After Leng Jingnan said this, the people accompanying him suddenly responded. The driver whipped his horse to urge the horse, and the carriage galloped westward under the crowd.
By this time, Changsheng was no longer nervous. In fact, it wasn't that he wasn't nervous, but he knew that being nervous was useless, and what was supposed to come would come sooner or later.
Everyone rushed all the way and finally arrived at Yuzhou before dark. Yuzhou is an important town in the southwest border. The city has high walls. According to the custom, the city gates will be closed before the shift. However, the soldiers guarding the city did not close the city gates completely. Only half of the huge city gate was pushed open, and the other half was open. It was not until everyone rushed into the city that the soldiers completely closed the city gate.
Seeing that Changsheng turned around in confusion, Leng Jingnan said, "Liu Youcheng, the governor of Yuzhou, is a Buddhist layman. We will go to his house this time."
Hearing Leng Jingnan's words, Changsheng nodded. No wonder the soldiers waited until they entered the city before closing the city gate. It turned out that the person in charge here had explained it in advance.
The city of Yuzhou is really big. After entering the city, it took me a long time to burn incense before arriving at the governor's mansion in the center of the city. The governor's mansion is both the governor's private residence and the official residence of Yuzhou. There is a place in front of the government office. The huge square was filled with all kinds of carriages, horses and sedan chairs.
Lu Feng and others arrived for a moment first and were talking to several people waiting outside their house.
Seeing Leng Jingnan and others arriving, the waiting people hurriedly greeted him and asked him to come over and talk together.
After a brief conversation, Leng Jingnan returned with a displeased look on his face, "I learned that several masters were coming to welcome the reincarnated soul boy. Mr. Liu took the initiative and invited local squires to come to offer gifts and pilgrimage. There were many people busy in the front yard. Everyone, if you have wronged the Dharma King, please take the side door."
It didn't matter which door Changsheng took, but Leng Jingnan and others felt wronged by Changsheng. The same was true for Lu Feng's team. They circled around the back door while complaining that Liu Youcheng had made his own decisions.
The Governor's Mansion occupies a large area, and after walking around for a while, everyone finally arrived at the side door. Night had fallen. Lu Feng led the little fat man through the door first, and Leng Jingnan led Chang Sheng closely behind.
There were several young monks wearing cassocks standing inside the door. The cassocks they wore were different from those in China. They were not bald either, but their hair was shaved very short. They saw Lu Feng and Leng Jingnan leading the candidate soul boys. Upon entering, several monks hurriedly saluted the little fat man and Changsheng. They performed namaste and said Amitabha.
The little fat man's face was filled with fear, and he cowered back. Chang Sheng was a little stronger than him, so he forced himself to return the favor by cupping his hands. Arching his hands was different from cupping his fists. cupping his fists was a martial etiquette, while cupping his hands was a Confucian etiquette.
These young monks all knew Leng Jingnan and Lu Feng. After a brief conversation, they led the way first, while Leng Jingnan and Lu Feng followed behind.
While walking, a monk whispered to Leng Jingnan and Lu Feng to explain the situation. At this time, four masters had arrived, and the other two teams also arrived earlier than them, but the masters did not compete with the candidates who arrived first. When the soul boys met, the two parties stayed in different courtyards.
Leng Jingnan and Lu Feng were very dissatisfied with Liu Youcheng's decision to leak out the fact that the four masters were going to select the reincarnated soul boy at the Governor's Mansion tonight. The monk also responded to their dissatisfaction, saying that the selection of the soul boy was a sacred secret. Things will never be done in public. Those believers who come to offer gifts and pilgrims can only stay in the front yard, and the subsequent selection will be held in the middle yard.
The backyard of the Governor's Mansion is in the shape of a field. Several masters are chanting sutras in the southeast courtyard at this time. They are chanting something that Chang Sheng cannot understand. It does not sound like a Chinese language.
Chang Sheng and others came in from the west gate. After entering, they were taken directly into the northeast courtyard. The courtyard had the main house and the east and west wing rooms. After entering the courtyard, Leng Jingnan and Lu Feng were waiting in the courtyard. Chang Sheng and the little fat man were separated. He was brought into the side rooms on both sides. There were wooden barrels prepared long ago, and he needed to bathe and change clothes.
You have to shave your head before bathing and changing clothes. The long-lasting hair was burned away not long ago, so there is no need to shave and you can take a shower directly.
The blisters on Changsheng's body have almost healed in the past few days. He was smeared with weasel grease and was very smelly. He desperately wanted to take a bath, so as soon as the monk told him, he took off his clothes and jumped into the tub.
When Changsheng was taking a bath, the little fat man in the east chamber was crying loudly. He was crying and yelling, saying that he would not shave his head, but since he was here, he couldn't help it. Even if he was not a reincarnated soul boy, he was still a shadow Buddha soul boy and a monk. It's a done deal.
Changsheng originally wore the clothes given to him by the escorts. After he jumped into the bathtub, a monk brought a wooden tray. Inside was a set of folded square gray-white linen clothes. In addition, there were small bottoms Trousers and monk shoes.
Seeing that the monk was about to take away his old clothes, Changsheng hurriedly stopped him. When the monk went out, he jumped out of the tub, pinched his left sleeve to make sure that the letter was still inside, and then used his clothes to put the money bag and the Wrapped in sycamore branches, I pushed open the back window and threw it into the flowers lined the road.
After the test, he would never rush back to the temple overnight. He would always stay here for one night, and then he would try to escape.
Changsheng came out from the bath, but the little fat man was still crying in the east wing. Lu Feng was anxious but was not allowed to go in, so he could only press against the window to comfort him.
As the saying goes, a man relies on his clothes and a horse relies on his saddle. After bathing and changing clothes, he felt much more energetic. In addition, he was not nervous and seemed quite calm. This made Leng Jingnan more and more convinced that he was the reincarnated soul boy.
The little fat man's head had not been shaved yet and he had to wait for a while. Changsheng and Leng Jingnan were taken to the main room by the monk. There were four tables in the main room. There were food and snacks on each table, and two of them were already on There are people, and there are two people at each table. Needless to say, they are the leaders of the other two teams and the candidate soul boys.
Leng Jingnan recognized the other two team leaders, greeted them, and then sat down with Changsheng.
While Changsheng was eating snacks on the table, he looked at the two candidate soul boys. The two candidates were about the same age as him. They both had faces with Chinese characters, big eyes, full heavens, square pavilions, lowered eyebrows and closed eyes, sitting upright. .
While Chang Sheng was looking at the two of them, Leng Jingnan was also doing the same thing, except that while he was looking at the two of them, he was comparing the two with Chang Sheng in his mind. To be fair, the two of them looked more like monks than Chang Sheng in terms of appearance alone. , these two people both have Chinese character faces, with big eyes and straight noses, while Changsheng has a duck-oval face, with delicate features. The face shape is permanent and will not change because of getting thinner and fatter. Even if Changsheng gains weight after his birthday, it will not change. Chengguo face.
Then there is the bearing. The two people sit upright, calm and quiet, while Changsheng sits casually, naturally and calmly. Right after the selection, he can still look at the two people while eating. Although the bearing is good, he doesn't look like a monk.
At this time, Leng Jingnan began to murmur in his heart, and his confidence was shaken.
At this moment, the little fat man was brought in by Lu Feng. Not a single hair was left. Maybe he was not honest when shaving, and there were still a few blood marks on his head.
Seeing the two candidate soul boys who had come earlier, and then looking at the little fat man sitting next to him who was sobbing constantly, Lu Feng's heart began to beat. The reason why he was confident before was because he compared the little fat man with the immortal, but with the first arrival Comparing the two people, the fat one with a small nose and small eyes seemed to have no Dharma appearance.
After looking at the two people who came first, Lu Feng turned to look at Leng Jingnan, who happened to be looking at him at the same time. The two exchanged glances, which seemed to show sympathy for each other.
The candidates were ready, but the selectors were still chanting, and they didn’t know what scripture they were chanting. After chanting one verse after another, the lips of the two candidates who arrived first moved slightly, seemingly Changsheng was following the chanting, but Changsheng was confused and confused. The little fat man was even more outrageous. After crying for a while, he actually fell asleep.
Waiting until the second watch, the sound of chanting finally stopped. Not long after, a monk arrived and wanted to take four people to the middle courtyard for selection.
At this time, the leader of the fourth team could not follow. Although Lu Feng had not been optimistic about Changsheng before, he could only entrust the sleepy little fat man to Changsheng and asked him to help take care of him.
Several monks walked in front with their hands clasped together, followed by two young men with impressive appearance and broad-spoken faces. Chang Sheng walked at the end, holding the fat man with his big head and big ears.
The middle hall of the middle courtyard is very wide. The ground is covered with thick blankets. Various Buddha statues are hung on the four walls. The previous furnishings in the middle hall have been moved away. A yellow dharma rug is laid in the middle of the room. Next to the dharma rug is a There were two large wooden boxes, and a large number of candles were lit around the house, illuminating the entire middle hall as bright as day.
On the west side of the central hall from north to south are four huge yellow cloth futons, on which four old monks are sitting. These old monks are all over seventy or eighty years old. They are all wearing bright red cassocks and all have bald heads. But it is not as shiny as the Chinese monks, with very short stubble and no scars.
The four people have different shapes and appearances. The one in the north is probably the oldest. He has a thin body, no flesh on his cheeks, and his eyebrows and beard are completely white.
The old monk from Bei Er has a big nose, a serious expression, and is not angry but powerful.
The old monk from Nan Er is very short, naturally cheerful, and always smiles without smiling.
The old monk in the south is the youngest and has a dark complexion.
After Changsheng and others entered the door, the four guardian masters did not stand up. They just put their hands together and chanted the Buddha's name, "Namo Amitabha."
The two candidate soul boys who arrived first put their hands together and bent down to return the gift.
Changsheng did not imitate him, but returned the gift with his hand. When the little fat man saw Changsheng raising his hand, he also imitated him and raised his hand to several old monks.
Since it was not a formal enthronement ceremony, there was not much red tape. The old monk from the north nodded to the leading monks and said, "Let's get started."
The leading monks clasped their hands in agreement, walked to the middle of the hall, opened one of the wooden boxes, took out a large number of objects and placed them on the yellow carpet in sequence.
Changsheng recognized most of the things the monk took out, including Buddhist beads, razors, crutches, inkstones, writing brushes, scriptures, water filter bags, poplar wood for cleaning teeth, and alms bowls for eating.
There was more than one of each of these things, and it took a long time to place them one after another.
"Brother Cripple, I want to pee." The little fat man was a little nervous.
Seeing him calling him lame, Chang Sheng was a little unhappy and said, "Hold it in."
At this time, the monks have placed many objects properly. The south and north doors of the hall are closed. Outside the south door is the front yard. A large number of believers and lay people have gathered in the front yard. They can hear the voices in the room. The sound can also be heard through the window paper, and the shadows of everyone in the room can be seen.
After setting it up, the leading monk explained to the four people that there were nine kinds of objects on the carpet, five of each kind. The four candidates needed to choose their favorite one from the nine kinds of objects.
Although the leading monk did not explain it, Chang Sheng guessed that these nine kinds of objects were all used by the Dharma King during his lifetime. There were five items of each type, but only one belonged to the Dharma King.
Changsheng and the little fat man came late, and the other two came early, so they chose first.
One of them stepped forward and selected one by one, looking at it carefully and choosing very slowly. Every time he chose one, the leading monk would write it down.
After one person has finished choosing, the second person continues.
While they were choosing, Changsheng was also looking at those things. By this time, he was completely relieved, because every one of these things felt strange to him, he didn't like them, and he wasn't familiar with them either.
"Brother Cripple, I can't hold it in anymore." The little fat man felt his legs pinched.
The lame brother is also a brother. Changsheng heard this and hurriedly whispered to comfort him, "I'll choose quickly. You can go out to pee after choosing."
It was Changsheng's turn to choose, and he chose really quickly.
Immortality is fast, but the little fat man is faster than him, crossing his legs and covering his crotch, "This, this, this, this..."
After pointing them out one by one, he turned around and ran away.
After the four people finished choosing, the monk sitting in the north slowly raised his hand, moved the objects in the air, and selected one of the nine objects one by one.
The leading monk compared the choices of the four people with the correct things one by one. None of the four people chose more than three correct things.
Seeing this situation, the leading Dharma protector guru could only give an order in a deep voice, "Please bring out the bone relics of the Dharma King Buddha."
After hearing the master's words, the leading monk put the objects into a wooden box, opened another wooden box, and took out a slightly smaller wooden box.
After opening the wooden box, there was an iron box inside.
Just when Changsheng was looking at the iron box intently, the little fat man came back awkwardly.
"Little fat man, why are you so fast?" Changsheng asked casually.
"I can't untie the waist rope." The little fat man muttered in a low voice.
Although the little fat man's voice was very low, everyone in the room could hear it. When he saw his pants were wet, they all frowned and shook their heads.
At this time, the leading monks had already opened the iron box and took out a smaller box from inside. The box was all yellow and must have been a copper box.
There is actually a box inside the copper box. It is all silver and white. It must be a silver box. Its size is no more than half a foot.
The silver box contained a gold box, and there was a jade box in the gold box. When I opened the jade box, I finally saw what was under the water essence cover, which was a few white things the size of peas.
Although Changsheng had little knowledge, he had heard of the relics, which were the bones left behind by the enlightened monk after his death. However, he had only heard of them and had never seen them.
"Turn out the lamp." The leader of the Dharma Protector said.
After the old monk finished speaking, the leading monk began to extinguish the lights around the room.
The lights and candles were extinguished, and the room suddenly became dark. Only a few Buddha bone relics in the water essence cover gave off a faint fluorescent light.
The leading old monk reached forward with his right hand and opened the water essence cover. Then he and the other three guardian masters extended their spiritual energy at the same time, each holding a relic and moved towards the four people in the air.
"The Dharma King's relics are divinely channeled, and they can sense the energy and fortune. If you touch the relics with the index finger of your left hand, and the five-colored Buddha light appears on the relics, you will be the reincarnated soul boy." The leading old monk said solemnly.
The relic floated towards the four people in the darkness, the situation was mysterious and strange.
The four relics were fixed in front of the four people, but the four people were nervous and no one reached out.
After hesitating, the man on the left plucked up the courage to reach out his hand first. Unfortunately, the relic did not change after touching it.
After shrinking his hand in frustration, another person stretched out his hand, and the same was true, but the relic did not change.
Chang Sheng was already relieved, but seeing that neither of them were reincarnated soul boys, he couldn't help but become nervous again. At this time, only he and the little fat man were left. If the little fat man wasn't the one, then it was him.
"Little fat man, you come first." Chang Sheng said to the little fat man.
"I'm scared." The little fat man was timid.
"Come, come, let's go together." Changsheng stretched out his hand.
The little fat man saw Chang Sheng raising his hand through the faint fluorescence emitted by the relic, and then imitated his gesture and raised his hand to touch.
The moment the little fat man's index finger touched the relic, the relic suddenly burst into Buddha light. The sudden dazzling Buddha light instantly made the entire hall resplendent and colorful.
Just when he was relieved of his long life, his index finger also touched the Buddha's bone relic, and the relic suddenly appeared with a strange image, colorful streams of light, and thousands of rays of light...
