By the time Zhu Laosan and his son saw the Taikoo Moral Monument from a distance, it was already the afternoon of April 17, and the sun rising from the east had already hung in the middle of the sky, basking Ma Laosan. There was smoke coming from the top of his head, and because he walked too much today and stood for a long time, the soles of Zhu Laosan's own feet had become hot. Standing there was like stepping on a red-hot iron plate. The soles of his feet felt like they were being pricked by needles. If he hadn't prepared some dry food and water before, he wouldn't have been able to hold on.
The little face of Zhu Laosan's son, who had just turned eleven, was already pale. If Zhu Laosan hadn't held him up with one hand, his son would have been unable to stand.
Zhu Laosan also felt sorry for his son, but at this time, he could not let his son sit on the ground. That would be considered pious and dishonorable. In this case, all his ten years of hard work would be wasted. It’s a waste.
But at this time, even if you can't stand, you still have to stand, because the long queue is like a big curved snake, which has trapped the father and son in it. Zhu Laosan can only follow the team slowly forward. Moving his steps.
"Son, hold on. When you get back, dad will let you happily eat candied haws for half a month..." Zhu Laosan could only comfort his son in this way, and at the same time, he quietly took out a piece of ginseng that had been prepared long ago. He quietly stuffed the piece into his son's mouth, and took a piece himself. In this way, he could let his son support him with him until he turned around the ridge and saw the ancient moral monument.
At the moment when he saw the ancient moral monument, even if Zhu Laosan did not believe in ghosts and gods, at that moment, his whole mind could not help but be captured by the ancient moral monument.
The Taikoo Moral Monument is 210 meters high and more than 50 meters wide. It is completely dark and has a brilliant surface, like a mirror. It stands like a huge tombstone in a basin in Hongyu Mountain. It is solemn and cold, revealing an inexplicable mystery. The breath of the noon sun shines on the tall ancient moral monument. The glorious monument is still extremely dark without any reflection, as if it can completely swallow up the sunlight.
Just looking at the ancient moral monument, Zhu Laosan felt that this thing was definitely not a man-made thing. His heart was suddenly filled with unspeakable awe and even a little fear for the huge black monument. The fatigue that I felt just now disappeared instantly at this moment.
When the Taikoo Moral Monument first appeared, it certainly didn't look like this. There were still some ridges and mountain walls around it. The Taikoo Moral Monument itself was also embedded in a collapsed mountain wall. However, over the past two hundred years, it has been swallowed by With the continuous renovation of the church, the topography within a radius of ten kilometers with the Taikoo Moral Monument as the center has completely changed. It has become a huge open square that can accommodate almost a million people at the same time. When the Taikoo Moral Monument was first born, this place was completely open to anyone who wanted to see it. But now, this place has become a holy place for Tun Dang. Usually only some of the backbone of Tun Dang can come in. Only those who open the monument every year On this day, ordinary people have the opportunity to come here and see with their own eyes what the famous Taikoo Moral Monument looks like.
The team waiting in line to perform the "touching the monument" ceremony is by no means only Zhu Laosan and the others, but there are four teams in total, coming from the four directions of southeast, northwest and northwest. Each team is crowded with people, and the Taikoo Moral Monument Below, around the Taikoo Moral Monument, four floors of passage corridors like overpasses were built. People coming in from each direction can enter the passage corridors on different floors without disturbing each other, perform the "touching the monument" ceremony, and then And the wind flowed to different directions in the square.
It took Zhu Laosan almost an hour from seeing the Ancient Moral Monument to slowly arriving under the Ancient Moral Monument. Everyone who came in from their direction entered the passage corridor on the second floor. The surging crowd bit their own fingers one by one, stretched out their hands from the passage as they walked, smeared their own blood on the glorious body of the Ancient Moral Monument, and walked in a circle counterclockwise around the Ancient Moral Monument. Then leave through the exit of the passage. This is the "touching the monument" ceremony.
Some fanatical believers and core members of the Party-Suppressing Party even cut their palms with knives and put bloody fingerprints on the monument to show their piety.
It is said that when the earliest Taoist masters enlightened under the Immemorial Moral Monument, they bit their own fingers every day and smeared their own blood on the Immemorial Moral Monument. Finally, they had some connection with the Immemorial Moral Monument. This legend spread slowly. This has become today's "touching the monument" ceremony.
From the perspective of the passage corridor on the second floor, the Ancient Moral Monument turned into a black wall. Just walking into the passage on the second floor, looking at the blood and bloody handprints all over the wall, Zhu Laosan felt nothing in his heart. Instead of feeling pious, there was a chill, and I couldn't help but shudder.
Zhu Laosan confusedly followed others to cut his own finger, and asked his son Zhu Guangsi to do the same with him. Then he stretched out his trembling fingers and smeared his own blood on the ancient moral monument. Because of his mood A little nervous, Zhu Laosan even forgot how he felt about this expensive touch that he spent most of his income from selling tofu in ten years in exchange...
Surrounded by the surging crowd, after touching the Taikoo Moral Monument without hesitation, Zhu Laosan and his son left the Taikoo Moral Monument along the exit of the passage, and were then guided to the outside of the Taikoo Moral Monument Square. area, I can finally sit down on the ground.
The surging crowds were like four streams of water pouring into the square. By evening, the square around the Taikoo Moral Monument was already full of people. The number of people must have exceeded one million. Looking at it, When you go there, there is a dense crowd. After completing the "touching the monument" ceremony, the closer the seat is to the Taikoo Moral Monument, the higher the status in the swallowing party.
The date of the Monument Opening Festival has not really arrived yet. The most important part of the Monument Opening Festival every year is after the last ray of the sun leaves the Taikoo Moral Monument. At that time, the Taoist Master Meng Shidao will come to the scene in person to help everyone. He preached the sutra for an hour and then accepted disciples.
After advancing to the sky, Meng Shidao would make a public appearance here almost every year on the day of the Monument Opening Festival. Even Meng Shidao, who was the Great Situ of Taixia Sangong in the past few years, on this day, he I will also come here from Xuanyuan Hill to celebrate the Monument Opening Festival with everyone.
Countless backbones of the Tuntang, the president and members of the Tao Te Club travel thousands of miles to come here every year just to see Meng Shidao and listen to Meng Shidao’s teachings. Those who are highly regarded by Meng Shidao will even receive initiation from Meng Shidao and be taught the secret book of "Gui Zhen Jing".
Zhu Laosan was sitting on the edge of the square to rest while waiting nervously and uneasily. To be honest, if he could meet Meng Shidao here, even if they were far apart, he could meet him after he went back. People in Zhujiaji have been bragging for many years, and if their son can be selected by Meng Shidao here and become one of the lucky ones, then the Zhu family will be completely transformed.
Meng Shidao does not select all disciples who come from wealthy families or those who are the backbone of the party. Instead, every year, several children from ordinary families are chosen by Meng Shidao, and thus they rise to the top in one step and become the leaders of their respective hometowns. It was inspired by these role models that Zhu Laosan had the courage to take his children to give it a try.
Before the sun was about to set, thousands of people in white came. Those people were disciples of Hongyu Academy. After completing the "touching the monument" ceremony, those people all sat in the area closest to the ancient moral monument.
By this time, every position in the square around the Taikoo Moral Monument was already crowded with people.
"Benevolence is the heart of the Tao, virtue is the body of the Tao, etiquette is the use of the Tao, righteousness is the movement of the Tao, and the Tao is the thing. It is only trance. It is trance, there are images in it; trance is in it. Among them There is something. It is graceful and dark, but there is essence in it; its essence is very real, and there is faith in it. The road has no name, but the only way is to follow..."
在来到广场之后，鸿宇书院的弟子开始大声的诵读起来，慢慢的，则是上百万的人开始一起诵读，声音震动山岭，只要是吞党的人，几乎人人都会背诵这段text.
When the last ray of the sun left the highest point of the Ancient Moral Monument, the chanting in the entire square slowly stopped.
"Everyone, stand up and greet the Taoist master..." A loud and majestic voice sounded in the sky above the square. After hearing this voice, all the people sitting on the ground stood up at the same time and stood respectfully.
"Dad, I can't see..." Zhu Guangsi whispered and shook Zhu Laosan's hand.
Because he was young and stood at the outermost edge of the square, after everyone stood up, Zhu Laosan's son was submerged in a group of adults. All he could see was the waist and legs of the people in front of him, but the things in the distance were invisible. Gone.
Zhu Laosan quickly made a gesture to silence his son, asking him to quiet down. He stared at the ancient moral monument in the distance with his eyes wide open.
Zhu Laosan didn't see where Meng Shidao came from at all, but after everyone stood up and the whole square suddenly became quiet, a figure in black robe, like a magic trick, suddenly stood on the ancient moral monument At the highest point, looking down at the common people, he looked at the millions of fanatical followers who were standing below.
"Welcome to the Taoist master, I wish the Taoist chakras will turn forever and the road will be eternal!" Millions of people congratulated loudly at the same time, saluting the figure standing on the ancient moral monument...
At this time in previous years, after everyone salutes and greets them, the figure would usually say at this time, "The great road is not a road for one person, but a road for everyone. Please take a seat. Next, I will preach to everyone...", Then everyone would sit down, and the figure would sit cross-legged on the top of the Ancient Moral Monument and start lecturing everyone.
But today, that figure was unusually silent. After everyone saluted, he didn't speak for a long time. That person didn't speak. The millions of party-devouring followers in the square could only stand and speak dryly. He looked at the figure standing on the ancient moral monument with his eyes, not knowing what to say next, and the atmosphere at the scene became inexplicably weird.
Finally, the man standing on the ancient moral monument spoke. The man sighed and said, "Today is finally here..."
The faint sigh and voice clearly reached everyone's ears, and millions of people felt at a loss at this moment - today is finally here... What does Taoist Master mean...