Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 53 Baiyun Temple

When Zhu Wen and Lan Suting returned to the guesthouse, they found Tian Jun lying on the bed, twisting like a snake, groaning with her mouth blocked by a hemp core, and her pretty face flushed red.

Lan Suting hurriedly asked, "Madam Tian, ​​what's wrong with you?"

Zhu Wen put his hand on his forehead and said, "Nothing else, it's just that we stayed outside for too long."

Lan Suting looked puzzled, then listened to Zhu Wen say, "This situation wouldn't be a big deal for most people. But this Miss Tian is a drunkard."

Only then did Lan Suting show a look of surprise.

"If we had come back any later, she would have been drawing maps in bed."

Hearing Zhu Wen's words, Tian Jun struggled even more frantically, with a look in his eyes that showed he wanted to kill him.

Lan Suting couldn't help but feel pity and hurried to help Tian Jun untie the ropes, but she only had time to take the hemp core out of Tian Jun's mouth before Zhu Wen pulled her sleeve to stop her.

"Zhu Wen, what are you doing, you little thief? Let me go!" Tian Jun held it in for a long time and finally shouted angrily.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't call me 'auntie'?" Zhu Wen glanced at her leisurely. "What did you promise me to call yourself?"

Tian Jun's face became redder and redder, but it was still very noticeable on her not-so-fair skin.

But she couldn't hold it in any longer. If she didn't go to the toilet, she might really end up drawing a map in bed.

Tian Jun could only grit her teeth and say, "Brother Liangyu, please help me untie the bonds. I'm grateful to you..."

Seeing her forcing herself to speak so respectfully, Zhu Wen just found it extremely amusing.

Of course, he couldn't really let Tian Jun draw a map on the bed, otherwise he would have to pay compensation to the owner of the guesthouse.

So Zhu Wen walked up and slowly untied the multiple ropes that bound Tian Jun.

Tian Jun rushed out in a hurry.

After she came back, her face was still full of anger, and she yelled as soon as she entered the door: "You bastard!"

As he said this, he punched Zhu Wen hard in the face.

Zhu Wen thought to himself: "That's why this woman is so stupid. If it was Junior Junior Sister Duan Hongyan, she would definitely hit him in the stomach, and strike him when he was completely off guard."

Of course, Zhu Wen blocked the blow in the face in an instant and caught Tian Jun's left fist with his other hand.

"I'm also not considerate enough." Zhu Wen took out a gold ingot he had just brought back from the casino: "Take it, I'll consider it as compensation."

Lan Suting was stunned, and then her eyes fell fixed on Zhu Wen's face.

Zhu Wen certainly understood what Lan Suting meant.

This little girl was born into an accountant family and, like her second brother Zhu Cun, she has always been good at budgeting.

"Look, when I was in the camp, my second brother always controlled my spending. Now that I can finally use public funds, what's wrong with being generous for once?"

Tian Jun was stunned when such a big gold ingot was stuffed into her hand.

She originally asked Zhu Wen to hire her for money, and now that she has received so much money, it would be inappropriate for her to get angry.

"I've prepared a set of clothes for you." Zhu Wen left a set of clothes in the room. "Take a shower and change into them. Also, scrub your feet thoroughly. I see you haven't showered in a few days, so I'm afraid your feet stink."

"Your feet smell!" Tian Jun shouted angrily.

"I don't have a drop of Hu blood in my body." Zhu Wen said seriously, "I don't look down on the Hu people, but people with Hu blood in their bodies have very smelly feet."

Tian Jun was annoyed but speechless because Zhu Wen was telling the truth.

After reaching the door, Lan Suting leaned close to Zhu Wen's ear and whispered, "Captain, didn't you return 90% of the money to those people in the casino?"

"So that ingot is gold-plated, and the inside is brass." Zhu Wen whispered back, "When did I say it was pure gold? How could there be a gold ingot that big?"

Even Lan Suting, known for her elegance and quiet demeanor, couldn't help but chuckle, "Captain, you're a bit too mean."

"There is one bad thing about me. When I see a fool, I want to play a trick on her." Zhu Wen's eyes showed a hint of cunning.

"Then why don't you tease me?" Lan Suting blinked her bright eyes and met Zhu Wen's gaze.

"It's because you look so small and cute that I can't bear to tease you." Zhu Wen reached out and stroked a strand of hair on Lan Suting's cheek.

Zhu Wen’s actual thought was that a silly beauty like Tian Jun was actually quite cute, but she seemed even cuter when she was being teased.

He went to his room to pack his luggage and asked Lan Suting to help Tian Jun tidy up her clothes and appearance.

A girl like Tian Jun who is careless in her dressing style tends to be rather sloppy.

Not long after, Lan Suting's sigh was heard in the room: "Sister Tian, ​​you are really beautiful."

She wore a water-green blouse over a lotus-leaf-colored chest-length skirt. Her thick, jet-black hair was tied into a bun with a pure white peony ornament inserted in it. She wore a pair of jade pendants in her ears that were so green that they seemed to be dripping with water.

This elegant attire slightly dampened Tian Jun's heroic spirit, yet she remained remarkably dignified and elegant. The slim-fitting clothing further emphasized the gracefulness of her figure.

The beauty reflected in the bronze mirror looks like a celestial being from the Dunhuang flying murals.

Tian Jun, who was not particular about details, was dressed up by Lan Suting. Looking at her dignified appearance in the mirror, she felt a little restrained: "Sister Zhizhen, you are also very beautiful."

"How can I compare to Sister Jun." Lan Suting said this without any jealousy.

Lan Suting, a delicate beauty, is known for her enduring beauty. She is indifferent and uncompetitive, and doesn't take being outshined by others seriously.

"Aren't your hands much whiter than mine?" Tian Jun grabbed Lan Suting's hand and asked, "Should I put some powder on my face?"

"No need." Zhu Wen walked in and said with a smile, "After Madam Tian washed herself, her body exuded the fragrance of wheat, and her complexion was naturally rosy. She was already very beautiful."

Tian Jun could hardly believe her ears when she heard such praise coming out of Zhu Wen's mouth, which had never spit out ivory.

"However, I know at least two young ladies who are more beautiful than you. You must remember one of them, the girl who shot your warhorse to death with an arrow. She is my junior sister, Duan Hongyan."

Tian Jun changed his expression and stamped his feet, saying, "Can you finish a nice sentence?"

"Why is it not nice? My junior sister is a fairy in the sky. Being just a little bit worse than her is already a very high evaluation, okay?"

Lan Suting tilted her head slightly and thought to herself: Captain, why didn't you say this in front of Madam Duan?

"This time when we go out, I want you to pretend to be my woman. As for Zhizhen, her current identity is my good brother." Zhu Wen looked at Tian Jun: "Is it okay to take money to do the job?" Unexpectedly, Tian Jun suddenly came close to him, which caught Zhu Wen off guard.

She sniffed Zhu Wen's face with her extremely tall nose, then slightly distanced herself and looked at Zhu Wen's extremely handsome face.

"You smell good, and you look good too." Tian Jun commented, "It's a pity that your temperament is not cool enough. You are not the type that my aunt likes."

"You call yourself the foolish sister." Zhu Wen emphasized: "Otherwise I will deduct your money and return the ingots to me."

Tian Jun glared at him angrily and continued, "I won't fall for you, but it's okay for me to pretend to be your woman."

"That'll do."

Zhu Wen nodded and motioned for Tian Jun to follow him out. As for Lan Suting, she had already returned to her room to change into men's clothes.

This time, Lan Suting and Tian Jun rode on the same horse. A tall beauty held the handsome young man in her arms, and the scene of them riding the horse at full speed was a bit strange, but it was pleasing to the eye after watching it for a long time.

Because the destination was not in the town, the two horses rode side by side out of the town and continued to head north.

When they were halfway through the journey, Zhu Wen suddenly stopped his horse, leaving Tian Jun bewildered: "Mr. Qin Yan, what are you doing?"

Outside, Zhu Wen had changed his identity to "Qin Yan".

"Seeing an old friend."

As he spoke, Zhu Wen suddenly looked up at the sky, pursed his lips and howled. The howl was sharp and piercing, just like a wolf howling at the moon.

Facing the puzzled looks of Tian Jun and Lan Suting, Zhu Wen waited silently for a while, and then he saw the weeds on the roadside suddenly fall to both sides like waves, and a giant snow-white wolf appeared.

"This..." Tian Jun pointed at the giant wolf and asked in surprise, "Is this... is this the old friend you mentioned?"

It was natural for her to be surprised, because wolves that are only slightly smaller than tigers are really rare.

Zhu Wen nodded and said, "When I was a teenager, I passed by this area and rescued a snow-white wolf cub."

"The snow-white wolf, like the Jade Rabbit, is a symbol of good fortune. If we visit this old friend of mine, our luck will improve."

When the giant wolf saw Zhu Wen, its ferocious look immediately faded away. It moved its huge head closer and rubbed against Zhu Wen's clothes like a dog.

Zhu Wen gently stroked the fur on its head and took out some dried meat to feed it. After receiving the dried meat, the huge white wolf scratched it with its claws and howled with joy.

Zhu Wen put his mouth close to its ear and whispered a few words, as if he really regarded this big wolf as a human being.

After a long time, the big wolf left reluctantly.

Lan Suting sighed, "Everyone says Zhongshan wolves are cold-blooded and ungrateful, but there are actually some species that can even understand human nature."

"Sometimes, animals treat you better than people do," Zhu Wen replied. "Sometimes, in my dreams, I become a wolf, galloping freely in the wilderness with them."

Lan Suting said softly: "But, I think you are more like a cat."

Zhu Wen was surprised and asked, "Cat?"

"They often act aggressively, afraid of being looked down upon, but they're actually kind-hearted. Their actions are often unpredictable, as they don't want their delicate features to be seen. Also, they're all great sleepers."

Zhu Wen thought about it and suddenly realized that after he got the Dragon Sparrow Sword, the white tiger that turned into murderous intent in his heart was actually a big cat.

But he didn't want Lan Suting to seem to see through him.

"Nonsense." Zhu Wen curled his lips.

After riding for a few more miles, he saw a garden with a white base suddenly emerging among the boundless mountains. In front of it was a tall mountain gate with a plaque hanging on it with three golden characters "Baiyun Temple".

On both sides of the mountain gate is a pair of peach charms——

First couplet: Such a blessed place and famous mountain, it is hard to reach here without a sincere heart.

Second line: Penglai is a beautiful place, you can visit it if you have some sincerity.

"Could this be..." Lan Suting was a little confused.

"That's right," Zhu Wen nodded. "Baiyun Temple is the headquarters of the Taishan Sect. The nuns there, commonly known as the 'Taishan Nuns,' are a group of young ladies that have captured the imaginations of countless celebrities and heroes in the Tang Dynasty."

As he spoke, he dismounted and walked slowly, leading the horse. "But this is my first time here too, so I don't know much about the details. When you two meet the nuns in the temple later, you must call them fairies. This shows respect."

As they were talking, several servants dressed as fairy children came up and led them to the stable to place the horses.

Then a young girl in blue clothes with her hair hanging down and tied in a bun came over. Her clothes were extremely exquisite, and the tips of her embroidered shoes were inlaid with large pearls.

Lan Suting bowed hastily and said, "I greet the fairy from Mount Tai."

The girl was startled for a moment, then she covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "Excuse me, young master, for making fun of me. I'm just a maid. The fairies are all deep in the white clouds!"

The White Cloud Temple is located on the mountainside. Most of the buildings are built with white stone and the exteriors are often painted white, like a vast white cloud. The Taoist nuns in the temple are deep in the white clouds.

Lan Suting, who was wearing men's clothes, was embarrassed for a moment and her face turned red.

"My younger brother is still young, so I brought him here to see the world." Zhu Wen tried to smooth things over and took Tian Jun's hand.

Tian Jun was stunned for a moment, and then she found that Zhu Wen's palms were obviously whiter than hers, and she couldn't help feeling unhappy.

The maid's eyes quickly fell on Tian Jun's face: "May I ask who this lady is?"

Zhu Wen smiled faintly and said, "My fiancée. She's a married woman who can't stand seeing the real show. I just brought my brother here to broaden his horizons. Look, this tigress has to follow me and keep an eye on me."

The pretty maid carefully examined Tian Jun's delicate, three-dimensional features and her slender, graceful figure, and then sighed, "My dear, you have such a beautiful woman as your companion. You can only envy the mandarin ducks, not the immortals."

"Wild flowers are more fragrant than domestic ones." Zhu Wen squinted his eyes and lowered his voice, "There's nothing much I can do. Listening to the fairies singing Taoist songs and playing a few guqin pieces is enough to cultivate my sentiments."

Tian Jun cooperated quite well and pinched Zhu Wen's ear hard. Judging from the strength of her pull, her anger was real.

　"Six Codes of the Great Tang Dynasty": There are a total of 1,687 temples in the world, 1,137 Taoist priests, and 550 female Taoist priests.

　　The Tang Dynasty revered Taoism, and the number of female Taoists was considerable. The four great female poets of the Tang Dynasty—Li Ye, Xue Tao, Yu Xuanji, and Liu Caichun—were all Taoist nuns. Of the nearly 200 Tang Dynasty princesses, 15 served as Taoist nuns, including Princess Gaoyang, Princess Taiping, Princess Huayang, and Princess Ankang. This included Concubine Yang Yuhuan, who also practiced as a Taoist nun.

　　Because many female Taoist priests of the Tang Dynasty engaged in promiscuous behavior and frequently engaged in sexual intercourse with prominent scholars, much like the famous courtesans of the Qinhuai region during the Ming Dynasty, researchers often equate them with prostitutes. This view may be biased, but it does represent the behavior of some female Taoist priests of the Tang Dynasty.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)