Hsu Fengnian, on the other hand, had been forcefully tied to the same line by Luo Yang. How much effort he put in depended on how dangerous the situation was. According to Hsu Fengnian's original intention, this kind of thankless task was to stay out of trouble. For someone like him, who had climbed up and down the Tide-listening Pavilion since he was young, he really had no interest in secret manuals and treasures. To fish in troubled waters, one would only put in effort if the person who was fishing liked to eat fish.
It was a chaotic situation.
Hsu Fengnian frowned as he slowly drank his wine.
Helian Wuwei glanced at him, his smile shrewd and playful.
— —
The Two Zen Temples were the most respected temples in the world, and the abbot, Monk Long Shu, was revered as the head of Buddhism. However, when one actually went there, one would realize that it was far inferior to the temples on some famous mountains in the provinces and counties. It was not at all a big mountain, a big temple, or a big hall. The old abbot, Monk Long Shu's residence, was especially simple and crude, no different from that of a villager at the foot of the mountain. It was a somewhat sturdy thatched hut, but it was cramped and the courtyard could not be considered wide. One could only hear the gurgling of a stream in the distance, but there was no stream. The corners were old and the fences were new. If one walked a few more steps, one might even step on some chicken dung. There was an ancient cypress behind the hut, and there was nothing mysterious about it. Under the shade of the tree, there was a large water tank. Under the lead of the abbot, the monks of the Two Zen Temples were pragmatic and practical. They could not see farming as a disgrace. Every time Monk Long Shu returned from his work at dusk, he would go to the water tank to wash away the mud, and a lot of silt would settle at the bottom of the tank. It was said that a famous Jiangnan scholar used this mud to make a famous pot, which was widely spread. At this moment, a man and a woman were standing in front of the water tank, whispering to each other. The old abbot had left the temple and descended the mountain. He was going to Beimang, which was thousands of miles away, to quarrel with someone. Someone had to take care of these chickens and ducks, so he handed them over to these two children who had grown up on the mountain. In any case, they often played here and were most familiar with the place, so the old monk was very relieved. The little monk was draped in a brand new and clean green jade kasaya. The Two Zen Temples were different from the Taoist Master Mansion on Longhu Mountain. Even if they were rewarded by the imperial court, they did not like to drape themselves in purple. The little monk's kasaya was of a standard that very few monks of high virtue in the temple could wear. However, at this moment, the delicate and pretty little monk had a melancholy expression on his face. His words were full of hesitation. "Lizi, someone came to the temple to ask for the mud in this large tank. Do you think we should give it to them?"
The girl reached out and stirred the clear water in the tank. While doing so, she rolled her eyes and said, "No! In this world, how can a guest come to the temple and take something for free? That's too shameless. "
The little monk's brows were almost knitted together. "But as long as there's mud, the old abbot will agree every time."
The girl glared at him and said, "Now that the old abbot isn't here, I'm in charge. I have the final say!"
"If Master and Mistress knew about this, they would complain that I don't know how to treat guests."
The girl's bright eyes lit up. She was immensely proud of herself, thinking that she had found a perfect compromise. "Why don't we sell it to that person for one tael of mud or one tael of silver?"
The little monk was a simple-minded person. Obviously, he wasn't that smart. He had a troubled expression on his face, but he didn't dare to refute the girl. He could only remain silent.
The girl thought about it and said in a serious tone, "Selling one tael of mud for one tael of silver seems like a bit of a bully. Forget it, no matter how much he takes, we only want one tael of silver. When we go out, we have to be a bit more astute. Since we're in our own home, we have to be honest. You see, last time when we went to Beiliang Palace, Hsu Fengnian was very generous with us. That's called being generous. I can't be stingy. "
The little monk Nanbei grinned brightly.
The girl withdrew her hand from the water jar and whispered, "When we go back to my mother, father, and the old abbot, you can't say that I earned one tael of silver. Do you remember?"
The little monk smiled foolishly and thought of a stupid idea that didn't need to lie. "Later when we sell mud, I'll go to the mountain to drive the chickens and ducks back into the cages. I won't see anything."
The girl rolled her eyes. "When you get older, you'll definitely die of stupidity. How can you become a Buddha and burn the Sarira?"
The little monk touched his bald head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Just as the girl was about to go find the thick-skinned Jiangnan celebrity who refused to leave the temple to do business, she saw a tall monk in white robes leisurely stroll over. Her eyes smiled into crescent moons as she jogged over and called out, "Father." The little monk who was imitating the crow of a chicken to lure the old chickens back into the cages also smiled. The white-robed monk rubbed his daughter's head and let her do her own thing. The little girl was innocent and carefree. She gave the stupid Nanbei a look that said, "Don't let it slip." Only then did she skip away. The stupid Nanbei was actually not stupid. He only took one look at his master's expression and knew that something had happened. He stopped his comical action of driving the chickens back into the cages. The white-robed monk Li Dangxin hesitated and said, "Your master's master can't quarrel and can't fight. I'm going out for a while. When I'm not here, take care of the plums."
The stupid Nanbei nodded vigorously and then asked, "Master's wife knows?"
Li Dangxin smiled and said, "Listen to her for small things and follow me for big things. It's been like this all these years."
The stupid Nanbei turned his head and thought that since he could remember, he had never heard of a big matter where he listened to his master. Didn't he listen to his master's wife?
The white-robed monk touched his big bald head and knew what his stupid disciple was thinking. He laughed and said, "Isn't this a big matter?"
The stupid Nanbei carefully asked, "Master, can you go back to the temple with the old abbot?"
The white-robed monk sighed, "I don't know."
The little monk Nanbei did not say anything else and went to chase after the plums. After a while, he came back with the angry girl. The white-robed monk smiled helplessly. There were four people in the house. The daughter-in-law's words were not as effective as his daughter's. He could only nag this disciple. It was a pity that this stupid disciple was always on their side.
The little girl put her hands on her hips and said, "Father, why didn't you tell me you were going down the mountain?"
The white-robed monk smiled embarrassedly and said, "I was afraid you wouldn't allow it."
The girl's expression quickly changed from gloomy to affectionate. She was about to speak but her father knew her best. Li Dangxin shook his head and said, "Li Zi, you can't go."
The little girl's expression dimmed. She lowered her head and looked at her feet. She seemed to be hiding her red eyes and asked, "Mother agreed?"
The white-robed monk nodded.
The girl walked closer to him and lightly tugged at his sleeves, "Do you want me to ask for some money from mother?"
"No need. Keep it to buy rouge and face powder. Dress up beautifully. Father will only think about the plums at home. The more he thinks about it, the less he feels cold and hungry."
"Boasting again. Right, Father, there are many big baldies in the temple. Old baldies all know how to fight. Do you want to call them to go with father? "
"No need. Father walks quickly. They can't keep up."
"Oh."
"Father is not home. If you are bored, go down the mountain with Nanbei and Nanbei to play. You haven't been to Great Peace City. The rouge there is good. Father doesn't have money, but your father's master's abbot's room has many good things. If you sell them, it will be worth a lot. Compared to selling the stinky mud in the water tanks, you can earn much more. Just like the old abbot's meditation mat. "
"That's not good, right?"
"What's not good about it? When we go back, I'll have Nanbei weave a new one."
"Ah, let's go, let's go. Also, don't hook up with those girls that throw themselves at you. You will make mother angry."
"How can that be? In father's eyes, other than Li Zi and your mother, there are no other women."
On the mountain path, many pilgrims saw a monk with white robes fluttering in the wind.
Some young women and matrons instinctively looked a few more times.
In the hundred years of Jianghu, the young sword god Li Chungang with the wooden horse and bull was truly outstanding. The white horse and white robes were still in Great Peace. The Emperor personally led the horse into the palace. Li Dangxin at that time was also truly outstanding.
When they were far away from the Two Zen Temples and there was no one around, a white rainbow flashed through the sky.
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