"After my uncle turned thirty-five, he wrote down all his travels over the past twenty years and compiled it into "The Strange Records of Du Family's Travels."
Because the content in the book is valuable in broadening knowledge, the elders of the clan included this book in the family library.
This book was my favorite when I was a kid, and I even tore through more than one of the rubbings.
And the records about monsters are what scares me the most and attracts me the most..."
Du Ming spoke eloquently, and Jiang Ye was amazed when he heard it.
Du Ming's uncle is called Du Wu, and he is indeed a strange man.
The amount of knowledge, courage, and luck are all staggering.
Among the monster incidents he experienced, he mentioned that he once rested at an inn in Lingshan County when he was out.
I tossed and turned in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep for no reason, so I got up and admired the shadow of the bamboo under the moonlight.
But suddenly I heard bursts of Buddhist bells.
Could there be a temple in this barren mountain?
Du Wu was born in a martial arts family and had some connections with the gods of Buddhism and Taoism, so he followed the news out of curiosity.
Unexpectedly, I actually found a temple with him.
The temple occupies a large area, but it is in ruins and dilapidated. Most of the gold paint on the Buddha statue has fallen off, and the main hall is overgrown with weeds.
Du Wu felt strange. After entering, he found the Buddhist bell.
The one who rang the bell was an old monk with a haggard face and a sad expression.
When he saw an outsider coming in, he was quite surprised and quickly advised Du Wu to leave, saying that if he stayed here, he would inevitably get into trouble!
Late at night, barren mountains, ruined temples, old monks ringing bells.
Various factors overlapped, making Du Wu, who was already very curious, unwilling to let go easily.
He stated that he was not an ordinary person and had the means to protect himself.
After several entanglements, the old monk reluctantly revealed the truth.
It turns out that this temple was once very popular, and people from nearby counties, villages and towns, as well as wealthy households, came in an endless stream to worship Buddha and offer incense.
The monks in the temple also organized free clinics from time to time, and even helped poor people during times of famine, because of its good reputation.
However, something extremely absurd and shocking happened afterwards.
A young lady from a wealthy family went to the temple to pray and fast because her mother was ill and stayed temporarily for a few days.
To show her piety, she did not bring any maids with her.
Originally, this kind of thing was very common, and the temple welcomed such generous patrons.
However, a week later, the woman's family came to the door and said that the woman should have arrived home the day before yesterday, but she had not returned.
The monks were puzzled, so they asked the monk Zhike, who was responsible for the coming and going of guests.
The monk Zhike said that the woman left the temple after staying for three days. He kept records of the entry and exit of such wealthy families who stayed in the temple.
The woman's family panicked and quickly reported the incident to the police.
This family was quite powerful in the local county, so the police quickly went to the mountain to conduct a thorough investigation inside and outside.
This investigation really revealed a big problem.
They actually found the body of a young woman under a mountain stream not far from the mountain road.
The body was naked, covered in wounds, and showed signs of being ravaged.
Moreover, her face was torn off and it was extremely bloody.
According to the judgment of the old catcher, the murderer should be familiar with the terrain of the mountain. After killing the woman, he found a place to dump the body.
It's just that there may have been some accident at that time, and the murderer threw the woman down the mountain stream in a hurry, so the body had various injuries from bumps and bruises.
The identity of the murderer is most likely a monk on the mountain.
The wealthy family left someone on the mountain to wait for news. When they saw the body, they cried bitterly and said it was their young lady.
So the police immediately sent extra manpower to guard all the exits of the temple, and then reported it back to the county government.
The county magistrate was furious when he heard this, and asked the county captain to personally lead dozens of soldiers to seal the mountain to ensure that the murderer was not allowed to escape.
The county lieutenant and the police officers cleared away all the pilgrims, caught a group of panic-stricken monks, and investigated and interrogated them one by one.
This murderous man was not an alert person, and he soon showed a panicked look.
The policemen and soldiers took him out and gave him a good beating. The murderer was immediately revealed.
It turned out that he was the kitchen monk in the temple. At dusk that day, he went to the back mountain to fetch water and saw a beautiful young woman walking alone by the stream chanting sutras.
He was still carrying a package, as if he was leaving the mountain.
When the woman saw the monk passing by, she folded her hands and bowed.
When the monk saw her beautiful face, he felt that he had never seen such beauty in his life.
For a moment, an evil fire that came from nowhere occupied his mind, filled with thoughts of possessing the woman.
Everything about the purity of the spiritual altar, the five Buddhist commandments, and the consequences of karma are all forgotten.
The monk was so frightened that he rushed forward and covered the woman's mouth, forced her to the ground, and tore off her clothes.
The woman refused to obey and struggled hard, trying to shout loudly.
The monk said that no one would come to the back mountain except him at this time, and he would let the woman go after everything was done.
He thought to himself that if he enjoyed this once, he would fly far away, or at worst, go to become a monk in another county.
Unexpectedly, this woman looked gentle, but was actually fierce, biting his palm fiercely.
In desperation, the monk in the kitchen forced the woman's head into the stream, and at the same time tore off her clothes and did whatever he wanted.
He was quite excited and did not notice that the woman's struggle became weaker and weaker.
After finishing the work, the monk was horrified to find that the woman had drowned.
This time he came to his senses, and there was no need to say more about his regrets and fears.
I wanted to run down the mountain quickly, but then I thought if I ran away like this, the body in the back mountain would be discovered soon.
Now that it was dark and there was no time to pack his things, he couldn't escape far.
The Yamen was following him, but how could he escape?
The only solution now is to think carefully about how to dispose of the body, and then use the opportunity of going down the mountain to purchase something to escape.
So he first cut off the woman's face with a knife, then took away all her clothes and burned them.
This is to ensure that the body can be identified immediately if someone sees it.
At the same time, the body was hidden in a relatively hidden place nearby.
He felt that if the corpse of an ordinary person was seen by people in the temple, the abbot and others might not report it to the official immediately for the sake of the reputation of the temple.
But if it is a rich girl, no one dares to hide it.
If he could hide the truth and continue to stay in the temple, he would certainly not want to live in exile.
As long as the body is disposed of and the police come, it will be an unsolved case that cannot be traced to the temple.
After that, he waited anxiously for two days, and finally waited for an opportunity and found the body in the evening.
Take it to a predetermined location and prepare to bury the body.
Unexpectedly, by such a coincidence, a pilgrim was chatting with the abbot in the temple. He forgot the time and just came down the mountain at this moment.
When the kitchen monk saw the figure on the mountain, he was so frightened that he pushed the body directly down the mountain stream and left through another path.
The sound of the tumbling corpses supposedly reached the ears of the pilgrims.
But it was already dark at that time, and the trees were thick and the view was blocked, so the pilgrims did not pay close attention.
Until then it was discovered.
This matter was so turbulent that the kitchen monk was naturally dragged to the vegetable market and beheaded.
The other monks were also almost accused of being shielded by their accomplices.
