"So, our plan to disguise ourselves as lamas and infiltrate the Potala Palace has been shattered?" Tang Cong said with a sad face and worried, "Can't you sneak in, can you sneak in?"

"Impossible!" Boren shook his head firmly, "The Potala Palace is located on a hill, surrounded by no shelter, and heavily guarded throughout the year, brightly lit day and night, and there is only one palace gate that can enter and exit from the front and back, and it is impossible for you to sneak in without knowing it." ”

"You can't get in, you can't sneak in, so what?" Tang Cong pouted, "Is it possible to kill it with great fanfare?"

"The Tibetan tribes are constantly strife, and the war is not endless, if you can easily enter the Potala Palace, the other tribes have already led people to attack and kill, so why wait until today?" Bo Ren asked rhetorically, "There are many guards in the palace, dare to ask if the two of you have the ability to fight against a thousand?"

"This ......" Tang Cong's upper face changed color, and he muttered, "I'm just talking, how can I really go hard?"

From beginning to end, Liu Xunyi didn't say a word, but stared at Boren who was talking eloquently, with a hint of secrecy in his eyes.

Boren seemed to be stared at by Liu Xunyi uncomfortably, and smiled rather awkwardly, "Why does Brother Liu keep looking at me? Could it be that there is something on my face?"

"Yes. ”

As soon as these words came out, Boren's eyes changed slightly, and at the same time, he reached out and touched his cheek, subconsciously rubbing it a few times, but he didn't notice anything unusual. Boren looked at Liu Xunyi with confused eyes, his expression very dazed.

"Door master, you are ......"

"I saw the word 'cunning' clearly on Brother Ren's face. Liu Xunyi said with a smile.

"Oh, why did Brother Liu say that?" Boren's expression stiffened slightly, but he still forced a smile and pretended to be calm.

Liu Xunyi laughed and explained: "Actually, Brother Ren has already thought of countermeasures in his heart, but he deliberately betrayed Guan Zi and sincerely ridiculed us, yes or no?"

Hearing this, Boren and Tang Cong were stunned at the same time. The three of them looked at each other silently, and under Tang Cong's strange expression, Bo Ren suddenly burst out laughing.

"Yes, yes, yes. Boren hurriedly arched his hand and said, "What Brother Liu said is very true, pretending to be profound, and cherishing himself. Forgive sins, forgive sins!"

"Brother Ren is not guilty, but the two of us don't know the height of the sky, and we don't know the depth and shallowness of the water in these cities. self-righteous, rashly decided, and ugly. Liu Xunyi said humbly, and then said in a correct tone, "I don't know what Brother Ren has to say? ”

"I don't dare to preach, it's just that I've been here for many years, and I've found some news more or less, and I'm willing to say it and discuss it with the two of you. Boren waved his hand and said, "Dare to ask the two of you, have you ever inquired about the situation in Tibet before coming here?"

"The princes rose together, and the heroes were divided. Liu Xunyi groaned slightly, "I heard...... Tibet is in chaos. ”

"Not bad. Boren nodded, "Since the overthrow of the Tibetan Dynasty, the tribal alliances have established themselves as kings. After hundreds of years of melee warfare, the current general trend of Tibet, although the nominal 'living Buddha' is still supreme, is actually in name only, and has completely become a puppet of the Eight Kings to bewitch the people. The real power has long been in the hands of the Eight Kings. ”

"Eight kings?"

"That's good!" Boren seemed to be trying to recall the various news he had received before, and said slowly, "The Eight Kings are 'Wenpu Guanjin, Kongzang Legai', which means the eight great bodhisattvas in Buddhism, but in fact, they are the leaders of the eight most powerful alliances in Tibet today. Because of this ****, the leader of the alliance is not only the lord of the regime, but also the lord of religion in the alliance. Although they claim to be the reincarnation of the 'Bodhisattva', their actions are very different from the real Bodhisattva. ”

Tang Cong hesitated: "Eight kings, eight great bodhisattvas, what ...... Who is in charge of the city?"

"One of the eight kings, the king of Tibet, Tsoden. "Right now, he's the most powerful of the Eight Kings. Thirty years ago, he rebelled, entered the city of Luo, killed the descendants of the royal family living in the Potala Palace, and proclaimed himself king. Tsoden was ambitious and bent on following the example of Songtsen Gampo to unify the various ministries and rebuild the dynasty. It's a pity that the other alliances disdained Tsodan, who was born as a commoner, and secretly united to fight against him, in case he annexed them one by one. ”

"Cuodan......" Liu Xunyi muttered to himself, "This person must have quite a lot of means, otherwise he will not be able to occupy the magpie's nest for decades." ”

"Tsodan, this person, is extremely brutal and fierce. Boren replied with some fear, "You should have seen on the way here, although many people in the city of Luo are facing the bad luck of freezing to death and starvation, but no one is making trouble, and not a single one is rebelling? ”

Tang Cong was curious: "What kind of torture?"

"Skinning and cramping, digging out the heart and lungs, splitting the corpses of the five horses, throwing down the oil pot...... In short, it is cruel and chilling. "It is precisely because of Tsodan's reign of terror that the city of Raksa is so 'stable'. It is said that 'in troubled times, you should use heavy codes', but Cuodan's methods are no longer harsh, but harsh. ”

Liu Xunyi sighed: "If he is not harsh, I am afraid that he will not be able to do today's position." ”

That's true. Boren replied undeniably, "Although Tsoden was cruel to outsiders, he was very generous to his men. People can eat and drink spicy food and spicy food with him, enjoy the glory and wealth, and are naturally willing to work for him. Tsoden has a large number of loyal supporters, which is also a major reason why he can be ranked among the eight kings and prosper for a long time. ”

Tang Cong coughed lightly twice, and asked worriedly: "This fierce and vicious Tibetan king shouldn't live in the Potala Palace, right?"

Boren smiled bitterly, then nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Tang Cong couldn't help but look at the dishes, and hesitated: "If we let him catch him, won't we die a miserable death?"

"If we let Tsodan be captured alive, I am afraid that we will not be able to survive or die. Boren answered.

"What should I do then?" Tang Cong looked at Liu Xunyi with trepidation, as if he had palpitations, "Door master, we are in big trouble this time." ”

Liu Xunyi shook his head slightly at Tang Cong to show relief, turned to look at Bo Ren, and hesitated: "Brother Ren just said so many things about Tubo, I don't know what it has to do with our trip?"

"Although the eight kings fought endlessly, they were all faithful followers of Tantric Buddhism. Boren explained unhurriedly, "Tibet is different from other places, no matter what your power is here, what your identity is, you must be in awe of the Buddha and have infinite reverence. Otherwise, they will be targeted by the public, and will not only be excluded from Tibetan orthodoxy, but also regarded as an alien by the Tibetan people, or even a demonic way. ”

"Since ancient times, those who have won the hearts of the people have won the world, and although Na Cuodan is fierce, he will never dare to risk the disapproval of the world. ”

"Not bad. "Therefore, on the first day of the first lunar month every year, the eight kings gather in the Potala Palace to hold a pilgrimage ceremony. There is an unwritten rule among the Tibetan tribes, that is, on the annual calendar, Buddha's birthday, prayer and other festivals, no one is allowed to wantonly provoke disputes, otherwise it will be regarded as disrespectful to the Buddha. Therefore, on the first day of the first lunar month every year, the leaders of the various tribes will step into the territory of Tsodan without any scruples, and no matter how much enmity they have against each other, they will be temporarily put on hold on that day. They will eat and live together for three days and three nights in the Potala Palace, worship the Buddha together, and maintain a harmonious atmosphere. ”

"Why did you come to Tsodan's territory?" Tang Cong puzzled.

"Since the construction of the palace in Songtsen Gampo, the Potala Palace has been the center of Tibet and a sacred place of Tantra. In the hearts of Tibetans, the status and influence of the Potala Palace will never change because of any war, and even the collapse of the dynasty will not be shaken in the slightest. "It's a firm belief that has been ingrained for hundreds of years, and it's hard to say, it's not clear, but it's something that has to be followed." ”

Liu Xunyi frowned slightly, and said suspiciously: "Could it be that the eight kings can really let go of their grievances and live in harmony?"

"The face and the heart are not in harmony. Boren said with a wry smile, "This is a rule set hundreds of years ago, and no one can do anything about it." ”

"Speaking of which, it still has nothing to do with us. Tang Cong pouted and said, "We are not the people of Tibet, how can the Eight Kings have anything to do with us?"

Boren asked rhetorically, "What are you doing here?"

"Stealing the Buddha lotus seeds. ”

"That's it. Boren said with a smile, "The Buddha lotus seed is the most precious treasure of Tantra, hidden in the depths of the Potala Palace all year round. Legend has it that the Buddha Lotus Seed was hidden in an impenetrable secret room, and eight special keys were required to open the secret room. And these eight keys ...... It's all in the hands of the Eight Kings. ”

"Shhh Liu Xunyi and Tang Cong were shocked, their eyes full of shock.

"In this way, even if we can sneak into the Potala Palace, we will never be able to find the Buddha lotus seed?" Tang Cong was full of despair and disheartened.

"Definitely. Boren shook his head and said, "According to the custom, every year on the day of pilgrimage, the eight kings of Tibet will open the secret room together, invite the Buddha's lotus seeds out, regard them as a token left by the Buddha in the world, and bow to them. At this point, Boren changed his words and said jokingly, "Now, do you know the relationship between the Eight Kings and your trip?"

"This ......" Liu Xunyi felt that this matter was becoming more and more difficult, and he didn't know how to answer for a while.

"So what? Can we still snatch the Buddha lotus seeds away under the noses of the Eight Kings of Tubo? Now, we can't even enter the palace gate, so why talk about stealing treasures?" Tang Cong laughed at himself, "Speaking of which, it's still empty joy." ”

"It's hard to sneak in. "But when you walk in openly, there is still a glimmer of hope." ”

As soon as these words came out, Liu Xunyi's eyes lit up, and he asked, "What does Brother Ren mean?"

"On the first day of the first lunar month, the Potala Palace will hold a pilgrimage ceremony. According to my inquiry, the pilgrimage ceremony is roughly divided into three parts. Boren said mysteriously, "First, offer incense and pray for blessings. Second, visit the Buddha and understand the secrets. Third, the Northern Gadda League. Among them, the Northern Gada League is the most interesting, it is the only opportunity for the Eight Kings to compete head-to-head in the Potala Palace. ”

"What is the 'Northern Gada League'?" Liu Xunyi and Tang Cong looked dazed, as if listening to a book from heaven.

"Beiga, that is, practicing martial arts, falling, and wrestling. Boren explained, "It's about the same as the ring competition in the Central Plains, except that the rules are stricter and the moves are more simple. Contestants, who cannot be more than 30 years old and cannot use blades, are selected through physical contests to select the most courageous Beiga warriors, and are given Hada by the living Buddha. Over the years, the eight kings will send their own young warriors to fight, although the Beiga competition is insignificant to the battle of the alliance, but it can earn a lot of face in the Tibetan tribes. Especially Tsodan, who was born as a military general, attaches great importance to the Northern Gadda League. However, in recent years, most of the samurai sent by Tsoden have mediocre qualifications, and they have been defeated by other alliances for several years in a row, which makes Tsoden extremely annoyed. ”

Liu Xunyi seemed to hear a hint from Boren's words, and muttered thoughtfully: "What do you mean ......?"

"Brother Liu can be entrusted with an important task by Ding Sanye, and he must be very skilled. Bo Ren smiled meaningfully, "If you can be selected by Tsodan to become a warrior to participate in the Northern Gadda League, you will be able to enter the Potala Palace on the first day of the first lunar month without much effort." As for the tantric treasure 'Buddha Lotus Seed', it is even closer at hand and can be obtained at your fingertips. ”

......