Knife splashing

Chapter 556: Six Leisures in the Bamboo Forest
"Senior, we are really destined to be together..."

After finding out the old man's identity, Li Yan smiled.

As the saying goes, "White hair is as fresh as new, friendship is as old as before."

Sometimes, being together day and night may harbor murderous intentions, and sometimes, just meeting each other may feel like old friends.

The so-called fate is so wonderful.

Although both parties were masked at the time, Li Yan admired the old man's extraordinary demeanor and his willingness to stand up for justice.

"I didn't expect that we would meet again so soon."

The old man's face was pale, and he showed a hint of a smile. "Just when you entered the door, I heard the voice, so I asked Brother Liang to go and invite you."

I see…

After hearing this, Li Yan understood instantly.

This senior in the opera industry has awakened his hearing ability.

Thinking of this, Li Yan smiled and asked, "Since we are destined to meet, you should at least tell me your name, senior."

"It's all old almanac."

The old man shook his head slightly, "I am Situ Bo."

Situ Bo?
Li Yan had never heard of this name.

However, the world is so big, China is so vast, and there are so many unknown and extraordinary people, so it is normal that you have never heard of them.

Li Yan did not ask in detail. He looked at the other person's body, sniffed it, frowned and said, "What a powerful poison. It has already invaded the five internal organs. Who has set you up?"

Situ Bo, a senior in the opera industry, was a man of high attainments and rich experience in the martial arts world. He must have been ambushed.

"You just don't know the person well!"

Liang Yu next to him suddenly spoke in a cold voice.

Upon hearing this, Situ Bo's face darkened and he shook his head, saying, "That's right, I am old and foolish and have made a huge mistake."

Seeing Li Yan's doubts, Situ Bo explained: "Although my lineage is from the opera industry, it actually came from an unrighteous background."

"Do you know the evil ways of Jiangzuo?"

"of course."

Li Yan frowned slightly and nodded.

Of course he knew about Jiang Zuo's evil ways.

During the Three Kingdoms period, the flying-headed beast was discovered by Zhu Huan's family in Eastern Wu. From then on, one branch of the Zhu family began to study various evil arts. In addition, due to the war at that time, the family gradually grew stronger and became the famous Jiangzuo evil sect.

Creating animals, painting skins...many evil practices are related to them.

Even Zhao Changsheng came from this clan.

Situ Bo sighed, "Back then, the evil ways of Jiangzuo brought chaos to the world. They were wiped out by the righteous ways, but various evil arts also spread to all directions."

"My ancestors acquired some of these skills, and combined with their natural talents and intelligence, they developed the secret method of the Hundred Aspects Manual, and during the turmoil at the end of the Tang Dynasty, they were also known as the Grandmaster. Unfortunately, they later embarked on an evil path."

"When it came to my generation, I was able to keep my original intention and not do anything wrong. I traveled around the world with Fellow Daoist Liang and earned the nickname 'Six Idle People in the Bamboo Forest'."

"I see. I've heard a lot about you!"

Li Yan showed surprise on his face and bowed to the two of them.

He had actually heard of this name.

Their "Twelve Yuanchen" is a team of immortals traveling. This custom is very old and has existed in all dynasties. It even gave birth to the famous "Traveling Immortals Ci".

Some have become famous, while others have been lost in history.

"The Six Idiots of the Bamboo Grove" is one of them. They are of the same era as the "Ghost Troupe", but are much less famous.

Li Yan learned about this when he was investigating the intelligence of the "Ghost Troupe".

Rumor has it that the "Six Idle Men of the Bamboo Grove" are highly skilled in Taoism and call themselves "idle people from the side door". They are good at drama, tea, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and are considered extraordinary heroes.

Seeing this, Situ Bo was also a little surprised and shook his head, "I didn't expect that there are still people who remember us now."

After that, he continued, "We are of the same mind. Although we have made some name for ourselves in the martial arts world, it is still a side path after all. As we get older, we all retire."

"Don't be fooled by me, my friend. At that time, the 'Ghost Troupe' was rampant, and I had a younger brother who joined them with evil intentions."

"He was far more qualified than I am, but unfortunately he brought disaster upon himself and was eventually wiped out by the righteous, leaving only an orphan behind."

"I couldn't bear it, so I rescued the child, raised him by my side, taught him since he was young, and was kind to him. But who knew that he was greedy for wealth and fame, and after learning about his father's affairs, he secretly contacted the 'Ghost Troupe'..."

Li Yan was slightly stunned, "Is that person called Xie Sanyang?"

Situ Bo shook his head and said, "No, his name is Situ Qian."

"I have already found out that in the current 'ghost troupe', each of the male and female roles has their own position, and many demons are fighting for it. If someone dies, the next one will take the position."

"Situ Qian has become the 'Chi Ling Wusheng' now. 'Xie Sanyang' has similar tastes to him and has been taught the secret method."

"I also heard that 'Xie Sanyang' died in your hands, so I took the liberty to invite you."

Li Yan's expression became serious. "How did you know this, Senior?"

He knew that the Ghost Troupe would be even more difficult to deal with after its resurgence, and he had already gotten the internal organizational information from the blood parrot.

What surprised him was that so many people knew about their killing of several members of the ghost troupe in such a short period of time.

"News from the palace."

Liang Yu beside him suddenly spoke up and said in a deep voice: "The King of Shu is seriously ill, and the palace has become chaotic. Several servants saw that things were not going well and left. These things came from their mouths."

"I see…"

Li Yan nodded and looked at Situ Bo, "Senior, you must have been harmed by Situ Qian, right? Do you want me to help you clean up the mess?"

"Yes."

Situ Bo sighed and said in a deep voice: "Xie Sanyang is Situ Qian's lackey, that traitor will definitely seek revenge on you."

"My lineage is not of good origin. If something goes wrong in cultivation, it will often be infected by evil spirits and lose its humanity."

"That traitor deserves death, but what's more important is a treasure."

"The troupe is for entertaining the gods and offering sacrifices. Back then, my ancestor created a treasure called the 'Netherworld Stage', which suppresses many evil spirits. Once released, all living things will be destroyed."

"I originally wanted to destroy this treasure, but this thing uses a secret method and is driven by a demon. If I destroy it hastily, it will cause more trouble. I can only suppress it."

"A few days ago, this villain suddenly attacked me, injured me, and stole the 'Netherworld Stage'. I'm afraid he's up to something big..."

The ghost theater troupe has actually come to Chengdu!

Li Yan was also surprised when he heard the news.

There is also the evil spirit!

Li Yan's heart moved, and he took out the broken mask, "Senior, take a look, is it related to this?"

"Is this from Xie Sanyang?"

When Situ Bo saw this, anger rose in his eyes again, "This traitor has indeed spread this method!"

"This is a forbidden technique. Mortals cannot bear it. The backlash is severe. If used twice, one will turn into a demon. The traitor must have leaked it on purpose to test the waters with Xie Sanyao."

"can."

Li Yan nodded without hesitation and agreed, "We have already made enemies with the Ghost Opera Troupe. We don't need the senior to remind us that we are incompatible with them."

"If we find this evil treasure, we will definitely take it back!"

Liang Yu, who was standing beside him, also relaxed his expression when he saw him agree so readily. He said in a deep voice, "He is indeed a young talent."

"Although we have retired, we are all friends for life and death, and we will not sit idly by. The others have received the news and are rushing to Chengdu. They will all arrive around the 15th day of the first lunar month."

"The ghost troupe is coming with great force and a large number of people. They are our common enemy. We old guys would like to unite with you, the Twelve Yuanchen, to deal with it together. What do you think?"

"That's daring!"

When Li Yan heard this, he was immediately delighted.

Just as he said, the ghost troupe was really hard to deal with. A small team almost caused them to suffer heavy losses, not to mention the Shu Palace.

The Twelve Yuan Chen had just been established, and Sharifei and others were still weak, but with the help of these old seniors, they could fight with them.

In addition, Mingshanzi from the Cheng family can also call on Qingcheng Mountain to take action. As long as the ghost troupe is found, they will be buried in Chengdu!
Liang Yu was obviously very satisfied with the result. He said in a deep voice, "I opened this teahouse accidentally back then. I hid behind the scenes and lived in seclusion. Few people in Chengdu knew about it."

"Manager Lu is a smart man. He can deal with all the forces in Chengdu and has collected a lot of intelligence. If you need help, you can come to him directly." "I don't know where the 'Ghost Troupe' is hiding now, but it must be in contact with the Prince of Shu's Palace. However, the Prince of Shu is seriously ill and fainted. I don't know who he is in contact with now."

"If you find any clues, don't act rashly. Wait until all of us old guys are here, then it won't be too late to act."

"That's what senior said."

…………

When we left the teahouse, night had already fallen.

The wind was howling and fine snow was falling from the night sky.

After all, it is near the end of the year. It is lively during the day, but at night, many shops on the street are closed, and only red lanterns are swaying in the wind and snow.

Li Yan came out of the back door of the teahouse, looked around to see that there was no one around, then put on his hat and headed towards the north of the city.

He was in a good mood and didn't expect to have an unexpected gain.

As the saying goes, if you get the right way, you will get more help, but if you get the wrong way, you will get less help.

The situation in Chengdu is treacherous and complicated, with forces such as the "Dragon Worship Cult" and the "Ghost Troupe" lurking.

But where there is evil, there is good.

Uniting all forces does not necessarily mean that we are afraid of them.

What he has to do now is to unravel the mystery, clear away the fog and figure out what exactly happened.

After all, he also has two tasks.

One is from the underworld, to capture the leader of the Dragon Worshiping Cult, "Langwu".

The second one comes from Lei Mansion, and kills the celestial being "Li Wenyuan".

However, the "Ghost Troupe" has already made enemies with them, so they will definitely not give up and will have a fight with them.

There is also the "Dragon Girl" sacrifice and the calamity of Erlang Zhenjun.

Li Yan had already formed a rough outline in his mind. These things seemed complicated, but they were all related to the Shu Palace...

Thinking of this, he quickened his pace, bursting out with his hidden energy, and moved through the dark alley like a ghost.

There are fewer people on the streets at night, which makes it easier to travel.

Not long after, he arrived at the north of the city.

The structure of Chengdu Prefecture is three-ring.

In the center is the Palace of the King of Shu, and outside it are four cities in the east, west, south and north, each with its own characteristics. Outermost are several urn cities and small villages built outside the cities.

The cities in the southeast, northwest, northeast and southwest have their own characteristics.

There are many Taoist temples in Nancheng, and it is also where the City God Temple is located.

In order to defend the west, the Chengdu government office and several garrisons were set up in Xicheng, where most of the people traveling were officials.

All kinds of people gather in Dongcheng.

As for the North City, most of the dignitaries and wealthy people gathered here, and the provincial government office was also located here.

Therefore, when you arrive in the north city, the streets become noticeably wider, the neat bluestone slabs are covered with a layer of white snow, the shops on the streets are more luxurious, and there are all kinds of large mansions around.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"A cold wave is coming, be careful with candles!"

The night watchman walked through the street beating a gong.

In the distance, there was a team of soldiers patrolling with torches.

Where wealthy people live, there are naturally more guards.

In the dark alley, Li Yan moved left and right. With his magical powers, he was able to avoid the patrolling soldiers in advance, and the Dragon Snake Card also allowed him to hide his breath.

Soon, they arrived outside a large house.

There was a canal in front of the house, with thin bamboos planted around it. On the towering gatehouse, there were two big red lanterns hanging with a big "Xu" character written on them.

According to the clue given by Liang Yu, a tea belt was found in the fire of the gold and silver shop. It was purchased by Xu Yongqing, the chief official of the Prince of Shu's Palace.

This is the Xu Mansion.

The Chief Secretary of the Prince's Palace is the core staff of the palace, in charge of all subordinate officials, including the Chief Justice, the Bookkeeper, and the Temple Keeper.

The finances, etiquette, documents and daily affairs of the royal palace are all under his management. In layman's terms, he is the chief executive.

The other party must know a lot about the affairs of the Prince of Shu's Palace.

The fact that he appeared in a gold and silver shop was itself full of suspicions.

Maybe the other party is the demon hidden in the palace!

Thinking of this, Li Yan immediately pinched the Yang Jue, took a deep breath, and then listened attentively.

"Roar--!"

Almost instantly, a roar sounded in my ears.

But around the two stone lions at the gate of Xu's mansion, a whirlwind suddenly blew up, rolling up the flying snow, which then slowly fell down.

Fortunately, the door was closed and no one noticed the phenomenon.

"Good baby!"

Li Yan was taken aback and secretly surprised.

This world is filled with mysterious powers, and evil spirits are not imaginary, so many wealthy families will ask for things to ward off evil spirits.

But the stone lion in front of us is extraordinary.

With his ability, ordinary house-guarding objects are completely useless, but these two pairs of stone lions can be discovered, which are truly extraordinary.

Looking more closely, the stone lion is quite old. I guess it was made by some master. It has been guarding people's homes for a long time and has become spiritual.

Li Yan was naturally not afraid.

He could easily break this thing, but it was difficult for him to invade silently using magic.

His eyes rolled around and he quickly came to the wall, jumped up, grabbed the edge of the wall with his hands, flipped over and jumped in.

Behind the wall was a garden. As soon as he landed, Li Yan exerted his strength again and rose into the air silently, like a gecko, sticking to the back of the rockery.

The next moment, three men holding lanterns and leading fierce dogs passed by, their temples bulging slightly.

"Gululu!"

The mastiff seemed to have discovered something and suddenly stopped.

"who is it?"

A man asked in a deep voice.

Then he slowly drew out his knife and searched around the garden for a while. Seeing that he found nothing, he turned back.

"Brother, you are too nervous. It's Chinese New Year..."

"What nonsense!"

"They spent a lot of money, we can't destroy the signboard..."

The two talked in low voices and walked towards other courtyards.

Behind the rockery, mist rose and Li Yan's figure slowly appeared. He looked at the two people leaving, as if thinking about something.

At first glance, these two men are hired to make a living, and judging by what they said, they were only hired recently.

There is definitely something wrong with this Xu Yongqing.

Thinking of this, Li Yan jumped up, hid in the dark, and walked carefully along the corner of the wall.

Leaving the garden, we soon arrived at a yard.

This courtyard is not big and is located on the west side. Generally speaking, it is where the side branches of the mansion or guests live.

Li Yan took a look and prepared to leave.

However, a cold voice suddenly came from inside the house.

"Since you are here, why don't you come in and have a chat?"

(End of this chapter)