Chapter 54 Water and fire refining the soul of the dead
"Several outposts set up by the bandits in Gaoling County have been removed one by one."
Luo Xixian said to General Wei in the camp: "The thieves counterattacked several times, and even a powerful demon participated, but we were killed and retreated. Unfortunately, the demon was cunning and allowed him to escape."
"Monster?" General Wei asked with a smile: "Are they those monks from Chiyundu who are proficient in fire control again?"
Luo Xixian held the sword in his hand and nodded slightly, with anger on his brow: "It's that Dongzhang Sanren. Last time in Sanniukeng, he just relied on fighting day and night to wear down my mental strength, and finally gained the upper hand. If we fight head-on, he will definitely
Not my opponent."
"Don't underestimate the enemy." General Wei said: "Recently, the bandits have begun to retreat, obviously intending to hold on to the fortified city to delay the attack."
"When will the general prepare to attack?" Luo Xixian asked.
"Are you anxious?" General Wei smiled and said: "I have already asked people to start building siege equipment, but before attacking the city, I still need to persuade them first to shake the hearts and minds of the soldiers and people in the city. The thieves will definitely deal with those who intend to escape, and they will gradually encroach on them.
Disintegrate and shake the morale of the thieves."
Luo Xixian was puzzled: "Will this make the thieves stubbornly resist?"
General Wei said: "I have received news from Wang Juncheng that the imperial court has allowed Xingluo County to re-issue the land grant order. As long as the thieves and the people put down their weapons, not only will they be exempted from being thieves, but also the unowned land in the county will be granted according to the number of ding.
If you can provide military information about the bandits and invaders, or even assist the officers and soldiers in breaking down the city walls occupied by the bandits, there will be other rewards."
"If that's true, why worry about the thieves not being defeated?" Luo Xixian said in surprise.
"General, the talisman soldiers from Huaiying Pavilion have been delivered." At this time, a soldier came forward to report.
"Oh?" General Wei looked happy and looked up at Luo Xixian: "Just in time, come with me."
Luo Xixian heard about Huaiying Pavilion, but didn't know what the talisman soldiers were. He followed General Wei out of the camp silently. He saw a carriage parked outside, and the soldiers unloaded the goods one by one.
When he opened the oilcloth, he saw hundreds of swords with ring heads arranged neatly in rows. General Wei picked up one of them and took out the sword from its sheath. Immediately, a white light hit his face and entered his eyes, making people feel a slight sting.
"Good knife!"
General Wei praised it, and then he saw a string of Zhu Wenfu seals near the handle of the knife, with strokes as thin as hair.
"What do you think of this talisman?" General Wei handed the Huanshou sword to Luo Xixian next to him. The other party was secretly surprised, caressed the blade lightly, and flicked it. The naked eye could see faint ripples spreading on the surface of the blade.
"This is a ring-shou sword made with talismans, but this method seems..." Luo Xixian couldn't explain. He felt that this talisman sword was different from the way he used to sacrifice swords.
"I entrusted Zhao Fu to refine it. With such a large quantity, I guess Huaiying Hall spent a lot of effort." General Wei opened another wooden box, which contained bundles of gun heads, which glowed with a layer of ocher red in the sunlight.
luster.
Luo Xixian didn't respond. General Wei turned to him and said: "I plan to let you divide this batch of talisman soldiers. You select a group of capable soldiers in the army and match them with these talisman soldiers. They will fight with you during the battle. What do you think?
?”
There is also a lot of knowledge involved in how to distribute soldiers, armor and equipment in the army. No matter how skilled the soldiers are, when they go to the battlefield, everyone hopes to be equipped with better weapons and armor.
Generally speaking, the best-equipped soldiers in the army are usually the personal guards around the general. Being able to select soldiers and allocate weapons and equipment on your own is equivalent to being allowed to form a private army.
Luo Xixian was born into a family of generals and military officers. How could he not understand the importance of this situation? His face was filled with joy and he immediately bowed heavily to General Wei.
"It doesn't have to be like this." General Wei led Luo Xixian back to the tent again and said: "I was entrusted by the Grand Sima to take more care of you. It's just that the army is not as good as the court. If you don't have real military exploits, you can't let the soldiers I am sincerely convinced, and I will definitely not give you this opportunity."
Luo Xixian bowed his head and said yes. General Wei sat down and said, "There is no one around. Let me ask you something."
"General, please speak."
"I heard that you and Zhao Fu had a bad relationship a few days ago?" General Wei asked.
Luo Xixian didn't know how to answer, so he just nodded slightly. General Wei said earnestly: "You are all the temporary choices of the Huaiying Pavilion. It is supposed that you should work together as one, but now that the suppression of the bandits has not been completed, there is a gap. Whose wishes do you think will be followed?"
Luo Xixian lowered his face and still did not speak. General Wei said: "There are some things that I will not expose. It depends on when you plan to tell me. Previously, people from Chongxuan Hall came to Yuyang County and heard that there was a woman in How long did you stay in the tent?"
"It's wrong to hold such a humble position, please ask the general to punish him!" Luo Xixian immediately bowed.
"The military camp is not a market place. How can we accommodate idle people waiting for you to come and go?" General Wei said in a serious tone: "If it weren't for Chongxuan Pavilion, I would have driven them away long ago. I am not a great Sima, so I have no right to interfere with your personal relationships. But you You must also understand that this current round of bandit suppression is related to your future, and any mistakes will become hidden dangers in the future. Chongxuan Hall’s intention to drive a wedge between you and Zhao Fuli cannot be clearer. If you want to avoid being disturbed, you must first do it yourself. Keep your mind straight."
"Yes." Luo Xixian replied.
"I know what you are thinking about." General Wei said: "Zhao Fuli is serious and pragmatic, and he is indeed valued by others. But I can see that he is not a person who wants to be powerful. There’s something to show off.”
Hearing this, Luo Xixian frowned slightly. In fact, when he thought about it occasionally these days, he felt that his previous words to Zhao Mi were too harsh. He wanted to rebuild the friendship, but he couldn't keep up his face.
General Wei saw the change in his expression, so he whispered: "There are some things that are inconvenient to say clearly in front of outsiders. You are the son of the Grand Sima. Although you are not a direct descendant, the Grand Sima is not one of those who have been ministers for many generations and do not have so many distinctions between direct descendants. With the great Sima working hard in the court, your future prospects are limitless! Zhao Fuli cannot compare with you in this regard, so why should you be afraid?"
"It's just my humble thoughts." Luo Xixian replied.
General Wei stood up and patted Luo Xixian on the shoulder: "Those in high positions should not be narrow-minded, but should be able to recognize people and be tolerant of them. Whether they are commanding officers in the army or appointing officials in the court.
If Zhao Fu offends you in the slightest, you should not rebuke him in public. Let alone a long-time friend, even a subordinate staff member who has always been disliked should not have a complete stalemate with him. After all, things have to be done by people."
Luo Xixian understood that General Wei's advice was sincere. If he had not been his father's former subordinate, he would not have said this to an outsider casually.
"Here are the talisman pills sent by Zhao Fuli." General Wei pointed to the wooden box aside: "These are specially prepared for you. The letter also asked me not to tell you."
Luo Xixian's face changed slightly. After opening the wooden box, there were Jade Ointment for healing wounds, Huanyuan Powder for nourishing Qi, and a stack of charms, mostly various protective spells.
"Has Zhao Shu not come to Yuyang County yet?" Luo Xixian couldn't help but ask.
General Wei replied: "He said in his letter that mandalas will be set up all over Xingluo County and rituals will be prepared to contain the newly forged divine sword of Chiyun's rebellious party."
…
Zhao Shu stood outside a mass grave, shaking a copper bell gently in his hand, opening and closing his lips, and chanting mantras in a deep and long voice. Along with the ringing of the bell, a dark wind surged in front of him for no apparent reason.
Using Yingxuan's illumination technique, I looked up and saw numerous ghostly shadows coming toward my face, making the hair on my body stand on end and drawing my mind into the illusion——
"Why are you crying?" The woman found the girl outside the farmer's house.
I saw a little bird in the girl's hand. Its wings were broken and it could not fly. It was chirping and wailing. The girl's little face was full of tears, but she did not scream. She just whispered: "The little bird can't fly. I can't find it."
It’s time for parents.”
The woman knelt down and said, "Let mom see...it's okay. Let's build a nest for it and feed it with the chickens in the yard. Maybe its parents will find it one day."
The light and shadow faded, and a family of three sat together. The girl said to the man: "Dad, that little bird's wings are almost ready. Is it going to fly away?"
The man said softly: "The little bird is going to find its parents. You can't trap them and not let them go, right?"
"I want a little bird," the girl said coquettishly.
"Be good, daddy will make you a bamboo bird." The man gently stroked the girl's little head.
The scene changed again, and there seemed to be the sound of a horse neighing. The woman hugged the girl tightly and hid in the corner of the house. The man held a pole and shouted outside the door: "We have already given money to the princes this month, why do we need more today?"
"You gave me the share of Master Zhang of Fengtoushan before, but you haven't given me our share of Master Mada yet!" The bandit shook his big blade.
"My family is really out of money. We don't have enough food and rice for the next month. I'm asking a few good guys to show their kindness and spare me this time." The man's voice trembled, either out of fear or anger.
"Don't have money? Then pay with flesh!" The bandit lifted up the waist of his trousers and said with a lewd smile: "We have heard a long time ago that your mother-in-law was born with a lot of white flesh. If you make me feel comfortable, maybe you can be spared this time."
After saying this, the thieves were about to come forward, but the man could not hold back, and hit the thieves hard on the eyebrows with the carrying pole, causing the other party to scream. Then the thieves swarmed up, hacked the man to death with knives, and then kicked the door open.
The thieves burst into the house with a smile, and dragged the woman up with all their hands. The girl started crying in fear. The thieves were so annoyed that they picked up the girl and threw her to the ground. The crying stopped immediately.
"ah--"
The woman howled miserably, pushed the thieves away like crazy, and pounced on the girl. The thieves were so excited that they tore the woman's clothes to pieces one after another. The woman refused to obey and started biting the thieves desperately.
The thieves were bleeding and in pain, and in a rage they struck the woman to death with a knife. The other thieves looked at the miserable situation in the house, reprimanded their companions, abandoned the ravaged houses, and left angrily.
…
The various experiences of hundreds of deceased people during their lives, whether they were happy, melancholy, busy, or troubled, were mixed and confused, and finally converged into various miserable death conditions, presented before Zhao Shui's eyes.
The fierce aura contained a lot of resentment, unwillingness, and sorrow, which were the last moments of the deceased's thoughts. They formed an invisible torrent and rushed toward Zhao Shu, trying to devour him.
"Duh!"
Zhao Shu was not distracted. He gave a light drink. The ghostly shadow in front of him paused for a moment. He immediately picked up a willow branch, dipped it in some clean water, and sprinkled it forward.
A little bit of the cursed water turned into boundless sweet rain, sweeping away the turbid dust and astringency, allowing the ghosts to return to their original appearance. The ferocious violence was temporarily contained. Hundreds of men, women, old and children were displayed in front, but they were still not clear.
Zhao Shu took out a pre-written Danyang Talisman, lit it lightly on the candlelight, and drew it out. The red light from the jade mirror in the Mingtang Palace also emitted. The flying flames turned into a fire, spreading all over the void, shining brightly.
Gold, a group of souls are smelted in fire.
"After the souls of the dead are refined, they all gain light. The reflections from the five directions inform all spirits. They take refuge in the jar and receive the true form."
Following the sound of the sutra mantra, Zhao Shu held the Hengbi Gongzhen-shaped talisman in his hand and patted it on the table. Suddenly, a ray of light shone down from the sky.
The souls of the dead have gone through the refinement of water and fire, and the stagnation of dust has been removed. A bit of pure energy has condensed into their true form, and their pure fairy clothes have been draped. They stand on the fire cloud and slowly rise up.
"Dad, Mom, look, it's a little bird!"
Suddenly hearing the girl's voice, the family changed their appearance and looked into the distance. There were birds circling in the glow. The man and the woman were holding the girl, and the family happily followed the birds and disappeared into the glow.
The glow dissipated and the ritual ceremony was completed. Zhao Shu felt a little tired and stretched out his hand to hold the Dharma table. A few tears fell on the back of his hand, and his vision was blurred.
"Thank you, little friend Zhao Mi." The voice of Lord Hengbi carried to my ears on the wind: "The souls of the dead have found peace after being tempered. From now on, they will follow me to protect the town. Please rest in peace."
"It's okay." Zhao Shu wiped his tears: "I'm used to it over the years."
"The souls here have been saved, and the altar has been set up. You can take a rest for a while before going to the next place." Hengbi Gong didn't say anything more, and the breeze dispersed in his ears.
Sighing softly, Zhao Shu packed away the ritual objects. Not far away, Jiang Ru crossed her chest and looked. Seeing Zhao Shu's eye circles were red, she smiled and said, "What? So it turns out that Zhao Fu can also cry?"
Zhao Miao sniffed: "Why not?"
"They are just some dead souls. If you are too deeply involved, be careful not to be able to extricate yourself." Jiang Ru reminded: "If you have too many obsessions because of the dead, it will not be beneficial to cultivating immortals and learning Taoism."
"Thank you for letting me know." Zhao Shu held his hands expressionlessly. He turned around and saw a few old people watching in a nearby village, but they didn't dare to get close.
"Is there something wrong with you guys?" Zhao Shu stepped forward and asked.
"Is the Immortal from Yanze City?" The old man bowed.
"Not bad." Zhao Shu saw that their faces were hungry and thin, their clothes were shabby, and they expected to live a difficult life.
The old man said in a low voice: "We are here to ask the immortal to ask the county master... to lend us some grain and rice so that we can survive the current season."
Zhao Shu didn't answer immediately. He raised his eyes and looked around and found the green rice in the fields in the distance. After thinking about it carefully, it happened to be a period of drought. For rural villages that had experienced banditry, the grain reserves had probably been robbed long ago. This
These days are the most difficult.
"About how much do you lack? I can report it to the county government." Zhao Shu asked.
Several old people stretched out their hands to calculate for a while. Zhao Shu took out a pen and paper and listened and wrote. Then he turned around to find Jiang Ru and handed her a letter: "Ask your people to send this letter to Yanze City immediately.