The ship seemed to be a self-contained small world. Yun Kong followed Liang Daoqing across the deck, through the cabin, and came to a high place in the middle of the ship. There was a small room with good lighting, which contained the four treasures of the study and a large number of books, scrolls, calligraphy and paintings. , the bookcases are all tied tightly to the wall with reins.
Although there was a printing industry in the Song Dynasty and access to knowledge was easier than in the past, printed books were still expensive items that ordinary people could not afford.
Decades before this, in Su Shi's era, it was the transition period from manuscripts to printed copies.
Earlier, only imperial palaces and Buddhist temples had collections of books, and scholars could go to temples to read and copy books, so when Yun Kong was young, Po Lu would take him to Buddhist temples to practice.
Yun Kong browsed through the book titles one by one and was surprised to find many lost books, and even ancient books that he had never heard of before. Most of them were handwritten books, and they were in volumes, rather than printed copies bound with folds or butterfly bindings.
Liang Daoqing rummaged around, pulled out more than ten scrolls from the cabinet, looked through them again, and then selected two scrolls and placed them on the table: "Here they are."
I saw a small strip of cloth on the scroll, and the title of the book was: "Great Wilderness Southern Classic" and "Overseas Southern Classic".
The scroll is made of fine cloth, which seems to be the "silk" commonly used in the Han Dynasty.
Unrolling the scroll, an ancient smell of time comes to your nostrils. Vivid characters and strange animals appear on the paper. Green mountains are lined up, and flowing water stretches. It's like you can smell the fragrance of grass, smell the water vapor, and... The exotic fragrance fills the air.
Yunkong couldn't help but move his hand over the silk picture, feeling the breath it exuded and the time frozen in the silk picture.
Liang Daoqing saw Yun Kong's moved face and wanted to soothe his mood: "Although the barbarian land is not as strange as the one depicted in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas", it is still very interesting."
Yun Kong raised his head, his eyes shining with curiosity: "I would like to hear the details."
"For example, there are no four seasons in the South. It is hot and summer all year round, but there will be heavy rains and floods for a period of time in the year. The dry and wet seasons are very clear, which is very different from that in Central China." Liang Daoqing shook his head with a smile. "People from the Tang Dynasty who first come to this place are often not used to it."
"'Tangren' means...?"
"The local natives call us this. Since the Tang Dynasty, there have been Chinese merchants going to trade."
Liang Daoqing took out a piece of plain cloth and handed it to Yun Kong to look at, "Look, this is what the natives use to wrap their lower body without a top. It's very cool. I wore it the same way there."
"Has Weng Liang ever lived in Nanhai?"
"Everyone has lived here. Ships sailed to the South China Sea, bought and sold, and had to wait for favorable winds before sailing back. Some simply settled down to marry and have children, while others became Tibetan people and only returned once every few years."
Living in Tibet is what later generations call "overseas Chinese".
"Then, Liang Weng must have seen a lot locally." Yun Kong said thoughtfully.
Liang Daoqing smiled and said, "It would take three days and three nights to explain this."
"Then...Have you ever heard that 'Kunlun' is in the South China Sea?"
"Kunlun?" Liang Daoqing smiled knowingly, "The Taoist priest really still wants to find the gods, right?"
"No, what Pindao is looking for is a person."
Liang Daoqing wondered: "If a Taoist priest doesn't look for gods, who will he look for?"
"A little girl, a little girl named Hongye who likes to wear red clothes."
Seeing Yun Kong's serious eyes, Liang Daoqing asked seriously: "Why do we have to go to Kunlun to find a little girl?"
"She told me she would go to Kunlun."
Liang Daoqing shook his head and said: "There are several mentions of Kunlun in the "Book of Mountains and Seas", and there is also a Kunlun in the "Overseas Southern Classic", but I have never heard the locals or Tang people say this name."
Yun Kong pondered for a long time and then said: "If we want to go to the South China Sea, is this the only place where there are ships?"
"In addition to Guangzhou here, there are also Quanzhou, all of which have ships going to the South China Sea."
Yun Kong was silent for a longer time this time.
※※※
About three or four days' journey from Guangzhou to the northeast, Yun Kong arrived at Luofu Mountain.
There are several Taoist temples on Luofu Mountain, and he passed several of them without stopping, because each one looked like a tourist attraction, and he didn't have the urge to go in.
As I walked, I felt tired, so I found a piece of bluestone on the side of the mountain and sat down to rest.
The surroundings were very peaceful, making him more comfortable than any Taoist temple he had visited just now.
Singing came from not far away, an old and hoarse voice was singing a sermon.
The desolate Taoist sentiment was accompanied by the sound of dead leaves being trampled to pieces as they gradually approached. Yunkong saw that the person coming was an old Taoist priest. His hair was too old to be combed into a bun, so he had to tie a ponytail at the back of his head. .
The old Taoist priest was singing: "... I am as dear as a brother, whose nickname is Kong Fang. Everyone is shocked when they see my brother. Money is a blessing, and good luck is not bad. Why study and then become rich? From this point of view, it can be said to be a divine thing. Without a position And Zun, powerless but hot..."
Ouch!
Isn't that "On the God of Money" written by Lu Bao from Jin Dynasty?
Where is the love?
Yun Kong chuckled and thought to himself: "This Taoist priest is so unserious."
Seeing the old Taoist approaching, Yun Kong quickly stood up and bowed: "Junior Yun Kong."
The old Taoist priest stroked his beard and said with a smile: "You are the junior, then I am the senior." He no longer bowed, but put his hands on his hips: "Senior Kong Fang."
Yun Kong frowned.
"Boy, you just thought I was immoral, and now you think I'm impolite, right?"
Yun Kong was secretly startled, admitting it would be rude, denying it would be lying, and he hesitated for a moment.
The old Taoist priest laughed loudly and asked him to sit down. Then he sat next to him, patted his shoulder and said, "Look at how stupid you are. You have to think about it for a long time even to tell a lie."
Yun Kong said hurriedly: "Junior is rude, I hope senior will be more considerate."
"I don't mind being rude, so you don't have to forgive me." Kong Fang said, "The song "On the God of Money" sung by this poor man is a principle he has learned through many years of practice."
"Senior, please tell me if I am not abandoned."
“In today’s world, what is more valuable than money?
If you seek immortality, you will have to go hungry even if you have no money. If you read a lot of poems and books, no one will hear that you are knowledgeable. Once you publish a great talk, you will be criticized as poor. "
Kong Fang spoke loudly, treating every leaf on the ground and on the tree as an audience.
"Having said that, isn't it too vulgar for Taoists to talk about money?"
"Although common things are expensive, extraordinary things are even more expensive! To be extraordinary, you still need money."
He pointed to the majestic and gorgeous Taoist temple not far away.
"But……"
"Yunkong Yunkong," Kong Fang patted the back of Yunkong's hand, "You have been hungry all the way. You look thin and you don't eat three meals a day. Only when you occasionally meet rich nobles can you have a good life. It’s a satisfying meal, isn’t it?”
Although Yun Kong nodded, he didn't feel there was anything wrong with being hungry.
"I understand, you are thinking that talking about these tangible things is of no benefit, but it will hinder your heart to practice Taoism, right?"
Kong Fang kept chattering.
"The seniors can all know what the juniors are thinking, so the juniors won't say much."
"Although money is something that has not existed since the beginning of the world, it has penetrated into every crevice in the lives of family members and monks. It makes people hate it, but it has to be like this."
Yun Kong lowered his head and smiled: "I didn't expect to go to Luofu Mountain and listen to a theory about the god of money."
"Then why did you go to Luofu Mountain?"
"The younger generation is worried about the unknown future. He thinks that Luofu Mountain has beautiful scenery and there are Taoist and Buddhist temples. A walk up the mountain may clarify his thoughts, or he may meet with expert guidance."
"Then you've found the right place, I'm the master."
"Huh?"
"How much gold do you predict for someone?"
"It's only ten cents."
"It's easy to do things if you have money, so give me ten cents."
Kong Fang stretched out his hand for money, his fingers twitching.
Yun Kong couldn't help laughing, this senior was so messy.
"When others have doubts, they ask you for divination. When you have doubts, you might as well spend ten coins."
Yun Kong nodded and said, "That makes sense."
So I turned around and rummaged through the bag. After searching for a while, I couldn't find the money. I remembered that I had put it in my waist bag, so I went to find the money bag again, and finally managed to collect ten cents.
"Okay, what do you want to ask?"
"I want to follow the merchant ship to the distant South China Sea. There may be no return. Should I go? Or should I not go?"
Kong Fang shook the copper coin in his palm: "Before I tell you what to do, let me ask you first, think back, what do you want in this life? Do you want to achieve enlightenment?"
Yun Kong didn't even think about it: "I have never deliberately pursued the Tao."
"Become a grandmaster?"
"I'm afraid I don't have this ability at all."
