Shen Jue sat on the Arhat couch, holding a string of five-line bodhi seeds with his hands hanging on his knees and counting slowly. The elders below each spit Xingzi, arguing about how to deal with the danger of Garan. They are obviously a lot of age, but their voices can still pierce the roof of his house, and they are all blushing.
His injury is not yet healed, and there is a thick bandage wrapped under his clothes, and it hurts when he moves a little. In the palace, the stack of documents of the supervisor of the Lijian has become a mountain, and there are still a lot of matters to be solved urgently. Zhezi was moved to the Qianqing Palace, and the little emperor felt dizzy when he saw it. Ge Lao went to the palace gate to block the little emperor and asked him to go to the West Dynasty room with him to discuss matters. He rushed to the harem in a panic while sending Ge Lao to find Shen Jue.
Shen Jue turned his head to look at the bookcase, the snowflakes were dazzlingly white, and when he turned around, Elder Ge's spit stared at his face.
Ugh. He supported his forehead, feeling that his injury hurt even more.
"Shuobei Leguo has been poisoned for a long time, and it has penetrated into the bone marrow. Once Bailiyuan wants to turn against it, it is very easy. If it is normal to send troops to level the Linbei Houfu, but now all the troops that can be used are sent to Liaodong. If something goes wrong in Shuobei again, the society will be worried!" Chen Xun, a cabinet minister, twisted his beard and said with a sullen face, "What's more, in the past few years, there have been constant promotions and relocations, and there are three officials transferred from Shuobei in the Guangli Ministry. Li Yuan secretly complimented the song. I'm afraid that before the soldiers are dispatched, Shuo Bei will be the first to reverse."
"Shuobei's affairs must be kept under wraps, and we must not let more people know about it." Zhang Zhao said with a frown, "People will copy out a list of all officials transferred from Shuobei within five years. ." Said and bowed his hands to Shen Jue, "The factory guard is the most powerful detective, and this matter has to trouble the factory boss a lot."
Shen Jue nodded, meaning to understand.
Zhang Zhao continued: "The key to the problem of the fruit of bliss is that only Shuobei produces this medicine, so everyone who is addicted to the drug all obeys Bailiyuan. The old man thinks that there are two ways to solve it, one of which is naturally Bailiyuan caught her before she returned to Shuobei. The factory and guards have been dispatched to secretly investigate the matter, but it is a pity that Jialan has vast magical powers, and the underworld is intertwined, so I'm afraid it won't happen easily."
The elders of the four pavilions nodded one after another.
"As for the second one..." Zhang Zhao sighed slowly, and said, "The lingering flowers come from the deep mountains of the Miao border, that is to say, there are places suitable for planting lingering flowers in the Bashu area. The old man thought that he might as well secretly order reliable merchants. Go to Miaojiang to reclaim the flower fields, and produce the fruit of bliss that will be sold across the country, so that Bailiyuan can't dominate the family, the assassins have a new source of medicine, and Jialan will naturally collapse."
Shen Jue raised her eyes suddenly and said sternly, "This is the strategy to destroy the country!"
There was silence all around. Everyone knows that the fruit of bliss is addictive and bad people's spirit. Once the output is expanded and everyone obeys it, it will be a disaster for generations to come.
"Let's discuss this matter." Shen Jue squeezed his brows and waved his hand.
The cabinet ministers said their goodbyes and walked out of the study. However, Zhang Zhao was still sitting in the same position, the gray-haired old man lowered his eyes, his jagged bones huddled in the large dark-flowered official uniform.
"What else is going on with Yuan Fu?" Shen Jue glanced at him lightly.
"There is another way, I wonder if the factory master would like to listen carefully?" Zhang Zhao said.
"Speak." Shen Jue picked up a cup of tea and blew the tea foam.
"Although the factory master tried his best to conceal it, according to the old man's guess, Lord Xiao Shen is the nameless ghost of Jialan in the past." Zhang Zhaoluo paused and said, "In the battle of Lutan Ancient Road, Jialan Jialou returned to the factory master, and now the factory master There are already two strong Jialan assassins under his command. These two were born in Jialan and know the background of Jialan. In my opinion, it is better to use these two as the vanguard, select thirty dead men, go to Shuobei, and assassinate Bailiyuan."
"Enough, our family has their own concerns, please go back." Shen Jue said with a cold face.
"Chang Gong!" Zhang Zhao stood up and bowed deeply, "Chang Gong should not be concerned about the personal affairs of his children and the country in general!"
"Enough!" Shen Jue threw the tea cup at Zhang Zhao's feet, there was a crisp sound like ice cracking, the tea cup shattered all over the floor, and the hot tea splashed on the corner of Zhang Zhao's clothes.
Zhang Zhao bowed deeply again, turned and left.
Everyone was gone, and the study was suddenly deserted. The shadows of the sparse branches and leaves outside shined into the window screens, the wind blew, and the shadows of the branches swayed in the room. Shen Jue supported his forehead and looked at the ice plum pattern on the floor tile, his heart was empty. It’s useless to pray to Buddha, and it’s useless to worship God. Is their path coming to an end? Unspeakable sadness welled up in his heart, and he was almost on the verge of tears.
Opening the door, Mingyue stood in the courtyard, holding Sister Yu in her hand. The girls were both wearing plain-colored robes, but their complexion looked much better.
"Master Governor!" Sister Yu ran over and hugged his leg.
Mingyue saluted Shen Jue and said with a slight smile, "Professor, my concubine is here to bid farewell."
Shen Jue nodded and asked again, "Where are you going?"
"Jinling." Mingyue replied with a light smile, "I saved some money and want to open a medical clinic in Jinling."
"If you have any difficulties, just ask the governor of Yingtian Prefecture and tell me my name." Shen Jue walked down the steps and stood for a while, "I hate him..."
Mingyue shook her head and said softly, "Assassins are pathetic people... I don't want to investigate Ajin's affairs any more, so let me go to Jinling and never see each other again in this life."
Shen Jue bowed to her, "Shen Jue thanked the lady on behalf of Chi Yan."
"Master, take care." Mingyue returned a salute and led Sister Yu out of the Moon Cave.
The shadows of the trees swirled, and he stood in the wind for a long time, ringing the jade bells and tingling, involving a long string of lingering. He invited Shen Wenxing to ask where Xia Houlin was.
——
The vision became blurred, the tables and chairs had double images, and the colors became extraordinarily bright. The sunlight was sharp and golden in his eyes, like a knife stabbing in his eyes. Xia Houlin shook his head vigorously, stood up and walked towards the Luohan couch. The heart beat fast, thumping, as if it was about to jump out of the chest, and a cavity was filled with the heavy echo of the heartbeat.
He knew that he was about to see an illusion, the senses became very strange, the shapes of things in front of him became slightly distorted, and the world seemed to run away under his feet. All the sounds slowly moved away from him, the rustling of the wind blowing the trees, the footsteps of servants, the collision of cups and trays of tea cups... They seemed to be vaguely transmitted through thousands of doors. Breathing and heartbeat are very clear, the whole heart is empty, like an abandoned bellows.
He closed his eyes.
The call of the old man comes with the wind.
"Small-"
In an instant, all the voices came like a tidal wave, the sharp sound of the sharp blade being pulled out of the scabbard, the sticky sound of flesh and blood being cut inch by inch, and the women and children screamed shrilly. He opened his eyes in the dark, the moonlight outside the door was as pale as snow, the assassins danced like demons, twisting out in the dark shadows, the blood was spreading, and the corpse's eyes were wide open.
Twelve-year-old Xia Houlin pushed Xie Jinglan out the door and shouted loudly, "Don't look back, don't tremble, don't talk! Don't let others find out, you are Xie Jinglan!"
The weak young man staggered out of the threshold and faced the Shura battlefield alone. The back in the sea of blood was lonely and decisive, like a scar in his heart.
He remembered that this was thirteen years ago when the Xie Mansion was destroyed. He and Shen Jue exchanged clothes, and Shen Jue pretended to be him and escaped from this catastrophe. Since then, time has flown by, and I will never look back. He wanted to go out with him to see what happened to Shen Jue, but the door closed in an instant, the world fell into darkness again, he tripped over something and fell to the ground.
The raindrops hit the face, and it was icy cold. He raised his head, thousands of rain arrows fell from the sky, and the lightning flashed in the clouds, like a disappearing dragon and snake. The sound of footsteps came, and the reflection of the blade in the dark woods. He saw a familiar figure, like a black night owl, running away in the torrential rain. The gap between the branches and leaves revealed her sharp eyebrows, and the corners of her eyebrows were like knives, as if they were going to cut through the heavy night of pig iron.
"Mother!" He suddenly woke up and roared like crazy, "Run!"
In the darkness, short arrows burst out of the air and plunged into her back. Immediately afterwards, the sword light of Liu's disciples surrounded all her paths, and the waves were unsheathed. They fought fiercely in the rain, blood and rain mixed together, gurgling It flows down the crevices of the soil. Countless knives slashed into her body, blood poured like a spring, and she was finally overwhelmed and fell into the mud.
Xia Hourong wanted to pass, but an invisible wall blocked his way. He could only beat the air over and over again, crying and shouting: "No! No!"
Among the chaotic figures, Xiahou Pei hunched his back and pulled out the dagger from his waist, slashing his face one by one, dripping with blood. The sound of fighting gradually ceased, and she finally lost her voice and became an icy corpse. Liu Guizang pulled out an arc knife and chopped off her head.
His heart seemed to be split inch by inch, the long ago pain hit his chest again, and the silent grief surged in his body like a tidal wave. In the vision hazy with tears, Xiahou Pei's body slowly rotted into the appearance he saw on the streets of Liuzhou. The dim sunlight shone on her broken body, and he and her empty eyes looked at each other silently.
He recalled that many years ago, eating roasted sweet potatoes together in front of the Jialan Inn, listening to Pipa and Pingtan on the streets of Suzhou, the evening bell of Hanshan in the Wu Peng boat, watching the lights of thousands of families on the Great Reward Pagoda... After all, the past can't be looked back. Among them are the yin and yang poles that are like a rift between the sky and the earth.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." Xia Houlin knelt down and pressed his forehead against the cold ground, tears pouring down like rain, "I lifted the ashes and melted the transverse waves, I'm sorry..."
The darkness gradually became clear, and all the sounds were silent, except for the intermittent whine of Qiu Chan. The shadow of the sun and the locust leaves shined on his shoulders through the I-shaped latticework, and he raised his head to see Qiuye's gentle smiling face. He was lying on the kang, his cheeks were thin, but he was still beautiful, like the mountains and rivers swaying in the wind and rain.
"It's time to say goodbye, Xiaolin." Qiuye stretched out his hand and touched the top of his head.
He took his pale hand and wept silently. He still remembers that when he was eight years old, Brother Qiu taught him how to cook and cook, when he was ten years old, he helped him feed fluffy chickens, and when he was thirteen years old, he taught him how to change his face and change his voice. Qiuye's smile is always like the warm sunshine, as if it can dissolve into the vast mountains.
Qiuye looked out the window, "Look, autumn is here, and the leaves are falling."
The locust leaves are deep, a red sun hangs on the distant mountains, and the slanting light of the setting sun shrouds the world. The withered yellow leaves swirled and fluttered in the wind, like a butterfly withered wings, and the scorched yellow tips of the wings made a sad low whistle. He walked to the window and stretched out his hand, the leaves with golden light fluttering on the edge were fluttering, and were about to fall on his palm, and at that moment he saw a silver streamer flashing in front of his eyes.
When he raised his head, he saw a figure like a dead bamboo.
"Stupid child, don't cry." Xingxin looked at him, and there was a lot of sadness he couldn't understand in his deep eyes.
The silver thread tightened in the air, and a sharp light flashed quickly. He stretched out his hand and shouted, "No!"
The old body was torn apart in an instant, and the blood stained the whole world red like splashing ink.
Thousands of mourning souls whizzed past under his feet, and the call of the old man kept ringing in his ears.
"Little Lan—", "Little Lan—", "Little Lan—"
He clenched his head in pain and curled up on the ground. He didn't understand why what others saw was supreme bliss, but what he saw was boundless pain. Is it true that there has never been bliss in this world, bliss is a lie of self-deception, from beginning to end, everything is a quagmire of suffering and disaster.
Everything is painful.
As a human being, you can never be freed.
The calls kept repeating in his ears, as if thousands of waters merged into a tide to drown him. The wind swayed by his ears, and he saw the soul of the old man stepping on the unfathomable shore. They looked back at Xiahou Lin who was kneeling on the ground together, and said with a mournful smile.
He begged in tears, don't say, don't say.
But they still managed to say-
"Xiao Lian, there will be no future in the future."
It turns out that this call has always been a farewell to an old friend.
The darkness was like a huge cocoon, wrapping him heavily. The world fell silent, and all around was silent. He seemed to have sunk into an unfathomable cold pool, the icy water submerged his body, the chill swam around his limbs like a snake, and finally invaded his heart. He closed his eyes, like a small mayfly in the boundless black water, floating without roots.
If he can, can he become an unconscious duckweed, and no longer worry and no longer suffer. Who can tell him, in the end how to achieve enlightenment
His vision suddenly brightened, and he opened his eyes. A light appeared in the distance, like a star in the long night, shining brightly.
The water ripples under his feet, and the young Xie Jinglan, dressed in white clothes, waded into the water with a lamp. His face was as pale and almost transparent as always, and his body was still as frail as before, but like a reckless pine and bamboo, which was invulnerable to wind and rain, and to frost and snow.
Xia Houlin stared at him blankly, forgetting to react.
The halo of the silk lamp became clearer and clearer, Xie Jinglan walked up to Xia Houlin and raised his sleeves to dry his tears.
"Master..." Xia Houlin's voice was hoarse.
Xie Jinglan opened her arms and hugged him tightly, her warm breath in his ears. This warmth is so real, even a little scorching, like a flame.
"Didn't you say that you won't be sad if you hug me?" Xie Jinglan said softly, "I hug you, don't cry, okay?"
The surging sadness finally burst its banks and flooded into the sea, and he burst into tears.
The darkness stretched endlessly under their feet, like an icy cage made of iron. Only the clear light of Yingying held up a square inch of light, which just illuminated the two people who were hugging each other tightly. At that moment, Xia Houlin felt that the time was extremely long, as if it would go on without end. And they are kept here forever, like dusty and immortal memories.
All things are impermanent, everything is suffering.
If his heart is tough enough, can he face up to the bloody suffering. He does not seek detachment, but only that the heart is deep and broad enough to contain all suffering.
Because of Xie Jinglan, he will have infinite courage.
He closed his eyes and buried it in the boy's neck. At the apex of the bloody bumpy heart, he heard the sound of flowers blooming.
Consciousness gradually returned to the cage, all the illusions that seemed real and illusory dissipated like smoke, only the hug that hugged him tightly did not disappear. He opened his eyes blankly and saw Shen Jue's pale profile.
He was stunned for a moment, then raised his hand and poked Shen Jue's cheek, a pit dented in his face.
Shen Jue turned out to be real.
"When did you come, young master?" Xiahou asked blankly.
Shen Jue glanced at him and said, "Who gave you the ability to swallow the fruit of bliss, and who let you raise your mother's ashes?" Me? Let me think about it, think about it."
Xia Houlin buried his head back on Shen Jue and said in a low voice, "Young master, can you not scold me today?"
Shen Jue's chest was filled with intense grief, Xia Houlin leaned on him, this was the first time he had seen him look so helpless and pitiful, like a child. He patted Xia Houlin's back lightly and said, "I won't scold you, I won't scold you."
"When did you come?" Xia Houlin asked him.
"As long as you've been crazy, I'll be here for as long as you want."
"Why didn't my brother stop you?"
"You were crying and howling in the house, and your brother was scared enough by you."
Xia Houlin turned his head to look out the window. Lian Xiang and Shen Wenxing were standing in the yard, probing their brains. It seemed that his movement made a big difference. Xia Houlin suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
Shen Jue wiped his tears with his hand, "What did you see? It's the first time I saw you cry so stupidly. It's really eye-opening. Isn't the fruit of bliss making people want to die? Why are you still crying?"
After taking the medicine, my whole body was numb. Xia Houlin sat leaning against Shen Jue, closed his eyes and said, "I see you, young master. You are my bliss."
When Shen Jue heard this, her heart was only sad, as if dust filled her heart, "A-Lian, I'm sorry, I'm so useless, I'm so useless."
"It's none of your business. What do you always do to yourself." Xia Houlin smiled wearily, his eyes moved to the scar under his net towel, which had already scabbed over. Xia Houlin remembered the injury on his body, Chiyan that kid was too ruthless, Xia Houlin himself would rather be beaten by the sun than to beat him, but Chiyan beat him for two days without getting out of bed. But the wound on Shen Jue's forehead did not know where it came from. Chi Yan said that the skull was strong, and he never cut it there.
Xia Houlin asked, "How did the injury on your head come from?"
Shen Jue didn't speak, and silently looked away. Xia Houlin slowly raised his eyebrows, "You ran to Guangling Temple so well that day... You shouldn't have gone to the Buddha. Is this injury a kowtow?" He understood, he sighed deeply, and said, "I thought that finding a qigong master was already your top priority, but I didn't expect you to be able to worship Buddha. Alas, young master, you are so stupid."
"You're stupid."
"You are stupid."
Shen Jue retorted stubbornly, "You are stupid."
"Okay, okay, we are both fools, we are a perfect match." Xia Houlin grinned and caught a glimpse of Shen Jue out of the corner of his eye, but he was still sullen. Xia Houtong stretched out his hand, smoothed Shen Jue's furrowed brows, and said softly, "Young master, I sometimes think, maybe all the suffering is destined, we have no other choice but to grit our teeth and push through. But in this way, happy things are also destined. You think, when I was sold into your house by Renya, there were more than a dozen dolls that came in with me. in your yard."
Shen Jue listened to him quietly, the sun was shining on the two of them, and it was warm.
"Looks like fate?" Xia Houlin looked at him with a charming smile in his eyes, "I think enough is enough. Although we have come this way, the fact that the two of us met is enough for me to be sweet for a lifetime. "