[Recently, because my dearest grandma passed away unfortunately, I felt extremely sad. I took leave to take care of many funeral arrangements at home, and I had no time to take care of anything else. Therefore, the update progress is not stable for the time being, so I have to use the time of staying up late to keep vigil to write a few words intermittently. I hope friends who like this book will understand. 】
On the muddy and rugged mountain road, Mingchuan supported Shang Yixing, and Shang Yixing led the horse. They walked like this for nearly an hour.
After turning around a narrow valley, the road ahead suddenly opened up. The mist filled their eyes, revealing a large flat and open land.
This flat land is obviously halfway up the mountainside, as if a platform has grown out of the mountainside. It stretches straight out and is six or seven feet wide. There is a suspension bridge about six or seven feet long at the edge, connecting the opposite mountain wall; and there is a rock crevice several feet high on the mountain wall, which is obviously the The road out of the mountains is here.
But there is a very deep river under the suspension bridge. Although the river is not wide, the current is very fast, almost turbulent. The sound of the rapids hitting the cliffs echoes back and forth, like the roar of a beast.
The upper and lower parts of the suspension bridge are connected to each other by two iron locks as thick as arms, which are fixed on two mountainside stone walls. The two lower iron locks are covered with wooden boards that have begun to rot. This shows that the suspension bridge has been in disrepair for a long time and is usually replaced. It is rarely visited.
Looking at this terrifying terrain, it can indeed be called a dangerous place.
This is what the old poor man called Yingchoujian.
As soon as the old and poor master and apprentice walked out of the narrow passage, they were stunned when they saw the scene in front of them.
The two of them were not surprised by the dangerous terrain, but because there was actually a group of people on the flat ground at this moment.
The number of people in this group is estimated to be twenty or thirty, including men, women, old and young. Mingchuan looked carefully one by one and found that all of these people were sallow, skinny, and naked, just like a bunch of beggars. Moreover, everyone had an obvious look of anger on their faces, but they didn't dare to show up. They just chattered there, and for a while there was a mix of people's voices, but it was hard to hear what was being said.
Mingchuan's heart moved, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at the way he came. He suddenly understood - no wonder this mountain trail that was originally rarely visited became so muddy. It was because of this large group of people passing by.
But what puzzles Mingchuan is why these people who look like beggars take this secret path?
Mingchuan looked at those people, and he whispered to Lao Qiongsu: "Master, why do these people appear here?"
Shang Yixing frowned slightly and said: "These must be the refugees from Qianzhou. They should also want to take a shortcut to escape to Xiangchu."
Mingchuan groaned and looked again. Suddenly his expression changed. He quickly pointed to the suspension bridge and whispered: "Master, look, there are actually two monks there."
Shang Yixing looked intently and saw two monks among the refugees.
The eyes of the refugees were all focused on the bridge, especially on the two monks carrying backpacks.
Apparently, these were two traveling monks.
But in addition to the two conspicuous monks at the bridge, there are five or six other people. They are all tall, middle-aged men, dressed in shabby clothes, and their appearance is no different from those of the refugees, but they have more hands than those of the refugees. One thing - a knife.
Each of the six young and strong men held a knife of different styles in their hands, and each of them had a look of arrogance and indifference on their faces.
They blocked the bridge with knives and looked at the two monks coldly.
Shang Yixing immediately understood that this was a gangster blocking his way.
But in the eyes of this poor old man, those six people were not real gangsters. At best, they were just a few strong ordinary people.
Shang Yixing sighed secretly in his heart. In this world of natural disasters and chaos, everyone is in danger, so some people take desperate risks and start this unprofitable business of preying on the weak. It can be said that God is not good, and all living beings are suffering.
Shang Yixing fixed his gaze on the two monks and suddenly whispered: "It turns out they are the monks from Tianlun Temple."
"Tianlun Temple?" Mingchuan also looked at the two monks and asked, "What is that place?"
"That is the second largest Buddhist sect in the world after Shaolin in the Central Plains." Shang Yixing squinted his eyes and said: "In the past fifty years, although Shaolin is still regarded as the orthodox Buddhist sect in the Central Plains, the limelight has long been eclipsed by Tianlun Temple. Gradually catching up. Especially in the past few years, it is said that an extraordinary person came out of Tianlun Temple. He is talented and intelligent. Although he is young, he is proficient in Buddhist scriptures. It is said in the world that the young monk has been in the Buddhist sect of the world for three consecutive years. He has won first place in Zen debate conferences. Given time, this person will have the possibility of Tianlun Temple completely surpassing Shaolin and becoming the leader of the Buddhist sect in the Central Plains."
"So powerful?" Mingchuan's eyes flashed. He tugged on Shang Yixing's sleeve and said, "Master, if we have a chance, can we go to Tianlun Temple and see what that little monk looks like?" ?”
"No matter how awesome he is, he still looks like the same person. If you want to see it, I can take you there when I have time." Shang Yixing smiled lightly, turned his head and glanced at the young man, with a deep look in his eyes, he whispered Said: "After the incident that year, the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism have been severely damaged and have been silent for twenty years. Now both Buddhism and Taoism have emerged rising stars who can revive the hope of the sect. Now only Confucianism is left , I wonder if anyone can continue the gentlemanly style of the past?"
Mingchuan felt uncomfortable looking at him, and he was muttering to himself: Why does Master keep saying weird things today?
Mingchuan looked at the bridge in the distance, frowned and said, "It seems something happened ahead. Master, how do we get there?"
Shang Yixing's face changed to one of leisurely expression. He simply pulled his horse to the mountain wall and sat down, leaning his body comfortably on the stone wall. Then he said to Mingchuan: "Look at this formation, it must not be easy." We've crossed the bridge. Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble? Then we have to stay away and wait and see what happens."
Mingchuan cursed helplessly in his heart and sat down next to Shang Yixing.
The current situation in Yingchoujian is basically the same as what Lao Qiongsu said.
In order to take a shortcut into the territory of Xiangchu, a group of refugees from Qianzhou entered the forest trails in the lofty mountains together. As soon as they arrived at Yingchoujian, they found that six men with knives were blocking the bridge head with a menacing look. The reason why they blocked the bridge was simple: if you wanted to cross the bridge, each person had to pay two thousand dollars.
This is obviously a robbery.
But how can this group of refugees get two ounces of money? Qianzhou was first hit by heavy snow, and most of the people's remaining grains had long been exhausted; now it rains continuously, and the best farming period has been ruined. Coupled with the corruption and inaction of the Qianzhou government, the people's livelihood has become decadent, and now it has reached a situation where the people are unable to make a living. Countless people had to flee in all directions in order to survive.
Who would be willing to leave their homeland and flee if they still have money?
But those six strong young men holding knives were clearly refugees once, but in order to survive, they chose to take up knives and point them at people who were also refugees. This is human nature and the way of the world.
The six men with knives obviously aroused public outrage. A younger refugee got into an argument with them, but was chopped down by one of them with a knife. His body fell into the torrent of Yingchou Stream.
This attack killed the chickens and warned the monkeys. The refugees were immediately in a state of silence, and no one dared to say another word.
But they don't want to go back. If they go back to Qianzhou, the situation will only get worse. So the two sides reached a stalemate.
At this moment, two more monks came to Yingchoujian.
The two monks came to Yingchou Stream and saw this situation, but they didn't know why.
So the two people stepped forward to argue with the six people, intending to persuade the six people with reason.
But sometimes if you want to reason with others, if you have a knife in your hand, the effect will obviously be much better.
"Dear donors, the poor monk has told you so many truths, don't you have the slightest awareness in your hearts?"
The monk who spoke was about forty years old, tall and handsome, and looked somewhat like a Buddhist monk in his gestures.
The other monk was very young and looked to be in his early twenties. However, his figure is slender and his appearance is extraordinary, and he actually has the appearance of a treasure and solemnity. He had been standing quietly beside the middle-aged monk, but he had a calm and calm demeanor.
The man who seemed to be the leader among the six people had a Chinese character face and full beard. He waited for the middle-aged monk to finish speaking, then he chuckled and said: "Great monk, you have been talking for so long, and I have heard some truth. I have also heard others say that Sakyamuni cut his flesh and fed it to eagles. , since the Buddha saves all sentient beings, then if you pay these people's bridge crossing fees, it should be considered a great merit, right?"
The middle-aged monk couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard the words. He didn't expect that this rough-looking bandit leader actually knew the Buddhist allusion about the Buddha cutting his flesh to feed the eagles. Some people really can't look at their appearance. The monk clasped his hands together, lowered his eyes, and said in a deep voice: "Since the donor knows the allusion of the Buddha cutting his flesh to feed the eagle, he should also know the principle of making things convenient for others and for himself."
The man burst out laughing and continued: "The great monk is right. It is precisely because I understand what you said that I am here."
"Oh?" The middle-aged monk's eyebrows sank slightly. He looked at the man and asked, "What does the donor mean by this?"
The man smiled again and said: "They want to cross the bridge for their own convenience; I let them cross the bridge for the convenience of others. And if I charge a small fee to cross the bridge, it is also for my own convenience. Do you think this is reasonable, great monk?"
The middle-aged monk did not expect that this man could be so eloquent and distort the meaning of Buddhist scriptures he said. At that moment, his expression changed involuntarily, and he said in a deep voice: "Please don't lie, please don't misinterpret what the poor monk said."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The man laughed loudly, stepped on the iron rope at the end of the bridge, put the knife on his shoulder, and said sarcastically to the middle-aged monk: "You are such an unreasonable monk. I am obviously following the Buddhist principles you said." Why, you say that I am lying? Do you think that there is something wrong with everything you say?"
Although Lao Qiong Suan was far away, every move and word spoken by Qiaotou could not escape his ears and eyes. He raised his brows slightly, looking at the man who was chatting with the monk, and thought to himself: "I didn't realize that this man has such a sharp tongue, no wonder he can be the leader."
The middle-aged monk was repeatedly provoked by the man's words. Even though he was also a highly accomplished Buddhist monk, he couldn't help but feel angry in his heart. His eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice again: "Donor, please respect yourself. In front of Buddhist disciples, you will not be allowed to talk about Buddhism with heretical words!"
"Here's what you say?" The man smiled coldly and sneered: "You clearly think that what I said is reasonable, but you dare not admit it. Could it be that you Buddhists will only agree with your own right, but ignore all contrary truths? It is considered wrong. Haha, how can such self-deceptive Buddhist principles help save all sentient beings? If this is really the case, then in my opinion, the Buddha you follow should be the most evil existence in the world!"
"Amitabha!" The middle-aged monk proclaimed the Buddha's name, and his face gradually turned as dark as water. He looked at the man and said with the last bit of patience: "The donor is so eloquent and eloquent, but to be reduced to a bandit here, it is really unworthy of his talents. The donor is too paranoid that there is no Buddha in his heart, so he will not be able to see the Buddha because of his natural karma. But I, the Buddha, are compassionate and wish that all living beings are equal, so I can tame all living beings with the wisdom of the Tathagata. Therefore, if the donor can regain his own nature, If you let go of your obsessions, you will naturally understand the origin of Buddhism and gain great wisdom."
"A tough melon is not sweet." The man chuckled and said: "It is said that the Buddha does not save all sentient beings by himself, he becomes a Buddha and saves all sentient beings by himself. Now it seems that the great monk has not become a Buddha, so you can't convince me. In my case In my eyes, the only thing that can save all sentient beings is money. So after talking so much nonsense, in the end, you still need money to solve the problem." The man clapped his knife and sneered: "Great monk, are you willing to become a Buddha for these people? ?”
The middle-aged monk showed anger on his face and shouted: "Donor, does he know that although my Buddha is compassionate, he also roars like a lion?"
"Lion's roar?" The man's eyes widened and he sneered, "Do you want to use force because the great monk can't defeat me?"
"You are stubborn and have evil roots!" The middle-aged monk finally couldn't suppress the anger in his heart. His expression suddenly changed, and his face suddenly became as angry as a diamond. Then he took a step, and with that step, his energy suddenly surged like a wind, and his momentum was as heavy as a sinking abyss, and the broad monk's robes swayed fiercely.
"The power of King Kong to subjugate demons?" Shang Yixing from a distance saw it clearly, and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, and couldn't help but say: "This monk does have some skills, but I don't know which generation in Tianlun Temple he belongs to? "
When the man saw that the middle-aged monk showed extraordinary momentum in one step, he couldn't help but feel shocked, and he immediately took two steps back. When he was young, he was also talented and educated. He studied for a few years and learned some rudimentary boxing and kicking skills for a few years, so he had the courage and eloquence to say things that ordinary people would not and could not say. But he was paranoid by nature, and most of the things he encountered in his life were unsatisfactory, so he couldn't help but feel cynical. Coupled with the natural disaster in Qianzhou, his family's financial situation plummeted. In anger, he joined several people and simply started rogue behavior.
This man was a man of great discernment, so when he saw that the middle-aged monk was already planning to use force, he felt inexplicably guilty. After all, he was just an ordinary person with a few drops of ink in his belly and some knowledge of boxing. He had not seen that this monk could be so magnanimous, so he could not help but feel contempt for him. But at this moment, seeing that the monk was really angry, a feeling of timidity suddenly welled up in his heart.
However, the five people behind this man did not have the eyesight to see the subtle changes in the momentum between the two. They just thought that the monk was angry because he lost the verbal battle, and they were waiting for their leader to humiliate the middle-aged monk again with fists and kicks, so they shouted together in unison, clamoring to teach the middle-aged monk a lesson.
When the refugees saw the tense situation between the two sides, they were immediately shocked. They had seen the ferocity of the bearded man killing people without blinking an eye, and they couldn't help but move back for fear of getting angry. In their eyes, the two unarmed monks were obviously no match for the six rogue bandits armed with long knives.
Seeing this situation, the bearded sword-wielding man was in a state of panic. If he takes action, judging from the invisible power exuding from the monk, he is obviously a hidden master of Buddhist martial arts; if he retreats, he will no longer be able to hold his head up in front of the people behind him.
Bearded was in a dilemma for a moment. He had a stern expression on his face and a thin stream of cold sweat could not help but break out on his forehead.
Just when the two were about to get into a fight, the young monk who had been silent all this time spoke.
"Senior Brother Wu'an, you are persistent."
The young monk's voice floated into the middle-aged monk's ears. Although his voice was not loud, it was very effective. When the middle-aged monk heard the words, he immediately took a step back, with energy surging all over his body and anger on his face. His expression disappeared immediately.
He turned to the young monk and said: "Junior brother, this person has repeatedly made arrogant remarks to insult my Buddhist reputation. This is intolerable! If I don't impose a small punishment, won't it mean that others will underestimate my Tianlun Temple?"
The young monk's expression remained calm, as calm as a cloud, and his tone was equally calm: "Buddhism is a sect with a long history. How can the significance of its existence for thousands of years be denied by others in just a few words? In this long period of time, Over time, the donor in front of me is not the only one who has had doubts about Buddhism. But in the end, Buddhism can still be deeply rooted in all living beings, which is the best answer to many doubts."
When the middle-aged monk heard the words, he immediately regained his calm expression, clasped his hands together again, lowered his eyes and said: "Junior brother's words are like enlightenment. Senior brother has learned the lesson! Master gave me the name of No Anger, but I still can't let go of my anger. Sure enough, My mind is still unstable and I feel ashamed of Master’s teachings.”
The young monk said calmly: "The road to spiritual practice is long and confusing, and it cannot be achieved overnight. So why should we be depressed, senior brother?"
"Amitabha". Monk Wu'an put his hands together as a salute, nodded slightly to the young monk, and said, "Thank you, junior brother, for clearing my confusion."
The young monk then looked at the bearded man who was breathing a sigh of relief and said: "But what this donor said is not entirely unreasonable. Everything in the world that needs to prove its existence will be questioned by all living beings. Only when facing Doubts can be regarded as true only after they have withstood countless tests.”
His eyes became ethereal and he continued: "But there may be no eternal true meaning in this world, so this donor's doubts about Buddha are also my doubts as a Buddhist disciple, because everyone has doubts about the world. All things have the right to maintain different opinions." He paused, looked into the eyes of the bearded man, and continued: "Although the Buddha said that all living beings have the wisdom of the Tathagata, the wisdom roots of all living beings are different, so there is Buddha. The saying of a person with a predestined relationship. In the opinion of the young monk, although this donor has some Buddha nature, he has no predestined relationship with the Buddha. Since there is no predestined relationship, then the donor can just regard the Buddha as nothing, but why should you do it for something you don’t care about in the first place? Why exist and engage in verbal disputes?"
The man's heart was slightly shaken by the penetrating look in the young monk Qingning's eyes. The words were like a stream of cold water flowing through his heart, giving him a feeling that was both cool and heavy.
In an instant, the man could no longer think of any rebuttal in his heart. But he was born with a competitive personality, especially when it came to his words, he couldn't bear any loss. Seeing that the young monk had a humble attitude and no sign of tyranny in his body, he couldn't help but feel suspicious and sneered at him: "You little monk, since you are a member of the Buddhist sect, but you have doubts about your own beliefs, how could it be that you have doubts about your own beliefs?" Aren't you afraid that Buddha will blame you?"
The young monk smiled slightly and said: "Having doubts is also a kind of practice. Only through countless doubts can we see the truth on the other side."
"It's just self-deception." The man sneered disdainfully: "The so-called truth, in this world, only exists in absolute power! Can your truth save your life under my knife?"
He raised the long knife in his hand.
Unexpectedly, the young monk did not change his expression in the face of his deliberate provocation. He even took a step forward and said to the man: "It turns out that force is the way that the donor believes in. In this case, the young monk is willing to make a precept and talk to the donor. Take a gamble. But I don’t know what Shi’s idea is?”
The man was secretly shocked, fearing that he had made another mistake. But if you look closely, the young monk doesn't seem to have the slightest intention of hostility. So he said tentatively: "Monks also like gambling, which really opened my eyes. But I don't know, little monk, what do you want to bet with me?"
Wu Ai glanced at the young monk, and suddenly a blank look flashed across his face. He then smiled slightly but said nothing.
The young monk looked at the man and said with a smile: "Today's matter is not complicated. It's just that the young monk, senior brother and everyone behind him need to use the road to cross the bridge, but the donors have to sell the road to collect money. So the young monk wants to bet with the donors. Yes, it’s this bridge.”
The man raised his brows, feeling strange in his heart, and said hehe, "This is quite interesting. I wonder what kind of bet you want, little monk?"
"The donor and the young monk each have their own opinions, so let's bet on the true meaning of our mutual belief." The young monk took out a piece of silver from his backpack and spread it in the palm of his hand, then stretched out his hand and said, "This piece of silver in the young monk's hand has Thirty taels of silver are the expenses of my long journey with my senior brother. If the benefactor can take these thirty taels of silver from my open hand, then you will naturally win. If the benefactor cannot take it, then please give way. Open the road and let us cross the bridge.”
As soon as these words came out, the five people behind the bearded man couldn't help but laugh, and one person couldn't help shouting: "You little bald donkey, you are so stupid, you and our boss are gambling like this, isn't it?" Is it like giving money away for free? If you want to use money to buy a road, just do it, why beat around the bush? It's really unnecessary to take off your pants and fart."
The young monk still smiled, but did not talk to him. He only looked at the bearded man.
"Interesting." The man's face was gloomy. He pondered for a moment and sneered: "This bridge costs more than thirty taels of silver. This bet is too small."
The young monk said calmly: "If the donor wins, in addition to these thirty taels, the young monk also has a Mingguang Pagoda from Tubo in his backpack. The donor can also take it with him."
As soon as these words came out, Wu'an's expression changed slightly, and he immediately said to the young monk: "Junior brother, the Mingguang Pagoda is a sacred object of our Buddhism and cannot be shown to others at will."
"Mingguang Pagoda?" The man's heart moved. He looked at the backpack behind the young monk and said, "What is that?"
There was no wave on the young monk's face, and his state of mind seemed to never be disturbed by anything outside.
"The benefactor has heard what the young monk said." The young monk said: "The Mingguang Pagoda is a Buddhist sacred relic from the Tianlun Temple in the Central Plains that was donated to me by the Tubo Yuncheng Temple. It is priceless."
"Okay!" When the bearded man heard the words "priceless", he immediately felt happy. Said: "Monks don't lie, little monk, you have to think about it!"
The young monk lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes and said: "The donor believes that the knife in his hand is the truth, and the young monk believes that all the Buddha's wishes are compassion. Since each has his own obsession, the young monk opened the precepts and made a bet with the donor. The bet is on this moment. It’s God’s will, and the results will follow fate, and I will never regret it.”
After he finished speaking, he stretched out his arm and placed the piece of silver in his palm.
At the right time, a cold wind blew suddenly from Yingchou Stream. The young monk stood in the wind, his robes fluttering in the wind, and he looked like he was transcending this world.
The man looked at the young monk's palm and guessed that there must be something weird about the other party. Otherwise, how could he take such an easy way as a bet? But then there was a fierce look in his eyes - since these two monks possess the most precious treasure, even if there is no such so-called bet, he must grab the Mingguang Pagoda! If they could get this priceless treasure, they could spend the rest of their lives comfortably.
The bearded man suddenly stepped forward, concentrated all his strength on his right hand, and reached out to grab the silver in the young monk's palm.
Everyone was attentive at that moment, waiting for the outcome of the bet to be announced.
The young monk remained as still as a mountain, with his eyebrows lowered and his eyes downcast, his Dharma appearance solemn.
