Royal Mausoleum, naturally couldnât lack the Tomb Guardian Army.
Tuo Master wanted to obtain the position of Han Riverâs Water God, and couldnât do so without the help of Prince Wuchang. So naturally, he didnât want to get close, to avoid misunderstandings.
Hearing about that place, Li Yan also felt somewhat troubled, "It is indeed a bit tricky, but we canât just not go."
"In that case, letâs find an excuse to go there, settle down first then secretly investigate. The âMystical Beastâ probably isnât at Longquan Mountain, by then we can avoid the Tomb Guardian Army."
During the conversation, they had returned to the Tian familyâs large residence.
They had originally planned to rest in Wuchang City, but since they had news of the "Mystical Beast," that naturally changed their plans.
"Young Hero Li is leaving?"
Inside the main hall, Landlord Tian was clearly reluctant.
Li Yan smiled and saluted with his hands, "The business with the Tian family is finished, so itâs not suitable for us to stay longer. Besides, we eat the Mystical Sectâs food, so we should take on some work to sustain ourselves."
Landlord Tian couldnât help but laugh and cry, "Young Hero Li, you jest. With your abilities, where could you not be highly regarded guests?"
"Honestly speaking, my familyâs affairs have already spread throughout the three cities of Wuchang. Plus, with Young Hero Liâs current fame, many people have secretly sent word to me, wanting to make your acquaintance and ask for your help with their issues."
"Oh?"
Li Yan feigned surprise, "Is that so?"
"Business that comes knocking at the door naturally needs to be done. Please, Landlord Tian, introduce us, and weâll see whether to take it on."
"Alright, Iâll arrange it right away!"
Landlord Tian was very enthusiastic and promptly left the house.
As he had said, Li Yan and his team had already become quite well-known in the three cities of Wuchang.
As soon as the news was released, people began to visit one after another.
Most visitors were wealthy people from the city, and the tasks they wanted to commission were diverse.
Some wanted to choose a site by Fengshui, but searching for a tomb was a time-consuming and labor-intensive task. Even though Wang Daoxuan had improved a lot in his fengshui skills, they still declined politely...
Some had family members who were ill, with diseases deep-seated. Having heard about Li Yan saving Mrs. Yanâs life, they came to seek help.
Unfortunately, Li Yan had no knowledge in the field of medicine, so he could only tell them honestly and recommend they seek a Daoist Doctor...
Others even wanted to hire them to cast curses on people.
Such matters were, of course, outrightly rejected.
Finally, in the evening, another young man arrived.
He was dressed in mourning clothes, with a hemp rope around his waist, well-mannered but with a bitter expression. He bowed deeply to Landlord Tian as soon as he entered, "I pay my respects to Uncle Tian."
Landlord Tian clearly recognized the person and was a bit surprised, "Jing Hong, why have you come? Where is Brother Shen?"
The young manâs face was pale, and he spoke with a tremble, "My father has passed."
Landlord Tian was shocked, "What happened? I just saw him at the Chamber of Commerce a few days ago. Could it be a sudden illness?"
"It was a calamity from the heavens!"
The young man spoke, already sobbing, "Our familyâs kiln was attacked by a demon. My father and older brother were both killed by them, and the servants barely managed to retrieve their bodies."
"I was delivering goods to Parrot Island and narrowly escaped. Now, Iâm preparing to return to Jiangxia to handle the funeral."
Li Yan and Sha Lifei were also present. Hearing the news, they immediately understood.
This time, the Ghost Sect collaborated with several forces to scheme, even bewitching the Miao people from Jiangxia to cause trouble, killing people everywhere for a blood sacrifice to revive the zombie in the Barbarian Kingâs tomb.
The Miao villages in Jiangxia, villages of Han people near the Barbarian Kingâs tomb all suffered. Some were even decimated.
This young man, clearly, was caught in the misfortune.
Upon hearing this, Landlord Tian also sighed, "I just survived a disaster myself, but I never expected Brother Shen to have such calamity befall him."
"Jing Hong, youâve come to report the death? I will certainly attend the funeral when the time comes."
The young man named Shen Jinghong shook his head, "I have another matter for which Iâve come to seek Young Hero Liâs help in handling the funeral."
"Ordinarily, I wouldnât dare trouble Young Hero Li with this kind of matter. However, the servants relayed that my father was unsettled in death, and when placed in the coffin, the body actually sat up and became completely rigid, impossible to press down."
"My mother consulted Duan Gong, who said that my father had unfulfilled wishes and pent-up grievances in his heart. Even if buried, he would turn into a zombie and suggested cremation instead."
"My mother wants my father to rest in peace in the earth, so she asked me to seek a high priest from the Mystical Sect in Wuchang, and it just so happened I heard of Uncle Tianâs news, which is why I came."
"A body unsettled in death?"
Landlord Tian was taken aback, then turned to look at Li Yan.
Li Yan had not heard of such a case before and had to ask Sha Lifei to call Wang Daoxuan, who was reading in the house.
After listening, Wang Daoxuan asked in detail and nodded, "It does sound like unfulfilled wishes, palpable obsessions. I can attempt a ritual, but whether it will succeed is uncertain."
Li Yan immediately stood up and said, "Alright, weâll take the job."
...
The river was bustling, as Parrot Island Pier gradually grew distant.
The Tian Family, who had seen them off, was already out of sight.
Li Yan stood on the deck, gazing into the distance at the river.
When they had arrived, they had traveled from Dangyang through Jingmen to the Han River, taking a ship directly to Han Yang and Wuchang without navigating the Yangtze River waterway.
The reason was simple, traveling via the Yangtze River meant heading downstream into Xiangzhou territory and passing through Yueyang, which would have required a significant detour.
Though it was possible to reach Jiangxia, where Longquan Mountain is located, by land, undoubtedly, the quickest route was by traveling along the Yangtze River by boat.
"Tsks, tsks, what are you afraid of?"
On the deck, Sha Lifei was joking around.
At his side, the Wild Man Wu Ba was lying on the wooden planks, clinging tightly to the edge of the boat while looking out over the river, filled with both curiosity and fear.
Wu Ba had grown up in the Shennongjia, and although he had managed to stand steady on the courtâs stable warships the day before, the small boat today was swaying left and right, scaring him into staying down.
Seemingly noticing Sha Lifeiâs mockery, Wu Ba pointed at the river and loudly said in a garbled voice, "De wu lei wei..."
Sha Lifei snorted with laughter, "Itâs not âde wu lei wei,â itâs water!"
The Wild Man could only speak his native language, and over the past two days, both Lv San and Sha Lifei had been teaching him to speak.
Unfortunately, Wu Ba was accustomed to tongue-twisting tones, and it seemed like his mouth was fitted with springs, unable to produce some basic syllables properly.
Learning Mandarin was not something that could be mastered in a moment.
Fortunately, after having spent these two days together, Sha Lifei had grown less prejudiced against him for a simple reasonâthe Wild Man had taken on a lot of their burdens.
Despite his large appetite, his strength was remarkably astonishing.
Their luggage, which had been considerably reduced after the crafting of the Magic Artifact, was still a substantial load and unmanageable without mules or horses.
However, Wu Ba could easily carry it on his back,
and it did not seem to strain him at all.
As long as he was well-fed, he was very obedient.
Sha Lifei was naturally very happy about this, as just this aspect alone saved them a lot of effort.
Of course, Li Yan did not let his guard down.
After all, the other party was a human goblin who had awakened the Body Divine Power, and his physique was as monstrous as a demonâs, which was why he was valued and kept by the demon.
Whether he might lose control and go berserk was still something that needed to be tested over time.
Other than them, on the boat, there was also Shen Jinghong, the Young Master of the Shen Family, as well as some servants and guards of the Shen Family, all of whom were somewhat fearful of the Wild Man Wu Ba and kept their distance.
Li Yan did not mind, after all, their main purpose on this trip was to keep a low profile and covertly search for targets; a quieter environment was preferable.
In less than an hour, they had already arrived at Jiangxia Pier.
Compared to Parrot Island Pier, this place was noticeably smaller.
However, Jiangxia was also an ancient site, one of the birthplaces of Chu Territoryâs culture, often mentioned in historical texts as "Chutian County," and considered a significant pier.
The pier, ancient in years, was entirely built from huge bluestones, weather-beaten and covered in moss, with numerous boats of various sizes.
Even before docking, there was a disturbance on the pier.
A large group of men wielding sharp blades had surrounded a small restaurant on the pier, causing the nearby people to hastily avoid the area.
The leader, half of his face covered with tattooed scars and a large build clad only in a waistcoat, revealed bulging, scar-covered muscles.
He held a knife in each hand, staring menacingly at the restaurant.
"This is the place, donât let anyone slip away!"
At that command, the men charged into the restaurant with their knives.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
However, a few of them had barely entered when they were abruptly thrown out with a series of thuds, rolling on the ground a few times in agony.
After that, several men walked out of the inn.
The leader, a middle-aged man, surveyed the surroundings and said coldly, "I havenât even lost my temper yet, and âWei Lao Baâ thinks he can start troubles? Is he tired of living?"
Li Yan, witnessing this, felt a flash of surprise in his eyes.
The one who came out was Han Kun, an elder of the Cao Gang...