Chapter 228: Ambush In The Rainy Night

A man clad in black hurried over, nearly slipping on the slick deck.

"General! General!" Once he reached the old beggar, he cupped his fists and said urgently, "That river monster is extremely ferocious. I'm afraid the poison won't be enough to drive it away."

The old beggar ignored him. Only after the man called out again did he slowly turn his head and look calmly at him, a faint red glow flickering in his eyes. The man clad in black was not very old. As the old beggar continued to examine him, he grew increasingly uneasy and slowly lowered his head.

Strangely enough, however, his tension and fear gradually began to fade.

Only when it was gone did the old beggar speak indifferently. "Lin Silang, how many years have you followed me?"

The man clad in black immediately cupped his fists and replied, "General, ever since you saved me, it has been ten years."

"Ten years..." The old beggar sighed. "Time flows like water. It passes far too quickly. I'm already old and frail, while the boy from back then has grown into a man. Have you ever wondered why, more than a hundred years after the fall of the Great Xing Dynasty, this old man still leads all of you in rebellion?"

The young man in black replied solemnly, "To serve His Majesty!"

The old beggar sneered. "Bullshit! Our lord hides in the mountains all day. He's not your father, so why should you be loyal to him?"

The young man in black hesitated before venturing, "Then... To repay a debt of gratitude?"

"Nonsense!" The old beggar snorted coldly, "No matter how great the favor, after risking life and death for so many years, we paid it back long ago. If we're talking about debts, our lord owes me far more!"

The young man scratched his head in confusion. "Then... Why are we doing it?"

The old beggar took a deep breath, stood up, and looked into the distance. As his gaze grew hazy, he muttered, "I once asked my father the same question. After all, I never even saw what the Great Xing Dynasty was like! Now, I can finally give you the answer.

"We are descendants of condemned people, and all of you are mountain folk without background or roots, lowborn bastards despised by everyone!

"The Great Xuan Dynasty has stood for a hundred years. Every faction is deeply entrenched. People come and go through the imperial court, but in the end, it is always the same sort of people. The rich remain rich, while the poor remain poor.

“Nothing changes. You can leave the Rising Dragon Army and live peacefully as commoners. Then the local gentry will oppress you; officials will squeeze you dry; you won't be able to study; and you won't have money to conduct business. Your sons and grandsons will never have a chance to rise!

"Are you willing to accept that?!"

The young man in black gritted his teeth in response. "I'm not!"

Everyone on the boat cupped their fists in unison and released their loud cries.

"Neither are we!"

The old man did not speak loudly, yet his voice carried a strange force and reached the ears of everyone present.

The old beggar snorted. "The imperial court sees us as rebels. But rebellion is exactly what the Rising Dragon Army does! As long as you remain in the Rising Dragon Army, you are no longer lowborn commoners anyone can trample upon. Are kings, nobles, generals, and ministers born from some special seed?!

"Don't be fooled by those great clans and noble houses sitting high above everyone else. If we succeed, they'll have to kneel beneath our feet, weeping as they offer up their wives and daughters! If you do not succeed, then one day your descendants will!

"If you're afraid, then get lost to Yunyang Prefecture and be lowly commoners!

"Are you afraid to die?"

"No!" The men on board roared furiously, their voices mingling with the howling storm. Even the river monster in the distance was startled and warily began swimming back and forth.

The old beggar nodded, then looked toward the river monster, his eyes filled with cold indifference. "It's nothing more than a beast that gained some cultivation. If you aren't even afraid of death, why fear it?"

There were three others aboard the boat who remained silent. They were a Confucian scholar, an old Daoist, and a cold-faced woman carrying a longsword on her back. The old beggar's words might inspire young men, but to those three, they were nothing but empty talk. They remained expressionless, merely surveying their surroundings.

"Fellow Daoist Wen." The old beggar suddenly said, "There's a chain attached to that river monster's tail. You're widely knowledgeable. Can you tell which path it belongs to?"

The elderly Confucian scholar answered in a hoarse voice, "The chain is covered in verdigris, and is clearly very old. It does not date from this dynasty. It looks somewhat like a method of the Fangxian Dao."

"Fangxian Dao?" The old beggar frowned. "That old relic rotting away in ancient books? Whatever useful things they had were swallowed up by other lineages long ago. Could their inheritance still exist?"

"No." The scholar's voice remained hoarse as he gazed thoughtfully into the distance. "The arts of the Fangxian Dao flourished during the Qin and Han dynasties. Many emperors and nobles invited them to help arrange hidden measures inside tombs. This old man has read secret manuals from the hidden seekers lineage that has been carved into turtle shells.

“The Fangxian Dao had a secret method that could allow them to capture and suppress demonic beasts, bind them within tombs, and artificially use the surrounding formations to raise them as tomb-guardian beasts."

The old beggar frowned. "Are you saying that this river monster has survived since the Qin and Han dynasties?"

"That's naturally impossible." The scholar shook his head. "This secret method of the Fangxian Dao was never truly lost. I've heard that some craftsmen inherited it and specialize in constructing tombs for princes and nobles.

"Originally, with this method, the demonic beast would be raised from infancy, and Soul-Suppressing Nails would be implanted inside its body. After death, it would become a powerful beast ghost and continue guarding the tomb.

"Judging from the situation, something must have gone wrong with the tomb it was guarding. Moreover, its entrance is likely underwater. If we ask around among those tomb raiders, we should be able to learn its location."

"Oh, so that's what it is." The old beggar immediately lost interest and sneered. "I thought those native chiefs had finally developed some brains and learned to use a river monster to blockade the waterway and sever supply routes. Turns out it was just a coincidence.

"Fellow Daoist, you're skilled in poison arts. Can you control this creature?"

The scholar shook his head. "Impossible. Using poison in water is a method known only to the Dan Clan's cultivators of Minzhou. They never pass it on to outsiders."

The old beggar pondered for a moment before replying. "Then forget it. Such a pity. If we could control this creature, we could choke off the vital passage between Ezhou and Shu. Liu Mei, when you have time later, find a few people from the hidden seekers lineage and ask around. See if you can trace this creature back to its source."

The sword-bearing woman responded coldly. "Yes!"

The old beggar turned his gaze toward Xiling Gorge in the distance. In the darkness, the tiny point of fire halfway up the mountain stood out clearly.

A trace of mockery appeared in the old beggar's eyes as he sneered. "The people of the Military Surveillance Department wanted to lay a trap and capture this old man, yet they failed to consider that after hiding for so many years, how could we possibly not have planted spies of our own?

"The river monster blocks the water route, and the torrential rain blocks the land route. Let's see who can help them this time!

"Bring us to shore!"

"Yes, General!"

At the order, the black-clad men immediately sprang into action. Some raised the sail; some took the rudder; and others rowed. The wooden boat abruptly accelerated and approached a shallow stretch of water through the torrential rain.

Once the group disembarked, the river monster in the distance finally stopped pursuing them. With a sweep of its tail, it sent up a spray of water before diving beneath the Yangtze and disappearing.

The black-clad men then began climbing the steep mountainside. Holding steel sabers between their teeth, each of them moved agilely, grasping the vines growing along the slope. Under cover of the storm and darkness, they gradually drew closer to Sanyou Cave.

Inside the cave, everyone had already fallen asleep, snores rising one after another. Li Yan had just finished his seated spirit visualization, and seeing Sha Lifei sleeping deeply, he decided not to wake him for watch duty. Instead, he used a wooden stick to stir the fire, making the bonfire burn brighter.

But then, he heard a sound coming from the side. Turning his head, he saw the little white fox Lu San had adopted on its feet. It had suddenly awakened, and was staring toward the cave entrance with its ears standing upright.

Is something out there?

Li Yan frowned and hurriedly formed the Yang Seal with his fingers. However, rain and mist churned outside the cave while mountain winds howled. Apart from the heavy moisture in the air, many other scents were completely masked.

Grabbing Earth Breaker, he nudged the sleeping Lu San awake, and whispered, "Brother Lu, listen and see what's outside."

Seeing the unusual behavior of the little white fox beside him, Lu San instantly became alert. He hurriedly formed the Yang Seal and tilted his head to listen. Before long, his expression turned serious.

"The wind is too loud. I can't hear clearly, but Little White has extremely sharp spiritual senses. It detected danger."

Li Yan ordered, "Wake them up!"

He immediately went to the cave entrance. He slowly drew Earth Breaker, lowered his body, and looked down the mountainside. Outside, the wind and rain had left the night as dark as ink. Nothing could be seen clearly, but he too had already sensed danger. Forming the Yang Seal with one hand, he took a deep breath.

What he was doing was a method of temporarily amplifying his divine ability. Although it could not last long, it allowed him to pick up many scents.

Suddenly, the scent of people, and the metallic tang of blades, flooded his nose.

There's quite a lot of them!

At the same time, everyone inside the cave had woken up. The boatmen were all ordinary people. They looked around in confusion, at a loss for what to do. Only the boatmaster knew a little martial arts and grabbed a staff to defend himself.

Sha Lifei and Captain Yuan drew their blades and positioned themselves in front of Wang Daoxuan, while Wang Daoxuan quickly spread out a yellow cloth to set up a ritual altar, placing several spirit jars containing his spirit soldiers in position.

It was the strategy they had agreed upon beforehand.

Wang Daoxuan's spirit troops could finally unleash their strength in the darkness. Though few in number, each was formidable, and the spirit soldier formed by the Earth Dragon's soul was there to anchor the formation.

As for Lu San, he held a short blade in each hand and crouched beside Li Yan, whispering, "There are quite a few venomous snakes in the cracks of the mountain. It seems to be the Beggars' Gang technique."

Recalling what had happened at the Yan residence, Li Yan immediately formed a guess and whispered, "They've come with hostile intent. Strike first!"

Lu San nodded. He raised the bamboo whistle hanging from his neck, placed it between his lips, and blew while forming a hand seal. Soon, a melodious whistle rang out with unusual clarity in the night.

A scream immediately sounded from below. "Ah!"

One of the black-clad men had been bitten by a venomous snake. Slipping, he tumbled down the slope.

Li Yan was just about to look when his expression suddenly changed. He swung Earth Breaker across, shielding Lu San from behind.

The weapons collided, sending sparks flying. As the smoke dispersed, the old beggar appeared before them, a red gleam flickering in his eyes. The longsword in his hand had just been blocked by Li Yan.

The old beggar had used an escape art to launch an ambush.

His escape art was clearly on a completely different level from the Northern Emperor Profound Water Escape Li Yan practiced. It was more like the illusion arts of the Acrobat Guild.

Even so, it was extraordinarily subtle. Especially in the darkness, he could move without leaving any trace. Even Li Yan had only managed to smell him after he had already drawn close.

Li Yan snorted coldly. "Hmph!"

He struck out with his left palm. It looked like a casual blow, but in truth, the Soul-Hooking Chain had already whistled forth.

The red glow in the old beggar's eyes flickered as it appeared. His expression changed drastically, and with a poof, he transformed into smoke and retreated as his figure dispersed once again.

As expected, the man had awakened a vision-related divine ability and could see the Soul-Hooking Chain.

At the same time, a chaotic melody of whistles sounded from below. A lame old beggar stood beneath the cliff, blowing a snake whistle as he tried to contend against Lu San's Beast-Taming Art. Although his method was far inferior to Lu San's, it still interfered with the venomous snakes enough to give the black-clad men a chance to catch their breath.

Meanwhile, the black-clad men no longer bothered hiding themselves. They unhooked grappling claws from their waists, swung them twice, and hurled them upward.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One grappling claw after another whistled through the air. Some hooked onto the plank road outside the cave, while several others flew directly toward Lu San's head.

Lu San hurriedly retreated, and his control over the creatures was interrupted.

Li Yan, meanwhile, could still smell the old beggar. He held Earth Breaker horizontally, and was about to pursue him when a pinpoint of cold light came whistling through the darkness.

Before Li Yan could react, it was already stabbing toward the center of his brow.

What a fast sword!

Li Yan was startled. He abruptly twisted aside and shifted his shoulder while the Soul-Hooking Chain shot from his left hand with a clatter.

The one who had ambushed him was the sword-wielding woman. Her expression was cold, and her martial skill exceptional. She too had reached the peak of the Dark Jin Realm, and her swift swordsmanship was especially ruthless. Unfortunately, she had no ability to resist before the Soul-Hooking Chain. Her entire body stiffened instantly, and her eyes lost focus.

With a heavy thud, she collapsed to the ground.

Li Yan was just about to cut her down when his expression suddenly changed again. He slashed diagonally upward and blocked another attack with a clang.

The old beggar had launched yet another sneak attack!

A tremendous force surged through the clash, forcing Li Yan back two steps. Although the old beggar was advanced in years, with his qi and blood in decline, he was actually a Jin Transformation Realm expert. The sword in his hand carried a mighty force that knocked Li Yan backward.

A vicious gleam flashed through Li Yan's eyes as he lunged forward. But before he could reach the woman, the old beggar had already seized her from the ground. Smoke flashed around his body, and in an instant, he had retreated onto the plank road behind him.

His escape art was truly impressive. For one thing, it could use illusions to confuse the senses, while also concealing part of his aura. Combined with his transforming-force martial arts, he was genuinely difficult to deal with.

The old beggar was also somewhat alarmed. "Careful, don't get close to him!"

He growled, "There's something strange about this brat! Daoist Cheng, hurry and make your move!"

Behind him, an old Daoist was already forming hand seals. Three human skins were spread out on the plank road in front of him. As he formed his hand seals, the skins suddenly floated upward and began swelling as though being inflated like balloons.

"Heeheehee... hahaha..."

Eerie laughter immediately rang out through the night.

Human-skin puppets!

Li Yan's expression changed slightly at the sight. He had heard about such things from Troupe Master Zhou of the Zhou Family Shadow Puppet Troupe.

First, one had to flay human skin and fashion it into shadow puppets. Then those puppets would be used in performances, repeatedly absorbing the audience's seven emotions and six desires, while receiving incense offerings every morning and evening.

After enough years passed, the human-skin puppets would develop spirituality. Then, human blood would be dripped onto them morning and evening for the puppets to absorb. After several more years, the shadow puppets would transform into spirits. Once refined into puppets, their power would be astonishing.

This evil art had originally been devised by certain mystic path craftsmen among shadow puppet troupes in order to avenge mortal grudges. Later, it was stolen and practiced by practitioners of heterodox paths.

What was more terrifying, however, was that they could use the shadow puppets to conceal their identities.

Li Yan had not expected to encounter such an evil art here in Ezhou!

"Heeheehee... hahaha!"

The bizarre laughter continued echoing through the darkness as the three human-skin shadows, wrapped in black mist, darted up and down through the air. They curved around and flew toward Sanyou Cave.

At the same time, a fierce yin wind surged inside the cave. Frost spread across the ground, and several sets of footprints appeared, including the enormous clawprints of the Earth Dragon.

It was clear Wang Daoxuan had already dispatched his spirit soldiers.

"Yah!"

The strange human-skin shadows seemed frightened. They darted back and forth outside the cave while yin winds howled around them, whipping the violent rain and mist into a frenzy as though they were colliding with something unseen.

On the plank road to the other side, many of the black-clad men had already climbed up. One after another, they unslung the bows and crossbows from their backs.

Whiz! Whiz! Whiz!

Arrows curved through the air, ready to fall like rain around Li Yan.