Chapter 696 The Buddha statue is complete, everyone is ready to eat! [Seeking monthly votes!]
early morning.
It was raining continuously.
It's another rainy day.
Xunyang City is indeed humid and rainy during the plum rain season.
In the past, before Shuangfengjian was built and its flood discharge capacity was poor, there were floods that the people of Xunyang called the "Water Dragon King".
Ouyang Rong habitually woke up early. After waking up, he was lost in thought for a while before realizing that he didn't seem to need to go to the Buddha construction site today.
After finishing the cleaning and handing over the headless Buddha yesterday, Rongzhen told him that he didn't need to come today and could get some rest.
Although Ouyang Rong was awake, he kept his eyes closed.
After lying on the somewhat hard wooden bed for a while, I nimbly got up at a certain moment.
Take a quick shower and brush your teeth.
A moment later, he wrung out a hot towel to wipe his face, then casually pushed open the door of the bamboo house.
While wiping my face, I looked at the soft, gloomy rain outside.
The morning breeze was a bit chilly.
Ouyang Rong's attention, however, was entirely focused on the gray mist accompanying the rain.
The fog was inconspicuous, but it persisted.
Even rainwater can't wash it away.
Ouyang Rong touched the Yunmeng Token in his sleeve and glanced down at it.
The embroidered green is still too intense, making it difficult to imbue it with spiritual energy.
Although Ouyang Rong didn't know what the purpose of sending spiritual energy into the Yunmeng Token was... every time he sent spiritual energy into it in the past, it was like throwing a mud ox into the sea, without any news or feedback.
But that didn't stop him from roughly guessing what was going on.
Yunmeng Ling was restrained.
He had been worried about Rongzhen's side before, fearing they wouldn't be able to handle it. Now it seems they were prepared even more than he expected, which was a bit beyond his expectations.
Ouyang Rong put away the Yunmeng Token again.
He wandered around the room and found there was really nothing to do.
The bamboo house was simple, but it wasn't just Ouyang Rong who lived in such a simple house. He had also visited the old musician and Rong Zhen's courtyard, which was just as simple as his, with people sleeping on wooden plank beds.
Ouyang Rong pulled a stool out of the house, returned to the door of the bamboo house, placed it on the ground, lay down on it, propped his head up with his hands, and looked at the rain outside.
The bamboo forest is a quiet and secluded place.
Since taking office in Jiangzhou, whether serving as the chief secretary or the governor, Ouyang Rong has rarely had such leisure time.
Even during the period when he was demoted to the position of Sima, he was still calculating certain things in his mind and making arrangements.
After a short while, Ouyang Rong came to his senses and glanced in the direction of the giant Buddha in the grotto.
When will the completed Buddha body and the golden Buddha head be joined together? Ouyang Rong did not ask Rong Zhen last night.
Even if you ask her, she won't tell you. Instead, she'll glance at Ouyang Rong as if to say, "Are you teaching me how to do things?"
Ouyang Rong smiled.
He closed his eyes and entered the Pagoda of Merit.
The Merit Pagoda remains unchanged.
The blessing bell remained silent for a long time, hanging high above the head.
The little wooden fish is like a bell-ringing monk, working idly every day, occasionally making a "ding" sound to accumulate a little merit.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the cyan-gold characters above:
[Merit: 4231]
Compared to the last time, the merit points have increased by approximately 300.
However, there's a strange point.
After Ouyang Rong handed over the headless Buddha body of the Donglin Buddha yesterday, the expected surge in merit did not materialize.
That's a bit strange.
Surely you're not going to take advantage of him for free, are you?
After thinking for a moment, Ouyang Rong decided to wait until the Buddha's head and body were completely combined.
His will left the Pagoda of Merit.
With nothing else to do, Ouyang Rong went to the inner room, took out the Burning Heaven Dragon Oil that Wang Caozhi had brought earlier, along with some auxiliary materials, and began making the product.
The morning passed quickly. At one point, Ouyang Rong let out a long breath, leaned back in his chair, and on the desk in front of him were three small and exquisite Heaven-Burning Thunderbolts.
It looks a bit like a hand grenade, but much more powerful. Items ignited by the Burning Heaven Dragon Oil are like being covered in eerie green ghost fire, which is difficult to extinguish even when exposed to water. I don't know what kind of strange fire it is.
This was something his junior sister had mentioned when she fought the Jade Cup Fairy; he had always been somewhat hesitant to use it.
Unexpectedly, Ouyang Rong would still use it today.
He put the three Heavenly Thunderbolts into his sleeve and shook his head.
"Heaven-Burning Thunder? Quite the boast..."
Ouyang Rong then examined the spiritual energy in his dantian again.
Lacking the "Lotus Boat Qin Melody," Emperor Wen's sword technique was incomplete, preventing him from using its mysterious cauldron sword divine power. However, it did allow him to successfully enter the seventh rank.
But he only reached the seventh rank.
The only improvement is the seventh-rank ability of the swordsman. Not only is the time to deploy the sword shortened by one breath, but the recall distance of the cauldron sword is also greatly increased.
Moreover, a seventh-rank swordsman is already capable of completely killing a sixth-rank Qi cultivator, as long as he has time to prepare his sword.
Ouyang Rong estimated that it would take about ten breaths to finish.
Just then, there was a commotion outside the door.
Ouyang Rong turned his head and saw Wang Caozhi.
"Brother-in-law."
"You went to the construction site this morning?"
"Well, I looked around but didn't have anything to do. Sister Rong and the others were busy, and there were some places I wasn't allowed to go. I looked around but really had nothing to do, so I came to find you."
"Don't shout."
Ouyang Rong only corrected him once and didn't say anything more.
Wang Caozhi also pulled up a stool and sat down next to Ouyang Rong, watching the misty rain with his brother-in-law. He couldn't help but say something.
"Brother-in-law, is there really nothing more for us to do now? Aren't you going to go and take a look?"
Ouyang Rong glanced at him.
"Meddling in other people's business is not a good habit."
Wang Caozhi sneered:
"Isn't this the first time I've participated in such a world-renowned event? I'm a little curious. I'm not as wise and calm as my brother-in-law. Sigh, it's really hard for me to keep my composure. I guess I still have a lot to learn, especially from my brother-in-law's ability to maintain composure..."
Ouyang Rong interrupted:
"Where is the deputy abbot of Donglin Temple?"
"They rested in a house by the bamboo grove, but Lady Rong and Commander Yi forbade them to leave, saying they should stay and wait for news."
Ouyang Rong nodded and said softly:
"Releasing it now would indeed make it easy for the news to leak out."
Wang Caozhi glanced around furtively, covered his mouth with his hand, and lowered his voice:
"Brother-in-law, are we really going to fight?"
Ouyang Rong did not answer, but suddenly asked:
"Did you take Pei Shisan Niang to the county government office when you went to Longcheng this time?"
Wang Caozhi rubbed his hands together like a fly and said:
"I took it with me. I gave your letter to Magistrate Diao. He knows that Madam Pei is one of your people, and he greeted her respectfully..."
Ouyang Rong frowned: "What do you mean, 'my people'?"
Wang Caozhi corrected him earnestly: "Your subordinates."
Ouyang Rong gave a soft snort.
This was something he had instructed Pei Shisan Niang to do a few days ago before leaving the Xunyang Prince's Mansion after receiving Rong Zhen's letter.
She was in charge of the escape route that Ouyang Rong had arranged in Longcheng, and Pei Shisan Niang had also prepared the boat for Xunyang Ferry.
After his testing and observation over the past few days, Pei Shisan Niang has passed the test and can be used.
At the same time, she was also accepted by Ouyang Rong's men, Yan Liulang and Wang Caozhi.
Before leaving, Ouyang Rong introduced Pei Shisan Niang to Li Xian and Li Dalang so that they could have a glimpse of her.
As usual, he used the same old trick of treating people with respect—a cliché that never fails. After a few words of encouragement from Li Xian, the beautiful woman was moved to tears…
As for Yan Liulang, he stayed in the city, openly assisting Yuan Huaimin while secretly protecting the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
Ouyang Rong lowered his head and pondered for a moment.
Having made sure there were no major oversights, he stood up and glanced at the water clock to tell the time.
"Come on, I'll take you to get a free meal."
Wang Caozhi followed behind, fawningly holding an umbrella for Ouyang Rong, muttering under his breath:
"Brother-in-law, you said the Buddha body has been repaired and handed over, so why haven't you put the Buddha head on and combined it yet? What are the ladies waiting for?"
Someone casually said:
"What are we waiting for? Of course, we're waiting for us to get there so we can start eating once everyone's here."
...
Lunch was again served in the old musician's courtyard.
But this time, everyone was indeed present.
Besides Rong Zhen, Ouyang Rong, and Wang Cao, who was brought by the latter.
There's also Granny Song and Miaozhen.
Yi Qianqiu, Wei Mi, Li Congshan, Duan Quanwu.
Wei Mi had been stationed at Xunyang Grottoes, leading a group of Xuanwu Guards to assist Commander Yi Qianqiu.
Miaozhen and Li Congshan were originally ordered to lead three hundred White Tiger Guards to protect the Xunyang Prince's Mansion.
As a result, with the joint orders of Prince Li Xian of Xunyang and Governor Ouyang Rong of Jiangzhou, and the tacit approval of Lady Rongzhen, the Xunyang Grottoes were temporarily mobilized to protect the Buddha statue.
This can be considered as adding to the defensive strength of Xunyang Grottoes.
After all, the construction of the Donglin Buddha was a major event for the imperial court and one of the national affairs that His Majesty was most concerned about.
The reasons are sufficient and plausible.
However, it was clear to anyone with discerning eyes that the Xunyang Prince's Mansion harbored some wariness towards Miaozhen and Li Congshan's group.
I just see through it but don't say it out loud.
Only Duan Quanwu looked at his fellow White Tiger Guard, Li Congshan, with a hint of amusement and mockery in his eyes.
Li Congshan, the young general in white robes, remained calm as he picked up chopsticks to serve himself rice, displaying neither servility nor arrogance.
This scene naturally caught the eye of Ouyang Rong, who had just entered the courtyard.
He glanced at Duan Quanwu.
This gloomy-faced martial artist, who had connections with Qiu Shenji, also hurriedly returned from outside before the Xunyang Grottoes were sealed off.
Previously, he had led men to suppress a group of river pirates in Hukou County...
As usual, the atmosphere at the table was silent.
Although everyone was gathered, they all said it was too little.
The main reason was that the leaders, Rong Zhen, Ouyang Rong, and Yi Qianqiu, were all taciturn, so the others naturally had nothing to say.
The meal was finished in mostly silence.
As they were about to part ways after putting down their bowls, Ouyang Rong asked a question:
"General Duan, what's the situation in Hukou County? Have they made any gains?"
Duan Quanwu's face was somewhat stern:
"They cut off about ten heads."
"They weren't wiped out?"
Duan Quanwu, slightly embarrassed, snorted coldly:
"Hmph, these water pirates are all cowards, they dare not provoke me, and they always hide in the maze-like swamps, making it difficult for me to chase them... However, they are also afraid and dare not show their faces. This time, I retreated quickly and left a group of people to guard the edge of the swamp. They probably didn't even realize what was happening while hiding in the swamp. Once things have settled down here, I will go and have a good talk with them."
After listening to his long speech, Ouyang Rong nodded and, as the class representative, summarized:
"So you can't do anything about them, right? Do you understand?"
Duan Quanwu: ...?
The sullen-faced man glared angrily at Ouyang Rong, his nostrils twitching. However, the governor of Jiangzhou held a much higher rank than him, so he could only swallow his anger. He flicked his sleeve and uttered a single sentence:
“Prefect Ouyang sits in the yamen all day long, how easy is that? He’s really capable, he should do it himself.”
Ouyang Rong's expression suddenly turned serious: "I'm really good at it."
Duan Quanwu choked, looking at him suspiciously.
Rong Zhen spoke up: "Alright, things have come to this point, let's not argue anymore. That's a minor matter. Those water bandits have already been tested for their identity. If they dare to attack the cave, they're just asking for death."
That's true. Right now, the Xunyang Grottoes have nearly three thousand armored soldiers. Even just the outer perimeter is beyond the reach of those Pishui bandits.
After the meal.
Wang Caozhi left immediately, without waiting for his brother-in-law.
Ouyang Rong and Rong Zhen exchanged a glance, stood up in tacit agreement, and went out side by side.
The remaining few people also dispersed one after another.
Miaozhen was too lazy to exchange pleasantries with anyone. She walked out of the courtyard and glanced at the backs of Rongzhen and Ouyang Rong, who were occasionally bumping into each other on the path ahead.
She turned around, opened her umbrella, and returned to her residence.
Miaozhen also lived in a bamboo house, but it was in a very remote place.
Over the years, she has lived a life of quiet contemplation in the palace. She is typically indifferent and aloof, and unless it is for official business, she does not interact with Rongzhen, Granny Song, Yi Qianqiu, or anyone else in private.
He was seen as aloof and eccentric by others.
Miaozhen entered the bamboo house, immediately closed the door, drew the curtains tightly, and dimmed the light.
She didn't turn on the light and just sat there listlessly at the table.
Miaozhen no longer hated Lixian.
At least that's what she told herself.
However, a few days ago, Li Xian and the others, still feeling guilty, sent her and Li Congshan away.
They avoided her like the plague.
Just then.
"Knock knock".
A thin-faced man suddenly appeared at the entrance of the courtyard and politely knocked on the door.
Miaozhen stepped out of the house and came to the eaves.
The thin-faced man, head down, handed over a letter:
“Mistress Miaozhen, this is a gift from my master. He said he would personally deliver it to you.”
Miaozhen's eyes were cold; she did not leave the eaves.
The thin-faced man personally entered the hospital, respectfully placed the letter on the bamboo chair in the courtyard, and then turned and left.
The courtyard returned to its desolate state.
Raindrops fell obliquely onto the envelope, gradually wetting it.
Miaozhen stared coldly at the letter on the chair and the familiar wax seal on it, but hesitated to open it.
At one point, she suddenly turned her head and closed the door.
It keeps out the wind, rain, and fog.
...
Meanwhile, Fangjia Mountain Villa is located far from the grottoes.
After Fang Yiwu finished eating with his sick wife, a maid suddenly stumbled over and whispered something in his ear.
"What? Where are they?"
Fang Yiwu was so anxious that he immediately got up and rushed to the study in the back of the house without even having time to comfort his wife.
That was the place where he had imprisoned the Fang sisters and kept the two women confined these past few days.
Fang Yiwu hurried towards the back house.
But the closer he got to the library, the more serious his expression became, even showing a hint of panic.
All the guards sent by the Jiangzhou government to assist him in monitoring the Fang sisters had disappeared.
Looking from afar, Fang Yiwu saw that the library, which used to be heavily guarded, was now completely empty.
No one knows where these people went.
Fang Yiwu forced himself to walk forward, and the closer he got to the library, the more his body trembled.
Until he actually saw that beautiful figure in white standing by the door, seemingly looking over indifferently.
As their eyes met from afar, Fang Yiwu stumbled and fell hard.
For some reason, as he lay on the ground, he suddenly felt that it would be nice to just fall and pass out.
With a kick of the legs, I'll live a life free from worldly strife...
Unfortunately, Fang Yiwu soon heard two hurried footsteps approaching, calling out "Father!" as they helped him up from either side.
Fang Yiwu couldn't help but look up and saw Fang Juxiu and Fang Shengnan.
The two girls, having once again slightly embarrassed their father, bent down and helped him up. Their expressions were somewhat complicated as they stepped aside to clear his view.
Fang Yiwu looked over with a chill running down his spine.
"Clang—"
A woman in white walked leisurely towards us, a red string with bells hanging from her ankles. She seemed to be looking towards the Xunyang Grottoes in the distance.
Fang Yiwu stood awkwardly to the side, his voice stammering:
"Your Excellency... Your Excellency's presence at my humble abode is a great honor. Why didn't you inform me beforehand? Hahaha... Hahaha."
There was no response, and the atmosphere became slightly awkward.
(End of this chapter)
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