Chapter 85 Catkins Without Flowers Desire to Solve the Knot (8000)
Originally, this was a broken giant tree, formed by intertwining roots, with a palm print on it.
But just when Xu Bai was about to leave, something special happened.
The palm print is still the same palm print, but where the tree is broken, it is like a dead tree in spring, with emerald green new shoots emerging.
The sprouts are emerald green and full of vitality. This touch of green adds a layer of vitality to the originally broken giant tree.
It may not be right to describe it as full of vitality, but the tiny sprouts give people a vigorous and upward force.
The old postmaster was also nearby. After seeing this scene, his face was dull, as if he saw something weird and strange, but he couldn't explain it.
Perhaps in the eyes of the old postmaster, this was an unexplainable matter, but in Xu Bai's eyes, he saw something on another level.
His progress bar changed, radically changed.
He came over today, and after watching the progress bar for a while, he also made some progress, but since the green shoots sprung up like mushrooms after rain, everything started to go backwards again.
The so-called regress means that the progress bar is regressed. Although it is not obvious, it is indeed regressed.
This was the first time it appeared, and Xu Bai was also surprised, but he quickly figured out the reason.
It is absolutely impossible that there is a problem with his progress bar. It can only be said that there is a problem with the broken giant tree, and the giant tree itself has changed.
When he observed it before, he was also calculating the time for the progress bar to be perfected. According to his calculation, it may be slightly worse than the previous unknown Buddhist scriptures and the Spring Flower Brush.
After all, this palm print was just randomly pressed by the female temple master. Compared with the nameless Buddhist scriptures and the spring flower pen, the degree of seriousness is not worth mentioning.
The unnamed Buddhist scriptures were hand-copied by the abbot of King Kong Temple, and the text on the Chunhua pen was also engraved by the dean of Qingyun Academy. The quantity alone is very different.
But it's still a progress bar, just a little bit worse, and he doesn't dislike it.
Now it seems that I still think too much, this time there is a change, the progress bar is reduced instead, indicating that the palm print on this tree has become stronger.
Xu Bai stared carefully, and when all the dust settled, the new shoots on it stopped growing, and the progress bar stabilized again.
I roughly estimated the time, which is higher than the nameless Buddhist scriptures and spring flower pens.
"That's right." Xu Bai thought to himself.
At this time, the voice of the old postmaster came from the side.
"The skill of the dead wood is beyond the reach of anyone. After the disappearance of the female viewer, her strength is still growing rapidly."
This scene of a dead tree blooming in spring is indeed breathtaking.
Xu Bai stared at the tree in front of him, and suddenly said: "Senior, prepare a room for me."
The old postmaster was still amazed, but he was obviously taken aback when he heard Xu Bai's words.
"Are you going to live here?"
Xu Bai nodded, confirming that he will live here tonight, including in the future.
The change of this tree gave him a reminder.
From Yinyi to Shengxian, the back and forth journey will waste a lot of time, it is better to finish this tree here first, and then talk about it. As for the **** agency, Liu Er is naturally in charge there.
The old postmaster didn’t say anything anymore,
Since you want to live, let’s live. After all, you are the one who saved yourself. There is no problem with this requirement.
Thinking of this, the old postmaster went to arrange a place to live.
The night was like water, Xu Bai looked at the broken tree in front of him and the new shoots on it, the progress bar was slowly growing, and his heart became more and more hot.
…
After several days of rushing, Liu Xu and Wu Hua returned to their places one after another to rectify a little.
King Kong Temple.
This is one of the top ten temples in the Great Chu Kingdom.
In the temple, monks come and go. Different from other temples, the monks here are very murderous.
Every monk passing by has a faint murderous aura on his body, which is not something that can be produced for no reason by chanting scriptures and Buddha on weekdays.
Only those who have experienced actual combat and the confrontation between life and death will have this kind of invisible murderous aura.
This is also what King Kong Temple has advocated over the years.
The world of mortals is disturbed, enter the world of mortals, break away from the world of mortals, seek to obtain the world of mortals, and leave the world of mortals, and then reach the real great realm.
Subduing demons and eliminating demons is my duty. When encountering demons and heretics, I will turn into a glaring King Kong.
Wuhua walked in the temple, and after returning to her own territory, every step she took was relaxed and comfortable.
The brothers and sisters who passed by saw him and greeted him, and he answered them one by one.
But there are sharp-eyed monks who have already noticed that something is wrong, and Wu Hua seems to have something on his mind.
Wuhua does have something to do, and it's not small.
Walking around the main halls, Wuhua finally came to a side hall. After entering, she walked for a while and entered a room.
In the room, there are antique furniture, and there is a middle-aged monk in the center, holding a Buddhist scripture in his hand, and looking at it carefully.
Among the Kongzi generation in King Kong Temple, if you want to say who is the strongest, you may not get a definite number, but if you want to say who is the best at teaching people, it must be Kongchan.
After so many years, the outstanding disciples who have emerged from Kong Chan's hands can be said to be one after another.
Wuhua is the last disciple of Kongchan, and also a well-known closed disciple.
When Wuhua walked into the room, Kongchan put down the Buddhist scriptures in his hand, Gujing Bubo's eyes swept across Wuhua's face, and his brows frowned slightly.
The middle-aged monk Kongchan's face became serious: "Wuhua, your heart is disturbed."
If he couldn't even see this, he wouldn't be called the best teacher.
"You have entered into the realm of desire." Kong Chan said very directly.
Wuhua was taken aback for a moment, thinking that before she said anything, she was pointed out by her master, and she knew why she came here. Soon, she told all about what happened to her in Chunyu Pavilion.
Especially when the seductive woman was sitting on her body with her red lips printed on her neck, her mentality changed.
The room fell into silence, and after a while, Kong Chan only said a few words.
"Some things, the more you resist, the more you will repeat them. If you go in the opposite direction, when you taste what real desire is, you will know how to resist." Kongchan put his hands together.
Wuhua was slightly taken aback.
He chewed on the meaning of this sentence repeatedly, and he already understood its deep meaning.
"Master, you mean, let me experience it."
"Entering the world of mortals is a process of experience-drawing-out. Fortunately, this is just a dilemma of desire, not love." Kongchan's words carried a sense of luck.
Wuhua fell into silence and didn't speak for a long time.
As a mentor, apart from the method of teaching, Kong Chan’s most astute is his vision. No student can hide things in his eyes, let alone useless flowers.
"You still have troublesome things, why don't you tell them all together, and let the teacher answer for you." Kong Chan continued.
Wuhua had a tangled expression on her face, and she didn't know how to speak.
Kong Chan didn't urge her, she just quietly waited aside.
Some things cannot be forced. The best time to solve them is to wait for the students to ask themselves.
The room fell into silence again, and sandalwood was floating, with a refreshing smell.
After a while, Wu Hua seemed to have finally made up her mind, took a deep breath, and told all about what she had done in Sheng County and what she had experienced.
"Master, I don't understand. Da Chu regards protecting the people as his duty, but why does His Majesty... want to release the Infinite Dao Sutra, causing some people to suffer? Of course, I understand the principle of exchanging less for more, but that is life. They are all living human beings.”
This is what he doesn't understand the most.
He has always been buried in his heart. It is only natural for students to ask the teacher if they have doubts.
Kong Chan's eyes, which were originally calm, finally changed. He showed a look of compassion: "Can you read Buddhist scriptures for the dead people, so that they can leave with peace of mind?"
Wuhua nodded, indicating yes.
At this time, Kongchan stood up, slowly walked in front of Wuhua, and reached out to pat Wuhua on the shoulder.
"This matter, the teacher can't give you the answer, because the teacher used to have the same confusion as you, but the solution is different."
Wuhua froze, like a wood carving.
Kong Chan walked back and forth for two steps, finally settled in the same place, turned around and said, "Go to the Sutra Pavilion, many of the Buddhist scriptures inside were copied by predecessors, and the strokes of the pen carry the insights of predecessors, maybe you can find yourself way."
Wuhua recovered from the stupefied state, saying that she would go and have a look.
He thought about Xu Bai's matter again, and explained the cause and effect of the matter, especially about the recommendation, he emphasized.
"The postmaster?" Kongchan fell into deep thought, and after a while, said: "I can write letters."
The meaning of this sentence is to agree.
Wuhua didn't ask any more questions, said her farewell, left the room, and went to the Tibetan Scripture Pavilion.
He must solve the doubts in his heart, otherwise the demons will breed and the Buddha's mind will be unstable.
Before leaving, Kong Chan said something.
"The path of desire is easy to understand, but the path of love is hard to find. If you don't have enough, you should not get involved."
After Wuhua left, Kongchan returned to her original position and flipped through the Buddhist scriptures in her hand.
But for some reason, the irritability in his heart was so deep that he couldn't calm down.
"well…"
Kongchan took out the wooden fish and tapped it lightly.
A sachet was slung around his waist, and slender handwriting was embroidered on the sachet.
In the room, there was the sound of wooden fish knocking.
…
Qingyun Academy.
In Nanhua Road, it is a place where all kinds of academies gather, and the atmosphere of pen and ink is very strong.
As a gathering place for scholars, although this place is just a road, it is more prosperous than the usual state capital.
As for Qingyun Academy, as one of the best in Nanhua Road, it is naturally the place with the most scholars.
At this moment, Liu Xu was still dressed in the same outfit, and walked into the academy with a veil.
In the academy, scholars come and go in an endless stream.
Some scholars frowned, some scholars stood still, and some scholars even held books in their hands and never forgot to read them even when they were walking.
Liu Xu walked inside without causing any commotion until she came to a room and raised her hand to knock on the door.
"Enter."
In the room, there was an angry voice.
Liu Xu heard the voice in the room and gently pushed open the door of the room.
In the room, the furniture placed is simple, but full of agility. A middle-aged man is sitting in the center.
The middle-aged man is dressed in white. Although he is middle-aged, he has a completely different feeling in terms of appearance and temperament.
Seeing Liu Xu coming in, the middle-aged man put down the book in his hand, frowning slightly.
"Teacher, the students have completed the tasks assigned by the teacher, but there is one thing that needs the help of the teacher." After Liu Xu came in, he first told Xu Bai's matter.
Especially about the letter of recommendation, she emphasized.
Wang Qingfeng frowned deeper, and after a while, he said slowly: "I'll help you with this matter, but in the future, don't go any further because of that quack."
Liu Xu said yes.
She is very clear that the most annoying thing about her teacher is getting involved.
The teacher believes that Qingyun Academy only provides a platform for scholars, rather than any background, and any road needs to be walked by the scholars themselves.
If you think that Qingyun Academy is a background, then you won’t be able to go far, even if you go far, your feet will be empty and you will fall off the cliff.
It is extremely rare to be able to open this road today.
Liu Xu got what she wanted, but she didn't leave, she stayed where she was, as if she was struggling with something.
Even people with poor eyesight can see that something is wrong with Liu Xu, let alone Wang Qingfeng.
"Do you have unanswered questions?" Wang Qingfeng asked.
Liu Xu nodded, clenched her teeth, as if she was struggling with whether to say or not to say.
"I am your teacher and your guide on Qingyun Road. You have to trust me. If you don't trust me, just keep silent." Wang Qingfeng said.
Liu Xu took several deep breaths, and finally told what she had seen and heard in Sheng County, especially when it came to the Infinite Dao Sutra, her tone became very excited.
“When I entered the profession of a scholar, I felt that reading was for the common people, for the common people, but what I encountered before reversed my thinking, and my mind was very confused.”
Wang Qingfeng's originally frowning brows gradually relaxed as Liu Xu expressed his thoughts.
"What I thought was the matter, it turned out to be this matter."
This means that she doesn't seem to take this matter seriously, but treats it as a trivial matter.
Liu Xu said suspiciously: "The teacher means..."
Wang Qingfeng looked straight at him: "Everyone has a yardstick in their hearts. You have yours, and I have mine. As long as you don't follow evil paths and are positive, you should be firm about the yardstick in your heart and follow this standard. gone."
Liu Xu fell into deep thought.
It's just a short sentence, how can it make her let go of what she thinks.
"You have to understand that if you can't even be firm in your mind, then read a **** book. I said that everyone's thoughts are different, and I am definitely not lying to you. For example, you, Senior Brother Yun, you, Senior Brother Yun, are going to Sheng County, it’s…”
Speaking of this, Wang Qingfeng seemed to realize that he had something to say, so he quickly shut up.
He thought for a while and changed the subject.
"Go to the library, if I can't explain you, then read the books of sages, they will tell you what to do, but when you read, you have to read with this standard in your heart."
Liu Xu nodded, thinking back to what the teacher said just now, the emotions in her heart kept repeating, like waves on the sea, constantly impacting.
Saying goodbye, Liu Xu also left the room and went to the library.
After Liu Xu left, Wang Qingfeng poured a cup of tea, took a sip, and frowned with worry.
"Clouds from the sea, alas..."
In the room, Wang Qingfeng sighed.
…
Sheng County.
Everyone has their own encounters. When each person encounters something, how his mentality will change is not mentioned for the time being.
There is a saying that the darkest hour is before the dawn.
The darkness is like water and ink, covering the earth and the sky. In the darkness, some places are indistinct, and some places are so quiet that a needle can be heard.
County Yali.
Yun Zihai was sitting on a stool, writing at his desk.
On the table, there were several oil lamps, and the bright flames of the oil lamps flickered, illuminating the folders on the table clearly.
It took a full night for him to sort out all the things that needed to be handed over.
"Ahem..."
The sound of coughing came from Yun Zihai's mouth.
Yun Zihai's originally pale cheeks turned rosy because of coughing, as if the light had returned.
In the room, there was a small stove. Yun Zihai got up and went to the small stove, wrapped the earthen pot on the stove with a piece of black cloth, and picked up the earthen pot on the stove.
The light brown Chinese medicine was poured out, and he poured a full bowl before he put down the earthen pot and let the earthen pot fall on the stove again.
Yun raised his head from the sea, drinking in small sips.
The bitter Chinese medicine didn't change his expression at all. After drinking it expressionlessly, Yun Zihai's coughing feeling was finally suppressed.
Seeing that the medicine bowls in front of him had been emptied, leaving only a few remnants of medicine bowls, Yun Zihai couldn't help but think of that Jianghu man named Xu Bai that he met at the medicine shop.
"What an interesting person." Yun Zihai thought to himself.
He is very accurate at seeing people. Even if it is only the first time they meet, he can see that Xu Bai is unusual.
The matter of high strength can be ignored for the time being, what surprised Yun Zihai the most was Xu Bai's temper.
There are what people in the Jianghu should have, but there is no such thing.
It's weird anyway.
Yun Zihai sat on the stool and thought for a long time before letting go of his thoughts.
It's the second day now, and it hasn't been long since the sun shines in.
Yun Zihai hurriedly tidied up for a while, tidied up all the scattered documents on the table, and then prepared to go out.
But before he came to the door, he heard a knock on the door.
"My lord, yesterday you said that today you will visit the entire Sheng County, and the villain has already prepared the carriage." The yamen servant lowered his voice.
How to govern a county well, before governing, the most important thing to do is to understand.
Understanding the customs and customs of this county can better integrate into it.
"Understood, you go down first." Yun Zihai said.
The yamen servant said yes, and left in a hurry.
Yun Zihai came to the door and opened the door.
It was a dark night sky outside, but when he opened the door, a starlight appeared in the night sky.
A long sword cut through the night sky with the reflection of moonlight, and came straight towards the neck of the cloud.
The one holding the long sword is a man dressed in black, even his face and head are covered with a black cloth.
The sword is fast and silent.
If it weren't for the reflection of the moon, this sword would not be visible at all.
"Clang!"
There was a crisp knocking sound.
On the tip of the sword, a piece of paper was covered, and an article was written on the paper.
This sword is so sharp that it can be broken by blowing hairs, but after being entangled in the paper, it seems to lose its strength and stop in mid-air.
Yun Zihai showed a smile on his face: "I thought you would arrive very early, but you are here now. I am really disappointed."
Hearing this meaning, Yun Zihai seemed to have expected that such a day would come.
As soon as the words fell, the man in black raised his spare left hand, and a series of hidden weapons struck towards Yun Zihai's face.
Behind Yun Zihai, pages of books emerged.
The pages of the book rotated in mid-air, catching all the hidden weapons.
Immediately afterwards, on the page of the book, a word "town" floated up and landed on the forehead of the man in black.
"Clang!"
Accompanied by a crisp sound, the long sword in the man's hand fell to the ground, and above his head, there was a word "town".
Yun Zihai stepped forward and removed the mask of the man in black, revealing an ordinary face.
"Tell me where you came from."
The man in black didn't speak, but his face changed.
The face turned from normal to blue-purple, and in a blink of an eye, a smear of blood flowed from the mouth of the man in black, and the man in black had lost his breath of life.
"Poison?" Yun Zihai frowned.
Their fight naturally attracted attention.
Some of the yamen servants who stayed behind at the county government office ran out and saw the body of the man in black in front of them, shouted that there was an assassin, and surrounded Yun Zihai in the middle.
Yun Zihai waved his hand, and let the servants dispose of the corpse, lost in thought.
He remembered what happened just now.
The silent sword was specialized in assassination, but in the end the assassination failed, and he committed suicide by taking poison.
This series of operations looks very professional.
Thinking of this, Yun Zihai called a yamen servant and ordered: "Tell the story of the assassination of this official, and let the people of Sheng County know that this official was injured."
The yamen servant was taken aback for a moment. Although he didn't understand why he did this, he still nodded and left quickly after agreeing.
When the yamen servant left, Yun Zihai returned to his residence.
Since you said you were injured, don't visit the county for now.
…
When the first ray of sunlight in the sky shone on the earth, Sheng County turned from silence to noise.
Various vendors began to set up stalls, and the deserted streets gradually filled with people, and the existence of people added a lot of hustle and bustle to the county.
Today's Sheng County has a different atmosphere, especially the news that it received surprised all the people.
On his first day in office, the county magistrate was assassinated by an assassin and suffered serious injuries.
Once the news spread, it was like fermented dough, which was constantly expanding, and the speed of transmission was getting farther and farther.
More and more people know that apart from being surprised, they are more silent.
This is different from the big events that happened before. The protagonist of the big event has passed away, but now, the county magistrate is still alive, and they dare not talk about it casually.
Of course, when Yun Zihai intentionally released the news, even if the people didn't talk about it, the news seemed to grow feet, and in an instant, it was like a gust of wind blowing the entire county.
The news spread farther and farther, and accompanied by a carrier pigeon, it landed at the gate of Yinyi.
The old postmaster bent down to pick up the carrier pigeon, removed the paper tied to the carrier pigeon's legs, and opened it to have a look.
Yinyi also needs information, they will not be isolated from the world, but need information more than ever.
After all, Yinyi itself is a transportation hub.
"The county magistrate was assassinated?" The old post chief was taken aback, and after recovering, he turned his attention to Xu Bai who was sitting beside the giant tree.
Early this morning, Xu Bai sat motionless in front of the giant tree, as if thinking about life.
The old postmaster felt that Xu Bai should be interested in the news, so he walked over and handed the news in front of Xu Bai.
Xu Bai was still on the liver progress bar, but when he saw the old village chief's movements, he subconsciously took it in his hand.
Opening the letter paper in front of him, he frowned when he saw the content on the letter paper.
"The county magistrate was assassinated, and the assassination failed?" Xu Bai said to himself.
This news is really unexpected.
Xu Bai knew who the county magistrate was.
A talented scholar from Qingyun Academy, and Liu Xu's senior brother, came to Sheng County with this identity, and he kept thinking that there must be some abnormal reason.
Even though Liu Xu said that it was because Yun Zihai killed the prince, there is something strange in it, and Xu Bai has been thinking about it.
According to the laws of the Great Chu State, the lynching was carried out, and he was allowed to come to be an official, which seemed to be punishment, but Xu Bai felt that the punishment was not deep enough.
Not long after he came to Sheng County, he was assassinated. Now it seems that Xu Bai felt that his thoughts were right.
"Want to take a look?" asked the old postmaster.
Xu Bai returned the note in his hand and shook his head: "No."
This matter has nothing to do with him, and he has only met Yun Zihai once, so it would be a bit far-fetched for him to go there.
If it happened to Liu Xu and Wu Hua, he would go over to take a look, but Yun Zihai let it go.
The most important thing now is the progress bar, other than that, everything else can be put down.
After all, the giant tree in front of him cannot be carried with him, and it is even more impossible for him to try to dig out the palm print.
Wait until the progress bar is finished before he can fulfill this wish.
"That's right, and it has nothing to do with you." The old postmaster felt that he was thinking too much, so he stopped talking, went back to his room, and went back to his own business.
Xu Bai stared at the giant tree as usual, and the progress bar was slowly increasing.
Time passed slowly, and it was noon in a blink of an eye.
Even if a major incident happened in Yinyi, and many people in Yinyi died all over the place, the most indispensable thing these days is people.
Several postmen have come to Yinyi and started setting up stalls.
Yinyi, which was originally deserted, seemed a little lively at this time.
Xu Bai wandered around, but after finding no progress bar, he returned to the giant tree and continued to work.
Though the postmen felt strange, they still went about their own business and did not disturb them.
Time passed slowly, Xu Bai thought that today would be like this, but he didn't expect that a group of people passed by Yinyi and stopped.
Five people each rode a fast horse. After arriving, they tied the horses to a tree outside.
Everyone has a dusty smell, and besides that, there is also a looming murderous aura.
It is normal for people who wander around the rivers and lakes to have a murderous look on them.
After the five people came in, they first looked at the booth, but they didn't find anything good, so they sat down at the seats prepared by Yinyi and took a short rest.
Among them was a man with a swollen face, looking around.
When this person saw Xu Bai, he obviously paused, and then quickly moved his gaze elsewhere.
"Third brother, don't cause trouble." The leader was a middle-aged man. Seeing the performance of the strong man, he quickly reprimanded: "It's important to do business."
The burly man nodded, looking past Xu Bai from time to time, with inexplicable emotions in his eyes.
After about an incense stick, the five people rested and prepared to get up and leave.
The third brawny man couldn't bear it any longer, walked up to the middle-aged man, gritted his teeth and said, "Boss, we've been driving for so long, and I haven't caused any trouble at all. I can't take it anymore."
The boss frowned, glanced at the third child, then looked at Xu Bai, and after thinking for a while, nodded slightly: "I only give you a little time, if you can't take it outside, then forget it."
As he spoke, he left with the others.
The third child still stayed where he was, and after the boss left, he rubbed his hands and walked towards Xu Bai with an excited face.
Xu Bai was staring at the giant tree intently, when he heard footsteps behind him, he turned his head and saw a strong man walking towards him.
"Little brother...can you talk about it, I have some money here, you..." The third child was about to speak.
"Not interested." Xu Bai's eyes turned cold.
Three simple words made the old man's complexion change slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"I have never met you before. You come to me now because you just want to talk about something, but I am not interested. Do you understand what it means now?" Xu Bai continued to stare at the progress bar.
"You haven't listened to me yet. It's like this. I'm new to this place and I'm not familiar with some terrains. Can you be my guide? I'll give you money here." The third child said eagerly.
At the same time, he opened the money bag at his waist, revealing the gleaming silver.
"Not interested." Xu Bai continued.
The third child frowned even more when he heard this.
But he remembered what the boss said just now, thought carefully for a moment, turned and left without saying anything.
Before turning around, his eyes flicked over Xu Bai, with a sense of ignorance.
After the third child left, Xu Bai stared at the progress bar on the tree for a while, finally sighed, got up slowly, and came to the door of the old postmaster's room.
"I'm going out for a while, senior, please take a look at this tree for me."
"Go, I'm an official, I can manage it here." The voice of the old postmaster came out.
Xu Bai didn't say any more, and walked out of Yinyi with a ghost knife on his waist.
Outside the Yin post.
The youngest and the eldest meet up.
"Why didn't I see anyone and didn't bring him here?" The boss said in a strange tone.
The third child shook his head, with a kind of greed in his eyes.
"At this point, don't make trouble for me, do you understand?" the boss urged.
"Understood." The third child hurriedly agreed: "You also know me. This kid has a delicate skin, tender flesh, and good features. Afterwards, I will destroy the corpse."
The boss nodded and didn't say any more, but seemed to acquiesce to the third's actions.
The five of them were in a hurry, and they walked in one direction without staying any longer.
After they left for a long time, Xu Bai walked out from the shadow beside him, with cold eyes.
"Tender skin and tender meat?"
"Good features?"
"Do you still want to come to me later and destroy the corpse?"
"Then it will be hard to keep you."
(end of this chapter)