A wisp of gold, coming out of the mountains to the west, struggled over the lake and the morning mist, and shot through the crack in the door on the young man's slightly pale face.

There was an incense candle on the dirt next to the bed, and the crimson candle tears covered the blackened loess. There were a few crumbs of bread beside it, and a few ants were toiling hard.

Yuzhang City in June, even in the morning, is a little muggy, but yesterday's rain added a little coolness to the air. The water on the ground has long since dried up.

Probably because his eyes were shaking violently, the young man finally opened his eyes. After a long stretch, the boy walked out with clogs.

Outside the house is the backyard of the Huangcheng Temple, there is a double-storey small building for storing scriptures opposite, and there are wings and halls on both sides, and the monks are coming out of the wings at the moment, and walk to the front yard over the small building. While yawning, he straightened up his messy monk's robes and staggered forward.

"It's time to go to the morning class," Xu Chen thought, "It's time to meet my savior." ”

After straightening his clothes, Xu Chen walked to the front yard.

Walk through the Tibetan scripture building, in front of the Daxiong Treasure Hall, a three-zhang high bronze Buddha sitting on the lotus platform, the solemn face of the treasure hangs a light smile, pity to look at the audience under the Yun Yun indulgence. A few early pilgrims were kneeling reverently.

There is a cloister out of the main hall, connected to the Tianwang Hall in front, the front of the Tianwang Palace is the mountain gate, and the bell and drum tower are on the left and right. The halls, doors and windows, pavilions, and verandahs are all open on the side, and the whole temple gives people a feeling of both virtual and real, moving and stagnant, flexible and transparent.

The place of the morning class was not in the Daxiong Treasure Hall, but in a bamboo garden next to it. A circle of emerald bamboo fences surrounds a bamboo hut, and there are even a few green bamboo leaves on the bamboo.

This is the residence of the abbot, Master Huineng.

Several monks in the bamboo courtyard sat in a staggered cross-legged, and on the bamboo platform in front sat an old monk who looked about sixty years old, the old man's eyebrows had begun to whiten, and his wrinkled face hung a pair of muddy and vicissitudes of life.

Under these eyes, Xu Chen was a little flustered, and hurriedly leaned over to salute.

The abbot's gaze shifted after a moment. Xu Chen's arrival did not affect the abbot's morning class.

After the ceremony, Xu Chen simply found an empty futon and sat down to listen.

"Zhao Zhou asked Nanquan: 'How is the Tao?' Quanyun: 'Ordinary heart is the Tao. The state asked, 'Is it still interesting?' Quanyun: 'Intended direction is obedient!' The state asked: 'Do not want to argue that knowledge is the way?' Quanyun: 'The Tao does not belong to knowing, it does not belong to ignorance, knowledge is delusion, and ignorance is ignorance. If you really reach the way of the unprepared, it is like being too vague and clear-minded, how can you be strong in right and wrong!' Zhao Zhou is in the words of the epiphany, the heart is like the moon. ”

The abbot said.

"What is the 'ordinary mind', the fundamental mind in daily life is also seen in the ordinary places of drinking tea, eating, carrying firewood, and carrying water, all of which are integrated with the Tao, and the daily actions of the four majestic ceremonies such as walking, living, sitting, and lying down are the true Zen ......."

Master Huineng spoke unhurriedly, and the monks in the audience drooped their heads, and some simply closed their eyes and shook their heads.

Xu Chen sat precariously and listened carefully.

Time is like water, and the morning sun gradually rises, sprinkling wisps of heat on the bamboo garden. Huineng stopped preaching, and all the monks got up to say goodbye and walked to the dining hall in the backyard. The abbot looked at Xu Chen, turned around and walked into the bamboo house.

Xu Chen understood, got up and walked to the door, scooped a scoop of water in the water tank by the door, washed his feet, dried for a while, and walked into the bamboo house barefoot.

The abbot looked at Xu Chen's movements and smiled knowingly.

After entering the house, Xu Chen bowed, "Thank you Master Abbot for saving your life!"

"Donor, get up, helping the world and saving people is what a monk should do. Hui Neng said with a smile.

After getting up, Xu Chen sat down on the abbot's right hand.

"Fortunately, my body is a few years younger, otherwise it would be difficult to kneel like this with my original body. Xu Chen thought about it self-deprecatingly.

"I hope the donor listens carefully, have you ever understood?" asked Master Huineng.

"What is the difference between understanding and not understanding?" Xu Chen replied after thinking about it.

"Hahaha, yes, yes. Master Huineng suddenly laughed.

"Where's the benefactor?"

"I've been an orphan since I was a child,......" said Xu Chen, and said what he said to the little girl last night.

"Oh, I see," Master Huineng nodded, "Has the benefactor ever read?" Huineng looked at Xu Chen, his manners were polite, and his conversation was extraordinary, not like an ordinary beggar.

"My grandfather taught me to read and write, and he read a few books," Xu Chen replied carefully.

"In that case, let the donor stay in the temple for a few days. "It is now the fourth year of Tianbao, the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism is gradually prospering, and it is not difficult for temples around the country to receive tourists.

"Thank you, master," Xu Chen breathed a long sigh of relief, although he would definitely not stay in this temple for a long time, but when he first came to this strange world, it was naturally best to have a place to live and think about the future.

The conversation ended here, and Xu Chen left the bamboo garden after bidding farewell to the abbot.

After having breakfast in the dining hall, Xu Chen walked around the temple, thinking that he had not seen the little girl who had come to bring him food these days when he had eaten just now, and there was no place for female guests to live in the wing room in the backyard.

"Du Tian, you bastard, let me go!"

Xu Chen hurried to the front yard, and as soon as he came out of the Heavenly King Palace, he saw a young man in brocade clothes in the courtyard, about eighteen or nineteen years old, his right hand tightly grasping the little girl's arm, and a pair of eyes staring greedily at the little girl's face.

"Lu Ying, those who know each other will obey me, otherwise you will suffer. The brocade-clothed boy said menacingly.

"Don't think" The little girl categorically refused, anxiously trying to struggle out of Du Tian's hands, and at the same time raised her eyes to look around, just in time to see Xu Chen walking out of the Heavenly King Palace, she was about to shout.

"Du Tian, let go of my sister!" a young man ran from outside the mountain gate, snatched the little girl back, and protected her behind her. Immediately afterwards, three more teenagers ran into the courtyard and gathered around Du Tian.

"Yo, isn't this the eldest prince of Lu? What's the matter, do you think this is still your Xinwu county seat, and you are still the county prince?" Du Tian said angrily.

"You!" the young man was speechless for a while, his face turned red, and he pointed at Du Tian angrily.

Du Tian looked at the few young men surrounding him in front of him calmly, and suddenly noticed that a cold gaze was staring at him, Du Tian suddenly looked up and saw Xu Chen, who was already looking elsewhere.

Several teenagers also looked back, thinking that they were just passing pilgrims, and did not care.

The leading young man was still angry, "I have to teach you a lesson today, so that you dare to bully my sister in the future!" the young man said fiercely and raised his right hand.

The young man is tall, although he looks like he is only fourteen or fifteen years old, he is a head taller than the young man in brocade, if he really fights, it is estimated that the person who suffers is still the vain footsteps, and Du Tian, who has already been hollowed out by the wine.

"No, Brother Hao, no!" Lu Ying anxiously grabbed the young man.

It turned out that this young man was Lu Ying's brother, Lu Hao.

"Brother Hao, if we beat him, the Relief Workshop will not take us in anymore. Lu Ying said quickly.

Hearing this, Lu Hao put down his raised hand heavily.

"Hey, that's right! Saying that, Du Tian's courage grew stronger.

"You have to think about it, follow Young Master Ben and me, and in the future, wearing gold and silver is not much better than being a beggar. Du Tian looked at Lu Ying with squinting eyes.

"What do you say, uncle!" Seeing that Lu Ying didn't turn his head, Du Tian looked at Lu Hao again.

"Get out!" Lu Hao yelled at Du Tian.

"Don't toast and don't eat and drink! Sue you, Lu Hao, don't think that this broken temple can protect you for a lifetime!" Du Tianfu threatened again.

"Du Tian, you stinky boy has run outside to spread the wilderness again!" a middle-aged man in a green robe walked out of the main hall and shouted at Du Tian.

As he spoke, he walked towards Du Tian and grabbed him by the collar. Du Tian, who was still domineering just now, was like a cat and mouse at this moment, curling his head.

"Say, how do I usually teach you? I want to learn from the bully who robbed the people's daughters, right?" said the middle-aged man angrily.

"Kneel down and admit your mistake to Lao Tzu!" the middle-aged man roared.

"I won't" Du Tian stared at the middle-aged man stubbornly, as if he had suffered a great grievance.

"Rebel! dare to talk back!" The middle-aged man slapped him as he spoke, and the strength of this slap seemed to be very strong, half of Du Tian's face immediately turned red, and blood flowed from the corners of his mouth.

Du Tian sat on the ground for a while, a little stunned.

"The old man has no way to teach his son, which frightened Miss Lu, Du Rong is here to apologize to Miss Lu!" said Du Rong and bowed deeply to Lu Ying.

"Du... Uncle Du doesn't need to be like this, Ying'er is fine. Lu Ying replied a little helplessly.

"Sure enough, she is worthy of being the daughter of the county family, and she is knowledgeable, unlike me, a rebel. Du Rong straightened up, twisted the short beard on his chin, and said to Lu Ying with a smile.

"Uncle Du praised it," Lu Ying saluted Lu Rong with a hint of shyness.

In the mountain gate, the number of pilgrims gradually increased, and after Du Rong said a few words to several teenagers, he walked out with the "rebel" Du Tian.

"Brother Hao, why did you come here?" Lu Ying changed back to his lively temperament and took Lu Hao's hand and asked.

"Oh, the leather monkey saw Du Tian sneakily walking around the temple, I expected that the kid would probably come to trouble you again, so I brought everyone with me. Lu Hao touched Lu Ying's head dotingly.

"Oh", "By the way, Brother Hao, come here, I'll introduce you to someone." Lu Ying turned around and saw that Xu Chen was still standing by the palace gate, and hurriedly pulled Lu Hao and ran over.

"No, this is the 'dumb brother'," Lu Ying pointed at Xu Chen and said to Lu Hao.

"My name is Xu Chen," he said, bowing to the crowd.

Lu Hao turned his head, thinking that his sister had been taking care of this kid for so many days, and he was bullied just now, and this kid actually stood aside indifferently. I didn't have a good impression of Xu Chen in my heart, but I replied "Lu Hao" because of my sister's face.

The two men who had terrified their opponents in the years that followed were now acquainted.

"So you're the dumb man the abbot rescued from the river. Aren't you dumb, how can you speak?" puzzled a stout young man with a tiger head.

"Little stone, Brother Chen is not dumb, but his head is not well and he can't speak. Lu Ying said to the young man.

Xu Chen shook his head helplessly, pursed his lips, and smiled without saying a word. That's fine, but it doesn't need to be explained.

After Lu Hao heard the little girl's address to Xu Chen, his brows furrowed again.

"Brother Hao, that Uncle Du looked very good just now, why is his son Du Tian so bad?" Lu Ying tilted his head and said to Lu Hao.

"I hope so" Thinking of this, Lu Hao's expression became solemn again, and he always felt that something was wrong with what happened just now.

"Duke Zhou was afraid of rumors, and Wang Mang was humble and did not usurp the time. Xu Chen said.

Hearing this, Lu Hao raised his head and began to look at the young man in front of him for the first time, who was not much older than himself.