Volume 1 The Empire in the Morning Chapter 179 A Midsummer Rain
Volume 1: The Empire in the Morning Chapter 179: A Rain in Midsummer
"I scared you to death, where can I find a successor?"
"The problem is that it doesn't sound like it's true."
"What's not true?"
"Chang'an City, the Shocking God Formation, leave it to me? Why? Why?"
"Because there are too few Talisman Masters in the world who are qualified to preside over the Shocking God Formation, and even fewer can be trusted by the empire. Of the three reclusive Talisman Masters in the academy, only Xiao Huanghe is a citizen of the Tang Dynasty. Your uncle Gongsun's physical condition is
There is a big problem, and Ning Que, you are the master’s student and my apprentice, why can’t the court trust you? Why can’t it be handed over to you?”
"Who can agree?"
"I agree."
"Master, is your agreement enough?"
"Your Majesty has agreed. He told me that he once told you that he would take you to see something after you officially enter the Talisman Path."
"His Majesty did say...but...what does this have to do with what we are talking about at this time."
"When you see that thing in the future, you will understand."
…
…
It is of course a very happy and glorious thing to become a Talisman Master with a high status. However, if after becoming a Talisman Master, the security of the entire Chang'an City and even the entire Datang Empire will be in your hands, then this
This kind of happiness and glory will be strengthened countless times, but the glory will eventually become a mountain-like responsibility and a sky-like pressure.
When I think about myself standing on the tower of Chang'an City overlooking the scenery of the world decades later, I will no longer be able to easily feel like I am drifting away with the wind. Instead, I will carefully observe the more than one million people of the Tang Dynasty living there, and always be prepared to fight for Yan Zuo.
In order to survive the Tang Dynasty for thousands of years and make choices that are absolutely difficult for ordinary people to make, Ning Que felt a little hard to breathe and felt depressed.
If we evaluate it objectively, any young man who has just been exposed to the world of spiritual practice for less than a year and is still in the realm of non-confusion will be frightened to death if he suddenly learns that the important figures in the empire's arrangements for his future are so important.
Ning Que was no exception, but after all, he had experienced too many shocks and shocks in his life, and he was brave enough and wild enough. Especially after entering the second floor of the academy, his mentality became more stable, and could even be called calm.
Calm and lazy.
So after returning to Lin 47 Lane, his mood quickly returned to normal.
At the entrance of the alley, an old cat raised by someone unknown was lying on the stone floor, squinting its eyes and lazily basking in the sun.
…
…
In fact, Ning Que was not lazy. In the following days, in order to avoid the enthusiastic Chang'an people and government officials, he still got up before dark, went out early in the morning, and went to the back mountain of the academy to practice swordsmanship, knife practice, fine needlework, and listening to the wind.
After listening to music and playing chess, after leaving the academy, I continued to tour the surrounding scenery of Chang'an City and visited various ancient Taoist temples. However, I did not have the master to accompany me now, I was just on the road alone.
Chang'an City finally came to the most difficult period of the year, the hot and suffocating summer. Ning Que also visited more than ten Taoist temples and finally came to Wanyan Pagoda Temple in Nancheng. Unfortunately, spring had passed.
The geese had already gone north to spend the summer at Xunyang Lake in Gushan County, so he could not see the shocking scene of thousands of geese flying around the ancient pagoda.
Fortunately, places like Taoist Buddhist temples have always liked to steal the most beautiful scenery from the world to use as the background, so the Taoist monks had no choice but to improve some beautiful scenery to avoid being scolded too badly by the world, so Wanyan Pagoda Temple is here
Although there were no geese to see at that time, at least there was still a pagoda with moss marks on the ancient bricks, as well as the beautifully carved stone statues of the Lord in the temple.
Ning Que raised his head and looked at the pagoda for a while, and found that he did not see any understanding of the Taoism, nor did he see any beauty. He shrugged and walked towards the Buddhist hall. He was immediately attracted by the smooth lines but extremely dignified venerable figures.
It seemed to attract attention.
The world is shrouded in the divine radiance of Haotian, and the Buddhist sect is silently guarding the corner of the moon. Although some temples have been built around various cities, they are not mainstream after all. Most of the Buddhist monks practice hard in the wilderness, and they do not care about the secular people.
Ning Que's influence is also very small. Like most people, Ning Que doesn't know much about the teachings and classics of Buddhism. He only knows that the so-called venerable's status in Buddhism is roughly equivalent to what ordinary people call a saint.
These are some ancient legends that are almost like myths.
The stone statues of the Venerable are placed one after another in the quiet Buddhist hall. The windows are covered with yellow paper. The filtered light falls on the stone statues, emitting a quiet yellowish luster. The stone statues of the Venerable come in different shapes.
Some are smiling, speechless, or have a bitter look on their faces. The hands exposed outside the monk's robes are also different, some are joined together, some are lightly held, or some are spread out and joined together in a strange way.
Ning Que guessed that this should be the handprint of the Buddha, and subconsciously imitated it according to the image of Master Shi. He stretched out his hands outside his sleeves and slowly closed them, then spread his fingers and crossed them, or flexed his fingers and sunk his wrists like lotus flowers. Gradually, there was a hidden feeling in his heart.
I feel it, but I can’t say what it feels like.
After walking out of the Buddhist hall, the world was once again shrouded in bright and hot sunlight. He blinked his eyes and shook his head with some disappointment. When he was about to leave, a middle-aged monk walked out from under the Wanyan Pagoda and smiled at him.
…
…
A shabby room at the top of the tower.
The middle-aged monk placed a cup of tea in front of Ning Que and said calmly: "You can call me Huang Yang."
Ning Que took the tea and thanked him. He felt that the name was somewhat familiar, as if he had heard it mentioned by Master Yan Se.
"You must be a little confused as to why I want to invite you upstairs to talk."
The middle-aged monk looked at him and smiled and said, "I was invited by someone to say a few words to you."
Ning Que was holding the lukewarm tea and felt a little confused. He thought, "Who asked you to say something to me?" At this moment, he finally remembered the identity of this Huangyang monk and the rumors he had heard in the past.
Story, suddenly startled, he quickly stood up, bowed his head to the ground, and saluted: "I've seen... I've seen the master."
Monk Huangyang laughed and said: "Many people find it troublesome to call me how to call me. In the eyes of the people, I am the so-called imperial brother, and they often call me royal brother. But I am not an adult, I am just a person."
Monk."
Ning Que smiled and didn't know how to answer the question.
Monk Huang Yang pointed to the hill-like Buddhist scriptures on the desk behind him and said: "These are the Buddhist scriptures that I brought back from the wilderness. I want to translate them into plain words so that the true meaning of the scriptures can be told to the world. I have only learned them briefly.
Bo, after so many years of work, there are still many volumes that have not been completed, so please don’t mind if I start telling you directly.”
The middle-aged monk sitting opposite is the imperial disciple of the Tang Dynasty, the most respected Buddhist master in the empire. Although until now, I have not guessed who he was invited to speak to me, but this master put down this
Instead of translating and annotating many Buddhist scriptures, I took the time to talk to myself. I thought what I needed to say was extremely important, so Ning Que would not have the slightest opinion.
"I don't know much about the way of runes, so I can only talk about the practice process that I have experienced. Buddhism emphasizes enlightenment of the mind. If you can hold the Buddha's mind, you are a Buddha. From our perspective, the vitality of the world around us is
It can be said to be a gift given to us by Haotian, or it can be said to be some brilliance that has existed since ancient times. Does Haotian have a will like human beings? Whether it is the Taoist Buddhism or the predecessors of the academy, it has always existed.
Let’s not mention the debate today.”
Monk Huang Yang spoke directly, without any pleasantries or transitions. He directly stated a huge proposition. However, after a brief explanation, he stopped abruptly and quickly got to the point.
"Buddhist practice is asceticism. The so-called suffering does not mean suffering, but walking between heaven and earth, and having close contact with the cliffs and streams for many years. Then one day, a water drop appears in the stream, and you may be able to sense the world.
The vitality between.”
"Practice is about understanding the laws of movement of the vitality of heaven and earth, and perceiving how the vitality flows and how it remains still. Buddhist disciples also need to learn, but our learning relies more on years of accumulation and suddenly figuring out these things. We call this
Enlightenment.”
Even if a truly good student faces Einstein, he will not passively wait to be fed by a goose like a fish in the back of the academy. Instead, he will ask questions bravely and timely. Ning Que is undoubtedly the best student.
A good student, so after Monk Huangyang finished saying this, he frowned and asked: "Is it possible to recognize all the attributes of things by being extremely familiar with their objective existence?"
"You summed it up very well. No wonder you can enter the second floor of the academy."
Monk Huangyang was slightly startled and said with appreciation: "This is roughly the truth, but from the Buddhist perspective, these heaven and earth vitality have existed before us and will exist forever after us. This is a kind of experience that transcends worldly experience and even
The objective existence of survival experience, so when we live in it, it is more about perception than mastery, and we should not think about controlling it."
"So Buddhism does not use the degree of understanding and control of the laws of heaven and earth to divide realms like other schools of practice. There is nothing that does not confuse the mysterious world. How can we not be confused if we spend a lifetime learning about the endless heaven and earth? Since it is the mysterious meaning of heaven and earth,
How can we understand it thoroughly?"
Ning Que thought about this passage carefully and felt that these views of Buddhism were a bit too rigid, at least not very positive.
"Buddhism only pays attention to enlightenment. If you are enlightened, you are enlightened. If you are not enlightened, you are not enlightened."
Monk Huang Yang looked at him and said calmly: "I have been practicing asceticism everywhere in the world with my master since I was a child. After my master died of old age and frailty, I heard that there was a Buddhist holy land in the far west of the wasteland, so I went to Yuelun Kingdom.
Then I followed the caravan from the Moon Wheel Kingdom into the wasteland. In seven years, I followed seventeen different caravans into the wasteland. Some caravans stayed in the barbarian tribes and never came back. More caravans took me with them.
I returned to Yuelun Kingdom with a generous reward, but I never found the legendary Buddhist holy land."
"One of the caravans entered the wilderness four times, and I followed them in and out four times, and became familiar with the merchants, coachmen, and guards. One day, a sandstorm hit, and the caravan was trapped in a siege somewhere in Qiucheng. At night,
A team of horse thieves who came to escape the sandstorm also entered this siege, and then started killing for no reason."
Hearing the word "horse thief", Ning Que raised his eyebrows purely subconsciously, a bright light flashed in his eyes, his body suddenly stiffened instinctively, and he was filled with murderous intent, and he said in a deep voice: "Master, what happened next?
"
He knew that this question was unnecessary. He knew the ferocity of the horse thieves in the wilderness better than anyone else, and the master was still sitting here. He thought that something had happened, and it was very possible that the master became enlightened that day.
Sure enough, Monk Huangyang said: "The horse thieves were somewhat afraid of the Buddhist disciples after all, and they didn't surround me until they killed all of them. At that moment, he followed the master for twenty years of asceticism and went in and out of the wilderness for seven years.
I finally became enlightened."
Listening to the master's narration, Ning Que seemed to be able to see the cruel scenes of that night in the wasteland. His mind was slightly shaken. He looked across the table and asked subconsciously: "Master, what happened after you became enlightened? What happened to those horse thieves?
?”
Monk Huang Yang smiled slightly and did not answer the question, but slowly poured some tea into his cup.
Ning Que smiled, knowing that he had asked another meaningless question. Although the Buddhist sect emphasizes compassion and salvation, from the introduction of the Angry Eyed Venerable in the Buddhist sect, he knew that the Buddhist sect also had thunderous anger when encountering evil people.
, those horse thieves were all naturally dead.
Monk Huang Yang said: "As for how I became enlightened at that time, I still don't understand. I only remember that my body was soaked in the blood of my familiar companions. I felt that the blood was very hot, and the skin on my body was burning, as if it was about to burn.
Looks normal."
After hearing this, Ning Que gently rubbed his fingers under the table. He felt that the blood stains from his childhood were still so sticky. Although they had faded a lot now, they still made him feel a little uncomfortable.
Monk Huang Yang looked at him and said: "I have been suffering and confused for many years. Since I want to be enlightened, why can't I be enlightened earlier? Even half a day in advance, my friends in the caravan will not be killed by horse thieves."
It took me a long time to finally understand this truth. The reasons and opportunities for everyone's enlightenment are different. The opportunity will come when it comes. If the opportunity doesn't come, you can't force it."
Ning Que understood that the master's words were a reminder to himself.
Monk Huang Yang continued: "Blood is not fire. It should not be spicy, let alone burn. However, for me at that time, blood was spicy and could burn, burning my clothes, body and even the heart of the Buddha.
Burn it all. If enlightenment is the perception of the laws of heaven and earth's vitality, then everyone's enlightenment should be different. Only what you feel is real, and what others teach you is false, so you don't have to worry.
, take your time and you will eventually understand.”
Ning Que thought silently for a long time, then bowed his arms to the ground and walked down the Wanyan Pagoda.
After a while, Li Qingshan, the great master of the Tang Dynasty, walked in from nowhere, looked at Monk Huang Yang and said, "I can't thank you enough."
Monk Huang Yang shook his head and said, "With so many contacts in such a short period of time, aren't you worried that something will happen to him?"
Li Qingshan said calmly: "A Talisman Master who is already standing in front of the threshold, the Buddhist sect's virtuous Yudi Master, plus those weirdos on the second floor of the academy, use this lineup to lead a young man who has just entered the world of practice.
, if he can avoid problems, then the future will definitely be promising. If this still doesn’t work, then... we can only wait for Master to return to China."
The great practitioners who stood at the top of the Tang Empire were all devoted to Ning Que's education. As the national teacher Li Qingshan said, I dare not say that such a lineup will never happen again, but I believe it is extremely difficult to appear before.
Monk Huangyang was silent for a moment and then said with a smile: "I hope he can live up to your expectations in the future."
"The Military Department and the Tianshu Office have also investigated him in detail. His loyalty to the Tang Dynasty is unquestionable. Being able to enter the second floor of the academy means that he has enough potential and may even grow into a Talisman Master in the future. The most important thing is
Yes, he is not like other practitioners who are ignorant of worldly affairs and walk on the clouds. Instead, he acts calmly and coldly. When encountering enemies, he dares to kill people and is willing to use any means."
"How could Your Majesty miss such a young man? Not to mention the fate of that set of letters?"
"The reason why we have worked so hard to train him with such a lineup is not because we old guys expect him to grow up and bring glory to our faces in the future, but because the future of the Tang Empire needs young people like him."
…
…
Since that day in the palace, after having an exquisite feast of cold fire and autumn smoke, Ning Que sent some letters through the guard office, but he never entered the palace again, nor did he meet the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
, so he didn’t know that he had become the most important candidate for the Tang Empire’s talent training program. However, during a conversation with Master Huang Yang on the Wanyan Pagoda today, he more or less guessed something that would allow the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to personally
To come forward, in addition to the face of Master Yan Se, it must also be a bit of face in the palace.
Even if he guessed a little bit, he was not shocked, especially compared to the time when the master on the Nancheng Tower pointed at the picturesque mountains and said that the safety of this world-famous city would be left to you later, but of course he would be moved.
mood.
For several days after the meeting at Wanyan Pagoda, he kept thinking about Master Huang Yang's words, especially the word "enlightenment".
The more he thought about it, the more he confirmed that the enlightenment emphasized by Buddhism, if put into the system of ordinary cultivation methods, is actually Dongxuan, which is a preliminary grasp of the laws of movement of the vitality of heaven and earth.
At this time, Ning Que's realm was still at Buhuo, and he was only a short distance away from the lower realm of Dongxuan. The same was true for the Talisman. He was only a short distance away from drawing the talisman, but
This seems to be only a slight distance, but it is the most difficult part.
Seeing that there is only one step away from climbing the dangerous peak, but that step can't be taken, no matter who it is, he will inevitably feel anxious and anxious. A few days ago, Ning Que did manage to be calm and calm, but deep down in his heart
Of course, he had been looking forward to that day. It wasn’t until he listened to Master Huang Yang’s words about enlightenment at the Wanyan Pagoda that he suddenly discovered that these seemingly peaceful and natural expectations were also a kind of anxiety, which was detrimental to spiritual practice.
It is also an obstacle.
After thinking deeply for a night, Ning Que no longer thought about these things. All the caves and talismans were forgotten by him. He would still go to the mountain behind the academy to listen to Feijian, play blacksmith and gossip, or walk around the scenic spots in Chang'an City.
He walked away, but he never thought about the day when he would be able to gain insight into the mysteries. He never thought about the day when he would be able to write the first stroke on that piece of white paper. He looked at the cornices of scenic and historic buildings, and he no longer wanted to feel anything from them.
Instead, I just purely appreciate the beauty therein, reflecting and imprinting those lines into my eyes.
One day in midsummer.
In the afternoon, Laobi Studio was shrouded in unbearable heat and humidity. Ning Que leaned on the bamboo chair under the tree, staring blankly at the sky above his head divided by branches and green leaves. From time to time, he would pick up dampness from the basin next to the chair.
I patted my body twice with a thick towel and washed away the greasy sweat and heat from my body with well water.
"Hurry up and change the water. The water in the basin is hot again. What the hell is this weather like? Hurry up and get some fresh cold well water."
He was not anxious because of the practice, but he was anxious because of the heat and shouted loudly to the front.
In order to resist the endless stream of admirers and government officials, Laobi Zhai is now open for two days and three days when the proprietor is happy. Sangsang was really bored during the day, so he wiped the tables and chairs in the front shop again and again. At this time
Listening to Ning Que's angry shouts in the yard, she quickly ran out, poured the old water in the basin under the tree, and then walked to the well to get new water.
At this moment, a long-awaited rain fell, crackling and hitting the eaves and leaves, and then quickly turned into a majestic heavy rain. The rain was like thunder, but it could not cover up the noise coming from the neighbors in the back alley.
Shouts of ecstasy.
"Master, go into the house and hide quickly."
Sangsang threw down the basin and quickly closed the window.
Ning Que lay on the bamboo chair but did not move. He looked at the rain falling from the sky, feeling the crisp feeling of the raindrops hitting his naked skin, and the humidity that enveloped the streets. His expression looked a little weird.
.
Sangsang looked at him from the window and shouted, "Why don't you come in?"
Ning Que opened his eyes, looked at the increasingly dense rain, and suddenly shouted loudly: "Look, it's so beautiful."
Sangsang thought that the young master was talking nonsense again. She waited for a long time and found that Ning Que was still lying on the bamboo chair stupidly. Although she was not worried that he would catch a cold on a hot day, she was worried that he would become a fool and wince in the rain.
With a thin eyebrow, she walked out of the door, walked to the bamboo chair, and followed his example, looking up to the sky.
Ning Que saw that she was struggling to look up, so he put his arms around her waist and held her in his arms.
The master and the servant lay side by side on bamboo chairs, lying in the heavy rain, looking at the sky with their eyes open.
Sang Sang looked at the rain streaks that hit her face like arrows and said in surprise: "It's really beautiful."
Ning Que wiped the rainwater from her face and asked, "Do you think we are like eaves under a thousand years of wind and rain?"
Sangsang shook his head and said, "I don't think so. I think it's like a city wall being shot with many arrows."
Ning Que sighed: "What a moodless girl."
…
…
As night fell, the rain gradually stopped.
Sang Sang started cooking. After Ning Que dried his body, he came to the desk in front of the window again.
He poured water into the inkstone, sharpened the ink and picked up the pen, just like he had done every time for more than ten years, naturally and normally.
The white paper on the desk is still the same one. The edges have been rolled up after being left there for dozens of days, but the top is still white.
He moved his eyes away from the pages of the water part of the rune book and glanced at the raindrops dripping from the eaves.
Then he calmed down and put pen to paper.
The plump pen tip is like a treetop filled with rainwater, falling gently on the snow-white paper.
One line, two lines, three lines, six lines.
The six lines are drawn.
Ning Que took a deep breath and put the writing down.
Sangsang walked in with two large bowls of soy sauce rice, put them aside, walked to the desk and looked curiously.
Then she looked up at the roof, frowned slightly, and said unhappily: "It's actually leaking? Didn't it say that this is the new house for the fourth year of Tianqi? Master Ming'er, you have to talk to Fourth Master Qi, and the rent must be reduced.
"
Ning Que shook his head helplessly and said, "When did we pay the rent? Besides, the house is not leaking."
"You can't say there's no rain? Master, did you get a fever from being exposed to the rain? Do you want me to go to the pharmacy..."
Sang Sang pointed to the white paper on the desk, looked at Ning Que and asked with concern.
However, before she could finish speaking, Ning Que pulled her thin body into his arms.
Sangsang felt that the young master seemed to be very excited today, so she had no choice but to open her arms helplessly and let him hold her in bewilderment.
Ning Que hugged her tightly, and after a moment of silence, he said with a smile in her ear: "Tell the people in Chang'an City who want to invite me to dinner that from today on, I will have time to go to their houses for dinner."
After hearing this, Sangsang stiffened slightly and looked at the desk again.
The six ink marks on the snow-white paper on the desk have long since disappeared.
There was just a big puddle of water.
Not rain.
It's water.
…
…
(Originally I planned to write 3,000 words, but as I kept writing, I got really excited and happy, so I wrote 6,000 words and finished this large plot. Well, I’m really happy.
When you are so happy, don’t ask for recommendation votes and ***. I’m sorry to myself. Anyway, you know that recommendation votes are your destiny. *** I really want it casually, but you really can’t give it casually, you have to give it hard!)