Return to Xianyang

Crash!

Paper money filled the sky, scattering and drifting with the wind.

The funeral procession moved slowly forward, and even the wind seemed to carry sorrow.

Although Li Yan's family belonged to the main line of the Li Family Fortress, his branch had dwindled, and he had no close elders.

Fortunately, with Wang Dao Xuan presiding, Sha LiFei running errands, and the neighbors and villagers lending a hand, the old man's funeral was conducted with the utmost care.

Choosing the site, selecting the coffin, arranging the mourning hall, burial...

Even Li HuaiRen, the village chief who had seen plenty in his time, secretly gave a thumbs-up at the series of procedures and deliberately spent a long while building a relationship with Wang Dao Xuan.

As for Li Yan, he likewise endured his grief and busied himself with everything.

It seemed that only by doing so could he temporarily forget his sorrow.

All his closest kin were gone, leaving him alone in the world, walking by himself.

He had endured this desolation once in his previous life, which was why, even though life in this one was dull and meager, he had still stayed in the village to keep his grandfather company.

On the seventh night after the death, he had even activated his divine ability and kept watch all night, hoping to catch the familiar scent of his grandfather. Sadly, he waited for nothing.

And so, in a daze, he finished handling the funeral rites. Another month had already passed.

It was now the eighth month of the lunar calendar, and the weather had begun to turn cool.

Rumble!

Accompanied by the muffled thunder of autumn, a fine drizzle pattered down.

"This Building Divine Pavilion ritual will cost no small amount..."

Wang Dao Xuan held a brush and ink, writing and drawing. "Incense, candles, mounting paper, brush and ink, cinnabar... They all have to be offered at the temples and altars of the great Orthodox Xuan Gate sects for at least five years. Of course, we'll have to spend silver to buy them."

"These one-use magical artifacts are secondary. To succeed, we'll also have to borrow a decent Altar-Suppressing Magical Artifact, and we'll need to find a top-grade feng shui spiritual aperture."

"The more famous the mountains and rivers, the more powerful the Blessed Grotto-Heavens and the places where Innate Firm Qi gathers. The greater the chances of success. I know the priest of the City God Temple in Xianyang City. With his introduction, we can perform the ritual at the Tai Bai Mountain grotto-heaven site, but we still can't skimp on the money..."

As he spoke, he gave a bitter laugh. "We Orthodox Xuan Gate People emphasize accumulating hidden virtue, but every step upward opens a new realm—and every step still costs money."

Li Yan possessed the Great Luo Dharma Body and no longer feared his manifested spirit dispersing.

Wang Dao Xuan did not know this and was naturally anxious on his behalf.

Seeing this, Li Yan shook his head. "Daoist Wang, there's no need to worry. My divine ability has stabilized now. We can take it slowly. Being impatient will only ruin things."

Whoosh!

Just then, the sound of the courtyard gate being pushed open rang out.

Sha LiFei came through the wind and rain, wearing a Straw Cape and bamboo hat.

"Good news, good news! It's finally over..."

His face was filled with delight. He carelessly stripped off his Straw Cape outside the door, then strode in and said with dancing brows, "I found out. Landlord Lu's concubine and Zhao Cheng suddenly sold all their fields a few days ago. I heard they even swindled several families out of their deposits. They've disappeared without a trace."

"I suppose this matter is over!"

"It should be over..."

Wang Dao Xuan pondered briefly, then nodded. "They cheated people out of money before leaving. That means they left themselves no way back. Those people have probably already left Guanzhong. We'll be fine as long as we're careful."

It was no wonder they were so cautious.

Anyone who mixed in the Jianghu knew that being able to mobilize such tremendous power—and have the major Bandits of Guanzhong work themselves to the bone for him—meant that the mastermind possessed power reaching the heavens.

Crushing them would be no different from crushing ants.

"It's good that it's over."

Sha LiFei's face was alight with excitement. "Staying in this village was driving me mad with boredom. With the abilities of the two of you, plus my Sha LiFei's connections, how could we fail to prosper?"

"How about we go straight to Chang'an?"

The three of them had already planned to go into business together and make a living from the Xuan Gate trade.

With Li Yan assisting him, Wang Dao Xuan finally dared to take on certain jobs.

As for Sha LiFei, he had a thick skin and a slick tongue, knew all kinds of Jianghu Rules, and was best suited to gathering information everywhere and taking on jobs with plenty of grease in them.

Of course, making a living from the Xuan Gate trade was not that easy.

Just as in the Jianghu, no one would come looking for you until you had made a name for yourself.

"Chang'an?"

Wang Dao Xuan gave a helpless laugh. "Do you know what sort of place Chang'an is? In the past, the Tang Dynasty was where Xuan Gate practitioners from across the realm gathered. Extraordinary people and strange talents abounded. Magician Ye entered Chang'an alone, forged an enormous reputation, and became famous throughout the ages."

"Even though the capital moved north long ago, Chang'an is still an important stronghold of the Xuan Gate."

"The Orthodox Xuan Gate, the Law Lineage Disciples of every province, the unorthodox and sinister sects—who knows how many formidable figures there are? It truly hides crouching tigers and hidden dragons. We don't have the qualifications."

"Let's go to Xianyang."

Li Yan suddenly spoke, his cool gaze fixed out the window.

"Daoist Wang's home is in Xianyang, so he knows the place."

"Besides, there are some things I need to figure out..."

The old street near the City God Temple in Xianyang.

The shops dealing in incense, candles, and weddings and funerals differed from other businesses. They simply waited for customers to come to them; no one went into the street hawking their wares.

"Coffins for sale, coffins for sale! Buy a big one and get a small one free..."

Anyone who dared to hawk them like that would have his shop smashed that very day.

Not only that, even their words had to be chosen carefully.

For example, if someone came to buy a coffin, they had to ask, "Whose arrangements are you making?"

And once someone ordered a coffin, even if it was to be stored for several years, they had to keep it safe. Unless the customer notified them, they could not take the initiative to deliver it.

There were also many taboos that could not be violated casually.

Thus, business on this street was not especially brisk. These two days in particular had been rainy without a break, so the shopkeepers who knew one another gathered together to play chess and chat.

"Hey, have you heard? Wang Lao Nian is back."

"Wasn't he dead?"

"No. I heard he was away ordering coffins and happened to escape disaster."

"That fool actually had some dog luck."

"That's not all. I heard he even brought back two people. These past few days, he's been asking around everywhere, trying to drum up some business."

"Heh heh, with those few tricks of his..."

The several shopkeepers on the street all spoke with mocking tones.

They dealt in related businesses and could be considered half-insiders. They knew quite a bit about the Xuan Gate trade and were even acquainted with some sorcerers.

They could also introduce customers to practitioners and take a cut of the commission.

They naturally knew that Wang Dao Xuan was one of the Xuan Gate People, but when they mocked him, each spoke more viciously than the last.

It was not because of any grudge. It was human nature.

Mocking a down-and-out Xuan Gate practitioner made them feel refreshed, and it gave them a few more points of swagger when they spoke.

A man carrying an umbrella passed in front of the door.

Hearing their conversation, he merely cast them a cold glance and paid them no heed.

The newcomer was none other than Li Yan.

They had returned to Xianyang City seven or eight days ago. After making a simple cleanup of Wang Dao Xuan's old residence, they moved in and began asking around for information.

Unfortunately, business in the Xuan Gate trade was not so easy to get.

When prominent figures had matters to handle, they would usually go straight to the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect. Those with lesser standing were likewise connected to the Law Lineage Disciples whose reputations had recently risen.

Many villages also had their own witches and spirit mediums entrenched there.

Those were their territories. Unless something arose that they could not resolve, they would not allow outsiders to meddle. If things went wrong, it could easily turn into a spell duel.

The conflicts of the Xuan Gate were no less bloody than those of the Jianghu.

The only difference was that ordinary people rarely saw them.

Li Yan was not in a hurry. Every day, he loitered among various teahouses and taverns. First, he asked around to find out whose household had trouble. Second, he gathered information about Zhou Pan of the Divine Fist Society.

The brothel in Chang'an City where his father had died had already been burned to the ground.

Now, the only clue was Zhou Pan, whose behavior at the time had been suspicious.

But Zhou Pan was not easy to deal with.

That Old Monkey had not only trained his kung fu to Transformed Strength, he also straddled both the black and white worlds of Xianyang City. He had a large group of disciples under him, and even the street toughs obeyed his orders.

If they wanted to force anything out of him, they had to find the right opportunity.

As he pondered, Li Yan had already returned to the Asking Dao Pavilion.

"We've got business!"

Before he even entered the door, he saw Sha LiFei rushing over from the street in a panic.

Once they were back in the small courtyard, Sha LiFei faced their gazes with a smug expression. "Well? Some things still need my Sha LiFei to make a move!"

"There's a theater troupe from Huayin planning to set up a stage in Xianyang City. One of the people there happens to be an acquaintance of mine. They have a matter and want to ask an Xuan Gate practitioner for help."

Li Yan's eyes lit up. "A shadow-puppet troupe?"

Most of the troupes from Huayin performed Lao Qiang.

Although Lao Qiang and Qinqiang both came from Guanzhong, they were not the same thing.

Qinqiang originated in the western prefectures, while Lao Qiang came from the eastern prefectures. One belonged to traditional opera, while the other was shadow puppetry.

He had seen it once in Lantian County. It was quite interesting.

"That's right."

Sha LiFei nodded with dancing brows. "There may not be much silver in this job, but you both know that theater troupes are all people of the Liu Family. Once we handle the matter properly, won't our reputation spread?"

Wang Dao Xuan stroked his beard. "That's good news. What do they want done?"

Sha LiFei gave a sly grin. "I heard they want to perform Filling the Statues and invite a god."

Wang Dao Xuan's expression changed at once.

"We can't take this job!"