Knife splashing

Chapter 361: Strange Plague
The river flows slowly and the rain is drizzling.

Inside the cabin, Li Yan leaned against the window, flipping through a book casually.

There are three books, namely "Purple Star Mysterious Capital Thunder Jade Sutra", "Thunder Jade Pivot Treasure Sutra" and "Supreme Nine Heavens Jade Purity Great Brahma Purple Star Mysterious Capital Thunder Jade Sutra", which he asked for from the Taoists in Zhenwu Palace.

When an accident happens, it is natural to find out the cause.

Li Yan clearly remembered that just as he awakened the second ear, he heard the voice of the precious edict chanting: "I sincerely pay my respects to the Nine Heavens Yingyuan Palace, the Supreme Jade Purity King..."

After coming out of the Golden Palace, although he used the Daluo Dharmakaya to repair himself, in order to avoid suspicion, he still rested in Wudang Mountain for several days.

At the same time, some things were clarified.

The precious edict that was heard at that time was praising the commander of the Thunder Department, the Nine-Heavenly Thunder Lord.

It is not uncommon for an opportunity to obtain the Golden Palace.

In the history of Xuanmen, this kind of thing happened frequently. Some happened in dreams, and some happened by chance in the mountains, where one obtained some kind of Taoist magic.

Even the "Heavenly Thunder Hammer" that he practiced was acquired by a Wudang disciple who gained enlightenment in the Golden Palace.

But after checking the book, I found that things were not that simple.

Controlling the Thunder is not a unique ability of one family.

The "Purple Star Mysterious Capital Thunder Jade Sutra" says: "The Great Emperor of the North Pole Purple Star governs the three realms and controls the five thunders. The Lord of Heavenly Peng, the Lord of Heavenly You, the Lord of Yisheng, and the Lord of Xuanwu are in charge of the administration..."

Since the Song Dynasty, Zhenwu's status has been constantly improving, from one of the Four Saints of the North Pole to one of the current Heavenly Emperors.

To this day, he is still called "Thunder Ancestor".

The title "Thunder Ancestor" simply means that he has the power to control thunder. Emperor Ziwei, Emperor Tianhuang, Emperor Houtu, and Emperor Fengdu have all been called "Thunder Ancestor".

In the Thunder and Fire Refining Hall, there are murals of Thunder Generals all around.

If what Li Yan had heard at that time was Zhenwu's "Xuantian Baogao", he would not be confused. Instead, he would be very happy and would burn a few incense sticks respectfully.

But it happened to be the "Puhua Baogao"!
This is a little strange.

The Jiu Tian Ying Yuan Lei Sheng Pu Hua Tian Zun is not Wen Zhong. That is a description in the novel "The Investiture of the Gods" and it has not yet spread widely.

His true identity can be known from the Baogao, "Supreme Jade Purity King", the Great Emperor of Longevity of the South Pole, also known as the Jade Purity True King.

Therefore, Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun is actually the incarnation of the Southern Pole Changsheng Emperor, just like the Northern Yin Fengdu Emperor is the incarnation of the Northern Pole Ziwei Emperor.

The Great Emperor of Purple Star of the North Pole commands all the stars and is surrounded by numerous stars.

The Great Emperor of Longevity in the South Pole is also known as the Jade Pure True King. All the power of the gods in the Thunder Department comes from him, and he is the source of power for all gods.

Both are one of the Six Imperial Gods.

Although the status of Zhenwu Emperor was elevated,
But he is still under the command of the Northern Lights Emperor...

This is what’s so strange about his accident this time!

He practiced the "Luofeng Sutra" and to some extent, he could be considered a descendant of the Beiji Ziwei Emperor. However, in the Zhenwu Dojo, he was interfered with by the power of the Yuqing Zhenwang lineage.

Li Yan didn't understand, but he was terrified when he thought about it carefully.

Of course, he didn't dare to say anything about this.

Thinking of this, Li Yan gently raised his hand and waved it again. The soul-catching rope stretched out half a foot from his palm. It was still an invisible object and could be used to catch souls.

But as his mind changed.

Zizi!

The lightning arc suddenly twisted into the shape of a chain.

"Tsk tsk!"

Wang Daoxuan, who was standing by, saw this and immediately exclaimed: "No wonder those Taoists are envious. Brother Yan's thunder method is quite good. He can perform it without any spells or incantations. His future is limitless..."

Li Yan laughed in silence, stretched out his hand and clenched it, and the lightning disappeared.

He didn't say much, this was not some kind of thunder technique.

Although an accident occurred during the training in the Golden Palace this time, it also brought great benefits. Not only did the Soul-Catching Rope increase in length and become two, but it was also tempered by thunder magic and became some kind of magical power!
The ability of the Soul-Catching Rope has not changed. It is still good at dealing with ghosts, but it has the additional ability to store thunder.

Store it on weekdays and release it when needed.

Not only can it enhance the power of Lei Gang martial arts, but in the future, when dealing with enemies, you can directly hook their souls and launch thunder attacks.

Of course, there are more uses than these.

The new soul-catching rope is both a magical power and a magic weapon!
But Li Yan always felt a little panicked for some reason.

The benefits gained this time are huge!

That lightning strike looked more like a test. He got this opportunity only after he passed it with his Daluo Dharmakaya.

The greater the benefit,

The bigger the trouble...

Deng Deng Deng!
At this moment, heavy footsteps were heard, and a soldier in full armor walked from the deck into the cabin, bowed respectfully and said, "Gentlemen, we have arrived in Xiangyang!"

Li Yan and others nodded, stood up and went to the deck.

The boat they were riding on was a Jiujiang patrol boat, which was quite large and its rear cabin was filled with cargo and medicinal materials.

When they came down from Wudang Mountain, someone brought them a letter from Gu Hanzi, the law enforcement officer of Yunyang City God Temple, asking them to help escort a batch of medicinal materials to Xiangyang.

If possible, find out the inside story of the Xiangyang plague.

Xiangyang and Fancheng are across the river from each other and are located right at the important wharf of the Han River. Due to the epidemic, the transportation of supplies for the imperial army had become a problem.

Therefore, this commission was issued by the imperial court and the Ministry of War.

Not only was the reward generous, but the city of Xiangyang also promised to build a water temple for the crocodile master if the plague could be resolved.

There must be a reason for giving such conditions.

In Yunyang, because of the trouble caused by the evil soldiers in the mountains of Jingchu, a large number of manpower was needed to carry out targeted attacks, and all the forces of the Zhenwu Palace were tied up there.

Meanwhile, Xiangyang was devastated by the plague.

The local Taoist monks could not figure out the reason.

Several experts sent from Wuchang and Yunyang disappeared inexplicably and are presumed to have been killed.

Judging from various signs, this plague was caused intentionally by someone. The Yunyang military suspected that it was the work of the Tiansheng Cult and the Gui Cult.

Li Yan and his team are now quite famous in Ezhou, so they received this commission before they even left the mountain.

Standing on the deck, everyone looked up.

The Han River forms a huge bend on the Xiangyang side. Xiangyang City and Fancheng face each other across the river, with docks on both sides. It is the most important hub on the Han River waterway.

But now, the dock is empty. Apart from some masked soldiers patrolling, there is no one working.

Those large and small ships were also parked at the dock and unable to sail.

Wang Daoxuan frowned, "The situation is much more serious than what I saw last time. Aren't the people from the Medicine Saint Li family dealing with this matter?"

The sergeant at the side shook his head and said, "Reporting to you, sir, the expert of the Li family has disappeared."

"disappeared?"

Li Yan was surprised, "What happened?"

The soldier shook his head and said, "I don't know the specific situation either. After you get ashore, you can ask the people in the Xiangyang government office."

As he spoke, he brought over a wooden box from the side.

After opening it, a strong smell of vinegar hit my nose, and the box was full of face towels soaked in aged vinegar.

The soldier said in a deep voice: "The most effective way to prevent this plague is to use vinegar cloth. Please wear it." Li Yan's eyes twitched, "You guys wear it, I'll forget it."

He has an amazing sense of smell. If he put this thing over his mouth and nose, he probably wouldn't be able to do anything.

Wang Daoxuan, Lu San and others didn't care and just covered their mouths and noses with masks, even Wu Ba was no exception.

Only the little white fox and the rat couldn't stand it.

After the ship docked, an official in a green robe, accompanied by a large group of laborers with vinegar cloth on their faces, came to carry the medicinal materials.

He was tall and had a full beard. On the chest patch of his official robe was an embroidered pattern of a water bird similar to a mandarin duck.

This water bird is called xī chì, which represents the seventh rank of civil servants.

Sure enough, when he saw Li Yan and his companions getting off the boat, the official hurriedly stepped forward and saluted, saying, "This is Mr. Li. I am Wu Maoze, the magistrate of Xiangyang Prefecture. I am here to pick you up on the orders of the prefect."

"Good work."

Li Yan nodded and led everyone to follow him.

Their current team configuration is very different.

When in Wuchang City, Sharifei made a special bag, tied all the bags on it, and had Wuba, a human-shaped beast, carry it on his back.

Sharifei was responsible for protecting Wang Daoxuan, and formed a supply team with Wu Ba. Lu San was responsible for reconnaissance, and Li Yan, who had the strongest combat power, served as support.

Actions will be arranged separately for different situations.

And to be honest, their group was already very eye-catching, and now with Wu Ba, they are the focus of the crowd wherever they go, so the way they act will naturally change.

…………

Xiangyang City has been a place of numerous battles since ancient times. It is known as "Iron Xiangyang" and "The First City in China", so it is naturally huge in scale.

Not to mention, the moat outside alone is two hundred meters wide.

The city walls are high and majestic, with many battlements fortifying the city.

The ancient city of Xiangyang has a total of six city gates, namely Zhenhua Gate, Linhan Gate, Gongchen Gate, Yangchun Gate, Xicheng Gate and Wenchang Gate.

They came from the Han River Wharf and naturally went to Hanmen.

On the long bridges along the way, there are checkpoints with chevaux de frise at intervals, with masked soldiers patrolling from time to time and thick smoke rising out.

When Li Yan and others approached, they frowned immediately.

Near the checkpoint, there was a pile of firewood. The flames were blazing and the stench of corpses was overwhelming. One could vaguely see charred corpses.

Seeing this, the magistrate Wu Maoze explained: "This is the rule set when Mr. Li was still alive. All infected corpses must be completely burned and then buried with lime."

"In recent days, someone has spread rumors that the imperial court wants to find all infected people and execute them on the spot to stop the plague."

"The people in the city were afraid, and there were often people who rushed through the gate regardless of the consequences. Among them were people from the underworld. After they were killed, they could only be burned on the spot."

Li Yan frowned and asked, "How did Mr. Li disappear?"

Magistrate Wu Maoze smiled bitterly and said, "It's strange that Mr. Li disappeared in the government office."

"He was sorting files in his room in broad daylight. The soldiers noticed that he had not come out for a long time. When they went back in, he had disappeared..."

As they were talking, everyone had arrived at Linhan Gate.

At the gate of the city, there were corpses hanging, all dressed in gorgeous clothes, both men and women, old and young.

Seeing the inquiring eyes of Li Yan and others, the prosecutor Wu Maoze looked around and whispered: "The spread of plague in Fancheng is actually a man-made disaster."

"There was an unscrupulous businessman who was in charge of the anti-epidemic supplies. Not only did he use rotten vinegar cloth as substitutes, he also secretly sold the exit tickets at a high price, causing the situation to get out of control."

"The man behind this unscrupulous businessman is Liu Tongzhi, the former Xiangyang government official. The governor Yuan was furious and had Liu Tongzhi imprisoned. In order to appease the public anger, he has followed the wartime military order and executed the entire family."

Sharifei said with a sigh, "You really value money over life."

The magistrate Wu Maoze also said angrily: "Who said it wasn't true? The prefect is old and sick, and usually it is Liu Tongzhi who acts on his behalf. He is a domineering person, and his relatives are used to bullying others by taking advantage of their power, and they dare to do anything..."

Li Yan glanced at him calmly and said nothing.

He also had a vague idea about official affairs.

Liu Tongzhi really deserves to die, but the Xiangyang prefect is old and sick, neglected his duties, and is still sitting in his position. I'm afraid it's not that simple...

After entering Xiangyang City, the streets were equally bleak.

All the shops were closed and there were very few pedestrians. Occasionally, masked porters appeared, carrying dead bodies. Some were covered with white cloth, while others were casually wrapped in straw mats.

"and many more!"

Li Yan called out to someone at random and lifted the white cloth.

There was a corpse lying inside. It looked like a young man. His skin was an abnormal purple color, and his mouth, throat, ears and nose were all covered with green moss.

Li Yan frowned and turned to look at Wang Daoxuan, "Master, have you ever seen this kind of plague?"

Wang Daoxuan also looked solemn and shook his head, saying, "I've never seen it before. To me, it looks like a Gu curse."

"It's not a curse."

The prosecutor Wu Maoze beside him said quickly, "At first, the people in the Law Enforcement Hall did suspect it was a Gu curse, but they checked it themselves and also asked a Gu woman from Jiangxi to check it out, and they ruled out Gu magic."

"Mr. Li has also confirmed that it is a plague. The magicians in the City God Temple want to perform rituals to eliminate the plague, but they can't find the source of the plague..."

Li Yan asked again: "Where are the people from the City God Temple?"

The Law Enforcement Hall of Xiangyang City God Temple is still managed by the Taoists of Zhenwu Palace, but there is no one there at the moment, which is really strange.

Magistrate Wu Maoze shook his head and smiled bitterly, "To be honest, this plague originally only infected the old, weak and disabled, but later even the young and strong could not withstand it."

"Until now, even many Taoist monks have been infected. People from the City God Temple are tracing the source of the plague, and many people have also been infected. Mr. Li, you'd better wear a vinegar cloth..."

Li Yan shook his head slightly, ready to refuse.

He had a Daluo Dharmakaya and was not afraid of infection, but before he could say anything, his face changed and he retreated violently.

Bang!
There was a loud noise in the distance.

But someone was hiding in the dark and shooting.

Li Yan just managed to dodge it, but the corpse next to him suddenly exploded, with blood, flesh and moss splattering everywhere.

The prosecutor Wu Maoze was splashed all over his head and face. He quickly covered his mouth and nose with a vinegar cloth, screamed in shock, and frantically scratched his body.

"New firearms, Chenwei!"

Shalifi chuckled, pulled Wang Daoxuan back into the corner, and then drew out the magic fire gun from his back.

He is experienced and has figured out the opponent's position.

Lu San also pulled Wu Ba and retreated to the corner.

This place happens to be a blind spot for the opponent's firearms.

He blew a loud whistle, and suddenly several mice jumped out from the distant street corner and wandered around the street.

It looks messy, but it points to a house.

It was an old inn that had been closed due to the plague, but there was a small gap in the window on the second floor.

Seeing this, Sharifei dodged and pulled the trigger.

boom!
The window suddenly exploded and wood chips flew everywhere.

Li Yan had already flown out, and under the protection of Sha Lifei, he jumped up, grabbed the crack in the wall, and came to the window...

　Second update at 3:30

　　
　
(End of this chapter)