The road leading to Thousand Buddhas Temple is a series of stairs, with no end as far as the eye can see.
Each section of the steps formed by connecting these bluestone slabs is engraved with the name of the donor.
Among them, there are several members of the same family who are connected together, and there are also more than ten members of the same race who are brothers and neighbors in the same village.
The names on these stone steps have been blurred, but the stone steps have always existed here, and they have been firmly stepped on by Yin Xiu and the others.
"Brother, you said that if a person has money, why don't he save it, or use it in a wasteful way, but use it to do good deeds?"
As he walked up the long steps, the white peacock had this question.
"Your question stumps me."
Yin Xiu smiled and said: "You know, I am rarely rich enough to have money to do good deeds and accumulate merit."
"So? If you have this money, what are you going to do?" White Peacock continued to ask.
"Anything is fine. Anyway, I won't do this kind of thing like donating strips of stairs and building a memorial arch."
Yin Xiu scratched her face, "Because I really don't care what I have to leave behind after I die, especially when it's just a dead thing."
He stepped on the mossy stone steps.
"Can you carve your name on a stone and leave a memory?"
The white peacock was thoughtful after hearing Yin Xiu's words.
"What about you, eldest sister?"
She asked Ma Xiaoyu again.
Ma Xiaoyu touched her ears and said, "You mean doing good deeds? When we were in Malaysia, we gave out porridge and medicine, and helped exorcise evil spirits in nearby villages. Does catching ghosts count?"
"Of course it counts, but it's not appropriate yet."
Bai Peacock continued to emphasize: "I mean, for example, erecting a statue of the Patriarch or building a golden body for the Buddha? There are always rich people who show love, and there are always poor people who have great aspirations and do these things."
"Do you think Grandmaster will be happy if you build a golden body?" Ma Xiaoyu blinked.
"Well..."
The white peacock lowered his head and thought for a long time, and finally said helplessly: "I'm not the founder, how do I know?"
"That's right."
Yin Xiu took over the topic, "You gave him a golden body, and you don't know whether the patriarch is happy or not. Doesn't this just satisfy your own hobby?
Therefore, I think that if there is something that makes you happy, just do it and don't think about any merit or blessing. This is the most comfortable thing. ”
"So, casting a golden body, donating a door or a stone step doesn't make you happy, does it?" White Peacock asked.
Ma Xiaoyu and Yin Xiu nodded together.
"That's it."
The white peacock held his chin, "But I always think about it. When I get rich one day and find a place in Dajin Mountain, the first thing I will do is to build a stone bridge made of granite at the entrance of our village.
I would be happy if I could pass three carriages side by side and have people walk next to them. ”
"If you are happy, just do it."
Yin Xiu smiled, "Do you want to write your name on this bridge? What is it called Peacock Bridge?"
"That's not necessary."
The white peacock shook its head, quite playfully.
"It doesn't matter what name it is. It doesn't even matter if you know that I paid for it. Because like you brothers, I don't care what I can leave behind in this world."
"I have to say that you are no longer the same as before."
Yin Xiu didn't praise her, but this made Bai Peacock happy. He swayed his hands as he walked, completely forgetting the hard work of climbing the mountain.
The three of them were chatting, chatting, discussing their own opinions and ideas, and unknowingly entered the thick fog.
It wasn't until he almost hit a wall of fog that Yin Xiu came back to his senses.
It was no longer early in the morning, when dew had just hung on the grass blades, but there was still such a thick fog.
And nowadays, due to the severe drought caused by drought, such dense fog is rarely seen anymore.
Yin Xiu took out a piece of talisman paper, burned it on his finger, and walked in front to illuminate the surroundings.
The white peacock followed behind. Although the firelight looked warm, a layer of goosebumps appeared on her neck, causing her to shrink her neck again.
Ma Xiaoyu held the three-color ruler in her sleeves, her hands lit up with fire, and she was fully on guard behind her.
"Keep talking."
"What?" Bai Peacock was stunned for a moment.
"I said keep talking."
Yin Xiu's tone was relaxed, "If we stopped suddenly, wouldn't the atmosphere become very weird and it would appear that we were very nervous."
"But I'm really nervous."
The white peacock tightened his grip on his sleeves, "I always feel like something is watching us in the mist."
"Where are you looking?"
"Where are you looking at me?"
The white peacock thought for a while and said: "I feel like I am looking at my thighs, or like I am looking at my butt, and I keep staring at it.
But my brother was walking in front of me, not behind me, so I shouldn't feel this way. ”
"..."
Facing Ma Xiaoyu's eyes, Yin Xiu spread her hands and said that she had never had such crooked thoughts.
However, Ma Xiaoyu and Bai Peacock certainly didn't believe it.
After saying this, no matter what Yin Xiu and Ma Xiaoyu thought, Bai Peacock felt a lot more relaxed, and the previous tension disappeared.
Until on the mountain road ahead, a vague black shadow suddenly flashed across.
Yin Xiu stopped and placed his hand on Izumi Ichimonji hanging around his waist.
White Peacock also held down the knife.
"Is it a zombie?"
"It's not like that."
Ma Xiaoyu twitched her nose, "I don't smell zombies."
"What is that?"
The white peacock hunched over and felt his calves were a little stiff. "I don't feel like a bandit, but some kind of animal."
Ouch!
With a roar, a huge shadow hit like a locomotive, and at the same time a cold light flashed.
Yin Xiu's feet were a little lower, and in the blink of an eye, she was already far away on the steps, colliding with the shadow.
Giant ape!
Yin Xiu saw a giant monkey like the one in Changbai Mountain.
"You're welcome and safe!"
The long sword was unsheathed, and Izumi Ichimonji and Guandao collided, causing sparks to fly out.
The giant ape struggled with Yin Xiu, but was knocked over by Yin Xiu's sword and flew backwards. He fell on the steps and crushed countless stone slabs.
Yin Xiu did not pursue, but slid sideways first. Behind him, another giant ape with a spear stabbed the place where he was standing, causing gravel to fly.
Ma Xiaoyu turned around, and behind her, the giant ape jumped and roared, rising and falling on the steps, approaching quickly. fire!
Smoke was steaming from Yin Xiu's hand. When he pulled his hand out of the smoke, Izumi Ichimonji had turned into a mocking wind sword, with blazing fire!
To deal with these furry beasts and monsters, the famous sword Chaofeng, which is attached with flames, is the real weapon.
He jumped high and used his strength to spin in the air. He controlled the sword and led people with the sword. Like a tornado, the flames and strong wind tore through the thick fog and illuminated the steps.
In the blink of an eye, four or five giant apes were hit by swords, their bodies were surrounded by flames, and they let out ear-piercing screams.
Taking advantage of this gap, Ma Xiaoyu and Bai Peacock took action respectively, hitting the apes with the talismans and blow darts in their hands, causing them to be injured one after another.
Yin Xiu looked around and saw more apes still surrounding and jumping around.
"Let's go!"
Swinging the Wind-Mocking Sword, Yin Xiu chopped off the head of a giant ape and stabbed forward without hesitation.
The ragdoll insect that emerged from the giant ape's body was also cut in half by Yin Xiu.
The giant ape looks like a monkey from Changbai Mountain. Indeed, the coat color and skeleton seem to be different.
The hair of the giant ape in Changbai Mountain is solid color and faintly glowing.
Although the monkeys here are also white, their fur is darker.
If this is just some kind of regional difference, then the shape of the puppet insects confirms Yin Xiu's view.
The mouthparts and eyes of these ragdoll insects are also different from those in Changbai Mountain, appearing thicker and sharper.
Especially on their heads, there is actually a circle of tendrils like tendrils.
In the previous village, the ragdolls that appeared on the dead snakes did not have such characteristics.
Is this a new variant? Cultivated by the Miao people on the mountain?
At this time, they could not allow them to think so much. Yin Xiu waved his sword forward and turned back to shout to Ma Xiaoyu.
"Is there a way to drive away the fog in front of you?"
Ma Xiaoyu didn't ask Yin Xiu the reason or what he wanted to do. He just looked back with confirmation and grabbed the talisman paper in his hand.
"The Dragon God ordered, and the Wind God borrowed his method to expel it!"
Ma Xiaoyu loosened the talisman paper, and a violent gust of wind centered on them and dispersed in all directions. The apes were shocked and screamed strangely.
Then the airflow suddenly became gentle again under Ma Xiaoyu's guidance, and the harsh wind noise disappeared.
As she moved her fingers with sharp knuckles, the thick fog broke in front of Yin Xiu, and the huge bluestone in the distance that was originally obscured by the thick fog became clearly visible.
"Come!"
Yin Xiu threw the Wind-Mocking Sword forward and hooked his fingers at the same time. The Wind-Mocking Sword shattered into pieces and turned into a metal storm that covered the giant ape blocking the road in front of him.
Flying iron and flowing fire!
The giant ape was torn into pieces at once, and the ragdoll insect hiding inside was also chopped into pieces. It was mixed with the flesh and blood of the giant ape and became indistinguishable.
When Yin Xiu threw the sword, his Youlong Jin was running, his feet were a little bit lower, and when he jumped back, he turned around and grabbed Ma Xiaoyu and Bai Peacock with one hand.
Then he twisted his head in the air, his eyes filled with light.
The stars have changed!
When the thick fog closed again, the figures of the three people had disappeared on the steps, leaving only the dazed monkeys and the gravel and flesh on the ground.
The white peacock didn't stand still and squatted on the ground, frowning and baring his teeth.
Ma Xiaoyu has long been used to it. At this time, she hugged Yin Xiu tightly and hid in his arms. Even though she had stood firm, she still had no intention of letting go.
Until the white peacock coughed dryly and said, "Sister, my brother has finished using his magical power. You can let him go."
"Really?"
Ma Xiaoyu slowly walked out of Yin Xiu's arms, not taking it seriously: "I thought it was going to happen again."
"His physical strength is not that good!" White Peacock protested.
"You know?"
Ma Xiaoyu smiled and pulled the white peacock up from the ground.
After being freed from the siege of those apes, the atmosphere suddenly became relaxed again.
However, Yin Xiu was still standing on the stone, staring ahead.
"What's wrong?"
After Ma Xiaoyu asked, she looked back, and then she was also stunned.
It turned out that the cliff where the big bluestone was located was wide. Opposite it was part of the ancient Qianfo Temple, and it was no more than 200 steps away from them.
Before coming, they had never heard anyone mention the appearance and design of Thousand Buddhas Temple, thinking that it was just the size of an ordinary Buddhist temple.
However, at this moment, seeing only a small monastery and the bodhisattva with a compassionate face that towered over the wall of the monastery, people could not help but feel some kind of sacred atmosphere that was different from other places.
"Thousand Buddha Temple?"
The white peacock pointed forward and asked Yin Xiu with his eyes.
"I've never been here, how do you know?"
Yin Xiu jumped down from the stone and signaled: "Go ahead and have a look inside."
At this point, the heavy fog that had been there seemed to have disappeared without a trace.
They should be halfway up the mountain at the moment, surrounded by towering mountains of varying heights and undulations.
This Zen monastery should be a remote place in Thousand Buddha Temple, because it only has one, and it is not very big. The other zen monasteries are looming among other mountains.
Thinking about it, this should be called a hall or something, a place for some elders or specific monks to practice and retreat.
Yin Xiu slowly stepped forward and walked to the door of the Zen courtyard.
There are no traces of fighting outside the door, and there are no fallen leaves. It just looks quiet, as if no one has been here for a long time, but it is not forgotten, but someone has carefully maintained the place.
Yin Xiu reached out and gently pushed the two closed doors.
There was a creak, and the thin wooden door, which was unlocked, opened.
The terrible scene of dilapidation and even decay that they originally imagined did not appear in front of them.
Instead, there are clean stone steps, a spotless courtyard, a gurgling water path, a stone table, and four stone benches.
A quiet and remote small temple in the mountains is the most appropriate description that Yin Xiu can think of.
There are several big trees in the courtyard. The drought at the foot of the mountain seems to have not affected these towering trees that have grown for an unknown number of years. They still have lush branches and leaves, as if they still aim to reach the clouds.
However, under such a canopy, there was not a single fallen leaf in the courtyard, which was surprising.
Yin Xiu and Ma Xiaoyu looked around, but it was difficult to connect the peaceful scene here with the bloody massacre that the bandits had mentioned before.
The bandits should not talk big, because to them, killing all the monks in a monastery is no different from killing all the villagers in a village.
Just because they killed a monk doesn't mean they feel proud or proud.
Could it be that the bandits didn't discover this place and missed it?
"Three donors, please come in and drink a cup of bitter tea."
As if the voice came from a dream, Yin Xiu turned her head.
I don't know when a young monk with a kind face and simple and clean clothes appeared in this courtyard.
Is this also a dream?
Did they and the bandits have opposite dreams? (End of chapter)