The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 30 Return to Xianyang

Chapter 30: Chapter 30 Return to Xianyang

Whoosh!

Paper money fluttered all about, drifting with the wind.

The funeral procession moved slowly, with the sound of the wind itself seeming to carry sorrow.

Li Yan’s family also belonged to the Li Family Castle by surname, but his branch was dwindling, and he did not have many close elders.

Fortunately, Wang Daoxuan was presiding, Sha Lifei was running errands, and neighbors along with the villagers helped, so the old man’s funeral was extremely meticulous.

Choosing the site, setting the coffin, arranging the memorial hall, burial...

Even the experienced village leader, Li Huairen, secretly gave a thumbs up and specifically took some time to connect with Wang Daoxuan.

As for Li Yan, he likewise kept busy amidst his grief.

It seemed that only by doing so could he momentarily forget his sorrow.

Now that his closest relatives were gone, he was left to wander alone between heaven and earth.

He had already experienced this desolation once before in a previous life, so in this life, even if his days were uneventful, he chose to stay in the village and accompany his grandfather.

On the night of the seventh day after the funeral, he even activated his divine skills and stayed up all night, hoping to catch a familiar scent of his grandfather, but alas, he ended up waiting in vain.

Thus, in a daze, he completed the funeral rites, and another month had passed.

...

It was now the eighth lunar month, and the weather began to turn cool.

Boom!

Accompanied by the autumn thunder, a light rain started to sprinkle.

"The construction of the Divine Tower requires no small expenditure..."

Wang Daoxuan held pen and ink, writing and drawing, "Incense, mounting paper, ink, cinnabar... they must all be offered at the Proper Xuan Sect’s grand temple altar for at least five years, of course, we will have to spend silver to purchase them."

"The use of these one-time magic artifacts is secondary; to succeed, we also need to borrow better magic artifacts for the altar and find an excellent Fengshui spiritual acupoint."

"The more renowned the mountains and rivers, the Grotto Heaven blessed land, the stronger the gathering of Innate Astral Qi, the greater the chances of success. I know the Priest of Xianyang City God Temple; through his introduction, we could hold the ritual at the Taibai Mountain Grotto Heaven Arena, but we cannot skimp on the expenses..."

He continued, smiling bitterly, "As a person of the Proper Xuan Sect, we focus on accumulating meritorious deeds, but this step by step to heaven is another matter; money is always necessary."

Li Yan already possessed the Daluo Dharma Body, so he was no longer afraid of his Storing God dissipating.

Wang Daoxuan did not know this and was naturally anxious for him.

Seeing this, Li Yan shook his head and said, "Daoist, there’s no need to worry; my divine skills are now stable. Let’s take it slow, haste might actually spoil things."

Swish!

Just then, the door outside was pushed open.

Sha Lifei, wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat, came in from the rain.

"Good news, good news, everything turned out fine..."

His face beamed with joy, hastily shedding his raincoat outside before striding in, his eyebrows dancing with excitement, "I found out that Landlord Lu’s concubine and Zhao Cheng suddenly sold all their lands some days ago; I heard they even duped several families out of a deposit, and the people have disappeared without a trace."

"It must be over now!"

"It should be over..."

Wang Daoxuan pondered for a moment and then nodded, "Leaving after duping money shows they aren’t leaving any paths open; those people have probably already left Guanzhong, just stay cautious and it should be fine."

No wonder they were so cautious.

Those who mixed in the pugilistic world knew that only someone of tremendous power could mobilize such a force, with several of Guanzhong’s top bandits working for them; squashing them was as easy as squashing ants.

"It’s good that it’s over."

Sha Lifei was visibly excited, "Staying in this village has been suffocating me; with your skills and my connections, Sha Lifei, why should we worry about not prospering?"

"Why don’t we just go to Chang’an?"

The three of them had already planned to partner in some business, eating from the bowl of the Mystical Sect.

With Li Yan’s cooperation, Wang Daoxuan finally dared to accept some jobs.

And Sha Lifei, with his thick-skinned and slick talking, along with a thorough understanding of various pugilistic world rules, was best suited for scouting information and taking on lucrative jobs.

Of course, feeding from the bowl of the Mystical Sect wasn’t so easy to enjoy.

Just like in the pugilistic world, you need to be well-known for people to seek you out.

"Chang’an?"

Wang Daoxuan laughed dryly, "Do you even know what Chang’an is like? It was the gathering place of the Mystical Sect during the era of the Great Tang Dynasty, filled with many remarkable and unique characters. The lone Mage from Ye family entered Chang’an and made a huge name that has been passed down through ages."

"Even though the capital has moved north, Chang’an remains a major town for the Mystical Sect."

"Mystical Sect orthodox, various Magic Veins, left-handed factions, countless formidable figures, truly a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers lie; we are utterly unqualified."

"Let’s go to Xianyang instead."

Li Yan suddenly spoke up, his gaze cold as he looked out the window.

"Master Wang’s home is in Xianyang, he’s familiar with the terrain."

"Besides, I have some matters to clarify too..."

...

Xianyang, near the City God Temple, an old street.

These shops dealing with incense and both joyous and somber occasions, unlike other businesses, all wait for customers to come, without anyone taking to the streets to shout.

"Funeral coffins for sale, buy a large one get a small one free..."

Who would dare shout like this? The shop would be smashed on the same day.

Not only that, but even speaking has its rules.

For example, if someone comes to buy a coffin, you have to ask who you are arranging it for?

Furthermore, if someone ordered a coffin, even if it’s stored for a few years, it must be well kept, and without the customer notifying, you cannot proactively deliver it.

There are also some taboos that cannot be casually violated.

As such, business on this street isn’t booming, especially these past few days with continuous drizzling rain, the familiar shopkeepers would gather together to play chess and chat.

"Hey, have you heard? Wang Daosilent has come back."

"Didn’t he die?"

"No, I heard that he went out to order coffins and just happened to have avoided a disaster."

"That coward actually got lucky."

"Not only that, but I heard he’s gotten hold of two people, these days he’s busy inquiring everywhere, trying to pick up some business."

"Heh, with his few tricks..."

The few shopkeepers on the street, their words filled with mockery.

They dealt in similar trade, somewhat insiders themselves, knowing plenty about the Mystical Sect and even having contacts with some magicians.

Helping to introduce business also allowed them to pull in a commission.

They certainly knew Wang Daoxuan was from the Mystical Sect, but their mockery was harsh.

It wasn’t due to any grudge, but rather human nature.

Mocking a down-and-out person from the Mystical Sect made them feel a refreshing delight, speaking with a bit more vigor.

Outside the storefront, a person passed by under an umbrella.

Hearing their conversation, he just gave a cold glance, not bothering to pay attention.

The newcomer was Li Yan.

Having returned to Xianyang City for about seven or eight days, they had tidied up Wang Daoxuan’s old house a bit and settled in, then started inquiring about news.

Unfortunately, the business of the Mystical Sect was not so easy to handle.

For major issues, big figures usually went directly to the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, and for lesser matters, they contacted those disciples of prominent Magic Veins.

Moreover, many villages had their own witches and wizards entrenched.

That was their territory, unless they encountered something they couldn’t handle, they wouldn’t allow outsiders to interfere, and if mishandled, it might lead to a duel.

Conflicts within the Mystical Sect were no less bloody than those in the pugilistic world.

The only difference was that they were rarely witnessed by ordinary folks.

Li Yan wasn’t in a rush, mingling everyday among various teahouses and taverns, first to find out which families had troubles, and second to gather information about Zhou Pan from the Divine Fist Association.

Within Chang’an City, the brothel where his father had died had been reduced to ashes.

Now, the only lead was the then-suspicious Zhou Pan.

But Zhou Pan was not so easy to deal with.

This old monkey not only had trained his kung fu to the level of Force Transformation, but he had influence in both the underworld and the law-abiding sectors of Xianyang City, commanded a large troop of disciples, and even the street thugs took orders from him.

To extract any information from him, the right opportunity must be found.

Lost in thought, Li Yan returned to the Wendao Temple.

"Business is coming!"

Before he even entered, he saw Sha Lifei hurrying over from the street.

Back in the small courtyard, facing the gaze of the two, Sha Lifei declared proudly, "You see, it takes me, Sha Lifei, to take action!"

"There’s a theatre troupe from Huayin planning to set up a stage in Xianyang City, inside it’s someone I know; they need help from someone in the Mystical Sect."

Li Yan’s eyes lit up, "A shadow puppetry troupe?"

Those troupes from Huayin were mostly old-style.

Old-style and Qin-style, though both originated from Guanzhong, weren’t the same thing.

Qin-style came from Western Prefecture while old-style was from Eastern Prefecture. One was traditional opera, and the other belonged to shadow puppetry.

He had seen it once in Lantian County, quite intriguing.

"Yes."

Sha Lifei nodded enthusiastically, his face animated, "This job might not offer much silver, but as you know, troupes are usually part of the Li family’s network; do this job well, wouldn’t that boost our reputation?"

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard, "Good news indeed, what do they want to do?"

Sha Lifei chuckled, "I heard they want to perform a rite to invite spirits."

Upon hearing this, Wang Daoxuan’s face suddenly changed,

"We can’t take this job!"