Knife splashing

Chapter 576 Fifteen, Great Disaster

"Hey uncle, come and get your things!"

The man from the salt gang took out a bag of salt and a bulging cloth bag from the car and tried his best to smile.

Unfortunately, his face full of fat and the tattoo on his chest made his smile look even more ferocious.

Bang!
The old man was startled and quickly closed the door.

"Old immortal..."

The salt gang man was furious, but he didn't dare to get angry. He forced a smile again, looked around, and shouted: "Don't be afraid, young and old men in Chengdu, these are free, they are given to you for free, it's the kindness of the old King of Shu, so that everyone can have a good New Year!"

Unfortunately, no matter how he shouted, no one dared to come.

Chengdu is a place where all kinds of people gather, and its people are also worldly-wise.

Not to mention the ruthless guys in the Salt Gang, even those little scoundrels in the city are full of bad ideas.

After I take the things, they ask for moving fee, which is more expensive than the things themselves. If you don’t want them, they will charge you more money to move them out of your home.

In the end, you can only accept defeat.

There are even more cruel methods that can even destroy your family.

In short, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

The imperial court imposed heavy taxes on salt and iron. It was not so difficult for people in remote areas, as they could secretly buy cheap private salt, but the people in Chengdu could only go to salt merchants.

So, with a single packet of salt, you can save a lot of money.

But after shouting for a long time, no one dared to come.

The salt gang man got anxious and tore open another package, shouting, "See? There are cakes, preserved fruits, needles and thread. Don't miss it!"

Finally, a greedy monkey ran over.

"Dog baby!"

The naughty boy's grandmother followed closely behind him in fear.

The man from the salt gang was overjoyed. Seeing the child coming over, he first stuffed the cakes into the child's hands, then picked out a full bag of salt and a cloth bag, and handed them to the child's grandmother without saying anything.

"This...really doesn't cost money?"

The child's grandmother looked at the things in the bag, hesitating.

"You want money? Cut off my head!"

The man glared at her, and the grandmother was so scared that she dragged her grandson away, but the thing was in her hand.

Seeing that everything was fine, people came over one after another.

The salt gang members were overjoyed and quickly distributed items, shouting, "This is the kindness of the old King of Shu. Don't be afraid, young and old. Catching the rebels has nothing to do with you. Go to the streets now."

This is how the people are. Once there is a first, there will be a second.

"Don't fight over it. One for each person. All are available. Hahaha..."

The man finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He has only ever known how to rob in his life, and this is the first time he has given something as a gift.

There was no other way. The leader of the Salt Gang, Zhai Tianbao, said that if all the things could not be delivered today, they would be whipped when they returned.

If someone looks from a high altitude, they will find that not only on this street, but throughout Chengdu Prefecture, there are horse-drawn carriages of the Salt Gang distributing lucky bags.

Large ships were docked at the dock, and huge amounts of supplies were continuously transported into Chengdu Prefecture and then distributed to various streets.

These salt gang men are all at the bottom of the society.

They didn't know why the money was being spent like this, but they knew the gang leader had issued a death order:
We must make the whole Chengdu Prefecture lively.

Let’s get back into the festive mood tomorrow!

These things are meant to calm people's hearts.

The common people are actually very easy to fool with their leader's words. As long as they feel that it has nothing to do with them and that there are benefits to it, they will just watch the fun even if the sky falls.

As expected, as the items were distributed, some bold citizens came out to stroll around and found that the garrison soldiers did not cause any trouble, so the number of people on the streets gradually increased.

This situation is more conducive to Li Yan's actions.

However, the smile disappeared from his face. He turned his head and said in a deep voice, "Send someone to bring a package back to have a look."

Young Master Wuxiang understood what he meant and gave a look. Immediately, an old man went out, pretending to be trembling, and came back with a bag of salt and a bag of other things.

Wow!
All poured out on the table.

Li Yan used the Yang Jue technique, picked up a handful of salt and sniffed it carefully...

Wang Daoxuan wrapped the cake with talisman paper, broke it into pieces, put it in his mouth, and tasted it with his magical power...

The Pimen sorcerers use eggs to search for poison...

Finally, everyone shook their heads.

"Maybe we are overthinking it."

Sharifei then touched his bald head and laughed, "The King of Shu is not a fool. He dares to attack the people of the city. Isn't he afraid that we will spread the news and cause a mutiny?"

"Innocent!"

Young Master Wuxiang smiled coldly, "These powerful people will do anything to achieve their goals, what does human life mean to them?"

"When Huang Chao was besieging Chenzhou and running out of food, the sorcerer accompanying the army proposed the 'Five Plagues Boy Formation', which refined the flesh and blood of living people into military rations..."

"The chaotic times at the end of the Tang Dynasty may be a bit far away, so let's talk about the previous dynasty. The general of the Golden Horde Wolf Kingdom, Ashu, asked the shamans of Mobei to torture 3,000 Daxing Army prisoners to death, and then remove the bones from their bodies to make "human skin demon drums". Jia Sidao's navy fled in panic..."

"In terms of cruelty, they are more like demons than any evil sect!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan nodded in agreement.

First of all, it is now almost equivalent to rebellion.

Secondly, there is Lu Sheng’s identity. He was a man who dared to deceive even the First Emperor and initiated the "burning of books and burying of scholars". How could he care about the lives of mortals?

"Senior, what do you think they are going to do?"

Thinking of this, Li Yan asked directly.

Master Wuxiang sneered and said, "I am not a worm in the stomach of the King of Shu, how would I know?"

Just then, a voice sounded nearby.

"I have some guesses."

The speaker was a Taoist priest, wearing a dark black Taoist robe. He was not good-looking and had an iron abacus hanging around his waist.

Wu Xiang Gong Zi introduced: "This is the Taoist priest of Jinmen Iron Calculator. He is good at observing the wind and the air, and using strange hidden weapons. He almost entered Emei. Unfortunately, they judged people by their appearance and could not recognize the gold and jade."

"Thank you for your praise, Chief."

The Taoist stroked his beard and said in a deep voice: "The Shu Palace's move is nothing more than to make Chengdu lively. It is probably for popularity and incense. I'm afraid they are going to perform some ritual."

Wang Daoxuan also nodded and praised, "Daoyou, what you said makes sense!"

There are many fake Taoist priests in Kinmen who are swindling people, but there are also some strange and talented people.

Seeing that everyone agreed, the Taoist couldn't help but take off the iron abacus from his waist, put it on the table with a click, and started fiddling with it.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know this amazing skill?"

Seeing this, Wang Daoxuan's eyes lit up with interest.

Seeing that Li Yan was equally curious, he explained, "This is the abacus Yishu. The abacus beams correspond to the 'three talents of heaven, earth and man', and the beads correspond to the 'two energies of yin and yang'. The upper beads move in accordance with the eight trigrams, and the lower beads count according to the five elements. It's difficult to learn and master, but I have also heard a little about it."

When Li Yan heard this, his expression turned serious.

Even in the Taoist sect, people who are proficient in the deduction of Yi numbers are very rare. Wang Daoxuan spends all day pondering on it, but it is not as easy as casting spells.

To calculate this accurately, it depends a lot on talent.

The old Taoist priest seemed to be in the right state. He fiddled with the abacus and muttered, "In the year of Jiachen, 'Wu will not accept land', and in the year of Yisi, 'Geng will not marry'..."

"On the Gengshen day of the Wuyin month, Geng metal is attacked by Yin wood, and Shen day is in conflict with Tai Sui Si fire. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is in Wei Su, and Yin and Si are in conflict, which draws the evil spirit White Tiger into the center palace..."

The more he calculated, the paler his face became.

Finally, he stopped with cold sweat on his forehead.

Wuxiang Gongzi frowned, "What did the Taoist priest calculate?"

Tie Suanpan raised his head slowly and swallowed his saliva:
"The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is extremely unlucky. Avoid burning incense or offerings. The gods are in danger..."

………………

"Tanghulu, Tanghulu!"

"The door gods invited by Qingyang Palace are not available now..."

The plan of the Shu Palace has been successful, and the streets are obviously becoming lively. In fact, the most anxious people in this chaos are the merchants, who have stockpiled a large number of goods before the New Year, just waiting for a prosperous New Year.

In particular, many small peddlers rely on this time to make money every year, because even the most frugal people will be more generous during the New Year.

So they came out first and occupied the streets.

When the common people saw that the patrolling soldiers were not bothered by anyone, even those who cheated, swindled, and fought had gone into hiding, and they also began to take to the streets with their families.

The New Year is just a few days away and we haven’t prepared enough things yet.

Li Yan changed his clothes, wearing a rustic cotton-padded jacket and a dog-skin hat. His face was also disguised and he had a full beard.

Anyone who sees him would think he is just an ordinary citizen.

With the cover of the dragon and snake cards, it is even more secretive.

He put his hands in his sleeves, crunching on the snow, looking around from time to time, taking it all in.

There is no mistake in the deduction made by Tiebaba.

Wang Daoxuan used tortoise shells and copper coins for divination, and got the same result.

This incident surprised everyone.

Generally speaking, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month is an auspicious day, but who would have thought that there would be problems this year.

Moreover, ordinary sorcerers were not proficient in the deduction of Yi numbers and could only see the surface, so this matter did not spread widely.

There are taboos on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month this year, and it is forbidden to burn incense and offer sacrifices

According to Tie Suanpan, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month this year, the evil spirit White Tiger will enter the palace. If not handled properly, the incense and candles will turn into evil spirits.

Ordinary people can't feel it.

But for secular gods, it is a big trouble.

Qingyang Palace and Shuwang Mansion hold grand sacrificial ceremonies and martial arts competitions on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

Anyone could see that something was wrong.

Wuxiang Gongzi's people have already started to spread the news to the outside world, starting from the underworld, in an effort to reduce the number of people there that day.

But the only way to solve this problem is to eradicate the root cause.

Lu Sheng, who is parasitic on the King of Shu, must die!
Taking back the military power is the top priority...

The Yuwang Temple is in the north of the city, the Chengdu government office is in the west of the city, and the Shuwang Palace is located in the center of Chengdu, so it is inevitable to pass by them.

Li Yan walked forward, and when he was about to approach the Prince of Shu's Palace, his heart sank suddenly, and he turned around and left.

There were no pedestrians on the street ahead. Guard soldiers had set up checkpoints to block the way. All businesses were closed, and there were even musketeers lying in ambush on the rooftops.

I walked down several streets and it was the same.

Li Yan had no choice but to take a detour.

It seems that the Shu Palace is planning something. If we want to find out, we have to go back and let Lu San's falcon investigate.

It was almost noon when we arrived at the Chengdu government office.

Today is a long-awaited sunny day. The wind and snow have stopped, the sky is clear and the sun is bright. The snow on the ground reflects light, so the visibility is very good.

Compared with East City, West City is obviously a lot quieter.

There are many government offices of Chengdu Prefecture distributed here, and there are more and more soldiers from the garrison setting up checkpoints on the road. Occasionally, when civilians pass by, they all shrink their necks and walk around the wall in fear.

Li Yan looked at the figure on the roof in the distance, frowned slightly, and quickly flashed into the dark alley.

Call ~
A gust of cold wind blew up and the man disappeared without a trace.

A faint footprint appeared on the top of the courtyard wall...

Performing the art of escape does not mean that one can fly. Even though Li Yan is almost invisible, he can't avoid leaving footprints in the snow.

Others might ignore it, but the warlock cannot hide it.

Fortunately, the snow in the homes of nearby residents had been swept aside, and Li Yan kept climbing over the walls until he finally approached the Chengdu government office.

After seeing it from a distance, Li Yan lowered his head.

The Chengdu government office had also been besieged.

A garrison army of several hundred men, scattered along various important thoroughfares, surrounded the entire government office.

There were many gangsters squatting on the roof.

These people looked unfamiliar. There were only a few sorcerers among them. They were obviously hired by the Salt Gang and were gangsters who had just entered the city.

The gate of the Chengdu government office was tightly closed, with traces of being hit by wooden beams on it. Several disciples of the Bagua Sect in the capital stood guard at the door with their fists clasped together, looking coldly at the opposite side.

Seeing this situation, Li Yan had an idea in his mind.

The Shu Palace has already taken action against the Chengdu government office, but is not in a hurry to kill the censor, and no one knows what plan it has.

Looking at the government office so close at hand, Li Yan felt troubled.

The snow on the street had not been cleared, and although there were some messy footprints, he would definitely be discovered if he passed by.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded.

"Anything going on today?"

"Reply to the elder, everything is fine for now."

"Um…"

I saw an old man coming with a few people. He took off his pipe from his waist, squatted in the corner, puffing out smoke, with sadness in his eyes.

This old man is the village chief of Baixi Town, his name is Feng Laohai.

He was originally an elder of the Salt Gang, and was also the guide of the current gang leader. Later, due to differences in ideas, he led the villagers into seclusion.

With his help, Li Yan also destroyed the Dark Hall of the Dragon Worshiping Cult.

Doesn’t this old man want to regain the leadership of the Salt Gang?

Why did you come into the city to help the evildoers again?

Li Yan was puzzled. He looked at the old man's eyes, then looked at the Chengdu government office in the distance, and finally slowly approached.

Feng Laohai was smoking with a frown on his face.

Suddenly, his pupils shrank.

Suddenly, there were more words on the snow in front of me:

Outside Baixi Town, can the oath be taken seriously?
Feng Laohai quickly stood up, wiped the writing on the ground with his foot, knocked off the ashes, and said with an unchanged expression: "You guys watch, I'm going to the toilet."

After saying that, he went into a nearby house.

The others had been guarding for a whole day, and the people in the Chengdu government office were very safe, so they didn't care and started chatting with each other.

"Brother, do you think the King of Shu is going to be crowned king?"

"Who knows."

"If you ask me, I'd rather just rebel. The salt transport envoys are always causing trouble, and the imperial court is probably going to take action. It's better to rebel, maybe you can be granted a title of nobility or a chancellor..."

"Just give up, you..."

They joked with each other, but the atmosphere in the room was tense.

After Feng Laohai entered and closed the door, he turned around and looked around, and asked anxiously, "Is it Taoist Youji, or Young Xia Li?"

"it's me."

Li Yan still hadn't untied the escape technique, and replied coldly: "We agreed to turn against the Salt Gang, so how come we are mixed up with them again?"

"The old man can't find an opportunity..."

Feng Laohai smiled bitterly and explained the reason.

It turned out that he had just contacted a few old brothers and found out that they had been bribed with a large sum of money, so he had no choice but to pretend to be nice and return.

He had a high status, and the leader of the Salt Gang couldn't do much to him, so he was assigned to do many odd jobs.

"What's going on with the Chengdu government office?"

Li Yan continued to ask.

Feng Laohai looked out the window and whispered, "That Censor Wang is a ruthless man. He was guarding the gunpowder warehouse with a torch, saying that if the King of Shu forced us, we would perish together."

"The King of Shu wanted this batch of gunpowder, so he was stuck here."

"I heard that a master will break through and enter the government office tonight..."

(End of this chapter)