Zhong Yuqing followed Monk Zishen to see Master Zhikong, while Xiahou Shu and his party went to the backyard Zen room to rest first under the guidance of Monk Zhike.
The Zen room for pilgrims to stay in Huguo Temple is two rows of courtyards separated by stone walls. One row houses male guests, and the other row houses female guests. The courtyard for female guests is semi-open, and pilgrims can walk between it.
You can go to any room. Although it embodies the concept of equality for all living beings and facilitates the management of the Buddhist temple, the privacy is relatively poor.
But these are not important. Most of the female guests living here are surrounded by servants, and everyone comes to worship Buddha and offer incense, and they have no intention to care about others.
After all the accompanying guards and maids were settled, it was getting very late, and the temple became quiet again. The afterglow of the setting sun turned the clouds around Canaan Mountain into a touch of orange-red, slowly sinking into the other side of the mountain, beautiful and gorgeous.
Xia Houshu was leisurely drinking tea in the meditation room for a while, and out of boredom, she casually flipped through a few Buddhist scriptures copied by others from the bookshelf. The handwriting was very beautiful, and she must have put a lot of effort into it, but she could only understand the contents.
I found it even more boring and threw it back immediately.
Yunxi led two little maids to help her put away the belongings she brought from the mansion.
Xiahou Shu just looked at the sunset outside the window and was in a daze for a while, thinking about her mother suddenly asking her to ask for a marriage sign, and she was secretly worried. She had not thought about this in the past because she felt that the Xiahou family had a precedent of not marrying young.
But after what happened today, she had to re-examine this unwritten "rule" and didn't know what her parents' plans were for her marriage.
But my mother wanted to pin it on empty gods and Buddhas.
This unpredictable and unprepared frustration made her gradually irritated. She raised her eyes to look at the sky, guessing that her mother would not be back for a while, so she grabbed a copy of Buddhist scriptures from the case and walked out, and
He told Yunxi that if her mother came back, she would go to the temple to discuss the scriptures with the young master.
My mother worshiped Buddha. Even if she knew she was lying to herself, she would not say anything after hearing this reason.
Yun Xi knew that he couldn't stop her, so he agreed with a sigh and continued to put his head down to put away the items.
When Xia Houshu came out of the monastery, he happened to meet two girls who were hanging red ropes on the bodhi tree during the day. Both of them were walking in a hurry.
Several plants with small yellow flowers just blocked the view. Xia Houshu could see the two of them, but they couldn't see her unless they were paying attention. Xia Houshu felt a little strange, and was worried that it would be awkward if he ran into him when he went out, so he stopped.
Listened for a while.
The girl in pink had a red face and walked angrily in front, followed closely by the woman in white. Seeing that there was no one around, the woman in pink said angrily: "That man just now is so disgusting, he obviously hit us first."
, I just talked to him, it’s just that he apologized without sincerity, and he was so incomprehensible that he left without saying a word. It was so rude! If it weren’t for his good looks, I wouldn’t want to talk to him.
Where is he!"
"Good sister, you are beautiful and have a good family background. You can't even look down on how many men come to your house to ask for marriage. But don't make yourself angry because of a man you don't know. It's not worth it.
." The woman in white comforted her earnestly as she chased him, then paused and said, "As the saying goes, you know a person's face but not his heart. Even if he looks like a talented person, he might not be a good person at all."
"That's right." The woman in pink suddenly stopped when she heard this. She seemed to have thought of something, and her mood suddenly became less bad. She raised her eyes to look at the sky, a trace of contempt flashed in her eyes, and then said: "It's getting so late.
"Others are afraid of breaking the rules of the temple and are rushing to the temple. But they still want to go to the back mountain. There must be some shady secret."
The woman in white saw that she had finally gained consciousness and comforted her again. Then the two of them were in a good mood and continued walking deeper into the monastery hand in hand.
There was a sudden silence all around.
Behind the green plants, Xia Houshu could not hear anything, but he noticed the key word "back mountain". As he watched the two girls disappear around the corner, she headed towards the back mountain by accident.
Canaan Mountain is tall and steep. The Huguo Temple is built on the middle of Canaan Mountain. There is a bamboo forest behind it, which stretches all the way to the top of the mountain. Each branch is green and straight, lush and green, blocking out the sky and the sun. From a distance, it looks like a piece of bamboo.
When you get close to the sea, you feel like you have stepped into a paradise.
Xia Houshu walked slowly up the bluestone path in the bamboo forest. While breathing in the unique fragrance of bamboo, he lamented that this Buddhist pure land was extraordinary. Even the bamboo seemed to be contaminated with fairy spirit. Compared with other places
The one looks better.
Maybe the sun was going down, or maybe it was because the terrain in the back mountain was higher, and it was much cooler here than in the temple. Xia Houshu stopped and watched as he walked. The rainy season had just passed, and the bamboo forest was densely covered with bamboo shoots, which grew early.
The ones that have grown late have already pulled out their tender green branches, dotted with small leaves one by one, like the tips of hairs that have just been soaked in boiling water. The ones that have grown late have only revealed a small pointed head, like a little monster hiding in the soil.
, probing his head, he is so naive.
Looking at the bamboo shoots all over the floor, Xia Houshu couldn't help but sigh. If such fresh and tender bamboo shoots were cooked into dishes and served on the dinner table, they would probably taste very good and would definitely whet her mother's appetite. So she made up her mind to cook the bamboo shoots tomorrow morning.
Shang Yunxi and a few boys went up the mountain to pick some bamboo shoots and cook them back.
Although Huguo Temple strictly prohibits eating meat and fish, bamboo shoots are wild vegetables and are vegetarian, so they are not within the prohibition.
Just thinking about it, Xia Houshu seemed to have smelled the aroma of hot and sour fresh bamboo shoots, and felt happy.
Dang, dang, dang... there seemed to be some sound coming, sometimes far and sometimes near.
This is a quiet moment when the sun sets on the western hills and birds fly to their nests, but this sound that does not belong to the mountains and forests seems particularly harsh.
Xia Houshu was a martial arts practitioner, so he was naturally more alert than ordinary people. He immediately stopped and listened carefully for a while.
The gentle evening breeze blew in my face, and the sound of "dang dang dang" seemed to be clearer.
After confirming that the sound came from deep in the bamboo forest, Xia Houshu quickened his pace and walked forward for half a moment. He vaguely heard a fierce fighting sound coming from the bamboo forest, which startled the birds in the bamboo forest.
The birds had no branches to rely on. After circling and calling in the bamboo forest for a while, they slowly subsided and flew to no one knows where.
Huguo Temple is a famous temple in Nanqi. There are many people coming and going. It is not surprising that there are dragons and crouching tigers in the temple. There are many strange people and strangers gathered, and it is inevitable that they will want to compete and compare.
Xia Houshu had a natural affection and admiration for martial arts celebrities. The first thing that came to his mind was that there were experts competing here. But after listening carefully, he felt that the sound of fighting was very confusing and did not sound like a duel between two masters.
, instead it was like a melee.
Huguo Temple is deeply relied upon by the imperial court, and the imperial court is involved in all major and minor matters. What kind of person would start a fight in this place?
Full of questions, Xia Houshu walked quickly in the direction from which the sound came.
After walking for a long time through the dense bamboo forest, I heard the sounds of fighting getting closer and closer, and becoming clearer and clearer.
Xia Houshu slowly walked lightly, hiding the scriptures in his arms, and looking for a hiding place in the bamboo forest. Finally, he hid in a dense bamboo bush and observed patiently.
Deep in the bamboo forest, a dozen vigorous figures were fighting hard to separate themselves from each other. The knives and swords collided hard, and the sound was harsh and shocking.
In the twilight, Xia Houshu squinted his eyes for a while to identify carefully, and then he realized that the people being surrounded were two men, one green and one purple.
The man in green has strong skills and quick reactions, and his face is as cold and sharp as the sword in his hand. The man in purple behind him has a calm expression, standing like a tall pine tree in the chaos, not worried about his disadvantage at all.
.
There were fourteen people who attacked them. They were all dressed in black and wearing puppet masks of the same color. Only a pair of fierce eyes were exposed, which was very scary.
They were numerous and powerful, and all of them had extraordinary skills, and they could use their swords cleanly and neatly. The two men were like trapped animals, and the fight was fierce and lingering.
There was such a huge disparity in strength between the two sides, but it seemed that even after more than a dozen rounds it was difficult to determine the outcome. Xia Houshu was both curious and admiring, and his attention was focused on the two men being surrounded. Especially the man in green.
, his swordsmanship is extremely high, and he has mastered a long sword glowing with green light, as if the sword was originally a part of his body, and can be retracted and released freely at will.
Xia Houshu had seen many men wielding swords, including his second brother Xia Houyi, who occasionally wielded a long sword and waved it in his yard to enjoy himself. But compared to Xia Houyi's sharpness and briskness, the man in Tsing Yi was superior in terms of momentum.
, like a rainbow penetrating the sun, with great momentum and incomparable power.
Despite this, the man in green was ultimately outnumbered, not to mention having to protect the man in purple behind him, which was very burdensome.
After more than two dozen people came back, the man in green gradually revealed his flaws. The dozen or so men in black just saw this opportunity, gave each other a secret signal, and then jointly attacked again.
Many people who practice martial arts admire the heroic spirit of drawing out a sword to help when the road is rough, and Xia Houshu is no exception. Seeing the majesty of the man in Tsing Yi with a small number of enemies, she admired him in her heart. She also saw that he had many worries and lacked skills, and she wished she could
I immediately jumped out to help him. But then I thought about it. She made a big splash when she went up the mountain today, and many people remembered her. If she takes action rashly, her identity will be exposed easily. Moreover, the opponent has too many people, and their strength cannot be underestimated. He may not be his opponent.
. Before she understood the situation, she absolutely did not dare to act rashly to avoid getting into unnecessary disputes.
She carefully moved to the dense part of the bamboo forest so that she could continue to watch the battle.
In the shadow of swords and swords, several men in black took advantage of the distraction of the man in green and used a move to attack the man in green. Some of them continued to pester the man in green, while others swung their swords to attack the man in purple behind him.
Although the man in purple had a good temperament, he didn't have the time to get close to him, and he couldn't dodge in an emergency. Unsurprisingly, his arm was scratched by the man in black, and his expression changed drastically. Although it didn't hurt any vital parts, it was still shocking.
.
Xia Houshu's whole body and mind were tied to the two men who were besieged. At this moment, when he saw that the man in purple was suddenly injured, he felt anxious and inadvertently slapped his hand on the bamboo nearby, alarming everyone who was fighting.
"who!"
A man in black shouted loudly, quite angrily. Then his eyes swept over and quickly locked on Xia Houshu, who was squatting in the bamboo forest with a confused look on her face - the red dress on her body looked particularly special even in the dusk.
Conspicuous.
It is said that those who watch the excitement do not think it is a big deal. That is because the matter does not fall on oneself. If it does fall on oneself, one can only wish to find an underground tunnel to escape immediately.
Xia Houshu sighed secretly. In this situation, she didn't want to be a heroic heroine, she just wanted to protect herself and escape. So without much hesitation, she got up and ran back while holding up her skirt.
The ground in the bamboo forest was uneven. Xia Houshu was busy hurriedly leaving this place, but he didn't pay attention to his steps. In addition, the getting late in the day affected his vision. After a few steps, he tripped over an exposed bamboo root and fell to the ground.
If you fall, a dog will eat its shit.
Just as she let out an ouch, she heard the sound of close footsteps behind her. When she looked back, she saw three men in black who were stabbing at her with long swords.
Curiosity killed the cat. Why would she come over to watch someone fight?
I walked the mountain road for half a day during the day. Wouldn't it be good to stay in the meditation room, read a book, and take a nap?
Sure enough, if God does evil, you can still violate it; if you do evil by yourself, you can't ignore it.
The ancients never deceived me!
While blaming herself, she gritted her teeth and slowly stood up. Seeing the three men in black with fierce eyes chasing each other closer and closer, with sharp swords and murderous intent, it was absolutely impossible for her to stay away from the incident.
Strike first and control others later.
Xia Houshu, who was born in a family of generals, has been exposed to this since he was a child. At this time, he would not stand helpless on the spot as meat on the chopping board and let others slaughter it.
Since you can't escape, you can only fight.
Xia Houshu put aside her original self-blame and without any hesitation or hesitation, she quickly pulled out the dagger hidden in her boot and called to the man in black. By the time the other party reacted, she had successfully scratched one of the black men.
Clothes man.
The few men in black who rushed up looked at each other. They never expected that this weak woman, who seemed to have no strength to restrain a chicken, was not only weak, but also agile and vicious.
really interesting.
Realizing that they had underestimated the enemy, the men in black were shocked and angry. One of them stared at Xia Houshu and asked coldly: "Who are you?"
Xia Houshu looked at the men in black, smiled brightly, and said calmly: "Will you let me go if I tell you who I am?"
of course not.
The men in black simply heard a huge joke. One of the men in black snorted coldly from his nose and said in a strange way: "What a coincidence, there are actually people who are here to die!"
"Death?" Xia Houshu sneered. She had been thinking about how to live her whole life, but she had not yet thought about how to die. She pushed the scattered hair behind her ears, then raised the dagger in her hand and smiled brightly.
, said: "Then you have to ask the dagger in my hand if it agrees!"
"You don't overestimate your capabilities!" The leader of the man in black was completely angered. He waved his hand to his companions to reorganize their formation, and said in a cold tone, "Kill her!"