Chinese dining table

Chapter 1212: There are always villains in front of real people

If you want to see the old immortal, you have to see Prince Ji Li Shen first. This has almost become a routine.

Nowadays, the old immortal no longer appears easily in the Chang'an Imperial Hospital. He is only occasionally dragged by his disciples to see some strange illnesses and judge the life and death of some people.

The old immortal's main job has changed from curing diseases and saving lives to writing medical books.

In the past, the medical books written by the old immortal were not only obscure and difficult to understand, but also somewhat unfathomable. After staying in Chang'an for a long time and coming into contact with a large number of patients, the content of the medical books written by the old immortal became a booklet that anyone with literacy could understand.

Nowadays, the medical content that the old immortal is vigorously promoting is - drink boiled water and wash hands before meals and after defecation.

There is a sense of returning to nature in it.

When Yun Chu entered Prince Ji's mansion and saw the old immortal, the old immortal was teaching a group of doctors how to wash their hands.

"Wash your hands under running water, and apply soap to all parts of your hands, including the gaps between your fingers and nails...: put your palms together, put your fingers together, rub them together, rub your palms against the backs of your hands along the gaps between your fingers, alternate, put your palms together, cross your hands, and rub your fingers together..."

Not only did the old immortal take this simple matter very seriously, he also took the initiative to demonstrate it personally to a group of doctors with long and short beards, and supervised them to wash their hands like him.

After the group of people learned their lesson and left, Yun Chu handed the old immortal a towel, but the old immortal did not take it. Instead, he took a piece of yellowish linen that had obviously been steamed and sterilized from the side and wiped the water stains on his hands.

"What the bald donkeys say about one flower, one world, one water, one world is true."

After the old immortal said this incomprehensible remark, he sat down on the rattan chair, leaned his back against it, raised his hand to take the hot tea handed to him by Yun Chu and took a sip.

"Without a stable and strong light source, the precision of the mirror cannot be achieved, and the microscopic world you can see under the microscope is actually very limited."

The old immortal sighed and said, "I have already seen some. With these things, it can be proved that what you said is well-founded. When the accuracy of the instrument is improved, we will be able to see more.

Taoism views disease as "qi". We always feel that there are some things in this world that we cannot see that affect our bodies and the world.

Through the telescope you gave me, I was able to see the real things, and it also opened a new door for me. The things inside this door are something I will never be able to figure out even if I am poor in my lifetime..."

This was the first time that Yun Chu felt a hint of helplessness from this old man.

"Old He and his colleagues should be willing to follow in your footsteps and continue their research."

The old immortal snorted and said, "The old He you mentioned is a bastard. He is a good man, but he is good at everything, such as wine, women, money and anger. The little natural vitality in his body has long been dissipated. Even if he dies, I will not die. What's the point of talking about inheritance?

Send a son to the Taoist priest here."

The old immortal had no intention of discussing the matter with Yun Chu, and Yun Chu had no intention of objecting. Anyway, he now had two sons, and no matter which one of them followed the old immortal, he would have a bright future.

"Do you prefer Jin or the little bird?"

The old immortal snorted and said, "I dare not accept your prince. You have trained a good child to be vicious and cruel. This is incompatible with the medical idea of ​​saving the dying and healing the wounded. Send the bird over here. I like this child."

Yun Chu smiled and said, "Okay, let him come over tomorrow morning."

Li Shen whispered to Sun Simiao: "Xiao Yu'er is eleven years old this year..."

The old immortal shook his head and said, "Your health has been weak since you were young. Although you have recovered 70% of your health later, and God has given you some face by giving you a child, this child is born with some deficiencies just like you. Studying medicine is very time-consuming. For the sake of this child's longevity, you'd better not study medicine."

Li Shen had blind trust in the old immortal. Even when it came to matters concerning his position as the prince of Ji Wang Mansion, he would listen to the old immortal. Even when he was rejected, he would still smile.

Yun Chu asked, "Is Xiao Niaoer the only disciple?"

"Disciple-grandson——"

"Oh, the little bird is the only disciple?"

Sun Simiao looked up at Yun Chu and sneered, "There are still seventeen Taoist children."

Yun Chu nodded. This was what the old immortal was like. Almost all the doctors in the world were his disciples. To him, sectarianism was a huge joke.

These seventeen Taoist children plus Yun Luan should be the inheritors of the old immortal's new discipline, and also a new plan for him to preach the world.

However, what he preached to the world was not Taoism, but medicine.

Yun Chu knew that the old immortal had always wanted to find a way for Taoism to be passed down for a long time that would not be suspected by the rulers, was indispensable, and required strong support.

It is obvious that he found the way to bind medicine and Taoism tightly together, and eventually develop more professions with the same principles starting with medicine.

In fact, Taoist knowledge has always been a study of human beings since the very beginning. Whether it is Fuxi's Eight Trigrams or Tai Chi, they all have a great connection with human beings themselves. In other words, the original goal of Taoist knowledge was to serve human beings. It was only later that they felt that the narrative method of yin and yang of heaven and earth was too grand. In addition, people had a strong curiosity about longevity, death, and the rise and fall of the human world, so mysticism occupied a large part of Taoist knowledge.

"What kind of knowledge will the Taoist priest use as a breakthrough point in this debate on the Louguan Terrace?"

Although Yun Chu had already vaguely guessed something, he still asked the old immortal.

Sun Simiao pondered for a moment and said, "In the past, we talked about the yin and yang of heaven and earth, and the universe. Now we talk about a drop of water, a flower, a leaf, and the small world that cannot be seen by the naked eye."

Although the doubts in his heart were solved, Yun Chu still carefully reminded: "The monks have a detailed discussion on the microscopic world, and the theoretical content is very rich."

Sun Simiao rolled his eyes at Yun Chu and said, "'Putting Mount Sumeru into a mustard seed' comes from the Vimalakirti Sutra. Mount Sumeru is a legendary mountain, and mustard seeds are tiny grass seeds. This sentence means putting the mountain into a grass seed. It shows the Buddhist idea that everything is empty.

"One flower, one world" means that a flower contains the essence of the whole world. This concept originated from the Buddhist classic "Avatamsaka Sutra". The Zen Buddhism's "one flower, one world; one tree, one bodhi" emphasizes a state of mind.

I hope people should seize the present moment and realize the mysteries of the universe and the true meaning of life from a flower or a tree. A true monk can comprehend the vastness of life and even the universe from the small things and details around him.

You are Xuanzang's son, how come you don't even know these things?"

Yun Chu turned a deaf ear to the old immortal's teasing and continued, "You know, the Buddhist teachings are still open to different opinions. If people see that the Taoist priest has brought out the microscopic world and insist on integrating those principles into it, then the Taoist sect will lose the advantage."

Sun Simiao's eyes began to turn cold when he looked at Yun Chu. Even though Yun Chu had long since cultivated to a heart as hard as stone, he still felt somewhat uneasy when facing the scrutinizing gaze of the old immortal, wondering where he had said the wrong thing.

"Is winning or losing the only thing that matters to you?" Sun Simiao asked.

Yun Chu said: "If the Dao Sect fails again in the Louguantai debate, the consequences will be serious."

Sun Simiao said angrily: "How serious can it be? Is it so important to open people's eyes and let them understand the microscopic world? What is right is right. Even if it is misunderstood for a while, after the microscopic world is known, studied and discovered by the world, do you still think winning or losing is important?

Besides, if you want to say that I failed, wait a thousand years before you say it again!"

Yun Chu was timid and didn't dare to say anything. He noticed that the veins on the old Taoist's hands grabbing the armrests of the chair were bulging, and it looked like he wanted to slap him in the face.

He didn't know when he started to lose the favor of the old immortal. Every time they met, he would be looked down upon and scolded by the old immortal, and every time he looked at him, his eyes were full of disappointment.

Yun Chu planned to think things over carefully after returning and find the crux of the problem.

"The disciple discovered a different kind of change in Master Xuanzang."

Even though he was not liked by the old immortal, Yun Chu still quickly asked the question he wanted to find out.

"Xuanzang has died. What is alive now is a skin called Xuanzang. Since he is just a skin, he has been free from many sufferings in the world. For many years, Xuanzang has been cultivating himself and pursuing inner peace and wisdom to transcend the limitations of life and death.

Now, he has achieved his goal, his soul has gone to the Pure Land in the West, and his body remains to comfort you. Aren't you happy for him?"

"So, this is considered immortality, right?"

"A torn bag is a torn bag. Even if you mend it, it is still just a torn bag. It will eventually decay. In addition, the immortality that a true wise man seeks is the immortality of wisdom, not the immortality of the body. Anyone who seeks the immortality of the body is possessed."

After being scolded by the old immortal, Yun Chu left the abode where the old immortal lived with satisfaction with Ji Wang Li Shen.

After leaving the courtyard, Yun Chu couldn't help stretching. He had been bending over in front of the old immortal and felt really tired.

"Master Xuanzang becomes more and more like a Buddha as he grows older, and the old immortal becomes more and more like a human as he grows older."

Li Shen, the most famous sculptor in the Tang Dynasty, could still speak many sensible words when he stood with his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky, and he behaved like a hermit.

It seems that his carving skills have reached the master level, otherwise, such demeanor would not be possible in him.

"Your ninth brother has massacred Luoyang again."

Following Yun Chu's cold words, Li Shen's masterly demeanor that he had just revealed suddenly disappeared. He pulled Yun Chu's sleeve in fear and asked, "Will he come to Chang'an again?"

Yun Chu smiled and said, "He is going to Jiucheng Palace to recuperate. I guess he won't make any big moves for a long time. As long as you hold on until the crown prince ascends the throne safely, your life will be safe."

After hearing what Yun Chu said, Li Shen's yellow face gradually turned pale, and he said to Yun Chu with his legs crossed: "I'm going to change my clothes."

Yun Chu looked at the indescribable puddle of water on the ground and sighed, "It's more than that, right?"

Li Shen had never known shame in front of Yun Chu. While shaking his wet robe, he explained, "I know what happened in Luoyang. I have always been afraid. You just said that the emperor would go to Jiucheng Palace to recuperate and not cause trouble in Chang'an. This anger was finally released. Instead of holding it in, it is better to release it happily.

You won’t tell anyone anyway, right?”

Yun Chu promised not to tell anyone.

Li Shen quickly changed his clothes and prepared to leave with Yun Chu.

Looking at Li Shen, who still smelled, Yun Chu frowned and said, "Take a good bath, you smell."

Li Shen said nonchalantly: "I want to tell others the good news as soon as possible, so as not to make them feel depressed."

(End of this chapter)