Flowing clouds cover the sun, and the scorching light temporarily disappears.
A gust of wind swept over the treetops, and the branches of locust trees, willows, peach, mulberry trees, branches and leaves were swaying, and the crowns and canopies were intertwined, creating a lot of coolness out of thin air.
The neighbor saw the sudden change in the amiable young man's demeanor and his cold eyes. Then he noticed that he was carrying a "long stick" wrapped in silk cloth, which looked like a sword or other dangerous weapon. He couldn't help but feel a sudden change in his heart. So he didn't dare to say anything anymore.
, and ran away without a trace in an instant.
Xiao Man knew that Yang Chaoxi was really angry, so he hurriedly held his right arm and advised softly: "Master, don't be anxious! Half of the fact that Wang Soo was deceived was due to the sinister people's hearts, and the other half was his own fault.
If he hadn't suffered this disaster, I'm afraid it would be difficult for him to repent. Although the monk of Chonghua Temple acted a bit domineeringly, the fact that the old man Wang used the house deed as collateral to borrow 10 taels of "Xiangjichu" was a sure thing.
If we want to stand up for him, this "Xiangji Kitchen" with principal and interest, more than ten taels of silver, must be paid off on his behalf first. This will only encourage the old man's laziness and greed. Therefore, this matter
You must not be reckless, you must take a long-term approach and make a final decision!"
Yang Chaoxi clenched her fists and then slowly loosened her fists: "What Xiaoman said is absolutely true. Young Master, I was also angry for a moment, so I thought of coming to ask for someone."
Xiaoman smiled and said: "If you want to change Wang Sou's temper, you must first rescue the person, but it is not appropriate to do it forcefully. For one thing, the Chonghua Temple monks are not only powerful in numbers, but they are all proficient in boxing and kicking.
In terms of weaponry, we are outnumbered and outnumbered, so there is not much chance of victory; secondly, the prosperous Chao Dynasty and Shi Taoism are inherently at odds with each other. If we continue to confront each other, it will only be counterproductive.
Therefore, we might as well pretend to be a couple of good men and women, and go to Chonghua Temple to explore it on the pretext of offering incense and praying. Even if we are bumped into by someone, just say, 'I wandered here by mistake'."
Yang Chaoxi raised his sword eyebrows, nodded and praised: "Young master, I really don't know what kind of blessings I have received in my life, to meet a 'female Zhuge' like Xiaoman, who is as beautiful as Xiaoman!"
Xiaoman's face flushed immediately, he lowered his head and said shyly: "You are a bitch-tongued...Young Master knows how to make fun of slaves."
Jingshanfang, where Chonghua Temple is located, is only two or three miles away from Daodefang. An ordinary person can complete the walk in two cups of tea.
Yang Chaoxi and Xiaoman felt a little anxious after all. After locking the gate of Wangsou's courtyard again, they each used their light body skills and walked quickly. Before they had time to make tea, they had already arrived outside the mountain gate.
To the north of Chonghua Temple is the Wei Wang Pond where Yang Zhaoxi taught Long Zaitian and others the "One Reed Crossing the River" technique. Due to dredging over the years, the excavated mud, sand, bricks and stones were piled in Chonghua Pond.
After the transformation of the temple, it is as high as a hill. Chonghua Temple took advantage of the shape of the hills and the benefit of the pond to create a place for meditation and enlightenment, like a secluded landscape.
Therefore, many wealthy officials and wealthy families in Luoyang City would stop by Chonghua Temple to buy a stick of incense every time they visited Weiwangchi, hoping that their official career would go smoothly and their homes would be safe. Lay people who made a special trip to Chonghua Temple to offer incense would also stop by.
A visit to Weiwang Pond is a way to enjoy the water scenery and clear the mind of the Buddha, which is a double benefit.
Yang Chaoxi and Xiaoman seemed to have arrived by accident. Although there were many chariots and carriages parked in front of the mountain gate, there were only horsemen and grooms raised by wealthy families. These people gathered together in twos and threes, either chewing dry food, or
He leaned against the tree and snored, but no one came in or out from the mountain gate.
Yang Zhaoxi looked up and saw the sun in the sky, like a blazing flame. He knew that it was already past noon. Looking through the mountain gate from a distance, he saw that the temple door was tightly closed, and not even a visiting monk could see it.
After thinking about it, it suddenly dawned on me: the believers who entered the temple in the morning were either going to the dining hall together to eat some fast food, or they were taken to the dormitory by the monk Zhike to lie down and meditate for a nap. In response to the reception, they met with Daomen Temple, But it’s not much different.
Xiao Man smiled sweetly and said: "This monk from Chongshan Temple has been so negligent in his duties that he has shut out devout believers like you and me!"
Yang Chaoxi couldn't help but wonder: "Medicine can cure diseases, and Buddha can save destined people. You and I don't have Buddha in our hearts, so we come here rashly, and we have other agendas. Why should we be harsh on the monks who are taking a nap while chanting sutras?"
Xiaoman snorted, covered his mouth and said with a smile: "Young Master is quite open-minded. But I don't know that the sick old man Wang was captured in this temple and could survive for a few days. If he accidentally enters reincarnation, Isn’t it entrusted by the leader of the Negative Dragon Gang?”
Yang Chaoxi frowned: "Then enter the temple quickly!"
White stones are used as railings and blue stones are used as steps.
Outside the fence, there are old pine trees and towering cypresses, which contrast with the high and raised mounds to the north, giving the impression of an ancient temple in the mountains.
When they arrived at the Chonghua Temple, which had a closed door, they discovered that the unprotected door on the right was ajar. They knocked on the door for a long time, but when no one answered, they pushed the door open and entered.
I saw five stone bridges over a lotus pond, and behind the stone bridge was a seven-story glazed pagoda. The entire front yard was silent, with no visiting monks or monks in the temple to look after it, and not even a single pilgrim. Yang Chaoxi couldn't help but feel Under suspicion:
Even if the monks in the temple take a nap, they will always arrange for monks to be on duty, so that the temple gate will never be left unattended and foreigners will be allowed to come in and out. Could it be that the beggar gang got the news before he did in Tian and led his disciples to come to ask for it? people?
At this moment, Xiaoman seemed to smell something wrong, so he walked a few steps quickly and squatted down in front of a white marble fence. He poked his jade finger on the ground and immediately said in surprise: "Sir, there are blood stains here! It must be human blood." !”
Hearing this, Yang Chaoxi also hurriedly followed, frowning and saying: "This blood has not yet solidified, so it must have been left there not long ago. But if two groups of people were fighting, the blood should be splashed everywhere, why is there only this small pool? Also, Xiaoman, how can you tell that this is human blood?"
Xiaoman was also puzzled: "It's really strange. Maybe only one person was injured in the attack, but the injury was not fatal, so he retreated to the temple... As for how to distinguish human blood, it is easy, sheep blood smells bad, pig blood smells, and chicken blood It’s coquettish, but the smell of human blood is the strongest, making ordinary people nauseous after hearing it.”
Yang Zhaoxi nodded: "It seems something happened in Chonghua Temple today. Let's be careful and go in first to take a look."
The two of them intertwined their fingers and ran quickly. One's step was light and nimble, like riding on the waves, and the other's lotus step was light, like a carp leaping over a kite. In an instant, they bypassed the majestic pagoda and arrived in front of a Buddhist temple.
Under the wide eaves and brackets of the Buddhist hall, there is a plaque hanging on it, with the three official characters "Tianwang Palace" written in ink and lacquer. The characters are simple and simple, as if made from nature. On both sides of the Tianwang Palace are bells and drums that resemble watchtowers. It is only sounded in the morning and evening, which is called "morning bell and evening drum".
Yang Zhaoxi looked around for a moment, and saw the smoke curling from the incense burner in front of the hall, and the unburned sandalwood sticks, exuding a light and fragrant atmosphere. There was still no one inside and outside the hall, except for the ground leading to the west verandah. , and found a few drops of wet blood.
The two of them bypassed the Heavenly King's Palace, followed the bloodstains, and continued running deeper. However, they saw that there were still no traces of people in the Main Hall and the left and right side halls, but there were a lot more bloodstains. It seemed that something terrible happened in the palace not long ago. All the monks and pilgrims in the temple have been killed, and no bones have been left...
While they were making random guesses, they suddenly heard a scream coming from behind the Main Hall. The expressions on both their faces changed and they looked at each other, seeing shock and solemnity in each other's eyes.
Immediately, he didn't care about blaspheming the World Honored One and the Buddhas, and went straight into the Mahavira Hall. After walking around the large brick base, he heard sporadic sounds of swords and weapons coming intermittently from outside the back door of the hall, which made people's hearts beat with fear.
The two of them knew that today was an unlucky day. An unknown person had already arrived first and broke into Chonghua Temple, forcing all the monks in the temple to gather together to defend against foreign aggression. This shows that the invading enemy is more powerful than Chonghua Temple.
The expectations of the monks in the Hua Temple.
So without further hesitation, Yang Zhaoxi took off the Shadow Sword from his back and put it on his sleeve at his side, while Xiaoman took off the double dragon stick from his waist and held it in his palm. The two of them tiptoed, holding their breath and concentrating, and slowly moved toward the back door of the hall.
When they arrived at the door, the sound of the jingling of gold and iron became much clearer. The two of them slowly stood up, poked their heads out, and looked through the heavy door grille. They saw five monks in gray clothes, standing with five other monks.
Two shamans with red faces and fangs were fighting each other.
All the monks used in their hands were Zen staffs and sticks. Although they danced like thunder, they were like thunder. But when they hit these shamans, they felt like they were hitting dead wood and rocks. They seemed to have no pain, no itching, and no sense.
I don’t know how many rounds they have fought, but looking at the current situation, the monks are sweating hotly and breathing heavily. It is obvious that they cannot last long.
On the other hand, the five shamans wearing animal skins and black clothes, jumping on their bare feet, have strange-shaped weapons in their hands, which is difficult to describe:
Some wielded bronze swords that were more than two feet long, some raised the nine-foot-tall T-shaped sword, some carried the double-headed sword that was less than seven feet long, and some held out the eight-foot-long halberd... The most bizarre witch
He had slender limbs and a tall figure, but he was holding a piece of grass cut from ebony wood in his hand. Although the grass was made of wood, it made a loud noise when he hit it, but it defeated the burly monk holding a Zen staff in front of him.
He only has the ability to parry, but not the ability to fight back.
Outside the battle group, there were four groups of troops surrounding them.
The largest number of people are naturally the monks from Chonghua Temple. All of them carry guns and sticks, and even the fire-headed monks wearing aprons and carrying fire sticks come here. Most of them gather in front of the Dharma Hall in the north, and a few guard in front of the hall.
Everywhere in the courtyard seems to be to prevent intruders from setting fires.
Next is a group of ragged beggars standing in the east. Niu Zhang Bo, Ma Zhang Bo and others are standing out, with seven small bags sewn on their backs. The first person is unkempt and sitting cross-legged.
The leader of the Beggar Gang is Long Zaitian.
To the west are twelve well-dressed men and women, all wearing elegant clothes and disheveled hair. On their left arms are small fine steel crossbows, and in their right hands are iron caltrops, judge pens, meridian sand, flying stone ropes, soul-destroying nails and other various colors.
Hidden weapon. Just by looking at the arrogant look on his face, you can tell that he is a member of the Tang Sect.
There are only six people in the south, both men and women, with bare shoulders and backs. From their cheeks, necks, shoulders, backs, and limbs, they are all painted with patterns of birds, beasts, snakes, insects, etc. in ink. Looking at them, you can feel the mystery in the beauty.
, they must be the accomplices of the five witches. Two of the women are slim and slender, with sallow complexion. Each of them has a small colorful snake that spits out letters wrapped around their arms.
The four armies each occupied one side, forming a strange stalemate. No one dared to act rashly, nor could they leave easily. Once this delicate balance was broken, there would be heavy casualties.
Yang Chaoxi's breath stagnated, and she turned around again. Just as she was about to turn around to discuss, she felt a warm aroma from Xiaoman's mouth rushing towards her ears, and she couldn't help but feel a surge in her heart.
But I heard Xiaoman whispering softly: "Sir! Look at this situation. I can't figure out who is who and who is wrong for the moment, but there are several stalemates, but there is no good fault. We'd better avoid this place and go to the back of the temple to look for it.
…”
Yang Zhaoxi was about to agree when he heard a few muffled "Dudu" sounds. About seven or eight crossbow arrows had already come out through the door, almost piercing him and Xiaoman. The bright silver arrowheads were glowing with green oil.
, the blue dim light has obviously tempered the poison.
At this time, a deep voice came from the courtyard: "Amitabha! Since the two Tanyue are here, you might as well show up and say something. Whether they are here to take revenge or to relieve the siege, I, Chonghua Temple, are here today.
Take it!"
Seeing that his whereabouts had been revealed, Yang Chaoxi simply pulled his sword and protected it in front of him. He held Xiaoman with his left hand, and walked out of the main hall, one behind the other: "You heroes! The two of us came here for no other purpose, just for
Go to Chonghua Temple to inquire about the whereabouts of a person, and leave after asking."
After saying that, he vibrated the long sword and said in a cold voice, "But if someone dares to kill someone again without asking the truth, don't blame Xiaodao for being ruthless with the sword!"