The sun rose and set, and in the blink of an eye, several days had passed.
Widow Wang's disappearance stirred up some noise in the village.
Some said she had taken her daughter beyond the borders, hoping to return to her hometown...
Others said the woman was speaking nonsense and had completely lost her mind, wanting to sell her daughter to a broker in Chang'an City...
Of course, that was all just talk.
A widow with a different surname, who smelled foul and was unpopular,
who would care about her fate?
At most, they would lament that the child not yet four years old was pitiable.
Village head Li Huairen was even more indifferent.
He simply sent someone to the government office to report a missing person, then had his servants seize the land left by Widow Wang, much to the annoyance of several others harboring the same intentions, who cursed him behind his back.
This was all that remained of Widow Wang's presence in Li Family Castle...
......
Gurulu!
Several old horses were struggling to pull the stone roller.
Summer harvest was approaching, and the golden waves of wheat rolled in the fields.
It wasn't quite time to harvest, but there was no shortage of farmwork to be done.
The women needed to pick mulberries and raise silkworms, cook meals for the family.
The men took scythes, wooden rakes, shovels, and wooden harrows from the storage room to maintain and repair them, preparing for the summer harvest.
Besides that, the threshing ground also needed to be rolled smooth and flat with the stone roller.
After all, gathering the harvest was like going to war; if the preparations were inadequate and a problem occurred during the harvest—and then it rained or something—there would be trouble for the whole year.
Li Yan wasn't idle, either, feeding the horses at the threshing ground.
"Brother Yan, I must say these beasts are something else."
The carter Du Sixi, with his big crooked teeth, was spitting while making his sales pitch.
"These horses are about ten years old, best of their prime, never been wounded. They're not up for a thousand li in a day, but daily travel to and fro Chang'an is a piece of cake..."
"To roam the pugilistic world, you have a knife, but how can you manage without a horse?!"
Li Family Castle wasn't wealthy; only the village head Li Huairen had a few old horses for work, and occasionally rode around the village.
Even so, it was the envy of the local young men.
Li Yan naturally wanted to get one too, not for the sake of vanity, but to practice horse archery, which would also make visits to Chang'an more convenient.
However, at the moment, he was somewhat distracted.
Looking at Du Sixi, who was forever boasting, a thought struck Li Yan, and he asked, "Old Du, are there any famous Taoist Temples in Chang'an City?"
Widow Wang and her family had been gone for several days.
No one knew that something terrifying had entered the village to wreak havoc.
Although the situation had been resolved, for Li Yan, it was just the beginning.
For one thing, he knew that his own family's misfortune, including his father and his own former untimely death, had been caused by an enemy using a suppression technique to cast a curse.
The opponent was malicious and was powerful enough to tamper with items bestowed by the court. If they learned that their Magic Method had failed, they might cause more trouble.
Furthermore, Li Yan had no intention of letting the matter slide.
Secondly, according to Widow Wang, he had acquired the smell superpower by opening the Yang Six Roots and would sooner or later be targeted by sinister forces.
Therefore, entering the Mystical Sect had become his current urgent goal.
The person in front of him, Du Sixi, was a carter from the neighboring Du Family village, who regularly traveled between the nearby villages. He transported people to Chang'an or delivered goods.
These past two days, he was helping the Horse Team haul stone rollers between several villages.
Despite his unimpressive appearance, he was part of the pugilistic world.
The pugilistic world was made up of the Five Elements and Eight Professions; the Five Elements refer to vehicle, boat, store, courier, and broker trades, while the Eight Professions refer to various manual craftspeople such as blacksmiths, carpenters, leatherworkers, etc.
The pugilistic world wasn't just about fighting; it was also a means of livelihood.
Moreover, some forces within the Five Elements and Eight Professions were so powerful that even notorious figures from the Green Forest Road had to offer them respect.
For example, there was the Pai Sect in the south and the Cao Gang in the north for boats, and the Four Seas Gang at sea.
And for the courier trade, despite it being strenuous work, there were gangs at every dock.
Similarly, famous inns were not only places for members of the pugilistic world to rest their feet but also hubs for the flow of all sorts of information.
The vehicle trade was no exception.
Just imagine, doing business in a place and having customers come and go. How could you operate without someone backing you up, let alone travel around?
So where there were people, there were interests, and where there were interests, there was the pugilistic world.
There were two major escort agencies in Chang'an City, "Taixing" and "Ever Prosperous."
Not just in Chang'an City, but throughout the Guanzhong region, all business relating to horses and carriages was controlled by them; they also had close ties with various escort agencies, famous inns, Cao Gang, brokers, and couriers.
Their martial prowess might be ordinary, but their information network was especially well-connected.
Du Sixi was a man from Taixing escort agency, known as Du Daya because of his big crooked teeth.
While he wasn't too capable and held a low position, only mingling among the villages, he was indeed well-informed.
He had previously received favors from Li Hu, so Li Yan asked as soon as he opened his mouth.
"What kind of question is that?"
Du Sixi laughed, "Although Chang'an City has seen its share of wars recently, it is after all the capital of many dynasties. Inside the city, there are one hundred and eight districts and countless Taoist temples big and small."
"What, does Brother Yan want to go offer incense? I'll be heading to Chang'an tomorrow..."
Li Yan waved his hand to cut him off and said with a serious tone, "Old Du, I want to know where the real experts of the Mystical Sect are!"
"Mystical... Sect?"
Du Sixi was taken aback, "Why are you asking about this?"
So he really knows something?!
Li Yan's heart leaped with joy, and he put on a smile, pulling Du Sixi to squat beneath the shade of a tree, "Old Du, no, Uncle Du, since you know, then tell me about it."
Du Sixi, flattered by being called "Uncle Du," knew who Li Yan was and didn't dare to take liberties, replying with a laugh, "Brother Yan, don't make fun, your father, Lord Hu, is a man who's made a splash in Guanzhong."
"The name of the 'Guanzhong Diseased Tiger,' who wouldn't know it, or be unaware of these matters?"
Li Yan, as if in contemplation, said, "Just tell me, no need to talk about anything else."
Speaking of which, his father had told him quite a few things about the pugilistic world, including the secret Spring Festival code language, but he really hadn't spoken about the Mystical Sect.
Could it be, he intentionally hid it...
Seeing Li Yan's expression darken slightly, Du Daya's heart jumped, and he didn't dare to talk nonsense anymore. He started explaining, "In the pugilistic world of Three Religions and Nine Sects, aside from one's abilities, there is also a hierarchy of status."
"I'm just a cart driver. In the gang, I'm just a runner, I don't know much, but I have occasionally heard a bit."
"The term 'Mystical Sect' is broadly used; anyone with some strange skills can be called a member, but it's a mix of good and bad, hard to distinguish the genuine from the fake. However, anyone with real power is respected by all who meet them."
"There are two factions among them."
"One faction is endorsed by the court, listed under the Ministry of Rites as Mystical Sect Priests, able to obtain Taoist and Buddhist certificates, managing Famous Mountain Taoist Temples and monasteries, claiming to be the orthodox Mystical Sect, the most famous being the Taixuan Orthodox Sect."
"The other faction is more numerous, including Yin Yang masters, witches and wizards, and those on the pugilistic paths that can perform Qimen Skill."
"Even though the orthodox sect looks down upon them, calling them side door and evil practices, in the pugilistic world, their status is formidable, with the powerful among them revered by gangs."
"But for the common folks, they can't tell if they're scammers or genuine heirs..."
Li Yan quickly followed up, "Do you know any members of the Mystical Sect?"
"Brother Yan, you jest."
Du Daya replied with a forced laugh, "I, Old Du, just scrape by. In the gang, I'm less than a hair, let alone ordinary mortals like me recognizing those experts."
Seeing Li Yan frown slightly, he hurriedly whispered, "Brother Yan, don't be in a rush, I, Old Du, may not have much ability, but there's someone with a wide network and who also has relations with your family, he might know."
"Who?"
"Sha Lifei!"
"Him?!"
Hearing this name, Li Yan's face suddenly took on a strange expression.
...
After a casual chat with Du Daya, Li Yan headed back home.
As soon as he arrived, he saw his grandfather Li Gui squatting on the threshold, holding a large smoking pipe and puffing clouds of smoke, looking grumpy.
Li Yan smiled and asked, "Grandpa, what's wrong this time?"
The old man, frowning, grumbled, "That dog Li Laosuan was cheating at chess, a good-for-nothing who has hardly had a fancy meal in his life!"
Hearing this, Li Yan laughed, "Calm down, we can deal with him tomorrow."
These old men's chess games weren't really about skills, but about who could talk the loudest.
It didn't matter if you lost the game; losing the argument was what really made them angry.
But, isn't that a good thing?
Since the suppression technique in the plaque was broken, Li Gui visibly changed, no longer brooding all the time, it seemed he had come to terms with a lot of things.
He would either play chess with the elders of the village or go fishing in the western river, even clamoring to go to Chang'an City to watch an opera.
Seeing the old man like this gladdened Li Yan's heart, but at the same time, his resentment toward the curser grew stronger, igniting a desire for revenge.
In his two lifetimes, he was never one to suffer losses silently.
And on his way back, he had figured out some things.
Logically, his father, being an old hand in the pugilistic world, should have known about the Mystical Sect, but despite having taught him everything else, this particular matter seemed intentionally concealed.
Could it be that his father, Li Hu, was also investigating in secret?
But it didn't feel right; had he known about the curse placed upon the family, would his father have let that plaque hang over the door?
And about his father's death, which hadn't seemed suspicious before, now appeared more and more peculiar...
With that thought, Li Yan looked towards Li Gui, squatted down with a smile, and asked, "Grandpa, who exactly did you offend back then?"
Li Gui's eyebrows shot up, "Why are you asking this?"
Li Yan playfully said, "Just curious. Besides, if it weren't for that person, I might have become some official, and when I'm feeling disgruntled, I'd have a reason to curse."
"An official, my foot!"
Li Gui retorted with a puff from his pipe, "You're destined to be a grubber for a living, don't think about those highfalutin ideas. It's been so many years, surely you aren't thinking of having a go at them?"
"And besides, that person is already dead."
"Dead?!"