The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 356 - 223: Green Forest Longxiang Army_2

Chapter 356: Chapter 223: Green Forest Longxiang Army_2

"Old ghost?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, "What’s the story with that person?"

Another beggar shook his head, "We’ve never heard of such a person in the pugilistic world."

As he spoke, it seemed he recalled something and quickly added, "Right, when he first arrived at the poor settlements, Master Snake knelt on the ground and called him ’General,’ changing his address shortly after."

"General?" Beside him, Lei Zhen appeared contemplative.

Li Yan, however, was utterly confused.

He knew who "Master Snake" was—the leader of the beggars heading west in Yichang City, skilled in some snake enchantment techniques. However, both his spells and martial arts were mediocre.

If it weren’t for the city’s beggars needing someone to manage them, collect filthy soil, and handle other dirty tasks, the Beggar Gang would have been wiped out long ago.

But calling someone a general, that was problematic...

Just then, Yu Lingzi, accompanied by several Daoists rushed over, having been informed by the Protector of the Family that had gone to the City God Temple.

The City God Temple was responsible for protecting the city, especially from the forces of the Mystical Sect and various Evil Spirits.

It was not yet midnight, and someone was daring to extensively use spells to attack major families in the city; naturally, the City God Temple had to investigate.

"Young Hero Li, why are you here too?"

Seeing Li Yan, Yu Lingzi looked rather astonished.

How come he had just arrived at noon, and trouble had already found him in the evening?

Upon understanding the situation, the old Daoist was even more surprised, "Mrs. Yan’s matter, I have also heard of it; it’s those Tusi causing trouble..."

"This is going to be troublesome."

Encountering someone from the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, Li Yan felt no need to hide and spoke, "The spell comes from the ’Eternal Immortal Vault,’ started by some Evil Cultivators who sought refuge with those Tusi."

"There’s still such a thing!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Lingzi’s headache intensified, and he resignedly said, "Forget it, forget it, we’ll talk about this later. What’s going on tonight?"

Li Yan replied gravely, "Those people from the Zhu Family Castle’s phosphate mine showed up."

Naturally, he wouldn’t mention the "Thunderclap Fire Scripture" and the new gunpowder, so he played a trick, only revealing part of the situation.

"Oh?"

Yu Lingzi’s expression turned solemn, "The Captain Bureau is also investigating this group secretly, suspecting that they are linked to the Heavenly Saint Sect, but also without any clue."

"Did you catch the beggar chief from the west?"

A government official aiding them inquired, bowing respectfully, "Reply to Daoist, when the Captain Bureau’s people arrived, he had already fled. They are deploying trackers now; he likely escaped through the smaller East Gate and went up the mountain."

"We also found out that this ’Master Snake’ used to be with the Longxiang Army..."

"What?!"

Yu Lingzi and Lei Zhen standing beside him both changed their expressions drastically, even Yan Boyear’s gaze turned grave.

Li Yan frowned, "What is the Longxiang Army?"

Yan Boyear said solemnly, "The remnants of the previous dynasty!"

"A hundred years ago, when the Great Xuan was established, the remnants of the former dynasty were still active, trying to restore their rule. They hid in various provinces, sometimes becoming bandits in the mountains, sometimes mingling in the pugilistic world to raise funds."

"The Captain Bureau was initially established to deal with them."

"This faction in Hubei called themselves the ’Longxiang Army,’ hiding in Yundu Green Forest, gathering numerous bandits, quite powerful. Yet, they were cunning, never revealing their identities outside."

"Only twenty years ago during the rebellion at the Northern Border did the Longxiang Army officially reveal their flag, causing destruction everywhere, later dispersed by the Hubei defending army."

"Now it seems they’ve just hidden in the shadows."

Li Yan was somewhat speechless, "These are hundred-year-old issues, the old people from back then have long died; why are there still those thinking about restoring the country?"

"That’s unknown."

Yu Lingzi sighed and, unable to do anything else, advised, "Young Hero Li, matters concerning the Longxiang Army, the Captain Bureau will surely pursue closely, likely too busy to trouble you."

"Current Yichang City is full of demons and monsters; my head hurts thinking about it. If you pity this old Daoist, please help more, otherwise if the public becomes unsettled, the consequences are unimaginable..."

"Rest assured, Daoist."

Li Yan bowed, "We will go to the City God Temple tomorrow."

As it involved the remnants of the previous dynasty, naturally the Captain Bureau would handle it. After Yu Lingzi spoke a few comforting platitudes, he hurriedly left.

There were indeed too many troublesome matters in Yichang City.

Gazing at his departing figure, Lei Zhen suddenly smiled, "Brother Yan, this kid is not being honest. I distinctly heard that old beggar say he took something from the Longxiang Army, yet he kept silent about it."

Yan Bonian sighed, "This Young Hero Li is a man of integrity, he surely wouldn’t commit evil deeds, but at such a young age, facing such turmoil, it truly is..."

"There’s no need for Brother Yan to worry."

Lei Zhen laughed, "I see this kid is also a ruthless and cunning one, brave and clever enough to turn danger into safety."

"Besides, the path of the pugilistic world is full of bloody storms, who hasn’t fought their way through."

"You should get some rest early, I will gather the Divine Fist Association tomorrow morning and have a thorough cleanup of Yichang City..."

...

Due to the Array, the chaos at Yan’s house was not too intense.

Li Yan returned to the Changfeng Inn, and Sha Lifei and the others hadn’t gone to sleep yet; he gathered them all in his room and explained the situation.

"Remnants of the former dynasty?"

Sha Lifei was startled and shook his head, "Well, once the world becomes chaotic, all sorts of monsters and demons emerge."

"The Green Mountain isn’t very large; they mostly fled to the Jing Chu Mountain area, hiding among the refugee villages to survive until now. It’s possible they had a hand in this rebellion."

"What should we do in response?"

Some matters are just like this, unknown enemies are more terrifying; knowing who the enemy is significantly eases their minds.

Li Yan spoke sternly, "They manufacture firearms, mostly for the southwestern conflict; we cannot surrender the items to them."

"They’re busy contending with the court and being pursued by the Captain Bureau; they can’t possibly send many people here."

"In that case, let’s go all out and kill them!"

"Kill them so painfully that they dare not send more people."

Li Yan spoke these words with confidence.

Within the Hook Paper were six Astral Orders, and three thousand Yin Department Army soldiers—a common City God Temple could easily be dispersed by them.

Of course, preparations still had to be made.

"Brother Lü, your eagle will have to work hard starting tomorrow, always scouting for enemy movements to prevent sneak attacks..."

"Uncle Sha, how’s your item coming along?"

"Don’t worry, with Brother Lü and me working together, we fear nothing. It’s just that the medicine powder the chubby one sent is a bit scarce, without it, magicians can easily detect us."

"I remember it requires ’rock monkey fur’ and ’lichen,’ right? Tomorrow, when we go to the City God Temple, we’ll see if we can get some there..."

The group discussed strategies against the enemies until the time of the tiger.

...

The next morning, the sky was a bit gloomy.

Before even stepping out, accompanied by several rumbles of thunder, a light rain began to drizzle down, making Yichang City appear even more humid.

Seeing this, Li Yan’s heart lightened.

This sunless weather meant that even during the day, the summoning of yin soldiers for battle was nothing to fear.

The City God Temple was nearby, so the group didn’t bother with bamboo hats or raincoats, instead, they just took umbrellas and went to the City God Temple.

They saw that the collapsed half of the temple wall had been largely repaired, but due to the rain, the workers were not active.

"Is it Young Hero Li?"

Under the eaves of a side door, a young Taoist appeared to be taking shelter from the rain and quickly inquired upon seeing them, clearly having been instructed by Yu Lingzi.

Following the Taoist into the City God Temple, Li Yan felt even more keenly.

The strength of Yichang’s City God Temple was far inferior to that of Chang’an, not only had all the experts been transferred away, but even the scale of the social order troops was not large.

Yu Lingzi had already come out to greet him, and seeing Li Yan look towards the main hall, he immediately knew what he was thinking and helplessly shook his head,

"Military forces are not something you can have as many as you wish. Firstly, there has to be a source and secondly, they must be manageable and affordable."

"The Magic Veins forces here are formidable; their Ancestor Altar troops outnumber ours. If public sentiment is unstable and the temple’s incense is affected, even these few troops might be unsustainable."

Seeing this, Li Yan reassured, "Once the court suppresses the rebellion and reforms the administration, the situation will surely improve."

Yu Lingzi was taken aback, his response profound, "Young Hero Li knows quite a lot."

Some things, it’s better not to discuss too openly.

Yu Lingzi immediately changed the subject, "Please follow me, gentlemen; the matter of that village is most urgent right now."

"Young Hero Li is remarkably insightful; perhaps you could resolve this issue..."