The old lady came and went like the wind, her cane making a deafening noise, and she looked angrier than anyone else.
Everyone was silent for a while.
Yun Xian felt the round lion head slowly slipping out of his arms. He considerately chose not to poke it, but instead asked, "Is this the old lady from noon, or her sister?"
But she also knew that it was unlikely. After all, it was understandable that twins looked identical, but it was unacceptable that they couldn't even add up one eye, let alone wear the same clothes and shoes.
Ji Rongxue plugged his ears back into his body and turned back into a human face. He said calmly, "She's right."
She sharpens the knife without wasting time chopping wood, and even when she is frightened, she still has amazing eyesight.
Qiao Lingshan carefully reminded: "And a beard."
"..." Ji Rongxue said: "Thank you."
The six people looked at each other, not knowing how to react for a moment. Yun Xian stood up and closed the wide-open door. Before closing it, she glanced outside.
The outdoors was still as peaceful as water, and the Buddhist temple was shrouded in the dim night, appearing even more solemn and elegant, without the slightest bit of abnormality.
There was indeed no one there, only the whistling night wind, sweeping across the window sill, and there was no one on the corridor - but, logically, she should have been able to see the old lady's back.
"Be quiet! If you let the old lady come over, you might get beaten." She put the Taiping back into the corner and lowered her voice: "Did anyone hear the bell just now? Raise your hand."
Among the six people, only Qi Zhiye and Qiao Lingshan raised their hands.
"Does the bell ringing have a first and a second sound?" Yun Xian didn't dare lie down again. He stood in front of the door and paced back and forth, saying, "According to the paper, Liu Jian's companions heard the bell first, and then he. What's the basis for this distinction? It can't be just based on luck, right?"
Qi Zhiye: "Do you mean my luck is good or bad?"
"It's all the same. It's nothing." Feng Ye lay on the side, holding the lamp and said indifferently: "Anyway, the last two people went outside to plant wind flowers."
What he said made a lot of sense, and everyone felt relieved.
Anyway, no matter whether they heard it first or later, the worst result would be that they would go out to farm together. By then, Xue Lingxiu and Qi Zhiye might even be arm in arm and call each other brothers. Just thinking about this scene is very humorous.
Qiao Lingshan was still thinking about the old lady who had just glared at her. She said thoughtfully, "Bodhisattvas have lowered brows, vajra eyes are furious, rewards and punishments are given, all for the purpose of saving people. In Buddhism, there are indeed two sides to one body. It seems that this old lady is indeed related to the Smiling Buddha."
Yun Xian was startled. Qiao Lingshan was secretly reading behind his back again. "...Lingshan, how did you know?"
Xue Lingxiu said: "This is common sense."
"You knew that too?" Yun Xian asked in astonishment. "I was just speculating that the bell's sound was meant to be heard first by those who have some understanding of Buddhism. If you knew that, why didn't you hear the bell?"
"I don't know." Xue Lingxiu said frankly, "Maybe I curse bald donkeys too much every day, which has damaged my merits."
Qi Zhiye's eyebrows jumped: "Who are you calling a bald donkey?"
Xue Lingxiu: "You said you didn't? Why are you so anxious? Are you bald? If not, then shut up."
"You dare to say such things in the Pure Land of Buddhism?" Qi Zhiye sneered and said, "I see you are a medical practitioner, why don't you prescribe some medicine for yourself?"
Xue Lingxiu smiled, a chilling feeling welling up in her heart. "Will the Buddha punish me for scolding a monk? If he's going to punish me, he'll punish you first. Why would Master Mingguang accept someone like you as his disciple?"
"Stop. Stop. Why are you still attacking people personally?" Yun Xian said with a sigh, "Don't be so inconsiderate. Is this the time for internal strife?"
Ji Rongxue tucked his beard in for a long time before finally succeeding. He then said quietly, "Rest first and make plans tomorrow."
Feng Ye complained and retreated into the bed, muttering, "Men are so emotional..."
There wasn't much noise at first, but one thing led to another, no one wanted to shut up, and together they kept chattering. As they talked, they forgot about speaking quietly. At this moment, the sound of aggressive footsteps outside the door sounded again!
The old lady pushed the door open angrily. Under the moonlight, six people were lying quietly on the bunk bed, their eyes closed, looking extremely peaceful, as if they were in a deep sleep.
old lady:"……?"
Did you hear it wrong?
Her raised brows twitched in doubt, but she couldn't find a chance to attack. In the end, she could only close the door heavily and disappeared outside again.
In the silent room, the sound of breathing of varying degrees of intensity could be heard: "Hu."
The next day.
Just as the old lady had said, the Buddhist bell rang three times, a sound everyone could hear. Yun Xian stood up with a sit-up and excitedly opened the door. The blind old lady was already waiting outside with a kind look. "Go wash up first, then I'll take you to the temple to chant the morning sutras. Remember, don't make any mistakes."
It's completely different from last night.
This sentence again.
What was the mistake? This was too confusing. What if stepping into the temple with the left foot first was also a mistake? How could this be explained?
Sure enough, when Yun Xian went out, he found that the house next door was still closed. Instead, there were some "people" like those outside, queuing up to get bamboo water.
Just as Qi Zhiye said, as long as you carefully distinguish these people, you can tell the difference between them and normal people.
Even the most even-tempered person will have their ups and downs throughout the day. But this group of people always had happy smiles on their faces, a happiness that was a little eerie.
Normally speaking, in a Buddhist temple, it is best not to face the Buddha statue when washing, just turn your back. But it is different here, everyone faces the temple to get water for washing.
Qiao Lingshan wiped her face dry. Seeing Yun Xian's eyes rolling, she knew what she was going to do next: "What do you want?"
Yun Xian did something very immoral.
She cut in line.
It would have been fine if she had just cut in line in the middle, but she would start from the end and work her way to the front one by one, with a very arrogant attitude, forcing people out of the way and occasionally adding a sentence like "What are you looking at?" But when she cut in from the end to the first, everyone's reaction was to silently step aside, and some people in the front even offered her a seat.
Yun Xian walked straight to the front of the line in front of the old lady's expressionless face, washed up, and then walked out with a swagger.
Poor quality blood.
Qiao Lingshan fell silent. She patted the person in front of her on the shoulder and said, "She cut in line? Aren't you angry?"
"Why are you angry?" The man's smile remained unchanged as he said sympathetically, "She must have something urgent to do, which is why she cut in line. We should be considerate of her."
Qiao Lingshan choked and said, "Well, there's nothing urgent. If you're in a hurry to go eat, that's fine."
"It's urgent to go eat." The man smiled and said, "You want to go quickly too? Then stand in front of me. It's okay."
“…”
No one else cut in line, so Yun Xian waited outside for a while with nothing to do, taking a good time to observe his surroundings.
It was no different from yesterday. The shadows in the room were still swaying gently. Yun Xian just took a small step forward, and the old lady said as if she had eyes on the back of her head, "Miss, where are you going?"
"Nothing. I was wondering if the people in the next room haven't woken up yet." Yun Xian said innocently, "Should we go call them?"
The old lady said, "No need. They will wake up when it's time to wake up. Just don't disturb them."
Yun Xian thought that this old lady should know that everyone inside was dead.
According to previous information, it is unlikely that the people here killed them. This group of people probably hanged themselves.
Yun Xian couldn't see anything unusual from the outside, so he opened his eyes and looked at the old lady from head to toe.
Speaking of which, although this old lady looked a bit schizophrenic, she was at least the most "human" person everyone had seen since entering the Lotus Seat. When they entered yesterday, the light was dim, and everyone was nervously observing their surroundings, so they barely even looked closely at her. Yun Xian saw that she was wearing a simple cloth dress, with a hint of bright red feet peeking out from under the long hem. Only then did he realize that her embroidered shoes were quite out of place.
It wasn't the colors that were out of place, but the workmanship. Linen clothes were commonplace, commonplace clothing for the poor, but the embroidered shoes were incredibly delicate, both in the upper and the tailoring. A single pair would take a top-notch embroiderer at least half a month to create, and even if the designs were outdated by now, they certainly wouldn't be cheap.
It seems there is a small flower embroidered on it that looks a bit like the emblem...
Yun Xian always felt that the flower was somewhat lingeringly familiar, but after just a quick glimpse, the old lady moved, and the embroidered flower was covered up again, and she could no longer remember what it was.
The six people finally finished washing up and began to be led by her to the Buddhist temple in the center of the lotus seat.
In fact, it doesn’t matter whether a cultivator washes or not. Since the foundation is established, the body will automatically cleanse the meridians and marrow, making it difficult for dirt to be contaminated. But the old lady looked like she couldn’t leave without washing, so I had no choice but to queue up.
"We're about to start chanting the morning sutras," the old woman muttered as she walked. "Remember, when you chant, you must be sincere. You all have a connection with the Buddha, and that's why you're here. I don't need to explain the rest of the miscellaneous matters and rules."
Yun Xian couldn't tell how young he was when he last stepped into a Buddhist temple. He really wanted her to explain more, but after all, the six of them were currently set as devotees who had come to the Lotus Seat to worship Buddha. Asking such questions suddenly would seem suspicious, so he sent a voice message, "Fellow Daoist Qi, should we step in with our left or right foot first?"
"You can even do a front flip and go in." Qi Zhiye said slowly, "When the time comes, the temple will follow my instructions and follow my example, right?"
Apart from anything else, Qi Zhiye had quite a lot of experience in being forced to recite scriptures, so Yun Xian felt a little relieved.
The Buddhist temple, which had been closed yesterday, was now brightly lit. Just as Yun Xian had imagined, the courtyard was spotless. A few pigeons, not afraid of people at all, rested on the incense burner. The sound of chanting filled the air. Several young monks were sweeping the ground with bamboo brooms, gathering fallen leaves. In the center, the huge Bodhi tree rustled in the breeze.
Yun Xian finally entered the hall with both feet, jumped slightly over the threshold, and looked up.
The hall was extremely vast, with hundreds of cushions spread on the ground, too numerous to count at a glance, and on top of the cushions was a golden Buddha statue so huge that it was frightening to the heart.
Because it was so huge, Yun Xian could only see its slightly drooping hands when he raised his eyes - this Buddha statue was actually sitting with its back to everyone!
It was truly unheard of. The Buddha's head was covered with a red cloth, tightly enveloping the entire head, revealing no outline. Judging by the shape of the hands and the sitting posture, it was clearly a common Buddhist sculpture technique, but with the back facing the veil, it looked strangely eerie.
The six people each found a cushion to sit cross-legged on. Soon, a young monk brought a small wooden table in front of each of them, on which was placed a copy of the Diamond Sutra and writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone.
Yun Xian felt very strange. He had just gotten up, so why was he sleepy again?
Although they were supposed to be chanting sutras, there was no one else in the hall. Yun Xian hadn't been sitting there for long when he began to slack off unconsciously, his back hunched. Qiao Lingshan flipped open the scroll and whispered, "Sit up straight."
The Diamond Sutra was indeed genuine, exactly the same as the one he had read before. Yun Xian flipped through a few pages and said in a voice transmission, "I would rather close my eyes and beat the wooden fish."
The morning sutra chanting hadn't officially begun yet. According to Buddhist temple rules, the bell should have rung seven times, and then the abbot would come and burn incense. Yun Xian waited and waited, but the abbot didn't show up. Instead, another group of people arrived.
The "people" this time were obviously real "people", because when Yun Xian took a look, he saw that the expressions on those people's faces were quite unhappy, and even a little pale. They didn't take off their weapons. The most important thing was that Yun Xian also saw familiar faces.
The Master Zhang Heyan, who had failed to imitate Xue Lingxiu when Tang Lingguo met him, was now sitting there. He looked pale and it was unknown how cruelly he had been treated these days.
The one leading the group was an old man, but his arms were missing, and from the forearms down there was nothing, and his face was full of majesty.
"...That's not right." Yun Xian said in a voice transmission, "I thought this mission was a task that Auntie left for me. Why is he here too, and even earlier than me?"
Xue Lingxiu said, "Look again."
Yun Xian looked over and was shocked.
Among the crowd opposite, there was not only Zhang Heyan, who was half a step away from the Nascent Soul stage, but there were also several masters with higher cultivation than him. The highest one was almost at the out-of-body stage. He looked like a musician, but the same thing was that everyone's mental state did not look very good.
Why did Yun Xian say that? Because the zither cultivator was carrying her zither upright. Not only was she carrying it upright, she was also holding it upright. It was hard to imagine this zither cultivator in combat; she probably was using it to play the electric guitar.
"Feng Ye, look, it's a Qin cultivator." Yun Xian said in a voice transmission, "He's a Qin cultivator in the Out-of-Body Stage."
Feng Ye felt the crisis: "... Yun Xian, you can't, you can't really despise me, right? I have fought for Jiange for so many years, risking my life to get the golden bell for the old Yun family, you can't..."
Previously, at the Qiankun City auction house, Yun Xian had spent all her family's wealth on spiritual herbs and even borrowed a considerable amount from Xue Lingxiu on credit. She had successfully helped Qiao Lingshan and Feng Ye reach the Half-Step Nascent Soul stage, putting them not far from the Tribulation Crossing stage. She had also thought her team was already well-equipped, but now it seemed she had been wishful thinking.
Zhang Heyan seemed to notice her gaze, turned around, and when he saw Yun Xian, his expression suddenly changed.
The trajectory of change was very complicated, from "Why are you here too?" to "Forget it, I'm here anyway" to "No, I can't come." The hall was silent. Conversation was not allowed during the chanting, and he had not communicated with Yun Xian. After struggling for a long time, he finally picked up his pen and wrote on the rice paper in front of him.
When Yun Xian looked up, he found Zhang Heyan holding up a piece of white rice paper with two large cursive characters written on it, the ink still wet:
"Run away."
Yun Xian choked: "......"
Thank you, Brother Zhang. But it seems a little too late to say this now.
The incense burner in front of the Buddha statue burned spontaneously without any wind. Neither the abbot nor the Smiling Buddha appeared. The Buddhist bell rang seven times. The old lady stood trembling by the side and said, "Get up, circumambulate the Buddha and chant the Buddha's name."
The two groups were sitting quite far apart, and they stood up one by one. The five of them followed Qi Zhiye, starting from the right. Before they had taken two steps, the old lady said, "Rebellion!"
Clockwise, how could it be the other way around? Qi Zhiye frowned and looked over to the other side. Sure enough, Zhang Heyan and the others were moving counterclockwise from the beginning.
He adjusted his direction, circled a few times, and then returned to the mat.
The man began to recite the morning sutra in a babble: "In the section on the cessation of all forms, at that time Subhuti, upon hearing this sutra, understood its meaning deeply..."
I don't know how many days I've been reciting it, but I still keep reciting the beginning, just like memorizing English words that always start with "ah, bench". It's really boring. Seeing the old lady and the old man standing by with a fierce look on their faces, Yun Xian could only take a deep breath and recite: "Leaving the appearance and extinction..."
Just by reciting scriptures, you can see the differences in people's personalities.
Yun Xian sat swaying unsteadily, shifting occasionally. Qiao Lingshan, with a serious expression, read while trying to grasp the true meaning of the sutra. Feng Ye, still worried about being replaced by Qin Xiu, had a scowl on his face. Did Ji Rongxue seem serious too? No, she was sleeping with her eyes open. Xue Lingxiu sat upright, back straight, lips slightly parted. Although impatient, he didn't show it on the surface. In stark contrast to him was Qi Zhiye. He was impatient inside and outwardly, too, not even bothering to open his mouth.
One of the main reasons why he left Buddhism was that he didn't want to listen to the sutras. However, he didn't expect that the mission would be linked to the Buddhist dream. Now he has to listen even if he doesn't want to. He was so upset and angry that he just wanted to rush out.
Seeing everyone chanting, the old lady nodded kindly, looking satisfied, and even asked a question:
"Friend Zhang, please answer this question: What is a Buddha? What is a human? What is the difference between a Buddha and a human?"
Zhang Heyan stood up, clasped his hands together, and recited numbly: "Buddha is an enlightened being, and humans are unenlightened Buddhas. As long as we guard our hearts and do not commit mistakes, we can become Buddhas."
Yun Xian felt that there seemed to be some truth in it. Anyway, she always felt that there was some truth in any debate she listened to. Then she heard someone sneer from the bottom.
Everyone: “…”
Fellow Daoist Qi, please restrain yourself a little. I know you strongly disapprove, but how can you do this at this time? It's truly rude.
The old lady's expression froze for a moment, and she glanced around. Amidst the chanting, she couldn't even tell who was interrupting. She could only suppress her emotion and said kindly, "Just as Zhang Xiaoyou said. If we want to practice sincerely, we must cut off all unnecessary thoughts. Only when our hearts are clear enough can we cultivate Buddhism..."
"snort."
"Buddhism is the most solemn of all sects and carries a heavy burden. Therefore, all donors must restrain themselves and practice righteousness, devoting themselves to pure cultivation..."
"Oh."
"Only by dedicating everything, including oneself, to the Buddha can one attain bliss and true happiness..."
"ha."
“…………”
The old lady's kind smile drooped, gradually cracking. She raised her head again, glaring angrily, "Who is it? Who is it?! Stand up right here! Who is gossiping down there?! Who dares to disrespect the Buddha? Who?!"
As soon as her expression changed, strangely enough, the old man next to her, who had been furious, suddenly softened. He came over with a kind look and tried to mediate: "Senior Sister, forget it..."
Yun Xian had known for a long time that she was not human, but seeing this change, he still felt a chill in his heart.
The old lady pushed him away, and the old man fell weakly to the ground, only daring to say piteously: "Sister, please don't break the precept of anger! Don't make mistakes!"
After he finished the first half of his sentence, the old lady was still furious, but when he said the second half, her expression froze for a moment and she stopped instantly.
Yun Xian assured her, seeing a flash of deep fear on her face.
It was only a moment before the old woman quickly recovered and spoke sternly, "This is a pure Buddhist place, and it must not be desecrated! Considering this is your first time, the Buddha is merciful and will not pursue the matter further. However, the hall is not a place for everyone to enter! If anyone has any ill intentions, the Buddha is omniscient and will know it at a glance."
The little nun next to her was quietly taking the incense table away.
Yun Xian was secretly putting down his crossed legs to stretch his muscles when he suddenly smelled a familiar fragrance. He immediately turned his head and fell silent after seeing the face of the nun.
...She's all-knowing and all-powerful! Since ancient times, Buddhism and demons have been inseparable. How could such a powerful demon have entered the Buddhist temple, and no one has noticed it yet?!
The author has something to say:
A shamanini is a young girl who has not yet been ordained as a monk.
Severely condemn the queue-jumping Xianbao!
And →
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