Chapter 216 Zhu Family Fortress
"It should be the captured miners..."
Old Man Zhang's eyes were gloomy, "This matter is inseparable from the Raft Sect. I will definitely spread the news throughout the world."
Don't blame the old man for being angry.
People in the world don't have many lives in their hands, but the scene in front of them is really unbearable.
The cave has been hollowed out and is used only to hold captured miners and nothing else.
Later, everyone found another cave.
There is no mine in this cave, so it must have been dug specially for those White Robe Guards and the monks to live in.
When everyone entered, they immediately saw a statue of a god.
She was a goddess, with dark skin, blood-red eyes, and a mouth full of fangs, somewhat similar to the Mamu Goddess Li Yan saw.
However, it has a human body and a snake tail, a very long tongue, and a red flame sculpted on the tip of the tongue, which seems to be burning.
Various tributes were placed around, and patterns similar to mandala were drawn with chalk, cinnabar and other materials, and the tablet read "".
"What kind of evil god is this?"
"Don't move, there's something wrong with this statue."
Li Yan and others don't know it either, but there are still divine auras lingering on the statue, so naturally they can't act rashly.
In addition, under the stone wall in the distance, there is a long wooden table similar to a workbench, filled with various tools and a book scattered on it.
Under the wooden platform, there is a finished Five Bamboo Tube Ming Fire Cannons, and a cooked copper cabinet. The cabinet has four corners, with four copper pipes on it, and a copper cylinder placed horizontally on the pipe, which is somewhat similar to Netherworld Fire Musket.
"It's Fierce Fire Oil Container!"
Sha LiFei took a deep breath when he saw it, suddenly rushed towards it, touched it carefully, and even sniffed and sniffed.
Although Lu San is not as good as Sha LiFei, it is still considered a firearms enthusiast. Seeing this, he quickly asked, "What is Fierce Fire Oil Container?"
Sha LiFei said without raising his head, "It is recorded in <Complete Compendium of Military Classics> that it is a weapon for defensive warfare and water warfare. If the enemy attacks the city with a car or other means, it can spray fierce fire and oil, destroying all the enemies, and cannot be destroyed by water. During water warfare, it can burn pontoon bridges and battleships."
"Strange, this thing seems to be combined with Netherworld Fire Musket..."
As he spoke, he looked at the books on the table.
I saw that the book was old and worn, and seemed to be made of animal leather. The words <Thunderbolt Fire Scripture> were written clearly on the cover.
Sha LiFei picked it up, glanced at it casually, his pupils suddenly shrank, and immediately stuffed it into his arms, pretending that nothing happened.
How could he hide this action from others?
But in the current team, "Fast Boat Zhang" is a veteran, pretending not to see it, and the others are all our own, let alone talk about it.
Li Yan didn't ask any more questions.
He knew that Sha LiFei must have discovered something good.
It's not too late to ask again when there are fewer people.
Wang Dao Xuan took out the compass, glanced at the statue, walked around with the compass, and then came outside the cave.
He looked at the river below that was obscured by clouds and mist, his brows gradually became serious, and then he looked at the surrounding mountains and rivers, his expression slightly changed.
On the compass, the needle is spinning crazily.
"Something's wrong with this place!"
Wang Dao Xuan suddenly spoke, attracting everyone.
He looked solemnly, looked at the compass and said, "I made a mistake. The terrain here is connected to the roots of the mountain, and it is actually Small Dragon Vein."
Li Yan asked, "Is the dragon vein bad?"
"Of course dragon veins are good, but this is a killing dragon!"
Wang Dao Xuan pointed to the mountains in the distance and said, "The dragon came to kill it, and after being stripped and replaced, it was killed. Since it left the ancestral mountain, it has been steep and dangerous, ugly and rough, with exposed bones and rocks, and sharp branches and feet."
"If you are buried here, there will be fierce bandits and murderous people within two generations, and there will be a prison within Three Dynasties."
"Fortunately, there is a river passing through this place, which turns into dragon's blood and retains a trace of vitality."
"But I'm afraid it has caused a bigger problem..."
As he said that, he turned to look at "Fast Boat Zhang", "Old Layman Zhang, you often travel to this river, have you ever heard that there were a large number of dead people nearby?"
"Fast Boat Zhang" frowned in thought and recalled, "It seems that there was such a thing. It was near Zhu Family Fortress. I can't remember anyone mentioning that many people died there during the turmoil in the late Tang Dynasty."
"That's right!"
Wang Dao Xuan showed the wildly rotating compass pointer to everyone, and said, "Yin Energy leaked, follow this river."
"If I'm not mistaken, this statue of the god sitting on the mountain and looking at the river is to suppress the evil spirits in this place."
"Old Layman Zhang, your guy saw someone in the river. I'm afraid it's not a lie, but a real evil!"
"That's wrong."
Old Man Zhang shook his head quickly and said, "I have been coming here for decades, but occasionally I encounter unclean things. I can avoid them by throwing some tributes and incense. It is not as scary as the Daoist priest said."
"Oh?"
Wang Dao Xuan frowned, and suddenly pinched Yang Seal, picked up a handful of soil from the entrance of the cave, put it in his mouth, and tasted it.
"Bah! Bah! Bah!"
He seemed to have eaten something disgusting, and retched for a while, and said with an ugly face, "It's absolutely true, this place has become a dangerous place, even the soil smells like corpses."
After Li Yan heard this, he said thoughtfully, "According to what the Daoist Master said, it should be related to the strange things over there Zhu Family Fortress."
"Now that the matter is over, let's leave as soon as possible. This group of people is well-organized and has masters from the Monks to suppress it. They will definitely not give up."
"Fast Boat Zhang" said helplessly, "The river is full of boulders and reefs, and we can't push them away manually. We can only take a detour."
"It's simple."
Sha LiFei looked at the other side of the cave with a smile on his face, "It will explode!"
On the wooden shelves on the wall over there, there are many explosive packets neatly placed...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Accompanied by loud noises, water and gravel splashed everywhere.
All the boulders hidden in the river were blown to pieces.
"Be careful, slow down and work harder!"
Sha LiFei shouted slogans, stumbled with other boatmen, and carried the heavy Fierce Fire Oil Container down the mountain with wooden ropes.
Also taken away were those bamboo tubes Netherworld Fire Musket.
"Fast Boat Zhang" was very reluctant to carry this dangerous thing on board. If the government found out, it would be a serious crime of beheading.
However, Sha LiFei persuaded with his eloquent words that these are self-defense weapons and can be used to save lives if there is an attack by rebels in Yichang.
Old Man Zhang had no choice but to obey.
As for Li Yan, together with Wang Dao Xuan, they took out all the corpses of the miners who died, set them on fire, and recited scriptures.
According to Wang Dao Xuan, this place is a place of great evil, and the evil spirit has been leaked. The origin of the statue is not right, and it is estimated that it will not be suppressed for long.
If left alone, these corpses will cause trouble.
Furthermore, it is also a sinful virtue to save these poor miners.
After doing this, it's Shen Hour (15:00 to 17:00).
Old Man Zhang shouted and the ship set sail again.
As he said, the river here is very dangerous, with whirlpools and rapids at every turn, and some shoals are covered with rocks, with water waves even splashing several meters high.
However, his team's boating skills were also amazing. Without those strange things blocking the road, they finally passed through the eighteen dangerous bends in the mountains before sunset.
After leaving the mountain, the river suddenly became gentle.
On the broad river, the setting sun reflects the golden waves, and in the distance there are layers of terraced fields, and a large village and town stands in the mountains.
It seemed beautiful, but everyone immediately found it strange.
Huguang is a land of plenty. In addition to rice, various kinds of river fresh food are also important rations for the people. As long as there are inhabited areas, there will be fishermen casting nets to catch fish.
At this time, all the wooden boats were tied to the shore.
The wooden piers on the river bank are empty.
In the distant villages and towns, smoke curled up from cooking stoves.
Old Man Zhang couldn't help but look at Li Yan. Seeing him nodding, he loudly ordered, "Stop the boat and dock!"
There was a bamboo forest far away on the river bank. A common man cut down a bamboo pole and was carrying it home. When he glanced at the approaching boat, he was shocked. He threw away the bamboo pole and ran towards the village.
"Uncle! Uncle!"
"Someone is coming from the river!"
The shouts, accompanied by the barking of dogs, soon resounded throughout the villages and towns.
The boatmen looked at each other, feeling a little strange.
Wang Dao Xuan walked out of the deck, stroking his beard and looking around, then looked at the compass in his hand, frowning.
He lifted the compass and showed it to Li Yan for inspection.
But I saw the pointer above flickering left and right, up and down.
Li Yan frowned, "Why is the earth's energy so chaotic?"
During this period of time, he had learned the magic of Qimen, and had to be given guidance by Wang Dao Xuan. Although he was far from the Earth Master, he still understood some basic principles.
There are many types of compasses, and the circle patterns on them are different according to inheritance. For example, Three-Cycle Plate is used by the situational school, and Three-Harmony Plate is used by the rational and qi school.
If the pointer is abnormal, there are so-called "Eight Strange Needle Methods", which are Evasive Needle, Emerging Needle, Sinking Needle, Spinning Needle, Casting Needle, Reversed Needle, Slanting Needle and Upright Needle.
Each change has a corresponding explanation.
For example, Emerging Needle has a protruding needle, also known as a floating needle.
It means that there is Yin Qi involved, and it is a good Yin, either a deceased ancestor of the family, or a god of blessing and protection.
If you enter a mountain village and Land God Temple is full of incense and evil spirits are difficult to invade, Emerging Needle will appear.
On the contrary, if the needle does not sink naturally, it is called Sinking Needle.
It means that there is Yin Qi involved. This Yin is not evil Yin, but it will cause ordinary people to feel uncomfortable if they die unjustly or abnormally.
When they were outside the mine before, the compass needle kept spinning and called "Spinning Needle", indicating that evil spirits were involved.
If the air of resentment lingers, it will cause harm.
Now the pointer is swinging erratically and does not return to the center line, which is called "Evasive Needle", indicating that there are strange rocks and deep pools underground, and it is a disaster to live there.
But that's the strange thing.
Divine Land people choose a place to live, and they don't just do it randomly.
Even if it is not a place where dragon veins gather, you must still find a place that is suitable for Feng Shui, such as sitting in the north of Southern Dynasties, with a mountain behind and a river facing it, surrounded by jade belts, etc.
This place is close to mountains and rivers, and is located in the sunshine of the mountains. The terraced rice fields have ample sunshine, and there is no shortage of fish in the river. It hides the wind and receives water, so the people naturally live and work in peace and contentment.
If there were any problems, this village would have been in ruins long ago...
Wang Dao Xuan said in a deep voice, "The earth's energy is disordered, and the appearance of Evasive Needle should be related to the case of City God Temple."
Just as he was talking, a large group of people came out of the village.
The leader was an old man with a gray beard. He was a little stooped but still well-dressed. He was holding a cane and was supported by two people.
Beside him, many men were holding sticks, knives and guns, and behind them were holding manure forks, hoes and other farm tools.
Among the crowd, there were a few men gnashing their teeth.
They were carrying their skin bags and looked like they were ready to take action at any time.
Li Yan actually smelled dog blood inside.
He didn't want to be splashed with blood. Before anyone could get close, he took out the Dao ultimatum, shook it, and said in a deep voice, "I am from Yunyang Prefecture. I accepted the mission from City God Temple and came here to check it out."
"Stop!"
The old man was stunned when he heard this, and quickly stopped everyone, then looked Li Yan up and down, and asked carefully, "Old man, this village chief Zhu YuCheng, are the guests coming from the river in the mountains?"
"Exactly." Li Yan didn't hide it either.
The surrounding villagers suddenly gasped and whispered.
"How is that possible?"
"They are not human..."
"Look, there are shadows."
The old man still refused to give up and continued to ask, "You didn't encounter anything in that mountain river?"
Li Yan glanced lightly and said, "We encountered some demons who were causing trouble. They pretended to be ghosts and mined mineral deposits privately. We have killed them."
"It just so happens that Muramasa can send someone to report to Jingkou Garrison. Those people are likely to be related to the rebels."
There was no way this matter could be hidden, so we simply reported it directly to the official.
"The demon is also related to the rebel army!"
Muramasa was immediately surprised.
When the villagers nearby heard it, they also exploded.
"Okay, it turns out someone is up to something!"
"I was so scared that Laozi dared not go fishing in the river for two months."
"Report to the officer, report to the officer quickly and catch these thieves!"
Old Cunzheng quickly waved his hand to silence everyone, and then said, "Zhu Zi, your boat is the fastest, hurry up and set off..."
"What's the hurry!"
Li Yan shook his head and said, "The situation is chaotic right now. If you just go like this, how can the officers and soldiers of the guard station believe it? Wait until I write a letter."
Having said that, he returned to the cabin and narrated the incident roughly, and then added his own guesses.
Of course, those firearms that were seized will be hidden.
Finally, he added his name.
This is the benefit of the black ultimatum. With this ultimatum, you will be on the same level as Orthodox Xuan Gate. If you encounter an emergency, you can ask the local guard soldiers to help.
After handing over the letter, Li Yan said, "The things in the valley and river are caused by monsters, but there are still problems in your village."
He has other important matters, and he is just here to deal with them. Naturally, he will not guess around, and will simply go straight to the point.
"Ah?"
Village Chief Zhu was stunned for a moment, a little confused.
"Ah!"
The villagers who were about to deliver the letter were frightened and did not dare to leave.
Li Yan looked at the sky, shook his head and said, "Let's leave tomorrow. Don't drive at night. The only problem is this village. If you leave, it will be fine."
After that, he looked at Village Chief Zhu again, "Old man, I have something urgent to do. The situation you reported was not clear. I want to know the specific situation."
Village Chief Zhu had already believed their identities, so naturally he did not dare to hide them. He scolded the villagers to put them away, then raised his hands and said, "You guys have come a long way, they must be tired."
"I'll prepare some food and wine, let's talk while we eat."
"Then it will be hard work."
Li Yan was not polite and led everyone into the village.
Only Lu San and a boatman turned around and walked towards the boat.
Lu San doesn't like to deal with people. It's a torture for him to have so many people gathering together and asking questions, so he went back to the ship and waited for Li Yan to arrange for someone to deliver food.
Besides, those firearms and luggage don't dare to be discovered.
As for the left-behind boatman, it is the rules on the ship.
"This... are they going to spend the night on the boat?"
Village Chief Zhu was shocked when he saw it, and quickly advised, "You can't do it, there is something dirty in the river."
"At night, they come out to cause trouble!"
The third update is a little later