Legend of the Sword Immortal

chapter17

Everyone was in an uproar. Some said the Taoist was a demon, and some said he was cheating people out of their drinks. When they saw someone pay the bill, they didn't take up their seats. Only Yun Cong, who had sent the Taoist downstairs, suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask the Taoist's name. He ignored everyone's discussions and looked down from the window to see where the Taoist was going. He saw the Taoist out of the restaurant. The pedestrians downstairs were very crowded, but where the Taoist walked, no matter how hard people squeezed, they were always one or two feet away from him, as if something was blocking them. He was very surprised. Because he hadn't asked his name just now, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Master Taoist, please turn around!" The Taoist was walking slowly on the street. After hearing this, he just looked upstairs. Yun Cong thought he would come back, but he walked so fast. At this time, everyone was noisy for a while, because they saw Yun Cong staring at the window in a daze, they came to call him for a drink. Yun Cong looked back and said a few words to him. When he looked down again, the Taoist was gone. He had no choice but to continue eating, drinking and chatting with the crowd for a while. Because Song Shi had hit a snag today and didn't want to linger around, after eating and drinking, he suggested going back to the inn. Everyone knew what he meant, so Yun Cong settled the bill and went downstairs to the inn.

After breakfast the next day, Song Shi suggested going to Ciyun Temple outside the city to play. This Ciyun Temple is a famous Zen temple in Chengdu, with winding halls and corridors, lush flowers and trees, and is very elegant and quiet. The temple has a lot of property, and the monks rarely leave the temple. The monks in the temple all abide by the rules and are proficient in Zen, and their reputation is even more famous in Shu. Everyone has heard about it for a long time. Because it is 20 or 30 miles away from the city, there is a village market next to the temple. Yun Cong suggested: "We have visited all the famous places in Chengdu, and now there is only this good place left. Why don't we set off today, rent a room there and stay for a day, visit the temple, and set off for Chongqing tomorrow?" Song Shi, who had suffered yesterday and was embarrassed, wanted to leave Chengdu early, so he agreed first. The crowd had no plan to see the temple, so they just drove light and took Xiao San'er with them.

At noon, they had walked about 30 miles and there was indeed a village market with a shop. When they asked about Ciyun Temple, they all knew that it was not far away. It turned out that most of the people in this area grew temple property. The crowd had some food and wine, leaving Xiao San'er to look after the house, and all went to Ciyun Temple. After walking about half a mile, they saw a lush forest with lush trees and a corner of a red wall. A gust of wind passed by and they could hear the sound of Buddhist chanting. It was indeed a place of pure cultivation. The crowd arrived at the temple gate and walked in. The monk who was in charge of reception served them vegetarian snacks and tea. After a while of chatting, he led everyone to visit the Buddhist temple and the meditation room. The monk who was in charge of reception was called Yi. He was very elegant in conversation and hospitality, which was very suitable for Yun Cong and others. After half a day of sightseeing, the monk who was in charge of reception led them to a meditation room to rest. This meditation room was decorated very elegantly. Famous calligraphy and paintings were hung on the wall, and stationery was neatly arranged on the table. On the meditation bed to the west, there were two summer cloth cushions, which were said to be used for meditation at night. Everyone wanted to ask the abbot to come out for a chat. Le said, "My master Zhitong is in seclusion in the backyard, refusing worldly ties and refusing to come out easily. Dear donors, let's meet again someday." Everyone was impressed. Song Shi saw a painting that was hung in a very inappropriate position, and was about to ask Le why it was hung here. Suddenly, a young monk came in and said, "The abbot asked the receptionist to go and talk." Le said to everyone, "The small temple is winding and it is easy to get lost. Wait for me to come back and accompany you. I will be back soon." After saying that, he hurried away.

Song Shi said to Yun Cong, "Look at the layout of this temple, and the conversation of the monks in charge of reception, how brilliant and elegant. This Zen room is so well decorated, and the walls are full of famous calligraphy and paintings, but there is such a painting hanging on this wall. Isn't it a pity that the Buddha's head is covered with feces?" It turned out that this Zen room was very large, with windows on the east and doors on the south. On the west wall hung a banner of Mi Xiangyang's misty rain painting; on the north wall hung a central hall of Fang Xiaoru's white stone and green pine, with a couplet next to it, which collected Song Dynasty verses: "Green mandarin ducks have been in the orchid for generations, and white cranes have come to visit their descendants from time to time." The signature was a minor celebrity in Shu, Zhang Yi. Only in the middle of the Zen bed, there was a lonely central hall, which was a painting of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea. The brushwork was crude and full of craftsmanship. Everyone was just talking to each other before, and didn't pay attention. After Song Shi said it, they all turned around to discuss it. Yun Cong was sitting on the bed, and turned around to see a chime hammer lying under the central hall, and he took it and played with it. One was not careful and bumped the hem of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Hall. Perhaps the nail hanging on it was old and a little movable. After the hammer shook it, a small chime was hung on the back, about one person high and one foot and three inches wide. Everyone didn't understand why the chime was hidden here. Song Shi was standing in front of the bed. He took the hammer from Yun Cong's hand and played with it. He was in high spirits and hit the chime casually. There was a clear and crisp sound. Then he hit it twice in a row. Yun Cong suddenly saw a little monk sticking his head out, so he said, "Brother Song Nian, don't be naughty. You are touching other people's things. The receptionist is here. I'm sorry." Before he finished speaking, he heard three bells ringing, followed by a series of grinding sounds. At the same time, a small door appeared on the wall. A woman in gorgeous clothes stood in front of the door. When she saw everyone, she cried "Ah" and quickly retreated. Song Shi said: "So there is a secret door here, and there is a woman hiding there. The abbot must not be a good person. Why don't we go in and scold that bald donkey and give him a big hammer (in Sichuan dialect, it means to extort money)?" Yun Cong said: "Wait a minute, brother Nian. When I got up at home, my old family member Wang Fu once told me that no matter whether it is a nunnery or a temple, if you go in to celebrate, you must not walk around without the guidance of the temple people. This is because there are many monks who appear to be out of the three realms, not in the five elements, pure and quiet, and spotless, but there are many who commit a******y and do all kinds of evil in secret. It's okay if you don't see through their actions at ordinary times, but if you accidentally see through their actions, he will have murderous intentions. Since this temple is a place for pure cultivation, why are there mechanisms in the room and women hidden? We'd better not move around. If they get angry, we are all scholars. If we suffer a loss, it's not a joke." After hearing this, everyone was discussing it. Among them, a scholar named Shi suddenly said, "Brother Yuncong, you are still talking. Why is the door behind you gone?" When everyone turned around, they saw that the door they had just entered was gone, and only a dark wall was left. The calligraphy and paintings on the wall were also gone. Everyone was extremely surprised and could not help but rush forward to push. They saw that the wall was very solid, just like a dragonfly shaking a stone pillar, and it was impossible to move it at all. At this time, except for the small door on the meditation bed, there was no way out. Everyone was shocked and scared. Yuncong suddenly said, "We are really stupid. Now there is no way out, and there is a window in front of us, why don't we jump out of the window?" This sentence reminded everyone, and they all ran to the window and pushed it with their hands. They couldn't help but be very disappointed. It turned out that although there were four windows, they were bolted from the outside. That was not the worst. The four windows were all made of raw iron. The swastika pattern was carved on them, as thick as two fingers. It was painted red, so it could not be seen. They were so anxious that they jumped and pounded on the wall. Their hands were sore, but no one outside responded. The young upstarts realized that they were in danger and that the situation was not good. Some blamed Song Shi for hitting the chime, and some said that the monk was not well behaved. There were two brave people who said, "We are all juren, and there are many of