The Ascension of Ghosts

To the north of the outer city of Jianye, in Baishui Lane, Baishazhou, a Wujin house of a family surnamed Du has been blocked by the Habayashi Army for two days.

The dawn is just dawning, but the winter is long and the night is long, the surroundings are still pitch black, only the mansion is brightly lit, and the guards in the red hood and black clothes are guarding the front and rear gates of the mansion, all of them look terrified, making people get up in the morning to carry water and chop firewood The residents of the city and the peddlers who walked the streets and alleys retreated and stayed away.

There is a hawker selling noodle soup at the entrance of the alley. On weekdays, Maozheng sets up tables and chairs, makes a fire with noodles, and starts business busily.Right now, the peddler smelled the smell of blood still lingering half a mile away, looked at the deserted street, sighed unconsciously, but was unwilling to close the stall and leave empty-handed.He had no choice but to sit in the corner with his sleeves covered, wishing in his heart that when the Habayashi guards finished their errands and left Baishui Lane early, he could still make a few deals.

The peddler was frowning, worrying about his livelihood, when suddenly he heard someone say: "Old man, please serve a bowl of hot noodle soup." It was actually a Habayashi guard standing in front of his noodle stall.

It coincides with the rising sun, a rare sunny day in the gloomy winter. The sun is bright and warm, and the golden light falls on the black and gold two-color hakama pleats embroidered with cloud patterns of tigers and leopards. Like a knife, Fengshen is handsome, the peddler only felt his eyes were in a trance, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether the golden light was the reflection of the sun or the dazzling young man himself.

Since its founding in the former Han Dynasty, Habayashi Guard has been in charge of guarding the emperor and guarding the capital in successive dynasties. It is worthy of its reputation of "serving the country's wings like a forest".Although the current situation is chaotic, since the well-known General Wei Su served as Habayashi Zuo Jian, his rule has been very strict, and Habayashi Wei has become more and more popular among the common people.This Yubayashiro had a nice smile, and he didn't put on airs at all. On the contrary, he was as kind as a neighbor's son, making people feel like a spring breeze.

Therefore, the peddler smiled all over his face, and hurriedly got up and said: "Here it is! Please sit down, Mr. Jun. My Pork Bone Soup is the best in the city. Keeping it safe will make this trip worthwhile for Mr. Jun!"

How much weight an open-air small noodle stall can weigh can be called a masterpiece, and customers are just trying to get a cheap meal.However, Habayashiro laughed more and more happily, and said, "Then I will wait." Shi Shiran sat on the side of the square table.

The peddler was very quick, but he served a bowl of steaming hot noodle soup in a short while. The soup was white and fragrant, and the leek leaves were thick and thin. With sesame oil, pour a spoonful of scorched and delicious meat sauce.

The young Habayashiro had been busy all day long, and he was so hungry that he was eating very fast at this time, eating like a storm, bold and neat, and even drank the pork bone soup until it reached the bottom of the bowl, raised his eyebrows and said with a smile "Good soup, good noodles, let's have another bowl." Seeing that he was enjoying his meal, the peddler naturally smiled happily, and looked quite high-spirited.

Seeing that Yubayashi Wei was young and amiable, he finally couldn't hold back his curiosity, and asked boldly: "Master Jun, let the old man dare to say something, the Du family..."

That Yu Linwei still smiled and said: "My surname is Lu, and I am a meritorious Cao in the Qingming Department. The old man calls me Lu Gongcao."

The peddler was in his early fifties, but because of the hardships of his life, his face was full of vicissitudes, and he looked like he was over sixty years old. He didn't even dare to say, and he hesitated: "Lu Gongcao, the old man dare not talk nonsense, it's just that the Du's Mansion Now, I'm afraid the Bodhisattva has appeared again..."

Lu Gongcao's surname is Lu Mingsheng, and he has already served as a meritorious officer with a talent and a weak crown. He is a military officer of the sixth rank.Although he was born in the Han clan, since he was a child, he has studied as Mr. Shuiyue and Wu as General Weisu.

Now that the world is in turmoil and wars are frequent, the people are more and more fond of talking about strange powers and confusion. He doesn't think so in his heart, but he still smiles kindly on his face: "Why did the old man say that? The Du family was destroyed, and all five members of the family died. Now it is spread all over the city, and people are panicking. If it is said that it is caused by demons, it is fine, but if it is out of the door, which god and Buddha is this method?"

The peddler had a serious look on his face, and said: "Lu Gongcao doesn't know something..."

He was about to clarify with Lu Sheng when another guest sat down at another square table, took off his veiled cap, and placed it carefully on the table with a long dark blue parcel on his back, revealing a With a bald head, it turned out to be a monk.

The monk sat down facing Lu Sheng. He looked very young. He was wearing a blue thick cotton monk robe that was washed white, but it looked neat and elegant on him.His brows are handsome, his facial features are particularly profound, and his eyes are light in color, all of which are characteristics of barbarian blood.

However, the monk's expression is peaceful, with a smile on the corner of his lips, which makes people feel like seeing the Buddha picking up flowers.

The peddler couldn't help but his voice became more respectful, he stepped forward and said, "Dare to ask this... master, what advice do you have?"

The young monk stretched out his slender and white fingers, and slowly placed five copper coins on the table, before he said: "Don't dare to be called a master, please serve me a bowl of plain noodles."

Because he was not from the Central Plains, and he was dressed as a monk, the peddler was a bit worried that he was here for alms, but when he saw the copper coins, he dispelled his doubts, immediately raised his hand to wipe the table, accepted the copper coins, and cooked for the monk. Bowl of plain noodles.

Buddhism is pure, avoid eating meat and meat, except for wine and meat, it is also abstained from strong-smelling seasonings. It is said to avoid five spices, shallots and garlic must not be used. The hawker had to add a few slices of fresh green vegetables to the noodle bowl. Drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle a little salt, pour some vinegar, put it in clear soup and serve it to the table.

The monk thanked him, took the bamboo chopsticks to eat the noodles, one hand was beautiful and fair, his demeanor was calm, his eyes were on his nose, his nose was on his heart, and his mind was not distracted, eating the noodles unexpectedly gave him the mood of practicing meditation and worshiping the Buddha.

Lu Sheng didn't avoid suspicion, he stared at the monk's behavior carefully and thoughtfully.It wasn't until the peddler turned back that he looked away. While wiping the table with a rag, the peddler whispered to Lu Sheng about the recent rumors in the market.

There is a dilapidated small temple on Shilipo, west of Jianye City, dedicated to the Medicine King Bodhisattva.Due to the turmoil of the war, the monks fled, and it has been abandoned for decades. Only half of the hall remains, with broken walls and shattered tiles, and the Buddha statue is incomplete.But nearby villagers occasionally offer incense to the temple for peace of mind.

Four months ago, a wealthy family in Wubang Village, west of the city, was stolen and lost their ancestral golden incense burner.The owner insisted that the old man Zhao from the same village sneaked into the house and stole the incense burner in order to exchange some money for the treatment of his old wife.Old man Zhao is an honest man, although he is poor but innocent, how can he admit it?Unexpectedly, the rich man bribed the village official, locked the old man Zhao in the ancestral hall and lynched him. However, because of his old age and frailty, the old man Zhao couldn't help using the torture and was beaten to death.

Mrs. Zhao was already terminally ill, and when she heard the news of Mr. Zhao's death, she was so angry that she also died.

Poor Old Man Zhao's family only has a 14-year-old orphan girl left. Now that she lost her parents and was panicking, she was still hunted down by the rich family and asked her to pay her father's debts and compensate her for the golden incense burner. When he came out, he paid off the debt with his body and became the concubine of the son of the rich family.

The orphan girl had no way to redress her grievances, and escaped from Wubang Village overnight. She offered incense and candles in front of the Medicine King Bodhisattva. When it passed by, her eyes went dark and she fell unconscious.

When the orphan girl woke up again, she saw that she was lying outside the temple gate. The sky was bright, the incense candles offered had already been burned out, and the rice cakes used as offerings were also missing.

In Wubang Village, the rich family of three members of the same villager, a total of four people were beheaded, and the corpses were piled up on the grain drying field outside the village. The ground was covered with blood, and the smell of blood only dissipated after three days.

After the news spread, everyone said that it was the Medicine King Bodhisattva who had appeared and punished the wicked. At that time, pilgrims flocked to it, and it was very lively for several days.However, there has been no movement since then, and the ruined temple has returned to desertion.

When Lu Sheng heard this, he couldn't help but ponder. He had also heard about the murder case in Wubang Village. The new village official reported that it was the work of bandits.

The five members of Du's family were also brutally beheaded. The heads and blood were all over the floor, which was horrible.The cut surface of the wound is flat and smooth, which shows that the attacker is a master with extremely strong wrist strength and exquisite technique.At present, it seems that the two murders in Wubang Village and Baishazhou are probably committed by the same person, or the same few people.

The peddler saw him pondering, and said again: "If it's just this case, it's fine. Half a month ago, a scholar surnamed Liu in Tonghuafang sued the bully in the workshop for bullying his neighbors and taking other people's private property, but he was severely injured by the bully." He died within two days after being carried back. Liu Shusheng’s widow filed a lawsuit against Jing Zhaoyin, wanting to avenge his husband.”

Lu Sheng said: "Master Xiao is upright, he hates evil like an enemy, so naturally he can avenge this scholar."

The peddler sighed: "Lord Xiao is naturally fair, but when the manpower was limited, the bully was clever and worked together with the scoundrels. No outsiders saw when he killed the scholar. There was no witness or physical evidence. Master Xiao judged the case impartially. The bully had to be acquitted and released. The widow of the Liu family was not reconciled, so she followed the example of the orphan of the Zhao family. She brought offerings and candles to the Temple of the Medicine King, reported her grievances, and then crashed to death under the incense case. Three days later, the bully and his two accomplices died in the In a back alley in Tonghuafang, everyone's head is different."

Lu Sheng was finally moved, put down the bamboo chopsticks, and listened attentively to the peddler's vivid and vivid speech.

The peddler looked more respectful, and said solemnly: "How can it be so easy for the Bodhisattva to appear? It must be because of the great injustice and the determination to die."

Lu Sheng said: "If the two are indispensable, the root cause of the Du family's extermination must also be a sufferer."

The peddler sighed and continued, "Of course there are."

Du's family runs restaurants for a living, and he is considered a well-to-do family in Baishui Lane. After his mother passed away, only Du Da and Du Er brothers remained.

Du Dashan took advantage of his business and managed the restaurant well, but Du Er's family were all honest people.Since his parents passed away and Du Da was the head of the family, the eldest family has increasingly developed the ambition to monopolize the restaurant, and treated the second room harshly, and finally tortured Du Er and his wife to death, leaving only an orphan named Du Gao to live in hardship.Although the neighbors had a lot of dissatisfaction, they were just powerless. Even if they tried to comfort them in vain, they were refuted by Mrs. Du's sharp teeth, and they only ended up full of complaints.

About two days ago, Du Gao disappeared. Everyone originally guessed that the boy lost his life, or was sold to a foreign country by Du Da's family. Now it seems that Du Gao went to the Yaowang Temple , to sacrifice his life to avenge his parents.

However, within two days, the Medicine King Bodhisattva really appeared again, Du and his wife, their two sons and a daughter, were all punished and lost their lives.

After the peddler finished speaking, he sighed again, and there was a bit of relief in his tone, "Finally, the Bodhisattva has a spirit, and the wicked will not be allowed to go unpunished."

Lu Sheng just tapped on the table with his fingers, his sword eyebrows gradually became more and more wrinkled, he finally couldn't bear it, and said with a smile: "I see monks in Xingshan Temple often talk about saving the world and persuading people to be good. Buddhism is merciful, and it will not take people's lives easily. Old man, this kind of murder is not done by gods and Buddhas, nor is it a good deed, so don't be deceived by it."

The peddler's face changed drastically when he heard the words, and he put his palms together above his head, repeatedly saying that he was guilty, "Lu Gongcao, Lu Gongcao, be sure, be careful with your words! There is a god when you raise your head three feet..."

Lu Sheng knew that he was purely kind, and was about to say something to comfort him, but unexpectedly, the sound of a zither sounded silently, like wind blowing through the trees, rain hitting plantains, so he dismissed his thoughts, and looked towards the place where the qin sound came from together with the peddler.