Chapter 349: Xiangyang Strange Tales

"Ten thousand families leaning on the mountains and water, Xiangyang has been rich and luxurious since ancient times.

Looking back in the second month from the northern pavilion, the red sun is full of flowers in the city."

This poem "Xiangyang" comes from Jia An of the Northern Song Dynasty and talks about the prosperity of this ancient city of Xiangyang.

Since the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, when the world was in chaos, the Jingxiang region was under the governance of Liu Biao, "ten thousand miles of fertile land, rich in scholars and people," becoming a pure land, with many famous families and scholars emerging.

The most famous ones are naturally the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix.

The Yongjia Rebellion of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the southward migration of the gentry, the noble families of the Three Auxiliary regions, flowed to Fanmian, lived in the side of the Han River, and brought a lot of wealth and population.

Regardless of the change of dynasties, this place has always been a heavy town in Ezhou.

The reason for this is the special location of Xiangyang.

Xiangyang connects to Guanzhong and Hanzhong in the west, Nanyang and Luoyang in the north, and the Yangtze River and the three towns of Near Wuchang in the south, communicating with the east, west, north, and south in the middle, which is irreplaceable.

Therefore, this place has always been a place contested by military strategists.

Cao Cao was defeated at Chibi, thanks to Cao Ren's firm defense of Xiangyang, Cao Wei was able to control the Xiangfan region and maintain suppression of Jingzhou of Eastern Wu...

Master Yue Wumu recovered the six counties of Xiangyang, reigniting the fighting spirit of the Southern Song Dynasty against the Jin...

The Daxiang of the previous dynasty defended Xiangyang for three years before holding back the southward trend of the Jinzhang Wolf Kingdom, and the Great Da Xuan Dynasty also started the conquest of unifying the Divine Land with Xiangyang as the starting point...

It can be said that Xiangyang City is made of blood and corpses.

Of course, now it is a prosperous age, and Xiangyang City has long since restored its prosperity, with people from all walks of life gathering and wealthy people gathering in the city.

It is the seventh month, and the Mid-Yuan Festival has just passed.

On the pier of Xiangyang City, the incense ash from the "Flaming Mouth" ritual during the Dharma Assembly has not yet dissipated, and it is already a flow of people, with cars and ships coming and going without stopping.

But those familiar with Xiangyang City know that although there are many people, it is much colder than in the past.

What is even stranger is that everyone's face is covered with a layer of cloth. The high officials use silk, and the common people use coarse cloth. Regardless of the material, it is filled with a thick smell of vinegar.

Not only that, when people talk and communicate, they try their best to lower their heads. Every distance, even strangers passing by, avoid each other.

On the river channel in the distance, a warship is moving fast.

This warship is not large, with sharp and upturned ends, indistinguishable from head to tail, and there are neat bunkers made of thatch and bamboo around it, with a row of gun holes left between the bamboo.

Those who know a little bit know that this is the "Eagle Ship" of the water division.

This kind of small warship is known for its fast advance and retreat and strong maneuverability, and is often used for reconnaissance and detecting enemy situations, or breaking into enemy formations.

Since the outbreak of the Southwest War, this ship has often been seen coming and going on the Yangtze River waterway, either delivering military orders or transporting important goods.

It hangs the war flag of the water division, and civilian ships along the way avoid it one after another.

No one can afford to provoke this kind of ship, especially seeing the row of gun barrels sticking out of the gun holes, which means it is performing a mission.

Once blocked, the other party can even fire directly.

Without any pause, after passing the Xiangyang and opposite Fancheng piers, the Eagle Ship continued forward, heading towards the upper reaches of the Han River.

On the deck, Li Yan and the others were all there.

Accompanying them was Gu Yu Hanzi from the City God Temple of Yunyang Prefecture.

His face was pale, and he was obviously injured.

Beside him were several other Daoists, all looking around the water surface with full vigilance, pressing on the hilts of their swords.

Li Yan had been looking at the Xiangyang pier, and only after he couldn't see it did he turn his head back, frown, and say: "The Xiangyang pier is a bit wrong."

"An epidemic has broken out in Fancheng."

Gu Yu Hanzi explained: "A few days ago, a boat of people on the Han River died suddenly. Their deaths were strange, and their internal organs were covered with moss."

"It happened that the people from the Fancheng Yamen were patrolling, so they pulled the corpses back, examined the corpses, and investigated the case, and also invited the brothers from the Law Enforcement Hall of Fancheng."

"Originally thought it was evil possession, but the method of dispelling evil was useless, and there was no gloomy evil aura on the deceased."

"The next day, several yamen runners who transported the corpses also died of the same symptoms. Finally, a physician judged that this was a rare epidemic."

"The Prefect of Xiangyang invited a Daoist physician from the Li family in Huangzhou to handle this matter and ordered the use of vinegar cloth to cover the mouth and nose to block the epidemic, temporarily controlling it in Fancheng without leaking it..."

"Now Fancheng has been closed, but rumors are flying, saying that those people offended the Plague God on the river, causing panic."

"The Li family in Huangzhou?"

Wang Wang Daoxuan became interested, "Medicine Saint Li Shizhen?"

"Yes."

Gu Yu Hanzi nodded: "The Li family of the Medicine Saint is also a local big clan. Although many descendants have entered the officialdom, the family learning has not been interrupted. There is a Li Zhao Facheng who has become famous in recent years."

"Zhao Facheng... entered the Dharma school?"

"That's right. This Li Zhao Facheng inherited the ambition of the Medicine Saint and wanted to walk through the Divine Land, continuing to expand the *Compendium of Materia Medica*."

"As for the skills in the mountains, the Meishan Dharma school is the strongest, so he found someone to apprentice and entered the Meishan Dharma school..."

Listening to the two chatting, Li Yan looked at Lu San.

Lu San understood immediately, looked at the falcon in the sky, and made an "OK" gesture, indicating that everything was normal.

Only then did Li Yan heave a sigh of relief.

After leaving Lake Lake Liangzi, they returned to Near Wuchang, strolled around the Yellow Crane Tower and the Qingchuan Pavilion, and prepared to set off for Mount Wudang.

Who knew that a Daoist would suddenly come to ask for help.

It turned out that Gu Yu Hanzi and the others went to the mountains near Huangmei to capture a traitor, accidentally fell into an ancient tomb, found another blood jade cong, and were ambushed by evil people on the way.

The relationship between the Daoist and Buddhist schools is somewhat subtle.

Although they asked for help, the local Law Enforcement Hall would certainly help, but Gu Yu Hanzi and the others were unwilling. It happened that they heard Li Yan was there, so they asked them to escort them along the way.

Li Yan was going to Mount Mount Wudang anyway, so he naturally agreed and asked the water army for help, borrowing an Eagle Ship to reach Yunyang as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, they didn't encounter any danger along the way.

Hearing Wang Wang Daoxuan ask about this strange epidemic, Li Yan's heart moved, and he asked: "Is this done by monsters?"

Gu Yu Hanzi shook his head: "Daoist friend Li, I know that you are helping the Tuo Master seek the position of the Water God of the Han River. If it can really make a great contribution, my Zhenwu Palace is also happy to see it happen."

"But on the Xiangyang side, it is probably difficult for it to gain a foothold, and its news is already lagging behind. That Nanmu Great King has long been executed."

Li Yan was surprised, "Oh, what's going on?" "This matter has to be told from more than ten years ago."

Gu Yu Hanzi shook his head slightly and said: "The previous dynasty Daxiang's capital was in Jinling. The Great Da Xuan Emperor Xiao Xiao Chengyou raised troops to seize the country's destiny. Although most of the previous dynasty's old ministries responded, some people would rather die than surrender."

"Many people died at that time, and more than a dozen members of the imperial family hanged themselves in the imperial palace, burned the palace, and released a blood curse, which caused a great stir, so that twenty years after the Great Da Xuan Dynasty was founded, the curse gradually dissipated."

"Coupled with the remnants of the Jinzhang Wolf Kingdom at that time, who were still making trouble in Mobei, the Emperor issued the *Edict of Moving the Capital*, changing Beiping to the capital."

He said, paused, and sighed: "Nanmu is precious and auspicious, and has always been known as the 'chief of all woods', but it is also known as blood-weeping wood. Does Daoist friend know about this?"

Li Yan nodded, "I've heard of it."

Sha Sha Li Fei beside him was anxious when he heard this, "Alas, don't speak in riddles. This is the first time I've heard of this. What's going on?"

Gu Yu Hanzi said in a deep voice: "Nanmu has a dense texture and has been the best choice for beams and pillars of palaces and temples since ancient times."

"There are three types of Nanmu: one is Kaiyang Nan; one is Hansi Nan, with yellow wood color, best like golden silk; one is Shui Nan, with slightly green color and soft nature, which is the lowest. After moving the capital to build the palace, naturally, one must use golden silk Nanmu."

"The best golden silk Nanmu is produced in Yuzhang and the counties of Huguang, Yunnan, and Guizhou. It not only has a long history but also needs to be a treasure of heaven and earth, and all of them are hidden in deep mountains and old forests for the feng shui formation of the capital."

"The imperial court has people who raise treasure seekers, who specialize in entering the mountains to find this kind of large Nanmu, which is often guarded by fierce beasts and poisonous things, and many people die."

!.

"But finding the wood is only the first step. To harvest one Nanmu tree, seven zhang long, and one zhang two or three chi in circumference, it takes 500 towing laborers, setting up ponds along the way, one pond every ten miles, one pond sending to another..."

"To put it bluntly, sometimes for a good Nanmu tree, in order to transport it out smoothly, one even has to dig a small canal. Then out of the Three Gorges, along the Jianghuai, involving Huaisi, it takes nearly a year, and countless people die."

"There is a proverb in the Shu region, called 'one thousand enter the mountain, five hundred leave the mountain'. People in Chu and Shu, when talking about harvesting wood, all choke with sobs..."

Sha Sha Li Fei frowned: "Must use golden silk Nanmu?"

Li Yan shook his head, "Other things can also be used as substitutes, but golden silk Nanmu is the most precious. If you don't use this wood, how can you show nobility?"

Sha Sha Li Fei spat and said nothing more.

Gu Yu Hanzi continued: "The golden silk Nanmu transported out of the mountains is originally a spiritual wood, absorbing blood and resentment along the way, so it is inevitable that something will happen. It must be sealed with secret methods to be transported to the capital smoothly."

"At that time, the Pai Sect and the Cao Gang expanded their power rapidly because of this, but even so, many things happened."

"Some Nanmu are spiritual, bewitching people at midnight, leading to shipwrecks and deaths, sinking into the Yangtze River, absorbing the gloomy aura of the dragon vein, and turning into evil monsters."

"In the Three Gorges area, whenever there was a heavy rain, many Nanmu would float to the surface, colliding everywhere like Tuo dragons, until ships were destroyed and people died, known as the Left General, Right General, and Great General of Nanmu."

"Our masters and Mount Qingcheng joined forces to perform Dharma rituals in the Three Gorges for several months before suppressing and killing these things."

"The one in Xiangyang has been there for a longer time. In the Tang Dynasty, there was an old Nanmu tree, about a hundred zhang long, which was originally to be transported to Chang'an to build the Great Ming Palace."

"But halfway through, the cables broke inexplicably. Everyone on the ship died suddenly, and then the old Nanmu fell into the river, hid at the bottom of the river, and turned into an old monster."

"During the turmoil at the end of the Tang Dynasty, this thing came out to make trouble, causing wind and waves at every turn. Passing ships could only pass by chanting 'Nanmu Great King bless us'. At that time, the common people along the river built more than a hundred 'Nan Jun Temples', and only after day and night worship could it be calmed down."

"After the Great Da Xuan Dynasty was founded, the Mystic Sect hit the obscene sacrifices. This 'Nan Jun' was naturally our primary target. All temples were demolished, and a Dharma altar was set up in Xiangyang to capture it."

"After the Dharma ritual at that time, an old Nanmu tree did float up from the river, but it had lost its spiritual rhyme and was bought by a wealthy merchant in Xiangyang to build a sacrifice for Crown Prince Zhaoming."

"But for many years after that, this Nanmu Great King always lingered, often making trouble, and the source could not be found."

"Until more than ten years ago, a scholar named Lu took a boat to Xiangyang. A strange wind suddenly rose on the river. The boat boss was so scared that he hurriedly kowtowed and chanted 'Nanmu Great King bless us', and the strange wind and giant waves stopped."

"After the scholar asked, he was furious. After going ashore, he wrote a manifesto and reported it to the Water Mansion. Three days later, a giant wood floated from the river. Only then did the chaos of the Nanmu Great King end completely."

Li Yan was surprised, "Confucian means?"

Gu Yu Hanzi nodded: "That's right. Ezhou actually hid such a high-ranking person. The Law Enforcement Hall naturally wanted to investigate. According to the information at that time, the other party came from Lushan."

"My senior brother personally went to visit, but couldn't find anyone several times. Even several great Confucian scholars from the Wenjin Academy went, but the other party was disdainful and then disappeared strangely."

Wang Wang Daoxuan laughed dumbly: "Lushan high scholars are proud of emperors. I didn't expect it to be like this now."

Li Yan knew about this.

Outside Xiangyang City, there is Lushan Mountain, a place where famous scholars have lived in seclusion throughout history.

Pang Pang Degong, a famous scholar at the end of the Han Dynasty, did not accept the invitations of the Inspector Liu Biao several times and took his family to Lushan Mountain to collect herbs...

Meng Meng Haoran of the Tang Dynasty was frustrated in his official career and lived in seclusion in Lushan Mountain, chanting about mountains and rivers and finding joy in it. Pi Rixiu of the late Tang Dynasty also lived in Lushan Temple...

There are also some people in the Mystic Sect of Confucianism who live in seclusion.

Gu Yu Hanzi shook his head: "Lushan has long since changed its taste. Some are truly reclusive, but most are using seclusion to gain fame, chanting poems and painting all day long, and holding poetry meetings at every turn, making it a mess."

"That scholar named Lu has disappeared since then, and the Nanmu Great King has not made trouble since then, so we didn't continue to investigate."

Lu San beside him said in a deep voice: "The Tuo Master practices in secret and rarely provokes trouble. He also just learned about this, but why do you say it is difficult to gain a foothold in Xiangyang?"

Gu Yu Hanzi laughed dumbly: "Don't you all know about the 'Sky-Piercing Festival' in Xiangyang?"

"During the Zhou Dynasty, Zheng Jiaofu often traveled to the Han River and saw two goddesses playing with pearls in the curve of Hangao. There is a record in the *Biographies of Immortals*, named the two daughters of Jiang Fei."

"Since then, every twenty-first day of the first month, the common people of Xiangyang go to play by the Han River. Women look for white stones with holes, string them with colored silk, and hang them on their heads to seek the auspiciousness of having children. This is the unique 'Sky-Piercing Festival' of Xiangyang."

"On Taohua Island outside Xiangyang City, there is also a Goddess Temple, dedicated to the two daughters of Jiang Fei, listed as a righteous god. Even when the Nanmu Great King was raging, the common people of Xiangyang always believed that the two daughters of Jiang Fei were the water gods of this place."

"This is an ancient custom, and the imperial court has also listed it as a righteous sacrifice. If the Tuo Master wants to build a temple in the future, it must be avoided..."

Everyone chatted all the way, and they didn't feel bored.

The Eagle Ship was fast, and it didn't take long to pass Laohekou, pass Danjiangkou, and when the sun set, they went ashore at a river bend.

On the shore, more than a dozen disciples of Zhenwu Palace were already waiting to meet them. When they arrived here, it was already within the sphere of influence of Mount Mount Wudang. Even the most powerful evil people would not dare to come and make trouble, so it was completely safe.

When they rushed to the foot of Mount Mount Wudang, seeing that the sky was already dark, Gu Yu Hanzi said: "Because of the war in the Southwest, most of the masters on the mountain have gone to the front line to support, and the mountain will be closed every night, forbidding people from going up the mountain."

"Let's stay in the village at the foot of the mountain first and go up the mountain tomorrow morning."

Li Yan nodded: "I will listen to the Daoist friend's arrangement."

While talking, everyone came to a village.

This village is located at the foot of Mount Mount Wudang, and the relationship is obviously not shallow. The villagers along the way saw the Daoists of Zhenwu Palace and greeted them enthusiastically.

A strange look flashed in Li Yan's eyes.

The commoners in this village, men, women, old and young, were all practicing martial arts.

"Hahaha... you kid finally came."

Halfway there, an old man walked over with big strides. It was the Ezhou martial arts tycoon Zhang Zhang Xiaoshan...

Second update at two o'clock

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 350 =====