Chapter 572

Xiao Shen Jinghong has a national sacrificial artifact!

Li Yan immediately made a judgment in his heart.

If it weren't for the artifact's concealment, how could he not have sensed it?

He had seen living corpses before.

Those old ghosts in the Goddess Palace of Mount Wushan were living corpses, having used some secret method to seal their souls within their flesh.

This method is an evil art strictly forbidden by the Mystic Sect; "offending the Three Officials and disrupting Yin and Yang," once practiced, one will be wanted by the Law Enforcement Hall.

There are many types of corresponding evil arts.

There is the "Yin Talisman Corpse-Suppressing Art" of the Xiangxi Witch Doctors.

It involves taking cinnabar from Chenzhou mixed with black donkey hoof powder, drawing "Soul-Locking Talismans" on the seven orifices, and using Yin Sha Qi to delay the decay of the flesh.

To put it plainly, it is turning oneself into a zombie. Every day at the Yin hour, one must change the sticky rice applied to the Yongquan acupoint to resolve the corpse poison; if the soul leaves the body, it dissipates, and one may turn into a zombie and attack people at any time, never to be reincarnated...

There is the "Five-Chang Borrowed Corpse Method" of the Lushan Sect.

It involves summoning the "Earth Chang" among the Five Chang troops to reside in the corpse, using the evil spirit's Yin Qi to counteract the death Qi. One must set up an "Yin Temple for Worship" in a mass grave and use the birth dates of young boys and girls to make straw dolls to take the disaster.

Practicing this method, the flesh will gradually show a green-faced and fanged appearance; if there is the slightest mistake, one will turn into a blood corpse and bring disaster to the region...

In short, none of them are good methods.

Thinking of this, Li Yan took a deep breath.

A fishy stench of snakes immediately surged into his nasal cavity.

It turned out to be the "Willow Ghost Corpse-Raising Art" of the Five Immortals Hall in the Northern Border!

He had heard Wang Wang Daoxuan say that this method requires inviting the essence of the Chang family python immortal to possess the body, borrowing the immortal's spiritual energy to keep the flesh from decaying.

On weekdays, one must sleep in a coffin made of hundred-year-old willow wood, spread with mugwort and realgar, with the "Python Immortal Corpse-Coiling Diagram" carved on the bottom of the coffin. Every time the solar terms change, one must spray the corpse with white liquor to keep it moist.

Relatively speaking, it is milder and does not require harming people to block disasters.

But those who practice this method will inevitably have descendants within three generations who suffer from hysteria, and they cannot see the midday sun, otherwise, scales will grow and they will become monsters.

To some extent, this also counts as an Yin crime.

However, before the death Qi disrupts Yin and Yang, the Yin Division will not bother with it. Once it becomes a disaster, one doesn't even need the Yin Division to capture them; heavenly lightning will descend.

That is why some Earth Immortals who practiced the Great Yin Refining Form Art hid in blessed caves all their lives, not daring to show their faces at all...

To tell the truth, Li Yan had seen quite a few.

If they didn't harm people on weekdays, he was too lazy to pay attention.

But at this critical moment, he could not be anything but cautious.

"Mr. Li, please don't take action!"

Xiao Shen Jinghong was terrified and hurriedly blocked the way beside the Commandery Princess, "There are other hidden circumstances to this matter; it was truly a last resort."

Li Yan frowned, somewhat surprised.

This Fifth Commandery Prince usually seemed very steady; he didn't expect him to be such a romantic, seeing this appearance for the first time.

And that Commandery Princess was also pale, trembling as she said: "This matter has nothing to do with His Highness, I beg Mr. Li..."

"The two of you, don't be anxious."

Li Yan's expression was calm, "Might as well tell me what happened first."

Seeing him like this, Xiao Shen Jinghong also calmed down. He first looked outside the window, bolted the door, and only then said: "This matter, speaking of it, is also somewhat strange."

Saying this, he held the Princess's hand and said in a deep voice: "My mother was from the Cheng family. Although she was well-read and polite, she was after all a person of the martial world and couldn't stand the rules of the palace, and she gradually drifted apart from Father King, later losing their affection, so she simply moved out."

"Two years ago, also on the fifteenth of the first lunar month, the Prince's Mansion held a grand banquet. I took the Princess to attend, and not long after returning, she contracted a severe illness. We sought famous physicians but to no avail; they all said she wouldn't live past three months."

"But in the following days, the Princess would dream every night, and in her dreams, someone taught her this method. I was also at my wit's end, so I secretly asked someone to help try it, and finally saved the Princess..."

Saying this, he fell silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth: "To tell you the truth, just three months ago, the Princess started dreaming again, but this time it was different."

"Oh?"

Li Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, "What was different this time?"

Xiao Shen Jinghong did not answer but looked to the side.

The Commandery Princess looked bewildered and said: "Using this method, although it can prolong life, these days, I have gradually lost the ability to taste the five flavors and can only smell the scent of blood. Every time I fall into a deep sleep, I feel like I am a snake, living not like a human..."

"This time, someone in the dream told me that... that if His Highness ascends to the position of Prince of Shu and offers sacrifices in the ancestral temple, he can borrow the power of incense to dilute the Yin Qi on my body."

"Not only can it resolve this matter and allow me to live five more years, but I can also bear an heir for His Highness..."

"That is pure nonsense!"

Li Yan said coldly: "The vitality of a living corpse is severed, and death Qi accumulates; how could it possibly conceive offspring? Even if it could, what would be born would only be a bloodthirsty monster. It is clearly a monster causing trouble."

Saying this, he continued to ask: "What family is the Princess from?"

The Commandery Princess replied truthfully: "I am from the Wang family of Zizhong, a family of farmers and scholars; my father was only a seventh-rank minor official."

"Hmm."

Li Yan nodded slightly, not surprised.

In the eyes of ordinary people, marrying into a Commandery Prince's Mansion is glorious, but to the true power-holders, it is actually a big trouble.

Marriage alliances mean a great deal, especially when involving the imperial clan; it is hard to avoid getting caught in disputes. Benefits are not guaranteed, but trouble is certain, making the loss outweigh the gain.

Especially before the Fifth Commandery Prince was favored.

Someone like him would usually marry a woman from a family of pure officials.

It should have nothing to do with her clansmen...

Li Yan was lost in thought and asked again: "Commandery Prince, which sorcerer did you ask to handle this matter back then?"

Fifth Commandery Prince Xiao Shen Jinghong said in a deep voice: "I was also afraid someone was setting a trap, so I investigated many times and even spent a large sum of money to invite an expert from the Five Immortals Hall in Jiaozhou to secretly preside over this matter."

"After it succeeded, that person left. She was called Granny Chang Nine, from the Northern Border, and had no connection with the Shu Mystic Sect, and she kept her mouth shut afterward."

"As for the subsequent matter of using incense to counteract the evil Qi, I only told you, Mr. Li, and no one has asked me about it in two years."

"I see..."

Li Yan heard this and was also completely puzzled, "This matter definitely has something strange. If Your Highness discovers anything, you must tell me. Let's resolve the current disaster first."

"Has Senior Ming Ming Shanzi sent word?"

Seeing Li Yan change the subject, Xiao Shen Jinghong also breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly replied: "There is no news for the time being; it should be in the last two days."

"That's good."

Li Yan nodded: "The Prince of Shu has already controlled the Outside Chengdu army. Whether it is the Cheng family or Qingcheng, it is impossible for them to have a direct conflict with him; it must be a secret infiltration."

"I will leave a secret code. If Senior Ming Ming Shanzi arrives, please ask him to contact me so we can deal with this matter together."

Having said that, he told Xiao Shen Jinghong the method of the secret code.

This was a common method in the martial world—some widely known, some very secret, such as hanging a flower on a certain tree or painting a child's graffiti on a certain wine flag.

After carefully instructing him, Li Yan bid farewell and left.

After walking two steps, he fell silent for a moment, then turned to persuade him: "Commandery Prince, your deep affection for your wife is understandable, but the suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death is an unavoidable part of the world."

"If you seek too much, you will lose even more."

There were some things he couldn't say directly.

The moment the Commandery Princess became a living corpse, she was already doomed to never be reincarnated; the only result would be the soul scattering.

Having said that, he pushed the door open and leaped out.

Leaving Xiao Shen Jinghong and his wife in the room, holding each other's hands, silent and in tears.

Outside the window, the wind and snow grew even more violent...

…………

After leaving the Commandery Prince's Mansion, Li Yan chose to walk along quiet paths.

Outside Chengdu Prefecture had a long history, and its area had expanded time and again. Even with garrison soldiers stationed there, it was impossible to patrol every street.

But at all the important street intersections, there were soldiers stationed, and garrison soldiers divided into small teams to patrol nearby.

The Black Feather Guard directly under the Prince of Shu wandered the streets with Divine Fire Guns on their backs, gathering immediately whenever they discovered something wrong.

The patrol teams all led fierce dogs, and there were hawks circling in the sky.

Not only that, on some commanding heights in Outside Chengdu Prefecture, there were sorcerers in black robes who activated their supernatural powers to investigate the surroundings.

These were all experts of the evil path that the Prince of Shu had recruited over the years.

By now, it was already blatant.

Li Yan still used the Mysterious Water Evasion, blessed by the Eight Generals of the Outer Altar, and covered by the Dragon-Snake Token, making him almost completely invisible as he passed through line after line of defense.

The Commandery Prince's Mansion was not far from the Chenghuangmiao, so he went to investigate on the way.

According to the Prince of Shu's orders, there was sufficient grain and grass in the city, and the army entering the city was only to maintain peace and capture monsters, not to harass the common people. The Outside Chengdu Lantern Festival and Martial Arts Tournament would be held as scheduled.

But even so, the common people were not fools.

They all hid in their homes, doors tightly closed, not daring to go out.

On the streets, various shops were open as usual, but the shopkeepers were all trembling, looking at the soldiers walking on the street, then looking at the goods piled up behind them, each one with a crying face...

People from the martial world were nowhere to be seen.

They were also unclear about the inside story and were not being hunted, but they had smelled an unusual scent and were all hiding in inns.

All kinds of rumors were spreading wildly.

Therefore, when Li Yan arrived, the street outside the Chenghuangmiao was empty and very deserted, with only a team of Black Feather Guards stationed there.

The Chenghuangmiao's main gate was tightly closed, and the bloodstains at the entrance had already frozen into ice crystals. Whether it was the stone lions outside the gate or some pillars, they had all been destroyed.

Using his supernatural powers to investigate, he couldn't even smell half a scent of incense.

(No Chinese characters in output)

The Huang Ling Sect has truly met with disaster!

Seeing this, Li Yan didn't feel surprised in his heart.

The Prince of Shu didn't deal with the Fifth Commandery Prince and the Du Sect, which meant he didn't care, or perhaps these people were all in his plan.

But the Huang Ling Sect was different.

They controlled the Chenghuangmiao and were also one of the important defenses of Outside Chengdu Prefecture. With the City God patrolling, many of the evil sorcerers' methods simply couldn't be used.

The Prince of Shu's Mansion certainly had to resolve this hidden danger first.

Li Yan pondered for a moment, retreated into a dark alley, leaped up, and arrived at a nearby residential house.

Inside the house, a family of commoners was full of worry; seeing Li Yan suddenly appear, they were startled.

Gurgle!

Before they could shout, Li Yan threw out a silver ingot and said in a deep voice: "Don't be afraid, I only have a few questions."

The old man who was the head of the family was experienced and knowledgeable; he hurriedly told his family to shut up, then respectfully bowed: "Great King, please ask. This old man will tell you everything I know, I only ask that you spare my family."

Clearly, he had mistaken Li Yan for a bandit.

Li Yan didn't argue and asked directly.

"What happened to the Chenghuangmiao?"

"It was sealed by the Yamen."

"What happened?"

"This old man doesn't know clearly, only that early this morning, the Chenghuangmiao was surrounded, and then soldiers went in to make arrests..."

"What about the blood at the entrance?"

"I heard people died, but it was internal fighting among the Daoist masters inside..."

Listening to the old man's account, Li Yan roughly understood the reason.

Some people in the Chenghuangmiao had long been bought off by the Prince of Shu, and the Huang Ling Sect hadn't cleaned them out before, which was taken advantage of. It was estimated that they had used poison, Gu, and bewitching smoke.

It seems the Law Enforcement Hall can't be relied upon...

Things having reached this point, Li Yan didn't bother to pay attention and left directly, heading east of the city.

………

East of the city, people from all walks of life gathered, and for the Martial Arts Tournament, many experts of the Shu Mystic Sect had already arrived.

Therefore, there were the most Black Feather Guards here.

Almost every street had a team of Black Feather Guards patrolling, with sorcerers and shield-bearing soldiers following alongside.

Seeing this, Li Yan felt a headache.

This configuration was simply a war chariot.

Shield soldiers for protection, sorcerers for investigation, and ten Divine Fire Guns for attack—I fear that before even getting close, one would be blasted into powder.

It seems that with the prevalence of new-style firearms, various cooperative methods will appear one after another.

The good thing was that those sorcerers didn't have enough cultivation to discover him.

Li Yan steadied his mind and looked opposite.

Like other shops, the Mingxiang Pavilion also had its doors wide open, with the shop assistant guarding outside, bowing and arching his hands with a smile whenever soldiers passed by.

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

At least the Mingxiang Pavilion hadn't been attacked.

He took a detour and climbed into the backyard from a side alley.

"You finally came!"

Liang Yu and Situ Bo were both there; seeing him appear, they breathed a sigh of relief.

In the courtyard, there were two other people.

One was the shopkeeper of Mingxiang Pavilion, Lu Qingshan.

He was Liang Yu's disciple and had quite a few methods, handling the external affairs of Mingxiang Pavilion, and had quite a few connections in the Outside Chengdu Prefecture court and martial world.

And the other was an old man with white hair and a beard, wearing a tattered Confucian robe, with a judge's pen hanging from his waist, exuding a sense of poverty.

"Let me introduce you."

Liang Yu said in a deep voice: "This is Fellow Daoist Cui Bai."

"I have met Senior Cui."

Hearing this, Li Yan hurriedly bowed respectfully.

He had heard of this person; he was one of the Six Idlers of the Bamboo Forest, a Skin-Painting Artisan of the Craftsman Sect, and his ability to paint people and ghosts was superb.

"You are welcome, little friend."

Cui Bai said in a hoarse voice: "We old things, although we are old, our bodies are still tough. If there is anything to be done, just say it."

"We'll talk about pleasantries later."

Liang Yu waved his hand and asked in a deep voice: "The Prince of Shu made his move suddenly, and we are all worried. Did you discover anything outside the city?"

"I discovered the Water Ghost Artisan Tian Qi at the wharf..."

Li Yan recounted the matter simply.

Of course, he deliberately didn't mention the reincarnation of Li Erlang Li Erlang Zhenjun.

"The Green Sheep Palace is also involved?!"

Liang Yu was clearly shocked when he heard this, "They are the righteous path of the Mystic Sect; aren't they afraid of ruining their thousand-year reputation?"

"There must be something we don't know."

Li Yan shook his head: "We'll investigate these later. My companions were warned by Young Master Wuxiang and left, and now their whereabouts are unknown. I would like to ask you seniors to help investigate where they are."

"That's easy to handle."

Hearing this, Liang Yu looked at the shopkeeper Lu Qingshan.

Lu Qingshan said in a deep voice: "Young Master Wuxiang has many hiding places; I can only ask someone to pass a message, but I don't know if it will work."

"I am grateful." Li Yan bowed.

Lu Qingshan didn't talk nonsense and turned to leave.

Li Yan remained in the courtyard, discussing countermeasures with the others.

It wasn't until night fell that Lu Qingshan hurried back and said urgently: "Young Hero Li, they are at the Xie Huaiqing Carriage Firm."

Hearing this, Li Yan bid farewell and left.

The Xie Huaiqing Carriage Firm was the largest carriage firm in Outside Chengdu Prefecture, and it was considered a powerful player among the five trades of carriages, boats, shops, feet, and teeth.

Its carriage and horse shop was in the east of the city, not far away.

In the wind and snow, Li Yan walked through the shadows and soon arrived outside the carriage and horse shop, but saw two lanterns swaying in the wind outside the door, while inside it was pitch black.

A familiar scent surged into his nasal cavity.

It was Sha Sha Li Fei!

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but the smile on his face had just appeared when his whole body stiffened, and he stopped his steps.

But in the dark street in the distance, two figures appeared.

One in red robes with a green face, one in snowy white mourning clothes.

They were the two monsters from the Ghost Opera Troupe...

(End of chapter)