Rumble!
The spring thunder is muffled, and the drizzle is pattering, woven diagonally like silver threads.
"Drive!"
Sha LiFei leaned over to control the reins, waving the whip, and the soaked thin cotton jacket clung to his back.
The yellow gelding's mane under its crotch was covered with water drops, and its shoes splashed with mud stars.
It was cold in spring, and the cold wind was like a steel cone, drilling into the soaked clothes, making Sha LiFei and Wang Dao Xuan shiver with the cold.
That's right, he was the only one going to Shaolin here.
Li Yan's plan still has some omissions.
The problem lies with Wu Ba.
This time we went to Shaolin to ask for help. The key was speed, and we couldn't delay on the way.
Therefore, the local veteran "Golden Eye Feng" planned the best route for them.
Starting from the south of Luoyang City, go southeast along Yi River, first go to Dragon Gate Inn to change horses, and then take the Yique Ancient Road.
This ancient road passes through Longmen Grottoes, then turns along Yi River to Northeast, and reaches Pengpo Town.
This is the key point at the southern foot of Mang Mountain, where Mang Mountain meets the remaining veins of Funiu Mountain.
In order to prevent Funiu Mountain bandits from attacking at night, we have to pass through Pengpo Town and pass through Baishayi, along the old place of Lu Hun, to Dajindian Town on the western boundary of Dengfeng.
Arriving at Dajindian Town is equivalent to becoming safer. Continue to Guodian Village, where there is a military road leading directly to the mountain gate of Shaolin Temple, which can avoid the dangers of the main peak Song Mountain.
If you gallop along this road, you can reach the Shaolin Temple in less than two days.
But Wu Ba has a huge body, and his horse cannot run fast enough to bear it.
Therefore, there are only Sha LiFei and Wang Dao Xuan in this row.
The situation in Mangshan is unknown and cannot be separated from Lu San's investigation and Long Yan'er Gu Arts's help. This is the only arrangement.
Fortunately, now Sha LiFei has successfully built a building, and his swordsmanship and marksmanship have improved greatly.
Wang Dao Xuan has practiced <Five Chapters Divine Secret>. A mouthful of Innate Firm Qi warms and nourishes the chest. It can also be used as a distraction, so you are no longer afraid of enemies getting close.
Coupled with their experience in the arena, they are enough to handle most situations.
"Daoist Priest, you have traveled far and wide, but have you ever been to Shaolin?"
Sha LiFei was galloping, suddenly turned around and asked.
Wang Dao Xuan was shivering from the cold, shook his head and said, "You poor Daoist, don't go to the monk temple."
"I've been..."
A trace of nostalgia flashed in Sha LiFei's eyes, "When I first entered the martial arts world, I followed a big brother who told me that there was a martial arts conference held at the foot of Shaoshi Mountain, where heroes from all walks of life would meet. He wanted to take me there to gain experience and make a name for myself in the martial arts world."
Wang Dao Xuan asked curiously, "What was the result?"
Sha LiFei laughed at himself and said, "It goes without saying that I was deceived."
"It was said that I needed travel expenses, and I had to collect money from all over the place. I tried my best to collect enough money, and I even kept it in mind and kept it on myself. Unexpectedly, when I got to the foot of Shaoshi Mountain, I couldn't even get in. The elder brother even stole my money and ran away in the middle of the night."
"As a result, I squatted in the tree and watched for a long time, and then begged along the road and returned Chang'an."
"Hahaha, don't worry, this kind of thing will never happen again in the future."
"We, but Twelve Yuan Chen..."
Slanting wind, drizzle, and overcast clouds.
In the woods, raindrops pattered on the fallen leaves.
Li Yan gently held the bamboo hat, raised his head and looked around.
But I saw the mountains in the distance undulating in the clouds, like waves of solid ink.
Mang Mountain is not tall, nor is it Blessed Grotto-Heavens, nor does it even look beautiful. It is just barren hills and ravines. Even standing at the foot of the mountain, you can see the stolen caves and broken tombs everywhere on it. It is very dilapidated.
However, even if Li Yan does not use Divine Ability, you can still feel a powerful breath coming to your face.
"Beimang is so numerous. There are four or five tombs in Gaoling. If I ask whose family's tomb is there, it's all about the Lord of the Han Dynasty."
"Golden Eye Feng" also looked into the distance, his eyes a little complicated, and said in a trembling voice, "Since ancient times, Central Plains people have been proud to be buried in Mang Mountain after death. There are many imperial tombs, and there are countless famous ministers and generals. How can they watch the demons and demons wreak havoc here when they are buried here?"
"After death, no one can take care of the past."
Li Yan looked solemn and replied casually.
In fact, he knew what was going on, but he couldn't talk nonsense.
There are laws between heaven and earth. After death, the soul enters the underworld.
Regardless of whether it is going to the eighteenth level of hell or the six realms of reincarnation, it has nothing to do with the world of mortals.
Those ancestral tombs with excellent Feng Shui are just using the power of bloodline to draw on the Qi of Earth Vein Gang Qi, and their blessings are no more than Three Dynasties.
If you can still manage things from now on, there must be something wrong.
Either Lonely Souls and Wild Ghosts, Yin Soul Wrathful Soul wandering around, or the living dead, Returning Yang One.
If these emperors really dare to act recklessly, Mangshan guarantees that there will be constant thunder from the sky.
Of course, these are all his guesses.
For the specific situation, we have to wait for Erlang Zhenjun, who has ascended to the gods, to secretly inform us.
It's a pity that Bronze Nuo Mask has not moved yet...
Putting aside the distracting thoughts in his mind, Li Yan asked in a deep voice, "Senior, this Mang Mountain is very large. Do you have any clues about Ghost Emperor's hiding place?"
Golden Eye Feng stroked his beard and shook his head and said, "There is no compilation in <Northern Mount Mang Ghost Records>. There may be another book <Luoyang Jialan Records>, but this book was lost many years ago. There may be an only copy, which is collected by those wealthy families and never shown to others."
Li Yan heard this and immediately frowned.
Long Yan'er on the side glanced at Golden Eye Feng and said, "Senior didn't say anything on the way here. He must have a plan in mind. We can't afford to show off at this time."
"Yes, yes."
Golden Eye Feng looked embarrassed and said with a wry smile, "I haven't noticed the habits I have developed over the years. Don't blame me, young hero."
As he spoke, he took out a piece of aged and yellowed silk from his arms.
After opening it, it was a landscape map.
He pointed to the distance and said, "Look, everyone, this Mang Mountain is vast, but it is not irregular. There are thirty-three peaks such as Pingfeng Mountain, Gucheng Mountain, Shouyang Mountain, etc., sitting in the north of Luoyang, lined up from west to east."
"The soil here is thick and the water is low, which is suitable for funerals. According to those Grave Robberss, there are at least eight Eastern Zhou Royal Mausoleums, five Eastern Han Imperial Tombs, two Cao Wei Imperial Tombs, five Western Jin Imperial Tombs, six Northern Wei Imperial Tombs... all over Mang Mountain. Now there is no place for sleeping cows."
"The Qin tripod that Zhao the Donkey found came from the Northern Wei Dynasty mausoleum. Something strange happened some time ago. The old man guarding the mausoleum heard the sound of Nuo opera in the Mangshan mausoleum in the middle of the night. It was probably Ghost Emperor's hiding place."
"But we can't go up the mountain like this. We will be discovered. We must find some cover..."
"What cover?"
Li Yan asked.
Golden Eye Feng didn't say anything and took out a baggage from behind.
In the baggage, there are some paper money, local paper, cakes and other things.
Li Yan suddenly understood and looked around, "It's Qingming..."
"Yeah."
Golden Eye Feng nodded and said, "In two days it will be the Qingming Festival. It is an old custom to visit the graves before the Qingming Festival. Even if it rains, there will definitely be a lot of people going to Mang Mountain today. We should blend in and be inconspicuous."
As he said this, he also showed everyone how to dress up.
"Dragon Lady, wrap a white scarf around your head and pretend to be a dutiful daughter..."
"Wu Zhuangshi, you are big, you will find a pole to carry goods and act as a servant later..."
"Young Hero Li is noble, Lu Shaoxia and I will follow you..."
After his instruction, everyone dressed up a little, and it really looked like that.
Just then, some people came one after another from the bottom of the mountain. They were all from the same family. Li Yan and others immediately walked out of the dense forest and followed them from a distance.
Before walking very far, Li Yan noticed something strange.
The tombs seen along the way all have bowl-shaped earth clods placed on top.
Li Yan knows, this is called "Grave Head Cap".
In Central Plains areas, when visiting graves during the Qingming Festival, weeds are removed, the soil is cultivated, and bowl-shaped soil clods with grass roots are found and placed on the graves, which is called "Grave Head Cap".
This custom exists in many places, but it's nothing special.
What's strange is that some of the graves are covered with red paper, soaked by the rain and flowing with red water, as if the graves are bleeding, which looks very scary.
"This is a Central Plains custom."
Golden Eye Feng explained, "A new daughter-in-law must also go to the grave with her family, and a piece of red paper must be pressed on the grave to show that there is a new member in the family and to announce the good news to the ancestors. This is probably which family has newly married a daughter-in-law."
"That's it..."
Li Yan Looking at Mang Mountain getting closer and closer, a chill rose inexplicably in his heart, and he said in a deep voice, "Mang Mountain is located in the middle of the Dragon Vein and has countless burial places. Apart from what happened a few days ago, have you ever heard of any strange things happening?"
Golden Eye Feng shook his head and said, "There are City God Temple and She Ling Soldiers in Luoyang City who regularly patrol every Shangsi Festival. The people have long been accustomed to it. When sleeping that night, they have to put their shoes upside down to make the little devils mistakenly think that no one is there."
"Not only are the people not afraid, there are also people who go to the fields in the middle of the night to watch the 'will-o'-wisps', commonly known as 'watching lanterns'."
Li Yan was speechless after hearing this, "Okay, you are indeed brave enough."
Golden Eye Feng smiled bitterly and said, "Because nothing has happened for many years, I didn't think about it. However, there have been many strange things in Mang Mountain since ancient times."
"It is said that Laozi was refining elixirs in Mang Mountain, so in the second year of Longshuo in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong ordered the construction of the Shangqing Palace in Mang Mountain to suppress ghosts and worship the ancestors. Legend has it that after the Shangqing Palace was built, Emperor Gaozong ordered an altar to be set up to worship the gods. The empty sun on Mang Mountain showed a mirage. Emperor Gaozong was greatly delighted when he heard it and called it a good omen."
"If it was just one time, it would probably be flattering to Luoyang officials, but it was more than once."
"In the fourth year of Yifeng, Emperor Gaozong brought Empress Wu to Mang Mountain to offer sacrifices. A mirage also appeared, and Laojun was seen arriving..."
Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, "Shangqing Palace did it?"
"Maybe."
Golden Eye Feng shook his head and said, "Anyway, after this incident, Shangqing Palace became the royal Daoist temple of Li Tang Dynasty, and the Daoist sect became more popular than the Buddhist sect."
"In the Tianbao period, another giant snake appeared in Mang Mountain, which was more than ten feet high and a hundred feet long. The eminent monk Shubhakarasimha sighed: 'This is going to break the water and pour it into Luo City.' He cursed the snake to death with the secret method of Tianzhu. Xuanzong heard about it and met him in person, and Buddhism started again."
"Mirages and giant snakes are famous wonders in Mang Mountain. Few people know about Xu Fu."
When Li Yan heard this, he immediately lost interest, "It's probably Buddhism and Taoism's two families fighting for dominance."
At that time, Luoyang was the divine capital of the Tang Dynasty, where Daoist masters from all over the world gathered, and various martial arts fighting events were spread throughout the ages.
At that time, Shubhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi, and Bu Kong, the three great masters of Tantric Buddhism gathered together.
Master Yixing, Pure Land Sect Master Huiri, Tocharo Mingjiao Great Priest, Grandma Lishan, Xing He Pu, Lan Caihe, Luo Gongyuan, Ye Fa Shan, Zhai Qianyou... Just pick any name, they are all existences that can shock Daoism.
Not to mention there are some hidden people, such as "Gray Monk" who has never been seen in Shu, and Wu Youxu who secretly created the Steam Engine prototype with the Mohist Ju Zi.
It was a glorious and prosperous age for Xuanmen, but it still could not stop the overwhelming trend.
Just as Human Path is undergoing changes now, Orthodox Xuan Gate is also on tenterhooks.
Thinking of this, Li Yan no longer wanted to inquire about old news.
Unknowingly, they followed the crowd of worshipers and arrived at Mang Mountain.
On the mountainside, robber holes can be seen everywhere, and soaked paper money is scattered among the freshly turned loess.
"Damn thief!"
The people who were sweeping the tomb couldn't help but cursed when they saw it.
Li Yan and his group, although they were covered up, their temperament could not be concealed, so they were still recognized by the people nearby. They all looked at them with vigilance and disgust, and they obviously regarded them as tomb robbers.
Not wanting to cause trouble, everyone speeded up the mountain.
There are either dignitaries or the tombs of emperors and celebrities on the mountain, and there are far fewer people offering sacrifices.
Li Yan gave a look, and Lu San immediately made a gesture, muttering in his mouth.
swish swish...
There was a rustle in the wet grass.
Those were wild rats and wild snakes summoned by Lu San, gathering from all directions.
Various "squeaking" and "hissing" sounds also sounded.
Lu San listened carefully, then shook his head to indicate that there was nothing unusual nearby.
Li Yan also turned on Divine Ability, but I didn't hear the ghost words either.
"It should be fine here."
Golden Eye Feng pointed to the mountain peak on the left, "That's Northern Wei Jing Mausoleum, the place where the strange noise was heard. I heard that Shangqing Palace even sent people to guard it for a while. Maybe it's still there, so be careful."
"Well, senior is right."
Li Yan made a gesture and everyone continued to move forward.
Lu San released falcons soaring high in the sky, and Little White Fox carried Rat One Rat Two in a leather bag on his chest.
With their current methods and it being daytime, there really was no ambush that could escape their eyes.
Half an hour later, they finally arrived at their destination.
But on the hillside, the mottled head of Tomb Guardian Beast was half buried in the soil, and the remains of the monument loomed in the grass.
The exit of a huge underground palace has been dug out and half of it has collapsed.
"It shouldn't be here."
Golden Eye Feng looked around and said with a wry smile, "Some brave people have already searched and left safely. Shangqing Palace's people have also evacuated. This is not where the Ghost Emperor underground palace is."
Li Yan looked at the vast mountains around him and felt like his head was spinning, "Senior, do you have any clues?"
Golden Eye Feng sighed, "There are too many tombs in Mangshan. If you don't have a target, you won't be able to find them."
Phew~
While talking, a strange wind suddenly came from the mountains.
Li Yan sniffed and his face immediately became solemn, "Be careful, it smells like snake."
Before he finished speaking, he saw thick fog billowing from the top of the mountain and quickly spreading to the surrounding areas.
After just a few breaths, the surroundings were already filled with mist.
Li Yan also had the hair on his back standing on end, looking around in disbelief.
"Such a strong snake smell..."
Lu San muttered, frowning and calling Little White Fox to come closer.
Long Yan'er, on the other hand, was also full of surprise, "This... this is Snake Mirage!"
"I've seen large snakes in southern Xinjiang that are very successful in cultivation. But when they blow out clouds and mist in the mountains, their prey will be confused and run to their mouths to feed themselves. But this..."
Everyone knows what she means.
The dense fog covers such a wide area, so how big must the snake monster be?
"Is it the Mangshan giant snake?"
Golden Eye Feng looked remorseful and slapped himself, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm not afraid of big snakes, Wu Ba, get ready to take action!"
Li Yan pulled out Severing Dust Blade and looked around with a murderous intent face.
Wu Ba heard this and immediately took off Tiger Crouching Cannon from behind.
They may not have the skills of Shubhakarasimha, but their artillery is definitely powerful enough.
Just then, an old voice came from the thick fog:
"Oh, be careful, don't use that thing..."