Sanzang raised his hand and was about to push the door, but he didn't get any response, but the eight soldiers carrying stretchers turned into the door, blocked his way, and persuaded him vigorously: "The holy monk is not impatient, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is thoughtful, and there must be a reason for him to do so." When the holy monk came from afar, my brothers came to take care of the holy monk, and they tried their best to meet their needs in response to things, and asked the holy monk to wait here for the day. ”

Tang San didn't hide his anger, and still scolded, but there was really nothing he could do, so he had to stop and rest. Sanzang patronized and didn't pay attention, and when he turned around at this moment, he was suddenly stunned by the scene in front of him, only to see that the lights in front of him were dim, and a white wick of light was burning brightly. This splendid wick is arranged in a huge shape of 1000 characters, burning vigorously, illuminating this dark secret room with golden brilliance, quite solemn, deep and quiet.

In the center of the huge wick of the candle sat an old monk in white clothes and a white beard, and when he heard someone coming in, he didn't raise his eyebrows, and said loudly: "Ha, I don't want to eat time again, it's very good, it's very good, today Lao Wei wants a plate of fried beef, a kung pao chicken, a pot of wine, and a plate of hot rice, well, it's enough." ”

Seeing that everyone was silent, the old man slowly raised his head, but when he saw what kind of dignity he had, with long hair and a shawl, a white beard and a chest-length body, and a thin and strong body with a height of seven feet, he really looked like an Arhat in the next world.

The old man looked at Sanzang with kind eyes, and couldn't help laughing and said: "Heh, I said that I came to deliver food, but it turned out to be you, looking at the Venerable dress, but he went out with the old master, isn't it that he is afraid that the old man will live in seclusion, so he specially sent the Venerable to come here to pass the loneliness with me?"

Listening to the old man's words, when he was a master outside the world, Tang Sanzang's expression was solemn, and he bowed down and bowed: "The kid is Tang Sanzang, who went to the Western Holy Realm to seek scriptures from the Tang Dynasty, and dared to ask the elder his surname, why was he imprisoned here by Prince Shaoguang?"

The old man laughed and said cheerfully: "Oh, it turned out to be a high monk from the East Soil, disrespectful and disrespectful, the elder went from the East to the Western Buddha country to learn scriptures, and his ambitions were grand, which was commendable. The old man's name is withered, and the distinguished guests have not been able to greet him from afar, so please accept the old man's worship. ”

Seeing that the old monk was about to bow, Tang Sanzang was so frightened that his soul flew away, and he turned around and saluted in fear: "Master, please get up, Tang Sanzang's descendants are juniors, how can you afford your worship, I really want to torture the little monk." It turns out that the master is the dry bamboo Zen master that the lady said, according to legend, you were secretly imprisoned somewhere by the prince of Shaoguang, and it turned out to be in this Baolin Temple, which can be regarded as a place to be. Thinking that the master has been over 200 years old, he is still as strong as this, and he is really envious of others. ”

The withered bamboo Zen master laughed loudly, waved his hand and said: "Hehe, how can the light of the old man be compared to the holy monk who went to the west to learn scriptures in order to promote the essence of Buddhism. Holy monk, since you and I are destined to meet each other, it is better to accompany the old man to dine together and talk about the friendship of my landlord. These benefactors in front of you, you are sent to take care of us, please make one more of the dishes that the old man ordered just now, and the old man wants to bring them to the banquet to entertain the distinguished guests from afar, but I don't know if the elder, as a senior monk from the East Tu, is he a vegetarian or a meat?"

"Haha, there is a saying that wine and meat pass through the intestines, the Buddha stays in his heart, and the poor monks follow the customs, so they naturally eat meat. Tang Sanzang laughed, full of ease and ease.

"That's right, the monks are at peace with what they encounter, naturally they don't care about the salty meat and vegetables, and they don't want the monks from afar to be so free and easy, which is really fortunate. Speaking of which, Lao Wei was also forced by shaking the light, so he had this realization, which is really a blessing everywhere in life. Hearing this, the withered bamboo Zen master laughed and said calmly.

Tang Sanzang was surprised, and said weakly: "What, this matter is still related to Prince Shaoguang, it is not because he locked up the master and forced you to drink wine and eat meat, it is really excessive." ”

"Yes, if it weren't for that, I'm afraid that Lao Qu is still just an old monk who eats fasting and recites Buddha, speaking of these two hundred years of detention life, but the old man has achieved a free and easy body, it is really a coincidence, a blessing in disguise. The withered bamboo Zen master smiled, without a trace of blame for shaking the light.

"Then why did Prince Shaoguang do this, I really can't imagine that such a strong and resolute Prince Shaoguang would be a person who is difficult for a strong man?" Tang Sanzang was shocked when he heard this, and said with a look of disbelief.

"There is naturally a reason why Shaoguang did this, I am afraid it is related to the death of his father, Prince Yuanxian. The withered bamboo Zen master was full of pity, and shook his head and sighed sadly.

"It has something to do with the death of Prince Yuanxian, how is this possible, didn't he commit suicide?" Tang Sanzang asked with a glare.

"Yes, all this is a long story, and it has been held in the heart of the old man for two hundred years, and it is time to make it public. It is said that the late crown prince Yuanxian rebelled in the fiefdom of Dongcheng, and fought a big battle with His Majesty the King on the bank of the Dongcheng River. That battle was extraordinarily tragic, and in the end, only Prince Yuanxian was seriously wounded, and when he broke out of the encirclement and fled in a panic, he came to my Baolin Temple. And Lao Qu, as the abbot of Baolin Temple, someone was seriously injured and came to vote (and he is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the country), how can he not accept it?"

"Prince Yuanxian is young and vigorous, and he has been haunted by the fiasco of his battle, and he is depressed, even if the old man uses Buddhism to relieve his worries and troubles, but he has never been able to let him go, and in the end he actually drew his sword and killed himself on a night of thunder and lightning, which is really a pity. Before his death, Prince Yuanxian was inexplicably sad and indignant, and said the indignant words of 'the Buddha does not bless me, what is the use of the Buddha', and he did not want to become the motto that guided Shaoguang to kill and destroy the chaos in his life, which was injustice. ”

Lao Gyu blamed himself for the death of Prince Yuanxian, and thought that all this would disappear with the death of Prince Yuanxian, and he didn't want to revolve around the tragedy of shaking his life just begun. I remember that it was a cold and snowy winter night, His Majesty the King attacked the east city gate before it was down, the situation was turbulent, the army was in chaos, the old man stole out of the city gate to the Xicheng temple to preach, because of a whim, walking on foot, delayed the time to return to the temple. During the curfew at night, the old man walked to the gate of the city only to learn that His Majesty the King had broken through the eastern city, and the whereabouts of the eight-month-pregnant crown princess Mania were unknown. As soon as he heard the news, Lao Qu couldn't help but be taken aback, he didn't want Prince Yuanxian to be completely extinct, when it was really fame and fortune were exhausted, and the cycle of heavenly principles was inevitable, such a thing, how could he not let Lao Qu be saddened and weep bitterly? Deeply hit by this incident, Lao Qu only felt disheartened and uninterested, and he was not in a hurry to enter the city at the moment, and walked slowly along the bank of the Dongcheng River against the cold wind of hunting to dispel the resentment in his heart. ”

The old man was thinly dressed, walking, and felt a little cold, and thought of finding a family to rest, when suddenly a sharp and piercing cry of a baby suddenly sounded, which seemed to come from the center of the Dongcheng River. The old man wondered in his heart, saying that the Dongcheng River is the boundary between the east and west cities, and there is no shop in front of the village, how can there be a baby's cry? Unable to resist the curiosity in his heart, the old man stood on tiptoe and lightly followed the source of the cry, all the way to the past. At a glance, the old man was so frightened that his soul flew away, and he saw a young woman wearing silk and satin and peerless beauty, immersed in the cold and biting Dongcheng River, holding a **** baby in her hand, and she froze to death in the middle of the river. Poor baby, who had not been born for a long time, was crying incessantly because his face was blue from the cold water. ”

In line with the concept of being a monk and saving people from the world, the old man could not avoid suspicion, jumped into the Dongcheng River alone, and dragged the body ashore with all his might. As soon as he came ashore, an object that fell from the woman's body was really so frightened that the old man's soul did not possess his body, and he knelt down with a puff. The treasure seal in front of him is the jade seal of the crown princess Maniya, and the poor child is the orphan of Prince Yuanxian!"

Seeing this situation, Lao Qu Mao suddenly opened, it is conceivable that the crown princess was pursued by His Majesty's army at that time, and she had no choice but to throw herself into the Dongcheng River, not wanting to give birth to the orphan of Prince Yuanxian at this time. In order not to be discovered by the pursuers, the crown princess hid in the Dongcheng River for several hours with unimaginable perseverance, so that she was frozen to death by the biting river water.

At that time, the baby's face was cold and shivering in the cold wind, and the old man knew that he could not stay long, so he pushed the body of the princess into the Dongcheng River with all his might, so as not to be desecrated by the soldiers who came to search for him. Silently watching the body of the crown princess sink into the Dongcheng River, the old man suddenly fell to the ground, and only secretly swore in his heart, the emperor and the queen of heaven are the proof, the princess is in the spirit of the sky, please rest assured, the old man will do his best to take good care of this hard-working child, and not let him suffer such a hardship again. Alas, when he thought that the shaking light had become what it is now, the old man really lived up to his oath. When the withered bamboo Zen master said that later, he couldn't help but tremble with his white beard and burst into tears.

"Oh, it turns out that Prince Shaoguang is with the master like this, this is really a village with no way out, and the willows and flowers are bright and bright. Listening to such a tortuous story, Tang Sanzang and the soldiers couldn't help but be stunned and sighed.