Master Wangchen seemed to be in the contemplation of the past. Li Zhen and Jiuzhi did not dare to disturb him, so they could only sit aside obediently.

I don’t know how long it took, Master Wangchen woke up from his memories. He smiled apologetically and said to the two: “I have taught you to study martial arts for many years, but I have never told you that practicing martial arts is actually a low-level one.”

"What the master means is that reading is the best grade?" Li Zhen asked.

Master Wangchen still shook his head, "There are so many scholars in the world? Are they all the best? In my opinion, reading is just a middle-grade grade, and the real top grade is here."

Master Wangchen pointed to his head, "Strategy is the best. Remember, those who are good at strategy control others, and those who are good at martial arts control others."

Li Zhen could understand the profound meaning of this sentence, and he nodded silently. He heard what the master seemed to be explaining today, which made him feel uneasy.

Master Wangchen saw Li Zhen’s concern and said slowly: “You are here just in time. I also want to invite someone to come to you. I want to say something. In a few days, I plan to travel to the Central Plains. This may be the last travel to my life. I don’t know if I can come back, maybe I can’t come back either.”

Li Zhen said anxiously: "Disciple is willing to serve the master!"

"I'll go too!" Jiuzhi also said anxiously.

Master Wangchen smiled, "I will take a few young monks with you. If you follow me, it will affect my practice. I will take your filial piety, but you don't need to follow me."

Li Zhen said for a while: "I hope the master can return soon!"

Master Wangchen nodded, took out a few flying knives from the box behind him, and handed them to Jiuzhi, "This is a flying knives I have made in my spare time, I will give them to you!"

Jiu Zhi was overjoyed, "Thank you, Master!"

"Go outside and try the knife! By the way, go to the bamboo forest outside the temple to find me a bamboo, which is suitable for making crutches, go!"

Jiuzhi stood up and walked quickly.

Master Wangchen then pointed to the door, and Li Zhen understood and went over and closed the door.

"Sit down, I want to say a few words to you!"

Li Zhen sat down silently in front of the master. Master Wangchen then looked at him and said, "I just said that it was the upper and lower grades, have you remembered it?"

"Disciple remember!"

"You must remember that that is the last thing I taught you. You can learn martial arts, but don't be obsessed with it. You can study well and you can't forget it. This is my lifelong lesson. When I realize that good planning is the best grade of career, it is too late."

Li Zhen finally couldn't help but say, "Disciple hopes that the master can say a little more."

Master Wangchen pondered for a moment and said, "When I was young, I was addicted to the study of martial arts and poetry, but I had no way to serve the country, and my life was bumpy. It was not until a major incident happened in the first year of Guangzhai that I suddenly realized and devoted myself to Buddhism.

Fortunately, I not only gained peace in Buddhism, but also accepted you as disciples, which made me have no regrets in my life, but I don’t want you to follow the old path of failure again. I hope you can do something, do something for the Tang Dynasty, and complete the greatest regret for me in this life."

Speaking of this, Master Wangchen sighed again, "Wu's usurpation of the throne, Xu Jingye and I rose up and sent out an edict to fight against the rebellion, hoping to revive the Tang Dynasty. However, the few soldiers and generals were poor. Unfortunately, I escaped the pursuit, but the world was so big that I had nowhere to stand, so I was forced to avoid the frontier and become a monk. It has been ten years since then, and everyone calls me a monk, but I don't have the cultivation of a monk, and I still have the same desire to win the world, and I am obsessed with it, and I feel ashamed to speak!"

Li Zhen knew who his master was. He had recited the manifesto that had been passed down through the ages in his previous life. He was excited and hurriedly bowed, "Disciple understand!"

Master Wangchen smiled slightly, "It's good that you understand, but I hope you can hide the secret of your master in your heart."

"Disciple won't tell anyone."

Master Wangchen took out a quaint sword from the box, blew away the dust on it, and rubbed it for a long time, as if he was still experiencing the past of the sword. He finally handed the sword to Li Zhen.

"This sword was once called the Ding Tang Sword. It was a sword given to the British Duke by Emperor Taizong. It was passed to his grandson Xu Jingye. When Xu Jingye and I rose up, he gave this sword to me. I have been keeping it at the bottom of the box for almost ten years. Now I will officially give it to you. I hope you can live up to this sword and finally one day you can redeem the Tang Dynasty and be your teacher in the nine springs."

Li Zhen respectfully took the sword, "Disciple remembers the teacher's kindness and will never let down the master's teachings to his disciples."

Master Wangchen gently stroked his head and smiled, "Idiots gather when I have fate, and when I have fate, they disperse when I have ended, they are like white clouds and green dogs. The world is impermanent. If you have the chance in the future, you can go to Shuanglin Zen Temple in Yiwu County, Wuzhou. Maybe we will have a chance to meet again."

.........

Although he knew that his master would not come back again once he left, Li Zhen did not feel much sad. He had been a human being for two lifetimes and had a deeper understanding of separation than anyone else.

Besides, he is about to leave Dunhuang, so why should he be sad for his relatives and friends leaving Dunhuang?

However, Jiu Zhi never understood that Master went out to comfort them. He was still excited about the few flying knives his Master gave him.

The two left Dayun Temple and came to Mogao Grottoes not far away. Mogao Grottoes are the holy land of Dunhuang City. They have experienced hundreds of years of storms and have just entered their prosperous period by the mid-Tang Dynasty.

Mogao Grottoes are covered with large areas of poplar and red willows, and sweet spring water flows slowly from the high cliffs. It is spring, and here are the bells and grasses are growing, and the golden roofs of temples are hidden among the green trees and red willows.

Mogao Grottoes are Buddhist caves dug on a cliff stone wall. There are already hundreds of Buddha caves of all sizes, but the area of ​​the stone wall is limited, and not everyone can open a cave on the stone wall. The stone walls, like the land, have their own belongs.

At present, most of the rock walls belong to major temples, and a few are owned by famous families in Dunhuang. These are all established by the government and can be transferred and traded. However, buying and selling stone walls is not pious enough to the Buddha, and are more passed down from generation to generation.

Li Zhen also has a stone wall located north of Mogao Grottoes and covers a large area. It was passed down to him after his grandfather Li Danping passed away. It was first belonged to the Li family in Dunhuang and was given to Li Danping when the Li family split the property.

Li Danping was pious to the Buddha. His greatest wish in his life was to be able to dig a Buddha cave to express his yearning for Buddhism. However, digging a Buddha cave was extremely expensive. Li Danping was poor all his life and was unable to dig a Buddha cave at all, so he placed his hope on his grandson.

Although Li Zhen did not like his grandfather, he had the obligation to fulfill his last wish, which was also his wish.

"Old Li, I'll go find Xiaoxi, are you going?" Jiuzhi asked anxiously when he was showing off his horse to Xiaoxi.

"I'm going to give Auntie medicine, you go first!"

"Then I'll go first."

Jiu Zhi turned his horse's head and rushed south. Xiaoxi's father is now working in the cave in the south, so Xiaoxi should be there too.

Li Zhen urged his horse to the Buddha's prayer altar on the north bank of Ganquan Water. From a distance, he saw more than a dozen old women burning incense and kneeling on the Buddha's altar. These women were all members of the Dunhuang Women's Association.

The so-called woman club is composed of some children and widows, with special institutions and deacons. Widows will pay membership fees to women during their lifetime, and women will handle funerals for them after their death, which is quite similar to life insurance in later generations.

Women will also regularly organize widows to participate in various activities, and worshiping Buddha is one of them.

Meng is also a member of the Women's Association, but she does not meet the requirements of the Women's Association. Although she is a widow, she has a son. She has to pay a considerable fee to the Women's Association every year.

This made his wife Li Quan very dissatisfied. Of course, after Meng's death, his son and daughter-in-law were responsible for her funeral. What would he do with women?

After a few quarrels between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Li Quan was too lazy to care about her because of her husband. Anyway, several thatched houses in Shouchang County were also sold, so she asked her to pay the membership fee with the money from selling the thatched houses.

However, although Meng paid money to women for free every year, she could not improve her status in the women's association. Her status in the association is very low and is looked down upon by many people.

On the one hand, although her son has no prospects, but more importantly, their family clearly has a stone wall, but they fail to build a Buddha cave in Mogao Grottoes. This means that her family is poor and has no money to build a Buddha cave, which makes the moneyless but snobbish widows really look down on her.

Meng was very angry with his daughter-in-law Li Quan for this. She thought that Li Quan spent a lot of money on her younger brother every year to study and practice martial arts, so their family was poor and had no money to build Buddhist caves.

This is the root cause of the tension in the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

"Aunt, sister, let me give you medicine." Li Zhen smiled and handed the medicine to Meng.

Meng glanced at the pill pack, and she felt many sisters looking at her. Her face suddenly sank and said coldly: "I'll go back tomorrow. Who asked her to give the medicine? Don't I know?"

Li Zhen was a little embarrassed. After all, this old woman was his eldest sister's mother-in-law and had a special relationship. He had to smile and put the medicine aside, "Auntie, please be busy! I'll leave first."

He jumped gently and jumped off the high Buddha altar. His jumping posture was unrestrained, but unfortunately he was not seen by the Dunhuang girls who admired him, but attracted a group of old women's discussion.

"I heard that learning martial arts is very expensive. I have to buy medicine all the time. That kind of medicine is so expensive that only rich children can afford it."

"That's right! The family is not rich, why should I learn martial arts? The Buddhist slave worked hard to earn money, but raised his brother-in-law. Alas, Mrs. Meng is pitiful! She gave birth to a son in vain."

The women without sons became more and more excited as they spoke, Meng's face became more and more gloomy, and almost thunderstorms were shattered.
Chapter completed!