Chinese Superman

Chapter 106 A Buddhist Treasure, Aristocratic Families Weep

"How could it be a wasted effort?"

Xia Xinghan revealed an innocent smile: "We can't pick the fruit from the tree, but the Hanging Temple's storehouse—there must still be some left."

The Hanging Temple is different from other aristocratic families.

The eight great families control the restored ruins. After harvesting the spiritual fruits and delicacies, they will not store them in the sacred Ling Mountain, but will transport them to their family headquarters. The main base of the Hanging Temple is located in Shaoshi Mountain.

"Let me look for it."

He closed his eyes slightly, then opened them, activating his X-ray vision to scan the entire Hanging Temple.

After a moment, he frowned slightly.

"How is it?" Old Guo asked.

"Shaoshi Mountain—truly extraordinary, worthy of being called the number one temple in the world and the ancestral home of Zen Buddhism."

Xia Xinghan exclaimed, "There are three places that my line of sight cannot fully penetrate."

"First is the Bodhidharma Cave, where the first patriarch of Zen Buddhism meditated facing a wall, shrouded in unfathomable Zen spirit; second is the Pagoda Forest, the burial place of eminent monks throughout history, where vows and power intertwine; the third place—is the Mahavira Hall!"

He looked at the solemn and majestic hall before him.

"Let's start by looking in the main hall."

The two entered the main hall.

The hall is filled with Buddhist statues and the air is thick with incense smoke.

Xia Xinghan looked around and walked straight to the largest gilded Buddha statue in the center, his gaze falling on an ancient wooden box on the offering table.

The wooden box is exquisitely crafted, with a dragon on the top and Kalavinka birds, the Four Heavenly Kings, and two dragons playing with a pearl on the sides. It is decorated with pomegranate flowers and vines, a masterpiece of craftsmanship, and exudes a faint sandalwood fragrance.

Xia Xinghan opened the wooden box, and inside was another silver box.

Furthermore, it is even more exquisite and magnificent, with the Four Heavenly Kings depicted in lifelike form, holding bows and arrows, each attended by numerous divine generals and yakshas, ​​exuding extreme majesty and inspiring awe and reverence.

He then opened it.

Silver letter, silver letter, gold letter —

Old Guo leaned closer and exclaimed in surprise, "This box—how come it's layered inside another? Like a Russian nesting doll!"

As Xia Xinghan opened the treasure box, he explained, "This is the [Eight-Layer Treasure Box], a top-grade container used in the Tang Dynasty to enshrine the Buddha's finger relic. The outermost box is made of sandalwood, inside which are three silver boxes, two gold boxes, and one jade box. The innermost part is a single-eaved, four-door pure gold pagoda."

"It is itself a heirloom, used to store the most precious Buddhist treasures."

"Fortunately, its wielder—well, I've already knocked him unconscious, and the treasure box is in a dormant state."

He moved swiftly, opening the treasure chests one by one.

Gold, silver, jade, and precious stones, all gleaming with precious light.

When the penultimate golden box was opened, a small, exquisite pure gold pagoda and three fruits the size of longans were quietly placed inside.

The fruit is pale golden in color, with fine and mysterious patterns growing on its surface, perfectly natural, like the Buddha.

It is indeed the Vajra Bodhi fruit!

However, Mr. Guo was attracted by the miniature golden pagoda.

Opening the golden pagoda reveals a section of jade-like, warm, and subtly radiating a gentle Buddhist light—a bone-like tube.

"Xinghan, what is this?"

"A Buddhist treasure, the Buddha's finger bone relic."

"Relics? A priceless treasure!"

Old Guo's breath hitched, and a burning light appeared in his eyes.

"Grandpa Guo, I advise you not to have any other ideas."

Xia Xinghan remained calm, interrupted with a single sentence, took out three Vajra Bodhi fruits, carefully covered the golden pagoda again, and then began to restore the treasure box layer by layer.

"Although the shadow relic is not the real relic, it is still a sacred object that has been worshipped throughout the ages, and its significance is extraordinary."

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"If you take it, not only the Hanging Temple, but Zen Buddhism—no, all Buddhist sects in the world—will fight you to the death."

"More importantly..."

Xia Xinghan pointed to the eight-layered treasure box.

"The mission of the reliquary is to protect the relics. If I take the Bodhi fruit, it may not react because its owner is unconscious. But if you touch the relics—even without anyone urging them, they may revive on their own, and then we'll be in big trouble."

Upon hearing this, Elder Guo reluctantly withdrew his gaze and sighed, "What a pity—oh well, three celestial treasures are already a tremendous gain. Let's go!"

The two quickly left the main hall, transformed into streaks of light, and disappeared into the depths of the night.

Not long after.

Behind the mountain, under the Bodhi tree.

Several monks on duty rubbed their sleepy eyes, shook their heavy heads, and muttered, "Strange—"

How did I fall asleep?

"Ouch! My head hurts so much."

"It felt like I was hit hard with a club."

"not good!"

The monks were startled, but remembering their duty, they immediately looked at the Bodhi tree and saw that the five silvery fruits with gold spots were still hanging on the branches, safe and sound. They breathed a sigh of relief.

"It must be because he's been too tired from being on duty lately—"

Several monks stretched their limbs as they spoke.

Just then—

"ah!!!"

A roar filled with shock and anger suddenly came from the direction of the main hall, shaking the entire mountain!

The monks were startled and quickly looked around.

Master Huiming stood at the entrance of the Mahavira Hall, clutching the conspicuous bump on the back of his head. His robes were slightly disheveled. His usually kind and gentle face was now flushed red, and his usually calm eyes were practically spitting fire!

He stared intently at the empty treasure box in his hand, then suddenly looked up, his all-seeing eyes opening wide, and golden light swept across the entire temple.

silence.

All the monks and novices were scattered haphazardly throughout the temple, some lying down, some sprawled out, most still unconscious.

"Thief!!!"

Master Huiming subconsciously unleashed a lion's roar, which shook the ancient pines of Shaoshi Mountain and startled the night birds into flight!

He cultivated his wisdom eye, achieved an indestructible body, comprehended the martial arts passed down through generations, and even became confident that he was no weaker than Zhang Zhenren, the "number one person in the world."

But the result!

Right in his own territory, after others had already warned him, he was ambushed.

The other party used the most simple and unadorned method to overthrow the entire temple!

All three Vajra Bodhi fruits were lost, not a single one remained.

This is an utter disgrace!

"What a terrible child!"

"Investigate! Investigate for this old monk!!"

"We'll dig three feet into the ground, turn the world upside down, and find the thief who stole the celestial treasure, and imprison him in the deepest hell!"

After leaving Shaoshi Mountain, Xia Xinghan and Guo Lao had no other thoughts and returned to the base as quickly as possible. The journey was uneventful.

The two were extremely excited. After dividing the spoils, they were satisfied and went their separate ways.

Xia Xinghan went back to his room to sleep and fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed.

But he could sleep, while the Eight Great Families and the Hanging Temple couldn't.

This was destined to be a sleepless night. The nine major powers were in an uproar, employing all sorts of methods to track down the hateful, mysterious thief.

"Use the Sky Eye satellite that is passing over the Holy Land to carefully review the surveillance video."

"The best police dog? Let him sniff around, we must find that shameless thief!"

"Very well, they dare to steal from us! They've really eaten the heart of a dragon and the gall of a phoenix!"

"Bounty! Issue a bounty to all intelligence organizations at any cost! 500 spirit stones for any clue! Whoever captures the thief—choose three relics or spirit fruits!"

"A painting can conjure human figures, and a bronze mirror can recreate fleeting moments of the past? Quickly, summon the appropriate implementer!"

Similar scenes played out everywhere, but to no avail.

The other party is too experienced!

They didn't leave a single trace!

Until finally, dawn broke.

An emergency video conference was held at the base.

"Mr. Qian! You must give us an explanation for this!"

The Ye family representative, a middle-aged man with a gloomy face, was the first to launch an attack.

He is one of Ye Hong's uncles.

"Overnight, the eight sacred sites were robbed, the methods were similar, the actions were swift, and the stealth was beyond imagination! Besides Guo Fengxiao, who wields the Bamboo Slips of the Military Sage in your base, who else could be so elusive?!"

The representative of the Lu family, a composed old man, also said in a deep voice: "Mr. Qian, it is not that we are making unfounded suspicions, but the Bamboo Slips of the Military Sage are full of mysteries, and Mr. Guo is indeed highly suspicious."

"fart!"

Mr. Qian rarely swore, seemingly suppressing his anger.

In the holographic image, his face was gloomy, almost dripping with water.

"You must provide evidence when you speak!"

"Guo Fengxiao is a magistrate who safeguards the state; he is honest, kind, and hardworking!"

"He guarded the national treasure trove for three years, working diligently and tirelessly, protecting countless national treasures and making outstanding contributions! How dare you slander him with mere empty words?!"

"Mr. Qian, this is blaming someone!"

The Wang family representative scoffed, "Who doesn't know that Elder Guo is one of your base's people?"

"This incident has caused a huge uproar, damaging the foundations of our families! You think you can just brush it off with a single slanderous remark?"

I'm afraid we can't protect them!

"Can't protect them?"

Old Qian sneered, suddenly slammed his hand on the table, and stood up, saying, "It seems you all recognize me as one of the people from my base?"

"Alright, let the evidence speak for itself!"

"Retrieve all surveillance footage and entry/exit records from the past twelve hours from the base's vault, and make them all public!"

The meeting fell silent for a moment.

Subsequently, a series of surveillance videos, verified to be authentic and without any splicing, editing, or other post-processing, were shared with the public.

In the picture:

Old Master Guo sat cross-legged, guarding the entrance to the treasure vault.

Every so often, he would get up, take a look around the treasure vault, and then return to his original position.

The timestamps are clear and continuous, from yesterday evening to this morning without any interruption.

"this----"

The evidence was irrefutable, and everyone was speechless as they looked at the surveillance footage.

Old Qian's voice rang out again, tinged with cold mockery: "As a high-ranking official, Elder Guo could have lived a carefree life, revered by all. But he willingly gave up fame and fortune, dedicating himself for years to guarding this sunless underground, protecting the relics, and silently contributing!"

"And you? You sit on famous mountains and sacred sites, enjoying abundant resources, and when trouble comes, instead of reflecting on your own inadequate defenses and lax management, you immediately try to pin your finger on loyal ministers and generals? Do you really think I, Qian Jiang, am made of clay?!"

He paused briefly, then his tone became even more stern.

"Furthermore! Elder Guo is merely at the Innate Realm! Even if the Military Sage's bamboo slips are profound, are your various holy lands made of paper?"

"For someone at the Innate Realm to traverse thousands of miles overnight, breaking through your multiple defenses and stealing eight immortal treasures without leaving a trace? Are you insulting Elder Guo, or are you insulting your own defense system?!"

These words were forceful and resounding, leaving everyone's faces turning pale and then red.

The surveillance evidence is irrefutable, and the difference in cultivation level is also an objective fact.

Guo Lao's suspicions were directly cleared.

"Then—could it be Xia Xinghan?" the Cui family representative asked hesitantly.

Xia Xinghan has been making headlines lately, but his true abilities remain a mystery, inevitably leading to speculation.

Old Qian seemed to have been prepared, and sneered, "I knew you'd be suspicious! Check Xia Xinghan's surveillance footage!"

Another piece of surveillance footage sharing.

"You saw that? He's been in seclusion ever since he returned yesterday; he hasn't even left the house!"

Old Qian raised his cane, pointing at each holographic projection, his anger barely contained: "What fine children they are—and you still dare to slander them! You are truly unfilial! Unfilial indeed!!"

An awkward silence fell over the meeting room once again.

Both "suspects" have impeccable alibis.

"etc!"

Master Huiming, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, his voice low and deep: "Benefactor Qian, of the eight great families, why is it only the Gao family—"

There seem to be no reports of damage?

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze turned to the Gao family representative—a woman with an elegant demeanor and a light veil covering her face.

The woman from the Gao family said calmly, "Abbot, you are mistaken."

"A considerable amount of the sacred spring water from my Gao Family Sacred Water Temple was taken away, and a newly blossoming golden osmanthus branch was also broken off from the Moon Palace Osmanthus. However, the loss was relatively small and not comparable to the celestial treasures, so we did not make a special fuss about it."

"Does the master suspect that my Gao family has embezzled funds, or is colluding with thieves?"

Her tone was calm, yet it carried an air of authority.

"Our Gao family has stood for over a century, acting with integrity and uprightness, and would never stoop to such petty theft. Yet you, Master, despite having the most meticulous security at the Hanging Temple, suffered the fate of the entire temple being—well, a complete siege—and losing all its precious treasures. Shouldn't you reflect on your own actions?"

"you!"

Master Huiming was hit where it hurt and almost lost his temper again.

But his Buddhist discipline forced him to suppress it.

"Amitabha Buddha—I misspoke. But this matter is too strange—"

The atmosphere at the meeting suddenly became delicate.

Suspicious glances began to shift between the Gao family and the other families.

Some speculate that it might be a scheme orchestrated by several parties, a case of double-crossing.

Some people suspect that an unknown new force may be emerging.

Some have even suggested that it might have been the work of foreign forces.

They argued and attacked each other, shirked responsibility, and were in complete chaos.

Mr. Qian watched coldly from the sidelines.

He only occasionally offers a few "objective" analyses at crucial moments, which only muddies the waters further.

Ultimately, the two-hour meeting failed to reach any substantial conclusions, instead deepening mutual distrust and ending in a sour atmosphere.

(The outermost sandalwood box of the eight-layered reliquary was actually decayed when it was unearthed.)

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