Weird Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3583: Crush Cinnabar

Inside the Great Hall of the Heavenly Emperor in the Five Directions Gods' Taoist temple, Jinghong was kneeling in front of Zuo Ci's spirit, with a brocade undergarment faintly visible under her plain linen robe.

Although he was reciting the Sutra of Rebirth, his eyes could not help but glance at Zuo Ci's coffin.

Isn’t he Zuo Ci’s closest disciple?

Why didn't the old man Zuo Ci call him when he was dying?

There were footsteps in the corridor, and Taoist Jinghong leaned down slightly. The angle of his head lowered was just enough to allow the tears that had already hung in the corners of his eyes to fall on the "Nirvana Sutra", leaving a stain of ink.

"Big Brother..." someone called softly in the corridor.

Jinghong glanced over and said, "Speak."

"That kid is disobedient..." the man on the corridor whispered, "It is said that the "Taiping Qingling Book" was burned by the headmaster... oh, by the old headmaster..."

"Burned?" Taoist Jinghong frowned.

The Taiping Qingling Book is a classic revered as the "Heavenly Book" by the Taiping Dao.

In fact, this book was mostly fabricated by later generations using the names of immortals or real people.

On the one hand, at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were many epidemics and diseases, and Taoism also experienced some confusion in its development. Some Taoists did not have a decent classic as a normative basis, which led to the emergence of some methods such as "making books with talismans", "curing diseases with talismans and water spells", and "teaching patients to kowtow and reflect on their mistakes". Later, some Taoist insiders formed a religious group and began to formulate classic documents as rules for believers. Such classic documents include "Laozi Xianger Zhu", "Zhouyi Cantongqi", "Qian Erbai Guanyi" and "Taiping Jing".

Simply put, it is a Taoist classic modeled after the Confucian "Analects".

Anyway, Confucianism copied Taoism and Legalism during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period and the Qin and Han Dynasties. Now Taoism turns around and copies Confucianism. The eldest brother should not criticize the second brother, and the tortoise should not laugh at the turtle.

But for Taoist Jinghong, he did not know that the Taiping Jing was actually a "fake", and from a certain perspective, the Taiping Jing was actually quite good. It brought together methods of curing diseases and saving lives, annotations of social morality, and even ideas on the theory of governing the country, etc. Therefore, for the people of the Eastern Han Dynasty, if they could get such a classic, it would undoubtedly greatly improve and improve their outlook on life, values ​​and the world view.

Especially for someone like Jinghong, who is almost bound to religion, having such a classic in his possession will allow him to know things that others do not know, and to explain phenomena that others cannot explain with Taoist theories. This will undoubtedly greatly enhance his social status and secure his position as a religious leader.

Even though he hasn't done it yet, Taoist Jinghong thinks it's almost a foregone conclusion.

He is Zuo Ci's disciple. If the master doesn't pass the teachings to him, who else can he pass it to?

Green bull?

Who called him an idiot? He insisted on traveling around, saying that he wanted to treat the poor people...

Of course, after becoming the head sect master, Taoist Jinghong would also praise and encourage Taoist Qingniu to continue traveling and treating poor people, and he would also call on other people in the Five Sects to learn from the selfless and kind Taoist Qingniu.

But now...

The "Taiping Qingling Book" must be mine!

"Burned it?" Taoist Jinghong sneered again, "If it were you, would you be willing to burn it?"

The man in the corridor replied, "How can such treasures be burned?"

"That's it..." Taoist Jinghong sighed, "Really... I originally thought this kid was simple and honest... But now it seems that he is simple and honest on the outside, but treacherous on the inside..."

"Then..." the man on the corridor said, "Then... continue to ask? But if you keep fighting, the wounds on your body will not be covered up..."

"Hmm..." Taoist Master Jinghong raised his palm and said "Infinite God", then said in a deep voice, "The Emperor of Heaven saves the good, but he never said he would save the evil... If he is stubborn, don't blame us for disregarding our friendship... As for the injuries that are difficult to cover up, then there is no need to cover them up... Stealing the master's classics is a grave crime..."

"Yes! I understand!"

……

……

In a side hall of the Wufang Taoist Temple on a rainy night, Jinghong was staring at the flickering candlelight on the desk.

Fasting and praying during the day is tiring enough, so there is no need to persist at night.

The clepsydra showed that it was past the hour of Hai. In his hand, he was stroking a Beidou jade pendant. This jade pendant was originally hung on Zuo Ci and was regarded as a token of his status as the head of the sect.

Suddenly there was a soft knock on the window frame, startling him so much that he hurriedly stuffed the jade pendant into his sleeve.

"who?!"

"How are you, Immortal?" An old man in brown clothes and a straw raincoat stood outside the window and bowed slightly.

Jinghong stood up and asked, "Who are you? How did you get in?"

The old man smiled, and the rain on his raincoat flowed down, leaving winding traces on the blue bricks. "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is who the immortal wants to be."

Jinghong's pupils shrank slightly, "What do you want to do?"

The old man took out a package from his straw raincoat and gently placed it on the windowsill. He then stepped back half a step and said, "I am a disciple of the Yang family in Hongnong. Today I come to present the remaining scroll of the Dunjia Kaishantu..."

"Dunjia Kaishantu" is a book of prophecies and divinations in the Western Han Dynasty.

Zuo Ci also mentioned it in the Qingyang Temple in Sichuan and Shu. The words "Mars guards the heart and controls the tripod" are words that touch the fragile nerves of every ruler.

As for the current situation in the world, if we say that Mars has taken over people’s hearts again, there is no doubt about it!

Before, Jinghong had also heard Taoist Zuo Ci casually talking about the events of Guangzong back then. It was after seeing this map that Zhang Jiao came up with the idea of ​​changing the sky!

And now...

Jinghong's eyes fell on the windowsill, as if they were stuck, and he couldn't pull them away for a long time. When he came to his senses, the old man outside the window had disappeared, leaving only water stains on the ground and items on the windowsill, proving that he was not dreaming.

"Someone come! Someone come!" Jinghong subconsciously put away the items on the windowsill first, then went out and shouted, "Has anyone been here? Where is the person on duty?"

The rain was falling heavily and the air was heavy.

The Taoist priest on duty swore to heaven that he did not see anyone come in. Jinghong gritted his teeth and had nothing to say.

After all, there are people coming and going in Wufang Taoist Temple, and the front yard and the back yard are separated by only a wall. It is a rainy day, and if someone hides there, no one will know that someone has been there if no one pays attention.

But since no one saw the old man, doesn't that mean...

Jinghong returned to the room again.

"Hongnong Yang family?"

Jinghong looked at the items left by the old man, feeling skeptical.

……

……

The old man who appeared in the Taoist temple, in the rainy night, turned into the alley familiarly, wandered in the shadows, then knocked on the corner door of a courtyard, looked left and right, and slipped in.

Above the corner gate of the courtyard, a small seal character "金" was carved on the lintel.

The old man walked through the courtyard and bowed in the corridor, "Sir... I'll give the things to him..."

In the backyard, an oil lamp was dim, swaying in the wind and rain, illuminating a figure.

The figure slowly turned around, revealing a young face.

His appearance could be described as handsome, but his sword-like eyebrows pointed up to the sides, and extremely sharp, coupled with his pointed chin, made him look like a poisonous snake lurking in a cave, with a triangular head and a pointed chin.

This person is Jin Wei, the son of Jin Shang.

The locust flowers in the courtyard were knocked all over the ground by the rain.

Jin Wei used silver chopsticks to stir the agarwood in the Boshan furnace.

Green smoke slowly overflowed, and the mountains above the Boshan furnace were hazy and the beasts were floating. "Just give it to him..." Jin Wei laughed softly, "Jinghong is a man who appears to be honest, but is actually greedy... As long as he has a false heart, he will definitely fall into the trap... Come in, don't stand outside in the rain..."

"Thank you, young master." The old man took off his raincoat and hung it on the pillar on the porch. The remaining light from the oil lamp in the back hall shone on the tattoo mark on his left cheek.

That was the mark of a repeat offender who privately minted cavalry coins when the Wei family was confiscated.

"Now the Cavalry has announced that they will select the Five Gods as the headmaster in the Azure Dragon Temple..." Jin Wei sneered, "What a stupid move... If they had directly appointed a headmaster, I might not have been able to find any flaws... Now, it's really... Haha, haha..."

Jin Wei laughed happily, and was obviously very dissatisfied with Fei Qian. It seemed as if he would take pleasure in seeing Fei Qian get into trouble.

Jin Wei is the son of Jin Shang.

Jin Shang was also a well-known official in those days. He once acted as an angel and tried to mediate between the two Yuans. Unexpectedly, Yuan Shu did not play by the rules and killed Jin Shang. After Jin Shang's death, the entire Guanzhong and Heluo were in a relatively chaotic stage at that time. In addition, Jin Wei also had to observe mourning for his father. So when Jin Wei finished mourning, he found that there was no more room for him!

The Han Dynasty originally had some unspoken rules. After all, Jin Wei's father died in the line of duty, so Jin Wei should be taken care of. However, Guan Zhong Feiqian did not buy it and said that anyone who wanted to enter the officialdom must pass an exam.

But Jin Wei was not a good student. Besides, when Jin Shang was still alive, he had only studied the Shandong school of Confucian classics and prophecies. Now that he was suddenly asked to abandon all that, how could he study?

It’s not that I haven’t taken the exam before, but I didn’t pass it!

After a while, Jin Wei naturally held a grudge...

After all, if Fei Qian hadn't been "playing tricks", then Jin Wei would have no problem at least adding a doctor according to Han custom!

Jin Wei had wanted to go to Shandong, but at that time, Shandong was almost full of other positions, so how could there be another one for Jin Wei? In addition, Jin Wei and Wei Kang had a good relationship at that time, so at least it was not a big problem to eat and drink with them on weekdays and get some money, so he stayed in Guanzhong. Who would have thought that Wei Duan, who was once thought to be an unstoppable figure in Guanzhong, actually fell down!

After Wei Duan's fall, the Wei family fell apart. Those whose property was confiscated had their property confiscated, those who were sentenced were sentenced, and even the Wei family's followers suffered as well.

The old man sitting next to Jin Wei is one of them.

But after all, he was just a retainer, not a member of the clan, so he was allowed to atone his sins.

"Jin Langjun, are you sure that this Taoist Jinghong will follow your plan?" the old man asked.

Jin Wei smiled, "I found a piece of paper in the Dunjia Kaishan map... I heard that Chuanzhong is investigating the Taoist temple fire case in the eighth year of Taixing..."

……

……

Jinghong's fingertips trembled as she stroked the fragments of the silk book.

That night, in order to destroy the account of the embezzled incense money, he did hint to the Taoist priest that "the weather is dry"...

Isn't the purpose of becoming a Taoist priest to make a living?

Why can those officials eat meat and drink wine with big mouthfuls, but he can't?

The sound of the patrolling Taoist priest's footsteps was heard outside the window, and Jinghong could not help but quickly put away the fragments of the silk book.

He suddenly remembered a proverb, "The phoenix chooses to roost in the woodland, how can it be trapped in thorns?"

After dawn, Jinghong announced that he would personally purchase and grind the cinnabar to be used in Zuo Ci's fasting and offering sacrifices, in order to show his respect for Zuo Ci.

However, after Jinghong arrived at the West Market, he turned into the backyard of a shop.

In the private room on the second floor, a green silk curtain hung. Jin Wei was using a gold-inlaid knife to cut open a honeydew melon from the Western Regions. The amber juice soaked through his brocade robe embroidered with linked beads and deer patterns.

China also produces some of this stuff, but because of climate and temperature differences, the honeydew melons from the Western Region are still the sweetest.

Zhang Qian brought back a lot of seeds, including honeydew melon seeds, which were later successfully planted in Guazhou, which is how the name Guazhou came about...

"Master, do you know what "corpse reincarnation" means?" Jin Wei pushed a piece of melon in front of Jinghong.

He was previously called the Immortal Master, and now he is called the Taoist Master.

There is no other reason. Those who are high above and untainted by the mundane world can certainly be called immortals, while those who have fallen into the mundane world are the ones who are desperately seeking the truth.

"I have heard that to achieve corpse transformation, one must shed the mortal body by borrowing the weapon to transform... If successful, one will become an immortal... If not..." Jin Wei glanced at Taoist Jinghong, "Now the Taoist priest is about to be transformed into a weapon, and the weapon transformation is imminent..."

Jinghong clenched his hands tightly inside his sleeves, pinching himself so hard that it hurt.

He thought of how the old man held on to the rhinoceros horn crown bestowed by the Cavalry until his death, but passed the real "Taiping Qingling Book" to the stupid A'luo.

why? !

Why not give it to me?!

He had resentment, and resentment turned into hatred.

"Tomorrow, the Qinglong Temple will hold a debate selection, and the cavalry will be present in person." Jin Wei suddenly moved closer and lowered his voice, "Then the Taoist priest only needs to find an opportunity to question the cavalry in public... "In the past, the Yellow Emperor rode a dragon to heaven. Now, does the cavalry dare to ascend the Five Directions Altar to receive the mandate of heaven?" As for the rest, the Taoist priest does not need to worry about it..."

"You, you you...Mr. Yang you..." Jinghong's throat slipped, but she didn't know what to say for a moment.

Jin Wei sat back down again, picked up a piece of honeydew melon, and started biting it until the juice dripped out, with such ferocity that it seemed as if he was gnawing on the flesh of his enemy.

Jinghong sat there, took a few deep breaths, and gradually calmed down. He stared at Jin Wei and said, "If I do this, I will not be able to gain a foothold in Guanzhong!"

"Ahahaha..." Jin Wei laughed and threw away the remains of the melon. "How ridiculous! Taoist priest, do you really think that you can be safe if you don't do this? Why don't you think that if the Cavalry wants to appoint you as the headmaster, why not do it earlier? Why bother to use the Qinglong Temple selection as an excuse? If someone else becomes the headmaster, Taoist priest, how many days do you think you can still live? The day when the new headmaster takes office will be the day when you die!"

"You! I..." Jinghong wanted to refute, but found that he couldn't refute.

Gamble your life on the kindness of others?

Jinghong claims that she can't do it.

It's like if he took the position of the head sect master, then those who had offended him before or posed a threat to him, including Taoist Qingniu and others, would definitely be tried by all means to either get rid of them or kill them.

"Don't worry, this guy, the Piaoqi, prefers to be a vain person..." Jin Wei said softly, "You are questioning in public, even if the Piaoqi can't save face, he won't do anything to you... In public, can he punish you for your words? Wouldn't that be going back on his word? Who would believe what he said then? So the Taoist priest must be able to escape unscathed! And the battle on the front line of the Piaoqi is not over yet, can he stay in Chang'an for a long time? Therefore, the Piaoqi must quickly decide on the matter of the headmaster! So in this case, doesn't the Taoist priest understand?"

"I..." Jinghong widened his eyes, his gaze flickering.

Since you can’t continue to be a leader and can’t climb up any further, why not seize the last chance and get some benefits for retirement?

In the Wufang Dojo, Jinghong had the final say because he was Zuo Ci's disciple. However, once he stepped out of the Wufang Dojo, his intelligence was not even comparable to that of an ordinary noble family's son, let alone competing with a guy like Jin Wei who had been planning for a long time. He could not keep up with Jin Wei's train of thought at all and was completely led by Jin Wei's pace.

Is Jin Wei right?

Of course!

The best lie is undoubtedly telling the truth.

Everything Jin Wei said was true.

"If you are a son of a noble family, it is inappropriate to blame the cavalry, but now..." Jin Wei smiled, and his smile contained many meanings, "So even if you said something inappropriate, you can also say that you lost the position of the head of the sect, and you were angry for a while... The Taoist priest has been upright all his life, and he speaks his mind and doesn't mince words. Isn't he a role model in the sect? If the cavalry doesn't choose the Taoist priest, then the cavalry will be in power... Hehe... If the cavalry chooses the Taoist priest for the sake of fame, isn't it just what the Taoist priest wants? But in my opinion, the cavalry will most likely not choose the Taoist priest... Why should the Taoist priest give up his bright future for something that can't be obtained?"

"A bright future?" Jinghong asked.

Jin Wei stood up and opened the rattan box in the corner, revealing the clothes, bundles, and a pile of land deeds that were prepared inside. "After the Zuo Immortal is buried, the Taoist priest must guard his tomb... It's time to escape. By the time others understand, the Taoist priest will have already fled thousands of miles away. What's there to worry about? With a thousand acres of good land in hand, why worry about not having a place to go in this life?"

Jinghong's throat rolled, and the seven-star jade pendant in his sleeve hurt his wrist bones.

Suddenly, the camel bells of a caravan rang outside the window. Jin Wei walked back with a smile and picked up another piece of honeydew melon to eat. "I heard that the people of Dayuezhi are the best at training hawks and dogs... However, if these hawks and dogs are hungry for three days without food, they will eat the flesh and blood of their masters... Taoist priest, is that right or wrong? The way of the world is to either eat what you have or you will be eaten! There is no greater way than this!"

The rain started falling again, and when Jinghong walked out of the inn, there were some more things in her arms.

He put on his straw raincoat, looked up at the wet sky, and suddenly remembered that when he was young, it seemed to be a rainy day like this one. Because the road was slippery, he accidentally broke a Taoist magic tool and was ordered by Zuo Ci to be punished in public.

The rain mixed with his blood flowed on the bluestone.

He was beaten during the day, and at night Zuo Ci came to his bedside to apply medicine to him and asked him, "There are thousands of magics in the world, but the word "sincerity" is the most difficult to obtain... Are you sincere in seeking the truth?"

At that time he knew nothing about the affairs of men and women, and was not blinded by gold and silver, so he spoke frankly and sought the truth sincerely.

And now...

"Seeking the truth sincerely?" Jinghong couldn't help but snorted, "The truth is natural..."