It is the hot summer season, and the south is sultry and humid. Taking advantage of the cooler weather at dawn, the two of them took the time to ride on their horses. When the sun rose at midnight, the two of them stopped and let the black man graze under the forest with the sweaty horse. The two of them swept up to the height of a big tree. He found a suitable spot on the tree crown and closed his eyes to catch up on his sleep.
Since leaving Chang'an, the two of them had not had a good night's sleep. This time they slept directly from Chenshi to Shenshi in the afternoon. After waking up, they felt refreshed. After eating dry food, they continued on their way and arrived at the boundary of Yezhou at the beginning of the watch. .
Prefectures are also different. According to the population, the prefectures of the Tang Dynasty are divided into Shangzhou, Zhongzhou and Xiazhou. Yezhou belongs to Xiazhou. There are only two counties, Ashan and Weixi, with a total of 2,000 households and a registered population. But about ten thousand.
The two did not go to Yezhou Fucheng, but first went to Ashan County. Ashan County is located in the northern part of Yezhou. Before Jianxing reincarnated, he had a rough prediction of where he would be reincarnated. Various signs showed that Jianxing was reincarnated in Ashan is more likely.
Yezhou is a poor place, but there are very few refugees fleeing famine in the territory. The main reason is that Yezhou is located in the south, with mountains and rivers. There are many animals in the mountains and fish and shrimps in the water, which the villagers can fish and hunt to feed themselves. In addition, the harvest of millet, millet and rice has also begun, and the people's life is relatively easy.
On the way to Ashan, the two of them had already made plans. They rushed to the county seat in the middle of the night and sneaked into the county government office. This was a remote and remote area, not a battleground for military strategists. There were few wars, so there were no government officials on duty at the county government office at night.
It was rainy in the summer, and when the two sneaked into the county government office, it started to rain again. This provided a good cover for the two of them to look for clues. Changsheng looked through the county annals, because it is very rare to be born with six fingers. , is often regarded as a strange image by the villagers, so it is very likely to be recorded in the county annals.
What Da Tou was looking up was the capitation tax. Jian Xing did not mention the surname of his reincarnated father in the letters he left behind. He only mentioned that he would be the only son of his parents who had done good deeds and accumulated good deeds. At this time, it was common for each household to have three or four children. There are many children with five or six children, but only children are rare.
Since there are only about a thousand households in Ashan, it is not troublesome to search. Less than half an hour later, Chang Sheng found clues in the county annals. The head of the household was named Hao Youcai. He was the shopkeeper of Hao's rice shop. He had a wife and two concubines, but there was no trace. Heir, Hao Youcai is a local wealthy family, passed down by a single family in three generations, and he was very anxious because he had no heirs. Later, probably through the guidance of an expert, he began to build bridges and pave roads and provide relief to the victims. In this way, at the age of fifty, he finally gave birth to a son, who was born with six fingers. Named Hao Jinbao.
According to the time recorded in the county annals, Hao Jinbao was born seven years ago, and he should be eight years old this year, which is roughly the same time as predicted by the monk Jianxing.
After finding useful clues, the two quietly left the county government office. Since it was already midnight, in order to cover up others' eyes and leave no traces, the two did not stay in a hotel. Instead, they left the county seat and stayed up until dawn in the woods outside the city. .
After dawn, the two entered the city again. Since the county town was very small, they did not look for anyone to inquire. Instead, they searched for Ashan Rice Shop along the street. However, they searched all the streets in the city and did not see Hao's Rice Shop.
In desperation, Changsheng could only take the opportunity to eat and ask the waiter. When he heard about Hao's Rice Shop, the waiter shook his head like a rattle. At the same time, he sighed repeatedly, saying that Hao's Rice Shop had changed owners just because Hao Youcaisheng He was born a prodigal son, and in just a few years, the Hao family's fortune was wiped out.
"Prodigal son? How old are the Hao family's children?" Chang Sheng was a little doubtful that he had found the wrong person, because an eight-year-old child seemed unable to do any big bad things.
"Xiao Liuzi should be seven or eight years old this year." The waiter replied casually. Ashan County is not big, and there are not many outsiders. Although it is lunch time, there is no one in the store. As a waiter, he is not afraid of customers asking for information, because it is a big place. Some guests will express their opinions after asking questions.
"How can such a young child lose all his family property?" Datou asked.
"Little Liuzi always steals things," the boy explained patiently. "Other thieves always steal from home, but this kid steals from outside. You can't even see it. It can be as big as gold and silver jewelry, or as small as corn and chaff. If you catch it, He steals whatever he wants, but it doesn't work no matter how hard he beats him, and he refuses to change despite repeated admonitions."
"Who did he steal the things to?" Changsheng asked with a smile.
"The poor will be given to the poor," the clerk said. "Old Hao's family was originally a stingy and profiteer businessman. Later, he did a lot of immoral things and had no children. Seeing that he was about to die, he remembered to improvise and donated some money to build a few bridges. That’s when Xiao Liuzi came into existence, and the neighbors all said that Xiao Liuzi was sent by God to collect debts.”
"Where is Hao Youcai now?" Changsheng asked.
"In Xicheng, there are only two shabby houses left, and the poor are almost begging for food." said the waiter.
In order to confuse the audience, Changsheng then asked where the other two shops were. These two shops he had seen on the street before, and the clerk pointed out the locations of the shops one by one.
While he was talking, a few customers came in. The waiter greeted them but stood still.
Upon seeing this, Datou took out two copper coins from his waist bag and handed them over. The waiter happily took them, thanked him and walked away.
After the guy left, Datou whispered to Changsheng, "Sir, he is right. This guy is really a monk. He has nothing in common and regards money as dirt."
"This is called being born with a benevolent heart and doing good deeds to accumulate virtue." Changsheng said casually.
"I'm almost making my parents beg for food. How can anyone do such good deeds and accumulate virtues?" Da Tou said with a smile.
Changsheng didn't answer any more, and the two of them finished eating quickly, paid the bill and left.
I went to Xicheng and found Hao Youcai and his wife after asking around. As the clerk said, the Hao family only had two shabby houses left. He only has his wife to stay with him now.
The two of them suddenly came to the door, so they had to have an excuse. Chang Sheng could only accept the entrustment of others and come to give money to the Hao family.
This reason was reasonable, because Hao Youcai had helped victims of disasters in his early years. When asked who entrusted the two of them, Chang Sheng only said that the other party did not mention his name, but that he had received favors from the Hao family in his early years.
Seeing that Xing had left fifty taels of silver in the box under the pagoda, Datou was naturally not so stingy as to only give the Hao family fifty taels, but doubled it to one hundred taels.
One hundred taels is enough to ensure that the two of them have enough food and clothing for the rest of their lives. The old couple cannot help but express their gratitude and lament.
Hao Jinbao was not seen during the conversation, so Changsheng asked who else was in the family. Hao Youcai only said that it was just the husband and wife and no one else.
Hearing Hao Youcai's words, Changsheng and Datou broke into cold sweats. Could it be that Hao Jinbao had an accident.
At this point, there was no care to hide it carefully. Changsheng directly asked about the child's situation. The old woman shed tears and said nothing. Hao Youcai hesitated for a long time before telling them that Hao Jinbao had become a monk.
After Hao Youcai finished speaking, the two of them secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Datou immediately asked for details. Hao Youcai only said that a few days ago, the immortal from Taipingguan came here and saw Hao Jinbao. He said that he was born with a vision and was not a common man. If he continued to stay with his parents, There will definitely be trouble around him, so he persuaded the two of them to take him to the mountains to practice.
The two of them had just breathed a sigh of relief. When they heard what Hao Youcai said, they were stunned and asked, "Let the Taoist priest take you away?"
The couple nodded.
"Why did you become a Taoist priest?" Datou turned to look at Changsheng.
Changsheng did not answer Datou's question. He asked about the location of Taiping Temple and then hurriedly said goodbye to the Hao family and his wife.
The two left the city from the west gate and continued westward, rushing to Taiping Temple, a hundred miles away.
"Sir, what will be the consequences if he becomes a Taoist priest?" Datou asked curiously.
"Chickens are on the shelf and ducks are in the water. Each occupies its own place and each has its own place. If you have to drive the ducks to the shelf and the chickens to the water, there will definitely be no good results." Changsheng frowned and said, "Jianxing is a virtuous and eminent monk, and the position of Arhat is something that ordinary people cannot do." His master, if any Taoist priest recklessly accepts him as a disciple, it will not only affect the practice of seeing one's nature, but may also shorten the life of the Taoist priest.
Seeing that Changsheng was very anxious, Datou said to comfort him, "Sir, don't be anxious. He was only taken away for a few days. It's still too late to persuade him to turn back."
Changsheng shook his reins and rode his horse, but didn't answer.
Ashan County is not big, and Taiping Temple is also very small. It is located on the back side of Shanyin. Because the trees in the mountain are very tall and there is mist, only a corner of the Taoist temple can be seen vaguely.
"The environment of Taiping Temple is very quiet." Datou looked up.
"Oops." Changsheng took a breath of cold air.
Datou turned his head when he heard the sound, and before he could speak, Changsheng had already jumped out from his horse, trampling on the treetops and rushing up the mountain.
Da Tou didn't know what was going on. Seeing Chang Sheng was so anxious, he hurriedly chased after him, "Sir, what's wrong?"
"The breath is wrong." Changsheng said.
"The clouds are lingering and the mist is lingering. It's very fairy-like." Datou said.
"That's not fairy energy, it's demonic energy..."
