In a quiet Zen courtyard, with green smoke curling from the incense burner on the stone table and a gurgling stream, a monk and a layman sat facing each other in silence. Summit 23S.
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"This junior has acted like a fool and disturbed the pure land of Buddhism. Please forgive me, Zen Master!"
Wu Ming thought about it in his mind, and based on the idea that it would not be offensive to many people, he respectfully apologized.
"Are you acting recklessly, out of anger, or without awe?"
The monk smiled lightly.
"Ahem, the Zen master's eyes are as sharp as a torch, and the boy is helpless!"
Wu Ming's heart was shaken, and he coughed dryly with a stern look on his face.
As an atheist, I have always laughed at legends about gods, demons, immortals, and Buddhas.
Even if my previous actions were indeed influenced by inner demons, they were probably not based on my own thoughts!
Facing this ignorant monk, any cover-up will obviously be of no use.
"You're such a naughty little kid. You've only been in our Shaolin for a few months. How can you just say 'you're disturbing the pure land of Buddhism'?"
The monk pointed his finger, but there was no sign of anger.
"That's what the Zen Master taught!"
Wu Ming bowed his head and admitted his mistake with a low eyebrow, and acted like a good boy.
"What do you think of this chess game?"
The monk smiled and pointed at the end of the chessboard without any intention of pursuing further investigation.
"Juniors don't understand chess!"
Wu Ming shook his head slightly, glanced at the Marrow Cleansing Sutra, and then looked away.
"Haha, this remnant piece of chess was left over from a game played between me and the layman Guan Chao. I once said that it would be left for future generations.
In the past three hundred years, you are the second descendant of the Lu family to set foot in Shaolin!"
The monk said with a hint of nostalgia in his laughter.
"Zen Master is joking, my junior's surname is Wu, not a descendant of the Lu family!"
Wu Ming frowned slightly, but his mind was running very fast.
In terms of blood relationship, he is indeed a cousin of the Lu family, but he cannot be said to be a descendant of the Lu family.
And this first person is most likely Lu Jiuyuan!
"You are very smart. When your grandfather came to Shaolin, he did not finish the game."
The monk seemed to praise or sigh.
"Junior understands what Zen Master means, but I really don't understand chess!"
Wu Ming lowered his eyes and said.
"Whether you understand it or you don't understand it, take it!"
The monk didn't think it was a pestle and gently pushed the "Marrow Cleansing Sutra" over.
"No reward for no merit!"
Wu Ming didn't even look at it and refused directly.
"As a keeper of the scriptures, you play Huiyue. Regardless of whether you win or lose, the "Marrow Cleansing Sutra" should be given to you."
The monk said calmly.
"Zen Master, do I, the Buddha, also reward disciples who sit down?"
Wu Ming suddenly raised his head and looked directly at the monk.
"Amitabha! Rewards and punishments for merits and demerits, I am the Buddha who is at ease with me!"
The slight surprise in the monk's eyes flashed away, and he announced the Buddha's name.
Wu Ming was silent, looking at the "Marrow Cleansing Sutra" and Can Qi with some complicated thoughts, thinking a lot in his mind.
Every word and every action of an expert has a profound meaning, especially since he suspected that this monk was one of the Shaolin holy monks.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to have the magical power to capture him from the outer courtyard to this place silently.
First, he criticized what he had done in the past few months, which was obviously seen by everyone, and then pointed out the reasons for the bad chess, and then introduced the "Marrow Cleansing Sutra".
Step by step, link by link, they seem unrelated, but in Wu Ming's heart, they seem to be intertwined into a big network!
The center of the net is exactly him!
"If I play chess with him, I'm afraid I will have to inherit the legacy of my ancestor Guan Chao. But my goal is the Marrow Cleansing Sutra, and I should stick to it to the end."
Upon thinking of this, Wu Ming raised his head with firm eyes and said loudly, "This junior wants to enter the Nine Difficulties Tower!"
"Have you thought it through?"
The monk's eyes flashed slightly.
With his level of cultivation, he could naturally tell at a glance whether Wu Ming had made up his mind, but he just wanted to make a final effort!
Hundreds of years of cause and effect cycle, even if a saint can bear it, it is a huge burden!
"This junior should uphold the original intention and stick to it till the end. Please ask Zen Master to help you!"
Wu Ming leaned forward and saluted.
"What if the poor monk insists on teaching you the Marrow Cleansing Sutra?"
The monk was silent for a while and said.
"The younger generation will naturally be very grateful to have a Zen master teach the scriptures, but... the poem will also be finished!"
Wu Ming said, neither humble nor arrogant.
"You little naughty boy, you are really naughty!"
The monk laughed and cursed, pointing without anger.
"Thank you Zen Master for your broad-mindedness and forgiving the kid's misdeeds!"
Wu Ming said sincerely.
He knew very well that if he had not been contaminated by karma, the monk would never meet him, let alone forgive his rude behavior again and again.
If it had been anyone else, I'm afraid he would have killed him with a slap, or turned a blind eye and rushed down the mountain long ago!
Of course, this cannot be relied upon, but the most important thing is to stick to your heart!
"Forget it, the Nine Difficulties Tower has not been open for many years. If you can get through, it will be considered a blessing. Go ahead!"
The monk smiled, nodded, and waved his hand.
Buzz!
Invisible light and shadow filled the air, covering Wu Ming's body in an instant, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"Hey, cause and effect are hard to come by. Watch the tide, watch the tide. Even though you have passed away for hundreds of years, it is so painful for the poor monk to wait!
Anyway, since this son is not accepted, I can only choose one from your descendants of the Lu family. Calculating the time, it’s time for Hui’an to go to Shigu Academy!”
The monk remained silent for a long time, then looked at Can Qi and sighed.
With his wisdom, he could naturally see the reason why Wu Ming insisted on not accepting the Marrow Cleansing Sutra.
The reason why I refuse to accept the inheritance left by my ancestors is because I don’t want to be contaminated by this cause and effect, and I stick to my original intention.
This is the same reason for not accepting the "Marrow Cleansing Sutra", and if you have to rely on your own efforts to obtain it, you still owe Shaolin Temple a share of karma.
In this way, no matter what happens in the future, whether cause and effect are entangled, Wu Ming will naturally still have reasons to stay.
It seems that he is seeking scriptures, but in fact he is trapped here, using Shaolin as a barrier to resist the unstoppable force!
…
"Where is this?"
After a moment of unspeakable spinning, Wu Ming felt his whole body light up, and a somewhat dark place appeared. He shook his head repeatedly before he could clearly see where he was.
Countless stone towers hundreds of feet high, as if they have been standing for eternity, and a simple atmosphere comes to you!
Woohoo!
At this moment, a whimper was heard, and the kitten appeared from a vortex of ripples in the void, hanging its luggage.
After shaking his big head a few times, when he saw Wu Ming, he jumped over happily!
"Could it be that this is the Tallinn that Huizhong mentioned?"
Wu Ming's eyes flickered, he took a deep breath, bowed respectfully to the sky, and walked towards the tower forest.
rustle!
In the silent pagoda forest, only the sound of his footsteps kept coming and going. It didn't look like a Buddhist pure land, but rather had a ghostly meaning!
But if you think about it carefully, in Buddhism, the pagoda is probably the place where the golden bodies of eminent monks of all ages are enshrined. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a cemetery.
With such an atmosphere, it makes sense!
Wu Ming was not in a hurry to find the Jiu Nan Pagoda, just like a tourist, walking in the pagoda forest.
It seems to have no purpose, but in fact, I am observing carefully, taking in the stone towers one after another, and comparing them with the Shaolin Towers I have visited in my memory.
Buzz!
After an unknown amount of time, the lotus lantern shook slightly, waking him up from his exploration.
"It seems that I am really too attached to this, which is why the inner demon entered my body without even realizing it."
Wu Ming's mind was shaken, he patted his luggage with a wry smile, and went straight to look for the Nine Difficulties Pagoda without further investigation.
It's not that he gave up, but that his cultivation level was too low. If it weren't for chance, his bones could be used as a mallet.
If you want to pursue such an illusory and ethereal thing, you can only leave it to the future!
"How come there isn't?"
After searching for a long time, Wu Ming couldn't find the location of the Nine Difficulties Tower. Wu Ming was puzzled and asked Mao Mao to help.
Ouch!
The kitten roared in a low voice, paws flying, and flew around the stone forest in an instant.
With the help of its pair of tiger eyes that can see at night, the viewing angle is several times wider. However, after searching for several hours, there is still no trace of the Nine Difficulties Tower!
"The mysterious Zen master said that the Jiu Nan Pagoda has not been opened for many years, and I'm afraid Huizhong didn't tell me the truth.
Buddhism pays attention to chance, and I’m afraid if you don’t have fate, you won’t be able to get in!”
After thinking for a long time, Wu Ming sat cross-legged, his mind sinking deeply, and he meditated on the Diamond Sutra.
Although it cannot be seen clearly, it does not prevent us from trying to figure out the artistic conception of this Buddhist scripture.
Not only that, but I also recall the scene when the blind monk was chanting sutras, inspiring all the monks to recite sutras and gaining faith and blessing!
Buzz!
I don't know if it was a coincidence, but when his mind was completely absorbed in it, it seemed to have resonated with some kind of power, and the golden Buddha's light shone slightly on his body.
The phantom of Sanskrit in the "Diamond Sutra" trembled deep in the soul. Faintly, there seemed to be bursts of Sanskrit sounds between heaven and earth, recreating the scene of the monks chanting sutras that day!
Whoosh!
Almost at the same time, a breeze blew up in the tower forest for no reason, slowly circling around Wu Ming, echoing the golden Buddha light on his body like a resonance!
"A leaf blinds my eyes, but the ancients will not deceive me!"
Listening to Sanskrit chanting, Wu Ming slowly opened his eyes as if he had some enlightenment. The golden glow shone slightly, and a clear stone road was right in front of him.
A few dozen feet away, an inconspicuous ancient stone tower about a hundred feet high came into view!
In the wide open dark stone door, there are vague stone steps lingering up, which cannot be seen clearly. There are two big characters clearly written on the stone plaque above the door - Nine Difficulties!
Wu Ming didn't hesitate, picked up his bag, took the kitten, and climbed up the stairs.
"Um?"
But after walking for a while, he still didn't get to the second floor. Wu Ming raised his eyebrows and looked around, and was surprised to find that he was still standing in the same place.
Not far behind you is the stone gate. The dust on the stone steps clearly reveals a line of footprints, extending to your feet!
"Is ninety-nine and eighty-one difficult? Hey!"
Wu Ming turned his eyes slightly, saw the broom standing behind the stone door, and walked over.
"Huh?"
As soon as I picked up the broom, the scene in front of me changed drastically. I didn't know when a transparent door appeared, and there were a pair of poles and two buckets beside me.
After weighing it, I found that it was no different from the one I used when Zhixian took him to carry water!
"I see!"
Looking back at the footprints on the stone steps, Wu Ming smiled, picked up the pole, and walked into the door carrying the barrel.
When he was secretly shocked, the place he walked out of the door was where He Zhixian rested.
"Eight steps to catch the cicada, one step to the Zen opportunity, the vicissitudes of the sea, one step to the glory!"
With the memory still fresh and vivid in his mind, Wu Ming smiled knowingly and strode towards the mountain spring he took out.
Unlike the heavy burden that day, this time it was several times heavier than before. I don’t know if his mind was a little more complicated, or if it was just like that!
But he didn't care and moved forward unswervingly towards the goal in his heart!
When you are thirsty, you drink mountain spring water, when you are hungry, you eat rice marrow pills, when you are tired, you sit on the ground, look at the sky and the moon, and completely live the life of a savage!