No matter if you are a human or an immortal, you can still farm for me after traveling through time!

As time passed, before the sun set, the mountain became dark, the temperature dropped sharply, and the howling mountain wind seemed to blow everything away.

The Northwest has four distinct seasons throughout the year, and Baiqing Mountain is no exception. Unlike the warm and blooming spring in April, when the mountains are full of spring, the mountains are now withered and yellow, and the trees in the forest have not only lost all their leaves, but their dry branches have also been broken by strong winds.

Fallen leaves and gravel kept flying past your feet, and the raised dust could easily blind you.

The whole mountain was roaring.

There was no one in the forest anymore. Those who were collecting firewood and grass hurried down the mountain when the wind started. At this time, there was only one person carrying a grass basket, bending over with his head down, walking higher and higher against the pouring mountain wind.

Although there have been no pilgrims climbing the mountain for a long time, the winding stone steps leading up have not been abandoned.

Li Erlang wrapped his cloak tightly around himself, held down the hood with his hands, leaving only his eyes exposed, and walked up the stone steps with his head lowered.

The strong wind continued to press down, determined to blow this stubborn mountain hiker into submission.

The wind was getting stronger and stronger. Just when the difficulty was about to escalate and snow particles began to mix with the wind, a building with red walls and black tiles suddenly appeared in front of us.

The temple walls are very high, and it looks like a good place to avoid wind and sand.

Li Erlang walked quickly to the foot of the wall to avoid the deadly wind. He leaned against the wall to rest for a while while looking around for a suitable place to climb over the wall. He soon saw a crooked tree.

The crooked tree was not tall, but it was high enough for him to use as a support point and jump over to climb up the wall.

Li Erlang threw down the straw basket, touched the bamboo tube in his arms, and climbed up the crooked tree in a few steps. Then he stretched out his arms and jumped from the tree, hanging on the wall. With a kick of his legs and a flip over, he fell to the other side of the wall.

"Yue Lang, we're here."

Ji Qingyue had been standing by the stream waiting for a long time. Upon hearing the sound, he immediately climbed onto the wooden bridge and crossed the barrier. When he landed, he appeared in a desolate yard.

The northwest wind was very strong and fierce. The temple, which had only been locked at the beginning of the fourth year in Baoying, was now deserted in less than two years. As people left, their spirits naturally left as well. The temple looked gloomy in the twilight, as if it had completely become a wasteland filled with gloomy energy.

The walls were cracked, the paint was weathered and falling off, the tiles on the roof were scattered all over the place, and the ground was covered with sand, dead leaves and gravel, which were blown to the corners by the wind and piled up into high piles.

Baiqingshan Temple faces south and is not very large, with a total area of ​​less than five acres. It is twenty meters long from north to south and seventeen meters wide from east to west. The temple is divided into two courtyards, the east courtyard is the monks' quarters, and the west courtyard is the Buddhist temple area. There are a total of six temples in the entire temple.

Dragon King Hall, Guanyin Hall, Bodhisattva Hall, Great Buddha Hall, Kalayana Hall, and Yama King Hall.

The Guanyin Hall at the mountain gate, the Dragon King Hall and the Galan Hall in the east, the Bodhisattva Hall and the Arhat Hall in the west, and the main hall are the Great Buddha Hall, forming a complete courtyard layout. The Yama Hall is located in the northeast corner and shares the entire courtyard with the monks' rooms in the east courtyard.

Before the government banned Buddhism, Li Erlang and his family would come to the temple every spring to burn incense and pray for Buddha's blessing, so he was very familiar with the layout of Baiqingshan Temple.

They did not go through the mountain gate, but climbed over the east wall. Here was the monks' quarters in the east wing.

Looking north along the long row of monks' rooms, you can see the Hall of Yama spanning the east and west courtyards.

Ji Qingyue and Li Erlang walked along the monks' quarters, passed the front of the Hall of Yama, and entered the west courtyard.

All the doors and windows of the temple's halls were sealed with seals from the county government. Two years later, these seals had weathered and broken, cracked along the grain of the wooden boards, or simply fell off.

The Great Buddha Hall is the largest hall in the entire temple. It is nearly square, with a tall and straight roof with gentle rises and folds and deep eaves. There are plank doors and straight lattice windows on the front. The windows are sealed with wooden boards from the inside and a copper lock is hung on the door.

Ji Qingyue turned to look at Li Erlang and asked him what he meant by coming here.

"I remember one year, my mother and I went into the temple to worship Buddha. We didn't know what distinguished guest was coming, so the monks brought out five screens from the back of the temple and placed them across the middle of the temple. On each of the screens was a painting, and all of the paintings were made by successive abbots for the big Buddha in the temple." As he spoke, Li Erlang took out a wooden stick from somewhere and was about to fix the lock on the door.

Ji Qingyue consciously made way for him, "You mean there are clues in the painting?"

The sky was gradually getting dark, and the wind blew snow particles through the temple buildings, making a rustling sound. Li Erlang squatted on the ground and slowly inserted the wooden stick into the keyhole, adjusting the angle of the stick with subtle movements.

"Although I can't remember the contents of the painting, I still remember one thing: there are words and seals on the painting. If these five people are not the monk Bai Qingshan, go to the storehouse and take a look."

With a "click" sound, the copper lock opened.

Ji Qingyue was curious about how Li Erlang learned to pick locks. Li Erlang just smiled and didn't answer. He carefully removed the seal on the door and pushed it open.

The heavy door made a muffled sound and slowly opened inwards.

There were no windows in the hall, and it was dark and gloomy, so Ji Qingyue couldn't see what was going on inside the hall.

In order to avoid the howling wind, the two of them walked into the hall and closed the door. The moment the door was closed, Ji Qingyue felt his ears instantly become quiet, and the chaotic sound of the wind was finally blocked outside the door. He took out an oil lamp from the painting.

As the tinder lit the oil lamp, it illuminated an area inside the hall. Under the dim light, Ji Qingyue was able to see everything in the hall clearly.

It was because of what I saw that I was deeply shocked.

Unlike the dilapidated exterior of the temple, the items inside the temple are well preserved.

There are dozens of Buddha statues in the hall, arranged in order. In the center of the Great Buddha Hall is a huge Buddha statue that reaches the roof, with bright colors and Buddha's light shining all around. The Buddha statue has a spiral bun, a square round face with a full forehead, and is wearing a cassock, with a compassionate and peaceful expression.

The Buddha sits on a lotus platform with his hands in the mudra, looking noble and dignified, serious and peaceful, as if he is preaching a sutra.

The two disciples on the left and right of the Sumeru throne are wearing robes. The one on the right is calm, capable and very pious, while the one on the left is strong and has a look of wisdom and compassion.

The Bodhisattvas on both sides of the disciples have faces like full moons, plump earlobes, and wear necklaces and precious rings. They have bent waists and stand barefoot on lotus pedestals. Their plump figures and dazzling accessories make them look elegant and luxurious.

Under the big Buddha's seat are two Bodhisattvas kneeling on one knee on a lotus platform, with their hands in the Buddha's seal and kind eyes.

The Bodhisattva wearing a celestial crown and a rosy robe, the boy with his hands folded and an innocent face, and the guardian heavenly king wearing a helmet and armor, stand in two rows majestically, keeping their eyes and ears open.

These Buddha statues are lifelike. Ji Qingyue stood in front of the giant Buddha, just like the boys standing on both sides of the giant Buddha listening to the scriptures attentively. Just by looking at the statues, those obscure scriptures seemed to become visually easy-to-understand pictures, rushing directly into his mind from his eyes.

Not only the Buddha statues, but also the surrounding pot doors and stacked beams are carved with exquisite patterns. The murals inside the hall are also rich in colors and pictures, telling the story of Buddha.

Li Erlang did not disturb Ji Qingyue, but quietly walked around the Buddha statues on the altar and came behind the big Buddha. He saw the five screens that were taller than a person.

It took Ji Qingyue a long time to come back to his senses.

Li Erlang called him softly from behind the big Buddha. He walked over slowly holding an oil lamp, and then he saw the screens.

There are five Buddha statues painted on the screen in different styles. Some are exquisitely crafted, while others are rough and simple. Some of the Buddhas are solemn and compassionate in appearance, while others are glaring and raising their eyebrows with solemn and majestic expressions.

Five paintings, five styles, corresponding to five kinds of Buddhas imagined by people.

Ji Qingyue didn't dare to bring the oil lamp closer to avoid contaminating the paintings.

It is indeed as Li Erlang said, the inscriptions and seals on the Buddha statue have different handwriting and seals.

The two men carefully examined it and compared it with the "Thatched Cottage in a Pine Forest" over and over again. They could not confirm the handwriting if it was different. It was obvious that the seal was completely different.

Ji Qingyue and Li Erlang looked at each other, forgetting that they had a low level of education. Now they couldn't even recognize the words on the seal, so how could they dare to come and look for clues with confidence.

If you can't recognize the seal, just look at the handwriting carefully.

Compared to the two confused people in Baiqingshan Temple, Li Sanlang discovered unexpected gains.

Having been studying since childhood, he quickly adapted to the environment of the new academy. The teacher was knowledgeable and strict in discipline, and his classmates were focused on studying. Occasional frictions could be resolved quickly.

Although Qingshi Academy accepted many children from wealthy families, it also admitted many students from poor families. Li Sanlang had always been a person who kept to himself and rarely took the lead in dealing with things. His daily task was to study and do exercises, and he lived a relatively happy life in the academy.

This day was no exception. After arriving at the academy, as usual, I listened to the teacher's lectures and solved problems during class, and went into the library during breaks.

The library houses a huge amount of books, and the volume of its collection is not comparable to that of ordinary academies. Many students like to come here to look for books whenever they have free time.

As soon as Li Sanlang entered the library, he went straight to the bookshelf of Records of the Grand Historian and Travels, looking through the various records about Shandan one by one.

Because he had been reading for a long time, Li Sanlang developed a skill of speed reading. He could read ten lines at a glance, quickly scan the contents of the book, and then instantly find the results he wanted.

Du Yuan followed behind his friend, watching him looking for something: "Shi Ze, what are you looking for?"

Li Sanlang answered casually: "Do you know that there is a Baiqingshan monk in Baiqingshan Temple?"

Du Yuan naturally didn't know, he wondered: "What about this Bai Qingshan monk?"

"He made several paintings. The one my eldest brother brought back three years ago was one of the paintings made by this monk. Now I want to find out who he is."

Du Yuan was speechless: "You want to find someone in the library?" It's too big a project!

Although Li Sanlang was very fast at flipping through books, it seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the huge collection of books.

Du Yuan thought about the painting he saw in the study when he was a guest at Li Sanlang's house, and said, "I still have some impression of the painting you mentioned. The ink and paper are not of top quality, but the red seal is rare." He could guarantee with confidence that the most expensive part of the entire painting was the Buddha seal.

"The font on the seal is Miaozhuan, which is a common font used for seals in previous dynasties. Miaozhuan is flat and square, and the characters are solemn and vigorous. Compared with the seal script used today, the structure is increased or decreased, and there are many changes. Sometimes, images of birds, fish and insects are added, which are vivid and clever."

Li Sanlang understood everything his friend said. Seeing his friend's eloquence, he suddenly had an idea and asked tentatively, "Do you know what is written on the seal?"

The friend shrugged: "I knew it then, but I have forgotten it now."

Li Sanlang quickly spread out his palms, used one hand as a pen, and traced the outline and strokes of the Buddhist seal on his palms.

Du Yuan drew it again on his palm. After both parties confirmed that it was correct, he said, "You also know that my grandma loves Buddhism. I used to accompany her and copy many Buddhist scriptures. I have seen these two words before..."

Li Sanlang was overjoyed. It was really easy to get it! !

“Karma.”

“Karma?” Really karma?!

It looked like these two words to him, but he was not sure. Firstly, he was not familiar with the Miao Zhuan of the previous dynasty to the extent of confidence. Secondly, he had never seen or heard of this word, so he was still not sure.

Du Yuan nodded with certainty: "Karma is a Buddhist word. Even if others recognize these two words, they don't know their meaning." He continued to explain: "Karma is what monks often call 'karma', which is destiny. Buddhists believe that everyone has their own 'karma'. The good and evil deeds in the previous life will determine the happiness and suffering in this life. Good deeds will be rewarded with good, and evil deeds will be punished with evil."

This obviously did not help in finding the owner of the seal. Just when Li Sanlang was disappointed and wanted to continue flipping through the book, Du Yuan continued, "Karma has another meaning. The principles that monks should follow when giving precepts, preaching precepts, confessing, and even handling various matters are also called 'karma'."