Sword of Coming

The Yu Dynasty was named Shenlong.

After parting ways with Cui Dongshan, Wang Zhu only had Gong Yan and Wang Qiongju with him, and the other three Shuifu servants, Huang Man, the jade Taoist who was a ghost immortal, Li Ba, whose Taoist name was Tempering Palm, and Ximan, who was born in the land of earth dragons. Since the three of them have been recruited by the Qingping Sword Sect, they need to conduct on-site inspections of the future trend of Dadu and the mountains and rivers along the way. They cannot be taken advantage of by having their wages deducted for their hard work. Wang and Zhu are more like Traveling all the way, stopping and stopping, depending on the mood of the king of the East Sea, the two parties parted ways and made an appointment to meet at Jicui Temple in Luojing.

Between the palace city and the imperial city of Luojing, there is a Baimi Lane, where the Jicui Temple of Abbot Lu Birong, the protector of the country, is located.

The Taoist temple buildings are all made of green glazed tiles made from royal official kilns. The temple is full of lush pines and cypresses, with long-standing trees and green shade all year round, hence the name Jicui.

However, Huang Man and the others arrived in Luojing earlier than the three people who had nothing to do and were waiting at a tea stall at the entrance of a post station outside the capital. As expected, at noon today when the sun was shining brightly, there were two people on the official road. They picked up a simple carriage, and the driver was Wang Qiongju, a young man with a red leather gourd slung across his back. Looking at his attire, outsiders could tell that he was a practitioner. An ordinary man would not be stupid when traveling, carrying such an eye-catching big thing on his back. gourd.

Wang Zhu, who was dressed in a snow-white robe, stepped out of the carriage, followed closely by Gong Yan, who was dressed in rich clothes. She stopped her horse to drink tea and filled a table.

Only the young man was not qualified to drink tea at the table, so he could only squat on the roadside with a tea bowl.

Gong Yan couldn't help but said: "Shuijun, do we really want to have anything to do with this Yu dynasty?"

She really didn't have a good impression of the Yu Dynasty. Along the way, she saw that the officials were mostly pragmatic and liked to talk and achieve great results. Many local policies were just frivolous and showy.

A decree from the Six Ministries and Government Offices in Luojing is issued at all levels, but in the end the people may only get three cents of benefits. Local officials with clever pens can achieve eleven cents of results.

In the latest list of the top ten dynasties of Tongyezhou, the Daquan Dynasty ranks first, the Dachong Dynasty ranks third, and the Yu Dynasty ranks fifth. But for such a dynasty whose reputation has long been ruined, the officials seem to have been pumped and shouting. We must protect five and fight for three.

Li Ba said: "The water in the big spring is extremely deep and difficult to control. Assume that the national power of the Yao family in the big spring is ten and the Yu family is five. Then the big spring can be used by our water house, at most two or three, but the Yu family's national power is five. How many can be used by the water house?" No matter how much you are willing to give, after such a comparison, it is naturally more cost-effective for Shui Mansion to support the Yu Dynasty. The only problem is that I am afraid that this Yu Dynasty will not be stingy and cannot afford to support it, but will cause trouble for our Shui Mansion. "

Huang Man smiled and said: "In short, it's because Yao Jinzhi refuses to obey. This bitch's bones are too hard, which is normal. If it weren't for this temper, how could he have defended Daquan Guozuo? I remember that the wild monster clan opened fire on Mirage City. The terms of the offer are still very good, the only one. On the other hand, the Emperor Yu who was lying on the hospital bed was very obedient, and he vented more anger than he took in. He was still thinking about how to please us, but he didn't know that the crown prince Yu Lin who inherited the throne You, what's your attitude? This trip to Luojing, Li Ba, you are also a national master, so you have to help me master Zhang Yan."

Gong Yan glared and said, "Speak politely to me, don't talk like a pussy."

Huang Man couldn't help but laugh, "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ah, now you turn your elbows outward, are you sharing the same hatred with Yao Jinzhi?"

Wang Zhu sneered and said: "Support? The Yu Dynasty and our Shui Mansion just pay tribute on time every year."

Gong Yan glanced at the outer city wall of Luojing. The city's protective formation of the Yu Dynasty was in name only. It could at most resist the collision of a Jindan monk. Was it because the Ministry of Revenue was trying to save money for the treasury, or was it because it relied too much on the city? The Taoist protection of the real protector of the country?

Wang Qiongju immediately took out a money bag filled with broken silver and copper coins and ran to pay the bill.

Then the group used the shrinking method and went straight to the street outside the gate of a Taoist temple. Different from the bustling traffic in the past, the entire wide white rice lane is now heavily guarded, with guards guarding both ends of the lane. It is said that the National Master has recently In the retreat, the entire Luo Jing was talking a lot, especially the dignitaries who were relatively familiar with the affairs of the mountain. They were looking forward to it. Is it possible that our Yu Dynasty is going to have a Jade Pu Realm deity? !

One looked at a beautiful lady in her thirties, wearing a jasper Taizhen crown, stepping on a pair of green lotus and white lotus root fairy shoes, and holding a snow-white whisk in her hand.

She looked away from the inn outside the capital and slowly walked down the viewing platform, which is the tallest building in the Taoist temple. A Tai Chi diagram was laid out with two kinds of jade, and two black and white yin and yang fish came together to form a full moon.

It is the contemporary master of Jicui Temple, the current guardian of the Yu Dynasty, the national teacher Lu Bilong, whose Taoist name is "Full Moon".

Lu Bilong's figure disappeared in a flash, and she arrived at the door of the Taoist temple in an instant. She ordered the Taoist concierge to open the middle door of the Taoist temple immediately.

"Jicui looked at Lu Bicong and saw the king of the East Sea."

Lu Birong walked down the steps, wearing a "Feng Marsh" robe, even though he saw a Lord of Donghai Sea with the highest rank in the world who had a godly title, and a woman who was only at the Nascent Soul Realm. Guan, still looking calm, waved his fly whisk, and said with a heartfelt smile: "I have received a secret letter from the master before, and I learned that you are coming to our temple. I have been waiting for a long time, so I asked your Majesty to mobilize the Imperial Guards in front of the palace and bring the white rice to the palace. Martial law is enforced near the alley to prevent too much noise near the Taoist temple."

Huang Man had the highest level of cultivation among the soldiers, and he always felt that the female Imperial Master in front of him was a bit weird, but he couldn't tell exactly what was weird.

It's like it's missing a bit of humanity.

Wang Zhu narrowed his eyes.

It turned out to be a porcelain man.

Wang Zhu stepped up the steps and said, "Ask Yu Linyou and Huang Shanshou to come here to see me immediately."

Lu Birong turned sideways and waited until Wang Zhu took the lead on the third step. Then he followed and nodded and smiled, "Wait a moment, Shui-kun, I'll call someone over."

Nu Guan took out an origami blue kite from her sleeve, held the kite between her fingers, put it to her mouth and whispered, "The Lord of Donghai Sea is coming to Jicui Temple, please invite His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the General." Huang Shanshou came here to meet him together.

Then Lu Birong gently threw the blue paper kite into the air. It was full of light, like a bird flapping its wings very quickly, drawing a beautiful stream of fireflies in the air.

Nu Guan led this group of foreign dignitaries to an elegant room, took out a set of royal tea sets, and Lu Birong sat down with her knees bent and began to make tea.

Wang Zhu sat cross-legged, supporting his knees with one hand and holding his chin. He didn't bother to pay attention to the "dove occupying the magpie's nest" opposite, and just turned his head to look out at the courtyard.

Gong Yan laughed from the bottom of her heart and said: "I heard that Huang Shanshou is a far-traveling martial artist. He is only about forty years old and has no master to guide him. His martial arts skills are all gained from fighting in the battlefield. If the rumors are true, short time In just ten years, we broke through three realms in a row.”

Li Ba said: "A rare talent in the temple, the Yu Dynasty is supported by him. Confucian benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom and trust are all in short supply. This popularity makes the veranda very large."

Huang Shanshou was born into a poor family and did not study much. He joined the army at a young age. At that time, the land was sinking. Huang Shanshou did not follow the old emperor of the Yu family to escape to the secret realm of the Qingzhuan sect. Instead, he was surrounded by the monster army and pulled up An elite group of light cavalry, which relies on fighting to support fighting, greatly involves the energy of a barbaric military tent. He once sent a Jade Pu Realm monster to intercept and kill this person, and threw out bait several times to set up traps. However, Huang Shanshou seemed to have an unpredictable battlefield intuition and never bit the bait until the end of the war between the two worlds. , Huang Shanshou's elite cavalry never stopped harassing the demon clan's troops stationed in various places in the Yu Dynasty.

Therefore, the new deputy director of Tianmu Academy, Wen Yu, a Confucian gentleman with outstanding military exploits, once publicly commented that the military commander Huang Shanshou was the jade in this pit of the Yu Dynasty.

Wen Yu made no secret of his praise for Huang Shanshou and his disgust for the Yu Dynasty.

Huang Man stretched out two fingers, gently twirled a strand of hair at his temples, and said with a smile: "You are in your forties, and you have reached the point where your achievements are unparalleled. This is not what it means to be a master of great achievements."

Gong Yan sneered and said: "If it weren't for Wen Yu's words, given the suspicious character of the old Emperor Yu, he probably wouldn't have been a general for a few years before he could retire."

As a result, Huang Shanshou didn't come.

Only one prince from the Yu Dynasty came.

Sitting next to Lu Birong, Yu Linyou looked apologetic and explained that General Huang, in addition to being the abbot of the affairs of the Ministry of War, also held the title of Minister of the Ministry of Punishments. There happened to be an emergency meeting involving all important officials of the two ministries, so General Huang I really can't get away.

Lu Bilong smiled half-heartedly, turned around and handed His Highness the Crown Prince a cup of hot tea.

It's hard for Yu Linyou to help Huang Shanshou find such a reasonable excuse.

Wang Zhu still did not change his gaze, staring at a short tree in the courtyard, and said casually: "Since Huang Shanshou is so big, I'll trouble you, the Yu Dynasty, to give you a few more honorary titles, such as the crown prince and Taibao. , let Huang Shanshou retire and return to his hometown. Anyway, the war is over, and what else do you need for a general? Why not return to your hometown with honor, take a good rest, and study martial arts with all your heart. Maybe after twenty years, I can help you Yu. The dynasty has a new master who suppresses martial arts."

Yu Linyou's face turned slightly pale, and he clenched the tea cup tightly with his fingers, speechless.

Wang Zhu straightened up and turned to look at the Crown Prince, "Can't you understand people?"

Yu Linyou said in a trembling voice: "General Huang is the mainstay of our Yu Dynasty..."

Wang Zhu waved his hand, "Then I will make it clearer and let you choose between the throne and Huang Shanshou. Anyway, after the old emperor dies, only one of you can show up in the court, or you, Yu Linyou." Sitting on that dragon chair, either Huang Shanshou continues to stand at the head of the class of civil and military officials. I originally asked you to come together this time, just for such a small thing. If you didn't come, but Huang Shanshou came, I would Ask him if he is interested in changing his surname, otherwise he will resign and go into seclusion."

Yu Linyou Shenqing was constantly changing, apparently caught in a battle between heaven and man.

Wang Zhu sneered and said: "Don't they say that the sons and grandsons of dragons born in the emperor's family, if they have the opportunity to sit on the dragon throne, let alone men, even women, have some imperial character? It's that simple Do you still need to hesitate about your choice?”

Huang Man laughed from the bottom of his heart and said: "I thought Yu Linyou would be furious and refuse the matter righteously. He would rather give up the throne than keep Huang Shanshou's official status."

Li Ba said calmly: "Just wait and see. As soon as Yu Linyou leaves Jicui Temple, he will immediately secretly send a letter to Dafu Academy to complain to the Confucian Temple."

Gong Yanyan smiled and said: "I'm really not afraid of completely breaking up with our Shui Mansion. If His Highness the Crown Prince really takes risks like this, does it count as gaining wealth through danger?"

Lu Birong stood up to see him off, and Yu Linyou left Jicuiguan in despair. With a heavy heart, he sat in the carriage without saying a word.

Gong Yanxiao asked: "What is this?"

Wang Zhu said casually: "It's boring, just joking."

Not like a joke.

Huang Man fell back to the ground, used his hands as a pillow, crossed his legs and swayed, "My Lord Shuijun, why bother asking for trouble? How lenient is the control of the Confucian Academy nowadays, especially that Deputy Chief Wen of the Tianmu Academy? He is also a notorious thorn, don’t mess with anyone like this Wen Yu.”

Wang Zhu said calmly: "I am a passing guest of the Yu Dynasty. I was fortunate enough to meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince by chance at Jicui Temple. We had a very pleasant conversation. After drinking a cup of tea, I made a personal suggestion. I will accept it if you don't accept it." , I can’t let the Yu Dynasty go their separate ways from now on.”

Huang Man didn't want to argue with Wang Zhu about this issue. It would be nice if it was so easy.

It's just that Lord Suijun, who is in a high position, always behaves and speaks like this. He comes up with his thoughts as they come out. They, the ministers who support the dragon, just get used to it.

Teach her to "be a human being"?

Don’t forget, Wang Zhu is a genuine Ascension Realm monk, and he is the only true dragon in the world!

Just talk about the Taoist name "Qingzhong", the owner of Lushui Pit, Mrs. Dandan who is in charge of the world's land and water transportation.

After this great Ascended Realm demon who suddenly became famous was personally canonized by the Confucian Temple's Yasheng, his Taoist name "Qingzhong" was upgraded to a godly name above the golden and jade genealogy. After the South Sea Lord Li Yehou also had the godly name "Bright Moon" , and Mrs. Dandan is actually quite arrogant with Liu Rouxi, the king of Xihaihai whose god is called "Bishui". Although they have the same rank in the Confucian Temple, Mrs. Dandan is like standing on her own mountain, so She is slightly taller than her colleagues by half a head, but when she sees Wang Zhu alone, she is like a maid who has become a young lady, suddenly rich, and meets a real rich lady again. When she gets along with Wang Zhu, she looks pleasant and talks softly, which is not respectful. But flattering.

Privately, Huang Man and several Shuifu servants speculated whether the very old Mrs. Dandan had something in the hands of Wang Zhu's ancestors before the dragon-slaying battle. After all, three thousand years ago, the unruly dragon dragon... Because he was a hero in the ancient battle to ascend to heaven, he was able to control the flow of water in the entire world. In later generations, anyone who practices water magic will be a Qi practitioner. No matter what his origin is, whether he is a mountain spirit, a water monster, or a human Qi practitioner, when he meets these The owner of the water transport that makes clouds and rain usually have to pay some respect and give way.

But no one dared to ask Wang Zhu about this matter.

Dragons have reverse scales.

Absolutely true.

Wang Zhu looked at the porcelain man who looked exactly like a real person, "Where is the real Lu Bicong hiding now?"

"Lu Birong" smiled and said: "Reporting to Shuijun, the Wan Yao genealogy monk whose real name is Long Gong is currently drinking tea at Tianmu Academy."

Huang Man's eyes lit up, and he didn't mind watching the excitement. He sat up and asked curiously: "Is it the Wanyao Sect that owns the Three Mountains Blessed Land? I remember that the sect leader is called Han Jiangshu. It is said that he is a very capable immortal, especially proficient in fighting. The talisman has many killer weapons."

Wang Zhu didn't care about an Immortal Realm monk. No matter how high his methods were, he was still just an Immortal and a local snake in Tongye Continent.

Even though he is already an ascended monk at the top of Haoran Mountain, few Wang Zhu can take notice of him now. He is both arrogant and confident.

What's more, so what if it's the Fourteenth Realm?

She could be too. And it won't be long. This is the only reason why Wang Zhu is willing to serve as the Lord of Donghai Sea. In the future, when she retreats and has an identity, she can be more secure.

There is only one person who is her mortal enemy.

Sword master Chen Qingliu.

On the way to the dragon-slaying battle, Chen Qingliu once took a break at Lushuikeng, and had a mysterious sword refining that swallowed up the transportation of the East Sea.

Of course, Mrs. Dandan was forced by the situation and had no choice but to open the ban on Lushui Pit and "actively invite" the sword immortal to enter.

It's just that Wang Zhu has regained his true dragon status now. What do you care about your so-called difficulties?

In addition, Mrs. Dandan is different from Li Yehou and Liu Rouxi. She is from the demon clan and practices water magic, so she is innately suppressed by the real dragon.

But it doesn't matter, except for Wang Zhu, and during the last meeting in the Confucian Temple, she met several enlightened people who "chatted", such as Huolong Zhenren, Fu Lu Yuxuan, and Longhushan Great Master Zhao Tianlai, which made Mrs. Dandan tremble. In addition, she Nowadays, in the Middle-earth Divine Continent, every time he goes out to patrol the territory, he is still very majestic.

But in addition to this, there was another unreasonable disaster that made Mrs. Dandan mute and eat Coptis chinensis, which made it even more difficult for her to say a harsh word to Wang Zhu.

In the past, Taoist ancestors planted gourd vines with their own hands and produced seven "sword-raising gourds".

Donghaiguan Taoist Temple, the fire-burning boy of Bixiao Cave Master, owns a "Dou Liang", the big golden gourd, which is carried by the little Taoist boy on his back.

This stinky old Taoist, before going to Qingming Tianxia, ​​did something that had a profound impact on Haoran's water transportation. This was also the thing that made Wang Zhu most angry, because the old temple master issued a decree to let that Taoist The boy carried a "measured" gourd on his back, invited or caught him, and put almost all the East China Sea dragons into the gourd. This is also the reason why no dragon rested on the Dragon Resting Stone in the name of Lushui Keng in the past few years.

In addition, the old Taoist priests used magic skills to reach the sky, tilting the water surface of the sea so that it is higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast, injecting it into the "Dou Quantity".

According to Wang Zhu's estimation, this stinky old man took away at least nearly 10% of the entire Haoran world's water transport.

But the Confucian Temple did not stop this from beginning to end.

Qingming Tianxia's water transportation is originally thin, far inferior to Haoran Tianxia's. If the smelly old Taoist pours out the sea water in the gourd, Qingming Tianxia can increase its water transportation by 30%.

Mrs. Dandan thinks that what the old Taoist priest at Donghai Taoist Temple has to do with me?

But on the ferry that was going to the wild world through Guixu, Wang Zhu asked her why she didn't stop her.

Mrs. Dandan almost collapsed on the spot. She only felt that she was full of bitterness but did not dare to waver. My sister-in-law, you asked me, an Ascension Realm monk, to stop a Fourteenth Realm who likes to fight with Taoist ancestors after being full?

Wang Zhu stood up, walked out of the house, and looked up at the sky.

A new debate among the three religions is about to begin.

On the Haoran World side, the God-Lords of the Five Mountains of the Middle Earth and the Lords of the Seas of the Four Seas are all qualified to attend.

In the dispute between the three religions, we sit and discuss the Tao.

Haoran Confucian Temple, Western Buddhist Kingdom, and Qingming Tianxia Baiyujing will each send gentlemen, sages, Taoists, and Buddhist disciples to participate in the debate.

On the Confucian side, Yuan Yu, the young mountain chief of Hengqu Academy and a close disciple of Yasheng, will definitely participate if nothing unexpected happens.

Over at Qing Ming Tian Xia, Tao Ancestor's close disciple, the young Taoist priest named Shan Qing, will probably participate.

The number of people from the three religions who can participate in Tao discussions generally ranges from three to nine, and there is no set rule.

This "quarrel" is not a group fight. The number of people is not important. Even the long history of debates among the three religions has proven that large numbers of people are useless.

But only one person is sent, which is very rare. In nearly ten thousand years, there have been only three times.

Last two times.

Once, Qingming Tianxia sent Lu Chen, who left his hometown, and later became Headmaster Bai Yujingsan.

In that debate, Lu Chen was the first to speak, and no one else spoke after that. The other "scholars" and monks of the two religions simply gave in.

Once, the Confucian Temple asked an unknown scholar with only the title of "Xiucai" to participate in a debate. This person became the later Confucian literary sage.

In this debate, the scholar surnamed Xun spoke last, which resulted in many Taoists and Buddhists switching to Confucianism.

Therefore, the high-ranking landscape gods and top sects who have received reports from the Confucian Temple all have a common guess.

For example, at the Confucian Temple, will the closed disciples of the old scholar be allowed to participate in this debate?

————

A tiger with a slender figure and a high status, and a thin old scholar, just looked at each other with big eyes and small eyes.

There was a big difference in height between the two parties, one head in height, so the old scholar stood on tiptoes, holding two pots of green calamus under his arms.

Bah, is this called stealing? This is called robbing.

The divine king of Jiuyi Mountain, his real name is Ning Yuan, his Taoist name is Yuguan, and his divine name is Cangwu.

Ning Yuan blocked the way of this literary saint and said with a straight face: "Do you think it is appropriate?"

"I think it's appropriate."

The old scholar nodded and said: "If you ask me to take another pot and I can't free up my hands, it will be really inappropriate. Brother Cangwu, don't be picky. Who of us will follow whom? It depends on our relationship. Don't To deal with those vain people, please be polite to me. I won’t do anything wrong. Two pots of calamus are enough.”

Ning Yuan said with a dark face, "Xun, you've got it right. My temper is no better than that of Suishan Zhouyou."

After just drinking and having a good chat, the old scholar said goodbye and left. Soon, the chief officer of the Wen Yun Department hurried over and said that Master Wen Sheng had taken away two pots of Wen Yun calamus and swaggered out of the garden, meeting him all the way. People said it was given to you by the tiger.

The old scholar thought for a while, and then began to use his emotions to reason, "Cang Wu, you can't just grow tall without having a conscience. Tell it for yourself. The most outstanding book in Jiuyi Mountain is How did you come here? Huh?"

Jiuyi Mountain is lined with monuments and monuments. Among countless famous mountains, it is only inferior to Zhongyue Suishan.

Moreover, Bai Ye never left any cliff carvings of poems in Suishan, but he wrote several poems in Jiuyi Mountain. This was just because Bai Ye had climbed mountains with Liu Shiliu. It is said that it was at Liu Shiliu's suggestion that Bai Ye That's why he spared no effort in writing and talent. The reason why Liu Shiliu is like this is that Cangwu, the god of Jiuyi Mountain, not only highly admires his knowledge, but most importantly, his husband once revealed something personally, saying that Ning Yuan was extremely insightful and praised himself as He is a very poor man, so his articles are the most ancient. This is nothing. Now that Mr. has become famous, you can just pick up such good words on the street. But one of Ning Yuan's opinions is a bit unflattering. He said that my old scholar's articles are like the sun, moon, stars, latitude and longitude of heaven and earth, and everyone knows and admires his wisdom. Your disciple, Xiuhu Cui Chengze Otherwise, its way is like vitality, which moves in chaos, and all things follow it without knowing it.

The teacher is always like this, never minding others praising his students, even if they rate him higher than himself.

You just need to praise me, the old scholar, happily. Whoever takes it seriously is a fool. But if anyone praises my students and speaks sincerely, then I, the old scholar, will take it seriously!

Ning Yuan said helplessly: "At least leave a basin."

The old scholar burped.

Ning Yuan said in a low voice: "At worst, I'll change the pot for you. It's less than three thousand years old, but it's already two thousand years old."

In fact, this Jiuyi Mountain Divine Lord, last time the Literary Sage restored his position in the Confucian Temple, he went to the Merit Forest to congratulate and gave a pot of the thousand-year-old Wen Yuan calamus. It was not that Ning Yuan refused to give a better gift, but that he was in the mountains and rivers. There are some concerns in the officialdom. Otherwise, given the personal friendship between Ning Yuan and the old scholar, it would not be a big deal to give away a pot of calamus that was three thousand years old. This is the same as giving money in red envelopes at the foot of the mountain. If the congratulatory guests from similar family backgrounds are all given a red envelope of one tael of silver, but one person insists on giving a red envelope of ten taels of silver, it will be a slap in the face of others.

On the other hand, the female divine monarch from Yanzhi Mountain did not have these taboos, and the gifts she gave were the most expensive at the time, and she had her own reasons for this.

The old scholar complained: "I'm afraid of persuading people to drink at the wine table, and I'm afraid of being stingy in life. In my impression, Brother Cangwu is so ambitious. If you act coyly today, I'm going to look down on you!"

Lord Cangwu laughed angrily and said, "I didn't let your beloved disciple climb the mountain before. It's just that outsiders didn't know the truth. They thought I was putting on airs. Why are you, an old scholar, pretending to be stupid with me?"

The old scholar made such a fuss. In the final analysis, he was still angry in his heart and was unreasonably protecting his calf. Previously, Chen Ping'an was not allowed to climb Mount Jiuyi, and the student's front legs were weak, so the husband's back legs were now looking for trouble.

The old scholar asked doubtfully: "What truth?"

"Don't ask me questions knowingly."

The old scholar said angrily: "If you insist on saying that, I won't be happy to hear it. Let me argue with you."

"It's what the Holy Master meant. Don't pretend to be stupid with me."

"Then you call the Holy Master over, and I will confront the old man face to face to verify whether it is true or false!"

Cang Wu had a wry smile on his face, "Are you as rogue as you?"

As a result, someone pressed the old scholar's shoulder and said, "How about a confrontation? Let's talk about it."

The old scholar turned around and looked, oh, it's the Holy Master.

With a tilt of his shoulders and a twist of his toes, the old scholar turned around and stood beside the Holy Master. He still held two pots of calamus under his arm and said seriously: "The Lord Cangwu wanted to give me three pots of calamus, but I said no. Cangwu Divine Power was not happy and blocked the road to prevent me from leaving..."

Ning Yuan bowed to his sage master.

The Holy Master smiled and nodded in greeting, taking the lead to move forward, and the old scholar immediately followed him.

Ning Yuan hesitated for a moment, and the old scholar turned his head and winked at him. Don't stay there and follow him.

The Holy Master said: "Do you have any plans?"

The old scholar looked embarrassed and said, "Let's forget it."

The Holy Master smiled and said: "You are self-aware."

Chen Pingan was not recommended to participate in the debate among the three religions.

The old scholar said: "After all, he is still young, and he is busy now. We at the Confucian Temple should not bother others all the time."

As he spoke, he handed two pots of calamus to Lord Cangwu, saying that he would hold them first.

The old scholar rolled up his sleeves and put on a fighting stance, "It's really not possible. If you must win, let me do it."

Cang Wu was full of doubts. There are rules for debates among the three religions. Those who have achieved Taoism, Confucian sages, Taoist immortals, and Buddhist resident arhats are not allowed to participate in the debate.

In the end, the old scholar said: "Anyway, it's not the first time that I have removed the throne. I will move it back after I win the argument."

Ning Yuan took a deep breath.

The Holy Master didn't even bother to talk.

The old scholar sighed, "I have talked with that young monk twice in the colorful world. It is true that Buddhism is profound. I don't think anyone in the younger generation of scholars in the world can quarrel with him."

The Holy Master said: "What if Li Xisheng would participate in the debate."

The old scholar touched his chin and gave a fair statement, "Compared to the kind of guaranteed victory I participated in the debate, it is slightly inferior."

The Holy Master smiled and said, "Please accompany me to Shaozhou."

The old scholar suddenly grabbed the sage's arm and said, "Don't be in a hurry, go later."

The Holy Master patted the back of the old scholar's hand and signaled to let go.

It doesn't work, it doesn't work at all.

The Holy Master raised his hand and was about to slap him down.

The old scholar still didn't let go, but increased his strength.

There is "Shao" in the ancient music. Confucius said that it is extremely beautiful and extremely good.

The Most Holy Master said angrily: "Xun, please don't force me to curse."

The old scholar let go of his hand, his face full of sadness, and murmured: "Scholars in the world, we scholars, never need a high clay statue. We need someone to watch all the mistakes and corrections of us scholars with cold eyes and heart!"

The Holy Master smiled and said: "The future generations are to be feared. How could we know that those who come will not be here now."

The old scholar rubbed his chin, nodded and whispered, "Thank you very much. I'm so embarrassed. You can't let Li Sheng and Ya Sheng listen to this."

Then Lord Cangwu heard the Holy Master speak... the Three-Character Sutra.

————

This seems to be the first time Chen Pingan has set foot in this city in Chuzhou.

Chuzhou, Baoxi County and Pingnan County have the prefecture and county offices in the same city. Among them, the Baoxi County government office has gold characters on a black background.

At first glance, it is the handwriting of the head of the Zhao family in Tianshui. It is in regular script and has a bit of the charm of an ancient stele.

At first glance, the rules are strict and meticulous, but if you look closely, you can see that there is freedom in the rules.

Chen Ping'an is here to meet a friend he has known for a short time, Jing Kuan, the new governor of Baoxi County and a former doctor in the Qing Li Division of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in the capital.

Friends of friends may not necessarily become friends, but Chen Pingan feels honored to be able to become friends with a true scholar like Jing Kuan.

Nowadays, Xinchuzhou's officialdom, large and small offices, do not have access control. As for where this tradition came from, there are two theories. One is that it originated from Yuan Zhengding's Longquan County Prefect's Yamen, and some say that it originated from Cao Gengxin when he was in office. At the beginning of the kiln construction supervision office, according to the drunkard supervisor, the people in the small town could just stroll around casually as long as they did not come to the construction supervision office to dry their grains, which would make the officials have nowhere to go. But if they brought wine, then It’s also negotiable! Once, a child's broken paper kite fell into the government office, and it was Cao Duzao who personally delivered it to his home. However, some people also said that it was because the little kid wearing crotchless pants had an older sister who was very pretty. Cao Duzao It's just that the drunkard's intention is not to drink.

Officials like Cao Duzao don't seem to have left many Qingming achievements worth mentioning in the county annals, but maybe for the people in the small town, they have an extra impression of Dali officials, and The impression is good. In short, after that, the superiors followed the example, starting from the Huaihuang County Government, and over time, it became the official rule agreed upon by the entire old Longzhou, and Wei Li, the appointed governor, had no objection to this.

Just because you can enter the Yamen at will does not mean that you can walk around in the Yamen's public buildings at will.

After learning that Master Chen from Luopo Mountain was visiting, someone immediately informed Master Jing.

The pile of books and files made people busy. Jing Kuan, who was wearing official uniform, rubbed his eyes, put down an official document on the prevention of rivers and ditches in his jurisdiction, and quickly walked out of the government office. He met Chen Pingan, the county official. Lord Shou just held his fists and said no polite words, but the smile on his face was not small.

Chen Pingan raised his hands and said jokingly: "I came to the top of the mountain with empty hands. When Master Jing goes to Luopo Mountain to drink, I will punish myself with three drinks first."

Jing Kuan quickly waved his hand and said: "It's no problem to go to Luopo Mountain and sit for a while. Drinking tea is very good. Mr. Chen, please don't mention drinking to me now. Last time we were at the Changpu River, it was so bad that I can smell the alcohol now." Just a headache.”

Chen Ping'an said: "I'm just here for a stroll. I won't delay Brother Jing's official business, right?"

Jing Kuan said: "To put it politely, as the chief official of a county, I am just hanging out with Mr. Chen all day long, and it is all official business. But to be honest, the government office does not treat guests well, and I took two quarters of an hour out of my busy schedule. It’s not a problem.”

Chen Pingan smiled and said: "Then take me to visit the government office casually? Two quarters of an hour is enough."

Jing Kuan had a slight surprise, but it was nothing. It was not an exception. To be honest, no matter how many identities Mr. Chen had, his background was still a Confucian disciple.

Although the two parties had only met twice and had a drink, Jing Kuan was very sure of his feelings.

After that, Jing Kuan took Chen Pingan to visit many public houses of a government office. Along the way, Chen Pingan would also ask about many details such as the schools for promotion, the ceremony and post office, etc. Fortunately, Jing Kuan was an extremely diligent person who liked and was good at Officials who pursue trivial details may not be able to answer those tricky questions on the spot otherwise. After asking and answering questions, two quarters of an hour passed quickly. Chen Pingan also visited a government office, then said goodbye and left. He only invited Brother Jing to have a drink at Luo Lo Mountain when he had free time, and he would cook in person. There is no drinking at the table. Then I asked whether the new county magistrate of Pingnan County, which is now the head county of Baoxi County, is named Fu Hu, who comes from the post office of the Vehicle and Driving Department of the Ministry of War in the capital. Jing Kuan nodded and said yes, and also said that this man was the younger brother of Fu Yu, the previous chief official of Baoxi County. Since the county seat was in the same city, Jing Kuan often met with this subordinate, but for the time being, he could not tell the political background of this first county official. Pros and cons.

Chen Ping'an left the government office and took up the post of Fu Yu, the governor of Baoxi County. He was a son of a noble family in the capital. He first came to the town with Wu Yuan. He was one of the first Dali officials to enter the world of Lizhudong. Last year, he came to Beijing to report on his duties and was promoted to Zhan Shiyuan, the youngest member of Zhanshi Yuan, was in charge of Zuo Chunfang. He was a first-class official with a noble status.

It's a pity that Fu Yu was not a Jinshi in the imperial examinations, and the Hanlin Academy had never sent a younger brother to the battlefield like Liu Xunmei. The lack of these two kinds of experience was a big obstacle to Fu Yu's future promotion.

There is a river meandering through Pingnan County. There are boats fishing on the river. When the bamboo shoots are blooming in the mountains, the water rises by a pole in spring.

Fu Hu had just finished handling some official business today. He was not in a hurry to return to the county government, so he asked a few subordinate officials to go home first. He sat alone by the river and started fishing. They were all prepared when he went out.

The elder brother Fu Yu is just one year older than Fu Hu. The eldest brother is his father, and Fu Yu has a smooth career and is rising rapidly, so Fu Hu is very afraid of this brother who is always serious in speech.

After all, the head of the Jiexi Report Office is only in the seventh rank, and he is a small yamen with no real power. Compared with Nanxunfang, which is full of doctors, he is insignificant.

Fu Hu held the pole in one hand and a mutton-fat jade handle in the other hand, stroking it gently with the palm of his hand.

This time I left the capital to serve as an official, leaving the hat-strap alley where I thought I would stay for a few more years. It was a flat move, but Chuzhou was originally Dali Shangzhou, and Pingnan County belonged to the Shangxian County of Dali Dynasty. Being the parent official of this county is of course considered important. Fu Hu and the magistrate of Huaihuang County could speak louder even when they arrived at the governor's mansion and spoke to several prefects. Fu Hu, who had waited until the official document was delivered to the good news office, was living there leisurely and leisurely. He was confused at first. He mistakenly thought it was his father or his brother Fu Yu. He secretly worked hard to help with the operation and got such a place. Really lacking.

After a New Year's Eve dinner, Fu Hu and Fu Yu stayed up late to watch the New Year together. Fu Hu summoned up the courage to ask about the matter, but his brother shook his head and said that it was not his and his family's fault. Without this ability, one can decide on a candidate for the chief official of Da Lishang County with just a few words. In the end, Fu Hu was confused and came to Pingnan County, this state, to take office. The territory under his jurisdiction was full of mountains and bamboo forests.

From the corner of Fu Hu's eyes, he caught a glimpse of a man in blue shirt with a hosta on his head. He was carrying a fishing rod and a fishing basket tied to his waist. He came slowly. The man picked an adjacent fishing spot. He was suspected of borrowing a fishing spot. As an expert, Fu Hu doesn't care about this. All anglers in the world are one family, as long as this guy doesn't be jealous of his catch and throw rocks into the water. It seemed that the other party was just half a bucket of water. After throwing the rod and scattering bait for a long time, no fish took the bait. The main reason was that he was a little anxious after lifting the rod several times. It would be strange if the fish didn't run away. So the man put down the fishing rod and moved to fish. Hu squatted on his side, stretched his neck to look at the fish basket, and then looked at each other with Fu Hu. Both parties understood and understood instantly. They each nodded without saying a word. Even if they reached a consensus, Fu Hu would look back from the fish basket. He took out a few fish and gave them to this colleague who met by chance but was not good at fishing.

In this way, you will be less scolded when you go home. After all, as long as you don’t return empty-handed, you can still blame the fish for being unlucky, and it has little to do with fishing skills.

The man started to find something to say, "Brother, you are very particular about tying fishing lines. I have never seen this before. Did you come here for a big herring weighing thirty to fifty kilograms?"

Fu Hu smiled and said, "Want to learn?"

The man nodded and said, "As long as my brother is willing to teach, I will learn."

Fu Hu simply put away his pole and explained the secret of the knot in detail to the man. The man pecked at the rice, hmm hmm, it seems that he has learned it.

Fu Hu then threw his pole into the water again and found that this guy had no intention of going back to continue fishing. He couldn't help but smiled and asked: "Brother, don't worry, I will put the pole away later and I will let you pick two bigger ones." Fish, why are you always staring at me like this, are you afraid that I will pick up the fish basket and run away? No."

The man squatting aside smiled and said: "There are three realms of fishing. If you like fishing, you can't catch fish. Every time you go fishing, you can always come back with a full load. Fishing is just fishing, and you don't want to catch fish. Going higher, there is another realm that you can meet. Don’t ask for it, it depends on the talent of the fisherman.”

Fu Hu smiled and said: "Oh? Is there a higher level? How to say it, brother, please tell me."

The man said seriously: "I prefer watching people fishing than fishing."

Fu Hu gave a thumbs up and laughed: "I'm beating around the bush, it turns out I'm just bragging, I can do it."

Among the children in the capital, there are those who are domineering, and there are those who are kind and gentle like Fu Hu. In Fu Hu's words, they just rely on their ancestors to make a living, and they only make fun of ordinary people all day long, and lose their status.

The man asked: "Brother's accent doesn't sound like our locals."

Fu Hu nodded and said: "He's from the capital, doing some small business, eating and waiting to die. What about you, brother, where are you from?"

"People from Huaihuang County come here to visit relatives."

"Huaihuang County? It's not too close to our Pingnan County."

"It's nothing. I used to be a kiln worker. I often went up the mountain to chop wood and burn charcoal. I can walk these few steps without even breathing."

Fu Hu smiled and said: "Brother, chatting is better than fishing."

That man also had a good temper, and when he was teased, he just squatted there and looked silly and happy.

Fu Hu felt that this guy could handle it.

Fu Hu asked: "My surname is Fu, and I am the master of the Long Kiln Master. Where is my brother?"

The man smiled and replied: "My surname is Chen, Erdong Chen."

Fu Hu's family background is not good enough for him to have family followers. Of course, there are family offerings, but it is his turn. Fu Hu, even his elder brother Fu Yu, except for traveling far away, is not usually in the capital. He would follow a qigong practitioner every day. Besides, in this state, he, Fu Hu, was also a seventh-rank official, so he had nothing to fear.

In this case, no matter how hard you coax, those who are really qualified to walk sideways are Cao Gengxin and Liu Xunmei. They walk in Yichi Lane and Chier Street, and the old people don't like to show off in front of them. As for Fu Hu, Fu Hu likes all the activities that can kill time, such as fishing and pigeon whistles. It is a typical example of not doing his job properly.

Chen Ping'an said: Our prefecture is a good place where it is easy to get promoted. The older generation said that the official luck here is good, high officials can be produced here, and the reputation is good. "

Fu Hu pouted, "They say that in the old Longzhou and now in the new Chuzhou, officials at all levels are smart and capable. Let me see, it's true. Haha."

Chen Pingan smiled and said, "That's it?"

Fu Hu waved her hand, "Let's not talk about this. Brother, you are a common man, and I am a businessman full of copper odor. I have to eat to support my leisure time."

Chen Pingan said: "I guess what Mr. Fu means is that he thinks officials at all levels in the prefecture are too good at being officials? Do they take being an official too seriously? They also do things well, and they do them better than officials in other places." , it just has a strong sense of officialdom and a strong sense of official power in my bones, which makes people always feel that something is wrong, well, it’s just like how Brother Fu taught me to tie knots in the fishing line, and it’s interlocking.”

Fu Hu turned to look at this man who was visiting relatives. He had slightly white hair and looked young, so it was difficult to determine his true age. Fu Hu smiled and said casually, "That's probably not the case, and it can't be done." Your career will be prosperous, right?"

Chen Ping'an nodded, "Brother Fu can think like this. It would be a pity not to become a county master."

Fu Hu hesitated for a moment and said: "Brother Chen, we are in love, so I told you everything. I just lied to you. In fact, I am an errand in the county government office. I am from the capital, so I didn't lie to you." , my last job was at a place called the Post Office, where I sat on the bench. You’ve never heard of it, have you? Ha, Qingshui Yamen is a veritable place for farts. If anyone farts loudly, the whole place will be destroyed. Even the yamen can hear it. The biggest official title is a seventh-rank official, the sesame official mentioned in the play."

It is not a taboo to communicate with each other in a simple way.

Chen Ping'an smiled and said: "Brother Fu is also funny when he talks, and his fishing skills are as good as his."

Fu Hu said lazily: "Being a good official is something I don't dare to hope for. Being an upright official is something I dare to say even if I feel my conscience."

But what the local man named Chen said next made Fu Hu's scalp tingle.

The man looked calm, looked at the river, and said eloquently, "According to the merits and demerits separately, Wei Li, the governor, actually had some dereliction of duty, not in matters, but in education. Qingping Prison Litigation, Ji Zhang Post Delivery As the chief official of a state, Wei Li, of course, has to take care of many matters such as arresting thieves and channeling rivers. This is his job. However, in the administration of a state, according to the laws of Dali, there is also the promotion of morals to educate the people. Responsibilities, this is precisely what cannot be concretely quantified in the capital inspection plan and local evaluations. Maybe through the addition of several more imperial examination candidates and Jinshi in a state, some clues can be seen, but it is still far from enough. The county governor seems to be a Officials who are close to the people are actually not so. As a governor of a feudal territory, he is even less so. He rarely sees many people all year round. Although his responsibilities include supervising, guiding, coordinating, and coordinating, he is just a member of the imperial court. Government offices operate only from top to bottom. Officials at the three levels of prefectures, prefectures and counties cannot keep in mind that everyone only works hard on being an official. Otherwise, if I look at it, a government office with more capable officials and faster operation will be hidden. , the better you are at covering up your mistakes, the more unaware you will be. In a place where officials are arrogant, if the people are wronged, at least everyone will know that they have been wronged. When others see it, they will feel like a mirror. But in this state, or in the future, it’s hard to say. If a car passes by, there will be people following the car to help smooth away the traces. The chief official doesn’t want others to know, so people don’t know. The imperial temple above, The common people below will not know. Only fellow officials and superiors and subordinates have a tacit understanding. Just like you and I just looked at each other and knew what the 'rules' were. So I can conclude that if the Dali court in the future , is a larger Chuzhou officialdom, which is very problematic. In this matter, the former governor Wei Li left an invisible mess to Wu Yuan."

Fu Hu was stunned and speechless.

What shocked him was not that the other party referred to them as Wei Li and Wu Yuan, calling them by their names casually, or even the other party's views.

To be honest, in the official circles of the capital, just talk about the success report office where he is the leader. In private, who is not talking about it, behind closed doors, scolding the six ministers, so what, if I say so and so, I will do whatever I want. The smaller the yamen, the more colleagues who trust each other have a lot of things every day. He, Fu Hu, especially liked to talk about this with that boring Lin Zhengcheng back then.

So what really shocked Fu Hu was that this person's words happened to speak to something that was on Fu Hu's mind, and finally made him understand what was wrong.

Not long ago, an official in charge of culture and education in the governor's office called out all the county edicts in all the prefectures and counties in the prefecture. The general meaning is that the governor attaches great importance to this matter and specially made a whole afternoon to invite you to the government office for a chat. Heart-to-heart talk, the governor said, everyone can speak freely, talk more about problems, opinions, and dissatisfaction... These are nothing. What made Fu Hu, who was also present, most uncomfortable was the official. As a final aside, I would like to say that this kind of opportunity was not common in other places in previous years. You are all scholars and you should cherish this opportunity. I am fortunate to have met the governor. Try to be concise and to the point in your words and avoid talking about irrelevant matters. , the governor is busy with official duties...

Fu Hu did not doubt the intentions of the fifth-rank magistrate, and he certainly did not have any malicious intentions. However, it was precisely the "official flavor" of the other party, the official atmosphere that took it for granted that rank and rank were everything, that made Fu Hu The sons of aristocratic families who were used to seeing the powerful and majestic officials in the capital felt extremely uncomfortable.

After finally coming back to her senses, Fu Hu smiled bitterly and said: "Mother, brother Chen, don't say such nonsense, just say it. We are the only two brothers here. Even if you have said it, I have heard it. Pretend that nothing happened and don’t spread the word!”

As a "common man", you don't have to take it seriously. I don't care whether you are bolder or more ambitious, or whether you just like to talk about these things after reading a few books.

But I, Fu Hu, am a serious county magistrate after all. Although I will definitely not be convicted for my words, my colleagues in the officialdom have listened to me, and I still have to wear shoes all year round?

Seeing the man smile, Fu Hu began to wonder, could he be a gangster? After all, there are indeed many immortals practicing Taoism on the mountains in this state.

Fu Hu said: "Speaking of which, Brother Chen, with your knowledge and courage, if you want to be an official, it would be unworthy of you to be a county magistrate. You have to start as a palace official!"

Chen Ping'an smiled and said, "Brother Fu's vision is better than his fishing skills."

Fu Hu was so happy that her heartstrings were no longer so tense.

The next thing I saw was the man squatting with his hands in his sleeves, saying softly: "Brother Fu, I think this is wrong and far from good enough. What do you think?"

Fu Hu sighed, "Brother Chen, are you still here?! Then I really have to advise you!"

The man took the initiative to answer the conversation and said: "Don't worry too much about it? In front of ordinary people, you are worrying about the thoughts of an official of the imperial court?"

Fu Hu laughed endlessly, stretched out his hand and patted the man on the shoulder, "It's good to know, it's good to know."

"Brother Fu, have you ever heard of Mr. Nanfeng?"

Fu Hu shook his head. He didn't like to read miscellaneous books since he was a child. It was tiring enough to deal with those imperial examination books.

"Then I recommend a few articles by this old gentleman. I think you will like them, "Yuezhou Zhao Gong's Disaster Relief Records" and "Yihuang County Academic Records". I think these are the best moral articles in the world. Of course , this is just my personal opinion.”

Fu Hu said helplessly: "Okay, okay, I'll look through it when I have time."

Why are you so serious with me?

Next, the man named Chen was not polite. He picked up Fu Hu's fish basket and began to "move the fish".

Come on, I guess he is just a poor scholar who was unlucky in the imperial examination, a sour scholar?

Fortunately, I thought that the other party was a Taoist on the mountain.

Fu Hu couldn't help but joked: "Brother Chen, Mr. Wei has become a high-ranking official in the capital now, and the new governor Wu is even more powerful. If you have the opportunity to meet them in the future, do you dare to say these things in person?"

The man in a long coat and cloth shoes had already walked to his seat, holding a fishing rod and tying the fish basket around his waist. He smiled and said, "It means that we two brothers have hit it off. It's fun to squat and chat."

"If it were Wei Li and Wu Yuan, I would sit down and speak, but they would have to stand and listen."

Hearing this, Fu Hu was speechless again and gave the guy a thumbs up.

Good guy, look how arrogant you are, your surname is Chen, why isn't your name Chen Ping'an? !

When it comes to talking, I, Fu Hu, am convinced, but Brother Chen, you are the better one.

"Brother Fu, welcome to Luopo Mountain as a guest. I have a Yellow Lake Mountain where the fish are bigger."

The man waved goodbye to Fu Hu and said with a smile: "By the way, my name is Chen Ping'an, Erdong Chen, Ping'an'an'an'an."