Chapter 226: Wind and Rain in Xiling Gorge

"My lord, we are wronged."

The man named Cheng San said with a nose and tears: "After the incident in the fields, people were panicked. Later, people said one after another that they dreamed of a Daoist."

"I often go to Unlike Yichang to deliver goods. I originally guessed that someone was making trouble and wanted to come to Unlike Yichang to report to the official."

"Why didn't you come?"

"Because that night, I also dreamed of that Daoist."

"Oh?"

Li Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. "What did that person look like?"

The man hesitated for a long time after hearing this, but still gritted his teeth and said: "I have seen it, and the face shape is exactly the same as the statue in the Three-Lü Grand Master's ancestral hall!"

"Nonsense!"

The government office head catcher's expression changed drastically after hearing this.

The man was also startled and kowtowed repeatedly. "I really didn't talk nonsense. If it weren't for this, how would the people dare to smash the temple?"

Li Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, keenly noticing the suspicion. "Your village is under the jurisdiction of Zigui County. Why didn't you go to the county government after the incident? Instead, you thought of coming to Unlike Yichang?"

The man didn't dare to speak after hearing this.

Sha Lifei is an old oil stick. Seeing the man's appearance, he had a vague guess in his heart and said happily: "You are not even afraid of ghosts and gods, are you afraid of people?"

This man had lived in the prison for a few days, and his spirit had already collapsed. Hearing this, he couldn't hold it anymore, and said with a bitter face: "Ghosts and gods at least reason, if people become evil, they don't reason at all!"

"The Zigui County government office is in collusion from top to bottom, and the people have long been full of complaints, so they think it is the Three-Lü Grand Master who is seeking justice for us."

"Also, I heard that they occupied salt mines in the mountains and sold private salt to the Tu people for profit..."

As soon as these words came out, the government office head catcher's face changed drastically, his eyes widened and he scolded angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about with hearsay?"

Li Yan glanced at him faintly. "People just heard it, so what, you don't even let people talk?"

"Also, what are you in a hurry for?"

"I..."

The head catcher was full of grievances, ordered people to lock the man back in the prison, and then hesitated for a moment, bowed and said: "Everyone, I am also for your own good. Just investigate the case, don't provoke that Zigui County Magistrate."

Li Yan was somewhat surprised and glanced at Company Commander Yuan.

Good, the Commandant's Office is also responsible for supervising officials. This government office head catcher dares to say this openly. What is the background of the other party?

However, Company Commander Yuan was expressionless, as if he hadn't heard it.

Li Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he didn't talk nonsense, and let the jailer call other people to interrogate.

Sure enough, these people all dreamed of the Daoist.

One by one, they spoke with certainty, all claiming to be the Three-Lü Grand Master, and some even opened their mouths to curse, saying that the Three-Lü Grand Master would not let go of these corrupt officials.

After being scolded for being wronged, Li Yan was not angry at all, turned his head, and said calmly: "Company Commander, what do you think?"

"This matter is not simple."

Company Commander Yuan was thoughtful and said: "Since the death of the Three-Lü Grand Master, the people have been sacrificing continuously for thousands of years. The fifth day of the fifth lunar month was originally the ghost festival of the Chu State, and now it has become the Dragon Boat Festival."

"Around Unlike Yichang, there are countless folk stories and legends about the Three-Lü Grand Master. Some say they saw him chanting *Li Sao* by the river, some say he turned into a god to help the people solve disasters and get out of trouble, and there are many believers."

"That monster chose to make trouble in Erbeiwan, clearly to incite the hearts of the people and cause chaos, mostly related to this rebellion."

"Oh."

Li Yan nodded slightly and didn't say anything more...

………

The people from the Commandant's Office were clearly prepared.

Arriving at the ferry, a wooden boat was already waiting for them.

This flat boat is not big, much worse than "Fast Boat Zhang," and it looks somewhat dilapidated, no different from the surrounding boats.

The boat head and the boat are not people from the Commandant's Office, but they clearly know Company Commander Yuan, just nodded, and sailed away from the ferry.

Lu San waved his hand, and the eagle on his shoulder soared into the sky.

At this moment, fine rain was flying on the river, but the eagle was fearless, flying up and down in the misty rain.

Seeing this, Company Commander Yuan didn't seem surprised and smiled. "This must be Mr. Lu San, really powerful."

Clearly, he had already collected information on Li Yan and others.

Lu San didn't even look at him, let alone talk.

Before, this Company Commander Yuan revealed his true feelings, saying he wanted to make a contribution to improve the pensions of his brothers. Everyone secretly admired him, but he changed his face in the prison. It was hard to judge whether he was good or evil.

Of course, they also know that the officialdom is far from that simple.

Official protection, family protection, has been the case since ancient times. Great righteousness to destroy relatives, justice and strictness, not everyone can do it.

But Lu San has this temper, he doesn't like it, he doesn't like it.

Especially the years of entanglement with County Lieutenant Qiao Sanhu made him have no good feelings for people in the government office.

On the boat, there is also a boat pavilion, but it is very simple, just a few wooden pillars, covered with a straw mat shed.

Fine rain is flying on the river, which can only be said to be barely covered.

Li Yan looked at the rear without changing his expression.

Unlike Yichang Ferry is the throat of Bashu, very busy, so even if it is close to the dangerous road of the Three Gorges, there are many boats.

There are at least a dozen boats following them away from the ferry. There are grain transport boats and passenger boats, all of different sizes.

Li Yan knows that there must be people from the Commandant's Office among them.

The ability of these people to hide is also considered good.

He couldn't see which boat they were hiding on.

Thinking of this, Li Yan's heart moved, and he asked: "Company Commander Yuan, why are you sure that those people will definitely trouble us?"

Company Commander Yuan smiled. "The Westbound Beggar Sect in Unlike Yichang City is a dark child of the Longxiang Army. If the war starts in the future, a sudden attack might make Unlike Yichang City fall."

"Such an important dark child, the Longxiang Army is willing to be exposed in advance, and also wants to trouble Li Li Shaoxia and others, and will definitely not give up."

"To be honest, I am also very curious."

"What's so curious about this?"

Sha Lifei on the side scolded: "We accidentally destroyed their plan, and the other party must hate us to the bone. According to the nature of these villains, how can they easily let us go!"

Company Commander Yuan smiled and didn't speak.

Although the Longxiang Army has been hiding for many years, the Commandant's Office has never dealt with them, but he checked the past files overnight and knew that these people were not so impulsive.

Otherwise, how could they hide until now.

There must be another reason.

Of course, he would not force an interrogation.

Li Yan and others have different identities, the City God Temple has many dependencies, and the overall situation is the priority, so they cannot be treated as ordinary people in the martial arts world.

Both sides have their own thoughts, and for a time there was nothing to talk about.

The atmosphere on the boat also seemed somewhat dull.

Not long after leaving Unlike Yichang Ferry, Li Yan and others were attracted by the scene in front of them.

I saw the river surface ahead suddenly become wide. In this vast water area, the size of the boats on the river slowed down, and one by one became cautious.

The boatmen on their boats took out a handful of incense, lit it, inserted it on the bow, knelt down respectfully one by one, and scattered paper money, throwing some snacks into the river.

Looking at other boats around, it is the same.

Small boats generally burn incense, and those large cargo ships even began to wrap red cloth, and there were also Gong priests beating gongs and drums, chanting spells on the bow.

The Han River basin, connecting Bashu in the south and Chu soil in the east, has similar customs and integrated culture, and the wind of shamanism is quite prosperous.

The so-called Gong priest is equivalent to the northern god-han.

Being so grand shows that the water area ahead is extremely dangerous.

Sure enough, Company Commander Yuan said: "Everyone, ahead is Xiling Gorge. The waterway here is tortuous, with many beaches and rapid water, so be sure to be careful."

Li Yan knows that the reminder to be careful is not only about this dangerous waterway, but also about guarding against someone sneaking an attack here.

He gave a wink, and Lu San immediately blew the whistle.

The eagle spread its wings and rushed towards Xiling Gorge.

!

In the sky, there is more than one eagle, and there are two larger ones, flying up and down, which were clearly released by the Commandant's Office.

But those trained on a large scale cannot compare with Lu San's beast-controlling method, and even appear somewhat dull, only knowing to patrol above.

Seeing this, Company Commander Yuan could not hide his envy.

At the same time, Li Yan also raised his vigilance to look at the surrounding boats.

At this moment, the fine rain is misty, and the river fog is not big.

Although there are many boats, in order to maintain safe navigation, they all keep a certain distance from each other.

Li Yan pinched the Yang formula and took a deep breath. Within a range of three hundred meters, there were three boats, but they were all ordinary merchant ships, and no strange smell could be smelled.

It seems that the Longxiang General just failed a sneak attack last night and knew they were on guard, so he shouldn't choose to make a move at this time.

Sure enough, Lu San's eagle soon returned from exploration, fell from the sky, and chirped in his ear.

Lu San was thoughtful, turned his head and said in a deep voice: "On the slopes on both sides of the river, no one is hiding in ambush."

As he spoke, he pointed to the mountain in the distance. "On that mountain top, there are many people wandering back and forth, I don't know what the origin is."

Company Commander Yuan smiled. "Those are tourists."

"Xiling Gorge is the most dangerous pass of the Three Gorges. Since ancient times, it has been a strategic point for soldiers, and there are many ancient sites."

"There are ancient military ramparts under the mountain, built in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and used until the Six Dynasties. You can still see broken walls and ruins..."

"There is the Three-Travel Cave on the mountainside, with beautiful scenery. In the Tang Dynasty, Bai Juyi, Bai Xingjian, and Yuan Zhen traveled together, calling it the former three travels. In the Song Dynasty, there were the three Sus who traveled together, known as the later three travels..."

"As for the mountain, it is said that Zhang Yide guarded the Three Gorges pass during the Three Kingdoms period and beat drums on the top of Xiling Mountain peak, drilling soldiers and horses day and night..."

"After we finish our business, if Li Li Shaoxia has leisure, I will take you for a tour of the mountain."

"We'll see then."

Li Yan nodded slightly, noncommittal.

Seeing his appearance, Company Commander Yuan was silent for a while and smiled bitterly: "Li Li Shaoxia thinks that we are eating and doing nothing, and don't care about the Zigui County Magistrate?"

"Head Catcher Liu is right, this matter is indeed not easy to handle."

"That Zigui County Magistrate is named Wu Dehai, and he is indeed a useless thing, but his brother is not simple, he is the president of the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce."

"The imperial court opened the seas, and his brother gathered many large merchants in Ezhou, and the harvest from exploring the seas was very rich. Many nobles participated behind the scenes, and even King Hankou had a share."

"This time the imperial court settled the Southwest, the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce was responsible for transporting materials and also donated a lot of military expenses. Not to mention my low position, even Governor Yuan would only open one eye and close one eye."

"Things in the court are really not that simple..."

"Company Commander Yuan's words are wrong."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and shook his head. "The world is easy to get, but the hearts of the people are hard to seek. The Great Xing Dynasty was corrupt, and the hearts of the people were chaotic, so even after defeating the Golden Tent Wolf Country, when the Taizu shouted, he immediately took the country."

"Now that the Southwest is settled, but the hearts of the people are not gathered, I am afraid there will be problems..."

Company Commander Yuan's face was awkward, and a flash of displeasure crossed his eyes. "This kind of thing is for the lords to worry about. I am just a small soldier who died, and everyone is just eating in the martial arts world. What is the use of complaining about these?"

Wang Daoxuan sighed and stopped talking.

Li Yan was calm and just pretended not to hear.

Although the two sides were polite on the surface, they were not on the same path, and they couldn't pee in the same pot, so even Guan Wanche in Chang'an was distant from them.

While talking, Xiling Gorge was already in front of him.

Unknowingly, the rain became much heavier.

Entering the gorge, the strange peaks and ridges on both sides rushed towards him, the wind whistled, scattering the fine rain, turning into rolling rain mist. The mountains on both sides were looming, like ferocious giant beasts lurking.

The rapid river water roared, waves splashed, hitting the giant rocks on the shore, the roaring sound was deafening, and the river water seemed to turn into a giant dragon, crashing wantonly in the gorge.

"Everyone, sit steady!"

The boat head, who had been silent on the road, changed his face slightly at this moment, turned his head and greeted, then his face was tense, and he was busy with the boatmen.

Company Commander Yuan frowned. "What's wrong?"

The boat head's teeth were chattering. "The Sea Hai Tiaozi has turned over!"

Li Yan and others looked at each other after hearing this.

When entering the mountain, there are taboos for some wild beasts, and after entering the water, there are also sayings.

Shipbuilding pays attention to "the head does not top the mulberry, the feet do not step on the locust," meaning that when building a boat, the bow does not use mulberry wood, and the feet do not use locust boards.

When sailing, it is also taboo to say words like "turn over, break, leave, scatter, fall, fire."

And the most taboo is "Sea Hai Tiaozi."

"Sea Hai Tiaozi" is the spring code of the martial arts world, meaning Dragon!

Company Commander Yuan's face was also very ugly. "It's only spring, not yet summer thunder and rain, how can there be 'Sea Hai Tiaozi' making trouble?"

The boat head was already pale with fright. "I don't know either."

Wang Daoxuan hurriedly took out the compass, his expression became solemn, and handed it to Li Yan to see.

Li Yan also frowned.

The pointer swayed, and it sank slightly. This is "tang needle" and "sinking needle," indicating that the earth energy here is not peaceful, and there are spiritual objects making trouble.

Could it be that there is really a dragon?

Unfortunately, his divine ability can only feel more than ten meters underwater, and he can't detect anything else at all.

At the same time, the waves on the river became more fierce.

The narrow river channel made the boat difficult to sail, and if one was not careful, it would be rolled into the whirlpool.

The wind in the gorge whistled, mixed with the roar of the river water, as if there was really a giant dragon, rolling up and down in the gorge.

Ancient vines were entangled on the cliffs in the distance, swaying in the wind and rain.

Clatter!

Dense vines suddenly broke, and mountain rocks rolled down, smashing towards the boat ahead.

Crack!

A merchant ship was smashed with a hole on the spot, people on the boat were bruised and bleeding, screaming and falling into the river, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, Lu San also put his hand into the water, his face changed suddenly. "Be careful, something is coming in the water!" ===== CHAPTER 227 =====

At the same time, Lu San also reached his hand into the water, his expression suddenly changing drastically, "Careful, there's something coming through the water!"