Snowflakes were falling from the sky. Mr. Bai sat on the bullock cart and reached out to catch some snowflakes in his hand.
“The snow is a little light this year!”
After sighing, the team continued to move forward.
With militia protection, the journey was safe.
There is less snow this year, which also has the advantage that at least many people will not freeze to death.
There are still many people outside the city who are suffering from hunger and cold. Months of disaster relief have only ensured that these people will not die of hunger. Those who are alive are just alive.
It was Bai Yao's first time traveling far away. He was very excited. He pulled Zhao Ruoyu and ran around on the ground, feeling very happy.
At this time, Ye Ming, who was in Mr. Bai's jade pendant, felt that the situation had changed and something was approaching!
Not long after, suddenly a gust of cold wind hit. Everyone was shivering and their whole bodies were cold. Then, everyone felt empty in their stomachs and unbearably hungry.
Many people couldn't help but eat the dry food they brought with them.
Bai Yao also felt his stomach growling with hunger. He felt very uncomfortable and wanted to eat.
Mr. Bai didn't feel hungry, but he realized the problem when he saw the behavior of the people around him.
"Everyone come to me!"
Knowing that he was a little different from ordinary people, Mr. Bai directly called everyone over.
Sure enough, as he got closer to Mr. Bai, the inexplicable hunger subsided a lot.
Everyone looked around curiously, but the sky was completely white and nothing could be seen except for the light snow.
Zhao Ruoyu tilted his head, held a finger in his mouth, and stared blankly at the sky.
Not only him, Ye Ming is also observing the situation in the sky.
From a perspective that mortals cannot see, a battle is taking place in the sky at this time.
A group of sinister men holding chains and flags surrounded a ghost in the middle.
The leader is a middle-aged man with a wide robe and big sleeves who is not angry and has no authority.
This person is none other than Lord Chenghuang of Yanhua Prefecture.
Beside him, there were two other people helping him. One of them held a silk book and a jade pen, and the other held a chain and hook. They were the two officials responsible for rewarding good and punishing evil.
The undercover agents, headed by these three people, surrounded the ghost so that it could not escape.
Looking at the ghost again, it was a withered and emaciated humanoid ghost. The whole body of the ghost was extremely thin. It could be said that only bones, meridians, and skin were left stuck together without a trace of flesh and blood. He was praised very much, but his abdomen was swollen and bulging, looking like a starving man.
But this ghost is much stronger than ordinary starving ghosts.
Although he had never seen it before, Ye Ming confirmed with just one glance that this was the "Three Thousand Starving Ghosts"!
Fucheng Huang held a jade seal in one hand and a soul-beating whip in the other, and launched an attack on three thousand starving ghosts.
The jade seal glowed, blinding the starved ghosts with sunken eye sockets, and the soul-beating whip hit the three thousand starved ghosts with a "snap", causing green smoke to rise.
The three thousand starving ghosts let out weak screams of pain, stretched out their withered arms, and slapped the soul-beating whip to resist Fucheng Huang's next attack.
Sizheng, the Second Division of Rewarding Good and Punishing Evil, also launched an attack. The surrounding shady forces continued to reduce the size of the encirclement woven by chains and flags, and continued to reduce the scope of activities of the three thousand starving ghosts.
The three thousand starving ghosts fell into a state of extreme passivity, being beaten until they were weak and roaring.
They were about to take it down, but instead of showing any surprise on their faces, the undercover agents who took action had solemn expressions on their faces, staring intently at the three thousand starving ghosts.
After being severely beaten, the three thousand starving ghosts finally let out a loud cry.
As soon as this loud cry came out, the chain net surrounding it began to tremble violently, as if it would break at any time.
The three thousand starving ghosts rushed forward. Their hands seemed to be full of strength and they were no longer weak. They fought head-on with Fucheng Huang, and they did not fall behind.
Fortunately, with the help of the two departments of Rewarding Good and Punishing Evil, Si Zheng was able to guarantee that it could barely be suppressed.
But this failed to defeat the three thousand starving ghosts. The ghost power condensed in the hands of the three thousand starving ghosts, and a big bone stick appeared in their hands.
The three thousand starving ghosts held white bone sticks and continued to attack, with an aura of becoming more and more courageous as they fought.
Fucheng Huang once again used the luminous jade seal to suppress the three thousand starving ghosts, and used the soul whip to show off his power, fighting against the three thousand starving ghosts.
The Second Division Sizheng also attacked with all his strength, making it impossible for the three thousand starving ghosts to attack Fucheng Huang with all their strength.
With the cooperation of the other party, the three thousand starving ghosts were not defeated, but they were still unable to escape. The chain net around them was once again shrouded.
It's just that these three thousand starving ghosts are not easy people after all. Another white bone stick appears in their hands and they continue to fight against the evil spirits.
Facing the three thousand starving ghosts wielding two bone sticks, all the evil forces worked together and failed to capture them. They just trapped them in the middle, making it impossible for them to escape...
The crowd below couldn't see the battle above, but they all felt uncomfortable. Many people who were a little further away from Mr. Bai felt hungry. After eating the dry food they brought, they went to the grass nearby to find bark and grass roots to eat.
Seeing Zhao Ruoyu's behavior, Mr. Bai guessed that there was something strange around him and quickly led everyone away.
After the group walked about five miles, they felt better and the hunger began to subside.
At this time, Mr. Bai discovered that on the top of a tall slope not far away, there was an old monk with white eyebrows looking at the sky in the distance. The direction he was looking at was exactly the direction they came from.
Mr. Bai felt that the old monk might know something, so he ordered everyone to wait here. He went up the slope alone and saw the old monk.
"Bai Qian, a late student, met the Master."
Mr. Bai made a scholarly gesture.
When the old monk saw Mr. Bai, he also smiled:
"Lao Na, Hongxian of Jinjiu Temple, has met a layman."
"The Master is an expert from Jinjiu Temple?"
Mr. Bai was a little surprised.
The old monk Hongxian smiled and nodded.
The night light in the jade pendant is also unexpected. Jinjiu Temple is quite famous. Together with Shaojue Temple where monk Zhisu lives, and Jinpeng Temple, it is known as the three major Buddhist temples.
"What is the Master doing here?"
Mr. Bai asked.
"I came here to subdue the evil spirits here."
Master Hongxian pointed into the distance and said,
"The evil ghost is currently fighting with the city god Yin Chai, and I just want to help the Yin Chai."
Mr. Bai asked:
"The mage is not close over there. How can we help him if he is so far away?"
"A helping hand at a critical moment only requires one strike. I am gathering my strength here. When I take action later, please stand further away."
After saying that, Master Hongxian clasped his hands together, bowed to Mr. Bai, continued to face the sky over there, with his eyes closed, silently reciting Buddhist scriptures, slowly coiling rosary beads in one hand, and holding a golden bowl in the other.
Seeing this, Mr. Bai stopped disturbing him and stepped back further, observing the old monk.
Ye Ming looked at the battlefield in the distance from here. The fight between the underworld gangsters and the three thousand starving ghosts had reached the point where both sides saw red.
Fucheng Huang was hit several times with a white bone stick, and the three thousand starving ghosts were also beaten with injuries all over their bodies, and their bodies became much darker.
However, no matter how hard the underworld gangsters tried, they could not kill or capture these three thousand hungry ghosts. If they continued to fight, although they could seriously injure the three thousand hungry ghosts, they would still be able to escape.
In that case, after a while, the ghost will recover again, and the efforts of the underworld will be in vain.
Just when the three thousand starving ghosts were hit by Fucheng Huang's soul-beating whip again, their bodies were shaking left and right.
The old monk standing on the top of the slope opened his eyes.
Throwing out the golden bowl in his hand, the golden bowl flew out. In the blink of an eye, it appeared in the air five miles away. A powerful golden light was released from the golden bowl, instantly immobilizing three thousand starving ghosts.
Afterwards, the golden light was recovered and put into the golden bowl together with the three thousand starving ghosts.
The golden bowl flashed in a golden arc across the sky and flew back to the old monk's hand.
After the golden bowl fell into the old monk's palm, it was still trembling. Apparently, the three thousand starving ghosts inside were still struggling.
Seeing this, the old monk threw all the rosary beads in his hand into the golden bowl.
The golden bowl immediately stabilized and became silent.
In this way, the old monk nodded slightly, smiled slightly, clasped his hands together, and chanted the Buddha's name.
The Fucheng Huang and other Yin messengers from afar also flew over. When they saw the old monk, they expressed their thanks.
After the old monk exchanged a few pleasantries with Fucheng Huang and others, he said:
"This ghost was born due to famine. It has a lot of resentment and is difficult to get rid of. I want to take it back to the temple to suppress it. I ask the city god to be lenient."
Naturally, the City God had no objection:
"Then thank you Master, Yanhua Mansion will keep this helping hand in mind."
The old monk put his hands together and returned the greeting. After the two sides chatted for a few more words, the crowd left.
At this time, the old monk looked at Mr. Bai again.
Although I don’t know who the old monk was talking to just now, it is obvious that he has finished talking now.
"Master, what evil spirits did you accept in the golden bowl just now?"
"This ghost is called the Three Thousand Starving Ghosts. It was born out of the resentment of the people who died in the famine..."
The old monk explained once more, and then looked at Bai Yao who was hiding behind a tree and peeking at him, and Zhao Ruoyu who was standing aside blankly.
"This little demon does have some wisdom. If good luck comes in the future, he may be able to achieve something."
Mr. Bai was a little surprised when he heard this:
"His name is Zhao Ruoyu, and he was at the home of Mr. Zhao in the city yesterday..."
He explained the origin of Zhao Ruoyu.
"Oh, it seems that you, layman, are blessed with good fortune, but I am mistaken.
This little demon looks stupid, just because his mind has not been opened and his stubbornness has not gone away. If he gets a chance, his mind is opened and his stubbornness is resolved, then the future will be promising. "
The old monk looked at Zhao Ruoyu and said with a smile.
"If Master is interested, he can be accepted as his disciple."
Mr. Bai knew that he was an expert, so he naturally hoped that Zhao Ruoyu would have a good future.
The old monk shook his head:
"His good fortune is not with Lao Na. If he is taken away, I'm afraid he will mislead others."
As he spoke, the old monk took out a thin booklet from his sleeve,
"I have a copy of the 'Wooden Fish Heart Sutra' here. If the layman has free time, he can recite it to this little demon once a day. It may be helpful to his happiness."
Mr. Bai did not refuse and accepted it generously:
"In that case, I would like to thank the Master for Ruoyu."
Zhao Ruoyu on the side seemed to understand something and made a gesture of thanks.
Seeing this, Bai Yao also made a gesture of thanks.
The old monk presented the "Wooden Fish Heart Sutra" and stopped lingering. He smiled and said:
"Businessman, we are destined to meet again."
After that, he walked down the mountain slowly.
Although he was walking slowly, one moment he was still here, the next moment he was dozens of feet away, and with another step, his figure was no longer visible.
"Dad, is this old monk a god?"
Bai Yao asked curiously.
"He is an eminent monk."
"Since he is an enlightened monk, why didn't he stop the famine? Instead, he came out to collect the evil spirits after the famine?"
“Because ordinary people need to solve their own problems!
Yao'er, remember, don't think about relying on any gods or Buddhas. Solving problems must always be done by ourselves. "
"Oh, I thought daddy, after seeing what the old immortal was capable of, you wanted to ask for help from the immortal!"
"Seeking immortality and asking questions is cultivation, and walking in the mud of the world of mortals is not cultivation.
Moreover, I think that the practice in the world of mortals is more important than the practice of seeking immortality. Otherwise, if these masters obviously have the ability to transcend the world, why would they take root in the world of mortals? "
"Uh, I don't understand!"
Bai Yao scratched his head, not understanding what his father meant.
Mr. Bai smiled and said:
"It doesn't matter whether we understand it or not. Anyway, we have been in this mortal world and we will understand it sooner or later."
With that said, a group of people set off on the road again.
Ye Ming, who was in the jade pendant, also had little understanding. He felt that Mr. Bai said a lot of incomprehensible words, which was confusing to the devil.
...
