Although it is a big deal, it is actually collecting elm tree seeds.
A few days ago, Gu Yunqiu was walking around the temple by himself, picking up elm coins, and walked around outside the old monastery in the back mountain.
The so-called old Zen temple is the ancient Zen temple that Baoguo Temple was first built on the cliff on the top of the mountain.
The temple also has a complete set of Three Treasures Hall, five Buddhas, bell tower, drum tower, and Sutra Pavilion.
It's just that it's old and inconvenient to repair. Secondly, the Yunqiao Stone Tower to the back mountain is too dangerous and too long, making it inconvenient for the royal family and pilgrims to offer incense.
Over time, the old Zen monastery was gradually abandoned, leaving only the sutra pavilion built on the cliff outside to store ancient books and a few monks' houses for the monks to live in ascetic practices.
Gu Yunqiu was just wandering around that day. Without thinking, he discovered several vigorous ancient elm trees in the backyard of the ancient Zen temple:
Their branches and leaves are lush and lush, their twisting roots are like dancing, and their huge crowns cover the sky and the sun, casting a wide and deep shade.
Under the shade of the trees and on the lawn, there are even more pods of the burnet elm tree.
Except for the servants and guards who followed him, there was no one around here, so it was a very suitable place to collect elm money.
The most important thing is that there are two private residences of the prince on the top of the mountain.
Because Princess Ning came to Baoguo Temple every year to fulfill her vows and stay for a while, it was inconvenient to occupy a monk's dormitory in the temple. About six or seven years ago, Prince Ning thought of building a separate house for his wife.
At the beginning, his choice was to build his private property in the back hill. After all, his wife was accompanied by a group of servants and maids, so it would not be appropriate for her to be mixed among a group of Buddhist disciples.
But after the two houses were built, the princess felt that the road to the back mountain was far away after living there for a while, and it was inconvenient to come down to chant sutras and listen to Zen.
Moreover, the wind on the top of the cliff was strong and it was quite cold after dark, so the two houses were left idle.
On weekdays, people from the royal palace regularly come here every month to take care of and maintain the courtyard. The overall condition of the courtyard is better than that of the old Zen temple buildings.
Gu Yunqiu brought some snacks today. Firstly, he wanted to pick up some more elm coins, and secondly, he wanted to see if there was a large open space left for him to plant trees in the two private residences.
After all, elm trees take time to grow. If there happens to be a major epidemic in Beijing next year, Prince Ning is likely to let him and the princess stay in the temple. He has to plant them in advance to prepare for emergencies.
When the sound of chanting rang out in the square of the main hall of Baoguo Temple, Gu Yunqiu slipped out of the small courtyard with snacks.
The cliff on which the old Zen monastery was built was actually an isolated peak in Jilong Mountain. Originally, there were several wooden bridges connecting it. Later, the wooden bridges decayed and broke, leaving only a stone stack cloud bridge in the middle.
This bridge is about tens of feet long. The bridge deck is not wide and can only accommodate two or three people. There are no railings on both sides, and three iron cables are pulled as guardrails.
After years of wind and rain, several iron ropes are mottled and rusty.
The strong wind all year round has also eroded the stone steps on the bridge into uneven heights and irregularities. You need to be careful when walking, as you may twist your feet or fall if you are not careful.
In the most serious case, you may fall into an abyss.
Dim Sum was a little scared looking at the cloud bridge, but thinking of Gu Yunqiu's excitement along the way, he closed his eyes and encouraged himself secretly. After taking the first step, he didn't forget to look back and tell his son to be careful.
"Yeah," Gu Yunqiu grasped the thick | thick iron cables on both sides of the bridge, "you are too."
The sun rises with golden light and clouds cover the mountains.
The sea of clouds with golden ripples rippled under their feet, egrets flew across, and wild geese came and went.
The spring scenery in the mountains is nothing more than this.
Gu Yunqiu stopped and wiped his sweat, the corners of his mouth raised: It's so beautiful here!
The two carefully walked across the long bridge and soon arrived at the ancient Zen courtyard in the back mountain:
The temple scene is desolate, the red paint on the hall is peeling off, the trails are covered with moss, and grass half as tall as a person grows inside many buildings.
Fortunately, the two private residences in the palace were built late and are in good condition:
One is next to Pilu Pavilion - the doors and windows are strong and the roof is intact, but the small courtyard behind is covered with gravel, and there is too little land that can be used directly.
If he wanted to plant eucalyptus here, he would have to plow the land again and clear the gravel paths above.
Moreover, the chimney of the kang in the house is broken, so we have to wait for it to be repaired before we can live there.
It is time-consuming and labor-intensive and not a good choice.
The other place is outside the gate of the Zen Yuan. Gu Yunqiu saw it the last time he came here. There are two side rooms, two small courtyards in the front and back, a well in the front yard, and nearly three-thirds of the open space in the back yard.
This courtyard is close to several ancient tombs and the cemeteries of several large families in Beijing. I wonder if I will see clusters of will-o'-the-wisps and hear new ghosts howling at night.
Gu Yunqiu was not afraid of ghosts when he relived his life. He was only worried that the house would be in the shade because it was close to a tomb, so it would not be able to get sunlight and the trees would not be able to grow well.
Time was limited, and thinking that the house was at the entrance of the temple anyway, and that he would have to walk there when he came out later, Gu Yunqiu took snacks to the Zen temple to pick up elm coins.
When they came out, the sun was rising, which allowed him to take a closer look at whether there was enough sunshine in the house outside.
In this way, they walked into the Zen Yuan one after another, not even noticing that the door of the mansion behind them was ajar, and a white smoke with the aroma of medicine seemed to rise from the courtyard——
Today’s sutra chanting is given by Zen Master Yuanjing.
Li Congzhou found an excuse to take leave. After fetching water and chopping firewood, he went up the mountain behind with the medicine he had grabbed.
The old monastery was quiet and deserted, which was perfect for Wuying to recover from his injuries.
Only the few monks' rooms in the Zen temple are occupied by old monks who are practicing asceticism. The rest of the main hall has broken beams and broken windows, and it is not convenient for the seriously injured Wu Ying to hide in it.
After much thought, Li Congzhou simply placed Wu Ying in the private residence of Prince Ning outside the Zen Yuan.
This place is unattended all year round, and people from Ning Prince's Mansion only come to clean up the fallen leaves at the beginning of the month. By then, he can also find a place to move Wuying away.
I wonder if the Marquis of Xiangping also deployed people in Nan Prison, but Wu Ying's injuries were more serious than what Li Congzhou saw.
In addition to whipping and caning, he also pulled out more than 30 needles of different lengths from various joints of Wuying.
Fortunately, the poison was not quenched on the needle, otherwise Li Congzhou would not know how to rescue him.
After going up the mountain, Wuying continued to have a fever and couldn't even take medicine yesterday.
Li Congzhou held the palm leaf fan and stared at the bubbling medicine jar in front of him with fierce and sharp eyes.
- He'll make them pay.
After boiling the medicine and filtering out the residue, Li Congzhou took the bowl and walked towards the main hall.
When he opened the door, he found that the kang was empty.
He paused, narrowed his eyes slightly, and after pondering for a moment, slowly raised his head and looked up:
Wu Ying, who had woken up at some point, was full of alertness and climbed on the beam like a giant gecko.
After being discovered by him, Wu Ying suddenly took action. Holding the dagger he found somewhere, he attacked him with a tiger pounce——
○○○
With one more person, Gu Yunqiu brought snacks and quickly picked up a bag full of money.
He closed the bag with satisfaction and happily took the snack's hand, "Let's go and see the yard."
Dim Sum's face was hot, he lowered his head and his palms were slightly sweaty.
——He is still not used to being so good to his master.
A little... too close.
Gu Yunqiu was completely unaware of his embarrassment and only excitedly told Dim Sum about the good and bad qualities of the yard.
Gu Yunqiu didn't hide anything about planting trees to make money.
He only told a small lie about the reason: he didn't tell anything about his previous life and this life. He just said that he liked business and wanted to do business, but he was afraid that the prince and princess would not allow him to pursue the right path of studying and gaining fame.
Dian Xing didn't think much about it. If the young master wanted to go into business, he would try his best to help and would keep the secret well.
The red sun hangs high at noon, and the bright sunshine fills the entire Mount Jilong Mountain, and the entire small courtyard outside the ancient Zen Temple is also shrouded in it.
Gu Yunqiu observed for a while and found that although the courtyard was next to the cemetery and surrounded by large and small new tombs, which looked a bit eerie, it was actually a south-facing courtyard.
In other words, it can get enough sunlight for a whole day, and all kinds of trees can grow smoothly here.
Gu Yunqiu was satisfied and was about to open the door and go in to take a look when he suddenly heard a banging sound coming from the courtyard, like the sound of pottery and porcelain being smashed to the ground.
Dian Xin took a breath and couldn't help but swallow his saliva as he looked at the circle of graves:
Mo, could it be a ghost?
Although his whole body felt cold, he still gritted his teeth and pulled Gu Yunqiu behind him to protect him:
"M-Sir, don't be afraid, hurry, run, run... I, I will wean you off."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was another loud noise in the courtyard. This time it was not ceramics, but like a heavy cloth bag being thrown to the ground.
Gu Yunqiu didn't believe that he could see ghosts in broad daylight.
And this is a Buddhist temple: How could a ghost be so arrogant?
He poked his head out from behind Dim Sum. After observing for a while, he walked out and patted Dim Sum on the shoulder. "It seems to be a person. I'll go over and take a look."
Dim Sum sighed, blinked on the spot, and gritted his teeth to follow.
Gu Yunqiu hunched over and slowly walked to the door, wanting to take a look through the ajar door.
As a result, as soon as he stepped onto the stone steps at the door, a gust of wind suddenly blew from the mountain. The wind carried the fallen leaves and opened the two doors of the small courtyard before him.
The dark door opened inwards, and the yard covered with white stones was in a mess:
The derrick on the well was crooked, the stone pier beside the table fell over, several bamboo baskets were chopped into pieces, a small charcoal stove was overturned on the ground, red-hot charcoal residue spilled out, and there was a broken medicine next to it. Can.
In the middle of the mess, a dark-skinned boy with bruises all over his body and curly hair was pressed to the ground. His face was pale, his eyes were closed, and there was a little monk riding on him.
The young monk held a sharp dagger and placed it on the dark-skinned boy's neck.
"!!!"
yes--
Li Congzhou? !
Gu Yunqiu froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
Li Congzhou turned back and glanced at him.
Just one glance made Gu Yunqiu shrink his neck and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
No...right.
Li Congzhou, has he been so crazy since he was a child?
Killing someone at the age of eight...
Gu Yunqiu's face turned pale:
It's over, Li Congzhou's story of quietly hiding and killing people for fun was discovered by him.
He won't, won't be silenced like this, right?
Seeing him standing motionless at the door, Dianxin didn't know why, so he stepped forward and called the young master.
Gu Yunqiu was so excited by his call that he came to his senses. After blinking twice, he rushed forward and pulled the door knocker to close the door. Then he grabbed some snacks, turned around and ran away——
"I didn't see anything!"
Li Congzhou:......
Gu Yunqiu spread his legs and rolled around. He had never been so fast in his life.
It's really killing me.
After running to Yunqiao, he really ran out of energy, so Gu Yunqiu squatted down, bent down and held his knees, gasping for air.
Dim Sum was tired from running around, but he was used to doing rough work and had better physical strength than Gu Yunqiu. He was able to speak after a while.
He first called Young Master, and then looked at Gu Yunqiu worriedly.
Gu Yunqiu only pointed to the Yunqiao in front, "Quickly, stop asking... First, go over there first."
Dim Sum was a little confused, but he still followed the instructions and went to Yunqiao first.
Gu Yunqiu waited for a while, until his legs stopped shaking so much and the sweet smell in his throat dissipated, then he grabbed the iron ropes on both sides of the Yunqiao and slowly stepped onto the stone steps.
But he had only walked two steps when there was a sound of footsteps behind him.
Along with the footsteps, there was a slight cough.
Gu Yunqiu was so frightened that he trembled, feeling weak. His raised foot trembled, but he didn't step on it for a moment, and stepped straight into the air——
Under the bridge is a deep valley filled with clouds and mist, and many sharp weathered sandstones.
Gu Yunqiu screamed miserably, waving his hands wildly, and finally managed to grab the edge of the bridge.
It was a protruding white stone slab with sharp edges, but it could also be used as a grip.
It's just that the surface of the White Stone Bridge has been trampled and walked on for many years, and one side is very smooth. It's not easy to use your hands to grasp it.
Seeing this scene, Li Congzhou, who was chasing after him, couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Gu Yunqiu usually neglected martial arts and his arms were weak. After two attempts, he grabbed the edge of the bridge deck and said:
Not only did he fail to push himself up to get out of the trap, but one of his hands slipped away. His palms were sweating uncontrollably, and he could no longer hold the remaining hand.
His face was pale and his whole body was trembling. His hands were slipping and he closed his eyes tightly in despair.
At the critical moment, Li Congzhou frowned and clicked his tongue.
At the last moment, he jumped onto the bridge and caught Gu Yunqiu, but the inertia of his fall also pulled half of him out of the bridge, and the sharp iron ropes scratched the monk's robe.
Dim Sum was so frightened that he fell to the ground, his face pale and speechless for a long time.
Gu Yunqiu waited for a while with his eyes closed. He did not wait for the severe pain of being shattered into pieces. Instead, he felt that the force of the fall disappeared. His heart beat like a drum. After a while, he cautiously opened one eye.
After seeing clearly that the person who rescued him was Li Congzhou——
Gu Yunqiu was surprised at first, then scared, and then anxious again, his voice trembled:
"you you you……"
Li Congzhou frowned and looked at him, his face grimacing from the exertion.
Gu Yunqiu's face turned pale. He didn't dare to look at Li Congzhou, and he didn't dare to look at the abyss beneath him, so he could only close his eyes again.
After struggling in his heart for a long time, he suddenly gave up on himself and shouted:
"I, I, I, I don't want to die yet!"
"You must never let go——!!"
