Just when all kinds of thoughts in Shang Cheng's mind were depressed and floating, he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from behind the city wall, and when he turned his head to look, he saw two soldiers holding their spears and running out of breath, and before they could get out of the city gate, the voice was handed over first. One of the words shouted in a rough voice could not be heard clearly, and the other shouted in a thin and sharp voice was the official of the Shangjing Plain Mansion: "The commander is out!" ”

In fact, there was no need for these two people to shout, just listening to the rapid sound of horses' hooves, the officers and soldiers at the city gate and the people who were blocked outside the city knew that the big officials were coming, and they didn't see the three officers make any gestures, and in the blink of an eye, the soldiers lined up in two rows on both sides of the road at the city gate, one by one, with their chests folded and their bellies, holding spears, and standing solemnly without squinting. The officer who brought Shang Cheng stood at the front of the right column, and the two colleagues each stood at the head of the team, both pressing the hilt of the knife with one hand and pressing the thigh with the other half-pinched fist. I don't know what's going on, but at this time, the crowd that was originally driven to both sides of the official road by the yamen servants is no longer as quiet as just now. The errand who drove this and then the other was already so busy that his face was sweating, and the whip that was originally waving and crackling in the void was also retracted, and he whipped it at the person in front of him without a head or a brain. For a while, the scolding, scolding, wailing, and forgiveness came one after another, mixed with the neighing of horses, mules, donkeys, and the chaotic discussion of everyone.

When the official road outside the city gate was still in chaos, more than ten healthy horses had already jumped out of the city gate and swept in front of everyone's eyes.

This is the big official? That's what the big official looks like? Just a few people? Not only was Shang Cheng, who was standing under the sign with his head bowed down, full of doubts, but even the people who were crowded on both sides of the road to watch the excitement were also surprised, one by one, the officers and soldiers on duty blocked the official road and were busy for a long time, just for these few people? In the dark, as if someone was secretly directing, the crowd suddenly fell silent and silent, and one of the pack horses snorted impatiently.

The soldiers standing at the gate also looked a little confused, leaned over and looked into the hole in the city gate, and whispered to each other. It was still the sharp voice that shouted: "The governor has left the county office, and he will be there soon!" ”

Before he could finish speaking, there was another sound of horses' hooves in the city. This echo was louder and denser than before, and it swept like thunder......

In the blink of an eye, two healthy horses broke out of the city gates. Immediately, the two athletes each held a cyan flag, and the near flag was embroidered with a line of small characters "Yanshan Admiral's Mansion" and a big "Li" character, but the distant flag was a windward hunting sound, and a line of small characters was faintly visible. Shang Cheng's eyes followed the banner for a long time, and he could only barely see the word "general", and when he turned back, a large group of freshly dressed and angry cavalry had already rushed out of the city gate hole like a rapidly surging tide.

The cavalry numbered two or three hundred men, and the dust raised by the horses' hooves fluttered in the wind. In the smoke and mist, Shang Cheng couldn't see clearly who was the commander, who was the general, and who was the soldier, but he only saw that this group of cavalry was not only wearing armor and armor, but also wearing shoulder armor and arm armor...... When I wanted to take a closer look, the horses galloped and the figures were longing, where could I tell which general it was, the whole team was like a moving black cloud, and like a winding black smoke, whistling along the official road, and disappearing in the shadow of the tree covering the official road in an instant; When I moved again, I saw a black line rushing over the official road at the corner of the city wall in the distance......

The crowd was still staring in jaw-dropping eyes in the direction where the horse team had disappeared, and the soldiers at the gate of the city had already put away their queues and disappeared, leaving only two soldiers standing on both sides of the doorway, one on the left and one on the right, holding spears. The officer walked over with a blistering footstep. This time, his expression was not as serious as just now, and he first made a salute to the merchant, and then said in an unfamiliar official dialect: "Let the monk be wronged." ”

Shang Cheng hurriedly saluted in return, not knowing what to say. He is not a monk, and he can't say that he has been wronged, but he can't explain that he is not actually a monk. The most unfortunate thing is that before he saw the officer coming, he first called a soldier to find the yamen messenger who was standing on the official road and leading the traffic, which was really asking for his life!

The officer smiled, signaled that he could stand up from under the notice board, and then said, "I have already asked people to find people in the yamen, and they can come over after talking." Don't dare to slack off on official affairs, monks must be considerate of those of us who eat food and serve as soldiers, one by one" He stared at Shang Cheng twice, smiled, and said in a comforting tone, "Monk, don't be afraid, just let the yamen record a confession as a record, when and where to meet the bandits, how many bandits are there, what is the appearance and age of the bandit leader, and how are the bandits one by one, don't panic, you just have to tell the truth......"

Shang Cheng stiffened his face and barely squeezed out a smile. Tell the truth? Does he dare to tell the truth? Then again, even if he told the truth, would the people in the yamen believe him? How dare they believe him? He was desperately spinning his mind to resolve the crisis in front of him, but his mind was as messy as a mess, and he couldn't find a good excuse.

Monk! It's all the identity of this monk who killed himself!

The officer stood and spoke with him for a long time: "The monk came from Jiazhou, so naturally he has seen the Big Buddha." I heard that the Buddha statue is more than 100 zhang high, and the Buddha's light shrouds the treasure every morning and evening**, it has a nose and eyes, it can't be true, right? He had a smile on his face when he spoke, as if he was chatting with Shang Cheng, but his eyes were staring at Shang Cheng like a knife.

"Buddha light?" Shang into a line. He has visited the Leshan Giant Buddha, and has not seen any Buddha light, but because the Buddha has been eroded by rain and blown by the wind and hit the stone for a long time, leaving a black and swarthy weathering traces, the joints between the Buddha statue and the mountain wall are more mud and sand accumulation and green moss lush, and there are signs of collapse in some places, and they are repaired and fixed with reinforced concrete everywhere. However, he immediately understood that the officer was actually interrogating himself when he said this, because he said, "Morning and evening there is indeed the light of the Buddha." My Buddha is close to the mountain and the river, and the treasure is merciful, protecting me and prospering the people. One by one Amitabha. ”

The officer smiled and did not talk.

Shang Cheng didn't know how to continue, so he had to stand and smile.

The officer asked coldly, "Has the monk been to Shangjing Plain Mansion?" ”

“…… Been there. Shang Cheng swallowed and said, "I studied Buddhism in Ganlu Temple in Shangjing Plain Mansion for two years. He was in a hurry, and he moved the name of the temple in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms to fool the officer in front of him. He thought, a petty military officer in the border area shouldn't know all the monasteries in the Shangjing Plain Mansion so clearly, right? If the officer asked him which Buddha he was studying, he would say that he was a Hinayana tantra and worshipped the Bodhisattva King of the Earth, and that the goal he pursued was "hell is not empty, and he will not become a Buddha...... But if the officer asked the Ganlu Temple again which area of Shangjing it was, what should he do? His heart was in a hurry, and his mouth had to carefully deal with the officer's interrogation, and a circle of fine and dense sweat was already oozing from his forehead.

What's worse was that out of the corner of his eye, he could already see the leader of the yamen officers coming with the soldiers!

Seeing that the man was getting closer and closer, Shang Cheng's heart became tighter and tighter, and he was a little stumbling and entangled in his speech: "...... It is the Jizo King Bodhisattva, and the dojo of the Jizo King Bodhisattva is in Jiuhua Mountain in the south of the Yangtze River,...... This one of us is Hinayana ...... Hinayana Tantra. I'm coming to Yanshan...... In fact, it is also for the purpose of learning Buddhism...... Seek the Dharma. ……”

The officer still had a smile on his face, but his hand was already on the hilt of the sword, and his gaze was getting sharper and sharper. Not only was the officer suspicious of him, but the two soldiers who were sitting on a bench at the base of the city wall and drinking water also sensed that something was wrong here, and came over with their spears in hand, and although they did not make any further moves, the position in which they stood was faintly guarding Shang Cheng's possible escape route.

At this time, another person came out of the city, and after looking around left and right, he met the leader of the errands, and said two words in a low voice, and the leader of the errands pointed to Shang Cheng, and led the people straight into the city. The man followed the soldier with a calm face.

"Captain Guan." The man approached, first arched his hand towards the officer, and then looked Shang Cheng up and down with cold eyes, and then asked, "What's the matter with this monk?" ”

The lieutenant surnamed Guan already knew that Shang Cheng couldn't understand the local dialect, so he didn't avoid him, and talked to the man in a whisper. The man glanced at him, nodded with a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and then raised his eyelids and asked in familiar official dialect: "Are you a monk from Jiazhou?" ”

At this point, Shang Cheng could only nod his head and accept his identity as a monk.

"Which monastery is a monk?"

“…… Jiazhou Big Buddha Temple. ”

"Is there a degree?"

"Two days ago, I met bandits in the mountains, and my luggage and packages were robbed, and Du Mu was also in the package......"

"Stayed in Shangjing Plains?" Seeing Shang Cheng nodding, the man groaned and asked, "How long have you been there?" ”

"Two years." Shang Cheng said expressionlessly. These were all questions that the officer had just asked, and he could answer them without thinking. Next, it is time to ask him which temple he studied Buddhism in and what kind of Buddha he studied......

Sure enough, the man asked, "Which temple did you stay in when you went to Beijing?" ”

"Ganlu Temple."

The man frowned and didn't speak, just pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes to look at Shang Cheng carefully, and only after a while did he ask, "Is it the Ganlu Temple in the west of the capital that 'Huaihug Li'?" ”

Shang Cheng's head buzzed, not knowing how to answer. Sky! The temple he is talking nonsense, who knows that there is really a Ganlu Temple in the Shangjing Plains Mansion? Not only is there such a temple, but also listening to the people in front of you, the fame of this Ganlu Temple is not small! This...... How is this possible!

Captain Guan interjected next to him: "What 'Huai hugging Li'? ”

"In Shangjing Plains Mansion, Ganlu Temple is just a small temple, but the temple is small but famous, because they have a locust tree in their backyard. This big locust tree is said to have been planted by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and it has been thousands of years since the Guangzong period of the previous dynasty, and it is still vigorous and green. In the last years of Guangzong, Ganlu Temple was repeatedly fired, and the locust tree was also burned to pieces, and then it was split in half by the heavenly thunder, and gradually died. Who knows that in April of the year when Taizu founded the country of this dynasty, people found that the locust tree body was split and cut off by thunder and fire, and a new plum tree actually grew, and even the locust tree also withered and spit green, so it was named 'Huai Bao Li', and Ganlu Temple was also famous. The month before the Ministry of Industry Yan Bo Division someone came to our Yi County business, I also had to ask him about this tree, he said that the two trees are still there, and the incense of Ganlu Temple is also flourishing day by day......"

Captain Guan opened his mouth wide, listening to him tell the story of "Huai Hugging Li", and after he finished speaking, he shook his head and said: "There are such strange things and strange trees in the world, it is simply unheard of and unseen." ”

The man also had a leisurely expression, and said: "Yes, there are no wonders in the world, but only the magical scene of 'Huai Hugging Li' teaches people to yearn for it." If I can go to Shangjing Plains Mansion one day, I must go to Ganlu Temple in the west of the city to burn incense and worship the Buddha, and worship sincerely......"

Captain Guan nodded vigorously, with a look of "it should be like this", if it weren't for Shang Cheng beside him, he might have immediately pulled that person to inquire carefully about this "Huai Hug Li".

The man turned his gaze again, and when he interrogated again, his tone was no longer as aggressive as just now: "You are young, you are not concentrating on studying Buddhism and practicing in the Shangjing Temple, what are you doing here?" ”

Shang Cheng heard him ask like this, and he hesitated two or three times before he said, "...... The tutor said that it is better to read the Ten Thousand Scrolls Sutra...... It is better to travel thousands of miles, so let the little monk go out to travel to the world's famous temples and ancient temples, increase knowledge, and make a wide range of Buddhist connections. Since there is really such a Ganlu Temple in Shangjing, then his status as a monk is temporarily safe, and as soon as his mood is relaxed, the next few words will naturally be spoken smoothly and thoroughly.

The man pursed his lips and nodded, and said, "It is better to read the Ten Thousand Scrolls of the Sutra than to travel thousands of miles, one by one, your master really has great wisdom and insight." He smiled lightly and said, "Since you have lost your degree, according to the law, I should have led you to the county government to sign and draw the case and file the case, and hand it over to the department for detention, and then you could release it after the yamen document was approved." Seeing that Shang Cheng's expression was a little nervous and panicked, he changed his words and continued, "Fortunately, the abbot monk of Lingtai Temple in the county town is from your Jiazhou, and he should be able to prove your identity and save you from the pain of imprisonment for these few months." In this way, you can go with me......" After speaking, he arched his hand to the captain of the school, said politely, and led Shang Chengcheng to leave.

Captain Guan asked in a low voice, and the man laughed: "The captain is too careful." He is a vegetarian monk, and he will hurt people in the county? Besides, he even knew that he was going to the Ganlu Temple in Beijing, how could he be a spy of the Tuqi people? As he spoke, he looked Shang Cheng up and down again, shook his head and said, "Look at this monk's proper manners and words, it doesn't look like a fugitive from the traitor department." ”

Shang Cheng watched them speak, not even daring to say half a word.

The man said goodbye to the captain again, and led Shang Cheng into the county seat. After walking out of the road and looking back, the city gate was no longer visible, so the man led Shang Cheng into a remote back street, saw that there was no one on the left and right, suddenly stopped and turned around and asked, "Who are you?" ”

When he stopped, Shang Cheng was already alert, and when he heard this question again, his eyes were even darker, and he stumbled for a long time before he spit out a few words: "...... Jiazhou ...... Monk. ”

The man gritted his teeth and laughed, and said, "Jiazhou may be possible, and it is not necessarily true. After pacing around Shang Cheng for half a circle, he suddenly asked, "Have you really stayed in Shangjing Ganlu Temple?" ”

Shang Cheng was puzzled by this, but nodded involuntarily.

"Is it the Ganlu Temple in Shangjing that has a 'Huaihug Li'?" The man asked with a bit of banter in his eyes.

“…… Be. Although Shang Cheng also knew that answering like this would probably be bad, but what else could he say now? And he still has a glimmer of hope in his heart, since this person has just been able to tell the story of "Huai Hug Li" vividly, at least it shows that there is really such a Ganlu Temple......

"If I tell you now, Huai Bao Li and Ganlu Temple are all nonsense I made up out of thin air, and you will bite you to death for staying in Ganlu Temple?"

Shang Cheng was surprised in his heart, but he gritted his teeth and didn't dare to let go, so he nodded fiercely as if he was resigned to his fate.

The man stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled and said, "You go back first." The abbot monk of Lingtai Temple in the county town is a monk in Jiazhou since he was a child, but in the past two days, he went to Duanzhou Mansion to pay homage to the great monk Huilin, and I will take you over now, and you will not see him...... Do you know who the Great Monk Huilin is? Seeing Shang Cheng's lips squirming but not saying a word, he shook his head with a smile, waved his hand, turned around and walked away. After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped again, turned around and said, "Don't say that you are a monk in the future." There are hundreds of walks of life in the world, but this monk can't pretend to be ...... Go ahead, Liu Laozhu is still waiting for you on the front street. ”

Shang Cheng stood dumbfounded, until the man's back disappeared around the corner of the street, and he still didn't move.

It's all just so weird. Since this person already knew that he was a fake monk, why didn't he expose himself? And what did he mean when he left? "There are hundreds of walks of life in the world, but this monk can't pretend to be", is this a reminder to warn yourself? Or are you waking yourself up and changing your identity?

He didn't remember how he got out of that small street, nor did he notice the people coming and going around him, and all his thoughts were on the mysterious man in the yamen. Who is he? Why would he come to help him survive a catastrophe? What does he gain by doing so?

There is no answer to all of this......

In a daze, he felt that someone was tugging at his sleeve, and at the same time he heard a low cry of surprise: "I found you!" ”