Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 261: Cloud View

The days and months are long in the mountains.

At dawn, the temple bell rang on time. This was the tenth day at Jubao Mountain. In three days, Abbot Zhihai would be able to come out of seclusion.

First there was a rustling sound, then the sound of footsteps, and finally, it merged into the loud sound of chanting.

Xiaocai sighed inwardly. After the monks finished their morning lessons, they ate a bowl of thin brown rice porridge, with at most one or two dried radishes. This kind of hard life that repeats itself over and over again was foreseeable to end. Fortunately, they only stayed with Mr. Zhang for ten days or so.

Wang Heng suddenly said, "Monk Guangheng's family has such a beautiful garden as Chunshui Garden. If he said that he became a monk without any reason, I don't believe it."

Xiaocai said, "Our great ancestor was so poor that he had no food to eat, so he had to go to the temple to become a monk. Monk Guangheng is so rich and noble, there must be other reasons."

When the dinner bell rang, the two had to get up, wash their clothes and hang them under the porch. They couldn't help but miss their new home by the Liuqiu Bridge, where Yao Ma washed clothes and cooked for them, and their lives were so comfortable.

Wang Heng quickly shook his head and rectified his thoughts, reminding him not to forget his original intention. By running errands for Mr. Zhang, he was able to gain various experiences and solve his food and clothing problems at the same time. People without permanent property have no right to be lazy and enjoy leisure.

When Wang Heng and the other person entered the dining hall of the villa, Jinyang Jun Li Yan and Xiao Wu had already finished their vegetarian meal and were sitting down, apparently waiting for them.

Li Wei smiled and said, "Today the morning glow is about to rise but is still fading. It looks like it will be a cloudy day, perfect for going out for a walk."

Xiaocai agreed, "The scenery of lakes and mountains near the Li residence in Cuihua Village is extremely beautiful. You can enjoy it later and see if there are any similarities with the scenery of your Li Dynasty."

Li Wei added, "I saw a volume of Six Scenes of Jubao Mountain written by a monk from the previous dynasty in the Sutra Library. One of the scenes is the Golden Lanterns on Feishan Mountain. The golden lanterns all over the mountain are in full bloom at this time of summer and autumn. It's probably on the way to Cuihua Village. Why don't we go down the mountain early and find the way to Feishan Mountain."

Jinyang Jun took the initiative to mention Feishan, which was beyond everyone's expectation.

Wang Heng glanced at the young man from the Li Dynasty and said frankly: "I heard that Feishan was excavated for stones decades ago. I'm afraid there is no trace of it now."

Li Wei was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Visiting ancient sites and exploring the unknown is very interesting even if you find an abandoned site."

Li Wei was in such a hurry that Wang Heng nodded and said, "It's better to go down the mountain early, so as not to have to travel in the afternoon heat. Brother Li, wait for me for a moment. I will go to the kitchen to get the birthday peaches and leave."

While the Wang brothers were talking, they had not yet finished their bowl of porridge when the young monk Wuming came over with a bamboo basket. The basket was woven from green bamboo from Jubao Mountain and covered with red paper from Jubao Temple. There were twenty longevity peaches in the basket, covered with bamboo leaves, and it looked quite nice.

It seems that Abbot Zhihai is very good at managing the temple.

Xiaocai returned to the west wing and wrapped Zhang Xiru's banner with satin and put it in his bag. Xiaowu had no choice but to carry the bamboo basket.

When the dawn light shone on the main peak, Lianxing Peak, the group was already walking on the stone steps leading down the mountain.

Half an hour later, everyone headed east along the official road towards the vast river of white water.

I had just walked this path yesterday, and the route was still deeply imprinted in my mind. Soon I reached the edge of the dense forest where Xiao Wu and his friends picked up Ruan Youhai. After climbing over the hillside and walking another twenty or thirty feet, the wide lake with rippling blue waves suddenly came into view.

Going west along the water is the direction to Li’s house.

Wang Heng stopped and asked, "Li's residence is a few miles to the west. Brother Li, if we want to go to Feishan, how should we go?" Xiao Wu looked east and west, and finally confirmed, "We should go all the way south."

Everybody gladly obeyed; as it was still early, they just treated it as a mountain outing and had a great time.

The south-facing path seemed to have been deserted for a long time and could barely be considered a road.

Xiaocai kicked the weeds on the road and asked with interest, "Xiaowu, how did you know the way to Feishan?"

Xiao Wu looked guilty and secretly glanced at Jinyang Jun's face. Li Fu said calmly, "The Sutra Library is a good place. There is a map in the booklet of the previous dynasty's mage."

"Oh." Xiaocai deliberately dragged out the tone.

Wang Heng and Xiaocai had both read Master Liao Yin's "Six Scenes of Jubao Mountain", so where did the map come from? They even went to ask Master Guangheng that day, which showed that Li Fu was lying with his eyes open.

After walking south for about half an hour, you can see undulating hills of about one or two meters high. Because of its desolation, it has a wild charm like the Wizard of Oz.

Li Wei began to look south and north, his brows furrowed involuntarily. It seemed that he was somewhat convinced that Feishan no longer existed.

The Jiangning County Chronicles record that Feishan is about 20 to 30 feet high and several hundred steps around. Although it is not high, it is indeed a small mountain, and the entire area within a radius of dozens of miles should be visible.

After walking south for a while, the straight road meanders in different directions, and in the distance you can see a place with red walls and green tiles, which seems to be a Taoist temple in the countryside.

Li Fu was quite hesitant, standing there with a frown on his face, in a daze. Judging from his expression, he must have determined that the original site of Feishan was right here, and he was a little at a loss as to what to do.

Wang Heng and Xiao Cai exchanged glances. If the description in "Recollections of Hexiang Tower" is true, Feishan is probably here. Even if the rocks have been mined, part of the mountain base will always remain.

But this place is so remote and desolate. I walked for a long time but didn't meet any pedestrians. There were no houses on the roadside, and it felt mysterious.

Seeing the others standing there worried, Xiaocai said softly, "Wait for me for a moment."

He flew towards the red wall and soon returned breathless: "There is a Yunzhong Temple over there, covering a huge area, why don't we go take a look."

After walking a few hundred steps forward, a palace appeared behind red walls and green tiles. It was a crude and tacky country Taoist temple.

The gate was locked, and the plaque read "Clouds View".

"View in the Clouds." Li Fu muttered to himself.

Xiaocai shouted, "This Yunzhong Temple is just a Taoist temple in the countryside, but its scale is astonishingly large."

The group walked around the red wall. The Taoist temple was indeed extremely large, unreasonably large. This place was remote and almost uninhabited, so where would the pilgrims come from to offer offerings?
It doesn't look like an abandoned ancient monument, as the outer walls are well built and not very old.

Xiaocai saw a persimmon tree growing at the base of a wall. It was summer at that time, and he climbed to the top of the tree in a few steps. He leaned over to look inside the Taoist temple and was shocked. He shouted, "Feishan, the base of Feishan is enclosed in the Taoist temple."