Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 141 Funeral
The next day, Qingwei Mountain
The fake body of Master Dehong was lying in the main hall, and all the disciples and Taoist children were setting up the mourning hall and wearing mourning clothes.

Qin Huai was dressed in plain clothes and followed Guangyu to escort the countless people who came to pay their respects and worship into the mountain gate.

The sun is past the zenith, inside the mourning hall.

Accompanied by the endless chanting of sutras for the salvation of souls and the mantra for rebirth, many Qingwei disciples knelt three times and kowtowed nine times, sealing the real person's fake body in a coffin and sending it off with ceremony.

When the auspicious time came, Qin Huai carried the coffin out for the funeral, with Guangyu leading the procession. The procession was huge, with paper money thrown and firecrackers set off along the way.
As the last handful of soil fell, the passing of Qingwei Zhenren Dehong was finalized.

The entire Longyuan Qingwei Mountain was immersed in an atmosphere of sorrow and silence, but in the meeting hall of the Three Officials, a new storm was brewing.

"With Master Dehong's Taoist cultivation, I'm sure he left some instructions for Master Guangyu, right?"

At the desk, Huang Fu put down the official documents and looked up at Guangyu.

Guangyu sat on the left hand of the Shangshu, with Dewen sitting above him. When he heard the question, he nodded and took out a yellow talisman.

The Chinese people have long had a legend that after death, the soul will return to the world on the seventh day. But in reality, many people's souls cannot find the way back to the world of the living. Except for those who have deep Buddhist and Taoist cultivation, the rest of the masters, even those with celestial auras, need the help of rare treasures of heaven and earth to stay in the world of the living.

For many monks, the death of the physical body is just the end of the earthly affairs. As long as the true spirit is not extinguished, life is far from coming to an end.

Guangyu made hand gestures and chanted spells, and the yellow talisman spontaneously ignited. The words of Dehong's soul-returning that he had prepared in advance echoed in the conference room.

"."

The many people from the Dharma lineage who attended the Dharma Assembly listened carefully to the real person's last voice. Although they were half-believing and half-doubting in their hearts, they remained calm and silently watched Guangyu's every move.

"Don't worry, High Priest Guangyu. The Three Officials will definitely refer to Master Dehong's opinion and carefully select the chief priests for the various rituals for the imminent Zhongyuan Festival ceremony."

After listening to Dehong's vague message, Huang Fu nodded and took out a bright yellow imperial edict from the wooden box held by the servant beside him.

The Ming Dynasty's Imperial Edict with Dragon Pattern (issued by the Jiaozhi Dharma Assembly): The Emperor, by the Mandate of Heaven, decrees this.

Note: It contains images of heaven for use in Jiaozhi rituals.

The dazzling imperial edict attracted the attention of everyone in the hall, as Huang Fu's hands moved up and down.

"The position of host of the Dharma Assembly is vacant now. The Heavenly Master Guangfan of Mount Longhu has also been busy with important matters recently, and his Dharma body cannot stay for long. The three officials intend to re-select the host of the Dharma Assembly. Do you have anyone to recommend?"

The scene that Huang Fu had expected of a stone causing a thousand ripples did not happen. Although the eyes of the people in the Dharma lineage flickered and they were moved, they did not speak rashly, as if they were waiting for something.

Jiaozhi's territory is not large, but it is rich in natural resources and rare treasures, so there are more than a hundred Dharma schools in the fifteen prefectures that have become popular and worshipped by the people. Recently, in order to participate in the Ten-Year Dharma Assembly, the heads of major temples and magic masters in the fifteen prefectures have all come here to compete for this great fortune.

Now, after yesterday's rebellion, fighting and killing, there are quite a few meteorological masters who remain in the meeting hall without any harm and can be called outstanding people.

However, no matter how many great auras one has, they are nothing compared to the auras of heaven and man.

Dehong has passed away and Huineng is no longer around. There are only a few high-level masters who have both seniority and strength that impress the public.

"Master Dewen is the head of Qingwei Temple, and his Daoist teachings are unfathomable. In my humble opinion, Master Dewen can serve as the abbot of this Dharma Assembly."

The person who spoke was a thin old Taoist priest with a square face and dressed in gray. He stepped out of the crowd, flicked his whisk, and recommended the host candidate to Huang Fu.

When the Taoist priest said this, many people felt that it was reasonable and they nodded in agreement.

As the second most important person in Qingwei Temple, Dewen was naturally a great master who had broken through the heavenly barrier early and achieved the aura of a celestial being. After years of practice, although he was still a little far from the realm of a real person, he was not far away. He was indeed the best choice to preside over the Dharma Assembly.

Dewen, who was sitting below Guangyu, heard the Taoist's recommendation but acted as if he didn't hear it. He remained silent, his eyes slightly closed, and looked detached, as if he was in a trance.

Seeing that Dewen had no such intention, an old monk with white hair and beard jumped out of the crowd, bowed to the people around him, and spoke slowly.

"Now that Master Dehong has passed away, and Master Dewen has no intention of presiding over the ceremony, although Abbot Huineng is no longer here, our Buddhist sect is still willing to shoulder the heavy responsibility and devote all the strength of all temples to hold this Ullambana ceremony."

As soon as the old monk finished speaking, someone immediately made a sarcastic remark.

"But everyone knows whose fault it is for today's mess. I guess the Three Officials wouldn't dare to let a sect with a dirty background preside over the ceremony, right?"

Regardless of whether everyone in the field had any relationship with Qingwei Temple or not, upon hearing this, they all nodded in approval.

After all, the blood shed and the deaths yesterday are still fresh in our memory.

As a small number of people began to echo the voices, the questioning voices soon became the mainstream. Even though the other people in the Buddhist temple were eloquent, they could not defeat the solid facts.

"Everyone!"

Seeing that people were talking noisily and things were going off the track, Master Zhiwei of Zhenbei Temple stood up and shouted in a deep voice.

The Buddhist sound was resounding and the place became quiet. Master Zhiwei spoke slowly and calmly with a loud voice.

"What Hui Kong did yesterday was actually deceived by someone, and it was not Zhenbei's original intention. The reason is that Master Hui Kong was worried about the people of Jiaozhi and couldn't bear to see them being exploited by heavy taxes, so he believed the slander of the traitor and made such a big mistake.

Yesterday, with the guidance of my master, I have collected all the evidence of Hui Kong's communication with the traitors, and I can submit it to the three courts for judgment later."

Seeing Zhiwei being so frank and Sansi being indeed in the wrong, Huang Fu sighed.

"Let's put this matter aside for now. Huikong's matter should not involve Zhenbei Temple. If Master Zhiwei is interested in hosting the ceremony, he can also propose it together. The three officials will definitely treat everyone equally."

Ever since Huineng's traitor Zhiyu rebelled against the temple and fled, many Taoist sects have known who the successor to Zhenbei Temple would be in the past few years.

Now that Zhiwei's words were sincere and the three courts had no intention of investigating further, and with many Buddhist temples guaranteeing them, those who had originally questioned him also stopped and no longer made trouble.

To put it bluntly, no matter how big a mistake Zhenbei Temple made this time and how much compensation it has to pay, as long as Huineng is still there, Zhiwei will still be a strong candidate to compete for the presidency of the Dharma Assembly.

After all, Sansi and Qingwei cannot ask a Buddhist Vajra who has nothing to do with the matter to pay with his life. They are all decent people who value face and rules, and they will not tear their faces apart no matter what.

"I do have the intention to host this Dharma Assembly. But whether I can achieve my wish depends on Brother Guangyu's opinion."

Zhiwei stood on Huang Fu's right hand, staring at Guangyu, as if waiting for an answer.

"Now that the 15th day of the seventh lunar month has passed, if we want to hold the Golden Sutra Ceremony and the Yulan Basin Ceremony again, the requirements for the host are much higher than before. Not only do we need to communicate the magic power and rituals of various sects, understand yin and yang, and appease the dead souls, but we also need to accept the weather of the kingdom of heaven, transform the blessings of heaven and earth, and guide the spiritual essence of the world. It is difficult to control both at the same time!"

"Master Guangyu is a true Qingwei, and has the aura of a celestial being. His spiritual strength is naturally unquestionable. But he can understand yin and yang, and to appease the dead souls, he has to tear open the cracks between heaven and earth. I'm afraid Master Guangyu's physique can't bear the burden of carrying out the rituals of various sects and conveying the wishes of the living to the dead souls!"

Soul! Body!
In this fruit where Qi is the main factor and Taoism is the auxiliary factor, after all the methods and means, these two things are the only things required.

Although the development of the two is very balanced, but people have their own emphasis. Just as Guangyu is good at talismans and focuses on the soul, Zhiwei focuses on the body and is good at boxing.

Although the two were orthodox descendants, they were not as well-versed in both Taoism and martial arts as Dewen, who was in his sixties. They each had their own shortcomings in spirit, soul and body, and it seemed that they could not take on the important task of hosting.

"Master Huili's words do make sense. In that case, Master Dewen, do you have anything to add?"

Hearing Huang Fuwen's question, Dewen could no longer pretend that he didn't hear it. He had to stand up, bow to everyone around him, and speak loudly.

"As the abbot of Qingwei Temple, Brother Guangyu also has the Three Caves and Five Thunders Talismans bestowed by the Heavenly Master's Dharma Body last night. There is absolutely no problem for him to preside over the ceremony. However, since Master Huineng is interested, the three officials may wish to hold the Golden Talisman Grand Ceremony and the Ullambana Ceremony in parallel. This will not only reduce the burden on the person in charge, but also make the wishes of all the temples come true and live up to the expectations of the people." Guangyu? The Three Caves and Five Thunders Talismans? Holding ceremonies in parallel?
Master Dewen's words were like a depth charge that made everyone in the hall dizzy. After a long while, Zhiwei broke the deadlock and agreed.

"Master Dewen has achieved the best of both worlds. I admire him very much."

Seeing that Zhiwei approved of this method, many Buddhist monks also nodded and smiled. Huang Fu was naturally happy to see this and wanted to speak up to finalize it.

"However, Qingwei does have some suggestions on who should be the master of the holy ceremony. My nephew Guangyao has amazing Taoist skills. I think he can be the master of the holy ceremony for this ceremony. Do you have any objections?"

"Brother Guangyao saved the day before yesterday and pulled Huikong out of the sea of ​​suffering. His merits are immeasurable. He should be the first to drink the holy water of the Ullambana Festival."

Seeing that Zhiwei had no objection and that many people in the Dharma lineage also agreed, Dewen glanced at Qin Huai and sat down leisurely.

"Since Master Dewen is willing to provide the three officials with good advice, there is no reason for me not to accept it. However, this Dharma Assembly is of great importance. I hope that Master Guangyu and Master Zhiwei will do their best and put national affairs first."

"Since the two chairmen and one person in charge have been confirmed, let's discuss the other candidates together. With the combined efforts of all, there is no need to monopolize one thing."

Lu Er responded at the right time and wanted to come up with a definite set of rules today.

The eyes of the Dharma lineage members moved around, undecidedly moving between the various parties. As some people volunteered, the voices in the hall gradually became louder.

After a long while, the clerk looked at the dozen or so mages nominated by the crowd and wrote down their names one by one and presented them to Huang Fu.

"Then it will be up to you tomorrow."

A cave somewhere near Longyuan

Li Zhi, covered in dust, brought two bowls of dark brown medicinal soup to Li Cai and Feitian Yaksha with a dull tone.

"Drink it. You will be able to go out in the fields in four days."

Li Cai, half of his body already charred, struggled to reach out and swallowed the witch medicine with an indescribable taste in big gulps.

The flying yaksha, whose wings exploded and only the wing roots remained, also absorbed all the medicinal soup that Li Zhi had poured on the corpse's hair into its body, and its body exuded a grayish-white luster.

"Second brother, is there any news from the outside world?"

Li Zhi glanced at Dehong's head lying on the ground with his eyes wide open, and curled the corners of his mouth into an ugly smile.

"Qingwei Mountain has buried the old Niubizi with great ceremony today. He is probably unable to find our whereabouts. Don't worry, Fourth Brother."

"Second brother, even though the eldest and third brothers are dead, we have to get their bodies back, right?"

After Li Cai finished drinking the medicine, he thought of his dead brothers and the fatal military formation, and his eyes dimmed.

"Dead? That may not be the case."

Li Zhi looked at the sky outside the cave which was already darkening and gave Li Cai some instructions.

"Protect the Dharma for Me"

Although Li Cai was puzzled, he still whistled and gathered all the beasts outside the cave to protect the two of them.

Li Zhi sat in the witch formation, muttering something, and a white mist floated out, looking towards Longyuan Mansion in the distance.

His mind shifted and after a brief period of darkness, the hidden corpse, wrapped in a long robe and looking like an ordinary person, woke up.

Under the cover of night, the hidden corpse leaped a few times and arrived at the deserted door of the Jiaozhi Military Supervisor's residence.

At this time, Ma Qi, the general of Jiaozhi Army, was in the study, touching the smaller Pixiu treasure bowl, thinking in his mind.

The wind was howling, the candlelight flickered, and Ma Qi, whose inhuman strength was enhanced by the feedback from the Pixiu treasure basin, twitched his ears and then let out a loud shout.

"Who?!"

"He is just a man who wants to do business with the military supervisor."

Li Zhi controlled the hidden corpse to flash into the study and threw a huge gold ingot to the old eunuch.

"He is sneaking around like a thief, he must be an evil demon!"

The old eunuch snorted coldly, playing with the gold ingot, his eyes like lightning, staring at the black-robed figure.

"You are joking, Sir Military Supervisor. If I were really a demon, would you still have the leisure to listen to me?"

"For the sake of gold, if you have something to say, please speak quickly. We don't have time to waste on you!"

The old eunuch casually threw the gold ingot into the Pixiu treasure bowl and looked at the black-robed figure with a cold look.

"I came here tonight to ask the military supervisor to bring out two bodies from the three offices. If the bodies are intact, I am willing to give the military supervisor ten thousand taels of gold."

Call ~
A yellow light flashed, and Ma Qi's big hand pinched the hidden corpse's neck, making it creak.

"Li family? You still dare to come to me?"

The old eunuch was no fool. As soon as he heard the price and the request, he understood the black-robed man's intention.

"Sir, I am just a zombie. It is better not to show off your tricks."

Li Zhi smiled lightly, as if he had Ma Qi in his grasp.

"Your Excellency the Military Supervisor can of course tear off the head and send it to the Three Departments, but you will have to say goodbye to the ten thousand taels of gold."

A fierce light flashed in Ma Qi's eyes, and the iron fingers in his hand slowly tightened.

"We have to see the gold first."

Looking at the old eunuch who was gathering his sleeves with a cold face, Li Zhi controlled the hidden corpse and shook his head.

"One hand hands over the person, the other hand hands over the money."

Seeing that there was nothing to talk about, Ma Qi nodded, narrowed his eyes, but had already sentenced the corpse controller to death in his heart.

After putting away the Pi Xiu treasure bowl, Ma Qi took the hidden corpse to the Sansi government office.

"Wait here, we'll be back soon."

Behind the old eunuch, in the cave, Li Zhi's eyes were full of death.

(End of this chapter)