Blade - Unbound

The manuscript contained details about the rites of state sacrifice.

Yan Jiuling had briefly mentioned his conjectures back on Mount Hua; however, he was much more explicit in his explanations in the manuscript. He was a Confucian scholar by training. Though he had some understanding of the mystic sects, he could hardly be considered an expert, so much of his reasoning began with the Confucian classics, specifically, the Rites of Zhou.

What was meant by the term, "ritual?" In the broadest sense, it encompassed all the institutions, systems, and ceremonies by which human society functioned. Thus, ritual governed and ordered all affairs; it was the foundation upon which a state operated. Yet that was not immutable. Once a state fell into disorder, or its institutions ceased to suit the development of the age, rites and music would collapse, resulting in a calamity of the Dao.

The previous manuscripts had explained this in a somewhat abstract sense. An ordinary person would probably be completely bewildered by them without years of study and accumulated knowledge.

But from Li Yan's perspective, informed by his previous life, it was actually quite easy to understand. This manuscript defined a ritual to also encompass relationships in production, hierarchical systems, the distribution of interests, and the like. Once the production relationships ceased to correspond with the productive forces, problems would naturally emerge and eventually bring about transformation.

Take the Rites of Zhou, for example. Its original title had been the Offices of Zhou, divided into the Offices of Heaven and Earth and the four Offices of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Later Confucians expanded the meaning of "ritual," and the Offices of Zhou naturally became the Rites of Zhou.

But if one went even further back, did the Xia and Shang dynasties have no such thing as that? Of course they did! The Experiences of the Five Emperors in the Records of the Grand Historian recorded that when Yao ordered Shun to act as regent, Shun revised the Five Rites. Shun later appointed Boyi as Minister of Rites and instructed him to preside over the Three Rites.

Thus, Yan Jiuling proposed an idea that the concept of the state had emerged because of rituals. Its seeds had been planted in remote antiquity, and it had taken shape during the Three Dynasties.

Of course, all of that was merely the history visible on the surface. To trace the origins of the mystic path, one inevitably had to seek their source.

The origin of rituals lay in the worship of gods. It stemmed from the shamanic traditions of ancient tribes, which, much like the mystic sects of the present day, used divination to interpret certain phenomena, observed taboos, and performed rites to avert calamities.

Later, these practices gradually developed into the various ceremonial systems of auspicious rites, mourning rites, military rites, guest rites, and celebratory rites. Mourning rites, for example, were what people now called funeral affairs, from which professions within the mystic sects such as coffin bearers, paper-effigy craftsmen, and yin yang masters had developed.

This was the true foundation of the mystic path.

Orthodox teachings were called orthodox precisely because they controlled the rituals of the present age. The Taixuan Orthodox Sect, for example, presided over the rites of state sacrifice, while the Confucian and Schools governed the rites concerning the bureaucracy and institutions of the state.

A calamity of the Dao was, in essence, a transformation of the same! Behind every social transformation lay hidden struggles among the mystic sects. In ancient times, for instance, the shamanic traditions had dominated the world. The War of Investiture might very well have been the final afterglow of the shamanic path, after which it gradually declined.

Many signs indicated that during the early Zhou Dynasty, tremendous efforts had been made to erase the rituals of Shang. The stubborn people of Yin were forcibly relocated; the Yin capital was destroyed; Shang tombs were filled in; and the rites of human sacrifice were abolished. Later, Zhou lost its rites and rival powers competed for supremacy. As dynasties rose and fell, the mystic sects also gradually changed, eventually forming the situation that existed today.

All of this could be found in historical records.

What truly shocked Li Yan, however, were the two questions and conjectures Yan Jiuling had raised. The first question came from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. It recorded countless wondrous treasures and strange beasts, while gods lived alongside humans, and shamans and kings were one and the same. They commonly bore a particular title: Emperor.

Those wondrous treasures would, in the present age, be what people called heavenly treasures and earthly treasures. Yet their numbers were nowhere near as astonishing as they had apparently been in antiquity.

What had happened in between?

The other question concerned Zhou replacing Shang.

Although no detailed records had survived from the Xia and Shang dynasties, scattered fragments revealed that the people of those eras had worshipped the Grand Emperor, a fusion of the ancestral deity and Heaven. They had also revered human sacrifice. After the Zhou dynasty, the Grand Emperor gradually became the more nebulous concept of the Heavens.

From that point onward, divine authority declined, and the gods withdrew into the distance. Based on the chronology, Yan Jiuling identified two critical turning points.

The War of Investiture and The Great Flood!

It was only after the Great Flood that there were no more Grand Emperor in the Divine Continent!

Before the War of Investiture, the Divine Continent had revered ghosts and gods and delighted in human sacrifice. After the War of Investiture, divine authority was gradually suppressed by imperial authority. Perhaps the so-called investiture of the gods had never been about bestowing divine titles.

Perhaps it meant... that they were sealing the gods away!

At the end of the manuscript, Yan Jiuling even mocked himself, writing that these were nothing more than wild fantasies. He had not even dared to show them to anyone, lest his fellow disciples and teachers ridicule him and laugh at him as a madman.

Yet when Li Yan read them, he was utterly shaken.

The ancient Daoists had excavated the ruins left behind by the War of Investiture and compiled their discoveries into the Immortal Longevity Treasury. Every method recorded within was bloody and cruel, requiring sacrifices to demon gods.

Those demon gods had all been suppressed beneath Mount Luofeng.

Could they be the very gods who had been sealed away during the War of Investiture?

Then there’s also the mysterious God Ascendants. Could they also be connected to this ancient history?

For a moment, Li Yan felt his head spinning. For some inexplicable reason, he had the distinct feeling that he might have touched upon the true secrets of the mystic path.

"Young Master Li."

Just then, a timid voice interrupted his thoughts. At some point, a maidservant of the Yan Family's residence had entered the study.

The young maid's eyes were filled with reverence as she explained, "The banquet has been prepared, and a guest has arrived at the residence. Master asks that you attend the feast in the front hall."

"Oh." Li Yan rubbed his slightly aching temples and followed the maidservant out of the small courtyard. When he looked at the sky again, it had already begun to darken. Evening had arrived.

"Hahaha! Wonderful news..."

Before he had even reached the front hall, he heard hearty laughter coming from within.

Entering the hall, he saw that a banquet had already been laid out on the table. The dishes were numerous and varied, forming a dazzling spread that looked exceedingly sumptuous.

Another man was seated at the table besides Yan Bonian. He was in the prime of his life, tall and powerfully built, with a broad back and thick waist. He had a square face, heavy eyebrows, large eyes, and a piercing gaze. He wore a dark-brown, close-fitting martial outfit with the collar left open, exposing bronze-colored skin. Black coarse-cloth trousers covered his legs, their cuffs tucked into black leg wraps, while his feet were clad in heavy cowhide boots covered in mud and dust. His weathered face suggested that he had been traveling for a very long time.

More importantly, Li Yan could not smell any odor from him! He had to be a Core Jin Realm expert!

Li Yan immediately became wary.

Seeing him enter the hall, Yan Bonian promptly rose with a smile. "Brother Lei, allow this old man to introduce you. This is Young Hero Li from the Guanzhong Plains. He was also a good friend of my son. My wife recovered from her illness entirely thanks to him. Young Hero Li, this is Lei Zhen from Huangmei County, the head of the Yue Family Fist, as well as an old and dear friend of mine."

So that's why...

Li Yan hurriedly cupped his hands respectfully. "Greetings, Senior Lei."

The Yue Family Fist originated from the Yue Army, and had been created by Yue Wumu himself. When his sons Yue Zhen and Yue Ting settled in Huangmei in Ezhou, it spread among the common people and had been passed down ever since.

It was now a renowned school among the martial circles of Ezhou.

Within Ezhou lay Wudang; to the north was Shaolin; and to the west was Emei. Any school of fist arts capable of surviving in the cracks between such great powers and being passed down to the present day could not possibly be underestimated.

The Yue Family Fist originated in the military, and was renowned for practical combat. Its movements were simple and unadorned, yet astonishingly lethal. Its footwork favored direct advances and retreats, but it still emphasized the interplay between feints and solid movements, with a doctrine known as the Seven Feints and Seven Realities.

Although Li Yan had long heard of it, he had never witnessed it for himself.

"The Guanzhong Plains?" Lei Zhen frowned slightly and continued thoughtfully, "Senior Zhang Xiaoshan of Yunyang Prefecture went to Chang'an for a banquet during the New Year. After he returned, he mentioned a young bladesman who killed a local tyrant in the street on the night of the Lantern Festival. Was that you?"

Li Yan cupped his hands. "That was indeed me. I've also had the fortune of meeting Senior Zhang Xiaoshan once."

"Hahaha! Excellent!" Lei Zhen immediately laughed. "Killing a villain in the street, then traveling a thousand li to deliver medicine! The young men of Chang'an haven't lost their chivalrous spirit!"

Li Yan replied politely, "Senior flatters me."

After the two sides exchanged pleasantries, Yan Bonian pulled Li Yan over.

"Come, come! Sit down." The old man was clearly in an excellent mood. He personally picked up an old wine jar and broke open its clay seal, saying with a smile, "This Tusu Wine was originally meant for the New Year sacrificial rites. But I was in poor spirits at the time, and I'd already sent the rest of the family away, so I never opened it. It just so happens that we can use it to entertain our guests today."

With that, he poured each of them a bowl.

Tusu Wine was a creation of the Medicine King Sun Simiao. It was a type of medicinal wine and, together with Jiaobai Wine, traditionally used as a ritual offering during the New Year festivities. Su Zhe had once written: Year after year, I am the last to drink Tusu; before I knew it, more than seventy years had passed.

Li Yan possessed an exceptionally keen sense of smell. The wine was amber in color and carried a faint medicinal fragrance. After Yan Bonian urged him to drink, he took a sip and found not the slightest trace of bitterness. Instead, it possessed a rich, mellow aroma.

Even Lei Zhen drained his bowl in one gulp, smacked his lips, and praised, "Fine wine! This must be from Old Du, the Wine General's cellar?"

Yan Bonian smiled. "Indeed."

Lei Zhen immediately brightened up. "Old Du is getting on in years. His disciples have long since taken over the work. Every jar he personally brewed is one less jar left in the world. I didn't expect Brother Yan to still have something this good hidden away. Looks like I'm benefiting from Little Brother Li's presence as well."

Yan Bonian laughed despite himself. "What nonsense are you talking about? This old man only managed to get two jars. If you want to drink, we'll finish the lot today!"

The wine was excellent, and naturally, the food was no worse.

There was winter melon and softshell turtle skirt soup, carefully stewed from turtle and winter melon until the broth was fresh and delicious, as well as beautifully arranged Coiled Dragon Dish. There was minced chicken with Bijia fish maw, pairing the delicately minced chicken with the smooth springiness of the Bijia fish. There were also Braised Eel, Mixed Eight Treasures, Thousand-Sheet Pork, and more.

Those were all dishes of Hubei cuisine. Yan Bonian had clearly hired an expert chef, as every dish was exquisite in color, aroma, and flavor.

Even though Li Yan had already eaten quite a lot at noon, his appetite was stirred all over again. A sip of wine, a bite of food... before long, his eyes were curving into crescents with delight.

This banquet alone made today's trip worthwhile.

Yan Bonian was in high spirits and repeatedly toasted the other two. After several cups, he was already showing faint signs of being drunk.

He sighed emotionally, "My son made a friend who traveled a thousand li to deliver medicine for him. This old man made a friend who rushed through the night to come to my aid. My life has been worthwhile..."

"What kind of depressing nonsense is that!" Lei Zhen drained another bowl of wine, a murderous glint gradually appearing in his eyes. "The imperial court treated those barbarians generously, yet they still raised troops in rebellion. They should've been suppressed long ago!

"They don't dare go after the imperial army, so instead they send scum from the martial world to deal viciously with the Yan Family. A bunch of demons and monsters, the lot of them!

"Don't worry, Brother Yan. My business in the northwest is finished. I'll stay here with you and see which bastard dares come knocking!"

Before the words had even left his mouth, Li Yan suddenly frowned. He shot to his feet and hissed, "Both of you, hold your breath! Someone's released poison!"

Immediately afterward, the servants and guards stationed by the distant entrance began swaying unsteadily before collapsing to the ground one after another.

"You've got guts!"

"Little Brother, protect Brother Yan!"

Lei Zhen had never expected someone to slap him across the face the instant he finished making such a bold declaration. Enraged, he stamped his foot and shot out of the hall.

Li Yan had originally intended to act as well, but seeing this, he stopped himself from following. Instead, he took out the Divine Tiger Token and rapidly formed a hand seal. "Nuogao, I alone open the descendant Wang Jia. Six Jia Azure Dragon, Six Yi Encountering Star, Six Bing Bright Hall, Six Ding Hidden Yin... By my command move swiftly"

That was the Northern Emperor Mountain-Climbing Technique, a concealment technique used to evade demons, ghosts, and ferocious beasts.

Li Yan, however, had another use for it. The instant the art was activated, a chilling wind howled through the surroundings, making the plants and flowers in the hall sway violently while scraps of paper flew everywhere.

Li Yan remained motionless with his hand seal formed, deliberately prolonging the casting process.

What the enemy had used was a type of invisible poisonous mist. Its scent was extremely faint, and it had been carried into the courtyard by the evening breeze, making it exceptionally difficult to detect. Li Yan's move just happened to disperse it.

Meanwhile, Lei Zhen's speed was even more astonishing. As a Core Jin Realm expert, all his qi remained contained within himself, so naturally he had little to fear from some poison. With his qi formed into a perfect circle, the flow of his force would not be interrupted either.

He sprang out of the front hall and covered several zhang in a single step, arriving in the courtyard. Instead of heading through the main gate, he explosively exerted strength through both legs and leapt three meters into the air. His foot landed against a veranda pillar, which he used as leverage to flip himself over the courtyard wall.

Seeing this, Li Yan couldn't help but praise him. But it was not Lei Zhen's physical prowess that caught his eye. Leaping onto rooftops and beams was something Li Yan himself could do now. What he admired was the man's experience.

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Li Yan had already activated his divine ability and could detect several people outside the main gate holding crossbows, waiting for someone to open it so they could unleash a volley.

Lei Zhen possessed no divine ability. He had relied purely on his experience of the jianghu, yet he had still made the optimal choice.

Sure enough, no one who reached the Core Jin Realm was mediocre.

On the other side, after Lei Zhen landed atop the roof, he casually tore up several tiles and hurled them with a series of sharp whooshes. Driven by his tremendous force, the roof tiles actually screamed through the air.

Several black-clad men were holding bows and crossbows across from the main gate. They had barely heard the rushing wind when a succession of dull bangs rang out, and their heads burst apart like watermelons.

"Hmph!" Lei Zhen snorted coldly, his icy gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

He realized quickly that something was wrong. At some unknown point, the surrounding streets had become completely deserted. Candlelight could still be seen in the distance, but it seemed as though everyone had deliberately avoided this particular area.

Rustle... Rustle...

A soft, slithering sound came from the ground. A carpet of venomous snakes began pouring in from every direction, quickly covering the entire street. At the same time, an old beggar appeared in the distance. Carrying an erhu on his back, he slowly approached with a limp. In the darkness, his eyes seemed to glow faintly red.

Seeing the man, Lei Zhen narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

He demanded coldly, "Who are you in the Beggars' Gang? State your name!"

"Just a down-and-out man, a nameless nobody..." The old man coughed and stopped at the street corner. He removed the erhu from his back, casually sat cross-legged on the ground, and said indifferently, "Lei Zhen of the Yue Family Fist? This old man didn't come here today to cause trouble for the Yan Family. That brat hiding inside the Yan residence took something he shouldn't have. Have him hand it over, and this old man can spare his life."

Lei Zhen froze slightly. He had not expected such a huge commotion to have been directed at Li Yan.

Although puzzled, there was no chance he would back down. He said coldly, "Won't tell me who you are? Then I'll capture you first and ask my questions afterward!"

Before his words had even finished echoing, he leapt down and raced swiftly along the courtyard wall. In just a few movements, he had already reached the old beggar. His figure flashed, moving as fast as a streak of light, and he slammed down with his palm.

Due to its particular historical origins, the Yue Family Fist followed a principle: If mercy remains in your heart, do not strike; once you strike, show no mercy.

This technique was called: Single Blade ending the Banquet, Subduing Dragon and Tiger. Combining movement, technique, and terrain, it possessed countless variations. It was like charging through an army of ten thousand to take the enemy general's head, an absolute killing move.

As a Core Jin Realm expert and a veteran of the jianghu, Lei Zhen had naturally encountered his fair share of practitioners of the mystic arts and possessed abundant experience in dealing with them. He carried protective ritual artifacts capable of resisting ordinary spells. As long as he could close the distance, even a practitioner with profound cultivation would be beaten to death by him.

However, the old beggar neither dodged nor evaded. Lei Zhen's palm came crashing down, but it struck nothing. The old beggar had already dissolved into smoke and vanished.