Chapter 154: Not Worth It
Chapter 154: Not Worth It
Many people present could recognize who Yu Sheng was. They knew that she was the second place winner of this year's Summer Festival, who was defeated by Gu Zhuo's sword by just one move.
The battle on Cangshan Mountain is still being circulated in the world and is talked about with relish.
It is said that many old people in the cultivation world who experienced the battle a hundred years ago think that Yu Sheng is more like a princess than Gu Zhuo.
This is undoubtedly a very high evaluation.
However, no matter how high the evaluation is, it is meaningless at this time, because Daoxiu is the senior who is qualified to give the evaluation.
In other words, this is still disrespectful to the predecessors.
People did not dare to look at Daoxiu, as it would arouse the disgust of the second most powerful person in the world. They could only look at the monk Kuzhou standing in front of the hall, looking at his ugly face that could no longer be concealed, and thought that this would be much more interesting than the ceremony going on as usual.
Gu Zhuo and Yu Sheng, the two disciples accepted by the eldest princess after many years, stand side by side, trying to fight against the current number one figure in Zen Buddhism. Where in the world can there be such a excitement?
Not to mention that among them there is the empress's daughter and equally outstanding juniors like the Immaculate Monk.
So, how will Cihang Temple end today?
Thoughts flashed by in the blink of an eye, and no one was stupid enough to speak their thoughts out loud. Everyone was trying to remain silent, watching carefully, and not laughing out loud.
——The Zen sect is powerful. Even though monks are generally easy to talk to and can be described as kind, there are still many forces that hate monks out of pure profit.
At some point, Dao Xiu had turned around.
The young monk's gaze passed through the crowd and through the wind and snow and fell on Yu Sheng.
He looked at the girl in the green dress, at her unfamiliar, ordinary face of young age, at her eyes as clear as the sky after snow, and said nothing.
The gaze is mutual.
Yu Sheng was also looking at Dao Xiu.
The difference is that she did not remain silent, but said calmly: "Let's stop here for today, and we'll talk about the rest later."
Hearing this, there was an uproar in the audience.
Everyone looked at Yu Sheng in disbelief, thinking, you have already made things to this point, do you still have to attend this ceremony again?
Dao Xiu's eyes were calm, and he still didn't say anything.
If he didn't speak, the entire Cihang Temple would remain silent.
The silence at this time was almost dead.
The sky was still gloomy, and there was no flash of white light in the dark clouds, but people felt that there might be thunder at the next moment as a warning.
Gu Zhuo turned around, looked at Yu Sheng's back, and said goodbye in silence.
Things turned out just as Yu Sheng had deduced.
He had already decided to make things difficult for Cihang Temple today. This was to create an opportunity for Pei Jinge and let Xiu Hu escape, and also to let Cihang Temple taste the bitter fruit of his own deeds.
So how can one leave Cihang Temple unscathed after offending Daoxiu?
There is only one answer to this question—Yu Sheng.
……
……
Dao Xiu still didn't look at Gu Zhuo.
His sight was always fixed on Yu Sheng. His eyes, as deep as the sea, had long since changed, from the initial calmness to a hint of doubt. That doubt was like a flower that could not bloom, preventing him from seeing the truth hidden behind the fog.
For him, this was a feeling he hadn't felt for many years, and the last person who gave him this feeling... he still remembered it was the leader of Taoism.
It is for this reason that Dao Xiu remained silent for so long.
The whole world was silent because of his confusion.
This silence seemed extremely long, but in reality not that long had passed.
"Okay, let's do as you said."
To everyone's surprise, Dao Xiu's lips curled up slightly, and a smile appeared on his handsome face that showed no signs of aging.
Perhaps because he was afraid that his disciples would misunderstand him, he looked at the bitter boat monk and added in a gentle tone: "Just follow the rules."
Many elderly people were extremely surprised by this statement and thought they had heard it wrong.
In contrast, many representatives of Mesozoic sects do not think this is strange. After all, monks are supposed to be compassionate.
However, what they don’t know is that the word “xiu” in “Daoxiu” never means rest and recuperation.
Dao Xiu is very likely the person who has killed the most people in the world today.
During his long Buddhist career, countless people died at his hands.
Perhaps only a few great conspirators have killed more people than he has.
Of course such a person cannot have a good temper.
This is why the elderly people present were so shocked.
Yu Sheng nodded calmly without saying thank you.
Dao Xiu looked at her and suddenly asked, "How is Her Royal Highness the Princess these days?"
As soon as he finished speaking, another voice took over the conversation.
"Master, she is fine."
Gu Zhuo's smile was very bright, as if he remembered something happy.
For some reason, Lin Wanyi always felt that his smile was a little strange.
Yu Sheng glanced at Gu Zhuo and wondered why I didn’t realize before that you could be so shameless?
It was obvious that the word "Master" was meant for her to hear.
Dao Xiu walked slowly out of the Buddhist temple, into the snow, and said to Gu Zhuo with a smile, "I am a little curious about what Her Royal Highness the Princess thinks of you."
Gu Zhuo suppressed his smile, shook his head and said, "Then you should change the question."
After hearing this, the people in the room, who had already been numbed by surprise, could not help but feel something. They could not understand this attitude of equality that was almost rude, and they just felt it was unreasonable.
Dao Xiu looked at him and asked, "Why?"
The Immaculate Monk looked back beside his elder and had a premonition.
Lin Wanyi thought it would definitely be like that again.
Yu Sheng had guessed it already.
But just before Gu Zhuo opened his mouth, Dao Xiu suddenly laughed.
He asked, "It's unparalleled, right?"
"you guessed right."
Gu Zhuo's tone was as relaxed as usual: "But I will add four words after this."
Dao Xiu looked into his eyes, his smile widened, and asked, "Which four words?"
Gu Zhuo said, "It's not worth mentioning."
……
……
The hustle and bustle on the top of the mountain is like the scenery in the window, always confined within the frame and never overflowing.
This was not the first time Pei Jinge came to Cihang Temple, but it was the first time he entered this Zen Buddhist ancestral temple in this way and did something that was unknown to others.
The flowing water was hanging beside her waist. The bell-shaped instrument did not make any sound as her footsteps progressed. It remained silent all the time, and thus maintained her appearance.
We walked through several corridors, passed by several Buddhist temples, and even met the monks in the temple, until we arrived at the courtyard.
During the entire process, Pei Jinge acted very relaxed and familiar with the process, without any feeling of awkwardness at all.
It is hard to imagine that in the past, Qing Xiaoyue was the one who handled similar matters in the Sky Patrol Department, and she was the one who always stood in the bright sunshine.
Pei Jinge's method of entering this courtyard is very consistent with his current identity.
Instead of pushing the door open, enter over the wall.
The courtyard was very quiet, with the ground covered with snow that had not been cleaned in time. A small stone tower stood in the courtyard, with moss growing on the edges for years, and the white snow gave a peaceful feeling.
Xiu Hu Zhenren was sitting next to the stone tower. This casual cultivator, who enjoyed great fame in the world and was known as the best in both drinking and fortune-telling, had lost all his former demeanor at this moment.
The intelligence said that he was under house arrest, and the Nanqi Secret Service did not dare to torture him to extract a confession without clear evidence, but this did not mean that he could live comfortably.
In order to prevent Master Xiu Hu from escaping, someone placed dozens of restrictions in his body, completely cutting off all the means he had acquired through his own practice.
Now that he has no realm to reach, no true essence to protect his body, and no Taoist magic to use, he is no different from an ordinary old man, except that he is a little stronger.
Faced with such bitterly cold wind and snow, Xiu Hu Zhenren was imprisoned beside a stone tower. Not only was he wearing thin clothes, but even the wine he brewed was taken away, leaving him with no way to ward off the cold.
This level of desolation is really tragic.
Pei Jinge's eyes remained calm because she had seen too many people who were worse off than this.
When Master Xiu Hu heard the footsteps, he raised his head with difficulty and looked at Pei Jinge. His dull and haggard eyes, as if dead, suddenly brightened up because he saw the face he had seen not long ago.
Pei Jinge said nothing, and pointed his finger as a sword, pointing directly down.
With a slight sound, the ban was completely shattered.
Xiu Hu Zhenren was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that he would be rescued in this way. When he thought that this was Cihang Temple, he couldn't help but feel excited.
Just as he was about to shout out those two words and perform a great salute, Pei Jinge stopped him with a look.
It was not until then that he woke up from his complicated emotions and said what he should say as quickly as possible.
"The reason why I was caught by the Secret Service and the Li family was because someone betrayed me."
"That person is Li Ruoyun, my apprentice."
"He seems to have some doubts about your identity."
Pei Jinge was silent for a moment, then said, "I'll give you two choices."
Upon hearing this, Xiu Hu Zhenren realized that there was a possibility and said slowly, "Please speak."
"Leave Cihang Temple alive and take away all the secrets you know."
Pei Jinge said: "Die here and let the secret die with you."
Xiu Hu Zhenren thought that it was true.
Pei Jinge continued, "The former has only a 30% chance of keeping the secret at most, while the latter has a 100% chance."
Xiu Hu Zhenren smiled bitterly, sighed and said: "I thought there was a 30% chance of escaping Cihang Temple."
Pei Jinge ignored him and started counting down.
From seven to one.
When it came to the sixth one, Xiu Hu Zhenren put away his miserable smile and said seriously: "Then what else can I do for you besides dying?"
This question does not require any answer because the answer is within him.
The next moment after Master Xiu Hu said this, he killed himself in the most decisive way, leaving Pei Jinge without even having to deal with the aftermath.
That method was not to sever the heart meridians or to shatter the soul, but it was what Gu Zhuo had once asked him to do.
Use the method of divination to deduce your own destiny.
In just a moment, Xiu Hu Zhenren's already withered face turned as thin as a tree, and his silver hair fell down in the snow, piling up like burnt paper money in the underworld.
At the same time, the clothes on his body suddenly became loose because his body was shrinking and curling up.
An extremely weak voice sounded.
With Xiu Hu Zhenren's self-will that is about to disappear.
"Metamorphosis..."
He opened his eyes wide, staring at the face that did not belong to Pei Jinge, and said the last few words in a trembling voice: "That person is Yuhua."
As soon as he finished speaking, the thin clothes fluttered up and were blown away by the cold wind, without burying a single person.
Pei Jinge was silent for a moment, then turned and left.
As she went away, the stone tower remained, but her footprints gradually disappeared.
……
……
On the top of the mountain, in front of the palace.
After Dao Xiu heard those eight words, he looked at Gu Zhuo quietly for a while and said with emotion: "It is really rare to be so modest."
Gu Zhuo shook his head and said, "I'm just not used to being arrogant."
Many people looked at him with complicated eyes, wondering how he was not arrogant.
Lin Wanyi hated standing next to Gu Zhuo at this time the most. It had nothing to do with sharing the glory, but simply because she felt uncomfortable all over.
Yu Sheng doesn't care.
The Immaculate Monk thought these words were wonderful.
Dao Xiu seemed to have the same idea. He looked into Gu Zhuo's eyes and said with emotion, "If the Taoist master had your awareness a hundred years ago, how great would that be?"
Gu Zhuo didn't say anything, but the emotion in his eyes faded.
Yu Sheng glanced at him inconspicuously.
As for the many practitioners present, they had already pricked up their ears and began to be curious about the events that happened a hundred years ago.
Dao Xiu's gaze was still on Gu Zhuo.
“It’s a long story.”
"In recent years, perhaps because I'm getting old, I've been wondering why the Taoist master ended up in such a situation, ending up dead and his Taoism gone."
"It wasn't until a few years ago in the spring that I finally had an idea one evening, but the idea was always vague and contained many self-contradictions."
“Then I realized that this was not a problem that I could figure out on my own.”
"I know many people here are curious about why Cihang Temple suddenly held such a Dharma Assembly. The reason is actually that I want to tell the story I saw."
"Let the world know my thoughts."
"There may not be anything in this that can help you practice, but I think this story is quite interesting. There are also many thought-provoking choices in the story. Perhaps it can make your future path smoother and avoid repeating the mistakes of your predecessors."
Daoxiu's voice is full of melancholy and reminiscence, which makes people immersed in it unconsciously.
So many people are only now realizing that this Zen master actually started his sermon directly without waiting for the ceremony to officially begin, following the previously set process and chapters.
It was hard for everyone not to feel grateful to Daoxiu when they thought that they no longer had to endure the time in the wind and snow and listen to a lot of sleep-making nonsense.
However, at this moment, something happened.
Gu Zhuo turned around.
Dao Xiu's gaze fell on his back, following his figure as it went farther and farther away until it disappeared at the end of the wind and snow.
The sounds also disappeared.
People then came to their senses and looked at Master Daoxiu in confusion, not knowing what to do.
Not only Gu Zhuo left, but also Lin Wanyi.
There is no need to mention Yu Sheng.
People looked at the three figures on the mountain road, and their emotions were extremely complicated for a moment.
This is no longer a level of toughness, it’s just rudeness.
Dao Xiu remained silent and never took any action.
He turned around and walked towards the main hall, with a strange feeling in his heart.
Yes, he had said those words deliberately before. He just wanted Gu Zhuo to stay and listen to him, but he didn't expect that this junior could go to this extent.
"Why don't you want to listen?"
Dao Xiu thought about this question and said to the people behind him: "Then let's continue."
I failed to meet the deadline... I apologize to the readers who saw those repeated paragraphs.
(End of this chapter)