Chapter 233: Confrontation

Lu San warned, "Daoist, be careful..."

Wang Daoxuan stepped gingerly into the water, trembling with apprehension. These Chinese alligators were all ordinary beasts and could not possibly bear the weight of a person on their own, but Lu San had come up with a clever idea.

He and Wang Daoxuan each spread their feet apart, standing with each foot on the back of a different Chinese alligator. With the other smaller alligators helping to support them, they remained perfectly steady. As the group of Chinese alligators swam through the water, the two men were carried out into the river. From a distance, they looked as though they were walking upon the waves.

With the river breeze blowing against his face, Wang Daoxuan's fear gradually subsided, and he even began to joke. "Riding alligators across the river... This has a certain elegance to it. Brother Lu San, what are these little fellows thinking?"

"They're hungry."

Lu San's words immediately made Wang Daoxuan's heart tighten. Fortunately, Lu San promptly shook his head and reassured him, "Don't worry, Daoist. These Chinese alligators are docile by nature, and won't hurt people. It's just that the river monster scared away all the fish, so they haven't been able to find anything to eat."

Wang Daoxuan's expression became serious. "I wonder if that river monster will come to Zigui County."

"Not for now." Lu San shook his head and explained, "The river monster is enormous, but in the end, it's still just a beast with a huge appetite. The fish around Zigui County have all been frightened away, and there aren't many people or boats here, so it went over to Yichang instead."

Wang Daoxuan revealed a thoughtful look. "Speaking of that river monster, I just remembered something. While reading the Discussions of the Mysterious and Profound at night during our journey, I learned that early Daoists of the Qin and Han dynasties had methods for raising demons, which they used to guard underwater tomb passages. Those methods were later passed down to certain mystic path craftsmen.

"There was a chain attached to that river monster's tail, which reminds me of those methods. Perhaps it escaped from some tomb."

Lu San frowned, then let out several calls. The throats of the leading Chinese alligators immediately quivered as they responded with pig-like cries. Their calls, however, were loud and resonant, rising and falling in a distinct cadence.

Wang Daoxuan was not surprised to hear those strange sounds. Chinese alligators were known to call on rainy days and also liked to vocalize at night. Their cries resembled the beating of drums used to mark the night watches. In the Jianghuai region, this was known as the "alligator drum" or the "alligator watch."

The Poem Classics even contained the line: The alligator drums resound; the blind musicians perform.

But when the Chinese alligators finished vocalizing, a trace of shock flashed through Lu San's eyes. "That river monster first appeared in Zigui County!"

Wang Daoxuan was stunned. "There's actually such a thing?"

Lu San nodded. "These Chinese alligators are terrified of that river monster. There used to be quite a few groups of them around Zigui County, but now only this group remains. They survived only because they usually hide in burrows in the mud..."

Wang Daoxuan fell into thought. "Could there be a large tomb somewhere in Zigui County?"

The river was not particularly wide around Zigui County. As they spoke, the two had already reached the other side. They hurriedly stepped onto the rocks to get ashore.

"Rawr, rawr!"

Seeing them go ashore, several Chinese alligators immediately became anxious.

Wang Daoxuan asked curiously, "What are they calling about?"

Lu San shook his head and muttered, "These fellows are starving, but they don't dare hurt people. I promised I'd find them something to eat."

He gestured sharply. His hawk immediately spread its wings and took to the air, circling above the nearby mountain forest. Before long, it dove into the forest, hunting down prey.

"Daoist, wait here for a moment."

Lu San quickly rushed into the forest. With nothing else to do, Wang Daoxuan stood by the river and gazed into the distance.

He took out his compass and watched its trembling needle, murmuring, "The earth qi has stabilized, yet the needle is still behaving erratically. Could there really be a large tomb underwater nearby?

"This place was once the Chu King's City, the fief granted to Xiong Yi, the ancestor of the kings of Chu. It could be considered the ancestral land of the ancient state. Could it be a Chu tomb... No, that's not right. The Discussions of the Mysterious and Profound says a demon used for guarding a tomb can live for at most three hundred years before turning into a beast soul...

"Two hundred years ago was still the Great Xing era, but I've never heard of any imperial clansmen being enfeoffed here. How strange!"

While he was still contemplating, Lu San emerged from the forest carrying a plump wild boar over his shoulder. He brandished his dagger, butchered the boar into small chunks, and tossed them into the water.

For a time, waves churned across the river as blood splashed everywhere.

Lu San patted one of the Chinese alligators on the head, then turned around to speak to Wang Daoxuan. "Daoist, the village isn't far from here. What should we do first?"

Wang Daoxuan glanced at his compass, then looked into the distance and said solemnly, "To control a Wood Wraith and use it to cause trouble, one must first construct a ritual altar. If my guess is correct, there must be arrangements hidden somewhere in the nearby mountain forest. Others might not be able to find them, but Brother Lu should have no problem."

Lu San nodded. "Fine. What am I looking for?"

"The target won't be very large. It might be pieces of wood wrapped in red cord, stone statues arranged in unusual ways, or straw or wooden effigies hanging from trees. If you find anything similar, tell me."

***

Danyang Academy was located outside the southern gate of Guizhou City. According to the records, although Zigui was Lord Sanlu’s homeland, it had been barren and its people poor for many years. Originally, there had been no academy, and local talent had scattered elsewhere.

During the Great Xing era, donations had first been raised to establish more than ten rooms outside the southern gate as a place for students to study, in the hope that they might find one possessed of virtue and capable of fine writing, someone who might champion the orthodox tradition and nurture those inclined toward goodness.

After many years of development and several rounds of renovations funded by wealthy households, the academy had become considerably more established.

It was built in a typical Huizhou architectural style, with whitewashed walls and dark roof tiles, intricately carved stone window lattices, and tall horse-head walls. Bamboo groves had been planted around it, while a small bridge crossed flowing water outside the grounds, lending the place an elegant charm.

"What did you say?!"

At that moment, the atmosphere inside the academy was extremely tense. An elderly Confucian scholar dressed in black glared at the several courthouse runners standing in the hall with widened eyes, his white beard trembling with fury.

The academies throughout the Great Xuan Dynasty all operated under roughly the same system. The head of the academy was the leader of an academy, and was usually a highly respected local Confucian scholar of considerable stature. Most had also spent time in officialdom and possessed extensive connections.

Those responsible for teaching were divided into professors, lecturers, and assistant instructors. Administrative and logistical positions included the academy supervisor, the master of rites, treasurer, and various clerks.

The man speaking was Song Mingshu, the head of Danyang Academy.

The old man was clearly furious. His expression darkened as he sneered. "Our esteemed County Magistrate is certainly interesting. Instead of arresting the evil practitioners causing trouble, he sends men to harass the academy. Could it be that he thinks our academy is behind all this?"

Several professors and lecturers were also present in the hall, and all of them grew furious upon hearing the claim.

"This is utterly absurd!"

"Now their investigation has actually reached the academy!"

"Wu Dehai had better not think he can cover the sky with a single hand! We will jointly submit a memorial and see how long he can continue acting so smug!"

The courthouse runners were normally arrogant and overbearing, but faced with these Confucian scholars, they could only bow and lower their gazes, their faces filled with ingratiating smiles. "Sir, you misunderstand. You're merely being invited over for some questioning. Moreover, this was requested by someone sent by the City God Temple. It was not the County Magistrate's idea."

"The City God Temple?" Academy Head Song Mingshu snorted coldly. "Instead of safeguarding the peace of the region, the people of the City God Temple have somehow ended up colluding with Wu Dehai.

"Fine, I'll go! This old man would like to see exactly how they intend to frame us!"

"We'll go too!"

"We'll all go together!"

Most of the students at the academy came from wealthy local households.

County Magistrate Wu Dehai had turned Zigui County into a foul mess ever since he had taken office. They had long been dissatisfied with him, but because of his background, they had never dared to openly oppose him. But the incident at Two Stele Bay had finally given them an opportunity. And now, with the Academy Head backing them, there was no reason for them to back down.

For a time, indignation surged throughout the academy.

Academy Head Song Mingshu had a stubborn and unyielding temperament, and he had intended to blow up the matter as much as possible from the beginning. Naturally, he had no intention of stopping anyone. He immediately led everyone out of the academy.

Before long, a vast procession of scholars marched into the city. Their aggressive momentum immediately attracted numerous onlookers.

The surrounding townsfolk began discussing the matter among themselves. Busybody spectators went around asking questions without knowing the facts, and rumors quickly began spreading in every direction. Quite a few townspeople even followed behind the procession simply to watch the excitement. Amid the crowd, one man lifted the brim of his conical hat, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Had Li Yan been present, he would have immediately recognized the man as Bai Ruoxu, who had seized one of the Divine Fire Arquebuses and was now wanted by the imperial court.

As he surveyed the chaotic crowd before him, Bai Ruoxu did not follow them to join the excitement. Instead, he lowered the brim of his hat and turned down another street. He walked at an unhurried pace, seemingly browsing the shops around him. In reality, every time he passed the entrance to an alley, he carefully examined his surroundings.

Before long, he found what he was looking for. It was a spiral pattern, crooked and uneven, as though some child had casually scratched it onto the surface with a small stone. There appeared to be nothing unusual about it.

Bai Ruoxu, however, calmly glanced around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he turned directly into the alley. This narrow alley was lined with the ordinary residences of Zigui County. Bai Ruoxu searched them one by one until he spotted the same symbol outside another house. He walked up to the door and knocked several times in a pattern of long and short beats.

With a creak, the old wooden door slowly opened. The person who opened it was an elderly woman dressed in tattered clothes. Her hair was completely white, and her cloudy eyes were dull and lifeless. She was clearly blind.

After opening the door, the old woman said nothing. She merely stepped aside. Once Bai Ruoxu entered, she shut the wooden door tightly behind him.

Bai Ruoxu wore a solemn expression as he pushed open the door to a side room and entered. Another woman sat cross-legged on the bed inside, a longsword lying horizontally across her knees. Her expression was cold. She was none other than the female swordswoman who had escaped from Li Yan back then.

She clearly knew Bai Ruoxu. The moment she saw him, a trace of wariness flashed through her eyes, and her right hand unconsciously drifted to rest on the hilt of her sword.

Bai Ruoxu said calmly, "Lady Liu, there's no need to be on guard. Commander Wang was in charge of that operation. The fault doesn't lie with you. The Master merely wants to know exactly what happened to all of you."

The woman fell silent for a moment before finally saying, "I don't know what kind of spell it was either. There was just darkness. I couldn't see anything clearly. Then, everyone died..."

"Oh?" Bai Ruoxu pondered for a moment before asking, "Did you see who made the move? Li Yan, or Wang Daoxuan?"

"I don't know."

After finishing his questions, Bai Ruoxu shook his head. "Commander Wang brought quite a few people with him. Anyone capable of killing all of them in an instant isn’t someone to be trifled with. The fighting around Yunyang Prefecture is quite intense right now. The Master has ordered us to put this matter aside for the time being and prioritize the bigger picture.

"Have you made any progress on the matter I asked you to investigate?"

When she heard that the incident would no longer be pursued, the female swordswoman inexplicably felt a weight lift from her heart. She said solemnly, "I found something. Red Maiden has indeed been active in this area. She placed a curse on the local County Magistrate's son, though I have no idea what she intends to accomplish."

Bai Ruoxu narrowed his eyes slightly. "Find a way to locate her first. The matter at Shennongjia cannot be delayed any longer..."

While the two continued to plot, the people from the academy had also arrived at the county courthouse.

Song Mingshu had been holding back a bellyful of anger.

He barked, "Get out of the way!"

He shoved aside the courthouse runner who came to greet him, and led the large crowd straight into the main hall of the county courthouse.

Even after entering the hall, the old man remained every bit as forceful as he was in his academy. He casually cupped his hands and said coldly, "Lord Wu! I heard you suspect that my academy is behind the trouble at Two Stele Bay?"

"Academy Head Song, please calm yourself." A trace of displeasure flickered in Magistrate Wu's eyes, but he still replied patiently, "It's merely that someone from the City God Temple has come to ask about the situation over there. How could we possibly suspect the academy?"

Only after seeing him give way did Academy Head Song's expression improve somewhat.

Li Yan, meanwhile, merely watched coldly from the side. There were certain matters that he had already formed his own judgment based on the intelligence he had gathered.

The academy students might sound righteous and indignant, but truthfully, the reason they were so angry and had come into conflict with Magistrate Wu ultimately came down to competing interests. The greatest struggle within the imperial court at present was between the local officials and gentry on one side and the merchants advocating maritime trade on the other. In truth, there was not much direct conflict between their material interests.

Put simply, it all came down to the "ritual" of the land.

Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants. That was the ancient social order of the Divine Continent. Valuing agriculture while suppressing commerce was a foundation of the state, yet the merchant associations throughout the land now wanted to ride the momentum of the opening of maritime trade to elevate the status of merchants.

As for the Great Xuan Dynasty's emperor, his first priority was to replenish the treasury, which had been emptied by several major wars and the restoration of the imperial city. His second priority was to use the new force to suppress the powerful clans, officials, and gentry throughout the realm.

At their core, these people relied on controlling land and population. Not only had they accumulated vast personal fortunes and considerable local influence, they also used their official status to evade taxes.

If it occurred in only one region, it would hardly seem significant. But officials and gentry both great and small were entrenched throughout the entire country, and all of them did the same thing. They were like countless enormous rats, frantically gnawing away at the foundations of the state.

The officials were rich; the people were poor; and the imperial treasury was empty. That was the true portrait of the Great Xuan Dynasty in the years before.

What angered the Great Xuan Emperor even more was that these people indirectly accused him of being militaristic and recklessly waging wars, claiming that this was what had emptied the treasury. Had the opening of maritime trade not generated enormous profits and allowed the imperial court to catch its breath over the past two years, the authority of the imperial throne would long since have been suppressed by the assembled ministers at court.

The Emperor's use of the pro-maritime-trade faction to suppress the local faction was the true root of the conflict. Many people understood the cause perfectly well. That was why even a matter as simple as whether an imperial relay station should be opened to merchants willing to pay for lodging could provoke endless arguments.

Behind each such dispute lay another attempt by the merchants to test the boundaries.

As for the rites of state worship, no one had dared touch them, which was precisely why the Taixuan Orthodox Sect had been able to maintain its transcendent position above worldly disputes.

By the same logic, Magistrate Wu's elder brother was the president of the Ezhou Chamber of Commerce. Regardless of whether Wu Dehai himself wished to participate in the struggle, his very presence in Zigui County encroached upon the interests of the local gentry.

The imperial examinations were one example. If the people did not unite and make their voices heard, there would probably be more and more children of wealthy families studying at the academy. With Magistrate Wu protecting them on top of that, they would inevitably take away a considerable number of examination opportunities from the local population.

Thus, Li Yan had little fondness for either side.

Before long, Academy Head Song turned his attention toward the City God Temple. Cupping his hands toward the temple attendant, he said, "Daoist Feng, if you suspect our academy, do you have any concrete evidence?"

"We're only asking a few questions! We're only asking questions today, there's no fingerpointing here." Daoist Feng chuckled and raised a hand. "Young Hero Li is an expert sent by the Yichang City God Temple to provide assistance. He merely wishes to understand the situation."

Academy Head Song gave Li Yan a cold glance, stroked his beard, and said solemnly, "Oh? Then doesn't that still mean you suspect our academy?"

He was tall and imposing, and naturally carried an air of authority when he spoke. From the moment he had entered the hall, he had pressed them with one question after another, seizing control of the conversation. Even though he knew Li Yan and the others were cultivators, he showed no fear whatsoever.

Naturally, Li Yan had no intention of indulging the old man. He simply shot him an indifferent glance. "Are you feeling guilty?"

"Impudent brat!"

Several lecturers beside Song Mingshu immediately flew into a rage.

Academy Head Song raised a hand to stop their rebukes, then said coldly, "Go on, then. Tell me. What exactly does this old man have to feel guilty about?"

Li Yan said indifferently, "If you aren't feeling guilty, why are you being so unreasonable? We merely want to ask for some information, yet you keep accusing us of one thing after another. They say a Confucian gentleman should be as gentle and refined as jade. So why do all of you look like a bunch of fighting cocks?"

"Impudent!"

"Ridiculous!"

The people from the academy immediately erupted in anger upon hearing Li Yan's scorn.