"Daoist Master, be careful..."
Under the guidance of Lu San, Wang Dao Xuan stepped into the water cautiously.
These Chinese Alligator are ordinary products and cannot bear the weight of a person at all, but Lu San has a magic trick.
He and Wang Dao Xuan had their feet apart, each stepping on one of Chinese Alligator's backs, and with the help of other little Chinese Alligators, they became stable.
As a group of Chinese Alligator waggled their tails, the two of them immediately entered the river. Looking from a distance, they seemed to be riding the waves.
The river breeze blew on his face, Wang Dao Xuan's fear lessened, and he also joked, "Riding a crocodile to cross the river is also a lot of fun, Lu San brothers, what are these little guys thinking?"
"They're hungry."
Lu San's words made Wang Dao Xuan's heart tighten.
Fortunately, Lu San then shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Daoist Priest, these Chinese Alligator are docile and won't hurt anyone. It's just because River Monster scared away the school of fish that they couldn't find anything to eat."
When Wang Dao Xuan heard this, his expression became serious, "River Monster on the other end, I wonder if Zigui County will come."
"Not yet."
Lu San shook his head and said, "River Monster is quite big, but it is still a beast and eats a lot. Zigui County The fish were frightened and ran away, and there were few people and few boats, so they ran to Yichang."
Wang Dao Xuan said thoughtfully, "Speaking of this River Monster, Pindao also remembered something. I looked through the book <Tales of the Mysterious and Profound> at night on the road and learned that the alchemists of the Qin and Han Dynasties had a method of trapping demons, which was used to guard the underwater tomb passages, and was later passed on to some Daoist craftsmen."
"That River Monster has a chain at its tail. It looks very similar to that method. Maybe it escaped from some tomb."
Lu San frowned and then chirped a few times.
The leading ones, Chinese Alligator, suddenly had their throats trembled and made pig noises, but they were loud, high-pitched, and measured.
Wang Dao Xuan was not surprised to hear this strange cry.
Chinese Alligator is a thing that chirps on rainy days and at night, just like beating a drum to watch the watch. It is called "Tuogu" or "Watcher" in the Jianghuai area.
In <Classic of Poetry>, there is "Tuogu every time, I will play with you".
However, when he heard Chinese Alligator chirping, a flash of shock flashed in Lu San's eyes, "That River Monster first appeared in Zigui County!"
Wang Dao Xuan was speechless, "Is this happening?"
Lu San nodded and said, "These Chinese Alligator are very afraid of that River Monster. Zigui County originally had many groups, but now they are the only ones that are eaten. They usually hide in mud holes and can escape..."
Wang Dao Xuan thought thoughtfully, "Is it possible that this Zigui County has a big tomb?"
Zigui County The river here is not wide. As they spoke, the two of them had already crossed the river and hurriedly stepped ashore on the rocks.
"Ho! Roar!"
Seeing them leaving, several Chinese Alligators immediately became anxious.
"What are they calling?"
Wang Dao Xuan is a little curious.
Lu San shook his head and said, "These guys are starving and don't dare to hurt anyone. I promise to help them find some food."
After saying that, he waved his hand, and the falcon immediately fluttered its wings, hovered near the nearby forest, and soon began to dance.
"Master, please wait a moment."
Lu San confessed and quickly rushed into the forest.
Wang Dao Xuan was bored at leisure, so he looked at the river, took out the compass, looked at the jumping pointer on it, and murmured, "The earth's atmosphere has stabilized, but there is still Evasive Needle. Is it possible that there is really a big tomb underwater nearby?"
"This place Chu King City is the place where King of Chu ancestor Xiong Yi was granted a title. It is considered the ancestral land of the ancient country. Could it be Chu Tomb... No, then <Tales of the Mysterious and Profound> said that the demon suppressor can only live for three hundred years at most, and then it will turn into a beast soul..."
"Two hundred years ago, there was great prosperity, but I haven't heard of any royal family being granted titles here. It's really strange..."
While he was thinking, Lu San walked out of the forest carrying a fat wild boar, waved his dagger, cut the wild boar into small pieces, and threw it into the water.
For a moment, the water on the river surged and blood splashed everywhere.
Lu San patted one Chinese Alligator on the head, turned around and said, "Daoist Master, then Two Stele Village is not far from here, what should we do first?"
Wang Dao Xuan looked at the compass, looked into the distance and said solemnly, "If you want to control Kodama to cause trouble, you must build an altar."
"If Pindao's guess is correct, there must be a layout in the nearby mountains and forests that others cannot find, but Brother Brother Lu should be fine."
"Okay, what are you looking for?"
"The target won't be too big, wood wrapped with red rope, specially arranged stone statues, straw and wooden figures hanging on the trees... If you find anything similar, let me know."
Danyang Academy, located outside the south gate of Gui Prefecture City.
According to the "Guizhou County Chronicle": Although Zigui is the hometown of Sanlü Grand Master, the land has been barren and the people have been poor for many years. There were no academies and the talents were lost.
During the Daxing period, more than ten houses were donated outside the south gate as a place for students to study, in the hope of "finding a person who is moral and capable of writing, to promote the ancestral style and encourage good people."
After years of development and donations from wealthy households, it has been renovated several times.
The academy is a typical Hui-style building, with white walls and black tiles, stone-carved window edges, and tall horse-head walls.
Bamboo forests are planted around it, and there is a small bridge and flowing water outside the courtyard, which is quite elegant and interesting.
"What did you say?"
At this moment, the atmosphere in the hospital was very depressing.
Looking at the few policemen in the hall, an old Confucian scholar in black robes stared wide-eyed, and his white beard trembled with anger.
Great Xuan Dynasty Academies in various places have almost the same system.
The mountain chief is the leader of the academy, and is usually held by a local Confucian scholar with high moral integrity. Most of them have also been in the officialdom and have a lot of connections.
Teachers are divided into professors, lecturers and Assistant Teacher.
The logistics department includes the superintendent, chief priest, book office and treasurer.
The speaker is none other than Danyang Academy Mountain Chief Song MingShu.
The old man was obviously very angry, and he said with a gloomy look and a sneer, "Your Excellency, the county magistrate is very interesting. He doesn't go out to make trouble with monsters, but he comes to the academy to cause trouble. Could it be that he thinks it is our academy that is causing trouble?"
There were also several professors giving lectures in the hall, and everyone was angry when they heard what he said.
"That's nonsense!"
"The investigation has led to the academy!"
"Don't think that Wu Dehai can cover the sky with one hand. We will jointly submit a report to see how long he can be proud!"
Several police officers were usually arrogant and domineering, but when faced with these Confucian scholars, they had no choice but to bend down and lower their eyebrows, and said with a flattering look on their faces, "The mountain chief misunderstood, he just went to ask questions, and this matter was brought up by someone sent by City God Temple, not the intention of the county magistrate."
"City God Temple?"
Mountain Chief Song MingShu snorted coldly, "City God Temple's people can't guarantee peace for us, so why are they colluding with Wu Dehai?"
"Just go, I want to see how they frame you!"
"Let's go too!"
"Let's go together!"
Most of the academy students come from wealthy local families.
Since the county magistrate Wu Dehai took office, Zigui County has become a mess. Everyone has been dissatisfied for a long time, but due to the other party's background, they dare not openly confront him.
This time Two Stele Bay incident allowed them to seize the opportunity, and with the support of the Academy Headmaster, they would not give in.
For a time, the crowd in the academy was excited.
Mountain Chief Song MingShu has a stubborn personality. He originally wanted to make things worse, but how could he stop him? He immediately led everyone out of the academy.
Suddenly, the scholars walked into the city in large numbers.
They were so aggressive that many people gathered to watch.
The people around were talking a lot, and some interested people made random inquiries. Soon rumors spread, and many people followed to watch the fun.
In the crowd, one person lifted his bamboo hat and looked thoughtful.
If Li Yan is here, you will find that this person is Bai RuoXu who stole a Divine Firearm and is wanted by the court.
Looking at the chaotic crowd in front of him, Bai RuoXu did not join in the fun, but lowered his hat and turned to enter other streets.
He was unhurried and seemed to be looking at the surrounding shops. In fact, he would observe carefully every time he passed an alley.
Soon, a mark came into view.
It was a spiral pattern, crooked and crooked, like a child scribbling with pebbles. It didn't look unusual.
However, Bai RuoXu calmly looked around and saw that no one was paying attention, so he turned directly into the alley.
In the alley, there are Zigui County ordinary houses.
Bai RuoXu searched one by one and found the same pattern at the door of another house. Then he went up and knocked on the door several times.
With a creak, the old wooden door slowly opened.
The person who opened the door was Old Woman. His clothes were shabby, his hair was gray, and his eyes were cloudy and dull. He was obviously blind.
After Old Woman opened the door, he didn't say anything. He just stepped aside. After Bai RuoXu entered, he closed the wooden door tightly.
Bai RuoXu looked solemn as he pushed the door open and entered Wing Room.
On Wing Room's bed, a woman sat cross-legged, with a long sword placed across her knees, and her expression was cold. She was the female swordsman who escaped from Li Yan.
She obviously recognized Bai RuoXu. When she saw it, a trace of fear flashed in her eyes, and her right hand unconsciously pressed on the hilt of the sword.
"Miss Liu No need to be on guard."
Bai RuoXu said calmly, "This operation was commanded by Commander Wang. It's not your fault. The Lord just wants to know what happened to you?"
The woman was silent for a moment, "I don't know what kind of magic it is. It's just a mass of darkness and I can't see anything clearly."
"Then, everyone died..."
"Oh?"
Bai RuoXu thought deeply, "But who did it, Li Yan, or Wang Dao Xuan?"
"Not sure."
After asking about the situation, Bai RuoXu shook his head, "Commander Wang has a lot of people with him. He can kill everyone in an instant. He is definitely not easy to mess with."
"The war in Yunyang is quite intense right now. My Lord, I would like to let this matter go for now and put the overall situation first."
"Do you have any clues about what I asked you to investigate?"
When the female swordsman heard that she would no longer pursue the matter, she was inexplicably relieved and said in a deep voice, "We found out that 'Red Woman' is indeed haunting this area. He placed a curse on the local county magistrate's son. I don't know what his intention is."
Bai RuoXu narrowed his eyes slightly, "Find a way to find her first, Shennongjia we can't delay the matter there any longer..."
Just as the two were plotting, everyone from the academy also came to the county government office.
"Get away!"
Danyang Academy Mountain Chief Song MingShu was so angry that he pushed Yamen Runner away who came up to greet him.
He led a group of people into the main hall of the county government office.
"Magistrate Wu!"
The old man was still very stubborn after going to court. He casually raised his hand and said in a cold voice, "I heard that you suspect that my academy is causing trouble at Two Stele Bay?"
"Headmaster Song Please calm down."
There was a hint of displeasure in Magistrate Wu's eyes, but he still replied patiently, "It's just City God Temple who came to inquire about some conditions there. How could he doubt the academy?"
Seeing that he relented, Headmaster Song's face became slightly better.
Li Yan stood aside and watched coldly.
On some matters, he had already made judgments based on intelligence.
Despite the righteous words of these academy students, to be honest, the reason why they got angry and had conflicts with Magistrate Wu was nothing more than self-interest.
The biggest battle in the court today is between the local officials and gentry and the merchants who opened the sea. In fact, the interests of the two parties do not conflict much.
To put it bluntly, it is still a "ritual".
"Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce" is an ancient ritual of Divine Land. Emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce is the foundation of the country. But now, chambers of commerce in various places want to take advantage of the trend of opening up the sea to improve the status of merchants.
Emperor Daxuan, on the one hand, wanted to make up for the emptiness in the treasury caused by several wars and repairing the imperial city, and on the other hand, he also wanted to use this power to suppress the clan officials and gentry in various places.
The foundation of these people is nothing more than controlling land and population. Not only do they accumulate rich wealth and become quite powerful in the local area, they also use their official positions to evade taxes and money.
If it is just one place, nothing can be seen.
But officials and gentry, big and small, all over the country, are doing this, just like countless rats, frantically eroding the foundation of the country.
The officials are rich, the people are poor, and the treasury is empty.
This is the true portrayal of the Great Xuan Dynasty in the past few years.
What made Emperor Daxuan even more angry was that these people roundly accused him of being militaristic, which made the treasury empty.
If it weren't for the huge profits from opening the sea, the court had been able to breathe a sigh of relief in the past two years. Above Imperial Court, the majesty of the imperial power would have been suppressed by the ministers long ago.
The emperor used Open Sea Faction to suppress Native Faction, which was the root reason.
Many people can see this clearly.
Therefore, whether an inn is open and allows merchants to pay to stay there will be a hotly debated issue.
Behind the scenes are the merchants' repeated attempts.
As for the country Rite of Sacrifice, because no one touches it, Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect maintains its aloof status.
In the same way, brother Magistrate Wu is the president of the E Prefecture Merchant Guild. Regardless of whether he wants to participate or not, if he comes to Zigui County himself, he will infringe on the interests of the local tycoons.
Take the imperial examination for example.
If these people do not unite and speak out, I am afraid that there will be more and more children from the Chamber of Commerce in the academy, and with the protection of Magistrate Wu, many of their places will definitely be taken away.
Li Yan has no favorable impressions of either party.
Soon, Headmaster Song pointed the finger at City God Temple, and raised his hands to the temple blessing. "Daoist Feng, you doubt our academy, do you have any concrete evidence?"
"Just asking, just asking."
Daoist Feng laughed, raised his hand and said, "This Young Hero Li is a master sent by Yichang City God Temple for support. He would like to know something about the situation."
Headmaster Song glanced at Li Yan coldly, stroked his beard and said in a deep voice:
"Oh, don't you still doubt my academy?"
He was tall and had an imposing manner when he spoke. After entering the courtroom, he pressed questions repeatedly and took the initiative.
Even though he knew that Li Yan and others were sorcerers, he was not afraid at all.
Li Yan naturally would not spoil this old man, so he glanced lightly,
"Are you feeling guilty?"
"You're rude!"
Several lecturers nearby were furious.
Headmaster Song raised his hand to stop everyone from scolding him, and then said in a cold voice, "Tell me, what do I feel guilty about?"
Li Yan said calmly, "If you don't have a guilty conscience, why are you so fussy? You just ask for some information, and your hat is slapped on you one after another?"
"It is said that Confucian gentlemen are as gentle as jade. Why are you all acting like fighting cocks?"
"Discourteous!"
"Ridiculous!"
When everyone in the academy heard this, they immediately became angry.