Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 113 Laba Festival
The next day, when the cock crowed at dawn, Ren Yuan woke up from his dream.

The senior sister sat beside him, cold as ice until she saw him. Then she smiled and said, "Are you awake?"

"Well, thank you for your hard work, senior sister." Ren Yuan nodded and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

"Oh, I can't stand it. I have to eat something so disgusting so early in the morning." Chen Baxian also woke up on the other side, and as soon as he opened his eyes, he was stuffed with a mouthful of dog food.

"My breakfast is very light, isn't it?" Su Xiaoxiao came in with a tray, with a bowl of pickled mustard greens and bamboo shoots and soy pancakes for each person. "There's not even any meat..."

"Hehe." Chen Baxian rubbed his hands quickly, took the bowl with a smile, picked up a piece of noodles with chopsticks, blew on the hot air and said, "I'm not talking about breakfast."

"Oh, I thought you were talking about breakfast." Su Xiaoxiao smiled and stopped teasing the two people who were blushing. She served them each a bowl of noodles and said, "Ingredients are limited in the wilderness, so just make do with what you have. After we leave Qiantang, I'll make you something delicious."

"Mmm, it's delicious..." Chen Baxian slurped the noodles and said vaguely, "I'm afraid I'll have to wait a little longer."

"Oh?" Su Xiaoxiao and her senior sister both looked at Ren Yuan.

"Let's not leave yet." Ren Yuan nodded.

"Is there another way?" Su Xiaoxiao's beautiful eyes sparkled.

"That's right." Chen Baxian interrupted and said, "I've thought of another way. Let's try it today."

Although Su Xiaoxiao is very friendly and everyone gets to know each other quickly, the secret of the Qianli ship should be known by as few people as possible.

Ren Yuan glanced at Chen Baxian. Although he was full of nonsense on weekdays, he was very tight-lipped at the critical moment. He nodded silently and buried his head in eating noodles.

~~
After breakfast, Ren Yuan and Chen Baxian used a sleight of hand to change their appearance, left their hiding place, and headed for Lingyin Temple again.

"What's the plan?" Ren Yuan asked Chen Baxian. This man would later be known as a military genius, so of course he would not be wasted if he didn't use his skills.

"The plan." Chen Baxian scratched his head and said, "It's divided into three steps. The first is to steal Old Bao out, the second is to smuggle Old Bao to the Sansheng Hall of the Sutra Translation Institute, and the last is to rub the Sansheng Stone and escape."

"Isn't that the same as not saying anything? Please be more specific." Ren Yuan frowned.

"Okay." Chen Baxian had no choice but to elaborate: "Let's talk about the first step first. Doesn't Old Bao hang around Luohan Hall every day? Let's find a way to rescue him first."

"Is this your plan?" Ren Yuan was speechless. "What if we are discovered while rescuing people? What if Master Bao refuses to cooperate? What if we are discovered after rescuing people? We need to have a plan for everything."

"Hahaha, this is something you need to consider." Chen Baxian laughed and said, "I never think so much, just do it!"

"Forget it, you're not as good as a cat." Ren Yuan sighed helplessly. It seems that he has to distinguish the current Chen Baxian from the Chen Baxian decades later.

"Hey, why are you cursing?" Chen Baxian said with a wry smile, "You can't blame me. The little monk gave us too little information. We need to investigate for a few days before we can have a decent plan, right?"

"After today, there will be no chance this year." Ren Yuanbai glanced at him.

~~
As they were talking, the two arrived at the foot of Lingyin Mountain between Feilai Peak and Beigao Peak.

Then I saw that there was a busy flow of cars under the archway of "Southeast Buddhist Kingdom", and the traffic jam stretched for several miles.

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is the day when Sakyamuni attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. It is said that before Buddha attained enlightenment, he practiced asceticism for many years, until he became emaciated and exhausted. He found that asceticism alone was not the way to liberation. At this time, a shepherdess presented him with gruel, and Sakyamuni recovered after eating it. He then sat under the Bodhi tree and meditated, and later attained enlightenment on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Therefore, the Buddhists held a Dharma Assembly on this day, offering gruel to the believers to commemorate the Buddha's enlightenment. However, because the Han people disliked fishy food, they followed the local customs and offered five-flavor porridge instead. Because this day was the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, it was also called "Laba porridge". Moreover, the twelfth lunar month was also the traditional wax festival month for the Han people, so this was also the most grand Dharma Assembly of the year. Officials, gentry, and respectable people from Qiantang County and several neighboring counties gathered here to listen to the monks' teachings. Ordinary people also lined up outside the temple in the middle of the night, waiting for the porridge.

Right now, there are huge crowds of people inside and outside Lingyin Temple, and there is indeed no better opportunity than this... However, Ren Yuan did not enter the temple immediately, but walked around the temple wall for a long distance, and finally came to a secluded and deserted place.

"What are you doing? Are you in a hurry to pee?" Chen Baxian asked in confusion.

"What the hell are you in?" A tabby cat jumped down from the wall and landed steadily on Ren Yuan's head.

"Ah, it's you, kid." Chen Baxian was startled. The cat disappeared as soon as it entered Qiantang. "I thought you were lost."

"Even if you get lost, I won't get lost." The civet cat gave him a cold look.

"Look, like owner, like cat. The cat is just like your master." Chen Baxian curled his lips.

"We are brothers." The civet cat said dissatisfiedly.

"Okay, okay, let's get down to business." Ren Yuan interrupted the two chattering and told Wen Li about the situation. Finally, he asked, "What did you gain here?"

"Of course, all the cats here have been subdued by me." The civet cat said proudly, "This is my territory."

"I asked you to come here to collect intelligence, not to seize territory," Chen Baxian said jokingly.

"You know nothing. Cats roam everywhere day and night, and no one stops them or drives them away." The civet cat snorted and said, "No one is more suitable for collecting intelligence than them."

"Okay, since we're on your territory, I'll listen to you." Ren Yuan touched the civet cat's neck. There's a reason why they have such a good relationship.

"Follow me!" The civet cat shrank its neck in satisfaction and jumped onto the wall again.

~~
Ren Yuan and his companion climbed over the wall and entered Lingyin Temple. They followed the civet cat and came to the Arhat Hall with ease. There they saw the sex-crazed monk Taoist Bao, who was still adding oil and burning incense as usual.

But today the temple is full of people, including the Arhat Hall, so there is no chance to take action here.

Moreover, they did not dare to act rashly in the Arhat Hall. Who knew if the five hundred Arhats would suddenly jump down and beat them up?

Ren Yuan and Chen Baxian followed the civet cat, exited the Arhat Hall from the west gate, walked along a winding and quiet path, and hid behind a rockery.

"We'll wait here." The civet cat squatted on the rockery, staring at the back door of the Arhat Hall with sparkling eyes, and whispered to the two people behind the rockery: "According to Xiaohua who is foraging in this area, the old monk will come here to add oil and burn incense after the morning class every day, and will not go out to the dining hall to eat in the evening."

"I think the dining hall is not in this direction." Ren Yuan said in a low voice.

"You are quite observant." The civet cat nodded. "Before he goes to eat, he will store the oil barrels and incense sticks back in the warehouse, so we can wait for him here."

"No, do we have to wait until dark?" Chen Baxian said speechlessly: "By the time those three monks go back, the daylily will be cold."

"Idiot, today is a holiday, let's have porridge for lunch!" The civet cat glanced down at Chen Baxian condescendingly.

"That's right." Chen Baxian finally shut up.

The two of them and the cat waited for a while, and then they saw the crazy monk carrying an oil drum in one hand and a basket of incense and candles in the other, walking slowly from the direction of the Arhat Hall...

(End of this chapter)