Ch. 7 Master Daoyue is summoned
* 1⢠Dogaku Hoshi
This end. Master Daoyue was announced and quickly arrived at the palace. When the emperor saw him, his tone was not very harsh. The tassels of his crown were slightly swaying, and the front of the crown was lowered and the back was lower. This expression method gradually improved gradually, but the monks and nuns were a different matter.
"Master, the monk Xuanzang came out of seclusion, what happened?" The master lowered his head slightly as if he was ashamed. He felt that the emperor's eyes were glaring, and he hurriedly replied:
"Back to your majesty, the ascetic Xuanzang did discuss the matter with the poor monk. The poor monk tried his best to persuade him to give up his plan, but he persuaded the master not to move. Xuanzang's stubborn character---however, your majesty, I handed down a piece of writing. I don't know where it went. I also secretly regret that the person who spreads the Dharma has left. Please take a look at it!" He said with a look of sadness.
"Where is the writing now?" Taizong asked.
"The poor monk has brought it." He immediately handed it over to the eunuch of the inner palace and presented it respectfully. There is a short sentence in the book that says:
"It is true that the scriptures have not yet been exhausted, so I should seek what I have never heard."
"I wish for something unheard of..." the emperor muttered to himself.
Even the emperor couldn't help but be moved by such an idea and such a mind that he was willing to take risks and leave a book just to "pursue something unheard of". ãããã
Fu Yi saw that the old monk was arrogant and was about to make some more sarcastic remarks. However, Taizong was impatient and had no words to say, so he waved his hand and issued an order.
: "Okay! According to my decree, I ordered all the border areas to hunt down and bring that audacious monk back to me!"
* 2⢠Outside the City Gate: Human Eating Human
A lean old man came over tremblingly on crutches and said, "Master, be merciful. This horse of yours can save many lives."
"It? Can it save people?" Xuanzang looked at the little white dragon with some confusion. This beautiful horse had followed him through most of the Central Plains, but had never been used for farming.
Besides, even if it had the ability, it would be too late now.
When Xuanzang turned his confused eyes to the victims again, he couldn't help but be shocked!
Many people were looking at the little white dragon. His eyes, which had been dull due to hunger, were glowing again, with a green wolf-like luster! This brilliance made him feel scared, even a little guilty.
"A horse this big can feed itself for several days." He heard someone whispering.
"Yeah, it's been a long time since I've had any oily smell..."
More gulping sounds followed.
Xuanzang was stunned. Fear gripped his heart like a nightmare, making him unable to breathe!
He had never thought that the little white dragon could be eaten. To him, it was a life full of spiritual energy and a friend who could communicate with him with tender eyes.
"No..." He hugged his horse and said weakly, "You can't eat it! It, it didn't do anything wrong, it doesn't deserve to die..."
The old man hesitated to speak, but the young man said nothing and kept kowtowing. His forehead was bleeding from the blow, but he knew nothing about it. Behind him, more people joined the kowtow team.
Looking at the victims with children and sallow faces in front of him, Xuanzang felt that he was the most helpless one. He had no way to untie this knot. Looking around, there was not a single livestock among the crowd. Apparently, everything that could be eaten had been eaten.
He turned around and looked at Little White Dragon. This beautiful horse that followed him from Hanchuan to Yizhou, from Yizhou to Chang'an, and then westward from Chang'an was also looking at him peacefully at this moment, with warm and gentle eyes. He had no idea that he was about to be in disaster.
After eight years of getting along, a solid mutual trust has been established between man and horse.
Xuanzang felt sour in his heart. He knew that the vitality of horses was much stronger than that of humans, and the little white dragon was stronger than ordinary horses in this aspect. It is less than ten years old. This age is like a person in his late twenties and early twenties. His physical strength, energy, and intelligence are all at their peak. It is the golden period. By eating hay and chaff, it will definitely be able to survive this famine!
The same cannot be said for humans. If a stable food source cannot be found, even if the horse is eaten, it will only be able to survive for three or two days at most, and will eventually die.
The Buddha said that all living beings are equal, so why must the little white dragon die to save those who may not be saved at all?
However, facing these victims, he really didn't know what to say. His originally fluent language became stammering, as if all this was his fault: "It, it is my... friend... please, don't eat it... you... you... eat me."
In the past, the Buddha could sacrifice his life to feed tigers and cut his flesh to feed eagles, so why would he not be able to part with it?
The old man shook his head and said, "Master is a practitioner. If I eat you, wouldn't I have committed a huge sin?"
"The ascetics are voluntary." Xuanzang heard from the old man's tone that this seemed feasible, and he felt refreshed. "The ascetics are willing to bear all the responsibility for your crimes. Even if you have to go to hell, it is the ascetics who will go there!"
The old man looked at Xuanzang and smiled miserably: "Master is really compassionate. He is willing to imitate Buddha and sacrifice his life. It is really respectable. However, I wonder how many bodies the master can give up? Does the master really think that he can keep this horse by giving up his body?"
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Xuanzang was stunned. He didn't know how to answer this question.
Looking at the victims with children and sallow faces in front of him, Xuanzang felt that he was the most helpless one. He couldn't solve the problem and the old man sighed: "I don't know how many famines I have experienced in my life. It's not unusual for people to eat people during famine years. I was a 'vegetarian' back then, and I was almost eaten by others."
The old man sighed: "I don't know how many famines I have experienced in my life. It's not unusual for people to eat people during famine years. I was a 'vegetarian' back then and I was almost eaten by others."
Looking at the victims with children and sallow faces in front of him, Xuanzang felt that he was the most helpless one. He could not solve the problem. The old man sighed: "I have experienced many famines in my life. It is not unusual for people to eat others during famine years. I was a 'vegetarian' back then and was almost eaten by others." "Restaurant?" Xuanzang's heart trembled.
"It was quite a few years ago." The old man raised his head and recalled, "not to mention the current dynasty, even the previous dynasty has not been established yet. There are conquests and wars everywhere, and Guanzhong has suffered from severe drought for many years, and the land is thousands of miles away. Many people really have no choice but to exchange their children for food. They call the children who are eaten 'vegetable people'..."
Xuanzang remembered that in Luoyang that year, there had also been the tragedy of exchanging children and eating them. His heart clenched tighter, and the wounds that he thought had healed began to bleed again...
The old man was very calm and his voice was soothing, as if he was telling a story that had nothing to do with him: "The little old man was only eleven or twelve years old at that time. My father took my hand and walked a long way, and then handed me over to a stranger, who also handed a child to my father..."
Having said this, the old man paused, looked at Xuanzang's compassionate eyes, and smiled miserably: "Master, do you want to know how I survived?"
Xuanzang remained silent and did not speak.
The old man thought to himself and said: "It's actually very simple. The man took me to a small thatched house and tied me to a wooden stake. When he came back, he wanted to get a kitchen knife to kill me..."
He raised his head and recalled the situation at that time: "But he was so hungry that he had no strength. The binding was not strong at all, and he fell down when he raised the knife and never got up again..."
Having said this, the old man smiled sadly, with a sad look in his weathered eyes: "It's really strange. I knew that I was going to be eaten as a dish, but I wasn't afraid at all. I really wasn't afraid. It seemed like that was my fate... The same was true for the child who was handed over to my father's hands. There was only confusion in his eyes, no fear. We all accepted the fate."
"What happened to the child?" Xuanzang finally asked with great effort.
"What else can I do?" the old man said with a sad smile, "He is not as lucky as me. After returning home, I even ate his meat..."
Xuanzang felt dizzy and his whole body was filled with discomfort.
"Do you feel bad, Master?" Looking at the monk's pale face, the old man asked softly.
Xuanzang closed his mouth tightly and did not answer. I just felt like my stomach was churning. Fortunately, I didn't eat anything, otherwise I would have vomited it out.
There was still a smile on the old man's face. To Xuanzang, that smile seemed to come from hell: "Actually, people who eat people feel even worse and will never feel better. During those days, our whole family was in a trance and felt that we were sinners. In our sleep, we saw that the door to hell had been opened for us... Well, who is willing to eat people unless it is a last resort?"
"So what if it's a last resort?" Xuanzang suddenly burst out and asked painfully, "Is it okay to eat people if it's a last resort?"
"If we don't eat people, everyone will die." The old man said calmly, "Eating people can at least partially survive."
"So what if you survive?" Xuanzang still found it unreasonable. The Pure Land Temple had been without food for many days, but no one thought of eating those brothers who died of hunger, let alone eating the living people.
Even if lay people have different ideas from monks, after all, they are all human beings and the same kind. How can they eat it?
"In order to live, can you ignore everything?" He couldn't help but ask, "You said that a person who has eaten people will never feel better in his life, because his heart has already gone to hell! What is the difference between surviving like this and being a walking dead?"
"Yes, what the mage said is absolutely correct." The old man said leisurely, "But since there is a chance to live, who is willing to die?"
Xuanzang was speechless for a moment. In his opinion, it was unacceptable to exchange a lifetime of mental pain for a short few decades of physical survival. But he really didn't want to refute it.
The old man's eyes fell on the little white dragon again, and he seemed to be looking forward to it: "Eating humans is uncomfortable, but eating horses is different... Master, you said you were willing to sacrifice your life, but in that case, we will always be burdened with sin in our hearts!"
"Yes." Someone whispered next to him, "Horses are beasts after all..."
Yes, Xuanzang thought sadly, when the so-called last resort comes, there is no guilt in eating humans, let alone eating horses?
In fact, with Xuanzang's eloquence, he could have had a discussion on this issue with this experienced old man who understood Buddhism well. But at this time, he was completely out of mood. The suffering in the world had already weighed his heart to the point where he could not breathe.
The little white dragon, which had already drank water by the river, walked over slowly. It looked extremely peaceful and looked at its owner with its big innocent eyes.
Xuanzang hugged the horse's face and stroked it gently. His hands were trembling slightly, and his heart felt like being stabbed by thousands of steel cones. The pain was so painful that his eyes turned black and he wished he could die immediately!
Can we refuse the requests of these victims? If you refuse, the victims will certainly not force you. But looking at the current situation, it won't be long before they can eat people, and those skinny children, those orphans who unfortunately lost their parents, will be the first victims;
If he agreed to the victims' request and handed over the little white dragon, no matter whether he could save them in the end, it would at least delay their cannibalism for a few days. The little white dragon is tall and strong. Whether it is eating or selling, it can hold up to dozens of children...
Maybe in a few days, the situation will improve, and they can go to Hexi, find food, and overcome this difficulty...
Thinking of this, Xuanzang raised his head, faced the old man, and smiled sadly: "The Samana can give you the horse, but you don't want to eat it. I just passed a market, not far to the east. You can go there and sell it in exchange for some food."
This was his last effort for Xiao Bailong's survival.
The old man was silent.
Xuanzang prayed: "Although it is not a human being, it has human friendship. It really understands everything. The Samana only asks you to spare its life."
The old man looked at him and finally nodded: "Okay, I promise the Master."
Xuanzang turned his attention to the other victims, who all nodded hurriedly.
He turned around silently, took off the luggage from the horse, and handed the reins to the old man's hand with trembling hands.
The little white dragon didn't feel anything strange at all. It still stood there calmly and noblely.
Xuanzang felt that he was about to collapse. He struggled to carry his luggage, took one last look at his beloved horse, bowed slightly to the old man and bowed, then turned around and walked westward without looking back.
He doesn't know why he made such a decision, maybe it's just because he is also a human being, and things are only as good as their own...
The victims knelt together and shouted in unison: "Thank you, Master, for your mercy..."
He raised his sleeves and gently wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes.