It had been more than a month since the conversation between father and son that day. The busy spring plowing had also ended.
On this day, in the cold of spring, Kumafuzuo had prepared Jiro and Saburo's luggage early in the morning. After instructing Taro to look after the house, he took his two younger sons out of the village.
On the road outside of Xiong Fu Village, there were also a few young men from the village waiting. After the spring plowing, the village would also go to the market to buy some living materials. These young men could also see the world.
During the Warring States Period, even the mountains were not stable. Other than all kinds of ferocious beasts, there were still some mountain bandits occupying some of the mountains. Of course, they were just refugees who escaped from the war and hid in the mountains. They did not pay tribute to any forces. Of course, the reason why they were called mountain bandits was simple. Other than farming, these mountain people's other major sideline was robbery. They usually lived as civilians and went out as bandits. He was the most troublesome existence for all the families in the mountains.
The young and middle-aged men in the villages were all wrapped in gray-black linen clothes. They held a whistle that was as tall as their eyebrows in their hands and carried the local products of the mountain on their shoulders. They walked swiftly on the narrow mountain road. The one leading the way was Xiong Fu, a warrior and village chief. He was wearing a clean gray robe, a bamboo hat, a long saber hanging from his waist, a backpack on his back, a pair of straw sandals, a spear in his left hand, and a donkey in his right hand. Sitting on the donkey were his two sons, Jiro and Saburo.
Although Kumafujiro had gone to Fenglai Temple City with his father a few years ago, he was still very excited. Sitting on the donkey, he chattered to Saburo behind him about the scenery of Fenglai Temple City. However, the main character, Kumafujiro, was sitting on his donkey and dozing off. The main reason was that he had been so busy with the spring plowing that he had almost been exhausted in the past month that he had not heard what Kumafujiro was saying.
This time, the journey was smooth and they did not encounter any difficulties. After the sky darkened, they finally arrived at their destination, Fenglai Temple City.
The so-called Fenglai Temple City was located more than ten miles southwest of Xiong Fu's Xiong Fu Village. It was the largest human gathering place within a radius of dozens of miles, and it was also the origin of the noble warrior Fenglai Temple family.
Fenglai Temple City was originally called Fenglai Temple. It was a temple in this mountain. However, since the chaos of the Warring States Period, people were in turmoil everywhere. Swords and spears were wielded everywhere, heroes rose everywhere, wars were endless, and refugees were homeless. In order to protect their temple property, the monks on the mountain also formed their own armed forces and monk soldiers.
The monks in Japan were different from the monks in the Central Plains. The monks in Japan were not allowed to drink, eat, and marry. After the Warring States Period, they formed a monk army. The monks in various temples immediately began to become famous and secular. They were no different from the noble warriors in the outside world.
Fenglai Temple City was called a city, but in the eyes of the Central Plainsmen, it was just a large mountain stronghold. At most, it was a heavily guarded manor.
The entire Fenglai Temple City was built on Fenglai Mountain. With Fenglai Temple at the center of the mountain, two city walls were built. The stone wall outside the main hall of Fenglai Temple was called Ichinomaru. Dozens of meters away from the Ichinomaru, another wall made of wood was called Nishinomaru. Beyond the Nishinomaru was a large area of wooden houses without walls, which was called the castle.
Standing in the town at the foot of the mountain, Kumafuji Jiro and a few other young men in the village clicked their tongues in admiration. The difference between the small Kumafuji Village and the city of Fenglai Temple was really too great. It was no wonder that these mountain people were all amazed. Even though Xiong Fu San Lang was not surprised by the size of the city, he was also very curious about the ancient buildings of the Warring States Period. He looked around under the moonlight.
However, it was already late at night, and it was already blurry to see a few meters away. Xiong Fu Zuo's guard called out, and a few people from Xiong Fu Village followed the chief's call and walked into the castle.
After a few twists and turns, they arrived at the door of a large house. There was a signboard hanging in front of the door. The so-called warehouse was a place for the passing merchants to store their goods. It was not every day that someone would stock up in a warehouse. Even if the place was empty, it was still empty. The owner of the warehouse was very meticulous. He rented the empty space in the warehouse to the familiar mountain people to rest and sleep on the ground at a low price to earn some tea money. It was not considered a waste.
Xiong Fu's left guard knocked on the door of the warehouse and gave a few large coins to the warehouse's doorman. Then, he led the villagers into the warehouse. The warehouse was spacious and did not leak rain or air. There were also many straws on the ground. Compared to the only inn in the city, it was much cheaper.
The sky was already very dark. Xiong Fu first tied the donkey to the stable in the backyard and went to the gatekeeper to get an oil lamp. After arriving at the warehouse, he called everyone to lay the straw on the ground into a bed shape. Then, he asked everyone to wash up and rest. He carried the oil lamp and brought his two sons, Jiro and Saburo, to the well in the backyard to fetch water and wash up. Half an hour later, after the villagers in the mountains had played around and the oil lamps had burned out, the group of people walked back happily and slept on the beds that had just been laid out. After a while, the tired people snored everywhere and the night was bright.
As the saying goes, it's good to stay at home for a thousand days, but it's difficult to go out. The next morning, Xiong Fu Sanlang felt extremely itchy on his body. When he got up, he found that his whole body was covered in rashes. This shocked Sanlang, and he quickly told his father, Xiong Fu Zuo. However, Xiong Fu wasn't flustered at all. He casually said,""It's just a louse bite.”After he finished speaking, he grabbed a handful of dust outside the door, spat out a mouthful of saliva, and mixed it with his hand before wiping it on San Lang's body.
How could the little San Lang struggle against the adults? In a short while, he was covered in dust. The veins on San Lang's head popped out in anger, but there was nothing he could do.
The helpless expression of his youngest son, Saburo, made Xiong Fu's left guard laugh out loud, but it also made him feel a little puzzled. Saburo's habit of being clean really did not look like a child from his own family, nor did he look like a child from the mountains. It really made him very puzzled.
The sky was already bright. After everyone in Xiongfu Village had washed up, Xiongfu Zuobei ordered the young and strong people in the village to go to the market in the city to sell the local products of the village and buy some urgently needed materials. Meanwhile, he and his two sons were tidying up their appearance in the warehouse. It was already the second day since they arrived in Fenglai Temple City. It was time to visit their master, Fenglai Temple Yuanhui.
Yuan Hui of Fenglai Temple was the abbot of Fenglai Temple and the head of the Fenglai Temple family. He was a monk, a city lord, and the lord of the mountains within a radius of dozens of miles.
After eating the breakfast that he had brought, Xiongfu Zuobei brought his two sons up the mountain and walked to Fenglai Temple. The entire Fenglai Temple was not very big. After walking for more than ten minutes, the three of them arrived in front of Mitsumaru's door.
Xiong Fu's left guard quickly took two steps forward, bowed to the two guards at the door, and said softly,""Please report to the master that my retainer Xiong Fu and his two sons have come to visit the master.”
The two Zu Qings standing in front of the door looked at each other with mocking expressions on their faces. They didn't reply. As the saying goes, the King of Hell is easy to see, but the little devil is difficult to deal with. When the two Zu Qings saw this old farmer in front of them, they knew that this must be a local warrior who was not trusted by the main family outside. Otherwise, how could he be so humble to the two little Zu Qings?
These two thoughts were right. Xiong Fu's family had only been recorded in the Fenglai Temple family's retainer record for a few decades. Because of this incident, nearly half of the entire Xiong Fu village had starved to death. Who would believe that they did not have any resentment towards the Fenglai Temple family? Thus, the Fenglai Temple Clan naturally did not have much trust in the Xiong Fu Clan.
Xiong Fu's left guard bowed even lower. In order to enter Fenglai Temple City and allow his two sons to enter the temple house of Fenglai Temple, this man once again trampled his dignity under his feet. A flattering smile appeared on his face. He took out a few more coins from his chest and stepped forward to put them into the hands of a Zu Qing.
That Zu Qing shook the coins in his hand and smiled as he gave a few coins to another Zu Qing. Then, he shouted at Xiong Fu,""Got it. Just wait here!”With that, he opened the door and walked into the mountain city calmly.
After an unknown period of time, the sun began to rise high above their heads. The hot sunlight shone on Xiong Fu's father and son, but the three of them stood in front of the door like statues, not daring to move.
"Xiong Fu's family's situation is really terrible!”Xiong Fu San Lang thought to himself under the sun. "I wonder when the people inside will come out!”
As the saying goes,'Speak of the devil, and he will appear.' Xiong Fu Saburo was just lampooning in his heart when a few people walked out from the mountain city. The person in the lead looked to be in his forties, but he looked even more energetic than Xiong Fu's left guard, who was only in his thirties.
"Haha, it's Xiong Fu's family. Stop standing outside and come in.”Before that person reached the door, laughter could be heard.
Xiong Fu's left guard saw the newcomer and quickly went forward to greet him. He bowed and said,""Xiongfu Left Guard and his two sons, Xiongfu Jiro and Xiongfu Saburo, greet Lord Longtang Temple.”
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