"What happened?"
Li Yan frowned slightly and noticed something was wrong.
He is the leader of Twelve Yuan Chen. Although Wang Dao Xuan and Sha LiFei can temporarily take over while he is recovering from his injuries, the division of troops is risky, so we must discuss it with him before making a decision.
Unless something big happens.
Sure enough, Sha LiFei lowered his voice and said, "Something did happen."
"The chaos three days ago was so loud that it reached the capital. The imperial court was furious, and the imperial envoys rushed to the south of the Yangtze River. A series of officials were dismissed from their posts and investigated - the Yangzhou prefect, the water transport admiral, Commandery Commandant Office thousand households, and even the City God Temple abbot were all detained."
"Now the streets and alleys of the city are covered with notices, soldiers are hunting for remnants from house to house, and the canal docks are still blocked."
"Didn't you ask Golden Swallow Gate Cheng Yun to send a letter to Daoist Luo in the capital? That Tian Chiliarch came to Yangzhou with the imperial envoy. Fatty Lin In order to take the overall situation into consideration, told Lin Yaozu about colluding with the Japanese pirates! As a result, all the people in Jinling Lin Family were charged with banditry and were put on death row to be executed."
"Fatty Lin was afraid that Lin Family's innocent children would be implicated, so the three of them, Kong Shangzhao, followed Tian Chiliarch to Jinling to try the case together so that no one would die unjustly."
Li Yan said thoughtfully, "It can be regarded as abandoning the pawn to save the chariot and preserve the life of the Lin Family. However, the situation in Jinling is complicated at the moment. It is inevitable that the three of them will be in danger, so why not follow?"
Sha LiFei shook his head slowly, his face became solemn. "You have been unconscious for the past three days, and your breath is as thin as a thread. Wang Daoye has seen it and said that your bones need to be rested for at least three days, and you cannot move around. And..."
As he spoke, Sha LiFei came closer, looked around, and whispered:
"Golden Swallow Gate spy just sent a tip, 'Nine Cauldrons'... was born!"
"What?!"
Li Yan Hearing this, his pupils suddenly shrank like needlepoints.
He has seen the power of Nine Cauldrons before. Although the Ascension Array at First Emperor has long been destroyed, as long as something happens to this thing, it will be a disaster.
Thinking of this, Li Yan quickly asked, "But Yangzhou Cauldron?"
"That's right."
Sha LiFei nodded, took out half a roll of tattered silk cloth from his arms, and pointed to the blurred ink on it. "The news came out of nowhere. A watchman touched it under the broken monument of the Old River Temple at Guazhou Ferry. There were scrawls on it, including star diagrams of clouds and mountains, Water Vein diagrams, and a few lines of small words... Well, that's it."
He pointed at a few lines of twisted text that looked like tadpoles, "A few old scholars in Golden Swallow Gate tore through <Cloud Satchel of Seven Tablets>, and then they barely recognized some ancient Chu witchcraft writing, which said... something like the whereabouts of Yangzhou Cauldron."
He licked his dry lips and lowered his voice. "The clues lead to a character who is only mentioned in unofficial history - Zhou Yinyao. Wang Daoye said that this person has records in Xuanmen. He once boiled white stones for food in Guangling, Yangzhou, and later turned into a white crane and flew on the clouds."
"It sounds like nonsense. But Daoist Wang and I went to the death row to interrogate a few local cowards who were among the Japanese pirates. We didn't impose any serious punishment. We only showed your name, King of Hell Li, and all those weaklings were thrown away."
"They confessed that just a few days ago, someone really paid a lot of money to cast a net and asked them to find out about a Old Taoist man outside the city of Yangzhou overtly and covertly! The portrait they were given had a weird description, saying he was a cross-dresser. The old man in hemp robes often hangs around in secluded places beside Qinhuai River. The most conspicuous thing is that he has an old gourd tied around his waist. The word "boil" is engraved on the gourd. Occasionally, he can be seen boiling water with a green stone."
"They also gave him a nickname, 'Green Frost Boiled Stone Old Man'!"
"Zhou Yinyao..."
Li Yan frowned, "He is not only good at boiling stones."
He had previously asked people to collect many stories about the evolution of Xuanmen secular gods. After all, it was Living Underworld Messenger. After seeing the power of these guys Zhao Changsheng and Lu Sheng, he also collected a lot of information on immortals from various places.
Zhou Yinyao is a very legendary immortal in Xuanmen. His deeds are scattered in many Strange Tales classics and local chronicles in the Song Era period of the Tang Dynasty, especially ""Taiping Guangji"" cited in "Xianzhuan Supplements" is the most detailed.
He claimed to be a descendant of Mister Lu Li, one of the "Four Whiteheads of Mount Shang", who practiced "Grand Yin Body Refining Art" in Zhenjiang and became an immortal through "suspended death" three times.
He was resurrected six years after his first death, "died" again sixteen years later, and was resurrected seven years later.
In the end, even though he is nearly eighty years old, he still looks like a young man.
Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty and Emperor Taizong of Tang summoned him successively, but they both declined.
"Grand Yin Body Refining Art" is an important method for cultivating the body of an earthly immortal. The difficulty can be imagined, but this guy has succeeded in practicing it three times in a row, which is beyond common sense.
Is it possible that he is also a hidden criminal?
Whose order did those water bandits receive to find this person?
Just as Li Yan was meditating, his ears suddenly moved imperceptibly.
On the pier outside, the noise became louder and louder at some point.
The tide of human voices came from far to near.
"Is this the treasure ship owned by Li Shenxian?"
"The young master of the Yu family was cured by Young Hero Li! A miracle doctor!"
"My old mother has been paralyzed for three years. Please ask Li Shenxian to give Immortal Technique to save her life--!"
"Give me! Give me to the front! My baby is vomiting black blood--!"
"Bang! Bang bang!"
There were slight vibrations and slapping sounds from the ship's hull. It was obvious that many people were slapping the ship's planks.
"Wow!"
Something knocked over the bamboo baskets piled on the dock.
Women cried, old men begged, children screamed, and young men screamed impatiently.
"Clang!"
The front cabin door was suddenly pushed open, and water vapor and river wind rushed in.
The first person to step into the cabin was Wang Dao Xuan.
The Daoist was a little embarrassed at the moment, the hem of his wide Daoist robe was full of mud spots, and his forehead was sweating.
Long Yan'er, who was following behind him, also looked helpless at this moment.
After Wu Ba entered the door, he used his body to resist the shaking door.
Wang Dao Xuan rushed to the porthole in three steps and pushed open the window panel. After a few glances, he said with a helpless smile, "Yan XiaoGe, trouble is coming."
Li Yan stood up slowly and came to the window to check.
The scene outside the window is mind-numbing.
The wide shore of the pier has long been blocked by water, and the black crowds of people are like a swarm of ants, spreading as far into the streets as far as the eye can see.
Countless men, women, old and young, dressed in rich and colorful clothes, mixed together.
Some people held up crude cloth banners with the words "The Reincarnation of the Miraculous Doctor" and "The Living Bodhisattva";
Someone slapped the side of the ship hard, and the sound of fingernails scratching along the board was mixed with the screams;
Someone is carrying a sick child, who is gray-faced and foaming at the mouth;
Someone used the door panel to lift the angry old man. The old man's limbs were stiff, and there were strange bluish-purple fingerprints on his exposed skin...
Faces of despair and hope mixed together, completely congesting the pier.
The noisy waves crashed into the narrow porthole:
"The living gods save the suffering!"
"Young Hero Li! Please have mercy and look at my son!"
"My mother-in-law Yeye Spirit Possession..."
"The news of Young Master Yu's recovery spread too quickly."
Wang Dao Xuan smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Coupled with your majesty in slaying demons and demons in the fog two days ago... the people of Yangzhou really regard you as a living immortal who saves the suffering!"
"Well..."
Li Yan looked calmly, scanning the desperate and fanatical faces, but doubts arose in his heart, "Something is wrong, I'm afraid someone is adding fuel to the fire."
Sha LiFei suddenly understood, "Someone wants to do something?"
"Of course it's to hold us back!"
Li Yan tapped the window lattice with his fingertips and said in a deep voice, "Scenes like this at the boat dock cannot be gathered in one day. How many days have Yangzhou been attacked by Japanese pirates? People from nearby counties are coming like a tide... Someone must have taken advantage of the wind and blown sand to deliberately trap us in this Yangzhou river port!"
"Mostly those demons or Jianmu who colluded with the Japanese pirates!"
Before he finished speaking, an even more violent noise suddenly broke out at the dock.
"Get out of the way and be quiet!"
But when the gongs broke through the air, the swords clanged, and the Yamen Runner people shouted loudly to clear the way, the originally airtight crowd seemed to have been split open by a giant axe, and a passage was torn out.
Two teams of brightly-armored soldiers dispersed the people with neat steps, and surrounded by a blue-brown official sedan, they arrived directly at the gangplank of the treasure ship.
The curtain of the sedan chair was raised, revealing a black-bearded official wearing a brand-new fourth-grade Yunyan patchwork uniform.
Following closely behind him were royal officials dressed in vermillion unicorn uniforms.
Yamen Runner boarded the ship and reported that it was Lin Qiong, the new magistrate of Yangzhou, and Yuan Changqing, the imperial envoy.
"Young Hero Li."
The new magistrate Lin Qiong didn't talk nonsense after boarding the ship, and said in a deep voice, "The situation is urgent, and Qiankun Academy has an urgent message here. The Japanese pirates are raging, and the local area is in turmoil. The court hopes that Twelve Yuan Chen can turn the tide, and also hopes that the young hero will help me to help Yangzhou capture the culprit as soon as possible and stabilize the people!"
The imperial envoy nodded slightly and took out a bronze scroll from his arms.
It is Qiankun Academy token.
Li Yan was speechless when he saw this, "Your Excellency, you are very well prepared."
The imperial envoy Yuan Changqing stroked his beard and said, "Young Hero Li Don't be surprised. I and Brother Yan are close friends. Knowing that this trip will be difficult, I heard that Twelve Yuan Chen is also in Yangzhou, so I went to the Qiankun Academy to request this thing."
This is also an old fox.
If it were just an order from the imperial court, Li Yan would probably not pay attention to it.
But with the academy's order and the relationship between Yan Jiuling, we have to think about it.
Seeing that Li Yan was still hesitating, Yuan Changqing quickly said, "This matter has also been approved by the Ministry of Rites Minister Pei. If the disaster can be quelled, in addition to the academy reward, two Secret Treasure will be released from the imperial secret treasury."
"Oh?"
Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, cupped his hands and said, "Since the prefect and the imperial envoy trust me, how dare Li disobey the order? Please go back first and let me discuss a charter with the brothers."
After the two left, Li Yan looked at the congested dock below, immediately closed the window, and faced everyone Human Path: "The matter has come to this, there is no way to avoid it, so we will take advantage of it!"
"The enemy wanted to trap me here, so he did whatever he wanted. Old Sha, Long Jie, and I stayed in Yangzhou to attract attention. The Daoist leader took brothers Wu Ba and Lu San to investigate the whereabouts of Yangzhou Cauldron."
His arrangements are also very particular.
The various methods of Sha LiFei are more suitable for activities in the city. With Long Yan'er, most of the messy diseases can be solved.
Wang Dao Xuan is familiar with the secrets of Xuanmen. With the protection of Wu Ba and the tracking of Lu San, he can deal with accidents. If he gets the news, he can also ask the falcon to come back and report.
Everyone knew it well and did not question it.
After arranging everything, Li Yan looked at the surging crowd outside and said thoughtfully, "When we first went to Jiangnan, it became known to everyone. I'm afraid we won't be able to survive in the future."
"In this case, you will simply make a big fuss. Daoist priest, you must be careful when you act secretly..."
Outside the cabin of the treasure ship, the sound of people's voices was like boiling water.
The giant ship Lin Family has now become the port of call for Li Yan.
He released the news and registered one by one, and the chaotic scene finally subsided.
The first person to come up was a man. He was tied up with a hemp rope and carried up. He looked like he was crazy.
Li Yan just sniffed, kneaded the formula with his left hand, hummed the scripture <North Emperor Calamity Removal Technique>, and tapped the man's forehead lightly.
The man's face turned gray. As Li Yan said "order to secure the town", he shuddered violently, and immediately took a big breath. The gray on his face faded, and he looked around in confusion, "Where am I..."
"The yang is weak and the spirit is weak. From now on, don't go to the graves. Next one!"
Li Yan didn't talk nonsense, and drove the person away after giving an explanation.
The second one was a woman, her eyes were red, her fingernails were filled with dirt, she was scratching her neck painfully, and something seemed to be swimming under her skin.
Li Yan didn't need to say anything, Long Yan'er shook his wrist, the silver thin chain vibrated lightly, and a rice-sized, colorful Gu worms crawled out silently and landed lightly on his ear.
Gu worms The tentacles tapped lightly, and the woman's body suddenly stiffened, and then with a "wow" sound, she spat out a pool of squirming black water, which was full of large maggots...
To be honest, they are all small things like being possessed by evil spirits.
It may be difficult for the local witches and gods to deal with, but for them, it can be solved with a wave of hands.
At the same time, Sha LiFei was also carrying a musket, walking back and forth on the side of the ship like a storyteller, with a sound like a bell, and said vividly, "Fellows and elders, watch out!"
"This old brother just visited my mother's grave during the day, and stepped on the grave money halfway. That is the ghost paper used to buy the way. You should be careful when you encounter it in the future..."
"And this sister-in-law! The poison was not caused by humans, but by eating raw river fish. Gu worms entered her belly and bit her day and night. Remember, the river fish must be cooked before eating!"
"Hey, this one is quite new. After all, did you offend the carpenter..."
What he said was like a novel, attracting everyone's attention unknowingly.
In the midst of this commotion, Wang Dao Xuan and the others used their escape skills to disembark quietly from the other side, passed through the chains blocked by the Yangzhou Pier, unmoored the boat in a small sampan, and quickly disappeared on the river...
There were many people gathered on the pier, but it took a long time.
Ordinary people rest at sunset and live in a densely populated place. It is not easy to encounter unclean things, so by the time the sun sets and dusk, most of them have been solved.
However, the pier was still lively.
There were people in the city who refused to leave, insisting on asking for some peace charms. In addition, those who were watching the excitement and taking advantage of the opportunity to sell food made the place look like a small market.
Li Yan didn't say much when he saw this, he just let the cook Lin Family cook and had dinner leisurely.
"Yan XiaoGe, what are you waiting for?"
Long Yan'er finally couldn't help but ask.
"That goes without saying."
Next to him, Sha LiFei took over the conversation and said with a smile, "We are bait, so naturally we have to wait for the fish to take the bait."
As he said that, he glanced out the window and said, "We've all seen so many people. If they want to keep us trapped here, the people behind the scenes are bound to find trouble."
"As long as you move, your flaws will be revealed!"