Four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasties.
Although the imperial court suppressed Buddhism and confiscated a large number of Buddhist fields and temple properties, being a monk was almost a lifelong career. It is impossible to close down just because the number of pilgrims dwindled. Besides, Jiangnan was originally the place where the practice of practicing Buddhism was strongest. Among the people,
The small temple was not greatly affected by the suppression of Buddhism.
For example, this Bodhi Zen Temple is located in the countryside. It does not have many Buddhist fields and temple properties, and it does not have any great protectors from the gentry and officials. Naturally, it does not matter whether it suppresses the Buddha or not.
The empty space in front of the temple is a market. People from all over the country go to the market regularly to sell agricultural products and buy household items. Monks and secular people live in peace and harmony here.
At this moment, there are a few strange figures among the crowd in the market. They are wearing ordinary clothes and look like people going to the market. However, they do not ask about the price of vegetables or buy small household appliances like others. They just use cold
His eyes carefully scanned every citizen who gathered together.
Xia Xun held Ming'er's hand and just walked into the market not far away when he discovered these people with abnormal behavior. Compared with the professional beggars pretending to be beggars and spies, these professional spies pretending to be ordinary people were obviously too amateur.
Xia Xun was startled and wanted to go back, but his departure was undoubtedly more obvious at this time. He turned around and saw the Bodhi Temple. Before the spy who was scanning around like a hound could catch him, he turned and walked towards the temple.
Xu Ming'er noticed his nervousness and glanced at him, but did not speak. Instead, she speeded up her pace tacitly. A spy was like an alert hound. He stared at the figure who hurriedly entered the temple, and felt a slight feeling in his heart.
There was a trace of doubt. He stopped and whispered to his companion, and the two of them pretended to be leisurely and chased towards the temple.
There are many pilgrims in the temple. It is not correct to say that they are pilgrims, because most of them go to the market and drop by the temple to have a look. Therefore, although there are many people, the incense is not strong. There are some stalls on the corridors on both sides of the temple.
, there were a few novice monks there selling some incense candles and small ornaments for consecration, but no one paid any attention to them.
Xia Xun entered the temple without stopping for a moment, then ducked into the left side hall, where the Four Vajras were enshrined. A banner hung under the lintel with four big words: "Free Interpretation of the Scriptures."
When Xia Xun saw an old woman who was about to sit on her seat, she hurriedly stepped aside and occupied the seat first. Ming'er obediently stood next to him. The old woman carrying a vegetable basket glared at him dissatisfiedly.
She stood at the back angrily, barely able to block him. Looking from the outside, it looked like an old woman and her little granddaughter were waiting for the monk to explain the scriptures.
Behind the desk, a monk in his forties, with a big face, a red face, and kind eyes looked him up and down, smiled serenely, clasped his hands together, and said gently: "Isn't the donor a local?"
Xia Xun hurriedly put his hands together and said, "Yes, Xinnan came from Hezhou and Wujiang to Yangzhou to visit relatives and friends."
The great monk smiled, nodded slowly and said, "Well, we are thousands of miles away, and the donor passed by here by chance. This is also fate!"
"Is it a thousand miles from Wujiang River to here?"
Xia Xun wanted to laugh, but he was busy but held it back, and responded devoutly: "Yes, it is fate. Xinnan and Buddhism have always been destined."
At this time, the two men had already chased into the temple, swept around the tourists in the courtyard, and then chased into the main hall.
The great monk's eyes were shining with kindness and wisdom. He pointed behind him and said kindly: "Since the fate has arrived, why don't you invite a stick of incense to worship the Buddha?"
Xia Xun looked behind him and saw a narrow wooden board in front of the wall, with many bundles of the crudest grass incense placed on it. The great monk said: "A stick of incense costs nine cents, and a stick of incense costs ninety-nine cents.
But it’s not expensive, it’s just a tribute to the Buddha.”
Xia Xun glanced at the main courtyard and said with a smile: "Master, Xinnan came all the way. He is short of money. He went to the temple today just to hear the master explain the scriptures."
After hearing this, the great monk still had a calm and indifferent smile like that of an eminent monk on his face, but his eyelids drooped downwards, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He opened a fat palm and gently touched it as if playing with water.
Swing it outward, very elegant.
Xia Xun said in surprise: "Master?"
The great monk's eyes closed, and the corners of his mouth turned downward even more. He did not speak, but just waved his hands outward again.
"oh!"
Xia Xun nodded quickly, raised his butt and left.
"Why is this monk..."
Ming'er became indignant. Xia Xun squeezed her palm and walked to the door of the temple without saying a word. Xia Xun bought a vegetable dumpling and carried it upright on his shoulders, blocking half of his face, and pulled Ming'er
His hand moved forward step by step with the crowd...
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When Xia Xun saw the tight security on the upper reaches of the Qinhuai River, he realized that he had underestimated Luo Kedi. He was by no means safe after leaving the city. This cat-and-mouse game had just begun.
He carefully analyzed it and believed that it was very dangerous to go south at this time. His whereabouts had already been leaked. If he forced his way south to contact the contact person he had arranged, he would definitely fall into a trap. So he decisively gave up going south to contact the contact person.
The idea was to go north instead. As expected, the security was not very tight along the way.
Obviously, the carriage had attracted the attention of the Jin Yiwei. Their main force had already rushed to the south, where a huge net was spread out, scraping the ground three feet away to search him out. At this time, he walked back,
On the contrary, there was no danger. Xia Xun walked back. Of course, he did not go back to Nanjing City. When he entered the city, he just resigned himself to fate. He did not want to leave his life to the mercy of God.
He believed that after more than a year of experience, his subordinates had acquired the basic fighting wisdom. They would definitely go with the flow, build a bigger momentum, and attract more attention from the government. Going north was his most likely destination, but then
As the news spread that their traces were found on the south road, Luo Qianshi would definitely mobilize a large number of manpower to search south, so the number of outposts and spies in the north would be greatly reduced.
Sure enough, along the way, the number of people deployed at checkpoints had been greatly reduced. Xia Xun took a small path and escaped safely to the bank of the Yangtze River. Going further, it was not easy. There was a small pier in front of it, not very big. This is the place to park.
There is no large cargo ship with a deep waterline, and it is not a dedicated pier for ferrying guests. It is a small pier built by fishermen along the river to facilitate fishing boats to dock. However, even such a small pier is guarded.
Xia Xun quietly observed that those people should be the local patrol inspectors and their thugs. The four men with knives were obviously the inspectors in the yamen. In addition, there were more than ten people with water and fire sticks.
Xia Xun looked at the thugs who were not regular soldiers. He stared at the location of these people and the weapons they carried, thinking about how to seize the ship.
After he had some idea in his mind, he whispered to Xu Ming'er: "Ming'er, it's too dangerous to take you to grab the boat. You go down the river and go farther, at least a few miles away.
Wait for me by the river downstream, and I will find you after I seize the boat."
After Xia Xun finished speaking, he didn't hear Xu Ming'er's answer. He turned his head and looked at Ming'er with some surprise. Ming'er was lying next to him, with a pair of big bright eyes open, looking at him without blinking an eye.
As if he wanted to see a flower on his face, Xia Xun raised his eyebrows and asked doubtfully: "What's wrong?"
Ming'er shook her head, pursed her lips and said nothing.
Xia Xun said: "Four patrols and a dozen helpers are not easy to deal with. Moreover, once it is exposed that we are two people, a man and a woman, the target will be even more obvious. Go downstream and wait for me.
I seized the ship. If... I never show up, you can... go back to the Zhongshan Palace first. I know you don't want to go back, but..."
"I know!"
Xu Ming'er said something serious with a sullen face. She bit her lower lip until it turned white. After saying that, she ducked and ran towards the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. Xia Xun was a little confused about the change in her expression, but this time
He didn't think much about it at the time. He turned to the dock again, focusing on the patrols and helpers, thinking about a plan to seize the ship.
Another fishing boat docked, and the two bamboo baskets on the boat were filled with most of the fresh fish. An inspector came up to meet him, bent down to take a look, and saw that the silvery things in the basket were all fresh fish, and a few of them were still fresh fish.
As he kept jumping up and down, he couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Oh, ho, Ren Laoshi, you are so lucky, you came home with a full load."
As he spoke, he broke off a long piece of weed from the beach, removed the leaves, and left only the stem. Then he bent down and picked at the basket in a polite manner.
Picking big, fat fish with delicious meat and skewering them with grass stalks, a patrolman next to him sat lazily on the side of a small boat with his legs crossed and said to him: "Pick a few for me too."
The older ones come out and go home to have wine and dinner in the evening."
After hearing this, the man picked out a few more big fish, then waved his hand and said, "Okay, let's go!"
"Damn it, these bastards, why don't they get retribution!"
Ren LaoShi cursed secretly, but did not dare to show the slightest displeasure on his face. He quickly nodded and bowed in agreement, carried the basket ashore, took out a pole, and just lifted the basket onto his shoulder. Before he walked out ten steps, a man in clothes
A young man wearing short gray cloth walked towards him and passed by him.
"Stop, what are you doing?"
The patrolman carrying the fish became very suspicious. He didn't look like a fisherman in his clothes. This was not a ferry. What was he doing here?
Xia Xun didn't allow him to ask any more questions. Before the inspector's hand touched the handle of the knife, Xia Xun had already taken action. He bent his five fingers, and his fist was shaped like a blunt shovel. With a "pop" sound, the shovel hit the inspector.
The inspector didn't say a word and fell on his back. There was a roar in his throat. Xia Xun's punch probably even shattered his throat bones.
Big fish were scattered all over the ground. As soon as a few big fish that were still alive landed on the sand, they slapped their tails desperately. One of the fish jumped and jumped onto his face, and the big tail slapped continuously.
Even if you slap him in the face, he won't move.
When Ren Laoshi saw this scene, he was so shocked that the pole slipped from his shoulders: "Oh my god, are you really so smart?"
Upon seeing this, several patrol inspectors and helpers immediately roared and rushed over. Among them, the one who reacted the slowest was the patrol inspector sitting on the side of the boat. Xia Xun rushed forward and kicked a piece of sand under his feet.
We had the most intimate contact with his face. The inspector's face suddenly became colorful and his nosebleeds flowed. He just grunted and slipped to the side of the boat. His body was immersed in the river water and he passed out. Fortunately, here
The water is shallow, you can only cover your feet, otherwise you will drown.
Xia Xun took action boldly. He had no choice but to take action. The road guide on his body did not have the official defense of Jinling Mansion, but the person showed up here, and everything was revealed during the first inspection. He had no choice but to strike first. He kicked the inspection officer unconscious, and Xia Xun
As soon as he bent down, he pulled out his saber. The remaining two patrol inspectors waved their steel knives and shouted and urged from behind. A dozen gangsters wielded water and fire sticks, and relying on the strength of their numbers, they rushed towards Xia Xun like they were desperate.
Come.
"kill!"
With a knife in his hand, Xia Xun suddenly turned into a man-eating tiger. He suddenly stepped on the soft beach and jumped forward. When he jumped up, his feet were slightly deflected, and the figure that originally jumped out from the front,
When he met the first stick, he had already moved slightly to the side. The whistle stick whizzed down against his shoulder. The narrow blade in Xia Xun's hand stabbed straight into the man's lower abdomen. He flipped his wrist and then
With a pick, the man fell down with a roar, blood splattering.
Xia Xun drew back his sword, his right shoulder sank, and he fell heavily on the beach. He rolled to avoid the five or six sticks that once hit him, the whistle stick was enough to break bones and tendons, and the knife in his hand
With a sudden movement, it swept past like mowing grass, and three more helpers fell out screaming wildly, abandoning their sticks, holding their bloody calves and roaring wildly.
But one of the gangsters also took this opportunity and used a stick as a spear, instead of chopping it to stab him, and stabbed him hard in the ribs. If it weren't for the fact that the man wanted to avoid his knife, he temporarily jumped back to relieve some of his strength.
, this stick can break one of Xia Xun's ribs. Even so, the painful feeling in the gut still makes Xia Xun almost breathless.
Those who can serve as thugs for the inspectors are the most ferocious gang of desperadoes. The sight of blood arouses their fierceness, and they dance with fire sticks.
Xia Xun deliberately wanted to make things worse here. He waved the knife in his hand without escaping. At first, because he received a stick in his ribs, his speed and strength were not enough. After a while, his speed and strength were insufficient.
The strength returned to normal.
He cut off two whistle sticks with one knife, and with a stroke, another one flew out in a circle. His knife cut a gash in the man's ribs, and his internal organs were squeezed out. But at this moment, Xia Xun
During this time, an experienced patrolman seized the opportunity and stabbed him in the back.
A good man is hard to beat by four hands, and it is as difficult as climbing to the sky to escape unscathed when fighting. However, some people are still alive even though they are injured, and some people die after being stabbed. The difference is that you must know how to avoid it.
The key is to know how to release the energy. Xia Xun's combat experience was fully reflected at this time. As soon as the inspection knife touched his body, he thrust forward with all his strength and received a hard blow on his stomach.
Stick, the injury from this knife was not serious.
He was stabbed in the back, it was burning, and the movement of his hand was slow. Seeing an opportunity, an inspector in front swung his sword to join the battle, and struck him head-on. Xia Xun was in a hurry, and his body was stiff
He turned sideways, raised the knife in his hand upwards, and with a loud roar from Zhentian Jie, an arm holding the knife flew into the air, and blood spurted out, splattering his head and face.
Like a mad tiger, Xia Xun danced his sword wildly to force the crowd away, jumped to the riverside, raised his hand and slashed the rope tied to a small boat, hurriedly jumped on the boat, and quickly swung his oar away from the shore, taking advantage of the speed of the river water.
, and at the same time, he slid the oar as hard as he could and escaped downstream.
Bows are weapons only equipped by military and civilian archers, and are not allowed to be used. They must be locked in the arsenal when not in a state of war or when ordered to suppress bandits. These public inspections do not have bows and arrows, they can only wield knives and sticks.
, watching helplessly Xia Xun's boat drifting down the river, chasing down the river bank.
But this river bank is not easy to navigate everywhere. The boat went down the river, and with the help of Xia Xun's oar, it was as fast as a galloping horse. There was not a long-distance runner among them. Soon these shouting people
Those in the public sector were left behind.
Xia Xun waited on the shore for a long time, guessing that Ming'er had gone quite a distance before he showed up to seize the boat. As soon as he got away from the people in the public, he immediately tried his best to get closer to the shore and looked for Ming'er along the river.
figure.
The small boat was like a fallen leaf in the wind, being hit by the mighty river water and rushing downstream. A small figure suddenly appeared on the shore, standing there alone. As soon as he saw the familiar figure, Xia Xun stood up immediately
, swung the knife and struck at the bottom of the bilge, one knife, two knives, three knives, sawdust flying...
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Xia Xun was covered in water and landed on the shore. The small boat behind him was still floating downstream, but the river water had already surged up from the fountain at the bottom of the boat. The boat was half-sunken and would soon sink completely into the center of the river.
Ming'er was standing by the river with a small basket on her shoulders. There were his changes of clothes in the basket. Xia Xun came ashore covered in water and grinned at her. Ming'er suddenly threw the basket away and jumped into his arms.
They hugged his waist tightly and buried her head in his arms. The force of those slender arms was so strong that Xia Xun, who had a stab wound on his back, gasped in pain.
Xia Xunza threw up his hands and said at a loss: "Ming'er, what's wrong?"
Ming'er came out of the arms with a dull, nasal voice: "I thought... you didn't care about me!"
Ming'er looked up from his arms, with tears in her eyes: "I thought... you were going to leave me and run for your life alone..."
"This little girl is too sensitive!"
Xia Xun was angry and funny, but she never thought about how fragile Ming'er's heart was at this time. The third brother died in the hands of the eldest brother. This incident had a strong impact on her heart.
She was originally carefree and had never known the hardships and dangers of the world. Suddenly she saw that her closest relatives were in such a state. Who else could she trust?
The ruthless eldest brother is the owner of Zhongshan Palace. The grief-stricken Ming'er no longer regards that place as her home. Her closest relatives are gone, her home is gone, and she suddenly has nothing and nothing to rely on.
How could she not be anxious and worried about gains and losses?
When she realized that she was still holding him tightly, Ming'er shyly let go of her hand, wiped her tears, and said with a smile: "If you have a conscience, you still remember me..."
The wound on Xia Xun's lower back was soaked by the river water. It was a little numb at first, but when she hugged him, he felt unbearable pain. As soon as she let go, Xia Xun breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly: "Come on, find a place to change clothes first."
.”
Ming'er suddenly remembered an important event and asked strangely: "By the way, why did you sink the boat? How can we cross the river?"
Xia Xun said: "Who said we have to cross the river?"
Ming'er said in surprise: "Isn't it just Jiang?"
"We can't cross. The other side of the river is also their territory. Knowing that we have seized the boat to cross the river, why don't we cast a sky net and a ground net over there? Our route is to Lishui. Once someone investigates, the secret will be revealed immediately."
"Then let's..."
"It's better to go to Lishui!"
p: I'm so faint. Why am I used to writing big chapters again? This bad habit is not good. It's more than 5,000 words again. Please give me a recommendation vote!!!