Chapter 214: Playing God and Ghost

The people on the horses were all men with fierce expressions.

They carried bows and arrows on their backs and horizontal blades at their waists, shouting and cursing from afar, acting very arrogant and overbearing.

Sha Lifei was unhappy when he heard this. He glared and cursed back, "Which road did you little bastards come from? When you're out in the world, don't you know how to keep your mouths clean?"

The attire of this group showed at a glance that they were not ordinary commoners.

Li Yan and the others also watched coldly, their bodies filled with baleful energy.

"Stop!"

Seeming to see that they were not to be trifled with, the man waved his hand to stop his subordinates, scanned the group with cold eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Which road are you all from?"

Sha Lifei snorted coldly, "From the land of the Qin Emperor (Guanzhong), eyes bright (knowing the rules of the martial world), not a nuisance (not annoying)!"

The man narrowed his eyes. "People of the river, eating the rice of the five lakes and the Yangtze River, worshiping the founder of the Pai Sect."

"They are people from the Pai Sect!"

Old Man Zhang's pupils shrank, and he reminded them in a low voice.

Seeing his expression, the man revealed a trace of mockery at the corner of his mouth. He was too lazy to continue the secret code and shouted, "Since we are fellow travelers in the martial world, don't make a move, so as not to hurt the harmony."

"Everyone, turn around!"

Li Yan had seen enough along the way and had no good impression of the people from the Pai Sect. Hearing this, he felt even more annoyed and said in a deep voice, "We are just passing through. I don't care what you are doing. Get lost!"

"Looking for death!"

A fierce light flashed in the man's eyes. Hearing this, his subordinates bent their bows and set arrows, actually intending to shoot and kill them directly.

Sha Lifei was amused and stopped talking.

Lu San, who was in the cabin teasing the little white fox, didn't even look and patted the demon gourd beside him.

Hum!

A swarm of poisonous bees whistled out.

The one who ate the most of the earth dragon meat a few days ago was not the little white fox, nor the falcon, but this demon gourd.

Originally a demon with cultivation, this kind of great tonic for blood energy, which also contained yin baleful energy, was simply a great tonic for it.

Lu San cut off a full ten jin, all of which was swallowed by the demon gourd.

At this moment, the bees inside were dense, and not only were the previously lost poisonous bees all replenished, but their toxicity was also more overbearing.

This kind of bee venom was yang poison.

Once stung, whether human or animal, they would experience unbearable stinging pain, as if a red-hot steel rod had been inserted into their flesh.

"Ah!"

Before those people could react, they were stung and fell to the ground, screaming and rolling around, and even the horses were scared away.

Of course, it didn't take their lives.

"Bah, all cowards!"

After the poisonous bees returned, Sha Lifei spat, leaped, jumped onto the riverbank, and came to the side of those people.

These people had long been stung until their faces were like steamed buns, wailing in pain.

Sha Lifei directly grabbed one person's head and cursed, "If you are given a face but don't want it, tell me, why did you block our way?"

The man was in extreme pain. Knowing that these people were not to be trifled with, he didn't dare to talk nonsense anymore and said with a thick tongue, "It was the higher-ups... who ordered us to block here, saying there are evil spirits in the mountains and passage is forbidden."

Sha Lifei was full of suspicion. "What evil spirits? It wouldn't be a trick you guys came up with, right?"

"No... no."

The man was full of pain and begged, "Grandpa, we were just ordered to guard here; we didn't find any brothers in the sect."

"Also, two days ago, a dart agency from Yuzhou insisted on breaking through. As a result, the next day, many charred corpses and boat wreckage floated down from upstream."

Seeing the fierce light flashing in Sha Lifei's eyes, he was so scared that he quickly kowtowed: "Grandpas, we are all underlings, we don't know anything, please show mercy..."

Sha Lifei hesitated slightly and looked at the deck.

Li Yan had no expression and directly made a throat-slitting gesture.

Clang!

Sha Lifei immediately drew his blade, the blade light flashing, and beheaded the few people one after another, without any mercy.

His Guanzhong fast blade was a few points faster than before.

Although Sha Lifei's talent was insufficient, Li Yan had half a foot into the Hua Jin realm and had a unique understanding of martial arts, often finding him for sparring.

Sha Lifei had also been at the peak of Ming Jin for many years, standing at the door.

He was kicked in by Li Yan.

Although he would likely stop here for the rest of his life, he had finally learned to use An Jin, and his combat power had improved.

On the deck, seeing "Fast Boat Zhang's" puzzled eyes, Li Yan pointed to the riverbank on the right. "There are more than a dozen corpses buried over there, just died not long ago."

Old Man Zhang instantly understood. "This group of people is still intercepting and killing merchants. Well killed!"

After saying this, he said thoughtfully, "Although the Pai Sect has been mixed in quality, fierce and overbearing in recent years, they wouldn't go so far as to steal the work of river bandits..."

He suddenly realized and looked at the mountain peak in the distance. "Those evil spirits, there are people from the Pai Sect playing god and ghost!"

"It's possible."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and shook his head. "After hearing what Senior Zhang said earlier, I felt something was strange. Phosphorus fire rising on the water surface, burning when it encounters people—it doesn't sound like sorcery, but rather like a mechanical trick."

"A mechanical trick?"

Once this was said, Old Man Zhang also realized something was wrong and cursed angrily, "No wonder all my divination was auspicious. When something happened, dog blood and cinnabar were useless. It turns out someone was playing tricks."

"It must be the Pai Sect causing trouble in the mountains!"

"What the hell are they doing?"

Li Yan looked into the distance and shook his head. "No matter what they are doing, this river channel must be passed. Rest early tonight and set off tomorrow morning."

"If there is a tiger blocking the road, just slaughter it!"

They had been sailing on the boat for two full days, and they hadn't slept soundly at night, so they were already mentally exhausted.

After burying all the corpses, the group camped on the shore, lit a bonfire, cooked fish soup, roasted sticky rice cakes, and after eating their fill, they each crawled into their tents.

After Li Yan simply gathered his spirit, he fell into a sound sleep.

With Lu San there, the animals within a few miles were sentries, so there was no fear of a sneak attack, and Li Yan could also save the trouble of keeping watch.

The only thing they were worried about was the Pai Sect taking advantage of the night to sneak attack.

After all, the Pai Sect was both a martial arts gang and a branch of the Dharma lineage. Excluding the strange arts of those leaders from all over the world, their own talisman water techniques were also quite powerful.

Fortunately, no one disturbed them all night...

…………

The next morning, the sky was slightly bright.

Hiss!

The boatmen used wooden buckets to fetch water to extinguish the bonfire.

Li Yan and the others were also fully rested, packed up their tents and luggage, put them into the cabin, and took out their respective weapons for maintenance.

If it was really as they guessed, there would be no shortage of fierce battles after entering the mountains.

Soon, the boat set off again in the morning mist.

Not long after, they entered the mountains, and Li Yan finally knew why this river channel was remote and rarely visited.

The mist on the river was thick, and it was even more so after entering the mountains.

The mist was thick, and everything beyond a hundred meters was blurry. The river became narrow and turbulent, with high mountain cliffs on both sides and chaotic rocks lined up.

Occasionally, the cries of apes would ring out from the cliffs, and across the thick fog, it sounded like the wailing of mountain ghosts.

Clatter!

In the mountain mist, the falcon broke through the air and circled along both sides of the mountain. After circling a few times, it flew into the cabin and chirped at Lu San.

Lu San frowned, walked to the deck, and said in a low voice, "There is indeed a problem on the mountain. There are some pits, and there are mountain roads outside, but no one has come out yet."

"Also, those monkeys on the mountain are all cursing, saying someone killed their king and stole their wine!"

Sha Lifei was immediately enlightened. "The Pai Sect is privately mining in the mountains. It's strange, when did they start this business?"

As he spoke, his eyes lit up. "Could it be that they found a gold mine?"

Upon hearing this, the group also felt it was possible.

After all, given the Pai Sect's family background, only a gold mine could make them take such risks, even at the cost of killing people to cover their tracks.

Sha Lifei smacked his lips and said in a low voice, "Anyway, we've already fallen out, why not rob them!"

"Unrighteous wealth, take it in a righteous way!"

After Li Yan heard this, he was also a bit tempted.

The money they needed for cultivation was really too much. Without the support of a sect, they had to do everything themselves. Old Man "Fast Boat Zhang" beside him was terrified.

Walking in the martial world, most of the time it is better to be harmonious. Sometimes, when forced, killing people is nothing.

But this group of people was clearly a bit wrong.

On that night at Qinglong Mountain, he vaguely heard thunder on the mountain, then saw a sorcerer covered in blood, and those bloody packages...

Earlier on the riverbank, they also made a move directly, without any mercy.

Here, they wanted to rob the robbers again...

Each one was ruthless, not at all like high-level experts of the Mystic Sect.

And that taciturn Lu San could actually understand the language of birds and beasts, which was truly unheard of...

Of course, he was an old hand in the martial world and wouldn't say much.

Just then, a boatman suddenly stared at the river water under his feet and said in a low voice, "Master Zhang, the water flow is a bit wrong!"

!.

"Fast Boat Zhang" looked up, and his expression changed slightly. "There are hidden reefs under the river, stop the boat!"

At the order, the boatmen immediately took action.

Some threw down the anchor, while others threw out hemp ropes and flying hooks, shooting toward the giant rocks on both banks.

The anchor fell into the water with a bang, stirring up bursts of sewage, and the thick hemp ropes on both sides were also wrapped around the mountain rocks, pulled straight.

The wooden boat soon stopped in the river channel.

Li Yan gave a secret praise when he saw this.

Anchors had long existed, and the "Tian Gong Kaiwu" had forging methods, but ordinary merchant ships couldn't be equipped with such good ones, plus those flying claws, no wonder they dared to come to this dangerous river channel.

Of course, there was no time for nonsense at the moment. Li Yan turned to look at Lu San. "Quick, check what's at the bottom of the river!"

Lu San immediately came to the side of the boat, pinched the magic formula with his left hand, and slapped the water surface with his right hand. Under the surprised gazes of the boatmen, a large school of fish quickly gathered.

These fish circled the wooden boat twice, then quickly dived into the river, and soon floated to the water surface again, circling left and right.

Lu San said in a deep voice, "Under the water ahead, it's all giant rocks, and there are quite a few."

"Someone placed them deliberately!"

Old Man Zhang said with a gloomy expression, "I've traveled this river channel seventy or eighty times. It's hard to say about other places, but this place is definitely flat."

Li Yan was lost in thought. "Where were you when the accident happened?"

Old Man Zhang replied, "Not far ahead!"

Li Yan was immediately enlightened. "Brother Lu San, probe near those hidden rocks to see if there are any mechanisms."

Lu San nodded and immediately pinched the hand formula, slapping the water surface.

The school of fish jumped up and down in the river, rushing toward the hidden rocks.

Gurgle!

Bubbles suddenly appeared on the water surface ahead, and then blue flames rose from the water surface, and even grease surged out, burning along with it.

"This is Dragon Fire!"

Sha Lifei beside him had his eyes lit up and quickly said, "I read about something in those books. During the chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty, there were wars everywhere, and alchemists in Jiangzuo created 'Dragon Fire' mechanisms."

"This mechanism can spray fire in the water to intercept passing boats, which is mysterious and unpredictable, but the production method has long been lost. I didn't expect anyone to still know it."

Just then, there was a cry of an eagle in the sky.

Lu San quickly pointed to the hillside on the right. "A few people have come over there, and they are carrying big guys in their hands."

The mountain mist covered everything, and none of them had the divine eye, but the falcon had extraordinary vision and could see further.

A bad premonition arose in Li Yan's heart, and he said in a deep voice, "Don't hold back, take them out first!"

After saying this, he pinched the magic formula and flicked his little finger.

In an instant, yin wind whistled all around.

Swish!

A paper doll flew out from the leather bag at his waist, rose with the wind, and flew toward the mountain.

The one who acted faster was Lu San.

He patted the demon gourd, and the poisonous bees flew out first, rushing into the thick fog.

Soon, screams came from the mountain.

The paper doll flew with the wind and arrived soon after.

Li Yan closed his eyes and saw the movement on the mountain through the paper doll.

It was a group of men in white robes, their robes covered in white ash, their faces covered with masks. Attacked by the poisonous bees, they were screaming and rolling on the ground, their hands flapping wildly.

Beside them lay a bamboo tube as thick as a bowl, with a hemp rope at the back, and no one knew what kind of device it was.

The bee venom was overbearing, and the stinging pain made people go crazy.

One person was stung until he lost his sanity, immediately picked up the bamboo tube, and pulled the hemp rope behind him.

Whoosh~

In an instant, blue flames mixed with grease sprayed out.

Like a fire dragon breathing, many poisonous bees were burned to ashes immediately, but the more unlucky ones were his companions.

The man held the fire tube and sprayed wildly, and many people around were hit, their bodies enveloped in flames, screaming as they rolled down the mountain.

Plop!

Watching the fire people falling from the cliff, Old Man Zhang immediately became vigilant. "Quick, quick, the opponent has firearms, retreat!"

Li Yan's expression also changed drastically, and he put away the paper doll.

"It's a Netherfire Gun!"

"I'll go guard the mountain, you guys assist!"

After saying this, he took out the horse-riding talismans from his bosom, tied them to his legs, stepped on the Big Dipper, pinched the magic formula, "Nuogao! Six Jia Nine Chapters, Heaven is round and Earth is square. Four seasons and five elements, sun and moon are light. Yu step to open the way, Azure Dragon supports the hub, White Tiger supports the talisman..."

As the spell began, he felt yin wind surging all over his body.

Li Yan's legs erupted with An Jin, and with a whoosh, he leaped up. Under the blessing of An Jin and the horse-riding talismans, he actually jumped ten meters away.

He landed on a giant rock on the cliff, borrowed force twice in succession, then soared into the air and disappeared into the thick fog.

"Flying, flying..."

Some boatmen were stunned.

The scene before them had already exceeded their understanding.

On the other side, Li Yan was moving fast, the wind whistling in his ears. He went up along the hillside and soon found the group of people.

The bamboo tube fire had already finished spraying, and the man who harmed his companions was also stung to the point of being on his last breath by the remaining poisonous bees, falling to the ground without any movement.

Li Yan quickly stepped forward and split the bamboo tube with one blade.

Sure enough, the mechanism inside was very familiar.

This group of people knew the production method of the Netherfire Gun, but their craftsmanship level was not enough, so they simply enlarged it and used bamboo tubes instead.

Although simple, it saved materials and energy.

And the "Dragon Fire" from earlier were all things that appeared during the chaotic world at the end of the Tang Dynasty.

Could this group of people not be from the Pai Sect?

Boom boom boom!

Just as he was deep in thought, drums suddenly sounded in the distance.

The drum sound was dense, making people irritable and uneasy, and the poisonous bees around were also flying around, almost attacking Li Yan.

Lu San sensed something was wrong and immediately used the demon gourd to take them back.

Li Yan looked into the distance with a gloomy expression.

He saw another team of white-robed people coming on the steep mountain road, also carrying bamboo tube Netherfire Guns.

And in front of them, a red-robed foreign monk was beating a hand drum.

The hand drum was ancient, inlaid with copper bells, and carved with patterns in Tibetan silver, decorated with agate, turquoise, etc., looking colorful.

This foreign monk had a full red beard, slightly blue eyes, was somewhat bald, walked barefoot in the mountains, and kept chanting spells in his mouth: "Om, Ban Zha, Sa Ma Ya, Zha Zha".

The sound was strange, like magic sound filling the brain.

Afterward, Li Yan widened his eyes.

He saw red smoke rising behind the opponent, and a statue of a god actually floated up, blurry, but the outline could be seen:

It was a woman with black skin, blood and grease flowing from her mouth, waving a human-headed spear, with a garland of skulls hanging around her neck, and a beating heart as decoration.

Around her body, there were even poisonous snakes entwined...

Only two chapters today.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 215 =====