Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Chapter 644: The boss came to persuade, and said one more word to kill the flag

At the foot of Tiantai Mountain, there is an ancient street town.

Bafang Inn is the largest inn in the Jiefang Ancient Town. It is a four-storey building with a red lantern hanging at the gate with a couplet written on it, "I don't know where the fairyland of Tiantai is, but there are people's homes in its depths."

There are various decorative murals on the walls of the inn, most of which are related to monks, and the words on the murals are full of Zen sayings.

Inside the inn, there is a stage on the first floor. The owner will arrange programs, mostly erhu playing, storytelling, etc. There are a large number of round tables around the stage.

The environment on the second floor is better, with many private rooms where you can enjoy the view while eating. The third and fourth floors are for accommodation.

Because the inn is located at the foot of Mount Tiantai, the Tiantai Sect is very popular and has many pilgrims, the inn has always had good business.

This is the righteous gathering place chosen by Zhang Zhiwei.

As soon as Zhang Zhiwei arrived at the foot of Tiantai Mountain last night, he booked this place.

There were still some guests in the inn. Li Muxuan invited them all to leave with some polite words and sufficient compensation.

At this moment, there were only seven people in the inn, Zhang Zhiwei and his three brothers, Lu Jin and his three brothers, and Lu Ci. The other righteous people had not arrived yet, but the news had spread and they were on the way.

The storm is about to come, and this can be described as the calm before the storm. The others were either overwhelmed with emotions or restless, and it was difficult for them to calm down.

Only Zhang Zhiwei was there, leaning back in his chair, drinking peanuts, sipping wine, and listening to the performance on the stage, as if nothing had happened.

A storyteller was telling a story, and he could only be heard saying in a rhythmic manner:

"Yuan Ba ​​roared, urging Wanliyun to rush into the formation, opening a bloody path, hammering people everywhere to fall off their horses, all of them dead..."

"It's a pity that there are 1.8 million soldiers and many of them encountered this disaster. It's like hitting a fly, and only a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood..."

"The rebel kings counted their troops, and out of 1.85 million, only 650,000 remain, and there are countless injured soldiers among them."

The storyteller was telling the Complete Romance of the Tang Dynasty, and was talking about the bloody battle of Li Yuanba at Purple Mountain.

The setting of Li Yuanba in "The Romance of Tang" is quite interesting. It is said that he is the reincarnation of the golden-winged Roc. He is born with strength that is stronger than the four elephants and can twist iron like mud. Later, he became a disciple of Zi Yang Zhenren, who taught him martial arts. He has supernatural powers and hates that the sky has no handle and the earth has no ring. He is better than Xiang Yu of the Han Dynasty and is a true enemy of ten thousand men.

There are many legends about Li Yuanba, all kinds of them. Zhang Zhiwei didn't care whether they were true or not, and didn't delve into them deeply, just treating it as a fun thing.

However, he did not delve into the matter further, but someone else did.

Although Lu Jin is not cautious in doing things, he is very rigorous in his life.

He questioned: "Adaptation is not random writing, and parody is not nonsense. How can you, a storyteller, not use any logic when telling a story? How can people listen to you?"

"My dear guest, where do you think I made up stories and where my words are disorganized?" The storyteller asked with a smile without getting angry.

"In a major battle, Li Yuanba blocked the mountain pass and reduced the 1.85 million troops to only 650,000 in just one afternoon. This is too unreasonable. I calculated that to do this, he needs to kill 55 people per second on average. Do you think this is reasonable?" Lu Jin asked back.

The storyteller laughed and said, "I only said that Li Yuanba charged in the front to highlight the bravery of the protagonist of this story, but I didn't say that he was alone. In fact, there were hundreds of thousands of troops following him."

"As for blocking the mountain pass, imagine carefully, my guest. That mountain pass can accommodate a million-strong army of the eighteen rebel kings."

"That's definitely not a small mountain pass. It's not something that can be blocked by one person. It's obvious that he led hundreds of thousands of troops to block it."

Lu Jin was speechless: "Then why can't you explain the book more clearly?"

The storyteller laughed and said, "If I were to describe a great battle in too much detail, it would take days and nights to finish, wouldn't it? Isn't that right, my friend?"

"What you said makes sense!"

Lu Jin was a decent man who could take it and let it go. He stood up, apologized to the storyteller and let him continue.

The storyteller continued his story, and next he talked about the scene where Li Yuanba returned to the capital, swung his hammer angrily towards the sky, and was killed by thunder.

With a look of regret on his face, he said: "... I saw a strange wind blowing, with sand and rocks flying, dust rising to the sky, thunder and lightning, and flames rolling... After a while, the wind stopped and the rain stopped, and I saw Yuanba's golden helmet and golden armor on the ground, and the two hammers and the horse were nowhere to be seen, and I don't know where they have gone."

Perhaps because a great war was approaching, Lu Ci was feeling uneasy and felt that the storyteller's ups and downs in voice were extremely harsh.

Especially after hearing about Li Yuanba's defeat of a million troops and his sudden death, he felt unhappy and couldn't help but question:
"Isn't this death too trifling? I've read The Story of the Rise of Tang, which says that the 87-year-old veteran Yu Juluo killed Li Yuanba with a saber. Moreover, even if he was killed by lightning, there would be a body. How could he and his horse disappear without a trace?"

The storyteller laughed and said, "There is a line in Journey to the West that says after the elixir is made, even ghosts and gods cannot tolerate it."

"It refers to people and things that have reached a certain level of power. They will be envied by ghosts and gods, and will not be tolerated by heaven and earth. These people may encounter a great disaster, or a heavenly disaster. When they are walking on the road, they may be struck by lightning for no reason, turn into rainbow light, and disappear from the world."

"Although Li Yuanba had just survived a great human calamity, he was killed too much, the cause and effect were too great, and he encountered a heavenly calamity, which is why he died."

Lü Ci got angry when he heard this and stood up and said, "What nonsense you are talking about. Your storyteller is probably a low-class person."

"You're joking, sir. I'm a professional storyteller!" said the storyteller with a smile.

"I don't think so. You look unprofessional with such a big shiny bald head. Chanting Buddhist scriptures might be more professional. Instead of telling stories here and disturbing my friend's mood, why don't you recite a passage from the Diamond Sutra so that I can hear your level? If you can speak professionally, I don't mind giving you some pointers."

Zhang Zhiwei said that Wu Man died while reciting the Diamond Sutra, and was surrounded by scriptures after his death. He listened to some of it, and although he did not study it in depth, it was enough for him to understand.

Shiny bald head... confused state of mind... Diamond Sutra... Now that things have been said, even the most slow-witted people will know what has happened.

"So it was the bald donkey who was causing the trouble?"

Lu Ci was furious and slapped out with his palm. Purple Ruyi power enveloped the storyteller from all directions.

Although he did not use the Ruyi Zhen force in this palm strike, he did not hold back either, as he was aiming to kill the man.

Lu Jin frowned, wanting to say something but stopping himself. Although the storyteller's books were annoying, it was not a reason to beat someone to death over a disagreement.

Even if you go into the mountains, you still have to follow the rules of the underworld!

He glanced at Zhang Zhiwei and saw him sitting there without any movement. He felt a little calmer. He thought that Senior Brother Zhang must have his reasons for saying that.

Then, he saw that when Lu Ci slapped the storyteller, golden light appeared all over his body and his body grew rapidly. A golden arhat with a fleshy bun on his head and a golden body appeared on the stage.

The golden arhat was more than ten feet tall, with a fierce look, eyes wide open, eyes blazing with fire, and glaring at Lu Ci angrily, as if he was going to kill him in the next second. But soon, the anger disappeared, and the golden arhat regained his compassionate face, with Buddha's light shining all over his body, illuminating the entire inn.

This scene shocked everyone instantly. It was really the Buddhists who came to their doorstep. If Zhang Zhiwei hadn't said it just now, they would have been unaware of it. This person's method was very advanced.

Everyone stood up and got ready for battle.

"Bald donkey, you are playing tricks on me. Do you think I am afraid of you?" Lu Ci stood up and was about to use his Ruyi Zhenjin.

The golden arhat said quickly: "Wait a minute, benefactor. I am not here to start a dispute."

"You are not here to argue, but we are here to argue!" Lu Ci sneered.

"Hey, Erbi, don't say anything nonsense. What do you mean we came here to have a dispute?" Zhang Zhiwei reminded him, "It makes us look like the unreasonable party. It's obvious that the abbot of Tiantai Sect teamed up with the Japanese pirates to attack and kill me. I'm just here to seek justice."

Lü Ci reacted and said quickly, "Yes, we are here to seek justice and get rid of the evildoers. It is you bald asses who want to argue."

The golden-bodied Arhat ignored Lü Ci, who was looking at a bald man on his left and another bald man on his right. He looked at Zhang Zhiwei, folded his hands and said:
"Little Heavenly Master is right. I know that. We in the Buddhist sect are also willing to support you. I only ask you to show mercy and make a big deal out of it!"

He reminded: "The Tiantai Sect is one of the eight sects of Buddhism. It is extremely powerful and has a wide range of ties. If we are not careful, it will cause a big mess and even cause a dispute between Buddhism and Taoism."

"I am from Ci'en Temple, and my Buddhist name is Zhending. In the name of our ancestor, Master Xuanzang, I would like to assure you that as long as you leave this time, we in the Buddhist sect will give you a satisfactory answer."

"Ci'en Temple? The Ci'en Temple next to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.

"That's right!" The golden arhat nodded.

"You are not from the Tiantai Sect, but you came here to make an enemy of me?"

Zhang Zhiwei asked softly.

Ci'en Temple is the ancestral temple of the Consciousness-Only School, also known as the Dharma-Appearance School. It was founded by Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty and his disciples. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda inside is said to have been built to preserve the Buddhist scriptures that Xuanzang brought from the West.

The Yogacara school is very different from other Buddhist sects. The main focus of the Yogacara school is on "nature", that is, the soul. They emphasize that the three realms are only mind, and all dharmas are consciousness. The purpose of their practice is to cultivate the eighth consciousness, Alaya consciousness, which is the so-called dharma-nature.

"I am only here to participate in the Tiantai Sect's Water and Land Dharma Assembly. I have absolutely no intention of being an enemy of the young Heavenly Master. This time I came here just to resolve a dispute!" Zhending said.

Zhang Zhiwei said calmly, "It has been nearly half a month since I was ambushed and killed, and you Buddhists have never shown any intention of giving me an explanation."

"Moreover, even if there is to be an explanation, it should be the abbot of Tiantai Sect. You are a junior of Faxiang Sect, and you are not in charge of the important affairs of Tiantai Sect..."

Zhang Zhiwei looked directly into Zhending's eyes and asked, "Are you worthy?"

Junior? I am almost two generations older than you. You said I am a junior. If you were not a disciple of the Heavenly Master and had a higher generation, you would be a junior... Zhen Ding was silent for a moment and whispered:

"I came here because my master and the abbot of the Zen sect asked me to do so. The two elders have already said that if you withdraw, they will go to Mount Tiantai and give you a satisfactory answer."

He looked at Zhang Zhiwei sincerely: "Little Heavenly Master, the two elders have spoken, what else is there to worry about, Little Heavenly Master?"

Zhang Zhiwei said, "You two didn't come in person, and you have no sincerity at all. How can I trust you?"

"Moreover, I have invited fellow practitioners from all over the world. Now, people from no less than ten sects have arrived in the town. Just because you say "retreat", you want me to be like King You of Zhou who set fire to the beacon tower to trick the princes?!"

Zhang Zhiwei grinned: "Abbot of the Faxiang Sect, Abbot of the Chan Sect? What a big face!!"

Zhending's face changed. The status of the Consciousness-Only School in Buddhism has always been quite transcendent because their founder was Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty.

Who was Tang Xuanzang? He was well versed in the Tripitaka and was the undisputed number one Buddhist of that era. Even in the birthplace of Buddhism, he was given the title of "Makayana Deva", which means Mahayana.

The power of the inheritance he left behind is self-evident. Even the abbot of the Consciousness-Only School had to treat him with courtesy when he met the Heavenly Master.

As for the status of the Zen abbot, needless to say, since ancient times, he has been the leading figure in the world, and his status is no lower than that of the Heavenly Master.

But from the words of the young Taoist priest in front of him, it was clear that he did not take them seriously at all.

Zhending even had a feeling that even if the two abbots really came, the young Taoist priest in front of him might not give them face.

This is also the reason why Zhang Jingqing was unwilling to come. Zhang Zhiwei could not give face to these two people, but Zhang Jingqing could not.

After all, they were of equal status and had been friends for many years. If the two of them were really determined to stop him.

He could knock out his two old friends with just one slap? Even if he really wanted to do that, he couldn't do it!
Even though Zhen Ding was a monk, after hearing what Zhang Zhiwei said, he also wanted to say that the boy was so arrogant.

But he didn't. Given the current situation, if he said something like that, there would be nothing to talk about.

He took a deep breath and continued to persuade:
"Little Heavenly Master, do you still remember the book I just mentioned? Monks do not tell lies. Human calamities, great disasters, and heavenly calamities really exist."

"You were attacked and killed in the Northeast, which was a man-made disaster. This time when you go to Tiantai Mountain, if things go wrong, it will be another man-made disaster, or even a heavenly disaster."

"Since ancient times, great monks who have achieved enlightenment have all loved to retreat from the world and practice cultivation. This is the reason. Cultivation is against the will of heaven. If one carries a great karma, his power between heaven and earth will increase, which will only lead to heaven's punishment."

"Have you not seen how powerful men like Zhang Jiao and Wu Hou were reduced to ashes because they interfered too much and suffered both man-made disasters and natural calamities?"

Zhending was still talking, but Zhang Zhiwei didn't want to listen anymore. Let alone Wu Hou, Zhang Jiao alone was not someone who could be belittled by the bald donkey in front of him.

Zhang Jue's status at that time was no less than that of Zu Tianshi. He had hundreds of thousands of followers, spread across the imperial court and aristocratic families. He had everything he wanted. If he had founded his religion steadily and it had been passed down to the present day, it would have become a behemoth.

But he, a cultivator of Taoism, wanted to go against the will of heaven. The Tao he practiced was no worse than that of Wu Hou. Even if such a person was labeled a bandit by the victors of history, he could not be insulted by the man in front of him.

"You are a frog in a well, a chicken and a pottery dog, how dare you use Zhang Jiao and Wu Hou as negative examples?" Zhang Zhiwei said in a deep voice: "Get out of here immediately, or I will kill you as a sacrifice!"

Zhending looked at Zhang Zhiwei who was staring at him, and met his eyes. His star-like eyes were fixed on his face, burning as if a blade was cutting it.

He felt an extremely pure murderous intent from Zhang Zhiwei's words.

The murderous intent was so chilling that he had a hunch that if he said one more word, he would die today.

(End of this chapter)