Chapter 545: The Twelve Yuan Chen First Manifest Their Power

"What did you say?"

Sha Lifei startled, leaping to his feet.

He naturally knew what the "Ghost Opera Troupe" was.

Like them, it was also a wandering immortal troupe, but with greater fame and more elite cultivators, causing quite a stir in the Daoist underworld at the time.

But unlike them, the "Ghost Opera Troupe" had turned to the dark path, acting without any moral limits as long as it served their interests, until they were eventually wiped out.

One of them, the "Ghost Painted Face," had hidden within the Wang Fu, later slain by Li Yan, but not before Li Yan learned a piece of news:

The "Ghost Opera Troupe" had secretly been rebuilt.

Li Yan had already warned them to be wary of these people.

Sha Lifei had never imagined this matter was connected to the "Ghost Opera Troupe."

"So it seems you all know."

Hou Xuan, seeing their expressions, nodded and continued: "I am not of the Daoist sect. I only heard this name after drinking with Brother Lu, who mentioned it by chance."

"Thirty years ago, in Guanxian, there was a wealthy Yang family, well-off with extensive land, but the old Yang had fallen ill in his youth and remained childless—no matter how much he burned incense, prayed to Buddhas, or sought famed physicians, nothing worked."

"Then, during one Water Festival, this old Yang spent a fortune organizing a sacrifice to the True Lord of Manifestation, and miraculously, his concubine became pregnant with a son."

"Overjoyed at having a son, the old Yang threw a grand banquet for the baby's full-moon celebration and hired an opera troupe—yet that very night, disaster struck…"

"According to survivors, that day the Yang mansion was plagued by strange events: many suddenly went mad, attacking people randomly; bandits also broke into town, burning, killing, and looting…"

"That night, not a single chicken or dog survived the Yang household; the great mansion was reduced to ashes, and even today, people say ghosts haunt it."

"This was a major case at the time; common folk blamed bandits, but as someone who moves in the underworld, I heard rumors. Only later did Brother Lu tell me about the 'Ghost Opera Troupe.'"

"So that's how it was…"

Sha Lifei pondered a moment, then asked: "It seems you're quite close to Brother Lu?"

"We're on good terms. Brother Lu is a man of righteousness; whenever I encounter strange matters, I often seek his help."

"Does Brother Lu have any children?"

"No, Brother Lu has always been alone. I once tried to introduce him to a wife, so he'd have someone to care for him, but he firmly refused."

Here, Hou Xuan suddenly chuckled, "But Brother Lu was quite taken with a young widow—he'd often visit her, bringing mutton. He kept doing it for years, yet she never accepted him…"

Hearing this, Sha Lifei understood at once, pressing urgently: "Where is she now?"

"She's long dead."

"Dead?"

"Yes, she was very old—considered a blessed passing. Brother Lu even had me send some men to help carry her coffin."

"Did she leave any descendants?"

"She had a son—strong-built, quiet, never spoke much. After she died, he vanished somewhere…"

"Brother Hou, could you take us there?"

"Of course."

Hou Xuan was surprised but readily agreed.

…………

"This was the widow's old home."

Hou Xuan led the group, avoiding patrolling yamen runners, to the gate of a small, modest courtyard in Xicheng.

Outside, the yard was piled with broken debris; inside, smoke curled from the hearth, and voices scolded children—clearly, someone still lived there.

Hou Xuan explained: "After the widow died, the house stood empty. Brother Lu sold it—I helped arrange the sale. Would you like to go inside?"

Lu San's ears twitched; he shook his head: "No, let's go. Let's see the Yang family's ruined mansion."

This place had changed hands for years; no clues would remain.

"Alright, follow me."

Hou Xuan wasted no words, leading them past patrols to a secluded riverside.

"Why build it so far out?"

Sha Lifei glanced around, puzzled.

"The Yang family has lived here for generations."

Hou Xuan explained: "This place once had a village, a dock, and cultivated fields—it was far more comfortable than living inside the city."

"But that's precisely why disaster struck. After the Yang mansion was destroyed, strange events persisted; villagers dared not stay and fled one by one, leaving the area abandoned…"

He pointed ahead: "Look—over there is Yang Village."

Everyone looked up. A small ancient village stood before them, overgrown with withered grass, most houses collapsed, their broken walls buried under thick snow.

"Wait!"

Wang Daoxuan suddenly spoke, raising a hand to halt them, his face grave: "There are many footprints inside the village—someone has been here. Let's check for ambushes first."

Lu San understood, waving his hand; behind them, the hawk Ling Dong took flight, circling above the village, then gliding along its edges.

"Relax—the village is empty," Lu San said.

Only then did the group relax, drawing weapons and entering the village.

Indeed, the ground was covered in dense footprints, as if pressed during the heavy snowfall two days prior, now lightly dusted with fresh snow.

"Looks like they've already searched here."

Sha Lifei surveyed the surroundings, shaking his head slightly.

The "Ghost Painted Face" once served in the Wang Fu—he'd know about the past events, and likely leaked the information.

But strangely, the "Ghost Painted Face" had died recently; why was the Wang Fu only now searching? What had happened…

Sha Lifei was puzzled, but had no time to dwell on it; he turned and asked: "Where is the old Yang mansion?"

"Right up ahead."

Hou Xuan led them to a pile of ruins.

"Wait."

Wang Daoxuan frowned, brushing aside snow to pick up extinguished red candles and half-burned talismans.

"Someone performed ritual here."

He looked around, then unslung a leather pouch from his waist, scooped up a handful of incense ash, chanted a spell, and flung it sharply into the air.

Instantly, the ash drifted, swirling in the wind, forming a faint trail that fell toward the ruins on the left.

This was a form of divination.

Incense ash was a common ritual material; Wang Daoxuan used it to trace the residual traces of magical practice.

The group followed the ash trail to the ruins.

Beneath a charred, rotting beam lay a pit, surrounded by scattered bones—long decayed, clearly ancient.

"What did they dig up?"

"Unknown."

As the group puzzled over it, a hawk's cry pierced the sky.

"Watch out—firearms! Take cover!"

Lu San shouted a warning, grabbing Wang Daoxuan and leaping behind a collapsed wall.

The others reacted swiftly, diving for cover.

They were seasoned; they knew how to handle firearms.

Only Hou Xuan, merely a local underworld figure, was stunned—Wu Ba dragged him behind the wall, and he still looked dazed: "What's going on…?"

BOOM!

No sooner had he spoken than a deafening explosion rocked the ground.

Where they had stood moments before, the earth erupted, dirt and snow spraying outward, leaving a deep crater, smoke billowing.

"It's a new-type firearm!"

Sha Lifei glanced and instantly judged: "Position: noon, three hundred paces—there's a sorcerer!"

Among the underworld, they were among the first to encounter firearms and had long trained specifically for them.

Not just for using them in combat, but for defense too.

Sha Lifei, experienced and sharp, immediately pinpointed the location—and deduced the attacker must be a sorcerer to have gotten so close.

"San'er, how many?"

Thinking quickly, Sha Lifei asked. Lu San looked skyward, replying grimly: "Two are sneaking in; over a dozen are racing down from the opposite hill."

"Take them out first!"

Sha Lifei hissed, pulling two black pellets from his waist pouch.

These were Thunderfire Pellets—enforcement tools of the Taiquan Zhengjiao. Once thrown, they exploded with thunder and flame, spewing thick smoke.

In darkness, they served as flash grenades; in daylight, as smoke screens—extremely useful. Every time they visited Chenghuangmiao, they bought some.

CRACKLE-POP!

The two Thunderfire Pellets ignited and hurled, sparks flying, crimson and black smoke surging upward, obscuring all sight.

"San'er, move in and cover us!"

Sha Lifei whispered again.

Lu San understood instantly, chanting a spell and tapping his waist gourd.

Near Chongqing Prefecture, while searching for celestial treasures, they'd accidentally found a venomous wasp nest and fed them all to the demonic gourd.

One by one, each line's content is fully present!

The demonic gourd, once drained of venom and severely weakened, had absorbed this treasure and, after prolonged nurturing, reached a new level.

The newly born venomous bees were tiny, entirely black, faster in speed and more potent in venom.

Buzz!

A rumbling sound rose as a plume of black smoke roared out of the gourd, spiraled in midair, then shot off toward the distance from the other side.

"Ah—watch out for venomous insects!"

Immediately, screams erupted from the dense forest ahead.

Meanwhile, Sha LiFei leapt forward, crouching low as he sprinted swiftly through the ruins, then leapt again, landing behind the broken wall at the edge of the abandoned village.

Click!

As he landed, he had already swapped out the magazine.

Sha LiFei had always been skilled with firearms, a crack shot; after awakening his spiritual ability, his senses sharpened and his marksmanship improved further.

He didn't even look—he merely twitched his ears, judged the approximate direction of his target, then surged upward and pulled the trigger.

Boom!

A deafening blast sent snow cascading from the forest.

Yet even as he fired, Sha LiFei had already leapt away, landing behind another broken wall.

Boom!

Someone on the opposite side fired simultaneously.

The earthen wall where he had been hiding instantly shattered and collapsed in a thunderous ruin.

Sha LiFei sneered, rose again, and pulled the trigger.

Knowing his opponent was a Daoist, he had prepared accordingly—the power of the Divine Fire Gun was sufficient to pierce through walls; neither side would get a second chance.

Boom!

A thunderous blast, then silence from the opposite side.

Sha LiFei knew the shooter was dead.

After all, the venomous bees were still swarming—if he were alive, even if he could endure the piercing pain, he would have been forced to retreat.

Indeed, when he entered the forest, he immediately saw two corpses beneath snapped branches.

One was a gunman, clad in a black robe, wearing official boots, his chest pierced by a bullet, leaving a gaping wound.

Beside him lay a Daoist, his temples sliced open by shrapnel, still clutching a talismanic artifact, his body swollen and discolored blue from bee stings.

"Men of the Commandant's Office?"

Sha LiFei tore off the gunman's waist token, glanced at it, and snorted: "Of course—always those driven by greed."

The Commandant's Office was under direct imperial control; given the current relationship between the court and Prince Shu, they couldn't even observe closely, let alone approach.

Earlier, the Battalion Commander from the capital had warned them: someone in the Shu Commandant's Office had defected to Prince Shu's mansion—don't trust anyone.

Who would've thought they'd come straight here with Divine Fire Guns to lend aid?

No time to dwell on it—Sha LiFei hid behind a large tree, pulled a fire caltrop from his backpack, and whispered to Lu San: "Count the time."

Lu San immediately whistled into the air.

Whoosh!

A hawk swooped down, chirping twice.

"Three breaths!"

"Good!"

Hearing this, Sha LiFei took another length of fuse from his robe, extended the caltrop's fuse, then lit it.

The hawk, Liding, was well-trained—it seized the caltrop and shot skyward, flying high into the distance before dropping it.

As Sha LiFei had expected, the enemy were men of Prince Shu's mansion.

"Watch out!"

"Scatter!"

Their Xuanmen expert sensed danger immediately.

The dozen men rushing down the mountain quickly dispersed.

But it was already too late.

Boom!

As the fire caltrop neared the ground, it exploded violently.

Sha LiFei had enhanced it—this new gunpowder's power was astonishing, the blast like thunder rolling.

Amid rolling shockwaves, snow and soil sprayed everywhere; embedded iron shards and ceramic fragments rained down like a storm of needles.

Several men couldn't dodge in time—some were blown to pieces, others riddled with bloodied holes, collapsing to the ground.

The rest, even unharmed, were hurled through the air by the terrifying blast wave, landing in utter disarray.

Buzz!

Before they could recover, the venomous bees surged forward.

"Run!"

The leader screamed shrilly.

He wore a Daoist robe, his face swollen with fat, hair wild and unkempt—the heretic cultivator who had killed Lu Laohei.

He had set traps in the village, hoping to lure them in, but had instead stepped on an iron plate—overwhelmed by this barrage of attacks, he now sought to flee.

But he had vastly underestimated Sha LiFei and his companions.

Under cover of the venomous bees, Sha LiFei and Lu San swiftly closed in.

One raised a bone club, the other gripped the Divine Fire Gun—they didn't waste shots, targeting only those holding firearms.

Boom! Boom!

Two thunderous blasts—the last two gunmen had their skulls shattered.

Whoosh!

A figure leapt out—a skilled swordsman wielding twin blades, face twisted in terror, darting through the trees to escape.

But he had taken only two steps when he heard a vicious wind howling behind him.

Before he could react, a massive battle-axe split him clean in two, blood spraying everywhere.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

With a thunderous roar, Wu Ba charged forth.

He slammed his shoulder into one man, sending him flying.

With a casual swing of his fist, he crushed another's skull.

"Fall!"

The heretic Daoist panicked—seeing Wu Ba charging, he quickly formed a hand seal, held up a talisman, and pointed at him.

It was the Mind-Confusing Spell, specifically designed to subdue martial artists.

But before he could complete the incantation, he felt dizzy, nauseous, his body swaying unsteadily.

No—someone cast a spell on me!

The Daoist's heart lurched in terror, but he had no time to react—Wu Ba's palm smashed into his skull, crushing it instantly.

Far away, Wang Daoxuan, holding the jujube pit extracted from Lu Laohei's body, ceased chanting and tossed it aside.

Casting spells on others leaves openings.

Wang Daoxuan had kept this item precisely for this moment.

In mere moments, they had won.

Hou Xuan, who had been hiding behind the broken wall, cautiously emerged, staring at Sha LiFei and the others, swallowing hard.

Before leaving, Wang Tianzuo had instructed him to treat these men with respect and serve them carefully.

Now he understood why.

This is the Twelve Zodiacs…

(End of Chapter)