Chapter 223: The Mystery of the Mystic Sect

On the manuscripts were writings about the rituals of national sacrifice.

When they were on Mount Huashan, Yan Jiuling had briefly mentioned his guesses, but now, on the manuscripts, it was explained more clearly.

Yan Jiuling was a Confucian scholar; he had some understanding of the Mystic Sect but could not be considered an insider, so many things were based on Confucian classics.

That was the *Rites of Zhou*.

What is "Rite"? Broadly understood, it is all the systems and etiquette of human operation.

Therefore, Rite is the foundation for governing all things and the basis for the nation's operation.

"Rite" is not immutable; once a nation loses order or fails to conform to the development of the times, rites and music will collapse, leading to human catastrophe.

The first few manuscripts were somewhat abstract; ordinary people would likely be confused and would need years of study to understand.

But Li Yan, using the perspective of his previous life, found it very easy to understand.

The so-called "Rite" also includes production relations, hierarchical systems, and interest distribution. Once production relations do not match productivity, problems will naturally arise, triggering change.

For example, the *Rites of Zhou*, originally named *Officials of Zhou*, was divided into the four officials of Heaven, Earth, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Later, Confucianism extended the meaning of "Rite," and *Officials of Zhou* naturally became *Rites of Zhou*.

Then, going further back, did the Xia and Shang dynasties have no "Rite"?

Of course they did!

The *Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of the Five Emperors* records that Yao ordered Shun to act as regent, "cultivating the five rites," and Shun ordered Boyi to be the official of rites, "governing the three rites."

Therefore, Yan Jiuling proposed an idea: the concept of a nation appeared because of "Rite," was nurtured in ancient times, and formed during the "Three Dynasties."

Of course, these were all superficial history.

To trace the Mystic Sect, one cannot avoid seeking the origin.

The origin of "Rite" began with sacrificing to gods, originating from ancient tribal shamanism, and like the current Mystic Sect, it performed divination, avoided taboos, and dispelled disasters for certain phenomena.

Later, it gradually developed into various ritual systems of fortune, misfortune, military, guest, and auspiciousness. For example, "misfortune" rites are today's funeral affairs, developing into professions within the Mystic Sect such as lever-bearers, paper-craftsmen, and Yin-Yang masters.

This is the foundation of the Mystic Sect system.

The reason the Orthodox Sect is called the Orthodox Sect is because they control the "Rite" of this era. For example, the Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao controls the rites of national sacrifice, while Confucianism and the Miscellaneous Sect control the rites of officials and national systems.

Human catastrophe is the change of "Rite"!

Every social change involves secret struggles within the Mystic Sect.

For example, in ancient times, Shamanism controlled the world; the Great War of Investiture was likely the twilight of Shamanism, after which it slowly declined.

Many signs indicate that the early Zhou dynasty tried its best to erase the "Rite" of Shang, moving the "stubborn people of Yin," destroying the capital of Yin, filling in Shang tombs, and eliminating the rites of human sacrifice.

Subsequently, Zhou lost its rites, heroes vied for the deer, and with the change of dynasties, the Mystic Sect also gradually changed, forming the current situation.

These are things that can be found in historical materials.

What truly shocked Li Yan were the two questions and guesses proposed by Yan Jiuling.

One question came from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, which records numerous rare beasts, and gods and humans living together, with shamans and kings as one.

They usually had a title, "Emperor."

Those rare treasures in this era are the so-called Heavenly Spirit Earthly Treasures, but their quantity is far from as astonishing as it was initially.

Among this, what happened?

The other was the Zhou replacing the Shang.

During the Xia and Shang dynasties, although no specific records were left, it was known from fragments that they worshipped "God," which was a fusion of ancestral gods and Heaven, and advocated human sacrifice.

After the Zhou, "God" gradually blurred into "Heaven."

Since then, divine power has declined, and the gods have gone far away.

Yan Jiuling inferred two key nodes based on time.

The Great War of Investiture,

The Great Flood!

After the Great Flood, there were no more "Emperors" in the Shenzhou!

Before the Investiture, the Shenzhou worshipped ghosts and gods and favored human sacrifice. After the Investiture, divine power was gradually suppressed by imperial power.

The so-called Investiture might not be "conferment."

But "sealing and banning"!

At the end, Yan Jiuling also mocked himself in the manuscript, saying these were all wild thoughts and he didn't even dare to bring them out, lest he be mocked by his peers and teachers, laughing at him for being a madman.

And Li Yan, seeing this, was extremely shocked.

Ancient alchemist groups excavated the ruins of the Investiture, summarizing the *Immortal Treasury of Longevity*. Every method was bloody and cruel, requiring the sacrifice of demon gods.

These demon gods were all suppressed on Mount Luo Feng.

Could they be the gods who were sealed and banned during the Great War of Investiture?

And the mysterious "Ascenders,"

Are they related to this ancient history?

For a moment, Li Yan felt dizzy.

He inexplicably had a feeling,

That he was afraid he had come into contact with the true secrets of the Mystic Sect.

"Young Master Li."

Just then, a timid voice interrupted his thoughts; it was the Yan Fu maid who didn't know when she had arrived at the study.

In the eyes of this little maid, there was full of awe. "The banquet has been prepared, and guests have arrived at the residence. The Master invites you to the front hall for the banquet."

"Oh."

Li Yan rubbed his somewhat swollen temples and followed the maid out of the small courtyard. Looking at the sky, it was already somewhat dark; it was the time of dusk.

"Hahaha, good news..."

Before reaching the front hall, he heard hearty laughter.

Walking into the hall, he saw that a banquet table had already been set.

There was a wide variety of dishes, dazzling to the eyes, looking very sumptuous.

Besides Yan Bonian, there was another man sitting at the table.

This man was in his prime, with a sturdy build, broad shoulders and a thick waist, a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and piercing eyes.

He was wearing a dark brown short-sleeved martial outfit, with the collar open, revealing bronze-colored skin, wearing black coarse cloth trousers, with the trouser legs tucked into black leggings, and wearing heavy cowhide boots covered in mud and dust.

His face was full of wind and frost, as if he had been traveling for a long time.

More importantly,

No strange smell could be smelled on the other party.

This was a master of the Dan-holding realm!

In Li Yan's heart, vigilance was immediately raised.

Seeing him enter the hall, Yan Bonian immediately stood up with a smile and said, "Brother Lei, let me introduce you."

"This is Li Li Shaoxia from Guanzhong, also a good friend of my son. My wife's illness was entirely cured thanks to him."

"Li Li Shaoxia, this is Lei Zhen from Huang Mei County, the sect leader of the Yue Family Fist, and also my close friend."

No wonder...

Li Yan hurriedly bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Senior Lei."

The Yue Family Fist originated from the Yue Family Army and was created by Yue Wumu. His sons Yue Zhen and Yue Ting settled in Huang Mei, Ezhou, and passed it on to the folk, where it has been passed down to this day.

In the Ezhou martial arts world, it is also a resounding sect.

In the land of Ezhou, there is Wudang within its borders, Shaolin to the north, and Emei to the west. Any fist style that can survive in such cracks and be passed down to this day cannot be underestimated.

The Yue Family Fist originated in the army and is famous for actual combat.

The movements are simple, the lethality is astonishing, and the footwork is straightforward, but it still emphasizes emptiness and reality, with the saying of seven empties and seven realities.

Although Li Yan had heard of it early on, he had never seen it.

"Guanzhong?"

Lei Zhen frowned, thoughtful, and said, "Senior Zhang Xiaoshan from Yunyang Prefecture went to Chang'an for a banquet during the New Year. After returning, he talked to me about a young saber-wielder who killed a bully on the street on the night of the Lantern Festival. Is that you?"

Li Yan bowed. "It is indeed me. I also had a brief encounter with that old senior Zhang Xiaoshan."

"Hahaha, good!"

Upon hearing this, Lei Zhen immediately laughed. "Killing on the street, delivering medicine over a thousand miles, the chivalrous spirit of the Chang'an youth remains!" "Senior, you flatter me."

"Come, come, sit down quickly."

After some polite exchanges, Yan Bonian pulled Li Yan to sit down.

This old man was clearly in a very good mood. He personally picked up an old wine jar, patted off the mud seal, and smiled, "This Tusu wine was originally used for sacrifices during the New Year, but I was in a bad mood at that time, and my family had all been sent away, so I didn't open it. It just happens to be used to entertain guests."

After saying that, he poured a bowl for each of the three.

Tusu wine was created by Sun Yaowang and is considered a type of medicinal wine, which, along with pepper and cypress wine, is a sacrificial ritual during the New Year.

Su Zhe's *New Year's Eve* wrote: "Every year I drink Tusu last, not realizing I've been here for over seventy years."

Li Yan's sense of smell was keen; he saw the wine color was amber, with a faint medicinal fragrance. After drinking it under Yan Bonian's urging, there was no bitterness, but rather a mellow fragrance.

Even Lei Zhen, who was on the side, drank it in one gulp, smacked his lips, and praised, "Good craftsmanship, is this the cellar collection of Wine General Old Man Du?"

Yan Bonian smiled. "Exactly."

!

Lei Zhen was immediately happy. "Old Man Du is old, and his disciples have long been doing the work for him. The wine he brewed himself is one jar less for every jar drunk."

"I didn't expect Brother Yan to still have this good thing. It seems I am also basking in the light of little brother Li."

Yan Bonian laughed dumbly. "What strange talk? I only managed to get two jars. If you want to drink, sweep it all away today!"

The wine is good wine, and the dishes are naturally not bad.

There is winter melon and soft-shelled turtle skirt soup, carefully stewed with turtle skirt and winter melon, the soup is fresh and delicious, and there is also the beautiful shape of the coiled dragon dish.

Chicken velvet pen-rack fish maw is the combination of chicken velvet and precious pen-rack fish maw; the crispness of the fish maw and the delicacy of the chicken velvet are fused together.

There are also two-turn, eight-treasure stew, thousand-sheet meat...

These are all Jingyi dishes in Ezhou cuisine. Yan Bonian clearly hired a master to cook them, and they are full of color, fragrance, and taste.

Even though Li Yan had already eaten a lot at noon, he was still tempted, and with a sip of wine and a bite of food, his eyebrows curved.

Just for this banquet, today was not a wasted trip.

Yan Bonian was in a good mood and toasted the two repeatedly. After a few cups, he was vaguely drunk and sighed, "My son makes a friend, traveling a thousand miles to deliver medicine; I make a friend, traveling through the stars to help; this life is worth it..."

"What kind of depressing talk is that!"

Lei Zhen drank a bowl of wine, and murderous intent gradually rose in his eyes. "These barbarians, the imperial court has given them many preferential treatments, yet they still raise troops to rebel; they should have been suppressed long ago!"

"Also, they dare not go to the imperial court army, but send martial arts scum to deal a heavy hand to the Yan family; they are truly ghosts and monsters."

"Brother Yan, don't worry. My affairs in the Northwest are over, so I will stay with you in the Yan Fu and see which bastard dares to come to the door!"

Before the words fell, Li Yan frowned, suddenly stood up, and whispered, "The two of you, hold your breath quickly, someone is releasing poison!"

Subsequently, the servants and guards standing at the distant entrance all swayed and fell to the ground one after another.

"How bold!"

"Little brother, protect Brother Yan!"

Lei Zhen did not expect that just after making a harsh statement, someone would come to the door to slap his face. He was immediately annoyed, stomped his feet, and his figure flew out.

Li Yan originally wanted to make a move, but seeing this, he did not follow out, but took out the Divine Tiger Token and quickly pinched the formula. "Nuogao, open the great-grandson Wang Jia, Six Jia Azure Dragon..."

It was exactly the *Northern Emperor Dengshan Technique*.

This mountain climbing technique is a hidden method used to avoid monsters, ghosts, and fierce beasts.

But Li Yan had another use for it.

Whoosh~

As soon as the mountain climbing technique came out, Yin wind whistled around, blowing the flowers and plants in the hall to sway, and shredded paper flew everywhere.

And Li Yan pinched the formula without moving, deliberately extending the casting time.

What the other party used was a type of invisible poisonous fog, with a very faint smell, which was blown into the courtyard by the evening wind, very secretly.

And Li Yan's move just happened to blow it away.

On the other side, Lei Zhen's speed was even more astonishing.

He was a master of the Dan-holding realm, his whole body's Qi did not leak, so he was naturally not afraid of any poisonous fog. Holding the Dan into a circle, his strength would not be interrupted.

Swish!

He jumped out from the front hall, crossed seven or eight meters in one step, arrived in the courtyard, did not take the front door, but exploded with strength in his legs, jumped three meters high directly, stepped on the corridor pillar, borrowed strength, and turned over the courtyard wall.

Seeing this, Li Yan gave a secret praise.

What he praised was not the other party's skill; he could also do things like turning over the beam now. What he praised was the other party's experience.

He had already opened his divine ability and smelled that there were several people outside the gate holding crossbows, just waiting for the gate to open to shoot arrows.

Lei Zhen did not have divine ability and relied only on martial arts experience, so he had made the best choice.

Sure enough, those who can reach the Dan-holding realm are no mediocre people.

On the other side, Lei Zhen jumped onto the roof beam, directly lifted a few tiles, and threw them out with a swish.

With his strength, the tiles even made a whistling sound.

Opposite the gate, there were several men in black holding crossbows, only feeling the wind coming, accompanied by bang-bang-bang sounds, and their heads all shattered like watermelons.

"Hmph!"

Lei Zhen gave a cold snort, his cold gaze sweeping in all directions.

Soon, he sensed that something was wrong.

The surrounding streets, at some point, had already become empty. There was still candlelight in the distance, but it seemed that everyone deliberately avoided this place.

Rustle, rustle...

The rustling sound on the ground rose, and from all directions, many poisonous snakes surged, soon occupying the entire street.

At the same time, an old beggar appeared in the distance, carrying an erhu, limping slowly.

In the darkness, a pair of eyes were faintly flashing with red light.

Seeing this person, Lei Zhen was thoughtful and said coldly, "Who are you from the Beggar Sect? Report your name!"

"A fallen person, a nameless person..."

The old man coughed, stopped at the street corner, took the erhu off his back, sat down on the ground at will, and said lightly, "Yue Family Fist Lei Zhen? I am not here to trouble the Yan family today."

"The kid hiding in the Yan family took something he shouldn't have. Let him hand it over, and I can spare his life."

Lei Zhen was slightly stunned, not expecting such a big battle, but it was to find Li Yan.

Although he was strange in his heart, how could he give way? He said coldly, "Not saying? I'll take you down first and then ask clearly!"

Before the words fell, he had already jumped down, ran quickly along the courtyard wall, and arrived near the old beggar in two or three steps.

His figure flashed, fast as light and shadow, and he slapped down with one palm.

Because of its specific historical background, the Yue Family Fist requires "don't move your hands if you have feelings, don't show mercy if you move your hands."

This move is called "Single Saber Attending the Banquet, Subduing the Dragon and Taming the Tiger," combining figure, technique, and terrain, with various changes, just like taking the head of a general in the midst of ten thousand troops, which is an absolute killing move.

As a master of the Dan-holding realm and a senior in the martial arts world, Lei Zhen naturally encountered many sorcerers and was experienced.

He also carried protective magic artifacts on his body, which could resist ordinary magic. As long as he got close, even a sorcerer with high cultivation would be beaten to death by him.

However, the old beggar did not dodge or evade.

Boom!

Lei Zhen slapped down with one palm, but slapped into thin air.

The old beggar had already transformed into smoke and dissipated...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 224 =====