Chapter 68: Crossing to the Yin, Destroying the Faction

The moon was dark and the wind high; the sound of shoveling soil was constant.

Li Yan and Sha Lifei dug hard, while Wu Laosi sat in meditation nearby.

His way of meditating was somewhat strange.

He lay on his back on the ground, legs bent, soles of his feet touching, a bit like the "Return to Life" posture, but his palms were crossed, forming a strange mudra.

Before long, he suddenly opened his eyes and sprang up like a carp. His expression was completely different, and his eyes had become piercingly bright.

"Ready!"

Glancing at the deep pit on the ground, Wu Laosi said in a deep voice, "Three feet above the ground there are gods; three feet underground one can communicate with the Yin. This distance is enough. Lift the coffin!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan and Sha Lifei hurriedly threw away their shovels.

They first scattered the five-colored soil, then poured out a bottle of yellow wine, and finally lifted the thin-skinned coffin from the side, slowly lowering it into the pit.

What is a thin-skinned coffin?

There is a convention for this coffin, usually seven feet three inches, hence the saying, "A coffin in the world is seven feet three, enough to bury all the men under heaven."

But this is only among the common people; royal nobles have different standards.

Of course, there are distinctions among the common people too. Wealthy families use high-quality materials like sandalwood or nanmu, which last a long time without rotting.

As for the poor, not only can they not afford good materials, but the thickness of the coffin boards is also less than three inches; this is called a thin-skinned coffin.

Because this kind of coffin is buried underground, it is often dug up by wild dogs that smash the coffin boards with their heads to eat the human flesh, so it is also called "Dog-Bump-Head."

Wu Laosi was not being buried, so a "Dog-Bump-Head" was sufficient.

After the coffin was placed, Wu Laosi picked up some paper money, reciting scriptures—the gist of which was for wandering ghosts not to disturb—while forming mudras.

Li Yan could smell several strands of Yin Sha Qi being drawn up, surrounding the coffin in the shape of the Southern Dipper's six stars.

After doing this, he took off his shoes, placed one upside down and one right-side up into the coffin, then slowly lay inside, holding the "Hooked Order" in his hand.

"Remember!"

Wu Laosi said with a solemn expression, "When the rooster crows at dawn, if the bell rings, immediately break the soil and open the coffin. If the bell does not ring, burn the coffin directly; you must not open it!"

"Burn it?!"

Sha Lifei was startled. "Then, Senior, you..."

Wu Laosi shook his head. "Don't worry about me. If you don't want to die, just burn it, because if the bell doesn't ring..."

"The one coming out will definitely not be me!"

Having said this, he slowly closed his eyes.

Li Yan and Sha Lifei looked at each other, both feeling helpless.

This was their first time seeing the true Art of Crossing to the Yin, and they didn't understand the intricacies, so they had to follow orders.

The two slowly closed the coffin lid without using coffin nails.

Moreover, there was a hole in the coffin. Li Yan first stuffed the hemp rope tied to the copper bell into the hole, and seeing Wu Laosi inside pull the rope tight, he and Sha Lifei shoveled soil to bury the coffin.

Afterward, following the orientation Wu Laosi had set beforehand, they lit six oil lamps in the position of the Southern Dipper's six stars and tied the copper bell to the tree; only then was it finished.

Cluck!

A large rooster was also tied to the tree nearby, scratching the soil in search of bugs.

Sha Lifei shook his head. "This method looks weird and evil; I wonder if it will work?"

"Just listen to Senior."

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "Uncle Sha, remember, if a Yin wind rises later, scatter the paper money to prevent Senior's physical body from being coveted."

Sha Lifei swallowed hard. "What if those things don't give us face?"

Li Yan slowly tied the tassel of the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin to his blade and said calmly:

"If the polite way doesn't work, we'll use force."

……

On the other side, Xianyang City was also restless.

"Bang—bang bang!"

"The Hour of the Rat has arrived; the weather is dry, beware of fire!"

The old night watchman walked slowly through the old street.

Passing through a dark alley, the old man suddenly felt cold, so he tightened his clothes and quickened his pace to leave.

Years of night watching had trained him to have a pair of good ears. In the silence of the deep night, he could hear the breathing of many people in the nearby dark alleys.

Of course, the old man wouldn't meddle in other people's business.

This place was not far from the Changping Granary, where there were yamen guards.

Whatever happened, it wasn't his turn to step in.

And the large blacksmith shop across the alley was also the station of the Iron Blade Gang in the city. These people were usually overbearing, and he had been bullied by them more than once, so he was even less inclined to meddle.

After decades of ups and downs, he had seen too much.

In his youth, the Wang family was a high-gate, wealthy household with clouds of experts, even having some relatives in the palace; they were known as the Kings of Xianyang.

Unfortunately, after one imperial decree, the entire family vanished like smoke.

In his middle age, the Gao family produced several Dan-Jin experts who were famous throughout the Guanzhong Road; even large factions from other provinces had to pay their respects first.

But because they offended a mysterious force, they were wiped out overnight.

Compared to these, the Iron Blade Gang was nothing.

In this Jianghu, there are always people with bigger fists than yours...

…………

Just as the old man left, two people slowly walked out of the dark alley.

One was wearing a sheepskin jacket; it was the man who had guarded outside the alley of the Daoist Hall that night and dealt with the beggars who came to ambush them.

The other was Luo Shihai.

The man bowed respectfully. "Senior Luo, you could have just stayed at home. We could easily pull out this last tooth of the Zhou family."

Luo Shihai snorted. "The Iron Blade Gang is hiding a Jiangzuo sorcerer who is plotting against my treasure. We must not let this person go!"

"Understood, Senior, rest assured."

The man in the sheepskin jacket nodded, his expression turning gloomy as he turned around. "Do it!"

At the order, a large group of men in black swarmed out.

They wore black headscarves and held short wooden sticks in their hands.

The short sticks were about an arm and an elbow in length, slightly thicker at one end and thinner at the other.

This weapon is called a "Whip Rod," also known as a "Pack Mule Whip." It is popular in the Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Jinzhou regions. It has an ancient history, and many martial artists have practiced it; the most famous is the Heart-Mind Six-Harmony Whip Rod.

But for everyone to use it, it was the signature of the Transport Agency.

The arrivals were indeed from the Taixing Transport Agency.

As soon as they left the dark alley, they quickened their pace and rushed toward the courtyard walls surrounding the blacksmith shop.

As the station of the Iron Blade Gang, this blacksmith shop was naturally unusual. It had combined all the nearby shops, and the surrounding courtyard walls were built to the height of two people, like a small fortress.

However, it could not stop these Transport Agency thugs.

They worked in groups of three: two would interlock their hands, and the third would step on them to soar into the air; then, with a pull, the remaining two would also jump over the wall.

!.

Their movements were nimble, and within a few breaths, they had all jumped over the high wall.

Clatter!

The sound of breaking pottery jars rang out.

It was the Iron Blade Gang thugs who had placed many pottery jars under the courtyard walls to serve as warnings at night.

"Who's there?!"

Gang members were immediately awakened and rushed out with short blades in hand.

Usually, these hoodlums wouldn't be so concentrated, especially at night—visiting brothels, gambling, drinking... everyone had somewhere to go.

But things hadn't been peaceful lately; the White Ape Gang had been wiped out by the government, so the gang leader ordered everyone to stay at the station and not stir up trouble.

Seeing a group of men in black jump down, the Iron Blade Gang members were initially startled, but realizing there were no more than thirty of them, they suddenly gained courage.

"Where did you bastards come from!"

"Brothers, let's bleed them!"

The Iron Blade Gang members shouted and fought with the arrivals.

But as soon as they engaged, they realized something was wrong.

These men in black were all silent, and the force of their whip rods was incredibly great. Their poking, chopping, picking, and hooking movements were clean and efficient, easily breaking the wrists of the gang members and causing their blades to drop.

This is the whip rod; although it is not an iron weapon, it is short, fierce, and agile, with endless variations.

The whip rods danced, accompanied by thumping sounds and endless screams.

They were a true Jianghu faction!

The Iron Blade Gang members were suddenly shocked.

They were originally just hoodlums on the street; although they practiced some fist and foot techniques, their bodies had long been hollowed out by wine and lust, and they could only bully ordinary people.

Before, relying on the rules of the government, they could act shamelessly and force down-and-out Jianghu people to submit.

When they encountered these truly ruthless people, they could only take a beating.

Before long, a pile of people lay on the ground.

The Taixing Transport Agency was also truly ruthless; although they didn't strike at fatal places like the hundred-hui point or temples, they broke all the hands and feet of these hoodlums.

Even if they recovered, they would inevitably be left with disabilities.

What was even more troublesome was that the medical expenses for so many people, plus the need to send people to take care of them, would directly drag the Iron Blade Gang down.

But if they ignored it, the entire faction would vanish like smoke.

After crippling the remaining gang members, the men in black from the Taixing Transport Agency still didn't stop, searching everywhere in the blacksmith shop.

"Find Zheng Heibei quickly!"

"And that sorcerer!"

"Search everywhere, see if there are any secret passages!"

The men in black searched room by room, but when passing by one side room, everyone seemed to deliberately ignore it, running past without even looking.

Inside the side room, two yellow talismans were pasted on the wooden window. On a small altar, the black Wandering Soul Jar had been opened, and a Yin wind was swirling with incense ash in the room.

Behind the altar, a man with disheveled hair had a Supreme Ultimate diagram drawn on his forehead with cinnabar. It was You Laosi, the Jiangzuo sorcerer hidden by Zheng Heibei.

He formed mudras with both hands and chanted, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

And outside the courtyard, several shouts rang out.

"Reporting to the leader, we didn't find anyone!"

"Senior Luo, what do you think..."

"Forget it, he's probably hiding with that old monkey. Let's go."

"Withdraw!"

At the order, the people from the Transport Agency scattered, leaving only the Iron Blade Gang hoodlums groaning in pain on the ground.

The sorcerer You Laosi finally breathed a sigh of relief, dismantled the altar, and trembled all over.

He only knew how to use curses to harm people and was unskilled in martial arts.

If he were caught, he would surely get a sound beating.

How did this Luo Shihai find out about his plot?

With the Zhou family losing power, he couldn't stay in this Iron Blade Gang either!

You Laosi's eyes flickered with uncertainty. Not knowing what he thought of, a cold sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth. Taking advantage of the fact that the gang members in the courtyard were all injured, he snuck toward the room of the gang leader, Zheng Heibei...

…………

Just as the Iron Blade Gang was being raided, there was also movement by the riverbank outside the city.

Clatter!

As soon as the Hour of the Rat arrived, a Yin wind suddenly rose, and birds flew up in alarm.

Li Yan pinched the Yang mudra and immediately smelled a decaying, icy scent from afar, carrying a sticky sensation that rose from the ground.

"Uncle Sha, hurry!"

At his reminder, Sha Lifei hurriedly grabbed a handful of paper money and scattered it into the air.

"Friends passing by, there is a way in the mountains and water; let's not interfere with each other..."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 69 =====