Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 61 Five Views Hall

It wasn't noon yet, so the group continued to wander aimlessly with the crowd.

Besides the Buddha statue pilgrimage, the streets are also filled with folk performances during the Buddha Bathing Festival, making the area crowded with people.

The place on the street near them where the most onlookers gathered was the performance site of the acrobats.

After Lu Beigu and his group squeezed through, the first thing they saw was the pole dance.

A young boy stood on one leg atop a bamboo pole. Suddenly, he flipped over and hooked his toes onto the top of the pole, hanging upside down with his arms outstretched like an eagle spreading its wings.

The crowd gasped in surprise, some even covering their eyes.

"What's this called?"

“The Golden Rooster Pole,” Ji Yun replied. “But that’s not even the most impressive. I’ve heard that the top acrobats in Bianjing’s entertainment district can stack three tables on top of a ten-foot bamboo pole and do nine somersaults on it without touching the ground!”

"Nine somersaults? That would mean leaping into the sky!" Lu Guangyu's eyes widened.

As they were talking, the boy at the top of the pole suddenly swung his arms and used the elasticity of the bamboo pole to do a somersault in mid-air.

Just when everyone thought he was going to fall, he landed steadily back on the top of the pole.

The crowd roared with cheers, and coins rained down onto the field.

The boy grinned, revealing two canine teeth, and casually scooped up a flying copper coin from the top of the pole, biting it between his teeth, which drew another round of cheers.

This kind of acrobatic act with extremely limited weight-bearing capacity is obviously only suitable for children to perform. If someone is a little older or their weight or other conditions exceed the standard, it will be difficult for them to perform.

After a short break from the pole performance, the boy climbed down the pole and bowed to the audience.

Then came the request for the film.

The apprentices of the acrobatic troupe tied a rope to the pillars of houses on both sides of the street, about the height of a person off the ground.

A man wearing a red headscarf stepped barefoot onto the rope, carrying a gleaming performance knife in his hand.

He walked slowly forward, and when he reached the middle, a flash of light appeared on his blade, and he began to perform a set of sword techniques on the rope.

Amidst the whistling wind, he would suddenly stand on one leg like a golden rooster, then somersault like a hawk. The hemp rope, no thicker than a thumb, remained perfectly still, as if cast in bronze and iron.

However, to be honest, simply wielding a knife on a rope isn't as entertaining as the boy's pole dance earlier.

However, just when everyone was feeling a bit bored.

The man suddenly switched the knife to his left hand and reached into his robes with his right hand, pulling out a tinderbox!
The tinderbox was invented during the Northern Qi Dynasty, and its use among the common people in the Song Dynasty is now quite widespread.

He blew on a flame with a "whoosh," then smeared it on the blade, presumably with some kind of flammable substance like grease beforehand. The entire knife immediately burst into flames three feet high.

Amidst the gasps of the crowd, he leaned back, the flaming blade grazing his nose, startling several children in the front row who cried out in surprise.

Then, he swiftly and skillfully wielded the fire-blade, displaying a dazzling array of sword techniques.

As the man wielded his fire sword with great fervor, he suddenly leaped up and performed three somersaults on the rope. With each somersault, the flames drew three dazzling rings of fire in the air, eliciting gasps of amazement from the crowd.

With his final flip, he suddenly threw the fire knife into the air!
"Watch out!" someone shouted.

The fire knife spun several times in the air before the man caught the falling hilt steadily. He then knelt on one knee on the rope, swung the fire knife horizontally in front of his chest, and made a cool sheathing gesture for the audience.

The flames suddenly went out, leaving only a wisp of smoke rising.

"—Fire clouds surge in three layers! I've made a fool of myself!"

"Bravo!" The crowd cheered loudly, and copper coins rained down.

Up close, the performance was indeed highly entertaining. Even Lu Beigu hesitated for a moment before finally throwing a copper coin at it.

He then regretted it a little, not because he regretted paying, but because he felt like he had let his guard down.

"Lu Beigu, how could you be so addicted to sensual pleasures?"

At this moment, Ji Yun said, "Brother Lu, it's time to eat."

"okay."

Heartbroken, Lu Beigu followed Ji Yun on their journey to Fawang Temple for a vegetarian meal.

After meeting up with the Han siblings, the group walked together to Fawang Temple.

The reason for not taking a car or riding a donkey or mule is twofold: firstly, the distance is very short, not far from Hejiang County; secondly, Han Ziyu is particular and feels that walking there shows more piety.

The Han siblings did not show any resistance to bringing a teammate who had already secured a spot; on the contrary, they were somewhat pleasantly surprised.

After all, Han Ziyu, as the "great benefactor" of Fawang Temple, could only bring three people, while Ji Yun, as the "merit donor," could only come by invitation. So they were worried that their five-person team was still short one person.

If you team up with a complete stranger at the last minute, you probably won't even reach the minimum skill level.

In front of the mountain gate, rows of ancient trees spread out their dense shade, and the chirping of cicadas mingled with the laughter of pilgrims.

At this time, although most of the monks in Fawang Temple had gone out, a small number remained behind. At the same time, there were also many pilgrims coming to offer incense. Because of the large number of pilgrims, many local or out-of-town vendors did not go to the city to join the fun but instead set up awnings under the shade of the trees, selling freshly picked lotus pods and chilled drinks.

As Lu Beigu walked up, he saw several young novice monks carrying wooden buckets and splashing water on the bluestone steps to cool them down. The water that was splashed was quickly dried by the sun, leaving only dark marks.

Once you enter the mountain gate, the most eye-catching thing is the release pond next to it.

The release pond was crowded with worshippers who had bought small fish and shrimp to release.

The pond water shimmered, and an old turtle, which had been raised for who knows how many years, floated lazily under the shade of lotus leaves. Children tiptoed and threw crumbs of steamed buns into the pond, which attracted the fish to leap out of the water, splashing water onto the clothes of the people nearby.

Behind the release pond is the main hall of Fawang Temple, where incense is very popular. The surface of the bronze incense burner is so hot from the smoke that it is hot to the touch, and there is a thick layer of incense ash.

The offering table in front of the Buddha statue was piled high with seasonal fresh fruits. The sweet fragrance of loquat and mulberry mixed with sandalwood attracted several bees to buzz around in the hall.

After bypassing the main hall, the group continued walking towards the right-hand corridor.

Newly pasted gauze lanterns hung under the corridor, and several old monks sat under the lanterns brewing tea, the steam from the tea stove being blown away by the hot wind.

Following Han Ziyu through the doorway on the west side of the corridor, the previously bustling noise seemed to be suddenly cut off by a gray brick wall.

The bluestone pavement in front of the dining hall was somewhat white. In the dappled shadows cast by two withered old plum trees, several rough pottery water jars stood quietly, and water lilies floating on the water were closed like fists.

Not far away, a plaque reading "Wu Guan Tang" hangs above the ebony lintel of a building, and a few rays of dim light shine through the half-drawn bamboo curtain.

Lu Beigu lifted the curtain and entered. The coolness instantly crept onto his skin. He saw buckets of chilled mung bean soup placed directly opposite the door, with mint leaves floating on the surface.

He looked around. The dining hall was not large, with eight long cypress tables arranged in a staggered manner, set with celadon bowls and chopsticks. Some of the tables were already occupied.

A monk in a brown robe rose from the corner, clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect, and the bodhi beads on his wrist jingled softly.

"Did you come with invitations?"

(End of this chapter)