The dark-skinned young monk, whose Buddhist name was Guan Hai, was the last disciple of the Lanke Temple's Elder, Master Qishan. He did not have any specific duties in the temple, but his seniority and status were extremely high, comparable to that of the abbot.
Last winter, it was Guan Hai who personally went to Chang 'an and handed the invitation to the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival to Ning Que. He also challenged him. Ning Que sat by the Yanming Lake for half a day and finally understood something. Then he returned to the South Gate Taoism Hall to fight with him and narrowly won.
Ning Que had a good impression of Monk Guan Hai. Although this young monk had a determined temperament, he was extremely gentle and amiable. Monk Guan Hai had a longing for the Academy and respected the disciples of the Second floor of the Academy because his teacher had once consulted the Headmaster of the Academy and constantly praised him.
"This is indeed the Lanke Temple's territory. I wanted to keep a low profile and not disturb you. I secretly met Master Qishan and left after finishing my business. But you still found out."
Ning Que walked out of the horse carriage and looked at Guan Hai with a smile.
Monk Guan Hai looked at the dusty horse carriage and said with a bitter smile, "You are not low-profile. I received a letter from the Divine Hall a few days ago and knew that you were attacked on the way … Eh, Uncle, when did you break the realm again?"
Monk Guan Hai suddenly felt that something had happened to Ning Que. It was very different from when they met in Chang 'an last winter. He vaguely guessed the truth and could not help but exclaim.
Ning Que said, "I told you in Chang 'an to call me Senior Brother."
Monk Guan Hai hesitated for a moment and listened to his request. He said, "Thirteenth Senior … Brother, when we met last year, you were still in the Seethrough State. How did you break the realm in such a short time? Did you have an adventure again?"
As a Buddhist disciple, his temperament was calm and determined. Moreover, monk Guan Hai's state was quite high. But at this moment, his voice was slightly trembling.
Ning Que said, "How can there be so many adventures? If you can often leave the Tile Mountain and the Lanke Temple to fight with people in the world, it will not be so difficult to increase your state."
Monk Guan Hai looked at him with envy and awe. The cultivation world knew that Ning Que had only been in the Academy for a few years, but now he had become a Grand Cultivator of the Knowing Destiny State. It was really shocking.
Although it was a great pleasure to be looked at by a young Buddhist master, Ning Que did not have the time and energy to enjoy it. He said, "I wrote you a letter in advance. Did you read it?"
Guan Hai looked at the black horse carriage and said, "Yes. How is your Senior Sister?"
Guan Hai looked at the black horse carriage and said, "Yes. how is she?"
Then he said worriedly, "I asked Ye Hongyu to help me suppress the cold aura in my body. It shouldn't worsen for a while, but it's better to solve this as soon as possible. When can I see Master Qishan?"
Monk Guan Hai looked embarrassed and said, "My master builds a hut and meditates in the mountain behind the temple all year round. He does not receive guests."
Guan Guan King is, and said, "Master of. is." s Guan Guan Guan.
Monk Guan Hai shook his head and explained, "In the past, my Master never attended the Grand Guan Tian King Festival. Even when I was cultivating Buddhism with my Master, I only listened to his teachings through the door."
Ning Que raised his eyebrows when he heard this. If he did not meet with guests, then what was the point of him coming? He had made up his mind. If that was the case, he would have to force his way into the mountain.
At this moment, monk Guan Hai said, "But my Master will come out of seclusion for a day."
Ning Que's raised eyebrows calmed down. He looked at monk Guan Hai and said helplessly, "You are a monk from the Tile Mountain, not a storyteller from Chang 'an. Can you not speak with such a big breath?"
Monk Guan Hai smiled apologetically and suggested, "My Master will come out of seclusion the day after tomorrow. Thirteenth Brother, why don't you stay in the temple for two days? Even though it can't be compared to the Academy, there is still some scenery."
Ning Que thought that Sangsang's condition had stabilized recently, and she had been enjoying the scenery on the horse carriage. Since they had come all the way to the Lanke Temple, he should take her around. He should at least see what the thousand-year-old temple looked like, especially since he was a disciple of the Academy and close to Mistress Jian. He should pay his respects to the tomb in the temple.
"That's good."
He thought of a question and asked monk Guan Hai, "Since Master Qishan has been in seclusion for many years, why did he come to the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival this year? I know that the imperial courts of the Central Plains are here to discuss the Desolate Man's invasion. The cultivation sects might be here because of the legend of the Underworld Invasion. "
Monk Guan Hai thought of something and looked at Ning Que with a complicated gaze. He said, "Maybe so."
Ning Que understood what the young monk was thinking and asked with a smile, "It is said that I am the Son of Yama. Are you afraid of standing in front of me?"
Monk Guan Hai's gaze returned to peace. He looked at Ning Que with a smile and said, "What is there to be afraid of?"
Ning Que saw that his expression did not seem to be fake and could not help but feel puzzled. He asked, "Why?"
Monk Guan Hai bowed to the west with his palms pressed together. Then he straightened up and looked at Ning Que seriously. He said, "Since the Headmaster of the Academy is willing to accept you as his core disciple, how can you be the Son of Yama?"
…
…
For the sake of peace, Ning Que did not stay in the Lanke Temple in the end. Monk Guan Hai brought them to a secluded courtyard near the forest in the north. They did not disturb the monks in the temple.
After a simple vegetarian meal and a simple chat, monk Guan Hai stood up and left. Ning Que knew that although Master Qishan lived in seclusion all year round, Guan Hai, as the future abbot of the Lanke Temple, had to come out to receive the other cultivation sects during the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival. Therefore, Ning Que did not ask him to stay.
As dusk approached, there was the sound of drums not far away. Then, it was night. A servant in the temple boiled hot water. Ning Que warmed Sangsang's feet and put her to sleep. He changed a few talismans on her body and then lay down beside her with a peace of mind.
When he woke up, the sky was just beginning to brighten. The bell of the Lanke Temple rang again. He quietly listened to the rhythmic yet unrhythmic sound of the bell, which seemed dull but was actually quite refreshing. He felt much calmer.
After breakfast, Ning Que let the Big Black Horse play in the forest in the courtyard. He put a thick fur coat on Sangsang and took her through an iron gate in the south of the courtyard into the back garden of the Lanke Temple.
The monks in the temple should be doing their morning prayers. There was no other movement in the back garden except for the diligent birds that woke up early to survive and the insects that woke up early to survive but were unfortunately devoured.
A faint fog permeated the forest. The main hall and a few side halls of the Lanke Temple in the distance were faintly discernible in the fog. They looked extremely solemn and beautiful, as if the Buddhist land had really come to the human world.
Ning Que was not too interested in the scenery of the ancient temple. His eyes were fixed on the pagoda forest in the fog. This pagoda forest was made up of dozens of stone pagodas. Each stone pagoda enshrined the ashes of a powerful senior from the Buddhism Sect. Logically speaking, such an environment would make people feel gloomy and scary. However, the chanting coming from the main hall in the distance calmed everything down.
The pagoda forest was quiet and the paths were complicated. Walking in it was like walking in a maze. If it was a first-time visitor, it would be easy to get lost. However, he walked in it with Sangsang without any pause or hesitation. It was extraordinarily familiar, as if he had been here many times.
Sangsang raised her head and looked at him. She was a little surprised and puzzled.
Ning Que did not notice it himself. Even if he did, he would think that it was because he was too familiar with the map that Eldest Brother had drawn for him before he left. He probably would not have thought that it was because of the remnant consciousness of Lotus in the depths of his spiritual ocean that was guiding him.
Walking to the northwest of the pagoda forest, he saw a tomb beside a moss-covered stone pagoda. The tomb was very ordinary and inconspicuous. However, in the pagoda forest where the remains of the Buddhism Sect were enshrined in the Lanke Temple, there was a very ordinary tomb. It was already very eye-catching and vaguely revealed an unusual feeling.
Ning Que held Sangsang's hand and walked to the tomb. He noticed that there were some traces of moss on the tomb, but it looked very clean. It must have been taken care of frequently. He was satisfied and his impression of the monks in the temple improved a little.
He bowed deeply to the tomb.
There was no tombstone in the tomb.
However, he knew who was buried in the tomb.
Buried in the tomb was a young woman. At least when she died, the woman was still very young. That woman was once the best dancer in the world and had a very simple name.
The person buried in the tomb was Jian Xiaoxiao.
The elder sister of Mistress Jian from the House of Red Sleeves.
The fiancée of the Youngest Uncle from the Academy.
…
…
"If she had not been killed by Lotus, she would have been my Youngest Aunt. Youngest Uncle might still be alive now and even have a few children with her. The youngest of them would have taken the glorious position of Youngest Brother and fought with Chen Pipi for the honor of being the most talented."
Ning Que looked at the tomb, which had been cleaned often but had not been visited for many years. He smiled with mixed feelings and said in a low voice, "There will be a few more ancestors in the Academy. But there are already many ancestors in the Academy. I think the teacher won't mind having a few more."
Sangsang squatted down and reached out to pick up a leaf that had floated to the tomb last night. No one knew what she was thinking at this moment. She felt a little cold and subconsciously tightened the collar of her fur coat.
Ning Que held her in his arms and looked at the tomb in front of him. He could not help but feel touched when he thought of the beautiful woman who had danced in front of the Lanke Temple and had died so miserably in the end.
"Logically speaking, as a disciple of the Academy, I should hate Lian Sheng very much. Even if I am cold-blooded and have never been harmed by Lian Sheng, and have inherited some of his benefits, I cannot hate him. But as the only survivor of the murder in the General's Mansion, why can't I hate your teacher?"
Sangsang's Headmaster was the former Great Divine Priest of Light, Wei Guangming. The former half of Ning Que's life was full of despair and an abnormal desire for revenge. But now he said that he did not hate that person.
"I don't even hate Xiahou now. Or it is hard to think of this person." He frowned and kept thinking. He murmured, "Am I really so cold-blooded?"
"Not because you are cold-blooded, but because they are all dead."
Sangsang nestled in his arms and looked at the tomb. She said, "Everything will disappear with death. Hate a person and love a person, no matter how strong, will gradually forget."
Ning Que knew what she wanted to say, but he did not want to hear it.
…
…
(I don't have anything today. Tomorrow I will go to Harbin to attend a friend's wedding. But I will not stop updating. Ahem, maybe that's it? Alas, if this continues, I will really die in a few days.) (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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