“Hurry up, hurry up!”

“Isn’t that Little Hu from the neighboring village?!”

“He’s been drugged! Boil some licorice soup!”

When Li Yan brought the donkey cart back into the village, a large crowd immediately rushed over. Those familiar with the tricks of the jianghu instantly recognized that the children had been drugged.

Knockout drugs were not unusual in the jianghu. Drunk Immortal, Yabulu, and Datura could all be refined into sleeping powders. Those flowers were gathered in the eighth month, mixed with hemp blossoms from the seventh month, dried in the shade, and then ground into powder.

The antidote was simple. All they had to do to wake the victim up was feed them raw licorice boiled into soup. After each child drank a bowl, the three slowly woke up. When they found themselves surrounded by adults, all of them looked bewildered, completely unaware of what had happened.

The father of the kidnapped child burst into tears of joy while holding his son tightly to his chest. Some villagers comforted him while others cursed angrily, and the entire scene descended into chaos.

Shopkeeper Wan’s face darkened. After ordering people to calm the villagers, he took several disciples to the stable where the captured female trafficker had been locked up .

As for the peddler’s corpse, Li Yan had already thrown it into the forest. Li Yan and the others exchanged glances before following him.

Inside the stable, the woman had been bound tightly like a trussed pig.

Experts who roamed the jianghu often possessed one or two escape tricks. Dislocating joints and collarbones were commonplace to escape ropes, and some even hid razor blades beneath their tongue or in their hair. There were even those who concealed needles beneath the skin.

So despite having searched her thoroughly, the craftsmen’s disciples still did not trust her. The ropes were tied brutally tight with dead knots, cutting deeply into her flesh.

The woman seemed around thirty years old. Her complexion was wax-yellow, and her triangular eyes held a vicious light. Half her face had swollen purple after Li Yan’s slap, and was puffed up like a steamed bun. Knowing her life was likely forfeit, she remained silent. Even after everyone entered, her gaze stayed cold and venomous.

Shopkeeper Wan did not question her immediately. Instead, he sat down on a chair brought by a disciple and silently smoked a few puffs before speaking. “You people from the Ge Sect. Snatching children and getting a ransom isn’t your usual trade. Whose orders are you following?”

The woman remained silent.

He snorted coldly. “A tight lip won’t help you. I know the circles around Xianyang well enough, but I’ve never seen you before. You’re from Chang’an, aren’t you? Is your contact Third Aunt Cai? Or Second Master Tu...

As he spoke, he carefully observed the woman’s expression. He didn’t need an answer to guess most of the truth.

“Oh, so it was Second Master Tu. That brat truly doesn’t follow the rules.”

Li Yan and Sha Lifei secretly shot him looks of approval.

Seeing her background exposed so accurately, panic stirred within the woman. She simply closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. “Stop asking. I don’t know the employer. Even if you find Second Master Tu, he won’t dare speak either. Once the rules are broken, even more people will die.”

“Mhm.” Shopkeeper Wan grunted once and nodded. “I never intended to break your rules. I only want you to understand what kind of matter you’ve gotten involved in.”

Then he turned toward a nearby disciple. “Did you figure it out?”

The disciple bowed respectfully. “We did.”

He handed over a slip of paper with both hands. Shopkeeper Wan accepted it and frowned after reading it.

Shaking his head slightly, he passed it to Wang Daoxuan. “Daoist Wang, my calculation skills are lacking. Please see if there’s anything wrong.”

Wang Daoxuan clearly realized something as his face grew grave. After glancing over the paper several times, he said in a deep voice, “Meeting Ding in the first month, Hai in the fifth month, Yin in the eighth month. All of them are born under an auspicious star. Someone is attempting a life-borrowing breakthrough ritual!”

Shopkeeper Wan sighed, “I already sensed something was wrong earlier. If they had only targeted children from Shangyi Village, I would’ve assumed it was revenge. But they didn’t spare the neighboring villages either, and they specifically asked for the children’s names. That makes things suspicious.

“Looks like someone is unwilling to give up. Only selecting people with specific birth times means their cultivation probably isn’t very advanced...”

Seeing that Li Yan and Sha Lifei did not understand, Wang Daoxuan explained with a solemn expression, “This is an evil-path life-borrowing breakthrough technique. They sacrifice virgin boys and girls with extraordinary destinies through depraved rites to forcefully advance their cultivation.

“The Great Xuan Dynasty has decreed that anyone using such methods shall be executed without mercy!”

Li Yan pondered briefly before asking, “What should be done in such cases?”

“Naturally, we will report it to the Enforcement Hall of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect.” Shopkeeper Wan slowly rose to his feet. “Men, bring the prisoner. We’re going to the Xianyang City God Temple.”

Then he turned to stare coldly at the woman. “You don’t need to say anything now. Once we arrive at the City God Temple, there are plenty of methods to make you speak. That includes Second Master Tu from Chang’an, he won’t escape either!”

“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” The woman finally panicked and screamed, “Second Master Tu told me to deliver the children to Menggu Village and tie them up inside the ancestral hall’s ruined temple. Someone else would come collect them. It’s all Second Master Tu’s doing and has nothing to do with me!”

She was clearly terrified of the City God Temple. People like them had long ago accepted living with their heads hanging from their belts. Death was nothing more than a bowl-sized scar, and dying with loyalty was even considered honorable.

But offending experts of the mystic path was different. Who knew if they would be refined into some horrible thing after death, never able to rest in peace or reincarnate?

Shopkeeper Wan signaled with his eyes. A disciple stepped forward and slapped the woman hard before stuffing a rag into her mouth and dragging her away like a dead dog.

Afterward, Shopkeeper Wan sighed slightly and turned toward Li Yan’s group, cupping his fists. “This time, we truly owe thanks to Little Brother Li. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

“Xianyang is already in chaos. You should stay out of this matter. Once I bring her to the City God Temple, no matter who is behind it, they won’t escape. You three should remain peacefully in the village. Food and lodging will be taken care of.”

Li Yan said, “Please go ahead, Senior Wan.”

Since the matter involved both the sects of the mystic path and evil practitioners, the three of them asked no further questions. Shopkeeper Wan clearly had far more experience dealing with such matters.

After he left with his people, the great courtyard became lively once again. Seeing nothing else to do, Li Yan decided to continue his plan of visiting Zhao Luzi.

Wang Daoxuan had already obtained permission from Shopkeeper Wan and buried himself in Shopkeeper Wan’s study reading collections of obscure texts from the mystic path. Sha Lifei had no interest in climbing mountains, so Li Yan ended up going alone.

The back mountain was not far away, so Li Yan did not bother riding a horse. Carrying a box of wine and dishes, he left through the rear of the village. Before long, he saw a small mountain ahead. The mountain was not tall, but thick vegetation covered most of it. Exposed areas revealed only broken rocks and yellow soil, making the slopes steep and difficult to traverse.

After all the commotion earlier in the day, it was already afternoon by the time he began climbing. As sunset arrived, Li Yan found an old mountain god temple tucked within a hollow halfway up the mountain.

For some reason, it felt strangely gloomy and ancient. Before Li Yan even approached, he heard voices speaking inside.

“Brother Zhao, this is a major job. Aren’t you going to consider it?”

“My ancestors left instructions. I don’t take jobs involving tombs.”

“You’re truly stubborn as rotten wood. That’s a—” The speaker stopped abruptly after hearing Li Yan’s footsteps and immediately turned around with a dark expression. “Who’s there?!”

Sharp ears...

Pretending not to hear, Li Yan shouted loudly, “Brother Zhao, are you around? I came to drink with you!”

“It’s Brother Li!” Zhao Luzi had originally looked wary as well, but upon hearing Li Yan’s voice, he immediately brightened up.

Turning, he said, “Senior Mo, I won’t accept this job. You should leave. A friend came to visit, and I need to host him.”

Senior Mo grunted, “Fine then.”

It was only then that Li Yan finally saw the man speaking. He was short and middle-aged, dressed in coarse black cloth and a small black cap. A metal rod hung behind his waist. His wrinkled facial features were all scrunched together, with protruding front teeth that made him resemble a giant rat.

Li Yan could also smell the scent of decayed earth lingering on him.

The man’s eyes were gloomy. He gave Li Yan a cold glance, clearly unwilling to speak, before turning and quickly departing. After rounding the mountain ridge, he disappeared from sight.

Zhao Luzi asked, “Brother Li, things calmed down over there already?”

He was still young. Though he had spent years living in the wilderness and lacked social grace, their shared adventure had caused him to genuinely accept Li Yan as a friend.

Naturally, he was delighted by Li Yan’s visit.

Li Yan laughed heartily. “Hahaha! No matter how busy things are, there’s always time to drink!”

He subtly gestured behind him. That rat-faced man was truly sinister. Though he had pretended to leave, he was actually crouching behind the ridge listening in.

Zhao Luzi immediately understood and smiled. “Then Brother Li, come in quickly. Tonight we drink until we’re drunk. No, you should stay here tonight.”

“That works too.”

Li Yan laughed as he followed him into the Mountain God Temple.

The temple resembled an earthen cave dwelling. Half of it was dug directly into the mountainside. From outside, it looked ancient and weathered, but the interior was spotless. There were woodsheds and kitchens on either side, along with heated earthen sleeping platforms.

A statue stood in the main hall depicting an elder dressed in robes herbalists would wear. Sensing the incense aura surrounding it, Li Yan’s expression became solemn. He respectfully offered three sticks of incense before sitting down to chat with Zhao Luzi.

The two talked casually about random topics without touching the important matters.

Only after some time passed did Li Yan smile and ask, “He’s gone now. What kind of person was that? His methods looked rather crooked.”

Zhao Luzi did not hide anything. “That was a treasure-hunter from the hidden seekers lineage. He knew my father. Usually he searches around the Guanzhong Plains for ancient tombs. He has several disciples under him, and all of them are ruthless figures.”

Li Yan frowned. “He came looking for trouble?”

“Not exactly.” Zhao Luzi hesitated briefly before lowering his voice. “A sudden rumor about a heavenly treasure appeared in Xianyang City. He came asking me to join him.”

“Oh?” Li Yan immediately became interested. “What treasure?”

Zhao Luzi shook his head. “You could call it a treasure. You could also call it an ominous object. The thing is called a Mountain Tai Sui. It’s not too far away either. It’s in the mass grave outside Xianyang.”