The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 403 - 246 Headless Knight

Chapter 403: Chapter 246 Headless Knight

"You guys, do you have a death wish?"

Sha Lifei was immediately displeased. People in the pugilistic world were particularly superstitious about this. When they swore brotherhood, they would burn yellow paper and behead a chicken in front of Guan Yu’s statue, so who would want to hear such words?

Even Wang Daoxuan’s face turned unsightly.

"Please don’t misunderstand..."

The merchant leader was sweating on his forehead, hurriedly explaining, "I am also a person of the pugilistic world, how would I dare to offend Emperor Guan? In fact, this matter has already been widely circulated."

Li Yan squinted his eyes slightly, "Make it clear, what’s really going on?"

The merchant leader spoke with a bitter face, "This matter, I did not personally witness it, only heard it mentioned by others."

"Rumor has it that after Emperor Guan was buried, his body and head were separated, making it difficult to rest in peace. His spirit wandered around Yuquan Temple at Fuchuan Mountain every night, crying, ’Return my head, return my head,’ causing panic throughout Dangyang County."

"Later, the abbot of Yuquan Temple advised Guan Emperor, saying that in life, he took countless heads and souls under his blade, ever thought about them? After hearing this, Guan Emperor felt deeply ashamed, and from then on, his soul returned to the tomb and no longer caused trouble."

"That’s utter nonsense!"

Even the honest Wang Daoxuan was enraged, "The Buddhist sect was introduced during the Han Dynasty and was called the Futu Sect at the time. Yuquan Temple was built in the Sui Dynasty. How could they possibly have authority over Emperor Guan?"

"This..."

The merchant leader was about to cry, "I am uneducated; I only know what the locals say. I hope you can forgive my ignorance."

Li Yan shook his head slightly and said seriously, "Go on."

"I only heard it through hearsay."

The merchant leader offered another explanation before continuing, "A few days ago, a series of murders occurred in Dangyang County. People were often decapitated while walking at night."

"The county constable set a trap for the murderer, but that night, a Headless Knight suddenly appeared out of the fog. Wearing a green robe, wielding Guan’s Blade, and riding a crimson horse, he beheaded several constables in a row."

"After that, the Headless Knight shouted, ’Return my head,’ and disappeared into the thick mist."

Sha Lifei cursed, "That sounds like some villain from the Green Forest Road causing trouble, daring to impersonate Guan Yu, aren’t they afraid of shortening their lifespan!"

The merchant leader smiled bitterly, "The constables initially suspected the same thing, as indignantly as you all."

"You probably don’t understand, the people of Dangyang hold a Guan Emperor temple fair every May 13th, known as the ’Single Blade Fair.’ It’s rumored that this day is the birthday of Emperor Guan."

"This place also has the large Guan clan, descendants leftover from when Emperor Guan guarded Jingzhou. Every Single Blade Fair, the surrounding people, officials, and celebrities come to offer tributes, making it a significant event in Dangyang."

"With such incidents occurring, everyone in Dangyang cursed and swore to find the culprit and offer their head as tribute at Guan Ling."

"However, what happened afterward became rather mysterious."

"Dangyang has Purple Cover Mountain Grotto Heaven, a Blessed Land rumored to be where Ge Xianweng cultivates. They immediately sent a magician to investigate."

"They also managed to corner that Headless Knight, but in front of everyone’s eyes, he vanished mysteriously."

"Furthermore, during this time, Guan Ling has frequently been struck by lightning. The forest behind the tomb has lost all its treetops. This rumor has become even more sensational."

"The Guan family has already offered a high reward, and it’s said that some witches and wizards have already gone to investigate."

"Lightning?"

When Li Yan heard this, both he and Wang Daoxuan’s expressions turned serious.

If some demons used an Illusion Technique with an Escape Skill, they could come and go without a trace, but if ’lightning’ was involved, it was not so simple.

Lightning is a transformation of Yin and Yang, repelling all evil. Even Taixuan Orthodox Sect would have to set up a large magic platform and have many masters act together, even calculating the timing.

Ordinary magicians in the pugilistic world could not achieve this.

"I only heard it as hearsay, please excuse me."

The merchant leader cupped his hands, then shrank to the side to light a campfire with his subordinates, not daring to provoke them further.

Boom!

At that moment, another rumble of thunder sounded outside.

The conversation was unpleasant, and neither side had the heart to continue, so they each lit a campfire, ate some dry food, wrapped themselves in clothes, and went to sleep.

The storm came and went quickly.

In less than one hour, the sky no longer had thunder, but it was still dark as ink, and the rain showed no signs of stopping.

By night, the rain had gathered into a mountain torrent, rushing down both sides of the Mountain God Temple, washing over the mountain road below.

At times like these, everyone dared not sleep deeply and remained vigilant, ready to evacuate in the rain at the first sign of danger.

Fortunately, in the second half of the night, the storm gradually subsided.

Before dawn, this merchant team lit torches, hurried the mule carts, and swiftly left along the muddy road.

If they got trapped in the mountains, all of these goods would be ruined.

Li Yan and others also packed their bags, took another mountain path down, and after an hour of trekking, they finally reached the plains.

The terrain of Dangyang County was high in the northwest and low in the southeast.

They had come over the hills from Yichang, and after descending the mountain, they could see Dangyang County in the distance. It was not large, with fields crisscrossing the surroundings and many mountain villages scattered around.

However, the weather was still poor.

The sky was overcast, like ink poured and spreading, enveloping all of Dangyang County, inexplicably giving rise to a sense of oppression.

Sha Lifei spoke, "I’ve asked around, Guan Ling is in the northwest of Dangyang, Yuquan Mountain Temple is in the southwest, and Purple Cover Mountain Grotto Heaven is in the southeast, where shall we go first?"

Li Yan pondered for a moment, "On Purple Cover Mountain, something went wrong at the Taixuan Orthodox Sect’s Daoist Field, and I thought that was it, but now there’s also this Headless Knight causing trouble. It may not be that simple behind the scenes."

"Let’s not rush; we’ll first settle in the county, gather some information, and then decide how to proceed."