The temple got its name because of its clean white rock. The foundations of the main hall and the retaining wall of the Pure Land Temple are all made of white stone that looks like white clouds, which is in line with the Zen saying that "it is difficult for monks to find a piece of pure land".

At the gate of the Pure Land Temple, a young monk with a beautiful and fair appearance walked in.

Judging from his appearance, he can be described as having bright eyes, white teeth, and being elegant and lively. I think he will become a handsome, refined and elegant man in the future.

Perhaps it was just time for dinner, the young monk who had just returned had a smile on his face.

"Ayi, why don't you chat with Dali Qing for a while?"

Outside the gate of the Pure Land Temple, a tall young monk asked the young novice monk in front of him.

There was a hint of smile in his words, and he was somewhat curious as to why his younger brother didn't stay longer at the residence of the Dali Temple Minister.

After all, his thirteen-year-old brother had not reached the age limit of eighteen. The reason why he was able to take the Buddhist examination as an exception was thanks to the support of Zheng Shanguo, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple.

So today he immediately asked his younger brother to go to the residence of the Dali Temple Minister to recite scriptures and pray to express his gratitude to this mentor.

"Of course it's because the Pure Land Temple is open for dinner." The little monk smiled, "So I said goodbye to the Dali Temple Minister."

He had a matter-of-fact look on his face.

How could the food in the residence of the Dali Temple compare to the food in the Pure Land Temple where he had been eating for three years?

Facts have proved that the food that people miss the most is the food that they suddenly come across when they are hungry.

Then, the little monk called Ayi pouted and said, "Second brother! No, Master Changjie! I have passed the Buddhist examination that Your Majesty asked the Dali Temple to hold. I am a monk who has been ordained. Now please call me Master Xuanzang."

"Yes, yes, Master Xuanzang."

"It turns out that the little guy who was absent when he was working and chanting sutras, and came to the canteen with a bowl when food was served, is now a monk. Time flies."

The young monk smiled at the young novice.

Although he called out "Xuanzang" as the little monk said, any discerning person could hear the sarcasm in his tone.

Appropriate teasing is a different way of blessing brothers.

There were only 27 passing vacancies in the Buddhist examination held by the Dali Temple this year. Xuanzang was able to pass this level of examination at the young age of 13. As an elder brother, he was naturally very pleased.

"What does it mean that you are not seen while working or chanting, but you come to the cafeteria with your bowl when the meal is served?"

"This is slander! Slander!"

Xuanzang pouted in anger, looked at his second brother and retorted: "I memorized the Lotus Sutra and the Vimalakirti Sutra when I was eleven years old. Lord Zheng Shanguo praised me for having the character to become a Buddha, and I will definitely become a great talent in Buddhism in the future."

"But you did come back with the bowl, and you never leave it."

Master Changjie smiled and pointed at the round bulge under Xuanzang's clothes at his waist.

Seeing this, Xuanzang subconsciously held tightly the bowl that had been stuffed in his clothes.

After a moment's silence, he simply pouted and ignored his second brother who brought him to the Pure Land Temple to beg for food after his family fell into poverty.

Ever since his father gave up wealth and glory for the sake of integrity in order to avoid being tainted by the secular world, the gap from luxurious clothes and delicious food to simple meals made the young Xuanzang understand one thing:

The world is big, but eating is the most important thing.

Especially after his parents died at the age of ten, Xuanzang deeply realized the importance of having enough food.

So he just recited the scriptures silently in his mouth and hummed when he passed by his second brother.

I don't have time to argue with my second brother now.

If we don't go to the cafeteria now, those monks will eat up all the delicious food.

Master Changjie looked at Xuanzang walking away and couldn't help but smile with relief.

His brother has indeed changed.

Ever since he said those words “I wish to inherit the Buddha’s legacy from afar and spread his teachings nearby” in the Buddhist exam a few days ago, his younger brother has become different.

His previous liveliness seemed to be acted out, to make people around him think that he was not still immersed in the death of his parents.

But now, Master Changjie discovered that there seemed to be something different in his brother's lively smile and eyes.

Although this thing is rare, Master Changjie knows exactly what it is.

That is the firm determination after finding the goal of life.

“That’s great.”

In response to this, Master Changjie murmured silently.

"Yeah, what a nice kid."

But a voice suddenly echoed in Master Changjie's ear.

Hearing the voice of the strange man, Master Changjie subconsciously turned his head to look.

I saw a strange man in front of me.

There was nothing special about his attire. His hair was tied into a bun, he wore a turban and a hat, and his clothes were a common white round-necked shirt and robe.

However, the small wooden box in the man's hand made Master Changjie inexplicably concerned.

"This child looks like he will accomplish great things in the future."

The strange man commented with a chuckle.

"Thank you for your praise, benefactor."

Master Changjie answered modestly with his hands clasped together, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"I'm always very good at judging people."

The strange man shook his head to show that he was serious in his assessment.

"Amitabha! Is this donor here to burn incense and worship Buddha?"

Hearing this, Master Changjie simply clasped his hands together and silently asked the strange man.

"Hello, Master. My name is Chen Sheng."

"This time I want to ask if your temple can let me stay for a while?"

Upon seeing this, Mr. Chen bowed silently and then stated his purpose.

Ever since he sensed the reappearance of a certain breath of life from a fleeing monster, Chen Sheng bid farewell to Master Jiexian of Nalanda Temple and set out on the journey eastward in the direction where the monster's breath appeared.

This time, not only did he have to eliminate the seven escaped monsters, but he also had to find a disciple for Master Jiexian.

When asked to find a disciple who was better than Master Jiexian, Chen Sheng almost instinctively thought of the person in the original history.

So after he captured three strands of monster vitality in succession, he could no longer sense the breath of other monster vitality.

Chen Sheng then set out on the road to Luoyang, the capital of the Sui Dynasty, intending to visit the Pure Land Temple.

This year, Xuanzang had just been ordained as a monk.

"Of course you can stay overnight, but our Pure Land Temple is located inside the Jianyang Gate of Luoyang City, and is directly under the jurisdiction of the Dali Temple."

"So, if you want to stay overnight at our Pure Land Temple, you need the approval of the Dali Temple."

Master Changjie said to Chen Sheng.

This is not a refusal, but a strict compliance with rules and regulations.

Hearing this, Mr. Chen just nodded, then silently reached into his arms and took out a piece of document with the seal of the Dali Temple.

"Excuse me, Master."

Naturally, he had prepared everything long ago.

When he said goodbye to Master Jiexian, he was asked to take a lot of gold and silver. This kind of thing, which was not in short supply in Nalanda Monastery, was indeed of great help to Chen Sheng, and it also saved him from wasting energy to turn some gold and silver into gold and silver.

This document allowing for lodging was obtained by using some small change to establish a relationship.

Master Changjie took the paper and carefully checked the words and seal on it.

Soon after, he nodded to Mr. Chen in front of him and said, "Then please follow me."

Then, Mr. Chen followed Master Changjie into the Pure Land Temple.

While leading the way, Master Changjie silently introduced to Mr. Chen the buildings along the way, as well as the history and status of the Pure Land Temple.

The Pure Land Temple is adjacent to Songshan Mountain in the east and Shaolin Temple in the east. It is adjacent to Yishui River in the west and Kunlun Mountain in the west. It is adjacent to Jiugao in the south and the purple smoke surrounds the Tianshi where cranes are singing. It is adjacent to Longmen in the north and the five cities are gathered between Yi and Luo.

It was first built in the first year of Tianci in the Northern Wei Dynasty (404 AD) and moved to Jianyang Gate in Luoyang, the capital of the Sui Dynasty, in the fourth year of Daye in the Sui Dynasty (608 AD).

It is now the year 615, Xuanzang is just thirteen years old, and the surrounding buildings are just seven years old.

Therefore, Mr. Chen felt that everything he saw did not seem to have much sense of age.

For people, there is a saying that if you don't have a good mouth, you won't do anything. For temples, the lack of a sense of age may also make them lack credibility.

But for the Pure Land Temple, there is no need to rely on the age of the building to increase its credibility.

After all, the Pure Land Temple is a royal temple, also known as the Eastern Capital Pure Land Temple, and is directly under the management of the Dali Temple.

As Master Changjie spoke, even monks could not help but feel a little proud. After all, their temples are among the best in today's Buddhism.

Mr. Chen just nodded silently without expressing any opinion.

The Pure Land Temple did leave a deep impression on him.

After he dealt with the three monsters that exposed their auras, he almost immediately came to the Sui capital Luoyang City to look for the Pure Land Temple.

But in his heart, Pure Land Temple is not noble just because it is a royal temple.

The reason why he was impressed by the Pure Land Temple was because of the cute little monk Xuanzang who ran to eat with a bowl in hand! This figure, who has been familiar to countless young and old women and children for thousands of years, made the Pure Land Temple a little taller in Chen Sheng's heart.

In Journey to the West, a work of art that can be called a classic, Xuanzang only leaves people with an image of a kind-hearted man who is powerless.

However, history and artistic literature are quite different, and the true historical image of Xuanzang has been misunderstood by many people for thousands of years.

The real Xuanzang in history had a tenacious belief that was terrifyingly strong.

Strong enough to contend with life, strong enough to support him across infinite distances and dangers.

In that era, he was able to walk 50,000 kilometers alone in order to practice his beliefs.

When he persevered all the way to the Western Regions with the belief of spreading Buddhism and benefiting all living beings, he was transformed into a great man who could truly be called a living Buddha.

What he said when he was a child, "I want to inherit the Buddha's teachings from afar and spread his Dharma here," was not just talk. He truly used his life to practice his grand wish of promoting Buddhism and benefiting all living beings.

Mr. Chen came to the Pure Land Temple.

It was not just to guide this great man, to have him arrive at Nalanda as in history, and then learn the system of spiritual practice while studying Buddhism.

He also wanted to see this person in person.

Who will serve as the boat in the sea of ​​life and death? Who will serve as the torch in the nameless night? According to historical records, this sentence said by Xuanzang after arriving in the Western Regions gave Chen Sheng an idea: to pull Xuanzang into the eternal day.

This is not impulsive.

But it was made after a long and careful consideration.

It feels quite interesting to train and teach Xuanzang to become one of our own since childhood.

As Mr. Chen continued to think, the two stopped outside a building.

This is a small courtyard, and there are noisy voices in the courtyard, which seems very lively.

Chen Sheng's keen five senses instantly understood the situation here.

There was a lot of noise and a strong aroma, it was obvious that this was the canteen of the Pure Land Temple.

Master Changjie smiled and looked at Chen Sheng and said, "Donor, come in and take a look. From now on, your daily meals will be solved in this dining hall. Our vegetarian meals here are quite good."

As a genuine state-owned enterprise, the welfare benefits provided by Jingtu Temple are truly impeccable.

"Then I'm going to give it a good taste."

Hearing this, Chen Sheng naturally nodded, then followed Master Changjie in.

Zhaitang means dining hall. Master Changjie first took him to see the place where they usually eat, which is quite normal.

Mr. Chen was very much looking forward to this. He was not looking forward to the meal, but was just looking forward to the formal meeting with Xuanzang.

When Xuanzang was at the gate of Pure Land Temple, he must have run here with a bowl in his hand.

Just now he only saw Xuanzang's back at the door, which could not be considered a formal meeting.

This time, we can meet formally.

While Chen was thinking, the door of the Pure Land Temple's dining hall opened and the noise of the lively crowd suddenly became louder.

Mr. Chen followed Master Changjie and walked inside, passing by monks sitting on wooden tables.

Soon, Mr. Chen locked on to his target.

It’s just that the little boy Xuanzang was very conspicuous.

Especially when Xuanzang, with his bright eyes and white teeth, was among a group of bare-armed monks, he stood out even more.

Mr. Chen slowly stopped.

He stood motionless beside Xuanzang and did not attract the attention of Xuanzang who was eating vegetarian noodles in big mouthfuls. It was obvious that Xuanzang was eating very attentively.

However, a warrior monk nearby noticed Chen Sheng. Seeing that his eyes were fixed on Xuanzang, he gently patted Xuanzang's shoulder while he was eating with relish.

"Swelling...what's wrong?"

With his mouth full, Xuanzang subconsciously raised his head and looked at the monk who patted his shoulder in confusion.

When he saw the monk pointing to his side, he looked to his side.

I saw a strange man standing next to him, and he didn't look like a monk.

Xuanzang was silent for a moment, swallowed everything in his mouth, then stood up and clasped his hands together in front of Chen Sheng and said, "My name is Xuanzang. What can I do for you, benefactor?"

"Hello, Xuanzang."

"My name is Mr. Chen."

Chen Sheng spoke in a calm tone and smiled as he looked at Xuanzang, who was just thirteen years old.

Their eyes met.

Xuanzang's eyes were full of confusion as to why this person disturbed him while he was eating.

Chen Sheng's eyes were filled with complex thoughts that Xuanzang could not understand.

Mr. Chen knew that the original history would be rewritten from this moment on.

(End of this chapter)