The originally quiet night of Xitan Temple suddenly felt like being plunged into the still water of a blazing coal fire. Flames and noises came and went, all surrounding this small wooden sutra collection building. Under the firelight, the inscription "Fayun Pavilion" also shone. wooden plaque.
The silhouettes of people looked like flowing fire, but the monks holding torches just stopped under the wooden building, lest someone accidentally burn the scriptures to ashes with a fire. In the end, there were only a few virtuous monks. The Zen masters came together in the light of the fire, turned around the wooden ladder and appeared in front of Jiang Wen.
"Amitabha, why did the donor break into my Fayun Pavilion where the scriptures are stored late at night?"
The Great Pure Monk clasped his hands together and chanted the Buddha's name. He lowered his head and said to Jiang Wen. His voice was melodious and melodious, like a chant, but countless confusions could be heard.
Just as the old monks were going upstairs, Jiang Wen had already tied the King of Han's green sword around his waist again, stepped forward and stopped in front of Luo Shuang'er, looking thoughtfully at the window lattice that had been knocked open by the uninvited guest, and after a long time he replied.
"Masters, I'm afraid tonight's matter will require a lot of talking. I don't want to nag here now. I'll just say a few words."
Jiang Wen looked at the several old monks with a serious look. The contrast between his tall and rickety figure was instantly clear. "Just now, a man in black broke into the temple with the intention of committing murder. He was knocked over by me and fled in panic. This triggered a fight." Fighting. It’s just that the Fayun Pavilion in your mouth smells like blood, and I don’t know if someone was killed.”
When several old monks heard this, their expressions gradually became serious, and they seemed to be aware of the strange smell in the air. However, facing Jiang Wen who had a weapon in his hand, they did not dare to challenge him easily, so they all whispered in unison. After receiving the Buddha's name, he stood where he was without leaving. He turned around and ordered people to search around in the three-story wooden building.
At this time, the sutra shelf was tilted here and there, the sutras were scattered in all directions, and the scent of rue was mixed with the vague smell of blood. At this time, in the eyes of the nervous people, the statue of Tathagata in the middle of Fayun Pavilion, who was happy to escape suffering, seemed to be quietly revealed. A terrifying and wrathful Dharma appeared...
The timing of Jiang Wen's appearance was not very good. The man in black forced his way out, which meant that everyone only witnessed Jiang Wen appearing here alone. If someone died on the spot, then all suspicions would be on him. On the head.
What's more important is that the man in black escaped, making all clues elusive. At least Jiang Wen couldn't guess at this time whether they were trying to catch a thief.
As time passed bit by bit, something strange happened. Several monks were sent out to search up and down the wooden scripture building, even lifting the spider webs to take a closer look, but they still could not find any strong clues.
After many comparisons, it was only confirmed that the second floor where Jiang Wen and the others were located had a particularly strong smell of blood. Several other monks also left and returned, reporting to the eminent monks that the monks in the temple were not missing and no one was found seriously injured. Incurable situation.
"Hey, you guys don't seem to believe me. Then Jiang won't stay here and make people annoying, so let's just leave."
Jiang Wen took the opportunity to leave, but several elderly Zen masters stood in front of them without saying a word.
"What? What other opinions do the masters have? Could it be that not only do you not believe me, but you also want to ask for an explanation?"
It's not that Jiang Wen looks down on these old monks. There are certainly people in this world who are old and have superb skills. However, these people look haggard and have sloppy steps. At first glance, they look like eminent monks who don't care much about their skin.
As martial arts practitioners, one can tell at a glance that their veins are not full and their blood flow is weak. The setting sun is also gradually fading with age. They are by no means a martial arts figure who dares to block the way at this time. It can be interpreted as fearlessness.
"Amitabha. Don't be surprised, donor. All matters are entangled. Please ask Abbot Hongbian to make a decision when he arrives..."
Zen Master Dajing said, he didn't say too harshly, he just insisted that he would wait for the abbot to come. At least this was not inconsistent with etiquette, and it was easier for people to accept it.
Jiang Wen thought for a while and stood there with Luo Shuang'er without leaving. He also wanted to see what kind of medicine these monks were selling in their gourds. Now that neither the murderer nor the victim had been found, what on earth did they want to do to avoid this senseless crime? Head case.
Jiang Wen originally thought that the man in black was a figure in the Xitan Temple, but now it seems that he may actually be a murderer from outside. He just happened to be bumped into by him, and the two sides started fighting. causing these troubles.
But if it were all a coincidence, it might not all be a coincidence. At least if a master like the man in black appeared in the Sidan Temple, it would definitely not be as simple as walking through the wrong door.
"Abbot Hongbian!"
There were calls coming one after another from the wooden building, and it was as lively as a shopping mall. Then a series of hurried and fast footsteps came, and they stepped directly onto the second floor of the wooden building. Before the old monk Shao had time to report the situation to him, he saw Abbot Hongbian passing through the crowd like a gust of wind, his cassocks rushing towards the depths of the Buddhist scriptures.
The belated arrival of the abbot made Jiang Wen a little suspicious. He wondered whether he might be the man in black who was injured by him. At this time, he changed his appearance and made his debut. However, Jiang Wen soon ruled out this possibility. Because if the other party was hit by his own ecstasy palm, he would never be able to have such flexible skills.
More importantly, the more eccentric Abbot Hongbian's attitude becomes and ignores others, the more it proves that he is not here for show, but has a more important purpose.
Jiang Wen stared into the darkness and saw Abbot Hongbian, smelling of blood, walking straight to the Buddha statue on the second floor of the Sutra Collection Wooden Building. He stepped on the floor three times, and a mechanism suddenly protruded from the sutra shelf. Use it as an armrest and push it inward, and a secret room suddenly opens in front of you, which is hidden in the gap between the Tathagata Buddha and the sutra shelf.
Several old monks had expressions of astonishment on their faces. Obviously, they didn't even know that there was such a place in the wooden building for storing scriptures. However, Jiang Wen was more concerned about the fact that after Abbot Hongbian's actions, he quickly came out of the closet. He picked up a dark old monk covered in blood.
"How could it be Zen Master Anren!"
The ghusl monk exclaimed, "Shouldn't he be meditating in seclusion on the mountain?"
The sudden turn of events left everyone dumbfounded. Only Abbot Hongbian, relying on his extraordinary meditation skills, directed the novice monks outside the building to quickly bring medicine, stone, needles, and go to the foot of the mountain to call for a doctor. Several old monks in front of him just lowered their heads. Chanting the name of the Buddha and reciting the "Amitabha Sutra" and "Infinite Life Sutra" to save the souls of the dead, his face was extremely sad.
The reason for their sadness was obvious. The strong smell of blood hit their nostrils and naturally lingered in the sandwich room for a long time. The old monk's two shoulder blades were bent backwards, and his chest collapsed deeply. His eyes, ears, mouth and nose were all stained with dried blood. It was obvious that he had been beaten to death by a foreign expert after his muscles and bones were split apart.
This insidious and spicy move is very consistent with the man in black who previously fought against Jiang Wen, but there are obvious doubts in the timeline.
Jiang Wen originally bumped into him on the stone path outside the mountain gate and followed him all the way into Fayun Pavilion. But judging from the injuries on the old monk's body, it was natural that he had been trapped in the cell for a long time. Now the only explanation is , that is, the man in black sneaked in to kill first, and then was hit by Jiang Wen. He wanted to escape into Fayun Pavilion and hide, but he didn't expect that Jiang Wen's Qinggong was extraordinary, so he bit his tail tightly and chased after him.
According to this speculation, the other party who was able to enter the temple and kill people without anyone noticing must be extremely confident in his Qinggong attainments.
"Sister Shuang, how did you find this place?"
Jiang Wen asked softly.
"I noticed someone approaching the guest house just now."
Luo Shuang'er frowned lightly and replied: "I didn't chase him out until he was far away, and then I heard the sound of you fighting here."
While the two were talking, the old monks looked at each other and didn't know what to do. One of Jiang Wen's hands was still hanging on his chest due to a fracture, and he obviously couldn't bend the limb back. The suspicion of murder had been greatly reduced, so Jiang Wen naturally entered the theater mode.
The pale moonlight shone into the Fayun Pavilion and quietly climbed up the side of the old monk's face, revealing a miserable state of death. His limbs seemed to have been stiff and stiff. Only a few spots on the body were missing to completely judge him as dead.
But the dark-skinned old monk who died tragically was placed on a stretcher. Even though no one thought he was still alive, Abbot Hongbian still insisted on not letting others move the body, and even refused other monks to pay their respects. He had to wait until he was invited from the bottom of the mountain. The doctor came to examine me.
"Abbot Hongbian, the dead are gone, but the living are like this. Jiang actually has some medical skills. Why don't you let me take the pulse of this master. If things go wrong, you might as well go to the grave as soon as possible and live in bliss."
Jiang Wen volunteered, but was stopped by Abbot Hongbian.
"There is no need to trouble the donor with this matter..."
But Jiang Wen seemed to want to get away from Sidtan Temple as soon as possible, and repeatedly asked him to take his pulse. Such pulling made the monks and other monks stunned, and they couldn't figure out what kind of medicine Abbot Hongbian was selling in his gourd. Instead, the man opened his mouth to speak for Jiang Wen - since everyone is dead, what difference does it make to feel the pulse?
After confirming the invitation, Jiang Wen took advantage of Abbot Hongbian's inattention, bypassed the obstruction and put one of the corpse's arms against the cold and biting skin. Unexpectedly, after checking the pulse easily, he jumped as if he was electrocuted. stand up.
There are many shadows in Fayun Pavilion. Due to the inconvenience of lighting a lamp and raising a fire, we can only rely on the cold moonlight for illumination. But just under this period of unclear moonlight, there are two shadows that suddenly extend and lengthen, until they reach the feet of several old monks. Stop at the end!
One figure was naturally Jiang Wen's jumping figure, and the other figure who jumped up with Jiang Wen turned out to be the old monk who was lying on the ground bleeding from his orifices just now. The two of them were not far from Yingmen, so even if they were gathered outside the building The monks can also vaguely see a shadow!
Fayun Pavilion was filled with blood, and the old monk's corpse suddenly stood up. He sat up almost grazing the tip of Jiang Wen's nose. His face was as lifeless as an old melon skin, and his eyes were staring ahead like dead fish. The pair of shoulder blades that were bent backwards were still trembling, and the gloomy look seemed to have a sneer in the darkness.
"It's a fake corpse!"
"Run quickly!!"
I don't know who shouted, and the monks downstairs either witnessed or heard it, and they all ran away as if they had seen a ghost. In an instant, the wooden building of the Sutra Library went from overcrowded to deserted, with only a few old people left. The monk was still standing there hesitantly, at least he didn't suddenly lose his composure, but the fighting look between the two bodies was far from enough to be called stable.
"You guys should go back first."
Abbot Hongbian sighed and asked several virtuous old monks to leave. At this time, only himself, Jiang and Luo were left in Fayun Pavilion.
"Amitabha, why does the donor do this?"
Abbot Hongbian looked calm, caressing the old monk's stiff body with his hands, sighed slowly and looked at Jiang Wen, and saw clearly his unable to hide smile.
"I'm sorry, abbot, I also guessed that you had to wait for the doctor because you wanted to perform a 'rejuvenation', but I think it's not a bad idea to 'resurrection' today."
Jiang Wen gradually lost his joking expression and said with emotion: "I didn't expect this master to be able to practice meditation to such an extent that he almost gave up the attachment to life and death."
The zombie thing in the world may not be groundless, but the old monk who seemed to be dead in front of him was naturally alive. Although he was seriously injured, he relied on the method of pretending to be dead to survive the dangerous period, and even deceived the pain. The man in black who carried out the assassination managed to save his own life - this kind of skill is not common in the world, but it is by no means rare.
Just now, Jiang Wen just injected a burst of internal energy into him, turning the old monk who was pretending to be dead into a fake corpse. At this time, he was recovering from the zombie state as if he was thawing. It is no wonder that Abbot Hongbian prohibited others from approaching. On the other hand, he was so determined to invite a doctor to come.
Abbot Hongbian, whose beard and hair were all white, continued to support the old monk's back and said: "Master Anren can cultivate Hanshan's internal skills to such a high level, and one day he may be able to achieve the fruit of Arhat and eliminate all doubts. Donor, there are no outsiders here. You If you have anything to do, just say it."
Jiang Wen slowly shook his head: "Abbot Hongbian, shouldn't it be better to be honest about the things you didn't explain clearly to us during the day?"
Abbot Hongbian was silent for a while and did not speak.
"Abbott, then I might as well say it straight. Jiang heard the monks in the warehouse today on the beam saying that the warehouse of Xitan Temple is already empty. Oh, by the way, the two of them seemed to want to eat us."
Abbot Hongbian raised his head in embarrassment, showing an embarrassed look: "Hey... this is an impolite blunder by the monk, but our temple has no intention of embarrassing you two... Xitan Temple is now at the end of its rope. The monks have no choice but to think about collecting good karma..."
Jiang Wen said in disbelief: "Xitan Temple has actually reached such a situation?"
Abbot Hongbian sighed with emotion and covered his face with the sleeves of his cassock: "It's embarrassing to say that now in Xitan Temple, fasting for only one meal a day for a month is a last resort. If we couldn't find a way out, why would we be so close? Favor?"
Jiang Wen also thought of the wild vegetable dumplings and rice soup at dinner, and simply said bluntly, "It's really unbelievable. How could such a huge temple like yours, which is supported by the Mu family and has three thousand acres of temple property, end up like this for no reason? The situation?"
Abbot Hongbian lowered his eyebrows and chanted sutras to himself. Luo Shuang'er originally couldn't bear Jiang Wen's questioning of the old monk and wanted to stop her, but before she could say anything, she turned around and Jiang Wen mentioned it again, and the questions before and after were exactly the same. , seems to really not be able to figure this out.
This weird behavior made Luo Shuang'er look pensive for a moment and murmured to herself: "I seem to understand..."
Jiang Wen nodded with some relief and said to Luo Shuang'er: "Of course you should understand, basically. If it weren't for all the messy thoughts in my head, I should have guessed the problem a long time ago!"
There are two to three hundred monks in Xitan Temple, and the warehouses should be rich and abundant. Even if they use it to provide food for fasting, they can always ask the Mu family to reimburse these expenses. There is no need for everyone to fast and eat in one day. Starving and suffering from meal to meal.
So Jiang Wen came up with the most unreasonable explanation, that is, the food from Xitan Temple was used in a place that "cannot be publicized to the outside world" and "cannot be explained clearly" - for example, there are hundreds of good eaters and drinkers who suddenly He ran to the temple and ate all their food.
"The people in Southern Shaolin turned out to be the abbot who was helping you. Jiang really didn't expect that..."
If Jiang Wen hadn’t come to Yunnan inexplicably from the South China Sea, if he hadn’t known about the inexplicable existence of the Wuyang Secret Path, if he hadn’t become curious about the Sidan Temple out of an inexplicable sense of sight, why would he not have “funded the rebellion”? The crime suddenly fell on Abbot Hongbian's head.
Abbot Hongbian was startled when he heard this, but his old face slowly showed that this was indeed the case. His eyes looking at Jiang Wen were also mixed with alarm and surprise.
"Amitabha."
The breeze in the surrounding fields and the bright moon in the sky suddenly calmed down again at this time. The silence was now louder than the sound. Abbot Hongbian did not say much. He said all the meaning in just one sentence. Jiang Wen also smiled and shook his head in silence, then turned around He looked at the old monk who was about to wake up.
"I have also heard about Hanshan Internal Kung Fu practiced by this master. It is said that it was created by Master Hanshan. Although his skills are superb, he has been on the verge of extinction due to hardships. He was introduced to Taiyi Sect by Wudang Grandmaster Tiesongzi more than ten years ago. , but I didn’t expect to see it here, and how seamlessly it integrates with the Four Zen and Eight Concentrations.”
Jiang Wen commented on the martial arts of the old monk in front of him, and another burst of energy helped him regain consciousness. At this time, he never mentioned the incident in Southern Shaolin, as if he was not the one who was aggressive just now.
"Donor, the Supreme Master told the old monk that someone would come. The sudden appearance of the two of you naturally made the old monk guess. But now to be honest, he doesn't want you to come."
Abbot Hongbian was still hesitant at first, but when he saw that Jiang Wen could tell the martial arts practiced by Master Anren, he finally put down his guard and said to the two of them, "I originally wanted to test the benefactor when we met today. Now that Xitan Temple is in danger, it is really difficult." I don’t want to drag you two down anymore…”
Abbot Hongbian stood up and pointed at the old monk who was seriously injured and on the verge of death: "Did the two donors know who did this?"
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Jiang Wen shook his head: "I'm not sure. The timing of the fight just now was hasty, and I couldn't find out the opponent's background."
"Amitabha."
Abbot Hongbian turned his back to them and smiled bitterly and said: "No matter how mysterious the identity of the murderer is, the old monk knows that he was sent by Wu Sangui, King of Pingxi..."
As soon as the words "Pingxi King" came out of his mouth, Jiang Wen's heart suddenly skipped a beat - why did he have to deal with these unlucky vassal kings wherever he went?
He had previously interfered with the affairs of the Jingnan Palace in Fuzhou, and then interfered with the plans of the Pingnan Palace in Guangzhou. Now he has gone to the deep mountains and forests, and he is still standing in front of Prince Pingxi? Is it possible that Wu Sangui already knew about Sidtan Temple's cover for Southern Shaolin and its participation in the Guangzhou Rebellion?
But after listening to Abbot Hongbian's explanation, Jiang Wen could only say helplessly that there was something wrong with his system, which was always unlucky wherever he went.
In fact, this matter has little to do with Xitan Temple, and more importantly, it has to do with the Mu family, the chieftain of Dali.
In the 16th year of Shunzhi last year, Wu Sangui led the Qing army into Yunnan, "acquisition of Yunnan into the territory, keeping all the buildings and structures as before, and looking for the reduction of Tong'an, Baoshan, Lanzhou, Jujin, and one county in Linxi to return to Lijiang Prefecture." Lijiang Mu Yi, the local magistrate, "rushed to surrender", and the following year, he approved "to continue to assume the post of local magistrate and manage the original place". Logically speaking, the transition should be smooth and uneventful.
However, Wu Sangui had the same idea as Shang Kexi. They both wanted to use the place where they were stationed as their own throne and enjoy the treatment that Mujiayong had in Yunnan. Therefore, after he dealt with Hong Chengchou, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, he would naturally point the finger at Dali. The deep-rooted Mu family.
Half a month ago, when the news of the Guangzhou Rebellion came out, Wu Sangui summoned Mu Yi, the current prefect of Dali, in the name of "counseling the military affairs", and at the same time wrote a letter to recruit thousands of soldiers. Mu Yi refused, so Wu Sangui sent troops. He forcibly took away the gold seal given by the Yuan Dynasty and the Mu family was in charge of the frontier, and put Mu Yi, the contemporary head of the family, under house arrest. The intention of taking the opportunity to launch an attack was already on the paper.
The Mu family was leaderless. As the family temple of the Mu family, Xitan Temple naturally ran out of supplies and fell into a difficult situation. Wu Sangui would not directly deal with Xitan Temple, but the people in Pingxi Prince's Palace were eager to make contributions, but they also wrote to ask for the engravings of scriptures collected in Xitan Temple. The purpose was to force this imperial-endowed Zen forest to a dead end and cut off the Mu family. The spiritual support is as destructive as digging into someone's ancestral grave.
If the sutra edition is given, Xitan Temple will no longer have a foothold on Jizu Mountain, and this Imperial Zen Forest will become a joke. But if not, the Prince of Pingxi will naturally have countless open and hidden swords to deal with them. , it will be a dead end in the end.
When Abbot Hongbian said this with a wry smile, he was naturally lamenting that the consequences of karma were real. He had done a flawless job in collaborating with the rebels, but he could not escape the consequences of the Mu family sharing weal and woe. Now Xitan Temple will eventually fall to the cause of creation. in the corresponding cycle.
Abbot Hongbian thought that after he finished explaining the details, Jiang Wen and the two would leave. After all, it was Xitan Temple and monks like them who had been worshiped by the Mu family for decades. There was no need for others to get involved with this. thing, but Jiang Wen seemed to be talking about other things without realizing it.
"Abbott, looking at the way you are now, you must be starving to death before Pingxi Prince's Mansion comes to the door. It's better to listen to my idea. At least when the other party comes to the door, you have to fight with Pingxi Prince's Mansion. .”
Abbot Hongbian asked Jiang Wen in disbelief: "What did the donor mean?"
Jiang Wen actually smiled as he spoke, "What Jiang means is that the most dangerous place is the safest place. I couldn't catch up with the excitement in Guangzhou City, but the fun here in King Pingxi is huge. Don’t miss it again…”
