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Chapter 395 Life and Body Connection (Three-in-One)

After causing a ruckus at the inn, the caravan was truly unlucky to have hired such an unreliable group of guards.

The martial arts practitioner was the leader of this group of guards. With their leader attacked, they naturally swarmed forward...

Then they were all beaten up.

When the caravan's owner received the news, he initially wanted to "settle things," as he did have some powerful connections.

However, upon hearing the words "Fu family," he immediately settled the wages and dismissed the guards.

Xu Yuan was also wearing a mask.

It wasn't Gao Wanli who made it, but her stepmother.

Xu Yuan wouldn't use Gao Wanli's products.

This woman is somewhat ruthless; who knows if she might add something to the artifact to get revenge on me?
The innkeepers naturally did not recognize Lord Xu.

However, once the Fu family arrived in town, the news spread very easily.

Beside Zhu Zhanlei were three men from the Shanhe Division, who, along with Xu Yuan, disguised themselves as evil servants of the Fu family.

After hitting the man, Xu Yuan grabbed him by the neck and swindled twenty taels of silver from him.

He shared five taels with each of the three captains of the Shanhe Division.

The three nodded repeatedly, agreeing that Lord Xu's work was methodical and progressive, demonstrating his exceptional abilities.
Then Zhu Zhanlei led them to the office of the Exorcism Bureau. Xu Yuan did not reveal his identity, and the people in the office treated them coldly.

I found out some information about the situation in the mountains, which was all common knowledge.

Gao Wanli became impatient: "I told you long ago that we didn't need to come here, but you insisted on wasting your time!"

After leaving the government office, Gao Wanli looked at Xu Yuan with a puzzled expression: "You are familiar with Ghost Witch Mountain, right? You could have taken us into the mountain, so why did you come to the government office?"
This is your territory…

Xu Yuan said, "So what if I'm under my jurisdiction? I cannot reveal my identity."

Of the three, only Gao Wanli showed her true self.

Gao Wanli completely ignored her position as the deputy head of the Exorcism Division.

This public office was actually under her jurisdiction.

She knew very well that the people inside would never obey any of her orders.

"As for your statement that I am familiar with Ghost Witch Mountain, it is precisely because I am familiar with Ghost Witch Mountain that I dare not be careless! The situation in the mountain may change at any time."

Xu Yuan shook his head: "Explaining these things to a fool like you is a waste of breath."

"You—" Gao Wanli exclaimed angrily, "Are you plotting something else? You're so treacherous, harboring evil intentions!"

Xu Yuan looked speechless: "If you have any doubts about me, you can report them to Lord Luo Gongqiao. I only agreed to this trip to Ghost Witch Mountain because Lord Luo Gongqiao promised me benefits; it wasn't something I wanted to do."

You dare not speak in front of Lord Luo, but start causing trouble as soon as you're out of his sight. It's utterly unreasonable!

The three captains of the Mountain and River Division, who had just received five taels of silver from Lord Xu, nodded in unison: This woman is indeed unreasonable!

Gao Wanli was no match for Lord Xu, no matter how eloquent she was.

Instead, he calmed down and said, "You lead us into the mountains. I remember the way to Gaojia Village. Just follow me."

"Okay," Xu Yuan readily agreed.

Xu Yuan was going to the government office, of course, to secretly pass on a message to Bai Laoyan and Gao Guanzi.

And they were instructed to inform Jiao and Tian Jing.

Since it concerned the "Dragon Transformation Method," Xu Yuan did not rely on others.

Xu Yuan still led them into the mountains via the old road.

When I passed by that inn again, I saw two fourth-rate members of the Fu family, along with several other members of the Fu family, checking into the inn.

The two passed each other, exchanged a silent glance, and both knew what was going on.

The two fourth-rate members of the Fu family are brothers; the elder brother is named Fu Songyu, and the younger brother is named Fu Baizhou.

They disguised themselves as merchants preparing to go into the mountains to collect goods.

After the establishment of the town government, the number of merchants in the town decreased significantly.

However, there are a few villages that have a grudge against Bai Laoyan and will occasionally sell their mountain products to other merchants.

He exchanged glances with Fu Songyu and realized it was Lord Xu.

Fu Songyu felt somewhat uncomfortable.

This means that the small team that was used as bait was actually led by Xu Yuan.

The Fu family and Xu Yuan are enemies.

The Fu family has now reached a basic consensus that Xu Yuan was not the one who secretly practiced the Dragon Transformation Technique.

But both Fu Shuanghui and Fu Chongjiu died at his hands.

Unfortunately, if we want to catch the person who stole the training and avenge the Crown Princess, we have to cooperate with Xu Yuan!

After getting a few rooms and settling in briefly, Fu Songyu immediately said, "Let's move out of here and catch up with those guys."

Xu Yuan led everyone out of the town, then immediately found a secluded spot and said to Zhu Zhanlei, "Use the Heming Wheel to contact Fu Songyu!"

Gao Wanli frowned, feeling that she shouldn't have contacted them so soon.

But she learned her lesson and didn't immediately object, lest she be scolded by that scoundrel Xu Yuan again.

Zhu Zhanlei obeyed Lord Xu's every word and immediately took out the "Harmonious Wheel".

This artifact was housed in a copper box measuring one foot square.

This box has a similar effect to the fish wrapper.

This is because the "harmonious wheel" can not only communicate with each other, but also often receives strange whispers from unknown sources.

If they hear it, at best they will grow fleshy whiskers or fangs from their ears; at worst they will go completely mad.

Therefore, it should be sealed up when not in use.

The main component of the whistling pulley is something like a well windlass.

Before each contact, the windlass needs to be turned three times clockwise and three times counterclockwise.

Then, clasp your hands in a fist and bow to your child, and say who you would like to contact.

Just as Fu Songyu was about to lead his men out, he suddenly felt a thumping sound coming from the copper box he was carrying.

So he called out to the crowd, "Wait!"

Everyone retreated back into the room. Fu Songyu took out the clapper, and then Xu Yuan's voice came out: "Seniors, your aura is too strong. You don't look like a group of ordinary merchants at all. Anyone with a discerning eye can see through you at a glance."

Xu Yuan gave them a very detailed and thorough analysis.

Merchants risked their lives in the mountains to make money, but their profits were only a few hundred taels of silver.

They are ruthless, not possess the aura of a master.

After reflecting on it, Fu Songyu and Fu Baizhou realized that this was indeed the case.

He was, after all, a fourth-rate person, and everyone respected him on a daily basis, so this kind of arrogance was unconsciously revealed.

However, Xu Yuan pointed out this flaw, and the two of them were very unwilling to accept it.

But he was acting out of a sense of public duty, and what he said made sense.

The two brothers looked at each other, and Fu Baizhou asked the others, "Are we really as Xu Yuan said?"

Several of his men thought to themselves, "We figured it out a long time ago, but we didn't dare to give you any feedback."

So he remained silent.

The two brothers then understood.

Fu Songyu gritted his teeth and said, "I understand."

Xu Yuan then very considerately told them about the strategies for dealing with Meirenba and Maoerzhong, and then ended the communication.

The other members of the Fu family couldn't help but feel that Xu Yuan was actually a good person.

Putting aside everyone's hatred, when it comes to working together, they are truly dedicated and conscientious.

"Alright, let's tone it down a bit," Fu Songyu sighed.

Xu Yuan also put away the "Harmony Wheel", and then passed through Meirenba and Maoerzhong before entering Guiwu Mountain.

Not long after they left, Fu Songyu and his group also went into the mountains.

Xu Yuan led the way back to the place where he had chopped firewood before, then raised his hand to Gao Wanli and said, "I'll leave the rest to you."

Gao Wanli stepped forward without hesitation and began to lead the way.

She came in with the Crown Princess last time, and the journey down the mountain was arduous, but it also made her familiar with Ghost Witch Mountain.

Relying on her memory, she led the group around the mountains for a while until they found a familiar place.

Then, starting from this place, we headed towards Gaojia Village.

However, Gaojia Village is too far away. If Lord Xu were alone, he could show off Lord Ruan Tianye's ticket and ride his fire wheel at will, arriving in half a day.

However, this small team only dared to proceed slowly, and had to deal with any evil spirits they encountered along the way with caution.

The speed naturally cannot be fast.

During this time, they encountered evil spirits, and those of low quality were naturally dealt with by Xu Yuan and his four wicked servants.

But Zhu Zhanlei was the one who dealt with those who were seventh-rate or above.

They put on a very convincing act.

Xu Yuan also saw the craftsman's object that Zhu Zhanlei had mentioned for the first time.

Prior to this, in order not to reveal his true purpose, Xu Yuan had never asked Zhu Zhanlei about the craftsman's work.

This artifact is called "Dragon's Cure".

It was a piece of dragon meat that emitted a strong fishy smell.

It contained scales, broken horns, and bones.

Zhu Zhanlei pressed the artifact against his chest, and it began to wriggle, becoming one with him.

Five jet-black tendons appeared on Zhu Zhanlei's chest, deeply embedded in the skin and connecting to his internal organs.

After that, Zhu Zhanlei could smell that fishy odor in his nostrils all the time.

And it will not be like "entering a room full of orchids and then becoming so accustomed to their fragrance that you no longer notice it; or entering a fish market and then becoming so accustomed to its stench that you no longer notice it."

On the contrary, even if the people next to him pressed their noses against him, they could no longer smell that fishy smell.

This made Zhu Zhanlei feel uneasy.

I have a feeling this craftsmanship is a bit shady; I'm afraid there might be some terrible consequences involved.

Although Xu Miaozhi repeatedly assured him that the "dragon's disease" only looked terrifying and would never actually cause him any harm.

But Zhu Zhanlei didn't believe this woman at all.

Besides, just listen to this name, it's called "illness," how could it be anything good?!

After being enhanced by this artifact, Zhu Zhanlei gained several abilities.

The first thing is the "dragon's body".

His physical strength is comparable to that of a sixth-rate martial arts practitioner.

In the mountains, Zhu Zhanlei encountered a blood-sucking tree and uprooted this strange tree, which was as thick as a bucket!
The second is "surging wind".

It can blow out a strange gust of wind.

With a single gust, sand and stones fly, obscuring the sky and sun. Moreover, this wind erodes the soul, capable of blowing the soul directly out of the body.

It is a ruthless method for dealing with evil spirits and ghosts.

The third is "ignition".

With a wave of the hand, a blazing green fire can be summoned out of thin air.

Its power is comparable to the internal fire of a sixth-rate alchemist. Moreover, this fire can transform into a ring of flames, which, when suspended behind the user, will instill fear in wild beasts and low-level evil spirits, deterring them from attacking. This thing can be used to impersonate dragon fire.

The fourth is "flying stone".

It can manipulate rocks, making them either come together or disperse.

It can gather energy to create a ten-zhang-high stone hill out of thin air to suppress opponents. When dispersed, it can turn into a sky full of yellow sand. If combined with "Surging Wind", its power will be multiplied.

This work of art is truly extraordinary!
Xu Yuan wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the smell of the dragon's venom wasn't fishy, ​​but rather sweet!
So he secretly drooled.

The skill level of the craftsman who forged this item is unknown, but the material must be of excellent quality!

It's fitting that I should be my bait, the Pidgeon!
"Dragon's Curse" essentially elevated Zhu Zhanlei to the sixth rank. While he wouldn't claim to be invincible in the mountains, he was no match for most evil spirits.

Each strike easily crushed the evil spirits.

These evil spirits used to flee at the mere sight of them.

Zhu Zhanlei, who was initially very resistant to this mission, is now actually starting to like this feeling.

As evening approached, Xu Yuan suggested, "We can't go any further today. Ghost Mountain at night is on a completely different level from the daytime."

Zhu Zhanlei nodded: "Fatty Gao, set up camp for me!"

Gao Wanli gave Zhu Zhanlei a sinister look. That bastard kept calling him "Fat Gao" and "Scar Gao" all the way.

When you argue with him, he changes it to "Lili"!
Don't think I don't know that "Lili" is a courtesan in Luocheng!

If things really escalate, Zhu Zhanlei will have an excuse not to act as bait.

He himself will be punished by Luo Gongqiao!

I will remember this humiliation! I will get my revenge someday!

Gao Wanli felt a tightness and pain in her chest from anger!
I'm filled with regret: I shouldn't have come to Champa!
Xu Yuan bullies me, his stepmother bullies me, and his goose bullies me!
Now you, a useless spoiled brat, dare to bully me!

Gao Wanli cursed inwardly as she unfolded the two tents one by one.

This tent was provided by Xu Miaozhi, and it was made by a seventh-rate craftsman.

Once unfolded, it blends seamlessly with the surrounding boulders.

They look exactly the same.

And it's even harder than these rocks.

Even if evil spirits accidentally bump into it at night, they will be bounced back as if they had hit a rock.

This is something Xu Miaozhi often used when carrying out missions in remote, uncivilized areas.

After setting up the tents, Zhu Zhanlei took one for himself without hesitation.

The rest of the people used another one.

Gao Wanli didn't want to squeeze in with those smelly men, but she also knew that Ghost Mountain was too dangerous at night... Only after Xu Yuan and the other three evil servants entered the tent did she reluctantly crawl in.

But as soon as she went in, Xu Yuan came out with a look of disgust and went to share a tent with Zhu Zhanlei!
Gao Wanli was so angry she almost exploded.

You did it on purpose!

You went into Zhu Zhanlei's tent, and he didn't dare utter a sound! But he only did this after I went in!

Although Xu Yuan had run away, Gao Wanli was still uncomfortable in the tent.

During the day, Zhu Zhanlei hunted down those evil spirits and obtained some low-quality materials, which Xu Yuan then had him distribute to everyone.

Those three captains of the Mountain and River Division also received a lot of benefits.

He said some foul language in the tent, deliberately making Gao Wanli uncomfortable.

Having finally made it through the night, Gao Wanli, with dark circles under her eyes, led everyone on their journey the next day.

We walked until evening and finally saw the mountain in Gaojia Village.

"We're here!" Gao Wanli pointed to the mountain peak and said, "Gaojia Village is on that mountain. If we storm up and capture Gao Guanzi, he will definitely know where that villain is. Then our mission will be complete."

Zhu Zhanlei nodded, quite confidently saying, "You all guard the foot of the mountain, and watch me capture that mountain runner!"

The group concealed their tracks and arrived at the foot of the mountain together.

Xu Yuan and the others guarded the four directions at the foot of the mountain, and Zhu Zhanlei activated "Dragon's Fury," using his powerful body, comparable to a sixth-rate martial artist, to quickly rush to the top of the mountain.

Gao Wanli held a crafted object in each hand, ready to act immediately if Gao Guanzi escaped.

In no time at all, Zhu Zhanlei, furious, rushed down at an even faster speed and yelled at Gao Wanli, "Scarface Gao! What are you doing? There's no one up there!"

Gao Wanli's heart skipped a beat: "Not a single person?!"

She rushed up, and sure enough, Gaojia Village was deserted, not a soul in sight.

Gao Wanli's face was pale.

If the people from Gaojia Village aren't here, where else could they be?
Gao Wanli knew in her heart—if they hadn't moved back, then they were still over at Copper Coffin Cliff!

But would Gao Wanli dare to go over there? Of course not.

Copper Coffin Cliff was her lifelong nightmare.

She originally thought that the evil spirits on Copper Coffin Cliff were extremely terrifying, and that the people of Gaojia Village should not stay under Copper Coffin Cliff for long.

After the Crown Princess was killed, they should have moved back.

The villages in the mountains only coexist peacefully with the evil spirits in the mountains to a certain extent.

It's not that evil spirits don't actually eat people from the mountains.

But there's no one in Gaojia Village, and Gao Wanli doesn't dare go to Tongguan Cliff... What should she do next?
Zhu Zhanlei, Xu Yuan, and others followed.

Seeing Gao Wanli standing there dumbfounded, Zhu Zhanlei asked impatiently, "What are we going to do now? I brought you here because you could find Gao Guanzi. Now that you can't even do this simple thing, what use are you?"

Gao Wanli wanted to retort, "I know where Gao Guanzi is."

But when she thought of the horrors of Copper Coffin Cliff, she shut her mouth tightly.

"Does Lord Xu have any ideas?" Zhu Zhanlei had no choice but to ask Xu Yuan again.

Xu Yuan said, "Let's rest for the night and find other mountain runners tomorrow. I know the mountain runners in Wangxiang Village well, and he should be able to lead us to Gao Guanzi."

Zhu Zhanlei sighed, "In the end, we'll still have to rely on Lord Xu."

As he spoke, he gave Gao Wanli a disdainful look.

Gao Wanli kept her head down and remained silent.

"Let's stay in the village tonight."

Then they used the whistling wheel to contact Fu Songyu, who was secretly following behind.

Fu Songyu also rebuked her repeatedly, his criticism aimed directly at Gao Wanli.

However, after ending the communication, Fu Songyu said, "Please ask my nephew Hongyu to come out."

The younger generation then brought out the birdcage.

Fu Songyu took it and beckoned to his younger brother Fu Baizhou. The two fourth-rate individuals quietly approached Gaojia Village.

Then they opened the birdcage and removed the gold nails that were stuck to the tail of the puppet dragon.

But then he took out a thin gold chain from his pocket and fastened it to the hole in the gold nail.

"Nephew, let's begin."

The puppet dragon glared at them with venomous hatred. Finally, Fu Songyu pulled out the hair that had been used to seal the puppet dragon's mouth.

"You will all die a horrible death!" Pioulong immediately cursed.

Fu Songyu said angrily, "It's not that we brothers turned you into this. We are all your uncles and elders, and we understand that you harbor resentment. It's fine if you vent your anger by cursing, we won't hold it against you."

But if you still don't know what's good for you, don't blame us for disregarding family ties and making you suffer.

Fu Hongyu still glared at them with resentment, but dared not curse them anymore.

Those two old bastards are ruthless.

"That's more like it." Fu Songyu said with satisfaction, "Besides, you might not look so bad as you are now."

So many people in the family are waiting to be reborn, but the family can only get a "real dragon whisker" every ten years. Only by holding onto the dragon whisker can they travel back and forth on the road to the underworld!

Your parents are long gone, and you have no one to speak up for you. With such a limited number of places available for the deceased, do you really think you'll get a chance?
Now at least you can come out and look around...

Fu Hongyu, not wanting to listen to his nagging any longer, took to the air and soared into the sky.

The gold chain in Fu Songyu's hand was pulled out with a clattering sound.

The secret technique that Fu Hongyu received is called "Life and Body Connection".

It was not created by the Fu family alone, but rather by all the families in the Huangming Dynasty that inherited the "Dragon Transformation Method" working together to secretly deduce and perfect it step by step.

Long ago, various factions discovered the risk of the "Dragon Transformation Method" being leaked.

Of course, no one wanted the "Dragon Transformation Method" to be leaked. The more people who cultivated it, the more people would try to steal the royal family members of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, if the secret is leaked and someone secretly practices it, the Dragon King of the Grand Canal will surely punish everyone involved.

So the various families joined forces to come up with a plan to find the thieves who had secretly practiced the "Dragon Transformation Technique".

This method is called "Life and Body Connection".

However, despite everyone's efforts over the past thirty years, the method of "life and body connection" is still not perfect.

This method involves using human skin and hair to create a special container—the skin-puppet dragon.

Then a "dragon soul" was sealed inside.

The so-called dragon soul is actually the soul of a descendant who cultivated the Dragon Transformation Technique after death.

If the souls of Fu Shuanghui and Fu Chongjiu are pulled back by the Thread Pulling Technique after their deaths, they will also become a usable dragon soul!

Then it is refined using a secret method.

After success, as long as the puppet dragon is released, it can sense all living beings that have cultivated the "Dragon Transformation Technique" within a certain range.

The more successful the crafting, the wider the range of perception.

Fu Hongyu's attempt was not entirely successful; the range he could sense was only about five miles.

The principle behind this method is actually to take advantage of the desire of the dead for a physical body; the dragon soul naturally desires a dragon body.

Then a response will be generated.

However, no family actually used this method. Why? Firstly, each "Dragon Soul" is actually a member of the family.

Once the puppet dragon is created, it will be sealed inside for eternity, which is too cruel for "one of their own".

Even after practicing the "Dragon Transformation Technique" and becoming cold and ruthless, he still found it hard to bring himself to do it.

Secondly, this method has some problems. Once the dragon soul is refined in this way, it will inevitably be filled with hatred and resentment, and will constantly generate "spiritual afflictions." Currently, there is no way to completely seal off these spiritual afflictions for a long time.

But this time, after discussion, a group of elders in the Fu family voted and decided to take the risk of creating a leather puppet dragon.

In the end, they chose the unlucky Fu Hongyu, whose entire family had been wiped out.

Fu Hongyu sent out a signal from high in the sky.

He then felt that within a five-mile radius, there were three bodies drawing him in from the shadows.

Two of them were particularly attractive, naturally Fu Songyu and Fu Baizhou.

There is another one, from Gaojia Village.

Fu Hongyu examined it closely and realized it was Zhu Zhanlei!

However, Zhu Zhanlei's problem wasn't because he had cultivated the "Dragon Transformation Technique," but because of the artifact he possessed.

Fu Hongyu's heart stirred: Could this artifact also serve as a vessel for my dragon soul?

He then landed back and said to Fu Songyu, "That villain who stole the 'Dragon Transformation Technique' is not around here."

The puppet dragons crafted by "Life and Body Mastery" incorporate some magical techniques, so they cannot lie to their controllers.

Fu Songyu didn't notice anything unusual about Fu Hongyu and, slightly disappointed, put him back in the birdcage: "I didn't expect to find that person in one go."

(End of this chapter)