Knife splashing

Chapter 381 News about the Walking Dragon

"Tangya Tusi City?"

Li Yan was a little surprised and nodded, "Explain it clearly!"

I thought it was the Ghost Cult or the Tiansheng Cult, but I didn't expect that Tangya Tusi City would also show up. Could it be that they also came to Xiangyang?
"In Nanzhang County."

The old man knew that he had run into a tough guy today, so he didn't dare to use any rogue tactics. He answered honestly, "My name is Fan He, and I have been making a living in Shuzhong. I came to Ezhou because I offended someone."

"When I got here, I was unfamiliar with the place and only got some work thanks to the help of my friends in the underworld. When I was in Yichang, someone introduced a big job, so my master and I went to Baokang County to meet the person."

"That man is also quite famous in the Xiangxi area. His name is Tan Zhihai. He is good at poison and beast control. Although he didn't say it explicitly, I know that he is the manager of the Ten Thousand Beasts Garden in Tangya Tusi City."

Li Yan frowned, "What is the Wanshou Garden?"

Old man Fan, who was holding the treasure, said quickly: "The ancestors of the Qin family originally came from the Golden Horde Wolf Country, Temuyier, and their descendants gradually became chieftains."

"Tusi officials loved hunting, so they built a zoo in the city to collect rare beasts, monsters and demons for hunting and fun."

"It's quite a lot of fun."

Li Yan glanced at him coldly and said, "Look, you are also an old man. Don't you know that the Tusi of Tangtangya has rebelled? How dare you mix with them?"

"this…"

Old Man Fan had a bitter face, "We are just making a living in the underworld, and have nothing to do with the imperial court. Those who want to be officials and those who want to be emperors are fighting each other, and ordinary people are no different, right?"

"When I saw it was him, I didn't want to get involved in this trouble, but he said it was just a piece of wood and it wouldn't involve the court, so I agreed..."

Li Yan glanced at him calmly, "Nonsense!"

"You believe these words? It's just that the conditions are generous. If there is nothing wrong, why doesn't he dare to come and get it in person?"

"Yes Yes."

Old Man Fan shrank his neck and said, "I was bewitched and fooled."

Li Yan asked again: "Did he tell me where to meet after he found the treasure?"

Old Man Fan smiled and said, "I really don't know. They just said to bury the things and then go to Yichang to claim the reward. If I had known that it was related to Young Master Li, I would never have dared to take this job."

"I see…"

Li Yan pondered for a moment, shook his head and said, "You are in big trouble. I'm afraid you don't even know what trouble you have caused."

After saying that, he pushed open the temple door, took out the bamboo tube and pulled it.

call out!
Fireworks signals shot up into the sky.

The old ghost in the temple was also very smart. Without Li Yan's words, he directly released the ban. The thick fog outside dissipated, revealing a passage.

People from the Law Enforcement Hall and the Military Commander's Office rushed in immediately.

"The court's hawk and dog!"

When old man Fan, who was hiding his treasure, saw this, he felt something was wrong.

He originally thought that this matter was only related to Li Yan, so he wanted to use the rules of the underworld to get away with it, but he didn't expect that it was related to the imperial court.

The Duwei Division and the Law Enforcement Hall are both notorious for their evil deeds.

Normally he would keep his distance from any of them, but now that they appeared together, and thinking about the recent war, the old man's face immediately turned pale.

He was sweating profusely, his eyes spinning wildly. When the people from the Duwei Division arrived outside the hall, his eyes suddenly lit up and he shouted, "Stop, stop. I have something important to report. I am willing to atone for my sins!"

Li Yan raised his hand and waved, causing the people outside to stop. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Tell me, what's the big deal?"

Old Man Fan gritted his teeth and said, "I am telling you this in exchange for..."

"Everyone, please feel free to do as you please."

Li Yan simply waved his hand.

The people from the Duwei Division rushed in immediately and tied up the master and his disciples. The Taoists from the Law Enforcement Hall took out the copper needle engraved with the thunder talisman.

This item is specially used to deal with Xuanmen monks.

Inserting it into Dantian and several important acupoints, no matter using hidden power or concentrating the mind, will cause the Qi and blood to become disorderly, the spirit and soul to be shaken, making life worse than death.

Even if it is removed in the future, it will take several years to recover.

Seeing the copper needle getting closer and closer, Old Man Fan immediately screamed, "They found the dragon and want to get rid of it and break through the Ju River!"

"stop!"

Li Yan waved his hand to stop everyone, then frowned and said, "How did you know this? Don't hide it."

The Ghost Cult had planned this before in Dangyang County. They wanted to open the Zigai Cave, overturn the well, and take out the dragon spirit that Lu Zu had suppressed that year.

I was stopped by him at that time, but I didn't expect that he still didn't give up.

Old Man Fan knew this was his last chance, and he quickly said, "I didn't trust them at the time, so I used a secret method to eavesdrop."

"I heard from Qin Zhihai that the Tiansheng Cult found a trapped dragon that had been suppressed for many years near Shennongjia. It was very powerful. He was invited to come here to guide the beast to move along the Ju River and rush into the Yangtze River..."

Li Yan pondered for a moment, then said to the Taoist priest of the Law Enforcement Hall: "This matter is of great importance. Report it to Senior Yu Longzi immediately. Also, if this person is willing to cooperate, spare his life."

"Okay, Mr. Li."

The Taoist from the Law Enforcement Hall nodded with a serious expression.

"Thank you, Young Master Li, for your plea!"

Old man Fan thanked them quickly and was then taken away.

After these people left, the temple was filled with mist again, and the vague shadow of the old monk appeared.

Li Yan pondered for a moment and threw the soul tablet directly.

Call ~
In an instant, a strong wind blew, and the soul tablet flew into the air, sinking into the nanmu beam above and disappeared.

"Thank you, donor."

The shadow of the old monk put his hands together.

Li Yan nodded and said, "This is what we agreed to do before. Although we didn't catch the person, we got important information. I won't break my promise."

"But please forgive me for being so nosy. Even if Zhenwu Palace does not stop you, it is not a good choice for you to rebuild the temple."

The old monk said, "Please speak frankly, benefactor."

Li Yan looked around and said, "Senior, you are practicing Pure Land Buddhism. The imperial court is on guard against the Maitreya sect. Besides, you are a reincarnated cultivator, so you will definitely not be willing to be a mortal."

"This will surely bring you many disasters. If you take one wrong step, you will die. There will never be another Sanfeng Patriarch who is kind-hearted enough to make a promise with you."

After hearing this, the old monk fell silent, and after a while he spoke: "Thank you for your reminder, but I was born under the influence of Pure Land Buddhism, so how could I retreat because of a disaster?"

Li Yan was stunned for a moment, "In that case, I wish you good luck."

After saying that, he turned and left.

This old monk Nanmu was also a rare creature. He originally wanted to persuade the other party to reincarnate as a priest of the Tuoshi Water God Temple, but the other party was determined to become a Buddha and would not accept this at all.

I can only say that we are not destined to be together.

Shortly after he left, a strong wind suddenly blew inside the ruins of the dilapidated temple, and the thick fog quickly shrank, sucking all the ghost monks and wild gods into the temple.

Crackling!

The huge nanmu beam suddenly started to catch fire, then burned fiercely, turning into a beam of light that rushed into the night sky and headed towards Jiangsu and Zhejiang...

Although the old monk did not respond, he listened to Li Yan's advice and decided not to rebuild the temple, but to give up everything and start again.

Whether you will have the opportunity to rebuild your cultivation depends entirely on your Buddhist fate.

Without the support of the beams, the Ghost Buddha Temple completely collapsed, without any trace of evil spirit...

…………Outside the city of Xiangyang, many officials gathered, attracting everyone's attention.

"Young Master Li, have a safe trip."

The fat Wu Dehai was in high spirits and raised his glass to toast.

During the Xiangyang plague, he followed Li Yan and made a lot of contributions. Although it was impossible for him to be promoted, at least his position as the seal holder was secure and no one dared to covet it anymore.

"Have a safe trip, Mr. Li!"

The officials nearby also toasted and saw him off.

They all got the opportunity to be promoted because their superiors were imprisoned.

Although I am grateful in my heart, I am more here to give face and build a good relationship, which may be useful in the future.

"Thank you, my lords."

Li Yan drank the wine in the glass, said goodbye with a smile, then led everyone to mount their horses and rode away under the gazes of countless people.

"Finally gone."

Seeing Xiangyang City getting farther and farther away, Sha Lifei wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "It's really hard to deal with these masters. If you are not careful, you will be trapped. I almost accepted several errands."

Li Yan shook his head and said, "The entire officialdom in Xiangyang has been replaced. These people have hastily risen to power and are anxious to find support. When they are stable, we will only be regarded as unlucky if we come next time."

"makes sense."

Sharifei nodded and said, "Brother Yan, this mission from the court is not easy to handle. It is too dangerous to sneak into the chaotic army to investigate. Why should we wade into this muddy water?"

After the information from old man Fan, the treasure-hunting man, was delivered, they received another big job, which was to enter Shennongjia and find out the location of the trapped dragon.

Li Yan didn't waste any words. He took out a note from his arms and handed it over.

Sharifei took a look and immediately exclaimed, "Is the treasure cellar in Qingcheng Mountain going to be opened?"

Li Yan nodded and said, "Yes, after the New Year."

"Qingcheng Mountain is the holy land of Quanzhen Longmen. The collection of treasure cellars is extremely rich. Moreover, this time it is an old cellar from the Song Dynasty. Ordinary Dharma lineages are not qualified to participate."

"Not only is the reward from the court generous this time, but the Taixuan Orthodox Church has also agreed to give me a place. Fortune and wealth are sought through risk. If I don't earn more money after going to Qingcheng Mountain, I'm afraid I'll only be able to watch the good things I see."

As he spoke, a hint of murderous intent rose in his eyes.

"And now, we can't hide anymore. Both the Ghost Cult and the Heavenly Saint Cult have issued a secret arrest warrant for us. I've received news that many Green Foresters and those who feed on Ge Nian have heard the news and are here."

"If we continue to stay in Xiangyang City, they will hide in the dark and wait for an opportunity to attack us. We will definitely be unable to defend ourselves. It is better to enter the war zone and kill them all."

"As the Holy Religion continues to lose ground, a large number of people from the mountains of Jingchu have left the mountains and been incorporated. They are like grasshoppers in autumn and will not be able to jump for long."

"They are probably trying to escape and join forces with the Tangya Tusi City army by taking advantage of the Jiaoguan Pass to connect to the Ju River."

"You can't hide away. Now we are at loggerheads with those evil people. We might as well take advantage of the imperial court to suppress the rebellion and eliminate these people!"

Sharifei pondered for a moment and cursed, "Brother Yan is right. If we don't hurt these people, I'm afraid we won't be able to live in peace in the future."

Li Yan looked at the mountains and rivers in the distance, "Let's go, everyone stay alert..."

…………

To go to Shennongjia from Xiangyang, you have to pass through Nanzhang County and Baokang County in turn. Although there are many rivers here, most of them are small rivers and streams, crisscrossing and unable to reach directly, so you have to travel by land.

The crowd rode on horseback, and hawks flew in the sky.

Lu San's falcon "Lidong" was injured and needed rest, so he temporarily borrowed one from the Xiangyang Duwei Office. After Lu San's training, the falcon became obedient and sensible.

With the falcons accompanying them and everyone's magical powers, there were no unexpected accidents along the way and they arrived in Nanzhang County smoothly.

When we got here, the atmosphere immediately became wrong.

In the neighboring Baokang County, the imperial army had fought several battles with the Jingchu Tiansheng Army. Although they had defeated the enemy, some of the defeated troops fled.

The shadow of war also shrouded Nanzhang County.

Every village along the way sent out able-bodied men to patrol and keep watch to prevent the rebel army from colluding with bandits and entering the villages to rob.

On the official road, only the imperial court's grain transport team was moving forward.

The gate of Nanzhang County had been closed. Li Yan and others did not enter the county, but took a detour and continued westward.

The terrain here is high in the west and low in the east. After they left Nanzhang County, they saw towering mountains, lush and dark, with green waters surrounding the mountains.

"Someone!"

Not long after entering the forest, Lu San suddenly gave a reminder.

Soon, a man dressed as a woodcutter emerged from the dense forest and bowed to Li Yan, saying, "I am Gong Qun, the spy from the Duwei Division. I am honored to meet you, Young Master Li."

Before he finished speaking, he waved his hand and threw the token.

Li Yan was not surprised. This operation was an imperial mission and it definitely required the cooperation of the Duwei Division. This man was their contact person.

After looking at the token, Li Yan asked, "What's the situation in Baokang County?"

The man looked into the distance hesitantly and said, "It's getting late, and things are not going well around here. Young Master Li, please follow me. Let's find a place to stay and talk in detail."

"Alright."

Li Yan nodded, jumped off the horse, and made a gesture to the others with his hands behind his back, indicating that they should be careful.

Although it was an agreement in advance, many people from the Duwei Division were infiltrated during this riot in the southwest, so it is better to be cautious.

As he walked, he asked, "Is the neighborhood not peaceful?"

Gong Qian nodded and said solemnly: "Yes, there are many villages in the mountains nearby, including Han people and Miao villages."

"Some are relatively safe, while others were originally bandits who often engaged in no-cost business. They may have colluded with the Tiansheng Cult."

"Just like the Chunqiu Village."

"What is the current situation of Chunqiu Village?"

"Master Yulongzi of Zhenwu Palace has led people to destroy the place. Now only ruins are left..."

"Oh, by the way, I also received news. There is a Shuijing Manor here. The owner is called Sima Chen. He claims to be the descendant of Mr. Shuijing. His family is quite powerful, and he likes to make friends with people in the martial arts world."

"A few strangers have recently come to this man's farm. Judging from their accents, they are from Shuzhong. We haven't figured out their background yet. I wonder if they are assassins hired by the Tiansheng Sect..."

As he was talking, he had already led everyone into a deserted path. After passing through a dense forest, a deserted small temple leaning against a mountain suddenly appeared before them.

On the gate of the dilapidated temple, there were three big characters "Xu Gong Temple" written on a crooked plaque.

"Xu Gong Temple?"

Wang Daoxuan became interested. "Could it be the shrine of Xu Shu in the late Han Dynasty?"

Gong Qun nodded and said, "The Taoist priest is right. It is the Xu Shu Temple. According to legend, Xu Shu lived in seclusion nearby. During the Daxing period, a member of the Xu family passed by here and donated money to build the temple."

"Later, no one worshipped it, and it was abandoned..."

Before he could finish his words, Li Yan suddenly stopped him and asked with narrowed eyes: "Did you choose this place yourself?"

Gong Xun was stunned. "I have been living here these days. Young Master Li, do you think there is something strange?"

Li Yan didn't say anything, but looked at Lu San.

Lu San immediately understood and patted the magic gourd.

hum!
A dense swarm of poisonous bees whizzed out.

"Squeak!"

A macaque suddenly rushed out from the woods behind the temple, screaming and running around on the tree...

　Second update in the afternoon
　　
　
(End of this chapter)