Chapter 241: The Legend of the Nine-Headed Bird

The tomb chamber was not large, arranged in a circle, with a square stone platform in the center, upon which rested a stone coffin, though it had already been broken open.

The bones in the coffin had long since been tossed about, wrapped together with yellowing clothes and black mud, making it impossible to see what the tomb owner looked like.

Scattered around the coffin were some bronze, gold, and jade artifacts.

The reason it was called strange was that this circular tomb chamber was truly rare, and the square stone platform in the center likely symbolized "Heaven is round, Earth is square."

Li Yan's gaze was not attracted by the messy burial goods on the ground; instead, he raised the candle and went to the surrounding walls.

The walls were densely packed with murals, and even after a thousand years, the colors remained gorgeous, full of ancient Pre-Qin charm.

The murals seemed to be telling a mythological story, with a giant ten-headed bird having one of its heads shot off...

The person shooting the bird had nine bronze tripods beside him...

The nine-headed bird was buried, and the mountains and rivers wept blood...

Nine people, holding nine blood-red Jade Congs, sleeping in different directions...

Li Yan was dumbfounded, vaguely feeling that he seemed to have discovered an incredible secret.

He hurriedly climbed out of the hole and shouted, "Old Uncle Sha, quickly, find Daoist Feng and have him come down to take a look!"

…………

"This tells two stories!"

Old Daoist Feng held the candle, examining the murals carefully, his eyes wide, his voice trembling slightly. "Have you ever heard the legends of 'Asking for the Tripods' and the 'Nine-Headed Bird'?"

Li Yan nodded. "I have."

Sha Lifei was completely confused. "What's that? Daoist, tell us about it."

Old Daoist Feng said in a low voice, "This must begin with the origins of the Chu lands."

"In the 'Li Sao' by the Three-Lü Grand Master, it is mentioned that the Chu people descended from Emperor Zhuanxu Gaoyang, who was the grandson of the Yellow Emperor and the son of Changyi. Zhuanxu fathered Laotong, and Laotong fathered Zhu Rong..."

"During the ancient Shang Dynasty, the Chu tribe's Yu Xiong was the leader of the Mi clan Jilian tribe of the Zhu Rong Eight Surnames, and also a descendant of Zhu Rong, the Fire Official. He authored the 'Yu Zi,' one of the source classics of our Daoist school..."

"Yu Xiong once assisted King Wen and King Wu of Zhou in destroying the Shang; he should also have been a participant in the Investiture of the Gods. During the time of Zhou Chengwang, he enfeoffed Yu Xiong's great-grandson Xiong Yi in Chu Man, surnamed Mi, residing in Danyang, which is in today's Zigui County."

"In the legends of the Chu lands, Zhu Rong is the incarnation of the Fire Phoenix, so the Chu people 'revere the phoenix, value red, worship fire, and pay homage to the sun, and enjoy witchcraft and closeness to ghosts,' with many customs passed down to this day."

"But the relationship between Zhou and Chu was never good."

"When Zhou Chengwang enfeoffed Xiong Yi as a feudal lord, not only did he not give him courtesy, but he also humiliated him repeatedly, not even providing a seat for him to eat."

"From then on, the Chu people 'did not submit to Zhou'!"

"During the Spring and Autumn period, the feudal states held alliances more than ninety times, but the Chu state is recorded as having participated only three times, and because of the alliances, they were basically all discussing how to attack Chu..."

"King Zhao of Zhou campaigned against Chu three times, and the third time he died on the road; it is rumored that he died at the hands of Chu shamans and knights. In short, the hatred grew deeper and deeper."

"During the Spring and Autumn period, the Zhou royal house was in decline. King Zhuang of Chu took the opportunity of a northern expedition against the Rong of Luhun to bring his troops to the foot of Luoyang, reviewing his troops before the Son of Heaven of Zhou and asking how the divine artifact, the Nine Tripods, should be forged. This is the origin of 'Asking for the Tripods of the World'."

"Look."

Old Daoist Feng said, pointing to the mural, "This person has nine tripods behind him, indicating he represents the Zhou royal house at the time, and he shoots down one of the ten heads of the bird, indicating this person is the Duke of Zhou."

"At the beginning of Zhou, although the Shang Dynasty was destroyed, the Shang people were not extinct. King Wu enfeoffed Wu Geng, the son of King Zhou of Shang, in the Shang capital, ruled separately by the royal family's Guan Shu, Cai Shu, and Huo Shu to monitor Wu Geng, known as the Three Guards."

"After King Wu passed away, King Cheng was young, and the Duke of Zhou acted as regent. The Three Guards did not submit, uniting with Wu Geng and the Eastern Yi to rebel. The Duke of Zhou led an army to conquer the east, quelled the rebellion, and later enfeoffed feudal lords, formulating the 'Rites of Zhou,' and was revered as a sage by the Confucian school."

"The conflict between Zhou and Chu began with Zhou Chengwang. It is rumored that the Duke of Zhou detested the ten-headed bird; upon hearing the bird's cry, he ordered people to drive it out of the Nine Provinces and shoot it. He shot three arrows but could not hit it, so he sent the Heavenly Dog to bite it, biting off one of the bird's heads, leaving nine heads remaining. This is 'bleeding one head, yet nine heads remain'."

Li Yan nodded and said, "I have also heard of this matter, but looking at the murals, it is far from that simple."

"Correct."

Old Daoist Feng's breathing was somewhat rapid. "The nine-headed bird was originally a divine bird of the Chu lands; growing ten heads represented the intention to ask for the world. The Duke of Zhou shooting down one head clearly meant to sever the dragon vein of the Chu lands."

"No, it should be said to be the Phoenix Vein!"

"No wonder. The nine-headed bird was originally the divine bird of the Chu people, symbolizing auspiciousness, but since Zhou, it has become the 'Ghost Carriage,' implying inauspiciousness, rumored to be able to suck human souls and enjoying dark, obscure places."

"Later, the Chu people avoided it. The 'Jingchu Annual Records' records that on the night of the first lunar month, many ghost birds pass by, and every family beats their beds and doors, twists the ears of dogs, and extinguishes lamps and candles to ward them off."

Sha Lifei became increasingly confused. "Daoist, you've been rambling for a long time, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Li Yan said in a low voice, "The rites of state sacrifice, the struggle of the Mystic Sect!"

"Indeed."

Old Daoist Feng's eyes became increasingly excited. He looked around and pointed to the slope of the hole. "That is the tunnel, the rites of a Zhou tomb. This 'Heaven is round, Earth is square' layout is the tomb of a Zhou Dynasty caster!"

"It turns out the Duke of Zhou had long since played a trick, ordering people to sever the Phoenix Vein of the Chu lands. Ten heads missing one, weeping blood across the mountains and rivers."

"Hahaha, in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Chu was the hegemon, but the one who ultimately destroyed Zhou was Qin, and the one who overthrew Qin was Chu."

"A difference of one head, a difference of one head!"

Li Yan said in a low voice, "Pre-Qin history is no longer important. What exactly is the Ghost Sect plotting by searching for these blood-red Jade Congs now?"

Old Daoist Feng took the blood-red Jade Cong and examined it carefully, saying in a low voice, "In ancient rites, the Jade Bi was round to sacrifice to Heaven, and the Jade Cong was square to sacrifice to Earth, but there are nuances; the Jade Bi was a 'Cang Bi' (blue/green), and the Jade Cong was a 'Huang Cong' (yellow)."

"This blood-red Jade Cong sacrificing to Earth is called inauspicious!"

"Whether it is the dragon vein or the phoenix vein of the Shenzhou, they are all auspicious for the world. Destroying them will surely bring a backlash, and even a dynasty can collapse because of it."

"Looking at the murals, the Duke of Zhou used nine blood-red Jade Congs to suppress the nine heads, and then severed the last head to minimize the backlash. But even so, the Zhou royal house was later humiliated by Chu many times."

"The Phoenix Vein was sealed, and the nine-headed bird has been inauspicious ever since. A thousand years of resentment have accumulated; once the seal is broken, the Shenzhou will inevitably be in turmoil. The Duke of Zhou left this item behind, likely wanting future generations to have a way to break it."

"He never expected the Zhou Dynasty to collapse, and the secret to be buried with it, only to be discovered by the Ghost Sect."

"This Ghost Sect is trying to overthrow the Great Xuan!"

"Are there clues to other blood-red Jade Congs?"

"The murals don't mention it."

Sha Lifei's lips became dry as he listened. "Good heavens, that ruthless?"

Li Yan said in a low voice, "Regardless of whether this matter is true or false, we cannot let the Ghost Sect succeed, otherwise, who knows how many people will die."

"Let's go quickly. We will leave Zigui tomorrow, report this matter, and as long as one blood-red Jade Cong is missing, they won't be able to succeed!"

"Right, right, let's go quickly!"

This conspiracy spanning thousands of years made all three feel their scalps tingle, and they hurried out.

Of course, Sha Lifei didn't forget to sweep away all the gold and jade burial objects on the ground...

…………

After exiting the well, the sky had already darkened.

The misty rain was hazy, and the surroundings were pitch black and silent.

What they had seen earlier left all three still somewhat dazed, and it wasn't until they were blown by the cold wind of the rainy night that their heads finally cooled down.

"Let's go early."

Li Yan said in a low voice, "The Ghost Sect has secret techniques. When we killed people earlier, they already noticed and used a curse to silence them."

"Be careful, they might already be on the road."

Sha Lifei also knew the seriousness of the matter and didn't bother to hide, pulling the flintlock firearm from his bosom and loading the ammunition in advance.

Old Daoist Feng was very slick; he pretended not to see, also pulling a dagger from his waist and hiding it in the large sleeve of his Daoist robe.

The temple remained in deathly silence.

Several corpses lay on the ground, the surrounding blood already turning black.

The three naturally couldn't be bothered to pay attention, quickening their pace, pushing open the temple gate, and heading toward Zigui City.

This place was only three miles from Zigui City.

Although the city gates were closed, with Old Daoist Feng's status, ordering the city guards to lower the basket for them to enter was not a problem.

However, they hadn't walked many steps when Li Yan sensed something wrong.

"Stop!"

He raised a hand, staring fixedly ahead.

He saw that on the mountain road ahead, thick fog had risen at some point, permeating from between the trees, mixed with the drizzle, making one feel a chill in their heart.

Soon, the fog became thicker and thicker. Coupled with the gloomy sky, one couldn't see their own fingers ten meters away.

"Hee hee hee..."

A strange laughter suddenly came from the thick fog.

It sounded a bit like a woman, and a bit like a child, seemingly laughing through a pinched throat, making one's hair stand on end.

*Creak~ Creak~*

The strange sound came from far to near.

He saw several red shadows appearing and disappearing on the mountain road in the distance.

They were four strange sedan chair bearers.

They were dressed in burial clothes, their eyes wide open, their faces seemingly brushed with powder, snow-white, their lips blood-red, and their cheeks painted with circles of red.

It was like the dressing of paper figures.

This was the dressing of "spirit children" in theater; the male paper figure was called "Two-Fifty," and the female paper figure was called "Three-Thirty-Three." Originally they were good characters, but appearing at this time, they were exceptionally ghastly.

Moreover, these four were clearly not living people!

!.

They were carrying a large flower sedan chair, and their steps were neat and strange, actually a bit like sedan chair bearers in theater, their bodies stiff, walking with taut legs.

And that strange laughter became louder and louder.

*Clatter, clatter*, as if a body full of pearl ornaments was shaking.

"Midnight flower sedan chair, ghost bride."

Old Daoist Feng swallowed a mouthful of saliva, feeling his scalp tingle.

"Don't be afraid!"

A murderous intent flashed in Li Yan's eyes. He formed the Yang Seal, took a deep breath, and whispered, "There are still many people hiding in the forest. Later, close your eyes and turn around."

Sha Lifei understood immediately.

The one coming to intercept them was undoubtedly the 'Red Woman' under Zhao Changsheng.

The enemy who killed his father had finally appeared, and with profound cultivation.

Li Yan naturally had to control the Yin soldiers to slay her.

Although Old Daoist Feng didn't know the reason, he nodded hurriedly.

He cursed inwardly, thinking that following Li Yan and the others would be safer, but he didn't expect it to be even more dangerous.

Seeing the flower sedan chair getting closer and closer, Li Yan didn't hesitate any longer.

"Turn around!"

He gave a low shout, immediately took out the Hooking Order, stepped out the Gang Steps, formed a hand seal, and chanted, "Qing Jia! Above is the Black Heaven, below is the Black Earth; the Black Heaven has no light, the Black Earth has no gate..."

Following the chanting of the spell, Yin winds rose violently all around.

But just at this moment, a warning sign suddenly rose in Li Yan's heart; it was the feeling of death descending.

"Get down!"

Li Yan retreated violently, pushing the two of them over.

*Boom! *

A loud noise rang out in the distance, and fire and gunpowder smoke dispersed.

Li Yan only felt a huge force strike him, followed by bone-piercing pain, his whole body flying backward, a large blood hole appearing in his chest.

It was a new-style firearm!

He couldn't be bothered to think more, immediately activating the Great Luo Dharma Body, and while rolling on the ground, the wound repaired itself immediately.

"Little Brother Yan!"

Sha Lifei roared, his eyes blood-red.

Old Daoist Feng's scalp was also tingling, but he could still remain calm, grabbing the blood-red Jade Cong from his waist and stuffing it to Sha Lifei. "Stop them first!"

Sure enough, those strange sedan chair bearers suddenly quickened their pace.

As if shrinking the earth into an inch, they carried the flower sedan chair and attacked rapidly.

Although Sha Lifei was burning with rage, he reacted very quickly, grabbing the flintlock firearm and pointing it at the blood-red Jade Cong. "Back off!"

The flower sedan chair stopped abruptly.

"Hee hee hee..."

The strange woman's giggling sound rang out.

The sedan chair bearers bent down in unison and set the flower sedan chair down.

A pale hand slowly lifted the red door curtain, and finally, a woman walked out of the flower sedan chair, wearing a phoenix crown and rosy cape, in a blood-red wedding dress.

It was the 'Red Woman,' who made people in the Mystic Sect martial world tremble with fear, and who was rumored to have turned into a demon.

She didn't reveal her true face, but instead extended her hands in orchid fingers, using a gorgeous dragon-phoenix red handkerchief to cover half her face.

Her skin was pale, her pupils blood-red, and her eyes were soul-stealing.

"Husband... am I beautiful?"

A weak female voice rang out, making one unable to help but feel pity.

It was clearly some kind of powerful soul-bewitching spell.

Old Daoist Feng was the most vigilant, hurriedly closing his eyes and reaching out to take out two yellow talismans, trembling as he retreated.

As for Sha Lifei, his eyes became dull, revealing a silly smile:

"Hehe... beautiful."

The 'Red Woman' took two more steps forward and said softly, "Husband, give the thing in your hand to this slave, how about it?"

"Hehe... okay!"

Sha Lifei had a silly smile on his face, directly raising the flintlock firearm.

*Bang! *

Fire and gunpowder smoke permeated.

Sha Lifei retreated rapidly, while quickly reloading the ammunition, his eyes cold, showing no sign of being bewitched.

He had obtained the Six Ding Six Jia Talisman from Xiong Baodong and wore it at all times.

The 'Red Woman's' soul-bewitching spell was strong, but Sha Lifei was only slightly confused before immediately regaining his clarity, simply pretending to be stupid to lure the enemy.

"Ya~"

The 'Red Woman' let out a scream, and the red mist around her exploded; she had actually used an escape technique to dodge the attack and appeared in another area.

Sha Lifei had already retreated to Li Yan's side, once again pointing the gun at the blood-red Jade Cong, cursing, "You old slut, if you dare to come one step closer, I'll blow this thing to pieces immediately!"

"Right, blow this thing to pieces!"

Old Daoist Feng also breathed a sigh of relief and followed along, clamoring.

The 'Red Woman' paused, stopping in her tracks.

Her eyes no longer had any charm, her pupils blood-red and cold. With a backhand, she shook the dragon-phoenix handkerchief and held it in her hand.

Seeing her true face, Sha Lifei couldn't help but tremble in his heart.

He saw that the 'Red Woman's' nose and above had the outline of a beauty, but her mouth had been torn to the ear roots, her lips blood-red, and her mouth full of sharp fangs—there was no longer any human appearance left.

"Sure enough, she has become a demon!"

Old Daoist Feng's face turned bitter, feeling that his life was in danger today.

Although Sha Lifei was afraid, he felt more anger.

Just at this moment, Li Yan, who was lying on the ground and seemingly dead, exerted force with his fingers, pressing on Sha Lifei's heel.

Not dead!

Sha Lifei was overjoyed, but his face became increasingly vigilant.

He knew that Li Yan must have a reason for feigning death.

Sure enough, many more people walked out of the dense forest.

Among them, one was holding a Divine Fire Gun, a kind smile on his face. "Little Brother Sha, long time no see..."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 242 =====