Chapter 573

Is it a trap?

No, it's that this place was discovered!

Li Yan made a judgment quickly, then hid in the shadows.

He still performed the escape technique, like a civet cat climbing a tree, leaped onto the roof of a nearby shop, bounded and leaped, walking on walls, and wandered nearby.

In the current Chengdu Prefecture, the Prince of Shu had completely gained the upper hand.

This was not a martial world struggle; only a fool would send only two experts to handle it.

Sure enough, he soon discovered more people.

There were garrison soldiers, holding spears or ordinary firearms, divided into several small teams, working together to carry iron nets with barbs.

This was the government's habit of dealing with people in the martial world.

But this time, neither the Chengdu government nor the Commandant's Office appeared, clearly showing that the Prince of Shu didn't trust them and was even guarding against them.

More troublesome were the Black Feather Guards.

These people were also divided into small teams, holding Divine Fire Guns, cooperating with people from the evil path, and stealthily occupying commanding heights.

The good thing was that there weren't many of them.

Li Yan had a guess in his heart; the Prince of Shu's residence should have received intelligence, but they didn't know clearly who was inside.

If they knew he was coming, the formation would likely be even larger.

But to relieve the siege, he couldn't come hard...

The experts from the Ghost Opera Troupe were fierce, but the biggest threat was still the firearms.

Thinking of this, Li Yan jumped onto a roof silently; not far away was a team of Black Feather Guards aiming their guns.

At the same time, changes appeared below.

In the dark wind and snow, the two from the Ghost Opera Troupe were getting closer and closer.

This Huaiqing Car and Horse Shop was also a force in the Chengdu martial world, with all kinds of businesses—black, white, and gray—and naturally, they were very cautious in their actions.

Not only were there men squatting by the campfire guarding the night outside the shop, but there were also secret scouts deployed in two nearby residential houses.

They discovered the two experts from the Ghost Opera Troupe for the first time.

"Who goes there!"

Seeing the two appear from the darkness, the guard at the door was shocked.

One drew a broken blade from his waist and shouted loudly.

And another man quickly pulled the hemp rope on the door.

Clang, clang, clang!

Inside the seemingly pitch-black house, bell sounds immediately came.

Following that was a chaotic sound of footsteps.

With a creak, the back door opened.

Boom!

Gunshots rang out, and the man who had just stuck his head out was immediately blown into a bloody mess, his body flying backward, and even the two people behind him were injured.

Inside the room was Young Master Wuxiang and the others.

Manager Lu of Mingxiang Pavilion had entrusted someone to pass a message, contacting Young Master Wuxiang, who was hiding underground in Chengdu.

Because of the common enemy, the Prince of Shu, Young Master Wuxiang happily agreed to the appointment, but for the sake of safety, he only brought Sha Lifei.

The Huaiqing Car and Horse Shop became the meeting place.

"Brother—!"

A man with a bushy beard held the bloody corpse on the ground and roared with full fury, "There's a traitor who leaked the news! Who betrayed us!"

This matter, one could tell something was wrong just by thinking about it.

Manager Lu of Mingxiang Pavilion had only entrusted someone to bring the message this morning, and Young Master Wuxiang had set the location this afternoon; it could be called extremely hasty.

Being exposed in such a short time could only be explained by a traitor.

For a time, the atmosphere in the shop became solemn.

Everyone gripped their weapons, guarding against each other, but vaguely, they had split into two factions: the Chengdu underworld and the Huaiqing Car and Horse Shop.

The leader of the Huaiqing Car and Horse Shop was an old man in brocade clothes, tall, with dark skin, white hair, and a bushy beard, and he was blind in one eye.

This old man was named Xie Huaiqing, and he was also the leader of the five trades in Chengdu.

Unlike Chang'an, because the waterways in Shu were dense, the car rentals in Chengdu Prefecture mainly operated several Shu roads and the Tea-Horse Road.

Xie Huaiqing possessed Tibetan blood and was also an outer disciple of the Iron Buddha Temple, which was why he could support this business.

Seeing this situation, he said with a gloomy expression, "The Prince of Shu is a great enemy; I put my life and property on the line to do this; if I betrayed fellow Daoists, how could I stand in the martial world in the future!"

"We'll talk about this later."

Young Master Wuxiang was worthy of being the leader of the Chengdu underworld; he was still calm at this time, pinching a Yang seal, looking through the crack at the window, his pupils flashing with essence, "It's people from the Ghost Opera Troupe; their cultivation is profound, and they are very difficult to deal with; there are also firearm ambushes nearby."

"They are the elite of the Prince of Shu's residence; now the only way is to break out; there is a secret passage under the Well of Locking Dragons two streets away; if we hold out until we get there, we can survive!"

As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the crowd, his expression solemn, "With experts holding us back and firearms harassing us, even I would find it hard to escape death; at this point, only by uniting as one can we break out."

"Good!"

"Damn it, let's fight!"

"Please give your orders!"

The others also expressed their agreement one after another.

"Good!"

Young Master Wuxiang hurriedly gave instructions in a low voice.

Only Sha Lifei looked out the window uneasily.

He hadn't forgotten that Li Yan was also coming...

…………

"Stop, don't move!"

Outside the car and horse shop, the two men were sweating on their foreheads.

The pressure brought by the two people walking on the street was truly too great; Ghost Zhong Kui and the white-clad mourning girl were like the strange tales from folk legends; even without making a move, they made them tremble all over.

"Let you bastards play ghosts!"

Finally, a man couldn't bear the pressure and took the initiative to attack.

But he wasn't a fool; he didn't rush up to hack people, but took two steps forward, wiped his right hand behind his waist, and immediately took out several willow-leaf flying knives.

He clamped the spine of the knife near the tip with his middle and index fingers, and hooked the handle with his ring finger, matching the three talents of heaven, earth, and man.

This technique was called the "Three Talents Intercepting Pulse Style," suitable for medium-distance spinning shots.

This man had worked on the Shu roads for many years; when he had nothing to do, he would have porters hang copper coins on both ends of their shoulder poles, pluck leaves to make the copper coins spin, and exercise the strength and eyesight of his hands; it was the skill he was most proud of.

Swish, swish, swish!

A handful of willow-leaf flying knives tore through the wind and snow, heading straight for the necks of Ghost Zhong Kui and the white-clad mourning girl, and they were all one after another.

After the willow-leaf flying knives were thrown out, the man felt confident in his heart.

The flying knives were all one after another, the front ones slow and the back ones fast; they appeared to be aimed at the neck, but they were all feints.

When they got close, the back flying knives would strike the front ones, causing them to change direction and shoot toward the heart.

He had practiced this exquisite technique for a long time.

He didn't expect that under today's pressure, he would actually succeed directly.

However, he immediately widened his eyes.

He saw four flying knives whistling out, but when they got close to the enemy, Yin wind suddenly blew, and the flying knives stopped in mid-air.

"Hee hee, ha ha..."

Strange laughter came from the darkness.

On the snowy ground, dense footprints appeared at some point.

Black mist surged, and five small ghosts with green skin and red hair appeared, holding the willow-leaf flying knives, tossing them around like juggling.

"Ghost... ghost!"

The two men felt a chill rush into their hearts and had no desire to resist anymore; they turned and arrived at the door, patting it wildly, shouting:

"Quick, let me in!"

But they had only said one sentence when they were already stiff all over.

Streams of cold breath, like ribbons, wrapped around them, their bodies numb, and their brains losing consciousness.

In the distance, the white-clad mourning girl Bai Qihong's flowing cloud water sleeves were swaying slightly like living things.

Boom!

Just at this moment, the door shattered.

Neigh!

The sound of war horses neighing rang out.

Seven tall horses rushed out, spraying white breath from their nostrils, their eyes blood-red, and several bamboo baskets hanging on their bodies.

These were the animals from the car and horse shop, which had been driven mad by poison. Inside the bamboo baskets, pungent wolf smoke was also burning.

Bang, bang!

The two guards at the door had already been cursed and didn't know how to dodge, and were directly hit by the mad horses and flew seven or eight meters away.

Hoofbeats rang out, and the mad horses rushed out into the street.

Wolf smoke rolled, mixing with the wind and snow to block the line of sight.

"Hee hee, quite clever."

The mourning girl Bai Qihong covered her mouth and smiled, her right hand shaking lightly, and the flowing cloud water sleeves immediately whistled out like a ribbon, wrapping around the neck of a mad horse.

Pfft!

The ribbon rolled, and the horse's head was severed and flew up.

Fresh blood splashed, staining the white water sleeves red.

Borrowing the dim light, one could see that the surroundings of the water sleeves were actually woven from metal wires, and as long as the force was sufficient, they were comparable to blades.

No errors in the content, check it out!

Boom, boom, boom!

At the same time, there was constant gunfire in the distance.

Fire and smoke filled the air, and the mad horses were shot in the head one by one and fell down.

They had already started shooting earlier, and the Black Feather Guards no longer hid it.

However, although the mad horses were dead, the wolf smoke remained.

The rolling thick smoke soon made the street hazy.

Immediately, a large number of footsteps rang out.

He saw more than thirty people rush out from the car and horse shop, holding sharp blades and crossbows, dispersing rapidly and running toward the places where the gunmen were ambushed.

"In your dreams!"

When Ghost Zhong Kui Situ Qian saw this, he knew what they wanted to do and gave a cold snort, taking an umbrella from behind him.

This umbrella had iron ribs and cowhide, painted with Yin-Yang diagrams and blood-colored talismans, and was eerie with Yin Qi, clearly some kind of magic artifact.

But just as he took it out, his expression changed abruptly.

"Dodge!"

Situ Qian gave a roar and leaped out to the side.

Beside him, Bai Qihong also turned her body, as if wrapped in the flowing cloud water sleeves, and dodged quickly.

Boom!

On the second floor of the car and horse shop, fire splashed.

Where the two had originally been standing, a large area of snow exploded, and dense, different-sized holes appeared on the ground.

At the window on the second floor, Sha Lifei calmly replaced the magazine.

"Death!"

A sharp female voice rang out, and a white ribbon spun in the air, like a swallow skimming the water, leaving half a footprint on the ground before shooting toward the window of the second-floor inn.

Sha Lifei saw it but wasn't panicked; he still replaced the ammunition rapidly, while his right hand reached for the flintlock pistol at his waist.

He had a high talent for using firearms.

Although he left in a hurry this time and couldn't carry those powerful fire-caltrops, he still had ways to deal with it.

Inside the short pistol were scattered pellets.

Even if the other party had superb skills, they would have to retreat.

Pull the distance, then use the Divine Fire Gun.

He had already awakened his body supernatural power, making his movements sensitive and swift; theoretically, as long as the ammunition was sufficient, he could constantly force the person back.

As for close-quarters combat, he had long since given up.

Although awakening his body supernatural power allowed him to break through to the dark energy level, giving him the chance to enter the transformation energy level, his talent was limited, and it was far from enough to deal with these experts from the Ghost Opera Troupe.

And the other party's sorcery was the big trouble.

Sure enough, sensing he was about to use the pistol, Bai Qihong retreated instantly, but saw a white ribbon spinning in the dark wind and snow, like a phantom, shifting left and right.

This was a type of escape technique; with the naked eye alone, one couldn't aim at all.

Not only that, but mournful singing also came from the dark night.

"Ah~ the moon rises at the first watch, Nezha makes trouble in the sea at seven..."

The voice was tactful and eerie.

This was the Tang Dynasty mourning song "Five Watches of Ancient People," arranged by watch, with historical allusions embedded in each watch.

It was quite popular in folk funeral services; if one hired people to sing for mourning, this song was often indispensable.

But Bai Qihong's mourning song was not just any ordinary one.

The martial world men who were charging in the distance felt dizzy and bloated, their chests tight and wanting to vomit, stumbling and almost falling.

Eighteen Beats of the Night Terrace, Soul-Calling Technique!

Bai Qihong appeared crazy, but her methods were truly extraordinary; while attacking Sha Lifei, she could still interfere and control the scene.

But what made her strange was that Sha Lifei at the window still had clear eyes, without the slightest sign of being cursed.

There was even a trace of mockery at the corner of his mouth.

What Bai Qihong didn't know was that Li Yan had obtained a Buddhist treasure bracelet at Guangde Temple, with the "White-Clad Great Being Divine Mantra" carved on it, which had been worshipped with incense for hundreds of years and could keep one away from inner demons.

Because it could help with cultivation, Sha Lifei had always carried it with him.

Resisting the Soul-Calling Technique was more than enough.

At the same time, another figure flashed at the window.

Tall, white-haired, and one-eyed, it was the leader of the Huaiqing Car and Horse Shop, Xie Huaiqing.

He held a huge precept knife, with strings of copper bells hanging on it, pinched a magic seal, shook it slightly, and chanted: "Gate Gate, Paragate..."

This was also a secret Buddhist method.

It was the "Prajna Heart Mantra" from the end of the "Heart Sutra."

Xie Huaiqing's cultivation naturally couldn't compare to Bai Qihong's, but once the mantra came out, it finally interfered with the Soul-Calling Technique.

He had originally hidden in the dark to protect Sha Lifei.

But in this situation, he had no choice but to make a move.

On the street below, the battle was also underway.

Ghost Zhong Kui Situ Qian had originally wanted to cooperate with Bai Qihong to attack, but he frowned and looked at the car and horse shop.

He saw a person slowly walking out from the broken door of the car and horse shop, tall and thin, in green clothes, and the features on his face were slowly changing.

Sometimes he turned into an old man, and sometimes he turned into a young man.

It was the leader of the Chengdu underworld, Young Master Wuxiang.

"The Face-Changing Technique of the Play-Color Sect?"

When Ghost Zhong Kui Situ Qian saw this, he gave a cold snort, "I heard you are the 'Anzuozi' of the Bee, Hemp, Swallow, and Sparrow Sects in Chengdu; it seems it's not just that, but it's just a small trick of the martial world, only capable of deceiving ordinary people."

"A small trick is also a trick, as long as it can kill people."

Young Master Wuxiang's features changed constantly; looking closely at the many apertures on his face, there were actually fine needles growing and shrinking.

At the same time, he shook his hands, and two steel cones appeared, saying coldly, "Last time your Ghost Opera Troupe relied on having more people, causing me heavy losses; this time I want to see what your real skills are!"

"Hahaha... as you wish!"

Ghost Zhong Kui Situ Qian laughed, spun his leather umbrella, and the five small ghosts around him tumbled close, crawling on the ground with hands and feet.

And Situ Qian leaped up, jumping onto them.

Black mist surged, and his figure disappeared instantly.

"Five-Ghost Escape Technique!"

Young Master Wuxiang was startled, leaped up, used a Green Dragon Leaving the Water movement, and then twisted his body and shook.

Swish, swish!

Two steel cones whistled out, shooting toward the left.

There, black mist surged, and Situ Qian appeared.

Being found by Young Master Wuxiang, he was also somewhat surprised; he blocked left and right with his umbrella, deflected the steel cones, and sneered, "You have some skills, but today none of you will escape!"

Bang, bang!

In the distance, there was constant gunfire.

It was those Black Feather Guards pulling the triggers.

When Young Master Wuxiang saw this, his expression immediately turned gloomy.

The most important thing for his surprise attack plan was speed, but it was interfered with by Bai Qihong's Soul-Calling Technique, and those martial world fellow Daoists were all a step late.

This step was the difference between life and death!

(End of chapter)