Knife splashing

Chapter 632 The Dark Curtain Begins to Emerge
"Xuan Mo returns to Mang?"

Sharifei was confused, and seeing that "Golden Eyed Feng" was so excited, he couldn't help but complain: "I say, old senior, I have little education, can you explain it more clearly?"

"I'm sorry, it was my negligence."

"Golden Eye Feng" suppressed his excitement and explained, "The reason why I am excited is because this incident confirms my guess."

"Wang Xuanmo was born into the Wang family of Taiyuan, which was also a famous and prominent family. His grandfather, Wang Lao, was the governor of Shanggu in Southern Yan. His father died young. He had an arrogant personality since childhood and later joined Liu Yu."

"Official history records mixed opinions about this person."

"In the 27th year of Yuanjia, Emperor Wen of Song launched a northern expedition, and Wang Xuanmo was appointed General Ningshuo. He did not discipline the army strictly, made strategic mistakes, and even retreated from the battlefield. The Zizhi Tongjian criticized him as a 'southern general who was not a talented person'. In his later years, he 'forgot himself for the country', which was a great honor."

"But now it seems that there is something strange. He is the leader of the Northern Dynasty Xuanmen "Yin Fu Sect" and a descendant of the Taiyuan Wang family. However, he pretends to be a mediocre person and lurks in the Southern Dynasty. It is definitely not for the glory and wealth. "

"When the First Emperor suppressed the evil spirits of the six kingdoms, Xu Fu presided over the suppression. Not only did he kill many masters of the six kingdoms, he also built a large-scale project on Mount Mang. There must be some arrangements left to make it difficult for outsiders to enter."

"Wang Xuanmo came to Mangshan in his later years. Apparently, he got the key to enter. The "Northern Mang Ghost Record" also said that he escaped to Mangshan to practice Yin military skills. He was called "Mangshan Ghost Commander" by the people. But since the Southern Song Dynasty, he has completely disappeared..."

Li Yan's eyes flashed, "Great Song Ghost Cult!"

"That's right!"

"Golden Eye Feng" nodded repeatedly, sweat oozing from his forehead, "Wang Xuanmo inherited the legacy of the ancient Qin Dynasty, and his method is compatible with it. He has been practicing in secret for so many years, but he immediately hid himself as soon as he came to the limelight. This shows that there is something that he is afraid of."

"During the Southern Song Dynasty, the Ghost Cult flourished, and many Taoist sects united to form the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, which directly reversed the situation and established the Daxing Dynasty. They also hunted down the remnants of the Ghost Cult, causing those monsters to flee to the grasslands and join the Golden Horde Wolf Kingdom."

"This Wang Xuanmo is probably also a member of the Ghost Cult. Seeing that the timing was not right, he continued to hide. Perhaps something happened recently and he started to show up again..."

Li Yan's mind buzzed, and he suddenly remembered something. He stood up abruptly and said with an unpleasant expression, "I'm afraid there will be big trouble!"

Sharifei and others also had solemn expressions.

They all thought of one thing.

Yuzhou Ding!
Li Yan once said that Zhao Changsheng and his group tried to fish out the wandering Nine Cauldrons from the depths of the dragon veins of Shenzhou, and Lu Sheng, who was causing trouble in Shu, was just one of them.

Well, there are at least nine people doing this.

Before, they were attracted by Xu Fu, who lived in the same period as Lu Sheng, after all, this man was so famous. But after listening to the analysis of "Golden Eyed Feng", they felt that Wang Xuanmo was more like the implementer of the plan.

The Luoyang Paper Man Case is most likely related to it.

Zhao Luzi and his wife were also involved.

No wonder Shen Sanyou, who was tracking down clues about the Nine Cauldrons, also came here, looking as if he was preparing for his funeral, which showed that he had already found out something and the enemy he was facing was extremely powerful.

Seeing them like this, "Golden Eye Feng" was a little confused, "Everyone, what did you find? Can you tell me?"

Li Yan hesitated for a moment and then told his guess.

After all, although not many people knew the inside story of the Nine Cauldrons, it had already spread throughout the world, and Priest Xuan had issued a reward, asking monks from all over the country to cooperate and provide clues.

The reason why conspiracy is scary is that it is in the dark and no one is prepared.

Once it's broad daylight, the danger is much less.

"Yuzhou Ding?!"

Upon hearing this, Golden Eyes Feng almost pulled his beard off, his face uncertain as he said, "No wonder, this happened so suddenly, the paper man's magic is so sharp that it has never been seen before in the world."

"Yuzhou has suffered from famine for many years. Now the weather has changed. If the Yuzhou Ding is taken out..."

As he said this, the old man gritted his teeth, stood up, clasped his fists and said, "My fellow heroes, I have been wandering around in the martial arts world for most of my life, and I have done many bad things, but I will not watch my hometown being robbed. I hope you can help me."

"Even if I have to sacrifice my life, I won't let the demon succeed!"

Before he finished speaking, he knelt on the ground.

"You don't need to do this, senior."

Li Yan quickly helped the man up and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, we have long had a feud with those monsters and we are sworn enemies. Even if Zhao Luzi's incident had not happened, we would not stand idly by."

As he was speaking, a groan suddenly came from the side.

It turned out to be the monk who was captured before.

He was stung by Lu San's poisonous bee and passed out. After Long Yan'er used some simple medicine, the swelling on his face eased a little and he was waking up slowly.

Sharifei sneered, stepped forward, slapped him twice, and scolded: "You bald ass, you really dare to do anything, tell the truth, or I will skin you alive!"

The monk's eyes were swollen. He looked at everyone, pretending to be panicked, and said, "Namo Amitabha Buddha. I am Jueqing, when have I ever offended you..."

His words were spoken with a distinct accent.

The "Golden Eyed Feng" next to him frowned, "Japanese monk?"

Li Yan was stunned and turned around and asked, "Senior, do you know him?"

"Golden Eye Feng" said confidently: "Although I don't know him, I can recognize his accent. These Japanese monks have practiced in the White Horse Temple for many years. Although they have learned the Central Plains Mandarin, they still can't get rid of some bad habits."

"He always drags out the last sound when speaking, and mixes classical Chinese with vernacular Chinese. It's very obvious."

"Japanese..."

Li Yan looked at the monk on the ground, a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and he asked thoughtfully: "Senior, you have been in Luoyang for many years, do you remember when they went to the White Horse Temple to practice?"

"That's a long time."

"Golden Eye Feng" shook his head and said, "About twenty years ago, I was still young at that time. I remember that these Japanese monks were all dressed in rags and looked very embarrassed. When they entered Luoyang, they attracted many people to watch the fun."

"They claimed to have come from the sea, and they admired the reputation of the White Horse Temple. They went through untold hardships just to enter the temple to practice, and they also brought some gifts."

"Since the Tang Dynasty, Luoyang has declined and is no longer as prosperous as it once was. Even the foreign merchants from the Western Regions are few and far between. Therefore, these monks from Japan are highly valued."

"They are usually very low-key, but I didn't expect that they had ill intentions..."

"Humph!"

Wang Daoxuan snorted coldly, "Those who are not of my race must have different hearts!"

Li Yan nodded slightly, already having some guesses in his mind, and suddenly said, "Monk, you have been away from home for many years, don't you miss the cherry blossoms in Honganji Temple?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the monk's expression changed slightly.

Without him saying anything, Li Yan confirmed his guess.

After Zhao Changsheng was exposed, the court attached great importance to the collection of intelligence on him. The Duwei Division and the Xuanji Division simultaneously dispatched personnel to specifically investigate and hunt down this person.

A lot of intelligence in Japan was also collected because of Kaihai.

The Japanese monk hidden in Xiangji Temple is from the Ikko sect.

This sect is the Jodo Shinshu sect of Japan, and it is equally restless.

During the Warring States Period in Japan, they owned a large number of shrines and lands, and had their own military forces. They were even able to confront some daimyo and had fierce battles with Oda Nobunaga.

After Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified Japan, he adopted a soft policy towards them, relying on "land inspection" and "sword hunting order" to deprive them of their land and weapons, but on the other hand he also gave them support and subdued them.

Most of the monks of the Ikko sect have surrendered.

Some were still resisting, but the situation was hopeless and they were no match for the enemy, so they had no choice but to join the ronin gangs or seek refuge overseas. Li Yan originally thought that the evil monk in Xiangji Temple was one of them, or he was just subdued by Zhao Changsheng after he was resurrected.

But now it seems that this is probably not the case.

Such a large-scale layout was not the work of Zhao Changsheng alone.

It also has a force supporting it in Japan!

Thinking of this, Li Yan's eyes flashed with a fierce light, "Sister Long, give him something ruthless."

When Sharifei and others heard this, they were a little surprised.

They traveled around the country carrying out various missions, and torture and forced confessions were inevitable.

For ordinary ones, Sharifei can handle them alone.

Letting Long Yan'er take action is obviously to use poison to make the opponent wish he were dead but unable to live.

It was the first time for them to see Li Yan like this.

Although everyone was puzzled, no one asked any questions.

Long Yan'er didn't waste any words. She slowly turned her right hand and walked towards the monk.

Wow~
A palm-length centipede quickly crawled out from his sleeve, its body flashing with metallic luster, and its densely packed joints made rough sounds when they moved.

It's creepy just looking at it.

The monk's eyes were filled with fear when he saw this, but he still gritted his teeth and pretended to be calm. At the same time, he put his hands together, closed his eyes and chanted: "If anyone hears my name and believes in it with all his heart, even if he recites my name ten times, if he is not reborn, I will not attain enlightenment. The only exceptions are those who commit the five heinous crimes and slander the Dharma~"

Halfway through reciting the sutra, he screamed in pain.

It turned out that the black centipede had climbed onto his head and bit down suddenly with its fangs. At the same time, its densely packed sharp limbs also contracted along with its body, piercing his scalp like steel spikes, and the blood that flowed out quickly turned black.

This centipede insect is poisonous even on its legs.

The poison was so strong that the monk's entire scalp turned black and blue in an instant, and his already swollen face turned a dark red, making him look completely different from a human.

"I said! I said!"

He knelt down and begged in pain.

"whispering sound!"

Sharifei looked disdainful, "I thought he was a tough guy."

The monk ignored his ridicule and said after Long Yan'er stopped driving the centipede Gu: "I am only following orders. I beg you to spare my life."

Li Yan asked coldly: "Do you know Zhao Changsheng?"

The monk quickly shook his head: "I don't know him."

As if he was afraid that Li Yan would misunderstand him, he quickly said, "I dare not say a single word of falsehood. I really don't know him."

"Oh?"

Li Yan was a little surprised, "Then who sent you?"

The monk was a little hesitant when he heard this, but when he saw Long Yaner raised his arm again, he was frightened and explained everything in detail: "We are here on the orders of the Dharma Master."

"The Dharma Master is the Sect Leader?" Wang Daoxuan asked with a frown.

The monk nodded and said, "You can say that. The Dharma Master is the abbot of Honganji Temple. He is married to various major families, and many temple leaders must obey his orders."

"I was originally from the Iga clan of Tokaido, and later entered Honganji to practice."

"Twenty-five years ago, the Dharma Master suddenly summoned us and said that we were the chosen ones, the Buddha's children after the coming of the Buddha Kingdom. We then came to the Divine Capital and obeyed the orders of the Ghost Emperor of Mangshan."

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, "The Ghost Emperor of Mangshan... is he Wang Xuanmo?"

The monk had given up at this point and nodded in agreement, "Yes, that was his name in the past, but no one has ever seen what he looks like now. Every time he appears, he transforms into an ascetic old monk to meet us."

Wang Xuanmo is indeed one of the nine!

Li Yan continued to ask: "What exactly is his plan?"

The monk shook his head and said, "I don't know. The Ghost Emperor never lets anyone know the complete plan."

"Luoyang City has been declining over the years, and people's livelihood has been declining. Our mission is to pretend to be Maitreya religion and secretly preach in the countryside. When the time comes, we will mobilize the mob to rush into Luoyang City and destroy it..."

"Does the White Horse Temple know about this?"

"I don't know. We have been lurking for many years, acting in secret. The monks who were responsible for monitoring us have been lured by the Ghost Emperor. There are also many people in the City God Temple and the Duwei Division who have been caught by the handles."

"When the time comes, you will cooperate with me."

Li Yan said in a cold voice: "There is a treasure-hunting man named Zhao Luzi, but was he captured by you?"

"And what happened to the paper figurine case in Luoyang City?"

"Zhao the Donkey..."

The monk thought about it carefully and shook his head, saying, "I don't know any Zhao Luzi, but there is indeed a treasure hunter who was captured by Mangshan. The specific reason is unclear."

"The Luoyang Paper Figure Case was actually a mistake."

"Manshan wants to order 3,000 paper figurines. The materials have been refined, but there are not enough people who know how to make them, so we have people pretend to be wealthy businessmen and distribute them to the paper-making shops in the city."

"Originally, everything was fine, but unexpectedly, a paper-making shop owner who knew some esoteric magic discovered something strange about the paper man. Out of curiosity, he dotted the eyes with cinnabar and died. The paper man also came back to life."

"We came to the Ghost Market under orders. Golden Eye Feng spread rumors to find out the Ghost Emperor's background, so he was thrown into prison. We were ordered to ambush and eliminate all those involved in this matter..."

Listening to the monk's story, Li Yan also sorted out the cause and effect, and asked in a deep voice: "When will it start?"

The monk lowered his head and said, "We don't know either. The order we received was to start a riot when the Yellow River flooded Luoyang, attack Luoyang, and destroy all Taoist temples and several halls of the Luoyang Palace."

"The Yellow River is flooding back..."

Li Yan's mind moved, "The Heluo Chamber of Commerce is offering sacrifices to He Bo, maybe it is related to this."

Sharifei said with a headache: "There are so many things to deal with, and the enemy is so powerful, and we don't know how many people are lurking among them. It's not easy to deal with..."

"No matter how difficult it is, can it be as difficult as Chengdu?"

Li Yan shook his head and said, "This Wang Xuanmo calls himself the Ghost Emperor. He probably has many evil ghost soldiers. He has been hiding until now, which shows that he has some concerns. There are many people in the heartland of Yuzhou and the Central Plains who can suppress him."

"Shaolin!"

Golden Eyes Feng nodded immediately and said, "That's right, Shaolin is not far from here. We can go back and forth in three days if we gallop. But I live in the market and have no contact with those monks."

"fine."

Li Yan said in a deep voice: "Because of the Chengdu incident, the Shenzhou Xuanmen has been alerted. Lao Sha, you, the Taoist priest and Wu Ba, go to Shaolin immediately to pass on the message and find Zen Master Zhitong. He talked to me about this matter at the Qingcheng Conference."

"They will contact the Yuzhou garrison, and even if the entire Luoyang is in chaos, it can be calmed down."

Then he looked into the distance and said, "Let's go explore Mangshan and rescue Zhao Luzi first..."

(End of this chapter)