Heroes of the Fantasy World

Chapter 223 Sword Qi and Xiao Xin
(10)

The yellow mud roads in the suburbs, the rustling breeze, and the clear springs and stone pools are all things that Mrs. Xiang, who has lived in Shenyuan for a long time, has never seen or heard for a long time.She was sitting in a carriage, looking out of the window, at the willows on the bank, the huts in the small village, the women and children washing the gauze, the young men plowing the fields, the elegant men on boats, the fishermen in capes and hats...

All these are reflected on the clear spring and stone pool, and with the clear waves and ripples raised every time the wooden pulp is stirred, it slowly seeps into the hearts of passers-by.

In order not to show timidity in front of many dreamlike beautiful scenery, Mrs. Xiang dressed up carefully.She put a thick layer of powder on her face to cover up all her tiredness and sorrow. She was wearing a looser tulle flower-dotted skirt, which was different from the narrow-legged and close-fitting clothes that are popular nowadays.

Because of Mrs. Xiang's thin body, wearing close-fitting clothes will only make her look poorer. In order not to be ashamed in front of the world and the Buddha, she had to choose clothes with fat sleeves and wide trains to make her look more energetic.

Four officers and soldiers walked in front of the carriage to lead the way, and four officers and soldiers behind the carriage were in charge of the rear.Mrs. Xiang and her little maid Zichai were sitting in the carriage, accompanied by Bai Feng and Murong Yan's royal horses on the left and right sides of the carriage.

There were ten people accompanying them on the surface, so such a grand convoy naturally attracted a lot of attention in the small rural village.

Especially the mysterious couple, their makeup is as usual: the woman is quite dignified and elegant, riding a horse sideways, facing the countryside, fiddled with the pipa in her hand from time to time, although she didn't think about playing any tunes, just playing casually It's silk strings, but others only need to look at her dress and temperament, and they will inadvertently feel admiration in their hearts.

And the young swordsman was walking on the edge of the stone pool on the other side, with a saber on his waist—a sword with a scabbard wrapped in bandages.There was a rag cap on his head, a layer of dark blue coarse cloth clothes, and a leather vest over his body, vulgar and bloated.His horse was piled with luggage, and he looked as if he was going to be away for several days.

The convoy straddles the main road and advances leisurely, and ordinary people passing by it must actively give way.Staying next to such an arrogant convoy, coupled with the fact that his eyes are always piercing, the young swordsman is more like a follower, a loyal dog.

After passing Xiaoshitan for less than two quarters of an hour, they finally arrived at the destination of the trip, the ancient temple outside Cangzhou city.

This temple seems to have a history of more than a hundred years, and it has been standing here since the Northern Wei Dynasty.Bai Feng and Murong Yan originally agreed to come to the temple together to pray for Su Qing and Mrs. Xiang, and including Mei Lin, Mei Xinghe and others, they also felt that this was a matter of course, so they happily selected a few from their subordinates. People followed all the way, nominally to protect Mrs. Xiang's comprehensiveness, but in fact they were just performing the duty of monitoring and guarding.

From the moment they entered the gate until they reached the main hall of the front gate, the eight officers and soldiers assigned their duties in an orderly manner. Every time they walked through a gate beam, two people were assigned to guard the only entrance, and then one person was assigned to visit and inspect around.

Originally full of interest, the big monks and young monks who were giving Zen lectures, and the pilgrims who were paying homage to the Buddha, all discussed and whispered about it.The preaching monk who was sitting at the top of the main hall at the front door approached and asked one of the officers and soldiers, "Excuse me, benefactor, why are you making such a big fuss?"

"Old abbot, this matter has nothing to do with you. We are just performing official duties. Your lord has a lot, so don't blame him." After finishing speaking, the fellow bypassed the old monk and began to lead people into the hall to search.

After several big men reprimanded Fang Qiu, the soldier leader respectfully led Mrs. Xiang, Bai Feng, and Murong Yan to the Buddha to pray for blessings and offer incense. The fasting trip in the next few days seems to be exhausting.

They personally visited every corner of every room to ensure that there were no secret passages or doors that could allow Mrs. Xiang to escape unknowingly.When they saw someone acting suspiciously, they would not hesitate to arrest that guy and torture him, no matter if he was a monk or an ordinary person.Of course, if the other party is a famous person, they will definitely not take the initiative to provoke them.

After Mrs. Xiang finished her worship, the officers and soldiers assigned people to follow her closely. Whether she was resting in the wing room or meditating in the meditation room, there would always be two strong guards standing outside the door.

As for Bai Feng and Murong Yan, Mei Lin's subordinates don't even bother to assign people to protect and monitor these two. After all, in their eyes, Niu Li is a coward and Yao Gu is a disfigured prostitute.Such contempt gave the couple a godsend opportunity.

The first night they spent in a calm and serene atmosphere.

Murong Yan was waiting in Mrs. Xiang's room. The three women played a song in the middle of the night, all of which were verses from Buddhist scriptures, which made the layman drowsy. .

Aunt Yao politely bowed to the two hard-working elder brothers, but even if she tried her best to flatter her, others would only think of the rumors about her disfigurement, and then return with indifference.

Not long after Murong Yan returned to the room, Bai Feng also appeared in the night, turned over from the window and entered the wing room.

It turned out that they had agreed a long time ago that one person would be responsible for investigating the various conditions of the temple, and the other person would act as an internal response between the officers and soldiers and Mrs. Xiang.

But when they were young, the two talked at night by candlelight before the case, exchanging information, and soon planned an excellent place and timing for a private meeting with Mrs. Xiang.

"Brother Feng, let's wait for work with ease, and wait for them to be tired for a few days before we act. In this temple, we can only eat vegetarian food and recite scriptures. These battle-tested officials must not be able to bear such a way of life!" Murong Yan pondered with a smirk.

Bai Feng unfolded his hand-drawn topographic map and explained: "Next, we only need to design to guide Mrs. Xiang to the lotus platform in the temple. The best time is when they hand over the guard post at night!"

"What should we do if people in the temple find out about practicing witchcraft in the place of the Buddha?" Murong Yan looked at the topographic map thoughtfully, and said, "The lotus terrace is located behind the main hall at the front gate, next to the lotus pond. During the day or in the first half of the night, there will be monks and believers giving lectures there to understand Buddhism; if they act in the second half of the night, the patrolling guards can easily find that we are the only ones on the lotus platform!"

Bai Feng pondered for a moment, then said: "The problem Yan'er mentioned, judging from the current situation, we can only play by ear..."

"I don't think so!" Murong Yan snickered and said, "As the so-called 'Buddha crosses a destined person', why don't we ask the Bodhisattva for help?"

Bai Feng thought that the other party's implication was to beg the abbot of the temple, but Murong Yan laughed at Bai Feng's naivety, and finally left only one sentence: "The mountain people have their own tricks." Then she threw herself on the mattress and fell asleep.

(End of this chapter)