Chapter 167: The Return of the Law Enforcement Hall

On the fifth day of the first lunar month in the Year of the Yi-Si, the sound of firecrackers in Changancheng was incessant.

Amidst this festive atmosphere, a team of Daoists returned on horseback; it was none other than the Chang'an Law Enforcement Hall, which had been away for quite some time.

Almost everyone among them was wounded, their collars torn, stained with blood, and covered in the traces of battle; their eyes were sharp, and the killing intent on their bodies had yet to dissipate.

Not only were there a large number of garrison soldiers clearing the way in front, but there were also guards in the rear, and even men from the Commandant's Office were mixed in among them.

Li Yan's heart skipped a beat—the numbers were not quite right!

The Chang'an Law Enforcement Hall had a hundred men; although not a large number, they were all raised from childhood by the Profound Heaven Sect and were skilled in combat and slaughter.

Moreover, they cooperated with tacit understanding and could even deploy the Mystic Sect Sword Array.

But now, nearly half of them were missing!

What had they encountered?

Just then, Li Yan saw Luo Mingzi in the ranks.

Half of his body was wrapped in bandages, but looking at his appearance, his spirits were not bad; he rode his horse, his cold eyes scanning the surroundings, seemingly searching for something.

Suddenly, he saw Li Yan leaning against the window.

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, cupping his hands in greeting.

Luo Mingzi also waved and cupped his hands, then looked around again.

Li Yan immediately understood; they were on guard against someone...

"Look at that!"

Guo Luquan exclaimed again.

Everyone craned their necks to look, only to see that there was also an ox cart in the procession.

On the cart, a coffin was being pulled.

The coffin was crafted from pure copper, ancient in age, covered in verdigris, and the patterns on it were complex, though already mottled and blurred.

Outside the coffin, iron chains as thick as an arm were bound layer by layer; not only that, but strips of peach wood charms were hung all over it.

Even more eerie was that there were seven holes on the coffin lid, arranged in the position of the Big Dipper, with seven rusted iron spears thrust into them.

"It's a Corpse-Suppressing Coffin!"

Guo Luquan, standing nearby, gasped, "So this thing really exists; I thought it was just a rumor."

The old man from the Carpenter Sect also furrowed his white brows, his fingers measuring three inches in front of his eyes as he gestured at the coffin, his eyes filled with shock, "Good heavens, the dimensions correspond to the four ominous numbers of illness, separation, calamity, and death; this was clearly done on purpose..."

Li Yan asked curiously, "Is a Corpse-Suppressing Coffin specifically for suppressing zombies? Why not just burn it?"

Guo Luquan explained, "I also heard this from a senior pallbearer; some powerful zombies, having absorbed yin-evil energy for a long time, are disasters in themselves."

"Not to mention how powerful they are, once they are killed, the plague and evil energy will immediately spread, leaving endless trouble; they can only be suppressed and slowly worn down by innate gang-qi or the power of incense."

"Looking at this, it's been a long time; the Profound Heaven Sect is also something—why not just send this thing directly to Mount Huashan or Mount Zhongnan? Why transport it to Changancheng?"

"What do you know!"

The old man from the Carpenter Sect nearby glanced at him, "This is no ordinary zombie; see the spears on the coffin lid?"

"Those are Seven-Star Soul-Suppressing Nails, originating from the Nail-Head Seven-Arrow Art; it's a malicious curse. Who knows who the person in the coffin offended while alive..."

"The senior is indeed knowledgeable."

Everyone chimed in with flattery.

The old man, however, shook his head with a solemn expression, "I've only heard of such things; anyway, it's extremely unlucky. Why did I see this thing today... Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"

Having said that, he spat on the ground three times in succession.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"

The others followed suit.

But then, they were attracted by what was behind the coffin.

It was a wooden prisoner cart, inside which an old man was locked, his shoulder blades pierced by hooks, and over a dozen iron spikes thrust into his body; he was covered in filthy blood, his head bowed so his features were unclear.

"Who is this guy?"

"How would I know, but he must be a formidable character..."

Everyone fell into another round of discussion.

Only Li Yan suddenly furrowed his brows.

The scent on that person was not unfamiliar to him.

It was the "Grave Snake" Dugu Gan of the Maitreya Sect!

This guy had actually been caught?

So the Law Enforcement Hall had gone out in full force to deal with the Maitreya Sect.

Li Yan had a guess in his heart, but doubts arose along with it.

He knew Dugu Gan; his cultivation should be at the third or fourth level, and although powerful, and he raised a ferocious cockscomb snake, it was absolutely impossible for him to cause the Law Enforcement Hall such losses.

Could it be the Corpse-Suppressing Coffin from just now?

…………

After this incident, Li Yan naturally had no heart for drinking.

After the Law Enforcement Hall's procession left, he calculated the time and realized he had returned to the Chenghuangmiao, so he bid farewell to everyone and headed toward Guangde Ward.

Arriving outside the Chenghuangmiao, it was indeed under martial law.

Although Li Yan could not get close, he had long since become familiar with the young Daoist guarding the gate, so he entrusted him to pass a message to Luo Mingzi.

The young Daoist soon came out, only telling him to wait.

But this wait lasted a full two hours.

Just as Li Yan was wondering, Luo Mingzi walked out from the side gate of the Chenghuangmiao, his face full of apology, "There were too many things to handle; I just finished."

"Let's go, find a place to drink; I've been in the mountains for two months, I'm about to suffocate!"

The nearby taverns were basically all related to the Profound Heaven Sect, so the two of them casually found one that had just opened and entered a quiet private room.

Once the wine and meat were served, Luo Mingzi ate and drank voraciously, as if he were a starving ghost reincarnated.

Just as Li Yan was about to speak, Luo Mingzi shook his head, "Don't ask; even if you ask, I can't say. Anyway, this time was miserable enough."

Wasn't it just going to catch the Grave Snake?

Li Yan was speechless, but he didn't pry further.

He knew that things were definitely not that simple.

Although Dugu Gan was ferocious, if he was caught, they could just execute him; why bring him back?

Perhaps they wanted to lure out his accomplices.

Of course, this matter had nothing to do with him, and he didn't want to make things difficult for Luo Mingzi, so he simply kept his mouth shut.

Luo Mingzi ate several plates of food in a row and drank half a pot of wine before wiping his mouth and laughing, "I heard about the incident at Xiangji Temple; you did well. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known that the Maitreya Sect had laid out such a large trap near Chang'an."

"Speaking of this..." Li Yan straightened his expression and said in a deep voice, "I want to know, what is Zhao Changsheng's background?"

"Why are you asking about him?"

Luo Mingzi shook his head, "He is not in Guanzhong; this was likely just a casual move by him. It's best to stay far away from this person; he is not someone you can afford to provoke."

Naturally, someone had inquired about the Xiangji Temple incident.

It was no surprise that Luo Mingzi knew it was Zhao Changsheng's doing.

Li Yan was silent for a moment, "My father's death is related to him..."

As he spoke, he recounted Lu Gongyuan's confession and what had happened at the brothel at that time.

He hadn't told anyone about this yet.

"Your father?"

Luo Mingzi was clearly somewhat stunned, "Your father was just a martial arts swordsman in the Jianghu; why investigate Zhao Changsheng's roots?"

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "I have a suspicion in my heart, but I need to know Zhao Changsheng's roots to verify it. Is he really a member of your Profound Heaven Sect?" Luo Mingzi was silent for a while, then picked up his wine and took a sip, saying, "This matter is a taboo within the sect, but since it concerns your father's death, I will no longer hide it, but you must not tell anyone else."

"Zhao Changsheng, originally named Changkongzi, was a genius with astonishing talent in our Profound Heaven Sect, but later something happened, and he betrayed the sect."

Li Yan's brows knit together, "Was he ever responsible for the distribution of military magic artifacts and plaques in the capital?"

Luo Mingzi was stunned, "He did indeed stay in the capital."

"Then that must be him."

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "My grandfather was a veteran of the Northern Frontier War, and the imperial court bestowed a 'Hundred-Battle Plaque' to suppress evil and protect the home, but I only discovered last year that this object had been secretly cursed with an evil binding spell."

"This binding spell was designed very cleverly; it only takes effect slowly and is difficult to detect. If hung for a long time, it will lead to the end of one's lineage."

"In that pursuit battle in the Northern Frontier back then, fewer than a hundred people returned alive. After coming to Chang'an, I entrusted someone to find the roster of those veterans from that year."

"Over these years, after the veterans retired and returned to their fields, their families either met with disasters or their descendants died inexplicably; even the leader of the team, Yuan Xizhong, was plagued by all kinds of illnesses in his later years, and subsequently committed a crime that led to the execution of his entire family..."

"I think my father probably tried to contact those old comrades for my grandfather, and as a result, discovered the anomaly and traced it to Zhao Changsheng..."

!.

This was the process Li Yan had deduced based on the clues.

After hearing this, Luo Mingzi was clearly somewhat shocked, "The court bestowed plaques to the veterans, and he even tampered with those!"

"That should be the case."

Li Yan nodded and frowned, "It's just that there is one thing I have never been able to figure out..."

As he spoke, he took out the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin tassel and said in a deep voice, "The binding spell could deceive the imperial court entirely because of this object."

"The Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin was refined by Yang Yi's magic blade; there are 108 of them in total. Although they aren't top-tier, they are precious enough."

"My grandfather and the others were just veteran farmers who didn't even know a single character, and they had no contact with the Mystic Sect at all. Why go to such lengths and spend such a price to harm them?"

Having said that, he stared fixedly at Luo Mingzi's eyes.

This question had troubled him for a long time.

"I know why."

Luo Mingzi was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Not many people know about this; it was a ruthless move by the imperial court."

"The Northern Frontier Rebellion was not just the ambition of the frontier marshal; there were also some tribes supporting it from behind, and the person who bewitched them was none other than the Shaman High Priest clan that remained from the original Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom."

"A national master proficient in Feng Shui and geomancy submitted a memorial, saying that those Shaman priests had gathered the Northern Frontier's dragon veins, attempting to re-establish their nation."

"Therefore, the imperial court not only sent troops to suppress them but also selected veterans in the army with hard-fate horoscopes to charge into the Northern Frontier, destroy the Shaman altars, and hunt down the descendants of those tribal royalty, going all the way into the ice fields."

"The Shaman Sect believes that all things have spirits; their altars were often located between mountains and rivers, with stone-carved idols, stone towers, wood-carved Bangi pillars, bone masks hanging on trees, etc..."

"If all of these are destroyed, the dragon veins cannot gather."

"So that's how it is..."

Li Yan's eyes shook, and he remembered what his grandfather had said.

The leader of the team, Yuan Xizhong, went mad and burned down all the villages along the way, including Han villages, and his grandfather had a conflict with him because of this...

His grandfather and the others destroyed many stone pillars; sometimes a white-haired wind would suddenly blow in the middle of the night, some people would go mad and say they saw strange women, and some would freeze to death, only to have eerie smiles on their faces after waking up...

Luo Mingzi continued, "Those soldiers were only responsible for the hands-on work; apart from the leader Yuan Xizhong, no one knew about this."

"Their military flags were magic artifacts from the previous dynasty, capable of suppressing surrounding evil spirits; not telling them was also out of fear that they would be afraid."

"If there is no fear in the heart, ghosts and gods naturally find it hard to invade, and in the vicinity of their team, there were battles of magic, until the Shaman Sect remnants of the Wolf Kingdom were completely crushed."

"Later, some of them ran away and were protected by the ice field Shamans. These Shamans were at odds with the Tsardom royal family and were hostile to each other, which was also one of our Great Xuan's barriers, so we didn't take action and withdrew."

"Since then, the Northern Frontier has been completely stable, and His Majesty moved a large population outside the pass, established trade, and now they have all become citizens of our Great Xuan."

"And the leader of the Profound Heaven Sect back then was none other than Changkongzi!"

"He was seriously injured at the time, and after returning to the capital, he stayed in the Ministry of Rites for a period of time, and then suddenly disappeared."

"When he appeared again, he was already the Deputy Sect Zhao Tongling of the Maitreya Sect, calling himself Zhao Changsheng. At that time, he inexplicably offered a plan to have Maitreya Sect incense halls everywhere gather in Guanzhong to start an uprising. Many people thought he was an undercover agent, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding."

"His master went to persuade him, only to be killed by him..."

"I understand!"

Li Yan suddenly realized, "He is a Reincarnator!"

"When he returned from the Northern Frontier, he was already no longer Changkongzi. After leaving the Ministry of Rites, he even went to Dongying, allowing an Onmyoji from Dongying to also reincarnate!"

"No wonder, only this makes sense."

"It must be that some Shaman expert from back then reincarnated, possessed Changkongzi, and hadn't recovered when he returned to the Ministry of Rites. He was afraid of being discovered by others, and also harbored resentment, which is why he used this malicious trick!"

"My grandfather and the others destroyed the dragon veins, Changkongzi had already been possessed, and the rest would naturally be retaliated against!"

"Possession?!"

Luo Mingzi's expression was also uncertain, and he stood up abruptly, "That Zhao Changsheng is elusive, and has appeared all over the Divine Land these years. If he really is a remnant from back then, his schemes are probably not small!"

"This matter is of great importance; I must return to the capital immediately to report it!"

"Also, remember not to tell anyone. That Zhao Changsheng was able to possess Changkongzi; his cultivation must have been concealed. Just act as if you don't know about this, and absolutely do not meddle."

"If you are noticed, no one can save you!"

Having said that, he turned to leave.

Li Yan suddenly asked, "Is he a God-Ascender?"

Luo Mingzi turned around and smiled bitterly, "You even know about this? It must be that rascal Shen Sanyou who has a loose tongue!"

"According to what you said, Zhao Changsheng is definitely a God-Ascender, so he is extremely dangerous, far from what we can handle."

"God-Ascender... you are a Living Yin-Messenger, it's best to stay far away from them."

"Those who step on this path are mostly no longer human!"

Having said that, he quickly went out the door and clattered down the stairs.

When Li Yan settled the bill and came out of the tavern, Luo Mingzi had already left the Chenghuangmiao, riding his horse far away, quickly disappearing...

Looking at the figure of the other person leaving, Li Yan was lost in thought.

There were still a pile of things in Chang'an; for Luo Mingzi to be able to leave this place and immediately head to the capital, one could imagine how serious the matter was.

Of course, Daoist Luo Mingzi also overestimated him.

Zhao Changsheng was so mysterious, the conspiracy he was opposing was the entire country, and his cultivation was unfathomable; he would definitely not provoke him.

The imperial court had countless experts; once the other party's roots were leaked, there would naturally be waves of people looking for trouble with them.

Of course, that was only temporary.

If the other party was still alive when he stepped onto that path, he would naturally find a way to deal with them personally.

Thinking of this, Li Yan also turned around, preparing to leave.

Suddenly, he sniffed and turned his head to look into the distance.

He seemed to have smelled a scent just now, which seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't immediately remember who it was.

And this scent dissipated in the blink of an eye.

Li Yan shook his head and strode out of Guangde Ward.

On the street in the distance, a few people carried a delicate small sedan chair and left.

This kind of sedan chair was for women to ride in; there were many women returning to their maiden homes after the New Year, so it was very inconspicuous.

Inside the sedan, red ropes were wrapped around yellow charms, isolating the surrounding aura.

Inside sat a woman in white,

It was none other than the concubine of Squire Lu from the original Ancient Water Village...

Only two chapters today, organizing the outline.

(End of chapter)