Chapter 473

Since the appearance of new-style firearms, they have caused a huge uproar.

The relaxation of firearm control, large-scale use by the army, the nationalization of related mines, and consecutive great victories in rebellion-suppression wars...

A series of reforms and events were triggered because of this.

However, the imperial court was not completely letting go.

The critical gunpowder was firmly controlled in their hands, and mineral products involving new-style gunpowder were occupied by the army as soon as they were discovered.

Moreover, the production of new-style fire spears was not that simple.

This created an awkward situation:

Many forces, although they obtained firearm licenses, mostly still used ordinary firearms, and new-style firearms were very few.

If one wanted to get a gunpowder quota, one had to have someone in the court.

Fortunately, Li Yan and the others had a good relationship with the Monk Sect, which was in charge of the Ministry of Works, so they didn't encounter difficulties in purchasing gunpowder.

And these people in front of them were all carrying Fire God Spears.

Counting carefully, there were actually twenty or thirty people.

This power was extremely terrifying; dozens of Fire God Spears firing together, even a trapped dragon stirring up trouble in Shennongjia, would have to flee in fear.

The Commandant's Office was the Emperor's personal army; a garrison station would at most be equipped with two or three, so how could there be such luxury?

These people were well-trained; they swept the wreckage on the ground clean, wiped away all traces, and then quickly led the carriage away.

Not long after, the dark official road was deathly silent.

Li Yan walked out of the darkness slowly, thoughtful.

He naturally sensed these musketeers, which was why he didn't move randomly.

Needless to say,

these were all under the Prince of Shu's command.

Fire God Spears are easy to forge, but being able to organize a spear team and use new-style gunpowder unscrupulously, the Prince's Mansion must have secretly controlled some mineral veins.

And the news mentioned by the two side-door experts.

Long Gong Water Mansion, Wuxian Kingdom ancient coffin, Immortality Medicine...

If others heard it, they would certainly be confused.

But this news happened to connect the intelligence Li Yan knew.

The Ten Wizards of Wuxian Kingdom were related to the Queen Mother of the West and controlled the legendary "Immortality Medicine," all recorded in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas."

The Ten Wizards were not ten people, but ten tribes.

The Saltwater Tribe was the descendant of Wu Peng.

Later, the Saltwater Goddess died at the hands of Lin Jun, the Ba people obtained salt-making technology, and after the Ba State rose, the ancient Wuxian Kingdom perished.

Later, Qin destroyed the Ba State and established Ba Commandery.

The River God Great Lord ravaged, Li Bing built Dujiangyan, and numerous Fangxian Dao occultists cooperated to suppress and kill the River God Great Lord.

The remnant soul of the River God Great Lord fled into the Daba Mountains, was suppressed by the Li Bing Temple, and later gradually formed the belief in the "Manifested Holy Erlang Zhenjun of the River Master."

This suppression work naturally fell on the Manifested Holy Erlang Zhenjun.

As for the River God Great Lord's Long Gong Water Mansion, for some reason, it was hidden by Fangxian Dao occultists, and the secret was placed inside the Wuxian Kingdom ancient coffin...

It seems the Prince of Shu still couldn't forget the "Immortality Medicine."

Li Yan didn't have any thoughts about the "Immortality Medicine"; even if this thing could make one immortal, it certainly had big problems.

But since it related to the Manifested Holy Erlang Zhenjun and the Long Gong Water Mansion, he couldn't be careless.

And that "Zither Insect"...

He didn't know if it was the exotic insect Long Yaner needed.

Thinking of this, he immediately turned back to the Longquanyi inn...

"'Zither Insect' might not be an insect."

Bai Huan shook her head. "The 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' mentioned that in the Great Wilderness, there is Mount Buxian, where the State of Sushen is located, and there is an insect with a beast's head and a snake's body, called a Zither Insect. According to its description, it is more like an exotic beast."

"Chengdu Prefecture has a large population; exotic beasts are rare even in those desolate mountains and wild ridges where no one lives, so how could it appear in Chengdu Prefecture? It's truly strange."

Li Yan pondered for a moment. "Whether it's an insect or a beast, it's a clue after all. I'll set off tomorrow to take a look first."

After returning to the room, he sniffed lightly, saw there was no strange smell of living people in the room, and then went to bed.

Looking at the dark night sky outside the window, he sighed slightly.

With his personality, accepting partners was very demanding.

When Sha Lifei first joined, he only treated him as an errand boy.

Wang Daoxuan's character was admirable.

Lu San left alone to take the blame, winning his trust.

Wu Ba was not yet a true member.

It could be said that everyone's joining had a reason, and being able to walk together was all fate of exchanging lives.

If he could help Sha Lifei, anything was fine...

………

The next day, the weather grew colder.

Compared to the north, it naturally didn't count for much, but the winter here was a kind of cold that seeped into the bone marrow.

Li Yan wore a bamboo hat, his wide black cloak blocking his weapons, and strode out of Longquanyi.

But he didn't walk two steps before stopping.

He saw several children crouching in the corner, some big, some small, in tattered clothes, without shoes on their feet, frozen black and blue.

The oldest was a pale, thin youth with bruises on his face from being beaten.

Standing there, he seemed to want to come forward but didn't dare to move.

Li Yan was silent for a moment and strode past them.

Plop!

A small ingot of silver fell down.

At the same time, there was a sentence: "Help me keep an eye on the inn..."

The youth hurriedly picked it up, tucked it tightly into his bosom, looked left and right, and took the little beggars into a dark alley.

Li Yan didn't take it to heart.

"Behind the vermilion gates, meat and wine go to waste; on the road, there are frozen corpses"—walking along this journey, in every city, one could see a whole bunch.

Without the exploitation of the West-Traveling Beggar Gang, this group of little beggars was already lucky.

He didn't go to the horse-and-carriage shop to rent a horse, but left Longquanyi, came to a deserted and quiet place, tied on the "Armor Horse" (talisman), formed a seal, and chanted, "Nuogao! Six Jia, Nine Chapters, Heaven is round, Earth is square, Four Seasons, Five Elements, Sun and Moon are light..."

As soon as the spell started, strong winds blew all around.

After the fallen leaves filled the sky, the person had already disappeared.

………

The people of Shu naturally don't need to talk about their feelings for the Martial Marquis.

"Men and women in West Shu wrap their heads in white cloth; this custom is passed down to commemorate the Martial Marquis."

Many people in Shu still like to wrap their heads in white cloth; this custom was left behind to commemorate Zhuge Wu Hou.

Chengdu Prefecture had a total of seven Wu Hou Shrines, intermittently.

The one mentioned last night was located in the southern suburbs of the city.

It was built during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and was in the same area as the Hui Mausoleum and the Han Zhaolie Temple. More than ten years after the founding of the Great Xuan Dynasty, the imperial court allocated funds, and the Prince of Chengdu at the time renovated the Wu Hou Shrine and the Han Zhaolie Temple.

Li Yan used the Armor Horse, galloping in the mountains and fields, his speed astonishing.

With his current cultivation, even if someone saw him, they would only think it was a mountain wind blowing by, not even seeing a shadow.

Of course, Li Yan didn't dare to be careless either.

After all, this was Chengdu Prefecture; not long after leaving Longquanyi was the largest Jingguan Station in Shu, where a garrison army was stationed.

Even in the mountains and fields, one could often encounter temples and Daoist monasteries.

Shu has many strange people.

Who knew what kind of experts were hidden inside.

He set off in the morning, crossed the Jin River with the Armor Horse, crossed mountains and ridges, ran for an hour, and finally arrived at the place.

Standing on the mountain looking into the distance, he saw that Chengdu Prefecture was oval-shaped, with barbican gates in all four directions; the pavilions and towers inside the city were scattered high and low, hidden in the thin mist of autumn. The Wu Hou Shrine was still in the southern suburbs.

During the renovation, the original Wu Hou Shrine on the west side of the Han Zhaolie Temple was abolished, and the statue of Zhuge Wu Hou was moved into the Han Zhaolie Temple.

It was right on the east side of the Liu Bei statue, with the Guan Yu and Zhang Fei statues arranged on the west.

After all, this place had an extraordinary status, so it was different from later generations; there were no people living around it, with green mountains and clear waters, bamboo forests, and ancient paths, having quite a bit of charm.

There were never few people coming from all over to pay respects to the Martial Marquis, so even on this cold morning in late autumn, there were twos and threes of pedestrians on the bamboo forest path.

"'Merit covers the three kingdoms, fame achieved in the Eight Diagrams Map. The river flows, the stones do not turn, regret for losing the swallowing of Wu'... Brother Zhu, I will accompany you to pay respects to the Martial Marquis first, then we will go to the Du Fu Thatched Cottage."

Several Confucian scholars walked while talking, fine sweat seeping from their foreheads.

"Brother Wang, I heard there was a murder case at the Wu Hou Shrine?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I heard it too; the person died very miserably, leaving only a skin, and I don't know what kind of evil spirit harmed him..."

"Nonsense! This place is a place of heroes; where would there be any evil spirits? It's nothing more than rumors from those foolish men and women!"

!.

"Forget it, forget it, don't talk about this. Brother Zhu, I haven't congratulated you yet; the Heshan Academy is not a place ordinary people can go to."

"It was all luck, thanks to my teacher's intercession..."

Not far behind them, Li Yan also walked slowly.

Looking at the scholars in the distance, his brow furrowed slightly.

The situation here was somewhat unexpected.

Logically speaking, since such an evil spirit harming people had occurred, it should at least be temporarily closed until the evil object was captured.

However, listening to what those scholars said, the Law Enforcement Hall didn't make a big fuss and even deliberately confused the information.

Could it be that there were other hidden circumstances?

Thinking of this, he simply took off his bamboo hat, performed a simple disguise, stuck two small mustaches under his nose, and like other tourists, looked around randomly.

With the "Dragon-Snake Tablet," even if an occultist used supernatural powers to investigate, they would only feel he was an ordinary person.

Not long after, the gate of the Han Zhaolie Temple came into view.

Hard-mountain roof, gate open in the middle, the vermilion plaque engraved with the four golden characters "Han Zhaolie Temple," with a stone lion on the left and right sides, appearing majestic and solemn.

Because it was an imperial mausoleum and had a special status in Shu, this place not only had temple keepers but also a hundred-man mausoleum-guarding army.

Before he even got close, Li Yan felt a chill in his heart.

He could feel that the incense aura here was vigorous, surging and galloping above the temple, with great momentum.

There were quite a few festivals about Zhuge Wu Hou in Shu.

On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, the Tiankuang Festival, it is rumored to be the day Zhuge Liang worshipped heaven and earth; the people of Shu also follow suit to worship heaven, earth, and ancestors on this day...

On the twenty-third day of the seventh lunar month, it is the birthday of the Martial Marquis; every household in Shu sets up altars to burn incense and worship...

On the twenty-eighth day of the eighth lunar month, it is the Kongming Festival.

For thousands of years, the sacrifices have been continuous, and the incense has been vigorous, which is imaginable.

The Martial Marquis has become a very powerful folk god.

Of course, compared to the Guan Saint Emperor, he is still a bit behind.

Li Yan couldn't figure out at all,

what kind of thing would dare to cause trouble inside the Wu Hou Shrine?

With the "Dragon-Snake Tablet" concealing his aura, he naturally wasn't afraid; he followed behind those scholars and stepped into the Han Zhaolie Temple.

At the same time, he secretly formed hand seals.

Almost instantly, the rich smell of incense rushed into his nasal cavity.

At the same time, there seemed to be the sound of bamboo forest and pine waves in his ears, solemn yet with a touch of freshness, making one feel happy.

Where was there any "Zither Insect" in this place?

Li Yan's heart became more and more confused; like other pilgrims, he bought a bundle of incense from the young Daoist temple keeper and worshipped at each main hall in turn.

First was the Liu Bei Hall.

Ebony wood and gray tiles, the beams and pillars carved with colorful paintings and gold-plated auspicious beasts, the hanging plaque inscribed with the four large characters "Ming Liang Qian Gu" (Wise and Good for a Thousand Ages).

Afterward, it was the Wu Hou Hall and the Sanyi Temple.

As for the Hui Mausoleum in the back, there were soldiers guarding it, prohibiting anyone from approaching.

After offering incense, he turned around a few more times in the temple; Li Yan seemed to be admiring those stele inscriptions, but in fact, he had already checked the place thoroughly.

Both supernatural powers were used, but he didn't find anything suspicious.

Just as Li Yan was confused, a clamor sounded in the distance; he saw several mausoleum-guarding soldiers carrying a corpse and rushing out.

The corpse was covered with a white cloth, but it had collapsed by a section, and a palm full of calluses hung outside the stretcher.

Li Yan formed a seal and sniffed; immediately, the smell of blood rushed to his nose.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he didn't follow to join the fun.

Even through the white cloth, he could sense that the corpse was not a mausoleum-guarding soldier, but a man wearing bamboo talisman leather armor, his head broken with a large hole, and his facial features, internal organs, and brain marrow had all disappeared.

He had seen this kind of attire; it was a demon hunter.

It seemed the Chengdu City God Temple had secretly sent people to handle it, but unfortunately, they suffered harm instead.

The corpse was carried from the imperial mausoleum side; although it immediately entered the side door and left after passing through the Sanyi Temple, quite a few people still saw it.

"Did something really happen?"

"How did another one die?"

The pilgrims who saw it all whispered.

"What are you all talking about!"

Accompanied by a shout, a constable led several yamen runners and ran over from the imperial mausoleum side.

The leading constable was tall, his eyes like swords; at a glance, he was a good hand in the public office. After scanning a circle, he said, "An idler entered the back mountain to hunt, encountered a mountain leopard, and died."

"The Prefect has an order: whoever dares to talk nonsense and spread rumors will be immediately thrown into prison!"

With a shout, the surrounding pilgrims hurriedly dispersed.

This constable was clearly a bit desperate; they didn't want to touch the brow of the tiger, and since something happened here again, it was better to leave early.

Soon, the pilgrims in the temple dispersed one after another.

It was those few scholars who stayed behind.

A white-faced scholar among them had his brow furrowed tightly; he stepped forward and cupped his hands. "I am Zhu Chen, a scholar from Yiling and a student of Heshan Academy. May I ask this official, what exactly happened here?"

The constable's eyes were gloomy; he wanted to reprimand him, but he held back and said, "Didn't you hear? Someone was harmed by a wild beast. Leave early; this matter has nothing to do with you."

Another huge force in Shu was Confucianism.

Since ancient times, the Divine Land has been "worshipping Confucius in the north and Wenchang in the south." And the ancestral temple of Wenchang Emperor is in Shu.

Therefore, the scholars of Shu were more devout to Wenchang, forming a pattern where the common people worship Erlang and officials worship Wenchang.

Whether it was a scholar or a student of Heshan Academy, the constable didn't want to offend either identity.

Who knew that when the scholar heard this, he became angry instead; he puffed out his chest and said, "This place is a place of sages; the Martial Marquis is respected by scholars all over the world, how can it have nothing to do with me?"

"Yes, who said it has nothing to do with us?"

"After going back, I will definitely tell my father about this!"

Several students clearly followed Zhu Chen's lead; seeing this, they shouted one after another, refuting and bringing out their backers.

"Alright, alright!"

The constable was also in a bad mood; he cursed in a low voice and said, "Do whatever you want; don't blame me for not reminding you if you die."

Having said that, he led his men to chase in the direction the corpse had left.

Once the constables left, the scholars lost their target and looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

Zhu Chen immediately said, "Everyone, the place of sages cannot be defiled; why don't we investigate this matter clearly?"

"Good!"

"We will be officials in the future, and there will be no lack of case-solving; it's just right to practice here!"

When this group of scholars heard this, they were immediately full of excitement.

A bunch of big idiots...

Li Yan secretly laughed, glancing at Zhu Chen without changing his expression.

This kid was actually an occultist.

He was likely here for the "Zither Insect" as well...

(End of chapter)