Chapter 522

The constables of Suining County felt like they were going mad.

This had originally been an ordinary day, no different from any other.

They yawned while eating, checked in for roll call, took the bench, watched the county magistrate handle a few dull cases, then discussed who would host a small gathering that evening.

With the New Year approaching, there was only so much to do.

Mostly petty thieves breaking into homes, and a few more swindlers setting up scams—after all, even thieves wanted a prosperous New Year.

And those who couldn't survive the year-end and resorted to desperate acts.

These matters depended entirely on the magistrate's attitude.

If the magistrate felt the county's morals had deteriorated and bandits were rampant, they would go straight to the head of the Rong Men and beat them until they ordered their disciples to behave.

If outsiders dared to rob without paying tribute or bowing to local power, they would be handed over to the constables for reward.

This was how officials survived.

They were deeply rooted in the locality; any disturbance was known to them, and even if the people cursed them and officials looked down on them, governing the region still required their cooperation.

But today was utterly bizarre.

Just after noon, a villager rushed in to report that a fight had broken out at the oil press—crack, crack—people's arms were being snapped like firewood.

The county magistrate's heart sank at once.

He didn't know who these people were, only that they carried a token he dared not defy, so he assigned his most capable subordinate to arrange their lodging.

If anything went wrong, they wouldn't make it through the New Year.

He immediately ordered all constables to mobilize.

Before they could even leave, news arrived from Lingquan Temple: demons had appeared that morning, killing many, and the city was in panic.

The entire yamen was in chaos.

Wei Feng, the chief constable, was a capable officer; he immediately urged the magistrate to request aid from nearby garrisons, while the constables rushed to the city gates to stabilize the situation.

As for the oil press, he would go there first with a team.

This decision had its reasoning.

First, Suining County was the core—if a major disturbance erupted, none of them, from the magistrate down, would survive the New Year.

Second, going to the oil press himself would show he took it seriously, avoiding offense to whoever was involved—at least demonstrating concern.

Thus, most of the yamen's strength headed to the city gates, while only Chief Constable Wei Feng and one subordinate went to the oil press.

As soon as they arrived outside, he nearly exploded with rage.

Several local ruffians were blocking the oil press entrance while looting the courtyard.

Poor servants of the Shu Prince's mansion, their limbs broken, could not resist—and out of shame, dared not reveal their identity, only threatening in vain.

But these local thugs had no idea who they were dealing with.

Seeing their defiance, they delivered a flurry of slaps, leaving each man's face bruised and swollen, teeth clenched, silent.

"Get out!"

Chief Constable Wei Feng, his scalp prickling with fury, charged forward with his subordinate, swinging their sword scabbards to beat the ruffians senseless.

After driving them off, he let out a forced laugh, pretending ignorance while feigning concern: "Gentlemen, you…"

But his words were cut off by a sharp voice.

"Don't ask anything!"

"Send someone to treat our wounds and get us out of Suining…"

"And don't let any of those people escape!"

The tone was domineering, utterly disrespectful.

It was a eunuch!

Chief Constable Wei Feng's scalp went numb; he nodded frantically: "Yes, yes, where are the killers? We'll…"

"Not your concern. Keep your mouths shut!"

"But…"

"We did it to ourselves, alright?!"

These Shu Prince's men had been acting covertly; now they'd been publicly humiliated and dared not escalate matters.

They feared Li Yan might kill them.

They feared punishment from the Shu Prince's household.

So they had no choice but to swallow their rage.

"Fine, fine—quick, send for a physician!"

Seeing the victims wouldn't press charges, Chief Constable Wei Feng had no interest in meddling; he ordered his subordinate to fetch a doctor.

After handling the oil press, he hurried to the city gates.

There, the situation was already under control.

Constables and soldiers from the garrison had kept onlookers at bay, and several cart drivers were being interrogated.

Outside the city gate stood several large carts.

On the rear flatbeds, some were piled high with corpses wrapped in straw mats, reeking of blood; others carried terrified, wounded survivors.

The foremost cart held a serpent's head—half the size of a house, scales the size of palms, dead gray, both eyes shattered, leaving only massive hollows.

The foul, unmistakable stench of serpents filled the air.

Chief Constable Wei Feng felt a chill run down his spine; he hurried forward to question the cart drivers, learning the full story:

To celebrate the Buddha's birthday, Lingquan Temple had gathered many workers and pilgrims from all over, who camped outside the temple.

This morning, a giant serpent burst from the earth, rampaging and injuring many—but Buddhist masters gathered there subdued and killed it, though at great cost.

Outside Lingquan Temple, chaos reigned.

These were Suining County workers, funded by merchants, transporting the wounded and corpses back for prompt burial.

As for the serpent's head, someone had suggested delivering it to the yamen as evidence—after all, so many had died; there had to be some accounting.

"Who made this idiotic decision?!"

Chief Constable Wei Feng nearly burst with rage upon hearing this.

Such matters couldn't be handled so recklessly—first, control the situation, calm the people, then decide what to do.

This was adding chaos to chaos.

"It was the son of the Provincial Administration Commissioner…"

His subordinate whispered urgently.

Chief Constable Wei Feng stiffened, forcibly suppressing his anger, then shouted to the crowd: "All citizens, see—the demon has been slain! The masters of Guangde Temple will surely perform rites to guide the dead to peace—disperse now!"

"And you—take the corpses to the morgue, examine and record them, notify the families to come identify them…"

"You others, patrol the city—tell those people, if any dare to stir trouble or spread false rumors, I won't spare them…"

Chief Constable Wei Feng, experienced as he was, issued orders swiftly, stabilizing the situation and calming the people.

Among the crowd were Li Yan and his companions.

After beating up the Shu Prince's men, they hadn't gone far when they heard the news and came to the city gate to watch.

Gazing at the enormous serpent head, they exchanged glances.

"Young Master Li, is that the one?"

Sha Lifei whispered.

Li Yan nodded, lost in thought, staring toward Lingquan Temple.

Earlier, the Dragon Maiden had appeared in his dream—in the underwater Dragon Maiden Palace, a colossal water serpent coiled there.

When Li Yan and his group arrived, no water serpent was present; they'd assumed it was merely an omen, not real.

Yet now, it had appeared at Lingquan Temple.

Had some rogue follower of the Worship the Dragon Cult hidden inside?

And the Shu Prince's men—hadn't their original plan been to lure them into Lingquan Temple? Was there a connection…?

Seeing officials begin dispersing the crowd, Li Yan gave a signal, and they quickly left.

"Young Master Li, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

Back at the old house, Sha Lifei asked at once.

Since gaining his spiritual power, he'd been training constantly—the sensation of both martial and spiritual growth was addictive, but since arriving in Suining, he'd been too busy.

Li Yan understood his intent; after a moment's thought, he said: "Tomorrow, going to Guangde Temple isn't for a group—I'll go alone. You all stay and rest."

"Stay safe. Watch out for retaliation from the Shu Prince's household."

After giving instructions, everyone went their separate ways.

Like Sha Lifei, they needed to rest and recuperate during this brief calm.

Lu San and Wang Daoxuan focused on cultivating their spellcraft.

Unlike Li Yan, they were cautious with every practice, fearing mistakes in spirit retention that might damage their souls and force long recovery—so their progress was much slower.

Their main effort remained spellcraft cultivation.

This was the normal pace of a true cultivator.

Reaching the third story was already the limit for ordinary people; beyond that, it grew ever harder.

Take the abbot of Wudang's Five Dragon Palace, Yu Longzi—exceptional talent, trained on the mountain for years, now nearly fifty, and still only at the fifth story.

Wang Daoxuan and Lu San had reached the third story so quickly only because they'd traveled with Li Yan and gained rare opportunities.

To advance further would be exceedingly difficult.

To advance further is exceedingly difficult.

As for Wu Ba, under Li Yan's guidance, he began learning basic martial arts techniques.

He is a raw jade, awakened with a divine ability, possessing near-animal instinct over his body, coupled with an astonishing physique—once he trains in human martial arts, no one knows what will happen.

Li Yan admits he is no great master, so he only teaches basic techniques; the opening punches must be entrusted to Wu Qu, the genius of Cangzhou's Eight Extremes.

Thus, without realizing it, night fell.

It seemed the plan had been disrupted: neither the Worship of the Dragon Sect nor the Wang Fu sent anyone to trouble them, not even a single spy.

By nightfall, Luo Jun'an returned from seeing someone off, shared some news from Lingquan Temple, then hurriedly left again.

He didn't come just to run errands for Li Yan.

The Wangjiang Tower gathering resolved several hidden threats, allowing Li Yan to formally enter the Sichuan underworld.

The Luo family also intended to seize this opportunity to court allies on multiple fronts.

They had already positioned themselves against the Wang Fu.

At the very least, they needed the strength to defend themselves when retaliation came.

As Zou Shaohai said, Sichuan appeared calm, but beneath the surface, currents churned—both in court and in the underworld.

Sichuan, the Land of Abundance, is geographically isolated.

"When the world is not yet in chaos, Sichuan is already in chaos; when the world is already pacified, Sichuan remains unruly"—this saying is no idle rumor.

Now, all the major and minor factions in Sichuan are watching two men.

One is the Wang, ordered to remain at home in reflection.

The other is the Emperor in the capital.

How these two brothers resolve their conflict will directly determine whether Sichuan plunges into great chaos.

But Li Yan knew they must also watch two others:

Erlang Zhenjun and the reincarnation of Jiangshen Dajun.

What he still did not understand was how Jiangshen Dajun would become Erlang Zhenjun's calamity.

And what opportunities they might seize in the process…

…………

Knock knock knock!

The next morning, as dawn broke, someone knocked at the door.

A Luo family servant opened it, and outside stood a disciple of the Divine Fist Society, bowing respectfully: "By the Chairman's order, I've come to invite Li Shaoxia."

Li Yan had already prepared himself.

The Luo family dealt in Shu brocade, so they owned many silk shops and tailoring establishments, and had already prepared new clothes for everyone.

Clad in a black martial robe adorned with dark gold cloud patterns, Li Yan looked both efficient and splendid.

"Where is Elder Zou?"

"Waiting for you at the dock."

Li Yan followed him to the dock and found Zou Shaohai already aboard a boat, dressed simply in white robes, with few disciples in tow.

Guangde Temple lay across the Fujiang River; the two crossed by boat, then mounted horses after landing, riding to the foot of Wolong Mountain.

Before even ascending the mountain, Li Yan sensed something extraordinary.

The mountain path was lined with dense, lush trees, serene and tranquil, with ancient stone pagodas standing occasionally beside the trail, and pilgrims and monks passing frequently.

"Guangde Temple's status is not ordinary."

Zou Shaohai whispered beside him: "It is an imperial Zen temple; during the Great Xuan Dynasty alone, it received over a dozen imperial commendations, and even houses a Stele of Imperial Edict…"

Li Yan shook his head: "Logically, it's a Buddhist holy site—how could the Worship of the Dragon Sect grow here and summon demonic creatures?"

"This matter has deeper roots."

Zou Shaohai glanced around, then whispered: "Yesterday, we heard news—the temple had already been troubled; several visiting monks vanished without cause."

"The day before, several high monks from the Vinaya School arrived secretly to investigate, and by accident discovered a suspicious old temple servant."

"They tried to apprehend him, but the old monk's cultivation was profound—he killed several of them and summoned a serpent demon lurking in the river."

"The old monk… who is he?"

"Unknown. He summoned the serpent demon to cause chaos, then slipped away during the confusion—vanished without trace. Perhaps he is the Worship of the Dragon Sect's leader you mentioned."

As they spoke, the two arrived at the outer gates of Guangde Temple.

The temple was built into the mountainside, its main gate majestic and imposing.

Zou Shaohai had clearly made prior arrangements; a guest monk waited outside the gate, stepping forward with palms joined: "Are you Chairman Zou and Li Shaoxia?"

"Indeed."

"The Abbot has been awaiting you both. Please come this way."

With a guide, progress was smooth.

Li Yan felt his divine ability suppressed the moment he entered the temple; ancient halls loomed solemnly, the incense thick and heavy, pressing upon him faintly.

Inside the temple, towering ancient trees cast deep shade.

They followed the central axis, passing in sequence the Heng and Ha Hall, the Stele of Imperial Edict, the Stele Pavilion, the Heavenly Kings Hall, and other halls.

Soon, they reached the outer courtyard of the Great Hero Hall.

The hall featured double eaves and nine ridges, its upturned corners soaring, radiating grandeur.

Apparently prepared for the Buddha's birthday, the hall had just been renovated; the Buddha statue stood majestic, newly gilded, and amid swirling incense, golden light shimmered brilliantly.

At this place, Li Yan dared not casually activate his divine ability.

Inside the hall, several elderly monks sat calmly beneath the Buddha, each radiating formidable aura, serene and dignified.

"Abbot, the two guests have arrived."

After the guest monk ushered them in, he immediately withdrew.

The lead elder monk had calm eyes and white eyebrows hanging to his chest; upon seeing Zou Shaohai, he smiled gently: "Chairman Zou, it has been a long time."

"Venerable Master."

Watching their exchange, Li Yan knew this was Zhi Tong Chan Shi, Abbot of Guangde Temple and leader of the Buddhist sect in the southwest.

Clearly, Guangde Temple took this matter seriously.

If this were a personal matter, they would have been received in a quiet chamber for tea and conversation; being received in the Great Hero Hall meant it concerned the entire temple.

After pleasantries, Zou Shaohai introduced Li Yan and outlined the situation with the Worship of the Dragon Sect.

To their surprise, the elderly monks showed no shock.

Li Yan immediately understood: "You masters already knew?"

The lead Abbot, Zhi Tong, sighed.

"To be frank, the Worship of the Dragon Sect's leader… is my uncle."

(End of Chapter)