Blade - Unbound

"There are unclean things in the river?" Li Yan frowned. "That wasn't mentioned in the report you submitted."

"Ah, it's gotten much worse." Village Head Zhu sighed helplessly. "It's a long story. In any case, stay away from the river. Those things are vicious."

Li Yan thought for a moment, then turned and said, "In that case, Brother Lu, be careful. Set up camp on the bank. I'll keep watch with you later tonight."

Sha Lifei touched his chest, looking somewhat distracted. "I'll stay."

Li Yan immediately understood what was on his mind. Without saying anything more, he followed Village Head Zhu and the others into the village.

As soon as everyone had left, Sha Lifei hurriedly helped Lu San pitch the tent. He then ducked inside, lit a candle, and impatiently pulled the book from his robes.

Lu San asked, "What kind of treasure is it?"

He had long since noticed that something was off about Sha Lifei.

"Heh, this'll scare you to death!" Sha Lifei's eyes were filled with excitement. Fine beads of sweat had even appeared on his forehead and the tip of his nose.

Carefully opening the book, he spoke with his voice trembling, "Brother Yan once told me that during the chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty, evil flourished while the Dao declined. Quite a few remnants of the Fangxian Dao emerged and joined forces with mechanism-art lineages to take part in the wars between the warlords, creating all sorts of powerful weapons. The Nether Torch we used was one of them.

"This is a secret manual passed down from that era."

Lu San had also witnessed the power of the Nether Torch. He nodded. "It certainly is valuable, but you don't know the art of mechanisms. Even if you know how it's made, you still wouldn't be able to build one, would you?"

Sha Lifei hurriedly shook his head. "We can figure that out later! The important thing is this..."

He carefully turned to the final few pages. The leather there was noticeably newer, and clearly had been added much more recently. The illustrations and writing upon them were still clear, the ink barely faded.

Lu San's pupils abruptly contracted. "This?!"

Sha Lifei was breathing heavily, his eyes almost turning red with excitement. "A new gunpowder formula and blueprints for firearms. We've struck it rich!"

Lu San was also shocked. He swallowed hard.

"This could also bring us a lot of trouble..."

Meanwhile, Li Yan had already entered the village.

Ezhou had a unique geography and history. Mountains surrounded it on the east, west, and north, allowing it to preserve the ancient culture of Ba and Chu while also being influenced by the north. The ethnic minorities in the mountainous regions lived in concentrated communities, and their food, clothing, housing, and customs retained more of the ancient traditions of the old lands. Thus, shamanic practices were also widespread.

On the fertile Jianghan Plain in the central region, however, agricultural customs were more prevalent, with worship offered to the Gods of the Soil and Grain. The two sets of traditions had also blended together.

For example, large numbers of maple trees were planted around the villages. Li Yan and the others had seen much the same throughout their journey. Every village planted maples; without maples, there was no village, all because maple wood was associated with Chiyou.

At the same time, the people here also devoutly prayed at Earth God Temples. It could truly be called a place where north and south met, where the cultures of the old lands and the Central Plains intertwined.

Upon entering the village, Li Yan felt a sense of familiarity. Zhu Clan's Fort, like his hometown, Li Clan's Fort, had developed from a military fort, and traces of the same basic layout could still be seen.

However, the villages of Ezhou had a style all their own. The architecture of the Guanzhong Plains was solid, simple, and imposing. Here, the houses were joined one to another, with household beside household, doors facing doors, and windows facing windows. The alleyways were also connected to other alleyways in an extremely compact layout.

Ancient gray bricks and tiles, carved wooden doors and beams, and narrow lanes paved entirely with bluestone slabs meant that even when it rained, people could visit neighboring homes without getting their shoes wet.

Old Zhang and his boatmen were all natives of Ezhou, so they were naturally accustomed to it. Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan, however, nearly lost their sense of direction as they followed the village head left and right through the narrow alleys, their feet treading over bluestone slabs.

Dim candlelight could be seen through the wooden windows on either side. Elderly villagers peered out at them, clearly curious about these strangers, yet also somewhat wary.

There were also children squatting on wooden thresholds, craning their heads to stare at them, only to be yanked back inside by their parents and given a sound spanking. Wails immediately rang out.

Village Head Zhu looked somewhat embarrassed, and he muttered, "Judging from your accent, Daoist, you're from Shanzhou, aren't you? Please excuse the spectacle."

"Not at all." Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and smiled. "Every region of the Divine Continent has its own customs. If you take the time to appreciate them, each has its own distinctive charm."

As he spoke, he glanced at the compass again, and his expression grew solemn. The needle swung left and right, becoming increasingly erratic.

Village Head Zhu belonged to one of the prominent clans of Zhu Clan's Fort. His ancestors had once been one of the military households stationed here, and later, after someone in the family passed the imperial examination, the family gradually prospered. Naturally, his residence was larger than most.

But unlike the great courtyard compounds of the Guanzhong Plains, his residence formed a single large complex surrounded by high walls, with several separate households inside connected by pebble paths.

All the main buildings were two stories tall, with wooden staircases linking the upper and lower floors. They were clearly quite old; the timber had darkened with age, and the rooms somewhat gloomy. Most distinctive of all was the open water channel that actually wound around the front of the residence, flowing down from higher ground and circling the property.

Seeing this, Wang Daoxuan narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled. "A silver belt of water before the gate, generations of scholars within; honor and distinction shall grace the noble household. Elder, an expert definitely gave you guidance when this residence was built."

"You flatter us, Daoist." Village Head Zhu spoke modestly, though he could not conceal the pride in his eyes. "Long ago, my ancestor saved a fengshui master from Ganzhou. It was under his guidance that this old residence was built.

"This old man won't boast about much else, but our family traditions have remained upright. We farm and study to sustain the family and have never dared bring harm upon our neighbors. My grandson is currently studying at Yuelu Academy!"

The people of Ezhou were hospitable, and all the more so toward cultivators who had come to help. The moment Village Head Zhu returned home, he busied himself making arrangements for wine and food.

According to local customs, when guests arrived, serving one or two dishes was fine, as was serving four or five, but three dishes could never be placed on the table. Three bowls were an offering arrangement used in rituals for the dead. For honored guests, nine bowls of dishes had to be prepared.

Local fish cakes, dried tofu sheets with braised pork, fried lotus-root balls, eight-treasure rice... They were all ordinary folk dishes, yet not a single dish was repeated.

Naturally, Old Zhang and the boatmen were seated in the large hall of the front courtyard, while Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan were arranged in a side room farther inside. After all, there were important matters to discuss.

Village Head Zhu was advanced in age and not suited to drinking, so he had his son accompany them instead. His son insisted on offering several rounds of toasts before finally stopping.

"Many thanks for your hospitality, Elder." Wang Daoxuan did not beat around the bush. He placed the compass on the table and said gravely, "I'm afraid there's a serious problem with Zhu Clan's Fort. What exactly happened here?"

Li Yan also looked at Village Head Zhu. The information provided by the City God Temple had only said that people here had been dying one after another, and that even the temple keeper of the Earth God Temple had disappeared without reason. From the looks of things now, the problem was definitely far more serious.

"Ah, it's all the result of old grievances and ill-fated deeds!" Village Head Zhu sighed. "I'm not afraid of embarrassing myself before you two. Although my family has produced a few scholars, the atmosphere in the village itself has never been particularly good.

"For many years now, there have always been young men who can't endure the hardship of farming and fishing, yet refuse to learn a proper trade. All they want is to make a quick buck.

"Zhu Clan's Fort used to be a military fort, and several families still have martial arts passed down through the generations. Those young men took to practicing with blades and staves, stirring up trouble all day long. They've had no shortage of conflicts with the surrounding villages.

"This old man couldn't control them, so in the end, I could only let them do as they pleased. But who would have thought those young men would secretly turn to banditry down the river? They often hid their faces with masks, traveled out through the waterways in the mountains, and robbed boats on the Han River.

"Of course, none of them came to a good end. They were caught by the Xiangyang naval forces and shot dead on the spot. Quite a few families in the fort had their bloodlines cut off.

"That much was one thing. After all, those who commit evil can hardly expect to escape retribution. But those fools just had to bring disaster down upon us! Before they died, they robbed a passenger boat. They were utterly ruthless and killed everyone aboard.

"One day, a half-mad old Confucian scholar came to the village. He stood at the entrance and cursed us for half a day, saying that we had killed his son and calamity would surely descend from Heaven, leaving neither man nor beast alive in the entire village. Some villagers couldn't stand listening to him and drove him away with clubs. After that, strange things began happening throughout the village.

"First, the ancestral tablets in the clan shrine all began seeping water. We would wipe them dry during the day, but after a single night, water would be running all over the floor. Then, something went wrong with the well water. Several households drew up water that carried a foul stench, and more and more wells began having the same problem!

"After that, people started disappearing, including the temple keeper of the Earth God Temple. Their corpses then came floating down the river several days later. Someone secretly followed one of them in the middle of the night and discovered that they all seemed to have gone mad. They would suddenly wake at night, not even bother putting on clothes, and run straight into the water, drowning themselves.

"Everyone in the village is terrified now. A few families couldn't bear it anymore and fled elsewhere to seek refuge with relatives. But it's hard to leave one's ancestral home, and with so many widows, orphans, elderly, and children, how could everyone possibly leave?

"This old man already reported the matter and invited ritualists to drive out the evil, but even after several ceremonies, nothing worked. One of them even died. The rest were so frightened that they fled the village that very night."

As he spoke, his legs suddenly went weak and he began to kneel.

Li Yan hurriedly caught him, only to see the old village head's face already streaked with tears as he continued, "I won't hide it from you. Two nights ago, this old man dreamed of my ancestors. They surrounded me and cursed me furiously. At my age, dying wouldn't matter much. But with the village reduced to this state, how could I possibly face my ancestors after death?"

Wang Daoxuan's gaze sharpened suddenly. He had clearly picked up on something in the old man's words. "Elder, you dreamed of your ancestors cursing you? Has anyone else in the village experienced the same thing?"

Village Head Zhu froze, then shook his head. "I haven't heard anyone mention it. But being cursed by one's ancestors means the descendants have been unfilial. Even this old man didn't dare tell outsiders. Even if others experienced it, I doubt they would dare speak of it either."

Wang Daoxuan's expression grew grave. He nodded. "Village Head, send people immediately to ask the families where incidents have occurred whether they experienced anything similar. Also, this matter must no longer be concealed. Send word throughout the entire village and find out who else has recently dreamed of their ancestors cursing them."

"This..." Village Head Zhu's expression shifted uncertainly, but he finally gritted his teeth. "Rest assured, Daoist. This old man will see to it immediately."

Family shame was not something to be aired in public. If the rest of the village learned that one's ancestors had appeared in dreams to curse their descendants, the family would be condemned and ridiculed without end. But he also understood that at a time like this, they could no longer afford to hide anything.

After the old village head left, Li Yan turned toward Wang Daoxuan. "Daoist Wang, do you suspect something has gone wrong with the village's fengshui?"

"I'm afraid it goes beyond mere fengshui." Wang Daoxuan's expression was solemn. "Brother Yan, after entering the village, did you smell anything unusual?"

"That's what I find strange as well." Li Yan said doubtfully, "Logically, with something this serious happening, there should definitely be something causing trouble. Yet whether on the river or after entering the village, I haven't smelled anything strange.

"Moreover, although the temple keeper of the Earth God Temple is dead, the incense offerings there remain abundant and divine energy still swirls around it. It doesn't look as though an evil spirit has invaded."

Wang Daoxuan said gravely, "Then that should be it."

"Have you ever heard of the Arts of Chenwei? The Arts of Chenwei flourished during the Qin and Han dynasties. At the time, Confucianism had yet to become the mainstream. Its practitioners mythologized the classics, using cryptic prophecies to predict fortune and calamity, while the wei texts served as offshoots of the classics, elaborating upon their secondary meanings.

"Using these arts and the doctrine of resonance between Heaven and mankind, the Confucians sacralized the imperial authority of the Han dynasty, suppressed the Hundred Schools, and established Confucianism as the sole orthodoxy. From then on, the Confucian tradition flourished.

“At the time, the Confucian Classics were regarded as the outer teachings, while the Arts of Chenwei were the inner teachings. They absorbed numerous secret arts from the Mystic Schools and enjoyed tremendous prominence for a time.

"'The one who destroys Qin shall be Hu,' and 'After the third generation of Tang, a female sovereign, King Wu, shall rule all under Heaven!'. These are both examples of Chenwei prophecy. They may appear to be baseless nonsense, but in truth, they observe heavenly timing, geographical advantage, and the Five Movements and Six Qi to influence the great currents of human affairs.

"These arts are secretive. Although they could be used to consolidate imperial authority, that very power also made those in high positions wary of them. In later generations, many eminent Confucian scholars criticized the practice and separated it from the study of the Confucian Classics, eventually giving rise to the orthodox tradition we have today.

"Nowadays, Confucianism is a foundation of the state and is also considered an orthodox teaching among the Mystic Schools. It classifies the Arts of Chenwei as forbidden arts and rarely speaks of them. But they were, after all, once part of its inner teachings. That old Confucian scholar probably inherited this tradition. He may not have the ability to affect the fate of the nation or alter the great tide of human affairs, but making disasters repeatedly befall a single village would not be particularly difficult."

Li Yan's eyes were opened to an entirely new world. "Besides cultivating the proper way, the Confucian schools actually know arts like these?"

Wang Daoxuan laughed despite himself, then sighed softly. "Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. Those are the Three Teachings. Which of them doesn't have a little history behind it?"

Just then, the old village head hurried back, his face deathly pale as his voice trembled. "Daoist, your prediction was exactly right. The families of those villagers who died said that, in the days before they threw themselves into the river, they all behaved strangely. Some ran to their ancestral graves to burn joss paper, while others knelt for long periods before their ancestral tablets, remaining dazed and absent-minded all day.

"Also, including this old man, dozens of people in the village have dreamed of their ancestors cursing them. Most were elderly. Not a single child has had such a dream."

"Then there's no mistake." Wang Daoxuan frowned. "When the heart isn't upright, evil qi naturally finds its way in. Someone has taken advantage of the surrounding mountains and terrain to disturb your ancestral graves, then used rumors to throw your minds into disorder. Given enough time, trouble would naturally follow.

"To break the Arts of Chenwei, you need only reveal the truth. When people's hearts are no longer clouded, evil will naturally be unable to intrude. Simply make this entire matter public.

"Tomorrow, take me to see your ancestral graves."

The old village head hurriedly cupped his hands in gratitude. "Many thanks, Daoist."

Li Yan watched from the side, secretly marveling at it all. After the old village head left, he could not help sighing. "This is the first time I've ever seen a battle of mystic arts fought through people's hearts."

Wang Daoxuan's expression, however, remained grave. "The problem in this village shouldn't be too difficult to resolve."

He then looked out the window, his eyes filled with worry. "But the southwest is in turmoil; war is breaking out everywhere; and the Arts of Chenwei have reappeared... That is not a good omen!"

Since they had determined the cause, Li Yan did not remain in the village for long. After all, he knew nothing about this sort of thing and would have to leave it to Wang Daoxuan to handle.

He returned to the riverbank and went straight into the tent, where he found Sha Lifei and Lu San poring over an old book by candlelight. The food that had been delivered sat untouched beside them. They had not even bothered to eat.

"Brother Yan, we've struck it rich." Seeing him arrive, Sha Lifei's face lit up with excitement as he told Li Yan everything about the new gunpowder formula and firearm crafting methods they had obtained.