"I understand." Mu Xied seemed to have made a major decision in his heart, and nodded slowly: "Since it is known as a sacred object of Zoroastrianism, it will be unreasonable if I don't come forward. I will bring people to visit Maocai Society in person. If
It is truly a sacred object of our religion, and no outsiders can be allowed to steal it privately. Even if the adults from the Protectorate's Palace come, I still have a reason to say."
"But... what if the Mani Pearl is not a sacred object of your religion?" Su Wangting asked.
Mu Xied smiled: "Yes or no, the words of me, an old man from Zoroastrianism, still hold more weight than those of the Maocai Society. I can ask that the Mani Pearl be placed in the Fire Worship Temple, for the followers of the Zoroastrian religion to pay homage and worship."
Su Wangting pondered for a moment, and then said: "Okay, then do what Elder Mu said. There is another thing, does the Yingsochuan Shunishi tribe also believe in Zoroastrianism?"
"Shunishi tribe? That's right." Mushid recalled for a moment and said: "They are Turbez. In the early years, they worshiped the heaven, earth, mountains and rivers, wolves, eagles, horses and sheep. Even though they later converted to our religion, they could not help but be contaminated by some crude old customs.
They also mistakenly regarded the god of my religion as the great eagle god."
Su Wangting said with a smile: "I have also heard from the elders that the image of the eagle is an allusion to the war god of your religion, who has the power to protect the law and subjugate demons. The Shuni Shi tribe worships the eagle god, which should be due to its divine power."
"Yes, yes, Master Su is familiar with the meaning of my teachings. If you are willing to convert, maybe things will be easier to handle." Mu Xide did not forget to persuade.
"I'm just a mediocre ordinary person, running around for money and mundane things all day long. I'm stubborn and it's hard for Ming Zun to teach you the magic method, so I won't bother Elder Mu." After Su Wangting declined, he said: "By the way, we came to visit the elder...
"
Mu Xide said wisely: "I will not disclose it to the outside world. You must be cautious in outside affairs."
Su Wangting stood up and held his hands in his hands: "Then we will say goodbye. Elder, please stay and there is no need to see you off."
After the two left, they found an uninhabited corner near the Fire Worship Temple and started talking.
"You don't seem to fully trust this Elder Mu?" Cheng Sanwu held up his knife and observed the Zoroastrian believers holding torches in the distance.
"No one can be fully trusted in this situation. What if he turns around and exposes us two?" Su Wangting sighed softly, and then said: "But Mu Xid will not turn a blind eye to Mani Zhu.
"
"Did you reveal the news to him on purpose?" Cheng Sanwu also understood.
Su Wangting said: "The current situation is beyond my expectation. Someone from Chang'an sent a message saying that the Mani Pearl was a sacred object of Zoroastrianism. I didn't think much about it at the time. Looking back now, the Zoroastrian Church in the Western Regions did nothing about such an important thing.
What?"
"But Mu Xide doesn't seem to be making any big moves," Cheng Sanwu said.
Su Wangting sneered: "Although he is highly virtuous and respected, he alone does not have the final say on what other people in the sect should do. The corpse vultures you met before were probably the Shuni Shi tribe believers who believed in Zoroastrianism back then.
They have a tradition of domesticating falcons in the past, and the shamans in the tribe can channel them to detect distant enemies."
Cheng Sanwu was puzzled: "But I heard that the Shunishi tribe has been dispersed long ago, and a military town has been set up in the Yingsu River area. Moreover, corpse vultures are no different from ordinary birds. This kind of monster has to devour the soul to grow."
big."
"The tribe is broken up, but the people are still there." Su Wangting looked at the Fire Worship Temple with billowing fireworks and bustling people: "If the Shunishi tribe is still the usual herding horses and sheep, it will be broken up, but if you believe
After teaching, I became more persistent."
"It may become even more crazy." Cheng Sanwu sarcastically said.
Su Wangting was too lazy to say anything more, so Cheng Sanwu asked again: "You pushed Mu Xide out to contain Maocai Society, what are you going to do next?"
"Just wait and see what happens." Su Wangting said, "I have already sent a letter to Chang'an. After Prime Minister Lu learns about the situation here, he will naturally respond."
"You trust these officials too much," Cheng Sanwu reminded in a bad tone.
"Is it possible that the two of us have to fight against the hundreds of people from Maocai Society?" Su Wangting said: "They got the Mani Pearl, but they didn't leave in a hurry. It was obviously because there were heavy troops from the Duhufu in Quzhi City...
…Oops!"
Cheng Sanwu saw Su Wangting's surprised look: "What's wrong?"
"Since there are soldiers and horses guarding Quzhi City, and Mr. Wu has established a relationship with the Duhufu, maybe we can second troops and horses to conduct a large-scale search!" Su Wangting sensed something was wrong.
While the two were talking, they heard the sound of footsteps in the distance, accompanied by the friction of nails and the neighing of horses, followed by a loud shout:
"The Protector's Mansion is being searched, and no one is allowed to enter or leave the area!"
"You're such a crow's mouth!" Cheng Sanwu complained and immediately drew his sword.
"Wait!" Su Wangting quickly held down his sword-drawing hand: "Those are the soldiers of the Protectorate. If you take action, everything will be over!"
"Maocai Society is clearly trying to kill someone with a borrowed knife!" Cheng Sanwu peeked out and said, "There aren't many people, just a group of armored infantry. If you can't, you can go around it."
"Don't rush out yet." Su Wangting reacted quickly: "This is the Zoufang where the believers live. Mu Xide and the others will definitely not allow the soldiers and horses of the Protectorate to come in and search at will."
Cheng Sanwu frowned and said: "These guys who stick their butts out and worship God all day long dare to resist the government?"
Su Wangting looked serious: "They really dare."
"No wonder you found them, no wonder the emperor ordered the ban and the destruction of the temple." Cheng Sanwu slowly put the sword into its sheath, but still held the handle tightly, ready for a fight at any time.
"Actually, the Protectorate may not actually enter the Fire Worship Temple." Su Wangting took advantage of the corner of the wall to carefully observe the direction of the entrance to the inner square. The current Dharma-wielding Sabao led a group of believers to block the deputy who came to search from the door.
They are making a loud noise.
"Why don't you go in?" Cheng Sanwu asked, "Are you afraid of causing trouble?"
"Absolutely." Su Wangting said: "Although the imperial court ordered the ban on Zoroastrianism and the destruction of temples, the law was passed out of the Central Plains, but all parts of the Western Regions were indifferent."
"Because there are too many Zoroastrian believers, the Protectorate is afraid of causing chaos among the believers?" Cheng Sanwu also understood.
Su Wangting squatted down and looked into the distance: "If there are just too many people, there are still ways. But the imperial court uses troops in the Western Regions, builds military towns, and digs and cultivates rivers. Money is needed everywhere, and the treasury alone cannot afford it. And the Zoroastrian believers
Among them, there are many businessmen and travelers, and we need to use them to inquire about the situation in the west. Over time, there are even Zoroastrian believers in the Governor's Mansion."
"This doesn't sound like a good sign." No matter how stupid Cheng Sanwu was, he didn't realize that something was wrong.
Su Wangting said with emotion: "The most troublesome thing in this world is that you are in me, and I am in you."
"The Duhufu does not dare to search the Fire Worship Temple in depth, but will search elsewhere, and even the entire Quzhi City." Cheng Sanwu felt that the current situation was very stressful: "Is this Maocai Society forcing us to show up?"
"Now it seems that this is it." Su Wangting couldn't help complaining: "This Wu Maocai, I didn't expect that he would make all kinds of calculations. I really underestimated him before."
"I guess there are experts to help." Cheng Sanwu scratched his beard: "Didn't you say that he had magic blessings before? It can be seen that there are capable people and strangers around him."
"This is not a wandering Taoist priest who deceives villagers and women by using ghost-drawing talismans. There are very few people in the world who can cast spells." Su Wangting said.
Spells are not as good as martial arts and cannot be achieved through hard work. If you don't have special talents that are different from ordinary people, you are destined to have no chance of using magic.
Whether it is Taoism, Buddhism, exotic religions such as Zoroastrianism, or even shamans on the grasslands, each has its own way of practicing magic. Legend has it that a very few masters can fly to the sky and escape from the earth, and call the wind and rain, but even if the territory is vast,
Like Daxia, such people are as rare as a rare bird.
The Xia Dynasty opened thousands of miles away, and the custom was martial. No matter whether it was in the temples, the military, or in the rivers and lakes, there were people practicing martial arts everywhere. The imperial court strictly prohibited the private possession of armor and powerful crossbows. However, there were many strict laws and regulations regarding magic.
No matter what sect or sect they come from, anyone who practices magic must register with the government and report it in due course.
On the one hand, the imperial court strictly controlled those who practiced magic, lest they conspire to cause trouble, but on the other hand, it also gave them more preferential treatment. Not only did they distribute lumi money every month, but they also distributed land and property to slaves. If there were demons causing trouble, the imperial court would
The government will call in magicians to deal with it.
In the Central Plains area, most magicians belong to the Buddhist and Taoist families, and the majority of them are Taoists. They are proficient in the Five Elements magic, talismans and incantations, and are good at dealing with all kinds of monsters and monsters, which is well known to the world.
Therefore, the Daxia army would also be accompanied by monks and Taoists. As a concubine of a British prince in the DPRK, Wu Maocai was working in the Western Regions, so it was not too strange to receive the help of magicians.
The two of them hid in the dark and observed for a while, and it turned out that things developed just as Su Wangting said. Facing the Zoroastrian believers' excuses and refutations, the personnel of the Duhu Mansion did not forcefully enter and search.
The leading team deputy was also invited to the Fire Worship Temple, and then Mu Xied appeared in person. When the team deputy saw this Zoroastrian elder, he quickly folded his hands and bowed down, showing full respect.
"Sure enough, it was all arranged." Cheng Sanwu didn't bother to look further, and then asked: "What should we do now? The Protectorate does not dare to search here, but there is no way to hide elsewhere."
"Right now, we are short of manpower and have nothing to do. There is no need to rush out and confront the enemy head-on." Su Wangting said, "Let's observe for a while. When the news about Mani Pearl spreads, it will be Maocai Society's turn to face the ferocious power of thousands of Zoroastrian believers."
"Oh, it's boring!" Cheng Sanwu twisted his neck.
…
"What?! Say it again!"
In Baochang Square, Mr. Wu was looking through the account books, intending to familiarize himself with the industrial layout of Baochang Society. When he heard the reports coming from his subordinates, his expression changed drastically.
Xu Yan said again: "The Zoroastrian religion in the city learned about the Mani Pearl and gathered a crowd in the city to make a noise, demanding that we hand over the sacred objects belonging to Zoroastrianism."
"Fart!" Mr. Wu threw the account book on the table fiercely: "Why should we give the Mani Pearl to them after we finally got it?!"
Xu Yan did not dare to refute for a while, and Mr. Wu walked back and forth in anger, saying to himself anxiously: "No, no! Why did they know that the Mani Pearl was in our hands? How did the news leak? Could it be that Su Wangting and Su Wangting
Zoroastrianism colluded and colluded with the news? But by doing this, wouldn’t he give up the Mani Pearl to others? How can he communicate with Lu Xiang? "
At this time, another servant announced that Wen Changshi of the Dufufu had arrived, and Mr. Wu hurried out to greet him.
"Could it be that Wen Changshi came here because of Zoroastrianism?" Mr. Wu asked when he came up.
"Hahaha, I think this matter has already spread throughout Quzhi City." Wen Changshi said with a pleasant tone: "Then I won't beat around the bush. This time it can be regarded as your Maocai Society's fault, and it is impossible for the Protectorate to show partiality to the end."
"Wen Changshi, it is not that I, Wu Maocai, am greedy for treasures. This Mani Pearl will be presented to Your Majesty in the future!" Mr. Wu lowered his voice, but his tone was impatient: "If this matter is completed, my father can assist in rectifying the various places.
I strongly advise you on the matter of redundant personnel. The four-town Protectorate Mansion oversees the vast territory of the Western Region, and I think Wen Changshi knows better than me the number of assistants!"
After hearing these words, Wen Changshi had a meaningful expression on his face: "I heard that the person who wrote the letter to rectify the redundant staff was Prime Minister Lu?"
"That's right!" Mr. Wu quickly added: "The Baochang Society was able to gain a foothold in the Western Regions and continue to grow because of the great backer of Prime Minister Lu. We have never spread the story about Mani Zhu. It must be a secret connection between Su Wangting and Zoroastrianism.
Qu, the purpose is to thwart us!"
"But now we cannot tolerate our forced suppression." Wen Changshi reminded: "Master Wu, you have never seen the excitement of the Zoroastrian believers. Once they get into trouble, the situation will be difficult to deal with. And if the Zoroastrian religion in the Western Regions rebels,
When the news reaches the Central Plains, do you think there will be people involved in impeaching the Protectorate?"
"Is there really no room for maneuver?" Mr. Wu was like an ant on a hot pot, almost unable to stand.
"The guards are leading the troops outside, and there is no time to return to Quzhi City right now." Wen Changshi pondered for a moment: "I will try to delay it for you for two or three days, and claim to the outside world that we are discussing it. You can leave Quzhi City at this time."
"But..." Mr. Wu thought of Mr. Changqing's plan: "The Western Region is currently in turmoil. If we leave Quzhi City, wouldn't it be more dangerous?"
"Mr. Wu, are you questioning our Protectorate?" Wen Changshi did not give in blindly, but showed a slightly dignified look: "The horse thieves and demons that have been in the Western Regions recently are all invincible in front of the powerful army of the Protectorate.
They attacked the stragglers. Forget that outsiders are ignorant, why are you, Mr. Wu, so confused? Don’t forget that many of the soldiers in the Protectorate are the former members of your father’s army!”
"Yes, I was reckless." Mr. Wu quickly bowed his head and apologized. After all, he had no official status and could not give orders to the people of the Duhufu. He was relying entirely on the remaining power of his father, the British prince.
"That's it, you pack your bags as soon as possible and prepare to leave. I'll go to comfort you at the Fire Worship Temple." Wen Changshi reminded again: "Also, don't make any announcement about my coming here, and you should do the same when leaving Quzhi City.
Try to be as low-key as possible.”
Mr. Wu immediately agreed and sent Wen Changshi out.
Not to mention how Mr. Wu summoned his men and arranged everything, he saw somewhere in a corner outside Baochangfang, a red-dressed orchid slowly emerged from the shadows, her green eyes like faint phosphorous fire.
"Things are getting more and more interesting. I wonder what that good brother will do when he finds out about this?" Hu Ji in red smiled softly, then turned around and disappeared into the shadows.