In the golden autumn of August, the mountain road is filled with the fragrance of osmanthus flowers, which makes people smoke and intoxicate. The three of them went out just after the hour, and when they were about to leave the town, they met Zhang Laohan squatting on the side of the road to sell his mountain goods, and when he asked, he knew that these mountain goods were originally going to be given to the Qi family, but he went to Qi Mansion this morning and went around, and he didn't meet a familiar face. The villagers in the mountains were already timid, especially when they arrived at a big family like the Qi family, they were even more cramped, and they didn't dare to ask, and returned silently. It's just that the more I think about it, the more apprehensive I become, so I simply squatted on the side of the road and sold. But where can ordinary people afford such a rare thing, and where are they willing to spend such money? After selling it for more than half an hour, they have not sold it.

Mr. Mu glanced at Chu Jie, although he didn't say it explicitly, but the meaning couldn't be more obvious. Chu Jie sighed in his heart, he regretted taking this errand a little, he wanted to show his face in front of his father, but he didn't expect that now not only was he arrested, but he also had to break his fortune, and he really lost his wife and soldiers. Although reluctant, the situation is stronger than people, and the general does not know what medicine he has given, it hurts for a while, it itches for a while, and his heart is tumbling and rolling as if he is tormented in an oil pot. After grinding and digging out twenty taels of silver, Zhang Laohan looked at it and smiled, although the three of them only bought some rare mushrooms such as bamboo sunflower and monkey head, but the silver he gave was more than he usually took from the Qi family, I heard that the three of them were going to send the mountain goods to Youtan Temple, and hurriedly drove the car to follow the three of them.

Forty miles of mountain road, if three people walk alone, it will take less than an hour to arrive, but now that there is an old man Zhang, it will be much slower. Near noon, the three of them saw the mountain gate from a distance, and the pilgrims on the road were bustling, carrying paper and carrying candles, which was very lively.

This temple is different from other temples in that there are two giant crabs at the door, not of stone but of fine iron, and their eight claws are extremely sharp and glow in the sun. I don't know what kind of stone is used to build the mountain gate, and the warm weather is also unusually humid, as if it has just been fished out of the water, it is covered with moss, and when you get close, you can smell a smell of wet mold. Mr. Mu was a little surprised, but looking at the pilgrims who came and went, none of them noticed anything unusual, and he seemed to have been accustomed to it for a long time.

Entering the mountain gate, there is a wide square, and there are many shrimp soldiers on both sides of the square, which are also made of fine iron, holding knives and guns in their hands, all of which are bladed, as if they are about to go to the battlefield at any time. More than 20 zhang ahead is a long stone staircase, there can be hundreds of steps in a rough look, the upper part is not like an ordinary temple set up a big hall, but a magnificent palace, carved beams and painted buildings, glazed roof, just a plaque with gold characters on a blue background, it says "Floating Frost Water House", two giant tortoises cast in iron at the door are dressed in armor, holding a giant hammer and standing majestically.

When the pilgrims arrived at the foot of the stone steps, they knelt down and kowtowed, and after kowtowing, they put the silver coins and gifts on their bodies into the cloth bags in the hands of the novices on both sides, and then slowly began to climb the stone steps. The first time the three of them came, they didn't know the rules here, so they did the same. I thought that most of those mountain goods were some meat and fishy things, and the Zen temple would definitely not collect them, and Mr. Mu was about to pick out the bamboo sun, monkey heads, etc. and put them into the cloth bag, but the novices on both sides actually stepped forward to throw Zhang Laohan's car of mountain goods into the bag. I don't know what the cloth bag is made of, it looks obviously not big, but the mountain goods loaded with a cart are not full, and it is still dry and shriveled, and it is not half difficult for Shami to lift it in his hand.

Mr. Mu didn't expect such a situation, seeing that the mountain goods had been emptied by Shami, and it was difficult to ask for it again, so he looked at Chu Jie again. Chu Jie's face was red and white for a while, and he looked very reluctant, but his hand was still stretched out into his arms. Zhang Laohan is a hunter in the mountains, he has eaten by his ability all his life, and he originally gave more than twenty taels of silver, but now he is embarrassed to accept it again, and he is busy speaking out to stop it, but he is very strange in his heart, why does the master of this family seem to be afraid of this scholar?

Zhang Laohan left, Chu Jie didn't give any more money in the end, his face looked much better, and his steps were very brisk when he climbed the stone steps. The three of them are the first time to come to such a temple, and it is difficult to say whether this is even a temple, since entering the temple, what Guanyin Rulai, Vajra Lux, one has not seen, but the shrimp soldiers and crabs will see a lot, and it is a dragon palace on land. Ascending the stone steps and arriving at the entrance of the palace, the three of them were even more shocked by the majesty and luxury of the palace.

The gate of vermilion lacquer is two zhang high, the giant tortoises on both sides are higher than the gate, the door is covered with a red carpet, there are monsters in official uniforms standing on both sides of the red carpet, some have fish heads, some are covered with scales, some have no feet are all tentacles, some have too many feet, cross these monsters, there is a high platform in front of them, a dragon chair on the platform, and there is a person who looks like an emperor sitting. Yes, it's a human, the only normal statue that the three of them have seen since they entered the temple. It is not accurate to say that it is a statue, although it is separated by some distance, but this statue is too realistic, no matter how you look at it, it looks like a living person, a real person. This man wore an imperial crown on his head, a dragon robe, and his eyes looked into the distance, not angry and arrogant. The pilgrims who came in knelt down on the red carpet banged their heads and muttered, presumably making a wish.

Mr. Mu doesn't want to kneel, don't say that this emperor is the Bodhisattva in those temples, Mr. Mu has never knelt since he was a child, he doesn't believe in these, he only believes in himself. But everyone who came in here fell to their knees, and only Mr. Mu and the three were still erect, which seemed a little abrupt. I don't know if it's an illusion, Mr. Mu felt that the emperor's gaze seemed to glance here intentionally or unintentionally, and when he wanted to take a closer look, he didn't seem to move.

Chu Jie followed the customs, kneeling generously and naturally, seeing that Mr. Mu and Mu Xiaohua were still standing there, he hurriedly reached out and pulled the corner of Mr. Mu's clothes, he didn't dare to pull the corners of Mu Xiaohua's clothes, he knew that the relationship between Mr. Mu and Mu Xiaohua was extraordinary.

Mr. Mu glanced down at Chu Jie, although he was unwilling, he still knelt down, and Mu Xiaohua saw Mr. Mu kneeling, so he also knelt together. 315 Chinese Network

The three of them knelt for a while, and they all felt a little strange in their hearts, why didn't any of these pilgrims get up? This music is like Huang Zhong Da Lu, which sets off the solemnity of this originally somewhat nondescript hall.

"The Dragon King is out on patrol—" There was a shout from nowhere, and before the shouting started, many monks poured in from outside the hall.

The whole palace is full of the sound of chanting, Mr. Mu is still the first time to listen to the chanting, he used to have no feeling for any Buddhist scriptures, Taoist scriptures, but this time he is really immersed, and then look at the majesty of the dragon chair God King, the ministers on both sides stand solemnly, one by one the pilgrims are pious and quiet, and their hearts have gradually calmed down, without thinking, nor thinking, it seems that life is unhindered and ethereal at this moment.

Such a quiet and solemn occasion, such a quiet and solemn voice, such a quiet and solemn believer, ordinary people are afraid that they have already indulged in it and cannot extricate themselves, but how many life and death battles has Mr. Mu experienced? This alone is not enough to make Mr. Mu sink into the mud. Stretched out his hand and slapped Mu Xiaohua and Chu Jie on each body, and the two of them leaned on Mr. Mu softly, and then Mr. Mu's gaze gradually began to wander and be intoxicated, just like other pilgrims.

I don't know when the palace was quiet again, the chanting was gone, the monks and pilgrims disappeared, the night slowly fell, and the Youtan Temple, which was still very noisy during the day, was gradually shrouded in darkness and dead silence.

"Lord," a faint voice sounded in the palace, if anyone saw the scene in the palace at this time, they would be scared half to death, those monsters in official uniforms were actually alive, and an official with the appearance of a water lion with four horns on his head was bowing down and talking to the emperor on the dragon chair, "It's time for dinner." ”

When the emperor heard the words of the water lion, he withdrew his gaze from afar, looked down, with a hint of smile in his eyes, a little greed, and nodded slowly.

The melodious bell rang ——,, and the shrimp soldiers with knives and guns on both sides of the hall suddenly moved, and raised their legs to the side room in a sonorous sound.

Mr. Mu was locked up with Mu Xiaohua, Chu Jie, and many pilgrims in a big house, which had nothing but was very clean. In August, there are many mosquitoes in the mountains, but not a single mosquito or fly can be seen here. Mr. Mu sat there, he was waiting, those monks took a lot of trouble to get these pilgrims here, there must be a plot, although four or five hours have passed, but Mr. Mu is not in a hurry, since those thieves have a plan, there will definitely be action, although there has been no movement for a long time, I think the time has not yet come, I am waiting.

Sure enough, halfway through the hour, the heavy door opened, and two shrimp soldiers came in outside the door. Mr. Mu was stunned, he thought that maybe there was something wrong with these monks, maybe there was an enemy ambush around this temple, but he never thought that those statues made of fine iron in the square during the day would come to life. At this moment, Mr. Mu's breathing changed slightly, and one of the shrimp soldiers seemed to feel something, the shrimp soldiers did not have a neck like a human, they couldn't turn their heads, so they had to twist their whole body around. Fortunately, Mr. Mu saw the opportunity quickly and quickly adjusted his breathing, so he was not discovered.

The two shrimp soldiers stared at the two vertical eyes and slowly turned, and finally seemed to have found their favorite choice, stretched out an arm, caught one person each, and turned around and walked out the door. Mr. Mu got up slowly, stretched out his hand and slapped Mu Xiaohua and Chu Jie on each body, and the two of them woke up quietly, and saw that Mr. Mu was walking out, and hurriedly followed behind.

The two shrimp soldiers walked straight to the palace on the high platform, and the two monks were about to close the door, when suddenly two green vines stretched out from the door, and they pulled the two monks in. There was not much time, and Mr. Mu walked out of the room, took a strange step, and disappeared into the night after three rounds.