subordinates dare not

Meng Fuyuan and his party soon arrived at Zhaoyuan Temple in Jiangzhou.

The white stone mountain gate towers into the sky, and the multi-layered flying arch structure supports the blue-gray eaves. The end of the ridge is the same color. Silver bells are hung on each corner of the eaves. The silver bells sway gently with the wind, and the crisp bells gradually dissipate. In the misty sky, on the central door there are three large golden characters of "Zhaoyuan Temple" written in block letters, and on the left and right sides of the upper round door are couplets embossed in gold.

Two ginkgo trees were planted in front of the mountain gate, one on the left and the other on the right. The fan-shaped yellow apricot leaves were like butterfly wings in the rain, struggling to fall to the ground and being trampled into the soil for the rest of their lives.

The mountain gate is connected with a vermilion wall, blocking Meng Fuyuan's view from looking inside, but judging from the exterior view of the mountain gate, Zhaoyuan Temple has already shown a kind of Zen that most people envy.

It seems to be isolated from the world, not asking about the dead, not knowing what's coming.

Just as Meng Fuyuan got off the carriage, he saw a young monk sweeping the floor at the side stepping forward and asking, "Are you from Wuwei Villa?"

Meng Fuyuan nodded and said: "I am the owner of Wuwei Villa, I came here today to ask to see the abbot of Zhaoyuan Temple, and I have important matters to discuss."

The little monk held the broom and replied: "The almsgiver, please wait a moment, the little monk will go and inform the abbot right away."

After a while, the little monk came back empty-handed, "The abbot said, welcome to the owner of Wuwei Village."

"Also please benefactors, enter from the left door, and don't step on the threshold."

Lu Jiu was so curious that he couldn't help asking in a low voice, "Little Master, is there any difference between left and right?"

The little monk replied: "Although our Zhaoyuan Temple is also a Jianghu sect, the temple evolved according to Buddhist temples, so there will be some other Buddhist rules. The door on the left is called the Wuxiang Gate, the middle one is called the Empty Gate, and the one on the right is called the Wuxiang Gate. As the gate. When you come to our Zhaoyuan Temple, it’s best to enter from the left and exit from the right.”

Before Lu Jiu could thank the questioner, Fu Ba had already said Lu Jiu's words first: "Thank you, little master, for clarifying the doubts, so that's the case."

Little monk: "Don't dare."

Lu Shi then said to Lu Jiu: "Then entering through the main entrance, wouldn't it be 'escape into the empty gate'?"

The little monk smiled and shook his head, speechless.

After stepping into the Wuxiang Gate, I looked up and saw the hexagonal Drum Tower in front of the left, with dark crimson bucket arches and golden glazed tiles as the eaves, shining golden in the sunlight. Standing next to the Drum Tower was a monk who looked like he was in a rare age. , wearing a plaid apricot yellow and red cassock, with a white goatee beard, and holding a red sandalwood rosary.

When Meng Fuyuan saw him, he probably knew that this was the abbot of Zhaoyuan Temple.

Jueming stepped forward, clasped his hands together and bowed, got up and said again: "The old monk is named Jueming, your father has an extraordinary bearing, and there are hills and valleys in his chest. Wuwei Villa is a hero, courageous, and upright. I have admired the name for a long time, and now I am honored to meet the young master. , is very destined."

Meng Fuyuan was slightly surprised, "Master Jueming knows my father?"

"Naturally." Jue Ming said slowly, "My father, Meng Sihe, is a refined and kind-hearted person. He has traveled the world for many years and is known as the 'Ghost Hand of Thousand Skills'. It's a pity that he was so arrogant and ended up dying 150 years ago—— —”

Jueming suddenly realized that he had made a slip of the tongue, stopped talking in time, and bowed to Meng Fuyuan again, "I'm sorry, it's the old man who made a slip of the tongue."

Meng Fuyuan knew about his father's death in the battle against demons, and every time he thinks about it, he still feels a sense of dull pain, and this time is no exception.

But Meng Fuyuan knew that his top priority was not to be immersed in the past and unable to escape, so Meng Fuyuan sorted out his out-of-control emotions, and said: "Master Jueming, don't worry about it, let alone keep it secret, to tell you the truth, I came here this time just to ask Old things about the battle against demons."

Meng Fuyuan continued: "It is rumored that 150 years ago, in the battle against demons, people were devastated, and decency suffered heavy losses. In exchange for peace in the world, I thought that the demon sect had been eradicated, but things have changed now... I didn't realize that Master Ming heard about the Red Flame Gang. case?"

Jueming: "I have heard it a little bit."

Meng Fuyuan said directly: "In the case of the Chiyan Gang of the Beiqi Sect, I heard that Elder Song Yun of Linghao Pavilion personally identified that it was the devil's sorcery, and there are rumors in the world that it is related to the "Lingyuan Gongfa". Hiding in the dark, waiting for an opportunity, and endangering all beings in the rivers and lakes, I want to ask Master Jueming, do you know some inside information about the battle to eliminate demons?"

Jueming nodded, "Naturally."

"My brother passed away in that great war. 150 years ago, I originally wanted to go to help the decent faction and destroy the Demon Cult, but was coerced and lured by my brother not to go, so I was lucky enough to survive and continue to practice... Sigh... ..." Jueming narrowed his eyes and shook his head, as if he had fallen into the swamp of the past.

Meng Fuyuan and others said together: "Master's condolences."

Hearing this, Jue Ming was stunned for a moment, and then his expression returned to the calmness he had when he first met, Jue Ming smiled at Meng Fuyuan and said: "Reincarnation of cause and effect, death and life are bearish. The owner doesn't need to comfort me."

The severe wind of Zhongqiu was blowing over, and Meng Fuyuan was blown to four fingers sticking out of the coat, holding two pieces of cloth to gather the cuffs, so as to reduce the wind blowing into the sleeves.

Then I only heard Ming said: "The battle was not as simple as the Jianghu rumors. Many details were deliberately erased. Even the official history books of the Jianghu only described a very small number of scenes. , People who live in troubled times and have experienced it first-hand know that the stories behind the rumors in the world are only part of the truth."

"The owner, please go to the Sutra Library. There are some books in it, which are related to the great war."

Meng Fuyuan followed Jueming through the colorful painting corridor next to the Hall of Heavenly Kings, passed the pagoda, the Daxiong Hall, the Bodhisattva Hall, the Three Halls, and finally stopped in front of the Sutra Library.

The Buddhist scriptures building is the roof of the hall with double eaves. The vermilion beams and columns are painted with patterns of colorful cranes. The roof is the same as the Drum Tower. Welcome new guests you've never met.

"Zhaoyuan Sutra Library was originally not open to outsiders, but Wuwei Villa and Zhaoyuan Temple had a close relationship a hundred years ago. This old monk made an exception and brought the owner in, but the owner could only go there alone. For this, I sincerely apologize. "Jueming told the little monk, "You take other benefactors to visit other places in Zhaoyuan Temple, remember, treat them well, and don't neglect them."

The little monk bent down and stretched out his hands, "Several benefactors, please come with me."

Ming Er said: "Thank you, little master."

The shadow guards headed by Ming Er were all taken away by the monk.

Jueming took Meng Fuyuan up the Danse stairs. On the second floor, in the east, there were two red sandalwood bookcases that were almost the same and about six feet high. Begonia-style pouf with four openings.

Jueming said: "The owner, please sit down first."

Meng Fuyuan sat down, and about two quarters of an hour later, Jueming came with a stack of books and put the books on the case table, "This is all the books that record the war against demons. Some of them are written by senior brothers The letters, unfortunately, are incomplete and have not been preserved intact."

"Before the owner reads it, the old man first told the owner the part of the truth that was not recorded in the letter." Jueming stroked his beard, "May I ask what happened in the owner's perception of the battle against demons? Zhuang The Lord said first, and the old man can fill in the part that the owner doesn't know."

Meng Fuyuan recalled the "History of Lingyuan Rivers and Lakes" he read today, and combined with the rumors in the world, he said in a general way: "I heard that the master of Linghao Pavilion used the "Lingyuan Gongfa" to destroy the Demon Sect in one fell swoop, but Demon cultists are cruel and ruthless, and they want everyone to be buried with them before they die, so the decent army is also wiped out. Because no one survived, there are very few people who really know the inside story, it can be said that almost none, so what happened in the demon war What is still a mystery. In addition, there are still legends about the "Lingyuan Kung Fu" in the world today, saying that those who learn this kung fu will be invincible in the world."

"Does the owner know how long the battle against demons will take?"

"I remember it was... more than a month."

Jueming twirled his beard and smiled inexplicably, "Indeed it's been more than a month." Then he smiled lightly at Meng Fuyuan and said nothing.

Looking at Jueming's expression, Meng Fuyuan suddenly felt something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what was weird.

Hearing Ming said again: "The owner of the village has also noticed this strangeness. If the "Lingyuan Gongfa" is so powerful, why didn't Shen Zhuo use it from the beginning? Manpower, food, weapons, which one is not a consumable on the battlefield? Why did Shen Zhuo delay using it for a month to cause these unnecessary losses?"

Meng Fuyuan was at a loss when he heard the words, right?how so?

Jue Ming continued: "The Devil's Cult is denounced by thousands of people, reviled by thousands of people, and charged with numerous crimes. Even if there is an additional item of 'killing all decent people in the war of eliminating demons', why not?"

Having said this, Jueming sighed, "Ah, it's just the spring and autumn brushwork, just embedding flowers and grafting trees."

Meng Fuyuan's pupils shrank suddenly when he heard the words, and he hadn't thought about the deep meaning of Jueming's words. He only heard Jueming's calm and lonely voice from the opposite side, like a pair of big hands happily revealing the truth about the battle against demons. whitewashed veil—

"The fact is that the person who led to the annihilation of the entire army and no survivors in the battle against demons back then was not the leader of the demon sect, but the master of Linghao Pavilion, Shen Zhuo."