The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 115 The Sound of Swords Cries in the Heavenly Realm

Monks chanted scriptures, and clusters of five- or six-foot-long incense sticks were inserted into huge bronze incense burners, carrying a faint fragrance. Pilgrims and ordinary people, with devout expressions, clasped their hands together and bowed to one temple after another.

Pei Xuanbao was dressed in a brocade battle robe with a jade belt around his waist, but his face was gloomy.

He was unable to find His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus.

After setting off from Chang'an, they traveled non-stop, risking their lives to reach the place where the Emperor Emeritus's carriage was stationed, only to find that the Emperor Emeritus was not there, but had gone to the Reclining Buddha Temple to attend the Longevity Sutra Dharma Assembly.

Helpless, he had no choice but to lead his men to continue. Originally, he intended to wear armor and seal off the temple, but fearing that it would disturb the interest of the retired Emperor Li Longji, he removed his armor and entered wearing only a brocade robe and carrying a sword.

But there are too many people here.

How come there are so many people!

Pei Xuanbao gripped the hilt of his sword. A surge of murderous intent, anger, and impatience welled up within him, almost giving him the urge to draw his sword and cleave the peasant in front of him who had delayed his important business to pieces.

Hold on, hold on...

For some reason, he felt his emotions growing stronger.

Pei Xuanbao obtained the honorary title of Lieutenant General through his family background. In his early thirties, he was a seventh-rank official, which was quite good among those who had not personally fought on the battlefield. However, he did not follow the military lineage; his specialty was aerial teleportation.

Thinking of how her family had abandoned her, she felt resentful; thinking of Zhou Yan, she felt murderous. But all these surging emotions eventually converged into an extreme feeling of agitation.

Zhou Yan, Zhou Yan.

I'm going to crush every single bone in your body.

I'm going to break your limbs, bury you in the ground, and make a crack in the top of your head so that insects can tear and eat every piece of your flesh. I'm going to make you suffer to death!
Die, die, die, die, die!
For some reason, the sounds of drums, wooden fish, and chanting of Buddhist scriptures in the temple lacked the serene charm of Buddhist chanting. To Pei Xuanbao, they sounded like cicadas chirping in summer, making him irritable.

Amidst this chanting, his murderous intent and hatred became increasingly distorted.

Laughter came from the side: "Brother, this place is indeed wonderful! The Northern Temple of the late Sui Dynasty has been a place of great prosperity for hundreds of years. Its reputation is well-deserved!"

The speaker was a seventeen-year-old boy, tall and with a youthful face that hadn't yet faded, exuding arrogance. He was also a member of the Pei family, named Pei Xuan Niao, and was of the same generation as Pei Xuan Bao, but twelve years younger.

Guo Ziyi and Li Bi seized upon the Pei family's weaknesses and dealt them a heavy blow.

In the Shuofang army, the captains of the Pei family line were all singled out and discarded.

It is foreseeable that the Guo family will inevitably become increasingly powerful in the future.

Pei Xuan Niao was arrogant in his youth and possessed great martial arts skills, but he had a bad temper. Looking at the people coming and going in the Reclining Buddha Temple, he said, "Brother, we are from a noble family, the Pei family of Hedong. How can these commoners be ahead of us?"

"Why don't we reveal our identities and ask these people to make way for us?"

Pei Xuan Niao crossed his arms behind his head and said, "I don't want to wait in line."

"So annoying."

Pei Xuanbao's irritation was amplified by his younger brother's noise, so he smacked Pei Xuanniao on the shoulder and hissed, "Don't forget why we came out here. Be quiet and don't cause any trouble!"

Pei Xuanbao's eyes were bloodshot, clearly indicating that he was suppressing his temper.

Pei Xuan Niao then calmed down.

Pei Xuanbao took a deep breath, his fist clenched under his sleeve.

The group of over thirty people had already dispersed, all wanting to find the three retired emperors. This would determine whether they would ultimately become pawns or at least survive, so each of them was very dedicated to finding them.

Except for Pei Xuanniao.

He surveyed the place, his eyes filled with both naivety and arrogance.

It was very lively and bustling.

Men, women, young and old, were all there. Amidst the incense smoke, they huddled together, chatting quietly. The smell of incense, mixed with the sounds of people talking, and the fried aroma of snacks from the vendors, all of this lifted his spirits.

Looks like this is a pretty good job!

I don't know why my brother and the others had those expressions on their faces.

It was simply...it was like losing one's parents!

Yes, as if we had lost our parents!

Pei Xuan Niao, carrying a horizontal sword, saw a vendor selling candied hawthorns and went over to buy one. The vendor, seeing his brocade robe and the long sword at his waist, was too frightened to ask for money. Pei Xuan Niao took one and threw the money over.

Then he saw Pei Xuanbao, but Pei Angju wasn't there, so he secretly took a bite.

However, because there were too many people, he was looking left and right and accidentally bumped into the person in front of him. A candied hawthorn fell to the ground. Pei Xuan Niao frowned slightly but didn't care. However, he was, after all, a young Xuan Official, and his perception ability was far superior to that of ordinary people.

He glanced to the side and saw a girl dressed in plain clothes carrying a basket on her back. Inside the basket was a very small child who was secretly staring at the candied hawthorn that had fallen to the ground. Pei Xuan Niao didn't pay any attention to it and just continued walking forward.

The girl in plain clothes quietly approached and squatted down to pick up the candied hawthorn.

She was delighted and whispered, "We get to eat candied hawthorns, little brother."

A boot stomped down, crushing the dusty candied hawthorn. The girl in plain clothes stared blankly, then looked up to see the arrogant young man in brocade robes standing there. Pei Xuan Niao said, "As expected..."

He crushed and mashed the candied hawthorn.

"That's how it is for ordinary people."

Those around were terrified by the sight and retreated in unison. The girl in plain clothes stumbled back and sat on the ground, her already pale face turning deathly pale, almost on the verge of tears.

Pei Xuan Niao frowned: "Why are you crying!?"

He took off the money pouch from his waist, casually picked at it, and threw it all into the vendor's arms, saying, "I'll buy them all."

Pei Xuan Niao said, "Hmph, take it and eat it."

He crushed the dusty hawthorn ball, then turned around, holding a dagger in one hand and a candied hawthorn in the other, his eyes haughty, yet he seemed to be enjoying this Buddhist longevity ritual.

He raised his head and looked at the very center of the Longevity Sutra ceremony. There stood a pagoda, its surface covered in moss, giving the stone pagoda an ancient and serene appearance. The surrounding incense burners, prayer flags, and other objects adorned the reclining Buddha temple, making it seem like a Buddhist paradise on earth.

…………

Li Zhenyue walked slowly, glancing at the monks passing by. This valiant general of the Shuofang army keenly sensed something: "A bloody scent, yet it's still lingering..."

"dead?"

Li Zhenyue's face was rugged and resolute, expressionless, and devoid of emotion in his eyes.

I saw people talking over there.

A bearded man asked, "Does it really work?" He had a large frame, and one could imagine that he must have been a brave and strong man in the past, but now, his left trouser leg was empty, and his clothes were draped over his body.

A woman helped him up and said softly, "Of course."

"This is the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. I heard that if you touch the Buddha statues at the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, even a blind person's eyes can be healed."

"Sixth Brother, your injuries will definitely heal!"

The woman smiled confidently, and a glimmer of hope appeared in the man's eyes. The woman turned away and wiped her tears. Li Zhenyue looked at the man and keenly sensed the aura of a soldier emanating from him.

He was a soldier, but he was wounded.

Li Zhenyue's gaze swept around and he saw that most of the people inside had injuries and illnesses. Many of these were clearly not normal diseases, but wounds caused by beatings or slashes from knives and swords, such as missing arms, blindness, and lameness.

The defeated army, the rebels, and the bandits who emerged from them, brutally abused the people like knives; the soldiers who once fought for the Tang Dynasty, wounded, returned to the fields.

Li Zhenyue exhaled. He suddenly understood why the incense at the Reclining Buddha Temple was so prosperous. The An Lushan Rebellion had a huge impact on the Tang Dynasty, and even now, the rebels were gradually being quelled.

However, many people in the community have scars and ailments.

A single line in history, yet the common people have to bear it for a lifetime.

Those illnesses, disabilities, maladjustment to life, and the contrast with their previous healthy life—where they could hold their children and walk briskly before, but can't now—will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Every day, every hour, every moment.

The legend of the Reclining Buddha Temple is like a vague hope. When people are in dire straits and burdened by all kinds of hardships, they will subconsciously be willing to believe things that they would never believe in ordinary times.

Even the faintest glimmer of hope is still hope.

Moreover, the Reclining Buddha Temple has already been known for its miraculous manifestations.
This is not stupidity or dullness, but simply the last glimmer of hope that ordinary people can find amidst the pain and torment of life, much like blindly following all sorts of folk remedies when faced with a terminal illness.

It was the An Lushan Rebellion that led to the flourishing of incense at the Wofo Temple and the unprecedented prosperity of this Longevity Sutra Dharma Assembly.

This is why it was so difficult to find Li Longji.

However, the Pei family members were concerned about Li Longji. Li Zhenyue's target was only these people. Previously, when more than thirty people acted together, he could not easily kill Pei Xuanbao and Pei Angju. Now that they had arrived at the Wofo Temple, the incense was thriving and there were many people and worshippers.

In order to find the retired Emperor Li Longji, the Pei family members all went their separate ways.

Li Zhenyue averted his gaze from the people.

He carried a huge box on his back and walked slowly forward.

Inside the box was the heavy Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) that had slain countless enemies at Xingxiuchuan and Qinghai Lake. The monks had wanted Li Zhenyue to put the box down, but he simply took out his military token and forced his way in.

“Pei Xuanbao, Pei Angju…”

After disguising himself, Li Zhenyue's gaze swept in two directions.

Finally, his gaze settled on Pei Xuanbao, who was clearly troubled.

Let's kill him first.

Walking slowly forward, following the crowd, towards Pei Xuanbao's direction, the sounds of jingling, people talking, monks chanting, and prayer flags fluttering in the wind mixed with incense created a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

Countless incense sticks filled the sky above the Reclining Buddha Temple, seemingly causing even the gods and Buddhas to pause, look down upon the people and all living beings here, and prepare to bestow upon them boundless blessings.

Ancient locust trees gather, and the altar transforms the Dharma; beneath the rivers, dragons fight each other.

The Reclining Buddha Temple was filled with peace and tranquility.

Clang, clang, clang—

The ancient, large Buddha bell in the Reclining Buddha Temple was rung.

The solemn sound of the Buddhist bell echoed throughout the temple. Pei Xuanbao looked up, Pei Angju's brows relaxed, Pei Xuanniao quickly ate the candied hawthorn, and Li Zhenyue looked up as he followed the crowd and incense offerings toward the pagoda.

The imperial court, aristocratic families, warfare, generals, demons, evil spirits, Buddha, immortality.

Like surging waves, they converge beneath the stupa.

At the foot of the stupa, an elderly monk stood there, dressed in a simple yet dignified robe. His face was wrinkled, and his expression was compassionate and peaceful, exuding the aura of a great and virtuous Buddha. Someone nearby exclaimed, "This is the abbot!"

"Yes, I heard he's over a hundred years old, a true Buddhist master!"

"The Buddha's teachings are profound and immeasurable in their merits!"

The Longevity Sutra Ceremony and the Heavenly Offering Ritual have begun.

【斋天】.

Open!
The people were excited. Li Zhenyue glanced into the distance, then his eyes narrowed slightly.

The long sword in the box on his back hummed softly.

Um? ! ! !

(End of this chapter)