When the time came, Mr. Mengxue began to clean up the books on the table in an orderly manner. Hong Wending also followed the other students in the private school. The students first worshiped the statue of Confucius and then the teacher in front of them. Their attitude was respectful and they were obviously fully integrated into the environment. .
Mr. Mengxue, who had gray beard and hair, straightened his robe and walked through the students with his head held high. His eyes were indifferent, but he paused for a moment on the three new students.
Although Jiang Wen always said that Hong Wending was a standard out-of-school child, in fact during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, most children entered school between the ages of 8 and 15. If the qualifications are a little less, those who are weak and established can also enter elementary school. For example, "Book of Wei Liu Lan Biography" says that Liu Lan, a native of the Northern Wei Dynasty, "began to enter elementary school when he was more than thirty years old." If he had married earlier, he would probably be a classmate with his son. .
For example, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, people from the age of 3 to 18 can study together in the same school, and in the Confucian classics school, people from the age of 8 to knowing their fate can be in the same school. People of all levels and abilities gather together, ranging from as few as ten to as many as Twenty or thirty people, it is normal for Hong Wending to be sent to enlightenment at his age.
Every day, he would go into the villa with his classmates from his private school. He would sit upright when the teacher was giving lectures. When the order came, he would go up and listen to the teacher's instructions one by one. He would study "Three Character Classic", "Hundred Family Surnames", "Thousand Character Essay" and "Disciple Rules" over and over again. 》. After a few days, Hong Wending became the eldest among the children again. He was wearing ordinary clothes. It was impossible to tell that he was a martial artist who had been holding a knife all year round. On the contrary, because of his good kung fu skills, he looked particularly upright when writing. Powerful, often praised.
The process of class every day is actually very simple. The first step for students to learn is to take the scriptures by themselves, go to the teacher one by one, open the page they want to learn, and the teacher clicks on the sentence to read - because the ancient textbooks did not have sentence breaks, they could only rely on Oral transmission from the private school teacher.
The second step is for the teacher to read it once and the students to read it once, usually three to six times. Then the students return to their seats and continue reading by themselves, reading until they can memorize it. Finally, the teacher will explain the text and explain the main idea.
Because each student's level of understanding is different, the learning progress can only be determined by the student, and the teacher will teach students in accordance with their aptitude. There are students who are diligent, studious, and intelligent. They go to school ten to eight times a day and recite more content, and can recite sixty or seventy verses of the scriptures. Some students can recite twenty or thirty verses, which is not a small sum over time. In addition, the teacher will also give lectures on some pen and ink calligraphy, large and small regular scripts, and couplet poetry every day, which can last up to half a day.
This kind of learning method is the same for both princes and common people. "Ting Yu Cong Tan" records the prince's reading. The prince entered school at an early age and sat at the same table with his master. The master read a sentence and the prince read it. , after returning to the catchy one, read it a hundred times, and read it a hundred times together with the previous four days of writing. If it is before the sixth day, it is said that the book is cooked every five days, and it starts again and again without interruption.
Compared with Jiang Wen's out-and-out interest-based learning method, this private school uses rigid methods passed down from generation to generation, but objectively speaking, it is more suitable for Hong Wending, a novice student. It can be seen from his expression that Hong Wending also cherishes this kind of study time. He studies with his husband without any hesitation, and he never shows any timidity when taking exams every day.
Mr. Mengxue walked past while stroking his beard. He was almost at the door and sighed secretly. He was amazed at the three new students sent by the Lei family. Although it is true that he only accepted a disciple because of Lei Hu's generosity, he has never had a student who can make him feel so moved.
For example, the tallest student among the three, although his foundation was a bit weak when he first came, he was calm and restrained in speaking and acting, and he didn't look like a child at all. He started learning books at a rapid pace, catching up with half of the students in a few days. Mr. Mengxue deliberately increased the workload several times, and the student could always recite it fluently the next day.
Since ancient times, hard work can make up for weakness, not to mention lack of talent. If a student like this can persevere, Mr. Mengxue believes that it will only be a matter of time before someone in his villa becomes a scholar.
The youngest student among the three looks weak and weak, but has a bad temper. He taught him three hundred thousand, but he often made things difficult for himself with questions in the Thirteen Classics. His enlightenment book knowledge has improved by leaps and bounds, and he has not yet When it comes to it, you can teach yourself without a teacher. Mr. Mengxue vaguely guessed that the other party had read these books a long time ago, but regardless of whether he had studied or not, it was already unimaginable that a five or six-year-old child could memorize the books on Mengxue and understand them thoroughly. This was something that Mr. Mengxue also saw. Only then did he believe that the ancient prodigy's statement of "reciting more than a thousand words a day" and "never looking at it again" turned out to be true.
For such outstanding students, Mr. Mengxue has no temper. Instead of admonishing and punishing students, he would rather rely on his words and deeds, moral character and majesty to infect the other students. Since ancient times, people with outstanding talents must be outstanding. Mr. Mengxue was afraid that he would suppress this budding genius and make the world lose a high-spirited number one talent.
The last student who impressed Mr. Mengxue deeply was a person he had never seen before in his life. He arrived at the library on time every day and fell asleep, only to wake up leisurely after school. As soon as he came to teach homework for the exam, he would stare at him with big eyes. I can't feel anything when I press the ruler on my eyes, and I can even fall asleep standing up!
The rules of Lingnan rural schools have always been based on the "Taiquan Township Rites·Xiang School" written by Huang Zuo, a Lingnan scholar during the Zhengde period, which stipulates: "If you skip school without any reason once, you will be punished by reciting the book 200 times; if you play truant twice, you will be punished with Pu tart." Ten pieces of paper; three times, the punishment is tart as before, and the punishment is still on his father and brother."
He was indifferent to being punished by reciting books and being beaten with a ruler. Lei Hu was not under any pressure when it came to the fine. The third student was so stunned that he tortured Mr. Mengxue until he sighed. Even his hair turned a lot white. He could only lament that they were together. Why are the three students here so different from each other?
The private school teacher sitting in the hall was in his sixties, his surname was Wen, and he was named Yuqin. He was a former Ming Dynasty scholar. When he was young, he was disheartened because he failed to win the exam three times, so he returned to his hometown to make a living as a private school teacher. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, private school teachers were divided into two types: "Mongolian teachers" and "Confucian teachers" based on different teaching contents. The tutor is to educate children and teach them how to read and memorize; while the teacher teaches more in-depth content and wants to guide students to the road to the imperial examination.
Because he focused all his energy on repairing classics and documents, Wen Yuqin was only willing to be a tutor with easy teaching. But the content taught by Mengshi is simple and the cultivation is low. The income is only a dozen or twenty taels per year, so life is naturally a bit harder.
Wen Yuqin, whose beard and hair were already graying, didn't think much of the fact that he couldn't pass the imperial examination, even though his classmate and friend at that time were the top picks in Wanli's 47th year. After all, failing to pass the imperial examination was something that at that time It is actually very common among scholars.
For example, Wen Zhengming, one of the four talented men in Wuzhong, was excellent in poetry, calligraphy and painting. However, he took the provincial examination 10 times from the age of 26 to 53, and failed even once. He finally became a scholar on the recommendation of the Minister of Industry. He went to the Hanlin Academy to await imperial edicts, but because he had no fame, he was constantly ostracized by his colleagues.
Wen Yuqin walked to the door of the private school, and suddenly remembered something, and said to the students of different sizes, "Go back and tell your family that there will be a day off on the second day of February in five days. You can review your homework at home, so don't be slow!" "
Seeing the stern teacher returning, the students who were just about to jump for joy quickly suppressed their joy and bowed respectfully to their teacher. They didn't dare to continue playing until they saw his figure disappear completely from the door.
Fu Ningdie randomly stuffed the books into her bag, then trotted to Hong Wending's desk, and said in a rough voice, "Senior Brother Hong, let's go find the master quickly!"
That's right, Mr. Mengxue didn't know that the "genius child" in front of him was Fu Ningdie in disguise. The number one scholar was not a rare figure for her, but no matter how powerful her family background was, as a woman, she was destined to miss the imperial examination career. of.
After all, Xiao Ningdie deliberately opposed her private school teacher every day, and she just recalled the days when her father forced her to study. She couldn't help but recall the things that she had heard at home.
Hong Wending smiled slightly, quickly packed up his things, turned around and woke up the sleeping Xiao Shitou behind him.
"Ah? Is school over?"
Xiao Shitou raised his head in confusion, wiped the saliva from his mouth, and then looked firmly into the distance, "Let's go and eat. Master said that there is a vegetarian restaurant in the temple today where you can eat all you want!"
No matter how poor he was, he couldn't afford education. Jiang Wen sent his three children to study. However, one of the three children was the son of an imperial convict and the other was a fugitive. Naturally, it was impossible for him to enter the official school in Guangzhou. He could only find a reliable place through Lei Hu. private school loan.
Private schools in this era were not necessarily worse than official schools, but they were different from the forms sponsored by the government and private schools. From the perspective of the sponsors, there were three types of private schools: private schools, special schools, and independent schools.
Free schools, commonly known as free schools, are generally founded by clans in the township. The source of funding for running schools mainly relies on the free support of the clan members. Sometimes the land rent income from ancestral halls and temples can also be used by the clan members to run free schools. Most of the students taught are children from poor families. They are free and can also be called free schools. Village school, clan school, clan school. This is the most widely popular among the three types in Guangdong where there are many large clans.
A special school is a private school established by one, several, one or even several villages' wealthy families individually or jointly, for their children to complete basic education. It is also called a private school or a family school. For example, the wealthy businessmen of the gentry in the city would do this. Gentlemen's employment terms range from three to five years to ten to twenty years, or even thirty to fifty years. After all, wealthy families have many children. After the eldest has taught them, it's time for the second to go to school again.
As for Hong Wending and others, the schools they went to school were independent schools. The schools, teaching schools, schools, and bookstores run by failed scholars, old boys, or literati teachers in the countryside usually required some tuition fees, and the conditions for entry were even broader. Lei Huhu's son just graduated and dropped in.
This Sanguan was by Zhilan Lake. After leaving the door, the three children walked together and walked southwest towards Yuexiu Mountain and Xianggang. Soon they came to a temple that was full of incense and crowded with tourists and began to look for them. The master who disappeared for several days.
On the other side, because the sky was clear and blue, Jiang Wen and Yan Yongchun's old father went together and came to the famous Guangxiao Temple in Guangzhou early to burn incense.
Jiang Wen deliberately dressed up as a layman today, wearing a hat to cover his hair. After burning incense absentmindedly, he came to an empty yard, found a lush bodhi tree, and sat lazily under the tree. .
As a lay disciple of Southern Shaolin, Yan's father was naturally very devout in worshiping Buddha. After finishing the incense and kowtow step by step, he realized that Jiang Wen was missing. After a search, he finally found Jiang Wen in front of the temple's hair pagoda.
"Master Jiang, please get up quickly. How could you be so unbecoming in front of the Sixth Patriarch?"
Yan's father quickly asked Jiang to smell it, but he pulled him down first and sat down under the tree.
"Uncle Yan, this is your fault. Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch, said it here, not to mention the flags moving and the wind moving, it is just the heart of a benevolent person."
Jiang Wen said slowly and disapprovingly, "Jiang is clearly here to meditate and worship the Buddha. He has neither spoken rudely nor acted wantonly. Why do you think I am rude? It is clearly in your heart that you are rude."
Jiang Wen put a hand on his shoulder to prevent Yan's father from getting up, "Sit here and take a closer look and listen. Do you think what you see and hear is quite Zen-like?"
The so-called Qifa Pagoda is a pagoda made of gray sand bricks, imitating the style of a pavilion, with niches and statues on each side. As time goes by, it gradually becomes mottled, making it look particularly simple.
The red corner pillars and forehead are hidden on the whitewashed wall of the stone pagoda. The capitals of the pillars sit on the top of the pillars with square cognacs and brackets, but there are no common cypress or Fang pillars. The plain tile surface has graceful curvature, with an octagonal spire on top, and the pagoda is a treasure gourd, which shines in the sunlight and looks majestic and extraordinary.
According to legend, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, Huineng, received the seal of the Fifth Patriarch of Huangmei, secretly passed down the Dharma, and returned to the south to live in seclusion between Sihui and Huaiji counties. More than ten years later, the Sixth Patriarch went to Faxing Temple (Guangxiao Temple) in Guangzhou and met two monks discussing the movement of wind flags. "One said the wind was moving, and the other said the flags were moving." Hui Neng said: "It's not the wind that moves, it's not the flags that move, it's the heart of a benevolent person that moves."
At that time, Master Yin Zong, the abbot of Faxing Temple, heard his extraordinary words and knew that he was the person who inherited the teachings of Huangmei's Fifth Patriarch. He asked him to appear in his mantle and summoned the top ten lawyers in the country to ordain him under the Bodhi tree on the 15th day of the first lunar month of the following year. . In order to commemorate the ordination of Master Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, Abbot Seng Facai raised funds to build this hair pagoda here. It was completed on the eighth day of April in the same year. Abbot Seng Fa immediately hid the Sixth Patriarch's hair pagoda under a tree.
Nowadays, the Pagoda is old and mottled, and the bodhi branches are lush. Yan's father looked up as Jiang Wen said. For a moment, the shadows of the trees on the tower were reflected in the blue sky with white clouds. The bells on the eaves were ringing quietly, and the pagoda was in the air. Suddenly there was a shadow of a figure sitting cross-legged in the drifting sea of clouds. As expected, it had an indescribable sense of coming out of the world. He then slowly closed his mouth and his mood gradually calmed down.
"Master Jiang, what you said is indeed true. This tree seems to make people feel better..."
Guangxiao Temple has a long history, and every plant and tree has its own allusions. Even the ancient Bodhi tree they are leaning against is the Tripitaka of wisdom medicines that came to Guangzhou from West India in the first year of Tianjian, Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties, and sought out the Buddhist scriptures in Faxing Temple. Planted with his own hands in front of the ordination altar built by Tuoluo.
It is said that when he planted the Bodhi tree, he made a prophecy: "One hundred and seventy years after I pass, a Bodhisattva in the flesh will perform the superior vehicle under this tree and save countless people." And his prophecy really came true, one hundred and seventy-four years later. Later that year, the Sixth Patriarch Huineng shaved his hair and received ordination under this Bodhi tree. Later, he opened the Dongshan Dharma School and promoted the theory of sudden enlightenment he founded for the first time.
Father Yan sat under the tree and squinted his eyes with a smile, like an old farmer taking a nap in the wheat field. "Old man, I can't explain anything. I just feel that my heart, which has been bored for days, feels a lot more relaxed. Could it be that the Sixth Patriarch left it behind?" The dharma nature below helped me eliminate my troubles?"
"What do you mean? Uncle Yan, what are you worried about?" Jiang Wen asked curiously.
"My daughter has been stubborn since she was a child, and she only accepts death when doing things."
Father Yan sighed slightly, "I was able to risk my life and take her out of Guangdong, but now that I am old and frail, I can no longer help her if something happens again. I am always worried about what will happen a hundred years from now." What's the matter..."
Valley shame
There is one sentence that Yan's father has not fully said, which is that if Yan Yongchun continues to practice martial arts like this, he will not be able to find his husband's family in the future. He cannot really follow the five masters to become a nun in the mountains.
"Uncle Yan, as the saying goes, children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. I think Miss Yan is a person with great wisdom and great blessings. You might as well relax and let her go on her own."
Jiang Wen still said absently: "Hey, I still envy your life, Uncle Yan. Sometimes I wonder if I should retire so early. It would be great to live in seclusion in the woods and springs, and be happy..."
Father Yan glanced at Jiang Wen inexplicably, "Headmaster Jiang, how could you say such a thing at your age? You don't want to fight in the world, but you learn to amuse yourself like an old man like me?"
Jiang Wen wanted to say something else, but another tall man with high arrogance had already walked into the Guangxiao Temple. He came to the two of them in three steps and two steps at a time - he saw that his clothes were quite decent, except for his messy hair, which he also wore. A nondescript little hat.
"Headmaster Jiang, since you asked Fan to go to Guangxiao Temple for a while, why did you hide under the tree yourself?"
Fan Xinghan, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, looked at Jiang Wen with a wry smile. He also reached out to pull Jiang Wen up from the ground, but instead he was dragged to the foot of the tree and sat down.
"Gang Leader Fan, this is your fault. The Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng, said it right here, not to mention the flags moving and the wind moving, it's just the heart of a benevolent person."
Jiang Wen said slowly and naturally, "Jiang has been sitting here waiting for you for a long time, and you have found me successfully. Why do you insist on thinking that I have broken the appointment? This is obviously because you are unwilling to keep the appointment."
Jiang Wen reached out to hold his shoulders and continued speaking forcefully.
"Gang Leader Fan, this place is quite Zen-like. If you don't believe it, you can experience it for yourself. If you miss it, don't tell me, brother, I won't share good things with you."
Fan Xinghan sat down against the tree doubtfully, listening only to the shadows of the trees and the sound of the wind. The midday sun shone in through the gaps in the branches, and was finely sifted into a mottled mixture of light yellow and gray black, falling lightly on the bluestone road. It's like some mysterious and weird patterns that change with the wind, making people fascinated and unable to help but feel something.
"The world is impermanent, the world is impermanent..."
Fan Xinghan muttered repeatedly, but finally did not get up, and the team squatting majestically under the tree now reduced to three people.
"Gang Leader Fan, as the saying goes, hardness cannot last forever, and softness cannot be maintained. How can you do this in a hurry every day? You still have to combine work with rest."
Jiang Wen continued slowly, "To be honest, I went to the Nanhai Ancient Temple two days ago, and everyone in the village said they had never seen General Wu Liuqi go to sea. There were many strange things in the sea there, and even the imperial navy was defeated. Shensha, I don’t think it’s possible that he went there.”
The matter with Guandi has not yet been resolved, so Fan Xinghan has been paying attention to Wu Liuqi's whereabouts. Now that he heard Jiang Wen said that he had ruled out the possibility of him going to sea from the south, Fan Xinghan couldn't help but wonder: "It's not from the south. Could it be that he really came from the northwest?" Going? To the northwest, it’s not into the sea, but into the mountains..."
But the next second, he denied the idea.
"No, it's impossible to go to Guangxi. It borders the territory of Pingxi King Wu Sangui. The court can only regard Guangxi as a barrier between the two vassals. How could Wu Liuqi, a general from the Pingnan Palace, dare to go into such a dragon pool and a tiger's den? Break in."
Jiang Wen smiled and said to Fan Xinghan with interest: "I didn't expect you, Gang Leader Fan, to have such an understanding of the general trend of the world. This really makes me impressed!"
Fan Xinghan said nervously: "Master Jiang, please stop teasing me. Although I am just a member of the Beggar Clan, I am in the rivers and lakes. How can I know nothing about the court? This time, the court enfeoffed the four leaders of the southeast, northwest, and four major factions. Pai obviously wants to reach out into the world."
Jiang Wen nodded slowly: "Yes, this trick is no more than enfeoffing the princes of the rivers and lakes, and dividing the three vassals. Once the situation is completed, no one in the rivers and lakes can escape from the rule."
For a weak monarch, enfeoffing the princes is like drinking poison to quench thirst. It is extremely easy to lead to the separatist situation of vassal towns in the late Tang Dynasty. However, if the court is extremely strong, there is no need to worry too much about creating vassal towns. When it is enough to subdue the four fields, the four forces will naturally be calm. Zi Yan.
Unfortunately, it is the second situation now. The Qing court, which was lucky enough to enter the customs, has been working hard for more than ten years. Last year, it not only defeated the joint efforts of Zheng Chenggong and Zhang Huangyan, but also fought bloody battles with Li Dingguo at Mopan Mountain, draining the last remaining power of the small court of the Southern Ming Dynasty. of blood.
At this time, whether it was the small victory of the Tiandihui in Wuyi Mountain or Zhao Wuji's brilliant move in Fuzhou City, they could not conceal the increasingly prosperous trend of the Qing court. The opponents who had competed for the world had long been left behind, even if Zhang Huangyan teamed up with Li Zicheng's remaining Kui The Dong Shisan family, Emperor Yongli, and Zhang Xianzhong's adopted sons worked together, but they failed to reverse the trend and change fate.
Therefore, anyone can see that the threat to the Qing court at this time is no longer Li Chuang’s remnant party and the Nanming court, but the San Francisco vassal establishment originally established to clean up the Central Plains. Once these problems are eliminated, there will be no more people in the world. Can withstand the iron hoof of the Eight Banners.
Fan Xinghan took off the weird little hat on his head, revealing his messy hair. If a beggar like him didn't hide it, he might not even be able to get in through the temple gate. "Master Jiang, I think it will never be possible to make a comeback in the future. Just Like this Shaolin retreat in the south of Guangzhou City, martial arts people from all over the world came to congratulate the old hero Luo for washing his hands in the golden basin. Peace will always be the most important thing in the world - maybe there will soon be a group of people in this world who go to the countryside to live in seclusion."
When the topic reached this point, Jiang Wen couldn't help but bring up what he had just thought.
"Gang Leader Fan, if one day comes, can't I sue Lao Shanlin and quit the swordsmanship? I would like to see how seniors like Luo Yuantong withdraw from the world."
One can never withdraw from the Jianghu, but there is a group of people in the Jianghu who are called Jianghu elders.
Either they have unique achievements in martial arts, they are highly respected, or they have extensive connections all over the world, or they are too senior to fight with others. At this time, they will announce that they will quit fighting in the world, and they will only rely on their reputation and favors to travel around the world, and do some unscrupulous things. For sinners, this is the best destination for Lao Jianghu.
For example, Wang Weiyang, the master of the Bagua Sect who had previously refused to be granted the title of leader of the Green Forest Alliance by the Qing Dynasty and was a powerful figure in Heshuo, used this method to stay away from disputes and passed the position of leader of the sect to his disciple Shang Jianming, making it clear that he would be the one to discuss any future competitions. Apprentice, I have retired.
"Haha, Master Jiang, I heard recently that your Wuyi sect has become famous. It doesn't sound like you want to wash your hands in a golden basin."
Fan Xinghan laughed and said, obviously he has been paying more attention to Jiang Wen's news recently, "Although Fan is weak and weak, I am duty-bound to spread your chivalrous and benevolent spirit."
Jiang Wen smiled slightly and said with a sigh: "I am just paving the way for my apprentices. One day they can be independent, and I can let go."
Before he finished speaking, he heard a young novice monk bursting in through the empty courtyard door, driving away the three people under the tree with a worried look on his face.
"How can you three sit here? Come on, come on, this is where my master meditates!"
When Yan's father and Fan Xinghan heard this, they smiled bitterly and stood up to give up their seats. After all, they were on someone else's territory. It would be bad if they really didn't follow the rules.
"Little Master, this is your fault. The Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng, said it right here, not to mention the flags moving and the wind moving, it's just the heart of a benevolent person."
But Jiang Wen glanced at it and said slowly, "It's so spacious under the Bodhi tree. The three of us here are like an extra weed growing under the tree. Young master, you said that we occupied the spot. Could it be that your master is practicing Zen?" You have to get rid of every blade of grass that grows in the place. Do you have to have no grass growing in order to meditate and realize the Tao?"
Being robbed by Jiang Wen for a while, the little novice couldn't help but blush with anger, but he couldn't drive them away naturally. Fortunately, another voice sounded at this time.
"Can the three benefactors and the poor monk meditate together under the tree?"
A gray-robed monk with a shiny forehead and protruding forehead bone suddenly appeared and drove away the little novice monk. Wearing the ordinary cassocks worn by lower-level monks, he walked straight up to Jiang Wen and his entourage, asked politely, and expressed that he wanted to sit here too.
Jiang Wen lazily raised his hand: "Master, you can do whatever you want, the location here is quite spacious."
After getting the answer, the great monk sat down cross-legged expressionlessly, then leaned against the Bodhi tree with his eyes closed and chanted sutras, turning a deaf ear to the chatter of Jiang Wen and the others.
"Master, haven't you asked for your Dharma title yet?"
Seeing that he had secured his position and won, Jiang Wencai asked casually.
"The poor monk's dharma name is natural."
After hearing this, Yan's father stood up suddenly and said to the gray-robed monk: "You... you are the abbot of Guangxiao Temple, Master Natural? We are disrespectful and mistakenly occupy the treasure tree. Please forgive me!"
After saying that, he pulled Jiang Wen to get up, but the monk took the initiative to stop him.
"Amitabha, the poor monk, was invited by Taoist and secular people led by Chen Zizhuang to perform the Dharma here when he returned to Guangzhou from Lushan in the 15th year of Chongzhen's reign."
The gray-robed monk's expression showed no change, neither angry nor happy. The Bodhi tree in his eyes was neither a beautiful place to enjoy the colorful flowers, nor a comfortable place to cool and warm. What he saw in his eyes was just looking down into the pond. A falling shadow.
"As this donor said, a poor monk is just an ordinary plant growing under a tree due to the consequences of karma. They only come early and arrive late. Donor, you know that I am a natural monk but I have to avoid it. Isn’t it like a poor monk who has been practicing Buddhism for decades, only to have no grass growing around him?”
After saying that, he stood up first and walked out of the door with a heavy sigh.
Yan's father stood there confused, but Jiang Wen slowly stood up, with a glint in his eyes.
"Now I understand, he indeed took in people from Southern Shaolin..."
