"That Mr. Lu is by no ans simple."
Li Yan didn’t conceal anything and said directly, "This plague was caused by the corpse of the old demon Nanmu King, who, more than a decade ago, was killed by a mysterious scholar with the surna Lu."
Wu Degui frowned, "Young Hero Li suspects they are the sa person?"
Li Yan said in a deep voice, "At that ti, I didn’t sll anything on Mr. Lu; either he is just an ordinary person or he’s a formidable expert."
"Anyway, we can’t let our guard down. Where is he?"
Wu Degui replied, "Just now my officers went to the Academy to capture him, but the man has disappeared. According to the people of the Academy, when we took over the City God Temple, Mr. Lu hurriedly left and we don’t know where he has gone."
"The Magistrate from the governnt office requests assistance from the Captain Bureau to save the people of the Li family, the dicine Saint, but firstly, we are unclear about where in Lun Mountain they have been hidden, and secondly, there must be demons guarding the place."
"The Daoists from the Five Dragons Palace are searching everywhere for the remaining sources of the plague and can’t spare any manpower. This matter cannot be delayed, so I have co to ask all of you for help."
Li Yan pondered for a mont and nodded, "Alright, it happens that we’ll be heading to the waters near Xian Mountain, after we help you rescue the people, we will also need your help."
"There is no ti to delay, let’s set off imdiately!"
...
Lun Mountain was so distance from Xiangyang, and the most convenient way was to take a boat from the pier, sail down the Han River, and ascend the mountain from the eastern shore.
This rescue mission prioritized speed, so the Captain Bureau dispatched a hundred skilled n led by a Governnt Official of Hundred Households, along with Li Yan and others, on board the Captain Bureau’s fast ship.
Monts later, the group arrived at the Han River pier.
Although a ritual had been perford to remove the plague, it had not yet been completely eradicated, so Xiangyang City was still under quarantine, making the pier quite deserted.
In the distance, an inn had collapsed, billowing with thick smoke, and many bodies lay on the ground, with Governnt Officials directing beggars to remove the bodies.
The accompanying Hundred Households Official nad Cheng, noticing Li Yan’s gaze, hurriedly explained, "That was the source of the plague at the pier. It used to be an inn owned by rchants from Shu, which had secretly been controlled by demons, who threw wooden items into the well water."
"After the pier was closed off, these people hid in underground tunnels and often spread the plague at night, all were slain by the Daoists."
Li Yan furrowed his brows, "Why was it not discovered earlier?"
Cheng, the Hundred Households Official, shook his head helplessly, "Xiangyang City is a strategic location on the Han River, where Three Religions and Nine Sects converge; the situation is too complex. Moreover, these demons have been planning for many years, which truly caught us unprepared."
Li Yan nodded and did not ask further.
The situation here was a bit like that in Wuchang City, also the result of many years of planning that launched into action at a critical mont.
By now, he had figured out the pattern of Zhao Changsheng’s thinking.
This old devil had been alive since the end of the Eastern Han and had ti as his greatest advantage, accumulating an unknown amount of wealth and setting up countless pawns.
Given that the Ghost Sect had once nearly overthrown the Great Song, its horror could be imagined.
But it also had weaknesses; it couldn’t withstand exposure to light!
Bound by the "Heavenly Rules" and "Ghost Law," and with its identity exposed, it was wanted by both the court and the Mystical Sect.
Once its whereabouts were revealed, it would bring about a siege.
All it could do was to hide in the shadows and sche.
And Li Yan’s greatest advantage in the open was being able to guide the situation, using the power of the court and the Mystical Sect to capture it.
As they conversed, the group had already boarded the warship.
As an important pier, Xiangyang’s local Captain Bureau often had to navigate waterways, so they had their own warship—small in size but very fast and equipped with Franco Cannons.
Whoosh!
The sails filled, and the warship swiftly departed from Xiangyang Pier, confronting a vast peninsula surrounded on three sides by water with lush forests.
Li Yan, having passed by several tis, knew this place was the renowned Yuliang Island. Recorded in the "Water Classics," it was where Pang Degong resided. During the Three Kingdoms period, the Jingzhou Governor Liu Biao built a hawk-raising platform called the "Eagle-Calling Platform" here.
Nowadays, several mansions on the island were built by wealthy families from the city, used for drinking, pleasure, garden tours, and appreciation.
Previously, the place had been bustling with ferries, but now only a warship was docked, with firelight flickering through the woods.
Li Yan shook his head, "It seems this is also one of the sources."
Cheng, the Hundred Households Official, sighed, his face grave.
With such significant incidents in Xiangyang, not only was the governnt office from top to bottom implicated, but their Captain Bureau also could not escape responsibility, facing a dim future.
Li Yan glanced at him and reminded in a low voice, "This plague is just the beginning. The Daoists from the Five Dragons Palace have descended the mountain, and by looks of it, there will be big moves. Put in so extra effort, and you may redeem your faults through rits."
Cheng, the Hundred Households Official, was not a fool; he looked thoughtfully at the island and nodded, "Thank you for the reminder, Young Hero Li."
Propelled by the sails, they quickly bypassed Yuliang Island, following the Han River downstream toward Lun Mountain.
Inside a manor on Yuliang Island.
"Attack!"
A dozen n dressed as servants, wielding crossbows, stood atop the manor’s beams, firing down below.
Clang, clang, clang!
Several Daoists leaped up, their long swords swirling in their hands, deflecting all the arrows midair, and landing on the beams.
Like tigers entering a flock of sheep, the scene erupted into a flurry of swords and bloodshed in an instant.
These Heavenly Saint Sect mbers, also part of the martial arts community, could still flex their muscles in the Jing Chu Mountains but were no different from children before the Killing Gods of the Five Dragons Palace.
"Light the fire, why hasn’t it been lit!"
The leader, a husky man with a tufted beard, roared with bloodshot eyes.
As his voice fell, a Daoist erged from the house, his eyes clear blue, with bushy dragon brows and a thick beard, holding several heads in his hand.
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