The Wang family is the biggest source of incense for Zishou Temple. When the bandits crossed the border at the beginning of the year, the Wang family's house was fine and their house was not burned to the ground. The bandits have always raided temples violently, and Zishou Temple was also intact. Some people said that Zishou Temple and the thieves The military relationship was very close, and the Wang family was protected by Zishou Temple. Of course, the Wang family was cut off.
Jinyiwei's spies started to investigate from these fragmentary clues. After several months, they finally revealed the true face of the abbot of Zishou Temple and reported it to Dongchang. So Chang Yu came straight here and met the incense burner at the temple seemingly casually. , actually picking melons along the way.
From another perspective, it is also a good thing for the temple to help the Wang family survive the disaster, but from Chang Yu's perspective, this is a thief! His original intention was to watch his behavior and discuss it later. If he had already washed his hands in a golden basin and worshiped the Buddha in peace, it would be a good thing for the local people. However, as soon as he tested him, the other party became a little uneasy and even wanted to strike preemptively.
That would be embarrassing.
"You knew there was something wrong with this temple, but you didn't know that you would wait for me and let Kun Xing and I go into the temple to offer incense. Are you not afraid..." Zhu Cixiang's face was incomprehensible, while Chang Yu smiled: "You are the only one waiting for three The five people don't know, but the rest of them know." Zhu Cixiang said, looking at Wang Zhengnan, Chen Ruxin and other personal guards around him, with smiles on their faces.
"It's not that I intentionally concealed it, but I was actually afraid that you would show off and alert others."
We had lunch in the temple at noon. Before the meal was finished, the interrogation was over. There were six or seven of the more than twenty monks in the temple who were originally Wenxiang disciples. The abbot was named Cheng Dakui, who had surrendered six years ago. The bandit army served as a bandit general under Yuan Zongdi, and later broke into Buddhism after a defeat. He actually put down his butcher knife without causing any harm. However, when the bandit army crossed the border at the beginning of the year, they set up a line again, but they were able to protect the common people. Peace, this is supposed to be a good thing, but! Two months ago, Gu Junen stayed in the temple for nearly ten days!
In the words of Cheng Dakui, it is common for people to stay with lay people in temples for good fortune in public affairs, but in private, it is human nature to stay with old friends for a few days. Chang Yu angrily reprimanded him for being an old friend in the martial arts world. Cheng Dakui could only sigh: "Once you enter the martial arts world, you can't help yourself."
Maybe he really couldn't help himself, but from Chang Yu's point of view, he was a thief!
"Since you have done no evil deeds since you escaped into Buddhism, and have done many good deeds in the countryside, I will spare your life today. If you dare to collude with the thieves again in the future, I will take your lives. Even if the Buddha comes, I can't save you!" "Chang Yu decided to let Cheng Dakui go, which made Zhu Cixi very incomprehensible: a thief is a thief, let alone an ordinary thief, how can he just forget about it because he has entered Buddhism? However, Chang Yu did not give him an explanation. It's something that can't be explained clearly.
After noon, everyone left and continued on their way.
Different from Zhu Cixiang's confusion, Wang Zhengnan and others are worried: Cheng Dakui was a thief general a few years ago and had entanglements with the thief at the beginning of the year. Recently, he has been in contact with Gu Junen, one of the three major strategists of the thief army, so they are not afraid of him acting as Gu Junen's spy. If you continue to serve the bandit army, you can't just let go of this old thief even if you don't kill him. You can at least arrest him and imprison him for a few years.
"Have you ever heard of a saying that makes a hero short of breath in his old age?" Chang Yu said with a smile. Wang Zhengnan and others were startled and thought for a moment.
Cheng Dakui was able to become the marshal of the Wenxiang Sect, which shows that he was also a troubled master when he was young, and he had some ambitions. However, now that he is nearly fifty, his ambition has long been worn away, and the past has become empty. Buddhism has seen through many things, and although it still has entanglements with thieves, it is indeed out of control.
To put it simply, Chang Yu believes that this person will not bother anymore. For people like him, converting to Buddhism, enjoying incense and having a good death is a destination that many people dream of. He will definitely cherish this opportunity, otherwise the rest of his life will be ruined. After being chased by Jin Yiwei and Dongchang, he surrendered. I believe he will never want to live that kind of life again.
"You have changed" Zhu Cixiang stared at Chang Yu for a long time and choked out three words.
Chang Yu looked around the mountains and sighed: "People will always change."
He has indeed changed. When he first came out, he hated evil as much as he hated evil, and he was decisive and merciless in killing. But now, he can be merciful and forgiving, and will give others a chance to change their minds. Perhaps now he really understands: human beings , sometimes I really can’t help myself.
There is no absolute right or wrong in this world, and black and white are not always clear-cut.
At the gate of Zishou Temple, Cheng Dakui watched Chang Yu and his entourage go away until they became a small black dot, then he chanted a Buddhist name and turned around to enter the temple.
After traveling another twenty miles to Lingshi County, Chang Yu and his party stopped in the city for a while and then left the city to continue their journey. Zhu Cixi couldn't help but said: "I have inquired, and it is at least a hundred miles from Lingshi County to Huozhou. It's a mountain road, and there are very few villages along the way, and you may not even encounter a place to stay, so are you going to take the risk of traveling at night again?"
"How can I not know what you know?" Chang Yu smiled, but Zhu Cihong said reluctantly: "You know you still want to take risks, you... have changed."
Chang Yu just smiled and said nothing.
The mountain road is rugged but relatively wide. It winds along the Fen River in the deep mountains. The mountains on both sides are completely white. Occasionally, mountain animals flash by. There is no one else in the surrounding area except Chang Yu and his party. After all, the heavy snow has almost blocked the road. It’s a mountain, who can go out for a walk if there’s nothing to do?
It gets dark quickly in winter, and it gets darker even faster in the mountains when it's cloudy. It's already getting dark within a few dozen miles of leaving Lingshi County, so all the personal guards dyed their torches, and Chen Suole reminded his subordinates to be alert. At this time, Wang Fuchen and Wu Mushan and a few people still rushed to the front to explore the road. They were also very responsible. They looked around from time to time while riding slowly. If they found any suspicious spots on the hillside, they would concentrate on observing and shooting arrows.
Soon it was completely dark. Fortunately, the mountains were covered with white snow, so it was not as dark as the eyes. However, a team of dozens of people alone in the deep mountains, surrounded by no one, seemed particularly abrupt and a little scary. Feeling the emotion, Zhu Cixi quietly pulled the corner of Chang Yu's clothes and whispered: "I have an ominous premonition..."
"Brother, don't be so talkative." As soon as Zhu Cixiang opened his mouth, Kun Xing interrupted him: "It's scary to be on the dark side, but you're actually trying to scare people..."
"Don't be afraid, even if he opens his mouth, there will be no danger." Chang Yu looked relaxed and put his head out of the car: "I remember there is a market not far ahead by the roadside. There is a place to rest there. , in order to avoid chaos, why not just rest tonight and wait until dawn tomorrow before leaving."
"Are you familiar with this road?" Chang Yu half-smiled but said, "The Night Demon, who has always been fearless, showed his timidity. Could it be that this road is not smooth?"
Su Jing bared her teeth with anger on her face: "What's the point of fearing if I go back and forth with him on my own? I won't be dragged down by following you..."
"He has a bad mouth. Master Sujing, please don't be the same as him." Kun Xing and Yan advised and asked, "Is it really unfair on this road?"
Su Jing snorted and nodded: "There are many bandits on mountain roads, but there are a few who are peaceful. And this hundred-mile mountain road is the only direct passage to Pingyang Mansion and Taiyuan. There are many tourists coming and going, and it also breeds a lot of grass bandits. I will take this road." The past few years have been very uneven, and there are three bandits and eight bandits who are known to be ruthless. In addition, at the beginning of the year, the bandit army was defeated in the Taiyuan War and fled into the mountains. Many of them fell into the trap and became bandits. I am afraid that the road will become more and more unsmooth now."
After hearing this, the Zhu family siblings' faces darkened and they could not hide their panic. After all, the shadow from last time was too heavy, and they all looked at Chang Yu.
However, Chang Yu seemed to be fine, with a nonchalant look on his face: "Three bandits and eight thieves, haha, you are still talking nonsense. Ordinary thieves are blind and don't have the guts to touch us. These dozens of strong bows and warriors are just decoration..."
"The question is, are we worried about these ordinary thieves? You also know that the intruder's subordinates contacted the Green Forest Road of the Three Mountains and Five Mountains. They..." Zhu Cixiang was a little panicked, with a worried look on his face. Chang Yu shook his hand: "That's all. That’s all, how about we rest ahead and wait until daybreak before leaving?”
Su Jing's memory was correct. There was indeed a big market ahead, but it was not that far away as she said. She had walked at least ten more miles, and by Haishi (9 p.m. to 11 p.m.) she was already far away from Lingshi County. Forty to fifty miles away, it is the confluence of two rivers, which is called Sanwankou by the locals.
There is a large village in Sanwankou. Because it is close to the official road, it has over time become the largest market in the ten miles and eight towns. Business travelers often stay in this market. The market has inns, teahouses, and restaurants. It is said that As long as the money is in place, even the young lady can find it.
After nine o'clock in the evening, in later generations, it can only be regarded as the beginning of nightlife, but for people of this era, people have already slept several times. The entire market is silent, with only a few lanterns swaying left and right in the cold wind with their yellow light. There is no smoke or smoke, and it looks like a ghost from a distance.
Wang Fuchen and Wu Mushan approached with their horses, and the local dogs in the village began to bark. First one, then more and more. Wang Fuchen couldn't help teasing Wu Mushan: "Do you have more ears, male dogs or female dogs?" Wu Mushan said. Without taking any chances with him, he pointed to the house with two lanterns hanging at the end of the village and asked, "What does that wooden sign say?"
"Hey, you are asking like this, it seems that I am literate." Wang Fuchen raised his head and frowned at the big words. Fortunately, there were words next to them that his entourage knew: hit the tip, stay in the hotel. Wu Mushan then knocked on the door. Soon the waiter inside removed the door panel and said, "How many guests are there? Are you going to stay in the hotel?"
"I'm staying in a hotel. I don't know if I can stay here..." Wu Mushan muttered and looked inside a few times. He saw a few sleepy-eyed waiters making bunks on the floor. Wang Fuchen even squeezed in at once. The hall went around a circle and went to the kitchen and backyard to look at: "Are there more guys than guests?"
"It's a snowy day. There are not many people on the road, so there are no hotels." The waiter bowed and smiled: "When the snow closes the mountains, there will really be no business." He looked at them and said, "We It is the largest and only inn in this market. There are only four or five of you guests, so even ten or four or five people can stay here. If you pass this village, you will have to walk at least another twenty or thirty miles. Only then there is a store."
There were really ten, four or five people, maybe even more.
But this inn is really affordable, because it is the off-season, and their Datong Shop can sleep more than ten people in one room.
Dozens of people came in at once, and the inn immediately became lively. The clerks started busy serving, and even the shopkeeper got up and was busy in person. Chang Yu asked Su Jing and Qing Yi to accompany Kun Xing to the upper room to rest, while he went to the upper room to rest. Zhu Cixiang and a group of personal guards sat around in the lobby and asked the store to boil some hot water for everyone to warm themselves.
Soon the hot water was boiled, and several waiters carried kettles to add water one by one. However, the guards all sat still. Chang Yu picked up the bowl, blew on it and put it down again. He looked up at the counter and saw that the shopkeeper's With a puzzled look on his face: "Sir, what's going on?"
"They must be afraid that the water has been drugged." A smile appeared on Chang Yu's lips, and the shopkeeper's face was astonished: "Just kidding, sir, we are open to do business in this market. It’s been almost ten years, it’s not a black shop, how could it be drugged, let alone an anti-military man.”
"Oh, you can see that we are military lords." Wang Zhengnan laughed, and the shopkeeper hurriedly said: "Every guest officer is wearing something like this on his body, and his mounts are also branded as military horses. You must be a military lord. How can you be a bandit?" It won’t work.”
"Good eyesight." Chang Yu stretched out his thumb and said to the shopkeeper: "You can tell at a glance that we are soldiers, but our eyesight is not good enough. It took me a long time to look at shopkeeper Gu, oh no, it's Gu. The true identity of the great military advisor, Military Advisor Gu has been admired for a long time."
As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of guards in the hall unsheathed their steel swords. Immediately, they saw several waiters and the shopkeeper surrounding him. Several others protected Zhu Cixiang upstairs, but the prince's face turned blue in shock. Bai: "He,, is he Gu Junen?"