Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 75 Generous Rewards
The mountain wind howled, and Han Ziyu, perched on the edge of the cliff, supported herself with her right hand as she sat on a stretcher, gazing longingly towards the mountain peak.

His knuckles were already turning white from the constant exertion, but he still refused to lie down.

His ankle wasn't as swollen anymore, but it was wrapped in thick bandages, and the bitter smell of herbs was occasionally blown into his nostrils by the wind.

"When will they come down?" Han Ziyu asked the monk who stayed behind to take care of him for the third time.

The monk remained silent.

Just then, Ji Yun suddenly jumped down from the narrow mountain path like a little monkey. He leaped onto the small platform in three quick steps, so excited that he couldn't even speak properly: "Brother Lu's Dog's Verse, I've got it, I've got the Jade Bamboo Zen Bead!"

"What dog?"

Ji Yun couldn't explain it to him, so she simply grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently.

"Never mind that, anyway, Brother Han, we won! We won!"

"Won?"

After receiving a positive reply, Han Ziyu was overjoyed and even stopped feeling pain in her ankle.

A person lives for their pride!

For Han Tzu-yu, winning against Seonjin in this kind of competition would be a source of great pride and satisfaction.

Just then, shouts suddenly came from the mountain path. Han Ziyu turned around and saw Han San Niang walking down from the mountain peak with a smile on her face.

And behind her was Lu Beigu.

Lu Beigu's blue robes were damp with mountain mist, and Han Ziyu felt that Lu Beigu's figure appeared incredibly majestic at this moment.

"Brother Lu—!" Han Ziyu waved with a smile.

Lu Beigu strode over and said with a smile, "I will not fail Brother Han's expectations!"

Seeing that Han Ziyu was still leaning out on the stretcher to pull Lu Beigu, Han Sanniang quickly pressed him down.

"Brother, don't move!" Her hairpin shimmered in the sunlight. "If you fall again, it won't just be a sprain."

"How did you get down so quickly?"

"The other teams are still on the mountaintop enjoying the scenery."

Ji Yun said.

The reason is simple: these days, climbing a mountain is not easy. People go to great lengths to climb it, and if they only stay for a short while before going down, they feel like they're missing out.

As the sun gradually set in the west, although it was still far from dusk due to the long summer days, the sunlight still tinged the mountain stone path with an amber hue.

The group began to slowly descend the winding mountain path, with Lu Beigu leading the way, his cane tapping the stone steps with a crisp "tap-tap" sound.

"People say that 'it's easier to go up the mountain than to go down,' and that's true. My knees are really too tired."

At the corner, Han San Niang had to reach out and grab Lu Bei Gu's shoulder for support in order to step down a very steep flight of stairs. By then, her legs were already trembling uncontrollably.

"I need to take a break."

Lu Guangyu was also starting to feel the strain. While climbing the steep steps uphill was difficult, he managed to do so by using his hands and feet. But going downhill, he could only proceed slowly and cautiously.

Fortunately, there was a pavilion halfway up the mountain ahead, where everyone rested for a while.

The purplish-red and pink pea flowers were in full bloom. Han San Niang slowly squatted down, picked some wild peas around the pavilion as a souvenir, and hummed a song.

"Gathering ferns, gathering ferns, the ferns have stopped growing."

"Returning home, returning home, yet the year draws to a close."

"Picking Ferns" comes from the Book of Songs, Minor Odes. The "fern" refers to this kind of wild pea, commonly known as mountain pea. This plant is cold-resistant and drought-resistant, and is commonly found in the mountains and fields. Its stems and leaves are edible, and people often rely on it for survival during years of famine.

Han San Niang's singing voice was very beautiful. Lu Bei Gu had been busy all day and was also a little tired. He leaned against the pillar of the pavilion, enjoying the warm breeze, and felt somewhat sleepy.

Before long, two monks carrying Han Ziyu on a stretcher arrived. Although both were young monks with muscular physiques, carrying an adult on a mountain path was clearly exhausting, and sweat poured down their bald heads like raindrops.

"Thank you both, please wipe your sweat and have some water."

Han Ziyu, who was secured to the stretcher with ropes, was also a little embarrassed and quickly said something.

Actually, the most reasonable option would have been to carry him down on his back, which would have been safer than carrying him on a stretcher, but Han Ziyu felt too ashamed and didn't choose that option.

While resting in the pavilion, Ji Yun chattered on and on about how Lu Beigu wrote verses and expounded on Zen on the mountaintop, which Han Ziyu found incredibly impressive.

In any case, Han Ziyu asked himself honestly, and he knew that it was unlikely that he could write a verse that could overpower Xian Zhen. If he were to take the lead, he would most likely lose.

At this moment, Xianzhen and his group also appeared.

When He Cong saw them in the pavilion, he immediately turned his back and pretended to look at the scenery, but Zhen came over to take a look first.

"Brother Han, is your injury any better?"

"Thanks to my late brother," Han Ziyu said with a bright smile on the stretcher, "I managed to get first place while lying down."

"That's not something you can do."

Xian Zhen snorted, then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Lu Beigu before strode away.

After resting for a while, Lu Beigu and the others continued their journey down the mountain.

As we approached the foot of the mountain, the silhouette of the Bodhi tree appeared even more majestic in the sunset.

The black-robed monks who were guarding the place had already received the news and were waiting with several other monks, holding wooden boxes, ready to distribute the rewards for this Zen gathering.

Once everyone was present, the black-robed monk announced the rankings.

After bowing with his palms together in greeting to Lu Beigu's team at the front, the black-robed monk said, "Congratulations to all the patrons for winning first place."

He opened the sandalwood box in his hand: "This is the Northern Qi edition of 'The Record of Buddhist Temples in Luoyang'."

Lu Beigu, representing the team, solemnly accepted the book. The ancient books in the box were in good condition, but after all, they were five hundred years old, so the paper was still so brittle that he dared not touch them.

The Record of Buddhist Temples in Luoyang is not a rare or out-of-print book. If you want to read the contents, you can just buy a copy at any bookstore. Therefore, the book's value as a collectible is far greater than its value as a book to read.

For the people living in the Song Dynasty at that time, the events of the Northern and Southern Dynasties were already a very, very distant history. It was precisely because of this remoteness that they were valuable.

Ancient books from the early Tang Dynasty, while valuable, would only fetch a few dozen strings of cash at most, incomparable to those from the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Books from the Northern and Southern Dynasties typically sell for hundreds of strings of cash.

Next, the monks gave each of them a gold and jade Buddha statue. The statues were not large and could be strung together with a red string and hung around the neck to be carried with them. However, the workmanship was very exquisite and they looked quite valuable.

The box behind contains two pieces of paper: a certificate for receiving a Dharma name and a letter of recommendation from the Prajna Sutra House. The names on them are blank. You can use these to come to the Dharma King Temple to have the abbot bestow a Dharma name upon you, or to enter the Prajna Sutra House to listen to lay sermons.

As for the prayer flags for blessings, there's no need to mention that everyone participating in this Zen gathering has a share.

After receiving their rewards, the team members began distributing them.

“The Northern Qi edition of the Luoyang Garanji is worth about 500 strings of cash. If it is divided among five people, each person would normally receive 100 strings of cash.”

Han Ziyu said, "What I mean is, you all contributed, but I didn't. In the most crucial fourth and fifth rounds, it was Brother Lu who turned the tide. So my contribution should go to Brother Lu."

Then, Han Ziyu looked at the others.

There are five people in the team. Han Ziyu's words can only represent his own opinion, so it's fine for him to give up his share. But it would be inappropriate for him to generously give up other people's money.

"I didn't win even though I went up, so I feel ashamed to accept the prize." Ji Yun was clearly still feeling guilty.

Lu Guangyu hesitated for a moment and said, "If it weren't for Brother Lu's golden bean, I wouldn't have been able to come. Besides, I would have lost anyway, so I don't need this one."

The group all looked at Lu Beigu.

(End of this chapter)