Chapter 526

The new Qingcheng sect leader's Daoist name is Chenkongzi.

This is an unfamiliar name, at least Li Yan and the others hadn't heard of it, and his reputation in the Mystic Sect martial world was not loud either.

However, this matter was also normal.

Within the Mystic Sect, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers. There are quite a few masters who practice on the mountain all year round and haven't appeared in the martial world for a long time, so they are unknown to outsiders.

There are also some who used aliases to roam when they were young, accumulating experience and practicing in the world, and then restored their Daoist names to go up the mountain.

For Chenkongzi to ascend to the position, there must have been many rounds of maneuvering behind the scenes.

Of course, Li Yan didn't know about these things either.

The key was that they had been in Shu for so long and could finally go up Mount Qingcheng to handle some matters in advance.

For example, his long-awaited magical artifact, the precious saber...

…………

Heavy snow was falling, and the mountains were covered in silver.

Pedestrians were scarce on the mountain paths; occasionally there were traces of cart tracks, but they were covered by accumulated snow, becoming less obvious.

All around was silent, only snowflakes falling.

Mist swirled among the mountains, and snow hung on the branches.

The world was lonely, quiet, and desolate.

This is the ancient Shu road from Chengdu to Guanjiangkou; its age cannot be verified, but it has never been interrupted since ancient times.

If you want to go to Mount Qingcheng, the best choice is to follow the official road from Chengdu to Guanjiangkou, and when you get close, head southwest.

Or take the waterway, from Yibin and Meishan, transfer from the Min River to the Jinma River, and go directly to Guanjiangkou.

And if you want to go from other places, you have to climb mountains and cross ridges, walking some nameless paths where wild beasts appear.

Even the villagers in the mountains wouldn't choose to do this.

This official road used to be quite lively, but now it has entered the twelfth lunar month, and seeing that there are less than half a month left until the New Year, pedestrians and merchants on the road naturally become scarce.

People in Shu can endure hardship, but they also know how to enjoy themselves.

Even if they live poorly, they can't wrong their mouths; they slaughter pigs and sheep and prepare as much delicious food as possible for the festival.

Drinking tea in their spare time, playing leaf cards—only a fool would run around at this time.

What's more, this year's weather was a bit abnormal.

Some time ago, the snow came a bit early.

These two days, it was even more heavy snow; the waterfalls along the mountains were frozen, turning into hanging icicles, as if they had come to the northern country...

On the official road, Li Yan's group was moving forward.

They wore cloaks and bamboo hats, appearing exceptionally obvious on the vast white snow, and the only animal was the clumsy donkey carrying their luggage.

"This damn weather!"

Sha Lifei shook the accumulated snow off his hat, untied the wine gourd from his waist, took a few gulps, wiped his mouth, and said, "Yan Yan Xiao Ge Yan, if we go up the mountain now, will we be able to see anyone?"

"It shouldn't be a problem."

Li Yan also took a sip of wine, looked at the snowy mountain scenery, and smiled, "Old Madam Bai helped us inquire about it."

"Now that Mount Qingcheng has stabilized, they are preparing for next year's 'Opening the Cellar' grand meeting. When the heroes of the Divine Land gather, no faction wants to lose face in front of outsiders."

"They will definitely be busy after the New Year, so if we go up the mountain early, some things will be easier to handle."

Old Madam Bai is Bai Huan, who was originally from the Siming Society, and they escorted her all the way to Chengdu.

Sha Lifei asked casually, "They have stabilized, right?"

"It's okay."

Li Yan listened and thought thoughtfully.

"The two girls, Chaoyun and Xingyu, are highly valued and are being cultivated by the Shuiyue Nunnery. Old Madam Bai and the others have also benefited, and no one dares to make things difficult for them..."

As he spoke, he glanced at the distracted Sha Lifei and teased, "Old Sha, are you asking about someone else?"

Sha Lifei giggled, "Asking what you already know."

Li Yan shook his head, "Don't worry, Miss Long is already in seclusion on the Great Snow Mountain. Old Madam Bai said that with the Zither Insect, the chances are not small."

"That's good..."

Sha Lifei muttered and wrapped his cloak tighter.

He had grown a lot during this period.

To put it nicely, he was an old hand in the martial world; to put it bluntly, he was a down-and-out person with nothing, so he was bold.

But now, he had begun to possess many things.

The so-called 'ignorance is fearlessness'—when he started practicing and felt the difficulty, he realized what kind of geniuses Li Yan and the others were.

How to walk the road in the future?

How to stand firm and not become a burden?

He had been thinking about this during this period.

He had become much more steady, and his consideration of things was more comprehensive.

Thinking of this, Sha Lifei suddenly asked, "Yan Yan Xiao Ge Yan, are you going to the capital?"

"You mean the Qiankun Academy?"

Li Yan pondered for a moment, "Some time ago, I received a letter from Yan Jiuling saying that after the metropolitan examination this year, he would go to the Qiankun Academy to take up a post."

"The official opening of the Qiankun Academy should be set for April or May. If there is time, we can go and have a look; after all, we will have to deal with them in the future."

"This matter cannot be taken lightly."

Sha Lifei said in a deep voice, "On our journey, we have seen many changes in the Mystic Sect and the martial world, all related to the human path revolution."

"What exactly is this human path revolution? I don't know, but it definitely can't be separated from the imperial court."

"If we connect with the Qiankun Academy, we can at least figure out what will happen, so we don't get used by others in a muddle."

"That makes sense."

Li Yan thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

They were a wandering immortal team, walking in various places, practicing and training, half in the martial world, half in the Mystic Sect. Although they knew some imperial court officials, they were destined not to step into the quagmire of the imperial court.

However, he had already felt the power of the human path revolution.

Even the Great Luo Dharma Realm would be affected.

Living in this era, no one has a way to retreat.

The Commandant's Office is the Emperor's hunting dog.

The Law Enforcement Hall is the Mystic Sect's private property.

Only this newly established Qiankun Academy is most suitable for them, advancing and retreating freely, and not drifting with the tide in the storm.

Of course, they have to wait until the matters in Shu are finished...

………

Heavy snow blocked the mountains, and the road was difficult.

Although the group had extraordinary foot speed, they had only walked half the distance after a whole day, and without realizing it, the wind and snow grew stronger.

"San'er, find a place to stay."

Seeing that the sky was about to turn dark, Li Yan turned to remind him.

Lu San nodded, picked up the eagle whistle around his neck, pinched the Yang seal, and blew it. The modulated whistling sound immediately echoed in the mountains.

"Zha~ Zha!"

Several eagle cries came from the sky.

The increasingly divine-looking falcon flapped its wings and turned in the air, made a few rounds left and right, then flapped its wings and landed, chirping on Lu San's shoulder.

"There is a broken temple in the mountains ahead."

Lu San frowned slightly, "However, there is a carriage parked outside the temple."

"It's probably just travelers on the road; it's fine to share the space."

Li Yan didn't care. After giving a warning, he led the group to speed up their pace and followed the falcon forward.

After about three sticks of incense, the sky was completely dark. The wind and snow howled in the mountain paths, blowing straight into people's bones.

"Go this way."

Seeing the falcon's signal, Lu San pointed his hand to the right.

I saw a mountain path on the right leading to the mountainside; the woods on both sides were covered with accumulated snow, and the road was also pure white.

This mountain road had mostly been abandoned, and with the snow covering it, if it weren't for the falcon's exploration, they would have mostly missed it.

Leading the donkey and carrying their luggage, the group walked deep and shallow, passing through this nearly abandoned mountain path.

They didn't walk far before a large piece of flat land suddenly appeared in front, backed by mountains and facing a valley, where a mountain god temple of considerable size was built.

Usually, the scale of a mountain god temple is not uniform.

Like some famous mountains and rivers, the name of the mountain god has appeared in history books; the temples built are like palaces, with prosperous incense, and temple fairs are held every year, attracting pilgrims from all over.

And in some places, the mountain god is nameless, and there is even only a shrine, where hunters passing by occasionally light three sticks of incense devoutly.

In one look/p>

This mountain god temple was medium-sized, with a main hall, two rows of side rooms, and mud walls outside to block the view.

Like this kind of mountain god temple, there is basically a temple keeper stationed there, and it even serves as an inn where passing merchants and travelers can stay and earn some incense money along the way.

However, the one in front of them had already been abandoned.

The mud wall outside had collapsed halfway and was covered by heavy snow.

A carriage was parked outside the temple, looking brand new, but the horse pulling the carriage was nowhere to be seen, and the inside of the temple was pitch black.

Li Yan sniffed and frowned:

"There's a smell of blood, be careful!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the group immediately dispersed.

Lu San raised his hand, and the falcon soared into the sky to check the surrounding woods for ambushes.

And Sha Lifei and Wu Ba protected Wang Daoxuan without changing their expressions.

Li Yan first came to the carriage and lifted the curtain with his saber hilt, but saw that the inside was a mess, with bloodstains and signs of struggle.

He frowned and came to the broken temple, leaped into it, checked it, and said, "It's fine, there are a few corpses, they should have been encountered by bandits."

Sha Lifei and the others then entered the temple.

This mountain god temple was already dilapidated, only barely able to block the wind and snow. The windows and doors of the main hall had been dismantled by people to be used as firewood.

And in the side room on the right, which had collapsed halfway, lay several corpses, men and women, old and young.

This was clearly a family rushing home for the New Year, but unfortunately, they encountered bandits and were robbed of everything.

Their clothes had been stripped off; the two women had clearly been violated, their bodies in a mess, their faces full of fear and despair.

"Truly beasts!"

Seeing this, Wang Daoxuan frowned.

"It should be internal thieves colluding with external bandits."

Sha Lifei was experienced and had a guess after one look, "The clothes were stripped off, showing they were valuable; there were no calluses on their hands, they were people who enjoyed comfort; not a single servant's corpse was seen..."

"Looking at these corpses, they should have been killed yesterday."

Wang Daoxuan was somewhat puzzled, "In this winter, shouldn't the bandits on the mountain have closed their cabinets and hibernated?"

The Green Forest Path, the Lan Gate, has the habit of hibernating.

Every year when autumn arrives, the bandits start their vacation.

The big boss gathers the people, distributes the money (red cabinet), hides the long weapons, and agrees to gather the people in April of the coming year.

These bandits, those who have homes, lie to their neighbors, saying they have been doing business abroad all year and are going home for the New Year.

Those without homes, or in groups of three or five, spend the winter in the stronghold, or go to relatives and friends, and some go to find prostitutes or dark prostitutes.

There are even those who 'pull the gang sleeve'.

The so-called 'pulling the gang sleeve' is one woman with two husbands.

On weekdays, the woman has a legal husband, and when the bandit comes, he immediately occupies the bed, while the husband is responsible for carrying water and doing chores to serve.

Like this kind, the original husband is usually in poor health and has lost the ability to support the family, relying entirely on wearing a green hat for the whole family to survive.

In short, snakes have snake paths, and rats have rat paths.

After hibernation, the bandits must gather to count the number of people.

Once you enter the thief's den, it's basically impossible to quit.

If the boss finds out who didn't come, he will send someone to understand the situation. If they were killed by someone, he will pursue the murderer and cut off their head to sacrifice to the brothers.

If they inform or betray, he will find the guarantor and the person themselves, and kill them to warn others; almost every year, there are similar murder cases in various places.

At the same time, the common people also have experience.

Just like beasts hibernating, they need to gain fat in autumn, and the bandits are also red-eyed, numerous in quantity.

So when traveling in autumn, you have to hire more escorts.

And when winter arrives, the only trouble is the difficulty of traveling.

Robbing in this weather is breaking the rules.

"I'm afraid it's not bandits."

Sha Lifei shook his head, "They want to return home in glory for the New Year and brought quite a bit of wealth, making the servants jealous."

"They could report to the officials later, but in this desolate wilderness, if there is no victim to pay for the service, the yamen runners are too lazy to bother, and it mostly becomes another headless case."

He had walked the martial world, and this kind of thing was commonplace.

Although it was somewhat disgusting, the group still lifted the corpses out one by one, dug a pit, and buried them outside the temple, then Wang Daoxuan chanted scriptures to transcend them.

After finishing these, the sky was completely dark.

The group lit a bonfire in the Mountain God Hall to avoid this windy and snowy night.

Although it was freezing cold, they were already used to it; they stewed a big pot of cured meat, cured sausage, and pickled cabbage, heated the baked cakes, and ate and chatted while drinking strong wine.

Before they could say a few words, Li Yan and Lu San looked up at the courtyard at the same time.

"Someone is coming!"

Li Yan reminded them in a low voice.

The group didn't change their expressions and placed their weapons by their sides.

"Quick, quick, it's here!"

Not long after, shouting sounds rang out from outside, and then in the darkness, firelight flickered vaguely, accompanied by the neighing of mules and horses.

It was a merchant caravan of considerable size.

"Masters, I remember there is a broken temple here..."

A flattering voice rang out in front.

"Stop!"

From within the merchant caravan, an old man in a black robe suddenly walked out, his features square, and he had a hidden air of majesty.

He held a long saber in his hand, first sniffed, then looked at the carriage and the dirt mound where the corpses were buried, and his brows furrowed.

Swish!

He made a gesture, and many of the workers in the merchant caravan immediately drew their weapons with a 'clang', and some even bent their bows and set arrows, aiming at the broken temple.

"This is..."

The carriage driver in charge of leading the way was somewhat nervous.

The old man didn't pay attention to him either, but cupped his hands toward the broken temple and said loudly: "He Wu!"

"Friends in the temple, may I ask which path you are walking?"

Sha Lifei walked out of the temple wrapped in a cloak and said impatiently, "Brothers of the escort agency, we are not bad people, just people rushing through the wind and snow. If you want to come in, come in."

However, the old man still refused to move, glanced at the dirt mound, and said in a deep voice: "The corpses buried in the dirt, are you not fake Daoists in ambush?"

"Yo~"

Sha Lifei was also stunned for a moment, and cupped his hands, "So it is also a fellow practitioner. This matter has nothing to do with us, no need to worry."

The old man clearly didn't believe it, but through the broken door, he saw Li Yan and the others in the main hall and suddenly remembered something, his expression becoming respectful.

"May I ask, are you the Twelve Yuan Chen?"

(End of chapter)