Chapter 119: Troll
June 20th
After the monk's analysis, the people present suddenly felt enlightened and all the things were in order. In other words, Yu Jing's plan was very long-term. When he and his apprentice began to plan to make a move on Zuo Chengtian Xiangfu, Wang Ze of Maitreya was still far away in Hebei rebelling. At this time, they probably had no intersection. Yu Jing's focus was to destroy the "Heavenly Book" of the "Heavenly Mandate" of the Song Dynasty. Behind his strong financial resources, it was obvious that the Liao State was behind him.
Then another question is, when did Yu Jing and Maitreya get together? Yu Jing and Maitreya's Saint are both dead, so no one can tell for sure, but it is reasonable to speculate that the Liao State planned the merger of the two sides. At some point after Beizhou was broken and Maitreya was like a lost dog, the two sides finally got together. When Maitreya rebelled in Beizhou, it had some collusion with Liao State, which was entrenched in Youzhou. It is also well known that they could have colluded without the participation of Liao State.
In short, after Yu Jing and Maitreya joined forces, Yu Jing had to suspend his original plan and began to assist Maitreya. His action style also leaned towards the tradition of Maitreya, using more ghosts to scare the people of the capital. Yu Jing naturally had the family-inherited hat-monster technique to bless, so there was the nursery rhyme riot in Tokyo starting in the first month of the year. This kind of thing usually needs to be guided by the situation, so with the help of the Liao State spies in the palace, the information that Concubine Zhang was about to die was passed on, and thus the overall plan began.
Of course, due to Yu Jing's own ability problems, he encountered some unsolvable problems, so he pulled Huai Liang into the game. Huai Liang's appearance made the plan deviate from the direction of blaming Di Qing for a while. Yu Jing was forced to indulge Huai Liang because he wanted to use Huai Liang to kill the Saint Aunt and control the Maitreya Sect from then on. Coincidentally, Wen Yanbo and Yan Shu had already planted a spy Xiao Ping in the Maitreya Sect, and finally got involved in this fight for supernatural power.
When Yu Jing was finally burned to death, Huailiang and Xiaoping were exposed and withdrew from the fight, and everyone thought that Maitreya would disappear from then on. However, an idle chess piece planted by the Liao State began to play a role. She was the Great Nuo Master or Fang Xiangshi. The Great Nuo Master preached in the south all year round. It was unlikely that she had old ties with Maitreya in the north. She could only be a spy instigated by the Liao State. As for when she rebelled? And how she cleaned up the mess of Maitreya, these questions are not urgent, as they can only be known after she is caught and tried.
In short, before the guest star appeared, the entire Maitreya sect was still in a fragmented state, patiently waiting for the next opportunity. It is not difficult to see that the Liao State spies acted differently from the Maitreya sect, and they were quite patient. Boss Pei, who sells books and paintings, has been in the capital for more than ten years, and Jin'er also entered the palace two years ago, trying to be placed next to the queen. As for Yu Jing, the time of being bought was no later than three years ago. They were not as ostentatious as the Maitreya sect. If there was no good opportunity, they would probably have been hiding. From the actions of Boss Pei deliberately accompanying the son-in-law to sell paintings and secretly spreading the legend of the magic pen, they were very planned. The target they chose at first was also very tricky. There were no puppets or miracles that were startled, and they only stared at the "Book of Heaven". If it were not for the sudden change, their plan would continue to be tolerant. It is really a guest star that appears suddenly, and such a once-in-a-millennium opportunity cannot be lost. It is not difficult to see from this that the former emperor dug a big pit for the Song Dynasty for the sake of the temporary "heavenly destiny" and "fengshan", and created a soft rib that could be grasped by the opponent.
"So, midnight is the final fight?" Bao Longtu said with energy.
"Then we just wait to catch them." Xu Chong was the first to answer boldly, but then he lost his courage, "I just don't know if there are any omissions inside or outside the Yuqing Palace?"
"The three of us have already visited Yuqing Palace and it seems that there are no omissions. Master Huailiang, what do you think?"
"Amitabha, in my opinion, the Liao spies are very patient and careful in their actions, so they must have come prepared. But I still don't know what they are prepared for in Yuqing Palace this time."
"It's really hard to figure it out. We can only act according to circumstances. We can't arrest her too early. After all, the government has always regarded her as the imperial teacher. If we act too early or don't get the evidence, it will not look good."
"Jin'er has already escaped. Now that she knows the truth has been exposed, will she run away?" Shen Kuo said.
"I am worried about this." Bao Zheng said, "If we can't catch a live person, it will be difficult to figure out the cause and effect of all the things."
Everyone stopped talking. What Shen Kuo mentioned was indeed the most important thing. Because it seemed that it was not difficult to catch Fang Xiangshi in Yuqing Palace. It was easy to catch her, but the premise was that she had to come. If she found something wrong, Fang Xiangshi would probably escape. Now she and her apprentices were still on the canal. If they were not caught in advance, if she really took off her shaman costume and mask and ran away, no one would have seen her true face.
"Has anyone seen the true face of Fang Xiangshi?" Bao Zheng asked hurriedly, obviously thinking of this.
"Master Li and Yang Shaoqing have met." Shen Kuo said.
"Oh? Has anyone really seen it?"
"I also learned about it when I was chatting with Yang Shaoqing a few months ago. He said that three years ago, when the Jade Purity Palace was rebuilt, the Heavenly Master was not there, so the government asked Fang Xiangshi to protect it. Of course, due to some family prejudices, Taoist Li strongly opposed it and confronted Fang Xiangshi on the spot. He said that Fang Xiangshi took off her mask at that time, and she was indeed a woman with a ferocious face. There were some scary scars on her face, which she said were left when she fought with evil spirits. Her face was so ugly that it was no less ugly than her evil mask. However, from that day on, Fang Xiangshi fell ill. It was said that she took off her mask to quarrel with ordinary people and was punished by heaven. She never took off her mask since then."
"That would be best. With Taoist Li here, we can ask him to identify the person once we have arrested him."
"When do we start arresting people?" Shen Kuo asked.
"When the time comes, Xu Jieji will lead people to hide among the officials watching the ceremony, and they will just wait for her to take out something that can start the fire, and then they can arrest her, which will be considered catching her red-handed." Lao Bao thought very carefully.
"Amitabha, I see that the Heavenly Book is hanging in the air. If we want to burn it, it won't be easy without some kindling."
"Yeah. When she makes a move, we'll know what she's using to start the fire. I'm just afraid she won't make a move."
Several people were waiting in suspicion. Some were worried that Fang Xiangshi would use some unexpected tricks, some were worried that she would not show up at all. Some were even more worried that she was just dancing but not taking any action, so there was nothing they could do about her.
At 3 p.m., more than a hundred people from the Military Headquarters went to the Yuqing Palace in the west of the city to arrange the final capture plan.
At this time, many people and officials had already gathered there. From afar, they could see that the fleet of the great Nuo master had already stopped by the river, in the same place as the last time when they presented the Earth Demon Treasure Box.
Everyone was also amazed. How dare she come?
At midnight, the witches on the boat began to disembark. Just like the last time, they followed the "Yu Bu" and slowly walked towards the gate of Yuqing Palace to the sound of drums. The great Nuo master walked in front of everyone. She was wearing a huge cloak, a terrifying mask on her face, a wooden stick in her left hand, and a magic bell in her right hand. The magic bell kept shaking and making bursts of noise. There was a deep crack on the copper bell, which looked particularly strange. It was said that there were too many demons subdued by the Nuo master, and they wanted to break free day after day, so such a crack was formed. However, it was also said that these demons had been suppressed by the Nuo master with magic power. No one knew whether it was true or not. Anyway, this was what she said to the current emperor.
As expected, the witches stopped outside the Yuqing Palace and did not enter. Only the Nuo master stepped on the Gang Bu Dou and entered the mountain gate. It seems that the Fang Xiang clan still abides by the rules.
Bao Zheng couldn't help but think of one thing, that is, whenever such intrusions occurred, the Heavenly Master himself happened to be away. Li Cheng'an relayed the Heavenly Master's original words in the morning: Those who are against are the movement of the Tao, and those who are weak are the use of the Tao. It can be seen that the Heavenly Master's return to Longhu Mountain is actually a retreat to advance. The Heavenly Master is indeed a master.
The ministers who came to watch the ceremony followed the bell-ringing master Nuo to the Demon Subduing Hall. Fang Xiangshi began to dance around a bonfire that had already been lit.
Xu Chong had already deployed dozens of people around, waiting for the right time to arrest the person. He reminded everyone countless times, two things in total. First: the "Heavenly Book" in the hall must not be burned; second: make sure to catch the person alive. So all the officers did not carry swords, only chains. But it was thought that it was just a woman, so there was nothing to be afraid of. Of course, none of the officers entered the Demon Subduing Hall to ambush, because the Taoist priests of Yuqing Palace would not let anyone in. At this moment, Li Cheng'an was carrying a sword on his back, and behind him stood four disciples standing in a row blocking the entrance to the Demon Subduing Hall. With them blocking, even if the woman really had magic, she might not be able to rush in.
The master Nuo master was still dancing around the bonfire, chanting something. The bonfire was the boundary drawn by the Taoist priests of Yuqing Palace for the Nuo master, and he was not allowed to approach the main hall. The Nuo master did not cross the line, but just walked around the bonfire, occasionally hitting the ground with his wooden stick, and the copper bell in his hand was not idle.
Shen Kuo hid behind the crowd and observed carefully. He was very sure that this person was the Great Nuo Master. Although she was wearing a mask, her "Yu Bu" was exactly the same as the one he saw in the palace a few months ago. For an average woman to control such a large cloak, she had to dance in a proper manner. It would take several years of practice to learn it. The steps of the apprentices outside were obviously far behind. And this Fang Xiangshi did have a finger missing on her right hand. But he suddenly realized one thing, that is, he had seen her jump twice before, but she only had a copper bell in her hand, but not the wooden stick. I don't know why there is a wooden stick today? The monk mentioned that the heavenly book was too high to light up. Maybe this stick is used for this purpose? But this stick is not long. Even if it is raised, it can't touch the heavenly book on the roof ? He was thinking wildly while waiting to see.
Some of the officials and courtiers who were watching the ceremony had already started to kneel down and worship. Bao Zheng stood there, twisting his beard and watching, but he could not see anything for the time being. So he began to worry that the witch would eventually give up and not do anything, so that this hidden danger could not be eliminated.
Lao Bao was just worried that the other party would do nothing. Fang Xiangshi suddenly stopped in an exaggerated manner. She opened her hands, leaned forward, and stood on one leg, as if she was about to pounce on something, but was frozen.
Everyone at the scene was stunned, watching this sudden scene. Time passed slowly, and she just stood there like a golden rooster, motionless. This action was extremely strange. Most people could not stand on one leg in such a forward-leaning posture for a long time and would definitely fall forward. How did she do it?
"The Nuo dance is interrupted. But the people are still standing. Is something going to happen?" someone said in Shen Kuo's ear.
"Yeah, the Nuo master suddenly became stiff and motionless? This is not a good sign."
Shen Kuo also thought it was strange, but then he thought, could it be that the stick was in his left hand, and he was leaning to the right, so he looked like he was about to fall, but in fact his center of gravity was leaning backwards? Maybe the stick was filled with lead?
But such tricks are not important. What is important is why she does this?
At this moment, there was dead silence in front of the Demon-Suppressing Temple, with only the crackling sound of the bonfire.
"Do you think you can tie me up with this golden bell?" A deep male voice came from Fang Xiangshi. Everyone present retreated in fear.
"You evil heretic, how dare you speak so arrogantly." The voice turned into the female voice of the Nuo master again.
"Hahahaha, I'm going to escape from the gap today and drag you into endless hell." The male voice said again.
Not far away, Shen Kuo couldn't help but be overjoyed: "Finally, he's going to make a move. Are you using ventriloquism again?"
However, the others around had never seen such a trick, and they were so frightened that they retreated. For a moment, Xu Chong and his officers who were hiding in the crowd wanted to move forward, but were blocked by the rioting crowd. At this time, the preset conditions for action had not yet been met. The Nuo master was not seen rushing into the hall, nor was she seen lighting a fire. Many officers were also frightened and retreated with the crowd.
"Hahahahahaha..." Following the man's wild laughter, the Nuo master was suddenly startled, and then fell straight towards the bonfire.
Then I saw her whole body on fire, burning into a ball, and finally she regained her female voice and screamed.
Bao Zheng was at a loss for a moment. He thought of all the possible things that might happen, but he didn't expect this. But he was experienced after all, so he immediately shouted to Xu Chong to rush forward to save people. In any case, the Nuo master could not die today.
Everyone (including Xu Chong) was a little afraid and didn't dare to move forward. At this moment, a tall figure suddenly rose up in the flames, and a giant demon with horns on its head stood in front of everyone in an instant.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha..." Amidst the laughter, the demon king, who was covered in fire and had horns on his head, and was two meters tall, dragged Fang Xiangshi's body backwards and walked towards the hall. Shen Kuo could clearly see that Fang Xiangshi seemed to be struggling on the ground with his hands waving wildly. But he was dragged forward by the giant demon, as light as a child.
The giant demon stepped onto the stairs, leaving a burning footprint on the stairs. Li Cheng'an and several Taoist priests who had been blocking the way had already run away, leaving only three shoes and Li Cheng'an's sword on the ground. No one could see when he ran away, but he fled in a hurry and left his weapons behind.
"It's a trick." Huailiang shouted, waking up the frightened Shen Kuo. He remembered the witch who suddenly swelled up on the Baifan Building. Maybe she was standing on stilts to make herself look taller?
He rushed forward, but seeing the troll with flames bursting out of its body and Fang Xiangshi dragging on the ground, still struggling, he couldn't help but feel timid. What was going on? He was confused and didn't dare to move forward. He watched the troll stride into the dark hall, leaving a trail of flaming footprints on the ground.
He felt himself falling into the abyss of confusion and fear again, but he was determined to chase after him. Xu Chong and Huai Liang also rushed into the hall. Most of the other policemen were so scared that they dared not come forward. They had rehearsed arresting people with Xu Chong many times, but who could have thought it would be like this?
Shen Kuo followed the flaming footprints on the ground and arrived at the center of the hall, but he did not see the giant monster or Fang Xiangshi. He only saw the footprints still burning on the ground, and then disappeared in front of the stone slab that suppressed the thirty-six heavenly chariots. A pile of Fang Xiangshi's clothes on the stone slab were still burning, and the wooden stick was thrown on the ground and was still rolling. He quickly looked up and saw that the heavenly book was still hanging there, and it was fine.
Dozens of policemen rushed in behind him amid Bao Zheng's shouts and curses.
"Guard the front and back doors, don't let Fang Xiangshi escape..." Bao Zheng ordered.
Huailiang wanted to stop it, but it was too late. People of all kinds rushed in and started running around.
"Sir, the lights haven't even been lit yet and so many people have come in, it's already chaos," Huailiang complained.
Bao Zheng suddenly came to his senses and remembered that Xiaoping had also taken advantage of the darkness and chaos to escape.
"Hurry and light the lamp."
Everyone lit torches, illuminating the hall. But they searched everywhere and found no suspicious people. The burning footprints gradually extinguished, but a huge footprint with a discernible black toe remained, which was clearly made by bare feet. Xu Chong put his foot to the side and found that it was twice as long. What giant creature made this?
Lao Bao walked to where the footprints disappeared and squatted down to take a closer look. The stone slab was still the same as it was in the morning. There was no difference between the burnt clothes on it and he listened carefully. It seemed that there was a subtle sound coming from somewhere.
"Don't talk!" He shouted, stopping the people nearby from making noise. The hall instantly returned to dead silence.
A slight tinkling sound could be heard, clearly the sound of the magic bell from earlier, but it came from under the stone slab.
"Someone, lift the slab."
