The Blade-Wielding Legend-Chapter 1255 - 655: Xu Fu’s Bamboo Slip (2)

Inside the Meng Mansion, it was equally chaotic.

The servants were pale, the sound of maids weeping could faintly be heard, and the ground was covered in blood.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

The town's government officials were pressing for answers.

"I... I don't know either."

The servant trembled as he replied, "The master hosted a banquet today, and scholars from ten miles around were invited to a poetry gathering in the courtyard."

"Suddenly, a freak wind blew, frost formed on the ground, and Scholar Zhou from Baigou Town went insane. He immediately started choking the master, demanding some kind of bamboo slip. We tried to restrain him, but he suddenly gained enormous strength and killed a few people..."

Wang Daoxuan and Sha Lifei, upon hearing this, said nothing further and quickly entered the house.

"Hey hey, you..."

The government official was about to stop them, but Uncle Fu hurriedly stepped forward to explain.

After Sha Lifei presented his Daoist certificate, the officials did not obstruct them any further.

There was a benefit from the battle at the Chengdu Royal Mansion.

All the Twelve Primordial Spirits' Daoist certificates had been changed to black.

This was a privilege only the Mystic Sect had; if they encountered any evil harming people, they could deal with it directly.

If needed, they could even request assistance from the surrounding government offices and garrison.

The Meng Family had a three-section courtyard, rich with literary atmosphere.

The group came to the central hall, "Xiefang Pavilion," only to find the inside in complete disarray.

Red blood and black pine soot ink formed bizarre patterns on the blue brick floor.

Lying on the ground were several scholars' corpses, all in arched positions.

Their heads twisted, as if forcefully turned by someone, with ghastly grins on their pale faces.

The most evident thing was the rafters.

They were covered with frost, and the large print of a tiger's paw had yet to dissipate...

"Has this guy gone mad?"

Sha Lifei was a bit puzzled, "Earlier at Jingyang Ridge, it tried not to harm lives and concealed itself as much as possible, but now it's brazen, daring to commit murder in broad daylight, entering the town..."

They, towards demons, didn't always call for beating and killing at first sight, and even had some outlier friends.

Like the Zouyu of Shennongjia, though they couldn't communicate, they could coexist peacefully.

But after committing such an act, regardless of the reason, it was a battle to the death.

Even if they didn't act, the Law Enforcement Hall wouldn't let it slide.

Wang Daoxuan, however, seemed to be contemplating, "It seems that thing hasn't succeeded. As for why it committed murder, we'll only know after capturing and interrogating it."

Sha Lifei whispered, "What do we do now?"

Wang Daoxuan looked at the corpse of Mr. Meng, whose eyes could not close in peace.

"Go get the things, start the ritual platform."

"While the three souls haven't yet dispersed, I'll summon the soul to question!"

...…

The Meng Family now had no chief, and the officials cooperated well.

Soon, the magic platform was set up.

Wang Daoxuan ordered the move of a yew eight-immortal table, propping three Yansheng Money at the corners, symbolizing the power of "Heaven, Earth, and Man" to subdue evil. The tablecloth was indigo coarse hemp, resonating with the imagery of "the blue sky suppressing evil."

Summoning souls for questioning is typically mastered by those familiar with the dark arts, and should be done at midnight.

Wang Daoxuan was more skilled in Evil Exorcism and prayer.

Yet, he had a treasure.

Displayed on the magic platform, a yellow brass incense burner in the center, a Mysterious Turtle Shell Compass to the right, and on the left, a peculiar lamp made of rhinoceros horn, with crimson lamp oil inside.

This treasure, the "Rhinoceros Horn Lamp," was acquired in Ezhou from Madam Tongtian of the Ghost Sect.

This treasure, crafted from a Tongtian rhinoceros horn, allows one to glimpse the Netherworld.

To prevent frightening people, everyone, including officials, was sent out.

Afraid that the yin souls might be dispelled by sunlight, the halls were entirely covered with black cloth.

"Wandering souls, where do you linger, the three souls will soon, the seven spirits come to the riverside and fields, temple and village, palace and prison, tomb and forest, strange events, lost true soul, now invite the kitchen god of this house..."

As Wang Daoxuan chanted the "Soul Capturing Spell," a Yin Wind arose within the hall.

He glanced slightly, the Peach Wood Sword in reverse, guiding the candle flame onto the Rhinoceros Horn Lamp.

In an instant, the entire main hall was bathed in a ghastly green light, as if they had entered the Netherworld.

In certain corners, the bloody, drooping figures of scholar ghosts appeared.

They were the souls of those who had just perished in the hall.

This was why Wang Daoxuan dared not waste time.

If delayed, these spirits would either enter the Netherworld or dissipate.

Then, they would have to call professionals in the art of darkness for help.

The yin soul of Mr. Meng was among them.

It stood by his corpse, turned away, motionless.

In such a scene, ordinary people would be scared to death.

But to them, it was of no real concern.

Even Sha Lifei, who had once been an ordinary person, was a relentless figure emerging from the Corpse Forest.

On the contrary, they dared not even breathe heavily, fearing the yin souls might get scared away.

And Wang Daoxuan continued the Step Gang Stepping, then took the vermillion pen from the altar, chanting mantras silently as he wrote strange characters on yellow paper.

This is called Tianwen, also known as the Ghost Book.

Simply put, it's a script for communicating with yin souls.

With a few strokes, Wang Daoxuan wrote down several lines and added a talisman, then used his Peach Wood Sword to ignite the Ghost Book in the candle flame, pointing forcefully at the yin soul of Mr. Meng.

Whoosh~

Billowing green smoke instantly fused into the yin soul's body.

With his back to them, Mr. Meng also slowly raised his arm, pointing to the left.

With a signal from Wang Daoxuan, Sha Lifei and Wu Ba immediately set off.

Just as they passed through the small left door of the main hall, Mr. Meng's yin soul appeared again in the shadowy corridor, still with his back to them, but pointing to the right.

Sha Lifei and his companion were not surprised and continued to follow.

Soon, they arrived in the study in the backyard.

There, Mr. Meng's yin soul appeared once more, pointing his arm upward.

"I'll handle it!"

Without a word, Wu Ba thrust his legs, jumping up, and his hands, like iron hooks, directly clamped onto the beam, then struck left and right.

Bang bang bang!

Quickly, he found the source of the abnormal sound.

He raised his hand with a smack, and with a cracking sound, he split the beam directly.

At the same time, an iron box fell from above.

It turns out this beam was hollowed out, and the iron box was placed inside, sealed by skilled craftsmen, with wood panels covering it, making it impossible to see anything hidden inside.

Sha Lifei held the iron box, promptly returned to the main hall.

Wang Daoxuan cleared away the magic platform and opened the iron box.

Inside, unexpectedly, was a bamboo slip, similar in texture to what they had found earlier.

"As expected, it's here!"

Wang Daoxuan glanced at Mr. Meng's body, stroked his beard, and shook his head while saying, "The ancestors of the Meng family must have been reluctant to part with the precious book and wanted to create fame, hence they used counterfeit goods as a substitute, leaving disaster for their descendants..."

"Is this the item?"

Sha Lifei quickly inquired.

When they left Luoyang, "Gold-eyed Feng" had passed the Golden Sparrow Book to Wang Daoxuan.

This item could only be understood by Daoists.

Wang Daoxuan looked at it for a few moments, his expression turning grave.

"Indeed, it is the 'Seeking Immortality' chapter left by Xu Fu."

"The tiger demon managed to find the Meng family, indicating someone in the city is aiding them inside."

"Let's return to the Chen Mansion and make arrangements to capture the demon!"

...

In the darkness, Li Yan's eyelids twitched slightly, slowly opening his eyes.

He formed a mantra with his hands, his chest heaving rhythmically.

Whoosh~

Just with an exhale, a fierce wind blew inside the room.

After a long time meditating, he finally managed to reconstruct his Visualization Space.

Thus his Dao might not have increased significantly, but it became more stable.

Don't underestimate this point; the distance one can go with the Luo Feng Scripture, perhaps this change is pivotal.

Thinking about it, Li Yan turned to the bronze wide-eyed Nuo Mask beside him.

But as before, it returned to its ordinary state, showing no sign of aura.

Li Yan felt a bit disappointed, shaking his head slightly.

He had a vague suspicion.

Attempting to peer into the Daluo Law Realm isn't that simple.

Firstly, one needs the assistance of the Immortal Master Erlang, secondly, both parties need to leverage the power of the bronze Luo face to resonate, only then can they sense the situation with their intentions over there.

This matter carries great risk; if discovered, it constitutes a breach of the Heavenly Rules.

No knowing when the next opportunity will arise...

After putting away the bronze Nuo Mask, Li Yan looked out the window.

Unknowingly, it was already pitch black outside.

However, Li Yan twitched his nose, frowned tightly, and quickly moved out the door.

Only to see Lv San holding the Little White Fox, sitting on a stool outside the door.

Sha Lifei, meanwhile, holding the Divine Fire Gun, squatted on the rooftop in the shadows.

"What happened?" Li Yan asked.

"Xu Fu's bamboo slip has been found..."

Lv San briefed him on the situation in a low voice, whispering, "The Daoist suspects the people behind the tiger demon are from Jianmu, hence set a trap to capture it."

"Yes, good thing I woke up in time."

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief, greeted everyone, and also hid himself in the room.

Still, when midnight passed, the tiger demon remained unseen.

Rather, Chen San, Cao Gang's Squad Leader, rushed back after gathering intelligence outside.

"Mr. Lan Du discovered!"