Chapter 132: Inviting People to Help Fight

The first snow had not yet melted, and Zhu Que Avenue was covered in silver.

Although the cold air was biting, carriages and horses were coming and going in an endless stream.

Camel bells rang; those were merchants from the Western Regions, carrying bags and dragging shoes, bringing rare and exotic items to the Shenzhou to seek great profits...

On both sides of Heaven Street, the former ward walls were long gone, shops were lined up, teahouses and restaurants were everywhere, and pedestrians were wrapped in fur coats and wearing felt hats, all covered tightly.

As the central axis of Changancheng, Zhu Que Avenue was usually crowded. With the Winter Solstice over, the commoners were no longer busy with farming and had already started preparing for the New Year.

But for the martial world travelers, it was just the opposite.

The commoners of the Shenzhou worked hard all year, usually frugal, and only spent money generously at this time.

Therefore, before and after the New Year, from now until the Lantern Festival, it is the best time to make money.

Some old martial world travelers rely on these days of the New Year to get rich.

On both sides of Heaven Street, almost all were people setting up stalls.

Li Yan pretended not to discover the followers behind him, walked with his hands behind his back, and dived directly into the crowd, pretending to watch the excitement.

Looking at this, he actually saw many martial world methods.

There was an old man from the Gold Gate setting up a stall for fortune-telling, with a sign written "Half-Immortal," flipping through a book of destiny with a *clatter*, talking eloquently, fooling the village woman into a daze...

There was also a blind man, knocking bamboo boards in his hand, chanting as he walked: "Calculating annual disasters and monthly descents, calculating wealth, nobility, poverty, and lowliness"...

There was a man from the Skin Gate "fishing for plums," carrying a bamboo pole covered with all kinds of meat worms, shouting: "People eat the five grains, and worms naturally grow in the body. With this dose of medicine, all worms can be beaten out..."

The surrounding commoners found it rare, not knowing that those "worms" were made from the intestines of turtles, very realistic.

Of course, there was no lack of those selling fake medicine—fake amber, fake tiger bones, fake ginseng... looking dazzling, but not a single one was real.

These methods are to deceive those who are greedy for cheapness.

Of course, there were more people setting up stalls to tell wild stories, sing clappers, and sing big drums, *ding-ding-dang-dang*, *yi-yi-ya-ya*, very lively.

Li Yan walked and wandered, specifically squeezing into the crowd.

The few people following behind couldn't help but get separated.

Only one was clever, following Li Yan closely, gathering beside the stall selling power pills.

*Clang-clang-clang! *

As soon as the gong sounded, Li Yan turned and left.

The follower also hurriedly stood up, but was grabbed by the performer, the gong placed in front of his eyes.

"Get lost!"

The follower shouted angrily.

The performer didn't get angry, raised his eyebrows and said, "Old brother, it's not easy to be away from home. You've been watching for a long time, give some reward, do you want to play for free?"

"If this spreads out, doesn't it lose the face of us Chang'an people?"

This remark caused the surrounding gazes to gather one after another.

The follower was both angry and annoyed, throwing a few coins into the gong, but after rushing out, Li Yan had long since disappeared.

Behind him, the performer shouted:

"Thank you, Grandfather, for the reward!"

…………

Yanshou Ward is near Guangde Ward.

This place is close to the City God Temple and is also a place where wealthy households in the northwest of the city gather, so there are naturally many good teahouses and restaurants.

During the Tang Dynasty, although the Imperial family revered Daoism, there were many believers in Buddhism among the people. When the Buddha's bone was welcomed into Chang'an, wealthy families along the way all held non-obstructive vegetarian feasts.

The so-called non-obstructive vegetarian feast is compatible and inclusive, without obstruction, regardless of noble or humble, monk or layman, wise or foolish, good or evil, all can participate.

This kind of activity costs a lot of money.

The Yanshou Ward at that time had Minister Pei of the Rites, Prince Wu Yi of Henei, and various princess and consort mansions all taking action together. The scale was so large that it shocked the entire Changancheng.

However, prosperity always comes to an end.

The princes and nobles all turned to dust, and Buddhism and Daoism suffered several heavy blows, no longer as prosperous as in the past.

On the original site of the princess mansion, restaurants and teahouses were built, and the people in fresh clothes and angry horses were replaced by merchants who were humble in the past.

Qingjiang Tower, mainly serving Huaiyang cuisine.

The so-called people are cheap when they leave their hometown, and things are expensive when they leave their hometown. Opening in this Changancheng after traveling from afar, the price is naturally not cheap.

"Daoist Master, please go upstairs!"

Following the waiter's greeting, Luo Faqing lifted his Daoist robe, *deng-deng-deng* went upstairs, pushed open the private room by the window, and immediately laughed: "Hahaha, why, do you have money now to treat this poor Daoist to a taste of something fresh?"

Li Yan stood up hurriedly. "Greetings, Senior."

"Eh, why be so polite!"

Luo Faqing waved his hand, sat down directly, and smiled. "I had something to do a while ago, and when you came to Chang'an, I didn't have time to welcome you. This meal is on me."

As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed. "I also heard about the matter at Mount Taibai. I know that Uncle-Master, he is not a fierce person. I don't know why he used evil methods to prolong his life..."

Just as the two were talking, a knock on the door sounded, and then the waiter brought up a large tray of dishes, singing:

"Huaiyang delicacies are fragrant, the dishes are unforgettable. Crab roe lion's head, stewed dried silk, three-set duck, pork terrine... Guest, please taste."

After serving the dishes, he flicked the towel, draped it over his shoulder, and said with a flattering face: "Two guests, there are girls in our shop who sing ballads..."

"No need, we have something to talk about."

Li Yan waved his hand to refuse, and after the waiter left, he stood up to pour wine for Luo Faqing.

Luo Faqing looked at the table, thoughtful. "The wine and dishes are rich, and there is no reason for courtesy. Have you encountered something?"

"I couldn't hide it from Senior."

Li Yan didn't talk nonsense and told the story directly.

"Dharma fighting..."

Luo Faqing laughed dumbly and shook his head. "You are a Living Yin Official, and looking at your appearance, you have already obtained the inheritance. Even in the Mystic Sect, you are no worse than the Orthodox Sect. Why bother getting involved in such things?"

Li Yan said sternly, "Although the martial world is big, there are not that many friends who can catch my eye. When it's time to take action, I must take action!"

"Hahaha..."

Luo Faqing nodded with satisfaction. "Well said. Cultivating the Dao, cultivating the Dao, if you can't even be a good person, what qualifications do you have to seek the Dao."

"Dharma fighting of this kind, as long as it doesn't make too much noise, our Law Enforcement Hall usually turns a blind eye."

"But similarly, it's not easy for us to take action, and we won't show up. You kid are also clever, letting someone secretly pass me a letter, so this matter is easy to handle."

"I have two good friends who, although side-door, have superb sorcery and are also righteous. I will write a letter later, and you can go find them directly."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of pork terrine and pondered. "The Mystic Sect is special, but some rules are similar to the martial world."

"Dharma fighting, Dharma fighting, many times what you fight is not Dharma, but connections, especially this 'Heavenly Origin Bureau'..."

"You standing up for someone this time can be considered as wanting to establish a name in the Chang'an trade. If you do things beautifully, you will have a reputation, and people will naturally come to you to handle things, and you will gradually gain a foothold."

"But relying on others is ultimately not the way."

"You have a hook certificate and have completed the mission, and can summon the Yin Division troops to help. This is the real capital for gaining a foothold..."

Hearing this, Li Yan said depressedly, "Don't mention it, this hook certificate is really not as useful as I imagined."

"Catching Yin criminals on Mount Taibai, there were three extra Gang Orders in the hook certificate. Each Gang Order can summon the Five Camps of Ghost Soldiers once, five hundred in total each time, and they are gone after use."

"In addition, the hook certificate can confer some ghost soldiers to run errands, but I can't suppress the powerful ones, and the weak ones are useless."

"Compared to the danger of the Yin Official mission, it's a bit like chicken ribs..."

Luo Faqing stared upon hearing this and said angrily, "You say this, and I'm afraid some Dharma lineages will be pissed off."

"Do you really think troops and horses are so easy to get?"

"First, you need an Ancestor Altar, second, you need generations of masters to accumulate, year-round incense offerings, and regular training before they will listen."

"No matter how bad the Five Camps of Ghost Soldiers are, they are still stronger than the ancestor troops of ordinary Dharma lineages. If you are qualified in the future, you might even be able to summon the regular troops of the Underworld, comparable to the register troops of my Orthodox Sect."

"And these ghost soldiers, ordinary people raising Yin souls must have something to suppress them before they can avoid chaos."

"And this hook certificate of yours is the best treasure for suppression. You only need to offer incense occasionally, which is much more convenient than theirs..."

Li Yan pondered for a moment and laughed. "That's true." With Luo Faqing's explanation, he finally understood completely.

The power of the hook certificate is definitely not comparable to those of the Orthodox Sect and major Dharma lineages. After all, they have a thousand years of accumulation, many personnel, and large-scale rituals involving hundreds of people.

But the strength of this thing is that one person can use it, and summoning troops is time-saving and labor-saving.

To put it bluntly, it is strong in single-soldier combat.

And the more Gang Orders accumulated after completing the mission, the more it is a trump card that can turn the tide at critical moments...

…………

Half an hour later, Li Yan went downstairs wearing a bamboo hat, checked that no one was following, merged into the crowd, and walked toward the southwest of Changancheng.

He moved fast, and in less than the time it takes to burn three sticks of incense, he arrived near Yanping Gate on the west side of Changancheng.

Looking up at the archway of Fengyi Ward, Li Yan walked in with big strides.

Just as Wang Fu said, after demolishing the ward walls, canceling the curfew policy, and no longer prohibiting private trade among the people, the entire Changancheng was full of business.

!.

But this Fengyi Ward was a bit special.

Unlike Xianyang City, almost everyone who eats dead man's food in Changancheng is concentrated here: coffin shops, lever houses, grave-watching teachers, white-affair banquet makers, mourning children, bone pickers, river-drifter fishers, paper-figure makers, skin-stitchers...

In short, all trades related to white affairs can be found here.

Ordinary people find this place unlucky and won't come unless necessary, so there are not many pedestrians on the street.

The shop assistants are also too lazy to greet them.

After all, there is no such thing as soliciting customers for this business.

Because it involves life and death, this is also a place where side-door people in Changancheng gather.

Li Yan walked with big strides, bypassed into the alley on the left, arrived outside a simple small courtyard, and knocked on the door lightly.

"Who is it~"

A lazy voice came from inside.

Through the wooden door, it felt thick and gentle.

Li Yan said in a low voice, "Introduced by Daoist Luo Faqing."

"Oh, wait a moment."

Accompanied by a *creak*, the wooden door opened.

The person who opened the door was a middle-aged man, his skin abnormally pale, as if he hadn't seen the sun for many years. He looked good, but his beard was messy, his clothes were untidy, and he seemed not yet awake.

"Come in."

The man said listlessly, then turned and walked toward the house while yawning, rummaging around with a *clatter*, cursing: "Which thief stole my tea leaves?"

Li Yan didn't care and glanced at the small courtyard.

Under the eaves, there were soul-summoning banners of all sizes, some made of paper, some of cloth, and even some sewn from animal skins.

Soon, the middle-aged man came out scratching his belly, lazily saying: "There's nothing to entertain you with at home, I guess you wouldn't look down on it."

"No matter."

Li Yan shook his head slightly and handed the letter Luo Faqing had written to him. "Senior, this is what Daoist Luo Faqing asked me to pass on."

The man looked at it for a few times after taking it and sneered: "Dharma fighting... I've heard of this Liu Wenchen. A useless thing, wanting to snatch people's things and making such a big scene."

"Fine, I'll go when the time comes."

Li Yan bowed respectfully. "Senior, although there is the relationship of Daoist Luo, the reward that should be given cannot be less. I wonder if Senior..."

"Reward?"

The man scratched his head, his eyes narrowed, and he smiled ambiguously. "Seeing that you kid have money, I haven't drunk flower wine for a long time..."

Li Yan laughed dumbly. "No problem!"

This was the first person Luo Faqing introduced.

Shen Sanyou, with three layers of cultivation, an expert in the Yin Gate, specializing in helping people mourn and summon souls, nicknamed "Night Crying Lang."

…………

Half an hour later, Li Yan came to Xuanyi Ward.

He walked straight into a pawnshop.

The pawnshop counter was tall, and even if Li Yan stood, he had to look up, and only a small opening was opened, from which a cold voice came.

"What does the guest want to pawn?"

Li Yan didn't talk nonsense and stuffed the letter in directly.

After a while, the cold voice sounded again.

"I will go when the time comes."

"Reward? Forget it, what I want, you can't afford..."

"Thank you, Senior."

Li Yan didn't talk nonsense, bowed, and left.

After leaving the shop, he turned his head to look at the huge "Pawn" sign behind him, and Li Yan still felt it was unbelievable.

In these few months, he had already understood the status of the Mystic Sect.

The Grand Profound Orthodox Sect doesn't need to be mentioned, and ordinary evil sorcerers, like that kind of goods You Laosi, could become guests of honor in gangs.

But not everyone in the Mystic Sect is wealthy.

For example, that "Night Crying Lang" Shen Sanyou, I don't know what happened to him before, he was muddled, living one day at a time, as long as he had a mouthful of food.

The person in this "Pawn" shop is even more extreme.

The other party was once a killer named "Shadow," who was good at illusion, but was willing to be an ordinary person, working as a master appraiser in this pawnshop.

Perhaps, as Luo Faqing said.

Practicing sorcery, for some people, is not an opportunity, but more like a curse...

…………

"The matter is settled."

When he returned to Fenglai Inn, night had already fallen.

Looking at everyone's gaze, Li Yan laughed dumbly. "Don't worry, this time I invited two Mystic Sect experts. The helpers Liu Wenchen found might shrink back when they hear the names."

"That's good."

Feng Feiyan covered her mouth and smiled, her eyes flowing. "Little Brother Li is truly extraordinary. Just arriving in Chang'an, you have such connections. In the future, you will definitely be a figure of the wind and clouds in the Guanzhong trade."

"The boss is too kind."

Li Yan smiled and made a haha, not answering.

He lived here, even with the relationship of Red Yecha, how could he fully trust this Feng Feiyan.

Nothing else, the other party's situation made him notice something wrong.

Red Yecha said that Feng Feiyan's family had fallen, she broke into Chang'an alone, not only mixed well in the martial world, but also created an industry like Fenglai Inn.

He had Sha Lifei secretly collect some information.

Everything looked flawless.

But it was too perfect!

She looked like a very smart and lucky person, walking very steadily step by step, and could turn danger into safety every time.

However, many things cannot be explained by just being smart.

In this world, there is never a shortage of smart people.

The martial world is sinister, it's better to keep more of a heart...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 133 =====