Chapter 233

"What did you say?"

As Li Yan spoke, the murderous intent couldn't help but leak out.

The shopkeeper was startled, thinking he was about to make a move, and reached into his arms, wanting to pull out a weapon.

Slap!

Li Yan pressed him down and said in a deep voice, "Senior, don't misunderstand. It's just that this demon harmed my relative, and I didn't expect to hear news about it here."

"Oh?"

Seeing that Li Yan didn't seem to be lying, the shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time felt a chill in his heart, secretly surprised.

His skills were considered pretty good, and he had reached the Dark Jin level in the Thirty-Six Closing Hands, otherwise, how would he dare to do this kind of business?

However, he was suppressed just now without any power to fight back.

How old is this young man, and he is still a warlock...

His background is definitely not simple!

Thinking of this, the shopkeeper retracted his hand calmly, "I don't know which relative of yours was harmed by that demon?"

Li Yan didn't answer and changed the subject, asking:

"Do you know where that demon is hiding?"

The shopkeeper stroked his beard slightly and shook his head, "I only heard about this from hearsay and have never really seen it."

"Since last winter, there have been rumors of the midnight bridal sedan chair and the ghost bride on the road in Ezhou, but its whereabouts are uncertain. From Yunyang to Hankou, from Xiangyang to Dongting, it has appeared in many places."

"Few common people know about it. After all, there are similar ghost rumors in every place, so the matter of the ghost bride didn't cause a big stir."

"But in the martial world, many people have heard of it."

"In early October last year, a warlock from the Pai Sect in Yunyang said he had encountered this demon, and several experts in the gang had their essence and blood sucked dry by it..."

"In November, a farming family near Junshan was sucked into dried corpses. It is rumored that someone saw a bridal sedan chair flying by at night..."

"During the New Year, a bandit stronghold on a mountain near Xiangyang was destroyed overnight. Only one person survived, and he went crazy, constantly muttering about the ghost bride..."

"This time in Zigui County, Young Master Wu, the son of County Magistrate Wu, went to the Bao'en Guangxiao Temple outside the North Gate to worship Buddha. Because he returned late after discussing Buddhism, he encountered this demon on the road. According to the servant who ran back, it was indeed the ghost bride."

Sha Lifei was happy, "Isn't this County Magistrate Wu fond of exploiting the common people? Why did his son start worshipping Buddha?"

"There are always exceptions."

The shopkeeper smiled, "This Young Master Wu is studying at the Danyang Academy. He is kind-hearted. He didn't pass the scholar exam, but he became interested in Buddhist principles and often accumulates virtue and does good deeds on weekdays."

"So that's how it is."

Li Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the murderous intent in his heart.

The midnight bridal sedan chair and the ghost bride are one person!

That person is called "Red Woman," who was originally one of the incense masters of the Maitreya Sect and also the famous Golden Swallow in Chang'an City.

Later, the Maitreya Sect rebelled, and her identity was leaked, but she still sent her subordinates to operate a brothel in Chang'an City.

"Red Woman's" other identity is Zhao Changsheng's right-hand man.

His father, Li Hu, inadvertently investigated the batch of old soldiers of his grandfather, and all of them encountered misfortune and had their roots cut off, so he secretly investigated and didn't know what clues he found, catching Zhao Changsheng's tail.

"Red Woman" therefore killed him to silence him.

Zhao Wanfang, the top courtesan of Qingyuan Tower, was also a victim at the time and had found out a piece of news that "Red Woman" had appeared in Ezhou.

Unfortunately, at that time, Li Yan felt he had no chance of winning, so he focused on improving his strength first and then taking revenge.

I didn't expect to run into her here.

It's really a narrow road for enemies...

Sha Lifei on the side saw that Li Yan was restless, so he hurriedly changed the subject and asked, "Senior, do you know any inside information about the Erbeiwan matter?"

"I know some."

Guessing that the two were not simple, the shopkeeper didn't dare to fool them and said, "As for the rice seedlings not growing in Erbeiwan, even the Tai Xuan Zhen Jiao can't find out, so naturally, I don't know the reason."

"But the reason why this matter caused such a big stir is all because of the Danyang Academy."

"Zigui County is the hometown of Master Sanlu, so local students also like Chu Ci and even formed the Danyang School, taking pride in it. Whenever scholars from other places come, they must take them to Erbeiwan to cherish the past."

"Now that such a big thing has happened, and it is said that Master Sanlu is angry and punishing them, and even the common people in the village have been arrested, these students have all pointed their fingers at County Magistrate Wu."

"Young Master Wu couldn't stay in Danyang Academy either, so he returned home. On weekdays, he worshipped Buddha and prayed for blessings, but was entangled by the demon..."

…………

After returning to the inn, Sha Lifei recounted the intelligence one by one.

"Danyang Academy?"

Wang Daoxuan was thoughtful, "Although Confucianism says to respect ghosts and gods and keep them at a distance, they are very proficient in the means of acting in the name of ghosts and gods. Could it be that the academy is making trouble?"

"This matter is not that simple." Li Yan shook his head and said in a deep voice, "'Red Woman' is Zhao Changsheng's subordinate. This person's whereabouts are secretive, and he has laid out layouts all over the Divine Land, so he will definitely not shoot without a target."

"They probably have other plans!"

"Sigh~"

Sha Lifei scratched his head, "County Magistrate Wu, private salt smugglers, Tusi, 'Red Woman', the academy... where should we start investigating this tangled mess?"

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "Since it's a tangled mess, then cut it with a sharp knife!"

As he spoke, he looked at Wang Daoxuan, "Daoist, can we use the Seven Arrows Secret Curse to confuse people's hearts with evil words and worship evil gods?"

Wang Daoxuan pondered for a while and nodded, "The other party used wood spirits to harm people, which is related to the chaos in the Southwest, so it can naturally be used."

"That's good!"

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "The chaos in Zigui County is full of fog, I'm afraid more than one party is making trouble, so let's just beat the grass to scare the snake."

"From now on, let's act separately."

"Uncle Sha and I will reveal our identities and attract the attention of those monsters and ghosts."

"Daoist, you are experienced, so you can secretly go to Erbeiwan in advance to find out the truth. Brother Lu San will protect the Daoist's safety and contact us at any time. If you encounter enemies, you can directly use firearms..."

Since leaving Mount Huashan, Li Yan had long discovered one thing.

They were no longer weak.

Wang Daoxuan goes without saying; he was already knowledgeable, just because of the influence of supernatural powers and the lack of Dharma lineage support, he had wasted a long time.

Now he is at the second floor of Daoist practice and will be able to step into the third floor this year.

The third floor is the limit that ordinary warlocks can reach. Thinking back then, the temple keeper Qingyangzi of the Xianyang Chenghuangmiao, and Luo Mingzi, were only at the third floor, but they could already hold their own.

With several powerful Chang soldiers, plus that earth dragon ghost, and the Seven Arrows Secret Curse, ordinary warlocks are simply not their opponents.

Lu San goes without saying.

His skills are good, his practice is at the second floor, plus his magical beast-taming technique, the demon gourd, and the bone mace firearm, he is not afraid of group battles or solo fights.

Cooperating with Wang Daoxuan, both sides' disadvantages can be compensated.

Although Sha Lifei is not a warlock, he is good at using firearms and is also a powerful attack force in the team. Following by his side, he can withstand any storm.

Future tasks will become more and more complex, and always acting together will instead be led by the nose by the enemy.

"Don't worry."

Lu San doesn't talk much, but he does things most reliably.

Li Yan nodded and said in a deep voice:

"Remember, at any time, survival is the priority. There is no need to have any taboos. If anything happens, we will bear it together!"

…………

Zigui County Yamen is on the north side of the city. Unlike other places, because of the terrain here, to enter the Yamen, one must walk a long stone staircase.

It doesn't look like a county Yamen, but rather like a mountain gate.

The common people of Zigui County have a proverb: The road to the Yamen is the road to the underworld; go in with your head down, and come out with a layer of skin peeled off.

In the main hall of the county Yamen, neat bluestone bricks are laid on the ground, with "Bright Mirror Hanging High" above, and a landscape screen behind, implying that the official is upright.

The wooden chairs of the public case are exquisitely carved, and on both sides stand jujube-red wooden plaques with "Silence" and "Avoid."

Sitting on the chair is a middle-aged man, wearing a black gauze hat, with the hat wings on both sides spread flat, wearing a green round-collared robe, with a cloud goose embroidered on the robe.

His skin is fair, slightly wealthy, and his long black beard hangs down to his chest, clearly paying great attention to his appearance on weekdays. He is the Zigui County Magistrate, Wu Dehai.

The Wu family is a big clan in Ezhou. Not only is his elder brother the president of the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce, but several people in the clan are also officials in various places.

Although his family background is extraordinary, because he was born of a concubine, he was not valued. If he hadn't worked hard to pass the scholar exam, he wouldn't have received family support and come here to serve as a county magistrate.

However, the family's doesn't mean it's his.

Wu Dehai was unwilling in his heart. After taking office, he naturally made a lot of money, and in a short period of time, he had saved a considerable family business.

!.

It is reasonable to say that it is also glorious.

But at this time, he was worried.

One is the illness of his only son, and the other is that although Zigui County looks stable now, it is actually precarious.

Especially the superior official sent by Yunyang, urging him to invite those Tusi to enter the city. If one thing goes wrong, I'm afraid he will be the scapegoat.

The private secretary next to him saw his appearance, his eyes moved, and he said in a low voice: "County Magistrate, the experts from the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce will be here soon. With them pressing the formation, these things will surely be solved."

"How can it be that simple?"

Wu Dehai was displeased and said coldly: "I don't know what kind of virtue those people have. Whether they can handle things is one thing. If they are not fed enough, they will definitely talk nonsense when they go back..."

Before the words fell, a yamen runner walked quickly onto the hall, bent down and cupped his hands: "My lord, Daoist Feng from the Chenghuangmiao requests an audience."

Wu Dehai narrowed his eyes, "Oh, please."

He comes from a big family and naturally knows what the Chenghuangmiao represents.

Although due to some special reasons, the Chenghuangmiao in Zigui County is not strong, with no social order troops worshipped and no experts stationed, only a few Daoists with weak practice stationed there.

However, they are from the Zhenwu Palace of Wudang.

No force in the city would easily provoke them.

"Immeasurable Longevity and Fortune."

An old Daoist walked in with big strides, smiling, and performed a Daoist salute, "Magistrate Wu, the poor Daoist greets you."

"Greetings, Daoist Feng."

County Magistrate Wu hurriedly went down the hall and returned the salute, but his eyes drifted to the two people behind the old Daoist.

They were Li Yan and Sha Lifei.

Li Yan wanted to reveal his identity, so he naturally wouldn't visit alone and directly found the temple keeper Feng Luanzi of the Zigui County Chenghuangmiao.

The situation in Zigui County is a bit special because it is close to Wushan, where many experts and sects are hidden, and this place is also the territory of the Zhushan Sect of the Dharma lineage.

Several times they raised social order troops, but they were secretly destroyed by others. They sent experts to suppress them, and they could be stable for a while.

But as soon as the people left, they were destroyed again.

After several tosses, the Tai Xuan Zhen Jiao also understood that whether it was the experts hidden in Wushan or the Zhushan Sect, they were not welcome.

Raising troops consumes a lot, and with the power of the Zhenwu Palace of Wudang Mountain, it is impossible to be so troublesome back and forth, so they simply gave up, recalled the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall, and only left a few ordinary Daoists to guard the incense.

Of course, the Zhushan Sect can be considered cooperative.

Whenever there are demons making trouble in the territory, they will go to suppress them, and if the Law Enforcement Hall wants to arrest people, they will also cooperate with the search.

This situation has been maintained for many years.

But now, the chaos in the Southwest is obvious, strange things happen one after another in various places, demons and evil spirits take the opportunity to make trouble, and with the strength of the Zhushan Sect, they can't hold their ground, and Zigui County has problems, and they can't spare people to come.

Li Yan and Sha Lifei look like people in the martial world. Wu Dehai finds it strange, what is the Chenghuangmiao doing bringing these two to find him?

"Hahaha..."

The temple keeper Daoist Feng was in a good mood, "Magistrate, the poor Daoist will introduce you. This is Li Yan, Li Shaoxia."

"Li Shaoxia is an expert of the Mystic Sect, entrusted by the Yichang Chenghuangmiao to come and deal with the Erbeiwan matter."

"Oh?"

Although seeing the appearance of Li Yan and the two, Wu Dehai was a bit suspicious, he pretended to be full of surprise, "The two of you came just in time. The Erbeiwan matter has a great impact, and this official is having a headache."

"Easy to say."

Li Yan wanted to attract the attention of all parties, so how could he be low-key? He cupped his hands slightly and said, "We came here, naturally we want to handle this matter well."

"This time we are here, we want to ask the County Magistrate to help summon some people to come and ask questions."

"Ask questions?"

Wu Dehai was a bit puzzled, "This Li Shaoxia, although this official doesn't understand the arts of the Mystic Sect, I can see that the Erbeiwan matter is caused by evil people secretly making trouble and disturbing the hearts of the people."

"Before, the Tai Xuan Zhen Jiao also sent people to come, but they were deceived by them, and no clues could be found."

"Li Shaoxia is so high-profile, aren't you afraid of alerting the enemy?"

He is also a shrewd person.

Li Yan sneered in his heart, but his face was expressionless, "If I'm not mistaken, they have long erased the clues, and the common people are resentful. If we go to the door rashly, we won't be able to ask anything."

"It's better to find the root cause and suppress and kill it directly!"

What a big temper!

Seeing this, Wu Dehai was already displeased in his heart, but still smiled, "Li Shaoxia's words are reasonable. I don't know how this official should cooperate?"

Li Yan pondered for a while, "I suspect that the Danyang Academy is related to this matter. Let's ask them to come and ask questions first."

"Danyang Academy?"

Wu Dehai heard this, not surprised but happy, nodded and sighed, "Alright, I can't afford to provoke the people in the academy, but with the order of the Chenghuangmiao, they should cooperate."

"Come here, invite a few instructors from the academy to come!"

Seeing this, Li Yan was even more certain.

This County Magistrate Wu and the academy must have had an unhappy relationship, wanting to use his hands to beat them.

Of course, he is not afraid of offending any academy.

This visit is to make trouble!

………

At the same time that Li Yan entered the Yamen in a high-profile manner, the news also entered the eyes of interested people through various channels.

And Wang Daoxuan and Lu San, disguised themselves and left the city.

The village of Erbeiwan is on the north bank of the river, and they need to take a boat to cross the river, but the ritual is still being held on the shore, and crossing the river at this time is too eye-catching.

Looking at the rolling river water, Wang Daoxuan was also a bit nervous, "Brother Lu, can the method you said really work?"

"It can work!"

Lu San didn't talk nonsense, directly came to the riverside, pinched the Dharma seal, patted the water, and made a chirping sound in his mouth.

Before long, one after another withered-wood-like bodies emerged from the river surface. They were many pig-mother dragons, wagging their tails and swimming towards them...

Thanks to Alliance Leader bobby1994 for the reward. It's too late today, I'll add a chapter tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)