Chapter 108

It really has gained spirituality!

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, not daring to make the slightest movement.

Since ancient times, there have been many folk rumors that animals that gain spirituality will practice: foxes worshiping the moon, wolves howling at the moon, snakes spitting mist, turtles breathing long, rats listening to scriptures...

Li Yan had asked Wang Daoxuan about this.

After all, there is no so-called spiritual energy in this world.

No matter how much a beast practices, it is difficult to change the essence of its life.

According to Wang Daoxuan's explanation, animal practice is not about transformation, but rather somewhat like human spirit-storing; after the spirit becomes powerful, it can use some techniques with the help of baleful aura.

This kind of technique comes from instinct; some are strong, some are weak.

The weaker ones, like a weasel dancing, can confuse a rabbit into dancing along, and then it is easily caught and eaten.

The stronger ones include old foxes bewitching people in desolate graves, mountain lords detaining souls and ghosts, and old snakes spitting clouds and mist.

And things like the cockscomb snake are natural exotic species, born in places where innate baleful energy gathers, just like rare treasures, and are the most terrifying.

According to the intelligence, this Lu San is skilled in controlling beasts.

But from what he saw before him, he clearly understands the language of birds and beasts!

This usually means the awakening of the Ear Supernatural Ability, which is not rare in history.

Like Jie Gelu, the ruler of a small state in the East Yi, who heard a cow crying in sorrow while visiting Lu, knowing that three calves were being used for sacrifice...

The "Rites of Zhou: Autumn Official, Minister of Justice" also records, "Yi slaves, manage the herders, raise cattle and horses, and speak with birds... He slaves, manage the Fu Bu clan, raise beasts, and teach them to be docile, managing to speak with beasts."

That is to say, the Western Zhou dynasty once established the two positions of "Yi slave" and "He slave"; Yi slaves managed cattle and horses and could converse with birds, while He slaves were responsible for taming beasts and could converse with beasts.

When supernatural abilities are awakened, the capabilities are not singular.

Similarly, with the Eye Supernatural Ability, some can observe Qi, and some can distinguish Yin and Yang.

With the Ear Supernatural Ability, most can hear subtle sounds, while some can understand the language of birds and beasts, or hear the whispers of ghosts and gods...

This Lu San is indeed extraordinary.

Just as Li Yan was pondering, Lu San had completely crawled out of the grave.

He was of medium height; the autumn night was cold, but he only wore a single layer of clothing. His skin was slightly dark, his appearance ordinary, his eyes were bright, and he smiled slightly under the moonlight, revealing two dimples.

That smile looked very much like an innocent child.

He shook the dirt off his body, saw the old fox worshiping the moon, and suddenly felt happy, "Second Uncle, you are putting on an act, and your heart is not sincere; how can you succeed?"

"That skull has a heavy baleful aura; be careful of being bewitched by it instead."

Before the words fell, the old fox shook its head and wobbled, as if it were drunk, then fell to the ground with a thud, and the skull rolled away...

In an instant, the group of foxes jumped around in chaos.

Lu San was also amused and laughed...

Li Yan thought to himself after seeing this: It seems fox moon-worship is not that simple. It is rare for wild beasts to gain spirituality, and they must use skulls with thick baleful aura.

If one is not careful, their spirit will be overwhelmed.

He concealed all his aura, so Lu San did not notice him. He leaped down from the grave mound, first helping the old fox up and placing it aside, then crouching down, listening with his ear tilted, while talking to himself:

"Oh, there are water ghosts on the south bank of the Jinqian River..."

"People are fighting on the West Mountain..."

"A merchant caravan buried gold and silver underground?"

Li Yan was secretly shocked after seeing this.

Good heavens, this supernatural ability is indeed extraordinary. By getting on good terms with birds and beasts, he has a natural intelligence corps.

No wonder Qiao Sanhu's subordinates couldn't do anything about him...

Li Yan pondered for a moment, withdrew his technique, cupped his hands, and said loudly, "Are you Mr. Lu San? I have a request..."

Whoosh!

Before the words fell, Lu San turned and ran.

Li Yan's brain went blank; why is this kid so timid?

I'm still far away from you...

There was no time to think carefully; he rushed out of the woods, wanting to chase.

Squeak, squeak, squeak!

That large group of foxes suddenly became anxious, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws at him, but they didn't dare to step forward.

Seeing Lu San running far away, Li Yan was helpless and had to press his hand on the hilt of his saber while running, activating the Three-Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin.

Killing intent overflowed, and the foxes were immediately scared away, squeaking and screaming, while a few also let out farts with a "pfft" sound.

"Damn it..."

Li Yan was annoyed and nearly fell over from the stench.

Although the Nose Supernatural Ability is good, it also has trouble.

Even though he could use the Yin and Yang seals to control the activation of the supernatural ability, his sense of smell was far stronger than ordinary people's, and he disliked all kinds of strange odors, even having a slight cleanliness obsession.

This fox fart was no different from a hidden weapon to him.

Fortunately, his speed was fast; he rushed directly through the fox-odor area, his Dark Force erupting under his feet, leaping every three steps, his speed getting faster and faster.

And Lu San in front also seemed to hear the foxes' warning and became even more nervous, actually running on all fours like a wild beast, his speed astonishing.

Not only that, he also shook the leather pouch at his waist, scattering iron caltrops along the way with a clatter.

What kind of move is this?

Li Yan naturally wouldn't be blocked by this little trick; he easily avoided it, but he was also curious about the movement technique Lu San used, which he had never seen before.

The area behind Black Wind Gully at the mountaintop was a steep cliff. Li Yan originally thought he would trap this kid, but he didn't expect the other party to take out something directly from the grass.

It was similar to a hang glider, but it was sewn from a wooden frame and animal skin.

This kid is too slippery!

Seeing the other party was about to escape, Li Yan felt anxious and quickly said loudly, "I am sending Wu Laosi's body back to his hometown and am asking you for directions; I have no malicious intent!"

Lu San's body stiffened, and he turned around abruptly.

"You stop first!"

He gave a cold snort, still holding the hang glider and standing by the cliff.

His face was wooden under the moonlight, his eyes cold.

Where was the innocent smile from just now?

"Fine, I won't move!"

Li Yan quickly stopped and raised both hands, signaling that he had no malicious intent, then quickly spoke, recounting the whole story.

After listening, Lu San's suspicion did not diminish, "You ran so far and went through so much trouble to find me just to help bury Uncle Wu?"

Li Yan frowned, "Not everyone in this world is profit-seeking and ungrateful. I do what I should do; is that not allowed?"

He could see that Lu San could be sincere with animals, but was extremely guarded against people.

Lu San was silent for a moment, "I'll tell you the place; you go find it yourself, okay?"

"Fine!" Li Yan nodded directly in agreement.

He didn't want to find trouble with Lu San; clarifying the location and burying the deceased as soon as possible was the important thing; he had no time to waste with him.

Lu San also seemed a bit surprised, looked at Li Yan silently for a few times, and said, "The Wu family clan graves are all on the southwest mountain. See the big pine tree on the mountain; it's right below it."

"Uncle Wu's family died suddenly. At that time, there were many bad rumors in the village, and they weren't allowed into the clan graves, so they were buried in the gully behind the clan graves."

After saying this, he turned directly, leaped, and disappeared into the vast night color with the help of the hang glider's wind lift.

Far below the cliff, Manchuan Pass was brightly lit.

"Boss, get some white paper, colored paper, and bamboo sticks."

"Oh, customer, you want to make them now? It's too late; why not buy ready-made ones? My shop's craftsmanship is..."

"Less nonsense, just get them."

"By the way, get some incense and candles too; just get them according to this list..."

For a funeral procession, things like soul-summoning banners are needed. Who knows if Qiao Sanhu's people are in these shops? If bought directly, they might be discovered.

"Zhao Kui!"

Outside the city, the huge sacrificial procession hadn't gone far when a thick voice came from the luxurious carriage at the back.

"My lord, I am here."

!

Beside him, a bearded man immediately ran to the carriage.

His name was Zhao Kui, and he was the head constable of Fengyang County.

Qiao Sanhu had power and influence; throughout Fengyang County, the key positions had almost all been replaced by his own people, and successive county magistrates had almost all been sidelined.

And this Zhao Kui was originally a rogue, but because he practiced a good saber technique, he was favored by Qiao Sanhu and taken as a running dog.

He was also diligent and conscientious, daring to do any dirty work.

The people of Fengyang privately called him a "Ghost Servant."

The curtain of the carriage was slowly lifted, revealing a broad face with a high forehead, five prominent mountains on the face, long and narrow eyebrows, a wide mouth, and thick lips; although one eye was large and one was small, he was quite imposing.

Physiognomy books say this is a "White Tiger Face," naturally having great ambition, daring to fight and struggle, and being ruthless.

This person was Qiao Sanhu.

He gently stroked his handlebar mustache and said indifferently, "Find a few people and go check the Wu Family Gully ancestral graves."

The "Ghost Servant" Zhao Kui was stunned and flattered, "My lord, rest assured, we handle things cleanly; those mud-legged people's ancestral graves have long been overturned."

"Fool!"

Qiao Sanhu glanced at him and reprimanded, "What's the use of digging up a few broken grave mounds? I want to lure Lu San to appear."

"This kid awakened a supernatural ability and is skilled in controlling beasts; even the Boat Gang treats him with courtesy. Although he can't do anything to me now, he will be a disaster sooner or later if left alive."

"Today is the Cold Clothing Festival; he might come back to sacrifice. You take people to see; if you find his tracks, come back and tell me immediately."

"Yes, my lord."

"Wait!"

Just as Zhao Kui was about to leave, Qiao Sanhu suddenly called him back and said in a low voice, "Go, invite Mr. Lu as well. Lu San knows some techniques after all, lest you fail to capture him."

"Yes, my lord."

Zhao Kui cupped his hands and left, then came to the very end of the procession, cupping his hands respectfully before the carriage, "Mr. Lu, my lord invites you to go with us to suppress the situation."

"What a bother..."

A hoarse voice sounded, and a man in black lifted the curtain, jumped off the carriage, and picked up a long black cloth bag.

He had messy hair and a stubbly beard, but his face was terrifyingly pale, even somewhat gray, like the skin of a dead person.

Zhao Kui shrank his head, not daring to talk too much.

This person had defected to Qiao Sanhu's side a few years ago, rarely went out on weekdays, stayed at home all day, and didn't know what he was tinkering with.

Especially the stench of dead bodies emanating from his body.

Zhao Kui always felt,

This is not a person!

Clatter!

Lu San's face was pale; he carried the last large bag of bones, looked at the Wu Family Gully ancestral graves one last time, and then turned to go down the mountain.

After going down the mountain, he went directly toward the East Mountain cliff tomb.

After a night of collecting, he had already collected all the bones that were exposed and the graves that were seriously damaged in the Wu Family Gully ancestral graves.

There were some that were ancient and decaying, and even the grave mounds had disappeared, so they escaped the poison hand, and Lu San didn't mess with them.

He didn't understand funeral customs, but he also knew that these bones couldn't be put directly into the cliff tomb; they had to be moved in together when Wu Laosi was buried.

It could be considered a process.

Of course, he was naturally unsociable and wouldn't ask others for help.

Whatever he did, he was used to doing it alone.

"My lord is as wise as a god!"

An hour after Lu San left, Zhao Kui led people up the mountain from the other side, seeing the missing bones and the obviously leveled graveyard, and was overjoyed.

But immediately, he was full of annoyance, sighing, "It looks like the person has already left. If I had known, I would have squatted here for these two days; I would definitely have been able to catch that kid!"

Saying this, he looked cautiously at the dead-faced man in black beside him and said respectfully, "Mr. Lu, I wonder if you have any way..."

"Mr. Lu" glanced at him, "I only know how to kill; I'm not familiar with tracking."

Zhao Kui was helpless and had to search everywhere.

But he was unlearned and unskilled; he was good at being a tiger's running dog, but he didn't know half of the ability to track and investigate cases in the government office, and his subordinates were even more so.

Not finding anyone, they had to go down the mountain to report.

"Constable Zhao, look!"

Halfway up the mountain, a man suddenly pointed forward.

From here, one could see the abandoned Wu Family Gully from afar.

They didn't enter the village when they came, but took a detour to come directly to the mountain. After all, an abandoned village couldn't arouse everyone's interest.

However, at this time, there was a wisp of cooking smoke in the center of the abandoned village.

Although there was only one wisp, it was exceptionally obvious when viewed from here.

Zhao Kui saw this and was immediately excited.

"Quick, quick, go down the mountain!"

"What's the rush!"

The "Mr. Lu" beside him suddenly reprimanded, "Although I haven't fought Lu San, I know this person understands the language of birds and beasts; I'm afraid you will be discovered and he will escape before you even get close."

"Right, this kid is very slippery."

Zhao Kui suddenly realized and quickly cupped his hands, "According to your opinion, sir, what should we do?"

"Mr. Lu" said in a low voice, "Go back and find more people, guard all the exits of the village, and when night comes, I will perform a technique to eliminate him!"

"Sir is brilliant!"

Zhao Kui was a bit reluctant; after all, the credit would be shared by many, but he knew that Qiao Sanhu valued this "Mr. Lu" highly, and he couldn't afford to offend him.

A man beside him scratched his head and said, "Constable, why don't we send someone to check first? Maybe it's a passerby looking for a place to stay."

Slap!

Zhao Kui gave him a slap directly and stared, "There is no place for you to speak here. If they are passersby, then it's their bad luck; just treat them as bandits and lock them in the county office."

As for "Mr. Lu," he didn't speak, but walked behind the crowd, touching the rotting scar on his chest, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes, muttering, "It's the Gou Die, it's the Gou Die."

"Junior Brother Wu, I've finally waited for you..."

(End of chapter)

"You did the right thing."

Wang Daoxuan said seriously, "In some Mystic Sect lineages, there are tracking techniques that can be performed using the blood and bones of relatives. If they find the bones, I'm afraid Senior Wu wouldn't have been able to run far."

Li Yan was thoughtful, "Could those two be Senior Wu's fellow disciples? After all, he took that thing away."

What he referred to was naturally the Gou Die.

It seemed this thing was still a treasure of Wu Laosi's lineage.

If that was the case, I'm afraid there was a problem with the matter.

Li Yan had once promised to return the Gou Die, but now he had become a Living Yin Messenger.

Wrong!

Didn't Wu Laosi say that the lineage was withering?

Even "Cold Altar Wandering Masters" appeared.

This only happens after the incense is interrupted.

Could it be that those two were not his fellow disciples?

All kinds of questions left Li Yan confused, and he said helplessly to Lu San, "I didn't know about this; you did the right thing."

"Take us to find the bones..."

(End of chapter)