Chapter 234

"Daoist, be careful..."

Under Lu San's guidance, Wang Daoxuan stepped into the water tremblingly.

These pig-mother dragons are all ordinary goods and cannot bear the weight of a person at all, but Lu San has a wonderful method.

He and Wang Daoxuan, separated their feet, each stepping on the back of a pig-mother dragon, plus the help of other small pig-mother dragons, became steady.

As a group of pig-mother dragons wagged their tails, the two immediately entered the river. Looking from afar, it was as if they were walking on the waves.

The river wind brushed their faces, Wang Daoxuan's fear reduced, and he also joked, "Crossing the river by crocodile is also a kind of elegance. Brother Lu San, what are these little guys thinking?"

"They are hungry."

Lu San's words made Wang Daoxuan's heart tighten.

Fortunately, Lu San shook his head immediately and said, "Daoist, don't worry, these pig-mother dragons have gentle personalities and won't hurt people, but because the river monster scared away the fish school, they can't find anything to eat."

Wang Daoxuan heard this, and his expression became serious, "I don't know if that river monster will run to Zigui County."

"Not for the time being."

Lu San shook his head, "The river monster is quite large, but it is ultimately a beast, and its appetite is quite large. The fish in Zigui County were scared away, and there are few people and few ships, so it ran to Unlike Yichang."

Wang Daoxuan was thoughtful, "Speaking of this river monster, I also remembered one thing. On the road at night, I flipped through that "Talks on the Netherworld" and learned that there were methods of raising demons by Qin and Han alchemists, used to guard underwater tomb passages, and later passed on to some Mystic Sect craftsmen."

"The river monster has a chain on its tail, which looks very similar to that method. Maybe it escaped from some tomb."

Lu San frowned, then chirped a few times.

The throats of the leading pig-mother dragons trembled, making pig sounds, but they were loud and high-pitched, and rhythmic.

Hearing this strange sound, Wang Daoxuan was not surprised.

This thing, the pig-mother dragon, will chirp on rainy days and likes to chirp at night, like beating drums and hitting the watch. The Jianghuai region calls it "Tu Drum" or "Tu Geng."

The "Book of Songs" has "Tu Drum Feng Feng, Meng Sou Zou Gong."

However, hearing the pig-mother dragon chirp, a flash of shock flashed in Lu San's eyes, "That river monster first appeared in Zigui County!"

Wang Daoxuan was dumbfounded, "There is actually such a thing?"

Lu San nodded, "These guys are very afraid of that river monster. There were quite a few groups in Zigui County originally, but now they have been eaten until only this one branch is left. They usually hide in mud holes to escape..."

Wang Daoxuan was thoughtful, "Could it be that there is a big tomb in Zigui County?"

The river surface here in Zigui County is not wide. While talking, the two had already crossed the river and hurriedly stepped on the reef to go ashore.

"Roar! Roar!"

Seeing them leave, several pig-mother dragons were in a hurry.

"What are they calling?"

Wang Daoxuan was a bit curious.

Lu San shook his head, "These guys are starving, and they don't dare to hurt people. I promised to help them find something to eat."

After saying that, he waved his hand, and the falcon immediately flapped its wings and rose, circling near the mountain forest beside, and soon began to dance.

"Daoist, please wait a moment."

Lu San explained, and then rushed into the mountain forest quickly.

Wang Daoxuan was bored, so he looked out by the river and took out a compass, looking at the jumping pointer on it, muttering, "The earth energy has stabilized, but there is still a needle deflection. Could it be that there is really a big tomb underwater nearby?"

"This is the Chu King City, the place where Xiong Yi, the first king of Chu, was enfeoffed. It can be considered the ancestral land of the ancient country. Could it be a Chu tomb... No, that "Talks on the Netherworld" says that suppressing demons can live at most three hundred years, and then it will turn into a beast soul..."

"It was still flourishing two hundred years ago, but I haven't heard of any royal family being enfeoffed here. It's really strange..."

While he was thinking, Lu San had already carried a fat wild boar and walked out of the forest, waving his dagger to divide the wild boar into small pieces and throwing them into the water.

For a time, the river water surged, and blood splashed.

Lu San patted the head of a pig-mother dragon and turned around, "Daoist, the Shuangbei Village is not far from here. What shall we do first?"

Wang Daoxuan looked at the compass and looked into the distance, saying in a deep voice, "To control wood spirits to make trouble, one must build a Dharma altar."

"If the poor Daoist is not mistaken, there must be arrangements in the nearby mountain forest. Others can't find them, but Brother Lu should have no problem."

"Good, what are we looking for?"

"The target won't be too big. Wood wrapped in red rope, specially arranged stone statues, straw men or wooden men hanging on trees... find something similar and tell me."

…………

Danyang Academy is located outside the Nanmen of Guizhou City.

According to the "Guizhou County Annals": Although Zigui is the hometown of Master Sanlu, it has been poor and barren for many years, originally without an academy, and talents have been scattered.

During the Daxing period, they began to donate more than ten houses outside the Nanmen as a place for students to study, hoping to "get someone with morality and ability to write, to advocate the sect style, and to smoke and steam the good kind."

After years of development, wealthy families donated funds, and it has been repaired several times.

The academy is a typical Hui-style building, with white walls and black tiles, stone-carved window lattices, and tall horse-head walls.

Bamboo forests are planted around, and there are small bridges and flowing water outside the courtyard, which is quite elegant.

"What did you say?"

At this moment, the atmosphere in the courtyard is very oppressive.

Looking at the few runners in the hall, an old scholar in a black robe had his eyes wide open, and his white beard was trembling with anger.

The systems of academies in various places of the Great Xuan Dynasty are almost the same.

The mountain chief is the leader of the academy, usually held by a high-ranking Confucian scholar with virtue and prestige in the local area, mostly having mixed in the officialdom and having considerable connections.

Those who teach are divided into professors, lecturers, and teaching assistants.

Logistics have supervisors, sacrificial masters, book clerks, and warehouse managers.

The speaker is the mountain chief of Danyang Academy, Song Mingchu.

The old man was clearly furious, his expression gloomy as he sneered: "County Magistrate Wu is interesting. He doesn't go to catch the evil people who are making trouble, but comes to the academy to harass us. Does he think it's our academy making trouble?"

There were several professors and lecturers in the hall, and upon hearing this, they were all angry.

"Simply nonsense!"

"Investigating a case to the academy!"

"Don't think that Wu Dehai can cover the sky with one hand. We must jointly submit a memorial to see how long he can be proud!"

These runners are arrogant and domineering on weekdays, but facing these scholars, they can only bend their waists and lower their eyebrows, full of flattery: "Mountain Zhao Tongling, you misunderstood. We are just going to ask questions, and this matter was proposed by the people sent by the Chenghuangmiao, not the County Magistrate's intention."

"Chenghuangmiao?"

Mountain Zhao Tongling Song Mingchu snorted coldly: "The people of the Chenghuangmiao don't protect the peace of one side, but instead collude with Wu Dehai.

"Go if you want. I want to see how they frame us!"

"We'll go too!"

"Go together!"

Most of the students in the academy come from wealthy local families.

Since County Magistrate Wu took office, he has made Zigui County a mess. Everyone has been dissatisfied with him for a long time, but because of the other party's background, they didn't dare to confront him openly.

This Erbeiwan matter can be considered as giving them a chance, and with the support of the academy mountain chief, how could they back down?

For a time, the academy was filled with indignation.

Mountain Zhao Tongling Song Mingchu had a rigid personality and originally wanted to make things big, so how could he stop them? He immediately led the crowd to leave the academy.

For a time, the scholars walked into the city in a mighty way.

They were aggressive, immediately attracting many onlookers.

The surrounding common people discussed, and some busybodies asked around randomly, and soon rumors were flying, and many common people followed behind to watch the excitement.

In the crowd, one person lifted his bamboo hat, thoughtful. If Li Yan were here, he would find that this person was Bai Ruoxu, who snatched a divine fire gun and was wanted by the imperial court.

Looking at the chaotic crowd in front of him, Bai Ruoxu didn't join in the fun, but lowered his bamboo hat and turned into other streets.

He didn't walk slowly, seemingly looking at the shops around, but in fact, every time he passed an alley entrance, he would observe carefully.

Soon, a mark came into view.

It was a spiral pattern, crooked, just like a child drawing randomly with small stones, looking unremarkable.

However, Bai Ruoxu looked around calmly, and seeing no one paying attention, he turned directly into the small alley.

In the small alley, there are ordinary residential houses in Zigui County.

Bai Ruoxu searched one by one, and at the door of one house, he found the same pattern, then went up, long and short, and knocked on the door a few times.

Creak, the old wooden door opened slowly.

The person who opened the door was an old woman, dressed in rags, with white hair, and her eyes were turbid and lusterless, clearly a blind person.

!.

After the old woman opened the door, she didn't speak, just retreated to the side. After Bai Ruoxu entered the door, she closed the wooden door tightly again.

Bai Ruoxu's expression was solemn as he pushed the door into the side room.

On the bed in the side room, a woman sat cross-legged, with a long sword placed horizontally on her knees, her expression cold. It was the female swordsman who escaped from Li Yan's hands at the time.

She clearly recognized Bai Ruoxu, and after seeing him, a flash of wariness flashed in her eyes, and her right hand unconsciously pressed on the sword hilt.

"Miss Liu, no need to be wary."

Bai Ruoxu said calmly: "This operation was commanded by Zhao Tongling Wang. It's not your fault. The master just wants to know, what exactly happened to you?"

The woman was silent for a while, "I don't know what kind of technique that was, it was just a mass of darkness, and I couldn't see anything."

"Then, everyone died..."

"Oh?"

Bai Ruoxu pondered, "Can you see who made the move? Li Yan, or that Wang Daoxuan?"

"Not clear."

After asking about the situation, Bai Ruoxu shook his head, "Zhao Tongling Wang brought quite a few people. Being able to kill everyone in an instant is definitely not to be trifled with."

"The war in Yunyang is quite tight now. The master said to let this matter go for now and prioritize the overall situation."

"The matter I asked you to investigate, is there any clue?"

The female swordsman felt a sense of relief when she heard that this matter would no longer be pursued, and said in a deep voice: "Found it, 'Red Woman' is indeed active in this area. She cast a curse on the son of the local County Magistrate, I don't know what she intends to do."

Bai Ruoxu narrowed his eyes, "Find a way to find her first. The matter in Shennongjia cannot be delayed any longer..."

While the two were conspiring, the crowd from the academy also arrived at the Yamen.

"Get out!"

Danyang Academy Mountain Zhao Tongling Song Mingchu was full of anger, and pushed away the yamen runner who came to greet them.

Leading a group of people, they entered the main hall of the Yamen.

"County Magistrate Wu!"

The old man was still very tough after entering the hall, cupped his hands casually and said coldly: "I heard you suspect that our academy is making trouble in Erbeiwan?"

"Mountain Zhao Tongling Song, please calm down."

Wu Dehai's eyes flashed with displeasure, but he still replied patiently: "It's just that the Chenghuangmiao sent people to ask about the situation there. How could I suspect the academy?"

Seeing him soften, Mountain Zhao Tongling Song's expression improved slightly.

Li Yan watched coldly from the side.

Some things, he had already made a judgment through intelligence.

Don't look at these academy students being righteous, but to tell the truth, the reason why they were angry and had conflicts with County Magistrate Wu was nothing more than interest.

The biggest struggle in the Great Xuan Dynasty now is between local officials and gentry and sea-opening merchants, and the interests of both sides actually don't conflict much.

To put it bluntly, it's still a matter of "ritual."

"Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants" is the ancient ritual of the Divine Land. Emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce is the foundation of the country, and now the chambers of commerce in various places want to use this wind of opening the seas to raise the status of merchants.

And the Great Xuan Emperor, one is to make up for the empty treasury caused by several wars and repairing the imperial city, and the other is to use this force to suppress local clan officials.

The foundation of these people is nothing more than controlling land and population, not only accumulating rich family wealth, but also having considerable power in the local area, and also using official status to avoid tax silver.

If it's just one place, you can't see anything.

But officials and gentry all over the country, entrenched in various places, all do this, just like countless giant rats, frantically eroding the foundation of the country.

Officials are rich, people are poor, and the treasury is empty.

This is the true portrayal of the Great Xuan Dynasty in the past few years.

What makes the Great Xuan Emperor even more annoyed is that these people are cursing him for being poor and warlike, which caused the empty treasury.

If it weren't for the fact that opening the seas was very profitable, allowing the imperial court to catch its breath in the past two years, the majesty of imperial power in the court would have long been suppressed by the ministers.

The Emperor using the sea-opening faction to suppress the local faction is the root cause.

Many people see this clearly.

So whether a post station is open, can be checked in by merchants spending money, will cause endless quarrels.

Behind it, is the repeated testing of merchants.

As for the ritual of national sacrifice, because no one touched it, the Tai Xuan Zhen Jiao maintained a transcendent status.

Similarly, County Magistrate Wu's elder brother is the president of the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce. Whether he wants to participate or not, coming to Zigui County itself is an infringement on the interests of local gentry.

For example, this imperial examination.

If these people don't unite to speak out, I'm afraid there will be more and more merchant children in the academy, plus Wu Dehai's protection, they will definitely take away many of their quotas.

Li Yan has no good feelings for either side.

Soon, Mountain Zhao Tongling Song turned his spearhead at the Chenghuangmiao, cupping his hands at the temple keeper: "Daoist Feng, you suspect our academy, do you have any concrete evidence?"

"Just asking, just asking."

Daoist Feng laughed, raised his hand and said: "This Li Shaoxia is an expert sent by the Unlike Yichang Chenghuangmiao to support us, wanting to understand some situations."

Mountain Zhao Tongling Song glanced at Li Yan coldly, stroked his beard and said in a deep voice:

"Oh, isn't that still suspecting our academy?"

He was tall, and he had a momentum when he spoke. After entering the hall, he forced questions one after another, controlling the initiative.

Even knowing that Li Yan and the others were warlocks, he was not afraid at all.

Li Yan naturally wouldn't get used to this old man, glanced at him indifferently,

"Are you guilty?"

"How rude!"

Several lecturers next to him were furious.

Mountain Zhao Tongling Song raised his hand to stop everyone's scolding, then said calmly: "We are angry, naturally there is a reason. Tell me, what do you want to know?"

This old man can be the mountain chief, naturally not ordinary.

Dealing with County Magistrate Wu, he can be unreasonable, but arguing with a martial artist like Li Yan will only bring humiliation to himself.

Li Yan nodded slightly and asked: "Erbeiwan incident, how did you all find out?"

Mountain Zhao Tongling Song snorted, "The city is full of wind and rain, how could we not know?"

Li Yan didn't care and continued to ask: "Then do you all think this is the work of evil people, or the manifestation of Master Sanlu?"

As soon as this was said, Mountain Zhao Tongling Song and County Magistrate Wu's faces changed instantly.