The Blade-Wielding Legend

Chapter 1594 - 810: White Shadow on the Night Lake

"You really are making things up..."

Sha Lifei chuckled upon hearing this, "Although I’m not a scholar, Old Sha knows that Lady Bai is a character from novels, how could she possibly appear in reality? It’s likely someone was seeing things, and rumors spread among the populace, I’ve seen such things often."

Wang Daoxuan also shook his head, saying, "This Leifeng Pagoda was built by King Wu Yue Qian Chu to celebrate the birth of his favorite concubine Huang’s child. Initially named ’Imperial Concubine Tower,’ it got its name because it was located on Leifeng Xizhao Mountain and not as a place to suppress demons. Moreover, in the second year of Xuanhe in the Northern Song, it had already been burned down once by Fang La’s army."

"If there really was something, it would have been released long ago, and the talk of Lady Bai is even more groundless."

It’s understandable why they thought this way.

Though the Twelve Primordial Spirits have encountered numerous strange demon events before, their experiences are relatively unique.

In reality, most of the so-called "Mystical Sect events" stem from people’s inner fears, leading them to suspect ghosts and gods.

And due to their reputation and abilities, the incidents that come before them are already pre-screened.

They’ve heard of similar situations before.

It’s usually someone seeing illusions or spreading rumors, and the populace follows suit, making a big spectacle.

"No, no, no, this time it’s definitely not!"

Constable Zhao hurriedly shook his head, "The City God Temple Priest of Yu Hang County went to investigate, but has since gone mad from some unknown cause."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions turned serious.

Being able to serve as a City God Temple Priest, even at the county level, means at least being a cultivator of two-story Daoist level.

If something happens to the temple priest, the matter is probably not so simple.

Li Yan asked in a deep voice, "Tell us the details."

Constable Zhao hurriedly bowed and said, "The incident began about half a month ago."

"That night, there was a torrential downpour, with heavy thunder. The next day, half of the Leifeng Pagoda had collapsed, discovered only after daylight. Local residents said they seemed to hear strange noises from there, but government inspectors said it was just struck by lightning and found nothing unusual."

"After the collapse of the pagoda, strange events started happening!"

Constable Zhao gulped, his voice tightening, "It first spread among the boatmen outside the county, saying that one night, in the faint mist at the lake’s center, they saw a woman in white clothing on a small boat. The boat drifted without oars, and that woman... her figure was graceful, her garments fluttering, her face unclear, only heard her singing a song!"

"Singing what?" Kong Shangzhao asked hurriedly.

"’Water Overflows Jinshan’!"

Constable Zhao’s face turned pale, "It’s the segment from the Legend of the White Snake where Lady Bai floods the Gold Mountain Monastery! The tune was mournful and carried an indescribable malice, making people’s hearts shiver, their Divine Soul unsettled! More bizarre was that those who heard this ’celestial music’ returned as if they’d lost their souls, telling everyone they’d seen the apparition of ’Lady White’ with their own eyes!"

"Now, near that river, hundreds or thousands of people have gathered, burning incense, praying, offering fruits and pastries; it’s an overwhelming sight, impossible to stop! The government sent people to disperse them, but got cursed by the citizens, saying we offended the Divine..."

He became more hurried: "Lord County Magistrate is worried sick, his hair turned white, with the previous lessons from Jinling right before us!"

"I heard over there, too, it was some demon bewitching people’s hearts in the name of ghosts and gods. Now, at this juncture, a ’Lady Bai’ appears singing a song about Water Overflows Jinshan... If it’s a demon causing trouble, using this as an opportunity to create chaos, the County Lord fears Yu Hang County... might follow in Jinling’s steps!"

"Young Hero Li, you and your companions are seasoned masters; please, you must lend your aid."

"See if this truly is a True Immortal’s descent, or... a demon making mischief!"

Inside the hall, it fell silent, with the coughs from Fatty Lin’s parents in the back room being particularly clear.

Li Yan exchanged glances with Kong Shangzhao, each seeing the gravity in the other’s eyes.

This matter certainly seemed out of the ordinary.

"Alright."

Li Yan pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "You go back first, we’ll follow soon to investigate."

After Constable Zhao left, Sha Lifei clicked his tongue and shook his head, "Just after the Jinling incident, right at its peak, there’s still something daring to cause havoc; it’s courting death!"

"Let’s go check it out." Li Yan said in a deep voice, "Be it human or ghost, Immortal or demon, we need to see it with our own eyes."

......

As dusk settled, the river outside Yu Hang City was enveloped in a haze of water vapor.

By the lakeshore, dots of firelights flickered, smoke wafted, appearing from afar like a coiled Fire Dragon.

Incantations, prayers, mixed with excited whispers, formed a chaotic wave reaching towards them.

Except for Fatty Lin, who stayed back to care for his family, and Wu Ba, who was uninterested and remained in the Lin family to guard, Li Yan and the others had all arrived.

Wearing bamboo hats, they mingled with the crowd, quietly approaching.

At the riverbank, the people had voluntarily cleared an open area.

Even though night had fallen, countless citizens still knelt on the ground, devoutly praying.

Incense and candles piled up like a mountain, the firelight flickering, illuminating their fervent yet bewildered faces.

The offering table was laden with fresh fruits, chicken, duck, fish, and even toys offered by children.

The heavy scent of incense, the sweet and greasy smell of food, and the stench of sweat from the crowd mixed into a suffocating, restless atmosphere.

"Tsk tsk."

Sha Lifei said incredulously, "Are these people all mad?"

Wang Daoxuan listened intently, and the people’s prayers immediately entered his ears.

"Lady White, please bless my Ah Bao to recover quickly..."

"Lady White, my wife has been missing for half a year, please guide us, where has she gone?"

"Lady, please let me see my father one more time, I’ve suffered so much these years, sob sob..."

"Alas~"

Wang Daoxuan sighed, "It’s not madness, but the bitterness of life."

The others heard this and fell silent.

In the world of humans, there will always be many unsatisfactory things, most of which come from those close to you.

Thus, the Twelve Primordial Spirits sought companions, mostly loners, seeking to live without attachments, freely wandering the earth.