It was already past the third watch, and the only sounds outside the inn were getting louder and louder than the chirping of insects.
Yan Xinglieku sat at the table, staring at the blue flame of the lamp wick in a daze.
At this moment, he has shed his heroic and calm demeanor during the day, revealing the haggard misery under the mask and a hint of...relief?
Three days have passed. In the past three days, he did not seize the time to continue eastward. Instead, he went in circles and came to this small town near the north.
On the way, the scholar had already left because of urgent matters, and only the Taoist priest followed silently.
He knew that the Taoist priest must have seen something, but Li Changan didn't ask, and he had no intention of mentioning it. The huge despair had already shattered something in his heart.
For three days, every night, he sat there all night, just like now, with only one word running through his mind.
"joke."
Isn’t it? These ten years are not a joke!
If you refine a sword, the sword will fail.
Relying on the imperial court, the imperial court recruited people.
Even this useless bravery was defeated by the disease.
Presumably the family members and lords under Jiuyou were laughing at his cowardice and incompetence.
"Crack."
The explosion of lights brought him back from his thoughts.
It's almost time.
He stood up, took out a letter from his arms, put it on the table, and secured it with a sword case.
Quietly he opened the door and walked out.
……………………
The waning moon hung high in the sky, and Yan Xinglie stood alone in the middle of the street, holding a lantern.
The chirping of insects on the long street comes one after another. Er, the "croak" is accompanied by the sound of flapping wings, which is the crow passing by; the "meow" is accompanied by the hee hee shuttle, which is the chasing cat and mouse. Mixed with sporadic human language
Compared with the barking of dogs, it can also be called "lively".
I do not know how long it has been.
This remaining "liveliness" suddenly disappeared, and in the dim and dim light, a light mist wrapped around his trousers.
He raised his head, and a guard of honor appeared silently on the originally empty long street.
In the middle are the luxurious carriages, numerous flags and flags, the guarding warriors, the knights clearing the way, the actors advocating... And there are people wearing white cloaks, covering their figures and faces, holding a white candle in their hands, and there is a long queue.
The queue of servants snaked all the way into the depths of the thick fog.
Yan Xinglie was not surprised at all, he just fell down and kowtowed.
"Yan Xinglie, a native of Pinglu, came to see the Lord of Taishan Prefecture."
……………………
This was the last solution Yan Xinglie could think of.
Imitate the story of the Pingye City God, who stopped the driver to clear up his grievances and exchanged one life for another.
The reward Yan Xinglie received from the judge last time was something like a certificate of honor. Although it was of no great use, it could also be used by ghosts and gods to make things easier for him. He had been traveling around these days, and he was actually using this thing to visit him.
They went to various Chenghuang temples to inquire about the whereabouts of Lord Taishan.
…………
"Have you thought it through?"
The judge who looked like a scribe conveyed the inquiry on behalf of the god.
Yan Xinglie nodded and bowed again.
The judge took out a volume and flipped through it briefly.
"Yan Xinglie is loyal and brave, and has done many good deeds. Although his life is about to expire in this life, he will be blessed in the next life. If he takes revenge, his blessings will be wiped out, and he will have to spend hundreds of years serving in the ceremonial guard."
When he spoke again, he seemed to have a hint of dissuasion.
"Have you thought it through?"
Yan Xinglie was decisive and did not hesitate.
"I only wish to take revenge, even if I fall into the netherworld forever!"
"good."
The mist surged, and the master behind the heavy curtains on Luan Yu finally spoke.
"Where is the Department of Investigation and Investigation?"
"I'm here."
A judge emerged from the crowd.
"Is what Yan Xinglie said true?"
"true."
"Where is the Treasurer?"
"Is your minister here?"
Another judge came out holding a wat tablet.
"Is there any vacancy?"
"The five-hundred-year term of the lantern-bearer No. 293 of Jiashen is about to expire; there is still a spare pair of curtain ropes in the library."
"Where is Zhang Dexing Si?"
"here."
A big man with a strong head came out with a loud voice.
"Quickly take the sinner Li Kuiqi's back tendons and put them in the warehouse."
"like!"
The big man moved vigorously and resolutely, ordered a group of knights, turned around and led the way north, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Where is Zhang Ku Chu Si?"
The scribe-like judge responded respectfully.
"I'm here."
"Shi Jiashen No. 293 is the person holding the lamp." The Lord's voice was cold and ruthless. "I will replace you with Yan Xinglie from Pinglu."
"I obey the decree."
Judge Zhang Kuchu turned around and led a lantern holder from the end of the team to the bearded man. Strangely enough, the man holding the lantern was so close that he could clearly see his old hands and gray beard.
But as soon as he took off his cloak, there was nothing underneath, and his soul was nowhere to be seen.
Yan Xinglie's heart skipped a beat, and he probably understood what the judge meant by "killing away". It was nothing more than losing his soul. But he didn't hesitate at all, picked up the cloak of the lamp holder, put it on his body calmly, and followed this
The judge walked towards the team.
With every step closer to the team, the bearded man understood more and more: From now on, there will be no more Yan Xinglie in the world.
At the last step of joining the team, he paused slightly and raised his head, only to see a Taoist priest leaning on the waning moon on the roof of the street, which was not covered by the fog, waving goodbye.
The bearded man returned the gift solemnly, then turned around and stepped into the crowd of people holding lanterns.
…………………………
"Crunch."
The door that Yan Xinglie had closed was pushed open again.
After bidding farewell to the bearded Li Changan, he lit the oil lamp and picked up the letter under the sword case.
This "suicide note" is not long, just a few crosses, as brief as a bearded man's determination.
But Li Changan looked very slowly.
After a long time, Li Changan put down the text message and remained speechless.
He couldn't comment more on Yan Xinglie's choice. Even though he knew Big Beard's experience and understood his despair, he couldn't completely empathize with it.
All he could do was sigh softly, which was not much heavier than the explosion of lights in the lamp.
Feeling heavy?
There are some.
But after seeing too much of the misery in this world, I become numb.
In the ups and downs of troubled times, whose fate is not like dew, unpredictable?
At least the bearded man is benevolent.
However, with Yan Xinglie's death, the Taoist priest's unexpected journey came to an end, and it was time for him to embark on the journey to find the corpse Buddha again. But before that, Yan Xinglie left behind three things,
Wait for him to solve it.
The first is Yan Xinglie's waist card of Zhenfusi.
In the letter, the Taoist priest was asked to forward it to the government to inform him of his death.
The second is the sword embryo and a roll of refining essence in the box. Big Beard gave it to Li Changan as a reward for his generous help, and hoped that the Taoist priest would take over his unfinished business and successfully refine it.
As for the third one... the Taoist turned his head and looked at the White Lotus Saint in the corner of the room, her eyebrows tightly closed.
Yan Xinglie did not insist on it, he only wrote one sentence: whether to kill or release, the Taoist priest will decide on his own.
well.
What a hot potato.
………………
Yuzhou, Qianfo Temple.
Today, there is a rare bustle in front of the Demon Transformation Cave. In the past, there was only mist floating on the ropeway. Now, it is crowded with fat monks carrying large and small objects. The iron ropes creak and sway under the pressure of humming.
Host, Vina, Dianzuo, Temple Supervisor... all the great monks in the temple gathered at the entrance of the cave, all with sad faces.
Last night, a messenger came from the court and brought a series of news.
First, the Zhenfu Division captured the saints of the White Lotus Sect and named them to be filled into the Demon Transformation Cave.
Again, Saint White Lotus was actually the daughter of Li Kuiqi of Pinglu, and this Li Kuiqi surrendered to Eunuch Yu and became a popular figure in the eyes of the "Emperor".
At present, whether to kill or release is still debated endlessly in the DPRK and China.
The local officials were wise enough to come up with a compromise, and asked the monks to let the White Lotus Saint live in the Demon Transformation Cave for the time being.
Straight thief girl! When the Hua Mo Cave is a brothel on the street? You can go in when you want to, and you can leave when you want to?
The great monk jumped up and struck the crime on the spot.
Do you really think that Thousand Buddhas Temple is a vegetarian? Watch carefully! Keep it safe so that the White Lotus Saint... can live comfortably and feel at home.
There is nothing we can do.
I can't afford to offend anyone, so I have to torment myself.
So the great monks came to supervise the work in person early this morning.
First, choose a single room on the outside so that you can clean it easily.
When the moisture in the cave is heavy, a charcoal stove is installed; when the smell is strong, sandalwood is smoked; when the ground is cold, a velvet blanket is spread.
Then add an embroidered bed, a soft sofa, a screen, a coffee table... and decorate it with calligraphy and painting, Luoqi, pearls, jade, flowers and plants... In the end, a prison for suppressing evil spirits is more elegant and comfortable than the boudoir of a wealthy lady.
.
By the way, the Three Body Buddha Hall inside cannot be ambiguous either.
Maybe someone from the imperial court will come down to inspect.
The most important thing is that the golden bodies of the ancestors sitting with me should wear Vairocana hats, brocade cassocks, and be decorated with flowers, so as not to weaken my Buddhist image.
But if the Dharmakaya has faded, it is inevitable that there will be those who are not practicing well enough and have missing noses and eyes. In that case, they will be offended. Please move the seat to a dark place in the corner and let the good-looking person sit in the middle.
"Did you hear that?"
Two novice monks were carrying the golden body and polishing it in the corner.
"What's up?"
"There are rumors in the mountains that there is a monster that looks like a monk and specializes in sucking people's blood and picking off their heads at night."
"Monk? Vampire? Oh, these unruly people!"
"No, you actually said that the wooden fish in the temple are all made of human heads..."
At this time, a gust of cold wind squeezed into the cracks throughout the cave, like the sound of a woman crying echoing in the cave.
The novice shuddered.
"Hey...where did you say those heads are?"
"Whatever." The other novice didn't care at all and said carelessly. "I won't be here..."
The candlelight in the corner was dim. He was only talking and did not pay attention to his steps. He accidentally knocked something over and an object rolled to his feet.
As he spoke, he looked down.
A skull covered with dry gray skin and yellow fat, the lower jaw fell off, as if grinning, and a white maggot emerged from the black eye hole.