"The first two treasures, âYunzhongjun Temple Longevity Palaceâ and âSoil of Life,â" he had heard seemed somewhat unreliable, probably just local rumors.
But the third one had indeed piqued his interest.
The reason was simple, Liu Gangâs notes about the living Yin messenger mentioned a man called âXing HePuâ.
This man was also a âliving Yin messenger,â and exceptionally powerful.
Even âYouyang Zazuâ mentioned the deeds Xing He Pu did for people to âextend lifeâ and âreturn to lifeâ.
It was outright defiance of the âYin Lawâ, yet Xing He Pu continued to thrive.
There was another more bizarre incident.
Xing He Pu once secluded himself in Zhongnan Mountain, with many disciples following him. One day, he told his disciples that a special guest would visit in three days and must not be slighted.
Three days later, Xing He Pu personally descended the mountain to welcome the guest, and sure enough, there was a visitor.
The guest looked extremely strange, five feet tall with an unusually large head that accounted for half his height, donned in a wide crimson robe, holding something like a shaku, with unusually long eyelashes, a melon-like complexion, and a mouth that stretched to the ears when smiling.
This peculiar guest discussed intricate and lofty topics with Xing He Pu, mostly not of the human world.
Xing He Pu had a disciple called Cui Shu, and during their meeting, this peculiar guest suddenly turned to Cui Shu, calling him the âOld Father of Taishanâ, to which Xing He Pu nodded in agreement.
The so-called âOld Father of Taishanâ was a little-known hermit immortal, mentioned in the âImmortal Chroniclesâ and âTaiping Guangjiâ.
Liu Gang speculated that Xing He Pu had unraveled many secrets of the Yin Bureau and could even protect some cultivators who had returned to life.
That peculiar guest was very likely not human.
He, Song Shi, had searched many times, but unfortunately, there were no traces of the other party. It seemed that at the end of the Tang Dynasty, during the chaos, someone had intentionally erased them.
Frankly, Li Yan was also very interested in this person.
After reading Liu Gangâs notes, he specifically looked up âYouyang Zazuâ and found that Xing He Puâs skill in divination and prediction was nearly demonic.
He had predicted that in the first year of Emperor Wu of Hanâs Tai Chu era, the âTai Chu Calendarâ formulated by Luo Hong and others, which ran for 800 years plus one day, would inevitably lead to someone devising a new calendar.
Indeed, the next year, in the seventeenth year of Tangâs Kaiyuan era, Monk Yixing devised the âDa Yan Calendarâ.
The art of divination and prediction is difficult to learn and master; this person had reached an incredible level, possibly even unraveling the secrets of heaven and earth.
Unexpectedly, he heard news of the other party in Yunmeng Swamp.
But this âScripture Storage Forest of Zen Ancestor Wang Chanâ really sounded a bit mystical, whether it truly exists is still unknown...
...
The group continued their journey, with Tian Wei sharing various strange and curious tales, which was quite enjoyable, and even the family of Landlord Tian listened with great interest.
Unwittingly, it was dusk.
Dark clouds covered the sky, and the bamboo forest was dark and profound, making it dark early on, so the servants in the group lit their lanterns.
A gust of wind blew, swirling the bamboo leaves, causing the lanterns to flicker.
In this dark bamboo forest trail, it eerily seemed somewhat sinister.
Turning right down a path, they saw an old temple quietly standing on the mountainside of the official road in the distance.
It looked long abandoned, with peeling red paint and mottled bricks and stones, and the tiles on the temple roof were also incomplete, with wild grass growing among them, adding a touch of desolation.
Landlord Tian looked at the sky and raised his hand, "Letâs rest here tonight, get up early tomorrow to continue our journey, and we should arrive by noon."
His wife clearly looked worried, "My lord..."
"Donât worry."
Landlord Tian smiled and said, "This is a nearby Water God Temple. It has been abandoned since the river was rerouted. I used to be a peddler in my youth and have spent many nights resting here."
âSleeping in a temple at nightâ is a travel taboo, but sometimes when pressed, one canât care too much.
Moreover, with a magician in the group, there was naturally no fear of any wandering ghosts.
However, to be cautious, Li Yan still formed a spell with his hand and sniffed, approaching the ruined temple and directly raising his hand, "Everyone, please wait a moment."
Then, he took out the Divine Tiger Token, performed the âStep Gangâ and used âBeidiâs Protection Spellâ.
With his current level of Dao, the power of his spells was naturally stronger.
"Roar!"
Everyone heard a tigerâs roar, and suddenly the wind howled around them, a fierce evil spirit emanating from Li Yan.
The horses were momentarily startled.
And Lv San simply whistled, quickly calming them.
The members of the Tian family were all dumbstruck.
Landlord Tianâs son-in-law, Liu Yizhong, even directly pressed his hand on the handle of his knife, his eyes filled with vigilance.
Whoosh!
Inside the dilapidated temple, centipedes, scolopendras, and other unnamed poisonous insects all scurried out and fled in every direction.
Seeing this unusual scene, many people swallowed hard and looked at Li Yan and the others with awe in their eyes.
As they had traveled, they found the young man to be amicable, yet they could not see anything unusual about him. They had not expected such powerful spells.
Only Landlord Tian remained unfazed.
He had followed Li Yan across vast stretches of forest from Dangyang and had seen him perform spells numerous times. He knew that Li Yan was genuinely skilled.
Otherwise, he would not have been willing to hire him for a substantial sum.
Beside him, Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and smiled, "Gentlemen, do not be alarmed. This place is dark and damp, which inevitably attracts poisonous insects. Tonight, we can sleep peacefully without any disturbance from wild animals."
"Such a marvelous skill, Young Hero Li!"
Tian Wei praised repeatedly, his heart now understanding why his father relied so heavily on him. He had seen a few Confucian magicians at the academy who also performed protective spells, but none possessed such an impressive aura.
Hearing Li Yan say there were no more dangers, everyone naturally felt even more at ease.
With a creak, they pushed open the half-closed temple door.
The temple was quite large, its interior covered in cobwebs, and there were traces of a bonfire on the ground, clearly indicating that it was often used for lodging.
On the altar in the temple, there was a statue of a young Divine General clad in armor, wearing a precious helmet, holding a Yue Fu in his right hand. Even covered in dust, his handsome and spirited appearance was evident.
"So, itâs General Yang Si."
Wang Daoxuan suddenly realized, picking up a broom left by the temple door, and began to sweep the dust and cobwebs off the statue.
Sha Lifei also hurriedly joined to help.
In the Yangtze River Basin, it is common to worship four Water Gods.
In Ganzhou, they worship Xu Xun, Master Xu of Heaven, who had led his disciples to use the method of "wood overcomes water" to calm the floods in Ganzhou. The story of "Master Xu of Heaven slaying three flood dragons" is widely known.
In Shu, they worship Li Bing and his sons, naturally because of Dujiangyan.
In Ezhou, they worship General Yang Si.
This General Yang Si had also calmed water disasters and slain flood dragons. His title in the Mystical Sect was Grand Marshal Nine Waters Heavenly Spirit, Commander of Ziyun, Supreme Lord of the Water Realm, Dragon Subduer of the Deep Abyss, Spirit Origin of Harmony and Heavenly Exalted.
Just hearing this title, one could tell he was extraordinary.
The members of the Tian Family, of course, didnât idle either.
After cleaning up and lighting a bonfire, the temple soon became much warmer.
The Tian Family had brought with them many people for the ancestral worship back in their hometown, even a skilled chef, who could handle any culinary challenge, even in this desolate wilderness.
A large pot was set up, filled with Jiangdong Lake dried fish, dried tofu, glass noodles, wild vegetables, and more, all washed and stewed together to make a delicious fish soup.
They also brought plenty of layered pancakes, heated over the fire, mixed with the hot fish soup. The fatigue of their travel seemed to vanish as they indulged.
Naturally, there were many ladies among the group who, after traveling for a whole day, were quite tired and laid down grass mats to sleep early.
Li Yan and others, along with the family guards, took turns keeping watch through the night.
Landlord Tianâs son-in-law, a Thousand Households commander of the garrison, had exceptional inherited martial skills and had already stepped into the realm of Hidden Energy. He was naturally scheduled for night watch.
As the night deepened, the wind began to howl outside the temple.
Thump! Thump!
Amidst the howling wind, strange noises emerged.
Li Yan suddenly opened his eyes and looked outside, a hint of excitement in his eyes, "Is it thundering?"
The whole day was clouded, it seemed likely to rain.
He was indeed waiting for the "Dragon Boat Festival Thunder."
"No."
Landlord Tianâs son-in-law, Liu Yizhong, seemed quite astonished. "Iâve heard this sound before. Itâs a âTuo Drumâ!"
"Tuo Drum," also known as the cry of the Yangtze alligator, often occurs at night, similar to a night watchmanâs drum, hence also called "Tuo Geng."
"Oh."
Li Yan was somewhat disappointed, "This âTuo Drumâ is really loud."
Unexpectedly, Liu Yizhong pressed his hand toward his knife handle, his voice tense, "Iâve been here before, and the nearest waterway is also several miles away!"
"This âTuo Drumâ... something isnât right..."