Fu Shifeng

Chapter 44
"The disciple was ordered to return the Twelve Empress Dowager Bells, please take a look at the Lord."

In the early morning of the next day, in the Patriarch Hall of Zhonghuangguan, the incense sticks were wafting from the confession case, and the tablets were listed in sequence, like the sacred peaks in the Kongtong, solemn and solemn, as if the ancestors of Zhonghuangguan sat side by side and looked down, watching Mr. Changqing put the magic weapon He handed it to an old Taoist priest.

This old Taoist priest has a childlike face with white hair and a dark brown crown. According to the Taoist discipline of this dynasty, his attire belongs to the position of the cave god, and he is qualified to be in charge of the temple.

After receiving the Twelve Empress Dowager Bells, the old Taoist first bowed deeply to the tablet of the Patriarch, and then sighed softly: "In our generation, Junior Brother Zhou has the highest cultivation level, so when Qi Dadu Hu personally came to invite him, he moved." In the western region, the idea of ​​Guangda Daomen and propagating Xuanfeng, and asked me to take away the Twelve Taihuang Bells."

Mr. Changqing remained silent. Magical artifacts like the Twelve Taihuang Bells, which have been passed down for hundreds of years, are most suitable for the magic of Zhonghuangguan. Its importance is not only used to defend against enemies, but also It condenses the essence of Dharma lineage inheritance.

It can even be said that this small brass bell, which is about the size of a fist, is more valuable than the sum of all the temples and towers in Kongtong Mountain.

Generally speaking, treasures like the Twelve Taihuang Bells will not be taken away easily.And Zhou Lianshi said that it has been six or seven years since he left Zhonghuang Guanshao. If something unexpected happens, this magic weapon related to inheritance is likely to be lost.

It was also the first time for Mr. Changqing to come back to the Huang Temple in Kongtong Mountain, and he was able to receive the courtesy of the Taoists in the temple. He presided over the funeral precisely because he fulfilled his promise and took the initiative to return the Twelve Taihuang Bells instead of taking it privately.

Mr. Changqing's master Daguan Zhenzhen practiced Taoism in Zhonghuang Temple in his early years, but he felt that the Taoism preached in Guannei was flashy and unreal, and it was useless to the world.

The Daguan Daoist, who is upright and unwilling to give way, contradicted the previous generation of temple masters in public, which made it difficult for him to gain a foothold in Zhonghuang Temple. Fu Zang Palace opened another branch.

"We learned that the younger brother founded a sect in Songyue Fuzang Palace. At the beginning, there were mixed feelings in his heart, some were jealous, some hated, and some people were waiting to see the younger brother make a joke." The old Taoist put away the magic weapon, Although the body is still healthy, when recalling the past, he still can't hide the twilight breath: "But now I'm dead and walking, in Zhonghuangguan, I'm the only one left in my generation, and the rest are some Disciples who don't live up to expectations."

"The temple master should not talk in frustration." Mr. Changqing said: "I see that there are many halls and towers in the Zhonghuang Temple, and these are all the merits of the temple master."

"You're making fun of me." The old Taoist shook his head and said, "Master let me take over Huangguan because I was good at management. Look at me, I'm still a cave god. Shallow, I can only rely on a group of disciples to play and sing, so as not to make people look down on my yellow view."

Mr. Changqing didn't know how to answer the conversation. In fact, he himself didn't like this approach.But those who have achieved success in cultivation and are proficient in Taoism will always be a very small minority.Even a person who was considered to have extraordinary aptitude when he was young may not have a high level of attainment in magic throughout his life.

From Mr. Changqing's point of view, there is no one who can cast spells in the Zhonghuang Temple now, except for the old temple master, and it may only take one or two generations to decline.

"Does my nephew intend to stay in this temple for a while?" the old Taoist priest asked.

"I still have to go to Chang'an." Mr. Changqing politely declined: "To tell you the truth, I haven't obtained the Taoist scriptures yet, so I plan to go to Xuandu Temple to participate in the Taoism exercise when I go to Chang'an."

"Oh?" The old Taoist turned his eyes, and led Mr. Changqing to the side hall, and said as he walked, "My nephew may not know something, this exam is also like the imperial exam, and only 30 to [-] people are recruited every year, which can be said to be a thousand. Thousands of troops cross the single-plank bridge. Moreover, it is not possible to go directly to the examination after arriving at Xuandu Temple, and a recommendation letter from the local state and county is required."

"I have heard about it before." Mr. Changqing said, "It's just that I have achieved a little success in cultivating Daoism. This mere Daoist exercise is just a matter of dealing with it casually, just to get a clear background."

Mr. Changqing still remembered that Afu once said that he was a mountain villager and a fake Taoist priest without an official status. Although these words were ugly, they were not wrong when examined carefully.Even though Mr. Changqing has good mana, he is still just an idiot.

The old Taoist priest waved his hands again and again: "Nephew, you don't know that there are many people who go to Chang'an Xuandu Temple to participate in the Taoist examination every year, and there are many people with magic skills, but if you fail the exam, you just fail the exam!"

"Why?"

"Taoist books are only a few pieces of paper, are they really so valuable?" The old Taoist priest smiled with a bit of mystery: "After taking the Taoist examination, the first-level Dharma position will directly give [-] acres of land, and the first Dharma position will add [-] acres." Mu. And the first two Dharma positions don’t need to test spells, but just test the knowledge of Taoism.”

Mr. Changqing's expression darkened when he heard this, and with his intelligence, he could immediately see through the key points: "Have all the Taoist books and books been distributed to the dignitaries?"

"What else?" The old Taoist said with emotion: "Nowadays in Chang'an, there are as many dignitaries and dignitaries who have entered the Tao. Scholars take it as a fashion to talk about the Tao, and they also write poems about immortals. Guess how many of them are sincere cultivators?" Follow the law?"

Mr. Changqing refrained from getting angry. Under the seemingly prosperous appearance of the Taoist sect, most of them are pretending to be fake and following the trend.

And the more such people there are, the more it will encourage heretical sects to cling to the orthodox sect, pointing out the false as the truth, and the dross will rise, making the Taoist sect full of demon atmosphere.

"As for the nominations from prefectures and counties, there are very few places." The old Taoist continued: "The most are Xijing and Dongdu, each with [-] people, but that has been allocated long ago. Fortunately, because Junior Brother Zhou went to Duhu Mansion As a result, Zhonghuang Temple has been awarded a rural tribute quota, and can send one person to Chang'an every year for the Daoist Examination."

The old Taoist priest immediately took out his pen and ink, wrote a few strokes and looked up with a smile: "I haven't asked my nephew's birthplace and layman's name yet. I have to write it clearly in the recommendation letter sent to Xuandu Temple."

"Nanyang, Tang Zijin...Qingqing Zijin's Zijin." Mr. Changqing has not reported his original name to others for a long time. Ever since he got the Taoist title bestowed by his master, he has tried to forget this real name.

"Qingqing Zijin?" The old Taoist master moved his pen like flying, and said with a smile at the same time: "Your Majesty Lingtang must have a deep love between husband and wife."

Mr. Changqing’s jaw trembled, and he almost cursed out loud. What he saw when he was a child appeared involuntarily in front of his eyes—the sick mother often sat by the window, lost in thought, silent for a long time, staring out the window obsessively. The desolate atmosphere of the speech filled the dark room, forming a freeze-frame picture, which was imprinted in the depths of Mr. Changqing's mind.

"That man abandoned us a long time ago. Why do you still look forward to him? Why do you still give me this name?" Kneeling in front of his mother's grave, Tang Zijin, who was very precocious, burst into tears with grief and hatred.

After that day, Tang Zijin... No, Mr. Changqing once swore that he would not shed a single tear, but Master Daguan stroked his little head with his rough hands:
"Changqing, you shed tears today because you witnessed life and death. People who practice the Tao must understand the barriers of life and death, but if you see life and death in the world and still don't realize it, then I'm afraid it's not the right way. If you cry when you see life and death again in the future, you must I will return to my original mind and gain enlightenment.”

Master's words echoed in his ears, and Mr. Changqing realized that he had shed tears several times because of Zhou Lianshi's death.

At the beginning, Mr. Changqing thought it was a Taoist who hurt others, but now he found that he had a lack of character in the past, and laughed at others for pretending too much, but why didn't he do the same?

"Okay!" The old Taoist priest wrote a letter of recommendation and stamped it with his seal: "My nephew will come to Chang'an Xuandu Temple in the future, hand in this letter of recommendation, and he will be able to successfully participate in the Taoist election."

Mr. Changqing took the letter and immediately bowed to thank him. The old Taoist priest was afraid of making mistakes, and reminded him more: "Xuandu is no different from other places. The rich and nobles come and go, and bribes with ordinary money are self-defeating. My nephew is a master of Taoism, you just need to show it." One or two is enough. If the spell is too clever, I am afraid it will attract unnecessary prying eyes. The nephew has noble people to help, so it is not a problem to be famous in the Daoist Book."

"Thank you, the Lord, for your guidance." Even though he knew that the other party's action was to repay him for returning the Twelve Taihuang Bells, Mr. Changqing still thanked him from the bottom of his heart.

After collecting the recommendation letter, Mr. Changqing and the temple owner came to the guest room next to the Taoist temple, where Cheng Sanwu and his party were eating.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Cheng Sanwu holding a clay pot bigger than his face, pouring the green and black green rice into his mouth, his neck, which was already thicker than ordinary people, retracted and retracted, making people suspect that he had never chewed it at all. , is to pour rice into an abyss.

This green fine rice was created by the Taoist sages. First, the southern candle leaves were mashed to get the juice, which was used to soak the rice and steam the rice, and then it was steamed and dried nine times to make dry food, which was convenient for long-term storage and also suitable for long-distance travel. A must-have for boarding.

Some Taoists who are good at Jinshi Waidan even add bluestone fat to green rice, soak it for many days, steam it and mash it, add honey and knead it into pills, three pills a day, in conjunction with bigu refining.

Of course, the fine green rice used by Zhonghuangguan to entertain guests will also be mixed with mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, and wild vegetables and stewed together. Finally, a spoonful of sesame oil will be poured to enhance the aroma.

In addition to Qingjing Rice, there are several Vegetarian meals on the meal table - such as "Tuzhidan" stewed taro with distiller's lees, and "Shenxian Cake" with mashed Atractylodes yam and boiled with honey, called "Zhenjun Soup" porridge with dried apricots.There is also a dish of "Shanjia Three Crisps", which is boiled in salt water with young bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and wolfberry heads, and then mixed with sesame oil and soy sauce vinegar.

It has to be said that Zhonghuangguan's fast food is a must. Apart from Cheng Sanwu who doesn't distinguish between good and bad, Su Wangting and Afu both appreciate it quite a lot. Even Qin Wangshu, who was standing behind Afu, also ate a few mouthfuls of fairy cakes , and quietly asked the Guannei Taoist about the practice of these fasting meals.

"Looking down on poverty, it's not as prosperous as Chang'an. There are only these mountain vegetables. Please forgive me." The old Taoist arched his hands and bowed. He just learned from Mr. Changqing last night that Afu is a nobleman in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but he dared not To make a statement, I just ordered the Taoists in the temple to prepare a good meal for the guests.

Cheng Sanwu put down the pot, turned his head to take a look, raised his hand and shouted: "Ah! You are that old bastard who chased me yesterday?!"

"Poverty Taoist Fang Deyi, Tian is the master of the Zhonghuang Temple." The old Taoist bowed slightly.

"Come, come, tell me clearly, what happened to the hard labor yesterday?" Cheng Sanwu stood up, pointed at Mr. Changqing, and said, "I heard from him that Huang Guan among you didn't make any friends at all. A pear tree, that is an ordinary pear tree!"

Fang De showed no fear at all, stroked his beard lightly, showing the appearance of a worldly expert, and put on a pose: "No, no, I saw the strong man yesterday, you have evil eyes, if you don't deal with it as soon as possible, there may be bloody disasters. Therefore, a plan was devised to let the strong men enter the mountain to carry water back and forth, and use the righteousness of the vegetation in Kongtong Mountain to dispel the evil spirits."

"Ah..." Cheng Sanwu was so intimidated that he was speechless, and looked at Mr. Changqing in a daze.

"Fang Guanzhu's words are true." When Mr. Changqing thought of Cheng Sanwu's stupid way of carrying buckets of water yesterday, a smile almost came to his face. He also saw Su Wangting and Afu behind Cheng Sanwu helping each other Covering his face with his forehead, he struggled to hold back a smile, but he still gritted his teeth and said in cooperation:

"And no matter what, it's not too much to make up for the fact that you stole first and helped Zhonghuangguan carry water overnight. The whole pot of green rice you ate just now is more expensive than ten large pears. Fang The temple master treats you very generously, so don't blame the good people."

Cheng Sanwu showed embarrassment, and he looked back, Su Wangting and Afu returned to their indifferent appearance in an instant, only Qin Wangshu's cold and sharp eyes were full of sarcasm.

"Okay..." Cheng Sanwu scratched his head, bowed his hands to Fang De, and said reluctantly: "I did something wrong, please forgive me, Taoist priest."

"Knowing mistakes can be corrected. There is nothing good about being good." Fang De said with a twist: "A strong man will achieve a lot in the future, and he will cherish himself if he is good."

After speaking, Fang De turned around and left in a hurry, showing his high popularity.

Cheng Sanwu's shoulders loosened, and before he could speak, there was a burst of laughter behind him. Su Wangting and Afu couldn't bear it anymore, leaving Cheng Sanwu in a daze.

"What are you laughing at?" Cheng Sanwu turned his head and saw Mr. Changqing smiling again, revealing his youthful disposition, and the past self-esteem and disdain for comparison disappeared without a trace.

"What are you looking at?" Mr. Changqing noticed that Cheng Sanwu was staring at him.

Cheng Sanwu murmured: "You seem to have changed, but I can't tell what changed."

Mr. Changqing frowned, he had just broken through a barrier in his mental state, this Cheng Sanwu unexpectedly noticed it immediately, such incredible sensitivity, he was like a wild beast.

"Thank you." Mr. Changqing said suddenly.

"Thank you for what?" Cheng Sanwu was puzzled.

"When I was in the Western Regions, you were the ones who saved me." Mr. Changqing faced the past calmly: "At that time outside the Huluo Inn, you could have killed me, but you didn't."

"Thank them both." Cheng Sanwu pointed to the two people behind him: "One finds out that you are still alive, and the other persuades me not to do anything."

Mr. Changqing was deeply impressed by Cheng Sanwu's frankness and unrestraint. Compared with himself, this person can face his heart more directly, and it can be said that he has an undisguised true temperament.

"I'm done with my business, and I'll go to Chang'an with you." Mr. Changqing smiled lightly, and sat down at the desk to have breakfast: "Also, just call me Changqing from now on."

(End of this chapter)