Chapter 325

Clatter!

"The deceased is passing by, Netherworld people do not disturb."

In the sunset, Wang Daoxuan flicked his hand, and paper money flew everywhere.

Behind him, the Tian family members were wearing mourning clothes, holding mourning sticks, holding sacrificial banners, and walking and stopping amidst the funeral music of suona and gongs.

At every corner, they had to burn incense and scatter money, and fold fire paper into the character "Wang," pressing it on the ground with stones.

And on the coffin behind him sat a child, with powder and rouge on his face, wearing a topknot, looking around, completely fearless.

In various places in the Shenzhou, funeral customs were also different.

In some places, the coffin was called a "Dragon," and the wooden frame and wooden poles used to carry it were called "Dragon Poles"; when moving during the funeral, it would affect the family's feng shui, so there was a custom of "Pressing the Dragon."

The ritual of "Pressing the Dragon" was different in every place.

This was a custom from Squire Tian's hometown; besides this, women had to sit on the wooden poles on both sides.

Of course, both the children and women were people who specifically ate funeral meals, and were long used to going back and forth, not afraid of any taboos at all.

Wang Daoxuan was even more indifferent.

He helped people host weddings and funerals, and had seen all kinds of customs, all depending on the host's preferences, as long as he didn't violate certain taboos, clash with evil, or hit bad luck.

The reason he was specifically invited was because of this corpse.

A headless corpse, a person who died violently, an old ghost returned to life, a Mystic Sect cultivator; these four things, if any one was touched, there could be problems, let alone all four.

Although Poliu Han Baling was already soul-scattered, Wang Daoxuan wasn't sure if the remaining corpse would cause trouble, so he simply cremated it with willow branches, left only the ashes, and performed a dharma assembly to clear away the disaster energy, only then feeling at ease.

The custom here was that funerals only needed to avoid high noon, and it didn't matter whether it was morning or evening, so it was already dusk when they went out.

And it was a bit low-key, with only the Tian family members participating.

After all, the identity of the person being buried was a bit special.

After a busy time, it was already deep in the night when they returned to Hanyang.

Since the Tian family's calamity had been eliminated, there was no need to squeeze into the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce, and they all returned to the Tian family mansion in Hanyang City.

The Tian family mansion was built in style, with many courtyards, and now that the three families were living in, it didn't look crowded at all.

Li Yan and his group also followed and moved in.

After all, there were too many eyes and ears at the Chamber of Commerce, and it was always inconvenient.

After returning, naturally there was a funeral banquet.

Squire Tian invited the best cooks in Wuchang City, set up a few tables simply, and didn't invite outsiders, mainly to thank Li Yan and the others for their help.

"Li Li Shaoxia, please."

Squire Tian had experienced a great calamity, almost having his family broken and people dead, and now that the three brothers had returned to good terms, the deserted Tian family had become lively again, which could be considered bitter coming to an end.

He didn't talk nonsense, toasted one after another, and was already a bit drunk.

"Drink."

Li Yan didn't talk nonsense either, and toasted with him.

He knew that this Squire Tian just wanted to get drunk.

And at another table, the younger generation of the Tian family was secretly observing the corner, where Lu San and Wu Ba occupied a table alone.

It was mainly because they were afraid Wu Ba would suddenly go crazy.

In their shocked eyes, Wu Ba ate and drank, emptying the entire banquet table by himself; his stomach was simply a bottomless pit.

The Tian family naturally didn't care about this little bit, and the fish and meat were served continuously, until Wu Ba hugged his stomach, sat on the ground and giggled, only then did they stop, and whispered with Lu San, communicating in the Upper Language.

Before long, Squire Tian was dead drunk, the banquet ended, and everyone dispersed one after another.

The largest courtyard was given to Li Yan and his group.

Returning to the courtyard, Wu Ba crawled into Lu San's room and rolled into the corner to sleep, snoring like an old bear.

Not to mention that Li Yan was still on guard against him, Wu Ba was the same.

After all, he came from the wild mountains, and everything he saw was beyond his understanding, still full of vigilance, only trusting Lu San.

With his body size, he couldn't even sleep on the bed, and he wasn't used to it, always rolling around and sleeping on the ground.

This time, it made the little white fox quite dissatisfied, baring its teeth, jumping three times and leaping twice to the roof, kowtowing to the moon.

As for Rat One and Rat Two, they were very calm.

They were the same as the savage, eating and sleeping well, and too lazy to move.

Sha Lifei shook his head, but didn't say anything, returned to the room with Li Yan and the others, lit a candle, and discussed the next plan.

"The Tian family's matter is considered over."

Li Yan drank tea and rubbed his brows, "At the moment, Ezhou is still a bit turbulent; selling that crystal egg earned 100,000 taels, plus the Tian family's reward, the money to build the building on the mountain is more than enough."

"There is a war in Yunyang, war is ruthless, it's best not to join the fun, and Wuchang is temporarily stable, so let's rest for a period of time."

"During this time, I need to go to the mass grave at night to cultivate, striving to reach the building requirements by autumn, and then we will go to Wudang Mountain."

"By then, the war in the Southwest should have a result, and after building the building, we will set off to enter Shu, and go to Fengdu to see the organization Wu Qu mentioned."

"That's fine."

Sha Lifei nodded, "The Prince's people came to urge again yesterday, saying that after the fifteenth of May, let Brother Lu San help them communicate with the Tuo Master, and I will follow."

"Also, the new-style firearms need practice; if there is a chance on weekdays, let's practice in the mountains outside the city..."

After discussing, they set the plan.

The next day was the fifteenth of May.

Although the dragon boat race had passed, the affairs in Wuchang were not over yet, and a dharma assembly was needed to completely stabilize the feng shui formation.

Along the Yangtze River, temples and Taoist temples, especially those worshipping water gods, all had to lift the statues and perform dharma assemblies for patrol.

From the city to the shore, people lined the streets to see them off, holding incense and offerings, and even followed them forward.

This was called "Lifting the Bodhisattva," and in some places, it was also called "Roaming Gods."

The most popular one was naturally General Yang Si.

Although something went wrong with the dragon boat race, under the appeasement of the imperial court, it didn't cause too much panic, and temple fairs were still held everywhere along the river.

After a lively day, the dharma assembly was considered over.

Although according to the customs in Ezhou, this grand event would not end until the "End of the Dragon Boat Festival" on the twenty-fifth of May, but the dragon boat race ended, the Bodhisattvas were lifted, and the streets were no longer that lively.

Even the martial world artists and opera troupes from all over the place left one after another.

The Dragon Boat Festival ended in Ezhou, but there were various grand events in other places in the Shenzhou, and they had to leave quickly to catch the next show.

This was the true martial world life.

Rushing and drifting in all directions, just to earn some silver to make a living...

Dong dong dong!

Early on the morning of the sixteenth of May, someone knocked on the door outside the Tian family mansion.

It was several soldiers wearing armor, each with a solemn expression, and two of them carried fire-guns, full of murderous intent.

The leader said in a deep voice, "This official is Liu Teng, a company commander of the Wuchang Garrison, here to invite Mr. Lu San."

The Tian family servants had already received instructions, so naturally they didn't dare to be negligent, and led everyone into the main hall, serving tea.

Soon, Li Yan and his group came out one after another.

Looking at their large group, Company Commander Liu Teng was obviously a bit surprised, "Are you all going?"

Sha Lifei chuckled, "This military gentleman, we have always advanced and retreated together, besides, Brother Lu San doesn't like talking to outsiders."

"That's fine."

Company Commander Liu Teng didn't say much.

The order he received was to cooperate fully; as long as they could communicate tacitly with the Tuo Dragon, this group of people would have no use.

Everyone arrived at the Parrot Island Wharf, where a huge warship was docked, military flags fluttering, and rows of cannons neatly arranged.

It looked quite impressive.

"Jiujiang patrol boat?"

Seeing this, Sha Lifei's eyes lit up. Company Commander Liu nodded expressionlessly, "We received news that evil people are trying to sabotage the grain and water transport on the Yangtze River, so we will strengthen water patrols from now on."

After saying that, he led everyone onto the ship.

Li Yan and the others were on a warship for the first time, so it was hard not to look around.

Especially Wu Ba, who was strong and sturdy, was arranged by Lu San to take over the responsibility of carrying luggage for the team, which made Sha Lifei extremely satisfied.

This savage came from the mountains, and seeing this terrifying big guy, he was obviously a bit afraid, following closely behind Lu San.

The imperial court military was obviously very concerned about this matter; as soon as Li Yan and the others got on the ship, four people greeted them.

Walking in front was Squire Tian's son-in-law, Liu Yizhong, a battalion commander of the Wuchang Garrison.

He was already familiar with Li Yan and the others, and introduced them with a smile, "Li Li Shaoxia, let me introduce you."

"This is Vice General Han Peng of the Wuchang Water Army, this is Commander Cheng Xuanming of the Wuchang Garrison, this is Commandant Colonel Qiu Huang of the Wuchang Commandant's Office..."

Li Yan and the others felt a chill in their hearts and hurriedly bowed.

!.

"Greetings, Lords."

These were all the high-ranking officials of the Wuchang imperial court military.

He didn't expect the commotion to be so big.

"No need for formalities, everyone."

Commander Cheng Xuan had the highest rank and opened his mouth, "This matter was personally ordered by the Prince, so we will naturally do our best."

Commandant Colonel Qiu Huang of the Wuchang Commandant's Office smiled, "This official heard about this matter and also wanted to join the fun."

To be honest, among everyone, his interest was the greatest.

Commander Cheng didn't talk nonsense and opened his mouth directly, "Everyone, where shall we start?"

Sha Lifei had long communicated with Lu San, and hearing this, he bowed and smiled, "Lords, don't be anxious, there are too many eyes and ears here, let's find a secluded waterway to avoid alarming the common people."

"Oh?"

Hearing that the commotion was not small, Cheng Xuan also became interested and opened his mouth, "The waterway over at Jiangxia is wide, I wonder if it's feasible?"

"No."

Sha Lifei shook his head directly, "In the Yangtze River waters, there are still a few great water demons, that is their sphere of influence, the Tuo Master doesn't want to invite trouble, his territory is only in this area of the Hanjiang."

"When we get to Xiangyang, we also can't get close."

"There is such a thing?"

Commander Cheng was obviously surprised, "Whether it's the Hanjiang or the Yangtze River waterway, we haven't found any great demons making trouble."

Sha Lifei was stunned and looked at Lu San.

He really didn't understand this kind of thing.

Lu San said in a muffled voice, "Those great demons have all opened water mansions; they are very smart, won't have conflicts with the imperial court, and will even avoid being discovered by the Mystic Sect."

"Even if they make trouble, they are just small demons and ghosts. But if the Tuo Master invades their territory, it will surely cause a fight."

Commandant Colonel Qiu Huang of the Wuchang Commandant's Office heard this, and his eyes lit up, "I wonder if the Tuo Master can communicate on behalf of the imperial court to help cut off the water transport of the Southwest rebels?"

Lu San shook his head, "I don't know, but I can ask."

"Good!"

Commander Cheng gave the order immediately, "Change course, go from the Hanjiang, order the troops along the way to temporarily block the river!"

"Yes, Commander!"

At the order, falcons took off into the sky immediately.

The huge sails flapped in the wind, and the Jiujiang patrol boat slowly left the wharf, heading toward the Hanjiang.

The warship moved forward, and its momentum was naturally extraordinary.

Not only fast and steady, but merchant ships along the way also avoided them one after another.

Not long after entering the Hanjiang, they found the river blocked, but it was the water army that had received the order to block the waterway and prohibit merchant ships from moving forward.

Once the water army came out, all martial world gangs had to step aside.

Soon, the huge warship arrived at a wide stretch of water, with no merchant ships around, appearing very secluded.

Lu San didn't talk nonsense, set up an altar on the deck, danced the Nuo dance, and chanted ancient incantations.

Whoosh~

The Yin wind howled, and thick fog permeated the river.

Several military leaders all widened their eyes.

Only to see the Tuo Master's huge figure breaking through the water in the thick fog, surrounded by dense Tuo Dragons, big and small, gathering more and more.

Soon, they occupied the entire river surface.

"So many?"

Commander Cheng was surprised.

Lu San turned his head and said, "The Tuo Dragons in this water area are all the Tuo Master's disciples and grand-disciples; they are also expressing sincerity, once an agreement is reached with the imperial court, at least in this water area, the river will be peaceful."

After saying that, he spoke in the Upper Language to communicate with the Tuo Master.

Both sides talked for a long time.

And Lu San's face suddenly became solemn.

"What happened?"

Commandant Colonel Qiu Huang of the Wuchang Commandant's Office noticed something wrong and hurriedly asked.

Lu San turned around immediately and said in a deep voice, "Something did happen."

"The Tuo Master mentioned a piece of information: some cultivators poisoned the river, killing several of her disciples, and she went to retaliate but almost fell into an ambush."

"There was news from Tuo Dragons in other places that the demon king Nanmu Great King in Xiangyang, and the old water ghost on the Yangtze River, have all had movements recently, not knowing who bewitched them, to attack the grain transport ships."

Commander Cheng's eyes widened, "Where did these monsters get the guts?"

Commandant Colonel Qiu Huang of the Wuchang Commandant's Office said in a deep voice, "My Commandant's Office secret agents received news that after the Wuchang plan failed, the Heavenly Saint Sect evil people would still attack the grain ships, it turns out they wanted to borrow the power of monsters."

Just then, the Tuo Master swam over slowly.

Looking at her huge body, the soldiers on the ship were suddenly nervous, and some couldn't help but set up the ship crossbows.

"Don't move!"

Commander Cheng scolded at the sight.

Only to see the Tuo Master suddenly open her fanged mouth and spray a stream of water.

Clatter!

A buffalo horn mixed with the water stream rolled onto the deck.

This item was not young, and it was surrounded by Yin evil energy, clearly a dharma artifact.

Lu San picked it up and handed it to Commander Cheng.

"Blow this horn, and the Tuo Master will appear to meet you; she is not good at human speech, but can understand, so you can communicate directly in the future."

"Also, the Tuo Master said that to deal with those great demons, the Mystic Sect must take action, and she is also willing to help..."

Everyone on the ship was a smart person, so how could they not hear the meaning.

This Tuo Master also wanted to borrow the power of the imperial court to eliminate strong enemies.

She wanted to be the Water God of the Hanjiang, and only by protecting one side could she receive the incense and offerings of the common people; these great demons were all trouble.

Commander Cheng smiled slightly, took the horn, bowed to the Tuo Master, "My Lord, rest assured, this official will report to the Prince."

He couldn't make the decision on this matter, but it was mostly no problem.

After reaching the alliance, the Tuo Master turned and drilled into the water, and those Tuo Dragons also disappeared in all directions.

Li Yan looked at the distant water surface and shook his head slightly.

On the Yangtze River waterway in the future, there would probably be no lack of fighting.

Just then, Lu San whispered to him again: "Also, the 'Tanyan' that Master Lin is looking for, the Tuo Master helped us find news..."

(End of chapter)