"Nice to meet you."
"I have admired you for a long time, I have admired you for a long time."
"Everyone says that Brother Xiang has extraordinary magnanimity. When I saw him today, he really lived up to his reputation."
"Award after award, Yang Xiandi is handsome, young and promising, so he is the envy of others."
In front of the courtyard of Qianfo Temple's dormitory, two groups of people were clearly distinguishable and stood facing each other. Their expressions looked like blood would be spilled on the spot if they disagreed. But at the front of the team, the leaders of both sides exchanged pleasantries with each other, and it felt like they were reunited with relatives and friends. If anyone else saw it, their jaws would drop with shock, probably because these two people were none other than the middle-aged man in brocade clothes was Xiang Jisheng, the right envoy of the White Lotus Sect, and the slightly younger one next to him was the new commander of Long Xiangwei of the Suppression Division. Make Yang Zhiji.
The two sides could be said to be life-and-death enemies, but these two were good friends. The intimacy in their words made it seem like they wanted to burn yellow paper and cut off the chicken's head on the spot.
"Everyone says that Brother Xiang has been promoted to the position of left envoy of your sect, which is very gratifying!"
"Brother Yang Xian is newly appointed as the official of the Longxiang Guard Commander. Isn't it also a joy to share the same joy?"
"Yes! The saint of your sect is the daughter of our Marquis Huaiyuan. Aren't we two members of the same family? Don't we share the same joy?!"
"Well said! We are just one family."
"Since we are all a family, there are some misunderstandings in the past..."
"Is there any misunderstanding between us?"
"Yes, yes! There is no misunderstanding. Then we can move around more in the future."
"Of course, please take note."
……………………
It was getting late, and both sides dispersed.
Of course, they didn't stray far, they were just in the same row of dormitories, with two wing rooms on the left and right.
……………………
"Dog officer."
Fang entered the room door.
He cursed to the left, then winked, and one of his men immediately took up the magic formula, placed a ban on the room, and then retreated to the left and right. For a while, there were only three people left in the room.
Xiang Jisheng was more than capable of saying that he was originally a confidant of the leader of the White Lotus and had a great reputation within the sect. After the death of the left envoy Bailian, he was moved from the right envoy to the left envoy, making him the perfect candidate for the next leader.
As for the other two, they are both guardians within the sect. Among them, the old man, who is short and lean but has an arrogant demeanor, is named Huang Taihu. He was a water thief in Taihu Lake. When he was young, he had the ability to call the wind, rain, and create waves. He was nicknamed "Old Jiao".
The other person's name is Ni Wanchun, whose reputation is not obvious. The world only knows that he was born in Meishan Sect, and his methods are evil. Because Meishan witchcraft mostly uses talisman water, he is called "Water Master". This is the person who set the ban just now.
Xiang Jisheng walked back and forth for a few steps, turned his head, but did not speak. He only gestured with his hands, which was actually sign language.
"Chen Zhiji, that dog officer, was a member of the Party. After the Saint Girl's accident, he suddenly replaced the old commander of the Longxiang Guard and became the leader of the Longxiang Guard. It seems that he was specially sent by the imperial court to deal with us. The two guardians, What do you think of this person?"
"How can a demented Confucian scholar know the ways of the world?"
Huang Taihu looked disdainful and immediately responded with gestures.
"You think the saintly girl's father can shake hands with us and make peace with us if he becomes an official in the court? I think he is another fat-headed official. It's ridiculous that the Long Xiangwei gang has such a new boss."
"otherwise."
Ni Wanchun frowned and raised objections.
"The best scholar is Pili Yangqiu, I'm afraid it's not easy to get along with him."
After Xiang Ji Sheng looked at it, he nodded and shook his head.
"Both of them are right, but not quite."
"It is said that a biting dog never barks. This is true. This Chen Zhiji is indeed a good dog with sharp teeth and a sharp mouth! Unfortunately, dogs are dogs. His master does not allow him to bite, so he only dares to charge. We’re just wagging our tails.”
"But..." He sneered, "Do you care whether he barks or not? Wags his tail or not? This dog, we are all determined!"
The newly promoted White Lotus Zuo Envoy had cold eyes.
"Tomorrow is the last day of the Thousand Buddhas Temple Dharma Assembly. We have agreed to shake hands and pray for peace at this Dharma Assembly. Together with the gathering of three religions and nine streams, it is the most lively time and the most exciting time. It’s easy to make a move.”
He looked at Ni Wanchun.
"How's it going with the Saint?"
"Manpower has been deployed, and it's safe to keep."
He turned to Huang Taihu Lake again.
"How are the preparations for tomorrow's ceremony?"
"Arrangements have been made for the officers and soldiers, the monks of Qianfo Temple, the Longxiang Guards, and the worshipers, all of whom are members of our religion."
Ambassador Xiang Zuo nodded, but suddenly asked: "Are there any powerful people in the Long Xiang Guard who need special attention?"
"Yan Xinglie is dead, forget about the old commander. Long Xiangwei has left many masters in a heartless manner. The only one we need to worry about is the Taoist next to Chen Zhiji."
"Who is this person?"
"Longtu Taoist Yang Dianqing."
"It turns out that he is the boss of Longhu Mountain, and he is quite a troublesome person."
Ni Wanchun hesitated for a moment.
"There's another thing I don't know if it's true..."
"What's the matter?"
"There is news from Yuzhou City that they saw a Taoist with short hair."
"Li Xuanxiao?!"
Xiang Zuo frowned and said nothing.
……………………
The other end.
"magician."
Commander Yang rolled his sleeves and cursed, then turned around and asked again.
"how?"
In this monk's room, there were also only a few senior officials of Longxiang Guard left, all gathered in front of a bronze mirror. There was a dim light on the mirror, and it seemed to reflect the appearance of a room. Unfortunately, it seemed to be covered by a layer of light. There was a layer of mist, and nothing could be seen clearly.
Taoist Longtu shook his head and put away the spells in his hands. The glimmer of light on the mirror suddenly dimmed and turned into the appearance of an ordinary bronze mirror.
"These demons are quite cautious."
Yang Zhiji was not discouraged. He just shook his head and smiled. When he spoke again, he could only see his lips opening and closing, but no sound came out.
But other people in the room looked stern, knowing that this was talking about something important using their lips.
Yang Zhiji asked.
"Where are the officers and soldiers?"
Someone immediately responded with the same lip language.
"Already passed the sound."
he asked again.
"Where's the White Lotus Demon Girl?"
"Additional manpower has been deployed. No matter whether the demon wants to fish in troubled waters or make false claims, we will keep him safe."
He nodded and asked again.
"Where are the monks from Thousand Buddhas Temple?"
"The monks are on both ends of the spectrum. No one dares to offend. All the great monks in the temple have gone into seclusion. Only the top monk is outside. It is said that he is chasing a demon."
The respondent looked quite amused when he said this, which actually made him a little more interested.
"Oh? What kind of monster?"
"It is rumored that he is a bald zombie."
"Ha." Chen Zhiji smiled contemptuously and commented, "Bald donkey."
"You've got the benefits of the imperial court, but you still want to betray the rebels? Ignore them for now, clean up the White Lotus Sect, and then argue with them."
Then he asked the most important point.
"Where are our people?"
"The brother who pretended to resign, the helpers sent by other guards, and the Taoist priests from Longhu Mountain have all secretly sneaked into Yuzhou City."
"good!"
Yang Zhiji's face turned red, and he clenched his fists.
"Everything is ready! We just have to wait for the last day of the ceremony tomorrow, when the demon will be destroyed."
After saying that, he looked at Taoist Longtu who had been silent next to him, and instead of calling him by his Taoist name, he called the official title of the Zhenfu Division.
"Yang Qianshi. I am a Confucian scholar, and my strategizing skills are quite good. It is inevitable that I will not be able to catch the enemy when I go into battle. I will ask you to work harder tomorrow."
Taoist Longtu looked dull.
"It's your job."
But he asked at the end.
"Are you really going to do it tomorrow? There will be a lot of people mixed in during the meeting, and I'm afraid innocent people will be killed."
Yang Zhiji did not hesitate: "If you want to achieve great things, how can you care about the lives of ordinary people? How can one family cry all the way? Killing the White Lotus Sect will be a great merit to the court and a great merit to the world!"
As he spoke, he changed the subject and smiled.
"I, Yang Zhiji, am a member of the party, and I am just a passer-by in this Longxiang Guard. As long as I have accomplished this great feat, I will certainly be promoted to a noble rank. Wouldn't the position of the commander of the Longxiang Guard also have the same surname of Yang? "
Taoist Yang did not comment, just smiled and said.
"Infinite Heavenly Lord."
………………………………
………………………………
"Idiot! Are you not afraid of them fighting?"
On the mountain road, the head of the Thousand Buddha Temple and the leader of the monks - Monk Guannan, looked down at the dormitory at his feet. He was very puzzled by the arrangements in the temple. The two giant Buddhas of the Zhenfusi and the White Lotus Sect have been so stupid recently. Why do you dare to put them together?
However, because his subordinates caused the corpse monk incident, the temple also criticized him a lot. It was the time to be cautious, so he would not come out to meddle in others' affairs. The first monk cannot bear the responsibility of the monk Zhike.
If you want to fight, just fight, as long as the blood doesn't splatter on you.
He sneered, quickened his pace, and left the place of right and wrong.
at this time.
The waning moon is cold.
The night wind carries the shadows of the trees.
Huwu... the dead leaves are blowing in the face with the cold air.
He tightened his robes.
The night wind in the mountains seems to be particularly chilly these days.
When did it start?
From the day when the White Lotus Saint went up the mountain? From the day he came down from the mountain to dispose of the corpse monk? Or should I say, when the other great monks in the temple gradually began to shut themselves up... Hehe, when I think of this, I sneer again and again... What a bunch of old foxes, no, old bastards!
He was a little irritable for a moment.
It's not because of the strange situation in the temple, and certainly not the remains under the old temple, but because of the corpse monk...
I still remember that moment when I was in trouble.
He led his monks to surround the zombie, but at that moment, the monster did not show any sign of terminal madness before the rotten head was smashed by the iron rod in his hand.
The corpse monk held a human head and sat cross-legged. His red-haired face showed a calm and calm look. Then he clasped his hands together and said...
"Amitabha."
That’s it! It was like a gangrene attached to his bones, lingering in his heart, making him unable to let go.
When he was in trouble, he felt a jolt rush from his tailbone to his head, making his scalp numb.
"who?"
He turned around suddenly, facing the direction of the sound, and drank again:
"Who's there? Come out!"
Suddenly, he saw a young monk strolling out holding a lantern among the layers of shadows under the trees, corners, and eaves.
"Uncle Master."
The visitor came closer, revealing a face that seemed familiar but could not be remembered for the moment.
"The host invites you to go to the Main Hall."
It turned out to be a monk in the temple.
He breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly straightened his face and showed a majestic posture.
Most likely they were going to inquire about the follow-up of the corpse monk's treatment, or to discuss tomorrow's Dharma meeting. It was the last day of the Wu Zhi Conference. The nearby believers and dignitaries had arrived, so there was no room for any mistakes.
"good."
Nan nodded.
"Guide the way for me."
…………………………
The Thousand Buddhas Temple seems to be particularly empty and dark tonight.
After several twists and turns, we passed through several monasteries, but surprisingly we didn't meet a single monk or a single light along the way.
The footsteps are decorated with footsteps, and the moonlight is hooked on the lights.
For a moment, it seemed that only the young monk Nan Yu was left in the world; and it seemed that all the light sources in the world were only the waning moon in the sky and the lantern in the monk's hand.
For no apparent reason, the coldness echoing in the night wind invaded my heart.
It is inevitable that some doubts will arise.
Where are the monks?
Where are the lights?
He couldn't help but ask:
"Why don't we see any monks playing tonight?"
"We have a lot of work tomorrow, so the host asked us to go to bed early."
"Why don't you light the lamp?"
"No one is traveling, so there is no need to light a lamp."
Between asking and answering, the two of them had arrived at a main hall.
This is a huge thing, with its back leaning against the pitch-black mountain top. There are some dim candlelights coming from the windows. Above the closed door, there is a faint light on the four gilt characters on the plaque - Mahavira Palace.
Crunch.
"Uncle, please come in."
He nodded and entered. The moment he crossed the vermilion threshold, a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind... Yes, the young monk had often seen him around Wei Na some time ago... The lights in the spacious hall were dim, and he could only see a few A shadow sat cross-legged in the depths of the hall, silent. He took a few steps forward... It seemed that he was Wei Na's new disciple. What was his name... his original wish?
My wish!
The original wish to be made into a human body Buddha!
The sudden panic made him stagger, and he raised his head suddenly... Suddenly, his pupils tightened. An even greater horror gripped the body and mind.
Those figures sitting cross-legged were indeed great monks who had been claiming to be in seclusion. But as they got closer, they could clearly see their faces distorted by pain, as well as the familiar lotus platform beneath them.
Crunch...bang!
When the door suddenly closed tightly, the candlelight in the hall skyrocketed, filling the whole room with light. It illuminated the ferocious-looking monk, an empty lotus platform and the long iron nails on the lotus platform, the miserable burning lamps in the east, the laughing Maitreya in the west, and the things in the main hall...
In trouble, his whole body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.
The Buddha among them...is not the Tathagata.
……………………………………………………
……………………………………………………
"Master? Master?"
No one responded in the dark and silent room. The young monk Benshan got up and held the oil lamp. Next to it, there was no one on the other bed, the quilt was folded squarely under the pillow, and the person who was supposed to be lying on it, the old monk Sue, was nowhere to be seen.
What are you going to do?
My master's recent whereabouts have always been mysterious. Benshan has asked many times, but he has always been distracted by a few words. Tonight, he went out quietly in the middle of the night... Oh, I don't know what kind of monster he is.
"Gulu..."
The gongs and drums were played at the Wu Zang Temple at the right time, and the young monk quickly forgot about his master. He had the biggest belly in the world, but where could he find anything to worship the Buddha in his belly in the middle of the night?
The little monk rubbed his shriveled belly, scratched his bare head, and finally had to recite "Amitabha".
However, when I think of "Amitabha", I will inevitably think of Bodhisattva. When I think of Bodhisattva, I will think of wooden fish. When I think of wooden fish, I will think of the three big steamed buns at dinner. When I think of the big steamed buns, I will think of the big bowl of porridge... Hey, these days The porridge provided in the temple is really sweet. The milky white porridge is mixed with wisps of red. Is that wolfberry? Chop it up and boil it in the porridge, and you will be filled with sweetness when you take a bite...
Suck slip.
Thinking of this, the saliva is like the growling of the belly, which cannot be stopped. Now, no matter how many times you recite "Amitabha", it won't be of any use.
"or."
The little monk got out of bed.
"Go to the kitchen to make a small fortune?"
……………………
The young monk regretted not taking the oil lamp in the room.
In his impression, Thousand Buddhas Temple is always very lively at night, with monks often playing and walking around, and lights are connected throughout the temple.
Tonight was different.
Dark and empty.
The night wind swept through the long corridor, lingering like a ghost crying. The waning moon in the sky casts a cold light, turning the trees, walls, beams and even the Buddha statues into ghosts and monsters, peeping at people traveling late at night.
Ben Shan couldn't help but step lightly, then softly, and then softer again. Finally, only his toes touched the ground, but he felt that the slight touch was too harsh.
Fortunately, it's not far from the kitchen.
"Huh?"
"Why are there so many monks in the kitchen?"
The young monk turned around a corridor and was surprised to find that there were many pots and stoves set up in the open space in front of the kitchen, and a large number of monks were busy running around among the pots and stoves.
Probably preparing for tomorrow's fasting meal.
The little monk guessed.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Dharma Assembly. It is said that a large number of believers will flock in, so the monks in the temple have no time to play and are all busy here, but...
Why is no one talking?
The scene was clearly in full swing, but the busy monks seemed to be mute. Only the sound of boiling gruel in the pot, the popping of wood in the stove, and the occasional sound of footsteps reached his ears.
This strange scene made the little monk hesitate for a moment before taking his steps back silently. He hid in the shadows and stared wide-eyed.
The monks were cooking porridge, and the familiar aroma wafted over. The young monk couldn't help but take a big sip, but found that compared to the porridge he had eaten in the past few days, the porridge the monks were cooking now was less sweet.
He stood on tiptoe and looked towards the pot closest to him, and saw white rice grains rolling warmly in the steaming water. It turned out that there was still a trace of wolfberry missing.
As soon as the young monk made this conjecture, he saw a monk walking up to the pot, stirring the pot for a while with a long-handled spoon in his hand, and then leaning against the edge of the hot pot, he put his upper body in and used his other hand to He took out a dagger from his pocket...
The little monk suddenly covered his mouth.
The monk suddenly stabbed the dagger into the left side of his neck, and then slowly pulled it to the right side. However, despite such a huge gap, no blood spattered out.
It wasn't until the monk put the dagger back in his arms, grabbed his chin with his free hand and pulled up his head, that the gap in his neck was like a big open mouth, and a stream of dazzling red and extremely viscous fluid "dropped" out. In the porridge.
The long-handled ladle in the monk's other hand was still stirring methodically, stirring the liquid that fell into the pot into strands, just like chopped and boiled wolfberry scattered into the porridge.
The alluring sweetness that was exactly the same as in the memory penetrated into the nose, but the little monk's stomach was churning and his face was pale.
suddenly.
In the darkness behind him, a pair of skinny old hands came out silently.
