The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 550 - 314: Tyrant Well Ghost Stories_2

Chapter 550: Chapter 314: Tyrant Well Ghost Stories_2

It was all common singsong jargon of the pugilistic world, but by deliberately emphasizing several syllables and changing the tune, he was able to silently transmit messages.

Soon, the message arrived in a hidden chamber.

"The Well of Chu the Overlord?"

"It’s none of our business, don’t bother with it."

"This Li Yan keeps spoiling our plans over and over, he won’t be spared in the future, but for now, we can’t alert him. Is everything ready on that end?"

"Everything is arranged properly..."

"Good, be careful not to be detected by the hounds."

...

"Young Hero Li, this is the place."

The leading Government Official pointed ahead.

This area was relatively secluded with few people around, located hundreds of meters from the lakeside and nestled among several streets and alleys.

The so-called Well of Chu the Overlord was simply a stone well with a pavilion built over it, surrounded by shrines where heaps of incense ashes piled up like mountains.

Seeing this, the Government Official explained, "Young Hero Li, legend has it that Chu the Overlord split open this well, concealing dragon energy within it, hence the Dragon King of the Well was revered."

"There are rumors that this well is connected to Purple Sun Lake and East Lake, and even to the Yangtze River, yet no matter how high the lake waters rise, the water level in the well always remains the same, so the locals worship the Dragon King of the Well all year round..."

"The Dragon King of the Well?"

Li Yan stepped forward a few paces, looking into the well, only to see pitch darkness within, and without using Divine Skills, he could smell a foul odor.

The stench was peculiar, not like the decay of fish or shrimp, but more like the fishy smell of river sediment.

He turned the windlass to draw up a bucket of water.

As expected, the water was extremely murky and filled with silt.

The Government Official clicked his tongue and commented, "If you ask me, it’s just a shift in the underground water channels that brought in the riverbed mud. The common folk don’t understand and just spread rumors wildly."

Li Yan, however, shook his head, "If it were merely a change in water channels, there would be no need to call on me to investigate by the Baotong Zen Temple."

As he spoke, he formed a spell with his hands and took a deep breath.

Various scents rushed into his nostrils, indeed, there was a faint trace of Yin Qi lingering, which would have remained undetected without fully exerting Divine Skills.

Li Yan’s brow furrowed as he addressed the Government Official, "Please find some locals from around here; I have some questions for them."

The officials were experienced in handling such matters and quickly gathered a few elderly men and women.

This place was far from the shore, hence the residents were just ordinary folk.

Seeing them tremble and wobble, Li Yan consoled, "Do not be afraid, everyone. I have been entrusted by the Baotong Zen Temple to deal with this matter."

Hearing mention of the Baotong Zen Temple, the old men and women visibly relaxed.

"When did the well water become muddy?"

"Replying to your honor, it happened about half a month ago."

"Were there any signs at the time?"

"This... When we woke up, the well water had turned muddy. The court sent people to investigate, and the wealthy families even summoned Duan Gong to perform rituals, but no causes were found."

Just then, an old man hesitated and said, "Your honor, I did notice something unusual."

"My health isn’t good, so I have to get up numerous times in the night, hardly able to sleep. I remember that night, it seemed like I heard a beast roaring from underground, but it was just a single roar."

"Could it be, the Dragon King of the Well giving a warning?"

Upon hearing this, a nearby Government Official hastily rebuked, "Old man, don’t talk nonsense!"

Turning to Li Yan, he clasped his hands and said, "Young Hero Li, all sorts of nonsense rumors these days, there’s even one saying the actual body of Chu the Overlord is buried underneath. Isn’t that absurd?"

He sounded rather impatient.

This crowd of old men and women, idle and with nothing better to do, enjoyed fabricating all sorts of tall tales, many of which were their own creations.

The old man became agitated, "I heard it with my own ears, how can it be nonsense?"

The Government Official scolded, "Then why did only you hear it? Are all the others deaf? You must have been confused in the middle of the night..."

The other locals shook their heads and said, "We didn’t hear anything."

"This..."

The old man looked aggrieved but said no more.

"Enough noise, everyone."

Li Yan stopped the commotion and then asked the Government Official, "Hasn’t the court summoned a Magician to investigate this?"

By Magician, he naturally wasn’t referring to common witches and wizards.

The Government Official whispered, "It’s said that an expert from the Prince Mansion came to look as well, but they didn’t discover anything either. They only mentioned the possibility of the water channels changing direction."

"Hmm."

Li Yan nodded slightly, thoughtful.

It was entirely possible that this could happen. Ezhou, being a land of a thousand lakes, had an extremely rich underground water network with countless tributaries. It was quite normal for water courses to change.

If it somehow connected to a certain lake, then it would draw the Yin Evil Qi from beneath the water, which would lead to such a situation.

Of course, to prevent himself from misjudging the situation, Li Yan still made a hand seal and slightly hooked his little finger.

Swoosh!

Instantly, a Grass Spirit Paper Man flew out from the pouch at his waist, fluttering up and down in the air before diving into the well.

The spectacle left the surrounding townsfolk with their eyes wide.

This was true Mystical Sect magic.

What they usually saw were mostly charlatans performing tricks, but when had they ever witnessed such skills?

Li Yan couldn’t be bothered with their reactions, his eyes tightly closed.

The Grass Spirit Paper Man excelled at exploration; even in complete darkness inside, he could see everything clearly.

The Chu the Overlord Well was indeed very ancient. The walls around the well were stacked with bluish stones, mottled with patches of moss.

The water level was about five or six meters from the surface, and embedded in the well’s wall was a stone shrine, clearly very old, half submerged in the murky, foul water.

Inside the shrine, there was a Divine Statue with a dragon’s head on a human body, dressed in official attire, and it had no unusual aura.

But, on the head of the Divine Statue, there were several cracks that seemed to have appeared only recently.

Beyond that, nothing else was found.

Li Yan frowned, released his hand seal, and the Grass Spirit Paper Man instantly burst into flames, turning to ashes and falling into the water.

Then, Li Yan opened his eyes, turned, and asked, "This well’s Dragon King, how long have you worshipped it?"

One of the elderly men replied, "According to our ancestors, it has been worshipped since the Tang and Song Dynasties. The tradition was once interrupted due to wars, but in peaceful times, the local residents would offer regular worship."

"Oh."

Li Yan glanced at the well again, thoughtful.

Inside, there was indeed a Well Dragon King, but it was not true Dragon Energy; it was a Mortal God born from the longstanding worship by the people, somewhat similar to the Earth Spirit.

Such Mortal Gods were generally harmless, feeding on the incense offered, at most keeping the water quality clear and driving away the Yin Evil Qi.

It appeared now that the change in the underground water veins likely caused the Well Dragon King to dissipate, thus allowing the Yin Evil Qi to rise.

Of course, this was just his speculation.

If there were any real issues, his current Mysterious Water Escape Technique was insufficient to traverse through the water veins.

Thinking this, Li Yan shook his head and said, "It’s very likely due to the water vein changing course. It might take several more months or half a year before the water quality returns to normal."

"Did you hear that?"

The Government Official spoke up quickly, "This is a true master speaking. How can you not believe what he says? Don’t spread nonsense anymore..."

What Li Yan didn’t notice was when the Grass Spirit Paper Man turned to ashes and fell into the water, its lingering essence kept sinking.

Suddenly, a current swirled in the murky water, drawing the ashes and essence deep into the water veins.

In a dark corner, a pair of huge, icy eyes slowly opened...

"Alright, that’s enough!"

After chastising the crowd, the leading Government Official dispersed the townsfolk and turned to Li Yan with a smile, "Young Hero Li, let’s be on our way. I know a place where the donkey meat is really something special..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Li Yan suddenly felt his hair stand on end and whirled around.

Whoosh~

From within the well, a plume of black smoke burst forth, rolling in the air amidst terrifying energy that chilled everyone to the bone.

Li Yan’s eyes widened in shock.

This aura, he had smelled it before. It was the same mysterious giant creature from that lake on his way to Boji Dunn!

Before he could react, the black smoke howled towards him, plunging straight into the mouth of the Government Official.

"Young Hero Li, this, this..."

The scene terrified the surrounding officials, causing them to tremble.

The possessed Government Official, on the other hand, lowered his head, stood on his tiptoes, and made gurgling noises in his throat, producing rasping sounds.

"Don’t move!"

Li Yan quickly stopped the crowd and, with a bow, said, "Senior Yin God has appeared. May I inquire as to why you have come?"

He knew that this creature was related to the mysterious Yunzhongjun Temple and was very advanced in its Dao. If it were angered, they were all going to suffer.

Its sudden appearance must have had a reason.

Sure enough, after the Government Official became accustomed to the possession, he spoke in a stiff tone, "Call... that boy... have matters... to trade..."

Li Yan instantly understood; the creature wanted to find Lv San!

They passed through crowded streets and headed straight for the southwest corner.