The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 248 - 172 The Night of Shangyuan Festival 2

Chapter 248: Chapter 172 The Night of Shangyuan Festival 2

Li Yan spoke earnestly, "Rest assured, I will pay attention to the word on the street."

Gu Chenzi cupped his hands in a gesture of courtesy and turned to leave.

Perhaps it was Li Yan’s behavior on several occasions that made Luo Mingzi and his fellow disciples trust him more, and some things were no longer hidden from him.

Watching the departing figure, Li Yan turned his gaze back to the Divine Tower.

Daozheng Square was adjacent to the Prince Mansion, and those who lived there were all nobles and high officials of the city. The male heads of households might have some restraint, but the women and servants of the households would not miss this opportunity.

At this moment, the area around the Divine Tower had already become densely crowded with people who were burning incense and praying, hoping for a prosperous year ahead, their incense smoke rising straight into the night sky.

Li Yan could smell the Power of Incense converging inside the one large and two smaller Divine Towers, which had already formed into Divine Astral and was connected to the Magic Flags above.

Today’s ceremony was also somewhat of a gamble.

The construction of the Divine Tower was quite costly, but as long as the ritual was completed successfully, it would be as if it had undergone a Divine Refinement and truly became a Magic Artifact.

The greatest use of such a Magic Artifact was to protect and stabilize a home.

Now that the Divine Astral had already converged, placing it in the family temple and offering incense to it morning and evening, most ghosts and evil spirits would not dare approach.

In Chang’an City, there were plenty of people willing to pay a high price for it.

For instance, at this moment, several elderly stewards were surrounding Manager Wan, incessantly asking questions.

But Manager Wan kept shaking his head, apparently not planning to sell.

Just then, a man suddenly looked up and exclaimed, "Look, the Prince is coming out!"

Many people heard this and began to look up in anticipation.

On the other side of the street was the Prince Mansion; behind its walls, dozens of meters away, there was a three-story library building, whose doors and windows stood wide open, shining brightly. One could vaguely see many people leaning against the railings to look out.

With his year-round martial arts training, Li Yan’s eyesight was extraordinary and he could see that both the Prince and the Princely Heir were very ordinary looking, somewhat portly.

The only thing that caught his eye was a white-clothed Daoist standing next to the Prince, with handsome features, a black long beard flowing down to his chest, and a quite impressive bearing.

Sha Lifei and Luo Faqing had become well-acquainted and had already learned indirectly that Qiao Sanhu was not actually a relative of Yue Fazhong, but rather his master’s only son.

It was out of gratitude for his master’s kindness that Yue Fazhong sheltered him.

To a certain extent, this could be considered a virtue, but lax discipline was no different from nurturing a tiger that harms people.

Therefore, Li Yan did not have a good impression of this Yue Fazhong...

...

Atop the library of the Prince Mansion, the view was even better.

"Ha ha ha..."

Looking at the lights across the city, Prince Chang’an Xiao Qingyuan was in a very good mood. He sat down with the assistance of an eunuch, and reminisced, "When the Great Xuan Dynasty was first established, Chang’an was nearly half destroyed by the fires of the Golden Tent Wolf Country, left desolate and in ruins. It took decades to recover its vitality."

"Ten years ago, when the Maitreya rebellion occurred, there was another great fire. Now it seems, it has recovered quite well."

People around him started to offer flattery.

"It’s all thanks to the Prince’s kindness."

"Under the Prince’s governance, Chang’an is truly a blessing for the people."

Although these were compliments, many people truly believed them.

The Great Xuan Dynasty had granted fiefdoms to its princerlys, which were named after the cities they ruled, and there were strict rules not to overstep boundaries.

For example, all the expenses of Prince Chang’an’s household were based on local taxes, which were evaluated by the Ancestral Affairs Office before being allocated.

In other words, the wealth and poverty of the local area were directly linked to the Prince Mansion. If the locals were driven to destitution, the prince’s title would be stripped away.

The current Prince Chang’an, who was the Emperor’s own brother, had never troubled the people after taking his post in Shan State and had a very good reputation.

But now, as he was getting on in years and his body was in decline, many matters were beyond his capacity.

Hearing everyone’s flattering remarks, Prince Chang’an was indifferent and shook his head, "This Prince knows his own abilities are average. As long as I can remain stable and not cause trouble for His Majesty, that will suffice."

"That day, in a casual conversation with Zen Master Zhikong, I deeply felt that being still is better than being restless. From now on, I will focus on recuperating. The affairs of the mansion will be handed over to the Princely Heir."

The people around exchanged glances and hurriedly tried to persuade him.

Of course, Prince Chang’an simply shook his head slightly, too lazy to say more.

Yue Fazhong’s expression darkened slightly, and he felt a bit helpless.

He knew the Prince’s words meant he had completely abandoned the idea of organizing a fleet and intended to hand over the powers to the Princely Heir, to begin training him ahead of time.

Perhaps, he also sensed that his own time was running short.

"Father..."

The Princely Heir, Xiao Hongqi, his lips trembling, tears welling up in his eyes, could not speak.

"The Lantern Festival is no time for crying; it’s bad luck..."

Prince Chang’an scolded with a laugh and then spoke again, "Princely Heir, at this year’s drum competition, heroes from all over will gather. I am weary, and from now on, you shall be the one to give them the Courage Wine."

"Your son obeys."

The Princely Heir, Xiao Hongqi, took a deep breath, took the Drum Mallet from the eunuchs, and with a swing of his arm, he struck the nearby dragon-carved drum.

Dong, Dong, Dong!

Accompanied by the drum sounds, Li Kongqing immediately stepped forward and shouted, "The Princely Heir bestows Courage Wine for the drum teams’ journey!"

At this moment, Chang’an was bustling with noise; his voice could barely travel far, and even Li Yan and others outside the courtyard couldn’t hear it clearly.

Of course, the Prince Mansion naturally had other preparations.

Following his shout, the guards of the Prince Mansion immediately echoed, "The Princely Heir bestows Courage Wine for the drum teams’ journey!"

The voice quickly spread outside the Prince Mansion.

There, knights were already waiting, and upon hearing the announcement, they immediately spurred their horses and dashed toward all corners of Chang’an City, simultaneously shouting, "The Princely Heir bestows Courage Wine for the drum teams’ journey!"

The common people were curious as to why the person had changed this year.

But those with intentions within the city immediately knew that, from now on, the real master of the Prince Chang’an Mansion would become the Princely Heir, Xiao Hongqi.

Some were indifferent, while others lamented repeatedly.

Their long-planned Shan State Chamber of Commerce was officially declared bankrupt; according to the Princely Heir’s temperament, he would definitely not allow the Prince Chang’an Mansion to participate in overseas ventures.

The only thing they could do was to cling to the Li family.

The teams participating in the Parade of the Divine were spread out at various positions in Chang’an City, but each had personnel arranged by the Prince Mansion nearby.

Beside them, there were large black wine jars wrapped in red cloth.

This Courage Wine was from the private cellars of the Prince Mansion, all being aged Western Feng vintage from the previous year, which ordinary inns outside could not obtain.

Upon hearing the command, the officers of the Prince Mansion promptly acted, breaking the clay seals, one wielding a wine ladle and another stacking pottery bowls high beside them.

The men of the drum teams had already lined up in an orderly fashion.

Although the wine jars were large, each drum team had hundreds of members; once each person got a bowl, the jars lay empty.

"Brothers, to victory!"

The leader of the drum team roared and emptied the wine in the bowl in one gulp before smashing it heavily on the ground.

"To victory!"

The rest, following his lead, finished their drinks in unison and then smashed their bowls.

This was an ancient military ritual, signifying they would rather shatter like jade than remain intact like tile.

After drinking the Courage Wine, the spirit of the group surged even more.

Dong, Dong, Dong!

At this moment, it was close to midnight, and with three cannon shots, the highlight of the Drum King Grand Meeting, the Night Parade of the Divine, officially began.

"Brothers, rise up!"

"Heave-ho!"

With a furious roar from Guo Luquan, the men immediately lifted the Divine Tower.

Chanting their work song with drum music accompanying them, they began their march.

Equally excited were the surrounding townspeople; the seniors smiled and waved, while the younger ones shouted continuously, all holding incense, closely following behind.

The powerful Qin Han Drum Rhythm inherently majestic during the night-time Lantern Market and the accompanying crowd, gave them the feeling of marching to war, filling them with excitement.

During Ancient Times, there were shamanistic dances to drive away plagues and evil spirits, with people carrying torches through the night.

Although shamanism has declined, many ritual activities and folklore still show its traces.

Gradually, more and more townspeople followed behind.

At this moment, observing from above Chang’an City, one can see twenty-four fire dragons converging onto Vermilion Bird Street from all directions.

"Ow~~"

The townspeople danced with their incense, howling like ghosts and wailing like wolves.

But at this time, no one ridiculed; everyone was immersed in the atmosphere.

The men carrying the Divine Tower, like Guo Luquan, had toiled all day, but now, they seemed to have forgotten their exhaustion, their eyes rounded and bloodshot, their faces red, as they chanted slogans and advanced.

The colossal Divine Tower moved up and down rhythmically.

The Qin Han Drum Band also played their drums to boost morale, adding to the fervor.

As for Li Yan, he struck casually.

It wasn’t that he was slacking, but rather conserving strength in case of an unexpected event.

Boom, rumble, rumble!

As they left Daozheng Square, a thunderous roar sounded in front.

It was the Jinzhou team with chariots pulling giant drums, charging forward with an unstoppable momentum, followed by a large number of townspeople, their incense like dragons.

As Manager Wan had anticipated, they had chosen to set off first.

Immediately, some eager young people broke away and ran wildly after the Jinzhou battle drum chariot.

Li Yan and his companions didn’t mind and continued marching, finally encountering the Yulin team near East Market...