Chapter 219: Falling into a Trap Deliberately Set Up
Where is the road?
Zhou Mujiao pointed to the towering tree next to her and said, "The road is in the tree."
The accompanying guards quickly climbed up the tree and were immediately surprised by what they saw.
"Madam, there really is a path in these trees!"
No one would have imagined that someone would build a road in a tree. Given that the tree was tall enough and had lush foliage, even the experienced Jiang Wuyu would never have guessed that there could be a road in the tree if Zhou Mujiao hadn't come today.
However, there were no signs of any living person having been under this tree, so the entrance must be somewhere else.
Zhou Mujiao thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to Nanshan Temple."
They quickly arrived at the entrance of an ordinary courtyard in Nanshan Temple. It was behind the Buddha statue inside the room. Zhou Mujiao fiddled with it for a bit, and the mechanism clicked and clattered. Soon, a dark entrance was revealed. Xie Jiang threw Hui Rong, Young Master Lin, and the rich man Lu in first to make sure there were no hidden mechanisms before the group went in.
The tunnel behind the Buddha statue leads all the way to the northernmost part of Nanshan Temple, where there is a cliff, a full twenty zhang away from the opposite mountain. The opposite side is also a smooth cliff face, which anyone with good eyesight can see at a glance. There is nowhere to step on the cliff face.
Zhou Mujiao exclaimed in admiration, "The person who designed this road is truly talented. Does Master Huirong usually cross by zipline or by cable car?"
Master Huirong was around sixty years old. He had a bald head and a Buddha-like face, looking very compassionate. This Buddha-like appearance deceived all the believers, and probably also deceived his own people.
Master Huirong clasped his hands together, neither sad nor happy, and said, “If you are in a hurry, then we can use the zipline. If guests are coming, then we can use the cable car. If you are not in a hurry, why not enjoy the scenery below the cliff from the cable car?”
"What scenery is there below the cliff? Is it a landscape built with piles of white bones?"
Master Huirong's expression changed slightly, but Zhou Mujiao did not give him a chance to speak, and smiled faintly: "Since the master sincerely recommends it, it would seem like we are ungrateful if we did not give it a try."
He walked straight to the big tree in the middle on the left, touched the trunk, and laughed: "What's the spell? Open Sesame?"
Master Huirong's expression changed several times. Young Master Lin could no longer contain himself. He turned to look at the wealthy man Lu: "Brother Lu, this code word was only changed when we took Zhao Yunjing away. How did she know it? Are you a mole? I knew it. You're not content with the status quo and want to be a lackey of the court!"
Lu the rich man shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, if I wanted to be a lackey of the imperial court, I could easily become a county magistrate by donating half of my wealth. But I don't have that. Haven't I given all my wealth to my master?"
"How did she know?"
"How would I know? Ask her!"
Young Master Lin stared at Zhou Mujiao and asked an incredibly stupid question: "How did you know the code? Who did you bribe?! Tell me!"
Zhou Mujiao really didn't want to pay attention, but He Jiu kindly explained, "Which child in Peach Blossom County doesn't know a code word like 'Open Sesame'? We're just teasing you because you're all so stupid."
Meanwhile, the guards had already used the code word "open sesame" to open the secret passage built into the tree trunk. When their eyes met, the people inside were somewhat bewildered.
Zhou Mujiao looked at He Jiu coolly and said, "Xiao He, they are not stupid. They are just following orders. Lu Caizhu's use of such a high-level code means that he has received instructions from above, because their master originally intended to let me pass."
He Jiu understood immediately and scoffed, "So all our efforts have been for nothing, and we've still fallen into their trap!"
"Are you scared?" Young Master Chen glanced at him.
"If I were really scared, I wouldn't be here right now." He Jiu puffed out his chest and was the first to squeeze inside. "Let's go, Xiao Chen!"
"You must have a death wish to dare to disrespect me! Don't call me 'Little Chen,' call me 'Lord Chen'! My rank is one level higher than yours!"
"Little Chen, Little Chen, Little Chen!" Hu Peiran also found himself indulging in some mischief.
The classmates entered the secret passage amidst laughter and chatter. They walked up the stone steps for a while and reached the top of a big tree. Standing at the bottom and looking down, they could only see thick leaves. But when they looked into the distance, they could see something.
There was another tree of about the same height on the opposite side. The two trees were connected by a very large and thick iron chain. Because it was built high up, and usually no one came here, and there was no human presence at the bottom of the cliff below, even if there were, they would not be able to see it. In addition, they mostly acted at night, which is why no one had discovered anything unusual about this place for so many years.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Mujiao found it as soon as she arrived, as if she already knew the location and the secret. Truly worthy of being called—
“Letting guests go and enjoy the scenery on their own, Master Huirong’s hospitality is truly questionable,” Zhou Mujiao said with a faint smile. “Or perhaps Master Huirong has tampered with this cable car, making it not a sightseeing vehicle, but a path to the Western Paradise?”
Master Huirong chanted a Buddhist prayer: "May the Buddha have mercy. There is no problem with the cable car. This humble monk will naturally accompany you. Please allow this humble monk to board first."
The clicking sound of the mechanism rang out, and then a cable car that looked like a cage appeared in front of people. It didn't look very nice, but it was quite big and could carry six people at a time.
Young Master Lin opened the door, and Hui Rong and Young Master Lin went in first, followed by Zhou Mujiao, Xie Jiang, Young Master Chen, and a guard. Hui Rong signaled to start the process, but Zhou Mujiao quickly pushed Young Master Lin out of the cage and pulled Lu Caizhu in.
"Master, let's go."
Master Huirong pursed his lips, made a gesture, and the cable car started moving. He kept his head down and was very quiet. However, the rich man Lu had something to say. He asked Zhou Mujiao why she had dragged him in: "I don't even know a few words, but I'm not as important as that Lin."
"Indeed, your money is more important than you."
Even the wealthy Lu fell silent. He and Master Huirong exchanged glances, both secretly wondering how this woman could be so clever and capable, able to pinpoint the crux of the matter with her sharp insight, as if she knew all their plans. This left them with no privacy and no sense of accomplishment.
You should know that this cable car was proposed by Master Huirong. It took a lot of people to build this platform. The road on the opposite side, which is built on the trees, was also built after Lu Caizhu and Master Huirong had a fight. That was almost twenty years ago. Madam Zhao hadn't even been born yet twenty years ago. How did she know about it?
Could it be that someone sent her a secret message?
No, no, he knows what's important. Even if he's unwilling to cooperate, he won't kill them out of consideration for their loyalty to him over the years.
But what if it is him?
Master Huirong felt a chill run down her spine at the thought of that possibility.
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