Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

With a loud "whoosh", the horses' hooves paused, and the wheels kicked up a few dust particles. Feng Ji, who was driving the car, and Li Chunfeng's servant De Xiu jumped out of the car and lifted the curtain. Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang got out of the car and were about to get in when they suddenly touched their waists and their faces changed slightly: "Brother Tiangang, my jade pendant is lost."

Li Chunfeng was born with a very weak horoscope. He could see ghosts in broad daylight and was weak and sickly. His father, a Taoist priest, feared that he would die young, so he gave him the black jade Si Nan pendant, a family heirloom, to ward off evil. He has never left it since he was a child.

Yuan Tiangang had a photographic memory and was too lazy to even calculate. After a brief recollection, he had a clue: "Pingkang Bookstore."

On the way here, when passing by Pingkang Bookstore, Li Chunfeng remembered that he had ordered a book here, so he happened to pass by and went in to ask if the book had arrived. Because the title of the book was strange, he was afraid that Dexiu could not explain it clearly, so he went to ask in person. When he came back, it seemed that the jade pendant was no longer on him.

Li Chunfeng thought for a moment, "Sure enough, it fell in the Pingkang Bookstore. The shopkeeper bumped into me when he was carrying the book. Thinking about it carefully, I felt that my belt was a little lighter after that. I will go to find it now, but I think the Lady of Guichuan County may have arrived a long time ago. It would be bad to let her wait for no reason. I'm afraid I have to trouble Brother Tiangang to inform me." He shook his head helplessly and chuckled, "It's a pity that my jade pendant is very prickly, so only I am allowed to touch it. Otherwise, I can ask Fengji to help me run the trip. Dexiu's legs are not faster than his."

De Xiu muttered, "Master, I only have two legs, and he has four legs. How can a two-legged person outrun a four-legged person?"

Li Chunfeng smiled and patted his head: "You are the only one who knows how to count. Let's go to Pingkang Bookstore. I'll leave the Lady of Guichuan County to Brother Tiangang."

Yuan Tiangang was used to staying at home and rarely went out. He was too lazy to say a word unless it was necessary. He was really a genuine senior otaku. When he thought about facing a woman, a strange woman, his scalp was numb. But since his good friend needed someone, he couldn't refuse and had to agree. Li Chunfeng looked at him walking upstairs with a heroic expression as if he was ready to die, and smiled. Suddenly, he heard a girl shouting in surprise: "Mr. Li, is that you?"

Li Chunfeng turned his head and saw a beautiful maid looking at him with bright eyes. Behind her, Lady Guichuan was getting out of the car leisurely.

"What a coincidence, we bumped into each other at the door." Wen Jiao looked at him, then at Ming Xin, and smiled, "It's not too late, and you probably aren't hungry yet. I heard that the back garden of Hua'e Zhenghui Tower is quite beautiful. I've been away from Beijing for a long time, and I haven't been here to appreciate it. I wonder if Mr. Li is interested in going there with me?"

Li Chunfeng hesitated to speak, but finally smiled gently and said, "I have never been here before, so I can borrow your help, Madam."

In a later play, a bright and beautiful girl in the prime of life once sighed at the spring scenery in the garden: "If you haven't been to the garden, how can you know how beautiful spring is?" This simple sentence expresses endless thoughts.

The winding river is shallow, and peach and plum trees on both sides compete for beauty. In the spring scenery, Wen Jiao deliberately fell behind, holding Su Xin's arm, and pointed to a peach blossom that stretched from the roadside to her side, "This peach blossom is really gorgeous. No wonder people always say that when they praise beauties, they only say that they are as beautiful as peaches and plums."

As he was speaking, he moved his body to the side, leaving an empty seat for Mingxin. Mingxin understood, and walked up quickly, walking together with Li Chunfeng.

"Li Lang...Jun," Ming Xin blushed before she could speak, "If you hadn't reminded me in time at the banquet hosted by Princess Xiangyang that day, our Madam's treasure would have been almost stolen by that cunning Hu man."

After apologizing to Huo Ling'er in his heart, Mingxin bravely raised his head and showed the man opposite him with admiration in his eyes: "Mr. Li is really knowledgeable. Miss wears that pearl hairpin on her head every day, but no one in the mansion can recognize whether it is a dragon or a fish..."

"Makara fish." Li Chunfeng suggested.

Mingxin's ears turned redder and he lowered his head: "Oh, the treasure in the Makara fish's brain..."

Li Chunfeng said, "It is recorded in the Buddhist scripture 'Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra' that in ancient times, 500 people went to sea to search for treasure. Suddenly, the boat was carried by a torrent and moved very fast. Soon, they saw three suns hanging above their heads, and below them were neatly connected white mountains. Further down was a huge abyss, and the surrounding seawater rushed into it. This wonder of heaven and earth made the 500 people marvel. However, the helmsman on the boat said, 'This is the opening of the Makara fish king.' The Makara fish was originally a giant fish in the deep sea of ​​the Western Heaven. It is the same kind as the Kun in our Central Plains legend, but with a different name. It is common that few people know about it."

The handsome and clean-looking man spoke eloquently, looking very otherworldly, but Mingxin's attention was only on the first sentence. After finally waiting for him to finish, he asked cautiously, "Young Master Sun of our Xiangfu has been devoted to Buddhism since he was young, and Mr. Li also reads Buddhist scriptures. Could it be that he also yearns for Buddhism?"

It is very important that monks cannot get married!

Li Chunfeng found it quite funny and shook his head, saying, "I am just curious about the words of the heretics, so I just found it to read. Although the Buddhists have explored too much, they are a school of their own, so it is good to study and exchange ideas with them."

It's good that you don't want to be a monk. Mingxin was relieved immediately, but Wen Jiao, who was not far away, heard a bad meaning from his words. Orthodox Confucian scholars... such as Chen Guangrui, would not bother to put Buddhist scriptures on the same level as for discussion. For Mingxin's lifelong event, she decided to ask more clearly, and immediately interjected: "The descendants of Confucianism have always only said that it is outside the world, but few are interested in the doctrines of the outside world like Li Langjun."

Li Chunfeng smiled and said, "Before I came into the world, my father had already abandoned Confucianism and followed Taoism. I followed my father's teachings since I was young and studied the art of yin and yang. I yearned for the pure and carefree style of Taoism, so when I was nine years old, I became a disciple of Taoist Master Zhiyuan of Jingyun Temple. I only came down from the mountain and entered the world eight years ago."

No wonder Huo Ling'er said he was a master, he was indeed a professionally trained cultivator. If she hadn't been afraid that Madam Yin would insist on setting her up with a matchmaker, she would have asked him to help introduce her to Taoist Zhiyuan. Wen Jiao felt very sorry, and when she saw Mingxin's body tense and staring at Li Chunfeng nervously, she immediately understood and asked tentatively, "Since Mr. Li is a disciple of Taoist Zhiyuan, why is he working in the Taishi Bureau instead of continuing to practice with the Taoist?"

Li Chunfeng explained: "When I became his disciple, my master predicted my fate, saying that I had little chance of becoming an immortal, but would achieve great things in the mortal world. That's why I am in the Taoist sect, but have never received a Taoist ordination. Eight years ago, my master said that I had learned nothing more, so he sent me down the mountain. I happened to be recommended by the late Minister Liu and became the military secretary of the current emperor when he was the King of Qin. With the grace of your majesty, I joined the Imperial Historian Bureau."