Ever since they met in Dongli Town, the two men had been like tit for tat and always at odds with each other.
At first, it was just Xiao Jingcheng who didn't take a fancy to Mo Zhizhang. Now, Mo Zhizhang had also secretly developed some hostility towards Xiao Jingcheng.
Even he himself didn't know where that hostility came from.
Squatting on the carriage, looking at Xiao Jingcheng hidden in the darkness, Mo Zhizhang's expression changed several times.
"Woof!" The yellow dog that had jumped up somehow barked at him warily.
He ignored the yellow dog and stretched his fingers towards the man's cheek. But suddenly, Jiang Mian's voice came from behind:
"Second brother, be careful. Don't bump into big brother."
Jiang Mian lay on the carriage shaft, looking at Mo Zhizhang eagerly.
The girl's gaze was very pure. She had no defense against Mo Zhizhang. She just cared more about the man lying on the carriage.
Mo Zhizhang felt his teeth start to ache again.
This Brother Gou Dan was really lucky!
Under the vigilant gaze of the yellow dog, Mo Zhizhang slowly withdrew his hand. Finally, he grabbed the man's wrist, pulled his body up, and carried him on his back.
Xiao Jingcheng was tall and a bit strong. Except for Mo Zhizhang who also knew martial arts, no one else here could move him.
When Mo Zhizhang jumped off the carriage with Xiao Jingcheng on his back, Jiang Mian couldn't help exclaiming "Be careful".
"Little sister, don't you trust your second brother so much?" After Mo Zhizhang landed steadily, he snorted and couldn't help but question, especially emphasizing the word "second brother".
Noticing that the young monk was looking this way,
Jiang Mian forced a smile and said:
"Of course not. If I didn't trust second brother, I wouldn't have asked him to do this. Cough, cough. Second brother, let's quickly take big brother into the temple."
Mo Zhizhang didn't say anything more. Carrying Xiao Jingcheng on his back, he followed the young monk into the temple.
Jiang Mian followed closely beside him, supporting Xiao Jingcheng's body with one hand.
Li Zhao carried the sleeping Jiang Zhiqing on his back, and Daoist Yuanzheng also followed behind them.
The yellow dog ran faster than anyone else. With its head held high and its tail upright, it looked extremely proud.
It turned its head to look at Mo Zhizhang from time to time, with a very provocative look in its dark bean - like eyes.
Hehe, compared with this young man surnamed Mo, Jiang Mian still cared more about him. It seemed that getting injured and unconscious this time was actually a blessing in disguise.
Daoist Yuanzheng looked at the scene in front of him, stroked his goatee, and smiled meaningfully.
Ling'an Temple arranged a side hall for Jiang Mian and the others. There were several Buddha statues standing in the hall. They usually looked kind - faced, but in such dim light, one might be frightened into a cold sweat if they glanced at them accidentally.
The young monk put his palms together and said, "This side hall is relatively quiet. You can stay here tonight. I'll go and get some bedding for you. Please don't wander around."
Jiang Mian nodded and said, "Thank you, masters."
After the two left and walked far away, Jiang Mian said to Li Zhao and Mo Zhizhang:
"They just said that the wing - rooms in the monastery were full. If they were full, there should not be enough bedding. But now there are extra ones. They must be lying."
Li Zhao was very satisfied with her sharpness and said, "You're right. What these two monks said is very contradictory. There must be some secret in the monastery that can't be known to outsiders. However, since they let us enter the temple to rest, the secret of the monastery should not be too confidential."
Mo Zhizhang seemed to think of something and smiled at Jiang Mian, "If little sister wants to know, later, second brother will go and find out for you."
Jiang Mian coughed twice and said, "Calling you second brother is just a temporary measure. When there is no one around, you'd better call me junior niece, or it will mess up the seniority."
The word "seniority" choked Mo Zhizhang. That feeling of aching teeth and stuffy chest came again.
He deliberately smiled and said, "Since we want to cover our identities and tracks, we should act the whole play well. Otherwise, we may expose ourselves accidentally."
"Moreover, I'm not much older than you. It's okay to call me like this."
Jiang Mian subconsciously looked at Li Zhao. Seeing Li Zhao nodding at her, she then said, "Okay."
After a while, the two monks brought the bedding and some vegetarian food for them.
Knowing that the two monks were lying, Jiang Mian pretended not to know. With a grateful look on her face, she said:
"Thank you, masters. I didn't expect there to be not only bedding but also food. We're starving. We will definitely donate more incense money to Ling'an Temple before we leave tomorrow!"
One should not hit a smiling face. Coupled with Jiang Mian's gentle temperament and sincere smile, it was easy to arouse people's favor. So the young monk also smiled and said:
"You don't have to be so polite. Since you've entered the temple, you're our guests. This is what we should do."
"By the way, little master, I have something to ask you. I wonder if you can answer my questions?"
Jiang Mian wanted to inquire about the news of Tianyuan County from the young monk, so she found an excuse to keep him.
The young monk stopped his steps and put his palms together, saying, "Just ask whatever you want, madam."
"We're going to Luozhou to visit our relatives. We have to pass Tianyuan County, reach Lingfeng Ferry, and then take a boat northward."
"But as you know, there was a heavy rain disaster in Cangzhou some days ago, and everywhere was flooded. I don't know if there are still boats at Lingfeng Ferry to leave?"
"You're going north? And you still want to go to Lingfeng Ferry?" The young monk frowned immediately after hearing this.
"You can't cross at Lingfeng Ferry now. You'd better abandon this thought as soon as possible and stay in Cangzhou obediently."
This further verified Jiang Mian's inner speculation.
She exchanged a look with Mo Zhizhang. Mo Zhizhang put on his gentle and elegant appearance, which was quite bluffing.
"Little master, could you please explain it clearly and solve our doubts?"
The young monk said, "Do you know that the King Mu led an army to rebel and the throne was taken over?"
Jiang Mian and the others already knew this, but at this time, she pretended to be very surprised.
"Really?!"
"After the King Mu rebelled and seized the throne, he intended to kill the former emperor. Fortunately, the former emperor was rescued by his confidant and temporarily escaped from the capital. After the King Mu seized the throne, it rained heavily in Cangzhou for several days, and the Jinning Canal collapsed for no reason. This is all God's dissatisfaction with the King Mu's perverse actions."
The young monk sighed and continued, "The former emperor felt sorry for the people in Cangzhou. After arriving in Yunzhou, he issued an imperial edict. Now, with the Xijiang River as the boundary, Cangzhou, Ningzhou, and Qingzhou south of the Xijiang River have all defected to the former emperor and are fighting against Emperor Guiyuan, intending to help the former emperor regain the world."
"Tianyuan County is now heavily guarded. Lingfeng Ferry is strictly defended, and no one is allowed to cross the river northward. Otherwise, they will be regarded as rebels and executed on the spot!"