Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 250 No matter how deep it is hidden, it can be dug out

After flying back to the capital that day, Xu Yuanchang stayed in the guest house of the Sitian Palace, which was specially used to entertain distinguished guests. He made a special trip to the West Wing Hall to thank Elder Mei in person for his support for his mission, and chatted with him briefly before saying goodbye.

Don't take other people's kindness for granted.

Late at night, he received a message from Senior Brother Wu, who praised him for his timely execution of the rebels and for settling the case cleanly and efficiently. In the end, he hinted that he should not keep the benefits to himself, but should share 20% of the profits with others as compensation for their hard work in running errands in the early stages.

Xu Yuanchang accepted the advice readily and replied immediately, "Please make the arrangements as appropriate, I will obey your instructions."

He couldn't stand Tang Yuzhao's self-righteousness, so of course he had to save face for Senior Brother Wu.

Early the next morning, together with Bian Qiuyan, who had been looking for ancient books and materials all night, and Liu Xianfeng, who did not need to hide his tracks in the territory of the Daning Dynasty, the three of them flew southeast chatting and laughing.

At noon, the three of them arrived at the sky above a desolate peak of Guzhu Mountain, east of Yuanyang County.

Bian Qiuyan pointed to the area below with his finger, comparing it to an old yellow silk geomancy map, and said, "Nine hundred years ago, the Zhushan Chang family occupied an area of ​​one hundred miles, but it was burned down by a fire and has been abandoned ever since. The once prosperous place has now become a ruin infested with foxes, rats, and insects."

She used her authority as the Supervisor of the Sitian Palace to access some books and secrets that were not made public.

"It's been too long, and we've experienced several wars and turmoil. The descendants of Zhushan Chang family may be scattered all over Yuanyang County. Let's start by searching the household registration books in the surrounding Shanglin, Panyuan and Qinglin counties. Mark out all the villages and towns with the surname Chang. Then we will split into three groups to check one by one. What do you think, little master?"

Bian Qiuyan planned to take advantage of the government's convenience and investigate from top to bottom.

Xu Yuanchang nodded in agreement. Although the method was a bit stupid, it was safe and would not leave anything out.

With Bian Qiuyan, the inspector who came down from the capital, having informed the Baijisi of Yuanyang County in advance, the three of them went to the three counties respectively to check the household registration books. They would not be harassed and were served like ancestors by the county magistrates.

They were busy until mid-September, and had searched the entire Yuanyang County and all the villages with the surname Chang, but they did not find any descendants of the Zhushan Chang family.

The three met again, and Liu Xianfeng wondered whether the Zhushan Chang family had died out.

Xu Yuanchang looked at Bian Qiuyan who was hesitant to speak, and said, "You can go ahead if you want to. Xianfeng and I will spend more time combing through the Chang villages in the three nearby counties. We will do our best and leave the rest to fate. If we can't find it by then, we'll just have to give up."

Liu Xianfeng's face wrinkled into a bitter one.

Looking for a needle in a haystack is not fun at all.

Bian Qiuyan suggested in a low voice: "Uncle Junior, we can go to Pingbo County in the east to pay homage to the 'Pingqian Mountain God' and ask the mountain god. He has been around for a long time, and the temple is less than 800 miles away from Guzhu Mountain. Maybe he knows the whereabouts of the descendants of the Zhushan Chang family of the previous dynasty?"

Xu Yuanchang didn't know much about the outside of Yuanyang County. The entire Daning Dynasty was not very popular with gods. He really didn't know that there was a mountain god in the neighboring county. He asked with interest, "What kind of etiquette do I need to prepare?"

"The Pingqian Mountain God likes to drink. At this time of year, he should not be asleep yet."

Seeing that Junior Master Uncle agreed, Bian Qiuyan took the lead and flew eastward.

Shintoism is in decline today, but the dynasty will still ennoble a small number of heroes with great contributions to become gods, who will enjoy the dynasty's incense, help suppress the mountain's luck, share weal and woe with the country, and those who are lucky can ascend to the upper realm of the gods.

The three of them came to the temple of the Pingqian Mountain God, burned incense, offered wine and sacrifices, and worshiped the statue.

Led by Bian Qiuyan, they arrived at a densely wooded hill fifty miles away.

Found an old tree stump at the foot of the mountain.

Bian Qiuyan bowed to the tree stump and said with a smile: "Grandpa Mo, I brought good wine to visit you, please open the door and come out quickly."

Xu Yuanchang placed the three jars of wine in his hand in front of the tree stump and bowed.

Liu Xianfeng looked around curiously. This place looked ordinary, nothing special about it.

The mountain god lives here?

She suddenly felt a chill on her back and turned around to see a short and fat old man less than three feet tall appear on the tree stump. They looked into each other's eyes and he quickly performed the etiquette of a tree spirit paying homage to an elder.

The short and fat old man tapped the ground with the crutch in his hand, and rattan chairs appeared behind the three people. Various spiritual fruits were placed on the strangely shaped table in front of them.

The short and fat old man dressed up as a wealthy man, slowly opened the cork of the wine jar, intoxicatedly sniffed the aroma of the different flavors of wine, and said with a smile: "The Hundred Flowers Brew from the Secret Realm of Flowers, the authentic monkey wine... Little girl, you put a lot of thought into it. What do you want to trouble me with this time?"

Bian Qiuyan extended his hand and introduced: "This is my junior uncle, named Xu Yuanchang. He prepared the Hundred Flowers Brew and Monkey Wine. He has an old story and would like you to help investigate it."

The short and fat old man opened his mouth and drank up the small jar of Hundred Flowers Wine without leaving a drop.

"Your junior master? Is he Meng Shanhe's disciple?"

"The ancestor did not recruit new disciples. Junior Master was invited by the ancestor himself to join Deng Xian Guan."

Bian Qiuyan knew that the mountain god in front of him was very long-winded, so after a brief explanation, he quickly got down to business and said, "Grandpa Mo, do you still remember the five-story military monk Chang Wuhui from the previous dynasty?"

"Chang Wuhui... He was a powerful character. It's hard not to remember him."

The short and fat old man drained the Monkey Wine in one gulp, burped, squinted his eyes and recalled: "Chang Wuhui was known as the God of War in the past, and he was very good at arranging troops. He was a weird guy, unruly and not sociable.

"Before we started the rebellion, we sent spies to secretly spread rumors and slander Chang Wuhui, causing him to lose his reputation. Later, Chang Wuhui's reputation was ruined, and he was suspected and dealt with by those idiots in the royal family of the Qian Dynasty. I played a small role in it."

Bian Qiuyan complimented him perfunctorily: "Grandpa Mo, you are even more powerful. You are really a hidden talent and have made great contributions to the founding of our Daning Dynasty."

"Haha, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning."

The short and fat old man waved his hand humbly, his face beaming. Such great achievements should be mentioned many times and in great detail.

Bian Qiuyan smiled and changed the subject, saying, "Grandpa Mo, you are familiar with the area, can you find the descendants of Chang Wuhui, who was defeated by you back then?"

"Why look for his descendants? Hundreds of years have passed."

The short and fat old man looked at the young Taoist priest with a scrutinizing eye, suspecting the other party's sinister intentions.

Bian Qiuyan heard that the Mountain God knew the whereabouts of Chang Wuhui's descendants, and he was delighted. It was easy to get it. He communicated with his junior uncle through voice transmission and explained, "Grandpa Mo, don't get me wrong. We are not looking for trouble with them. Before Chang Wuhui got into trouble, he hid the military manuals. Now that the Dark Realm Gate is about to open, Xiyuan Holy Land needs the lost military manuals to train the monks to deal with the big troubles that are coming. You know."

Xu Yuanchang took out his Monster Hunting Mountain ID card to confirm the authenticity of his words.

The short and fat old man carefully checked the sign, felt relieved, and said with a smile: "You have finally asked the right person. The descendants of Old Monster Chang have spread out in Pingqian County. In order to avoid disaster, they changed their surname to 'Zhu' in the early years. Haha, you never expected it, right?"

There was a hint of inappropriate pride in his words.

He felt guilty towards his friend whom he had known for many years. Upon hearing the news that Chang Wuhui was imprisoned, he tried every means to help Chang Laoguai leave behind a bloodline descendant who would hide his identity and escape the tragedy of the whole family being wiped out that year.

Later, he died in battle. When the new Daning Dynasty was established, he insisted on being granted a title and sent to Pingqian Mountain according to merit.

Some trivial matters are not worth telling to outsiders.

After bidding farewell to the mountain god who was drinking and sighing as he was reminded of old memories, the three of them found Changqing Village in Xizhu Mountain without much trouble.

The old village in the mountains covers a large area, with archways lined up in sequence at the entrance of the village, demonstrating its profound heritage.

Green mountains and green waters, the sounds of chickens and dogs.

Xu Yuanchang asked the two to wait outside the village. He walked into the village alone, showed his official identity card that he had transformed with a small magic trick, and met the Changqing Village chief Zhu Zunxu and the clan elder Zhu Zunye.

After polite greetings, three rounds of tea were served.

Xu Yuanchang took out a jade tablet from his sleeve, on which were engraved ten words: "The truth is in books and established through learning, and the name is passed down to the first place to carry on the family's glory."

The clan leader Zhu Zunxu, who was over 60 years old, took the jade tablet and saw the verses on it clearly, which were exactly the middle two lines of the poem that ranked their clan in the genealogy. He smiled and said, "Master Xu is very thoughtful. I wonder if you have any instructions for me? Please just ask." The Zhu family has been rooted in Pingqian County for more than 800 years. Farming and studying have been passed down from generation to generation, and many great figures have emerged from them.

There are descendants of the Zhu family in every city of Pingbo County and Yuanyang County.

It is not surprising that outsiders can get the Zhu family genealogy ranking poem.

After decades of struggling in the secular world, the old patriarch has seen a lot of the world. Every year, distant relatives from the same clan who are officials in other places come to worship their ancestors. The scene is very grand and they get off their horses and sedan chairs in front of different villages. They are not afraid of the small officials who come to ask for money.

Of course, anything that can be settled with a few taels of silver is not a big deal.

Xu Yuanchang put away the jade plaque and took out another black jade plaque. On the front was engraved the three ancient characters "竹山常" and decorated with a few slanting bamboos. On the back was only the simple word "无昌", and the last vertical stroke pierced through like a sword.

The old patriarch took the plaque with trembling hands and looked at the old object over and over again. After careful comparison, he found that it matched the features of the plaque recorded in the family classics exactly. Even the detail of using painting instead of writing for the word "bamboo" was exactly the same.

"Dear guest... please wait a moment!"

The old patriarch and the other elders supported each other as they walked out of the house. They were so excited that they trotted all the way to the ancestral hall. They had never expected that in their lifetime, they would be able to see the appearance of the "Impermanence" card that had been missing for hundreds of years.

This is a serious matter. They must compare the signs with the classics carefully. No bamboo leaf can be missed and no mistakes can be made.

It scared the middle-aged and young men who were guarding outside.

"Quick, call the other elders to rush to the ancestral hall, and bring the sick ones here."

"Go quickly, what are you standing there for?"

"Serve the distinguished guests in the main hall well and serve the best tea."

"..."

A hundred miles away, the mountain god Pingqian looked at the image in the thin water mirror in the air, took a sip of wine, and said, "Strange, where did that kid get the 'Impermanence' card? Even though it's an old Xibei product, it's good enough to be mistaken for the real thing."

He didn't believe that the young Taoist priest from Deng Xianguan could get the real thing. Old Monster Chang had been dead for more than 800 years. Could he get it from underground?

He has protected the descendants of Old Monster Chang for hundreds of years, and has long since repaid their debt of gratitude.

As long as it didn't involve a major incident that would lead to the extermination of his clan, he simply wouldn't bother to care about any other matters, big or small.

He deserved it for being cheated out of a secret book of military strategy.

"Just watch the show. You must be tired from worrying so much."

The Pingqian Mountain God squatted on a tree stump, drinking wine happily, and watched the Taoist performance from a distance of hundreds of miles through a water mirror.

When the old patriarch and his entourage returned from the ancestral hall, they led a group of old, middle-aged and young men into the central hall, ready to kneel down and salute respectfully, as if they were meeting their ancestors, as this was the ancestral rule.

Xu Yuanchang quickly stepped forward and supported the old man, preventing him from kneeling.

The old patriarch did not force himself and shouted, "I, Chang Zunxu, the 35th direct descendant of the Zhushan Chang family, lead all the unworthy descendants to respectfully welcome the messenger of the Impermanence Order."

After a while of commotion, the formalities were completed.

The old patriarch left behind five people, including two middle-aged men, and asked the others to leave.

Xu Yuanchang smiled and nodded towards the air as a greeting, then waved his hand to set up a ban to prevent the mountain god from spying and eavesdropping in the distance.

The Pingqian Mountain God laughed and scolded: "You little bastard, you have a keen sense. I don't want to listen to your deceptive words. Don't pollute my ears."

After drinking the wine, he turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared.

Xu Yuanchang had a long talk with the old clan leader and others, and called Liu Xianfeng and Bian Qiuyan from outside the village in, and had them stay in the village.

He had free access to the ancestral hall and read through the ancient books left over from that time.

He tested all the children in the village, but could not find any that satisfied him.

Five days later, Zhu Zunquan and Zhu Zongshan, who were practicing in Yuanyang County, received the letter and hurriedly flew back to their ancestral village.

Over the years, the Zhu family has produced many practitioners, most of whom were casual practitioners and none of them were successful. Zhu Zunquan and Zhu Zongshan relied on the few resources left by their predecessors and both reached the second level of cultivation, making them the best among them.

The communication between monks is different.

Xu Yuanchang inquired about the two men's sect background and handed the white jade slip entrusted to him by Elder Chang to Zhu Zunquan, saying only that he had obtained it by chance and was returning it intact in the hope that it would be of help to Chang's descendants.

After giving the two some instructions, Xu Yuanchang felt relaxed and left with Liu Xianfeng and Bian Qiuyan.

After seeing the guests off, Zhu Zunquan and Zhu Zongshan walked towards the village.

Zhu Zongshan couldn't hide his excitement, and lowered his voice and asked, "Uncle, are the Impermanence Order and Jade Slip sent by Elder Xu real?"

Zhu Zanquan glared at his nephew and said in a voice transmission: "Have you forgotten Elder Xu's warning? Be careful, there are ears on the other side of the mountain." He then continued in a voice transmission: "I have met Bian Duwei in Yuanyang City before. They are all important people. They don't need to deceive us. Besides, we don't have money. After I practice the skills in the jade slip and confirm that there are no problems, you can learn slowly."

Zhu Zongshan couldn't argue with him, so he had to agree. He curiously transmitted his voice: "Uncle, where did Elder Xu find the token and jade slip? How did he find the village? We have been hiding our identities for hundreds of years, and there are still people who know our details."

"From top to bottom, it's clear at a glance. No matter how deep you hide it, it's useless."

Zhu Zunquan sighed and said, "Now is a peaceful and prosperous era. We are the people of Daning, and we are not afraid of others knowing it."

……

In the Wuqiu Mountains, near the western shore of Wuya Lake.

"Where else can you escape to?"

Song Shuqian shouted and threw out his bronze Bagua mirror, which emitted a hazy green light and instantly froze a masked black-robed monk.

Two flying swords broke through the air and crossed each other. With their cold light, they killed the black-robed monk with panic in his eyes on the spot.

Nan Baolin took back one of the flying swords and laughed loudly: "It's great! I have killed three assassins along the way. I finally got rid of the humiliation of being ambushed by these guys last year!"

Zhuang Yixie waved his hand to take back the other flying sword, took out the communication talisman, and said, "Let me ask, are there any other assassins on the trail?"

They and several other groups of people took on the task of eliminating the killer's forces.

I have been very busy over the past two months, making money and taking revenge at the same time.

Nan Baolin carefully collected the spoils from the beheaded killers. He had to be on guard against these guys self-destructing. He said, "I don't know what Brother Xu is busy with. I invited him to join the mission, but he said he didn't have time."

"I heard from Caiqin that Brother Xu went back to Bailin Valley in Qingping County."

"Is the spiritual energy in Bailin Valley more abundant than that in the Monster Catching Mountain? Didn't he say that time is tight and he can't afford to waste any time?"

"Who knows? Maybe the Monster Hunting Mountain has assigned him a secret mission."

……

(End of this chapter)