One Qi Chaoyang

Chapter 144 143: The Reason

Liang Hai looked at the people on the river with some doubt in his heart.

Because he knew that this section of the river had been blocked, because the three Liangs on his side refused to accept the taxes set by the Pinghai Gang, so Jiuliwan was blocked.

At least anyone from Sanliang who goes out of the river will be intercepted and may even die.

The Pinghai Gang said that if the full amount of taxes was not paid within seven days, they would drive a water monster to eat the spirit horns.

The Pinghai Gang is good at controlling water monsters and can prey on all kinds of spiritual fish and fish ponds raised in the water on both sides of the river.

He is also an important helper for the Pinghai Gang in fighting against its enemies.

In the past two days, no one in Sanliang dared to send people out to the river, because if there was only one water monster, it would be fine, but it appeared in groups. Even if they also practiced water magic, they still found it difficult to resist the water monster in the water.

Liang Hai, who was standing on the rooftop viewing platform and looking at the river, was surprised to see someone coming on the river, but he also felt that the person riding the green boat down the river seemed somewhat familiar.

At this moment, a huge wave broke out from under the water, and a huge mouth appeared under the wave, swallowing and biting the green boat. This sudden thing made people like Liang Hai, who were watching from afar, seem to stop for a moment.

However, the man on the green boat seemed to be prepared. Golden light appeared on his body and he floated up like the wind, just avoiding the underwater attack. At the same time, he saw his hand reaching down, and the huge monster fish that rushed out of the water and was falling into the water was caught by an invisible force.

From afar, one could see that the man and the waves he brought with him were suspended in the air and could no longer fall back into the river.

Liang Hai then realized that the water monster was the Pingjiang Water Monster that only the core disciples of the Pinghai Gang could possess. Only the core members of the Pinghai Gang knew how to cultivate it, and the cultivated Pingjiang Water Monsters would also be different, all kinds of strange.

It is said that there was once a legendary great man who used this water monster to create an incarnation.

At this moment, the water monster was caught by the man riding the green boat.

Before he could figure it out, he saw flames suddenly bursting out of the water monster's body. The flames seemed to be burning from the inside. The water monster seemed not to be dead yet and was still twisting and struggling, but soon it stopped moving. Although it did not burn to ashes, it had turned pitch black and fell into the water.

Far away in the middle of the river, on a large boat, the young man in white suddenly fell backwards, trembling all over.

The woman next to him was very anxious.

"Brother, brother, what's wrong with you, brother, brother..."

The senior brother on the deck did not move and could not answer, so she immediately shouted, "Go back to the gang, quickly."

"Yes!" A gang member responded loudly.

……

In Liang Hai's eyes, the man in the air turned around and stepped into the void, as if stepping on the wind swirling on the river surface, and like a big bird, he came towards the river bank. When the other party got closer and closer, he finally saw the other party's appearance clearly.
That is?

Taoist Priest Zhao!
My son’s senior brother in the lower courtyard of Tiandu Mountain.

He clearly remembered that one time, his son brought his senior brother Zhao Fuyun back home. Every year when he came back, he would always tell stories about his time in the mountains, and his senior brother Zhao Fuyun would inevitably be mentioned in those stories.

His son highly respects Taoist Master Zhao.

He thought that after his son died, all contact would be cut off, but he never expected to see him again today.

The memory of his son could not help but come flooding back to his mind.

Zhao Fuyun did not go to the rooftops of other people to watch the river, but landed on the wooden ferry. He looked at the people on the rooftops, and then at the many people on the shore who were looking at each other as if they were facing a great enemy, and bowed and said, "I am Zhao Fuyun from Tiandu Mountain, and I am honored to meet you all."

After that, he bowed again to Liang Hai who was looking at the river from the rooftop, and said, "Hello, Uncle Hai."

When he came to the Liang family in Jiuliwan, he was a fellow disciple of Liang Daozi, and called him Uncle Hai. Now that Liang Daozi is not here, he still calls him that.

Liang Hai's heart was filled with emotion. He jumped down from the roof, looked at Zhao Fuyun, and said, "It's really Taoist Zhao."

After he finished speaking, many words suddenly came out of his mind, but when they came to his lips, he didn't know how to say them, so he could only bow deeply and said, "Master Zhao, I am well."

"Uncle Hai, may you live a long and healthy life!" Zhao Fuyun bowed again.

He looked at Liang Hai's face. If it weren't for the frost on his face, if he only looked at the outline, he could tell that Liang Daozi looked very similar to him.

Liang Hai shouted to the back: "Prepare wine and set up a banquet."

Those members of the Liang family who were still standing there in a daze responded loudly and started to prepare immediately.

Zhao Fuyun was led by Liang Hai into their grand living room.

The guest hall is called "Wufeng Hall" with couplets on both sides.

"No disasters, no troubles, and long-lasting blessings!"

"Lucky and happy, virtuous and upright!"

When he stood in front of this door, he read it with Liang Daozi. Liang Daozi told him that their ancestors wrote it when they built the main hall here when they just separated from the family.

Over the years, the person has long passed away, but the words he left behind, as well as the expectations and instructions, are still here.

At that time, Liang Daozi's words were still ringing in my ears, but he had been dead for many years.

He walked up the stairs step by step, and no one knew what he was thinking.

A little boy next to him looked at him curiously.

After entering the main hall, they sat down as host and guest. Liang Hai praised Zhao Fuyun for his profound Taoism. For a while, Liang Hai said a lot, but seemed to avoid talking about Liang Daozi.

At this time, a woman from the inner room was also sitting next to them. She was Liang Daozi's mother. After sitting for a while, she seemed to have something to say, but was stopped by Liang Hai with a look. But after a period of silence, she finally couldn't help but ask.

"Master Zhao, I have something to ask you, but I don't know if it's appropriate for me to ask you." said the woman.

"Aunt, please speak." Zhao Fuyun actually already had an idea in his mind.

"My son, Daozi, how did he die?" After the woman asked, Liang Hai also looked at Zhao Fuyun with burning eyes.

At the same time, other people in the room also stopped what they were doing.

In fact, they never knew how Liang Daozi died. They only received the news that Liang Daozi was dead. They didn't even see the body, and no one told them the reason.

Zhao Fuyun hesitated for a moment and asked, "Who brought this news back?"

"He is a disciple from the lower courtyard who is traveling here. His name is Yang Liuqing. I heard that he seems to have a very good relationship with Daozi in the lower courtyard." Liang Hai asked.

"So it was him." Zhao Fuyun sighed and said, "Yang Liuqing is a taciturn person, but he is a very loyal man. When he is in the mountains, he often travels with Daozi." Zhao Fuyun thought that Yang Liuqing did not tell the cause of Liang Daozi's death. It was probably because he died at the hands of a fellow disciple, so it was difficult to say, so he did not tell the reason.

Moreover, when the notification was received, he didn't know whether it was before or after he killed Xu Yajun. He thought it might be after.

Because he felt that if Xu Yajun had not died, Yang Liuqing would not be able to face Liang Hai, but after Xu Yajun died, he could not say that someone had avenged Liang Daozi, because Yang Liuqing himself was not clear about it at the beginning.

"Daozi was killed by a disciple of Xuanguang in the lower house. Although I have not seen him, I have found out that he died at the hands of this man and was later buried in the Yangling River fishing ground." Zhao Fuyun said.

"Daozi, why did he want to kill Daozi?" Liang Hai asked, "Although Daozi is lively and talkative, he is not the kind of person who would offend others. How could he make an enemy of others?"

"Daozi is good at catching magical fish. The man wanted to keep him by his side, but Daozi didn't want to and rejected the other party. Unexpectedly, he angered the other party and he even wanted to kill him." Zhao Fuyun said.

Liang Hai was silent for a while after hearing this. He knew that Liang Daozi was in the mountains, following the man in front of him, Taoist Zhao.

Liang Daozi's mother cried bitterly, "How could there be such a vicious person? Is there no one in Tiandu Mountain to take care of it?"

"The mountain does not have strict control over the affairs of the lower house, and the murders did not happen inside the mountain gate. The murderers were also children of the noble families in the mountain." Zhao Fuyun paused here, but everyone who heard it in the room understood what he meant.

Liang's mother sobbed and Liang Hai sighed.

At this moment, the little boy who had been eavesdropping nearby suddenly said loudly: "When I grow up, I must learn powerful magic to avenge my father."

Zhao Fuyun looked at the boy, who was about ten years old, and asked in surprise, "Is this Daozi's child? Does he have a child?"

As far as he could remember, Liang Daozi had no children.

"This was adopted by his eldest brother. Daozi is unmarried, but I didn't want him to be childless, so I asked his eldest brother to adopt a child to continue the family line for him." Liang Hai said with a long sigh.

Zhao Fuyun looked at the little boy. The insight in his eyes did not seem fake. Of course, it was even more impossible that he was taught by someone else. He could not help but wave.

The other person came over, Zhao Fuyun touched his head and said, "You are so ambitious at such a young age, you will definitely be a hero when you grow up. However, you don't need to help your father to avenge, because the person who hurt your father is already dead."

"Dead?" Liang Hai repeated these two words after hearing it and stood up.

"Yes, he died on the third month and eighth day after Daozi's death. He was ordered to go down the mountain to take up a post in the mountains. On the way, in an inn, he was killed in his sleep by a spell cast by someone."

After Zhao Fuyun finished speaking, Liang Hai asked anxiously, "Master, do you know who killed him?"

Zhao Fuyun did not answer, but turned sideways, picked up the tea on the table and took a sip.

Liang Hai immediately stopped asking questions and bowed deeply.

Zhao Fuyun quickly put down the teacup, lifted up his arm, and said, "Uncle Hai, you are so kind to me. Daozi followed me in and out of the mountain gate and went down the mountain with me to subdue demons and catch ghosts. I was unable to protect him, and I feel really ashamed."

Liang Hai looked up to the sky and sighed.

Zhao Fuyun knew that the pain of losing a son must be very painful, not to mention that a family could produce such a talented cultivator and the whole family supported him to practice in the mountains, but suddenly received the news of his death. The feeling can be imagined.

Mother Liang said loudly, "Good death, good death, Taoist Zhao, you killed him to avenge my son, it's worth it for my son to fight with you."

Zhao Fuyun bowed, sighed inwardly, then turned to look at the boy beside him and said, "What's your name?"

"My name is Liang Jidao." the boy said loudly.

"Okay, Jidao, have you started learning Taoism?" Zhao Fuyun asked.

"I started studying in our Sanliang Taoist Hall last year," Liang Hai said.

Zhao Fuyun pondered for a moment and said, "I'll test you later to see how well you've learned."

The little boy was excited and said loudly: "Well, no one in the Taoist temple learns better than me."

Zhao Fuyun reached out and touched his head, and said with a smile: "Your personality is somewhat similar to Daozi's."

Just like that, while everyone was talking, the banquet was almost ready.

At the banquet, Zhao Fuyun asked if something had happened here, why someone blocked the river, why some people said there was a water monster here, and why the water monster attacked him.

So Liang Hai sighed and told Zhao Fuyun what had happened here recently. Only then did Zhao Fuyun realize that it was because the Pinghai Gang collected too heavy taxes.

"What about other places? It should not be just here in Jiuliwan, are there other places?" Zhao Fuyun asked.

"The Four Seas Gang doesn't recruit them all at once, but in sections. After they've dealt with one section, they'll look for the next section of noble families on the river." Liang Hai said.

"The Pinghai Gang is very powerful. I'm afraid that even if the three Liangs join together, they won't be able to resist the Pinghai Gang." Zhao Fuyun said.

"Yes, but if we pay them, they will do the same thing next year, and we will be squeezed out completely." Liang Hai said, "The Liwan Liang family is on good terms with the leader of the Xu Tu Sect in the nearby Dianjin Mountain. He went to ask for help yesterday."

"What is the cultivation level of the leader of the Xu Tu sect?" Zhao Fuyun asked.

“He has been building the foundation for many years and is also a well-known person in the local area. With him here, we may be able to negotiate peace or have room for maneuver.” Liang Hai said.

When he said this, he seemed to have thought of something, put down his chopsticks, looked at Zhao Fuyun, and said, "The water monster that the Taoist priest killed just now was something that only the core disciples of the Pinghai Gang would raise. It was burned to death by the Taoist priest...."

At this point, Zhao Fuyun immediately understood that the other party was worried that he would use too much force and provoke the anger of the Pinghai Gang.

"Uncle Hai, don't worry. The water monster attacked me, but I killed it and no one can say anything. If anyone comes to argue, just come to me." Zhao Fuyun said.

"Master, the Pinghai Gang is very powerful." The person who spoke was Liang Daozi's eldest brother. He and a priest were the only ones sitting at the table.

But when Zhao Fuyun and Liang Hai were talking, they just listened silently without interrupting.

Just then, someone outside shouted, "Oh no! People from the Pinghai Gang are here."

Among the people drinking in the room, Zhao Fuyun stood still, Liang Daozi's elder brother Liang Songzi's hands were shaking, and Liang Hai's face also changed.

The worshipper pushed the stool away and ran outside.

Following closely behind was Liang Songzi.

When Liang Hai also stood up and saw Zhao Fuyun standing still, a new idea came to his mind. He thought to himself, "Daozi always said that his senior brother has great talent. Could it be that in just seven years, he has already successfully established his foundation?"

But he soon thought again, even if he had succeeded in building his foundation, he was only a new foundation-building cultivator, and there must be a big gap between him and the two old foundation-building cultivators of the Pinghai Gang.

Even though the Tiandu Mountain skills are profound, the magic power, spells, and magic weapons all require time to cultivate and refine.

(End of this chapter)