Chapter 342

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

"They made the right choice; 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 were two tomb-guarding beasts in the tomb, both found by them in the remnant lake of Yunmeng Marsh; one was the 'Tanyan' you found, and the other was 'Shi Rou'."

"'Shi Rou' is recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, similar to Tai Sui, but with two eyes, capable of continuous growth; the most precious 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 earth, forcibly eroding the mineral veins, creating this tomb of gold and water generating each other, and then sealed it with mechanism arts."

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

After all, the relationship was still okay, so Master Chengjue didn't hide it, telling Li Yan the things found in the tomb one by one.

Li Yan was dumbfounded.

He didn't expect there to be so many secrets in it.

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

"Not really."

Master Chengjue shook his head: "Although the tomb was destroyed, that 'Shi Rou' is the true tomb chamber; after escaping, it swallowed Gaochang County, and usually hides 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 'Tanyan' came out a few days ago; the Maitreya Sect entered the tomb passage, also relying on blood sacrifice, only activating the divine fetus on the periphery, and didn't enter the tomb chamber..."

"Let's talk about these later!"

The old Confucian scholar who had been joking earlier couldn't wait to ask: "I heard you came out of the ghost city and even brought out the Lu Ban Wooden Magpie?"

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

"I rushed from Wenjin Academy and happened to run into the two of them on the way, only then did I know 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 he met as an ordinary person, but the official position of this person was very important.

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

Each division had one to five Langzhongs in charge.

This Yuhang Qingli Division was mainly responsible for supervising the mining and smelting work of mountains, forests, rivers, and marshes in the Divine Land, and managing various 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 think a little, and you would know how important it was.

"No need for formalities."

Yuan Feng hurriedly got up, his eyes full of anticipation: "Can I take a look?"

"That's natural."

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

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

"I know, this leather bag is a strange beast from the sea, named 'Long Dun', similar to a pufferfish, but huge in size, absorbing water and swelling, hard to damage by knives, soldiers, water, or fire, very rare."

"Master Yuan is indeed knowledgeable."

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

"Benefactor Li, let's talk aside."

Seeing the two talking happily, Master Chengjue shook his head slightly, asking Li Yan in a low voice: "Benefactor Li, have you ever seen anyone 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, then a figure suddenly appeared in his mind, and he hurriedly said: "There was one person who was quite strange; he was a Daoist priest with astonishing divine ability, and it was he who lured the second and third branches of the Shen family into the tomb."

"What did that person look like?"

"He was a white-bearded old Daoist, his Daoist robe was dilapidated and full of patches, his figure was hunched, and his eyes were exceptionally spirited."

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

"You can ask Young Master Shen."

Soon, Shen 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 Water God Temple nearby, and every year during festivals, he would come to ask for incense money."

"Take us there quickly!"

…………

"Masters, it's here."

The Water God Temple wasn't far; Shen Shen Jinghong quickly led everyone there, saying: "This is the Dragon Girl Temple, it is rumored that the daughter of the East Sea Dragon King married a mortal, and later the common people built a temple to worship her; it has been a long time."

Several martial monks brought by Master Chengjue had divine abilities for investigation; their ears moved, and they shook their heads: "No one inside."

"Search!"

Master Chengjue gave an order, and 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, but it was just hiding in a quiet countryside, so it hadn't been discovered.

Everyone followed the secret passage and soon found the altar.

The incense master of the Maitreya Sect here and those old men were all lying on the ground, pitch black in color, full of 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, Master Chengjue's heart sank, his complexion becoming gloomy, "Search around and see if there are any clues."

The martial monks who joined the Law Enforcement Hall were all elites, not to mention their martial arts and divine abilities, and they had also learned many methods of finding clues from the Commandant's Office.

Soon, they found traces.

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

"Order, blockade the waterway along the way!"

Master Chengjue ordered with a gloomy face, his mood very bad.

Li Yan also had a solemn complexion.

Judging from the scene, the ritual must have gone wrong.

The Maitreya Sect wanting to bring Ming King Chen Chen Youliang back to life wasn't a big deal; there were countless people in the world who had returned to life more fiercely than this.

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

Not many people knew about this.

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

The one who descended into the world,

Was most likely that Black Heaven Bright King!

……

On an official road in Jiangxia, a white-haired woodcutter 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, saying lowly and respectfully: "Venerable One, I used a trick to lure the pursuers to the waterway; as long as we reach Sun Datong, someone will meet us there."

"Hmm."

A sharp voice sounded from the bamboo basket.

The old man continued to move forward, but not long after, a checkpoint suddenly appeared in front, and several garrison soldiers were yawning while patrolling. "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 a word, directly lifted the bamboo basket on the old man's back.

Inside sat a tender baby, sitting cross-legged, pinching a strange hand seal, a pair of pupils pitch black like ink.

The soldier met the baby's eyes, was startled, just about to speak, but a flash 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 and thanked, then carried the bamboo basket and went far away...

…………

In the following days, the inspections in various places became stricter.

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

!.

But just as Li Yan expected, there was never any gain.

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 years and had countermeasures for all kinds of situations.

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

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

That's right, from the very beginning, he never thought about keeping this thing.

For one thing, the news of this thing had already leaked and couldn't be hidden at all. And the imperial court wouldn't let go of such a military weapon.

For another, this thing was really tasteless to them.

Others found it rare, but Li Yan didn't care for it at all, and they traveled to various places to practice, so where would they have the time to keep guarding this thing?

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 thing for a good price.

The only trouble was, who to sell it to?

This thing 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 get some rewards at most, 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 people he knew were all middle-level, and it would be good enough if it wasn't snatched away by those big shots.

Yuan Feng came just at the right time.

This old man wasn't just a Physician of the Yuhang Qingli Division of the Ministry of Works, but also an elder of the Mo Sect.

To tell the truth, the Mo Sect had long since declined.

The Mo Sect 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.

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 all schools and respecting only Confucianism," the Mo Sect's ideology, which was unfavorable to governance, completely lost its foundation and gradually disappeared.

The later Mo Sect only nominally inherited the Mo Sect.

They no longer mentioned universal love or non-aggression, and the slogan of great harmony among all people was completely abandoned; it was just a group of bottom-level merchants and craftsmen huddling together for warmth.

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, the Great Da Xuan Dynasty was implementing an open-sea strategy and had begun to raise the status of merchants; as long as there were no accidents in the middle, technological innovation would also proceed continuously.

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

Especially since this old man was also a Physician of the Yuhang Qingli Division, responsible for managing the mining and smelting resources in various places in the Divine Land; even if he was only responsible for statistics, it would have no small benefits for Li Yan and the others.

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 Lu Ban Wooden Magpie...

Li Yan wasn't a fool, of course he knew what it meant.

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

"Elder Yuan."

Inside the 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 Mo Sect?"

"This Minister Han is young and promising, and also responsible for the forging of the imperial court's new-style firearms; if the 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 Mo Sect relied closely on the imperial court and could be considered as helping the Confucian Sect.

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

"The Open-Sea Faction and the Local Faction are fighting to the death; we don't dare to offend anyone, we can only keep making contributions to please the Emperor."

"Elder Yuan is joking."

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

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

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

Because of this, they had to keep making contributions to protect themselves, and at the same time, they couldn't get involved in any court struggles, let alone take sides, so as not to be tabooed by the Emperor.

This was the survival way of the current Mo Sect.

Li Yan was just a martial world guest, but who knew 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 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 later entrusted someone to buy "red saltpeter," finally configuring some, but if they encountered a few big battles, it would be consumed.

These two heavenly spirits and earthly 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 do it foolishly?

Being able to exchange this tasteless Lu Ban Wooden Magpie for a stable source of gunpowder was enough to break even.

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

Yuan Feng heard this and breathed a sigh of relief, stroking his beard: "Young Hero Li is indeed far-sighted; now most of the mineral veins in various places have returned to the imperial court, and private individuals are not allowed to dig 'coal essence' and 'red saltpeter' at will; the old man travels to various places just to verify this."

"But the imperial court also has rules; my Mo Sect is only responsible for statistics and production, and has no right to allocate, and many people are watching, so we can't mess around, otherwise we will be made a fuss about."

Seeing Li Yan's eyes full of disappointment, Yuan Feng smiled: "But this matter is not without a way; it can be changed to another way."

Li Yan hurriedly asked: "What way?"

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 prosperity!

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

(End of chapter)