At two o'clock in the morning, Taoist priests from the bottom of the mountain came up the mountain one after another. Today was not a holiday, and there were not many pilgrims in the early morning.
Zhao Rong did not climb the mountain immediately, but waited for a group of handymen and followed them up the mountain. Along the way, he focused on two familiar people among them, a tall and thin middle-aged man, and a man with half white hair.
Old man.
These two are both handymen responsible for the sanitation of Lingguan Hall, but one person is responsible for one day and takes turns cleaning.
Zhao Rong concentrated his attention and carefully memorized their pace characteristics and behavioral characteristics.
When I see them on the way, they don't go directly to clean the exterior. Instead, they clean the mountain steps and pavilions before continuing up the mountain.
Zhao Rong suddenly realized that it turned out that these handymen came to clean the hall at irregular times every day.
Zhao Rong followed them all the way to the outside of the mountainside. The group of people gradually dispersed and went to the palace in charge of their duties. Zhao Rong followed the tall and thin servant into the Lingguan Palace.
After entering the hall, Zhao Rong went directly to the seat where he used to copy scriptures, but this time he did not sit down and copy scriptures. Instead, he packed his things and said goodbye to the Taoist priest who received the guest. He said that his relative's condition had recovered and he would no longer copy scriptures. He smiled.
After donating a sum of money, he turned around and prepared to leave.
At this time, morning classes were going on in the Lingguan Hall. There were very few pilgrims and it was quite quiet. Zhao Rong was about to go out when he suddenly heard a cat meowing from the back of the hall. Looking back, he saw that the sound was coming from behind the statue.
The old man in blue who was taking the lead in chanting frowned and opened his eyes. He turned to the side and raised his chin slightly at the tall and thin handyman who was wiping the table. The latter understood, nodded hurriedly with a flattering smile, put down the rag, and went to the back to drive away the cats.
Zhao Rong pursed his lips, walked out of the main hall, and walked around to the back of Lingguan Hall. He knew that there was a back door behind the main hall, and at this time he saw the tall and thin laborer chasing away the cats.
Behind a row of side halls, including the Lingguan Hall, is a large forest, with a bluestone road winding to a secluded place.
At this time, the cat escaped into a jujube tree. The tall and thin handyman was holding a bamboo pole under the tree to chase it away. The cat dodged left and right, leaving it helpless. Zhao Rong saw this and went to help, and climbed up the tree lightly.
, grabbed the cat by the back of the neck and jumped down easily. The tall and lanky handyman quickly thanked him and stretched out his hand to take it. Zhao Rong smiled and asked if he could take it back for adoption. The tall and lanky handyman agreed slightly, then turned and returned to the main hall.
Zhao Rong carried the cat in his arms as he went out to visit and went down the mountain. He thought carefully about the tone of voice of the tall and lanky handyman just now. It was difficult to imitate him when he spoke, but he only needed to remember his tone when he chased the cat away.
After such a long period of observation, Zhao Rong determined the timing and plan for taking action.
The opportunity is at the fifth hour of the next holiday.
There are many people on holidays, giving them an excuse to steal, and after a night of vigilance, morning is the time when they are most relaxed.
You need to make some preparations before taking action.
First of all, you have to give some money to the fat Taoist boy and his companions. This is very simple. Just drop a couple of coins on the ground in advance on their way down the mountain. The mountain road is rugged, and most people going down the mountain will look at the ground under their feet, even if they don't see it.
Just try a few more times.
The two of them just couldn't control their age. If they had money, they would buy books and stay up late to read them. As a result, they would fall asleep the next morning, especially when the Taoist priest in blue was no longer in front of them during morning classes.
As for the other two Taoist boys, they had to find a way to make some noise the night before the attack so that they could not sleep, so that like the two fat Taoist boys, they would doze off and close their eyes during the early morning shift.
Don't pay attention to the Taoist priests in the morning class. They have to close their eyes and chant sutras. According to observations in the past few days, as long as the movement is not too loud, they will not open their eyes. Moreover, there are many people on holidays, which can easily distract them and make it difficult for them to react to slight movements.
It arouses alarm. Besides, with so many pilgrims watching, it would be very embarrassing if people found out that they didn't do their morning prayers seriously.
As a result, in the main hall, apart from the pilgrims and the philanthropists who bowed their heads to copy scriptures, the only ones with their eyes open were the white-haired Taoist priests who received the guests and the servants whose arrival time was uncertain.
According to observations, the Taoist priest who receives guests usually goes to the toilet around five o'clock in the morning during morning classes. This is why he chose this time. However, to be on the safe side, a second plan must be made. If the Taoist priest who receives guests does not
If he doesn't go to the toilet, he'll get stuck in his position.
How to get stuck? It's very simple. He walks up to the Taoist priest who receives the guests and asks aloud. The Taoist priest will turn sideways and talk to him when he hears the words, with his back to the table with the Tingni purple gold furnace. He only needs to delay until other pilgrims line up behind him.
Just start a long queue, and then he can get away. The advantage of having more pilgrims on holidays is again reflected.
The last step was to steal a set of handyman uniforms and pretend to be a tall and thin handyman. In order to prevent being caught on the spot by real people during the operation, he had to stain the steps going up the mountain and the ground of the pavilion for cooling off in advance to delay the time for the handymen to go up the mountain.
A moment, and he would obtain the divine furnace within this moment.
Then comes the course of action.
First, wear normal clothes, hold the cat and walk up the path, put the cat from the wall on the left, and throw it into the temple. Wait for the five-quarter bell to ring, then walk into the temple and enter the Lingguan Hall to take a look at the situation inside the temple. If his arrangement works, it meets the requirements.
If the conditions are met, take action immediately.
Turn around and go to the hut in the southwest corner of the exterior, change your clothes, and dress up like a tall and thin handyman. I chose him because he was on duty on a holiday, and the two of them had similar body shapes, so it was easy to imitate their steps.
Then take the back path of the many side halls on the left, go to the back door of Lingguan Hall, put food inside the door to attract the cats.
Then go to the main entrance of the main hall and enter the hall directly. At this time, you must learn the pace and rhythm of a tall and thin handyman. Your feet should be splayed out. When walking, you should sway slightly from side to side. You must master the weight and rhythm.
After the cat meowed, he took the Tingni Purple Gold Stove and some scattered small utensils, and walked out of the back door on the pretext of driving the cat away while making noises.
The reason for bringing along some other small items is to serve as a cover-up after the theft, so that others will not immediately identify the target of the theft.
And he didn't need to pay attention to the many pilgrims in the temple at this time. Although the pilgrims could see his behavior, because he was wearing a uniform, he would deceive everyone and make them subconsciously make excuses for his behavior of holding the stove.
This is how to take the sacred furnace openly and openly in front of everyone.
If everything goes well after that, you can carry the cat into the deep forest at the back, and use the cover of the forest to climb out of the wall.
Finally, there is the escape route down the mountain.
After the stove is stolen, there will be three situations in Chongxuguan. One is that it is not discovered within a short period of time; the other is that it is discovered and immediately attracts attention and makes every effort to investigate.
The last one is that although they discovered it quickly, they paid no attention to it. They just reported it to the person in charge of Vipassana and stopped worrying about it. As for how Vipassana will deal with it after the report is reported, this is not what Zhao Rong is worried about.
It happened, because he had already escaped by then.
In fact, in his opinion, the last possibility is the greatest, but for the sake of safety, he has to use the second, most dangerous possibility as the standard to design an escape plan.
Zhao Rong investigated on the spot and found that behind the left wall of the exterior, there was a rugged mountain road winding down the mountain, with bluestone steps covered with moss. Beside the road was a clear and tinkling Lengche mountain spring, flowing along the mountain road.
To be cautious, Zhao Rong climbed up the steps and went to explore the top of the mountain road. He suddenly smelled a fragrance on the road. He walked up the winding stone steps a little further. When he entered his sight, there was a large osmanthus forest on the left side of the road.
The fragrance was overflowing. Zhao Rong didn't pay attention and continued to go up the mountain. Then he saw the red wall with green tiles blocking the inside and outside of Chongxu Temple. But at this time, at the end of the mountain road, there was a red lacquer gate.
Zhao Rong walked lightly, came to the door, squatted down, stretched out his index finger to touch the joint of the door shaft, and twisted it lightly with two fingers. There was rust, so this door should not be opened often.
Zhao Rong felt quite at ease, so he followed the mountain road down the mountain and found several deep routes near the foot of the mountain, which made it easier for him to escape with the stove.
And when he walks on the mountain road and goes down the mountain, he should have half an hour, and he will probably be able to successfully control the Tingni Purple Gold Furnace and shrink it to the size of a punch, which will make it easier for him to escape.
Zhao Rong let out a breath, now everything is ready, all he needs is the east wind.
What is the east wind? That is the holiday in four days.
Suddenly, Zhao Rong frowned. He remembered the secret sentry in the attic of the Star Observation Building that almost exposed him. He was startled. He returned to investigate and rehearsed, and found that part of the escape route was indeed exposed to the view of the secret sentry in the attic.
.
Zhao Rong was secretly afraid. This plan was really like walking a tightrope. If you were not careful, you might fall short and be doomed. After all, this is Chongxuguan's lair, so you should be cautious and cautious.
Zhao Rong thought about it and re-planned the route. He would rather take a long detour and avoid hidden sentries, just to be on the safe side.
In the next few days, while Zhao Rong fed the cat and cultivated a relationship with it, imitating the steps and tone of a tall and lanky laborer, he repeatedly deliberated on the plan. He often rushed to practice the appearance on the spot. Occasionally, he remembered new details and carefully improved them.
A few days before the holiday, he remembered something, so he went to the foot of Taibai Mountain, found some popular restaurants and wine shops, pretended to be an ordinary pilgrim, and loudly promoted that the incense in Lingguan Hall outside was very effective. He only prayed for a few days.
My relative has recovered from his illness, and now he comes here specifically to fulfill his wish.
This operation caused heated discussions among many pilgrims. As a result, there should be more people in Lingguan Hall on the holiday.
After a long journey, he was defeated in an ant's nest. Since his current strength is insufficient, he can only expand his chances of winning bit by bit and accumulate advantages.
In the blink of an eye, three days have passed and the east wind is approaching.
On the first night of the holiday, Zhao Rong rented a carriage in the city, drove alone, and stopped somewhere in the forest at the foot of Taibai Mountain.
Then he lurked into the house of the tall and lanky servant, stole a set of commoner clothes, and turned around to leave. But before going out, he looked back at the tall and lanky servant who was sleeping soundly on the kang.
In fact, there is a better option in his plan, which is to deal with the tall and lanky handyman directly. In this way, after he takes away the Ting Ni Purple Gold Furnace, he should not be discovered in a short time. This can also
Buy him more time to escape.
Zhao Rong shook his head, left quietly, climbed the mountain cautiously, scattered fallen leaves and dirt on the mountain road and in the pavilion, and then went down the mountain.
Finally, Zhao Rong went to the house of the fat Taoist boy named Nan Xiao. When he saw the lights in his house, he turned around and went to the houses of the other two Taoist boys on duty. Seeing that they were sleeping soundly, he quietly dropped the prepared mice into the house.
Wait for small animals, disturb their sleep, and make them restless in the middle of the night.
At the quarter of the Yin hour, the bells are ringing on the mountain, the Taoist priests are quieting, and the market is bustling.
Zhao Rong hugged the cat, climbed the mountain on the path, threw the cat into the wall, and went in to watch and wait.
Yin hour five quarters.
Passing by the main hall, I glanced briefly, then went to the hut to change clothes and put on a hat.
Move north to the back door of the palace, throw food on the ground, and go to the main door.
He lowered his head and entered the hall, walked with swaying steps, walked to the desk, and stretched out his hand to wipe the table.
Backdoor cat meows.
Pick up the sacred furnace, take away the belongings, open your mouth to drive away the cat, and walk out the back door.
Hold the cat and head north, get into the forest, climb a tree and climb a wall, and stride away...