Chapter 455: Wang Daoxuan

"Huh, Dragon King?"

Sha Li-fei chuckled: "It's just a funeral job—how'd you end up offending the Dragon King? You're meddling too much."

"You don't understand."

Liu San scratched his chest, gave a glance, and led the two back inside the room, then whispered: "The Dragon King I mean isn't the one in the temple—it's the Dragon King of the Raft Guild!"

"Though the Sichuan Raft Guild originated in Xiangxi, not all revere the ancestral Master of Raft Drums; once spread to different regions, each local head calls the shots."

"This head is from Suining, and local dragon-worship customs are strong—he was originally a temple keeper at the Dragon King Temple, but somehow gained a transmission, and became terrifyingly powerful, rising rapidly in just a short time."

"Over the years, he's become the leader of the Sichuan Raft Guild."

"The Zhou family is a major merchant house in Chongqing, specializing in Shu embroidery; originally, their transport duties were handed to the Raft Guild—but once the Canal Gang arrived, they switched to them."

"All the merchants in Chongqing are watching—if you don't deal with the Zhou family, where will the Raft Guild save face?"

"The Zhou family's manager just died, no one's in charge, and they're panicking—unless something unexpected happens, the Canal Gang will move in too."

"If you go up against both sides, you're just asking for death!"

Hearing Liu San's account, Li Yan and Sha Li-fei finally understood the cause.

Unless something unexpected happens, the Canal Gang and the Raft Guild will turn the Zhou family into their battleground for a magical duel—not an ordinary funeral—the Sichuan opera troupe was merely caught in the crossfire.

Hearing this, Li Yan shook his head: "We won't get involved in Jianghu grudges or profit disputes. Go buy information at the Wind-Listening Inn first."

Liu San bowed deeply: "Yes yes, you know—the Wind-Listening Inn's information is one copper coin for one piece of truth—do you…?"

"Besides local power movements, I want news of strange events, especially along the land route from Chongqing to Chengdu."

Li Yan listed a few details, then added gravely: "Also, we want information on the Hidden Treasure Seekers—someone reliable."

Big business…

Liu San's heart pounded.

He did this trade—called "hanger-on" in the underworld—ordinary cases paid a few coins, barely enough to survive.

But the unusual ones paid well.

For example, helping clients navigate the yamen—handling lawsuits, forging connections, even delivering gifts to the capital.

Of course, such jobs never reached him.

Even getting close to people like Li Yan was luck—if he pulled it off, the standard cut was one-tenth.

Thinking of this, he swallowed hard: "Then the price…"

"Don't worry—stick to the Guiju!"

Li Yan spoke directly.

Sha Li-fei added immediately: "Don't try any tricks—you can't handle the consequences."

"Yes yes yes!"

Liu San nodded rapidly, pounding his chest: "Gentlemen, rest assured—I've dealt with the Wind-Listening Inn at the docks many times—I never cheat."

"The biggest Wind-Listening Inn in Chongqing is at Hongyadong—I'll get it done by noon!"

Having secured his promise, Li Yan gave a signal, and Sha Li-fei pulled out several silver notes, shoving them into Liu San's arms, then patted his chest as a warning.

Liu San bowed deeply, stepped out, turned down several alleys, then found a secluded spot and opened the silver notes.

One thousand taels!

Liu San's heart hammered—he hastily stuffed the notes away, glancing nervously around, gasping for breath.

He'd never seen so much money in his life!

One thousand taels could lift him out of poverty—buy a home, change his name, hide away, and bring his lover over.

These outsiders must have angered some faction, hence their behavior—if he stayed hidden and spread the word, they'd have to flee…

Wealth stirs the heart—thoughts surged unbidden.

SLAP!

Liu San suddenly slapped himself hard, cursing: "Worthless fool—stand up straight! Don't let them look down on you!"

Saying this, he straightened his back and strode off quickly.

After he left, Sha Li-fei emerged from the wall, shook his head with a grunt, then returned to the courtyard.

"Should be fine."

He nodded to Li Yan, then hurried to the stove, lifted the food box—and yelled at Wu Ba beside him: "Eat eat eat—can't you leave us some?"

Wu Ba, holding a large bowl, grinned sheepishly.

Li Yan chuckled, picked up a bowl of thin porridge, ate it with salted vegetables and eggs, squatted by the threshold, and devoured two huge bowls.

Then he took vermilion ink, yellow talismans, and yellow paper from Wang Daoxuan and began practicing talisman drawing.

With martial cultivation making progress, magical arts couldn't be neglected.

Entering the Third Floor, he gained three new magical arts.

Among them, the "Northern Emperor's Treasure Vessel Method" was used for suppression—any formless entity, whether vengeful ghost, spirit, or malevolent aura, could be contained.

Many orthodox magical lineages possessed this art.

The treasure vase in "Journey to the West" drew inspiration from it.

Similar to it, once the "Northern Emperor's Treasure Vessel Method" was activated, merely capturing the target's aura and calling their name would drag them out from any hiding place and imprison them within the vessel.

Just like the trapped dragon spirit that plagued Shennongjia—if the technique was strong enough, its dragon soul could be seized and sealed.

But whether it could hold depended on the power of the vessel.

Also, the "Northern Emperor's Spirit Summoning Method" could summon spirits and gods using thunder talismans—but what appeared was unpredictable, like the two Han River goddesses he'd foolishly summoned—luckily, they were reasonable…

Also, there was the "Fengdu Exorcism and Summoning Great Method."

This technique was his ultimate trump card—though time-consuming, exhausting, and requiring Gangling, its power was truly astonishing.

Besides new arts, old ones could also advance further.

The "Northern Emperor's Protective Charm" could shield oneself, and the practitioner could inscribe the incantation onto talismans to help allies resist malevolent energy.

The "Northern Emperor's Straw Spirit Art" allowed use of stronger paper effigies—but required mastering paper effigy craftsmanship, which could be coordinated with Wang Daoxuan.

The "Northern Emperor's Divine Travel Art" enabled creation of more potent horse talismans.

In short, as his Dao cultivation rose, his methods grew richer.

These arts weren't always used, but all had to be mastered—lest they fail when needed…

…………

After noon, the thick fog still hadn't lifted.

Chongqing was shrouded in fog—everything turned white, figures indistinct, the ancient cobblestone paths damp.

Chongqing's architecture was distinctive: government offices imposing, temples and Daoist shrines adorned with glazed tiles, common homes simple, mostly gray, white, and black.

Amid the fog, shadows flickered—sometimes towering ancient trees, sometimes scattered dwellings, all half-hidden, only occasional eaves and upturned corners visible.

Covered in moss and damp stains, weathered and mottled, radiating ancient wear.

"Why hasn't he come yet?"

Sha Li-fei paced impatiently: "Hongyangdong isn't far—did he trick us?"

After waiting longer, Sha Li-fei's eyes flashed with menace—he packed his gear: "No good—I'll go find him!"

Knock knock knock!

Just then, a knock came at the door.

"Finally?"

Sha Li-fei rushed to open it.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and followed closely behind.

The door creaked open—Sha Li-fei froze: "Who are you looking for?"

Two figures stood outside: an old man and a little girl.

PLUNK!

They dropped to their knees and bowed their heads: "Please, have mercy—save our people!"

"Get up, get up," Sha Li-fei groaned. "Explain clearly."

The old man rose, supported by the girl, and bowed: "I'm a musician of the Wu Troupe—our troupe members have been possessed…"

At this, Sha Li-fei understood, and sighed: "Go to a Daoist priest—or the City God Temple. Why come to us?"

The old man's face twisted: "We went to the City God Temple—they ignored us. We found a few exorcists and spirit mediums—they demanded outrageous fees—we simply can't afford it."

"You all wear Nuo masks—you're real practitioners. Please, as fellow travelers of the underworld, lend us your aid."

Sha Li-fei hadn't expected their hidden identities would draw attention.

He opened his mouth to reply, but Li Yan suddenly spoke: "I'll go see. You stay here and wait."

"Hmm, alright."

Sha Li-fei didn't ask further.

He knew—when such things happened, Wang Daoxuan usually acted. Li Yan speaking meant something was off.

!.

"Thank you, thank you!"

The old man and girl bowed deeply.

"Let's go."

Li Yan said nothing more, gestured for them to lead the way.

They stepped out, turned left immediately, heading toward a large mansion.

Li Yan remained expressionless, his hand brushing his chest.

Since entering Shu, the dragon-patterned jade tablet given to him by the Dragon Girl stirred for the second time.

The first time, it had signaled the presence of Er Lang Zhen Jun.

Could this time be a clue to the River God Great Lord?

"Wu wu~"

Arriving outside the house, he immediately heard crying from within.

Li Yan formed a spell with his fingers, took a deep breath, and fell into thought.

"He's here! He's here! A master has come!"

The old man hurriedly opened the door with the little girl and ushered Li Yan inside.

Instantly, all eyes turned toward him.

The house was even more dilapidated; the main hall was barely habitable, cleared out and lined with straw mats, upon which three men lay.

In the courtyard beside it, wooden stools held up a plank bed.

Upon it lay several corpses, all covered in white cloth, yet seeping black fluid that left human-shaped stains on the cloth and dripped foul-smelling black water drop by drop…

Seeing the stares of the crowd, Li Yan said nothing, entered the main hall, and examined the three living men.

The face paint on all three remained untouched; their bodies were swollen, skin dark blue-black, oozing black fluid.

The dragon-patterned jade tablet in his arms trembled continuously.

Li Yan asked in a low voice: "First, tell me—what happened last night?"

The others exchanged glances; finally, the old man sighed and said: "Last night, we hurried to the Zhou household. When I looked, their stage faced northwest."

"Facing north is the 'Yin Stage,' facing west is the 'White Tiger Stage'—both are present, a dire omen. I immediately regretted coming."

"But the Zhou family had hired some master from who-knows-where who refused to move it, and they claimed it would ruin the timing. We pleaded and argued, until they finally agreed to first 'break the stage,' then perform."

"Even then, we sensed something was wrong—but the Zhou matriarch gathered a gang of big men with clubs to block our way. We had no choice but to go ahead and perform."

"The patrons specifically ordered us to perform 'The Execution of the Dragon Stage'…"

Li Yan frowned. "What is 'The Execution of the Dragon Stage' about?"

The old man quickly replied: "It tells the tale of Tang Wang, who had Wei Zheng cut down the Jing River Dragon King in a dream, leading to his journey through the Underworld…"

Hearing this, Li Yan already understood. He coldly said: "They're using you as scapegoats. Can't you see that?"

"This… so that's how it is."

The old man turned pale, his voice trembling: "During the performance, we felt icy winds. After finishing and packing up, every actor who stepped on stage collapsed unconscious."

"They fell ill on the way. People died. We called doctors—they said they couldn't help. That's why we came to find you."

"Can they… still be saved?"

Li Yan stood. "I can't handle this alone. I'll go back and get help."

Saying this, he hurried back to the house, recounted everything, summoned Wang Daoxuan, fetched their tools, and returned.

"Hmph! Definitely a scapegoat ritual!"

After inspecting the scene, Wang Daoxuan's voice turned cold. "Using innocent people to deflect karmic retribution—how vile!"

There were many methods of deflecting calamity.

Usually, objects were used—but some vile practitioners used living people: tampering with graves, killing to plant life stakes, drawing talismans and scattering yin coins on roads…

But this? This was truly despicable.

They came begging for help, yet set a trap—clearly relying on their wealth and power to bully these low-class performers.

The troupe members, upon hearing this, all wore furious expressions—but could do nothing. Even if they reported it to the authorities, no one would stand up for them.

"Young Master Li, are we going to act?"

Wang Daoxuan paused, looking at Li Yan.

If they intervened, the other side would surely notice—directly contradicting their plan to remain hidden.

Li Yan hesitated.

They were performers; they weren't afraid of such things.

Besides, this involved the Dragon Girl's request.

But they had promised to escort the Bai family away—if they delayed because of this, wasn't that breaking their word?

Wang Daoxuan understood his dilemma. After a moment's thought, he smiled. "I have a plan—quiet, unseen, and able to resolve this."

He turned to the troupe. "Your calamity isn't over. If I'm right, tonight the Zhou family will come again to summon you."

"This matter runs deep. No one else can help. If you perform three more shows, few of you will remain alive."

"Please, Master, save us!"

The troupe members immediately knelt to the ground.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard. "I ask you—when you performed, were all the Zhou family members covered in black cloth, never watching the show?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

The old man nodded urgently. "They all wore black cloth over their faces. During the performance, they turned their backs—but blocked the exits, preventing us from leaving the stage."

Wang Daoxuan asked further: "I've heard Sichuan opera has a secret skill called 'face-changing.' Can you do it?"

The old man nodded. "Our old master never hoarded secrets. The children may not be skilled, but they can manage it."

"Good!"

Wang Daoxuan smiled. "Tonight, you must continue breaking the stage, pretending ignorance. Hang a Bagua mirror backstage."

"Remember—the mirror must face backward."

"During the performance, when the Zhou family turns their backs, use your face-changing skill to transform into shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Keep singing as before."

"After tonight, pretend several have died. Fake the corpses and take them out of the city. The rest will continue to play along."

"Tomorrow night, they'll demand you perform until dawn. Beforehand, get some rooster blood. After the show, when you exit, smear it on your foreheads, then leave the city immediately—get out of Chongqing Prefecture as fast as you can!"

"After this, your affairs are no longer your concern…"

(End of Chapter)