From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 56: The Shackles of My True Self

The four of them chatted for a while, and then Zhang Guinian made the assignment. He took Zhang Lingfeng away, and Meng Yuan followed Gong Zihua.

"Don't let anything happen to him," Zhang Guinian nodded at Gong Zihua, and without asking about Meng Yuan's progress, he only reminded Meng Yuan, "Don't try to be brave, we have more than just these few people, and there are foreign aids who haven't shown up yet!"

The troops were divided into two groups. Gong Zihua led Meng Yuan westward, passed the area where the people gathered, turned northeast to avoid the people, and walked for a mile in the wasteland when they saw a path ahead.

There was a dilapidated courtyard house on the side of the road, and inside, seven or eight people in black robes were making a fire and boiling medicine. They were Luo Mu's disciples.

According to what Gong Zihua said, this place is an abandoned charity cemetery. Because it is remote, few people come here.

After walking around for a while, they came to the woods north of the charity cemetery. Gong Zihua and Meng Yuan each climbed up a locust tree and used the leaves to cover themselves. The two were more than ten steps apart, forming a pincer attack.

Meng Yuan didn't know where Zhang Guinian and his nephew were hiding, nor did he know where the reinforcements were. He just waited silently.

After half an hour, some people started to arrive here and there. Judging from their clothes, they were poor people from outside the north city, and most of them were old people and women.

By the evening, more than twenty people had arrived one after another, which was slightly less than the number of the Great Tail Venerable in the past. It can be seen that distributing eggs is indeed conducive to preaching.

While waiting quietly, Meng Yuan faintly heard the sound of a subtle bell.

Looking up, I saw a man coming from the west, holding a staff in his hand. The setting sun was blood-red, and the man seemed to be covered with layers of bloody Buddha's light.

Meng Yuan looked intently and saw that the man had snow-white hair and white eyes. There was no flesh on his hands and his face was as pale as skin and bones.

The people in the charity cemetery also saw Luo's mother coming, and they all stood up and waited quietly in the yard.

"All dharmas are originally in a state of constant extinction."

Luo's mother came to the gate of the courtyard, looked around at everyone, and said kindly: "All good believers, please listen to the verse: The world is like a dream, greed, ignorance, and attachment are endless. Anger, resentment, and hatred are painful in the heart. Let go of attachment and turn to wisdom."

Everyone in the courtyard put their hands together and started to recite verses, but most of them were illiterate and had poor memory, so they just hummed and hawed without any tune.

However, Naropa nodded with great satisfaction, walked into the courtyard, and sat in the middle. Eight men and women in black robes sat around her, and then came the believers.

This Luo mother then talked about the eight sufferings of life. Her voice was so kind that people were fascinated by her words.

Just as Luo's mother finished speaking and began to ask everyone whether they had recited scriptures in front of their relatives after returning home, they suddenly heard the sound of a bowstring breaking through the wind.

The arrow was like a meteor. Luo's mother stood up immediately and caught the long arrow with one hand.

"Oh my, the six realms of reincarnation, they can never be killed! The evildoers can never be killed!" Luo's mother dropped the arrow, picked up the staff, and looked at a big tree in the distance.

Zhang Guinian jumped down from the tree. At the same time, a faint thunder was heard, which then became more and more frequent and deafening. It was clearly the unique skill of Nie Yannian, the Spring Thunder.

"Let the Buddha Mother come and save you, the evil villain of the Demon Suppression Department!" Luo's mother was not panicked at all. She waved her staff and the Buddha's light emanated from her body. The blind eye was especially bright, clearly showing that she had other magical powers.

The believers were so frightened that they ran away in all directions.

The eight monks in black robes seemed to have rehearsed the move beforehand and were not panicking. They were clearly working in pairs, heading in four directions.

Meng Yuan had no time to watch the battle between Zhang Guinian and Luo's mother. He just stared at the two monks running towards him, waiting for Gong Zihua to make a move.

The two monks were one old and one middle-aged. Both had resentful looks on their faces and held axes in their hands.

Seeing that the two monks were within ten steps, Gong Zihua jumped down from the tree and rushed towards the old monk with a long sword.

Meng Yuan understood immediately and attacked the middle-aged monk at the same time.

The Kuangfeng sword technique was performed, and the true qi was constantly moving. Qi and strength, intention and qi were combined, and the long sword in Meng Yuan's hand turned, reflecting the remaining light of the setting sun. The middle-aged monk was no match at all, and the axe was knocked away in just three breaths.

Seeing that the other party was also a martial artist, but it was clear that his thirty-three heavens were not fully opened, Meng Yuan no longer cared about him and immediately used his sword to leave wounds on his limbs.

Looking at Gong Zihua again at this time, he saw that he was taking a tough approach, while the old monk was not bad either, with a faint Buddha's light on his body, and he was also extremely swift.

Zhang Guinian had pointed out before that, except for Luo's mother, the others were at most rank eight or nine, and did not have much ability. Seeing that the other party had no magical powers to display, Meng Yuan immediately joined the battle.

Sure enough, the old monk was fighting with Gong Zihua to a stalemate, but when Meng Yuan arrived, he showed signs of losing the battle.

"How old are you two donors? What positions do you hold?" Gong Zihua cut the old monk on the back, so deep that the bone was visible, but he still smiled.

Meng Yuan naturally ignored him and just used his Kuangfeng sword technique together with Gong Zihua's fierce sword technique. The two sword techniques actually had a certain affinity with each other. For a while, the old monk was overwhelmed and his body was covered with wounds.

Seeing that the old monk was about to collapse, Gong Zihua suddenly said, "Xiao Meng, go get help!"

But as soon as he said this, Gong Zihua propped up the ground with his knife and stopped fighting. His eyes were blank, as if he had lost his mind.

Upon seeing this, Meng Yuan knew that Gong Zihua had been fighting with the opponent for too long and was disturbed by some kind of human-converting method or thought-generating method.

To break this kind of supernatural power, one must have a firm mind and not be disturbed by external things.

"Foolish boy, you have a deep Buddhist spirit, why don't you join my Buddhist sect?" The old monk was covered in wounds, but he was still smiling.

Meng Yuan became ruthless and his blade became faster and sharper, hoping that his opponent would be seriously injured and fall first.

But with each move, Meng Yuan felt that the knife in his hand was becoming heavier.

For a moment, Meng Yuan felt that life had lost its meaning and that everything he pursued was vain.

The gelder had not yet learned the craft and could cut a big cut on his hand while cutting an egg.

The old cow injured his waist while shoveling manure, Old Man Jiang died of illness, and the little girl was so sad that she coughed up blood.

Meng Yuan went to see a doctor with the money he earned from working as a donkey, but on the way he met a roe deer and a weasel, and all his money was cheated away.

When everything was at its wit's end, there was a sudden turn of events. Meng Yuan was picked up by Nie Yannian, and secretly offered to the princess as his lover, becoming her plaything.

Meng Yuan was ambitious and, with his extraordinary talent and the ability to scheme, he won the favor of the princess.

Meng Yuan bought an official position and became powerful. He sent all the hunters and yamen runners to the mountains to hunt roe deer and weasels. He also banned the keeping of lovers and sent Nie Yannian to shovel manure.

The fire is boiling, and the wealth is overwhelming. Meng Yuan no longer likes Jiang Yatou, who never leaves him, and is tired of her persuading him all day long, so he just takes her as a concubine and goes to marry another nobleman.

At this time, the affair with the princess was exposed. The princess died of shame, and Meng Yuan's house was searched and sent to the Wumen vegetable market.

Meng Yuan and Jiang Tang were pinned down by the guillotine, and they were only three feet apart. Jiang Tang was still looking at him, and she said, "Brother, I still want to ride on the little red horse with you and go out for fun together, but it's no longer possible."

The world is so vast, Meng Yuan feels that there is no way to go back and forth, and his heart is empty, as if his life has been wasted.

There is a gentle and kind voice in my ears, "Yesterday I felt pity for the coldness of the torn jacket, and today I complain about the length of the purple python. I was sighing that others' lives were short, but I didn't know that I would return home to mourn. Foolish boy, foolish boy, you'd better go home."

Meng Yuan opened his eyes and saw that the old monk's face was covered in blood, but he had kind eyes and was looking at him with a smile.

"Fool, fool, the only way back home is to enter my Buddhist temple."

The old monk held the axe to the ground, staggering unsteadily. He looked at Meng Yuan's confused and guilty eyes, and said with a smile: "According to the will of heaven and the cause and effect, all kinds of shackles have trapped my true self. Have you understood?"

"Myriad shackles are all dreams, they are invisible, formless and without me." Meng Yuan stepped forward and raised his knife to chop.

The old monk raised his hatchet to block, but it was chopped off directly, and the knife did not stop before landing on his shoulder.

“You…” The old monk panicked when he saw that Meng Yuan’s eyes were clear and healthy. He said quickly, “Foolish boy! You should join my Buddhist sect!”

"Karma, the six realms of reincarnation, hell, ghosts and gods, the Pure Land, all the cultivation methods that use these to intimidate and lure sentient beings are extremely evil and unforgivable!"

It was dusk, with chaotic clouds flying across the sky. Meng Yuan attacked with his sword again and again.

(End of this chapter)