Blade - Unbound

Sha Lifei anxiously called out, "Li Yan, are you alright?!"

He and Wang Daoxuan appeared at the cave entrance while supporting Luo Faqing. Seeing the cave in complete disarray, and the large bloodstains covering Li Yan's abdomen and shoulder, Sha Lifei's eyes immediately filled with concern.

"I'm fine. It's that old bastard's blood." Li Yan brushed it off casually before tossing the Buddhist Treasure over with a grin. "Uncle Sha, see how much this thing is worth."

Sha Lifei's attention was instantly captured.

Even Luo Faqing hurriedly exclaimed, "Wait! That's a Buddhist Treasure! It's an invaluable treasure! If you're selling it, no matter the price, my Shang Mountain lineage will buy it!"

Li Yan simply shook his head with a smile. "Fellow Daoist Luo, don't be so hasty. It seems that after suppressing the Yin Demonic Fiend, this thing has become an ordinary object."

Whether it was still a Buddhist Treasure or not would be obvious anyway. It was also the perfect opportunity to attribute the Yin Demonic Fiend's descent into the underworld to the Buddhist Treasure itself, conveniently concealing the truth.

Luo Faqing's face changed drastically. "What? Impossible!"

The next moment, at Li Yan's signal, Sha Lifei reluctantly opened the golden lid, revealing the rows of relics inside.

Luo Faqing examined them for a long while before finally sighing in disappointment. "What a pity. These could have been used to forge an excellent spiritual artifact..."

Sha Lifei hurriedly asked. "Are they still worth money?"

That was obviously what concerned him most.

Luo Faqing did not hide anything and nodded. "They're more than enough to fool ordinary people. If you're capable, find someone from Chang'an's Buddhist community to authenticate them and explain their origin. There are countless wealthy Buddhist believers in Chang'an. They'll certainly pay a handsome price."

"Excellent!" Sha Lifei happily stored away the Buddhist Treasure. "When it's sold, you'll get your share."

Luo Faqing blinked. "I get a share too?"

Li Yan nodded with a smile. "That's our rule. As long as we have spoils of war, every Daoist who participated gets a share."

Sha Lifei chuckled as well, "Of course, if you think it's beneath you, we won't force it. Just like last time, Daoist Luo Mingzi of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect was noble and upright. I imagine that as a disciple of an established lineage, you're probably above caring about such things..."

"I want it!" Luo Faqing interrupted without hesitation. "If I wasn't short on money, why would I be running around during the New Year? Since you're all being so generous, how can I refuse?"

Sha Lifei mumbled, but he suddenly felt bitter. "That's more like it..."

Still, there was nothing he could do. The rule had been established from the very beginning. As Li Yan had once said, without the backing of a major lineage, they would often need others' help or introductions to jobs. Only by establishing clear rules could they continue working together for the long term.

Take Zhao Luzi, for example. Had they not insisted on sharing the profits with him back then, they never would have made such a reliable friend.

Luo Faqing was in an excellent mood. Seeing Sha Lifei's expression, he couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry. I'm not freeloading. I serve at the Prince's Manor and happen to know a Zen master. I can ask him to authenticate these relics. Within a few days, word will spread throughout the city..."

Sha Lifei's eyes immediately lit up. "Oh? Daoist, please do!"

Wang Daoxuan, however, was more concerned about the Yin Demonic Fiend. Having noticed the look in Li Yan's eyes, he immediately knew the matter was not so simple. Walking over to the charred corpse, he carefully examined it before finally confirming everything was alright.

After the examination, Wang Daoxuan let out a sigh of relief and stroked his beard. "This is actually good news. With the Yin Demonic Fiend eliminated, it is equivalent to removing the malignant fruit. The Du Family's bloodline curse has now been completely lifted."

Li Yan smiled as well while glancing around. "Indeed."

The Du family's matter had been resolved. His own, however, was only just beginning.

Father... Why were you investigating Zhao Changsheng?

***

Two days later, inside a room in the small courtyard at Pingkang Street.

Li Yan sat before the table, carefully studying the flintlock pistol.

He grumbled, "Tsk... this thing is far too troublesome..."

The matter at Xiangji Temple had already come to a complete conclusion. The remnants of the Maitreya Cult had hidden near Chang'an for twenty years, even targeting the Du Family, the business partners of the Li Family.

It had become an incident of enormous significance. The first to arrive had been people from the Xianyang City God Temple. Qing Yangzi had originally come in response to Wang Daoxuan's request for assistance, only to discover what had happened instead.

The old Daoist had been furious. After all, the incident had occurred practically under his nose. The Wa monk had used secret techniques to blind the eyes of the temple's Buddhas! Not only had this facilitated his evil cultivation, it had also allowed him to use the incense power of the temple's deities to evade the patrols of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect.

The Military Surveillance Department had also arrived. After conducting a thorough search, they made another discovery. The remnants of the Maitreya Sect had stockpiled a large quantity of explosives.

According to the recovered letters, they had purchased them from a group of wandering martial artists. The bombing of the Ancient Zhou tomb had also been connected to those martial artists.

Officials from the Chang'an Prefectural Office then descended upon them, all wearing grim expressions. Someone would inevitably have to take responsibility for this incident.

Originally, the monks of Xiangji Temple would have made the perfect scapegoats. Unfortunately, every last one of them had already been murdered. The Taixuan Orthodox Sect and the Military Surveillance Department both had ways to absolve themselves. That left only the Prefectural Office to shoulder the blame.

As for Li Yan and his companions, they had naturally profited immensely. Having escaped disaster, the Du Family was overflowing with gratitude. They presented the group with a reward of five thousand taels, roughly equivalent to the value of the gold they had excavated from the bandits' stronghold.

Naturally, the money could not simply be squandered. Whether constructing their inner temples or refining spiritual artifacts, everything required money. Without the support of an established lineage, they could rely only upon themselves.

Considering Li Yan's demonstrated ability to throw away a thousand taels in Calyx Pavilion without batting an eye, the three of them unanimously decided that two-thirds of all future income would be deposited directly into the bank to fund major undertakings such as constructing their inner temple. Only the remaining third could be used for everyday expenses.

Of course, the true windfall remained the relics. Sha Lifei had hardly paused for breath in the past two days, all because of that matter. As for Li Yan, besides obtaining three astral decrees from capturing the underworld sinner and completely renewing his Great Luo Dharma Body, his greatest gain had been the flintlock pistol.

The Great Xuan Dynasty maintained strict control over firearms. Naturally, the weapon could not be spoken of openly. Li Yan had secretly hidden it at the scene, and only Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan knew of its existence. During their search, they had also found the ammunition used by the old monk.

The rounds were primitive. They were small cloth cartridges divided into two sections. The front half contained the lead ball, while the rear half held the gunpowder.

Li Yan had never handled a real firearm in his previous life, much less an antique like that. It had taken him two full days just to understand how it operated.

The flintlock itself was exquisitely crafted, almost a work of art. It looked magnificent. Using it, however, was incredibly troublesome.

First, the rear portion of the paper cartridge had to be torn open and a small amount of powder poured into the priming pan. The remainder of the cartridge was then stuffed into the barrel. Then, one had to firmly pack the powder and bullet into place with the ramrod beneath the barrel. When fired, the flint would ignite the priming powder, discharging the projectile.

After making some calculations, Li Yan concluded that even if his aim became excellent, given the speed of Dark Jin Realm experts in the jianghu, he would be lucky to fire two shots before they closed the distance.

After those two shots, it was nothing more than a club. Furthermore, if the opponent was prepared and possessed agile movement techniques, the bullets might not even strike a vital point.

Ultimately, it could only be used for surprise kills. Even so, it could not go unpracticed.

Li Yan had personally witnessed the power of the new gunpowder. It could no longer be judged by the common sense of his previous life. Back then, he had also smelled several unusual scents. There were countless ingenious craftsmen throughout the Great Xuan Dynasty.

If someone truly managed to produce firearms using this new gunpowder, many things in the world would inevitably change.

No wall could keep secrets forever. Even with the imperial court's restrictions, those weapons would eventually find their way into the world. If martial artists one day started drawing pistols and shooting each other during duels, Li Yan would not find it strange in the slightest.

After tidying everything away and carefully hiding the pistol once more, Li Yan stepped outside, stretched lazily, and began practicing the Thundercloud Divine Drum.

He needed to practice to be able to use firearms properly, but martial arts needed even more practice. No matter how good a weapon was, it ultimately depended on the one wielding it.

Knock, knock, knock.

Before long, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Li Yan had already recognized the visitor's scent and quickly opened the door. Standing outside was none other than Zheng Xian, his neighbor from the alley.

Li Yan welcomed him in with a smile. "Lord Zheng, please come in."

Zheng Xian hurriedly waved his hands in embarrassment. "I'm only a minor clerk. Calling me that is far too much."

After following Li Yan inside, he took out a stack of freshly copied papers from his robes and laid them out.

He said quietly. "These are the case files from back then. These concern the investigation into your father's death. Because the matter involved the position of president of the Xianyang Divine Fist Association, and your grandfather refused to let the matter rest, the authorities collected many witness testimonies.

"These files contain the investigation into the fire that later destroyed that brothel. Several prostitutes had died mysteriously just prior, but since no one pursued the matter, the cases were hastily closed.

“These concern Maitreya Deputy Sect Leader Luan Hong'er. However, they're nowhere near as detailed as the records of the Military Surveillance Department. If you have connections there, you would be better off requesting their records."

Li Yan carefully examined the files before smiling gratefully. "Thank you, Brother Zheng."

Zheng Xian immediately shook his head. "Don't mention it. If it weren't for your help, my child would have died long ago. You even recommended him to become Daoist Luo's disciple, completely changing his fate. No amount of repayment could ever be enough."

"I'm only an ordinary clerk. This is all I can do."

He paused before adding, "Our Shanzhou isn't near the sea, so information about the eastern lands across the sea is limited. Even so, I asked around.

"The Honno-ji Incident occurred twenty five years ago. Supposedly, a certain ambitious lord called Oda had his subordinates rebel against him. It happened to coincide with the Great Xuan Dynasty's northern frontier war.

"Nowadays the fighting in the eastern lands has mostly ended, though many exiled bandits still raid the seas."

Li Yan cupped his fists and bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Brother Zheng. Why don't we have a drink later?"

"No need. I still have duties at the courthouse and can't stay long."

After seeing Zheng Xian off, Li Yan returned to his room and began reading through the case files. Naturally, he had no intention of letting the information obtained from Xiangji Temple go to waste.

Lu Gongyuan might have been taken away by the Military Surveillance Department, but Li Yan knew that even with his connection to Guan Wanche, obtaining intelligence from the Military Office would be extremely difficult.

Fortunately, his neighbor Zheng Xian worked as the records clerk at the Chang'an courthouse. Li Yan asked him to secretly copy the old case files as a favor.

As he read through them one by one, Li Yan's brows gradually furrowed. On the surface, everything in the records appeared perfectly ordinary, However, he knew there had to be something hidden beneath it all.

After reading for some time, he finally put the documents down and rubbed his forehead. He simply couldn't find a single clue.

Too much time had passed, and he recognized none of the names recorded within. Many of the people involved were likely already dead of old age. Trying to uncover the truth behind what had happened all those years ago would be extraordinarily difficult.

Then there was Huiqing.

From the Summoning Writ, Li Yan had seen that the man had originally been a yin yang master who died during the Honno-ji Incident before returning to life by possessing a monk's body. He certainly had not come to the Central Plains for something so trivial.

That left only one possibility.

Zhao Changsheng had once traveled to the Eastern Isles and brought him back.

Who exactly is this man?

Perhaps, the Taixuan Orthodox Sect knew more than they had revealed.

Li Yan naturally wanted to uncover the truth. Unfortunately, within the Taixuan Orthodox Sect, the only person he could truly call a friend was Luo Mingzi.

Too bad for him, the Taixuan Orthodox Sect had mobilized all its forces some time ago. No one knew what they were occupied with, and Luo Mingzi still had not returned.

Just then, the courtyard gate opened once more, and Sha Lifei's laughter rang out. "Li Yan! Come see who's here!"

Li Yan had already caught the newcomer's scent. Walking outside with a smile, he cupped his hands in greeting. "Senior Wan, it's been a while."

The visitor was none other than Shopkeeper Wan of the Listening Pavilion in Xianyang.