Chapter 118 Demon Subduing Hall
June 20th, noon
Shen Kuo had figured out something, and he guessed the monk's idea faster than Bao Longtu. As for Xu Chong, he was still confused and had no idea what was going on.
"Sir, I know that the giant snake from Zhongnan Mountain was once raised in Yujing Garden in Dongjing City. You can send someone to go and take a look." Huailiang said.
"However, the snake skin is soft, and the snake skin will inevitably break when it sheds its skin. How can it be disguised as a two-meter-long Chiwen?"
"This is the result of using pine fat and hardening it. The pine fat is pitch black, just the same color as the roof. As for the damaged snake skin, it is not difficult to mend it. It is not easy to distinguish it from a dragon because no one in the world has ever seen a dragon. They just think it is similar to a snake."
"But how to twist and soar?"
"You can make several knots with gunpowder and connect them with fuses. After lighting them, the fuses will burn in order, and then they will move and twist. Eventually, they will explode."
"However, the dragon eventually exploded in the air, emitting a rainbow of colors."
"That's even more explosive. My husband, do you remember the fireworks set off in front of the palace during the first month of the lunar calendar and the Mid-Autumn Festival in previous years? They exploded like clusters of flowers and spread out like colorful clouds."
"As expected, Master, I think that's the case. Xu Chong, go to Yujin Garden and look for the snake."
"My husband, that giant python from Zhongnan Mountain is an old snake that has absorbed the spiritual energy of the sun, moon, heaven and earth. It is at least 17 or 18 feet long. How can I bring it back?"
"Don't make a fuss, just go get it and find a way yourself. If you find it, bring it here. If you can't get it, you will be punished with twenty strokes of the cane."
Xu Chong left angrily.
"Okay, we'll know once he compares the snake with the dragon scales we collected. Let's put this matter aside for now. It's already noon, and we still have six hours. What should we do now? Go find Xiao Ping?"
"Husband, it might be pointless to look for Xiaoping at this time. I am worried about Yuqing Palace." Shen Kuo said.
"What are you worried about?"
"Mr. Shen is worried that the Nuo master and his men will set up a trap in advance and then make a feint to the east or make a substitution." Huailiang immediately guessed Shen Kuo's thoughts.
"Yes, that's exactly what I meant. If they want to burn the Heavenly Book, it won't be enough just to rely on Fang Xiangshi's magic tricks. There must be some tricks to cover up the truth. Tonight we will fight her and the winner will be decided in one round. However, I am also afraid of being fooled by the paper dolls of Xiao Ping and Yong Er, so I always want to go and take a look first, in case there is any omission at midnight, or she destroys the Heavenly Book, or she slips away."
"However, as far as I know, Master Zhang had already reported to the government yesterday that the foreign Nuo master was not allowed to enter the main hall of Yuqing Palace. The government has approved the request, and the disciples of Fang Xiangshi can only go outside the gate of Yuqing Palace. Only she is allowed to dance in front of the main hall, and she is not allowed to enter the main hall. From my guess, the original plan was that she and her disciples would suddenly throw torches into the main hall and burn it down. But now she is alone, how can she succeed even if she has three heads and six arms? Moreover, the temples and palaces are also prepared for fire, so even if she is allowed to start a fire, it will not be easy for it to spread."
"That being said, I still feel uneasy."
"Okay, I'll go with you and find Li Cheng'an. I'll ask him for a favor and let me go in to take a look. I'll also remind him to make preparations in case someone sets a fire."
"Well, let's go first. When we come back, there should be good news from Xu Jieji."
The three of them took a carriage to the Yuqing Zhaoying Palace outside the west gate of Dongjing City. Outside the city gate is the majestic palace. Shen Kuo lifted the curtain on the side of the carriage and could see the top of the city wall he had climbed a few months ago. It was from there that he shot a heavy arrow and killed Yu Jing and his head, Wang Ze. I thought everything was over, but it was not over yet. Now the case seems to have come to an end, and the identity of the opponent has been roughly figured out. She is just waiting for her to make a move to arrest the person and close the case. I didn't expect that the final stage would be the Yuqing Palace. Is there really some coincidence in the dark?
Outside the towering palace of Yuqing Palace, there is a camp of tents, which are the tents of the imperial guards stationed here. You can also hear the sound of orders and drums. Patrolling cavalry and infantry are moving back and forth outside the high walls of Zhaoying Palace.
"There are at least five or six hundred people here. Will the Maitreya Sect really take advantage of tonight to storm the Yuqing Palace and burn down the main hall?" Shen Kuo said to himself.
"No." The monk replied with his eyes closed.
"How can you say no?"
"When has the Maitreya sect ever launched a forceful attack? They only attack hearts, not cities."
"But aren't the Liao spies in power now?"
"That's just a change in the psychological tactics, but it won't be a hard attack."
Bao Zheng listened to the two people talking, stroking his beard and not saying anything. He also felt it was very strange. Even if Fang Xiangshi had the opportunity to perform a shaman dance outside the Demon Subduing Hall today, she was surrounded by high-ranking officials, and there were Taoist priests of the Tianshi Dao in the hall. There were also large vats filled with water around. If there were a thousand people, they would probably be able to set fire to it, but it was just her alone, so no matter how she performed the magic trick, it would probably not work.
Huailiang opened his eyes and said, "Since my husband is here, let's go in and take a look first."
The three people got off the car and walked straight to the gate of Yuqing Palace. The place they passed was where the funny Wang Ze's head fell not long ago. Now the burned ruins have been demolished.
Li Cheng'an was seen standing at the door from a distance. When he saw Bao Zheng coming over in plain clothes, he looked slightly disdainful. Then he saw Shen Kuo following behind him, and his expression changed again. In his opinion, Shen Kuo was Yang Wei's student, so he was naturally on their side. Why did he always follow Bao Zheng?
He came forward and bowed first.
"My husband has been working hard on investigating cases, how can you have the leisure time to come to this quiet place to relax?"
"I heard that Fang Xiangshi was going to perform a ritual here, and I was afraid that I might fail, so I came to take a look. It is also my duty."
"Well, since it's about this matter, then please come in?" The old Taoist sighed.
They all entered the palace together and headed towards the Sanqing Hall in front.
Shen Kuodao always felt that Li Cheng'an was in a low mood, so he asked, "Master, why did you sigh just now?"
"This palace was built by the late emperor for our religion. No outsiders were ever allowed to enter the palace. But now the emperor has allowed the Nuo master to come in to solve the problem. When I think of this, I can only sigh."
"Oh?" Bao Zheng heard this conversation, "Why didn't the Heavenly Master fight with the Emperor? The Emperor is also a reasonable person."
"It's not that my master can't do it, but that my master doesn't want to argue and deliberately allows that outsider to come in."
"Why?"
Li Cheng'an arrived outside the Sanqing Hall, clenched his fists over his eyebrows, and bowed to the Sanqing. After the ceremony, he turned to Lao Bao.
"It's because my master said: Those who rebel are the movement of the Tao, and those who are weak are the use of the Tao. The court is in a difficult situation at the moment. We can't argue with reason, nor can we fight hard. Let her go."
"Oh, the Heavenly Master is not here..."
"My master has returned to the mountain and will not be back until next month. So out of sight, out of mind. He left me here to bury the evil spirit."
"Master Li, you are left to bury the evil spirit? I remember that in February, the evil spirit was handed over to your master by Fang Xiangshi?"
"Yes, at that time on the Seven Stars Platform, my master received the 72 demon kings who were frightened by the bell of Fang Xiangshi, and he was also waiting for an auspicious time. But unexpectedly, there was a big commotion outside that day, and the head of Wang Ze floating in the air was shot down by Master Shen. Because of this commotion, the matter was delayed. Now the 72 evil spirits are still under the altar of the Demon Subduing Hall, and have not been buried in the gold bricks under the Heavenly Book. The government also said that as soon as the Fang Xiangshi Nuo ritual is completed today, the stone slab will be uncovered and buried together with the 36 Tiangang, and there will be no more commotion in the world from now on."
Old Bao shook his head. The government was helpless now. They always wanted to announce to the world through rituals like exterminating demons, exorcising evil spirits, burying evil spirits, and killing demons: the problem has been solved, and from now on, people's hearts can be won over once and for all. However, they failed again and again, and the government's mandate was also bankrupted in these rituals that were not counted, and became a joke.
The four of them walked around the Sanqing Hall and arrived at the Fumo Hall at the back. The hall was filled with smoke and there was a solemn atmosphere inside and outside. When they walked up the stairs, they saw a silk thread hanging from the hall, with a yellow scroll tied to the end of the thread.
Bao Zheng heard from Wen Yanbo that this volume of "Heavenly Book" was actually a fake, copied later, and the real "Heavenly Book" was buried in the tomb of the previous emperor by Empress Dowager Zhangxian. Of course, although the "Heavenly Book" was the original, it was also a fake, forged by Wang Qinruo. How could there be a "Heavenly Book" given by God?
Shen Kuo looked up. The hall was very high, but the "Heavenly Book" hanging down was about ten feet above his head. Of course, an average person couldn't touch it even if he jumped up. He looked at the floor below the Heavenly Book. There was nothing special about it, just a cushion.
"Master, is this where the Tian Gang is buried?"
"Yes, this is where my master meditated every time he came to Bian Jing." He walked forward and picked up the cushion. He could see that there was just an ordinary stone slab underneath, exactly the same as all the stone slabs in this hall.
Bao Zheng squatted down and touched it deliberately with his hand.
"Then the Thirty-Six Celestial Beings are right below?"
"Yes, it has been buried for thirty years. Back then, there was also a hat demon. My master was entrusted by the late emperor to travel all over the country and capture these thirty-six demon kings and suppress them down there."
"No one has ever uncovered the slate?"
“It has been repaired several times.”
"It has been repaired, aren't you afraid that the Tiangang below will disappear?"
"In fact, with the Heavenly Book guarding it, it's okay to dig it up. But a few years ago, when it was being repaired, my master was not in Bianjing. The government was worried about the loss, so they appointed Fang Xiangshi to protect the law. As a result, Fang Xiangshi became more and more demanding. This time, he even wanted to perform a ritual in front of my temple. It's really too much. Sigh... Now this Demon Subduing Temple has really become a place protected by the three religions. Nuo masters and monks can come here."
Huailiang kept looking up at the Heavenly Book and had no reaction to Li Cheng'an's strange words.
Shen Kuo saw nothing special about the stone bricks below, so he walked around and came to the shrine in front. There was a celestial general enshrined there, holding a steel whip in his hand and stepping on a turtle and snake.
"Master, is this the Demon Subduing Patriarch?"
"Exactly."
He walked to the altar and saw a metal box underneath.
"Is this the treasure box that contained the seventy-two earthly demons that day?"
"Well, we will stay here until tonight. When Fang Xiangshi's spell is finished, I will dig the floor and bury it, and gather the 108 demon kings. If the guest star does not leave, it means that the female Nuo master's spell is not effective. Naturally, I will go to the emperor to talk to her."
Shen Kuo turned around and found Huai Liang still squatting and studying the stone slab on the ground, but he seemed unable to figure out anything.
He stood up. "It fits perfectly, but it has been sealed for many years."
"You monk, do you still suspect that we opened it privately? What good will it be if we open it? Tell me about it." Li Cheng'an was a little anxious. He had noticed that Lao Bao and his group seemed to be here to search for something today.
"Master, please calm down. I just have some news. The Maitreya Cult may be planning to set fire to the Demon Subduing Hall."
"Hahaha, don't bother Mr. Bao about that. Our Yuqing Palace is a royal palace. There are three battalions of imperial guards guarding outside, and there are more than a hundred Taoists inside. They usually practice fire and lightning drills, and they never neglect them at all."
"That would be the best. I have worried too much . I will take my leave now."
"Well, my husband, please don't worry, everything is absolutely fine here. I still have some chores to do, so I won't see you off." Li Cheng'an turned around and left.
Bao Zheng also twirled his beard and left. It seemed that Xiao Ping's information was probably wrong. It was not easy to destroy the Heavenly Book. Who knew what unexpected tricks the Maitreya Sect would come up with?
The three of them had no choice but to go back first.
At 3 p.m., the three returned to the Juntou Division. As soon as they arrived, Xu Chong came in excitedly.
Bao Zheng knew his temper. If the task failed, it could be seen on his face. But seeing that he looked happy, it must have been accomplished, so he quickly stood up.
"Xu Jieji, is the snake here?"
"My lord, there was indeed a Zhong Nanshan snake in Yujing Garden, but it froze to death seven or eight years ago. The snake was later eaten by several gatekeepers there."
"What should I do?"
"Don't worry, sir. But the snake breeder left a snake rubbing, and I borrowed it."
"Oh, unfold it quickly."
Xu Chong took out a roll of paper from his side and opened it. It turned out to be a rubbing of the scales of a giant snake. Lao Bao quickly sent someone to fetch the "dragon scales" collected in the palace. When the two were compared, they were 80% identical.
"It seems that the master's prediction was not wrong. The dragon's chiwen, which was the finishing touch to the painting, turned out to be a snake skin?" Bao Zheng exclaimed.
"Haha, I don't think there is any finishing touch. It's just lighting the fire while adding the finishing touch."
