Chapter 388 Living Buddha
Chapter 388 Living Buddha
The night wind from the top of Mount Shaoshi, carrying the sound of bells and chimes from the thousand-year-old temple, swept across Xu Qingqing's gray Taoist robe.
He stood with his hands behind his back on the eaves of the Sutra Repository. The moonlight outlined a thin silhouette for him, as if he had merged into the vastness of the world.
The shock of enlightenment still echoes in my heart.
At the same time, Xu Qing's sea of consciousness glowed with green light, reflecting the scene in the desert: Wuhua was kneeling on the sand dune, and behind him, a giant statue formed by Buddha's light was devouring the stars and the moon. The scene was weird and terrifying.
"So that's how it is." Xu Qing murmured softly, with a hint of realization and solemnity in his voice.
He came to the roof of the Zen room of the abbot of Tianhu, and gently scratched the glazed tiles with his finger like a knife. The tiles opened in response, and under Xu Qing's innate finger power, a layer of the outer shell of the cold jade bed inside was scraped off, revealing a pattern of the Big Dipper.
"The icy spirit on the cold jade bed actually comes from the same source as the jade Buddha on Wuhua's body."
After Xu Qing whispered.
Suddenly, purple air rose in the northwest sky, like a strange curtain slowly unfolding in the night sky.
Xu Qing's pupils suddenly shrank, and he saw that the purple air was vaguely wrapped with the netherworld's soul-catcher's chains, which were glowing with a faint cold light and made people shudder.
"The underworld?" Xu Qing's heart trembled, and he instantly understood the mystery.
The Dharma-Ending Age is coming to an end, gods, ghosts, immortals and Buddhas are reviving, and an unprecedented major change is quietly unfolding.
He looked to the other side with a sense of realization, then lightly tapped his toes and dropped down like a flowing cloud, landing in front of an old monk in the blink of an eye.
It was Master Tianfeng.
"This is what I got when I sorted out your temple's Nine Yang Gong. It's my gift of thanks for bothering you in your temple's scripture library for so many days." Xu Qing casually took out a piece of silk book and handed it to Master Tianfeng.
Master Tianfeng took the silk book, took just one look at it, and couldn't help but tremble slightly.
The scriptures on the silk book are written in a vigorous and majestic manner, far more profound and mysterious than the Nine Yang Gong of Shaolin Temple. It seems that they have perfectly integrated the Golden Bell Cover and the Nine Yang Gong to form a new martial arts system.
"This... this is..." Master Tianfeng was shocked. He looked up and wanted to say something, but found that Xu Qing had already walked away on the moon, leaving only a faint silhouette disappearing into the night.
Xu Qing's sea of consciousness glowed with green light, reflecting the scene in the desert: Wuhua was kneeling on the sand dunes, and behind him, a giant statue formed by Buddha's light was devouring the stars and the moon. The scene was weird and terrifying. He sighed in his heart, knowing that a catastrophe was inevitable, and he was afraid that he would not be able to stay out of it.
……
Deep in the desert, yellow sand fills the sky.
The bronze carriage of Shi Guanyin was speeding on the quicksand, and the carriage was pulled by the corpses of eight masters of the Vajra Sect in the Western Regions. These masters were all external masters in their lifetime, and they practiced the external skills of Shaolin Temple, such as the Golden Bell Cover and the Vajra Finger, and their bones were trained to a light golden color. Now they have become zombies, and are controlled by Shi Guanyin with magical spells, running wildly in the desert.
The Stone Guanyin at this moment is no longer the beautiful woman of the past, but a combination of the evil Buddha in the Jade Buddha and the Stone Guanyin, emitting an evil and powerful aura.
She stepped barefoot across the mandala pattern on the floor of the carriage, and the silver bells on her ankles made a crisp sound, as if it was a call from the underworld.
Wuhua had her scapula pierced by the Buddha's light chain. She knelt in the carriage, watching her own blood drip onto the floor, drawing strange patterns.
His eyes were filled with pain and despair, yet also with a hint of unwillingness and stubbornness.
"Why do you think I chose you?" Shi Guanyin's voice came from all directions, like an invisible shackle, tightly strangling Wuhua's throat.
The strong wind suddenly stopped, and the sand particles hung in the air, forming thousands of Buddha images. They looked solemn and dignified under the moonlight, yet revealed an indescribable weirdness.
Wuhua raised his head and saw a bloody swastika mark on his mother's forehead, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart.
"Because you are the son of Buddha and Devil." Shi Guanyin chuckled and gently touched Wuhua's forehead with her fingertips. "When I was pregnant with you, I saw you in the northern lights..."
The voice stopped abruptly, and a cold light suddenly broke through the void, like a flash of lightning, cutting through the darkness of the desert. The golden bell tied to the sword tassel shattered the sand Buddha in the sky, making a crisp sound.
"Your Majesty."
Shi Guanyin suddenly screamed, and spider-web-like cracks appeared on her beautiful face, and she seemed to have aged by dozens of years in an instant. The giant Buddha statue behind her collapsed with a loud bang, turning into countless grains of sand that drifted away with the wind.
...
...
Dadu, the world's most powerful city that Kublai Khan devotedly managed for more than ten years, looks particularly prosperous in the afterglow of the setting sun.
The streets were bustling with people and cars, and merchants from both the Semu and Han ethnic groups spoke different languages and shouted out their wares. Restaurants, teahouses, pawnshops, silk shops, and other shops were lined up, with signs swaying in the wind, creating a lively scene.
However, beneath this prosperous appearance, there are countless undercurrents and crises. The Yuan Emperor Kublai Khan sat on the dragon throne, his face solemn and his heart full of worries. His crown prince Zhenjin was seriously ill. Among all his sons, the only one who could inherit his career was the crown prince Zhenjin in Kublai Khan's heart.
Zhenjin was different from ordinary Mongolian royal family members. Kublai Khan was well aware of the truth that "one can conquer the world on horseback but cannot rule it on horseback", so he handed over Zhenjin's education to the Han Confucian scholar Yao Shu a long time ago. Later, Yao Shu followed Kublai Khan to conquer Dali and appointed Dou Mo to take over the position of teacher, who was Zhenjin's second teacher.
At the same time, he ordered Wang Xun, a disciple of Taoist Liu Bingzhong, to be Zhenjin's companion. Zhenjin's companions were all great Confucian scholars among the Han people, who had a deep understanding of Han culture. If Kublai Khan wanted to promote the Han system for a long time and establish a system that would last forever, Zhenjin had to inherit his career.
Although he advocated sinicization, he still regarded Han culture as a means of ruling in his heart. He did not have the idea of not talking about strange and supernatural things. In his anxious heart, he ordered his subordinates to order the Living Buddha Ba Siba to perform a ritual tomorrow and pray to God for the prince.
After Kublai Khan ascended the throne, he pacified the kings, conquered the Song Dynasty in the south, established the national system, promoted sinicization, and valued Confucian scholars. However, despite his efforts, the status of the Han people in the north was still low. Even important officials such as the Han general Shi Tianze were looked down upon and insulted by Mongolian nobles.
This was also what Kublai Khan intended to do. The Mongols regarded the world and mountains as pastures. Although Kublai Khan emphasized Chinese law, it was also for the purpose of better occupying these vast mountains and rivers.
...
...
At dusk, Xu Qing walked into Dadu. He looked at the prosperous scene in front of him, but his eyes were calm. He felt that everything was like the dead bones in a tomb, seemingly glorious but actually rotten.
After he attained enlightenment at Mount Shaoshi, he deliberately accelerated the demise of Yuanting in order to achieve his goal of establishing Heavenly Court in this world.
To put it bluntly, he could have done an experiment to establish a heaven in this world.
Moreover, it was the end of the Dharma, and the spiritual energy was revived, so the conditions were not too good. He came to a small temple. This temple was originally a Quanzhen Taoist temple. The monk in charge was surnamed Sun, and he was from the same clan as Sun Zhenren. In the past, Quanzhen Sect and Ba Siba lost the battle in front of Kublai Khan, so the Taoists in the Quanzhen Taoist temple in Dadu were shaved bald from top to bottom.
Monk Sun was no exception.
Now Xu Qing is famous all over the world, Quanzhen Sect is showing signs of recovery, and Monk Sun has started to grow his hair again.
Unexpectedly, when his hair had just grown a little, he met Taoist Master Xu Qing, who is now regarded as the spiritual pillar by the Quanzhen Sect disciples.
He was surprised and delighted, and quickly invited Xu Qing into the temple and treated him well.
Xu Qing didn't have a place to stay in Dadu anyway, so he rested here. This place is secluded and few people come here, so he doesn't have to worry about being disturbed.
Xu Qing sat in the meditation room of the temple, looking at the bright moon outside the window, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.
A storm is coming, and he himself is at the source of the storm.
No matter whether it is the evil Buddha and Wuhua in the desert, Kublai Khan and Ba Siba in Dadu, or the various sects in the rivers and lakes, they will all be drawn into this huge vortex and become Xu Qing's experimental subjects.
Heaven and earth are unkind and regard all things as stupid dogs.
He seemed to have truly entered the way of heaven.
And human nature is actually a part of the way of heaven.
As the night deepened, the hustle and bustle of the city gradually died down. Only the bright moon was still hanging high in the night sky, watching everything coldly.
Xu Qing closed his eyes and began to meditate. He knew that he needed to accumulate strength to start a real great era.
...
...
The next day, the sky over Dadu was covered with dark clouds, which piled up towards the city. The air was filled with a damp, earthy smell, as if foreshadowing the coming of a storm.
Xu Qing put on a blue-gray Taoist robe, pushed open the wooden door of the temple, and stepped into the bustling downtown.
Today is the day when the Tibetan Buddhist leader Phagpa gives a sermon. The people of Dadu are flocking to the square where the altar is located like a tide, and Xu Qing's figure has quietly blended into this crowd.
The shops on both sides of the street had already taken down their doors, and the vendors were shouting at the top of their lungs to sell sweet cakes, candied fruits, and incense sticks. The constant shouting was mixed with the laughter of children and the advice of women.
However, the bustle of the market was soon broken by a burst of rough whip sounds - a group of Lama knights with golden hoops on their heads and wearing red robes came riding on horses, and their long whips made crisp cracking sounds in the air, scaring the roadside vendors so much that they stepped back and the fruits and vegetables in their baskets fell to the ground.
The knights turned a deaf ear to them and just kept shouting at the people to make way. In the dust raised by their horses' hooves, countless lives were trampled underfoot.
Xu Qing stood in the crowd, watching all this, his brows slightly furrowed.
He did not use any magical power, but just followed the flow of the crowd, like a boat rising and falling in the waves, and cleverly used the force to push himself to the front row. Looking up, he saw a large amount of dust rising in the west, and hundreds of lamas in yellow robes and black boots were marching slowly towards him.
The hundred people at the front were divided into two lines, the feathered ceremonial guards in their hands gleamed brightly, and the golden swords and silver wheels flashed in the sun, as if the legendary Buddhist guardians had descended to the world.
Suddenly, there was a cry of surprise from the crowd.
A white giant elephant covered in gold and silver stepped into view with steady steps. On its back was a large sedan chair made of pure gold. The sedan chair was hollowed out on all sides, and the pearl curtains swayed gently. A yellow-robed lama could be vaguely seen sitting in it. Hundreds of lamas surrounded the giant elephant, chanting scriptures, and the prayer wheels in their hands kept turning. The low chanting of Sanskrit seemed to penetrate the clouds and reach the sky.
"In order to spread the Dharma, Buddhists often present people with solemn and precious appearances. This Ba Siba has really put on quite a show." Xu Qing thought to himself as he looked at the scene in front of him.
His eyes passed through the pearl curtain and fell on Phagpa in the sedan chair. His spiritual consciousness quietly extended out like a thread to detect the other party's aura. In an instant, a breath as bright as the sun came towards him. The aura was pure and bright, and there was no dark corner to hide. It was just like the Buddha's light that illuminated the world, and people dared not look directly at it.
Bashiba on the high platform suddenly frowned. He had been very intelligent since childhood, and was proficient in the Five Sciences and Three Canons. Not only did he reach the pinnacle of martial arts, but his Zen mind was also clear and pure, and his mind was free of dust.
At this moment, he clearly felt a vague gaze falling on him. Although it was as light as a feather, it caused a strange ripple in his heart.
He sat steadily in the sedan, his face still calm as water, but he was secretly alert in his heart - today was a grand ceremony to pray for the prince, and there was no room for any mistakes.
The giant elephant slowly walked to the front of the platform, raised its long trunk like a giant python, and gently placed it on the platform.
Wearing a bright yellow monk's robe and standing on the elephant's trunk, Ba Siba climbed up the platform with steady steps.
In an instant, a thunderous shout like a tsunami rang out in the square with tens of thousands of people: "Phagspa! Phagspa!" The sound waves reached the sky, and even the dark clouds seemed to shake.
Ba Siba put his hands together with his palms facing upward as if holding up the sun and the moon. The noisy crowd suddenly became silent, with only the sound of wind blowing through the prayer flags, making a rustling sound.
Xu Qing stood in the crowd, his eyes fixed on Ba Siba on the podium.
He saw a faint golden glow on Bashipa's fingertips, which was a sign that Tibetan martial arts had been practiced to the highest level; he saw a faint red dot flickering between his brows, which was a manifestation of his deep meditation skills; he also saw a hint of worry hidden in his eyes under that solemn appearance - it turned out that this living Buddha was not completely detached, and still had worldly concerns in his heart.
Xu Qing tilted his head slightly and glanced around the square. He saw fully armed Mongolian soldiers standing like iron towers, with the scimitars on their waists shining coldly in the dark clouds. Among the crowd, there were many Seljuq merchants in luxurious clothes, their eyes flickering as they whispered to each other. There were also a few middle-aged monks in gray robes, with their hands clasped together, but from time to time they looked up at the platform, with a hint of hidden expectation flashing in their eyes.
Bashiba slowly sat down on the high platform, formed a seal with his hands, and began to recite the blessing scriptures. His voice was low and distant, like an ancient call from the snowy plateau, and every syllable had an inexplicable rhythm that made people involuntarily immersed in it.
As the scriptures flowed, the incense around the platform suddenly became stronger, and thick smoke billowed up to the sky, forming a gray mist under the dark clouds, which made the figure of Bashiba seem even more sacred and inviolable.
At this moment, Bashiba on the high platform suddenly raised the tone of his chanting, and the seals of his hands changed rapidly. A golden light shot out from his palms and rushed straight into the sky.
At the same time, lamas around the square struck the instruments in their hands at the same time. The sounds of cymbals, horns, and wooden fish intertwined together, forming a deafening wave of sound.
I don't know who was the first one to kneel down in the crowd, and then more and more people prostrated themselves and worshiped the platform.
Xu Qing, however, remained upright, his gaze piercing through the thick smoke and meeting Bashiba on the high platform.
(End of this chapter)