Xuanyuan Jue

Chapter 143 The Empty Village (3)
"That's not true," said the old woman, "there was a major incident in the village a few days ago. I don't know which plague god was offended. When a few young people came back from the field, they suddenly foamed at the mouth and became unconscious. After staying up for half a night, people are already hard... Before the funeral can be done, a few more collapsed. In just two days, more than ten people in the village died one after another..."

Feng Shen and Lu Ban looked at each other head-to-head, but didn't make a sound.

The old woman went on to say: "When people in the village saw this, they felt that they had suffered from the plague. The plague can be contagious, so who is not afraid? Those who were not infected, those who went to relatives, and those who relied on friends, all escaped from the village to hide from the plague. The remaining ones who couldn’t leave, built some thatched huts indiscriminately at the head of the village to separate those who were sick from the village..."

Feng Shen interjected: "Old man, I heard that some monks came two days ago and cured the sick villagers."

"There is such a thing," the old woman nodded, "The monks said that the village was not plagued by plague, but a catastrophe...At first, everyone didn't believe it, but who knew they were cured."

"What about the cured villagers?" Lu Ban asked, "I don't seem to have seen them either!"

"Oh," the old woman sighed, "I've already gone to Yaji Mountain..."

"Going up the mountain?" Lu Ban twisted his thick eyebrows, "You haven't recovered yet, what are you doing going up the mountain?"

"Fulfill your wish," the old woman shook her head helplessly, "Those monks healed people with their feet, and then they came back to the village the next day. What do you mean this time, the Buddha gave a little punishment, and the whole village has to go to the temple to fulfill their vows. If you go, you will incur a greater calamity. The villagers have no choice but to follow."

"Then this wish will take a little longer, right?" Lu Ban counted the days and said, "It's been almost two days, why haven't you come back?"

The old woman lowered her head and said in a low voice, "They...I'm afraid they won't be able to come back..."

Feng Shen and Lu Ban were both startled. "I can't come back!?"

"Yes," the old woman's eyes drooped, and a few drops of muddy tears fell. "They're probably going to be like my son, they'll never come back... oh... let's not talk about it... I can't talk to you passers-by..."

Feng Shen heard that there was something hidden in the words, and hurriedly said: "Please tell the truth, the old man."

"Yes!" Lu Ban straightened his head and chest, "If you have any difficulties, just tell me, in the boundary of Pinggu, my old Lu's words are still useful..."

"Brother Lu!" Fearing that Lu Ban's words might be wrong, Feng Shen hurriedly winked.

Lu Ban understood and quickly shut up, but the old woman became suspicious. "This master...is he an official?"

"Old man," Feng Shen said hastily, "my eldest brother is neither an official nor an eunuch, he just likes to boast. But we do have some contacts with officials, maybe there is something we can do."

The old woman was shocked and burst into tears. "If the two masters can really help me find my son, the old woman is willing to be a bull and a horse."

"Oh," Lu Ban said impatiently, "what's going on, auntie, tell me quickly!"

Feng Shen waved his hand and helped the old woman to rest. "Don't be sad, old man, please tell me the truth."

"Okay, let me tell you..." The old lady wiped her tears and said slowly, "A few months ago, a group of monks came from Yaji Mountain and occupied a deserted temple on the top of the West Peak, saying that they wanted to build a temple and practice meditation. .”

Feng Shen asked: "But the monks in the Cliff Temple?"

The old woman's complexion suddenly darkened, she gritted her teeth and said, "Who else could it be if it wasn't them?"

Lu Ban glanced at Feng Shen, puzzled and said, "Ma'am, your tone is not right, what happened to those monks?"

"What's the matter? Huh!" the old woman said angrily, "You two don't know something. Our folks here have always believed in Taoism and worshiped Lord Bixia Yuan. After the group of monks went up the mountain, they used the banner of promoting Buddhism. , smashing Taoist temples everywhere, forcing the nearby Taoist priests to escape..."

Feng Shen couldn't help getting angry, "These evil monks are fierce and violent, how can they look like monks at all?"

"It's his mother's disgrace!" Lu Bantou said unfairly, "Belief in Buddhism is all voluntary, how can you force people to burn incense?"

"That's right," the old woman said again, "after they drove away the Taoist priests, they sealed Yaji Mountain, not to mention hunting, and even cutting firewood and gathering grass. After a while, a few monks When I entered the village, I said that I wanted to select a group of strong laborers to help them renovate the Buddhist hall."

Lu Ban was very angry and laughed back, "They are quite thick-skinned!"

"Well," the old woman sighed, "at the beginning, the folks were reluctant to go. But after those monks made a big promise, some of them came to their senses. My family is full of warehouses and wants to earn more money, so I have to go up the mountain. I I can't help but let them go."

Feng Shen asked: "After they left, they never came back?"

"That's right," the old woman sobbed, "When the monks took them away, they said that the temple was in charge of food and housing, and that they would be sent back to the village when the renovations were completed. Then there was a message from Mancang and the others. After such a long time, even the rebuilt temple should be finished. The villagers felt that something was wrong, so they sent people to the Moya Temple to ask, but the monks in the temple said that Mancang and the others were inspired by the Buddha after they finished the project. , all of them were ordained ordained monks, and they have already gone down the mountain to wander around."

"This is nonsense!" Lu Ban said angrily, "Auntie, don't you believe me?"

"Of course I don't believe it," said the old woman. "The folks suspected that the temple had detained people, so they went to the county government to file a complaint. As a result, the grandfather sent troops to search the temple and the mountain, but Mancang and the others were not found. In the end, the official was also annoyed, saying that the villagers reported false crimes, and if they committed another crime, they would put us in prison. After the official left, the villagers did not give up and wanted to go to the temple to search again. But the group of monks immediately turned their faces, and one A stick dancer beat us all down the mountain."

Feng Shen suppressed the anger in his heart, "What about after that?"

The old woman said sadly: "What can we ordinary people do? After a few days, we don't see people in our lives, we don't see dead bodies in our lives, and we never show our faces again. Since then, I have always dreamed of a warehouse full of blood. Standing in front of me, when I woke up in shock, I cried uncomfortably... a pair of good eyes, just like this, I was half blind from crying..."

"Ma'am," Lu Bantou said in relief, "you don't have to feel bad, maybe your son has really gone wandering around. When he comes back, you two can be reunited!"

"It would be great if that's the case," the old woman covered her face with her hands, sobbing, "But my family was a filial child when I was a child, even if something big happened, I wouldn't even say hello, and leave me in silence gone..."

Feng Shen's heart trembled, "Old man, that's why you said that the second batch of folks who went up the mountain won't come back?"

"That's right," said the old woman, "They've been gone for almost two days, so it's probably more or less ominous."

"I don't understand," Lu Bantouqi said, "Why did the villagers follow up the mountain when they knew there was something wrong with the temple?"

"What can we do if we don't go?" said the old woman, "The folks are all terrified, fearing that the Lord Buddha will bring disaster again."

"That's right," Lu Ban couldn't help saying, recalling the first time he came here, "That group of monks are his mother's evil nature! Hey aunt, why didn't you follow?"

The old woman said bitterly: "I'm a half-buried woman, what do I have to fear? The monks saw that I was old and blind, so they didn't force me, and threw me in the village to fend for myself."

Looking at the haggard old woman with frost on her temples, Feng Shen suddenly felt compassion. "The old man is old, so living alone is not a long-term solution."

"Yes, ma'am," Lu Bantou also said, "Do you have any other relatives? If you want to tell me the name of the place, I'll take you there with Brother Feng..."

"No," the old woman shook her head stubbornly, "I'm not going anywhere, even if I die, I will die here."

Lu Ban nodded, "Why did you come here?"

"So that the two masters know," the old woman burst into tears, "Actually, the old woman has never given up, and always thinks that my son will come back sooner or later... If I leave, I will be full and I won't be able to find my mother when I go home!"

Hearing the old lady's thoughts from the bottom of her heart, both of them had mixed feelings.

"Don't talk about it, ma'am," Lu Ban cleared his throat, and secretly wiped his reddish eye sockets. "Don't worry, I'll take care of this matter. To put it bluntly, even if your son is gone, I will dig mountains and mountains to find his bones!"

Hearing the word "dead bones", the old woman shivered fiercely, and inevitably shed a lot of muddy tears.

Seeing Lu Ban's clumsy persuasion getting worse, Feng Shen hurriedly took over the conversation: "Don't worry, old man, my elder brother wants to help you find your son."

"That's right, that's right," Lu Ban hurriedly said, "That's my original intention!"

"This...old lady knows all about it," said the old woman, "but Yaji Mountain is dangerous, and you are in a hurry to go... Old lady, what can I do, dare to ask the two masters to walk through this muddy water for me..."

"The old man speaks seriously," Feng Shen said, "to tell the truth, our trip is just to go to Yaji Mountain."

"That's right, incidentally!" Lu Ban said, "I want to see what kind of wild fox meditation those demon monks are practicing!"

"Good luck!" The old woman trembled, "It is the good fortune of the old woman to meet such a man who is eager to be fair and righteous like you..."

"Save the polite words for later," Lu Ban waved his hand, "Ma'am, where can we buy bean bran cakes in this village? Our horses have been running around for a long time, and we have to feed them before we leave!"

"Let me think about it..." The old woman paused for a moment, then said, "Hey, there's no need to look for bean bran cakes, just lead the horses to the field."

"Take it to the field?" Lu Ban was taken aback, "Then they shouldn't spoil the crops?"

"What waste is it not?" the old woman sighed, "The crops are not harvested, and they will be hit by frost in a few days, and sooner or later they will rot in the field. Just take them away. There are sorghum and corn in the field, and big animals are willing to eat them. "

(End of this chapter)