The Legend of Shushan Xuanjian

Chapter 213 Shaolin old friend
Bodhidharma passed on the Buddha's heart from the clouds, and the preface said that the world has been lost until now.

After returning to the Western Regions with only the shoes, An De's remains are in Shaolin.

The lonely moon is bright and the palace is cold, and the breeze is constantly blowing the old pine deep.

Xie Gong loves the beauty of mountains and springs, and is willing to visit and search for Youchan.

——Sima Guang from "He Junkuan Shaolin Temple"
……

The Shaolin stick monks dispersed, and the Zhike monk walked down the stone steps, and came to talk to him with a smile on his face.

He smoothed things over and said: "Shaolin disciples are chivalrous and righteous, so it is inevitable that they will make enemies with others in the Jianghu. Some enemies pretend to be pilgrims, waiting for opportunities to provoke and seek revenge. Some monks are eager to protect the temple, and they are too vigilant. It's hard to be harsh. I scolded him a few times, and it seems that this old problem has happened again.

The monks are simple and vulgar, with eyes but no pearls, and if they are rude, please be kind to the young hero.I don't know where the young hero came from?Worshiping the mountain today, what can I learn? "

The Zhike monk didn't say a word about Bai Fu's hurting others.After a few words, the words were sincere, and the atmosphere was relieved quickly.

As the saying goes, fists don't hit smiling faces.Seeing that the guest monk was so polite, Bai Fu regretted that he had shot too hard just now.

Bai Fu bowed deeply first, and then bowed his head to salute, and handed the greeting card to the well-known monk, saying: "As the master said, it was indeed a misunderstanding just now, and I have offended you so much. Please forgive me! I am the school secretary. Lang Baifu, under the order of the imperial court master Xu, came to visit the abbot."

The Zhike monk took the greeting card with both hands and read it carefully.After verifying Bai Fu's identity, the Zhike monk looked up at Bai Fu, and saw that he was dressed plainly, had no entourage and guards, spoke modestly, and had no official authority.The Zhike monk was relieved and confirmed that Bai Fu was just a low-ranking official under the Taifu's seat.A trace of imperceptible contempt flashed in the Zhike monk's eyes.

The Zhike monk smiled and said: "The abbot has been in seclusion recently and has not seen outsiders. If the benefactor trusts the old monk, he can hand over Xu Taifu's letter to the old monk, and the old monk will pass it on to the abbot. Do you think this is good?"

Ordinarily, as soon as he went to Shaoshi Mountain, he formed a relationship with the Shaolin stick monk, Bai Fu wanted to leave early in his heart, and thought to himself:
"This zhike monk has a kind smile on his face. What he does is welcome and deliver the work. The status in the temple is probably not low. I handed this letter to him, which is considered to have completed the task. But when I came, the Taifu repeatedly emphasized that the letter should be sent to him. Present it to Abbot Kongjian personally. The Taifu must have a deep meaning in his words, since I have taken orders, I must act according to orders and be loyal to others."

Thinking of this, Bai Fu smiled apologetically, bowed deeply, and said: "Thank you for your kindness, master. The master's method is very good, and I also have the same intention. But when I came, Taifu Xu repeatedly asked me to submit the letter to Kong Jian in person. The abbot himself. He has to follow the military order. I hope Master will understand if it is inappropriate!"

After finishing speaking, Bai Fu bowed and gave another salute.

The Zhike monk smiled lightly and said: "Okay, that's all I said. The benefactor is stubborn, and the old monk has no other way. Then please wait in the guest room, and I will report first. When there is news, I will call you again. "

After finishing speaking, he called the little novice close to him, whispered a few words, and arranged for the little novice to take Bai Fu to the guest room to rest.A Shaolin stick monk was spying from a distance, and when he saw the direction Bai Fu was going, he covered his mouth for fun, and went back to report the news.

After the arrangements were made, the Zhike monk returned to his meditation room, and threw Bai Fu's greeting card into the bottom of the bamboo basket, unwilling to take a second look.After that, he picked up several other documents and walked towards the elders' house.

Just as the Zhike monk was leaving the meditation room, a young novice came into the meditation room to clean it.Looking around, he quickly flipped through all the documents and documents in the bamboo basket.When he saw Bai Fu's greeting card, his expression changed.After silently reciting a few words, he put the greeting card back into the bamboo basket intact.After cleaning, he looked calm, locked the meditation room, and left as usual.

……

The seemingly kind-hearted Zhike monk changed his face as soon as he said it, which made Bai Fu very uncomfortable, suffocating in his heart, irritated and depressed.

Bai Fu was placed in the lowest-level guest room, connected with the trough factory in the temple, and in the same courtyard as the woodshed.The guest room is small, rough and simple, with one bed and one couch, and nothing else.The bedding was dirty and smelled of stinky rags.

Bai Fu is not stupid, he knows why when he sees it.He secretly said in his heart: "Good trick, don't utter dirty words when swearing, so I'm disgusted here."

At this moment, I have already entered Shaolin, I don't want to leave, I don't want to stay, and I don't know how long I will stay?The guest room is like an unlocked prison, fettering travel.

Bai Fu became more and more depressed, restless, and walked out of the house after staying for a while.Standing on the attic, overlooking the entire courtyard.

There are no other monks in the trough factory, only one practitioner with hair is busy working.A big stone was tied to his waist, and he was bending over to pound rice with great effort.

There was a knock at the door, and another traveler, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying two large wooden barrels on his shoulders, carried water from the foot of the mountain into the woodshed.

The wooden barrel he carried on his shoulder was huge.Bai Fu checked visually, each wooden barrel can hold one or two hundred catties of water, and the two wooden barrels add up to four to five hundred catties.This person carried such a heavy burden up the mountain, as if walking on flat ground, walking like flying, this skill is astonishing.

The man poured water into a large copper vat in the courtyard, took off his bamboo hat, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.Bai Fu was stunned for a moment, this person was Hu Changgang, a disciple of Shaolin laymen who killed the second king at the Chuanzhu Temple in Songzhou - Jiangyou fellow villager.

After Hu Changgang finished carrying the water, he picked up the machete and chopped the firewood for the fire without resting.The hatchet is not sharp, but Hu Changgang can split the face-sized wooden pier in half with one stroke without any effort.Ordinary carpenters, I am afraid that cutting with an axe is not so neat.Since Bai Fu acquired the Xuan Tie Houbei Saber, he has gained a new understanding and love for the saber technique.Hu Changgang chops firewood like a cook butting an ox. Every move and style is kung fu, and all the samādhis hold the truth and wisdom.

Hu Changgang was a young hero that Bai Fu admired and admired in the past, and when he saw him suddenly, he was extremely happy and was about to go downstairs to recognize him.

There was only a "creak" sound at the door, and an old monk with white beard and hair and a kind face stepped into the tank factory.When the old monk saw the two people walking on the broken firewood, he nodded appreciatively and said: "Those who seek the way should forget their bodies for the sake of the Dharma, so it should be so!"

He asked the traveler who was pounding the rice, "Is the rice cooked yet?"

The traveler who pounded the rice replied: "The rice has been ripe for a long time, but it still needs to be sieved."

The old monk clapped his hands and laughed.

The old monk stepped into the firewood room, walked up to Hu Changgang, and said, "Which one is more difficult, carrying water and chopping firewood?"

Hu Changgang said: "It's easy to pick up something, but hard to put it down. It's easy to split the firewood in the mountains, but it's hard to break the bamboo in the heart."

The old monk recited a verse: "If you know where the firewood falls, you know that you have no place to live. There is no difference in the way back, and the burden is all on your shoulders.

Hu Changgang was silent for a long time.

The old monk said: "Don't think about what is right, don't think about what is wrong, right and wrong, that is the true face of a practitioner."

Hu Changgang realized what he said, and asked for further advice: "The secret words come up unexpectedly, is there any more secret meaning?"

The old monk said: "Those who tell you are not secret. If you reflect, secret is by your side."

Hu Changgang said: "I have practiced for many years, but I have not really checked my face. Now I have been instructed by my master, just like a person who drinks water, he knows whether he is warm or not."

The old monk scolded: "Blunt, useless!"

He picked up his crutches and hit Hu Changgang three times on the top of his head, then walked away.

Bai Fu's heart moved, but he didn't say anything.Decided not to recognize Hu Changgang for the time being, in order to see the changes tonight.

　Notes:
　　The dialogue between the old monk and Pochai Tadu is quoted from the Zen dialogue between Patriarch Hongren and Patriarch Huineng, Patriarch Huineng and Master Huiming in the "Tanjing".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)