Since Songjiang Prefecture announced a ban on the cigarette business and strictly ordered all factories to change their work systems, the number of ships coming and going at the port terminal has been significantly reduced.
That is not only because ships transporting cigarettes are no longer allowed to enter the port, but also because of the attitude of boycott and sanctions shown by commercial banks in various countries.
Even overseas, letters from all aspects were flying like snowflakes to the headquarters of the East India Company, the capital of the country, and to the hands of the rising stars of the political group and the nobles and knights who could speak.
Demand to take more severe measures to protect their business market in Songjiang Prefecture, even going so far as to donate a large amount of military expenditures for military expenses.
However, after the leader of the "Tian Jue" organization was killed by Su Hanshan and He Zong formed an alliance with the Songjiang Mansion, all countries' statements in this regard were postponed and delayed.
When the news of the battle at Xiaoqingliang Mountain spread outside the Forbidden City, even the owners of the big trading houses who were dancing the most happily stopped for a while.
They are afraid and waiting.
Really smart people understand that when the identity of the enemy rises from a provocative hard bone to a beast that poses a terrible threat, they are no longer qualified to decide the situation.
Among the British people, the two whose attitudes are most important are walking together on the streets of Songjiang.
These are two elderly men, one looks to be in his fifties, has short black hair, light blue eyes, high cheekbones, a gray beard, and is wearing a formal suit.
What is more eye-catching is that he also wears a copper hoop on his forehead. The golden red color is complicated and difficult to understand, but the symmetrical and beautiful pattern reveals the atmosphere of antique cultural relics.
The other man looks about forty years old, with blond hair that reaches down to his shoulders, green eyes, a high nose, handsome appearance, a delicate beard, and a slender body that is a bit thin.
But he only wore a black shirt on his upper body, with the cuffs folded close to his elbows, and only thin trousers on his lower body. The hair on his neck, forearms, and back of his hands was very thick, making the elegance There is a hint of wildness in his gentle temperament.
"In just a few months, the temperament of this city has undergone earth-shaking changes, which is really unbelievable."
Arthur, the blond man, looked at those who During the lunch break, the male and female workers who went for a walk by the river gave out faint sounds of appreciation.
"Such a confident, calm, energetic and leisurely atmosphere. If I close my eyes, I will think that I am on the outskirts of the capital of Great Britain."
"Except for the last algae dragon in the world , the new Songjiang government’s mastery of various mechanical transformations and technologies to replenish workers’ energy are also rare treasures. They must be managed and controlled after the war and are completely in our hands.”
Black-haired Tang En smiled and said: "You seem to appreciate the way this city looks now?"
"Indeed."
Arthur did not shy away from this and said calmly "Although there is still that unpleasant factory smell in the air if you look carefully, the sunshine is bright, the residents are cheerful, and the entire city has a spacious, comfortable, and huggable feeling."< br>
Tang En smiled and said nothing. As he walked slowly, he looked left and right, sometimes staring at the tidal waves of the Huangpu River, sometimes staring at the square factories and warehouses in the distance, and sometimes looking at the old shop buildings nearby. .
"My opinion is exactly the opposite."
Tang En said softly, "Since entering the range of Songjiang, I have felt something depressing."
“You could say it’s like a million A sharp sword is hung in the sky of this city, and it may launch a devastating attack on the rude people who break in at any time."
Arthur looked at the sky suspiciously and held it in his hand. After sensing the sword hanging on his waist for a moment, he shook his head.
"Over this city, there are only clouds, water mist and chemical smog. The humidity is high. There may be a light rain today. Other than that, I don't feel any artificial artifacts."
"To put it bluntly, I am the sword of war that may land in this city at any time and bring destruction and glory together.”
After listening to this, Tang En thought thoughtfully and said: "It is not an artificial creation that can be physically explored, but something more metaphysical."
He raised his hand and touched the copper hoop on his forehead, and stopped to look. After a while, he pointed to a temple in the distance and said, "Let's go over there and have a look."
That's the famous Longhua Temple in Songjiang Prefecture.
The name of Longhua Temple comes from an allusion in Buddhist scriptures. It is said that Maitreya Bodhisattva attained enlightenment and became a Buddha under the "Longhua Tree".
So, on the central axis of this temple, the first thing you enter is the Maitreya Hall, where a statue of Maitreya is enshrined.
The second entrance is the Hall of Heavenly Kings, with four-meter-high statues of Heavenly Kings on each side. In the center is a statue of Maitreya with a crown of heaven, wearing a crown of five Buddhas and a necklace, which is the true appearance of Maitreya Bodhisattva. In the Buddhist niche behind him, Wei Tuo, the protector of the Dharma, is waiting.
The third entrance is the Mahavira Hall. In the center is the statue of Vairocana Buddha, the Dharmakaya Buddha. On the left and right are Manjushri and Samantabhadra. Along the walls on both sides are the twenty gods and sixteen Arhats. At the back of the hall are Avalokitesvara, Statues of talented boys and other figures.
The fourth entrance is the Three Holy Temples, the fifth entrance is the abbot's room in the closed courtyard, and the sixth entrance is the Sutra Library.
Around these central axis buildings, on the east and west sides, there are also palaces and gardens such as the Bell and Drum Tower, Guanyin Hall, Luohan Hall, Peony Garden, etc.
Originally, the people who associate with the monks in Longhua Temple were celebrities and gentry. For them, smoking in such a place was an indispensable elegant custom among the upper class society.
He is said to be a person who puffs out clouds and spits out mist, points out the country, talks and laughs, discusses the general trends at home and abroad, praises and criticizes ancient and modern emperors and generals, and praises overseas queens and kings.
From music, chess, calligraphy and painting, to sculptures and ships, we have settled tens of thousands of taels of business without ever leaving the garden.
Unfortunately, in recent months, the monks of Longhua Temple are no longer as glamorous as they used to be. The people who accompany them most are smokers, beggars, and bankrupt workers.
Not only are there no large sums of gold and silver donated for the top incense, nor various items that high-rollers usually reward, but there is also a steady stream of donations from the temple.
In several nearby warehouse sheds assigned to the responsibility of Longhua Temple, workers for training sent off one group and then another, as if there was no end to the day.
Abbot Longhua took a break from his busy schedule and sat in the main hall, sighing and frowning.
This abbot is not fat, has good facial features, and a white beard. Although he spends a lot of money on food and clothing, and enjoys first-class goods, in order to please the guests and be in line with the style of a eminent monk, Don't let yourself be too shiny or too fat.
He put a lot of thought into maintaining his body shape, and his daily etiquette was infiltrated into his bones. He was polite and full of style.
Even in such a sad time, once outsiders see him, they probably won't be able to tell that he is distressed about his family's tobacco business. They will only think that he is compassionate and has great love.
"Tang En, a layman from the West, specially came to visit Maitreya Dojo, Longhua Temple."
A voice suddenly came from outside the Main Hall. Abbot Longhua became energetic, stood up quickly, and looked back.
I saw two foreigners walking in, with blond hair and indifferent expressions, and swords at their waists.
The black-haired one had a smile on his face, clasped his hands together, and first bent down to worship the Vairocana Buddha statue.
"Namo Amitabha!"
Abbot Longhua seems to have an extraordinary bearing and unfathomable martial arts. He must be far above himself. There are a lot of polite compliments in his stomach, and they are about to spill out of his mouth. Suddenly, he has a sudden inspiration.
"Tang En?!"
The old monk's expression changed, he looked at it in detail, and asked tentatively, "Could it be that in his weak years, in front of Emperor Jiaqing, he met the Living Buddha? Tang Entang, a layman who debates and fights, was personally designated as the incarnation of the Bodhi Heart Sect and the seed of the true Buddha overseas? "
Tang En chuckled: "It's probably me."
"This..."
Abbot Longhua's breathing suddenly became faster, and he had a lot of thoughts in his heart.
The British have three extremely powerful men, who are equivalent to the realm of returning elixirs in Middle-earth.
One is their Queen, but she is now one hundred and forty-six years old.
Because he is too old to participate in battles at the same level, he can almost be ignored.
Back then, after the Xiantian leader killed the Manchu royal family and occupied the Forbidden City, in the Qingliang Temple in Wutai Mountain, an old monk named Aisin Gioro, who became a monk due to the death of his beloved concubine, wanted to go down to the mountain to bring order to the chaos and continue the imperial line.
As a result, within ten rounds of his fight with the Xiantian Cult Leader, his meridians were overburdened, his energy was exhausted, and he died of old age on the spot.
With this precedent, the Queen of the British people has not left the palace for many years.
The second is Prince Arthur, who inherited the name of ancient British legend.
This person was the most active, fighting in the north and south, and was rarely absent from major battles.
In the past war between the nations over the ownership of Songjiang Mansion, all three giants of the Chinese warlords participated in the war.
As for the foreigners, Arthur from Britain, Úrsula from the Netherlands, and Lao Sato from Japan fought against them.
In that battle, old Sato was seriously injured by Emperor Xu, and was killed by Arthur soon after in Fuso Edo Bay.
Although the British failed to occupy Matsue and Edo, Arthur's reputation grew to a higher level.
The third person is Tang En, a great scholar in Britain.
In recent decades, this person has mostly been active in America and other places, and has never participated in Eastern affairs.
However, his name is even more widely known in the Eastern folk martial arts world.
In his early years, he became famous in the palace of the Qing Dynasty. After he achieved great success in martial arts, he visited the Kong family and Longhu Mountain successively and borrowed from the collections in the mountain.
Especially after staying in Longhu Mountain for several months and practicing the Five Thunder Methods, he in turn gave guidance to the disciples of Longhu Mountain.
But at that time, Longhu Mountain, although it had been granted many seals by the Qing court, did not even have a person with the ultimate jade liquid. After listening to Tang En's personal explanation, he could not practice the real Five Thunder Techniques.
Thanks to the shrewdness of the original Celestial Master, he built a Thunder Immortal Hall overnight and cast a Thunder Immortal statue that was eighty similar to Tang En.
It is claimed that the Heavenly Master preached the Dharma in a dream and ordered Lei Xian to be reincarnated and come back to teach the descendants of the Zhang family.
The true Buddhist disciple overseas and the Lei Xianke of Yingtan have been famous for decades and will last forever.
Songjiang Mansion has been undergoing great changes recently. For a top powerhouse like Britain to visit Songjiang, it doesn’t take a lot of thinking to know that something big is bound to happen.
Abbot Longhua's heart was filled with ups and downs. He was afraid of Su Hanshan and secretly hated the ban on smoking. It was difficult to decide his attitude towards the two people in front of him.
Suddenly, he saw the copper band on Tang En's forehead, and there seemed to be thin electric light flowing through it.
“I came to visit Longhua Temple because I was talking about classical culture with Zhang Tianshi at Longhu Mountain. When talking about the world’s famous qin, Zhang Tianshi was very familiar with the treasures. Occasionally, he mentioned that there is a Song Dynasty piece in Longhua Temple in Songjiang Prefecture. The lightning-struck wooden guqin was preserved during the temple’s construction period.”
< br>Tang En said with a smile, "I wonder if this guqin is still in the temple. If it is, please bring it to the abbot and lend it to me."
Abbot Longhua has so many complicated thoughts in his mind. Why, he suddenly forgot about it, regained a normal mind, listened to the question, and acted truthfully.
In a few minutes, he took out a guqin from the secret room of his meditation room. Tang En was already sitting cross-legged on the futon in front of the Buddha, facing outside the hall, stroking the guqin and praising in his mouth.
“This piano is one hundred and twenty-eight centimeters long, with a shoulder width of twenty-five centimeters. The body of the piano is thick and long, with broken lines like ox hair.”
“The gray body is made of gold. The silver beads and emerald coral were crushed and mixed with stag antler ash for common use. The strings were in excellent condition. It was indeed a good instrument."
When he said these words, he was speaking in Chinese.
Arthur also asked in Chinese: "Why are you looking for Qin?"
For the world's top masters, even if they have never studied it carefully but have only dabbled in it, it is not difficult to master one more language.
However, Tang En's response still made him somewhat confused.
“There are many geography books handed down from generation to generation. For those who seek to achieve perfection in their techniques, the Book of Burial is the best; for those who understand the theory deeply, Fa Wei is the best.”
"If you want to know the details of the method, no one can compare to Yang Gong's "Inverted Staff"; if you want to understand the abnormality of the star shape, it is better than Liao's "Nine Changes". The beauty lies in "Jade Ruler""
"There is also "Xue Xin Fu", with clear and concise words and concepts, which is convenient for later students to understand and leads people to a better place."
Tang En said, "This is a geographer of the Ming Dynasty in China, Xu But, with the help of the royal collection, after reading ancient famous works, I extracted a paragraph and highly praised several famous works. Do you know what these books explain? ?”
Arthur said helplessly: “You said he was a geographer, aren’t these books about geography?”
“It’s geography, but not entirely. "
Tang En sighed, "China has many philosophical schools, a long history, and many preserved classics. "
"The books I just mentioned are, strictly speaking, a kind of knowledge that combines geography and philosophy, which can be called Feng Shui."
He lowered his head to adjust the strings and said, "Longhu Mountain There are also many annotations in this regard by the Kong family. In words you can understand, the so-called Feng Shui refers to a combination of geography, weather, people's hearts, contemporary situations, and historical information."
“Many people believe that people who understand Feng Shui can master a system different from martial arts and exert a strange power similar to witchcraft and magic.”
Arthur suddenly said: “You before The power that hangs over Songjiang Mansion is referring to Feng Shui? "
Tang En nodded, "Martial arts cultivates the vitality of heaven and earth, which is real energy. However, the power cultivated in Feng Shui refers to geographical and cultural information, which is more illusory and difficult to fathom."
"Since ancient times, In the past, martial arts was the right path, and there were very few capable people who studied Feng Shui. Most of them just practiced it in addition to practicing martial arts. Because Feng Shui has the characteristics of praying for blessings, it is popular among the people, which has spawned a large number of swindlers, which has also led to the development of this knowledge. More difficult Difficult."
"I have read many classics on this subject in the East and the West, but I can only feel Feng Shui, but cannot mobilize and control the power of Feng Shui."
Arthur frowned. He frowned and said, "That is to say, Su Hanshan is likely to have the ability to mobilize Feng Shui. So how much increase will this ability give him in actual combat?"
"It's hard to say."
Tang En's face was serious, "The power of Feng Shui has local limitations. He has been operating here for the longest time, and it must have the greatest effect when using the power of Songjiang Mansion's Feng Shui."
"Based on all the information, he It is very likely that before the golden elixir was refined, he used Feng Shui to fight against He Zong."
"And by the time of the battle of Xiaoqingliang Mountain, he stayed away from Song. Jiang Mansion, without the blessing of Feng Shui, also defeated the Xiantian Cult Master with its own strength."
"So now, if he mobilizes Songjiang Feng Shui again, his gains will definitely be greater than when he fought against He Zong."< br>
Arthur said: "But Chongming Island is within the scope of Songjiang Prefecture. What a troublesome enemy!"
"But his attitude has been decided. There must be a fight between us. The empire must not let such a rising and vigorous threat go."
Arthur rubbed the hilt of the sword at his waist, His fighting spirit was not affected, but he still smiled.
"Although you said it was serious, you came here to borrow the piano. You must have some means against him, right?"
Tang En did not answer directly, but just debugged A good guqin, put it on your lap.
Legend has it that when Fuxi made the qin, there was only one string. When Shennong made the qin, he divided it into five strings, in order to recruit feathers for the palace merchants.
Later, King Wen of Zhou added another string, and King Wu of Zhou added another string. In this way, the civil and military lyre was created.
On these seven strings, there are seven scattered tones, ninety-one overtones, and one hundred and forty-seven fretted tones. The combinations are endless.
Tang En played the guqin gently. When the pitch was high, it was like a bell in the wind, crisp and sweet.
When it is medium, it is bright and sonorous, like striking a jade chime, and when it is low, it is deep and powerful, like the vibration of a bell.
He did not play fast, and his eyes were not on the guqin, but looking outside the main hall.
It seems that when the wind blows, he plays it, and when the bird chirps, he plays it.
As soon as the sky light and cloud shadows changed, he played again.
The sound of the piano echoed around the beams, gradually becoming aware of the ancient tree leaves, the dusty incense cauldron outside the Main Hall, and the entire skylight. Some speed.
“Since ancient times, destruction has always been a hundred times easier than creation.”
Tang En said regretfully, “I cannot create a deep fate with the local Feng Shui, but he The time I have been here is also not long enough. I can... destroy his connection with Songjiang Feng Shui!"
Arthur was confused when he heard this.
He originally thought that Tang En was going to take Qin away to make arrangements.
But if you just sit here and play the piano, the sound of the piano will spread for several miles at most, let alone Chongming Island, even from the seaside, it is still a long distance away.
Could it be that we should start from Longhua Temple, play the piano in many places, and gradually achieve the effect by accumulating small amounts into large amounts?
He didn't ask, and Tang En didn't answer.
Only the sound of the piano rises and falls, gradually forming a tune, the wind gradually rises outside the hall, and the sky becomes darker and darker.
Abbot Longhua was confused. He stood aside and felt the cool breeze outside the hall. He couldn't help but look up and said to himself: "It's going to rain heavily? It's time to put away your clothes..."
Arthur said calmly: "It's just a small misty rain, with water vapor but no charge, and it's not yet time for the water droplets to officially fall."
Before he finished speaking, a big thunder suddenly exploded outside, making his eyes tremble. Change, turn around and look.
Countless people who were eating, walking, talking, playing, cooking, or sewing were also frightened by the sudden loud noise.
Pedestrians on the road covered their ears, glanced at the sky, and quickened their pace, looking for shelter from the rain.
Dark clouds rolled in, lightning flashed and thunder roared.
In Longhua Temple, the big bell on the bell tower clanged and swayed from side to side.
The big drum on the Drum Tower seemed to be affected by the strong wind, and the drum surface vibrated and made a sound.
The thunder rumbled, the rain murmured, lightning pierced the clouds, and heavy rain poured down, hitting thousands of windows, thousands of trees, and street surfaces, all making the sound of bursting water droplets.
The sound of the piano seems to be completely covered up in such heavy rain and thunder, and even if you listen carefully, you can't hear it.
The rain fell for almost half an hour, and the clouds in the sky gathered more and more, pushing them farther and farther away.
The first rain curtain was only a few miles around Longhua Temple.
After half an hour of wind and thunder, and the water vapor in the sky and the earth changing, the heavy rain almost covered the entire Songjiang River.
In this little half hour, Tang En's piano sound was not interrupted for even a second.
The music that was originally covered up by thunder and rain now seems to be everywhere in front of and behind the eaves, and the music is accompanied by singing.
Abbot Longhua fled to a corner of the Main Hall in embarrassment, only to see the entire Main Hall, the top of the hall shook, as if stirred by the wind and thunder.
Between the thick and overlapping tiles, a large amount of skylight leaked out of the gaps, and large amounts of water dropped.
The rainwater is like a curtain of beads, pouring inside the main hall, pouring on the body of the golden Buddha, and flowing down the face of the Buddha.
“There are five stars and five birds in the sky, five directions and five righteousnesses on the earth, five elders and five virtues in people, five saints in Tao... and five thieves!”
The great scholars of the British Isles played the piano and sang in the rain in front of the Buddha, desolate and simple, with ups and downs.
“The battle between civil and military forces spread across the sky and the earth, and the smoke and clouds spread all over...”
“Wind and thunder!!”
Heavy rain poured down, and the rain clouds turned into vast waves of smoke, reaching to the coast of the East China Sea, Across the water.
Two dynasties apart, hundreds of years ago, the stone tablet that Taizu of the Ming Dynasty sent people to erect on Chongming Island was re-excavated at some point.
A stone tablet several feet high stands tall, with four big characters "East China Sea Yingzhou", iron paintings and silver hooks, dancing dragons and phoenixes, and it is domineering.
Su Hanshan sat cross-legged on the top of the stone tablet, his hands hanging on his knees, his eyes closed in silence.
Until the slightest drop of rain drifted diagonally and landed on Chongming Island, he only moved his eyebrows and did not open his eyes.
He Zong's figure emerged from the fishing village. Holding the crystal stone, he walked out of the simple hut and looked up at the sky. He was very moved and whispered.
“Thunder and lightning are male and female, and rain is male and female.”
"When the male and female meet, the male of thunder fights the female of lightning!"
In the dark clouds, lightning roared and snaked vertically and horizontally.
Many electric traces of bright light just formed a huge cloud seal spell, which stood across the dark clouds and disappeared in a flash.
Male and female interact, and the five thunders rectify the law!
(End of this chapter)