Chapter 465: I have Taichong, so I have nothing to worry about!
In Xuandu Temple, Li Shimin was wearing a black robe. He was only accompanied by the chief eunuch Gao Quan and the White Tiger Captain Wang Bo. All the others were sent away to avoid disturbing the imperial teacher who was recovering from his injuries.
When they arrived outside the Xuandu courtyard, their eyes suddenly brightened.
The rich fragrance of flowers mixed with the fresh scent of willow leaves hits you in the face, refreshing you. Looking up, you see green vines covering the walls and a few unknown wild flowers quietly blooming, full of vitality.
Wild bees are flying and bluebirds are singing, it feels like a Jiangnan garden, a paradise on earth.
"Sometimes I really envy Taichong, who can find a quiet place in the chaos."
Perhaps it was because the government affairs were too busy these days, Li Shimin, who had always been diligent in his work, actually envied Li Daoxuan's life.
He couldn't help but tease, "I get up early and sleep late, worrying about state affairs. It's better for Taichong to hide away in a treasure land and enjoy a peaceful life. Haha, if he can't cure my worries this time, I will drag him to the palace to live for a few days and watch me review memorials!"
Gao Quan smiled and said, "I believe the Imperial Master will not let Your Majesty down."
As he said this, he was about to go forward and knock on the door, but a dog barking suddenly sounded. Gao Quan only felt a flash of black light before his eyes, and then a black dog the size of a calf appeared, with muscular body, ferocious fangs, and cold light flashing in its eyes.
"Who are you to disturb the master?"
Gao Quan's heart trembled, and fear appeared in his eyes. The dog actually spoke?
"Oh no, this is a monster, protect His Majesty!"
Wang Bo stepped forward and stood in front of Li Shimin, looking at the black dog with fear in his eyes. The ape fairy enshrined in his body was reminding him that the dog demon in front of him was not easy to deal with.
Xiaotian stared at Wang Bo, with a hint of difference in his eyes.
"It turned out to be a monkey..."
Drops of saliva oozed from its mouth, and in an instant, a strong desire to fight emerged in Xiaotian's heart. He didn't know why, but he always subconsciously wanted to .
Fortunately, Li Shimin was calm enough. He took a step forward, and the strong dragon energy around him brought Xiaotian back to consciousness.
"Is the master you mentioned too aggressive?"
"Woof woof, that's right. Oh, I remember now. The master said someone would come in half an hour, so he asked me to come and greet them. It should be you."
There was a hint of strangeness in Li Shimin's eyes. Half an hour ago, he was still having a meal in the palace, but he was still worried and had no appetite. That was why he decided to come and see Taichong.
In other words, before he decided to come to Xuandu Temple, Taichong had already calculated that he was about to come and had asked the dog demon to wait here in advance.
After killing Wuzhiqi, Taichong seems to be even more powerful...
Li Shimin felt a glimmer of anticipation. To him, the stronger Taichong was, the better. It would be best if he could become a yang god or even an immortal, and then protect the Tang Dynasty.
"Come with me."
Xiaotian knew that he could not bite the monkey, and suddenly became listless. He turned into a puppy and walked into the yard, while Li Shimin and the other two followed behind him.
Not long after walking, Li Shimin saw Taichong.
I saw a large square stone about two feet high placed in the flowers. A handsome Taoist in white clothes was sitting cross-legged next to the stone, holding a chisel and tapping gently on the surface of the stone.
The chisel was translucent, like crystal, and one could see tiny traces of purple and green electric light in it. It was obvious that it was not an ordinary object.
If Zhang Jiuxiao were resurrected, he would be so angry that he would vomit blood when he saw this scene, because the chisel that was hitting the stone was actually his life-saving magic weapon, Thunder God Thorn.
"Your Majesty, please take a seat and wait a moment."
Li Daoxuan stretched out his hand and the vines on the other side of the stone automatically rolled up, forming a soft cushion.
Li Shimin strode forward, sat on it and watched for a while, then said with a smile: "Taichong, what are you doing?"
Li Daoxuan smiled slightly, put away the Thunder God Thorn, and said: "Your Majesty has prepared a gift for me, so I will naturally prepare a gift for your Majesty."
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "You are so good, Taichong. The gift I prepared for you is worth a fortune, and you use a stone to deal with me?"
Li Daoxuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please watch."
After saying this, he waved his sleeves over the stone. A breeze blew by, blowing up streaks of stone powder, revealing a crisscross pattern of lines arranged vertically and horizontally. It was clearly a perfect chessboard.
"Does Your Majesty like this chessboard?"
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and said repeatedly: "Great Taichong, Great Taichong!"
He waved his hand, and Gao Quan immediately took out something from his arms, which was two chess boxes.
"Master Imperial Master, His Majesty recently obtained two pieces of exquisite jade, one black and one white. He heard that you like to play chess, so he specially ordered someone to make them into chess pieces."
Li Shimin sighed: "He is a master of foresight and predicts things like a god. It seems that the Imperial Master is not only good at fighting, but also has the best divination skills in the world!"
Li Daoxuan shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. I have just started practicing this art and I am just relying on my higher level of cultivation."
After a pause, he continued, "Now that we have both the chess pieces and the chessboard, Your Majesty, why don't we play a game of chess?"
"good!"
Li Shimin also liked playing chess, so he immediately rubbed his hands together, ready to fight Li Daoxuan for three hundred rounds.
The crisp sounds of chess pieces continued, and soon the chessboard was covered with black and white pieces. Li Shimin's eyes were bright. He held the black pieces, and his style of play was bold and fearless, with frequent surprise attacks and unpredictable changes.
Li Daoxuan's chess style is very steady, solid as a rock, and he moves cautiously at every step. He is as still as a mountain and as fast as thunder.
The two men were evenly matched in chess, and Li Shimin played with great pleasure. Although he lost in the end, he was not discouraged at all. Instead, he felt extremely refreshed. He felt sweat all over and his mind was clear. It seemed that all the fatigue he had accumulated during this period was swept away.
"Taichong, there's something wrong with this chessboard."
Li Shimin finally realized something was wrong. As he played chess next to the stone, he became more and more excited.
Li Daoxuan smiled faintly and said, "Your Majesty, this is not a simple stone. There is a piece of chalcedony in the center. It has been buried underground for hundreds of years and can automatically gather spiritual energy. If you play chess around it all year round, you can be nourished by the spiritual energy and prolong your life."
"Your Majesty has been busy rebuilding Chang'an recently, which has damaged your body. Please bring these stones and chess pieces into the palace and play a few games every day. Within three months, you will be fine."
Li Shimin stroked the stone chessboard, which was still as cool as jade in the hot summer, his eyes full of love.
But he suddenly sighed and said, "Taichong, this physical illness is easy to cure, but the mental illness is hard to cure!"
A smile flashed in Li Daoxuan's eyes. He knew that His Majesty was pointing at him.
"Your Majesty is worried about how to ensure that Chang'an will not be destroyed by demons again?"
Li Shimin stared into his eyes, and there was a rare hint of nervousness in his voice.
"Is there any solution for Taichong?"
Li Daoxuan nodded and said with a smile: "I have a method that may be able to cure your majesty's worries."
"What method?"
"The Four Saints Formation."
…
When Li Shimin and Li Daoxuan were playing chess, Gao Quan and Wang Bo stood outside the door for two hours at a time.
They didn't know what His Majesty and the Imperial Master were talking about, but His Majesty's hearty laughter could often be heard in the courtyard, as if he was very happy.
After waiting for another half an hour, His Majesty finally came out.
He was in high spirits, his face was flushed, he looked energetic and full of energy. Where was the trace of his previous fatigue?
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, you have successfully cured your heart disease!"
Wang Bo bowed.
Li Shimin laughed loudly and said, "I have Taichong, so I don't have to worry!"
After a pause, he continued, "Go and move the chessboard that Taichong gave me back to the palace and place it in the imperial study. From now on, no one is allowed to enter without my permission."
"promise!"
Li Shimin left happily. He got the answer he wanted and was naturally satisfied. He was ready to work hard to turn Chang'an City into an invincible formation.
By then, Chang'an will be the most solid city in the world. It is easy to shake a mountain, but difficult to shake Chang'an.
But Li Daoxuan was not as optimistic as he was. He looked at Li Shimin's leaving back, the smile on his face gradually faded, and he sighed softly.
Because he has not yet obtained the answer he wanted, he still has no clue about the other two types of blood in the Four Sacred Formation.
Fortunately, he has just mastered the "Purple Star Astrology", and with his profound Taoist skills, he should be able to calculate the location of the last two types of blood.
Li Daoxuan continued to look up at the sky. If it were any other Louguan Taoist disciple, they would never look at the stars in the daytime, because at this time the stars were all blocked by the sunlight. The majestic sun was shining alone in the blue sky, making it difficult to observe with the naked eye.
But Li Daoxuan was an exception. He opened the third eye between his eyebrows and looked directly at the sun. His divine eyes pierced through the sea of clouds and the long wind, and he found the stars hidden in the daytime one by one, seeing everything clearly.
He observed the stars again, but this time not for cultivation, but to figure out the clues to the Four Sacred Formation.
"Xiyi looked up at the stars in the sky and used them to predict people's fate. He did not follow the five stars to predict the fate, but only considered the year, month, day and time of birth. He first determined his fate and then the outcome, and the Ziwei Tianfu arranged the stars..."
He muttered to himself, kept making hand gestures, and his eyes became increasingly profound, as if they contained the principles of heaven and earth, the Book of Changes, and the mysteries of the sun and the moon.
After an unknown amount of time, most of Li Daoxuan's magic power was almost consumed, and strands of sweat appeared on his forehead. The Taibai Star in the sky suddenly brightened.
The opportunity is fleeting.
Li Daoxuan's eyes lit up, he had already glimpsed the secret, he smiled, all his worries disappeared, he felt peaceful and calm, with a sense of confidence and ease.
He laughed, feeling that the secrets of heaven were mysterious and fate was playing tricks on him. The clue that he had been thinking hard for but could not find was actually right next to him.
"I see. Wonderful, wonderful."
…
Daxingshan Temple.
Before the sun was about to set, Xuanzang finally put down the scriptures and walked out of the Sutra Library.
Faced with the vast amount of precious Buddhist scriptures, he was fascinated by them. If he had not been worried about Xiaotang being hungry, he would probably have stayed in the Sutra Library to read by lamplight at night.
Logically speaking, Xuanzang was not qualified to enter an important place like the Sutra Repository, but Li Daoxuan had sent someone to greet the abbot of Daxingshan Temple, so Xuanzang was given the privilege of entering and leaving freely.
Originally, the abbot wanted to arrange a bigger house for Xuanzang and a special novice monk to serve him, but Xuanzang refused. He also begged the abbot not to reveal his identity to others and to treat him equally with other monks.
The abbot agreed to his request, so Xuanzang lived with other monks and had to do regular physical work every day, but he did not complain. Instead, his heart became more peaceful and contented.
After getting some vegetarian food and asking his senior brother for some candies, Xuanzang walked towards his residence. Thinking about how Xiaotang's eyes would light up when she saw the candies, he couldn't help but smile.
I don’t know why a water monkey likes to eat candy so much?
Before he reached his residence, Xuanzang suddenly heard a loud noise, mixed with curses of fear and some shrill cries.
Hearing the voice, Xuanzang was startled and ran over immediately.
Sure enough, in the yard, a slender water monkey was tied up hands and feet by the monks and placed on a pile of firewood. Kerosene was poured on its body. Its fur was wet and stuck together, and it looked terrified and trembling.
Its black pupils looked around, as if trying to find a figure.
Bang!
A burly monk holding a long whip with sharp barbs on it whipped the water monkey, raising a cloud of blood.
It let out a shrill cry, weeping and desperate.
“Well done!”
"Brother, let me have a try too!"
"Burn it to death with fire!"
…
The monks who were watching had hatred in their eyes and cheered.
During the Chang'an flood, many monks from the Daxingshan Temple died at the claws of the water monkey, including their friends. At this moment, they naturally hated this water monkey that dared to hide in the Buddhist temple.
As the whip continued to whip, the smell of blood filled the originally peaceful and harmonious Zen temple.
The water monkey's cries became more and more sad, and tears flowed from its eyes.
Some monks were awakened to compassion by the miserable sound, and could not help but persuade: "Brother, why don't we send it to the bad people? Why torture it any further?"
The monk who was whipping him glared at him, his beard standing up like a steel needle, and said angrily: "Foolish, have you forgotten those Buddhist disciples who were eaten by water monkeys?"
His aura was so impressive that the whole audience fell into silence, and no one dared to raise any objections.
However, a young but firm voice sounded.
"stop!"
Everyone looked at it intently, their eyes brightened.
"It's Xuanzang!"
"Brother Xuanzang is here. It was thanks to him that I was saved."
"Yes, if it weren't for Brother Xuanzang, I would have been eaten by the water monkey by now..."
Everyone made way for Xuanzang and showed great respect for him.
When Chang'an was flooded, Xuanzang used his bowl as a boat and his robes as a cover to save many disciples of the Daxingshan Temple and innocent people, and gained great reputation.
Some even said that Xuanzang was the abbot's designated successor, the next abbot of Daxingshan Temple.
Seeing that it was Xuanzang who spoke out to stop them, the monk holding the long whip showed a hint of hesitation in his eyes. He actually respected Xuanzang very much, but his good friend had died tragically at the mouth of the water monkey, his body was a bloody mess, and his entire body has not been found to this day.
Xuanzang walked to the water monkey, looked at the scars on its body, and his eyes revealed undisguised heartache.
The water monkey also looked at Xuanzang, his black eyes full of smiles, which looked like crescent moons when squinted. Although he was covered with wounds, he was still smiling happily.
The companionship during this period has made them become close friends.
It likes to eat candy, so it is also called Xiaotang. Although Xiaotang is a water monkey, it likes to hide in the water tank and blow bubbles like a goldfish. It is very kind. Not only does it not eat fish, it also often rescues fish that accidentally bite the hook.
It couldn't bear to break even a single flower.
Someone noticed that something was wrong with Xuanzang, and when Xuanzang appeared, the water monkey stopped making any sound and became unusually quiet and well-behaved.
"This... Could it be that this water monkey... was raised by Junior Brother Xuanzang?"
"How is that possible!"
"How else do you explain the way it is now?"
"But... raising a monster... is a capital crime!"
…
As if she understood the discussions around her, Xiaotang showed an anxious look towards Xuanzang, signaling him to leave quickly and not to bother her.
It even deliberately opened its mouth towards Xuanzang, revealing its jagged teeth.
"Brother Xuanzang, be careful!"
"Brother Xuanzang, the water monkey is a monster, stay away from it!"
"Quick, get out of the way!"
…
Amid the noise of the crowd, Xuanzang looked calm. He strode to Xiaotang's side, reached out and touched its head, his eyes full of pity.
Xiaotang closed her mouth and lowered her moist eyes.
Everyone was silent.
Xuanzang looked at them, his voice sincere and firm.
"Its name is Xiaotang, and it's my friend."
