Chapter 301 Buddha and Devil
Chapter 301 Buddha and Devil (Part 3, please give me a monthly ticket)
"Da Lang, Er Lang, we have crossed the Yellow River. We must be careful next time." Captain Zuo looked solemn, exuding a cold aura.
He had just stepped out of Fenglingdu with the elite team of the Monster Catching Bureau.
Fenglingdu is located at the corner where the Yellow River turns east. As the largest ferry crossing on the Yellow River, its strategic location is extremely important and it has always been a battleground for military strategists.
Captain Zuo brought people from the Monster Catching Division here not to spy on the military situation in the north, as that was the responsibility of the Military Statistics and Investigation Division under the command of the Prince of Wei.
Since its establishment, the Monster Catching Bureau has shouldered the mission of clearing the world of monsters. No matter where in the world, as long as there are monsters wreaking havoc, the Monster Catching Bureau has the obligation to step forward, slay the monsters and save innocent people from danger.
This is also Xu Qing's strict requirement for the Monster Catching Division. Even in enemy territory, if they encounter demons, the Monster Catching Division must not stand idly by.
In Xu Qing's grand vision, the Monster Hunting Division is like a peacekeeping force, upholding justice in the world.
If the Immortal Dynasty fully matures in the future, it can also use the existing framework of the Monster Catching Bureau to set up the Gods of Thunder, or find a God of Justice to lead the Monster Catching Bureau.
In short, the current actions of the Monster Catching Bureau are full of justice, and this is also the tacit understanding between Xu Qing and the old emperor.
Even though the purpose of establishing the Monster Catching Bureau is not completely pure, the fact that its leader is a righteous man is enough to make this mission shine.
In this world, some things do require the perseverance of idealists. Of course, Xu Qing's use of Zuo Qianhu's righteous character seems a bit despicable to some extent, which is also the inherent bad nature of power seekers.
But a scheming person can use despicable means, but he cannot be just despicable. In this regard, among the monarchs of the Three Dynasties and later, Emperor Wen of Han is an outstanding example. Xu Qing and the old emperor are far inferior to him.
The two brothers mentioned by Zuo Qianhu are the brothers of Guo family. After a long journey and many hardships, they finally came to a village to rest. The village was called Niujia Village.
The village elder had been waiting at the entrance of the village. His hair was gray, his face was full of wrinkles, and his eyes were filled with anxiety and expectation.
He and Zuo Qianhu are old acquaintances, because this is not the first time Zuo Qianhu has come to the north to eliminate monsters.
Right now, the number of demons in the north far exceeds that in the south, and Prince Yu doesn't care about it.
Due to the lack of Xu Qing's control, the powerful people in the north even became so crazy that they took the initiative to use the people to feed monsters. These evil deeds seriously damaged the prestige of the Dayu court.
It is completely different from the south. If Zuo Qianhu revealed the name of the Monster Catching Division in the north, he would not only fail to get the cooperation of the government and the nobles, but would also be subjected to all kinds of difficulties. It can be said that catching monsters in the north is a miserable job, and everyone avoids it, but Zuo Qianhu resolutely came.
Now Xu Qing has sent two trusted confidants to assist him. Captain Zuo secretly swore in his heart that he would never let down the trust of His Majesty and Xu Shaobao.
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...
The setting sun was blood-red, casting a shadow like a ghost's claw on the old locust tree in Niujia Village. The village elder who was familiar with Zuo Qianhu held the faded sweat towel with trembling hands, his knuckles turned white from the force, and said in a fearful and trembling voice:
"Ever since Niu Erzhu had a hysterical attack under the old locust tree on the third day of last month, there has been no peace in the village." As he spoke, he tremblingly took out a pair of indigo cloth shoes from the rattan box. The soles of the shoes were stuck with fishy black mud and exuded a foul smell. "This was picked up by his wife next to the millstone..."
Zuo Qianhu looked solemn. He took the cloth shoes and sniffed them gently. The bronze compass on his waist suddenly vibrated violently. Guo Li approached curiously and saw three parallel dark red scratches on the inside of the shoe. The shape of the grooves was very similar to the claws of the spider monster recorded in "Yanyizhi".
"It's even more weird after the Zhongyuan Festival." The village elder said, and suddenly unbuttoned his clothes, revealing the hideous burns on his chest. The scab actually formed three seal characters for "Moon Lady", which was creepy. "The night before the Zhou family girl disappeared, I saw her standing on the riverbank singing the ghost song, her eyes glowing green..."
Before he finished speaking, a woman's shrill cry suddenly came from the direction of the ancestral hall. Guo Li looked in the direction of the sound and saw a dishevelled peasant woman hanging red silk on a locust tree. There were strange spells painted on the silk with chicken blood. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the "Rebirth Sutra" written in reverse, which was indescribably strange.
"That's Shuanzi's mother." The village elder shed turbid tears and took out a mahogany rattle from his sleeve. The yin-yang fish on the drum surface was bitten through by sharp teeth, and the remaining mucus glowed phosphorescently in the twilight. "Last night, when I was patrolling, I saw a black figure carrying a sack to the mass grave. That thing... that thing has gills on the back of its neck!"
Zuo Qianhu's face suddenly changed, and the Nine Ring Knife was unsheathed with a "swish". The blade was wrapped in a sharp cold light, and the magic mirror embedded in the back of the knife reflected the roof of the ancestral hall - a few blue-gray scales were stuck between the tiles, and the edges of the scales were still stained with blood. He took some and crushed it, and the blood condensed on the surface of the compass into a map of the direction of the Yellow River. A vortex mark coincided with the monster cave in the secret report received by the Monster Catching Department.
Captain Zuo immediately took out a bronze compass from his arms, and the needle was shaking wildly towards the mass grave in the east of the village.
He first asked Guo Zhuang to take the others to rest in the village and protect Niujia Village during this time. Then he took off the mechanical instrument shaped like a bamboo dragonfly from his waist, bit his fingertips, carved a blood symbol on the wings, and said to Guo Li in a serious manner: "This is the 'Green Kite Wing' newly developed by Tiangong Institute, Erlang, hold on tight."
As soon as Guo Ligang grasped the bamboo frame, the magic weapon rose into the air with a humming sound. The speed was so fast that the wind whistled in his ears and his hair was blown wildly.
The night wind blew in his face, carrying a strong smell of blood. He lowered his head and saw a few ghostly green lights flashing in the woods below - seven or eight monsters with human faces and spider bodies were dragging a sack, with half of a red shoe embroidered with mandarin ducks sticking out of the sack.
Zuo Qianhu swung out the Nine-Ring Knife, and the demon-suppressing talisman wrapped around the blade exploded with a loud bang. The powerful force was like a cannonball exploding, knocking the two spider demons to the ground.
The smelly demon blood splashed on the sack, corroding a distorted human face, as if telling of endless pain.
Guo Li only felt that the mechanical wing in his palm suddenly became hot, and three bone-piercing nails shot out from the tip of the wing with a sharp whistling sound.
Then the Green Kite Wings swooped down with him like a meteor. The strong feeling of weightlessness made his stomach churn, and at this moment, a pale hand suddenly stretched out from the sack.
"Be careful of the witchcraft!" Zuo Qianhu shouted, his voice like a bell, and quickly swung out the demon-binding rope, which drew an arc in the air and pulled Guo Li back.
The face of the "bride" below melted like wax, revealing a mouth covered with suction cups. The monster's abdomen split open, spewing out sticky spider silk all over the sky. The spider silk was like a black torrent, and dozens of villagers' fingernails were entangled in it. The scene was extremely terrifying.
Guo Li was a ruthless man after all. He held back his vomiting, drew his sword, and performed the Five Tigers Breaking Door Sword Technique that Xu Qing had taught him personally.
He had learned this sword technique in his dream, and with the careful instruction of the young master, he had already figured out the essence of the sword.
The sword technique was performed, the tiger roared continuously, and the energy seemed to condense into a black tiger, crushing the spider silk.
Immediately afterwards, Zuo Qianhu turned the blade of his sword, and the demon-suppressing talisman on the Nine-Ring Sword ignited with green flames. The raging fire was like an angry fire beast, burning all the spider silk in the sky into ashes.
Guo Li took the opportunity to throw out three thunder and fire talismans, which turned into red thunderbolts in mid-air, splitting the ancient locust tree where the monster was hiding. The heart of the tree exploded, revealing an altar made of flesh and blood - on the altar were seven skull lamps, the lamp oil was actually bone marrow, emitting a disgusting smell.
"The flesh and blood mandala of Tantric Buddhism!" Zuo Qianhu's pupils suddenly shrank, and anger and shock surged in his heart.
He had studied martial arts at the Shangqing Palace in Laoshan and had a good understanding of the secret techniques of various sects in the world. He recognized at a glance that this was the magic array of the Snow Mountain Dalun Temple.
This mandala, which was supposed to be used to enshrine the Buddha, has been tampered with and turned into a man-eating monster cave!
The Nine-Ring Knife suddenly trembled violently, and the red flames rose sharply, like a scorching sun, breaking the twisted swastika seal on the altar into pieces.
From the depths of the evil fog, there was a low sound of chanting. The sound seemed to come from the depths of hell and it was chilling.
Eight lamas in red robes appeared, stepping to the rhythm of human-skin drums. The leader held a skull bowl in which floated the souls of boys and girls from Niujia Village. There was fear and despair on their faces.
"Donor Zuo, why do you have to be so persistent?" The lama smiled and turned the prayer wheel. The six-syllable mantra engraved on the wheel oozed black blood. "These fools are offering sacrifices to the Dark Lord, which is a precious opportunity for them to be liberated from the cycle of reincarnation."
Guo Li was also a murderer and arsonist. Hearing the other party's shameless words, he could not help but be filled with anger. "You evil monks are talking nonsense. If this is considered an opportunity, believe it or not, I will arrange a set for your whole family..."
As he spoke, he used all his strength to chop out the "Five Tigers Breaking Door Knife". The knife energy transformed into five ferocious tigers, roaring in the mountains and forests, and rushed towards the flesh and blood altar in front of them.
Zuo Qianhu naturally followed.
With the combined efforts of the two, the altar was quickly blown to pieces.
The leading lama was already in his death throes. He suddenly tore off his human skin mask, revealing a hideous face covered with tumors.
The gill-like organ on his neck opened and closed violently, spewing out a foul-smelling poisonous mist, and he said in a hoarse voice: "The Buddha has already set up many altars in the Yellow River. If you southerners dare to cross the Yellow River..."
...
…At dawn, the faint sunlight struggled to penetrate the clouds and fell on the land of Niujia Village, which had suffered so much. However, the village was shrouded in a dead silence, as if time had frozen at this moment. The ruins looked particularly desolate in the morning light, and the occasional crows added a bit of bleakness and sadness.
The villagers of Niujia searched the ruins of the ancestral hall carefully with grief and fear. This place, which once carried the villagers' faith and hope, has now turned into ruins.
They moved very carefully, and every time they turned over a brick or stone, they were afraid of disturbing the souls of the dead. Finally, they found 30 mummies, all of which had miniature vajra sticks inserted between their eyebrows.
Zuo Qianhu looked solemnly, walked forward, squatted down, and carefully examined the vajra. His eyes revealed vigilance and doubt, and he keenly noticed that the inscription on the vajra was very special. The shape of the inscription was like drops of blood, which exuded a strange atmosphere under the morning light.
Guo Zhuang stood aside. He was meticulous and had written down a lot of relevant information before coming. At this time, he took a step forward and said softly, "This is the unique hidden weapon of the Snow Mountain Envoy who joined Prince Yu. It seems that the person who made the move is at least a thousand households in the Blood Droplet."
When Zuo Qianhu heard the word "Qianhu", the corner of his mouth twitched.
Guo Li, who was standing nearby, could not help but curse when he heard this: "Brother, I think these Tantric lamas are all cannibals. The demon monks of Heshan Dao are more human than them."
Zuo Qianhu sighed, with a hint of helplessness and emotion in his expression: "I heard that the founder of Tantric Buddhism, Guru Padmasambhava, was also an enlightened master with a high status in Tubo. How come his disciples and grandchildren have become like this?"
Guo Li sneered and said, "As the saying goes, if the top beam is crooked, the bottom beam will be crooked."
"Ali, shut up." Guo Zhuang immediately gave his brother a warning look. He knew very well that the northern religion was dominated by Tantric Buddhism. Guo Li was making fun of Tantric Buddhism like this. It might be safe if everyone was gathered here, but if he was still so outspoken when he was acting alone, it would easily cause a disaster.
Guo Li listened to his brother's words. Although he was still dissatisfied, he shut his mouth and stopped talking. However, the other brothers in the Monster Catching Division had a great change of heart towards the two Guo brothers who wore bronze masks and never showed their true faces.
They originally thought that these two people were not good people, especially Guo Erlang, who had acted mysteriously and was unpredictable before. They didn't expect that he was such a good man with a true nature.
Everyone gathered together and discussed in low voices, and decided to use Niujia Village as the center and start clearing out the monsters nearby.
After the operation is over, the captured demons or their corpses can be sent to the Dachan Temple nearby.
Dachan Temple, this holy place of Buddhism in the north, is also the reason why Zuo Qianhu and others dare to act in the north. Especially the red-haired Yankong in the temple, who has now transformed into a blood bodhi tree and regained the cultivation of Master Hongyue. In terms of strength, he is not inferior to Abbot Xiongchan. Even if he faces the Living Buddha of Snow Region, he can fight with him by relying on the terrain of Dachan Temple.
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In a secret room deep in Prince Yu’s mansion, the heavy stone door was tightly closed, isolating the light and sound from the outside world.
Inside the room, bronze lamps flickered with dim green flames, and the light flickered like a ghost fire, adding a somewhat eerie and terrifying atmosphere to the entire secret room.
Shanzhi Lama's withered fingers gently stroked the edge of the skull bowl. The bowl was icy cold, as if it carried endless resentment. The water in the bowl moved without wind, rippling layer by layer, reflecting the afterimage of Zuo Qianhu burning the demon altar. Those afterimages were looming in the water, as if telling the fierceness and cruelty of the battle.
Suddenly, the nine skulls inlaid on the edge of the bowl opened their eyes at the same time. A strange red light flashed in their eye sockets, and their voices were sharp and piercing: "That guy destroyed the eye of the Buddha's mandala formation. We must take his skull and rebuild the mandala!"
Shanzhi Lama nodded slightly, his face expressionless, making it hard to tell what he was thinking. Then he slowly walked out of the secret room and headed towards where Prince Yu was.
Prince Yu leaned against the tiger-skin throne, his fingertips gently stroking the wax seal on the Flying Guillotine's secret report.
Soon, Shanzhi arrived.
Prince Yu threw the secret report heavily onto the rosewood table, causing the gilded animal head paperweight to shift slightly.
"Master, do you know that the Monster Catching Department has sent people north again?"
Shanzhi nodded and informed Prince Yu of the actions of Zuo Qianhu and others.
Prince Yu frowned: "Master, didn't you say that all the monks of Tantric Buddhism are here to exorcise demons and defend the Way? How come…"
He was not stupid and he obviously realized that something was wrong.
Shanzhi smiled and said, "These demons have been taken in by us as guardian gods. They were just stopping by to rest on their way to do business and to ferry a few lost sheep. Your Majesty, please do not bear a grudge against them."
Prince Yu sneered: "Master, I don't think things are that simple."
Shanzhi put his palms together, chanted a Buddhist name, and then said meaningfully: "Your Majesty, as the regent, should have the broad mind to care for the world. Moreover, we monks have helped Your Majesty to promote high-yield crops, which can be said to be a great merit. Even if there are some inappropriate actions, we should not be held accountable."
Prince Yu knew that now was not the time to fall out with the Tantric Sect. He was well aware that without the help of the Tantric Sect and Grand Tutor Murong, his position would be in jeopardy.
Having already tasted the power in his hands, he no longer wanted to be manipulated by his father.
Even if he dies, he wants to die with power, rather than being forced to death or driven crazy by his father!
He has come to this day because of his father's pressure.
Prince Yu: "The Monster Catching Division has gone north many times, but never once has they come to report to me. They really don't take me, the regent, seriously. Let's put it this way. Regardless of right or wrong, Master, send someone to bring them to me. I want to ask them in person whether they still regard me, the regent, as their own."
"Your Highness is right. I will go and invite them right away." Shanzhi Lama smiled, walked out the door, and soon arrived at a spacious courtyard.
In the courtyard, three hundred Flying Guillotines were checking the triple-shot crossbows. The armor-piercing arrows in the quivers were glowing blue and were all black iron poison-tempered arrows secretly developed by the Ministry of Industry in the capital.
"Everyone, following the prince's orders..." Shanzhi Lama gave orders calmly. At the same time, his aura as a martial arts master was unleashed, mixed with the blood of the Flying Guillotines, like a blazing flame rising into the sky, alarming all parties in the capital.
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...
In the Jile Tower, Xinyuehu looked at the terrifying burning blood energy and was secretly surprised.
"What kind of big move is this?"
Its beautiful eyes moved for a moment, and suddenly something moved in its mind, and it used its light to escape towards the Great Zen Temple.
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...
In the Great Zen Temple, outside the Xin Zen Courtyard, under the Blood Bodhi tree, a man was starting to play chess. And his opponent was the Blood Bodhi tree, that is, the red-haired Yankong.
This person is Xu Qing. He has an extra chess piece in his hand. His wrist is suspended high, and the chess piece is falling down like a thousand feet. The position where the piece is placed...
Xinyuehu was also a person who was well versed in chess. Seeing this, he thought to himself, "It's actually a star position. This is not a regular opening."
But when it thought that the person who made the move was Xu Qing, it was no longer surprising.
The opponent's Blood Bodhi Tree - Red-haired Yankong first glanced at Xinyuehu, and then followed suit and made a move.
The scarlet tree roots, holding the white pieces, fell on the chessboard, like a huge wave!
(End of this chapter)