"Then the Lord will fulfill you!" Xu Xianchun waved his hand, and immediately came up with two soldiers, picked up an iron shoe from the stove, and was about to put it on the young man's feet, flushing red, "Slow, slow!" Do not be him. Zheng Yangtian let out a hoarse and low cry between his chapped lips, and he struggled to support himself with the leg that was not burned, but the leg was also beaten and disobeyed, just a few inches off the ground, his strength was exhausted, and he turned over and fell. Xu Xianchun walked up to him and sneered: "Lord Ben is the five-rank official of the imperial court, why do you have to listen to your orders?" You said don't be embarrassed for him, but don't be embarrassed for the master! What kind of ancestor do you have to be worthy of, and this master also has to give a deal to the nine thousand years old. If you grit your teeth and don't say anything, then I have to use your apprentice to cut off the incense of your master first, and see if you are still worthy of being sorry for your grandfather? ”

A few words made Zheng Yangtian's heart like frying, and he hurriedly begged: "He is still a child, he doesn't know anything, so let him go!" ”

"Humph! Leave him alone? Will the nine thousand years old let Ben-sama go? Xu Xianchun snatched the tongs in the hands of the fan, put the iron shoes in the furnace and heated them again, and was about to put them on the young man's feet. Zheng Yangtian was instantly discouraged and shouted: "Don't be embarrassed for him, I say, I say!" He began to cry.

"Master, don't ask them, the apprentice is not afraid of death, the apprentice wants to die with the master!" The boy struggled the beam, but the rope was extremely strong, tied so tightly that he couldn't move a bit, and he was so anxious that he cried bitterly.

"Bastard thing! If you have three long and two short, so that my sect is lost, how can the master go to see your master under the nine springs, how can you be worthy of the ancestor who opened the mountain! Zheng Yangtian slapped his hands on the ground and cried loudly.

"Master loves you like a son, you should obey the order to appreciate it!" Xu Xianchun smiled, secretly praising this great plan. With a smile and a groan, he threw away the tongs casually, and the executioner hurriedly handed over a snow-white hand towel, he wiped his hands clean, and said, "What's the trouble with this! Why did you get hurt like this? Go ahead! ”

Zheng Yangtian said: "You put my apprentice down first, and I will tell him a few words." ”

As soon as the young man was untied from the beam, he flew up to the master and knelt down and cried. Zheng Yangtian endured his sorrow and choked up: "Apprentice, I'm afraid that Master will no longer be able to take care of you." It's not a pity for me to die, as long as you can inherit the mantle of the master, just the master's door, the master will smile at Jiuquan. ”

"Master—"

Zheng Yangtian stretched out his right hand tremblingly, stroked the young man's arm, and saw that the color of the bruise had faded, and he grinned, but he felt that the blood was rolling, and he couldn't laugh. After taking a breath for a while, he said, "If you can get out alive, you must transport Master's ashes back to your hometown of Putian, Fujian, and bury your ancestors, which is also a game for you and me." In his early years, Master cultivated with your master, but he didn't have time to serve his parents, so he had to go underground to fulfill his filial piety. ”

"Okay, what's the fuss? Talk nonsense! Xu Xianchun was impatient. Zheng Yangtian didn't pay attention to it, hugged the young man with all his life's strength, and whispered a few words in his ear: "Whether you say it today or not, I'm afraid it will be difficult for Master to escape from here." As a teacher, you only say the words of the test, how to explain, as long as you keep your mouth shut, you can get out alive. Remember, remember! Then he helped the young man to rest for a while, gasped and said, "The words measured by Prince Xin are just a 'towel' and a 'hat'. I have taught the method of explanation, and I am afraid that no second person in the world can solve it. As he spoke, he opened his mouth and spurted out a stream of blood, and his body fell backwards.

"Master-" The young man approached Zheng Yangtian and saw that the master had bitten off his tongue, so he couldn't help crying, and Xu Xianchun and the others were also secretly surprised. "Master broke the door rules, I'm sorry for the patriarch, I'm sorry for ......" Zheng Yangtian snorted in his mouth, blood flowed down his cheeks, and his lips gradually closed.

Xu Xianchun was furious and shouted: "If it weren't for the confession that the nine thousand years old wanted, he would have been killed by this old man a long time ago, how could Lord Ben have suffered such a bird anger, but he couldn't ask anything?" Quickly drag this rotten corpse out and feed it to the wild dogs, and this puppy will be put in prison first, take good care! The young man didn't hear it, stopped crying, and stared at everyone with resentful eyes, Xu Xianchun was shocked, as if he felt a chill.

Wei Zhongxian came to the Wenshu Nunnery in Willow Lane outside the Xuanwu Gate.

The two thick ancient willows on the side of the narrow alley are said to have been planted when the capital was moved to Beijing during the Yongle period, and the branches have become a little sparse and quite old. Deep in the alley, a corner of the gray eaves is exposed, and a small plaque on the door: Manjushri Nunnery. The abbot Qiuyue, whose eyebrows were as white as snow, learned of Wei Zhongxian's arrival, and personally greeted him out of the meditation hall, clasped his hands and said: "I don't know that Tan Yue is descending, and I am missing the distance, I hope to beg for forgiveness!" ”

"The master is gracious! After neglecting to inquire for many days, the disciple came to the door today to disturb him, and asked the master not to blame him. Wei Zhongxian smiled all over his face.

"Where did Tan Yue say it! If it weren't for Tan Yue's perennial donation of incense money, Xiao'an would have been extinguished long ago. Qiu Yue couldn't stop thanking her, and at the same time led Wei Zhongxian and the others to the inner hall. Walking into the Daxiong Treasure Hall, Wei Zhongxian said: "Disciple worship my Buddha first. After a few bows on the futon, Li Chaoqin and Pei Yousheng, who accompanied him, donated incense money and went into the backyard together.

A small patio, a begonia, two pomegranates that are about to bear fruit, and three halls, peaceful and quiet. Sitting down, Wei Zhongxian smiled and said: "Master, it is really a blessed place for pure cultivation, and people are unconsciously born to the heart of the Buddha." ”

"Tan Yue is a distinguished guest in the red dust, not afraid of the simplicity of our temple, but also with my Buddha." Qiu Yue clasped his hands together.

"The master is gracious! Back then, the disciple owed people gambling debts in his hometown of Suning County, Hejian Prefecture, and it was difficult to repay them, so he had to seek entry from the palace and came to Jingshi, but there was no way out, if it wasn't for the master's mercy, where could he enter the palace? Where will the disciples be rich today? Wei Zhongxian said quite emotionally, thinking of the previous suffering, he almost burst into tears, forced himself to hold back, and beckoned to the door: "Quickly present the gift!" ”

Li Chaoqin and Pei Yousheng came in with two brocade burdens, and presented them one by one, Wei Zhongxian opened a bag with his own hands, which was a box of bags, and the box was a carved tin box, engraved with the picture of the five ancestors Hongren late at night, Hongren half-reclining Buddha couch, and the six ancestors Huineng knelt down and raised his head to accept the order, holding the robe with both hands, lifelike. Wei Zhongxian opened the tin box with a smile and said: "Master, this is the Buddha tea that the disciple specially ordered the children to pick from Putuo Mountain, the first Zen forest in Lingnan, its color is dark red, its taste is sweet, the tea tree is said to be planted by the six ancestors, the so-called Caoxi holy water, Nanhua Buddha tea, everyone in Wuyue admires. As he spoke, he opened the small bag and said: "This Dabin pot, which everyone in Jiangnan is known for, is made by Dabin, the son of Shi Peng, a disciple of Gong Chun, a famous player in the dynasty. Use this purple clay pot to make Buddha tea, its color and taste are far better than others. The master tastes it slowly and will taste it. ”

Qiu Yue nodded and ordered the apprentice to accept it, and said with his palms: "Tan Yue is hardworking, how to teach the old man how to suffer?" ”

Wei Zhongxian smiled and said: "There are some thin things, and the disciple is afraid that it will be difficult to enter the master's eyes, so he ordered someone to search for two treasures and present them to the master together." He put another burden in his arms slightly, handed it to Qiu Yue and said: "The objects in this bag are the treasures of Buddhism, and the disciples dare not blaspheme, so please ask the master to open the light." ”

Qiuyue heard the four words of the Buddha's treasure, although the concentration was high, the heart was also very curious, took the burden, carefully uncovered the skin, inside is a layer of white silk, peel off the white silk, but it is two small bags, I don't know what kind of fabric is used, they are all worn, the color is indistinguishable. Qiu Yue untied one of them, only to feel the glow of the sun, so shocked that she couldn't lower her tongue, and tremblingly untied the other bag, showing a thousand red gases. Rao is a high-ranking monk, but he was also dumbfounded, quite out of shape, and muttered to himself: "Old man He De, see this treasure." Think it can't be in a dream? Wei Zhongxian was stunned when he saw Qiu Yue, and cheered: "The master is a senior monk, and he can recognize it!" ”

Qiuyue put the two treasures upright, got up and left his seat, bowed and bowed, and suddenly blood gushed on his cheeks, his face was white and bearded, like the appearance of a monk, and he sang the Buddha's name: "Amitabha, if it weren't for the clumsy old man, this is the Tang Dynasty thousand Buddha robes and blood book bay leaf scriptures that have been collected for hundreds of years in the Guanyin Courtyard of the Purple Bamboo Forest in Putuo Mountain in the East China Sea, which is the treasure of Putuo's town." I don't know how I got to Jingshi? Seeing that he was so pious, Wei Zhongxian secretly felt ridiculous in his heart, and said casually: "What's so difficult about this? The disciple just said a word, and Zhang Yandeng, the governor of Zhejiang, was sent to the capital within half a month. ”

"Amitabha, it is a great fortune to see this Buddha's treasure. How can a monk be greedy and take away people's love? There was a hint of brilliance in Qiu Yue's eyes, and she quickly disappeared without a trace.

"The master is too modest. With the virtue of a master, looking at the sea, there are really no two. The disciple is devoted to the Buddha, full of sincerity, and hopes that the master will smile and accept it. Wei Zhongxian was full of words.

Qiu Yue sighed, uncommittal, and asked, "Tan Yue, is there anything you want Lao Gu to contribute?" ”

"This ......" Wei Zhongxian looked left and right, and groaned slightly. If you can use the old man, Tan Yue might as well say it directly. Qiu Yue turned her head and waved her hand to the two little novices standing by the door and said, "You two go and see if the begonia fruit is ripe, and pick some for Tan Yue to taste." ”

"The Dharma is vast and spreads to all living beings. The disciple knows that the master is good at observing people, so please take a look at the disciple's luck in the past few years. ”

"Tan Yue, can you agree to the old man first?"

"Master, please speak!"

"Return the Thousand Buddha robes and the Blood Book Bayeux Sutra to Putuo."

"The treasure of Buddhism, don't you like it?"

Qiuyue clasped his palms together and said: "The old man doesn't dare to commit greed, and he has broken his cultivation for many years. Besides, there is no north and south in Buddhism, and there is no difference between the Thousand Buddha robes and the Blood Book Bayeux Sutra in Putuo Mountain and in Manjushri Nunnery. Wangtanyue is compassionate! ”

"The disciple respects my Buddha and has no other intentions." Wei Zhongxian was very puzzled.

Qiu Yue got up and said to the golden body in the Buddhist shrine: "The four major monks are empty, and the truth of life must be seen clearly in order to achieve positive results." Tan Yue doesn't have to be strong, so as not to damage the virtue of the old man. ”

"The disciple received the grace of the master and got the great wealth of life, and there is nothing that he can't repay his wish, but he doesn't know how to repay the master?" Wei Zhongxian's face showed a hint of sadness.

Qiu Yue said with a smile: "The old man didn't want to teach Tan Yue to repay back then, not to mention that Tan Yue has worshiped my Buddha for many years, and he has done his best." If Tan Yue is still unwilling, he can turn his sincerity to my Buddha into kindness to the people of the world, forbear and abandon killing, and pay tribute to my Buddha in vain. If this is the case, then the country will be fortunate and the people will be lucky. What Tan Yue wants today, you can rest assured that the old man should do his best. ”

"Since the master said so, the disciple did not dare to force others to make it difficult, so according to the master's order, he returned the Thousand Buddha robes and the blood book Bayeux Sutra to Putuo." At this time, the little novice has already boiled the Buddha tea and offered it on a red lacquer tray, filling the room with the fragrance of tea. Wei Zhongxian took a sip of the teacup, and turned to the topic: "A few days ago, on the Gaoliang River, there was a Fangwai warlock who tested the words of Prince Xin, and the disciples tried to crack it, but so far they have not found it. Please ask the master for advice! ”

"Word measurement? It's not my Buddhist business, I'm afraid that the old man will have what he wants. Qiu Yue said apologetically.

Wei Zhongxian said: "The master often says, don't cling to your own appearance and seek it alone. The master's Buddhism is profound, he understands all sentient beings, three thousand worlds, thousands of red dust, all in the eyes of the Dharma, why be too humble? ”

Qiu Yue nodded and said: "The two families of Shi and Dao have their own origins, and they are not much involved, and those who do good things are forced to merge." Tan Yue was resolute, so the old man reluctantly made it difficult and dared to guess. What is the word? ”

"It's a 'towel' and a 'hat'."

"Extrapolate the good fortune of Tan Yue in the year with these two words?"

"Exactly."

Qiu Yue got up, walked with her head down, walked around the secret room for a few weeks, looked at Wei Zhongxian and said: "Tan Yue, although my Buddha has reappeared, he will also be reborn. Although there are many people who read the old man, he has never entered the divination and divination, and he said that it is not in line with Tan Yue's thoughts, so he should not blame. ”

"Is there anything dangerous? I also ask the master to speak bluntly. ”

"First, the scarf hat, covering the head and higher than the body, can be described as extremely powerful! Second, the scarf and hat are all things outside the body, but they can be separated, the so-called sundial in the middle of the day, the full moon is missing, or the pole Tailai. From this inference, Tan Yue's rich career seems to have reached the extreme. In terms of Tan Yue's current power, it seems that it is difficult to repeat. ”

"Can you go one step further?" Wei Zhongxian looked at Qiu Yue with burning eyes.

Qiu Yue sighed: "This originally didn't make sense. If you go any further, will you not fall into the dust? Life in the world depends on their own chances, and only when the opportunities are complete can the merits be complete. Like Tan Yue's current wealth, it is already rare, and it should be stopped in greed, and it can be stopped, and if you are greedy, you will not get it, but it will affect your body. The so-called thousands of mansions are no more than five feet long; Thousands of miles of the Yangtze River, no more than a scoop of drink. If you think about it in vain, it may not be the blessing of longevity. ”

"How did the disciple deal with it?"

"Gather the heart, show kindness, relieve the anger of the people, or avoid disaster."

Wei Zhongxian smiled coldly: "According to what the master said, isn't it tied up and slaughtered?" ”

"Hey!" Qiu Yue sighed heavily and said: "Loving others is self-love, killing is suicide, why should Tan Yue fight for victory and kill?" ”

Wei Zhongxian retorted: "The so-called people are in the rivers and lakes, and they can't help themselves, how can the master teach the disciples to stop? Qiu Yue smiled and said slowly: "Tan Yue has the heart to stop it, and there is a golden basin for washing hands everywhere." ”

Wei Zhongxian's face turned red, and he said hatefully: "After all, the master is an outsider, how can he understand the sinister nature of secular battles?" If I don't kill anyone, I will kill me, and the disciples have a lot of grievances, even if the disciples want to let others go, they can't let the disciples go! The disciple washed his hands in a golden basin and taught his countless righteous sons and grandsons to rely on? ”

Qiu Yue lowered her white eyebrows, closed her eyes and said: "Dust to dust, soil to earth, where to come from and where to go, why do you need to worry a lot?" It seems that Tan Yue still can't leave the word fame and fortune behind. ”

Seeing that Wei Zhongxian was not speculative, he got up and said: "The injustice has already been caused, and it can never be resolved overnight. The master doesn't need to be persuaded, cherish it yourself! After that, Li Chaoqin and Pei Yousheng were heard, got up in the sedan chair, and went to the ground without looking back, leaving the old monk in Qiuyue stunned on the spot.

Nearly two watches, the moonlight is faint, and the night is a little deep.

Qiu Yue sat cross-legged on the meditation bed, with a solemn expression, closing her eyes and counting the Buddha beads, if it were not for the ochre yellow robes and snow-white eyebrows, it would be an ancient Buddha carved in stone clay. After a long time, he suddenly opened his eyes and shouted out loudly:

"Dust!" Before he finished speaking, he walked into a small novice from the outer room, bowed down and said, "What is the matter with the master calling the disciples?" ”

"Go to the backyard and invite your uncle Yuguang."

After a short time, Lichen lured a fat monk who was full of alcohol to come in, hurriedly hid out of the meditation hall, and closed the door behind him. The fat monk didn't give a salute either, and asked Qiu Yue directly, "Senior brother, what's going on in the middle of the night?" Mistakenly, let's eat wine. ”

Qiu Yue frowned slightly when she heard this, and said helplessly: "You have broken the abstinence of drinking again, how can you face the disciples?" ”

"Wine and meat have passed through the intestines, and the Buddha has left it in his heart. Let's only worship the Buddha, what do we care about the disciples? Yuki sat crookedly on the futon.

Qiu Yue shook her head and said, "The old man has a Buddha in his heart, but he doesn't drink alcohol. ”

"Since drinking and seeking Buddha are all right, what's the harm in eating some?"

"The old man doesn't quarrel with you." Qiu Yue looked at Yuguang and said, "Senior brother, the old man called you late at night, not to scold you as usual. Lao Wei also figured it out, and his attachment to ritual skin appearance actually did not reach the realm of emptiness. The old man is stupid and stubborn, and he has only found out the true meaning of this today, which is far from the cultivation of his junior brother. ”

Yuguang was stunned when he heard this, the wine had already woken up a little, and he was about to ask, but Qiuyue waved his hand to stop him: "Don't talk yet." Listen to the old man first, the old man has two things to entrust you. ”

"What's the matter?"

"One is to take over the position of abbot of the main hermitage, and the other is to ......"

"What? What did the senior brother say? We won't be burdened by this vulgarity! Yuko shook her head and laughed.

Qiu Yue Zhengse said: "Does the junior brother want the dragons of Manjushri Nunnery to be leaderless?" ”

"With a senior brother here, how can there be no leader?"

Qiu Yueshuang frowned, and said sadly: "The old man's limit has arrived, where can he take care of so much?" ”

After sobering up more than half of the wine, he said suspiciously, "Senior brother, what kind of magic barrier does he have?" ”

"Not bad."

"I am compassionate." Yuguang straightened up on the futon and said, "Senior brother, what else is there?" ”

Qiu Yue whispered: "Today, Wei Zhongxian, the biggest benefactor of my nunnery, came to give alms again, asking the old man to guide him to the future, and the old man tried his best to guide him to goodness, but he insisted on going his own way, as if he was not subservient. When the old man met him in the temple of Mount Tai in Zhuozhou, he had been gracious to him, and he was extremely rich in the future, the old man wanted to use his power to magnify the Buddha, but he only knew the antecedents, and the consequences were unpredictable. If his affairs are revealed, Manjushri Nunnery will inevitably be involved, destroy the nunnery and destroy the Buddha, and there will be no recovery, wouldn't it backfire? The old man is guilty, why am I innocent? How innocent are the disciples? Qiu Yue's tears rippled, Yuguang couldn't bear it in his heart, but he couldn't persuade him, so he had to watch blankly.

"Senior brother, the old man has no virtue, although the temple has a small merit, but unexpectedly it caused a catastrophe, and it is really impossible to redeem a hundred deaths. As soon as the old man dies, it will be up to you to save Manjushri! As he spoke, he left the meditation bed, knelt down in front of Yuguang, and thanked: "Senior brother, please bow down to the old man!" ”

"Senior brother, don't do this!" In a panic, Yuguang hurriedly got up to help, but Qiuyue still insisted on worshipping, took Yuguang's hand and said, "Senior brother, you also repaid the favor for Lao Gu for this second thing." ”

"Where's the favor?"

"The old man expects that Wei Zhongxian will not end well, but he has been giving to Manjushri for many years, and he is also respectful to my Buddha, if one day he is beheaded by the West Market, will the junior brother dare to buy some wine and food for him?"

"Knowing kindness and retribution, as it should be, is also the cause of the previous life."

Qiu Yue shook the monk's robe and said: "This is just one layer of meaning, and the deeper layer is to protect the whole body of the temple." ”

Yuguang said with tears in his eyes: "At that time, everyone was afraid to hide, but where could they flee to?" Let's move according to our feelings, their feelings are bound to be moving, people abandon me and take them, what the senior brother said is indeed a wonderful trick! It's just that the senior brother will pay tribute in person when he arrives, so what's the point? ”

Qiu Yue explained: "At that time, Lao Wei was the culprit who colluded with Wei Zhongxian, how could he be forgiven? If the old man is dead, he will be able to reduce his sins, at least he will have less impeachment, plus the junior brother will cry and mourn, he will definitely be pitied, and there are Wei Zhongxian's henchmen to disperse the anger of the people, I am a Buddha. If these steps are missing, Manjushri may be inevitable. ”

Yuguang's tears finally couldn't help flowing, and he choked up: "Senior brother gives up his life to protect the nunnery, we will definitely live up to the trust." Senior brother, don't worry! ”

"Good, good! The junior and younger brothers are usually not informal, and they will be able to achieve great things. The words of the ancestor on his deathbed seem to be correct. Ordered the disciple to burn the incense soup, and the old man was going to bathe. "Qiuyue's heart arrangements have been completed, and when she landed, she felt that her heart was as calm as water, her tone was gentle and low, and her face showed a treasure light of satisfaction, and she turned around and bowed to the Buddha shrine." Amitabha Buddha - "Yuguang couldn't help but bow down, and the golden Buddha still had a smile on his face, looking down at the crowd at his feet kindly.

Outside the Buddha hall, the sky is full of stars, as bright as water, but the moon is broken.

On the third watch, the night breeze blew slightly, a pile of high firewood was piled up in front of the Daxiong Treasure Hall, and Yuguang led dozens of disciples to stand around the firewood, and chanted the scriptures with their palms together. The old monk Qiuyue walked out of the hall steadily, with a red robe and an ochre robe, which made her look even more treasured, like a Buddha walking down from the throne. He looked around at the disciples, and finally fixed his gaze on Yuguang. Yuguang looked at Qiuyue silently, the two eyes met in one place, Yuguang nodded gently. Qiu Yue smiled, and was helped by two little novices to step onto the pyre, and sat with her eyes closed and her palms closed.

The fire was lit, and it burned more and more, and there was a crackling sound, and Qiu Yue's eyebrows and monk's robe were already burning, and he was trembling in the fire, but he still sat with his palms together.

"Abbot—" Someone shouted, and more people echoed and wept.

The iron shoes were so hot that the flesh and skin were so hot that the boy couldn't help but close his eyes tightly.