This mysterious woman stood alone under the moon for a long time, then turned around and sat down on the shore of the lake.
No, it can’t really be considered “Lakeshore” anymore.
The entire lake in the sky has been draped over her shoulders, leaving behind only a huge pit and a huge ruin...
She just sat there quietly, holding a bunch of blue finches, her eyes passing over the ruins at the bottom of the lake and towards the endless ice field in the distance.
Jianchou watched in the dark for a long time.
She didn't know whether the other party had discovered her, but she thought that the other party probably didn't care about others, nor did he care about others peeping, but he also didn't seem to want to be disturbed.
So he lowered his eyes, and finally left quietly.
The moon in the sky has moved a little further.
The woman's long hair scattered on the ground was as smooth as silk, with a hint of deep blue, and vaguely like the silk she was wearing, with traces of rippling water.
She didn't look back for a long time, until the slanting moon cast her shadow behind her, then she sighed softly.
The footsteps that were not concealed, or perhaps it would be useless to conceal them, were heard at this moment.
A tall and graceful figure slowly walked out from the darkness on the other side of the Saint's Hall. Xie Buchen's face, which seemed to be as cool as the silver snow world around him, was also revealed under the moonlight.
He had obviously witnessed the moment when the woman transformed earlier, and did not speak at this moment.
The woman just lowered her eyebrows and looked at the blue delphinium between her fingers. She roughly guessed what the male cultivator behind her was here for, but she did not turn around. She just raised her hand lightly, as if scooping up a bay of soft waves, and put the bunch of blue delphiniums behind her ears.
Deep blue-purple, snow-white earlobes.
A breathtaking natural beauty, yet also a hint of melancholy.
Even her voice had a softness and ethereal quality that could permeate one's soul: "You are not a Tantric monk. Are you here for the Jiuyi Cauldron?"
Xie Buchen did not answer, nor did he need to answer.
He knew why he came, and this unfathomable enchantress had completely seen through his purpose.
The vast sea of snow and clouds was now being blown by the night wind.
The crescent moon in the sky was slowly submerged by dark clouds. The entire snowy summit, from the temple to the holy lake, gradually became dark.
Half an hour later, Xie Buchen came out and the dark clouds dissipated.
On nights like this, there were no monks chanting in the main hall, the Hall of Saints.
Only in the corridors on both sides leading to the holy lake at the back, the two long rows of golden prayer wheels emitted a silent and cold glow under the reflection of a narrow moonlight shining through from above.
After coming out and heading east, you will see the monks’ quarters.
The room that Xie Buchen prepared specially for foreign disciples who were about to receive the initiation ceremony was also in that direction, and was not even very far from the main hall.
But when he looked over, there seemed to be a flash of dark light in his eyes.
It was still quiet in the dead of night. He did not return to his room, but walked towards the row of monks' quarters further away!
Since we have already agreed to kill Master Hongren tomorrow night and investigate the situation before leaving, there is no need to be too timid in some actions.
What's more, Jianchou has already set a precedent.
A faint smile appeared on Xie Buchen's lips.
As we walked, a row of monks' houses appeared in front of us.
This is where the ordinary disciples of the masters of the temple live. If he remembered correctly, Moga and others lived here, and the room at the edge belonged to...
“Knock, knock.”
In the silence of the night, he knocked on the door.
The people who were meditating inside obviously did not expect someone to visit them so late at night. A spiritual consciousness poked out from inside and took a quick look, identifying the identity of the visitor.
Then, there was a rustling sound, and a hint of impatience was revealed in the footsteps.
Moga opened the door and saw Xie Buchen standing outside. He felt confused and annoyed: "What's the matter with Junior Brother Huaijie in the middle of the night?"
Xie Buchen didn't mind the other party's attitude, he just smiled and said, "I left something with you a few days ago, and I want to get it back tonight."
"Things?" Moga was confused. "When have you ever left anything here with me?"
"some."
He stared at the other person with the same peaceful expression as always. There was not even a trace of cruelty or coldness in Xie Buchen's expression. Even his voice and tone did not change at all.
“…your life.”
"you!"
The sound of those three words was so ordinary that Moga didn't react immediately. But even if he did react, what would it matter
Xie Buchen's cultivation was already much higher than his, not to mention that he was carrying a "sharp blade" today and came well prepared!
Moga couldn't even make a sound as he was pointed at the center of his eyebrows!
In an instant, a poisonous snake-like black air crawled along his arms and fingers, reached his fingertips, penetrated into the ancestral orifice between Moga's eyebrows, and directly destroyed all his souls!
The evil and treacherous aura quickly engulfed Moga.
In just a blink of an eye, the monk who had just opened the door for Xie Buchen was lifeless. Layers of black air attached to the surface of his skin, and his face was frozen with an expression of extreme disbelief and fear.
From the time he gave that answer to the time he killed someone, the time was as short as a flash.
Seeing the man fall to the ground with a "thump", Xie Buchen's calm expression did not change at all. He just waved his hand lightly, as if to brush away some dust, and swept the body into the house.
He turned around, and the door that had just been opened closed quietly, as if no one had ever been there.
This row of monks' houses is very long, just like the night with the bright moon hanging high in the sky, it seems to have no end.
Xie Buchen's figure disappeared from in front of Moga's room, and appeared in another monk's house the next moment.
Every move he made was swift and precise, every movement was smooth and flowing, and whether it was his eyebrows or his expression, they all revealed a cruel beauty that was almost pleasing to the eye.
Some are sleeping, some are practicing, some are known, some are unknown...
But these have nothing to do with Xie Buchen.
He just approached like a ghost in the dark night and then killed them. He was silent from beginning to end, neither being noticed by anyone nor scaring away any of the rare insects and birds in the snowy area.
The light of the bright moon hanging high in the sky has become somewhat dim, which means that this night will soon be over.
Xie Buchen entered from the east side of this row of monks' houses and exited from the west side. When he saw the silvery moonlight on the ground again, he looked up.
The light that entered his eyes was actually leisurely and elegant.
"I only wish that, while singing and drinking, the moonlight will always shine in the golden cup..."
Walking with his hands behind his back, there was even an indescribable lightness in Xie Buchen's steps, as if he had not just gone to kill many people, but was a nobleman, drinking wine, appreciating the flowers under the moon, and returning home slightly tipsy.
The moon remains bright, and his heart remains unchanged.
The next day, Jianchou was awakened by the noisy noise outside.
It was hard to imagine that in such a dangerous environment, on a night when she shouldn't have felt sleepy, she actually fell asleep. In her dream, she also dreamed of the woman she had seen last night and a very young girl.
She likes the snowy land, the temple, and the holy lake.
Like countless other little girls in this snowy land, she yearned for everything that was closest to the sky and longed to be enlightened by the true Buddha.
From time to time, she would run up the mountain and place the blue finches she had picked in front of the Buddha.
Until one day, she was driven out by the monks.
The little girl was very sad. She ran away from the temple crying and came to the holy lake. Her tears fell into the lake, splashing ripples.
Then the holy lake spoke and asked her why she was crying.
The little girl was startled and didn't know who was talking. She quickly stood up and looked around, fearfully asking who it was.
The Holy Lake said, I am before you.
At that moment the little girl opened her eyes wide in surprise, but without any fear or terror, only a sense of surprise and curiosity. She stammered and asked Shenghu, "Are you talking?"
Holy Lake answered her, yes.
The little girl was so happy as if she had encountered a miracle, and asked this and that immediately.
Perhaps Shenghu had never spoken to anyone before, or perhaps he was particularly generous and kind to this little girl. Even though she had a lot of questions, sometimes they were repetitive, he still answered them one by one with good patience.
Before leaving, she happily and sincerely placed the blue phlox that had been thrown away by the monks in front of the holy lake, and said in a voice full of childlike innocence -
"This flower is called blue delphinium. It grows at the foot of the Holy Mountain. You have always been at the top of the mountain. I guess you have never seen it, right?"
"I'll give it to you."
…
As the years passed, the little girl began to grow up, her figure gradually matured, and she also had a beautiful and pretty face.
She still has the habit of going up the mountain, and every time she does so she brings a bunch of blue phiniums for the holy lake.
They maintained communication with each other, talking about some interesting things happening down the mountain, as well as their own wishes and plans.
Until one day, the little girl, who had grown up, told Shenghu excitedly: "In ten days, I will become a concubine! Then, I can see you every day, talk to you, and pick blue delphiniums for you..."
On this day, the only sound of the entire holy lake was the sound of water.
It never spoke again.
The blue delphiniums still arrive from time to time, but they no longer disappear mysteriously.
Every time the little girl came, she would only see the blue phlox that she had given her last time withering on the lakeside.
She didn't understand why the holy lake suddenly stopped talking to her, nor did she know what had happened to the holy lake. She just kept sending it off.
No matter how much suffering I have experienced, no matter how my state of mind has changed. Day after day, year after year...
Jianchou didn't see the ending of the story in her dream. But she thought that she saw the ending of the story. Just last night, in the Jiyu region sixty years ago, on the body of that old woman.
"What's going on?"
"Something big has happened, go check it out!"
"How scary..."
…
Outside the door, the discussions, although subdued, were still clearly audible, which brought Jianchou back to his thoughts from the dream and he frowned slightly.
She remembered what she had done last night when she investigated the Master's Hall.
Has Master Hongren’s death been discovered
There was no sign of anything unusual on his face. When Jianchou got up and opened the door, he saw many people coming out of the corridor. Sangyang was listening to what they were talking about with a frightened look on his face.
Hearing the door open, several people turned around to look at her.
When Sang Yang saw her, he quickly walked to her side and said, "Sister Qiaguo, you finally came out. You really scared us to death. Have you heard? Something happened in the temple."
"Something happened?"
Jianchou looked surprised, as if he didn't quite understand what Sangyang said.
Perhaps because this matter was of great importance, everyone forgot the previous estrangement between them and Jianchou. They also seemed to feel that she looked the most stable among all the people, and they had a strange sense of security, so they all came up to her and talked at once.
“So many people died!”
"There is a master and many other Dharma masters. They are now checking at the East Hall Monks' Quarters. It's scary!"
"… "
One master and many monks
Jianchou was startled when she heard this, and felt that this situation was really unexpected: the former was most likely the unlucky Master Hongren from last night, she knew it clearly. But where did the latter come from
Her brows knitted slightly, and she felt something strange.
Generally speaking, if something happened, the temple would not make a big fuss because it would easily disturb people's hearts. But now not only has it spread like this, even these girls who have not yet officially become concubines know about it, and it has caused panic among the people...
There is no other explanation, the only possibility is -
This matter is too big to be suppressed!
His heart suddenly skipped a beat. Jianchou looked at everyone and walked out without saying anything.
They lived in the west of the temple, and it took a long walk to get to the east. But unexpectedly, after they came out, they saw many temple disciples heading east on the square covered with thin ice in front of the temple, obviously to see what was going on.
There was a hint of anxiety on everyone's face.
Jianchou remained calm and followed the flow of people, and soon saw the place where the incident happened.
There was a row of monks' houses running east-west, with about dozens of rooms, and all the doors were opened.
Three stern-looking Xinmi monks stood in the middle corridor. Their crimson robes revealed a chilling sense of oppression, and the Buddhist beads hanging around their necks were motionless.
There was a sense of terror on everyone's expression, and their eyes all fell on the open space in front of the monastery.
This was originally the place where monks would walk in and out of the monastery.
At this moment, forty cold bodies of monks were neatly lined up!
The monks’ robes were all red, some were fitted tightly, some were wrinkled, with slight differences between them; but what was the same was the deathly aura and the slightly blackened faces!
When Jianchou glanced over, his eyelids twitched violently!
She had seen the bodies of the two disciples of Yashan Kunwu Sect on the riverbank, and even personally caused the death of Master Hongren last night. How could she not see the cause of death of these people? !
It’s all because of that strange black aura!
It’s just that the black energy that took away Master Hongren’s life was released by her, but what about these things in front of her
Even though I knew that none of the new secret monks left in the temple were good people, I was shocked to see more than forty lifeless corpses neatly lined up in front of me...
Jianchou's heart couldn't help but be shocked.
Among them was Moga, the monks she had met along the way, and some monks she didn't know at all.
Forty lives lost overnight.
What a brilliant and cruel method this is!
At that moment, Jianchou actually thought that maybe it was Shao Ji.
But just the next moment, the words that Fu Chaosheng said the day before before leaving for the Jiyu Region echoed in his ears - at that moment, Shao Ji was not in the Snow Region!
The murderer was not this cruel ancient god.
As her eyes flickered slightly, she only recalled Xie Buchen's thoughtful expression when he praised her plan last night after she killed Master Hongren...
After a long time, she raised her head.
His sight passed over countless faces filled with fear, and just by coincidence and precision, it fell on a calm figure in the crowded crowd.
Xie Buchen stood at the edge of the crowd and looked towards the field like everyone else.
Forty corpses were spread out on the ground. The expression on every face was exactly the same as when they lost their lives last night. To his eyes, it was just a monotonous boredom.
He had a kind of calmness that didn't concern him, and there wasn't even a ripple in his eyes.
But at this moment, he seemed to feel something, his eyes turned slightly, and met Jianchou's gaze that was falling on him.
Silence, speechless.