Chapter 123 Death Bell

Twilight quadruple.

A solemn and heavy bell suddenly sounded on Qianfo Mountain. The bell came from Luban Temple on the top of the mountain. The bell was continuous, thick and powerful, and instantly spread out a hundred miles.

The people in the twilight were suppressed by the sudden bell and stopped their hands. The people who walked stopped and devoutly walked in the direction of Qianfo Mountain, whispering something.

"Wan! ..."

The bell rings carelessly, but every time it rings, it seems to be knocking in people's hearts.

The bell rang twelve times.

The people who meditated and did not move silently counted the number in their hearts and waited for the bells in horror, but after a long time, the bell did not ring again and the bell stopped! Immediately, people's faces burst into smiles, and the dead Thousand Buddha Town boiled up in an instant.

"The bell of Luban Temple is ringing again!"

"Not thirteen times! It's a perfect twelve times! It's not a death knell!"

"Yes, yes, it's not a death knell. I was scared to death just now. This clock hasn't ringed for decades.

"Aunt Xiang, it has been decades. It is estimated that it has been ten years. The last time it sounded thirteen times, Qianfo Town suffered a flood three days later, killing more than 300 people."

"This time it's twelve times? Have you counted it clearly?"

"Yes, it's twelve times!" Everyone said one after another.

"This time it's the peace bell. Bodhisattva bless, Bodhisattva bless!"

"Luban Temple rings the peace bell!"

"Luban Temple rings the peace bell!"

“......”

Although everyone heard the twelve bells, people still ran to tell each other and passed on this message, as if they were conveying the will of God, as if they had received God's mercy and God's blessing.

Luban Temple in Qianfoshan, where Xiaohe grew up. However, the original Luban Temple was not built on Qianfo Mountain, but on a flat land in Ziyang City, which is surrounded by mountains and beautiful mountains and rivers. According to legend, Luban Temple was a feng shui treasure that was suitable for building a temple when Luban passed Ziyang City when he was young, so Luban Temple was built. After completion, Luban Temple was indeed full of spirit and full of incense. Most of the good men and women who went to Luban Temple are the daughters of rich families. After they were full of wine and food, they went to the temple to ask for peace, marriage, and gods to bless their property and family property for thousands of years. However, poor people who really need help rarely go to Luban Temple.

After many years, Luban Temple gradually declined.

Because at that time, the host of Luban Temple was a fat-headed and big-eared flower monk. He not only ate meat, but also made a lot of money. Without silver, he was not allowed to enter the temple to smell incense. What is even more abhorrent is that he is greedy for beauty and often flirts with female incense guests who come to worship Buddha. When his desire is unbearable, he ignores himself in the quiet place of the temple gate and catches the female incense guest to the back of the hall and walk in the rain.

Because this flower monk usually accumulates a lot of money, talks cleverly, and has good kung fu, many lonely female incense guests can't stand his flirting. After a while, Luban Temple has become the place of willow alleys on the flower street. The flower monk actually turned Luban Temple into his golden cage in broad daylight and raised a large group of good friends. . I take turns to have fun with a group of young women all day long. How can I be in the mood to worship Buddha?

A group of Bodhisattvas in Luban Temple were overwhelmed by the smoke and miasma, and the surrounding people also dared not say anything and privately reported to withdraw the position of the flower monk. Unexpectedly, he was found out by the flower monk and bought a thug to hurt the people around him, almost killing people.

At that time, a strange thing happened in Qianfo Town, a hundred miles away.

Qianfo Town was not called Qianfo Town, but Niuer Town, and Qianfoshan was not called Qianfoshan, but Xiaguang Mountain. Xiaguang Mountain is surrounded by clouds and fog all year round, and the sky at the top of the mountain is often full of clouds. Suddenly, people who get up early to fish hear the sound of wooden fish from Xiaguang Mountain. The man called all the fishing boats on the river to watch. When the ships arrived at the foot of Foguang Mountain in public, they were surprised to find that there were thousands of all kinds of The statue of Bodhisattva is walking to the top of the mountain magnificently!

And on the top of Xiaguang Mountain, the Buddha is shining, and the sound of chanting scriptures comes out loudly, echoing the sound of wooden fish under the mountain...

"The Bodhisattva has come to Xiaguang Mountain! Our Niuer Town has been taken in by all kinds of Bodhisattvas!"

"This Xiaguang Mountain is really a Buddha land! It has attracted so many bodhisattvas..."

"Look! There is a temple on the top of the mountain!"

People looked at the top of the mountain one after another. Under the forest, there was indeed a red-walled and red tile temple, revealing the raised four corners. In the glow, three golden characters appeared: Luban Temple!

"When was the Luban Temple built?" People were surprised that there was no one on Xiaguang Mountain. Because of the rampant beasts, even hunters dared not go there alone. When was this Luban Temple built?

"It's the immortals! I want to bless the people of Niuer Town..." The old man in his old age burst into tears.

"Blessing the Bodhisattva!"

Everyone got off the boat one after another and worshipped the Buddha's light on the top of the mountain.

In a short time, all kinds of Bodhisattvas flocking to the top of the mountain, and the sound of wooden fish chanting finally met, and suddenly there were bursts of strong chanting on the top of the mountain...

The next day, news came from Ziyang City that the Luban Temple in Ziyang City disappeared overnight!

Why did it say it flew away? Because nearby residents saw that Luban Temple slowly rose in a Buddha light, rose into the air, and then flew away in the direction of the upper reaches of the river. The flower monk was drunk. When he returned to Luban Temple, he couldn't find the entrance of the temple and fell into the well and died.

People's hearts were suddenly enlightened. It turned out that Luban Temple could not stand the smoke here and flew to the clean Xiaguang Mountain! All the gods and bodhisattvas nearby lived in the Luban Temple. For a while, the Luban Temple in Xiaguang Mountain became a place for good men and women to pray for hundreds of miles.

At that time, some elders of Niuer Town followed God's will and gathered the hearts of the people. They changed the name of Niuer Town to Qianfo Town, which means that thousands of Buddhas gathered and thousands of Buddhas blessed. The name of Xiaguang Mountain was changed to Qianfo Mountain. Qianfo Mountain, which towered into the clouds, waited for this pure land day and night, and the people of Qianfo Town also lived a safe and happy life.

Unlike other temples, there was no host in the Luban Temple in Qianfoshan at that time, that is to say, this is a temple without monks.

There is a huge bell in Luban Temple, which hangs high on an osmanthus tree in the middle of the temple. This clock will automatically make a crashing sound every day, twelve times each time.

One day, thirteen bells suddenly rang abnormally in the Luban Temple in Qianfoshan. At first, people did not pay attention to it, but after a while, thirteen bells rang again.

People who had nothing to do found that there were more bells than before and told the people around them in surprise: "Today, there are more bells in Qianfoshan than usual. Is there any will from Bodhisattva?"

People disapproved and said with a smile, "What's wrong with one more or less? More, maybe the Bodhisattva will bless us more.

On that day, thirteen bells were struck thirteen times.

However, this did not attract people's attention.

One night later, the moon was dark and windy, and a group of invading robbers sneaked into Qianfo Town and looted thousands of households overnight. In that disaster, thousands of people were killed and injured in Qianfo Town, and it became a big disaster recorded in Ziyang City County.

After the pain subsided, people thought that if the bell of Luban Temple rings twelve times, it is the peace bell, and if it rings thirteen times, it is the death knell. In the following decades, the 13 death knells also sounded several times, but except for a large flood loss, the rest of them were prepared and the loss was small.

The most recent time was ten years ago, when the bell rang thirteen times and lasted for three days. Qianfo Town suffered a once-in-century flood and suffered heavy losses. However, the tenacious people rebuilt their homes and began a new life. They lived and struggled endlessly. However, the bells in Luban Temple in Qianfoshan, whether it was twelve or thirteen times, never sounded again.

Today, the bell of Qianfoshan rises again, and it is the twelfth peace bell. The people of Qianfo Town who have experienced the cholera epidemic are a little comforted. It seems that the gods of Luban Temple have not forgotten the people of Qianfo Town!

"Ban!"

A dull bell sounded again! Thirteen times!

This belated bell, like an invisible blade, plunged deeply into the hearts of the people of Qianfo Town.

"Yes... it's thirteen times..." People were panicked.

"God! Why don't you let us go? Why?"

"Bodhisattva, the people of Qianfo Town didn't offer you less offerings and incense to you. Why don't you let us go!"

In the night, some frightened old people are scrambling for heaven and earth. The night enveloped Qianfo Town, and the tense atmosphere made people afraid to breathe. They don't know what kind of disaster will come tomorrow.

"Erniu, make some simple clothes, let's go!" A middle-aged man said decisively, "There is no way to live here, and there is a place to survive!"

"Okay! Dad, Qianfo Town seems to have been cursed! Since I was born, I haven't seen Qianfo Town have a smooth day. The man called Erniu said angrily, "Don't believe in gods in everything, people will win the sky!" Dad, we have to find our own way to live!"

Erniu packed up his simple clothes. In the dark night, he and his father went to the dock of Qianfo Town. He found his small fishing boat, gently untied the cable, and the small fishing boat went down the water.

"Erniu, we will have no home from now on." Dad is very sad.

"Dad, if we want to live, we must leave Qianfo Town. Don't worry, I will support you. I have good strength. If I go to work hard, I won't make my father full. Er Niu comforted, although he was not sure at this time.

The small fishing boat went to the foot of Qianfo Mountain, and the keen Erniu heard bursts of voices from Qianfo Mountain.

"Dad, someone is talking on the mountain!"

"It's the bandits of Qianfoshan. They don't care about the death bells and safe bells. Are they still happy? Erniu, you just work hard and don't do the immorality of robbing houses.

"Dad, listen carefully!" Er Niu stopped the small fishing boat and listened carefully to the sound.

"No mercy! Kill without mercy!" Erniu suddenly heard these loud words, and his expression changed greatly and said, "Dad, it's the bandits of Qianfoshan who are swearing!" Are they going to rob Qianfo Town?

"No, for so many years, they 'rabbits don't eat grass by the nest' and never offend the people of Qianfo Town. I heard, Erniu, they are swearing, but they are never going to kill the people of Qianfo Town, listen!"

"Defend Ziyang City! Defend your homeland!"

Dad was overjoyed, patted Erniu on the shoulder and said, "Sir! Did you hear that? We are not leaving! Dad asked you to go up the mountain to be a bandit!"

"Dad, are you talking nonsense? Didn't you just say that I was not allowed to do those immoral things? Erniu said puzzledly.

"They are not bandits!"