The ground was full of collapsed wooden beams and stones, which caused great trouble to Ying Niang's walking.
"The monk's room looks like a poor place at first glance. Let's go to the dormitories of Mercy Temple to have a look." Yu Dalang shrank his neck: "The dormitories are all occupied by nobles. Maybe there are good things."
Not long after arriving at the dormitory, Yu Dalang collected a lot of useful things. When he came out of several rooms, he hugged seven or eight futons together and even tore off a piece of gauze.
Ying Niang squatted down and her stick hit something just now. She groped on the ground and found it. It turned out to be a candlestick. Fortunately, the candle on it was long and intact. Ying Niang picked it up. , searched around again, and when her hand touched the window lattice, her hand paused.
The window was broken, and the wooden thorns were sticking out everywhere. A large black, dirty, soft ball was wrapped around the wooden thorns. After Yingniang finished touching it, she felt that the soft ball was like human hair, and they were tangled in her fingers. tip.
At the same time, Ying Niang smelled the smell of blood from the hair. The old bloody smell mixed with the faint smell of burning lingered at the tip of Ying Niang's nose.
Ying Niang calmly put down the things in her hands, squeezed the bamboo stick in her hand, and left the window. In this once luxurious dormitory, Ying Niang also felt the marks of knife and ax cuts on the wall, as well as the sticky stains in the corners. Blood stains.
It seems that a major murder did occur here.
Ying Niang frowned, and what made her feel even more strange was that she seemed to be no stranger to blood.
After searching around, Yu Dalang walked to Ying Niang and said, "Okay, we've almost found everything, let's go."
As he searched for something, rats scurried on the ground, making squeaking sounds.
Ying Niang returned to the monk's room, and Yu Dalang took the lead in patting the futon, scattering the dust, and placed them neatly on the bed. The bedding was not found yet, so he tore the soft wadding in the futon and put it into a large piece of gauze fabric he found. , after tying the knot, you will be able to keep out the cold.
Ying Niang handed him the sesame biscuits in the package. She bought the sesame biscuits when she left Lianzifang. She bought a lot of them. It is winter now, so she is not afraid of spoilage.
"Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for doing so much for me." Yingniang thanked her.
Yu Dalang refused: "You can keep the cake and eat it for yourself. It's getting very late and I have to leave. I'll see you again in a few days and help you check what's going on at the Miao family."
Ying Niang held the bamboo stick and sent Yu Dalang to the back door. After Yu Dalang's footsteps could no longer be heard, she closed the back door and then struggled to fix the latch.
Recalling the route she had taken in her memory, Ying Niang successfully returned to the monk's room. The first thing she did when she returned to the room was to lock the door latch and close the windows.
After everything was done, Ying Niang sat at the table and ate sesame cakes, with a bamboo stick in her hand.
The biscuits were very dry and hard.
There was a well in the monastery courtyard, but Ying Niang did not dare to use it because she smelled a rotten smell in the well.
There was a water source in the back mountain. We waited until daybreak before leaving. Ying Niang put the cake in her mouth to moisten it before slowly swallowing it. Although the fire burned many things in the Mercy Temple, it was not completely burned. At least Ying Niang discovered it. In many of the surviving rooms, the tables, chairs, beds, and windows are all made of wood. You need to find a handy tool to chop them down and save them for winter firewood.
Tomorrow she had to go look for the kitchen of Mercy Temple. Ying Niang listened to the movement of mice in the house and thought happily, maybe if she followed the mice, she might be able to find the kitchen.
Ying Niang was thinking about something when she suddenly heard a sound coming from a distant place, like fireworks, banging and banging incessantly.
Ying Niang walked to the window and listened for a while. After confirming that there was only wind outside, she opened the window.
The cold wind blew and snowflakes flew onto her face.
Ying Niang raised her head, and in her usually foggy sight, a large group of blooming colors appeared. It disappeared briefly, and then suddenly lit up again. The wealth and bustle of Luoyang bloomed from the fireworks, and the sound of firecrackers could still be vaguely heard.
It turns out that it’s Chinese New Year.
Ying Niang thought about it in a daze, feeling lost.
Chapter 280
When the sky broke through the clouds, Ying Niang opened the door.
It wasn't that she was big-hearted enough to sleep peacefully until dawn, but that now was the right time for her to go out. Today was a sunny day, which caused the thick fog in front of her to lighten a bit.
Ying Niang blinked her eyes. Once her pupils stared at a bright place for a long time, they would be stimulated. Not only would it hurt, but they would also shed physiological tears.
She closed her eyes and breathed in the cold air. After her head was completely clear, Ying Niang held the bamboo stick and walked along the corridor to the dormitories. She knew that these large temples, except for the dormitories prepared for these pilgrims, naturally There will also be a dining hall and a canteen inside the temple, the Five Views Hall.
Ying Niang always felt that she had visited many temples before, but she had no idea who she was before.
She walked slowly in this huge, deserted temple, found the dining hall, entered it, and groped around in the dining hall. The dining hall was so big that Yingniang could even think of the times when the vegetarian cooks prepared and delivered food to the pilgrims. noisy.
Presumably the firewood in the stove must have been very strong at that time, the flames were licking the bottom of the pot, and various dishes were coming out of the oven. She walked all the way, as if she had passed through an old fantasy. Yingniang finally ended up in the messy dining hall. Found what I wanted.
She had been busy for a long time, and her palms were covered with dust. She found the things in a wooden cabinet. There were three or five large round jars not far from the wooden cabinet. Yingniang touched them, but there was no water in them. If she guessed That's right. The round tank was probably used for fish farming in the past.
Because she found a knife specially designed for cutting fish.
The handle of the knife was wrapped in a circle of leather, and the scabbard was missing. Perhaps it had no scabbard in the first place. It was specially used to cut fish, so the blade was very thin and about half the length of her hand. It should be She was dealing with some smaller fish, and the grip was just right. Yingniang carefully touched the rust on the blade, and her heart instantly calmed down.
Since entering the temple last night, Ying Niang has been thinking about how to find something to defend herself.
She has heard Yu Dalang talk about how much people in Luoyang like to eat fish and clams more than once, and Luoyang carps are even more valuable, so why is there no carp knife in this dining hall that is exclusively used by dignitaries?
She continued to search around the dining hall, and was pleasantly surprised to find that most of the kitchen utensils in this dining hall were still usable. Next, she only needed to find some firewood to make a fire.
It's a pity that there is no food.
Ying Niang found a whetstone and carried a small wooden bucket away. She returned to the dormitory where the pilgrims lived. There was a small pond in the courtyard of the dormitory. Ying Niang brought some water up with a small wooden bucket, wetted the whetstone, and Untie the knife and sharpen it.
A slight friction sound sounded in the dormitory.
After Ying Niang sharpened the knife, she hid the knife at her waist and tied the robe she wore outside with a hemp rope. Although it was a bit nondescript, it was windproof and easy to take.
After doing these things, Ying Niang estimated that it was almost noon.
She returned to the monk's room where she lived and had a makeshift lunch. The water in the Zhaitang courtyard was stagnant, the well water in the monk's room smelled rancid, and there were wild animals in the back mountain. She thought about it and decided to go to the front hall in the afternoon to see if there were any. There is no water source, and if not, the snow in the yard will work.
After resting for a while, Ying Niang clenched the bamboo stick in her hand and set off.
She walked very slowly, and sometimes she would find the locked gate. The entire Mercy Temple was silent. Yingniang stopped. The road ahead was blocked by a pile of things. She bent down and swept away the snow, walking along the After touching the obstacles, I found many stones with exquisite carvings, large and small, scattered in the middle of the road.
Yingniang had no choice but to take another path.
She was walking along the black wall path and suddenly heard the sound of a bell.
Ying Niang looked up in the direction of the bell, and a tower dimly appeared in front of her sight.
Why are there bells?
Ying Niang's heart was palpitating. Could it be that there were still people in Mercy Temple? Just thinking about this possibility made Ying Niang's palms break into cold sweat. She looked at the tower warily, and for a moment she wanted to return to the monk's dormitory.
After a while, Yingniang knelt down, took out the knife, cut a strip of cloth on the corner of her skirt, and then wrapped the strip of cloth around the bottom of the bamboo stick so that there would be no sound when the bamboo stick hits the ground. .
She went to check the situation first. If there were many people in the temple, she would leave.
This time she hid the knife in her sleeve.
The further she walked, the more traces of human activity she could feel. For example, there was a section of the road with very little snow, such as the strange gaps in the courtyard wall. They were blocked by layers of bamboo forests. If Yingniang hadn't walked carefully against the wall, , will not discover these wonders.
The cold wind passed through the pores in the wall, blowing the wind and snow onto her clothes. The sharp sound of the wind was howling in her ears, like the hissing of a night cat or the cry of a ghost.
Listening to these scary rumors, Ying Niang seemed to understand the rumors that Mercy Temple was haunted.
Touching the holes, Ying Niang frowned slightly, wondering who lived in Mercy Temple.
As she approached the tower, Yingniang accidentally discovered traces of vegetable patches, which made her more certain of her own judgment and therefore more cautious. In her sight, it was a strange tower with crooked floors and crumbling floors. It was a veritable tower worthy of its name. of dangerous buildings.
Ying Niang watched for a long time, but the bell she heard earlier had long since disappeared. She hid in the pine forest and listened quietly to the movements in the tower.
Two footsteps came out of the tower one after the other.
"Lingbao, how many times have I told you that you are not allowed to ring the bell in the library? Have you listened?" A taller monk grabbed the ear of another young monk and said angrily: "The library is not safe. What if it falls and dies?"
"I realize I was wrong, senior brother, just let me go around this time." The little monk clasped his hands together and begged for mercy. Their voices were both very ugly, and their throats seemed broken.
The tall monk then let go: "Today is the New Year. Let's go to the Main Hall to pay New Year's greetings to Master."
"Will Senior Brother Cunzhen come back that night? I haven't seen him for a long time." The young monk said.
"Maybe." The great monk was not sure.
The sun shines on their faces, which are burnt and craggy, and the flesh is red and wrinkled.
They left the library holding hands.
Ying Niang waited for them to leave before she came out of the pine forest. The two people sounded like monks in the temple. Including Senior Brother Cunzhen and their master, there were four people.
Ying Niang returned from the original route, thinking about what to do? Suddenly an old voice was heard.
"Amitabha, the poor monk returned to his mortal world and met the female donor."
Ying Niang's eyes widened. She looked at the old monk who appeared at the end of the path at some unknown time. His face was pale. She didn't hear any sound. When did this man come?
Guichen looked at the woman not far away, his eyes moved from her crow-green robe to her face, and noticed the woman's eyes.
"Donor, can't you see?"
Ying Niang held the knife in her sleeve tightly, her palms filled with cold sweat.
Guichen sighed: "Not long ago, a stranger entered the back door of the temple. The man was so frightened in the temple that he walked around in a circle and left. Does the donor know that person?"
"I know you." Yingniang listened to the old monk's words and knew that Yu Dalang's traces in the temple had been known to the old monk in front of her. She said softly, "I am blind and it is inconvenient, so he brought me here. When I came to this place, I thought it was a deserted temple, and I didn’t want to disturb the master’s practice, so I hope he won’t be surprised.”
Guichen asked: "I think the donor has a good status, so why did he end up living in a wild temple?"
The old monk also received many distinguished guests when Mercy Temple was at its peak, and he had a sharp eye. Although the robe worn by the female benefactor was shabby, Guichen could tell at a glance that the robe was made of Shu brocade, and the duck-blue robe was green. The robe is embroidered with complicated patterns, and the robe is cut to fit perfectly, which makes her appear noble and noble. Not to mention, the woman's appearance and demeanor are not like those of ordinary people.
Ying Niang remained silent.
She was still wary of the old monk who suddenly appeared.
Guichen stroked his beard and said: "The monk is compassionate. Since the female donor has a serious eye disease, she can stay in this temple for a while."
Ying Niang couldn't refuse after hearing these twists and turns.
"Thank you, Abbot." She returned the salute to the old monk.
The old monk's face burned by the fire became even more terrifying when he smiled. He replied: "I am not the abbot of Mercy Temple. The abbot has passed away long ago. I am just a monk who used to know guests in the temple."
After that, leave.
Ying Niang returned to the monk's house with blurred vision.
By dusk, she had packed her parcels. The side door at the back of the temple was still the same. If she wanted to leave, Ying Niang could leave at any time. Ying Niang lingered by the door, and finally returned to the monk's house. Once outside, she could Where to go? What's more, she is not willing to give up the Mercy Temple, after all, it is in her memory.
At night.
There was a knock on the door.
Ying Niang opened her eyes immediately, and there was no sleep inside.
The two monks outside were pushing each other, and finally Lingbao said nervously: "The female donor is sleeping, is she asleep?"
Ying Niang stood up: "I haven't rested yet."
