At the end of spring, in the South Gate Temple of Haotian, the green trees and dense flowers were beautiful. In the depth of the silent temple, Li Qingshan, the Master of Nation of Tang, looked at the dirty old Taoist and said after a long silence, "I always think there are some problems with this method."
"What problems?" Master Yan Se looked at the teacup on the table and thought of the teacup in the pavilion that day.
Li Qingshan said, "Ning Que has great potential, but after all, he is new to Talisman Taoism. He is like a piece of white paper for others to paint. The exquisite knowledge of Talisman Taoism is your lifetime understanding, and the dozens of Classics of Talisman Taoism are all the essence accumulated by our South School for hundreds of years. Now that Senior Martial Brother has thrown everything over, he doesn't care about it at all. It's like pouring a basin of ink on a piece of white paper. It definitely won't be able to write any exquisite words. It will only become a piece of black paper. "
Master Yan Se was silent.
Li Qingshan said helplessly, "Ning Que is now a small teapot with an empty stomach. You've just opened a small opening, and you've already poured an ocean into it. Aren't you worried that he won't be able to hold on and die?"
"If Ning Que knew that you used something like a teapot to describe him, he might explode in anger without any ocean of knowledge."
Master Yan Se smiled and then looked at Li Qingshan seriously, saying, "Ning Que is a piece of white paper, but it is the largest piece of white paper I have ever seen. Neither you nor I have the experience to paint on such a piece of white paper, so I can only pour this basin of ink on it and let him turn it around by himself. Since he can't paint with a bare pen, let this piece of white paper carry the ink to paint by itself. As for what he can paint in the end, it depends on his understanding and perseverance. "
"As for the analogy of the teapot … I admit that it may be embarrassing for Ning Que to put my lifetime understanding and the essence accumulated by the South School for hundreds of years into his mind in such a short time. However, you have to admit that although this method is simple and crude, it is the fastest and most effective way. As long as his little teapot is not broken, there will be tea that will burst out one day."
"But it is also the most dangerous and unreliable method."
Li Qingshan looked at Master Yan Se and said in a low voice, "What if this piece of white paper is directly stuck to the floor by the ink? What if this little teapot breaks into countless pieces before the pleasant tea can be forced out from the mouth? Ning Que is not only your successor, but also a student of the Headmaster of Academy. He is also a young man whom His Majesty has high hopes for. I don't understand why Senior Brother is so anxious about him. There are many more conservative and reliable methods. "
"Because he is anxious, I am anxious, and the world seems to be anxious too."
Master Yan Se looked up at the northern sky outside the Southern Gate Temple and said slowly, "Ten years to become a Divine Talisman Master? My student's ambition is more than that, and so am I. Since the world has begun to be turbulent, I think it will be difficult to leave a stable and conservative cultivation environment for Ning Que. Most importantly, I have recently found that time is running out. "
Li Qingshan looked at Master Yan Se's old face. After a long time of silence, he said sadly, "I see."
Looking at Master Yan Se's old back, Li Qingshan suddenly said, "Senior Brother, don't go to play these days. Stay in the temple and talk with me. We have been in the same school for decades, but we haven't even played a game of chess."
Master Yan Se did not look back. He smiled and waved his hand. He said in a hoarse voice, "You are not a young and beautiful girl. It is really boring to talk and play chess with you. Don't worry, I will come back to see you for the last time when I die."
Master Yan Se did not look back. He smiled and waved his hand. He said in a hoarse voice, "You are not a young and beautiful girl. It is really boring to talk and play chess with you. Don't worry, I will come back to see you for the last time when I die."
Li Qingshan withdrew his gaze and looked at the small teapot on the stove beside the table that spurted out steam. He was speechless. He thought, Senior brother, since you've decided on making a stove to boil tea, all I can do is think of some ways to help this little guy.
After Master Yan Se left South School Temple of Haotian Taoism, he went directly to the House of Red Sleeves and came to the small courtyard that he was most familiar with.
Dewdrop was counting the silver notes with her maidservant at this time. They really made a small fortune by selling the rubbing of Chicken Soup Calligraphy these days. Suddenly they heard the sound of the door and saw the dirty old Taoist standing at the gate of the courtyard. She immediately got up in surprise.
In the past, she only thought this old Taoist looked wretched and generous, so she treated him patiently. Now she already knew his real identity. She did not dare to act coquettishly and hurried to greet him as fast as she could.
"Master Taoist is here."
Dewdrop squatted and bowed, which was very respectful. She thought she should be more enthusiastic, but she was really nervous because this old Taoist was a legendary immortal.
Master Yan Se laughed strangely and pinched her plump waist. He said, "You know my identity, but you don't need to be so nervous. After all, I still have to pay, so I should please you."
Dewdrop took the opportunity to snuggle into his arms and said shyly, "Master Taoist, you are making fun of me again. I thought you are a free man, and immortals will not stay in the mortal world for too long. I am afraid that I will never see you again. I am full of regret."
Master Yan Se said angrily, "Your cosmetics here taste better than the ink on the Fu paper. How can I not come here?"
…
…
After a few steps to the cliff, they saw a cliff cave about dozens of meters high. Birds were flying in and out of the cave quickly. On the gentle slope outside the cliff cave, there was a two-story wooden building. The surface of the building was mottled by wind and rain and bird droppings. No one knew how many years it had been standing under the cliff.
Ning Que smelled a familiar smell when he was still some distance away from the building. He asked with a pale face, "Do you smell it here?"
Chen Pipi sniffled and said blankly, "What smell?"
"You can't smell such a strong smell?" Ning Que stared at his eyes and said in a trembling voice, "The smell of Huangzhou bud paper and ink makes me want to vomit. Why do you bring me here?"
Chen Pipi knew that there must be paper and ink beside the old scholar in the building, but he did not smell the smell of paper and ink that made Ning Que pale and nauseous. He reached out his hand in front of his nose and thought that this lad had been studying Talisman Taoism so crazily that he was so sensitive.
Ning Que raised his sleeves to cover his nose and followed him to the wooden building. The closer they were to the wooden building, the stronger the smell of paper and ink was, which made him more and more uncomfortable. Recently, he had been grinding ink and reading paper every night, but he could not move a stroke. Subconsciously, he had a great fear and disgust for this smell.
There was an open-air stone platform under the wooden building, on which there was a huge desk, on which there were piles of books.
Behind the mountainous books, sat an old scholar with gray hair.
The old scholar held an old book in his left hand and a half-bald writing brush in his right hand. From time to time, he recited a few sentences to the old book and wrote some numbers on the paper. Then he continued to read. No one knew what he saw, but his long eyebrows flew up in the wind, and his facial expressions were extremely wonderful, as if he was about to dance.
The old man read and copied the book, concentrating on nothing else. Whether it was the flock of birds above the cliff cave or Chen Pipi and Ning Que who were approaching, they did not affect him at all. It seemed that as long as he started to read, the whole world except for the book would disappear in an instant.
"Wonderful! Wonderful! "
The old scholar found another wonderful place in the scroll. Using his fastest speed, he copied the sentences on the paper. Then he put the half-bald brush pen in his mouth and licked it, as if he had tasted the most delicious taste in the world. Unexpectedly, he was so happy that he danced with joy.
Ning Que looked at the old scholar and turned back to look at Chen Pipi in astonishment. He said, "He is indeed reading, but how can watching him read help me to cultivate Talisman Taoism?"
"Eldest Brother once told us that many years ago, the Headmaster of the Academy found that the old man actually had a great potential for cultivation, but was directly rejected by the old man."
Chen Pipi looked at the old man who was crazily reading and copying books behind the desk. He shrugged helplessly and said, "Because in this old man's opinion, reading is the only meaningful thing in the world. Cultivation and whatnot is just a waste of time."
"The old man can't do anything except reading, and he also disdains to do anything. Even the Headmaster of the Academy can't do anything to him. Besides, he is very grumpy. As long as someone disturbs his reading, he will be very unhappy. After such a long time, no one in the Back Mountain pays attention to him. Even Eldest Brother, who has the best temper, doesn't want to deal with this person. "
Ning Que looked at the old man behind the mountain of books and said sympathetically, "This is probably because reading is pedantic."
"You're too polite." Chen Pipi shook his head and said, "After the old man refused the Headmaster of the Academy's request to take him to cultivate, Second Brother once said that this man has become an idiot because of reading."
Ning Que smiled, but the smile froze on his face in an instant. He turned back to look at Chen Pipi and asked hesitantly, "Wait … Today you specially brought me to see this old man who has become an idiot because of reading. Do you want to use this example to tell me that I have been studying Talisman Taoism crazily these days, and I will eventually become an idiot like him if I go on like this?"
"Just the opposite." Chen Pipi led him to the stone platform and said, "Although we all hate this old man, we also admire him very much. I brought you to see him because I want to tell you that you think you can look down on your peers with perseverance and diligence, but in fact, there are many people in this world who can do it, and they can do it better than you."
Ning Que was a little confused and followed him to the stone platform. He suddenly thought of something and asked, "Besides this old man, is there anyone in the Back Mountain of the Academy who has a higher seniority? Do we have an Uncle? "
"There used to be a Youngest Uncle, who was said to be the most vigorous person in the world."
Chen Pipi turned back and said, "But unfortunately, only Eldest Brother and Second Brother have seen him."
…
…
On the stone platform, Chen Pipi bowed to the old man behind the mountain of books and said with a smile, "Scholar, long time no see."
Ning Que followed him and bowed. He couldn't help but feel a little funny when he heard the title of scholar.
The scholar turned a deaf ear, as if he didn't see them coming to him.
Chen Pipi said loudly again, "Scholar! Long time no see! "
His voice came from the side of the building into the cliff cave. After several echoes, it seemed to be particularly clear and loud, which scared the birds who were busy building nests or doing other household chores above the cliff cave and made them fly all over the sky and scream.
Only then did the scholar wake up. He raised his head in confusion and looked at the two people who had appeared in front of the desk. Suddenly, his expression stiffened and his eyes revealed a look of disgust. He shouted in a hoarse voice, "What are you doing here again? Go away! Don't disturb my reading again! "
Chen Pipi glanced at Ning Que and shrugged his shoulders. Then he said to the scholar with a smile, "I brought my Younger Brother here to show you."
"What's there to see? Your Younger Brother is not a book! "
The scholar reached out and wiped the floating gray hair on his face to the back. He looked at Chen Pipi and said angrily, "Last time you said that the Academy wanted to accept a Younger Brother and that an elder should be present to show solemnity. You had to trick me to stay on the top of the mountain for a whole night. Why is there another Younger Brother this time? Do you want to trick me to stay on the top of the mountain for a whole night again? "
"Oh, God! Oh, earth! "
He looked at Chen Pipi as if he had killed his father. His expression was extremely disgusted and his eyes were full of hidden bitterness. He shouted, "Do you know how many books I have to read in one night?"
Chen Pipi said angrily, "You brought seven books to the top of the mountain that day. Are they not enough for you to read?"
"There is no light on the top of the mountain!"
"The starlight on the top of the mountain is brighter than the light!"
"Reading is either done with sunlight or light. How can the starlight be used?"
"Why can't the starlight be used?"
"I don't feel anything!"
"Is it a book or a feeling that you are reading?"
"Idiot! Of course you have to feel something when reading to be happy! "
"Idiot! You can feel something when you are in love under the starlight. Why can't you feel anything when reading? "
The two were shouting and spitting at each other by the desk. Ning Que had long been dumbfounded listening to them. At this time, he believed that the scholar was really the kind of person who was pedantic and that the Senior Brothers in the Back Yard of the Academy really did not respect this person.
The scholar was so angry that his face turned red and his chest kept heaving. He was old and weak, so he was obviously no match for Chen Pipi in a quarrel. Moreover, he quickly realized that Chen Pipi specially came to quarrel with him today. His purpose was very obvious, which was to distract him from reading. He thought that he had guessed Chen Pipi's sinister intention, so how could he let him succeed?
"I don't want to talk to you anymore!" He said sadly, "How can I finish so many books if I don't hurry up? Do you know what you are doing? You are killing my life and destroying my life! "
After saying this, the scholar really ignored Chen Pipi's verbal attack and lowered his head to concentrate on reading and copying books.
Ning Que looked at the densely packed books on the bookshelves in the building and frowned slightly. He said, "Although there are many books here, if he concentrates on reading, he can finish them in a few years. Even with the books in the old library of the Academy, it should not make him so miserable."
Hearing this, Chen Pipi shook his head with a bitter smile and led him to the cliff cave.
The cliff cave was strangely kept dry. There were some faint cracks in the rocks at the top, so it did not seem dark. There were even some unknown trees in the cave, with birds flying around and singing in the treetops.
Ning Que's eyes looked around the cave and then fell on the cliff wall. His body suddenly became stiff and he could no longer speak.
There were many wooden shelves on the cliff. It looked like a bookshelf that had been magnified countless times.
There were no nests, no treasures, no statues, no potted plants on these wooden shelves. There was only one thing.
That was books.
Innumerable books.
A whole cliff wall of books.
Books all over the mountain and wilderness.
…
…
"Since the Academy was founded, it has never stopped collecting books. For thousands of years, it has collected countless books from ancient times to today. All of them are here. Therefore, the pain of a scholar is actually really painful. "
Chen Pipi glanced at Ning Que and looked at the densely packed books on the cliff wall that were tens of meters high. He sighed and said, "If knowledge can be measured by the number of books, then at least seven out of ten knowledge in the world is in the Academy."
In Ning Que's eyes, the whole cliff wall of books was as shocking as the sea of ink standing up on the mountain road. It was so heavy that he could hardly breathe. After a long time, he barely woke up.
He climbed up along the steep ropeway on the edge of the cliff cave and came to the third layer of the cliff wall bookshelf. He walked along the wooden board that could only allow one person to pass through for more than ten meters. Then he stopped and looked back at the densely packed books close at hand. Gradually, a strong doubt arose in his heart. If these books had been collected since thousands of years ago, why were they only slightly yellowed and not weathered after such a long time? What was even more strange was that there was not much dust on these open-air books?
Chen Pipi probably guessed his doubt and said with a smile, "When you reach a certain state, you will probably know that it is actually very easy to remove dust. You only need to lift your finger and the wind in the cliff cave will do it for you."
Ning Que suddenly understood and then suddenly thought that if Sangsang could cultivate, wouldn't it be much easier for her to do housework? As he thought about it, he randomly took out a book and found four words written on the cover, "Miscellaneous Notes of the Two Capitals". Thinking that it might be a scholar's notebook, he opened it and didn't expect to see such words as "white buttocks", "whipping", "spitting tongue", and "newly peeled". He couldn't help but become slightly stiff.
He asked in surprise, "You even collect erotic books?"
Chen Pipi replied, "The Headmaster of Academy said that it is beneficial to read books. How can you judge a book by its theme? You have dog sh * t in your heart and see everything as dog sh * t. Your heart is full of lust and you can also be distracted by the Seven Tomes of Arcane. Just don't read them as erotic books. "
Looking at the solemn expression on his fat face, Ning Que couldn't help but feel great admiration and sincerely asked, "Then what do you think you're reading?"
"Me?" Chen Pipi waved his sleeves and calmly said, "My state is not high enough and I'm still at the stage of seeing mountains as mountains. Erotic books are naturally erotic books. This kind of thing doesn't need to be forced."
Looking at him, Ning Que sighed and said nothing more.
…
…
The whole cliff wall and the seemingly endless books were undoubtedly a great treasure for a person who loved reading and even regarded reading as the only important thing in his life. But at the same time, it was also a great sorrow. Because reading endless books in a limited life was after all an impossible task.
Walking out of the cliff cave, Ning Que looked at the old scholar who was holding a scroll, copying from time to time, chanting from time to time, sometimes sad, sometimes angry, and sometimes happy. Ning Que found that he somewhat understood why the old scholar was so extreme and anxious.
Walking to the desk, Ning Que bowed deeply to the old scholar and sincerely asked, "Uncle, what should I do if I can't finish reading all the books? Don't you feel desperate? Why do you still keep reading? "
He didn't call him a scholar like Chen Pipi, but called him Uncle Master instead. This was because he was older and had entered the mountain earlier. More importantly, Ning Que had an inexplicable sense of respect for people who had perseverance to do things to the extreme.
Perhaps he heard the sincerity in Ning Que's tone, or perhaps he noticed that Ning Que was similar to him in some aspects, the old scholar didn't impatiently wave his hand to drive him away this time, but slowly put down the scroll in his hand.
He recalled, "I forgot when I started to study in the mountain, but I remember that when I was 20 years old, I thought it was possible for me to read all the books in the world."
Ning Que listened in silence.
The scholar leisurely said, "But when I was 50 years old, I found that it was impossible. Because in the process of reading, there were people in the world who kept writing books. And because of my old age and weakness, my reading speed became slower and slower. What was more terrible was that I forgot all the books I read when I was young. "
He looked at Ning Que's eyes and smiled, "If you forgot all the books you read, how could you say that you have read them? So I had to pick up the books I had forgotten and read them again. And in order not to forget again, I began to extract. "
Ning Que asked, "But wouldn't it be slower in this way?"
"Yes." The scholar sighed and said, "So I have long known that I can't read all the books in the world in this life, even the books in the Academy."
Ning Que slightly frowned and asked, "Then aren't you very disappointed?"
"More than disappointed, completely desperate."
The scholar shook his head and said, "On the day when I confirmed that I couldn't read all the books in the Academy, I felt that the whole world had collapsed. I didn't want to eat or sleep, and even … I didn't want to read anymore."
A person who could do nothing and didn't want to do anything except reading, unexpectedly didn't want to read anymore. It could be imagined how much the old scholar had suffered on that day. Ning Que naturally thought of his mental state these days. After a moment of silence, he sincerely asked, "Uncle, then how did you pass that hurdle?"
"Because I asked myself a question."
The scholar said, "Do you like reading books, or do you like reading all the books?"
"I didn't think for too long, and I got the answer. In the end, what I like is still studying. "
"I am 102 years old this year, and I may close my eyes and never wake up again any day. But I can never be sure that I will die on that day. So as long as I keep reading, it doesn't matter if I can't finish reading. I can still comfort myself and confirm that I am doing what I want to do every minute and second before I die, which makes me happy and satisfied. "
…
…
"Do you like cultivation, or do you like killing people after reaching a certain realm?"
"I need to think about this question carefully."
Walking on the mountain road at the back of the mountain of the Academy, Ning Que recalled the conversation he had with the old scholar outside the cliff cave. He vaguely understood something very important. Listening to the music coming from somewhere on the cliff plateau, he slowly stopped walking.
Chen Pipi, who had been silent for a long time, looked at him and asked, "Have you thought it through?"
"I've thought it through. In the end, I still like to cultivate."
Ning Que listened to the melodious music and thought about these days in the Academy's Back Mountain.
The two Shixiong who were obsessed with chess and starving under the pine tree; the two Shixiong who were obsessed with zither and flute; the Eleventh Shixiong who had a head full of flowers and looked like a madman but was quiet and at ease; the Shishu who studied outside the cliff cave until he was a hundred years old and still danced with joy.
He also remembered how he rolled around excitedly in the Min Mountain forest when his archery skills improved, how he screamed with joy when the wind of blades at the frontier fortress of Wei grew fiercer, how he smiled while leaning against the west window of the old library last year, and how he stood stiffly by the desk every night …
"Everyone will encounter many problems. If you want to solve these problems, you must concentrate on doing it, which requires the craziest enthusiasm. But this kind of enthusiasm is not the weight of a mountain on your shoulders, but the joy that you most yearn for in the depths of your heart."
Ning Que looked at the beautiful Academy's Back Mountain and said, "I used to be obsessed, but these days I forgot that the essence of obsession is like. There is no false hope, so naturally there is no false disappointment, let alone despair. Life is like a question. There are all kinds of obsession, all kinds of likes. Do whatever you like, then I think there will be an answer to this question. "
…
…
(Amended 201112192341. Wish you all a happy Monday.)
P.S.: This really makes me speechless. In this revised version, I've deleted some superfluous words, and it's thirty words less than the original chapter. In the end, there's no way to change it. Only now do I understand. It turns out that every time I edit it, there's at least one more word than the original chapter.
I have no choice but to type a few more words here. Anyway, I have deleted from 6,760 to 6,720, so there is no problem with money. The key is that I have spent more than half an hour on this matter, which is really a loss. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for it. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
