No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 722 Senior Sister is Here [Please give me a monthly ticket! ]

night.

North of Chengtian Temple.

A hall that is currently under renovation and is closed to visitors.

The walls around the hall are covered with completed and unfinished murals of the Buddha's previous lives.

Inside the hall, apart from the oil lamp on the offering table in front of the Buddha statue, there was only a solitary lamp on the center of the floor.

The light evenly illuminated the remaining paintings on the surrounding walls.

At the same time, two figures, one tall and one short, were stretched very long and reflected on the painting wall.

Two figures seemed to be painting in front of the wall.

The taller figure was holding a ladder and a paint tray.

The short and hunched figure held a paintbrush, dipped it in ink from time to time, and added a few strokes on the wall.

A chuckle broke the silent atmosphere of the ancient Buddha temple:
“I have seen many murals in my life, but Caotang Temple is the best.

“I have been to many temples in Guanzhong, including Chang’an, both famous and small. More or less, they have halls with murals or caves with paintings, but there are almost no temples that can surpass the Caotang Temple on Longshouyuan in terms of the number of murals.

"Caotang Temple was built during the reign of Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It has a total of 1,379 murals. Not only does it have more murals than any other Buddhist temple in the north, but it is also far more exquisite."

The old man paused, smiled and asked Yuan Huaimin, who was carrying a tray on the escalator below:

"Does Xiao Huaimin know this temple?"

Yuan Huaimin, who seemed to be troubled, looked up at him and nodded reluctantly:
"I've heard a little bit, a little bit."

"Yes, even those who know the subject have only heard a little about it. It is not well-known, and no one knows that I once lived in Caotang Temple when I was young and anonymously completed more than half of the 1,379 Buddhist stories in the temple.

"People just think that Buddha's paintings of this kind are boring, and are fake and elegant things to fool the royal relatives, the powerful and the wealthy. They don't increase the yield of a single acre of land, and don't save a single life. They are as useless as the rulers supporting a group of monks who sing praises and chant sutras to pray for blessings."

Yuan Huaimin shook his head:
"That's not the way to put it. As a good friend of mine said, many useful things in this world were once interesting but useless. We can't deny the future because of the present, nor can we overemphasize the present because of the future. Everything is up to your heart. As long as it's interesting, that's enough."

Wu Daozi was a little surprised and asked, "Who is this good friend of yours? His level is quite good."

Yuan Huaimin did not answer, but he knew that to receive the evaluation of "very acceptable" from Mr. Wu was already a great compliment, although Brother Lianghan might not care about it at all.

Yuan Huaimin looked around the deserted hall.

Judging from the sky outside, it should be past midnight.

This old friend, Mr. Wu, came to see him in the evening. After saying a lot of things that made his scalp tingle, Yuan Huaimin stammered and perfunctorily answered the question.

Mr. Wu didn't seem to mind wasting his breath. He just smiled and told him to go find something to eat.

Yuan Huaimin thought that Mr. Wu was hungry and wanted to eat, so he secretly got a lot of food from the vegetarian temple. However, he didn't expect that Mr. Wu would not drink a drop of water or eat a grain of rice. He let him eat a full meal, saying that they should go out for a walk at night and he needed to replenish his energy...

So, Yuan Huaimin, with a confused look on his face, was brought by Mr. Wu to the hall where the murals were not completed. He accompanied him to record the murals in a daze, and Yuan Huaimin helped to hold the ladder and carry the plates.

As for the new scroll with a bronze shaft, Mr. Wu casually hung it around his neck.

The rope hung and fell into Yuan Huaimin's arms.

At this moment, he retracted his gaze, looked at the new scroll in his arms, and couldn't help but hold it tighter with his arms.

Although Mr. Wu acted as if he didn't care, Yuan Huaimin was unable to open the new scroll halfway.

He didn't know why, but he felt that this scroll couldn't be opened. There was something inside that he couldn't suppress, something beyond his cognition...

Yuan Huaimin continued to ask:

"Sir, do you like Buddhism very much? I have always thought that you were from Taoism."

Wu Daozi said calmly:

"I am neither a monk, nor a Taoist, nor a Confucian. When I was young, I was a dilettante. I went to a Taoist temple and became a disciple. I met a rigid master, a blind Taoist who loved to guard the broken temple on Mount Zhongnan. He always asked me to go down the mountain to collect paintings of the three religions for him. Whether it was the statues of the Three Pure Ones, the saintly paintings of the Great Sage and the Seventy-two Sages, or the paintings of the Buddha's previous lives, the old Taoist loved to look at them all.

"I once asked him why a blind man was so obsessed with looking at paintings every day. He pointed to the dark eye holes and told me that the Taoist master took away his eyes because he looked into a door. But now he is fine. He can look without worry. He can look day and night. He can look at the Taoist master, the Buddha, and the great saint...

"Later, after searching the entire mountain, there were really no new paintings to see. The old Taoist threw a brush and asked me to paint. I could paint freely and boldly. He even drove me down the mountain to learn and paint... So I gradually got into this art, but I didn't go back later, because I knew that if I only painted Buddha, my master would not be satisfied. People in the world say that returning home in glory brings honor to the master. I'm a useless disciple who has gone astray. Why should I go back? Am I going to be scolded by him? Haha."

The smiling old man waved his hand, picked up the pen, and said:

"It's all old news. I am just a lonely man now."

After saying this, he extended his paintbrush, dipped it in ink, and started to paint, adding another stroke to the "Three Great Masters" painting on the wall that the painter had been lazy about and had left unfinished.

The brush strokes are round and the belts seem to be blown by the wind.

This skill, known in the world as "Wu Dai Dang Feng", belonged to one person alone.

Yuan Huaimin looked up at him with an admiring tone: "No matter what, Mr. Wu's painting of Buddha and butchers has become the best in the world. No one can compete with him. He has also brought honor to his school. He is just too strict with himself."

"Although I know you are trying to fool me, you are right in some ways. Yes, it really is possible to draw something as you go along."

Wu Daozi seemed to be reminded of some memories and murmured a few words to himself:
"That year, that day, that night, that time, I was very thirsty. After painting an ordinary Buddhist painting, I turned back to get the water bag. While drinking, I glanced at the night sky outside the door. I don't know why, but I suddenly realized that I was invincible in this world.

"I looked up at the Buddha's true body on the mural again. I never thought that I was the mortal closest to the Buddha. You ask why? It's because the Bodhisattva has no form. I can draw it and use the formless to depict the formless. If I am not the one who is closest to the door and can see inside most clearly, then who is I?"

On the stairs, the thin old man laughed heartily, holding his stomach, and was extremely happy.

"Is the Buddha inherently formless?"

Yuan Huaimin seemed to understand, but didn't quite understand, and muttered something.

Wu Daozi suddenly touched the unfinished Buddhist painting on the wall of the hall in front of him with the tip of his brush and asked:
"Do you know why I only like to draw Buddha statues, and not Taoist gods or Confucian saints?"

Yuan Huaimin asked, "Why? Isn't it because of your personal likes and dislikes?"

Wu Daozi smiled and said:
"Because the Dao Ancestor is too high and too cold, it is indescribable. He is not a direct descendant of the Dao Sect, and cannot be looked at directly. Otherwise, if you take a peek, your eyes will be gouged out at best, or you will lose your life at worst.
"But the Holy Master is too strict and too upright. He respects the inferiors and observes etiquette, like an old-fashioned teacher. Although he teaches everyone, he loves to preach. If you look at him secretly, he will also look at you. If you don't listen to his teachings and don't obey the principles of heaven, earth, the emperor, parents and teachers, you will be punished with a ruler and a stick.

"Only the Buddha, although the Dharma is very far away, so far away that it is on the other shore, allows you to see it, and also preaches that all living beings have wisdom and can become Buddhas. No matter whether it is hypocritical or not, it is enough to be able to see it.

"We are not the direct descendants of Taoism, nor are we the disciples of saints, but we are certainly ordinary people. For us, it is safest to copy Buddhist paintings. But don't be fooled by his kind eyes. You can look into the door, but keep your feet away. Who knows if he is trying to trick us into coming in, hahahaha..."

Wu Daozi kept talking to himself, and the more he talked, the more confused Yuan Huaimin became.

The old man did not explain. After he finished speaking, he laughed for a while, put one hand behind his back, held the pen in the other, and began to write quietly.

Under the ladder, Yuan Huaimin, who was holding his body against the ladder, took a deep breath.

"Ask whatever you want to ask. There's no need to hold it in, little Huaimin."

Wu Daozi lowered his eyes and dipped the brush in ink while speaking calmly.

Yuan Huaimin summoned up his courage and said:

"Sir, you said in the yard in the evening that the Donglin Buddha was a good thing, and you said you could take it, saying that with this Buddha and the new scroll you could gain the destiny..."

He asked doubtfully:

"What kind of treasure is this Donglin Buddha? Why does it sound like it is the same as your new scroll?"

“It’s the same, but different.”

"What's the meaning."

"Compared to the new painting in your arms, it is a little worse, or rather, it is a step faster and has gone too far."

Yuan Huaimin became more and more confused as he listened.

Wu Daozi smiled and said:

"Let me put it this way. In terms of power alone, for an individual, the new scroll in your arms is more powerful. The giant Buddha is slightly inferior, but the advantage is that she can build several more, distributed in the southeast, northwest, northeast and southwest, to protect her pseudo-Zhou world. A giant Buddha can be worth thousands of troops, but it is not as convenient as the scroll in your arms. It can be taken to all corners of the world. It is like the Ding Sword in the world, but it is not as sharp as the Ding Sword, and it is not as indestructible as the Ding Sword. Like the sword holder, it is easily destroyed.

"However, speaking of which, this scroll could only be used south of the Yangtze River. Now, after being lost in the north for three hundred years, I have repainted it, and it can be used in both the north and the south." Yuan Huaimin pointed to the new scroll in his arms and asked curiously:

"Power? How powerful can this thing be?"

"Have you heard of Dingjian?"

"I have heard about it. Qiu Niang told me a little bit about it."

Wu Daozi said calmly: "In a sense, it is actually the Ding Sword. From the perspective of the Ding Sword, it has its magical powers, but its shortcomings have been mentioned just now. However, its advantages are many. The two scholars who designed it have done a very ingenious job."

Yuan Huaimin was surprised and couldn't help asking:

"What about the big Buddha?"

"Well, let me tell you a story, a story that is a bit long. This is a secret story that I have pieced together after traveling north and south for many years. This is roughly what it is."

"What story? What secret past? Is it related to the two scholars you mentioned?"

Wu Daozi first raised two fingers, and then raised one finger.

He shook three fingers and said leisurely:

"Well, it's related to these two scholars. Oh, now, we have to add an old man who likes to paint Buddhist paintings. That makes three people."

Yuan Huaimin asked weakly, "Could the person behind you be you, sir?"

Wu Daozi smiled but did not answer. He looked up at the unfinished Buddhist story and continued to copy it.

There is never an unfinished painting under his pen.

This was true of the 1,379 Buddhist paintings in Caotang Temple on Longshouyuan, and it is also true of the new Peach Blossom Spring painting in Yuan Huaimin's arms.

But while painting, this smiling old man did not forget to tell the story of "Two Scholars and an Old Man".

……

Dawn.

The quiet courtyard is somewhat lively.

Pei Shisanniang came with her maids and helped Zhao Qingxiu dress up.

In front of the dressing table in the main wing, Pei Shisan Niang was carefully drawing Zhao Qingxiu's eyebrows.

Zhao Qingxiu closed her eyes and smiled.

After Pei Shisanniang praised her for a while, she felt a little shy.

After a while, he asked during the casual chat:

[By the way, Madam, do you have any news about the Fang sisters? I haven’t seen them for a long time.]

"No, there seems to be something going on in their family recently."

The beautiful woman replied calmly.

Soon, seeing that Zhao Qingxiu's face showed no suspicion, Pei Shisan Niang changed the subject and talked about other things.

Maybe because she was in a good mood today, Zhao Qingxiu had a smile on her face the whole time.

Not long after, Pei Shisan Niang finished drawing her eyebrows and said goodbye.

"Eat first, embroidered lady. I will pick you up this afternoon. If you have any questions, please tell the people guarding the door and they will take care of it."

"Uh-huh."

After Pei Shisan Niang left, Zhao Qingxiu went to the kitchen to prepare some beauty soup and noodles, and planned to make them in the afternoon and bring them over.

She returned to the house and took out a newly embroidered red sachet.

Zhao Qingxiu carefully took out a red signature paper.

This is the one Xie Lingjiang saw last time.

But at this moment, there was a word "sister" written on the red paper.

This is what Zhao Qingxiu heard from Tan Lang. When he was trying to get information, Sister Xie once said that he had to serve her tea and water and call her sister.

But Zhao Qingxiu couldn't speak.

I can only write.

She planned to give this "King of Fortune" that Tan Lang had read to her to Sister Xie.

She knew that after Sister Xie read it, she actually cared a lot about this sign.

Zhao Qingxiu lowered her head and quietly stuffed the red tag into the small red sachet.

This is a gift for Sister Xie.

The gifts given to Zhen Shuyuan were longevity noodles and three-white beauty soup.

Zhao Qingxiu wrapped a white jade hairpin in red cloth.

This is intended for Ye Weilai.

She had just come of age and had never had a formal coming-of-age ceremony, so this could be considered a make-up gift.

Zhao Qingxiu checked carefully and wrapped them one by one with the red cloth and gift boxes that Pei Shisan Niang had helped prepare.

These are to be taken to the birthday party tonight.

After some preparation, it was soon afternoon.

Zhao Qingxiu listened to the sound of the water drops counting the time, but didn't know what time it was.

It seems that the sun is still out, so it should not be evening yet.

But at this moment, there was a knock on the door outside.

"Ah!"

She responded immediately.

Zhao Qingxiu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Pei Shisanniang had arrived early as scheduled. Fortunately, she was thorough and prepared everything early, otherwise Mrs. Pei would have to wait for a long time again.

Normally, she would feel guilty and sorry if she made others wait, so she would do everything in advance, even if she had to sit there and wait for the other person after doing it in advance.

Zhao Qingxiu happily held a small bag of gifts and a well-prepared food box, smiled and walked quickly to the gate of the courtyard to greet Pei Shisan Niang.

She walked hurriedly to the outer courtyard.

When she approached the courtyard gate, she did not see Pei Shisan Niang pushing the door open as usual without being polite to her.

The person knocking on the door seemed to be waiting for Zhao Qingxiu to open the door.

Her face froze for a moment and she let out an "ah" in confusion.

The courtyard door was finally pushed open by the person who knocked on it. The voice of the person at the door made Zhao Qingxiu's delicate body tremble subconsciously.

"Why are you running so fast, Xiao Qi? Where are you in such a hurry to go?"

A woman in white walked into the courtyard and sighed softly, as if she was helpless with this lovable blind and mute little sister. Her tone was gentle and helpless:

"Put down your things first and make something for me. Noodles are fine. This city is really troublesome and we had to take a detour. Fortunately, I have Mr. Wu's paintings. Well, I'm a little hungry."

(End of this chapter)