Chapter 13 Chapter 09 Millennium Cedar

Early in the morning, the bells of Dangdang came from the mountain of Qibao Temple.This is not a routine bell, but a sign that the deadline for the third day has come.I don't know if it's a good news?Or bad news?Everyone in the village shouted: "listen!" Everyone rushed to the mountain. "Caught it! Musashi caught it!" "Oh, really?" "Who told him to tie him up?" "It's Master Ze'an!" In front of the main hall, the crowd continued to gather around.Musashi was tied to the railing of the steps like a beast, and everyone stared at him.

"Oh--" Some people swallowed their saliva as if seeing a ghost in Dajiangshan. Zean sat down on the steps with a smile: "Elders and elders, now you can farm with peace of mind!" People immediately regarded Ze'an as the patron saint of the village, and treated him differently like a hero. Some people knelt on the ground, while others held his hand and worshiped before him. "Don't dare to be! Don't dare to be!" Zean waved his hands vigorously to those who worshiped him blindly and said: "Fathers and brothers, listen carefully. It's not that I'm amazing when I catch Musashi, but it's God's will. No one can succeed in violating the laws of the world. What's amazing is the laws!"

"It's even more remarkable that you are so humble!" "You have to praise me like this, it's fine that I'm great. But, everyone, I have something to discuss with you now." "Oh? Discuss what?" "At the beginning, I made an appointment with the vassals of the princes of Ikeda. If Musashi cannot be caught within three days, I will be hanged. If I catch him, let me deal with Musashi." "We've heard about it!" "However, um... what should we do? He has been caught here, kill him? Or let him go?" "How can you let him go?"

Everyone shouted in unison. "We must kill him! This kind of terrible person, what's the use of letting him live? He will only become a demon haunting the village!" "Ok……" Ze An didn't know what he was thinking, and everyone was getting a little impatient. "Kill him!" The people behind shouted. At this time, an old woman squeezed to the front in the confusion, stared at Musashi, and walked to him.She waved her mulberry cane: "Just killing him, can I get rid of the anger in my stomach-this hateful face!" After slapping him two or three times, he said:

"Master Ze'an!" This time, Ashan looked at him with eyes that wanted to eat people. "What are you doing? Granny!" "My son, Youba, was missed by this guy all his life, and made me lose the incense of my original Tian family." "Hmph, is it another eight? That guy is worthless, you'd better take another foster son." "What are you talking about? Both good and bad are my son. Musashi is my son's enemy and should be handed over to me, an old woman." Just after finishing speaking, someone interrupted the old woman from behind: "No!"

The crowd seemed afraid of touching the hem of the man's clothes, and immediately gave way.It turned out to be the leader of Soushan, Bazihu. He looked displeased and looked terribly frightening! "Hey! This is not watching the fun! All you ordinary people, get out of here!" The mustache cursed angrily. Zean also interrupted: "No, elders, there is no need to retreat. I called you here to discuss how to deal with Musashi! Please stay." "Shut up!" The mustache puffed up his chest, stared at Ze'an, Ashanpo, and the crowd and said: "Musashi is a major criminal who has violated the laws of the country. In addition, he is a remnant of Sekigahara's party, and he cannot be handed over to others for disposal. No matter what, he must be handed over to the people above."

"Oh No!" Zean shook his head: "It's not a contract." His attitude is very firm. The character mustache jumped up because it was related to his own interests: "Master Ze'an! The people above may ask you for a deposit! Please leave Musashi to me!" Ze'an couldn't help laughing out loud when he heard this ridiculous statement.He didn't answer either, just smiled. "No, no rudeness! What's so funny?" "Who is being rude? Hey! Mr. Beard, do you want to break the contract with Zean? Yes, you can try it! Zean I caught Musashi, let him go immediately!"

The villagers were shocked and turned around to flee. "how?" "..." "I let Musashi go. You compete with him and catch him yourself." "Hey! Wait!" "What's up?" "It took so much effort to catch him, you won't really let him go, cause another commotion! ... That's all right, you will behead Musashi, and the head will be handed over to me!" "Head?... This is not a joke. It is the monk's job to hold a funeral. If you leave the corpse to you, our temple will have no business!" Ze'an was like a child playing a game. After finishing the sarcasm, he said to the villagers:

"Although I asked everyone for their opinions, it seems that I can't make a decision at once. Even if I want to kill him, but let him die too happily, the old woman still can't get rid of the anger in her heart--that's right! Hang Musashi on the top of a thousand-year-old cedar tree How about tying his hands to the tree trunk, blowing and raining for four or five days, and then let the crows eat his eyes?" "..." Probably thought it was a bit cruel, so no one answered.At this time, A Shanpo spoke: "Master Ze'an! You are really wise. But four or five days is not enough. I think he should be sunbaked on the top of a thousand-year-old fir tree for ten or twenty days, and finally I, an old woman, will pierce his throat."

After she finished speaking, Zean replied easily: "Then, it's decided!" He grabbed the rope that bound Musashi. Musashi lowered his head silently and walked under the thousand-year-old cedar tree. Although the villagers felt sorry for him, the previous anger had not completely subsided.They immediately used hemp rope to hang his body on the treetop two feet high, just like hanging a scarecrow. When Atong came down from the mountain and returned to the temple and entered his room, he suddenly felt alone, so lonely, so lonely. Why is this? Being alone doesn't just start now.In the temple, at least there are other people, and there are lights.And the three days on the mountain were spent in silence and darkness, and there were only two people with Master Zean.But why is it lonely when you go back to the temple?

This seventeen-year-old girl really wanted to understand her emotions. She leaned against the small coffee table in front of the window with her face on her back, and remained motionless for a long time. I understand!Atong could see his state of mind clearly.Loneliness, like hunger, is not something external.If you are not satisfied in your heart, you will taste the taste of loneliness. In the temple, people kept coming and going, there were fires and lights, and it looked very lively.However, these are not a cure for loneliness. On the mountain, although there are only silent trees, and clouds and darkness, there is Zean with her.His words can hit the nail on the head, touch the heart, are brighter than fire, and can inspire people. I feel lonely because Master Zean is not around!Aton stood up. But this Zean has been discussing something with the retainers of the Himeji Domain in the living room since he disposed of Musashi.After returning to the village, he has been very busy, unable to chat with himself like he did when he was on the mountain. With that in mind, she sat back down again.At this moment, she deeply realized the importance of a confidant, not asking for more, just one person is fine.A person who can understand herself, give herself strength, and trust herself—she needs this kind of confidant! She longed for this kind of friend, almost crazy! Although the flute—the relic of her parents—was by her side, when the girl turned seventeen, a cold bamboo could no longer comfort her heart, and she needed a more real object to share her joy with. "How cruel..." Thinking of this, she couldn't help but hate Ben Tian Youba's cold-blooded heart.Tears wet the table, her lonely and angry blood swelled until her temples turned blue, and her head began to throb. Someone quietly opened the sliding door behind her. I don't know when, the monk's room in the big temple was full of twilight.Through the open door, you can see the kitchen lights flickering red. "Oh! So you're here? . . . You've been here all day?" Talking to herself, it was Ashanpo who entered the house. "Ah! Auntie?" She hurriedly took out the cushion, and A Shan sat down like a wooden fish without saying a word. "young married woman!" She looked serious. "yes!" A-Tong seemed a little afraid, and bowed with both hands on the ground. "I came here to clarify what's on your mind, and I have something else to tell you. Just now I have been talking with the monk Nazawaan and the samurai from Himeji. The abbot here doesn't even give me tea. , I’m so thirsty! Pour a cup of tea for Grandma first!” "It's nothing else..." After receiving the green tea offered by Atong, Grandma immediately said: "I can't believe what that kid Musashi said! But I heard that Youba is still alive in a foreign land!" "yes?" Atong reacted coldly. "No, even if he dies, you still have to be the bride of Matahachi, and the master of this temple will be your parents, and you will marry into the Tian family in a dignified way. No matter what happens in the future, you will not have second thoughts, will you?" "yes……" "Really not?" "yes……" "In this way, I can rest assured! Also, the world loves to gossip. If I can't come back on August 1st, I will have a lot of inconvenience alone. It is not an option to rely on my married daughter all the time. So, you will leave the temple recently. Move to Benbit Tian's house." "Is it me?……" "Will anyone else marry into Ben Weitian's family?" "but……" "Do you hate living with me?" "No...no such thing, but..." "You tidy up your things first!" "Can you wait until the eighth brother comes back?" "no!" Ash said seriously: "Until my son comes back, no man can defile your body. It is my responsibility to supervise my daughter-in-law's conduct. You should be by my mother-in-law's side, and before my son comes back, learn farming, silkworm raising, needlework, and life etiquette. Teach you everything. Okay?" "Okay...okay..." Atong was so helpless that even he could hear the tone of crying in his voice. "and also." A Shan said in a commanding tone: "About Musashi, what kind of medicine is sold in the gourd of the monk Ze'an? I don't know, grandma. It just so happens that you are from this temple. Before Musashi wailes, you keep an eye on him--in the middle of the night If you don't pay attention, that Zean will do something!" "So... I don't have to leave the temple now?" "You can't do two things at once. The day Musashi's head hits the ground is the day you bring your luggage to Honida's house. Do you understand?" "learn." "I made it all clear!" A Shan made sure again before leaving. Then—a figure appeared outside the window, as if he had been waiting for this opportunity. "A-Tong! A-Tong!" Someone was calling her softly. She looked up and saw that it was the mustache standing there.He suddenly held her hand firmly through the window: "I was taken care of by you a lot in the past. I have to go back to Himeji because of the official documents from Fanli!" "Ah! That's right..." She wanted to retract her hand, but the mustache gripped even tighter. "Fanli learned about this and asked me to go back and report in detail. If I can bring Musashi's head back, I will not only be beautiful, but also easy to explain. But that monk Ze'an will not give me anything.  … However, you are the only one who is on my side, right? ... This letter, I will read it later when there is no one around." Mustache stuffed something into her hand, and then sneaked away down the hill! It seems that there is not only a letter, but also a lot of things. She understands the ambition of Mustache very well.A little scared in my heart, I opened it tremblingly, and there was a dazzling Qingda gold coin wrapped inside. The letter reads: "Miss Atong, have you eaten yet?" Ze An's voice came from outside, and Atong stepped out while putting on his straw sandals, and said to Ze An: "Don't want to eat tonight. I have a headache—" "What's that? You're holding it." "letter." "who?" "Would you like to see it?" "if you do not mind." "not at all." A Tong handed it to him, and Ze An laughed after reading it. "He has nothing to do, so he wants to use money and wealth to buy Miss Atong! After reading this letter, I realized that the name of the mustache is Aoki Tanzaemon! There are also strange warriors in the world. Anyway, this is something to be happy about. thing." "It's nothing. But he has money in his letter. What should we do with it?" "Oh! It's a lot of money!" "It's really nerve-wracking..." "Are you talking about what to do with the money?" Ze'an took the money, walked towards the main hall, and threw the money into the sesame oil cash box, then stuck the money on his forehead and bowed. "Okay, you take this money, and nothing will happen." "However, I am worried that I will get involved with him in the future." "This money is no longer bearded. Just now I donated the money to the Tathagata Buddha, and I received this money from the Tathagata Buddha. You can treat it as a talisman!" He tucked the money into Atong's belt. "... Ah! It's windy tonight!" He looked up to the sky and said. "It hasn't rained for a long time..." "Spring is over, it rains heavily, and it's not bad to wash away the scattered petals and people's laziness!" "What will Musashi do if it rains heavily?" "Well, that person?" The two of them looked up at the Millennium Cedar at the same time.At this moment, standing on the tree in the wind, a human voice came: "Ze An! Ze An!" "Hey! Musashi?" He stared. "Bastard monk! You fake monk of Zean! I have something to tell you. You go under the tree—" The wind blew the tops of the trees constantly shaking, and Musashi's voice sounded extraordinarily shrill.The cedar leaves kept falling down, hitting Daichi and Zean in the face. "Haha! Musashi, you look very energetic!" Takuan stepped on the straw sandals and walked to the tree that made the sound. "You look very energetic, but you're not insane because you're too afraid of death?" He stepped into position and looked up. "Shut up!" Musashi shouted again. It should be said that he was full of anger, not spirit. "If I am afraid of death, why should I be bound by you?" "Accept the bondage because I am strong and you are weak." "You monk! What are you talking about?" "It's so loud! If you think the statement just now is not good, then you can change it, because I am smart and you are too stupid!" "Hmph! Tell me more!" "Okay, okay! Mr. Monkey on the tree, after a lot of trouble, he was tied up and hung on this big tree. What else can you do? What a shame!" "Listen! Zean!" "Oh! What's the matter?" "At that time, if I, Musashi, wanted to fight with you, I would crush you, a rotten cucumber, without any effort!" "It's useless, it's too late." "You... What are you talking about?...You monk tricked me into tying me up with your flattering words. I really didn't expect to suffer such humiliation alive." "go on……" Zean said nonchalantly. "But, why?...Why don't you cut off my Musashi's head quickly?...I thought, I have to choose to die. Rather than fall into the hands of the fellows in the village or the enemy, it's better to hand myself over to you. A monk who looks like a samurai. I didn't expect that I was wrong." "Is this the only thing that's wrong? Don't you think that everything you did before was wrong? You hang there and reflect on it." "Whispering! I think I have a clear conscience. Although Youba's mother called me an enemy, it is my responsibility to tell his mother the news about Youba, and it is the moral duty of a friend. That's why I went to the guard post and returned to the Come to the village—isn’t that also against the way of the samurai?” "It's not these trivial matters. In the big picture, your heart-nature-that is, your basic thinking is wrong. It seems that you have imitated one or two superficial actions of a warrior, but you have learned nothing. Yes. On the contrary, I think I have a sense of justice. The more you use force to solve the problem, the more you will hurt yourself, the more trouble you will bring to others, and you will end up in the end... How about it? Musashi, the view from above is good, right?" "Stinky monk! Remember it!" "Before you are dried, take a good look at the vastness of the world from above. Look down on the human world from a high place, and reflect on yourself! After death, when you go to see your ancestors, tell them that your dying At that time, a monk named Ze'an asked you to do these things. They must be very pleased that you have been well guided." ——Before that, Atong, who had been standing behind coweringly like a fossil, suddenly ran over and screamed: "It's too much! Master Zean! I heard everything you said. It's too cruel for a person who can't resist... You, aren't you a monk? And Musashi said just now that he believed in you , so obediently bound it!" "You said this to protect him?" "You are not merciful at all... If you say this again, I will hate you. Musashi has also awakened, so if you want to kill him, just be more straightforward!" Atong's face changed drastically, and he rushed towards Ze'an. Girls are the most emotionally aroused.With a livid face, she pounced on the other party's chest with tears in her eyes. "Whispering!" Takuan's expression had never been so frightening. "What do women know? Shut up!" he cursed. "Don't! Don't!" She shook her head vigorously, A-Tong was no longer like the usual A-Tong. "I also have the right to speak. I also worked hard for three days and three nights in the Polygonum cuspidatum pasture!" "No! No matter who says what, Musashi has to be dealt with by me, Takuan." "So, if you want to behead your head, do it right away, isn't it good? It's so inhumane to make people half dead and take pleasure in torturing people!" "That's what's wrong with me." "What? You are so heartless!" "Back off!" "I do not want!" "You woman, you are becoming stubborn again!" Zean threw her away forcefully, and Atong staggered and fell towards the cedar tree. With a sound of wow, he leaned against the tree trunk and began to cry. She didn't expect even Ze An to be so ruthless.I thought he just tied Musashi to a tree in front of the villagers, and he would definitely deal with it reasonably in the end.Unexpectedly, this person now said that his problem is to enjoy this kind of fun, which made Ah Tong very cold. She believes in Ze An 100%, and now even he is disgusting, which means that the whole world is disgusting.She no longer trusted others, and she fell to the bottom of despair crying. but-- She suddenly felt an inexplicable passion from the tree trunk where she was leaning on and crying.The blood of the man who was tied to the thousand-year-old cedar—the man who cast a harsh voice from the sky—Musashi was flowing down through the trunk of the tree that ten people could not embrace. He was like a warrior's son, pure and full of faith.Thinking of how he was bound by Master Ze'an, and what he said just now, this man is a man with blood, tears, and feelings. Influenced by everyone in the past, I also blamed Musashi by mistake-how does this person look like a devil, making people so hateful?How could everyone treat him like a wild beast, fear him so much, and even hunt him down? "..." As her back and shoulders heaved from crying, Atong hugged the tree trunk tightly.Tears dripped from her cheeks onto the bark. There was a rustling sound in the tops of the trees, as if the tengu were shaking the trees.Snapped!The heavy raindrops hit her collar and also hit Ze'an's head. "Oh! It's raining!" Takuan covered his head with his hands. "Hey! Miss Atong!" "..." "A Tong, who loves to cry! Just because you cry so much, even God cried with you! The wind is blowing, and it's going to rain heavily! Before you get wet, hurry up! Don't worry about dying The man! Come here quickly." Ze'an covered his head with a robe and ran into the main hall as if fleeing for refuge. The rain was falling, and the white cloud bands were dimly exposed in the dark sky. Atong let the rain slap on his back and remained still—of course, Musashi on the tree couldn't move either. Atong couldn't leave there no matter what. Raindrops seeped down her back, soaking her skin.However, when one thinks of Musashi, this is nothing.However, Musashi suffers, why should she also suffer? She has no time to think about it. The young girl suddenly discovered a very good image of a man.She thought to herself that this person was the real man, and at the same time, she sincerely hoped that Musashi would not be killed. "He is so pitiful!" She walked around the tree, not knowing what to do.Looking up, the wind and rain were blowing, and Musashi couldn't even see a shadow. "Brother Musashi!" She cried out unconsciously, but there was no answer.Musashi must also see himself as a member of the Bentian family, thinking that he is as cruel and ruthless as the people in the village. "Under this kind of wind and rain, how can I survive the whole night... Ah! There are so many people in the world, isn't there anyone willing to save Musashi?" Atong suddenly ran back.The wind kept blowing like it was chasing her. Behind the temple, the doors of the monk's room and the abbot's room are closed.The rainwater that overflowed the drainpipes poured down to the ground like a waterfall. "Master Ze'an! Master Ze'an!" Atong knocked on Ze'an's door from the outside. "Who is it?" "It's me, Atong!" "Ah! Are you still outside?" He opened the door immediately and looked at the steamy corridor: "Oh! It's raining hard! The rain will come in, come in!" "No, I'm here to ask you. Master Zean! Please put him down." "Who?" "Musashi." "It makes no sense!" "I will be grateful to you." A Tong knelt down to Ze'an in the rain, clasped his hands together. "I beg you...it doesn't matter what happens to me...please save him! Save him!" The sound of the rain overwhelmed A-Tong's cries, but A-Tong clasped his palms like a practitioner under a waterfall. "I beg you, Master Zean, I beg you! As long as I can do anything, I am willing to do anything... Please, please, save that, that person!" Raindrops kept hitting her mouth. Takuan was as still as a stone, with his eyes closed tightly, like a statue of a god.Then he let out a big sigh, finally opened his eyes, and said: "Go to sleep quickly! Your body is not strong, and you will get sick if you continue to shower." "If..." Ah Tong moved to the door. "I'm going to sleep, you should sleep too!" He slammed the door shut. However, A Tong did not compromise or give in. She actually got into the gap under the floor and crawled near Ze'an's bed. "I beg you! The only request in my life... Master Zean! It would be inhumane if you don't agree... You are a ghost... You are a cold-blooded animal." Originally Ze'an held back his composure, but now it seemed that he couldn't sleep anymore, he finally got angry and jumped up, angrily said: "Come here! There is a thief under the floor of my room! Catch it!"