Knife splashing

Chapter 613: The Aftermath, Dragon Girl's Reward
After the first month of the year, the weather is still cold.

There was a thin layer of ice floating on the river outside Wanzhou City.

Click!

The boat captain, Chen Tuozi, poked the ice seven or eight times with the pole, breaking it up, and the sloop was able to squeeze into the dock with difficulty.

The copper bell hanging on the bow had long since frozen into a lump of ice, but the curses from the peddler Lao Zhao in the cabin were even louder:

"Damn it, damn God, it's been three days since the Waking of Insects, and the hemp rope I'm using to carry the goods is still frozen hard!"

A herbalist was huddled in the stern of the cabin, the angelica roots in the bamboo basket in his arms were covered with frost. He wrapped himself tightly in his tattered cotton coat and said:
"Who said it wasn't? It snowed during the Chinese New Year and it was still so cold after the New Year. This never happened in previous years. Why does it feel a little weird..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the cabin suddenly became quiet.

The peddler Lao Zhao narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Do you think it has something to do with the incident in Chengdu?"

"It's hard to say. I heard that the situation there is quite chaotic. The people there are going crazy. The snow is falling terribly and there are even earthworms..."

"Hey, hey, hey, everyone's here, stop chatting!"

When the captain of the ship, Chen Tuozi, heard this, he quickly interrupted everyone.

A month had passed since the incident in Chengdu Prefecture. Even though common people seldom travelled far, they had heard about it through traveling merchants from various places.

For a time, rumors spread everywhere.

Some unscrupulous businessmen took the opportunity to hype up the situation, saying that there would be a war in Shu, and asked the people to store grain and salt, causing prices to soar...

There were also those scammers who traveled around the world, who set up a trap and said that the evil spirits in Shu were coming, and sold peach charms everywhere, cheating many people...

The imperial court has issued a strict ban on discussing this matter and has arrested many people on the charge of spreading false information to confuse the public.

Chen Tuozi doesn't want to cause trouble.

Everyone also realized how serious the situation was and stopped talking nonsense. After arriving at the Wanzhou ferry, they all went ashore and left.

At the rear of the cabin, there were two men sitting.

One was tall, the other short; one was fat, the other thin; their faces were blackened, they wore bamboo hats, and carried a large cloth bag on their backs.

Since getting on the boat, the two men pulled their hats down, ignored everyone, closed their eyes and rested, and only moved their ears slightly when they heard people talking about Chengdu Prefecture.

After everyone else left, the two slowly stood up.

"The bow."

The tall man spoke with an accent from western Hunan, and asked, "Is there a teahouse called 'Zui Jiang Feng' in Wanzhou City?"

“Yes, yes.”

The captain, Chen Tuozi, smiled and said, "It's in the south of the city. The Luzhou Luojia Laojiao wine there tastes good."

He could tell at a glance that the two men were gangsters.

The rebellion of the Yang family in Bozhou had just been put down, and many outlaws were running around in the southwest. He didn't want to offend a ruthless guy and lose his life.

"Luo Family Old Cellar?"

The short, fat man with a full beard smacked his lips and asked, "I remember that Luzhou Laojiao is the best, isn't it?"

Chen Tuozi smiled and shook his head, "You don't know, the Du family has collapsed and has been sealed off by the court. I don't know what happened specifically."

Of course he had heard some things, but without knowing the details of the two people, if he said too much, he would only be asking for trouble.

Fortunately, these two men were not interested in the grudges of the Luo family. After asking for the location of the tavern, they got off the boat and headed straight for the city.

Wanzhou City was not big, and they quickly found a place.

There is a teahouse in the south of the city. A wine flag with the words "Zui Jiang Feng" droops on the eaves. The wood is blackened and looks quite old, but it is kept very clean.

"But the two gentlemen from the Tang family?"

A man walked out of the teahouse. He was tall, with gray hair on his temples, wearing a green robe and had an outstanding temperament.

It was Zou Shaohai, the president of the Shuzhong Divine Fist Association.

"Meet President Zou."

The two did not dare to be negligent and bowed to greet him.

Not to mention Zou Shaohai in front of him, he is a powerful master of Gangjin who has recently emerged in Shu, and his skills are also very powerful.

After getting along with Li Yan and others, he united many sects in Shu under the pretext of suppressing the Dragon Worshiping Sect, including many sects in the "Eight Leaves" of Emei, all of which have joined the Shenquan Society.

Originally, the Shuzhong Divine Fist Association was not taken seriously by everyone.

But under his organization, its momentum has continued to grow, and it has shown signs of becoming the third largest force in Shu after Emei and Qingcheng.

"Hahaha…"

Zou Shaohai smiled heartily and raised his hand, saying, "You two, please."

Leading the two to the private room upstairs, Zou Shaohai waited for the tea master to refill the tea, then he smiled and said, "I was busy nearby, and when I received your message, I immediately came here to wait."

With his current reputation, he still had to go out to greet them in person. The identities of these two people were certainly not as simple as they seemed.

These two people are both from Meishan Sect.

Nowadays, the Meishan Sect is quite prominent in the entire martial arts world, simply because they were the first to invent the art of firearms.

The power of new firearms has changed the order of the martial arts world. The fact that the Meishan Sect can emerge at this time is a testament to its fortune.

Therefore, Zou Shaohai also attached great importance to it.

"You're welcome, President."

The tall and thin middle-aged man looked solemn and said with a folded hand: "My two brothers and I came here to deal with Tang Ling's matter. We need the help of the president."

Tang Ling of the Meishan Sect is the most outstanding disciple of their generation and is even known as the number one monster hunter in western Hunan.

In order to avenge his sister, he shot and killed the third son of the King of Shu in the street, and then followed Master Wuxiang.

When in Chengdu, the King of Shu ordered his men to search the city. In order to escape the pursuit, Master Wuxiang simply sold out everyone.

Although Young Master Wuxiang eventually died with his body torn into pieces and his soul scattered, Tang Ling and others were also arrested and thrown into prison. After a battle in the Shu Palace, they were taken to the Chongqing government office.

Hearing the two people's questions, Zou Shaohai sighed and shook his head, saying: "This matter is not easy to handle."

As he spoke, he whispered, "This was a plot by a demon. No matter how much the King of Shu participated, he is dead and the accounts are closed. In addition, the Emperor, out of consideration for their friendship, did not charge him with treason and gave him a grand funeral."

"The King of Shu did not commit treason. Brother Tang killed the royal family in the street. There is solid evidence. He also used new firearms..."

The short and fat middle-aged man took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "President Zou, if the matter is easy to handle, we won't bother you."

"Since you are willing to see us, this matter can definitely be done!"

Zou Shaohai was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "This must be Brother Tang Hai, I heard that you are resourceful, and your reputation is well-deserved."

"Yes, it can be done, but you have to find the right person."

As he spoke, he dipped his hand in tea and wrote two words on the wooden table.

"Li Yan?"

The short and fat old man took a look and frowned, saying, "I heard something on the way. This Li Yan, a young man who has recently risen in the Xuanmen Jianghu, was also involved in a lot of the chaos in Chengdu."

"But he is still young, can he still influence the court?"

"You two don't know something."

Zou Shaohai took a sip of tea and sighed, "Qingcheng Mountain has sent out invitations to hold a cellar opening ceremony, and he is one of the guests of honor."

"Oh?"

The short and fat old man was stunned and his expression became solemn.

Qingcheng Mountain in Shu is a well-known place in the entire Xuanmen world. Even though the Meishan Sect is very popular nowadays, it is still a legal sect and cannot compare with the orthodox Xuanmen sect.

To become a true Xuanmen sect, careful planning is required. This time, they came not only to save Tang Ling, but also to participate in the cellar opening ceremony.

They have no interest in any treasure.

The key is to take advantage of this opportunity to reach cooperation with several forces, send disciples of the sect to serve in the army, and seek support from the court.

The key to the orthodox Xuanmen religion is to participate in national sacrifices.

This is the greatest opportunity for Meishan Sect in thousands of years.

Not only them, the deputy leader had already gone to Qingcheng in advance.

I heard that all parties have sent important figures this time, which can be regarded as a grand event in the Taoist sect. It is definitely not easy to be the guest of honor.

Without waiting for him to ask, Zou Shaohai said:

"Just wait and see. After the cellar opening ceremony, Li Yan will become famous all over the world. The key is that the court officials who benefit from this will all give him face!"

"Oh?"

When the two members of the Tang family heard this, they immediately understood...

…………

As the night deepens, at the Chongqing Duweisi Yamen.

"Bang bang, it's the middle of the night, be careful with candles~"

The night watchman's voice came near and then went away, startling the crows on the eaves, which fluttered away in the cold night wind.

Sitting at the desk, Zhao Xianda was carefully reading several letters by the light of a large tallow candle, sometimes making some marks, sometimes frowning in deep thought.

Not only him, but the entire Duwei Division was almost brightly lit. The incident in Chengdu Prefecture had caused a great uproar in the capital.

Although he risked his life to go to Chengdu and performed exceptionally well in the battle, winning credit for the Shuzhong Duwei Division, he received no reward from the court. It was obvious that the emperor was very dissatisfied with them.

Everyone in the Duwei Division was worried at this time.

You know, no news is often the worst news.

They were the emperor's lackeys, responsible for monitoring the world. It was not impossible that they were all punished for causing such a big incident.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xianda continued to look at the letter in his hand.

"On the 20th of the first lunar month, the imperial army that had just left Bozhou turned to Chengdu to suppress the rebellion and comfort the victims. Hundreds of garrison officers were arrested and escorted to the capital for processing..."

"All the soldiers and horses of the garrisons near Chengdu have received orders to be dispatched to southern Fujian. The Shanzhou garrison has expanded its troops and dispatched some of them to central Sichuan..."

It seems that the imperial court has taken the opportunity to reduce the power of the King of Shu.

The Fifth Prince Xiao Jinghong had been officially named the King of Chengdu for helping to quell the rebellion, and his fiefdom had been reduced to one city.

Even so, the imperial court no longer trusted the Shu King's lineage.

This was all expected.

The emperor in the capital might even take advantage of this incident to weaken the power of the local princes again.

But what is the purpose of sending soldiers from Shuzhong to southern Fujian?
Zhao Xianda was thoughtful and recalled the briefing he had read before.

Japan attacked the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and because of internal unification, Japanese pirates were rampant along the coast, and the red-haired pirates were running around everywhere, often harassing the coast.

Could it be that he was sent to fight?

Zhao Xianda shook his head slightly and continued to analyze the rest of the letters.

After this incident, the military power in Shu will definitely be taken over by outsiders, and it will not be weakened. After all, there is still a need to suppress and guard against Tibet and the southwest.

He was concerned about something else.

The affairs of Chengdu Prefecture are far from over.

The appearance of the Nine Cauldrons caused turmoil. The imperial court has issued an order prohibiting anyone from talking about the matter and not letting the news leak out.

But some things cannot be stopped.

Ordinary people may not care, but those with ulterior motives will certainly pay more attention to this matter.

It involves the destiny of China and the foundation of the dynasty.

This is their chance to get away with it.

It is also his hope to go further...

Remembering what Li Yan had told him, Zhao Xianda took out more information from the side and piled it on the desk.

Some of these materials have turned yellow and brittle, and have been eaten by insects and rats. They are records of ghost cults in the Song Dynasty and previous dynasties...

Some are very new and are unusual events in various places.

In theory, such matters should be handled by the Law Enforcement Hall, but Zhao Xianda is very skeptical about their abilities.

The Law Enforcement Hall is full of people from the Xuanmen sect. They may understand some magic and have stronger combat capabilities, but when it comes to investigating cases, they are still far behind them.

Thinking of what Li Yan said, Zhao Xianda felt a chill in his heart.

There are more than one person like Lu Sheng!
Zhao Changsheng might be their matchmaker.

As the saying goes, one should not visit Sichuan when young and should not leave Sichuan when old.

The Shu area is too peaceful and the news is somewhat closed.

Zhao Xianda doesn't want to be trapped here for the rest of his life...

…………

Chengdu Prefecture, Palace of the King of Shu.

A team of officials wearing black boots and holding lanterns walked through the empty square in front of the palace, all with uneasy looks in their eyes.

Many guards, eunuchs and maids in the palace participated in the rebellion, some died and some were injured.

The imperial army came to take over, and regardless of whether they were bewitched by the evil spirit or not, they were all suppressed and killed. Together with the soldiers who were killed or wounded at the time, the corpses piled up like a mountain.

Today, the damaged parts of the palace remain unrepaired.

Although the bodies had been cleared and the masters of Qingcheng Mountain had performed rituals, the place was still empty and deserted, and they still felt uneasy as they walked through it.

The only place with lights in the palace was the East Palace.

But when the patrolling officers passed by, they would subconsciously stay away.

There lived the Five County Kings, now the King of Chengdu.

Although people were silent about what happened in Chengdu, everyone from the common people to the officials knew it clearly.

The King of Chengdu is now completely alone.

The people of Chengdu Prefecture all had someone die in their families, and almost every household hung white silk, and countless people cursed all day long.

Outside the Shu King's Palace, there was often garbage piled up, and people would urinate and throw feces. Even after the government office sent people to clean it up, it would still appear the next day.

Gradually, I became too lazy to care.

The officials of Chengdu Prefecture avoided him as much as possible.

Everyone knows that getting close to the lineage of the King of Shu would be a dead end. Even the mentor of the Fifth Prince, the great scholar Yang Duo of Shu, has given up on him.

Of course, no one dared to go too far.

After all, Xiao Jinghong’s maternal family is the Cheng family.

Cheng Jianxian suppressed Shu for decades and was regarded as a god-like figure in the hearts of the people. Before his death, he wielded his sword to suppress evil. His style and deeds had already spread far and wide.

Many people in Chengdu Prefecture offered him longevity tablets.

The mausoleum next to the Wuhou Temple is filled with various offerings, and has been visited by incense since the burial site.

This is also the reason why Xiao Jinghong was able to become the King of Chengdu.

But only there.

The Cheng family was also dissatisfied with the death of the Sword Immortal...

Inside the East Palace Hall, candlelight was dim.

Because there were no palace maids to clean, many places were covered with dust, and the cracks caused by the earthquake have not been repaired to this day.

The cold wind blew in, and the candlelight flickered.

There was only Xiao Jinghong in the hall.

His face was gloomy, holding in his hand the blood-stained robe worn by the Princess when she died. He sat alone on the throne, silently looking at the bright moon outside the window.

The candlelight flickered, and his face was also in constant light and darkness...

…………

Li Yan also looked up at the moon.

A Dragon Girl Temple has been built on the bank of Jinjiang River.

Li Yan had agreed to help the Dragon Girl gather incense and build a temple.

He has been busy with this these days.

Originally, building a temple was not that simple. Not only did one have to obtain the consent of the imperial court and the orthodox Xuanmen sect, but the local people also had to be convinced.

But after the Battle of the Palace, everything was no longer a problem.

Ling Yunzi of the Qingcheng Sect handled the matter personally. He took the sect leader's order and performed a grand ritual. The government also received the imperial edict, which conferred the title of "Bi Bo Zhao Ling Yuan Jun" on him.

The story of Chengdu Prefecture helping people to remove curses is also widely circulated.

Within a short period of time, the Dragon Girl Temple became very popular.

The people were not stupid. They knew there was a real god in the temple, so they worshipped him devoutly, hoping that the Dragon Lady could bless Chengdu with good weather and fewer disasters.

It was already late at night, and the area around the Dragon Girl Temple was quiet and deserted.

Wang Daoxuan and others came out and stood beside Li Yan.

"Can you really get in?"

Sharifei's face was filled with excitement and his voice was trembling.

This time, they didn't work in vain.

The reward that the Dragon Girl promised was the treasure of the Dragon Palace.

"Of course."

Li Yan laughed dumbly, "I'm just worried that you can't lift it..."

Wow!
Before he finished speaking, waves began to surge on the Jinjiang River.

Thick white fog spread outward from the center of the water, quickly reaching the shore and surrounding everyone.

Li Yan and the others immediately sat cross-legged and soon fell asleep...

(End of this chapter)