Aftermath Stirring Up the Dregs

Aftermath Stirring Up the Dregs

Back at Asking Dao Pavilion, Li Yan immediately opened his eyes and sat up.

"Are you... all right?"

Sha LiFei knew perfectly well that Li Yan had only been pretending to be unconscious, but he was still worried.

There was no other reason. Li Yan looked like a blood-soaked gourd, and the sight was truly unnerving.

"I'm fine. They're all just flesh wounds."

Li Yan brushed him off casually, then tore his clothes apart with several ripping sounds. His wounds had already stopped bleeding, and they did not look serious.

Of course, that was the result of exchanging wounds.

Several of the blows he had taken from Zhou Bai had carried Hidden Strength, twisting and rupturing his fascia and even injuring his internal organs. Without the Great Luo Dharma Body, he probably would have been bedridden for half a year.

He had eliminated his internal injuries while retaining some flesh wounds only to protect his secret and keep the two from growing suspicious.

Wang Dao Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly took out wound medicine to bandage him.

Li Yan let him do as he pleased, then said solemnly to Sha LiFei, "Uncle Sha, when you go out, first collect the money from the gambling house. Then spread word that I'm gravely wounded, and afterward buy some medicinal herbs."

"Remember, put on a worried look."

Sha LiFei asked curiously, "Why?"

Winning easily in the arena and fighting to mutual injury would bring entirely different kinds of fame.

"It's simple..."

Recalling how Zhang YuanShang and the others had all appeared after the fight, confronting the Eight Great Vajras, Li Yan shook his head. "I only wanted to light a fire, but they wanted to use me as a chess piece. The two sides had probably been preparing to fall out for a long time. I merely happened to be caught up in it."

"Those people from the Zhou family have no scruples. They'll definitely retaliate afterward. Unless something unexpected happens, the other side is waiting for them to make a move so they can seize the evidence and launch their attack."

"But if word gets out that I'm gravely wounded, the Zhou family won't be so rash. They'll only send people to keep watch, to prevent us from leaving the city."

"And Zhang YuanShang's group won't be able to wait too long either. They'll have to look for another opportunity. Once the waters are muddied, we'll be safe."

"Oh, I get it!"

With that explanation, Sha LiFei immediately understood. He hurried out the door, put on a deeply worried expression, and headed toward Jinbao Gambling House...

"Daoist, Zhou Bai tampered with something..."

As soon as Sha LiFei left, Li Yan told Wang Dao Xuan about his suspicions.

"The aura of an ape?"

After listening, Wang Dao Xuan stroked his beard and pondered. "From what you've described, it sounds like a type of Puppet Technique."

"Ancient witchcraft believed that all things possessed spirits and worshiped ghosts and gods. They often summoned ghosts and gods to possess the body, calling it 'summoning the deity.' Later, it was passed down to the Mystical Arts Sect and, together with the forbidden art of immortality, became known as the two arts of the Mystical Arts Sect."

"As the orthodox Xuan sects rose, they installed Orthodox Gods and suppressed Excessive Sacrifices. The imperial court exterminated the Mystical Arts Sect, and some of its secret techniques spread among the common people and developed in various ways. For example, the Gold Gate's circular light technique and Fuji Shamans were both evolutions of summoning the deity."

"The same goes for Puppet Technique. It uses the aura of a living person together with Yin Energy. There are straw effigies, paper figures that explore the netherworld, wooden puppets, and many other varieties. Quite a few masters of the various lineages are skilled in this art."

"The Zhou family must have hired a ritual master from one of the lineages!"

Li Yan's brows drew together slightly. "Not a Witch Doctor from among the common people?"

Wang Dao Xuan shook his head slightly. "These arts are secret transmissions of the various schools. Although common Witch Doctors often borrow the power of ghosts and gods to act, they aren't skilled in this field."

After hearing this, Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. "It seems I miscalculated again. If word gets out that I'm gravely wounded, the Zhou family won't dare make a move openly because of Zhang YuanShang and the others, but they'll very likely hire a ritual master to act in secret."

"There's no need to worry about that."

Wang Dao Xuan stroked his beard and sighed. "You've underestimated the Xuan sects of Guanzhong."

"Since the Qin and Han dynasties, the Xuan sects have flourished tremendously across Guanzhong. The capitals of several dynasties were all places where fengshui dragon veins converged, and emperors, kings, generals, and ministers were buried there. Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries were countless."

"Great trends and small formations nested within one another. With divine astral energy so abundant, ordinary evil spirits wouldn't dare approach. Many common people might go their entire lives without seeing a ghost or evil spirit."

"The greatest dangers in Guanzhong are the ancient tombs from the Qin and Han dynasties. The Mystical Arts Sect flourished back then, and those who sought immortality often arranged formations and practiced evil arts inside their tombs."

"During times of war and chaos, besides the Grave Robbers, armies also dug into tombs. A single mistake could unleash zombies everywhere and send ghost soldiers marching across the land. That was why the orthodox Xuan sects established altars in Chang'an, Zhongnan Mountain, and Mount Hua, supporting enormous armies of soldiers and horses."

"Each year, during the customs of God's Birthday Festival, they either performed rites, distributed food, and delivered and pacified the souls of the dead, or sent their soldiers and horses on patrol to cut down mountains, destroy temples, and hunt evil spirits."

"Xianyang was the same. The City God Temple there enshrined Meng Chong, a Qin general who had been a Grandmaster of military arts in life and a mighty figure among ghosts in death. He had been enfeoffed as the City God to this day. His divine might was unfathomable, and he commanded a vast host of soldiers and horses."

"To harm someone with magic inside Xianyang City, one could at most create curses or accidents. Anyone who dared drive soldiers and horses would be no different from holding a knife to his own throat."

"Take the Zhou family. They only dared to make a few minor moves. Once your Hidden Strength true words frightened them, their Puppet Technique was easily broken."

"When you sleep, hang the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin at the foot of your bed. Ordinary puppet techniques for harming people will have great difficulty getting close."

"That's good."

Li Yan nodded slightly. "Then we'll stay home for now and watch the show."

Wang Dao Xuan naturally knew what he intended to do, but he said worriedly, "You're in Xianyang and protected by the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin, so there's no need to worry about methods from the Xuan sects. But Zhou Pan has already entered Transformed Strength. He isn't someone you can deal with."

Li Yan looked out the window, his expression calm.

"I'm not stupid enough to fight him head-on. I only need to wait for an opportunity and force him to reveal the truth from back then..."

Meanwhile, Sha LiFei realized something was wrong as soon as he left.

It was already nearing dusk. Cooking smoke rose from every household in the old alley, but the home directly opposite Asking Dao Pavilion had its gate tightly shut.

Half a head even poked out above it, only to swiftly withdraw upon seeing him.

"What a gutless bastard!"

Sha LiFei cursed under his breath and quickened his pace.

He was an old hand who had roamed the martial world for years. His mouth ran like a river, and his mind spun schemes at a moment's notice. After Li Yan's explanation, he immediately understood their current predicament.

They simply had to pretend he was sick and put on a show.

Temporarily hide their edge, watch the fire from across the river, and avoid being lit like firecrackers and used as cannon fodder.

Having made up his mind, he no longer paid attention to the people watching him along the road. He even pretended to be flustered and deliberately walked through the most crowded parts of the main streets.

Before long, he arrived at Jinbao Gambling House.

"Oh, isn't this Hero Sha?"

"You really made a name for yourself today!"

"If I'd known, I would have bet alongside you..."

As soon as he entered the gambling house, a crowd swarmed around him.

They were not truly being enthusiastic. Most of them did not even know Sha LiFei. They were merely joining the excitement, exchanging a few words, and making themselves familiar.

In the future, when discussing the matter with others, they could claim that Sha LiFei and they had been old friends, and that Li Yan, the arena fighter, would even have to call them Uncle upon meeting them.

It was like some people Li Yan had known in his previous life. They would rush to gatherings and squeeze up beside wealthy people for a photograph and a few words, then go out and claim they were sworn brothers with so-and-so, using that lie to cheat money.

Sha LiFei naturally knew the tricks involved. With worry written across his face, he cupped his hands and said, "Everyone, I have something urgent to handle today. Let's talk another day. Please forgive me."

"Of course, of course. Hero Sha, attend to your business first."

Seeing his expression, the crowd already had their suspicions.

They would not discuss it to his face, but they would certainly gossip behind his back. The news that Li Yan was gravely wounded would probably spread throughout Xianyang City tonight.

Sha LiFei ignored them and went to the wooden counter at the back with his betting ticket. Just as he was about to exchange it, a gambling house attendant respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Hero Sha, please come with me. Our manager wishes to see you."

"Oh?"

Sha LiFei's heart immediately gave a jolt.

He had expected to encounter trouble from the Iron Saber and White Ape factions along the way, but he had not expected Manager Wu of Jinbao Gambling House to seek him out first.

Jinbao Gambling House had powerful backing.

But they had no connection whatsoever. Why did they want to see him?

Uneasy, Sha LiFei followed the attendant into an elegant room on the second floor.

Inside was the kind-faced Manager Wu. A large round table was covered with food and wine, including chicken, duck, and fish. It was an abundant spread.

"Hahaha..."

When Sha LiFei entered, Manager Wu immediately stood and laughed. "I guessed that Hero Sha would come by at this hour, so I specially prepared food and wine and waited for you."

Sha LiFei looked puzzled. "Manager Wu, this is..."

"Hero Sha, there's no need to worry."

Manager Wu shook his head. "You saw it that day as well. I have some enmity with Yuan Qu, but circumstances forced me to endure it. I couldn't make a move and fall out with him."

"Today, you made your name in the arena. Seeing that Yuan fellow's expression filled this old man with joy, so I specially invited Hero Sha to have a few drinks..."

How could Sha LiFei believe such nonsense?

Those who ran gambling houses were more hard-hearted than the next. Offering favors without reason meant something was certainly afoot.

Though he did not know the reason, Sha LiFei still shook his head. "This... thank you for your kindness, Manager Wu, but I have other matters to attend to. After collecting the money, I need to go to a pharmacy."

"Oh?"

Manager Wu's brows furrowed. "Young Master Li was badly injured?"

Sha LiFei put on a bitter expression. "He'll probably need several months to recover."

Manager Wu nodded slightly and sighed. "Since that's the case, I won't force you to stay. Wang Cheng, bring another one hundred taels of silver as a token of my goodwill."

"This... this is too much."

Sha LiFei looked embarrassed, but when he accepted the money, he did not hesitate in the slightest.

Just as he was about to leave, he turned back to look at the food on the table and scratched his head. "Well, I still need to order food for them. Since Manager Wu has already treated me, why don't I pack some to take back? That will save me the time of stopping somewhere along the way."

Manager Wu: "..."

Before long, Sha LiFei walked out of the gambling house carrying large and small packages.

The moment he left, Manager Wu hurriedly shut the door.

Clatter, clatter...

Amid the sound of mechanisms turning, the bookcase in the room slowly slid aside.

There was actually a hidden compartment and secret passage in the gambling house's room.

A woman in white slowly emerged, her features clear and elegant.

If Sha LiFei had been there, he would have discovered that this woman was none other than the White-Clothed Concubine beside Landlord Lu.