Qingchuan Tuo Mountain has steep terrain and unique scenery. The tallest peak is hundreds of feet high. From a distance, it looks like an ancient pine tree reaching into the sky.
Not far to the east of this ancient green pine tree, there are two hills, facing each other from north to south. The one in the south is smaller and the one in the north is larger. They are shaped like two humps on a camel's back. The surrounding terrain also appears to be more gentle, as if It was a huge camel, resting under a tree.
This kind of scenery is the origin of the place name Tuoshan.
Haotian Palace is built on the top of the hump in the north. With the "Haotian Temple" as the center, the Jade Emperor Palace, Qibao Pavilion, Juxian Tower, Longqiu Pond, East and West Side Halls, etc. are built on the front, rear and left respectively. .
There are fifty or sixty large-scale palaces and pavilions, stretching to cover the entire peak, leaning against the wind and capturing the clouds, creating a myriad of atmospheres.
This palace complex was built during the reign of Emperor Zhezong of the Song Dynasty, less than thirty years ago. The red walls, black tiles, and golden lacquer statues of gods have not been damaged due to age, but also have a little more charm accumulated over the years, creating a The peaceful and solemn atmosphere is really a rare place for literati and poets to go out and sing.
But now there are many bandit villages in Qingzhou, and no one of the dignitaries, Confucian scholars and scholars dares to go to the mountains to offer incense and play. The entire palace complex is occupied by thin and muscular men, well-dressed and wearing turbans. .
They were entrenched in various halls, chanting mantras and sweeping every day, and practicing spells. Sometimes they would gather in groups to sacrifice some flying shuttle instruments and copper wire knife nets, hovering in the sky, and sparks would jingle. lively.
If someone reaches a further level in their magic, they will go to the Haotian God's Temple, and only after receiving the guidance of their chief leader can they take that step in a down-to-earth manner.
Chief Master Fang La was sitting cross-legged on the futon, with his back to the statue of God Haotian and facing the door. A ray of sunlight slanted in and shone on him. His simple white robes were filled with warmth.
His hair is wrapped in a square scarf, his beard is a little messy, and his facial features are slightly thin, but he has a high nose and bright eyes, and his eyebrows are like swords. He is full of momentum. When he instructs his disciples on their practice, his slightly hoarse voice can give people an unparalleled sense of security.
Just outside the door, several disciples followed his instructions and sat on the ground. When they were in meditation, a big man in red robes, as powerful as a tiger, came here walking with wind.
"Shi Bao meets the leader."
Fang La said: "Shi Dharma protector, what's going on?"
Shi Bao sent a letter, and after Fang La read it, he explained: "This letter appeared in the village last night. We checked it first. There is nothing wrong with it. As for the so-called god Gu Zizhong, we also found some officers and soldiers to test it, and it is exactly what the letter said."
Before speaking, Shi Bao took out a piece of clothing folded into small pieces.
Fang La had a look of surprise on his face, took it, and twisted it with his fingers: "It is indeed a living creature. Such a Gu has never been heard of before. Liangshan can actually get such a divine object. It is really a blessing from God."
"But Liangshan wants to use the female divine Gu worm as bait to lure all the rebel leaders from all over the world to Qingzhou."
Shi Bao said anxiously, "Qingzhou is our territory, what they are doing is going too far."
Fang La lowered his eyes and pondered, and said calmly: "If he were in Liangshan and invited the leaders of the rebel armies from all over the world to gather, how many people would dare to go?"
Although everyone wants to kill the dog official and resist the emperor, it is impossible to say that they must be like-minded people and have any trust in each other.
Liangshan is not only Guan Luoyang's home base, but its terrain is also very unfavorable to outsiders.
On the other hand, Qingzhou has a dangerous terrain, with high mountains, deep valleys, and lush forests and ravines. The people who come to the meeting must be experts. If they find that something is wrong and want to escape, it will be easy.
Shi Bao thought for a moment and his expression softened slightly: "Also, in the eyes of outsiders, the Qingzhou bandit forces are complex and they are not of the same mind. If those people want to come to the meeting, they will feel more at ease. However, Liangshan specifically wants us The person behind the scenes went to the meeting, probably aware of the leader’s presence.”
Fang La said: "It's not surprising. Liangshan and Qingzhou are too close after all. They can guess that Qingzhou's power is all under my control, and they dare to put the gathering place here, which is considered heroic. Where is the specific location in Qingzhou?" "
Shi Bao looked strange: "According to Dai Zong's message, the time is the fifteenth of this month, and the location is Thousand Buddha Cave."
Fang La was startled: "What a Guan Luoyang!"
The so-called Thousand Buddhas Cave refers to the hump in the south of Camel Mountain. Since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties, monks have been carving stone statues there. There are countless large and small Buddha statues. It was not until the end of the Tang Dynasty that this kind of thing gradually not enough.
The people who created the statues have returned to the loess, but the stone statues carved by their hands have achieved the reputation of one of the eight scenic spots in Qingzhou, Tuoling Qianxun and Thousand Buddha Grottoes.
For ordinary people, the mountain road is rugged and the ladder to heaven surrounds the mountain. It is still a long and difficult journey up and down the mountain between the two peaks of Haotian Palace and Thousand Buddhas Cave.
But for top-notch sorcerers and warriors, they can fly from the top of the mountain. The distance between Haotian Palace and Thousand Buddhas Cave is only a few miles.
Fang La stood up, walked out of the Haotian Temple, walked all the way out of the palace gate, and looked at the Thousand Buddhas Cave.
"It doesn't seem like they chose this place unintentionally. It seems that not only did they see someone behind Qingzhou Twenty-Eight Village, but they also vaguely knew where I was."
Shi Bao cupped his hands behind him and said, "Leader, do we want to make some arrangements?"
Fang La asked back: "What are the arrangements?"
"Guan Luoyang has chosen this location and held this conference. It can be seen that his style is extremely domineering. When the time comes, there will definitely be conflicts with the rebel leaders from various places."
Shi Bao analyzed it carefully and said, "In this current situation, the imperial court is still the biggest threat. All parties must have restraint, but they are all martial arts practitioners and law students. If the blood comes to the brain and the murderous intention attacks the heart, It may not be impossible for each of us to be seriously injured."
"If we carefully arrange some means, we may be able to take advantage of that opportunity to capture them and control them with poison. By then, most of the rebels in the world will obey our orders. If there is another divine Gu..."
When he said this, his nostrils expanded, his breathing became uncontrollably rapid, and his eyes were filled with the light of ambition.
Fang La had no reaction to his words, and looked southward with his hands behind his back, noncommittal.
Shi Bao slowed down and said: "Master, I also know that things probably won't go as smoothly as I thought. If they are not seriously injured in the fight, then we should hide the means we have laid out and don't use them. In any case, If these means are deployed, the advantages will always outweigh the disadvantages."
Fang La remained silent, and after another moment, he said, "Shi Bao, do you believe in God?"
Shi Bao didn't understand the reason and hesitated: "The leader asked me personally, and he didn't dare not tell the truth. Although we have always used things about gods and ghosts to mobilize people's hearts and strengthen our military power, in fact, ordinary ghosts and ghosts can't even stop me with a sword. As for the real gods, there are only a few who have been able to ascend throughout the ages. If they really ascend, how can they care about things in the mortal world?"
Fang La said: "According to your statement, Huangdi Xuanyuan is the founder of the immortal way, and Taigong Jiang Shang is the sage of the military way. Why should they pay attention to sacrifices when they are peerless strong enough to ascend?"
Shi Bao said without hesitation: "It's probably a way to control all the people."
Fang La added: "But they are the gods and demons in the world. Who dared not to obey them in their heyday? Why sacrifice to heaven? Who is worthy of their worship?"
Shi Bao hesitated when he was asked. Although he couldn't answer at the moment, he didn't feel that there were any gods and Buddhas who really responded to the world. Instead, he felt a little ridiculous in his heart.
'Our methods of appeasing the people and inciting people's hearts are all pieced together by passages taken by the leader from Taoist and Buddhist scriptures. After so many years, the leader has not deceived himself, right? '
He looked at Fang La, his mentality was a little different at this time, and he suddenly noticed something that he had not thought about before.
There were actually some signs of wear on Fang La's cuffs, and the white robe on his body had threads exposed in several stitched places.
I think back on those days, when the leader secretly plotted a rebellion and established himself as king. On the surface, he interacted with the government. He wore silks and satins, BMWs and fragrant carriages, rode eagles and dog fights, and had hordes of servants, and bathed in incense. How could there ever be such a simple time? ?
Even if I occasionally go to meet the poor people, it is just to show sympathy and sympathy, but just to attract more people to follow when the real uprising occurs.
What's wrong with the leader?
Shi Bao was a little worried and blurted out: "Master, your "Heart Sutra of Precious Sun and Moon Luck", is it recent?"
"You're worried that I'm going crazy."
Fang La turned around with a smile on his face, "On the contrary, I have been enlightened many times in the past few years, far better than before. Your practice is often guided by me, can't you notice it?"
Shi Bao thought about it and realized that it was indeed the case. Not only did the leader's cultivation level become higher and higher, but his ability to manage his power was also more mysterious than before.
That year, they fled all the way from Qingxi in Muzhou to Qingzhou, hiding their names. They thought that this would be the end of their lives. Unexpectedly, in just a few years, Fang La was able to run the 28th Village again, with more soldiers and horses under his command than before. It is even more reliable when traveling to Muzhou.
"You don't have to be afraid. I do believe in gods now, but I don't believe in thousands of Buddhas and immortals. I just thought deeply and slowly understood some truths after I survived the catastrophe."
Fang La said, "When I was in Muzhou, the Dao Lord and Emperor were ignorant, and the people of the world had been suffering from him for a long time. I saw that the people's hearts can be used, and I followed the trend. I comforted those who were miserable, and encouraged those who were passionate. Sure enough, It has built up a lot of power in a short period of time.”
"But why did I lose later?"
Shi Bao was speechless. He had been unable to answer several times today.
How covert they were in Muzhou back then. At that time, rebels were everywhere in Muzhou. I really couldn't figure out how the emperor could command so accurately and let a group of Taoist officials raid the Fang family.
This question that had been bothering him for many years was brought up again, and Shi Bao couldn't help but say, "Yes, why exactly?"
Fang La continued: "In that defeat, the good brothers I worked so hard to win over suffered heavy casualties. The divine arrow Pang Wanchun, the Baoguang monk Deng Yuanjue, the warlock Zheng Mojun, brother Si Xingfang, and brother Bao Dao Yibao all died in the encirclement and suppression. , my nephew Fang Jie was brave enough to break through the encirclement several times, but was seriously injured and killed by Chen Xizhen."
"I was severely injured by Wang Laozhi's Fire Dragon Stove Cauldron. My son Fang Tianding finally pretended to be me and lured away the pursuers, but was turned into ashes by them."
As the words passed into his ears, Shi Bao couldn't help but recall the blood-smeared scenes. By the time Fang La fled to Qingzhou, only Shi Bao, Wang Yin and Li Tianrun were left with him, and all three of them were also He was seriously injured.
"I thought about it for two years before I came up with a key point. When we were discussing the uprising, I once proposed a strategy. After the rebel flag was raised, we could send people to set fire to the houses of the people in various places, forcing them to follow us. Let’s move together.”
"The six nearby states are already rich in timber. When the time comes, millions of people will have to become our wings and follow our actions."
When Fang La said this, he closed his eyes and sighed, "On the night I proposed this poisonous plan, the Taoist official broke into the door, and the family property accumulated by our family for generations was burned first."
Shi Bao took a step back, horrified.
"There really is a god in the world! That is the way of heaven, and it is cause and effect. If it is only small good or evil, individual actions may escape the eyes of God, but the more important things are done, the more you can't escape this kind of cause and effect."
"The misdeeds of great Confucian scholars will be criticized by thousands of people in future generations. If the monarch of a dynasty is ignorant and incompetent, no matter how large the territory is, it will collapse."
Fang La had a clear look in his eyes that made it impossible to hide. He looked at Shi Bao and said slowly, "The leaders of the rebel armies in the world, what a big deal that is! If you use poison to treat those rebel leaders, you will also be poisoned in the future. To be eaten by others. You are my brother and I will not let you end up in that situation."
Shi Bao's ambition was disturbed by inexplicable panic, but after all, he had gone through strong winds and waves. After swallowing his saliva, he reluctantly calmed down and asked with some reluctance: "If you say this, then what is the use of running Qingzhou? "
He said angrily, "When the people from Liangshan arrogantly jump in front of us and ask us to meet together at Thousand Buddha Cave, are we going to do nothing?"
"of course not!"
Fang La said calmly and resolutely, "Now I don't use poisonous tricks, I don't harm innocent people, I have a clear conscience. Now I have great achievements in my skills, and my fortune is endless. Now my power in Qingzhou is rising again, but the emperor is still cruel, and the world is reversed." My heart arose again."
His voice was very slow, and every word was so clear that people dared not forget it, "God, you won't hinder me this time!"
Around the mountain peaks, seas of clouds billowed.
The hazy sun in the sky became extremely clear, and the clouds split into a thin line.
The strongest and brightest light fell on the mountain peak and shone on Fang La's body. No flaws could be seen in that simple and damaged white robe.
The cultivators in Haotian Palace noticed something strange, and came outside the palace one after another to salute the light. The vitality on their bodies felt warm, and in this instant, their cultivation became a little more mellow.
Shi Bao's heart trembled, and he bowed his back slightly, looking at the person he was following in front of him with more piety than ever before.
"You go to the Thousand Buddhas Cave, prepare seats, and arrange food and water. It doesn't matter if you have tea, wine, or fruits from the mountains. As long as they can fill their stomachs, it can be regarded as a blessing for them."
Fang La looked down to the south. The Thousand Buddhas in the Grottoes inside the hump, many of which were exquisite and magnificent, were all watched calmly by his lowered eyes, as if they were just some naturally occurring stones.
He saw that the statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were no different from any pleasant green grass and wild flowers on the roadside.
Revere God as if God is there, like Buddha statues and other tiny particles of dust.
"Liangshan's move won my heart deeply."
"When those heroes and patriots who first raised the flag of rebellion come here, I will tell them who is the strong one, who is the winner, and who is the one who can conquer them and destroy this rotten old dynasty!"
