In fact, in the current environment of discussing the Tao, the movements of every tree and blade of grass around the temple were all within the thoughts of the old monk Ji Yuan and Foyin. Naturally, they also knew about the Daliang Temple dismissing the pilgrims and the three people coming to investigate.
Dismissing the pilgrims and even closing the Daliang Temple would allow the two to act more freely. Otherwise, the strange phenomenon would not have spread as soon as the pilgrims dispersed.
Over the years, Ji Yuan has become accustomed to the magical state of mind within his body. He has more than mastered the creation of heaven and earth. When he discusses the Tao, he can respond naturally and show it to support his arguments.
In addition, with the factor of deducing the "Mysterious Law of Heaven and Earth" of the Yunshan Taoist sect, the starlight in the sky seemed to be affected, and star power continued to fall.
What Ji Yuan had not expected was that the world within the old monk Foyin's body was actually quite amazing. During his discussion, strange visions continued to appear, including flowers, trees, red clouds, and Buddhist sounds.
This was just like meeting a worthy opponent in chess or a close friend in wine, a feeling that Ji Yuan and Lao Long had never experienced before. Although Ji Yuan knew that the old monk Foyin would definitely not have an artistic conception like the real world, this was at least a surprise.
Many old monks in Daliang Temple are now like firefighters. They seal the spiritual orifices in their ears to minimize the impact of the discussion of Taoism, and try their best to put aside all kinds of fantasies, and help the monks in the temple everywhere within the range of the discussion of Taoism.
Those who were completely unconscious were sent to places outside where they would not be affected. Since all the monks' quarters were in the inner courtyard, some Buddhist temples in the front courtyard that were not affected by the Taoist sounds had to be vacated to accommodate the monks.
For those who are less affected but still a little shaky, we quickly help them move further away, or simply wake them up and let them leave.
The three masters who left Daliang Temple in fear only breathed a sigh of relief after they knew they were far away from Daliang Temple and passed through the market outside the temple.
The three of them were now breathing slightly and looking at each other, then looking back in the direction of Daliang Temple. They felt that after leaving the Daliang Temple, the night sky around them had become much darker, and the direction of Daliang Temple seemed to be shrouded in a layer of hazy starlight.
"You guys saw what happened just now... right?"
The man surnamed Tan was very excited and asked Da Tang and Xiao Tang.
"Yeah, it's unforgettable." "Me too, it's incredible!"
Even now, there are still strange or vague voices lingering in the hearts of the three people.
"Let's go and report back to Sixth Master."
The city of Tongqiu Prefecture is only separated from the Daliang Temple by a forest, some villages and fields, and the distance is less than ten miles. Ordinary people can walk from the city to the gate of the Daliang Temple in more than half an hour. These three people have extremely high attainments in light skills, and they returned to the city of Tongqiu Prefecture in a short time, and climbed over the city wall where a brazier was lit in the corner of the west city.
The three of them walked without stopping and soon arrived at a large mansion in the city. After knocking on the door, the doorman who had been waiting came out quickly to open the door and welcome the three of them in.
A quarter of an hour later, in the living room of the mansion, a slightly overweight man in his fifties listened to the brief report of the three people. He seemed a little surprised and held a cup of tea in his hand for a long time without moving.
"You mean, the deeper you go into Daliang Temple, the more illusions you'll see and the more strange and terrifying noises you'll hear?"
The man surnamed Tan frowned and corrected himself.
"To answer Sixth Master, that sound was not scary, but very strange. We sealed our ears with our true qi but it didn't have much effect. The more we listened, the more dizzy we became, and the more hallucinations we saw."
"That's right, Sixth Master. At first, I saw an illusion of golden lotuses blooming in a pond. The strange thing is that although I don't hate gold and silver, I don't want to pick golden lotuses when I see them. But I rushed towards the pond at that time, as if I knew that it would be great to get those golden lotuses, and then I fell into the water with a splash."
"Yes, Brother Tan and I thought that Brother would wake up after falling into the water, but he was still struggling in the water and was unwilling to get up, shouting that he was looking for the golden lotus."
The man called Sixth Master then lifted the lid of the teacup, brushed away the floating tea leaves and stems, took a sip of tea, and his eyes wandered over the lamp beside him.
"There is such a thing... Daliang Temple is indeed a national temple that was granted a gold medal by the previous emperor. The closure of Daliang Temple this time really seems to be a kind of great power from gods, immortals and Buddhas..."
Muttering to himself, the man turned around and looked at the three people waiting on the side.
"You've worked hard. Go down and have a rest. You don't have to worry about the rest."
"yes!"
The three of them answered in unison, and then hurried downstairs. In fact, the drowsy feeling in their heads had always been there, and now they urgently needed a good sleep.
After the three people left, the man called Sixth Master immediately returned to his study and began to write a letter. He wrote for several pages before calling in a steward and telling him to send the letter away.
At the same time, in a mansion called Fanhua Courtyard in Tongqiu City, the eldest princess was lying on the bed with her head hanging out of the bed, staring blankly at the beams and ceiling of the room.
"What is Huitong doing... What happened in Daliang Temple..."
. . .
Daliang Temple is definitely a famous scenic spot in Tongqiu Prefecture. Not only do the people in and around Tongqiu Prefecture like to go to Daliang Temple to pray and worship, but even for outsiders who come to Tongqiu Prefecture, Daliang Temple is also a must-visit place.
But since the Daliang Temple was suddenly closed one day in early October, the gate of the temple has not been opened for the 5th, 10th, or 20th day.
It is also because there are monks in Daliang Temple who go out to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables and other items that people around can know that the monks in Daliang Temple are still eating, drinking, defecating and urinating normally.
Daliang Temple had been closed for a long time, and all kinds of "rumors" were flying around among the people around, with several versions of the story being discussed.
Some said that Daliang Temple was receiving royal relatives, some said that the abbot of Daliang Temple had passed away, and some said that Daliang Temple might have welcomed pilgrims too frequently in recent years, and the monks wanted to meditate in peace for a while.
Because even when the monks of Daliang Temple were out making purchases, they would keep silent about the affairs inside the temple. At most, when someone asked whether the abbot was alive, they would helplessly reply, "The abbot is fine."
There were no monks in Daliang Temple who could stay within the range of the sound of discussions for long. Even Hui Tong had left the area early and slept on the floor in the outer halls with the abbot and others.
This is not something you can listen to again after a nap. Without practice and adjustment, if you force yourself to listen again, you may not be able to understand the latter part and forget the previous part. It is not worth the loss. Moreover, the more you listen to the latter part, the more profound it becomes. To sum it up in a colloquial way, it can be described as "simply not something that a human can listen to."
It was early November when the discussion between the old monk Foyin and Ji Yuan came to an end. Both sides had gained something, and they also needed to digest what they had gained and transform it into help in their practice or spiritual cultivation.
The two men stopped talking, but the hazy feeling that was as thick as fog had not gone away over and over the Daliang Temple. Even from the perspective of Ji Yuan and the old monk Foyin, there were still many strange sights in the fog, including Buddhist disciples walking, dragons dancing, stars falling from the sky and lotus flowers growing on the ground.
The old monk Foyin and Ji Yuan both stood up from their cushions, one performed the Buddhist salute, and the other bowed.
"A discussion with you is better than a hundred years of practice!"
The old monk's voice was calm but filled with irrepressible joy, and Ji Yuan also responded with a smile on his face.
"Master, you are overpraising me. A discussion with you will bring me more benefits than a hundred years!"
Both of them were complimenting, but they were both telling the truth. Even Ji Yuan and the old monk Foyin had a feeling that if the former had discussed the Dao with a true immortal, or the latter had discussed the Dao with another wise king, they might not have gained as much as from this discussion.
We can only say today that the right time, right place and right people are the three things that can be met by chance but not sought.
It was dawn, the sun had just shown its edge, and a golden line of morning glow appeared on the eastern horizon.
The old monk looked towards the direction of the temple bell tower, then looked at the surrounding fog, and then spoke to Ji Yuan.
"The lingering memories between you and me must be forgotten. Sir, would you like to ring the morning bell at Daliang Temple today?"
Ji Yuan smiled and shook his head.
"Let's leave it to the master. After all, this Daliang Temple will be considered one of the master's small ritual sites in the future."
"Haha, it may not be smaller in the future!"
The old monk Foyin walked slowly, while Ji Yuan stood under the tree and did not leave. After a moment, the long-lost bell of Daliang Temple rang.
“Ding~~~Ding~~~Ding~~~~Ding~~~~”
The sound of the bell was very far-reaching. Not only did it spread throughout the Daliang Temple, it also spread outside the temple, to the countryside, to the villages, and even faintly to the city of Tongqiu Prefecture.
As the bell rang, the bizarre fog in the temple finally dissipated gradually. However, Ji Yuan believed that the fog had not really disappeared. If one day the Daliang Temple was foggy due to weather conditions, who knows what strange things might happen.
Although this was just Ji Yuan's momentary feeling, the feeling at that moment was also very accurate.
Almost all the monks in Daliang Temple woke up at the first moment and realized that the discussion between the two masters of Taoism, Buddhism and Taoism had finally ended.
Most of the people around and in the city of Tongqiu Prefecture had not gotten up yet, but some woke up as soon as they heard the distant bell sound and listened attentively.
However, at this moment, most people did not know where the bell-like sound came from, or even whether they were hallucinating. It was not until they talked to others after dawn that they learned that others had also heard the sound.
Not long afterward, news spread that Daliang Temple would welcome pilgrims again tomorrow. People could not help but associate the bell sound with Daliang Temple, which cast a mysterious aura over the moment.