Chapter 710

“The Celestial Master’s Mansion escaped…”

Li Yan frowned slightly, “From the Demon-Subduing Well?”

The “Demon-Subduing Well” of Longhu Mountain was renowned throughout the Daoist sects.

Legend had it that the First Celestial Master, Zhang Daoling, subdued the “Eight Demon Generals” and “Six Demon Kings” on Mount Qingcheng and sealed them within a specially crafted well.

The Fourth Celestial Master, Zhang Sheng, returned to Longhu Mountain and formally constructed the Demon-Subduing Well inside the Demon-Subduing Hall of Shangqing Palace, as a permanent prison for demons and monsters.

The opening story of “Water Margin,” where Grand Tutor Hong opened the Demon-Subduing Hall and unearthed the Demon-Subduing Well, refers to this very well.

Of course, Li Yan knew some of these tales had been exaggerated.

For instance, the “Six Demon Kings” were actually the “Six Palace Demon Kings,” sealed beneath Mount Luo Feng.

Should he one day attain profound cultivation, he could learn the summoning technique.

But it was true that countless evil spirits had been imprisoned within it over the ages—and they were all notoriously difficult to subdue.

Thus, each generation of Celestial Masters was required to personally visit the Demon-Subduing Hall during the Upper, Middle, and Lower Yuan Festivals to reapply sealing strips and reinforce the well’s talismanic seals—a ritual called “Triple Yuan Reinforcement”—and every Jiazi year, they must hold the “Great Demon-Subduing Ceremony,” using the “Scripture for Transcending the Dead” to liberate the lingering souls within the well.

With each succession of the Celestial Master, a new sealing strip was added, and the lock core was cast with molten bronze.

One could say, once sealed inside, there was no chance of ever rising again.

Thinking of this, Li Yan quickly asked for details.

Luo Mingzi did not conceal anything, speaking in a low, grave tone: “This matter owes its resolution to Master Kong—he painstakingly unraveled the truth.”

“Based on your intelligence and Kong Hui’s confession, Master Kong unearthed from the archives of the Enforcement Hall an old text called ‘The Record of Strange Events in Bianliang During the Dazhong Xiangfu Era,’ documenting various Daoist mysteries of the Song Dynasty…”

“At the time, the orthodox path was in decline; the Song court was bewitched by the Ghost Religion, leading to countless wrongful cases, truth and falsehood indistinguishable. A great fire destroyed much of the documentation, rendering it of little reference value, so it was stored deep in the archives, untouched…”

“This case was called ‘The Paper Phantom of Yizhou’s Jiaozi Office.’ In Tianxi Year Three, a clerk of the Yizhou Jiaozi Office died suddenly from greed; before dying, he failed to burn ten thousand jiaozi exchange notes. The people’s resentment over the devaluation of jiaozi and soaring prices clung to the cinnabar seal, and at midnight, a ‘faceless humanoid’ formed, feeding solely on the essence of copper coins. Whenever someone touched it, it would chant, ‘All wealth under heaven belongs to one.’ Hong Mai heard of this and adapted it into his ‘Yijian Zhi’ as a warning to posterity…”

“Due to local unrest, the court dispatched a royal sorcerer to investigate and suppress it. Unknown what occurred, the royal was possessed by this demon, returned to the capital, manipulated the imperial family, triggered the ‘Bianjing Money Disaster,’ and conspired with the Ghost Religion, leading to the Jingkang Humiliation…”

“Later, when the Daoist sects unified and the Great Xuan Orthodox Church was founded, aiding Daxing to overthrow the Song, this demon god was also sealed…”

He glanced around at the group. “The royal possessed was named Zhao Huailiang, Dao name Qingxu!”

“So it must be him!”

Wang Daoxuan frowned, stroking his beard. “Longhu Mountain is a sacred Daoist site; no ordinary person may approach the Demon-Subduing Well. How could it have been released?”

Luo Mingzi spoke gravely: “This was the work of remnants of the fallen Daxing regime. Unwilling to accept the loss of their empire, they sabotaged things as the royal family scattered and fled. One of them trained on Longhu Mountain—and he was the one who released it. A Daoist named Zhang Ruochen from Longhu Mountain, who served as national advisor to the court, confirmed this after being questioned.”

Li Yan narrowed his eyes. “With such a threat escaped, they didn’t pursue it?”

Luo Mingzi fell silent for a moment, then said: “The dynasty had just changed; everything was chaotic. Perhaps they simply forgot.”

Clearly, even he didn’t believe his own words.

Those present were all seasoned veterans; they exchanged glances.

The Northern Kong, Southern Zhang—Longhu Mountain’s thousand-year lineage held unquestioned status in the Daoist world.

Even amid mediocrity and fluctuating fortunes, every dynasty had to officially bestow recognition.

While others fought for the position of national advisor, Longhu Mountain merely deliberated who to send.

Even though Luo Mingzi now commanded the emperor’s favor and led the investigation into the Jianmu organization, wielding considerable power, before Longhu Mountain, his words carried little weight—clearly, he’d been humiliated.

Li Yan understood fully, clapping him on the shoulder. “Don’t meddle in Longhu Mountain’s affairs, Brother Luo. Since we’ve traced Zhao Qingxu’s origins, do you have any leads on his whereabouts?”

“That’s what infuriates me!”

Luo Mingzi’s face darkened. “Zhao Qingxu infiltrated the capital, established the Peach Banquet, and planted nodes to corrupt the dragon veins—all requiring accomplices. We’ve followed countless leads, but all were severed. Even General Xiao Huainan took his own life in prison yesterday; his family vanished without a trace.”

Li Yan mused: “So there are still his men in the capital. Could the foreigner who leaked the artifact’s location be one of his subordinates?”

“Hard to say.”

Luo Mingzi glanced out the window, lowering his voice. “After the incident at Jinmen Port, the court ordered a strict crackdown on foreign merchants. Many have gone into hiding; we still haven’t found any leads…”

Before he finished, Sha Lifei said dryly: “Brother Luo, the Commandant’s Office and Enforcement Hall both answer to you. If Longhu Mountain is untouchable, surely you can’t fail to catch a few foreigners?”

Luo Mingzi frowned helplessly. “Brother Sha, it’s not that simple!”

“After the Jinmen chaos, the court ordered a crackdown on foreign traders. These people are cunning—they sensed the danger long ago, hiding or fleeing. In such a vast capital, finding a few foreigners determined to vanish is like searching for a needle in a haystack!”

He looked at the group. “Do any of you know how many foreign merchants are in the capital?”

“How many?”

“From the Western Tribes and the Southern Seas—minimum fifty thousand!”

“So many?” Everyone was stunned.

“Indeed. Since the opening of the seas, their numbers have swelled. They’re scattered across six streets and nine alleys—some live in official inns and guild halls, others rent rooms in civilian homes, some have settled permanently, married Han women, raised children, and vanished into the streets. Now, deliberately keeping low, their traces are nearly impossible to find.”

“Worse still, these people are deeply entangled. Local brokers, canal and river guilds, Fujian-Zhejiang-Guangdong merchant associations—all have profited from these foreign traders.”

“How could those flyers have spread across Xizhimen Market overnight without the help of these local power brokers concealing their movements and passing information? How could a few foreign faces move so swiftly and secretly?”

“No matter how many men the Commandant’s Office and Enforcement Hall have, they must feel their way inch by inch through this murky water—there’s no quick way to cut through it! Right now, it’s a test of patience: who will slip first, or whether we get lucky and catch the tail of those who distributed the flyers.”

“These foreign merchants… are slippery indeed!”

Hearing this, Li Yan also frowned.

There were indeed many people. If Zhao Qingxu was behind this, he must have taken precautions—this trail would be hard to unravel.

“Alright.”

Li Yan spoke firmly: “Brother Luo, keep searching. We’ll head to Qiankun Academy tomorrow. No matter what tricks Zhao Qingxu plays, his target is the academy’s artifact—he’ll inevitably reveal himself.”

“That’s good. Everyone, be careful.”

…

Leaving the Xuan Sacrificial Office, it was already the third watch of night.

Exhausted from travel, the group returned to Rouyuan Inn and went straight to sleep.

The next day, before dawn, Li Yan awoke.

Hearing a soft rustling outside the window, he opened it—continuous drizzle had fallen all night.

As usual, he practiced the Red Fist’s Ten Rounds inside his room.

Hummm!

Unlike last year, he had now entered Dan Jin; his body now emitted a deep rumbling during practice.

It was the sound of qi and blood surging violently.

A veteran Dan Jin master of decades would never dare such a thing—any misstep could damage the meridians.

But Li Yan had no hesitation, walking as if on a tightrope.

His confidence came from the Great Luo Dharma Body within him.

Crack!

As he pushed his limits, another crack appeared on the Great Luo Dharma Body.

Li Yan frowned, immediately ending his practice and focusing on breath.

The Great Luo Dharma Body was now severely damaged—he could no longer recklessly push himself as before.

Still, Zhao the Donkey had gone to Qiankun Academy; logically, he should have returned long ago. Yet last night, back at Rouyuan Inn, he was nowhere to be seen.

Feng Feiyan was deeply anxious; even though the academy had sent word that Zhao the Donkey was unharmed, she couldn’t sleep.