The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 261: The Human World (I)

In some places, there are peaks and ridges, caves, flying coffins, small temples, and plank roads on the cliffs. In some depressions, clouds and mists are boiling, giant vines are hanging in the air, monkeys are peeping, and cranes are flying. In some places, rapids are surging, waterfalls are deafening, and piles of human bones are rushing out.

Towering ancient trees rose up, covering the entire mountain. The narrow path was winding and rugged. In the pouring rain, a group of people led their mounts and trudged along the dark mountain path. Their clothes were soaked by sweat and rain. The gloomy environment and the mountain ghosts made their backs cold.

"Xilulu!" The rider stood up.

"Ah!" Ding Li pointed somewhere and screamed, "There's another tiger!"

Following the mound, they saw two tigers, crouching there like cats warming themselves by the fire, watching them. Suddenly, there was a commotion, and the crowd of people took off their armor and weapons while shouting. Some people quickly blindfolded their horses, and gathered together, cursing at each other.

"Swoosh!" An iron hook flew out powerfully from the hand of the person at the front of the team.

The tiger dodged swiftly, swung its tail and stared at the man on the hillock. After walking for a while and looking back a few times, it disappeared into the wilderness. The man was dark and burly, and energetic. His eyebrows revealed a gangster, vicious and elegant look. He put down his bow, patted his hat and raincoat, and looked back at his family: "Watch the road carefully, it will be easier to walk after we get down this hill."

"I'm scared." Ding Li lifted her skirt and waved, "I'm going with my father."

"You're not afraid of anything." Ding Hui cursed: "Go back."

"Old thief." Ding Li muttered in a low voice: "I don't want to stay in Shouchun. I can't live a peaceful life. I have come a long way. It's an honor to say it... But I am just a grass-roots general, why should I pretend to be a loyal minister..."

Ding Hui turned around and glared: "If you keep scolding me!"

Ding Li picked up a small dried fish and put it into her mouth. She chewed it with a sad face and was about to cry: "My whitebait, white shrimp, green pear..."

"Eat, eat, eat, you know how to eat!"

"Okay, okay." Silang Dingping pulled his sister back to his side.

Ding Li was too lazy to talk nonsense. After eating a few dried fish, her temper gradually calmed down and she became more focused: "Brother, when will we get to Lantian? Can we really see the jade smoke there on a clear day?"

Ding Ping was stunned: "Is that right?"

"So, it might be fake?" Ding Li said disappointedly, "I thought it was a real magical sight."

Ding Hui sneered, rubbing salt into the wound and shattering his daughter's fantasy: "This is called spreading rumors."

It can't be said to be a rumor.

Emperor Li had visited Guanzhong many times in his previous life. He visited Hanzhong, Baoji, Yulin, Shenmu, Xi'an, Yan'an, and other major cities. It was winter when I went to Lantian. I remember that the sun was strong that day. Looking around, under the clear blue sky, I did have a hazy and blurred sense of vision, as if smoke was flowing in the air and I felt dizzy. When I asked the locals, they were all unaware, and my companions explained it as refraction. It is not clear whether it is a psychological effect or a natural phenomenon. But in other places, the view and photos on sunny days are mostly clear, without the feeling of halo.

Therefore, Ding Li doesn't need to be disappointed so early.

When you arrive at the court, Brother Li will take you out for some fun.

As it was getting dark, the group finally walked onto the road.

Ding Li rode on the horse, admiring the towering mountains in the mist on both sides of the river, with a knowing smile on her face. Although the whitebait, crisp pear, white shrimp, and clams and artemisia were missing... but such magnificent mountains and rivers are hard to find in Jiangnan. I wonder what delicious food is in Guanzhong. Just as she was thinking, Ding Li pointed with her whip and exclaimed, "Hey, there is an ordinary courtyard over there!"

Seeing the smoke rising from the courtyard, Ding Li's stomach growled. They brought dry food, but coarse cakes and fried rice were only enough to keep people from starving to death. Now she just wanted to eat a bowl of hot mutton soup and soup cakes to warm her weak body during her period.

This ordinary courtyard may not have mutton soup, but it certainly has hot soup noodles. When she thought of hot soup noodles, Ding Li swallowed her throat subconsciously and felt hot all over.

"Gee!" Ding Li squeezed the horse's belly with her powerful thighs, and the beast under her crotch stepped towards the manor.

"Ali!" Wen shouted from behind, "Slow down, slow down."

"Can't this bastard be more ladylike?" Ding Hui cursed, and wailed to the sky: "This is God's way of humiliating me!"

After shouting, he urged the horse to follow.

When they arrived at the manor, Ding Hui kicked the stirrup and dismounted, asking the others to wait outside while he and Ding Li pushed and shoved each other to push the door and squeeze into the manor.

This is a common temple with red walls and tiled roofs and the sound of bells echoing.

As soon as Ding Lifu entered, she smelled the food and took a deep sniff. It smelled so good! Why is there a smell of mutton? These bald donkeys, monks who only care about wine and meat! But what does it have to do with me? I just happen to have mutton soup. Goose, goose, goose... Ding Li walked in while looking around: "Is anyone there? Abbot?"

No one replied. The cypress trees were thick and the surroundings were quiet and deserted, with only the sound of pine waves, the sound of rain and the evening bells.

"Huh~ This ordinary courtyard is really weird." Ding Li muttered.

The manor was very large. Looking past the main hall in the middle, one could see many buildings in the back. However, after walking around the courtyard and the incense burner in the yard, Ding Li didn't see a single human hair. Instead, she found a lot of weapons and armor under the corridor, and she couldn't help but become alert.

How can an ordinary hospital have so many deadly weapons?
I suddenly recalled the smell of sheep that had been lingering in my nose. Did I enter an evil temple?
Thinking of those legends of deceiving people and killing them, Ding Li shuddered. She frowned and retreated behind Ding Hui.

"Are you scared already?" Ding Hui sneered and mocked.

"Who is scared?"

Ding Hui didn't say anything either, and quickly retreated behind his daughter.

"You old thief." Ding Li retreated again. Ding Hui was about to retreat again, but was caught by Ding Li, who yelled at him: "How shameless are you! Not to mention that I am your daughter, why do you want me, a woman, to protect you, a warrior?"

"Why not?" Ding Hui picked his nose and said, "To die for me is in line with filial piety."

Ding Li smiled and said, "Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parents, and Teacher, it is in accordance with the duty of a minister for you to be a starving corpse for the saints. Why do you want to rebel from your nest?"

"If I don't rebel and make a name for myself, the saints won't even know there's a person like me, so how can I serve my country?" Ding Hui looked sad and helpless: "It's out of loyalty that I gave up my reputation and duty. This is probably what it means to sacrifice one's life for justice."

"I have never seen such a shameless person!" Ding Li looked gloomy and observed the ordinary courtyard: "This manor...what do you think?"

"Weird!"

Ding Li felt even gloomier. Ding Hui's reaction undoubtedly confirmed her thoughts. So...

"Where to go?"

"Gather an army and attack them immediately!"

"Huh? You are seriously ill. How long have these symptoms lasted?" "Oh." Ding Hui grabbed her shoulders and turned around: "Let's go. Let's find an abandoned house or temple nearby to spend the night."

"My hot soup!" Ding Li covered her face with her hands and sobbed in pain: "Wuwuwuwu... It's my period, and my body is weak."

"Shut up. Not eating for a few days won't kill you."

As a result, the father and daughter had just taken a few steps when they heard someone in the hall behind them shouting, "Where are you from?"

Ding Li's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

Since there was someone there, why didn't you say anything just now?

Ding Hui had already turned around and replied: "Come from Huainan, go to Chang'an."

All that was heard was an extremely deep and penetrating old voice booming out from the hall: "Amitabha."

The door of the temple suddenly opened, and an old monk with a broad face, big ears, and a long beard, holding a staff, quietly walked out, surrounded by a group of monks, with his palm raised and chanting: "The Taoist Wuzhen Temple Shangjin Road Qingniling Common Courtyard welcomes you, Zuowang Dao."

"Master." Ding Hui put his hands together politely and asked, "Is this Lantian Wuzhen Temple?"

Zuowangdao nodded.

"Which wise man's disciple is the Zen Master?"

"Goku."

Wukong, a great monk in the middle Tang Dynasty.

Ding will relax his guard a little.

"Isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar? Immortals and mortals are welcome, please come in." Zuowangdao smiled and said, "Are you seeking refuge in the pass?"

The monks placed the cushions and tables in the east corridor and served food.

Zuowangdao sat down opposite.

Ding Hui took off his steel knife and slammed it on the table, causing the tea to spill everywhere. He straightened his clothes and knelt down, smiling apologetically, "You used too much force. Seeking refuge... Yes and no. Zen Master and I just met by chance, how can there be a predestined relationship?"

Zuowangdao laughed loudly: "All dharmas arise from causes and conditions, I say it is causes and conditions. When causes and conditions are exhausted, they cease, I say so. Whatever people and events I meet are all my causes. But Guanzhong was hit by a flood and an epidemic, and the owner of the cause left. Isn't that unwise?"

"A pandemic?"

Zuowang Dao nodded and said, "It has rained continuously for two months, causing eight rivers to overflow and wells to overflow, destroying countless city walls and houses, and causing heavy casualties among people and animals. I heard from other patrons that even the imperial palace was flooded with water several feet high, and some monks were drowned. A major epidemic soon followed, killing tens of thousands of people, and the emperor was also infected."

Is it fake? Ding Hui was struck by lightning: "Can I die?"

"I don't know."

"Why is the weather so weird?"

"Karma. The lord of kinship has come all the way here. Haven't you seen that thousands of villages in Jinshangzhou and counties are overgrown with thorns and weeds? Since the conquest of Jinshang, Shaanxi and Luoyang, the military officials have burned down the city and broken down the gates, and relocated all the people. Those who dared not to obey were killed. The lucky ones were settled in the northwest of Beijing. The unlucky ones were sent to Liangzhou and Shancheng... Then they left it to fate. Men and women were driven away like dogs and chickens. How many bones have been paved on the Shangjin Road and Tongguan Road."

"That's fine, actually." But Ding Hui smiled faintly and said, "A short pain is worse than a long one."

"Interesting." Zuowangdao stroked his beard and asked, "Are you still going to enter the customs?"

"I have no choice." Ding Hui said sadly, "I have to keep changing my life."

"Changed your life?" Zuowangdao picked up the teacup and raised his eyebrows, saying, "Master, you are full of energy. What was wrong with your previous life?"

"There's nothing wrong with it..." Ding Hui's mouth twitched: "It's just like a dog, like a mad dead person."

"Judging from the master's attire, character, and temperament, he must be a warrior." Zuowangdao looked at Ding Hui and said indifferently, "He is a warrior with a high position. Does he have so many troubles?"

"I, I..." Ding Hui was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say. He shrugged and chuckled, "Actually, I'm a mourner. Haha, you didn't expect that, did you? I'm a warrior, so I guess."

"Oh?"

Ding Hui tapped his fingers lightly, and then there was a "swish" sound. With a flash of cold light, without any warning, the steel knife was unsheathed from the right side with one hand, and passed in front of Zuowangdao. In an instant, "swish!" Without even looking, the knife was inserted back horizontally.

Ding Li, who was standing behind, was dazzled. In a flash, she only saw two afterimages flash by, and a wisp of fluttering beard appeared in the air above the table between her father and Zuwangdao.

Ding Hui closed his eyes and sighed, "I only killed 2784 people and barely became the commander of the pseudo-Liang Yicheng Army. How can I say that my position is not low?"

Ding Li felt a chill down her spine, and then a sense of security spread.

After a while, the old monk said kindly: "I have killed 3009 of them."

Ding Li was dumbfounded and suspected that she had heard it wrong.

The old monk put down his teacup and said, "My secular name is Li Yanzuo. I am a descendant of the royal family. I was a General of the Central Army at the beginning of Changqing. I was successively appointed as the governor of Cang, Yun, Xu, Ling, and Fu. Later, I got tired of killing, so I abandoned my wife and children and disappeared into the world, becoming a monk. Fifty years have passed in a flash. My great-grandson Li Ao is a general in Henan, but he doesn't know that his ancestor is still alive in this place."

"The Zen master is quite similar to Yuan Jing, a former subordinate of Shi Siming who revolted in Luoyang during the Yuanhe period." Ding Hui was also surprised. This is a living fossil who lived in the same era as Han Hong, Tian Ji'an, Wang Zhixing, Shi Xiong, and Li Sheng: "It's just that Yuan Jing's evil spirit is hard to get rid of, and the Zen master has let it go."

Ding Li was speechless.

Ding Hui took out a few hundred yuan and threw it on the table: "Stay at Marshal Li's place for one night."

Zuowangdao grinned: "Ordinary courtyards are here to serve the world, why would they charge money? I just want you to enter the gate and burn a stick of incense at Wuzhen Temple."

"Okay, okay." Ding Hui nodded hurriedly: "It's a pity that the Zen master is a monk, otherwise I would send Marshal Li off for free after his relic is restored to the true nature." After speaking, he picked up the porridge and vegetables on the table and gulped them down, pushing the empty bowl away: "Another bowl!"

"Ali? Go and ask your mother and the others to come in."

(End of this chapter)