Chapter 7, Playing with Snakes, Random Thoughts under Liuhe Pagoda

  However, it is said that the country of Bhikshu is located in the western part of Udyana, and naturally it is a Buddhist country. Especially after Shakyamuni attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, Buddhism flourished greatly, and its influence on the Western Regions was unprecedentedly strong.

  In the small country of Bhikkhunis, there are more than 300 large and small temples, with various halls enshrining over 10,000 gold, silver, and stone Buddha statues. There are nearly 100,000 bhikkhus and bhikkhunis.

  Every year, the royal family holds numerous Buddhist ceremonies in various places. The streets of Beiqing City are filled with the intoxicating fragrance of sandalwood incense, which is burned by every household. It's a national pilgrimage, with Buddhism as the state religion.

  As he walked through the streets of Bhikukhanda, Hong Haier couldn't help but secretly criticize Buddhism for harming people deeply. Look at the people in Bhikukhanda, although they seem to be kind-hearted and benevolent on the surface, in reality they have no vitality or fighting spirit. If they were to encounter war, it would be difficult for their country not to perish.

  "Wooo!" A mournful, wailing sound of a suona pipe rose up, bringing an exotic atmosphere that actually complemented the Western-style architecture in Bicheng City.

  "What's this?" Hong Haier was very fresh, to know that in the previous life he hadn't even strolled around a few scenic spots near his home, let alone traveled abroad.

  Through the noisy crowd, Hong Haier and his two companions arrived in front of a snake charmer's stall. The dark-skinned snake charmer blew out a strange melody, causing the three long snakes in front of him to sway their bodies and dance.

  In my previous life, I had heard of the news that Indian snake charmers were in danger of being extinct, and I had also lamented that I would probably never see real snake charming skills in this lifetime. Unexpectedly, having crossed over into the Journey to the West world, I can now witness it with my own eyes, which has fulfilled a regret from my previous life.

  "Hey, hey, so much fun!" The little cow beside him was already delighted, and all the way here, the little cow had never spoken a word, just burying his head in eating. In fact, it's not surprising for this child, mainly because Cuifeng Mountain is a remote and poor village, although there are also several human settlements nearby, but where can they compare to a national city? Moreover, with shallow Taoism, he couldn't often go to places where humans live.

  So this time, being brought out by Hong Haier, the little guy was eating all the way with an open belly. Even Hong Haier, who claimed to be a foodie, shook his head straight after seeing Xiao Niu's eating posture.

  Only three small snakes were seen, one gold and two silver spectacle snakes and a bamboo leaf green snake. The spectacle snakes looked majestic and powerful, while the bamboo leaf green snake looked fresh and lovely. However, Red Boy didn't suspect the toxicity of these three guys at all, although he was still twisting and turning under the provocation of the snake charmer, saying that maybe in the next moment, one of them would bite a mortal to death.

  But for Hong Haier, these three snakes were like insects. Laughable, have you ever seen an immortal being killed by a common venomous snake?

  "Boss, are these snakes for sale?" Hong Haier looked at the three small snakes in the bamboo basket and suddenly spoke up, remembering that he had once wanted to have a pet snake.

  "Ah!" The snake charmer, who was about to start his performance and ask for money, almost dropped the flute in his hand when he heard this. This old man is really something, opening his mouth and asking people to pay with their lives! And yet, seeing these three men dressed so elegantly, exuding an air of wealth and nobility, it was clear that they were either extremely rich or of high social status. Such characters are the most difficult to deal with, but what can be done?

  "Hmm." The snake charmer suddenly stopped, looking at himself with a resentful expression. Hong Haier came back to his senses, realizing that he had committed a taboo and made things difficult for others. He hastily pulled out a gold ingot from the embrace of Ruyi Zhenxian and threw it over, displaying a typical nouveau riche demeanor, which ended up causing the latter great pain.

  That snake charmer was originally depressed, seeing the gold ingot coming towards him, how could he still hesitate? With this gold ingot, it would be no problem to eat and drink for the rest of his life, why bother with the snake? The snake was only caught from the mountain a few years ago, trained as a tool for begging, although training snakes is tedious, who would still play with snakes after getting rich?

  But his face changed, revealing a flattering expression, and he hastily stuffed the gold into his bosom, fearing that someone would regret it. He then carefully sent the snake back to the bamboo basket and handed it over to Hong Haier, before picking up his own belongings and leaving in a hurry. As for why the other person bought the snake? Would they play with the snake? This was not something he needed to think about.

  Hong Haier saw this, but couldn't help laughing, shook his head, handed the bamboo basket to the little cow behind him, and continued walking forward. It was the little cow who didn't understand what his big brother, the king, was doing, wondering if he wanted to eat snake soup?

  Suixin An is an important temple in Bhikkhuni Country, where the Great Compassionate South Sea Guanyin of the Western Three Saints is enshrined. In Suixin An, there is a famous scenic spot called "Liuhe Pagoda", which is said to be the place where Luohan subdued demons. The pagoda has nine storeys and an unusual style. At specific times, it is often possible to see Buddhist light floating out of the pagoda, making it a unique national wonder.

  But what made Suixin An famous was that it was also renowned in the Western Regions, yet this was not due to the pagoda.

  There is no other reason, this place is a famous brothel. Although it's called a convent, the people in the convent are actually concubines from wealthy families, often fleeing from the oppression of their husbands' wives at home. Despite being in the convent, they still wear makeup and practice their skills, often secretly meeting with men from their families. Even some of the emperor's consorts from the imperial palace have come here to escape after falling out of favor.

  Therefore, all the women who entered the nunnery to practice were not only beautiful and talented, but also extraordinary in their literary talents. How could they bear the loneliness of the boudoir? As a result, countless talented scholars and beauties, ink artists and guests would often hear the wind and come to the nunnery, where they would recite poetry and compose couplets with the female nun, play chess and music, and write essays, all in order to win a smile from the beauty and spend a night in the nunnery.

  This time the rumor that there will be a treasure born in Bhikukti, even people from the eastern continent of Jambudvipa, including those who expound the two teachings, have come to hear the news, and it is related to this hermitage.

  "Uncle, shall we go in and take a look?" Hong Haier stood outside the Sui Xin An, his white clothes fluttering in the wind, very eye-catching. He turned his head to look at Ruyi Zhenxian beside him and spoke up.

  "This..." Ru Yi Zhen Xian's face turned awkward upon hearing this, as he had always considered himself a man of high moral character. Although he often frequented places of ill repute, he had always managed to keep his hands clean. Yet, this was the first time someone had come knocking on his door like this. Turning his head to look at Little Cow behind him, he saw that the little scamp was completely unaware, teasing the glasses snake in the bamboo basket.

  "This friend is somewhat unfamiliar." At this time, a voice came from behind, and the three of them hurriedly turned around to look, but saw a man wearing a golden brocade long gown walking up, his eyes fixed on Hong Haier.

  "Uh." Hong Haier heard this, but was somewhat embarrassed and didn't know how to respond. Especially when he saw the affectionate look in other people's eyes, he regretted it even more - why did he think of coming here?

  "It seems that the young master is here for the first time, but he has arrived at just the right moment. This time, Miss Miao Yu from the Suixin Nunnery is hosting a tea flower gathering. If the young master's talent and charm are exceptional, perhaps he can win a smile from Miss Miao Yu." The man smiled slightly, seemingly oblivious to Hong Haier's evasive expression, and spoke as if they were old friends. After finishing his words, he actually wanted to pull Hong Haier along with him towards the nunnery.

  "Haha, is that so?" Hong Haier heard this and forced a smile, but in his heart he was secretly scolding, "Damn it! My lifelong reputation is now completely ruined, and I've become a vagabond!"

  "Flower gentleman!" Just then, a soft cry came from the hut, and a 13 or 14-year-old girl walked out of the hut, calling out to the man wearing a golden brocade long gown.

  "Ah!" The man finally let go of Hong Haier, walked over to the girl and said a couple of words, then turned his head back to look at Hong Haier, making him stand on end with fear. He shook his head again, and followed the girl into the Sui Xin An.

  "Hush!" The man was gone, but the Red Boy let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at the smiling face of Ruyi Zhenxian. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed a familiar figure approaching from afar, coming closer and closer.

  "Sir!" The newcomer was none other than Hu Qiuyue, the Shuixi fairy who had been seen at Baiyuetan that day.

  Isn't this a mistake? Hong Haier recognized someone, but cursed in his heart. This time it's over, the reputation is ruined.

  "Is the young master waiting for me here?" Hu Qiuyue didn't notice Hong Haier's unnatural expression, but instead looked at him with a joyful face, it seemed that Hong Haier's "Nü Er Bei" had won the favor of this beauty.

  Hong Haier heard this, but for a moment did not know how to answer, and was tongue-tied, dryly laughing: "The three of us were just idle and strolling around here, feeling curious, so we thought we'd come over and take a look."

  As soon as the words came out, he regretted it a bit, wasn't this clearly saying that he had come to flirt with girls? At this moment, he couldn't help but want to slap himself.

  "Oh." Hu Qiuyue heard this and a hint of disappointment appeared in her eyes, but she opened her mouth again to ask: "Then why doesn't the young master go inside?"

  "This?" Hong Haier was somewhat speechless upon hearing this, okay, this girl indeed frequently came and went from places of pleasure, compared to her, he really was a rookie, sighing yet stuttering: "This, isn't good, right."

  "Ha!" Hu Qiuyue heard this, but couldn't help laughing, and then her expression turned serious again, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her tone was somewhat cold: "I thought you were a transcendent being, how could your insight be as ordinary as that of a common man? This Suixin An may have some bad reputation, but since you are upright and just, what do you have to fear?" After finishing speaking, she also glanced at Ruyi Zhenxian beside her, obviously this remark was also aimed at him.

  Heh, Hong Haier heard this and felt depressed, his feelings were actually despised by this little fox. But thinking about it, it's also right, nowadays our family is no longer the same as the ordinary people of the past, but a celestial being, with no evil intentions in heart, what's to fear about worldly fame? At this moment, he didn't hesitate anymore and went towards the gate of Sui Xin An together with Hu Qiuyue...