Knife splashing

Chapter 437: Plan to Enter Chengdu

The sky was gloomy and a drizzle was falling.

"Get out of the way, everyone, get out of the way!"

"What's so good about it?"

At the dock, runners from Fengdu County shouted and pushed the crowd away, then carried corpses off the boat.

All the bodies were covered with straw mats.

"The kid's old man!"

"Brother! Move aside, my brother is inside!"

In the crowd, the victims scrambled to squeeze in.

There were women with babies and ragged men, all of them looked panicked and pale.

When the people nearby saw this, they looked at him with sympathy and made way for him.

"Hey, don't move!"

Seeing that the woman was about to lift the straw mat, the bailiff hurriedly stopped her.

"This is my old man, this is my old man!"

The woman screamed and struggled, and the child cried loudly.

The people around also advised:

"The victim is identifying the body, why are you stopping him?"

"That's right, is it because you can't see me?"

"What do you know!"

The head of the yamen runners immediately glared at him.

At this moment, the ragged man suddenly stepped forward and lifted the straw mat.

When everyone saw it, they immediately gasped.

"Oh my God!"

Some people stepped back and fell to the ground.

They finally understood why the bailiffs didn't let them see it.

The corpses looked like smoked and dried pork, black and huddled together, with hideous and distorted faces and wide-open mouths.

A chill rose in the hearts of the onlookers.

"This... this is caused by a demon!"

Someone screamed and fear spread among the crowd.

The woman's eyes rolled back and she fainted, leaving the ignorant baby beside her crying loudly.

"I told you not to look!"

The head of the yamen runners was also angry. He pushed the man away and had his men carry the body towards the city gate.

“Why move to the city?!”

When the common people saw this, they were immediately dissatisfied and shouted: "That person died suddenly. We can't mess with him, otherwise it will bring disaster!"

"We have already invited the Taoist priest from Qingniu Temple!"

The head of the yamen runners waved his hands impatiently and scolded: "The county magistrate said that if anyone dares to spread rumors and mislead the people, he will be thrown into jail!"

After saying this, he hurried away with his men.

Among the crowd, Li Yan turned and walked towards the city.

Listening to the crying of children behind him, his face became gloomy. He looked up at the sky, and the joy of obtaining treasures on the famous mountain was gone.

Not regrets.

Under the circumstances at that time, they could only escape first.

Also, I thought the Terracotta Warriors formation could trap the evil creature. Moreover, it was in the secret cave of Wushan Mountain. It was so far away, how could it catch up with me?
Li Yan's mind was full of questions.

In addition, another thing also caught his attention.

People from Qingniu Temple are coming.

If I remember correctly, at Shennongjia, the Bashu sorcerer named Wu Faluo said that there was something wrong with the people in Qingniu Temple...

……

As soon as I got back to the inn, I saw Sharifei bragging to someone in the lobby.

"How's it going? Are you okay?"

Seeing Li Yan coming back, he hurried forward to greet him.

"Let's talk about it when we get back."

Li Yan looked around calmly.

After getting those two strange jade stones, the hook signs were indeed different. They could also indicate the surrounding hook signs, but they were only in one area and would change direction as Li Yan moved.

Li Yan knew that this was most likely the opponent's position.

Bang!
As soon as I went up the stairs, I saw a man flying out and falling directly from the second floor, smashing the tables and chairs in the hall.

Wu Ba just stuck his head out and grinned foolishly.

Li Yan knew the reason as soon as he saw it.

There were quite a lot of people coming, and the entire second floor of the inn was booked. In addition, there were so many women, and although they were all covered with white gauze, their graceful figures naturally attracted the ruffians in the city.

These bastards have no knowledge and just want to get in on the act.

Li Yan was too lazy to pay attention and went upstairs directly.

Back upstairs, everyone gathered around.

Li Yan found a room, drank a few cups of tea, and then recounted what happened on the mountain in general.

Because it involves Yin Changsheng, I will just say that it passed smoothly.

What is more crucial is the discovery at the dock.

"Is there still such a thing?"

Wang Daoxuan pulled his beard, his eyes full of disbelief, "The evil spirit is mostly in a fixed area."

"Just like the 'guest in the fog', he only causes trouble near Bashan. Even if he is suppressed, he will still return."

"This is the first time I've seen such a thing."

Bai Huan, who was standing by, shook his head when he heard this and said, "At that time, all the 'Water Tigers' had been strangled to death. Judging from the way they died, it seems that their essence, blood and yang energy were drained out. The demonic disease has probably transformed again."

As he spoke, he sighed, "Because of our affairs, many innocent people have been hurt along the way. My friend, I will handle this matter. It may take some time..."

Just as they were talking, there was movement outside again.

"Ouch~"

Downstairs, the rascal who came to cause trouble finally recovered, grabbed his waist and climbed up, stumbling out, turning around and saying something fierce before leaving:
"Just wait, you idiots. I'm going to yell..."

Bang!
Before he could finish his words, he was slapped away.

This guy was also unlucky. After flying out, he hit the wine jar and cut his back, making him grimace in pain.

He was about to yell, but when he saw the person coming, he trembled all over, curled up into a ball and pretended to be dead, not daring to make a sound.

At the door, three men from the Duwei Division suddenly appeared. The leader was a centurion with charred skin, triangular eyes and a goatee.

His eyes were like those of an eagle. After he glanced around, the originally noisy atmosphere in the lobby suddenly became as cold as ice.

Li Yan and others naturally noticed it, walked out of the room, stood on the second floor and looked down.

The captain raised his head at the same time, looking at everyone, and said expressionlessly, "I am Liu Qian, a captain of the captain's office of Chongqing Prefecture. You all look unfamiliar. Where are you from? Where are you going?"

As soon as Li Yan saw this person, he felt disgusted and was too lazy to talk to him.

Sharifei smiled and bowed, saying, "Sir, we are coming from Ezhou and are going to Qingcheng Mountain."

"Qingcheng Mountain?"

Captain Liu glanced at him and said in a cold voice, "There's a murder at the dock. I've been ordered to investigate. No one is allowed to leave until the truth is revealed. Otherwise, they will be considered as absconding from the crime!"

After that, he turned around and left.

"Hey hey!"

Sharifei became anxious and shouted from behind.

They had the imperial edict and the documents from the Ministry of War, so how could they be considered as suspects? Moreover, they knew what was causing the trouble. However, the centurion turned a deaf ear to them and left directly.

"What a coward, this guy..."

Sharifei cursed first, then he stroked his chin and narrowed his eyes, "Brother Yan, there's something wrong with this guy."

"really."

Li Yan was also thoughtful, "Let's talk about it when we get back."

"This person is setting a trap!"

After returning to the guest room, Li Yan said directly: "If the Duwei Division investigated the case, they would definitely find out our origins, but he didn't even ask."

Sharifei understood immediately, "He knows who we are. Once he shows us the imperial edict and the military documents, some things will become difficult to do."

"Also, since they said we were suspects, but they didn't send anyone to keep an eye on us, it's obvious that they're playing tricks."

"I'm afraid that once we leave, a wanted poster will appear tomorrow!"

At this point, Sharifei became even more suspicious, "We were blocked as soon as we arrived in Fengdu. Brother Yan had just come down the mountain when a murder happened. It's too coincidental..."

When it comes to the tricks of the underworld, he knows it best among everyone.

"It looks like a hitching post, but it's a hard one. If I'm not mistaken, there's a knife behind it!"

Before he finished speaking, Li Yan raised his hand, signaling him not to speak.

Boom boom boom!
There was a noise at the window.

Shalifai quickly held down the firearm, while Li Yan shook his head slightly, walked forward and opened the window, and immediately a man jumped in.

He was wearing a constable's uniform and was obviously the head of the yamen runners at the dock.

"I've met senior."

Li Yan simply bowed in greeting.

This person was the man in black robe who spoke to him last night.

Who could have thought that the people from the Huangquan organization were actually yamen runners.

But this identity is just right.

It can be moved around without being too conspicuous.

"My name is Meng Changgui."

The head of the yamen runners didn't seem surprised at all.

He is also proficient in martial arts and techniques, which is why he stayed in Fengdu City and became the contact person of "Huangquan".

Just now at the dock, I had already noticed Li Yan's gaze.

After he sat down, he didn't look at other people, but just nodded to Li Yan and said: "Congratulations, fellow Taoist, although it took some time, but you have passed it."

Li Yan's expression remained unchanged. "It was just luck."

Meng Changgui didn't know that Li Yan had touched the thousand-year-old treasure left by Yin Changsheng last night. He just thought for a moment and nodded, "Since you have passed the test, no matter what, you are already a brother of Huangquan and are protected by the organization."

"Especially for the group of Wushan cultivators, someone will go and warn them, so there is no need to worry about this. But they will have to wait until the twelfth lunar month to officially join."

"Thank you."

Li Yan clasped his fists slightly.

"Huangquan" is very mysterious. Meng Changgui in front of him is also considered a master, but he is only responsible for liaison. It has a profound foundation and a long history. Many masters from Shenzhou have secretly joined.

Even Wei Zheng and Bao Zheng were members of the organization back then, which was what attracted Li Yan.

No matter what the future will be like, at least it is a real living ghost organization. If you enter it, you should be able to learn a lot of secrets.

As Meng Changgui spoke, his expression became serious. "I showed up this time for another reason. Have you offended the Salt Gang?"

"Yes."

Li Yan did not hide anything and gave a general account of what happened in Wushan.

"Humph!"

Meng Changgui sneered and said, "No wonder, someone deliberately leaked this matter in Fengdu City so that we could know about it."

"And Liu Qian, he was bribed by the Salt Gang a long time ago and came to Fengdu yesterday. I think he came here just for you."

"It seems that the murder at the dock is also related to them..."

"Senior is wrong."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Li Yan, who told him about his encounter with the monster "Water Tiger" in Wushan and how it inexplicably followed him here.

Of course, some key things still need to be concealed.

"Demon?"

Meng Changgui was silent for a moment after hearing this, then shook his head and said, "Some people in the organization don't like you. They think you are too high-profile and too involved in the secular world. Sooner or later, you will get into trouble."

"They insisted on the test last night. Otherwise, they are all brothers who are living ghost messengers. Why would we go through so much trouble?"

"Now, they have something to say..."

"But don't worry, although we Huangquan mainly act on behalf of heaven and don't participate much in worldly affairs, we are not pushovers."

"What the Salt Gang did was nothing more than dragging you into the dispute and using the court's laws to pressure you. As long as you leave, the Duwei Division will definitely hunt you down, and if a few people die in the conflict, it will be hard to explain this matter."

"The Salt Gang has won over many officials in Shu. After joining the Shu Palace, their power has expanded rapidly. We must not confront them head-on."

"Leave this to us. People from Qingniu Temple have already arrived. We will inform you of the matter of the demon. Once the matter is resolved, you can leave."

"There is one more thing. I'm afraid there is something wrong with Qingniu Temple."

Li Yan told the story of Qingniu Temple again.

"Oh!"

After hearing this, Meng Changgui stood up suddenly, his face became serious, "If this is true, then it will be troublesome."

"We will investigate this matter thoroughly. You stay in the inn and don't run around!"

After saying that, he bowed slightly, turned around, jumped out of the window and left.

"This Salt Gang is not over yet, right..."

After they left, Sharifei complained, "They have the support of the King of Shu and are so unscrupulous. I'm afraid we will have trouble along the way."

As he said this, his eyes rolled, "Brother Yan, we'd better try something different when we go to Chengdu."

"There are many people at the Chongqing docks, and all kinds of people gather there. It's better to escape directly, hide your identity, and go to Chengdu by land."

"good idea!"

Wang Daoxuan also stroked his beard and agreed, but then frowned and said: "But it's still a bit difficult. There are so many of us, both men and women, it's very conspicuous. It's not easy to get through..."

"I have a solution."

At this time, the old lady next to him, Bai Huan, suddenly spoke up, "The people of Shu attach great importance to customs. Every year, Chengdu holds a grand lantern festival, which has been passed down since the Tang Dynasty. There are also flower festivals, sky lanterns, street sheds, and dragon lanterns... It's very lively."

"It is already late autumn. The opera troupes from all over Bashu will start to set off for Chengdu. We can get some clothes and pretend to be an opera troupe and leave by land."

Sharifi was amused. "Old senior, that's a good idea, but we don't know how to act. If we run into them, we'll be exposed if we yell a few times, right?"

"It's not difficult."

The old lady Bai Huan smiled and said, "Have you ever heard of Yang Opera?"

Li Yan was also a little curious, "I have heard of Yin Opera and Ghost Opera being performed for the dead, but this is the first time I have heard of Yang Opera."

Bai Huan explained: "Yang Opera is also called 'Wuyang Shen Opera'. It originated from Nuo Opera and is popular among Tujia people."

"This 'Wuyang Divine Opera' is divided into the inner and outer altars. The inner altar is for rituals, and the outer altar is for opera performances. The key is that everyone must wear a Nuo mask, and the more mysterious it is, the better."

"In the land of Bashu, there are few people but many people, and Wuyang Divine Opera is very popular. If you bring it with you all the time, not only will you not arouse suspicion, but you will also be highly respected. No one will want to provoke you, so concealing your identity is the best choice."

"To be honest, we have also helped others perform Yang Opera in Dachang City. When the Taoist priest performs rituals in the inner altar, my disciples perform in the outer altar. It is no different from a real Yang Opera troupe."

"So good!"

Li Yan nodded in agreement, pondered for a moment, and said to "Speedboat Zhang" beside him: "When we arrive at Chongqing Wharf, please sell the boat directly, disguise yourself and leave, and we will leave by land."

"Easy to say."

"Fast Boat Zhang" smiled and said, "I have quite a few connections in this waterway. It will be easy for me to return to Ezhou..."

After some discussion, everyone decided on a plan.

But right now the issue in Fengdu has not been resolved yet, so I can only stay in the inn for now.

After Li Yan returned to his room, he finally had the chance to take out the hook with the jade accessories and carefully examine it...

　The second update will be in the evening
　　
　
(End of this chapter)