Chapter 40

Three days later, we were already outside Pengcheng, the capital of Xuzhou in Huabei Circuit, which is also commonly considered the capital of Huabei Circuit. After the Taixing Reforms, it became the permanent residence of the Grand Marshal, the governor, the inspector, the revenue commissioner, the transport commissioner, the salt and iron commissioner, and the river commissioner.

Compared to the Jidong Governor, who controlled Jizhou, Qizhou, and half of Hunchun, the local garrison and population of Xuzhou were much larger.

This was because Xuzhou was now the leading town among the four towns of Huabei, the seat and residence of the Qingxu Military Governor, overseeing the six prefectures of Yizhou, Haizhou, Sizhou, Mengzhou, Haizhou, and Yingzhou, which almost occupied the most prosperous hinterland of Huabei Circuit, including the seaport of Haizhou, which was crucial for trade and fishing.

Therefore, although Qingxu Town, as a peripheral force showing submission, inevitably had some people involved in the Lu Capital Incident, standing on the side of the opposition, the final punishment from the court was merely a symbolic reprimand, loss of titles, and fines, which were more symbolic than substantial.

The most severe outcome was that the current Military Governor, Du Guishen, submitted a resignation and recommended his son as the successor. This was only because the current Military Governor's family was sufficiently united, leaving no room for the regent from the central government to exploit.

After all, in times of chaos, strength is the most fundamental support. Such survival rules are best illustrated in the light imperial edict issued in the name of the Son of Heaven.

However, for me, hearing the somewhat familiar name of Qingxu Town, I felt a sigh of nostalgia, recalling those people who had killed each other and were then buried in the underground pipes by me.

Because it had sufficient control over the surrounding areas as a buffer, even though a major battle with Songzhou had just taken place at the beginning of the year, Pengcheng, as the capital, still retained its prosperity and population.

Just the height of the city walls and the size of the city walls, measured in miles, could accommodate an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 households.

If you can ignore and overlook the starving people and the newly added, half-eaten nameless corpses in the makeshift graves outside the city, the hardest and most difficult winter has finally passed. The demand for short-term labor and tenant farmers has gradually recovered with the arrival of spring, so the faces of those who survived no longer look as desperate and bleak.

Therefore, whenever someone passes by, the displaced people swarm to sell themselves, only to be driven away by whips and sticks.

At least here, we have identity credentials and are vouched for by merchants, with enough money in our private coffers to obtain what we need in this city for a short period.

So I bought the chestnut old horse and an old carriage I had been riding in the caravan, and renamed it Red Tiger III, as its predecessor had been humanely destroyed by Su Jingxian and was probably now lying on a butcher's meat stall.

As long as we cross the Huai River, we will be completely out of the reach of the powerful minister's influence. The feudal lords of Huainan, although nominally following the orders of Lu Capital and influenced by the powerful minister, have much more autonomy.

However, due to the impact of the Lu Capital Incident and the recent tension between Xuzhou and Huainan, the remaining journey does not look easy.

I can rest here for a few more days, make some preparations and plans, wait for new news and changes, and handle other matters.

Because of the name card, the caravan introduced me to a long-term business partner, a well-known old brand that also operates a guesthouse — Shengchang Tower.

Although it is called a tower, it is actually a multi-functional building complex with guest rooms, dining halls, stables, warehouses, cargo yards, and carriage services, and next to it is a small market and a street full of shops, making it very convenient for daily needs.

It is not the peak season for travelers, so with the introduction of a familiar client, I just need to spend a little more money to get two large interconnected rooms on the top left corner of a four-story wooden building on the western edge. The view is good, and it is not far from the market, although the environment is a bit noisy, the thick doors and windows provide good soundproofing when closed.

The doors and windows are inlaid with translucent colored glass, and the interior is mainly furnished with hardwood furniture. The bed, canopy, and bedding look clean and tidy, with no mold or other unpleasant odors.

All floors are connected by external corridors, so the indoor privacy is relatively good. Apart from the summoned service staff, no one will pass by, and staying in the room for several days is not a problem.

We replenished our physical and mental energy from the journey, and without even washing up, we fell into a deep sleep, waking up the next evening with empty stomachs. We then pulled the bell to have local specialties, such as beef soup and oil-fermented pancakes, and a variety of pickled vegetables, delivered.

After sufficient rest, I spent two days with Bao Tou Dun visiting several markets, buying many things, including a lot of miscellaneous old books from several bookshops, which I gave to Bao Tou Dun to read, hoping it would help her recover some memories.

In the evenings, I trained her to use a hand crossbow and some simple self-defense techniques, mainly relying on her small and harmless appearance to deceive, and to attack unprepared targets directly, such as anti-wolf techniques.

After all, at her age, she has no physical advantages in endurance or explosive power, so we had to focus on techniques and strategies. The earliest template, according to a forum post, was from a woman who claimed to have damaged a man's private parts.

This was her own request, as she did not want to be a burden to me. After seeing so many tragic things, she at least wanted to have a chance to save herself or avoid dragging me down.

I could only pat her head and comfort her, saying she was overthinking it, but the next day, I still started teaching her some self-defense techniques.

Although I knew she was very hardworking and eager to learn, I was surprised to find that her feel for the hand crossbow was even better than mine. I later discovered that she had been secretly practicing, using geckos as targets and maintaining a high hit rate.

Seeing her serious and focused expression, I sometimes had the illusion that we were not in this chaotic ancient world but in a scene from the classic movie "Léon: The Professional," with Uncle Léon and Natalie Portman.

On the third day, when I walked into the room with a leather bag, I saw Bao Tou Dun curled up with her white legs, reading a book by the bed. She seemed so engrossed in the content that her expression had become more lively.

With her gentle breathing, in the dappled sunlight, she had a charming and cute aura typical of a girl her age.

I couldn't resist reaching out to touch her delicate chin, and she trembled, her eyelids fluttering, before slowly regaining her dazed and innocent look when she saw me.

"Have you remembered anything yet?"

I patted her head, and Bao Tou Dun shook her head vigorously, as if trying to shake something out of her mind.

"Then just keep following me."

"Okay."

At that moment, I thought I heard a cheerful tone, but seeing her still the same, I assumed it was just my imagination.

"Come on, we should go out."

"Where to?"

"To the temple to see the monks."

We were going to Chenguosi Temple, which was said to be another backup contact point from the Lingnan court.

In fact, I only needed to sit in a teahouse and ask around to find out where it was, as Chenguosi Temple was so famous that everyone knew about it.

It was the largest and most famous temple in the area, and there was no other like it.

To be honest, this was quite different from the small, obscure temple I had imagined, which would be more suitable as a cover identity and underground contact point.

Therefore, I spent an extra day gathering information about the temple and other temples to avoid any mistakes.

Unlike traditional Mahayana temples of the Faxiang, Tiantai, Sanlun, Huayan, Pure Land, and Northern and Southern Chan schools, this large temple was a rare Vajrayana temple in the region.

It is said to have originated from the lineage of the Venerable Amoghavajra, one of the three great masters of the Kaiyuan era and the national teacher during the Taixing period, and is one of the two main branches of the Tang Dynasty Vajrayana, known as the Eastern and Western Vajrayana.

In the original timeline, the lineage of the three great masters of the Kaiyuan era quickly declined, and the emergence of the Western Vajrayana was quite dramatic, tracing back to the Taixing period when Liang Gong's army conquered the Tibetan Plateau and established the Qingtang Protectorate.

In this timeline, the once-mighty Tibetan Empire, which spanned from northern Yunnan to Central Asia and even parts of Eastern India, did not even have the chance to reach its peak.

Under the leadership of the穿越者前辈 (穿越者前辈 means "predecessor traveler" or "pioneer traveler," but in this context, it refers to Liang Gong, a powerful figure who traveled through time), Liang Gong's army defeated the Tibetan forces in a large-scale invasion of the Hexi Corridor and Guanzhong, and the Longwu forces, mobilized on all fronts, drove the Tibetans back, reclaiming the Hexi and Longyou regions.

The battle at Chiling almost left the majority of the Tibetan expeditionary forces in the lowlands, and the battle by the Western Sea completely shattered Tibetan rule in Qinghai and Central Asia, leaving their spirit broken.

The final battle at Xingxiuchuan eliminated the last efforts of the Tibetan Empire's final ruler, the famous general Ma Dingde, to save the country, including the political center of the Red Mountain Palace (Lhasa Plain) and the fundamental territories of the five regions and sixty-one counties, which were almost entirely lost.

In the end, only a few remnants guarding the last descendants of the Tibetan royal family managed to escape to the deep valleys of the Yarlung Valley, barely surviving.

Therefore, the Venerable Padmasambhava, who was supposed to go to Tibet to spread the Dharma in the original timeline, became one of the spoils of war for the Tang army. Under Liang Gong's guidance and support, he came to Chang'an to spread the Dharma and established a Vajrayana lineage that rivaled the Venerable Amoghavajra.

Later, when Liang Gong launched a major western expedition, Padmasambhava accompanied the army, reviving Buddhism from the cruel rule of foreign religions and restoring the holy sites of Magadha and other Buddhist origins, becoming the founder of the Western Vajrayana lineage and the restorer of the Nalanda Temple, unifying the Theravada and Mahayana schools.

On the fallen Tibetan lands, there is now only a vast entity called the Qingtang Protectorate and numerous small kingdoms established by the Western Qiang, Tangut, Tuyuhun, Supi, and Zhangzhung.

Their most famous products are swords and daggers combining Indian craftsmanship and highland mining, strong and robust highland horses, yaks that can lie on ice and drink snow, and the hardworking and resilient warriors of the Qingtang militia, who are often hired by various armies as elite and vanguard troops.

Speaking of Chenguosi Temple, there is a three-story martial arts hall in the main temple complex, decorated with epic murals and life stories, depicting these exaggerated and beautified processes.

It is said to be the work of Liang Gong's tenth-generation grandson, the current Jianghuai Grand Marshal, Liang Zhengong.

The temple's eight-tiered tin tower, copper-beamed hall, gold and jade wall carvings, large sandalwood Buddha, child hall, and relic hall are all relics from the period of Liang's regency.

Especially the relic hall, which dates back to the Qianyuan era. It is said that when the Nanhai Protectorate was first established under Liang Gong's leadership, a great uprising was launched to seek justice for the Tang people who suffered overseas.

On the island of Sumatra, the Tang army defeated the first-class maritime power of Srivijaya, exterminated the royal family, occupied the land, and sold the people into slavery. They also plundered the first Buddhist holy site in the South China Sea, the Borobudur, obtaining over a hundred relics of the Buddha.

These relics were presented to the central government and distributed to famous mountains and temples across the country, and relic halls were set up everywhere. Later, when Liang Gong conquered the Five Directions of India, he obtained more relics, including the Buddha's skull bone, which were enshrined in the two capitals and other prefectures, leading to the concept of the Thirteen Great Fundamental Temples, of which Chenguosi Temple is one.

In the past, the three main officials of Chenguosi Temple — the abbot, the temple master, and the chief monk — also held official positions, ranking just below the two capital monk registrars, the left and right street great merit officials, the Eastern Capital merit official, and the merit official for construction, as one of the twenty-six great monks of the twenty-six circuits.

The temple is not far from where we are staying, just a few city blocks away. However, before entering the city, we had to pay a fee of ten large copper coins per person, which, in my view, was more of a threshold for entering the city rather than a tax, effectively preventing penniless refugees and low-value suburban farmers and vendors from adding to the city's instability.

Riding Red Tiger and carrying the incense and fruit offerings we bought, we easily found the massive temple complex with its towering eaves and walls that stretched for an entire street.

Following the crowd up the steps, we passed through the bustling throngs of pilgrims and visitors, including commoners and nobles.

In this chaotic era where many people live from day to day, religious spiritual support is more easily accepted and developed by the masses.

Especially in relatively peaceful cities amidst the widespread suffering outside, the contrast between the inside and outside is enough to keep the temples and shrines busy with visitors.

Hiding in plain sight in the city is also a form of concealment.

However, I was a bit at a loss because the place was so large, with a vast complex of buildings and a sea of monks of all ages, making it difficult to find the possible contact point or person.

Fortunately, Bao Tou Dun and I had enough time to slowly explore the temple's numerous halls, courtyards, and scenic spots, looking for an opportunity.

At least no one stopped us, and in this era, temples had not yet become commercialized tourist attractions with tickets and hidden consumption traps, and there were no fake or real monks selling expensive souvenirs and ritual items under the guise of consecration and fortune-telling.

Even if we wandered into a ritual hall, the most we would get was a few disapproving glances. The eight-tiered tin tower, copper-beamed hall, gold and jade wall carvings, large sandalwood Buddha, child hall, and relic hall were all excellent places to relax.

For example, the tin tower, also known as the silver tower or the great white tower, is said to have a brick and stone core, with a body cast from tin, lead, and copper, and later covered with a thick layer of silver foil, with colorless crystal and white quartz donated by believers embedded at the top.

On sunny days, the tin tower gleams like snow and shines like light, standing majestically like a demon-subduing treasure. In the underground chamber, it is said to house original Sanskrit scriptures from the Bodhimanda in India and Bodh Gaya.

After donating a few large incense coins, we were allowed to climb to the top of the tower to pay respects to the Buddha. When the guiding monk left, I looked out at the city, with its grid-like layout and densely packed buildings, and felt a sense of awe.

"Truly a magnificent land."

Suddenly, I felt Bao Tou Dun gently hugging me from behind.

"What's wrong?"

"Just suddenly felt that Xia would fly away and disappear."

She whispered softly in my ear.

I smiled, turned her around to face outward, and stood with her on the top of the eight-tiered tin tower, spreading my arms in a bird-like pose, then hugged her, recreating a classic scene, feeling our heartbeats and the wind howling at high altitudes, resonating with the flow of blood.

"What do you hear?"

"Xia's heartbeat and breathing."

"And the call of the times, and the beckoning of the new world."

"Will you follow my steps?"

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