Knife splashing

Chapter 454: Changing Faces to Confuse God
Li Yan was not surprised to see people from the Cao Gang.

The root cause of this incident was the struggle between several forces, the Salt Gang and the Sichuan Chamber of Commerce, and the Cao Gang and the Paijiao.

As for Han Kun and the Chen family father and son...

Li Yan suddenly remembered that when they were about to leave Ezhou, they stayed at the Jiangsu and Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce, and the Chen father and son had invited him.

It is said to be a sacrifice, but in fact it is just participating in the fight against the anti-jiao.

Thinking of this, Li Yan shook his head slightly.

This is how the world works, relationships are not static.

Back then at Manchuan Pass in Shanzhou, he was helped by Han Kun to find Lu San, and they had dealings again later, so they could be considered old friends.

But when the butt changes, the thinking also changes.

Ever since he became the elder of the Cao Gang, his horizons have broadened and his ambitions have grown. He has colluded with the Chen father and son and has great ambitions.

As Li Yan's fame grew, he also came into his sight.

The relationship between the two sides has also changed.

As for the Chen father and son, Li Yan was wary of them from the beginning.

In addition to Han Kun and the Chen father and son, there were a few other people sitting inside. Some of them were dressed like wealthy businessmen, while others were people from the underworld. They all looked extraordinary.

There was a grand funeral outside, and people were drinking tea and chatting inside.

The atmosphere was inexplicably strange.

Li Yan used some magic formulas and tried to use his supernatural powers to listen.

Unfortunately, the Feng Shui formation of this house was obviously designed by a master, and even supernatural powers cannot detect it.

At the same time, the members of the Wu troupe were also driven onto the stage one by one, fiddling with their tools, painting their faces, and tuning their instruments.

They all had sad faces.

The men who were watching nearby sneered and scolded, "Everyone, pay attention! If the show goes wrong, no one can escape!"

The orders they received were to use both soft and hard tactics on this group of actors, to keep them there but not scare them away.

Letting them go home before was just to give them some hope.

To prevent the actors from becoming stubborn and fighting to the death.

This method is called "live trap".

Put a noose around your neck. If you dare to move, pull it tight. If you behave yourself, loosen it. You can't run away, so you have to be obedient.

Once all the value is squeezed out, life or death no longer matters.

At this moment, the old man who had come to beg for mercy suddenly clasped his fists and begged, "My dear friends, can we start early tonight and 'break the stage' first?"

"I'm going to ruin your son of a bitch's business!"

The leading man cursed: "What are you trying to do?"

The old man had a sad face, "After the performance yesterday, several people in the troupe died. I'm afraid there's a problem. No one dares to sing unless the stage is broken."

"How dare you threaten us, old man!"

The big man grabbed the old man by the collar.

The old man was also determined to go all out. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes and said, "Fight us, beat us to death. If we don't 'break the stage', we'll all die anyway!"

"Yes, no performance without 'breaking the stage'!"

"This is the rule of our ancestors, it cannot be broken!"

Seeing this, the big man hesitated.

If these actors quit, he will also have to bear the brunt of the consequences.

squeak~
The door of the Zhou family mansion suddenly opened, and a middle-aged man walked out. He was wearing a black robe, his face was pale, his hair was disheveled, and there was black in the corners of his eyes.

What’s special is that he has a strange earring on his left ear, like a small bronze statue, with a bit of Tibetan style.

It turns out that he is a scattered person...

Looking at his attire, Li Yan had already guessed his background.

Sanjiao is also one of the southwestern sects. It is relatively niche and has both southwestern primitive witchcraft and tantric techniques. Most of its members have disheveled hair and their techniques are messy.

Simply put, only seek techniques, not methods.

I have learned all kinds of schools, but they are all a mess.

Although they are a side sect, they are highly respected among the people because they are proficient in techniques and use various unconventional methods with extraordinary results.

This guy should be the evil sorcerer.

Sure enough, when he saw the troupe members shouting, he just glanced at them calmly and said, "It's the old rules for the troupe to disrupt the stage. Don't try to stop them. The show will go on as usual."

"Yes, sir."

The big men stopped trying to stop him after hearing this.

The people in the troupe immediately started to get busy.

A hint of mockery flashed in the warlock's eyes. He turned around, closed the door, and went back into the house.

Seeing this, Li Yan also breathed a sigh of relief.

The people in the troupe hid the Bagua mirror given by Wang Daoxuan, as well as the makeshift face-changing props.

This guy's awakened ability was probably not the ability to smell. If he hadn't discovered the troupe's hidden treasure and had escaped this disaster, his plan would have been half successful.

On the other side, the sorcerer also returned to the house and led his men to move several bronze mirrors, lanterns and stone fish tanks to completely dismantle the Feng Shui formation.

This is what you've been waiting for!

Li Yan smiled slightly and made hand gestures again.

Wang Daoxuan told him that there are some rules for this disaster-removing method. One cannot hide when the spell is being cast, otherwise the spell cannot be moved.

It is inevitable to open the Feng Shui array of the house.

With the help of the magical power of ears, the conversation inside also floated over.

As soon as the sorcerer entered the main hall, someone asked him questions.

"Mr. Luo, what happened?"

"It's nothing, those actors just want to ruin the show."

"There won't be any mistakes, right?"

"Humph! You won't be able to rely on this."

Judging from the voice, it was Han Kun who asked the question.

Someone else interrupted and said, "Why go through so much trouble? In my opinion, we should just go and find Huo Jiao directly."

"We have more people and more power now, so there is no need to give him face!"

"That's wrong. The Paijiao is quite powerful. If we fight to the death, we will suffer losses. The Salt Gang is also watching this matter. If they instigate us, the Paijiao will completely side with the Salt Gang, which will be bad..."

"Elder Han, what is your opinion?"

"If we can convince him to surrender, the Cao Gang will honor him as an elder..."

Listening to the conversation between several people, Li Yan finally understood the cause and effect.

In order to fight against the Salt Gang, the Sichuan Chamber of Commerce has joined forces with the Cao Gang, and even with the help of other chambers of commerce, even the Gelaohui has joined its camp.

As for the Paijiao, the situation is somewhat awkward.

They were also a powerful force spread across the southern states, and some of their leaders had participated in the chieftain rebellion, which had already displeased the imperial court.

The Salt Gang has already surrendered to the Shu Palace. If they have some other intentions and the Paijiao is involved, then our pants will be filled with mud and there will be no way to explain it.

On the other hand, facing the massive invasion of the Cao Gang, they were unwilling to give up their territory.

The Cao Gang did not want to take things too far, so they left some room for maneuver and persuaded the leader Huo Jiao to surrender...

The current situation has been caused by the calculations of all parties.

This time, the Zhou family is used as a platform for a battle to measure their abilities.

If Sichuan and Shu won, even if they chose to join the alliance in the future, they would be able to gain more say...

After knowing the reason, Li Yan was too lazy to care about it anymore.

In the court, underworld, and market, no matter how high or low the means are, they are all fighting for interests. We have seen too much along the way.

This is the world of mortals, and also the rivers and lakes of martial arts.

Whether you are used to it or not, it is like this.

National justice, brotherhood, helping the weak and punishing the strong...

Many people talk, but few can do.

Outside the Zhou family mansion, the opera troupe also became busy.

Crackling, the sound of firecrackers.

But then a warrior with red hair and beard, with oil paint on his face, came out swinging a horsewhip, his eyes wide open, as if he was furious.

Another woman played the role of a female ghost.

The martial artist played the role of Wang Lingguan. After driving away the female ghost, he lightly stepped on the back of the chair and lowered his red beard on the curtain. The old man who had spoken earlier killed a chicken and splashed the chicken blood all over the stage.

According to the rules, outsiders are not allowed to watch the "breaking stage" performance.

The big men obviously knew the rule and turned away without even looking at him.

They vaguely know what they are doing these days.

If you provoke anything, you will be in trouble.

The young man who played Wang Lingguan took out a small Bagua mirror from his bosom while putting on his beard, and hid it behind his beard without anyone noticing...

Crackling, firecrackers blasted again.

With three gong and drum sounds, the show officially began.

This play "Zhan Long Tai" was originally a scene from the Sichuan opera "The King of Tang Visits the Underworld". It tells the story of how the King of Tang was asked by the Dragon King of Jing River to play chess with Wei Zheng to delay the King, but failed in the end.

The first person to come on stage was Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin. After singing for a while, he ordered the eunuch to call Wei Zheng to come.

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The singing style was mixed with a lot of dialect slang, which Li Yan could not understand at all, but he was very interested in it.

According to the people in "Huangquan", Wei Zheng was also a living ghost messenger, but he was just an ordinary person.

When he was in Ezhou, he also dreamed of slaying a dragon.

But there are some differences between the two.

The one Wei Zheng beheaded was the haunted dragon spirit after death.

But what he killed was a living dragon.

It seems that he is not just working for the underworld...

Just as he was deep in thought, the dragon-patterned jade sceptre in his arms trembled again.

coming!

Li Yan's heart moved and he looked into the distance.

Call ~
But from the northwest, a strong wind was howling, fog was surging, and the night seemed to become even darker.

Li Yan immediately smelled the odor of rotten fish and shrimp.

There's something wrong with this Dragon King...

"Turn off the lights!"

Just as he was wondering, there was a shout from inside the Zhou family mansion. The servants quickly extinguished the lanterns. Everyone remained silent and covered their heads with black cloth.

The entire Zhou family fell into deathly silence in an instant.

Not only them, but even the big men guarding outside turned their backs, took out black cloth from their arms, and covered their heads.

There is a story behind this, too.

People have three yang fires, the strongest of which is on the top of the head. Many evil objects and methods use this to determine their location.

The black cloth covering can only play a small role, but compared with the actors on the stage, it seems very weak.

At the same time, the stage also became weird.

It was pitch black all around, with howling winds and thick fog. It seemed as if some huge monster was flying up and down in the fog.

Everyone in the troupe suddenly felt a chill all over their bodies.

They glanced at each other, stretched out their hands, and suddenly their facial expressions changed, all turning into silver-gray shrimp soldiers and crab generals.

Li Yan watched many operas during this trip and probably knew the symbolism of the facial makeup.

The popular ones are loyal and brave, such as Guan Yu, Jiang Wei, Gan Ning...

The black ones are strong and fierce, such as Bao Gong and Zhang Fei...

The white ones are insidious and cunning, the most typical example is Cao Cao.

Yellow represents bravery, blue represents strength and unruliness.

As for gold, silver, and gray, they mostly represent Buddhas, gods, immortals, demons, and ghosts.

The Wu troupe will play the roles of shrimp soldiers and crab generals, so the color is naturally silver-gray.

Their singing style remained the same, but their movements became funny, and with the addition of facial makeup, it became a complete comedy.

Those big men turned their backs, so naturally they couldn't notice it.

The wind was howling all around, and everyone in the Zhou family mansion was hiding their breath. They also had no idea what was happening outside?
Li Yan smiled and nodded.

"Tsk, it's still a little bit off..."

Suddenly, an old voice sounded beside me.

Li Yan's scalp exploded and he turned around quickly. The Soul-Breaking Flying Knife had already whizzed out and was hovering in the air beside him.

But he saw a figure wearing a black robe and a mask on his head appearing on the tree fork next to him at some point.

The other person's figure was also blurry, seeming both real and unreal.

The ghost is wandering!

Li Yan's eyelids twitched slightly, full of vigilance.

The figure didn't care. He clasped his fists casually and whispered in an old voice, "This idea must have come from your child. Thank you very much."

"Who is the senior?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and asked.

The ghost turned around and said happily, "I am just a showman, trying to make a living in the opera industry. This outfit clearly shows that I don't want to show my true colors. What are you still chattering about?"

Li Yan's face turned dark and he didn't know what to say.

The ghost didn't take it seriously. He looked at the stage below and muttered, "There are three ways to change your face: 'wiping the handle', 'blowing the skin', and 'pulling the face shell'. But if you want to deceive the world, you need at least 'luck' to change your face."

"It's a good idea, but I'm afraid it will be easy to be exposed. Wait for me to add fuel to the fire..."

After saying that, he pinched his fingers to make a spell, and the theatrical mask changed rapidly, and then exhaled a white gas.

White mist shot into the stage like an arrow.

The people in the Wu class seemed to be under an illusion. Their eyes became dazed and their aura changed.

The shrimp soldier jumps vertically.

Play as the Crab General and walk sideways.

It seemed like they had really become a group of little water monsters.

The surrounding strong wind was wrapped in fog, carrying a strong smell of rotten fish and shrimp, flying up and down, but always avoiding the people in the troupe.

"Yes, that's what it's like."

The old figure nodded with satisfaction.

Seeing that this expert had no ill intentions, Li Yan relaxed his guard a little and bowed respectfully, "I wonder if Senior..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the old man.

"That kid from the Dragon King Temple has a treasure on his body, called the 'Dragon Snake Brand'."

"'Dragon' is the great Jiang Shen from the past, and the snake is the Bashe. There are too many twists and turns here. I don't want to get involved in that muddy water. Your child has the aura of the underworld. If you want to find someone, you'd better do it soon..."

As he spoke, his figure gradually became blurred.

"I am just a scoundrel waiting to die. I don't seek to become a Buddha or an immortal. I just want to wander around in this world. Don't come looking for me, don't come looking for me..."

The sound faded away, and the figure disappeared with it.

Li Yan bowed slightly and did not pursue.

He could tell that this person was most likely a master of the Xuanmen sect hidden in the opera world, who came to rescue him after hearing about this.

I'm afraid that even if we find the person, he or she won't recognize us.

There are so many strange people in the world...

Li Yan sighed in his heart and his figure quickly disappeared.

The members of the opera troupe have successfully survived the calamity, and he also got news about Lord Jiangshen from a mysterious master.

All that remained was to find a way to steal the treasure from the leader of the group before leaving.

The opponent is an expert, so we must plan carefully.

Soon after he left, the strong wind dissipated and the thick fog disappeared. The people in the Wu class immediately stumbled and turned pale, pretending to be hit.

Under the mocking gazes of those big men, he left in a hurry...

…………

Back outside the mansion, Li Yan frowned immediately.

He smelled a strong smell of blood.

They jumped over the wall and saw a man lying in the main hall. It was the beggar Liu San who helped them to gather information. He was covered in blood and was half alive.

The others all looked indignant...

(End of this chapter)