Knife splashing

Chapter 335: Hearts Are Like Fire
The lake is as calm as a mirror, reflecting the mountains and forests.

The soil in Ezhou is fertile and the rainfall is abundant. There are often old trees that can grow to dozens of meters high, forming large tracts of forests.

The same is true around Liangzi Lake.

The undulating hills are surrounded by dense forests. As long as no one lives there, plants will grow wildly. Many abandoned kilns are covered by green within a few years, and you can only find clues if you enter them.

In the mountains and forests, two groups of tomb robbers are moving forward.

The forest was dense, with not only bushes and thorns on the ground, but also vines entwined between the trees, so walking was very difficult because one had to constantly swing the machete.

Seeing this, Wang Lao Bie said impatiently, "Too slow, you guys just wait here, I'll go up the mountain to check the Feng Shui."

After saying that, he took out a flying hook from his waist, swung it lightly, and threw it into the sky, where it hung on the tree trunk.

Those who can make a living in this field and make a name for themselves are naturally not mediocre.

This old Wang Bie has already stepped into the hidden power. Although he is fat, he uses the strength of his arms to climb up the tree trunk quickly like an old bear, pulling the rope.

Then, he burst out with hidden strength and jumped directly onto another big tree.

"Humph, I'll follow you to prevent him from doing anything bad!"

Mr. Chen San also snorted and followed closely behind.

But unlike Wang Laobie, he just put on a pair of special spiked gloves and climbed and jumped between the trees like a gecko.

Soon, the two disappeared.

Their subordinates had naturally received orders long ago, and they glared at each other, their eyes clearly divided and full of wariness.

Of course, the ones we were really on guard against were the people sent by the Bai family.

On the other side, Wang Laobie and Chen Sanye soon climbed to the top of the mountain and stood on the trunk of a big tree.

"Brother Wang, what do you think?"

Mr. Chen San finally asked.

Wang Lao Bie sneered and said, "That Bai guy has no good intentions. I checked him carefully when he entered the village."

"The ground is dry, but uneven in some places. The compass shows 'needle-shaped'. There are secret passages under the village!"

"The people in other villages are very wary of outsiders, but the people in this village ignored us when they saw us."

"The whole village is probably made up of their people!"

"This village of Bai is probably full of hidden bandits. They usually disguise themselves as peddlers and scout around. When they see a fat sheep, they disguise themselves as bandits to rob them."

Master Chen San nodded and said, "That's right. I have seen a few villages like this before. They are even more evil-minded than us. I guess they will turn against us when the time comes."

Wang Laobi sneered and said, "They wishful thinking. Master Chen San, I heard that you were the first to use gunpowder to open a tomb in Yuzhou. I guess you still have some weapons in your hands."

Master Chen San did not comment. "I know that although Brother Wang is famous for dividing gold and locating acupuncture points, his skill in using poison is not bad at all. Don't really quarrel among yourself and let others take advantage of you."

"That's what the Third Master said."

Wang Lao Bie shook his head quickly and said with a smile: "We are all family, so let's follow the rules of the Dao. There are many fire holes on Mount Mang, and I will help you, Third Master, when the time comes, okay?"

"it is good!"

Mr. Chen San nodded in agreement without hesitation.

There are naturally rules among tomb robbers, and first come, first served, but what can really make the two parties work together is common interests.

After making the agreement, the two spoke more frankly.

"That Bai guy must be holding back. Third Master, let's not do anything yet. Let's wait until we find the thing before we get angry."

"Brother Wang, what you said makes sense. Let's take a look at the Feng Shui of this place."

Wang Laobie nodded, took out the compass from his arms, climbed up to check the surroundings, frowned and looked for a long time before he said, "The feng shui of Liangzi Lake is naturally needless to say."

"The center is as flat as a mirror, surrounded by mountains. It is a top-notch place to store wind and absorb air, and can be called a treasure basin."

"I have inquired before coming here. The shore of Liangzi Lake is crisscrossed and winding, and it is called 'Ninety-nine Branches'. The terrain is complex and it is the easiest place to hide things."

"I had no idea at first, but following the locations marked by Bai, I found something strange. The 'ninety-nine branches' of Liangzi Lake are scattered around, forming a natural nine-square formation."

"The center of the formation is in the center of the lake. Rumor has it that it is the place where the ancient county town sank, and the places marked in the north are all in the Xun position..."

"According to Qi Men Dun Jia, it is located in the northwest Qian Palace, where the door is, and the five elements belong to gold, so there must be a mineral vein underground."

"Third Master's subordinates should all have compasses. You can tell your disciples to search the surrounding mountains. If both the 'turning needle' and the 'stirring needle' appear at the same time, send a signal immediately."

"Good! Brother Wang's methods are indeed impressive!"

After making a plan, the two of them asked their disciples to disperse and search along the nearby hills and dense forests, not missing any place...

Their actions were all seen by Li Yan and Lu San.

But what they are more concerned about are the unusual movements in Baihewan Village.

All the villagers, regardless of gender, age or status, have gone out and gathered outside the village ancestral hall.

Several big men with red scarves wrapped around their heads and bare upper bodies carried out two shrines from the cellar of the village ancestral hall.

One is a bald Buddha statue, kind and benevolent, with a big belly, bare chest and abdomen, and holding a string of prayer beads in his hand...

The other one is wearing armor, a scarf on his shoulders, a crown on his head, holding a sword, and standing on auspicious clouds, looking handsome and graceful...

The villagers all held three incense sticks in their hands, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to the two statues.

Bai Wenghai also changed his clothes at this time, wearing a white robe and a golden turban on his head.

With a solemn expression, he bowed down to the two statues and shouted, "I have heard that once the Buddha was in the Jetavana Grove in the country of Savatthi, together with 500 great bhikkhus..."

After reciting a passage of scripture, he turned around and said, "When Maitreya becomes a Buddha, he will be born to save the world and perform the Three Dragon Flower Assemblies to save all living beings. At that time, there will be no more suffering in the world."

"At that time, all beings are equal. There will be no dog emperors or corrupt officials to oppress us. The world will be a paradise."

"But the evil demons in the heavens do not want to see this prosperous age. They will deceive people and deceive all living beings..."

"Just like the Great Xuan Dynasty, they were afraid and terrified, so they destroyed the physical body of the Ming King and prevented Maitreya from being born."

"The Red Sun's great calamity has arrived, and bliss will eventually arrive!"

"At that time, there will be no more suffering in the world..."

"Maitreya is born, the Ming King is born!"

"Maitreya is born, the Ming King is born!"

Hearing these words, the people below became more and more fanatical. Some bowed down, some prayed to the sky, and the scene was in chaos.

Even the birds in the sky were frightened away.

Listening to the chirping of birds, Lu San spoke from time to time to inform Li Yan of the situation over there.

This is the convenience of his supernatural power.

Li Yan's Chu Ling was also a top-notch means of detection, but at that moment a sacrifice was being held in the village, with the smoke of incense burning and the presence of people from the Taoist sect, so it was inevitable that it would be discovered.

While Lu San was investigating by listening to the sounds of birds and animals.

No one will care about these ordinary birds and beasts. They do not have any evil energy and will not be discovered by any magic formation.

"So it's Maitreya..."

Li Yan shook his head slightly, not surprised.

This Maitreya religion is different from the ghost religion.

The ghost cult takes advantage of the corruption of human desires, drags people into its trap, and kills people to sacrifice to ghosts. Its methods are brutal and will eventually be wiped out.

The Maitreya religion, on the other hand, exists by taking advantage of people's dissatisfaction.

This sect is rooted in the common people and will exist as long as there is suffering in the world. When times are difficult, it will rise with the wind and turn into a raging fire that spreads everywhere.

A few dozen miles further north is Longquan Mountain, where the tomb of Chen Youliang is located. He was originally the leader of the Maitreya sect and was known as the incarnation of the Ming King.

The people in this village may be the descendants of the remnants of the past.

Moreover, there are many sects within Maitreya Buddhism, and they compete with each other for orthodoxy. Not all Maitreya believers participated in the chaos in Guanzhong.

Thinking of this, Li Yan said, "Tell this to Taoist Wang and ask them to be careful."

Lu San nodded, and immediately made some hand gestures and chanted the incantation.

Inside the Shen family mansion, the falcon immediately sensed something and flapped its wings under Sharifei's puzzled gaze. "Could something have happened?"

Sharifei felt inexplicably uneasy.

The falcon was very fast. In less than half an incense stick of time, it had returned with the secret letter and a package.

Inside were the secret letters and thangkas found on the foreign monk.

When Sharifei saw this, his pupils shrank immediately, and he quickly ran to Wang Daoxuan who was busy, and whispered: "Master, follow me."

After that, he took Wang Daoxuan to a secluded corner and handed him the secret letter.

"Maitreya?"

After reading it, Wang Daoxuan suddenly felt a headache, "Why do I run into these guys here?"

As he spoke, he sighed, "According to reason, this matter should be reported to the Law Enforcement Hall, but the whole village has young and old people, and many of them have been deceived. According to the rules of the court, I'm afraid no one will survive..."

He has seen too many things like this.

When the Maitreya sect in Guanzhong was in chaos, people from many villages joined the sect. The imperial court killed them indiscriminately, creating countless ghost villages.

If they report it, countless lives will be lost.

Wang Daoxuan would naturally hesitate.

Sharifei saw this and shook his head, saying, "Master, you are overthinking. The Maitreya Sect is hiding here, and who knows how many followers it has secretly developed."

"You know their nature. There is war in the southwest right now. If we take advantage of the chaos, more people will die."

"Master, you are kind-hearted. Don't worry about this matter. I will leave now to Wuchang City to deliver the message and will be back tomorrow."

"Master, protect yourself and don't say too much, lest there are spies from the other side in the house and alert the enemy."

"Well, I know. Be careful on the road."

After some instructions, Sharifei immediately packed his bags and left the Shen Mansion without saying goodbye to anyone.

"Master Wang."

Before Wang Daoxuan could catch his breath, the old steward of the Shen Mansion came running over to discuss with him the items needed for the burial.

On the other side, in the main hall, Shen Jinghong was entertaining guests.

After all, when Mr. Shen was alive, he left behind a lot of connections. Some people heard the news and either sent their sons and nephews to pay their respects or visited him in person.

Although they just come for a visit and leave, it also represents an attitude.

With the support of these people, Shen Jinghong finally felt relieved.

At this moment, a servant came hurriedly and whispered in his ear: "Second Master, the people from the second and third houses have left, riding away all the horses, and also took some silver bills and deeds, saying that they will never have any contact with each other again until they die."

"Ah."

Shen Jinghong sighed and ignored it.

Of course he knew what those people wanted to do. Last night they made a fuss, took away the map manuscript left by his father, and signed the division contract.

This thing was the bait he put out on a whim.

I had planned to finish the funeral and then use bait to drive these people away, but I never expected them to be so impatient.

He didn't care about the treasure at all.

He saw everything that happened in Wuchang City.

Not to mention whether he could find it, even if he got the secret of the Black Cloud Sword back, his Shen family would not be able to withstand the storm.

The right thing to do is to stabilize the situation at home as soon as possible, reopen the kilns, and follow the Chamber of Commerce to sell porcelain overseas!
Thinking of this, Shen Jinghong was too lazy to pay attention to that group of people anymore.

…………

On the mountain road near Shenjiaba, a large group of people were riding horses.

They were the people from the second and third branches of the Shen family. Because there were not enough boats, they rode their horses and took a detour through the official road.

"You are simply reckless!"

The short and fat Third Master of the Shen Family had anger in his eyes, and he cursed at Shen Jingcan, "You traitor, you dare to talk about such an important matter so casually."

Shen Jingcan just came back and told what happened again.

Even though he spoke eloquently, the Third Master of the Shen Family was still very angry. Otherwise, he would not have left in such a hurry.

Shen Jingcan quickly explained: "Don't be angry, Third Uncle, that's my master, he's proficient in Feng Shui and knows some magic."

"The map that the master gave me is not useful at all. If the treasure was easy to find, would it be our turn?"

"My master is different. He already has a clue. Besides, they are just two old men. There are so many of us. Are we still afraid that he will do something bad?"

"Jingcan is right."

The second son of the Shen family said coldly: "No matter how good the treasure is, we have to find it first. Jinghong, that little bastard, must be waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves. When we get the treasure, we will definitely teach him a lesson!"

Although he was equally annoyed, he had to stand on his son's side at this time, otherwise the third son would make a fuss.

As for the dangers...

There were more than twenty people in their group, all of whom were proficient in boxing and martial arts and had sharp weapons. They could fight against bandits if they encountered them, so there was no way they would be afraid of two old men.

"Row!"

The third son of the Shen family also held his breath and scolded Shen Jingcan: "Don't act rashly in the future. Listen to me. If you get the treasure, send some to the county government. I will put your so-called master in the death row for witchcraft."

"If you're not ruthless, you'll be in trouble sooner or later."

Shen Jingcan nodded quickly, "Uncle San is right."

He looked respectful on the surface, but cursed in his heart.

If I had known earlier, I should not have told these people that they were thinking about how to divide the money and how to kill people to silence them before the things were found.

With these stupid relatives, you will get into trouble sooner or later...

Rumble!
The sound of horse hooves could be heard, and everyone urged their horses to go forward.

Rumble!
This time the roar came from the sky.

However, at some point the sky was already covered with dark clouds, and the wind began to howl, rustling the surrounding trees.

It’s summer now and the weather is becoming more unpredictable.

…………

"found it!"

On the shore, Mr. Chen Sanye's men shouted.

The signal was given and people from the surrounding area gathered around.

"Get out of the way, let me take a look!"

Wang Laobie came quickly with a compass in hand.

They were on a small hill by the lake. It looked inconspicuous, but when they stood on it to check the compass, they saw that the needle was not only spinning wildly, but was also sinking.

"Down with the shovel!"

Wang Laobi's eyes lit up with joy and he immediately gave the order.

Several disciples hurried forward, picked up the Luoyang shovel, and inserted it into the ground piece by piece, but soon the Luoyang shovel stopped moving.

"Master, there is something down there!"

"Pull it out!"

Pulling out the Luoyang shovel, Wang Laobie first looked at the mud on it, then picked up a little from the front and put it into his mouth.

After tasting it twice, he spat out a mouthful of saliva and said gloomily: "It's an iron vein. The rock is too hard. Let's change to another place."

However, the same thing happened after I changed several places.

"It's the Iron Dome!"

Master Chen San understood immediately, looked around, and said in a deep voice: "I never thought that I would see such a method in my lifetime..."

(End of this chapter)