When we were training in the car shop, ** was repairing the car. He climbed out from under a tractor, ** his upper body, his tendons and flesh were stained with black engine oil, and only a string of gold chains hung around his neck, which contrasted with his copper-colored skin - he used to be jade, but later I recognized it as inferior jade, so I changed it.

"You've ruined my business, you're leaving again, and now you're coming here to beg for things, it's a bit deceitful, isn't it?"

** Sadly, sitting on a large forklift tire, the wrench in his hand flickering. Kana Kido touched her knees with her hands and bowed, "We apologize for the trouble caused you. I will compensate for the next investment in the Cultural Fund. ”

**Shook his head and raised three fingers: "This kid ruined my face first, you move out of my uncle, okay, I won't pursue this." He put down a finger and continued: "He also abused me tens of thousands of yuan, and you said that the cultural fund will make up for it." That's it. He put down another finger and shook the remaining one: "Face and money, take my uncle and the fund to exchange." There's one last Dragon-Tattooed Lord left, and he's betting on me. One yard is one yard, which is not counted in the first two. ”

The implication is that he still has to get some benefits before he is willing to spit out the dragon pattern jue. Kana Kido was a little embarrassed, and I knew that at this time, I couldn't let a woman stand up for herself, and she stood up: "**You can make a price." ”

"Good! It's refreshing! ”

Got up from the tires, walked up to me, and touched his chin with his right hand, probably wondering what he could get from me. As soon as he came over, my eyes suddenly widened and my body arched forward. Thinking I'm going to do it, I raise the wrench to smash. I hurriedly said, "Don't be busy! Pointing to the gold necklace around his neck, he asked aloud, "Where did you get this necklace?" ”

**Subconsciously grabbed the necklace with his hand and said angrily: "It's your business!" I threw all the money I had given me from my pocket: "All this money is yours." Tell me where this came from! ”

Unexpectedly, I would suddenly be interested in his necklace. He took two steps back and glared at me suspiciously: "This is what my grandmother invited me from Katsuganji, what do you want?" Kana Kido was puzzled by my actions and asked in a low voice, "Xu San, what did you find?" ”

I gestured with some excitement, and Kana Kido looked at the gold necklace, and her eyes immediately widened and she let out an "ah" sound. **This gold necklace is a pure gold chain interlocking, and a small golden Buddha is tied at the end. The little golden Buddha is a sitting Buddha, the workmanship is a little rough, but the strict style of the Buddha's head is no different from the jade Buddha head of the Tianmingtang, and the two open curtains hanging from the Buddha's forehead are quite eye-catching.

From the photo of the Buddha head brought to us by Kido Kana, I judged that the stolen jade Buddha head had three major characteristics: first, the Lushena Buddha with a face similar to the Longmen Grottoes, that is, Wu Zetian himself; Second, the shape of the Buddha statue is biased towards the style of the Matura school; The third is that the top of the Buddha's head is strictly consistent with the early Tibetan Buddha statue, the curvature is larger, the exterior decoration is cascading and peeling, and the curtain is opened on the Buddha's forehead.

It is difficult to understand why Wu Zetian chose this style of strictness that came almost out of thin air. If this suspicion is not resolved, it will be difficult to confirm the authenticity of the Buddha's head - but I really didn't expect to see a Buddha statue in almost the same strict style on the body of a gang boss with the nature of the underworld in Qishan in modern society, so Kido Kana and I suddenly lost our temper.

Probably not wanting to offend Kana Kido too much, he picked up the money I threw out and put it away, and then reluctantly answered our trivial request. According to him, the gold necklace was his grandmother's dowry in her early years, and the chain was made by someone, and the Buddha statue was consecrated from the local Katsuganji Temple.

Kido and I carefully took the gold necklace and looked at it carefully. In terms of shape, this Buddha belongs to the statue of the Dharma, sitting on its knees, raising its fingers with its right hand to form a ring, and placing its left hand flat on its knee, which is a fairly common statue in Han China. Only the top is particularly abrupt, almost like a cucumber forcibly grafted onto a potato.

"This was invited at Katsuganji Temple, right?" Kana Kido asked, **nodded, and then explained that Katsuenji Temple is a local temple in Qishan, located in the southwest of Qishan County, which has been abandoned for a long time, and there are no monks living in the temple until recently.

I said to Kido Kana, "Looks like we're going to have to go to Katsuganji Temple." Kana Kido let out an "um" and squeezed my hand. Since that kind of top strict style appeared on the head of the Golden Buddha, it means that the craftsman must have had a reference when casting the Buddha, and this reference is likely to be in the Shengyan Temple.

** After receiving the money, I was in a good mood and turned around and shouted. It didn't take long for Second Master Qin, who was wrapped in bandages, to turn out from behind, still holding the Dragon Pattern Jue in his hand. When he saw that it was me, there was a look of resentment in his eyes. **Shen Face said: "You take them to Shengyan Temple tomorrow, and no mistakes are allowed." ”

Second Master Qin looked reluctant, but he didn't dare to show the slightest resistance. He handed over the dragon pattern lord to us, and left first tremblingly, walking with a limp, and it is estimated that the last time the fight was not light.

That night, I slept at Ji Yunfu's house, and Kido Kana went back to the hotel in the prefecture. On the second day, we drove in a jeep, with Qin Er Ye leading the way, and drove towards Shengyan Temple at a gallop. Along the way, in addition to pointing the way, Second Master Qin didn't say a word, obviously holding a grudge. I had the heart to talk to him, but I was always pushed back by his sentence "You pretend to be a pig and eat a tiger, I dare not say".

Shengyan Temple is located in the southwest of Qishan County, less than three kilometers. Second Master Qin didn't dare to lie about the direction, so he took us along the highway and drove to the destination in a short time. It is located on the top of the north bank of the confluence of the Zhougong River and the Hengshui River, the terrain is quite high, and in terms of feng shui, it is indeed a good place to build a temple and view.

When I arrived at the gate of Shengyan Temple, I asked Second Master Qin if he would go in with us. Second Master Qin twisted his neck: "No, I'll go back by myself!" He turned, spat the ground, and limped away.

The ancient temple gate is half destroyed, and there are broken and bruises everywhere, although it has been rebuilt, but it is difficult to hide the atmosphere of decline. One of the two large trees in front of the temple gate has been half down, and the other has long since died, leaving bare dead branches that have not yet been cleared. Standing in front of this temple, I could feel a sense of simplicity and desolation. Kana Kido muttered to herself, not knowing what she was talking about, she took out her camera and took a picture of Yamamon first.

Yesterday, Kana Kido had already asked for relevant information from the Cultural Relics Bureau. Shengyan Temple is an ancient temple, when it was built has not been examined, the earliest reconstruction is in the Ming Jingtai seven years, the incense is prosperous, the county annals of the past dynasties are recorded, but unfortunately most of the buildings were destroyed during the "**", so far has not recovered its vitality.

The temple is not considered a tourist attraction and no one charges for it. We walked inside, all the way through the square, and occasionally a few villagers walked by, but they only glanced at it lightly and continued on our way.

From the square, we walked past the bell tower, the drum tower and the Tianwang Hall, and you can see many common temple statues such as Buddha statues, Bodhisattva statues and Vajra statues in the corner of the side hall along the way. However, the statues were either smashed to a blur or their entire heads cut off, and few were almost incomplete. When we arrived at the core of the temple, the Daxiong Treasure Hall, we found that all that was left in front of us was a messy stone foundation, and all the wooden structures were gone—it was said that they were all destroyed in a fire in the "**".

Ironically, in front of the hall, I don't know who put a small incense burner, and a few pillars of incense were inserted in it crookedly, half-dead. It seems that there are still some villagers here who will come to offer incense, but I don't know what they are doing to worship the ruined walls.

We continued to walk back. Functional buildings such as the Guanyin Palace, the Tibetan Scripture Building, the Huayan Palace, and the Zen Room at the back are also mostly damaged. There are certainly no wooden statues, gold statues, bronze statues, etc., but fortunately, there are a small number of stone statues for secluded corners or recesses of mountain walls, which finally retain their original appearance. Kido Kana and I carefully investigated and found that these Buddha statues can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty at the earliest, but the shapes are all typical Han style, and none of them are similar to the golden Buddha on the neck.

We wandered around for a long time, but found nothing, and asked a few monks who were passing by. But they were all recently sent to Katsuganji Temple to oversee the reconstruction, and they didn't know anything about it before.

"Xu Sang, what kind of Buddha is that?" Kana Kido suddenly asked, pointing to a stone statue. The statue is hidden behind a rock, with a large poplar tree behind it and traces of an incense altar in front of it. The upper half of the statue was gone, only the body remained. I glanced at it and saw that the stone statue was wearing skirt armor, leaning next to a long weapon handle, and near the waist, I could see a few strands of beard hanging down the raised whitewash, and I couldn't help but smile: "This person is also very famous in your Japan, and it can be said that he is a household name." ”

"Huh? Is it? The Chinese that everyone knows about in Japan? Kana Kido was surprised.

"Because this is a statue of Guan Gong." I tapped my finger at the stone statue's drooping beard. Of the gods enshrined in Chinese temples, apart from Guan Yu, there is no second person who will have such a long beard. After speaking, I stroked my hair with my right hand and held a knife in my left hand, putting on a posture of Guan Yu's glaring in Peking Opera, and Kido Kana "fluttered" out with a happy sound.

"But, how could Guan Yu appear in a Buddhist temple?"

"Guan Yu is regarded as a guardian saint in Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, so in temples everywhere, there will be a statue of Guan Yu, which is similar to the existence of the protector Jialan God, and it is also a testimony of the integration of Middle-earth Buddhism with local traditions."

"Then when did Guan Yu go from a military general in the world to a Buddhist deity?" Kana Kido asked curiously, raising her face. I happened to have received the statue of Guan Gong before, so I studied a few books on the evolution of Guan Gong's worship, and I knew a little about this, so I told her: "This is a long story, in short, the successive dynasties have continuously deified Guan Yu, constantly added titles, and slowly changed from a military general to a famous general, and then to a god general." ”

"You know a lot." Kana Kido was greatly impressed. My face flushed, not long ago I planted a big heel in front of Ji Yunfu, hearing this compliment, I really couldn't bear it.

"No way. This is also a business need...... Let me tell you a story. I received a bronze statue of Guan Gong before, which is particularly exquisite, and said that it was Song Pin. As soon as I saw the words 'Manifest Spirit, Righteousness, Bravery, and King Anyingji' written on the back of the bronze statue, I was happy and said that this of yours is definitely not something from the Song Dynasty. Why? Because of the title of Guan Yu in the Song Dynasty, it is called 'King of Zhuang Miao, Righteousness, Bravery, and Yingji'. Later, in the Yuan Dynasty, the word Zhuang Miao was not majestic enough, so it was changed to 'manifestation'. So Guan Gong is like which dynasty and which generation, just look at the title. ”

Kana Kido listened very seriously: "I have also seen traces of Guan Yu's worship in Japan, and it must be of the same origin as China. ”

"Well, that's it......"

I casually agreed, patted the dilapidated statue of Guan Gong, the surface was calm, but the heart was like a boiled dumpling, ups and downs.

It turns out that I have always had a question, and I can't figure it out: why did Xu Yicheng let Zheng Hu come to Qishan to cast bronze Guan Gong? What does this move have to do with the Jade Buddha head?

Now, seeing this statue of Hanjuguan Gong enshrined in Katsuganji Temple, I have a vague sense of inspiration.

If I'm not mistaken, Guan Yu was officially introduced to Buddhism as early as the twelfth year of Emperor Kaihuang of Sui. At that time, the high monk Zhi Qi gave the Bodhisattva ring to Guan Yu's deceased soul in Yuquan Mountain, making him a disciple of Buddhism. In the Wu Zetian period, Shenxiu, the founder of the northern school of Zen Buddhism - the sworn enemy of the six ancestors Huineng - built the Datong Temple in Yuquan Mountain, and for the first time sealed Guan Yu as the protector of the Fajia Blue God, officially introduced the Buddhist deity system.

And it was this Shenxiu, who was later invited by Wu Zetian to Chang'an to make offerings, known as the "Master of the Two Beijings" and "the Master of the Three Empires", and became a leader in the Buddhist community in northern China.

Since Shenxiu has entered Chang'an, it is not surprising that Guan Yu's worship has entered the upper class, and Shenxiu, as an authority on Buddhism, Wu Zetian will also ask him for what he means when he builds Buddha statues - this connection is very far-fetched, and there is still a lack of key evidence, but after all, I have touched a little doorway.

I pondered as I walked, and I had to be careful not to let Kana Kido see that she didn't know about Zheng Hu and Bronze Guan Gong yet. Kana Kido didn't suspect it, and kept taking pictures with the camera.

At this time, an old Taoist priest stood in front of us.

Yes, I read that right, an old Taoist priest in a monk's temple. This Taoist priest has gray hair, wears a pair of glasses, combs a loose bun, and wears a dirty robe, a bit like the deer power immortal in the TV series "Journey to the West". He also carried a small flagpole and a small maza in his hand, and the word "fortune telling" was written on the flagpole.

"These two, do you want to come to fortune telling? It is not allowed to ask for money. The old Taoist priest opened his mouth to speak fluent Mandarin, and the standard was like a news announcer.

Kido Kana and I were both happy, and I said, "You are a disciple of Taoism, why did you come to the temple of the Buddha to do this, aren't you afraid that the Buddha will say that you are robbing business?" ”

Lao Dao's chin was raised, with a look of disdain: "Let me tell you, serious monks don't know fortune telling." In the 13,600 volumes of Buddhist scriptures, there is not a single sentence that teaches people to ask God for divination. Therefore, all the monks who ask for signs to see their faces are wild monks who do not obey the precepts, fooling fools and widows. Our Taoist priests are engaged in fortune-telling, which is their own job. ”

I listened to him say something funny, so I simply stopped and reported my eight characters. Lao Dao poked the flagpole on the dirt, the little horse pierced, the big horse golden knife sat down, pinched his fingers and counted a few times, and his eyes opened "swish": "Your life is good, and the mountain road is sharpened." ”

I groaned, someone had told me my fortune before, and I said the same thing. It seems that this old way really has two tricks. I hurriedly asked him, "Then can you see my recent fortune?" The old man glanced at Kana Kido: "I don't know anything else, it's certain to kill peach blossoms." Kana Kido also came over curiously and asked him to look at his palmistry. Lao Dao squeezed her hand, looked at it and said, "You are not a citizen of China, but you seem to be from overseas." She was surprised and asked him how he could see it, and Lao Dao smiled: "Your passport has lost ......."

Kana Kido hurriedly lowered her head and saw that her passport with "Japanese National Passport" written on it had fallen to the ground. We all laughed out loud, thinking that the old man was really interesting. He said: "I see that you are quite in love, let me tell you the truth, fortune telling, three points look at the sky, seven points look at the eyes." As soon as you look at your clothing and behavior, and then talk about two sentences, you can guess the origin. If you follow the origin, you can't go wrong. ”

"Aren't you afraid that after listening to the truth, we won't give you money and scold you as a liar?"

"Old way, I know at a glance that you two are not like that."

"And who are we?"

"Hehe, you're all smart people. I tell you the eight-character fortune, you may not believe it, but to be honest with you, you must think that I am an interesting person, and you will give money. ”

The old words made me laugh, I wanted to pay him money, and when I touched my pocket, I remembered that I had just thrown it all to **. Seeing this, Kana Kido took out a hundred yuan from her purse and handed it to Lao Dao. Lao Dao was startled, and said that this is too much, too much, I said you just accept it, it is also fate, he took it tremblingly, folded it a few times, and put it into his arms.

With this 100 yuan at the bottom, we quickly got acquainted with each other, and simply sat down to talk to Lao Dao. Lao Dao is not shy about talking about his own experience. His common surname is Xie, and he was originally a small novice of this Shengyan Temple, but later he was too bitter and quit, so he went to Qingcheng Mountain in Sichuan and switched to Taoism. When Shengyan Temple was burned, the monks were scattered, but Qingcheng Mountain was immovable, allowing Xie Laodao to escape a catastrophe. After the reform and opening up, the religious circles were lifted and the ban was invigorated, so he ran back to Qishan and wandered around the temples and Taoist temples everywhere.

"So, you're familiar with Katsuganji before it burned down?" I asked, feigning nonchalantness.

Xie Laodao patted his chest: "Then it goes without saying, it's as familiar as your own home." ”

"Then what Buddha statue is in here, you know it too?"

Xie Laodao said: "That's nature. When I was a novice, I liked to count Buddha statues the most. ”

I asked Kido Kana to take out a photo of the jade Buddha's head and give it to Xie Laodao: "Let's see, there is nothing similar to this in this temple, especially this one." I pointed, pointing, to the top of the line. Xie Laodao squinted his eyes and looked at it for a long time, and said, "It seems that there is such a statue...... I remember that there was a statue of Virujana Buddha at the back of the temple, and the top of the head was similar to this. ”

Kana Kido and I were in the same eye. Lao Dao said again: "But looking at the face in the photo, it looks like the big Buddha in Longmen." ”

"Oh? Have you also seen the Lushena Buddha in Longmen? ”

Xie Laodao looked angry: "You look down on people! When I was a monk, I studied Buddhism intensively, and it was not that I had no orders. He rubbed his nose and put on a posture of teaching: "The Lushena Buddha is carved according to Wu Zetian's appearance, you know?" ”

"Yes."

"But do you know why Wu Zetian chose Lushena Buddha as his statue?"

Kana Kido and I shook our heads in unison.

Xie Laodao was very proud, and his feet were upturned: "Lushena Buddha is one of the three doppelgangers of the Buddha, called the Buddha of Avatar, 'Lushena' in Sanskrit means, that is, the wisdom is vast, the light shines, and Wu Zetian's word 'Cao' can be printed." ”

"Let's leave it alone, let's go back to the Buddha Virujana you just mentioned." I'm afraid he's going too far.

Xie Laodao glared: "No culture!" When the Buddha established his name, he combined the Dharmakaya Buddha and the Retribution Buddha into one to express the essence of the Dharma and retribution, so Lushena Buddha is the abbreviation of Virujana Buddha, and the two are originally the same thing. If you want to talk about Virujana, how can you not mention Lushena? ”

My heart moved: "In other words, Virujana Buddha and Lushena Buddha are actually the same name, and they are each other's appearance?" ”

Xie Laodao said: "Not bad. When it comes to Buddha statues, these two Buddhas are generally offered to each other. If you enshrine the Buddha in the open place, you will also enshrine a Buddha Virujana in the remote place, and vice versa. One law and one report, so as to conform to the mystery of Buddhism - but this Shengyan Temple is very strange, the original Zen temple behind the head of a stone statue of Virujana Buddha, how many years no one knows, but the opposite of Lushena Buddha, but no one has ever seen. ”

"Is the top of the Buddha the same as in the photo?"

"Pretty much. I remember very clearly, the Buddha was quite fragrant at that time, many good men and women went to worship, and the temple also sold a lot of lighted little golden Buddha, according to its face. The name of Virujana Buddha is too awkward, and the local people see its top strict and chic, and they all call it the Golden Buddha. ”

"Can you take us to see it?"

"Okay, I don't have much business today anyway. But the Buddha statue is long gone, and now there is only a big puddle left. ”

Xie Laodao got up and put away the little horse and led us to the back of Shengyan Temple. He was familiar with the road, and in a short time he took us to the back temple. It used to be a secluded meditation monastery with all the fine houses, but it was in disrepair and overgrown with weeds, and a few construction workers were slowly repairing the roof. Xie Laodao walked to the side of a fence: "This is it." ”

When we looked, as he said, there was only a large dry puddle left, not to mention the Buddha statue, even the pedestal was gone, and the edge of the puddle exposed the dry soil of red and yellow color, compared with the surrounding grass, it was like a leprosy on the top of a person's head.

Kana Kido asked, "Since this Buddha incense is so prosperous, why did it be placed in the temple instead of moving to the main hall or front yard?" This is the residence of the monks, and it is very inconvenient for pilgrims to come to worship? ”

Xie Laodao was asked, stunned, and then replied: "The main hall has been offered to the Buddha, how can the dove occupy the magpie's nest......" Xie Laodao realized that this idiom was used incorrectly, knocked on his head, and changed his words: "How can one Buddha worship twice." Besides, it is said that the golden-topped Buddha stood there when the temple was established, and it has never moved for so many years. Even if the monks in the monastery wanted to move, the lamas wouldn't do it. ”

"Lama? Isn't Katsuenji a Zen temple? ”

"It's not far from Linxia and Gannan, and there are often lamas who come to visit the door. They didn't do anything else but come and worship the Buddha Virujana. They donated a lot of sesame oil, and the temple agreed. ”

"Why did they do that?"

Xie Laodao raised a finger: "You have even forgotten this bit of common sense? What is the other name of Virujana Buddha? The big day is coming! That is the supreme god of Tibetan Tantra! ”

When I heard this, I felt like I had been hit in the head, and I could barely stand.

How could I be so stupid! I forgot even the most basic common sense!

The supreme great day enshrined in Tantra is the Buddha Virujana! It is not surprising that the top of the Buddha's head is in Tibetan style.

I was familiar with these Buddhist knowledge. However, after all, the jade Buddha head is a work of the early Tang Dynasty, when Buddhism had just sprouted in Tibet, and the face of Dari Rulai was not quite the same as the later shape, so I didn't recognize it at all. It wasn't until Xie Laodao reminded me that I suddenly remembered that there was such a connection.

The statue of Guan Yu of the blue god of the Protector Jia.

Then the jade in the Tianming Hall is like a big day.

The strictest Tibetan Buddhism.

Offering to the Buddha Virujana and Buddha Lushena.

These fragmentary clues swirled around in my mind, forming a huge vortex that lingered. I tried to get them together, trying to find the connection, but I always felt overwhelmed.

Xie Laodao looked at me with a wrong face and asked me if I was uncomfortable. He took out a bottle of pills from his bosom and boasted that in addition to learning Taoism, he also studied medicine, blending Taoist health care methods, and could combine pills and cure all diseases. I declined his kindness and asked, "You said that the two Buddhas made offerings, where is the Lushena Buddha in the Shengyan Temple who made offerings to the Great Ri Nyorai?" ”

Xie Laodao pondered for a moment in confusion and replied, "No." ”

"No?"

Hearing my questioning, Xie Laodao seemed to have been hurt by his authority: "There are a total of one hundred and thirty-seven statues of all kinds in Shengyan Temple, and I remember each of them clearly, and I will never be wrong." I let out an "oh" and nodded, letting him go.

We quickly left Shengyan Temple, drove back to Qishan County, and sent Xie Laodao into the county seat by the way. He yelled at us, turned around and went into a farmer's market, not knowing what to do. Kana Kido asked me if I was going back to the hotel or where I was going, and I said that I would go to the Xinhua Bookstore first. So we went to Xinhua Bookstore and bought a large-scale map of the neighborhood of Baoji City, and by the way, we also bought a Chinese atlas. Kana Kido looked a little confused, but didn't ask.

When I got back to the hotel, I spread out the map on the bed, looked at it with a magnifying glass for a long time, measured it with a ruler, and then looked up and said to Kana Kido, "I think I know......"

"What does Xu Sang know?" Kana Kido blinked her eyes.

I said word for word: "Discover where our ancestors went during the two months they disappeared in 1931." Kana Kido's hands trembled when she heard this, and she almost dropped the water cup on the ground. I checked the window of the hotel, closed the door again, turned around and said solemnly, "Miss Kido, before I do that, I want to confirm one thing with you. ”

"Please."

"What is your real purpose in returning the Jade Buddha head?"

Before Kana Kido could speak, I added, "Please don't say nonsense about friendship between the two countries or atonement for my grandfather, I won't believe it." The atmosphere in the room suddenly became awkward.

If she really wanted to return the Buddha's head to atone for her grandfather's sins, it would make sense to publish a statement in the media and then coordinate between the Chinese government and the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies. As the successor of the Buddha's head, she should have enough influence to facilitate cooperation. In fact, instead of going back to Japan and the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies to mediate, she only came to China with a bunch of old photos of the head of the Jade Buddha and searched everywhere for news—no matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like what a redeemer should do, at least not now.

I just looked at the map and came up with a fairly reliable conjecture. If this conjecture is confirmed, then the mystery of 1931 will be greatly further advanced. At this critical juncture, I have to be cautious. If Kana Kido can't be fully trusted, I'd rather not say it.

Seeing my questioning, Kana Kido's expression became a little bitter. She ruffled her hair, bit her lip, and sat silently on the couch. I didn't ask, but looked at her coldly with my arms folded. After a long time, she raised her head: "If I say it, Xu Sang, will you still accompany me?" ”

"It depends on what you're talking about."

Kido Kana said: "Even if I tell the truth, how can I make Xu Sang believe it?" I replied, "I can hear it." Kido Kana smiled bitterly and shook her head: "So, how can I confirm that Xu Sang has no reservations about me?" ”

Her rhetorical retort choked me. Indeed, trust is a two-way street, and she didn't fully admit it to me, and I didn't tell the whole truth. Do you want to reveal all your hole cards at this time? I hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly realized that I had been tricked!

This is a temptation by Kana Kido. When she saw me winching, she knew right away that I was hiding something from her.

This woman is really incredible. I wanted to probe her first, but she put her on the spot without a trace. But there was no smugness in Kana Kido's big eyes, and she still had a sad look that had been misunderstood. She stared at me for a long time, and then suddenly proposed: "Xu Sang, I think there is a way for us to stop doubting each other and truly become trustworthy partners." ”

"What?"

"We, well, get married." Kana Kido whispered, her tone trembling slightly.

"Get married!" I was taken aback by her whimsical thinking, which was too much of a jump.

Kana Kido's face turned crimson, but she still mustered up the courage and said, "Yes, get married." Our two families have been entangled since our ancestors. After we become husband and wife, we can become one flesh and we can share this destiny without any barriers. ”

This woman's thinking is really different from ordinary people. I thought about it for a long time before I said, "Even if you want to get married, it's too late." My household registration book is still in Beijing. Kana Kido said, "As long as we confirm the relationship, the legal formalities can be made up later." ”

My face turned extremely strange: "How do you determine the relationship?" "At this time, there were only one man and one woman in the hotel room, and the atmosphere was a little ambiguous. Kana Kido probably guessed my thoughts, shook her hand angrily and shamefully, and said angrily, "I mean, get engaged first." ”

I patted my head and sighed that I was thinking too much. Kana Kido poured two glasses of white water and handed me one: "If Xu Sang doesn't dislike it, please drink this cup as a testimony to our engagement." "I held the cup and didn't know what to say. Kana Kido gently knocked my cup with her cup and drank it all.

"I'm going to work hard with Xu Sang in the future, please take care of me." Kana Kido saw that after I finished drinking, she bowed deeply and smiled happily, like a married Yamato Nadeshiko. This well-behaved and docile appearance makes me a little dizzy, and there is a subtle sense of unreality, just marrying a daughter-in-law in such a daze?

Kana Kido put down the cup, sat on the edge of the bed, and held my hand with both hands: "Since Xu Sang is my fiancé, then I can share all my affairs with you." ”

"Well, I'm listening." I replied, without pulling my hand away.

Kana Kido said, "First of all, I have to make one thing clear. The information I have provided to the Chinese side, including what I told you, is all true and there is nothing wrong with it. It's just that I was hiding one thing, one thing that I couldn't tell outsiders. Speaking of which, Kana Kido gave me an ambiguous look, meaning that now I can tell you.

"Our Kido family's relationship with this Jade Buddha did not begin with my grandfather, Professor Yuzo Kido......" Kana Kido said in a very smooth voice, as if she was defending her thesis in an academic hall, "According to the incomplete records left by the Kido family, I am afraid that the earliest date can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. ”

"Tang Dynasty? Isn't that the same time as the making of the Jade Buddha? "I didn't expect it to be so early.

"Well, almost. According to my grandfather's research notes, there was an envoy from my family who sent Tang envoys to the Tang Dynasty and accidentally saw this Jade Buddha in Luoyang. What happened between him and the Jade Buddha in Luoyang, the historical record is unknown. But after he came back, he never forgot the Jade Buddha, so he left this wish to his children and grandchildren, hoping that future generations would one day be able to pay homage to this Jade Buddha again. ”

"In other words, this jade Buddha head was not accidentally discovered by Kido and Xu Yicheng during their investigation? When Kido Yuzo first came to China, he had the intention of looking for the Jade Buddha? ”

"Yes. At that time, the 'Shina Fukikai Society' made a plan to collect all kinds of Chinese documents and records preserved in Japan, and drew up a "Shina Bone Dong Account", which listed about 100 precious antiquities that had not yet appeared on the market and at the same time had sporadic clues to trace, including the Jade Buddha of Noritenmeido recorded in the Kido family documents. The people of the research group were very interested in the Jade Buddha of Zetianmingtang, believing that it was worth more than a museum. My grandfather came to China with this mission. ”

"Then he ran into my grandfather, and the two of them were like-minded and went to get the Jade Buddha head together?" There was a hint of bitterness, a hint of helplessness, and a hint of mockery in my voice.

Kana Kido's body stiffened, and her voice suddenly became louder: "However, my grandfather's original intention was definitely not to go to other countries to steal antiques. He is a man who loves the ancients and does not care about politics, and only hopes to see the Jade Buddha that the Kido family dreams of, and it is enough. ”

"But after all, he brought the Jade Buddha back to Japan."

"My father was a simple archaeologist, and in his mind, the country, race, and so on were not important at all. And what my grandfather brought back to China was only the Buddha's head. He was still melancholy for a long time. Others thought he was sorry that he didn't get all of the Jade Buddha, but I knew that my grandfather was actually sad that he had let the head of a precious artifact be separated. ”

Kana Kido was not very convinced when she saw my expression, and added, "Didn't Ji Yunfu say it today?" Your father, Professor Xu Heping, suddenly decided to go to Xi'an and brought two notebooks with him. I now have some doubts that these two notebooks were given to Xu Heping by my grandfather to atone for his sins. ”

I almost jumped up from the couch: "What's going on?" ”

"The Kido Notes were found in a secret compartment in my home after my grandfather died of illness, and after they were found, they were placed in a private museum. However, as I later investigated, the size of the dark compartment was obviously customized according to the width of the notes, but its depth was enough to hold three books. I've always wondered if there's more than one notebook. Now that I have listened to Ji Yunfu's words, I am even more sure. My grandfather must have returned two of these notebooks to your father before he died, so Professor Xu Heping went to Qishan. ”

"But why only two copies, instead of all three?" I still don't get it.

"I guess he wants to keep a little memorial for himself." Kana Kido sighed softly, "My grandfather was very lonely in his old age. The Buddha's head was in the collection of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies, where he could barely see it, and his family hardly paid attention to him. The only thing that carries the memory is this notebook. This time, I said that I want to return the Buddha's head to China, and the real purpose is to take this opportunity to fulfill the long-cherished wish of my family and my grandfather, to find the Buddha body that disappeared back then, and to make the Jade Buddha one. It doesn't matter whether the Jade Buddha itself belongs in China or Japan. As long as the treasure is restored, my grandfather will be happy. ”

"For this matter, you did not hesitate to fall out with the people at the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies, and even went all the way to China to make a marriage contract with a strange man. How can you have such deep feelings for a grandfather you have never met? ”

"This is the blood of the family. Isn't Xu Sang also working hard for his grandfather, who has never met? Kana Kido asked rhetorically.