Chapter 474: Chengdu Longquanyi

Where did this bandit come from…

Li Yan casually grabbed a chopstick from the table, intending to fling it through the air, but his eyes narrowed slightly and he stopped.

Longquanyi gathers all manner of sects and rogues; it's only natural that pickpockets abound.

The one hiding on the roof is merely a half-grown child, weak-bodied and unsteady on his feet—likely driven by hunger to steal…

Thinking of this, Li Yan walked to the corner, pulled out the uneaten dried rations from his luggage, and tossed them casually out the window.

Swish!

On the roof, a dark, soot-stained hand snatched the food bundle, followed by a weak voice: "Sorry to disturb you, thank you, great hero."

Soon, hurried footsteps rapidly faded away.

Li Yan shook his head slightly, pushed open the door, and entered a nearby room, first hanging the Three Talismans Devil-Subduing Coin tassel on the doorframe, then asking: "Elder, have you heard anything from that side?"

Inside the room were Bai Wan and Long Yan, along with the two girls, Wu Chaoyun and Wu Xingyu.

"Young Master Li is truly benevolent."

Bai Wan had clearly noticed what happened earlier; she praised him first, then said: "The disciple sent to deliver the message has returned."

She glanced at her two granddaughters, her eyes filled with tenderness: "Master Xiaoyue holds great regard for Chaoyun and Xingyu. Though previously occupied with the battle between orthodox and demonic sects, she learned of our situation and has come in person."

Li Yan pondered, "Could she have ulterior motives?"

Chaoyun and Xingyu were conceived by the Destiny Society's female priests, through the union of Bai Wan's daughter and Long Yan's brother from the Poison Cult, on Wushan.

They are not only vessels prepared for the reincarnation of the Wushan Goddess, but each also contains a "Divine Gang."

This "Divine Gang," once the method is understood, can enhance any spiritual ability—whether the Six Yang Roots or the Dharma Realm arts.

Though dangerous, it's bound to attract greed.

"It's settled."

Bai Wan's face relaxed completely: "Chaoyun and Xingyu have successfully stabilized their spirits and absorbed all the Divine Gang."

Li Yan immediately understood and nodded: "Congratulations."

These two girls are of extraordinary origin, naturally endowed with spiritual aura; they awakened their abilities at a very young age, though they had not yet begun spirit-stabilizing cultivation.

Having successfully absorbed the Divine Gang, their abilities have grown stronger, far surpassing peers of their age—they are true natural cultivators.

Anyone of this caliber has the potential to become a pillar of a sect; no wonder Master Xiaoyue came in person.

The two girls rarely spoke on the journey; Bai Wan had been secretly instructing them, clearly to guard against them.

Li Yan didn't mind.

No matter how close the bond, everyone has secrets of life and death.

On the road, Bai Wan saw things but asked no questions; naturally, they wouldn't pry into each other's hidden matters.

Thinking of this, Li Yan turned to Long Yan beside him: "Miss Long, what are your plans? Do you need my help?"

Long Yan hesitated, then gave a slight shake of her head.

Li Yan said gravely: "No need for formalities—if not for your tribulation, we would already be as family. If I can help, say so freely."

He still couldn't understand how Long Yan and Sha Lifei—two people with nothing in common—could have taken a liking to each other.

Perhaps because they shared the same suffering?

Either way, it's a good thing; he naturally wanted to find a way to help them end up together.

The old woman Bai Wan's eyes flickered with quiet satisfaction as she spoke: "Young Master Li need not worry; old woman and Yan'er have already devised a plan."

"As the saying goes: when pushed to the brink of death, one finds life. To reform your Life-Cultivation Gu, you must place yourself in utter desperation."

"Near Qingcheng Mountain lies Mount Xilingxue, its three sides rising sheer for a thousand ren, winter snows gleaming like silver. With your current cultivation at the Second Story, if you build a pavilion there and succeed, you can seize the chance to condense your Life-Cultivation Gu."

"But we still lack some of the materials for the cultivation."

Li Yan's interest stirred: "That one—'The window frames the autumn snow of Xiling'—is indeed a precious place. What else do you need?"

"Rare exotic venomous insects."

Bai Wan took several clay jars from beside her: "My Bai family's sesame worms and Yan'er's own few Gu insects, though rare, still fall short."

"We've been on the road and haven't had a chance to inquire. Longquanyi gathers all sects and rogues—someone here might know something."

"Easy."

Li Yan said gravely: "Since Master Xiaoyue hasn't arrived yet, I'll go inquire. Take care of yourselves—act when the time comes."

With that, he bowed and left.

Watching him depart, Bai Wan turned to Long Yan and smiled: "My eye for people has always been sharp. You refused to go to Qingcheng Mountain—following them will ensure you're looked after."

Long Yan shook her head: "Let's survive first."

Bai Wan gently clasped her hand, her gaze resolute: "It will work. You've endured so much hardship—don't lose heart now, at the final step."

"Besides, I want to see your child."

Long Yan stared in shock: "What are you talking about?"

The old woman Bai Wan chuckled silently and fell quiet…

…………

Outside the inn, the clamor reached him from afar.

In Longquanyi, the station itself kept out riffraff; even when open, only major merchant guilds were allowed to stay.

The surrounding inns, stables, teahouses, and taverns were no luxury places—mostly rammed-earth walls and thatched roofs.

Though dilapidated, they were lively enough.

Li Yan lowered his straw hat, scanned the surroundings, saw nothing amiss, and wandered casually through the alleyways.

After searching a while, he frowned slightly.

For some reason, there was no Wind-Whisper Inn here.

To find exotic venomous insects, ordinary martial artists wouldn't know—likely, he'd have to ask local sorcerers.

Still, he entered the busiest tavern he could find.

Though an Xuan Sect member, he couldn't afford to miss Chengdu's intelligence—his team would arrive soon; he needed to know the lay of the land.

He pulled back the curtain, and the noise surged at him.

This was a typical Sichuan tavern: two stories, supported by rough wooden pillars, floor paved with uneven blue bricks.

A tiger-stove burned inside, large teapots bubbling steadily.

Everywhere he looked: square tables and long benches.

The place was bustling: carters and porters drank and shouted drinking games; martial artists ate meat and chatted; even a group of garrison soldiers, arms slung over shoulders, told bawdy jokes, already drunk.

Even a group of garrison soldiers, arms slung over each other's shoulders, were slurring lewd jokes, thoroughly drunk.

"Two red joys!"

"Five champions! Seven tricks!"

The shouts of drinking games rose and fell.

Li Yan frowned slightly and found a corner seat.

Sichuan's drinking customs, of course, needed no explanation.

Since the days of the ancient Shu kings—Cancong, Yufu, Duyu—winemaking had already been established; Tang had "Jiannan Shaochun," Song had "Ehuang Wine" and "Lizhi Green," and now "Five Golden Flowers" had toppled the East, West, South, and North.

The locals loved to drink.

On New Year's Eve they drank "Family Reunion Wine"; at family gatherings, "Spring Wine"; during rice transplanting, "Transplanting Wine" and "Harvest Wine"; at Dragon Boat Festival, "Realgar Wine"; at Mid-Autumn, "Moonlight Wine…"

In short, there was always an excuse to drink, all year round.

So much so that "to invite someone to eat" meant "to invite someone to drink."

Drinking here had its rules:

Never drink new wine—it causes illness.

Never drink cold wine—it harms the stomach.

Never drink plain wine—always have snacks.

Finally, drink slowly: raise the cup gently, sip slowly.

Two taels is ideal, paired with tea, and a long "Longmen" chat—whether discussing heaven and earth or nonsense, at least you'd spend the day happily.

Though not from Sichuan, Li Yan greatly admired this custom; he ordered two taels of wine, beef and peanuts, and had the waiter brew tea. One sip of wine, one sip of tea—he was pleasantly at ease.

Seemingly drinking alone, he secretly formed a hand seal, his ears twitching occasionally, catching every sound in the inn.

"Brother, thanks to you today!"

"What nonsense—come on, drink up!"

That was the garrison soldiers bonding.

"Master, will we get into the Lantern Festival this year?"

"I asked the Changchun Society—it's not easy…"

That was a traveling martial artist from afar.

"What's the wind blowing from the west?"

"Pried open the box, kicked the firepit…"

!.

Two young men drank while chatting in coded language.

Clearly fresh recruits to the martial world.

As the saying goes: "Never chatter carelessly with strangers"—only fools spoke freely and gave away secrets.

Newcomers to the martial world loved doing this foolish thing.

Though mostly useless, after listening awhile, Li Yan had gleaned some useful intelligence.

Within Chengdu Prefecture, things are currently relatively stable.

Due to the incident in Chongqing Prefecture, the court was enraged; the Prince of Shu was ordered to reflect at home and did not appear again until year's end.

It was now late October, not far from the New Year, and many matters in Chengdu Prefecture were tied to this.

The Chengdu Lantern Festival, the Huazhao Festival, and the Qingyang Palace temple fair.

From year's end to the start of the new year, festivals large and small never ceased.

Thus, a great number of merchant caravans and martial artists flooded in.

Li Yan listened for a while and found it boring.

Most of this intelligence was useless.

Rather than waste time here, it would be better to return and cultivate, then gather news directly from the Xuanmen.

At Qingyang Palace, he happened to know a Daoist priest—the one who had suppressed the Dragon Girl in Longtan Village.

He supposed the man had already returned to Qingyang Palace…

Just as he was about to rise and leave, his ears twitched slightly; he paused and listened closely.

From a private room on the second floor, two men were speaking.

"Are you certain they'll come tonight?"

"The news came from the Wang Fu…"

"Brother, if we do this, we'll offend the Huangling Sect."

"So what if we offend them? Do we even have a way back?"

Li Yan took a sip of wine, lost in thought.

He had heard some of this in Chongqing Prefecture.

The Emperor trusted the Prince of Shu largely because the prince was old, and from old battle wounds suffered in his youth, he likely had little time left.

After all, they were closest brothers; even when the prince overstepped, the Emperor turned a blind eye.

It made no sense to have been close all one's life, only to turn against each other in old age.

Yet within the Wang Fu, unrest simmered.

The Prince of Shu had never named his heir, so several princes had developed ambitions and secretly vied against one another.

The Prince of Chongqing's affair involved the Second Prince, who had hoped to make a move—only to be publicly dragged outside the Wang Fu and beaten with wooden rods.

The guilds and merchant associations in Chongqing Prefecture all bore the shadows of these princes, constantly clashing.

As for Qingcheng and Emei, they did not involve themselves in these affairs.

The Huangling Sect was one of the Five Flowers of Emei, but unlike the others, it did not dwell in the wilds—it was rooted in Chengdu Prefecture.

The Chenghuangmiao in Chengdu Prefecture fell under their management.

Could it be that the Huangling Sect had also plunged into this mess?

If so, he could not go to the Chenghuangmiao…

As Li Yan pondered, the two men upstairs settled their bill and descended the stairs—they were twin brothers.

They wore coarse cloth robes, both with broad, rugged faces, and carried short spears strapped to their backs, wrapped in cloth for concealment.

Most unusual of all was their hair.

Though grown to a short crop, those with sharp eyes could see nine scarring marks beneath their hair.

The scars were burned into the scalp as a lifelong vow.

The number of scars carried meaning.

One scar meant "Pure Heart," signifying entry into the Buddhist path.

Two meant "Joyful Fortune," three "Wisdom," four "Compassion," five "Patience," six "Diligence," seven "Meditative Absorption," eight "Equality," nine "Perfection."

Beyond that, they were exceedingly rare.

It was said Bodhidharma or the Sixth Patriarch possessed ten scars.

The legendary twelve scars

signified the highest precept: the Bodhisattva Precepts.

Nine scars meant they were genuine Buddhist disciples; yet they kept their hair—likely already returned to secular life after leaving a temple.

After descending, the twin monks scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes; finding nothing amiss, they strode out the door.

After they left, Li Yan raised his head, thought for a moment, placed a few copper coins on the table, and followed them out.

Since he had nothing else to do, he might as well see what the two monks were up to.

These monks were not sorcerers, yet their martial skill was extraordinary—already at the peak of Dark Force, just one step from Transformation Force.

After exiting, they deliberately circled around several times before striding purposefully toward Longquan Mountain.

Neither noticed that behind them, on the grass, a faint breeze had passed, leaving behind barely visible footprints.

With Li Yan's current Xuan Water Concealment Technique, ordinary sorcerers could not detect him; combined with the Dragon-Snake Talisman, which masked all his aura, even if Yin Soldiers patrolled the mountain, they could not find him.

Tracking the two monks was effortless.

Longquan Mountain was close to Longquanyi, the essential route into Chengdu from outside; the ancient Chengyu Road ran through it.

But these two did not take the official road—they moved through the nearby grasslands, explosive Dark Force propelling them low and swift, like two leopards.

They were from the Sengmen…

Seeing this, Li Yan grew even more curious.

He recognized their origin—they were from the Sengmen, the foremost of the Eight Leaves of Emei's Five Flowers and Eight Leaves.

The Sengmen was famed, said to have been founded by the White Cloud Chan Master.

White Cloud Chan Master lived among animals in the mountains, carefully observing how these celestial creatures gripped, pounced, leapt, hunted, dodged, and played—and from this, he created the Five Animal Fists: Dragon, Tiger, Crane, Snake, Leopard.

Later, he synthesized all these styles into the mighty Sengmen Fist.

Both were from Emei—why then were they lying in ambush against each other?

The two men reached the vicinity of the Longquan Mountain official road, hid themselves in the grass, and drew their two short spears from behind their backs.

Li Yan stood at a distance, waiting patiently.

Unconsciously, the night grew deeper.

All around was pitch black—then, from the direction of Longquan Mountain, a cart creaked slowly into view.

On it lay a massive stone coffin…

(End of Chapter)