The middle part of the Longwei Mountains.
The wind blows and the clouds move, the sea of trees ripples, and a red wall reveals the treetops. Among the clouds and mist, the golden top is looming. .
Below, on the stone mountain path, the shade of the trees is whirling and the sunlight is shining. Pilgrims come and go in an endless stream. When going up the mountain, you hold the incense table and bow every three steps, which is pious and polite. When you go down the mountain, you take a leisurely stroll in the courtyard.
Inside the temple, the smoke is dim and the bells are ringing melodiously.
This is a typical neo-Zen temple, which believes in the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. There is a Taoist temple on the left, a temple on the right, and a saint's hall in the middle.
The temple on the right is divided into several buildings, each dedicated to different gods and Buddhas.
Outside one of the temples, with the help of a maid, a woman dressed in luxurious clothes and wearing a hood crossed the threshold and entered the hall.
The tall female Buddha statue lowers her eyes, looking kind and peaceful.
"Amitabha." The monk at the door stepped forward and saluted.
The lady took off her hood, revealing a face that was nearly forty years old but still had charm.
Seeing the noble lady's face, the monk's expression changed, showing a solemn expression, and he saluted again, "I don't know that when the noble lady comes to visit, this temple has failed to welcome you from afar, and it is a sin."
"I'll inform the host right away!" After saying that, the monk was about to leave. But the woman waved her hand and said, "Master, please stay."
"I come here to pay my respects. I am just a believing woman among the vast number of living beings. There is no need to trouble others."
"Yes!" In line with the rule that respect is worse than obedience, the monk bowed and left.
The noble lady came to the Buddha statue, burned incense and knelt down, with a very pious expression on her face, and whispered in her mouth, "Please bless the Bodhisattva and grant me a faithful heir."
"Continue the bloodline of red mulberry and protect the country and the country."
"If I get a child, the believing woman will definitely come and fulfill my vow, reshape the golden body of the Bodhisattva, and save all people."
After making her wish, the noble lady stood up and bowed her head again, her eyes longing for her.
Suddenly, a dark wind blew behind him. Then, her shoulders sank, and an uninvited hand placed on her shoulders.
The noble lady is the princess of Hongsang Principality, named Li Anrong, and has been favored by the two heads of Hongsang. Now that I am old and have seen the world, I have already developed a character that is calm and calm when things happen.
Even if an uninvited guest suddenly appeared behind her and touched her body, she remained calm and didn't even look back. She asked calmly, "Who are you?"
The only answer she received was the cold blade pressed against her neck, leaving a faint trace of blood.
The sharp stinging sensation from the blade was so close that no one doubted that as long as she moved even a little, her head would fall to the ground.
"Walk!"
There was only one word out of the other person's mouth, it was simple and clear, the voice was slightly hoarse, it was a woman's voice.
The maid next to her froze in place, her eyes wide open, tears welling up in her eyes. Her expression perfectly interpreted the behavior of most humans when encountering a terrorist incident. They were afraid, frightened, hesitant, afraid to move or scream, as if they were frozen.
The person holding the princess hostage was a woman who was not too tall and had a slightly plump figure. Dressed in typical wilderness travel attire, showing tan hair and skin.
His eyes were dull, but he had the aura of a predator, full of deadly danger.
"Do you know who I am?" Li Anrong asked calmly.
In fact, she was already very panicked inside. What was holding her hostage was a scimitar, with a layer of scarlet light attached to the blade, indicating the power of chaos and destruction - magic energy, and the blade was only a tenth of a millimeter away from her carotid artery. Less than.
"Stop blabbering and let's go!"
The other party seemed a little impatient and pushed her shoulder hard without any intention of explaining her identity. Maybe it was a secret, or maybe she was disdainful.
The blade of the knife was pressed against his neck, and his scarlet eyes were murderous. Li Anrong did not dare to resist at all, and was pushed out of the hall with staggering steps.
"This way!"
The woman pushed Li Anrong up several stairs to the back door of the temple.
"Donor, please stay!"
The moment he was about to step out of the door, a loud voice sounded behind him.
Turning around, he saw dozens of warrior monks holding iron rods chasing after him from behind. At the same time, the sound of trotting footsteps was heard outside the door, followed by a dozen figures blocking the exit.
With no way in or way out, the woman holding Princess Hongsang hostage was surrounded.
"Get out of the way!" The woman grabbed the princess's shoulders and pulled her to her side. Then she turned the scimitar and pointed the blade at the leading monk.
The opponent has nine fragrant scars on his head, while the others only have three to six. He should be the one with the highest status on the field.
"Amitabha, good, good, good." The leader of the monks performed a Buddhist salute with one hand, "Female donor, this temple is a place of purity and tranquility. It is a place of pious worship. Do good deeds and accumulate virtue. You must not do evil deeds."
"court death!"
Without saying a word, the woman slashed at him with a knife.
In an instant, the monk's pupils were filled with scarlet. The sword's light was like blood, carrying fierce wind, and it struck quickly.
The magic blade, which represented chaos and destruction, seemed to be cutting off everything in the world. Just as the big bald head was about to be split in half, azure light erupted from all the monks at the same time.
Dozens of light shields are stacked together, and the excessive concentration of spiritual energy causes the space to slightly distort, sending out ripples layer upon layer.
The red sword light came instantly, and the moment it touched the shield, it shattered like an egg shell hitting a stone.
But this egg shell is not an ordinary egg shell, but layer upon layer of egg shells. If one layer is broken, there will be another layer.
After finally breaking through the seven layers of light shield, the sword light gradually disappeared.
"Vajra Formation?"
The woman showed a surprised expression, probably because she didn't expect the other party to be able to block her attack.
The New Zen Diamond Formation is a formation that trains multiple people to coordinate defense, and can leapfrog to withstand attacks from powerful enemies.
On the other hand, perhaps for fear of accidentally injuring the hostages, the monks took no further action after blocking the attack.
"Amitabha, that's good, that's good." The leading monk performed the Buddhist salute again, "The benefactor was too murderous, so he resorted to a killing move. If it hadn't been for the help of my brothers and sisters, I'm afraid the poor monk would have been killed."
"God has the virtue of a good life. May the donor put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha immediately.
"That's a lot of nonsense." The woman dismissed it, then waved her scimitar and said in a deep voice, "I don't know how much your diamond formation can block my swords."
She saw a fierce look in her eyes and shouted, "This is the holy land of the new Zen sect. Don't force me to go on a killing spree and stain the Buddha with blood!"
"The donor is so arrogant!" The monk was angry, but he was concerned about the opponent's strength and suppressed his anger to persuade him, "The donor is indeed capable. Our brothers are not good at learning and are indeed no match for the donor."
"But the donor openly kidnapped the princess and the princess in my new Zen temple, ignoring the laws of the kingdom and the dignity of the sect. The poor monk is incompetent. He will stop the donor even if he takes seven steps with blood spattered!"
At this time, more monks rushed over, led by an old monk wearing red cassocks and holding a golden bowl.
The spiritual energy fluctuations in the old monk's body are thick and steady. In the spiritual perception, it is like a huge stone Buddha with its eyes closed and facing the sky. It is peaceful and quiet, but it is still and contains the power of overwhelming mountains and reclaiming seas.
At least he's a great lord!
"Almsgiver, please save someone under the knife. The poor monk is willing to cut the meat and feed it to the eagle in exchange for Princess Hongmulberry!"
Seeing that there was no chance of winning in a head-on fight, the woman sheathed her sword. Just when everyone breathed a sigh of relief and thought that the matter was over, the woman suddenly pulled down her collar, revealing a deep ravine.
"Amitabha, good, good, good."
Seeing something unclean, the monks quickly looked up at the sky and read out the Buddha's name.
However, the woman did not take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack to divert attention, but it was a habitual action. After all, the number and strength were there, and even if she took the lead, it was impossible to defeat one against a hundred.
The woman pulled out a black leather document from the gap on her chest, held it in her hand, and showed it to the old monk.
"The case is being handled in a black jail, and all irrelevant personnel should leave immediately!"
The old monk was stunned for a moment and said hesitantly, "Who are you?"
"Judge of the Black Prison, Aqiaomu!"
The woman revealed her identity, and the old monk's expression suddenly changed. He turned around and waved vigorously at the monks, "Your honor is here, why don't you get out of here!"
The monks immediately took a few steps back, switching from the alert state of holding sticks to the peaceful state of standing guard.
"You know my identity, why don't you get out of the way?"
A Qiaomu wanted to force Li Anrong to leave, but there were still monks standing at the door, blocking the way.
"What do you mean?" Ah Qiaomu turned to look at the old monk.
"Master Judge, please allow the old monk to say a few words." The old monk nodded and asked.
A Qiaomu nodded.
"This temple is based in the Dragon River Basin, within the territory of Hongsang, Ice Blue City, and the Principality of Hongsang, all of which are our suzerain states."
"The presiding judge of Ice Blue City and the princess of Hongsang Principality are both our distinguished guests. We cannot afford to offend anyone."
"If this case had happened outside Longwei Temple, we would have listened to the rain through the window and stayed out of the incident. But the incident happened inside the temple. According to the human convention formulated by the Human Survival Committee, regarding the rights of major religions, no matter where the temple is located, Just like the consulates of various countries, the interior of the temple is regarded as a religious territory, a new Zen pure land.”
"This temple has the responsibility and obligation to ensure the safety of believers who come to worship within the territory."
"If the Chief Judge takes away the princess, and the Hongsang Principality holds them accountable, it will be difficult for this temple to explain..." The old monk spread his hands, looking embarrassed.
"Then you are obstructing law enforcement in the Black Prison, so you are not afraid of the Queen's censure?" Aqiaomu asked, and then his tone was cold, "Ice Blue City is the head of the kingdom, and Red Mulberry is just a part of the kingdom. Who is the king and who is the minister? Who is older and who is younger, who is whose master, do you still need me to teach you such a simple question?"
"If it were in the past, this temple would definitely follow the leadership of the Royal Family of Ice Blue City, but now..." The old monk looked sad and did not say the second half of the sentence, but the meaning was very clear. It is now a state of civil war, and no one is the boss yet. It is certain that Ice Blue City and Red Mulberry are two different camps.
Of course, another meaning of the old monk is also very clear, that is, both of them are bosses, and neither party wants to offend.
But in fact, this matter cannot be neutral. Letting Princess Hongsang go would be tantamount to offending Binglan City. Allowing A Qiaomu to take away the princess would definitely offend Hongsang.
No matter what you do, you will offend one of the parties.
"Then what are you going to do?" Aqiaomu crossed his arms, kicked the ball to the old monk, and threatened, "If I don't get a satisfactory result, I will truthfully report it to the Queen, saying that the New Zen Sect is biased Red mulberry!"
"This..." The old monk hesitated for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, "The poor monk has a proposal..." The old monk's expression seemed as if the conspiracy had succeeded, "I guarantee that it will be fair and just, and both parties will be satisfied."
"Are you going to come out as Li Anrong?" A Qiaomu sneered, "Or are you going to cut them open and take away half of each person." At this point, she laughed and looked at Princess Hongsang up and down, her smile was cruel, " I agree with this!”
"Donor, please be patient..." The old monk groped for a while, took out a copper plate, and said, "Let's bet on the copper plate. If you guess correctly, you will take it away. If you guess not, you will let it go."
"Each one has a fifty percent chance. It's fair to both parties." At this point, the old monk showed a wise smile.
A Qiaomu thought for a while and said, "The matter is so important that I can't make a decision."
"I must ask the Prime Minister for instructions!"
Before taking action, Chen Xing had already met her and picked her up a few kilometers away.
