Chapter 97: Nuo Gao!

"That is natural." Li Yan nodded in response.

The Baopu Mountain-Climbing Technique was the first technique he learned.

A sorcerer awakens supernatural powers and successfully stores their spirit; even if they don't know how to set up a ritual altar, they can simply drive some magic tools or use certain techniques.

Just like his Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Money and Cloud Thunder Divine Drum.

This "Embracing Simplicity Mountain-Climbing Technique" was taught by the Enforcement Hall Daoist Luo Mingzi when dealing with the Chen Fa puppet. It can be used to avoid evil entities or intimidate wild beasts by changing the incantations of the Six Jia Secret Blessings, making it very practical.

According to the Chen Fa puppet, this technique was left behind by Immortal Ge and passed down to disciples of the Mystic Sects throughout the world. It is used to avoid disasters when entering the mountains and is not rare, which is why it can be passed on to outsiders.

But after asking Wang Daoxuan, he realized it wasn't that simple.

Indeed, this method is nothing to the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect, but it is ultimately a true method. Many law-lineage sects require strict assessment before passing it on.

Even Wang Daoxuan himself hadn't learned it completely.

Because of this, Li Yan respected Luo Mingzi very much.

The only trouble with using this method is that it requires the cooperation of magic tools.

Even if everyone knows the "Baopu Mountain-Climbing Technique," because of the level of Daoist practice and the quality of the magic tools, the effects shown are completely different.

Like the yarrow stalks Li Yan used, they were far inferior to the "Upper Mysterious Bamboo Envoy Talismans" used by Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect disciples.

Wang Daoxuan also became interested, "Listening to the fellow Daoist's meaning, could this Divine Tiger Token cooperate with the Baopu Mountain-Climbing Technique?"

Chen Yuan nodded, "Refined from the ancestor's remains, how can it be ordinary? The power far exceeds the 'Upper Mysterious Bamboo Envoy Talismans' of the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect, and it contains tiger prestige. Holding it to enter the mountain, all beasts dare not harass."

"Besides this, my lineage also has another technique passed down by the Medicine King, which is of the same origin as the Baopu Mountain-Climbing Technique. Because it is recorded in the 'Thousand Gold Wing Prescriptions', it is called the Thousand Gold Body-Protecting Curse, which can injure a person's divine soul; the light ones will be dizzy, and the heavy ones will fall into illusions..."

Li Yan's eyes twitched, "I just experienced this technique today."

"Fellow Daoist, don't blame me."

Chen Yuan smiled bitterly, "The ancestor's true spirit has been supporting for a thousand years; there are few times when he is awake, and most of the time he is in deep sleep, just like an ordinary temple god. When threatened, he will instinctively counterattack."

"My Medicine King lineage's techniques are mostly for treating illnesses and saving people, not good at attacking. Only this technique originates from the Pre-Qin period and is good at repelling enemies; combined with the Divine Tiger Token, the power is even greater."

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "The Daoist said this, I'm afraid there is another intention?"

Chen Yuan nodded and sighed, "The Medicine King passed down the method originally for disciples to avoid evil spirits, fierce beasts, and mountain bandits when collecting medicine in the mountains, so the Thousand Gold Prescriptions circulating outside did not record these methods."

"That Lin Hui is not a Mystic Sect sorcerer; injuring people to seize the token must have been instigated by others who want to sell this object. If it falls into the hands of evil people, I'm afraid there will be endless trouble."

"This Daoist is not good at fighting, and the disciples' techniques are not refined, so I want to use this 'Thousand Gold Body-Protecting Curse' as a reward to ask Li Li Jushi to take back the Divine Tiger Token."

"If it is taken back, the Divine Tiger Token will also be gifted to you."

Li Yan was somewhat surprised, "The Divine Tiger Token is the supreme treasure of your sect; is the Daoist willing to part with it?"

Chen Yuan shook his head and smiled bitterly, "My lineage is not competing with others for victory. Originally, keeping the Divine Tiger Token was just to cherish the memory of the ancestor. Mount Zhongnan is safe, and it is rarely used."

"Since it has been known by others, keeping it is a disaster. This time it was this Daoist; next time it might be a disciple. Constant incense and endless hanging of the pot to save people is more important."

"And, this Daoist doesn't want this object to fall into the hands of people with crooked hearts."

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "Is the Daoist not afraid that I am also an evil person?"

Chen Yuan smiled, "I believe in the ancestor's vision."

Since it had come to this, Li Yan naturally wouldn't be vague, cupped his hands, and said, "Daoist, rest assured, this job is accepted by Li."

Saying this, the three said goodbye and went out the door.

"This job is not easy to do."

Back in the side room, Sha Lifei scratched his head and shook it, "It's been almost two days, and it's still raining. The person might have run away long ago. If he went toward Chang'an, you wouldn't chase him for a thousand miles, right."

"And we still have things to do; we can't delay. If it snows on the Qin Mountains mountain road, we will be trapped on the road..."

Wang Daoxuan was also somewhat worried, "It's a pity that my Daoist practice is not enough, and this Mount Zhongnan is covered by innate Gang Qi; otherwise, returning to the original place to set up an altar and perform rituals might be able to find clues."

Li Yan pondered for a moment, "No matter what, let's try first."

Saying this, he found the young Daoist, came to the place where Lin Hui lived, recorded the scent, and went out to search.

It's a pity that, just as Wang Daoxuan said, a autumn rain had long washed away the smell, and using the Yang formula to use supernatural powers was covered by the innate Gang Qi all over the mountain.

Li Yan was helpless and had to return to the temple.

His heart stirred, and he came to the main hall of the temple again, respectfully lit three sticks of incense, and said in a deep voice, "Senior, I am helping your sect take the culprit; if you have knowledge, can you tell me?"

It's a pity that he waited for a long time and there was no response.

Li Yan sighed slightly, having some guesses in his heart.

This Tiger Daoist true spirit had been guarding for a thousand years, just because of a trace of obsession to see the Medicine King again. If it weren't for saving people, he wouldn't have manifested at all, so how could he care about an external object.

Since things had reached this point, they had no other way.

The coffin bearers and carriage drivers were all waiting. After they finished their business, they had to return immediately to reunite with their families before the Winter Solstice, so how could they accompany them to investigate the case.

Besides, the dead were on the road and couldn't stay for long.

Li Yan was helpless and had to tell Chen Yuan about this, promising to pay attention to the news on the road at all times, and once there was an opportunity, he would take back the Divine Tiger Token.

The next day, just before dawn, everyone prepared to get up and leave.

Just at this moment, the young Daoist ran out of the temple gate in a hurry, handed over a wooden box with both hands, and said respectfully, "Several lay Buddhists, Master asked me to pass this on."

"Master said that whether or not we can retrieve the object is all fate; Li Li Jushi doesn't need to take it too much to heart. The great kindness of saving a life cannot be repaid, but he has nothing to give, so he presents this technique as a gift."

Li Yan knew what was in the box and nodded, "Many thanks, please tell the Daoist to rest assured and recuperate. If there is an opportunity, we will come to visit."

Saying this, he cupped his hands to say goodbye and flipped onto his horse.

"On the road!"

With an order, the team continued to set off.

Leaving Mount Zhongnan, the sky in the distance already showed a fish-belly white.

Li Yan couldn't help but look back.

Vaguely, there seemed to be a tiger at the foot of the mountain, holding a copper ring in its mouth, staring blankly at the sky...

Creak, creak, the carriage moved forward with difficulty.

The Qin Mountains separate the north and south, the climate is changeable, it was still covered in clouds and mist before, but one day after leaving Mount Zhongnan, the sky suddenly cleared.

The last trace of dryness in autumn roasted the mountains and rivers. Some roads were already dry, but the shaded places were even more muddy, pressed into deep pits by the carriage tracks.

"This road is really broken!"

Sha Lifei helped the coffin bearers push the carriage over the pit and flipped onto his horse, complaining in his mouth.

Wang Daoxuan shook his head, "This Qin-Chu Ancient Road, the section from Xianyang to Mount Zhongnan, was built in the Qin Dynasty. The section we are walking was excavated in the Han Dynasty. The journey is long; where would the imperial court have money to maintain it?"

"This place is still considered good. If it were those few ancient roads to the west leading to Bashu, the plank roads would have been in disrepair for years, decaying and collapsing, and we would be trapped on the road, which would be even harder to walk..."

Their chatting was just to pass the time on the road.

Li Yan sat on the horse's back, looking at the cloth scroll in his hand and falling into deep thought.

This object was exactly the "Thousand Gold Body-Protecting Curse" gifted by Chen Yuan.

On the cloth scroll, there were both diagrams of pacing the Seven Stars and hand seals and incantations, which looked extremely complicated and dazzling. If it were in the past, Li Yan definitely wouldn't understand it. But he had already entered the Mystic Sect, plus Wang Daoxuan often gave pointers, so he already had some understanding of these things.

What was more important was that it was very similar to the "Baopu Mountain-Climbing Technique."

Especially the incantations of the two.

The Baopu Mountain-Climbing Technique is: Nuo Gao, alone open the great-grandson Wang Jia, Six Jia Green Dragon, Six Yi meeting the star, Six Bing Bright Hall, Six Ding Yin Middle...

The Thousand Gold Body-Protecting Curse is: Nuo Gao, left belt three stars, right belt three prisons, heaven turns and earth flips, nine paths are all blocked, make you lose your heart, take east as west, take south as north...

Li Yan thought thoughtfully, "Daoist, what exactly is 'Nuo Gao'?"

"This matter, this Daoist really knows some." Wang Daoxuan also became interested, slowed down the horse's speed and walked side by side with him, took the cloth scroll and looked at it carefully.

For a long time, he recalled, "That was when I was wandering in the Chu region, I accidentally saw an ancient book in a family's study, which was the 'Dream' chapter of the Qin Bamboo Slips 'Day Book', an incantation used to dispel nightmares..."

"Exorcism High! Dare to tell you Exorcism Chief: I have a nightmare, walk back to Exorcism Chief's place... Exorcism Chief is Boqi among the twelve Exorcism beasts."

"It's a pity that there is only the incantation and the bamboo slips are incomplete. Later, I asked a Mystic Sect senior, and he said that someone had studied it, and 'Nuo Gao' should be the name of a Tai Yin True God from the ancient period..."

!.

"But what exactly it is, it has been so long that no one knows anymore. Fortunately, this technique can still be used, and there are as many various gods as there are hairs on an ox, so no one investigates it in detail anymore."

"According to what Fellow Daoist Chen Yuan said, the Baopu Mountain-Climbing Technique and the Thousand Gold Body-Protecting Curse come from the same origin and both come from the Pre-Qin period, perhaps related to the Immortal Dao of the Qin Palace."

"Oh, so that's it."

Li Yan felt a little regretful and carefully put away the cloth scroll.

This Thousand Gold Body-Protecting Curse also requires the cooperation of magic tools.

Of course, it is not necessary to use the Divine Tiger Token; as long as it is the remains of a wild beast in the mountain that has developed spirituality, it can be refined.

If there is an opportunity, I still have to ask someone to make one.

"Ah—!"

Just at this moment, a scream came vaguely from the front.

"Be careful!"

Li Yan's expression changed, he waved his hand to signal everyone to stop, then pinched the Yang formula and sniffed, and said in a deep voice, "There are wild beasts attacking people ahead. You stay in place, Uncle Sha guards, wait for my signal!"

Saying this, he shook the reins and rode out.

After turning around two bends, the screams and the roars of wild beasts became more obvious, and the smell of blood and the fishy smell of wild beasts rushed to his face.

Li Yan's expression remained unchanged, lowered his body, clamped the horse's belly, and touched his waist with both hands, taking out two flying knives each.

The battle at the mass grave let him see the benefits of flying knives.

He had originally practiced it, and on this road from Xianyang, he often practiced with wild animals by the roadside, plus the positioning of supernatural powers, although not comparable to experts who were good at this, it was barely enough.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just after turning around the bend, Li Yan shook his arms, flicked his left and right hands, and the flying knives sounded and went out.

I saw that at the mountain col where the bend was turned, there was a team of merchants who had set up a camp by the roadside, about seven or eight people.

And around them, there were more than a dozen evil wolves circling, some baring their teeth to threaten, some suddenly sneaking an attack, carrying out harassment attacks time and time again.

This was the wolf pack's tactic.

In the camp, two people had decent skills, holding park knives to protect everyone behind them, waving left and right, and several wolf corpses had already fallen in front of them.

However, just like Li Yan in the past, two fists are no match for four hands.

They were just barely protecting themselves, and two people had already been dragged out of the defense by the evil wolves, bitten to pieces on the ground, and had long since breathed their last.

Pfft! Pfft!

Li Yan's flying knives pierced directly into the bodies of two evil wolves.

Of course, this was purely blind shooting based on the smell, not to mention that the wild wolves were originally flexible, and he didn't hit the vital parts at all.

Not only that, but the wolf pack was also enraged.

The evil wolves in the Qin Mountains were originally large in size and fierce in nature, and the leader of the wolves was even more cruel in momentum. With a low roar, several evil wolves rushed over.

Neigh!

The black horse under Li Yan was startled and suddenly shook its head and retreated.

This was just an ordinary horse, gentle in nature and relatively timid.

However, facing the rushing evil wolves, Li Yan was not panicked at all. He threw the flying knives just to interrupt the wolf pack's attack.

To deal with these things, the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Money was actually very easy to use.

Li Yan had long held the knife handle and stored his spirit to activate it.

Neigh!

Cold killing intent overflowed, and the warhorse under him was so scared that it collapsed to the ground.

Those evil wolves that rushed over also stopped abruptly one by one, whimpering and turning around to run.

These wild beasts were more sensitive to the sensing of killing intent.

The momentum emitted by the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Money made them terrified.

"Roar——!"

A wolf howl, but it was the leader of the wolves roaring.

Perhaps this guy was bold, perhaps he had seen similar things, in short, he was not afraid, roaring and trying to urge the wolf pack to continue the siege.

However, with this, a flaw appeared in the wolf pack's encirclement.

A man who was blocking in front of the merchant team saw this, rushed forward directly, glared, roared, and swung his park knife down with a whistle.

Pfft!

This knife was powerful.

The leader of the wolves didn't defend, and its head was directly chopped off.

In an instant, blood splashed everywhere, and the wolf head rolled down with a clatter.

With this, the other wild wolves had no more restraint and scattered and fled quickly, darting into the mountain forest and disappearing.

Seeing this, Li Yan put the long knife that had already been pulled out halfway back into the sheath, touched the neck of the collapsed warhorse to soothe it.

Fortunately, this horse was a bit dull, and after eating two carrots, it soon stood up, snorting and licking Li Yan's palm.

The man who made the move saw the wolf pack leave, only then let out a sigh of relief, came to Li Yan, cupped his hands and said, "Many thanks to this Young Hero for the help..."

The sobbing continued, and the people of the merchant team began to clean up the aftermath.

Sha Lifei and the others had also rushed over, helping to collect the corpses, and Wang Daoxuan shook the soul-suppressing bell and chanted a scripture to transcend the souls.

This era is different from Li Yan's previous life.

Traveling is difficult, meeting is fate. Although one must be on guard against others, one must also make a move when it is time to make a move. Besides, one can also inquire about news on the road.

Don't underestimate this; maybe someone's unintentional words can help you avoid a disaster, or make a small fortune.

This group was not a professional merchant caravan, but villagers from near Zhashui in Shangzhou, pulling several large carts of paper to sell in Chang'an.

Wang Daoxuan looked at the goods on the cart and was surprised, "The quality of Zha Shui lao pi zhi is superior, ranking in the top tier of the entire Shanzhou. There are fixed merchants buying it; why do you need to do it yourself?"

Lao pi zhi, which is burning earth paper, fire paper, different places have different names.

"It's all because of that bunch of bandits!"

The man holding the park knife spat fiercely, full of hatred.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 98 =====