Chapter 518: Shu

"Field Captain Tian, it's been a long time."

Li Yan invited the man inside and poured him a cup of tea himself.

To be honest, he held great respect for this man.

Though it was an imperial order, few could abandon everything, leave behind the glittering capital, risk their lives, and go undercover across the land to seek clues.

This was no easy assignment.

If Zhao Changsheng discovered him, death was the only outcome.

Since Wanzhou, he had not seen him again, nor received any word—he had even assumed the Field Captain was dead.

"Thank you."

Field Captain Tian did not bother with formalities; he took the tea and drank it down in one gulp.

His clothes had been recently changed and were still fresh, but the weather-beaten face, cracked lips, all testified to a long, grueling journey.

"I am leaving Shu."

Field Captain Tian cut straight to the point, his voice low and grave: "News has come from Lingnan—Zhao Changsheng has appeared, and he's caused two major incidents."

Li Yan immediately guessed, "Has the Yang family of Bozhou collapsed?"

Zhao Changsheng cultivates a secret art that allows him to consume the vital fortune of mortals, which is why he stirs chaos across Shenzhou time and again.

It may not be just cultivation—there could be other reasons.

In any case, peace across the land is not to his advantage.

His actions in Lingnan clearly indicate the Yang family's situation is dire—he has already abandoned them entirely.

"Yes, exactly."

Field Captain Tian nodded. "By the end of the year, the warfare will be fully quelled; the southwest will enjoy stability for at least decades."

His expression turned solemn. "During my time in Shu, though I didn't find Zhao Changsheng, I uncovered something else."

"I suspect Zhao Changsheng has others behind him."

Li Yan frowned. "How so?"

He knew the man was not referring to the Great Song Ghost Sect.

Field Captain Tian spoke low: "I've studied Zhao Changsheng's movements and locations in detail. I noticed other factions always appear nearby—seemingly unrelated, yet ultimately converging into one."

"There must be a group cooperating with Zhao Changsheng. They conceal their identities, acting only occasionally to assist others from the shadows."

"Our mole inside the Wang Mansion was recently discovered and silenced—but before he died, he sent a crucial message."

"Alongside Zhao Changsheng, another sorcerer entered the mansion—mysterious, and deeply trusted by the Prince."

"Our spy bribed a personal maid who overheard the Prince call the man 'Lu Sheng'…"

"Lu Sheng?!"

Li Yan's pupils contracted, his face turning icy.

He had thought Field Captain Tian overly suspicious—but hearing that name, he knew the man's guess was almost certainly correct.

"Lu Sheng" and "Hou Sheng" were both alchemists from the time of the First Emperor, tied to the burning of books and burying of scholars. After Qin's fall, they used dark arts to remain undead.

Ghostly intruders—he had seen enough of them.

What truly stirred Li Yan's murderous intent was that these two knew the secret of the Nine Tripods, the state's sacred artifact, and had plotted to retrieve them.

The Nine Tripods had long been sunk into the Dragon Veins, traveling with them to suppress the vital fortune of Shenzhou.

Yet these two sought to dredge them up for their own selfish gain.

"Hou Sheng" had laid a trap at Shennü Peak—but before the Tripods could be caught, his soul scattered.

Before that, "Hou Sheng" had also targeted the Cloud Lord's Divine Palace, but the place was guarded—he could only spread rumors to harass.

Probably seeing no opportunity there, he came to Shu.

His infiltration of the Wang Mansion? Likely aimed at the Tripods!

Field Captain Tian was surprised. "Do you know him, Young Master Li?"

"An enemy. Must be eradicated without delay!"

Li Yan nodded grimly, saying no more.

The Tripods were too vital—even within his own group, only Wang Daoxuan and he knew the truth; he could not speak of them lightly.

"Good."

Field Captain Tian sensed something was off but did not press further. "In any case, be careful. I came here solely to warn you."

"Lu Sheng is the Wang's true confidant. If he moves against you, his methods will far exceed what you've seen so far—do not underestimate him."

"Also, word has come from the capital: His Majesty is displeased with the Wang's maneuvers. The Shu Commandant's forces will likely be strengthened. If you need aid, you may call upon them."

He rose to take his leave. "That's all. I'm departing now—by boat, out of Shu to Lingnan."

Li Yan frowned. "Field Captain, you look exhausted. Rest a day before leaving."

"No."

Field Captain Tian's face was weary, yet his eyes remained sharp. "When I first left the capital, I thought this was merely a bitter duty."

"But the more I've seen, the more horrifying it's become. If I can help Shenzhou rid itself of this scourge, my life will have been worth it!"

"Farewell!"

He bowed, then turned and walked away.

"Field Captain, take care."

Li Yan bowed deeply behind him.

After he left, Li Yan pondered, then summoned Wang Daoxuan and the others into the room. He activated the "Ruyi Treasure Pearl" and recounted the matter of the Nine Tripods.

He had intended to keep this secret buried.

But now that "Lu Sheng" had appeared and allied with the Wang, his intentions must be significant.

He could not handle it alone.

The others needed to know—to prepare themselves.

"If we can find his birth date or hair, that would be best."

Wang Daoxuan's face was grim, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

He had been the first to discover this, and had sworn to eliminate "Lu Sheng."

"We don't need hair or birth details."

Lu San shook his head. "He's hiding in the Wang Mansion, right? We just need an opening—create chaos, and Li Yan slips in and uses the Yin Soldiers to take him."

"Damn."

Sha Li Fei sighed. "You guys are all insane. If you do that, we won't survive it."

Li Yan nodded. "Correct. We can't act recklessly."

"Since the Wang Mansion is targeting us, let's play along—keep sabotaging their plans. If we still can't draw out 'Lu Sheng,' we'll think of another way."

The Wang Mansion was surely filled with experts and traps—it was a dragon's den and tiger's lair. Unless absolutely forced, they must not risk such a reckless move.

The plan was settled by midday.

Outside the gate of "Ruifuzhai," the street bustled with carts, horses, and crowds.

In a small town like this, it was normal—unlike Chang'an or Chengdu, where noble districts restricted commoners and remained quiet.

Suddenly, the noise shattered.

Pedestrians, tea drinkers at roadside tables—all looked up. A group approached down the street.

Some were middle-aged or older, others young; their attire varied, yet behind them trailed a dense throng of men.

Clearly, they were not to be trifled with.

At their head was a middle-aged man.

He wore a brocade robe, his features regular, skin pale, with a few strands of black beard hanging on his chest. He walked with hands clasped behind his back, exuding quiet authority. When they reached "Ruifuzhai," the Luo family guards immediately stepped forward, bowing. "May I ask your business?"

The man ignored them. He glanced around, plucked a leaf, flicked it—and instantly, a sharp aura surged from it, piercing toward a stone lion beside the gate.

His motion was slow; the leaf drifted gently into the stone lion.

The Luo guards' eyes widened in shock.

Luo Jun'an, alerted, rushed out. Seeing the leaf embedded in the stone lion, his pupils contracted. He bowed respectfully. "Might you be Elder Zou Shaohai?"

The man still said nothing, his gaze fixed on the mansion.

Indeed, Li Yan and the others emerged.

Zou Shaohai finally spoke to Li Yan: "I heard you once demonstrated the ability to pierce stone with a melon seed at Wufeng Creek outside Chengdu. If you can do it again, you'll earn the right to fight me."

"I don't wish to bully the young, but yesterday, when I sent a messenger to invite you, you mocked him and demanded I come in person."

"I'm here now. Let's see if you can withstand it!"

One by one, he looked at

Li Yan glanced at the leaf, stepped to the green stone, and his expression turned serious.

No wonder the Shiquan Society was stirring—there was a true master among them.

His own melon seed had some resilience, but was easily broken; sufficient force could pierce green stone.

But this leaf was extremely soft.

Force alone would not suffice.

Either he had mastered gang jin—able to infuse even petals and leaves with sword or saber aura, piercing not just stone but iron—or he had used martial arts.

Judging by his appearance, he didn't seem like a sorcerer…

He was a master who had cultivated gang jin!

He is a master who has cultivated gang jin!

When did the Divine Fist Society get someone like this?

Generally, sorcerers hold higher status, but once a martial artist attains Gangjing, they enter an entirely different state.

Whether using weapons or bare hands, one can condense their own spirit, Qi, and blood into Gangjing to enhance power, achieving astonishing force and even slaying evil spirits.

The power of Gangjing depends on the density of the condensed Gang Qi.

At advanced cultivation levels, one can even shield the body with Gang Qi, directly resisting certain sorcery techniques—truly formidable.

When encountering such a person, even ordinary sorcerers must bow their heads.

But those who can reach this level are exceedingly rare.

Li Yan has the Great Luo Body to assist him and possesses modest talent in martial arts, yet even now he has merely touched the threshold of Hua Jing's peak.

Zhang Xiaotian of Wudang is also a genius, yet he spent his entire life stuck at Dan Jing.

Dan Jing allows prolonged combat and makes one a fearsome general in the army.

If one attains Gangjing, they become a figure who slaughters enemies in battle as easily as slicing melons and chopping vegetables.

Why have I never heard of this person before?

Li Yan felt puzzled in his heart, yet his face showed no expression.

He knew that though the other had not spoken outright, he had clearly stated the conditions: do not damage the green stone, do not touch the leaves, and extract them.

If this were ordinary Hua Jing, it truly would be impossible.

But he had mastered the Immortal Seal Technique and could give it a try.

Thinking this, Li Yan directly placed his hand on the back of the stone lion's head, his thoracic membrane vibrating as he emitted the Great Cloud Thunder Sound, while simultaneously flicking his wrist.

The trembling force transmitted outward; the stone lion trembled slightly, and the leaves embedded in its body loosened somewhat.

After two more repetitions, the leaves finally fell.

This was the key: if he had simply used brute force, he could have knocked the leaves off, but the stone lion would have inevitably borne scars.

Yet even so, the difference in skill was immediately apparent.

The other remained calm and effortless, while he had to exert considerable effort.

There was no help for it—compared to him in pure martial cultivation, Li Yan was far behind.

"Truly, heroes emerge in youth."

The middle-aged man, upon seeing this, did not mock but nodded and said: "At this age, to achieve such a feat is rare."

With that, he raised his hand.

Whoosh!

Behind him, disciples immediately lowered their banners.

On them were written: Sichuan Divine Fist Society, Fire Dragon Fist, Zou!

"Greetings, Elder Zou."

Li Yan's expression remained calm as he slightly bowed his hands.

He knew Fire Dragon Fist—it was connected to Emei, yet absorbed features from the Daoist Sun Sect's Fire Dragon Dance, centered on Willow Leaf Palm and revolving around Wind Eye Fist.

Its stances were high, agile, and stable, front-light and rear-heavy. It excelled in twisting the waist, turning the hips, loosening the shoulders, and rotating the elbows, using the opponent's force against them, relying on skill rather than strength, supple and agile, soft overcoming hard.

To be honest, it was a formidable lineage.

But with Qingcheng and Emei overshadowing it, it could never shine brightly.

No wonder it suddenly wanted to step forward now.

Apparently, a master had emerged in their sect; if they could push him forward and accumulate enough reputation, once he entered the Primordial State, even if he fell short of a Grandmaster, the sect could expand rapidly.

Thinking this, Li Yan already understood what the other wanted, yet feigned ignorance and asked: "Elder, you've come to my door—what advice do you offer?"

Zou Shaohai gently stroked his beard. "I've heard you have ties with Elder Zhang Xiaoshan of Wudang. I have no wish to bully the younger generation, but Wang Han of Lotus Sect, Master Tan Wanpei of Puan Monastery, and Luo Zhen of Iron Blade Gate—all are heroes of Sichuan."

"Their disciples came weeping to my door. If I do not give them an answer, won't people laugh and say Sichuan has no men left?"

He spoke these words with particular loudness.

"Well said!"

"Don't bring shame to Sichuan!"

On the street, the confused commoners immediately shouted in agreement.

This old devil is too eager…

Li Yan knew Zou Shaohai was pretending to draw his sword to strike Peigong—he had no intention of fighting him directly, but was using this incident to bring the Divine Fist Society into the spotlight, deliberately steering the conversation toward Sichuan martial circles.

If he truly meant to fight, he wouldn't have adopted this posture.

Thinking this, Li Yan nodded slightly and said: "Since Elder has spoken, I shall naturally comply. What are the terms? Please lay them out."

"Naturally, by the rules of the Jianghu."

Seeing Li Yan so cooperative, Zou Shaohai's tone softened slightly. "Tomorrow at You hour, at Wangjiang Tower outside the city—I'll be waiting for you!"

With that, he bowed slightly and led his people away.

Li Yan and the others returned to the residence.

No sooner had they sat down than Wang Daoxuan asked: "Zou Shaohai didn't make himself clear—what Jianghu rules? Will there be a fight or not?"

"It's the Jianghu rules of Sichuan."

Nearby, Luo Jun'an quickly spoke up: "Zou Shaohai came here in person—on the surface, it's a show of dominance, but in truth, it's offering a face-saving way out. All we need to do before tomorrow is deliver a formal visitation letter, and it becomes a civil matter."

"A civil matter usually means summoning witnesses to stand by, setting up the Dragon Gate formation, discussing the matter, reasoning it out, and establishing a resolution."

"This will require assistance. Li Shaoxia, rest assured—the Lushan Sect's people are already on the way. They'll certainly want to help with something like this."

"Zou Shaohai resolving this peacefully also gives the Divine Fist Society face, which is why he's so eager."

"Sounds quite lively…"

Li Yan, lost in thought, said: "Livelier is better. Coincidentally, I know a few people myself…"

(End of Chapter)