Chapter 5 Two, close call

what!Finally seeing the water plants, Xuanzang, who was already smoking with thirst, quickly picked up the water with his hands, and was about to drink it, when suddenly, with a whoosh, an arrow shot towards him... Xuanzang lay in the sand ditch to hide during the day and traveled at night.The quilt was blown away by the strong wind, and the night was cold, so he had to nest under the belly of the lying horse, and put his back against the belly of the horse to keep warm. At this moment, he really felt what it means to depend on each other. That night, when Xuanzang came to the beacon tower defense area, he remembered that Shi Pantuo had told him that there were no water plants along the way, only under the beacon tower. touch...

what!Finally seeing the water plants, Xuanzang, who was already smoking with thirst, hurriedly picked up the water with his hands, and just about to drink, suddenly, with a whoosh sound, an arrow shot towards him, passing by his right knee. And shot a hole through the kneecap of his right trousers, and another arrow just passed through his armpit... Xuanzang shivered when he saw it, and hurriedly exclaimed to the beacon tower: "Please don't shoot arrows! Please don't shoot arrows! I'm not a bad person. I'm a monk from Chang'an, the capital of the capital. I want to go to the West to learn scriptures. I pass by here to get some water to quench my thirst..."

After hearing his call, several soldiers came out of the blockhouse and surrounded him. One of them said: "Whether you are a good person or a bad person, the court has an order that no one is allowed to sneak across the border. Come! Bind him up." ,take away!" "Let me go! Let me go!" So Xuanzang was escorted to Angqiao, and after crossing the ditch, he entered the beacon tower. This is a barrel-shaped blockhouse, and Xuanzang was led to the second floor.There are tables and stools in the room, and soldiers are guarding under the windows on all sides with bows and arrows.Behind the table sat a dignified general.

"Report sir, this man dressed as a monk wants to sneak across the border, and we have brought him up." The general sitting behind the desk is a school lieutenant named Wang Xiang.He commands the defense of the Beacon Tower.The border is tight recently, and the northern Turks often come to harass. The imperial court must strictly guard against it, especially not allowing domestic people to cross the border, so as not to miss people who are in touch with enemies inside and outside. So he scanned Xuanzang up and down with vigilant eyes. In fact, when Xuanzang was scooping water under the beacon tower just now, he had already seen him from the gun tower, and now he looked at him again, seeing his kind eyes and extraordinary appearance, he said:

"You really look like a monk. What's your name? Where did you come from? Where are you going? Have you ever had a (passport)?" Xuanzang then took out the ultimatum from his inner pocket and handed it over.After Wang Xiang unfolded the reading, he was surprised: "Amitabha, it turns out that the noble monk is Master Xuanzang. I have admired him for a long time!" As he said this, he left his seat and went up to salute Xuanzang, "The last general is rude, and the Master has been wronged." tied up.He also said, "My father believes in Buddhism, and I also respect Buddhism very much, so I respect monks very much. Dare I ask the master to go to the frontier alone, what is the value of it?"

Before Xuanzang could reply, the captain saw that his lips were already cracked with thirst and dripping blood, so he hurriedly ordered the soldiers: "Hurry up and bring some tea to the mage!" "yes." "Mage, please sit down." "Okay, thank you." Xuanzang took the water brought by the soldiers, drank it all in one gulp, and gently wiped his chapped and bleeding lips with his sleeve, and then saluted: "Thank you for the benefactor, the poor monk wants to study Buddhist scriptures in Tianzhu, because It is the birthplace of Buddhism." "Oh, that's right. However, it is said that there have been a lot of Buddhist scriptures that have been passed down from Tianzhu to China since the Han Dynasty. Isn't there enough Buddhist scriptures to refer to?"

Xuanzang sighed: "Although there are many Buddhist scriptures in China, there are too many disputes among the schools. It is difficult to determine which is right and which is wrong. In order to gain insight into the Buddha's realm and understand the true meaning, the poor monk decided to go to Tianzhu to retrieve the scriptures. " "Oh! Your ambition is precious, but the journey from here to Tianzhu is far away, and you have to pass through desert glaciers, which is very dangerous. You are alone, I'm afraid..." "Thank you for the care of the benefactor. The road is difficult and dangerous. The poor monk already knows it, but he has made up his mind, so he will definitely not be afraid of difficulties."

"The true Buddha is holy!" the captain sighed, and said, "Let's invite the mage to rest here tonight! It's not too late to hurry tomorrow." "Alright, thank you benefactor." The captain ordered again: "You are all stupid, why don't you hurry up and prepare meals for the mage." "yes." The old guy who cooks in the turret is also a Buddhist, so he respects Xuanzang very much.He baked cakes for him, and heated the remaining porridge, plus a salted duck egg and a plate of pickles.Sitting opposite the wooden table, he rested his chin in both hands, and seeing the master eating deliciously, he said happily, "I still have some pancakes, I'll bring them to you on the way tomorrow."

"Thank you." Xuanzang said gratefully. Several young soldiers surrounded Xuanzang in admiration and asked questions. One of them said: "Master, it's too dangerous to cross the desert alone. If you don't die of thirst, you will also be killed by robbers." Lieutenant Wang was coming down the stairs, and after listening to praise, he said: "With great ambition, you will not be afraid of death. You should also be like a mage. With the heart of guarding the frontier, you will charge and kill the enemy first." "Yes, Captain." An older soldier responded politely.

Another soldier also responded: "The captain is right. If you have ambition, you will not be afraid of death." Lieutenant Wang smiled when he heard this, and then told the old man: "Old Wang, please prepare more food and water for the mage." "Yes, Captain." When going to bed, Xuanzang discovered that the right kneecap had been shot by an arrow and was still bleeding, and the right trouser leg was also scratched through a hole. He took out the needle and thread and sighed as he sewed: "It's so dangerous, it's really a shot! Even if you don't die, if you shoot through the kneecap, wouldn't it be impossible to go to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures?!"

Look at the hole in the armpit of the robe, "My God, if it is a little more inward, I will die!" "Buddha, Xuanzang, thank you for your protection!" Xuanzang said as he folded his hands together and bowed to the west... In the turret, Xuanzang couldn’t fall asleep, and the snoring of the soldiers next to him kept coming and going. Xuanzang couldn’t sleep even more, and the days with his brother in Chang’an came back to his mind... Xuanzang and his elder brother Master Changjie finally arrived at Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, after more than ten days of arduous trek.Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, was very prosperous, with many silk shops and business travelers from the Western Regions. It was indeed the first stop of the Silk Road. The two brothers were very happy to see the Buddhist temples and monks gathered in Chang'an.Xuanzang pointed to a Buddhist temple and said happily: "Brother, look, it's another monastery. Chang'an really deserves to be the center of Buddhist activities. We didn't come in vain." Chang Jie said: "Yes, there are many and large Buddhist temples in Chang'an, and there are many eminent monks here, which will surely satisfy your desire for further study." Xuanzang smiled happily. The two brothers found out the address of the Zhuangyan Temple. When they came to the gate of the temple that day, they asked the monk guarding the gate to let them in. Not long after, Master Daoyue came out to greet him. He had already heard about the reputation of Brother Xuanzang in the Pure Land Temple in Luoyang, so he went out of the hospital to greet him in person. When Master Daoyue saw Xuanzang, he was overwhelmed by his appearance: he looks like a Bodhisattva!Everyone said that Xuanzang resembled the Tathagata Buddha, and his reputation was indeed well-deserved! Seeing the master staring blankly at his younger brother, Chang Jie knew that he was overwhelmed by Xuanzang's appearance.The younger brother, who is now in his early twenties, is even more handsome than when he was a boy. He is tall and burly, with a fair face that looks like a full moon, a straight nose, and a pair of mirror-like eyes shining under his long black eyebrows. His big eyes are intelligent and kind, his well-defined lips are straight and rosy, and his ears are huge and drooping... It's like the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva in the temple. No wonder Master Daoyue was dumbfounded. "Master Daoyue, Amitabha!" Master Changjie put his palms together and said. When Master Daoyue heard Master Changjie's greeting, he recovered from his shock, and hurriedly saluted and replied: "Amitabha! The two masters are here, and I have heard their names earlier." "Please, two mages." "Please, Elder." Hearing that Brother Xuanzang was coming, all the monks in the temple surrounded him and demanded to give them lectures.Master Daoyue arranged several lectures for him, and there were so many monks and laymen who came here to listen to the Dharma, and the event was unprecedented. The Xuanzang brothers' profound Buddhist principles and profound knowledge won praise from the audience, and Xuanzang became famous in Chang'an. Xuanzang will never forget the morning when his brother saw him off... Outside Chang'an City, beside the ancient road, the older brother Master Changjie looked at his younger brother worriedly. "Brother, it's hard to predict whether you will go here. Although life and death are impermanent in the Buddhist family, it is inevitable to worry about it. I am really worried about it. In fact, you have studied in various temples all over the country, and you know the Buddhist scriptures well. Now your talent and learning have already surpassed your brother's." , the reputation is no longer inferior to others, brothers can completely speak in the country, so why bother to risk their lives to learn from the scriptures!" "Brother, the purpose of my trip to Tianzhu has already been told to my brother, and now I have made up my mind. Even if I die, I will not be able to shake my will. I just worry about my parents' old age. I hope that my brother will find time to visit them. I am very grateful. Although The monks have already been born beyond the dust, but filial piety to parents cannot be changed. Didn’t the Buddha Sakyamuni also go home to visit his old father?” Master Changjie sighed, and said: "I know your nature, as long as you make up your mind, you will not turn back. Anyway, you can go, and may the Buddha bless you on your journey. As for the old parents, my brother will go often Take care." Chang Jie took out a letter from the lapel of the cassock and handed it to Xuanzang, saying: "When you arrive in Liangzhou, hand this letter to Master Huiwei. He is my best friend, and he will help you..." His voice choked up. . Xuanzang took the letter and hid it in his bosom. Seeing his brother sad, he also burst into tears... Thinking of this, Xuanzang sat up and said silently: "Brother, don't be sad for me, brother, I will definitely get through this difficult time." This was another sleepless night on Xuanzang's westward journey. exactly: