That young monk was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a clear and handsome face, a gentle expression, and a slightly dark complexion. His thin monk's robe fluttered in the wind, giving him an otherworldly air, but it was still cold winter now, and I didn't know how he wasn't afraid of the cold.

  Although he was slightly surprised and vigilant, his expression didn't reveal it. He smiled and asked, "Does this great master recognize me?"

  The monk smiled slightly and said: "I'm just guessing."

  "Can this be guessed?" asked Ning Que with a hint of surprise.

  The monk said calmly: "Because I have seen bookworms before, so I guessed that you are Mr. Thirteen."

  Ning Que couldn't help but think of the recent rumor that had been getting more and more intense, and he let out a bitter laugh.

  Mo Shan looked at the young monk, his scattered gaze gradually solidified, and he recalled the scene when they met each other in the early years. He felt a little surprised and said: "It's actually Guan Hai Shixiong, how have you been lately? What brings you to Chang'an?"

  Through her introduction, Ning Que only then realized that this young monk was actually Guan Hai, the closed-door disciple of the Abbot of the Temple of Broken Firewood, and his expression suddenly became somewhat unusual.

  This world is different from the one Ning Que used to live in, not every housewife is a master of Buddhism and Taoism, compared with the influence of the Heavenly Tao, the Buddhist sect has much less power, the Buddha's law does not flourish.

  However, the reputation of Luankuo Temple is really too great, especially for ordinary people. No one knows Xuan Kong Temple, but everyone knows Luankuo Temple. For practitioners, Luankuo Temple has a higher status than Bai Ta Temple in Yuelun Country. Even Ning Que, who had no understanding of Buddhism, had heard of the great name of Luankuo Temple and had a deep impression.

  That thousand-year-old ancient temple has gone through too many stories. Master Lian Sheng was once famous throughout the world because of his debate with the elder of Rotten Temple, and later retreated to the temple for several years of cultivation. The bloody case that started the destruction of the Demon Sect, which completely changed the face of the current cultivation world, also originated from in front of Rotten Temple.

  The first time Ning Que heard the name of the Temple of Cleansing Dust was when the Crown Prince of Longqing first entered Chang'an City. Because Longqing also gained fame by debating at the Temple of Cleansing Dust, he couldn't help but think that all those who wanted to make a name for themselves in the world had to go through this temple and participate in the grand debate organized by the other side.

  It's because of these stories that the Luohu Temple has a very special status in the cultivation world, and the elder who has been hiding in the back mountain for many years is even more senior. Since this young monk in front of him is a disciple of the Luohu Temple elder, logically speaking, he should be higher than the legendary Seven Buddhas of Buddhism.

  According to Ning Que's character, he should have gotten along well with the young monk named Guan Hai. However, in recent days, due to the so-called "entering the world" of the Academy, he had been on guard against encountering other sects coming to challenge him. At this moment, suddenly seeing someone from the Temple of Broken Firewood appear in Chang'an City, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

  "It turned out to be a great virtue of Luojia Temple, I don't know why I didn't see Shixiong in the royal court." He said with a smile.

  The young monk hastily said: "I dare not call myself a great virtue, and my master is also subordinate to you, so how can I bear the title of Master Lin Hai's elder brother? As for the matter in the wilderness, our temple has also received the divine decree from the Temple of God, but as Buddhist disciples we emphasize ascetic practice and avoiding worldly affairs, so we didn't go."

  Listening to these words, Ning Que thought that if he didn't provoke the worldly affairs, he wouldn't be greedy for those empty names. Probably, he wouldn't look for trouble himself, and his mood would be slightly calm. Moreover, seeing some admiration in the monk's clear eyes, he felt extremely comfortable. With a warm expression, he asked: "I wonder if Master has any important business in Chang'an City?"

  No matter whether it's a flower sedan or a bamboo sedan, two people are always needed to carry it. So Lin Haiqian didn't dare admit he was Shixiong, but Ning Que insisted on addressing him as such. From this, it can be seen that Dashi said indeed not wrong, the ability to deal with the world smoothly and adapt to changing circumstances, he is indeed a top-notch person in the back mountain of the Academy.

  Lin Hai took out an envelope wrapped in yellow cloth and said, "Earlier, I exchanged documents at the Ministry of Rites in your country. I was just about to leave the city for the Academy when I met Master Thirteen. This invitation happened to be delivered, and it also saved me a few steps."

  "An invitation for the academy?"

  Ning Que opened the yellow envelope and found that it was not sealed. He pulled out a very thin letter from inside, and the content on the letter was simple and clear: an invitation from the Abbot of the Temple of Broken Fire to send someone from the Academy to attend the Ghost Festival next year.

  After that conversation with Master Brother, he was very clear that in the future, if there were any worldly affairs in the academy, he would probably have to deal with them himself. So, it was certain that he would also attend the Ghost Festival at Luojia Temple, and fortunately, there was still more than a year's time to prepare well. Moreover, since the person from Luojia Temple had come to deliver an invitation, his heart became even more at ease.

  He looked at Guan Hai and smiled, saying: "Elder brother came from Luoyang Temple, should have been a good host, but I promised Mountain Master to travel together, can we have tea and chat in the evening, is it possible?"

  The monk replied respectfully: "Master Thirteen, you're too polite. I was sent by my master to Chang'an, and my studies have been delayed for some time. Since the invitation has already been delivered into your hands, I will return to the temple shortly."

  Come on, come on, we have to get back home anyway. Ning Que was thinking happily like this, but on the surface he was extremely enthusiastic about staying, even putting on a fake angry face that was unique to men from Hebei Province.

  The monk declined repeatedly and said, "I really can't delay my studies any longer. It's rare to come to Chang'an City and meet Master Thirteen himself. I have some doubts about my cultivation, so I'd like to ask Master for guidance." No problem at all! Let's say that in the evening, I'll book a table at Songhe Tower for a vegetarian meal, and we can drink two jars of wine together. We can chat and enjoy ourselves... Wait, what did you just say?

  Ning Que's words were filled with excitement and enthusiasm, perfectly embodying the image of a worldly bookworm, until he suddenly came back to his senses.

  There are many things in the world that don't need to be said, and can't be said, because saying them too clearly would make it difficult for both parties to save face. People who come from places like Shuyuan, Xiling Temple or Qiankun Temple generally have to pay attention to their demeanor.

  As a cultivator from outside the world, how can you be like a rogue from the mundane world, not saying two words or speaking a few harsh words... and then take up a watermelon knife to slash at the other person's chest or bald head?

  Even if you want to fight, you should find a more beautiful dress and a more wonderful reason for this matter. People like Ning Que and Ye Hongyu who only care about winning without considering elegance and demeanor are really rare in the cultivation world.

  Those beautiful clothes, wonderful reasons, are nothing but asking for advice on the difficulties of cultivation, discussing each other's realm and cultivation, tearing away all external things, is the true truth: Come and fight me!

  Confirming that the rotten temple monk had issued a battle invitation, Ning's face changed slightly, looking at his dark face, and couldn't help but think of Sangsang and Zhuo'er's skin tone, thinking to himself that he seemed to have clashed with people of this skin tone all his life.

  A moment later, he said sincerely: "As a monk with compassion in mind, why bother about those external vain names?"

  The monk said more sincerely: "I have been practicing in the temple for many years, and I often hear the elder mention the past when he asked for advice from Confucius. I know that the academy is one of the best places in the world, and I have always wanted to come and visit, but I was tied up by my studies and couldn't get away. Today, I finally arrived in Chang'an City, so please, Master Thirteen, sympathize with my rare greedy thoughts and don't be stingy with your teachings."

  Ning Que stared into the young monk's eyes, finding that apart from reverence, there was only reverence; apart from admiration, there was only admiration; and apart from a firm determination to fight, there was only a firm determination to fight.

  The other party is so respectful and admiring of you, how can you bear to scold them? The other party's will to fight is so firm, and they are also a monk who never eats meat and rarely eats salt, what makes you think you can persuade them?

  Ning Que was completely at a loss as to how to deal with the situation in front of him. If it were in the past when he was in Wei City, he could have run away, but now he had the heavy burdens of the Tang Empire and the Academy on his shoulders, and if he really tried to run, he would likely be exhausted.

  He was never afraid of fighting and would not be intimidated by a fight, he just worried that he might not win.

  Guan Hai is the closed-door disciple of the elder of Rotten Temple. In Ning Que's opinion, this kind of hidden character has always been very powerful, such as the closed-door disciple of the Book Saint, Mo Shanshan, or his own master... Alright, he had to admit that he was the weakest in the history of the Academy, and so he became even more unconfident about defeating his opponent.

  Fighting a battle you can't win, sometimes it's bravery, but other times it's foolishness. Under the big black umbrella, in the light snow of Chang'an City, I fell into a long silence, struggling back and forth between courage and wisdom, yet unable to come up with an answer.

  Mosan stood quietly on the other side of the big black umbrella, guessing the pain in his heart at this time, and involuntarily lowered his eyelids, blinked lightly, and used a lot of effort to hold back the smile on his face.

  Guān Hǎi Sēng rén shì gè lǎo shí rén, cóng xiǎo dào dà tā yī zhě zhe zhe zhǎng lǎo duì fū zǐ de jìng wèi yàng mù, dǎ xīn yǎn lǐ jiù méi yǒu xiǎng guò zì jǐ néng gòu zhàn shèng shū yuàn èr céng lóu de xué shēng, cǐ shí jiàn Níng Quē cháng shí jiān chén mò bù yǔ, àn xiǎng Shísān Xiānshēng dà gài bú xīang ràng zì jǐ shū de tài guò qī cǎn, bù yóu jué dé yǒu xiē gǎn dòng.

  "Master Thirteen, if you think that my cultivation is too lowly, why don't you just sit and meditate instead?" he said sincerely.

  Rather than being famous for debating at the Temple of the Fragrant Flower, you are a monk with dark skin and a name that means "Contemplating the Sea". I suspect that you eat a lot of bean oil every day, which makes you very skilled at verbal disputes. If I were to sit in meditation with you, wouldn't it be less than three breaths before you would be defeated without a word, officially declaring your defeat in the first battle of secular life?

  Losing isn't the problem, the problem is that Big Brother won't let himself lose. The problem is that it will bring shame to the academy and make Master lose face, and Master seems to be unable to bear losing face. This would lead to a series of very serious problems.

  As he thought this, he lifted his head and met the monk's clear and sincere gaze. His heart stirred slightly, and suddenly he felt that compared to the other person, he seemed to be lacking something very important.

  The snowflakes gently fell and covered the greasy surface of the big black umbrella with a thin layer.

  Ning Que looked at the monk and calmly said: "Can I trouble you, senior brother, to wait for me for half a day?"

  Monks gather to watch the sea.

  Mo Shan looked at him and asked: "What do you want to do for half a day?"

  "I need half a day to think about a very important matter."

  Ning Que finished speaking, put away the large black umbrella behind him, and walked alone towards the south of Chang'an City in the light snow. Half an hour later, he arrived at the new lake that had emerged to the south of the city, and sat down slowly among the remaining snow.