Chapter 400: Chapter 37 Pig Dragon Chapter 400: Chapter 37 Pig Dragon “`
The Azure Black Sea stretched out endlessly, its tall white sails jutting high against the seabirds that seed to fly in the opposite direction.
The fleet consisted of roughly twenty ships of various sizes, with a large, square-bottod, double-sailed ship leading the way. Sailors and dockworkers sward it like ants, carrying in and out wooden crates bound with hemp ropes, with the seal of the Yibang Tea Horse Departnt stamped upon them.
“Dazhuang! Hurry up! If the ropes are too tight, just cut them down with a knife!”
Soone shouted up to the mast.
A rumbling sound…
Sumr thunder echoed from the clouds, and the stalwart man perched on the mast responded, wringing out his sweat-soaked towel and slapping it over his shoulder. His gaze softened as he stared into the clouds, seeing only a dark figure tossing and turning atop the Azure Black Sea.
“Ouch!”
Yang Dazhuang at first thought it was a person, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a pitch-black horse, struggling desperately in the water with blood seeping from its teeth and producing a continuous wail.
…
Jin Kou Port, Dragon King Inn.
This was an exclusive inn for resting officials, with private rooms and a private courtyard. It served rice porridge, a large pot of wild vegetables, sour plum soup, ham, and fried at stew with wide noodles. Seafood was inexpensive and available at every al, and occasionally there was pig’s head at and trotters.
The fare was decent, though not luxurious. Of course, if you were willing to spend enough money, they could make special dishes just for you.
In the room, after lunch, Li Yan rinsed his mouth with tea only to suddenly frown and spit out a mouthful of blood mixed with the tea water into the basin. After resting for a while, he opened the vermillion Sword Box and poured out more than a dozen shining Dragon Tiger Banners.
At a glance, the table glittered with gold, except for one banner that was strikingly red.
This was because he had cut off the head of the Dragon Tiger Supervisor, turning most of the banner a bloody red.
Of the remaining thirteen banners, ten had completely turned a transparent gold, devoid of any red malevolent impurities. The other three only had specks of blood, with the rest overtaken by the brilliant gold. If one shook them vigorously, they could even see the occasional speck of blood moving around inside the banners…
The color changes in the fourteen banners happened independently; thus, the idea of balancing the killing of a Monster with that of a Dragon Tiger Taoist was a fool’s dream.
As for tactics like beating soone half to death and then finishing them off with a knife, that was an even more absurd notion.
Whether Lady Dan’s claim of personal matters was just an excuse to get angry with Li Yan or a genuine concern remained unclear.
What exactly did the gold and red colors of the Dragon Tiger Banners an?
Was this matter related to Yu Shu, or possibly Sifan?
Li Yan was never one to easily give up thinking, but rather than untangling the ropes, he preferred to cut them outright.
Since the Nine-Winged Sudu and Niutou Chantanner had gone up to Dragon Tiger Mountain, perhaps he could figure out the mystery behind the color changes of the Dragon Tiger Banners from them.
At this point, Li Yan had no choice but to take things one step at a ti.
Cao Yongchang was just able to get out of bed today. Cha Xiaodao suggested that they stay in Jiaozhou a little longer, and Li Yan agreed.
Setting aside others, even Li Yan himself hadn’t fully recovered from so internal injuries.
He might as well consider it a relaxation period after the bloody battle. Besides, his horse was still missing, wasn’t it?
The Sea Monster’s disturbance in the Bohai Sea was difficult to cover up, given the magnitude of the initial uproar.
Setting aside the tsunami, there was the matter of Huang Jiuya’s Nine Phantasmal Demon Bodies, a monstrous corpse so sixty or seventy ters in length, with several still floating at sea.
It took the governnt office four or five days just to drag six of the enormous Demon Corpses into the port, drawing countless onlookers. In Jiaozhou, and indeed all of Shandong, it caused quite a sensation, with people claiming that the Dragon King of the Bohai Sea had manifested to punish several Yellow Skin Monsters that had attained magical powers. So even turned the story into bamboo-clapper tales and dramatic storytelling, spreading far and wide in a most curious manner.
In the past few days, the County Office sent people to visit Li Yan from ti to ti, bypassing the Prefect and Chief Clerk, with the most frequent visitor being the ninth-rank Supervisor from the local Dragon Tiger Office.
He brought tonics and at and wine several tis, beating around the bush, but always questioning the ruckus with the Five Immortals in the Bohai Sea.
Others might not know, but how could Dragon Tiger Mountain be unaware? Where did this Dragon King of the Bohai Sea co from? It was the Left Bureau Governor who killed Huang Jiuya while escorting the banners into the port.
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But how could Huang Jiuya, with a cultivation of 2,500 years and followed by more than two hundred demon immortals of varying strengths, nearly have his roots severed by Governor Li, who drew but a re thirty strokes of Dragon Tiger Qi as his stipend?
Faced with questioning, Li Yan simply said it was luck, that a tsunami had occurred out at sea, and didn’t elaborate further.
The monstrous corpse pulled up to the port bore deep and fierce wounds that couldn’t be concealed, readily admitting to them wasn’t a problem.
After all, in this day and age, it would be more believable to claim Li Yan was the reincarnation of the True Warrior Star Lord than to say he simply road Yan Fu.
Besides, Li Yan also had a distinguished record of military achievents. Dragon Tiger Mountain couldn’t use this as a pretext to find fault with him without facing opposition from the entire court, civil and military alike.
What, only Dragon Tiger Mountain’s Taoists can subdue monsters and eliminate evil, but the soldiers of Great Ming can’t serve the country by eliminating threats?
After much questioning with no results, the Dragon Tiger Supervisor, persistent as glue, refused to leave until he got to the bottom of it.
Seeing that his persistence was unyielding and, noticing how late it was, Li Yan offhandedly suggested having a drink together. The Supervisor’s face turned pale, and he hurriedly declined, making a swift exit, leaving Li Yan standing there.
Have a drink? The last Supervisor who had a drink with you is now sipping soup on the Nether Bridge.
…
“No ships? Surely Chief Secretary Wang isn’t joking with .”
Li Yan nonchalantly picked up a fruit-filled pastry from the plate and began chewing eagerly.
“At this ti of year, ships really can’t reach Fujian and Zhejiang provinces.”
“Isn’t this the ti of year for ships to sail out? Chief Secretary Wang needs to clarify, I don’t understand what you an.”
Chief Secretary Wang shook his head, “The manpower of the local mariti office is tight, and resources were already slim. The Southern Weaving Bureau agreed to a deal with Hu rchants for five hundred thousand rolls of silk and six thousand porcelain pieces. Before the new year, they requisitioned a large number of ships and hands from us. Moreover, during the sumr, the mariti routes of Fujian and Zhejiang are troubled by the Pig Dragon.”
“Pig Dragon?”
“This Pig Dragon is a kind of water monster, with a head like a dragon but shorter. It has scales all over its body. It’s been making trouble for over a decade. Every year around July or August, this creature ravages the sea routes between Fujian and Zhejiang, stirring up huge waves, resulting in destroyed ships and lost lives. When it encounters naval forces with troops, it stays far away. People from both Dragon Tiger Mountain and the governnt office have organized expeditions to hunt it, but with little success.”
Li Yan scratched his eyebrow, “Just arrange a ship for .”
Chief Secretary Wang seed troubled, “The main issue is that it’s hard to find people willing to sail during this season…”
Li Yan’s expression turned noticeably grim as he stared at him.
Chief Secretary Wang felt a shiver under Li Yan’s gaze and after a long pause finally said, “Ahem, well… Governor, if all else fails, I might have a suggestion.”
“Please, speak directly, Chief Secretary Wang.”
After licking his lips, Chief Secretary Wang said, “There are rumors among the common people about three remarkable individuals. The first is Quick Sword Liu from the military household of Zhangqiu County, Jinan Prefecture, who can behead a criminal so swiftly that the head can still speak after falling to the ground. The second is a pig-slaughtering butcher from Dengzhou nad Sun, who naturally has an extraordinary appearance with a face like purple clouds, can cast out monsters, and knows seventy-two scriptures. The third is known as the Ocean-Treading Monk, who resides in our Jiaozhou. Although called a monk, he is married with children, and his entire family, n and won, old and young, are reincarnated as water ghosts. There is no sea route they fear to walk, no waters they cannot dive.”
Li Yan blinked, “Chief Secretary Wang, you have a gift for storytelling.”
Chief Secretary Wang, embarrassed, offered a sheepish smile but soon regained composure, “The situation inside the Pass is different from beyond. If outside the Pass there are many demon immortals and evil spirits, then within, there are all sorts of extraordinary individuals. If Governor could find this Ocean-Treading Monk, with his help, securing a ship and crew wouldn’t be a problem.”
“Good.”
Li Yan nodded, “I’ll pay a visit to this Ocean-Treading Monk.”
Upon exiting the County Office’s main gate, Li Yan returned to the Dragon King’s lodging at the post station, only to find Cha Xiaodao gripping Cao Yongchang by the collar, raining down strikes on him with a rolling pin, while cursing, “Since you’ve called ‘uncle,’ I can’t let that be in vain. If I don’t teach you a lesson today, do you think you can run? Where do you think you’re going?”
Cao Yongchang yelled out in pain as Cha Xiaodao hit him, rolling all over the floor.
“What’s all this about?”
Li Yan leaned against the doorway, watching the scene with great interest.
Cha Xiaodao tossed the rolling pin aside, “This lad went to Sanhe House in the west of the city today to gamble and got caught cheating. I just ransod him back.”
Cao Yongchang was initially cowering from the beating but hearing this, he ignored the bandage on his neck, his face flushing as he protested, “They cheated first! Playing shell gas with ! I just took advantage of their ga. These people bully because I have no backing, they backed out after losing their money, and even beat calling ‘uncle.’ People from Shandong are not honorable!”
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