Probably because he looked down on Hsu Fengnian from the bottom of his heart, the waiter spoke with an air of generosity. He kept saying that if Hsu Fengnian didn't have a few hundred taels of silver, he shouldn't go to Lei Ming Temple to puff himself up at his own cost. Hsu Fengnian dismissed it with a laugh, saying that he would consider burning incense. While he was at it, Hsu Fengnian also praised the richness of Wuhou City, saying that as a foreigner, he had broadened his horizons. Only then did the waiter's expression turn for the better, and his tone of voice became warmer. Hsu Fengnian received the copper key, not forgetting to give him a few pieces of silver, and asked him to hang the watermelons in a bamboo basket and place them in the well water in the backyard. The waiter said "Good!" and happily left with the two watermelons. He found this scholar more and more pleasing to the eye. Hsu Fengnian put down the book case, took down the Spring and Autumn Sword, and placed them on the table. Before he left, he stuck two silk threads between the cracks of the window and the door, which were hard to detect. When he pushed them open, they would break. He then nailed the flying sword, Morning Dew, with its perfect sword embryo, to the roof beam. After entering the city, Hsu Fengnian restrained most of his Qi activity. Within a hundred steps, he was still concerned about Morning Dew, so he went downstairs to eat lunch. The business of the inn was bleak, and there were only a few tables of customers. Hsu Fengnian ordered a pot of liquor and drank alone. He was relaxed and had a bit of the spirit of a scholar.
Before Hsu Fengnian went to the north, he had a lot of business dealings. Not only were there tea leaves and porcelain, but there were also a lot of antiques, scriptures, and other relics of the Spring and Autumn Period that had been lost among the common people were also sold to Wuhou City and a few other big cities. Before Hsu Fengnian went to the north, he had some understanding of the Eight Great Festival Holders and the Twelve Great Generals. Helian Wuwei of Xihe Province was relatively unknown. He only knew that he was of noble birth in Beimang and was a romantic young man. However, after his family declined, he did not give up on everything. Instead, he turned over a new leaf. After twenty years of military service, his outstanding military service brought glory to his family. His wife died early from illness and he did not remarry, resulting in him having no children. He was completely different from Helian Wuwei, who was known for his military strength and ruthlessness. Other than his ability to lead troops, he could only be regarded as a troublemaker in the imperial court. He was also rarely seen in the Empress's annual spring and winter hunts. Therefore, among the Eight Great Festival Holders, he was the most aloof.
Hsu Fengnian returned to his room. The silk thread was still intact. Other than eating and drinking, he spent his time alone, flipping through the secret saber manual. Perhaps most people who obtained Wang Xianzhi's martial arts experience would be ecstatic and would quickly browse through it, wishing they could ascend to the First Pin realm overnight. Fortunately, Hsu Fengnian was able to endure. He did not grasp the essence of the move and did not turn to the next page. At this time, he was still stuck at the bottleneck of tying the black silk thread. He also did not play any small trick of taking a detour. During the battle at the Dunhuang city gate, Đồng Thái, who was about to go out to sea to visit the Immortal Mountain, and Luo Yang, who had the 'Jianghu' innate talent, could be said to be evenly matched. Hsu Fengnian closed his eyes to feel the battle. After the battle, he stroked the hundreds and thousands of sword scars. He only felt that his heart was full of spirit, but he could not figure out what it was. Hsu Fengnian was not impatient. He still told himself to proceed step by step.
The next day, he carried his book and sword and marched to Wuhou city. He ate and walked. The military formation in the city was solemn and orderly. Li Yishan always said that the ability to manage an army was in the smallest detail. Hsu Fengnian clearly noticed this point from the map of Beimang's military town that was hung in the Tide-listening Pavilion. On the western front bordering Liang Mang, Beimang's elite troops were all rushing to the southern border. They looked like they were going to fight to the death with the Beiliang cavalry. On the eastern front between the two dynasties, the military strength of both sides was a notch higher. It was just that as they moved northward, their military strength gradually increased. Beimang's eastern border had Dongjin and Juzi prefectures, which were obviously inferior to Xihe prefecture, which had Kung Bijun as its foundation. Hsu Fengnian did not know whether this arrangement, which was better or worse, was intentional or not. He did not know whether it was a deliberate arrangement or an unintentional move that had to do with the temperament and ability of the several Preceptors.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Hsu Fengnian did not follow the general trend of going to Lei Ming Temple at dawn. Instead, he left the inn at noon, when the sun was blazing hot. Lei Ming Temple was located at the intersection of the north and south of the Joyful Spring. It was built against the mountain. The main structure was a nine-story pavilion with multiple eaves. Inside the pavilion was a Buddha statue that was even bigger than the Dunhuang Buddha Cave. It was a typical building with a slope on one side of a hard mountain in the Western Regions. Hsu Fengnian, who had restrained his Qi activity, was sweating all over as he slowly entered the temple. Inside the temple, ancient trees towered to the sky, providing deep shade. He immediately felt refreshed. After burning three sticks of incense, he crossed the threshold of the main building. There were a total of eighty-one windows in the nine-story pavilion, but none of them were open. It was just that on the fourth floor below, several thousand green lanterns were lit. The lanterns were splendid, as if the Buddha's light was shining everywhere. Therefore, the interior of the building did not give people the slightest impression of gloominess. Hsu Fengnian looked up and saw the Buddha statue of Maitreya, squinting his eyes and looking down at the world. The Buddha statue was so big that it was ranked third in the world. It was built eight hundred years ago, during the third catastrophe of Buddhism. The Buddha statue had a compassionate face, with a gentle outline. One of his hands was placed on his knees, while the other was forming a seal with his index finger raised. This seal was not found in any Buddhist scriptures. Generations of monks were puzzled and argued endlessly. Later dynasties did not make any changes to the Buddha statue itself. They only added new colors and gold. After the Empress ascended the throne, she added rich colors to the kasaya.
Before entering the temple, Hsu Fengnian was informed that the Longevity Lanterns were to be lit. He had to inform the Thunder Temple monk of his name and ancestral home. Regretfully, he could only give up. The building was spacious and empty. Occasionally, a cool breeze would enter the building. The thousands of Green Lotus Longevity Lanterns on the fourth floor, from low to high, swayed slightly in order. The scene was not like that of the human world, but rather like the Pure Land of Bliss.
Pilgrims were not allowed to enter the building to see the Buddha. Even the monks in the temple had to stop at the fourth floor. The Thunder Temple was built eight hundred years ago. Most of the monks who achieved the Dao stopped at the sixth or seventh floor. Only the Emperor could go up to the eighth floor. Even the Emperor, who was known as the Emperor of the Nine and Five, had done so. It meant that he had lowered his status in front of the Buddha. Naturally, no one could go up to the ninth floor. Even the Beimang Empress, who had the ambition to unify the world, was no exception.
Hsu Fengnian bowed to the Buddha and was about to leave the building. He was about to go to a nearby Sutra Pavilion to enjoy the scenery. In a flash, he had a telepathic connection and looked up.
He saw a head poking out of the Buddha's palm. The head was looking straight at him with a cold gaze.
At this moment, Hsu Fengnian only felt that it was ridiculous. His strange mood was indescribable.
This woman was really audacious.
The White Robe Luo Yang.
Sitting on the Buddha's palm, she bent over and poked out her head. She was looking at Hsu Fengnian.
Hsu Fengnian thought that if it was a gentle woman like Huang Baozhuang, she would definitely not dare to be so rebellious.
Hsu Fengnian said to himself, "The Devil Buddha has a line?"
Thinking of the magnificent scenery of the falling clouds outside Wuhou City, he suddenly had a hint of understanding. However, it slipped away and he did not grasp it.
For some reason, Luo Yang, who appeared in the Thunder Temple, did not leave the Buddha's palm. Hsu Fengnian also did not go up. The two could only look at each other.
Then, Hsu Fengnian almost vomited blood. The White Robe Luo Yang seemed to be annoyed by Hsu Fengnian's cowardice. When her body floated down, her Qi surged like a river flowing into the sea. Thousands of longevity lamps were extinguished in an instant.
Hsu Fengnian felt a headache coming on. He cursed in his heart, "What a sin!"
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