Chapter 124

Behind Xingjiao Temple, a lone moon shone on the forest. In the dead of the night, all the lights in the meditation rooms were turned off.

The moonlight shone into the main hall of Xingjiao Temple. Hongjun was still looking around when he heard a "ding" sound from behind the hall. It was a wooden hammer striking a chime.

The wind rose. Hongjun quickly walked through the main hall and came to the nine-story pagoda at the back of the hall. There was a person standing under the pagoda.

"Where's Li Jinglong?" Yuan Kun asked.

Hongjun said, "Jinglong is talking with the Imperial Consort."

Yuan Kun said, "Forget it. Even if he comes, he probably won't listen. See, that's why I said that there are always variables in the unseen world. "

Hongjun approached Kun Shen and said, "Kun Shen, you left in a hurry that day. There are still many things you haven't asked clearly."

To be honest, Hongjun was more or less displeased with Kun Shen. He was the one who taught Li Jinglong the True Essence Burning Technique. If it weren't for that, Li Jinglong would probably be dead now.

"Let your friends come out." Yuan Kun said lightly, "It can be considered fate."

Hongjun could only say, "Come out."

Everyone came out from all directions. Yuan Kun said, "Do you want to take me in?"

Hongjun hurriedly explained that no. Yuan Kun heard the sound of footsteps. They were all in different directions. It was obvious that they were surrounding him.

"You don't understand people's schemes." Yuan Kun said, "But it's good. You have a pure heart. But how many people in this world are sincere to you?"

Lu Xu said, "We don't mean to deal with you. Monster, don't drive a wedge between us."

Hongjun hurriedly gestured to Lu Xu not to be angry. The Demon Kings were always both good and evil. Kun Shen, the Golden-winged Roc, the Phoenix Chong Ming … Everyone seemed to have some complaints about his human friends. They were not willing to become friends with the Exorcism Division, but they did not have much enmity either. This made Hongjun feel that it was a little difficult to handle.

Qiu Yongsi smiled and said, "Kun Shen is a senior who followed Zhuang Sheng in the past. I would never dare to offend him. I came in the middle of the night because I was afraid that I might offend him, so I avoided him."

"If you were really afraid of offending me, you wouldn't have followed me," Yuan Kun said coldly. "Forget it. This is also your Buddhist fate." As he spoke, he turned to Hongjun. Hongjun vaguely felt that his companions had always been very smart. Perhaps they had long been waiting for an opportunity to meet Kun Shen.

"Kun Shen." Hongjun said, "I want to ask you something …"

Yuan Kun did not answer. Instead, he said in a low voice, "Following that hairy carp of yours …"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Hongjun wanted to ask about this. He said, "I just found out that Zhao Zilong is actually … sigh."

Yuan Kun said, "This is a matter of fate. It has long been decided by the heavens …"

Hongjun: "Can it come back?"

Yuan Kun: "Are you Kun Shen or am I Kun Shen? Why don't you come to Zhaoqi? Why don't I speak? "

Hongjun hurriedly shut up. Yuan Kun continued, "The reason why I asked you to come to Xingjiao Temple is because you have an inextricable relationship with a person here."

After saying this, Yuan Kun naturally raised his hand and lightly tapped the pagoda. The entire pagoda released a golden light. Under the pagoda, an illusory figure wearing a robe appeared.

Everyone's expression changed instantly. Hongjun asked, "Who are you?"

Everyone almost fainted.

"Are you Mahamayuri?" The illusory figure of a monk appeared. It was actually a young and handsome monk. Light and shadow intertwined, and his appearance was solemn. His handsomeness crushed the group of youths from the Exorcism Division. What was even rarer was that this young monk was completely different from Hongjun's handsomeness. Instead, he had the majesty and holiness of a Buddha.

"I …" Hongjun did not know how to answer for a moment. He said, "You can say that."

The monk nodded and walked forward. He said to Hongjun, "This poor monk's Buddhist name is Xuan Zang."

"Hello." Hongjun remembered that the Carp Demon had once mentioned that a monk had once saved it in Chang 'an seventy years ago. It should be this monk called "Xuan Zang"!

"He's Zhao Zilong's savior … You guys … What's wrong?" Hongjun turned around and was shocked. Everyone was very conscious of their actions and kneeled down. For a moment, they did not dare to raise their heads. Even Kun Shen retreated to the periphery and sat on the ground with his palms clasped together.

Although the people from the Exorcism Division each had a powerful background and were usually arrogant, they did not even greet the Emperor or the Celestial Emperor. However, this monk in front of them was a Buddha! Only Hongjun did not know Xuan Zang's background. He stood there stupidly and guessed that this monk seemed to be quite powerful.

"I won't be lecturing today." Xuan Zang said, "Everyone, please rise."

As he spoke, Xuan Zang sat down. Hongjun sat cross-legged beside him.

"That carp should have had a powerful background in his previous life." Xuan Zang said seriously to Hongjun, "However, because he disobeyed the heavens and earth, he owed you many favors. In this life, he specially came to repay you …"

"This is revenge, isn't it?" Hongjun burst out in a rare outburst. He said, "This is called repayment?"

"He hasn't faced the tribulation yet." Xuan Zang said, "This is his tribulation in his life, and also your tribulation in your life."

Hongjun thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I've forgiven him."

After he woke up, Li Jinglong said that everyone in the Exorcism Division had long known that there was something wrong with Zhao Zilong. Zhao Zilong's identity as a spy also became a part of their fake news. The reason why they did not tell Hongjun was because they were afraid that Hongjun would not be able to hide it.

Hongjun could only give up. This was a joint decision made by everyone. It was not that Li Jinglong insisted on hiding it from him. Moreover, this plan was ultimately to protect Hongjun. Thus, he did not say anything more.

"Where is he now?" Hongjun said, "I'm afraid that Xie Yu will bully him."

Xuan Zang said again, "The fate between you two has not ended. After the tribulation is over, he will return."

Hong Jun then nodded his head. In this way, it indeed made him feel much more at ease. After Xuan Zang finished speaking, he was about to turn into a golden light and disappear. Yuan Kun, who was sitting upright, said in a low voice, "Golden Cicada, I have one more thing to ask."

Xuan Zang did not speak. Yuan Kun said again, "What is the turning point of the chaos in the Central Plains?"

Xuan Zang said slowly, "There are thousands of methods in the world. In the end, evil will not prevail over good. The Mahavairocana's teachings can subdue all evil."

After he finished speaking, Xuan Zang turned into a golden light and disappeared.

Everyone's expression turned solemn. Hongjun did not understand. He was only thinking about the Carp Demon's whereabouts. Yuan Kun stood up and walked to Hongjun. After a moment of silence, Mo Rigen suddenly asked, "Kun Shen, are you planning to return to Chang 'an?"

This was also a question that the Exorcism Division had always wanted to ask. Hongjun remembered that one of his missions when he left the mountain was to expel or eliminate Xie Yu. He wanted Chong Ming to return to Chang 'an and control the human world.

Now that Xie Yu had escaped, Chang 'an had become a masterless land in the eyes of the demons. Yuan Kun rarely participated in the affairs of the demons. However, since he was on good terms with Qing Xiong, it was obvious that he was part of the Dazzling Gold Palace. Would Chong Ming return to Chang 'an? Where was Qing Xiong now?

Hongjun immediately said, "Let's talk about this later."

Hongjun thought about how furious Chong Ming was when he left the last time. However, he still needed to find time to return to Taihang Mountains and sort out the situation in Chang 'an.

"Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourselves." Yuan Kun's tone was almost cold. He continued, "Did you hear what I said just now?"

Hongjun asked, "What did I say?"

Mo Rigen replied, "I heard you clearly."

Then, Yuan Kun disappeared with a buzzing sound.

That night, when everyone returned to the Exorcism Division, Yang Guifei had already left. Li Jinglong was in the study keeping accounts. Everyone wanted to go back to their rooms to sleep. However, Li Jinglong said, "Go after you receive your reward."

The reward this time had already surpassed any of the previous ones. Li Longji's reward was a thousand taels of gold. Li Jinglong not only divided it equally according to the number of people, he also gave an extra portion to Lu Xu.

"Why are you giving me so much?" Lu Xu asked.

"Your dowry." Li Jinglong replied.

Everyone immediately roared with laughter. Lu Xu was extremely embarrassed and said, "Give it all to Mo Rigen. I don't need that much money."

Late at night, Li Jinglong returned to his room and peeled lychees for Hongjun. When he heard Hongjun's words, he thought for a moment and said, "Zhao Zilong is still secondary …"

"He will come back, right?" Hongjun said.

Li Jinglong replied, "Of course. However, I was thinking that Kun Shen's goal tonight was not to kill Zhao Zilong, but to tell us that there is still hope. "

Hongjun said, "How much of the monk's words can be trusted?"

Li Jinglong, "…"

Hongjun, "??"

Li Jinglong leaned close to Hongjun's ear and said with a smile, "That's not a monk, wife, that's Buddha."

Hongjun, "…"

"Forget it." Li Jinglong said, "Why do you think so much all day? Naturally, your brothers will take care of these annoying matters. You just need to focus on eating. "

Hongjun only felt that she was becoming more and more stupid because of Li Jinglong. In the past, she could still think about things, but now, her brain could only be used a few times a day.

"We're going to Hangzhou to play tomorrow." Li Jinglong said, "If we can't finish eating, we'll eat on the way. Come, sleep, I'll give you something else to eat." As he spoke, he hugged Hongjun and pressed her onto the bed.

Early in the morning, in a small town in Chencang County, a dozen villagers surrounded the corpse of the Carp Demon and clicked their tongues in wonder.

"Why does this fish have legs? Is it a demon? "

"We haven't seen a demon in so many years."

"Send it to the county?"

"Ai, this was discovered by my son." A villager said, "If we sell it, we'll get the money."

"Why don't we go to the market and take a look?" Someone suggested. If they could really sell it and get the money to eat a meal, the village would have to hire a Daoist to get rid of the bad luck. The family that obtained the Carp Demon gladly agreed.

Thus, someone took a fish hook and hung the Carp Demon from the upper jaw and put it on the market to sell. The passersby were all shocked. When they asked for the price, they offered forty taels of silver, but no one was willing to buy it.

Firstly, its two hands and two legs were like human flesh. Eating it would make one's hair stand on end. Secondly, it was already dead. It was not fresh. The fish meat was not delicious. If they bought it, it would at most be dried and displayed. It could not be used as an ornament, so what use was there?

On this day, a group of Shu merchants brought embroidery into Qinchuan. They passed by Chencang County and saw the Carp Demon. They were shocked and took out money to buy it. Of course, after buying it, they regretted it. If they gave it to the Emperor, they did not know if it could be kept fresh until they entered Chang 'an. If they cooked it and ate it, they did not know if the demon was poisonous. Furthermore, it had hands and legs. No matter how they looked at it, they did not feel like eating it.

That Shu merchant was someone who had too much money and nowhere to spend it. After buying it, he ordered his men to throw it away and put some salt in it. He also saw if there were any idiots in Chang 'an that wanted to buy it.

However, salt was expensive in this day and age. The workers of the caravan stuck a talisman on the Carp Demon's head and rubbed some salt on its body. They then threw it into the corner of the cart.

When the caravan left Chen Cang, there was a loud clap of thunder and heavy rain. The workers hurriedly draped the tarpaulin over the caravan. The water flowed down and washed over the caravan monster's body. As the rainwater soaked in, the caravan monster's gills suddenly opened and closed, coming to life.

"Ha — —!" The Carp Demon's eyes were wide open. It struggled a few times and shook off its hands. It clung onto the cart and climbed up. Its fish head looked around.

In the cage, there were two golden pheasants from Sichuan. They were also looking at the Carp Demon.

The Carp Demon muttered to itself, "Where is this? Ah … it hurts. "

The Carp Demon's entire body was in pain. Its scales were burnt and fell off. It clung onto the edge of the cart and looked out.

"We've arrived at Chencang, right?" One of the golden pheasants said.

The carp demon jumped in fright and said, "A demon!"

"Aren't you a demon yourself?" The other golden pheasant mocked, "Are you crazy?"

The Carp Demon thought about it and said, "You two … why are you here?"

"Are you blind?" The first golden pheasant said, "Can't you see that we're locked up?"

"Are you … both male?" The Carp Demon asked curiously. It remembered that usually, male birds had more beautiful feathers.

"What does it have to do with you whether we're male or female?" The second golden pheasant said bluntly, "Are all aquatic creatures so nosy?"

The Carp Demon said, "I'm in so much pain — —" The Carp Demon's mouth was in pain. Its body was also in pain. Its stomach was also half dead from hunger.

There were a few holes in the oil paper. Rainwater flowed down endlessly. Not long after, the two golden pheasants were drenched. Although it was summer, the rain was so cold that the golden pheasants shivered. There was no place on their bodies that was dry. They could only squeeze together to keep warm.

After the rain, the air in Chang 'an was incomparably fresh. Li Jinglong led the people from the Exorcism Division out of Hangu Pass. He temporarily left the Trandol wine shop to the waiter and also went out to play with Atay. Everyone followed the main road between the mountains to Luoyang. They stayed at the Luoyang Bureau of Exorcism. for a day before heading to the Grand Canal. At that time, the Luo River Waterway led directly to Yangzhou. It was also midsummer, so there was an endless stream of ships coming and going.

"You're still taking a ship?" Hongjun asked Li Jinglong.

Qiu Yongsi smiled and replied, "It's not a problem. The Luo River and the Grand Canal are not like the Yellow River. There are no storms. Hey, today I'm also basking in Chief Shi's glory. Only officials can stay here. "

Indeed, the Beijing-Hangzhou waterway was much smoother than the Yellow River. According to Qiu Yongsi's suggestion, everyone rented the middle deck of a large boat. There were six magnificent rooms. As soon as the boat set sail, the wind blew and the curtains flew up. The summer heat was immediately dispelled. The scenery on both sides of the river was picturesque. In only three days and three nights, they would arrive at Hangzhou.

The last time Hongjun boarded a ship, he stayed in the middle deck. This was his first time riding a ship, so he was extremely excited. Li Jinglong strolled around with him. This large boat was used by high officials and nobles. It was specially used by officials of the third rank and above to travel between Suhang and Luoyang. Li Jinglong specially asked the Crown Prince to write a handwritten order. He was the Crown Prince's favorite, so the local officials naturally served him carefully.

On the Grand Canal waterway, it was just as Qiu Yongsi said. The wind was calm and there were not many bumps. There were even female singers singing along with the pipa. The boat also provided exquisite snacks along the way. During the day, everyone gathered in the spacious central hall. Some were reading, while others were admiring the scenery. It was truly carefree and happy.

Hongjun sat in front of the railing and looked at the green mountains on both sides of the river. Li Jinglong sat in front of the table and drank tea.

Mo Rigen and Atay looked at a stack of paper and maps. For several days, they looked at them non-stop. Atay even brought a few ancient Persian books and flipped through them from time to time.

"What are you looking at?" Hongjun finally could not help but ask.

Mo Rigen frowned and said, "We are trying to figure out the meaning of these symbols. Have you seen them before?"

Atay flipped the paper and showed it to Hongjun. Hongjun shook his head.

"What about this one?" Atay asked again.

Trandol said, "This Uighur script does not look like Uighur script. The Tubo script does not look like Tubo script. I don't think these are words."

Atay said, "They must be words. They can't be seals. We tried."

"Let's try again?" Trandol said with his hands on his hips.

Atay immediately corrected himself, "Yes, they are not words!"

Only then did Trandol give up. Hongjun did not know whether to laugh or cry.