No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 696 The Buddha's body is finished, everyone is ready to eat! [Please give me a monthly ticket! ]

early morning.

Rainy.

Another rainy day.

Xunyang City is indeed humid and rainy during the plum rain season.

In the past, when Shuangfengjian had not been built and its flood discharge capacity was poor, there were still floods that the people of Xunyang called "Water Dragon King".

Ouyang Rong got up early as usual. After waking up, he was in a daze for a while before he realized that he didn't have to go to the Buddha construction site today.

After completing the installation and handing over the headless Buddha body yesterday, Rong Zhen told him not to come today and to have a good rest.

Although Ouyang Rong was awake, he closed his eyes.

He lay on the somewhat hard wooden bed for a long time, and at some point he stood up nimbly.

Wash up diligently.

After a while, he wrung out a hot towel to wipe his face, and casually pushed open the door of the bamboo house.

While wiping his face, he looked at the gentle rain outside.

The morning wind is a bit cool.

Ouyang Rong's attention was all focused on the gray mist that accompanied the rain.

The fog is unnoticeable, but it persists.

Not even the rain can wash it away.

Ouyang Rong touched the Yunmeng Order in his sleeve and glanced down.

The green is still serious and it is difficult to pass the spiritual energy.

Although Ouyang Rong didn't know what the point of sending spiritual energy to Yunmeng Ling was... every time he sent spiritual energy there in the past, it was like a drop in the ocean, with no response or feedback.

But it didn't stop him from guessing something.

Yunmeng Ling was restrained.

Before, he was worried about Rong Zhen, afraid that they wouldn't be able to handle it. But now it seems that they have prepared more than he expected, which is a bit beyond his expectations.

Ouyang Rong put away the Yunmeng Order again.

He walked around the house and found that there was really nothing to do.

The conditions in this bamboo house are simple, but Ouyang Rong is not the only one who lives there. He has been to the old musician's and Rong Zhen's yards and seen that their lives are as simple as his, and they sleep on wooden beds.

Ouyang Rong pulled a stool out of the house, returned to the door of the bamboo house, and placed it on the ground. He lay on it, supporting his head with his hands, looking at the rain outside.

Living in the bamboo forest is quiet.

Since taking office in Jiangzhou, whether as the chief secretary or the governor, Ouyang Rong has rarely had such leisure time.

Even during the time when he was demoted to Sima, he was still calculating certain things in his mind and making arrangements with great care.

After a while, Ouyang Rong came back to his senses and looked in the direction of the giant Buddha in the grottoes.

Ouyang Rong did not ask Rong Zhen last night when the completed Buddha body and the golden Buddha head would be combined.

Knowing that she wouldn't tell me even if she was asked, she would instead glance at Ouyang Rong sideways, as if to say, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Ouyang Rong smiled.

He closed his eyes and entered the Pagoda of Merit.

Everything in the Merit Tower remains the same.

The blessing bell has been silent for a long time, hanging high above the head.

The little wooden fish is like a monk ringing a bell. It does its business every day and makes a "ding" sound from time to time, which adds a little merit.

Ouyang Rong glanced at the cyan-gold font above:

Merits: 4,231

Compared to the last time I checked, the merits have increased by about 300.

But there is a strange point.

After Ouyang Rong completed the headless body of the Donglin Buddha yesterday, the expected surge in merit points did not come.

It's a bit strange.

You don't want to get him for free, do you?
Ouyang Rong thought about it and decided to wait until the Buddha's head and body were completely integrated.

His will left the Tower of Merit.

Since he had nothing to do, Ouyang Rong ran to the inner room, took out the Burning Sky Dragon Oil that Wang Caozhi had brought before, as well as some auxiliary materials, and started to make it.

The morning passed quickly. At a certain moment, Ouyang Rong let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair. On the desk in front of him were three small and exquisite Burning Sky Thunders.

It looks a bit like a grenade, but it is more powerful. Objects lit by the Burning Sky Dragon Oil are like being possessed by ghostly green ghost fire, and it is difficult to extinguish even when exposed to water. No one knows what kind of strange fire it is.

This was something that Junior Sister had mentioned when they were fighting with the Jade Cup Fairy. He had always been a little reluctant to use this thing.

I didn’t expect that Ouyang Rong would still use it today.

Putting the three Burning Sky Thunders into his sleeves, he shook his head.

"Fen Tian Lei? You are so arrogant..."

Ouyang Rong looked inward at the spiritual energy in his Dantian again.

Without the "Lotus Boat Music", Emperor Wen's sword skills were incomplete, and he could not use its mysterious Ding Sword ability, but it did allow him to successfully cross the threshold of the seventh rank.

But it only stopped at the seventh level.

The only improvement is the seventh-grade ability of the sword wielder. Not only is the sword-wielding time shortened by a breath, but the recall distance of the controlled Ding Sword is also greatly increased.

Moreover, a seventh-rank swordsman is already able to completely kill a sixth-rank Qigong practitioner, as long as he is given time to position his sword.

Ouyang Rong estimated that it would take about ten breaths to complete the task.

At this time, there was a noise outside the door.

Ouyang Rong turned around and saw that it was Wang Caozhi.

"Brother-in-law."

"Did you go to the construction site this morning?"

"Well, I walked around and had nothing to do. Sister Rong and the others were busy and didn't allow me to go to some places. I walked around and had nothing to do, so I came to see you."

"Stop yelling."

Ouyang Rong just made a correction and didn't say anything more.

Wang Caozhi also pulled out a bench and sat down next to Ouyang Rong. He looked at the misty rain curtain with his brother-in-law. He couldn't help but say;
"Brother-in-law, is there really nothing for us to do now? Don't you want to go over and take a look?"

Ouyang Rong glanced at him.

"It's not a good habit to be nosy."

Wang Caozhi laughed:
"Isn't this the first time I've participated in such a world-renowned event? I'm a little curious. I'm not as wise and calm as my brother-in-law. Sigh, it's really hard to keep calm. I can only say that I need to learn more, learn my brother-in-law's energy-cultivation skills..."

Ouyang Rong interrupted:

"Where is the deputy abbot of Donglin Temple?"

"They are resting in a house near the bamboo forest. Lady Rong... and Commander Yi will not let them leave. They said they should stay there and wait for news."

Ouyang Rong nodded and said softly:
"If we release it now, it will be easy for the news to leak out."

Wang Caozhi looked around with a sly look in his eyes, put his hand over his mouth, and lowered his voice:
"Brother-in-law, are we really going to fight?"

Ouyang Rong did not answer, but suddenly asked:

"Did you take Pei Shisan Niang to the county government office when you went to Longcheng this time?"

Wang Caozhi rubbed his hands and said:

"I took it. I gave your letter to Magistrate Diao. He knows that Madam Pei is yours, so he greeted her respectfully..."

Ouyang Rong frowned: "What do you mean my people?"

Wang Caozhi corrected him seriously: "Your people."

Ouyang Rong snorted softly.

This was what he told Pei Shisan Niang a few days ago after he received Rong Zhen's letter and before leaving Xunyang Palace.

She was responsible for the retreat route arranged by Ouyang Rong in Longcheng, and the boat for Xunyang Ferry was also prepared by Pei Shisan Niang.

After these days of testing and observation, Pei Shisan Niang has passed the test and can be used.

At the same time, she was also accepted by Ouyang Rong's subordinates, Yan Liulang, Wang Caozhi and others.

So before leaving, Ouyang Rong introduced Pei Shisan Niang to the stage, allowing Li Xian and Li Dalang to condescend to meet her.

The old rules, still a trick of respecting the wise and humble, old-fashioned but effective, Li Xian encouraged her a few words, and the beautiful woman was grateful and shed tears...

As for Yan Liulang, he stayed in the city, assisting Yuan Huaimin openly and guarding Xunyang Palace secretly.

Ouyang Rong lowered his head and thought carefully for a moment.

After making sure there were basically no omissions, he stood up and glanced at the water clock.

"Come on, I'll take you to have a meal."

Wang Caozhi followed behind, holding an umbrella for Ouyang Rong like a lackey, muttering to himself:

"Brother-in-law, you said that the Buddha's body has been completed, why haven't you put the Buddha's head on to make it whole? What are the ladies waiting for?" Someone said casually:
"What are you waiting for? Of course, we are waiting for you to arrive. We can have dinner when everyone is here."

……

Lunch was still served in the old musician's yard.

But this time, everyone is really here.

In addition to Rong Zhen, Ouyang Rong, and Wang Cao brought by the latter.

There are also Nanny Song and Miaozhen.

Yi Qianqiu, Wei Mi, Li Congshan, Duan Quanwu.

Wei Mi has been in Xunyang Grottoes all the time, leading a group of Xuanwu Guards and assisting Commander Yi Qianqiu.

Miaozhen and Li Congshan were originally ordered to lead 300 White Tiger Guards to guard the Xunyang Palace.

As a result, with the joint orders of Xunyang King Lixian and Jiangzhou Governor Ouyang Rong, and the tacit approval of Ms. Rongzhen, the Xunyang Grottoes were temporarily transferred to guard the Buddha.

It can be regarded as adding to the defense force of Xunyang Grottoes.

After all, the construction of the Donglin Buddha is a major event for the court and one of the state affairs that His Majesty is most concerned about.

The reasons are sufficient and reasonable.

However, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Xunyang Palace was somewhat wary of Miaozhen, Li Congshan and their group.

Just see through it without telling it.

Only Duan Quanwu looked at his White Tiger Guard colleague Li Congshan with amusement and sarcasm in his eyes.

The young general Li Congshan in white robe looked calm as he took the chopsticks to serve rice, behaving neither arrogantly nor servilely.

This scene naturally fell into the eyes of Ouyang Rong who had just entered the yard.

He glanced at Duan Quanwu.

This gloomy-faced warrior who was related to Qiu Shenji also hurried back from outside before the Xunyang Grottoes were sealed off.

Previously, he led people to Hukou County to suppress the pirates...

As usual, the atmosphere at the table was silent.

Although everyone gathered, they all said it was too little.

The main reason was that the leaders Rong Zhen, Ouyang Rong and Yi Qianqiu were all taciturn, so naturally the others had nothing to say.

The meal was finished in general silence.

As they put down their bowls and were about to leave, Ouyang Rong asked:
"General Duan, how is the situation in Hukou County? Have you made any gains?"

Duan Quanwu had a stern face:
"We cut off more than ten heads."

“Not wiped out?”

Duan Quanwu felt a little embarrassed and snorted coldly:

"Hmph, these pirates are all cowards. They dare not challenge me. They always hide in the maze-like swamp. It is difficult for me to chase them... But they are also afraid and dare not show their heads. This time I will retreat quickly and leave a group of people to guard the edge of the swamp. They probably haven't reacted since they hid in the swamp. After the big things here are settled, I will go and have a good meeting with them."

After listening to his long speech, Ouyang Rong nodded and, as the class representative, concluded:
"So there's nothing we can do about them, right? I understand."

Duan Quanwu:……?
The gloomy-faced man glared at Ouyang Rong, his nose trembling, but the position of the Governor of Jiangzhou was several levels higher than his, so he could only swallow it. He flicked his sleeves and said:

"It's really easy for Governor Ouyang to sit in the government office every day. If he is really capable, he can do it himself."

Ouyang Rong's expression suddenly turned serious: "I'm really good at it."

Duan Quanwu choked and looked at him suspiciously.

Rong Zhen said, "Well, now that things have come to this, don't argue anymore. That's a small matter. We have already tested the composition of those pirates. If they dare to attack the cave, they are courting death."

This is true. Currently, there are nearly 3,000 soldiers in Xunyang Grottoes. Even the outer perimeter is too deep for the pirates to break through.

After meal.

Wang Caozhi left immediately without waiting for his brother-in-law.

Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen looked at each other, stood up tacitly, and walked out side by side.

The remaining few people also dispersed one after another.

Miaozhen was too lazy to greet anyone, so she walked out of the yard and glanced at the backs of Rongzhen and Ouyang Rong, who were occasionally bumping shoulders with each other on the path ahead.

She turned around and returned to her residence with an umbrella.

Miaozhen also lives in a bamboo house, but it is very remote.

She has been keeping a low profile in the palace these years and has a typical lukewarm personality. Unless it is official business, she never interacts with Rong Zhen, Nanny Song, Yi Qianqiu and others in private.

In the eyes of everyone, he is aloof and weird.

Miaozhen walked into the bamboo house and immediately closed the door. The curtains were drawn tightly and the light was dim.

She didn't turn on the light and just sat at the table.

Miaozhen actually no longer hated Lixian.

At least that's what she told herself.

But a few days ago, Li Xian and the others still sent her and Li Congshan away with a guilty conscience.

Like a jinx, everyone avoids her.

at this time.

"Dong dong."

A thin-faced man suddenly appeared at the gate of the courtyard and knocked politely.

Miaozhen walked out of the house and came under the eaves.

The thin-faced man lowered his head and handed over a letter:

"Ms. Miaozhen, this is a gift from my master. He said he would personally deliver it to you."

Miaozhen's eyes were cold and she did not leave the eaves.

The thin-faced man came into the courtyard in person, respectfully placed the letter on the bamboo chair in the courtyard, then turned and left.

The courtyard returned to its silence.

Drops of rain fell obliquely on the envelope, wetting it bit by bit.

Miaozhen looked coldly at the letter on the chair and the familiar wax seal on it, but was reluctant to open it.

At some point, she suddenly turned her head and closed the door.

Keep the wind, rain and fog out.

……

At the same time, at Fangjia Villa, far away from the grottoes.

After Fang Yiwu finished his meal with his sick wife, a maid suddenly staggered over and said something hurriedly in his ear.

"What? Where are the people?"

Fang Yiwu was so anxious that he stood up immediately and rushed to the study in the back house without even having time to comfort his wife.

That was where he had imprisoned the Fang sisters and confined the two girls to their homes these days.

Fang Yiwu hurried to the back house.

But the closer he got to the library, the more solemn his expression became, even with a hint of panic.

All the guards sent by Jiangzhou Hall to assist him in supervising the Fang sisters were nowhere to be seen.

Fang Yiwu looked from afar and saw that the library, which was once heavily guarded, was now empty.

No one knew where these people had gone.

Fang Yiwu gritted his teeth and walked forward. The closer he got to the library, the more his body trembled.

Until he really saw the graceful figure in white standing by the door, looking at him indifferently.

As their eyes met from afar, Fang Yiwu stumbled and fell heavily.

For some reason, as he fell to the ground, he suddenly felt that it would be good to just faint.

Kick your legs and live in harmony with the world...

Unfortunately, soon Fang Yiwu heard two hurried footsteps coming towards him, shouting "Daddy" at the same time. They supported him up from the left and right.

Fang Yiwu couldn't help but look up. It was Fang Juxiu and Fang Shengnan.

The two girls, who had let their father down again, lowered their heads and helped their old father up. Their faces were a little complicated. They moved aside to give him a clear view in front of him.

Fang Yiwu looked over with a tingling scalp.

“Ding-dang-dang—”

A woman in white walked slowly towards them, with a bell hanging from a red rope on her ankle. She seemed to be looking towards the Xunyang Grottoes in the distance.

Fang Yiwu stood aside at a loss, his voice stuttering:

"Sir... Your Excellency, why didn't you inform me in advance that you are visiting my humble home? Hahaha... Haha."

No one answered and the atmosphere became a little awkward.

(End of this chapter)