Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 448 A Good Person Comes to the Door
jingle! jingle!
The sun shines brightly overhead, and the sound of horse bells rings.

A caravan of over a hundred people was traveling along the official road, with lush green weeds on both sides.

The caravan members were dressed in Tang Dynasty robes, with jade pendants hanging from their waists and Tang Dynasty swords on their backs.

There were also foreign costumes, with both men and women wearing brown robes, gold rings on their hands and feet, and gold ornaments in their hair.

Such a caravan did not attract much attention from the local people when it approached the city gate.

They were already used to this, and an old man selling drinks by the roadside even chuckled.

"It's another caravan returning from Zhenla Kingdom. This year it's a bit later than usual; it's already getting hot."

The old man immediately called out, "Cool and sweet drinks!"

His drink, served in two large wooden barrels, was made by boiling herbs and flowers, and after it cooled, some sugarcane juice was added.

It has both the fragrance of herbs and the sweetness of fruit; a bowl of it will make you feel completely comfortable when the summer heat is intense.

As the caravan drew closer, a fragrant aroma of spices wafted out, mingling with the scents of food sold in the market outside the city.

There is a saying among the people of the Tang Dynasty that among the agarwood from various foreign countries, Zhenla (Cambodia) was the best, followed by Champa.

As early as the Tianbao era, the Zhenla Kingdom sent a prince to pay tribute and was awarded the title of Guoyi Duwei.

More than sixty years ago, the Zhenla Kingdom and the Champa Kingdom fought each other.

A Tang Dynasty merchant who was purchasing agarwood was robbed by the Champa Kingdom. Enraged, he drew a map and offered a plan to the King of Zhenla, which led to the ambush and killing of the enemy general.

Therefore, the Zhenla Kingdom once again sent envoys to pay tribute to Chang'an with a merchant caravan.

At that time, there were many idle people in Chang'an. The new emperor had just ascended the throne, but he was being controlled by his ministers. So he issued an edict to return the gifts and selected envoys to go to Zhenla. After they returned, he could then naturally bestow official titles upon his subordinates.

Unexpectedly, shortly after the envoy went to Zhenla, he discovered that Champa had superior rice varieties that were drought-resistant and early-maturing, as well as many other products, making it a prosperous and wealthy country. He reported this to the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang emperor was overjoyed and dispatched two hundred elite imperial guards to help the Zhenla Kingdom annex Champa. From then on, the Tang and Zhenla Kingdoms had increasingly frequent exchanges.

Women from Zhenla (Cambodia) possess a unique charm.

Merchants traveling to Zhenla (Cambodia) would marry local women, thus gaining local relatives and recruiting local people into their merchant groups.

These merchant caravans would pass through Nanzhao, which is now known as the Great Tianchang Kingdom, every year on their way back to the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, the local people did not find it strange at all that different nationalities were mixed together in these merchant groups.

Whether it was called Nanzhao or Datianchang Kingdom, they always treated Tang merchants with great respect.

Even though Zheng Tianchang has acted perversely in recent years, he has never targeted these Chinese merchant groups without cause.

The local people felt they were blessed and were happy to do business with them to share in their good fortune.

In the caravan, a young man in brown robes with a gold ring on his arm rode up and, as expected, ordered a bowl of drink first.

"Old man, in previous years when we came to this area near the royal city, we always saw the soldiers on the city walls lax and wandering around, and the vendors rarely had happy faces. Why does the scene look so different today?"

The old man was taken aback and also looked up at the city wall.

"Something big has happened in the city recently, so they probably don't have the time to stroll around."

The old man thought for a moment and then smiled, "Besides, it's always a good thing that General Cheng has been released, so everyone will inevitably be happier."

The young man in brown asked in surprise, "General, General Cheng Xin? What makes you say he was released? Could it be that he was once captured?"

The old man laughed and said, "Yes, but that's all in the past."

The young man in brown took another water bag from the horse and had the old man fill it up. He then casually asked a few more questions.

A moment later, he returned to the caravan, approached the carriage, and handed the water bag through the carriage window.

There were only two people in the car: a slightly overweight elderly Chinese man with a round face and black beard, and a young man dressed in white, wearing a gold ring, and with a white turban wrapped around his head.

The two sat facing each other in the car, which contained only a square wooden box.

The water bag was passed from outside the window and caught by the young man.

“Prince Bamo, it seems there has been another change in Nanzhao. The Zheng family king, who usurped the throne of Nanzhao, has completely fallen out with General Cheng and was killed by the general’s helpers just a few days ago.”

The young man in brown outside the car reported in a low voice.

The person in the carriage said, "Do not call me prince, call me by my Han name, Li Chenxiang."

The young man in brown replied, "Yes!"

Li Chenxiang hesitated and asked, "Elder Su, will the changes in Nanzhao affect us?"

The round-faced old man stroked his beard and pondered, then said, "Both the Zheng and Cheng families have a long history with the Red Emperor. No matter which family is in power, they should not be enemies of merchant groups like ours."

"and……"

Old Su's face was round, making his eyes appear small, but at this moment, his small eyes were full of spirit.

"Where could the Cheng family find an accomplice to kill the Su King? Perhaps it's the person who was supposed to come to meet us and just took care of this matter on the way!"

Li Chenxiang's face lit up with joy, but then he shook his head, his expression turning sorrowful.

"No, the news about our matter has already been leaked. How urgent is it?"

“Even if the people sent by the Tang Dynasty to meet us had two missions, they should have found us first before dealing with the Nanzhao matter. How could they have killed the king in Nanzhao first and stayed there for several days?”

Old Su came to his senses and said, "That makes sense."

He felt secretly ashamed.

Ever since he sent someone to Chang'an to ask for help, he had been waiting day and night, hoping that someone would come as soon as possible, and his mind had become less sharp than before.

Li Chenxiang, on the other hand, although he always likes to ask others for their opinions first, is actually very opinionated and has excellent self-control.

"In that case."

Old Su said, "According to the original plan, after entering the city, we will quietly leave the caravan, change our appearance, ask the guards to disguise themselves, and stay in the caravan in our place to avoid being noticed."

Li Chenxiang nodded heavily; this wasn't the first time they'd done this.

Just as the caravan was about to enter the city, suddenly, the copper bells on the horses' necks started ringing erratically.

All the horses in the caravan seemed startled, neighing, rearing up, and turning their heads away, refusing to move forward.

When the people near the outer city gate saw this, they were afraid that the horse would be startled and go berserk, so they quickly ran away.

As the crowd dispersed, a monk who had been among them came into view. He wore a crescent-shaped iron headband, his hair was disheveled, he was tall and thin, with a long face like a horse, but his eyes were surprisingly large. He carried a steel staff and looked coldly at the caravan.

"The two of you are truly resourceful, like a boat on a stormy sea, swaying but not sinking. Unfortunately, you can't escape the net of heaven and earth, the dragon and snake swallowing the boat."

The monk ignored the rest of the caravan and focused only on Old Su's carriage.

"You two, one rich and the other noble, why waste your lives over an inanimate object? Hand it over, and we'll part ways here, never to meet again. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

The expressions on the faces of everyone in the car changed.

Li Chenxiang placed one hand on the box first.

Inside the box was actually just a large drum made of python skin, but it was famous far and wide and was called the "Mountain King Divine Drum".

The owner of the Mountain King Drum was a reclusive and extraordinary monk from the snowy mountains of the Tubo Plateau.

More than a hundred years ago, the Tang Dynasty launched a campaign against Tibet. The massive army pressed on the border, while the imperial guards carried out assassinations, a mutually reinforcing process.

Hai Donglai killed several veteran Tibetan generals, which finally angered the Tibetans, who then invited this extraordinary monk to join them.

The monk Shanwang claimed he wanted to resolve the conflict between the two countries and asked Haidong to stop.

Hai Donglai wouldn't listen to such nonsense and started the fight without responding to a single word.

Who knew that this divine monk was indeed extraordinary? The two fought fiercely for many times, with neither gaining the upper hand.

Later, a blood-red starry sky appeared in the world. The Tang Dynasty had completely recovered its lost territory. After weighing the options, it agreed to cease hostilities with the Tibetan Empire.

Hai Donglai and the Mountain King Monk made a pact to fight each other every ten years.

Sixty-seven years ago, rumors circulated that Hai Donglai had fallen into the snowy plains, and among those who had killed him was this Mountain King Monk.

The two fought for ninety years until seventeen years ago, when the Mountain King Monk was defeated and died, and Hai Donglai was also seriously injured and almost died.

Seven years ago, the chief disciple of the Mountain King Monk fought Hai Donglai again and was killed within thirty moves.

In the same year, the Tibetan Empire was embroiled in internal strife and completely split apart, with the remaining disciples of the Mountain King going their separate ways.

People say that the legend of the Mountain King Monk has come to an end.

However, not long ago, in the capital of Zhenla, a monk was exposed as a disciple of the Mountain King, possessing the Mountain King's divine drum.

The Tibetan experts investigated the past and found that they wanted to seize the divine drum. The royal family of Zhenla and the Chinese merchant group were also involved, causing a series of upheavals.

Once the turmoil subsided, no one in Zhenla dared to leave this treasure in the country.

Only Li Chenxiang volunteered to send the treasure to the Tang Dynasty. He selected guards and, together with the daredevils in the merchant group, divided them into several groups, each disguised, and they left the city overnight.

Old Master Su immediately sent a message to Chang'an, hoping his family could contact the Imperial Guard for help.

Unfortunately, the news was leaked, and they were intercepted several times on the way.

Otherwise, given their cultivation levels, why would they need to hide in the carriage to recover from their injuries? They could have easily crossed mountains and valleys and headed straight for Chang'an.

"Your Excellency, how dare you intercept us in front of the capital of the Great Heavenly Kingdom? We have truly underestimated your courage."

Old Su pressed his hand against the inner wall of the carriage and spoke out, "Very well, it seems we are ultimately not destined for this treasure. Please, sir, come aboard and take it."

The ascetic just sneered.

"Zheng Tianchang is the only formidable opponent here, but I'm not going into his palace, so what's the big deal?"

The monk said in a deep voice, "On the contrary, Su Xian's mechanical carriage is probably even more dangerous than the royal palace."

“If you really don’t want to die, bring the stuff out of the car.”

Royal Palace, West Bright Pool.

Chu Tianshu lay on a rattan chair, his left hand resting on his dantian, while his right hand reached out towards the sky above the pool.

The five fingers move in a circular motion, pressing, stroking, and thrusting motion, as if plucking the strings of a zither, employing all the techniques of the Ming King's finger spear.

This hand was at least five zhang away from the edge of the pool, and even further away from the center.

However, the entire pool seemed to be being battered by unseen raindrops.

Waves splashed everywhere, rising and falling, with constant tinkling and swishing sounds.

As Cheng Xin walked over, he could see from afar the scene of Chu Tianshu flicking his finger, causing the air to distort and the airflow to shoot out.

"Grand Uncle, you seem to be enjoying yourself."

Cheng Xin said with a hint of envy, "I have already sent a letter to Chang'an, but I don't know when I will receive a reply."

Chu Tianshu nodded slightly.

Although he was prepared to meet Hai Donglai, there was a problem: no one knew where Hai Donglai was.

This person should be 147 years old this year, which is more than twice the retirement age.

But this old fellow clearly doesn't have the habit of staying in one place for years without moving.

His wanderings and leisurely travels made Hai Donglai's intimidating power even more unpredictable.

If Chu Tianshu wants to see him, he should first consult an expert and schedule a time.

Cheng Xin continued, "I have already found many old comrades, and they have been settled both inside and outside the capital. Next, it's time to deal with the rest of the country. I think..."

"and many more."

Chu Tianshu suddenly sat up from the rattan chair, looked south, and blinked.

"It seems there was someone releasing their fist intent at the outer city gate, and it also appears to be a Buddhist style."

Cheng Xin was taken aback, his old face turning slightly red.

He had just said that everything was settled inside and outside the capital when something went wrong.

"His skills are alright."

Chu Tianshu pondered, "Could it be Zheng Tianchang's friend, coming to seek revenge on me?"

"That guy is pretty good, he just blocked the city gate and challenged me to a fight, instead of running in and starting a fight right away."

(End of this chapter)