After the sarcophagus was opened, there was a plain white flash, as clear as the white snow in spring, but there was no shining treasure, but a strange fragrance assailed the nostrils.
When he looked carefully, he discovered that what was spread at the bottom of the coffin was a plain white robe.
I don’t know what material the robe was made of. It was so white that it was beyond words, as if the cleanest and holy things in the world had been condensed on it.
And on top of the plain white robe is a letter.
It was a two-carp letter that was common in the Tang Dynasty.
Chinese people have attached great importance to etiquette since ancient times, and have a long history of papermaking. When people exchange letters, they must wrap the outside of the letters to show respect.
During the Han Dynasty, letters were delivered using a deck engraved with two carps as a package, with paper sandwiched between them.
There have been special envelopes since the Tang Dynasty. After historical accumulation, the envelopes have been improved to be made of thick cocoons. However, due to the allusions and historical continuity from the Han Dynasty, the carp pattern is still painted on both sides of the envelope to show respect.
I saw that the workmanship of this letter was neat and neat, and the two carps were clearly distinguishable. It was obviously from an official letter mailed during the Tang Dynasty, but there was no signature on it.
Chen Zhi hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took out the envelope...
I don’t know why, but this letter from more than 1,300 years ago is as new as if it had just been sent.
But the letter had obviously been opened, and the opening was very neat. It could be seen that the letter was opened very carefully.
Chen Zhi gently pressed the two sides, making the middle of the envelope bulge, and then poured out the letter paper inside.
It was a piece of old Tang paper that was very common at that time. It was fine and yellow in color and very suitable for writing small seal characters.
After Chen Zhi opened the letter, he found a row of very beautiful seal scripts inside. The handwriting was clear and the ink was rich, as if it had just been written.
And Chen Zhi recognized these handwritings...
When they were investigating the unknown mummies in the underground palace of Tenpōji Temple, they saw an image in the corpse.
At that time, the mummy was delivering a token for Princess Gaoyang to her lover, who was living in seclusion in the underground palace at that time.
He was holding a wooden Buddha bead and writing a letter to Qu Wentai, King of Gaochang, on the table, calling him Brother Wang in the letter.
It was also this man who was later beheaded in the middle of Chang'an because of his affair with Princess Gaoyang. This man was the one who defeated the Buddha in a fight!
The handwriting in the letter at this time was exactly the same as the handwriting written to Ju Wentai at that time.
Therefore, the letter in Chen Zhi’s hand should be the original handwriting of the Victorious Buddha!
I don't know why, but when holding this letter, Chen Zhi's hands trembled involuntarily.
It's not that he has never seen wind and waves. In fact, no matter what appears in front of him now, it is difficult for him to feel any fear.
But he seemed to be afraid of reading the letter and knowing what it contained.
But in the end, he still went to see it. People in the Tang Dynasty were good at using classical Chinese and their writing style was exquisite, but when translated into Mandarin, it was roughly like this...
"Family relatives are like meeting each other:
I received the grace of God, opened my mind, followed the eminent monks of the Tang Dynasty, retrieved the true scriptures, and obtained the true fruit, which was a blessing from heaven and earth.
Looking back on the past, we orcs were still barbaric, eating hair and drinking blood. Although we were part of the lineage of ancient giant beasts, we were shameless and ignorant of ethics, so we were abandoned by China. It was worth traveling to the Western Regions. We lived and died like beasts, so we came to this world in vain~~
After meeting the God, I was led to the path of conversion. I deeply felt the great meaning of my Buddha, gained great enlightenment, and took refuge in my Buddha's true path.
I always remember that my people are also beastmen, and I feel sad in my heart.
Before the deity sent me to Tianzhu, he promised me two things.
After I return from studying for scriptures, give me a divine status, glorify my body, and protect Gaochang.
Let me, my orc lineage, be promoted to Xiqi, and be given a name and honorable position, so that I can return to China with glory.
After all the hard work, I finally got the right result. I wanted to go back to my hometown in Gaochang and fulfill my old promise.
However, when he was in Chang'an, he fell into a demonic barrier and was deeply entangled in the love of the emperor and concubine of the current dynasty. The affection was so deep that it was impossible to escape, and he committed an unpardonable crime.
When the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty learned of this, he was furious and wanted to kill me in half. Master Xuanzang wept and mourned, and wanted to use his beloved disciple to take the blame for me.
But I have made a big mistake, and I have learned the Dharma, know etiquette, justice and integrity, and fully understand how I can drag others down with my own mistakes.
Then he decided to turn into the body of Bian Ji to be beheaded and atone for his sins.
After my death, my son and heir will return to Gaochang to repay his kindness and entrust your people to the Xiqi royal family.
You don't have to be afraid, the deity has a high status in Xiqi, and his words are true.
From now on, you must serve Xiqi sincerely, regard King Xiqi as your father, learn wisdom, practice Buddhism, marry well, and understand integrity. King Xiqi will give you names and return to China from now on. How lucky is our family.
When Xiqi comes to pick you up, you will take the white robe of the deity as proof.
Although I only have a one-sided relationship with the deity, the deity taught me that all living beings are equal and there is no distinction between high and low.
With this kind of fate, you can completely trust me, Xiqi will definitely treat my people well!
Say goodbye, don’t think about it~~”
After reading these words, Chen Zhi instantly pinched the piece of paper and his heart began to beat wildly.
The countless suspicious points in his mind suddenly connected into a line. In an instant, what happened that year appeared clearly in front of him!
Everything has a price, and King Gaochang needs a price. This victorious Buddha was willing to accompany Xuanzang to distant Tianzhu to learn Buddhist scriptures, so of course there is a price.
This god in white made many promises in the past. He not only promised King Gaochang to protect the safety of Gaochang, but also promised to fight against the Buddha and move his clan back to China and grant him honor.
But in the end...
Neither of these two promises were fulfilled, Jiang Ziya lied...
Jiang Ziya's image collapsed in Chen Zhi's mind in an instant. Everything before was no longer so firm. What can't a treacherous villain do?
He was able to deceive the King of Gaochang and the Victorious Buddha more than 1,300 years ago. Could that barrier, which is regarded as the most important barrier for human beings, be the same?
lie?
Chen Zhi's eyes began to spin wildly due to the violent beating of his brain nerves, and he couldn't help but look at the monkey corpses again.
From the looks of it... these monkeys were all killed. Before they died, they still clutched the prayer beads they believed in, which proved that they had not resisted.
Judging from the monkey's behavior just now, he hates Xiqi very much. Why? Is it because of the deaths of his ancestors?
Who killed its ancestors 1,300 years ago?
The imperial court at that time?
Impossible, Tang Taizong at that time neither had the ability nor the need.
Who is that?
Then who has the power to break into this place with overwhelming force, leaving these powerful orcs completely defenseless, and eventually all of them are killed.
Yes..., could it be...
When Chen Zhi thought of this, he suddenly felt a cold wind blowing above his head.
The monkey didn't know when it was hiding on top, but suddenly showed its face in the darkness.
His face was full of ferocious anger, and his sharp claws reached up and down, heading straight for Chen Zhi's head...