Pawn Crossing the River

July 15th, forty-sixth year.

This is a very special day. It is not only the Taoist Ghost Festival, but also the folk ghost festival and the Buddhist Obon Festival.

The reason why there is a saying about the Ghost Festival is because local officials pardoned sins on the Ghost Festival, which led to the saying that the gates of ghosts will open.

In fact, there are also emphases within Taoist sects. Zhengyi Tao focuses more on the blessings of the heavenly officials on the Shangyuan Festival, Quanzhen Taoism focuses more on the pardon of sins by the local officials on the Zhongyuan Festival, and Taiping Tao focuses more on the relief of misfortune by the water officials on the Xiayuan Festival.

The Taoist Government of the Western Regions is the sphere of influence of Quanzhen Taoism in the traditional sense, so it naturally attaches great importance to the Ghost Festival and makes great arrangements for it every year. It's just that this year's situation is special. The real person in charge was attacked and killed, and the border situation is on the verge of breaking out. Therefore, unlike previous years, it is very low-key. Only the new real person in charge delivered a holiday message.

Even this Hungry Ghost Festival greeting, which is composed of many words and sentences, is different from previous years. A large part of it is dedicated to praising those who stick to the front line of the border.

The same is true for Buddhism on the other side, which does not celebrate festivals like in previous years and seems unusually quiet.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that there must be a battle between the two.

Around Shenshi, an urgent report alarmed the entire Taoist government.

The Jialan monk soldiers of the Buddhist sect attacked Tiaxia in a sneak attack. Because the Buddhism came prepared and invested a large amount of high-end force above heaven and humans, the terrain could not play a big role, so Tiaxia had been lost, and the guarding officials retreated to the second line of defense. , waiting for help.

Here we have to mention Menyu.

Menyu is the territory of Daomen, located between Zhuyu and Luoyu. However, Buddhism has invaded Dazun, the core area of ​​​​the door, and has been eroding the surrounding area with Dazun Temple as the center. Texia is located northwest of Dazun Temple. direction.

Directly north of Dazun Temple is Huqian County controlled by Daomen.

Originally, Huqian County and Chaoxia were at odds with each other. Now that Chaoxia has fallen, Huqian County is in some danger. Even though there are mostly mountains and rivers between Dazun Temple and Huqian County, there are even large areas of undeveloped land. Boundless and dense forests, but for Jialan monk soldiers, it is not difficult to cross these terrains.

The Jialan Monk Soldier is a product of the Buddhist restructuring, and is used to correspond to the Taoist spiritual officers. The mechanism and principle are similar, not to mention that the Buddhists also have airships purchased from the Holy Court to fight against the Taoist airships.

At this time, the third batch of reinforcements from Tiangangtang had not officially entered the Western Region Taoist Mansion. The forces of both sides were only equal, and the Taoist sect did not have an advantage. However, if such a thing happened, the Taoist sect would not be able to give in. As the great master in charge, Wu Niang left the Daxue Mountain Palace and went to the front line in person.

Before leaving, Qi Xuansu asked Long Xiaobai to follow Wu Niang, but instead kept Xiao Yin behind.

It's not that Qi Xuansu is partial, but that Xiao Yin is an indispensable part.

Wu Niang went to the front line in person this time, and she went to Huqian County. Ding Silingguan was Cha Xia who had been on the front line and now retreated to the second line of defense.

Jiang Daren and the two masters had returned to Yujing after the inspection. Zhang Yuelu often traveled between Yujing and Daxueshan Palace to prepare military supplies. Considering safety issues, Qi Xuansu asked Jiayin Lingguan and Lin Yuan Miao followed Zhang Yuelu, and the three of them together were able to fight against the immortals, so they would not make the same mistake as Chen Zhengxian. At this time, Zhang Yuelu was not at the Daxue Mountain Palace, but went to Yujing Tiangang Hall to prepare for the third batch of reinforcements.

At this time, only Qi Xuansu, Jiashen Lingguan, Zhao Jiaowu and others were left in the Daxue Mountain Palace.

When the news of the war in the Western Regions came back to Yujing, Zhang Yuelu decided to leave immediately to return to the Western Regions. After all, Qi Xuansu was left alone, so he would inevitably be alone. If something happened, he might not be able to cope with it.

Many people expressed opposition or expressed concerns, but Zhang Yuelu was determined.

The explanation given by Zhang Yuelu was that she did not think she could reverse the situation by going back, but she was still accompanied by Lin Yuanmiao and Jiayin Lingguan. Lin Yuanmiao had always ignored secular affairs. As a spiritual official, Jiayin Lingguan was It is also difficult for the Tiangang Hall, which is dominated by Taoist priests, to play its role. These two people are actually acting as guards. It is better to return to the Western Region as soon as possible so that the two pseudo-immortals can play a greater role.

In this way, Zhang Yuelu embarked on his return journey on the second day of the Ghost Festival, crossing the Sea of ​​Death, and sent a message to Qi Xuansu before leaving.

At the same time, the monk with bare feet once again set foot on the vast sea of ​​sand.

Monk Xiao felt a little strange. Chen Zhengxian had already learned from the past, how could Zhang Yuelu dare to act so boldly? Could this be a trap deliberately set by Daomen? Is Zhang Yuelu actually a bait?

In fact, Monk Xiao did not agree with this assassination, or he did not completely agree.

In a peaceful world, assassinations can still shock people and cause some impact. But once it enters the war mode, let alone the death of a real person, even if Yujing falls, the Taoist sect will not admit defeat, let alone be frightened, and will definitely fight to the end. Can the Buddhist sect defeat the Taoist sect?

I'm afraid not.

If they can win the passage, they will not be driven out of the Western Region.

Another assassination attempt at this time will only further stimulate Dao

The door's emotions will have a counterproductive effect.

This is the shortcoming of the radicals. Once it starts, it will gradually spiral out of control.

Since the chief ministers and the venerables had reached a unified opinion, he had no choice but to execute the order.

Of course, the thoughts of the nobles were not so superficial. They believed that attacking Zhang Yuelu would draw Qi Xuansu out of the tortoise shell of the Snow Mountain Palace. Therefore, the Buddhist drunkard's intention was not to drink. The target was not Zhang Yuelu, but Qi Xuansu.

This is essentially to compensate for the failure of provoking internal fighting in the Taoist sect for the first time. Successfully killing Qi Xuansu will have two possible consequences. One result is that Taoism reaches a comprehensive internal consensus and external consensus, and Buddhism shoots itself in the foot. Another result is that Donghua Zhenren's faction can no longer maintain concentration for the overall situation, and successfully provokes internal fighting among Taoist sects, while Buddhist sects reap the benefits.

Daomen would not have failed to take this into consideration. Under such circumstances, it would be very strange for Zhang Yuelu to take the risk of traveling. Zhang Yuelu is not stupid and bold, nor is she brainless. Her somewhat abnormal behavior must have some hidden intention.

That's why Monk Xiao thought that this was probably a trap. Zhang Yuelu and Qi Xuansu guessed what the Buddhist sect was thinking, and decided to move dangerously and use their tactics. Even if Monk Xiao could not be spared, they could use this as an opportunity to dig out the inner ghost hidden inside the Taoist sect. .

It's essentially like playing cards. The opponent may have a small deck of cards and is just deliberately pretending to be confident, cheating and trying to steal the chicken. It is also possible that he really has a big hand, but is deliberately showing weakness in order to induce you to follow the cards.

I figured you might do this.

You guessed it and I guessed that you might do this.

The layers are stacked one after another, and in the end there are only two choices, dare or not.

Therefore, Monk Xiao knew that this possibility existed, but still chose to take action. He admitted that he was gambling.

In the final analysis, it is still up to you to see the truth.

Of course, Yujing can also send support, such as Zhenren Jiang Dazhen, Zhenren Cihang, or even Zhenren Donghua personally.

Buddhism also responded. First, they chose the location for the ambush, which was close to the Snow Mountain Palace and far away from Yujing. The Sea of ​​Death was said to be the size of two Qizhous, which was quite a short distance. Secondly, Buddhism will exert enough pressure on the frontal battlefield to attract Yujing's attention.

In terms of overall strength, the Taoist sect is definitely stronger, but the territory of the Taoist sect is too large and its manpower is distributed everywhere. The Buddhist sect can form a local advantage in a short period of time.

To be right

Faced with the pressure of the battlefield, Monk Xiao was given cover, so Monk Xiao had to be quick, accurate, and ruthless in his attacks.

Monk Xiao arrived at the planned ambush site, sat cross-legged, clasped his hands together, and began to mutter sutras.

The wind and sand were blowing, and he soon became part of the dune, and only a human figure could be barely seen.

This time, Zhang Yuelu, Lin Yuanmiao, and Jiachen Lingguan did not take the flying boat, but flew directly. After all, Zhang Yuelu, who had the lowest cultivation level among the three, was in the creation stage. If he chose to fly by himself, it would be faster than the flying boat, but there was no Although the flying boat is so comfortable, it cannot handle official business during the flight.

Buddhist seniority: Enlightenment of the origin of light and nature, understanding of the origin and development of enlightenment.

Because Buddhism has been an ally of Taoism for a long time, the seniority of the Buddhist and Taoist families can be roughly equal. Xuan Sheng corresponds to the generation of Yuan, and in order, the generation of "He" corresponds to the generation of "Ran" , the generation with the word "teaching" versus the generation with the word "yan", that is, the seven generations of disciples of the Taoist sect.

However, the hierarchy in Buddhism is quite confusing. Some young people may have very high seniority, such as Monk Yanxiu. Unlike the Taoist sect where seniority is strictly fixed, there is no way to accept apprentices on behalf of teachers, nor is it allowed to accept apprentices across generations.

Monk Xiao is from the generation of "Yan", and is of the same generation as the Third Prince and others. Compared with Monk Yanxiu, he is in the sky and on the earth.

Monk Xiao is in the sky and Monk Yanxiu is underground.

The Taoist sect only knows the seniority of Monk Xiao, but no one knows what the Buddhist name of Monk Xiao is. He rarely has contact with the so-called senior brothers, and even few people in the Buddhist sect can see Monk Xiao, which makes many Buddhist disciples hate Xiao. They all doubted the existence of the monk and thought he was a legendary figure.

In terms of positioning, Monk Xiao is a bit similar to Zhou Mengyao and Qingqiu Mountain Fox Immortal. He is highly cultivated and extremely mysterious, and is not in the official sequence.

Legend has it that Monk Xiao was jointly taught by three Buddhist masters, and he was considered a common disciple of the three masters.

The origin of Monk Xiao is also very miraculous. He was discovered by a Buddhist sage in a ruins in the Sea of ​​Death. Monk Xiao was just a baby at that time. No one knew how such a baby survived.

The Buddhist sage found a jade pendant in Monk Xiao's swaddling clothes, with the word "Xiao" written on it. This is also the origin of the three characters "Monk Xiao". The Buddhist sage took him back to Nalanda Temple, but his origin was still unclear. Finally, after talking secretly for several hours, the three Buddhist masters decided to accept him as their disciple.

Son, train him to become a Buddhist Dharma Protector Vajra.

As the saying goes, Vajra's angry eyes subdue the heretics.