Page 8
No matter how hard you disguise yourself, you can't pretend to be an ordinary person.
Especially Lord Buddha, who has been in a high position for many years, and the aura of a superior cannot be concealed no matter what.
"How about it? You have nothing to say now, right? This is called camouflage reconnaissance, you guys should learn it carefully." Master Qi Ba said with a proud look on his face when he saw that he had turned the game around.
"Master Qi, your outfit is indeed suitable for camouflage reconnaissance, but..." Zhang Qihai, who had been watching Adjutant Zhang and Master Qi bickering, spoke up.
"What's wrong? Master Xiao Fo, is there any problem with my perfect disguise? If there is, just tell me. I don't believe it. I got up early in the morning to disguise myself, so what flaws can be found?" Master Qi Ba said confidently.
"Mr. Ba, there is indeed nothing wrong with your outfit, it is indeed perfect. In addition to makeup this time, there is another very important thing, which is covert reconnaissance. However, the bell on the neck of the donkey you are leading can be heard two miles away when it walks. Can this still be called covert reconnaissance? I think you are going to inform the enemy, right?" Zhang Qihai said with a smile.
Both Master Fo and Adjutant Zhang were amused, while Master Qi was ashamed, but he could not say anything back, so he had to pull down the bell and throw it away.
Just as Zhang Qihai said, it was indeed a problem for him to lead the donkey with a bell hanging on it. If the bell rang, it would easily alert the enemy, so Mr. Qi Baye did not refute.
"Okay, let's stop talking nonsense. It's getting late. It's time for us to set off on our journey!" The Buddha laughed for a while and began to speak.
As soon as he finished speaking, Master Buddha took the lead and rushed out.
Adjutant Zhang followed closely behind and rushed forward along the railway.
Seeing this, Zhang Qihai also wanted to drive his horse to catch up, but at this moment, Master Qi Ba said, "Little Master Fo, wait for me! Can you guys slow down? My donkey is no match for your war horses and can't catch up with yours!"
"Master Qi, why don't you give up this donkey? How about we ride on the same horse?" Seeing this, Zhang Qihai said to Master Qi with a wry smile.
"That's fine too. Thank you very much, Master Buddha!"
Mr. Qi was also aware that if he continued to walk at the same speed as his donkey, he might not be able to reach the mine until the day after tomorrow, so he did not shirk his responsibility.
Then a group of four people rode fast horses and galloped forward along the railway track.
Soon, two hours had passed.
However, the railway track still had no end, and at this moment, they were already far away from Changsha City. After such a long and bumpy ride, Master Fo and Adjutant Zhang, who came from the military, were naturally not affected.
They had long been accustomed to traveling on horseback. As for Zhang Qihai, he had been transformed by the Qilin bloodline, so his physical fitness was naturally several times stronger than that of ordinary people, so he would not be affected. However, Mr. Qi Ba was just a weak scholar, so he naturally could not withstand the long journey.
The Eighth Master immediately shouted, "Master Buddha, how about we take a break? I am a weak scholar and I can't bear it any longer. If I keep going like this, I'm afraid I will die. This broken road is too bumpy!"
"Okay, we've been traveling for such a long time, let's take a break. However, there's no place to rest nearby, how about we walk forward and see if there's a place to rest." The Buddha was also aware of Mr. Qi's physical condition and agreed to his request to rest.
After all, this was near the railway and there was no place to rest, so they could only continue riding their horses forward.
The Eighth Master was also a man who knew the importance of things, and nodded when he heard this.
After half a quarter of an hour, the group finally saw a small town in front of them, but it looked a bit desolate. They found a place to tie up the horses and walked towards the town.
The group soon arrived at the town, only to find that the whole town was extremely desolate, with weeds growing everywhere, and it was obvious that no one had lived there for a long time.
Judging from the numerous houses in the town, this town must have been very prosperous in the past. However, it is now deserted, which seems very strange.
"Everyone be careful, this town is a bit weird. Little brother, you better follow my steps closely." After the leading Buddha said this, he walked in front to clear the way for everyone.
After hearing the Buddha's instructions, everyone nodded in agreement.
This deserted town really felt a bit eerie, so I followed the Buddha vigilantly, carefully observing the surroundings.
Chapter 16 Fortune Telling
Zhang Qihai did not respond to the Buddha's words at this time. Instead, he walked to the bushes beside him to check, and then shouted in the direction of the crowd: "Brother, look, there is a stone tablet covered in the bushes, and there seems to be a stone beast statue. It looks like it is quite old."
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, the Buddha turned around to check.
Master Qi and Adjutant Zhang also came together. Suddenly, Master Qi seemed to have seen something horrible, and pointed at the stone tablet and the stone beast statue and shouted.
"Eighth Master, what happened?" Master Fo turned his head and asked.
"Master Buddha, Little Master Buddha, look at the craftsmanship on this stone tablet and stone animal statue. Does it look exactly like the craftsmanship of the things we found on the train before? If I'm not mistaken, these things should be from the same era as those on the train, and should all be from the Southern and Northern Dynasties. But how come the things in this tomb appear in this place?"
After saying this, Mr. Qi Ba's words also showed some shock and confusion.
"Master Qi, what did you say? Do you mean that these things and the coffins on the train came from the same tomb?" Master Zhang Dafo was also shocked by what Master Qi said.
"That's right, Master Buddha! Judging from the materials and carving techniques of these objects, they should have come from the ancient tomb of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. And judging from the number of burial coffins on the train, with such a grand ceremony, the background of the tomb owner must be not that simple, at least he must be a royal noble."
Mr. Qi paused for a moment, then continued with great confidence: "According to the funeral customs during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, no one else was allowed to build tombs around the tombs of the princes and nobles. Therefore, these things could only have come out of the same tomb."
"In that case, we should have found the right place. No wonder this town is so desolate. It turns out this is where the ghost train starts. However, no one has lived in this town for a long time. What should we do next?" Adjutant Zhang said.
"Now that we have found the real culprit, we must not return empty-handed. Everyone must be careful. Let's go to the center of the town first. Maybe we can get some relevant clues." The Buddha began to speak and then walked towards the center of the town.
Zhang Qihai also followed closely in the footsteps of Zhang Dafoye. Adjutant Zhang knew that wherever Dafoye was, he would be there, so naturally he would not hesitate and followed behind.
At this time, the three people had already walked far away, and Mr. Qi could only follow the crowd and walk towards the center of the town.
Although Qi Tiezui was afraid, he was also a man of chivalry, so naturally he had to follow the crowd. What's more, he had no way to retreat. His donkey had been left halfway. If he ran back alone, with his small body, he might not be able to return to Changsha City even if he died of exhaustion.
Now we can only follow Master Buddha and the others and go all the way to the end.
Led by Zhang Dafoye, several people searched the town carefully, but after searching most of the place, they didn't see a single living person.
When a few people were about to give up and plan to find a place to rest, the sound of a door opening was heard from a house not far from them.
Afterwards, a woman came out of the house, holding a child in her left hand and carrying a bag on her back. It was obvious that she was going to leave the town.
"Adjutant Zhang, go up and ask what's going on." Seeing this, the Buddha quickly asked Adjutant Zhang to go up and investigate the situation.
Zhang Rishan nodded and walked quickly towards the woman.
After some twists and turns, Adjutant Zhang finally got some useful information out of the woman, and hurried back to report to Master Buddha: "Master Buddha, the woman just said that the reason there is no one in this town is because there have been several large-scale mining accidents in the mines behind the town, killing many young people. Moreover, since the mining accidents, strange things have happened in the town from time to time, and some people even say that the town is haunted. Therefore, the people in the town dare not stay in this town, so they have left their hometown one after another."
"Oh? Mine? In that case, the mine we are looking for should be here. Does this ghost train really come from here?" Buddha said thoughtfully.
"That's right, and the woman also provided a very important piece of information. Long before the mine disaster, a group of Japanese had come to the mine, and after the mine disaster, these Japanese left in a hurry." Adjutant Zhang added.
"Haha, mine? Mine accident? Japanese devils? This matter is becoming more and more interesting." The Buddha sneered.
"Now that the truth has been revealed, and those Japanese devils have already left, should we go back home to Changsha?" Seeing that the matter had been clarified, Mr. Qi said with anticipation.
"Go back to Changsha? No! Not only are we not going back, we are going to stay here tonight. Since this place is the source of everything, we must get to the bottom of it!" said the Buddha after thinking for a while.
"Ah? Really? Master Buddha, you are kidding again, right? Didn't Adjutant Zhang just say that the reason why people in this town left their hometown is because this town is haunted! You actually want to stay here for another night?"
Mr. Qi was very frightened. As fortune tellers, they were extremely afraid of being contaminated by these weird things. When they heard that Mr. Zhang was going to stay the night, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.
"Stop talking nonsense. This town is also under the jurisdiction of Changsha City. I must find out what happened behind this. Stay here for one night. I will know whether it is a human or a ghost. Don't worry, since I brought you out, I will bring you back intact." After comforting Master Qi Ba, Zhang Dafo ordered, "Let's keep going!"
Mr. Qi Ba originally wanted to retort, but after opening his mouth, he didn't say anything in the end.
All he could do now was to keep moving forward. He was of course very clear about Master Buddha's temper. Once this master made a decision, ten horses could not change it. Only Master Buddha's opinion would be listened to. However, Master Qi glanced at Zhang Qihai, who also looked excited at this time.
At this time, Mr. Qi Ba could only follow the crowd and continue walking towards the depths of the town.
The four of them walked around the town at will. The fact was just as they had guessed at the beginning. There was no sign of any human life in the entire town. It was like a ghost town.
Chapter 17 Method
"Oh, Master Buddha, I can't do it anymore. I really can't walk anymore."
"From this morning till now, I haven't eaten a single bite of food or a drop of water! If you keep going like this, I'll be starving before you figure out what's going on!"
"Master Buddha! You three are martial artists, so you can certainly handle it, but you also have to consider me, a scholar! I can't handle it! Give me something to eat quickly."
After several hours of exploration, the four of them finally walked through the entire town.
It was getting dark at this time. Master Qi kept complaining all the way. Judging from his pale face and chapped lips, he was not joking. If he didn't eat something, drink some water and rest for a while, Master Qi might faint on the spot.
"We've explored the entire town but can't find any clues. In that case, let's eat something and rest for a while, then find a place to stay."
Seeing that Mr. Qi Ba looked half dead, the Buddha couldn't bear it.
"Hahaha! Long live the Buddha! Adjutant Zhang, why are you still standing there? Didn't you hear what the Buddha said? Hurry up and distribute the dry food!" When Mr. Qi saw that the Buddha had given in, a look of joy immediately appeared on his face, and he hurriedly asked Adjutant Zhang for dry food.
"Dry food? What dry food? I didn't bring any dry food?" Adjutant Zhang asked in confusion.
"What? Zhang Rishan! You didn't bring any dry food? Then what's in this backpack?" Upon hearing that Adjutant Zhang didn't bring any dry food, his voice suddenly rose eight octaves and he called Adjutant Zhang by his name.
"What else? A telescope for reconnaissance, and some emergency weapons and medicines." Adjutant Zhang said calmly.
"Really? Zhang Rishan, are you kidding me? We came out for reconnaissance, and you didn't even bring any dry food?" Mr. Qi said angrily.
"Are you kidding? I really didn't bring any dry food. It's okay for Master Buddha and I to go without food for three days, so what's the point of bringing dry food?" Adjutant Zhang said innocently.
This cannot be blamed on him. He and Master Fo are both members of the Zhang family and have special physiques. They can naturally go without food or water or sleep for a few days. So in this situation, Zhang Rishan naturally did not prepare any dry food.
"No way! It's no problem for you to go without food and water, but I can't! This is a desolate mountain area with no one around. What should we do? Where can we get food?" At this time, Mr. Qi was already a little desperate.
"Who can I blame for this? You're the one who's hungry, but you didn't even know to bring your own dry food." Zhang Rishan spread his hands, looking as if it had nothing to do with him.
"You dragged me out to accompany you on an adventure, and now you want me to prepare my own food? Do you have any conscience at all?" At this time, Mr. Qi was speechless.
"Okay, Mr. Qi, don't be angry. It's just finding something to eat! It's not difficult. I'll think of a solution for you." Seeing Mr. Qi's speechless look, Zhang Qihai, who was watching the show, quickly spoke up.
"What can we do? Did you bring any food, Little Buddha?" Mr. Qi's eyes sparkled and he became interested in Zhang Qihai's words.
"You know, like my elder brother and the others, I have a special physique and don't need to eat, so I didn't bring any food. Although we have nothing to eat, it doesn't mean that others don't have anything!" Zhang Qihai said, leaving the question in suspense.
"Little Master Fo, you have been kept in suspense." Master Qi Ba asked anxiously.
"See the smoke from cooking in the east direction of the town? What does this mean? Someone must be making a fire and cooking over there! Let's go over and take a look. It's not too much to pay them some money and have a meal, right?" Zhang Qihai said with a smile when he saw Mr. Qi's impatient look.
"There really is smoke from cooking! Master Buddha, your observation skills are amazing. Your idea is really great. Let's go over there right now."
Mr. Qi looked towards the east and saw a cloud of smoke rising. He immediately became energized and hurriedly walked in front.
"Fortune teller, it's too early for you to be happy. Have you forgotten what that woman said, that this town is haunted? Who knows, the smoke from the cooking stoves may be created by those things, specifically to lure people like you into being fooled." Seeing Mr. Qi's excited face, Adjutant Zhang couldn't help but be disappointed.
"Oh, never mind, eating is the most important thing. If I can be full, even if it's a ghost, I, Qi Tiezui, will accept it!" Mr. Qi's mind was completely drifting to the east at this time, and he waved his hand indifferently.
Seeing this, Master Fo and others hurriedly followed.
After a while, everyone arrived at the door of a dilapidated temple.
The smoke rises from here. You can smell the fragrance of food when you get close to the temple gate. In addition, you can also hear a group of people talking inside.
Master Qi was about to push open the temple door and walk in, but Master Buddha quickly stopped him and said, "Don't worry, there might be a scam! Don't you think it's strange that a group of people suddenly appeared in this desolate mountain? I suspect there's something fishy going on here, maybe they are Japanese spies."
"Then what should we do? If I don't eat, I really can't stand it." Mr. Qi Ba also knew the overall situation. He didn't force his way in and kept swallowing his saliva.
"Brother, it doesn't matter whether the people inside are Japanese spies or not. We have no choice now. If we want to find out the relationship between this mine and the enemy, we must find someone to ask clearly. Now the whole town has moved away, so our target can only be them. Even if the people inside are really Japanese spies, it may not be a bad thing for us to alert the enemy. We can always find some clues." Zhang Qihai also spoke up when he saw this situation.
"Master Buddha, what Little Master Buddha said makes sense! Let's go in and take a look, then we'll know for sure."
At this time, Mr. Ba was already extremely hungry and no longer cared about whether it was dangerous or not. As long as he could have a full meal, it didn't matter even if the other party was really a Japanese spy.