Chapter 273 Who wins and who loses
Chapter 273 Who wins and who loses
The sky was gloomy, and the little incident caused by Zhao Duan's arrival soon subsided.
People once again turned their attention to the empty arena in front of them and the upcoming fight.
"When does it begin?"
Zhao Duan looked down from a high place, his eyes cast towards the two stands facing each other on the left and right.
Those are the locations of Tianshi Mansion and Shenlong Temple respectively.
His eyes instinctively looked for the golden tablet, but he couldn't find it. He only saw Gongshu Tianyuan among a group of sorcerers wearing priest robes.
This craftsman wizard, whose head is full of wonderful ideas, changed into a brand new robe today, and did not carry the big bamboo tube of the fox fairy that he kept as a "pet".
He stood in the crowd with his hands behind his back, looking serious and solemn, as if he sensed the gazes coming from this side. Gongshu Tianyuan looked at him with a hint of surprise.
Then he nodded to Zhao Duan.
"It's almost time. Haha. If you come a little later, you will miss it." The old eunuch in the python robe said leisurely.
The two sat side by side, talking in low voices, not attracting any attention.
Seeing Zhao Duan looking around, the wrinkled master smiled and said teasingly:
"Don't look for it. It will come out later."
...Zhao Duan said stubbornly:
“I’m just surprised that not many strong men from the two families came.
It's fine that Zhang Tianshi's disciples are all traveling outside, but how come we only see Bian Ji at Shenlong Temple?"
As he spoke, he looked towards the stands of Shenlong Temple.
The big monks wearing yellow or brown robes formed a beautiful scenery, among which the handsome monk Bian Ji in white robes stood out.
Eunuch Hai was almost lying in the spacious armchair. Like a magician, he picked up an orange, slowly peeled off the orange peel, and then tore the orange fibers one by one.
He said "Oh" and said:
"Two of the three Bodhisattvas of Shenlong Temple are outside, only Prajna is here.
Haha, but this little nun has a strange personality and doesn't want to come in person, but it doesn't matter, after all, it's not far away. Have you seen the falcons raised by the Buddhist sect? Send the message and they will arrive in an instant."
A 52-year-old little nun... Yes, compared with your age, father-in-law, you are indeed a “little nun”... The corners of Zhao Duan's mouth twitched.
In my mind, I saw the dazzling white and sexy female Bodhisattva by the pond under the moonlight that night. After thinking for a while, I said:
"Who do you think will win this battle, sir?"
Hai Gongfu broke open a slice of orange, put it in his mouth, and muttered:
"What does it have to do with you?"
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, and suddenly he heard a melodious and low bell sound coming from deep within the Tianshi Mansion.
In an instant, the noisy chatter of the huge crowd suddenly stopped.
Everyone stopped talking at the same time and looked at the light curtain in the air with excitement and anticipation.
"It's about to begin!" The female official Mochou suddenly said beside them, as if giving a reminder.
Zhao Duan closed his mouth and looked towards the arena. A ball of bright light, like a comet, was coming from the end of the gloomy sky, with a long, sharp tail flame.
In exclamation.
Landing on the circular arena, it condensed into the outline of a petite girl wearing a black priest robe with gold lines, with a delicate and pale face and slightly curled black hair.
It was the Priest Jin Jian who had not been seen for many days!
"Junior sister, teach these bald asses a lesson! Don't lose face."
At the back, the fat little Gongshu Tianyuan took out a trumpet-shaped magic weapon from his hand like a magician, put it to his mouth and cheered loudly.
Jin Jian, who had been preparing for war behind closed doors for a long time, looked indifferent today.
The moment he stepped onto the stage, he grabbed the air with his right hand, lowered his wrist slightly, and slowly "pulled" out from the rippling air a staff with a golden single eye on the top.
He reached into the inner pocket of his robe with his left hand and put a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his delicate nose.
There were spots of light like fragments at the hem of the priest's robe, expanding and contracting, and she seemed to be in the ripples of a sea of stars.
Then, in full view of everyone, the petite girl "grew up" rapidly.
His height kept rising, his short legs lengthened and his long hair grew wildly, falling to his hips in the blink of an eye, with silver starlight pouring down from the top of his hair.
Transform...what magical girl...
In the stands, Zhao Duan was stunned, and suddenly recalled the night when he and the girl dealt with the rebellious priest together.
At this moment, Jin Jian suddenly turned his head, looked over here, and looked into his eyes.
"Zhao Duan?"
Jin Jian was surprised, she thought this friend would not come.
Now, through the lens, she could clearly see Zhao Duan nodded at her and made a strange gesture that seemed to be encouraging.
Jin Jian raised the corner of his mouth slightly and nodded. Then he sensed something and turned his head to look across.
……
In the stands.
Under the strange looks from Lao Hai, Mo Chou, and Xu Junling, Zhao Duan silently put down his scissor hands and pretended nothing happened:
"That Tian Hai is going to appear too."
You seem to be hiding something... "Big Ice Cube" Mochou had a blank expression on his face.
What kind of gesture is this? It's so weird... Could it be some secret way of transmitting information... Xu Junling, who looks like a lady from a wealthy family, was fantasizing wildly.
"Boom!"
On the Shenlong Temple side, a muffled sound suddenly came from the center of many great monks.
Behind the group of monks, there was a young monk sitting who was hidden.
The young monk named Tianhai folded his arms, as if dozing off, and sat cross-legged with a strange "Zen stick" in the shape of two hexagonal prisms across his knees.
At this moment, the young monk suddenly opened his eyes, pressed his hands, and the ground collapsed three inches.
The whole person leaped up like a cannonball, and in full view of everyone, he drew a high parabola and fell heavily on the ring!
This caused the crowd to exclaim in surprise, and Zhao Duan finally saw his face clearly.
"Tianhai" is indeed not very old, and looks to be about sixteen or seventeen years old.
He was wearing a yellow-brown monk's robe, with no Buddhist beads on his body. He was a little thin and had an ordinary appearance, dressed like a standard "warrior monk".
The forehead is wrapped with a yellow silk ribbon, which is quite eye-catching.
At this moment, he was standing on the stage, holding a brass stick with slender prisms at both ends and a protrusion at the end, leaning on the ground. His expression was indifferent, and his eyes were fixed on the golden tablet without emotion.
"He is Tianhai? The unsociable Buddhist demon?"
Zhao Duan heard the officials around him talking.
Obviously, after three days of fighting, this person showed up for the first time.
Mo Chou, wearing a wingless black gauze, had a strange look in her eyes:
"Is that ribbon covering his natural vertical eye? I thought he could see it."
No... You are a famous "female prime minister", why are you so keen on curiosity? Can't you ask some constructive questions... Zhao Duan complained and said seriously:
"Eunuch, is that a weapon or a talisman in this man's hand?"
The old eunuch in the dragon robe ate the orange slowly, looking like he was used to seeing big storms, and said leisurely:
"It is both a weapon and a talisman. It is called the 'Six Paths Stick' and is a treasure with a very interesting origin.
Both ends of the stick contain the six paths of the Buddha... However, the little monk's realm is too low, and he is far from being able to bring out the profound side of this weapon, so he just uses it as a handy weapon."
At this time, the Tianshi Mansion and the Shenlong Temple each sent out sorcerers to read out the rules of the fight.
Follow the process.
Then, a thin, smooth, inverted glass bowl-shaped cover suddenly rose up around the arena, isolating the arena from the viewing area.
The atmosphere in the whole venue suddenly became solemn and serious.
The middle-aged priest who was fighting with the abbot announced:
"The battle begins!"
On the ring, Jin Jian and Tian Hai, with their momentum rising steadily, met in battle.
……
……
Deep inside the Tianshi Mansion, in a small courtyard.
Zhang Yan, who was lying under the big banyan tree, raised his head and looked at the female emperor who appeared opposite him, and said with a smile:
"Your Majesty is here?"
The Empress of Dayu, dressed in a white dress without any ornaments on her body but incredibly beautiful, walked towards them.
He lowered his eyes to look at the banyan tree, in front of Zhang Yanyi, where a square table with snacks and two empty bamboo chairs had been set up, and whispered:
"The Heavenly Master is thoughtful."
Zhang Yan smiled, looking very kind, and said with emotion:
"Hundreds of years ago, on the day of the battle, Emperor Taizu would invite the contemporary Heavenly Master and the Buddhist abbot to have a private gathering to drink tea and watch the battle. What a scene that must have been."
Xu Zhenguan leaned forward, sat in the bamboo chair, raised his delicate hands, fiddled with the tea bowl, and said with a smile:
"At that time, Emperor Taizu was the undisputed number one in the world, and the masters of the Xu Dynasty also stole the limelight from Buddhism and Taoism. Emperor Taizu invited both parties to a small gathering, but his intention was not pure, and he wanted to show off and attack them."
Zhang Yan laughed and pointed at her and said:
"I wonder what Emperor Taizu would think if he knew that the younger generation was making up stories about him like this."
Xu Zhenguan smiled casually:
"With the broad-mindedness of our ancestors, I'm sure they wouldn't care about these things."
Zhang Yanyi sighed:
"Yes, it's a pity. I was not born in that era. After Emperor Taizu passed away, the tradition of this annual gathering fell apart. The abbots of Shenlong Temple stopped participating, and the Heavenly Masters of all generations also showed little interest."
Xu Zhenguan picked up the teapot and poured three cups of clear Longjing tea himself:
"But our Xu family's successive emperors have adhered to this unwritten tradition. Whenever there is a battle of wits, they will come to the appointment. Just like the Heavenly Master will leave two empty chairs."
Zhang Yanyi sighed:
"When people get older, they pay more attention to traditional rules that the younger generation doesn't understand. In the final analysis, it's nothing more than trying to leave some traces of the past in this way."
At this moment, the sound of bells rolled through the courtyard.
Xu Zhenguan smiled, pushed one cup to the Taoist priest, and kept one cup for himself:
"The fight outside is about to begin."
Zhang Yan smiled, swept his sleeves, and the third cup spun around, splashing tea into the air, forming a curtain of water.
In the water curtain, there was a monk and a Taoist confronting each other on the stage.
……
Silent Lighting Temple.
As part of the Shenlong Temple, the nunnery looks extremely deserted today.
Most of the nuns went to watch the battle, leaving only a few to maintain the daily operation of the nunnery.
Princess Yunyang, who liked to wear red skirts but now had only monk's robes to wear, walked through the autumn courtyard and arrived at the small courtyard with a pond.
The pond is full of lotus leaves.
shore.
The female Bodhisattva, wearing a thin pure white monk's robe, with skin as white as snow and a plump figure, was clearly fifty-two years old, but her appearance and temperament made Princess Yunyang jealous. She was humming a song while combing her hair.
"I thought an old nun like you would go to watch a magic fight." Princess Yunyang sneered sarcastically.
Prajna Bodhisattva stopped singing, smiled, and looked at her lovingly:
"If I leave, won't that teach you to escape?"
Princess Yunyang shuddered for no reason, covered her hips with both hands, and stared at her, not wanting to be at a disadvantage:
"I'm calculating the time. The bell for the start of the battle has been ringing for quite some time. I'm afraid the battle is over now."
"so?"
“I want to know who wins and who loses.”
Prajna Bodhisattva looked at her for a while, sighed softly, looked up at the sky, and saw a falcon flying towards them from afar.
She waved her hand, and a piece of paper in the eagle's mouth fell lightly, with a few large words clearly visible on it:
Buddhism wins!
(End of this chapter)