The monk of the Shenhui changed the old yellow-brown monk's robe and replaced it with a short robe dressed as a layman's coolie. When he saw from afar the gate of the extremely remote courtyard of Xiangyang City, it was morning, and the sunlight passed through the dense canopy of toon trees on both sides of the street, leaving dappled shade on the ground at his feet and on the walls on both sides.

On the stone road, there is a lot of land.

One step, two steps, the tattered cloth shoes on the feet rubbed against the smooth stone pavement, rubbed.

After taking the Shenglong Pill and going through Sun Shen's medical poison, the remaining poison of the Shenhui was exhausted at this moment, and he was still a little weak, walking slightly shaky, like an ordinary old man who was about to die.

The courtyard is behind the door. Two lazy and sleepy family members leaned against the door, squinting in the sun, looking like they were enjoying themselves.

Seeing that the gods would stagger to the eyes, one of them had no expression, lazily opened the door, signaling that the gods would enter. It's just that his eyes are half-open and half-closed, and he looks the monk up and down inadvertently, and the flickering light exposes the fact that this Ding is far from being as simple as it seems on the surface.

The god nodded slightly in gratitude and stepped into the courtyard.

After a few steps forward, I turned around a shadow wall with the word "Fu" in front of me, only to find that there was a hole in the park.

It's a lush back garden, a rockery several feet high, half-hidden between the pavilions. There is a small pavilion on the mountain, the eaves are warped, and the plaque is "and the mountain" two words, and the sky is ready to fly.

There is a person in the pavilion, dressed in green clothes, looking down at the railing, it is the fifth master Wang Li.

The gods will climb the stairs, and in the pavilion, a young man in the same green clothes sits in front of the stone table to add fire to the sencha, and is gently putting charcoal into the wind stove. The young man's face was pale and he was recovering from a serious illness, but his eyes were introverted. There was a slight sound in the kettle, and fish bubbles were rising from the bottom of the kettle.

"Amitabha, let the fifth master wait for a long time." God would fold his hands and bow to the king.

"I can't wait for a long time, the tea soup is boiling, and the master is early."

"Sooner or later, it depends on the fifth master, not on the tea soup. The fifth master has arrived, and it is too late for the poor monk. ”

The sencha boy next to him was Wang Qi, looking at the two of them, one desperately said that he was late, and the other said that it was early, and the words were constantly sharp, and he couldn't help but say that the two of them were really verbose.

Of course, he knew that there were not many people in the world who could let him accompany the inconspicuous old monk in front of him. Of course, if you take turns to fight the sharp edge, I am afraid that there are very few people who can really beat this old monk.

Of course, Wang Li knew that this monk was fighting for the north and south of Zen Buddhism, and he was looking forward to it and worrying about it.

The dispute between the north and the south of Buddhism has a long history, and it can be traced back to a Jiazi ago, when the five ancestors of Zen Buddhism passed on the Dharma. At that time, it had been five generations since Bodhidharma crossed Songshan Shaolin to spread the law, and it was in the hands of the five ancestors Hongren. The fifth ancestor Hong couldn't bear to seek the successor of the mantle, so he asked his disciples to present a side and write it under the corridor to show their enlightenment.

It was this decision that led to the two widely spread sects of Buddhism, and also involved the long-lasting dispute between the north and the south of Zen Buddhism.

At that time, Shenxiu, as a senior disciple, wrote on the wall: "The body is a Bodhi tree, the heart is like a mirror platform, always wipe diligently, don't cause dust." ”。 All the monks are brothers, and the Dharma is profound. And Hui Neng, who was doing chores in the temple, heard it and also made a side, "Bodhi has no tree, and the mirror is not a platform, there is nothing originally, where to stir up dust." ”。 It's just that this Huineng can't read, so he asked someone to write under the corridor.

As soon as this story came out, the five ancestors were very surprised.

That night, the fifth ancestor Hongren quietly called Hui Neng into the room, preached the scriptures for three days and three nights, and gave Bodhidharma the kapok robe brought by Dongdu. Tell him to go south and hide in Lingnan, wait for the Dharma to be completed, and start a sect to spread the Dharma.

After Hongnin passed away, Shenxiu claimed to have the mantle of the five ancestors and was called the six ancestors. Gradually practicing Zen Buddhism is popular in the world. During the "long-sighted" period, the Empress of Heaven welcomed the gods into Beijing and knelt down in person. In Chang'an and Luoyang, many courtiers and children of the family are all showing off their disciples. "Between the two capitals, both are gods and goddesses."

However, Huineng received disciples from far away in Lingnan, and recruited disciples, preaching the method of epiphany, and gradually established its influence. After the destruction of Na Huineng, the monks of the Shenhui traveled back and forth between Nanyang and Caoxi and made friends with many dignitaries and dignitaries in the court, whether it was the court or the people, and their reputation grew.

At this time, Daqin, Zen Buddhism has gradually been divided into two sects, the north and the south, the northern sect is headed by Shenxiu's disciple Pu Lian, talking about the gradual cultivation of Buddha and Zen. And this god will be an old monk in charge of the Nanzong, and what he promotes is the epiphany Zen of his master Huineng's "pointing directly at people's hearts and seeing nature to become a Buddha".

In recent years, some courtiers have practiced the chanting of the Buddha and some have practiced the Enlightenment Zen of the Divine Society. However, this kind of belief has nothing to do with the political camp, and sometimes people from different camps often believe in the same kind of Zen, while those in the same camp either believe in universal silence or believe in the Divine Society. The Shenhui monk came north this time to prove to the world that the Southern Sect is the orthodoxy of Zen Buddhism, and the Shenxiu and Pu Lin are just unorthodox side doors.

The above is the beginning and end of the Buddhist public case involving temples and rivers and lakes for nearly a hundred years, and the undercurrent is treacherous, which is also the reason why Wang Li is unwilling to be involved.

Since the two of them have met in this pavilion, they can't hide from each other no matter what.

Both of them are heroes of the world, and for them, the edge is inexhaustible. There was no greeting, the two sat opposite each other and went straight to the point.

"What's the matter with the master's appointment?" Wang Li sat upright, calmly looked at the old monk opposite and asked.

"Shenxiu and Pu Lin forged the legal system and bewitched the world. The poor monk's trip to the north this time is to promote the Mahayana and establish the Dharma. It's just that among the courtiers, there are still many people who believe in the gradual enlightenment, and when they meet the fifth master today, they hope to wake up the princes of the court through the fifth master. ”

"A two-pronged approach, drawing wages from the bottom of the kettle." Wang Li's eyes narrowed, and everyone in the world looked at what kind of argument the Divine Society would have in the north and Pu Lin and the others. Unexpectedly, this god would be a monk, and he would secretly lobby all parties all the way through the north to argue with Pu Leng, and carry out this plan of drawing salaries from the bottom of the kettle. This world-renowned dialectic may only be the perfect end of this journey. If this continues, the time when the gods will reach the slippery platform will also be the time of the defeat of the second round of Pu Shan.

Of course, if Pu Lin is in the dialectic, he can gain the upper hand and recover the situation a little. However, before this Shenhui monk learned from Huineng, he had read through the two classics of Confucianism and Taoism, and listened to Shenxiu's lectures for several years.

"I'm just curious, why does the Master believe that I can support you?" After the monk woke up, he took the initiative to contact Wang Li, and Wang Li had already guessed a few points. Wang Li also hesitated for a long time before agreeing to see him, so there was a secret meeting in this small garden and mountain pavilion today.

"The mountain, the gen, the gentleman can't think of his position. The word "and mountain" in this pavilion is very generous, and it should be written by the fifth master. The god smiled slightly, did not answer directly, walked out of the pavilion in a few steps, looked up at the plaque on the pavilion and said, "Each one stops at his place, and does not go out of his place." And the mountain, the original intention is to be in the present position, but the five masters of the two words of the mountain, the pen force broke out of the plaque, faintly there is a desire to fly, the poor monk did not see the slightest meaning of being content with the moment on this plaque. In this way, he should conspire with the fifth master. ”

"I knew that the master was very knowledgeable in Buddhism, but I didn't expect the master to study "Yi" a lot. It's just that in this world, there are many people who are not satisfied with their position, and I still don't understand why the master is looking for him alone? ”

"Because, the fifth master is the person in the world who has the best chance of becoming the next grandmaster......" God will say a word, and the pavilion is quiet. Wang Li's brows furrowed slightly, and his face was expressionless; Wang Qi looked at Wang Li with joy and admiration.

Regarding this explanation of the monk of the Shenhui, Wang Li thought for a while, and stopped talking, as if he acquiesced.

"This matter ......" Wang Li pondered for a long time and said indifferently, "Wang Li has a heart, and the Wang family is useless." ”

The Li family of Daqin advocated Taoism as the state religion, but when the empress Wu Zetian advocated Buddhism, during the Shenlong period, Buddhism became more and more prosperous, and the influence became more and more grand, and the more widely implicated. It is the hundreds of years of the Taiyuan royal family, and the five kings are far away from the heroic spirit of the world, and they do not want to get involved in the dispute between the north and the south of the Buddhist family. It's just that it's not very good. For things that are not beneficial to the Wang family, Wang Li is categorically unwilling to exert any strength. With such a firm tone, it can be regarded as a very clear refusal.

The charcoal fire that Wang Qi had just added was booming at the moment, and the tea soup in the kettle was bubbling like a wave.

"There are benefits, of course." Shenhui's expression remained unchanged, and he said slowly, his eyes gently glanced at Wang Qi who was making a sencha next to him.

"Stand down."

Wang Jue divided the tea soup into two tea cups and bowed back.

Wang Jue stood at the foot of the rockery from afar, looking at the two people on the pavilion. I saw that the god would be a monk, and he got up and talked. At first, Wang Li just sat and listened, but later he also got up and discussed fiercely with the Divine Society.

As soon as we talked about it, we continued until it was nearly noon.

Wang Jue, who was standing under the flowers and trees, looked at the small courtyard blown by the breeze, and suddenly had a kind of enlightenment, and at this moment finally understood the reason why the fifth uncle brought him to meet God today and the purpose of taking him south. This time he came south with the fifth uncle, and he began to face not only the infinite scenery of the Wang family, but also the ruthlessness and killing behind the infinite scenery. Thinking about this, this is the purpose of the fifth uncle to lead himself to the south this time. Compared with the many brothers in Taiyuan, Chang'an and Luoyang who are still living in the infinite glory of the Wang family, they have to shoulder more. At this moment, Wang Jue only felt the blood boiling in his chest, and endless pride, he finally had to look at and fight for the infinite future of this family with the same eyes as the fifth uncle.

Suddenly, under the pavilion, Wang Jue's sword intent rushed up.

The two people discussing in the pavilion felt Wang Qi's sword intent, and they all showed expressions of appreciation. Unexpectedly, with a disabled body, it was the kung fu waiting under the pavilion, and this son's sword intent was able to climb another level.

When the sword intent gradually subsided, Wang Qi's eyes returned to clarity, and the sword intent was already a few points pure, even the physical weakness caused by the operation that day was also eliminated a lot. Seeing that the sun was past noon, the two people under the pavilion had already sat back on the stone bench and were chatting quietly with each other.

Wang Li waved his hand and motioned for Wang Qi to go up.

The tea in the two of them ran out early, and Wang Jue bowed down to sencha again for the two.

When he reached out to get the charcoal, the monk next to him stopped: "The little donor's wound has not healed, don't bother, the poor monk will leave immediately." ”

If it was in the past, Wang Jue would have stopped and stood aside quietly, but at this moment, Wang Jue raised his head and smiled at the gods, the master came far away, it was to stay aside, and Wang Jue was doing his best to be a landlord.

"Then there is a little benefactor." The god would nod his head in thanks, "...... When it came to the Golden Hall, the poor monk thanked the fifth master. ”

"You don't need to thank me for this, as long as the master doesn't pass on the outer ear. I believe that with the master's supreme defense, although they can't let the Jintang put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot, it is still possible to let them sit quietly and negotiate with the master. ”

"One last thing." The monk of the Shenhui turned his gaze to Wang Qi on the side, "I have a little friend outside the party, whose name is Li Ping; The other person is the poet immortal Li Bai......"

Seeing Wang Jue's eyes showing a look of surprise, Shenhui's heart darkened, and he said directly, "That Li relies on the old monk to have the grace of life, although this stinky skin is useless, but the poor monk can still use it when he goes north." This son doesn't know whether he is alive or dead at the moment, and he hopes that the fifth master will help. ”

"These two people are in Xiangyang Prison, and they can't do anything about it." It is related to Zheng Qian's death, and Wang Li knows the attitude of the Zheng family.

"What if I say it's part of the agreement?"

"These two can be loved by the master, which can be regarded as a blessing from his cultivation in several lifetimes." Wang Li breathed a sigh of relief and hesitated for a moment, "Since the master has included this in the agreement, Wang Li will definitely go to rescue those two, but the last one Wang Li said just now also hopes that the master will consider it." "It's a naked exchange.

"It's not love, it's the poor monk who wants to save, if you can't even save your own life-saving benefactor, how can the poor monk save the common people from the suffering of the red dust." The god will smile and look at Wang Li, "It's just that what the fifth master said is not enough, that young man Li Ping has no foundation in Xiangyang, even the town where he lives has been slaughtered, and it is not enough for the fifth master to save the young man from prison, the young man has nowhere to stay, I am afraid that it will not take an hour before he will be caught by the Zheng family and returned to prison." “

Wang Li and God looked at each other for a moment, "Even if this son is blessed, it's just that, the master can rest assured, in Xiangyang, I will keep him safe." Wang Li smiled and proudly promised.

"After a while, I'll go and save the two Li out of Xiangyang Prison."

"God will thank you here, and the last poor monk promises is." The monk knew that this promise of Wang Li was entirely based on the result of a great victory in the debate between the Northbound and Pu Shan. If the north goes to no avail, today's agreement is not a joke.

"If the poor monk dies in the north in the coming day, the Wang family can hold this rosary and go to Nanyue Hengshan to find the monk Huairang." The god would take out a string of boxwood beads from his bosom and hand it to Wang Li, "He will naturally fulfill the unfulfilled promise of the poor monk." ”

"So, so?" Wang Li smiled, got up and took the rosary, and asked the monk of the Shenhui.

"So." The monk nodded, got up and replied gently, facing Wang Li, stretching out his old right palm and spreading his five fingers.

In the Kanshan Pavilion, the two looked at each other and smiled, clapped their palms together, and recognized this autumn covenant.