From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 91 You Are All Monks
After a night's rest, Meng Yuan felt refreshed again.

With his Dantian filled with true Qi, Meng Yuan practiced the Kuangfeng Sword Technique in the courtyard, and felt that the reflected and engraved parts were constantly beating.

After breakfast, Jiang Tang pulled Meng Yuan aside and chatted for a long time, saying that he wanted to go see Nie Qingqing, and then he said explicitly and implicitly that she was not young anymore and that people of her age were married and so on.

After driving the little girl away, Meng Yuan went to the training ground again. After carving one more piece, he carefully cultivated his true energy.

Meng Yuan chatted with Hu Qian for a while and gave some advice to the young men. Seeing that the sun was rising higher and it was almost time for dinner, he went out.

With a hairpin in his arms, Meng Yuan originally wanted to go find Nie Qingqing, but then he changed his mind and went to find Dugu Kang first.

When they arrived at Dugu Kang's residence, they sent someone to deliver a message, and soon Mr. Wang came out to greet him.

"Teacher Meng just came back?" When Chen Shouzhuo left earlier, Xunmei and Dugukang went out together to see him off. Wang Xiucai was also there at that time, so he knew that Meng Yuan was out on official business.

"I just got back yesterday." Meng Yuan smiled and took out a can of tea. "It's a specialty of Hedong County. Please don't despise it, sir."

"Okay, okay." Wang Xiucai accepted it without hesitation and asked with a smile, "Would you like to discuss poetry with the prince?"

"Oh, I feel like writing poetry. I feel like writing poetry!" Meng Yuan also imitated Dugu Kang.

"Please." Mr. Wang led the way with a smile.

After walking through the houses and courtyards, they came to a yard, where they saw Dugu Kang sitting under a grape rack, holding a large cake in his hand, chewing it while looking up at the grapes.

Meng Yuan looked around and saw that the yard was not big and was very simple. There was only a grape trellis in the corner and a large water tank in the yard with lotus leaves growing in it.

There’s no need to look at it, it’s just a monk!
"May I have a few words alone with the prince?" Meng Yuan looked at Mr. Wang with a smile.

"Please." Mr. Wang smiled and bowed, then turned and left, not caring at all about what Meng Yuan wanted to do.

Meng Yuan walked up to the grape rack and saw green leaves and soybean-sized green grapes growing on the vines.

"Alas." Dugu Kang sighed before Meng Yuan could say anything.

He took another bite of the cake, put one hand behind his back, and said, "People misunderstand me, slander me, and guard against me. So what? My heart is bright and my heart is upright."

I haven't tested you yet, what are you doing?
"Prince?" Meng Yuan held the hilt of the knife with one hand and looked at the other.

"I am not stupid, but actually kind." Dugu Kang walked under the grape trellis, chanting as if he was singing a setting poem.

Meng Yuan didn't know why Dugu Kang stopped pretending, but since that was the case, he was too lazy to greet him.

The Qing Kingdom condemned Buddhism. Except for Ping'an Prefecture, monks were not allowed to travel or preach in other places, and even more so, they were not allowed to build temples or Buddha statues. However, Dugu Kang, a member of the royal family, actually became a monk!

"I know that Buddha Demon and Luo Mu have been making a lot of noise lately, but you don't have to come looking for me as soon as you get back."

Dugu Kang waved the pancake in his hand and smiled at Meng Yuan. The innocence on his fat face was gone, and he seemed to be giving a reminder, "You are experienced in dealing with people. You supervise me under the guise of asking about poetry. You always discuss poetry with me without any impatience. I am very grateful. But there is no need to do this in the future. You and I have wasted a lot of tea and just discussed some doggerel, which only makes people laugh."

He took another bite of the pancake and said, "Please tell Miss Ying San that I have been behaving myself here and have done nothing. There is no need to check on me all the time."

Hearing this, the princess clearly knew Dugu Kang's background!
Meng Yuan also roughly understood it. He had previously gone to Dugu Kang to ask about poetry. He asked the reason and learned that he was sent by the princess. He thought that the Buddhist demon and Luo's mother were making too much trouble and he was there to monitor him.

Come to think of it, with Dugu Kang's talent in poetry, someone actually went to ask for advice, and not just to curry favor or seek personal gain. It's really a bit abnormal!

Who could have thought that it was the princess who was mean and mean, and Meng Yuan just did as she said!
But Dugu Kang said it directly, he didn't pretend at all, he gave up on himself! It can be seen that his determination is not good!
Are you still practicing Zen like this?
"Prince," Meng Yuan was no longer afraid and just smiled and said, "Prince, how can you regard a foreign land as your hometown?"

Meng Yuan meant that if you don’t study well, you will not be allowed to practice Buddhism in this country.

After hearing this, Dugu Kang looked at Meng Yuan curiously and said, "My hometown is where my heart is at peace."

Meng Yuan understood that Dugu Kang meant that he was willing to become a monk!
But suddenly, Meng Yuan remembered that when he was at Taohualing, Master Nie asked Venerable Dawei about his origins, and Venerable Dawei said something similar.

"Which sect are you from?" Meng Yuan asked directly.

"You guys are always like this. Why do you have to distinguish between the gradual cultivation school and the sudden enlightenment school so clearly?" Dugu Kang smiled, "Donor Meng, you are obsessed with appearances."

"What is your Buddhist name?" Meng Yuan asked curiously.

"I am a humble monk." Dugu Kang put his hands together.

"When did you enter the Buddhist monastery?" Meng Yuan asked.

"I have been devoted to Buddhism since I was young." Dugu Kang said.

"Your Majesty doesn't care?" Meng Yuan asked.

"He has the nerve to care about me?" Dugu Kang said.

After hearing the words of loving father and filial son, Meng Yuan suppressed his surprise and asked quietly, "He also entered the Buddhist monastery?"

"Not really." Dugu Kang put his hands together, holding the pancake, and said, "You will find out slowly."

That still looks like a dirty deed!
"When did the princess know that you were a monk?" Meng Yuan asked.

"Miss Ying San is smart." Dugu Kang was quite resentful when he mentioned this, unlike a monk who had given up greed, anger and ignorance. He said, "I saw it as soon as I entered the palace."

He shook his head again, took a bite of the cake, looked up at the green grapes, and said, "She came into Prince Xin's mansion and did nothing. She let me eat pork first! She said it was sacrificial meat for the Confucian saints. If I don't eat it, I'm disrespecting the Confucian saints."

This is Miss San's style. She looks nice, but she loves to do bad things.

Meng Yuan suppressed his laughter and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

"I am a serious disciple who observes the precepts. How can I break them?" Dugu Kang said as a matter of course.

"You are attached to appearances. Meat is empty, sacrificial meat is empty, Confucian sages are also empty, but your heart is not empty." Meng Yuan smiled.

"Come and become a monk with me! Let's practice wild fox Zen, not silent Zen." Dugu Kang suggested.

"..." Meng Yuan smiled and asked, "What level of Buddhism are you in?"

"Eighth rank. Didn't the Third Miss tell you?" Dugu Kang looked at Meng Yuan and encouraged him, "Don't talk about yourself and don't mention anything about the prince. Just call me by my Buddhist name." He was very expectant, like a hungry man who saw a cook.

"Prince, don't move here." Meng Yuancai didn't listen, but planned to go and tell the third lady, and then ask about the rosary.

"I didn't move, it was you who was moved." Dugu Kang said.

Meng Yuan has already seen that Dugu Kang is indeed a serious monk. He has been pretending to be pure for many years and has never said a few intimate words to anyone. No one is willing to try his tricks.

He wanted to play some witty trick at this moment, but Meng Yuan didn't respond.

Earlier in Taohualing, Nie Yannian said that some monks had read a few Buddhist scriptures and thought they had become capable, so they spent the whole day trying to strike witty remarks with others and saying nonsense that was all nonsense, but in fact it was all bullshit.

At this moment, Meng Yuan felt the same way. Some words, when spoken by a great monk, would be convincing, but when spoken by Dugu Kang who blew himself up, they would seem ridiculous.

Just as Meng Yuan was about to leave, someone knocked on the door.

Dugu Kang quickly withdrew his gesture.

The door knocked three times, and after several breaths, Mr. Wang pushed the door open.

"Sir, Teacher Meng." Wang Xiucai smiled and bowed, then looked at Meng Yuan and said, "The servant came to tell me that someone is looking for Teacher Meng."

"But who is it?" Meng Yuan asked.

"He is a middle-aged man who calls himself Jie." Mr. Wang said with a smile.

As soon as he heard the surname, Meng Yuan knew that it was Xie Shen's family who came. Moreover, it was probably Xie Shen's brother Xie Kaiping.

Meng Yuan had only heard Master Nie mention Jie Kaiping, saying that he was a very gentle gentleman, but he had never seen him in person.

Since this is the case, there is no way to avoid it, so Meng Yuan plans to meet him and find out the other party's background.

"I'll go take a look." Meng Yuan held the hilt of the knife and walked out immediately.

"Then I'll go take a look too!" Dugu Kang followed him while eating a big cake, and he shouted, "I see you want to learn, come and learn from me!"

Meng Yuan ignored him and quickly walked to the side door of the palace.

I saw a middle-aged man in his thirties standing outside the door. He was wearing a scholar's scarf, had a smile on his face, and had a handsome appearance. You could tell at first glance that he was a gentle gentleman.

"But Brother Meng?" The visitor smiled and bowed, "My name is Jie Kaiping, and I am Jie Shen's brother."

"My name is Meng Yuan." Meng Yuan returned the greeting with a smile.

"Who is this?" He unlocked the screen and looked at Dugu Kang.

"This is Prince Xin," Meng Yuan introduced.

"So it's the prince. My apologies." He untied the screen and bowed.

Dugu Kang nodded, forced a smile on his fat face, took another bite of the cake in his hand, and said nothing.

Meng Yuan was not surprised to see that the two did not know each other. Jie Kaiping's father was the prefect, a temporary official, while Prince Xin was a prince of the royal family with no real power. They must have rarely interacted with each other, so it was not surprising that they did not know each other.

Jie Kaiping saw that Dugu Kang was indifferent, so he smiled and looked at Meng Yuan, and asked, "It is really rude to disturb Brother Meng today."

"I dare not. I wonder what important matter Brother Jie has? If there is something, please send someone to pass on a message and I will come to your door. Why do you need Brother Jie to come in person?" Meng Yuan said with a smile.

"To be honest." Jie Kaiping smiled helplessly and said, "My brother Jie Shen has disappeared. I heard that you had a banquet with him, so I came to ask about him."

"Unfortunately." Meng Yuan shook his head slightly. "I was out on business and just returned yesterday. I was planning to go drink with Brother Jie Shen today, but the prince invited me to appreciate his poems, so I got delayed."

Dugu Kang tilted his head and glanced at Meng Yuan, but still said nothing.

"I see." Jie Kaiping sighed, "I don't know where he went. Jiaci misses him very much."

"Maybe he's going out for fun." Meng Yuan said with a smile.

"I'll send someone to look for it again." Jie Kaiping clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "I apologize for disturbing you, my dear brother. Let's get together and talk about poetry and songs when we are free in the future."

"No, no, I dare not. I am just a guard in the palace, an insignificant person. How dare I discuss poetry with the son of the prefect?" Meng Yuan was very humble.

"My father is the most compassionate to the poor and weak, and loves the people like his own children. My dear brother, you go out to kill demons and eliminate evil for the people, and I respect you very much." Jie Kaiping bowed again, "Goodbye!"

He bowed to Dugu Kang again and said with a smile, "My Lord, goodbye!"

After saying this, he untied the screen and left in a hurry.

Meng Yuan saw Jie Kaiping walking away, so he turned his head to look at Dugu Kang who remained silent and asked, "Are you afraid of him?"

"Why would I be afraid of him?" Dugu Kang said.

"You were just like you were in Chongxu Temple." Meng Yuan came closer and asked, "What did you see?"

"He is the same as me." Dugu Kang said in a low voice.

"Is he also a bald donkey?" Meng Yuan asked.

Dugu Kang touched his head, glanced sideways at Meng Yuan, and then nodded.

"How did you know that?" Meng Yuan asked again.

"You don't understand." Dugu Kang was furious again, with sweat on his fat face. "Anyway, I shouldn't have come out with you! He must have seen me coming!"

With your character, it’s better not to practice Buddhism.
Meng Yuan held the hilt of the knife without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)