On this day, Chen Jingke was studying the Nanhua Sutra under the guidance of Sun Simiao, who is also known as Zhuangzi. When they learned that Master Pan was visiting, the master and the disciple did not dare to neglect, and quickly ordered the people below to prepare to welcome him.
The Maoshan sect was one of the most influential sects in Taoism at this time, and its former leader Wang Yuanzhi was more senior than Sun Simiao.
As the master of Maoshan and a direct disciple of Wang Yuanzhi, Pan Shizheng's status in the world is not lower than that of Sun Simiao. Therefore, Sun Simiao must also give him enough respect, let alone Chen Jingke, a junior who is nothing.
Not only the master and the apprentice had to go to greet him in person, but all the officials in charge of the three capitals and five masters who were at home also had to go.
After receiving the notice, Yang Tianlu and others also knew the importance of the matter and immediately summoned all the disciples to welcome the guests.
When the pilgrims who came to offer incense saw such a big movement from Zixiao, they knew that a distinguished guest was coming, so they all hid aside and watched the excitement.
Soon Sun Simiao, dressed in ceremonial robes, appeared at the gate with Chen Jingke, Yang Tianlu and others.
Although he had never seen him before, Chen Jingke recognized Pan Shizheng at first sight, because his clothes were so unique.
This is also the knowledge that Sun Simiao taught him recently, to judge the identity of the other person based on his clothing.
Pan Shizheng is about fifty years old, with a beard of about ten centimeters, and his most obvious feature is his hands that reach above his knees.
Yes, that's right, he has the same specialties as Liu Bei and Liu Huangshu Yougong.
The group of them looked very tired, their clothes were covered with dust and they were carrying packages on their backs. It looked like they had come from afar.
Sun Simiao was the first to speak: "Immortal Blessing God, I didn't know that my friend was coming and I was far away from you, so please forgive me."
"I have met the real person." Pan Shizheng said respectfully: "The real person said something serious. I was the one who was rude when I came here. I should apologize to you."
It is indeed rude to visit unexpectedly without prior notice. Usually, someone will send a greeting note a day in advance, stating the approximate time of arrival, so that the host can prepare.
But it can also be seen from this that he is so eager that he can't even wait for this day.
There was no place to talk outside the door, so after a few pleasantries, Sun Simiao invited them in to watch.
After entering the temple, Pan Shizheng led his disciples to pay homage to God Haotian and Taoist Sanqing.
Seeing this, Chen Jingke was secretly happy. This meant that he did not object to the new mythological system established by Zixiaoguan, at least not to the heads.
As long as the head can reach consensus, the rest will be simple.
When he compiled the "Taomen Illustrated Manual" before, he deliberately left out the names of many gods, such as the four great heavenly masters.
The purpose is to negotiate with various factions.
Do you want your ancestor to be among the four heavenly masters? I don’t need to tell you what to do, right?
What, you said you compiled a "Taomen Illustrated Manual" yourself?
Well, as long as you are not afraid of your faction being scorned by the collective, you can make up your own.
After the worship service, everyone went to the reception hall in the backyard together.
Pan Shizheng's entourage was led by Zhi Ke from Qi to rest, leaving only his disciples to accompany him, and Sun Simiao's side was served by Chen Jingke.
The two sides first introduced their disciples to each other. Pan Shizheng brought his eldest disciple Si Yuncheng, who was in his thirties. Although he was not well-known, it was obvious that his ability was not bad for being brought out by him.
When it was Chen Jingke's turn, Master Pan looked him up and down and said, "Young Taoist friends and Fa Lin's debates have also been heard. They are very exciting. I deeply regret that I could not be there at that time."
Chen Jingke was secretly happy. We are now somewhat famous, but he didn't dare to show it on his face. He said modestly: "I don't dare to call you a real Taoist friend. Just call me by my name if you don't mind."
"Master Fa Lin intended to accomplish the debate that day. I have such a false reputation just now. I really don't dare to take credit for it."
Sun Simiao said at the right time: "I have listened to Master Wang's lectures, and I can be considered half of his disciples. From this, you and I should be considered brothers. Taoists can just call him by his name."
Pan Shizheng could see that Chen Jingke's words were sincere, and couldn't help but look at him a little higher. Hearing what Sun Simiao said, he naturally had no objection, so he said:
"Then I will shamelessly call you Senior Brother, and my little fellow Taoist, I will call you Nephew."
"The idea of 'Three Questions and Three Me' is indeed profound. I often think about it but can't find a better answer. I hope to get some guidance from my senior brother this time."
The second half of the sentence is addressed to Sun Simiao.
"Junior brother, please be polite, let's communicate with each other." Sun Simiao smiled bitterly in his heart, there is no way to resolve this misunderstanding.
Fortunately, recently, he was not only teaching Chen Jingke, but also absorbing the ideas brought by Chen Jingke to systematically sort out his own knowledge.
He also has a deeper understanding of the issue of "Three Questions and Three Me", and can use it to argue with everyone without worrying about revealing the truth.
Next, the two of them had a conversation about the 'Three I and Three Questions' - it was indeed a communication, not a one-sided teaching.
Chen Jingke, who was observing, benefited a lot, but at the same time he felt frustrated inside. In just a few days, Master Pan's research on the "Three Self and Three Questions" has already far surpassed him.
This allowed him to fully understand the reality. The ancients had already studied philosophy very deeply. However, due to the limitations of the times, they had not yet classified certain ideas into the corresponding system.
Once he throws out a certain concept of later generations, these ancient scholars can quickly surpass him and leave him behind without even being able to see the tail lights.
Compared with the ancients, his only advantage is his knowledge that is more than a thousand years ahead of the times, and his way of thinking that is different from the times. Other than that, he has almost no advantages.
This realization made him more sober and rational, and also made his heart more stable. The only way out is to study hard and enrich yourself, instead of taking shortcuts every day by relying on the foresight of time travel.
It's okay to take shortcuts once in a while, but if you take them too many times, you'll end up with a dead end.
Sun Simiao and Pan Shizheng, one is a few years older and has a profound knowledge of his own, and the other is a famous teacher and apprentice with profound knowledge. It can be said that when they meet their opponents in chess, they will encounter good talents.
We chatted from morning to afternoon, even while eating.
Chen Jingke and Si Yuncheng were not idle either. Each of them took a pen and wrote down their words. They divided the work and collaborated, each recording the words of their master, and then they could exchange and copy them later.
Many classic works actually came from this.
It wasn't until dusk that the two of them stopped, still not satisfied, and then looked at each other and laughed, and each regarded the other as a confidant.
Chen Jingke and Si Yuncheng also heaved a sigh of relief and exchanged glances in private, feeling a sense of sympathy for each other.
I kept writing with a brush for two or three hours, still in shorthand, and it felt like whoever wrote it knew who was writing it. The two of them could be considered a different kind of comrade-in-arms.
It was only then that Pan Shizheng directed the topic to the real purpose of this trip: "After reading the "Taishang Inspiration" written in the letter of my senior brother, I was shocked that it was a work of heaven and man. Your understanding of the meaning of the Supreme Being is far better than mine.
That’s a lot.”
Sun Simiao smiled and shook his head and said: "Junior brother, I have misunderstood. The Supreme Induction Chapter was not written by me, but by my incompetent disciple."
