A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 308 Mountain Statue
The next morning, just after dawn, outside the east city gate of Xiangu County, three carriages slowly drove away along the official road...

Xiao Zongting and Ximen Yong stood at the foot of the city wall, watching the carriage go away.

The chilly wind in the early morning blew their hair. At that moment, they both seemed to have aged a lot.

The three carriages had become three black dots in the distance. Ximen Yong turned his head and looked at Xiao Zongting, saying, "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Brother Xiao, I am sorry for being so presumptuous! Can I invite you to my house for a drink?"

Xiao Zongting said: "I was just thinking of drinking with you to relieve the depression in my heart. But you said it first!"

Xiao Zongting said this and laughed heartily twice.

Ximen Yong also smiled and said, "Brother Xiao, please!"

"please!"

Xiao Zongting and Ximen Yong got on the Ximen Mansion's carriage together. Shi Kang drove the carriage, rumbling towards Ximen Mansion.

Thousands of miles away, in a valley deep in the Changliu Mountains.

This narrow valley is surrounded by steep cliffs and is extremely dangerous. Even monkeys who are good at rock climbing find it difficult to climb through this canyon.

But the bottom of the canyon is covered with lush vegetation, and it is a very quiet place.

On a stone table covered with dry moss at the bottom of the valley, an old man with white hair and beard was sitting in front of the table, looking at the black and white unfinished game on the table, deep in thought.

This old man is Lu Yinlin, the ancestor of Taiyi Sect and an old monster in the Nascent Soul Realm.

Although this man has lived for more than a thousand years and his hair and beard are grey, his face still has a faint rosy hue and he shows no signs of aging.

Just as he was pondering the endgame of the game, he heard rustling footsteps not far away in the valley.

Lu Yinlin did not raise his head, still staring at the chessboard on the stone table. Only when a figure walked out from beside a dead tree did he raise his head and said, "Qingzhu, where have you been these past few months? Why didn't you come to see Grandfather?"

When Lu Qingzhu saw the old man, he smiled, walked over and said, "Aunt, I'm going down the mountain. I'm out for some training."

"Really?" Lu Yinlin looked at Lu Qingzhu with interest and asked, "What do you feel after this experience?"

Lu Qingzhu looked grim and said, "I don't have much insight. I just feel that this glamorous world is nothing but an illusion."

Lu Yinlin was stunned for a moment.

He had long seen that Lu Qingzhu was a solitary person by nature.

When Lu Qingzhu was thirteen years old, he created the Hanmei sword technique for her in order to use this sword technique to cultivate her lonely nature.

In Lu Yinlin's view, only by being cold and aloof can one abandon the trivialities of the world and devote oneself to the Tao!
This is his expectation for Lu Qingzhu!

Although Lu Qingzhu is a woman, Lu Yinlin hopes that she can have a heart as hard as iron!
Maybe one day, I could even inherit his legacy!
"Qingzhu, I am very happy that you have this realization!" Lu Yinlin stroked his beard, nodded gently, and said: "The illusion of the mortal world is nothing but a delusion. It's just that ordinary people trapped in it can't see the various creations they have made to confine themselves to a prison."

"Qingzhu, remember what Aung said. People can't do anything but practice. Under the Great Dao, all things in the mortal world are corrupt. Aung has practiced for more than a thousand years. Many of his fellow travelers have turned into bones, and the past is nothing but smoke."

Lu Qingzhu squatted beside Lu Yinlin, smiled obediently, and said, "Auntie, Qingzhu has always wanted to ask you a question. After practicing for a thousand years, Auntie, are you happy?"

"Happy...?" Lu Yinlin's eyes moved, and this question seemed to sting him.

It seemed that he had not heard this word for a long time. He seemed to have forgotten what happiness was.

Lu Qingzhu looked at Lu Yinlin's dazed face, and suddenly flipped his hand and handed something to Lu Yinlin.

Lu Yinlin looked down and saw that it was a xiao with a polished surface.

Lu Qingzhu said with a smile: "Aunt, can you play a song for Qingzhu?"

Lu Yinlin took the Xun and asked, "Did you buy it at the foot of the mountain?"

"Yes." Lu Qingzhu said, "In an antique shop in a remote place."

"There are still such old things in this world!" Lu Yinlin sighed, then gently held the xun with both hands and placed it to his lips.

The simple and elegant tune rang out in this quiet valley.

Lu Qingzhu lay on Lu Yinlin's legs and gradually closed her eyes.

This xiao, only when played by an old man, has that rich and simple flavor...

While Lu Yinlin was playing the flute, Lu Qingzhu's question kept coming to his mind.

After thousands of years of practice, is he happy?
He remembered that he must have been happy before, but that seemed like a long time ago...

In the dead silence and darkness, a light cough was suddenly heard, followed by the sound of heavy gasps.

Yang Zhen's head felt a sharp pain, as if it was about to split open.

He panted for a long time in the dark, his chest heaving violently.

The memory came back little by little.

"You, didn't kill me?"

Yang Zhen stood in the darkness, as if he was asking the darkness of the void, or as if he was asking himself. He touched his chest, where there was a wound that had already scabbed over.

Yang Zhen's eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, and he could vaguely see that this was a small room.

An idea suddenly came to his mind, and he began to rummage around on his body. Soon he took out a lighter from the inside pocket of his lapel.

Yang Zhen pulled out the fire starter and gently blew out the flame.

In the light of the fire, he suddenly felt that this small room with four earthen walls looked a little familiar.

"This is……"

Yang Zhen suddenly remembered that this was the cave where Xie Lei and Xu Ruhu died.

Yang Zhen suddenly called out, "Duan Rong!"

But there was silence all around, no one answered him.

Yang Zhen walked out with a tinder in his hand, and followed the corridor to the entrance of a cave.

Yang Zhen stood there and saw the faint light of heaven shining in from the cave entrance.

Yang Zhen extinguished the fire stick in his hand and crawled out of the cave.

He immediately found himself at the bottom of a dry well.

It was indeed the cave where the mine was defused.

Yang Zhen leaped up, supported himself with his hands on the wall of the well, and climbed up.

Yang Zhen jumped to the side of the well and saw the dawn, it was already early morning.

He breathed in the slightly moist fresh air and felt as if he were reborn.

Yang Zhen's eyes reddened slightly.

He didn't expect that Duan Rong would let him go.

Yang Zhen was thinking, if he were in the other's shoes, would he let Duan Rong go?

Yang Zhen touched the wound on his chest again, and many memories of the past came to his mind.

He knew that there was only one reason why Duan Rong didn't kill him, and that was out of consideration for their brotherhood.

Duan Rong's dark and honest face flashed through Yang Zhen's mind.

Yang Zhen smiled and muttered to himself, "You kid...are you soft-hearted towards me? Like a woman? You're so hesitant and even hid me in a cave..."

Yang Zhen cursed all the time, but couldn't help but burst out tears from his eyes.

No matter what Duan Rong did, he would never betray Duan Rong again.

Yang Zhen jumped out of Lei's old house. He first went to the street to eat two big bowls of breakfast, then went home to change his clothes and went to report to the yamen.

Yang Zhen walked into the detective's room and scared Zhu Baogui and Liu Kui.

"You still remember to come? I thought you were dead?" Zhu Baogui looked at Yang Zhen in astonishment.

"You just died? Can you say something auspicious so early in the morning?" Yang Zhen glanced at Zhu Baogui and calmly sat down in front of his desk.

"Yang Zhen, Jietou is gone. How about it? Follow me?" Zhu Baogui asked after seeing Yang Zhen sitting down with his eyes rolling.

Yang Zhen is good at martial arts, a stable person, and diligent in his work. Zhu Baogui really wants to accept him. Yang Zhen glanced at him and said nothing. Xie Daohan is dead, and he will return to the team sooner or later. Zhu Baogui is also a good choice.

When Zhu Baogui saw that Yang Zhen didn't say anything, he knew that he agreed.

At this moment, Zhu Baogui and Liu Kui both stood up and walked out.

Yang Zhen looked at the two and asked, "What are you doing? Where are you going?"

Zhu Baogui said, "New rules! Report to the lobby door every morning!"

Seeing Yang Zhen's puzzled look, Zhu Baogui explained, "The new chief constable has arrived. His name is Ding Xingxing."

Yang Zhen's eyes flickered. "New captain?"

"Also, yesterday was Dingtou's first roll call, and you were not there. You'd better think of an excuse and explain it to Dingtou later." Zhu Baogui said as he walked out of the constable's room.

Yang Zhen immediately stood up and came to the door of the lobby.

Everyone lined up and stood in line. Not long after, a middle-aged man with a square face and big eyes came up to the crowd. He looked at them arrogantly and asked, "Are you all here?"

"Everyone is here." Several voices were heard in the crowd.

Ding Xingxing's eyelids jumped, and he looked around to see that there were eighteen people in three rows, with no missing seats. As expected, everyone was there.

Ding Xingxing's eyes narrowed and he asked, "Who is Yang Zhen?"

Yang Zhen stepped forward, clasped his fists and bowed slightly, saying, "I am Yang Zhen, your subordinate, and I pay my respects to Ding Tou!"

"Why didn't you show up for roll call yesterday? Do you look down on me, the captain of the police?" Ding Xingxing fixed his eyes on Yang Zhen. He wanted to make an example of him to scare the monkeys.

Yang Zhen said, "I dare not! It's just that because of the incident with Jietou, I was depressed and drank a lot for a few days, and missed the roll call. I was absent on the first day of roll call, which was a disgrace to the dignity of the superior. I am willing to be beaten with a stick thirty times!"

As Yang Zhen spoke, he knelt down on one knee, his face calm and without any sign of fear.

Ding Xingxing's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Yang Zhen carefully, thinking: This kid is brave and knowledgeable, and what's rare is that he is loyal to his old boss.

Ding Xingxing said, "You are quite sensible. I will record these thirty strokes of the cane for you. If you make a mistake in the future, I will punish you together! How about this, Yang Zhen, you will follow me from now on. I am in need of an errand boy."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhen immediately clasped his fists and said, "Thank you Dingtou for your cultivation!"

Many people in the crowd looked at Yang Zhen with strange expressions.

Is this black smoke coming out of the ancestral grave? Two consecutive police chiefs chose him as their henchman.

Zhu Baogui cursed inwardly, "Isn't this poaching my girlfriend?"

The Changliu Mountains, stretching for more than 200 miles, are the location of the Taiyi Sect's mountain gate.

There are numerous mountains, peaks like clouds, valleys everywhere, and the climate is cloudy nine times a day and sunny one time. Many places are filled with miasma and poisonous insects.

Changliu Mountain was originally a place where few people lived, and Taiyi Sect had a strict order prohibiting common people from entering the mountain. Violators would be charged with treason.

Therefore, even in the outer mountains of Changliu Mountain, there were no people hunting or chopping wood.

However, on a certain mountain path on this day, there were four black spots climbing with difficulty.

It was Duan Rong and his four companions who had traveled a long distance to get here.

Duan Rong and his party first arrived at Shenyun Mansion with Zhu Qunxiang and his party.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived at Shenyun Mansion, they were called over by the Dali Temple and interrogated for three consecutive days. They were asked about the ambush by the Dirty Blood Cult in the wilderness of Xiangu County.

Shenyun Prefecture is the capital of Qingzhou, and the Dali Temple is responsible for all criminal cases in Qingzhou. They have the authority to review and examine all cases, no matter how big or small.

Three days later, Duan Rong and the other three were released, but Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, and Wang Shanshan were temporarily detained in the Dali Temple.

After Duan Rong and his companions left the Dali Temple, they immediately took their documents and went to the government office of Shenyun Mansion to exchange them for the sect's cloud certificate.

The detailed information and portraits of them had already arrived at the Shenyun government office, and the sect's cloud certificates had also been made in advance. After checking their documents and appearances, the government office gave them the sect's cloud certificates.

However, Xiangu County was already remote, and they encountered ambushes and interrogations. The large group of registered disciples who had gone into the mountains had already been gone for several days.

Duan Rong and his companions had no choice but to go to Changliu Mountain by themselves.

The Changliu Mountains stretch for more than two hundred miles, with many peaks and filled with miasma. It is not easy to find the sect's mountain gate.

Fortunately, the government office gave them a map so they could follow it!
The few people had no choice but to take the map, carry their luggage, and set off.

Who made them come late?
The few of them walked to a ridge. Duan Rong held the map, looked at the foggy valley in front of him, and fell into deep thought.

"Where... is this going?"

Ximen Kankan came over and said, "Let me take a look."

Ximen Kankan took the map and asked, "Where are we now?"

Duan Rong pointed it out to him and said, "Here it is."

Ximen Kankan frowned, looked at the map, and then looked at the mountain road in front of him that appeared and disappeared in the fog.

Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi stood aside, wiping the sweat from their foreheads.

Xiao Yu asked: "Have you two figured it out?"

Ximen Kankan scratched his head, looked at the mountain path to the east, and said, "It should be this way."

Duan Rong frowned and asked, "Are you sure?" He felt that he shouldn't go that way.

Seeing Duan Rong questioning him, Ximen Kankan immediately said with certainty, "I'm sure it's this way. Look at the map. Isn't this ridge the same as this one?"

Duan Rong took a look and felt that Ximen Kankan was giving blind orders, but Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi had already gone in the direction Ximen Kankan pointed.

There was thick fog in front of him and Duan Rong was not sure, so he immediately followed.

A few people walked along the ridge in the fog for a while, and suddenly a strong wind blew up, and the dense fog was blown away in just a few breaths.

The mountain path in front of me suddenly opened up.

Duan Rong looked at the road and shouted, "Look, you've taken the wrong road. You still patted your chest and said it was this way!"

Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi also glared at Ximen Kankan in reproach.

Ximen Kankan was sweating profusely, and suddenly he felt a little embarrassed.

"Look at you guys, you don't know where to go, right? I showed you a way. It's so foggy, you have to try and make mistakes. Once you find out you're wrong, you start blaming me. I won't care next time. You're just destroying your bridges!"

Duan Rong said: "What do you mean by crossing the river and destroying the bridge? This is killing the donkey after it has done its work, okay?"

Ximen Kankan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Isn't that what I mean?"

Duan Rong said with a stern face, "Of course it's not the same thing. You are a donkey, not a bridge."

"You are the donkey!?" Ximen Kankan immediately jumped over and wanted to hit Duan Rong.

Duan Rong dodged it with a flash.

Xiao Yu said anxiously, "Stop messing around, both of you! Go now while the fog is clear. Otherwise you'll get lost again."

Ximen Kankan looked at Duan Rong who was a stone away and said, "Duan Rong, I will only spare you this time for Xiao Yu's sake."

Duan Rong was just about to say something to Ximen Kankan with a smile, but his smile suddenly froze on his face. He saw the thick fog on the distant hill dissipate, revealing a huge face.

That face was actually a huge stone sculpture carved out of the entire mountain.

What shocked Duan Rong the most was that he had seen this face before.

That is the face of the statue of Acala.

In other words, on the hilltop among the mountains in the distance, a huge statue of Acala was carved with the entire mountain as its embryonic form.

Duan Rong immediately thought that the statue on the mountain, like the statue he painted, was constructing a mandala.

But this mandala is so huge that it is shaped like a mountain!
Such a big statue, such a big mandala!
When practicing the Taizang Sutra, how overwhelming would the pressure be from the divine figure that enters the spiritual sea of consciousness?
What kind of powerful soul can withstand such terrifying pressure?
"Duan Rong, what are you doing? Hurry up and leave..."

Xiao Yu and the other two had already returned a distance, but when they looked back suddenly they found Duan Rong still standing there in a daze.

Duan Rong agreed and came to his senses. He looked up and saw that the huge stone face was covered by thick fog again.

(End of this chapter)