Knife splashing

Chapter 786 The Earth Immortal's Request

"It's this?"

Li Yan was somewhat surprised upon hearing this, but at the same time, he felt much relieved.

Ye Fashan was a renowned figure, a highly accomplished Taoist master during the Tang Dynasty. He served under Emperors Gaozong, Wu Zetian, and Zhongzong for fifty years, and was summoned to the palace. During the reign of Emperor Ruizong, he served as Minister of Ceremonies and was granted the title of Duke of Yue.

The Dali Bronze Bell is said to have been cast by him, leaving behind many legends. It is one of the top magical artifacts in the entire Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect.

Zhou Yinyao continued, "This treasure can suppress and seal. When the dragon-throwing ceremony is held, the momentum is enormous, and the demon Leiyin will definitely use magic to obstruct it. With this treasure, the ceremony can be guaranteed to proceed smoothly."

"The Jinling Xuanmen lineage has agreed and will fully cooperate by sending reinforcements. However, there are many experts among the Jianmu demons, and there may be Earth Immortals coming to cause trouble. I am presiding over the ceremony and have no time to attend to other matters. I will need to ask Young Master Li to take action to deter them."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan immediately understood.

He said that given Zhou Yinyao's status in the Xuanmen, even if he was afraid of causing trouble, he could easily avoid sending a message through someone else and wouldn't need to come in person.

What he truly sought was to use the power of the living underworld messengers to intimidate the powerful earth immortals.

The invitation from Jin Yanmen was intended to facilitate the matchmaking.

"can."

Li Yan nodded and said, "Fatty Lin and the others..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Yinyao interrupted, saying, "I do not lie. I forced them to release the people, but human greed is hard to resist. If the Lin family does not find the murderer and clear their name, they will still be a hidden danger after the Jinling incident is over."

"What the Taoist priest said makes sense."

After saying this, Li Yan stood up and said, "Saving lives should not be delayed, so I will not eat. Thank you for your hospitality. I will take action during the dragon-throwing ceremony."

It's all about mutual benefit, so there's no need for this pretense of courtesy.

"Ah."

Zhou Yinyao remained calm, looked behind him, and nodded.

The demon hunter woman, Wang Lu, immediately raised her hand, "Young Master Li, please come with me."

Murong Yan also quickly got up and saw the two out of Qiyan Tower. After returning, she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as she cupped her hands, saying, "Congratulations, Immortal Master. The Twelve Yuan Chen have remarkable abilities. With their help, the great undertaking can be accomplished. Immortal Master will surely bring peace to all families afterward."

Zhou Yinyao looked out the window at the sky and sighed softly:

"All I ask for is to save my life..."

…………

The night was as dark as ink, and the city of Nanjing was silent in a somber atmosphere.

Li Yan followed Wang Lu, using the sparse starlight to navigate through the streets and alleys.

Wang Lu moved swiftly and silently, clearly familiar with the roads of Jinling. He meandered through the streets, avoiding several groups of soldiers patrolling at night with lanterns, and finally arrived near Wuding Gate in the south of the city.

As for Li Yan, he made a gesture silently.

Several people, hidden in the darkness of the rooftop behind them, continued to follow.

Although the conditions have been met, we must still be wary of traps.

Soon, a formidable mansion appeared in the night.

High walls and deep courtyards, ferocious stone lions in front of the gate, and the plaque above the gate that reads "Yingtianfu" gleaming coldly under the dim lanterns.

Although not as grand as the Six Ministries located on either side of the Imperial Road in the capital, it still exudes authority as the highest local administrative center in Nanjing. The outline of the ceremonial gate is faintly visible inside the front courtyard gate, and the east and west sides likely house the land shrine and the prison.

Wang Lu did not go through the main gate, but instead went around to the west side gate.

The guards on duty here had obviously received instructions. After examining the token in Wang Lu's hand that was engraved with a flying swallow pattern, they silently pulled open the heavy wooden door.

A chilling aura, a mixture of musty smells, blood, and despair, swept over the area where the government prison was located.

Li Yan frowned slightly as he quickly entered with Wang Lu and the jailer.

After passing through a narrow, dark passage lined with thick wooden bars on both sides, we finally stopped in front of a cell at the very back.

Inside the cell, Fatty Lin, Kong Shangzhao, and a pale-faced young member of the Lin family were huddled on a pile of straw in a corner.

In the dim light, it was clear that after just a few days in prison, Fatty Lin had become visibly haggard. His once round cheeks were sunken, his eye sockets were deep, and his eyes were vacant.

They all wore specially made shackles, and had talisman needles inserted into several acupoints on their bodies.

This is a common tactic used by government officials, called "Meridian Interception Method," specifically designed to deal with people from the Xuanmen sect. Once they exert force or use magic, their meridians will ache and twitch.

A hint of anger rose in Li Yan's eyes, and he whispered, "Fatty Lin!"

Upon hearing the voice, Fatty Lin suddenly looked up, his cloudy eyes flashing with light, and said in a hoarse voice, "Brother Yan... Brother Yan!?"

He struggled to stand up, but stumbled due to weakness and the shackles.

Kong Shangzhao and Kuai Dayou, who had been in a deep sleep, woke up with surprise on their faces.

The jailer quickly opened the cell door and said in a low voice, "Hurry! Don't make a sound. As instructed, we can only take these three people with us. The others... we have to wait for the Prefect's instructions."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan didn't bother with further words. He stepped forward into the cell, unleashing a burst of skillful force with his palms, and slapped the shackles of the three men.

Wow~
The shackles cracked, and all the talisman needles on the three people popped out.

"you…"

The jailer was alarmed when he saw this; these things were not cheap.

But before he could finish speaking, Wang Lu waved his hand to interrupt him, signaling him not to talk nonsense.

The female demon hunter wasn't stupid; she could see that Li Yan was angry. She couldn't let these trivial matters cause further trouble, since they had finally reached an agreement.

Fatty Lin staggered to his feet, his gaze sweeping over the other cells. Seeing the despair, numbness, or envy in the eyes of the other Lin family members, his heart sank slightly. However, he knew it was not the right time to cause any trouble, so he didn't say anything.

"Let's go!" Li Yan ordered decisively.

As the three were led out of the cell and passed through the gloomy passage again, they couldn't help but take deep breaths of fresh air as they left the west gate of the government office.

Throughout the journey, everyone remained silent.

Whenever patrolling soldiers approached for inspection, Wang Lu would send them away.

After escorting them to a quiet alley near the Jinzhou Chamber of Commerce, Wang Lu bowed and said, "Young Master Li, I hope you will keep your promise."

Having said that, he turned and entered the street, disappearing from sight.

Swish swish!
Shalifei and the others also jumped off the dark roof.

Lü San said in a low voice, "There have been quite a few people following you ever since you entered the government office."

"I know."

Li Yan's eyes were cold as he turned to look at the dark streets. "We'll talk about it when we get back."

………………

Back in the backyard room prepared for them by the Jinzhou Chamber of Commerce, Li Yan immediately had the servants bring hot water and clean clothes, while Long Yan'er took out the wound medicine and calming powder she carried with her.

After washing, applying ointment, and taking medicine, Lin Pangzi and his two companions finally regained some of their normal complexion, and their spirits calmed down a bit. "Brother Yan, this time...this time it really is..."

Fatty Lin's voice was hoarse, filled with gratitude mixed with helplessness and shame. "I didn't do things properly and caused you trouble."

At this moment, he was filled with confusion and unease.

Having previously enjoyed the prestige of being the young master of the Lin family, coupled with his thick skin and eloquence, he was able to accomplish many things with ease, thus harboring a certain arrogance.

Even if they were to be included among the Twelve Zodiacs, it would be for the sake of joining in the fun and for their own benefit.

But this time, they suffered a major setback.

"It's not Fatty Lin's fault!"

Kuai Dayou said with barely suppressed anger, "These bastards are just deliberately picking a fight. They won't listen to our explanations at all. I only talked back a few times, and they say I'm yelling in court."

Kong Shangzhao was relatively calmer. He took a sip of hot tea and said in a deep voice, "These people were well prepared. They drugged the welcoming banquet and had Xuanmen experts lying in ambush in the courtroom. The person behind this must be someone extraordinary."

“It’s the Lu and Xie families,” Li Yan replied.

"So it was them! No wonder..."

Upon hearing this, Fatty Lin turned deathly pale. "There's no chance anymore."

Shalifei asked with some curiosity, "Are these two companies really that remarkable?"

Fatty Lin said with a bitter expression, "The Lu family of Gusu are descendants of Lu Xun and Lu Kang of the Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. They migrated south to Suzhou at the end of the Tang Dynasty to avoid the war. During the Southern Song Dynasty, they were rewarded by the court for their support in resisting the Jin Dynasty, which laid the foundation for their family's power. When the Great Xuan Dynasty was established, they submitted to the government ahead of time and were granted the title of 'hereditary commander of a thousand households' for their contributions to the army. They were the leaders of the gentry in Suzhou Prefecture..."

"The current head of the family, Lu Hongyuan, is the Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate. The second branch of the family manages the canal transport and silk industry, monopolizing the cotton cloth trade from Suzhou to Songjiang. The third branch of the family runs the 'Tianxiang Academy' in Suzhou and has close ties with Yunyan Temple and Xuanmiao Temple in Tiger Hill..."

"The Xie family of Qiantang is a branch of the descendants of Xie An of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. They migrated south to Lin'an at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty. During the Southern Song Dynasty, they made their fortune through maritime trade and served as the Director of the Maritime Trade Office during the Daxing Dynasty. After the opening of the sea, they specialized in the tribute trade with Japan and Ryukyu."

"Currently, three members of the family hold official positions: Xie Tingfang, the Prefect of Ningbo; Xie Huai, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Southern Fujian; and Xie Yun, the current head of the family, who serves as the Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Administration of the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing..."

Everyone was somewhat surprised as they listened to Fatty Lin's story.

The power of these two families was beyond their expectations; they were practically like local tyrants, being both powerful local clans and important figures in the Shanghai-based faction.

"Good guy..."

Shalifei asked curiously, "What's the background of your Lin family? You're known as the richest family in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Don't you have any government officials helping you?"

Fatty Lin sighed, “To put it bluntly, my Lin family is just a nouveau riche family. Back then, we followed the Da Xuan army on its southern expedition and made our fortune by managing the army's logistics. My grandfather was shrewd, which is why the family grew so big. But after my grandfather died, the old generals of that generation passed away one after another, and our relationship was severed.”

"The Xie family and my Lin family are both from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The members of the clans don't like each other and there are often frictions between them, but nothing serious has happened yet."

“They definitely won’t let this go after the Lin family got into trouble.”

"I see…"

Li Yan said thoughtfully, "No wonder Zhou Yinyao said he could only help temporarily. The Xie family and the Lu family have already made enemies by joining forces, so they will definitely not let your Lin family turn the tables."

Upon hearing this, Fatty Lin's face grew even more bitter.

"Don't worry."

Li Yan took a sip of tea and said in a deep voice, "There is always room for maneuver. Zhou Yinyao used some of the Xuanmen's influence, but the Lu and Xie families are sticking to the case of Lin Yaozu's collusion with the Japanese. Unless the real culprit is found and the suspicion is cleared, we will always be at their mercy."

"How exactly did Commander Tian die?"

Mentioning Commander Tian, ​​Fatty Lin took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, and began to recount the story in fits and starts:
"That night, as we approached Jurong, the escorting team numbered about fifty men. Besides Commander Tian's personal guards, there were also several captains sent by the Southern Privy Council..."

"Before the incident... around 11 p.m., the group set up camp in a field beside the official road. Commander Tian and Lieutenant Zhou were discussing something by the fire in the middle of the camp. Their voices were not loud, but their faces were not good. They seemed to be arguing."

"It was at that moment..."

Fatty Lin's voice trembled, his eyes filled with doubt, "Then strange things started happening! That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few, and the wind wasn't strong. Suddenly... a strange wind swept around the camp! The wind was cold and biting, swirling and stirring up the dry leaves and dust on the ground, making the fire crackle and sparks fly everywhere. The horses also started to neigh and kick restlessly."

"We realized something was wrong and rushed to help, but it was too late."

"The wind seemed to have eyes, deliberately targeting the campfires and tents! Commander Tian drew his sword and retreated, but was swept up by the wind. Then, suddenly, a hissing sound came from the wind... like a snake flicking its tongue, or like many small insects gnawing at leaves..."

"And then?" Sharifi asked urgently, completely engrossed in the conversation.

"Then……"

Fatty Lin swallowed hard. "After the wind died down, all that was left of Commander Tian was a skeleton, as if he had been devoured by thousands of ants in a short period of time."

Li Yan frowned and said, "These are all things that ordinary people would see. You are all people from the Xuanmen sect. Didn't you notice anything amiss?"

"Not really."

Kuai Dayou said with a wry smile, "The opponent's methods are far superior to ours. When we used our supernatural powers to investigate, we felt dizzy and our ears were ringing. We were almost bewitched and killed."

Kong Shangzhao nodded and said, "Although we woke up in time, we were indeed misled and attacked the soldiers next to us. We will have no way to explain ourselves in prison."

Li Yan frowned and looked at Wang Daoxuan beside him, "Daoist Master, I have never heard of this kind of technique before. Can you tell what it is?"

"Could it be the work of the rampant soldiers?" Wang Daoxuan asked, looking at Fatty Lin.

Fatty Lin quickly shook his head and said, "I can still tell the difference between the 'Crazy Soldiers' and the 'Gu Insects'. There was no frost on the ground at the time; it felt like Gu Insects..."

"It is not a Gu worm."

Long Yan'er shook her head and said, "Any Gu worm must parasitize a human body to be used. This kind of power, and can even bewitch people in the Xuanmen with sound... it's more like some kind of strange worm being driven by someone."

As he spoke, he looked at Lü San.

Lü San nodded and said, "It does look like it, but I can't guess what it is."

Among the twelve Earthly Branches, experts from various fields quickly made their judgments.

Unfortunately, the land is vast, and they cannot possibly know everything.

"Whatever it is, someone must be manipulating it..."

Li Yan pondered for a moment and asked, "You said that Commander Tian and Captain Zhou were arguing that night, but did you hear clearly what they were saying?"

Fatty Lin shook his head slightly, "I was too far away to hear clearly."

Kong Shangzhao then spoke up, "I do know a little. I happened to chat with Commander Tian on the way. That Commander Zhou is not an outsider. He is his distant brother-in-law. He came to Jiangnan on official business this time. He didn't trust the others, so he transferred him."

"I heard from Commander Tian that most of the villagers in Xiaowei Village this week are weavers, and they want to ask Commander Tian for a favor. Perhaps this is the reason for the dispute..."

"Weavers?"

A thought flashed through Li Yan's mind: "Where is Commander Zhou?"

He suddenly remembered that the sorceress Leiyin had established a "Cocoon Clothing Cult," whose doctrines were related to sericulture. Many people in Jiangnan secretly believed in it, especially weavers.

Fatty Lin shook his head and said, "We haven't seen them since we were put in jail."

Li Yan glanced out the window. "Rest first, we'll go look for it after dawn."

A sense of foreboding inexplicably rose in his heart.

This "Cocoon Robe Cult" is widely spread in Jiangnan. Everyone is attracted by the chaos caused by the Taihu Lake demons, but this cult may be the biggest hidden danger...

(End of this chapter)