Chapter 205: Age of Exploration

As soon as they left the alley, Wang Daoxuan chuckled. "Commander Huang certainly knows how to protect himself wisely..."

What had happened in Shangjin City was far too serious. At the same time, it was also an enormous achievement. When Huang Wenzhong had been sent out on the assignment, he had been assigned an obstructive captain, which suggested that his position within the Military Surveillance Department was probably somewhat awkward.

A tremendous achievement was not necessarily a good thing. After all, the matter had only just begun. If Huang Wenzhong was left in charge and continued investigating, who knew whether someone might deliberately hinder him?

The slightest mistake could cost him his life. By falling ill at this crucial moment, he had conveniently shared the credit with others and taken a step back, leaving the way open for someone else to continue the investigation.

Yet another calculating old bureaucrat...

Although Li Yan felt some admiration, he had little interest in the affairs of the imperial court. He and Wang Daoxuan crossed the streets and alleys, preparing to return.

Just then, chaos suddenly broke out in the street. The townspeople fled in all directions, while roadside vendors hurriedly dragged their stalls backward, no longer caring how many jars and bottles shattered in the process.

Heavy footsteps and the scraping of armor soon followed as a unit from the Yunyang Prefecture's garrison marched through the street. They were clad in armor and carrying long spears. Several military officers rode alongside them on horseback.

Before long, an angry roar came from the distance. "The chief has given the order! Arrest everyone who stormed the office!"

The square outside the Yunyang Prefectural Office immediately descended into chaos. The townspeople who had gathered to watch scattered in every direction. All kinds of curses rang out from outside the prefectural office.

"They're killing people!"

Terrified screams soon followed.

Li Yan's gaze sharpened. He said gravely, "Daoist, let's go. We'll circle back another way!"

With that, he immediately turned around.

Wang Daoxuan shook his head slightly and followed close behind. They passed through several narrow alleys, then climbed a stone path along the hillside, quickly leaving the troubled area behind.

The northern rear section of Yunyang Prefecture consisted entirely of sloping roads. The farther they walked, the higher the ground rose, until they could gradually see the scene outside the city.

Havoc had taken over the area. Troops now roamed everywhere, arresting the native residents who had caused trouble. Fires had broken out in several places, sending thick black smoke into the sky.

Li Yan shook his head. "Yunyang Prefecture is becoming more chaotic by the day. Who knows what kind of disaster this will lead to? Once we obtain the Dao Permit tomorrow, we'll leave immediately."

With the city in turmoil, neither of them had any desire to wander around. They quickened their pace and returned to the Jiangzhe Guild Hall in less than the time it took three sticks of incense to burn.

Quite a few people stood outside the guild hall, gazing into the distance. Judging from their clothing and conversation, they were all merchants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Chen Jizu was standing among them, as grave as the others.

One man in particular caught Li Yan's attention. Tall and powerfully built, though he also wore a wealthy gentleman's robe like the other merchants, his features carried a fierce air. With thick brows, large eyes, and a full beard, he looked far more like a man of the jianghu. But most unusually, he also had an enormous parrot perched on his shoulder.

Parrots had existed in the Divine Continent since ancient times. A poem from the Tang Dynasty had once said: Mount Long rises ten thousand fathoms, and parrots nest upon its peak.

However, the bird before him was peculiar. Not only was it enormous, but its plumage was also extraordinarily vivid, covered in bright, eye-catching colors. It looked more like the rainforest macaws Li Yan had seen in his previous life.

Only, this one seemed even larger.

"Kill him!"

"Kill him!"

The parrot seemed exceptionally excited at the turmoil in the city. Its feathers stood on end as it squawked curses.

A merchant beside them laughed helplessly. "Brother Luo, you come from a distinguished scholarly clan. Why have you raised such a vulgar parrot?"

"What's so vulgar about it?" The man laughed heartily, took out a dried fruit, and fed it to the parrot. Shaking his head, he said, "This little fellow accompanied me while I wandered the seas. Everyone around us was rough and uncouth, so naturally it couldn't learn anything refined. Sometimes its curses are truly dreadful."

His eyes filled with affection as he continued, "At the same time, it was thanks to this little fellow carrying a message that I survived. Otherwise, I would have been buried at sea and never returned."

That immediately piqued everyone else's interest.

One man said solemnly, "The chaos in the prefecture won't end anytime soon. Why not continue telling us about what you saw overseas, Brother Luo?"

"Come, come! I was waiting to hear the important part!"

The crowd spoke over one another as they surrounded the man and escorted him into the guild hall.

Li Yan's heart stirred. He quickly pulled Chen Jizu aside and asked, "Has that gentleman just returned from overseas?"

Chen Jizu smiled. "His name is Luo Rulie, and he hails from the Luo Clan of Jiangnan. He has always been restless by nature and is highly skilled in martial arts. When maritime trade opened, he was among the first to organize a fleet and sail abroad. At first, his profits were substantial, and the Luo clan prospered because of him. But then the fleet encountered a maritime disaster and was completely destroyed, wiping out his capital.

"He came here this time to persuade several merchant guilds to finance him so that he can rebuild his fleet and venture out to sea again. However, the risks are too great, and he has already suffered one disaster, so very few people are willing to invest. As a result, he has been traveling through merchant guilds in various provinces, recounting his experiences at sea in hopes of finding someone willing to fund him.

"Young Hero Li can go ahead and listen in if you are interested."

Naturally, Li Yan was interested. He had nothing else to do anyway, so he asked Wang Daoxuan to return to their rooms and inform the others of what had happened, while he followed the merchants into one of the side rooms in the front courtyard.

Quite a few people had already gathered there, including all the merchants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Meanwhile, Luo Rulie was vividly recounting his experiences abroad.

"There isn't much interest in the islands in the East. The Toyotomi clan rules there now. They call their leader some sort of Taiko. He only recently unified the entire country, but demons and evil entities still cause trouble everywhere.

“However, they do have plenty of silver. Some merchants specialize in trading with them and bringing silver back home, making considerable profits. Also, after losing their wars against the Toyotomi, many unlucky bastards became masterless warriors and wokou pirates, causing trouble everywhere. I killed quite a few of them.

"The southern seas are rich in spices and gemstones. More importantly, they also possess rare natural treasures. Those fools didn't even recognize them at first, but now they've grown smarter and follow our people everywhere searching for them. Shamanic practices can be found everywhere there. They also possess ritual lineages that once originated from the Divine Continent, but those traditions have gone astray. Their arts are vicious and bloody, making them extremely troublesome.

"Farther south lies another continent. The A Brief Account of Island Barbarians calls it Luosuosi. It is inhabited entirely by natives and filled with poisonous creatures.

"The most common foreigners at sea nowadays are the red-haired barbarians. They search everywhere for gold, and wherever they go, they plant a wooden cross in the ground. They're irritating as hell, and we've fought them plenty of times. There are also pirates! Those disgusting creatures... Whenever we destroy their ships and capture their goats, we throw every last one into the sea."

"Why is that?"

"Tsk, tsk. You don't understand. Voyages can last for months. When men become desperate enough, handsome young men and female goats both suffer."

"Truly beasts!"

"Brother Luo, did you encounter anything strange at sea?"

"Of course. The most frightening thing is encountering a ghost ship. It chases you in the middle of the night, then disappears without a trace once dawn arrives. I've also seen merfolk..."

Luo Rulie had a remarkable gift of speech. His voice rose and fell dramatically as he told bizarre tales of the sea. Of course, most of his stories concerned ways of making a fortune.

After listening for a while, Li Yan vaguely realized that they were in the Age of Exploration. Unlike in his previous life, however, many demons and unnatural creatures in this world truly existed, making exploration far more difficult. Moreover, many regions had inherited strange and mysterious abilities.

According to Luo Rulie, any ship that ventured out without a ritualist accompanying it was almost certain never to return. Practitioners from the fengshui lineages of Ganzhou had also begun going to sea, studying the fengshui and terrain of the oceans.

The Guanzhong Plains lay inland, and thus remained relatively isolated as well as primarily agricultural. Ezhou connected the north and south, but signs of chaos had already begun to appear. Only the port cities along the coastal provinces were flourishing, with enormous handicraft workshops springing up one after another like bamboo shoots after rain.

Silk, tea, porcelain... Demand had entirely exceeded supply.

As fleets sailed overseas and returned with vast quantities of gold, silver, and treasures, stories of people becoming rich overnight spread widely throughout the coastal regions.

It was a chaotic yet surging age!

Li Yan listened with some fascination, but he was in no hurry. For him, continuing to cultivate and steadily increasing his strength was the proper path. By the time he returned to the guest quarters, it was already noon. After casually eating lunch, Li Yan recounted what he had seen and explained his plans.

Signs of chaos had already appeared in Yunyang Prefecture. Although the four of them possessed some ability, they were few and isolated. It would be unwise to become entangled in any of the troubles here.

Therefore, once they obtained Lu San's Dao Permit the next day, they would leave immediately.

First, they would travel to Yichang and treat Yan Jiuling's mother, fulfilling their promise. Afterward, they would head to the blessed grotto-heaven on Mount Zigai to investigate what had happened. Then they would take assignments throughout the region and prepare the resources needed to construct the tower on Mount Wudang.

Once the decision was made, the others returned to rest. After all, the journey to Yichang was long, and they needed to restore their energy.

Li Yan, meanwhile, took out several books on calculations and studied them carefully. There was no helping it. The farther one progressed through the spells recorded in the Northern Emperor Scripture, the more powerful and complicated they became. Without understanding numerology as well as yin and yang, it was impossible to learn them.

He had already mastered the Northern Emperor Straw Spirit Technique, the Northern Emperor Protection, the Northern Emperor Divine Movement Technique, and the Northern Emperor Yin Lightning Palm.

Of course, he had only mastered half of the Northern Emperor Divine Movement Technique. He had learned how to use the talismans, but he would also need to understand it further before he could master its other half, the Northern Emperor Danger-Crossing Technique.

When the two were combined, one could enter dangerous places, such as bizarre formations created by concentrations of innate killing qi. If one was trapped by an evil entity, one could also use the art to escape.

He also needed to learn a new spell called the Northern Emperor Calamity-Dispelling Technique, which was specifically used to break curses, remove deathly misfortune, and expel possessing ghosts.

Naturally, those were all merely foundational spells.

The Northern Emperor Scripture he cultivated belonged to the Northern Emperor, one of the Five Direction Ghost Emperors under the Great Emperor of the Northern Fengdu Underworld. The Northern Ghost Emperor was a lunar deity who governed Mount Luofeng, whose taboo name was Nuogao.

The spells beyond this point involved the Northern Emperor's fundamental arts.

The first one he needed to master was the Northern Emperor Profound Water Escape. It was the Northern Emperor's escape art. Since Mount Luofeng lay within the Extreme Yin Sea, and the north corresponded to water, water escape was naturally one of his specialties.

Once initially mastered, the technique granted two abilities. The first allowed the user to summon yin mist around them and conceal themselves within the fog, either to escape or kill enemies. The second allowed the user to enter water, move swiftly through it using the escape art, and remain underwater for long periods without breathing.

As one's cultivation increased and their mastery of the escape art deepened, the watery mist could even be combined with yin thunder. Once the spell was cast, the practitioner would no longer fear being surrounded and could even injure or trap enemies in a wide area.

That was what an escape technique truly was. It was by no means used merely for fleeing.

Of course, to learn the Northern Emperor Profound Water Escape, he first had to thoroughly master the foundational movement technique and Dunjia calculations.

After reading for two hours, Li Yan felt dizzy and mentally exhausted. Occult calculations were indeed difficult to learn, even with Wang Daoxuan around to explain many of the fundamentals to him. An ordinary person would not even be able to set foot on this path.

After putting down the books, Li Yan took a bronze ball from his robes. The bronze ball was solid, with many tiny depressions across its surface. Li Yan tossed it into the air, then drew his blade with a metallic ring. Just as the bronze ball fell, he flicked his wrist and lightly struck it with the back of his blade.

With a crisp ring, the bronze ball bounced upward again. This was a training method Yu Fengzi had taught him on Mount Hua.

The bronze ball was smooth, and its depressions were extremely small. One needed extraordinary eyesight to strike a depression precisely enough to make the ball bounce straight upward. The amount of force used also had to be exact.

No matter how the bronze ball rotated, whenever it fell and was struck upward again, it had to rise to the same height.

The training served two purposes. The first was to train control over one's blade techniques, while the second was to train the use of force.

The Jin Transformation Realm was a realm where one could control hidden force freely, adapting seamlessly to their enemy. If an enemy attacked with hidden force, it could be dissolved with ease.

It represented precise control over one's own strength.

When the bronze ball could strike the blade without requiring him to press the blade down and disperse the force, but instead have its momentum dissolved through hidden force without producing the slightest sound, he would have entered the Jin Transformation Realm.

Cling, cling, cling!

Li Yan concentrated carefully. Each time the bronze ball fell, he swept the blade upward from the left, from the right, or from below. Every strike landed with complete precision. No matter how his stance changed, the bronze ball always bounced to the same height, and the sound gradually became quieter.

This method of training could also continue being used in the future. Once he became completely proficient, he could replace the ball with one that was perfectly smooth and had no depressions, or even increase the number of balls.

He didn’t notice as night fell. After casually eating some dinner, Li Yan packed the luggage for the next day, visualized to regulate his breathing, then lay down and fell asleep.

Deep in the night, the moon shone brightly among sparse stars. Li Yan's eyes snapped open when he detected several unusual scents. Although extremely faint, they still could not escape his divine ability. It was an aroma of plants and wood mixed with a fishy odor.

Judging from the scent, it was actually a tiny humanoid figure!

A paper effigy, a straw figure, or some kind of spell?

Without revealing anything, Li Yan slowly reached for Earth Breaker. The presence moved with extreme caution, making no sound as it crawled through the corridor. To his surprise, it eventually reached Lu San's door.

The corner of Li Yan's mouth rose as he decided to watch the spectacle.

SCCREEEEEE!

As expected, a shrill cry came from outside. It was exceptionally clear in the silence of the night. Li Yan leapt out with his blade in hand, but when he saw what the creature was, his face filled with surprise.

It was indeed a tiny humanoid figure, but it was neither a straw nor paper effigy. Instead, it was a monster half a chi tall, its entire body covered in skin resembling pitch-black tree bark. A pair of green eyes gleamed as it crawled on all fours like an animal. Black mist and yin qi shrouded its body, making its form indistinct. It darted about in every direction, clearly trying to escape.

However, more than twenty huge hornets had already flown out of Lu San's room. Their wings buzzed as they surrounded it completely.

There was another hidden member of their group, the demonic gourd Lu San carried on his back! The demonic gourd could release venomous hornets and was extremely aggressive, yet it was remarkably obedient. Lu San fed it honey at regular intervals every day and offered it incense, turning it into a powerful protective ritual artifact.

What kind of monster is this?

Li Yan stared at the strange little creature in astonishment. Lu San also pushed open his door at this moment and looked down at the little figure with a puzzled expression. Only Wang Daoxuan, who had come out as well, brightened with recognition.

"It's a Wood Guest! I've heard that these little spirits hide deep within the secluded forests of southern Ganzhou, western Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangxi. They rarely appear before people. Why would one show up in Ezhou? Well, whatever, capture it first. We can ask questions later."

Li Yan strode forward, preparing to act.

Just then, a fat figure pushed open the door opposite them and rushed over in a panic, pleading, "Everyone, everyone, please show mercy!"