The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 359 - 225: Storm in Xiling Gorge

Chapter 359: Chapter 225: Storm in Xiling Gorge

"Sir, we are being wronged."

The man called Cheng San, with snot and tears running down his face, said, "After the incident in the fields, people were uneasy, and subsequently, some said they had dreamt of a Taoist."

"I often travel to Yichang to deliver goods and originally suspected someone was playing tricks, intending to report it to the authorities in Yichang."

"Why didn’t you go?"

"Because that very night, I also dreamt of that Daoist."

"Oh?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, "What did the person look like?"

The man hesitated for a long time upon hearing this but still gritted his teeth and said, "I have seen him, and he looks exactly like the Divine Statue in the temple of Three Lus Doctor!"

"Nonsense!"

The county government’s arrest officer’s complexion changed drastically when he heard this.

The man was also startled and repeatedly kowtowed, "I truly haven’t spoken nonsense, if not for this, how would the common people dare to smash the Divine Temple?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, keenly noticing something amiss, "Your village is under the jurisdiction of Zigui County. After the incident, why didn’t you go to the county government? Instead, you thought of going to Yichang?"

After hearing this, the man did not dare to speak and could only nod meekly.

Sha Lifei was an old hand and, upon seeing the demeanor of the man, roughly guessed what was happening, chuckling, "You’re not even afraid of Ghost Gods, could you still be afraid of people?"

Having been in the cell for a few days, the man was already on the verge of a breakdown. At this, he could hardly contain himself and said bitterly, "At least Ghost Gods follow some rules, but when people turn malicious, they are utterly unreasonable!"

"The county government of Zigui County, from top to bottom, is corrupt through and through. The common people have long been filled with grievances, which is why they think Three Lus Doctor is seeking justice for us."

"Moreover, I’ve also heard that they have occupied salt mines in the mountains and are selling private salt to the locals for profit..."

Upon hearing this, the county government’s arrest officer’s face turned even paler, and he angrily rebuked, "How dare you spread rumors and nonsense?"

Li Yan casually glanced over, "The man has only heard about it, what’s the matter, aren’t people even allowed to speak now?"

"What’s the hurry?"

"I..."

The arrest officer’s face was a picture of frustration, he ordered men to take the man back to the cell, then hesitated before bowing and saying, "Gentlemen, I only mean well for you. We can investigate the case, but don’t provoke that County Magistrate of Zigui."

Li Yan looked surprised and glanced at the former Hundred Households.

Interesting, the Captain Bureau is tasked with monitoring officials, yet this county government arrest officer dares to plainly speak such words. What sort of backing does the other side have?

Yet the former Hundred Households remained expressionless as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

Li Yan narrowed his eyes and decided not to waste any more words, instructing the jailer to call the other villagers for questioning.

As expected, these villagers all dreamt of the Daoist.

Each one spoke with certainty, claiming it was Three Lus Doctor, some even cursed outright, saying that Three Lus Doctor would not let these corrupt officials off the hook.

After being wrongfully cursed at length, Li Yan, however, did not get angry. He turned his head and calmly said, "Hundred Households Sir, what do you think?"

"This matter is not simple."

The former Hundred Households appeared contemplative and began, "Ever since Three Lus Doctor passed away, the common people have conducted nonstop annual worship. The fifth day of the fifth month was originally the Ghost Festival of Chu State, but now it has become the Dragon Boat Festival."

"In the vicinity of Yichang, there are countless folk tales about Three Lus Doctor. Some say they saw him reciting poetry by the river, some say he turned into a divine being, helping the common people rid themselves of misfortune, and many believe it."

"That demon chose Erbei Bay to cause trouble, clearly intending to stir up the public and incite chaos; it’s most likely related to the recent rebellion."

"Oh."

Li Yan nodded slightly, saying nothing more...

...

The people from the Captain Bureau obviously came prepared.

Upon arriving at the ferry, a wooden boat was already waiting for them.

This flatboat wasn’t very big, and it fell far short of "Fast Ship Zhang’s", also looking rather worn-out, and it was indistinguishable from the other boats nearby.

The boatmen were not from the Captain Bureau, but they clearly recognized the former Hundred Households. With a simple nod, they immediately set off from the ferry.

Lv San waved his hand, and his hawk soared into the air.

Although a fine drizzle covered the river, the hawk showed no fear, diving and swooping through the misty rain.

The former Hundred Households seemed unsurprised by this, smiling, "This must be Mr. Lv San, indeed formidable."

Clearly, he had gathered information on Li Yan and the others.

Lv San didn’t even look at him, nor did he respond.

Earlier, the former Hundred Households had seemed genuine when he talked about wanting to do a meritorious deed to secure better compensation for his comrades, and everyone was secretly impressed, but his demeanor completely changed inside the cell, making it difficult to judge whether he was good or evil.

Of course, they also knew that things were much more complicated in the world of officialdom.

Officials protecting one another, nepotism—it has always been like that, the principle of prioritizing justice over family loyalty, fairness and integrity—not everyone can achieve that.

But this was just Lv San’s nature; if he didn’t respect someone, he simply didn’t.

Especially his years-long struggles with the County Magistrate Qiao Sanhu had made him quite disdainful of those in the government.

On the wooden boat, there was a cabin, but it was very crude, merely a makeshift shelter made of wooden poles and a grass mat.

The fine rain over the river only provided minimal cover.

Li Yan observed the rear without making a sound.

Yichang’s ferry was a vital throat for Ba Shu, hence extremely busy, so even though it was close to the dangerous Three Gorges, there were many ships.

At least a dozen followed them from the ferry, ranging from grain transport ships to passenger boats of various sizes.

Li Yan knew that among them were definitely hands from the Captain Bureau.

Their ability to stay hidden was not bad, either.

He could not tell which boat they were on.

At this thought, Li Yan’s mind stirred, and he asked, "Mr. Yuan, how can you be so certain that those people will definitely come after us?"

Mr. Yuan smiled and said, "The Beggar Gang in the west of Yichang City are secret agents of the Longxiang Army. If a battle breaks out in the future and they suddenly strike, Yichang City might very well fall."

"Such important agents, the Longxiang Army would not hesitate to expose them in advance just to trouble you, Young Hero Li. They surely won’t just let it go."