Chapter 19

Li Yan widened his eyes and jumped up.

Just in his sleep, his sense of smell suddenly improved, and various scents around him poured in, waking him up.

This wasn't the first time this had happened.

On the night he killed the Cold Pool Guard soldier, after the substitute deity statue extinguished one life fire, his sense of smell had improved once, but it wasn't as obvious as this time.

The surrounding soil smell, the fresh scent of wheat, the sweat and fishy smell on the distant wheat harvesters, and even the poisonous fishy smell of scorpions under the ground could be distinguished clearly.

But even stranger was the sweet scent!

The substitute deity statue trembled because of this, sending a feeling of craving.

This substitute deity statue treasure he obtained clearly had defects, and many pieces of information could only be sensed vaguely, so it took him a lot of time to figure out its function.

On weekdays, it stayed in his dantian without moving.

Only when he activated the "injury exchange" would it play a role.

And this time, it had an active response.

Could it be that there was some heaven-and-earth treasure inside that could repair the substitute deity statue?

Thinking of this, Li Yan felt excited, and his lips felt a bit dry.

To deal with that Cold Pool Guard soldier, the substitute deity statue extinguished one life fire; although he still had two lives, it was ultimately incomplete.

Who wouldn't hope for one more life?

If there really was something that could repair the deity statue, what would he have to fear in the future!

He came to seek the Dao, but didn't expect an unexpected harvest.

However, just as he was about to approach the mansion to investigate, the scent suddenly disappeared.

At the same time, torches lit up in the Lu family mansion, which were unusually obvious in the dark night, and it was noisy with people, a mess.

Something happened?

Li Yan frowned slightly and pressed his saber hilt.

This movement was unusually obvious in the dark night, and Sha Lifei also woke up with a start, running over while carrying his saber messily. "What's wrong, what's wrong, are bandits smashing the kiln?"

Li Yan shook his head. "Not clear."

At this time, many people had also been awakened.

That Longyou saber-wielder wearing a sheepskin jacket was named Shan Laoquan; he frowned tightly. "Let's go, let's go take a look; after all, it's the host family. If something happens, we can't just watch."

After saying this, several saber-wielders told the wheat harvesters not to run around, then walked toward the Lu family mansion.

Li Yan's heart moved, and he followed closely.

The group arrived outside the Lu family mansion, knocked on the door for a long time, and Steward Lu finally pushed the door out with several bodyguards, his expression unchanged as he said: "What is the matter, everyone?"

As soon as these words came out, several saber-wielders were stunned.

Wasn't this obviously nonsense?

With such a big movement, only a fool wouldn't see it.

Longyou saber-wielder Shan Laoquan narrowed his eyes, cupped his fists, and said in a hoarse voice: "We heard the movement and came to check. Is everything alright at the mansion?"

Steward Lu's expression was indifferent. "It's fine, a wild cat got in and made some noise. Thank you all for your concern."

"You have to get up early tomorrow to harvest wheat, so everyone go to sleep early."

"That's good."

Longyou old saber-wielder nodded and turned to leave.

The Lu family definitely had other things going on, but having mixed in the Jianghu for many years, he had long learned to play deaf and dumb; as long as the wages were paid on time, he was too lazy to care about idle matters.

In any case, it was just those dog-shit things in the deep mansion.

Others, naturally, wouldn't ask more.

But just as everyone was about to leave, Steward Lu suddenly said again: "Brother Sha, please stay; there's something I want to ask you."

"Ah, what's the matter?"

Sha Lifei was confused and stopped, turning around.

Others were a bit surprised, but didn't pay attention.

This Sha Lifei, although his martial arts were average, didn't just rely on his saber to mix in the Jianghu, but also his face, brain, and mouth.

He was thick-skinned, quick-witted, and glib; he would rush up to anyone, talk nonsense, and regardless of whether people liked it or not, he would first get familiar.

Don't underestimate this point.

Often when people encounter things and aren't familiar with the way of that line, the first impression that pops into their minds is this familiar face.

Ask a bit, pull a bit, even if he couldn't take the business, he could earn some hard-earned money for running errands and pulling strings.

Just like this wheat harvester job, it was Sha Lifei chatting with people on the road, pulling strings, and getting familiar with Steward Lu.

Others left quickly, only Li Yan turned and stopped, continuing to wait.

He had a premonition that Steward Lu looking for Sha Lifei was definitely related to the previous event, and he might be able to find a way to mix into the Lu family.

He didn't necessarily have to take it, but at least he could figure out what triggered the substitute deity statue's anomaly, and he would have a goal in the future.

He waited for a long time, until the Yin hour, when the wheat harvesters had already started working, before Sha Lifei came out of the Lu family, his face full of joy.

"What happened?" Li Yan went up directly, pulled him, and asked in a low voice.

Sha Lifei hesitated. "Follow me, I'll tell you on the way."

"Where to?"

"Xianyang City!"

…………

"The Lu family wants to find a yin-yang master."

After leaving Guishui Village far behind, Sha Lifei explained: "The Lu family's eldest wife is dying and wants to invite a geomancer with real skills to choose a grave site and arrange the funeral afterward."

"And it requires secrecy, not to be publicized; you must not talk nonsense."

Li Yan frowned. "Funeral, not to be publicized?"

Sha Lifei laughed. "I did guess some things."

"This Squire Lu, although his ancestral home is in Guanzhong, fled to the capital when he was very young, struggled all his life, and set up a considerable foundation. Therefore, after returning to his roots, he had very little contact with the wealthy families around."

！.

"His eldest wife is from the capital and followed him to Guanzhong; I guess she was angered by Squire Lu's romantic nature and has been bedridden, basically not seeing outsiders."

"That Squire Lu loves face and definitely doesn't want people to gossip."

Li Yan frowned. "That doesn't make sense either; what's there to worry about after people die? Anyway, whatever he says is what it is; a grand funeral would have no controversy."

"Why do you care so much!"

Sha Lifei scratched his bald head. "The Lu family's own business has nothing to do with us; it was I who recommended Daoist Wang to earn a reward for running errands, and it just so happens to be an excuse to help you get an introduction."

"An excuse? Aren't you very familiar?"

"This... this, acquaintances are also divided into three, six, and nine grades... hurry up and go."

Sha Lifei gave a dry laugh and urged him to move forward.

Li Yan shook his head slightly and didn't care.

He had long guessed that Sha Lifei didn't have such a big face, and to get a line with that Wang Daoxuan, he still had to use some means himself.

What he was thinking about now was whether the Lu family's strange behavior was related to the unknown treasure?

Sha Lifei had a horse, and when he left, he borrowed another one from the Lu family.

Li Yan wasn't proficient in riding, but he didn't hold him back, and when the sky was bright, the two had already arrived outside Xianyang City.

This world also had Qin, and the era was even more ancient.

Xianyang was the capital of the Pre-Qin period, located at the confluence of the Weihe and the Jing River, with a large population, gathering people from all walks of life, and convenient water and land transportation.

The two rode their horses and saw from afar the large and small ships coming and going on the Weihe, as well as the towering Qingwei Tower beside the ancient city of Xianyang.

At this time, the city gate was about to open, and a large number of merchants and villagers from surrounding villages had already gathered outside the city, forming a long line; people carrying loads, pushing carts... it was noisy, and mules and horses were neighing.

And at the ferry, the coolies had already started unloading and moving goods.

They came from the south of the city, and if they wanted to enter the city, they had to cross the Weihe, but before they got close to the ferry, Sha Lifei stopped and laughed cheekily: "Yan Yan Xiao Ge Yan, to find someone in the city, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to make a trip?"

Li Yan frowned. "You're not entering the city?"

Sha Lifei touched his big bald head and said helplessly: "Didn't I just have a conflict with Meng Haicheng yesterday? My majestic appearance is outstanding in the crowd and very conspicuous; they have many eyes and ears, and they will find me as soon as I enter the city."

"I'm not afraid, I'm just worried about delaying the business."

Li Yan gave a sneer. "You really know how to order people around, fine."

It was mentioned before that they had to hide their tracks when entering the city, after all, this was Zhou Pan's territory, but Sha Lifei changed his mind temporarily and let him go alone, clearly he was afraid.

Sha Lifei's face was thick, so he wouldn't care about Li Yan's sarcasm, and said with a cheeky smile: "Yan Yan Xiao Ge Yan, you are shrewd and much stronger than me, but there are some things I have to remind you of."

Saying this, he pointed to a large ship on the river.

"Xianyang City is an ancient ferry, gathering Jianghu people from all over, and there are a few you must not provoke."

"That ship is the Xianyang Cao Gang; they control the ferry, and whether it's the coolies' guild or the Xianyang branch of the Taixing Car Guild, they have close relationships, and the boatmen on the Weihe are all their people..."

"In addition, there is the Beggar Sect in the city; their beggar nest is near the mass grave in the north of the city, which is a bit evil; the little beggars in the city are all eyes and ears. I think Yan Yan Xiao Ge Yan knows all their Jianghu tricks, so just be careful..."

"The most critical one is the Shenquan Association; that old monkey Zhou Pan, although he doesn't have a good reputation in the Jianghu, is a bully in Xianyang City, not only having connections with the official side but also the leaders of the two mixed-gangs in the city are his disciples."

"However, Zhou Pan lives in the Flower Shop Street area, and that Daoist Wang lives near the City God Temple at the East Gate; just be careful and you won't run into them..."

Although Sha Lifei was slippery and unreliable, his various news was very well-informed, and he soon recounted all the big and small forces in Xianyang City.

There were some Jianghu ways that outsiders couldn't understand, but Li Yan had a family heritage, and hearing Sha Lifei's explanation, he already had a bottom line in his heart.

He tidied up, put on a white jacket, wiped some dust on his face, and after a simple disguise, walked toward the ferry with his straw hat.

As for Sha Lifei, he led two horses and drilled into the nearby woods to wait.

Li Yan didn't feel anything; he had traveled north and south in his past life, and in this life, he had his father's various Jianghu ways, plus his own skills, so he wasn't afraid of walking anywhere in the world.

However, just as he approached the Weihe, his expression changed.

All kinds of scents poured into his nasal cavity like an explosion.

There were even a few that were those mysterious special scents...

(End of chapter)