Dragon City, Phoenix Mountain.
At this moment, the two brothers, Prince Chen Huai'an and Prince Chen Longxiang, whom Emperor Zhao Gan, the second emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty, considered useless, were walking side by side on a winding path paved with bluestone slabs.
At the end of the path, a thousand-year-old temple stands serenely and solemnly in the morning light—the renowned Qixia Temple.
Inside the temple, the chanting of Buddhist scriptures by monks rose and fell, like the gentle murmur of flowing water.
On the steps of the temple gate stood an old monk with a white beard and a dignified appearance.
The dark black monk's robe draped over him fluttered in the morning breeze, adding to his ethereal and otherworldly charm.
This person was none other than the black-robed monk Chen Huai'an had mentioned, Dongfang Xiao, the abbot of Qixia Temple.
Speaking of the black-robed monk Dongfang Xiao, he was also a remarkable person with extraordinary talent.
He became a monk at the age of fourteen but did not seek the true path of Buddhism. Instead, he preferred to study the arts of Yin and Yang. He could not only see through the hypocrisy and truth of the world, but also had a keen understanding of people's hearts. His wisdom and talent were unmatched.
The late King Chen Polu once commented on Dongfang Xiao in front of Chen Huai'an more than once: "He is a yin-yang master with Buddhist beads, and even more so a warlord in a chaotic world wearing a cassock!"
Dongfang Xiao not only did not refute Chen Polu's assessment, but even uttered the bold and daring words, "My parents gave me life, but Your Highness Prince Jin understands me."
When news of the late Emperor Zhao Mang's death reached Longcheng, he secretly visited the Prince of Jin's residence at night and jokingly said that he would give the Prince of Jin a white hat to wear.
The character "王" (king) in the name of the Prince of Jin, with a white hat on top, is just the same as the character "皇" (emperor).
As expected, the late King Chen Polu, a man of unwavering loyalty and integrity, immediately expelled the raving Dongfang Xiao from the Prince of Jin's residence.
He was ordered to confine himself to Qixia Temple, where he was to chant sutras and recite Buddhist scriptures to cultivate his mind and character, and to pray for the souls of the enemy soldiers who had died at his hands over the years.
By the way, when Chen Longxiang, the second son of Prince Jin, was born, Dongfang Xiao calculated that Chen Longxiang was a golden-winged roc descending to earth to undergo tribulation.
Although one's arms possess the power of the Four Symbols, one must never commit indiscriminate killing, otherwise one will surely meet a bad end.
This is why the late King Chen Polu reluctantly sent his youngest son, Chen Longxiang, to Longhu Mountain to endure hardship, cultivate himself, and refine his mind when Chen Longxiang was just three years old.
In the past ten years, Chen Longxiang, who has been cultivating in Longhu Mountain, has never committed any acts of killing.
Unfortunately, when news of his father Chen Polu's death reached Longhu Mountain, Chen Longxiang, who had returned home to mourn his father, happened to witness the emperor's decree to seize power and the attack on the city by 100,000 Yunhui troops.
Chen Longxiang, longing for his mother, originally intended to lead the servants of the Prince's Mansion to the city wall to rescue his mother, Xu Ruoyun, but instead encountered Zhou Wuyang, the deputy general of the Yunhui Army, who was leading eight hundred personal guards to seize the city gate.
To everyone's surprise, Zhou Wuyang's personal guards, disregarding martial ethics, rushed forward without asking any questions and were about to kill Chen Longxiang with their swords.
Well, with this one move, Chen Longxiang's ten years at Longhu Mountain have been wasted.
With a pair of golden hammers, one strike each at a soldier, they quickly wiped out more than 800 men.
Zhou Wuyang, the deputy commander, fared even worse. He was hit twice by Chen Longxiang, and in the end, the soldiers cleaning up the battlefield had to scoop him up from the ground one spoonful at a time.
Chen Huai'an felt sorry for his younger brother and was afraid that something bad would happen to him after seeing him commit such a heinous crime. After finishing his important military affairs, he immediately took Chen Longxiang to Qixia Temple on Fengming Mountain and asked the old monk in black, Dongfang Xiao, to perform a ritual to cleanse his brother Chen Longxiang's soul of the sins of killing.
"master!"
"Hey, old monk—"
The two brothers greeted Dongfang Xiao, who had been waiting for them at the temple gate, in unison.
However, Chen Longxiang was naturally unruly, and the way he called him "old monk" made Chen Huai'an's heart skip a beat. He then raised his hand and slapped his younger brother, saying irritably:
"Longxiang, you must not be disrespectful to the master!"
After saying that, Chen Huai'an looked apologetically at the kind-faced, calm-looking Dongfang Xiao and said:
"Master, my younger brother is young and mischievous, and he offended you with his words. I hope you will not take offense!"
"Longxiang, call the men again!"
After being slapped by his elder brother Chen Huai'an, Chen Longxiang finally behaved himself.
But they still acted like those seven defiant and resentful brats, perfunctorily bowing ninety degrees to Dongfang Xiao again in greeting:
"Greetings, Master Dongfang!"
She bowed three times in a row.
Seeing this, Chen Huai'an was furious: "Chen Longxiang, you—"
He made a gesture as if he was about to raise his hand to punish Chen Longxiang again.
Ha ha!
"Your Highness Prince Jin, please wait!"
At this moment, Dongfang Xiao laughed and stopped Chen Huai'an from punishing Chen Longxiang again, saying with a smile:
“The young prince is a golden-winged roc descended to earth to undergo tribulation. His mischievousness and playfulness are in his nature. If we force him to obey worldly laws and etiquette, it would be a mistake.”
"Your Highness, please don't dwell on such mundane matters!"
After saying that, Dongfang Xiao stepped aside and gestured for him to continue:
"Your Highness, the young prince invites you in. Let's talk as we walk!"
Seeing that Dongfang Xiaodu had said so, Chen Huai'an stopped being coy and glared fiercely at Chen Longxiang, telling him to behave himself in this important Buddhist place.
Then he spoke, saying, "Master, I have come today because I have something I would like to trouble you with!"
Dongfang Xiao smiled mysteriously and said, "Your Highness, you've come about the young prince's matter, haven't you? Your Highness, rest assured, this humble monk has already made all the preparations!"
As he spoke, Dongfang Xiao called out in a deep voice, "Jingxin, come here for a moment!"
Soon, a handsome young monk rushed over from a nearby meditation room and asked respectfully, "Master, what are your instructions?"
Dongfang Xiaodao said, "Take the young prince to the Mahavira Hall. I have already arranged a ritual for the deceased there so that the young prince can listen attentively to the Buddhist scriptures and the chanting of the wooden fish."
"Yes, Master!"
With that, the young monk gestured to Chen Longxiang, saying, "Young Prince, this way please!"
Chen Longxiang glanced at Chen Huai'an, and after receiving the latter's approval, he ran off in a flash, guided by the little monk.
Chen Huai'an watched his younger brother's disappearing figure and smiled helplessly yet indulgently.
Next, the two continued to wander through the tranquil and peaceful Qixia Temple, and before they knew it, they came to a secluded courtyard. At Dongfang Xiao's suggestion, the two rested there for a while.
This courtyard is located on the mountainside of Fengming Mountain, and from here you can take in the entire outline of Longcheng.
Dongfang Xiao gazed into the distance and said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid your trip wasn't just about the young prince, was it?"
Chen Huai'an raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Oh, then please tell me, Master, what brings me here?"
Ha ha!
Dongfang Xiao laughed twice, but instead of directly answering Chen Huai'an's question, he muttered to himself:
"His Highness Prince Jin has an extraordinary appearance and unparalleled martial prowess; he is destined for greatness!"
"If Your Highness doesn't mind, this humble monk would like to give you the white hat that I failed to give to the late King half a year ago!"
"Master, are you serious?"
"Your Highness, monks do not lie!"
Then, the two looked at each other and smiled at the place where the dragon rose, their unrestrained and hearty laughter echoing for a long time on Phoenix Cry Mountain.
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