The four seasons of the Southern Tianzhu Buddha Kingdom are very different from those of our Eastern Han Land and the Western Regions.

According to the reincarnation of the 24 solar terms of the summer calendar, it is now the season of white dew in the middle of the year.

There is a saying in the "Book of Songs" that the leaves are pale, and the white dew is frost. The so-called Iraqi people are on the water side.

On the shore of Weishui outside Chang'an City, or on both sides of the Yellow River, the reeds and reeds have already flown in the sky, and the flocks of geese going north echo over and echo, and the autumn rhyme is like a song that makes people feel nostalgic for home.

And this Penglai isolated island is the midsummer time of the red sun and the scorching heat.

After a few heavy rains, the acres of rice fields we tended to turn from green to yellow overnight, and the heavy ears of grain were like sorghum in the north, waiting for our harvest.

Qin Chong and Guo Helmet and I were busy around the clock, and the matter of going north or returning to the east was all left behind for the time being.

The straw is pulled from local materials, soaked in the ditch and beaten a little, and then it becomes a good material for knotting ropes.

The shrubs on the island were cut down to make scaffolds and buried around the ridges at the bottom of the mountain.

Then connect the knotted straw ropes, and the rice bundles that will be harvested in the future will also have a ventilated place to dry.

This method of drying grain is not the original creation of the three of us, and the cultivators who came to the island have already established a precedent, so we have only modified it slightly.

Straw ropes were used instead of wooden poles or rattan ropes, and the drying place was changed from the front of the mountain to the ridge, which saved the pain of carrying many straw bundles up and down.

The ears of rice are like hemp, pierced on the skin, and the knife can't wipe it off without water, which makes it painful.

It is better to harvest on the spot, dry on the spot, and threshing on the spot.

In the days that followed, we would climb to a high place every day to look at the West Sea, hoping that merchant ships from the east would appear in our sight.

While picking up the bronze knives and stone sickles left by the predecessors, they prepared for the next harvest season.

The sky paid off, and on a sunny afternoon, a faint sail shadow finally appeared between the sky connected by the southwest sea and sky.

A merchant ship on a long voyage is treading the waves, its hull as black as ink, and its dark sails swaying in the wind.

"Young master, look! It is the sea ship of the Jin Dynasty in the East! Hahaha! ”

Qin Chongyao pointed to the merchant ships on the sea and shouted at me, taking off his shirt and swinging in ecstasy.

And the pot helmet brothers next to him have already lit the pyre in the distance.

But I saw a thick smoke rushing straight into the sky, leaving a gray-white drift on the dome without half a cloud, as if some enlightened master had ascended to heaven.

"Qin Chong! The lonely boat on the sea has no name and no number! The sea ships of the Great Jin Dynasty? How do you know? ”

Even though I was praying in my heart that the ship was heading to the East, I asked in a loud voice with half a doubt.

"The young master doesn't know that the sea ships of Persia and the Great Qin Kingdoms are mainly made of cotton cloth and linen, so the sails are mostly white or gray! The southern mountains of the Eastern Jin Dynasty were rich in tung oil and lacquer oil, and the boatmen of the coastal counties would mix the grass ash with tung oil and paint the whole body of the merchant ship before going to sea, which is said to prevent the leakage of the ship's hull! The linen sails are brushed with tung oil and dried for a few days, which is comparable to cowhide, which is enough to withstand hurricanes at sea! But in this way, the sea ship has become this dark color! Hahaha! ”

While speaking, the merchant ship in front of him had already docked, and a group of Eastern Han people dressed in black and tied their hair and scarves came to the beach one after another.

My heartbeat suddenly accelerated, this group of oriental businessmen is not my Lin Jinxiang brother, right?

Hurriedly greeted Qin Chong and the pot helmet to tie their hair, and the three of them hurriedly walked down the mountain.

"Brother Lin! Don't come unharmed! ”

"Brother Kaneshiro! I want to scare me! ”

It has been four years since the city-state of Belroea, but everyone is in their prime of life, and apart from a slight increase in the wind and frost between the eyebrows and eyes, there is basically not much change in appearance.

So there were still a few feet away from each other, and the two of us recognized each other at the same time, so we rushed forward and hugged each other tightly.

"Brother Xian! Heaven and earth are endless, and the lonely boat has such a reunion, and the brother is still in a dream! Hahaha! ”

Brother Lin put his arm around my shoulders and looked at it again, and couldn't help laughing out loud.

"Yes! Jincheng fell to the end of the world and was worried that he could not return to the east, and the eldest brother's sea ship came unexpectedly, if it wasn't for the beauty of the heavens, how could there be

What a coincidence! Providence too! Amitabha! ”

Speaking of emotion, I couldn't help but fold my palms and sing a few Buddhist verses in a row facing the sea.

"Three brothers! Master Shura's territory is not allowed to bring meat ashore, have you been fasting and practicing here for a while? Hahaha! Walk! Go to my brother's ship! Today's fat sheep spirits, we will rest as soon as we get drunk! ”

Lin Jinxiang's heroic spirit has not diminished, and he knows the Penglai island in front of him well.

After catching up with Qin Chong and Guo Helmet, he couldn't help but wave the feather fan and led everyone back to the boat.

was worried that there was no decent wine and food to entertain these distinguished guests from afar, and seeing Brother Lin doing this, the host no longer had a polite relationship with him.

As Qin Chong said, the deck of Brother Lin's ship was pitch black and bright, and the newly brushed tung oil before going to sea this spring seemed to exude a faint fragrance.

The crowd sat cross-legged on the deck, regardless of the guest or host.

In a short time, the huge fat sheep stew has been served in a clay pot, as well as the old wine of Guishuang and the dried fish of the deep sea, which makes people unconsciously appetize.

The three of us were not polite, and pulled out the short knife at our waist and feasted on it.

After a bowl of old wine is eaten, the original haunting heart of cultivation and Buddhahood is also gone in an instant, and the nature of the high-rollers in the rivers and lakes returns to the body.

There is no need for Brother Lin to ask, I have already taken advantage of the wine to explain to everyone how to lead a merchant to Tianzhu, how to get infected with the Forget Worry Poison Gu, and how to come to the isolated island to seek Buddha healing.

And Brother Lin Jinxiang, the sea business has not been easy to do in recent years.

Since the revolt of our Canaanite, the world of the Eastern Roman and Sassanid Persian Empires has not been at peace.

Babylon, Berroea, and Antioch, the traditional trade routes between East and West, are no longer what they used to be.

So over the years, Brother Lin's merchant ships were able to go back and forth between the Tianzhu kingdoms and some city-states on the Persian coast.

Do some barter of silk and sea pearls, and make some small profits to support the family.

"What are your plans for the future?"

After three rounds of wine, Brother Lin personally got up to sift the wine for me, and asked earnestly.

He seemed to have forgotten what I had said about accompanying the ship when we had just met.

"Brother Yu had an agreement with my family's caravan before he went to the island, and he will see you outside Jiankang City in late spring next year. So if you want to take my brother's sea boat to the East, I wonder if it's convenient? ”

I raised my wine to toast Brother Lin, feeling a little uneasy in my heart.

"My family's sea ship is returning east, so it is natural to bring three brothers with me. However, the long sea road is changing, and it is really uncertain whether Ming Chun can dock as a brother as scheduled, and the virtuous brother still needs to think carefully before making a decision! ”

Brother Lin Jinxiang drank a bowl of old wine by himself, and seemed to be a little embarrassed.

Qin Chong and Guo Helmet are both astute people, and when they saw the scene, they hurriedly signaled to me.

"Then let's do it, Brother Lin will send us back to Tianzhu Continent first, and the foolish brother who will accompany the ship will definitely not treat the old brother badly, hehe."

Brother Lin's hesitation made me a little unhappy, I didn't expect him to be such a stingy person.

"Brother Xian, don't be impatient, let me think about it again. Lin He, go and fetch me the charts of Nanyue! ”

Brother Lin didn't care about the change in our mood, and after tasting the wine and pondering for a while, he turned back to the servant beside him and commanded.

The young man named Lin He took the order and ran quickly down the cabin.

After a few moments, he was back on deck, and he had an extra scroll of white silk charts in his hand.

"Look, Brother Xian, in two months we will sail to the Puluozhong Islands, and the merchant ships will arrive at Jiaozhi County in the early spring of next year. From there, you landed and traveled north by land, and if there were no accidents on the way, it would take you two months to reach the city of Jiankang. In this way, the covenant between the virtuous brother and your caravan will also be seven points certain, hehe. ”

Brother Lin brushed his fingers and smiled, which made me feel ashamed, I really spent the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain!

Entrusted with the matter of loyalty, this old brother hesitated, it turned out that he was thinking about how to let me and others arrive at the capital of the Eastern Jin Dynasty on time, and live up to the original agreement with Uncle Su.

And the northbound route he planned was not much different from the strategy I had originally considered going ashore from Panyu County.

"Jin Cheng thanked the eldest brother, in the future, the three of us master and servant on the sea ship will obey the arrangement of the elder brother!"

I solemnly got up and walked to Lin Jinxiang

The old brother bowed down and thanked him, and casually took out a Luminous Sea Pearl from the brocade bag on his waist, ready to offer it to Brother Lin as a reward.

"Thanks to my brother's care, the Persian Sea Pearl shows the heart of Jincheng slightly, and I hope that Brother Lin will accept it with a smile!"

"When did Brother Jincheng become such a mother-in-law! If you and my brother continue to be so polite, you and my brother will not be able to do it, Lin would rather cut off his robe with you! ”

Brother Lin listened to me, put the wine bowl in his hand on the deck, and shouted at me with an angry face.

"Big brother, stop being angry! Jincheng didn't dare anymore! Hahaha! Borrow the eldest brother's drink and punish yourself with three glasses! ”

Without waiting for Brother Lin to speak, I grabbed the barrel and sifted three bowls of spirits to myself, and then drank it all in one gulp.

"Brother Kaneshiro is really heroic! Joyfully! Hahaha! ”

Seeing that I sincerely repented, Brother Lin got up and smiled boldly, while making a brief arrangement for the next affairs.

"Guys, get ashore and refill the fresh water! Brother Xian, I will accompany the three of you to the back mountain and say goodbye to Master Shura! Without further ado, we'll set sail today! ”

"Big brother, there's still something to do on the island! The five acres of rice we planted have not yet been harvested, and whether we can repay Elder Shura for saving his life depends on this, and I ask my eldest brother to wait for me for two more days! ”

Hearing Brother Lin's words, I was going to go on the road today, so I hurriedly told him urgently.

"Hey! Forget about it! Guys, refill fresh water tomorrow! Hurry up and pack up the guys and go with me to the island to cut rice! ”

Brother Lin Jinxiang patted his head suddenly, took off his white silk summer robe, and shouted at his brother to take the lead in getting off the boat.

They are all children of peasant families in the southern country, and all of them feed on rice grass.

Therefore, paddy field work such as harvesting and threshing has long been familiar to Brother Lin's guys.

Before Qin Chong and I had time to intervene, the three northerners had not had time to intervene, and the ears of rice on the slope had been harvested cleanly.

After being put on the shelves to dry in the wind for half a day, at dusk, with an overwhelming sound of beating, thousands of catties of rice have been returned to the warehouse.

In the early morning of the second day, when the fog on the island had not yet lifted, Elder Shura came to the top of the mountain as usual to talk to us.

Seeing such a scene, I couldn't help but pray to the South China Sea and chanted a few Buddhist verses.

Then he and the old brother of Lin Jinxiang sighed in Tianzhu Sanskrit on the silver beach by the sea.

I was accompanying by the side, and I couldn't understand a Sanskrit sound, which was really anxious!

"Big brother, where did you learn this Nantianzhu Sanskrit?"

In between the conversations between the two, I asked Brother Lin curiously.

"One of Master Shura's disciples went to the East with his brother's merchant ship six years ago to preach the Dharma, and we have been together for half a year. Hehe! ”

Brother Lin whispered, his eyes full of piety.

"You still have such a relationship with Elder Shura! Wonderful! Wonderful! What happened to this Tianzhu disciple? ”

"Now there is a meditation ancient temple outside Jiankang City, and the presiding elder of the temple is called Shalan Jialuo, who is the monk of Tianzhu."

Speaking of this, Brother Lin stood up and joined hands with Master Shura to take his leave.

Master Shura led all the disciples on the island to stand on the beach and bid us farewell.

The morning sun was like fire, the sea fog was rising, Qin Chong and I, and the three of us bowed to Elder Shura and thanked the Master for his compassion.

"Brother Lin, Jincheng still has a puzzle that he wants to ask Master Shura!"

As I was leaving, I suddenly remembered that although I had also asked the monk Kuma and Master Faxian, I still didn't understand it.

This puzzle is incomprehensible, isn't this trip to the Buddha of Tianzhu countries in vain!

"Say it, translate it for your brother." Brother Lin replied with a smile, and saluted to Master Shura.

"Ask the Master, what is a Buddha? Where is the Buddha? ”

"The Master said that the Buddha has no appearance, only between the minds of the world."

After Master Shura's Sanskrit sound like a weeping spring in the empty valley, Brother Lin replied quietly.

"The Venerable Master also said that the Buddha is the person of the past, and the person is the Buddha of the future. Donor, you have to make a note of it. ”

At that moment, the noise of the waves was as silent as eternity.

The lonely boat of red dust set sail carried us, the people of the hard journey, and slowly headed towards the nameless sea in the east.

(End of chapter)

Shang and Buddha