Thunder sounded in the sky. The sky was clear just a moment ago, but in a moment it was overcast with clouds and thunder and lightning.
Flashes of lightning were like thunder swords cutting the sky into pieces, and rainwater poured down from the gap, like a waterfall, hitting the ground with crackling crackles, raising mist, dust, and smoke.
Zhao Tiehe frowned, his breath was filled with the smell of dry soil and rainwater, which made him rub his nose in disgust, "Jiang Li, isn't it just a small temple? We rushed in and captured the abbot Lao Deng directly. Stop and stop, if you don’t believe he won’t tell the truth!”
Under the rain, an ancient temple ten miles away is surrounded by mountains. Although it is far away from official roads and villages, you can see many people carrying bamboo baskets and holding coriander poles on the only path leading to the outside of the mountain. The believers of Mi held umbrellas and walked resolutely towards Wukong Temple in the pouring rain.
There are also believers who have made their vows, wearing straw mats and bamboo hats, and bowing three times, nine steps and one kowtow in the mud, piously and solemnly.
"If this Wukong Temple is really just an ordinary temple, why should I loan you out from the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion!"
Jiang Li held an umbrella and stood at the edge of the woods, quietly watching the ancient temple at the foot of the mountain. The slanting rain wet half of his clothes. He suddenly missed Jiang Xinyu's huge iron umbrella.
The big demon black dog absconded with an umbrella and his whereabouts are still unknown. He probably went to find the demon king Yun Xi who stole the remains of Pan Emperor at night. I don't know if there will be a chance to see him again.
It's not that he misses Black Dog, but the Pan Emperor's bones on Black Dog's body can obviously increase the effect of Taoist training, and its magical power is amazing.
"What's so special about an ancient temple? My father has been a escort all year round. I have an impression of almost all the sects and Taoist sects that are relatively large in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but I have never heard the name of Wukong Temple. It's just some The fair-weather monk is just cheating some faithful men and women out of their incense money!"
Zhao Tiehe didn't take it seriously, "But everything is up to your arrangement. Even if you let me become a monk, it would be better than returning to the Military Governor's Mansion and suffering!"
"What nonsense are you talking about? The rain has stopped, let's continue on the road!"
Jiang Li put away his umbrella, got on his horse, and galloped towards the ancient temple at the foot of the mountain.
The rain in early summer comes and goes at any time. Before the people and horses reach the mountainside, beams of light are falling from the dark clouds.
"Hey, hey, there is no reason for a young man to run ahead of the young master. Jiang Li, you have to do your best in your acting!"
Zhao Tiehe yelled and quickly chased after him. The two of them rushed up the winding road in the mountains, one after the other.
"Door, you are here to fulfill your wish? The masters in the temple have boundless power, and the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas respond to all requests. This is really a blessing cultivated by our ancestors in the eight villages!"
"No, my wife has been infertile for three years. She only spent three days and three nights in the temple reciting sutras. Then she gave birth to a big fat boy!"
"Congratulations, the incense in your ancestral hall can last for another generation. Qian Ming also asked Zhuo Jing to go to the temple to offer incense. In ten years, six losers were born, and none of them had a handle. My hard work day and night was in vain. Day and night!”
"In this solemn treasure land, stop using dirty words and don't offend the gods. I ask for a merit pill to cure my child's illness. The doctors in Shengjing City are not optimistic about the cause of the disease, but the great monks can cure it with just one pill!"
On the small road where only two people can walk side by side, there is an endless stream of believers who come to pray for blessings. They all believe in the fulfillment of the Buddha's teachings in Wukong Temple.
"Jiang Li, this temple is probably not serious!"
Zhao Tiehe had a strange look on his face, and whispered into Jiang Li's ear: "My father was once escorting, and he passed by a large temple. The incense was very popular, and it was also the most effective way to pray for a child. My father came out to release water at night, and used his skills to jump up to the roof. He wanted to take a peek. The little lady who is chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall, guess what..."
"Have you met a man-eating female monster?" Jiang Li asked with a smile.
"There are no monsters in this world. If they don't eat people, they are real!"
Zhao Tiehe sighed: "But it was the monks who were doing those shameless things. My father was so greedy that he wanted to pretend to be a monk to do that good thing the next night. In the end, he was caught by the monks and escorted by the bodyguard. He ran away without even bothering to take it away, causing my mother and I to eat sweet potatoes for three years!"
"Ah this..." Jiang Li shook his head after hearing this: "Did your father tell you this?"
"That's not true. It was because the old man was drunk and accidentally let something slip. He was saying, "I can't hit a monk but I can't hit him?" My mother-in-law gave me such a good beating that I even got discounted for shoveling charcoal!" Zhao Tiehe smacked his lips.
"..."
Zhao Tiehe may have been holding back for too long in the Military Governor's Mansion. At this moment, he was like a chatterbox and heartless. He never thought that he might have a brother alive who he had never met before.
After a while, the two came to the ancient temple, and Zhao Tiehe stopped talking.
There is a decent golden plaque hanging above the entrance of the temple, Wukong Temple.
The handwriting is solemn and precious, but it cannot be read carefully. The writing power is limited, and it is not even as neat and elegant as Zhao Tiehe's handwriting.
"The two donors came from afar, but they are rare guests."
At the gate of the temple, two thin monks stood, their robes washed white and with a few patches on their cuffs, welcoming believers who came to the temple to offer incense and fulfill their vows.
When a monk saw Jiang Li and his two men approaching on horseback, his eyes showed strange color and he stepped forward to greet them.
"Master, my young master went to Shengjing City to visit relatives. He took a wrong path and accidentally entered the treasure land. It is getting late at this time. I am afraid that he will not be able to make it to Shengjing. I would like to stay one night in the treasure land. Do you have any comment?"
Jiang Li turned over and dismounted, took out a few grains of broken silver from his arms, and said with a smile: "I hope the master will accept it if you make a small donation!"
"No, monks don't accept money, don't touch it, don't touch it!"
The thin monk waved his hands quickly, holding his arms close to his chest, as if the broken silver in Jiang Li's hand was poison.
"Brother, Wukong Temple is a truly pure Buddhist and a holy place for asceticism. It would be best if there are rice, noodles, vegetables, and salt, but it's okay if you don't have them. The masters don't accept money, let alone sell incense!"
An old farmer tremblingly untied the basket from his back and offered three to five kilograms of rice and a small bag of salt with both hands.
As expected, the thin monk accepted it with a face full of joy and made no move to resist.
"Wukong Temple welcomes blessings. The two donors want to stay overnight. Please come with me!"
Putting the offerings in the wooden barrel aside, the thin monk sang a song and led Jiang Li and Zhao Tiehe into the temple.
The temple is not big, and although it has been cleaned spotlessly, it is filled with an old and dilapidated atmosphere.
There are traces of knocking and patching everywhere on the window frames, wooden doors, and stone steps of the Buddhist hall.
The two Vajra warrior statues on the left and right of the entrance have most of their paint peeled off, making them look a bit sinister despite their majesty.
The small front yard was full of believers from nearby villages, with smoke curling up and fireworks filling the air.
In the Buddhist hall, three golden Buddhas sit on lotuses, and six or seven monks can be faintly seen chanting sutras and practicing sutras.
"Wukong Temple is not comparable to the big temples in Shengjing City. There are 21 monks in total, and there are three monastic orders. The house is a bit cramped, so the two donors can only share one room!"
The thin monk led the two of them to a house in the backyard. He clasped his hands and said, "The poor monk's teaching is Zhengxin. If you two have any needs, please feel free to ask. We will not eat after lunch in our temple. If you two are hungry, the kitchen There are yams prepared for pilgrims in the steamer, you can just help yourself!”
"Thank you, Master!"
Jiang Li nodded, sent Zhengxin to the door, then returned to the room and closed the door.
"Jiang Li, the gardener can't lie. This is the first time in my life that I have seen such a poor temple!"
Zhao Tiehe scratched his head, "If this is not serious, I'm afraid there won't be any serious temple!"
"I think everything here is suspicious!"
Jiang Li sat in a chair and meditated, recalling all the scenes he encountered after entering Wukong Temple.
Simple monks, dilapidated temples, devout believers, and a Buddha who responds to all requests.
If such a scene appeared in the remote countryside of various provinces and counties, everything would be reasonable and there would be no flaws.
But this is Shengjing.
If such an ancient temple really existed, how could the people and dignitaries in Shengjing City not know about it?
But ever since Jiang Li saw Wukong Temple from afar, all the believers he met along the way were villagers from nearby villages and towns.
This is very unreasonable.
"I'm going out for a walk!"
Jiang Li stood up and pushed out the door. He first went to the kitchen to get a few steamed yams, put them in his arms, and went to the front yard of Wukong Temple.
Although it is approaching the afternoon, there are still many believers who come to worship the Buddha and offer incense. They kneel in the courtyard and the Buddhist hall, pray and recite sutras.
Under the west courtyard wall, there are also believers sitting cross-legged in the shade, enjoying the cool air and resting.
Jiang Li mingled with the crowd and walked into the Buddhist hall. Three Buddhas were sitting high on lotuses, with kind eyebrows and kind eyes, half-downcast eyes, overlooking the common people. Although they were clay bodies, they had a vast and peaceful atmosphere.
Jiang Li looked up, and in the divine platform in his mind, the divine soul light group trembled slightly, and the golden pages also vibrated slightly.
"Although these Buddha statues are made of clay, they have a power similar to spiritual thoughts attached to them. They must have received worship from nearby villagers for many years. The spiritual power has accumulated and adhered to them all year round, and gradually transformed.
"Just like the statue of the Hundred Sages in the Chinese Confucian Temple, it will gradually give birth to its own vague consciousness. It can also be regarded as a power of faith, but this power is not pure, and is mixed with a lot of desire and greed!"
Jiang Li looked for a while and found nothing else, so he took three sticks of incense from the monk's hand and inserted them into the incense altar.
He turned around and walked out of the Buddhist hall, came to the shadow of the west wall, found an empty seat and sat down, took out a few yams from his arms, peeled and chewed them leisurely, and watched quietly.
"Brother looks unfamiliar, he doesn't look like a local!"
Sitting next to Jiang Li was a dark-skinned middle-aged man. He was not tall and had thick calluses on his skinny palms. He seemed to be a nearby villager.
"My young master and I were going to Shengjing City to join our relatives, but we accidentally took a sidetrack and stayed here for one night!" Jiang Li smiled.
"No wonder Wukong Temple is only known to people in our eight villages. It is rare to see outsiders coming here to worship!" said the middle-aged man.
"Brother, along the way, I have been told that the Wukong Temple is very efficacious. It can cure diseases and pray for children. It can do anything. I thought it was a big temple, but I didn't expect it to be so shabby!"
Jiang Li curled his lips and said: "It is completely incomparable to our temple in Xiangyang Prefecture. The courtyard where the abbot presides over is much larger than this Wukong Temple. I think it is just a false name and just follow what others say. Otherwise, why are there no believers in Shengjing City?" Come and worship and rebuild the temple!”
"Young man, Wukong Temple is kind enough to take you in, but why do you behave like this!"
The middle-aged man's face suddenly changed, and he said very displeasedly: "What do you know? There are no real monks in the temples outside, but they are just swindlers who use sweet words to get money for incense.
"The great masters of Wukong Temple don't care about money, and they don't like false reputations. They never allow us to talk about each other and spread our reputation. They only want to be ascetic monks who don't care about worldly affairs and practice quietly!"
"It's just that I don't have any real magic power. I have seen many temples along the way. There is an eminent monk who smashes ten stone slabs with one palm and can fly seven or eight meters high in one leap!"
Jiang Li stretched out his hand and gestured, "Can the monks of Wukong Temple do the two things I mentioned?"
"What kind of magic power is that? It's just a martial artist's method!" The middle-aged man sneered: "The masters of Wukong Temple have real Buddhist teachings!"
"Isn't this bragging?" Jiang Li looked unconcerned.
"Hey, you boy!"
The middle-aged man stood up abruptly. He looked at Jiang Li, his eyes flickering, as if hesitating, but he finally said: "Well, I don't want to argue with you, but I can't stand anyone doubting the compassion of the great masters. Means, tonight, the great masters will gather in the mountain behind the temple to hold a meeting to eradicate demons. If you don’t believe it, you will know when you come out and take a look!"
"Demon Extermination Conference?"
Jiang Li's eyes flashed, and he immediately sneered: "How can there be monsters in this world? It's probably the Wukong Temple that bluffs people. I've seen this kind of magic trick too many times!"
"Humph, you can tell if it's true or not. Originally, only us eight villagers knew about this matter, but the magic power of the masters is absolutely true. It's not a big deal if you have one more person!"
The middle-aged man said angrily: "But after you see it, let it go. Don't talk nonsense to others. If the masters know about it, they will be angry!"
"Hey, what are the real and fake monsters? What does it have to do with me? What kind of magic sticks do you want to watch if you don't sleep at night? My young master said that all the girls in Nuanyu Pavilion are monsters who eat people without spitting out their bones!"
Jiang Li jumped up from the ground, patted his butt, and walked towards the temple backyard without looking back. The angry middle-aged man stood there and stared.
"Hoo ho ho"
In the backyard of Wukong Temple, Zhao Tiehe was shirtless, his fist shadows were like shuttles, his body was moving around, and he was striking with a set of Taizu's long fists, which was very powerful.
Six monks from Wukong Temple were standing aside and watching, cheering from time to time, watching with gusto.
Zhao Tiehe was born in a bodyguard bureau, and his martial arts skills were very solid. He was personally trained by Huangfu Muchuan, and his skills were extremely outstanding among the same batch of military officers, and he was not inferior to the children of aristocratic families.
After his Taizu Changquan attack, his identity as a descendant of a wealthy family was completely confirmed.
"Ajiang, where have you been? I asked you to go to the kitchen to find something edible to satisfy my hunger. Why did you disappear without a trace in just a blink of an eye?"
Seeing Jiang Li staggering back, Zhao Tiehe dropped his posture, his face darkened, and he cursed harshly.
He suddenly let out a sound like thunder, which shook the roof tiles in the entire backyard.
"Amitabha!"
The six monks were also startled, chanted a Buddhist name, and then lined up and walked to the front yard.
"Hehe, let's see if my young master's attitude is like that!"
Back in the room, Zhao Tiehe laughed.
"Not to mention the monk, I was shocked!"
Jiang Li shook his head helplessly, and then whispered: "Tonight, the monks will hold a demon elimination meeting in the mountain behind the temple. I'll go and have a look. You stay here to cover for me."
"Demon Exorcism Conference!"
Zhao Tiehe's eyes lit up, then dimmed again, and he said reluctantly: "You came to me just to use me as a tool!"
"Otherwise? When you reach the Xiantian realm, you can raise the conditions again!" Jiang Li said with a smile.
"It's Xiantian again!"
Hearing this, Zhao Tiehe had a bitter look on his face: "I originally wanted to take the exam for the general banner. In the future, I can live in a thousand households, be a general, and show off in front of my descendants. Who knew that when I came to Shengjing, I would be able to do it directly as soon as I started? Now that I have become a thousand households, I am forced to practice martial arts every day by my adoptive father, and I have to read the military scrolls written by you. It is really not as comfortable as being a commander-in-chief!"
"If you really don't want to be a Qianhu, I can talk to the Holy Master for you!" Jiang Li looked serious.
"It's not necessary, it's not necessary, we can't be ignorant and let the Holy Father and the foster father down!"
Zhao Tiehe waved his hand quickly, refusing much more firmly than the monk of Wukong Temple.
The sun sets over the west mountain, and the bright moon hangs in the sky. Wukong Temple also becomes quiet as night falls, and the believers who offer incense gradually leave. In the entire temple, only the Buddhist hall and a few houses in the backyard are dimly lit.
Jiang Li gently pushed the door open, and the moonlight fell on the ground. The entire backyard was silent and desolate, with only intermittent low chanting accompanied by the sound of wooden fish tapping, gently lingering.
Jiang Li changed into the coarse linen clothes that farmers usually wear. He jumped up and silently jumped over the wall of the courtyard. He took a few steps and swept towards the back mountain like a ghost.
After passing through a low dense forest, there was a sudden light ahead, and countless torches were faintly flashing. There were one or two thousand people gathered in the small mountain col.
The believers held torches and surrounded them in layers.
In the central open space, twelve monks in shabby monk robes sat on the ground, forming a circle, facing the center of the circle, and silently reciting scriptures.
The beads in their hands rotated with the chanting, and the melodious Buddhist sounds lingered in the sky. The believers looked pious and their eyes showed enthusiasm.
An old monk who was over seventy years old, wearing cassocks, walked to the center of the circle and stood firm. He had a kind face and kind eyes and a compassionate heart. He spoke loudly: "I, the Buddha, are compassionate and save the world with my kind thoughts. However, these are troubled times and demons are rampant. , it is difficult to save, the Buddha conquered demons and became enlightened, purifying the world, which is also a supreme merit!"
"Amitabha, my Buddha is compassionate!"
The believers shouted in unison and fell to their knees.
"Today, a black demon appears in the world, lurking in the world, and has evil intentions. It will do things that are harmful to nature and harm the world. Wukong Temple will eliminate the demon today and kill all living beings just to protect the peace of the people of the eight villages. I will bear the sin of killing all by myself!"
The old monk said loudly: "Come here, bring up the black monster!"
"The black demon is coming, get out of the way!"
There was a commotion in the crowd, and soon they saw eight strong young people carrying a wooden cage to the center of the open space.
"Ouch"
In the cage, a pair of ferocious eyes as big as copper bells suddenly opened, with a fierce light, like a body the size of a calf, struggling to separate, and the wooden cage was shaking.
The surrounding believers were so frightened that they shouted and backed away.
With the help of the flickering firelight around him, Jiang Li looked closely and saw that the fur of the beast in the wooden cage was as black as ink, almost completely hidden under the night cover, and he couldn't see clearly what it was.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. With me, the eminent monk of Wukong Temple, sitting here, this black demon can't cause any trouble!"
The old monk raised his arms to stop the commotion of the believers. He kneaded the secrets with his hands and shouted softly. A purple light flew out of his hands and hit the beast shadow in the wooden cage.
"You monster monk, you actually dare to plot to kill this big monster, you are so brave!"
In the wooden cage, the black beast figure suddenly spoke, spitting out human words, cursing, with a bad attitude and full of anger, "I didn't provoke you, I just hid in the grass for a few days and ate some chickens and ducks. As for raising an army like this?" What!"
"Why is it this guy!"
Jiang Li was suddenly startled. Although the beast in the wooden cage was much larger in size, no other dog demon could make such a mean voice.
"Hmph, you are hiding in a villager's house, sneaking around, and sneaking around. What evil deeds are you going to do? Are you going to suck the blood of men to help you become a human being, or are you going to confuse women and do those dirty things!"
The old monk spoke righteously, "I set up a magic circle to capture you. What's wrong with me? Did I wait for you to harm the villagers in eight villages and then come to arrest you and hold you accountable?"
"Speak, speak!"
"Abbott, please show your magical power and contain this monster!"
"A black dog turns into a spirit, and he is the one who specializes in bewitching women!"
When the believers around him saw the big black dog talking, they were frightened and knelt on the ground, begging the old monk to kill the demon.
"Don't be afraid, everyone. If I can capture this monster, I can naturally kill it too!"
The old monk said with kind eyes, "But the poor monk's magic power is limited. He has exhausted all his strength by trapping it. If we want to completely get rid of this monster, we still need your help!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the twelve monks who had been sitting on the ground and chanting sutras all stood up and took out from their arms a strange-shaped spike that was completely blue and had many unknown patterns and small scrolls engraved on the surface.
"Abbott, getting rid of this demon is also for our safety!"
"It's just that shedding some blood is better than being harmed by demons!"
The surrounding believers seemed to be accustomed to this. When they saw the monks approaching with strange-shaped spikes, someone immediately stepped forward, took the spikes, and cut the skin of their palms.
The skin was scratched by the spikes, and blood immediately flowed out and dripped on the strange-shaped spikes.
Strangely enough, the strange-shaped spikes looked strong and sharp, but when blood dripped onto them, they acted like a sponge, absorbing all the blood.
The strange-shaped spikes trembled slightly and made a pleasant low sound, forming some kind of strange field.
An invisible energy flew out from the wound and submerged into the spikes. Xinmin's complexion instantly became sluggish, as if all the strength in his body had been drained away.
The monks took back the strange-shaped spikes and handed them to the believers next to them, passing them on one by one.
"Ignorance, you bunch of idiots and resentful women have all been deceived by demonic monks. They are the demons that suck your essence and blood!"
In the wooden cage, the big black dog barked: "It is said that demons hurt people. You are a bunch of ordinary people. You have very little energy in your body. Your breath is messy and filthy. If you suck your essence, it will only dirty the demon's mouth!" "
(End of chapter)
