The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 348 - 219: The Predicament of the City God Temple

Chapter 348: Chapter 219: The Predicament of the City God Temple

"What happened?"

Li Yan frowned slightly, unable to resist asking.

The City God Temple—what kind of place is that? It’s where the military stays, the site of the Great Xuan Dynasty’s state sacrifices.

In all the provinces under heaven, even in Yue Province where the Magic Veins are most prosperous, the City God Temple suppresses the land, though the Magic Veins manage the Cave Heaven Blessed Land.

His face changed slightly as he formed the Yang Jue with his hands.

The incense within the City God Temple was somewhat disarrayed.

The Divine Astral from inside gave him a feeling that not even Chang’an, Yunyang, or some small cities they passed could match!

Could it be that the City God Temple had suffered a disaster since this was the frontline of a war?

Yu Lingzi’s expression was a bit awkward, "This... it’s a long story, let’s first settle down before discussing."

Li Yan and the others exchanged looks and silently became alert.

The guesthouse wasn’t far, just one street away from the City God Temple.

In any city in the Divine State, a guesthouse located in such a bustling area wouldn’t be of low quality; the big common lodges were usually on the outskirts of the city.

This was a large guesthouse with three sections, all two-storied buildings, made of blue bricks and ancient tiles with wooden carved railings, exuding an ancient charm.

The huge signboard boldly declared "Changfeng Guesthouse."

At the entrance, apart from some richly dressed merchants, numerous officials, and even military colonels, were constantly coming and going.

Seeing this, Li Yan’s eyebrows knitted together momentarily.

This guesthouse must have connections with the government office; those from the pugilistic world typically avoided staying in such places.

Different paths could lead to disputes and trouble.

"Please be assured," Yu Lingzi, seeing this, whispered with a small smile, "I have registered under the name of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect; no one should trouble you."

"And anyway, this guesthouse is the safest in Yichang City right now..."

"Oh?"

Li Yan caught the undertone in his words and refrained from speaking further.

A guesthouse that could accommodate court officials had very perceptive attendants; they were well-dressed and had already come out to greet them while they were still outside.

"Daoist, the rooms are ready."

"As per your instructions, a banquet has been prepared."

"Please follow me."

The enthusiastic attendant led them to the backyard.

The backyard had a layout like no other; a rock garden and flower pond were in the center, flanked by soaring trees, and surrounded by two-storied pavilions. While not standalone, it was elegant and serene.

Beside the rockery in the courtyard was a cool pavilion, where several officials were drinking tea and chatting. They seemed relaxed, but each wore a serious expression.

Upon seeing the group enter, they immediately ceased their conversation and gave a slight bow of acknowledgment to Yu Lingzi, clearly recognizing each other.

Yu Lingzi probably knew about their circumstances; he directly booked four interconnected rooms.

Though the rooms were not large, they were clean and tidy, just slightly inferior to the standard of the Jiangzhe Chamber of Commerce in Yunyang City.

Hardly had the group settled their luggage when someone set up the round table and arranged the seats, serving eight cold and eight hot dishes, various pastries, and a pot of aged rice wine—all very exquisite.

"Please enjoy your meal."

The attendant smiled, "If you gentlemen need hot water, just give a shout, and someone will bring it."

With that, he carefully closed the door behind him as he left.

"Come, please," Yu Lingzi immediately picked up a cup of wine and said with a broad smile, "You’ve all come from afar, it has been a hard journey; please drink up this cup."

"Thank you, elder."

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Yan couldn’t concentrate on the food and directly clasped his fists, "We’re merely unnamed low ranks. I’m humbled by such hospitality, elder. Please speak frankly if there’s something you want to address."

"You jest," Yu Lingzi shook his head slightly, "Your names are quite famous now; ’Iron Corpse’ Nong Da and Demon Monk Gama both fell at your hands. These are not feats just anyone could achieve."

Li Yan was confused, "Who are they?"

Yu Lingzi was briefly startled, then stroked his beard and laughed heartily, "Those two, if they knew they died at the hands of Young Hero Li and were still considered unnamed low ranks, they would probably be furious enough to pop their coffin lids."

"’Iron Corpse’ Nong Da is the barbarian Magician you killed on Azure Dragon Mountain. Originally a corpse driver from Xiangxi, he used corpse driving as a cover to secretly ambush merchant teams, resulting in a warrant from the Law Enforcement Hall."

"He fled to the Jing Chu Mountain region for refuge and colluded with the pugilistic world’s scum and evil Magicians there, also using his master’s old zombie to commit several major crimes and building a serious criminal reputation."

"This man had joined the Heavenly Saint Sect, his old zombie could release Corpse Poison. Fortunately, he died at your hands; otherwise, were the court army to enter the forest, who knows how many soldiers would suffer..."

"As for Demon Monk Gama, he is who you slew at the Zhu Family Castle phosphate mine, originally a secret monk from the Tubo’s Red Sect, who later caused troubles and fled to the Central Plains to behave recklessly, similarly pursued by the Law Enforcement Hall."

"Later, he was not sure which power he sought refuge under, vanishing for several years, but ultimately, he too died at your hands..."

"Oh, so that’s how it is."

After hearing this, Li Yan suddenly understood.

He had long felt that those two were no ordinary men, but unfortunately, both had weaknesses—one was blown to pieces by explosives, and the other was burned to a crisp by a Netherworld Fire Pistol.

Without assistance, it would not have been so easy to kill them.

It seemed there was more to them than he thought.

As for Yu Lingzi knowing about this so quickly, Li Yan wasn’t surprised at all; both the Taixuan Orthodox Sect and the court had pigeon post communication.

Especially with crucial intelligence, which could cover the entire prefecture in just a few days, especially during wartime.

Recalling what he had observed along the way, Li Yan had his suspicions and asked gravely, "Daoist, is the situation in Yichang not very good?"

"More than just not good."

Yu Lingzi did not hide his troubles and directly began to vent.

"Yichang’s location is somewhat awkward. Although our Taixuan Orthodox Sect is orthodox and occupies the City God Temple, handling all major sacrifices, the common folk mainly follow the Magic Veins."

"Our manpower was already insufficient, and to deal with the unrest in Jing Chu Mountain, all the capable hands were pulled away, leaving us even more strapped."

"The situation now is delicate; various covert agents have converged on Yichang, including magicians under the Tusi, and the court relies more on a few local Magic Veins to suppress the situation."

"The chaos in Hubei is evident, and acts of mischief by demons frequently occur. Although the Magic Veins also keep a part of the region peaceful, as per the rules, these cases are reported to the Yichang government office and then sent to the City God Temple."

"Our manpower is limited; how can we handle it all?"

"You’re also aware that the relationship between the Magic Veins and our orthodox sect is delicate, and they also have some unbreakable ties with the local Tusi, which makes it even more awkward for us, Taixuan Orthodox Sect."

"Since it concerns regional stability, this old face of mine isn’t that important. I have repeatedly hosted banquets for the local Magic Veins, asking them to control the various evil spirits during this period as much as possible."

"Even so, the situation in the Southwest is increasingly grim, and some villains are taking the opportunity to cause trouble, using evil techniques to sway public opinion and attempt to overthrow the nation."

"These have been the usual tactics of the Maitreya Evil Sect. Once there is significant disaster and chaos, and the court and orthodoxy cannot stabilize people’s hearts, the civilians will seek help from the worship of the Evil Gods, eventually breeding great calamities."

Saying this, he added with a bitter smile, "Honestly, on your way here, you also saw it. Do you know who destroyed the City God Temple?"

Li Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly, "Evil sect demons?"

"Not exactly."

Yu Lingzi sighed, "It was destroyed by the people from a nearby village."

"Spring planting is currently underway, and the rice seedlings they planted died overnight, which is rare and not due to water sources."

"A junior brother of mine went to investigate but could not find the reason. The village is poor and could not gather enough money to hire the Magic Veins. After several replantings, the rice seedlings kept dying."

"Some demon spread rumors that the die-off of the rice was due to the court’s immorality. The villagers smashed the Land God Temple and were incited to attack the City God Temple."

"Given your group’s evident strength, Young Hero Li, with your esteemed status and good relationship with the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, now that you are in Yichang, I had no choice but to come over and ask for help thick-faced."

"You joke, Senior."

Li Yan did not refuse and said with a salute, "Although our strength is modest, the world is currently in chaos, and naturally, we will contribute our efforts."

Their journey to the Southwest was precisely to drive out demons and amass virtue through experience, also to utilize the resources of Wudang Mountain for cultivation.

Moreover, influenced by Wang Daoxuan, even without any benefits, encountering someone harming others with evil skills, they would not stand by idly.

"Excellent! Your group truly follows the righteous path."

Yu Lingzi was overjoyed upon hearing this, as the situation in Yichang City now relied not on the Magic Veins, but on these loose cultivators who had good relations with the orthodox sect.

Li Yan’s team was just one of them.

Of course, he would not short-change them for their services.

"Gentlemen."

Yu Lingzi smiled and said, "The matters of Azure Dragon Mountain and the phosphate mine will both have True Martial Orders, and the bounties for those two demons will also be given to you."

"In times of crisis, true human feelings are revealed, rest assured, our Wudang’s Zhenwu Palace will definitely not treat you unfairly."

"The village matter is the most urgent; although the individuals involved have been detained by the court, public sentiment is unstable and needs to be quickly stabilized."

"You can rest assured, Senior. But we also have another matter in Yichang, and after we finish it, we will head to the City God Temple to find you."

"That will also be good."

After promising considerable benefits, Yu Lingzi finally rose to take his leave.

Looking at his departing figure, Wang Daoxuan couldn’t help but shake his head, "The world is indeed in chaos. I have never seen the Taixuan Orthodox Sect this anxious in all my years."

"Brother Yan, you go ahead to the Yancheng Mansion. I need to stay in the inn to prepare. The matter of that village, I’ve seen it once in Jiao State as well. If it’s as I suspect, it might be problematic..."

Li Yan nodded thoughtfully and then said, "Uncle Sha, Brother Lü, Yichang is dangerous. You two stay in the inn to protect the Daoist. Do not go out alone."

"Don’t worry; I understand."

Sha Lifei got the message.

They had seized the Thunderclap Fire Scripture, and to this day, it was unknown which power held it. With the enemy in the dark and us in the light, they must be extra cautious.

After giving more instructions, Li Yan changed into clean clothes, got his things ready, and left the inn.

Yancheng Mansion was a major household in Yichang. He found out the location from the inn’s errand boy and headed alone towards the north of the city.

Behind him, at a street corner, an old beggar pulling an erhu slowly lifted his head, his pupils turning a bloody hue...