Chapter 257: Rat Immortals!
Night shrouded the mountain forest, with the moonlight falling in mottled patches. The wind rustled through the leaves, dense branches swaying slowly beneath the moonlight. Amid the deathly silence and darkness, the occasional cry of a night owl could be heard.
Flap, flap, flap!
Forest birds scattered in alarm as the sound of pounding hooves rang out. A fiery dragon approached from the distance as Li Yan and his party traveled through the lands.
Besides the men of the Military Surveillance Department, they were also accompanied by four Daoists. Two came from the Zhushan Sect, while the other two were from the True Martial Palace. With Mount Zigai currently short-handed, there was no possibility of mobilizing a large force.
All they could do was open an altar ground and stand ready to summon troops for support at any moment. These four Daoists had been sent along specifically to perform rituals and establish their position, allowing the ghost soldiers to reach them at the earliest possible moment.
Besides that, each one possessed a special divine ability. One had yin yang eyes; one could hear the speech of ghosts and gods; one was skilled at observing qi; and the last possessed an Intent Root and excelled at divination. Ordinarily, people like them were treasures of the orthodox lineages and were extremely well protected.
They would never be allowed to descend the mountain lightly, and the two abbots paid close attention to their safety. Even when the Earth Immortal Cavern had poisoned the disciples, it had not targeted them, evidently for fear of provoking an investigation by the abbots.
Yet now, all four had been dispatched to accompany Li Yan.
For one thing, they had neglected their duties and allowed this mess to happen. But more importantly, they were furious. Regardless of whether some terrifying Earth Immortal truly existed within the Earth Immortal Cavern, its actions had already crossed the bottom line of both sects.
Thus, not only had they entrusted Li Yan with continuing the investigation and stabilizing the situation in Dangyang, they had also sent messages by carrier pigeon requesting experts from their respective sects to come and assist. With the situation in Dangyang in chaos, no one stopped to rest. They descended the mountain immediately and hurried through the night toward Dangyang County.
Li Yan rode at the front of the procession, and asked the Daoists beside him, “Gentlemen, what method do you think that tiger demon used to conceal itself?”
The Earth Immortal Cavern was dangerous, so he had no intention of heading there immediately. Once they returned, he planned to do two things first. The first was to conduct a comprehensive search for the hiding places of the Heavenly Saint Cult’s villains and wipe them out.
According to their previous intelligence, some of them had been killed by the Earth Immortal Cavern while stealing the Tomb Blood Beam. Then, quite a few more had been eliminated while plotting against the tiger demon. Even so, they were still capable of stirring up trouble throughout Dangyang County. That meant there had definitely been a considerable number of them to begin with.
But they would need somewhere to hide, as well as food and water. Thus, they were bound to leave traces behind. The county courthouse’s constables might not be able to find them, but the Military Surveillance Department specialized in precisely this sort of work.
The other matter was that tiger demon. Judging from all the signs, it definitely knew quite a lot. Perhaps once they found it, they would be able to unravel this entire series of mysteries. The only problem was locating its hiding place.
A disciple of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect replied, “Demons and creatures of this sort most enjoy occupying caves or tombs in forests or mountains, then laying down formations to create something akin to a ghost maze. As long as they don’t go around causing trouble everywhere, ordinary people won’t be able to approach, and naturally, word of them won’t spread.”
Another nodded in agreement. “Any formation inevitably affects the flow of astral qi. Once we arrive, I’ll climb a mountain and observe the qi. I should be able to discover something…”
As he was speaking, Li Yan’s expression suddenly changed, and he immediately raised a hand. “Stop!”
The men of the Military Surveillance Department were all superb horsemen. At his command, they pulled hard on their reins. Their warhorses wheeled, snorting noisily as they came to a halt.
“There’s gunpowder ahead. Brother Lu San, find them!”
Li Yan narrowed his eyes as he stared at the official road ahead.
At his command, Lu San immediately raised his hand. His hawk shot into the air with a shrill cry and soon discovered something. “To the right, northwest.”
Captain Zheng barked an order. “Capture them!”
A squad leader from the Military Surveillance Department immediately sprang forward with his men, drawing his long blade with a metallic clang before plunging into the dense forest.
Li Yan did not follow them into action. Since he was responsible for overseeing and directing the operation, he naturally couldn’t go running around himself.
Before long, shouts and the clash of weapons rang out from the distant forest, mixed with the whistle of crossbow bolts tearing through the trees. At the same time, the cries of the hawk echoed overhead.
Lu San frowned. “Only three death warriors.”
The moment Li Yan heard this, he knew they had failed to capture anyone alive.
Sure enough, when the men of the Military Surveillance Department emerged from the dense forest, the squad leader cupped his hands and reported, “My lord, three bandits were secretly observing us. When they saw they wouldn’t be able to escape in time, they all committed suicide.”
At the same time, three corpses were carried out.
Captain Zheng did not reprimand them. They had encountered this sort of situation many times before. The Heavenly Saint Cult’s followers were fanatical, believing that they would receive the protection of the Heavenly Saint Duke after death. Betraying the cult was a grave crime. Once captured, they feared they would be unable to withstand torture, so they often killed themselves at the first opportunity.
Captain Zheng gave a meaningful look, and an elderly man dressed as a squad leader immediately dismounted and carefully examined the bodies.
“There’s mud mixed with fragments of white stone on their feet. This sort of material is only found around tombs or abandoned military forts. Their clothes don’t stink and show signs of having been washed. There must be a small river or stream near wherever they’re staying. Their provisions are flatbreads, but they’re all different sizes. They were made in villagers’ homes.”
Captain Zheng called out, “Bring the map and county gazetteer!”
Someone immediately produced a map. By the light of the torches, Captain Zheng spread the map before Li Yan and said solemnly, “Young Hero Li, it seems these people are hiding in villages near Dangyang, with villagers helping supply them.
“Dangyang has been a strategic military stronghold since ancient times and has endured several wars. Countless tunnels and military forts were built throughout the area. There are too many to enumerate, but we can roughly guess the likely locations.”
As he spoke, he pointed to several areas on the map.
Li Yan praised, “As expected of the Military Surveillance Department.”
“Young Hero Li, you flatter us.” There was no trace of pride on Captain Zheng’s face. Instead, he looked somewhat worried as he continued, “We’ve been entangled with the Heavenly Saint Cult for many years, so we’re fairly familiar with their methods. These people often use connections among the Jingchu refugees to infiltrate various villages and secretly spread their teachings. Combined with relatives shielding one another, they gradually establish strongholds.
“Dangyang County’s administration is still relatively clean. However, in other places, local officials run rampant, and the common people harbor resentment. They will often cooperate with the Heavenly Saint Cult in carrying out attacks. That’s the reason the Heavenly Saint Cult can never be completely eradicated.
“Also, if the Heavenly Saint Cult prepared a gunpowder ambush for us, then they must know that something has changed on Mount Zigai. And they’ve transported quite a lot of gunpowder here.”
Li Yan’s expression remained unchanged as he nodded slightly. In truth, this applied to far more than just the Heavenly Saint Cult. The soil that allowed all such secret cults to survive was composed of no more than three things.
The first was desire. Take the Ghost Sect, for instance. Back when the Great Song was prosperous, many officials and wealthy gentry were still unsatisfied, and resorted to murdering people as sacrifices to ghosts in pursuit of even greater benefits.
The second was poor governance. When the common people could no longer make a living, someone could exploit a cult to incite them, and tremendous chaos would follow. The last was the ignorance of the common people, which wicked practitioners exploited by using ghosts and gods to frighten them.
Such things had never been eradicated throughout history, unless everyone became free of desire and the world achieved universal harmony.
Li Yan pondered for a moment. “Captain Zheng, once we return, secretly send people to investigate while also conducting searches within the county town. Once we’ve located the enemy’s lair, we’ll make our move.”
“Very well.” Captain Zheng nodded, then looked ahead and frowned. “What should we do about that gunpowder? Why don’t we just detonate it and save ourselves the trouble?”
“No.” Li Yan shook his head with a smile. “I was just worrying about how we’d deal with that tiger demon and the Earth Immortal Cavern. The Heavenly Saint Cult delivered this gunpowder at exactly the right time.”
As he spoke, he formed the Yang Seal and took a deep breath before turning his head. “Uncle Sha, they’re Earthfire Thunder bombs. How do you think we should handle them?”
“Earthfire Thunder?” The moment Sha Lifei heard the name, he hurriedly dismounted and shouted, “Nobody move around! There must be mechanisms buried in the ground!”
With that, he broke off some branches and leaves from the nearby woods. Moving carefully, he used them to brush aside the dead leaves, debris, and loose soil covering the official road.
Although it was nighttime, everyone was now on guard. As they lit the area with torches, they immediately noticed something strange. A torrential rainstorm had only fallen the previous day, so the official road was already muddy beyond measure. Yet some sections were covered with fallen leaves and sandy soil that looked completely different from the surrounding terrain. When the branches and leaves were brushed aside, wooden planks could clearly be seen underneath.
No wonder the enemy had chosen to set their ambush at night. This kind of shoddy concealment would never have fooled anyone during the day.
Sha Lifei carefully lifted one of the wooden planks. The moment he saw the cords beneath it, he immediately said, “These bastards took precautions too. You can’t just lift the planks directly. The cords have to be cut first.”
Sure enough, after the cords were snipped, they found a mine shaped somewhat like a Fire Caltrop underneath. It was made of ceramic, and the workmanship was extremely crude.
After personally demonstrating how to dismantle two of them, Sha Lifei called others over to help. The corner of Captain Zheng’s eye twitched slightly at how familiar the bald man was with firearms and explosives, but he said nothing and instead called over some nimble-handed subordinates to assist.
After half an hour of careful work, all the Earthfire Thunder bombs were removed.
Li Yan said solemnly, “Captain Zheng, keep these things safe for now. They may come in handy when we search for the tiger demon.”
With the obstruction cleared, the group continued onward. Worried that the enemy might have set more ambushes, Li Yan not only had Lu San send his hawk to scout ahead throughout the journey, but also kept forming Yang Seals and using his divine ability.
Fortunately, the enemy had only prepared that one ambush. By the hour of the tiger, they finally returned to Dangyang County.
Because of the recent unrest, Head Constable Yang of the county courthouse had taken a squad of men out to patrol the streets throughout the night. Upon receiving word of their return, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and ordered the city gate opened.
Rumble!
As the massive wooden gate swung open, Head Constable Yang came forward with his men, his face full of ingratiating smiles. “Young Hero Li, you’ve worked hard. Were you able to bring reinforcements from the mountain?”
Li Yan shook his head. “Something happened on the mountain too, though it’s already been dealt with. Did that headless rider appear again last night?”
“No, it didn’t.” Constable Yang smiled. “Following Young Hero Li’s instructions, the brothers have been patrolling everywhere with torches, checking every dark alley without exception. We probably frightened the wicked cultivator away.”
According to Wang Daoxuan’s guess, the other party was most likely controlling some evil object to cause trouble while disguising it as Lord Guan, the Sage Emperor. Whatever it was, they would definitely need to set up an altar nearby.
Previously, the courthouse men had only guarded the main streets, which had been a foolish move. The dark alleys and residences around the streets were the real areas they needed to focus on. Patrolling with torches would at least deter the enemy.
Li Yan offered a word of praise, “Constable Yang has worked hard as well.”
He then led the group into the city. Dangyang County was not large. With so many people riding in at once, the thunder of hooves was loud enough that almost every resident in the city could hear it.
On the second floor of an inn in the distance, a window creaked shut.
“Quick, pack everything up!”
Rustling sounds came from the darkness.
“This newcomer isn’t easy to deal with. It looks like the people over there failed. Once dawn breaks, we’ll leave.”
“But… the hall master’s orders…”
“The situation has changed. We’ll go back and report first.”
The county courthouse’s main hall was brightly lit with candles.
Magistrate Zhang had also stayed awake the entire night. When he saw Li Yan and the others return safely, he was overjoyed and hurried forward to welcome them.
“Everyone has worked hard. Did you discover anything?”
Since he was the county magistrate, Li Yan briefly explained what had happened.
When Magistrate Zhang heard that trouble had also broken out within the Zhushan Sect and Taixuan Orthodox Sect, he grew even more anxious and said somewhat flusteredly, “These wicked cultivators are acting so brazenly. They must be plotting something major.
“News also arrived from Jingzhou during the day. Zombies have been causing trouble around the Miao borderlands, and someone even smuggled zombies aboard cargo ships in an attempt to create chaos in Jingzhou. They can’t spare any manpower to come reinforce us.”
Li Yan shook his head. “That’s normal. These wicked practitioners only dared to enter Dangyang in force because the world is already in turmoil.”
Magistrate Zhang revealed a bitter smile. “I know absolutely nothing about the mystic arts. What does Young Hero Li think we should do?”
Li Yan said solemnly, “We’ve already formed a rough idea of the enemy’s plans, but the most urgent task is to clear out the wicked practitioners within the city. The problem is that they’re hiding extremely well, and we don’t know where they are.”
At that moment, Lu San spoke from the side. “I have a method, but I’ll need the county courthouse’s cooperation.”
“Oh?” Li Yan’s interest was immediately piqued. “Brother Lu, go ahead.”
Lu San was normally taciturn. If he took the initiative to speak, it meant he was confident his plan would work. He untied the leather pouch at his waist and pulled out two large rats with sleek, glossy coats. The little white fox immediately let out two dissatisfied cries when it saw them.
Although the little white fox was no ordinary creature, its cultivation was still shallow and it could not yet provide much help. Even so, it was extremely jealous. The hawk and Demon Gourd were one thing, since they had come earlier, but these two large rats made it especially unhappy. It absolutely refused to let them ride on Lu San’s body, forcing them to hide miserably inside the leather pouch instead.
Like a parent trying to placate squabbling children, Lu San hurriedly soothed it for a while before saying, “Rat One and Rat Two both became spirits after absorbing incense offerings from a Daoist temple. Their qi is mild and peaceful, and they don’t know any spells. But they carry the aura of incense offerings. To other rats, they’re like gods. With their help, I can control all the rats in the city.
“To keep the common people from panicking, I’ll need the county courthouse to cooperate and announce that the Rat Immortals are searching for demons. In less than half an hour, I can turn the entire county town upside down!”
Li Yan’s eyes lit up. “Congratulations, Brother Lu.”
He knew a little about Lu San’s secret inheritance. It was related to shamans of the mountains and forests and was especially adept at controlling wild beasts. From the looks of it, Lu San had clearly made a breakthrough in his techniques.
Magistrate Zhang was utterly astonished when he heard this. Of course, he knew nothing about mystic arts, but he was an expert at dealing with people.
His face immediately filled with delight. “To think that sir possesses such a wondrous method.”
“Constable Yang, I’ll leave this matter to you. Take my official procession insignia and beat gongs and drums along the way. The common people will naturally believe you.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Constable Yang hurriedly led the courthouse runners off to prepare. Before long, a procession had been organized. Courthouse runners marched in formation in front, wielding staves. Behind them, one man carried a bronze gong, while others held tall red wooden placards, one bearing the words “Silence” and the other “Make Way.”
At the center of the procession, someone held up a large parasol. Lu San stood beneath it, forming hand-seals while holding the two large rats. Sha Lifei followed alongside with a cheeky grin, carrying an incense burner.
The men of the Military Surveillance Department marched close behind with sabers at their sides and crossbows strung.
As for Li Yan and Captain Zheng, they led several disciples of the sects in leaping onto the rooftops, surveying the surroundings from above. The sky was still pitch-black, but the commotion had already awakened the nearby residents. Full of uncertainty, they secretly peered out to watch.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Head Constable Yang struck the gong with all his strength and shouted loudly, “By order of the county magistrate, the Rat Immortals are hunting demons! Everyone remain inside your homes and do not panic!”
With that, he led the procession onward. At first, the people of Dangyang City were somewhat puzzled, but their expressions quickly changed into that of stunned disbelief. Countless rats began pouring out from woodsheds inside their homes and drainage ditches, scurrying wildly in every direction.