Under the moonlit night, two figures hurriedly followed an uncertain shadow, and soon crossed out of the Netherworld Alley, and disappeared from the traces of the ancient city.
The two of them walked through a desolate and helpless group of tombs. Their footsteps were rapid and regular. They were surprised to see the wild crows, old foxes and faint phosphorus fires hiding in the caves under the monuments. Everything they looked around was miserable.
Jiang Wen was very sure this time that the thing not far ahead did not rely on the celestial silk thread to pull it, so he made all kinds of strange actions.
The opponent was really moving like a ghost, his posture was beyond all martial arts conventions, his stiff joints were motionless, and his whole body was as if it were running on film, being pulled forward frame by frame. .
Chasing ghosts under the moon.
These four words suddenly appeared in Jiang Wen's mind.
He just felt that his current behavior was ridiculous, that he would actually race against a corpse with an almost severed head. But the figure not far away in front of him was somewhat familiar. Feng Daodeshang, who was traveling with him, gritted his teeth and refused to stop for a moment, so Jiang Wen had no choice but to continue chasing.
The two of them chased it for two miles. The thing in front of them suddenly disappeared and evaporated out of thin air. With their eyes fixed on it, it suddenly disappeared into the air.
Feng Daode stopped suddenly, his face was full of veins that were boiling with internal energy and suppressed forcibly, and he looked at Jiang Wen in disbelief.
But at this time, except for a strange smell wafting in the biting cold wind, there was no evidence to prove that what the two of them were chasing really existed.
In response to this, Jiang Wen could only stop and shrug, saying that he knew nothing about everything in front of him-the two of them, one is the current head of the martial arts giant Wudang Clan, and the other is recognized by even the head of the Wudang Clan. A top expert not only chased a ghost in vain for a long time, but actually lost him in the end?
"Master Feng, were we not dazzled just now?" Jiang Wen stepped forward and carefully checked the surrounding land, confirming that there were no hidden tunnels and that the other party had indeed disappeared.
Feng Daode seemed a little sullen about chasing after him, but also seemed to be troubled by other things. He frowned and said with a sideways glance.
"Strange power and confusion, I am silent. Director Jiang, you won't tell anyone what happened tonight, right?"
To this day, Feng Daode still arrogantly only calls Jiang Wen Taoist Master and refuses to acknowledge his identity as the leader of the humble Wuyi Sect - maybe in his eyes, he can't be called the leader no matter what. It is one of the most famous sects in the world.
This is not only his own matter, but also a face issue for the Wu-Tang Clan.
But this title seemed very strange at this time. The two of them were either Taoist priests or dressed as Taoist priests. There really was no qualification for them to be silent about ghosts and gods.
Jiang Wen glared at him, thinking that this man's idol had too much burden, and turned to look at the surrounding environment, trying to confirm where he was.
Judging from the direction, they should have run a few miles to the southwest. When they stopped and looked, there was a dark mountain lurking to the north. In the dark, they could see many strange trees and rugged rocks, just like an invisible mountain. The majestic giant beast in full view was dormant in the darkness, observing them silently.
Fortunately, there is a winding stretch of city wall at the foot of the mountain that can be identified, and you can vaguely see the thatched grass on the top of the city, replacing the long-defunct city wall sentries, guarding the ancient battlements for a long time.
"The southern city wall is deserted. It seems that it has strayed into the scope of Jiuxian Mountain."
Feng Daode pondered for a moment and then said slowly, "The three mountains and two towers are where the Geng family and the imperial court are fighting over each other. They are the most heavily guarded, so it's best not to get close."
But Jiang Wen didn't think so.
He touched his chin and pointed to a brightly lit place not far away: "Master Feng's words are wrong. The situation in the city is strange now, so isn't the place where the most guarded place is the place where the treasure is most likely to appear?"
Jiang Wen knew very well that all the Qing troops in the Fuzhou government office were mobilized. Even the monk Yankong was no longer in charge. He went to Fuzhou city to raid big households and seal off the mountains and seas, which obviously had ulterior motives.
At this time, there was a temple not far away that was brightly lit and heavily guarded. There was also the vague outline of a tall tower, which was as obvious as a louse on a bald head. Why didn't he go and join in the fun?
Feng Daode looked at him with a worried look on his face: "I said I won't go. Besides, Jiuxian Mountain is right in front of you. You don't plan to go up the mountain?"
"Don't be in a hurry. If the other party really wants to kill her, the body of the Red Lotus Virgin is now completely cold. What should I do while it's still hot? I might as well watch the excitement first."
Jiang Wen waved his hand and said indifferently, "It's you, Master Feng...how do you know that the "Nine Nether Scriptures" you are looking for are not in that temple?"
After saying that, he picked up Qinggong and stood up to leave, regardless of the expression of Feng Daode behind him.
Then just as Jiang Wen expected, Feng Daode hesitated and followed.
This Buddhist temple is located at the west foot of Jiuxian Mountain. You can see the three characters "Dingguang Temple" from a distance. The temple walls on both sides are embedded with the temple edicts of "Broadness of Love" and "Dharma for the World". However, the buildings and gates are in dilapidated condition. There are still a few main halls that are supported and have not collapsed. The green stone slabs in the temple are covered with wild grass and desolate. They are all old and yellow after the autumn.
"This is the Zen courtyard where Wang Shenzhi, the king of Fujian, built the White Pagoda of Dingguang Duobao to repay his kindness during the reign of Emperor Tianyou of the Tang Dynasty. Unfortunately, during the Jiajing period, most of the temples were destroyed by Japanese invaders, and they are still unable to repair them today. I don't know what the Qing government is looking for here. …”
Perhaps to ease the embarrassment, Feng Daode whispered to himself, just loud enough for Jiang Wen to hear clearly.
And Jiang Wen had no time to laugh at his harsh words at this time. He was staring closely at the Qing court officials who were busy coming in and out. At this time, the civilian workers were carrying out baskets of gravel and rubble. The outlying sentries were also tired and tired, so they happened to give They both have an opportunity.
The two of them walked around the temple and found that it seemed to be a strict place, but it was actually a place that was both solid on the outside and weak on the inside. There is a section of the courtyard wall in the north that leans against the mountain. It is the shortest building and has the fewest people. There are also miscellaneous trees for hiding, so I climbed over the outer wall of the monastery and sneaked into the courtyard during the chaos.
The lights in Dingguang Temple were brightly lit. As soon as Jiang Wen stepped into the Zen courtyard, he looked up and saw a majestic white pagoda standing with seven floors and eight corners. The already dilapidated Zen Temple is extremely discordant.
There are excavated holes all around the base of the tower, and even the white stone brick foundation is lifted up and the blue bricks are broken. It seems that they are eager to find something, without caring about the precarious foundation. So that the heavy and solemn body of the gratitude tower is now. All have tilts visible to the naked eye.
The place sent by the Qing court to guard was further ahead. Only occasional people passed by the White Pagoda, and it looked like it was definitely not the work of the Qing court...
"Did the Geng family do this? What disease did they commit?" Jiang Wen was extremely shocked.
Feng Daode was also silent for a moment: "People say that the Geng family is conducting a large-scale search between the three mountains and two towers. I thought it was an exaggeration. Now it seems that there is still a lot of embellishment..."
Jiang Wen poked Feng Daode with his elbow: "Master Feng, what do you think the Geng family is looking for?"
Feng Daode calmly moved half a step to the side and wiped the dust off his night clothes.
"The two families are competing for positions very closely, so what the Geng family is looking for is not far from what the Qing court wanted. They should both be looking for the emperor of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms."
"The Emperor?"
"It's just a sacrifice that the country of Fujian believes in. At the beginning, the Huizong of Fujian worshiped Ruo as the true god and claimed that all prayers would be answered. As a result, the whole country was in chaos and died in Wuyue in a hurry."
Feng Daode briefly explained some of the key points, and was unwilling to mention the old strange things in Jiuxian Mountain again. He recited "Yuanshi Tianzun said the Northern Zhenwu Miaojing" alone and walked forward without looking back.
The two of them jumped to the top of the temple one after another, and quietly moved south from the north courtyard of Dingguang Temple, gradually approaching the Buddhist temple in the south with more brilliant lights.
Jiang Wen and Feng Daode lurked on a roof with raised eaves and watched for a few quarters of an hour. They found that the main hall had been demolished to pieces, and only half of the Buddhist hall was still standing there. The degree of destruction was worse than that of the Geng family. It was even more serious. Even the bottom of the blue brick sill outside the hall was turned over several times and the ground was dug three feet.
The lights here are bright, leaving no shadow to hide. However, many people come in and out, carrying earth and stones, but no one dares to approach the half-broken Buddhist hall, as if there is some savage beast locked inside.
"The Qing court is clearly trying to bring things to an end. If there is something, it must be hidden in that palace."
Feng Daode's eyes sparkled, and he said without refutation. He immediately waited for an opportunity to fly over the eaves, lifted up a few roof tiles and hung down from the beams, and quietly entered this ruined palace that everyone kept at a distance from.
The main hall was cleaned of debris and filled with antiquities that the Qing government had dismantled and looted from the various halls of Dingguang Temple. Stones and wood were piled separately. From the recently excavated historic sites of past dynasties, stone troughs and stone foundations are everywhere, and even the wooden works of Buddhist temples are hidden in them. The shapes are slanted with eyelets and mouths raised, the bottom of the beam is raised?, the head of the beam is rolled up, and the shape is quiet and solemn. Exceptionally ancient.
When Jiang Wen then sneaked in, Feng Daode was already searching carefully among the piles of antiquities and had no time to care about anything else.
So Jiang Wen looked around by himself, and the first thing that caught his eye were some unique statues, such as the Maitreya Bodhisattva, a female statue with distinctive Tantric style that is rare in the Han Dynasty, and a one-armed monk statue covered with traces of earth. The statue closes its eyes and holds its palms, with its lips slightly open, which is also lifelike.
Jiang Wen has seen many broken-armed Buddha statues, but not many one-armed statues. He couldn't help but look at it a few more times. Then he walked into another pile of stones and saw a ruined monument from a monastery, telling the story of this statue. The ins and outs of.
The tablet says that it is the story of a former eminent monk in Dingguang Temple.
In the previous dynasty, there was a long drought in Fuzhou City, and the seedlings were not growing. A famous wandering monk, named Yi Shu, expressed his willingness to enter the temple to pray for rain. However, he looked slovenly and spoke eccentrically, so the monks refused to allow him.
Monk Yishou made a great wish and cut off his arm with a knife on the spot, shocking everyone. Then he sat in the wood pile in front of the temple, chanted sutras and prayed for rain day and night, and ordered that if there was no rain in three days, he would be burned to death. .
Seeing this, Jiang Wen took a breath, what a cruel person.
Three days later, the agreed time came, and the flames of the pyre had just risen. Suddenly, heavy rain fell and the pyre was extinguished. Monk Yishou walked out of the pyre calmly, and even the injury to his broken arm had healed.
Since then, he locked himself in a woodshed in Dingguang Temple, chanting sutras day and night, and never talked to anyone. He burned candles and smoked oil day and night, but the temple clearly never provided him with more lamp oil.
Monk Yishou hid in the city like this until one night during a thunderstorm, he shouted three times and passed away quietly after being heard on the rocks. In order to commemorate his magical power, pilgrims from Dingguang Temple funded the construction of this statue and built the "Fayu Hall" on top of the woodshed where the monk Yishou passed away.
Just after reading the stone tablet, Jiang Wen was still full of doubts. He saw Feng Daode holding his beard tightly with a devilish expression on his face and staring at a corner of a certain stone ancient object. Then he reached out his hand tremblingly and slowly lifted the stone. Opened the coarse cloth covering it.
The coarse cloth has fallen off. The ancient stele has an imperial calligraphy by Zhao Gou, Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty. The whole body is embossed with cloud patterns. In the middle of the forehead of the stele, there are two lines of seal script "The Imperial Letter of Emperor Guangyao and Shou Sheng Taishang." , it is a pity that the inscription is completely lost and unclear, and only the small inscription "Deshou Palace Book" and a square seal remain.
As Feng Daode exerted his strength, a majestic ancient monument suddenly revealed its true appearance in the dim hall. The most eye-catching thing is the powerful characters in front of the monument - "Mr. Yanshan's Shinto Monument"!
"The tombstone of Governor Skull is actually hidden under Dingguang Temple!"
Shinto stele refers to the stone tablet erected in front of the tomb passage to record the life of the deceased. It usually records the life of the deceased, his contributions, etc. And the Skull Prefect’s Shinto stele found by Feng Daode, isn’t it the tombstone of Huang Shang, the prefect of the former Song Dynasty? !
Jiang Wen was also greatly surprised. He patted the thick body of the monument and felt the coldness on his fingertips.
"It's a pity, Master Feng. The inscriptions on it have been erased, and there is no use finding them..."
Jiang Wengang complained, and then slapped his thigh as if suddenly awakening, "I know! Monk Yankong collected these antiquities completely, and then quietly took away the people's hands. He must have discovered that the clues in this stele were not what he wanted. Cross Chencang secretly!"
Feng Daode looked at the ancient monument solemnly, seeming to be full of fear of this martial arts senior from the Song Dynasty. There were all kinds of emotions on his face, but there was no disappointment as Jiang Wen expected.
The leader of the Wudang Sect turned a deaf ear to Jiang Wen's words and murmured: "The legend of the death inscription on the monument is actually true... Could it be that only the ghosts of the underworld can understand the words on this monument..."
Feng Daode was in a state of confusion when Jiang Wen suddenly grabbed his shoulders and used Qing Kung Fu to fly up to the beam. He picked up his clothes and sleeves to hide his whereabouts. Even his breathing and heartbeat became long and weak.
As a series of urgent footsteps sounded, a shadow was projected outside the door, and suddenly the door of the residual hall was opened, and he broke in with cunning movements.
And outside the door behind him, there were a series of Qing soldiers and civilians who fell to the ground and died tragically. A total of dozens of people fell to the ground and died without making a single sound!
Feng Daode gestured with his eyes and asked Jiang Wen why he noticed someone approaching. Jiang Wen mouthed two words in a concise and concise manner - murderous intent.
The intruder was erratic in black clothes. Every step he took was among the shadows in the palace. He was like ripples in the lake. He couldn't see the reality at all. Jiang Wen could only notice his face when his figure was rising and falling. Wearing a mask, he stood in front of the wordless stone tablet in a daze, watching intently.
And that mask was another one that he was very familiar with. The facial features were upside down and twisted, and it was exactly the same ghost-faced person!
Jiang Wen quickly looked at Feng Daode, only to find that he also had the same blank expression. He was observing the situation in the hall with great fear, and his pupils shrank as the other party searched and inspected the stele and extinguished the inscription "Mr. Yanshan's Shinto Monument".
It can be seen that Feng Daode does not know the other party and does not like people who covet the "Nine Nether Scriptures" like this.
Jiang Wen looked at the scene outside the house again. Along the way were the policemen and civilians who died suddenly. This man seemed to have no intention of covering up his whereabouts and started killing as he pleased.
But then he thought, this matter is not that simple.
The ghost-faced man in the same dress secretly caused a storm in the city, stirring up the fragile nerves of all parties. Now this killing will undoubtedly ignite the anger of the Qing court, and the relationship between the Qing court and the Geng family will once again intensify. contradiction.
And this thing seems to be what the mastermind behind the scenes is happy to see.
With his mind spinning, Jiang Wen raised his head and looked at Feng Daode. As their eyes intertwined, they wrote two identical words on the dusty beams with their fingers.
kill!
At this time, the enemy is clear and we are like a mantis stalking a cicada or an oriole behind us. If we don't kill the Ghost-faced Man here, we will miss a huge opportunity!
Seeing that the words came together, Jiang Wen and Feng Daode made no unnecessary moves. They flew down from the roof beams and used one-hit-kill moves.
Feng Daode restrained his figure in mid-air, and after landing, he jumped out like a civet cat. He was only a few feet away in an instant. His hands were hidden in his night clothes, but his strength was not leaking out. However, when he got close, he made a move with the force of tearing the wind and roaring rain. In this state, the five fingers stand upright like tiger claws.
Since ancient times, fists are not as good as palms, and palms are not as good as fingers in the method of killing. Feng Daode takes action and goes straight to the extra-meridian points in the waist and eyes. That's not a part that ordinary outsiders can touch during exercise, but the shape of the waist is difficult to grasp, and it's much closer to the source of force from the opponent's waist and spine. It's extremely difficult to get it unless you're absolutely sure, but once you get it, the enemy will be A narrow escape from death, the fate of death or disability.
Feng Daode had just revealed his unique skills. Jiang Wen, who was deliberately half a step behind, arrived immediately and attacked from a flank. He moved close to his body like a snake and attacked brazenly.
Seeing Feng Daode use the skill of punching holes and seizing people, Jiang Wen, who was attacked from both sides, knew that the moves should not be the same to avoid interference and damage to each other, so he decisively searched for a martial art from the vast sea of martial arts, and used the force of his palm to detonate five feet away. .
Feng Daode suddenly felt a chill coming over his face. A wave of palm force was like an overwhelming force, and the cold internal energy rushed towards him. Even though he was affected, he was instantly chilled to the bone. The ghost-faced man who bore the brunt of the attack had cold poison entering his body, and his tentacles were as cold as ice. Feng Daode's tiger claws felt as if he had touched a piece of ice, which was completely cold to the bone.
The ambush was between lightning and flint, and the Ghostfaced Man didn't even have time to react, as he was already hit by the two men's martial arts.
Martial arts are fierce and ruthless, and warriors are second to none. In this case, the ghost-faced man suddenly raised his foot and stepped into a shadow with a strange scream. His whole body started to tremble like a sponge, and his body also changed in strength and softness. , forcibly broke away from the encirclement and took off into the air, breaking the roof tiles in an attempt to escape.
Feng Daode was inexplicably surprised, and when he saw the strange behavior of the Ghost-faced Man turning back to look at the "Mr. Yanshan Shinto Monument" which was only one step away before escaping, he gritted his teeth and whispered.
"This person has ulterior motives and must not be left here!"
No further explanation is needed. Jiang and Feng knew the principle of eradicating evil, so they flew out of the Fayu Hall and followed the ghost-faced man through the thorny forest and crashed into a deserted stone path.
The two of them chased all the way from the stone path east of the main hall of Dingguang Temple. When they saw a square stone pavilion on the mountainside, they had entered the scope of Jiuxian Mountain.
Jiang Wen had seen this road in the daytime, leading directly to the supplementary peak at the top of Jiuxian Mountain. Along the path, rocks stood piled up and overlapped to form an interesting shape. Leaning on the railing and looking to the west, you can see the green Wushan Mountain and the steep ancient pagodas. There is also a stone carving with dragons and phoenixes dancing on a huge stone. It is the "Moon on the West River" composed by Xin Qiji while climbing a mountain when he was the magistrate of Fuzhou and the pacifier of Fujian.
The speed of the ghost-faced man is not very fast. He has obviously been injured by the combined efforts of the two of them. He only has the advantage because he is familiar with the terrain of Jiuxian Mountain. He can always get one step faster during the twists and turns. However, the two of them still grit their teeth to catch up. The ghost-faced man seems to have strong strength. After all, it didn't work, and there were many strange phenomena of stagnation and stagnation in the movements.
At this time, an ancient banyan tree appeared on the mountain road with its fibrous roots hanging down and drifting. The tree almost formed a forest. Standing under the rock for an unknown number of years, the tree crown was lush and green, blocking out the sky and the sun.
Just when victory was in sight, the ghost-faced man suddenly jumped into the air, jumped into the banyan tree that even seven or eight people could not hold together, and suddenly disappeared.
Feng Daode stood up and was about to climb up the tree, but Jiang Wen grabbed him. He swung his sword in the air and struck with a clang on some undetectable, steel-like thread - if he had bumped into it rashly just now, The only end result would be to have his body cut off.
"Master Feng, how come you can't even recognize the used silkworm silk? The other party seems to have an ambush."
Jiang Wen said with a strange expression: "There must be a hole in the heart of the ancient tree, and that person is hiding inside. Be careful and beware of sudden cold arrows!"
Then Jiang Wen jumped up to the tree trunk first, moved the branches and leaves with the ancient bronze sword in his hand, cut off the silk threads hanging between the branches, and indeed broke into a deeply hidden gap between the trees.
In the dark narrow gap, the ghost-faced man seemed to be waiting for work. Facing them, he remained motionless, and his terrifying face seemed to be sneering. Jiang Wen sensed something was wrong and faced off silently with the other party, holding his sword in his hand without saying a word.
When Feng Daode saw this scene, he raised his hand and was about to attack. His five fingers were like tiger claws pointing towards the fatal point outside the meridian. He showed no mercy from the moment he started, trying to find out where the opponent's confidence was in setting up an ambush here.
However, at this moment, Jiang Wen moved one step faster, hitting Feng Daode's tiger claw with his backhand, and forced him back with softness overcoming strength.
"Why did you stop me!?"
Feng Daode looked at Jiang Wen angrily, "There is obviously no sky silk here!"
"It is rare to see such a scheming person. The escape route left for himself is the golden cicada's plan to escape from its shell and Li Daitao's deadlock when everything is exhausted!"
In the gap between the trees, Jiang Wen's eyes flashed, and he walked forward slowly. He cut off the silkworm silk behind the ghost-faced man with two swords. When the opponent fell softly, he stepped forward and pulled off the opponent's mask, revealing a Zhang's face was damaged in many places, but it still looked beautiful and bright.
Jiang Wen was somewhat confident when he spoke, and Feng Daode also frowned and stepped forward, nodded slightly to Jiang Wen, and spit out the name Jiang Wen expected.
"This person is actually...the Holy Mother of Red Lotus..."
