Chapter 237 Great Song Ghost Sect
As dusk approached, Gui Prefecture City was already on fire everywhere.
Thick smoke billowed and shouts of killing continued.
"ChaoShan Society is treason, kill!"
"Brothers, rush out with me!"
After all, they are the largest gang in the city. There is a confrontation between the yamen and something happened in the Wu Mansion. Although the news has not spread, it has been noticed by those who are interested.
Because this place is the throat of Bashu and occupies an important waterway, and it is necessary to guard against Tusi City, a thousand-man guard station is stationed, which is only two miles away from Gui Prefecture City.
When they saw the sergeants leaving and the guards mobilizing troops, some ChaoShan Society people realized something was wrong and quickly left the city and entered the nearby mountains.
Of course, only part of it is gone.
ChaoShan Society has a mixed bag of good and bad, and has absorbed many ruffians in the city, as well as those desperate criminals.
They just act as thugs on the periphery and are unaware of many things and are used to being arrogant.
Seeing that the Wu family was sealed off and the gate of the county government office was closed, he actually called on his friends to gather a crowd to break into the house and rescue Wu DeFa.
However, when they heard that ChaoShan Society was declared a rebel and the guardsmen arrived to close the city gates, the group immediately went crazy.
They set fire everywhere in an attempt to disrupt the situation and escape.
The common people were trembling with fear, and those wealthy children who were lucky enough to leave first immediately organized servants to protect the courtyard and fight with them.
The gangs in the city that were suppressed by ChaoShan Society also took action.
Attacked by both internal and external forces, the chaos subsided within an hour.
Civilian officials organized firefighting, while guardsmen collected the bodies, escorted the prisoners, and continued to search for the remaining ChaoShan Society criminals...
In the lobby of the county government office, the atmosphere was as gloomy as water.
Headless corpses were collected one after another, and the soldiers washed away the blood on the ground with water. The family members of the academy who came over were crying outside.
Li Yan stood on the beam of the county government office, looking at the setting sun on the river in the distance like blood, and the smoke in the city still lingering, and sighed slightly.
What I did this time was indeed a bit reckless.
Unexpectedly, a big thunder exploded and many people died.
But when I thought about it carefully, I found that I broke the situation unintentionally.
The mastermind behind this incident has penetrated Gui Prefecture City too well. If he investigates secretly, I don't know how much obstruction he will encounter.
Although it was reckless this time, it caught the opponent off guard. The academy and Magistrate Wu bit each other, causing the fog to disperse.
Seeing that the chaos in the city had subsided, Li Yan also walked to the eaves in a few steps, jumped up, and landed outside the county government hall.
In the lobby, Judge Zhou Kai was writing a letter quickly to report the situation here, turning a blind eye to the dirty blood being washed away.
Daoist Feng on the side also sighed.
Li Yan did not cover up, and directly asked Daoist Feng in a deep voice, "Daoist Master, I didn't bother to ask just now, what on earth is this Great Song Ghost Sect?"
"This matter is not a secret."
Daoist Feng sighed, "At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the world was in chaos, Daoism and demons were disappearing, all kinds of witches, ghosts and sorcery emerged in an endless stream, and some Daoist secrets flowed into the people and were tampered with wantonly, making the world like ghosts."
"By the time of the Song Dynasty, there was prosperity in all directions and the world was gradually becoming more peaceful, but privately, these evil practices had not been eliminated."
"At that time, the witchcraft custom in Ezhou was strong, and people were constantly killing people to sacrifice ghosts. It is recorded in the "Song Huiyao Collection" that it was a custom in Hubei and Hunan that every year in a leap month, children would be stolen and killed in the early stage to sacrifice Idol Shrine, which is called 'collecting students'..."
"A high-ranking member of the imperial court came to Ezhou to take up a post. He suddenly got up and left in the middle of the night. When he was found, his head and liver had been taken away..."
"This matter even alarmed the imperial court. There is a record in the "History of the Song Dynasty". In the 19th year of Shaoxing, in February of Ding Chou, Emperor Gaozong banned the use of human beings to sacrifice ghosts and make poison in Ezhou. The offenders would sit together with their armor and be executed at Lingchi..."
"But even so, it cannot be suppressed, and it has even spread to the entire south of Divine Land. Many officials and gentry even kill people on a large scale to sacrifice ghosts. It is a common practice..."
"There are also gangsters who go around catching people for them. According to records at the time, there were more than a hundred gangs in Jiangsu and Zhejiang alone who 'picked people' for life!"
"These evil ways inherited the poison from the late Tang Dynasty and formed a demon sect, known as the ghost sect. They have been fighting endlessly with me, Xuan Gate People. For decades, I, Orthodox Xuan Gate, have even been at a disadvantage."
"The Ghost Sect is so powerful that it even used those possessed officials to enter the Song Dynasty Palace, causing chaos in the world. Later, it was replaced by the Da Xing Dynasty, who will kill the Ghost Sect's personality without mercy."
"Da Xing Dynasty ruled Divine Land for hundreds of years. Xuanmen almost always strangled people in the ghost sect everywhere. Compared with the Maitreya Sect at that time, it was not worth mentioning at all."
"Later, the ghost sect was finally eliminated, and some of the remnants entered the grassland, merged with the Golden Horde Wolf Country shamanism, and invaded the Central Plains, which led to the subsequent confrontation between the north and the south."
"It can be said that this ghost sect is the real demonic way. Both the imperial court and I, Orthodox Xuan Gate, are on strict guard against it."
"I didn't expect that now, I am active again..."
Li Yan was shocked when he heard this.
Wang Dao Xuan had accidentally mentioned this ghost sect before, but he didn't know much about it, so he didn't pay much attention to it.
I didn't expect it would cause such a big fuss.
Thinking of "Red Woman" appearing nearby, his heart moved, and he felt that there was some connection between the two...
While they were talking, Zhou Kai had written a secret letter and asked the sergeant Baili to rush to Yunyang. Then he said in a deep voice to the two of them, "Both of you are Xuan Gate People. You should know that the disaster of this ghost sect is no less than that of Southwest Rebellion."
"Please help me to find out this matter quickly!"
Daoist Feng nodded and said, "Pindao is not good at magic, so he has to rely on Young Hero Li for help. However, Pindao has sent a letter to Wudang to ask for support."
Judge Zhou Kai said in a deep voice, "It's too late. The ghost sect is here and must have a plan. Their whereabouts have been leaked and they may launch an attack at any time. We must find them and kill them quickly..."
Wow!
Just as he was talking, the sound of flapping wings sounded in the air.
A soldier immediately raised his crossbow.
"Don't do it!"
Li Yan quickly stopped, and then saw Lu San's falcon falling from the sky, standing on a wooden stand combing its feathers.
Taking out the secret message from the bamboo tube on his feet, Li Yan took a rough look at it, then immediately took out a pen and paper and wrote a few lines of words.
Sha LiFei next to him said in a low voice, "Have the Daoist priests discovered anything?"
Li Yan nodded and said solemnly, "I have asked them to hide temporarily and just ask for information. Do not expose them."
What happened in Erbei Village is probably related to the ghost sect.
Facing an unknown and terrifying enemy, Li Yan naturally had to be cautious, so he ordered Wang Dao Xuan and Lu San to hide carefully.
Seeing his mysterious look, Zhou Kai next to him had a flash of suspicion in his eyes, and asked directly, "You two, what are you doing?"
"I'm waiting for my partners to investigate."
Li Yan said in a deep voice, "The ghost cult appears, let them be careful."
Zhou Kai did not hide it and said, "Don't be surprised, you two. At this time, it is most important to avoid suspicion of each other. After all, no one knows how deeply the ghost sect has penetrated."
"Young Hero Li, I don't understand Xuanmen matters. Where do you think we should start to investigate?"
Li Yan thought for a moment and said, "First, interrogate those ChaoShan Society disciples, as well as Wu DeFa, maybe we can find clues."
"Second, there is definitely something wrong with Red Pill. Now all the victims are people from the academy..."
"I have some speculation about this matter."
Zhou Kai said in a deep voice, "At that time, the ghost sect originated from the Ezhou area. They killed people to sacrifice, and the ghost name was 'Leng Zheng God'."
"<Yijian Zhi> It has been recorded that people who sacrifice Leng Zheng God for murder can win officials and scholars. They are called smart people, and one can be counted as three. Masters, monks and Daoists are called practitioners, and one can be counted as two. In addition, women and children can be counted as one."
"If the record is correct, officials and scholars are their first targets, followed by Xuan Gate People, and finally women and children."
"That's it."
Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, "According to what the scholar Yuan Feng said, the refining method of 'Red Pill' was suddenly found in the library."
"The effect of this medicine is to make them energetic and smarter. They are clearly marked as prey."
"No, there are people from the ghost sect in the academy! Those surviving scholars are not safe either!"
Zhou Kai said nothing, and immediately ordered, "Go, search Danyang Academy, check the roster, see who didn't come today, arrest all the rest!"
"As well as those scholars, they all came to the county government and sent people to guard them day and night!"
"Come here, bring Wu DeFa!"
Zhou Kai is also a decisive person. With one order, thousands of people in the entire county government office and the guard station immediately became busy.
After a while, prisoners were taken in one after another.
Starting from Wu DeFa, interrogate them one by one.
Li Yan and Daoist Feng kept asking questions and looking for doubts, while Zhou Kai's men recorded all the confessions.
It was dark at night, and there was chaos in the city during the day, making the people tremble in fear. However, candles were brightly lit in the county government hall, and whips and screams continued...
On the other side, there are deep mountains and dense forests on the south bank.
"I didn't expect it to be a ghost sect."
Wang Dao Xuan looked at the secret letter in his hand, shook his head with a heavy face and said, "I thought this demonic sect had become history long ago, but I didn't expect it to revive again."
"These people in the demonic path kill people to sacrifice ghosts. Ezhou Xiangxi and Turen Mountain Cave have strong witchcraft practices. I'm afraid something big will happen."
"Daoist Priest, I can't figure it out."
Lu San frowned and shook his head and said, "There are good orthodox sacrifices, but City God the land and other blessings are not worshiped, why do you risk your own life and kill people to sacrifice to ghosts?"
Wang Dao Xuan sighed, "Sacrifice to heaven and earth Orthodox God, Sun Moon Star chen is hope. And Excessive Sacrifice evil ghosts are desire..."
"Shh!"
Before he finished speaking, Lu San suddenly looked nervous, motioning for him to be silent, and finally pointed to the left.
Wang Dao Xuan suddenly understood.
The two of them lowered their bodies, hiding in the grass and looking down.
Troublemakers hide things very secretly.
But after Lu San activated the secret technique, all the rats, snakes, and birds in the entire mountain forest were his spies, and he could easily find the things.
I saw something dark hanging on a big tree in the valley below, between the dense trees. It would be difficult to spot it if you weren't paying attention.
It was a burnt piece of wood, only half a person tall, with various Blood-colored Talisman carved on it, and a cow skull hanging on it.
This object is the Kodama body.
The trees that can give birth to Kodama are all hundreds of thousands of years old. After experiencing wind, rain, thunder and fire, they have long since turned into Heavenly Spiritual Treasure and will hide themselves.
Kodama is the spirit that guards the spiritual treasure.
The manipulation methods are also very evil.
Kodama If the main body is destroyed, it will turn into a bloodthirsty spirit to take revenge. The caster took advantage of this.
They will first find the spirit tree, use a method similar to holding a treasure to restrain it, and then set up a formation to confuse its mind and seize its will.
In the end, the spiritual tree was burned down in a fire.
Kodama can burst into powerful power due to resentment.
And this power is used to harm people through secret methods.
Wang Dao Xuan did not destroy it, and did not even rush to draw out the breath. It was preparing for Seven Arrows Secret Curse, but was waiting for the person behind the scenes.
I saw people walking forward on the mountain road in the distance holding torches. There were quite a few of them, like a fire dragon walking through the dark forest.
Wang Dao Xuan has already set up a formation, surrounded by small triangular Dharma flags and wrapped with red ropes, vaguely forming Bagua, completely covering up the auras of the two of them.
In addition, they are hidden in the dark and will not be discovered.
As the fire dragon got closer and closer, they finally saw the face of the person coming.
This is a group of men in black, all with red belts tied around their waists, hoods on their heads, and their faces painted with oil paint to look like ferocious demons.
In this uninhabited forest, it's like a group of ghosts are roaming around.
Some of them held torches, others held sharp knives, and in the middle there were eight people carrying an ebony coffin. The atmosphere was very strange.
At the front of the team, it was led by an old man.
This old man was wearing a green Confucian robe and had gray hair. Even though he was old, he walked with a straight back and a rather imposing manner.
Arriving under the big tree, the old man immediately raised his hand.
"Stop!"
After ordering everyone to stop, the old man set up the incense table, burned firewood and spread spices, making it full of smoke.
There were several men in black robes around him, kneeling on the ground one by one, cutting their palms with knives, inhaling the thick smoke from the firewood, shaking their heads, and mumbling incessantly, as if they were reciting incantations.
After doing this, the old man in Confucian robes gave an order and asked several men in black to climb up the tree and slowly lower the burnt wood.
Then, they actually put the wood into the coffin. They also killed a live chicken on the spot, mixed the chicken blood with cinnabar and mixed ink, and drew various strange runes on the ebony coffin.
Bang bang bang!
Coffin Nail soaked in chicken blood will kill Coffin Nail.
After doing this, everyone carried the coffin and went away.
"It's a ghost cult!"
Looking at the distant fire, Wang Dao Xuan looked solemn, "They probably got the wind and want to take away the last clue."
"Let the falcon follow you from a distance. Just see where you are going. Don't startle the enemy!"
Lu San nodded and waved his hand.
The falcons soared into the sky and disappeared into the night...
Gui Prefecture City, in the county government lobby.
Candles were brightly lit and interrogations continued throughout the night, filling the lobby with the acrid smell of smoke, mixed with the stench of sweat and blood.
The ground that had just been washed away during the day showed traces of blood again.
However, no one cared.
The ghost cult has reappeared, no matter how ruthless it is.
"This ghost sect is really cunning!"
Looking at the confession in his hand, Zhou Kai rubbed his swollen forehead, "ChaoShan Society It was originally a folk custom of worshiping mountain gods, and it exists in all states, but it has developed into a gang here in Zigui."
"As soon as Wu Dehai came, he took him under his command, and then he was controlled by others. Now it seems that the other party has a premeditated plan. The peripheral gang members are responsible for collecting money, while the core gang members keep their whereabouts secretive."
"What we caught were all rotten fish and shrimps."
Li Yan said in a deep voice, "It's not like there is no gain."
"These peripheral gangs, in the name of loan sharking, often kidnap women and children from people's homes to pay off debts. None of them have come back yet."
"They handed all the people over to the core gang, and they probably became human sacrifices. They also pretended to be river bandits, robbed passing merchants, stole money and arrested people."
"I don't know where to hide the sacrifice?"
Sha LiFei clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Zigui County is not like She Ling Soldiers. Although Bamboo Mountain Sect still often controls soldiers and horses to patrol the mountains, there are too many places to hide."
"To the north is Shennongjia, to the west is Wushan, and to the south are Turen Mountain Cave and Miaojiang. My dear, this place is amazing!"
The face of the judge Zhou Kai was very gloomy, "I will submit a letter right now. Strengthen Zigui's defense force, and Bamboo Mountain Sect. If they can't be suppressed by their magic, it is better to give up the place to the True Martial Palace as soon as possible!"
"Report!"
Just as he was talking, a soldier quickly entered the lobby.
"Sir, we have made a discovery!"