Led by Master Wuyu, 83 large and small temples in Phoenix City, more than 100 well-known monks and 3,000 Buddhist disciples will hold a grand event to pray for Nanli...... At dusk that day, the news came out from the Great Recommendation Temple, and the whole imperial city was happy.

King Jing only waited for this ritual to be the guide, and then began to ascend the throne; The people who put down the rebellion will make trouble in the Dharma and put an end to this civil strife once and for all; As for the ordinary people, they may not be aware of the undercurrent surging in the DPRK and China, but at least they understand that the situation has been tense recently, especially the evil ghosts and resentful spirits, which have stirred up people's hearts, and everyone is looking forward to expelling evil spirits, looking forward to the restoration of order in the imperial court, and the end of martial law soon, and the return to the old happy life.

Everyone was waiting for this service.

The prayer dojo is located in the square in front of the Phoenix Palace, from the day of determining the ceremony, the forbidden army and labor are stationed in front of the palace, Chen Zhong sets up drums, sets up a platform to set up the Buddha, and is busy working all night to arrange the dojo.

Four days later, on the twenty-ninth day of August, the fourteenth day after the tragic death of Emperor Fenglong, the prayer ceremony finally arrived. King Jing sent a special message to the whole city that the night's curfew would end two hours earlier. This ritual is different from ordinary celebrations and gatherings, and the participants can be blessed when praying for blessings, which is a great benefit, and everyone hopes to be blessed by the gods and Buddhas. It was the middle of the night when the curfew was contacted, and the people got up early, the adults held the children, and the old people walked on crutches, from three to three by two to trickle and then to converge into a tide, from all over the city to the square in front of the palace.

Before dawn, the monks had not yet arrived, and there was already a crowd of people near the square, and almost the whole city had gathered.

At this moment, the final arrangement is being made in the dojo, first flushing the ground with clean water and then spreading the petals, which leads to a burst of fragrance and refreshing people's hearts, and people can't help but take a deep breath. Soon after, the palace door was opened, and many nobles from Nanli Kingdom came to the dojo, led by Ren Yao, the prince of Jing, who looked like him and led Fenglong's young son in his hand.

Of course, the royal family and the important ministers of the court did not need to crowd with the people, and the square in front of the palace was wide enough to open up a separate area for them, surrounded by the heavy protection of loyal guards, safe and adjacent to the dojo.

After waiting for a while, just when the dawn of the sky was beginning to penetrate and the night could no longer last, the Dharma Protector who came to the dojo first came out shirtless, and came to the field in front of dozens of huge drums, raising the drumsticks and waving their arms like the wind, and in the blink of an eye, the rumbling drums shook the sky, and in the next moment, from all directions of Phoenix City, there was a melodious bell, and all the temples in the city rang the Dharma bell, and the sound of the drums, which was also the signal that the monks left the temple and rushed to the dojo.

The bells and drums of the Imperial City of Nanli rise and fall one after another, echoing each other, dyeing the dawn solemnly, everyone unconsciously puts away their smiles, and silently recites the Buddha's verses with the majestic bells and drums in their hearts...... Nearly 100 monasteries are scattered all over the city, and the more remote ones have to walk for an hour to reach the dojo, and the monks can't run away in a hurry, otherwise what kind of system will they become. The monks had already been arranged in several large temples nearby, and the bells and drums set off together, divided into eight teams according to the number of eight auspicious people. There are also some differences in the speed at which the teams move forward, with the farther teams moving a little faster and the closer ones walking slowly.

Calculate the time in advance, when the drum wakes up three times, the Dharma bell is nine times, and there is silence at the same time, eight teams of monks appear outside the dojo at the same time. A team from due east, the leader of the team is none other than Wuyu Shitai.

Without waiting for the forbidden army to open the way, the people automatically gave way to the road, and the monks stepped forward, chanting mantras in their mouths. Hundreds of people crowded the streets, but no one made a sound, and everyone was solemnly photographed by the monks, for fear that it would disturb the mantra in their mouths and disturb the Buddha in their hearts.

In the huge square, only three thousand mantras were heard, and the Sanskrit sound filled the audience with the wind, which was far less than the bells and drums before, but the solemn meaning was more than that.

After entering the dojo, the eight teams scattered into small teams, and according to the details arranged in advance, they followed their own division commander to find a position, and surrounded the altar with the momentum of the Seven Treasures Auspicious Sea. As soon as she sat down, the incantations in the mouths of all the monks stopped at the same time, and a long-suppressed cheer suddenly erupted from the crowd of onlookers.

At this time, the close, sharp-eyed people found that there was a group of 'special' people mixed among the many monks.

At the grand ceremony, all the monks were dressed in full costumes, but the group of people, about forty or so, was dressed plainly and barefoot with their hair draped, which looked out of place...... They are also Buddhists, but they do not stay in temples or have no dwellings, they are all ascetic practices.

Although they are fellow Buddhists, ascetic practitioners and ordinary Zen disciples have the same beliefs, the paths of pursuing faith are very different, and the way of ascetic practice is undoubtedly more extreme, they believe that people are born sinful, and they must forgive sins in the way of self-suffering, and the more painful the body, the purer the heart. This is not to say that ascetic practice is more devout than ordinary monks, but that everyone has a different understanding of practice, so there are different forms of practice.

Even self-ascetics are divided into different schools, and it is always difficult to count them, but Nanli's most mainstream ascetic practice divides the practice into three realms: one is the suffering of life, the second is the suffering of heaven and earth, and the third is the suffering of prosperity. Regardless of the specific teachings, these three tribulations delineate the three stages of practice. First of all, we must practice in the human world and cut off emotional ties; After enlightenment, the second stage begins, when you are born into the barren mountains and forests, observe nature, feel the struggle of all things, and appreciate the suffering of heaven and earth; Finally, after re-entering the world, after understanding the suffering of life and heaven and earth, he re-examines the world in order to truly comprehend.

The third level of cultivation has to be a truly prosperous city, and most of the penances that can stay and stay in Phoenix City for a long time are penances with advanced practices. The penances who come to participate in the prayer are all on this list, and the last thing they want is to be famous, but in fact everyone is burdened with a piece of fame.

The leader of the penance who is here today is the old nun Gushi, who has recently become famous in Phoenix City, and is rumored to be the second most powerful in Nanli, second only to Master Wuyu...... For Master Wuyu, the ascetic practitioners also admire it very much, otherwise they would not have accumulated in the Belai Monastery after Wuyu broke the barrier, and waited for a few days just to send greetings.

However, there has never been a precedent for ascetic practice to participate in the Dharma of a Zen disciple before.

Respect and admiration, if there is no fish to come forward, you may not be able to ask for penance to be present, this is the credit of the old nun of Lone Stone.

With the surname of Gushi, I have always felt that the ascetic practice is much purer, if it wasn't for the early promise of the master to keep the Lianzong Nunnery, the old nun would have taken a stick to do penance. Therefore, although Gushi is a disciple of Zen Buddhism, he has little friendship with the monks of the major monasteries in the vicinity, but has close contacts with those self-suffering practitioners in the city...... The bell and drum rise again, Wuyu sits on the high platform, leading all the monks to sing incense praise, Nanli Buddha has been a long time, there are countless believers in the city, there are countless people who can sing incense praise, all of them open their mouths to echo, the sound of Buddha singing is spread far and wide, even the garrison Yamen army outside the city can be heard clearly, in the vast Zen sound, the grand event is the prelude.

Although it was a temporary uprising and preparations were hasty, the process of the Dharma was clear, and the monks in the dojo knew all the relevant details.

As the Buddha becomes louder and louder, the sun that is so vicious in the south of the country regardless of the four seasons seems to really become warm, shining on the body without feeling hot, only the comfort of smoky warmth...... The capital of Nanli is sunny.

And another Han imperial city in the middle of the world, it was rainy and rainy. The rain is not heavy, but it is full of autumn cold.

Since four days ago, the rain has been dripping non-stop, washing the streets and alleys of Eye City over and over again, and the more it is washed, the colder it will be.

Maybe it's because this rain has been raining for too long, when the roof ridges are corrugated and the bluestones on the street are washed away, this side of the Middle Earth Ascending Dragon Land has no sense of beauty... The vitality is gone, how to talk about Lingxiu, the eye city is only deeply depressed, and it is very lonely.

No one wants to go out in this weather, the street is deserted, the shops on the street are still open for business, but there are no customers to come to the door, from the shopkeeper to the work, one by one has no expression, sitting behind the counter, no one can lift the spirit.

Swallow top is the same as them, and it can't lift a little spirit.

…… After the first product of the year, the big thunder sound platform was completely hollowed out, the elite of the temple was killed and wounded, and after the national teacher returned to the eye city, and from the twenty-one Sumeru Zen Temple selected the elite to enrich the Lei Yin platform, the number of people was more than before, but the change of people, the atmosphere has changed.

It's a weird feeling. Regarding the difference between the present and the past, the direct judgment of the swallow top is: it has become lifeless here. But if you think about it carefully, the truth is not the case, three homework in the morning, noon and evening, the warrior monks go out on time to train, the monks gather together to preach the scriptures, and believers from all over the world come to worship... What was it before, what is still it, and where is it dead?

After thinking about it for a long time, Yan Ding suddenly understood that compared to before, what has become 'lifeless' at this moment may not be Da Lei Yintai, but he, the national teacher of Yan.

The lifeless Yan Ding stood at the door of the Lei Yin Tai Hall, quietly looking at the rain in front of him, carrying a note behind him with one hand, and holding a note in his black scaly glove. The rain hit the eaves and ticked softly...... At this time, suddenly there was a sound of heavy footsteps breaking the rain, and a lion-like stout old man walked through the empty courtyard and walked towards him, Hua Xiaofei.

Behind him, a young man followed.

Yanding was in high spirits, ignoring the drizzle in the sky, regardless of his identity, he stepped forward to meet him, and his ventriloquist voice was blurred: "It's early." ”

After Jingtai's serious illness, every late autumn and early winter, the national teacher has to spend a lot of effort to perform acupuncture for him to enhance the meridians and physique, but there is only one arm left on the swallow's top, and he can't complete it.

Since more than forty years ago, when Yan Ding had a strange poison in his body and worshiped under the door of Brother Amber, Hua Xiaofei didn't have to salute him anymore, and responded directly: "This winter is coming early, I'm afraid that you will give him an acupuncture in advance, so come a few days early." ”

Yan Ding smiled and nodded, his smile was blocked by a mask, but it didn't matter, Hua Xiaofei could read a smile in his eyes. Yan Ding turned his eyes and looked at the descendant who was following Hua Xiaofei.

Hua Xiaofei said: "I told you before, my apprentice. After speaking, he turned his head back to the back and said, "I haven't met the national teacher yet." ”

Before the words fell, before the descendants knelt down and bowed, Yan Ding laughed first: "It's not a national teacher, it's an uncle." ”

Looking at Dayan, Yanding only has two people who don't pay attention to their national teacher status, Hua Xiaofei is one of them, and now the same is true for Hua Xiaofei's disciples.

Hua Xiaofei's situation is somewhat similar to Amber, but he has not yet learned art, and Yanding treats him as a brother rather than a fellow artist.

The latter knelt on the ground according to the etiquette of the elders of the sect: "The straw knocks on the master." He kowtowed three times respectfully.

The national teacher knew that Hua Xiaofei had accepted a disciple, but he had never asked for details, and he was slightly stunned when he heard the words: "Your name is Straw, such a strange name?" As he spoke, he looked at the nephew carefully, and after a moment, he shook his head and smiled: "Sure enough, it's a straw." ”

At first glance, the straw looks mediocre from figure to appearance to demeanor, but after careful inspection, you will find ...... He is really featureless, even if you try to remember his appearance, if the contact time is a little shorter, you still can't remember him, leave him in the crowd, just blink and never find him again.

Ugly or handsome, even ordinary people will have some eye-catching features in their facial features, but there is no straw, not at all. Straw is really straw, yellow in winter and green in spring, bowing its head during feng shui, moisturizing after rain, hiding among countless of its kind, never to be found.

Yan Ding suddenly became happy, no need to ask, he is a good nephew, otherwise Hua Xiaofei would not have brought him to see him. But what really makes Yanding happy is not that there is an extra reliable helper around him, but the vitality that only young people have... I'm old, but they're growing up and growing, and that's the real comfort.

After the ceremony, Yan Ding ordered his henchmen to take straw to go around, and he smiled at Hua Xiaofei and said, "Good come, I'm bored......"

Before he finished speaking, Hua Xiaofei shook his head and interrupted: "It's not just boring, what's not going well?" ”

Yan Ding shook his head with a smile: "Is it that whenever I am distressed, my body will stink?" Why can't I hide it from you? "Long before Yanding was poisoned, Hua Xiaofei was by his side, the two dolls grew up together, what was in Yanding's heart, Hua Xiaofei could see at a glance, it was like this since he was a child, and it is still the same now.

Hua Xiaofei shook his head: "Even if it really smells, it's still a fragrance." ”

Yan Ding was stunned, and then laughed, Hua Xiaofei said not a good word, let alone a compliment, the national teacher was rotten all over, and usually relied on spices to cover the strong stench on his body, no matter what smell there was, it would not be smellable in the rotten smell, unless it was fragrant...... Hua Xiaofei's words were very disrespectful, but a little teasing between old friends, and the national teacher was more than that, while laughing, he handed the note in his hand to Hua Xiaofei: "Look at it yourself." ”

The Book of Sparrows, the secret letter, is from Ren Jiao in Phoenix.

When Hua Xiaofei read the letter, the national teacher was concise and to the point, and told him about what happened in Nanli, and when he finished speaking, Hua Xiaofei also finished reading the finch book, and frowned: "Why are you bored?" ”

The book is densely packed with words of humility and flattery, and then there is a recent explanation of the situation in Phoenix, indicating that things are completely going well. The above is all good news, so Hua Xiaofei doesn't understand.

"The book was received yesterday, mentioning that don't come to the fire in the Zen Temple, and no fish was spared." Yan Ding shook his head slowly: "But I only received a letter from Ren Yao, but I didn't receive a word from Tianying...... If Celestial Shadow really survived, he should be able to pass the book back in time. ”

Hua Xiaofei's reaction was not slow, and he immediately understood: "Is the current Wuyu real?" ”

Yan Ding's tone was indifferent, and he replied in four words: "Ren Yao is finished." ”

The finch book came and went, not to mention the half-moon scene, even if the national teacher immediately released the finch to tell Ren Jin the truth, it would be completely too late. Hua Xiaofei's eyebrows tightened, he thought seriously for a while, and finally gave up, there was no choice but to let King Jing be blindfolded, led, and plunged into the big pit.

Hua Xiaofei comforted the national teacher: "I just heard you say that the 'mirror' was originally an opportunity to pick up... Occasionally, it's not a pity to lose it now. The folded Neiying and disciples can be found and sent again in the future, and there is no need to worry about it... But why did things go out of their way, they had to be investigated, or sent a straw to Phoenix? It should be an experience, and it will be good for him. ”

Yan Ding nodded, expressing his agreement with Hua Xiaofei's suggestion, and let the straw go to find out the cause of the matter, and the ventriloquist followed Hua Xiaofei's first half of the sentence: "Nanli is not in my eyes for the time being, I will seize the opportunity when it comes, and wait if the opportunity is gone, this time it didn't work out, I don't think it's a pity, but ......" Speaking of this, Yan Ding suddenly changed his words: "Emperor Yan's celebration of the 39th is coming, you know." ”

Hua Xiaofei replied: "Of course I know this, and I also prepared a gift." ”

"I had a gift for me." Yan Ding sighed: "I promised to give Nanli to him as a congratulatory gift... I can't deliver it now, and I'm upset about this. ”

The national teacher sighed heavily, but Hua Xiaofei laughed suddenly, the laughter was loud, incompatible with the solemnity and sacredness in the big thunder sound platform, and it seemed extremely harsh.

The tone of Yanding ventriloquist is very strange, as if it has a bit of a 'bad breath' flavor: "What are you laughing at?" ”

The simplest and most ordinary reason, Hua Xiaofei laughed out loud, just thinking that the national teacher was very funny now...... The dignified swallow top would be sullen for a gift.

After laughing, Hua Xiaofei didn't know what to say, so he could only perfunctorily perfunctorily perfunctory: "Don't think too much, get busy with the things in front of you, over there in Phoenix, maybe Ren Jin is shrewd enough to get back into the crisis?" ”

Yan Ding hated: "Ren Yao doesn't even know where the bureau is, so how can he talk about getting it back...... I don't know how to die. ”

Hua Xiaofei smiled again and added: "I don't know whose hands I died in." ”

Yan Ding waved his hand, annoying him.

(To be continued)