God does not know the evil in the world, and the sky is full of stars among the tombs.
After the flood, Pingzhou almost became an empty city. The corpses that were not buried emitted a strong stench. Insects and flies feasted on them, and diseases easily broke out. The people who were lucky enough to survive fled in all directions.
Today is the second day of June. Xia Muren has been here for half a month. He is busy every day and has lost a lot of weight. As early as in the capital, he had read the report and knew that the Pingzhou flood was a disaster that had not been seen in China for three hundred years. However, when the sedan chair settled outside the city, he was still shocked by the tragic scene in front of him: standing on a high place and looking far into the distance, within his vision, yellow mud deposited like silt, houses collapsed into ruins, and everything was desolate. Any chance of life? For hundreds of years, Shanghe County Mansion, which had become famous and famous and where merchants from all over the world gathered, was gone.
Huge waves hit the city, but there were still very few houses that were not damaged, and people and property were able to survive the disaster. What they all have in common is that they build their houses high.
"Water flows to low places, and people go to high places." The original meaning of this old saying is to advise people to live in high places to avoid floods. However, when it was passed down in later generations, it was artificially given other meanings, and was tampered with as "people go to higher places, and water flows to lower places."
On the east bank of the Pingzhou River is Pingshan, which stretches for hundreds of miles. Most of the surviving mansions are at the foot and top of this mountain. There is tens of thousands of acres of flat land halfway up Pingshan Mountain. More than 170 families live here. It has become a settlement over time and is called "Pingshang Plain". There are mountains and fields, fruit trees, mud ponds and springs here; the strong men are engaged in farming, the female relatives are engaged in weaving, the elderly are collecting things, and the young are tending sheep. Hundreds of people have always lived a self-sufficient life.
Xia Muren had already made sufficient preparations before leaving, and went straight to Pingzhou as soon as he arrived. The villagers in Pingshangyuan were all kind-hearted. Seeing that the floods at the bottom of the mountain were overflowing and everything was gone, even if they wanted to save them, they were unable to do so. Seeing that the imperial court sent people to provide disaster relief, of course he was overjoyed and spontaneously vacated some of the largest houses and ancestral halls in the original area. Xia Muren brought many people with him on this trip, more than 28,000 people. However, except for the more than 300 personal guards, the rest are all soldiers serving in disaster relief.
More than 28,000 conscripts had already been arranged to deal with the aftermath. Apart from the 300 personal guards left by Xia Muren, there were only nine old and young monks from Kuchan Temple who went to the court for recruitment orders. It turned out that the old monk Xuan Yue and his party learned about the rare catastrophe in Pingzhou City on the fourth day of May in Xiaozhou Mansion, Limin County, and temporarily decided to transfer to Pingzhou to go to the capital. A monk has a tender heart and has seen the tragedy inside and outside the city. How can he be willing to leave just like that? However, the rations they brought were insufficient and could not be replenished nearby, so they could not sustain themselves for a few days. Fortunately, they met soldiers who were providing relief and were led to Pingshang.
It was already the beginning of Haishi, and the sound of Sanskrit music was still lingering in the ancestral hall——
"Namo Amitabhavi, Duotagaduo night, Duodikaduo night. Amiliduvavi, Amiliduo. Sidanpavi, Amitava. Vikalanda, Amitava. Vikalana Duo, Gamini, Gagana, Chiduo Kalisha Poha..." What the monks were reciting was the Buddha's "Rebirth Mantra".
The summer nights on the mountainside are as cool as autumn. If we weren't thinking about the 400,000 innocent souls at the foot of the mountain, wouldn't it be a beautiful thing to gaze at the stars and let the mountain breeze blow by us?
Xia Muren was unhappy, not only because of his ill-fated family and country, but also because of what he had done in the past. "Is the throne really so important? Look at these common people. The lucky ones work hard in the fields and support their families. The sad ones have nothing and can't even get a meal for a day. What's worse, there are hundreds of thousands of people like these. The people of Pingzhou, in an unreasonable disaster, were killed and their bodies were thrown into the wilderness. How miserable! As a direct prince, I am already below one person and above thousands of people. I enjoy all the wealth and honor in the world. I really want to Are you going to fight for the supreme throne again? Over the past year or so, Mu Chao has gradually lost its edge in the court, and its intention to retreat has been revealed, and it seems that it has made a choice. Alas, Mu Chao is indeed worthy of the title of 'wisdom'! Think about this In the past ten years, what I have done is not even a word of 'benevolence'? Haha... Haha..." In the dead of night, it was the perfect time for self-examination. Xia Muren's mind was dull, and he secretly Ashamed.
The night was so quiet that it couldn't cover up the slight sound of footsteps. A middle-aged man with white hair and black beard walked over, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I just received a letter from the Crown Prince." After saying this, he handed over an envelope of gifts with both hands. Although the stars were shining brightly outside the house, I couldn't see clearly, let alone read letters and letters. Xia Muren took the letter and walked quickly into the house. The strong man with white hair and black beard followed slowly behind him.
Xia Chenghuan was twenty-eight years old. He was thoughtful, cautious, and advanced and retreated appropriately. He was the most prestigious among the emperors and grandsons. Since he wrote the letter, something important must have happened in the capital. Xia Muren sat in front of the desk, opened the letter and read it carefully.
... ...
"Alas, the tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn't stop. I want to retreat but the power won't let me..." Xia Muren murmured after reading the letter.
Seeing his shabby appearance, the middle-aged man with white hair and black beard knew that there must be something bad going on in the book. He clenched his hands into fists and said in a cold childish voice: "Master, Ah Tong will kill someone for you!" In his eyes, Xia Muren is a god, and anyone who offends the god will die.
"Haha...kill people? Now someone else wants to come here to kill me." Xia Muren sneered with sharp eyes.
Ah Tong's expression changed, and she took the letter from Xia Muren's hand and read it. He was absolutely loyal to Xia Muren, and in exchange he had absolute freedom in front of Xia Muren.
"Nine Halls! Zhang Suiguang is living a good life!" Ah Tong frowned and said coldly. He never thought that the one who wanted to kill Xia Muren would be Jiudian.
The forces of the Nine Halls are spread across Dahua, Jue Kingdom, Shatuo, Xianma and Snow Kingdom. They are the largest killer halls in the world. The name of the hall comes from the controller of the ninth palace among the ten palaces of Hell: King Ping. There have always been nine masters in the Nine Halls. They have extremely high martial arts skills and are decisive and ruthless in their attacks. They are the highest controllers of the Nine Halls. Zhang Suiguang is one of the nine masters in the Nine Halls at this time.
The world is afraid of Zhang Suiguang, the poor are threatened by his salt gang, and the rich are afraid of his Jiudian. Therefore, no matter in the arena, in the marketplace, or in the temple, everyone must give way to Zhang Suiguang. Fortunately, both the Salt Gang and the Nine Halls have always acted according to the rules of the world, and have never done anything out of the ordinary. This is why Xia Muren and Atong were so surprised and angry when they knew that Jiudian was going to send someone to assassinate them.
"Have brothers Ping Bufan and Ping Buyong come back?" Xia Muren asked.
"I'm back. I'm on the original path." Ah Tong bowed and replied. Although he relied on his strong martial arts skills, he was not arrogant. He alone could not guarantee Xia Muren's safety.
Xia Muren nodded, stood up from his seat, walked a few steps, and then said: "You tell Ah Hao, Ah Yao, Ah Mu, Ah Dang, Ah Yi, Ah Yi, and Ah Yi not to go out for these two days. Hidden inside. The people in the Ninth Hall will definitely look around and don't let them know the truth."
"Yes, Master!" Ah Tong sneered, "Even if Zhang Suiguang comes in person this time, we will definitely keep him here!" In his opinion, eight eyes and two levels plus three hundred personal guards are enough. All nine masters from the Nine Halls came, and they were not afraid at all.
Xia Muren nodded lightly, with a sad look on his face, and slowly said again: "One more thing, you send people to greet the villagers in the original area one by one, and ask them not to reveal the location of Kuchan Temple to others. The message that the monk is here. Master Xuanyue and the five eminent monks of the Dharma generation will not stand idly by and will be a great help to us. If Zhang Suiguang knew that Master Xuanyue was here, he would never take action. "
Ah Tong bowed and smiled: "Yes, my subordinates are also thinking about this."
"Go!" Xia Muren waved his hand gently and sighed.
After receiving the instruction, Ah Tong quickly stepped out and disappeared into the dark night.
The starry sky was still the same as before, but Xia Muren's state of mind had suddenly changed: "It's unfortunate that brothers and sisters in the same room are at war with each other! It's not disadvantageous not to show off the majesty, Mu Yan, do you really think we are all fools?"
"Namo Amitabhavi, Duotagaduo night, Duodikaduo night. Amiliduvavi, Amiliduo. Sidanpavi, Amitava. Vikalanda, Amitava. Vikalana Duo, Gamini, Gagana, Chiduo Kalisha Poha..."
"Uncle Master, His Royal Highness Prince Yi has been waiting outside for a long time." Monk Zhenru, who is the real generation, walked to the side of the old monk Xuanyue and reported in a low voice.
A group of monks from Kuchan Temple have been in this ancestral hall in recent days. In addition to eating, they recite mantras and rarely rest day and night. After hearing his report, the old monk Xuan Yue stood up from his futon and asked, "Oh? Lead me there."
After saying this, the old man and the young man went out to the ancestral hall.
Xia Muren had been waiting outside for a long time. When he saw him approaching, he bowed slightly and said, "Master, I'm sorry to bother you!"
Old monk Xuan Yue returned the gift and said with a smile: "His Royal Highness, you're welcome!"
"Master, Muren comes here to ask for something." Xia Muren said straight to the point.
"Your Highness, it's okay, the old monk will do his best." Monk Xuanyue clasped his hands together and bowed slightly.
Seeing that the old monk Xuan Yue was so cheerful, Xia Muren couldn't help but smile and said in a clear voice: "Well, Muren thanks the master in advance. Is the master free? Why don't we chat while we walk?"
"Monks always have a leisurely life, Your Highness, please!" Monk Xuan Yue said with a gesture of invitation.
Although Pingshangyuan is not big, there are several trails running through it. Although there is no moon at night, the stars are scattered all over the sky, and the cold light shines on the ground, and you can barely see your feet clearly. The two of them walked more than a hundred feet, and Xia Muren began to speak: "Master, do you know the Nine Palaces?"
"The name of the Nine Halls is widely rumored in the world. Although the old monk knows little about it, he has heard of it." Xuan Yue replied.
Xia Muren asked again: "I think Master also knows what they do?"
Xuan Yue turned her head to look at him and said sternly: "Of course the old monk knows. Could it be...could it be...?"
"Yes, Muren has just received a summons. Someone asked Jiudian to come here to assassinate me. Muren came to Pingzhou only to provide disaster relief. I never thought that someone would take the opportunity to take my life. I'm afraid the guards around me are not enough to deal with it." Xia Muren said softly. smiled.
Monk Xuan Yue let out a long sigh and said in a deep voice: "Amitabha! Your Highness's reputation for benevolence is spread throughout the world, but unexpectedly there are people who want to do harm. Since we are here, we will never allow evil people to do evil!"
Xia Muren put his hands together and saluted: "Muren thanks the master and all the eminent monks of Kuchan Temple!"
