"If this continues, a Second Layer building will likely be completed next year."
Over the next few days, the three of them seized the opportunity to head out at night once more, practicing their gunmanship in the wild mountains near Changâan.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the dark of the night, the gunfire flickered and gun smoke billowed.
Perhaps haunted by visions from a past life, Li Yan found the flintlock utterly lacking, especially due to its numerous weaknesses.
The gunpowder would fail when dampened, it lost accuracy beyond a few dozen meters, and the loading process was exceedingly cumbersome... Compared to what the Captain Bureau used, it wasnât even in the same league.
Of courseâdespite thisâhe still practiced earnestly.
With his eye power, arm strength, and smell superpower, he soon gained accuracy, capable of hitting targets within a few dozen meters wherever he aimed.
Wang Daoxuan was the worst at it and wasnât very interested, only wanting to hit targets within ten meters.
Sha Lifei, however, was wildly enthusiastic.
Even without Divine Skills and progressing slowly compared to Li Yan, he practiced repeatedly, fully immersing himself in it.
Naturally, troubles followed.
"Brother, weâve run out of ammunition."
Holding the flintlock and staring at the empty ammunition bag, Sha Lifei felt deeply distressed.
"Itâs gone then."
Li Yan shook his head. "Just bear with it for now. The Ancient Zhou tomb gunpowder case is still under investigation by the Captain Bureau, and the situation is too tense at the moment. Even if we could find a way, itâs not worth the risk now."
The ammunition for this kind of flintlock wasnât complex to make.
Oilcloth, gunpowder, and either lead or iron bullets.
With these three components, one could manufacture them by hand.
"I see... alright then."
Scratching his head, Sha Lifei felt an itch all over his body.
Of course, even if he wanted to do something, he couldnât afford the distraction.
As the New Year approached, the three of them became busier.
Sha Lifei still hung around with Luo Faqing, moving through the homes of various wealthy individuals in Changâan, and he was almost out of relics to sell.
Wang Daoxuan, aside from taking on a few small jobs, spent the rest of his time preparing for the New Year.
In previous years, all by himself, he would just post New Year pictures, replace a couplet, and eat a meal of dumplings to celebrate.
But now with two more people and having moved into a new residence, there seemed to be an endless amount of work to do.
The house needed hiring idle folk from the neighborhood for cleaning...
Each of the homeâs divine protectors needed to be replaced and each matched with couplets.
For the Kitchen God, it was "Speak of good things above, bring auspicious events below," in the courtyard was posted "Gardens filled with the light of spring," on the stairs "Ascend step by step," and by the well "An inexhaustible supply."
Even on the flour vat and rice vat were posted "Flour white as snow" and "Rice gold as gold"...
Sha Lifei laughed, saying he acted like an old woman.
Wang Daoxuan just stroked his beard and smiled, a trace of melancholy occasionally flashing through his eyes.
As for the New Yearâs food, there was no preparation at all.
A few days after Zhang Shitong brought New Yearâs gifts, Li Kongqing also arrived, returning some New Yearâs gifts as well. Though fewer in number, all were high-class pastries from the Prince Mansion.
Sha Lifei wanted to eat them, but Wang Daoxuan took them all, saying they had to wait until the New Year, when they would offer sacrifices to their Ancestor and forefathers, and then they could feast...
In the following days, visitors came intermittently.
First was the Crimson Yaksha, who brought live chickens and ducks that villagers had given, saying their community couldnât consume them all, so he decided to bring them...
Then came people from the Five Elements of Changâan City.
Aside from those he never dealt with like the Carriage Shop and Cao Gang, Feng Feiyan, Tie Shigu, and even the broker Hall Master Bai Ruoxu, all sent a New Year gift.
These naturally all required returning the favor.
Sha Lifei prepared another set and personally delivered each one.
Although it was bothersome, this was the custom.
As for Li Yan, he was mostly not at home.
The Drum King competition team finally came together...
...
Yongning Square was located in the east of the city, just two streets away from the original East Market. The residents here werenât wealthy, but they still had some family assets.
Manager Wan was an elder of the Xianyang Craftsmen Guild and a craftsman of the Mystical Sect, with connections to the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, so naturally, his networking needed no mention.
When it was known that he wanted to participate in the Drum King competition, a wealthy merchant from Changâan didnât hesitate and offered his large triple courtyard house.
"Brother Zhao!"
When Li Yan arrived, he just saw Zhao Lvzi squatting outside the door.
His eyes filled with surprise, he went up and gave him a bear hug, laughing heartily, "You, always disappearing without a trace, no news for months!"
Zhao Lvzi was a bit shy, scratching the back of his head, "Iâve been staying in the mountains, taking people to look for spirit wood, just came out recently."
"Today you canât just leave easily, we must drink to our heartâs content!"
Li Yan said with a smiling face, putting his arm around Zhao Lvziâs shoulder, "Come come come, accompany me to see what that Divine Tower looks like."
"No, no, Iâll wait outside for you."
Zhao Lvzi hurriedly shook his head, standing his ground, refusing to move.
It was their family ancestral teaching of the engaged treasure lineage; they feared bringing in unlucky and evil qi, hence they never entered anotherâs doorway.
Truth be told, whether it was Li Yan or Manager Wan, both were from the Mystical Sect; they could tell if there was any evil qi at a glance and naturally didnât mind.
But Zhao Lvzi, true to his name, was as stubborn as a mule.
His father had made him swear never to enter the Qinling nor leave Guanzhong; the young man had strictly abided by that, no matter who persuaded him, let alone ancestral teachings.
Li Yan reluctantly said, "Alright, just wait for me, donât run off again!"
"Okay," Zhao Lvzi nodded seriously.
"Greetings to Young Hero Li!"
Before even entering, Manager Wanâs apprentice hurried out to greet him, bowing and gesturing with his hand, "Master is busy inside, all helpers have arrived, please follow me."
The residence was indeed large. As Li Yan followed him walking all the way, he hadnât even approached the backyard when a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
He could smell a special scent in the backyard.
The aura circulated, almost vaguely forming a situation!
He quickened his pace, and as soon as he entered the backyard, his eyes lit up.
The occasion for this Drum King contest was the Divine Tower of East Village.
The so-called Divine Tower wasnât actually a tower but was made of timber, similar to a shrine, yet in the style of a temple.
Normally, it was about the size of a sedan chair.
During community parades, men would lift the Divine Tower, beating drums and gongs, put up a show, and parade through the streets.
At this moment, quite a few people had gathered in the courtyard.
What was more eye-catching were three Divine Towers, one large and two small.
The largest one in the middle was the height of two men, resembling a small house, with a hip-and-gable roof, flying eaves, and brackets, Four Beams and Eight Pillars complete, and the carrying poles on both sides as thick as a sea bowl.
The two smaller ones at the side were also larger than the usual Divine Towers.
"Goodness!"
In the yard, a tall and burly man opened his mouth wide, "Itâs fine to talk about the two Martial God Towers, Manager Wan, but isnât your Wen Shen Tower too big?"
"The ordinary Wen Shen Tower needs sixteen people to carry, yours would need forty or fifty, right? I didnât bring that many brothers."
"Thatâs right!"
An older man with a rugged face and white beard cheerfully said, "Young Brother Wan, you just wonât listen, using up so much good wood, making me measure each one with Lu Banâs ruler, all the dimensions have to be auspicious."
"Just building a Divine Temple doesnât even need these specifications, and you wouldnât listen; now see, it canât even be lifted!"
"What do you old coot know?!"
Manager Wan huffed, "This time itâs not just people from Shan State; teams from all states are participating. Magic Veins converge, the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, each showing Divine Skills. If we donât pull something fierce, wonât people laugh at us?"
Saying that, he went forward and patted the Divine Tower, his eyes full of pride, "Just relying on the Divine Tower wonât beat others, so I asked a lot of favors this time. Do you know why it needs to be this big?"
Everyone shook their heads.
Manager Wan smiled, "Because we need to hide people inside, and during the event, curtains will be drawn on both sides. Iâve invited Huayinâs Left Family Troupe to use their ultimate Eight-directions Projection Technique at night, dazzling and divine-like accompanying!"
"The orchestra is the Xianyang Luo Family Troupe; they will be dressed in cloth armor, carrying flags on their shoulders, the drums of Qin and Han displaying majesty, and also we have my little brother Liâs Divine Drum to bolster our momentum, that should overwhelm them!"
"And donât worry about the carriers, Iâve run around Xianyang and Changâan, there are plenty of strong men, just need Brother Lu to train them a bit."
Hearing his explanation, everyone was eager to try.
"Good!"
The stout man clapped and laughed, "Manager Wan has such spirit, how could we back down? Rest assured, at that time, weâll make sure the Divine Tower is steady and secure!"
Li Yan was also taken aback, not expecting such a large scale, but his interest was even more piqued.
It seemed the procession would have hundreds of people.
And there were also competitors from other states.
Just thinking about it, one could tell how lively it would be...