Yuwen? Among the eighteen heroes, Yuwen Chengdu seems to be the only one with this surname, right? If so, judging from the tone of the child in front of him, could it be... Li Yuanba?
What an eye-opening day! The gatekeeper-like Tang Xuanzang, and the sixteen-year-old clown Li Yuanba—
When the clown boy saw that I didn't answer him, he asked again, "Hey, I'm asking you."
I asked cautiously, "Your brother is Li Shimin, right?"
"yes!"
"Um... if you had come a few days earlier you would have seen your brother. I went back to the Qin Dynasty this time, so I didn't see him."
The clown boy gave a disappointed "oh," then turned to Yuwen Chengdu and said, "Hey Yuwen, let's go practice a couple of wrestling matches. You're the only one among these people who can hold his own against me."
Yuwen Chengdu laughed, "Even if you don't call me 'uncle,' shouldn't you at least call me 'elder brother'?" With that, he packed his things, stood up, and walked out. The little clown boy, as if afraid he would run away, clung to his arm, but said, "Pah, I'll talk about it if I can beat you."
Watching their retreating figures, I asked worriedly, "Won't something happen to those two?"
Xuanzang chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I've already resolved their feud."
I was stunned for a moment, then grabbed Xuanzang's hand and shook it vigorously: "How did you do that?"
Xuanzang clasped his hands together and said, "The Buddha's teachings are boundless; turning back is the shore. To resolve worldly anger, ignorance, and hatred—this is precisely the original intention of this humble monk who went to India to obtain scriptures." Hmm, these two sentences sound more like those of a monk now.
I kept shaking his hand and said, "Wukong and the others are all doing well, right?"
Xuanzang smiled but remained silent; perhaps I wasn't serious enough. I suddenly thought, if even monkeys become the Victorious Fighting Buddha, then why would the monkey's master come to me? This suggests that the person of Wukong… and the monkey himself, are not very reliable as real beings.
Just then, the burly man I'd noticed as soon as I came in approached us and greeted us warmly, "Xiao Qiang, I've heard so much about you."
I quickly clasped my hands in greeting and said, "This must be Second Brother Qin?"
Before Qin Qiong could speak, the handsome young man who was always by his side said, "Cousin, it seems like everyone knows you."
Qin Qiong introduced him to me, saying, "This is my cousin, Luo Cheng."
I nodded slightly to Luo Cheng. I didn't like this kid; I thought he was a scoundrel. He was capable, but too cunning, looking down on everyone and being arrogant. Even Xiang Yu and Guan Yu, though proud, would rather die than face a real challenge. This kid, however, would scheme against anyone more capable than him. So… well, he probably wouldn't scheme against me.
Qin Qiong took my hand and led me to a burly old man with a white beard, who respectfully introduced me: "This is Prince Yang Lin, the Prince of Kao Shan."
Yang Lin glanced at Qin Qiong and snorted, but remained quite polite to me. Qin Qiong said awkwardly, "Godfather, are you still angry with me?"
Yang Lin finally sighed and said, "We each serve our own masters, so I can't blame you. From now on, you can call me Brother Yang, and I will call you Brother Qin Qiong, and that will be fine."
Qin Qiong looked somber. He bowed to Old Yang again before pulling me to a man standing by the window. This man, with a full beard, stood silently by the window, saying little to anyone, clearly melancholy. Qin Qiong called softly, "Second Brother..."
The man didn't turn his head, still gazing out the window. I couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Is this second brother... Shan Xiongxin, the second brother of Shan?"
Shan Xiongxin turned his head in surprise and forced a smile, "Oh, so you recognize me?"
"Who doesn't know Brother Shan?" Although I'm not very familiar with the Sui and Tang dynasties, the story I heard most often when listening to storytelling back then was "Seven provinces in the south and sixty-three provinces in the north, the chief of the outlaw bandits, Shan Tong, Shan Xiongxin," I almost recited it by heart. When I was a child, reading those words would get my blood pumping. Back then, the kind of person we admired most was a mafia boss.
Shan Xiongxin patted my shoulder a few times, chatted with me briefly, his bold and forthright spirit evident, and then went to talk to Old Wang, never once glancing at Qin Qiong. I asked Qin Qiong, puzzled, "Second Brother, aren't you best brothers?" I knew the story of Qin Qiong's impoverished state in Tiantang County, where he sold his mace and horse, and was eventually taken in by Shan Xiongxin to Erxianzhuang, where they became sworn brothers.
Qin Qiong shook his head and smiled wryly, "It's a long story..."
Just then, I felt someone grab my neck. I turned around and saw a burly man glaring at me. When he saw me turn around, he pretended to be angry and said, "Kid, why don't you come and greet me? Do you look down on me, Old Cheng?"
I laughed and said, "I've been looking for you. I'll definitely teach you your three axe techniques when I get the chance."
The burly man laughed heartily, "You're quite clever, kid. It's a deal then!" This man was none other than Cheng Yaojin. My request for the three axe blows wasn't entirely just polite talk. I'd always been searching for an effective attack method. If Cheng Yaojin had three axe blows, then Xiaoqiang had three bricks!
Under Qin Qiong's guidance, I met many other people. I later learned that almost half of these eighteen heroes were generals who supported the Sui Dynasty—this was a truly bizarre ranking list, completely devoid of any stance—and naturally, many of them were Qin Qiong's enemies. This was evident from Qin Qiong's embarrassed introduction of them to me, which also showed Qin Qiong's kindness.
Although it seems these people still don't get along, I'm quite content. I don't expect them to be as harmonious as the Four Heavenly Kings and the Liangshan heroes, as long as they don't fight. And all of this is thanks to Xuanzang. This time, I sincerely approached Xuanzang and exclaimed, "I'm convinced, Master." I realized that the reason these people were able to gather together was entirely because of Xuanzang's lectures. What could make people disregard their enemies and calmly listen to a lecture? This is even more tormenting to me than the mystery of Bruce Lee's sudden death.
Xuanzang said, "Don't call me Master. I'm not a Master. Just call me Xuanzang."
I forced a laugh and said, "That won't do, you're putting me in a difficult position."
Xuanzang said, "Then you can call me Teacher Chen, just like they do."
"Teacher Chen?"
My family name is Chen.
I scratched my head and said, "Aren't monks supposed to be beyond the three realms and outside the five elements? Do you still remember your secular surname?"
Xuanzang laughed and said, "What are you talking about? I only became a monk when I was a teenager, how could I not remember?"
Me: "..." This is completely wrong. When a high-ranking monk is giving a sermon, and someone asks for his lay name, doesn't he usually close his eyes, put his palms together, and say, "This humble monk has forgotten"? Even if he became a monk last year, he still has to say that.
I smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Yes, yes, Master Xuanzang is emptiness, Teacher Chen is emptiness, even our secular names are emptiness. Anyway, everything is emptiness, so it doesn't matter what we call him..." I understand this. When chatting with a monk, you just need to pile everything on the theme of "emptiness." Also, repeating the same things over and over is a great trick. For example, emptiness is form, and form is emptiness. You are me, and I am you. A chicken is a dog, and I am a chicken. I suddenly thought of a contradiction: since it doesn't matter what we call him, why can't we call him Master?
Just as I was thinking this, I heard Xuanzang say, "What kind of twisted logic is this? Everything is empty, why should I bother arguing with you?"
I:"……"
Chapter 138 Wisdom
Before meeting Xuanzang, I always thought that this great Tang Dynasty monk, even if he wasn't the rambling, incessant chatterbox portrayed by Stephen Chow (see "A Chinese Odyssey"), would at least be a dull and unpleasant scholar-type figure. People with exceptional learning are prone to this kind of flaw, and coupled with their devout faith, they wouldn't care whether others could accept it.
But upon meeting him today, I found Xuanzang to be exceptionally likable. The old man hadn't uttered a single profound statement since we met, especially his interpretation of "emptiness," which was quite astonishing. It seems a master is indeed a master; he knows that when talking to someone like me, you can't just spout empty rhetoric, you need to offer something substantial…
At this moment, a group of seven people came up to me, and they all cupped their hands and said, "Brother Xiaoqiang, we will have to rely on you in the future."
When I saw that these seven men were all dressed in loose-fitting clothes and had an elegant demeanor, which was completely different from the murderous style of Qin Qiong and the others, I quickly returned the greeting and said, "Brothers, you must be the Seven Sages?"