Chapter 521 Begins
Master Zhixuan's lectures were a rare grand event in the Shu Buddhist community. I don't know how many people came from all over the place more than a month in advance in an attempt to secure a spot in the limited venue.
There are many places, more than 10,000, but it is still too few for believers.
Now that you are here, you cannot leave if you don't have a seat. Even if you cannot see Master Zhixuan, it is good to squat from a distance, listen to his voice, and comprehend some Buddhist teachings.
This is the busiest day at Shengci Temple.
This is a pure Buddhist place, no weapons are allowed inside.
"Then why can they bring them in? Do they look down on us Tang people?!"
A vicious bandit held on to his large ring knife and refused to let go, pointing and cursing at the Liao guards who were walking past.
"Donor, please put down your weapons."
The monk did not answer, but continued to persuade.
"Young people nowadays are too violent. How can they resort to violence in a peaceful place like Buddhism? Ahem."
The old man walked in slowly while smoking a cigarette, as if mocking the man with a knife. A little girl beside him stuck out her tongue at the man.
Then a very fat woman came over. It took eight big men to carry her inside. After collecting the weapons of the sedan bearers, they also let her in. The woman glanced at the big men and smiled coldly.
The big man was stunned, seemed to tremble, and angrily stuffed the knife into the monk's hand: "Watch it for me!"
The monk took the knife and put it aside, saluted with his hands together, then frowned at the big man who walked in. There were too many people coming today, and the abbot said that all living beings have their own destiny, and believers should not be prevented from entering the temple without reason. As long as someone can still enter, he should be allowed to enter.
Zhao Yushu walked to the Puxian Pavilion with a note in his hand. The monk guarding the gate let him in after checking him. Except for a few seats at the front with cushions, everyone else sat on the ground casually.
Cao Zheng once wanted to get him a good seat, but was rejected by Zhao Yushu.
You don't have to be so ahead of the times when it comes to what you want to do.
Xiao Qing came and, under the guidance of several monks, sat on the cushion closest to Master Zhixuan.
Naturally, she couldn't be the person with the highest status in the entire Yizhou, but those who were higher than her didn't come today, either because they didn't believe in Buddhism or for other reasons.
The huge Puxian Pavilion was soon overcrowded. Looking at the endless crowds of people, Zhao Yushu calculated the distance between himself and Xiao Qing, thinking about how to scare this woman away without hurting any innocent people.
Outside Shengci Temple, more than twenty Western Region warriors have been lying in ambush in batches at the locations arranged by Zhao Yushu. In fact, there are far more people who have accepted the order, but others may not be willing to listen to Zhao Yushu and have used all means to sneak into Shengci Temple.
At the tea bureau, a large number of Tang warriors, led by two monks, quietly surrounded the tea bureau. The two official troops, the Vanguard and the Left Guard, which were responsible for the security of the area, received orders and quietly moved away from the place. At the same time, a group of Tibetan warriors swaggered into the tea bureau.
Everyone is in place, just a signal is needed.
At the source of the signal, Zhao Yushu was sitting on the ground, an invisible dagger quietly turning between his fingers.
An astonishing spiritual light patrolled the entire Shengci Temple, especially the monks among the pilgrims, where it probed back and forth several times. In the eyes of this master, as long as these monks did not cause trouble, the others were nothing to be afraid of.
The lecture began. Master Zhixuan's Buddhist teachings were so profound that even a layman like Zhao Yushu listened with great interest. Even his murderous intent faded a lot. If an ordinary person heard it, he would probably have the idea of converting to Buddhism at this time.
The entire Puxian Pavilion, and even most of Shengci Temple were silent, with only the voice of Master Zhixuan remaining, echoing throughout the temple under the blessing of the treasure.
"Although I have heard it many times, every time I listen to Master Zhixuan's lectures, I always have a different experience."
In the back hall of Puxian Pavilion, several people sat opposite each other. Among them were monks from the Central Plains, monks from Tibet, and even a monk who had returned to secular life.
The man who had just spoken was a handsome monk. Judging from his age, he was no more than twenty years old, but he exuded an otherworldly air. If he put on Taoist robes, he would still be an accomplished Taoist.
"Unlike my senior brother who lives in the Central Plains, this is my first time going down the mountain. It is a great honor to be able to listen to the lectures of the great monks in the Central Plains."
The one who answered him was a Tibetan Lama, who was tall and muscular. He was none other than the Vajra under the Tibetan master Pandita, a master of the Great Perfection of external scenes.
"Look, Senior Brother, I told you that if you followed me, you would gain something. I didn't lie to you."
The little monk smiled and looked at a man beside him. The man was dressed as an ordinary warrior with a dark complexion. Hearing what he said, he sighed and said, "I've told you many times, don't call me Senior Brother anymore."
If Zhao Yushu were here, I wonder if he would subconsciously call him cheap uncle.
"Once a senior brother, always a senior brother. Master has never announced to the world that he is expelling me from the sect."
"It's up to you. Did you bring me to Yizhou just to listen to Master Zhixuan's lecture?"
The little monk laughed again: "The third master of the academy tried his best to stop us from coming to Yizhou, but his wisdom is far superior to ours. If he didn't let us come, we really couldn't move. It's rare that he suddenly gave us some relief. If I don't come quickly, I'm afraid I will miss a lot of good things."
The King Kong on the opposite side frowned and said, "I have heard of the reputation of the academy, but they are far away in the Eastern Capital. What can they do about the affairs of Yizhou?"
"If I could have guessed what the academy was going to do, Master's remains would have arrived at the Great Compassion Temple long ago."
The two of them glanced at each other without giving in. Zhang Hong coughed dryly and said, "The time has not come yet. Will the good show you said happen here?"
"On this occasion, where else can it be if not here?"
Master Zhixuan had been talking non-stop for an hour. Although his theories progressed from the simple to the complex, it was already a bit boring for Zhao Yushu, who had other ideas. The assassins outside were also already extremely anxious.
The voice slowly faded. Master Zhixuan was certainly not tired. Even if he did not eat or drink, he could still speak for a whole day. But the audience below would be tired, and they would have to go to the toilet.
Therefore, due to basic physiological needs, the lecture came to a temporary halt, and under the guidance of the monks, everyone stood up in an orderly manner and prepared to take a short rest.
But there are always people who want disorder.
Zhao Yushu stood up and watched several people emerge from the crowd and surround Xiao Qing.
Almost at the same time, several monks immediately discovered these people with bad intentions, and surrounded them with sticks and knives in hand.
Zhao Yushu smiled, turned the dagger in his hand, turned his body, and walked towards Master Zhixuan who was sitting under Master Puxian.
No matter who those assassins were, their assassination was doomed to fail. Xiao Qing must have made full preparations and would never die in front of Master Puxian of Shengci Temple.
She arranged the killer herself, but Shengci Temple would not bear the blame for nothing.
The play had to be performed, but she didn't know that there was suddenly an extra who was not in the script.