Chapter 94: Qin Mountains Ancient Road

"So what if the target is tough?"

A gentle voice sounded from the darkness.

Subsequently, a person walked slowly to the window.

He was not old, dressed in a green shirt and Confucian robe, with fair skin and a smiling face; he looked like a scholar out for an excursion.

Looking at this seemingly harmless young man, the bearded man's eyes flashed with a trace of fear, and he lowered his head to curry favor, "That's right, Third Brother, your wisdom is unparalleled; dealing with these people will surely be easy."

The young man glanced at him and sighed, "I don't want to be tired either, but there's no way. Seeing that winter is approaching, the brothers in the stronghold need to share the treasury to avoid the winter."

"You know the situation on the mountain; if we don't gather enough silver, I'm afraid the stronghold will collapse next year."

After saying this, he looked out the window, "On Niubei Ridge, there is more than one family craving this guy, but whether it can be done is another matter."

"Let's find a way to figure out the background first."

"Yes, Third Brother!"

"Hmm?"

"Yes, Young Master..."

The overcast rain continued, and the autumn days grew shorter.

By the time Sha Lifei returned from the inn, the sky was already dark. Inside the dilapidated main hall, firelight flickered, and a fragrance was already drifting in the air.

Sha Lifei sniffed, his eyes lit up, and he immediately accelerated. Before even entering the door, he shouted, "Good, you started eating without waiting for me!"

"What's the rush?"

Li Yan sat on the brick and stone, wiping the Guan Mountain knife in his hand, "Although the mountain chicken in autumn is fat, it is ultimately a bit tough; stewing it for a while longer will make it softer."

If there was one thing not to worry about after hitting the road, it was meat.

Ordinary people traveling were always in a hurry; even if they occasionally encountered wild animals by the roadside, they might not be able to catch them.

But these were not problems for Li Yan.

His sense of smell was astonishing; anything approaching couldn't hide from him at all. He also got some flying knives in Xianyang City, and often while walking, he would suddenly flick a knife, and there would be a harvest.

Smelling the fragrance drifting from the large pot, everyone was drooling, but no one dared to lift the pot lid.

This Young Hero Li was very picky about food; if the heat wasn't enough and the pot lid was lifted early, he would get angry and scold people.

Sha Lifei naturally had to endure it. After putting down the wine jar and small dishes, he leaned toward Li Yan and told him about the news he had inquired about.

Li Yan frowned, "The bandits want to avoid the winter?"

Sha Lifei nodded, "Most likely!"

A young man from the funeral parlor was somewhat curious, "Why avoid the winter?"

The carriage driver, Old Man Meng, couldn't help it anymore, ran to the wine jar, poured himself a bowl, drank two mouthfuls beautifully, then narrowed his eyes and said, "You don't even know this if you're in the martial world?"

"Winter on the mountain is not easy to get through. Especially in these Qin Mountains, when the heavy snow seals the mountains, food and clothing are scarce, and the roads are cut off. If the bandits continue to nest on the mountain, wouldn't they be brain-damaged?"

"So, every year at this time, they will rob a big one, share the silver, and scatter down the mountain. Some go back to visit their mothers, some hide with their old lovers in brothels, and some set up gambling dens in the village..."

"In short, everyone is busy with their own things."

"When spring comes next year, the bandit leader will gather people. Those who don't arrive on time will get three knives and six holes; if they die in a conflict with someone, they will join forces to come and take revenge."

"After finishing these, they will continue to block the road and cut the path."

The young man was stunned, "Go back to visit their mothers?"

Sha Lifei sneered on the side, "Bandits aren't popped out of stones; naturally, they have mothers, and some even support a whole family."

"Sometimes, you find that some improper youth in the village suddenly says he's going out to do business, only returning during the New Year, and can bring back a sum of money; most of it has problems!"

"So that's it..."

The young coffin bearer suddenly realized.

Subsequently, everyone's eyes turned to Li Yan.

The coffin bearers originally thought that the one making the decisions in the team would be Sha Lifei, who had rich martial world experience, or Wang Daoxuan, who was old and steady.

But after these days, Li Yan had arranged everything properly, which had completely convinced them.

Li Yan pondered for a moment, "Let's talk about it when we reach Mount Zhongnan. The matter of the bandit disaster on Niubei Ridge must have already spread; let's see how they deal with it..."

Just at this moment, he suddenly frowned and looked outside the door, "Someone is coming, and there are quite a few; everyone be careful."

Sha Lifei hurriedly picked up his knife and stood up, took a look at the door, and shook his head, "It's this bunch of official masters; they really came!"

Saying this, he recounted what he had seen at the inn.

Li Yan didn't speak but looked at Wang Daoxuan.

Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "They are all travelers; it's nothing to provide convenience to others. Let's vacate a room."

This was the division of labor in the three-person group.

Li Yan was responsible for saying harsh words, Wang Daoxuan acted as the peacemaker, and Sha Lifei was versatile, being tough when necessary and soft when necessary, having room for maneuver in everything he encountered.

Sure enough, just as they finished speaking, the middle-aged man named Fengping cupped his hands at the door and said, "Everyone, the wind is strong and the rain is heavy; can you provide convenience and let out a room?"

"Fine, we are easy to talk to."

Having made the decision, Sha Lifei naturally wanted to be a good person for once, went with the coffin bearers to move the things from that room back, and even asked a question before leaving, "There is hot food here; do you want some?"

"Many thanks, no."

The middle-aged man Fengping cupped his hands with a cold and stern expression.

Sha Lifei was just being polite anyway; he didn't want to give it even if they asked. He shrugged and turned back into the house.

Watching them leave, Fengping began to direct others to build a fire, while he himself lifted the carriage curtain and carefully helped an old woman down.

The old woman was tall but somewhat fat, with white eyebrows and a long beard, her eyes peaceful, and there was inexplicably a majestic momentum.

"Madam, Young Lady, we have arrived." Fengping lifted the second carriage curtain again, and a dignified woman in white came out from inside, supporting an old lady.

Several people entered the side hall, looked at the room covered in thick dust, and the old woman sighed, "Traveling is difficult, and there are always many inconveniences. Fengping, bring chairs for Madam and Young Lady."

"Also, take some pastries and send them to the neighbors to complete the etiquette."

"Yes, Master."

The middle-aged man first moved two small chairs from the carriage, then took a lacquer box from inside, came to Li Yan and their room, cupped his hands, and said, "Many thanks to everyone; my master asked me to send some pastries for everyone to taste."

"Pastries from the Four Fragrance Studio?"

Sha Lifei's eyes lit up, and he took them directly, "This is too embarrassing; thank that master for us."

"Don't be polite."

The middle-aged man Fengping nodded and turned to leave.

"Tsk tsk, look at this etiquette; it must be a wealthy family!"

Sha Lifei praised while opening the lacquer box.

The black-bottomed, red-patterned lacquer box was a craft handed down from the Han Dynasty, ancient, simple, and elegant. After opening it, the colorful pastries inside were neatly arranged, which was even more pleasing to the eye.

"Pastries from the Four Fragrance Studio..." Sha Lifei recalled, "This thing is not cheap; it costs ten taels of silver a box. The last time I ate it was when I helped a wealthy Chang'an merchant with a funeral and got a bite."

Li Yan had eaten countless good things in his previous life; although this thing was beautiful, he didn't look up to it, let everyone share it, and then stepped forward to lift the pot lid.

In an instant, heat rose, and the fragrance rushed to his nose.

It was just ordinary pot-cooked vegetables; the chicken was chopped, stir-fried with the pickled vegetables he brought, water was added to stew, and salt was added casually.

However, his sense of smell was astonishing now, and he could handle ordinary ingredients just right. The heat control was exquisite, stimulating the original flavor of the ingredients, so it could be considered delicious.

Everyone couldn't wait any longer, each stepped forward to fill a large bowl, broke the dry steamed buns into the hot soup, ate a mouthful of wine, a mouthful of rice, squatted on the ground, and ate until they were sweating all over.

After eating, everyone went to sleep early. Although they were staying here temporarily because of the rainy day, everyone was an old hand and knew that the subsequent journey would be arduous, so they had to seize every moment to rest.

Only Wang Daoxuan and Li Yan sat by the campfire.

The two discussed the first and second half of the night, taking turns to meditate and store their spirits, while the idle one would act as a guard and keep watch.

Li Yan was on duty for the second half of the night, so after everyone fell asleep, he sat cross-legged, first visualizing the internal organs, then gathering all the tiny bit of spiritual light in the darkness into the center of his eyebrows, entering meditation to store his spirit.

Soon, the white light in the center of his eyebrows expanded, and a figure of a Daoist appeared.

After months of cultivation, the outline of the stored spirit became increasingly clear, and he could vaguely distinguish the image; the appearance was similar to the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen, wearing a Daoist robe, sitting on a lotus platform.

And the facial features were exactly the same as his.

This was the deity Li Yan visualized.

Just after storing the spirit, there was the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen guarding it, so not a bit of spiritual light would be wasted. Plus, there was no fighting with others, and his divine sense was not damaged, so Li Yan's cultivation progress was astonishing.

By the time he headed to Mount Taibai, his Daoist practice would be enough to support building a tower.

This matter, in the eyes of others, was simply a miracle.

!.

You must know that before ordinary people build a tower and visualize, even if they cultivate diligently every night, that bit of spiritual light will always dissipate, like a swimming pool, leaking water while water is entering.

Just this point alone wasted a lot of time.

Li Yan had no such concerns, and what was even more amazing was that once his divine sense was injured, he could exchange the injury through the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen, and his Daoist practice would not fall due to some fight, so there were no many concerns.

However, he had no joy at this moment.

In his Dantian, on the palm of the Great Luo Dala Dala Fa Shen's left hand, the "Gou Die" mark became increasingly obvious, seemingly having become a natural texture.

This was something from the Yin Division!

That mysterious place was something even the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect had some taboos about.

After becoming a living Yin official, would his secret be discovered...

The closer he got to the Qin Mountains, the more uneasy Li Yan felt.

Unknowingly, the daily spirit-storing visualization ended.

After Li Yan woke up, it was already past the hour of the Rat. The people in the room were snoring loudly, the campfire was burning brightly, but it still couldn't dispel the deep cold of the late autumn rainy night.

Watching Wang Daoxuan enter meditation, Li Yan added some wood and sat in front of the campfire to keep watch.

Of course, he wasn't idle either, but took two books from his backpack.

One was "Chop-Hang Fist Manual," and the other was "Qin-Han Drum Rhyme."

Both of these were gifts from Band Leader Zhou of the Spring Breeze Troupe.

The Cloud Thunder Divine Drum was ultimately a magic tool, so he carried it with him, hanging it on the horse's back. These days, he tapped it at a fixed time every day to exercise his internal energy, and his skill had clearly increased.

But to use it as a magic tool, random tapping definitely wouldn't work; only by combining it with "Qin-Han Drum Rhyme" would the power be greater.

Also, there was this Chop-Hang Fist Manual.

Several fierce fights during this period had already made him discover his own problems.

Not to mention the gap in skill, the weaknesses in his fist technique had already appeared.

The Red Fist style is flexible and agile, excelling in close-quarters, tricky strikes. Thanks to his father's influence and his own knowledge from his past life, he has truly put in the effort to master these tricky strikes.

So-called "tricky strikes" involve hooking, hanging, entangling, and sticking, all while striking.

Facts also proved this; in the battle with Zhou Bai, as long as he was close, he was fearless and often could win against the strong with the weak.

The way of fighting technique is very particular about distance.

According to his father's plan, he uses the Guanshan fast blade for long-range combat and Red Fist tricky strikes for close-range, allowing him to quickly establish his combat prowess and make a name for himself.

However, it was not enough now.

It wasn't that Red Fist was bad, but that everyone's personality and body shape were different. Only by having a mother fist and absorbing various fist techniques to exert one's potential could one walk further in the future.

For example, in the battle with the Iron Thread Fist man, he had no way at all and could only rely on small cleverness and the psychological flaws of the other party to make a move.

And in these few months, Li Yan found that he had grown taller again.

Fist techniques naturally had to change accordingly.

Zhou Pan had exceptionally long arms and chose the Through-Back Monkey Fist.

And his choice was this Chop-Hang Fist.

Chop-Hang uses palms a lot, so it is also called Chop-Hang Palm, good at defeating enemies at medium and long distances.

It emphasizes releasing long and striking far; far means long strikes, near means whipping strikes, can be retracted or released, can be long or short, and is best at controlling spatial distance, enough to make up for his shortcomings.

Combined with the Cannon Fist in Red Fist, the power is even greater.

There was another reason for choosing this path.

The internal energy he practiced before was Red Fist's Thread-Piercing Energy, but what he practiced now was the Divine Drum Cloud Thunder Sound, which was domineering and fierce, with Lei Gang shocking all directions, so the fist technique must also be coordinated with it to condense fist intent in the future.

By the campfire in the night rain, Li Yan looked through the fist manual, sometimes falling into deep thought.

Of course, this was just a preliminary understanding.

The so-called changing fist is like ascending to heaven. Although he wasn't completely changing his fist, forming his own characteristics was not a matter of a day or two, and he couldn't do without asking famous experts for advice.

Chang'an experts gathered; after the Qin Mountains trip ended, he would just happen to go there and find a master who was proficient in Chop-Hang to learn fist techniques...

Unknowingly, a night passed.

Just as Wang Daoxuan expected, the autumn rain in the morning had not stopped, falling continuously.

Transporting a coffin back to his hometown had a taboo: the coffin could not touch the ground. Traveling in this weather, even if wrapped in oilcloth, the coffin would inevitably get wet.

If it slipped and overturned, that would be bad luck.

Everyone chopped wood, boiled water, and cooked porridge again. A bowl of hot rice porridge, combined with the leftovers from yesterday, made them feel heat surging through their bodies even in the ruined house.

By noon, the autumn rain finally stopped.

Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan went out to check the sky, and just happened to see the people next door also coming out of the courtyard.

Seeing the green mountains surrounded by white mist rolling, the old man stroked his beard and looked into the distance, his mood suddenly became very good, and he laughed, "Fengping, do you know what road we are taking?"

"Qin Chu Ancient Road."

"What is its origin?"

"This... the subordinate doesn't know."

The old man looked into the distance and sighed, "These Qin Mountains divide the north and south and are the middle dragon of the three dragon veins. It was built in the Pre-Qin period, starting from Xianyang and ending in the southern mountains of the Qin Mountains, which is why it got the name Mount Zhongnan. Later generations continued to build it, finally connecting the two places of Qin Chu."

"So that's it." The middle-aged guard suddenly realized.

The old man shook his head again and sighed, "From ancient times to the present, the ancestors have worked hard to finally cross the natural chasm and communicate with all directions."

"There is the Ziwu Road, leading from Chang'an to Han Zhong, Ankang, and Bashu..."

"There is the Luogu Road, going south through Zhouzhi West Luogu to Han Zhong..."

"There is also the Baoxie Road, rumored to have been excavated by Emperor Yu, as well as the Chencang, Lanwu, Yigu, and Xigu Roads..."

"The subordinate has heard of this one, 'Secretly Crossing Chencang'."

"That's right. The ancestors of ancient times could still do this. I am just temporarily frustrated; what is there to fear? Once I return to Fengyang, I will sleep on brushwood and taste gall, cultivate the younger generation of the clan, wait for the opportunity, and thirty years later, why wouldn't it be another scene?"

Hearing this old man speak with such extraordinary insight, Wang Daoxuan couldn't help but feel a good impression, "This old lay Buddhist has good insight. We are also heading to Fengyang; may I ask your honorable name?"

The old man pondered for a moment, "Since we are on the same road and sending the dead back to their hometown, there is no need to hide. My name is Lu Kang."

Li Yan and Sha Lifei heard this, and their expressions became somewhat strange...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 95 =====