Knife splashing

Chapter 507: Dragon and Phoenix Ancient Town
The river is rolling and the snow is falling.

Li Yan was wearing a fur coat and standing on the deck, feeling the biting cold wind blowing towards him. He saw the river shrouded in mist, the two banks covered in silver, and merchant ships coming and going non-stop.

"This year's weather is really weird!"

"In previous years, we only wore cotton-padded jackets at this time, but this year, it's been snowing continuously and I'm freezing like a dog..."

A short and strong man walked out of the plywood, seemingly complaining about the weather, but actually he was looking at Li Yan and wanted to talk to him.

He is the captain of this ship.

At the intersection of the Fu River and the Qiong River, he was stopped by Li Yan and took his group on board.

The place was desolate and wild, and he was frightened. He thought it was bandits who were blocking the road and robbing, and he almost drew his knife.

But along the way, he felt that these people were not simple.

Needless to say, he is very skilled and is also extremely generous in his actions.

He has been on the river for many years and is quite courageous. When he meets such a customer, of course he has to do some bargaining, perhaps there will be some benefits in the future.

This is also a type of people in the world.

Generally speaking, you should keep your mouth shut when you are out there in society, and don't ask around and cause trouble.

But there is also another type of people who are very courteous in everything they do, and are very humble when serving tea or wine. No matter if they are peddlers or scholars, they all want to join in the fun and act like they are very familiar with each other.

If you scold him, he will apologize and walk away.

If you tell a story, he will listen.

These people are all about information. They have a lot of things in their heads, and they may be able to capture information from the conversation and make a small fortune.

Sharifei was like this before.

"Auspicious snow means a good harvest."

Li Yan laughed it off and casually dealt with it, then asked, "Boatman, can you tell me about Longfeng Town?"

"Longfeng Town."

The captain squatted on the edge of the boat, picked up his pipe and took a puff, "That place is a dock, close to Suining County. If you want to take the official road into the mountains, or go to other towns along the river, that place is the most convenient."

"I heard that it used to be the Golden Horse Farm. A dozen years ago, a fire broke out for no apparent reason and burned it down completely. Later, they found an open area and rebuilt the town. It is considered the most lively place around Suining Prefecture..."

Li Yan listened carefully and nodded slightly.

After finishing the work, they also received a message from Wang Daoxuan saying that he had moved to another place and was waiting for them in Longfeng Town.

Moreover, Wang Daoxuan seemed to have been targeted by someone.

I don’t know where it came from.

After receiving the letter, Li Yan and others immediately boarded a boat north.

"Sir, we are just ahead!"

The captain's words suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Li Yan looked up and saw that after the passenger ship turned a river bend, a pier suddenly appeared on the left bank of the Fu River, right at the intersection of the forked river channels.

It was just past noon, the snow was lightly sprinkled with salt particles, and the wind was freezing cold, but the dock was still bustling with people coming and going and the noise was constant.

There were so many ships docked at the pier that they were even squeezed into the river. From time to time, people would curse because of the collisions between ships.

After seeing this, Li Yan frowned and asked, "Boatman, is Longfeng Town always so busy?"

"That's not it."

The captain of the ship also looked puzzled. "Longfeng Town is prosperous, but it is just an ordinary dock. If it is really so lively, the court would have sent people to expand it long ago."

"Something must have happened!"

The captain of the boat was also a smart guy. Without Li Yan saying much, he sent someone to row a small boat closer to ask for information.

Soon, there were results.

"Guangde Temple is going to hold a Dharma Assembly."

After hearing his men's report, the captain was excited. "No wonder there are so many people. Guangde Temple is a sacred place for Buddhism in Shuzhong. Every time a Dharma assembly is held, it is a grand event in Shuzhong."

"A few years ago, Guangde Temple suffered a fire. The imperial court allocated money to renovate it, and it was completed last month."

"In a few days it will be November 17th, the birthday of Amitabha Buddha, two days later it will be the birthday of Sunlight Bodhisattva, and then the winter solstice."

"The ritual will be held for several days in a row. Good men and women from all over Shuzhong will come. There will be many wealthy people. The Changchun Society will also hire people to set up a stage outside to perform."

"Anyway, it's very lively. Following the Longfeng Town River, you can go directly to Guangde Temple."

"Sir, please don't miss it if you stop here."

"That's right, thank you very much."

Li Yan seemed to be thinking about something, bowed slightly, then turned and entered the cabin to inform Sharifei and Lu San.

The Yu family's father and son are still staying in the bamboo forest cottage to refine the spiritual tea. When the time is about right, they will go to Qingcheng Mountain to meet them.

The cellar opened in Qingcheng Mountain this time is an old cellar from the Song Dynasty.

They are treasure-hoarders, so they certainly cannot miss this opportunity.

As for Sharifei, although he successfully awakened his magical powers, he still consumed a lot of energy. In addition, he had to learn to concentrate, so he spent most of his time either sleeping or sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Lu Sanze always stayed by his side to protect him.

After sitting on the boat for two consecutive days, I shivered when the cold wind blew out of the sand. "Oh my god, we're finally here."

"Sir, I haven't asked you yet..."

The captain of the ship was still unwilling to give up and wanted to get Li Yan's name so that he could have another big customer in the future.

"We don't need to know each other when we meet. Knowing each other is troublesome."

Li Yan stuffed the silver into his hand and smiled slightly.

"Ok."

The captain was helpless and shouted to his men, "Go, launch the boat and take the guests to the shore."

They were on their way to Mianzhou and were only halfway there.

"Thank you very much."

Li Yan and others said goodbye one after another and sailed away on a small boat.

"What a character!"

Watching their receding backs, a waiter curled his lips and couldn't help muttering, "What a boast! He didn't even say his name."

“It’s right for people not to say…”

Suddenly an old voice sounded on the boat.

It was an old man in black who was traveling with us.

He sneered and shook his head, saying, "If I'm not mistaken, this person is the one who has been causing a stir in the martial arts world recently and was secretly bribed by the Shu Palace."

"Several of the sect's old seniors have been killed, and you are still messing around here. Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"

When the captain heard this, cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

"The one who killed the master of Pu'an Temple? Senior Luo, why did you just watch the show without reminding me?"

"Those are sorcerers. Nothing on the ship can be hidden from them. I dare not even breathe, how can I care about you?"

"This... doesn't look like a bad guy."

"There are many things that are hard to tell right from wrong, black from white. If the Shu Palace says they are thieves, then they are thieves."

"Anyway, be careful from now on."

"Yes, thank you for your advice..."

…………

Not to mention the captain who had a frightened look on his face.

After Li Yan and the other two got ashore, they all wrapped themselves in cloaks, put on hats to cover their faces, and headed towards the town.

The town is not big, but it has a city gate.

Above the city gate, the four characters "Dragon and Phoenix Ancient City" are not very old, but the handwriting is thick and looks ancient.

On both sides of the city gate, there were soldiers guarding with guns.

In ordinary small towns and counties, most guards are a bit lazy. After standing for a long time, their waists look a bit saggy.

The soldiers were well-trained, with straight postures and stern faces, which meant there must be a guard stationed nearby. Fortunately, the inspection was not strict.

Li Yan and his two companions followed the crowd in and saw that the town was not big. It was in the shape of a long strip with a main street paved with bluestone running through the east and west.

There are many shops on both sides, and it is very bustling.

Although it is winter, the bustling atmosphere of the city is increasing instead of decreasing.

Inside the teahouse, the fire was burning brightly, and tea drinkers were sitting around it, sipping tea and chatting, or listening to books and stories, with music playing constantly.

The restaurant was bustling with people from all walks of life, some drinking and playing finger-guessing games, some chatting in low voices, and looking around from time to time.

“Pengxi ginger cake, sweet and not greasy!”

"Take the five-spice dried tofu home and try it!"

"Tofu skin, a traditional seasoning, unique to Longfeng!"

There was a constant hawking of food from the food stalls along the way.

In the restaurant, there are steamed buns in baskets. In the winter, white mist is billowing and the fragrance fills the street.

The three of them didn't have a proper meal during the journey.

When he smelled this smell, even Lu San's stomach started to growl.

"Find the Taoist priest first!"

Seeing Shalfi's eyes wandering around, Li Yan whispered a word of advice and followed the crowd to the west of the town.

The inn where Wang Daoxuan stayed was called Qingyuan Tower. The town was not big, and the three of them saw the sign from afar after walking for a while.

After taking just two steps, Li Yan stopped, looking thoughtfully across the inn.

"what happened?"

"There are people watching over there, they are just ordinary people from the underworld, no need to pay attention to them, meet up with the Taoist priest first."

As they were talking, Li Yan and the other two had already arrived outside the inn.

"Objective, you three are..."

"I have booked a room, Taoist Youji."

"Oh, please come in."

The waiter's expression changed and became more respectful.

During this period of time, Wang Daoxuan has been active under the name of Taoist Priest Youji, and he only mentions his nickname.

It seems that the Taoist priest is being modest again out of habit.

The waiter raised his hand and bent down, inviting them into the inn, and then led them to the second floor, where they saw Wang Daoxuan pushing the door open.

"Master, thank you for your hard work!"

Li Yan walked up to him and gave him a hug without saying a word.

Although he and Sharifei were both in danger during this troop division operation, the situation was more complicated on Wang Daoxuan's side.

"Hey, what are you doing..."

Wang Daoxuan laughed in silence, a little unaccustomed to such enthusiasm, but he didn't say anything. He just pushed the door and invited the few people in.

Watching the door close, the waiter swallowed and turned away.

He went downstairs in a hurry and rushed directly to the shopkeeper. He pulled his sleeve and whispered, "Shopkeeper, it seems that there really are Twelve Yuanchen. The three who came here should be them."

It’s not just Wang Daoxuan who is famous.

Although the "Rooster" has a great reputation, Wu Ba was the one who provoked it several times. The reputation of "Ox" is equally strong.

Many people have speculated that since the Rooster and the Ox have appeared, maybe the other twelve Yuanchen also really exist.

If it really exists, it is definitely a force of considerable strength.

After hearing this, the shopkeeper glared at the waiter and grabbed his ear and whispered, "What nonsense are you talking about? Keep your mouth shut and pretend to be confused no matter who asks you."

"Yes Yes Yes."

The waiter grimaced in pain and dared not say anything.

They didn't know that their conversation was heard clearly by Lu San and Li Yan, who possessed the ability of hearing.

Li Yan didn't care and smiled, "Master, you are not telling the truth. It's more than just a little fame."

Wang Daoxuan smiled helplessly and shook his head, saying, "I don't want to get involved, but I don't know who is spreading rumors in Nanchong and instigating people to come and provoke us."

"Wuba beat away several groups of people, causing a lot of uproar."

"hey-hey!"

Wu Ba seemed a little embarrassed, scratching his head and grinning foolishly.

Li Yan also looked at Wu Ba and said solemnly: "Brother Wu Ba, thank you for your hard work. I thought about it on the way and thought that Baji might be the most suitable for you. During the Huangquan Meeting in December, I will ask someone to guide you."

At this moment, he completely recognized Wu Ba.

"Hey, eat, eat..."

Wu Ba's face turned a little red, and he didn't know what to say. He picked up the bundle beside him, opened the oil paper package, revealing a big, fat, roasted chicken.

"Brother Wuba is so sensible!"

Sharifei was delighted and immediately took it, tore it into pieces with chopsticks, and handed it to several people. He then took out a jar of wine from his bag and said, "I bought Tuojiang Laojiao from the boat captain on the way. Let's drink first."

As he spoke, he served a bowl to each person.

"Dry!"

Several people picked up their bowls and drank them all.

Sharifei stood up again, pushed the door open and told the waiter to prepare a banquet, then he sat at the table and ate and drank.

Li Yan took a bite of roast chicken to fill his stomach and said, "What happened to the Taoist priest? Let's talk while we eat."

"It's nothing."

Wang Daoxuan said, "After getting clues from the Guiqiang Ancient Village, the people from the Duwei Division and the Law Enforcement Hall began to search for the Dragon Worship Sect everywhere."

"Several people died at that time. They were all well-known green forest bandits in the underworld, as well as evil masters from the southwest."

"Following this line, the Duwei Division found one of their secret halls, and after a fierce battle, they captured some of them alive."

"But they made too much noise, so we found two more places later, but they were already deserted, and we didn't hear any news from them after that."

"The end of the year is approaching and we are very busy. The Iron Buddha Sect cannot afford to keep waiting, so we have transferred all the experts away and also withdrawn most of the Duwei Division's personnel."

"I felt something was wrong, and it was unlikely that we could find it by relying on them, so I found this place under the pretext of catching monsters and exorcising demons."

"Oh?"

Li Yan's eyes lit up when he heard this, "Is there a clue here?"

Wang Daoxuan nodded and whispered, "According to the monster hunters who run errands for me, they saw a fool in Longfeng Town. He was originally a fisherman. He said he encountered the Night Dragon King while fishing, and there was also a river drifter wearing a bride's dress."

"That person was so scared that he was wandering around Longfeng Town begging for food. But this time he disappeared without a trace, and those monster hunters are looking for him everywhere."

"I see."

After hearing this, Li Yan immediately understood.

Perhaps other people don't care about this news.

But they have a clear goal and can naturally find some clues.

This is most likely someone performing a human sacrifice.

Maybe this is the Dragon Girl Temple he is looking for.

Although those monster hunters are at the bottom of the list in the Xuanmen, they are all veterans in the martial arts world.

With them inquiring about the news, Li Yan was not in a hurry. After eating and drinking, and washing up with hot water, they all went back to their rooms to rest and regain their energy.

After returning to the room, Li Yan lay on the bed, took out the certificate again, and looked around.

Along the way, he had a vague idea of ​​what he was going to do.

The underworld's warrants are used to catch criminals who disrupt the yin and yang worlds.

Then this Thunder Palace Order from Heaven,
Those who are arrested are naturally those who violate the "Heavenly Law".

maybe,
And those who secretly reincarnate...

(End of this chapter)