Pawn Crossing the River

This theater is called Miaoling Building. Although it is slightly smaller than Tianyin Building, it is also two stories high and has the same structure. The hall on the first floor leads directly to the roof of the second floor. The second floor is divided into many semi-open private rooms along the corridor. With such a structure, sitting in the private room directly faces the stage on the first floor.

Today's popular dramas are mainly based on Kunqu Opera, with the main dubbing being flutes and flutes. The tunes are melodious, especially the Shuimo tune, without any fireworks.

"The Peony Pavilion" is a classic piece of Kun Opera, and the world-famous Boss Liu personally appeared on the stage. It's no wonder that the Tianyin Tower is so lively. However, the drama in Miao Ling Lou is not only pyrotechnic, but also very big.

When the two of them entered the stage, the new play "The Infernal Affairs" they were going to watch had not yet started. They were playing another new play "The Trial of Jia Li Lei in Three Halls". It was not an Eastern story, but a Western story. Taiwan The actor also dressed up in the West, and only heard an old man in white robe sing: "I am the Archbishop of the Holy Court, and I am ordered by the cardinal deacon to judge Jia LiLei. Take Jia LiLei with you."

A man was brought up, wearing a top hat, tie, tuxedo, vest, trousers, and leather boots.

The Archbishop said: "You are brave enough to come to the church, why don't you draw the Holy Emblem?"

Jia Lilei said: "There is a goddess in my heart, so it's okay if I don't draw it."

The Archbishop said: "You have such a sharp mouth, so don't show off your power of words without attracting all the evil deeds of apostasy!"

Jia Lilei said: "Archbishop, please listen. I have been fond of astronomy and stars since I was a child. I used to observe the sun, moon and stars, and made a living by teaching. I have been in various places, and I have a wide academic reputation. I have never disrespected the Holy Court in the slightest. Today I will judge me. Why love?"

The chief bishop on the side said: "Archbishop! This Jiali Lei has been prepared for a long time. It is better to interrogate his daughter Maria first."

The archbishop said: "Little girl, has your father ever made a ten-mile mirror?"

A little girl in a Western skirt also started singing. (Note 1)

In the private room, Qi Xuansu couldn't laugh or cry when he heard this: "I finally know why the master in charge can't accept new things. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to accept it either."

Zhang Yuelu liked it very much and said: "Do you know why the Confucian sect lost to the Taoist sect? It is because it sticks to the rules and is stubborn, and eventually becomes a pool of stagnant water with no connection. Our Taoist sect cannot follow the old path of the Confucian sect, and we need these fresh things."

Qi Xuansu said: "It's too fresh."

Zhang Yuelu did not force Qi Xuansu to have the same taste as his, but said: "Don't just look at the surface of the story. In fact, the essence is the same. The Western Holy Court tried Jialilei, and the Confucian sect deposed hundreds of schools, all under the sun. Nothing new.”

Qi Xuansu suddenly remembered something and asked, "What about the Taoist sect's suppression of secret societies?"

Zhang Yuelu was startled, shook his head and said: "It's not the same. Whether it's Jialilei or Baijia, they are actually innocent. It is unjust to suppress them for no reason for their own selfishness. But most secret societies are If you really commit a serious crime, even if you die in the hands of a Taoist sect, your death will not be unjust."

Qi Xuansu couldn't help but ask: "In addition to the Qingpinghui, Babuzhong, 'Inn', and Qibaofang that have been named, what other secret societies are there? What crimes have they committed?"

Zhang Yuelu didn't hide anything, he spoke eloquently.

"Ziguang Society is a secret society that believes in True Lord Ziguang. They are very familiar with the Taoist sect. They often use various means to lure disciples to join them. They even forge their identities and preach in various places in the name of the Taoist sect. Not to mention ordinary people, just Many people in Taoist sects cannot tell whether they are genuine or not. After all, Taoist sects are too big. It is difficult for people from the Western Region Taoist Office to get familiar with people from the Qizhou Taoist House, and it is also difficult for people from the Liaodong Taoist Office to get familiar with the people from the Lingnan Taoist Office. "

"This type of person has done great damage to the reputation of the Taoist sect, and is very difficult to identify, just like the vines attached to the Taoist sect."

"There is also the Zhiming Sect, which is said to know destiny, but it does not know the destiny of heaven, but believes in the True Lord Siming. True Lord Siming is the ancient immortal we met in Cimut Fort. He is in charge of life and death, and his followers also Focusing on the way of life and death. Unfortunately, they do not have the ability to reverse life and death, but instead go astray in cultivating corpses and ghosts. The reason why Taoism strictly restricts the techniques of cultivating corpses and ghosts has a lot to do with the Zhiming Cult. "

"In the beginning, they just dug graves and stole corpses. Later, they gradually developed into directly killing people and sacrificing their souls to Lord Siming. There are even more extreme people who transformed living people into zombies with extremely strong bodies. There is also some intelligence that is more powerful than naturally occurring zombies.”

"Such secret associations must be eliminated."

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. Qi Xuansu suddenly thought of the transformation Qingping would make on himself, and he couldn't help but be shocked, wondering if he had become a zombie?

However, Qi Xuansu then thought about it and realized that he was a member of the Qingping Society, not the Zhiming Cult. Zhang Yuelu said that the Qingping Society was probably supported by Taoist figures, and it might involve internal struggles within the Taoist sect. It was not the same as the Zhiming Sect who believed in Lord Siming.

Taking a step back, even if there is any intersection between the Qingping Society and the Zhiming Sect, if he really became a zombie, he would have been identified in Yujing City where experts gathered, and he would not be able to enter and leave Xuandu openly. I was really a little too nervous tonight, suspicious, and at a loss.

Zhang Yuelu suddenly asked: "Tianyuan, you seem very nervous?"

Qi Xuansu came back to his senses in an instant, his thoughts were changing rapidly, but his face didn't show it at all: "Actually... I get a little nervous every time I'm alone."

Zhang Yuelu showed his snow-white palms and joked: "Are you done? You want to say that I am like a tiger or a dragon again? If you say that again, don't blame me for being rude. Let you experience my palm power that is comparable to that of a tiger." "

Qi Xuansu apologized and said, "I am no match for you. I heard that a young master of the Li family named Li Tianzhen was beaten out of Yujing by you."

The smile on Zhang Yuelu's face gradually faded, and he asked softly: "Who did you listen to? Is someone causing trouble for you?"

"No one is causing trouble for me." Qi Xuansu shook his head and said, "Xu Kou said it."

"Xu Kou?" Zhang Yuelu was a little surprised.

Qi Xuansu told the whole story of his meeting with Xu Kou.

After Zhang Yuelu listened, he said thoughtfully: "It turns out to be Li Tianzhen, no wonder. The reason why I hate him is not only his habit of not treating people as human beings, but also one of the reasons why he doesn't speak well. He always It’s all mysterious and foggy.”

Seeing that Zhang Yuelu had been successfully diverted by him, Qi Xuansu breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, but at the same time he felt a little confused. When he was running alone in the world, he never thought about this problem, because for him at that time, he was a seventh-grade Taoist priest. In fact, it is a dispensable identity.

But as he returned to Yujing and joined the Tiangang Hall, his dual identities gradually turned into shackles, which made Qi Xuansu couldn't help but ask himself, when will his dual identities finally end? Take the beautiful woman in front of you as an example. You treat yourself sincerely, but you have to deceive yourself in every possible way for fear of exposing your flaws. It's hard to tell others how it feels.

Zhang Yuelu stopped thinking about Li Tianzhen and continued to explain to Qi Xuansu the secrets of various secret societies.

To sum up, it can be roughly divided into three categories.

The first category is the secret associations that believe in ancient immortals or exist based on ancient immortals, including but not limited to "Ziguang Society", "Zhiming Sect", "Lingshan Witch Cult", etc. The conflict between Taoist sects and ancient immortals has been around for a long time. These associations often intersect with Buddhism and shamanism, and they appear and disappear depending on the strength of Taoist attacks.

The second category is the secret associations headed by "Qingpinghui", "Inn", "Babuzhong" and "Qibaofang". Most of them appeared in the era when Confucianism and Taoism were competing for the world, and they were more or less related to Taoism. , the imperial court, and was even a member of the Taoist sect. For example, in Qingpinghui, Qiniang knew very well about various situations in the Taoist sect, and the "Inn" had close contacts with Qingluan Guards. Things in the world are about you among me and me among you. Therefore, this kind of secret association is difficult to eradicate. On the contrary, it has a tendency to continue to grow and develop.

The third category includes some new faces that have emerged in the past hundred years, such as the "White Lotus Sect", a branch of Buddhism, which believes in the future Buddha, but is too extreme and paranoid and eventually embarks on a wrong path, which is not tolerated by Buddhist orthodoxy. Some are even related to the Western Holy Court. After the Holy Court was introduced to the East, it was immediately transformed and combined with Taoism to create a "Heavenly Court". Naturally, this category cannot be tolerated by Taoism.

In addition, there are also some small and insignificant secret associations with limited influence, only in prefectures and counties.

After Qi Xuansu heard this, he couldn't help but sigh: "It is a long and arduous task to wipe out all these secret societies."

"The suppression has been going on since the Xuansheng era. Six generations of great masters have passed and they are still not completely suppressed. It is true that the wildfire will not burn out, but the spring breeze will revive it." Zhang Yuelu said helplessly.

Qi Xuansu joked: "Back then, Zulong swept across Liuhe, and it was so majestic. Later generations said that Zulong was the remnant of the sixth generation of Fen. Now our Taoist sect happens to have a sixth-generation master, and it is exactly waiting for you, the seventh-generation master. The remnants of the sixth generation of Master Fen will sweep away the world and clean up these muddy waters. "

Zhang Yuelu said with a smile: "Tian Yuan, you are really good at talking. But even if I get lucky and become the Grand Master at the age of sixty, will the position of Grand Master remain vacant for decades?"

Qi Xuansu said: "That's hard to say."

While he was talking, a crisp sandalwood sound suddenly sounded from the stage on the first floor, followed by the beating of a small drum and a melodious flute sound.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu stopped talking in a tacit understanding.

Then came a piece of Kun Ling’s authentic Kun Opera in Wu dialect:

The clouds dispersed and the bright moon shone brightly.

Happy reunion, drunk today.

Flowers grow well, the moon grows round, and people live longer.

Catkins fly in front of the eaves, thinking that the Qingming Dynasty has just passed.

The east wind has no choice but to send another spring away.

But he said: When will flowers grow well, when will the moon become round, and when will people live longer... (Note 2)

Qi Xuansu was a little surprised. He didn't expect that it would start with flowers blooming and the moon growing full. It was beyond his expectation. However, the phrase "When will flowers grow well, when will the moon grow round, and when will people live long?" The words, the beautiful flowers in front of him and the full moon are just flowers in the mirror, and it made him feel the same and couldn't help but immerse himself in it.

Note 1: Adapted from "The Trial of Galileo in Three Chambers"

Note 2: Adapted from "The Full Moon and the Flowers" and "The Story of Huan Sha"