Riding the wind of rebirth

Mai Xiaomiao was happy, and Zhou Zhi was very happy. In order to avoid being beaten by the guards, they ran hard in the front.

By the time Wu Renzhong and his men drove over in the Guard, Zhou Zhi and Mai Xiaomiao had already washed themselves up by the stream.

The mountain springs in the flood season can be described as surging, but the water quality is not affected by the increase in water volume at all, and is still sweet and cool, indicating that the water and soil are well conserved from the source. This kind of situation can basically only be seen in high-altitude mountain forest areas where the surface vegetation has not been destroyed.

"Wow! The water has become so big?!" Wu Renzhong stood beside the simple wooden bridge and looked at the rushing stream: "If you fall down, you will be swept away for a long distance!"

"Say something nice!" Shama patted him on the back. After marriage, Shama looked more radiant. The girl who came from a beauty pageant became a young woman and became more charming.

"Let's go, let's go!" Now that A Zi is in the main activity, Mai Xiaomiao will accompany her. The two girls are about the same age and can play together. Even Zhou Zhi is not important at this time. Each of them grabs a stick as a crutch and starts heading towards the stone steps leading to Lingshan Temple.

"What are those?" The snow on the peaks of Xiaoxiangling on one side was much less than the last time. There was a lot more shade below the snow line. On the ridge facing the sun, there were clusters of small red clouds, which immediately attracted Li Laosan's attention.

"Those are the things we are here to visit. They are the mountain azaleas, also known as rhododendrons, which are called 'Soma' by the Yi people here."

"No wonder it's called azalea." On some ridges, azaleas are in full bloom, like tiny red dragons coiled on the ridges, which makes Li Laosan feel astonished.

The road up the mountain has also changed. There is more moss on the steps, and some places have become slippery. It is similar to the icy steps that we occasionally encountered last time we came here, so we need to be more careful.

Fortunately, everyone was young and energetic. They laughed, sang and made noises along the way, so they didn't feel lonely at all. Except that Li Laosan felt that his devotion to Buddha had been somewhat disrupted, there was no major problem.

Zhou Zhi also discovered the fundamental reason why most people tend to develop a pilgrimage mentality towards Lingshan Temple.

For one thing, the stone steps leading up the mountain are quite steep most of the time, and you need to look up to see the end point.

The road is on the ridge, which is very magical. On the right side are nearby low-altitude hills and forests, which are lush and full of vitality.

On the left side, there is a wide view, with a magnificent valley carved out by the Lingshan River. Across the valley is the continuous Xiaoxiang Mountains, and you can see the towering snow-capped mountains in the distance.

This results in completely different scenery on the left and right sides of the road, which can easily give people the illusion of walking on the boundary between two worlds.

To put it more profoundly, this is an experience of walking in the realm between heaven and man.

The original site of Lingshan Temple is a Tibetan Buddhist address. Zhou Zhi doesn’t know whether there is Feng Shui in Tibetan culture, but the site selection and road opening of Lingshan Temple definitely contain the exquisite intentions of a master.

There is something mysterious about this road. The more than one thousand steep steps are actually quite strenuous, but the unique scenery can easily make people forget this and ignore the physical fatigue.

However, when I got back home from the mountain, if I hadn't followed the stretching exercises taught by Master Mingtai, I would have suffered. My legs would have been sore for several days before I could recover.

Now we don’t feel that this is a problem. Everyone is in high spirits and starts taking photos crazily when they encounter beautiful scenery along the way. There are many beautiful girls and handsome guys in the team, and they are pleasing to the eye in Zhou Zhi’s lens.

Mai Xiaomiao also had a point-and-shoot film camera, and when Zhou Zhi was taking pictures of everyone, she secretly took several pictures of Zhou Zhi as well.

When the group arrived at Lingshan Temple, Mingtai and Leran were overjoyed and hurried over to greet them.

Mingtai clasped his hands together and bowed to Zhou Zhi and Mai Xiaomiao: "You two are destined to be together. I have taught Dragon Vajra Gong to many people, but only the two of you practice it day and night. Not bad." "Master, how did you tell that?" Zhou Zhi was shocked: "The Dragon Vajra Gong you are talking about is the stretching method you taught us last time, which you said can prevent leg and foot pain after going down the mountain?"

"That's right." Mingtai said with a smile.

"But how did you know that Xiao Miao and I have been practicing?" Zhou Zhi couldn't help but feel amazed.

"Hehehe... this is not important." Mingtai did not answer: "Anyway, stick with it, it's good for your health."

"That's true." Zhou Zhi said, "Now after we finish our exercises every morning and evening, we do this Dragon Vajra Kung Fu you taught us. I feel like my body, which had been stiff from sitting in front of the computer, has become more lively."

"This technique was originally designed to be used in conjunction with meditation," Mingtai said with a smile, "It is also suitable for people like you who sit for a long time."

"Very useful." Zhou Zhi thanked Mingtai and introduced Li Laosan to him, then said, "So I have to bother Master again."

"As long as you don't mind the simple food and drink in our temple, we welcome you." Mingtai said, "The Soma flowers in the Black Jade Sea in the back mountain are in full bloom. After you have rested, let Liaoran take you there."

"Looking at the flowers is secondary." Li Laosan thought that Zhou Zhi had been talking to the old monk for a long time but failed to grasp the main point, so he quickly said, "We are mainly here to worship Buddha."

"In that case, Mr. Li, please follow me." Mingtai led the way.

"We want it too." Wu Renzhong said quickly.

"Yes!" Shama Ricong clasped his hands and said, "We are here to fulfill our vows. This is very important."

Oh my god... Zhou Zhi then realized why Wu Renzhong was so enthusiastic about going to Lingshan Temple this time. Maybe he had made a wish to get promoted, get rich, and get married last time at Lingshan Temple, and now it has all come true!

"Then let's all go together." Mingtai clasped his hands and said with a smile, "Donor Zhou and Liaoran will go to the kitchen to prepare meals. How about that?"

"Haha, hahahaha...Master, you really have some skills." Zhou Zhi said with a shy smile.

Although Zhou Zhi was relatively respectful towards religious figures, he actually lacked respect for Buddhism in his heart. Most scholars would not be superstitious, and if they wanted to convert, it would be after they had understood Buddhism clearly, not before.

Mingtai didn't know why he could see through this. In order to avoid embarrassment, he simply sent Zhou Zhi to prepare the meal, but this made Zhou Zhi feel that the old monk was really unfathomable.

"What about me?" Mai Xiaomiao was also eager to go, but was a little concerned about Zhou Zhi's opinion.

"Go ahead." Zhou Zhi instructed, "When you make a wish, you should include world peace, national prosperity, parents' health, relatives and friends' well-being, and then your own prosperity. Anyway, you have already disturbed the Buddha, so don't be stupid and just ask him to do small things..."

"Yeah!" Mai Xiaomiao immediately agreed foolishly.

"Donor Zhou is really... upright and cunning." Mingtai was both angry and amused: "Xiao Miao, don't listen to him. Just wish for the wish you want to realize most in your heart. If you have to deliberately convey your wish to the Buddha, it will go against the original intention of everyone's hard work." (End of this chapter)