Chapter 693: Old Ghost Knows the Way

Prince Yan...

Li Yan hadn't expected to see an Imperial Prince so soon.

No matter whose intelligence it was, they had told him there were two major troubles in the capital.

One was the struggle between the Kaihai faction and the local faction, involving the life and death of many families and relating to the future direction of the Shenzhou.

The second was the struggle for the heir apparent, which had always been the root of turmoil.

There were three Imperial Princes with the opportunity to inherit the throne.

First was the Crown Prince Xiao Jingheng, titled Zhaode, benevolent, elegant, and with brilliant literary talent.

He treated people with generosity and was supported by Confucian scholars, considered a choice for a benevolent ruler, but he had a major flaw.

When this Crown Prince was born, the Emperor Xiao Qixuan was planning a palace coup to clear out the Empress's relatives, and the Empress was frightened and went into premature labor, causing the Crown Prince to be weak and sickly since childhood. Fortunately, many famous doctors treated him, pulling him back from the gates of hell several times.

Until now, his health was still poor, and his personality was somewhat weak.

The so-called "position determines the head."

The current Emperor was a heroic ruler, suppressing the officials so they dared not move, and he desperately hoped for someone easy to talk to.

But the Emperor Xiao Qixuan worried that if the Crown Prince inherited the throne, he would be manipulated by the officials.

Precisely because of this, the matter of establishing an heir had been shelved until the Emperor fell ill last year.

But now, even though an heir had been established, it hadn't been settled yet.

Prince of Lingshou, Xiao Jingming, had shown amazing intelligence since childhood; he could handle big and small matters in an orderly manner and could balance the relationships of all parties, quite like a wise ruler, and was most favored by the Emperor.

But his mother was from the former dynasty's Daxing Imperial Clan; if he inherited the throne, other Imperial clans would not agree.

Then there was this Prince Yan, titled Prince Jinghai, who had been brave and skilled in martial arts since childhood, and his mother's clan was also the nobility that assisted the Emperor in ascending the throne. He was a person who didn't care about small details and had a strong enterprising spirit. If he ascended the throne, both the local faction and the Kaihai faction could accept it.

But his weakness was that he was irritable and easily angered, and not favored by civil officials.

In short, this matter had become a taboo.

Li Yan was slightly silent, then put down his teacup, "Has no one reminded this Prince Yan?"

Su Yu smiled sweetly and asked back, "Why remind him?"

"Ordinary people don't know, but Young Master Li should be clear that it's no secret that Earth Immortals are hidden in the Mystic Sect."

"Cultivating in the mountains seems detached from the world, but it's just imprisoning oneself in a circle. Yearning for the prosperity of the mortal world and wanting to find a way to break the situation, the best way is to enter the mansions of princes and nobles, borrowing the incense of the mortal world and the general trend of the dynasty for protection."

Saying this, she joked, "Isn't the one in the Prince of England's mansion the one you caught, Young Master?"

"You know quite a lot, senior."

Li Yan glanced at her deeply and stopped dwelling on this matter.

In fact, he had already sensed it.

With the transformation of humanity and the turmoil in the Great Luo Dala Fajie, there were bound to be many Earth Immortals coming out of the mountains.

But the general trend was like a tide, life and death were unpredictable, and in the end, they all had to pay the price for their choices.

The most urgent thing now was to find a way to enter the "Jiumen Jiumen Jiumen Yin Xu."

Thinking of this, Li Yan picked up his teacup and lowered his head to take a shallow sip, saying indifferently: "Cooperation is possible, but people must be chosen."

"That's natural."

Su Yu's eyes lit up, and she leaned forward, "The Twelve Yuan Chen's signboard has already been hit; my Jin Yanmen naturally won't tarnish your reputation. We will screen what jobs can be taken and what people can be met. Of course, the final decision is still up to you."

Saying this, she laughed, "To tell you the truth, the more picky you all are, the more beneficial it is for us."

Li Yan nodded, "Our enemies are very dangerous. If you sell us out..."

"Is it 'Jianmu'?"

Su Yu's expression was calm, "Those demons are terrifying, but trying to overthrow the Shenzhou is to make enemies with everyone. To put it bluntly, the Jin Yanmen are just a bunch of weak women; we understand the principle of 'rather be a dog in a prosperous age than a human in a chaotic one.' Young master, please rest assured."

Li Yan wasn't surprised after hearing this.

After the battle in Chengdu, some things were no longer secrets.

With the Jin Yanmen's intelligence in the capital, it wasn't strange for them to find out about Jianmu.

"There is one more thing."

Li Yan put down his teacup and stared into her eyes, "I have something to do and need your intelligence."

Su Yu raised her hand, "Young master, please speak."

Li Yan said in a deep voice: "Do you know about the 'Jiumen Jiumen Jiumen Yin Xu'?"

Su Yu's hand stiffened, and her beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Young master, that's not a good place; it will bring big trouble."

Li Yan looked into her eyes, "If I were afraid of trouble, the Twelve Yuan Chen wouldn't have reached today."

Su Yu was silent for a moment, took off the jade pendant from her waist, and said with a calm expression: "At midnight tomorrow, take this jade pendant to the back alley of the 'Tu'er Ye Temple.' Someone will talk to you then; they are also fellow Daoists who cooperate with us."

"But I'll say the ugly words first: that place is managed by the Imperial Clan Court; one carelessness and it's a matter of having your family copied and exterminated. Neither my Jin Yanmen nor that fellow Daoist knows anything about this matter."

"Rest assured, I understand the rules!"

Li Yan smiled, took the jade pendant, cupped his hands, and left.

"I'll see you off, young master."

Su Yu stood up and sent him out of Su Garden. After she returned, there was one more person in the room.

It was a little girl, looking only four or five years old, dressed in palace attire, kneeling and drinking tea. Although her skin was like carved jade, like a porcelain doll, she didn't have the innocence of a child at all. Instead, she kept a small face, her waist and back were straight, and she had quite a bit of bearing.

"Has he left?"

"Returning to the ancestor, he has left."

Hearing Su Yu's answer, the little girl let out a sigh of relief and shook her head, "Indeed extraordinary. I've been in the capital for so long and have seen several Living Yin Messengers, but he is the first to detect my aura. This kid must have secrets."

Su Yu was silent for a moment, "Ancestor, this person is dangerous and has a feud with Jianmu; why should we cooperate with him?"

"What do you know?"

The little girl said in a deep voice: "If it were a hundred years ago, such a disaster star should be avoided. But it's different now. When the tide comes, will we be safe on the shore?"

Su Yu shook her head, "Always walking by the river, how can you not get your shoes wet? Is this person different?"

The little girl was silent for a moment, "He is not only a Living Yin Messenger but also has the position of a Heavenly Official, and his Great Luo divine ability is different from ordinary people. Such things can only be tampered with by those in the Dala Fajie. The intelligence from Chengdu also mentioned that this person is acquainted with Erlang Zhenjun."

"Perhaps he is the one steering the boat..."

…………

By the time Li Yan returned to the Rouyuan Post Station, it was already midnight.

He naturally wouldn't hide what he saw during the Su Garden trip from everyone.

After Wang Daoxuan heard it, his eyes were full of worry, "This trip is still somewhat dangerous."

"Young Master Li, your cultivation is at the fourth level. With the help of the Dharma array, you can barely let your Yin soul travel, but your divine soul is still unstable. Without the protection of your physical body, you are like a wandering ghost, unable to withstand the Gang wind, unable to resist the Dharma array, and yet you want to enter that dangerous place..."

"Why not forget it!"

Sha Lifei also advised: "Damn it, the mess made by the imperial court is still being covered up and they refuse to show it to people. Even if there is some disaster, let them bear it. Why does Young Master Li have to take the risk?"

"This matter is not that simple."

Li Yan was silent for a moment, "The dangers in the future will not be few; we cannot retreat."

To tell the truth, he had already sensed the danger.

The transformation of humanity was fierce, and more and more Earth Immortals would appear; summoning Yin Office troops might not be stable either.

Just like that Kong Shangzhao, his movement technique directly crushed him, and his cultivation and techniques were bound to be extraordinary. What was more troublesome was that the opponent must have the "Earth Official Amnesty Treasure Proclamation," which could resist one capture by Yin soldiers. Borrowing this gap, he had every opportunity to kill him.

Appearing brazenly last night clearly showed he had murderous intent toward him, preparing to lure him away and strangle him, only to be scared away by many firearms.

In the capital, there was still a more mysterious Zhao Qingxu who hadn't appeared.

The best method was to strike first.

Looking at everyone's worried eyes, Li Yan said in a deep voice: "My mind is made up; you brothers don't need to persuade me, and this matter still needs your help."

"I will go to investigate the 'Jiumen Jiumen Jiumen Yin Xu' first; I cannot be discovered by the Imperial Clan Court, so you all need to help me cover..."

"The person leading the way tomorrow night also needs to be guarded against; San will be responsible for surveillance, the Daoist will set up a Dharma altar nearby, my physical body will be guarded by you. Once you find something wrong, use the soul-summoning technique to call me back..."

"Others will be responsible for support, just in case..."

Kong Shangzhao had already left with Luo Faqing. Although Zhao Donkey wasn't one of the Twelve Yuan Chen, he was listening on the side. Hearing this, he immediately said in a muffled voice: "Brother Li, my wife and I will go tomorrow night too. If anyone touches your physical body, they can only walk over my corpse."

"No need, more people are instead not safe."

Li Yan shook his head slightly, "There is one thing, though, that needs you to make a trip, brother."

"That Fatty Lin is also a treasure-seeker. Now following Jiuling, he is responsible for preparing the Qiankun Academy. There is quite a lot of information about heavenly treasures from all over the place inside. You go find Fatty Lin tomorrow and help me find a kind of treasure?"

"What do you need?" Zhao Donkey didn't talk nonsense.

Li Yan said in a deep voice: "I need the kind that contains powerful vitality. No matter how much money it costs, intercept it first!"

After the battle in Chengdu, he had already extinguished a soul fire.

Along this journey of cultivation and fighting, his Great Luo Dharma body was already covered in scars.

He had to find suitable heavenly treasures to repair it as soon as possible...

…………

The next day, the sky was overcast, and a light rain began to fall.

Just past Grain Rain, approaching the beginning of summer, the slight heat that had just started was also extinguished by this rain.

Because of the climate change, it actually gave people a feeling of autumn.

The rain threads were dense, weaving obliquely across the long street.

In previous years at this time, willow catkins should have been flying like snow all over the city, but now, because of the lingering power of the cold spring, the new green on the branches was curled up, washed bright by the cold rain.

As soon as the sky brightened, Zhao Donkey put on his coir raincoat and left the city.

The address of the Qiankun Academy was not in the capital, but in the eastern suburbs, just like the newly built Divine Machine Camp.

That place was guarded by heavy troops, with Mystic Sect experts sitting in town, surrounded tightly, and the investigation was strict.

Even with a hand order, Zhao Donkey would need two days to go back and forth.

As for the others, they all stayed honestly in the Rouyuan Post Station.

The destruction of the Prince of England's mansion's "Pantao Assembly" and the destruction of the "Iron Anchor Society's" incense hall caused rumors to fly among the city people, and the court officials were even more terrified. Coupled with the patrols of the Five Military Offices and the Imperial Guards everywhere, all the city foxes and social rats became honest.

As for Kong Shangzhao, he had disappeared again since that night.

Luo Faqing was busy interrogating and investigating the case, and no one disturbed them for a whole day.

Unknowingly, night fell again.

Li Yan and the others were all prepared. When the night was deep and quiet, they climbed over the wall one after another and went out.

The Tu'er Ye Temple in the capital was adjacent to the Dongyue Temple, located on the north side outside the Chaoyang Gate.

Everyone avoided the patrolling soldiers all the way, and as soon as they left the Chaoyang Gate, they scattered to take action.

Wang Daoxuan came to the courtyard rented in advance during the day, and brought Long Yaner and Wu Ba to set up the altar and array...

Sha Lifei found a high point nearby, set up his divine fire gun, and put on the heavenly treasure cassock that could hide his aura...

As for Lu San, he summoned the falcon Lidong to circle in the night sky, and summoned a group of rats to disperse to various places...

After everyone was ready, Li Yan strode to the back alley of the "Tu'er Ye Temple."

At this time, it was not yet midnight, and there was no one in the Tu'er Ye Temple.

Li Yan wasn't in a hurry either, holding his Dust-Breaking Saber and closing his eyes to wait.

Bang~ Bang-bang~

"Midnight, fire prevention and theft prevention."

The sound of the night watchman came from afar, and immediately after, Li Yan smelled a rancid odor.

He opened his eyes and looked, only to see a person walking slowly from the depths of the dark alley.

This was an old beggar with sores all over his face and tattered clothes.

He had disheveled hair, the dirt on his face formed gullies, and when he opened his mouth, there were big yellow teeth, "Token!"

Li Yan didn't talk nonsense, took out the jade pendant from his bosom, and threw it over.

The beggar hooked it with his bamboo staff, the jade pendant fell into his hand, and after looking at it carefully for a few times, he squinted at Li Yan, "The 'Jiumen Jiumen Jiumen Yin Xu' is not a good place. What are you doing inside?"

Li Yan's brow furrowed slightly, "You talk too much."

This person's cultivation was worse than his, only at the third level; he should be from a side sect, also considered a strange person in the dust.

But no matter what his identity was, Su Yu must have paid enough.

Taking money to do things and not digging to the bottom was the basic rule.

"Pah!"

The old beggar spat disdainfully, "Kid, it's not that I'm meddlesome. Having drifted for half a lifetime, I've seen both bad and good people. Whether you kill or set fire, or act chivalrously, it has nothing to do with me, but that place is not ordinary and has many taboos."

"If you want to go deep into it to investigate the imperial court's dragon veins, that's seeking death, and I will only say it clearly."

"If you want to see it and get some benefits, I will tell you the taboos and methods one by one."

Li Yan's eyes narrowed, "Investigating a case, finding someone."

"Finding someone?"

The old beggar laughed angrily, "There are demons and monsters inside, gods and ghosts, but no living people."

"Forget it, I'll suffer a loss today and tell you in detail."

Saying this, his expression became solemn, "Entering the Jiumen Jiumen Jiumen Yin Xu has three taboos."

"That is a forbidden area of the Mystic Sect set by the imperial court, ordinary people can't see it, but every three quarters, the City God patrols the street. Once a Yin soul is discovered traveling, it will be directly executed. The Jiumen City God is connected to the Great Array of the Nation, even if an immortal descends, he can't escape the 'Zhenwu Demon-Slaying Sword' on the top of the Jin-Shen Hall, so don't miss the time..."

"To enter the 'Jiumen Jiumen Jiumen Yin Xu,' you must follow the oil-stealing rat demon. It follows behind the night watchman, circling around the nine gates. If you haven't found the oil-stealing rat demon, no matter what calls you, you can't answer..."

"And once you enter the 'Jiumen Jiumen Jiumen Yin Xu,' you can only follow the 'Tu'er Ye' divine carriage. This is the only benevolent god inside and won't make things difficult for you, but other things are hard to say. If you are trapped inside after midnight..."

"Once the sky brightens, you will never be able to come out again!"

"I've said all I can; take care of yourself!"

After saying this, he cupped his hands and turned to leave.

Looking at his limping figure, Li Yan's eyes narrowed, "Can senior leave a name? Maybe I'll need to ask for advice in the future."

He had a feeling that this old beggar's identity was absolutely not simple.

That kind of place like the "Jiumen Jiumen Jiumen Yin Xu," even the Mystic Sacrificial Office didn't want to touch, but he seemed to enter often.

"The name of the past won't be mentioned."

The old beggar didn't look back, "Just call me 'Old Ghost of the Capital'."

While speaking, he had already disappeared, as if he had merged into the darkness...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 694 =====