Chapter 511: Baixi Village

Those who descend to the mortal realm without permission.

Li Yan had not heard of this for the first time.

Such events had occurred in history—immortal maidens descending, divine beings coming down; many tales were half-true, possibly rooted in reality.

But the Heavenly Code was stricter than the Yin Code.

Anyone who descended without permission would be struck by fivefold thunder.

Thus, folk tales of immortals longing for the mortal world usually ended badly.

Therefore, those who descended were far fewer than those who returned from the underworld.

Of course, there were other reasons for descent.

For instance, during the War of Enthronement, Zhou rites replaced Shang sacrifices, many immortals descended, the seventy-two demonic gods were sealed, and mortal rituals changed.

What puzzled Li Yan was that handling those who descended was usually entrusted to Buddhist or Daoist sects with strong incense offerings, in a manner similar to living yin officers, guiding them and summoning heavenly thunder.

Why give him this task for no reason?

Could it be that the orthodox Daoist sects had messed up…

Looking at the warrant in his hand, Li Yan was filled with confusion.

But regardless, it was still a good thing.

The method of using the Thunder Mansion's token should be similar to the warrant—triggering resonance, locating the target, and guiding the heavenly punishment down.

The celestial court's reward should not be worse than the underworld's.

Thinking of this, Li Yan put away the warrant, sat cross-legged to cultivate his spirit, completed his daily practice, and fell asleep immediately.

The team was now assembled, each member fulfilling their role; he had full confidence in Lu San's abilities and could sleep soundly.

Unconsciously, night fell.

The light snow had stopped by nightfall, but the cold night was even more biting; the bustling town, after a day's noise, sank into silence.

Occasionally, a few taverns lit lanterns, standing out sharply in the dark; from secluded alleys, the occasional bark of dogs echoed.

Near the Qingyuan Inn, several rats hid in the shadows, mouths clutching stiff buns, their eyes darting nervously.

Suddenly, they all turned their heads toward one spot.

From the opposite dark alley, a head cautiously peeked out, glancing repeatedly toward the Qingyuan Inn, looking anxious.

After hesitating for a long while, the figure finally made up his mind, glancing around, then crept along the wall to the base of the Qingyuan Inn.

He was short and agile, using his fingers to grip the brick seams and the corner of the wall, effortlessly climbing to the second floor.

Clearly, a seasoned rooftop climber.

When he reached a window and reached out to knock, the window suddenly opened—a large hand seized his collar and yanked him inside.

"Ahh—!"

The figure barely managed half a scream before a hand clamped over his mouth and shoved him to the ground.

"Ooooh~"

He was terrified, eyes wide, struggling violently.

Inside the room, candles flickered to life; a circle of people sat around, precisely Li Yan and the others, awakened by Lu San.

"It's a thief."

Sha Lifei glanced at him and immediately recognized him, saying discontentedly, "I told you you're a man of the jianghu—how can you lack even basic sense, coming here to provoke us?"

He was just cranky from being woken up.

He'd finally managed a decent sleep, only to be disturbed again.

Li Yan sensed the tension and gave a glance; Wu Ba immediately released his grip and let the man go.

He was a thin man with shifty eyes; seeing the group's cold stares, he immediately knelt down. "Gentlemen, I didn't come to scout."

He looked toward Wang Daoxuan. "Are you the Mobile Corps Commander Daoist?"

Wang Daoxuan nodded. "Correct."

"Then it's settled!"

The thief sighed in relief and quickly bowed. "I'm Lian Peng, sent by Brother Chen Sanbang to warn you and beg for help."

Wang Daoxuan frowned. "What happened to Chen Sanbang?"

Chen Sanbang was one of the several demon-hunting leaders who regularly ran errands for him, assigned to find the madman who claimed to have witnessed human sacrifice.

"Brother Chen was detained."

The thief Lian Peng hurriedly explained: "I've long roamed this area and know the terrain well, so Brother Chen hired me."

"We found a lead—the madman isn't alone; his family took him away a few days ago and brought him back to their village to live out his days."

"That village is called Baixi Village. Brother Chen and his men went to inquire, but the entire village was full of martial artists, extremely wary of outsiders, and instantly turned violent at the slightest provocation."

"Brother Chen and his men were outnumbered and captured. When the villagers heard they were sent by you, they let me return and told you to come personally to retrieve them."

"Baixi Village?"

Sha Lifei asked quickly. "Where is that?"

The thief Lian Peng explained: "The village lies deep in the mountains across the river, very secluded. Rumors say the villagers make their living smuggling salt."

"They rarely stir up trouble and maintain decent relations with all sides; if not for this, I'd never have known the village harbored so many martial artists."

Sha Lifei looked at Li Yan. "Could it be them?"

Li Yan pondered, then shook his head. "Unlikely."

"If it were them, they'd have eliminated the madman immediately, not sent someone back to deliver a message asking the Daoist to come fetch him."

"This isn't urgent. Since they asked you to come, they're following the Jianghu code—the demon hunters aren't in immediate danger."

Everyone agreed.

They immediately woke the innkeeper and had the waiter assign the thief a room, then returned to their own rooms to rest.

They knew the situation well, so they weren't in a hurry.

They slept until dawn.

The next day, the light snow finally ceased, but the sky remained overcast, the cold wind biting, making everyone shiver.

Compared to yesterday, the Longfeng Ancient Town dock was even busier.

With only three days left until the Guangde Temple's Dharma Assembly, devotees from other prefectures had begun traveling since the start of the month.

Whether in Longfeng Ancient Town or Suining County, inns were fully booked; as soon as Li Yan and the others stepped out, their room was snatched up.

Near the dock, crowds grew thicker.

Dragon and lion dances, opera troupes, donkey carts, embroidered banners, piled crates—people greeted each other, Sichuan dialects never ceasing.

"Damn."

Sha Lifei couldn't help but whistle. "Guangde Temple's incense is strong indeed—Wudang's festival isn't this lively."

"I've inquired about this too," Wang Daoxuan said, stroking his beard. "Since ancient times, it's been said Suining was once the Western Sea, home to a small kingdom called Baijue Kingdom. Its ruler, King Miao Zhuang, and his queen, Bo Ya, had three princesses named Miaoqing, Miaoyin, and Miaoshan—the Three Guanyin Sisters."

"They all attained enlightenment as Guanyin Bodhisattva, but cultivated in different places. Hence, a local folk rhyme:

The Three Guanyin Sisters, sharing one pot, each cultivates alone.

The eldest cultivates at Guangde Temple,

The second at Lingquan Temple,

Only the youngest cultivates far away,

At Putuo Temple in the Southern Sea."

"Within Suining, Buddhist devotion runs even deeper; temples abound. Guangde Temple is the 'First Zen Grove from the West,' housing over a thousand monks who oversee more than three hundred Buddhist temples across Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan."

"Though Emei and Qingcheng are more famous, among Buddhist disciples, Guangde Temple is the true holy land."

Li Yan pondered. "They seem unusually unobtrusive?"

Wang Daoxuan nodded. "During the Tang Dynasty, Guangde Temple had a high monk named Master Keyou, a member of the imperial family—his father was Emperor Daizong. Hence, successive emperors have posthumously honored him."

"This place is essentially an imperial ancestral shrine. With such status, it lacks nothing; it needs no trouble to cultivate peacefully, so it acts with extreme discretion."

"Even Suining County's Law Office and City God Temple are managed by the Iron Buddha Sect."

Even the Enforcement Hall of Suining County and the City God Temple were handed over to the Iron Buddha Sect to manage. "That's quite clever…"

As they chatted, they found a ferry that slowly carried them away from the dock toward the opposite shore.

No sooner had they left than two figures appeared on the dock, hidden beneath tree shade, watching from afar.

"We can confirm now. This Twelve Zodiacs group is Li Yan's team—still flaunting themselves despite being wanted by the Wang Fu? Utterly audacious!"

"Shall we…?"

"Don't act rashly. The Wang Fu has already summoned someone to handle this—something's likely changed."

"The Wang Fu lost face—would they back down?"

"I'm not sure…"

…

After landing, Li Yan and the others followed Lian Peng toward the eastern mountains.

Their team was now complete, and they had replenished their Gang Ling; frankly, they weren't afraid of any adversaries.

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So they didn't conceal their trail.

They were still within the Sichuan Basin, where the terrain was relatively flat, with no towering mountains—only hills carved by rivers.

As far as the eye could see, the hills were covered in bamboo groves; snow had not yet melted, and the mountain paths were littered with dry yellow bamboo leaves.

Not long after entering the mountains, Lu San raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

From within the bamboo grove, two men suddenly emerged—one short and thin, the other tall and sturdy—both bowed.

"Are you the Mobile Corps Commander Daoist and Li Shaoxia?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes. "Correct."

Knowing Wang Daoxuan was expected, but directly naming him meant these people weren't isolated—they had excellent intelligence.

The short, thin man quickly bowed. "Pleasure to meet you. We've long heard of your fame. The clan chief has prepared a banquet in the village and sent us to welcome you."

"Thank you."

Li Yan bowed solemnly with clasped fists.

Meeting them ten li from the gate was, by jianghu custom, an extremely respectful gesture, reserved only for honored guests.

Indeed, at five li, three li, and even the final li, people waited to greet them, escorting them into Bai Xi Town.

Bai Xi Town's location was indeed secluded: three mountains flanking a single village, with a murky white stream winding down from the hills and flowing alongside it.

This water was undrinkable—it was used to make brine for salt production.

Under a large tree at the village entrance, a group had already gathered.

At their head was an old man, hunched and white-haired, his head bound with a red sash, leaning on a dragon-headed cane.

Seeing Li Yan and his party, the old man smiled faintly and clasped his fists: "Feng Laohai of the Salt Guild, greetings, Li Shaoxia and Daoist Mobile Corps Commander."

"Greetings, Elder."

Li Yan's expression remained unchanged as he returned the bow.

In truth, along the way, he had already sensed something odd.

How many secret factions could there be in this world? Besides, even a petty thief knows—surely the upper echelons of the Suining jianghu are aware of this Bai Xi Village.

To leave it unattended must have a reason.

A group specializing in salt trafficking was almost certainly tied to the Salt Guild.

Realizing this, Li Yan made no pretense: he spoke bluntly, "We have only a passing connection to the Salt Guild. Your grand reception leaves me utterly bewildered."

"Just say plainly what you want!"

"Why the haste, Li Shaoxia?"

The old man named Feng smiled faintly. "We extended courtesy precisely because we have no wish to offend you."

"Let us enter the village first. We can drink and talk."

"Agreed!"

With matters thus, further questioning would only reveal their timidity. Li Yan accepted outright.

Besides, these people before him were merely ordinary martial practitioners.

If they wished to leave, they could not stop them.

"Please."

The old man immediately gestured, inviting them into the village.

The village was small; all visible were sturdy men, few women or children, and those present hid themselves indoors.

But it differed from Li Yan's expectations.

The Salt Guild was wealthy; even if they boiled salt here, they would not let themselves live in such squalor.

Yet this village bore signs of decay.

Several homes had white couplets pasted on their doors—evidence of recent deaths.

At the village center stood the ancestral hall, its gates tightly shut.

After the old man led them into his home, a banquet was already laid out.

On this freezing day, the dishes still steamed—someone had waited deliberately, timing their serving to coincide with their arrival.

Such careful arrangement was no small effort.

Unprovoked kindness always hides a request.

Li Yan understood now. After sipping a cup of wine, he spoke directly: "If you have something to say, say it plainly. Otherwise, we cannot drink this wine in peace."

Feng Laohai set down his cup and spoke gravely: "Then I shall not waste words."

"To be honest, I was once an elder of the Salt Guild. The Sichuan Salt Guild is not a single entity—it has always been a loose alliance of mutual support."

"A few years ago, they sought to join the Wang Fu. I strongly opposed it. We are all people of the jianghu—neither wholly black nor white. Once entangled in such matters, there is no escape."

"But those men were blinded by power. I failed to dissuade them, and was driven from Zigong to this place."

"Fortunately, I still had some reputation in the jianghu. They dared not treat me too harshly. With my old connections, I still managed to get by."

Li Yan glanced at him coolly. "This seems unrelated to us."

"Hahahaha."

Feng Laohai chuckled, stroking his beard. "Originally, it was unrelated. We had no wish to stir trouble or provoke you."

"But you sent people here—now the connection exists."

As he spoke, he clapped his hands.

Two men immediately left and returned shortly, supporting a man into the main hall.

The man's clothes were clean, but his eyes were vacant, drool dripping from his mouth. He stared fixedly in one direction, muttering incessantly: "Night Dragon King, Night Dragon King..."

"This is the man you seek."

Feng Laohai sighed and shook his head. "To be honest, he was our salt-smuggling boat captain, familiar with several backroads to evade imperial patrols and transport salt to Chongqing."

"On his last delivery, he encountered something unknown. Only he returned—and he was driven mad, wandering aimlessly."

"That doesn't add up."

Li Yan said coldly. "Longfeng Ancient Town is not far from here. He begged on its streets—how could you not know?"

Feng Laohai shook his head. "We sent him out on purpose."

"We hoped to lure out those others—but instead, we drew Daoist Mobile Corps Commander."

His face twisted with bitterness. "After hearing what the demon hunters said, I realized the magnitude of trouble we'd stirred."

"The Dragon Worship Cult—we simply cannot afford to oppose them..."

(End of Chapter)