Falin stumbled and almost fell. She held on to the chair to stand upright and said, "What did you say? When did this happen?"
Fang Ming replied: "I have a very close personal relationship with the monk of Baoyi Temple. Yesterday I asked a donor to deliver the message to me, but the donor only delivered the letter this morning."
As he spoke, he took out a letter and handed it over.
Fa Lin snatched it up. The content on it was very simple, that is, the abbot of their temple, Hui Qing, sent a dead man to assassinate Chen Jingke in order to help Buddhism survive the disaster.
He felt that this method was unreliable, so he went to persuade the abbot. In the end, not only was he not persuaded, but he himself was grounded.
He really had no other choice, so he secretly wrote this letter in the hope that Fang Ming could resolve this crisis.
Fa Lin said helplessly: "It would be great if this letter could arrive one day earlier."
Fang Ming smiled bitterly and said: "It's such an important matter that I don't dare to reveal the information to outsiders. The donor didn't know it was so important, so I delayed sending it until today."
Faline gradually came to her senses at this time and said: "Time is running out and we don't have time to delay any longer."
"Go to Zixiao Temple immediately and tell Master Chen that we have received news that someone is going to do harm to him, and ask him to protect himself in the near future."
Fang Ming said hesitantly: "What if they ask where they got the news?"
Fa Lin said: "Let's just say that one of our disciples overheard it on the way to beg for alms, and I don't know anything else."
Fang Ming nodded and said: "Then I will say that I heard it myself, so as not to expose any flaws to the disciples."
Fa Lin said: "I don't care about so much now, let's just do it. You hurry to Zixiao Temple, and I will go to Baoyi Temple to see Huiqing now."
The master and the apprentice went separately, one went to Zixiao Temple and the other went to Baoyi Temple.
Longtian Temple was close to Yonglefang, and Fang Ming soon arrived at Zixiao Temple. When he proposed to visit Chen Jingke, he received news that shocked him.
"Master Chen is not in the temple. Master, please come back another day."
Fang Ming felt something bad and quickly asked: "I wonder where Master Chen is going and when he will come back? But the poor monk has urgent matters to see him."
However, the Taoist boy did not dare to reveal Chen Jingke's whereabouts, and refused to tell him no matter how he asked.
Fang Ming was so anxious that he had to say clearly: "I overheard the villain's plan when I was out begging for alms, and I wanted to harm Master Chen. This matter is extremely urgent. Please inform Master Chen immediately to take more precautions."
The Taoist boy was shocked when he heard this. He quickly ran back to the temple and told Zhike Congqi about the incident. After hearing this, Congqi did not dare to delay and found Wu Shu immediately.
Although Wu Shu was full of doubts, he did not dare to delay when it came to her husband's comfort, and hurriedly sent people to Dongshi to look for Chen Jingke.
Don't worry about the truth or falsehood. At this time, you would rather believe it or not. The most important thing is to get the person back as soon as possible.
At the same time, someone also invited Fang Ming in. Just in case, he also took Yang Tianlu with him to protect his own safety.
Fang Ming also knew her identity, and after meeting her, he repeated what he just said.
Wu Shu did not believe it directly, but asked: "Master is a disciple of Longtian Temple, how could he go to beg for alms in person? And where did you hear about this?"
Fang Ming said anxiously: "Mrs. Wu, please don't ask these questions now. Go and inform Master Chen quickly to let him be careful. It won't be too late for you to ask again when he is safe."
Seeing that he didn't seem to be faking it, Wu Shu couldn't help but believe it a little more. He was also secretly anxious, but he said calmly on his face:
"I have sent people to find the real person. Now please answer my question first, Master."
After hearing this, Fang Ming's mood eased somewhat. Regardless of whether he could find Chen Jingke or not, he had already done all he could, leaving the rest to Buddha.
"Amitabha, Madam Wu, there is no need to ask any more questions. I will tell Master Chen when he comes back."
After saying that, he closed his eyes and silently recited Buddhist scriptures.
Wu Shu knew he couldn't get anything out of the question, so he walked out of the room and said calmly: "Take a look here and don't let him escape. Send more people to find the real person quickly."
Gong Xun said solemnly: "Here, I'll send all the people out... No, I'll take the people to find it myself."
After he took the people away, Wu Shu took a deep breath and said: "Yangdu Guan, who do you think will be harmful to the real person?"
Yang Tianlu looked grave and said: "There are many, but the most likely one is that the thief shouts "Catch the thief."
Wu Shudao: "You mean Longtian Temple?"
Yang Tianlu shook his head and said: "It's unlikely, but it's definitely inseparable from Buddhism."
Wu Shu said in confusion: "Do they really dare to risk the disapproval of the world and attack the real person?"
Yang Tianlu sighed: "Buddhism and Taoism have been fighting for hundreds of years. Although there are not many similar things, they are not without them. Whether it is Buddhism or Taoism, it is not surprising that fanatical believers do anything."
"If Taoism needs dead men to eliminate someone from Buddhism, many people will take action. Not to mention the Lou Guan Sect can find a lot of them from afar..."
"Buddhism emphasizes laying down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha immediately. There are not a few evildoers who have been protected by them and escaped punishment, and there is no shortage of such dead people."
"Although the real person used a pseudonym this time, anyone who is well-informed can guess that Journey to the West was written by him. It is not impossible for fanatical Buddhists to send dead soldiers to attack the real person."
Wu Shu's expression became even uglier and he said, "Have they not considered the consequences of doing this?"
Yang Tianlu said: "Zhenzhen once said that nine out of ten fanatic believers have brain problems. They will not consider the consequences at all and only do what they think is right."
Wu Shu clenched his hands into fists, his fingers turned white from exerting too much force, and said in a cold voice:
"I will definitely find out who did it and make everyone pay the most painful price, so that no one in the world dares to take advantage of the real person."
Yang Tianlu glanced at her worriedly and said: "Madam, you should take care of yourself. A real person may not be so unlucky that he will be encountered by a killer. And with Yi Nu by his side, nothing should happen."
…
Baoyi Temple is in Jiahuifang, located in the southwest of Chang'an City, right at the intersection of the residential areas of civilians and officials and wealthy people.
Further north is where the rich and officials live, and to the south is where civilians live. It can be said that there is a mixture of good and bad.
Fa Lin hurried all the way to the gate of Baoyi Temple, but found that the door was closed. He felt something bad and went over to knock on the door.
After a long time, a novice opened the door. Seeing that he was also a monk, he saluted and said, "Amitabha, I wonder where the master is from?"
Although Fa Lin was anxious, she still patiently replied: "The poor monk is Fa Lin of Longtian Temple. I have something to come to see Junior Brother Huiqing. Please tell me."
Unexpectedly, after hearing his words, the novice's eyes became moist and said: "Master came late, the abbot passed away this morning."
Fan Lin felt as if the world was spinning for a while, all her strength was drained and she fell directly to the ground, muttering: "It's over, it's all over."
Huiqing's death at this time means that he has found an absolutely reliable person, and there is a high probability that he is the only one who knows this person's identity.
He hurriedly died before the dead man took action. No matter whether the dead man succeeded or not, he could eliminate the suspicion of Baoyi Temple.
But Faline knows that this trick is only useful for ordinary people. For some people with special status, there is no need for evidence at all. It is enough to think that you are suspected.
And Chen Jingke is this kind of person.
Most people don't know Chen Jingke's identity. As the abbot of Longtian Temple, how could he not know it? Glass, cannons, gunboats, cans, sugar, etc. are all rumored to be made by this young man.
If he has any shortcomings, the first person to go crazy is not Taoism, but the court.
Once the suspicion points to Buddhism, there is no need for evidence at all, and the saint will directly attack Buddhism. At that time, it will be a real disaster for Buddhism.
Now he just hopes that the dead man has not found a chance and Chen Jingke is still safe, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous.
…
On the other side, Chen Jingke was walking around shopping with two maids, and five guards were scattered around them.
It was obvious that everyone was not focused, mainly because they had never encountered an assassination for so long, so it was inevitable that they would relax.
The greater role of a guard is not to protect against assassins, but to prevent them from being bumped into by others, or bullied by local gangsters, playboys, and the like.
Of course, part of the reason is that this is Dongshi, and everyone's attention will inevitably be attracted by the surrounding environment.
Although supplies were scarce in ancient times, the East Market, as the most luxurious market in Chang'an City, still had no shortage of various items.
Even roadside stalls are full of rare items. Chen Jingke saw a stall selling lacquerware. Several of the lacquer boxes were very exquisite, so he bought them all.
Yi Nu and Yu Zhu focused their attention on toys and trinkets, and soon they had many things in their hands.
There are rattles for children to play with, wooden nine-link rings, pearl earrings, wooden hairpins, horn grates, etc.
Chen Jingke wasn't bothered either, and even had a great time bargaining with them.
Slowly, there were more and more people in the East Market, and it became a bit crowded. Chen Jingke had to stay close to the two maids to prevent being scattered by the crowd.
The five guards were not so lucky. Two of them were rushed to the side and were trying to squeeze in, while the remaining three quickly formed a triangle to protect them in the center.
But with the crowds of people, this triangular position was quickly washed away and there was no way to maintain it.
Chen Jingke didn't pay attention and continued to wander.
I walked to a place selling food and was going to ask everyone to stop and take a breath and have something to eat.
Just then I suddenly heard someone shouting: "Catch the thief, catch that thief quickly, he has stolen all my money."
Then the crowd in front seemed to have exploded and fled in all directions.
You can vaguely see a short man with a wretched appearance, waving a small palm-long dagger and saying: "Get out of the way, get out of the way, be careful I'll stab you to death."
Those who stood in front of him avoided him.
Not far behind him, a man in his forties with a simple and honest face was chasing after him out of breath, shouting as he chased back:
"Catch the thief, he stole the money I paid for my child's medical treatment."
Chen Jingke frowned and said to Xu Shanying and Yan Feng: "That's too arrogant, you two go catch him."
Xu Shanying said hesitantly: "This is not good, we still have to protect you."
Chen Jingke said: "What danger can there be here? Besides, there are Wang Busi and three others. Go quickly and they will run away soon."
Xu Shanying and Yan Feng thought the same thing, so they faced the thief and stopped him.
The thief didn't expect that someone would actually dare to stand up, and he waved the dagger in his hand even more vigorously.
But Xu Shanying and Yan Feng didn't pay attention to him at all, and reached out to catch him.
But what people didn't expect was that the thief was very slippery, using the people around him as a shield, dodging and digging into his pants, and he actually overcame the two people's obstruction and continued to escape.
While running, he taunted: "If you want to stop me, you two can practice for a few more years."
How could Xu Shanying and the others keep up the good work, so they started chasing after them, and the attention of Chen Jingke and others was also attracted by them.
At this time, the middle-aged man who lost the money also caught up with him out of breath. When he passed by Chen Jingke, he seemed to have flashed, and suddenly staggered and was about to fall.
Chen Jingke quickly reached out to help him, but he heard Yi Nu shouting: "Master, be careful."
He stopped subconsciously, and when he was confused, he saw that the middle-aged man had an ear-tip knife about a foot long in his hand and was stabbing him.
The intense fear made his mind go blank. He froze there and lost all ability to move. He watched helplessly as the sharp knife stabbed his chest.
At this critical moment, Yi Nu, who was still behind him, swayed and appeared in his arms at a strange angle.
"Plop..." The sharp knife pierced her left chest, half a foot deep.
The middle-aged man obviously didn't expect this situation to happen, and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. But it was only for a moment. The next moment, his eyes returned to murderous intent, and he was ready to pull out the knife.
But Yi Nu was faster than him. He groaned and held back the severe pain. He stretched out his left hand and grabbed the exposed part of the cow-ear knife to prevent the other party from taking out the knife.
At the same time, her right hand shook, and the short knife that Chen Jingke gave her fell from her sleeve. She skillfully grabbed the handle of the knife and raised it, accurately hitting the strong man's wrist.
"Ah..." The strong man screamed and subconsciously let go of the knife. When he checked his hand again, he found that he had lost control.
Yi Nu's unbiased sword cut off the tendon in his wrist, completely destroying one of his hands.
It’s a long story, but in fact everything happened in the blink of an eye.
The crowd who reacted screamed and fled. Wang Busi, Qi Dao, and Yuan Lin were so angry that they rushed towards the assassin.
How could it be so easy to get through just being blocked by people escaping?
The assassin was also ruthless. After his right hand was crippled, he endured the severe pain and pulled out a sharp knife from his waist with his left hand, and slashed at Chen Jingke again.
Yi Nu raised a short sword to block him, but her swordsmanship was more suitable for surprise assassinations, and she was not good at head-on confrontations, and she did not have an advantage in physical strength.
Even if the strong man used his left hand, she was no match. After a while, he was slashed several more times, and soon half of his body was stained red with blood.
At this critical moment, Wang Busi and three others finally got past the fleeing crowd, rushed over and surrounded the strong man.
Seeing this, the anger in Yi Nu's heart finally dissipated, and his body went limp and fell down.
