owlsbooks Chapter 283: Only Hope for the Southward Geese
Chapter 283: Only Hope for the Southward Geese
Chapter 283: Only Hope for the Southward Geese
"Be careful, there's a river ahead!"
Little Stone suddenly stood up straight on the spot, blocking the two people behind him from following him.
Tian Qingwen looked over Zhao Erguan's shoulder and noticed that the view in front of him suddenly opened up. He heard the sound of cold and damp wind beside his ears. He vaguely saw the rugged rocks and dangerous cliffs under Xiao Shitou's feet. It was like being in a daunting canyon. If they had not stopped in time, they would probably have fallen into the turbulent underground river.
Where the three people suddenly stopped, there was a faint roar of water. The originally dark environment became slightly clearer as a sharp sword cut through the heavy fog - it was a ray of light from the sky that suddenly fell, hanging down from a narrow hole in the top of the cave.
Judging from the square structure of the cave entrance, it actually looks like the mouth of an ancient well, with a well rope tightly tied to a windlass, floating vertically in the underground river. There is even a black, incorruptible driftwood standing in the undercurrent like a ferry bridge.
At this time they all understood that the cloud shadows and sky light floating above their heads were because of the tortuous and stealthy route of the tunnel robbers, which made them unknowingly find themselves in a mysterious cave with land above and underground river below!
The entire cave river is hidden deep underground. The winding and deep cave terrain is far beyond imagination. The drought demon had already disappeared downstream after escaping here. If a living person was swept into the deep and winding underground river, it would be a luxury to even leave a complete body.
"We have to find a way out..."
Tian Qingwen suggested.
Fortunately, there was a well rope hanging not far away, and the three men were not clumsy. Xiao Shitou and Tian Qingwen ignored the moss and weeds on the well wall and quickly climbed up the rope flexibly. When it was Zhao Erguan's turn at last, he did not have the strength to climb, so he put one foot on the wooden bucket for drawing water and held the strong well rope tightly with both hands. The two people above worked together to push the windlass, and the winch brought him up.
"This seems to be... Ruiyan Zen Temple?"
Zhao Erguan was dumbfounded when he climbed out of the well. He walked around the mossy stone well for a few times and then recognized with certainty that the building, which was built against the mountain, was the treasured temple of Wutun, the Ruiyan Zen Temple. Legend has it that the Longjing well in the temple behind them was used for the construction of the temple. The wood floated out of the well and was inexhaustible. It turned out that there was an underground river passing through it!
Tian Qingwen also expressed disbelief. Ruiyan Temple and where they were just now were originally separated by Huangao Ridge. The route of the secret passage just now actually crossed an entire hill and finally merged into the underground river? !
There were towering ancient trees in the temple, which was a magnificent sight, but there were very few monks and no pilgrims to be seen. The three of them were covered in mud and looked very miserable. There happened to be a covered bridge with a glazed roof and carved dragons and phoenixes not far away. The stream under the bridge was clear and you could see a few fish swimming in it. The three of them decided to wash in the stream in front of the temple while there was no one around.
But when they glanced out of the corner of their eyes, the three of them actually saw a familiar figure standing on the covered bridge.
When Xiao Shitou looked around, he saw a lame monk walking side by side with Hong Wendi, who had been missing for several days. They were discussing something with each other and had no time to pay attention to other things.
Just like that, by chance, they suddenly found Hong Wendi on the bridge, which caught Xiao Shitou and Zhao Erguan off guard. They were both overjoyed. Only Tian Qingwen, who hadn't seen Hong Wendi for a long time, was the last one to identify him based on the expressions of the other two.
She was overjoyed and was about to shout, but Xiao Shitou grabbed her arm and almost pulled her to the ground.
"what are you doing!"
Tian Qingwen asked angrily, but Xiao Shitou said to her seriously, "Don't recognize each other yet. Look at Junior Brother Hong's gesture."
Tian Qingwen looked in the direction of the voice and discovered that the lame monk next to him had been leaning sideways to ask questions. As one of his legs was lame, he could only try his best to lean to keep his balance, with his waist and shoulders twisted towards Hong Wendi.
At this time, Hong Wendi was turning his body, quietly moving his arms to an angle that Master Hengmin could not see, and putting the backs of his hands together, obviously doing it for the three of them to see.
"The junior brother has recognized us - he means that he is safe now, so don't act rashly."
At this time, Xiao Shitou was so calm and stubborn that people couldn't even think of refuting him.
On the other side, Hong Wendi was discussing the criminal case with the great monk Hengmin, describing in detail what he had seen and heard.
He said that he had encountered a ghost for unknown reason last night and fell down in the Qingxian Tower of the abandoned government office. When he woke up, there was nothing around him and the criminal records hidden on his body were missing. He barely managed to escape until dawn. Fearing that the people from the Jingqi Sect would find out, he temporarily hid back in Ruiyan Zen Temple.
Master Hengmin seemed to be very regretful after hearing this, but he tried his best to control his expression from showing any stiffness. While comforting Hong Wendi, he kept asking him if he remembered the contents of the criminal file. If he could get some clues, it might be helpful to County Magistrate Guan.
"Little donor, why is your body shaking so much? Is your injury acting up?"
When Master Hengmin saw that Hong Wendi was in an awkward posture, he stepped forward to ask about his well-being. However, he never imagined that he was using secret language and hand gestures to communicate with the small stones beside the stream.
Hong Wendi caught a glimpse of the three people standing still, so he secretly withdrew his gesture, covered his chest and answered with difficulty.
"It's just a minor injury. It will be fine after a few days of rest."
Abbot Hengmin then said with concern: "It's okay, it's okay. You are a distinguished guest. You can recuperate in my Ruiyan Temple for as long as you want."
"Thank you, Master Hengmin!"
When Master Hengmin saw that Hong Wendi had finally agreed to stay, he cursed Magistrate Guan in his heart for being a traitor. He was really afraid that Hong Wendi would just walk away and leave them all to the drought demon to fend for themselves. So he simply talked about old stories as they walked, hoping to dissuade Hong Wendi from leaving.
"Young benefactor, the sneaky things you saw in the city last night were done by the Jingqi Sect, and the old case from the previous day is closely related to this group of evil people."
"During the Jiajing period, when the Chong'an government was about to make a final judgment on a murder case, this group of evil people caught hold of the official's words and persuaded the Christians to attack the government office that night. The criminals were so cruel and ungrateful that they even carried the body of the deceased into the government office without burying it, hoping to force a retrial."
"The public outcry over this matter was so intense that it took several months to calm down. When the prefect of Jianning, Yang Yi'e, heard about it, he sent people to re-examine the case. The judge Lin Wanchun and the prosecutor Wu Weijing both went to Chong'an in person. After hearing the case, they still made a judgment based on the common principles of heaven and earth and the common principles of ancient and modern times."
"After hearing about this, the leader of the Jingchu sect, a demon named Zhang, began to stir up trouble. That night, he set up an evil spell in the government office and summoned ghosts to roam around all day. He used this to deceive the Chong'an sect members, saying that the criminal justice system in Chong'an County was unjust, which was why the wronged souls were restless. Only by burning incense and repenting with the Jingchu sect could they obtain the true knowledge and law of the righteous way. From then on, all lawsuits among the people were based on the words of the demon Jingchu, and the government lost its power."
Great Monk Hengmin sighed repeatedly and spoke with great sincerity. The clues he mentioned were quite consistent with what Hong Wendi had seen and heard last night. For example, the headless male corpse in front of the courtyard and the nameless coffin in the building were obviously subtly related to the unjust imprisonment that the monk mentioned.
"Master Hengmin, what is the mystery behind this case that has caused such a stir?"
"Alas, these are things that happened a hundred years ago. The people involved at the time have all returned to dust. How can we find out more clearly? In the final analysis, it was just the Jingqi Sect that was stirring up trouble. County Magistrate Guan now wants to trace the source, eliminate the unsolved case from the root, and revive the morale, but he has to bring up this matter again."
The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously. Hong Wendi immediately understood the magistrate's position in the matter. The monk in front of him could only evade the question, so he kept these things in mind and did not ask any more questions. The two chatted about some irrelevant topics. Hong Wendi used the excuse that his injuries had not yet healed and his blood was weak, and took the initiative to return to the Zen room in Ruiyan Zen Temple to rest.
The three people, Xiao Shitou, who were wandering by the stream, saw that Hong Wendi and the monk had turned around and returned to the Zen temple. After thinking for a moment, they left the place and walked in the opposite direction. When they were almost outside the mountain gate, they saw Hong Wendi waiting in a quiet forest.
"Junior brother, you are still alive."
"Young Master Hong, long time no see... How are you?"
"Junior Brother Hong, how did you get here?"
Three people with three different attitudes. Hong Wendi smiled slightly, raised his head and said, "This is a long story. The abbot of Ruiyan Temple was nearby just now, so some things were not convenient to discuss, so I simply used words to send him away."
Tian Qingwen said anxiously, "Is this monk a bad guy? Aren't we afraid that he will see us talking here?"
Hong Wendi smiled confidently: "Don't worry, the agile monk in the temple was knocked down by me the day before yesterday. In fact, we may have been monitored as early as in Chong'an County. Although there are monks in this temple watching me, it may not be dangerous."
Little Stone asked, "Are the bad guys in Chong'an City?"
Hong Wendi answered very calmly: "I haven't checked it out yet."
Afterwards, Hong Wendi recounted how he was deliberately captured that night and how he was followed to the vicinity of Ruiyan Zen Temple. At that time, he felt that someone in Chong'an City was spying on him, and when he met the vicious Monk Ye again last night, he became more convinced of this idea.
However, Hong Wendi did not clearly state who he suspected, and continued to tell the three people everything about how he encountered ghosts while visiting the abandoned government office at night. Xiao Shitou and the other two were amazed that such a small county government office could hide so many ghosts.
After talking about Hong Wendi, Xiao Shitou also recounted how they found the senior brother of the Jingqi Sect and their adventure in the Guihui Sutra. The two sides verified each other's stories and suddenly had many more clues.
"The Lin Cun monster disappeared in the dense forest outside Ruiyan Temple. If, as you said, there is a hidden river under the Dragon Well, then the Hanba must be lurking nearby."
Hong Wendi thought carefully, as if he was trying to determine whether it was safe here or not. "Abbot Hengmin's fear of Hanba doesn't seem fake. I'm afraid Hanba is here to deal with them. It would be safer for you to return to Chong'an County now while others don't know about our relationship. I'll continue to investigate here."
Tian Qingwen was naturally deeply sorry that Hong Wendi escaped on his own. At this time, he could only say with a little concern: "Young man, I suspect that this drought demon is the work of an old mountain spirit. Even if you are good at martial arts, you still need to be more cautious when alone."
Tian Qingwen's words and deeds imply that you are not safe alone. Look at me, look at me. I am very free and have plenty of time now!
Hong Wending nodded and said solemnly: "Of course I know. But I have important matters to attend to for my master, and Abbot Hengmin has always been on good terms with the Magistrate of Chong'an, so I have no choice but to take advantage of his situation."
Zhao Erguan seemed to want to say something, but he couldn't say it for a long time. Instead, Xiao Shitou said seriously: "Junior brother, do you want me to do something?"
Hong Wendi smiled at him tacitly and nodded.
In the eyes of others, Xiao Shitou might be just an ignorant child of six or seven years old, but only his disciples knew that this child's martial arts skills were so high and his character was so strong that he was already a powerful weapon among the young disciples of Wuyi Sect.
"That's right, Senior Brother. I still have only a limited understanding of the Jingqi Sect, and it is not convenient for me to communicate with them. I need you to sneak in and find out about this matter. We can help each other and avoid being completely wiped out when something goes wrong."
Hong Wendi originally thought that Xiao Shitou was abducted by the Jingqi Sect, and wanted to use the connections of County Magistrate Guan to find out more about him. But now that he found out that he was not abducted, he wanted to do the opposite.
Tian Qingwen retorted in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "Young man, I have joined the Jingqi Sect. The sect is full of people from the countryside, so it doesn't look like there will be any problems."
Upon hearing this, Hong Wending said quickly, "Okay! Then Miss Laotian will recommend my brother to join the sect. I don't know the right and wrong of both parties, but I believe that with my brother's wisdom, he will be able to distinguish between good and bad."
Little Shitou smiled with his chest puffed out, and immediately put on the posture of a senior disciple and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, Junior Brother, they can't fool me."
After some discussion, Hong Wendi looked at Tian Qingwen again for some reason. The firmness and sincerity in his eyes made her feel a little shy, and she quickly lowered her head.
"Young man, what are your instructions? Qingwen will never refuse..."
"Miss Tian, I have been feeling uneasy lately. Chong'an has been in turmoil, and I don't know when the next incident will happen. If this continues, I am afraid I will be alone..."
Tian Qingwen was full of expectations, thinking that Hong Wendi would say something to ask her to stay, but when Hong Wendi opened his mouth, he made the exact opposite request.
"I have a letter here. After you recommend my brother to join the sect, please go to the Great King Peak of Wuyi Mountain as soon as possible and ask me to send our master, the "Gentleman Sword" Jiang Wenjiang, to take charge!"
(End of this chapter)