Object Control Technique was a general control technique that could be applied to any object that could be controlled. It could be a stone table or a variety of weapons. Its advantage was that it was not picky about the object, but its disadvantage was that it did not have a specialized knife control technique. Lou Xiaoyi needed to familiarize himself with it and explore it step by step.
He did not know if Liang Kuangren had a specialized knife control technique back then. In any case, he did not find it among his belongings.
However, it did not hinder his practice. Object control, especially this kind of irregular lancet that was difficult to control, was not an easy task. Not only did it have to be controlled to fly far, but it also had to have a certain degree of lethality.
In the Induction Foundation Stage, cultivators could control objects with their divine sense, which was called the Art of Capturing Dragons and Controlling Cranes. However, in the Qi Eating Stage, it was easy to send it out, but extremely difficult to retrieve it. The reason why Liang Kuangren used a lancet was because its aerodynamic shape had the ability of a boomerang.
Sending it out required spiritual power, and retrieving it required a boomerang technique. Lou Xiaoyi was still far from being able to boomerang, but he would not consider this now. The first thing he needed to solve was how to accurately send it out with his spiritual power. It had to be far enough, accurate, and penetrative. After doing all this, he would then consider other problems.
Spring was warm and the flowers were blooming. Greenery had returned to Pu City. For such a small and remote city located in the Gobi Desert, greenery was especially precious to them. There was an endless stream of celebratory activities, including the Spring Outing at the Little Night Lake that caused a small disturbance last year.
Of course, Lou Xiaoyi did not participate in this Spring Outing, which made the organizers heave a sigh of relief. As an annual event for the young people of Pu City's upper class, they had no right to reject any qualified participants, especially a young master like Lou Xiaoyi who had a relatively special status.
Lou Xiaoyi was busy with his own happy cultivation, so how could he have the time to participate in their meaningless moaning? Wasn't it just spring coming and they wanted to pair up? It was a purely physical request, but they had to make it sound so elegant. Wasn't it just for the sake of doing that at night when the lights were off?
However, he still did not avoid the restlessness of spring. This time, it was a monk who came looking for him!
The monks of the Jokhang Temple in West City were the temples that his mother and Auntie Cai often went to. It was also the most famous temple in Pu City. It had the most incense offerings, and it was the most popular temple among the upper class.
The winter in Pu City was very difficult to endure. It was cold and windy. Very few people would choose to go out during this time of year, let alone the pampered wives of officials and rich ladies. Therefore, when spring came, the Jokhang Temple would take the initiative to send auspicious gifts and Buddhist letters to the famous wives of officials and rich families in Pu City. In fact, it was to tell them that the weather had warmed up and that they could come and send incense and money!
In the territory of Pu City, those who believed in Buddhism and had a certain amount of financial power were, of course, the most prominent among the upper echelons of society. Men rarely did such things. Their common thought was that they might as well marry a concubine if they had the money.
As the saying goes, shoot the horse before shooting the man, and capture the leader before capturing the bandits. Since they wanted to incite the enthusiasm of the women to worship Buddha, they naturally had to deal with the few most prestigious women in Pu City. In this regard, Lou Yaoshi was undoubtedly the first choice!
It was not only because she was devout in worship of Buddha, but also because of her background. She was Lady Sima of the previous dynasty. There was no more honorable title in Pu City than her. Although it was an empty title, it was enough in the women's world.
Therefore, the first person they looked for was her. The Jokhang Temple's reception monk, Monk Mo Fang, personally came to Lou Province with two young novice monks. They came empty-handed and with white sleeves, they came to offer their most sincere greetings and the Abbot's most sincere blessings.
According to the rules of Pu City, the amount of incense and money donated in a year would be determined by the first person to make the donation. It would be increased or decreased at the discretion of the first person. Normally, it would not exceed the first person's donation during the first Buddhist ceremony at the beginning of spring. There was an advantage to this rule, which was to prevent malicious comparisons. As the flow of people in Pu City was very limited, they were all familiar with each other. Therefore, such rules were abided by. Even a wealthy family like the Li family did not dare to spend more than the madams of Lou Province or the madams of the prefects.
This was an offense. Therefore, the first person to make the donation was very important. They had to take the lead. It could not be too exaggerated, but it could not be worse than the previous years. The monks also understood the principle of inflation.
In the past, Lou Xiaoyi had never participated in this kind of thing. Last year, when the monks came at this time, the two souls in his mind were fighting, so he was also confused. However, this year was not quite the same.
His mother and Auntie Cai were meeting with the reception monk in the living room and listening to him talk about lotus flowers. Lou Xiaoyi was in the courtyard practicing the true essence of his heavy ears. He had been practicing this method of hearing for several months and had made great progress. Even in his own courtyard, as long as he was willing, every movement in the entire Lou residence, whether it was cats and dogs fighting, servants bickering, or couples in London, could not escape his ears.
"Buddha said that suffering is not suffering, and happiness is not happiness. It is just a temporary obsession. If you are obsessed with a thought, you will be trapped by that thought. Once you let go of the thought, it will be free from the heart. Things turn with the heart, the state is created by the heart, and all troubles are born from the heart.
… A person must be able to suffer losses. In life, you bring nothing with you when you are born, and you bring nothing with you when you die. If you haggle over every ounce, you will neglect the essentials and focus on the trifles. Often, you will lose more. A truly smart person will not care about superficial losses. What they value is the substantial 'benefits'. This is because people who can suffer losses often have a peaceful and happy life. Being able to suffer losses is a kind of state of being a person. Being able to suffer losses is a kind of wisdom in handling matters. Buddha said, 'Never suffer losses. Only by cherishing blessings will you have blessings!'
… Again, Subhuti, kind man, kind woman, recite this sutra. If you are contemptible, it is the sinful karma of your past life. You should fall into the evil path. Because you are contemptible in this life, the sinful karma of your past life should be eliminated. You deserve Annutara-Samyak-Sambodhi.
… "
Lou Xiaoyi did not really understand the Buddhist sutra. Whether it was in his previous life or in this life, he did not have any research in this area. However, this did not mean that he was stupid!
Kong Fang's words sounded lofty and mysterious. In fact, what he meant was that the old lady should suffer more losses. She should not be afraid of suffering losses and should give more money … and so on.
It was not that he was reluctant to give more money. As long as his mother was happy, he did not mind giving more money. However, what he cared about was this way of cheating people of their money. He was using his mother and others' respect for Buddha as a tool to accumulate wealth!
Looking at this fat monk with a big belly, he thought, 'You want others to suffer losses? Why don't you suffer more losses yourself?'
His mother and Aunt Cai lived alone in the mansion. In this world, there was very little entertainment for them. Believing in Buddha was a very important way for them to pass time and seek psychological sustenance.
This was also something that most of the Inner House members of the rich and powerful families had in common. On this point, Buddhism was able to take advantage of the situation. They had a huge innate advantage and a huge audience. Even Taoism, which was dominant, could not compete with them.
Kong Fang was still chattering. Lou Xiaoyi was too lazy to listen to him. As long as he did not go too far, he could only let him be. What else could he do? After all, he could not make his mother unhappy because of some money.
At this age, it would be useless to reason with her. It would be a waste of effort and troublesome!
"The Jokhang Temple has built a new memorial arch outside the mountain gate. It lacks a couplet. Madam, please polish it and display it during the spring Dharma Assembly. The entire Jokhang Temple awaits your presence!"
Kong Fang was still encouraging him with his glib tongue. He had to admit that the monk's entry point was very sharp. He had seen through Lou Yaoshi's background. She had a bit of ink and liked this way of leaving her name. Since she could leave her name, she would definitely be Dafa. In the end, the noble would leave her name and the Jokhang Temple would reward her.
His mother had indeed fallen into his trap. After exchanging pleasantries, her words were full of support. Of course, this kind of matter of worshipping Buddha could not be mentioned rashly. It was too vulgar. Both of them were well aware and understood each other. Everyone was happy.
If his mother was happy, then let her be. If spending money could buy happiness, then why not? At Lou Yaoshi's age, there was not much time left for her to fulfill her wishes. For the people in this world, their lifespan was not at all as long as that of the cultivation world. It was a very strange thing for the elderly to reach sixty years old.
What Lou Xiaoyi did not expect was that his mother called him over during lunch time.
"Xiaoyi, someone from the Jokhang Temple came and asked me to write a couplet for them. I am not thinking clearly now and am occasionally muddle-headed. Xiaoyi, you have already written a document. Why don't you write one for your mother?"
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