Chapter 656: Xu Fu’s Letter
Xu Fu’s legacy!

Seeing this record, everyone was excited.

In the fake underworld of the Qin Palace in Luoyang, Li Yan obtained a Qin bamboo slip from an old zombie. After being identified by the “Golden-eyed Feng” in the ghost market, it was found to be the ancient “Golden Magpie Book” written by Xu Fu before he went overseas to seek immortality.

He left behind three bamboo slips, which respectively recorded the path to immortality, the secrets of the fake underworld, and the restrictions of Luoyang.

They have already cracked the “Fake Underworld” and the “Luoyang Restriction”, but it’s of no use.

Only on this “path to immortality” has Li Yan been collecting information.

They already know what the so-called “seeking immortality” is all about, and the immortal mountains overseas are also false.

But Xu Fu is most likely also a member of Zhao Changsheng’s organization.

The “road to immortality” he left behind is obviously not that simple.

Now that we have clues and there is a tiger demon stealing, how can everyone not be vigilant.

“What is the origin of this ‘Baohua Bookstore’?”

Wang Daoxuan hurriedly asked the clerk next to him.

The clerk had been taken care of by the Chen family, and he knew that these people were of great importance, so he did not dare to neglect them. He bowed and said, “Reporting to the Taoist priest, Baohua Bookstore is in our Zhangqiu Town, specializing in printing and selling books…”

After listening to his explanation, everyone understood the reason.

Although Zhangqiu Town is a canal hub with developed commerce, it is in Luzhou after all and not far from Confucius Mansion, so it naturally has a strong literary style.

The town not only has a Confucian temple and Anping Academy, but also Baohua Bookstore, which specializes in selling books.

The “Baohua Bookstore” is quite old. It was established during the reign of the Daxuan Dynasty, and it has been a hundred years now.

The owner behind the bookstore is also a local scholar and has a close relationship with the Kong family.

Not only did he sell books, but his printed woodblock New Year pictures were also sold along the canal to Beijing, Tianjin and other places in northern Xinjiang.

Many dignitaries and literati who passed by the canal also stopped to participate in the literary gatherings.

He is considered a local gentry and celebrity.

“Uncle Fu, can you help introduce me to him? I want to ask him something.”

Wang Daoxuan looked at the old butler Chen Fu next to him.

“this…”

Chen Fu looked hesitant, “Master, can we go back and talk about this?”

Seeing his expression, Wang Daoxuan understood what he meant, “Okay.”

…………

“The owner of Baohua Bookstore is Meng Yicheng.”

After returning to the mansion, the old butler Chen Fu immediately explained the reason.

“To be honest, my Chen family and the Meng family have a long history.”

“My father was once a farmhand in the Meng family. Later, my father became successful in martial arts and built up this family business. The people in the Meng family looked down on him in every way. The younger generations even mocked him when they talked about him, but my father didn’t want to pay any attention to him.”

“Although there is no conflict, we don’t interact with each other…”

“I see.”

Wang Daoxuan frowned slightly after hearing this, but he was not surprised.

There are poor people who are jealous of others’ success, and there are rich people who are dissatisfied with the poor’s success.

In this case, it would be inappropriate to let the Chen family step in.

Who should I look for…

Just as he was thinking about it, a Cao Gang disciple suddenly ran in from outside the door, panting and saying, “Uncle Fu, something big has happened!”

“There was a fire at Baohua Bookstore. I heard that many people from the Meng family died!”

……

“It’s water! It’s water!”

The town’s night watchman beat a broken gong and shouted hoarsely.

It was still daytime, with thick smoke and chaos all around.

Baohua Bookstore is located on Danqing Street, surrounded by shops selling all kinds of calligraphy and paintings, as well as pens, inks, paper and inkstones. Because it is a canal hub, warehouses have been built to store goods.

The shop owners of the surrounding shops were sweating profusely with anxiety, but they were mostly directing their employees to block the fire to prevent it from spreading and burning all their property.

There were also civilians who tried to put out the fire under the command of the yamen runners, but the streets were crowded and chaotic, and pots of water were poured on the fire. Not only did the fire not get put out, but it seemed to add fuel to the fire, burning even more fiercely.

The carved wooden windows crackled in the flames.

The century-old pine beams were charred and curled up by the flames.

“Let me go!”

The elderly woodblock engraving master cried and shouted, wanting to rush into the fire, but was held down by five young men.

The thousands of book blocks carved by his three generations are turning into charcoal in the fire…

This was the scene that Wang Daoxuan and others saw when they arrived.

“Uncle Fu, what should we do?”

The Cao Gang’s disciples asked hurriedly.

The conflict between the Chen family and the Meng family is known to everyone in Zhangqiu Town.

“They have lost the benevolence of Confucianism, but we cannot lose the righteousness of the underworld.”

Without hesitation, Fu Bo ordered, “Put out the fire!”

At the command, signal fireworks shot up into the sky, and many Caogang men rushed from the dock shirtless.

The Cao Gang had a large number of people and their actions were much more organized than those of the common people. The Cao boats with flags flying the word “righteousness” were directly across the river, and dozens of water buckets were lined up in a long dragon along the river bank.

Buckets of water were poured onto the bookstore continuously.

And the people from the yamen finally pushed over the water hose cart.

With the joint efforts of both sides, the fire was finally brought under control.

But the strange thing was that the fire was like a dog-skin plaster. Every time it was about to be put out, it would reignite in the wind, and there was a disgusting burnt smell.

“It’s stone fire oil!”

When Sharifei smelled it, his expression suddenly changed and he shouted, “Quick, cover it with soil!”

Chen San gave orders before leaving, and the brothers of the Cao Gang were very obedient.

A large amount of earth, rocks, mud and sand was thrown into the fire.

After a while, the fire was finally put out.

The Baohua Bookstore, which had been glorious for a century, is now nothing but scorched earth with smoke rising from it.

“Master Dao, this fire is not right, it was set on purpose!”

Sharifei leaned close to Wang Daoxuan and whispered.

Wang Daoxuan nodded with a serious expression, and whispered a few words to Uncle Fu beside him.

Uncle Fu immediately communicated with the yamen runners and went to the Meng family with the clerks from Baohua Bookstore.

The Chen family put aside their past grudges and came to the rescue, so the Meng family naturally couldn’t play blind.

Besides, they don’t have time to care about these things anymore.

The Meng Mansion was also in a mess.

The servant’s face was pale, the maid’s crying could be heard faintly, and the ground was covered with blood.

“Tell me, what happened?”

The town’s bailiffs were interrogating.

“I…I don’t know either.”

The servant trembled and replied in a trembling voice: “The master is entertaining guests today. Scholars from all over the country are here. A poetry meeting is being held in the courtyard.”

“Suddenly, a strange wind blew and frost formed on the ground. Mr. Zhou from Baigou Town immediately went crazy and grabbed the master and asked for a letter. We went to catch him, but he suddenly became extremely powerful and killed several people…”

After hearing this, Wang Daoxuan and Sha Lifei quickly went into the house without saying a word.

“Hey, you guys…”

Just as the bailiff was about to stop him, Uncle Fu hurried forward to explain.

After Sharifei took out the certificate, the yamen runners stopped trying to stop him.

After the battle at Chengdu Palace, there was another benefit.

The Taoist certificates of all the Twelve Yuanchen people were changed to black.

This is the treatment only available to those in the orthodox Xuanmen sect. If you encounter evil creatures harming people, you can deal with them directly.

When necessary, people from surrounding government offices and guard posts can be asked for help.

The Meng family’s house is a large courtyard with three entrances, and it has a strong scholarly atmosphere.

Several people came to the central hall “Xiefangzhai”, but saw chaos inside.

Red blood and black pine soot ink formed strange patterns on the blue brick floor.

There were several corpses of scholars lying on the ground, all in a hunched position.

His head was turned over, as if someone had twisted it forcibly, and there was a hideous smile on his pale face.

The most obvious is the beams.

It was covered with frost, and the huge tiger paw prints had not yet disappeared…

“Is this guy crazy?” Sha Lifei was a little surprised. “Before in Jingyang Ridge, he didn’t kill anyone and tried to hide. How come he is so bold now that he dares to break into the town and commit crimes in broad daylight…”

They don’t necessarily want to kill monsters when they see them, and they even have some strange friends.

For example, the Zhuoyu in Shennongjia can live in peace even though they do not speak the same language.

But if you do this, no matter what the reason is, it will be a fight to the death.

Even if they don’t take action, the Law Enforcement Hall can’t get around it.

Wang Daoxuan seemed to be thinking about something. “It seems that he didn’t succeed. As for why he committed the murder, we can only interrogate him after catching him.”

Sharifi whispered, “What should we do now?”

Wang Daoxuan looked at Mr. Meng’s body, which was open-eyed.

“Go back and get the things, open the altar.”

“While the three souls are still here, I will summon them to ask questions!”

………

There is no one in charge of the Meng family now, and the yamen runners are very cooperative.

Soon, the altar was set up.

Wang Daoxuan ordered people to bring an elm Eight Immortals Table, and put three talisman coins on the corners of the table, which meant “the three elements of heaven, earth and man to suppress the evil”. The tablecloth was made of indigo coarse linen, which hinted at the image of “the blue sky suppressing evil”.

When it comes to summoning spirits to ask questions, people who have played with the underworld are generally more proficient in this, and it has to be done at midnight.

Wang Daoxuan was better at warding off disasters and praying for blessings.

But he had a treasure in his hand.

But on the altar, there was a brass incense burner in the middle, a black-armored compass on the right, and a strange lamp on the left, made of rhinoceros horn and filled with blood-colored lamp oil.

This is the precious “Rhinoceros Horn Lamp” that I got from the Ghost Cult’s Tongtian Sanniang when I was in Ezhou.

This treasure is made of rhinoceros horn and can see into the underworld.

In order to avoid scaring people, everyone else, including the yamen runners, were driven out.

For fear that the ghosts would be driven away by the sunlight, the entire lobby was covered with black cloth.

“Wandering souls, where do you stay? The three souls have already come, and the seven spirits have come to the riverside, the roadside, the temples, the villages, the palaces, the prisons, the tombs, the mountains and the forests. False alarms and strange things, the lost soul, now please the kitchen god of the house…”

As Wang Daoxuan recited the “Soul-Binding Curse”, a chilly wind suddenly arose in the hall.

He glanced at it indifferently, turned the peach wood sword over, and lit the candlelight on the rhino horn lamp.

In an instant, the entire main hall was filled with a dismal green light, as if one had arrived in the underworld.

In some corners, there appeared the shadow of a scholar covered in blood, standing with his hands hanging down.

It was the victim who had just died in the hall.

This is also the reason why Wang Daoxuan dare not waste time.

If it is delayed for too long, these Yin will either enter the underworld or dissipate.

At that time, you can only ask a professional master of Yin for help.

The ghost of Mr. Meng is also among them.

He just stood beside the corpse, with his back to everyone, motionless.

In this situation, ordinary people would probably be scared to death.

But to most people, it means nothing.

Even Sharifei, who was once an ordinary person, turned out to be a ruthless man who crawled out of the cemetery.

On the contrary, they dared not even breathe, for fear of scaring away the ghosts.

Wang Daoxuan continued to walk on the magic circle, then picked up the cinnabar pen on the altar, and while making hand gestures and writing strange words on the yellow paper.

This is called Tianwen, also known as ghost book.

To put it simply, it is the text used to communicate with ghosts.

After writing a few lines and drawing a talisman, Wang Daoxuan raised his peach wood sword, lit the ghost book over the candlelight, and pointed it at the ghost of Master Meng.

Call ~
The billowing green smoke instantly merged into the body of the ghost.

Master Meng, who had his back to them, slowly raised his arm and pointed to the left.

At Wang Daoxuan’s signal, Sharifei and Wuba set off immediately.

As soon as they passed through the small door on the left side of the main hall, the ghost of Master Meng appeared again in the dark corridor, still with his back to them, but his hand pointing to the right.

Sharifei and the other two were not surprised and continued to follow.

Soon, they arrived at the study in the backyard.

But the ghost of Master Meng appeared again, pointing his arm upwards.

“I come!”

Without saying a word, Wu Ba exerted force with his legs and flew into the air. He hooked his hands directly on the beams like iron hooks and then struck them left and right.

Bang bang bang!
Soon, the source of the unusual sound was found.

He raised his hand and with a slap, there was a loud cracking sound, and the beam of the house was broken into pieces.

At the same time, an iron box fell from the sky.

It turned out that the beam was hollowed out and the iron box was placed inside. It was then sealed by skilled craftsmen and covered with wood chips, so it was impossible to see what was hidden inside.

Sharifei carried the iron box and quickly returned to the main hall.

Wang Daoxuan removed the altar and opened the iron box.

Inside, there was a bamboo slip, of the same texture as the one they had obtained before.

“It’s really here!”

Wang Daoxuan glanced at Master Meng’s corpse, stroked his beard and shook his head, saying: “The ancestors of the Meng family must have been reluctant to part with the precious book, and wanted to gain a reputation, so they used a fake one as a substitute, but it left a disaster for future generations…”

“Is it this?”

Sharifei asked quickly.

When they left Luoyang, “Golden-Eyed Feng” had already passed the Golden Magpie Book to Wang Daoxuan.

Only Taoists can understand this thing.

Wang Daoxuan took a few glances and his expression became solemn.

“Yes, it is the “Seeking Immortality” left by Xu Fu.”

“If the tiger demon could find the Meng family, there must be someone in the city who was behind it.”

“Let’s go back to the Chen Mansion and make plans to catch the monster!”

…………

In the darkness, Li Yan’s eyelids moved slightly and he slowly opened his eyes.

He clasped his hands together and his chest heaved.

Call ~
He just exhaled, and suddenly a strong wind blew in the house.

After a long period of meditation, he finally transformed the visualization space.

So your level of Taoism may not necessarily improve much, but it will be more stable.

Don’t underestimate this point. This change may be the key to how far you can go in practicing the “Luofeng Sutra”.

Thinking of this, Li Yan looked at the bronze vertical-eyed Nuo mask next to him.

But just like before, it became ordinary again, without any aura revealed.

Li Yan was slightly disappointed and shook his head slightly.

He had a vague guess.

It is not so easy to peek into the Daluo Dharma Realm.

The first is to seek help from Erlang Zhenjun, and the second is to visualize the Daluo Dharma Realm. The two sides will form a resonance through the power of the bronze surface, and then they can sense the situation over there with their thoughts.

This matter is quite risky. If discovered, it would be a violation of the laws of heaven.

I don’t know when the next time will come…

After putting away the bronze Nuo mask, Li Yan looked out the window.

Before I knew it, it was pitch black outside.

However, Li Yan sniffed, frowned, and quickly pushed the door open and walked out.

But Lu San was seen holding the little white fox and moving a bench to sit outside the door.

And Sharifei was squatting in the dark corner of the roof holding the magic gun.

“What happened?” Li Yan asked.

“Xu Fu’s letter has been found…”

Lu San briefly explained the situation and whispered, “I suspect that Jianmu is behind the tiger monster, so I set up a trap to capture him.”

“Well, luckily I woke up in time.”

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief, greeted everyone, and then ambushed in the room.

However, after midnight, the tiger demon still did not appear.

However, Chen San, the leader of the Cao Gang who was out to gather intelligence, hurried back.

“That ‘Mr. Rotten’ Kong Hui has found out!”

(End of this chapter)