Chapter 477: Task Completed

"I don't know, this matter has nothing to do with me."

"That's right, we were also deceived."

"That Zhu Chen must have a problem…"

Inside the Wu Hou Shrine, several scholars were being interrogated.

After causing deaths for two consecutive days, and one of them was a retainer of the Prince of Shu's mansion, it was naturally impossible to continue hiding it.

Before dawn, the entire Wu Hou Shrine had been sealed off.

The Law Enforcement Hall of the City God Temple, the Commandant's Office, and the Chengdu Prefecture Yamen had all sent people to search for clues everywhere.

With so many criminal investigation experts, some things were gradually uncovered.

"Zither Insect" causing chaos, Pei Yufang bringing people to capture it, Chengdu underworld expert "Young Master Wuxiang" participating in it, and another mysterious person taking action…

One thing after another made those handling the case feel irritable.

The person who came from the Law Enforcement Hall was a Daoist, carrying a long sword on his back, with sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes. Just standing there, he had a sharp aura.

After just a few glances, he shook his head and bowed, "Gentlemen, this case involves the Prince of Shu's mansion; it is inconvenient for us to intervene, so we will take our leave."

"Daoist, what's the rush?"

A company commander from the Commandant's Office hurriedly stood up and said, "This matter involves the Mystic Sect and is not something our Commandant's Office can handle. Daoist, don't just push it away."

The two looked at each other, both full of helplessness.

Neither of them wanted to get involved in this matter.

The Law Enforcement Hall side was managed by the Huang Ling Sect. A senior brother died the night before, and the one who took action was a disciple of the Mount Emei lineage. Although he was an outcast expelled from the sect, they still had to figure it out.

It also involved the dispute between Buddhism and Daoism on Mount Emei.

People couldn't die for nothing, and they couldn't make a big deal out of it.

They were busy dealing with this matter and had no leisure time at all. Moreover, the relationship between the Prince of Shu's mansion and the Imperial Court was delicate, so they couldn't interfere randomly…

The Commandant's Office was in the same situation.

In Chengdu, they couldn't do without the help of the Prince of Shu's mansion, but they were the Emperor's personal troops. If they found something, it would be a big trouble.

Especially now, there was an Imperial Censor in Chengdu Prefecture eyeing them like a tiger. They didn't want to become scapegoats in a muddled way…

Thinking of this, the two looked toward the other side at the same time.

There stood a man, his skin dark, with a huge scar on his face, his figure tall, looking majestic.

But seeing the two's gaze, this man immediately shrank his head and turned to run.

Before he could take two steps, he was blocked by the Daoist.

"Constable Wang, you are a famous catcher in Chengdu; this matter is up to you!"

"The two of you are joking; my ability is low…"

"Constable Wang, why be like this? We are all old acquaintances. Others might not know, but we know your methods are excellent."

It could be seen that the three had a good relationship.

After some arguing, the people from the Law Enforcement Hall and the Commandant's Office left, leaving only the helpless Constable Wang.

"Boss, what should we do?"

A constable hurriedly stepped forward to ask.

"Do what you should do!"

Constable Wang sighed, "Report it to the yamen and let the adults have a headache. Anyway, we should stay far away from this matter…"

…………

At the same time, Li Yan had also returned to Longquanyi.

The morning mist in late autumn was heavier, and the entire Longquanyi was shrouded in mist. Added to the gloomy sky, it looked a bit oppressive.

Before getting close to Longquanyi, Li Yan stopped.

Only to see the little beggar crouching under a big tree, shivering. After seeing him, he hurriedly stood up, moved his stiff body, and ran toward him stumbling.

"This… many Daoists came."

The little beggar lowered his head, his voice trembling a bit.

Daoists?

Li Yan guessed the reason as soon as he heard this.

The people of the Huang Ling Sect were ambushed. If they investigated slightly, they would know that the ancient coffin of the Wuxian Kingdom was no small matter, so they would certainly search for the murderer on a large scale.

This matter had nothing to do with him, so he naturally didn't need to care.

"Hmm, thank you."

Li Yan didn't waste words and threw a piece of broken silver directly, but just as he was about to leave, he turned around and said, "This business, you can't do it with anyone else."

The little beggar said timidly, "Master, rest assured, this little one knows."

"That's good."

Li Yan nodded and walked quickly toward Longquanyi.

Watching his departing back, the little beggar hurriedly clenched the money, spread his feet, and ran into a nearby ruined temple.

Inside the ruined temple, the bonfire was roaring, and in a black clay pot with a missing corner, porridge and rotten vegetable leaves were boiling, bubbling.

Beside it, a group of little beggars crouched by the fire, shivering.

"Yao Ge, did you find it?"

"Hmm, he rewarded some money again."

The little beggar took out the broken silver, climbed onto the dusty, spider-webbed statue, tore off the mud, and dug out a small bag from the hole behind it.

Inside were all copper coins and broken silver.

The only two pieces of broken silver were obtained from Li Yan's hands.

"We're almost there!"

The little beggar counted the money again and again, a smile appearing on his face, "Once we save enough money, we'll set up a tea stall, and we'll never have to go hungry again…"

A group of little beggars gathered around to watch.

The firelight flickered, and their eyes were full of hope…

………

Just stepping into the inn, Li Yan narrowed his eyes.

After going upstairs, he immediately heard hearty laughter coming from Bai Huan's room, and two female Daoists were guarding the door.

Both were dressed in white clothes and black robes, their expressions cold and solemn.

Seeing Li Yan appear carrying the ancient zither, and the ancient zither on his back constantly ringing on its own, the two were immediately full of vigilance and placed their hands on their sword hilts.

After the ancient zither was trapped, the "Zither Insect's" chirping sound was no longer full of bewitchment, but the zither ringing on its own was something anyone could tell was wrong.

"Don't take action."

An old female voice came.

The door creaked open, and it was precisely the old woman Bai Huan.

She saw Li Yan, her eyes full of smiles, "Li Li Shaoxia, you returned just in time. Please come into the room."

Li Yan nodded. After entering the room, he first saw an old Daoist nun sitting at the table, her hair gray and white, her face dignified, holding the hands of the two young girls, Chaoyun and Xingyu, with a kind expression.

"Let me introduce you."

Old woman Bai Huan smiled, "Li Li Shaoxia, this is Master Xiaoyue, the abbess of Shuiyue Nunnery on Mount Qingcheng."

"Master Xiaoyue, this is Li Li Shaoxia. If not for his escort all the way, we wouldn't have been able to reach Chengdu at all."

"Greetings, Master Xiaoyue."

Li Yan bowed, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant.

Although Shuiyue Nunnery was at the foot of Mount Qingcheng, it was not a temple of the red dust, but a place dedicated to the cultivation of female Daoists on Mount Qingcheng.

This Master Xiaoyue was not only an elder of Mount Qingcheng but also a famous expert of the righteous Mystic Sect in Shu.

Even in Ezhou, he had heard her name.

"I have long heard of Li Li Shaoxia's great name."

Master Xiaoyue's attitude was still quite good, and she smiled, "A few months ago, Feng Feng Shixiong Yuchanzi, the sect leader of Wudang, personally wrote a letter and sent someone to Mount Qingcheng, asking us to take care of you." Li Yan was a bit surprised when he heard this.

When he left Ezhou, he had a conversation with Yuchanzi, mainly about the Ghost Sect and Zhao Changsheng.

The other party told him to pay attention to Zhao Changsheng's clues after arriving in Shu, and if the Ghost Sect came to retaliate, he should go to Mount Qingcheng for help.

He thought it was just polite words, but didn't expect he really wrote a letter.

As for Zhao Changsheng, since arriving in Shu, he only learned from the secret agents of the Commandant's Office that the other party had been to the Prince of Shu's mansion many years ago.

As for the rest, there were no clues at all.

There were no traces of Ghost Sect activity found in Shu. According to Li Yan's speculation, they should have already headed to Qianzhou to join forces with the Yang family to resist the Imperial Court.

It was the Salt Gang that caused trouble again and again.

Of course, Zhao Changsheng's whereabouts were of great importance. The other party even buried secret agents on Mount Wudang; who knew if there were any on Mount Qingcheng.

Without certainty, he wouldn't talk about this matter randomly with others.

!.

Thinking of this, Li Yan changed the subject, "There is indeed one thing I would like to ask Master for help with."

"This junior has a Dharma artifact that has been sent to Mount Qingcheng to be refined by Master Huotuo. Now that I still have some materials in my hand, I would like to entrust you to send them up the mountain."

Beside him, Bai Huan was a bit surprised, "Li Li Shaoxia is not going up the mountain with us?"

The original plan was for Li Yan to follow everyone up the mountain and pay a visit to the sect leader and elders of Mount Qingcheng on the way.

One was to say hello and get a quota for opening the cellar.

The second was to refine the Dharma artifact.

But now, the plan had suddenly changed…

Bai Huan pondered for a moment and immediately understood.

He knew that Li Yan was most likely worried about his companions.

"Not going up the mountain for now is also fine."

Master Xiaoyue pondered for a moment and said, "To tell you the truth, there are some miscellaneous affairs on Mount Qingcheng now, which are inconvenient to talk about, but if you go up the mountain now, no one will have time to pay attention to you, and you will most likely be treated coldly."

"By the end of the year, it should be clear. After all, the cellar will be opened next year, and we can't let outsiders see a joke."

"Going up the mountain then will not get you involved in it…"

Her words were vague, but Li Yan already had a vague guess.

Most likely because of the position of the sect leader of Mount Qingcheng.

The previous sect leader was Hansongzi from the Cheng family, who was advanced in age. It was heard that he even suffered some minor injuries during the battle between righteous and evil at Dujiangyan.

He had been in the position for a long time, so the sect leader would definitely have to be re-elected.

Originally, with Cheng Jianxin there, these things wouldn't be a problem at all, but the Cheng Jianxian of Shu hadn't appeared for many years, so it was inevitable that some people would want to fight for it.

On Mount Qingcheng, there was more than one force.

The most ancient inheritance came from "Ning Fengzi" during the time of the Yellow Emperor, and the Cheng Jianxian inheritance was related to it.

Following that was Yin Changsheng, who also left behind an inheritance.

But what truly made Mount Qingcheng famous was Zhang Daoling.

And the subsequent Southern Heavenly Master Dao.

During the chaos of the Tang Dynasty, Xuanzong and Xizong successively took refuge in Shu. Some Daoists who followed them went up the mountain and established another force, which had a close relationship with the Qingyang Palace in Chengdu Prefecture.

In short, every side had deep roots.

Wanting to be the sect leader was not that easy.

Although it wouldn't go as far as turning against each other and taking action, there were inevitably many private deals to reach a result that satisfied all parties.

It seemed that now was indeed not a suitable time to go up the mountain.

After chatting casually for a few sentences, Master Xiaoyue stood up immediately, holding the hands of the two young girls, her expression solemn, "The battle at Dujiangyan, although our Qingcheng won, the evil path of the southwest has not been fundamentally damaged."

"We are leaving Mount Qingcheng, so we might be targeted by them, and the two children also need to be enlightened early."

"No time to lose, let's set off now!"

"Wait!"

Li Yan took down the ancient zither from his back, placed it on the table, turned his head to look at Long Yan'er beside him, and said in a deep voice, "Miss Long, the 'Zither Insect' has been caught; see if it can be used."

"If it doesn't work, I'll think of another way."

The zither ringing behind him was constant, and Master Xiaoyue had long noticed it, but due to her cultivation and the rules of the Mystic Sect, she couldn't ask much.

Hearing the words "Zither Insect" and seeing the ancient zither, she was suddenly surprised, "This is the zither of the Chengdu heterodox expert Pei Yufang. What happened?"

At this time, Li Yan was too lazy to hide it, so he briefly recounted what happened in the Wu Hou Shrine.

"So that's how it is…"

Master Xiaoyue pondered for a moment, shook her head, and said, "The Prince of Shu has indeed been a bit strange these years, privately gathering many heterodox experts. Rebellion might not be the case, but it seems there is another plot."

"Regarding the Imperial Court, we of the Mystic Sect are unwilling to get involved. If it were on Mount Qingcheng, it would be fine, but in other places, you must be careful of the Prince of Shu's mansion's retaliation."

Li Yan said coldly, "They provoked me first; do I have to stretch out my neck for them to chop?"

"Besides, you don't want to provoke the Prince of Shu's mansion, but when they take action, they have no scruples at all…"

Having said that, he told the story of the Prince of Shu's mansion stealing the stone coffin and framing the Monk Sect.

Since the conflict was unavoidable, he might as well find more trouble for the other party, so they wouldn't be thinking about him all day long.

"Elixir of Immortality!"

Master Xiaoyue was also amused, "If there really were an Elixir of Immortality in the world, what would the three disasters and five difficulties of us cultivators count for?"

"These princes and nobles, enjoying the wealth and fortune of the human world is enough, yet they always love to daydream!"

"Now it's even worse. Shu was already full of chaos, yet for their own selfish interests, they mobilized the internal fighting of the righteous path. Truly foolish to the extreme!"

"Little friend, rest assured, this poor Daoist will inform the Huang Ling Sect, and you don't need to worry about the rest."

After saying this, Long Yan'er stepped forward, took off a bamboo tube from her waist, and poured all the powder inside into the opening of the ancient zither.

The "Zither Insect" immediately became stable.

After untying the red cloth, this strange insect poked out its head, looking lazy, and then turned back into the ancient zither to sleep soundly.

"It can be used, it is a strange insect!"

Long Yan'er was full of joy, a ray of hope rising in her eyes, "Using this as a Gu mother, it will definitely succeed, but this thing is extraordinary, I'm afraid it will take more time to refine it well."

"As long as it can be used."

Li Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Cultivation has no years, I'm not afraid of spending time. Miss Long, if you succeed, you are welcome to join at any time!"

Long Yan'er also bowed solemnly, "Great kindness cannot be thanked in words. If I survive, I will go find you immediately!"

After arranging things properly, the Bai family group, along with Long Yan'er, set off toward Mount Qingcheng under the escort of the Shuiyue Nunnery nuns.

Watching their figures gradually disappear, Li Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. This escort mission could be considered completed.

Clatter, clatter!

Just after returning to the inn, the falcon Lidong flapped its wings and arrived.

Li Yan took off the bamboo tube secret letter and checked it carefully.

Sha Lifei and the others had already arrived near the Dazu Rock Carvings. They hadn't found clues to the Corpse Forest for the time being, but there was no danger either.

As for Wang Daoxuan, he had already established a foothold in Nanchong and had received imperial rewards with those demon hunters, suppressing zombies and evil spirits everywhere.

The reputation of "Daoist Mobile Corps Commander" had become increasingly loud.

But there seemed to be a force in Nanchong that was constantly lighting fires in secret, trying to cover up some things.

Wang Daoxuan hadn't found anything yet.

Li Yan pondered for a moment and decided to find Sha Lifei first.

After all, compared to the Dragon Fan Fan Fu Ren's commission and the opportunity of the Manifestation True Lord, he cared more about the safety of these companions.

Thinking of this, he packed his luggage and prepared to leave.

But before he could set off, Li Yan narrowed his eyes and looked out the window.

Only to see the little beggar climbing up along the window, full of panic, and said, "Ma… Master, many fierce people have come, and they are asking about you everywhere in Longquanyi!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 478 =====