Chapter 556: Six Hermits of the Bamboo Grove

"Senior, we truly are fated..."

Upon clarifying the old man's identity, a smile appeared on Li Yan's face.

There is a saying: "One may be like a new acquaintance even after a lifetime of white hair, or like an old friend upon the first meeting."

Sometimes, people spend their days together yet harbor murderous intent, while at other times, a mere passing glance can lead to an instant bond.

Fate is truly a wondrous thing.

Although both had been masked at the time, the old man's demeanor as a worldly eccentric and his gallantry in righting wrongs had left a deep impression on Li Yan.

"I, too, did not expect we would meet again so soon."

The old man's complexion was deathly pale, yet a faint smile touched his lips. "Just now, as you entered the door, I heard your voice, which is why I had Fellow Daoist Liang go and invite you."

So that was it...

Upon hearing this, Li Yan understood instantly.

This senior from the Pear Garden troupe had awakened the Ear Yi Shentong.

Thinking of this, Li Yan smiled and asked, "Since we are fated, you should at least tell this junior your esteemed name."

"That is all ancient history now."

The old man shook his head slightly. "I am Situ Bo."

Situ Bo?

Li Yan had never heard this name before.

However, the Jianghu is vast and the Divine Land is boundless; there are many nameless eccentrics, so it was normal not to have heard of him.

Li Yan did not press for details. He looked at the man's body, sniffed the air, and frowned. "What a vicious poison; it has already invaded your internal organs. Whose sneak attack did you fall victim to, Senior?"

This senior from the Pear Garden, Situ Bo, possessed profound cultivation and was clearly experienced in the Jianghu; he must have been ambushed.

"It was simply a failure to judge a person's character!"

Beside him, Liang Yu suddenly spoke in a cold voice.

Hearing this, Situ Bo's expression darkened. He shook his head and said, "Indeed, I was senile in my old age and committed a grave error."

Seeing Li Yan's confusion, Situ Bo explained, "My lineage, though part of the Pear Garden, actually has unorthodox origins."

"Do you know of the Jiangzuo Heretical Path?"

"Of course."

Li Yan frowned slightly and nodded.

He certainly knew of the Jiangzuo Heretical Path.

During the Three Kingdoms period, the family of Zhu Huan of Eastern Wu discovered the Flying Head Barbarians. One branch of the Zhu family began researching various heretical arts from then on, and coupled with the chaos of war at the time, they gradually grew in strength, becoming the infamous Jiangzuo Heretical Path.

Livestock creation, skin painting... many heretical arts were related to them.

Even Zhao Changsheng hailed from this clan.

Situ Bo sighed. "Back then, the Jiangzuo Heretical Path wreaked havoc on the world and was wiped out by the orthodox sects, but their various heretical arts scattered to the four corners."

"My ancestors obtained some of them, and being naturally gifted, they combined them with the Pear Garden heritage to develop the secret art of the 'Hundred Aspect Manual.' During the chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty, I was even called a Grandmaster, but unfortunately, I later stepped onto the heretical path."

"By the time it reached my generation, I managed to hold onto my original intent and did not act recklessly. I traveled the world with Fellow Daoist Liang and a few others, earning the nickname 'Six Hermits of the Bamboo Grove'."

"So that is it! I have long admired your great name!"

Li Yan's face revealed pleasant surprise, and he cupped his hands toward the two.

He had truly heard of this name.

Their "Twelve Yuan Chen" were a team of wandering immortals; this custom was very ancient and existed in every dynasty, even giving birth to the famous "Ode to Wandering Immortals."

Some had become world-renowned, while others were submerged in history.

The "Six Hermits of the Bamboo Grove" were among them, contemporary with the "Ghost Opera Troupe," though their fame was much smaller.

Li Yan had learned of them while investigating intelligence on the "Ghost Opera Troupe."

Jianghu rumors said the "Six Hermits of the Bamboo Grove" had profound cultivation and called themselves hermits of the unorthodox path, specializing in opera, tea, zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting—they were considered eccentric knights of the dusty world.

Seeing this, Situ Bo was somewhat surprised. He shook his head and said, "I never thought anyone would still remember us today."

Having said that, he continued, "We were like-minded, and although we gained some fame in the Jianghu, we were ultimately of the unorthodox path. As we grew older, we retired one after another."

"I don't fear being laughed at by a young friend, but when the 'Ghost Opera Troupe' was rampaging, I had a younger brother whose heart was not upright, and he joined them."

"He had far more talent than I, but unfortunately, he brought this upon himself and was ultimately wiped out by the orthodox sects, leaving behind only an orphan."

"I could not bear it, so I rescued the child and raised him by my side, teaching him from a young age. He seemed kind-hearted in daily life, but who would have thought this brat would covet wealth and, upon learning of his father's affairs, secretly contact the 'Ghost Opera Troupe' again..."

Li Yan was slightly stunned. "Is that person named Xie Sanyang?"

Situ Bo shook his head. "No, his name is Situ Qian."

"I have already investigated that the current 'Ghost Opera Troupe' has positions for Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, and Chou, and many demonic people are competing for them. If someone dies, the next one will take their place."

"Situ Qian has become the current 'Order-Holding Martial Sheng,' and 'Xie Sanyang' was of the same ilk and was taught the secret arts."

"I also heard that 'Xie Sanyang' had died at your hands, which is why I took the liberty of inviting you."

Li Yan's expression grew solemn. "How did you find out, Senior?"

He knew the Ghost Opera Troupe's resurgence would be even more troublesome, and he had already interrogated the Blood Parrot about their internal organization.

What surprised him was that the fact they had killed several members of the Ghost Opera Troupe had become known to so many people in such a short time.

"The news came from the Wang Fu."

Beside him, Liang Yu suddenly spoke in a deep voice. "The Prince of Shu is critically ill, and the Wang Fu has become chaotic. Several retainers saw that things were not looking good and took their leave; it was from their mouths that this news spread."

"So that is it..."

Li Yan nodded and looked at Situ Bo. "Senior, you must have been harmed by Situ Qian, right? Do you want this junior to help you clean house?"

"Exactly."

Situ Bo sighed and said in a deep voice, "Xie Sanyang was Situ Qian's lackey; that rebellious disciple will surely seek revenge on you."

"My lineage has unorthodox origins; if cultivation goes awry, one is often infected by heretical Qi, extinguishing one's humanity."

"That rebellious disciple deserves to die, but more importantly, there is a treasure."

"The opera troupe is for entertaining gods and performing sacrifices. My ancestor refined a treasure called the 'Netherworld Opera Stage,' which suppresses many evil ghosts. Once released, it will be a catastrophe for all living things."

"I originally wanted to destroy this treasure, but it uses secret arts driven by demonic miasma; destroying it rashly would cause even greater trouble, so it can only be suppressed."

"A few days ago, this evil disciple suddenly ambushed me, injured me, and snatched away the 'Netherworld Opera Stage.' I fear he is planning something major..."

The Ghost Opera Troupe had actually already come to Chengdu!

Li Yan was also shocked to hear this news.

And Demonic Miasma Qi!

Li Yan's heart stirred, and he took out the broken mask. "Senior, take a look and see if this is related."

"Is this Xie Sanyang's?"

Situ Bo looked at it, and anger rose in his eyes again. "This rebellious disciple! He has indeed already spread this art!"

"This is a forbidden art; mortals can hardly bear it, and the backlash is severe. Using it twice will turn one into a demon. That rebellious disciple must have leaked it on purpose to use Xie Sanyang as a test."

"I can."

Li Yan did not hesitate and nodded in agreement. "We have already formed a blood feud with the Ghost Opera Troupe. There is no need for Senior to remind us; we are already at odds."

"If I discover this evil treasure, I will definitely take it back!"

Beside him, Liang Yu saw his prompt agreement, and his expression softened slightly. He said in a deep voice, "Truly a young hero."

"Although we have retired, we are all friends through life and death and will not sit idly by. The others have received the news and are rushing to Chengdu; they should all arrive by the fifteenth of the first lunar month."

"The Ghost Opera Troupe is coming aggressively with many hands and is our common enemy. We old fellows want to unite with your Twelve Yuan Chen to deal with them together. What do you think?"

"That would be excellent!"

Hearing this, Li Yan was instantly overjoyed.

Just as he said, the Ghost Opera Troupe was truly difficult to deal with; a single small team had nearly caused them heavy losses, not to mention the Prince of Shu's Wang Fu.

The Twelve Yuan Chen had just been established, and Sha Lifei and the others were still weak, but with the help of these seniors, they could at least trade blows with them.

Also, he could give a shout to Ming Shanzi of the Cheng family and ask Mount Qingcheng to take action. As long as they found the Ghost Opera Troupe, they would make them perish in Chengdu!

Liang Yu was clearly satisfied with this result. He said in a deep voice, "This teahouse was opened by me inadvertently back then, and I have been living in seclusion behind the scenes; few in Chengdu Prefecture know of it."

"Shopkeeper Lu is shrewd and can deal with all forces in Chengdu Prefecture; he has also collected quite a bit of intelligence. If you need help, you can come directly to him. The 'Ghost Opera Troupe' is currently hiding somewhere unknown, but they must have contact with the Prince of Shu's Wang Fu. It's just that the Prince of Shu is critically ill and unconscious, so I don't know who they are contacting now."

"If you find a clue, don't act rashly. It won't be too late to act once we old fellows have all arrived."

"Senior is right."

…………

Leaving the teahouse, night had already fallen.

The wind howled, and fine snow fell from the night sky.

After all, it was nearing the end of the year; it was lively during the day, but at night, many shops on the street were already closed, with only red lanterns swaying in the wind and snow.

Li Yan came out of the teahouse's back door, looked around to see no one, put on his bamboo hat, and headed toward the north of the city.

He was in a good mood; he hadn't expected such an unexpected harvest.

There is a saying: "Those who follow the Dao have many helpers; those who lose it have few."

Chengdu Prefecture was turbulent, the situation was complex, and forces like the "Dragon Worship Sect" and the "Ghost Opera Troupe" were lurking.

(Note: This line is a repetitive error in the source text.)

But in this world, where there is evil, there is righteousness.

By uniting all forces, they might not necessarily fear them.

And what he needed to do now was to peel back the layers, clear away the fog before his eyes, and figure out exactly what had happened.

After all, he also had two tasks on his shoulders.

One was from the Yin Office: to capture the Dragon Worship Sect leader, "Lang Wu."

The second was from the Thunder Mansion: to suppress and kill the Celestial "Li Wenyuan."

And the "Ghost Opera Troupe" had already formed a feud with them and would certainly not let it go; they would have to have a showdown.

There was also the "Dragon Lady" sacrifice and the tribulation of Erlang Zhenjun.

A rough outline had already formed in Li Yan's mind. These matters seemed complex, but they were all related to the Prince of Shu's Wang Fu...

Thinking of this, he quickened his pace, his hidden strength erupting, and he shuttled through the pitch-black alleys like a ghost.

There were few people on the streets at night, which was more conducive to traveling.

Not long after, he arrived at the north of the city.

The structure of Chengdu Prefecture was in three rings.

At the very center was the Prince of Shu's Wang Fu, surrounded by the four cities of East, West, South, and North, each with its own characteristics, and on the outermost edge were several barbican gates and small villages built outside the city.

The four cities of East, West, South, and North each had their own characteristics.

The South City had many temples and Daoist shrines and was also where the City God Temple was located.

To defend the west, the Chengdu Prefecture Yamen and several garrison posts were established in the West City, where many officials came and went.

The East City was a gathering place for all walks of life.

As for the Beicheng, it was mostly for high-ranking officials and wealthy gentry, and the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Yamen was also located there.

Therefore, upon reaching the Beicheng, the streets became noticeably wider, the neat bluestone slabs were covered with another layer of white snow, the street shops were more luxurious, and the surroundings were all deep mansions and large courtyards.

"Bang—bang bang!"

"A cold wave is coming, watch the fire and candles!"

The night watchman walked past on the street, beating his copper gong.

In the distance, a squad of soldiers holding torches was patrolling.

Naturally, there were more guards in places where the wealthy lived.

In the dark alleys, Li Yan moved left and right, using his divine ability to avoid the patrolling soldiers in advance, while the Dragon Snake Token allowed him to hide his aura.

Not long after, he arrived outside a large mansion.

He saw that there was a water channel in front of the mansion gate, with fine bamboo planted around it, and two large red lanterns hanging on the towering gatehouse, with the large character "Xu" written on them.

The clue Liang Yu gave was that the tea ribbon found in the fire at the gold and silver shop was purchased by Xu Yongqing, the Chief Clerk of the Prince of Shu's Wang Fu.

This place was precisely the Xu Fu.

The Chief Clerk of a Feudal Prince's Wang Fu was the core staffer of the Wang Fu, in charge of all subordinate officials, including the Registrar, the Archivist, and the Sacrificial Official.

The Wang Fu's finances, etiquette, documents, and daily affairs were all under his management; in layman's terms, he was the administrative general manager.

He must know a great deal about the Prince of Shu's Wang Fu's affairs.

His appearance at the gold and silver shop was in itself full of suspicious points.

Perhaps he was a demonic person hiding in the Wang Fu!

Thinking of this, Li Yan immediately pinched the Yang Seal, took a deep breath, and then tilted his head to listen.

"Roar—!"

Almost instantly, a roar sounded in his ears.

He saw that around the two stone lions at the Xu Fu gate, a whirlwind suddenly blew up, churning the flying snow, before slowly falling.

Fortunately, the main gate was tightly closed, and no one discovered this anomaly.

"What a good treasure!"

Li Yan was taken aback and secretly surprised.

This world had Mystic Sect power, and evil spirits were not illusions, so many wealthy families would invite items to suppress their houses.

But the stone lions before him were extraordinary.

With his abilities, ordinary house-suppressing items were useless, but these two pairs of stone lions could detect him, which was truly remarkable.

Looking closer, the stone lions were quite old; he guessed they were made by some expert and had been guarding the house for a long time, having already developed spirituality.

Li Yan was naturally unafraid.

He could easily smash this thing, but it would be difficult to invade silently using arts.

His eyes rolled, and he quickly arrived under the perimeter wall, leaped up, grabbed the wall edge with his hands, and flipped inside.

Behind the wall was a garden. As soon as he landed, Li Yan exerted force again, rising silently into the air like a gecko, sticking to the back of the rockery.

The next moment, three men holding lanterns and leading fierce dogs passed by, all with slightly bulging temples.

"Gurgle!"

The fierce dogs seemed to have discovered something and suddenly stopped.

"Who is it?"

One man asked in a deep voice.

Afterward, he slowly drew his saber and searched half a circle in the garden. Seeing nothing, he turned back.

"Senior Brother, you're too nervous. It's the New Year..."

"What nonsense!"

"People spent a lot of money, we can't smash our own sign..."

The two talked in low voices and walked toward other courtyards.

Behind the rockery, water mist rose, and Li Yan's figure slowly appeared. Looking at the two departing figures, he was lost in thought.

These two men were clearly hired hands, and judging by their words, they had only been hired recently.

This Xu Yongqing definitely had problems.

Thinking of this, Li Yan leaped up, hid in the shadows, and walked carefully along the wall corner.

Leaving the garden, he soon arrived at a courtyard.

This courtyard was not large and was located on the west side; generally speaking, it was where collateral branches of the family or guests lived.

Li Yan took a look and prepared to leave.

However, a cold voice suddenly came from inside the room.

"Since you have come, Excellency, why not enter the room for a chat?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 557 =====