Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 109 Mourning Hall
Logically, after the delegation enters the capital, they should rest for a period of time.

This period wasn't really about how long the delegation needed to rest, but rather about when the monarch was willing and had the time to receive them.

However, today, as soon as the second batch of envoys from the Tang Dynasty entered the city, the King of Nanzhao had already issued an edict ordering his officials to prepare for a meeting at the royal palace.

Inside the palace, the shadow of the sundial shifted by an hour.

The cordial meeting in the royal palace had come to an end, and most of the delegation members who had received the banquet returned to their lodgings to rest.

Several members of the delegation who had not participated in the banquet earlier were now slowly entering the palace.

"Guan Changling, Commander of the Left Guard of the Great Tang Dynasty, pays his respects to the King of Nanzhao."

Guan Changling was in his forties or fifties. His face had a slightly rounded bone structure, his eyes had smile lines, and his cheeks were fleshy, but his beard was neatly trimmed.

His black gauze hat, purple robe with auspicious beast patterns, and gold and jade belt gave him a amiable yet solemn air.

After bowing respectfully, Guan Changling got straight to the point.

"I have already led people to examine the bodies of the Tang Dynasty envoys, and indeed they all bear the marks of the Tibetans."

"We are willing to believe that this is an attempt by the Tibetans to sow discord between the Nanzhao Kingdom and the Tang Dynasty."

Yi Mouxun's expression softened slightly, and he smiled, "I also believe that the alliance between our two countries will not be easily shaken by this outsider's attempt to frame us."

"Your Majesty has made a wise decision."

Guan Changling still bowed, his face showing some sorrow. "Since we have already examined the bodies of the previous envoys, we request that the King of Nanzhao send people to prepare their remains for burial."

“Remove the old clothes and put on new ones. Set up a mourning hall in Nanzhao first. In the future, we will bring the old clothes back to the Tang Dynasty and build a cenotaph.”

The climate of Nanzhao was hot and humid.

After the corpses were transported to the capital, they were placed in a cellar, and a large amount of ice was placed in the cellar to prevent them from decomposing too quickly.

However, it is still unlikely that it will be properly transported back to the Tang Dynasty in the future.

Since the Tang Dynasty has already examined the body, it should be collected and buried as soon as possible.

The suggestion to build a tomb in Nanzhao and a mound in the Tang Dynasty is also a good one.

Yi Mouxun agreed on the spot.

"Now that things have been discussed openly, there is no need to hide the news any longer. The mourning hall will be set up in the Nanzhao Huguo Temple. I have personally ordered that everything be arranged as soon as possible."

Guan Changling expressed his gratitude loudly.

The corpses were all badly damaged and died tragically, but the king of Nanzhao personally ordered that all the morticians in the city be summoned to stitch up the bodies and tidy their appearance.

For some corpses, paper craftsmen had to be asked to use bamboo bones instead of skeletons, boil pig skin to extract glue, repair the entire body, and then dress the body in robes.

The work was completed by evening, and the remains were transported to Huguo Temple in the southwest of the royal city.

After entering the mountain gate, there are three main halls on the central axis of the Nanzhao Huguo Temple: the Dharma Protector Hall, the Maitreya Hall, and the Great Buddha Hall.

Between the three main halls are spacious squares, and in the surrounding area are halls and courtyards such as the Ancestral Master Hall, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, Stele Forest, Arhat Hall, and Incense-Seeking Hall.

The main mourning halls are located in the Maitreya Hall and the square in front of it.

However, to make it seem grand, white banners were erected everywhere in the vast Huguo Temple.

The following day, hundreds of white banners fluttered in the wind as the monks performed religious rites.

Some were ringing bells and chanting sutras, some were striking wooden fish drums, and others were holding bowls of nectar and sprinkling water everywhere with willow branches.

Because the king of Nanzhao personally sent people to offer sacrifices, Zheng Hui came again, and many Tang people who served as officials in Nanzhao came to offer incense.

Even Tang officials serving in Nanzhao went there, let alone officials who were originally from the Tang Dynasty.

I don't know who asked, but Hai Donglai, who is currently in the royal city, will come to pay his respects.

The delegation replied: As fellow subjects of the Great Tang, as long as Lord Hai receives the news, he will certainly come to offer incense to the victims.

This day was March 14th.

The news of the funeral hall at Huguosi Temple spread surprisingly quickly, inevitably leading people to connect the setting up of the funeral hall with the scheduled battle tomorrow.

Many people believe that this was done intentionally by the delegation.

Helping Hai Donglai gain the advantage of being a desperate army that is bound to win is also a matter of great righteousness.

The art of war, forged in blood, is closely related to one's emotions.

In a contest between top masters, besides one's own strength, the ability to gain a dominant advantage is also very important.

At the time, Hai Donglai attacked the Prince Yi's mansion in order to challenge him to a duel. Many people felt that he was too arrogant and made a foolish move.

The ruthless action, however, gave the true culprit ample time, allowing the Righteous King to cultivate an even more formidable momentum after his grief and indignation.

It now appears that the Tang Dynasty delegation wanted to help Haidong make up for this disadvantage.

But that's just what outsiders think.

Outsiders were unaware that there was a treacherous individual among the high-ranking members of the Internal Security Bureau.

For the few people in the know, the delegation's actions—clearly intending for Hai Donglai to visit the funeral parlor—were highly suspicious.

"Among the delegation is Guan Changling, the Left Commander of the Inner Guard." Zheng Hui said in the locust tree courtyard at dusk, "Now it seems that the conspirator in the inner guard's high command is most likely Guan Changling."

The internal security organization has a huge and complex structure, and even if outsiders know that there are problems with the internal security, there are too many suspects.

But in the mind of Hai Donglai, the commander of the Imperial Guard, only two people remained who were most worthy of suspicion.

It's either the Left Commander or the President.

Guan Changling, the Left Commander, joined the Inner Guard as a swordsman and made many contributions, earning him numerous promotions.

The Presidential Commander was regarded as a true confidant of the Emperor, and this position was concurrently held by a General of the Imperial Guard.

Of these two, only one should be a traitor. If both are, then the internal security forces would probably be in serious trouble long before today.

Hai Donglai had already become even more suspicious of Guan Changling.

Looking at it now, the answer is obvious.

"Ah!"

Today, Chu Tianshu supported himself on the ground with his left index finger, smiled, then broke out of his training state and sat cross-legged on the ground.

"I can roughly guess what they're thinking."

"If Lord Hai goes there, you'll most likely be ganged up on by Duan Zhong and his allies."

"They will make sure you can't keep your appointment tomorrow. Duan Zhong will win without a fight. Even if you escape and still dare to keep your appointment, you won't be a match for Duan Zhong then."

Zheng Hui nodded and said, "They probably only think that Master Hai is superior in martial arts, but they underestimate Master Hai's wisdom."

"Now that it has been seen through that Guan Changling has a problem, Lord Hai will certainly not go."

Hai Donglai, holding a red cloud-patterned black umbrella, stood by the wall with a cold expression.

He was originally reciting the word "kill" for Chu Tianshu.

As soon as Zheng returned, he and Blind Cheng stopped talking.

But after Cheng Xiaozi stopped eating, he took out a small bottle of wine from the food box and drank it to moisten his throat.

After Hai Donglai stopped talking, he remained silent, but his murderous aura grew stronger.

The soldier's spirit sensed his murderous aura, causing the red spot on the black umbrella to resemble a relentless cloud.

It swelled and turned reddish, then diminished and thinned.

This process is repeated, and the red color deepens.

"Using the mourning hall of my Great Tang envoy to set a trap... Guan Changling, Guan Changling!"

Hai Donglai suddenly spoke up, saying, "If I don't go, are those scheming bastards supposed to stay peacefully next to the mourning hall for the dead all night?"

Zheng Hui was startled: "This..."

“Old Zheng, think about it. With their style, if they fail to besiege us today, they’re bound to cause trouble when they challenge us to a duel tomorrow.”

“We cannot expect that after we lure out the conspirators, everything can proceed as planned. We can first have a decisive battle at Cuiyan to break their reputation, and then you can slowly deploy troops to deal with them one by one.”

Chu Tianshu stood up. "They are willing to lie in ambush in the mourning hall."

"Then tonight, we will sprinkle the blood of these people in the mourning hall to commemorate their heroic souls!"

Chu Tianshu thought of that battlefield again.

That place where the entire Tang Dynasty delegation perished.

Whether they held civil or military positions, those who came to reclaim their homeland and to make contact with Nanzhao fought valiantly to their deaths.

For such a group of people, simply using a funeral hall to commemorate them is not enough.

The most appropriate way to worship is to use the blood of the conspirators!

"It's been a long time since I've used blood to make wine to commemorate my comrades."

Cheng the Blind Man shook the wine bottle. "Those envoys deserve this respect. Count me in."

Zheng Hui also replied decisively: "Alright, I'll mobilize the guards to go with us."

Chu Tianshu hesitated for a moment, then grunted, "Your guards... I'm afraid they'll only cause more casualties."

"Then I myself am still of some use, right?"

Zheng Hui glanced at the locust tree, then looked away and said resolutely, "If this matter fails, I will not escape the wrath of Duan Zhong and his men in the future. Rather than waiting in vain with gray hair, I might as well go into battle and fight."

The blind man asked, "When do we set off?"

"Now that things have come to this, of course..."

Chu Tianshu tilted his head back, interlaced his fingers, and stretched his palms forward, his expression thoughtful.

"Let's have dinner first."

"Old Zheng is quite familiar with Huguo Temple. He even went there once during the day. He can tell you about the specific layout of Huguo Temple."

(End of this chapter)