Ning Que's question was not about the Tomes of Arcane — the "Ming" Handscroll had always been in the Academy and the Headmaster could read it anytime he wanted — but about the seven volumes. When Lotus was invited to the Zhishou Abbey, he had only read two volumes of the Tomes of Arcane. It was hard for him to imagine that there was someone in the world who had read the seven volumes of the Tomes of Arcane.
So when he heard the Headmaster's answer, he was shocked speechless. He thought that even if the Headmaster was the greatest person in the world, the relationship between Haotian Taoism and the Academy was so bad. How could the Taoists in the Zhishou Abbey lend him the seven volumes of the Tomes of Arcane?
The Headmaster knew what he was thinking and said, "I like reading. I really wanted to read the contents of the Tomes of Arcane. I can't just stop reading because the Taoists refused to let me."
Ning Que understood the hidden meaning in the Headmaster's words. He gasped and said, "Did you break into the Zhishou Abbey and force yourself to read the seven volumes of the Tomes of Arcane? What's the difference between that and a bandit? "
The Headmaster was a little embarrassed and said, "Books are the inheritance of knowledge. They should not be hidden deep in the mountains and not be read by others. How can reading be powerful?"
The seven volumes of the Tomes of Arcane, which were supreme in the eyes of the world, were no different from ordinary books in the Academy, especially in the eyes of his Headmaster. Since he wanted to read them, he had to read them. Thinking of this, Ning Que was shocked and proud.
Being a Tang was something to be proud of. Being a disciple of the Academy was even more so. Youngest Uncle's reputation in the world, Senior Brothers' occasional appearances in the mortal world, and especially the anecdotes about the Headmaster that were unknown to the world had formed a very special atmosphere. No matter how shy and reserved one was, one would eventually become proud after staying in the atmosphere of the Academy for a long time.
Moreover, Ning Que had never been a shy and reserved person. He clicked his tongue in wonder and then remembered the question he wanted to ask, "What was the message of the Buddha on the" Ming "Handscroll?"
The Headmaster said, "As I said, you will understand when you can understand the book."
Ning Que then remembered that he had read the "Ming" Handscroll. Thinking of the unclear words on the Tomes of Arcane, such as the rotation of the sun and moon, he vaguely guessed that it was the message of the Buddha. He was even more curious about the prophecy. But how could he understand it at his current state?
Whether it was the back of the mountain or the front yard of the Academy, the learning atmosphere had always been free and casual. As the saying goes, one should not be ashamed to ask his subordinates. Ning Que was even more ashamed to ask his superiors. He said directly, "Teacher, I really don't understand."
Ning Que was even more ashamed to ask the Headmaster. The Headmaster sighed and said, "Teacher, I really don't understand."
Ning Que looked at his teacher's fluttering white eyebrows and was at a loss. He thought to himself, "How could there be a language in this world that you don't understand? You're not an ordinary person.
"When the Dharenters, the Night comes and the Moon appears."
The Headmaster looked at the sky full of stars above the precipice and said, "The first sentence refers to the Dharma Ending Age mentioned by the Buddhism Sect. The arrival of night means the Underworld Invasion. But what is moon? The Yuelun Kingdom got its name from this. The moon must be a rotating object. You said a few words last year tonight, but who has seen it? "
He turned to look at Ning Que and said, "The reason why I don't understand is because it is a prophecy. As I said before, if prophecies are useful, why are we still alive? Since we will live according to our own will, the prophecy may not come true. Since it may not come true, it may never appear in our world. Since it will never appear, how can we understand it? "
This sentence was a little hard to pronounce, but Ning Que heard it clearly. He roughly understood his teacher's attitude towards the "Ming" Handscroll. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Since the prophecy of the Buddhism Sect is not important, why should I go to the Lanke Temple?"
The Headmaster asked, "What is the Lanke Temple most famous for?"
"He should be a monk?"
Ning Que thought about it in his heart, but he knew that he would be scolded by his teacher if he were to say such an answer. Suddenly, he recalled the rumors about Prince Long Qing before he entered Chang 'an, and thought about the important junctures in Master Lotus' life. He asked in disbelief, "Is it … the debate?"
He had answered seriously and cautiously, but he did not expect that his answer would still make the Headmaster extremely dissatisfied.
The Headmaster said angrily, "You talk and I'll talk. That's just a group of cultivators talking about love. They're just a bunch of cultivators messing around and fooling around with those mysterious scholars and Taoist priests. It's all Lotus and the little monk from the Lanke Temple's fault for starting such a bad trend."
Ning Que asked, "What is the Lanke Temple most famous for?"
The Headmaster said, "What is written on the invitation card? The Lanke Temple is most famous for the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival. "
Ning Que said unhappily, "Even if the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival is famous, what does it have to do with me?"
The Headmaster said, "The Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival is the Ghost Festival. It started countless years ago and originated from the legend of the Underworld Invasion. The most important part of it is to worship the ghosts. In the beginning, it was a ceremony for the human world to beg the Underworld to come later. In other words, it was to send a message to the Underworld, telling them to live a good life there and not to think about the human world."
Ning Que was shocked when he realized that the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival was related to the legend of the Underworld.
The Headmaster continued, "The Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival was originally a festival of Haotian Taoism. I don't know why … maybe the believers of Haotian Taoism felt that it was embarrassing for them to do such a thing, so it gradually evolved into a Taoist field with incense and Buddha's voice. However, as time passed, most people forgot the origin of this festival."
Ning Que said, "If the Underworld really wants to invade, how can they be sent away with just a few nice words? Besides, I think if the Underworld really exists, the people there won't like to eat incense and candles. "
The Headmaster slapped his thigh heavily and said, "Yes! Why do we need to cultivate if nice words work? That is why I have been thinking that the Taoist and Buddhist Sects created this Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival to use the Light of Buddha to suppress the Underworld. "
People would only slap their thighs when they were talking excitedly. The Headmaster was also excited at this time. However, he thought that the action of slapping his thigh looked a little indecent and did not match his image of a high mountain. Therefore, he did not slap his own thigh, but slapped Ning Que's thigh heavily.
Feeling the burning pain from his thigh, Ning Que's expression suddenly changed. He opened his mouth, but before he could cry out in pain, he heard the second half of his teacher's words and suddenly forgot the pain.
"Suppress … the Underworld … Is the entrance to the Underworld in the Lanke Temple?"
The Headmaster did not notice his expression at all and said, "Countless Buddhist temples in the world have the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival, not just the Lanke Temple … Moreover, I have been there many years ago and did not find any entrance to the Underworld. You can go and look for it again this time. Maybe it will answer some of your questions."
The Headmaster spoke calmly and casually, but Ning Que was shocked. Thinking of the words "suppress the Underworld" made him feel uncomfortable all over. His skin itched terribly, as if some black smoke was about to seep out of his pores. The Buddhism Sect was now suspecting that he was the Son of Yama. If he went to the Lanke Temple to participate in the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival, wouldn't he be suppressed by the Light of Buddha? Would he be suppressed under the mountain for 500 years?
There was a light mountain breeze between the cliffs, and the wisteria fruits hanging in the rain corridor swayed with the wind. They were shaped like copper bells, but there was no clear sound. Only a few light popping sounds could be heard as the ripe fruits fell to the ground and burst into juice. The unique fragrance of the wisteria, which was a mixture of fat and fresh, immediately filled the air.
Ning Que thought for a long time and plucked up his courage to ask, "Teacher, what is the Son of Yama?"
The Headmaster looked at the night clouds in front of the master and disciple and said, "According to the records of the Xuankong Temple's Book of Light and the" Ming "Handscroll, Yama has 70,000 children. Every time the day and night alternates and before the Underworld Invasion, a Son of Yama will come to the human world to foretell and guide the coming of the night."
"Guide?" Ning Que repeated in surprise.
The Headmaster said, "Of course, the coming of the night needs guidance, just like the light needs guidance. Of course, all these years, I have been thinking whether it is guidance or projection."
Ning Que lowered his head again and kept silent for a long time. It was not until the night grew darker and the starlight became dimmer and the night clouds between the cliffs became as black as ink that he said, "Teacher, if I am really the Son of Yama, will you kill me?"
The Headmaster looked at him and smiled. He said matter-of-factly again, "Of course."
Ning Que raised his head and looked at him. His eyes were full of innocence and begging, like a kitten that had just opened its eyes and was extremely pitiful because of hunger and fear of the strange world.
"Everyone's life is unique. Even if all the lives in the world are added up, they are only as unique as my life. Teacher, you can't take it too hard."
The Headmaster looked at him and said seriously, "To exchange one's life for the safety of billions of people in the world, this is what a hero and a saint should do. If that day really comes, I hope you can kill yourself."
Ning Que naturally disagreed and said indignantly, "I have said that Eldest Brother is a benevolent person and Second Brother is a man of ideals. I am just a selfish person. I don't even want to be a man of ideals, let alone a saint. Teacher, you have gone too far by using such words to provoke me."
The Headmaster suddenly laughed out loud.
Hearing the laughter, Ning Que was a little helpless.
The Headmaster looked at him and said with admiration, "Not bad, not bad. Since you are a human, you should be a human. Why do you have to be a saint? You have thought it through. In my opinion, since you can think it right, I believe you will not do anything wrong in the future. I am very pleased, haha."
In the night, the hearty and even arrogant laughter echoed between the cliffs and gradually disappeared. Ning Que was still extremely helpless and did not know what to say.
The Headmaster looked at him and said with a smile, "The Son of Yama needs to be defined, but it cannot be defined by humans. Only you can define it. Just like how humans are humans because we believe that we are humans. Only we can define humans, not Haotian or other beings."
Ning Que smiled bitterly and said, "Teacher, what you said makes sense … I am not flattering you. I really think it makes sense. But only you are qualified to say this."
The Headmaster said, "I did not say this. It was your Youngest Uncle who said it."
…
…
(Go for the massage. Have a good weekend.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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