Chapter 148 Public Enemy
Chapter 148 Public Enemy
"I admire your confidence."
"That doesn't sound like appreciation."
"Yes, you heard that right."
“Then I really like what you said.”
"why?"
"Last time you were so angry and said that I could only win first place in the summer festival next time, I won it."
"..."
"I forgot to thank you then. I'm sorry."
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"With your temper, why didn't you attack Xie Yinglian that day?"
"So in your eyes, I have a bad temper?"
"I just don't want you to be a person who bullies the weak and fears the strong."
"I thought you were the one who knew best how tough I was right now."
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"Xie Yinglian has the relevant files in the Sky Patrol Department. You can go and have a look when you have time. Besides, she is not the only opponent you have."
"Who else?"
"A lot. The rules set by Cihang Temple for this ceremony are that those who are below Guiyi, Dongzhen and above, and under 40 years old, are welcome, regardless of sect or background. Therefore, all the top names in the past summer festivals are here, such as Wang Mo."
"How do we determine the winner?"
"Warfare, debate, interpretation of scriptures, to put it simply, it's fighting, quarreling, and flattery. The person who has the best combination of the three will win the prize."
"Fawning?"
"The meaning of the sutra does not depend on how you interpret it or whether your interpretation is correct or not, but on whether you can make the monks present nod in satisfaction."
"very good."
"Where's the good?"
"Fortunately, I appreciate your prejudice against monks."
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"Do you still have the same confidence as before?"
"You seem to be looking forward to something."
"Yes, I am very sorry you did not change the subject before."
"What if I changed the subject?"
"I'd be happy to cheat for you."
"Are you so shameless now?"
"It's not as shameless as you trying to make me the leader of the Fate of Heaven in your place."
"Does this mean you want me to ask again?"
"…I have an idea about Xiuhu. Do you want to hear it?"
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The conversation between Gu Zhuo and Pei Jinge was very casual, because neither of them was a serious person, and the latter was even known for being lazy.
A truly lazy person is unlikely to be restricted by worldly rules.
It’s just that the way they get along with each other has become simpler and simpler, or more like friends, which is undoubtedly because of the beginning of that cooperation.
Pei Jinge said, "Goodbye."
Everything that needed to be said had been said, and there was no point in staying.
As for the quarrel among the ministers in the court?
This was an excuse she had prepared in advance to shut him up.
Gu Zhuo said goodbye to her.
The meeting ended quickly and neatly.
I think they won't miss each other for a long time.
In the evening of the next day, Gu Zhuo's mind changed.
the reason is simple.
Searching and searching, coming and going.
Walking in the mountains and rivers, listening to the ancient scriptures chanting in your ears.
He entered the temple to ask about Buddha and fought eighty-one battles with the monks.
Gu Zhuo never showed any sign of boredom, because his faith in the Tao remained firm, and more importantly, he had walked a much longer and endless road before.
So in the 82nd battle, he finally found traces that came from the same source as that ray of Buddha's light.
That temple is called Ganye.
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Among the 480 temples in the South, Ganye Temple is a very inconspicuous one. It cannot even be counted as one of them, because 480 is not a real number.
In fact, there are far more temples located in mountains, rivers and cities than this number, and new temples are still being built today with no sign of stopping.
Although the fundamental inheritance of Ganye Temple comes from Cihang Temple, who can't have some connection with that ancestral temple of Zen Buddhism?
The realm of the monks in the temple is also ordinary. The strongest among them has barely entered the state of unity. Not to mention compared with the deceased dean of Changzhou Academy, he is also inferior to the abbot of Cha'an Temple who is also a monk.
If Gu Zhuo had not always had great patience and had never been annoyed by the troubles caused by his choices, he might have missed this Buddhist temple.
After getting this clue, he did not do anything unnecessary, such as staying abnormally to talk with the monks in the temple, nor did he stop visiting the next temple.
Gu Zhuo just silently wrote down the monk's name.
——Cross the sea.
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If time passes like this, the autumn in the south will soon disappear, and a chill will gradually grow between heaven and earth.
The time for the ceremony at Cihang Temple had been set, and the method for deciding the winner had also been made public, so people were shocked and their attention was once again focused on Gu Zhuo. Related questioning remarks were rampant.
Almost the entire spiritual community believed that this was a test specially designed for Gu Zhuo. Otherwise, how to explain all the things he had done since early autumn, why he inexplicably traveled to nearly a hundred Buddhist temples, insisted on listening to scriptures, and fought with others?
This statement makes sense, but it is totally untenable, because as one of the ancestral temples of Zen Buddhism, there is absolutely no reason for Cihang Temple to curry favor with a younger person - unless there is another reason.
Facing the questions from the practitioners, the monks of Cihang Temple were like practicing silent meditation. They kept smiling and remained silent, chanting the Buddha's name from time to time, and looked unfathomable.
Cihang Temple has a transcendent status and has a Zen master who is equivalent to the state of Yuhua in charge. Naturally, no one dares to cause trouble, even though the monks generally have good tempers and are famous for their kindness.
So the attention of the entire cultivation world was once again focused on Gu Zhuo.
The emotions in those eyes are anger and disgust, contempt and disdain. Many practitioners privately mock and curse at others for being shameless in order to gain the approval of others and vent their dissatisfaction when they get together.
In an instant, Gu Zhuo became infamous, his reputation was ruined, and he was about to become notorious.
However, if you listen deeply to the voices of these people, you will find that they are all full of envy.
And jealousy.
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The noises were so loud, how could Gu Zhuo not hear them?
But just like when he was already famous before entering the Divine Capital, and was praised to the point that no one could surpass him, his heart of Taoism was never touched by this, and he remained as calm as before. Whether it was praise or slander, it made no difference to him.
The only impact of this incident was that Gu Zhuo naturally stopped visiting Buddhist temples. Under the close protection of the various government offices of the Great Qin court, he went directly to the small town at the foot of the Cihang Temple mountain and lived in an inconspicuous villa, waiting for the Dharma Assembly to begin.
During this time, Monk Wuque heard the news and came to meet him. He seemed to be hesitant to speak, and in the end he just comforted him with a few words.
It seems like nothing has been said, but in fact everything has been said.
——Zen Buddhism is indeed not clean in this public opinion storm.
Gu Zhuo was confused.
As far as he knew, Zen monks were not so petty and were unlikely to retaliate against him so deliberately for what he had done.
What's more, the reason why people are staring at and scolding him now is that they don't dare to scold Cihang Temple, and they don't dare to question the great Zen master who actually made the decision, one of the most powerful people in the world.
It couldn't be that the ghost had already noticed what he was doing?
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Before winter came, it rained on earth.
This is the last rain this autumn. Perhaps for that reason, the chill in the rain is particularly strong.
Taoist Changyu squatted in front of the fat orange cat.
Sui Qian Gu and Taoist nun An Ning stood behind him, waiting seriously for his words to be finished, and then looked at the cat howling towards the sky.
When everything was quiet, the three of them turned around and walked under the eaves to formally start the conversation.
"The leader still hasn't made a move."
Nun An Ning frowned and whispered, "I'm not feeling well right now."
Sui Qian Gu said: "Perhaps we should think of other ways."
When he said this, his gaze naturally fell on Taoist Changyu, as if he was referring to something else.
Taoist Changyu remained silent, with an unpleasant look on his face.
Ever since the killing in the sun, Gu Zhuo never returned and never said a word again, as if he had disappeared from this world.
It's hard not to have some bad thoughts.
"Easier said than done?"
Nun An Ning shook her head and said, "It would be better if Xiu Hu was in the palace of Southern Qi, but now he is imprisoned in Cihang Temple. Who can take him out of there?"
Having said this, a hint of annoyance flashed between her brows, and she lowered her voice and said, "If we had taken action earlier, we wouldn't expect... maybe the matter would have been resolved."
Taoist Chang Yu understood the meaning of the words, and after hesitating for a moment, he defended himself by saying, "Maybe the leader predicted that Xiu Hu would be sent to Cihang Temple. What I mean is that the leader planned to do something in that ceremony."
Sui Qian Gu glanced at him and said expressionlessly: "Do you believe it?"
Taoist Changyu really wanted to say that he believed it, but in the end he couldn't open his mouth because he had no confidence.
"If...I mean if."
Nun An Ning said solemnly, "If Xiu Hu really can't come back, then we should think about it seriously."
The two people standing by understood that Xiu Hu in the words was actually referring to Gu Zhuo, and the question they were thinking about was what the Tianming Sect should do next.
This is a big question and it is worth the three of them thinking about it in advance.
Just at this moment, there was a knock on the gate.
The three of them looked at each other subconsciously, and finally Taoist Nun An Ning went to open the door.
Standing outside the door was a girl who seemed to be filled with autumn resentment, like a lilac.
The girl was not holding an umbrella, and her face was hidden by the hat, so it was impossible to see clearly, just like her extremely unfathomable aura.
Before any of the three could ask, a voice rang out.
From this girl.
"It would be good for you to have fewer boring, idiotic ideas."
Her voice was as cold as autumn rain: "Or maybe you just like to make people laugh."
The three people's expressions changed slightly, and all of them turned ugly. They wondered who are you?
The girl didn't even look at the three of them. She walked deeper into the courtyard and sat on the chair where Gu Zhuo had sat before.
"I will only say the next words once."
"If it's because of you guys that things went wrong."
"Then you will die with Xiu Hu."
At this point, the most direct Taoist Chang Yu finally couldn't help it and shouted angrily, "Who are you?"
A sigh sounded.
"What an idiot..."
The girl seemed to roll her eyes at this moment and said mockingly: "If I am not his, then who else can I be?"
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No one in this world knows who that lilac-like girl is, except Gu Zhuo.
However, even if he died on the spot, he would not reveal the other party's true identity, because this is the premise of everything.
As the autumn colors faded away, the young and powerful people from various sects and families in the world had already set out, led by their elders, to Cihang Temple.
According to information from the Sky Patrol Department, only Taoism, due to its natural position, showed an indifferent attitude towards this ceremony. All other well-known forces in the world have sent people, and judging from the names of those people, it is not inferior to this year's summer festival.
In addition, many ordinary practitioners also gathered here, hoping to gain something from this Dharma Assembly.
Even if you gain nothing, you can still listen to the teachings of the great Zen masters who have reached the state of enlightenment. Who knows, maybe you can find a possibility of a breakthrough from them?
Therefore, the small town at the foot of the Cihang Temple has already become bustling. All the people walking on the street are practitioners. People from all over the world gather together to get to know each other, exchange ideas, and... mock Gu Zhuo.
Gu Zhuo heard it clearly.
It wasn't because these people shouted too loudly after getting drunk, but because from time to time he would hold up a magical paper umbrella that could block the breath, wander around the town for a few rounds, and listen to how others were scolding him.
When Lin Wanyi finally mastered the Chaotian Sword Canon and got the permission from his master to come to the small town, and under the guidance of the deacon of the Patrol Sky Division, he found Gu Zhuo who was listening to people cursing him. He was overwhelmed by shock and immediately forgot why he came.
"You... don't have any weird hobbies, do you?"
The girl asked in a low voice, unable to hide the worry in her tone.
Maybe it's false, but Lin Wanyi once read in a book that people who like to be insulted are somewhat abnormal in some ways.
Gu Zhuo was slightly startled and asked in confusion: "Why do you ask that?"
Lin Wanyi pursed her lips and said tactfully, "Because... there shouldn't be anyone in this world who likes to be scolded, right?"
Gu Zhuo nodded and agreed, "Of course I don't like it either."
Lin Wanyi finally breathed a sigh of relief, patted his chest with some fear, smiled as if relieved, and said, "That's good."
Gu Zhuo finally understood what she was thinking. He was speechless and said, "I am a very normal person."
Hearing this, Lin Wanyi's smile stopped and her cheeks turned slightly red with embarrassment.
"So what are you doing?" she asked seriously.
"Listen to the truth."
Gu Zhuo said calmly: "Just like when everyone in the streets of Divine Capital was praising me, there must be a hand behind this public opinion."
He continued: "I want to know who is doing this and why they are picking on me at this time."
Lin Wanyi subconsciously asked, "Is this something that can be heard? Why don't you ask the Sky Patrol to investigate? Is there anyone who is unwilling to investigate?"
Gu Zhuo avoided answering the last two questions because it was too troublesome to talk about them. He said calmly, "Others may not be able to do that, but I can tell by what I hear."
Lin Wanyi understood what he meant, and a look of worry flashed in her eyes. After thinking for a while, she asked, "Have you heard it now?"
Gu Zhuo hummed.
(End of this chapter)