Chapter 36 Temple Fair
The other soldiers present were on edge. With the cold blade pressed against their necks, they realized Wen Rensu was a tough nut to crack. His sparse mustache trembled as he said, "It's Imperial Master Huizhu preaching and offering food."
According to legend, the Ruyi Jing Buddha can purify the mind of impurities, bless all beings with peace, happiness, and longevity. The current emperor is particularly devout to the Ruyi Jing Buddha, so he has made it the state religion.
As a result, Master Huizhu became a celebrity in the court and a household name among the people.
Wen Rensu raised an eyebrow: "So?"
He still didn't understand. The officer was stunned for a few seconds. Seeing the threatening look in his eyes, he regained his composure and spoke clearly, "There are too many Buddhists. The Imperial Master didn't want them to follow him all the way, so he ordered me to seal off the city."
His tone revealed a sense of pride, and it was easy to tell that he was also a Buddhist, and he obviously had great respect for the Imperial Master.
But Ling Zheng had no religious beliefs. After hearing this, he felt that this imperial teacher was really putting on airs. He crossed his arms and interrupted, "We are not Buddhists. Can we enter the city now?"
The officers and soldiers rolled their eyes several times, looking embarrassed: "Well... okay." Faith is important, but life is more precious.
The moment Wen Rensu put down his sword after receiving the agreement, the soldiers retreated and shouted, "Come, take them down!"
Upon hearing this, the onlookers rushed forward. But with a cold snort from Wen Rensu, within a few breaths, more than a dozen soldiers collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain. Wen Rensu, however, remained motionless, using only his scabbard.
Only then did the officer become completely obedient. He knelt down with his legs limp, clasped his fists, and said, "My Lords, I am only following orders. I apologize for any offense."
As he spoke, he gave a look to the soldiers near the city gate, ordering them to open the door.
After Wenren Su and the other two went in, the soldier touched his neck which had almost fallen to the ground, his eyes filled with sorrow.
After some trouble, they finally entered the city. Wen Rensu first found an inn to stay in and booked two rooms, just as Ling Zheng requested.
At dinner time, the two went down to the dining hall on the first floor to eat, and inevitably heard a lot of news about Ruyi Jing Buddha.
"The drought in the Central Plains is severe, yet the Imperial Master still offers food and preaches the Dharma. He truly has a compassionate heart."
"May the Pure Buddha bless the Imperial Master with a safe journey and provide him with plenty of food."
"Speaking of food, I think His Majesty has your support..."
When His Majesty was mentioned, the heated discussions suddenly quieted down, and everyone looked at each other with some embarrassment.
Everyone in the martial arts world knows that the current emperor is incompetent and spends all day worshipping Buddha and not caring about worldly affairs. Fortunately, the imperial teacher is compassionate and sympathetic to the people, so they have not completely lost hope.
Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, the person who was talking about something irrelevant quickly changed the subject and the conversation became lively again.
Wen Rensu and Ling Zheng sat in the corner, not commenting. After a simple meal, they returned to the guest room for a nap.
At dawn the next day, Wen Rensu finished washing up, knocked on the door of the next room, and reunited with Ling Zheng, "Let's go."
After going downstairs, they both discovered that the dining hall, which was bustling yesterday, was now empty. After leaving the inn, they found out the reason:
On the long street, wherever you look, you can see people kneeling and praying. They are so densely packed that the road is blocked. They recite the same Buddhist scriptures in unison, creating a buzzing sound that is like an echo but not an echo.
There are so many Buddhists? Ling Zheng was shocked. He had spent the first half of his life in Qianyuan, where all kinds of religions were prevalent. So although he had heard of Ruyi Jing Buddha, he didn't know how powerful it was until he saw it with his own eyes.
Their hurried steps undoubtedly made them stand out here. Although Ling Zheng paid attention to his feet and took a detour, he still accidentally bumped into someone.
The already angry believers found an excuse to stop him, and could no longer suppress their anger. They grabbed Ling Zheng's calf and shouted, "Don't be disrespectful to the Imperial Master. Kneel down and greet him respectfully."
"I'm not a Buddhist," Ling Zheng said coldly. He was now considered a martial artist, and in two or three moves he broke free from the shackles of the hands. However, the believer's balance was unstable, and his palms landed on the ground, causing some scrapes on his skin.
The fact that a companion was injured was like a drop of water dropped into a frying pan. People suddenly started to boil over, and dozens of mouths opened and closed, shouting:
"Don't be disrespectful to the Imperial Master. Kneel down!"
"Don't be disrespectful to the Imperial Master. Kneel down!"
“…”
As they spoke, the group surrounded Wen Rensu and Ling Zheng like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey. Pushing them was not enough, some even took the opportunity to pull at the clothes and bags of the disrespectful people.
Seeing them going too far, Ling Zheng's eyes turned fierce. He imitated the method Wen Rensu had used before, wielding his scabbard and knocking down the closest group of people. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he immediately drew his sword, pointing the tip of the sword at the crazy believers, and shouted sternly: "Let's see who dares to come up——"
At this moment, a slow and steady male voice broke the stalemate between the two sides. Although the volume was still low, miraculously everyone present could hear it clearly.
Only those who are knowledgeable know that only by mastering the use of internal strength can one achieve such an effortless effect.
"Alright, stop." A monk, dressed in a jade-green cassock, stepped forward leisurely. He looked like he was in his thirties, his features straight and serious. "I apologize to the two donors on behalf of the lay Buddhists."
It was obvious that this was Imperial Preceptor Huizhu. Although highly regarded by His Majesty, he remained humble and modest in his dealings with others.
"One should not take the Dharma, nor should one take the Non-Dharma*. The Buddha taught that one should not cling to worldly matters, and the Dharma is the same. You are attached to appearances."
The believers' arrogance in front of Wen Rensu and the others disappeared, and they all knelt down to the National Master, "Thank you, National Master Huizhu, for your guidance."
Seeing this, Master Huizhu smiled with satisfaction, and with a long Buddhist rosary in his hand, he turned to face Wenren and the two of them and said, "I feel that I have a connection with you two benefactors. Would you be willing to come to my humble abode for a long conversation?"
Not knowing what he was up to, Wen Rensu politely replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Imperial Master, but we are on our way. Sorry."
However, these words were probably only considered polite by Wen Rensu. The eyelids of the disciples behind the national teacher twitched, and the believers could not help but look up, their eyes full of resentment.
It is unforgivable that someone refused the honor bestowed by the National Master.
Ling Zheng, who was very sensitive to other people's emotions, glanced at them and raised his sword to intimidate them. The believers who raised their heads lowered their heads in embarrassment.
Wenren Su nodded slightly to Master Huizhu, then turned to Lingzheng and said, "Let's go."
The Imperial Master's disciples tried to stop them, but were stopped by Imperial Master Huizhu. His eyes flickered slightly, and he said meaningfully, "Let them go. We'll meet again if we're destined to."
Walking out of the city gate, Ling Zheng sharply concluded: "Those Buddhists look like they've gone crazy." He thought for a moment and said hesitantly: "...That Imperial Master seems to be quite extraordinary."
"Most sects in the Central Plains are aloof and indifferent to the suffering of the people, standing by and watching. The Buddhist National Master is kind and generous, leading by example, and therefore deeply loved by the people."
Wen Rensu's tone was flat, as if he was simply stating the facts. Ling Zheng smacked his lips, and deduced a hint of implicit attitude from it.
"You also think that the National Master is weird, right?" After realizing Wen Rensu's stance, Ling Zheng seemed to have found a soulmate. He couldn't help but raise his tone, and then he felt a little ashamed, and his ears turned red.
Wen Rensu smoothed Ling Zheng's messy hair down and said softly, "Let's ignore him."
Two days later, Quankang City.
Since Quankang City is far away from Yunliao City, it was already afternoon when they arrived in Quankang City. Wen Rensu suggested to Ling Zheng that they take a day off.
Coincidentally, today is the local Valentine's Day and a temple fair will be held in the evening.
After learning the news from the waiter, Ling Zheng froze and regretted his promise just now. Wen Rensu was naturally very surprised and looked at Ling Zheng with deep affection.
Seeing this, Ling Zheng helplessly held his forehead.
An afternoon passed in a flash, the sun set in the west, the sky was dotted with stars, and the moon was low in the sky.
The lights along the ten-mile-long street were newly lit, adorning the nightscape with a dreamlike quality. Beneath the lanterns, crowds of people thronged, laughter and chatter filled the air. Men and women strolled among the bustling crowds or paused at the dazzling array of stalls.
"Ling Zheng, do you want to eat that thing?" Wen Rensu pointed in a certain direction.
Ling Zheng glanced over and saw two customers arriving at the stall. They were blocking the view of the goods being sold, but he could still smell the aroma. So he asked, "What is it?"
"Let's go and take a look." Wen Rensu smiled and pulled Ling Zheng over.
The two customers heard the footsteps and subconsciously made way. They had just glanced at the man casually, but after seeing his face clearly, they were as if they were under a spell.
The man in front of him had an upright figure, dressed in a moon-white silk brocade robe embroidered with dark landscape patterns. His black hair was as smooth as silk and tied up with an emerald jade hairpin. He had sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes. Under the flickering warm light of the lantern, a touch of tenderness was added to his aloof temperament.
Just when the customer was feeling extremely amazed, the young man behind him had a completely different style.
The man was wearing an apricot-yellow satin round-necked robe, which made his pale face look more rosy. His eyes were clear and beautiful, with an indelible coldness. A little red sand was faintly visible in the corner of his right eye. What a noble and beautiful young man.
This outfit was changed at Wen Rensu's insistence. According to him, since they were going to the night market, they naturally had to wear new clothes, and they didn't have any.
The entire look was carefully put together by Wen Rensu, and she also took care of the hairstyle. Seeing that he was so attentive completely overturned my impression of Wen Rensu, and I couldn't bear to look at it.
Ever since the upheaval, Ling Zheng no longer cared about his image. First, he couldn't, and second, he didn't dare. Even if he deliberately disguised himself as a woman, there were always people who mistook him for a woman, and the lustful looks he got from them made him want to vomit.
Wen Rensu looked so clear-headed that Ling Zheng didn't feel uncomfortable at all. That was why he couldn't stop the other party from doing that. After dressing up, he had no idea what he looked like because he didn't have a bronze mirror.
"Does it look good?" Ling Zheng smoothed her long hair behind her and looked up to ask.
"It's better than I imagined. When I first saw this round-necked robe, I thought it suits you very well." Wen Rensu's eyebrows curved, and he seemed very satisfied.
For some reason, Ling Zheng felt an indescribable unease. His eyes were covered with a soft mist, and he walked towards Wen Rensu, as if silently telling her something.
"Hmm?" Wen Rensu stared at Ling Zheng, his composure shattered by his rash actions. A dark, possessive glint flashed in his eyes. Like a faint blue firework, calm and harmless on the outside, it actually held a molten heat, a terrifying intensity.
Ling Zheng's pupils trembled slightly, and he would not stop until he saw that the other party was no longer calm and composed. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and he took a few steps back and said loudly: "Let's go."
Wen Rensu pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, ma'am."
Ling Zheng: “!!!”
Why did you suddenly bring up this stupid title again? Damn it, you're shooting yourself in the foot.
Back to the present, after the two customers made way for him, Ling Zheng finally saw clearly what was being stir-fried in the store's large iron pot. He couldn't help but widen his eyes.
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The author has something to say: *From the Diamond Sutra
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