Hearing Yan Chixia speak, Xu Xian subconsciously looked at the pair of grandparents and grandchildren in the corner.
The old man, who was leaning in the shadow of the corner with his head bowed so that his appearance could not be seen clearly, hesitated for a moment when he heard Yan Chixia's question, then slowly raised his head and said, "It turns out to be Master Yan. He is old and dim, so I'm rude."
Only then did everyone realize that this old man, who looked unremarkable in appearance, was actually hiding something secret.
Yan Chixia's eyes showed a bit of solemnity, she did not expect to meet the old man named Yu in Lanruo Temple.
Mr. Yu looks like an ordinary entertainer, but he was actually born in Hezao Mountain. The Seven Notes of Yunji he compiled are the inheritance of ancient blessings, and he is proficient in the art of controlling paper figures, clay puppets and marionettes.
Those who practice this technique must prepare a quiet room, some seven-color paper, a piece of bluestone, forty-nine inches long, seven inches wide, and forty-nine cents thick. A table is placed to the east with paper, pen, and cinnabar.
Everything is ready, and at midnight, in a quiet room, seven-color papers are stacked together in the order of white, yellow, red, blue, purple, and black, glued together, and cut into paper figures, seven inches high, with a total of forty paper cutouts. Nine, recite the mantra once for each cut, take a breath and blow it on the paper.
Press all the paper figures under the bluestone so that they are not exposed. Use a cinnabar book to hold down the ghost talisman and put it on the stone.
From now on, every time you practice, take out a paper figurine, burn it together with the Soul Summoning Talisman, recite the incantation seven times, and then put the paper figurine under the stone without repeating it.
On the forty-ninth day, the paper man will have a soul. When used, take it out from under the stone and blow on it to become a soldier, who can be commanded at will.
If the practice is less than forty-nine days, the paper man will be unable to control it. If the ghost-suppressing talisman is torn off, the paper man will turn into a villain and harm everyone.
Yu Laozheng is a leader in this way. He travels around the world disguised as a performer. When he encounters demons causing trouble, he casts spells to drive them away.
When Yan Chixia was in the south of the Yangtze River, traveling around the country, she happened to meet this man who was doing business at an old stall and saw him surrendering demons, so she asked him for advice, and they became acquainted with him.
"I heard that Master Yan chased the seven-tailed demon fox out of the pass, why are you here now?" Mr. Yu raised his head, and asked calmly without the previous restraint on his face.
Yan Chixia said: "I received a letter from my senior brother saying that there will be demons causing trouble in Wuzhou, so I came to help my senior brother. But Mr. Yu, you showed up at Lanruo Temple. Did you find the whereabouts of any demons?"
Yu Lao sighed: "Wuzhou experienced military disasters first, and then encountered chaos caused by demons. The people were in dire straits. The old man was just doing his best to obey the destiny and doing his best. The origin of Lanruo Temple can be traced back three hundred years. Years ago.”
Perhaps because of his age, Mr. Yu even talked about the origin of Lanruo Temple, and several people could only listen attentively.
"Lanruo Temple was destroyed forty years ago when Emperor Wu Zong destroyed Buddhism. However, three hundred years ago, this temple has a great history. It was Master Xuanzang who went to the West to obtain Mahayana Buddhist scriptures. After he returned to China, the King of Tang built it for him. temple."
As soon as Yu Lao opened his mouth, several people were surprised. They did not expect that Lanruo Temple was involved in the Buddhist Xuanzang three hundred years ago.
"At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Lao Tzu was respected as the ancestor. In order to win the battle between Buddhism and Taoism, Xuanzang made a great wish to go to Tianzhu to seek the true Buddha. It took 14 years to bring back 81 volumes of Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, allowing Buddhism to spread in the world. The Tang Dynasty became the two major sects alongside Taoism."
General Yu gently put down the boy in his arms, stood up, walked to the center of the hall, looked at the broken Buddha statue, and said softly: "It is rumored that Master Xuanzang was the first abbot of Lanruo Temple, and he finally passed away in Lanruo Temple. His disciples Master Wukong inherited his mantle and guarded the great demon suppressed by Master Xuanzang under the Lanruo Temple."
"Master Wukong?" When Song Xing heard this, he couldn't help but interjected and asked: "Is this Master Wukong a human or a demon?"
Yu Lao turned back to look at Song Xing, his eyes filled with turbidity: "The descendant of Master Xuanzang is naturally a human being. Why are you so confused?"
Song Xing let out a light sigh and covered it up: "I once heard a story telling the story of Master Xuanzang's journey to the West. The real Wukong in the storybook is a demon that Master Xuanzang conquered."
Xu Xian next to him asked in confusion: "What story book? I have read many ancient and modern story books, why haven't I read this story?"
Mr. Yu shook his head and said: "How can this story be taken seriously? Maybe it is the deeds of Master Xuanzang spread among the people, which were taken out of context and adapted."
At this time, Yan Chixia also interjected: "Mr. Yu, I know the story of Master Xuanzang's quest for Buddhist scriptures, but the real Wukong seems to rarely appear in the classics."
When she was young, Yan Chixia was erudite and talented. In addition to being familiar with the classics and historical collections, various essays, interesting histories, and religious classics, she had never read about the deeds of the real Wukong.
Mr. Yu looked at the people who gathered around him attentively, thought for a moment, and slowly said, "Have you ever heard of the Jedi Heavenly Power, Master Yan?"
Song Xing saw that when Yan Chixia heard the four words "Jedi Tiantong", her face suddenly became serious, and her heart was moved.
Judi Tiantong, an allusion from ancient Chinese mythology, heaven and earth, gods and humans each perform their own duties and do not interfere with each other.
Ancient books record that during the Shaohao clan in ancient times, humans and gods did not mix. Only some special people could become shamans. They were responsible for the communication between the people and the gods.
The five sense organs perform their respective duties without confusion, the people are loyal and trustworthy, and the gods are virtuous. In this way, the gods will bless them, the grains in the fields will grow well, disasters will not come, and the people will live a prosperous life.
When the Shaohao clan declined, the Jiuli tribe disrupted the moral government and caused the people to mix with the gods. Everyone can offer sacrifices, every family has a witch, and there is no integrity between humans and gods.
There are no laws for sacrifices, the people despise oaths, and the majesty of gods cannot be displayed.
The people were poor in offering sacrifices, but could not get any rewards, their grains were not protected, and disasters were frequent.
Therefore, Zhuanxu ordered the gods to be in charge of the heavens and Li to be in charge of the people on earth to restore the original order. The gods and men should perform their duties and not interfere with each other at will. This is what is called the Jedi Heavenly Tong.
Yan Chixia naturally knew this allusion, but he didn't know why Mr. Yu said these words.
Seeing Yan Chixia's confusion, Mr. Yu said again: "Actually, three hundred years ago, after the journey to the west, the world underwent drastic changes. Although it did not reach the point of the ultimate heavenly power, since then, gods and Buddhas have not appeared, and demons have not appeared. The world has become chaotic."
"After Journey to the West, Jedi Tiantong?"
Hearing what Mr. Yu said, Song Xing was also surprised. He didn't expect to hear some remarks about Journey to the West and about gods and Buddhas in this small Lanruo Temple.
Isn't this just the troubled times of the Tang Dynasty in Lanruo Temple, or the troubled times of Journey to the West three hundred years later?
Yu Lao continued: "Three hundred years ago, after the Journey to the West, Buddhism and Taoism were prosperous, demons and demons did not appear, and the world was peaceful. It was also a great time for practitioners. Decades later, the gods and Buddhas disappeared overnight and remained in the mortal world. The inheritance of the people was also sealed off from the world, which led to the terrifying scene where demons were rampant three hundred years later."
"What's even more concerning is that what happened three hundred years ago cannot be expressed in words at all. He Zao Mountain was born in a branch of the Qing Dynasty, and only a few sentences of the deeds of that year were passed down from word of mouth. How much is unknown? Some are true, some are false.”
"Before you came, I used my secret method to test it, and I didn't notice that there was any evil spirit breeding in Lanruo Temple. However, if the rumor that Master Xuanzang and Master Wukong suppressed the great demon here is true, maybe you and I are here today for it. Yes, it is the big demon from three hundred years ago."
