Chapter 1, The Calamity of Yang Family Village
Wu Zetian surmised that the one who had sent the dream was the flood dragon, which had been brought forth by the sorcerer to face the calamity and was now gravely injured. She thought to herself, how could a mere malevolent dragon dare to threaten the imperious Empress?
Therefore, these individuals used young boys and girls as bait, and the sorcerers managed to capture the dragon in one fell swoop. However, that dragon was immensely powerful, and even their enchanted nets, covered in various runes, could not confine it.
The Emperor of Wu, in a fit of rage, immediately issued an edict stating that even if he had to level Qingyan Mountain to the ground, he would whip the dragon's corpse to extract its dragon essence
Local villagers discovered a spring in the mountains and settled there, leading to the establishment of the present-day Yangjiazhuang. The spring is abundant, and even in years of severe drought, it can be used to channel water for irrigation, ensuring a harvest for the entire year
Li Aiguo turned back and smiled, stuffing the money from the table into his waist pouch, and walked outside
There was no other way; those bandits, in pursuit of wealth, had no choice but to take matters into their own hands. Immediately, they shouldered iron picks and dragged large saws, a group of twenty to thirty people, marching grandly towards the west of the village
That night, Li Aiguo came to my house, greeted my grandfather, and placed a stack of money on the table. It seemed that the stack of money was at least over a thousand yuan, which was definitely not a small amount at that time
However, just a year has passed, and an incident occurred
After all, Li Aiguo had lived in the village for over ten years and was somewhat familiar with the legends surrounding the village temple. He understood that the work was not easy, so he privately approached each household, using a mix of persuasion and coaxing. For those with a softer attitude, he would engage in friendly conversation and speak kindly, offering white flour and rice. As for those with a more rigid stance, he simply slipped them red envelopes directly.
The bandits were quite cunning; they had also heard of the strange occurrences in Yangjiazhuang, and they forced the villagers to carry out these tasks at gunpoint
The village chief of Yangjiazhuang is an outsider named Li Aiguo, who moved to our village ten years ago. During the household contract responsibility system, he worked alongside the villagers to achieve notable success, gaining a certain level of prestige in Yangjiazhuang, and was later elected as the village chief.
Li Aiguo, with a beaming smile, said: "Uncle Changsheng, this time building a primary school is indeed a significant event that will benefit our village. I hope Uncle Changsheng can lend a hand this time, as it would also be helping our own people in the village. The children cannot be without education, can they?"
Uncle Changsheng, I do not ask you to join in smashing the temple; I only request that you do not cause any trouble this time. This money will be yours. A substantial amount has been allocated for building the school, and when the remaining funds are available, you will also receive your share, Uncle Changsheng
My grandfather told me that the dragon controls the water, and the reason our village enjoys favorable weather is entirely dependent on the dragon beneath the blue stone
Therefore, the toughest challenge for Li Aiguo this time is actually my grandfather
During the Song Dynasty, there was another severe drought.
A tree in the courtyard of the theater was struck by lightning, turning it completely charred. Even more bizarrely, all the bandits have disappeared, leaving behind a row of chaotic blood handprints on the wall of the theater.
The net of law was torn open, and the dragon surged up, carrying the remnants of the clouds, flying towards the northwest
However, my grandfather later told me that those people died under mysterious circumstances. The lips of the deceased had turned black and purple, and they were bleeding from all seven orifices. The bulging eyes of each person were filled with blood vessels, making it seem as though they did not simply die from snake venom.
However, someone has died and needs to be taken care of. A delay of just one day means that that night the bandits stayed at the theater, preparing to destroy the temple and cut down trees the next morning
Li Aiguo was ridiculed by his grandfather, yet he still managed to maintain a flattering smile
The remaining bandits did not abandon those who were poisoned; they dragged along a few and fought desperately to escape back to the theater at Yangjia Village.
Grandfather is an upright person; upon hearing this, he could no longer bear it and shouted angrily, "Get lost!"
However, time is always able to wash away many things; decades pass in the blink of an eye, and the events of the past become stories, gradually forgotten by people, while Yangjiazhuang also gradually settles into tranquility
The bandits on the Great Green Mountain were already arrogant and overbearing, believing they could truly unearth treasures. They came to Yangjia Village armed, intending to demolish the village temple and cut down the old locust tree to make bed boards
Twenty to thirty people were surrounded by a large group of snakes on the road
This incident caused a great uproar in Yangjiazhuang at the time, and it also led to a prolonged period of panic among the villagers. The Japanese invaders did not reach our village, yet this event was simply more terrifying than the invaders themselves
Later, during the later years of the Tang Dynasty, when Empress Wu Zetian was in power, her advisors suggested that there was a place called Qingyan Mountain, located several hundred kilometers southwest of the capital. Beneath the mountain lay a suppressed green dragon, and only by obtaining the dragon's essence could one achieve immortality
"Fine, I will leave now!" Li Aiguo turned around and prepared to depart
In fact, during the last funding for road construction, Li Aiguo had the intention to target that dilapidated temple, but that time the villagers, led by my grandfather, managed to withstand it firmly.
However, when I was ten years old, the tranquility was finally shattered
After the Taoist performed a ritual near the Qinglong Pool, he instructed the villagers to plant a locust tree by the pool, and gradually, the situation began to calm down
The villagers expressed their gratitude by building a village temple there, where they burned incense and made offerings
The villagers all say that a man-eating Dragon King resides in the village temple, so apart from the annual worship on the second day of the second month, no one dares to approach it
Uncle Changsheng, you are a highly respected figure in our village. If you are going to cause trouble this time with a group of elders, it will be difficult for me to carry on with my work
In fact, at that time, my grandfather advised them with that one sentence because these bandits had never harmed Yangjia Village before. However, because of that one sentence, if it weren't for the villagers intervening and a few acquaintances speaking on his behalf, the bandits would have truly shot my grandfather.
It rained all night long
Who knows, an incident occurred before reaching the destination
In fact, the bandits of Daqingshan at that time were mostly people from nearby villages. During the war years, life was difficult, and they were forced to take to the mountains. Some of them were even acquainted with the people from our village. They had guns, but they only used them to intimidate; they did not dare to kill.
The Azure Dragon believed it had reached the stage of heavenly tribulation, soaring several tens of zhang into the sky, only to be struck down by a bolt of heavenly thunder, plunging into the pool below. The sorcerer entered the water in search of the dragon's corpse, yet it remained elusive.
During the time of the bandits, these bandits had heard rumors from somewhere that there were gold, silver, and jewels hidden beneath the ruins of an old temple to the west of the village
Children frequently go missing in the village, and a few days later, items such as shoes and clothes belonging to the missing children are found by the river at the edge of the village
Before Li Aiguo could finish speaking, Grandpa pointed his pipe at the doorway and angrily shouted: "Get out!"
Grandfather took a deep puff of his pipe, knocked the bowl against the table leg a few times, and coldly remarked: "Building a school is a good thing, but the village temple cannot be touched. You are not unaware of the events that have occurred in the village before! Patriotism, I advise you, if you do not wish to bring disaster upon the villagers, then choose another location!"
The sorcerers under his command advised that it would be better to capture a true dragon, extract its dragon essence, and administer it to the First Emperor, which would similarly enable him to attain immortality
Grandfather was smoking his pipe and did not even glance at Li Aiguo.
Many people say that my grandfather not only has the ability to heal the sick but can also exorcise evil spirits from those afflicted, making him a living deity who saves those in suffering and distress
The school must inevitably demolish the village temple, but everyone in Yangjiazhuang knows that place is quite ominous, who would dare to tear it down
In that winter, Wu Zetian passed away due to illness at the Shangyang Palace in the capital, and power returned to the Li Tang dynasty, while the southwest of the capital faced a severe drought, leaving the people in dire straits
Grandfather sensed that something was about to happen. The next morning, he took a few elders and went to the theater, where they were all stunned with fear.
While road construction is beneficial, it should not come at the cost of lives
Life in the countryside is gradually improving, and the village is planning to build a primary school. However, the chosen location for the school happens to be at the dilapidated temple in the west of the village, and a formal approval has already been issued for it
The villagers all know that whenever that temple stirs, something is bound to happen, and no one dares to advise against it, nor do they dare to obstruct these "green forest heroes" from making their fortune, do they?
However, not long after, Emperor Wu fell gravely ill, facing imminent danger
The snake swarm was exceptionally fierce, and most of the sorcerers were devoured alive by the giant snakes, with only a few managing to escape in a state of disarray
Although Li Aiguo is the village chief of Yangjiazhuang, the most respected person in our village at that time was my grandfather. My grandfather, although merely a village doctor, was regarded as a remarkable figure not only in our village but also in the nearby villages, as he had saved countless lives.
In a year of severe drought, one cannot simply endure such a situation; when prayers for rain prove unsuccessful, the locals then invite a Taoist priest.
This matter has truly posed a challenge for the villagers of Yangjiazhuang. Everyone knows that the Dragon King, who devours people, resides in the Qinglong Pool, and the old locust tree has an age of several hundred years. The tree is so large that it attracts spirits, and even if one were to point a gun at it, no one would dare to act.
You need not consult with an old man like me on this matter; as the village chief, should it not be for you to decide?
I was right beside my grandfather at that time, and I could see clearly the figure of Li Aiguo leaving. He clenched his fists tightly, and I could distinctly hear the sound of his fists cracking as he gripped them.
During that period, none of the villagers in Yangjiazhuang dared to wander out at night; even when they needed to relieve themselves, they only dared to use a chamber pot inside their homes.
Take the money away! Grandfather shouted
However, a strange event occurred that very night
The bandits summoned the village doctor at that time, my grandfather Yang Changsheng, to the stage. Upon arriving, my grandfather took a look and said that these few people were already dead; even a deity would be unable to save them
It is indeed remarkable that a year before the arrival of the campaign to eliminate the Four Olds, my grandfather, as if possessing prophetic insight, completely abandoned his practice of helping others exorcise evil spirits, burned all his tools, and transitioned to become the village doctor
To the west of Yangjiazhuang Village, there is a temple. Strangely, there are no idols inside; only an ancient locust tree that is several hundred years old and an enormous piece of blue stone. Beneath the blue stone lies a clear spring.
Indeed, those sorcerers dug deep into the depths of the Azure Dragon Pool and unexpectedly discovered a dragon corpse. They opened the dragon corpse, extracted its dragon essence, and used a soul-restraining whip to strike the dragon corpse. In the end, still unsatisfied, they summoned divine fire to burn the dragon corpse.
If he could be spared, he resides in the southwest of the capital, which could ensure a region of favorable weather. If not, even at the cost of his life, he would sever the Great Zhou's dragon vein.
That night, Wu Zetian, who was in the capital, had a dream
Li Aiguo was clearly suppressing the anger in his heart, yet he still wore a smile on his face as he pushed the stack of money towards my grandfather
The sorcerers pursued relentlessly, and one of them employed the art of mountain-moving to suppress the dragon beneath a green mountain. As the sorcerers rushed over, they initially believed they could obtain the dragon's essence and return to report, but unexpectedly, they found themselves surrounded by a swarm of snakes
The bandit leader truly clashed with the village temple, and after the deaths of so many brothers, he must have been furious. He shouted at the villagers: "I am going to smash the village temple and cut down the old locust tree. Who the hell dares to stop me? Just wait to feel my bullets!"
Several bandits were bitten by venomous snakes and collapsed on the spot
My name is Yang Fan, and I was born in 1990 in a remote small mountain village called Yangjiazhuang in Luonan.
Xu Fu had been waiting by the sea for half a month, yet he had not seen the immortal bestow the elixir, and he began to feel anxious
She dreamed of a young man kneeling before the dragon's collapse, stating that he was merely a flood dragon that had yet to undergo the heavenly tribulation, and not a true dragon; even if he consumed its dragon essence, he would not attain immortality
The villagers are generally reluctant to provoke the village temple and the village chief, Li Aiguo. However, this time he is firmly insisting on the approval from above, stating that the piece of land designated for the school must be built there without fail. He does not believe that the dilapidated temple can cause any trouble.
It is said that after Ying Zheng unified the six states and established the Qin Dynasty, he commanded Xu Fu to take five hundred young boys and girls to the East Sea for a human sacrifice, in search of the elixir of immortality
Even so, Li Aiguo did not lose his temper. He slowly said, "Uncle Changsheng, why are you angry? Anger is harmful to your health! Uncle Changsheng, why don't you reconsider..."
The matter of road construction can only be put on hold, and as a result, our village has not received any funding. This time, Li Aiguo seems to have made up his mind, insisting on demolishing the dilapidated temple.
Empress Wu Zetian dispatched sorcerers to search, and indeed discovered the Qinglong Pool at the foot of Qingyan Mountain. The sorcerers employed a heavenly sacrifice formation to summon the azure dragon from the pool and proclaimed it to the heavens using talismans, thereby attracting the heavenly tribulation
On that evening, the sky in the east was filled with rolling blood-red clouds, followed by flashes of lightning and claps of thunder, and a torrential downpour began. The bolts of lightning seemed to strike directly onto the streets.
They had guns in their hands, and after a series of crackling gunshots, many snakes were killed. However, just as one group was eliminated, another group arrived.
Grandfather advised those bandits at the time, saying that it was just a dilapidated temple and not worth going against that thing
Grandfather sighed, packed another bag of tobacco, took a deep drag, and with a furrowed brow said: "Alas... it is truly a calamity, Yangjiazhuang is destined to be ruined by his hands!"