Under One Person: The Seeker of the Dao in the Lü Family

Chapter 215 Lü Qian: Zen Master Daoji?

Inside the thatched hut, there was a jumble of straw. Zen Master Huijing bent down and carried out several stacks of straw from the haystack where he had just been hiding, and used them to make two simple seats.

His every move seemed unpretentious, just like an ordinary person making a living on the street every day, and there was no trace of extraordinary skill or technique in his actions.

His tattered monk's robe hung loosely, and as he moved, you could see a lot of straw sticking out of the folds.

Upon seeing this, Lü Qian and Zhang Zhiwei couldn't help but recall the conversation between Jie Kong and this Zen Master Huijing.

Jie Kong said that this Zen Master Huijing was imitating the Patriarch Daoji.

But this disheveled monk, who seemed to have stepped out of a legend, smiled and said, "The patriarch is the patriarch, and I am myself."

Many people may not know who Master Daoji is.

If you change the name, everyone will probably know it.

Master Daoji was also respectfully called "Living Buddha Jigong," and he was the subject of many legends and tales in the Jiangnan region.

This Zen master was not bound by precepts, had a fondness for wine and meat, and acted like a madman. However, he was a learned and virtuous monk who had attained enlightenment and was listed as the fiftieth patriarch of the Zen school and the sixth patriarch of the Yangqi school.

Finally, it is said that he was also a person who ascended to heaven, and he left behind a poem that is still widely circulated today.

Wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart.

If people follow my example, they will be on the path of demons.

Looking at the legend of this patriarch and then at the present-day Zen Master Huijing, it is not difficult to see the similarities between the two.

He wore tattered clothes and worn-out shoes, and held a broken palm-leaf fan in his hand. He acted quite freely and casually, but there was an invisible sense of restraint about him.

It doesn't indulge excessively, nor does it rigidly adhere to precepts and dogma; it strikes a very good balance.

He hadn't noticed it before, but now, as Lü Qian carefully examined the Zen master, he felt a sense of familiarity.

He searched through all his memories, even those from his childhood when things had been tampered with, but he couldn't find any trace of this disheveled monk.

As he bent down to sit, Lü Qian secretly activated his [Fiery Eyes].

A sharp, burning light flashed in his eyes, and then he subtly glanced at the Zen Master Huijing.

"bass--"

However, it is unclear whether this was intentional or unintentional.

At this moment, Zen Master Huijing, who had his back to Lü Qian, waved his palm-leaf fan behind him as if he were scratching an itch; the action was natural and did not seem fake.

A dazzling golden light seemed to flash across the cracked palm-leaf fan, enveloping Zen Master Huijing and making it difficult for Lü Qian to see clearly.

"Oh dear, my back is getting worse as I get older; it aches, feels numb, and is itchy."

Zen Master Huijing rubbed his lower back while holding a palm-leaf fan, then turned around and looked at Lü Qian with a smile.

"Hey, young friend Lü, why are you staring at this humble monk?"

"This humble monk has no treasures here for you."

He smiled and sat down on the haystack behind him, pointing to the two simple futons he had set up.

"Please have a seat, young friends."

"Please, fellow Daoists."

At this moment, the monk Jiekong also changed his previous arrogance and appeared humble and polite, but the two palm prints were still clearly visible.

Listening to Zen Master Huijing's meaningful words, Lü Qian seemed to have figured something out, and he pulled Zhang Zhiwei to sit down.

Speaking of which, there is a previously unnoticed connection between the Buddhist monk Ji Gong and his Quanzhen master Ziyang.

It seems that the two of them are from the same hometown.

We were both from Taizhou during the Song Dynasty!

Now he has been sent to the Yellow Millet Dream by the Purple Sun Immortal Zhang Boduan, which he originally thought was just a journey.

But I didn't expect there might be an unexpected gain.

If this Zen Master Huijing is indeed the one he is thinking of, then the mystery of the path to immortality will far exceed Lü Qian's expectations.

But isn't that the path more interesting?

Moreover, he has already achieved enlightenment, and even if he can form connections, I'm afraid the Buddhist sect can't intervene.

Gathering his thoughts, Lü Qian, who was sitting cross-legged, put away his whisk and bowed to Zen Master Huijing.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Zen Master Daoji."

As soon as he opened his mouth, he felt a familiar change in his surroundings. With a thought, the scenery around him suddenly receded into the distance, to infinity.

An endless void surrounded Lü Qian, and a sense of emptiness that transcended time and space followed.

At this moment, Lingyin Temple, far away in East China.

Inside the meditation room, two candles burned, illuminating the darkness. In the dim candlelight, a kind-faced old monk opened his eyes with a smile.

"Fate brings us together and fate separates us, but in the end, we are destined to be together again."

"Because of the birth of the fruit, the path is unknown."

"Although I couldn't participate in the initial struggle for the path, we still formed a bond by meeting once."

He turned the prayer beads in his hand, his smile growing wider, but then he remembered something and closed his eyes with some resentment.

"Those bandit leaders from the Taoist sect are keeping a close eye on my Buddhist sect."

"Back then, they directly surrounded the Buddhist temples in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, and the Maoshan group even led the attack on the Yangtze River."

"Fortunately, Patriarch Daoji and Master Ziyang had a predestined connection, and the Patriarch had been wandering in the mortal world in a dream, and just happened to meet him."

As he spoke, the old monk seemed to have gained some insight, and fell silent again, muttering to himself.

"The karmic connection from a thousand years ago has led to the karmic connection we have today."

"The karmic connections of the past have yielded today's results, but what kind of karmic connections will today's results create?"

……

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Lu Qian remained seated cross-legged on the straw cushion. He had just finished speaking, and his voice echoed in the void that seemed to contain everything yet also seemed to contain nothing at all.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you, you wandering monk, but couldn't you have let me act a little longer?"

Golden light ignited in the void, instantly transforming into a human-shaped torch, its radiant glow scattering in all directions.

When the light completely dissipated, the figure of Zen Master Huijing appeared before Lü Qian, but he was somewhat different from before.

The disheveled Zen master remained the same, his clothes and shoes tattered and loose, and his aura still as ordinary as ever.

But this time was different; a patchwork monk's robe was draped over the Zen master's body.

Speaking of patchwork robes, this is a very significant item in Buddhism.

In Buddhism, some monks, in order to show their "asceticism" and break their desire for clothing, often pick up old and scraps of cloth discarded by others, wash them clean, and then sew them together to make a garment, which is commonly known as a "monk's robe".

Anything assembled from scattered materials is called a patchwork.

Therefore, while common patchwork robes are quite common in Buddhism, there are always one or two that are extraordinary.

It is a Buddhist treasure that can only be formed by the accumulation of true asceticism and true merit.

From the time Buddhism was introduced to China, it took root in this land and was gradually localized, forming a unique form of Buddhism in China.

Throughout the entire history of Buddhism in China, only two patchwork monk robes have been recognized by the world.

One piece belongs to a monk from Lü Qian's era, while the other belongs to the famous "Ji Gong"—Zen Master Daoji.

Combining the familiar feeling from Zen Master Huijing at the beginning, and that distinctive attire, the other party's identity is already obvious, isn't it?

Lu Qian looked at the monk in front of him, who was wearing a patchwork robe and sitting in the air waving a tattered palm-leaf fan, and said with a smile.

"That's my fault, senior. I've spoiled your fun."

"I wonder what guidance Master Ji has given me since he came during my dream of wealth and glory?"

Zen Master Daoji waved his hand towards the void, and a pot of fine wine appeared.

He tilted his head back and drank the wine to the brim, then wiped his mouth and said...

"I have no other intentions, I just wanted to see you and mark a new beginning for our past relationship."

"Moreover, this humble monk did not come specifically for you. This humble monk has been wandering in this mortal world, and it was just a coincidence that we met."

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There have been a lot of competitions lately, so I need to adjust my schedule!