Chapter 224: The Green Forest Longxiang Army

"Escape technique?"

Lei Zhen's expression changed slightly.

Martial arts originate from hunting and war, while magic originates from the observation and practice of the unknown. The two seem completely unrelated, but they are always entangled.

Although the Mystic Sect has a higher status, martial artists also have ways to deal with it. At least at his stage, as long as he wears a high-quality protective magic artifact, he can kill a sorcerer after getting close.

But sorcerers also have ways to deal with it.

That is the escape technique.

There are many types of escape techniques, each with its own merits. No matter which one a sorcerer masters, the chance of saving their life will greatly increase.

This beggar clearly used an escape technique to lure him away!

Lei Zhen reacted quickly, turning around directly and heading towards the Yan Fu.

Sure enough, the old beggar had already appeared outside the Yan family's main gate.

The other party did not rush to enter, but with a clang, drew a precious sword from the erhu and hacked at the Yan family's house-protecting plaque.

The house-protecting plaque was very obstructive to him, and some magic could not be cast, so he had to destroy it first.

This was also the reason why the old beggar did not enter the Changfeng Inn.

There were many officials staying there, so there was no shortage of town objects, and the Chenghuangmiao was also nearby.

Once something happened, the City God's soldiers and horses could arrive at any time.

So this old beggar came to find Li Yan first.

What he wanted to take was the *Thunder Fire Scripture*.

As long as he caught Li Yan, even if the scripture was not on him, he could threaten others to hand it over.

At the same time, dense poisonous snakes also surged and climbed up the wall.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a tiger roar sounded in the courtyard.

The surrounding poisonous snakes fell down with a clatter and retreated one after another.

The tiger roar entered his ears, the old beggar's head felt dizzy, red light flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly performed an iron board bridge.

Swish!

A long saber stabbed out through the crack of the door.

The old beggar dodged it narrowly.

He did not fight back, but retreated quickly, dark strength erupted under his feet, his figure was fast, and he jumped onto the opposite courtyard wall in two or three steps.

It was Lei Zhen who had returned.

However, the old beggar had already controlled many poisonous snakes, hissing and spitting letters in the street, separating the two sides.

No matter how high Lei Zhen's kung fu was, he couldn't jump to the wall across the street.

Behind, the main gate opened with a creak.

Li Yan walked out slowly, casually waving a saber flower, looking at the wall opposite, his expression calm, and said, "Why did you come only now? I've been waiting for you for a long time."

He said it lightly, but his heart was vigilant.

Just now, hearing the old beggar's words across the courtyard wall, he knew why this person came, and suppressed his murderous intent to wait for an opportunity.

Seeing the other party lure away Lei Zhen, the master of the Dan-holding realm, and appear outside the main gate, hacking at the town object plaque, he knew what he was planning.

If the town object is destroyed, witchcraft and evil spells can all enter the residence.

Li Yan naturally would not let him succeed.

He first used the Northern Emperor Mountain Climbing Technique to hide his aura, then jumped out, using the Guanzhong fast saber "waist strike style," wanting to stab him to death through the door.

He had been very careful, but was still detected by the other party.

Looking at the faint red light in the old beggar's eyes, Li Yan had already guessed that this guy must have awakened some kind of eye divine ability.

Facing Li Yan and Lei Zhen, the old beggar on the wall was not panicked at all, but sat down cross-legged and played the erhu leisurely.

The erhu sound was resentful and vicissitudinous, echoing in the dark street.

The snake group on the ground suddenly rioted, rushing over one after another.

Li Yan held the Divine Tiger Token, immediately stepped on the Gang step, pinched the formula, and chanted, "Nuogao, three stars on the left, three prisons on the right, Heaven turns and Earth flips..."

"Roar!"

As soon as the Northern Emperor Body Protection Curse came out, the tiger roar sounded again.

The snake group was immediately somewhat restless.

However, what shocked Li Yan was that the Northern Emperor Body Protection Curse was actually suppressed by the erhu sound, and the snake group became more and more irritable, surging towards them.

This old beggar's cultivation was higher than his own!

"Hmph! Pretending to be what!"

Lei Zhen snorted beside him, his right hand forming a claw.

Crack! He actually directly dug a broken brick from the wall beside him and waved it out with a whistle.

A broken brick hit by a master of the Dan-holding realm is enough to be fatal.

The old beggar twisted his body to dodge, and the erhu sound stopped abruptly.

At the same time, on the hilt of Li Yan's Dust-Severing Saber, the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coins jingled, and the approaching poisonous snakes were driven away again.

Seeing that he could not break through the defense of the two, the old beggar did not make a move again, just looked at them coldly, smoke rose around his body, and he disappeared.

Li Yan could smell that the other party's so-called escape technique was just combined with some kind of illusion, his aura was still there, and he had already moved away quickly.

But seeing him leave, he did not pursue.

Lei Zhen frowned beside him. "What is this person's background? Daring to harm people with evil spells in Unlike Yichang City, why did the Chenghuangmiao have no movement?"

"He set up a formation."

"Senior, stay here, I'll go catch a few people."

Before the words fell, Li Yan had already exploded with dark strength under his feet, jumped out five or six meters with a swoosh, borrowed strength by stepping on the wall, and jumped over the snake group, heading towards the dark alley at the street corner.

Sure enough, bamboo poles were inserted at the street corner.

White charms were pasted on the bamboo poles, connected by red threads, with Yin energy faintly entangled above, surrounding the entire Yan Fu.

And in the dark alley, several figures were leaving quickly.

Li Yan did not say a word, picked up a stone from the ground, turned his wrist, and threw it out using the Flying Yellow Stone technique.

Boom! Boom!

"Ouch!"

Screams sounded, and two figures rolled to the ground.

They were two ragged beggars, holding snake flutes in their hands, their backs of their heads full of blood, dizzy, and unable to climb up for a long time.

Seeing Li Yan walking over with murderous intent, the two beggars panicked and hurriedly knelt down to kowtow. "Hero, spare my life, we were all forced!"

…………

"That person's nickname is 'Old Ghost'."

Inside the Yan Fu, two beggars knelt on the ground.

One of the old beggars cried bitterly and said, "As soon as he arrived in Unlike Yichang, Snake Master ordered us to listen to his orders, and we were also controlled by poison. If it weren't for this, how would we dare to harass the Yan Fu."

"Old Ghost?"

Li Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. "What is that person's background?"

The other beggar shook his head. "We have never heard of such a person in the martial arts world."

As he spoke, seeming to remember something, he hurriedly said, "By the way, as soon as he arrived at the poor man's nest, Snake Master knelt on the ground and called him General, and only then changed his words."

"General?" Lei Zhen beside him was thoughtful.

Li Yan was confused.

He knew "Snake Master," who was the leader of the Westbound Beggars in Unlike Yichang City, who knew some snake-charming and soul-bewitching techniques, and neither his magic nor his kung fu was mainstream.

If it weren't for the fact that the beggars in the city needed someone to manage them, and someone to do dirty work like collecting stolen goods and collecting road-fallen bodies, the Beggar Sect would have been wiped out long ago.

But calling him General, this is a problem...

Just then, Master Yulongzi brought several Daoists and hurried over, but the Yan family's guards had already run to notify the Chenghuangmiao. The Chenghuangmiao is responsible for guarding the city, especially the power from the Mystic Sect, as well as various evil spirits.

It was not yet the hour of the Rat, and someone dared to use magic on a large scale to attack a large clan in the city. The Chenghuangmiao naturally had to come to check.

"Li Li Shaoxia, why are you here too?"

Seeing Li Yan, Master Yulongzi was obviously somewhat surprised.

How could he have encountered trouble in the evening when he just arrived at noon.

After asking about the situation clearly, the old Daoist was even more surprised. "I have also heard about Madam Yan's matter; it turns out it was also the ghost of these Tu chieftains..."

"The matter is even more troublesome."

Meeting people from the Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao, Li Yan didn't need to hide it, and said, "The magic comes from the *Immortal Treasury of Longevity*. There should be evil cultivators practicing this technique who have defected to those Tu chieftains."

"And this thing!"

Upon hearing this, Master Yulongzi had an even bigger headache and said helplessly, "Forget it, forget it, let's talk about this later. What happened tonight?"

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "The people from the Zhujia Fort phosphorus mine have appeared."

!

He naturally would not mention the *Thunder Fire Scripture* and the new type of gunpowder, so he played a trick and only mentioned part of the situation.

"Oh?"

Master Yulongzi's expression became solemn. "These people, the Commandant's Office is also secretly investigating, suspecting that it is related to the Heavenly Saint Sect, but there is no clue."

"Did you catch the head of the Westbound Beggars?"

There were police officers from the government office assisting beside him, who bowed and said, "Returning to the Daoist, when the people from the Commandant's Office arrived, the person had already run away. They are sending hawks and dogs to search, and they should have left from the East Gate and gone up the mountain."

"We also found out that 'Snake Master' was once a member of the Longxiang Army..."

"What?!"

Master Yulongzi and Lei Zhen beside him were both shocked, and even Yan Bonian's eyes became solemn.

Li Yan frowned. "What is the Longxiang Army?"

Yan Bonian said in a deep voice, "Remnants of the previous dynasty!"

"A hundred years ago, the Great Xuan was founded, and remnants of the previous dynasty were still active everywhere, trying to restore the country. They hid in various states, sometimes becoming bandits in the mountains, sometimes mixing into the martial arts world to raise funds."

"The Commandant's Office was established earliest to deal with them."

"This branch in Ezhou calls itself the Longxiang Army, hiding in the Green Forest of Yundu, gathering many mountain bandits, and the momentum is not small. But they are very shrewd and never reveal their identities to the outside world."

"It wasn't until the rebellion in the Northern Frontier twenty years ago that the Longxiang Army officially raised its banner and destroyed everywhere, and was later scattered by the Ezhou garrison."

"Now it seems that they have just hidden in the dark."

Li Yan was speechless. "It's been a hundred-year-old thing, the old people at that time have long died, why are there still people thinking about restoring the country."

"That is unknown."

Master Yulongzi sighed and persuaded helplessly, "Li Li Shaoxia, this matter involves the Longxiang Army, and the Commandant's Office will definitely bite and not let go. They probably won't have time to trouble you."

"Right now, monsters and ghosts are gathering in Unlike Yichang City, and my head is big. If you pity me, the old Daoist, help a little more, otherwise the hearts of the people will be shaken, and the consequences will be unimaginable..."

"Daoist, don't worry."

Li Yan bowed. "We will go to the Chenghuangmiao tomorrow."

Since it involves the remnants of the previous dynasty, it is naturally handled by the Commandant's Office. After Master Yulongzi said a few comforting polite words, he left in a hurry.

There are too many troublesome things in Unlike Yichang City.

The Chenghuangmiao is understaffed, and he can't help much with the Yan Fu side.

Li Yan originally planned to stay in the Yan Fu for one night after the banquet, but the enemy had already appeared, so he naturally couldn't stay, so he bowed and left.

Looking at his departing figure, Lei Zhen suddenly smiled. "Brother Yan, this kid is not honest. I clearly heard the old beggar say he took something from the Longxiang Army, but he didn't mention it just now."

Yan Bonian sighed. "This Li Li Shaoxia is righteous and will definitely not do evil, but he is so young and facing such a storm, it is really..."

"Brother Yan, don't worry."

Lei Zhen smiled. "I see this kid is also a ruthless master, cunning and bold, and will definitely be able to turn bad luck into good luck."

"Besides, the road of the martial arts world is bloody, who hasn't broken through step by step."

"You go to sleep early, tomorrow morning I will summon the Divine Fist Society and clean up this Unlike Yichang City..."

…………

Because of the formation, the chaos in the Yan Fu did not have much movement.

Li Yan returned to the Changfeng Inn, Sha Lifei and others had not yet fallen asleep, so he called them all into the room and told them about the matter.

"Remnants of the previous dynasty?"

Sha Lifei was taken aback and shook his head. "Good, once the world is in chaos, all kinds of monsters and ghosts have emerged."

"The Green Forest Mountain is not big, they mostly ran to the Jingchu mountain area, mixed in the refugee villages, and survived until now. Maybe this rebellion also has their handwriting."

"How should we deal with it?"

Some things are like this, unknown enemies are terrible, knowing who the opponent is, they are much more relaxed.

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "They make firearms, mostly for the war in the Southwest, so they can't hand over the things."

"They are busy dealing with the imperial court and have the Commandant's Office chasing them, so they can't send too many people."

"Since that's the case, then let go and kill!"

"Kill them until they feel pain and dare not send people again."

Li Yan said this, naturally with confidence.

The six Gang orders in the Gou Die, and the three thousand Yin Si soldiers and horses in the six camps, even an ordinary Chenghuangmiao can be washed away.

Of course, the preparations that should be made still need to be made.

"Brother Lu, your eagle will be hard work. From tomorrow, explore the enemy's tracks at any time to prevent being ambushed..."

"Old Uncle Sha, how is that thing you made?"

"Don't worry, Brother Lu and I join forces, I'm not afraid of anything, but the medicine powder sent by the little fatty is not enough. Without this thing, it's easy to be discovered by sorcerers."

"I remember we need 'mountain demon fur' and 'lichen', right? Tomorrow, after we go to the Chenghuangmiao, let's see if we can get our hands on them there..."

Everyone discussed the strategy to deal with the enemy until the hour of the Tiger.

…………

The next morning, the sky was somewhat gloomy.

Before going out, accompanied by a few muffled thunders, a light rain fell, making Unlike Yichang City appear even more humid.

Seeing this, Li Yan was happy in his heart.

This kind of weather without sunlight means that even during the day, he can summon Yin soldiers to fight normally, and he is even more fearless.

The Chenghuangmiao is nearby, so several people didn't wear bamboo hats or rain capes, and came to the Chenghuangmiao with umbrellas.

I saw that the half-collapsed temple wall had been repaired for the most part, but because of the rain, the workers were not working.

"Is it Li Li Shaoxia?"

Under the eaves of the side door, a little Daoist boy was avoiding the rain. After seeing them, he hurriedly asked, obviously Master Yulongzi had already given instructions.

Following the Daoist boy into the Chenghuangmiao, Li Yan felt even deeper.

The strength of the Unlike Yichang Chenghuangmiao is far from comparable to Chang'an. Not only were all the masters transferred away, but even the scale of the City God's soldiers and horses was not large.

Master Yulongzi had already come out to greet him. Seeing Li Yan looking at the main hall, he immediately knew what he was thinking and shook his head helplessly:

"Soldiers and horses are not as many as you want to recruit. One is to have a source, and the other is to be able to suppress them and afford them."

"The power of the Dharma lineage here is not bad. Their ancestral altar soldiers and horses are more than ours. If the hearts of the people are uneasy and the incense of the Chenghuangmiao is damaged, even these soldiers and horses are estimated to be unable to be raised."

Seeing this, Li Yan comforted, "When the imperial court settles the rebellion and reforms the native official system, the situation will definitely improve."

Master Yulongzi was stunned and said meaningfully, "Li Li Shaoxia knows quite a lot."

Some things don't need to be said too clearly.

Master Yulongzi immediately changed the subject. "Please follow me, everyone. The matter of that village is the most urgent now."

"Li Li Shaoxia has extraordinary knowledge, maybe he can solve this matter..."

Two chapters today, three chapters tomorrow

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 225 =====