Chapter 650: Zhang Qiu Ancient Town

There is a saying in the Great Xuan Dynasty: "In the south there is Suzhou and Hangzhou, in the north there is Linzhang."

The so-called "Linzhang" refers to Linqing in Liaocheng and Zhang Qiu in Yanggu.

During the Daxing period, with the opening of the Huitong River section in Luzhou, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal flowed through Zhang Qiu, Acheng, and Qiji, the three towns in the eastern part of Yanggu County, thus prospering rapidly and becoming the three famous towns on the Grand Canal.

Especially this Zhang Qiu Town.

Located on the north bank of the Yellow River, it is the wharf for entering the Huitong River section of the Grand Canal and an important distribution center for goods.

Bamboo, wood, citrus, rice, tung oil, silk, tea, etc., produced in Jiangnan are mostly unloaded here and transported by land to Jinzhou, Shanzhou, Yuzhou, and Luzhou.

And goods from the inland, including local jujubes, donkey-hide gelatin, Jiaozhou sea salt, etc., are also loaded onto ships here and transported to the south. Therefore, it is the most prosperous; the small town has nine gates and nine gatehouses, seventy-two streets, and eighty-two alleys.

Since ancient times, wharves have been places where people from all walks of life gather.

Zhang Qiu Town is naturally no exception.

Especially this place, it is also located in Yanggu County.

The fame of Jingyang Ridge has spread far and wide with "Water Margin".

Since the Song dynasty, the underworld atmosphere of Liang Shan has never dissipated.

At this moment, on the wharf, there is a forest of sails and masts.

Porters sweating like rain, livestock neighing one after another, merchants speaking in various northern and southern accents… the entire wharf is filled with noise, a scene of prosperous peace.

And this is just the wharf.

On the Huitong River in the distance, there are many ships waiting to dock.

The number is so large that it even crowds the entire river channel.

"Zhang Qiu Town was originally called Zhang Qiu Town (Rising Autumn)."

On the deck of a large ship, the local Cao Gang leader "Dragon in the Waves" Chen San introduced with a smile: "This place, every year when autumn arrives, the water rises, so it was called 'Rising Autumn'; as time passed, it changed to Zhang Qiu."

His smile was gentle, even carrying a trace of flattery.

If the nearby underworld people saw this, they would definitely be shocked.

This Chen San is no good person; he comes from the Ziwu Sect and is considered top-tier in Yanggu County.

Yanggu County is close to Liang Shan.

As the saying goes, "Drinking the water of Liang Shan, one will stretch their arms and kick their legs."

This place has had a strong martial atmosphere since ancient times.

Banjiu Shop north of Liang Shan is the hometown of Cheng Yaojin.

During the Song dynasty, the atmosphere of valuing martial arts was particularly strong.

During the Xuanhe period of Emperor Huizong of Song, heroes from all over the world gathered at the Water Margin of Liang Shan, with masters gathering, famous in the martial arts world.

But the masters at that time were not just the 108 heroes on Liang Shan.

North of Liang Shan, at Jianfu Temple on Liugong Mountain, there was an old abbot named Yuantong, who was one of the top ten masters in the Shenzhou at that time, traveling north and south, undefeated in the world.

Every time the Liang Shan heroes fought a battle, they would go there to rest and practice martial arts.

Abbot Yuantong absorbed the strengths of the heroes' kung fu and compiled the Liang Shan Kung Fu, and because this skill was mostly practiced at midnight and noon, it was called the "Ziwu Sect".

After Song Jiang and the others were recruited and harmed, Yuantong took their descendants into Liugong Mountain to protect them.

The Water Margin heroes who escaped disaster also went to Jianfu Temple to become monks for a living.

Since then, the Liang Shan Ziwu Sect had a foundation.

The kung fu of this sect all carried the names of Liang Shan heroes, such as Wu Song Fist, Wu Song Drunken Fist, Zhishen Fist, Zhishen Staff, Yangzhi Blade, Yanqing Fist, Yanqing Staff, Linchong Spear, Likui Axe, Shiqian Light-Body Technique, Sun Erniang Double Blades, etc.

Chen San was originally a master of the Ziwu Sect, and coupled with his deep understanding of water, he earned the nickname "Dragon in the Waves".

It means he is even fiercer than the original "White Streak in the Waves".

With the support of the sect, coupled with his own abilities and means, he obtained the position of Cao Gang leader.

The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is the foundation of the Cao Gang.

To be able to become a leader and control a section of the river, one can imagine his ability.

But now, he was in a humble state.

And beside him was Li Yan, who had come by ship from Yuzhou.

"Li Li Shaoxia."

Seeing Li Yan didn't speak, Chen San pointed to the town in the distance and introduced: "The streets of Zhang Qiu Town are all named after what they sell, such as Rice Market Street, Sugar Market Street, Firewood Market Street, Bamboo Pole Alley, etc. Do you see where it is suitable to live?"

"Just be a bit quiet."

Li Yan nodded, lowered his voice and said: "Where to live is not important; we walk the underworld, not so particular. It is better for Hundred-Household Chen to investigate the matter clearly early."

"Yes, yes, this official understands."

Chen San's expression was solemn, and he nodded hurriedly.

That's right, this Chen San also had another identity, which was a Hundred-Household of the Commandant's Office.

The relationship between the Cao Gang and the imperial court was ambiguous to begin with; most of the time, they relied on the court's business to make a living, cooperating with the court, one in the light and one in the dark, jointly maintaining the order of the canal.

Chen San being able to go smoothly also owed a lot to his secret identity in the Commandant's Office.

Li Yan and the others were escorted by the Heluo Chamber of Commerce and had just left Kaifeng when this Chen San came over.

It was because he was ordered by the capital to connect with him and secretly investigate the "Jianmu" organization.

Since Li Yan stepped into the underworld, he had formed a feud with this organization, which was already a situation of life and death.

Relying on himself alone, it was inevitable to be passive.

At least in this matter, cooperating with the imperial court was the best choice, so after obtaining intelligence from Wang Xuanmo, he immediately reported it to the Mystic Priest, and the imperial court was investigating Zhao Changsheng, immediately dispatching elite troops to cooperate.

"This official has already sent people to Qufu."

"The Kong family is commissioned by the imperial court and is very cooperative, currently investigating that 'Kong Hui'…"

"And the escaped Eastern Island monks, the Cao Gang brothers are all watching…"

He didn't dare to be negligent, recounting his arrangements one by one.

Those who could participate in this operation were all elites of the Law Enforcement Hall and the Commandant's Office.

He also had some connections in the capital and knew that although this Li Yan came from the grassroots, he was a figure of the wind and clouds in the Mystic Sect underworld, and had deep relationships with some high-ranking officials in the capital, far from what he could offend.

Therefore, he put on the posture of a subordinate all the way.

While speaking, the ships ahead finally scattered.

After the large ship docked, the people in the cabin also walked out one by one.

Apart from Li Yan and the others, Zhao Donkey and his wife were also among them.

On the wharf, dragons and snakes were mixed; they had an extraordinary aura, immediately attracting the attention of many people.

But seeing the Cao Gang leader Chen San leading the way personally, those who were sensible all hurriedly avoided their gaze.

Chen San didn't care to pay attention, led by the Cao Gang disciples, he took everyone directly into the city and came to a three-entry courtyard in the East City; blue bricks and gray tiles, carved beams and jade buildings, plus rockeries and flowing water, it was built very grandly.

"Li Li Shaoxia, this is my Chen family's old house."

Chen San smiled: "Everyone wants to be quiet, but inns are inevitably crowded with people. After thinking about it, this is still the most suitable place. Everyone, live here with peace of mind; if you need anything, just instruct the housekeeper."

Saying this, he whispered: "The imperial court's order came urgently, and I still have some arrangements. In case those Japanese people run away…"

Li Yan nodded, "Official Chen, go be busy."

"I will welcome everyone tomorrow."

Chen San clasped his fists solemnly, and then took his men and left hurriedly.

This is the benefit of cooperating with the imperial court.

These people like Chen San, although they are not the opponents of those old monsters of "Jianmu" in terms of martial power, they are distributed all over the Shenzhou; once the imperial court's order is issued, they can form a net of heaven and earth.

Especially this intelligence, if Li Yan investigated it himself, I don't know how much time it would take.

In the past, they had to be ordered by others, but now they can borrow the power of all parties.

"Everyone, I am Chen Fu."

Just after Chen San left, the old housekeeper hurried up to greet them, "The guest rooms have been cleaned for everyone, and wine and food have been prepared. Everyone, wash up a little, and you can dine after giving an instruction."

"Thank you for your trouble."

The Chen mansion was clearly instructed in advance, knowing that everyone was a distinguished guest, and didn't dare to be the slightest bit negligent.

After settling down, Li Yan came to the room of Zhao Donkey and his wife.

These two had suffered a lot of torture in the False Underworld palace, their vitality had already been damaged, and they didn't participate in the Luoyang battle, sleeping and waking all the way, only slightly better yesterday, able to walk on the ground by themselves, but still pale and blood-deficient.

Seeing Li Yan enter, Zhao Donkey hurriedly stood up, but his eyes were a bit evasive.

"Why is Brother Zhao so distant?"

Li Yan laughed dumbly, pulling Zhao Donkey to sit down.

Zhao Donkey's face turned red, and he was silent for a moment before saying: "In Guanzhong, you asked me to follow, and I didn't want to break the oath, but now all the taboos in the sect have been broken clean, making you laugh."

Li Yan shook his head slightly, "What are you saying?"

"Now this era has changed; sticking to tradition is worth respecting, but it also depends on the situation. I haven't asked yet; with Brother Zhao's temperament, if there was no reason, you wouldn't easily break the oath, right?"

Saying this, he looked at Feng Feiyan calmly.

Feng Feiyan's face turned pale, and she lowered her head.

"It has nothing to do with my wife."

Zhao Donkey saw this, hurriedly held Feng Feiyan's hand, and explained: "The two of us became husband and wife, originally wanting to send a letter to Brother Li to drink wedding wine, but we received news that you were fighting against the Heavenly Saint Sect in Ezhou."

"I was worried in my heart, so I planned to go and help, but when passing through the Qin Ling Mountains, I almost died."

"Oh?"

Li Yan frowned, "What happened?"

Zhao Donkey and Feng Feiyan looked at each other, their eyes flashing with a trace of fear.

Picking up the teacup on the table and taking a sip, Zhao Donkey slowly said: "You also know that my mountain-chasing lineage mostly sleeps in the wilderness, and even when traveling, we don't take the official road, but the mountain road."

Saying this, his eyes turned a bit red, "My father entered the Qin Ling Mountains back then and never returned. Before leaving, he made me swear not to leave Guanzhong in this life. Since the oath was broken, I thought about finding his trail."

"My lineage leaves secret marks when entering the mountains to avoid entering fierce lands and being unable to leave, and I actually found the marks; although many years had passed, they were still clear."

"We followed the marks to search and found the treasure vault left by the Daxing of the previous dynasty; it had already been blown up by someone, and there were suppression talismans left by the Taixuan Orthodox Sect…"

"Is it that trap?"

Li Yan was stunned, hurriedly asking.

When he was in Guanzhong, the Maitreya Sect experts slaughtered the ancient water village, obtained a treasure map from the eunuch who escaped from the capital, and brought many Qin Ling bandits into the mountains to dig for treasure.

As a result, the so-called treasure was just a trap left by the Daxing of the previous dynasty, and it also suppressed a powerful drought demon, almost triggering a tremor in the Qin Ling dragon vein, but fortunately, the Taixuan Orthodox Sect took action, dragged the coffin out, and suppressed it on Mount Hua.

Also because of this matter, he even obtained an opportunity on Mount Hua.

He didn't expect that Zhao Donkey also found that place.

"Was Uncle harmed by the drought demon?" Li Yan asked.

"No."

Zhao Donkey shook his head, "That fake treasure vault was just a diversion; I used the mountain-chasing secret technique to search, and found the secret signal left by my father in the back mountain, continued to search, and as a result, saw a strange thing…"

"That night the moonlight was very bright, and I saw a white-robed Daoist sitting on the mountain, actually able to breathe out clouds like a monster, tempering the inner elixir, absorbing the moonlight…"

"My wife and I were afraid, turned around and wanted to leave, but suddenly yin soldiers passed through the mountains and rivers; although we used secret techniques to avoid them, I was also seriously injured, and it was my wife who carried me out of the Qin Ling Mountains alone…"

"After getting on the official road, I found something was wrong; the two of us had been locked by a curse, and every night, I felt something scratching at the door. To prevent accidents, we could only stay away as soon as possible."

"Just like that, we ran all the way to Yuzhou; because of resisting the yin soldiers, my mind was damaged, so Yan'er could only take some dirty jobs, raising silver to help me heal, and in the end, she was kidnapped."

"So that's how it is."

Li Yan suddenly realized, bowing to Feng Feiyan: "Thank you."

He knew he had wronged this woman.

He didn't expect that this Manager Feng was really a person of love and righteousness.

Looking at this couple, Li Yan asked: "What are your plans for the future?"

Zhao Donkey's eyes were a bit confused, "Yan'er is an ordinary person, and I am injured; it is difficult for my cultivation to make any progress in this life. Continuing to treasure-hunt is too dangerous; perhaps I will find a place to do some small business…"

Li Yan pondered for a moment, "I have a suggestion."

"It's a pity to bury Brother's ability, and this human transformation of the Shenzhou is coming; the wilderness is also becoming more and more dangerous. We are going to the capital to go to the Qiankun Academy."

"They teach all kinds of miscellaneous studies of the Mystic Sect; why not let me plan a position for you, teaching some classes on distinguishing spirit wood, would you be willing?"

"Ah?"

Zhao Donkey was stunned, "I… can I still teach in the academy?"

"That is natural."

Li Yan smiled: "The Qiankun Academy is not ordinary; your family's secret methods don't need to be leaked, but teaching some skills for survival in the wild, they would definitely be very happy."

He had seen Zhao Donkey's ability.

Not to mention the treasure-hunting methods, just the knowledge of the world from his ancestors was enough to attract people.

Following them was too dangerous; with the protection of the Qiankun Academy, they could also be much more stable.

After explaining the origin of the Qiankun Academy, Feng Feiyan winked, and Zhao Donkey also agreed.

"Right!"

Just as Li Yan was about to leave, Zhao Donkey suddenly said, "I also remembered one thing."

"When the yin soldiers passed through that night, I faintly saw their attire, which seemed to be the dress of Qin soldiers."

"Also, I heard that Daoist say half a sentence loudly…"

"What words?"

"Your Majesty, my master Xu Fu…"

"What?!"

Li Yan stood up violently, his eyes filled with disbelief.

…………

After returning to the room, Li Yan's face was still gloomy.

Qin army yin soldiers, Your Majesty…

It was hard not to make him think of that legend of the Qin Ling Mountains:

The Immortal Palace of the Qin King!

For others, it might just be a legend, but he knew that that place truly existed and had a deep relationship with the Underworld Sect.

Could it be that the Qin Shi Huang Huang is also hiding inside?

Also, Xu Fu is related to the "Jianmu" organization, and might even be inside.

His disciple is naturally one too.

The Qin Shi Huang Huang hates him to the bone.

What is Xu Fu's disciple doing in the Qin Ling Mountains?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 651 =====