Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Chapter 560: The strange Qingyun Temple, the steady Zhang Huaiyi

In the early morning, a thin mist filled the air, covering the surroundings like a veil. Zhang Huaiyi rode his fast armored horse and entered Wen County.

As he walked into the county town, Zhang Huaiyi's neck kept turning like a clockwork. He felt like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden, and everything he saw was new to him.

With this look, no one could have guessed that he was also a man who had lived in the foreign land of Shanghai.

At this time, there were already a few pedestrians on the street, as well as some vendors selling breakfast. Zhang Huaiyi stopped a vendor who was selling sesame cakes on a shoulder pole and bought two.

"Dear donor, how can I get to Qingyun Temple?" Zhang Huaiyi asked while eating a sesame cake in his mouth.

Qingyun Temple was very popular in Wen County, so the sesame cake vendor naturally knew its location and pointed the way to Zhang Huaiyi.

Zhang Huaiyi thanked him and went to Qingyun Temple while eating the sesame cake.

At the gate of Qingyun Temple, three Taoist priests, one big and two small, were guarding there, looking around.

That's them, right? They look like they're fine... Zhang Huaiyi put the half-eaten pancake into his pocket, walked up to them, and said:
"Sorry for the long wait!"

"Ok?"

It was not until then that the three Taoists discovered him.

The middle-aged Taoist priest looked down at the plain-looking, short Zhang Huaiyi and said in surprise:
"Are you... a fellow Taoist from the headquarters?"

"That's right!" Zhang Huaiyi bowed and introduced himself.

The middle-aged Taoist priest was overjoyed: "Please come this way quickly, the temple master has been waiting for a long time."

After saying that, he invited Zhang Huaiyi into the temple. The abbot of Qingyun Temple was a thin old Taoist priest with long flowing beard, an immortal look, and a look of complete Taoism.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a serious Taoist priest... Zhang Huaiyi thought to himself, and hurried over to greet him, while looking at the master of the temple inconspicuously.

The master of the temple was a little thin, but not sickly. His face was rosy and shiny, and his eyes were clear without any turbidity. There were only a few age spots on the side of his face. When he spoke, he looked kind and calm.

Zhang Huaiyi thought to himself: Master said that the person who attacked my brother was suspected to be the demon suppressed by Qingyun Temple. Something might have happened at Qingyun Temple, but it seems normal now. However, it is too early to draw conclusions now, so I should give it a try.

Immediately, he suggested that he wanted to check out the seal location.

The temple master restrained his smile and said: "The Demon Sealed Land is in the well in the big house on the side of the Taoist temple. But this big house was occupied by a new warlord who came to the city not long ago. If you want to go in, you need the consent of the warlord. It's still early now, and the warlord hasn't gotten up yet. Let's go after the sun rises and the warlord gets up!"

Zhang Huaiyi frowned: "Since it has been occupied by the warlords, can they let us in?"

"Yes!" The master of the temple nodded and said, "The warlord attaches great importance to this aspect. Some time ago, he invited many people to look at Feng Shui and perform rituals."

"Speaking of which, it was at that time that the seal was broken by a wandering monk. At the time, we all thought something bad had happened and prepared for the worst. However, it turned out to be a false alarm. There was nothing under the seal. After a careful inspection, we confirmed that there was really nothing unusual, and then we notified the headquarters."

Hearing this, Zhang Huaiyi said, "By the way, Master, can we still find that wandering monk?"

The abbot shook his head and said, "I can't find him. The wandering monk took the reward from the warlord and left. He is quite skilled and his whereabouts are elusive. We only know that he calls himself Wuxin."

"A heartless person!" Zhang Huaiyi frowned and said, "One should not dwell on anything, but give birth to one's heart."

"No mind means true mind without delusion and without attachment. It is an extremely high state and condition in Buddhism."

"I read in the Daoist Canon that if one can maintain this state all the time, then he is an Arhat, and the brief state of entering the state of no mind is called 'breaking the barrier' or 'seeing the nature'. This wandering monk must be very extraordinary to dare to use this name."

The temple master waved his hand and said, "It's just a name. There are so many people in this world who cheat others and steal their reputations. It's not worth mentioning."

The abbot seemed to have a lot of opinions about the wandering monk... Zhang Huaiyi noticed it keenly, but he changed his mind and thought that since ancient times, the ox-nosed man and the bald donkey have never gotten along well. The other party also broke the ancestral seal of Qingyun Temple, so it is normal to have opinions.

Zhang Huaiyi coughed and said, "What the master said makes sense. It's just a name, it doesn't mean anything."

We also have a Taoist named Tiantong in our family!

"By the way, Little Gaogong, you have come all the way here, you haven't eaten yet, right?" asked the temple master.

"I just ate some dry food to fill my stomach!" said Zhang Huaiyi.

"We will start morning classes in the temple soon, and then we will have dinner. Please wait for a moment, little monk!" said the temple master.

"It's okay, I hope you won't disturb me!" Zhang Huaiyi said shyly.

But then he remembered the purpose of this trip, wasn't it to find out the situation in Qingyun Temple?
Everyone gathers together for morning prayers and recites Taoist scriptures. I'm afraid the rules here are not fake. Why not go in and take a look? !
When he thought of this, Zhang Huaiyi immediately said:
"Master, could you allow me to attend your morning classes? I have never missed a class since I was ordained. I would feel awkward if I don't attend today."

"Of course!" said the temple master with a smile.

Afterwards, the abbot took Zhang Huaiyi to the main hall for morning classes.

The master of Qingyun Temple walked in front, and Zhang Huaiyi followed behind. Neither of them spoke, and only the sound of footsteps echoed in the corridor.

Zhang Huaiyi looked around pretending to be curious from time to time, and then held a talisman in his hand, hidden under the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe.

He was not proficient in talismans, but these were given to him by his master, who said that they could be used to detect monsters and evil spirits.

But along the way, he didn't notice anything unusual.

Did the master make a wrong estimate... Zhang Huaiyi put the talisman away without leaving a trace.

"By the way, Xiao Gaogong, how is the Heavenly Master these days?" asked the temple master.

"Master has always been in good health, full of energy and spirit. He doesn't look like an old man at all!" said Zhang Huaiyi.

"That's good, that's good!"

The abbot of Qingyun Temple had a smile on his face and took Zhang Huaiyi to the hall for morning classes.

Although Qingyun Temple is small, the morning prayer hall is quite large. The hall houses a statue of the Patriarch Tianshi and can accommodate more than ten people.

Zhang Huaiyi's arrival attracted the attention of some young Taoist priests.

A young Taoist priest who had not yet been ordained tugged at his master's robe and asked in a low voice:
"Master, are we really one family with the Tianshi Mansion in Longhu Mountain?"

"The relationship between the main temple and the branch temples," the middle-aged Taoist priest said with a smile, "is just like... we have a wealthy relative!"

The young Taoist nodded to show that he understood.

Everything is normal... Zhang Huaiyi thought to himself, and after exchanging a few polite words with the Taoist inside, the morning class began.

Different from the morning class presided over by Zhang Zhiwei on Mount Longhu, the morning class at Qingyun Temple is quite formal and methodical.

The bell and drum are sounded three times, incense is burned and candles are lit, all instruments are rang, incense is burned and water is offered, and people kowtow to the God of Everlasting Purity and Tranquility.

The Heavenly Venerable of Ever Purity and Eternal Tranquility does not refer to any specific Heavenly Venerable. "Ever Purity and Eternal Tranquility" is the nature of Tao, and "Heavenly Venerable" is the incarnation of Tao. It means to praise the Heavenly Venerable who is the incarnation of the supreme Tao and to emulate him, in order to achieve unity with Tao and communicate with divinity.

After bowing, they recited scriptures, the contents of which were fixed, such as "Purifying Heart Mantra", "Purifying Mouth Mantra", "Purifying Body Mantra"... all in a rhythm that sounded like singing or reading. When everyone recited the scriptures, they entered an extremely quiet state and began to practice.

This is the common way of practice in Taoism.

Inner cultivation is a very difficult thing.

The threshold for a sorcerer's inner cultivation is the third level of tranquility, which is the state of bliss and joy. At this stage, one will encounter many temptations, making it difficult to calm down.

Although the cultivation threshold for a Taoist priest is not as high as that for a sorcerer, and only requires the first realm, the calmer one's mind is, the faster one will improve.

Therefore, in order to practice better, Taoists created many rituals to assist in practice.

The various complicated and redundant Taoist scriptures in the morning classes, such as the mantras for purifying the heart, purifying the mouth, purifying the body, etc., are meant to help Taoists enter a state of meditation better.

This is the Taoist ritual, an old rule passed down for thousands of years.

Such morning classes are common in Longhu Mountain. Zhang Huaiyi is no stranger to them. However, Zhang Zhiwei's are a minority, after all, he does not give lectures often.

After the morning class began, Zhang Huaiyi did not completely enter a state of meditation. He kept his eyes open and observed his surroundings.

Two hours passed and everything was normal. He didn't find any problems. This made him wonder if his master was worrying too much.

Although he thought so, at the same time, he still had an inexplicable sense of disharmony in his heart.

Obviously everything is fine. Am I just being prejudiced and overthinking?

Zhang Huaiyi was confused, but at this moment, a light flashed in his mind and he suddenly understood the source of that sense of disobedience.

Standardized, everything is too standardized, so standardized that it’s a little abnormal!
You know, even in Longhu Mountain, during normal morning classes, there were many people who felt drowsy or absent-minded.

After all, people are different. Sometimes they are in a good state and can enter a state of meditation better, and sometimes they are in a bad state and cannot enter a state of meditation better. Isn’t this normal?

But why is it that everyone in Qingyun Temple, young or old, enters into a state of meditation for an entire class?
Even the little Taoist priest who spoke at the beginning of the morning class was like this. He hasn't even been ordained yet, but his concentration is so strong? !
It’s not normal. This is so abnormal!
Zhang Huaiyi had doubts in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued with the morning class until the end.

As soon as the morning class was over, the disciples of Qingyun Temple, who had just entered into perfect meditation, woke up together and switched from the meditation state to the chattering state in just one second.

"Little Gao Gong, let's go and have breakfast. After breakfast, we can go to see the sealed place!" said the master of Qingyun Temple.

Zhang Huaiyi naturally had no objection. The breakfast at Qingyun Temple was simple, still porridge, steamed buns, and pickles, but each person had a salted duck egg.

While eating, everyone was very polite and didn't talk.

After breakfast, Zhang Huaiyi's impression of the people in Qingyun was that everything was too formal and there was no human touch at all.

This is also abnormal. Zhengyi is not like Quanzhen. It does not have so many red tapes. Generally speaking, it will not be so serious.

Even when they, the fellow disciples, were having a meal with their master who was a Heavenly Master, they would still be talking and laughing, and not be so rigid.

There do seem to be some problems with Qingyun Temple, but these problems are too subjective to be used as a basis for conclusion. We need to observe further.

……

After dinner, the abbot of Qingyun Temple took Zhang Huaiyi to the warlord's house, accompanied by two middle-aged Taoist priests, a total of four people.

The warlord's house was not far from Qingyun Temple. It was very grand and had just been renovated. Even the tiles and the door pulls were new. There was a plaque on the door with the words "Yue Mansion" inscribed on it, and big red lanterns hung on both sides of the plaque.

At the door of the house stood two soldiers armed with guns.

The abbot went over and said a few words, and a soldier entered the house.

After a moment, a man dressed in a black robe and a round hat, dressed like a butler, came out and led the four people in.

After entering, Zhang Huaiyi held the talisman in his hand to sense the evil spirit while looking around.

The house was very large, with dozens of rooms and window grilles pasted everywhere. Soldiers with firearms could be seen passing by from time to time.

Walking into the inner house, it is very bright and the furniture is all new. It does not look like a warlord's headquarters but more like a reception center.

Not long after, a young officer in neat blue uniform and with an imposing manner came over.

"Master, are you here again?" the officer said.

"Commander Zhang, isn't this just to protect the safety of your house? I hope you can be flexible!" said the master of the temple.

"I know you are not swindlers, so I am willing to cooperate with you, but this is the last time. I don't like being disturbed every other day. Go, if you can't find out the truth, don't come again!" said the officer.

Immediately, he asked the housekeeper to take Zhang Huaiyi and his party over.

Pushing open a black-painted door, everyone came to the backyard.

There is an old well in the southeast corner of the yard.

"Little Gaogong, the seal is in that well!" said the temple master, pointing at the old well.

Zhang Huaiyi held the talisman in his hand and walked over carefully to take a look.

It was a dry well, but it was so deep that it was impossible to see clearly what was at the bottom of the well.

The temple master came over and said, "When I was young, my master took me to see this well. At first glance, I felt that there was an extremely dark black qi covering the bottom of the well. It was bottomless. As the black qi rolled, it would occasionally transform into various hideous faces, which made people tremble with fear and their scalps tingle. But now, it has become an ordinary dry well."

Zhang Huaiyi looked at the dry well thoughtfully, and emitted a ray of golden light, illuminating the dry well.

There is a lot of space below, and the entire well is shaped like a kettle, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. It is difficult to judge how wide it is from the wellhead.

"There is a hidden world beneath this dry well. Do you want to go down and try it, little monk?" said the temple master.

"It's not necessary!"

Zhang Huaiyi refused righteously. He was not Zhang Zhiwei, but Shushu would never take such a risk.

Although he knew that since Qingyun Temple had reported it, it meant that they had gone down the well before and there should be no danger, but he still wanted to be safe from the worst. What if?
There is no need to take unnecessary risks.

The head of Qingyun Temple looked at him in surprise. This little Taoist priest with big ears was not playing by the rules. Was he timid? !
"If we don't go down, how should Xiao Gaogong check it?" he asked.

"I have a senior brother named Zhang Zhiwei. He said that I am not direct enough in doing things. I am always procrastinating and beating around the bush. Today I am going to learn from him!"

Zhang Zhiwei... The master's pupils shrank slightly, and he was about to ask Zhang Huaiyi how to study.

Zhang Huaiyi took out a handful of talisman papers, dozens of them, and threw them into the well. The talismans flew into the well like arrows and then exploded with a loud bang.

(End of this chapter)