Chapter 222: Disaster Born from Strategy

"Li Li Shaoxia, what... what kind of Gu is this?"

Yan Bonian was not only shocked but also increasingly furious.

How could he not guess by now that his wife had been targeted by a sinister plot?

As soon as he finished speaking, the strange insect began to struggle frantically, its body trembling and emitting a sound.

"Zha—!"

The sound was exceptionally sharp, as if causing sudden tinnitus.

Bang!

Without a word, Li Yan pinched the sewing needle and thrust it down violently, pinning the monster's head to the wooden table.

The sound stopped abruptly, and the insect ceased all movement.

"This is not a Gu insect."

Li Yan's expression was solemn as he shook his head slightly. "Do you have any peach wood branches in the house? Find some, burn this insect to ash, and then have the Madam ingest it."

"Quick, go get peach wood!"

Yan Bonian immediately ordered the maid to fetch it.

He had never heard of such a bizarre method, but since so many others had failed to notice the affliction while Li Yan had identified the crux of the matter, he was naturally more worthy of trust.

In Ezhou customs, there is great reverence for five types of plants.

First is the Spirit Spear Holy Reed, believed to be capable of communicating with the divine.

Second are peach wood and maple trees, believed to be able to ward off evil.

Third is bamboo, which symbolizes fortune and misfortune, with a particular taboo against bamboo flowering.

Therefore, many households hang peach charms and craft peach bows and willow arrows to hang at their doorways; similar tropes appear in many legends of gods and monsters.

The Yan Fu was a large and prosperous estate, so peach wood was naturally not in short supply.

Crackle, crackle!

As the peach wood burned, the crowd watched in astonishment as the insect rapidly shriveled and turned yellow, then transformed into a thin piece of black ash, like the residue of burned spirit paper.

Li Yan carefully picked it up and stirred it into a bowl of water.

The robust woman immediately took it carefully and fed it to the unconscious Madam Yan, after which her breathing became visibly steady.

Li Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked with a solemn expression, "Before the Madam fell ill, had she been to any strange places?"

"Especially places like caves."

"This..."

Yan Bonian's expression was slightly awkward as he shook his head. "To tell you the truth, my wife is devout; in her spare time, she would go to various Daoist temples to burn incense, always accompanied by her maid and an old woman."

"When the incident first happened, I was in a foul mood, and those people were not serving her diligently, so I drove them all away."

Li Yan frowned. "This is troublesome..."

"Master."

Just then, the robust woman hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth and speaking up. "I just remembered something about this thing; I heard of it before."

Seeing everyone's gaze upon her, she sighed. "The Master knows that I come from Xishan'ao Village, not far from the Tu people's mountain caves."

"When I was small, I heard the elders tell a story about a monster in the mountains called the Silkworm Fan Fan Fu Ren, who often hid in mountain caves. As long as one was looked at by that monster, one would go mad and die."

"I originally thought it was just a legend, as I had never heard of anyone seeing it. Could the Madam have been harmed by this monster?"

"That is not a monster."

Li Yan shook his head. "This is a type of evil art. The practitioners are mostly women who must hide in mountain caves year-round and cannot see sunlight."

"She lures people into the mountain cave, plays god to frighten them, and casts evil spells. This insect hides inside the human body, devouring the soul during sleep, causing the person to go mad."

"Over time, the insect grows larger and larger. After the person dies, it transforms into a Human-Faced Moth that flies out from the mouth to be absorbed by the evil person."

"This method is not Gu art. Because the Human-Faced Silkworm absorbs the host's soul, its aura is almost identical, making it very difficult to detect..."

In truth, he had concealed quite a bit.

On Mount Taibai, after he captured a Yin criminal, he was told by Master Yulongzi that there existed a forbidden secret technique called the *Immortal Treasury of Zhao Changsheng*, which was discovered by a secret organization of ancient alchemists who excavated ruins from the Great War of Investiture.

These methods were all bloody and cruel, and required the worship of evil gods.

Because many of them disrupted the boundaries of life and death, they were targets for the Living Yin Messengers, so he had requested the Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao to help collect information.

The original copies of the *Immortal Treasury of Zhao Changsheng* had long been scattered across the Divine Land.

The records of the Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao did not know the cultivation methods, but they did contain records of the characteristics of these evil arts.

Although the records were incomplete, there were over thirty types.

Moreover, as a Living Yin Messenger, he knew even more secrets.

These so-called longevity arts were all a type of vicious inheritance; not only were there longevity methods, but also various secret techniques.

Even more troublesome was that the demon god worshipped by practicing this method actually existed and was suppressed on Mount Luo Feng.

The one currently called the *Divine Silkworm Zhao Changsheng Art* was one of them, and the demon god worshipped was named Tao Nu.

Perhaps it was even related to the ancient Great War of Investiture.

Every person who practiced the *Immortal Treasury of Zhao Changsheng* and worshipped the demon god for a long time could potentially allow its demonic energy to escape.

During that incident in Shangjin City, a strand of demonic energy had been captured.

Although dangerous, it held immense benefits for him.

Capturing demonic energy could yield a strand of False Yin Si Divine Sha, which could not only repair his Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen but also strengthen his Soul-Hooking Rope.

Thinking of this, Li Yan already had a vague guess.

Near the village where this robust woman lived, someone must be practicing this evil art, but their cultivation level was likely insufficient, as they had neither disrupted life and death nor lured the demonic energy to descend.

"Tu people's mountain caves?"

Yan Bonian, standing to the side, heard this and suddenly realized, cursing angrily, "These Tu chieftains, it turns out they had already poisoned my family three years ago!"

Seeing Li Yan's puzzled gaze, he sighed. "This matter is a family affair, but since you are here, little friend, it would be improper to hide it from you. Please follow me."

As he spoke, he ordered the maid to take good care of Madam Yan, then led Li Yan to the main courtyard of the back hall and entered a study.

The Yan family's study was undoubtedly the most well-decorated room.

The bookshelves and antique shelves were all crafted from fine golden silk nanmu, with simple designs and rich patina, appearing even more solemn and ancient.

On the desk sat a slab of Hui ink, emitting a faint fragrance.

Through the window lattice, one could see a small garden with stacked rockeries, and a plum tree branch reaching over, resembling a landscape painting, possessing a unique charm.

However, Li Yan discovered something suspicious.

There were many bookshelves here, but they were empty, and even the antique shelves were bare, as if everything had been moved away.

Only on the desk lay a single booklet.

Yan Bonian picked it up and sighed. "The root of all these matters is in this booklet. Li Li Shaoxia will understand upon reading it."

After Li Yan took it, he saw the four large characters *Ten Strategies to Stabilize the Nation* written on it. Upon opening it, he immediately understood that this was a policy essay written to the imperial court by a man named Yan Jue.

Yan Jue, it seemed, was Yan Jiuling's grandfather...

Li Yan continued to flip through it, becoming increasingly shocked.

"The policy of maritime prohibition, implemented in the present time, yet times have changed; it is appropriate to lift the maritime prohibition to benefit the nation..."

Good heavens!

This first strategy was a suggestion to lift the maritime prohibition.

"The system of native officials is old; the governance of the nation should prioritize fairness and order. Although the native official system has its origins, many drawbacks are now apparent..."

This second strategy was actually the reform of the native official system!

Of course, these were all superficial platitudes; between the lines, it was filled with thoughts of unification and fanatical hegemony.

Some of the subsequent strategies sounded somewhat extreme. But just considering the first two, they had already become the current national policy of the Great Xuan.

In a trance, Li Yan seemed to see a white-haired old man, blowing his beard and staring, spitting and gesturing wildly...

A flash of nostalgia crossed Yan Bonian's eyes. "My father once harbored a heart to serve the nation, but because of his upright temper, he was disliked by others. Even after passing the imperial examination, he only obtained a minor official post. Filled with indignation, he went to the academy to teach."

"In his spare time, he wrote this *Ten Strategies to Stabilize the Nation*. At the time, he was despised by others and denounced as a madman."

"It wasn't until the imperial court fought several wars and the national treasury was empty that someone presented this strategy, using my father's words to seek benefits for their own faction."

"No one expected that His Majesty would actually appreciate it quite a bit. The opening of the seas and the reform of the native official system began to be implemented, while my father had already passed away many years ago."

"This matter triggered quite a controversy in the Confucian circles; there were those who agreed, those who cursed, and even several of my father's students who used it as a banner."

"Although our Yan family is a scholarly household, we truly cannot bear this reputation, nor do we dare to be reckless. But in the end, we offended those Tu chieftains."

"Thinking back, three years ago, the imperial court had not yet forced them, only sending people to persuade them with kind words, so they didn't act openly, but secretly sent people to cast evil spells on my wife."

"To this day, they no longer hide, and often there are martial arts bandits lurking outside the residence, plotting mischief."

!

"I sensed something was wrong, and fearing that Jiuling would be disturbed, I sent him away early, then sent my children, wife, concubines, and the Yan family's collection of books all to Hankou..."

"So that's how it is."

Li Yan suddenly understood and shook his head. "No wonder there are so many guards in the residence."

Yan Bonian shook his head. "These are all righteous men from the Unlike Yichang Divine Fist Society. Upon learning of this, they were filled with indignation and came to the residence to keep watch."

Li Yan frowned. "Unlike Yichang City is on the verge of a storm; those people must be impatient. Why didn't Uncle Yan leave earlier?"

"I cannot leave!"

Yan Bonian's expression became solemn. "In my life, I haven't achieved much in my studies. If I leave, it means I fear them. My father's *Ten Strategies to Stabilize the Nation* would also become a laughingstock."

"Even if Unlike Yichang City falls, I will not leave. Even if I am secretly harmed and die in the residence, the Yan family's reputation will not fall!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan was filled with respect. "Uncle's righteousness is great!"

He did not continue to persuade him, knowing it would be useless.

"My ability is insufficient; I can only do this much."

Yan Bonian said calmly, "The reason I told Li Li Shaoxia this is that I hope if you meet Jiuling one day, you will tell him the cause and effect."

"If I die, it will be a worthy death; there is no need to be sad."

Li Yan did not know what to say, so he could only salute solemnly, while secretly resolving in his heart that if he heard any wind of trouble, he would act early to clear away some hidden dangers for the Yan family.

Just then, the maid from before ran over in a hurry, excited. "Master, the Madam has woken up, the Madam has woken up!"

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Bonian hurried out.

The group arrived at the side courtyard room. Sure enough, on the bed in the room, the old Madam Yan had already woken up and was leaning against the bed being fed water.

"Madam, are you alright?"

Yan Bonian hurried forward and took the old woman's hand.

This wife of his was a proper match from a respectable family; when she was young, she was a lady of a prominent household, with a gentle character and a knack for managing the household.

Yan Bonian had always respected her deeply, and upon learning that her three years of madness were actually caused by the Yan family's affairs, he felt even more guilty.

"Husband."

The old Madam was still somewhat weak, and she managed to squeeze out a smile on her face. "You have been wronged all these years."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bonian felt even worse. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Madam, you were harmed by a villain's evil spell. Do you remember which cave you went to back then?"

The old Madam frowned. "I don't remember clearly what happened before I fell unconscious, but I had a very long dream."

"I dreamed that I was trapped in a cave, and inside was a yellow-clothed woman, with a sallow face and bloated figure, and then she transformed into many moths and pounced on me..."

As he spoke, a flicker of fear flashed through his eyes.

"Madam, don't think about it anymore."

Seeing this, Yan Bonian hurriedly changed the subject and smiled. "Jiuling has made progress; he has already passed the provincial examination and is now taking the palace examination in the capital. Perhaps in a while, news will come..."

"Oh, Jiuling can finally study with peace of mind."

Hearing this, a smile finally appeared on old Madam Yan's face. After saying a few more words, she looked exhausted and fell asleep again.

Li Yan walked out the door and smiled. "The spell has been broken; she only needs to take some calming medicine for a while, and the Madam should recover."

"Thank you so much, little friend, this time."

Yan Bonian's face was full of smiles, and then he said, "By the way, in Jiuling's letter, he also asked me to pass some things on to you."

As he spoke, he led Li Yan to another study in the side courtyard.

This study was significantly smaller and should have been the one used by Yan Jiuling, but it was not as empty as the main study and still had quite a few things left.

Yan Bonian said, "We were in a hurry when we left, so we could only move those precious classics, so some were left behind."

As he spoke, he went to the antique shelf, took down a wooden box from the third layer, blew off the dust on the surface, and shook his head. "Jiuling has liked all kinds of gods and monsters since he was a child and bought quite a few idle items."

"I don't know how many times I got angry with him for this, but I didn't expect these things to be useful to you, little friend..."

Placing the wooden box on the desk, Yan Bonian smiled. "Today, a guest has come from afar, and my wife has recovered from her illness; it can be considered a double happiness."

"Little friend, please make yourself at home. I will order someone to prepare a banquet, and you must accompany me for a few more drinks."

It was clear the old man was in a good mood, and Li Yan naturally would not refuse. After Yan Bonian left, he slowly opened the wooden box.

He had asked Yan Jiuling about the Chu Shaman Token at the time, and he didn't expect the other party to be quite knowledgeable and even say he had collected some similar ancient artifacts.

Coming to the Yan family this time, these things were also one of his goals.

After opening it, Li Yan's expression immediately became solemn.

On one side of the box were books and manuscripts, and on the other side were various sundries, among which was surprisingly another Chu Shaman Token, though it was more complete.

His heart was excited as he picked up the Chu Shaman Token.

Sure enough, a scorching aura surged into his dantian and drilled into the Soul-Hooking Rope.

Unfortunately, this Chu Shaman Token had not formed a Heavenly Spirit Earthly Treasure and contained less aura than the one given by Yuan Ba, only making the Soul-Hooking Rope a palm's length longer.

Of course, having some is better than having none.

Li Yan's face was full of smiles.

The Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen devours fortune, and it must be absorbed before the fortune of a Heavenly Spirit Earthly Treasure has settled.

But currently, he had discovered two exceptional cases.

One was coal essence and fossilized dinosaur eggs, which might be related to the era of their formation, as the speed of fortune settling was extremely slow.

The other was this Chu Shaman Token.

The aura contained within, Li Yan now knew, was called "Divine Sha," which could also be obtained after completing False Yin Si missions.

Between these two, there must be some unknown secret.

Li Yan put the Chu Shaman Token aside and continued to search through the remaining artifacts; tokens, stone carvings, wood carvings, all were related to the Ba-Chu Shaman Dao.

Unfortunately, the rest were all ordinary items.

Li Yan looked slightly regretful and turned his gaze to the manuscripts on the other side. After picking them up and flipping through a few pages, his brows slowly furrowed...

Only two chapters today.

Recommending a friend's book.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 223 =====