Chapter 395: The Tiger-Crouching Cannon

The night wind howled, blowing away the smell of gunpowder smoke.

On the hillside, the corpses had already turned cold, and the ground was covered in severed limbs and broken walls mixed with mud; the stench of blood remained thick.

"Hey, hey, slow down!"

Sha Sha Li Fei held a torch, continuously urging them.

Beside him, Wu Ba was carrying a cannon up the slope.

This cannon was the very one from the Longxiang Army; after it rolled down the hillside, Sha Sha Li Fei had taken advantage of the night to find it again.

The cannon's style was somewhat peculiar: the barrel was thick and short, bronze-colored, with a relief of a fierce tiger swallowing its prey at the muzzle, and two tiger-claw supports in the front.

This object was forged with a mixture of metallic spiritual materials and was extremely heavy, but Wu Ba, with his raw strength, carried the tiger-claw supports without any effort at all.

Li Yan was also cleaning up the battlefield.

In this battle, the spoils of war were extremely rich.

The Longxiang Army had been slaughtered until they threw away their helmets and armor; many firearms had been dropped. Aside from ordinary muskets, there were also two fire-god guns, several new-style gunpowder packets, and even two Netherfire Muskets that hadn't had time to be fired.

By comparison, the odds and ends on the bodies of those sorcerers seemed completely unimportant.

Seeing Wu Ba carrying the cannon up, Li Yan frowned, "Weren't there wheels? Why did you take them off?"

"That stuff was redundant!"

Sha Sha Li Fei shook his head and said, "This is called a 'Tiger-Crouching Cannon.' The front claws are fixed, and when set down, it crouches like a fierce tiger. It's suitable for mountain and forest warfare."

"Originally, this cannon's power was average, and it didn't shoot very far, but these guys from the Longxiang Army actually used spiritual materials to forge it and added new-style gunpowder, so its power immediately increased."

"Originally, this cannon didn't have wheels; it was just that the soldiers of the Longxiang Army couldn't carry it, so they added them haphazardly. With Brother Wu Ba here, it's not a problem!"

Li Yan became interested upon hearing this, "How much ammunition is there?"

Sha Sha Li Fei waved his hand, "I only found five powder packets, and there aren't many projectiles either. I'll find a way to make some more. With this thing guarding the mountain, let's see who still dares to come up!"

He was full of excitement. After letting Wu Ba move the "Tiger-Crouching Cannon" up the mountain, he went off enthusiastically to search for new-style gunpowder packets.

With the two of them taking over, Li Yan couldn't be bothered to search anymore. He came to the side of the battlefield, gathered earth to burn incense, then took out his official tally, held it in his hand, and chanted: "Ascending to heaven to save people, strictly governing the Northern Feng, the Divine Duke receives the mandate, sweeping away all inauspiciousness, the Eight Might spit poison, fierce horses spread wide..."

Battlefields have always had many wronged souls since ancient times. If not dealt with, they often breed disaster. During the Tang Dynasty, the poet Li Hua recorded: This is an ancient battlefield, often covering three armies. Often ghosts cry, heard when the sky is overcast.

Even though these were enemies, Li Yan, as a member of the Mystic Sect, could not ignore them and had to perform funeral rites to transcend the wandering souls.

Originally, these matters were usually handled by Wang Wang Daoxuan, but he had to look after the Dharma altar on his side, and climbing back and forth was quite laborious, so Li Yan handled it himself.

What he used was the "Northern Emperor's Calamity-Removing Technique," which could be used to break curses and remove baleful energy, and could also be used to transcend wandering souls with the help of the official tally.

Whoosh~

As the spell was cast, baleful winds suddenly rose all around.

Li Yan could smell strands of cold, baleful energy emerging from near those corpses, swirling rapidly in the surroundings.

At the same time, shrill wailing sounds came to his ears:

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"

"Where is this? It's so cold..."

"Mother, I miss you..."

When a person dies, everything ends, leaving only a remnant thought.

At the moment of death, one often leaves behind the strongest obsession from their life. Some are blown away by the night wind and disappear between heaven and earth, while others condense baleful energy and turn into wronged souls and fierce ghosts.

After awakening the Ear Divine Ability, these wails could also be heard.

Immediately, Li Yan felt a cold breath rising from the ground. Those wandering souls also calmed down, sank into the soil, and disappeared.

The evening breeze blew, and the smell of blood seemed to fade quite a bit.

Li Yan was silent for a moment, shook his head slightly, and returned to the mountaintop.

The wind was stronger on the mountaintop at night. Sha Sha Li Fei had already lit a bonfire under the giant rock in front of the cave entrance, and the firelight flickered in the wind.

This old guy was already hanging an iron pot to boil meat soup, and there were a few flatbreads roasting on the side, emitting a fragrant aroma.

"This thing is not easy to carry... Wu Ba, seeing that you can lift it with one hand, why don't I help you modify it and make a hand cannon?"

Sha Sha Li Fei touched the Tiger-Crouching Cannon, his mind wandering.

As for Wu Ba on the side, he couldn't be bothered to pay attention at all. He crouched by the fire, staring longingly at the meat soup in the pot, his saliva dripping onto his chest.

Seeing Li Yan return, Sha Sha Li Fei hurriedly raised his head and said excitedly, "Little Brother Yan, Old Sha suddenly has a good idea..."

"Shh!"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Yan made a gesture to be quiet, then nodded toward the side.

A person was still lying there; it was the Mount Emei disciple captured earlier.

Sha Sha Li Fei spat, "Hey, you over there, stop playing dead if you're awake, and stop the little movements with your hands."

The man lying on the ground stiffened, then slowly opened his eyes, looked at the fire, and remained silent.

Li Yan just glanced at him and didn't rush to question him. Instead, he used an iron ladle to stir the meat soup in the pot. Seeing that the meat was stewed until tender, he nodded at Wu Ba.

Wu Ba immediately stood up, hurriedly picked up his large basin, and after Li Yan filled it, he ate it happily with the roasted flatbread.

Li Yan couldn't help but laugh. After handing the ladle to Sha Sha Li Fei, he turned and stepped forward, drew a Soul-Severing Flying Knife, and stabbed down fiercely.

The man was just about to close his eyes and wait for death, but felt his hands lighten; the cowhide rope binding him had been cut.

Looking at his puzzled expression, Li Yan shook his head and said, "Come over and eat something. Even if you're going to die, don't be a hungry ghost on the road to the Yellow Springs."

The man gritted his teeth, stood up directly, came to the fire, took the meat soup and flatbread handed over by Sha Sha Li Fei, and ate and drank heartily under Wu Ba's dissatisfied gaze.

For a time, everyone fell into silence, with only the sounds of eating and drinking.

After he finished eating, Li Yan asked, "I'm very curious, you, an Mount Emei orthodox disciple, and a direct descendant who has practiced the Dharma Sword, why did you get mixed up with the Longxiang Army?"

The man lowered his head and remained silent upon hearing this.

Li Yan's expression was calm. Looking at the pitch-black wilderness, he said indifferently, "Some things are better said out loud. If you have grievances in your heart, no one will know even if you die."

The man clenched his fists tightly upon hearing this, but still did not speak.

Just when Sha Sha Li Fei was getting a bit impatient, the man finally spoke, "My name is Wu Wu Faluo, from the 'Hui Sect,' and I practice Dao at 'Qingniu'."

A flash of brilliance crossed Li Yan's eyes, "Fengdu Qingniu Temple?"

The three holy lands of the Shenzhou martial world are Shaolin, Mount Wudang, and Mount Emei.

These three places are not only holy lands for martial arts but also gathering places for Mystic Sect experts, such as the Shaolin Chan Sect and the Mount Wudang True Martial Palace, which belong to the Buddhist and Daoist families respectively.

Mount Emei is somewhat special, having both Buddhism and Daoism, dominating the Southwest with immense power, and has the saying, "One tree blooms five flowers, five flowers supported by eight leaves."

The so-called "one tree" refers to Mount Emei.

It includes not only Mount Mount Emei but also the entire Bashu region.

And the five flowers refer to five regions.

Qingniu Temple, Tiefo Temple, Huangling Sect, Dianyi Sect, and Qingcheng Sect occupy the East, West, South, North, and Center of Sichuan and Shu.

The eight leaves refer to the eight major sects: Seng, Master Yue, Du, Zhao, Hong, Hui, Zi, and Hua.

The five flowers and eight leaves together achieve Mount Emei's prestige.

Among them, there are both Daoism and Buddhism, and they are not so harmonious. For example, the Qingcheng Sect's reputation in the Mystic Sect is enough to be on par with Mount Emei, and they are usually referred to together as Qingcheng-Mount Emei.

There is also the Seng Sect Fist, which has many disciples, and countless people practice its fist techniques; the martial world in Sichuan is full of people practicing Seng Sect Fist.

The "Hui Sect" that Wu Wu Faluo mentioned is skilled in various divine fist martial techniques, using "swallow, spit, seal, transform, stick" as the five-character formula.

And Qingniu Temple is even more extraordinary.

It was built during the Qin Dynasty, has a long history, and is rumored to have a great connection with Laozi. This person's Dharma Sword was mostly learned from Qingniu Temple...

Sha Sha Li Fei on the side was also quite surprised upon hearing this, "You fool, your future is boundless, why rebel? Was your brain squeezed by a door?"

"Boundless future?"

The middle-aged man Wu Wu Faluo clenched his fists tightly, his eyes full of resentment, "What orthodox Mystic Sect, unable to distinguish black from white. I have already become a wanted criminal of the imperial court, what choice do I have left!" Li Yan frowned slightly, "What happened?"

Wu Wu Faluo stared at the fire, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes, "Speaking of which, there are many things I still can't understand to this day..."

"At the Daoist Qingyang Palace in Outside Chengdu, there is a 'Flower Morning Festival' temple fair every February 15th, which is also the birthday of the founder Laozi. All the Daoist sects in Sichuan and Shu must gather at Daoist Qingyang Palace to worship.

I followed my master to attend and stayed overnight at Daoist Qingyang Palace. In the middle of the night, the Scripture Repository suddenly caught fire. After some chaos, I learned that someone had set the fire to steal treasures from Daoist Qingyang Palace.

After putting out the fire, I left with my master. On the way, we stayed in a desolate temple. After waking up, my master had disappeared, and then disciples from Daoist Qingyang Palace chased after us, saying that my master and I had stolen the treasures.

Seeing that it couldn't be explained clearly, I could only escape back to Qingniu Temple first, wanting to report this matter to the elders in the sect, but after I told them, they imprisoned me instead and wouldn't listen to my explanation at all..."

As he spoke, a trace of fear rose in his eyes, "I have a feeling that those elders all seemed to have turned into different people!"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

Wu Wu Faluo's body trembled, and he gritted his teeth, "The skin didn't change, and the voice didn't change, but it was like they were possessed by something!"

"That's impossible."

!.

Sha Sha Li Fei looked incredulous, "What kind of place is Qingniu Temple? The founder's territory, and evil spirits dare to make trouble? You must be imagining things!"

"If this really happened, why didn't you report it to the Law Enforcement Hall?"

Wu Wu Faluo said indignantly, "I reported it, but no one believed me. Instead, I was put on a bounty by the imperial court. I even ran to Mount Emei, but Mount Emei also had problems."

Li Yan frowned, "What problem did Mount Emei have?"

Wu Wu Faluo sneered, "What else could it be? Nothing more than internal strife, only caring about fighting for power and profit. Why would they pay attention to a nobody like me!"

"Starting from Mount Emei, I have been hunted down, changed my name, escaped to Ezhou, and took shelter in the Longxiang Army..."

Li Yan said thoughtfully, "Mount Emei doesn't work, what about Qingcheng?"

"Qingcheng also has a pile of trouble."

Wu Wu Faluo sighed, "Originally, Bashu had the Sword Immortal Cheng Cheng Jianxin sitting in charge, but he has been in seclusion for many years and hasn't appeared. Some even rumored that he is already dead."

"Because of this, some people in Mount Emei have developed a desire to fight for power. Near Dujiangyan, at the foot of Mount Qingcheng, there are even fights between righteous and evil experts. I don't know what they are fighting for, but Qingcheng can't take care of these things at all."

Speaking of this, his eyes were dim.

Li Yan and Sha Sha Li Fei looked at each other, both with solemn expressions.

They were going to Sichuan and Shu later, but they didn't expect the Mystic Sect there to be so chaotic. It seems they need to be careful when they get there.

Of course, they didn't rush to offer help.

This matter is full of suspicious points, and I'm afraid there are many inside stories. They already have a pile of things to do, so how could they care about meddling in other people's business.

"You go."

Li Yan suddenly spoke and waved his hand, "I'll spare your life this time. Don't get mixed up with those people. They won't be able to jump around for many more days. If I run into you next time, I won't show mercy again!"

After saying that, he reached out and pulled the copper needle from his acupoint.

Wu Wu Faluo was silent for a moment, stood up, cupped his hands, carried his long sword, and went straight down the mountain, disappearing quickly.

"What kind of person is that? He didn't even say thank you."

Sha Sha Li Fei spat with dissatisfaction, "Little Brother Yan, I think this kid probably didn't tell the truth."

"No need to pay attention."

Li Yan shook his head slightly, suddenly his heart moved, he looked toward the Southeast, his eyes became solemn, "Forget about him, be careful. I feel baleful energy rising over there. I'm afraid the Shenkui tribe is making trouble again..."

Down the mountain, Wu Wu Faluo walked with his sword and also looked toward the Southeast, frowning.

He looked toward the direction of Sichuan and Shu again, gritted his teeth, a flash of determination in his eyes, and quickly headed Southwest...

At the same time, in the dense forest in the Southeast, Guo Xiu was full of terror, fleeing rapidly. Behind him, there were many black shadows in the dense forest, and the screams of soldiers kept ringing out.

He didn't expect that after finally gathering the remaining hundred or so people, he would unluckily run into the Shenkui tribe out hunting.

At this point, his last bit of foundation was completely buried.

Guo Xiu only felt confusion and sorrow in his heart, like a stray dog, running toward the Lord Tian Sheng Sect camp.

He didn't want to see those people, but the world was so big, and there was nowhere left to go.

Suddenly, the sound of wind howled behind him.

Before Guo Xiu could react, his head was grabbed by a giant white-haired hand, then his neck felt a pain, and his head was bitten off directly.

In a trance, Guo Xiu remembered his father's words:

"Father, look at my poem, being a scholar is more than enough..."

"Slap! What kind of bullshit scholar, you must remember this for me, we are descendants of the Daxiang Imperial Clan, this country, sooner or later, must be taken back!"

…………

"Take care on the road."

"Many thanks, Mr. Lu. Please tell Young Hero Li that I will send back the information as soon as possible. Please tell him to be careful..."

Outside Longtan Lake Village, Commandant Gong Jun of the Commandant's Office waved his hand and cupped his fists, then turned and left quickly, disappearing into the night.

Arriving here, it was already his familiar territory, and he could easily bypass the battlefield and return to the Baokang County camp.

Seeing the other party leave, Lu San also turned and headed toward Longtan Village.

From afar, he saw a patch of firelight by the lake.

Lu San walked up to it and saw that by Longtan Lake, the Dharma altar and offering table had already been set up, with all three sacrificial animals and five livestock present, and all five offerings complete. The villagers of the entire village had already come out to burn incense and pray.

The Daoist Yun Feng Lingzi, whose face was still pale, stood in front of the offering table. After respectfully offering three sticks of incense, he turned to Lu San and said, "Layman Lu, after the Dragon Sacrifice ritual, this matter can be resolved."

"I will leave Longtan Village afterward. If you ever arrive in Outside Chengdu in the future, remember to come to Daoist Qingyang Palace. I will definitely entertain you with all my heart."

Lu San frowned and said in a muffled voice, "Can you do it?"

Yun Feng Lingzi's injuries had not yet healed, and he was obviously a bit weak, but he smiled, "It doesn't matter. The Dragon Sacrifice ritual lies in sincerity. If the Dragon Lady takes revenge, even if I weren't injured, I would still find it hard to escape this disaster."

After saying that, he looked at the time, "The hour of the Rat has arrived, do it!"

The Dragon-Suppressing Stakes driven into the bottom had already been tied with chains and dragged onto the shore.

At the command, Village Head Zhou immediately led the men, women, and children of the village to pull the chains together, pulling backward like a tug-of-war.

At the same time, Yun Feng Lingzi also opened the Dharma altar, holding a tablet in both hands, and chanted the Dragon King's Precious Proclamation:

"With a sincere heart, I take refuge in the ritual, irrigating the sea to form a palace, receiving blessings from the Jade Island. Descendant of the Heavenly Imperial Lineage, the vast commander, holding the mandate of the Three Heavens, governing all spirits by imperial decree..."

The scriptures were chanted, and the chains swayed.

With the combined efforts of the men, women, and children of Longtan Village, one Dragon-Suppressing Stake after another was pulled out from the bottom of the lake.

Yun Feng Lingzi's forehead was also covered in beads of sweat, but he still chanted the Dragon King's Precious Proclamation, not daring to be the least bit negligent.

Bang!

With the last Dragon-Suppressing Stake pulled out, the lake surface suddenly churned with mud, fierce winds howled, and water mist rose and churned on the lake surface, as if some giant object was flying up and down.

Clatter!

On the surrounding cliffs, stones were falling.

Lu San's ears twitched, and his body tensed.

He seemed to hear the sound of a dragon's chant.

Just when the villagers of Longtan Village were scared out of their wits, the lake surface finally returned to calm, with ripples swaying, as if everything just now was just an illusion.

"The Dragon Lady is merciful!"

Yun Feng Lingzi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, full of relief.

The villagers of Longtan Village didn't know the inside story, and plus, untying the Dragon-Suppressing Stakes would inevitably gain the Dragon Lady's forgiveness, but he couldn't say it easily.

Fortunately, the Dragon Lady didn't seem to have cast a curse.

And at the same time, Li Yan, on the mountaintop of Inside Shennongjia, also curled up his body by the bonfire, his eyelids twitching wildly, falling into a dream again...

(End of chapter)