Chapter 413: Stepping on the Knife Ritual, Guest in the Fog

Hearing Xie Chengzu's words, Li Yan and the others looked at each other.

To be honest, this old man looked like he had a crow's mouth; his words were both unpleasant and unlucky.

But looking at his appearance, it seemed like he was really scared.

Also scared was Zhang Sibei. This young man had no backbone; he was trembling all over and had lost his head.

"Fast Boat Zhang," however, was an old hand in the martial world. Hearing this, he cupped his hands and said in a deep voice, "Sir, please explain clearly. Even if we are to die, let us die knowing why!"

Xie Chengzu looked at Li Yan, gritted his teeth, turned to his disciples, and said, "Go, get that cloth for covering the gods."

"Yes, Master."

His disciple quickly turned and soon brought back a red cloth.

Li Yan and the others had seen this thing before; it was the red cloth used to cover god statues when they had not yet been consecrated or were somewhat fierce.

But this one was somewhat different.

Looking at the material, it seemed to be a special pigment mixed with cinnabar, and it had been used for a long time, smoked by fire, and was very dilapidated.

A heavenly treasure!

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, somewhat surprised.

The moment this item was brought in, his Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen produced a sense of hunger, wanting to swallow it.

This kind of situation had been rare recently.

His Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen was now in a complete state, not only with the three fires on his head and shoulders burning, but there wasn't even a crack on his body.

Ordinary heavenly treasures, after absorbing their spiritual charm, were used for repairs; only items that could enhance the Dala Dala Fa Shen would cause such a disturbance.

The last time this feeling appeared was on Mount Wudang.

But there was the Zhenwu Great Emperor there, and he didn't have the guts to take action.

He didn't expect to find another one in this remote village.

Of course, he wasn't in a hurry to take action but watched from the side.

He saw the old man Xie Chengzu take the red cloth, carefully approach the "Duhuo Divine Coffin," and shake it lightly, covering it.

Instantly, Li Yan could no longer sense the aura of the "Duhuo."

After doing all this, the old man signaled for everyone to stay away, took off the large tobacco pipe from his waist, took a few puffs, and said, "I've only heard of this kind of thing, and this is the first time I've seen it."

"This Duhuo medicinal material likes shade, coolness, and dampness. It is cold-resistant and mostly grows under damp shrub forests, with dark, rotten soil being the best."

"If they grow near tombs with rich evil energy, they are no longer medicine but poison, extremely cold and damp. Taking them will instead aggravate the illness."

"This kind of Duhuo is most easily targeted by some powerful things, used as a coffin, breeding poisonous insects, and eventually becoming a ghost-god body."

"If you break open that Duhuo, there must be strange insects inside. That is the body chosen by the mountain ghost-god. Once pulled out, the unformed insects inside will also die."

"This feud is settled deeply. Behind that 'Yellow Baby,' I'm afraid there's something even more powerful. I really can't afford to provoke it."

Li Yan's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this. He nodded slightly and said, "Senior, thank you for your guidance. Leave the rest to us."

Xie Chengzu was somewhat surprised, "You're not afraid?"

Sha Lifei patted his chest and laughed, "To tell you the truth, we've been through big storms and waves. We really don't take these little country ghosts seriously."

He loved to brag, but what he said was also true.

Along the way, they had seen too many powerful things. Not long ago, they had even seen a poisonous dragon, so their guts had grown bigger.

"Young man, what a big tone!"

Seeing his appearance, Xie Chengzu felt inexplicably angry. He snorted coldly and said, "Since that's the case, I won't leave either. I want to see what you're capable of."

After saying that, he left with his hands behind his back and shouted loudly, "Set up the stage, do what needs to be done, and finish the opera before midnight!"

"Yes, Master!"

His disciples shouted and got to work.

The so-called "hall opera" has two explanations.

One says it originated in the Tang Dynasty, hence the name Tang opera;

Another says it is performed in the hall of commoners' houses, hence the name hall opera.

Regardless of the explanation, one thing is certain: "hall opera" is never performed outside. This is a rule and a taboo.

Since it's indoors, the stage layout is also very simple.

Normally, they use detachable and combinable wooden boards to build a simple stage, hang a blue coarse cloth curtain at the back, and place a table and a few chairs on the right side of the stage for the musicians to accompany.

It was still early before dark. According to custom, the Zhang family prepared a large pot of food to entertain the opera troupe while sending people to the village to notify every household, asking the elderly to come and watch the opera.

Unfortunately, with the Zhang family causing such a scene, it was estimated that no one would dare to come tonight.

The old man Xie Chengzu crouched in the courtyard, smoking his dry tobacco pipe, puffing out clouds of smoke, staring fixedly at the mourning hall.

After a long while, he sighed, stood up, knocked off the tobacco ash, and instructed his disciples, "Go, set up the knife mountain."

"Master, how many knives should we use?"

"Seventy-two... no, use all one hundred and eight!"

Hearing this, several disciples immediately ran outside to get busy.

They took two wooden poles, three zhang high, tied them tightly, opened the wooden box, and arranged the sharp firewood knives like a ladder.

The blades were sharp, and the bleak autumn wind blew past, making it appear even more murderous.

There were many people in Jin Yang Ping, with Tujia and Han people living together. Such a big commotion naturally couldn't be hidden from the villagers, who gathered around and whispered.

Soon, an old Tujia man, surrounded by the crowd, came over and glanced at it twice. His expression became solemn, and he bowed respectfully to Xie Chengzu, "This Earth Husband, you are a person with true ability."

"One hundred and eight knives... is this matter of the Zhang family difficult to handle?"

Xie Chengzu shook his head slightly and whispered, "Tell the fellow villagers to stay far away tonight. Don't come near if you hear any strange sounds."

After saying that, he sighed, "I can't just watch people die. I'll save as many as I can tonight..."

Inside the Zhang family courtyard, Li Yan and the others also watched all this.

"This is the 'Stepping on the Knife Ritual' in the 'Nuo Hall Opera'."

"Fast Boat Zhang" said in a deep voice, "'Hall opera' is the same as the ordinary opera troupes of us Han people, but 'Nuo Hall Opera' is a Tujia ritual."

"I don't know much, but I know that setting up one hundred and eight knives means this Earth Husband definitely has a true inheritance."

"Young Hero Li, what should we do?"

"Don't be in a hurry."

Li Yan looked at the "Duhuo Divine Coffin" covered with red cloth in the room and asked Zhang Sibei, "Where did your father find this thing?"

Zhang Sibei shook his head, "I don't know. Since buying a piece of land, my father rarely went into the mountains to catch wild goods. Even if he did, he would take servants and old hunters from the village."

"But seven days ago, he went into the mountains alone mysteriously. After returning, he got this thing and said that the wealth of the Zhang family depended on it."

"Think carefully, what else did he do?"

Zhang Sibei pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped his head and said tremblingly, "I remember now. After my younger brother had the accident, my father seemed very afraid and ordered the housekeeper to take offerings to the back mountain."

"The servant who came back secretly told me that they followed the housekeeper to the back mountain, and suddenly there was a thick fog. The housekeeper kept kowtowing and burning incense alone, muttering something I didn't know, and then the fog dissipated."

"The next day, the housekeeper also died."

"My father quickly sent someone to send a message to my uncle, but before you all arrived, the accident happened last night."

"This second brother!"

"Fast Boat Zhang" was furious, "Greedy, recklessly provoking disaster, I... sigh~" Li Yan was thoughtful, "What is the background of your housekeeper?"

Zhang Sibei replied, "The housekeeper is named Hu Cen, a man from Wushan. He read a few days of books but failed the exam repeatedly and didn't even pass as a scholar. Later, he followed my father and has been diligent and conscientious all these years."

"Where is his body?"

"Buried in the old graveyard in the village."

"Take me to see it!"

Zhang Sibei didn't dare to neglect. He immediately called two servants and took Li Yan and the others to the old graveyard.

The old graveyard was not small and was on the other side of the back mountain. The people of Jin Yang Ping were mostly buried here after death.

The feng shui couldn't be considered good, but it wasn't bad either.

"It's here!"

Zhang Sibei led them to a new grave, "Housekeeper Hu was alone, without children, so he was buried here."

"This area was all bought by my father to be the Zhang family's yin house. After my mother passed away, she was buried over there."

!.

Li Yan pinched the magic formula and took a deep breath. A trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "There is a problem inside. Dig the soil, open the coffin!"

By now, Zhang Sibei had no more scruples. He immediately ordered, "Quick, dig it up!"

The servants immediately swung their hoes and soon dug up the coffin.

"Stop!"

Just as the coffin lid was exposed, Li Yan raised his hand to stop them.

He glanced at Lu San and said in a deep voice, "San'er, there is something inside. I will restrain it, you ask."

After saying that, he jumped into the pit and flicked his toes.

Bang bang bang!

The coffin nails flew away, and the coffin lid spun and flew out.

Seeing the situation inside, everyone gasped.

They saw that on the corpse inside, there was a "Over-the-Mountain Wind" (a type of snake) as thick as an adult's arm, coiled in a snake formation, as if hibernating.

Disturbed, this "Over-the-Mountain Wind" was furious. It suddenly raised its body, standing more than a meter high, and hissed at Li Yan.

Li Yan didn't take action either. His eyes narrowed, and his murderous intent was revealed. Just by relying on his momentum, he forced the "Over-the-Mountain Wind" to retreat repeatedly.

Swish!

This large black snake turned its body and was about to escape.

Others then saw that on the side of the coffin, a large hole had been broken at some point, leading to the ground. The "Over-the-Mountain Wind" had drilled out from here.

However, as soon as it moved, Li Yan followed. In an instant, he arrived behind it and grabbed its head.

The "Over-the-Mountain Wind" seemed to be restrained by iron pliers. Its body twisted, wrapping around Li Yan, and its arms gradually exerted force.

This kind of poisonous snake is the overlord of the mountains and has spirituality. Wrapping around foxes and wild dogs, it can break their bones.

However, Li Yan just exerted a little force, and it felt like its head was about to be squeezed and exploded. It instantly went limp and didn't dare to move again.

Lu San then stepped forward, pinched the magic formula, and spoke the Shangfang language with a clattering sound.

"Hiss hiss..."

The Over-the-Mountain Wind flicked its tongue and responded repeatedly.

After listening, a trace of surprise flashed in Lu San's eyes, "Little Brother Yan, we caught the wrong one. This guy isn't the murderer."

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at Zhang Sibei, "It was supported by your father. It usually hides in the mountain forest to help your father find medicinal materials. Only your father and the housekeeper knew about the whole Zhang family."

"This guy originally wanted to protect your family, but your father provoked a great disaster, so it was scared and drilled into the housekeeper's grave to hide from the disaster."

"Ah?"

Zhang Sibei was somewhat stunned.

He knew that although his father was an ordinary person, he understood some treasure-hunting methods and could always find good wood and medicinal materials, which was why the Zhang family built up their wealth.

But he didn't know that there was a snake spirit being worshipped in the family.

"This is the method of the Snake Sect in Western Hunan."

Li Yan shook his head slightly and looked at "Fast Boat Zhang," "It seems your brother is not honest. He hid a lot of things behind his back."

"Fast Boat Zhang" looked bitter, "He joined the Gelao Society before. I don't know what he did. If I had known earlier, I would never have let him come into contact with these things."

This is the difference between ordinary people and members of the Mystic Sect.

The best way for ordinary people to deal with these things is to respect them and keep their distance, just like "Fast Boat Zhang," who learned some taboos and could avoid disasters when sailing.

But if one is too curious about this matter without supernatural exploration and doesn't understand the principles, it often leads to great disaster.

Just like some people, in order to covet wealth, recklessly raise some family gods and little ghosts without following the rules, bringing disaster upon themselves.

This is also something that members of the Mystic Sect often deal with.

Li Yan nodded and said thoughtfully, "It seems that on that day, the housekeeper went to the back mountain to worship the snake spirit. Ask it again, what exactly did it provoke?"

"Hiss hiss..."

Under Lu San's questioning, the Over-the-Mountain Wind flicked its tongue repeatedly.

"It's the 'Guest in the Fog'!"

Lu San said to everyone in a deep voice, "That 'Duhuo Meat Coffin' originally grew in the nest of the 'Guest in the Fog.' Later, the 'Guest in the Fog' was suppressed, and this thing was revealed."

"After the snake spirit discovered it, it brought Zhang Linsheng to take it out, preparing to sell it for a good price. Who knew that Lingyun Temple would be destroyed, and the 'Guest in the Fog' would return again."

"The 'Yellow Baby' was originally enslaved but happened to be freed, and was happy to see Zhang Linsheng take it away. But the 'Guest in the Fog' returned, and the 'Yellow Baby' was driven again to come to the Zhang family for revenge..."

At this point, the cause and effect were finally clear.

"Isn't this matter simple?"

Sha Lifei laughed, "We'll go straight to its nest, kill that 'Guest in the Fog,' and the Zhang family's crisis will be solved."

"Little Zhang, when the time comes, we must take away that 'Duhuo Divine Coffin'."

Zhang Sibei, seeing their methods, was already very convinced and nodded quickly, "That's natural. This thing is a disaster for my family."

"It's not that simple..."

Wang Daoxuan frowned and shook his head, "Lingyun Temple has already taken action. They are people of the Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao. Daring to go to Mount Wushan to act as an advance guard, they must have some means."

"If it were an ordinary evil thing, it would have been suppressed directly. Why bring it back to Lingyun Temple to suppress it? I think it's also a troublesome thing."

He didn't say it explicitly, but Li Yan immediately understood what he meant.

Things that need to be suppressed are those that cannot be easily destroyed.

For example, the "Drought Demon" in the Qin Ling Mountains. Once destroyed, it would spread poison for thousands of miles, causing drought and plague. It could only be suppressed on Mount Huashan, borrowing the innate gang energy to grind it away bit by bit.

For example, the Yellow River Stone Dragon Coffin was also jointly suppressed by the entire Tai Xuan Zheng Jiao and sent to Mount Wangwu.

What terrible thing is hidden inside is still unclear.

If it's this kind of thing, I'm afraid it won't be easy to deal with.

Li Yan looked at Lu San again, "Ask it, where is the nest of the 'Guest in the Fog'?"

After Lu San asked, he pointed to the northwest, "Over there, twenty miles away, there is an ancient relic of the ancestors."

"I know that place!"

"Fast Boat Zhang" quickly opened his mouth, "That's where the ancient Ba people boiled salt..."

Second update in the afternoon

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 418 =====