The Supreme Being

The dining hall in the courtyard is simple and old-fashioned, with wooden tables and stools, and green lights shining on people's faces.

You didn't know it by looking at it, but you were shocked when you saw it. When Meng Qi entered the hall, he realized that there were fifty or sixty monks in total. From this point of view, the number of monks in Shaolin was probably thousands.

Among the dusty monks' robes, no one noticed Meng Qi and other new novice monks. They each sat on a bench, waiting for the handyman monk on duty to come in carrying a food box.

"Junior brother, sit here." Meng Qi has a great secret and is trapped in a strange place. It is rare to have Zhenhui by his side, so he has an adult mentality and takes good care of Zhenhui. It can also be regarded as a way to relieve fear of life.

Zhenhui's expression was always serious, and there was no hint of timidity. She sat calmly across from Meng Qi, her eyes focused on the nearby food box.

"Isn't this child stupid from hunger before?" Meng Qi whispered quietly, suspecting that Zhenhui's IQ was flawed, otherwise he wouldn't be so dull.

The handyman monks who were on duty finally arrived at Meng Qi's table with their food boxes. When the lid was opened, the aroma filled their nostrils and penetrated into their hearts.

"It smells so good!" Meng Qi couldn't help but praise, and thought suspiciously, "Is it because the level of Shaolin's 'chefs' is really high? Or is it because I'm too hungry?"

The handyman bent down and took out the food from the food box and placed it on the table one by one. Meng Qi looked at it and was stunned. This, it seemed that this might be meat?

The fat, oily lumps in the simple sea bowl in the center must be meat, right?

But this is a monk temple!

Meng Qi picked up the chopsticks in disbelief, intending to pick up a piece to taste, but with a few swishes, chopsticks stretched out diagonally from the left and right sides, and what seemed to be meat in the bowl was immediately reduced by a whole layer. The handyman monks at this table are all extraordinary in grabbing food.

Seeing Zhenhui bite her mouth full of oil, Meng Qi became more and more sure of his guess. While sighing that they could really snatch it, he took a piece and stuffed it into his mouth.

Fat but not greasy, it melts in your mouth and has an excellent taste. It is truly delicious!

But TMD is so meaty!

Meng Qi felt that only swear words could express his current mood. One was to cheer for his own mouth, and the other was to express his unbelievable mood.

"Hey, junior brother." Meng Qi called Zhenhui in a low voice.

Zhenhui moved her chopsticks like flying, her mouth kept moving, and her pretty face was full of concentration: "Huh?"

"This is meat!" Meng Qi felt that he had an obligation to remind his junior brother not to fall into the trap and violate the commandments.

Zhenhui nodded sincerely and said vaguely: "It's meat."

I'm not asking you... Meng Qi felt that it was a little difficult to communicate with Zhenhui.

At this time, someone next to me said coldly: "Before you gain enlightenment, you should only abstain from eating meat and spicy food."

"Isn't meat just meat?" Meng Qi asked subconsciously, and then he realized that the person sitting next to him was his "roommate" Zhen Guan.

Zhen Guan did not stop eating, and said with a hint of ridicule: "You are a child of a noble family, but you don't even understand the word 'meat'?"

This hit Meng Qi's weakness, and he didn't know how to answer for a moment. Suddenly, a young monk with a sparse face diagonally in front of him smiled and said: "Hunxin refers to things such as onions and garlic with a strong flavor. It does not specifically refer to meat. But in the past hundred years, people have often Substituting meat for meat, I don’t know, this is normal.”

Meng Qi nodded gratefully, and the young monk continued: "My Buddhist sect originally only prohibited killing animals, eating meat, and eating meat. Later, I became compassionate and gradually banned it. However, I, Shaolin, are the largest martial arts sect in the world, and my disciples do many practices to strengthen their bodies." When it comes to building a healthy body, if there is a lack of meat and no magical herbs and elixirs to supplement it, the body will inevitably be damaged. Therefore, the "Shaolin Precepts" says that before awakening, the disciples should only abstain from eating meat and spicy foods, but not kill any living thing. "

In other words, can we just ask lay disciples or farmers down the mountain to slaughter them? Meng Qi probably understood what was going on. As a martial arts and Buddhist sect, Shaolin must consider the condition of its disciples in the physical training stage, so they borrowed the original intention of Buddhism and opened a wide net.

Seeing that the young monk's conversation was unusual and clear, Meng Qi felt fond of him and asked with a smile: "Don't you know your brother's name?"

"Mantra." The young monk also kept holding the wooden chopsticks in his hands.

Meng Qi then asked: "Junior brother Zhen Ding, dare I ask senior brother, what does 'enlightenment' mean?"

He was taking advantage of his young age and could completely shirk the problem because he had not yet been taught by his family to forcefully solve the problem.

Zhenyan laughed loudly and pointed to the wooden table with his left hand: "We will know in the future. Take care of your food and drink first."

Meng Qi followed his finger and saw that the seven or eight bowls of dishes on the table were already half empty!

I wipe it! These bitches don’t even wait for me!

After cursing secretly, Meng Qi picked up his wooden chopsticks and joined the food grabbing team.

…………

After finally eating, Meng Qi wiped his mouth and returned to the meditation room with Zhenhui as if taking a walk after dinner.

"Hey, to be honest, the quality of this meal is still a bit low. I thought it was delicious at first because I was too hungry." Meng Qi touched his belly, burped, and commented on this dinner.

Zhenhui thought seriously: "The food I have eaten before is not as good as this time, but since you think it is a little worse, senior brother, it must be a little worse."

"Ah, do you believe me so much?" Meng Qi saw that Zhenhui spoke in a coherent manner and felt that he seemed to be saved, so he followed his words curiously.

Zhenhui raised her hand and touched her bald head, and said a little embarrassedly: "I think you are a good person, senior brother, and you don't hate me as much as others, so I trust you."

"On the Relationship between Childhood Encounters and Mental Illness"... This content came to Meng Qi's mind for some reason.

Just when he was about to brag again and establish a glorious image of his senior brother, Xuan Xin came over with a shy belly: "Hey, you two, go clean the yard, and I will expand your knowledge in the world. "

Expand your knowledge of the world? Meng Qi suddenly became interested. After asking where the brooms were stored, he called Zhenhui and went to the utility room in the corner of the yard.

As a handyman monk, you must be aware of being assigned things at any time. Meng Qi does not object to this, as long as it is not too excessive and not specifically targeted. Just like when studying or working, the class teacher or boss assigns tasks and arranges It’s not uncommon to do some general cleaning.

Brushing, brushing, the broom swept across the gray stone tile floor, raising dust and removing fallen leaves.

Meng Qi and Zhenhui's underdeveloped bodies were a bit reluctant to swing the brooms, but it was relatively easy. After all, the yard was cleaned frequently and it was not too dirty.

While sweeping, Meng Qi suddenly came up with a strange and interesting idea. He immediately smiled and pretended to be old: "Junior brother, are we Shaolin sweeping monks?"

Tsk, the path to advancement for a generation of masters.

"Well, sweeping monk." Zhenhui continued sweeping without raising his head.

Meng Qi's smile stuck on his lips, he sighed, and thought to himself: "It's boring if you don't understand the meaning!"

After gathering his mood, Meng Qi cooperated with Zhenhui to clean the yard before dark. Then he saw the gray-clothed monks carrying the stools from the dining hall into the yard, and they went about their business in a chaotic and orderly manner. Place and sit down.

"Very skilled..." Meng Qi wondered if Xuan Xin often enriched everyone's knowledge?

At dusk, Xuanxin, who was slick with food, walked out of his meditation room without any hesitation. Immediately, several monks came to greet him, setting up stools and lighting lamps. They were very attentive.

"Senior brother, what is Jianghu knowledge?" The dull Zhenhui seemed to be a little interested in this.

"This, this, it's a long story. After Uncle Xuanxin talks about it, I will explain it to you slowly." Meng Qi, who had just arrived, had no intention of explaining "complex" terms to Zhenhui and sat down on the bench. , waiting for Xuan Xin to start.

Xuan Xin looked around and was satisfied with the eager expression. She coughed and said, "Today I will continue to tell you about the battle I experienced in Jiangzhou City."

"Speaking of it, the 'Flying Yaksha' Yan Wuwo and the 'Ice Fairy' Ye Yuqi are both famous figures on the earth's list. That battle was fought over hundreds of miles of red land and the river was frozen. I, my uncle, have mercy on you. Huai, how can I bear to see all the people suffer? So I proclaimed the Buddha's name in order to resolve the personal grudges between the two people..."

He spoke with great joy, but the monks below had different expressions. Most of them were half disdain and half anticipation.

"Uncle Xuanxin is so powerful?" While listening to the anecdotes of Jianghu, Zhenhui was much more active than usual, and seemed to be as interested in it as food.

The snoozing monk in the front row really didn't even look back, and said as thinly as a mosquito: "'Feitian Yaksha' Yan Wuwo is the leader of Jiangzuo's Zombie Boxing, and 'Ice Fairy' Ye Yuqi is the master of Thrushcross Villa Lu Da in the Northern Zhou Dynasty. My husband’s wife and sister are all in the top thirty on the earth rankings, similar to the first ones in my Shaolin Bodhisattva and Bodhi Houses.”

The head of Bodhidharma and Bodhi Houses, the deacon monk of the Miscellaneous House... Meng Qi immediately understood that Xuan Xin was bragging. Of course, he was bragging very skillfully, and he cleverly grafted the major events that had happened onto himself.

This sleepy monk Zhenying is more knowledgeable than the cold and cold monk Zhenguan?

Zhenhui continued to ask blankly: "Uncle Xuanxin is so powerful!"

He couldn't understand the underlying meaning of Zhen Ying at all.

Meng Qi tugged on his monk's robe and whispered: "The first one is much more powerful than Master Xuanxin."

"But..." Zhenhui wanted to ask why Uncle Xuanxin could stop this battle if he wasn't very powerful, but Meng Qi waved his hand to stop him and asked him to go back and ask again so as not to be overheard by Xuanxin. Anger and punishment.

Xuan Xin was frothing at the mouth, and it took a long time to finish telling the anecdote about "all the families were born Buddhas". Finally, she looked at Meng Qi, Zhen Hui and other new novice monks: "Do you have anything to ask? ? Master, I know everything about Jianghu."

Meng Qi hurriedly said: "Uncle Xuanxin, we know very little about the affairs of the Jianghu. When you talk like this, many of them can't be understood."

"It makes sense. If you don't understand, you won't be able to truly feel my authority." Xuanxin nodded and cleared his throat, "Then let me introduce you to the common sense of the world, starting with our four major Buddhist temples."

"Thank you, Uncle Xuanxin." Meng Qi said happily.

Xuanxin said proudly: "Although there are many martial arts sects and sects in the world, when it comes to those who are the leader in martial arts, today there are only four Buddhist temples, three Taoist sects, six sword-holding sects, six masters in the world, nine demons, and aristocratic families. Fourteen, and the inheritance left by each of the six heretic masters."

When talking about the Six Masters of Hereticism, he looked unsure, but this did not prevent him from continuing: "The four Buddhist temples are Shaolin Temple of the Jin Dynasty, Shuiyue Temple of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Jingang Temple of the Western Regions, and Lanke Temple."

When mentioning Lanke Temple, he paused again, showing a look of uncertainty, and then said angrily, "Actually, Uncle Master, I have never understood why Lanke Temple is included in the four Buddhist temples. Their No one knows where he is, his descendants rarely travel around the world, and he has no world-famous deeds at all.”

The other monks seemed to have heard this statement for the first time, and they all asked curiously: "In that case, why is Lanke Temple included in the four major Buddhist temples?"

Xuanxin began to feel proud again, and said in a show-off manner: "It is said that when the abbot was traveling in the world when he was young, he once met a descendant of Lanke Temple. Later, he only said one thing about this matter: 'If we are destined, Lanke Temple is just around the corner. If there is no fate, it will be so close. '"

The end of the world is so close, so close to the end of the world?

So mysterious!

Including Meng Qi, all the monks in gray were shocked, confused, curious and frightened.

Seeing that she had shocked the monks, Xuanxin laughed and said, "Let's get down to business, let's talk about our Shaolin Temple first."

"Tens of thousands of years ago, the demons and Buddhas were in trouble and were suppressed by the Buddha. However, the "Tathagata Palm" was lost to the end of the world and disappeared. Two thousand years ago, my Shaolin ancestor Bodhidharma came from the southern wilderness and crossed a reed. Jiang accidentally obtained the third form of "Tathagata Divine Palm", and this one of the supreme Buddhist teachings reappeared in the world."

“Although there is no general outline, Patriarch Bodhidharma’s talent was given by nature. He spent ten years facing the wall and realized the Yi Jin Jing and many other secrets from the third form of the Tathagata Divine Palm. He created our Shaolin lineage. In just a hundred years, Already one of the great masters of martial arts in the world. Through the combined efforts of generations of ancestors and divine monks, our Shaolin has seventy-two secret schools. Even if it is the same treasure as the "Yi Jin Jing", it also has the "Great Dream Sutra". ” and “Moko Demon Subduing Fist”, which ancestor or divine monk created them will be discussed later.”

What about Demon Buddha, what about "Tathagata Palm", what about "The Great Dream Sutra" and "Moko Subduing Demon Fist". Meng Qi's mind was swaying when he heard it, and he suddenly felt yearning. The martial arts in this world may not be as good as he imagined. It’s simple, all the gods and Buddhas are there! Of course, it might just be a legend.

Cough, Xuan Xin suddenly coughed and said with a smile: "It's late at night, I'll talk about the rest tomorrow."

After saying that, he immediately stood up and walked into the meditation room.

This, this is so appetizing! Meng Qi was about to hear about the Seventy-two Secrets, the Vajra Temple and other matters, but now he was really scratching his head and feeling itchy, but Xuan Xin had already left.

After cleaning up the yard, Meng Qi and Zhenhui returned to the meditation room silently. Zhenguan and Zhenying were already asleep, and the sound of breathing lasted for a long time.

The two of them did not speak. They each took off their shoes and socks and lay down on the bunks, as if they were still immersed in the martial arts world that Xuan Xin just described.

"Junior brother, are you willing to be a handyman monk all the time and unable to learn the unique skills of Shaolin?" In the silence, Meng Qi suddenly asked in a low voice.

Zhenhui said doubtfully: "Brother, what does it mean to be willing?"

"I'm just happy, happy, like it, and don't want more." Meng Qi once again found it difficult to communicate with the child Zhenhui.

Zhenhui groaned: "I am very happy to be able to eat, sleep, work, be well fed, and listen to Uncle Xuanxin telling stories. It is much better than before."

As he spoke, he added: "It would be even better if I could learn the Palm of the Tathagata."

Phew, Meng Qi's saliva almost spit out. I really don't know if Zhenhui is willing to accept this or not.

Meng Qi slowed down for a moment and was about to speak when he suddenly noticed that Zhenhui's breathing had become lighter and she had fallen asleep.

The entire Zen room was completely quiet, with only a few gentle breathing sounds, which made the night deeper and more serene.

The bright moon hung high outside the window, casting a silvery white layer in front of the shop, like frost.

Meng Qi looked at this quiet and peaceful scene, and all the things in the past suddenly couldn't be suppressed, and all came to his mind. Emotions such as longing, sadness, wandering, confusion, and self-pity came one after another.

There is no time to think so much during the day, so this quiet night is particularly "ecstasy".

The past that couldn't be let go, and the "eternal farewell" that cut the heart like a knife, made Meng Qi unable to sleep for a long time.

It was only at this moment, in this situation, that he truly understood the true meaning of Qinglian layman's poem.

"There is bright moonlight in front of the bed, and I suspect it is frost on the ground. I look up at the bright moon and lower my head to think about my hometown."

Looking at the cold moon outside the window, Meng Qi was momentarily fascinated.