Chapter 307: Catching Monsters in the City

Before dawn, Li Yan had already woken up.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

It didn't know when it started raining outside, but looking out the window, the world was misty with rain, and the courtyard was silent.

Li Yan didn't care; after a simple wash, he stood in a horse stance and practiced his fists and kicks in the room.

He first practiced the Ten Great Disks of Red Fist, then swung his arms and practiced the Pigua Wulong Disk Strike for a while.

Confucius said: Learn and practice it from time to time.

Although Li Yan is now walking on a new path, he has not fallen behind in his basic skills, and he values them even more.

Practicing these basic skills every day always brings new insights.

After doing this, he stepped on the Gang steps, pinched the magic formula with his left and right hands, his body flickering left and right, his fists and palms changing with Yin and Yang thunder, and his whole body crackled with electric light.

During his chat with Wu Qu yesterday, the other party also pointed out the shortcomings in his martial magic based on experience.

The most important one,

is that the thunder method has not been completely integrated!

The strength of martial magic lies in the speed of close-range application, which can both crush martial artists of the same level and quickly break magic to kill sorcerers.

One must know that the magic methods of sorcerers are also strange and varied.

If you leave time for the other party to cast spells, the outcome will be another situation; if the distance is long enough and the other party has already set up a magic altar, you will mostly fall into a disadvantage.

Therefore, the application of martial magic strives for speed.

When fighting, pinching the magic formula to use the thunder method, not to mention sorcerers, even martial artists with superb skills can speed up and make you have no time to use the thunder method at all.

Li Yan's primary goal now is to reduce this process.

Of course, no matter how high the cultivation is, one cannot do without pinching the magic formula when casting the thunder method; Wu Qu also gave a suggestion to practice the pinching finger technique to perfection, preferably completing it within one second.

At the same time, hide it in martial arts moves.

In this way, even if the enemy knows the flaw, there is no way.

Once completely proficient, with no gaps in the transition, his martial magic can be considered to have a foundation.

The rest is to constantly improve the power.

Inside the room, Li Yan's speed kept increasing; within the square inch, the Gang steps kept changing, and at the same time, he pinched the magic formula to make attacks.

Gradually, he also had some clues.

For example, the Wulong Disk Strike, the continuous strikes of the Pigua palm, can integrate the Heavenly Thunder Subduing Demon Hammer into it, using force to suppress people.

Even if one hammer doesn't kill the other party, it can break the defense.

There is also the North Emperor Yin Thunder Palm, which can be completely integrated into the Red Fist's tricky strikes, making the other party's soul affected and unable to resist at all.

Yin thunder attacks the soul, Yang thunder is extremely rigid and Yang.

Integrating them into various moves can make up for defects and double the lethality.

This is the key to martial magic.

Of course, martial magic is martial magic, and martial arts are also the key!

Li Yan was completely lost in thought, constantly changing and pondering moves; when he came back to his senses, the sky outside was already bright.

The Tian family had already eaten breakfast; these days they were hiding here, and although they were safe, they were also suffocated, standing under the eaves to enjoy the rain.

Seeing Li Yan go out, they greeted him one after another.

After all, this young man is the key to their safe passage through the calamity.

As for Lu San, he was still sleeping soundly in the room.

He was exhausted these days, so Li Yan made a division of labor after returning; Lu San kept watch at night and practiced along the way, while sleeping during the day to save energy.

As for Li Yan, after finishing these things, he was too lazy to go out, and except for eating, he stayed in the room to practice.

Of course, he didn't forget to ask the monks for news.

Those monsters had not yet shown their tracks.

On the side of the Old Old Man Wang's tomb, several Jiangxia Barbarians wanted to escape secretly, but were caught by experts from Baotong Zen Temple guarding outside; some committed suicide on the spot, and some couldn't bear the torture and confessed some information.

But those who came out to scout were all at the bottom, just incited by others, and followed the rebellion with a hot head.

To put it bluntly, these are not good people either.

They were not reconciled to the hard life in the Miao village, and they disliked the slow money-making of the kiln factory; being in these prosperous three cities of Wuchang, they naturally felt resentment in their hearts.

Incited by those sent by the rebellious Tusi, they began to gather and rebel, saying they wanted to restore the glory of the "Jiangxia Barbarians".

In fact, not many people know what happened to the Jiangxia Barbarians...

The only thing they knew was that those priests were constantly holding blood sacrifice ceremonies in the Old Old Man Wang's tomb, all the wild beasts on the mountain had been caught, and their own people had begun to disappear one after another.

They came out under orders to capture villagers nearby for living blood sacrifices.

Those priests just told them that a Old Old Man Wang had become a god, and on the day he came out of the mountain, they could restore their glory, take them to occupy the three cities of Wuchang, and enjoy wealth and honor from then on...

Of course, Li Yan also learned a more important piece of news.

"You said that concubine was named Liu Niang?"

Listening to the monk's account, Li Yan's expression became solemn.

When the Wu family mansion had an accident and Wu Jiucheng was silenced, he was still on the mountain, being beaten by Zhang Xiaoshan until he was half-dead.

He knew about this, but didn't know the inside story at all.

He didn't know until now, after coming down the mountain and being busy for several days.

"Does young hero Li know this person?"

The monks noticed his expression and immediately sensed something was wrong.

This Liu Niang was too mysterious; they searched the files but couldn't find any information about the other party at all.

Li Yan nodded and said in a deep voice, "Is Master Chengjue there? I want to see him!"

…………

"Zhao Changsheng, the leader of the Ghost Sect?"

The great monk Chengjue had an exceptionally solemn face.

"That's right."

Li Yan nodded, "During the Song Dynasty, he was Zhang Huaisu, the leader of the Ghost Sect. He returned to life many years ago, seized the body of a Daoist from the Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao, and sneaked into the Mile Sect, becoming its deputy leader."

"After the Mile Sect's uprising failed, this person disappeared, wandering all over the Shenzhou, awakening all kinds of demons and ghosts, and secretly planning..."

"The chaos in Zigui County, Dangyang County, and now Wuchang City, all the chaos is related to him..."

"That Liu Niang was originally called Aunt Liu, a sorceress from Jiangzhe who was proficient in the Cat Ghost technique. She once operated a brothel in Chang'an, was a subordinate of the Red Woman, and also harmed my father..."

"After the Mile Sect in Chang'an was destroyed, they killed people to silence them and left. Now that the Red Woman has been killed by me, that Liu Niang has likely returned to life again and become the person in charge here..."

"What's truly terrifying is that Zhao Changsheng..."

Li Yan did not hide anything and told the whole story.

He had long known that with his own strength, he couldn't deal with Zhao Changsheng.

For someone hiding behind the scenes and stirring up trouble, the best way is to let his identity be known to the world.

The Great Xuan Dynasty is now at its peak, and the power of the Mystic Sect is also much stronger than during the chaos at the end of the Song Dynasty.

He didn't believe that with so many experts, they couldn't catch a Zhao Changsheng?

"I have also heard of this person."

Chengjue said solemnly, "Some time ago, news came from the Law Enforcement Hall in the capital, asking various places to pay attention to this person's news. They only said he was the deputy leader of the Mile Sect, but I didn't expect him to have this identity."

Li Yan shook his head, "After the chaos in Dangyang County ended, I secretly reported this matter to the Law Enforcement Hall in the capital; presumably, the news from there hasn't arrived yet."

This kind of thing is not surprising.

It takes time to pass information back and forth from here to the capital, and the Law Enforcement Hall also needs time to deploy.

It is estimated that after a while, Zhao Changsheng's identity will be passed on to all parties.

Chengjue nodded, "This poor monk will go back and report to the host. The Ghost Sect of the Great Song has left disasters for thousands of years, and now Zhao Changsheng is secretly planning, definitely wanting to disrupt the war situation in the Southwest and make the Shenzhou turbulent."

"To tell you the truth, the Shaolin Zen Sect has also sent several experts to support us; this time we must capture Zhao Changsheng!" This great monk also had some small calculations in his heart.

Although the calamity in Wuchang City was designed by monsters years in advance, they were responsible for suppressing this place, so it was considered a dereliction of duty.

If they could eliminate this scourge Zhao Changsheng, it would be a great merit.

However, Li Yan shook his head, "That Zhao Changsheng is very cunning; he always acts through others and rarely shows his face; I guess this time is the same."

"Only by catching that Liu Niang as soon as possible can we resolve the disaster. Do you have any clues?"

Chengjue shook his head, "I also know a little about the Cat Ghost technique; it is popular among brothel women."

"But we have secretly searched all the brothels in the three cities and haven't seen her tracks; she dares to show this technique, clearly she was prepared."

"This technique also has a weakness, which is that one must constantly suppress the raised cat ghosts to prevent backlash, and one needs to kill cats for sacrifice."

Li Yan asked again, "Have you sent yamen runners to inquire if any cats raised by commoners have gone missing?"

Chengjue shook his head, "I asked, the cats in the commoners' homes are fine; the other party should be using wild cats. The Beggar Sect in the West also sent news back that the number of wild cats in the city has indeed decreased a lot, but they don't know where they went."

"This Liu Niang should still be hiding in Wuchang City!"

！.

Li Yan heard this and gave a dazed laugh, shaking his head, "Why didn't the Master tell me this earlier?"

"If people don't know, just ask the cats!"

…………

Wuchang City, Qintai Alley.

This old alley has a long history; it existed when the old Wuchang City was still there during the Great Xing period, and it was a top-tier place of wealth.

Yu Boya met Zhong Ziqi, and "High Mountains and Flowing Water" sought a soulmate; the story happened nearby, and there is also an ancient Qintai on Mount Gui to commemorate it.

The Ancient Qintai was built during the Northern Song Dynasty; at that time, in Wuchang City, this alley gathered many wealthy people, and thus it was renamed.

During the Great Xing period, it confronted the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom along the Yangtze River, and the three cities of Wuchang were a place of a hundred battles, changing hands from time to time.

After the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom broke the city, except for the Prince of Chu's mansion, this most prosperous Qintai Alley naturally became a target for looting.

Many wealthy mansions were burned down, and the women in the families were all harmed, humiliated to death by the chaotic army, with resentment soaring to the sky and fierce ghosts running rampant.

Even though Wuchang City was rebuilt and rituals were performed here to eliminate the baleful energy, the wealthy merchants in the city all felt it was inauspicious, so no one built residences here.

Even the commoners felt this place was ominous.

Over time, it became a gathering place for the Beggar Sect, with all kinds of dilapidated houses crowded along the street, and some abandoned old mansions were also stinking.

"Everyone, it's here."

Zhou Bala, the head of the Beggar Sect in the West of Wuchang City, led the way carefully, his face full of flattery, "I saw a few wild cats fighting for food before, but later they didn't know what they were frightened by, and they ran away when they saw people."

Behind him were the monks of the Law Enforcement Hall, as well as Chengjue, Li Yan, and Lu San.

Li Yan looked forward upon hearing this; it was a piece of broken walls and ruins, covered with weeds and miscellaneous trees, and there was a lot of garbage piled up, stinking to the sky.

Zhou Bala said carefully, "This place was originally a righteous manor, but later it caught fire and burned to the ground, so it was abandoned."

Li Yan nodded and looked at Lu San.

Lu San didn't talk nonsense and stepped forward immediately, pinching the magic formula, and made a strange sound in his mouth, like the sound of a xun, containing ancient charm.

This was also the first time Li Yan had seen it; he knew it must be a magic method Lu San had only recently learned, and it was indeed very different from the current Mystic Sect magic methods.

Clatter!

In the surprised eyes of the crowd, the originally silent abandoned righteous manor quickly became lively.

From the broken holes in the ground, one mouse after another drilled out...

From the dark places in the woods, a few snakes and wild dogs ran out...

Wa wa wa!

A dozen crows in the sky flapped their wings and flew over...

Not to mention Zhou Bala, even Chengjue was somewhat surprised when he saw it.

He knew Lu San could speak the language of birds and beasts and could command mice to warn, but he didn't expect the other party to have such ability.

However, he soon frowned and turned to look at Zhou Bala, "What's going on?"

Many animals ran out, but there were no cats.

"This..."

Zhou Bala said awkwardly, "Master, the places where cats have appeared in the city recently are only here; I really don't know."

"Wait!" Li Yan beside him suddenly raised his hand.

I saw a small head vaguely exposed on the roof of a dilapidated house, looking at them with full vigilance.

It was a small tabby cat.

Seeing this, Lu San's voice became gentle.

Finally, the small tabby cat stumbled and jumped down; it was not only thin as a stick, but its hind legs were also limping, its fur was sticky, and its eyes were somewhat turbid.

Lu San's eyes rose with a trace of anger; he carefully took out the water and minced meat he had prepared long ago and placed them on the ground.

This small cat was clearly starving, but after eating a few bites, it began to vomit, swaying and somewhat unable to stand still.

Anyone could see that this small cat was not long for this world.

Lu San sighed, and the sound in his mouth changed again; the small cat also meowed, its voice rising and falling, seemingly pouring out something.

Lu San gently comforted the small cat, then quickened his pace and headed toward another street.

Seeing this, the crowd followed.

They turned through several streets one after another, and the surroundings gradually became prosperous, all places where commoners in the city lived.

Finally, Lu San stopped, stroked the small cat, and stared coldly at the front, "Those cat-catching people are all here!"

In front was a meat shop that was not small, with a large courtyard in the back, and a row of pork stalls in the front, with more than a dozen commoners queuing up to buy.

Seeing the crowd coming aggressively, the commoners immediately sensed something was wrong and scattered one after another, but they didn't stay far away, poking their heads to watch the excitement.

The owner of the meat stall was a tall man, greasy all over, with a full beard; seeing the crowd coming, a fierce light flashed in his eyes.

"Exposed, retreat!"

Saying this, he turned around and kicked away the greasy pork offal, tore open the oilcloth, and picked up a bamboo pole from inside.

Underworld Fire Gun?!

Li Yan's eyes narrowed, and he threw his hand back.

A flying knife whistled out accompanied by a shrill sound.

The two sides were no more than ten meters apart; he used hidden energy, and the speed was astonishing; the owner hadn't had time to turn around before he was stabbed in the back of the head by the flying knife and fell to the ground.

And the men under him fled in all directions.

"Don't let a single one go!"

Chengjue ordered coldly, and the monks jumped out one after another.

The monks were all martial monks of Baotong Zen Temple; dealing with these Martial World bandits was simply a piece of cake, and they were quickly subdued one by one.

There were also a few people who rushed directly into the backyard.

Li Yan didn't follow in, but pinched the magic formula, took a deep breath, and poured the smell within two hundred meters into his nasal cavity.

"There's a secret passage underground!"

He suddenly opened his eyes, jumped up in two or three steps, pinched the magic formula in mid-air, and electric arcs crackled on his fist.

When he landed, he smashed down suddenly.

Boom!

With a loud noise, earth and stone splashed everywhere.

The ground collapsed immediately, revealing a huge pit.

The crowd hurriedly leaned in to watch.

Whoosh~

In the pit, black smoke suddenly rose, pairs of emerald green eyes flickered in the darkness, and at the same time, cold air overflowed.

It was still raining lightly in the sky, and the water on the ground quickly condensed into white frost, appearing with dense little footprints...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 308 =====