Chapter 458: An Incredible Secret

"Chief, this..."

The yamen runners who followed were also having a headache.

They came here in the middle of the night, naturally not for leisure.

Chongqing Governor Du Ling's side was also completely numb.

He didn't expect that after investigating, he would find out about his own son, who was gentle and elegant and kept to himself.

Now, Chongqing Governor Du Ling had completely lost his spirit, lying in bed, not eating or drinking, not talking to anyone, and too lazy to fight anymore.

As for his son, he had long since disappeared without a trace.

Wan Li Baoquan didn't catch anyone, so he had to come here to try his luck, but he didn't expect that before he could explain clearly, everyone had fallen.

"Feng Feng Shixiong!"

His junior brother outside the door also rushed in, saying urgently: "Everyone in the Zhou mansion has fallen, and they can't be woken up."

Wan Li Baoquan nodded, and without wasting words, turned and came to the courtyard, cupping his hands towards the night sky: "Uncle-Master, you have seen it too, it involves the Mystic Sect, so you have to take action."

Whoosh~

A fierce wind blew, and a person had already landed in the courtyard.

It was the Chenghuangmiao temple keeper, Dan Dan Hezi.

He flicked his horsetail whisk, looked at Wan Li Baoquan, and sighed, "This matter is too troublesome; I told you, my Mount Emei doesn't like to participate."

Wan Li Baoquan hurriedly smiled cheekily: "Uncle-Master, it's not that we want to intervene, but the evil people are too excessive, acting so recklessly, they don't put my Mount Emei in their eyes at all."

"Look, such a big thing happened in the city, but the common people don't go to the Chenghuangmiao to burn incense, but instead go to beg the witches and shamans..."

Dan Dan Hezi was silent for a moment and said: "The curse technique that these Zhou family members have been hit with is not the Du family playing tricks, but the Pai Sect's curse technique."

"They got involved in this struggle, betting on the Cao Gang, offending the Pai Sect, and even came to find this poor Daoist before. As a result, they harbored evil thoughts and let the sorcerer find innocent people to help them block the disaster."

As he spoke, he looked around, thoughtful, and said: "It seems that an expert has taken action, letting them reap what they sowed."

"No need to pay attention, it has nothing to do with the culprit."

"Don't!"

Wan Li Baoquan was anxious, "Uncle-Master, the culprit hasn't been found yet; they are the only ones who know the truth, we must save them alive first."

"Save?"

Dan Dan Hezi's eyes widened, "If this poor Daoist had that ability, would I be sent to this unlucky place? Isn't it better to practice on the mountain?"

"Look at this time, what kind of trash was brought; if it were a fat job, would it be my turn?"

"Can't save them, find someone to collect the corpses!"

To tell the truth, Dan Dan Hezi was also full of anger.

This Chongqing Prefecture was a place of struggle between two forces; even if they got it because of Mount Qingcheng's mistake, it wasn't easy to stand firm.

Moreover, there was infighting on Mount Mount Emei.

He was pushed to this place to be a temple keeper, and he was already unwilling, and during the day at the yamen, he was complained about by Governor Du Ling.

If it weren't for the fact that Wan Li Baoquan's lineage had a deep relationship with him, he wouldn't have bothered to get involved in this muddy water at all.

"This..."

Wan Li Baoquan's face was bitter, and he hurriedly bowed, "Uncle-Master, even if you just give me a pointer, it's fine; if I don't catch the person, I have no way to explain."

"Or, go find the Pai Sect?"

"Dream on!"

Dan Dan Hezi sneered: "What do you think a curse is?"

"This thing is like a dart thrown out; if it doesn't hit someone, it will suffer a backlash; if you want to break the curse, you have to pay a considerable price."

"In this world, if everyone were so easy to talk to, there wouldn't be so many struggles."

Seeing Dan Dan Hezi get angry, Wan Li Baoquan shrank his neck, looked around again, and suddenly a flash of inspiration came to his mind, "Uncle-Master, the expert who set the trap for the Zhou family must be an expert, I wonder if it can work?"

Dan Dan Hezi heard this, thoughtful, and said: "We can try; to be able to do this, it should be a righteous Mystic Sect, this poor Daoist will go with you, so as not to talk nonsense and offend someone."

"Thank you, Uncle-Master!"

Wan Li Baoquan hurriedly cupped his hands, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart.

…………

"Feng Feng Shixiong, it's right here."

In less than three sticks of incense, Wan Li Baoquan found the old street.

His junior brother whispered: "I've already sent people to ask, that Wu Troupe is staying here."

As he spoke, he pointed to an old house opposite.

Wan Li Baoquan nodded, just about to step forward to knock on the door, when Dan Dan Hezi beside him shook his head and said: "Don't look for them, they've already left."

Before he finished speaking, his ears kept trembling, and he suddenly looked up into the distance, simultaneously pinching a magic formula, his feet exerting force.

Whoosh~

In an instant, a fierce wind blew around them.

Wan Li Baoquan looked up and saw that the old Daoist had already accompanied the fierce wind and fallen leaves, leaping twice on the roof, heading towards the Northwest.

"Quick, follow!"

Wan Li Baoquan gave an order, and led the yamen runners to run wildly.

Dan Dan Hezi was fast, but fortunately Wan Li Baoquan's skills were also extraordinary; although he didn't know magic, his footwork exploded with force, and he was also able to leap over walls, following closely behind.

Finally, he saw Dan Dan Hezi stop, standing on a high wall, flicking his horsetail whisk, and smiling: "Fellow Daoists, don't misunderstand, this poor Daoist is Dan Dan Hezi of Mount Emei, this trip has no malice."

Wan Li Baoquan turned the corner of the wall and was also shocked.

He saw a group of mysterious people wearing Nuo masks and wide robes standing in the dark alley, shadowy, like ghosts in the night.

So many!

Wan Li Baoquan was shocked and hurriedly pressed his hand on the hilt of his blade.

He originally thought he was looking for an expert, but with so many mysterious people hiding in Chongqing Prefecture, he naturally felt suspicious.

Dan Dan Hezi gave him a sharp look, then cupped his hands again and said: "Everyone, rest assured, we just have some things we want to ask, with no intention of prying into your secrets."

Those blocked in the alley were naturally Li Yan and his group.

Although they were prepared, being found so quickly still surprised them, and they proceeded to retreat in an orderly manner.

But after all, they had burdens, and couldn't outrun this old Daoist.

Li Yan had originally prepared to take action, his Soul-Severing Flying Blade ready to go, but hearing the old Daoist's words, he stopped and asked in a deep voice: "What do you want to ask?"

Dan Dan Hezi didn't care, smiling: "The Wu Troupe was set up by the Zhou family to block the disaster, was it you who helped them resolve it?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "So what if it was?"

People had already come to the door, so denying it was useless.

"Everyone, don't misunderstand..."

Wan Li Baoquan looked at Dan Dan Hezi, and seeing him nod, hurriedly stepped forward and cupped his hands, recounting the whole story, then pleaded:

"Please help, otherwise the real culprit will remain at large."

"Oh?"

Hearing the course of events, Li Yan was also a bit surprised.

He didn't expect that the culprit was the Governor's son.

Seeing his hesitation, Wan Li Baoquan hurriedly cupped his hands again and said: "Everyone, rest assured, although I, Wan Li Baoquan, am in the public service, I also value martial world morality."

"People in the martial world are helpless; you are hiding your identities, and you must have your reasons. As long as this matter is resolved, I will personally send you away!"

Li Yan pondered for a moment and nodded, "Alright."

"I only have one condition: do not let others know of our existence."

"Good, it's a deal!"

Hearing this, Wan Li Baoquan breathed a sigh of relief.

To tell the truth, he was also very curious about the identities of Li Yan and the others.

But since they wanted to hide their identities, he had no way to do anything.

The current Chongqing Prefecture was in a mess, with several forces like fire and water; they were in the middle of it, wearing Mount Emei's name, but their strength was the weakest.

Without help, many things would become passive...

…………

Half an hour later.

Outside the Zhou family mansion, yamen runners guarded all sides, pressing their hilts, looking sharply at the surroundings.

This time, Wan Li Baoquan was ruthless.

He didn't trust anyone else in the yamen, so everyone he brought were his junior brothers from the sect.

"Chief, the situation is like this..." Inside the main hall, Wan Li Baoquan recounted the detailed process and cupped his hands: "The others from the Sichuan Chamber of Commerce have already been interrogated; they are all just peripheral, the leaders are here."

"First, we must save the people, at least leave one or two alive, otherwise we can't find the whereabouts of that Du fellow at all."

Just as they were talking, the situation of everyone in the hall was getting worse and worse, their bodies swollen, faces turning blue, and even oozing black water.

This black water was the external manifestation of the curse.

Like blood, once it flowed out, the person would die.

Li Yan looked at Han Kun, his mood complicated, and shook his head: "Finding the Pai Sect is impossible; I can break the curse, but who can survive depends on their own fate."

He wasn't talking nonsense.

This kind of curse technique, he didn't know what the root was, was very brutal, and even if he used the "Northern Emperor's Disaster Removal Technique", it consumed a lot of energy.

The people of the Wu Troupe were only implicated.

And these people here were all suffering from the curse accumulated over two days erupting at the same time; he had no confidence in whether they could be saved.

!.

"One is enough!"

Wan Li Baoquan was overjoyed.

Whether it was the Sichuan Chamber of Commerce or those people from the Prince of Shu's mansion, he had no good impression of them; the key was to get the confession.

"Alright, please leave for a moment."

Li Yan said to Wan Li Baoquan.

"Good!"

Wan Li Baoquan didn't say a word, hurriedly leading everyone out of the Zhou mansion.

After they left, Li Yan made a gesture, and the others understood, taking out various musical instruments and dispersing, taking out the offering table, burning incense, and getting busy.

Three beats of the gong and drum, the Bai family women immediately began to dance the Nuo dance, and using obscure local language, sang a small play.

And Wan Li Baoquan, Dan Dan Hezi, and the others watched from afar.

"Uncle-Master, what is this doing?"

Wan Li Baoquan was a bit confused.

"This is Yang Opera."

Dan Dan Hezi was thoughtful, stroking his beard and saying: "It's a ritual, and also a play; looking at the style, it's a lantern play, this poor Daoist hasn't heard of it either..."

The group of Bai family women were mostly sorcerers, and with Bai Zhu Huan, an expert, sitting in charge, they said they were singing, but they were actually setting up an inner altar to cover their aura.

Dan Dan Hezi's cultivation was not as good as Bai Zhu Huan's, so naturally, he couldn't see it clearly.

And inside the hall, Li Yan, with Wang Wang Daoxuan's help, walked the steps of the Big Dipper, pinched the formula, and chanted in a low voice: "Qingjia! Save people in the Upper Heaven, strictly capture the Northern Feng. The God Duke receives the order, sweeping away all inauspiciousness... I serve the Northern Yin Fengdu, act quickly according to the law!"

This time, with the help of the magic altar, the movement was even greater.

In an instant, fierce wind howled throughout the Zhou mansion.

The sound of gongs and drums, the sound of singing, and the sound of the wind mixed together, but a blue smoke rose up, lingering for a long time.

Especially now that it was autumn, the fallen leaves all over the ground were also rolled up, and the momentum looked quite impressive.

Wan Li Baoquan and the others widened their eyes.

To tell the truth, they were just lay disciples of Mount Emei, wandering the martial world; they had really never seen this level of magic before.

"Sure enough, an expert..."

Dan Dan Hezi also stroked his beard and nodded, his expression solemn.

The aura of the "Northern Emperor's Disaster Removal Technique" was covered by the Bai family's witchcraft, and he couldn't understand it either, only thinking it was the effect of the Yang Opera.

He had also seen such opera troupes that often wore Nuo masks to practice, but they were all folk minor arts, nothing strange.

But this momentum had far exceeded his expectations.

Inside the hall, following the rotation of the fierce wind, the Yin Sha Qi, accompanied by a thick stench of fish and shrimp, turned into black smoke and dissipated from those who were cursed.

Seeing this, Li Yan nodded slightly.

The effect seemed even better than he thought.

"Roar——!"

Just at this moment, a wild beast's howl suddenly sounded in his ears, very much like that trapped dragon from before, but with an added touch of gloominess.

Those dissipated black smokes seemed to have found a backbone, gathering again, and drilling into the bodies of the people on the ground.

The Dragon-Patterned Jade in his arms was also trembling crazily.

Something is wrong!

Li Yan felt a chill in his heart.

He originally thought that the Pai Sect's so-called Dragon King was just an accidental acquisition of an ancient Dragon Palace water mansion artifact, contaminated with the aura of the Jiang Shen Great Lord.

This was also one of the reasons he agreed to come.

Now that Chongqing Prefecture was in chaos, he could just use Mount Emei's power to fish in troubled waters and obtain the "Dragon Snake Token" to leave.

Now it seems, the Pai Sect Dragon King still hid secrets...

Before he could react, white fog filled the surroundings, and Wang Wang Daoxuan and the others disappeared, and a large amount of stagnant water appeared on the ground.

This was a sign of the Dragon Lady's dream-entrusting.

Sure enough, a pair of jade arms wrapped around him from behind, and at the same time, light and shadow flickered before his eyes, and an illusion appeared:

It was a main hall of an ancient temple, not large in area, surrounded by incense, enshrining a dragon-headed, human-bodied statue.

A burly man with a white beard knelt before the statue, holding an ancient jade disc, kowtowing and chanting.

That jade disc looked strange, circular, with dragons and snakes entwined on the left and right, covered in colorful patterns.

Moreover, the texture was exactly the same as the jade pendant the Dragon Lady gave him.

This pattern, its meaning was not ordinary.

Dragons rise with wind and clouds, their status is noble; this is clearly putting snakes on an equal footing, and calling it the "Dragon Snake Token" must have its meaning.

Perhaps, this "snake" refers to the Ba Snake.

Li Yan had once heard Wang Wang Daoxuan say that in those more ancient, wild eras, there were many powerful Feng Shui situations, but with the passage of time, only three major dragon veins remained.

Ezhou's "Nine-Headed Phoenix Vein" was one.

Mount Mount Daba was also one, and the "Ba Snake" in the Classic of Mountains and Seas was likely talking about this vanished Feng Shui situation...

And in Mount Mount Daba, the remnant soul of the Jiang Shen Great Lord was hidden, later suppressed by the Li Erlang Temple in Guanjiangkou...

The Manifest Saint Erlang Zhenjun crossing the tribulation is related to the Jiang Shen Great Lord...

The Dragon Lady had a reaction to this...

All of this should hide some kind of connection.

Unfortunately, that Huo Jiao died too quickly, and Li Yan didn't have time to ask at all, so he could only continue to look for clues.

However, along the way, he had already figured out the functions of the "Dragon Snake Token".

The main one, naturally, was hiding one's aura.

As long as it was carried on one's person, supernatural powers could not detect it.

This function was a bit worse than the "Wish-Fulfilling Pearl", which could expand the range, and wherever the fluorescent light reached, it couldn't be detected.

With this item, Li Yan would find it more convenient to sneak in and investigate in the future.

But the key information was still unclear.

For example, whether this item flowed out from the Dragon Palace water mansion...

Thinking of this, Li Yan took out a few books, all searched from Huo Jiao.

The Pai Sect was now leaderless, and coupled with committing crimes, not only was the interior chaotic due to the struggle for the position of the leader, but it was also not liked by the imperial court.

Now, its strength was declining rapidly, and many people had even left Sichuan for Dongting Lake to join other leaders.

Li Yan took these things, naturally no one stopped him.

Huo Jiao's secret manuals were still mainly based on the Dharma lineage.

His Dharma lineage was relatively obscure, named "Four Dukes Sect". The so-called "Four Dukes" referred to the Four River Dragon Kings.

This could also be considered an orthodox imperial folk god; according to the "Old Book of Tang", the River Duke was titled Lingyuan Duke, the Ji Duke was titled Qingyuan Duke, the Jiang Duke was titled Guangyuan Duke, and the Huai Duke was titled Changyuan Duke.

It was not until Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty that "Duke" was changed to "King".

So the formation of this Dharma lineage was in the Tang Dynasty, and it was a joint effort of Dragon King Temple keepers in various places, which could be considered an orthodox Mystic Sect.

Unfortunately, it had now declined into a Dharma lineage and was little known.

The arts of the "Four Dukes Sect" were mostly based on sacrificing to the Dragon Kings to drive away evil spirits such as water demons and water ghosts in rivers and lakes, which was almost useless to Li Yan.

The only thing that attracted his attention was that there were 158 Dragon Kings, all conferred by the Tang Dynasty, occupying various places in the Divine Land, and each had a title.

Such as the Jade Capital Treasure Mountain Dragon King, Penglai Blessed Land Dragon King, East-Looking Fuso Dragon King, Wujiang Water Emperor Dragon King, Yellow River Water Uncle Dragon King, Sichuan River Water Mansion Dragon King, Mount Wudang Mountain Water Dragon King...

Today, these Dragon Kings had mostly been forgotten.