Knife splashing

Chapter 797 Stormy Weather
"Zhang Huaisu's treason case?"

Upon hearing Kong Shangzhao's words, Li Yan immediately recalled this matter.

Zhao Changsheng's previous life was Zhang Huaisu, the leader of the Ghost Cult of the Great Song Dynasty.

Because the practice of worshipping ghosts was prevalent at the time, Zhang Huaisu had already secretly established a ghost cult, but he appeared as a mad charlatan, claiming that his Taoist magic was powerful and that he had lived for more than 1700 years.

He went around telling people that he had witnessed Confucius executing Shao Zhengmao and the stalemate between Han and Chu at Chenggao, and that he had climbed to a high place to watch the battle, and he spoke of it in great detail.

Logically speaking, no one should believe it.

But sometimes, reality is quite absurd.

At that time, the people believed his words deeply. From high-ranking officials and nobles to poor people, many people followed him and unknowingly became peripheral members of the Ghost Cult.

Many scholars and officials admired him greatly, the most famous of whom was Cai Bian.

At that time, Cai Bian was demoted to Yuezhou for supporting Wang Anshi's reforms. Coincidentally, the great Confucian scholar Cheng Hao was serving in Yuezhou, and they became friends. He invited Cai Bian to visit Zhang Huaisu.

Cheng Hao strongly opposed this and declined to go.

Cai Bian suffered a great misfortune as a result.

Zhang Huaisu, leading a group of believers, toured Jinling. He noticed that the local officials harbored rebellious intentions, and seized the opportunity to spread the word: "Jinling is a place where dragons coil and tigers crouch, its dragon energy is strong, and an emperor will soon emerge!"

This is precisely why the imperial court's bottom line was crossed.

The rebellion was suppressed, and all the officials who had dealings with Zhang Huaisu were punished, including Cai Bian.

And the Great Song Ghost Cult began to surface from this point on.

Therefore, Jinling and Zhao Changsheng had a close relationship, but because so much time had passed, Li Yan hadn't thought of it for the time being.

"Yes."

Kong Shangzhao looked at everyone and said in a deep voice, "The other party calculated very accurately. They used the unknown place 'Red Silk Workshop' to take advantage of the terrain, and set the time tonight to prevent us from seeking help from experts."

"Although Brother Yan's authority in the underworld has been elevated, it is still not secure. I will go and look up information to see if I can find the location of 'Red Silk Workshop' and make preparations in advance."

Li Yan nodded slightly, "Be careful, do it secretly."

"I'll go with you." Long Yan'er slowly stood up, her expression calm.

Shalifei then looked at Kuai Dayou, his face somewhat ferocious, "Brother Dayou, tonight is likely to be a fierce battle. We need to make that thing you mentioned ahead of time!"

"Alright!"

Kuai Da nodded and said, "But we still need some things that can't be discovered."

Fatty Lin quickly stood up. "What do you need? I'll take care of it. The Lin family's business was destroyed, but we still have some influence in Jinling."

Looking at everyone's condition, a hint of warmth flashed in Li Yan's eyes: "Everyone, please be careful."

He didn't ask the others how to do it.

In these chaotic times, these companions are the only people you can trust.

Soon, the group secretly left in batches.

As for Li Yan, he returned to his room and laid out the magical artifacts from his luggage one by one.

The Five Directions Luo Feng Banner, the Bing Ding Ghost Talisman, the Gang Order in the Hook and Decree, the Dust-Severing Blade, the Thousand Thoughts Arm Guard...

Looking at the magical artifact before him, his expression turned solemn.

To be honest, he has quite a few cards to play, but things are still not entirely secure.

All of this was expected. After a series of great battles, although they became famous far and wide, many of their abilities had been leaked out and collected by intelligence organizations in the martial arts world, and sold to various forces.

It has blocked some ungrateful and petty people, but when facing truly powerful enemies, it is often targeted and puts it on the defensive.

In critical moments, one can only rely on one's own strength.

With this in mind, Li Yan sat cross-legged on the bed and entered a meditative state.

Wow~
Suddenly, a cold wind howled around them, accompanied by the clanging of chains.

His strongest technique at present is the "Thunder God Transformation" from the Divine Transformation Technique.

However, this method consumes too much energy and cannot be used for prolonged battles.

Timing is crucial...

…………

While Li Yan was cultivating, the others were not idle either.

Outside the archives of the Commandery, the old guard's eyelids were drooping.

Because of what happened last night, the Commandery suffered heavy losses, and Qiu Mingyuan left with his elite troops. The whole city was searching for "Chen Sanxiang, the missing-eared Lu Ban," so only an old man was sent to guard this key place.

He didn't notice that a small insect had appeared on the back of his neck.

Soon, the old man fell into a deep sleep and started snoring.

Long Yan'er and Kong Shangzhao's figures emerged from behind the wall.

"You go in."

Long Yan'er looked around, "I'll stay here and keep watch so no one can disturb me."

Without wasting any words, Kong Shangzhao took the key from the old man and walked towards the gate.

Who knows how many treacherous spies are still lurking within Jinling City today?

Even the officers of the Commandery could not be trusted; this was the only way to prevent the information from leaking out.

Upon opening the warehouse, a musty, stale smell immediately wafted out.

Jinling City is the ancient capital of several dynasties. A hundred years ago, it was the capital of the Daxing Dynasty. Naturally, it has accumulated a lot of archives. Looking around, there are at least a hundred bookshelves, all filled with scrolls and ancient books.

Even so, most of them had already been transported to Beiping.

Others might find it daunting, but Kong Shangzhao, having previously worked in the Capital Garrison Office, was already intimately familiar with the rules for storing archives. Without a word, he searched along the wooden signs and quickly found the ancient Song Dynasty historical records.

These materials are from a long time ago and mostly record murder cases in Nanjing at that time, as well as some court movements.

Because no one had checked it for a long time, it had accumulated a layer of dust.

Kong Shangzhao took them out one by one and carefully examined them.

He dared not waste any time; if he could not find it here, he would have to go to the Jinling Prefecture government office.

Wow~
He moved incredibly fast, his hands and eyes working in tandem.

Useless documents and books were quickly eliminated.

Finally, a fragment of a Song Dynasty book on the third shelf caught his attention.

"The Great Song Dynasty's Record of Suppressing Demons in Jinling..."

Kong Shangzhao's eyes lit up, and he carefully pulled it out.

Although it is called the Record of Exorcising Demons, it is not about dealing with demons and monsters like the Law Enforcement Hall. Instead, it contains cases related to evil magic and esoteric sects, involving court politics and the martial arts world, and the targets are mostly people.

Kong Shangzhao's eyelids twitched as he looked at the files.

During the Song Dynasty, the custom of worshipping ghosts became increasingly popular among the people, and many of these practices were horrifying.

"During the Yuan You era, during the Qingxi Boy Sacrifice, a sorcerer hid deep within the ruined shrine of Qingxi, took thirty-six boys, all under the age of ten, bound them to a black iron pillar, and disemboweled them to extract their heart's yang blood..."

"At Taoye Ferry, by the riverbank, a nameless drum stall suddenly appeared. The drum was neither leather nor wood, but warm and still seemed alive to the touch. When it sounded, it was not the usual thumping, but rather like a woman's furious curse or a baby's tearing cry, shaking the soul of those who heard it and keeping them awake at night..."

Suddenly, Kong Shangzhao's eyes became excited.

The Nanjing Rebellion was a major scandal at the time, and it was indeed recorded in the official documents.

After examining it carefully, Kong Shangzhao seemed to be deep in thought, then turned and went outside.

"Sister Long, we probably still need to go to the yamen..."

…………

On the other side, in the old streets and alleys near the Commandery.

Wearing a straw hat, Fatty Lin walked quickly through the slippery streets.

To avoid being followed, they deliberately took extra detours.

It's no wonder they're cautious; the Cocoon Cult would definitely send people to monitor them. Just now, as they were leaving, they even caught an old man secretly following them. Unfortunately, he was just an ordinary citizen being used out of hatred.

This is the strategy of the Cocoon Cult.

Nowadays, Jinling City is heavily guarded, and those members who know evil magic are inevitably tainted with evil energy. They will be arrested if they go out on the streets during the day, and can only act at night at most. Some ordinary people who harbor resentment have become their informants.

Arriving at the outside of an old mansion, Fatty Lin looked around before taking out his key and pushing the door open.

He was cautious by nature, and he had rented this courtyard in advance before coming here, without going through the Lin family, as a hiding place.

After all, the Lin family's businesses in Jinling have been eroded by demons, so they must be on guard.

But unexpectedly, he ran into trouble halfway there and was imprisoned.

Now it has finally come in handy.

Upon entering the courtyard, the unused furniture in the main house and side rooms had been moved out. Inside the damp, cold side room, Shalifei was mixing gunpowder on a square table, using the method for making caltrops, but in a smaller quantity. He was adding special grease, iron nails, and other ingredients to the new gunpowder, waiting for it to solidify and mix…

Meanwhile, in the larger main hall, Kuai Dayou was also busy.

On the large octagonal table, a specially made woodworking box was already open, filled with various woodworking tools, layer upon layer, from large to small. Kuai Dayou was carefully processing bamboo strips.

"We got the items."

Fatty Lin entered, opened the package, and took out a jar. "What do you need caustic soda for?"

Since they were all on the same side, Kuai Dayou didn't hide anything. He first opened the jar to check its condition, then nodded in satisfaction, and then lifted the black pottery jar placed under the table next to him.

Inside, clusters of fine, tight white threads were slowly wriggling.

The divine silkworm silk was found in Huai Shu Village!

"This thing is a bit weird."

Kuai Dayou frowned and said, "It is said to be a living thing, but it does not eat or drink; it is said to be a dead thing, but it can move. It is impervious to swords and spears, and is immune to water and fire. It can be considered a good material."

"On the way here, I discussed with Brother Sha that we wanted to imitate the ancient fire crow technique used in the army, combining puppetry and modern gunpowder to create some mechanically explosive fire crows. The only problem is that the materials are hard to find."

"Metal wire is too heavy, affecting flexibility and distance. This divine silkworm silk is just right, but we need to use caustic soda to tame it..."

He then poured in all the caustic soda and added cold water.

Chichi~
In an instant, billowing white smoke appeared, and the silkworm threads twitched violently.

Kuai Dayou stirred the mixture with a wooden stick while carefully examining it.

Soon, the divine silkworm stopped moving.

After using a wooden stick to pick them out, Kuai Da carefully washed them and took out a few to hold in his hand.

boom!
It took considerable effort, using both arms, to tear it off.

"Not bad!"

Kuai Dayou breathed a sigh of relief. "Last night, the sorcerers from the ghost opera troupe used it to control the puppets, catching us off guard. Tonight, we'll let them taste their power!"

After saying that, he went back to his own business.

He was obviously making a lot of wooden magpie puppets. Various light and flexible paulownia wood and bamboo strips were processed and arranged neatly, and mortise and tenon joints and gears were carved from sturdy ironwood.

Bang bang bang!
As the chisel worked, wood chips flew everywhere, but his hands remained as steady as steel.

Seeing this, Fatty Lin picked up the package again and walked over to Shalifei's side.

"Quick, quick, give me the stuff!"

Shalifei snatched the package and took out the small white porcelain jars inside to examine them one by one.

Fatty Lin quickly explained, "There wasn't enough time to make them on the spot, so I asked someone to go to Renxinfang in the city and buy their medicine jars at a high price. These jars are of very good quality to prevent the medicine from losing its efficacy."

"Yes, yes..."

After glancing at it a few times, Shalifei nodded in satisfaction. He first used a wooden drill to make small holes in the can, then filled it with gunpowder paste and installed the small detonation mechanism. He was very careful in every move.

Any one of these jars could raze the entire house to the ground.

Fortunately, Shalifei had been studying gunpowder for a long time and was very experienced. In addition, after becoming a cultivator and awakening his body supernatural powers, his control over his body had reached a new level, and he would not make any mistakes due to trembling hands.

After watching for a while, Fatty Lin quietly left the room and did not disturb them any further.

Rumble~
The sky was overcast, and suddenly a muffled clap of thunder sounded, followed by light raindrops.

"Looks like it's going to rain tonight..."

Fatty Lin frowned, muttering to himself, and turned to look at the main room, his eyes full of worry.

Rain is not a good thing; it can erase traces and also affect the power of firearms.

I wonder what will happen tonight.

If a comrade were to die because of this, he would never have peace of mind for the rest of his life…

…………

"Hahaha, God help me!"

Lin Pangzi was worried, but Li Yan opened the window, looked at the dark clouds in the sky, and smiled.

He possesses the supernatural power of smell and is also proficient in the "Northern Emperor's Mysterious Water Escape Technique".

Rainy days and darkness are the biggest home-field advantage.

Moreover, he vaguely sensed that the power of thunder was brewing in the sky…

Wow!
The wooden door suddenly made a noise, as if something was rummaging through it.

Li Yan sighed softly, got up, and opened the door.

Outside the door, the little white fox Chuqi paced anxiously, her eyes filled with worry.

The sound of flapping wings filled the air as the eagle, Li Dong, landed on a tree, its feathers disheveled and its expression listless.

Last night, fearing something might happen to them, Lü San left the two little ones in the room. However, he was carrying the demon gourd with him, which was also taken away. The spirit pets were terrified, and the eagle Li Dong even wanted to fly up to rescue them.

However, the speed at which the spirits of the earth immortals traveled was incredibly fast, and fearing something might happen, Shalifei stopped them.

Even so, the two spirit pets searched everywhere during the day.

They searched both in the sky and on the ground, covering almost the entire city of Jinling, but found no clues.

"rest assured."

Li Yan's expression was solemn as he patted the little white fox's head. "I will definitely bring them back safely!"

Suddenly, his ears twitched, and he looked out of the courtyard.

But then Kong Shangzhao and Long Yan'er hurriedly returned, their eyes filled with excitement.

"Found it?" Li Yan asked, somewhat surprised.

"Ah."

Kong Shangzhao was filled with excitement. After returning to the room with him, he immediately said, "We did find some clues. At that time, Lin Lingsu set up the 'Li Huo Suo Yin Ju' in Jinling City. A fragment of the 'Da Song Jinling Ping Yao Lu' records that when Zhang Huaisu instigated the rebellion, he often went to the 'Rouge River Old Course' to take three feet of Yin water and tie red silk to the Xuanwu Stone, but no one knew his intention."

"We then went to the Jinling government office. Sister Long drugged everyone, and I went to look up the Jinling geomantic map. I discovered that the Rouge River is the 'Xun position auxiliary vein' of the 'Li Fire Locking Yin Formation.' Cheng Hao's 'Southern Journey Notes' also vaguely records that Cai used a red line to measure a well and obtained black jade, saying that it could communicate with the underworld..."

Li Yan immediately understood, "Zhao Changsheng had already made his move over there?"

Kong Shangzhao nodded and said, "It must have been fitted with a slipknot."

“Some geomancers often do this: they leave loopholes in key locations of the feng shui formation. These loopholes are not noticeable on ordinary days, but as long as they tamper with other places, they can render the formation ineffective. This is what is known as a ‘living loophole’.”

“A few years ago, due to the opening of the sea, an official inexplicably altered the Qinhuai branch, and later his entire family died suddenly. This matter was originally an unsolved mystery, but shortly after his death, the strange phenomenon of ‘cold mist forming threads’ was reported many times around the Lock Dragon Well, which should be the place.”

"Right in Jinling City?!"

Shalifei and the others also rushed back at this moment.

Upon hearing Kong Shangzhao's words, he was immediately filled with confusion, "Isn't it outside the city?"

Kong Shangzhao said in a deep voice, "The Locked Dragon Well in the city should be the key point of the great formation. Without its obstruction, 'Red Silk Workshop' was able to appear. As long as we figure out the situation there, it will definitely affect 'Red Silk Workshop'."

He sighed and said, "Time is too tight, this is all we can find."

"That's enough."

Li Yan looked at everyone and said calmly, "Let's adapt to the situation. There are too many people now. After dark, you can go to the Dragon Locking Well and see what's happening there. As long as it can affect 'Red Silk Workshop,' it's an opportunity for me!"

……

Rumble!
Another flash of thunder followed, and then a torrential downpour.

In the shadowy corner of the Duweisi (military command post), Qiu Mingyuan glanced at the hunting dogs beside him, then looked up at the sky and frowned.

He didn't find "Lu Ban with missing ears" during the day, but he didn't sit idle. He urgently summoned all the guard dogs from the surrounding garrisons. These hunting dogs were carefully raised by the Commandant's Office. Although they were not considered demonic beasts, their sense of smell was exceptionally keen. Together with their hawks, they became helpful in tracking him.

This is why the Commandery Commandery is called the "hawks and hounds".

In addition, the navy has also received orders and can provide artillery support as soon as they find a location.

But in this kind of weather, both eagles and hunting dogs would likely be affected…

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the backyard, Li Yan, who was sitting cross-legged on a grand chair, suddenly opened his eyes.

wow~
With a murderous look on his face, Wu Ba even picked up the Tiger Crouching Cannon.

Water began to accumulate on the uneven bluestone ground of the courtyard.

Then, through the misty fog, a figure could be vaguely seen.

Water Release: Round Light Technique...

Upon seeing this, Li Yan's heart sank.

No wonder the other party dared to choose a rainy day even though they knew his information.

He simply couldn't achieve that level of water manipulation...

(End of this chapter)