The air was filled with a faint sandalwood, Wang Ling couldn't help but close his eyes and slightly raise his chin and inhale two puffs in the air, this fragrance smelled very good, making people unconsciously begin to relax. On the ground are ancient bluestone slabs, covered with moss, but they are not deliberately removed, but add a touch of nature. The narrow steps on both sides are covered with tigers, and you can see from afar that the outside of the Buddha Hall is a platform with an excellent view, and there is a bamboo tea table in the middle of the platform, but there is only one chair, and the back of the tea table is a screen, it seems that this time you still can't see the true face of Lushan.

"Sit down," it was still the woman's voice, Wang Ling was not polite, and gently pulled the chair and said: "I guess you are probably standing, a lonely person never thought that one day he would prepare a chair for others, so this tea table is only equipped with a chair, if I sit, I will not occupy you." ”

"You're smart," the woman said, "it's not good to be too smart, you should learn to bow to reality, instead of trying to dominate my world with your mind." ”

"No, no, no," Wang Ling said repeatedly, "I never thought of challenging your authority, I just wanted to wait if I could walk back safely with this head." ”

"Poof", the woman actually laughed, she said: "I didn't expect you to be a person who is afraid of death, I thought you would be a little different from others." ”

"Is there anyone in this world who is not afraid of death?" Wang Ling asked rhetorically: "At least I am afraid of death, if someone is not afraid of death, how can they obsessively obey you, you should thank the world for being afraid of death." ”

The woman no longer dwelled on the question, but asked, "I heard that you have studied the Tao?" ”

"Learned? Not really," he said: "The Chinese have been preaching for thousands of years, and how many of them really understand the Tao, otherwise it would not be that people will still learn the same set of Tao Te Ching after now, and it is logical that the times are developing." In ancient times, people couldn't even make matches like matches, but now you see, you have the most advanced equipment, but people's minds are not as good as the primitive times of our ancestors, isn't it sad? ”

"I came to you today to hear you preach to me, I have some troubles, and listening to it can help people solve some doubts." The woman has been walking back and forth, Wang Ling judged from her footsteps that her heart was a little chaotic at the moment, it was difficult for a person who was used to seeing the wind and waves to leak her flaws, but Wang Ling believed that as long as it was a human being, there would be weaknesses, and these weaknesses were just hidden deeper by some people by his powerful appearance.

"Okay," Wang Ling looked at the tea on the table and said, "Can I take a sip?" ”

"Of course," said the woman, "that's for you." ”

Wang Ling smiled: "I don't dare, because the rules here are set by you, you have the power of life and death, any wrong move can make me not see the sun tomorrow, the rules need to be followed, otherwise the Tao starts with peace talks." After that, he took a sip of tea, the tea is indeed a good tea, this taste he is no longer familiar with, he didn't expect to be able to taste the taste of home here, he looked up at the screen and suddenly wanted to pull it away, and then see what kind of person is behind it.

"Is it good?" The woman asked.

"Okay," Wang Ling gently put down the teacup and said, "You have a heart." ”

"'The clouds under the eyes are chaotic, and occasionally follow the elk into the clouds; Born in the original thing, there is no take, and a cup of water in the mountains is consumed. These four lines of poetry are about this West Lake Longjing, you are from Hangzhou, I will invite you to drink this cup of weak tea, which can be regarded as my sincerity today. Don't always be so scary, no matter what you say today, you can go out, and I will guarantee your safety with my personality. ”

"No," Wang Ling said: "Actually, you are not terrible, no one is born to be afraid, only rules can make people feel afraid, not simple people." When you are powerful enough to take away the lives of others at will, you are terrible, and where can a woman, a woman who knows how to serve tea and hospitality? ”

"You mean, if I don't have those powers, I'm just an ordinary woman, just like the little girl who was with you."

"Are you talking about my companions?" Wang Ling said: "Having power actually doesn't mean anything, for example, any country has a violent institution, the power of this institution is very strong, but it obeys the rules of the public, as long as people are safe under this rule, only those who break the rules will be afraid." And you, the rumored salted fish lady, is not a rule-talker, with all due respect, if a person talks about morality without rules, then after all, he will just degenerate into a hypocrite. ”

"Then do you think I talk about the rules? And I am a woman, I am not a gentleman, and it is a woman's nature to love to turn her face. ”

"Speak, at least tell me about it," Wang Ling said, "Otherwise, I wouldn't be sitting here again, in fact, the so-called salted fish lady is just a mask, and a name that sounds terrifying can only add to the fear of people, just imagine, what would happen if your nickname was called Little White Rabbit?" ”

"Poof", this was the second time Wang Ling heard her laughter today, and he knew that the woman had finally let go of her guard.

"Little white rabbit, you can figure it out, even if I am a rabbit, I am a rabbit who eats meat and does not eat radish!"

"You can only talk to me through this screen," Wang Ling continued, "just like you have to wear the mask of the salted fish lady to command your thousands of troops, if you take it off, they will find that after all, they are only a weak woman, why should I obey a woman's orders?" ”

"You're prejudiced against women." She said: "It's not the first time I've heard this from you, is it a little disrespectful?" ”

"No," Wang Ling said, "I am not biased, I would be happy to see that there should be a second Wu Zetian in Chinese history, but unfortunately not, even today, men still dominate society." This is true in a civilized society, and even more so in your pirate world, where women are not born easy, and they often have to bear more than men, but they do not receive equal treatment, which is unfair. A woman's strength, in addition to the physical strength, she needs more wisdom and means, and the mask is one of them. ”

"It seems that you understand women very well."

"I know it's just the human heart." Wang Ling added a little water to the pot of tea: "This Longjing tea actually doesn't drink the first brew, many people like to drink the second brew of tea, but I prefer the third brew." I like its lightness, the taste between tea and water, just like being a human being, after experiencing the vicissitudes of life, you can only understand what kind of person you belong to. ”

"What about you?" "Don't ask me," Wang Ling said with a smile, "I'm too young to talk about it, I'm just looking for that taste." If you don't mind, I'd like to remove this screen, and now I'm still not equal to you. ”

The woman thought about it for a while, Wang Ling heard her footsteps again, she should be hesitating, and after a while he heard her sigh and said: "Forget it, lest you say that I started to ignore the rules again, you saw these people on the island, many of them are homeless people." Some because they can't live, some because they don't want to live, I created a place for them to escape from suffering, everyone makes mistakes, and I am no exception, but everyone also has the right to live. In fact, the salted fish lady has never killed anyone, you have to believe that her hands are at least clean, and those rumors do make this title enough to run amok on the sea. At least for now, I still need this mask, without which those people would have lost their only home. ”

This answer was something Wang Ling didn't expect, he never thought that this woman would still hide these things behind her, he believed what she said, because he felt the little ripple in her heart. Each of us is pretending, the stronger the person, the more fragile the heart, the more burdened you are, but if you want to live, you must bury those weaknesses, because you are the hope of others.

"That's all for today," said the woman again, "I probably haven't spoken like this for a long time, and your other friend is fine, and rest assured, I think it won't be long before the ship you brought with you will set sail again, and I have a request for you to consider it." ”

"Do you want me to join that team and go together to find the lost treasure?" Wang Ling spoke very bluntly, he thought that Zheng Jiuwu had not returned for more than five days, and he must have reached some agreement with this woman, but he said: "I need a reason, as far as I know, you are full of sailors here, and I am afraid that I can only add a burden to you." ”

"What if I told you that you had to be in that world to go?" The woman said, "But as a condition, I can send the others away, and the three girls can return safely to their hometowns, even to their parents' arms, and believe me, I have the ability to do this." And, your sister, and your parents, they will all be in the best possible place. ”

"Three?" Wang Ling frowned and said, "What about Li Xin?" Isn't that her? ”

"You'll know when the time comes," said the woman, "I'll give you three days to think about it, and I hope you'll have the honor of being the one who really sees me for what I really are." ”