My timeless tavern

Chapter 561 Ji Gong
Not to mention others, even Su Luo couldn't help but look at the Sun Wukong who arrived at the tavern first.

Su Luo was not particularly surprised that he could enter the realm of "Wall Breaker" after Yuanshi Tianzun and Zhatian Shihao.

In "The Monkey King: Return of the Great Sage", Sun Wukong entered the tavern quite early. He is extremely talented, has accumulated five hundred years of experience under the Five Finger Mountain, and owns a world of his own, so it is not surprising that he can achieve his current achievements.

According to his observation, Xiao Yan, Ye Fan, Erlang Shen and others were not far away.

In addition, there are Han Li, Luo Feng and others. They are talented but entered the tavern a little late. It is only a matter of time before they become wall breakers.

The strength of people like Tony, Saitama and Zhang Xiaofan is also increasing rapidly.

In addition, there is Guts, who has entered the depths of the underworld and is about to "become the enemy of the world."

Su Luo counted silently, and seeing that he was getting closer and closer to gathering all nine wall breakers, he couldn't help but feel a little excited.

In "The Monkey King: Return of the Great Sage", Sun Wukong also took the initiative to walk towards him. In addition to excitement, his monkey face was full of anticipation.

Su Luo chatted with him briefly, pointed out the small shop whose location he had just learned, and then watched Sun Wukong leave happily.

Uncle Jiu had been watching quietly, his eyes full of envy.

Seeing Sun Wukong leave like this in The Return of the Great Sage, a look of regret appeared on his face.

Originally, he wanted to take the opportunity to get close to him so that he could ask for help when he encountered unsolvable problems in the future.

Because he came to the tavern earlier, he had had several conversations with Sun Wukong from The Return of the Great Sage, and they could be considered acquaintances.

Just as he looked away, he suddenly looked towards the bar in surprise.

A strange figure appeared in his sight.

The man was wearing tattered clothes and a tattered hat, with a wine gourd tied around his waist and a broken palm-leaf fan in his hand. He looked like a beggar.

But the clothes he was wearing made Uncle Jiu narrow his eyes with interest.

That is clearly a monk's robe!
Is this guy a monk?
Looking at the other person's worn-out shoes with his big toe exposed, and the chicken leg held in his black right hand, he couldn't help but become suspicious.

But the other person's clothing style was really strange. Although he was not bald, the messy hair on his head was very short. He didn't look like an ordinary beggar at all.

Maybe he is a wild monk without a certificate of ordination?

Feeling the faint but quite astonishing aura fluctuations in the other person's body, Uncle Jiu secretly dismissed the idea.

He felt a little curious.

Seeing that no one else had noticed, he simply stood up and was about to invite them, but he heard another voice saying, "Since you are new to the tavern, why don't you have a drink with me?"

Uncle Jiu looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Su Shi who was speaking.

Su Shi has been coming to the tavern for some time.

He was very close to Li Bai, Du Fu and others in the tavern, and often chatted with emperors such as Ying Zheng and Li Shimin. He was even on close terms with Liu Peiqiang, Li Yunlong and others, which changed everyone's perception.

In Uncle Jiu's original idea, a great talent like Su Shi should be full of pride.

Just like Li Bai and others, they seem to be free and unrestrained on the surface, but they are just nodding acquaintances with ordinary people, and few people can really talk with them and regard them as close friends.

Su Shi is different.

You can talk to people about articles, poetry, governing the country, scenery, food, and cultivation...

Uncle Jiu had had a few drinks with him and they had a great time every time.

According to what he heard Ying Yinman say casually two days ago, he understood that it was called "backward compatibility."

He could see that although Su Shi was equally talented, he was different from Li Bai and Du Fu. He had his own ambitions and aspirations.

Even though he has been in the tavern for such a long time and has made no achievements in his own world, he has already made obvious plans for the future these days.

He spent the whole day sitting together with Zhao Gang, Huang Yaoshi and others discussing things, and also hung out with An Xin, Xu Sanduo, Cheng Yong and other people from the future world.

He remembered hearing yesterday that the other party was going to investigate the other world with Wang Duoyu.

With the help of Mr. Jin, Wang Duoyu has reached a cooperation with the government of that world.

Seeing the guy who looked like a beggar walking towards Su Shi, Uncle Jiu drank the last bit of wine in the cup, squinted his eyes and digested it silently for a moment.

Ten thousand years after this moment, he stood up and walked over.

After finishing the serious work, it's a good time to watch some fun.

He was really curious about this newcomer and had been secretly guessing about his origins.

Seeing him coming, Su Shi quickly handed out a wine glass and said to the newcomer with a smile: "This is Uncle Jiu, a master of Maoshan who slays demons and monsters, and a great man with a heart for the world."

His introduction made Uncle Jiu feel a little embarrassed. He waved his hand and said, "I am just an ordinary Taoist priest with good luck. Brother Su is the one with unparalleled talent. Everyone knows the name of Master Dongpo."

As he spoke, he paid attention to the man's expression.

Seeing that he had the same smile on his face as always and his eyes were more focused on the wine glass, Uncle Jiu was a little surprised and wondered if the other party lived before the Song Dynasty?
Or is it completely unrelated to their history?

Su Shi had already picked up the wine pot and was about to pour wine for the man, but he suddenly paused and asked suspiciously, "Brother, are you a monk?"

The man understood what he meant and waved his hands repeatedly: "It's okay, it's okay."

Facing the gazes of the two, he said calmly, "Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but the Buddha remains in the heart. Just pour the wine."

His words made Su Shi and Uncle Jiu look at each other in surprise.

Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but remain in the Buddha’s heart!
They are not unfamiliar with this sentence.

Su Shi was surprised and asked, "Are you Master Dao Ji?"

The monk was also surprised and asked, "Have you heard of me?"

"Haha, it's actually Jigong!"

Su Shi laughed, "I mentioned it to someone yesterday, but I didn't expect to meet him today."

Recalling his feelings and experiences before and after entering the tavern, Jigong already understood the extraordinary nature of this place.

He rarely smiled and said, "I can't be called a master. I'm just an ordinary monk."

Uncle Jiu laughed and said, "Is the Arhat who subdues the dragon under the Buddha's seat also an ordinary monk?"

Su Shi looked at Uncle Jiu in astonishment, and then looked at Jigong in suspicion.

He originally thought that this was the future great monk, but now he found that it seemed different from what he had guessed.

Arhat subduing the dragon!

Could it be that he is a mythical figure like Erlang Shen, Yang Jian and others?

"Uncle Jiu has an unparalleled eye for wisdom," Ji Gong said, "but what about the arhats in front of the Buddha? They can only save people but not the world. How are they different from ordinary monks?"

Su Shi was about to say something to comfort him, but he saw Uncle Jiu nodding in agreement: "That's true, monks can only talk big but can't do anything practical."

Su Shi blinked and didn't react.

Jigong was also stunned.

He was just being modest, why did this guy take it seriously?
"Why not join our Taoist sect?" said Uncle Jiu.

Jigong’s expression almost couldn’t be suppressed.

He held the palm-leaf fan and smiled: "Uncle Jiu is joking."

"I'm not kidding," Uncle Jiu said seriously, "Buddhism doesn't have the ability to save the world, but my Taoist sect does."

"Oh?" Ji Gong asked in disbelief, "Uncle Jiu, can you tell me more about it?"

"Does Jigong know what I've been doing recently?"

After asking, Uncle Jiu didn't wait for the other party to speak, and told the story of how he took the initiative to join the organization, guided the land reform revolution, and spread scientific and technological knowledge.

"In twenty years at most, I will ensure that everyone can afford clothes to wear and have enough food to eat, so that they don't have to worry about food and clothing." Uncle Jiu vowed.

He had no interest in this kind of thing, but because he was short of money some time ago, he got involved in politics at the instigation of others. Even though he was just a matchmaker, working with other guests in the tavern to bring some things from the future to that Earth, he felt a sense of pride watching the changes gradually taking place around him.

Ji Gong was suspicious: "Rice, flour, cotton and linen all come from farming and weaving. You let everyone have enough food and clothing. Are you doing this for the sake of others' well-being, or for the sake of the people's suffering?"

Su Shi understood what he meant.

What Jigong said was nothing more than robbing the rich to help the poor, or changing dynasties.

It is not a chivalrous act to rashly rob the rich to help the poor.

Wealth and poverty are relative, and a person's goodness or evil has nothing to do with wealth.

Just like the squirrel in the forest, it works diligently to save up a pile of nuts and is richer than its lazy neighbor. Can it be said that it is doing evil?

He thought about these issues seriously.

Faced with this situation, officials should encourage the rich to be kind, and carry out secondary distribution through means such as taxation, and strike a good balance.

This ensures that the poor can become rich through hard work, and that the rich but lazy people will find it difficult to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor. This will eliminate unscrupulous and unscrupulous practices, making the entire society full of vitality and preventing the poor from losing hope and the rich from becoming anxious.

As for Jigong's second meaning, he was also very clear about it.

The people are poor, firstly because of class stratification and secondly because of resource limits.

The change of dynasties is not only a reshuffle of classes, but also a reshuffle of the population.

Those seemingly insignificant numbers throughout the dynasties are all living lives!
In any case, what Jigong thought of is not a problem now.

Su Shi watched with interest.

Uncle Jiu is no longer the poor Taoist priest who only knew how to catch ghosts and zombies.

He smiled and said, "Ji Gong must believe in the power of technology."

"What technology?" Jigong was puzzled, thinking that this might be some new magic developed by Taoism.

Before Uncle Jiu had a chance to speak, Su Shi interrupted with a smile and explained it to Jigong.

Jigong was skeptical.

Through what kind of scientific farming, can we double the food production?
And what about chemical industry, which can produce cheap and beautiful clothes?

He was proficient in magic and had interactions with some gods in heaven when he was in Lingshan, but he had never heard of these things.

"You said it was made by mortals?" asked Jigong.

Su Shi nodded and said, "It is better to pray to yourself than to pray to gods and Buddhas. Human potential is infinite."

Jigong still couldn't believe it.

He had heard of some spells that could make plants grow quickly, but that would consume the spiritual power of the gods and would not last long.

How can a mortal do this?

"How could a great Buddhist like Dongpo lie to you?" Uncle Jiu said with a smile.

There is a difference between Buddhism and Taoism.

He had seen evil monks who pretended to be gods and were rich but unkind, but he had also met some eminent monks who slayed demons and eliminated evil, so he did not dislike them.

But after all, their beliefs were different, so he was happy to see Jigong being humiliated.

Ji Gong was moved and asked: "Su Dongpo, when did the bright moon appear?"

"I thought you hadn't heard of it." Uncle Jiu said.

Ji Gong rarely showed a bit of embarrassment and said, "If I hadn't been here, I would never have expected this!"

Su Shi did not feel any pride or honor because of his identity.

In his opinion, his existence was insignificant in the tavern.

He took out a tablet, opened the video, and showed it to Jigong: "Jigong, you will understand after watching this."

The tablet contains a popular science video about the entire chemical process and its relevance to all aspects of life.

When Jigong first saw the scene inside, he was surprised.

He did not feel any fluctuation of magic power, but he saw such a real picture from it.

Is this really the creation of mortals?

After seeing the content of the video, he was gradually attracted to it.

Seeing all kinds of huge machines appearing in it, and skyscrapers flashing by...

His eyes gradually became confused.

After a long while, the video finally played to the end.

Su Shi put away the tablet, faced Ji Gong's confused look, and said, "This is the future!"

"The future?" Jigong murmured.

"If you don't mind, you can go with me to have a look later." Su Shi's tone also revealed a bit of yearning, "That kind of future world with abundant resources is probably the real fairyland."

Jigong nodded thoughtfully.

Uncle Jiu smiled and glanced at Ji Gong, saying, "After you read it, you will know the difference between Buddhism and Taoism."

"Whether it's Buddhism or Taoism, as long as they can save all living beings, they are what everyone expects. Why bother about mere fame?" Jigong picked up the palm-leaf fan and said with a smile.

His words came from the heart, but scenes from the video kept flashing through his mind, making him seem absent-minded.

"So you plan to quit Buddhism?" Uncle Jiu asked.

Ji Gong shook his head and said seriously: "I practice Buddhism not for the sake of right and wrong, but just to see my true self. When I am free and transcendent, there will be no need to talk about Buddhism."

Uncle Jiu was silent, and the four words "Buddha is the Tao" flashed through his mind.

Su Shi asked with a smile: "How does Jigong plan to see his true self?"

"The world is filled with filth. Once we clear it away, perhaps we will be able to see clearly." Jigong said calmly.

"Maybe not all cultivators on Lingshan think the same way as Jigong?" Uncle Jiu said.

"Our paths are different." Jigong shook his head.

"The moon has its shades and brightness, and people have their good and evil sides," Su Shi said. "Given the complexity of human nature, it would be difficult to completely eliminate the filth, right?"

"So Uncle Jiu's plan to make me leave Buddhism is probably a long way off." Jigong smiled and sighed, waving a palm-leaf fan.

He looked at the wine glass in front of him and urged, "Drink, drink!"

Su Shi smiled.

Uncle Jiu nodded: "Yes, drink."

Looking at the Jigong in front of him, he felt that the other party was much more pleasing to the eye.

This guy was very different from the monks he had known before, both good and evil.

He is much more interesting.

At this moment, a voice came from behind them: "There is no Bodhi tree, and the bright mirror is not a stand. Master, your cultivation is not enough!"

Several people turned around.

Su Shi didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Wang Duoyu, you're here!"

……

(End of this chapter)