Chapter 212: The Chaos of Jingchu

"What the hell is this?"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei widened his eyes, looking utterly curious.

He had followed Li Yan to search for heavenly treasures and earthly gems before.

That was when he went into the mountains with Zhao the Donkey, seeking lightning-struck wood, and had once seen a strange sight—a streak of lightning leaping through the forest.

But compared to what lay before them now, it was utterly insignificant.

In the pitch-black forest, countless white spiritual lights appeared, like countless lanterns floating in midair, rising and falling with uncanny sentience.

Li Yan frowned and turned to Lin Yu.

He had some understanding of biebao techniques.

Finding the target was only the first step; without a method to suppress it, the heavenly treasure would immediately scatter its fortune, or even flee.

Fatty Lin Yu, true to his biebao lineage, remained eerily calm, staring fixedly ahead and speaking in a low voice: "My master never taught me how to suppress it, but I've already spotted the pattern."

"Zi hour belongs to yin; these things manifest only if buried underground—or if they are yin entities from tombs—both fall under the earth element."

"Chen and Chou are damp earth; Wei and Xu are dry earth; Chen is yang damp earth, Chou is yin damp earth; Xu is yang dry earth, Wei is yin dry earth…"

"That earth dragon was a pig dragon that gained cultivation through fortune—it has yang blood and qi, its scales tough and hard, its nature mostly yang dry earth!"

"Wu earth, according to the twelve phases of cultivation, grows strong in Yin, bathes in Mao, crowns in Chen, reaches official status in Si, peaks in Wu… it is in the fetal stage in Zi—only Zi hour can extract it. By calculation, fire and wood can suppress it!"

"Quick! Gather dry wood, light it, and surround them!"

Upon hearing this, no one wasted time—they immediately scoured for firewood, lit torches, and encircled the lights from all directions.

Indeed, biebao practitioners had their own methods.

As they approached with their torches, the white lantern-like lights did not vanish—they were driven inward, converging steadily toward the center.

The space grew cramped, and all the spiritual lights began to merge.

Eventually, they coalesced into a single white orb the size of a water jar, glowing with swirling mist, within which a faint shadow flickered.

Everyone saw it and was startled.

The shadow resembled the earth dragon they had seen earlier—but its hind legs were thick and powerful, its forelimbs slender, its head enormous, and its mouth bristling with fangs.

"What kind of monster is this?"

Lu San frowned deeply, feeling an inexplicable revulsion.

Lin Yu looked bewildered. "No… it's not a dragon."

Only Li Yan's eyes flickered with something strange.

He had seen this thing in his past life.

It was clearly some kind of dinosaur!

ZHOU!

As everyone hesitated, the glowing orb instantly sank into the ground and vanished.

"Quick! Pile up the wood!"

Lin Yu remained unfazed, guiding everyone to heap all the firewood atop the spot where the light had disappeared.

A roaring bonfire blazed up; everyone scoured the surroundings for more firewood, piling and burning it from all sides.

After Zi hour passed, they immediately extinguished the fire, scraped away the charcoal ashes, and began digging downward.

These digging tools had been seized from the bandits—they had clearly planned to come here and dig for treasure themselves.

"Stop!"

Li Yan had been holding the Yang Seal all along; after digging less than a meter, he waved his hand sharply to halt them, then carefully brushed aside the soil and lifted out an object.

It was a pottery vessel—round-mouthed, with three hollow legs.

"Is this the treasure?" Sha Hearing Sha Lifei's eyes lit up.

Li Yan's expression turned grave. "No. This was buried here originally—it's called a 'li.' An ancient vessel."

He had seen such things in museums in his past life—late Neolithic pottery li, coexisting with bronze li during the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

Thinking of this, Li Yan suddenly looked up at Tian Tian Qi Lang. "Those people said this place was an ancient Chu shamanic sacred site?"

"Mm."

Tian Tian Qi Lang nodded, smiling. "Li DaoFriend interested in these? We Meishan have plenty. Sometimes we find them and just use them to water livestock."

"If you want, I'll give you seventy or eighty pieces."

Li Yan was stunned, then sighed softly. "Never mind."

Perhaps in that ancient age, this place had once been glorious—but now, it was all just a handful of yellow earth.

Saying this, he resumed digging downward.

His current Sense of Smell Divine Art could probe ten meters underground—he already knew what lay below.

Sure enough, after digging another meter, large clusters of stone eggs appeared before them. After washing with clear water, some turned yellow, others greenish.

"Stone eggs?"

Lin Yu saw them and grew despondent. "So it's these? We've had plenty found back home—they're fossilized embryos of ancient wild beasts, not true dragons."

"Ancient wild beasts?"

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei perked up. "What do ancient wild beasts look like?"

Lin Yu shook his head. "They're all fossilized—you can barely make out bone shapes. If you're curious, smash a few open and take a look."

"No!"

Li Yan quickly stopped him, brushing aside a nearby stone—on it lay a small dinosaur fossil. "Exactly like this."

"Not that impressive."

Sha Hearing Sha Lifei lost interest immediately.

Of course, the dinosaur egg that had transformed into a heavenly treasure could not be missed.

Li Yan and the others continued digging downward.

The dinosaur egg fossils here were extremely dense and buried shallowly—in his past life, this would have been a world-shaking discovery.

Here, no one cared.

Finally, they found the special fossil.

This dinosaur egg was unlike the others—it was embedded entirely within a single rock, translucent and gemlike, like jade.

The dinosaur skeleton inside was clearly visible.

Li Yan couldn't help but marvel—this world truly held countless wonders. A dinosaur egg turned to jade—back in his past life, no one would have believed it real.

His heart surged with excitement as he placed his hand upon it.

Instantly, waves of scorching energy surged into his dantian, entirely absorbed by the Great Luo Body.

The cracks in his Great Luo Body, repaired after absorbing the coal essence fortune in Shangjin City, had long since been fully mended.

After absorbing this energy, a pale blue spiritual light gathered on his empty left shoulder—then, with a soft *puff*, a deep blue flame ignited, swirling and churning.

The extinguished soul-fire was reignited!

Li Yan's heart leapt—he quickly pulled his hand away.

The fortune contained in this heavenly treasure dinosaur egg was immense—only three-tenths of it had been consumed to ignite one lamp.

He suddenly had a hunch.

This thing's fortune must be tied to life itself—perhaps the strange earth dragon had absorbed this very object, gaining the fortune to transform.

And earlier, when he first repaired and ignited his soul-fire, he had absorbed the fortune of the Tai Sui from the mass grave.

Both shared a common trait: they brimmed with immense vitality!

Igniting the soul-fire must be connected to this.

And this dinosaur egg heavenly treasure must not be wasted.

Those coal essences were also fossilized trilobites—perhaps the dinosaur egg was the same, its fortune accumulating slowly.

If so, he'd gained another life!

Even if his guess was wrong, residual fortune would still prevent the heavenly treasure from decaying.

Li Yan didn't dare delay—he quickly told Sha Hearing Sha Lifei to fetch a leather sack, then carefully chiseled off the dinosaur egg jade and sealed it inside.

With the task done, everyone lost interest.

To them, this translucent dinosaur egg fossil was no different from rare jewels—and far less useful than the earth dragon's hide.

What puzzled them was that Li Yan ordered everyone to rebury the pottery vessel and refill the soil.

"Little Yan, why bother?"

"Don't sever the roots—might be useful to future generations…"

…………

The group returned to the boat; dawn was breaking.

Li Yan asked "Fast Boat Zhang" to turn the vessel around and deliver Tian Tian Qi Lang to the riverbank several miles from Yunyang Prefecture.

"Tian DaoFriend, watch your step."

"Rest assured, friends—until we meet again!" Tian Tian Qi Lang bowed solemnly, then turned and strode away.

Soon, his figure vanished along the official road.

He was heading to the Yunyang Prefecture Chenghuangmiao to issue a warning.

This discovery of the Lord Tian Sheng Sect and the Tusi's conspiracy must be reported immediately—perhaps it could save many lives.

Also, the earth dragon's corpse still lay buried on Mount Mount Qinglong, covered with earth, all traces of the gunpowder explosion cleared.

Tian Tian Qi Lang needed to hire people early to dig it up and transport it back.

"Master Zhang, let's go."

Seeing the opponent's figure vanish, Li Yan's expression grew grim.

The war in Yunyang Prefecture was now inevitable.

In such large-scale warfare, individual strength was nearly negligible, and no one knew how many lives would be lost.

And they, were but a speck of dust…

!.

"Set sail!"

"Fast Boat Zhang" shouted, and the sails swelled at once; the wooden boat cut across the water, leaving ripples behind, vanishing into the morning mist…

Near noon, the boat reached Mount Wudang County.

It was time for another farewell.

This time, it was the wealthy fat young master Lin Yu who was leaving; he would switch to land travel, cross the Bai Yun Mountain Pass, head to Luoyang, then proceed to the capital.

"Gentlemen, thank you all."

Lin Yu bowed formally in gratitude.

He had changed back into a Confucian robe and wore black wood spectacles, appearing frail and easily taken advantage of.

Hearing Sha Lifei chuckled: "Young Master Lin, did you remember the Some Jianghu experience I taught you? Speak only three-tenths of the truth to anyone; hear the spring code, understand its meaning, but never blabber spring talk."

Along the way, he had kept chatting, learning every detail of Lin Yu's background, and treating this potential client with great courtesy.

Of course, he had also casually passed on some Some Jianghu wisdom.

This Lin Yu possessed a photographic memory; Hearing Sha Lifei had only spoken the Some Jianghu slang twice, and the young man had already memorized it.

Though both were juren, Lin Yu seemed more like a man of the Some Jianghu than Yan Yan Jiuling.

"Don't worry, I've remembered it all."

Lin Yu bowed again, smiling: "If any of you ever come to Jiangnan, be sure to visit the Lin household—I'll come running to greet you."

"The Some Jianghu road is long—until we meet again!"

"Until we meet again!"

Everyone clasped fists in farewell, and the wooden boat slowly drifted away.

Lin Yu stood on shore, gazing after it until the boat vanished, then sighed and murmured: "My master once said, partings and reunions in the Some Jianghu are commonplace. I fear I'll never see you again…"

With that, he picked up his luggage and walked toward the official road.

Onboard, once far from shore, "Fast Boat Zhang" stepped from the deck into the cabin and bowed to Li Yan: "Young Master Li, I was too busy earlier—there's something I must discuss with you."

Li Yan nodded. "Senior, please speak."

"Fast Boat Zhang" pulled out a leather map, ancient and worn, yet densely marked with mountains, rivers, and waterways.

"Young Master Li, do you wish to take the main road or the shortcut?"

"What's the difference?"

"If you take the main road, we follow the Han River, pass Xiangyang, reach Hanyang Prefecture after several days, then turn into the Yangtze, loop back through Honghu and Dongting Lake, then enter Jingzhou and Unlike Yichang."

"This is the grain transport route—wide rivers, heavy traffic, and river god temples built along the way. Aside from a few dangerous rapids where water bandits lurk, it's mostly safe—but it's a long detour."

"Even at top speed, it'll take over ten days."

Li Yan frowned slightly. "What about the shortcut?"

"If we take the shortcut, after passing Xiangyang to Jingmen, there are several waterways that lead directly to Jingzhou."

Saying this, "Fast Boat Zhang" sighed. "These waterways are complex, threading through many valleys and treacherous passes, but I know them well—I could navigate them blindfolded."

"But recently, trouble has surfaced—water ghosts, water monsters, and greenwood bandits have taken advantage to raid."

"I heard from Elder Han that you're powerful sorcerers, so I agreed to this. But whether to risk it is up to you."

"Ten days?"

Hearing Sha Lifei immediately shook his head. "We can't afford to sit on this boat that long—we'd accomplish nothing."

He spoke the truth.

The firearms needed handling, Wang Wang Daoxuan needed to quickly establish an altar to consecrate the changbing, and Li Yan needed to train and cultivate his techniques.

Staying on the boat meant doing nothing.

Li Yan nodded. "Senior Zhang, we'll take the shortcut. If we encounter anything along the way, we'll deal with it as we go."

"Besides, we've taken on a task at the Chenghuangmiao."

"Good!"

"Fast Boat Zhang"'s eyes lit up with delight, and he bowed respectfully. "Then I'll stop being polite."

"You can see—I've spent my life on water. I know some taboos, but when I encounter something unclean, I still don't know how to respond."

"I'll waive all fare—take you anywhere you wish. But if you encounter those things, could you give me some guidance?"

This was his hidden motive for agreeing to this journey.

Ordinary people may lack supernatural power, but when they encounter such things, they don't just wait to die—they have methods to respond.

That method is avoiding taboo rituals.

Since ancient times, the Xuanmen has never been solely for cultivation; using divination to determine fortune and misfortune, avoiding taboos, and warding off calamities has always been their core trade.

From ancient shamanic rites to today's Xuanmen.

From imperial state sacrifices to village witch doctors and shamans.

It's all the same principle.

He earned the name "Fast Boat Zhang" not only through his superb seamanship, but also by escorting Some Jianghu sorcerers, treating them with respect, humbly seeking their advice, and accumulating many methods.

When danger arose, he could often avoid it immediately.

He had sensed Li Yan's abilities—those who earned the respect of the Cao Gang elders and the deference of the Meishan Sect sorcerers were no ordinary folk.

Learning even one or two tricks from them could become a family legacy.

Li Yan chuckled. "Senior Zhang, you're too kind—the fare won't be a single coin less. We're all hardworking souls of the Some Jianghu —how could I take advantage of you?"

"Don't worry—Master Wang excels at this. He's compassionate by nature and would teach ordinary people anyway. If you have questions, just ask him."

"Thank you!"

Hearing this, the old man's face lit up with joy.

With the plan settled, no one delayed further.

The boatmen tightened the sails, riding the wind across the river.

The scenery along both banks was beautiful.

Li Yan occasionally came to the deck to admire it, but most of his time was spent inside the cabin, studying Qimen Qimen Dunjia and esoteric texts.

"Fast Boat Zhang" and his crew had also pushed themselves hard.

This broad Han River was as familiar to them as a land road—where the hidden reefs lay, where the dangerous rapids were, they knew perfectly.

They moved swiftly, reaching Xiangyang by the next morning.

Xiangyang, a thousand-year-old city known as "The First City of Shenzhou," was indeed extraordinary; even before approaching, hundreds of boats shuttled across the river.

Though Li Yan wished to explore, healing was urgent—they had already wasted too much time in Yunyang and had no intention of lingering.

They would simply restock supplies at the ferry and leave.

Yet as soon as they stepped ashore, Li Yan sensed something was wrong.

Many faces bore worry; people hurried past in haste.

Li Yan glanced around; Hearing Sha Lifei immediately understood and hurried to a tea stall by the ferry.

In three sentences, he was clapping shoulders with the boat owner, calling him brother; after asking questions, he rushed back, exclaiming:

"It's happened, as expected."

"Rumors from the city say the mountain folk of Jingchu, led by the Lord Tian Sheng Sect, have rebelled."

"And the southwestern tusi have joined in, no longer acknowledging the Great Da Xuan's authority—this has truly escalated…"

Posted early today—resting, only two chapters.

(End of Chapter)