Chapter 342

"Wu Youxu was just a cover; the true owner of this tomb is the Tang Dynasty Mohist leader Wang Su; the two lived in seclusion on Mount Song, restoring and improving the Mohist mechanism arts..."

"They chose correctly; if this mechanism art had appeared during the chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty, I don't know how many people would have died because of it..."

"There are two tomb-guarding beasts in the tomb, both found by them in the remnant lakes of Yunmeng Marsh; one is the 'Canyan' you found, and the other is 'Shi Rou'."

"'Shi Rou' is recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, similar to Taisui, but with two eyes, capable of continuous growth; the most important treasure on its whole body is that pair of eyes..."

"The two of them used secret methods to refine this 'Shi Rou', turning it into a monster that swallowed gold and stone, forcibly eroding mineral veins, creating this tomb of gold and water mutual generation and iron dome, and then sealed it with mechanism arts."

"Unfortunately, a sudden earth dragon turning over destroyed the tomb structure, 'Shi Rou' came out ahead of time, and was attracted by the resentment of the sunken Gaochang County, swallowing it and turning into an evil object..."

After all, the relationship was not bad, so Chengjue didn't hide it, telling Li Yan one by one what was found in the tomb.

Li Yan was dumbfounded.

He didn't expect that there were so many secrets hidden within.

Hearing that there was a Mohist mechanism art inheritance inside, his expression changed slightly, "The remnants of the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom and the Maitreya Sect have all entered; have the things already been taken by them?"

"Not really."

Chengjue shook his head: "Although the tomb was destroyed, that 'Shi Rou' is the true tomb chamber; after escaping, it swallowed Gaochang County, usually hiding deep underground, only appearing when wind, rain, thunder, and lightning intersect."

"Whether it was the mysterious soldiers at the end of the Tang Dynasty or those remnants of the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom, they all entered from Gaochang Ghost City, and none survived."

"And the passage by the lake was only opened when the 'Canyan' appeared a few days ago; the Maitreya Sect entered the tomb passage relying on blood sacrifice to activate the divine fetus on the periphery, and didn't enter the tomb chamber..."

"Let's talk about these later!"

The old Confucian scholar who was joking just now couldn't wait to ask: "I heard you came out of the ghost city and even brought out Off Lu Ban's Wooden Magpie?"

Master Lin hurriedly introduced: "Brother Li Yan, this is Yuan Feng, the Physician of the Yuhang Qingli Division of the Ministry of Works, and also an elder of the current Mohist Sect."

"I rushed over from the Wenjin Academy and happened to meet the two of you on the way, only then knowing that such a big thing had happened."

Li Yan hurriedly got up and cupped his hands, "Greetings, Master Yuan."

A smile had already appeared on his face.

It wasn't that he was in awe of officials.

He treated any governor or prince as an ordinary person, but the official position of this person was very important.

The Ministry of Works of the Great Xuan Dynasty had four Qingli Divisions, namely the Construction Qingli Division, the Yuhang Qingli Division, the Waterways Qingli Division, and the Tuntian Qingli Division.

Each division had one to five Physician to manage it.

This Yuhang Qingli Division's main responsibility was to supervise the mining, hunting, and smelting work of the mountains, forests, rivers, and marshes of the Shenzhou, managing all kinds of bird and beast resources.

In addition, it also undertook the production and manufacturing of important items such as military uniforms, weapons, ceramic products, currency, and firearms.

Just thinking about it, one knew how important it was.

"No need for formalities."

Yuan Feng hurriedly got up, his eyes full of anticipation: "Can I and the others see it?"

"That is natural."

Li Yan smiled and nodded, taking several people to the backyard of the Shen mansion.

"This is the Off Lu Ban Wooden Magpie; everyone look here, after lighting it, the leather bag will become larger, a bit like a Kongming lantern, and here you can control the direction..."

"I know, this leather bag is a strange beast from the sea, named 'Long Tun', similar to a pufferfish, but huge in size, expanding when absorbing water, hard to be damaged by knives, soldiers, water, or fire, very rare."

"Master Yuan is indeed knowledgeable."

"Hahaha, I have only heard of it; this wooden magpie is a treasure of the Craftsman Sect, and I don't know why it ended up in the tomb of our Mohist leader..."

"Benefactor Li, let's talk a step away."

Seeing the two talking happily, Chengjue shook his head slightly, asking Li Yan: "Benefactor Li, have you ever seen people from the Maitreya Sect in the ghost city? Their other altar must be nearby; do you have any clues?"

"Didn't see them in the ghost city..."

Li Yan replied, and then a figure suddenly appeared in his mind, hurriedly saying: "There is one person who is quite strange; he is a Daoist, his divine ability is astonishing, and it was he who lured the second and third branches of the Shen family into the tomb."

"What does that person look like?"

"He is an old Daoist with a white beard, his Daoist robe is dilapidated and full of patches, his figure is hunched, and his eyes are exceptionally spirited."

"That person also died in front of the altar!"

"Can ask Young Master Shen."

Soon, Shen Jinghong was invited over; hearing Li Yan's description, he thought for a moment and said: "I do have some impression of this person; he is the temple keeper of the nearby Water God Temple; every festival, he comes to the door to ask for incense money."

"Take us there quickly!"

…………

"Masters, it's here."

The Water God Temple wasn't far; Shen Jinghong soon brought everyone there and said: "This is the Dragon Lady Temple; it is rumored to be the daughter of the East Sea Dragon King, who married a mortal, and later the common people set up a temple to worship her; it has been a long time."

Several martial monks brought by Chengjue, who were skilled in investigation divine abilities, moved their ears and shook their heads: "There is no one inside."

"Search!"

With Chengjue's order, the martial monks and soldiers rushed in.

Li Yan followed closely, pinched the magic formula, sniffed deeply, and turned his head to look at the main hall, "There is a secret passage behind the statue."

The secret passage made by the Maitreya Sect could only deceive ordinary people; it was just that they were hiding in a quiet countryside, so they hadn't been discovered.

Following the secret passage, everyone soon found the altar.

The incense master of the Maitreya Sect here and those old men were all lying on the ground, pitch black, covered in blood, and had long since lost their breath.

Those lotus lamps were kicked into a mess and all extinguished.

Looking at the scene before them, Chengjue's heart sank, and his expression became gloomy, "Search everywhere to see if there are any clues."

The martial monks who joined the Law Enforcement Hall were all elites; their martial arts and divine abilities went without saying, and they had also learned many methods of the Commandant's Office for finding clues.

Soon, they found traces.

In the cold storage, there was also a waterway, cleverly covered by rocks and wooden boards, just leading to Liangzi Lake, and there were wooden piles for fixing cables nearby.

"Order, blockade the waterway along the way!"

Chengjue ordered with a gloomy expression, his mood very bad.

Li Yan's expression was also solemn.

Judging from the scene, the ritual had definitely gone wrong.

The Maitreya Sect wanted to bring the Bright King Chen Youliang back to life; speaking of which, it wasn't a big deal; there were countless people in the world who were more fierce than those returning to life.

Just the Huang Liushi from a while ago was a big trouble.

Not many people knew about this matter.

Specifically targeting the Maitreya Sect, and the ritual had already succeeded...

The one descending to the human world,

is mostly that Black Heaven Bright King!

On a official road in Jiangxia, a woodcutter with white hair was walking with a bamboo basket on his back, his every move similar to an ordinary commoner.

He turned his head to look at the river in the distance, and said respectfully in a low voice: "Master, I used a trick to lure the pursuers to the waterway; as long as we reach Datong, someone will meet us there."

"Hmm."

Inside the bamboo basket, a sharp voice sounded.

The old man continued to move forward, but not long after walking, a checkpoint suddenly appeared in front, and several garrison soldiers were patrolling while yawning. "Stop, what are you doing?"

"Returning to the official, the old man is going to the city to deliver firewood."

"Delivering firewood?"

A soldier carrying a long spear walked over, and without saying a word, directly lifted the bamboo basket on the old man's back.

Inside sat an infant, legs crossed, pinching a strange hand seal, a pair of pupils pitch black like ink.

The soldier looked into the infant's eyes, shocked in his heart, just about to speak, when a trace of black energy also flashed in his eyes, then he covered the bamboo basket and said expressionlessly: "Nothing, pass."

"Thank you, official."

The old woodcutter hurriedly bowed in thanks, and then carried the bamboo basket away...

…………

In the following days, the inspections everywhere became stricter.

Especially the roads leading to the north; not only Ezhou, but even the Law Enforcement Halls of Shanzhou, Yuzhou, and Jinzhou received orders to investigate.

!.

But just as Li Yan expected, there was no gain at all.

This suddenly descended Black Heaven Bright King was like a drop of water merging into the sea, completely disappearing from the sight of all forces.

Clearly, those remnants of the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom had planned for many years and had countermeasures for all kinds of situations.

Fortunately, their plan had also been leaked, which was to use the divine fetus to infiltrate a Prince's mansion of the Great Xuan Dynasty, and the Commandant's Office had already made targeted arrangements.

As for Li Yan, he was busy selling the Off Lu Ban Wooden Magpie.

That's right, from the very beginning, he hadn't thought about keeping it.

For one, the news of this object had already been leaked and couldn't be hidden at all. Moreover, the imperial court wouldn't let go of such a sharp weapon for the army.

For another, this object was simply a chicken rib to them.

Others thought it was rare, but Li Yan didn't care for it at all, and they traveled everywhere to practice, so where would they have time to guard this thing all the time?

It wasn't very useful and would attract a bunch of trouble.

Therefore, from the moment it landed, Li Yan had already planned to sell this object for a good price.

The only trouble was, who to sell it to?

This object would eventually fall into the hands of the imperial court, but whose hands it passed through was a matter of great importance.

If he offered it directly, he would at most get some rewards, and the imperial court would give him a plaque or something, which was useless.

Although he had relationships with the Commandant's Office and the Law Enforcement Hall, the ones he knew were all middle-level, and it would be good if they weren't snatched away by those big shots.

Yuan Feng came just at the right time.

This old man was not only the Physician of the Yuhang Qingli Division of the Ministry of Works but also an elder of the Mohist Sect.

To be honest, the Mohist Sect had long since declined.

The Mohist family started in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, mainly composed of industrial and commercial people, including various craftsmen, located at the very bottom of society.

Precisely because of this, they advocated theories like universal love, non-aggression, and conformity; although their reputation was great, it was impossible for them to enter the mainstream.

Especially after "dismissing the hundred schools and respecting only Confucianism," the Mohist ideology, which was unfavorable to governance, completely lost its foundation and gradually disappeared.

The later Mohist Sect only nominally inherited the Mohist family.

They no longer mentioned slogans like universal love and non-aggression, and the slogan of great harmony for all was completely abandoned, which could be considered bottom-level merchants and craftsmen huddling together for warmth.

Precisely because of this, they were able to survive and were gradually accepted by the imperial court, mainly serving as technical bureaucrats in the Ministry of Works.

Speaking of which, it was an organization with no threat at all.

However, Li Yan had a different view.

Now it was the Age of Discovery, and the Great Xuan Dynasty was implementing an open-sea strategy and began to raise the status of merchants; as long as there were no mistakes in the middle, technological innovation would continue.

The status of the Mohist Sect would only get higher and higher!

Especially since this old man was also the Physician of the Yuhang Qingli Division, responsible for managing the mining and hunting resources in the Shenzhou; even if it was just responsible for statistics, it would have no small benefits for them.

For example, new-style gunpowder would have a way in the future.

If they wanted to find some things, they would also know where to start.

And this old man was also a shrewd person.

When he came, he deliberately didn't wear official clothes, was introduced by Master Lin, spoke with the attitude of a fellow traveler in the martial world, and showed great interest in the Off Lu Ban Wooden Magpie...

Li Yan wasn't a fool, so he naturally knew what it meant.

Of course, he didn't agree directly, but waited for two days, and only when the old man became more and more anxious did he start to show his cards.

"Elder Yuan."

In the side room of the small courtyard, Li Yan met Yuan Feng alone, poured tea, and smiled: "I heard that the current Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, Han Mo, is also a member of your Mohist Sect?"

"This Minister Han is in the prime of his life and is also responsible for the forging of the imperial court's new-style firearms; if the Off Lu Ban Wooden Magpie is added, and it shows great power in the Southwest War, will there be a chance to get the position of Minister of Works?"

Unlike other dharma lineages, the current Mohist Sect relies closely on the imperial court, which can be considered as helping the Confucian Sect.

Yuan Feng was also an old fox; seeing that Li Yan had already seen through the doorway, his expression didn't change as he drank tea, shaking his head and sighing: "It's difficult; the current imperial court is full of waves and clouds."

"The Open-Sea Faction and the Local Faction are fighting to the death; we dare not offend anyone, so we can only keep making contributions to win the Emperor's favor."

"Elder Yuan is joking."

Li Yan smiled slightly, "This thing, I can give it to your Mohist Sect, just to make a friend in the future."

Yuan Feng was stunned, his heart raising vigilance, "What do you want?"

He was right about one thing: the status of the Mohist Sect was rising, and they controlled the forging of new-style firearms; although they were holding onto the Emperor's thigh tightly, they were also watched by many eyes.

Precisely because of this, they had to keep making contributions to protect themselves, while not being able to get involved in any court struggles, let alone taking sides, so as not to be tabooed by the Emperor.

This was the way of survival for the current Mohist Sect.

Li Yan was just a martial world guest, but it was hard to say who was standing behind him.

"Elder Yuan, don't misunderstand."

Li Yan directly took off his own firearm from his waist, placed it on the table, and said in a deep voice: "To tell you the truth, we are all martial world guests; although we spent a lot of money to make this thing, I'm afraid gunpowder will be harder and harder to get, so I want to ask Elder Yuan to make it convenient sometimes."

Refining new-style gunpowder required "Coal Essence" and "Red Saltpeter."

They had obtained some "Coal Essence" last time, and after later entrusting people to buy "Red Saltpeter," they finally configured some, but if they encountered a few big battles, it would be exhausted.

These two heavenly spiritual treasures had now been monopolized by the imperial court, and wanting to obtain them was harder than ascending to heaven, and they would be controlled by others sooner or later.

Other people or forces were the same.

Not to mention anything else, if the Commandant's Office wanted to use gunpowder as a bargaining chip to let them take on some dangerous jobs, would they also foolishly go and do it?

Being able to use this chicken rib Off Lu Ban Wooden Magpie to exchange for a stable source of gunpowder was already enough to break even.

"Oh, so that's it..."

After listening, Yuan Feng breathed a sigh of relief, stroked his beard and said: "Young Hero Li is indeed far-sighted; now most of the mineral veins everywhere have returned to the imperial court, and private individuals are not allowed to dig for 'Coal Essence' and 'Red Saltpeter' at will; the old man travels everywhere just to check on this matter."

"But the imperial court also has rules; our Mohist Sect is only responsible for statistics and production, and has no power to allocate, and many people are watching, so we can't mess around, otherwise it will be made a big deal by others."

Seeing Li Yan's eyes full of disappointment, Yuan Feng immediately smiled: "But this matter is not without a way; we can change the method."

Li Yan hurriedly asked: "What method?"

Yuan Feng drank tea leisurely, "The imperial court recently wants to establish a new academy..."

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "Qiankun Academy?"

Happy National Day, wishing the country's fortune to be prosperous!

Three updates today, the second update will be sent at noon, the third update will be sent in the afternoon

(End of chapter)