Chapter 200 Bet
Yujing Mountain, Feipeng Airport.

"What a coincidence."

He Qigong and Cui Yu saw each other, and were surprised but also felt it was reasonable.

The fight between the two was actually an extension of the court struggle in Shantong Prefecture.

The purpose of their coming to Tianjing was to pay a visit to the people behind each of them. Now that the visit is over, each of their bosses wants to make a move, so naturally they need to return to Shantong Mansion to make arrangements.

"It's a coincidence indeed."

Cui Yu smiled and nodded, still as gentle as jade.

In the setting sun, Fei Peng's huge figure slowly fell from the sky, and the shadow it brought blocked the blood-red afterglow above the Cloud Tower.

After a moment of silence, Cui Yu started the conversation first, "Brother He, did you gain anything from your visit to Tianjing?"

He Qigong put his hands behind his back and looked at Cui Yu. "You have seen all kinds of sensual pleasures and met some romantic figures. I wonder if that is a gain? But you were driven downstairs like a stray dog ​​that night. I wonder if you have gained anything?"

Cui Yu did not answer immediately. The strong wind blew up his clothes, and he thought for a long time.

The scene that day emerged in his mind where Zhou Tieyi originally wanted to use Chen Daxing to suppress Wang Mingyi, but in the end Chen Daxing gave up the idea of ​​taking the upper hand overnight and chose to stand by Wang Mingyi.

The famous poem that was appreciated by both the elite and the masses emerged, overshadowing all the other literary works in the building.

Then he bowed his hands earnestly and replied, "I have indeed gained a lot. I have seen that not only gentlemen can talk about righteousness, but everyone in the world can talk about righteousness."

He Qigong sneered disdainfully, "You are still as naive as you were back then! The victory or defeat of this world is ultimately in the hands of a few people!"

After saying that, He Qigong walked straight past Cui Yu and headed towards the Feipeng Ladder which had already landed completely.

······
Zhou Mansion, Qilin Pavilion.

Brothers Zhou Tieyi and Zhou Tiege sat upright, and Hu Wenlang sat beside them.

The time and place have been determined. Tomorrow, May 8th, the meeting will be held at Tingchao Tower, and the Right General will be in charge.

Zhou Tieyi looked at Hu Wenlang first, "Shenxiu, have you found out any useful information?"

Hu Wenlang smiled bitterly, "You really think I can find out any news."

He thought about it and told the useful information he knew.

"Shenxiu was very smart since he was young. His family originally lived at the foot of the Fahua Temple. He was able to read Buddhist scriptures by heart at the age of seven and was good at painting. He was considered to have a deep talent, so he was naturally sent to the Fahua Temple and became the direct descendant of the Fahua Temple. All we know is that Shenxiu was accepted as a direct descendant by an old monk. He copied Buddhist paintings day and night and got a chance to comprehend some of the true meaning of "The Buddha Subduing the Demons", one of the Three Treasures of the Fahua Temple. The rest of the news is unknown to outsiders."

"But from his training experience, I can guess some of his methods."

Brother Zhou Tieyi nodded and motioned Hu Wenlang to continue.

Hu Wenlang said, "Shenxiu entered Buddhism through painting. The ninth to sixth grades of the Dao of Painting are 'viewing the form', 'attaining the meaning', 'capturing the truth', and 'gathering life'."

"He is currently at the fifth level. If he wants to use Buddhism to support his own painting skills, then his own painting skills will definitely not be higher than the sixth level. He can only stay at the level before the sixth level."

Knowing that his brother might not fully understand the methods of the various schools of thought, Zhou Tiege took the opportunity to explain to Zhou Tieyi the abilities of the ninth to sixth ranks in the art of painting.

"The ninth level of painting is 'Observation of Forms', which means being good at observing things and grasping details."

Zhou Tieyi compared it with the eighth-grade merchant's 'Tongda', which also has the 'detection skill'. The eighth-grade merchant is more inclined to guess people's hearts, and at the same time, the method of reflection has already had some mysterious abilities.

But precisely because "Observing the Form" does not require the support of mysterious power, but only requires serious comprehension and observation of things, his authority of [Usurping God] was unable to deceive Xiu'er's senses at the beginning of his time travel.

"The eighth level of painting is 'Deyi'. The painter can condense the true meaning on the paper. Others can watch the painter's painting and understand the true meaning. Therefore, painters at this level can become retainers of large families, because a large number of martial arts secrets need painters to condense the true meaning in order to pass them on."

Zhou Tieyi recalled that he practiced martial arts by directly using the Zhou family's ancestral tablets to gain insights, but Ada and others certainly couldn't do it. In addition to the teacher's hands-on instruction, things like martial arts visualization diagrams are essential. After all, to become an eighth-level martial artist, 'Martial Arts God', one needs to concentrate the true meaning in one's heart.

Even further, the true forms of the Five Emperors on the scroll of [Five Emperors' Treasures] given by my mother were probably painted by at least a top-third-grade painter.

"The seventh level of painting is 'Shezhen'. The painter has achieved the state of both form and spirit. When drawing things on paper, they can look real. At the same time, with the Shezhen method, the painter can temporarily control the enemy. The more detailed the observation of the enemy, the more satisfied the painter is, and the longer the control can last."

Zhou Tieyi smiled and said, "So, my decision to not let you go out during this period was really an accident?"

Zhou Tiege rolled his eyes, "Do you really think I'm an idiot?"

"The sixth level of the Dao of Painting is 'Gathering Life'. At this point, the painter can gather life energy and make the things in the painting half-real and half-false. I have heard a rumor that an ordinary person needed a heart transplant to survive. A passing painter gathered life energy and painted a heart for him, allowing him to successfully transplant his heart. Of course, the painter I am talking about must be at more than the sixth level."

After listening to the cultivation of the first six stages of the Dao of Painting, Zhou Tieyi asked a key question, "What are the advantages and disadvantages of switching to another Dao?"

This question concerns his own martial arts. Zhou Tieyi had never had time to ask about it before, but today is a good opportunity for him to answer his own confusion.

Hu Wenlang looked at Zhou Tiege, and Zhou Tiege gestured for Hu Wenlang to explain.

"In fact, the vast majority of practitioners, unless for special reasons, will choose to follow one path and will not choose to practice another path."

"There are three difficulties in switching to another path. First, you need to find the common point of the two paths as a bridge to connect the two paths. Although we say it is easy, after the middle level, each path has already begun to practice Qi and spirit. If you make a mistake in switching to another path and fail to find the common point, at the least you will damage your Qi and spirit, or you will be seriously injured and unable to heal. At the worst, the great paths will clash and you will die on the spot."

“Shenxiu was able to enter Buddhism through painting because he already had a complete lineage of [The Buddha Subduing the Demons] before him, and the reason why he was willing to take the path of entering Buddhism through painting was precisely so that he could better comprehend and inherit the lineage of [The Buddha Subduing the Demons].”

Zhou Tieyi nodded to indicate that he understood.

From this point of view, whether you use martial arts to enter the army or to enter the Tao, there will be no additional danger to yourself, because the previous dangers have been explored by a large number of predecessors at the cost of their lives, so a safe path is left.

"Secondly, if one changes from a minor path to a major path, then it's not a big deal, as it is equivalent to improving one's own foundation. However, if one changes from a major path to a minor path, then it is almost like cutting off one's own path to the future. If one changes from a minor path to a minor path, then it is even more dangerous and unpredictable."

"What is the great way and what is the small way?"

Zhou Tieyi asked seriously. Even though he already had a rough guess in his mind, it was always good to ask humbly when it came to matters of cultivation.

Hu Wenlang smiled and said, "Of course, the schools that have produced first-class people and saints are the great schools, and the other hundred schools are all minor schools."

"Let me give you the simplest example. Not to mention that using martial arts to enter Taoism and using martial arts to enter the military is a grand path, even the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism can almost be transformed into each other without any hindrance. And because there are so many people, the transformation methods and key points of each stage have been explored by predecessors, and the corresponding methods of practice have been left behind."

“But if Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are transformed into minor paths, for example, many Confucian sixth-grade practitioners who are unable to establish their reputation, morality and merit will try to switch to minor paths to break through to the upper third level. However, almost at the same time as they enter the upper third level, their own practice has come to an end, because the end of this minor path is the third level, unless they have the opportunity to rebuild the great path and return to the right path in the future.”

At first, Che Wenyuan couldn't find an opportunity to make a name for himself, so he thought of turning to chess and achieving the third level first.

"And the Confucian seven-level 'self-cultivation' allows one to practice several minor paths at the same stage without any hindrance. So while it may seem difficult to enter the top three levels of Confucianism, there are actually a lot of people who belong to the top three levels of Confucianism, even more than Buddhism and Taoism."

So this is the logic.

After listening to Hu Wenlang's talk, Zhou Tieyi roughly understood why Confucianism was so dominant in the way of spiritual practice.

To put it simply, the upper limit is high and there are many job transfers possible.

For most people, even families with hundreds of years of heritage, the third rank is already rare. Even if the future is bleak after switching to a minor path, it is still completely worth it. Not everyone who practices cultivation feels that they have the hope of achieving enlightenment and becoming a saint.

"Third, after switching to another path, most people need to start over again to cultivate the foundation of the new path to avoid a superficial foundation. This will take a lot of time."

After explaining to Zhou Tieyi the pros and cons of changing his cultivation, Hu Wenlang continued to talk about Monk Shenxiu, "Even though Shenxiu is extremely talented and has been understanding Buddhism since childhood, he is too old to complete his Buddhist foundation at the Fahua Temple even if he changes his cultivation." At this point, Hu Wenlang couldn't help but look at Zhou Tieyi, "Except for you, you monster."

Zhou Tiege, who had fought Shenxiu before, said with certainty, "The most important doctrine of the Fahua Temple is to use martial arts to enter Buddhism. When I fought Shenxiu, his physical strength was completely not up to the level of using martial arts to enter Buddhism."

"So we only need to consider his ability of the fifth level of Buddhist 'universal salvation'. Universal salvation means saving others and saving oneself."

"In battle, the Buddhist 'Pudu' is particularly powerful in suppressing the mind, especially killing intent, anger, and hatred. Many warriors can't even lift a butcher knife in front of a fifth-grade Buddhist."

"And the real power of Pudu is that every time he saves a person, he naturally gathers the corresponding merit power, and when needed, turns it into great power to help them save themselves from disasters. For example, if he helps others cross a one-mile wide river, then the gathered merit power will turn into a small boat that can just cross a one-mile wide river when needed. So at the fifth level, the means of the Buddhists are unfathomable."

Zhou Tieyi smiled and said, "I was wondering why Shenxiu was so kind and wanted to save us brothers. It turns out he was waiting here."

Hu Wenlang nodded slightly. Yes, saving Zhou Tieyi brothers, saving one person is equivalent to saving tens of millions of people, so why not do it?

If Shenxiu really had the ability to convert Zhou Tieyi to Buddhism, Hu Wenlang estimated that Shenxiu would immediately complete the fifth level of practice.

······
The junction of Zhuque City and Yujing Mountain.

After passing Youtianfang in Zhuque City, you will reach the first floor. Because these four buildings are extremely majestic and magnificent, they are also known as the Four Heavenly Gates. For Zhuque City, it is naturally the South Heavenly Gate.

Tingchao Tower is a huge five-story circular tower with red beams, green tiles, and overhanging arches and flying eaves.

A huge stage is placed in the hollow of the tower. The entire specially treated circular structure can amplify the sound from the central stage and transmit it to each floor clearly but not noisily.

When there is no novelist on the stage, the breeze passes through the huge stage, forming the sound of waves, which is very interesting, so it is named "Listening to the Tide".

After being published three times in the Tianjing News, Hu Wenlang's "Qi Xiaosheng Conquers the Underworld" had become widely circulated. In addition, the publicity and hype about the battle between the two young talents immediately attracted the attention of the entire Tianjing.

Today, Tingchao Tower was naturally packed and tickets were hard to come by.

At the entrance of Tingchao Tower, Monk Kūkai, Monk Shenxiu, and a group of people from the Zhao family had just arrived. Zhou Yulong, Gongshu Sheng and the Zhou Tieyi brothers also arrived at the right time.

Not long after, Yuchi Pojun arrived with his eldest grandson and eldest granddaughter. As soon as they arrived, Yuchi Pojun laughed and said, "It's quite lively today."

He wanted to casually say that it had been a long time since it was so lively, but when his eyes fell on Zhou Tieyi, he stopped with an unnatural expression.

Two months ago, he would naturally say this, but in the past two months, Zhou Tieyi's "trouble" has made him a little unbearable.

"Meet the Right General."

People on both sides greeted Yuchi Pojun at the same time.

Yuchi Pojun nodded slightly, "Since we are already here, let's go in together."

When they entered the Tingchao Tower, everyone sat on the first floor to watch the best seat on the stage. Hu Wenlang had already gone on stage. The entire stage had only a table, a chair, a screen and a wake-up stick.

After everyone sat down, Yuchi Pojun was the first to speak, "Today is not a fight of life and death, but a fight of gambling."

Zhou Tieyi was not surprised by Yuchi Pojun's words.

Since I can ask for help from Yuchi Pojun, the Queen Zhao family naturally has a way.

Killing Zhou Tiege would only make Zhou Yulong go berserk, and the Queen Mother now needs to unite with Zhou Tieyi to suppress all officials. Shenxiu also only needs to "convert" Zhou Tiege and there is no need to kill him at all.

Therefore, a life-and-death fight is of no use to the Zhao family. Instead, a gambling fight is the most beneficial. That's why they agreed to have Yuchi Pojun as the notary, because this second-rank military strategist has the ability to suppress the battlefield at the critical moment and judge the outcome of the situation.

As a mother, Zhou Yulong would certainly not refuse this proposal. Even if her son had a 90% chance of winning, it would be a loss for a mother if her son was seriously injured by others in a life-and-death fight.

However, Zhou's mother did not make a judgment immediately. Instead, she looked at her two sons, but the meaning in her eyes was self-evident.

I suspect that if I object this time, even if my brother wins, I will really get a good beating with the stick when I go back.

Zhou Tieyi thought to himself, however, compared to the current situation of alliance with the Queen Mother and suppression of all officials, the life of Monk Shenxiu was indeed not worth it.

The Mo Shi case that he had concocted was about to break out, and it was not appropriate to expose it now while he was in the honeymoon period with the queen.

Zhou Tieyi nodded slightly, and Zhou's mother smiled, "Yes, but since it's a gambling fight, then the stakes must be higher. Otherwise, it would be meaningless for so many of us to worry about this matter."

Zhao Guanshan asked calmly, "I wonder what bets Madam Zhou has prepared?"

Zhou Yulong smiled slightly, took out a jade box and opened it. In the jade box was a transparent fish with slightly white bones, swimming flexibly like glass. What's more peculiar is that the jade box is only two feet wide, but the fish can swim in the two-foot-wide jade box as if it were a lake one mile wide.

"Hypotheosis fish!"

Even Yuchi Pojun couldn't help but speak out, and his voice couldn't hide his surprise.

When Zhao Guanshan saw the fish, he remembered the records in the book.

There is a fish in the void, which lives for a thousand years and can travel tens of thousands of miles in a day without hindrance. It is very good at hiding and can perceive the small world, which is invaluable.

The virtual fish has no self-preservation or attack capabilities, but every ability of the virtual fish is extremely precious to the upper three-grade practitioners, especially the ability to sense the existence of the small thousand worlds, which is almost equivalent to an advanced treasure-hunting rat.

Zhou Tieyi has been catching up on a lot of knowledge recently, so he naturally recognized this famous virtual fish.

Mother, you are really not modest at all. You say you are good at fishing and you can really catch this kind of fish.

Zhou Tieyi estimated that his mother had raised this fish for at least twenty to thirty years. It was conceivable how many treasures his mother had obtained over the years with this virtual fish that could perceive and travel through the small world. It was simply the standard pet configuration for the protagonist of destiny!

If he had not been trapped in Yujing Mountain for the next twenty years by a sacred decree, unable to move, the treasures he would have obtained would have been countless.

Zhao Guanshan sighed, "It's too expensive."

If this fish was used as a bet, he even felt that his bet would exceed that of Shenxiu, the direct descendant of the Fahua Temple.

After all, no matter how precious the direct descendant's fish is, it is not so precious when facing a strange fish that can live for thousands of years and is good at finding treasures.

Zhou's mother smiled and said, "The three treasures of Fahua Temple, the Luo Han Guo is about to bear fruit again. I won't bully you. I will use this virtual fish to bet you three Luo Han Guos!"

If it was the Arhat tree, Fahua Temple would never have put it up for gambling, and Zhou's mother would not have wanted it either, because the tree had been bearing fruit for too long, and without the nourishment of Buddhism, it did not have its original magical effect at all.

But Luo Han Guo can be used as a bet. This Luo Han Guo is similar to the peach and plum in Confucianism, but it is more precious. Only three fruits are produced in a hundred years, and almost every fruit can help people become Luo Han.

The stakes were high, almost equivalent to the foundation of the orthodox tradition of the Fahua Temple for a hundred years. Even if Kūkai lost, he would need to go back and give an explanation to the many monks.

Konghai thought about it for a long time and concluded that Zhou's mother did not bully them and could even be said to be quite generous, so the bet was established.

What's more crucial is... Konghai looked at Zhou Tieyi. The Queen Mother said that the time to convert Zhou Tieyi has not yet come, which means that he has a chance to convert Zhou Tieyi to Buddhism. Before that, Zhou Yulong got the Luo Han Guo, two of which were also given to his two sons.

"it is good!"

Kong Hai should place a bet, but not on the current game, but on the Queen's timing not coming yet!

(End of this chapter)