Chapter 14

Sha Lifei's heart skipped a beat. "What's the matter?"

He knew better than anyone that the kid before him was no pushover.

When he first came here years ago, he had thought: a lame old man and a half-grown brat—how much trouble could they possibly be?

Just showing up to say a word was already giving them face.

No one could say anything if word got out.

Because of that, he had been boisterous and loud that time.

Not only were his manners lacking, but he had also bossed them around, relying on his status as a senior to demand that Li Yan prepare wine and food, wanting to freeload a meal.

Li Yan was still young back then, but he wasn't the type to take things lying down.

He did prepare the wine and food, and quite a lavish spread at that, but he had slipped in some croton powder, carefully controlling the dosage so that Sha Lifei only started suffering from uncontrollable diarrhea after he had left the village and hit the road.

Sha Lifei had been furious at the time.

But because he was still leading the wheat harvesters—and snatching grain from the dragon's mouth was no joke—he had to keep moving, thinking he would teach the kid a lesson when he returned the following year.

He hadn't harbored any murderous intent, though.

He had plenty of ways to deal with a greenhorn.

For instance, under the guise of a martial arts sparring match, he could give him a sound beating.

He hadn't expected, however, that Li Yan, using the power of the substitute deity statue, would practice martial arts like a madman, achieving minor success by the following year.

Although his experience was still lacking, he wasn't so easy to handle anymore.

Since then, Sha Lifei had been much more polite.

Now that he was suddenly calling him over, could it be that he was looking for trouble, or perhaps wanting to take back the job of leading the wheat harvesters?

Thinking of this, Sha Lifei wore a smile, but was secretly on guard in his heart.

These wolf cubs who had just entered the Jianghu were the most ruthless, acting with total disregard for consequences; to make a name for themselves, they would dare to do anything.

He mustn't stumble here today...

Just as he was feeling uneasy, Li Yan spoke up: "I heard that Uncle Sha has connections with people in the Mystic Sect. Could you introduce me to one?"

Sha Lifei was stunned, simultaneously relieved and filled with gossip, asking curiously: "What's up? Did you run into something?"

"Is it a haunting or a feng shui issue?"

Li Yan didn't answer directly. "Nothing much, just curious. Uncle Sha, give it to me straight: do you actually have this connection?"

"Of course I do!"

Sha Lifei immediately patted his chest and laughed: "Don't you go asking around—I am Sha Lifei, and I have friends all over the world."

"On this Guanzhong road, there isn't a problem I can't smooth over!"

Seeing Li Yan's expressionless face, he widened his eyes. "What, you don't believe me? I really do know someone in the Mystic Sect."

"That's a fire-dwelling Daoist who specializes in Qimen Dunjia, word-guessing and fortune-telling, reading feng shui for yin and yang dwellings, and catching ghosts and subduing demons—he's proficient in everything. The wealthy families in Changancheng all scramble to invite him..."

Sha Lifei was spitting as he spoke, but the more Li Yan heard, the less reliable it sounded.

Although he was a layman, he had some understanding of folklore from his past life.

Just in the field of numerology, there were Eight Characters, Six Lines, Plum Blossom Numerology, Six Ren, Qimen Dunjia, Taiyi Divine Numerology, Purple Star Astrology... the schools were numerous.

Learning just one would consume a great deal of energy.

Those without sufficient talent couldn't even get a foot in the door.

Let alone catching ghosts and subduing demons—it sounded like a big scam at first listen.

Sha Lifei, of course, didn't know this and continued to boast: "That person is named Wang Daoxuan. I heard he has connections with the Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao in Changancheng, and he once even wrote a death notice for someone in Xianyang..."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan's eyes lit up.

The Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao was a true orthodox Mystic Sect.

And writing a death notice—not everyone was qualified for that.

A death notice was a funeral document recording the deceased's date of birth and death, as well as the specific times for cremation and the funeral procession.

Only with a death notice would the authorities permit burial in the ground.

Du Daya had once chatted about how the masters who wrote death notices were basically all people from the Mystic Sect.

According to Li Yan's guess, writing death notices also served the role of a coroner.

For those whose cause of death was unclear or who had died of poisoning, the yin-yang master had the authority to refuse to write the notice and report it to the authorities for handling, which even included those corpses that might be "problematic."

Regardless, this Wang Daoxuan should be an insider.

At the very least, he could ask how to enter the Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao to cultivate.

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Li Yan's face, and his tone became much more polite. "Then I'll have to trouble Uncle Sha. There will definitely be a reward afterward."

"Easy!"

Sha Lifei laughed, then shook his head. "But this matter is a bit troublesome. You'll need to accompany me on a trip; it just so happens you can follow the team tomorrow."

Li Yan frowned slightly. "Why is that?"

Sha Lifei clicked his tongue. "That Daoist Wang is very busy. He's particular about rules and etiquette in everything; you can't expect him to come see you."

"It just so happens we're going to Xianyang, so we can help you get it done on the way!"

"Oh."

Li Yan pondered for a moment. "That's fine."

This Sha Lifei's words were a mix of truth and lies, and he loved to brag, but he could tell that he probably only knew that Wang Daoxuan and didn't have much of a friendship with him.

Regardless, it was at least a path, and he might gain something after meeting him.

The matter of entering the Mystic Sect could not be delayed.

He had opened his Yang Six Roots; if he were targeted by something else again, he wouldn't have the immortal horse-riding master to give him advice on avoiding evil.

Xianyang wasn't far, nor was it close; he could be back in five or six days.

Asking a neighbor to look after his grandfather for a trip was fine.

Seeing him agree, a flash of smugness crossed Sha Lifei's eyes, and he waved his hand. "Alright, it's settled then. We set off early tomorrow morning!"

With that, he hurriedly said his goodbyes and left.

Watching the other's departing figure, Li Yan shook his head slightly, turned, and returned to the house to pack his bags for tomorrow's departure..........

The next day, before dawn, the sound of horse hooves approached from afar.

"Little Brother Yan, let's go!"

Sha Lifei's loud, booming voice followed.

Li Yan was already prepared.

It was nearing the Grain in Ear solar term, and the weather was hot, so he only wore a black cloth short-sleeved outfit, a straw hat to shade him from the sun, carried his pack, and had his Guanshan saber strapped horizontally at his waist.

He came before his grandfather Li Gui's room and knocked. "Grandfather, I'm leaving."

However, there was no response from inside.

Seeing this, Li Yan felt a bit helpless.

He had mentioned this yesterday, and his grandfather naturally hadn't wanted him to go.

!.

It was a pity, but since it concerned his future life and death, he had to make this trip.

Just as he was about to turn away, an old voice came from inside: "The Jianghu is treacherous; keep your wits about you when you encounter things."

"Got it!"

Li Yan was instantly happy and strode away.

Creak~

As soon as he left, his grandfather Li Gui pushed open the door, looked at the boy's retreating back, sighed faintly, and inexplicably thought of Li Hu from back then.

"Father, what is the Jianghu?"

"The Jianghu?"

"Stepping out of this door is the Jianghu..."

…………

Li Yan had once thought that having lived two lives, nothing would excite him anymore.

After all, having seen the glitz and glamour of his past life and the towering wonders, even the most prosperous capital in this world was, in his eyes, just a bit antique.

However, the moment he stepped out of the mountain village, he realized he was wrong.

The shadow of Li Family Fort gradually disappeared; the yellow earth gullies, golden wheat fields, emerald green forests, blue sky and white clouds... the grandeur of the Guanzhong land rushed toward him.

This was an unpolluted world.

Everything in heaven and earth seemed exceptionally clear.

Coupled with the unknown Mystic Sect, in a trance, Li Yan felt as if he had become that boy again, full of curiosity and longing for the outside world.

"Brother Yan, why are you leaving too?"

Hei Dan leaned over, interrupting his thoughts.

This black kid was just as excited.

Unlike Li Yan, except for going to Lantian County for the temple fair, this was his first time traveling so far; where was his usual steadiness? He talked non-stop along the way.

"Xianyang, I heard it's so far away..."

"I wonder if we'll be able to see Changancheng on the road..."

Of course, he soon felt the hardship of the journey.

They walked on the official road; the scorching sun was blazing, dust seemed to be churning on the dirt road, and the golden wheat fields on both sides rolled like waves in the hot summer wind.

Coupled with the heat-absorbing black coarse cloth clothes, it felt like being roasted under the sun; before long, his face was flushed red, and sweat dripped down.

Sha Lifei had gathered about fifty wheat harvesters from the villages around Li Family Fort, all carrying packs, with sickles and whetstones at their waists.

When they set off, their attire was still relatively neat.

But at this moment, most had opened their clothes, and some had simply taken off their tops, bare-chested, revealing bronze-colored skin under the sun.

Although Sha Lifei was riding a horse, he was also roasting hot.

He would occasionally take off the water bottle at his waist and steal a glance at Li Yan.

Unfortunately, Li Yan just walked in silence, occasionally looking at the surrounding scenery.

The group set off early in the morning, walking without stopping until noon.

At this time, Hei Dan was already drenched in sweat, his eyes blacking out, his soles aching, his ankles soft; every step felt like stepping on cotton.

Li Yan was also covered in sweat, but his expression was calm.

After all, having practiced martial arts for years, his footwork far exceeded that of ordinary people.

Finally, Sha Lifei checked the sky, saw that it was noon, and said: "Find a place to rest; we'll continue after avoiding the poisonous sun."

They still had to walk for two consecutive days.

Walking at noon consumed more energy, and there were many elderly people in the team, so it was better to save some strength and walk more at night when it was cool.

As for staying at an inn, Sha Lifei hadn't even thought about it.

Even if he were willing, this bunch of poor ghosts wouldn't be willing to spend the money.

It was easy to find a place to rest; not far ahead on the official road, there were several large locust trees with plenty of shade on the ground, enough for people to lie down.

Hearing Sha Lifei's order, everyone hurriedly went forward, found a place to settle, took out hard mixed-grain steamed buns, and washed them down with cold water.

Li Yan also sat down with his back against a tree, eating his dry rations.

His mind was resilient; this bit of distance was just practice for his footwork.

When he returned, he could wander around the Xianyang mule and horse market to see if he could pick up a good horse with the money he had on him.

Clip-clop, clip-clop...

Just as he was deep in thought, a series of horse hoof sounds rang out from afar.

Li Yan squinted his eyes, looked up, and immediately became alert.

There were more than twenty people coming, all riding fast horses, wearing bamboo hats, some carrying long sabers, others carrying short swords; one look and you knew they were Jianghu people.

Suddenly, Li Yan's expression changed slightly, and he pressed down on the saber hilt.

He smelled the scent of blood on these people...

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(End of chapter)