Chapter 334

"It really is this kid..."

Although Li Yan didn't recognize Shen Jingcan, he looked familiar. After all, having walked the martial world for many years, his eyesight was not that of an ordinary person.

And this kid had fan-shaped ears and triangular eyes, which were very striking.

There is a saying: "Men fear fan-shaped ears, women fear exposed noses."

Physiognomy books mention that this kind of physiognomy has a mouth that leaks wind, is jealous, likes to gossip, chews on tongues, and often causes disasters, so it is also called "two ears beckoning wind, ancestor of a ruined family."

If it were just like this, it would be fine, but there were also triangular eyes.

Most of these people are sinister, suspicious, and scheming.

With both, they are mostly not good things.

But this kid is from the Shen family, and they are holding a funeral over there; why did he sneak here?

Just at this moment, Li Yan felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly hid behind a large tree, restraining his breath.

At the same time, the old Daoist also raised his head and looked over; seeing nothing unusual, he continued to turn his head and said: "Don't talk too much when we arrive; do whatever I tell you to do."

Shen Jingcan bowed his head and asked carefully: "Master, why haven't you mentioned this person before?"

The old man glanced at him and said calmly: "Walking the martial world, there will always be some friends. Rest assured, Master is old and has no descendants, so I must have someone to provide for my old age and bury me."

"Master, disciple didn't mean that..."

Shen Jingcan smiled apologetically, feeling much more relieved in his heart.

He had already instigated his father to take out the map manuscript, and after noting down the location, he snuck out; who knew this old ghost would want to change the plan and find helpers, which inevitably made him suspicious.

When the old ghost said this, he felt much more at ease.

Over the past three years, the old ghost had indeed lived alone in a broken temple, miserable and lonely, and he had to send rice and grain to help him on weekdays.

Three years of getting along, it shouldn't be that he would harm him...

While speaking, the two walked further and further away.

After they left, Li Yan revealed his figure from behind the large tree, narrowed his eyes, and said: "Such strong spiritual perception."

"What kind of magic is that?"

Lu San leaned over and asked curiously.

Just a moment ago, he also felt a kind of gaze, like some kind of intent, sweeping over with the line of sight.

Fortunately, they hid quickly, otherwise they would have been discovered long ago.

"Not magic."

Li Yan frowned: "It's more like a special supernatural power, fusing the eye supernatural power with spiritual perception, which is quite rare."

"In short, be careful; Baihewan definitely has a problem!"

On the other side, Shen Jingcan and the old man also approached the village.

This was a small village by the river, built along the hills; the mottled and ancient residential houses were surrounded by large areas of paddy terraces.

Compared to Shenjiaba, it was clearly much poorer; many villagers' houses had peeling wall skin, and I'm afraid they hadn't been repaired for many years.

Shen Jingcan looked at the surroundings curiously.

He had also heard of this village; it was quite down-and-out, and the villagers in the village had no kiln sites and were peddlers for generations, walking the streets and alleys, traveling all over Ezhou.

They couldn't earn much money, and their status was also lowly.

Especially in the village, not even a scholar had been produced.

Before they even got close to the village, an old farmer working in the field raised his body, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled: "This Daoist, where are you from?"

"Immeasurable Longevity and Fortune."

The old Daoist performed a Daoist salute and said calmly: "Disciple is here to visit a friend; I wonder if Brother Bai Feng is here?"

"Blacksmith Bai, huh."

The old man smiled: "I saw him today; he's over there at the east entrance of the village. If you go to his house, you should be able to find him."

"Many thanks, old lay practitioner."

The old Daoist performed another salute and took Shen Jingcan away.

As soon as they left, the old farmer's face in the field became cold; he took out a carrier pigeon from a cage hidden in farm tools and miscellaneous items beside him.

He hurriedly wrote a few sentences, hurriedly stuffed it into the bamboo tube, and threw it up.

Flap flap flap!

The carrier pigeon flapped its wings and flew, flying into the village in advance, landing in an old mansion in the center of the village, and was received by a pair of hands, taking down the note inside.

This old mansion was the main mansion of the Bai clan in the village.

Compared to the Shen family mansion, it was much older, and there were no carved decorations, looking very simple.

Receiving the pigeon was a middle-aged man with a beard.

Seeing the handwriting on the note, he immediately stood up and whispered to a servant beside him: "Elder Wu brought some people; I'll go and support them, and tell the White Tangzhu."

After saying this, he hurriedly went out; halfway there, he had already torn off his upper garment, revealing his dark chest, looking sloppy.

Not long after, he arrived at an old mansion at the east of the village, pushed the door and entered, guarded in the courtyard, and took a knife to pretend to sharpen it.

Before half a stick of incense had passed, the old Daoist brought Shen Jingcan to the door, bowed, and smiled: "Brother Bai, long time no see."

"Temple Keeper Wu!"

The bearded man pretended to be pleasantly surprised and hurriedly stood up to welcome him.

"How was the medicine last time?"

"Thanks to the Daoist's blessing, the asthma is much better..."

Listening to the pleasantries between the two, Shen Jingcan felt relieved.

And in the main hall of the Bai family mansion on the other side, the servant holding the note walked quickly to the front hall.

The two groups of tomb robbers had already arrived, sitting on the left and right sides respectively, glaring at each other, and the atmosphere was very solemn.

Their leaders had already communicated last night, deliberately creating a false appearance of discord to paralyze the employer, and then cooperate to kill each other when the critical moment came.

Sitting in the main seat was an old man in a green shirt, with a ruddy complexion, gray hair, and a straight posture, sitting there with an inexplicable momentum.

It was Bai Wenghai, the patriarch of the Bai clan.

After taking the note handed by the servant, Bai Wenghai just glanced at it, stuffed it into his arms, then stood up and bowed: "The two of you, don't be angry; this matter is all my fault for not explaining in advance and arranging it properly."

Saying this, he sighed: "If this matter weren't difficult to handle, I wouldn't bother the two of you."

"To tell you the truth, this matter is a bit dangerous, and my clansmen have suffered heavy casualties; only by cooperating sincerely can we enter."

"Oh?"

Wang Laobie from Xiangzhou couldn't help but inquire: "Patriarch Bai, I was entrusted by someone to come and help. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't deal with someone who is so secretive like you."

"The rules of our line of work; since we are here, we must make things clear, otherwise this errand will be called off!"

Chen Sanye on the other side picked up his teacup and drank two sips with an expressionless face; although he didn't speak, it was clearly the same meaning.

"The two of you, don't be impatient."

Bai Wenghai hurriedly said good things: "It's not that I intentionally concealed it, but this tomb is extraordinary."

"The two of you, you can combine the copper plates into one."

Wang Laobie and Chen Sanye naturally knew what was going on long ago, but still pretended, put the tokens together, and then said in surprise:

"Wu Youxu, royal tomb?"

"The two of you are indeed well-informed."

Bai Wenghai praised and then shook his head: "But if it were just a royal tomb, we wouldn't have to hide our names and search for it for generations."

Saying this, he waved his hand, and immediately a servant brought a black sandalwood box, opened it, and inside was a copper ball.

Wang Laobie frowned: "What is this?"

Bai Wenghai didn't answer hurriedly, but asked: "The two of you are proficient in old history; have you ever heard of the name Wang Su of the Tang Dynasty?"

Chen Sanye glanced indifferently: "In the late Han Dynasty, there was a Wang Su, the son of Situ Wang Lang; in the Tang Dynasty, there was no famous Wang Su." Bai Wenghai stroked his beard and said: "Don't blame the two of you; it's because this person's identity is secret, and even in the Tang Dynasty, few people knew about him."

"The only record is a sentence in 'Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang': Wang Su made a rat-chasing ball, made of copper, which rotates day and night."

As soon as this was said, Wang Laobie and Chen Sanye were stunned at the same time.

"Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang" has many strange and bizarre things; ordinary people who have read it mostly treat it as a joke, and few believe it.

And they rob tombs all year round, so they naturally know about the Mystic Sect and are even clearer that there are many secrets in this world that ordinary people cannot know.

"Could this be that 'rat-chasing ball'?"

Chen Sanye was also clearly interested.

Bai Wenghai smiled without saying a word, took out a yin-yang shaped copper key from the wooden box, and inserted it into the copper ball, turning it three times with a creak.

He nodded, and immediately a servant brought a wooden cage, grabbed a rat from inside, and threw it on the ground.

"Squeak squeak!"

!.

The rat landed and immediately wanted to escape.

And Bai Wenghai also threw the copper ball out casually.

Dong dong!

The copper ball fell to the ground, and with a click on both sides, gear-like mechanisms appeared, spinning and buzzing like wheels, moving forward at high speed.

What's even stranger is that this copper ball seemed to have spirituality, rushing directly toward that rat, and the speed was extremely astonishing.

The rat was panicked and turned sharply when it got close to the chair.

And this "rat-chasing ball" also followed and rotated; when it caught up with the rat, it extended an iron awl from the front with a click, directly piercing the rat.

"Squeak squeak!"

The rat screamed twice and stopped moving.

Seeing this scene, the two groups of tomb robbers were dumbfounded.

Wang Laobie and Chen Sanye stood up involuntarily, exclaiming: "Mohist mechanism technique!"

"That's right."

Bai Wenghai carefully wiped the dust and blood off the "rat-chasing ball" that had stopped spinning with a white cloth and put it into the wooden box.

After doing this, he said: "The Mohist school flourished during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and gradually disappeared after Qin unified the world."

"But the Mohist school did not interrupt its inheritance; it appeared in the world several times later, and now there are even descendants entering the imperial court to serve."

"Unfortunately, the true Mohist mechanism technique has long been lost."

"This Wang Su's other identity is the Mohist giant of the Tang Dynasty, who was acquainted with Wu Youxu in Mount Song and became close friends."

"It is rumored that these two studied secret techniques and reproduced the Mohist mechanism technique, but deeply felt that the political situation at that time was turbulent; if this technique came out, it would be a disaster rather than a blessing, so they built a mausoleum near Liang Zihu, hiding the mechanism technique in it, waiting for those destined."

Saying this, Bai Wenghai revealed a trace of excitement and greed: "The two of you, how important this thing is, I think you also know."

"What are gold, silver, and treasures?"

"With this inheritance, what can't you get?"

The words sounded good, but the two tomb robbers became more and more vigilant.

Wang Laobie sneered and said in a strange tone: "The thing is naturally a good thing, but Patriarch Bai, how do we divide it after finding it?"

Bai Wenghai smiled: "Easy to say, we only want the mechanism technique; whatever treasures are in the tomb belong to the two of you."

"If the two of you also want the inheritance, then everything inside will be divided equally between us."

Chen Sanye narrowed his eyes and was silent for a while: "Good!"

"Where is the tomb?"

Bai Wenghai shook his head: "Haven't found it yet."

Wang Laobie was furious upon hearing this, his eyes full of gloom: "Are you playing with us?"

"The two of you, don't be angry."

Bai Wenghai hurriedly explained: "There is another reason for this. Liang Zihu was originally hilly flat land, and there was a Gaotang County; during the Tang Dynasty, a mountain flood broke out, the earth dragon turned over, and Liang Zihu appeared, and the whole county town sank to the bottom."

"The terrain changed, and the location of the tomb also changed; we can only search near Liang Zihu, but fortunately, we have some clues now."

"To tell you the truth, my Bai family clansmen have died many people, precisely harmed by the tomb-guarding beast that escaped from inside; it should be certain that it is somewhere on the north bank of Liang Zihu."

"Brother Wang is skilled in dividing gold and fixing acupoints; to find the specific orientation, we still have to rely on your methods..."

Listening to his explanation, Wang Laobie's face softened: "Good, tell me the location, and I will notify you after finding it."

Bai Wenghai's face stiffened: "Brother Wang is not staying in the village?"

Wang Laobie shook his head: "I'm used to staying in the mountains; I'm not used to staying in the village."

Chen Sanye on the side sneered: "Who knows if you want to swallow it alone after finding it; I have to follow you."

"Hmph!"

Wang Laobie said in a strange tone: "As you wish."

Bai Wenghai hesitated for a while and said: "Also, but I also have to send someone to follow to guide you."

Wang Laobie nodded: "That is natural."

After setting the plan, Bai Wenghai immediately took out a map of the area near Liang Zihu, and the markings on it were exactly the same as the Shen family map.

Wang Laobie and Chen Sanye didn't talk nonsense; after getting the map, they took their people and left, leaving the village.

After they left, Bai Wenghai drank tea, a trace of mockery appearing in his eyes: "These two idiots must have already united, still pretending here, simply ridiculous."

"How is it over there?"

"Back to White Tangzhu, we are inciting that kid to drag the Shen family in; with Elder Wu's cooperation, that kid will definitely fall for it."

"Very good, wait for Wang Laobie to go far, then let that kid leave; now is not the time for them to meet."

"Hmph, that place, if we don't fill it with some human lives, I'm afraid we won't even be able to find it, hope this time we can succeed......"

On the other side, in the blacksmith's house at the east of the village.

"Need to call my father and the others?"

Shen Jingcan was full of hesitation, a bit reluctant.

Blacksmith Bai shook his head: "I've seen those few places; they all need to be dug, and just relying on the three of us is a bit strenuous."

"Little brother, after all, they are family; besides, they already know, so you can't eat alone."

"This..."

Shen Jingcan couldn't help but look to the side.

Elder Wu also fell silent for a while, then nodded: "Call them; they already know, and Master doesn't want you to be scolded; at worst, we'll give them a share when the time comes."

"Good."

Shen Jingcan nodded.

At this moment, he had no suspicion at all. Their second and third branches, although not as good as the Black Cloud Guards, all knew some martial arts and had many people.

When the time comes, he wouldn't be afraid of this cheap master turning against him.

After discussing again, Shen Jingcan left Baihewan immediately; to avoid wasting time, he even borrowed Blacksmith Bai's boat and returned to Shenjiaba from Liang Zihu.

And all of this was seen by Lu San.

"Interesting."

Li Yan naturally didn't know what happened in the village, but he also sensed something wrong from his experience: "Someone is setting a trap..."

"Let's not show ourselves for now; let's see what these people are up to!"

Second update later

(End of chapter)