Li Zhi locked himself up again and didn't want to see anyone. He just wanted to think about some problems calmly, just like six years ago.
Six years ago, he had just traveled to the Tang Dynasty. Everything was so strange. In addition to various discomforts, he also felt inexplicable fear and loneliness.
After finally surviving six years, he has slowly been able to accept the world, his identity and the relatives around him.
In fact, through his unremitting efforts and various inexplicable adventures, Li Zhi, who originally had a "heavenly leakage body", has actually reached the Nascent Soul stage.
It seems that all the wonderful future is already waving to him?
Unfortunately, everything is disrupted now.
…
First, there was a "rain of blood" at the gate of Chang'an City, which made Li Zhi feel inexplicably sad.
The two guests he invited, Yan Chixia and Xiahou Swordsman, had no choice but to ask Qin Huaiyu to take them to the Qin Mansion first. Since Li Zhi also had an independent small courtyard there, they were temporarily placed there.
After returning to the palace, a series of news made Li Zhi's already sensitive nerves become tense again.
"I heard that Master Wei Zheng killed a dragon in his dream..."
"I've heard about it too, and they said it was the Dragon King of Jinghe, who was beheaded for violating the laws of heaven..."
"Your Majesty has always slept well these days. It's a pity that Dr. Sun is not in Chang'an City. Those people from Tai Hospital are really useless..."
"I can't blame them. I heard that your Majesty is not ill at all. I didn't see General Qin and General Yuchi entering the palace again..."
One after another, Li Zhi's head became a little big after listening to it, until he met his father Li Shimin in person.
"Father, the pheasant slave is back——"
Li Zhi went back to his dormitory to change his clothes. The eldest grandson Pingting was not there, so he felt a little deserted for a while.
"Pheasant slave is back? You did a good job on this errand. Wei Xuancheng, who doesn't like to praise others, is full of praise for you."
"No, before you came back, he brought back a letter from the people of Luoyang, praising and thanking you. More than 60,000 people pressed their fingerprints."
Seeing that Li Zhi, who had been away for more than half a year, came in, Li Shimin, who was leaning on the bedside, mustered up the energy to sit up.
Zhang Anan, the general manager at the side, hurried over to help Li Shimin upright and tucked a cushion behind his back to make him lie down more comfortably.
"Father, I heard that you are ill, please let the pheasant slave take a look at you."
Li Zhi took two steps to the bed and sat casually beside Li Shimin's bed, just like an ordinary son coming home to see his father. Where are the rules and decency in the palace?
"Haha, I almost forgot. I heard that you have learned a lot of medicine under Sun Shen Shen, and you can be regarded as a little miracle doctor."
Li Shimin handed his hand to Li Zhi obediently, and then made a gesture to Zhang Anan, which meant that everyone should leave. He had something to say to Li Zhi alone.
In an instant, Zhang Anan, the chief chamberlain, slowly exited Li Shimin's palace with two palace maids and two imperial doctors on duty.
"Pheasant slave, my father is not sick -"
Seeing that everyone had left, Li Shimin withdrew his hand again and spoke earnestly.
"Father, have you encountered any difficulties? If there is anything that can't be solved, just tell the pheasant slave that there is someone you can discuss with."
After not seeing each other for more than half a year, Li Zhi discovered that Li Shimin was actually a little older. The problem was that he was also a person in the innate realm, so he should have at least a lifespan of more than a hundred years, right?
After using the "Golden Eyes to Break the Illusion", Li Zhi discovered a clue, a deathly aura lingering on Li Shimin's brow, vaguely visible, vaguely absent.
This death aura was not very obvious, but it was constantly eroding Li Shimin's vitality. Li Zhi believed that when he was around, there was absolutely no such death aura.
"Pheasant slave, the person that my father trusts the most is you, because my father knows that only you can break the shackles that the throne has placed on the Li family."
"Pheasant slave, do you believe that dragons really exist in this world?"
After feeling very emotional, Li Shimin suddenly asked.
"Father, Pheasant slave believes it, and Pheasant slave should have seen it with his own eyes."
Li Zhi looked at his father in front of him without hesitation, and even felt a little sorry for him.
"Do you believe that there really is an underworld in this world?"
It was over, when Li Shimin asked the second question, and looking at the look on his face, Li Zhi knew that everything was developing in the direction he least wanted to imagine.
"I have been to the underworld, where there are kings of hell, judges, and little ghosts. There, I also saw my dead eldest brother and third brother..."
Li Zhi could clearly feel that Li Shimin's voice was hoarse and his body was even shaking.
"In the past few days, Jingde and Shubao have been guarding the door, so I can sleep more soundly at night. However, I have promised Lord Yama in the underworld to hold a land and water conference."
"Invite all the eminent monks of the Tang Dynasty to pray for the souls of those who have died for seventy-seven forty-nine days. The time is set to be three days later, and the location is Huasheng Temple in Chang'an."
Li Shimin was talking to himself, and Li Zhi's mood became a little heavier, but he still asked with the last glimmer of hope.
"Father, I wonder which eminent monk has been invited to preside over this water and land conference?"
"Haha, talking about this person, he has experienced ups and downs. He was originally from a famous family, but he suffered a villain. He lost his father before he was born, and was abandoned by his mother as soon as he was born."
"As a baby, his mother put him in a small wooden basin and floated down the river until he reached the foot of Jinshan Temple and stopped."
"The elder of Jinshan Temple, a wise man, has cultivated and enlightened, and has obtained the secret of non-life. While he was meditating, he suddenly heard the sound of a child crying. His heart was moved and he rushed to the riverside to watch."
"I saw a wooden basin floating on the river with a sleeping baby. Elder Faming hurriedly rescued it. Only after seeing the blood book in his arms did he know its origin and gave it a nickname, Jiang Liu'er."
…
"This time, the person who came to Chang'an Huasheng Temple to preside over the Water and Land Conference is this Jiang Liu'er. He is now thirty-one years old and his Buddhist name is Xuanzang."
Li Shimin's story was vivid and vivid, and there were also his own dramas, such as how Jiang Liu'er's biological father was the top scholar in high school, how he praised officials on the street for his hydrangeas, and even Li Shimin came to ask for a job as a witness.
It was said that Jiang Liuer recognized his relatives at the age of eighteen and exposed the murderer to avenge his father.
After the mother and son recognized each other, the mother died of shame and anger. In the end, Jiang Liuer turned to Buddhism and became the most famous Master Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty.
…
Li Zhi didn't know how he left the "Lizheng Hall". When he returned to his dormitory, he locked himself up. No one wanted to see that.
Six years later, it turns out that this is the world of Journey to the West?
Li Zhi couldn't help but smile. Last year when he was by the Jinghe River, he had a vague premonition, but he couldn't catch it for a while.
Later, the incident of "Hebo Mansion" made Li Zhi's thoughts dilute. Even if there were gods and demons, he was not sure which plane they were from.
However, now Wei Zheng cuts the Jinghe River in his dream, Li Shimin's soul travels to the underworld, and Master Xuanzang is about to open a sermon in Huasheng Temple...
Doesn’t this mean it’s Journey to the West?
Thinking about the gods and Buddhas in the sky, and even the invisible saints, Li Zhi suddenly felt that he was so insignificant, and the little cultivation he had always been proud of was completely unsatisfactory.
Li Zhi put himself in "confinement", and Li Shimin issued an order not to allow anyone to disturb Li Zhi.
Li Shimin has never been able to see through his son in recent years, but inexplicably he has unconditional trust in him.
Three days later, the Water and Land Conference at Huasheng Temple began, but Li Zhi was not in a hurry to watch it.
He knew that if this was really the world of Journey to the West, it was originally planned to hold a land and water conference for seventy-seven forty-nine days, with the climax reaching its climax on the seventh day.
Because on that day, two monks will arrive, and the Land and Water Conference will end early.
On the first day of the Water and Land Conference held at Huasheng Temple, Li Zhi also opened the door and came out, with an indescribable calmness on his face.
He went straight to Li Shimin's "Li Zheng Hall". After these few days of cultivation, Li Shimin's complexion seemed to be much better.
"Pheasant slave, have you rested well?"
Before Li Zhi came up to say hello, Li Shimin spoke first.
"My father, I am thinking about you. Everything is fine with Slave Pheasant. Today, Slave Pheasant came here because he wanted your father to gather a few people to have a small meeting at the "Lizheng Palace"."
Li Zhi first saluted and then explained his purpose.
"Haha, Master Xuanzang held a land and water conference at Huasheng Temple, and you just want to hold a small meeting here? Tell me, who do you want to invite?"
Surprisingly, Li Shimin did not blame Li Zhi for his "nonsense". Instead, he put down the memorial in his hand, stared at Li Zhi and asked.
"If possible, Pheasant Nu would like my father to invite Li Jing, Qin Shubao, Yuchi Jingde, Kong Yingda, Wei Zheng, Yuan Tiangang, etc., and also ask Qin Huaiyu to come with him."
Li Zhi said the list he had been considering for a long time without thinking about it. He added Qin Huaiyu after it because his own strength had already reached it.
As Wei Zheng's name appears here, it means that the two of them have worked together for more than half a year, and they have developed a friendship about the "Hebo Mansion".
Secondly, it was Wei Zheng's identity. Li Zhi vaguely remembered that this Wei Zheng seemed to be a "human official" in heaven?
In other words, they are the messengers arranged by heaven in the human world. They are usually responsible for conveying heaven's will and carrying out heaven's punishments.
"Okay, let's do as the pheasant slave wants. Ananda, please go there yourself -"
Li Zhi told him his list, but Li Shimin didn't even ask, and directly gave Zhang Anan his order.
Whether it's a treat or a meeting, it can't be done as usual, not to mention that today it's the suggestion made by King Li Zhi of Jin Dynasty.
While Zhang Anan went to invite people, the decoration in the "Lizheng Hall" had already begun.
The table in the middle is naturally Li Shimin's position, and the position a little to the right is reserved for Li Zhi.
Further down the row, there are two columns on the left and right, with four tables placed on each side.
No wine or meat was prepared, but there were palace snacks, dried fruit preserves, and fine "wax noodles tea."
Li Zhi really couldn't praise the tea drinks of the Tang Dynasty, such as the "wax noodles tea" in front of him.
It is definitely a precious tea product of this period. During the production process, spices and ointments are added and printed into cakes, which are as smooth as wax, hence the name.
Today, the output is not large. It is mainly used as tribute to the royal family, and then awarded by the emperor to meritorious courtiers. Sometimes it is also given as a gift to neighboring countries, which is rare among the people.
However, Li Zhi could never get used to this kind of porridge made from tea with onions, ginger, dates, orange peels, dogwood, mint, etc. He was unwilling to try it a second time even to death.
Therefore, he took some tea himself, brewed it directly with boiling water and drank it.
About half an hour later, Li Zhi accompanied Li Shimin and talked, and the invited people arrived at the "Lizheng Hall" one after another.
What Li Zhi didn't expect was that Sun Simiao actually came with Yuan Tiangang. Since they parted ways in Luoyang, Li Zhi hadn't seen the old Sun for more than two months.
"His Royal Highness Prince Jin, I heard that you were entertaining guests in the palace, and I came uninvited. Wouldn't you kick me out?"
When the two met again, and they were both teachers and friends, Sun Simiao actually made a joke in public.
"Haha, Master Sun is here. It's too late for the Pheasant Slave to be happy. How can he drive you out? Now that you're here, some things will be easier to handle."
Yes, although Li Zhi invited so many people, only Sun Simiao reached the "Golden Elixir Stage".
It can be said that apart from Li Zhi, this is the strongest person known to the Tang Dynasty.
"Everyone, there are no monarchs or ministers here today. I am just a guest invited by Pheasant Slave. All matters are subject to Pheasant Slave's arrangements."
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Li Shimin spoke first and expressed his position today.
When he opened his mouth, everyone present had mixed reactions.
Wei Zheng, Kong Yingda, and Yuan Tiangang, after experiencing the selection of disaster relief envoys last year, seemed to have been prepared for Li Shimin's attitude.
As for the others, Qin Qiong can be regarded as the person who is most familiar with Li Zhi. The two of them have been half-teachers and half-friends in the past few years. What's more, his son is now following Li Zhi.
No matter what Li Shimin's attitude is, Qin Qiong will probably side with Li Zhi.
Sun Simiao was considered an outsider, and he was forced to come here by Yuan Tiangang just in time for the meeting today.
Only Li Jing and Yuchi Gong, Li Zhi met for the first time.
When Li Zhi was still in Chang'an City, Yuchi Gong had been stationed at the border. This time he returned to the court for business. It happened that Li Shimin couldn't sleep at night, so he and Qin Qiong guarded him outside the palace.
This is a loyal supporter of Li Shimin. It can be said that Li Shimin's attitude is that of Yu Chigong.
As for Li Jing, after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, he basically stayed behind closed doors and stayed in seclusion. He occasionally visited the Qin Mansion, but he never met Li Zhi.
Li Zhi used the "Breaking Illusion Golden Eyes" to scan everyone present.
Sure enough, the one with the highest level is Sun Simiao, who is in the late Golden Elixir stage, followed closely by Yuan Tiangang, who actually has also entered the Golden Elixir stage?
Li Jing's realm is the most incomprehensible to Li Zhi. On the surface, it looks close to the Golden Core realm, but when he wants to take a closer look, it is hazy, giving Li Zhi an unfathomable and profound feeling.
Then came Qin Qiong, Yuchi Gong, Kong Yingda, Wei Zheng, etc. Yuchi Gong was actually the same as Qin Qiong, having achieved "martial arts and spirituality"!
Of course, Qin Huaiyu also came with him, but he was a junior after all. When everyone sat down, he just stood obediently behind his father Qin Qiong.
In fact, in the realm of "martial arts and spirituality", once he returned to the Qin Mansion, Qin Qiong, who had always been calm and composed, was happy for several days, saying bluntly that the Qin Mansion had a successor.
"Seniors and uncles, I have the courage to ask my father to invite you here today because I want to use the 'Lizheng Palace' to have a few words with the top combat power of our Tang Dynasty."
Li Zhi changed his usual submissive attitude, stood up, and swept past the Tang Dynasty members present one by one.
"Do you know what the recent events, whether Master Wei dreamed of killing the Jinghe River or my father's soul traveling to the underworld, mean?"
This is a matter that has been discussed a lot in Chang'an City recently. We are all extraordinary people here, so who can not know about it?
However, they all couldn't understand why His Highness Prince Jin went to such great lengths to find them just to talk about these two things?
Seeing that no one spoke, Li Zhi glanced at Wei Zheng, who was sitting beside him, and Miyuan Li Jing, who was sitting at the head of the generals.