Chapter 326 Sneaking into Jiangxia
The so-called "Wan Yan" is the legendary Strange Beast that is unique to Yunmeng Marsh.
Previously in Wuchang Jianghan Academy, Master Lin from the Wenjin Academy helped them translate <Classic of Mountains and Seas Spiritual Responses> without taking any money, but just made a request to help them find this beast.
Master Lin's second son was born stupid. It was rumored that the flesh and blood of this beast could heal people, so he traveled all over Ezhou to look for clues.
Unfortunately, nothing was gained.
This Master Lin has extraordinary knowledge and is extremely kind. Both Lu San and Li Yan respect him very much, so they agreed.
Master Lin handed over all relevant information to them.
In Sima Xiangru's "Zixu Fu", it was mentioned that "underneath there are white tigers, black leopards, and dragons."
Guo Pu once commented. "Wan Yan, a big beast, like a raccoon, with a length of a hundred fathoms."
According to Master Lin's guess, this ancient Strange Beast looks a bit like a mink, with a large body and an extremely long body.
Li Yan It is hard to imagine that such an animal exists in the world.
The original plan was to go out with Lu San later and look for monsters and beasts in various mountains, but since I got to know Giant Turtle Master, I asked him to help search.
"Where?"
After hearing the news, Li Yan quickly asked.
However, Lu San did not rush to answer. He shook his head and whispered, "It's hard to talk here. Let's talk when we get back."
Li Yan As soon as he heard it, he understood immediately and asked no more questions.
The two of them murmured to each other, but the military officials next to them didn't pay attention. Instead, they ordered to return to the Parrot Isle dock. At the same time, they communicated with each other and issued orders one after another.
Giant Turtle Master's information is very timely.
The imperial army suffered considerable losses due to its rash advance.
Later, Yunyang Governor Yuan Qun came out to take charge of the overall situation. In addition, Marshal sent by the imperial court was also a man who was proficient in strategy, and the situation was immediately stabilized.
Now the imperial army has entered the mountains and forests, and adopted a strategy of steady advancement to uproot the refugee villages one by one. At the same time, it implemented a gentle policy, divided the fields and distributed farm tools, and built many villages near Yunyang Prefecture.
To be honest, the life of mountain people is not that easy.
At first they could live and work in peace and contentment, but as each village was built, people would also exploit them, and they would be more ruthless than the government.
And there is no king's method in the mountains, it's just about comparing whose fist is bigger.
Coupled with the rampant thieves and evil cultivators hiding in the mountains and forests, the Jingchu Mountains and Forests are no longer a paradise.
The only stable village is controlled by the Heavenly Saint Sect, but it wants to be brainwashed by Excessive Sacrifice Heavenly Saint Duke through various means, and it is still uncomfortable to live.
Since the imperial court established Yunyang Prefecture, the imperial court has given it generous treatment, and many mountain residents have moved out one after another, so Yunyang Prefecture is now prosperous.
Heavenly Saint Sect also felt threatened, so he repeatedly obstructed it, even spreading rumors in the mountains and forests, and intercepted and killed the mountain people who wanted to leave.
Now that the imperial army has entered the mountains and forests, a large number of refugees have surrendered and moved away. Heavenly Saint Sect has been retreating steadily and its power has shrunk.
The suppression of the rebellion is expected to be over within a month or two.
But if the Jingchu rebels cut off grain transportation and win a few more big victories, the war is likely to reach a stalemate.
Therefore, ensuring the transportation of grain and grass along the Yangtze River and Han River has become a top priority.
With the cooperation of Giant Turtle Master, we can backhand the plan to wipe out the rebel monster...
Not long after, the warship returned to the Parrot Isle dock.
After saying goodbye to several senior military officials, the Li Yan people got off the boat, and then Lu San said, "Giant Turtle Master said that just a few days ago, a group of Alligator Dragon were digging underground sewers and were attacked by 'Wan Yan'. Only one escaped."
"She originally planned to take revenge, but there was some trouble in that place and she didn't want to go close to avoid misunderstanding."
"Oh?"
Li Yan became interested, "Where?"
Lu San replied, "Near Dragon Spring Mountain."
Li Yan frowned upon hearing this, "It's indeed a bit troublesome."
Dragon Spring Mountain is in Jiangxia, not far from Wuchang. According to Giant Turtle Master, this area is the territory of a big demon East Lake Old Ancestor.
Of course, Giant Turtle Master is naturally not afraid of East Lake Old Ancestor, just because that Dragon Spring Mountain is a little special, it is the place where the two generations of Chu King Tomb are located.
There is another reason why we talk about two generations.
When Emperor Great Xuan Dynasty raised his army, he received help from many people, one of whom was very difficult to deal with, Chen Youliang.
Different from the history of the previous life, Chen Youliang was quite powerful. The then Daxuan Gaozu Emperor Xiao ChengYou was very afraid of him, and after many entanglements, he allowed Chen Youliang to join him.
After the founding of the country in Daxuan, Chen Youliang was named King of Chu.
Although he was a king with a different surname, the Great Xuan Dynasty court always took precautions. It first seized his military power, and then placed his family under house arrest in Wu Prefecture City, and was not allowed to leave Chu Royal Palace.
Chen Youliang could not move and died in depression. After his death, he was buried in Dragon Spring Mountain by the imperial court.
Chen Youliang also had an identity, and was the owner of the Maitreya Sect at that time.
After the death of Chen Youliang, his son Chen Li inherited the position of Lord Maitreya Sect, raised an army and rebelled, and was suppressed and executed by the imperial court.
Although he was also named King of Chu and buried in Dragon Spring Mountain, the Chen family's bloodline was cut off due to this incident, and Maitreya Sect completely turned into the dark and became hostile to the Great Xuan Dynasty court.
This second generation King of Chu has been replaced by the Xiao family royal family.
However, the imperial court was also wary of these vassal kings and carried out clan reforms early.
One is to change the name, for example, King of Chu is replaced by Prince of Wu Prefecture. Similarly, there is King of Chang'an in Shaanzhou.
The second is the reduction of fiefdoms, only the city where they are located. The royal palace's expenditure also depends on the taxes of the fiefdom where it is located, and clan assessments are conducted every year. Those who fail will be deprived of the throne.
After several rounds, the power of the feudal kings could no longer threaten the central government.
On Dragon Spring Mountain, only three King of Chus are buried. If Prince of Wu Prefecture is buried in it now, it can only be called Wu Prefecture King Mausoleum.
Royal mausoleums are naturally indispensable for the Tomb Guard Army.
Giant Turtle Master wants to obtain Hanshui Position of Water God and cannot do without Prince of Wu Prefecture's help, so naturally he does not want to get close, thus causing misunderstanding.
Hearing that he was in that place, Li Yan also had a headache, "It's indeed a bit troublesome, but I have to go."
"In this way, let's find a way to go there, stay there, and then investigate secretly. 'Wan Yan' should not be in Dragon Spring Mountain. Just avoid Tomb Guard Army."
While talking, they had returned to the Tian Family Mansion.
They originally planned to rest at Wu Prefecture City, but now that there is news about "Wan Yan", they naturally have to change their plans.
"Young Hero Li is leaving?"
In the main hall, Patriarch Tian was obviously a little reluctant to leave.
Li Yan smiled and cupped his hands and said, "The Tian family's matter is over, it is not suitable for us to live here any longer. Besides, we are eating Xuanmen food, so we have to take on some work to make ends meet."
Patriarch Tian couldn't laugh or cry, "Young Hero Li You're joking, with your abilities, how can you not be a guest wherever you go?"
"To be honest, the story about my family has already spread in the three cities of Wuchang. Coupled with Young Hero Li's current fame, many people have secretly messaged me, wanting to get acquainted, and asking you to help handle the matter."
"Oh?"
Li Yan pretended to be surprised and said, "Is there still this matter?"
"It's natural to do the business that comes to your door. Please give Patriarch Tian an introduction and we'll see if we accept it."
"Okay, I will make arrangements now!"
Patriarch Tian was very enthusiastic and went out immediately.
As he said, Li Yan's team has now become quite famous in the three cities of Wuchang.
As soon as the news was released, people came to the door one after another.
Most of the people who came here were wealthy households in the city, and the things they wanted to entrust were also Five Flowers Eight Tones.
Some people want to choose a place to see Feng Shui, but searching for tombs is already time-consuming and labor-intensive. Even though Wang Dao Xuan Feng Shui Arts has improved a lot now, they politely declined...
Some of them have relatives at home who are sick and already terminally ill. They heard from somewhere about Li Yan rescuing Mrs. Yan's wife, so they came to ask for help.
Unfortunately, Li Yan knows nothing about medical skills, so he can only tell the truth and recommend them to find a Daoist doctor...
What's more, they want to ask them to cast spells to harm others.
This kind of thing is naturally rejected directly.
Finally, in the evening, another young man came.
He was dressed in mourning clothes, with a hemp rope tied around his waist. He was polite and had a bitter look on his face. As soon as he entered the door, he gave a big gift to Patriarch Tian, "I've met Uncle Tian."
Patriarch Tian obviously knew this person and was a little surprised when he saw this, "Jinghong, why are you here? Where is Brother Shen?"
The young man turned pale and said in a trembling voice, "My father has gone."
Patriarch Tian was shocked, "What's going on? I met him in business a few days ago. Could it be that he is suffering from a sudden illness?"
"It's a disaster from heaven!"
The young man cried bitterly as he spoke, "Kiln Site's home was attacked by monsters. His father and brother were killed by them, and the servants fought hard to get the bodies back."
"My nephew went to Parrot Isle to deliver goods and escaped the disaster. Now he is preparing to return to Jiangxia for funeral arrangements."
Li Yan and Sha LiFei are both there, and it became clear immediately after hearing it.
This time, the ghost sect united several forces to form a layout, and also bewitched Jiangxia Miao People to follow suit, killing people everywhere for blood sacrifices, and resurrecting the Barbarian King Tomb zombie.
The Han villages near Miao Village and Barbarian King Tomb in Jiangxia suffered disasters, and some were even massacred.
This young man has obviously suffered a disaster.
Patriarch Tian After hearing this, he also sighed, "I have just passed the disaster, but I didn't expect that something like this happened to Brother Shen."
"Is it possible that Jinghong came here to report his funeral? When I arrive, I will definitely go to express my condolences."
The young man's name was Shen Jinghong. Hearing this, he shook his head and said, "My nephew is here because of other matters. I would like to ask Young Hero Li for help in handling the funeral."
"Originally, I didn't dare to bother Young Hero Li with this kind of thing. But the servants at home came with the news that my father died with his eyes open. After being placed in the coffin, the body actually sat up. His whole body was stiff and he couldn't hold it down."
"My mother invited Spirit Medium, saying that my father had an unfulfilled wish and was holding back resentment. Even if he was buried, he would turn into a zombie and could only be cremated."
"My mother wanted my father to be buried in peace, so she asked me to find a Daoist priest in Wuchang. I happened to hear the news about Uncle Tian, so I came to ask for help."
"Does the corpse die with its eyes open?"
Patriarch Tian was stunned and turned to look at Li Yan.
Li Yan had never heard of such a thing, so he had no choice but to ask Sha LiFei to invite Wang Dao Xuan who was reading in the room.
Wang Dao Xuan After hearing this, he asked again carefully, nodded and said, "It does seem that the wish is not fulfilled and the obsession is not gone. I can try to do it, but whether it will succeed is a matter of two opinions."
Li Yan stood up immediately and said, "Okay, we'll take over this job."
The river is surging, and the Parrot Isle dock is gradually disappearing.
The Patriarch Tian family who saw him off has long since disappeared.
Li Yan stood on the deck, looking towards the river in the distance.
When they came, they crossed Jingmen from Dangyang to the Han River. From the Han River, they took a boat directly to Hanyang and Wuchang without taking the Yangtze River waterway.
The reason is very simple. If you go from the Yangtze River, you have to go down to the border of Xiangzhou and pass through Yueyang, which is a big bend.
Jiangxia, where Dragon Spring Mountain is located, can be reached by walking overland, but the fastest way is undoubtedly to take a boat along the Yangtze River.
"Tsk, tsk, what are you afraid of?"
On the deck, Sha LiFei is joking.
On the other side of him, Wu Ba was lying on the wooden board, holding on to the edge of the boat and looking towards the river, full of curiosity but afraid to stand up.
Wu Ba grew up in Shennongjia. Yesterday, he was still able to stand firm on the stable court battleship. Today, he got on the boat and suddenly swayed from side to side. He was too scared to get up.
As if aware of Sha LiFei's ridicule, Wu Ba pointed at the river, mixed garlic in his mouth and said loudly, "Hey Deure..."
Sha LiFei chuckled, "It's not Deure, it's water!"
The savage only knows Superior Language. In the past two days, whether Lu San or Sha LiFei, I have been teaching him how to speak.
It's a pity that Wu Ba is used to tongue-licking, so whatever he says, his mouth seems to be equipped with springs, and he can't pronounce some basic syllables.
If you want to learn Mandarin, it doesn't happen overnight.
Fortunately, after these two days of getting along, Sha LiFei's prejudices were reduced a lot. The reason was simple, the savages shared a lot of work for him.
Even though this savage eats a lot, his strength is amazing.
Their luggage has been reduced a lot after making the magic weapon, but there is still a lot of it, and they can't do it without mules and horses.
But Wu Ba was easily carried behind him.
And it's not strenuous at all.
As long as he has enough to eat, he is still very obedient.
Sha LiFei is naturally very happy. This alone can save them a lot of effort.
Of course, Li Yan didn't let down his guard either.
After all, the opponent is a mandrill, and he has awakened Body Mystical Power. His body is as powerful as a monster, so he was attracted by the demon and stayed.
Whether it will go crazy and out of control remains to be tested by time.
In addition to them on the ship, there were also Mr. Shen Jinghong and some servants and guards of the Shen family. They were all a little afraid of Wu Ba and stayed away from him.
Li Yan doesn't care either. After all, they are here to do something, mainly to hide from others. They also want to look for Wan Yan privately, so it's better to be quiet.
In less than half an hour, they arrived at Jiangxia Pier.
Compared with Parrot Isle Pier, this place is obviously much smaller.
However, Jiangxia is also ancient and is one of the birthplaces of Chu culture. It is commonly seen in history books and is known as the "first county in Chutian". It is also an important dock.
The wharf is old and made of huge bluestones. It is mottled with vicissitudes of life and covered with moss. There are many large and small ships.
Before they even docked, there was a commotion on the pier.
I saw a large group of men armed with sharp knives, heavily surrounding a small restaurant on the pier, scaring the surrounding people into avoiding them.
The leader has half his face covered in tattoos, he is tall, wearing only a vest, and his knotted muscles are covered with scars.
He held knives in both hands and stared at the restaurant fiercely.
"This is it, Mo Fang ran away with the idea!"
After giving the order, the men rushed in with knives.
Bang bang bang!
But as soon as a few people entered, they flew out with a series of muffled sounds, rolled around on the ground several times, and groaned in pain.
Then, several men walked out of the inn.
The leader was a middle-aged man. He glanced around and said in a cold voice, "Laozi is not angry yet, but 'Wei Lao Ba' is taking the initiative to stir up trouble. Is he tired of his life?"
After Li Yan saw it, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.
What came out was actually Cao Gang Elder Han Kun...
The second is more approximate