Fu Shifeng

Chapter 15
"Elder Mu still needs to rest, please let Mr. Su come in alone."

A personal entourage led Su Wangting and others to the hut near the Fire Worship Temple. Su Wangting offered the ceremony as usual, and then turned to Cheng Sanwu and said, "Old Cheng, you just wait outside."

"Understood." Cheng Sanwu nodded earnestly, and stood outside the door holding the handle of the knife in case of accidents.

When Su Wangting entered the hut alone, he felt inexplicably cold. When he saw Musid sitting on the wool felt blanket, his spirit was listless and his body was hunched, he remembered again that the other party was already in his twilight years.

"Elder Mu?" Su Wangting stepped forward to visit lightly.

"Oh, it's Su in charge." Musid seemed to wake up from a light sleep, with drooping eyelids, and the brown spot on his forehead was more obvious than before.

"I'm really sorry to disturb Elder Mu's recuperation." Su Wangting didn't talk nonsense, took out a black jade box covered with gold letters from his bosom, and said straight to the point: "I've already taken back the Mani Pearl, but now the Duhufu intends to take it forcibly. I am alone and alone, so I hope to temporarily entrust this thing in the Fire Worship Temple."

"Is that the legendary Zoroastrian relic?" Musid seemed to be refreshed, sat up slightly, and stretched out his hands to grope.

Su Wangting knew that the other party was blind, so he handed the black jade box to the other party, and at the same time explained: "The Mani beads have been sealed in this black jade box, and there is a Buddhist mantra seal on the outside, which cannot be easily opened."

"This... is a sacred object of my religion, how can it be sealed with Buddhism?" Mu Xid asked.

"I don't know either." Su Wangting said: "I learned about this from the nobles in the court, and it was not escorted by our Baochang Society at first, so I suspect that this Mani bead is just a fake Zoroastrian holy object, but in fact it is another There is something hidden."

Su Wangting's frank confession is to pave the way for reclaiming the object in the future.If it weren't for the fact that he had little power to contend against such a giant as the Protectorate's Mansion, and that he had a deep friendship with Mu Xid in the past and trusted him as a human being, he would not be willing to put the Mani Pearl in the Fire Worship Temple.

"Since I didn't teach the sacred objects, I couldn't take the crime of blasphemy to the Great Bright Lord and enshrine this thing on the altar." Mu Sid said with a serious tone.

Su Wangting also knew that it was inappropriate for him to do so, so he said: "Elder Mu doesn't need to sacrifice deliberately, he just needs to declare to the outside world that for the sake of stability in the Western Regions, he temporarily placed the Mani Bead in the Fire Worship Temple. Holy things, it won't be too late to deal with them."

"You are asking me to act as a shield." Mu Xid said without hesitation: "You obviously plan to get this thing back in the future, but you are using the name of Zoroastrianism to cover you."

Su Wangting immediately added: "As long as this turmoil passes, all properties of Baochang Society in Sanglin Square in the south of the city will be owned by your teaching."

Su Wangting is very clear that although Zoroastrianism also has a lot of canons and precepts, as a Dharma-holder, in addition to preaching and preaching, its main duties are to manage the congregation, manage the temple property, and use it to support priests who are not involved in production.

So in practice, we still have to rely on real money to speak.

Mu Xide pondered for a long time, and when Su Wangting felt uneasy and growing restless, he said, "Okay, I promise you, I hope Mr. Su will keep his promise."

Su Wangting was overjoyed, and crossed his hands to salute: "Elder Mu is so kind, I will never forget it, and I will remember it for five years!"

Musid waved his hand lightly: "You must have other matters, please take care of yourself. Manizhu is with me, you can rest assured."

Su Wangting bowed deeply again, as if he had lifted a heavy burden, and then left the hut.

When there was no one else in the room, Musid's eyes were completely covered by a layer of darkness. He firmly held the black jade box with five fingers, showing a strange smile.

……

"Is it settled?"

Cheng Sanwu and Su Wangting did not talk in private until after they left the Zoroastrian Square and bid farewell to the enthusiastic congregation.

"The Mani Beads have been handed over to Mu Xid. If someone is really concerned about the whereabouts of the holy objects, he should know that the next thing he will face is the entire Zoroastrianism in the Western Regions." Su Wangting said with a light smile.

Cheng Sanwu scratched his beard: "I just hope there will be no more mistakes."

"It's rare to see you frightened." Su Wangting teased, "You just met Peng Ning at the beginning, but you planned to escort him all the way east on your own initiative."

"At that time, how could I have expected that the matter would be so involved?" Cheng Sanwu was a little annoyed: "I promised Peng Ning that I would send the Mani beads to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Chang'an... Alas, he thought until the end of his life that the thing was Buddha bone relic."

"Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs..." Su Wangting muttered in a low voice: "Now that I think about it, it seems that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has no reason to participate in the competition for Mani beads."

Cheng Sanwu was puzzled: "Why is there no reason for the lords in the court to fight openly and secretly? Even if there is no reason, it is their usual style to torment the opponent."

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs was originally the emperor's close servant, who was in charge of the internal affairs of the palace and did not involve foreign courts." Su Wangting guessed, "It's just that His Majesty has put a lot of emphasis on the Ministry of Internal Affairs and ordered it to supervise hundreds of officials and military towns. As for the Manizhu matter, how much can I know?" Guess, it has something to do with Lu Xiangye's plan to rectify the redundant staff in various places and implement a new system..."

"You're getting further and further away." Cheng Sanwu simply interrupted the conversation, and then saw a group of soldiers passing by on the road.

"What the hell are you doing? I saw several teams of soldiers and horses running around the city early in the morning." Cheng Sanwu was about to inquire, when a servant from Baochang Club hurried over and said to Su Wangting:

"It's not good! People from the Protectorate's Mansion came suddenly, saying that they wanted to seal up the shops, and even arrested our people!"

"Is this called business affairs?" Cheng Sanwu got angry when he heard the words: "If you can't get the Mani beads, just grab it by force?"

Su Wangting frowned slightly, but he was not too impatient, he just hurried back to Baochangfang in the south of the city silently, and saw a group of soldiers coming in and out, removing many belongings and goods.

"Director Su, you came just in time."

At this moment, Wen Changshi arrived on horseback, surrounded by more than 100 armored soldiers. The swordsmen in front covered the spearmen and crossbowmen behind them. Cheng Sanwu is such a brave warrior.

"This is the official document for the seizure of the suspected illegal operation of the property. Just look at it." Wen Changshi asked his subordinates to hand over the document. Before, Master Su was not allowed to leave this workshop, please go in."

Su Wangting took the official document and glanced at it, but said nothing.Cheng Sanwu raised his hand and pressed the handle of the knife. Seeing that it was about to explode, Wen Changshi pointed with a whip and said loudly: "What? Are you planning to openly defy the court's laws?"

Cheng Sanwu sank his shoulders and elbows, raised his inner strength secretly, and whispered to Su Wangting who was beside him: "At this distance, I am sure to kill this plague god."

Su Wangting pressed Cheng Sanwu's shoulder, took two steps forward, cupped his hands and said, "Since Wen Changshi has made this arrangement, Xiaomin dare not disobey it. It's just that Su will definitely ask for an explanation after the guard of Qi comes back!"

After saying this, Su Wangting turned around and took Cheng Sanwu into Baochangfang, without paying much attention to Wen Changshi's hidden cruel face.

At this moment, Baochang Square is in chaos, and a large amount of property, gold and silk has been looted, even if it was previously occupied by the Maocai Society, this did not happen.

"Wu Maocai still has the intention to run the industry anyway, but this Wen Changshi just robbed him without reason." Su Wangting felt helpless.

"Can you bear this breath?" Cheng Sanwu looked around, saw the mess on the ground, broken doors and windows, and cursed loudly: "This son of a bitch plague god, in the past you gave him money and gifts, he Is that the answer?"

Su Wangting showed a smile that sees through the world: "I don't expect Wen Changshi to repay me when I give money and gifts. I should be thankful if he doesn't come to trouble me. I have expected this result a few years ago. I originally planned to leave with dignity The Western Regions, now it seems like it won’t work.”

The more Cheng Sanwu thought about it, the more angry he was, he walked back and forth with his hand on the handle of the knife, and said through gritted teeth: "It's really impossible, I'll take advantage of the dark moon and high wind to take off the head of this plague god!"

"Enough!" Su Wangting said in a low voice: "Old Cheng, you don't have to worry about it too much, I can let it go by myself."

"I can't let go, I'm not happy!" Cheng Sanwu was furious.

Although in the eyes of outsiders, Cheng Sanwu is Su Wangting's thug, but he has also personally experienced the difficulties in the beginning of Baochang Society.

At that time, Baochang Society didn't have so many industries, and many businesses still required Su Wangting to take the camel team to run. When encountering horse thieves, bandits, monsters and ghosts, Cheng Sanwu and Su Wangting had to fight with real swords and guns. Life-saving friendship, you can rest assured to hand over your back to the other party.

Later, Baochang Society grew stronger and stronger, and Cheng Sanwu believed that it was mainly due to Su Wangting's shrewd calculation and sharp vision. As for himself, he fought with nothing more than his bravery.

Moreover, as the Baochang Club grew bigger and more staffed, the occasions where Cheng Sanwu was really required to come forward became fewer and fewer.

So even though Cheng Sanwu never regarded himself as a veteran hero of Baochang Society, he just couldn't stand the career he and Su Wangting fought together, being taken over by a fatuous and corrupt official at will.

"The fake Taoist priest is awake, do you want to take a look?" At this moment Afu came out from the shadows, facing what happened to Baochangshe with a calm face.

"Damn it, they're all dogs, I'll kill him right now!" Cheng Sanwu was worried that he had nowhere to vent his anger.

"That's a bird of a feather." Afu looked like he was looking at a child.

"It's all the same!" Cheng Sanwu drew his sword and rushed into the courtyard where Mr. Changqing was housed. Seeing this, Su Wangting quickly chased after him and tried to dissuade him.

"Oh! Don't worry, old Cheng!" Su Wangting directly grabbed the opponent with all his strength, but he was still dragged all the way by Cheng Sanwu.

When the two pulled into the room, they saw Mr. Changqing sitting on the couch, groping for the black blindfold in panic and fear, and muttering: "Eyes, my eyes..."

"You're blind!" Cheng Sanwu roared mercilessly.

"Who are you?" Mr. Changqing panicked.

Su Wangting tried his best to get Cheng Sanwu to put away his knife, and introduced himself: "I am Su Wangting, the manager of Baochang Society, and the person next to me is Cheng Sanwu."

"Cheng Sanwu? You are Cheng Sanwu?" Mr. Changqing exclaimed.

"It's me!" Cheng Sanwu added: "That kid Wu Maocai was chewed up and swallowed by the big worm, now it's your turn!"

Mr. Changqing was stunned when he heard this, and Su Wangting signaled Cheng Sanwu with his eyes, asking him to take a break and talk to Mr. Changqing himself.

"Haven't you asked Taoist Chang Xianhao and where is the cave?" Su Wangting asked proactively.

"Songyue Fuzang Palace, Mr. Changqing. How are you doing?"

Su Wangting showed his housekeeping skills in dealing with people, and his tone was gentle and amiable: "It turns out that he is an expert from Fuzang Palace. I have really admired him for a long time. I just offended you. Please forgive me, Mr. Changqing."

"Excuse me?" Mr. Changqing had mixed feelings in his heart, not sure whether he should cry or laugh, sad or angry at this moment.

"There is a dispute between Baochang Society and Maocai Society because of the Mani Pearl. It doesn't need to be said by Su." Su Wangting quickly appeased the other party: "Mr. I once persuaded Wu Maocai to hand over the Mani Pearl to save his life, but he was so stubborn that he had no choice but to use force to snatch it."

"Mr. Wu is the son of the Duke of England, do you know what you have done?!" Mr. Changqing suddenly changed color.

Su Wangting was calm and composed: "Of course I know, and I also know that Wu Maocai was born to the British princess and his concubine, and he can't be said to be of noble birth, otherwise he wouldn't have to run a lowly business like Su. On the contrary, Mr. Changqing, why should we help each other?" What about Wu Maocai? With your ability, you can directly submit an ultimatum to the British government, and you can be reused."

Mr. Changqing fell silent, Su Wangting saw this and asked: "I guess... Mister also came for Mani beads? But Mani beads are sacred objects of Zoroastrianism, and Mr. is a master of Taoism. The two seem to have nothing to do with each other?"

"Mani beads... that thing is not a sacred object of Zoroastrianism." Mr. Changqing struggled in his heart, and finally chose to tell the truth.

After hearing this, Su Wangting and Cheng Sanwu looked at each other, and Afu, who was leaning against the door to listen, frowned slightly, and his eyes became sharper.

"It's not Mani beads, it can't be Buddha bone relics, right?" Cheng Sanwu took the initiative.

"Buddha bone relic? That's not true either." Mr. Changqing suddenly laughed: "It sounds like you can't figure out the real origin of this thing, it's all hearsay."

"Give you shame? Say it quickly!" Cheng Sanwu said impatiently.

Although Mr. Changqing was blind, he still couldn't hide his conceited expression when he talked about things he was familiar with: "This thing is called Star Essence, and it is the essence left after the collapse of the outer stars."

Both Cheng Sanwu and Su Wangting looked blank, but it was Afu who frowned and asked, "Some say it's Buddha bone relics, and some say it's Mani beads. What's the difference between what you say and others? It's nothing more than Different sects hold their own opinions."

"Absurd!" Mr. Changqing argued: "The star marrow is what fell from the sky. What does it have to do with whether I am born in a Taoist sect? Only ignorant people will cling more!"

"The thing that fell from the sky is indeed...extraordinary." Su Wangting claimed to be well-informed, but this time he was really surprised and couldn't easily believe what the other party said.

"Bring the star marrow! I'll show it to you right away!" Mr. Changqing struggled to get off the bed, eager to prove that what he said was true: "The star marrow has the ability to connect the heavens, which can greatly increase the power of spells. Step up, when I order the wind and thunder to sweep the square area, you will know that what I said is true!"

Su Wangting was surprised by Mr. Changqing's stubbornness, and patted him on the shoulder and said, "Unfortunately, I have already handed this item over to Elder Mu of the Fire Worship Temple, and asked him to take care of it on his behalf. I won't be able to take it out for a while."

(End of this chapter)