Ten states

In the west of Jingzhou, on the Mingtuo River flowing eastward from Shuzhou, a seemingly inconspicuous merchant ship is going down the river.

On a small boat hiding in the reeds by the river, a young water pirate put his protruding head back, and excitedly said to the old water pirate who was dozing in the cabin: "Finally, I met someone who was alone but didn't hang up his dart." Merchant ships flying flags, our Kowloon Walled is finally ready to eat meat today. Hurry up and follow them, and prepare to announce the fireworks. I just don’t know if the things on it are valuable? If we have a thousand taels of silver, it’s not in vain for us to be here I waited for five days. I also saw a beautiful girl sitting in the stern of the boat. I will try my best this time!"

"Really? You kid, don't miss it. There are not many merchant ships coming down this season." The old water pirate yawned, and leaned out lazily for a look, but he seemed to be caught by a snake. She retracted abruptly as if biting her, her eyes were wide open, she was terribly frightened.

"What's the matter? Did you get stung by a water bee?" The young water pirate had a strange expression on his face, and he was still holding the oar to row out.Before he could stretch the oar into the water, the old water pirate jumped up and snatched the oar and slapped him hard on the head.

"What's wrong?" The young water pirate yelled after being photographed in pain.

"What else? Can you see what kind of ship that is?"

"What ship? There is no mark or flag on it. How do I know what ship it is?"

"That's the boat of the Tang family! If you dare to go out with me, don't take me with you if you want to die."

"The boat of the Tang family?" Hearing the name, the young pirate was also stunned.Thinking that I almost chased him out just now.Thinking of the beautiful girl on the stern, thinking of all the rumors about this family in the rivers and lakes, my whole body was as cold as if I had fallen into an ice cave.There was a heat between the legs, and he was so scared that he peed.

On the distant merchant ship, Tang Qingxiao, who was sitting at the stern of the ship, glanced at the slightly turbulent reed bushes. He also felt the peeping eyes very clearly, but he didn't care.In the waters of the Ming Tuo River, even with the 1 courage of those thieves, they would not dare to move the Tang family's boat.

"We'll be there in one more day, and we'll be in Hongjing County after getting off the boat and walking for another day."

The chubby Second Master Tang was dressed as a merchant.Coupled with his almost always smiling face, he really looks like a peddler.He staggered over and sat down next to Tang Qingxiao, took a sip of the Gaiwan tea on the coffee table.

"Second Uncle's injury hasn't healed yet? Why do you want to go out with us again this time?" Tang Qingxiao glanced at Second Master Tang.The wounds he suffered on several heavenly-level mechanism beasts last time were far from healed, and even his movements seemed to be hindered.

Second Master Tang shook his head and said with a smile: "What is the responsibility? This time it is related to the Shadow Guard and the Nangong family. Your second uncle and I are responsible for this. Of course it is my duty."

"Are you so afraid that you can't fight people?"

"Of course not, but it's okay, we're just going to take a look this time. The old man said, let's just go and take a look." Second Master Tang said easily, paused, and added. "It's the same as your brother's last mission, just to see."

"Second Uncle means that you want me to remember that you can't act recklessly?" Tang Qingxiao remained motionless.He just unconsciously put his hand on the wooden box beside him.Even through that layer of wooden box, he could feel the resonance of that blood.

"Little Sier. Don't think too much." Second Master Tang said with a pun, and then sighed rarely.

Tang Qingxiao was silent for a moment, then asked: "Then why did you bring me with you?"

"Because you may be required to take action. Although the possibility is not high, it is possible." Second Master Tang shrugged and smiled. "At that time, the second uncle will rely on you to protect him."

"Then why did you take her with you again?" Tang Qingxiao shook his head slightly towards the bow of the ship and glanced at it.Although there was no one there.

"There is news that Nangong Wuji rushed there in a hurry, and his behavior was a bit abnormal. Bring your wife with you, maybe you can have a relationship with him when the time comes."

"It's a bargaining chip when necessary, isn't it?" Tang Qingxiao said lightly.

"I said, can't you just take your unmarried daughter-in-law out for a tour of the mountains and rivers to see the excitement?"

"Because it's not like this." Tang Qingxiao still replied so calmly.

The two of them stopped talking, and only heard the sound of rushing water for a while, and occasionally there were two screams of waterfowl from far and near, and the bow was just silent.

"Do you know why we are doing this?" Second Master Tang said suddenly.

"What?" Tang Qingxiao didn't understand Tang Erye's meaning for a moment.

"I mean, do you know why we have to work so hard? We have to calculate so hard, we have to train every Tang Sect disciple so hard since childhood, we have to do things by hook and by crook, and we have to let everyone in the Jianghu hear our name." Shaking?" Second Master Tang still had a smile on his face, but there was no hint of joy in his words. "Do you really think that we are here for the reputation of our Tang family? How old are you? Still believe this?"

Tang Qingxiao didn't speak.After a moment of silence, he still said: "The second uncle said why."

"It's just to survive." Second Master Tang said lightly.

"Live?" Tang Qingxiao seemed a little surprised by the answer.

"Yes, live on, live longer, it's that simple."

"There are no thousand-year-old dynasties in the world, only thousand-year-old families. Do you know why? Because people's hearts gather and disperse. No matter which dynasty or generation, whether it's the Demon Sect or the Five Elements School, the Confucianism of the previous dynasty flourished." That’s right, no matter how great the prosperity is, it’s only time to fail. People’s hearts are united because of what they believe in, but sooner or later they will decline, because those things are invisible and intangible. When people no longer believe in that At that time, whether the dynasty or sect or the orthodoxy, it just fell apart."

"But this one is different." Second Master Tang reached out and tapped Tang Qingxiao's wrist. "The blood in your body will not change. Believe it or not. You are all born of your parents, and you have relatives who are connected with your blood. Therefore, dynasties will disperse, sects will disappear. Families will pass on We survived. People have to hold together in groups to survive. Look at the Zhang family in Longhushan, the Nangong family in Yuzhou, and our Tang family. How long have the three largest families in the world been passed down? How strong are they? There are so many aristocratic families in the world, even if there are ups and downs, they will always be the most fundamental part of the world. Because only the blood connection is the strongest and most fundamental."

"The Zhang family has an ancestor who established a sect and established a sect. He passed on the incense in the name of Shinto teaching and Taoism. The Nangong family has embraced the thigh of the imperial court for generations, and this dynasty has directly shared prosperity and humiliation with the royal family. But our Tang family What? What does our Tang family have? We have nothing. When our ancestors first set foot in Shuzhou, it was a wild land second to none in the world. To the west is the strongest lion department in Xidi, and to the south is the cloud where the monsters are promiscuous. Zhou Zhutong, we can only survive on our own. So we must become stronger. We must calculate everything. We must be ruthless. We must never let our opponent live when we can kill him, and let him die as hard as possible. How miserable it is, let people talk about how scared our Tang family is, and let them hear how scared they are. Just like the bright patterns on poisonous spiders, the real reason that makes others afraid. In fact, it is only because He just wants to live."

Tang Qingxiao sat silently.The river wind blew up his loose hair and clothes, as if he wanted to fly away with the wind.

"I know you've always hated your brother's death. But I just want to say, you're not the only one who's sad. But we still have to live, so what we have to do is what we have to do, you understand?"

After a while, Tang Qingxiao nodded slowly: "I understand."

"It's good to understand. Every Tang family should understand this." Second Master Tang nodded, and then indicated the position of the bow with his eyes. "You should pay more attention to that little daughter-in-law who has never been married. After all, you will live together for the rest of your life. Don't make trouble like strangers. Speaking of which, the girl from the He family is not bad, even if she is not very clever. Her nature is still good." Yes, it's rare to be so beautiful. Do you know how many young people envy you? More importantly, it is the daughter of Nangong Wuyan and He Jinzhi. No matter where it is placed, it will always be... ...a very important bargaining chip. Do you think so?"

"Yes." Tang Qingxiao finally smiled, his smile was as cold and sharp as a knife.

# # #

Pure Land Chanyuan, the world's number one Buddhist sect, is also the world's number one Taoist temple.

Since the founding of the country, because many members of the Zhao family of the royal family believe in Buddhism, the Pure Land Temple has also been taken care of, and various rewards such as land have been continuously given. It was expanded so vastly and magnificently that the entire temple stretched for ten miles.Among them, the main hall is extremely majestic and vast, the statues of Bodhisattvas are unspeakably exquisite, and the monks' houses are countless. There have been believers who have visited it for several months, but they have not been able to see the whole picture.

And in this town-like building complex, the most eye-catching thing is the ten-square glazed Jingshi stupa located in the center.This tower has [-] floors and is [-] feet high. It took more than [-] years to build it.The whole body is inlaid with glass crystals, and scriptures are engraved on it. In the tower, there are eminent monks who recite the mantra day and night, or sit quietly to understand the Buddhadharma.The whole body of the pagoda is surrounded by the light of Buddha, and the light is several miles away. I don’t know how many devout people come to pay homage every day and every night.

At the beginning, Tiantai, Zen, and Pure Land sects merged into one to form the Pure Land Chanyuan. This was the opportunity to build the ten-square glazed pure world stupa. It can be said that the entire Pure Land Chanyuan was formed from this glazed pagoda.This glazed pagoda is not just a pagoda with symbolic significance, but also a treasure of Buddhism in the world today, subduing demons and suppressing all heretics.For hundreds of years, countless monks have comprehended Buddhism and practiced supernatural powers in it, and all the monsters and ghosts who were captured and sent into the cave were also suppressed and refined.

And the real fame of this Buddhist treasure was when Xidi entered the Central Plains seven years ago.At that time, the three prefectures of the Central Plains were corrupt, and only one corner of the Pure Land Temple was a pure land, which accommodated millions of refugees and people.Abbot Rongguang, the presiding officer at that time, brought three senior monks with the highest cultivation into the pagoda together, and burned his soul and body with the golden lotus purification fire, urging the Buddha light of the Jingshi Pagoda to cover a radius of fifty miles. Within the range of this Buddha light, not only Sidissa Even the most ferocious Sidi barbarian will feel tired and weak in limbs.Beheaded easily.That is to say, after this battle, the Buddhist sect, which has always been gentle and does not intervene much in the disputes between the rivers and lakes, began to faintly overwhelm the Taoist sect headed by Zhengyi in the hearts of the world.

At three o'clock in the morning, the square under the stupa was still clearly visible under the faint light of Buddha.But it was an empty silence.

This is not the case in normal times, no matter day or night, there will be believers worshiping and praying under the pagoda, but today the monks of the Pure Land Temple invited all the believers out of the square after nightfall, and no one was allowed to approach.At this moment, there is only one old monk standing in the square, looking up at the huge building that is already a symbol of Buddhism.

The old monk has white beard and hair, wrinkled face, and is dressed in cassock on the well fence.He is Master Huiguang, the abbot of the Pure Land Temple, who can be said to be the No. 1 Buddhist sect in the world today.But at this moment, there is no one accompanying him, just standing here alone.Without blinking, he looked up at the stupa.

The Buddha's light in the stupa is hazy, faint but as if it has substance and life, illuminating the Pure Land Chanyuan in this night like a paradise of Buddhism far away from the world.

Suddenly, the Buddha light seemed to disappear.For a moment.This piece of heaven and earth shrouded in pure white Buddha light seemed to disappear suddenly.However, it immediately returned to its original state, and the interval between them was so short that it was faster than the blink of an eye. Even those believers who were present would only think that they were dazzled for a while.

However, this kind of change is completely different in the eyes of an eminent monk like Master Huiguang.He could feel that the Buddha's light that came back on after a very brief disappearance was fundamentally different from before. If it was a vast ocean before, it was just a pool of still water that deliberately stirred up waves. It is a rootless tree without a root.

Master Huiguang didn't show any surprise at this change, but seemed relieved.He walked quickly through the quiet and deserted square, and came to the entrance under the tower.

Just as they came to the entrance and exit the station was set.The pagoda door had just been opened, and an old monk with his eyes closed came out with the support of two middle-aged monks.

"Senior Brother Huiguang. You... you have worked hard..." Master Huiguang saw the old monk's closed eyes and couldn't help but sigh.The old monk's closed eyelids were slowly sinking, as if the eyeballs underneath were shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Self-inflicted evil, how can there be such a hard work? I am involved in karma but peeping at the opportunity of karma, so it is retribution. Send it back to the seat of my Buddha Tathagata." The blind old monk did not appear to be depressed at all. "Junior Brother Huiguang, don't act like a little child. There is no possibility of turning back after starting this road. Today, the 380 billion times of the Tripitaka have finally been completed. The glorious Buddhism that the ancestors of the past have sought The revitalization of humanity begins here."

"...Brother Huiguang is going to set off now? I have ordered Mie Jie, Mie Nan, Mie Xiang, Mie Se to prepare for a long time, and I can go with senior brother immediately..."

"What are you going to do with so many people? Do you really regard this as a rivalry between Jianghu sects? It's just going to pick up a benefactor, and help Shifang settle a karma by the way. I can do it alone. Go quickly It’s easier to come back soon.”

"But brother, your eyes..."

"If you have the treasure with you, what's the problem if you cut off your six senses?" The blind old monk shook off the two monks who were supporting him, and began to walk slowly alone. "In the mountain gate, you need to take care of it carefully. If Junior Brother Xu Guang and the others ask about it, you can just say that I am alone, so there is no need to drag you into it. As for those hawks and dogs of the Tian family, you should also be careful, don't let them see it." It’s a falsehood. If they want to ask, they will say that we will do what we promised them, and they don’t need to care about the process in the middle..."

In the slow voice, the blind old monk's figure has disappeared.His seemingly slow step is actually tens of feet away, and within a few words, he has disappeared from Master Huiguang's vision.

# # #

In the rolling green hills of Jingbei, two old men were walking unhurriedly on a narrow path stepped by hunters and woodcutters.

An old man was wearing a shabby Taoist robe, with a Taoist crown on his head that was no longer recognizable, and his hair was messy, but he was an old Taoist priest. The other old man was dry and thin, dressed in ordinary cloth clothes The straw sandals seem to be no different from an ordinary country old man, except that the left sleeve hanging by his side is empty. It turns out that his left arm has been broken up to his shoulder, and besides, there is a wooden stick pinned to his waist. Some are like a beggar's dog-beating stick, and some seem to be twigs picked at random by driving sheep and cattle.

"I said you are an old man, why do you want to come to Jingzhou for no reason? Why do you want to invite me? Jingzhou has too many bull noses, and the smell is too smelly. I have never liked to go." The one-armed old man said A little dissatisfied, I asked the old Taoist around me.

"Ha, anyway, you are wandering here and there with nothing to do, so what if you just come with me to watch the fun? Haven't you heard that Zhang Yuhong, the master of Tianshi Teaching Fumo, just killed a thousand-year-old demon snake not long ago. There is an exhibition in a county town over there. How many years has it been since such a big monster appeared? As an old man, I will also go to see the excitement and learn a lot. I might think of a way to get two pieces of snake armor or something. You can brag and brag with people."

While speaking, the old Taoist stroked the gray beard around his lips with his hand, looking a little complacent.But the one-armed old man dismissed it: "Hmph, I think it's some kind of excitement. Those miscellaneous hairs taught by Tianshi are used to confusing the public and bluffing. If they put out a corpse of a snake demon in such a big way, maybe it's for In order to cover up some scandal behind it. However, that kid Zhang Yuhong is really good. He is the only person in Longhushan who can do it in the past few decades. If he died, he was lucky."

"Exactly." The old man laughed. "Wouldn't it be a pity not to take a look at such an outstanding character before he is killed?"

"You old man is so unscrupulous. Also, you invited me to accompany you to watch the excitement, but you didn't buy wine and didn't prepare any meat. You still walked with you to waste time like this. If I went alone, it would be early arrive."

"Oh, that's what you said. I haven't eaten meat these days, and my mouth really faded away." The old Taoist looked around. "But all the people I met along the way were small birds and small beasts who could be seen to be kind at first glance, and it was not easy to kill them to feed their hunger."

"Huh? Yes." The old Taoist raised his head, and his eyes lit up when he saw a black shadow flapping its wings flying past high in the sky. "That big bird looks like it has a fierce and hostile aura, and it happened to hit us to satisfy our greed. Let me show you the old man's newly drawn flame stabbing sun talisman, and give this big bird directly When it's cooked, just open your mouth and wait for the meat to fall."

At this time, the one-armed old man also raised his head and saw the black shadow flying overhead, but he was taken aback for a moment, and then said quickly, "Wait, this is not a bird..."

It is too late to say this.The old man had already pulled out a talisman from his sleeve and typed it out with his hand. As soon as the talisman left his hand, it turned into a torrent of flames and flew away into the sky. (To be continued..)