A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1020 Lottery, Pet Grid! (Please order the whole thing!)
PS: I am asking for monthly tickets. I still need 239 monthly tickets this month. I have to rely on my brothers. Thank you so much. I bow down to you.

The Jingde Lu, a historical book of Zen Buddhism, records a story about Master Huike, the second patriarch of Zen Buddhism.

The text says: "After Master Huike passed on the Dharma to the Third Patriarch, he traveled and lived according to circumstances to spread the Dharma. He preached according to circumstances in Ye County, and his voice spread widely, and the four groups of people took refuge in him. This lasted for thirty or forty years. Then he concealed his light and mixed with others, changing his appearance, sometimes working in wine shops, sometimes passing by butchers, sometimes learning street talk, and sometimes working as a servant."

Translated, it means that after passing on the Zen mantle to the Third Patriarch, Zen Master Huike changed his appearance and attire and mingled among the people in the market.

Sometimes he went in and out of restaurants and made friends with prostitutes, sometimes he went in and out of butchers and made friends with butchers, sometimes he mixed in the crowd and talked in the streets, and sometimes he served as an attendant and did odd jobs for others.

When Hua Shier chose to withdraw from this world, he suddenly understood the true meaning of 'tempering the mind in the world of mortals'.

To refine the mind is to adjust the mind. It does not mean to face the intimidation, stimulation and temptation of demons and monsters, mountains of gold and silver, beautiful women, delicacies from mountains and seas. This is called refining the mind.

Instead, one should be in the red dust, and roll around in the most ordinary things in this world, the peddlers, the trivialities, the family affairs, the various aspects of life, the joys and sorrows.

I've seen it, passed by it, thought about it, passed by it, and finally laughed it off, took it easy, adjusted my mindset, went about it naturally, and didn't get disturbed.

This is the true tempering of the mind in this worldly life.

Hua Shier spent these decades with his magic sealed. He had experienced the hustle and bustle of the courtyard, the joys and sorrows of every household, their laughter and scolding, family affection, friendship, love, other people's admiration, other people's hatred, those who made true friends, those who deliberately flattered him, those who cursed him behind his back, and those who looked down on him. He had experienced all of these.

In this life, he did not pursue money or profit. He lived as an ordinary person for several decades, and finally took root in the port city, settled down, and saw off several old friends. He experienced life and death, separations, joys and sorrows, and only then did he grow in character and complete his mission.

As for the episode about Xiao Fei, it seemed that he acted ruthlessly and had a heart of a tiger, but in fact he was not like that.

There is a story circulating in Buddhism that may explain his mentality at that time.

It is said that when Sakyamuni was still alive, he saw a young monk who was very careful in observing the precepts. He was extremely cautious in everything he did, as if he was standing on the edge of an abyss, fearing that he would do something wrong and break the precepts. Such cautiousness actually hindered his practice.

Shakyamuni called a monk and said he wanted to take a bath and asked him to clean the bathtub. The monk left and came back soon with a look of embarrassment. He said that the bathtub had not been used for a long time and was infested with many small insects and moss. If he cleaned it, it would inevitably kill them, and he really couldn't find a way to clean it.

Shakya smiled faintly: "I just asked you to clean the bathtub, why do you think so much!"

The little monk was stunned for a moment, then suddenly understood and quickly cleaned the bathtub.

The Buddha used the bathtub incident to enlighten the monks. Keeping the precepts is only for the purpose of spiritual practice. One must not delay the original purpose because of keeping the precepts, as that would be putting the cart before the horse.

People like Xiao Fei, including his father, the big shot, are nothing more than bugs in the bathtub in Hua Twelve's eyes. His purpose is just to clean the bathtub. He just removes them casually to make the bathtub clean, which does not affect his original intention.

Although it was still the familiar darkness, the people and events he had experienced over the past few decades flashed before Hua Twelve's eyes like a kaleidoscope. When he regained his clarity of mind, he had reappeared on the big bed in his own home.

After feeling it, he found that the innate sword energy of the spiritual treasure in his body was completely unsealed, but it was unusually stable. There was no longer the surging and difficult to control feeling as before.

According to the system, the previous state was on the verge of becoming a demon. It seems that rolling around in this red dust and being contaminated by the mundane worldly atmosphere is really effective in improving one's character.

Hua Shier thought of a story that Master Guan had told him when he was learning opera in the world of Farewell My Concubine.

Legend has it that there was a young Taoist priest who practiced Quanzhen in Laoshan. He practiced with his master in the mountains for two years. Apart from doing some cleaning chores every day, he just kept quiet. Not only was it boring, but he also felt that he did not receive the true teachings.

It’s not that the master didn’t want to teach, he just said that his character was not good enough and needed to be honed.

One day the disciple said to the master, "I have been cultivating my mind in the mountains for two years. I feel that I have already developed a pure mind. Please teach me the Dharma."

The master gave him a purse and told him to go down the mountain to travel for a year and then come back to practice. The money in the purse was inexhaustible during the year and was enough for him to spend in a year no matter what he did.

As a result, this disciple became successful and famous, and became a wealthy man. He enjoyed fine food and wine all day long, and had beautiful cars and beautiful women as his companions. After a year, he did not return to the mountain, but asked someone to send a letter to Laoshan, saying that he was blinded by the worldly life and failed the master's kindness.

The master laughed three times, and the disciple suddenly woke up and found himself still in the mountains. Everything that had happened before was just a dream.

Only then did the disciple understand that what the master said about his lack of character was absolutely correct. The quiet solitude he had lived in the mountains could not withstand the slightest bit of worldly affairs, and he felt extremely ashamed. From then on, he broke down and stood up again, saw his true nature, knew shame and then became brave, and eventually became a great master.

Hua Twelve felt that this time he was just like that little Taoist priest, also experiencing a journey in the world of mortals.

I opened the task interface and took a look, and sure enough, both tasks were completed.

Mission requirement 1: "Enter the mortal world and experience the various aspects of the world and the joys, sorrows, anger and happiness of ordinary people in the mission world." (Completed)
Mission requirement 2: "Set your mind on the Tao, do not be confused by the mundane world, remain unmoved by the eight winds, and sit upright on the purple gold lotus." (Completed)
"Well, I am unmoved by the eight winds, sitting on the purple gold lotus, and having practiced in the Qinman Courtyard, it really fits my current state of mind!"

Hua Twelve was satisfied and couldn't help but laugh. Qinman Siheyuan, is that an ordinary copy? As far as cultivating the mind and adjusting the heart are concerned, it is really a perfect place!

He was not in a hurry to draw the lottery, but fell asleep directly. He had no dreams all night. It was not until noon the next day when the sun shone through the window and he felt the warmth on his body that Hua Twelve woke up.

He now has the body of an immortal, with skin and bones like a fairy. He doesn't need to wash or brush his teeth. After getting up, he poured himself a glass of iced whiskey to wake himself up. Well, this is an excuse, he actually just wanted to drink.

Afterwards, he took out a plate of Dongxinglou's fragrant fermented fish fillets and a plate of Fengzeyuan's scallion-fried sea cucumber from the storage space and had them as breakfast and had a delicious meal.

Every time he arrived at a world, he would store some delicacies in the storage space. The characteristics of the space made these dishes look as good as freshly cooked no matter how long they were stored. This time in the Siheyuan world, there was no food safety issue in that era, and the ingredients were all natural.

Hua Shier selected many time-honored brands, such as Badalou, Badaju, and Sasi Shun, which are all well-known old stores. He picked up the specialties of these places and collected them, and the quantity was enough for him to eat for several lifetimes.

Of course, as for the Eighth Floor, Hua Twelve collected their dishes during the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China period when "Farewell My Concubine" was filmed. Compared with the dishes of Siheyuan World after the founding of the People's Republic of China, although they are all from the same family and equally delicious, the taste has changed after several decades, so I collected a lot of them again.

Well, he is rich and well-off, and he has time to spare. But Hua Twelve doesn't think so. I have become a god, and I can't enjoy myself? Then I have become a god in vain. After dinner, he sat on the balcony with a cigar in his mouth, looking at the ferry on the Huangpu River, but in his heart he was communicating with the system to open the skill page.

There are not many changes in the two skill pages, mortal and immortal. After all, this world is sealed, and most of the skills have not changed significantly.

For decades in the courtyard world, all his magical powers were sealed, and Hua Shier could only practice his "the most difficult skill in the world". Now, "the most difficult skill in the world" has gone from being fully understood to being perfected.

The improvement of skills also led to changes in his own strength. The original "three thousand jin of strength" has now become "six thousand jin of strength" (in ancient times, one jin was equal to thirty catties, and six thousand jin is equal to 180,000 catties of strength.)
Hua Shier was a little surprised. This was the most powerful skill in the world. After only one level was upgraded, his strength more than doubled. He didn't know how amazing his strength would be when this skill reached the level of "returning to its original state".

Soon, Hua Twelve realized that the increase in strength seemed to be not only due to the improvement in hard skills. On his "Xian" skill page, a new magical skill appeared:
'Law of Heaven and Earth' (fake)
Hua Shier was completely confused. He could swear that he had no memory of learning this magical power.

Suddenly, a flash of realization appeared in his eyes. Could this be it?
Hua Shier got up from the sofa, stood in the middle of the living room, and violently mobilized his qi and blood. His whole body shook, and then his whole body swelled up. In an instant, his head hit the ceiling.

The floor beneath my feet began to crackle. Hua Twelve was so distressed. My Swedish imported floor.
He quickly lay down, and his entire body finally grew to about three meters before stopping.

This form, looks like a demon to outsiders, but actually it is nothing special. It is the result of Hua Twelve's free time in the courtyard world and when he settled in the port city, he condensed qi and blood in the acupoints all over his body, which caused the change. As long as he activates the qi and blood, he will turn into the Hulk. Of course, he is just huge, not green.

He adjusted his breathing, and his Qi and blood power instantly gathered. He returned to his original state. Looking at his torn clothes, Hua Twelve communicated with the system in his mind:
"Can I have a pair of the same pants as the Hulk?"

You have to run around naked every time you transform. How can you bear it? When you fight against someone, it's okay if the enemy is a man, but if the enemy is a female, she will think you can't beat her and start to play tricks on you.

Unfortunately, the system was as aloof as usual and ignored this unreasonable request. Hua Shier had no choice but to think about it. He decided to ask T1000 to study the polymer material and then try to make one himself. Alternatively, he could start by refining magic weapons and refine a batch of robe-level uniforms to avoid embarrassment.

It's depressing to talk about it. Others become immortals, and he also becomes an immortal. Look at those immortals in the legend, they can call the wind and rain and turn beans into soldiers. When their clothes are gone, they just make a gesture and conjure up a set of clothes. They don't need to take off their clothes to take a bath in the bathhouse, and it's still cool when there is a strong wind. Without covering their crotch, the mountains look like they are not mountains. You think I'm wearing clothes, but actually I'm running naked. It's so cool to think about it.

Looking at the immortal Hua Shier, he knows very few magic tricks. Apart from being handsome and having those few special skills, he has nothing else to his name. Alas, his appearance is still acceptable.

He communicated with the system to discuss whether the next world could be arranged to allow him to learn magic.

The system still did not respond, and he continued to talk to himself.

I didn't bother with the system anymore. As usual, after breakfast, I would start the lottery after a while.

In the past, people would bathe and burn incense before drawing a lottery to show their solemnity.

He now has skin and bones as fine as a fairy, untainted by dust, so naturally he doesn't need to bathe, but he still needs to burn incense.

However, this time when burning incense, you cannot shout random things like "Gods and Buddhas all over the sky" and "Brother Jesus and Amen". Now Hua Shier is also a member of the Taoist system and the headmaster of the Qingcheng Sect.

Well, as long as the Boy of Bliss is not here, he will be the headmaster.

The ancestor is Erlang Xiansheng Zhenjun, so naturally we should worship the ancestor. There is no reason to worship other gods and Buddhas.

Hua Twelve immediately set up the incense table and took out a statue of a god that was more than two meters high from the space. Fortunately, the large flat floor had a high ceiling, otherwise the statue would not have been able to fit inside.

This statue of Erlang Zhenjun is the one obtained in Zhenxian Temple when encountering the "Double Pupils" plot in "Zhou Chu Eliminates Three Evils". It is a statue from the Song Dynasty. It has been worshipped for a thousand years and has acquired its charm.

Hua Shier followed the Qingcheng Sect's etiquette, burning incense to the master and praying for his blessing for a good start.

That person said, haven’t you tempered your mind in the worldly world, to have a normal mind, a pure mind, etc., why are you still so obsessed with formalism?
I don’t understand this.

You do one thing every day, and suddenly one day you come to terms with it and feel that doing so is obsession, so you stop doing it, changing a long-standing habit. Alas, benefactor, you are attached to appearances. You deliberately change, but in fact you have not yet gotten out of your obsession.

It’s just a habit for Hua Shier now. Well, no matter whether others agree or not, he just thinks so.

"System, draw a lottery, two consecutive draws!"

'Ding, mission one has been completed, the host has extracted the first fragment of the Zhanzhan card!'

"Ding, Mission 2 has been completed, the host has drawn a pet grid!' (Each pet grid can hold a pet, and the pet can travel with the host through the heavens and the worlds. Once bound, it is bound for life. When the pet dies, the grid disappears. This opportunity is rare, so please choose the pet carefully.)
Hua Shier scratched his hair, feeling that it had turned darker this time. He glanced at the master and thought, "You old man are not reliable. Can't you try something more practical, like the Eight-Nine Profound Art or the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang?"

I have already collected a Zhanzhan card, but haven't used it yet, and now there's another fragment. Isn't this superfluous?

And this pet grid, isn’t this cheating? The six wings on his wrist can follow him to travel to other worlds even without the pet grid.

Perhaps sensing Hua Twelve's dissatisfaction, the system finally stopped being so cold and explained: "Six Wings is your natal Gu, not a pet!"

Okay, is it necessary to divide it so finely?

After haggling with the system for a long time and making sure that he could not choose Li Bai again, Hua Shier put the things away and wondered what kind of pet he should get.

If you want to go to the next world, just go to the Three Kingdoms world and get a Diao Chan. Imagine a beautiful woman calling him master, then, ahem, I am a serious immortal. The name Diao Chan sounds similar to Tiancan, so it is also a serious pet.

In the real world, there are not many things to do, and the business is left to Jiazhen and others to take care of. It is not easy for him to always bother them. For him, they have not seen each other for decades, but for Jiazhen and others, it would be meaningless if they just left yesterday and came back today.

I simply went back to my hometown to accompany my parents. After a month of eating and waiting for death, I finally heard the notification sound of the system releasing the task.
　Thanks to: 08a, Xiao Xiaohu from the Demon World, and Chu Ritian, the Happy Daluo Immortal, for their rewards. Thanks to the brothers who voted for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you very much.

　　(End of this chapter)