Knife splashing

Chapter 52: Lightning Strikes the Jujube Tree
"We're here. This is the craftsman's shop."

At the entrance of Niangniang Temple Old Street, Wang Daoxuan pointed ahead and said, "All the famous craftsmen in Xianyang are here. Even if they open a workshop at home, they will definitely open a shop here."

Li Yan turned his head and looked around, as if thinking about something.

In this world, all kinds of handicrafts are extremely developed. As the imperial court opened up the sea and ocean trade flourished, large workshops in coastal states also sprang up like mushrooms after a rain.

The status of merchants was rising rapidly, and from some of the news he had heard, he speculated that many of the troubles in the court were caused by this.

Just as Zhang Shitong said, in order to seek safety, the Zhou family withdrew all their forces, the Eight Vajras all stayed indoors, and even the escort agency under their command stopped taking work.

The people who were monitoring them suddenly withdrew in the morning.

In this case, Li Yan no longer had the need to pretend to be sick. Under the leadership of Wang Daoxuan, he went to find someone to help him make the Big Cloud Thunder Drum.

The Guanzhong region has a long history of drum music, and almost every region has its own unique heritage. Coupled with the annual Drum King Competition in Chang'an, there are many folk orchestras and a large number of drum-making artists.

Of course, ordinary shops cannot make large cloud and thunder drums.

Fortunately, Wang Daoxuan knew a Xuanmen craftsman.

The three of them walked forward and soon came to the largest shop. On the plaque was written three big characters "Wen Sheng Ge". When they entered, they saw drums of different sizes and types hanging on the walls and shelves.

"Is Brother Wan here?"

Looking at the waiter who came, Wang Daoxuan asked.

The waiter obviously knew Wang Daoxuan, and he bowed respectfully and nodded, saying, "The shopkeeper has gone out and will be back soon. Master Wang, please wait a moment. I will make you a pot of tea."

After saying that, he turned and went into the inner room.

Sharifei saw this and whispered, "Look at their attitude. They are really inferior to those people in the City God Temple. They all look down on others."

Because of his previous downfall, Wang Daoxuan was often ridiculed by several shop owners near the City God Temple. Shalifi was so angry that he had several quarrels with them.

Although they succeeded in helping the Chunfeng Shadow Play Troupe to invite gods and earned back some fame, it obviously hasn't spread and no big business has come.

Wang Daoxuan burst into laughter when he heard this, but did not refute.

If he was afraid of what people would say, he would not have wasted more than ten years seeking the truth.

Soon, the waiter brought out tea and saw Li Yan checking the drums on the wall. He quickly introduced: "Sir, our drums are the best in Xianyang. We can make ten-sided gongs and drums, Qin and Han war drums, Wei flag gongs and drums, ox-drawn drums, dragon drums... Many famous troupes have customized them here..."

As he was speaking, Li Yan suddenly frowned and turned around.

He smelled a scent that was a mixture of the fishy smells of various livestock, but mixed with the smell of incense, which was obviously some kind of divine power.

Sure enough, an old man came down the street, wearing a black robe, hunched over, with gray hair, but the joints of his hands were unusually strong, with bulging blue veins like iron plowshares.

Behind him, there followed a man with a simple and honest face.

As soon as he walked outside the store, the old man's ears moved and he laughed, "Which fellow Taoist is visiting today? Oh, it turns out to be Taoist Wang..."

He seemed to be talking to Wang Daoxuan, but his eyes were looking at Li Yan.

Wang Daoxuan smiled and said, "Brother Wan, long time no see. Let me introduce you. This is..."

"No need to introduce, of course I know the old man."

Shopkeeper Wan looked at Li Yan and nodded, saying, "Brother Li was showing off his prowess in the ring yesterday. I was watching from below. His true words broke the strange spell, it was amazing!"

Li Yan was surprised at first, but soon realized that this Shopkeeper Wan might have awakened his hearing ability, so he could hear it in such a noisy environment.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, senior." Li Yan bowed quickly.

Shopkeeper Wan nodded, hesitated for a moment, and couldn't help asking, "What treasure did you bring with you, and why is the evil spirit so strong?"

Li Yan became interested, "What did you hear, senior?"

Shopkeeper Wan sighed: "Golden weapons and iron horses, the wailing of the living, incense and prayers..."

It was the first time that Li Yan met someone with the ability of hearing. Besides, the other person had already heard it, so he no longer tried to hide it and took out the Demon-Suppressing Knife Tassel from his arms.

"Three Talents Demon Suppression Money, great stuff!"

Shopkeeper Wan's eyes lit up, but he didn't take it. Instead, he looked at it carefully, then shook his head and said, "The method of exorcising evil spirits comes from outside the Great Wall. The person who made it was either injured or was dealing with it carelessly, otherwise I couldn't hear it at all."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan hurriedly asked, "Senior, do you have any solution?"

Although this Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin Knife Tassel is good, it is sometimes not convenient to use, and the most important thing is that it cannot completely isolate the aura.

According to Wang Daoxuan, a good magic weapon should be like a treasure from heaven and earth. It is like an ordinary object when not in use, and it will emit its divine power after being opened.

Manager Wan did not rush to answer, but looked at Wang Daoxuan, "Master Wang has been devoted to the pursuit of the Tao for many years, and I have seen it all. Now your luck has come, congratulations."

"I wonder what you are doing here this time?"

"Help Brother Li make a drum."

"Oh, do you have any blueprints?"

They were all experts, so there was no need to hide anything. Li Yan directly took out the album of the Dayunlei Drum and handed it to Manager Wan.

After flipping through it, Shopkeeper Wan suddenly realized it and said with a smile, "It turns out to be the legacy of the former War Drum King. At that time, he used the hidden power of a warrior to beat the drum and was famous in Chang'an. Now it has reappeared in the world, which is a cause for celebration."

Li Yan gave a thumbs up, "Senior is really smart."

"Not that smart."

Shopkeeper Wan smiled and shook his head, saying, "The difficulty of making this drum lies in the materials. It needs top-quality wood and leather to withstand the dark force without breaking. Although it is not a ritual drum, the price is not low at all." Sharifei asked quickly, "How much does it cost?"

Manager Wan pondered for a moment, "The leather for making drums is easy. We need top-quality rhinoceros skin. Originally, this thing was quite rare, but since the maritime ban was lifted, those sea merchants got several large ships from somewhere. The price is also right, so I asked someone to get some."

"As for the drum body, jujube wood will do, but if you want it to withstand the dark energy, you must use old trees that grow in the spiritual acupoints of the treasure mountain. And I have a suggestion."

"Since you have entered the Xuanmen sect, you know the importance of magic tools. Since the materials are rare, it is better to make them directly into magic tools. Moreover, it can be combined with the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coins and activated with the ancient rhyme of the Qin and Han dynasties. It will definitely be a powerful weapon to suppress evil!"

"Senior, please tell me."

"As long as we use the lightning-struck jujube wood of the previous year as the material, we can take care of both."

"I happen to know a treasure hunter who knows where the treasure is. However, there are many fierce beasts in the mountains and we need an expert to accompany us. If you are interested, you can accompany him to get it..."

"Oh~"

Before he finished speaking, Sharifei shouted, "Senior Wan, you are so dishonest. You said so much, but you just want to order me around for free, right?"

Manager Wan was immediately dissatisfied, "What do you mean by wasted time? With that lightning-struck jujube tree, you can save money on materials, right?"

Sharifei didn't believe it, "How big is that lightning-struck jujube tree?"

Shopkeeper Wan was silent for a moment, "Not small."

Sharifei spread his hands and said, "That's it, the bulk of it is still yours, and if the things are easy to take, why would you tell us?"

Shopkeeper Wan seemed to be stumped by the question and stared at Sharifei for a while. "Forget it, that thing is indeed hard to get. If you can get it, I will make a drum for you for free."

Sharifei immediately bowed, "Senior, you are so generous!"

The two men bargained, and neither Li Yan nor Wang Daoxuan spoke.

This was the plan that had been agreed upon before. With Sharifei's thick-skinned personality, who would take advantage of even the dead, he would be the least likely to suffer a loss in the business talks.

After a while, the three of them negotiated the terms and left the store.

As soon as I walked out of the old street, I heard a commotion from the opposite side. I saw a few people arguing and fighting outside a restaurant.

The man wearing a black warrior robe and a cowhide belt was none other than the White Ape Gang members.

The other group of people were sweaty and dressed like poor people.

"Where's the money? Where's our wages?"

"Who the hell owes you money? I'm here to ask for your head!"

"Say you didn't give it to me!"

"Hey, this little bit of work has never been given to me before!"

The two sides started fighting after a disagreement.

Those members of the White Ape Gang were all big and strong, with dragons and phoenixes painted on their necks, and glaring eyes, looking very fierce.

But as soon as they started fighting, he was beaten by several bitter men and screamed in pain.

He is a martial artist!

Li Yan understood what was going on as soon as he saw it.

Whether it is a local gang like the White Ape Gang or the Iron Knife Gang, they can never make a living just by collecting protection fees and taking advantage of others.

They usually control the local shady industries, such as casinos, money lending, brothels, human traffickers, and selling illegal salt... They want to get their hands on any money.

However, when they hire people to do work, they often don't pay them. Naturally, the poor bosses are unwilling to bear the loss, so they pass it on to these poor people and ask them to ask for the money.

How could these poor people dare to do that, so the matter was left unresolved.

Nowadays, most of these bitter enemies are disguised as gangsters who want to make a big deal out of these small things.

"Call someone! Call someone!"

"I must skin them alive today!"

The thugs in the White Ape Gang were furious after being embarrassed in public.

Soon, a dozen ragged men came running from a distance, holding long sticks and short knives, cursing.

The Kudalis showed no fear and rushed forward directly.

The whole street was suddenly in chaos.

Li Yan and others took the opportunity to leave quickly.

Along the way, we saw several chaotic scenes. Some pawnbrokers were beaten black and blue, a gambling house was on fire, and even someone was killed.

Sharifei said with a tut-tut sound, "Old man Zhang's move is really ruthless. Although the Zhou family is closed, the people who follow them have to eat. Those guys have problems all over the place, and who knows what they might get involved in."

Li Yan pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly, "The Zhou family is not stupid, they must have some countermeasures. I'm afraid the city will be in chaos in the next few days."

"But that's fine. While the Zhou family is too busy to take care of other things, let's get the job done first, and then hide in the dark to see what we can catch."

With a plan in mind, the three of them immediately returned to the Guiding Hall.

This time, all three of them will go out to look for the lightning-struck jujube wood. At the same time, they will also take away important things and take advantage of this chaos to disappear from the Zhou family's sight...

(End of this chapter)