Sighing, he said, "We can’t just watch people die. If we can save one tonight, it counts as one..."
Inside the Zhang Family Courtyard, Li Yan and the others watched everything unfold.
"This is the ’Knife Stepping Ritual’ from ’Nuo Drama.’"
"Fast Ship Zhang" said in a deep voice: "’Nuo Drama’ is a ritual of the Tu Clan, unlike the ordinary theater troupes of us Han people."
"I don’t know much, but setting up a hundred and eight knives, this elder must have true inheritance."
"Young Hero Li, what should we do?"
"No rush."
Li Yan glanced at the "Du Huo Divine Coffin" covered with red cloth in the room and asked Zhang Sibei: "Where did your father find this thing?"
Zhang Sibei shook his head and said: "I’m not sure. Ever since we bought a piece of land, my father rarely went into the mountains to catch wild beasts. Even if he did, he would take servants and the old hunters from the village."
"But seven days ago, he mysteriously went into the mountain alone and returned with this, saying the Zhang family’s fortune depended entirely on it."
"Think again, did he say anything in these few days?"
Zhang Sibei pondered for a mont, then suddenly slapped his head and said with a trembling voice: "I rember, after my brother had an accident, my father seed very scared and instructed the steward to take offerings to the back mountain."
"The returning servant secretly told that when they followed the steward to the back mountain, a thick fog suddenly arose. The steward kept kowtowing and burning incense alone, mumbling sothing, and then the fog dispersed."
"The next day, the steward also died."
"My father hurriedly sent soone to inform my uncle, but before you arrived, sothing happened last night."
"That second brother!"
"Fast Ship Zhang" was furious after hearing this, "Greed beyond limit, recklessly inviting disaster, I... sigh~"
Li Yan seed thoughtful, "What about that steward of yours?"
Zhang Sibei replied: "The steward’s na was Hu Cen, he was from Wushan, had so schooling but never passed the exams, not even for a scholar. Later he followed my father and was diligent all these years."
"Where is his body?"
"Buried in the old cetery in the village."
"Take to see it!"
Zhang Sibei dared not delay, and imdiately summoned two servants to take Li Yan and the others to the old cetery.
The old cetery was quite large, located on the other side of the back mountain, where most people of Jinyangping were buried after they died.
The Fengshui wasn’t particularly good, but it wasn’t bad either.
"This is the place!"
Zhang Sibei led them to a new grave, "Steward Hu was alone, with no children, so he was buried here as well."
"This whole area was bought by my father to be the Zhang Family’s Yin House. When my mother passed, she was buried over there."
Li Yan perford a mantra, took a deep breath, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, and said in a deep voice: "There’s sothing wrong inside, dig it up, open the coffin!"
At this point, Zhang Sibei had no more concerns and imdiately ordered: "Quickly, dig it up!"
The servants swung their hoes imdiately, soon unearthing the coffin.
"Stop!"
Just as the coffin lid was exposed, Li Yan raised his hand to stop them.
He glanced at Lv San and said in a deep voice: "San’er, there’s sothing inside, I’ll immobilize it, you interrogate it."
With that, he jumped into the pit, his toe flicking.
Bam bam bam!
The coffin nails flew off, and the lid twirled away.
Upon seeing the situation inside, everyone gasped.
Inside, there was a "Mountain Wind" snake, as thick as an adult’s arm, completely black, coiled like a snake formation, as if in hibernation.
Disturbed, the "Mountain Wind" snake imdiately lashed out in fury, its body rising sharply, standing over a ter high, hissing at Li Yan.
Li Yan didn’t move, his eyes narrowed slightly, emitting a murderous aura, suppressing the "Mountain Wind" into constant retreat with just sheer presence.
Swoosh!
The large black snake slithered to escape.
The others then noticed that the side of the coffin had a large hole leading underground, through which the "Mountain Wind" was erging.
However, as it moved, Li Yan moved too, instantly reaching behind it and grabbing its head.
The "Mountain Wind" seed clamped by iron tongs, its body twisting around Li Yan, his arm gradually exerting force.
This type of poisonous snake is the king of the mountains, and it possesses a certain spirituality. It can tighten around foxes and wild dogs, snapping their bones with sheer force.
However, with just a light exertion of strength, Li Yan made it feel as if its head was about to burst, rendering it instantly limp and too frightened to move.
Only then did Lv San step forward, forming a mantra with his hands while muttering an incantation in an upper dialect.
"Hiss hiss..."
The Mountain Wind flicked its tongue out repeatedly in response.
After listening, Lv San was slightly surprised, "Yi’er bro, you’ve caught the wrong culprit. This creature isn’t the murderer."
Saying this, he turned to Zhang Sibei, "It was supported by your father, usually hiding in the mountains to help him find dicinal herbs. Only your father and the steward knew about it in the whole Zhang Family."
"This creature originally ant to protect your family, but when your father got into trouble, it was so scared that it hid inside the steward’s grave to avoid disaster."
"Ah?"
Zhang Sibei was sowhat confused.
He knew that while his father was an ordinary person, he understood so secret arts for finding treasures, always able to locate good wood and dicinal ingredients, which was how the Zhang Family prospered.
Yet he didn’t know there was a Snake Spirit being supported at ho.
"These are thods from the Xiangxi Snake Sect."
Li Yan shook his head slightly, looking at "Fast Ship Zhang," "It seems your brother wasn’t honest, hiding many things behind the scenes."
"Fast Ship Zhang" replied with a bitter expression, "He joined the Brotherhood previously; I don’t know what he did. If I’d known earlier, I would never have allowed him to co into contact with these things."
This is the difference between ordinary people and people of the Mystical Sect.
For ordinary people facing these matters, the best approach is to keep a respectful distance, just like "Fast Ship Zhang," who learned so taboos to avoid disasters while sailing.
But if one is too curious about these matters without the Divine Skills to investigate or understand the underlying principles, a great disaster may ensue.
Just like so people who, in pursuit of wealth, randomly keep household spirits and imps without following the rules, inviting disaster upon themselves.
This is also often handled by people of the Mystical Sect.
Li Yan nodded and pondered, "It seems that day, the steward went to the back mountain to worship this Snake Spirit. Ask it what exactly it provoked?"
"Hiss hiss..."
Under Lv San’s questioning, the Mountain Wind continued to flick its tongue.
"It’s the Mist Spirit!"
Lv San declared to everyone solemnly, "That ’Du Huo at Coffin’ originally grew in the ’Mist Spirit’ lair. Later, the ’Mist Spirit’ was suppressed, causing this thing to beco exposed."
"After the Snake Spirit sensed this, it brought Zhang Lisheng to retrieve it, intending to sell it at a high price. But unexpectedly, Lingyun Temple got destroyed, and the ’Mist Spirit’ returned."
"That ’Yellow Kid’ was originally enslaved and happened to escape. It was delighted to see Zhang Lisheng take it away, but with the ’Mist Spirit’ coming back, the ’Yellow Kid’ was driven again to seek revenge on the Zhang Family..."
At this point, the whole story finally beca clear.
"Isn’t this simple?"
Sha Lifei chuckled, "We can just storm its lair and kill that ’Mist Spirit,’ resolving Zhang Family’s crisis."
"Little Zhang, we must take that ’Du Huo Divine Coffin’ with us when the ti cos."
Zhang Sibei, witnessing their capabilities, was already convinced and quickly nodded, "Of course, this object is a disaster for my family."
"It’s not that simple..."
Wang Daoxuan frowned, shaking his head, "Lingyun Temple has already intervened. They are people of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, and daring to make the first move in Wushan must an they have so ans."
"If it were an ordinary evil entity, it would have been directly suppressed and killed. Why bother bringing it back to Lingyun Temple for containnt? It must be a troubleso creature too."
He didn’t explicitly say it, but Li Yan imdiately understood what he ant.
Entities that need to be contained cannot be easily eradicated.
For instance, the "Drought Demon" from Qinling, if suppressed and killed, its aftermath would poison thousands of miles with drought and plague, so it has to be contained at Hua Mountain and gradually worn away by Innate Astral Qi.
For example, the Yellow River Stone Dragon Coffin was collectively handled by the entire Taixuan Orthodox Sect and sent to Wangwu Mountain for suppression.
The horrors inside are still unknown.
If it’s sothing like that, it won’t be easy to deal with.
Li Yan looked at Lv San again, "Ask it where that ’Mist Spirit’ lair is?"
After so questioning, Lv San pointed to the northwest, "Over there, twenty miles away, there is an ancient relic of the forebears."
"Old man knows that place!"
"Fast Ship Zhang" quickly spoke up, "It’s where the ancient Ba people used to boil salt..."
User Comments
0 comments from readers