Wei Lao Ba' would accept these two forces, but after this incident, the court has become a little worried about the Paijiao, so it has handed over part of the work of transporting grain and grass to our Cao Gang."

"'Wei Lao Ba' is not convinced and is secretly stirring up trouble everywhere, but this is an order from the imperial court, what can we do?"

"Alas, what an unexpected disaster."

Han Kun's face was full of helplessness, but Li Yan didn't believe it at all.

If the Cao Gang really didn't want to cause trouble, they wouldn't have taken this job. They probably wanted to take this opportunity to expand their influence to the Yangtze River.

As long as they can gain a foothold in the Yangtze River, the power of the Cao Gang will be able to overwhelm the Paijiao. How can they miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

"Thank you for your hard work, Elder Han."

Li Yan did not point it out and looked at Lei Poshan next to him.

The Lei family is a big family in Ezhou. Could it be that they are also involved?

Lei Poshan was also a smart man. He guessed what Li Yan was thinking at once. He shook his head with a serious expression and said, "In Zigui, the forces of Tusi City have begun to gather again. I'm afraid they have a big plan."

"My father asked me to help transport the grain and grass. We must not let Yichang run out of food. Although this will offend the Paijiao, it is related to the overall situation and there can be no accidents."

"I see."

When Li Yan heard this, he immediately understood.

The Lei family and the Cao Gang have different ways of opposing religion.

They are the descendants of Yue Family Army. Although they are in the underworld, all they think about is making achievements and building careers, and they have been moving closer to the army.

This battle in the southwest is particularly active. It is estimated that after the war, the court will recognize the descendants of Yue Family Army in Huangmei County and allow them to join the army.

Han Kun toasted again and asked, "Brother Li, where are you going?"

Li Yan replied: "I took a job and came to Jiangxia to help someone with a funeral."

Han Kun laughed dumbly, "With your fame, Brother Li, do you still need to do this now?"

Li Yan casually replied: "That's what I'm eating."

After hesitating for a moment, he reminded: "I have received some news, but it is related to military secrets, so I can't say more."

"You two are going to transport food and grass. Perhaps you should guard against not the Pai Sect but the evil spirits in the river. Pay attention to the movements of the army and do not sail at night."

"Also, it's best not to talk nonsense about this matter."

"The master is still waiting, I will leave first."

After saying that, he stood up and bowed to say goodbye.

The monsters in the river have joined forces with the demons from the Ghost Cult, and the army needs to make plans to deal with them.

This matter was originally kept secret, but after all, I have a good relationship with these two people. Out of the moral code of the underworld, I have to remind them to prevent them from losing their lives in confusion.

"Oh, Brother Li, take care." Seeing Li Yan's expression, Han Kun didn't dare to ask any more questions.

Watching Li Yan and his group leave, Lei Poshan asked in surprise, "What does Young Master Li mean by that? Could it be that there are unusual movements of evil spirits in the Yangtze River? But when we came here, nothing happened."

Han Kun narrowed his eyes slightly, "Li Yan wouldn't say anything nonsense. Judging from his appearance, I'm afraid there is something else going on."

"When it comes to Xuanmen, we have to be on guard."

"I will send a message to the gang right now to recruit more sorcerers to board the ship. In Wuchang, my Cao Gang is not strong enough, so I would like to ask Brother Lei to find out more."

"Let's go now without further delay!"

After saying that, he took the Cao Gang disciples on board.

…………

Not far from the dock is Jiangxia County.

Jiangxia is a place with a special geographical location. It is the border area between Jingzhou and Jiangdong area. It has been a place of many battles since ancient times.

The original county town had been attacked and breached several times by the Golden Horde Wolf Kingdom during the Daxing period of the previous dynasty, and had long since been reduced to ruins.

The current city wall was built after the establishment of the Daxuan Dynasty. After hundreds of years of expansion, its area is quite large.

Of course, no one entered the city.

Although the Shen family is a wealthy family in Jiangxia, the house in the county town is only used for resting on weekdays, and they live less in Wuchang City.

Their ancestral home is in Shenjiaba near Liangzi Lake, quite close to the kiln. Almost everyone in the village works for the Shen family.

On the official road outside the county town, there were still more than twenty people waiting, all of them wearing white clothes and carrying sharp swords on their waists.

The leader was a man with a straight figure and a stern face. He came up to them and said, "Young Master, the old lady asked me to pick you up."

Shen Jinghong's face turned pale. "What happened?"

The man said in a deep voice: "The people in the second and third houses are a little restless. Now there is only the young master left in the first house, so it is better to be cautious."

Seeing this, Li Yan and Sha Lifei looked at each other.

Well, it looks like there's more than one trouble.

Thinking of this, Li Yan stepped forward and said, "Master Shen, you also know our rules. Some things must be said in advance to avoid any trouble or misunderstanding."

Small teams like Li Yan's are not uncommon in the world.

If you help people transport goods, it is called a "guazihang".

If you take on a business involving murder and robbery, it is called Chi Ge Nian.

But in Taoism, it has a nice name, called Youxian.

Many people in the Xuanmen sect travel around the world, either to slay demons and monsters, or to explore the mysteries, or to seek to improve their Taoism. They can all be classified into this category.

There is even a special type of poetry called "Youxianci".

But no matter which one, there is a rule when helping others, that is, the employer cannot hide anything to avoid going wrong.

Likewise, they will not disclose their employer's secrets at will.

This is the rule of the underworld. If it is violated, you may even be stabbed.

Shen Jinghong's face turned pale, and he quickly said, "Please don't blame me, Young Master Li. It's not that I concealed it on purpose, but I didn't expect that they would have an internal conflict at this time."

"My Shen family currently has three branches. My father is in charge of the overall situation, and the family property is also inherited by my eldest branch. Originally, our family was already in decline, and it was all thanks to my father over the years that the Shen family has grown little by little."

"They...Ah~"

Li Yan glanced at the men and said, "Excuse me for being so nosy, but what's going on with these guards of the Shen family?"

Of course, he had a reason for asking this question.

Most of the guards hired by ordinary wealthy families come from the Guazihang, and they are all people in the underworld. If they are more powerful, they also run their own martial arts schools and even have some fame in the local underworld.

The people in front of him were holding long swords, and their body shapes and gaits were exactly the same, even their standing positions were particular.

This kind of situation can only be seen in the military.

They don't care about the internal strife of the Shen family, but they don't want to get involved in any rebellion if they train a private army like this.

After all, the current situation in Ezhou is too complicated.

"Oh…"

Shen Jinghong suddenly realized and shook his head, saying, "Don't worry, Young Master Li. Almost everyone in Jiangxia knows about this."

"My Shen family has some origins. Our ancestors came from 'Black Cloud City', so some of the secrets have been lost, but our skills are still there."

"After my father's situation at home improved, he trained a group of guards and drove away the bandits several times. Without this, it would have been difficult for us to gain a foothold in Liangzi Lake."

"I see."

After hearing this, Li Yan looked at these people in surprise.

"Heiyundu" was the elite force under Yang Xingmi in the late Tang Dynasty.

At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the world was in chaos. Warlords ruled the country in various places, and the devil rose and the Tao declined. Both good and evil were involved in the war.

In that era, warriors were in power and all they competed for was who had the bigger fist. Many mysterious secret techniques were also used in the military, giving rise to many elite troops.

Liu Rengong's "Dingbadu", Zhu Wen's personal army "Tingzidu" and "Luoyandu", Yang Shihou's "Yinqiangxiaojiedu", Li Cunxu's "Jinqiangdu", Li Keyong's "Tielinjun" and "Heiyajun"...

Each army cooperates with the mysterious techniques.

In Xuanmen, they have a common name:

Xuanbing at the end of the Tang Dynasty!

It was a bloody era, and the secret techniques of the Xuanmen sect were used to slaughter ordinary people. What's worse, some people even ate humans to practice evil techniques, and evil ways emerged one after another.

All in all, it was a mess.

His Hellfire Gun was also invented at that time.

Yang Xingmi's "Black Cloud Capital" has a total of 5,000 people, all of whom are highly skilled, wearing black silk and black armor, and using black cloud swords, combined with Xuanmen secret techniques, their lethality is astonishing.

The Shen family actually has such a background.

Looking at the long swords used by those people, the sword body is wide and thick, similar in shape to the legendary Black Cloud Long Sword.

However, there is no evil aura smelling from these people, and they are not from the Xuanmen sect, so they are definitely far inferior to the original "Black Cloud City".

Thinking of this, Li Yan nodded, "I didn't expect that Mr. Shen also has a family background in learning. No wonder he was able to repel the monster."

Shen Jinghong smiled bitterly, "The inheritance has long been incomplete. It is just an ordinary sword technique, but it is good at combined attack techniques."

"To be honest, I am not good at fighting, and my father did not force me, so I could not even enter the door."

"If there really was a 'Black Cloud City' back then, my Shen family would have been wiped out long ago."

Li Yan nodded and said, "Mr. Shen can see through it."

The secret techniques of the Xuanbing in the late Tang Dynasty, those that were derived from the devil and were more brutal, have all been listed as forbidden techniques by the Xuanmen Orthodox Church.

The normal ones were also included in the military secrets and taken away by the imperial court.

If an ordinary person dares to own it, he is seeking death.

After finding out the whole story, Li Yan didn't say anything more.

The area of ​​Jiangxia is located in the Jianghan Plain, with flat terrain, fertile soil, crisscrossing rivers and numerous lakes. It is truly a land of fish and rice.

The group traveled by boat and arrived at Shenjiaba near dusk.

This village is close to Liangzi Lake and is surrounded by several rivers. The village is built on the mountain and is surrounded by water on three sides, like a dam.

As soon as he entered the village, Li Yan narrowed his eyes.

In the village, almost every household is holding a funeral. Paper money is scattered all over the ground, mourning halls can be seen everywhere, and the sounds of mournful music and chanting are constant.

The whole village was filled with a sad atmosphere...

(End of this chapter)