Chapter 365

"This person is called White Blind."

Looking at the corpse on the ground, Commandant Wu Degui wiped the cold sweat with a handkerchief, "He was originally a Duan Gong in Xiangyang City, fond of swindling and cheating, with a bad reputation. Later, he made a fortune and became a wealthy merchant."

"After he became successful, he still didn't do good things, helping Yangtze River water bandits fence stolen goods, and secretly harming people to practice evil arts."

"A few months ago, Li Li Shaoxia, you broke the Ghost Sect in Dangyang County and found a list, which included this person. We cooperated with the Law Enforcement Hall to arrest him, but unfortunately, the other party had already disappeared without a trace. I didn't expect him to appear here again..."

So that's how it is.

After hearing this, Li Yan suddenly realized.

No wonder this person was so familiar with him.

Tongtian Tongtian San Niang in the Earth Immortal Cave was originally the leader of the Ezhou Ghost Sect. After they killed her, they obtained a list, which recorded the names of many wealthy merchants and officials, causing the Ghost Sect to suffer heavy losses.

This Ghost Sect was probably incompatible with him. From the moment he entered Ezhou, they had met several times, from Zigui to Wuchang, and their layouts were all destroyed by him, to the point of attracting Zhao Changsheng's attention.

Therefore, he was assassinated when he entered the city.

Thinking of this, Li Yan didn't care.

Although he and Zhao Changsheng had never met, from the moment he was born in this life, there had been karmic grudges, and they would definitely have to be settled.

It was no surprise that he leaked the other side's background, leading the imperial court to do its best to deal with them, and Zhao Changsheng issued a bounty on him while hiding in the dark.

Not only the Ghost Sect, but he estimated that forces like the Lord Tian Sheng Sect, as well as some scum in the green forest, would all be eyeing him covetously from now on.

Outside the dilapidated temple, screams and groans were constant.

Most of the people in the Commandant's Office used ordinary muskets, and their power was limited, so there were more injuries than deaths among the Lord Tian Sheng Sect members outside.

This was a great contribution!

From the mouths of these people, they could definitely get a lot of information about the Lord Tian Sheng Sect, and by following the clues, they might be able to catch more rebels.

Not to mention those members of the Commandant's Office, even Commandant Wu Degui was excited, his face slightly red, "Li Li Shaoxia, how do you think these people should be dealt with?"

Li Yan pondered for a moment, "Take them out first and interrogate them on the spot. There are still inside agents in Xiangyang City, and they don't just have this one stronghold. After finding the information, take action immediately."

"Li Li Shaoxia's words are reasonable!"

Wu Degui also nodded in agreement.

Li Yan looked around and said in a deep voice, "Interrogate them far away. There is a problem with this place, and it is likely related to the source of the plague. Let me find the reason first."

"Okay."

Wu Degui didn't ask much, ordering people to carry all the wounded and dead bodies to a distance and interrogate them in batches.

For these experts in torture, not only could they empty the other side's bottom line, but they could also infer more information from the details based on each person's confession...

After everyone left, the temple became quiet again.

"There is indeed a problem here."

Lu San, who was on the side, said with a solemn face, "There are no snakes, insects, rats, or ants, and even the small animals outside will instinctively avoid it."

"Hmm."

Li Yan looked at the main hall of the dilapidated temple and said thoughtfully, "The old ghost said just now that even if they found this place, they wouldn't be able to discover it. It should be referring to something inside..."

As he spoke, he walked toward the main hall with big strides.

While walking, he said, "According to Wu Degui, this temple was originally named 'Zhaode Temple', built by the Prince of Xiang in the previous dynasty to commemorate his mother. The regulations should be similar to what they are now."

"I have seen this kind of temple. The front hall usually enshrines the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, the middle hall enshrines the Buddha or Guanyin, and the back hall enshrines Maitreya. The front hall has been destroyed; it should have enshrined Guanyin inside..."

While speaking, the two had already walked into the main hall.

Sure enough, in the dilapidated main hall, a towering Guanyin statue stood, surrounded by dust, and on the ground, there were charred wood charcoal and carbonized human heads.

Like the Buddha statues in the temple, there are many kinds of Guanyin statues, and they represent different meanings.

For example, the one holding a willow branch in a clean bottle is called the Willow Guanyin, also known as the Holy Guanyin, implying favorable weather and a good harvest. Common people often enshrine this Guanyin when building temples...

There is the Sutra-Holding Guanyin, also known as the Sravaka Guanyin. The image is mostly the Bodhisattva sitting on a rock, holding a sutra scroll in the right hand and placing the left hand on the knee, implying concern for the world and the fulfillment of wishes, enshrined in thatched cottages or on rocks...

There is also the White-Robed Guanyin. Legend has it that during the war in the Central Plains, Guanyin appeared in a white-robed treasure appearance, appearing on the Ghost Festival to transcend souls, so the White-Robed Guanyin represents rebirth in the Pure Land of the West...

The one in front of him was the White-Robed Guanyin.

But the statue had already been damaged, the colored sculpture was mottled, revealing the mud tire, and even the head had fallen off, rolling to one side, let alone having any scent of incense.

After seeing this, Li Yan frowned.

This temple was very strange. The dead monks turned into ghostly souls chanting, refusing to leave, and even small things like door panels, door frames, and stone carvings had turned into minor gods, and there was a lingering scent of incense.

It must be related to something.

In the main hall, except for this dilapidated Guanyin statue, there was really nothing else to see.

Taking out the compass to check, the needle was extremely chaotic...

Using the sense of smell divine ability, he couldn't smell a trace of strange odor...

Letting Mouse Da and Mouse Er investigate, they just felt that this place was terrifying...

Li Yan pondered for a moment and suddenly remembered that when he first entered the temple, the minor gods and monk ghosts were noisy, but now they were unusually quiet, and he couldn't smell a trace of odor.

"Quick, help me get a basin of water."

Li Yan greeted, took an oil lamp from the offering table, and after Lu San brought the water, he lit the oil lamp, held the Gou Die, pinched the magic formula, and took a step forward.

This was the method of communicating with gods, researched by Liu Gang and the others.

Whoosh~

In an instant, the scene around them changed greatly.

The originally dilapidated main hall was now even more strange, covered with dense moss, but there was no vitality, looking more like it was rotting and moldy.

Rustling sounds came from above.

Li Yan suddenly looked up to watch.

Only to see that the caisson and beams at the top were all layers of small shrines, inside which were densely packed, carved with various gods, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas, as if standing above the Western Pure Land, looking down at all living beings below...

Seeming to notice his gaze, the rustling noise instantly disappeared, and those Buddhas and Bodhisattvas also became stiff and didn't move.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and withdrew the secret method of communicating with gods.

Opening his eyes again, the beams and caisson had returned to normal. Where were there any shrines or Buddhas? They looked ordinary and were covered with dust.

"Let's go, there's nothing here."

Li Yan shouted deliberately and signaled Lu San with his eyes.

Lu San understood immediately and followed him to leave rapidly.

Until they left the outer area of the broken temple, insects and ants appeared around them again. Lu San then asked, "What did you discover?"

"Heavenly Spirit and Earthly Treasure!"

Li Yan shook his head, "I heard Zhao Donkey say that some powerful Heavenly Spirit and Earthly Treasures will be occupied by some spirits and minor gods, turning them into things similar to blessed lands. I didn't expect to see one here." In fact, what Zhao Donkey told him was even more bizarre.

These Heavenly Spirit and Earthly Treasures were all extraordinary artifacts. After being occupied by spirits, sometimes they would hook people's souls into them, as if it were a dream, as if touring the Immortal Realm and Pure Land in the dream.

Some strange books often mentioned people getting lost in the deep mountains, or dreaming in the middle of the night, and entering a god's mansion by mistake—this is what this kind of thing refers to.

The most famous one is the Immortal Hall in the Northern Frontier.

Some old ancestors of the fox, yellow, white, and willow families have cultivation that can be called Earth Immortals, and they don't need to possess bodies to speak; they will directly summon disciples to enter the Immortal Hall to give orders or pass down techniques...

At this time, Wu Dehai also gathered around.

It wasn't just him; Commandant Zhou of the Xiangyang Garrison had also brought two hundred cavalrymen to completely surround this place.

Hearing what Li Yan said, both of them were eye-opening.

Wu Dehai hurriedly said, "Li Li Shaoxia, those people have already confessed. They don't know who the inside agent in Xiangyang City is, but they know the arrangements in other places."

"In several nearby villages, they have already sent evil cultivators to take advantage of the plague to incite people's hearts, overthrow the Earth Temple, and prepare to secretly stir up riots..."

!.

"In the mountains of Nanzhang County, there was originally an ancient military fortress, built during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Because Guan Sheng Di Jun once stationed there and read the Spring and Autumn Annals at night, it became famous and was called the Spring and Autumn Stronghold. After it was abandoned, it was occupied by Miao and barbarian mountain people."

"According to these people, the mountain people in that place have already been incited by the Ghost Sect, and a large number of elite troops have been stationed there..."

Commandant Zhou also nodded with a solemn face, "I probably know what they want to do."

"Further west from Nanzhang County is Baokang County, adjacent to the Shennongjia mountain forest, where imperial troops are stationed, blocking the Lord Tian Sheng Sect troops in the mountains."

"Baokang County has the Ju River, which can lead to Dangyang and enter the Yangtze River. Nanzhang County has the Man River, which can lead directly to the Han River and is connected to Jingmen."

"Today, the Lord Tian Sheng Sect rebel army is suppressed by the imperial court in the Jingchu mountain forest. If these two places fall, they can directly invade the Han River and the Yangtze River, not only cutting off the food supply of the imperial army but also taking advantage of the situation to go down, directly entering Jingmen and Yichang, and joining forces with the rebel army of the Tusi..."

Wu Dehai also nodded, "We have already sent people to report this matter upward, but the key is still to eliminate the epidemic."

"If the epidemic in Xiangyang spreads, even if the imperial court sends troops to station and support, they will fall into trouble."

"This source is afraid that it has some connection with the things inside. Li Li Shaoxia, what should we do?"

"Simple!"

Li Yan looked at the broken temple and said coldly, "Send people to the nearby mountains to cut peach branches, and tomorrow during the day, burn this place to the ground!"

Whoosh~

As soon as the words fell, a ghostly wind suddenly blew in the temple, and white mist rose, making the entire ruin become blurred and strange again.

"Be on guard!"

Commandant Zhou gave an angry shout, and the cavalrymen he brought raised their muskets one after another, and some even picked up fire caltrops.

However, with the whistling of the ghostly wind, the warhorses around seemed to be startled, neighing continuously and restless.

Seeing this, Lu San pinched the magic formula and also made neighing sounds with his mouth to soothe those warhorses.

Commandant Zhou was furious, suddenly took out a token from his bosom, and roared angrily, "The imperial court's army is here! You ghosts and monsters, how dare you harass us? Do you want your souls to fly away and scatter!"

After seeing this, Li Yan was speechless.

Would these things listen to the imperial court's orders?

But something that surprised him happened.

Although the ghostly mist in the ruins was still thick, the ghostly wind was obviously smaller, and those warhorses were no longer startled.

Seeing Li Yan's surprised look, Commandant Zhou whispered, "This is a secret method of the army. In all parts of the Divine Land, there are many things like this entrenched. If you encounter a smart one, you will know the majesty of the imperial court and be afraid of attracting the Mystic Sect's army to suppress them..."

As he was speaking, figures suddenly appeared in the thick fog. Some were monks with their hands together, and some were in the appearance of Arhats and Bodhisattvas, shadowy and very blurred.

Seeing this, Li Yan was amused, "Yo, do you really think this place has become the Western Pure Land?"

Saying that, he had already taken out the Gou Die from his bosom, preparing to summon the Underworld soldiers to catch these things in one net.

Just at this moment, an old sigh came to his ears, "We don't want to provoke right and wrong, why must the superior messenger be so aggressive?"

Li Yan looked around and saw that the others' expressions didn't change, so he understood in his heart that this voice was the language of ghosts and gods, and they couldn't hear it.

Thinking of this, he spoke directly and said coldly, "What kind of nonsense are you talking about? You don't want to provoke right and wrong, why did you send people into the city to harm people?"

He spoke suddenly, making Commandant Zhou and Wu Dehai confused.

The two just wanted to ask, but were stopped by Lu San, signaling them not to speak.

In the thick fog, the old voice entered Li Yan's ears, "There is another hidden story about this matter, I hope the superior messenger will listen to the old man's explanation."

"The old man was originally a thousand-year-old nanmu tree in Shu, which was transported to Xiangyang after being felled, becoming the main beam of Zhaode Temple, bathed in the incense of Buddha day and night, and realized the method of Pure Land and Bliss."

"During the war years, the temple was destroyed by the flames of war. The old man used secret methods to protect the residual souls of the monks in the temple from the harm of the shamans of the Golden Tent Wolf Kingdom. Because many Mystic Sect practitioners died at that time, minor gods also bred in the temple..."

"That year, Master Sanfeng passed by this place and made an agreement with the old man: as long as I restrain these residual souls and minor gods and do not harm the mountain people around, I can practice with peace of mind and wait for the temple to be rebuilt in a hundred years."

Li Yan snorted coldly, "Since there is an agreement, why break the oath?"

The old voice replied, "At that time, to show sincerity, the old man spat out the wood heart, which was carved into a soul tablet by Ancestor Sanfeng and placed under the Xiangyang Chenghuangmiao, to be supervised by the City God."

"But more than ten years ago, a scholar surnamed Lu suddenly came with the soul tablet and wanted the old man to obey his orders. The old man dared not disobey, secretly sent people to the Chenghuangmiao, but was intercepted and killed halfway..."

"More than ten years ago, a scholar surnamed Lu?"

A flash of inspiration crossed Li Yan's mind, "Do you know the Nanmu King?"

According to the Tuoshi, there was a Nanmu King in the Han River near Xiangyang City, who was very fierce and scared the common people into secretly building a Nan Jun Temple to worship him.

More than ten years ago, a scholar surnamed Lu subdued this demon.

The old voice replied, "The Nanmu King is already dead, but he was used by evil methods. After his death, his resentment soared to the sky, and his body was divided and hidden in various parts of Xiangyang, which is the source of this plague."

"There is also one in the temple. Those people put it in the old man's body and used sacrificial methods to catalyze it, spreading it to the nearby water sources. This thing can be restrained by vinegar..."

Whoosh~

While speaking, a strong wind suddenly blew.

A piece of wood rolled and flew out of the broken temple, landing in front of the crowd with a thud.

Everyone looked down and saw that it was a piece of golden nanmu, but it had turned into gloomy wood, covered with moss like mold spots.

"Everyone stay away!"

Li Yan hurriedly greeted everyone to retreat, and then asked the garrison soldiers to take the vinegar cloth they carried with them and cover it tightly.

After doing this, Li Yan turned his head to look at the ruins again and said coldly, "You handed over this thing, aren't you afraid that those people will destroy the soul tablet?"

The old voice sighed and replied, "The bliss that the old man cultivates is ultimately fake. This time is a disaster. If the disaster is unavoidable, I can only accept my fate."

Li Yan pondered for a moment, "Since you have the heart, do you dare to fight for it?"

Second update in the afternoon.

(End of chapter)