Chapter 99 The Treasure of the Temple

"Shopkeeper, do you know what the treasure of the temple is?" Yao Jingli couldn't help but curiously asked after hearing this.

"If you are interested, you can go to Lumen Mountain and ask the monks in the temple. Maybe there are older monks who have seen it with their own eyes." After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he went to entertain other guests.

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Jiang Qianfeng's appetite was whetted by the shopkeeper, and he suggested to Bai Wuyan: "Master Bai, anyway, Lumen Mountain is on our way to Xiangyang City, why don't we go and take a look first?"

Bai Wuyan heard this and replied: "That's fine, that's what I have in mind."

So the group made up their minds and set out for Lumen Mountain early the next morning.

This Lumen Mountain has a slightly dark green sky, a blue sky, and green surroundings. Looking from a distance, it looks pure and beautiful.

It is said that during the Three Kingdoms period, Pang Degong, who lived in seclusion in the mountains to collect herbs, often invited his nephews, Mr. Pang Tong, Mr. Fengchu, Mr. Shui Jing, Sima Hui, Mr. Wolong, Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu, Cui Zhouping and others to come here to discuss major world affairs and discuss strategies for governing the country.

When Bai Wuyan and the others came to the foot of the mountain, they saw a huge stone-carved archway with three characters "Lumen Mountain" written on the top of the archway in the middle. There were two stone deer carved from white granite sitting on both sides of the archway.

The group entered the mountain gate and walked up the slope for about two hours before they saw an ancient temple.

After thousands of years of wind and frost, Lumen Temple still stands quietly in the mountains. However, among the interlacing green and red colors of the gray tile roof and vermilion paint walls of the temple gate, the two white deer squatting on the stone pier in front of the gate seem to have

After reading all the vicissitudes of life, it reveals the exhaustion that has been carved by the years.

The two white deer looked at the little monk in front of them who had been sweeping the floor at the entrance of the temple since early this morning, but they never saw anyone coming to burn incense and worship Buddha. Who would have thought that it was almost noon?

At that time, he suddenly waited for four young people, two men and two women.

This little monk is not very old, only about ten years old, and is not as tall as the big broom in front of him.

When he saw someone coming, he put down the big broom in his hand, stopped sweeping the floor, and asked Bai Wuyan and his party who had already walked to the temple door: "I wonder if several donors are visiting our temple. What are they doing?"

Bai Wuyan stepped forward and replied politely: "This little master, we want to inquire about something from the eminent monks and sages of your temple. I wonder if the little master can inform us?"

"You are not here to offer incense and worship Buddha, so I think you should invite the donors back." The little monk curled his lips, then picked up the big broom on the ground again, lowered his head and continued to sweep the floor, pretending that he didn't want to pay attention to it anymore.

What everyone means.

"You little monk, how can you do this? Even if we don't offer incense or worship the Buddha, can't we come to your temple to have a look?" Zhai Lingxiu became angry when she saw the little monk's attitude of seeing off guests.

Come everywhere.

Regardless of whether it was a Chinese temple or a foreign church, she had been to them all, and she had never experienced such rejection or such cowardice.

It's already at the temple gate, how can there be any reason to ask people to come back?

Seeing the way Zhai Lingxiu spoke, the young monk thought that he might have met a difficult female donor today, so he had no choice but to explain: "You don't know something about this female donor. The eminent monk in our temple

Well, under normal circumstances, they are in seclusion and practice, and they are almost deaf to worldly affairs. So it is useless for you to ask them, and it is impossible to find out anything."

Before Bai Wuyan could react, Jiang Qianfeng had already said, "No way, don't they even know the treasure of their own temple?"

"What, you mean the temple's treasure? It turns out that what you want to know about is the temple's treasure in our temple."

The young monk just glanced at Yao Jingli while he was talking, and then looked her up and down. Suddenly, he focused his eyes on the soul flute around Yao Jingli's waist. Then he changed his previous attitude and became attentive: "

If that's the case, then okay! Just wait here for a moment and let me go and report to the abbot."

After a while, the young monk came back.

As soon as he saw everyone, he clasped his hands together and said with a happy face: "Amitabha, everyone, the abbot of this temple invites you."

Bai Wuyan and others thanked the young monk, and under his leadership, they walked through the main hall and after twists and turns, they came to a very simple thatched Zen room.

"Xiangzhu, please invite them to come in and sit down."

"Yes, abbot." The young monk, known as Xiangzhu, gently opened the door of the Zen room and guided Bai Wuyan and others inside to take their seats.

After everyone sat down, they saw an old monk with white eyebrows and beard, wearing a red cassock and holding a string of ebony beads, sitting on the couch in the room.

When the old monk saw everyone coming in and sitting down, he didn't move. He just slowly opened his eyes and asked slowly: "All the donors have come from afar, but do they have plans for our Lumen Temple?"

When Bai Wuyan heard this, he quickly explained: "No, no, the abbot may have misunderstood. We are asking about the treasure of your temple. We just want to know whether the treasure is related to Guan Yu."

After hearing Bai Wuyan's explanation, the old abbot seemed to have let down some of his guard. He changed the topic and suddenly asked: "Oh? Do you know, the donors, what is the so-called treasure of the temple?"

Bai Wuyan replied respectfully: "I don't know, that's why I came to ask the abbot for advice."

"The so-called treasure of the temple is actually not a treasure at all. It is just a set of ancient books "Spring and Autumn Zuo Shi Zhuan" that Guan Gong once read. This set of books has been handed down in many places, and there is nothing unusual in its content.

This set of ancient books was lost by our temple more than ten years ago."

The old abbot took his time and skillfully told everyone about the treasure of the temple.

It seemed as if he had said these words to people many times.

"It was more than ten years ago, before Xiangzhu was picked up by me or adopted by me. One night, suddenly there was a strong wind in the temple, and after a burst of lightning and thunder, all the monks on duty that night came together.

He fainted strangely. When everyone woke up the next day, the "Spring and Autumn Annals of the Zuo Family" in the temple had disappeared."

After the old abbot finished speaking, he added, "It is not a valuable thing in the first place. If it is gone, no one will care about it anymore."

"Are there no other clues about who targeted that set of ancient books and how they were stolen?" From the story told by the old abbot, Yao Jingli couldn't guess what happened at that time.

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The young monk Xiangzhu has been paying attention to Yao Jingli since he was outside the temple gate. Now he is also the first to answer the question raised by Yao Jingli: "No, in the whole Xiangyang City, I have never heard of it again.

There are clues about that set of ancient books. But I heard from Master that the set of ancient books is made of bamboo slips, so it is very conspicuous. The whole set contains dozens of volumes and takes up almost half of the room."

"Xiangzhu, don't talk too much when I'm talking to the donors," the abbot said sternly.

The young monk turned around and said to everyone, "Donors, since you have heard everything you want to know from me, why don't you go down the mountain early after having a fast meal? The way down the mountain will wait until dark.

It’s hard to leave, our temple is too small to accommodate you all.”

As soon as the abbot said this, everyone present heard that he was trying to drive everyone away.

Bai Wuyan thought over and over in his mind, always feeling that something was wrong.

Diao Chan clearly said that Guan Yu's soul was trapped near Xiangyang City. If the treasure of Lumen Temple is not the soul object that binds Guan Yu's soul, then where is his soul trapped?

Bai Wuyan thought for a long time, but still had no results. Just when he turned to leave, a sudden inspiration flashed in his mind, and he suddenly realized: There is probably something wrong with this old abbot.

So Bai Wuyan did not choose to leave in the end, but asked again: "I'm sorry, abbot, I have one last question, can you please answer it?"
Chapter completed!