Chapter 9: Find a Father

In May of 884 AD, on the official road fifty li southwest of Bianzhou (modern-day Kaifeng)Lin Neng didn't want to keep arguing with the little ghost about who "whose body" it was.

The key now is that to establish oneself in this strange era, one must quickly find a powerful and wealthy patron. Only then will one have a home, and only with a home can one truly stand firm. 。He already had experience dealing with ghosts, knowing that putting his mind to it was the same as asking a ghost. 。So he kept thinking persistently: How could I meet this amazing Ajai Wouldn't that make me successful Just thinking about it was exciting. 。A strange thought flashed through my mind: reciting the "King of Heaven's Mantra". 。Lin was taken aback, not expecting such a strange thought. He quickly strained his brain: what, what kind of spell I didn't hear clearly 。Thoughts: Om Mani Padme Hum, namah sa-ba-ha 。After memorizing it, one can see Ayye with this mantra. 。Lin Na tried reciting it twice and found it wasn't difficult at all, no wonder six-year-old children could recite it. 。Just, what name does this mantra come from

Thought: King of the Devas Mantra

Lin Neng was thinking of using a phonetic mnemonic to remember: "Pisha, split and kill." 。Just then, a thought interrupted him: It's sacrilegious to defile the Bodhisattva! Lin felt depressed. 。This little rascal, he's got a big mouth. 。

With no new thoughts coming to mind, Lin could relax and let out a breath. Perhaps, the little ghost was already gone.

Isn't that right, it's been half a day since I died, my soul should go wherever it wants to go. 。

Lin stood up, his stomach rumbled. He had just remembered that the two vegetarian meals at Xinzhen Temple today had left him constantly hungry and famished.

Oh, things are even worse after crossing over. I guess I should try to find that cheap old dad of mine. 。He listened to the streets, it seemed to have quieted down, so he quietly left the vegetable garden. Looking at this ancient city, a sense of unprecedented loneliness and desolation surged in his heart, feeling a sourness in his nose, wiping it with his hand, and it turned out to be tears!Tears How embarrassing 。Lin quickly wiped away the tears on his face. 。Now that I'm a man, I have to take care of myself. 。Well, if I can't take care of myself, I wonder if there are any kind people in this place who would take me in

A thought flashed through my mind: Yes, Father would want Mother to take me to a commoner's house.

Lin Neng hurriedly thought: What else did A-ye say

His mind was blank. Lin Neng sighed and slowly walked along the dark alley alone.

At this moment, he longed for the things depicted in "The Little Match Girl" – a bright light, a warm kitchen filled with the smell of cooking, and perhaps even the delicious scent of roast chicken. Above all, he wished to hear his mother's voice calling out to him. 。Alas, but this strange ancient city, everywhere are closed gates, and all that can be heard are snarls filled with malice. 。Lin was getting impatient. It was only a few hours past midnight, and every house was closed! On one hand, it was already the third hour of the night (around 3-4 am), truly deep in the night; on the other hand, there was already a curfew in place, and tonight, with the bloody battle that had just occurred, wouldn't any citizen be locking their doors and going to sleep earlyFrom the third hour into the fourth, walking through countless streets and alleys, Lin suddenly thought: Where am I supposed to go Before, when he was afraid, he would run home. But now, where is homeThe cruel answer was: Home is in a place I can't return to! Now there is no home!Despondent, disappointed, exhausted, Lin slumped down with a thud, and suddenly felt a searing pain in his soles of his feet. 。Take off your shoes and look, the leather is worn out, what bad luck!

I really miss home. 。Thinking of Mom's gentle nagging, my eyes get a little wet: Mom, if I could see you again, I would definitely not worry you. 。But I can't see him, maybe I'll never see him again in this lifetime. 。Even Dad, who always laughs heartily, and Grandpa, who always likes to read inspirational stories... A gust of wind blew, and Lin Neng instinctively hugged his arms, as if he could hear Mom saying again: Lin Neng, put on another coatHe would always arrogantly wave his hand away and run off to play with his friends. 。

Again, Mom, I'm wearing it! I want to wear clothes! Mom!

The night wind was stronger and colder. Looking at the unfamiliar ancient city, Lin could only hold his shoes and walk to a sheltered corner of the street, curling up and sitting down.

No one paid him any attention. The street was pitch black, deserted.

To say I'm not afraid is a lie, but what can I do about it I'm already homeless!Lin Neng, utterly disappointed, could no longer fight the fatigue and fell asleep. 。

Speaking of Li Ke, who fled in embarrassment...

In the faint light, a cavalry charge was seen approaching. Just as Li Kekui felt despair, Zhou Dewi said, "General Li, this Liang army seems to be in retreat." 。"Huh" Li Ke was very surprised. He looked again carefully and found that Liang Bing's flags were tilted and messy, his formation was disorganized, and everyone was running south with their heads down. No one noticed the "thousand taels of gold" piled up on the small hill. 。After escaping, Liang Jun joined forces with the Bian army pursuing him from Bianzhou. Soon after, all Liang troops fled to Bianzhou. 。Zhou Dewei excitedly said, "Commander, it must be that Song Zhuang's large camp has launched an attack, which is why the Bian army is fleeing." 。"One must also beware of Zhu San playing tricks and luring us both into appearing." 。”

As the two discussed, it was already dawn. Zhou Dewei suddenly pointed at the official road and exclaimed, "Grand Master, look! It's the Crow Army! Our Crow Army!"

The emperor and his minister, who had been pursued all night like bereaved dogs, were finally about to turn the tables!

Li Ke used also hurried to look down the road. He saw that under the faint morning sun, a large army in black armor and helmets appeared like a ferocious black dragon, bursting from a grove of trees beside the road, surging through the thin mist.

The army was still far away, but the sound of horses' hooves could already be faintly heard. 。Get closer and you'll see it's a vast cavalry army stretching as far as the eye can see! At its head, a general no taller than five feet four inches stands, but his chest and back are thicker than two outstretched arms. 。His chubby face was adorned with two thick eyebrows. Although he was plump, he didn't have much fat; his body seemed to be made entirely of muscle and sinew, like a lean meatloaf. 。This man is none other than the illustrious Thirteen Taibao, Li Cunxiao! When he went into battle, there were never any fancy tricks; he relied entirely on his prodigious strength to wield this "Barbarian" style. His left hand wielded a pen-shaped staff to smash open enemy weapons, while his right hand held the Dragon Spear of Mixed Iron, sweeping through with the wind and thunder. 。Zhou Dewei hurriedly shouted: "Jing Si, Jing Si! The general is here!"Looking at Li Cunxiao flying towards him on horseback, Li Ke used his heart to settle a stone. All night of danger, how many times did he hang by a thread He abandoned his wife and children, Shi Jingxuan, Xue Tieshan, He Huolu, three hundred personal cavalry soldiers died! Looking at this army that frightened Huang Chao's heart finally arrived, Li Ke used his eyes to moisten with excitement: "Li must retaliate!" Zhu San, there are some people in this world who cannot be harmed!As Li Ke's emotions surged, Li Cunxiao had already galloped before him and hurriedly dismounted to greet him: "Father is well!"Li Ke sighed heavily: “Father is fine, but unfortunately the eleven of them all died..." 。Li Cunxiao hurriedly stepped forward to help his father, only to hear Li Kuang say: "Cao Shi and Saburo are still missing!"Li Cunxiao's eyes were filled with rage: "Father, order me to flatten Zhu Wen's city immediately!"Li Kuang finally smiled contentedly: "Good, Thirteenth, a general's son! " He looked at the army and asked, "Where is Miao Ji Lie" Li Cunxiao: "The Grand Preceptor is still at Songzhuang's main camp. I only brought 10,000 soldiers here to meet Father." 。With this ten thousand sparrow army, Wang Shad's spirit recovered: “ Zhenyuan, you immediately take people to the main camp and have Miaojilie lead the whole army to come here quickly. ” 。Thirteen riders immediately set out with a thousand cavalry to search for Cao's mother and son!"

Zhou Dewi responded and was about to leave when he suddenly stumbled. 。Li Ke only then saw that Zhou Dewi's left leg was almost soaked in blood. He hurriedly asked, "Yang Wu, when did you get injured" Zhou Dewi smiled and said, "It seems like when I was robbing a horse, a thief came with a gun to stab me. At that time, I was busy robbing the horse and didn't tangle with him." 。Li Ke used a sigh and stopped talking. 。Li Cunxiao hurriedly ordered his soldiers to lift Zhou Dewi onto a palanquin and have several cavalry escort him to the main camp. 。Then asked Li Ke used: "Father, Madam and Saburo, are they outside the city of Bianzhou"Li Ke used: "The two of them were trapped in the city of Bianzhou at first, and I don't know if they have escaped." 。"Li Cunxiao jumped up: “Father has given the order, I will go and kill him, turn heaven upside down, and vent my anger!”Zhu Wen was in a bad mood. He had made a mess of things all night. Although he had killed off officers like Shi Jingxing who were escorting Li Ke use, the most important target, Li Ke use, had escaped. The tens of thousands of Shatuo soldiers outside the city had finally become his own formidable enemy! He knew in his heart that the Shatuo King would certainly not let this go." 。But since things have come to this, there's no choice but to grit our teeth and bear it. 。At this time, an alarm was sounded! The Shatuo people had indeed arrived! But they did not attack the southern Wei shi gate, but instead attacked the Cao gate in the northeast. 。

These are Shad's main forces, a large contingent coming from Songzhuang.

This judgment filled Zhu Wen with fear.

Avenger

On his hurried way to Cao's gate, Zhu Wen used the time to quickly calm his mind and try to come up with a solution.

When he got to Cao's Gate, he already had a general idea. 。At this time, he saw Shi Shuchong, who had been waiting here for a long time. 。Shi Shucong encountered Li Cunxiao while pursuing the fleeing emperor and his officials. His deputy, Liu Xin, galloped forward to engage in battle but was immediately struck across the waist by the opponent's mixed-iron lance. 。Shi Shu Cong saw with his own eyes how this general, who had recently advised him to be cautious in battle, immediately flew off his horse like a straw mat caught in a whirlwind, landing limply on the ground with no sign of life. 。Fear gripped him like a giant hand around his throat, choking out any sound. All he could manage was to mechanically turn his horse's head and gallop madly towards Bianzhou City. 。To everyone's surprise, Li Cunxiao didn't try his best to pursue them. Shi Shicong was able to bring back nearly all of his ten thousand soldiers and horses. 。He waited for a long time on the Cao gate before finally seeing those disgusting raven soldiers. 。What will come, will come. While he deployed logs and stones to prepare for the defense of the city, he also sent messengers to report the situation. 。When Shi Shuchong saw Zhu Wen, he both felt safe and fearful. With a mixture of anxiety, he reported the situation of the Hedong Army to Zhu Wen. 。Zhu Wen said: "Master Pang's defeated army, was it also brought back by you Why didn't you mention it"Shi Shucong was startled. Master Pang Defeated army His mind went blank, completely unsure how to answer the chancellor. 。

Wang Yan Zhang beside him seemed a bit cold, sniffing and saying: “Last night, Master Pang was ordered to return to Bianzhou. On the road, he had a misunderstanding with the Shatuo soldiers of Song Zhuang. That Li Cunxiao was very arrogant, and at that time, he killed Master Pang and dispersed his two thousand men.

At this point, Shih Shucong had a bit of an impression, as if there really was another contingent of Bian army troops that came at the time. 。But Liu Xun's battlefield death was so gruesome that it completely occupied his mind, causing him to forget to report the matter to the prime minister. 。

Zhu Wen really didn't have the mood to waste time with these subordinates.

The old nest is facing a crisis, he has already thought about it, first try Wang Yan Zhang, can he beat this Li Cunxiao 。If you can defeat the opponent's main general, you will still have a chance to turn the tide. 。If we cannot defeat Li Cunxiao, then we shall return the bodies of the Sha Tuo soldiers killed last night and make other plans, striving to quell the dispute. 。At this time, Li Cunxiao's roar came from far below the city: "You stupid pig, don't act like a turtle! Quickly return my third brother! Otherwise, I will smash your rotten city to pieces!"Although his words were harsh, Zhu Wen felt a stir in his heart: "Zi Ming, what is that fellow shouting about"Wang Yanzhang: "Your Majesty, it seems the One-Eyed Bandit's son is still in the city..." 。Zhu Wen immediately ordered Zhu Youyu: "Immediately take people to find this boy! When you find him, bring him to me safely!" Zhu Youyu's heart turned cold. 。Last night, he went to search the city. His record was killing a Sha Tuo veteran and a young boy in fine clothes by his own hand. 。

Little... Li Kuang's third son If it really is the third son of the Li family, then...

Zhu Wen saw Zhu Youyu distracted and thought he was worried about Li Cunxiao. He impatiently said: "Big Brother, Cao Men has Aye sitting in command, you don't need to worry..."

"Let's hurry to the city and see what that San-lang is up to again."Hearing his father's impatient tone, Zhu Youyu also suddenly woke up and hurriedly agreed to go down to the city. 。Zhu Wen let out a slight sigh. This eldest son of his, he only loved playing polo. He had no interest in governing the country or going to war. What would happen to him in the future…Again, from outside the city walls, came Li Cunxiao's roar. Wang Yanzhang could bear it no longer 。He had challenged the world's greatest marksman last night and emerged victorious, his confidence soaring. Yet today, facing the enraged Li Cunxiao who had come to confront him, he remained cool and collected, unwilling to engage in any heated exchange. 。

Wang Yanzhang spoke up: “Your Majesty, the last general begs to leave the city for a battle!”

Zhu Wen was actually waiting for Wang Yanzhang's request, but he still had to use some words of persuasion: "Zi Ming mustn't be rash, that is Li Cunxiao..." 。

"Prime Minister! A dead tiger preserves its skin, and a dead man preserves his name! This humble officer requests to be allowed one battle!"

Zhu Wen finally nodded: "Elder Shi, come with me to support Zhimingshi!"as the saying goes, ‘Don’t enter a forest.’ This dark forest looks extremely treacherous…” Shi Shuchong interrupted him, “Listen up! If we don't know the enemy's strength, of course we shouldn't enter...