Knife splashing

Chapter 474: Side Door Gathering
Before on the road, Li Yan noticed that there was something wrong with this scholar.

He walked very steadily, but he sweated a little on purpose...

The hands are always behind the back, which makes the figure look tall and imposing, and also hides the calluses on the hands with the wide sleeves...

He is elegant in conversation, but never talks too much. However, he always takes the initiative at critical moments...

Wearing a human skin mask on his face,

Concentrate your breath when entering a temple.

He acted so convincingly that he was most likely a swindler from one of the four "Bee, Hemp, Swallow, and Sparrow" gates among the Eight Dark Gates, and he hired a bunch of stupid scholars as a cover.

It's crowded during the day, and I probably won't be able to find it, so I'd better come back at night...

Li Yan shook his head slightly and prepared to leave.

But at this moment, a voice suddenly sounded from behind, "This brother is polite."

Li Yan frowned slightly and turned around slowly.

But Zhu Chen, surrounded by several scholars, strode over and bowed slightly, saying, "You look very impressive and armed, so you must be a hero. Are you willing to help us investigate this matter?"

He has a gentle attitude and a very innocent smile.

The other scholars looked wary and puzzled.

Zhu Chen was a famous talent in Yiling County, and was also selected by Heshan Academy. Therefore, as soon as he arrived in Chengdu, everyone immediately gathered around him.

Confucian scholars value reputation and it is inevitable that they must praise each other.

Just like when one of them goes to another place, if he has one or two good friends, he can organize a banquet or poetry gathering and invite local scholars, which makes him feel proud.

If I go there and no one pays attention to me, wouldn't it be a great loss of face?

Those wealthy merchants and officials were also willing to take charge of this matter, so as to gain some literary influence and gild their own reputation.

Therefore, it can be considered an unspoken rule that is beneficial to both parties.

The reputation of Confucian scholars is accumulated bit by bit in this way.

What made them wonder was why Zhu Chen was so reckless?

Knowing that the other party is a gangster and not knowing his background, he still dares to come up and invite him. Aren't you afraid that he is a bad guy?

Besides, they may not be willing.

But to their surprise, Li Yan just stroked his mustache and nodded without hesitation, saying, "Marquis Zhuge is respected by the world. If he dares to cause trouble here, I will naturally investigate it thoroughly."

Li Yan knew that the other party had sharp eyes and could see that he was not an ordinary person. Perhaps he came for the "qin bug", so he spoke to test him.

"Brother is indeed a hero!"

"Your Excellency has worked hard too."

"My name is Zhu Chen. May I know your name?"

"My name is Li Conan."

"This name is rare. I wonder if it's a real name?"

"When traveling in the world, don't seek the truth in everything..."

"That's true. Once a person dies, it doesn't matter whether it's true or not."

The two of them were talking back and forth, leaving the others confused and having no idea what they were saying.

It's actually very simple.

If you say hard work when you meet someone, you must be a Jianghu person.

When Li Yan said that the other party had worked hard, he was actually pointing out his identity.

Although this "Zhu Chen" had no idea of ​​Li Yan's background, he was confident in his skills and magic and didn't care. He thought Li Yan was a spy from some faction and wanted to keep him by his side.

He was confident, even threatening.

However, he didn't know that Li Yan was wearing the "Dragon Snake Card" with him, which concealed his aura and led him to misjudge.

Seeing that Li Yan stopped talking nonsense, Zhu Chen nodded with satisfaction, and then looked at the scholars around him, and continued to persuade: "Everyone, if we can work together to find out the truth of this matter, it will be a good story in the future..."

These words made all the scholars feel moved.

One of them hesitated and said, "But none of us are good at solving criminal cases. Where should we start?"

"It's very simple."

Zhu Chen said proudly, "I have some knowledge of this, but I need to ask the temple keeper about what happened first, as I am afraid he may not be able to explain it to me."

Another person said, "Brother Zhu, don't worry. My Liu family has donated a lot of money to the Wuhou Temple. We still have some face."

After saying that, he led everyone straight to find the temple keeper.

Li Yan could feel that although "Zhu Chen" seemed to be talking to someone else, his attention was always on him.

Li Yan didn't care and followed obediently.

He was also confused about the matter. He thought he was looking for a "piano bug", but it seemed not that simple.

It would be better if we could get some news.

Although these scholars are a little silly and don't understand the wickedness of human nature, their family backgrounds are better than each other. When they come together, the temple keeper has to entertain them carefully.

The temple keeper is a Taoist priest who is over fifty years old. His Taoist name is Lingyun. Although he manages to look very grand and like an immortal, his house is actually only one story high.

He has low moral character, but is good at flattering and making friends with the powerful.

"Mr. Liu, how is your father's health?"

"My Lord, at the end of the year, I have to come and bother you..."

After some greetings, everyone couldn't help but ask about this matter.

"Master Lingyun, what happened in Wuhou Temple?"

"That's right. How come someone died and the government didn't send anyone to seal off this place? Is there some other hidden story?"

"I heard it was caused by evil spirits?"

Taoist Lingyun was shocked when he heard this and waved his hands quickly, "Don't say anything nonsense, Wuhou Temple is a place of saints, how could there be evil spirits? It's nothing more than a wild beast hurting people."

"The imperial censor sent by the court is currently in Chengdu Prefecture. If someone seizes on this matter and makes a big fuss about it, it will be a big trouble..."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone understood.

Because of the incident in Chongqing Prefecture some time ago, the King of Shu was reprimanded by the emperor, who punished him to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion and even sent an imperial censor.

They said they were in charge of inspecting Chengdu Prefecture, but everyone knew they were here to monitor the King of Shu, and they were selected by ministers in the court, so they were probably looking for evidence to hold against the King of Shu.

This is also a warning from the emperor.

The families of these scholars are more or less related to the Palace of the King of Shu, so they naturally know how powerful it is.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Chen frowned and said, "If that's the case, why are you still dragging your feet? We need to investigate it quickly and eliminate the impact."

"This young master doesn't know."

Taoist Ling Yun shook his head and said, "This matter has been reported to the City God Temple. The Law Enforcement Hall also sent people to investigate, but they found nothing, so they invited a demon catcher to wait and see."

"There was no movement in the past two days, but last night even the demon catcher died. I sent people to the City God Temple again, but I don't know what happened to the Huangling Sect. It was in chaos and they couldn't take care of this side..."

As soon as Li Yan heard it, he knew the reason.

The stone coffin of the ancient Wuxiang Kingdom was stolen, and the Huangling Sect must take it seriously, especially since it involves fellow disciples, so they must be more careful.

Like Qingcheng Mountain, they tried their best to avoid suspicion and not get involved in the matter between the Prince of Shu's Palace and the imperial court, so it was not taken seriously.

One of the scholars sensed something and said with uncertain eyes: "Could it be that there is really some evil thing causing trouble?" "Master Wang, you are joking."

Taoist Ling Yun firmly denied it, "The Wuhou Temple is very popular. Not to mention the evil creatures, even the Xuanmen masters from Qingcheng would not dare to use magic at will. It must be a wild beast that hurt people."

Zhu Chen pondered for a moment, "Master, please tell me the details. Maybe we can find some clues."

You guys are looking for something!
The Taoist was complaining in his heart, but he would not say such offensive words, so he stood up and closed the door, whispering: "This matter is indeed a bit strange."

"A few days ago, a group of Huizhou merchants came. They were generous and had a good chat with me. They said they wanted to stay in the temple and talk with me by candlelight at night."

"I couldn't resist, so I agreed to their request. But who knew that this group of people had evil intentions and wanted to rob the emperor's tomb."

"When they were discovered by the mausoleum guards, they had already dug a hole near the imperial mausoleum, but no one knew what they had found. Everyone was dead, and only a shell was left..."

"It's the Wuhou Agency!"

One of the scholars immediately became excited, "It is said that when Wu Hou buried Emperor Zhaolie, he set up a trap. Although it has experienced war, the bottom of the emperor's mausoleum has never been opened."

"These stupid thieves must have died because of Wu Hou's backhand move!"

Taoist Ling Yun hesitated for a moment, "This... I don't know either. After those grave-stalkers died, three more murders occurred. The victims were all in the same situation."

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"There was only one survivor who said he seemed to hear someone playing the zither in the middle of the night. The sound was so pleasant that he wanted to leave the temple. However, he had an upset stomach and was vomiting and having diarrhea and couldn't get out of bed."

"His companion also heard the sound of the zither, but he left and never came back. I led people to search the mountain in the middle of the night, but when we found him, only his skin was left."

As he said this, he could not help but advise, "Everyone, evil spirits will not enter the temple. It is most likely some strange beast that will hurt people. I have already found another demon hunter. You'd better leave as soon as possible."

The old Taoist told the truth and also wanted to persuade these scholars to leave.

Unexpectedly, when the scholar heard that it was not a bad guy or an evil monster, he became interested and wanted to live in the temple and wait for the monster hunters to catch it to see what kind of monster was so ferocious.

"Everyone, you..."

The old Taoist was immediately furious.

At this moment, a little Taoist boy came running over in a hurry, "Master, the person that the Law Enforcement Hall helped to find is here."

The old Taoist didn't bother to pay attention to them and hurried out.

I saw a man striding into the yard. He was tall, with eyes as sharp as an eagle. He was wearing hard leather armor and carrying a silver spear and a package on his back. He was dressed like a typical monster hunter.

The difference is that he carries a magic gun on his back.

After seeing it, Li Yan also became interested.

This is the first time I’ve seen a monster hunter using new firearms.

Taoist Ling Yun was also delighted, and he immediately bowed and said, "Are you Tang Ling from the Meishan Sect?"

"It is me, nice to meet you, Taoist priest."

The man had a calm expression and bowed slightly.

They are from Meishan Sect...

After seeing it, Li Yan became more interested.

Xuanmen has been researching new firearms since they came out, but until now, only the hunters of Meishan Sect have figured out the art of sacrificing muskets. It is said that this technique can enhance the power and range, which is extremely mysterious.

Because of this, the reputation of Meishan Dharma increased greatly.

There are also many factions within the Meishan Sect, scattered throughout the south, and there are also many unique inheritances with masters and disciples.

During the process of converting chieftains to officialdom, many people from the Meishan sect chose to join the chieftains, which displeased the imperial court, which began to target them.

But because of this incident, the court changed its strategy and sent people to Meishan to appease him. Meishan also followed suit and ordered that no one should collude with the Yang family of Bozhou, and those who violated the order would be expelled from the law.

It can be said that a disaster was avoided.

Could it be possible that this person could do it too?
But what caught Li Yan's attention more was that behind the man, there was an old woman who was simply dressed and looked like a servant.

It was the zither master who played in the Prince of Shu’s mansion last night.

Well, it's quite lively...

Li Yan was speechless and stood behind the scholar.

He was carrying the "Dragon Snake Card" and his aura was concealed, making him no different from an ordinary person.

However, as soon as "Zhu Chen" and the old woman met, they stared at each other with vigilance in their eyes.

Tang Ling, the demon hunter of the Meishan Sect, also sensed something was wrong, but he remained calm and said to Taoist Ling Yun in a deep voice, "Master, I know what happened to that beast. We will capture it tonight."

"That thing won't appear during the day. At dusk, the Taoist priest can drive away the strangers."

A scholar nearby was a little unhappy when he heard this, and he said with a folded hand: "Sir, do you want to drive us away too?"

Demon Hunter Tang Ling glanced at him calmly and said, "If you want to keep it, keep it. Just don't regret it later."

Then he looked at Taoist Ling Yun and said, "Master, please help me arrange a quiet room so that we can act at night."

"Okay, please follow me."

Taoist Ling Yun immediately took people to make arrangements.

After they left, the scholars were talking about it.

"It depends on the situation. It's a bit dangerous."

"What are you afraid of? We just stay in the Wuhou Temple and wait for them to catch something and then see what it is."

"makes sense."

To be honest, two of them already regretted their decision and were a little scared, but they were more afraid of being laughed at by others, so they stayed anyway.

They found a little Taoist boy and arranged rooms for everyone. Although it was a bit crowded, it felt more at ease with more people.

"Don't worry, if you hear the sound of the piano, just don't go out."

"Zhu Chen" comforted everyone while looking at Li Yan with a sneer on his face...

On the other side, after the demon catcher Tang Ling entered the room, he immediately closed the door as soon as the old Taoist left, turned around and said in a deep voice: "Qin Demon Pei Yufang, we have a deal. I will help you catch the 'Qin Bug', and you will help me find my junior sister."

"Easy to say."

The old woman said calmly, "Did you see the scholar leading the group? He used a disguise technique, which could deceive others but not me."

"That man is called 'Wu Xiang Gong Zi', a master of the Chengdu underworld who has committed many major crimes. I will capture him tonight."

"He is well-known in the Chengdu underworld. No matter who captured your sister, he will be able to find clues."

A fierce light flashed in Tang Ling's eyes, "Senior Pei has already taken refuge with the Shu Palace. Since he is a wanted criminal of the imperial court, why don't you send more people to encircle and suppress him?"

The old woman glanced at it and said, "I don't want too many people to know about the 'qin worm'. There are many masters hidden in Chengdu Prefecture. If too many people come, it won't be my turn to get that thing."

"If you want to save your junior sister, only I can help."

"I hope you mean what you say!"

Tang Ling took a deep look at the old woman, and then he said, "According to what the temple keeper said, this 'qin insect' has probably been sacrificed and refined by someone."

The old woman frowned, "Why do you say that?"

Tang Ling said in a deep voice: "According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the 'qin insect' comes from Buxian Mountain, which is now Changbai Mountain outside the Great Wall."

"During the reign of Emperor Shun, the Sushen Kingdom paid tribute to this creature. During the Han Dynasty, the Taoist way of immortality flourished. Zhuge Wuhou probably found this creature and asked the Taoist priests to place it in the emperor's mausoleum, and it became a guardian beast."

"Most of those tomb robbers triggered the mechanism to wake this creature up. The 'zither bug' can use the sound of the zither to seduce people, and they will also be attracted by the sound of the zither."

"If you want to catch this thing, I'm afraid you'll need to use Senior's magic piano."

After hearing this, the old woman nodded with satisfaction and said, "You are indeed the best demon hunter in Xiangxi. I'll trouble you tonight..."

(End of this chapter)