Knife splashing

Chapter 799 The Sorrow of a Fallen Nation
This is definitely not an ordinary secret realm!
Li Yan was on guard and subconsciously tightened his grip on the hilt of the Duanchen Blade.

Before he could examine it closely, the thick fog ahead suddenly surged, like a giant curtain slowly unfolding.

In an instant, a wave of noise rushed towards us.

On the murky river, a painted boat was clearly moored.

This pleasure boat is enormous, with three decks, and its style is ancient and bizarre, definitely not of the current dynasty's design.

The ship's hull is made of dark brown to almost black wood, covered with traces of the passage of time. The huge ship's upper deck has flying eaves and brackets, carved beams and painted rafters, but everywhere you can see the paint peeling off and the gold leaf dimming, exuding a luxurious decay.

Countless eerie red lanterns were hung on both sides of the ship.

Just like what we had just seen, it reflected a blood-red hue in the surrounding murky river water.

The ship was filled with the sounds of string and wind instruments, creating a noisy and bustling atmosphere, with the faint sound of singing drifting through the air.

"The candlelight flickers red against the painted beams, and the rotten wood, wrapped in gold, exudes a fragrant aroma."

The icy strings evoke the cries of wronged souls, while blood-stained sleeves flutter, attracting vengeful ghosts.

Half her face was made up, her bones were buried in frost, and the favor she once received had turned into tattered clothes.

The boatload of brocade robes is now filled with corpses; who remembers the heartbreaking dance of the Rainbow Skirt Dance?

The lyrics are from the ancient Song Dynasty poem "Jinling Xiaodiao," with a melodious and graceful tune, yet carrying a strange and viscous quality. It is accompanied by the shrill shouts of waiters, the boisterous chatter of customers playing drinking games, the coquettish and affected laughter of women, and the clattering of dice in a bone cup...

The various voices mingled together, weaving together a decadent and decadent melody of the end times.

At this distance, it's already clear enough to see.

Through the open windows of the painted boat, Li Yan could see many figures on board, all dressed in Song Dynasty attire!

Scholars in flowing robes, officials in gauze hats and robes, courtesans in brightly colored gauze holding pipa, waiters carrying wine jugs bustling about... their faces flickering in the red lanterns.

The movements seemed to be guided by invisible threads, carrying a rigid yet eerie "lively" quality.

It's like... a meticulously choreographed puppet show.

This feeling is inexplicably disgusting.

“Red Silk Workshop…” Li Yan murmured, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s.

He took a deep breath, the stale, sweet air filling his lungs, carrying a chilling cold.

Without hesitation, he pushed off the water with his feet and shot off like an arrow, cutting through the crimson water towards the brightly lit, ghostly old pleasure boat!

Swish!
In the blink of an eye, he crossed the twenty-foot-wide river and landed on the deck.

Strangely, the moment he landed, all the figures and sounds around him completely disappeared.

An eerie silence reigned all around, with moldy red lanterns casting their light on the empty cabin.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. "A deal is a deal, why all this fuss?!"

However, no one answered.

"Humph!"

A flash of anger crossed Li Yan's eyes as he activated his divine sense.

Wow~
The copper coins on the arm guards rattled, and suddenly a strong wind arose, causing the lanterns to sway and flash red light.

At the same time, he made a hand seal and chanted: "Nogao, with three stars on the left and three prisons on the right, heaven and earth will be overturned, all nine paths will be blocked, causing you to lose your mind, to mistake east for west and south for north..."

This is the "Northern Emperor's Protective Incantation," specifically used to protect against evil magic and illusions.

As the incantation was chanted, the scene before one's eyes rippled like water.

It really was an illusion array!
Li Yan continuously changed his hand seals, increasing the power of his incantation.

However, the moment the light and shadow were torn apart, a strange change occurred!

The illusion that was violently shaking before his eyes did not shatter. Instead, it collapsed and spun inward like a viscous swamp tossed with a stone. Then, a cold, thick fog surged out and enveloped him.

Om-!
Li Yan felt a wave of dizziness, as if he had been thrown into a giant vortex.

When I opened my eyes again, the scenery around me had changed.

He frowned and looked down, noticing that he had changed into a worn-out lake-blue silk robe. A longsword, more decorative than practical, hung at his waist. A strange, drunken melancholy and confusion filled his heart, while a surge of information flooded his mind.

His name was Luo Yuan, and he was... a down-on-his-luck wanderer in the late Song Dynasty?
A dissolute who frequents the banks of the Qinhuai River, drowning his sorrows in alcohol and escaping reality in a life of debauchery.

What kind of illusion array is this?
Li Yan felt a headache coming on.

He realized that he had underestimated those old foxes.

The original plan was to find a way to escape immediately after rescuing the people, send a signal to have the navy bombard the area, and then summon the underworld troops to wipe out the earth immortals and criminals in one fell swoop. However, since arriving here, everything has exceeded expectations.

The connection to the warrant has disappeared.

Those guys had no intention of showing themselves to him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yan tried using the "Northern Emperor's Protective Incantation" again.

He channeled his divine sense into the arm guard, but the Qi of the Gang Sha seemed to have lost its connection and could not be sensed at all.

Without the ability to activate the Qi of the Gang Sha, the spells naturally become ineffective.

Li Yan frowned slightly, but he wasn't surprised by this.

Even a terrestrial immortal cannot completely isolate the two energies of Gang and Sha. He vaguely guessed that this was the special feature of the "Red Silk Workshop" secret realm, which was why the other party had led him here.

If he were to perish here, the warrants and such would no longer matter.

Thinking of this, he coldly surveyed his surroundings.

This is inside the cabin of the Red Silk Pavilion, brightly lit, with a sickly, ghastly red hue.

The interior of the enormous pleasure boat is much more spacious than it appears from the outside.

With its carved beams and painted rafters, and its gleaming gold paint, it showed no signs of decay and looked as if it had just been built.

The air was filled with the sweet, cloying scent of cosmetics, the mellow aroma of aged wine, and the greasy fragrance of delicacies, all blending together to create a luxurious atmosphere.

Unlike before, the cabin was once again filled with the noise of people.

The music troupe played their hearts out in the corner, the melodies were melodious and graceful, and the courtesans, dressed in gossamer-thin gauze dresses that revealed their snow-white necks and arms, moved among the guests, speaking softly and charmingly, their eyes sparkling.

Her face, illuminated by the flickering candlelight, was so beautiful it was almost unreal, and possessed a captivating charm.

A beautiful young singer, holding a pipa, leaned against a carved pillar, her red lips parting slightly as she sang:
"The candlelight flickers red on the painted beams, and the gilded, decaying wood exudes a fragrant aroma..."

"Makeup on half her face, bones buried in frost, the favor of yesteryear turned to tattered garments..."

The voice was plaintive and plaintive, carrying the soft, gentle quality unique to the water towns of Jiangnan.

But when she reached this point in her song, the singer turned her face away, her eyes empty and numb, devoid of any seductive charm, only filled with bottomless despair.

Li Yan's heart skipped a beat, and an indescribable sense of sorrow and melancholy welled up inside him.

He tried to look away, but his gaze was firmly fixed on those desperate eyes.

The warm liquor in the glass should have been mellow and fragrant when it entered my throat, but instead, I tasted a bitter, rusty flavor.

He looked around and saw several scholars in brocade robes with fair skin talking loudly at a nearby table. However, their eyes were cloudy and their hands trembled slightly as they raised their cups, whether from the alcohol or something else, he couldn't tell.

"I've heard that the Northern barbarian cavalry has already broken through Xiangyang and Fancheng!"

A gaunt scholar lowered his voice, his face filled with panic, "Fancheng... Fancheng's garrison commander, Lü Wenhuan, fought valiantly and refused to surrender. On the day the city fell, he and his entire family committed suicide by burning themselves alive! Xiangyang... I'm afraid it will be the same..."

"Silence!"

Another slightly plump scholar quickly interrupted, glancing around, his voice tinged with drunkenness and dejection, "Fancheng has fallen, so be it. Xiangyang... will be handled by Prime Minister Jia! The northern barbarians only want wealth and women; a slightly increased annual tribute would suffice... Why... why must we fight to the death?"

He picked up his wine glass and took a big gulp, his eyes glazed over. "This Jiangnan...this Lin'an, with its singing and dancing, isn't it pretty good?"

"Good?" An older official with a gray beard across from him sneered, slamming his wine cup heavily on the table with a dull thud. "What's so good about it? Is it the 'land demarcation law' that's good at plundering the people? Or is it the 'public land law' that's good at forcibly seizing land?"

"With the national treasury empty, they're taking it out on us lowly officials, cutting our salaries in half and forcing us to contribute to the war effort! Natural disasters and man-made calamities have caused public resentment to boil over like a cauldron... Hmph, I'm afraid that one day when the Wolf Kingdom's army is at our gates, we'll still be singing 'The Song of the Rear Courtyard' on this pleasure boat!"

The words were sharp, yet conveyed a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Alas..." The gaunt scholar sighed deeply, his eyes vacant as he stared at the flickering candlelight. "A great building is about to collapse; no single pillar can support it. What can you and I do? We are nothing more than duckweed on the Qinhuai River, drifting with the current... Let us drink today and be drunk today!"

At another table, a ruddy-faced wealthy businessman was embracing a courtesan and flirting with her, his stubby fingers greedily kneading her, while he mumbled incoherently, "What's there to be afraid of? Even if the sky falls, there are... there are tall guys to hold it up!"

"Prime Minister Jia said... there are solutions for the north! We should be happy... so let's be happy!"

"Come, young lady, have another drink with your master. Your master has plenty... plenty of gold! Hehe..."

The bustling scene before us, like a magnificent brocade, cannot conceal the decadence and decay.

Everyone indulges in sensual pleasures in this "prosperous" place, numbing themselves with alcohol, beauty, and noise.

This Red Silk Lane is a magnificent tomb in the late Southern Song Dynasty, a place where decadence and despair intertwine.

Upon hearing these words, Li Yan immediately felt a tightness in his chest.

This was a sense of despondency that didn't belong to his own memories, like wild grass growing rampant.

The Broken Dust Blade at his waist felt as heavy as lead; he even considered indulging in unrestrained behavior like the other guests, drowning his sorrows in alcohol…

…………

West of Jinling City, on the banks of the Linshui River.

In the wind and rain, the bonfires flickered erratically.

Many men in black stood all around, including monks, laymen, and Taoists, all with sinister expressions. There were also many men with fierce faces, holding steel knives. They were the heretical sorcerers and bandits recruited by the Jinling Cocoon Robe Sect.

Wang Daoxuan and Lü San were bound with iron chains and thrown on the ground, covered in mud.

The old Taoist priest was of poor health and was still unconscious.

Lu San also fell to the ground, his eyes closed, but he peered around through his slits.

In the center of the crowd, in an open space, there was a large bronze basin, with incense sticks arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper around it.

The ripples in the copper basin vaguely reflected Li Yan, who looked dejected and was lost in a dreamlike state, on the painted boat.

His face was filled with sorrow as he drank alone in despair.

Four figures surrounded the copper basin: Granny Corpse Clothes, Master Hundred Bones, Old Man in the Forest, and the leader of the Ghost Opera Troupe.

"Fellow Daoist in Corpse Clothes's Radiant Light Technique truly lives up to its reputation..."

The troupe leader first praised him, then stared at the scene in the mirror and sneered, "This kid became famous at a young age. Although he is difficult to deal with and has ruined my plans several times, once he enters this 'Red Silk Pavilion,' no matter how powerful he is, he will have to taste the bitterness of a century of filth and despair!"

Beside him, Master Baigu stroked the white bone artifact with his fingers and sighed hoarsely, "What the troupe leader said is absolutely right. This place was originally just a malevolent abyss formed from the resentment of those lowly maids who died violently in the previous dynasty. Although it is fierce, it cannot cause any great trouble."

"The strange thing is that in the Great Luo Dharma Realm... at some unknown time, a trace of Dharma Realm power seeped into this place, and this filthy and dangerous land was transformed into a strange 'secret realm' prototype that can connect the real and the unreal and absorb emotions!"

"Back then, Lin Lingsu, that Taoist priest, sensed something amiss but didn't know why. Although she could seal away vengeful spirits, she couldn't seal away people's hearts. The sect leader, with his keen insight, saw the wonder of this place long ago—it could absorb the despair and resentment of living beings when they were on the verge of death, just like a Gu gu."

"The Southern Song Dynasty fell, nine out of ten houses in Jinling were empty, the Daxing Dynasty was short-lived, Jiangnan was ravaged by blood, and the people wept blood... All of this was guided by the arrangements left behind by the Lord of Longevity and fed to this secret realm!"

As he spoke, admiration welled up in his eyes. "The collapse of two dynasties and the wailing and despair of millions of souls settled and fermented here. It has been brewing for hundreds of years, and only today can this 'Red Silk Workshop' truly be considered 'ripe'."

"It's a pity that this place cannot be moved, otherwise it would be a powerful weapon in my Jianmu's hands!"

The "troupe leader" nodded and said, "Back then, I hit it off with Fellow Daoist Changsheng at first sight; that was truly extraordinary..."

Hearing their words, Lü San's eyelids trembled slightly, but fortunately he was already able to control his heartbeat so that no one would notice.

But what these sorcerers said only made him more anxious.

Suddenly, he saw another earth immortal, "Old Man in the Forest".

Compared to the other three, this Earth Immortal had the lowest status and was clearly distracted.

At this moment, he was constantly stroking a large black gourd in his hand, which was none other than Lü San's demon gourd.

"Humph!"

Seeing his appearance, Granny Corpse Cloak said coldly, "Look at you, so spineless!"

"Please forgive me, senior..."

Lin Zhongweng quickly bowed and explained, "To be honest, my cultivation is low. I am still a forest demon, occupying the position of a mountain god to cultivate. Over the years, I have become powerless. This treasure is compatible with me and is the foundation for my enlightenment."

"If I can refine it, I can serve the Holy Church with utmost loyalty."

"Go."

Daoist Baigu waved his hand, "That kid has already fallen into the Red Silk Brothel. In another moment, he will become a ghost in the brothel. News in the city has been blocked, but the Jinling Navy has been lured out as we expected."

"Refine it as soon as possible, it will come in handy later."

"Thank you, senior!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhongweng was overjoyed and quickly took the demon gourd and disappeared into the nearby woods.

Upon hearing this, Lü San, who was pretending to be unconscious, tried his best to control his heartbeat.

He had already taken Sha Lifeng's advice and tampered with the demon gourd to prevent this kind of situation from happening today.

Now, we just have to wait for the right opportunity.

What they didn't notice was that, within the blurry light and shadow of the circular magic, Li Yan's fingers, holding the cup, were trembling slightly...

…………

Meanwhile, next to the Lock Dragon Well in Jinling City.

"found it!"

With a shout from inside the well, the strongmen outside all pulled the thick hemp rope.

Soon, several men covered in black, greasy grease were forcibly dragged out.

Zhao Changsheng not only tampered with the well, but also filled it with petroleum jelly.

If you act recklessly, you could ignite the kerosene.

The formation will be destroyed, but the lifeline will also disappear, and the Red Silk Workshop will be completely sealed off.

Fortunately, there were skilled swimmers in the Jinling Commandery who could hold their breath for a long time and go down into the well to search, sealing their mouths and noses.

Along with them, a huge bronze mirror was also pulled up.

"This is it!"

Without saying a word, Kong Shangzhao swung his longsword and shattered it.

Boom!

As the bronze mirror shattered, a thunderclap resounded in the sky.

At the same time, Li Yan in the illusion also suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

"The world turns, and there is rise and fall. Even the ghosts of fallen kingdoms dare to disturb my mind!"

His voice, like muffled thunder, instantly disrupted the dejected and sorrowful atmosphere around him.

Inside the cabin, all the singing, dancing, and complaining stopped; a deathly silence fell.

Everyone's heads snapped and stiffly turned, all looking at him at the same time...

(End of this chapter)