People are among the Eight Immortals, starting from Painted Skin Ghost

Chapter 30 Tianlu Temple; Qizhou Inspector 【Revised】

Walking to the temple gate, Han Xiangzi knocked on the door a few times, but after waiting for a long time, no one responded.

Involuntarily, he swept his consciousness and found that there was no one in Tianlu Temple.

It seems that Sanhu went to the city and never came back to Tianlu Temple.

It was late at night and there was nowhere to go, so Han Xiangzi could only spend the night at Tianlu Temple.

He came to an ancient well, ready to carry a bucket of water and wash up.

As a result, a bucket was thrown down, and no plop was heard.

Suspicious, Han Xiangzi came to the well, looked down, and found a corpse that was about to soak in the well.

"Salvation of the Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable."

Seeing this scene, Han Xiangzi immediately recited a Taoist name.

Afterwards, cast a spell to transport the corpse up.

The deceased was wearing a monk's robe and was about sixteen or seventeen years old. Due to the long soaking time, his face was swollen so badly that he could not be identified.

But the three ring scars on the top of the head are still clearly visible.

In addition, he seemed to have been hit hard on the head, and there was a big piece of blood purple, probably because someone had punched him from behind.

Combining his features, Han Xiangzi couldn't guess that he was the young monk who died in Tianlu Temple.

After Sanhu killed him, he didn't bury him hastily. Instead, he just threw him into the well just to make fun of it.

This is good, the water source will be polluted, and Han Xiangzi will have no water for a while.

"I don't know if his soul can go to the underworld?"

Looking at the corpse, Han Xiangzi suddenly frowned.

But after a while, he laughed at his own stupidity.

When leaving, Qizhou City God once gave himself a talisman, and he also revealed the murder case in Tianlu Temple.

In this way, the soul of this little novice has not yet gone to the underworld, but was temporarily detained by the city god.

You must know that the city god of a mansion, in addition to being in charge of the household registration of the living and the dead, and recording the good and evil deeds of the people, also has the duty of cutting off evildoers, subduing demons and demons, and governing the souls of the dead.

If the soul of this little novice goes to the underworld, the city god has to send ghost soldiers to escort it.

When he arrived in the underworld, the soul of the little novice did not go to the ten halls of Yama, but to the Yinshan land where Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sits.

"It doesn't matter, let's ask the little novice's ghost first."

Thinking about this, Han Xiangzi quickly made a decision.

He sacrificed the talisman, recited the mantra, and chanted the mantra to restrain the soul.

Not long after, I saw a wandering spirit floating in front of him, floating beside the corpse, looking at Han Xiangzi tremblingly.

To be precise, this wandering soul is afraid of the talisman in Han Xiangzi's hand.

"Don't be nervous, you can answer whatever the poor Taoist asks."

Han Xiangzi took the amulet into his sleeve temporarily, looked at the dead soul of the little novice, and said.

After the words fell, the wandering soul nodded.

"Are you a monk from Tianlu Temple?" Han Xiangzi asked.

"Young monk is right." The wandering soul said.

"In this Tianlu Temple, besides you, who else is there?"

"And the abbot is evil."

"How did you die?"

"The one who was beaten to death, that evening, three people came to stay outside the temple."

"At first, an old woman came to knock on the door. The young monk saw that she was attractive, so he refused to agree. Afterwards, a beautiful female benefactor was replaced. The young monk and the host were fascinated, so she agreed to let the three of them stay here for one night."

"At night, when the little monk was about to fall asleep, the abbot suddenly rushed into the room angrily and wanted to beat me. I was not the abbot's opponent, so he pushed me to the ground and passed out. When I woke up, someone hit the little monk from behind with a stick. That's why I died."

"Are you telling the truth?"

After the little novice finished speaking, Han Xiangzi suddenly looked straight at him with a deep expression on his face.

"Little... this little monk is telling the truth."

The wandering soul suddenly faltered.

"Hmph! You glib little novice, you are still talking nonsense after death, be careful that you will fall into tongue-pulling hell in the future, it will be better for you!"

Han Xiangzi snorted coldly, his face turned a little cold.

The little novice did not tell him the truth at all.

Why did the old abbot come to his room and beat him without saying a word?
"Little monk, I..."

Hearing this, the wandering soul was taken aback.

But when Han Xiangzi talked about hell, he immediately shrank back, showing a frightened look.

"Not honestly!"

Han Xiangzi knew that he was intimidated, and took the opportunity to scold him.

"The little monk knew that he was wrong and violated the precepts, so he will bring it on as it is."

"That night, the little monk saw the beauty of the benefactor, and couldn't help but have evil thoughts."

"While she was offering incense to the Buddha, she used the pretext of asking for some money for sesame oil, and wanted the female almsgiver to come to the little monk's room to have a good time with me, but it was the abbot who never expected to come."

"The abbot said that I stole money for sesame oil, but the little monk refused to accept it. He usually took it too, so we fought with him..."

The wandering soul was frightened and kowtowed like garlic, knelt on the ground, and confessed endlessly.

"From the point of view of poverty, you little novice, you haven't really changed your mind after death."

"Do you know that the person who came to stay at Tianlu Temple that day was not someone at all, but a three-headed demon fox!"

"As for the female benefactor you never forget in your heart, she is actually transformed by the pink fox among the three demon foxes. The old abbot was also bewitched by her, mistakenly thinking that you stole the sesame oil money, so he will fight with you."

Seeing his appearance, Han Xiangzi shook his head involuntarily, mourning his dishonesty.

"what?!"

Hearing this, the wandering soul was shocked and cried out.

He couldn't believe it, the beautiful and beautiful benefactor he fell in love with was transformed by a fox demon?
He trembled with fright when he thought that he would pretend to be happy with her.

"What about the old host?"

After a while, Han Xiangzi inquired with him.

"After the old host beat the little monk into a coma, he thought he had killed someone by mistake, so he lost this small temple and ran for his own life." Wandering Soul said helplessly.

"That's all right now. Of the two monks of your Tianlu Temple, one died and the other escaped. It happened that the three fox demon doves took over the magpie's nest."

Hearing this, Han Xiangzi felt a pity when he heard it.

It also made the wandering soul very frustrated.

Just because of a momentary evil thought, not only did he harm himself, but he also handed over Tianlu Temple, the place where he lived, to others, and lost his foundation. It was a real sin.

At the moment, he was so ashamed that he wished he could find a crack in the ground and sneak in.

"You little monk, you don't need to be so concerned. Foxes are naturally cunning. Your six senses are not clean, so you should have this calamity in your fate."

"Right now, Pindao came to Tianlu Temple to investigate the evidence of the three foxes' crimes, so that he can present the documents and listen to the heavens."

"Since you died unjustly at the hands of Sanhu, you can also be regarded as a witness, and you have some uses."

"In these days, you should stay in Tianlu Temple first, and don't go anywhere. After this matter is over, the poor Taoist will let the city god here send you to the land of Yinshan."

Seeing this, Han Xiangzi comforted him.

"Thank you sir."

The wandering soul was very grateful when he heard it, and immediately bowed to him.

At this moment, Han Xiangzi could see with his eyes, a faint golden light lit up on his body, watching him fly, and finally fell into his soul.

"The power to do good?"

Sensing a slight change in the lotus seed in the soul, Han Xiangzi was startled, and had the answer.

He suddenly raised his head, stared at the Toad Palace that day, and relaxed his mind.

"This errand can be done..."

However, tonight still have to rest.

The well water in Tianlu Temple could not be used, so Han Xiangzi could only fetch water from the mountain stream to wash.

As for the body of the little novice, it cannot be left to dry.

When Buddhist disciples die, most of their corpses will be cremated in the incarnation cellar, leaving ashes and putting them in the altar.

But Tianlu Temple is just a small temple, not to mention the incarnation cellar, it doesn't even have a pagoda.

How to deal with the little novice's body has become a difficult problem.

Han Xiangzi asked him his opinion, and the wandering soul expressed his willingness to cremate his own body.

However, it is hoped that after the soul returns to the Yin Mountain.

There is no way, Han Xiangzi can only cast a spell to preserve his body and put it in the temple.

Fortunately, after Sanhu left, the Tianlu Temple was almost deserted, and few people came here on weekdays.

Putting the corpse here will not scare anyone.

And Han Xiangzi struggled all night, and finally he was able to sleep peacefully in Tianlu Temple.

……

Qizhou, Governor's Mansion.

On this day, after the governor Zhou Yan finished his breakfast, he leaned over his desk and reviewed the papers very diligently.

This Qizhou is not considered Shangzhou in Datang.

It can only be a Zhongzhou.

Therefore, he, the governor of Qizhou, is no more than a fourth-rank official than Yizhou, Yangzhou, Youzhou and other upper states.

Zhou Yan is currently in his forties and sevens, and the officialdom has been ups and downs for more than ten years. He has reached his current position, and he can be regarded as a great official in the frontier, shining on the lintel.

Just after the hour, a servant came in to report:
"Reporting to Lord Inspector, Wu Sima asks to see you!"

"Wu Sima, why is he here?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yan frowned, a little puzzled.

After thinking for a moment, he looked at the servant and asked:

"What gift did Wu Sima bring?"

"Never prepared."

The servant shook his head.

"Tell him to wait in the main hall, and the official will arrive later."

Knowing that Wu Sima didn't prepare a gift, Governor Zhou only thought that he came to him to discuss business, so he put down the ink pen and ordered.

"Yes, Lord Inspector."

The servant replied.

After speaking, he left the study.

But said.

Since Wu Heng and Wu Sima agreed to Hu Meier last time to allocate Dongmo Lane in Fengxiang Mansion to Hu Xiangu to build a fox temple, he has been actively preparing for this matter.

For this reason, he came to the governor's mansion today to ask for Zhou Yan.

For an upright official like Zhou Yan, if he came to the door with a gift, he would not welcome it.

If you don't bring it, he will still see you.

Wu Sima has been an official for a long time, and some of the exquisiteness in the officialdom can be regarded as clear.

The servants of the governor's mansion brought him to the main hall and served him with tea.

Just as Wu Sima was about to pick up a cup of tea, he moistened his throat.

I saw the governor of Zhou striding in with a scarlet robe embroidered with cranes and a sword decorated with gold.

Governor Zhou is thin and thin, and he is approaching the age of knowing his destiny, with gray hair on his temples, but he has an indescribable elegance all over his body, which makes people admire him.

"The next official pays homage to Lord Inspector!"

Seeing Zhou Yan enter the room, Wu Sima immediately got up and came to salute.

"Wu Sima, don't be too polite."

"You don't go to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing. What is the purpose of coming to the official's mansion today?"

Inspector Zhou walked to the main seat and sat down. After looking at Wu Heng, he spoke bluntly.

In Qizhou, it is not uncommon for the governor of Zhou and Sima Wu to disagree, and officials of all sizes have heard of it.

Therefore, Governor Zhou didn't need to be polite to Sima Wu.

What everyone has to say, it is refreshing.

"There is indeed one thing, I hope the governor will raise his hand."

Wu Heng said in a deep voice.

"What's the matter?"

Governor Zhou raised his eyebrows and asked.

"Recently, Hu Xiangu is going to build a fox temple in Fengxiang Mansion to save the world and benefit one side, but I heard that the governor ordered people to guard the place of Dongmo Lane and not allow the construction to start."

"The purpose of this lower official is to persuade the governor to approve the construction of the Fox Temple in Dongmo Lane."

"If Lord Inspector agrees to this matter, I will be very grateful!"

Wu Heng pondered for a while, and then told Zhou Yan the truth.

"What do you think this is? It turns out that Wu Sima came here for this..."

"Wu Sima should know the origin of Dongmo Lane. It is the old site of Taifu Xie's mansion in the previous dynasty. When Emperor Gaozu visited Qizhou, he came here to pay homage to the old residence of Taifu Xie. My lord, repair this place from time to time."

"Now, a hundred years have passed, Wu Sima wants to demolish this place in order to build a fox temple. I don't know what his intention is?"

"Could it be that in your eyes, that fairy girl is still greater than Gaozu?!"

Hearing this, Zhou Yan suddenly smiled, giving Wu Heng a bad warning sign.

Sure enough, Governor Zhou changed his subject in the last sentence, and his attitude took a big turn. He looked directly at himself and asked questions again and again.

The next moment, Wu Sima shuddered all over!
He thought he couldn't wear the hat of disrespecting the ancestors, so he threw up his sleeves in anger and asked angrily:
"Master Zhou, what are you talking about?"

"Wu Sima doesn't know what my officer said?"

"This Dongmo Lane cannot be demolished, nor can it be demolished!"

Governor Zhou was categorical.

Hearing these words, Wu Sima was in a dilemma for a while.

He promised Hu Meier earlier that he would handle this matter well.

But I didn't expect that the governor was so difficult to deal with this week, and he directly moved out of Gaozu!

For Gao Zu, he dare not say no!

This time, this Wu Heng was exiled from the capital, if he was caught again, all the previous efforts would be in vain.

"Lord Zhou, I hope Lord Inspector will forgive me for speaking too aggressively before I stepped down from office."

After calming down, Wu Sima hurriedly smiled with Zhou Yan.

In the face of Wu Sima's rudder, Governor Zhou was used to it. He did not change his face, and warned:
"Wu Sima, don't bring up the matter of Dongmo Lane again, otherwise it will be too late when disaster strikes in the future."

Governor Zhou had heard about Wu Sima's close relationship with Hu Xiangu.

Although the governor of Zhou is a scholar, he still has a heart of awe for ghosts and gods.

In recent days, the name of Hu Xiangu can be said to be very popular in Qizhou.

Many people say that she is the reincarnation of the fairy girl, who was ordered by the Nine Heavens Xuannv to save the world.

Whether it is true or not, Governor Zhou does not know.

But Xiangu Hu did do a few good things for Qizhou.

But if this is the case, just because of building a fox temple, let Dongmo Lane come out, is it too flattering and obsequious?
As soon as this word comes out.

Wu Sima froze with a smile on his face, and stayed on the spot.

"Come on, see off!"

Seeing this situation, Governor Zhou was unwilling to talk more with Wu Sima, so he yelled to the outside world and walked out of the main hall.

Not long after, a servant walked in, stretched out his hand to Wu Heng and said:
"Master Wu, please!"

Wu Heng knew that Governor Zhou issued an order to expel the guests, and it was meaningless to stay any longer, so he could only leave the governor's mansion resentfully.

What's more, Governor Zhou's last words are worthy of his repeated scrutiny.

……

(End of this chapter)