Picking Hibiscus in Shejiang River

Looking at Xiuning Mountain in the distance, the hands that had been restraining the bandit leader were loosened, and he stepped on the short and stubborn rock beside the ditch in a daze, and looked there again in ecstasy.

The bandit leader sat down in the mud pit, covered his neck and coughed uncontrollably, already frightened out of his wits.

The torrential rain gradually stopped, and the evil spirit that was originally approaching the door seemed to be taken back. Shura, who wanted to slaughter, had long since disappeared, and there was only an old monk with a distressed appearance staring blankly at the top of Xiuning Mountain, as if the sky and the earth were falling apart. Only him and the shining golden little Sha were left.

After a while, dragging his broken old leg, he limped, slowly and firmly climbed towards Xiuning Mountain.

……

It wasn't until his figure disappeared in Hulupo that the bandit leader suddenly came back to his senses, and hurriedly fled the place with his ashen-faced brothers.

After that, they stopped doing bandit activities, but broke up and went back to their hometowns to work. Since then, they dare not do evil again, and live a peaceful but stable life of good people and poor people.

Every time I think of my experience of escaping from death, I have lingering fears in my heart, and I use this to tell my children and grandchildren not to judge people by their appearance and do evil things that bully the old and the weak.

And also always curious, who was the old monk who let them live in Hulupo back then.

……

……

The greenness of the hills in the south of the Yangtze River is even more pleasing after the rain. The fragrant sound of Xiuning Temple immersed in the greenery is wafting, and there is a faint purple aura of Buddha's light lingering in it. , covering Chelian's staggering steps.

He walked with great difficulty, and his feet, which had worn out the monk's shoes, could hardly feel any sensation. He stepped on the blood flowing down his own, and every step seemed to exhaust the last of his life.

But he still insisted on climbing up the mountain without stopping for a moment.

He knew that he came back too late, Ming'er was at the last moment of turning into a lotus seed, and the monks in Xiuning Temple also recited the farewell scriptures for him, and in just half an hour, he would completely leave this world .

It doesn't matter whether he can't remember him, or abandon him to become a fairy, he just wants to see that phantom who also fell in love with him from a distance, just one glance is enough.

Panting, he walked along the mountain path step by step, took out those things that he had treasured so well from his arms, stroked them absentmindedly, and pressed them tightly to his heart; relic beads, ivory combs, paper lotus flowers, all It was the treasure that Ming'er gave him, and he didn't lose any of it.

All of a sudden, he seems to have returned to the time when he went to Xiuning Mountain for the first time many years ago, the surprise and bewilderment when he looked at Ming'er for the first time, the shyness and secret joy when he slept with him for the first time .

That was the love of his life, his poison, and his life.

……

When he finally climbed to the top of Xiuning Mountain, which was full of purple air, and staggered and dragged his body covered in mud to stand in front of the Daxiong Palace, the long bell in the deep mountain suddenly rang, and a guiding gleam appeared in the sky. Shining on the golden roof of this Zen-sounding sound.

Several bright candles were burning in the hall filled with incense and mist, and young monks with solemn expressions on both sides sat with their heads down, and they had already recited the Sutra of Infinite Life three times.Surrounded by monks on the central lotus mat, Yuemingxi, who looks like a child, is sleepy curled up with his young body, not knowing what is going on around him, and only thinking that he is still in a dream of nothingness.

After reading the scriptures again, Daojue raised his head and looked outside the palace gate, and suddenly noticed the existence of Chelian.

He thought Master Chunxi would come back in time, so he hesitated to stand up and stop the transcendence, but Che Lian waved his hand to stop him, and only motioned him and his disciples to continue reading.

……

Che Lian limped to the lotus mat, shook off the dry soil between the messy skirts, gently picked up the baby who was already sleeping in swaddling clothes, held the relic slightly in the palm of her hand, and bowed her head in the same way. They chanted together.

The continuous high fever made Yuemingxi feel tormented, he suspected that he was about to melt in the purple air lingering in front of him, and felt that the person holding him was extremely gentle, making him suddenly seem to return to his mother's womb , tired but also relieved.

At the last moment when he was about to become a feather, he suddenly opened his eyes as if he had noticed something, and met the eyes of the person who had finished reciting the scriptures and was watching him tenderly, and suddenly said clearly:

"……I remember you!"

He raised his body with difficulty, stretched out his soft little hands to lightly cover the man's cheek amidst the increasing purple aura of fairy light, and said:

"I remember you, you are mine..."

At this moment, the celestial light was shining, and he tried his best to stay in this person's affectionate embrace, but he was still tightly pulled by that unknown force from another world, dragging him away from the warm arms, and his voice gradually faded away. Hidden in the white feathers.

"you are mine……"

The last two characters were lost in the flying feathers all over the sky, and the celestial light of the lotus also broke through the golden dome, and slowly dissipated in the clouds of the western sky with the shimmering sunlight after the rain in the south of the Yangtze River.

The breeze blows over the silent green foothills of Xiuning Mountain, and after a short while, it becomes alive again, everything returns to silence, it is still a verdant summer cool scene, and it is still a dignified and beautiful small temple in the south of the Yangtze River.

The young monks sitting on both sides of the hall folded their palms together, and they all got up and said, "Amitabha."

They all looked at the sky where Master Jiayu went for a long time, showing a sense of loss.

……

Chelian knelt in front of the lotus cushion with a little bit of fairy dust floating in her arms, hugging the plain clothes that were still left in the world, remembering the reluctant eyes he left for her before parting, two lines of tears finally meandered down, There was a quiet and peaceful smile on the corner of his lips.

He lifted his feet out of Xiuning Temple, walked slowly along the green stream, walked to the foot of the mountain where few people care about it, and then to the peach grove at the corner of the foot of the mountain that has passed its flowering period.

When she finally stood in a forest wasteland with dense branches and leaves, the soft and warm sunlight shone over the fine dust and sprinkled on the open space in front of Che Lian, vaguely pieced together the phantom of that person who had been romantic for a hundred years.He raised his hand lightly, as if he saw the uninhibited monk standing under the peach blossoms smiling at him in Xiuning Mountain back then.

After sitting on a mossy stone and resting for a while, Che Lian decided to reclaim the place and build a hermitage in his and Ming'er's dreams.

This place is quiet and cool, with picturesque scenery, peach blossoms and red lotus.

he will be back.

【end】

end

When I was young, I practiced with my master in the old temple on Xiuning Mountain.

I and my fellow disciples were orphans who were abandoned by our parents at the foot of the mountain and Hulupo. Fortunately, we were bumped into by the master who came down the mountain for alms. It is because the monks are compassionate. He has a destiny with us, so he was naturally picked up and adopted.

I heard that Master was also an abandoned son who was brought back to the monastery by his master from the deserted village after the war. Thanks to Buddha's grace, he was lucky enough to grow up, so he also felt sorry for us who had such a fate.

Master is from Xiuning Temple, but for some reason, he built a peach blossom nunnery at the foot of Xiuning Mountain. He does not go up the mountain to practice with the masters in the monastery, but takes me and my juniors to chant scriptures in this small nunnery by the gurgling stream. Meditation, as if waiting for someone.

I was born with a quiet temperament, and I didn't like to go out to the mountains, so the master had to keep me as a guard in this Peach Blossom Temple, and I often went out to practice with the lively and active brothers and sisters.When our young novice monks were a little older, the master took the juniors back to the Xiuning Temple on the top of the mountain. When they came back, they told me excitedly that the Xiuning Temple is really a good place, full of angels. the beauty master.

I was curious and thought of going up the mountain to take a look, so I asked the master why all the masters in Xiuning Temple are beauties?

The master explained that it was because they practiced a kind of exercise that Xiuning Temple should not pass on to the outside world.

I asked again, what kind of exercise is that?Can my juniors and I practice in the future?

The master thought for a moment after hearing this, then his eyes suddenly fell on the tomb under the peach tree outside the window, he stroked the relic on his wrist, and he didn't know what he thought of, and a faint smile appeared on his face, saying that if I grow up If I am interested in cultivation after I become an adult, there will be brothers from Xiuning Temple to teach me.

I nodded, Ben took the scriptures and went to the courtyard to read, but looked at the old face of the master, couldn't help asking in a low voice, why are all the people from Xiuning Temple beautiful, but the master is not a beauty?

After hearing this, the master smiled and said, he used to be a beauty too.

I asked again, why isn't Master a beauty now?

Master glanced at me, and I knew that I was asking too many questions, so I quickly kept silent.When I was desperately holding the scriptures and wanted to escape, the master opened his mouth generously, as if he was answering me or talking to himself.

He said that the people who praised his beauty have long since passed away, leaving him in this world, no matter how beautiful his appearance is, it is of little use.

After listening to it, I seemed to understand, and wanted to ask more questions, but saw that the master had closed his eyes and quietly settled in the meditation room, so I had to quietly close the door for him, and went to the courtyard to find him. The juniors have spoken.

In the afternoon of early autumn, Xiuning Mountain was very warm and very pleasant. Several younger juniors had a hard time with me, and I supervised me to finish reciting two passages of Yuanjue Sutra, and then they all lay down next to me, contented took a nap.

I shook off the grass clippings around the clothes for my junior brother, and took off my outer robe to cover them. After sitting quietly on this flat mossy stone for a long time, my eyes fell on the short tomb not far away.

The master is alone, and the only ones who accompany him all the year round are me and a few younger brothers, the quiet and quiet peach blossom forest, and this mossy and warm tomb under the peach tree.

I once asked Master who was the owner of the tomb, but Master just said that this was an idle knight-errant who was unlucky to die here, but he was lucky enough to be his companion.