The morning fog has not dispersed, and the Qinhuai River water is flowing thickly.
Jinling Commandery Commandant Office Guardhouse is located in Dayangou in the southeast of the city, adjacent to the Imperial City Forbidden Garden in the west, and adjacent to Ministry of Revenue Transport Office and Ministry of Works Armaments Bureau in the east. It was originally the residence of the former "Longxiang Guard".
Speaking of which, Jinling is different from other places.
During the Former Dynasty Da Xing period, this was the capital of the country, where the world's rare treasures gathered. It relied on the Jiangnan water network to control various places, and faced off against the north and south of Golden Horde Wolf Country.
When Daxing fell, the royal family members burned down the palace. Although Jinling Royal Palace was later built on its foundation, how could it be so easy to be the vassal king of this place?
Because of the special geography, people in the capital are naturally suspicious of them, so generations of King of Jinling have lived cautiously and never interfered in local affairs even if they were reprimanded.
Therefore, the Aristocratic Clan officials and gentry here in Jinling have a higher status.
When the Li Yan group stepped on the slippery stone steps and stepped onto the bluestone slab in front of the Jinling Commandery Commandant Office Yamen, they bumped into Yangzhou Commandery Commandant Office Chiliarch Zhou coming out with a knife in his shoulder, and the soles of his boots were stained with mud along with the soldiers behind him.
His eyes were bloodshot, showing that he had been up all night.
"Young Hero Li!"
Seeing Li Yan, his eyes showed surprise. He gathered his strength and clasped his fists and said, "I just submitted the Yangzhou Japanese Rebellion file to the Jinling Guard Station. Are you here for something?"
Because of the incident in Yangzhou, he was very respectful to Li Yan.
Li Yan was worried that no acquaintance could recommend him, so he told the story.
"Easy to say."
Without saying a word, Chiliarch Zhou turned around and took Li Yan to the Commandery Commandant Office Yamen. As for the others, they were waiting outside.
Jinling Commandery Commandant Office is one of the headquarters in the south of the Yangtze River. It is large in scale and very elegantly built. In front of the door stands a "Xie Zhi Swallowing Evil Monument", which is used to suppress evil and drive away evil spirits. The roofs of all buildings are also made of special "black scale tiles".
This government office is quite large. After checking the badges, Chiliarch Zhou walked with Li Yan and introduced in a low voice, "Commandery Commandant Office here in Jinling, in addition to supervising Raft Sect, Yan Xiao and other people in the world, the most important thing is to protect 'Yellow Register Archive'..."
"After the opening of the sea, Japanese pirates were rampant along the coast, and many Red Haired Foreigners pirates came ashore. Therefore, most of the elites were sent to support, so the monster invasion was unprepared. Fortunately, the young hero killed the thief, otherwise it would be difficult for us and others..."
While talking, I have arrived at a room Wing Room in the backyard.
Not long after the announcement, a tall, thin man with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks came in a hurry.
"Young Hero Li, this is Zheng Qianhu from Jinling."
"Master Zheng, this is Li Yan Young Hero Li."
"I have admired my name for a long time..."
Zheng Qianhu, the guard on duty, was very enthusiastic. After serving tea, he smiled and said with a smile, "Young Hero Li is famous in the north and south. It's really brilliant to come here..."
But after Li Yan explained the purpose of his visit, he stroked his beard and hesitated, "Well... it's not convenient for me to intervene in this matter. Brother Zhou is here and is familiar with Jiangnan military affairs. He must be more handy, so I won't overstep my bounds."
After saying that, he stood up to say goodbye, turned around and left.
Li Yan frowned and his face immediately turned gloomy.
Chiliarch Zhou looked embarrassed and said in a low voice, "Jinling Commandery Commandant Office has a good relationship with those two families, so he probably doesn't want to cause trouble, but don't worry, young hero, this man named Zheng is not a fool. Over in the capital, he also doesn't dare to offend."
Sure enough, not long after, a Zaoyi primary school student came quietly and secretly handed a copied roll of military registration to Chiliarch Zhou.
Li Yan took it and took a look, but saw that on the yellowed page, it was the end of the file on the violent death case of Tian Chiliarch. The front part was roughly the same as what Fatty Lin said, and there was a line of cinnabar annotation at the end:
"Zhou Dayong (school lieutenant), a personal soldier, failed to protect him well, and his staff was reduced to a length of twenty. Ding You returned home, Jinling City fifty miles east, Zhou Family Hollow."
"Weak protection?"
Li Yan sneered and said, "It's quite neat to dump the blame."
"Where is this Locust Tree Village?"
"Not far away, in the mountains outside Jinling City..."
Swish, swish, swish~
Before noon, the gloomy sky began to drizzle again.
Two awning boats passed through the water in the rain and fog. The vegetation on both sides of the bank was thick, the leaves were half yellow, and the mountains and mountains were all beautiful.
"What a great place..."
Sha LiFei couldn't help but sigh, "This place is really suitable for seclusion."
Wang Dao Xuan also nodded and stroked his beard and said, "That's natural. This is Zhong Mountain, and nearby is Black Tortoise Lake. It is one of the three famous lakes in the south of the Yangtze River. It has been a place of wind and water since ancient times. During the Six Dynasties, it was still a royal garden lake..."
"You gentlemen are joking."
Before he finished speaking, the old boatman in the Straw Cape bamboo hat in front turned around and said, "No matter how beautiful the scenery is, only the nobles will be happy to see it, but the common people will not be so comfortable."
"Oh?"
Wang Dao Xuan became interested when he heard this, "I have heard that this is a prosperous place in the whole of Jiangnan. Rice is grown and mulberry trees are grown, and the people have enough food and clothing."
The old man sighed, "That was before."
"Since the imperial court opened the sea, the supply of silk has exceeded the demand. The master of the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau issued a notice that each loom should be paid three cents of silver and each piece of silk should be paid five cents of silver. It was originally a small-profit livelihood, but now it has become a life-threatening talisman."
"I don't know how many people are so busy day and night that they can't even plant their fields and can only pay taxes and money. What's more, some are forced to go bankrupt and become homeless..."
"These are still ordinary weavers. Those with craftsman status are even worse. Their descendants have inherited the weavers from generation to generation. They are not allowed to leave the status at will, and are not allowed to leave the workshop. They work from early morning to midnight. Each person only gets three buckets of rice per month. They are exhausted and don't know how much they have."
"This..."
After everyone heard this, they were all a little surprised.
I originally thought that after the opening of the sea, the country would become rich and the people prosperous, but I didn't expect that the people would live in even greater hardship.
"A bunch of silverfish!"
Sha LiFei cursed in a low voice, "Open Sea Faction's group of people, that's not what they say in the capital. They are cowards. They are all extremely rich, but they still exploit the people and are greedy!"
As he said that, he turned to look at Lin Yu, "Fat man, is your family like this too?"
Fatty Lin was silent, then smiled bitterly and said, "I don't care much about family matters."
He didn't tell lies, but he could guess some things.
Everyone else is doing this. If Lin Family has a clean butt, how can he secure his position as the richest man in Jiangsu and Zhejiang? The methods may be even more harsh.
Thinking of this, Fatty Lin became even more silent.
When the others saw this, they stopped talking about it.
"Dear guests, right in front!"
Soon, the old boatman pointed forward.
Everyone looked up and saw a mountain col near the river bank. The pier near the river had stone steps built with bluestones that extended all the way to the water, mottled with time.
The most attractive thing is a huge locust tree crouching on the hillside, with tangled branches like jagged ghost claws and luxuriant branches that are two stories high. There is a Land God niche built with bricks and stones in the tree hole in the middle. It is darkened by incense, and the tree is also tied with red silk for blessings.
"Good guy, use a locust tree?" Sha LiFei was a little surprised when he saw this.
"This is not surprising."
Wang Dao Xuan stroked his beard and said, "Although Sophora japonica is a yin tree, there are always exceptions to all things in the world. Most of them have been Attendant sacrificed since ancient times to protect one party."
"Master Dao is right."
The old boatman also nodded and said, "Locust Tree Village This Old Locust Tree Deity is very effective. In the past, there would be a temple fair every ten days in the village, and a theater troupe would be invited. It was very lively, but it has stopped these years."
"Why?"
"I heard that the village doesn't like outsiders coming..."
When everyone heard this, they all looked at each other.
After the boat docked, they walked up the hillside along the stone steps and immediately saw seven or eight villagers huddled under the huge locust tree, holding sickles, bamboo rakes and other utensils in their hands. When they saw them, they immediately stood up and said with an unkind face, "Who are you? The village does not welcome strangers!"
Li Yan It is not uncommon for them to travel all over the country.
Not all villages are hospitable, because many of the merchants, monks and Daoist priests who travel around the world are engaged in deception and abduction, so they are wary of outsiders.
But these villagers are obviously different.
His face was dull, his knuckles were green and stiff, like a frozen dead thing, especially his eyeballs, which seemed to be covered with a layer of gray that could not be wiped off.
Several people glanced at each other, and Sha LiFei immediately stepped forward with a smile on his face and said, "Zhou Dayong Colonel Zhou, is he there? I'm coming from Jinling and want to ask him to do something."
"Wait."
A villager replied indifferently, then turned and walked towards the village.
Click click click!
Long Yan'er There was a sudden sound in his sleeves.
Her expression changed slightly, and she whispered from behind, "Just like the Zhang family in Yangzhou."
The words were cryptic, but everyone understood immediately.
The ancestors of the Zhang family in Yangzhou had a grudge against Lei Yin. They suffered from a curse called "Silkworm Zombie Curse" for generations, which was solved by Long Yan'er using a secret method.
These people in front of me were also cursed, but they didn't have an attack.
Thinking of this, everyone became vigilant.
Not long after, the villager turned back, followed by a lame old man.
"You guys are looking for Zhou Dalang? Just come with me..."
After saying that, he turned around and led the way.
After they left, the young man whispered a few times to the others under the tree, then dispersed and ran to every corner of the village.
"Well, it's the third house at the west end of the ancestral hall!"
The lame old man led everyone to the village and pointed forward with a hoarse voice.
There was a roaring sound like a broken bellows in his throat, as if he was clogged with phlegm.
And wherever he passed, in the darkness of the houses, there were also indifferent looks.
Li Yan and others pretended not to see it and walked towards the house.
Soon, a man walked out of the house. He had a messy beard and the cobweb-like bloodshot eyes showed deep exhaustion. After seeing Fatty Lin, he forced a warm smile and said, "It's Brother Lin. You are released from prison. Congratulations!"
"This must be Young Hero Li, I've been waiting for you to come."
After saying that, he turned his head and shouted towards the room, "Hun! Hurry! Make some good wine and cut the bacon! The distinguished guests are here!"
Everyone calmly came to the house, only to see a woman inside who was busy cutting bacon, cooking vegetables and scalding wine. Her movements were quick but with a hint of stiffness.
Behind her, there were two children with buns hanging down, staring at the bacon and drooling.
"Oh~ Brother Tian died miserably..."
Zhou Dayong took the initiative to start a conversation, describing the situation at that time, which was the same as what Fatty Lin and the others saw, and then complained about the indiscriminate behavior at Jinling.
Li Yan dealt with it casually, twitching his nose slightly and narrowing his eyes.
Soon, several plates of farm-style stir-fries were served on the table.
"We are guests from afar, please welcome!"
Zhou Dayong picked up the wine and drank it all in one gulp. Seeing that several people were not moving their chopsticks, he laughed dumbly and said, "Brother Tian and I are friends, how can you still not trust me?"
After saying that, he took the initiative to pick up a few chopsticks and stuffed the vegetables into his mouth to chew.
"Don't worry, it's not poisonous!"
"It's true that it's not poisonous, but other things may not be..."
Long Yan'er smiled coldly, took out the silver hairpin from her bun, chanted a mantra in her mouth, blew out a breath, then gently stirred the dish with the silver hairpin, and then stirred it up.
The tip of the hairpin was actually wrapped with a layer of white silk.
Like silk, the threads are strands, but they squirm slightly as if they are alive.
Zhou Dayong suddenly changed color, turned his head and roared, "Run!"
When his wife heard this, she immediately grabbed the two children and ran outside.
Zhou Dayong suddenly pulled out the dagger from his waist and stabbed Li Yan.
The moves are fierce and fierce, quite Commandery Commandant Office style.
Li Yan Keep his upper body still, lift his legs under the table and kick.
Bang!
Zhou Dayong was kicked directly in the lower abdomen and flew out.
"Be careful in the room..."
Sha LiFei chuckled, without looking, and pulled the trigger toward the roof.
Bang--!
There was a loud noise, and dust and tiles fell down.
Also dropped at the same time were two young men holding knives.
These were ordinary villagers, so Li Yan kept their hands. But the two people who fell down still had ferocious faces, and they rushed towards them with knives.
"Seeking death!"
Sha LiFei's eyes flashed fiercely, he no longer held back his hand, and drew his knife and slashed left and right.
He was too lazy to continue wasting ammunition against these ordinary people.
A strong young man who pounced first had his chest split open, but what spattered out was not blood, but a large mess of wet gray-white silk. He was still dissatisfied with his movements.
Bang!
Wu Ba stepped forward and punched out.
The Eight Extremities Fist hammering method, combined with the amazing power of Wu Ba, is like a cannonball.
There was a loud bang, and the young man was beaten to pieces. His organs fell out, and his flesh and blood were still mixed with a large amount of silk, squirming like a living thing.
Long Yan'er Seeing this, he shook his head and sighed, "All the internal organs have been corroded, and there is no way to save it."
The dead silence of the mountain col was completely broken by the gunshot of Sha LiFei.
When everyone walked out of the house, they saw the villagers who looked like clay sculptures under the trees, behind the eaves, and beside the firewood stacks. Their pupils suddenly shrank to the size of needlepoints, and beast-like roars came from their throats.
They picked up hoes, hatchets, sickles, whatever they could catch, and with faces full of madness, they started throwing them at the people in the courtyard!
The roof tiles rattled, and more villagers with gray faces and sticky white saliva hanging from the corners of their mouths clumsily crawled out and jumped down from the shadows of the attic, like awakened zombies.
"You can't let one go!"
From the direction of the ancestral hall, the shriek of the lame old man Night Owl sounded, "The empress wants blood! Cut off their tongues and feed them to the sacred silkworms--!"
If ordinary people encountered this kind of thing, I'm afraid they would be scared to death. But Li Yan and the others came from Corpse Mountain's sea of blood all the way, so how could they care.
No one else even moved, only Lu San patted Demon Gourd on the waist.
Buzz!
Black clouds suddenly rose, and densely packed tiny poisonous bees swarmed out of the gourd. The sound of flapping wings merged into a scalp-numbing buzz, and they pounced directly on the incoming villagers.
Lu San These poisonous bees become more ferocious with the help of Long Yan'er in training and feeding them.
Those who were stung all let out inhuman screams.
Although these people have all been cursed, not all of them are like the previous ones, with their internal organs eroded and feeling no pain.
The severe pain made them fearful, crying for their parents and running around.
Of course, there are more than a dozen people among them who have been completely corrupted and turned into puppets. They are not afraid of the stings of poisonous bees, and they rush towards them with gray-white pupils and ferocious faces.
At the same time, the skin on the body begins to become swollen and transparent.
Everyone is experienced and can tell what tricks they want to play at a glance.
"Hmph!"
Sha LiFei snorted coldly and pulled the trigger one after another.
Boom boom boom!
Accompanied by the roar of fire, the people who rushed over were beaten into powder of flesh and blood, and the silk threads in their bodies exploded like clouds, falling to the ground and slowly squirming.
The smoke cleared and no one was standing around.
Except for those who were completely parasitized, the rest were screaming and rolling around.
In the ancestral hall in the distance, the old man with slope feet hurriedly retracted his head.
"I'm going to catch that old gangster!"
Kuai Dayou shouted and ran away with Fatty Lin Kong Shangzhao.
As for Li Yan, he turned to look at Colonel Zhou who was dragged out, and said coldly:
"Tell me, how did Tian Chiliarch die?"
"Kill me!"
Colonel Zhou's face was full of anger, "You imperial eagle dogs will not die in peace!"
After everyone heard this, their expressions were a little strange.
It sounds like they are the bad guys...