"Son..."

The next day, in the morning.

The sky is vast, and the forest fog lingers.

Above the nine heavens, the eagle soars freely over the clouds. The jet-black wings were sprinkled with a layer of golden sand by the morning sun, making its figure even more majestic, like the overlord of the firmament.

The overnight was unharmed, which was not expected by Xia Xun.

The five hundred iron cavalry that rushed thousands of miles to sneak attack did not make any movement after a single blow, but only cleared a wide road from the felled trees overnight, and all of them retreated by the fifth watch.

"Sa..."

"Don't be lazy, be smart. ”

"There's a lot of work to be done later..."

On the side of the river, at the ferry behind the Yumu Village, hundreds of simple rafts are tied into rows by hemp ropes, and they rise and fall on the river surface with the flowing water. More than a dozen candidates are standing on the raft throwing fishing nets, back and forth, and from time to time they can also harvest a few fat finless porpoises.

Jia Haoren, who was thin and thin, stood on the shore and instructed the men to disembowel, wash the catches, and then sprinkle salt on the haystacks. This was deliberately ordered by Xia Xun, as for what the meaning was, Xia Xun only said one sentence, "I want to cook." ”

Mountainside.

"Brothers, there will be a battle in our family today!"

"The enemy army is 8,000, and we only have 400, are you afraid?"

"Don't be afraid!"

"Louder!"

"Don't be afraid!!"

"Very good, we are not afraid! Because, we are Beiman'erlang! We have never been undefeated in the fight with the heavens and the earth. In Beiman, thousands of miles of wind and snow cannot blow our will, and the ice and rain cannot wet our fire. Now that there are only 8,000 pampered soldiers, we are even more fearless! But fearlessness is not fearless, and we all cheer me up! The hatred of killing relatives must not be stopped, and we should sacrifice the souls of the dead with the blood of the enemy, so as to calm the heavenly spirit. In today's battle, we draw the ground as a prison, and we only defend and do not attack! When they come to a hundred, we will kill a hundred, and when they come a thousand, we will kill a thousand, and we would rather stain the mountains and rivers with blood than let the enemy cross the line by half an inch! I don't want to see any damage from you, but I will not allow anyone to disobey the military order! If you violate the order, break the jade and get out! Have you heard it!?"

"I heard you!"

Loud and excited.

In the open space in the belly of the mountain, hundreds of northerners fed horses to sharpen their guns and tidy up their armor. There is a rare severity between the silent looks, and it is no longer as bold and hip-hop as before.

On the top of the mountain peaks on three sides, three rows of "canopies" are built with countless steel shields, and under the "canopy", there are dozens of fierce generals who are on guard. Eighteen black "blank" flags are inserted into the three mountains, waving in the wind, all of which are permeated with the coming wind and rain. Lei Meng stood on the top of the East Mountain with his head held high, like a towering rock proudly looking down the valley, and shouted the oath of the soldiers.

In front of the barracks tent, the green smoke is miao, slowly rising to the sky. Xia Xun led Mo Xian, Xiahou and dozens of other people to set up a simple altar, with the desk as the altar to place seven black wood spirit cards, offering roast pigs, green fruits, lamb and fish meat, etc., burning incense to the sky, sacrificing the dead, and praying.

In the solemn and serious atmosphere, there is a slight coldness. The dead are gone, like a drop of yellow dust extinguished in the long river. The heavenly spirit is above, looking down at everything in the world. The hatred of killing relatives, no one dares to forget, but the enemy is currently full of blood and tragedy hidden deep in his heart, when he falls to Pingyang, raise a butcher knife to cut down, burn his blood, cook his meat, and gnaw his bones!

"Looking for less..."

Lei Meng walked down from Dongshan, and his steps were a little hasty.

He didn't sleep well last night. Every other hour he got up and flew the eagles to the dense forest for a long time, and early this morning he even released six eagles in a row, carefully groping the movements of the army that was still thousands of miles away, before he was willing to barely eat breakfast. It is not difficult to see that in the face of the royal army that is pouring into the sea, Lei Meng's heart is not as fearless as his previous words.

At the very least, he was extremely cautious.

Walking to the front of the handsome tent table, Lei Meng casually took the high incense handed by others, bowed three times to the spiritual position on the case, and then inserted the high incense into the incense burner. Then he moved a few steps, walked to Xia Xun's side, and whispered, "Xun Shao, they are almost there." ”

This is the fifth time that Lei Meng has said something similar since Xia Xun got up this morning.

Xia Xun still patiently asked, "Where is it now?"

Lei Meng said: "It's three thousand miles away, eight roads merge with three roads, go east and west, south, and are surrounding us." Based on the speed of the march, they could reach Yumu Village within two hours. ”

"Where are Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanba?" Xia Xun asked again.

"It's all in the middle of the West Road. ”

"Oh. ”

Xia Xun nodded: "There is still some time, don't worry." How are the defenses of the stockade going everywhere?"

Lei Meng cautiously glanced around, but whispered in Xia Xun's ear: "The arrow shelter has been built, but it was all left to rest last night, so there are still many rolling stones in the East and West Mountains that have not had time to be moved." The trenches outside were only nearly half dug and could not be used to stop horses. ”

"How long will it take to carry all the rolling stones up the mountain?"

Lei Meng replied conservatively: "At least get the afternoon." ”

"Oh. ”

Xia Xun nodded again, his delicate index finger gently scraped the bridge of his nose, and pondered for a moment: "Then I'll help you buy some time." ”

"Uh..."Lei Meng didn't know why: "How do you fight for it?"

Xia Xun smiled slightly, turned his head and asked Mo Xian behind him: "Senior brother, let's have lunch early later." After lunch, how about you go out with me to the mountains to set up tea and welcome guests?"

Mo Xian didn't think about it, and said coldly: "Okay." ”

"Serving tea to welcome guests?"

Lei Meng didn't understand Xia Xun's thoughts.

"The royal family is not far from here, I'm afraid it's not appropriate to find you to go out of the mountain at this time, right?"

Xia Xun turned around and waved his hand: "It's okay, set up tea to welcome guests, I will welcome them." The battle between the two armies is imminent, salute first and then soldier, he must have something to say to me, and it just so happens that I have something to talk to him here. It doesn't hurt to sit down and talk a few words. ”

The hand that was raised did not put down, and he didn't wait for Lei Meng to say whether he was happy or not, Xia Xun looked sideways at Dushao, who was scrubbing his armor not far away, and shouted: "Dushao." ”

Du Shao raised his head when he heard the voice, wiped his cheeks from his sleeves, and asked, "What's wrong with Xun Shao?"

Xia Xun said: "Later, I will go out of the mountain with my senior brother to set up tea, and I will meet the crown prince." You can sit in the Chinese army on my behalf and watch my behavior, okay?"

"Uh..."

Dushao was slightly stunned.

For Xia Xun to go out of the mountain to place tea, Dushao was not as worried as Lei Meng, but Xia Xun handed over the power of the Chinese army to himself when he left the mountain, which somewhat made Dushao feel a little flattered.

After thinking for a moment, Dushao put down the rag in his hand and put down his armor, clasped his fists with both hands, and said in a deep voice: "Okay." ”

"Heh..."

Xia Xun smiled slightly, put down his palm and put it on his waist, and then said to Lei Meng: "Don't worry, Senior Brother Mo Xian is strong in martial arts, I will be fine." And you help me watch the wind from the top of the mountain, and if they have a storm, just call me to run. ”

Seeing that Xia Xun's mind was broken, Lei Meng knew that he was fearless if he said more. He sighed and said, "Then you must be careful, if something is wrong, I will lead the troops out of the village." ”

"Yes, I know. ”

“......”

Xia Xun patted Lei Meng on the shoulder, and then turned around with Mo Xian and walked into the handsome tent.

Xiahou and Bai Xiu nearby listened to the conversation in their ears, but they never spoke to persuade them. Because Xia Hou knew that all the decisions made when Xia Xun put his index finger on the bridge of his nose, even if you found ten brute oxen, you didn't want to pull it back.

But then again, Bai Xiu and Xiahou don't know when they started, they seem to have become a little unclear, sticking together day by day, and it seems a little ambiguous. But the subtle changes are so small that no one cares, even if they notice it.

Lei Meng left, and Xiahou, Bai Xiu, Luo Jue and others had nothing to do. Beijiang fishing, east and west mountains knocking piles, the trail up and down busy. The wind and rain are coming, the air is dull, and the smoke of gunpowder sinks into the mud.

Inside the tent.

It's not so much a handsome tent as a larger tent, and it's very shabby. Beds were made of sturdy wooden poles for beams, thick linen cloth for tents, dry and straw floors, and thick planks and blankets were laid on them, and there were more than a dozen such beds in the tent, neatly arranged in two rows.

The fat monk Lei couldn't move and slept in it, and his fat belly rose and fell slowly like a meat ball, which made people want to go up and slap him hard when they looked at it. The little monk sat on the simple bed on the side, looking indifferent and very calm.

Considering the precepts of Buddhism, for these two monks, Xia Xun did not arrange any work for them at all, providing food, drink, and beds, and worshipping the Bodhisattva in the tent. So that the fat monk sleeps when he is full, and eats when he is full, and lives more happily than in the Huasheng Temple, which is no different from the fat pig at home. If conditions permit, I'm afraid he will be willing to let him stay here for the rest of his life.

"Sha..."

Xia Xun and Mo Xian entered the tent and walked back to their beds. Xia Xun cleaned up the quilt on the bed, and Mo Xian meditated cross-legged and meditated. The little monk and Xia Xun's beds were very close to each other, adjacent to each other on the left and right, and they were separated by a slit.

When Xia Xun arrived, the little monk suddenly opened his eyelids slowly, and in a childish voice, he asked in an old voice: "Master Xia, will you go out of the mountain later?"

"Yes, yes. ”

Xia Xun raised his head slightly: "In the next few days, I'm afraid we will have a few big battles to fight." Before that, I have something I want to talk to the prince about and see if I can persuade him to quit. Of course, I was naïve to think so. ”

"Amitabha. ”

The little monk chanted a Buddha name, slightly apologetic: "The little monk is subject to the rules of Buddhism, and he can't help Lord Xia too much." But to protect people's lives, the little monk can still do it for him, if the Xia Shi Lord is in need, the little monk is willing to go with you. ”

Xia Xun didn't think much about it, and shook his head while sorting out the quilt: "Little master don't worry too much." You helped in Yingshui, and I haven't had a chance to repay you yet. The matter of this national examination is covered with me, and you can rest here in peace. ”

“......”

The little monk had no more words.

The only sound in the quiet tent was the grinding of the quilts.

The breeze blew in along the windowsill, stirring the dust beneath the eyes

The smell of wind and rain permeated from outside the tent, like a warm fire scorching cotton and linen.

After Xia Xun folded the quilt neatly and placed it at the end of the bed, it was completely quiet. Xia Xun sat on the bed, took the water bladder and drank it carefully. Then he looked at the little monk and lightly opened the topic again: "Little master, there is always something in my heart that I haven't figured out. I just don't know when to ask or not. ”

The little monk looked sideways a little and looked at Xia Xun seriously: "Lord Xia, it's okay to ask." ”

Xia Xun didn't detour around the corner, and asked directly: "You give me a thorough understanding, is the Taoist chief we met in the cliff ditch the immortal of Penglai?"

“......”

Xia Xun's question seemed to be a little tricky.

The little monk pondered for a long time before giving an ambiguous answer: "It's an immortal but it's not an immortal." ”

After a pause, the little monk said again: "Although the little monk's cultivation is low, he can also see that the Taoist master has no qi sea. Without qi means powerless, godless, soulless, and soulless, he is not even a human being. But he has the computing power of heaven and man, and he can survey the great avenue of heaven. Therefore, the little monk can't confirm whether he is an immortal or not. ”

"Uh... The calculation of heaven and man?"

The answer given by the little monk was very vague, but it did not prevent Xia Xun's divergent association. Because it's not much different from what he's been thinking about for days. It's just that the words came out of the mouth of the little monk, but he confirmed a lot of guesses: "That Taoist chief once said that there is a spirit in every inch, don't force it." Could it be that the little master is really here for the spirit of the square inch?"

As Xia Xun asked again, the little monk's eyelashes were slightly raised.

The monks didn't speak, and Xia Xun said the right idea, so he naturally had to nod and acquiesce.

"Yes, the little monk did come for the spirit of the square inch. ”

"Is there really a spirit?"

"Yes. ”

"Is it a god or a demon, or a living being?"

"Neither. ”

"Oh?"

Xia Xun could see a trace of concern from the little monk's stunned expression at this time, and he couldn't help but feel a lot of curiosity in his heart, and he asked again: "Dare to ask the little master, what is this square inch spirit?"

After hesitating for a while, the little monk didn't answer and asked, "Does Lord Xia know about the Heavenly Demon?"

"Heavenly Demon..."

Xia Xun quickly searched for information about these two words in his mind: "Heavenly Demons have had many sayings since ancient times. What the little master is referring to is the Asura Otherworldly Heavenly Demon mentioned in the Buddhist Tantra?"

The little monk nodded: "Exactly." ”

Xia Xun's brows furrowed faintly, and he vaguely felt that he seemed to have inadvertently discovered another secret of Buddhism.

He continued, "According to Tantric records, the Heavenly Demons did not belong to the world, but were monsters from the other world of Asura. Copper skin and iron bones, steel and gold teeth, with infinite wisdom, and its body is comparable to the strongest black iron in the world, small to three zhang tall, large to more than 100 miles. In the middle of blowing ashes, you can unleash world-destroying fireballs to destroy thousands of miles of towns. He tried to invade our world, but was finally defeated by the combined efforts of the ancient gods. It's just that the records about the heavenly demons mostly exist in folk myths and wild histories, and there are no records in the official history, so they must be just nothing?"

"It's true. ”

"Really?"

"Yes. ”

"Uh..."

The little monk shook his head affirmatively, Xia Xun was very surprised, but before he could say anything, the little monk asked again: "Then does Lord Xia know what the battle spirit in the little monk's body is?"

Xia Xun's surprise deepened: "I heard Huang Qi say that it should be a peerless demon god who was sealed by the Buddha five hundred years ago. Could it be that this is also related to the Heavenly Demons?"

"Yes and no. ”

The little monk put his palms lightly on his knees noncommittally, and said calmly: "The demon god is related to the spirit of the square inch, and has nothing to do with the heavenly demons of another world, but the spirit of the square inch is related to the heavenly demons of the other world. After a pause, the little monk changed his tone slightly, and said deeply: "Maybe it is also related to the human soul sealed in Xia Shi's main body. ”

"Uh..."

The little monk brought a lot of surprise to Xia Xun today, first the Heavenly Demon and then the Spirit of Fang Cun, and now he actually pulled the seal in Xia Xun's body. This inevitably made Xia Xun a little embarrassed, after all, the secrets in his body were not known to everyone.

"The little master knows the origin of that human soul?"

"You should know..."

"Do you really know?"

"Yes. ”

The little monk did not ambush, and explained directly: "A few days ago, the soul of Xia Shi's main body was forced to be unsealed and born, and the breath hidden under the sky inevitably leaked. Therefore, we also know who the sealed human soul in Xia Shi's main body is. ”

"Eh, the breath is of the same origin?"

The more the words, the more far-reaching, the more mysterious they are.

It is difficult for Xia Xun to describe the feeling in his heart at this moment, it is like there is a messy and complicated net invisibly, firmly binding him in it, and the more he struggles, the tighter the net rope will become. The royal army would soon be in the city, but he could hardly focus on it.

The little monk said that the demon god sealed in his body was the same as the previous life sealed in Xia Xun's body, and the meaning here is extremely obscure. It was so obscure that even Xia Xun began to doubt the words of the little monk.

"Where does the same origin come from?"

"Forsaken man. ”

"Uh..."

Xia Xun asked vaguely, and the little monk answered vaguely. But Xia Xun can basically be sure that the little monk should know who the previous life sealed in his body is. Because that is indeed a forsaken...

In this way, the whole thing is very scary.

Because, the little monk said that his war spirit is of the same origin as Xia Xun's previous life, that is, he is also a person abandoned by heaven. And Buddhism has been teaching for 500 years, and there has only been one person who has abandoned Buddhism in the past 500 years.

"You're not going to be like this, are you?"

“......”

It seems to be asking a question, and it is shocking.

Xia Xun asked in a deep voice, and the fat monk who was sleeping soundly trembled and opened his eyes suddenly. Immediately afterwards, Mo Xian also opened his eyelids. The air here was silent for a moment.

This shows how frightening this question is...

Who?

The ancestor of Buddhism, the Buddha is also.

Not immortals, but better than immortals. Five hundred years ago, he and Bodhi competed for the Dao Fruit of Ascending Heaven at the top of the square inch, and finally lost by being beheaded by the Dao body, and no longer had a chance to be immortal. Later, with his own supreme wisdom, he thoroughly understood the three thousand avenues in the world, cut off the red dust and cut off the roots, created the great world of Buddhism and Bliss, and purified all sentient beings. So as to compose a myth of the people abandoned by heaven and the same life of the sky.

"Amitabha..."

The little monk listened to the question, Mu Na's expression did not change much, but he shook his head noncommittally, and denied Xia Xun's statement: "This matter is difficult to explain, the tree of cause and effect has not yet bloomed, and it is inconvenient for the little monk to say more, please forgive Lord Xia." But Lord Xia Shi is not too worried, the little monk is not a Buddha, just a novice struggling in the sea of reincarnation, I have a lot in common with you. Therefore, the confusion in your heart is also the little monk's puzzlement, but when the flowers bloom, presumably we will all have a clear answer, everything can be done according to fate. ”

Xia Xun was still puzzled: "What does the Taoist chief mean when he says that if the evil comes, the good is extremely difficult to fall?"

“......”

The little monk closed his eyelids lightly and said no more.

Obviously, he was taboo about the topic at hand and didn't want to say more.

Xia Xun knew a little about the difficulty, and he didn't continue to ask questions after thinking about it for a while. Because, for many things, he is no longer as ignorant as before. Even after knowing who the person sealed in his body was, he could basically understand the key point in the cause and effect of that ring. What he doesn't know yet is just the conspiracy behind these key points.

If one day we know, maybe it's the end.

Or maybe you don't even know the end...

Xia Xun clenched his fists and padded the little monk who had meditated, and then lay down on the simple bed board, staring at the top of the tent with wide eyes. The lazy fat monk turned his fat body slightly sideways and fell asleep again without knowing whether it was true or not. Mo Xian fixed his eyes and looked at Xia Xun who was lying on the bed board, his eyes were stunned, and he didn't know what to think.

Calm morning, unintentional talk.

Invisibly, a secret hidden in the chaos was revealed. The Asura Otherworldly Heavenly Demon, the dispute between Rulai and Bodhi, the battle spirit of the little monk, Xia Xun's seal, and the spirit of Fang Cun, all of these words, which originally seemed to have little connection, were formed in Xia Xun's mind for the first time, and they were connected one by one by countless silk threads, turning them into fragments and floating in the sea of information fragments. Xia Xun subconsciously reached out and grabbed the floating debris to calm the anxiety or hesitation in his heart a little. However, the illusion of knowledge is like a dream bubble, which can relieve the tension, anxiety, and hesitation in his heart, but it cannot eradicate his deepest confusion. Because the truth has always been forbidden from the world, hypothesis and speculation are only a hypnotization or confusion of the self after all, and he can never find the source of the truth.

This is the original sin...