"Elder Mu still needs to rest, please ask Manager Su to come in alone."
A personal attendant led Su Wangting and others outside the small house near the Fire Worship Temple. Su Wangting gave him the usual courtesy, then turned back to Cheng Sanwu and said, "Old Cheng, just wait outside."
"Understood." Cheng Sanwu nodded seriously and stood outside the door with his hand on the handle of the knife, just in case something unexpected happened.
Su Wangting entered the hut alone and felt an inexplicable coldness. When he saw Mu Xied sitting on the wool felt blanket, his spirit was listless and his body was stooped, he remembered again that he was already in his twilight years.
"Elder Mu?" Su Wangting stepped forward lightly to visit.
"Oh, it's Mr. Su." Mushid seemed to wake up from a light sleep, his eyelids were drooped, and the brown spots on his forehead were more obvious than before.
"I'm really sorry for disturbing Elder Mu's recovery." Su Wangting didn't talk nonsense. He took out the black jade box covered with gold inscriptions from his arms and said straight to the point: "I have taken back the Mani Pearl, but now the Protectorate intends to take it by force. Baochang Society
I am alone, so I hope to temporarily place this object in the Fire Worship Temple."
"Is it the legendary Zoroastrian holy object?" Mushid seemed to be more energetic, and he sat up slightly and reached out to fumble for it.
Su Wangting knew that the other party was blind, so he handed the black jade box to the other party and explained at the same time: "The Mani Pearl has been sealed in this black jade box, and there is a Buddhist mantra seal outside, which cannot be easily opened."
"This... is a sacred object of our religion, how can it be sealed with Buddhism?" Mushid asked.
"I don't know either." Su Wangting said: "I learned about this from the nobles in the court. It was not escorted by our Baochang Society at first. Therefore, I suspect that this Mani Pearl is just pretending to be a Zoroastrian sacred object, but it is actually something else.
There is something hidden."
Su Wangting's confession was to pave the way for re-claiming this thing in the future. If he hadn't faced a behemoth like the Duhufu, he was almost helpless, and he had a close relationship with Mu Xide in the past and trusted him as a person.
I am willing to place the Mani Pearl in the Fire Worship Temple.
"Since it is not a sacred object of my religion, I cannot risk the crime of blasphemy against the Great Light Lord by bringing this thing to the altar for worship." Mushid said in a serious tone.
Su Wangting also knew that what he was doing was not appropriate, so he said: "Elder Mu does not need to deliberately worship. He only needs to declare to the outside world that for the sake of the stability of the Western Region, he will temporarily place the Mani Pearl in the Fire Worship Temple. If it is later found that this object is not Zoroastrian
It’s not too late to dispose of the sacred object.”
"You are asking me to act as a shield." Mu Xied said without hesitation: "You clearly intend to take this thing back in the future, but you are using the name of Zoroastrianism to protect you."
Su Wangting immediately added: "As long as this storm passes, all the properties of Baochang Society in Sanglinfang in the south of the city will be owned by your sect."
Su Wangting knew very well that although Zoroastrianism also has a lot of religious rules and precepts, as a dharma-holding treasure, in addition to preaching and preaching, its main responsibility is to manage the believers, manage the temple property, and use it to support the priests who are not engaged in production.
So to put it into practice, we still have to rely on real money to speak.
Mu Xide pondered for a long time. When Su Wangting felt uneasy and became increasingly anxious, he said, "Okay, I promise you. I hope Manager Su will keep his promise."
Su Wangting was overjoyed and crossed his hands in salute: "Elder Mu is so kind, I will never forget it, and I will remember it for the next five years!"
Mushid waved his hand gently: "You must have other things to do, please do it yourself. Mani Zhu is here with me, you can rest assured."
Su Wangting bowed deeply again, as if he had been relieved of a huge burden, and then left the hut.
When there was no one else in the room, Mu Xied's eyes were completely shrouded in black. He firmly held the black jade box with his five fingers and showed a strange smile.
…
"Is the matter settled?"
It was not until after leaving Zorofang and bidding farewell to the enthusiastic believers that Cheng Sanwu began to talk privately with Su Wangting.
"The Mani Pearl has been handed over to Mu Xid. If there is really an expert who is secretly paying attention to the whereabouts of the holy objects, then he should know that what he has to face next is the entire Zoroastrianism in the Western Regions." Su Wangting said with a smile.
Cheng Sanwu scratched his beard: "I just hope nothing will go wrong again."
"It's rare to see you frightened." Su Wangting teased, "When you first met Peng Ning, you planned to escort him eastward on your own initiative."
"How could you have expected that the matter would be so involved at that time?" Cheng Sanwu was a little irritated: "I originally promised Peng Ning that I would deliver the Mani Pearl to Chang'an Internal Affairs Ministry... Alas, he thought that thing was... until he died.
Buddha bone relics.”
"The Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs..." Su Wangting muttered in a low voice: "Looking back and thinking about it now, there seems to be no reason for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to participate in the fight for the Mani Pearl."
Cheng Sanwu was puzzled: "Why is there no reason for the overt and covert fights among the gentlemen in the court? Even if there is no reason, it is their usual style to torment their opponents."
"The Ministry of Internal Affairs was originally a close servant of the emperor, who was responsible for the internal affairs of the palace and did not involve foreign affairs." Su Wangting guessed: "It's just that His Majesty has greatly increased the use of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and ordered it to supervise the military town of Baiguan. As for Mani Zhu, how much can I do?
I guess it has something to do with Prime Minister Lu’s plan to rectify the redundant staff in various places and implement a new system..."
"You are going too far." Cheng Sanwu simply interrupted, and then he saw a group of soldiers passing by on the road.
"What the hell? I saw several groups of troops running around the city early in the morning." Cheng Sanwu was about to ask, when a servant from Baochang Society hurried over and said to Su Wangting:
"It's bad! People from the Protectorate suddenly came and said they wanted to seal down the shop, and even arrested our people!"
"Is this called official business?" Cheng Sanwu got angry when he heard this: "If you can't get the Mani Pearl, you just start robbing it?"
Su Wangting frowned slightly, but he was not too impatient. He just hurried back to Baochangfang in the south of the city silently. He saw a group of soldiers coming in and out, moving many belongings and goods away.
"Master Su, you came just in time."
At this time, Wen Changshi arrived on horseback, surrounded by more than a hundred armored soldiers. The swordsmen in front covered the spearmen and crossbowmen in the back.
Beware of brave warriors like Cheng Sanwu.
"This is an official document about sealing down suspected illegal business operations. Please take a look at it." Wen Changshi asked his subordinates to hand over the document. He himself was riding on horseback, looking arrogant: "In addition, in accordance with the court's laws, after ascertaining the specific culpability,
Previously, Manager Su was not allowed to leave our office, please come in."
Su Wangting took the official document and glanced at it without saying a word. Cheng Sanwu raised his hand and pressed the hilt of the knife. Seeing that he was about to have an attack, Wen Changshi pointed with his riding whip and said loudly: "What? Are you planning to openly disobey?
Is it the law of the imperial court?"
Cheng Sanwu lowered his shoulders and dropped his elbows, secretly raising his inner strength, and whispered to Su Wangting on the side: "At this distance, I am confident that I can kill this plague god."
Su Wangting held Cheng Sanwu's shoulders, took two steps forward, cupped his hands and said, "Since Changshi Wen has made this arrangement, the common people dare not disobey it. But after the Qi Protector comes back, Su will definitely demand an explanation!"
After saying this, Su Wangting turned around and took Cheng Sanwu into Baochangfang without looking at Wen Changshi's face that concealed cruelty.
At this moment, Baochangfang was in a state of chaos, and a large amount of property, gold and silk had been looted. This had not happened even when the Maocai Society had invaded before.
"Wu Maocai still had the intention to run the industry, but Wen Changshi just grabbed it without any reason." Su Wangting felt helpless.
"Can you bear this breath?" Cheng Sanwu looked around, looking at the mess on the ground, broken doors and broken windows, and cursed loudly: "This son of a bitch, you gave him money and gifts a lot in the past, he
Is this how you repay?"
Su Wangting showed a smile that understood the world: "I gave money and gifts, and I didn't expect Wen Changshi to repay me. I'd like to thank God if he doesn't come to trouble me. Now, I have expected this result a few years ago. I originally planned to leave with dignity.
The Western Region seems to be impossible now."
The more Cheng Sanwu thought about it, the angrier he became. He moved back and forth with his hand on the handle of the knife, gritted his teeth and said: "If it doesn't work, I'll take advantage of the dark moon and high winds to take off the head of this plague god!"
"That's enough!" Su Wangting shouted: "Old Cheng, you don't have to worry too much, I can let it go."
"I can't let go, I feel unhappy!" Cheng Sanwu was furious.
Although in the eyes of outsiders, Cheng Sanwu was Su Wangting's thug, he also experienced the difficulties in the early days of Baochang Society.
At that time, Baochang Society did not have so many industries. Su Wangting still had to lead the camel team to run many businesses. When they encountered horse thieves, bandits, demons and ghosts, Cheng Sanwu and Su Wangting had to fight with real swords and spears. The two of them were
If you have a life-long friendship, you can safely leave your back to the other person.
Later, Baochang Society grew day by day. Cheng Sanwu believed that this was mainly due to Su Wangting's shrewd calculation and sharp vision. As for himself, he was just relying on his bravery to fight.
Moreover, as Baochang Club grew bigger and bigger, and its manpower increased, the occasions when Cheng Sanwu really needed to show up became fewer and fewer.
So even though Cheng Sanwu would never regard himself as a veteran hero of the Baochang Society, he just couldn't stand that the career he and Su Wangting had worked hard for would be taken over at will by a fatuous and corrupt official.
"The fake Taoist priest has woken up. Do you want to take a look?" At this time, Afu walked out of the darkness. She faced the encounter of Baochang Society with a calm face.
"Damn it, they're all from the same dog, I'm going to kill him now!" Cheng Sanwu was worried that he had nowhere to vent his anger.
"That's called a raccoon dog." Afu looked like he was looking at a child.
"It's all the same!" Cheng Sanwu drew his sword and rushed into the courtyard where Mr. Changqing was housed. Seeing this, Su Wangting hurriedly chased after him and quickly dissuaded him.
"Oops! Don't be impatient, Old Cheng!" Su Wangting directly used his strength to grab the opponent, but was still dragged along by Cheng Sanwu.
When the two of them entered the room, they saw Mr. Changqing sitting on the couch, fumbling with the black blindfold in panic and fear, muttering: "Eyes, my eyes..."
"You're blind!" Cheng Sanwu yelled mercilessly.
"Who are you?" Mr. Changqing was frightened.
Su Wangting, who was on the sidelines, tried his best to get Cheng Sanwu to put away his knife, and introduced himself: "I am Su Wangting, the director of Baochang Society, and this is Cheng Sanwu next to me."
"Cheng Sanwu? Are you Cheng Sanwu?" Mr. Changqing exclaimed.
"It's me!" Cheng Sanwu added: "That boy Wu Maocai was chewed up by a big insect, now it's your turn!"
Mr. Changqing was stunned when he heard this. Su Wangting motioned to Cheng Sanwu with his eyes, asking him to take a break while he talked to Mr. Changqing.
"I haven't asked the Taoist Immortal yet, where is the cave?" Su Wangting asked proactively.
"Songyue Fu Zang Palace, Mr. Changqing. How are you doing?"
Su Wangting showed off his special skills in dealing with people and spoke in a gentle and approachable tone: "It turns out that he is an expert from the Fu Zang Palace. I really admire him for a long time. I just offended you, please forgive me, Mr. Changqing."
"Excuse me?" Mr. Changqing had mixed feelings in his heart. He didn't know whether he should be crying or laughing, sad or angry at this moment.
"Baochang Society and Maocai Society have a dispute over the Manizhu matter. Su needs no further explanation." Su Wangting quickly reassured the other party: "Sir, he is a wise man and should not be involved in the turmoil of ordinary people like us. We
I once persuaded Wu Maocai to hand over the Mani Pearl to save his life, but he was stubborn and refused to change. He had no choice but to use force to snatch it."
"Mr. Wu is the son of a British prince. Do you know what you have done?!" Mr. Changqing suddenly changed his face.
Su Wangting calmly said: "Of course I know, and I also know that Wu Maocai was born to an English father and his concubine. He is not of noble birth. Otherwise, he would not have to have a lowly career like Su. On the contrary, Mr. Changqing, why should he help?
Where is Wu Maocai? With your ability, you can directly submit an ultimatum to the British government, and you will be reused."
Mr. Changqing fell into silence. When Su Wangting saw this, he asked: "I guess... you are also here for the Mani Pearl? But the Mani Pearl is a sacred object of Zoroastrianism, and you are a Taoist master. The two seem to have nothing to do with each other?"
"The Mani Pearl...that thing is not a Zoroastrian sacred object." Mr. Changqing finally chose to reveal the truth after struggling in his heart.
After hearing this, Su Wangting and Cheng Sanwu looked at each other. Afu, who was leaning against the door to listen, frowned slightly and her eyes became sharper.
"If it's not a Mani Pearl, it can't be a Buddha bone relic, right?" Cheng Sanwu took the initiative.
"Buddha bone relics? That's not the case." Mr. Changqing suddenly laughed: "It sounds like you can't figure out the true origin of this thing. It's all just hearsay."
"I'm giving you shame? Hurry up and say it!" Cheng Sanwu said impatiently.
Although Mr. Changqing is blind, he still can't conceal his arrogance when talking about things he is familiar with: "This thing is called star marrow, which is the essence left after the stars outside the sky collapsed."
Cheng Sanwu and Su Wangting both looked at a loss, but Afu's eyebrows suddenly moved, and he took the initiative to question: "Some people say it is Buddha bone relics, and some people say they are Mani beads. What is the difference between what you say and others? It's nothing more than that.
Different sects just hold on to their own opinions."
"Absurd!" Mr. Changqing argued: "The Star Essence fell from the sky. What does it have to do with whether I am from a Taoist sect? Only ignorant and delusional people will cling to it more!"
"The thing that came from heaven is indeed... extraordinary." Su Wangting claimed to be well-informed, but this time he was really surprised and could not easily believe what the other party said.
"Bring the Star Marrow! I'll show it to you immediately!" Mr. Changqing struggled to get out of the bed, eager to prove that what he said was true: "The Star Marrow has the ability to connect with the heavens, which can make the power of spells great.
Improve, when I order the wind and thunder to sweep the square area, you will know that what I say is true!"
Su Wangting was surprised by Mr. Changqing's stubbornness, patted him on the shoulder and said: "What a pity, I have given this thing to Elder Mu of the Fire Worship Temple and asked him to take care of it. I won't be able to take it out for a while."