The Forty-fourth Chapter: The Adventure on Maiji Mountain

  The hero has no good deeds, especially the one behind him. The old man was invincible on the battlefield, and his hands were probably stained with blood over the years. In the battle of Fenghuang Mountain, the three thousand subordinates who refused to surrender under Single Xīn's command were buried in the yellow earth by this kind old man overnight, and then horses ran over the mass grave for three days. The reason for doing so was simply not to give Old Single's remnants a chance to reminisce. Old Cheng felt inferior when mentioning this matter. The ruthless and cunning Ox King would willingly put down his title as Duke and push a wheelbarrow just to save a few more pounds of grain, all to reduce the number of people starving to death. This sounds like a paradox, but it's true - Old Ox is meticulous in killing people, and also wholeheartedly saves them. It seems that there are many abnormalities around him, and Yún Yè is worried about his own future.

  All the way, walking and enjoying the scenery, the mountain cliffs are lush and green, the waterfalls are flying, the ancient trees have twisted roots, the tall pines are not afraid of the cold, withstanding the wind to show off their most beautiful rustic scenery. On the root of the oldest pine tree, Cloudy happily urinated a bubble, just as a gift for it. Wangcai was secretly watching from the side, seeing Cloudy giving gifts to other families, and as a follower, he couldn't fall behind, so he also happily urinated a bubble. Just as he was about to run to Cloudy's front to report his achievement, he got slapped on the butt.

  "Scram, haven't you seen me eating and drinking?" Niu Jin Da was very dissatisfied with Yun Yan's behavior of spoiling the atmosphere. He had long been used to Yun Yan's shamelessness and thought that Wang Cai still had a chance, so he taught him a lesson.

  "Uncle, we've been walking for almost twenty days, I suppose we're not far from Chang'an now?" Five days ago when they left Qin state, Yun wanted to take a look at the Maiji Mountain grottoes which were being excavated. In later generations, many Buddha heads had been stolen by others, leaving only the headless remains for people to worship. Now if he went, it would still be there, and taking one early would be priceless treasure, keeping it as a family heirloom would be great. But in later generations, the government would chop off your head for stealing Buddha heads, the price was too high, Yun controlled his desire to take a Buddha head back home after some thought.

  Pei Jia Lao San and Yun Yan both suffered greatly under the hands of Old Niu, so they naturally became close friends. The two brothers took advantage of the thick fog to sneak up to the half-mountain and visit the beautiful scenery of Guanmo Stone Cave. They saw the stone cave that would later be known as the Scattered Flower Pavilion, which only increased their hatred for this place. Their camera was forcibly taken away from them, with the excuse being "everyone has a responsibility to protect cultural relics" and "no photography allowed". The camera was returned to them after they left the premises, leaving them in awe of the greatness of the Buddha. Within less than 10 minutes, their high-end Japanese-made camera had been transformed into a domestically-made one. Patriotism can't be taken this far, or else you'll be taken away by the stout and robust security guards for a chat after just a few more sentences.

  The eight heavenly dragons on the mountain wall, either tender or majestic, could not suppress the raging fire of Yun Yan. Just as they were about to take action with their horizontal knives, a loud shout was heard: "Halt! Old Cheng is coming over with an old monk, grabbing Pei Laosan who was carefully examining the chest of the flying heavenly being. Oh heavens, how did General come to be here?

  "Have seen General." Hurriedly paid respects, there were outsiders present, couldn't call out "Uncle".

  "What are you two doing here? Why do such an impolite thing in the pure land of Buddhism?" Old Cheng had a long-standing relationship with Master Tan Yin of Maiji Mountain, and today, as the army passed by Maiji Mountain, he came to visit the old monk at dusk, but unexpectedly caught Yun Yan and Pei Laosan red-handed.

  "This humble official has seen that the stone carving is exceptionally beautiful, and can't help but feel emotional. General, please take a look at this exquisite work of art, freely rotating in the empty space among the flowers and clouds, uniquely expressing its lightness and beauty, increasing the sense of fluidity, truly breathtakingly beautiful." The old monk nodded repeatedly, Cheng Yaojin was very pleased with himself, Yun Heng's eyes widened in shock, could it be that among these four people, only he was a pervert? Clearly seeing this kid shamelessly fondling the sculpture's breasts, how did it suddenly turn into art appreciation?

  "What are you doing with that knife? Are you trying to destroy the Buddha statue?" Old Cheng asked, fixing his gaze on Yun Ye again.

  "How dare I have such evil intentions, it's just that seeing the eight heavenly dragons of the Eight Banners with killing intent emanating from them, as if they were about to come alive and devour people, I, a military officer, couldn't help but think of self-preservation, making Master laugh." The old monk laughed loudly.

  "This evening, I felt that there were noble guests visiting, but unexpectedly it was two young friends. It's delightful and congratulatory that the young friends had some epiphanies in front of the Eight Heavenly Dragon Buddha statues. The Eight Heavenly Dragons are the guardian deities of our Buddhist family, with an aura of majesty and solemnity. That the young general could have such epiphanies must be due to a deep affinity with Buddhism."

  The old monk was thin, but his muscles and bones were exceptionally large. His dark eyes were sunken deep in their sockets, and although his words were kind, there was no compassion in them. It gave one the feeling of being stared at by a wolf. This old monk was not simple. Pretending to be attracted to the Buddhist art, he went around explaining each piece, showing off his extensive knowledge. Yun Ye enthusiastically talked about how the hometown of Emperor Yan was prosperous and had a thriving incense business, but it was just a flattering phrase that people used to praise others. Indeed, the old monk's cold gaze slightly dissipated, and the feeling of being stared at by a beast also disappeared. Excitedly walking in front, he acted as a tour guide, spouting off phrases like "Thousand Buddha Corridor, Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, Swallow Turning Over Cow Pavilion." Yun Ye refused to follow him through a small tunnel that had not been excavated yet, and the old monk was about to drag him over with an iron chain. Good heavens! The Heavenly King was already standing on the cow's back, wasn't it said that one should slowly climb up? Look at how he trampled on the cow's back, stretching his neck and shouting - even if one had great strength, they couldn't be so reckless. Turning around to ask the old monk why he wanted to create a thousand-year-old scam, Yun Ye saw the old monk, Old Cheng, and Pei Lao San staring at him strangely. Nonsense! You're more familiar with someone else's home than the owner - either you're a thief or a scoundrel! Under the old monk's pressure, Yun Ye forgot that he was currently in the Tang Dynasty, not in a later era where carriages and horses were abundant. He awkwardly smiled and said "heh heh".

  "Is this young general a disciple of Fahua Sect?" Damn it, the old monk's eyes are up to no good again.

  "No, I am a disciple of Confucius, and I don't believe in Buddhism."

  "General, you indeed have a deep connection with Buddhism, it's truly strange that you can understand without knowing. The phrase 'Thousand Buddha Corridor, Ten Thousand Buddha Hall, Sparrow Flips Over Cow Boy Hall' is quite interesting, but the name 'Cow Boy Hall' was only decided by me last night and I haven't told anyone yet, how did you know? Dammit, why didn't you say so earlier?! The Buddhist door is full of kind-hearted swindlers, even their subordinate institutions can't be trusted. In later generations, tourists were deceived, now that we've met the real deal, what am I supposed to say to cover this up?" Yun Ye roared in his heart.

  "It just so happens that I coincidentally share the same mind as the master at this moment." This can be said, although it's a bit nauseating to say that one shares the same mind as a monk, but there's no time to think about that now.

  The old monk nodded slightly and stopped asking questions. Yun Ye's heart also calmed down, and the few of them returned to their previous tourist-like appearance.

  Having finished a simple vegetarian meal, savoring the strange-tasting tea with various weird seasonings, they enjoyed themselves immensely. Suddenly, the old monk asked Yun Heng: "Where is your master from? I have traveled all over the world and perhaps we are old acquaintances."

  Yun Yan almost choked on his tea: "Our master calls himself Carefree Son, I wonder if Master has heard of him?"

  The old monk shook his head and seemed to fall into deep thought, no longer speaking.

  Cheng Yaojin bid farewell to the old monk, and with Yun Ye and Pei Laosan, they left Maiji Mountain. Surrounded by their personal guards, they chatted and laughed along the way. However, when they arrived at the military camp, Old Cheng looked at the two of them with a hint of a smile: "Next time you do something like this, make sure to get it right, or else you'll be in trouble. That old monk is the leader of the eighteen staff monks from Shaolin Temple, and his staff techniques have already reached the level of a grandmaster. If I weren't here today, your legs would not be intact." After finishing speaking, he smiled and left, leaving the two to let out a long sigh, still feeling frightened. That old monk was truly terrifying.

  Recalling the danger at Maiji Mountain, Yun Ye was curious and asked Niu Jin Da to find out. This old monk Tan Yin had often entered and exited the Qin Wang Fu when the emperor was still the Qin King, and the emperor and empress treated him with great respect. Offending him would not end well. The old third of the Pei family was also not an ordinary person, his grandfather was the famous Pei Ji, known for his deep strategies in the Tang Dynasty, and had been favored by two generations of emperors. Yun Ye understood now that the legendary figure who went by the name Shi Zhi Xuan was actually his grandfather? A generation of evil kings, unkillable, unbribeable, a copper pea that couldn't be cooked. How did he end up surrounded by such freakishly powerful guys? Even if Yun Ye knew that Shi Zhi Xuan was an insider, how many people could get their hands on the inside YY? Forget it, Li Er's imperial court was like a concentration camp for freaks. It was better for him to cherish his life and stay far away.

  The rest of the journey was much easier, as the army consumed food, and one-third of the grain on the wheelbarrow had been emptied. Moreover, the army was approaching Chen Cang, which is now Baoji City. The road gradually became flat, and there were more people, only the cold wind was biting, winter had finally arrived.

  Yun Yan shrunk in the carriage, his whole body wrapped in various furs, looking like a bear. Outside, the army marched on the highway against the wind and snow, everyone becoming a snowman, only the white air they breathed out proving their existence. They were not afraid of the cold at all, the iron armor on their fur coats still clanging loudly. After two years away from home, on this day with wind and snow, stepping onto the land of Guanzhong, the chill could not stop their enthusiasm for returning home.

  "The moment I wait for you to come back, tears sing for you," a song lyric floated into Yun Ye's mind.