Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The sunlight shone on the plaque of Xiansheng Temple. The words painted with gold powder sparkled in the winter morning light. Monks in gray robes walked out of the gate with brooms in their hands, with white mist floating from their mouths and noses. They each found a familiar place and began to sweep the dust on the ground.

Buddhism is a pure place, so it should be clean.

when--

when--

The solemn and dignified bell rang in the temple. Monks of all ages in monk robes walked out of the meditation rooms and entered the scripture hall. The buzzing sound of chanting scriptures gave people an indescribable feeling, as if their body and mind were sublimated by this sound.

Zhengjue kept his promise and looked at the noisy little monks yesterday and extended their chanting time by three incense sticks before letting them go. He glared at them as the little monks sighed, then smiled, walked out of the scripture hall and went to the dining hall.

According to the rules of Xiansheng Temple, breakfast can only be eaten after morning prayers to show respect for the Buddha. This is the rule left by the first abbot.

He believed that when people have not eaten, the turbid air in their bodies is the least, and that people's spirit reaches its peak in the morning after a night of sleep. Chanting scriptures and reciting Buddha's name at this time are most likely to be favored by the Buddha, so Xiansheng Temple has been doing so for more than a hundred years.

The bustling crowd of monks spread outward, and pilgrims came into the temple in twos and threes. Rich people and wealthy merchants dressed in luxurious clothes looked at the monks in yellow robes and saluted respectfully, without any sign of the arrogant and domineering faces they saw outside.

Soon they entered the dining hall that could accommodate more than a hundred people. Some monks had already finished their breakfast and came out. Respectful greetings such as "Abbot!" "Abbot!" and "Master!" were heard one after another.

Even the monk Zhengjue respectfully called out a few times before taking a seat. He picked up the chopsticks, rubbed them together, and then picked up the hot noodles and took a bite. He usually ate the noodles first and then drank the soup.

"Gee-Gee—"

He finished most of the bowl of noodles quickly, but was still not full when he heard a commotion outside. He turned around to look, but saw a bunch of bald heads swaying, making it difficult to see what was happening. He sighed, put down his chopsticks, stood up, wiped his mouth, and walked out.

He was the monk on duty, responsible for enforcing the precepts and all matters big and small in the monastery.

"It's a disaster, it's a disaster! Where is the dean? Where is the chief monk?"

Outside, a young monk in gray was grabbing someone and asking questions. The person he was holding shook his head hastily and tried to comfort him: "Brother, don't worry. Just tell me what's going on."

"What can I tell you?" The monk was very anxious. A layer of sweat appeared on his bald head in the cold weather. He saw white mist coming out from his head. "Hurry and find the headmaster...preferably the abbot."

The monks surrounding them saw the two people arguing and hid aside, whispering to each other.

"What are you arguing about? Where have you been reciting Buddhist scriptures for all these years?"

Zhengjue frowned and shouted loudly, then took two steps forward and came to the two men: "At this hour, the dean and the chief monk have already finished their meals, not to mention the abbot, who is quite old and has been staying in the meditation room the whole time."

"Amitabha."

When the two monks saw him coming, they chanted a Buddhist name and stopped pulling. The young monk with sweat on his forehead seemed to have seen the backbone, and his face was eager: "Uncle Zhengjue, something big happened. I don't know who to report to, so I was confused. Please forgive me, uncle."

Zhengjue frowned: "What's the matter?"

The young monk pointed back and said, "There's something wrong in the Main Hall, Main Hall."

"Follow me."

After saying this, Zhengjue walked away without hesitation. Many monks behind him looked at each other and followed him. As they ran, the chaotic sound of footsteps filled this quiet place. Several pilgrims who had just entered could not help but look at these running monks in surprise, somewhat confused.

Zhengjue did not stop to comfort these pilgrims. He was not a brainless person and believed what the young monk said. The feeling of being spied on last night had been lingering in his mind and he could not let it go.

Can't say...

Are there unclean things in the temple?!
With this thought in mind, Zhengjue ran into the main hall at full speed. He saw several pilgrims pointing at the Buddha statue. He took a quick glance and his heart suddenly tightened. Then a chill ran from the soles of his feet to his forehead.

He quickly ran over and clasped his hands together: "Amitabha, fellow donors, the temple was cleaned a little slowly today, and the Buddha has already noticed it. Please leave first. We will open the temple gate to welcome you all after we clean it thoroughly."

A few people didn't force it, and they all put their hands together and walked out.

Zhengjue, who was standing behind them, had a serious look on his face. After watching them walk a distance, he could not help but step out and said to the monks who had come over, "Please ask the donors who came in to leave first and close the temple gate."

He pointed with his finger and said: "Right thoughts and right wishes, quickly take people to invite the chief monks and the host to come over."

After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "The rest of you can do whatever you need to do. Are you just standing here waiting for the Buddha to punish you?"

The monks, both big and small, looked at each other and left one after another. Zhengjue finally suppressed his fear and closed the door of the main hall.

In the hall, several monks who had entered earlier were standing there at a loss. Zhengjue did not pay any attention to them. These people had been here for a long time, and he would ask them what happened when the abbot and others arrived.

He heard snoring sounds in the distance. He took a look and walked over, and saw that it was the two junior brothers from last night sleeping in the quilt. He squatted down and took a look. After the noise just now, the two men were still sleeping soundly.

Zhengjue raised his eyebrows and reached out to push the two people: "Wake up, don't sleep anymore, hey! Wake up!"

"Uncle master, it's useless." A voice came from behind, causing him to turn around and look.

"When we came here, we also wanted to wake up the two uncles, but no one woke up for a long time."

"Damn it! These two useless bastards." Zhengjue said, and then quickly put his hands together: "Amitabha, sin, sin."

I stood up and walked to the center of the Main Hall. I could not help but look up. The daylight shone in from outside the hall. The eight-foot-tall golden bronze statue of Sakyamuni had rust in its eyes. The green rust seeped down like tears and dyed the colorful lotus platform below a pale green. The book of merits and virtues underneath was not spared either. The rust corroded the paper surface one by one and gathered into pale green puddles on the smooth white marble slabs.

Not long after, footsteps were heard outside, and then the door of the main hall was pushed open with a "bang". Several monks in yellow robes walked in, stood at the door, looked at the Buddha statue, and couldn't help but screamed "Ah!", and then hurried over: "What's going on? Why did the Buddha statue become like this?"

"Who is so desecrating a Buddha statue like this?"

"Amitabha, where is the person who was on duty yesterday? I want to..."

"Hey, Dean, Dean! Hurry up, the Dean has fainted from anger."

In the chaos, someone carried an old monk to the side. Zhengjue came over and said, "My fellow uncles and brothers, please be patient for a while."

The voices gradually quieted down, and the monk waved his hand: "Come, tell your uncles what you saw today."

A few young monks in the corner looked at each other, then quickly walked over and put their hands together: "Disciples, come here this morning to replace..."

He looked carefully at the monk who was sleeping over there and had not yet woken up. Zhengjue suddenly spoke up, "These two people were on duty at the main hall but brought their own bedding. I know what they are doing. Tell me quickly."

Seeing that the other monks in charge also had unfriendly expressions, the young monk quickly recounted what had happened in the morning. Zhengjue was frowning beside him. He said that these monks, apart from arriving earlier than him, did not see anything special.

He questioned these people again, and then waved them off. The monk with a gray beard next to him looked livid: "Such a thing has happened. Could it be that the Buddha is giving us some warning?"

"Uncle Master." Zhengjue said in a low voice, "Let's not talk about whether the Buddha has given a warning. Many pilgrims have also seen it just now. The reputation of our temple..."

"Not good! Go find the abbot quickly."

"No, let's go find some good talkers and keep the people at bay first."

"Let's go find the abbot. He has close relationships with many devout donors." The old monk in the group said a few words and ran out in a hurry. Only a few monks of different positions frowned and looked at the Buddha statue.

Is it that simple?

……

at the same time.

Liaoyang Prefecture was in the midst of a snowstorm.

The tiny snow particles hit the ground and tree trunks. Occasionally some of them bounced off, but were caught by the rest of the crystals that had accumulated together and merged together.

Occasionally someone would walk by on the street, also wearing a straw raincoat and a fur hat, walking in a hurry and ignoring everyone. Standing on the street in the cold weather to chat and talk, they were either soliciting customers or seeking revenge. Ordinary people like them naturally would not bother to do so.

Amid the howling wind, a figure looked at the broad courtyard wall built opposite, turned and entered an ordinary house, closed the door, stomped his feet on the mud, took off his straw raincoat and fur hat, revealing Shi Xiu's handsome face. This workaholic took out a cloth bag from his arms and opened it, revealing several lotus leaf bags.

"I bought some hot roast lamb shanks. Let's have some first."

The five sturdy men in the room laughed immediately: "We are in for a treat today, thank you Sima Shi for your hard work."

This group of people are spies and secret agents affiliated with the Youshi Mansion. Their positions have long been determined according to their military ranks. Everyone in this room is Shi Xiu's subordinates.

Shi Xiu smiled and said, "What's it worth?", and threw the lotus leaf bag in his hand to the five men over there. The lotus leaves were torn apart, and suddenly a strong smell of barbecue filled the room.

"That bald donkey hasn't come yet?" Shi Xiu walked to the table and sat down, pinching the barbecue and tearing it into pieces while eating through the lotus leaves, looking at his subordinates.

"No." Someone shook his head: "But the woman went to the temple to burn incense. According to our intelligence, the bald donkey should have come out to meet the woman in the past two days."

"But in this kind of snowstorm, I don't know if that bald donkey will come."

"If I were that thief, I would steal someone and have sex with a prostitute. How could a mere snowstorm stop me? Relax your mind, I will definitely come."

Some of the people were worried, while others were full of confidence, which immediately caused a burst of laughter. Shi Xiu grinned, and involuntarily thought of the past events in Jizhou, and nodded with deep emotion.

Yes, but it’s just a little snowstorm…

The wind was howling outside, and the charcoal fire in the brazier was red from time to time. The spy who had nothing to do was wrapped in a blanket and leaned against the chair with his eyes closed. Two men were sitting in front of the window sill and looking out through the gap. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Here they come."

Shi Xiu suddenly opened his eyes, pulled aside the felt, jumped up from his seat, walked to the window in three or two steps, and looked out through the crack.

A figure wearing a fur coat, a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat appeared at the door opposite. His attire was exactly the same as the figure seen on the street before, and there was nothing unusual about it.

"This bald donkey is quite cautious and dressed in ordinary clothes. I thought he was going to come here in a monk's robe to preach and answer questions."

"Stealing someone will attract attention. Who knows who he is or what he does when he's like this?"

"You can tell at a glance that he's a veteran."

The five spies were talking about this. Shi Xiu stood there in silence, watching the figure being welcomed into the gate. The maid who opened the door poked her head out and looked around, then closed the door tightly again: "We still need to confirm the identity later, so as not to make the wrong person."

"Don't worry, Sima. We can save it."

The five people shouted and patted their chests to make promises. Shi Xiu turned around and sat down, covering his legs with a felt blanket to block out the cold.

In order to monitor the opposite side, they made some moves here. The gap between the windows was quite large, and the cold wind kept blowing in.

"It's a pity for Mr. Fang. He also supplies medicinal herbs and wood to the army."

"His wife appears to be a virtuous woman outside."

"A good man has no good wife."

"Tsk, adulterer and adulteress..."

Shi Xiu looked at the people who were talking and thought for a while: "Don't slap that bald donkey in the face later, we still need him to go back and do things."

"got it."

Everyone responded, and then cursed: "That thief got lucky."

Shi Xiu had no expression on his face, but he kept nodding in his heart. It was indeed a good thing for that bald thief. Otherwise, he might as well just cut him open.

His fingers moved slightly and he involuntarily touched the hilt of the knife at his waist, his hands feeling a little itchy.

It quickly got dark. The people in the house simply heated up their dry food and water in the brazier and ate until they were seven-tenths full. When the wind stopped and the snow became heavier, they all walked out of the house and groped their way towards the mansion opposite in the dark.

Over the wall.

Landing.

Several of them were experts at this kind of thing, and they had already familiarized themselves with the place, so they naturally did not alarm the people in the house. However, as they walked, they could vaguely hear bursts of rough cries from women, and they could not help but look at each other strangely.

Although no one spoke, everyone understood what the other meant.

The monk is a serious monk, but he plays in a wild way.

He sneaked all the way to the door and saw that the lights in the house were dim. He looked through the crack in the door and saw the person in front of him made two gestures, then took out a thin-bladed knife and poked upwards along the crack in the door.

clatter--

There was a slight sound, and when the door opened, Shi Xiu nimbly jumped in. There was a maid sitting beside the table, her face flushed and her legs twisting. She was a little slow to react, and just when she turned her head, a knife with a cold glow was already on her neck.

"do not move!"

Shi Xiu opened his mouth to say something, and then he heard bursts of obscene sounds coming from the second floor. The spies outside also flashed in one by one and looked at each other.

Someone came forward, took out a rope and tied up the maid tightly, then took a piece of cloth from the table to cover her mouth, and tied it up with a rope. After making sure that she could not vomit for a while, he stood beside her with a knife and watched.

Shi Xiu and his men walked up lightly.

creak-

The sound of wood crunching came from under their feet. Several people stopped immediately, listened to the continuous cry of the wild cat above, and then carefully moved up again.

The sound grew louder as it got closer, and when the scene in the distance came into the sight of the people at the stairs, their eyes suddenly widened.

This wife of Mr. Fang is indeed an extraordinary person. (End of this chapter)